Month: August 2026

By Kurt Knue

Click here for updates on this story

    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — Police responded to a crash that saw a semi-truck smash through an overpass barrier on Sunday evening, resulting in two people becoming suspended in the vehicle’s cabin above Interstate 71.

According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, the crash happened around 5 p.m. on the Martin Luther King Drive overpass that extends across I-71 in Avondale.

A short time later, WLWT cameras captured the truck dangling above the highway while diesel fuel could be seen leaking from the bottom of the truck.

The Cincinnati Fire Department later confirmed that approximately 200 gallons of fuel is estimated to have been inside the truck at the time of the crash, causing much of that to accumulate onto the roadway below after the vehicle’s gas tank ruptured.

CFD added that two people were inside the vehicle at the time of the crash, with each having to be strapped into harnesses and assisted out of the truck by first responders. The extent of the injuries suffered by the two remains unknown.

About two and a half hours after the crash, the truck was eventually seen being pulled back onto Martin Luther King Drive by work crews and towed away from the overpass.

As a result of the damage done to the area, road closures and lane restrictions are expected to be implemented nearby until at least Monday morning, with commuters advised to plan accordingly. This includes the eastbound lanes of Martin Luther King Drive being reduced to one lane, as well as the nearby entrance ramp from MLK to I-71 South remaining closed. Additionally, the exit ramp from I-71 South to William Howard Taft Road will also be closed. All other roads in the area are expected to reopen by the end of Sunday night.

First responders say that they will continue to provide more information about the crash as it becomes available to them.

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 WLOS Staff

Click here for updates on this story

    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Flowers left in tribute at the Dolly Parton mural in West Asheville are being given new life through Blooms of Kindness, a nonprofit effort aimed at lifting up people in need.

After the country music icon’s death Aug. 25, people left flowers at the mural along Haywood Road to pay tribute. Blooms of Kindness stepped in and collected about 20 buckets of flowers to turn into arrangements.

The organization, which repurposes donated vases and flowers, will deliver the bouquets to care homes, veterans centers, shelters and other places where residents and clients may benefit from the gesture.

The nonprofit says one bouquet can spread joy to as many as 11 people.

“They were just so beautiful and it made us so mindful of what was going on and we were so happy to be able to spread Dolly’s joy,” said Linda Heaton, chairperson of Blooms of Kindness.

The mural has now been cleaned and is ready for more fresh flowers to be left in Dolly’s honor. More information, including how to donate, is available at bloomsofkindness.org.

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 Jimmy Alexander

Click here for updates on this story

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTOP) — Hains Point was packed with bike riders Saturday, part of a large crowd protesting the Trump administration’s proposed changes to East Potomac Park in D.C., which they fear could limit public access to the park’s golf course and other features.

Hains Point Hoopla 2.0 was co-hosted by the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, or WABA, and Save East Po, a new advocacy group.

“My God, it’s heaven! If you haven’t been out here, come quick,” WABA Executive Director Elizabeth Kiker said. “It’s a three-mile loop that bicyclists love. It is flat. There is very little car traffic.”

Kiker said one concern is how little is known about the plans to redevelop the park’s golf course.

“What we’ve heard is that there will be a top quality golf course, and the construction will start Sept. 1,” she said.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced in May that Fazio Design would redesign the East Potomac Golf Links. In June, President Donald Trump was photographed looking at plans that appeared to show the course expanding across much of the peninsula. He said after his June visit that the renovated course would be able to host major golf tournaments.

The changes are also the subject of a lawsuit by the D.C. Preservation League.

“People that have been historically appointed to these commissions had respect for their jobs and respect for the rule of law,” Rebecca Miller, the league’s executive director, said of organizations that so far have backed Trump’s projects. “In this particular case, we just have them passing these because this is what the president wants to do. So it’s really a farce at this point.”

Arlington, Virginia, resident Jackie Wilson carried a sign reading, “Putt Putt, not King Tut,” referring to East Potomac Park’s miniature golf course.

“It’s on the National Register of Historic Places, and it should be treasured,” Wilson said.

Fellow protester Bob Hartt, 76, who is blind, rides with Tuesday Night Tandems, which pairs blind riders with volunteer captains.

“For a blind person who doesn’t get the opportunity to ride a bicycle,” Hartt said. “It’s just an incredible, incredible experience to feel that air and listen to all the sounds.”

Ward 6 D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen called Hains Point “worth fighting for and saving.”

Ed Stierli of the National Parks Conservation Association told the crowd, “America’s national parks are not for sale.”

The crowd responded by chanting, “Not for sale.”

In his speech, Alex Rosen, head of Save East Po, talked about why the land was set aside.

“In 1897, Congress decreed that this place would exist for the recreation and pleasure of the people,” Rosen said. “What we want to say is no. The president is not entitled to this park.”

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 Tiara Leflore

Click here for updates on this story

    JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — A Mississippi Public Service Commissioner is proposing a new way for eligible families to use their existing SNAP benefits to help pay residential water bills.

Commissioner De’Keither A. Stamps, Central District, introduced SNAP H₂O Sunday during a press conference at the Woolfolk State Office Building in Jackson.

The initiative would seek federal authorization to allow eligible households to voluntarily direct a portion of their SNAP/EBT benefits toward qualifying residential water and wastewater expenses.

“Water is essential. Access should be too,” Stamps said.

Under current SNAP rules, recipients can use SNAP/EBT benefits to purchase bottled drinking water from authorized retailers. However, those benefits generally cannot be used to pay the residential water bill for water delivered directly to a home.

Stamps says SNAP H₂O is intended to change that.

The proposal would not create a new entitlement or provide additional SNAP funding. Instead, it would give eligible families another option for using benefits they already receive.

Supporters say the proposal could help reduce water shutoffs, late fees, unpaid balances and reconnection costs. It could also provide participating water systems with a more consistent way to receive payments.

“No new dollars. Just common sense,” Stamps said.

The proposal would still require federal authorization before SNAP benefits could be used toward qualifying residential water and wastewater bills.

Stamps says the goal is to give families more flexibility while addressing water affordability.

And his message for the initiative is summed up in a simple phrase:

“OH SNAP! H₂O.”

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 Omose Ighodaro

Click here for updates on this story

    JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — 71 years after 14-year-old Emmett Till was murdered in Mississippi, his name continues to carry both pain and purpose.

Family members, faith leaders and community members gathered Sunday for a church service at Farish Street Baptist Church to commemorate Till’s life and legacy.

“Emmett was a boy. He was 14 years old,” said Deborah Watts, Till’s cousin and executive director and co-founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation.

Till was visiting relatives in Mississippi on August 28, 1955, when he was accused of offending a white woman. Days later, he was kidnapped, beaten and lynched.

His murder shocked the nation and became a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement.

The three-day commemoration included a march, bus tours and Sunday’s church service, where faith was central to the message of remembrance.

“It is an opportunity to remember Emmett Till, remember his mother and her courage, remember the hate and the violence and the racism that brought forth his death,” Watts said.

She added faith was what gave Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, the strength to speak out. After her son’s murder, Till-Mobley insisted on an open casket so the world could see what was done to her son.

“Faith is what grounded our family,” Watts said. “Faith is something that brought meaning to Mamie and gave her the ability to stand to speak truth to power.”

For Till’s family, remembering him means more than looking back. Watts said it means humanizing the 14-year-old boy behind the historic name and continuing the work to stop similar tragedies from happening.

“What needs to be done is the authorization of the Emmett Louis Till Victims Recovery Program,” Watts said. “It provides health, wellness and memorial services for impacted families for the historical trauma they have experienced and from generational trauma as well.”

Inside the church, the commemoration served as both a remembrance of Till and a call to continue the work his family says isn’t done.

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 Kendra Broddus, Jackson Stoever

Click here for updates on this story

    NASHUA, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A Nashua couple is thanking their neighbor after he jumped into action to help put out a fire at their home.

The couple was not home at the time of the fire but got a phone call to hear the news that their garage was burning.

“We rounded the corner. There’s nothing like seeing black, billowing smoke knowing that it’s your house on fire with flames,” said John Pellum and Carolyn Russell.

What the couple didn’t know was that their neighbor, Jonathan Paradise, ran down the street, grabbed their garden hose and started to spray down the fire.

Their Ring doorbell camera captured the moment.

“I just wanted to make sure that it didn’t reach the house,” said Paradise. “It was just pure adrenaline at the time.”

Nashua fire crews arrived to put out the rest of the flames. The garage was seriously damaged, but their home only sustained smoke damage. The couple is grateful for their neighbor’s quick actions and credit him for saving their home.

“I mean, would you put a fire out for someone you didn’t know? He did,” said Pellum.

“The lady came up to me, and she said, ‘Oh, I heard that you’re the one who used our garden hose to put out the fire,'” Paradise explained. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ She’s like, ‘You’re a lifesaver. I owe you so much’. And I told her, she doesn’t owe me anything. It’s just what a good person should do.”

No one was hurt in the fire.

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 Tiffany Liou

Click here for updates on this story

    SAN JOSE, California (KGO) — Where else would you expect to get high-tech haircuts but the Bay Area? Soon, a robot near you could have these skills.

A South Bay barber has decided to lean in after more than three decades of mastering his craft. Now, artificial intelligence is keeping a watchful eye on every snip.

The best conversations happen in a barber chair.

“A haircut is not just for your hair. It’s for your whole body, your mind, or your psyche. Barbers are cheap psychiatrists,” said Taiyadi Day, a longtime San Jose barber known as “Magic” who once cut hair for the San Francisco 49ers.

Day joked about the nickname: “I guess I’m good with making your hair disappear.”

But over the years, those conversations change. Day has watched Silicon Valley evolve.

At Style Masters Barbershop, it makes sense. They talk a lot about tech and, of course, sports.

Day has spent 12 years cutting hair at Style Masters Barbershop. As Silicon Valley transformed, he watched the changes firsthand.

“Thirty years ago, we didn’t have cell phones in our pockets,” Day said. “Apple came. IBM came…We talked a lot about it, yes.”

Recently, clients have found a new subject to discuss. Day wears five cameras mounted to his head, chest and wrists — all connected to a lightweight backpack.

“They use the footage in order to mimic your movements,” he said.

The system is called Instacore, developed by Instawork Robotics Lab. The recordings map the exact angles of Day’s hands and provide spatial context and 3D perception.

“You always think can a robot really do this? I don’t know,” Day said.

With how fast technology develops, Day is realistic that it could happen. But he is not concerned about artificial intelligence replacing him.

“it takes about 45 minutes to one hour to cut each client,” he said.

Instead, he views the effort as a way to preserve his craft.

As long as clients are comfortable with the arrangement, Day said he is willing to share his skills, teaching robots how to move and work.

For now, the technology has not changed what he values most about barbering: the conversations and relationships built over a good cut.

So for now, this doesn’t change his therapeutic barber chair

“It’s a blessing. It’s a blessing only by God, you know? I love it,” Day said.

Still, he sees a future where robots may be capable of performing more complex tasks, and he is open to helping shape that future.

“It’s going to happen, so why not be a part of it?” Day said.

So, if one day it does, maybe a robot can work a little magic too.

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.