Dog found duct-taped in dumpster finds forever home after two years at Nebraska Humane Society

CNN Newsource on September 18, 2026

By Jake Anderson

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    OMAHA, Neb. (KETV) — A happy update for a dog who was found duct-taped in a dumpster in Omaha.

Leo has now found his forever home.

In 2024, he was found wrapped in duct-tape and thrown in a dumpster.

He wasn’t hurt too badly, but he’s spent the past two years at the Nebraska Humane Society making friends with all of the staff and volunteers.

Now, one of those volunteers is welcoming him into their home.

The shelter held a farewell party for Leo this week, sharing a message on social media saying: “Congratulations to Leo! Go live your best life.”

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Central Iowa man surprised with high school diploma at age 98

CNN Newsource on September 18, 2026

By Beau Bowman

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    DALLAS CENTER, Iowa (KCCI) — The Dallas Center-Grimes School District honored a man who never got the chance to graduate, but spent decades helping students reach their own dreams.

Paul Little, 98, received his high school diploma Thursday at his nursing home in Dallas Center, 80 years after he would have graduated from Dallas Center High School in 1946. Little left school during his junior year to work and help support his family.

At the surprise presentation, Little appeared stunned when the superintendent arrived with the diploma.

“I think it’s very important. We need to support the kids in schools,” he said.

After leaving school, Little farmed for years outside Panora. He and his late wife, Eleanor, later made it a priority to support students at Panorama High School.

“For the last 15-18 years he’s given money out to help our kids get jump-started to the next stage in life,” said Kasey Huebner, superintendent for Panorama Community Schools.

Huebner said more than 150 students have benefited, and each earned a place on what the family calls Paul’s Hall of Fame.

When Little moved back to Dallas Center and into the nursing home, he brought more than picture frames. He also brought $50,000 for the education foundation.

“We’re excited to play just a little role in recognizing the awesomeness that is a guy like Paul in our community,” Scott Blum said.

Little’s donation now supports students in the district he once would have called his alma mater.

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‘We’re here until the last man is standing’: families of WWII heroes reunite in Savannah

CNN Newsource on September 18, 2026

By Lydia Blackstone

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    SAVANNAH, Ga. (WJCL) — They may have looked like tourists taking in Savannah’s sights from a trolley, but the people aboard shared a connection forged on a battlefield more than 80 years ago.

They are the children, grandchildren and loved ones of soldiers who served in the 106th Infantry Division during World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge.

“My grandfather was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Bulge, Dec. 16, 1944,” said Kathy Spinella, president of the 106th Infantry Division Association.

Randy Wood, the son of a 106th veteran, said his father spent six months in a German prison camp.

The division’s veterans formed the association before leaving Europe in 1945, according to Brian Welke, author of “Boys, Just Boys.” Members and their families have gathered every year since.

For Spinella, the association also helped answer questions her family had carried for decades about her grandfather.

At the first reunion she attended with her mother, Brian Welke had her grandfather’s complete military file and shared information they had spent years trying to find.

That discovery eventually took Spinella to Belgium, where she visited her grandfather’s grave.

This year’s Savannah gathering marked a difficult milestone: It was the first reunion held without a 106th Infantry Division veteran in attendance.

“We’ll be figuring out how we continue from here,” Wood said. “But we’re here until the last man stands, and that’s what our purpose is.”

As the number of living World War II veterans continues to decline, their families are working to preserve their stories and maintain the bonds created through the association.

Spinella said the reunions honor the veterans while giving their families a chance to spend time together and share in the camaraderie.

The group met in Columbus last year and plans to gather in Gettysburg next year. While the location changes, its mission remains the same: honoring the veterans of the 106th Infantry Division and keeping their stories alive.

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Rescuers save dolphin beached on Matlacha sandbar

CNN Newsource on September 18, 2026

By James Curtis, Kyle Schmidt

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    MATLACHA, Fla. (WBBH) — A roughly 480-pound dolphin stranded on a sandbar in Matlacha on Thursday was rescued and released back into the water after hours of effort by the community, firefighters, and marine biologists.

According to the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District, the dolphin was successfully released and tagged by a marine biologist to monitor its movements. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Marine Mammal Rescue team from Charlotte County was also at the scene.

Dave Coates, a Matlacha resident, described the situation, saying, “It was on the sandbar for hours.”

Valerie Bender, another local, shared how the community quickly mobilized to help. “Someone knocked on our door looking for if anyone had a boat,” she said.

A team worked tirelessly on the sandbar to save the dolphin, carving trenches to guide it back into the water. Sylvia Radvansky, a Matlacha resident, emphasized the community’s connection to local wildlife.

“Everyone cares about the wildlife; we care about the dolphins and the manatees, and we want them to survive,” she said.

Mike Hannon, another resident, praised the collective effort.

“The response by the locals and civilians here was everybody on deck,” he said.

Susan Dahod, an aquatic biologist at the scene, explained one possible reason for the dolphin’s predicament.

“This dolphin could have just been chasing fish and got up on the sandbar and couldn’t get off,” she said.

After ensuring the dolphin was safe to be released, marine biologists tagged it to monitor its movements before setting it free.

“That’s what we do out here. That’s true for the people out here and the animals out here. People kind of just rally and take action,” Dahod said.

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Alabama carries out execution of Jeffery Lee for 1998 Dallas County murders

CNN Newsource on September 18, 2026

By Riley Conlon

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    ALABAMA (WVTM) — Alabama carried out the execution of Jeffery Lee on Thursday evening after Gov. Kay Ivey declined to grant clemency in his case.

Lee was pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m. Central Time after Ivey told Corrections Commissioner Greg Lovelace that she would not intervene and directed him to proceed with Lee’s death sentence for the 1998 capital murders of Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson.

He had six visitors and declined a final meal request.

“In June, after Mr. Lee attempted to avoid his deserved death sentence, I reaffirmed my commitment that justice would ultimately be served,” said Ivey. “Tonight, that promise was fulfilled for his victims, Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson, as well as for their loved ones who have long-awaited his sentence to be carried out. This case underscores exactly why the law passed in 2017 ending so-called ‘judicial override’ did not apply to existing death sentences like Mr. Lee’s. These victims have waited long enough, and I pray they can feel peace and have closure.”

Lee was convicted of two counts of capital murder in connection with the 1998 Dallas County killings and an attempted murder. His jury recommended life in prison, but a judge overruled that recommendation and imposed the death penalty.

Alabama eliminated judicial override in 2017, but the change did not apply to death sentences in cases decided before the law took effect, including Lee’s.

Lee’s execution had originally been scheduled for June using nitrogen hypoxia. That attempt was halted after a federal judge ruled Alabama’s nitrogen hypoxia protocol violated the Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The U.S. Supreme Court later declined Alabama’s request to allow the execution to proceed.

In July, Ivey set a new execution date for September and ordered that Lee be put to death by lethal injection.

Following the execution, Lee’s legal team issued the following statement:

“Tonight, Alabama executed Jeffery Lee by lethal injection, even though his sentencing jury voted to spare his life. His death sentence rested solely on judicial override — an old law that Alabama has repealed. The State itself concluded this practice was wrong enough to abandon yet still put a man to death under it. That is a moral failure, not just a legal formality.

“The execution also broke a promise. In June, after two federal courts found problems with Alabama’s nitrogen hypoxia protocol, the State sought a new warrant within 24 hours. In doing so, it chose to execute Jeffery Lee by lethal injection, an equally problematic method it had told a federal court in 2018 it would not use.

“A state that no longer stands behind the rule that condemned a man, but kills him under it anyway, has not delivered justice. It has revealed how little its own standards constrain it when it is determined to carry out an execution.”

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12-year-old charged with bomb threat at Tuscaloosa County school

CNN Newsource on September 18, 2026

By Shannon Delcambre

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    TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, Ala. (WVTM) — A 12-year-old boy has been charged with making a bomb threat at Duncanville Middle School in Tuscaloosa County, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities said the incident occurred Wednesday when a staff member at the school received an email from an unknown address threatening to blow up the campus.

Deputies searched the school as a result, delaying the start of classes by an hour until they determined there was no threat.

The juvenile was later taken into custody and placed at the county’s detention center.

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7-year-old Cincinnati Public Schools student dies while on bus, authorities say

CNN Newsource on September 18, 2026

By Emily Sanderson, Danielle Dindak

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — Police have launched a death investigation after a 7-year-old Cincinnati Public Schools student with special needs died while riding home on a bus Wednesday.

What happened The girl, 7-year-old Ngone Talla, attended Roselawn Condon School, according to Cincinnati Public Schools. Her family says she was discovered unresponsive in her wheelchair when the bus arrived at their home.

WLWT confirmed that the bus involved was operated by First Student, which released a statement saying, “All of us at First Student are deeply saddened by the death of a student on one of our buses. Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family, classmates, school community and all those impacted as they navigate this difficult time.”

First Student said since the investigation is active, they could not provide any further details.

Family speaks out Talla’s family says they noticed the bus sitting outside the home for about 10 minutes, saying they usually see the back doors open for the ramp to get her wheelchair out. According to the family, when they saw that wasn’t happening, they went outside and that’s when they were told she was not responding. The family says when they were let on the bus, they found the 7-year-old unresponsive.

“We went on the bus, and I see my sister unresponsive and lifeless. So, I’m there, I’m mad. I’m yelling in the bus. I’m like, okay, how did this happen?” Marema Talla, Ngone’s sister, said.

12-year-old Marema says she often helped mom get her little sister off the school bus when she returned home each day.

The child’s father, Abdoul Talla, said he got a call Wednesday afternoon and learned Ngone wasn’t breathing.

“They say the bus was staying here like over 10, 15 minutes before they let them know,” he said, “The bus driver came outside and he told them like, ‘oh come look’. And they went inside the bus, and they see she was not breathing, she was not moving. And after that, that’s why they call me, and I say call 911, and I call 911, me myself. And I drive up here and I see my daughter inside the bus and I was like ‘it’s over’. And that’s when they took her the Children’s and they said ‘it’s over’.”

The family is now left with broken hearts and unanswered questions.

“The driver and a second person, they’re supposed to just watch carefully, the kids, because you cannot have these kids in this bus and you’re not watching them. And it was really hot yesterday, and I don’t know what’s going on. I’m waiting for the investigation to let us know what’s happened,” Abdoul Talla, Ngone’s father, said.

Coroner statement The coroner reported that there were no traumatic injuries or signs of harm related to her death.

“She became unresponsive in her wheelchair on the bus, but she has extensive medical history including cerebral palsy. There was nothing traumatic and no injuries were related to the death,” the coroner’s office said in a statement.

School response Cincinnati Public Schools shared Talla went to school at Roselawn Condon School.

“Our hearts are with her family and everyone who knew and loved her. This is an unimaginable loss for them and a heartbreaking day for the Roselawn Condon community,” CPS said in a statement.

CPS says their Crisis Response Unit is at the school supporting students and employees.

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Judge hears clash over ICE conditions in Baltimore detention facility

CNN Newsource on September 18, 2026

By Kate Amara

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — Plaintiffs in a legal case against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement allege the agency has failed to comply with a court order issued in March to address overcrowding in Baltimore holding rooms.

The government denied the allegations and called a witness to support its position.

Joseph Burki, the former manager of the Baltimore holding rooms, testified that after the injunction was issued, he rewrote the facility’s policy to comply with court-ordered capacity rules.

The new policy required each cell to provide 31 square feet of space per person after carving out an 8-foot toilet zone. Burki added that the new policy required routine head counts and the closure of any cell nearing capacity.

When asked by WBAL-TV 11 News outside of the courthouse about the agency’s failure to follow the policies he wrote, Burki declined to answer.

Plaintiffs argued that while the policy looked good on paper, it was not implemented effectively.

“There is this very large and seemingly … happening on the ground,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Amelia Dagen.

The plaintiffs called an expert witness who testified that his analysis of cell log records from March to June showed overcrowding occurred 67% of the time.

The defense countered, claiming the plaintiffs’ math was intentionally flawed. They presented their own expert analysis, which found overcrowding occurred only 9% of the time. However, the defense said their calculation was based on the total space in all cells divided by the total number of people in the facility on a given day, without accounting for the toilet exclusion zone.

The plaintiffs are not seeking a contempt finding but told the judge they want measures in place to enforce the court order.

The judge said she will issue a written ruling.

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Virginia man charged after dog found stabbed 14 times on Middletown roadside

CNN Newsource on September 18, 2026

By Kayla Morton

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    MIDDLETOWN, Md. (WBAL) — A man has been arrested for stabbing his dog 14 times after originally telling deputies he ran the animal over, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday.

Erfan Behnam, a Reston, Virginia resident was found at his disabled car by another driver in the 7900 block of Hollow Road in Middletown. The road is a branch off of Interstate 70, runs along the Lavandaze Serenity Garden and is fairly rural.

The passerby told deputies the man they encountered “had stated he had run over his dog, killing it.”

After locating Behham, however, they discovered he was “visibly covered in blood and dog hair.”

Frederick County deputies recovered a knife in Behnam’s vehicle and matched it to the 14 stab wounds found on multiple areas of the dog’s body.

“During the investigation, Behnam provided inconsistent statements about how the dog was injured,” the sheriff’s office said.

Contradicting what he told the passerby, Behnam admitted to deputies “he believed he ‘needed to put the dog down’ and admitted to stabbing the dog.”

Animal Control responded to the scene and took custody of the dog’s remains.

Behnam is being held in the Frederick County Adult Detention Center on charges of felony aggravated cruelty to an animal.

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Maine woman says political canvasser stole Amazon package from her porch

CNN Newsource on September 18, 2026

By Francis Flisiuk

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    WOOLWICH, Maine (WMTW) — A woman from Woolwich says a political canvasser took an Amazon package from her front porch Wednesday afternoon after leaving a flyer in support of U.S. Senator Susan Collins.

Marion Cressey shared doorbell video of the incident with Maine’s Total Coverage which shows a man canvassing for Stronger Maine, a conservative political group.

According to Cressey, the man approached her home, placed a Susan Collins flyer on the door and looked around before taking a package from the front step.

Cressey said she was surprised by what she saw and shared the video to warn her neighbors.

“Like what the heck is he doing?,” said Cressey. “I was dumbfounded and I had to watch the video a couple of times to really make sure I was seeing what I saw. If you see something, say something. This could have been worse.”

Stronger Maine said Thursday that the man seen in the video has been fired.

The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office said the canvasser has been identified and is expected to face charges.

Cressey said she has not received reimbursement for the package.

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