Felon accused of killing Mecca man, wounding another arraigned

KESQ on July 22, 2026

City News Service

INDIO (CNS) – A convicted felon accused of gunning down a 44-year-oldMecca man and wounding his friend pleaded not guilty today to first-degree murder and other charges.

Adolfo Suarez Lopez, 50, of Indio was arrested earlier this month following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the slaying of Alberto Padron in June.

Along with murder, Lopez is charged with attempted murder, being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

The defendant was arraigned Wednesday before Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Aug. 27 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Lopez is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

According to sheriff’s Sgt. Alberto Loureiro, just after midnight on June 28, the defendant was involved in an unspecified confrontation with Padron and his 43-year-old friend, identified only as “G.L.,” at a property in the 98000 block of Surfside Avenue, near Windward Drive, in North Shore.

Loureiro and court documents alleged that during the encounter, Lopez pulled a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and opened fire on the victims, fatally wounding Padron and inflicting a gunshot wound to G.L.Witnesses called 911, and Lopez allegedly fled the scene, according to the sergeant.

He said paramedics pronounced Padron dead at the residence, while G.L. was taken to a Coachella Valley trauma center for treatment of the wound, from which he’s recovering.Central Homicide Unit detectives soon identified Lopez as the alleged shooter, tracking him to a location in Murrieta, where he was taken into custody without incident on July 3.

His prior felony conviction was not listed in the criminal complaint.

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Next Phase of De La Vina Bridge Replacement Project in Sight

KEYT on July 22, 2026

Beth Farnsworth

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Work crews and engineers are busy with the final phase of work on the west end or “downstream” portion of the De La Vina Street Bridge Over Mission Creek Replacement Project.

Final construction on Phase 1 is expected to wrap up by the end of summer or early fall, according to Adam Ziets, Project Engineer. That will include paving De La Vina Street and switching one-way traffic over to the right side of the street. Once complete, that will trigger the start of Phase 2.

People passing by the work zone on De La Vina Street these days will notice the newly constructed sidewalk, concrete railing and creek walls on that half of the project. Also complete and not necessarily noticeable are sewer, water and gas infrastructures that are now in place.

Ziets said crews are now busy installing underground “dry” utilities. He stressed an important reminder for the community: All businesses along this stretch of the De La Vina Street corridor and other businesses near the construction zone remain open.

“We have been impacted by the construction,” said Olivia, a Lead Vet Assistant with Urgent Veterinary Care of Santa Barbara. “We’re getting through it. It’s been a little tough for our clients to find parking.”

The clinic has parking off Vernon Street behind its facility. Other customers frequenting nearby businesses will find street parking throughout the neighborhood.

Phase 2 of the work will center on the east or “upstream” portion of the bridge replacement project near Handlebar Coffee. That work will be completed next year.

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70th Annual Teton County Fair returns with rides, music, pig wrestling

KIFI on July 22, 2026

Maile Sipraseuth

JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI)– The 70th Annual Teton County Fair is officially underway, bringing a full week of rides, food, livestock shows and live entertainment to the Jackson community and beyond.

The fairgrounds will feature activities for everyone to enjoy, such as carnival rides, cotton candy, games and exhibits celebrating the area’s agricultural roots.

One controversial yet fan-favorite event is also making a comeback. After a six-year hiatus, pig wrestling has returned to the fair lineup. Pig wrestling is set for Thursday, July 23, at 7 pm. Youth and women are set to participate.

Behind the scenes, organizers spent days preparing the fairgrounds for the annual event. From coordinating vendors and entertainment to setting up exhibits and attractions, they say hosting the fair takes nearly a year of planning and a tremendous community effort.

MaryBeth Hansen, Chair of the Teton County Fair Board, says that getting vendors lined up and set up is one of the hardest things to plan.

“Hardest game of Tetris you ever played in your life,” Hansen said.

Admission to the Teton County Fair is free, though rides, food and vendor purchases require tickets or payment.

Organizers encourage visitors to walk, bike or use public transportation whenever possible, as parking around the fairgrounds is limited.

The fair has plans for a rodeo, showcasing animals and live entertainment. For more information, visit the Teton County Fairgrounds website.

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Former Saline County teacher found not guilty of child sex crimes

KMIZ on July 22, 2026

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former teacher who was accused of child sex crimes was found not guilty, the Saline County prosecutor told ABC 17 News on Wednesday.

Justin Hendricks, of Marshall, was charged in 2024 with first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree child molestation, among other charges. He was acquitted of all seven charges, according to his attorney and the prosecutor.  

Authorities accused Hendricks of abusing two youth over multiple years, court documents from previous reporting show.

Previous reporting shows Hendricks had denied the allegations when he was confronted by law enforcement.

Hendricks had previously worked as a high school social studies teacher in the Carrollton R-7 School District during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school year, previous reporting shows. The charges were not related to the school, the district told ABC 17 News in 2024.

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Former La Tuna employee raises concerns over federal prison’s closure and layoffs

KVIA on July 22, 2026

Heriberto Perez Lara

ANTHONY, Texas (KVIA) — A local person with knowledge of the operations at La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution, who asked to remain anonymous, is speaking out about the recent announcement that six Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities will close across the country, including the one in Anthony, Texas.

The former employee told ABC-7 that La Tuna needs approximately 250 staff members to be fully staffed; right now, he said, they have around 230.

“From what I know, they (employees and staff members) were not aware of it; it just came as a surprise during a recall where the director came to La Tuna and all the staff were called to the training center, and they were given the bad news that they were going to close it down,” said the former employee. “Their excuse was infrastructure damage and staff shortages bureau-wide.”

“Some of these staff members are going to have to bear the cost of transferring out; they’re (BOP) not going to pay for their moving expenses. They were supposedly promised severance pay, but that’s not a guarantee,” he added.

The Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) said earlier this month they are closing the facilities to address decades of deferred maintenance and extreme staffing challenges.

According to Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), the proper agencies in charge of these facilities go to the House to ask Representatives for funding every appropriations period.

“This is when they have the opportunity to be transparent with us about any plans that they might have, about any issues that they have and that is the normal part of the appropriations process,” said Rep. Escobar. “After the appropriations process was complete and during which the Bureau of Prisons never said a word to me or to any of the appropriators as we were drafting our appropriations bills and providing them with money, never once did they inform us of their plan to shut down several prisons, including one that would impact El Paso constituents of mine who go to work and have devoted their lives to federal public service.”

According to Rep. Escobar, the employees also did not get a sufficient heads-up that the facility was closing. She also says there are several contractors currently doing business with the Bureau of Prisons.

“The Bureau of Prisons received significant funding last year that was intended to help repair older properties, older jails, and would have addressed the infrastructure issues that La Tuna faces,” Rep. Escobar added.

“These agencies have to be responsive to Congress; we fund them, we hold the purse strings, we’re the ones who give the money,” Rep. Escobar added. “They have an obligation, not just to inform us, but to answer our questions and I have not gotten answers to my questions yet from the Bureau of Prisons; that is unacceptable.”

The main concern of both staff and local leaders is knowing the fate of the property and what will happen to the inmates currently detained at La Tuna, since many of them have lawyers relatively close by, but for those who do not, Representative Escobar wonders how they will have access to legal advice and what the future holds for their cases.

“I also suspect that they (US government) are going to privatize some of these prison jobs,” Rep. Escobar added. “What we have seen with the Trump administration is that he has awarded contracts to his biggest donors, and there’s been massive corruption that is occurring in broad daylight.”

“I am very deeply concerned that some of these prison jobs are not just going to be privatized, but that the contracts will be given to basically Trump donors,” Rep. Escobar also said. “We also are very concerned that La Tuna may be used for other purposes, like immigration detention, that will also potentially be privatized, as we’ve seen more privatization of immigration detention, which is part of the problem with what we’ve seen at Camp East Montana.”

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Cooper County Fair loses $5,000 deposit, has no carnival rides

KMIZ on July 22, 2026

Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ)

The Cooper County Fair is moving forward without carnival rides this year after its contracted ride company, Amusement Associates, shut down unexpectedly and did not return the fair’s $5,000 deposit.

Cooper County Fair Board President Bryan Larm said the board hired Amusement Associates in January after meeting with the company at a fairs and festivals event. The Cooper County board then paid a $5,000 deposit for carnival rides.

“We made the $5,000 deposit. Everything was golden,” Larm said. “Then last week, we got an email and it said he was going to cease business for insurance purposes.”

Larm said the company gave the fair about one week’s notice. He said Amusement Associates told the board it could no longer afford the insurance costs required to remain in business.

The late notice left the fair board scrambling to find another company before the fair began. Larm said the Cooper County Fair was one of four fairs affected by the same company.

Larm confirmed the fair did not get its deposit back.

“So, yeah, we did lose $5,000,” Larm said.

The board has discussed taking the company to court, but Larm said no final decision has been made. Board members are speaking with attorneys about whether pursuing the money would be worth the cost.

“We can’t spend $10,000 to make $5,000 either,” Larm said. “We’re in discussions with some lawyers, trying to get some ideas of what we should do and how far we should take it.”

The fair normally sells $25 wristbands for carnival rides. Larm did not provide an estimate for how much additional revenue the fair could lose without those sales.

“I don’t want to say a number because I could be totally off, but we have a very strong community and a very supportive community,” Larm said.

The board contacted other carnival companies after learning Amusement Associates would not attend. Larm said one company from Oklahoma considered coming, but could not make the trip work because of travel costs and other commitments.

That company is expected to send the fair a bid for next year.

Larm said finding carnival companies has become increasingly difficult for smaller county fairs because there are fewer companies available and many are already booked.

The board added other activities in place of the missing carnival rides, including miniature golf, a dunk tank, pony rides and other games.

Larm said the fair still has nightly entertainment, miniature golf, a dunk tank, pony rides, games and animals in the barns.

“Come see us. We’ve got lots of entertainment,” Larm said. “There’s something for everybody every night.”

The fair board is also reviewing its contracts as it plans for future events.

“We’re definitely looking more into our contracts and making sure that they are legit,” Larm said. “We want a little more knowledge about them to make sure all our I’s are dotted and our T’s are crossed.”

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Trailer fire threatens two homes east of Columbia

KMIZ on July 22, 2026

Lucas Geisler

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) –

Boone County firefighters put out a trailer fire Wednesday afternoon east of Columbia that damaged at least two homes.

Boone County Fire Protection District assistant chief Chuck Doss told ABC 17 News that a trailer caught fire near two homes in the 7400 block of Suncrest Court.

Joey Rimel with the Boone County Fire District says that units were dispatched around 11:40 a.m. due to multiple reports of a trailer fire.

Eight trucks carrying 16 firefighters got to the scene and found the trailer in flames, with damage to two adjacent homes. One home’s garage was damaged and the vinyl siding was melted on the other.

Boone County Fire Protection District reports no injuries.

There will be an investigation to identify the cause of the fire, which might be a lithium-ion battery, says Rimel. “So it sounds like, what was in the trailer was lithium-ion batteries that he was using for his RC airplanes. With it being hot and then being under power, there’s a possibility that that could have been a contributor to the cause”

The fire was contained and put out around 12:35 p.m.

With a hotter climate, Boone County Fire Protection District says to be home or near your lithium-ion batteries while charging and follow manufacturer specifications to avoid fire.

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Northeast El Paso fire station reveals $1 million renovations

KVIA on July 22, 2026

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Wednesday, a Northeast El Paso fire station revealed its renovations. It’s one of several local fire stations that got improvements thanks to a $1 million project from the 2019 Public Safety Bond Program.

Fire Station No. 23 on Threadgill Avenue showed off upgrades including improvements to its roof, locker room and other amenities.

The Capital Improvement Department led renovations at the fire station.

“This is one of the busiest stations in the city,” El Paso Fire Department Chief Jonathan Killings said. “We want to make sure when our firefighters come home back to their station, they have a nice, comfortable space to rehab.”

Killings said Fire Station No. 23 had one of the smaller renovation projects.

He said renovating the fire stations ensures facilities and resources are up and running to continue serving those who depend on firefighters.

The renovation project already improved 17 stations across the city, Killings said.

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18-year-old arrested in Cimarron Hills murder case

KRDO on July 22, 2026

Mackenzie Stafford

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – On July 7, a father was shot and killed in El Paso County. The sheriff’s office was searching for four masked suspects and announced on July 22 that an arrest had been made.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) says that on July 16, 18-year-old Damonte Linwood was arrested in Aurora on charges of second-degree murder and robbery in connection with this case.

Linwood is currently being held at the Aurora Detention Center on a $500,000 bond, according to EPSO. KRDO13 requested additional information on Linwood’s arrest; however, the court told KRDO13 his arrest record is currently sealed.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Sheriff’s office seeks public help after man shot to death in Cimarron Hills area

Just after 1 a.m. on July 7, EPSO says 39-year-old Michael Fell was shot and killed by masked intruders in a friend’s home. Deputies say in the initial investigation, they determined at least four masked individuals entered the residence and stole items from the occupants in an apparent robbery before fleeing the area.

Fell was a son, a brother, and a father. The night he was killed, family said he was playing poker with friends. His mother, Kathy Seylaz, previously spoke with KRDO13 through tears about the unexpected loss of her son.

“You never expect to lose your children before yourself,” Seylaz said. “I think the first thing that went through my mind was: can’t be Mikey. You know, they have been mixed up with somebody else. It can’t be my Mike.”

Seylaz emphasized her son’s character, stating he was not involved in criminal activities.

“He wasn’t a drug dealer. He wasn’t a gangster. He was just there playing poker. I can’t see why anybody would want to hurt Michael. He was a happy, lighthearted, kind person,” shared Seylaz.

Seylaz is calling for justice on behalf of her son.

“I know what it feels like to be the mom who loses your child,” Seylaz said. “And if they can just break into somebody’s home and randomly shoot people, those people need to be brought to justice, so no other family goes through what we’re going through. I know that somebody somewhere has to know something.”

EPSO continues to investigate the killing and urges anyone with information or relevant security camera footage near the 2300 block of Reed Grass Way to contact them.

“This arrest marks an important step in the pursuit of justice for the victim and their loved ones. I want to commend the outstanding work and collaboration of our investigators and Fugitive Impact Team, the Aurora Police Department, the Arvada Police Department, and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. While an arrest has been made, this remains an active investigation, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure everyone responsible is held accountable through the judicial process,” wrote El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Fell’s family.

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Idaho parks offers 25% campsite discount for America’s 250th anniversary

KIFI on July 22, 2026

Curtis Jackson

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — In honor of America’s 250 anniversary, Idaho State Parks and Recreation is offering a special discount at state park campsites and yurts.

Now through August 31, 2026, campers who make reservations online or by phone can get a 25% discount.

To get the discount, use the discount code A250Camping for campsites or Yurt250 for the Idaho City Yurts at checkout. Enter the code at checkout for the discount to apply.

Idaho Parks and Recreation said they hope the discounts will help family and friends make last memories in Idaho’s great outdoors before summer ends.

Reservations can be made at getoutside.idaho.gov or call 888-922-6743.

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