Month: July 2026

By Mythili Gubbi

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    PLEASANT VIEW, Utah (KSTU) — A family in Weber County never thought they would get to see the day their little boy would be back at a hospital for a happy reason. But on Tuesday, along with the people who saved him, they got to celebrate 7-year-old Elliot Ellis’ recovery in a special way.

The day after Christmas last year, a car hit Elliot, who was six years old at the time, outside his home in Pleasant View. That was the first time Diego Cruz with North View Fire District met little Elliot.

“Just seeing a little child underneath there in that condition, there was no question at that point, especially after we pulled him out, like we’re not just going to leave him,” said Cruz, who was the lead paramedic on that incident.

“It was the worst day of my life,” said Elliot’s mom, Lyndsey Ellis.

Elliot was transported to Ogden Regional Medical Center.

“We definitely left the ER that day not super hopeful of the outcome. We were prepared to hear some bad news, but it was just miracle after miracle,” Cruz told Lyndsey. “I’m really glad that he’s here now, and he’s just a normal kid.”

A kid who gets to have his whole life ahead of him — thanks to the paramedics and hospital staff who saved him. They got to celebrate his miraculous recovery on Tuesday and meet the little boy who has been on their minds for six months.

Cruz’s team visited Elliot in the hospital a few days after the accident and even showed him around the fire station after he recovered.

Lyndsey said Elliot does not have any brain damage. He did sustain some fractures, bruised lungs and a few gashes, but is still the beacon of joy he always was.

“He is unchanged and its absolutely amazing,” she said, beaming about her son. “He’s the most caring kid I know. When I’m having a bad day, Elliot’s the very first one to come find me and give me hug and just tell me he loves me.”

But there’s another hero in this story: Elliot’s older brother, Gus.

“I think he honestly had probably the most important role, getting us dispatched. There was no way we would have been able to help Elliot if we hadn’t been there,” Cruz said.

A few minutes after they went outside to play, Lyndsey said she heard Gus scream and knew something was terribly wrong.

“I turned to Gus and I said, ‘Where’s Elliot?’ and he said, ‘She hit him,’ and I got down on my hands and knees and he was in the wheel well of her car,” Lyndsey described.

North View Fire District presented Gus with a lifesaving award for being the reason first responders got there so quickly. They also opened “My-529” college savings accounts, made deposits for the boys, and gifted them a visit to the planetarium. They gave the boys adventures and set them up for their bright future, and they are so thankful Elliot gets to have one.

“We took Elliot to Lagoon the other day, and we were spinning around on the musical express and we were just laughing and laughing and laughing, and in those moments it’s really hard not to think that we almost didn’t get that,” Lyndsey said. “It’s beyond easy to be so very grateful for them.”

The first responders watched what was a devastating call turn into a beautiful, lifelong relationship.

“I don’t think there’s anything greater in this career,” Cruz said. “We all choose to do this job, and being able to experience something like this, I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By EastIdahoNews.com staff

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    KENNER, Louisiana (eastidahonews.com) — A 75-year-old New Orleans man who legally changed his name to Santa Claus was among 11 people arrested during an undercover child exploitation operation over the weekend, according to the Kenner Police Department.

Investigators say Claus allegedly contacted an undercover detective through a dating app, believing he was communicating with a 15-year-old boy, according to a police department statement. During their conversations, Claus allegedly discussed engaging in sexual acts with the child before arranging to meet the juvenile in Kenner.

When Claus arrived at the predetermined meeting location, detectives arrested him without incident.

Police said Claus physically resembles the Santa Claus character and has portrayed the holiday figure, raising additional concerns because he allegedly sought to meet a child for sex.

“All these defendants are a danger to our youth and society,” Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said in a statement. “We preach daily about the vulnerability of our children on social media and gaming platforms, and now we have arrested a person who dresses up as Santa Claus inviting parents to drop their young children in his lap for photo ops. This is a cautionary tale to parents and guardians.”

Claus was booked on charges of computer-aided solicitation of a minor and indecent behavior with a juvenile.

The arrest was part of an undercover operation conducted by the Kenner Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division ICAC/Cyber Crimes team targeting people accused of attempting to exploit children online.

Police said the operation resulted in 11 arrests, 10 outstanding arrest warrants, 37 criminal charges and 21 individuals facing child exploitation-related charges

Authorities said the charges filed during the operation include computer-aided solicitation of a minor, indecent behavior with a juvenile and indecent behavior involving grooming.

“Anyone who uses the anonymity of the internet to exploit children should understand one thing—we are there too,” Conley said. “Our investigators will continue to identify these predators, build strong cases, and bring them to justice before they have the opportunity to victimize a child.”

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Cameron Polom

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    BUCKEYE, Arizona (KNXV) — Buckeye mother Jelsa Seid spends her days balancing the challenges of raising a family while living with end-stage kidney failure and waiting for the call that could change her life: a kidney donor.

But recently, a different kind of life-changing call came her way.

After reaching out to Parker & Sons looking for help with a home water treatment system, she got quite the response.

Seid explained that she had been relying on bottled water because her hard tap water was continually making her sick, creating an added financial burden as she navigates her health journey. She also admitted she couldn’t afford to purchase a system and hoped there was a program to assist.

Moved by her story, Parker & Sons partnered with EcoWater Systems to make sure help was on the way.

Together, the companies are donating and installing a new water softener and reverse-osmosis system at no cost to Seid and her family.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Jonathan Miller

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    ATLANTA, Georgia (WUPA) — Inside a high-security vault at the Georgia Archives, approximately 65,000 cubic feet of records preserve the history of Georgia and its people.

For collections manager Hendry Miller, even a single box can hold a remarkable story.

“I love doing what I do because I grew up a history nerd,” Miller said. “History and social studies were my favorite classes in school.”

Among the records Miller helps protect are two documents from the nation’s earliest years, connected by the idea of freedom.

The first is Georgia’s official recorded copy of the Declaration of Independence.

It is not the original parchment signed in 1776. Instead, it is a handwritten version that entered into Georgia’s official records in 1777 after the Continental Congress sent authenticated copies to the states.

A professional scribe copied the document by hand.

“When they said they needed to record a copy of a record, they had to actually handwrite it out,” Miller said. “The scribe who did this — he’s got very neat handwriting. He’s pretty good at his job.”

The paper has aged, and the ink has faded, but its best-known words remain clear: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

A second document preserved nearby tells a different story about how that promise was experienced in early America.

It is the official act emancipating Austin Dabney, an enslaved Black man who served with Patriot forces during the Revolutionary War.

Miller said Dabney was born in North Carolina, was brought to Georgia during the 1770s, and later served under Col. Elijah Clarke. The act says he fought with “bravery and fortitude.”

Dabney entered the war enslaved and was wounded while fighting for a country’s freedom before he had his own.

After the war, Georgia provided funds for his emancipation. Dabney later received a land grant and lived as a free man in Georgia.

“He’s the only African-American person to be emancipated in Georgia during the Revolution, for service during the Revolution,” Miller said.

Although much of Dabney’s life remains unknown, the surviving records reveal more about him than is known about many people from the 18th and 19th centuries.

“In the grand scheme of things, we don’t know a lot about Austin Dabney and who he was,” Miller said. “But compared to other people in the 18th and 19th century, we actually do know a whole lot more.”

Placed together, the Declaration and Dabney’s emancipation act preserve two parts of the same American story: the promise declared in one document and the freedom formally recognized in another.

The public will have an opportunity to see Georgia’s recorded copy of the Declaration of Independence on Friday, July 10, through July 18 at the Georgia Archives in Morrow.

“These records need to be preserved because they tell the story of the state of Georgia, the people of Georgia, and the early United States,” Miller said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Anahita Jafary

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — California will become the first state to require large chain restaurants to disclose the presence of the top nine allergens on their menus starting Wednesday, thanks to a new law known as Senate Bill 68, or the Allergen Disclosure for Dinner Experiences (ADDE) Act.

The law was championed by 10-year-old Addie Lao and her mother, Robyn Lao, who have worked to make dining out safer for people with food allergies.

“Labeling the top nine allergens on menus, which is really important for me in the allergy community. So it’s really hard to eat out safely without, like, without knowing what’s in your food,” Robyn Lao said.

Addie, who has severe food allergies, explained how her diet differs from others.

“Right now, I’m drinking like horse milk and donkey milk,” she said. “I’m having all these different nuts for my peanut and sesame allergy.”

Dining out has often been a challenge for Addie and her family, especially with dishes like dumplings.

“The stuffing always has sesame oil or most often does and so without labeling or good information, often times we ask the staff and they’re like not sure and they go and check or there’s a lot of like back and forth,” Robyn Lao said.

The ADDE Act requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to list if menu items contain milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, or sesame. Advocates say this transparency can make a significant difference.

Lucy Logan, co-founder of Everybite, a foodservice technology company that provides personalized, ingredient-first digital menus.

Everybite, which is partnered with the California Restaurant Association, highlighted the benefits for businesses and diners.

“You’re opening up more of a market for those guests that otherwise cannot and will not buy from you or go and visit one of your locations,” Logan said.

For Addie and others with food allergies, the law represents a step toward safer dining experiences.

“I think it just really helps them dine out safer. It makes them less scared to dine out,” Robyn Lao said. “I mean, you still have to be careful, but it’ll just be like a way to start the conversation.”

The ADDE Act goes into effect July 1, and Addie and her mom hope that one day allergen labeling will be required at all restaurants, not just chains.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.