Author: CNN Newsource

By Fletcher Keel

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — Two people who pleaded guilty to their role in last summer’s viral brawl in downtown Cincinnati were sentenced on Wednesday.

Aisha Devaughn was given a sixth-month sentence at River City Correctional Center, with four years of community control. She was then told by a judge to get a job or go to school and do 200 hours of community service.

Gregory Wright was sentenced to three years of community control, 200 hours of community service, ordered to maintain employment or education and a $500 fine.

Jermaine Mathews was also slated to be sentenced Wednesday, but his case was continued.

All three pleaded guilty last month to various charges, including aggravated riot, aggravated assault, and attempted felonious assault.

Mathews, Devaughn, and Wright were all involved in the brawl at 4th and Elm streets last summer that went viral online.

Two others linked to the case have already been sentenced, and two still have their case moving through the courts.

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 Kyle Schmidt

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    LEHIGH ACRES, Florida (WBBH) — The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement arrested a man accused of stealing diesel fuel from multiple gas stations across the Gulf Coast.

Investigators said Juan Reyes-Tellez reportedly stole diesel fuel 10 different times, including at a 7-Eleven off State Road 82 in Lehigh Acres. When he was caught and arrested on June 8, investigators said he was accused of stealing 261 gallons of fuel, totaling over $1,300.

“It must be the gas price, just the economy, everything is expensive now,” Micah Albert of Lehigh Acres said.

Investigators said Reyes-Tellez reportedly carried out the thefts by using a large magnet to manipulate the fuel dispenser, allowing him to fuel up without paying. According to the report, law enforcement found the device behind the driver’s seat of his semitruck.

“I’ve never heard of something like that happening. I know times are tough right now with the gas prices being what they are. I just think that’s crazy,” Jacqueline Nunez of Lehigh Acres said.

Investigators said the reported theft was caught on surveillance video.

Reyes-Tellez is facing charges of three counts of larceny and a moving traffic violation.

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 Beth Carlson

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — The two Omaha police officers call rescuing a 4-year-old from a house fire “100% instinctual.”

Omaha police released photos from body-worn cameras showing what happened during the rescue near 69th and Mason streets on Tuesday morning.

Officers David Eckstrom and Ian Baxter were responding to an abandoned car in the street near 72nd and Pacific streets when they saw an explosion and a large fire.

“I just kind of glance over to the east, well just east of us, and saw an orange glow, small, and at first thought it was like a little bonfire or something like that,” Baxter said. “It grew extremely rapidly to the point where it ended up being a big fireball.”

Baxter said he radioed to Eckstrom and asked him to go check it out. At the scene, residents told the officers that their 4-year-old son was still in the basement, officials said. Eckstrom kicked out a basement window and called for the child.

“I’m a dad before a cop,” Eckstrom said. “Every kid I see reminds me of my own kids. So just did what I could. It all happened so fast. It’s nothing you can really plan for.”

Omaha police said the child followed the sound of the officers’ voices to the window, where Eckstrom pulled him to safety.

Eckstrom suffered lacerations to his forearms from the broken glass during the rescue.

Officials said the child was treated at the scene for possible smoke inhalation, but otherwise was not injured.

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 Abby Smith, Marina Garcia

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    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (KRDO) — The community gathered on Wednesday to celebrate the life and legacy of Jamie Novick, a flight nurse and Air Force veteran who was killed in a medical plane crash on May 14.

Novick died along with three other people when their medical plane went down.

According to ABC, four people on board a medical plane were killed when the flight crashed near Ruidoso, New Mexico. Officials say the Beechcraft King Air 90 had departed from Roswell Air Center and was headed to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport when it crashed around 4 a.m.

Jamie Novick’s family says that before becoming a flight nurse, Jamie spent five years as an ER nurse.

“When we came into the hospital, and we saw Jamie, we knew that the patient was in good hands. It’s a huge loss for our community to be without Jamie,” says Austin Pugh, who worked with Jamie for years as the deputy commander for the Colorado Springs Fire Department honor guard.

The celebration of life ceremony in Colorado Springs was well-attended, with family, friends and people from across the state filling the room.

Jamie’s uniform was displayed at the ceremony, symbolizing her dedication to nursing and blessing others.

Greg Bunch, Novick’s father, reflected on his daughter’s life, emphasizing her role as a mother. “It was truly a privilege and an honor to be Jamie’s dad. She was absolutely amazing, kid. She was worried about being a good mom. And I said, you know, when you’re worried about being a good parent, those are the ones that are good parents. And I was reminded of that as I wrote that in her Mother’s Day card, gave it to her. And that was the last time I saw her alive.”

Novick is survived by her husband and two kids.

Novick’s husband recalled meeting her when he was just 15, knowing immediately she was the one he wanted to get to know. He also spoke of her strength as a mother, noting she would cheer her children on and lift them up to be the best versions of themselves.

Loved ones stated that Novick’s infectious personality stemmed from her deep love for God.

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 Brittney Ermon

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — For many students in Los Angeles, breaking into Hollywood can feel like a dream that’s out of reach. But on Wednesday, the first graduating class of a unique film and television program is proving that talent can come from any ZIP code.

Out of a sea of caps and gowns, 46 students are ready to make waves in the entertainment industry.

“Being able to wear the cap and gown, saying that I made it this far with all the trials and tribulations, it’s a great thing,” student Nathan Zacarias said.

Zacarias said his diploma is more than the traditional milestone; it’s a ticket into the film and television industry that he grew up watching from the outside.

“It really leads us to understand what it is to be in this industry before we even step foot in it,” Zacarias said.

He’s part of the first class to graduate from Roybal Film and Television Magnet, which was co-founded by actor George Clooney. As part of the LA Unified School District, the high school was created four years ago to build a pipeline into the film and television industry that’s inclusive for underrepresented students.

“As we pay it forward, we also came from the community. We know what it’s like to struggle,” principal Blanca Cruz said. “To see my kids also achieve, for what many may seem to be impossible, that’s very powerful.”

From costume design to cinematography, students learn the craft behind the camera. The program also connects teens with mentors and industry professionals to help set the stage for what comes next.

Industry leaders said the school helps fill a labor gap as Hollywood will need tens of thousands of behind-the-scenes crew in the coming years.

“Our community has a lot of talent, and many times we don’t give them an opportunity to show that talent,” Cruz said. “Many times, we don’t tap into it. Many times we don’t invest in it.”

For students like Xavier Calderon, the investment is life-changing.

“I feel very accomplished being able to stand before all these very accomplished individuals,” he said. “Then be able to see me for who I am, and not just, as I want to say, a statistic.”

Calderon is heading to the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, and Zacarias is attending California State University, Northridge.

“I will make it to the big screen,” Zacarias said. “No doubt about that.”

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, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Team Rubicon volunteers are set to remove dozens of dead trees and vegetation to help mitigate wildfire risk on Big Bear as part of a nearly four-year plan to remove what was left behind by the 2022 Radford Fire and the 2024 Line Fire.

Since the fire broke out in September that year, the area has been closed to the public due to lingering hazards like felled or dead trees and unstable land.

“All the dead trees have a chance of falling at any time; particularly the older it gets, the danger, it increases,” said Robin Brown, a retired firefighter who works with Team Rubicon, which is a veteran-led disaster response organization that has 200,000 volunteers across North America.

He says that volunteers flew in from places like Colorado, Alaska and Canada to help assist with the mitigation process as they work to chop down and remove hundreds of charred trees near Skyline Road. The work is being done in conjunction with Team Rubicon and the U.S. Forest Service.

“Anywhere where we have these fire scars in heavy timber, it is a problem,” said Mike Page, with the U.S. Forest Service in the San Bernardino National Forest. “They have the ability to come in and supplement the work we’re doing and help out in a big way to get it done faster.”

After five days of work, Team Rubicon has successfully dropped more than 350 trees. They expect to remain in the area for at least two weeks. The team has taken over an elementary school in Big Bear as their incident command center, which is being led by Bob Yturralde.

“Normally, you’d see Team Rubicon after the fact to mitigate a crisis, and now, we’re trying to be ahead of the game and mitigate problems that become bigger problems,” Yturralde 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 Julie Sharp

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    PLAYA DEL REY, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Three sea lion pups cared for at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro were released back to their ocean habitat on Monday.

Staff from MMCC transported the pups named Marshmallow, Cascatelli, and Orecchiette in a cage, and when the door opened, they did their best “sprint” to the ocean water.

Three sea lion pups cared for at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro were released back to their ocean habitat on Monday.

Staff from MMCC transported the pups named Marshmallow, Cascatelli, and Orecchiette in a cage, and when the door opened, they did their best “sprint” to the ocean water.

The public is also a critical part of marine mammal health. Warner said staff from MMCC will respond and bring ailing marine mammals from LA County beaches to its San Pedro facility.

“We ask the public, who are really the eyes on the beaches for us, to call our center, 1-800-39-whale, it’s a marine mammal hotline,” Warner said.

The facility is open to the public for viewing of the animals’ rehabilitation journey. Currently, there are 23 California sea lions, 20 northern elephant seals, and two Pacific harbor seals in care. marinemammalcare.org/visit.

The public is also a critical part of marine mammal health. Warner said staff from MMCC will respond and bring ailing marine mammals from LA County beaches to its San Pedro facility.

“We ask the public, who are really the eyes on the beaches for us, to call our center, 1-800-39-whale, it’s a marine mammal hotline,” Warner said.

The facility is open to the public for viewing of the animals’ rehabilitation journey. Currently, there are 23 California sea lions, 20 northern elephant seals, and two Pacific harbor seals in care. marinemammalcare.org/visit.

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.