Month: September 2026

By Gideon Verdin

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    MILWAUKEE (WTMJ) — By 6 a.m., Jomarion Swiams can already be in a Milwaukee backyard working for a client.

By 7 p.m., he may be clocking in for another shift at a movie theater — sometimes, not getting home until after 1 a.m.

In between, the 16-year-old is a junior at Bradley Tech High School.

It is a demanding schedule, but for Swiams, staying busy has become part of building a different future for himself.

“I’m only 16 trying to do right,” he said while working in a client’s yard.

That short sentence carries more weight after hearing where Swiams says he was just one school year ago.

“I’m gonna be honest, I had 10 suspensions last year. After that 10th one, I knew that’s not what I wanted to do in one school year — that wasn’t it,” Swiams said. “It was putting me in a category that I ain’t wanna be in.”

He decided he needed something else to occupy his time.

“That’s when I started my business. It’s something that kept my mind going, kept me focused and kept me not being distracted,” he said. “I think the main thing that had me messing up was I ain’t have nothing to put my time into.”

Swiams got his first car in March. By April, he had launched BarkClean.

His father, Jonathan Swiams, suggested pet-waste removal as a possible business. Jomarion Swiams started small, cleaning yards for family members before buying flyers and promoting his services on Facebook.

Then one post took off.

Jomarion Swiams said the attention helped bring in new customers and opened doors he never expected.

“I never thought my business was gonna do this,” he said.

What started primarily as pet-waste removal soon expanded. Jomarion Swiams began posting videos and pictures showing other skills he had learned, including lawn work, cleaning, TV mounting, basic car work and construction-related jobs.

“I’ve been doing really anything somebody needs,” he said.

His description of the growing operation is even shorter: “One Stop Shop.”

On a busy day, Jomarion Swiams says he may visit around 15 properties.

Jonathan Swiams says his son did not learn to work with his hands overnight.

Jonathan Swiams has spent nearly two decades working on his own as a contractor. He said many of his skills came from his father — lessons he now tries to pass down to his son.

“Just want him to be the best that he can be but also giving him the skills where he’ll have legitimate ways to make money,” Jonathan Swiams said.

For Jonathan Swiams, watching his son redirect his energy carries meaning beyond the money Jomarion is earning.

As a father, Jonathan Swiams said there were times he worried about where his son might end up.

“Stay on them. Like I said, I’m committed. I’m not going anywhere,” Jonathan Swiams said. “We all make mistakes, you know, just trying to get them to learn sooner than later.”

He wants his son to understand that his choices can change the direction of his life.

“Just trying to get him to learn and appreciate and value life and recognize that he’s the author of his own book,” Jonathan Swiams said. “But I’m very proud of him.”

Business may be picking up, but Jomarion Swiams says people do not always see what happens behind the social media posts, clients and attention.

“I feel like people don’t see that, the hard work I’m actually putting in every day,” he said.

Some mornings, he says, he starts with a client around 6 a.m. On days he also works at the movie theater, his night may not end until 1 a.m.

Then he may do it again the next morning.

Jomarion Swiams’ work also caught the attention of Milwaukee County leaders. In June, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors notified his family that he had been selected to receive a formal recognition citation for his contributions to the community. The letter said Jomarion Swiams had “identified a need in the community and took the initiative to meet that need through entrepreneurship,” recognizing him as an example of young leadership.

“I think people see the hard work, but they don’t know how it really is for a 16-year-old to be doing it,” Jomarion Swiams said. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the life I’m building, but it’d be hard sometimes. I get overwhelmed too.”

But he says having something to work toward has made a difference.

“I think that put me in a better place, having something to focus on and look forward to,” he said.

Jomarion Swiams’ plans now extend beyond building BarkClean.

He says he has been exploring the possibility of eventually getting a location with space where other young entrepreneurs could work and grow their own businesses.

His idea is to create opportunities for teens interested in everything from hairstyling and barbering to pet grooming and other businesses — particularly young people who have the drive but may not have the resources or space to get started.

“I just wanna be able to have a location, help them get off the streets, push their business, skyrocket,” Jomarion Swiams said.

It is a goal rooted in his own experience.

Last year, he says people at school knew him as a student getting into trouble.

This year feels different.

“Everybody’s been proud of me. They look up to me,” Jomarion Swiams said. “I have everybody, everybody at school coming up to me telling me they’re proud of me.”

For Jomarion Swiams, the change is proof that one bad stretch does not have to determine what comes next.

“Don’t, don’t, don’t ever think about what just happened yesterday might stop the rest of your life for nothing,” he said. “You could always bounce back from a mistake.”

People interested in supporting Jomarion Swiams can hire BarkClean for pet-waste removal and other yard services. The business takes appointments online and promotes its work through social media and it’s website here heygoldie.com.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WTMJ verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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 Suzanne Behnke

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    OSKALOOSA, Iowa (KCCI) — Oskaloosa’s homecoming dance will be rescheduled after 80 students came forward and admitted to being involved in toilet-papering and more serious behaviors.

Most of the 80 students were not involved in two separate locations where district staff members had homes damaged, were intimidated and had racist comments uttered, says Superintendent Mike Fisher.

“We know the majority of them were likely just engaging in tee-peeing, and we’ve been really up front that the tee-peeing is not the problem,” Fisher says. “We’re really focused on the people that engaged in property damage, intimidation and racist language.”

A third-party investigator has been hired to handle the school’s investigation. The events happened off school property, so any criminal charges would be up to law enforcement. KCCI reached out to Oskaloosa police but had not heard back yet as of Monday afternoon.

The Friday night homecoming football game was canceled and will not be rescheduled. That decision was not made lightly, Fisher said. With hours before the event, school leaders felt it was appropriate to cancel.

A weekend band event and volleyball game were held as more details became available, Fisher said.

The district said students involved had until noon Monday to come forward. Students were notifying district leaders up through this morning.

This is the second year students took homecoming activities too far, Fisher says. But the behavior escalated from 2025 when a district staff member’s yard was spray-painted.

“We thought the very, very serious message of people being removed from teams last year would send a message that we take this seriously, but unfortunately I guess some of our people didn’t learn that lesson, so we had to handle the pattern we were encountering,” Fisher says.

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 Kara Mihm

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — High school girls in New Mexico are making history this fall as six schools in the Albuquerque area launch the state’s first competitive girls flag football league, part of an effort to gain official sanctioning from the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA).

The league will feature 11 teams, with five schools drafting two teams each.

“There have been probably another 10 or 15 schools that have expressed interest and didn’t feel like they had time to get teams together. We did this very, very quickly,” Kurt Nilson, La Cueva’s head coach, said.

The league’s media day on Sunday highlighted the push for official recognition, with coaches emphasizing the importance of creating opportunities for girls to access athletic scholarships.

The NMAA’s executive director, Dusty Young, addressed the league in a statement, saying,

“Girls flag football is something we have discussed with our member schools over the last couple years and we will continue to do so moving forward.

Nilson said they are following all NMAA rules so that when it becomes a sanctioned sport, it will be a seamless transition.

“We want to make sure that we’re doing everything to make it so that this is not only built for the NMAA to take on in sanction, but also to give our girls the best opportunity to get scholarships and to be able to move on in the flag football world if they choose to,” he said.

Players are excited about the opportunity to compete and break barriers in sports traditionally dominated by males.

“I think it’s just like a gate opening for us to have new experiences,” said Ezralin Fernandez, a high school player. “Now we get to [play the game] with females, and it’s just like completely different.”

Maxx Marie, another player, reflected on the significance of the league’s creation. “Going into high school, I was like, ‘Well, why isn’t there like a girls league? Like, why do the boys get a league, but the girls don’t?’”

KOAT previously reported on two girls from New Mexico who went on to play flag football at the collegiate level. The league’s launch also comes ahead of flag football’s Olympic debut at the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

From first-time athletes to seasoned players, coaches say the league is bringing together girls from diverse athletic backgrounds, empowering them to explore new opportunities on the field.

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 Jonathan Ayestas, Maricela De La Cruz, Peyton Headlee

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    IOWA HILL, California (KCRA) — Placer County deputies fatally shot a man in an hourslong standoff after he killed a 76-year-old woman, officials said.

Derek Spencer, 44, had been arrested multiple times in the weeks leading up to the early Monday morning shootout that lasted for hours before he died, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation includes the death of Cheryl Macy and a nearby fire that complicated the crime scene.

Below is what we know about the events leading up to the shootout.

Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo spoke of Spencer’s recent arrests in a news conference hours after the gunbattle.

Derek Spencer was arrested three times in 13 days in Sacramento County on charges including vandalism, burglary, and vehicle theft, but was released from custody after each arrest.

Court records obtained by KCRA 3 show he was released from the Sacramento County Jail on Sept. 17.

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Ed Igoe confirmed Spencer has been booked three times this month:

Once by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office for felony vandalism, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and resisting arrest. (Sept. 3) Once by the Folsom Police Department for burglary (Sept. 14) Once by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office for stealing a vehicle (Sept. 16)

Spencer was released on bond for the sheriff’s office arrests on Sept. 11 and Sept. 17. Folsom police arrested him for burglary, and a judge granted him pre-arraignment release on his own recognizance following his arrest in Folsom.

Spencer was arraigned for his first arrest on Sept. 8, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors said they argued for him to remain in custody after a bail was set by a judge that same day.

After his release on Sept. 11, Spencer had a preliminary set for Sept. 18 for his arrest, but he did not show up, leading the court to issue a warrant for his failure to appear.

He was scheduled to be arraigned for the Folsom arrest on Sept. 21. His arraignment for the third arrest was supposed to happen on Sept. 23. The DA’s office said prosecutors were in the process of reviewing both arrest reports for a filing decision.

“There’s literally nothing we can do. It’s ultimately up to a judge,” said Sgt. Edward Igoe of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

Igoe elaborated on the process, saying, “Realistically, once we have the ability to make a probable cause arrest, it goes off on the courts at that point. It is up to a judge to determine whether or not he’s going to be held or whether or not he’s going to have the opportunity to be released. Ultimately, it’s up to the courts what happens with him after he’s booked.”

Sacramento County prosecutors blame said judges have limited ability to detain repeat offenders before trial, even if they pose a danger under the Kowalczyk ruling that was made in April.

Woo said investigators did not know about Spencer’s recent arrests until after they had identified him on Sunday afternoon. He described his frustration and believes Macy’s death could have been preventable.

Spencer was from the Sacramento area, Woo said, saying he was likely from Fair Oaks.

The difficulty of predicting whether someone released from custody could pose a future danger was highlighted by attorney Mark Reichel.

“There’s no real exact science to determining whether somebody is going to be a threat again. You look at it, if they make their court appearance, has ties to the community, and it’s real difficult to determine how dangerous they’ll be in the future,” Reichel said.

Spencer was first wanted after pointing a firearm at people in Placer County. Woo said that deputies located Spencer around 10:30 a.m. Sunday. However, Spencer rammed their patrol vehicle with enough force to disable it, preventing deputies from being able to give chase.

Woo said the vehicle Spencer used was stolen during an armed carjacking in El Dorado County on Saturday.

While searching for Spencer, investigators found a woman, later identified as Macy, who had been shot and killed inside a home. Woo said Spencer had shot Macy before running into the forest. It’s believed the two did not know each other.

Around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Woo said Spencer had shot at law enforcement and a sheriff’s office helicopter before he fled again. Using helicopter infrared technology, deputies found Spencer around 2 a.m. Monday.

For about two hours, Woo said deputies exchanged gunfire with Spencer along Iowa Hill Road and Grand View Avenue, and the gunbattle would not end until 4:30 a.m., with his death.

Investigators recovered a handgun and a rifle after the shootout, Woo said. Eight different SWAT teams responded to this, including from Mono and Inyo counties. No deputies were injured. Details were also not released on how many deputies fired their weapons.

Woo said a nearby fire made the situation more difficult not only for deputies but also for firefighters.

Fire personnel could not immediately battle the Mineral Fire because of how close the standoff was. Woo said once Spencer died, crews were able to move in.

Cal Fire also noted that firefighters were not able to fight the fire until the situation was resolved.

While Woo did not directly say the name of the fire Spencer started, he acknowledged that Spencer started a fire in the area of the standoff. LiveCopter 3 spotted smoke near the crime scene.

After Spencer died, Woo said that a helicopter had to hoist his body because of how close the flames were.

For those who knew Spencer, his recent arrests and behavior were unexpected.

“It seems like something else was going on with him. It wasn’t Derek. It’s not the Derek that any of us knew,” said Sam Bruno, who said he had known Spencer for two decades.

Bruno added, “I know a lot of things have come out about recent arrests. I had no idea about any of those. I never would’ve thought any of those charges would have been something he would have done. That shocked me just as much as everything else going on was the rest of the last month or so.”

Macy was a former employee for the Placer County District Attorney’s Office, officials confirmed Monday night. She worked for the office from 2006 to 2020.

Her position with the office did not confirm what her position was.

Family says Macy’s birthday was Sept. 19, a day before her body was found during an investigation.

A loved one told KCRA 3 she still had birthday presents that she never got to open.

KCRA 3 spoke with a man who has lived in Iowa Hill for three decades. He said what happened to Macy, his neighbor, is a shame and said a lot of people in the area are very upset knowing it happened after Spencer was released from jail three times in the last month.

“She didn’t need to die like that. There’s no reason for it, you know?” Dave said.

He described some of what he saw and heard during the hours-long search and shootout.

“The helicopter is going to about treetop level right down this canyon right here. And you heard about pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop and then that was it,” he said.

He also described what the community of Iowa Hill is like.

“Our neighbors are a couple of miles apart. Yeah. And we all know each other and. Yeah, that’s true, we may not get along with everybody, but, you wanna know something? When something happens, everybody is there. Even what you may think your enemy is, or you’re not such good friends. They’re there to help you. Everybody helps everybody up here,” he said.

He said the response from law enforcement was significant, but he just wishes it was all resolved sooner.

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 Allison Petro, Pamela Comme

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    DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (WESH) — A 40-year-old Daytona Beach man is facing multiple charges after he assaulted an elderly couple and later shot an officer, according to the Ormond Beach Police Department.

Police identified the suspect as Michael Hightower, 40, of Daytona Beach.

The first incident began outside Daytona College, when an elderly couple responded to a burglary alarm on Sunday night.

Police said the couple found a suspicious vehicle and items inside the building that did not belong there. While they were outside contacting dispatch, Hightower exited the building.

“I have a trespasser,” the 911 caller and victim said. “I’m the owner of the company, and I asked him not to go in the building.”

While on the phone with dispatchers, the 74-year-old woman told police the man had left the building and gotten into his vehicle.

“He is backing up in the parking lot, and now he is leaving,” she said.

After that, you can hear the vehicle accelerate, followed by the woman’s scream and what sounds like the vehicle hitting her.

Police said the couple found a suspicious vehicle and items inside the building that did not belong there. While they were outside contacting dispatch, Hightower exited the building.

Hightower then struck the woman with a vehicle before getting out and repeatedly striking and kicking both victims, police said. The couple was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The victims were identified as a 79-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman, according to police.

Officers later located Hightower near the 300 block of Clyde Morris Boulevard. He was taken into custody and later transported to a Daytona Beach hospital for a medical evaluation.

Around 3:20 a.m. Monday, police said Hightower got into a physical altercation with an Ormond Beach officer guarding him and grabbed the officer’s firearm. This happened while the suspect was going through an MRI.

“His behavior was extremely erratic…” said Chief Jakari Young, Daytona Beach Police. “He knew that if he was going to escape that hospitals at the last opportunity to try to get away.”

The officer was shot in the leg and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to OBPD.

“I’m not going to get into the mechanics of how a gun can be removed from a police holster, but at some point we believe that gun was removed just enough for one shot to be fired, and that one shot struck this officer in the leg,” said Young.

Police said the officer is expected to make a full recovery.

“He’s in good spirits,” said Chief Jesse Godfrey, Ormond Beach Police. “His family was with him when we last… left him. He’s in, a little bit of pain, but, we expect a full recovery.”

Hightower remains in custody, facing two counts of attempted first-degree murder, resisting an officer with violence, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer and assault on a law enforcement officer.

Chief Young criticized AdventHealth’s emergency room doctor and the protocols used last night. He said he believes the situation could have had a different outcome.

“From what I’m hearing, there is a lot that could have been done differently and done better last night,” Young said.

Ormond Beach and Daytona Beach police held a joint news conference at 2 p.m. Monday.

Hightower is expected to appear before a judge tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. He is currently being held on no bond.

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 Jasmine Arenas

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    BEULAH, Colorado (KCNC) — FEMA recently approved some help after the Aspen Acres Fire, but has denied Colorado’s request for Individual Assistance. Survivors say that as cleanup continues and they try to rebuild, the costs are mounting, and they hope FEMA will reconsider.

The Aspen Acres Fire in southern Colorado has burned more than 102,000 acres and damaged hundreds of homes and other structures. Many residents in Beulah are trying to pick up the pieces after the fire devastated the area.

Beulah resident Marilyn Wren says she lost all three homes on her property and nine structures in total, along with irreplaceable memories. The fire destroyed almost everything she owned: 36 years of belongings.

“When we did go in on July 13, there was ash. It didn’t look like anybody had ever lived there. It just looked like something out of a horror movie,” said Wren. “All of it turned to ash. Every possession we ever had- jewelry, paintings, clothing- we were left with the proverbial clothes on our back, and that was it.”

For nearly three months, Wren has been staying in a hotel. She says the cost of starting over is adding up.

“It felt like you were just being punched over, and over, and over again,” Wren said.

FEMA approved part of Colorado’s major disaster declaration request, allowing federal support for debris removal and other community recovery work, such as infrastructure repairs. But the state says it denied a request for Individual Assistance for survivors like Wren.

Wren said, “I wonder sometimes, do people have to be in your shoes to understand what this feels like? The utter desolation.”

The costs are adding up, even for things like basic necessities like clothes and food, she said. Even with an online fundraiser, Wren admitted that things have been tough financially. The uncertainty of how they will move forward, she says, is only making things harder.

“We are going broke trying to wait to know what to do,” Wren said. “It’s very, very difficult.”

She says volunteers have helped clear what the fire left behind. That act of kindness gives her some light in the dark.

“It taught me, though, how good and genuine people really are and the lengths they’re willing to go to help somebody, strangers,” she said.

Wren also shared a plea. “Don’t forget us, and keep praying for us,” she asked.

In a response to CBS Colorado on Monday, FEMA said:

“The Trump Administration has granted federal assistance under the Stafford Act for the State of Colorado to support response and recovery from recent disasters. This assistance includes three Fire Management Assistance Grants for the Aspen Acres, Gold Mountain, and Willow fires to help cover eligible firefighting costs for managing, mitigating, and controlling the designated fires in affected areas.

Additionally, President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for the Colorado wildfires, flooding, and mudslides, authorizing Public Assistance for Custer, Dolores, Ouray, and Pueblo counties. The Trump Administration remains committed to empowering and working with state and local governments to invest in their own resilience before disaster strikes, making response less urgent and recovery less prolonged. To learn more about the disaster declaration process, visit fema.gov/disaster/how-declared.”

The state has 30 days to appeal FEMA’s decision. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis expressed disappointment and said his office is evaluating the state’s next steps.

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 Derek James

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    REDWOOD FALLS, Minnesota (WCCO) — Row after row of old trucks sits lined up by make and model on a lot in Redwood Falls — Fords, Chevrolets, Dodges, Internationals, pickups and farm trucks and a few muscle cars mixed in. By the end of the weekend, almost all of them will belong to somebody else.

The collection belongs to Tim Wertish, who calls it Vintage Vehicle Rescue. VanDerBrink Auctions, LLC, says the sale covers nearly 400 vehicles, and it will run over two days, Friday and Saturday, in Redwood Falls.

“Probably just an addiction loving all this old stuff,” Wertish said. “And basically rescuing ’em from the crusher.”

Wertish started with Tonka trucks and moved on to the real thing at 16. He started this collection in 2019, and it grew fast from there.

“From ’20 to ’24 is when it probably ramped up heavy, during the pandemic,” he said.

Most of what’s parked there came from close to home. Everything standing on the lot generally came from within a 100-mile radius, Wertish said, and most of it turned up on Craigslist.

He and his uncle Jesse would map out a run to pick up a single truck and come home with leads on a dozen more.

“We’d plan a trip. I’d pick ’em up, we’d head from here to Wheaton to Luverne to St. Peter and maybe to pick up one truck,” Wertish said. “By the time we got home we’d stumbled across 10, 20 more. They’re just everywhere.”

The best part, he said, was meeting the people — mostly farmers — and finding out what else was sitting in the yard that nobody had mentioned on the phone.

“It was just like an Easter egg hunt,” he said.

Some hunts got complicated. Coming back from Grand Forks on one of their longest runs, Wertish and a friend stopped at a place near Appleton, where the owner told them there were cars past the cornfield. They walked through the field and down to a creek to look them over. On the way back, the cows in the pasture they’d crossed decided they wanted to play.

The heavy trucks were the ones he chased hardest. There are 35 Ford farm trucks in the collection.

“When I was really into the heavy trucks, these were the ones I was after. The hardest ones to find, so it’s a bigger challenge,” he said.

One of them, a 1948 Chevrolet, was headed for a scrap yard when a friend called him about it.

“So I told them that’s a bad idea,” Wertish said.

Very little of it runs. Asked how many would start, Wertish said it would be tough to get five going. He expects most buyers will be people looking for a project.

“There’ll be a few collectors, but I think there’s enough stuff here. Everybody can have something,” he said. Most of it, he figures, will end up back on the road as street rods, with the rougher trucks becoming yard art and parts.

Asked whether he ever had an end goal, Wertish said he never did.

“No. No. Just going to go as long as it was fun and keep on trucking,” he said.

He’s selling because the property sold, and because the people asking about it didn’t stop asking.

“Just being approached by property owners, buyers — we kind of just blew ’em off. And thought we can’t sell this stuff, it’s too cool,” he said. “Then as they keep grinding on you and you sit back and think maybe now is the time.”

The hardest part won’t be the trucks.

“So my son and I would drive out here every morning before school,” Wertish said, pausing. “So he’s going to be sad, but it’s fine.”

Whether Saturday is really the end is another question. Asked if he’d start collecting again once his kids are grown, Wertish laughed.

“I knew you were going to ask that,” he said. “I’ll probably never say no.”

The sale is at 33430 327th St. in Redwood Falls. Gates open for a preview at 10 a.m. Friday, with the first day’s bidding starting at 3 p.m. on about 90 lots of parts and project vehicles. The main sale of trucks, pickups and cars starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Bidders can take part in person or online, and the full inventory — including a 1966 Dodge Hemi Charger the auction company says runs and drives — is posted on VanDerBrink Auctions’ listing for the sale.

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 Laurie Perez

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    SEAL BEACH, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A sea turtle has nested on a West Coast beach for what wildlife experts say is the first time in recorded history.

Video captured last Wednesday in Seal Beach shows the moments when a female olive ridley turtle lays eggs in the sand before returning to sea.

“We had a report of a possible injured turtle, and when lifeguards got on scene, they realized the turtle was not injured and in fact, the turtle was nesting,” said Trevor McDonald, the Chief of the Huntington Beach Marine Safety Division.

Days later, a natural nesting happened again, just miles south in Huntington Beach. Experts say it’s possible that it’s the same turtle, and that there could be hundreds of eggs in each location, which is hundreds of miles north from where usual nesting grounds for turtles are located on the southern end of Baja California.

“The temps where their normal nesting sites may exist may be a little bit too high, being a super strong El Niño,” said Chad Steffen, a certified marine naturalist. “There’s a lot of really, really warm water down there, down in Mexico.”

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and California Department of Fish and Wildlife crews have surrounded the nesting sites in Southern California with protective fencing and big signs to warn the public so they can give the areas plenty of space.

Chad Steffen, a fisherman and certified marine naturalist, said that the warm waters from the El Niño winter brewing in the Pacific Ocean are bringing unusual sightings to Southern California.

“The temps where their normal nesting sites may exist may be a little bit too high, being a super strong El Niño,” Steffen said. “There’s a lot of really, really warm water down there, down in Mexico.”

Crews are unsure if or when the eggs could eventually hatch, as it’s a first in the recorded history of California. Still, biologists plan to monitor the nesting sites throughout the incubation period, which can last for up to 60 days.

“It’s federally protected, and it’s something that is exciting for us to be able to be a part of and witness, right? So please, be respectful, stay outside of the caution tape,” McDonald 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 Jamiese Price

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    CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina (WTVD) — Taiwanese students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are calling for more transparency from university leaders after what they describe as a racially motivated harassment incident on campus in late August.

Shao-Jung Lu said he is still struggling to process what happened.

“Our campus shouldn’t be like this,” Lu said.

He added, “This is really tough to process for me.”

According to students, the incident happened Aug. 29 after a welcome party hosted by the UNC Taiwanese Student Association. Following the event, a group of students took a tour of campus.

Yu-Chao Huang, who was on the tour, said a group of students approached them and acted in a way he believed was intended to mock them.

“There were five or six white males who appeared to be undergraduate students,” Huang said. “As they walked by us, they tried to mimic monkey-like sounds. They put their hands on the ground and walked toward us. They were trying to mimic monkey behavior.”

Student Hsiao-Ting Su said the experience left her shaken.

“It makes me think that they can do this in the center of campus. There were 15 or 16 Taiwanese students in our group, and they still did this. What if someone encountered this while alone? I think they would be afraid to walk on campus,” Su said.

Students said they reported the incident to the University Compliance Office and UNC Police. They said they were informed that video footage of the incident exists.

Lu said students are waiting for updates on the investigation.

“Police have the footage, so we’re in limbo, wondering whether they’re still working on it,” Lu said.

Yu-Hsiu Lien questioned how the university plans to use the evidence.

“The question is how the university is going to use this evidence because university police identified clear footage within the first week after the incident,” Lien said. “But now, more than two weeks later, we still haven’t heard any updates.”

Another student said international students can struggle to know where to turn for help after such incidents.

“It’s not an everyday incident on a U.S. campus, but when something like this happens, it’s hard for us to know what resources are available to us,” the student said.

The incident is one of two racially charged incidents reported on campus this semester. Students said the other involved Black students who were harassed at Greenlaw Hall.

U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee has called on UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts to address the incidents. In a letter, Foushee asked, “How is your administration working to make sure students, particularly students of color, feel safe on campus?”

Lu said students appreciated Foushee’s response.

“We very much appreciate Congresswoman Foushee,” Lu said. “She reiterated her support and reaffirmed to the Taiwanese Student Association that these incidents are not tolerable in our community.”

Students said they want university leaders to communicate more clearly about how reports of harassment are handled.

“We wish there were a more transparent protocol for dealing with hate-related harassment incidents on campus,” Lien said.

In a statement, a university spokesperson said, “Protecting the safety and well-being of our campus community remains a critical priority.”

The spokesperson also said the university has received Foushee’s letter and appreciates her engagement.

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