Author: CNN Newsource

By Erin Burnett

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    WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (WXII) — When you see a bright green Winston-Salem Transit Authority Bus rolling down Trade Street, what do you see?

Alita Carter said you should see a symbol of generational resilience, the entrepreneurial spirit and what Black people can achieve with *and* without access to resources.

Alita Carter is the great-grand-niece of Harvey and Ralph Morgan. They were brothers and two of the 21 founders of the Safe Bus Company.

What is the Safe Bus Company?

In the 1920s, segregation reached every aspect of life for Black people in Winston-Salem. This included how African Americans got to work, school and around the city.

Winston-Salem’s trolley service — the Southern Public Utilities Company — did not run in majority-Black neighborhoods like Happy Hill.

Winston Salem Neighborhood before Safe Bus Company provided transportation to majority Black neighborhoods People, especially tobacco factory workers, had to rely on a network of vehicles called jitneys to get to work.

The network of 35 drivers was complicated, independently run, had scattered, unreliable pickup and drop-off times and was unsafe.

In 1926, 21 of these drivers, including Ralph and Harvey Morgan, came together to form a transportation company for Black residents. They named it The Safe Bus Company.

Growing up, Carter said her mother passed down the story of Safe Bus to her, showed her letters and encouraged her to do her own research.

“She just talked about their ingenuity,” she said, “to come together and decide, ‘Hey, let’s put our money together. Let’s stop all of this competition here with our jitneys, and let us formulate something that ensures that our people can get to work safely, warm and, you know, on time.'”

Where does the name come from? Winston-Salem historians explained the name of the company comes from the promise that those 21 jitney drivers made to city leaders upon its founding, to create a safer, more reliable transportation system for African American residents.

“We talk about generational wealth… However, there’s a thing I say, called generational resilience, and generational make a way out of no way,” Carter said, “and that is what I believe that this family represents.”

Effley Howell is a Triad historian and CEO of the Thankful Heritage Foundation.

“This was a way that people could get to school, could get to church, could get to sports locations… It was a way of life for the people in Winston-Salem,” he said.

Carter also said she was inspired by the number of women at the forefront of the company’s creation. She noted Safe Bus Company had two female presidents in the 1960s, Delphi Morgan and Mary Morgan.

“In the ’60s, having had two female presidents, you know, Delphi Morgan, succeeding Mary as president, that was, that was progressive. Before, you know, we had even seen those kind of things,” she said.

Her family’s tenacity and entrepreneurial spirit inspired her to create her own granola company, called Blaqola.

In 1972, the Winston-Salem Transit Authority purchased the assets of the Safe Bus Company, and it became a part of the city-run department.

Carter said this is not just a family tale that will be passed down by her lineage.

Carter said the story of the Safe Bus Company is the Triad’s story. It is America’s story. And she hopes people never forget that, especially the next time you ride a WSTA bus.

“The Safe Bus Company is Winston-Salem Transportation Authority. Hopefully, this will be one of those things that encourages them to dig a little deeper,” she 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 Ari Hait

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    ROYAL PALM BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — Joel Vega, a 34-year-old nurse at Palms Wellington Surgical Center in Royal Palm Beach, has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting two older patients as they recovered from surgery, according to police reports made public Monday.

The assaults reportedly occurred on different days to two different victims. The first incident took place after a surgery on Feb. 5, with the report stating the patient “was conscious but unable to move or respond.” It alleges that “the male nurse lifted her underwear with his hand” and assaulted her.

The victim told police, “She felt so shocked that she could not speak or react during the incident.” When police spoke to the victim, “she described what took place as horrible and became visibly distraught.”

The second victim reported a similar experience after a surgery on Feb. 13, stating, “She felt the male nurse place his hand inside of her underwear” and he “reached under the neckline of her dress.” This patient fought back and reported the nurse to the sheriff’s office.

The reports say both patients picked Vega out of a lineup and confirmed he was the one who assaulted them. Vega is now charged with two counts of sexual assault and is currently free on bond.

Detectives believe there may be more victims and are urging anyone with information to contact them. Attempts to reach Palms Wellington Surgical Center for comment were unsuccessful.

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 Madilyn Destefano

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    TITUSVILLE, Florida (WESH) — A new document was released in the case involving the death of a Titusville teen aboard a cruise ship last November.

Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead under a bed on the boat on Nov. 7.

Her stepbrother – who is not being named because of his age – is 16 and was named a suspect in late November.

The two shared a room on the family vacation aboard the cruise ship.

In a new document obtained by WESH 2, filed in a separate case, it says her stepbrother is the main suspect, and he is facing two charges.

The emergency motion was filed last Friday by the biological father of the stepbrother.

In the motion, he asks for sole custody of Anna’s stepsibling, who has been living with Anna’s father, Chris Kepner, and her stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, since the incident.

The new filing states that Anna’s stepbrother has been charged with her homicide.

The court document alludes to the two charges, saying, “According to social media from the Kepner family, on Feb. 3, 2026, the petitioner/father’s son was charged by the United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida for … and homicide of Anna Kepner.”

The gap in the filing is where the document has been redacted.

The document goes on to say, “Immediately after the cruise, the respondent/mother and Chris Kepner expelled [the minor] from their household, and neither has seen [the minor] since then.”

“Social media from the Kepner family has indicated that they want the ‘nails in the coffin’ of [the minor] and that both the Kepner family and the Respondent ‘want him buried,'” the document went on to say.

Back on Feb. 6, cameras were there as the stepbrother of Anna Kepner walked out of federal court in Miami.

The media was not allowed in the courtroom and was not told exactly why he was there.

The criminal docket for the magistrate judge had a sealed case on the agenda, and the case number was also sealed.

Anna Kepner was found dead on a cruise ship during a family vacation back in November.

A court filing in that separate custody case mentioned earlier says she was found asphyxiated under a bed in a room she was sharing with her stepbrother.

Anna’s stepbrother has not been publicly named a suspect, and her manner of death has not been publicly shared by the FBI, which leads the investigation into the teen’s death.

WESH 2 has reached out to the attorney for the Southern District of Florida to confirm the charges.

We have also reached out to Anna’s father and her stepmother for comment.

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 KTRK staff

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    HOUSTON (KTRK) — New details in Saturday’s deadly shooting at a west Houston home reveal that the victim was accidentally shot by a man who lived with him, investigators said.

The Houston Police Department said officers responded to a burglary-in-progress call at a home in the 1200 block of South Kirkwood, a little after midnight, and heard at least one gunshot when they arrived.

Police said they found a man, later identified as Pastor Pedro Cantu, suffering from a gunshot wound. Cantu was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

Detectives said the person who fired the shot was a 35-year-old man who lived in the home with Cantu.

According to investigators, the armed man was trying to fire at the suspected burglar when he accidentally shot Cantu.

The suspected burglar, identified as 44-year-old Rodney Dushaw Yoder, was arrested and charged with burglary. Officers said they found him with a superficial gunshot wound, and he was also hospitalized.

According to the church’s website, Cantu was a pastor at Iglesia Cristiana Amor y Restauración.

“It’s shocking to me because of the type of person that he was — a pastor, a leader, and I just can’t see anyone hating this man,” church member Israel Paniagua said.

Church members gathered for a Sunday service where people shared their memories of Cantu.

Investigators said it is unclear if the attempted burglary was targeted or random, but found that nothing was taken from the home.

The investigation is active and ongoing, according to HPD.

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 Meghan Moriarty

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    PALM BAY, Florida (WESH) — For the past five months, a Brevard County woman has been doing everything she can to get her father back home to Palm Bay.

“He’s just completely and emotionally spent,” Sheena Allende-Smith said.

Her father, 58-year-old Jose Manuel Allende, came to the United States legally from Cuba through the Freedom Flights, a large-scale operation that brought hundreds of thousands of Cubans to the U.S. He has an American driver’s license and a Social Security card.

However, a decades-old criminal history and lack of citizenship led to a deportation order.

Central Florida family is ready to self-deport with husbandOrlando family, US citizens ready to self-deport to Honduras with immigrant husband WESH 2 first told you about his case in September, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him in his driveway.

Initially, he was held at “Alligator Alcatraz” for more than two weeks. Allende-Smith said ICE agents threw away her father’s dentures when he arrived, and he has not been able to get a replacement while detained.

“‘Alligator Alcatraz’ has 24-hour LED lights on, so there’s no way to know what time of day it is,” Allende-Smith said. “There’s no way to know if it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner because they’re feeding you the same foods for every single meal.”

Her father is now being held at the Federal Detention Center in Miami.

“He is not allowed outside at FDC. ICE rents the 11th floor from the federal prison, and they are not allowed recreation time,” Allende-Smith said. “They are not allowed outdoor time.”

Allende-Smith said she hired an attorney, and they were able to secure a motion to stay.

“Which means the deportation order is removed from his record. We also got a motion to reopen his case approved. That included 375 pages of records — 20 years of tax returns, medical records, proof that he owns a business, proof that he owns his home and letters from the community,” Allende-Smith said.

She said he should have been released by now, but he remains in custody.

“He is now in legal status because they removed the deportation order and granted the motion to reopen his case,” Allende-Smith said. “We applied for his green card, and it’s pending. He can’t complete the green card process as long as he’s being detained. The judge says it’s not his jurisdiction. Homeland Security says they’re detaining him. Then the judge says if they continue detaining him, we’re deporting him April 6 if he’s not released by then.”

The family is now up against the clock, hiring a federal attorney and working to obtain a signature for his release.

“My dad is a good man. Of course, every daughter says that about their father, but I really mean it. My father is a man of faith, and he has helped this community so much, quietly. He has helped so many people — elderly, veterans, disabled. He’s done work on their houses for free,” Allende-Smith said. “There’s no reason for him to be there.”

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 Mindy Basara

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — Carmen Akras seemed perfectly healthy when she was born in August 2022.

She progressed into a loving, beautiful and vivacious toddler; however, she suddenly stopped developing and began regressing.

Now, her family looks back on memories — like when Akras was 2 years old and playing with her baby brother, Albie.

“It’s Carmen kind of reaching out to Albert to give him something or help him, and that was who Carmen was, that was her spirit,” said Tom Akras, Carmen’s father.

The family began to notice developmental delays over the course of around a year. Carmen was eventually diagnosed with a rare pediatric neurodegenerative disease called metachromatic leukodystrophy.

“When babies are born, they appear normal — really in the first 3 to 6 months of life,” said Dr. Eric Mallack, a neurologist with Kennedy Krieger.

Mallack said patients begin to regress after around 6 months.

“It is a really sad thing to monitor because once patients become symptomatic, we can’t address the disease. We provide supportive care, but patients will degenerate and unfortunately succumb to the disease — more or less in slow motion — over the ensuing next couple of years. That’s so cruel. It’s extraordinarily cruel,” Mallack said. “Nobody can even fathom, I think, what it’s like to watch a kid die.”

Doctors told the Akras family they’ve never seen a patient live past the age of 10. It was hard for the family to process when Carmen received the diagnosis in the fall of 2024.

“She could still walk and talk and eat and play and laugh and do all those things,” said Annie Akras, Carmen’s mother. “We were like, how could there possibly be anything? And they said all of these abilities that she has are going to slowly go away.”

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a gene therapy to treat MLD, but you have to catch the disease early.

“Prior to getting sick, in that pre-symptomatic phase, we treat them with gene therapy, and they go on, they develop, they maintain function, they go to school. The longest-term data for the trial, it’s probably about 10 years out now, but it’s been very promising. It’s life changing. It’s lifesaving,” Mallack said.

MLD can be diagnosed at birth with a blood test. Mallack said federal guidelines changed in December 2025, and the MLD blood test is now recommended for newborns.

Per a Maryland mandate, it must be instituted in the state within 12 to 18 months, which was way too late for Carmen.

“Just the tragedy in all this is Carmen never had a shot,” Tom Akras said.

Now, the family is speaking out in the hopes that the state can implement the MLD newborn blood test sooner — perhaps saving another family from experiencing the devastating pain they’re going through.

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 Josh Berry

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    GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (WXMI) — The mother of Da-Quain Johnson was allowed to see her son’s body for the first time Friday morning, two days after he was shot and killed by Grand Rapids police in an officer-involved shooting.

“I was not prepared for what I walked into. I still have not processed what I saw,” Angelica Johnson said. “I will not rest until I get answers.”

The shooting occurred Wednesday night in an apartment complex parking lot near Eastern Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Street. According to Grand Rapids Police Department, one officer fired their department-issued weapon. Johnson later died at the hospital.

Multiple videos were released Thursday showing different perspectives of the incident. GRPD revealed three clips from officers’ body and dash cameras. Hours later, activists shared video from a bystander.

Attorney Marc Curtis confirmed via email that he’s representing the officers involved. He released a statement regarding the incident that reads in part: “Officers have the legal and moral right to protect their own lives and the lives of others when faced with an imminent threat.”

The statement goes on to say: “We also urge the community to be cautious of incomplete information and speculation circulating on social media.”

Curtis added: “Many are focused on only portions of videos, but no one is reporting or acknowledging the third video that the Grand Rapids Police Department released where the officer states, ‘I saw the barrel pointed right at my face’ at the 6 min 14 second mark of the GRPD press conference on YouTube.”

In body camera footage, an officer can be heard saying, “I saw the barrel pointed right at my face.”

Johnson’s family pushes back on that assertion, questioning how that was possible based on evidence they’ve now seen.

Friday, the family and community activists spoke publicly. Johnson’s mother shared that she was allowed to see her son’s body for the first time Friday morning.

“I don’t have too much to say on it, because the photos will speak for their self. The police won’t spin a narrative on my words or the pictures,” she said.

As the family fights for justice, Johnson’s mother has a message for the community.

“If you’re going to protest, please make it peaceful. Because if you can’t do it peacefully, please don’t March at this time and say that you’re doing it on behalf of my son, because I can’t get justice if we’re being violent, too,” she said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Scripps editorial team 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.