San Diego faces nearly $8 billion funding gap to fix aging infrastructure

CNN Newsource on February 20, 2026

By Ava Kershner

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    SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Recent storms have exposed critical flaws in San Diego’s stormwater system, and city officials know it.

The big question is: Where do they get the money to fix it?

The city’s proposed five-year infrastructure plan reveals an almost $8 billion funding gap needed to address deteriorating storm drains, streets, sidewalks, and emergency response stations, etc.

“Those that were built, the oldest neighborhoods, they really don’t meet the standards of today, whereas our newest communities were designed and built with a higher standard, and are not as affected as much about this very question in front of us,” Council President Joe LaCava told ABC 10News earlier this week. “The challenge is, how do we actually pay for stormwater maintenance?”

According to city engineers, the aging storm drain system has been historically underfunded, with stormwater improvements consistently falling behind other city priorities.

“When you compare it against potholes, when you compare it against building new parks, library expansions, recreation centers, it always kind of fell below the threshold, because frankly, most of us don’t think about stormwater facilities until we get the big rains during the winter,” said LaCava.

The cost of fixing broken infrastructure is higher than paying for preventive maintenance.

Severe storms over the past few years have brought the system’s flaws and resulting floods to the forefront.

During public comment, residents emphasized the urgency of addressing the issue.

“We’ve got to prevent major emergencies,” one resident said. “And of course, we’re talking stormwater, aren’t we?”

Stormwater improvement tops the city’s non-enterprise funded infrastructure list, but the cost of infrastructure needs is outpacing available revenue.

With budget shortfalls already, the city faces the challenge of filling the $7.82 billion funding gap to prevent further deterioration of critical systems.

“We need more housing, but we also need more public safety infrastructure to meet the needs of our citizenry,” said Councilmember Marni Von Wilpert.

The infrastructure plan will return to the City Council for further discussion on March 10.

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.

65 reptiles rescued from Baltimore home after death of owner

CNN Newsource on February 20, 2026

By JT Moodee Lockman

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — Baltimore Sheriff’s deputies helped rescue 65 reptiles from a home after their owner died, officials said.

Deputies and Animal Service officials retrieved the snakes, turtles, lizards, and a dog and transferred them to the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS).

The animals were transported safely in an animal Service vehicle. BARCS provided care and medical treatment for the reptiles, some of which needed immediate attention, officials said.

BARCS also provided temporary housing for the animals. According to the shelter, several local reptile rescues stepped in to take over caring for the animals.

BARCS said donations sent to the shelter fully covered the costs of intake, examinations, and immediate medical care for the reptiles.

Baltimore animal rescues

This is not the first time BARCS has stepped in to help animals in need.

In 2024, 83 dogs and one cat were brought to the shelter after they were found in a rowhome in Baltimore. The shelter said the animals were found in small crates that were stacked on top of each other inside a house in the Cylburn/Pimlico neighborhood.

A similar case occurred in Harford County when more than 100 dogs were found in a large puppy mill, according to the Humane World for Animals. The dogs were part of a Havanese and terrier breeding operation and were found in “filthy” conditions, according to the organization. Officials said some of the dogs were crammed together in small cages and some were severely underweight.

In 2025, A Howard County nonprofit took in nearly 60 rabbits that were found on an abandoned farm in Woodstock. The organization called on the community to assist with fostering and adopting the animals after capturing them over several days.

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Black actress suing Harvard theater for race discrimination over scalp damage, hair loss: “The damage is indescribable. It is cataclysmic.”

CNN Newsource on February 20, 2026

By Samantha Chaney

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A Black actress has filed a lawsuit against Harvard University’s American Repertory Theater in Cambridge for racial discrimination, saying her scalp was left permanently damaged from an unqualified hair stylist.

Nike Imoru said that during the 2025 production of “The Odyssey,” she was required to have cornrows installed. However, she said that the company did not hire a licensed hair stylist, instead it had a backstage worker style her hair. She said this violated the contractual obligation the theater has with the Actors’ Equity Association.

“The damage is indescribable. It is cataclysmic,” Imoru explained. “In fact, it doesn’t grow back.”

She said that the white actors were given qualified hairstylists, while she was left with tight cornrows that ripped the hair out of her head.

“I did not sleep that night. I slept sitting up, lying, sitting upright. Because of the pain and the tension, I took tablets that didn’t relieve it,” she explained.

The complaint said that Imoru was given the chance to find her own stylist, but “the short turnaround time that the show schedule required, coupled with Ms. Imoru’s unfamiliarity with local hair professionals, made working with an outside stylist unfeasible. Ms. Imoru also believed that the A.R.T. employee was fully qualified to style her hair because the A.R.T. had proposed that she could do so.”

“I was confident that a theater of that stature would have qualified, experienced people to do my hair, to do textured hair,” Imoru said.

Now, she says she has lost 90% of her hair from the experience and a dermatologist told her that most of her hair follicles are empty. She is now suing the theater for emotional damages. The complaint says that Imoru has lost jobs due to her hair loss.

“I continue to lose it – my hair – it is now permanent,” Imoru said.

She said she also decided to stop acting for good as she is unable to muster “the confidence to go on stage again.”

WBZ-TV reached out to the American Repertory Theater for comment on the lawsuit, but has not heard back.

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.

Akron deploys new weapon to fight potholes

CNN Newsource on February 20, 2026

By Bob Jones

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    AKRON, Ohio (WEWS) — City of Akron road crews are using specialized Dura Patch vehicles this week to fix troublesome potholes that have popped up this season.

The city purchased two of the specialized trucks for $300,000 each.

The trucks use an emulsion and an aggregate similar to tar, which crews aim with a hose to quickly fill a pothole.

Image (3).jpeg News 5 Cleveland Anthony Dolly with Akron Public Works said the patches aren’t just temporary.

“It’s very durable. It lasts longer. This is a permanent fix for these potholes. We will not be out in three to six months to fill this pothole again,” Dolly said.

Unlike other patches, the weather doesn’t really affect when the city can fill the potholes; it can be used down to 5 degrees.

Tasha Love, who drives one of the trucks, operates a joystick and pushes a button to fill the holes.

Image (5).jpeg News 5 Cleveland Tasha Love “It lasts longer than the cold patch. I deal with the cold patch as well as the hot mix, and on the concrete with the emulsion and the rock, it just seems to settle better,” Love said.

The city is using the trucks, along with road crews using the old-fashioned method of shoveling and tamping patch material, to fix potholes in the city.

“We have three, four or five crews out at at a time patching potholes, whereas this this is just a one-man opportunity,” Dolly said.

According to the city, each truck can fill about 150 potholes over a day and a half.

The city plans to deploy the trucks each weekday.

It’s good news for drivers like Mike Ciraldo and Karen Stallings.

“It’s just frustrating,” Ciraldo said about the potholes all over Akron. “When you’re getting like car-eating potholes, it’s a completely different problem altogether.”

Stallings had to get her car repaired due to the potholes.

“You got to get a wheel alignment because you’re hitting these holes. It’s really bad,” 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.

$180,000 worth of collectibles stolen from Anaheim trading card store

CNN Newsource on February 20, 2026

By Matthew Rodriguez

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    ANAHEIM, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Four suspects stole about $180,000 worth of collectibles and Pokémon cards from an Anaheim store earlier this week.

The Anaheim Police Department said the burglary happened early Wednesday morning at Do-We Collectibles. Officers said the burglars broke into a neighboring business and tunneled through a shared wall to get into the trading card shop.

Security camera videos showed the suspects, all masking their faces, using sledgehammers to smash display cases and steal the valuable items.

This is one of the latest instances of thieves breaking into memorabilia stores to steal collectibles, including Pokémon cards.

Ken Goldin, who owns an online auction house of the same name, said people bid millions of dollars for Pokémon cards on his website.

“There’s jewelry stores, there’s fashion stores, there’s banks, and there’s collectible stores, and unfortunately, collectibles have become so valuable and so popular that they’ve now joined the ranks of a watch store or a jewelry store that makes itself a target,” Goldin said.

While most cards cost a few bucks, special limited-edition cards can fetch millions of dollars at auctions and among collectors.

“These are all kids, young adults, who are playing the game, treating it as a game in the late 90s, early 2000s, and they’re now in their 30s and 40s,” Goldin said. “A lot of them have much more disposable income, and they’re spending it on something they love, which is Pokémon.”

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.

Parts of iconic Colorado foothills El Rancho restaurant will be preserved, with demolition likely ahead

CNN Newsource on February 20, 2026

By Alan Gionet

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    EVERGREEN, Colorado (KCNC) — Parts of Evergreen’s history-rich El Rancho restaurant will be preserved, as a new filling station and convenience store moves ahead on the site.

Evergreen Park & Recreation District announced Thursday it will step in and preserve parts of the restaurant. The historic site is subject to demolition, as the new owner of the El Rancho property, QuikTrip, moves forward with development.

“We’re very excited and very humbled. This starts something very big for us,” said Cory Vander Veen, the park and recreation executive director.

Vander Veen said the district had looked at moving the building, but said, “Our engineers have advised us this is not able to be moved. We are now looking at how to preserve the essence of El Rancho.”

Parts of the remaining building, like the signature sign and parts of the fireplace, would be part of a new performance pavilion the district is planning to construct at the edge of a baseball field in Evergreen’s Buchanan Park. A permanent stage is already planned, and the new structure would connect with that. There is already construction at the site involving the district’s plans for a new playground and skate park nearby. It’s all part of a recent new master plan for Buchanan Park.

Crews make site improvements for a new playground and skate park at Buchanan Park in Evergreen, where a future performance pavilion incorporating parts of historic El Rancho will also be located.

“This is not just about saving pieces of the building. It is about retaining the legacy of a place that will shape those memories for decades,” said Craig Romrell, real estate manager for QuikTrip at a Thursday news conference in front of the old restaurant.

The rec district said the work will include, “salvaging, recycling, and repurposing elements of the physical building, landscaping, and hardscaping.” It called the project a warm and welcoming tribute to El Rancho that would keep many of the memorable parts of the inside and outside of the building, while crediting QuikTrip for a desire to partner with the district on the project.

The 75-year-old building does not have historic designation, which is typically sought by a building’s owners, but never has been. The Historical Preservation and Landmarks Committee of the Jefferson County Historical Commission wrote to Jefferson County Planning & Zoning, “It is a significant historic building that would be eligible for the county’s historic designation, as well as, likely eligible for State and National designation.”

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Team of scientists retrieve massive Antarctic core sample to better understand warming planet

CNN Newsource on February 20, 2026

By Molly McCrea, Zoe Mintz

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — Under bone-chilling conditions, an international team of scientists has unlocked the secrets to better understand a rapidly-warming planet.

The 29 scientists – including geologists, engineers, physicists, microbiologists, and polar specialists – have drilled more than 1,600 feet through the Antarctic ice sheet to reach into the seabed.

“It’s a project that has been more than 10 years in the making,” said Tina van de Flierdt with Imperial College London. She is also the co-chief scientist for the project known as the “Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to 2 Degrees Celsius of Warming,” or SWAIS2C for short.

The group has extracted a record-breaking vertical core of sediment about 750 feet long. The sediment is packed with layers of mud, sand, fossils, and other debris accumulated for millions of years.

“We are the first people ever to see sediment from underneath that ice. Nobody has seen this before,” said van de Flierdt.

These layers provide a record of the Earth’s history over multiple climate changes – from the ice ages to when it warmed up and became more greenhouse and tropical.

“It’s unprecedented, and I’m really excited about it,” said Dr. Kurt Cuffey, an environmental geophysicist at the University of California at Berkeley who specializes in the physics of glaciers.

He was impressed with the technical achievement of retrieving the core and is looking forward to seeing the analysis from the team. Cuffey explained how an analysis of the layers could finally answer some critical questions

“If they succeed with the analysis, then we will have a definitive answer to questions that we’ve been wrestling with for decades about how the ice sheet will respond to warming,” Cuffey said.

Cuffey said there should be no confusion between weather and climate. While the weather might be cold at times, overall our planet is warming.

“The planet has been warming since the late 19th century,” Cuffey said. “The first 50 years or so of the warming had some human component, but it was largely natural. But then, starting around 1980, the planet continued to warm at a pretty good rate, and essentially all of that is due to human agency, due to changes, primarily in the composition of the atmosphere.”

The SWAIS2C team believes an analysis of the sediment core may guide plans for how coastal communities and cities can better adapt to sea level rise.

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Atlanta nonprofit’s cooking program works to get people off the streets and into restaurant careers

CNN Newsource on February 20, 2026

By Madeline Montgomery

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — A metro Atlanta community organization is offering an 11-week cooking program that’s getting people off the street and into a lifelong culinary career.

Open Hand Atlanta’s program teaches aspiring chefs and culinary professionals everything from new skills to restaurant management.

“We want everyone to come here and gain the skills that are going to have the ripple effect of changing their lives and getting them not just into a job, but into a career,” said Chef Kira Scott, who runs the program.

The nonprofit works with homeless shelters and advocacy groups to find apprentices like Kanecki Guischard. Guischard was living at Covenant House, a youth homeless shelter, when he first met Scott.

“Food’s been a part of my life, and I’ve always been like, ‘How am I going to get into this professionally? Like, where do I start?’ and they honestly jump-started part of my dream for real,” said Guischard, a graduate of the workforce development program.

The program has an 85% in-industry employment rate. The average salary for graduates is $18 an hour.

Guischard was hired at Natalie Bianca, a new restaurant in Southwest Atlanta, one week after graduating.

“It was pretty amazing. Chef Kira made sure she found a great environment for me. It wasn’t just about getting me a job; it was finding a place where I would belong,” said Guischard.

“It doesn’t even feel like charity. I feel like I won. You know, by getting someone on my team that’s so bright and is creative with new ideas, fresh ideas, but also a willingness to learn,” said Courtney Rucker, Natalie Bianca’s co-owner.

Open Hand Atlanta is always looking for new restaurants and chefs to partner with for the program and donors to help sponsor apprentices. To help, go to its website.

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Fire Academy graduate says faith and determination fueled her journey

CNN Newsource on February 20, 2026

By Nakell Williams

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — A dream years in the making became reality this week as Ashley Fields officially joined the ranks of South Fulton Fire and Rescue, the very community she now calls home.

Fields graduated after completing the department’s rigorous firefighter training program, marking what she calls a full-circle moment.

“You have their lives in your hands. That’s what you have,” Fields said.

Originally from New York, Fields said moving to Georgia felt like a fresh start.

“I looked at moving to many other places all over the country, but when I came to South Fulton, everyone seemed like family,” she said.

Fields became an EMT in 2018. By 2021, she knew she wanted to take her career further. In 2023, she committed to becoming a firefighter, despite pushback from people around her.

“A lot of people did not like it. Honestly, they tried to discourage me, and because they tried to discourage me, that was my motivation to keep going,” she said.

The training process was demanding. Recruits faced constant physical drills, written exams and performance evaluations. But Fields said the toughest battle was mental.

“The mental struggles, wondering if you could do it and questioning if it’s even worth it,” she said.

She made sacrifices along the way.

“It cost me friends; it cost me time, but time that I don’t regret losing,” Fields said.

There was also a financial strain. During her journey, she frequently traveled between New York and Atlanta, purchasing multiple flights as she worked toward her goal.

Through every setback, Fields leaned on her faith.

“My Bible, first and foremost. That’s the reason why I pushed through,” she said. “Every time I felt like giving up, I had to remember my purpose. I didn’t have a plan B, C, or D. This had to work.”

On graduation night, Fields admitted she felt nervous as she prepared backstage, repeating a quiet message to herself: “See it through. Everything is going to be worth it.”

Her aunt traveled from Charlotte to support her.

“This is definitely rewarding, just to see her actually do the things she wanted to do and not be intimidated, especially working with a lot of men in the department,” her aunt said.

Then came an unexpected moment. Fields’ mother, who had previously attended her swearing-in ceremony, told her she wouldn’t make it to graduation. But as Fields walked across the stage, her mother appeared, surprising her and bringing her to tears.

Now stepping into a field historically dominated by men, Fields says she understands the responsibility.

“I’m ready to take it on,” she said.

She also hopes her visibility will inspire other young girls.

“I hope they see no matter size, no matter weight, no matter height, you can do it. Just be mentally strong and push through,” Fields said. “Once you see someone that looks like you, that gives you nonverbal motivation to do it.”

For Fields, the badge represents more than a career. It’s a calling and a promise to serve the city that embraced her as family.

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With humor and history, this Atlanta tour guide gives visitors a new view of the city

CNN Newsource on February 20, 2026

By Donald Fountain

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — Jeff Moore grew up in College Park with one goal in mind: to show people the best parts of his hometown. The question, he said, was how to do it.

“I did some research, and I kept telling my wife that I wanted to start a tour company,” Moore said.

Today, Moore serves as operations manager and tour guide for Roundabout Atlanta Tours and Transportation. The company offers several tours across metro Atlanta, but Moore says his favorite is the City Lights Atlanta Night Tour.

The two-hour experience takes guests to some of Atlanta’s most iconic landmarks while also highlighting lesser-known spots.

“We get you outside of the touristy areas and show you parts of the city you don’t really get to see as a visitor,” Moore said.

The tour includes stops at large-scale murals and neighborhoods where local artists, including Grammy-winning singer India Arie, got their start.

“This is exclusive, y’all,” Moore said during one recent tour. “This is the kind of stuff you get on our tours.”

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.