Month: August 2026

By Zach Boetto, Dean Fioresi

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    BOYLE HEIGHTS, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Boyle Heights residents converged on the Southern California Air Quality Management District hearing in Diamond Bar on Wednesday to voice their continued concerns over the putrid smell coming from the burnt-out Lineage warehouse.

“The smell is horrendous, horrific,” said one of the many speakers.

Now about two months removed from the day the blaze first erupted, leaving severe damage to the cold storage facility and 85 million pounds of food to rot, residents say their day-to-day lives are still being impacted as the lengthy cleanup process continues.

Wednesday’s meeting saw more than 60 members of the public address the AQMD board to explain how the ongoing situation has affected them.

“This is just one more toxic example on top of another,” said one woman.

She was one of many who emphasized the fact that it wasn’t just a fire that burned down a building in their neighborhood, but a toxic fire that left behind potential health hazards for the thousands living nearby.

“Everything out there is toxic now. AQMD, you guys are responsible for that,” one speaker said.

The meeting comes after Lineage Logistics, which operates the 500,000-square-foot facility, has already been cited by AQMD officials for the rotten odor. They’ve also been cited for rodent and pest control violations by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, all issues that have extended to people living in the surrounding area.

“I support the order to hold Lineage accountable for the harm they’ve done to East LA and Boyle Heights,” said another speaker, many of whom arrived via buses that were provided by Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, who represents their neighborhoods.

Lineage officials said earlier this week that they’ve removed approximately 80% of the rotten food so far, and that they expect to have cleanup finished by the end of next week. On Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass penned a letter to company shareholders hoping to highlight the negative impacts that residents have had to deal with in the wake of the fire.

Bass also spoke during Wednesday’s meeting.

“I am here because I want to speak alongside the Boyle Heights and East LA community who have endured unacceptable conditions for nearly two months,” Bass said. “To this day, the putrid offensive odor coming from the tens of millions of pounds of rotting food in the warehouse is unbearable. Now flies, rats and other pests have infested the community and we are most concerned that schools are preparing to reopen amid unresolved concerns around air quality.”

She went on to address the litany of issues that have come from the fire’s aftermath, as well as the work that local leaders have done to try helping residents.

“The residents and business owners in Boyle Heights and East LA deserve to breathe clean air in their homes, in schools, and in their workplaces,” Bass said. “So, I urge the Hearing Board to leverage the full extent of its oversight and enforcement authority to issue a strong Order of Abatement with the maximum penalties for the ongoing air quality violations, including maximum financial fines.”

They’re hopeful that AQMD officials can take further action against Lineage for the smell.

“AQMD is an enforcement agency, so enforce,” one speaker said. “Unfortunately, AQMD and other agencies and electives have not stepped up with the urgency required.”

Another meeting is scheduled on Thursday, when board members will hear more from the public, and a possible public address from a Lineage official. At the meeting, they’ll consider an abatement, which would call for a larger, faster cleanup process and allow for the AQMD to impose its highest fines on Lineage for each notice of violation that the district issues.

So far, Lineage has received nine violations related to the smell. AQMD has received more than 1,700 public complaints in the last month, according to documents shared at the meeting.

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 Raymond Strickland

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — A woman from Argentina who lives and works in Philadelphia is in ICE custody in New Mexico after she was arrested in July at Philadelphia International Airport while on her way to the FIFA World Cup.

Iliana Lick, 30, has been living in the U.S. for three years, but has been in Philadelphia with her boyfriend since 2024.

Lick’s boyfriend, Steven Melchiorre, dropped her off at the airport on July 11. That’s when she was arrested at a PHL terminal. Melchiorre reflected on the phone call the two shared moments after she was detained.

“It’s Iliana crying on the phone saying like, ‘ICE arrested me, I’m at the detention center in Philadelphia,'” Melchiorre said. “It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was so devastated.”

Melchiorre said Iliana entered the country legally after obtaining a travel visa to be in the U.S. He said she was hoping to get a work visa and has a pending application to stay in the country.

“Never having missed a hearing date, never committed a crime, never missed any fees. It was surprising that she was arrested,” he said.

Lick had been building a life with her boyfriend in South Philadelphia. She has also been working as a nanny, helping look after Mike Brahm and Carolyn Bavington’s young son.

Bavington said Lick’s arrest is still hard to process.

“A lot of emotions. We’ve been sad. We’ve been angry. We’ve been scared. A lot of scrambling, trying to figure out what we can do to help,” Bavington said.

CBS News Philadelphia has learned Lick’s arrest is a part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, with ICE increasing enforcement across the country, including at 15 U.S. airports in recent weeks.

Last month, ICE took more than 46,000 people into custody for alleged immigration violations like entering the U.S. illegally or overstaying their visas, according to Department of Homeland Security data.

It’s a policy change under the Trump administration. Previously, people with a pending application were rarely detained.

Regarding Lick’s case, DHS said in an emailed statement:

“She entered the United States on March 17, 2023, and overstayed her visa. Lick will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of her immigration proceedings.”

The DHS spokesperson added, “to be clear, work authorization or a pending application do not confer legal status in the United States.”

While Melchiorre waits for a resolution, he is now worried about whether Lick will ever get the chance to come back home to Philadelphia.

“It’s tough seeing someone who has been ingrained in the community, all of a sudden be flying to an Argentina World Cup game, get arrested at an airport. It’s tough to see,” Melchiorre said.

Melchiorre said Lick is scheduled to have a bond hearing in New Mexico on Tuesday, where he hopes a judge will grant her a release on bond. The bond is not a guarantee and the possibility of her being deported is a real possibility.

Lick’s loved ones are staying positive and hopeful she can return home.

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 Stephanie Stahl, Sean Tallant

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    GLASSBORO, New Jersey (KYW) — In a freak accident, a South Jersey father was impaled by a tree branch in his face when he fell from a ladder in his yard. The branch went through his nose and into his brain.

CBS Philadelphia takes you inside the operating room at Jefferson Health for a close-up look at the tricky medical intervention that saved 45-year-old Troy Hathaway’s life.

X-rays showed the tree branch going through his cheek, nose, eye and up into his brain.

Hathaway said he was cutting branches in his backyard in Glassboro, New Jersey, when the ladder suddenly gave way, and he fell about 8 feet.

“Initially, I really thought I broke my jaw,” Hathaway said.

He didn’t know at the time, but the broken tree branch was sticking out of his jaw.

“I hadn’t lost consciousness, I wasn’t nauseous, I felt fine other than being a little bit sore and my ego being a bit bruised,” Hathaway said.

At Jefferson Health’s trauma center, the medical team quickly realized they needed to call in the specialists.

“This was a pretty huge piece of tree that was stuck through his face and into his brain. And we needed to move quickly on this, but we wanted to move smart,” Neurosurgeon Chris Farrell said.

Farrell said the team wanted to avoid having to cut the skull and decided to go through the nose, which is sometimes how they remove brain tumors.

Farrell said luckily the branch didn’t pierce any vital tissues. It was able to be removed through Hathaway’s cheek without causing any damage or bleeding.

“Overall, you know, a tricky thing, but it couldn’t have gone better,” Farrell said.

“I was so lucky to be with such an amazing surgical team, like the doctors, the whole team are absolutely beyond words,” Hathaway said.

The four-hour surgery left him with just a few stitches and some bruising, but no issues with breathing or seeing. He said he’s fine.

“Absolutely. Yes, no, no issues. That’s it’s mind-boggling to think of that,” Hathaway said. “It’s emotional because it’s tough to sit there and think like how close it could have been.”

Hathaway is on antibiotics and back home, feeling lucky and grateful to be reunited with his wife and daughter.

Doctors were concerned about infection, but there are no signs of that and he is expected to make a full recovery with no issues.

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 Joan Murray

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — Marine scientists are employing a technique known as “coral IVF” to help restore damaged coral reef systems in the Florida Keys.

The project, which involves a partnership between the University of Miami Rosenstiel School and other researchers, focuses on collecting floating coral egg and sperm bundles. These are fertilized and grown into “baby corals” before being attached to existing reefs once they reach a specific size.

Similar restoration work is being conducted at Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Research Center in Dania Beach.

Rachel Ionata, a research and development manager at the center, said the effort is driven by a desire to preserve the environment for future generations.

“My parents and grandparents used to dive and talk about what it was like on the reef,” said Ionata, whose team manages the corals through each stage of development. “We raise them for a year and a half. We feed them and do everything in stages”.

Graduate student Aidan Healy, who works in the water several times a week, explained that the young corals require protection after being placed on the reef.

“We’ll grow them and take them to the caged areas so fish can’t get to them,” Healy said. “That’s a problem with juvenile coral. Fish eat them”.

The reef system has faced significant decline for decades due to rising water temperatures, disease and pollution.

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 La’Tasha Givens

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    MARIETTA, Georgia (WUPA) — Back in 2022, Alonzo Kirkman and his wife, Brianca, were basking in the joy of their growing baby boy, whom they would name Brayden. But the glow captured in maternity pictures turned dim during delivery.

In the midst of several complications, Brianca began hemorrhaging. She was in excruciating pain and couldn’t communicate, leaving Alonzo not knowing what to do or say.

“What was supposed to be a joyous process, it really was a lot of turmoil at times, and honestly, there were some dark moments during that entire pregnancy journey,” Alonzo Kirkman said. “As a man, you want to be able to support your wife, but I just didn’t have the tools to do so.”

Brayden was born healthy and happy, but the Marietta father vowed to never repeat the despair he felt during those uncertain moments. With their second child due in June, Alonzo wanted to have his wife’s back, so he enrolled in the Dads to Doulas online course.

The program, which operates under the Dear Fathers media platform, was originally founded by Brad Edwards after he suffered the heartbreaking loss of twin boys during pregnancy.

Kirkman was part of a summer cohort alongside other Atlanta fathers. The six-week course offers in-person and online classes teaching men about pregnancy, labor, and the delivery process. Participants learn medical terminology and receive hands-on training using birthing tools so they can actively support their partners.

“So, we are in a crisis. And when you look at Black women, they are three, sometimes four, sometimes five times more likely to experience maternal mortality. That’s not even counting what’s going on with maternal morbidity, with these lifelong issues that women have,” said Kyra Betts, the lead facilitator working with Alonzo Kirkman.

Demand for the Dads to Doulas training has surged, Betts said, with the last online cohort having a waiting list of 400 men.

For Kirkman, the training made all the difference in how he prepared to advocate for his family while his wife Briance was pregnant with their second child.

“It’s really equipped me to have the words that I need in order to talk to the medical staff for the new baby that we have on the way,” Kirkman said.

Coffee table conversations for the Kirkmans became focused on upcoming doctor’s appointments and addressing any concerns before their visit. Ahead of the delivery, baby Aloni’s first outfit was picked out, mom’s bag was packed, and dad was fully equipped with the birthing plan and prepared for all scenarios.

Baby Aloni arrived six weeks early and had to spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. During that critical period, Kirkman says the doula training proved to be a lifeline.

“Being able to just get that education and learn those different things really helped when it came time for us being in the hospital for an extended amount of time. When they are talking, I’m like, ‘ Hey, I learned this in class.’ And it just helped me have confidence,” Kirkman said.

That confidence provided the blanket of protection his wife needed.

“It really made me feel seen and loved because I was really scared the second time around after what we endured with my son. It made me feel safe,” Brianca Kirkman said.

In addition to an abundance of love, this dad is now armed with knowledge.

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.