Month: October 2026

By Tim Fang

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri has resigned amid ongoing scrutiny over travel spending and the project’s rising costs.

The authority’s Board of Directors confirmed Choudri’s resignation at its meeting on Thursday. In closed session, the board appointed Joe Stephenshaw, the Director of the California Department of Finance, as the authority’s interim president.

In a letter to employees obtained by CBS News Sacramento, Choudri said, “This was not an easy decision. Leading the Authority has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding chapters of my professional life. Over the past two years, this project has evolved from one facing significant challenges to one that is now irreversible and on track to deliver the first true high-speed rail system in North America.”

A spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said “The Governor is committed to delivering the nation’s first high-speed rail system and to protecting California taxpayers every single step of the way. That’s why he brought fresh leadership onto the High-Speed Rail Authority Board this year, with a clear charge to demand accountability for every dollar and transparency the public can count on. The Governor welcomes today’s announcements as an important step in that direction.”

Choudri’s resignation follows a report from the authority’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) which said allegations that the CHSRA failed to comply with state regulations and contract requirements when reimbursing consultants’ travel expenses were substantiated.

Between 2024 and 2026, the report stated that 60%, or $680,500, did not comply with state regulations requiring advance approval. The report also found $592,000 of the unapproved expenses were determined to be “unallowable.”

Reimbursements included expenses for premium airfares, Uber and Lyft upgrades, trips to gyms, escape rooms, cigar lounges, tiki bars and private residences with no documentation of a state business purpose, the report found. Other questionable practices included reimbursement for rideshare cancellation fees, same-day flight booking, which typically means higher costs, and travel claims lacking receipts or supporting documents.

In addition, whistleblowers provided CBS California Investigates expense records that found consultants billed taxpayers’ late night rides from a street in Folsom where Choudri owns a home, along with rides to or from nearby restaurants and bars.

Initially approved by voters in 2008, California’s high-speed rail project has been beset by years-long delays and cost overruns since construction began in 2015.

When voters approved the initial bond funding for the project, the entire system was expected to cost between $33 billion and $45 billion. The CHSRA’s 2026 Business Plan showed it would take $126 billion to complete Phase 1 of the project.

In July, the OIG warned that the state’s high-speed rail project could run out of money as soon as December 2027 unless the state borrows billions to keep construction on schedule.

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 Coleman Petit

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    SAN JOSE, California (KPIX) — Two San José Police Department officers have been arrested on felony charges following an internal investigation into evidence tampering, the department announced on Thursday.

Officials said both of the officers, identified as Raydarius Surry, 29, and Destiney Thompson, 30, were arrested on Oct. 28 and face charges of evidence tampering and filing a false police report.

The investigation began in August of 2026 when the police department began investigating a missing baggie of suspected narcotics, which was listed as evidence on a May 3, 2026 arrest report filed by Surry.

Officials said that Surry was notified by the department that the baggie was missing, and shortly after, on Aug. 12, Surry stopped and searched a pedestrian who had no connection to the May 3 arrest.

Surry allegedly found a similar bag of suspected narcotics during the stop, seized it, and took no additional enforcement action, according to police.

He then allegedly booked that bag into evidence using the case number for the May 3 arrest without documenting the Aug. 12 pedestrian stop and evidence seizure, officials said.

Thompson is accused of reviewing bodycam footage of the May 3 arrest to help Surry replace the missing evidence, officials said.

Surry was placed on administrative leave Sep. 2 while Thompson was placed on leave on Sep. 18. Officials said that Thompson and Surry are in a relationship with one another and both are Gilroy residents.

Officials said there is no evidence of any other report discrepancies or similar actions committed by the two officers.

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 Joy Benedict

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    BIG BEAR LAKE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Big Bear linemen rescued a great horned owl that was trapped in electrical wires.

The crew from Bear Valley Electric Service said the nocturnal bird was dangling upside down during the day.

“I didn’t think it was going to be alive when we got there,” apprentice lineman Adam Perry said.

But after the owl turned its head and looked at them, the crew realized it was alive and shut off the power to rescue the owl.

“He was allowing my lineman to touch him,” foreman Drake Tessendorf said. “He wasn’t trying to peck at him or move or anything.”

Tessendorf’s crew said one of the owl’s legs was twisted between two wires. They used a jib on their truck to set him upright and held open the wires that were trapping him.

“He wanted the help is what it felt like,” Tessendorf said.

Perry said the owl flew to the house below them after the crew freed him. Christy McGiveron and the Big Bear Alpine Zoo helped take care of the nocturnal bird and brought him back to their facility to monitor him.

“We gave him fluids and some pain meds for about three days,” McGiveron said.

They also gave him X-rays and a place to rest before taking him back to the wild six nights later.

“That’s personally one of my favorite parts of my job,” McGiveron said. “Giving them a second chance.”

She said they’ve rescued 80 birds this year, noting that the biggest threats to great horned owls are human-made.

“Being hit by a car is usually the No. 1 reason we get them, because they’re not super fast flyers,” McGiveron said.

Bear Valley Electric said it’s doing its part covering the connections to protect wildlife, but the guys said they never thought they’d see the wide-eyed wonder in such a precarious perch, and they’re just glad they could help him survive.

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 Matthew Rodriguez

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    SANTA CLARITA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Los Angeles County deputies arrested four people for an arson that caused $13 million in damages along Santa Clarita’s Main Street.

The suspects were booked for arson and conspiracy:

– John Wright, 47 – Cristian Leija, 43 – Jesus Figueroa, 54 – Antoinette Ruiz, 35

The LA County Sheriff’s Department said the group started a fire in the 24000 block of Main Street in Santa Clarita, known as Old Town Newhall, early on Aug. 24.

The blaze destroyed seven buildings, all local businesses.

“I am extremely proud of the dedication, professionalism, and relentless efforts of our Arson and Explosives Detail investigators,” Capt. Robbie Royster said. “Since the day of the fire, they have worked tirelessly to uncover the facts and pursue every investigative lead. Today’s developments are a testament to their hard work and commitment to holding those responsible accountable.”

A day after the fire, the Santa Clarita City Council pledged to quickly rebuild Old Town Newhall.

“We’re Santa Clarita. We’re not going to take five years to rebuild,” Councilman Bill Miranda said in August.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact LASD’s Arson/Explosives Unit at (323) 881-7500. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or through their website, lacrimestoppers.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 Matthew Rodriguez

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    HAWTHORNE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Los Angeles County deputies are searching for the suspect who severely beat a mother and son inside a Hawthorne apartment on Thursday afternoon.

The victims were found inside a unit in the 4000 block of 139th Street at roughly 3:20 p.m., according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department. Investigators said they suffered blunt-force trauma.

Deputies said the mother, who is in her 50s, and her juvenile son were taken to the hospital in critical condition. The mother was “pronounced death imminent by an emergency room doctor,” according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies could not immediately provide a suspect description.

Investigators asked anyone with information to contact LASD’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or through their website, lacrimestoppers.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 Tori Mason

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    AURORA, Colorado (KCNC) — A coalition of doctors, educators, students and community organizations is urging Aurora City Council to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored vapes, menthol cigarettes and nicotine pouches.

The push comes months after Denver implemented its own flavored tobacco sales ban, prompting some customers to consider shopping in neighboring cities.

“I’m gonna have to come all the way to Aurora to get one,” one Denver vaper told CBS Colorado earlier this year.

PREVIOUS STORY: Denver’s flavored vape ban sends customers across city lines

Now, the Flavors Hook Kids Aurora coalition wants Aurora to follow Denver’s lead.

“We feel strongly that kids’ health outcomes shouldn’t be determined by their zip code,” said Jodi Radke, regional director of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Advocates say flavored nicotine products are particularly appealing to young people, with candy-like flavors and colorful packaging contributing to concerns about youth addiction.

According to Colorado’s 2025 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, more than a quarter of high school students statewide reported having tried vaping.

“We know we can’t stop youth from vaping, but we could reduce the numbers,” said Elijah, an Aurora high school student.

A July poll commissioned by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids found 70% of likely Aurora voters surveyed supported ending the sale of flavored tobacco products. Keating Research surveyed 600 likely Aurora voters between July 14 and July 20. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

The poll was commissioned by an organization advocating for the ban, and its findings do not necessarily reflect the positions of Aurora City Council members.

A citywide vote would not be required for council to approve a ban. However, no such ordinance has been formally introduced.

In March, Aurora City Council unanimously approved new licensing requirements for tobacco retailers, including additional compliance checks and restrictions on where new tobacco businesses can operate.

The ordinance was intended to reduce youth access to tobacco products but did not include a ban on flavored products.

Councilmember Gianina Horton, who supports the coalition’s efforts, acknowledged that a flavored tobacco ban has not been actively discussed by council.

“There’s a lot more consideration that needs to go into place before legislation is officially proposed in front of other council members,” Horton told CBS Colorado.

Horton said that process would include conversations with businesses that could be affected by additional restrictions.

When Denver’s flavored tobacco ban went into effect, some vape shop owners told CBS Colorado they lost more than half their sales. The restrictions have also raised concerns among retailers about adults who use flavored vaping products instead of traditional cigarettes.

The coalition argues that reducing access to flavored tobacco products is an important step toward preventing nicotine addiction among young people.

Horton said she hopes to work on a possible ordinance in the coming weeks, but says that additional conversations with stakeholders are needed.

“Conversations are going to be really critical in the next couple of weeks,” Horton said.

Advocates are hoping to see the issue brought before City Council before the end of the year.

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By Ray Campos and Adam Duxter

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    ST PAUL, Minnesota (WCCO) — A 100-year-old candy shop in St. Paul says it is sticking with its family recipes this Halloween, even as the cost of chocolate keeps climbing, its new owner says.

Tom Saunders took over Regina’s Candy in May, carrying on a tradition that has lasted generations.

“The family motto is there’s no skimping on the family recipe,” Saunders said.

Keeping that promise hasn’t been easy. Saunders said that when the shop’s ingredient costs go up, it has to raise its prices.

“We’re not going to compromise on quality,” he said. “And our customers are happy to pay for that.”

Cacao, the main ingredient in chocolate, has surged in price over the last few years. Heat waves and heavy rains in West Africa have contributed to crop shortages, and U.S. tariffs have also pushed prices up. Abdallah Candies in Apple Valley is among other Minnesota candy makers that WCCO has reported are facing higher cocoa prices.

Americans are expected to spend a record $13.5 billion on Halloween this year, including $4.1 billion on candy alone, according to the National Retail Federation. That’s up from last year’s record of $13.1 billion. A 100-piece bag of assorted candy now averages $17, up 71% since 2021.

Some manufacturers have turned to cheaper ingredients. Saunders said Regina’s still makes its chocolates the way it always has.

Saunders said many customers come from families that have shopped there for generations, with grandparents bringing their children and now grandchildren bringing theirs. He said that tradition is “one of the things that will keep us resilient against rising cocoa prices or competition from Big Box.”

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By Web Staff

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    HENNEPIN COUNTY, Minnesota (WCCO) — Hennepin County prosecutors had to dismiss multiple criminal cases because crime victims were afraid to travel to court during Operation Metro Surge, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says in a report to the Minnesota Truth Council.

Operation Metro Surge began in December 2025 in Minnesota and was described by the Department of Homeland Security as the largest federal immigration law enforcement deployment in the nation’s history.

The report, finalized earlier this month, lays out how the county attorney’s office says the operation disrupted the county’s public safety system and what prosecutors did in response.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the cases “had to be dismissed because of the federal government’s behavior.” That “made us all less safe,” she said, and “helped defendants avoid accountability and even facilitated threats against victims.” In one case described in the report, a defendant threatened a victim from abroad after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported the defendant.

More than 35 crime victims in cases the county attorney’s office is prosecuting reported feeling unsafe traveling to county courthouses, the report says. It says some of them left Minnesota and, in some cases, the country entirely. Prosecutors say victims must appear in person to testify at trial, even though the office expanded its remote services.

Since May 2025, ICE has detained more than 30 defendants in active Hennepin County prosecutions, according to the report. Two were taken out of Minnesota within hours. The county attorney’s office says ICE does not notify prosecutors when it deports a defendant.

Prosecutors presented ICE with state court orders directing the return of 20 defendants to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. ICE returned eight to be prosecuted, the report says. It says ICE refused to return nine, disregarding the orders, and claimed to be unable to return the other three.

The report says nearly two out of three immigrants arrested by ICE during the operation had no prior U.S. criminal history, citing a Human Rights Watch report. Dozens of those arrested were crime victims themselves, the report says.

The county attorney’s office says armed and masked federal agents raided county courthouses during the operation. Hennepin County prosecutors and law enforcement partners, including the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, sent two letters asking then-Chief Justice Natalie Hudson to prohibit civil enforcement actions, including immigration enforcement, in courthouses. Connecticut and Oregon already had such policies. Hudson declined, most recently on March 6.

Federal agents shot three Hennepin County residents between Jan. 7 and Jan. 24, killing two, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the report says. It says federal agencies barred state investigators from shooting scenes and withheld evidence. The county attorney’s office and state partners have sued the federal government twice. The office announced July 13 that it had obtained some withheld evidence, but the report says federal cooperation soon halted again and litigation continues.

The county attorney’s office has charged two ICE agents. Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. was charged April 16 with two counts of second-degree assault for allegedly pointing a weapon at two people while driving alongside them. Christian Castro was charged May 18 with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime for allegedly firing through the front door of a home.

The county attorney’s Transparency and Accountability Project, launched March 2, is investigating more than 30 federal actions. Its investigator has conducted more than 100 witness interviews and collected more than 1,100 photos and videos. Prosecutors say identifying agents is difficult because most wore face coverings and the federal government has not shared evidence.

WCCO has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment and is awaiting responses.

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By Victor Jacobo

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    SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (WBBM) — A deal to keep the Chicago Bears from moving to Indiana reportedly is closer than ever, with sources telling Crain’s Chicago Business that lawmakers in Springfield could vote as soon as next month on legislation to help the team build a stadium in Illinois.

Crain’s cites momentum from an Oct. 1 meeting in Chicago, featuring NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois legislative leaders, and Bears minority owner Pat Ryan.

“My understanding is that [Ryan] was in this meeting representing the business community, not representing the Bears. Roger Goodell and the NFL were there representing the Bears,” said sports business expert Marc Ganis.

According to Ganis, Ryan’s relationships with stakeholders might have helped move discussions forward to focus on legislation that would allow a municipality, including Arlington Heights or Chicago, to create a stadium financing authority to help build a publicly owned stadium.

“Which is effectively a stadium authority that would own the stadium, but would not, unlike other stadiums around the country, require government money to go into the stadium itself,” Ganis said.

The Bears would finance construction of the stadium, while public funds would be used for new roads and other infrastructure the state usually finances for such large-scale projects. Because the stadium would be owned by the public, it would not pay any property taxes, like the Bears’ current stadium, Soldier Field, or the White Sox ballpark, Rate Field.

Ganis said the legislation would likely need to pass both the Illinois House and Illinois Senate by Dec. 3, the last day of the fall veto session.

“If a real deal is not done by then, you know, the handwriting is on the wall about, Hammond, Indiana,” Ganis said.

In his most recent comments on the topic, Pritzker said he’s maintained communication with stakeholders, and signaled moving ahead with efforts on the bill, which would open the door on a stadium in Arlington Heights or Chicago.

“That’s a decision that the Bears get to make. They’re a private company, and that way they have the option. We want to keep them in the state of Illinois. If we give them those two options, I think that would be satisfactory,” Pritzker said.

Ganis said, despite recent renderings like a possible Bridgeport stadium for the Bears, Arlington Heights remains the top Illinois destination, because it’s been vetted. The Bears purchased the former Arlington Park racetrack site in 2023 for $197 million, and have said that site and Hammond are their only two options for a new stadium.

“Best to focus on what is available. To keep the Bears in Illinois, that would be Arlington Heights,” Ganis said.

The fall veto session in Springfield runs from Nov. 17 to Nov. 19 and Dec. 1 to Dec. 3.

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By Erin Jones

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    HIGHLAND PARK, Texas (KTVT) — The battle over one of the largest churches in the Park Cities has taken another turn.

The head of the United Methodist Church’s Horizon Texas Conference on Thursday announced that Highland Park United Methodist Church will remain part of the denomination and appointed a new senior pastor.

But leaders of the newly named Highland Park Methodist Church are rejecting the bishop’s authority, insisting they will remain in place.

“The bishop’s declaration changes nothing for us,” the church said in a statement. “This Sunday, we will worship as usual.”

All this comes after more than 90 percent of voting church members voted to leave the church conference.

The vote came after the conference sued the church over bylaw changes and other disagreements.

About a week ago, the church made a video explaining why it supports the church council’s recommendation to separate from the United Methodist Church.

“The conference’s lawsuit and the action surrounding it have brought us to a place that none of us could’ve predicted and certainly want to be, but we have a responsibility to respond to the circumstances that we are facing now in the moment, not the ones that we had anticipated or even hoped for,” Rev. Paul Rasmussen said.

Around the same time, the bishop posted an informational video about church governance on social media.

“Decisions about denominational affiliation, decisions about the trust in which property is held, decisions about the identity of the church as a UMC – these are not local matters that a local body may quietly adjust. They belong to the whole church,” Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. said.

Now, two separate worship services are planned for this Sunday.

Members who want to remain United Methodist will be worshiping at University Park United Methodist Church.

Meanwhile, Highland Park Methodist Church’s existing leadership plans to continue services at its longtime campus.

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.