Month: August 2026

By Madeline Bartos

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Two men are facing charges after authorities said they seized about 180 pounds of cocaine as part of a large-scale drug trafficking investigation in the Pittsburgh area.

Darnell Rhinehart and Lamar Lewis were arrested on drug and firearms charges after FBI Pittsburgh said law enforcement seized 80 kilograms of cocaine on Monday night.

The FBI said investigators watched Rhinehart on video surveillance loading multiple brown cardboard boxes from a tractor-trailer into the bed of his vehicle on Monday afternoon, arriving and leaving within just two minutes.

Authorities said they tracked Rhinehart to a Pittsburgh bar several hours later and watched as Lewis parked his pickup truck near Rhinehart’s vehicle and took four brown cardboard boxes. Lewis then placed a heavy bag in Rhinehart’s vehicle before driving away, the FBI said.

A traffic stop on Lewis’ vehicle turned up 50 kilograms of cocaine as well as a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol that was later confirmed as stolen, investigators said.

Authorities continued trailing Rhinehart, who was later seen picking up a red backpack from a home before driving to another Pittsburgh bar. He walked into the bar with the bag and left without it, the FBI said, and when authorities arrested Rhinehart, they found 5 kilograms of cocaine in the backpack.

Several more searches at locations associated with Rhinehart turned up 35 more kilograms of cocaine in cardboard boxes as well as “large sums” of cash and a shotgun, the FBI said.

“Seizing 80 kilos of cocaine means taking away profits and the power that money can buy right out of the hands of international criminal organizations,” FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec said in a news release. “Shipments like this represent money flowing right back to groups that rule through violence and fear. Cocaine trafficking is not a victimless crime, and the FBI and our partners will use every tool at our disposal to keep ridding our communities of these deadly narcotics.”

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 Adi Guajardo

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — A man says he saved his wife and her friend after their tour boat capsized near Liberty Island last weekend.

A mother and her 5-month-old daughter died and the captain is now facing federal charges.

Celebration turned to tragedy quickly A surprise birthday bash on a boat set the stage for unforgettable Saturday night.

“We were in front of the Statue of Liberty. They were taking pictures,” Jorge Ortiz said by phone Tuesday.

Ortiz said their excitement turned into panic in a matter of seconds.

“[The boat] flipped so fast that it took us,” Ortiz said. “I started calling out for my wife because then I remembered that she don’t know how to swim.”

Ortiz said it was so dark, two boats went past them as they screamed for help. He said it felt like they were in the water for 25 minutes before a third boat came to their rescue. He said the U.S. Coast Guard arrived shortly after.

According to court documents, Manuel Hernandez, the tour boat captain, made a U-turn and a swell swamped the bow, capsizing the boat with 14 people on board.

“There was a little baby we were trying to find,” Ortiz said. “We couldn’t see. It was too dark.”

Ortiz said he managed to pull his wife and her friend onto the overturned boat to keep them safe. He said he remembered two boats passing by, and when they spotted a third, they’re calls for help grew louder.

“We started flashing the light, and I started screaming, ‘Help! Help!'” Ortiz said.

When a party boat spotted them, he said they felt relief, but it was short-lived. He said the Coast Guard found Sara Sanchez and her 5-month-old daughter, Antonella. They were both pronounced dead at the hospital.

“She was in the bottom of the boat,” Ortiz said.

“He just said [life vests] weren’t required” Ortiz was asked about life vests and if they were easily accessible.

“The only life vest that the captain gave was to the girl that had the baby,” Ortiz said. “He had life vests. He just said they weren’t required.”

Federal prosecutors claim Hernandez failed to obtain the proper credential to operate a tour boat and exceeded the boat capacity. He’s now facing federal charges, including two counts of misconduct or neglect of ship officer resulting in death.

CBS News New York called, emailed, and visited the location listed for Zeus Luxury Rental, the tour company that hired Hernandez, but have not heard back.

“He’s gonna have to pay for what he did,” Ortiz said. “He put everybody in jeopardy and a mother and daughter lost their lives.”

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 Jeff Capellini, Allen Devlin

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — Rafael Rubio, the New York City Council worker who was detained and released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has now been granted asylum.

Rubio, a data analyst, was set to be deported but was released on June 19, three weeks after being granted asylum by an immigration judge. He had been detained for five months at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey.

The Department of Homeland Security has appealed the granting of his asylum. CBS News New York reached out to DHS for comment, but did not immediately get a response.

Rubio said he was taken into custody at a routine asylum interview on Long Island on Jan. 12, despite having legal protection to live and work in the U.S. He said at the time his temporary protected status as a citizen of Venezuela lasts through October.

“That was a shocker. It was a shock because, per my knowledge at that time, I was doing everything correctly,” Rubio told CBS News New York on Tuesday night.

DHS had previously called Rubio “a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela” with a history that “includes an arrest for assault,” adding, “He had no work authorization and his TPS had been terminated.”

City Council Speaker Julie Menin repeatedly disputed claims that Rubio overstayed a visa, was arrested and had no work authorization.

“He was wrongfully in ICE detention for months on end, which is unconscionable,” Menin said Tuesday. “He had done nothing wrong, and now the government has acknowledged that he is rightfully supposed to be here and he was granted this permanent asylum.”

Rubio thanked his attorneys, Menin and the City Council.

“I was overwhelmed with emotions. It was a very humbling experience,” Rubio said. “The fight is not over. Something is gonna get, this is going to get, better eventually.”

As for other detention cases, Menin said the City Council has funded close to $82 million in legal services to make sure that the right to counsel is protected.

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 Kaley Fedko

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    ATLANTA, Georgia (WUPA) — A teenage hockey player from Atlanta is helping give people with disabilities a chance to learn how to ice skate.

Seventeen-year-old Grey Altemeyer was born and raised in Atlanta and now attends high school in Massachusetts, where he is a student-athlete.

He grew up volunteering with Special Olympics Georgia Miracle Sk8trs, which hosted ice skating lessons for people with disabilities at The Cooler Rink in Alpharetta.

When The Cooler closed in 2025 after 28 years, Miracle Sk8trs lost its home.

Altemeyer told CBS News Atlanta the lack of adaptive skating sessions was a void he wanted to fill immediately.

“I really felt a love for the Atlanta hockey community. It’s a smaller hockey community, but it’s super tight, and I never really lost that community in my heart,” said Altemeyer. “So I wanted to do an event like this to bring the Atlanta community back together and to give another chance for adaptive skating here in Atlanta.”

He created Fun on Ice, an annual event at The ICE Complex in Cumming, where volunteers help people with adaptive disabilities learn to ice skate.

“There were no chances for any kids with adaptive issues to go out and skate,” said Altemeyer. “Learning to skate can be stimulating, so what I try to do here is match each kid up one-on-one, so that their issues can be fully met with their volunteer.”

Altemeyer partnered with the Miracle Sk8ters and Atlanta’s ECHL team, the Atlanta Gladiators, to host the event and bring in volunteers.

Enter 27-year-old Melody Forrest, an Atlanta resident with a disability who loves ice skating and has known Altemeyer through his time with Miracle Sk8trs at The Cooler.

“I love to ice skate. It makes me feel happy, excited, and calm,” Forrest said.

Her mother, Stacey Johnson, told CBS News Atlanta she started taking Forrest to the rink in high school after class as a way to be active and make friends.

“It’s hard to make friends,” said Johnson. “She had a lot of friends in high school, but when her friends moved away for college, there were not many opportunities out of school, so we just really tried to find opportunities wherever they were, and she loved coming to ice skating because she’s had so many volunteer friends that have helped her.”

When Altemeyer launched Fun on Ice in the summer of 2025, Forrest received one of the first invitations.

“Melody was here when there were only three to seven kids on the ice at the Miracle Sk8trs events,” said Altemeyer. “She is just so passionate about skating. You feel her love for skating, and I think she’s truly the heart of what we’re looking for in Miracle Sk8trs.”

For Forrest and other adaptive skaters, Fun on Ice in Cumming is about more than finding a place to skate.

It became a place to find her footing and help nurture a community.

The ICE Complex hosted the second Fun on Ice event Aug. 2.

This year, about 35 skaters from across metro Atlanta spent time together on the ice.

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 Ted Scouten

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    FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (WFOR) — A former choir member at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church was arrested Monday and charged with sending a bomb threat to the congregation, authorities said.

Melissa Redway, a former teacher at Westminster Academy who reportedly suffered a brain injury, was taken into custody months after the incident occurred in February. According to an arrest report, Redway sent an email threatening to “blow up the whole entire church.”

Investigators noted that Redway’s behavior had become increasingly concerning after she was laid off from her teaching position. Staff reported that Redway did not accept the job loss well and made multiple attempts to rejoin the church choir. In one instance, a witness said Redway arrived at practice wearing a cassock, ran down the aisle, and exited the church. Employees also reported receiving incoherent emails from Redway that referenced specific concerts.

When police searched the home where Redway lived with her parents, they reported finding no weapons, contraband or devices consistent with bomb-making materials.

Redway is currently being held on a $7,500 bond. If released, she will be required to wear an ankle monitor.

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.