Author: CNN Newsource

By Lauren Victory, Jackie Kostek, Adam Harrington

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — Volunteers gathered Thursday to pack 500,000 meals for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, in the spirit of unity in which Americans everywhere engaged after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

A total of 1,800 volunteers turned out at Union Station beginning at 9 a.m. for the event.

“It means everything,” said Camerin Mattson, communications director for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. “I mean, those of us who have memories of 9/11 and remember what a shocking and horrifying day it was — how inspiring is it that there’s going to be 1,800 volunteers here today making a difference and turning this into a day that is something that’s positive, that’s giving back?”

Mattson emphasized that food insecurity is a serious problem right now — affecting one in five U.S. households, and one in four with children.

“We’re not OK with that. We can do better,” Mattson said. “And so it’s a big problem, and it’s going to take all of us working together, and today goes a long way in helping make a difference.”

Jacob Jenkins, volunteer program manager for Serve Illinois, worked well ahead of time on recruiting support staff for the event.

“We’re really excited. We’re pumped up, fired up, and ready to go,” Jenkins said ahead of the event Thursday. “We’re ready to remember the good, and in doing that, we carry out the express wishes of the families who put this whole thing together.”

Ahead of the meal packing, a total of 29,000 pounds of oatmeal alone were delivered to Union Station on pallets — along with 10,000 pounds of sugar, about 1,500 pounds of dehydrated apples, and another 1,500 pounds of cinnamon fortified with 21 vitamins and minerals.

The apple cinnamon oatmeal ingredients arrived at the train depot on forklifts in the middle of the night.

Each visitor will receive a bag with six meals. Volunteers will pack 83,000 bags.

Similar meal pack events are held across the country for 9/11 Day, which was created shortly after the 2001 attacks. Cofounders David Paine and Jay Winuk wanted something good to come out of the horrific losses in the attack — which took the life of Kay’s younger brother, Glenn, an attorney and firefighter who was killed at the World Trade Center.

The website for 9/11 Day notes that Sept. 11 has become the largest day of service in America, with more than 30 million people participating around the country.

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By Adam Harrington

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A suspect was arrested and charged this week in a shooting that left a man wounded in Chicago’s West Woodlawn neighborhood last month.

The family of the victim said a social media dispute preceded the shooting.

Nicholas Killingsworth, 23, was charged with one count each of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery involving the discharge of a firearm.

Police said Killingsworth was arrested Wednesday at 1:08 p.m. in south suburban Calumet City.

Police said at 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, the 23-year-old victim was in the 6000 block of South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. when two men came up, and one of them took out a handgun and shot him.

The victim was struck in the groin area and suffered a graze wound to the leg, police said.

Crime scene tape was seen a short distance away at a convenience store at 61st Street and Eberhart Avenue. The family member said the victim ran into the convenience store after being shot.

He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.

Killingsworth was set to appear for a detention hearing on Thursday.

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By Johnette Magner

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    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — The LSU AgCenter is calling on residents to help curb the spread of apple snails, an invasive species increasingly found in area lakes and ponds.

Apple snails pose environmental and health risks. The large freshwater snails lay clusters of bright red eggs on trees, walls and other structures near the water. Experts warn that the eggs contain a neurotoxin that can cause illness if touched, making it important to avoid direct contact.

The AgCenter asks the public to take action by scraping the eggs into the water with a stick or other implement, which prevents them from hatching. Officials stress that hands should never be used to handle the eggs.

In addition, LSU scientists caution against consuming apple snails.

“If not thoroughly cooked, the snail can have a parasite that is very dangerous to humans. It gets in your brains and can cause meningitis,” said Blake Wilson, an entomologist with the LSU AgCenter. “Don’t eat any raw snails if you can avoid it, but especially not apple snails.”

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By Jeremiah Estrada

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    LIHUE, Hawaii (KITV) — A live mongoose was captured in Lihue on Friday morning, as the animal is an invasive species on Kauai.

The Kauai Invasive Species Committee (KISC) received reports of a possible mongoose along the jetty of Nawailiwili Small Boar Harbor. In an attempt to capture it, 12 traps with fresh coconuts as bait were set up along the jetty wall on Thursday, Sept. 4.

A young female mongoose was found in one of the traps the following morning, Sept. 5. KISC handed the mongoose over to the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the agency is completing an analysis with the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Wildlife Services.

Mongoose are not an established animal population on the Garden Isle, however they are known to hitchhike to the island from infested areas. Mongoose are established on Oahu, Maui, Molokai and the Big Island and they are a threat to native ground-nesting birds.

The last mongoose that was caught on Kauai was a pregnant female mongoose captured at Nawiliwili Harbor in 2023. Response efforts were strengthened in 2012 resulting in five mongoose being caught since then.

Any suspected mongoose sightings should be reported to KISC at 808-821-1490, the state’s pest hotline at 808-643-PEST(7378) or online at: 643pest.org.

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By Ellie Nakamoto-White

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    RACINE, Wisconsin (WDJT) — A Racine family is turning tragedy into change, more than a month after 15-year-old Shaylani Williams drowned at Carre-Hogle park.

Williams was swimming with friends when she went under and ultimately passed despite life-saving measures at a local hospital.

Now, it’s been five weeks since her death — yet a memorial at the beach still grows with pictures, balloons, and stuffed animals in Williams’ honor.

“It shows the impact that Shaylani had on other people’s lives,” said her grandma, Liz Villalobos.

Last week, she and other family members attended a Racine common council meeting to push for “no swimming” signage to be posted in the area where Williams was.

“I’ve been rallying friends in support to get signage out to this location,” Villalobos told CBS 58’s Ellie Nakamoto-White. “The Mayor of Racine, Cory Mason, is actually agreeing and is going to put signs up for us!”

A city spokesperson said they will also be putting life ring buoys up as an additional safety tool, sending CBS 58 the statement below:

We continue to grieve with the family and friends of 15-year-old Shaylani Williams, who tragically drowned at Carre-Hogle Park earlier this summer. In response, the City of Racine is putting additional safety measures in place. By the end of this month, new bilingual ‘No Swimming’ signs and a life ring buoy will be installed at the park. While no single action can erase this tragedy, these steps are intended to raise awareness of the dangers along Lake Michigan and provide emergency tools that could help prevent future loss of life.

Our goal is to protect public safety without discouraging the community from enjoying Racine’s lakefront. The City operates two seasonally guarded beaches and encourages residents to swim at those designated locations. Visitors to Lake Michigan, in Racine and other lakeside communities, should take care to educate themselves about rip currents and other potential hazards before entering the water. “I’ll forever think of Shaylani here at this place, and to know that we were able to do something in her memory means a lot,” Villalobos said.

Officials said the buoys and signs will be posted by the end of the month.

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By Joy Benedict, Dean Fioresi

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    California (KCAL, KCBS) — A proposed housing development on the shores of Big Bear Lake has been met with protest from community members and animal rights activists, as it could chase the region’s iconic eagle family away.

Nearly a dozen people made their presence known at a San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors meeting this week to discuss the proposed development, a project called Moon Camp, which would bring more than 50 homes and a 55-slip marina to the north shore of the lake in the unincorporated community of Fawnskin.

“I’m here on behalf of the eagles,” said one woman while speaking at Tuesday’s meeting. “They don’t have a voice.”

Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit organization that brings the day-to-day lives of the bald eagle family Jackie, Shadow and their children to the world via YouTube, is leading the charge to bring the proposal to a halt.

“Having 50 homes suddenly appear there and a 55-slip boat marina would have huge impact on the eagles, and may even chase them away from the area,” said Sandy Steers, the director of FOBBV.

The project has been in discussions since 2001. It has been revised and redesigned after being met with continuous opposition and lawsuits from environmental groups.

Steve Foulkes is the Vice President of RCK Properties, which owns the land where the development is proposed for construction.

“Environmentally, I believe this is a sound project,” Foulkes said while speaking with CBS News Los Angeles. “There will be 50 homes built eventually, but it’ll be slow. We’re not building the homes. We will sell the lots, so the homes will be built over time, which provides more jobs and more income to the community over a long period of time.”

On top of the new properties, the Moon Camp project will also feature a new well, bike path and public access point to the lake, as well as widening the road in the area. Residents say that all of these new additions will be placed in a common foraging area for Jackie and Shadow.

“Right now, they can sit on those trees and fish in the shallow water nearby,” Steers said “All of that would go away, especially with the 55-boat slip marina that would be right by where the eagle perch trees are.”

Even though they heard all of the opposition during Tuesday’s meeting, supervisors voted to move forward with the project.

Friends of Big Bear Valley says that they’re not going to stop fighting any time soon.

“We’re going to continue to fight this. It’s been 25 years, we aren’t gonna stop now,” said Steers.

Despite the fact that their beloved eagle cam draws millions of views, FOBBV doesn’t monetize their social media accounts. They say that they’re considering fundraising now as they look to raise $10 million to purchase the land for Jackie and Shadow.

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