Month: August 2026

By Juli McDonald

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    FALMOUTH, Massachusetts (WBZ) — It was a battle of will and skill when anglers off the coast of Massachusetts hauled in what is likely a record-breaking Atlantic blue marlin.

The fish was so big, the group thought it was a shark when they first reeled it to the surface.

Damon Sacco, captain of the boat Castafari, and his fellow anglers caught the fish on Aug. 19 about 100 miles off the coast of Falmouth. His deep-sea fishing charter had client Walter Chapman on board Wednesday.

“We had a tough start. We were probably 12 hours into the trip and we had one tuna,” Sacco said.

So the group changed course, and so did their luck. They filled their coolers with tuna, and their biggest triumph was still beneath the surface.

“It looked like a mammal or a shark. It was too big for a marlin. I’ve seen hundreds of marlin. This thing was four feet off the surface,” Sacco said. “We all saw the girth of that fish and realized oh my God this thing is an absolute behemoth.”

What happened next was what Sacco recalls as a two-hour grudge match of chaos and constant motion while the swear words and diesel smoke sputtered.

“They’re big nasty critters,” he said. “They come out of the water like freight trains. Sometimes they charge the boat. If you’re not ready they’ll shish kebab your transom, they’ll put their bill right into the wood.”

And just as they’d hoped, this humongous haul was one for the record books.

Coming in at 1,260 pounds and more than 11 feet long, it’s the largest Atlantic blue marlin ever caught off the East Coast. It’s just shy of the world record, which was caught off Brazil in 1992.

“We caught this fish on a 150-pound leader. That is just unheard of,” Sacco said. “The fact that didn’t break makes me believe this was a gift. This was a gift from the fish gods. Meant to be.”

Sacco said it’s rare that he keeps marlins.

“Some fish are that big that you’ve got to take them home,” he 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 Michael Guise

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    MORGANTOWN, West Virginia (KDKA) — A West Virginia man caught a record-breaking pumpkinseed sunfish, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources announced.

Robert Glover of Morgantown reeled in the record-setting fish in Cheat Lake in Monongalia County on Aug. 6, the agency said in a news release. The fish was 9.76 inches long and 0.75 pounds. The catch broke the previous record set on July 14 by Sierra Adamson of Beverly, who nabbed a 9.13-inch, 0.62-pound pumpkinseed sunfish from the Tygart Valley River in Randolph County, CBS affiliate WDTV reported.

Glover used a nightcrawler on a 6-pound test line, the news release said. District 1 fisheries biologist Dustin Smith certified the record.

“The pumpkinseed state record category was established in 2024 along with redbreast, redear, black crappie and redhorse,” Paul Johansen, chief of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources’s Wildlife Resources section, said. “Until this year, a record pumpkinseed hadn’t been caught. However, amazingly this is the third record set in the last month for this beautiful sunfish.”

Anyone 15 and older must have a West Virginia fishing license, which can be purchased online.

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 Tom Dougherty, Alicia Roberts

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    BURLINGTON COUNTY, New Jersey (KYW) — Emergency crews in New Jersey are suspending a search for a missing woman who officials say helped rescue a girl struggling in the Delaware River until Tuesday morning. Officials are now calling it a recovery mission.

Delran police responded to a report of two potential drowning victims shortly before 4 p.m. Monday at Amico Island Park at 81 Norman Ave., a Burlington County spokesperson said in a news release.

The missing woman went into the Delaware River to try rescuing a girl struggling in the water, the spokesperson said. The woman pushed the girl toward shore, where bystanders pulled her to safety.

According to the spokesperson, the woman went underwater during the rescue and has not been found.

“At the time when the reports came in that she was submerged, the tide was moving out,” Kevin Peak, deputy chief of the Delran Fire Department, said. “We’ve heard all the stories about the ocean swimmers who get pulled by the undertow. River current is almost the exact same thing. It will pull you right under. If you’re not a strong swimmer or a good swimmer, it’s not going to fare very well for anyone involved.”

The search for the missing woman includes the Delran police and fire departments, the Delran Emergency Squad, New Jersey State Police, Camden County dive team and the Philadelphia Police Department.

The search will be suspended overnight but will resume Tuesday morning.

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 Alice Gainer

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — New video shows people climbing out of a manhole in Midtown Manhattan, the latest of several similar incidents across New York City.

Three people were seen emerging from a manhole after 4 a.m. Aug. 18. It happened on Seventh Avenue across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station.

The man who filmed the video said there were at least five people who came out, but he caught the last three.

“I was kind of in shock that this was real, and it was something I was really witnessing cause it’s usually something you see on TV or something,” he said.

He said he didn’t see them leave with anything in their hands, but “they looked professional, like they knew what they were doing.”

Back in May, similar incidents took place with people wearing waders and using headlamps and car lights to guide them. It happened in Flatbush, Williamsburg and Queens.

Police sources say these may be treasure hunters or urban explorers. They said they don’t believe there’s any connection to terrorism.

The city’s Department of Environmental Protection said it inspected the sewers at the Midtown location. They said the infrastructure is safe, but entering the sewer system is illegal and dangerous.

“Sewers can contain numerous hazards, including noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces. For these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole, or outfall,” a statement read.

The NYPD said they are actively investigating the incident.

No arrests have been made in this incident. In July, two people were arrested after one of the May manhole incidents in Brooklyn and charged with criminal trespass. In a similar 2025 incident in Brooklyn, several men faced criminal mischief and burglary charges after they were caught climbing into a manhole.

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 Aziza Shuler

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — A man is hospitalized after a suspect walked into a Bronx deli, shot a customer and robbed the store early Tuesday, police said.

The incident was caught on a surveillance camera, showing the gunman in the 149 Grill and Deli on East 149th Street and Walton Avenue.

Video shows the suspect passing one customer at the counter and heading straight for another man who appears to be zipping up a backpack. The gunman shoots him in the right arm and chest before grabbing the bag and going behind the counter.

Store employees are seen ducking for cover as more shots are fired.

The suspect stole cash from the register before leaving, according to police.

Officers said the 33-year-old man who was shot was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.

Police are looking for the gunman, who they say was last seen wearing a maroon sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and white sneakers.

The NYPD is investigating whether this was a targeted shooting.

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 Kendrick Henderson

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    HENRY COUNTY, Georgia (WUPA) — While many Georgia high school bands are preparing for football season, Woodland High School’s award-winning Wolfpack Marching Band is looking ahead to an experience overseas.

The Wolfpack has the steps, the rhythm, and the tunes. Now they’re looking to take their skills across the pond to experience a history lesson up close.

The band has been picked to march in the 2027 D-Day Memorial Parade in Normandy, France.

An award-winning sound in Henry County They say practice makes perfect.

And not even a hot summer day can slow down Woodland High School’s award-winning marching band.

It’s a program that’s decorated with awards, grand championships and pride.

Back in 2022, the Wolfpack had 36 members. Now the ensemble has grown to 100.

“We are very dedicated to our craft, and this is where we do our music,” junior Rylan Kleckley said. “This is where the magic happens.”

Kleckley plays clarinet and also leads the band as drum major.

“No matter what, everybody’s going to show up and do their part to make sure everything happens in the band,” he said. “Everybody’s pretty confident in what they do, and everybody takes pride in what they do.”

Piccolo player Sydney Warren agrees.

“We have a lot of fun here. We grow a lot. We grew a lot with each other,” Warren said. “We enjoy each other’s presence, and most of all, we just grow as musicians and as better people.”

All this practice is marching them toward a big opportunity.

The band is no stranger to the international stage. Last year, the Wolfpack performed in Italy in front of the pope.

“I think it’s an awesome opportunity to provide for the younger generation so they get to see outside of the country and all those opportunities that are outside of just in the United States and things like that,” Kleckley said.

But getting there won’t be cheap.

Raising money for a major performance “We’re trying to do everything that we can to raise money to help mitigate that cost,” said Desmond Tarplin, Woodland High School’s director of bands.

He said this isn’t just about the travel costs of about $5,000 per student. It’s about providing an experience you can’t get at home.

“Being able to take high school students and get them excited about music and being able to perform in places that you may see in your history books and your history classes,” Tarplin said. “Being able to connect that back to the learning and what they’re doing is just something that it’s really, it’s the driving force behind what we do here.”

The band is turning to support from family, alumni, friends, and the community.

They’re holding fundraisers and performances to help cover the cost of the trip to France, where they’ll not only play tunes, but learn about a pivotal moment that changed the course of World War II.

“Experiencing the French culture and getting to learn, you know, other things outside of Atlanta, Georgia,” Kleckley said.

“We’re constantly growing. And I want to continue to keep growing. I also want to just show people that we’re here and that we are growing,” Warren said. “We’re a good band.”

So as you’re watching the Wolfpack perform this fall … remember this:

“The opportunity to support a group of kids who are just wanting to play their instruments and be positive and be an influence and a great representation of their community, their school, their families, for an opportunity to go and represent the United States in an area like this is something that we really don’t want to pass up,” Tarplin said.

One band. One mission. One moment in history.

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 Abby Dodge, Ana Maria Soler

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    SURFSIDE, Florida (WFOR) — A rally was held in Surfside to thank local police and Flanigan’s restaurant after a man accused of attacking a Jewish couple was arrested and fired from his job.

The #EndJewHatred movement organized the event, calling Flanigan’s decision to fire the suspect a model for other companies to follow.

The suspect, 35-year-old Jorden Perozo, is charged with battery and harassment based on religious or ethnic heritage. The incident involved a physical confrontation on the streets of Surfside.

Surfside police tracked Perozo down a few days after the attack. He was arrested at a Flanigan’s location on Harding Avenue, where he worked.

Flanigan’s fired Perozo following his arrest.

Brooke Goldstein, founder of #EndJewHatred, said the rally was about more than gratitude.

“We want to show the police how grateful we are for their swift action, and we also want to show the community that we are not afraid to show up and reclaim the space,” Goldstein said.

Political and community leaders attended the event alongside activists.

The victims in the case were visiting South Florida at the time of the attack, according to CBS News Miami’s reporting.

Perozo remains in custody. As a condition of his bond, he is not allowed to contact the victims.

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.