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By Jesse Zanger

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    New York (WCBS, WLNY) — New York City is taking aim at sudden and unexpected deaths.

There are at least 500 of them in the city each year, and in roughly a fifth of those cases, a genetic cause can be detected.

Tuesday, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner announced it will provide free genetic screening for at-risk family members of those who suddenly and unexpectedly die.

The program is called Genetic Intervention Family Testing Services, or GIFTS.

“The launch of genetic testing for living patients at OCME raises the bar of excellence and sets a new standard of care across the country, while ensuring an innovative service reaches those family members most in need of help,” Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham said.

The theory is that family members in whom the same condition is detected can then start seeking preventative treatment.

“For a select number of their cases, a genetic condition may be discovered. The GIFTS program will offer families of those cases new information about genetic conditions that could ultimately be life-saving,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Suzanne Miles-Gustave.

New York’s OCME is home to genetics lab that can test more than 300 genes for a variety of diseases, including arrythmia syndromes and epilepsy.

The program is being funded following a $600,000 investment from the city.

Testing is expected to begin next year.

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By Jesse Zanger, Christina Fan

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    New York (WCBS, WLNY) — An apparent road rage incident that led to shots being fired caused traffic delays near John F. Kennedy International Airport Tuesday morning.

It started at 4:48 a.m. when Port Authority police responded to a crash on the southbound Van Wyck Expressway near the entrance to JFK, sources told CBS News New York. A Customs and Border Protection officer who was involved in the crash told responding officers that the driver of the other vehicle assaulted after the crash, and fired his service weapon several times, sources said.

The other driver took off, but that led to most lanes of the southbound Van Wyck Expressway being shut down while the investigation unfolded, causing bad congestion. Those lanes have since reopened.

Drivers should expect lingering delays in the area.

The incident remains under investigation. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

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By Paula Wethington

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    MICHIGAN (WWJ) — The Michigan Attorney General’s Office has issued the fifth of what will eventually be seven detailed reports on the topic of Catholic church clergy abuse in the state, this time focusing on the Diocese of Grand Rapids.

The report, released Monday, is a compilation of allegations of sexual misconduct against either children or adults since 1950 in that region. The most recent report, issued in December 2024, looked into investigations at the Diocese of Lansing. The Saginaw and Detroit reports have yet to be released.

The Most Reverend David John Walkowiak, who was named bishop of the Grand Rapids diocese in 2013, also gave a video statement and a press conference Monday to discuss the report.

“I offer my deepest and most sincere apologies,” Walkowiak said to the victim survivors of these cases. “I am sorry that a church leader in whom you placed your trust misused his power and abused you.”

There are seven Catholic dioceses in Michigan, which provide administration and support services to Catholic parishes and schools on a regional level. Each region is led by a bishop or archbishop. The Diocese of Grand Rapids is based in Western Michigan, and includes Muskegon, Kent and Ionia counties.

The Michigan Department of Attorney General and Michigan State Police started working on this effort in 2018, compiling documents found during search warrants and information submitted via a tip line. There have been millions of paper and electronic documents reviewed, a full-time victim advocate assigned to support those who were identified as victims, and so far, 11 criminal charges filed in nine cases.

All seven dioceses have cooperated with the AG’s investigation, state officials said.

“It is our intent to share what was learned during the investigation as to ensure that any past failure to report sexual abuse will never happen again,” the state AG’s office said.

The report includes names of the individuals, dates they were ordained to ministry, dates when they worked in the diocese of Grand Rapids, descriptions of the inappropriate conduct that was under investigation, excerpts from official documents or letters on the incidents, and dates (where applicable) of removal from ministry or their death.

Of the 51 individuals named in the Grand Rapids report, 37 of them are known or presumed to be dead.

Of the 14 who are living or presumed to be living, “none are in active ministry in the Diocese of Grand Rapids.” Walkowiak said in response to potential transfers, any clergy who were assigned to Grand Rapids but seeking to work in ministry elsewhere would need to get a letter from the bishop’s office that they were in good standing, and with that, he does not expect any.

None of the criminal sexual assault cases filed as a result of the statewide review have been from the Grand Rapids area.

There are time limits as to when someone can pursue criminal charges. This is normally six years from the date of the offense or the victim’s 18th birthday. The AG’s office said state law now allows criminal charges to be filed at any time over first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges.

In cases in the Catholic church review where criminal charges did not result, the AG’s office said the reasons could include the clergy person having already died, the statute of limitations expired, the conduct did not violate Michigan law or the victim decided not to pursue criminal charges.

Walkowiak said the vast majority of the listed investigations involved activity that took place before 1979. He also explained the steps that the U.S. bishops invoked in 2002, which include immediately reporting misconduct involving children to local authorities. In addition, anyone who is working with children on behalf of the Catholic church in the United States now must comply with background check and training requirements.

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By Web Staff

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    MAUI, Hawaii (KITV) — After months of passionate testimony, the Maui County Council approved Bill 9, voting to phase out more than 6,000 short-term rental units in hopes of getting more local people affordable long-term housing.

A small, but mighty group known as Lahaina Strong has fought for the return of housing to local residents.

“We’ve been fighting for, I would say almost two years,” said Jordan Ruidas, one of the organizers of Lahaina Strong. “We started on Kaanapali beach just advocating for dignified housing.”

Pleading at the state Capitol and at the Maui County Council to ease Maui’s housing crisis that’s priced many families out of paradise.

And after months of passionate pleas, they finally got their wish.

The Maui County Council approving Bill 9, giving short-term rental owners in West Maui three years — and five years in South Maui — to convert to long-term housing.

“There are still many people that are between housing, needing housing, especially Lahaina fire survivors and this is giving them a little bit of hope,” Ruidas said.

And even before the bill passed Maui’s already seeing a change.

“The prices for condos are already dropping,” she said. “The last write up I saw, which is probably a month or two ago, condos prices have dropped more than 20% so it’s honestly just making it more affordable already.”

But opponents, including three council members who voted against the bill, argue the change will tank Maui’s economy even more — discouraging visitors away from the island.

“Let’s stop talking about Bill 9, or how Bill 9 will bring back all the people who were priced out and had to leave,” said property owner Karen Smart. “Passing Bill 9 will actually force more to leave. Over tourism is not people over profit. Tourism currently feeds the people.”

But more than 4,000 owners could apply to be rezoned in order to continue as short-term vacation rentals — leaving just a couple thousand for long-term use, which advocates said is better than nothing.

“At first we were like, ‘Oh, damn if we get only 2,000 is that still a win?’ And it’s still a win,” Ruidas said. “Honestly, when you look at how long it would take for Maui County to build its way out of this housing crisis, they’re saying like 30 to 50 years. That’s crazy. None of us can wait that long.”

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen signed the bill into law. But the owners of short-term rentals have threatened to sue, which could further lengthen the conversion into long-term housing.

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By David Collins

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    HALETHORPE, Maryland (WBAL) — A mother is on a crusade to find who is responsible for the death of Tyler Tunstalle, her 21-year-old son.

His family considered him a determined young man. He planned to travel the world and to be a millionaire before he turned 25 years old.

He was shot and killed in May while stopped on the side of Hollins Ferry Road near Lansdowne High School.

In 2022, WBAL-TV 11 News reported about Tyler Tunstalle when he was a student at Baltimore City College High School, where he was a scholar-athlete and had the highest GPA on his football team.

Tina Tunstalle said she knew something was wrong immediately when the shooting happened.

“The holy spirit told me my son was in trouble,” Tina Tunstalle said. “I was dialing his phone. It felt like my whole insides had fallen out … I said, ‘Tyler, I’m coming. Mommy is coming. Hold on, mommy is coming.'”

Tyler Tunstalle was on his way home after making a food run. He pulled his black SUV to the curb on the busy road. He put his flashers on and his passenger-side window was rolled down.

Four bullets pierced the rolled-up window on the driver’s side, and three struck Tyler Tunstalle. His mother never hung up the phone. She used a locator app to quickly find where he was.

“And when I screamed his name, he raised up, and he reached for his mommy. He reached for me, but police wouldn’t let me come over,” Tina Tunstalle said. “My baby was laying right there on his left side. He’s laying right here on his left side with police and EMS people standing around him.”

No one was helping him after he’d been shot, she said.

“Tyler was trying to tell me something,” Tina Tunstalle said. “He was trying to tell me something, and they didn’t want me to hear what he had to say.”

Tina Tunstalle is frustrated with how police are handling the case, so she hired a private detective to investigate.

“I want the truth. I want to know who did this,” she said. “Why was he laid here to bleed out and die? Why?”

Investigators denied the family’s request to review police body camera video from the scene to determine the level of emergency care.

Michael Brown, the private detective, has a binder with case information that includes diagrams, conversation notes, phone and text records.

“I think whoever stopped him had the authority to stop you. His traffic route is this lane. He has no reason to be in this lane because this lane ends. He lives about two blocks away,” Brown said.

Tina Tunstalle and Brown believe police have a lot of evidence to work with, but they’re frustrated by a lack of progress in the case, they said.

“I’ve discovered that the police say they have no camera evidence. There’s a camera,” Brown said. “There’s a camera right there, angled to where we are standing. There are three other cameras that could have captured any cars going through this intersection … So, if you came down this road, they should know who is behind him or in front of him, and this camera should have caught the shooting. And this camera should have caught the shooting.”

Police returned the car to Tina Tunstalle in two days. She found a bullet slug in it and had it analyzed.

“They didn’t search the car properly,” Brown said. “Inside the car, there was one bullet that they had analyzed. It’s a 9-millimeter. The gun is not clear, but they swear they have casings.”

The family’s request to review the autopsy report has been denied.

“I believe I could learn the angle of the shot. They say that it came up. The window damage shows the bullet came right through,” Brown said. “Casings don’t spin forward, they spin backward. So, the casings have to be in the car, if that’s their story.”

Tyler Tunstalle was a barber and made an inspirational video that reflects his strong religious beliefs.

“God will never fail you. Trust me when I tell you that. God will never fail you,” he said in the video.

Tina Tunstalle forgives whoever is responsible for his death.

“Tyler would want me to forgive,” she said. “It’s not saying I don’t want justice, because I do.”

Baltimore County police responded to WBAL-TV 11 News’ inquiry detailing the family’s concerns, and they said the investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to call them at 410-887-4636.

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By Jordan Ryan

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — Oklahoma child care providers are suing the state Department of Human Services, claiming the agency wrongfully paused new applications and renewals for some subsidies.

In October, Oklahoma DHS stopped new applications and renewals for child care subsidies for school-aged children as well as for a provider incentive of $5 per day add-on for children age 6 and older.

DHS officials said they don’t have the federal funding needed to continue the programs. The Licensed Child Care Association of Oklahoma and the group’s representation, however, argue the agency is not following state rules.

One provider told KOCO 5 that the decision will cost her program thousands of dollars.

“In my particular program, that’s $5,000 a month just with the $5 cut, let alone any of my parents that will be rolling off,” said Janell Wheat with the Licensed Child Care Association of Oklahoma.

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