Author: CNN Newsource

By Chloe Godding and Beth Carlson

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    BOONE COUNTY, Missouri (KMBC) — A Missouri State Fair show scheduled to feature three sea lions was canceled after an overnight crash.

The fair announced Thursday morning that the Sea Lion Splash show was called off after a crash involving the vehicle in which the sea lions were traveling.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported that the tractor-trailer carrying the sea lions struck a concrete barrier on Interstate 70 around 3 a.m. in Boone County.

Four people were in the trailer. One was taken to the hospital for moderate injuries.

The three sea lions were not hurt. The highway patrol shared photos of the sea lions, unharmed, after the incident.

“The sea lions were immediately evaluated by licensed veterinarians and have been confirmed to be in excellent health,” the Missouri State Fair said in a statement.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol later said the sea lions were “continuing their trip to Sedalia” for the fair, although that post was later deleted.

The Missouri State Fair opened Aug. 13 and runs through Aug. 23.

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 Jarvis Robertson

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    BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — A Birmingham family is taking its fight public after spending years trying to find the remains of their grandmother, who was supposed to be buried at Zion Memorial Gardens in 2023.

“We haven’t been able to locate my grandmother’s grave,” Quanal Reaves said.

Reaves’ grandmother, Carrie Griffin, died in November 2023 at age 97 and was to be laid to rest at Zion Memorial Gardens next to her late husband, Jimmie Griffin Sr., who died in August 2004.

According to a lawsuit filed by the family’s attorney, Richard Rice, a family member returned to the cemetery about a month after Griffin’s funeral to place flowers at the gravesite and found there was no headstone.

Key points of the family’s lawsuit:

1. Negligence and/or wantonness: Mishandling the remains or failing to record and secure the location of the purchased grave. The family alleges continuing mental and emotional distress. (pp. 15–16)

2. Outrage: Allegedly extreme and outrageous conduct causing severe emotional distress. (p. 16)

3. Breach of contract: Alleged failure to provide the promised burial location, maintain the plots and headstone, properly prepare the grave, keep adequate records, and communicate respectfully with the family. The family also claims financial costs from conducting its own search. (pp. 16–18)

4. Fraud, fraudulent suppression, and misrepresentation: Allegedly representing that accurate burial records would be maintained and that the defendants knew where Carrie was buried when they did not. (p. 19)

5. Unjust enrichment: Allegedly collecting money for burial sites or services that were unavailable or not properly performed. (pp. 19–20) Intentional desecration of a gravesite: Allegedly driving maintenance vehicles over the graves and damaging or destroying gravesites and markers. (pp. 20–22)

6. Piercing the corporate veil: The family asks the court to hold Beverly McMillian personally responsible, alleging Zion Memorial Gardens was effectively her alter ego. The complaint makes similar alter-ego allegations concerning Jim Stokes and Superior Concrete. (pp. 22–23)

7. Immediate affirmative injunctive relief: An order requiring the defendants to stand aside and not interfere while the family retains a geo-contractor to locate Carrie Griffin’s grave. (pp. 23–24)

“In our eyes, that’s more criminal and gross negligence than anything,” Reaves said.

Rice, who has represented the family for more than a year, said Griffin was an important figure in the family.

“Their grandmother was a matriarch, a leader in their family. She lived her life a certain way… They want her final resting place to be a representative of how she lived her life,” Rice said.

Beverly McMillian is listed as the owner of the cemetery. A call to a number tied to McMillian and an Atlanta-area address went unanswered, with no voicemail available.

In 2018, Alabama state lawmakers appointed the first seven-member Jefferson County Cemetery Board. The person listed as the board’s chairman said he did not believe the board was active.

“My understanding has been that the board has been either not funded or underfunded,” Rice said. “It’s one of those things that it’s been a slow process to get the right people in the right position and give them the right tools to take action when they need to.”

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By Angela Williams

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    ATLANTA (WAPT) — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Congresswoman Lucy McBath joined the parents of 18-year-old Nolan Wells at a news conference in Atlanta on Thursday to call for a federal review of his disappearance and death.

Before the announcement, Wells’ parents sat down for a panel discussion during the 2026 National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Atlanta.

“That boy had faith beyond measure,” Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley said. “He was just a bright light; and he was our bright light.”

The Congressional Black Caucus has issued a letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel urging the Justice Department to determine whether a separate federal investigation, including a possible civil rights investigation, is warranted. McBath said she gave them seven days to respond.

The FBI is already assisting local investigators.

“We have two parents, lovely friends who I’ve gotten to know, that really don’t have an answer to a question: Is it a civil rights violation or not? And we do not know,” Sharpton said. “How do you trust the words of people that say immediately there was no foul play? We haven’t even investigated whether it was foul play. How do you trust people that come back from something that happened and never really give your story?”

Wells disappeared during a Fourth of July boat trip to Horn Island. His body was found two days later near the island. An independent autopsy commissioned by the family classified both the cause and manner of death as undetermined. Findings from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office have not been publicly released.

Crump called for a National Day of Prayer on Aug. 19, which would have been Wells’ 19th birthday.

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By Erin Hynes

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    WASHINGTON COUNTY, Kentucky (WLKY) — An investigation that began nearly two years ago into possible human trafficking and child sex offenses in Kentucky has led to the arrest of three men.

Kentucky State Police received reports in September 2024 of sexual contact and human trafficking involving three people and a minor.

After investigating, the men were indicted and face nearly 100 charges combined.

Christopher Firkins, 39, of Springfield, was arrested in April and charged with six counts of human trafficking – commercial sexual act (victim under 18), 12 counts of incest, 18 counts of unlawful transaction with a minor, six counts of sodomy, six counts of rape, and six counts of sexual abuse.

Samuel Firkins, 33, of Taylorsville, was arrested in May and charged with human trafficking for commercial sexual acts with a minor and sexual abuse. Court documents indicate that he posted a $10,000 bond on July 27.

Brandy Doyle, 41, of Mt. Washington, was arrested in July and charged with six counts of human trafficking – commercial sexual act (victim under 18), 18 counts of unlawful transaction with a minor, six counts of sodomy, six counts of rape, and six counts of sexual abuse.

All three suspects are set to appear in court on August 19.

KSP says the investigation is still ongoing.

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By Jennifer Eagan and Peter Eliopoulos

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    WORCESTER, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Two people, including a young girl, were bitten by a fox on Thursday in Worcester, Massachusetts, officials said.

A woman said she was attacked by a gray fox around 8:45 a.m. behind a residence on Granite Street while she was playing with her grandchildren.

“I see something out of the corner of my eye and I didn’t have time to run so I just kicked, and it grabbed my foot and I tussled with it for a second to, like, get it off my foot and I just yanked it by the nape of the neck and I threw it across the yard,” Zena Bottom told NewsCenter 5.

She was taken to a local hospital with injuries to her foot and is expected to be OK.

Police said the fox was euthanized, and it will be sent to state officials for rabies testing.

This was not the only fox attack in Worcester.

On Wednesday night, authorities said a Janessa Pagan-Williams, 6, was bitten on the arm, finger, and leg, also on Granite Street.

She told NewsCenter 5 she was nearly dragged away by the fox.

“It growled at me, and then it came charging at my leg and it made me fall off the bike,” Pagan-Williams said. “It was biting my leg a little bit and then it got off my leg and it started biting my arm. After it went on my arm it made the tissue come out because it bit really hard. It went deep, deep, deep, into the tissue.”

Pagan-Williams’s brother saw the commotion and kicked the fox away.

“As soon as it bit my arm, it was trying to drag me,” she said. “I was like, really, really, scared.”

It’s unclear if it was the same fox that bit Bottom on Thursday.

Both Pagan-Williams and Bottom received rabies shots at the hospital.

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By Raquel Ciampi

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    DORMONT, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — The Dormont Fire Department and residents gathered to ceremoniously push a rescue truck into the fire station garage.

The new truck marks the arrival of equipment the department has needed for years.

“It’s been a labor of love because we ordered it almost four years ago. Throughout COVID slowdowns and product delays, production delays, port delays — It’s been, it’s been a journey. But we finally brought it home today,” Dormont Fire Chief Jeffrey Stakich said.

The chief said the new truck offers more storage and upgraded resources, which will help the department better serve the neighborhood and strengthen its operations.

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By Rachael Lardani

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    STRASBURG TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — A York County woman was sentenced after she drove a stolen car containing stolen guns to a Lancaster County garden and began picking peppers without permission, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Kimberly Schwartz, 36, of York Township, will serve one and a half to five years in prison. She pleaded guilty on July 20 to the following charges:

– Three counts of receiving stolen property – Two counts of carrying firearms without a license – Burglary – Resisting arrest – Agricultural vandalism – Providing false identification to a law enforcement officer – Driving under the influence – Possessing a controlled substance – Seven other summary offenses

According to the district attorney’s office, the charges stem from an August 2025 incident in the 900 block of Strasburg Pike in Strasburg Township.

Investigators said Schwartz drove a stolen vehicle that was connected to the theft of two semiautomatic handguns.

Schwartz then drove to a residence’s property and took a five-gallon bucket from their garage, according to the district attorney. She then used the bucket to pick peppers from the victim’s garden without permission, officials said.

According to police, the resident told Schwartz that she was welcome to purchase the peppers, but Schwartz left without paying.

Investigators said Schwartz was found about an hour later driving in a parking lot in the area, and initially refused to identify herself before providing a false name. Police noted that Schwartz’s driver’s license was suspended due to a previous DUI conviction.

“Throughout the interaction Schwartz refused to follow troopers’ orders and was argumentative and combative,” the district attorney’s office said. “While being arrested Schwartz continued to pull her hands away while being handcuffed, failed to place her feet in the car and had to be assisted in doing so, unbuckled herself multiple times, refused to walk and ultimately was placed in a caged police vehicle due to safety concerns.”

According to police, troopers found a partially consumed bottle of alcohol and suspected methamphetamine in the stolen car.

Investigators said the stolen firearms were also recovered.

Authorities believe Schwartz was under the influence of alcohol and a controlled substance at the time based on her behavior. The district attorney said she also refused to submit to chemical testing.

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By Holly Lehren, Aaron Cantrell and Alex Maxwell

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    NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) — Anthony Darrell Hines was executed by lethal injection Thursday morning for the 1985 murder of Catherine Jean Jenkins. He was pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m. CDT.

His final words were: “Tell my son hello.”

Hines was convicted of stabbing Jenkins to death while she was working as a motel maid in Kingston Springs. Jenkins was 54 years old.

Hines was initially sentenced to death in 1986. He later won an appeal that resulted in a new sentencing hearing, but he was sentenced to death again in 1989.

The 66-year-old was executed three months after Tennessee called off the attempted execution of Tony Carruthers because of difficulties establishing an IV line.

Ahead of his own execution, Hines unsuccessfully asked the courts and Gov. Bill Lee to intervene. His attorneys raised concerns about the execution team and argued Hines could also be difficult to establish an IV on because he was thin and had experienced muscular atrophy after suffering two strokes.

During Carruthers’ attempted execution in May, the IV team was able to establish one line but spent more than an hour trying to place a backup. Attempts were made in his arm, hand and foot before the team tried to establish a central line.

Lee ultimately stopped Carruthers’ execution and granted him a one-year reprieve.

The state did not disclose whether the same doctor involved in Carruthers’ attempted execution would oversee Hines’ execution. The Tennessee Supreme Court rejected Hines’ challenge, finding he had not shown the doctor was unqualified and describing the earlier IV problems as an isolated incident.

Following Hines’ execution, his attorney Katherine Dix released a statement saying she grieved both for Jenkins’ family and for Hines:

“I’d like to start by saying that I grieve for the family of Catherine Jean Jenkins. May God be with you.

I also grieve the violence the State of Tennessee inflicted on us all today. On Darrell, of course, who was poisoned to death, just moments ago. On those of us required by our jobs to stand passively and watch Darrell be murdered. On the prison guards and officials whose jobs require them to participate. On Darrell’s son, who met Darrell four days ago for the first time and watched him die this morning. What we witnessed here today is not normal, and I urge us all to not become numb or indifferent to the cruelty.

Darrell’s family and his legal team cared for him deeply. He endured a childhood filled with the worst kinds of poverty and abuse. His family and community failed to make sure that he had enough food to eat and a safe and stable home. Darrell bore the scars of many years of abuse but could still make you laugh. He was a masterful storyteller. He loved fantasy books and the escape those stories provided. He was funny. He was loyal. He lived by a code. He was a child of God.

The leaders of this state repeatedly invoke the sanctity of life, but today the State put to death a man who was blind and paralyzed on his left side, could not walk, and was in constant pain. They lifted his body onto a gurney and wheeled him to the death chamber. May God have mercy on us all.”

Katherine Dix, attorney for Darrell Hines

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By Juliegrace Brufke | Quincy News Correspondent

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    Washington (Quincy News) — Market Recap: U.S. stocks rose Thursday after wholesale inflation came in cooler than expected. The Producer Price Index was unchanged in July, further reducing expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike in September. The S&P 500 gained 0.7% to close at a record high, the Nasdaq rose 0.8%, and the Dow edged up 0.1%.

Treasury yields fell following the inflation report, while Brent crude dropped about 2% Thursday. Technology stocks helped lead the market higher, with Sandisk gaining nearly 14% and Micron rising more than 4%.

Today’s Focus: Attention turns to the consumer Friday, with July retail sales due at 8:30 a.m. ET. The report will offer the latest look at how Americans are spending and the strength of consumer demand. Preliminary August consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan will follow at 10 a.m. ET, offering a look at how households view their finances and the broader economy, as well as where they expect prices to go.

ON THE SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2026

-8:30 a.m. ET – July retail sales

-10:00 a.m. ET – University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index (preliminary)

-10:00 a.m. ET – June business inventories

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