Author: CNN Newsource

By Alexis Crandall, Yunier Martinez

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    COLCHESTER, Vermont (WPTZ) — A Burger King in Colchester is closed after a pickup truck crashed into it Sunday morning.

The Colchester Police Department says they were called to the fast-food restaurant on South Park Drive just after 7 a.m. Once there, police found the driver, 38-year-old Michael Bushey, outside the pickup truck, uninjured.

The building has substantial damage to the vestibule and lobby. According to the Colchester Fire Department, the building has moderate structural damage.

No staff were injured.

According to a sign on the door, the Burger King is closed. No reopening date has been set.

The crash remains under investigation.

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 Angela Williams

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    DESOTO COUNTY, Mississippi (WAPT) — A Mississippi lawmaker arrested over the weekend faces several charges, including DUI, which he said stemmed from rushing to assist his unconscious granddaughter.

State Rep. Jeff Hale, a Republican who has represented District 24 since 2016, was stopped Friday by Hernando police for speeding. He was taken into custody on suspicion of driving while under the influence. Hale was also charged with reckless driving and disorderly conduct/failure to comply, according to DeSoto County jail records.

“On the evening of my arrest, I received an emergency phone call from my son and daughter-in-law informing me that my granddaughter was unconscious and not breathing. They were en route to the hospital,” Hale said in a statement. “In that moment, I reacted as the first responder I had been for more than 20 years. While driving to the hospital, I was providing emergency instructions through my wife over the phone in an effort to help my granddaughter.”

Hale apologized to the Hernando Police Department and the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office.

“That night, they encountered a terrified grandfather whose only concern was reaching the hospital as quickly as possible,” Hale 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 Jeremy Tombs

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    SANTAQUIN, Utah (KSTU) — Weeks after a hard freeze that caused devastating crop losses for many of Utah’s fruit farmers, the season of farmers’ markets and summer festivals is fast approaching.

In southern Utah County, they’ve seen ups and downs through the years.

“When I was growing up, most of these trees were already here,” said Kent Pyne, the owner of Pyne Farms.

Kent Pyne grew up as a fourth-generation fruit farmer in Santaquin, having taken the torch from his dad about a decade ago.

“My dad hasn’t seen it since 1972,” said Pyne. “We had back-to-back nights of 24, 25 degrees – and it wiped everything out.”

Pyne Farms was blanketed in snow and suffered a total crop failure.

“Across the board, with peaches, apples and cherries, for most growers,” Pyne said. “Usually, the apples would be as big as a sweet cherry right now.”

Instead, he’s left with 35 acres of abundant leaves and wilted blooms. All of this lost crop comes at a serious cost for Pyne. He says he normally sees more than $200,000 of total revenue in any given year. His story, sadly, isn’t an uncommon one across the state.

“We have been hearing from our fruit farmers – not of just some loss with the freeze – but total loss with tree fruit,” said Carly Gillespie.

Carly Gillespie directs Urban Food Connections of Utah, the non-profit which oversees Salt Lake City’s Downtown Farmers Market.

Gillespie notes it’s coming off one of its best winter seasons yet, having made the move to the old Leonardo museum. They say vendors reported strong growth in sales, anywhere from 25 to 50%.

But as they gear up to go outdoors for the summer season, they’re expecting slim pickings when it comes to fruit.

“Something that the downtown farmers market really values is supporting local farmers,” Gillespie said. “We do not allow re-selling.”

Those values won’t change this year, and Gillespie adds they only take farmers who come from within a 250-mile radius. This year, they say that will mean a vendor from Palisades, Colorado, may be the only one to provide fresh fruit to this Utah market.

Gillespie says there will still be veggies and plentiful other products – and it also won’t necessarily mean vendors like Pyne Farms will go away.

“I’m going to sell apple cider doughnuts and apple cider slushies,” Pyne said.

But the absence of fresh fruit will serve as a reminder.

“This is what farming is,” said Gillespie. “This is why we have to support our local growers.”

They say any local purchases can go a long way for Pyne and many others, as they face a long, lean year ahead.

“Let them know that you appreciate them,” Pyne said. “Just help farmers get through the year.”

There is a GoFundMe that’s been put together for Pyne Farms as they try to recover from those losses and manage tens of thousands of dollars in operational costs, from labor to diesel fuel to caring for the orchards.

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 Scott McKane

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    SALT LAKE CITY (KSTU) — What does affordability look like when you’re a stranger in a strange land? A refugee?

Members of one refugee community in Salt Lake City are working with Utah State University to try to make affordability easier by providing items like eggs and meat at discounted prices.

Those new residents to Utah say they are extremely grateful to be here and realize how much the government is spending to make their transition successful.

But they also want to take control and ownership of their own destiny.

And thanks to USU, a new goat and chicken farm is a big step in the right direction.

Abdikadir Hussein said it makes him emotional just thinking about it.

“It makes you want to cry!”

Hussein is talking about being part of the Utah refugee goat operation.

It’s an 87-acre farm west of Salt Lake City, where Hussein is now helping to raise goats and chickens.

He said it will ultimately provide affordable protein for Utah refugee families, many of whom are from Africa.

“Until now we don’t believe that this is actually realistic, realistically happening. So it makes you very emotional.”

For a variety of reasons, religious, cultural and financial, getting healthy, protein-rich food can be a struggle for refugee families.

Utah State is lending a big hand to help out.

Chad Page is in the Utah State University Animal Science Department.

He said USU is hoping the goat operation will help refugee families acclimate more quickly.

“And goats is a main part of a lot of their diets. So having both food that is affordable to them, but then also just accessible is a big aspect of what this farm and community is starting here.”

Utah State professor Joseph Okoh is from Nigeria.

He’s not a refugee, but said he understands what many go through in assimilating to the U.S.

Okoh said the goat operation will be a working, co-op type farm where people will not only have access to affordable protein, but learn skills along the way.

“This is a privilege for us and an opportunity for us to have them contribute to the society like I said, and have affordable food in terms of protein, meat, eggs, and will be having chicken products as we go along.”

And for Somalian immigrant Abdikadir Hussein, he said one of the biggest byproducts of all of this is giving people hope.

“For them, their resiliency. And hoping to continue to be so resilient until their hope becomes a reality.”

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 Karla Sosa

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    BAKERSFIELD, California (KERO) — Students at Libben Horsemanship Academy are training wild mustangs as part of a program designed to help the horses find permanent homes, and the academy hosted an open house over the weekend so the public could learn more.

Grace Web, an instructor with Libben Horsemanship Academy, said the program is aimed at making mustangs more adoptable.

“Wild Mustang program through the Branded Bonanza is something that was put on to better help Mustangs get out of holding facilities. You’re much more likely to adopt or purchase a horse that is kind of the calm, broke demeanor, rather than something completely wild.”

In late February, students adopted wild mustangs from the Bureau of Land Management in Ridgecrest. They have 100 days to train the horses.

11-year-old Amelia Alfter is part of the program and said the experience has been a challenge.

“Nervous and scared and I wanted to give up but then I got my trust back in and then I wasn’t nervous and then I started to bond with him and now I’m not scared and I feel safe around him.”

14-year-old Kendra Bushnell is also training a wild mustang named Liberty. Bushnell said they train every day.

“I usually spend about an hour with him. Sometimes, like, after school, I’ll just come out and groom him and be done for the day. And sometimes I’ll go out into the arena and work him, make him do stuff, and actually work his brain.”

Bushnell said she has seen Liberty gain confidence since adopting him in late February.

“Do obstacles and walk through scary things that he doesn’t really appreciate without any problems. I can touch him all over the place and I can actually crawl under him now. So, like, I can do almost everything with him.”

Alfter said she hopes more kids sign up for the program.

“It’s fun don’t give up. It’s fun whenever you get the hang of it, and it’s awesome, and it’s really good. It gives you something to do.”

The horses have about 3 weeks of training remaining.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KERO verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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 Madi Vollmer

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    BAKERSFIELD, California (KERO) — Just a few years ago, Elizabeth Ruiz’s life was unrecognizable. She spent most of her life in Los Angeles, where she faced crushing hardships, including homelessness. Determined to reclaim her future, she moved to Bakersfield to care for her mother — and to spark a fresh start.

“I lived in LA for most of my life. That’s where I became homeless, and then I came to Bakersfield to help my mother. I worked at Walmart for a time being and then the pandemic hit, and I found out they were opening BFL1, so I applied there. That was the first building I’ve ever worked in, and I feel at home. It’s a weird feeling, a lot of people don’t understand it, but I feel at home.” Elizabeth said.

Landing the job during the pandemic gave Elizabeth a lifeline, hope, and stability in one of the most uncertain moments of her life.

After stepping away to care for her sick mother, she came back with fierce determination: to climb the ladder, finish what she started, and prove to herself she could rise. “It gave me hope. It made me feel like I could accomplish something. I had to take some time off because my mom got sick, and I rejoined Amazon when they launched BFL2, and here I had a clear goal. I wanted to move up. I knew that I left with unfinished business when I left BFL1, and I wanted to move up, and I did.” She said.

Rebuilding confidence hasn’t been easy. Past struggles brought self-doubt, but she says the encouragement from her team was a powerful push forward. “It has been a very difficult journey because I’m not only battling my own concerns, you put yourself down a lot. I doubt myself a lot because of my past, but here I have the best team ever,” She said.

Elizabeth trained in multiple positions before eventually becoming a Process Assistant at BFL2 — a leadership role where she now helps oversee operations on the receive dock.

Layla Angel is an Air Manager for the receive dock at Amazon and she says, “There’s something in Liz because she has a big heart and she knows how to get to people on a personal level to where the respect is through the roof when it comes to Liz.”

The transformation isn’t just career success; it’s personal. Elizabeth says the stability she’s found has rebuilt family bonds and sparked new ambitions, including writing a book about her extraordinary journey. “A lot of growth, a lot of passion, a lot of stability, a lot of hope. That encouraged me to write a book about my experiences and the life that I live. I am happy because now I have a great relationship with my children and my grandkids, and now I have become the person they depend on, so Amazon has given me a lot… a lot.”

Elizabeth says her story is proof that rebuilding your life is possible — even after some of your hardest moments. She says while her title may have changed over the years, the biggest transformation has been the stability and confidence she now carries into everyday life.

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 Kaitlin Corbett

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    MANCHESTER, N.H. (WMUR) — The average person has a one-in-20 million to one-in-30 million chance of finding an orange lobster. At Market Basket in Seabrook, an employee found not one, but two orange lobsters over the weekend.

Nathan, a Market Basket employee of 20 years, found the lobsters while sorting through a store shipment Saturday.

“Super, super rare to pull two up at the same time, for sure,” said Aubrey Jane, a lobster scientist and founder of Turning Tides Ocean Education in Maine.

Jane said the odds of finding two are almost unheard of.

“If you assume that we roughly pull up about 80 to 100 million lobsters annually, then if you look at the frequency that we estimate, they’re usually pulled up. That’s only 3 to 4 a year,” she said.

In most lobsters, two proteins, astaxanthin and crustacyanin, bind together to create the lobster’s typical muddy brown color. In orange lobsters, those proteins don’t bind properly.

“It could be that it’s a genetic mutation that was inherited,” Jane said. “It could also be that the color changes throughout a lobster’s life.”

It’s not the first time New Hampshire has seen an orange lobster. In 2023, a local fisherman caught one off Hampton Beach.

As for the Seabrook Market Basket lobsters, Jane said orange lobsters typically don’t end up on a dinner plate and are instead sent for study.

“It’s really amazing way to kind of have a fisherman-scientist collaboration. I know everybody gets excited about pulling up the colorful bugs, so, I, I love to see that kind of collaboration,” she said.

For now, the lobsters will remain at Market Basket until managers decide what to do next.

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 Jordan Bontke

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    MESA, Arizona (KNXV) — Lisa Boshears wanted to be the best grandma ever.

“I’m going to make a ring for them. I’ll be the best grandma ever!” Boshears said.

Her grandkids — 4-year-old Christan and 2-year-old Austin — love wrestling. They jump from high places and call out their moves.

“They just jump from high places, they’ll go, ‘I got the smack down for ya, I got the smack down for ya!'” Boshears said.

A few months ago, Boshears emailed ABC15, saying a contractor she hired to build her grandkids a mini, padded wrestling ring in her backyard took hundreds of dollars in materials and then ghosted her.

“No hard feelings, but don’t take it out on them. My grandkids did nothing to you,” Boshears said.

After that story aired, two people stepped up to help.

Mariana Van Meter of Chandler saw the story and offered high-density wrestling mats her kids used growing up.

“A woman trying to do great by her family, and the wrestling resonated because we have wrestling in our family,” Van Meter said.

Those mats became the first piece of the project for contractor Cesar Ontiveros of Lake Pleasant, who had a vision. His son Israel is a big wrestling fan, but Ontiveros is a bigger fan of righting a wrong.

Ontiveros, the owner of a water restoration company, called Water Fighters, bought the remaining materials for a real, mini wrestling ring and installed it in Boshears’ backyard — complete with spring-loaded ropes, padding underneath, vinyl covering, and even a logo — all for free. Driving a diesel, dual-axel truck, Ontiveros said he put a collective 40 hours into the mini ring ‘just to see the kids’ reaction.’

“Make sure I take care of the kids, I don’t like seeing the contractors take care of no one, I like to step into those situations and make sure our industry is covered with good contractors,” Ontiveros said.

At first, Christan and Austin seemed a little overwhelmed by the surprise. But after the first body slam off the ropes, the match ended with arms locked — and a hug.

“This is probably the best feeling I’ve ever had. I’m about to see my grandkids, and their faces light up,” Boshears said.

Read before you sign: Always read a contract thoroughly before signing. If it’s on an electronic device, ask for a printed copy to review first.

Get it in writing: Ensure all promises and terms are included in the written contract, as verbal agreements are often unenforceable. Don’t let a salesperson leave until you have a copy of the signed contract in your email.

Use credit cards: Pay with a credit card instead of cash, debit, or Zelle. Credit cards offer better consumer protection and the ability to dispute charges if something goes wrong.

Demand receipts: Never pay without getting an itemized receipt that clearly states what the payment is for, the total amount owed, and the payment schedule.

Monitor your accounts: Check your bank and credit card statements at least weekly to catch any unauthorized or recurring charges you didn’t agree to, especially after signing up for services like gyms or memberships.

Know your rights: Be aware of consumer protection laws, such as three-day rescission periods for canceling contracts and lemon law protections for faulty products. Act within these timelines to protect your rights.

Researching and hiring professionals Verify licenses: Before hiring a contractor, ensure they are registered and licensed. Check their status with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors and business records on the Arizona Corporation Commission website. An unregistered contractor is a major red flag.

Find out who regulates the business: If it’s a contractor, you can contact the Registrar of Contractors. The BBB is a good resource for all businesses, and the Federal Trade Commission is another potential source to check a company’s record before hiring.

Check reviews and reputation: Research the company thoroughly on sites like the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Google, and Nextdoor. For specialized services, consult trade groups like the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association.

Get multiple quotes: For any large project or purchase, obtain several estimates from different companies to compare costs and services.

Due diligence for movers: When hiring a moving company, check their reviews on Google, Yelp, and the BBB, and verify them with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Identifying and avoiding scams

Be wary of unsolicited offers: If a salesperson comes to your door with an urgent, must-sign-now deal for something you haven’t been considering, it’s best to say no and close the door.

Ignore unrecognized calls: Do not answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize. Let them go to voicemail. Answering confirms your number is active, which can lead to more spam calls.

Protect your information: Never give your bank account or Social Security number to strangers. Be suspicious of unsolicited calls claiming to be from Medicare or tax authorities, as they do not communicate via phone, text, or email.

Recognize payment scams: If someone asks you to pay for something with a gift card, it is a scam. Similarly, be wary of anyone instructing you to withdraw money and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM for safekeeping.

Deny remote access: Never allow a stranger to have remote access to your computer.

Stay calm and patient: When a problem arises, approach the business calmly and kindly. You are more likely to reach a fair solution by working with them constructively.

Check your receipts: Before leaving a store, always check your itemized receipt to ensure the pricing is accurate and all discounts have been applied correctly.

Understand insurance changes: When adjusting your home insurance, understand exactly what coverage you are losing. A lower premium often means a reduction in protection, such as changing from replacement value to actual value minus depreciation.

Document everything: Take notes on who you talked to, their phone numbers, and any other contact information. Use your phone to take before and after pictures of any project. This creates a clear record of the work and helps ensure alignment with the contractor. Hold onto all paperwork, including receipts, warranties, and contracts, and keep them in a safe place.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KNXV verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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 Cameron Polom

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    QUEEN CREEK, Arizona (KNXV) — A Queen Creek 12-year-old named Jeremy Gills is proving imagination can become something much bigger than a hobby.

Writing under the name “J. Gills,” the young author has just released his very first graphic novel, Mighty Max. It’s a project he not only wrote himself entirely, but also fully illustrated and helped market with his own custom merchandise designs.

He’s spent countless hours building the world and characters from the ground up, even teasing a second installment at the end of book one. But what makes the story especially uplifting is the example he’s setting for other kids.

Jeremy is autistic, and his family says this journey has become a powerful reminder of what can happen when creativity, passion, and encouragement are given room to grow.

Now, the community that’s watched his dream take shape, including families at Aqua Tots Swim School in Mesa, is coming together to celebrate him with a special book signing next week.

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 Don Nelson

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    RIBGY, Idaho (KIVI) — Rigby, Idaho, is the birthplace of television — or at least the idea behind it. The eastern Idaho town is where Philo Farnsworth first conceived the invention that changed the world.

“Philo Farnsworth has been credited for being the inventor of television. Is that fact or fiction?” Senior Reporter Don Nelson asked, “Well, that’s a fact as far as I’m concerned,” Leon Guyman, chairman of the board at the Farnsworth TV and Pioneer Museum in Rigby, replied.

Guyman said Farnsworth came up with the concept in 1922, when he drew a diagram on a high school chalkboard and explained to his teacher that he believed pictures could be produced electronically.

That chalkboard sketch would later prove critical.

“Now when Philo left the classroom, his teacher made a copy of that drawing, dated and kept it, and that became very important for Philo later on. A few years later, he applied for a patent for that particular process. He did receive the patent for that process,” Guyman said.

RCA, the electronic giant of the day, disputed his patent. But Farnsworth’s high school teacher traveled to Washington, D.C., to testify before the patent committee.

“Eventually his high school teacher went back to Washington DC and testified before the patent committee as to the exact date that he came up with that idea. So, he was able to keep that patent,” Guyman said, “Philo ended up with over 300 patents in his lifetime.”

Guyman also addressed a common misconception about the museum.

“A lot of people think that because we, they said we claim to be the birthplace of television. They come in and say, ‘Well, where did they invent it?’ Well, he came up with the idea while he was looking at a row crop,” Guyman said.

Guyman noted that while the first television Farnsworth built was not constructed in Rigby, the idea was born there.

The museum draws visitors from near and far. A group traveling to Yellowstone stopped in out of curiosity. One visitor said a YouTube video sparked the detour.

“[I’m] big fan of TV, big fan of history, and I saw it was close and had to come through,” the visitor said.

Even local high school students who had driven past the museum countless times said they were surprised by what they found inside.

“I mean, it’s like a million times more interesting than I thought it was going to be,” the students said.

Farnsworth was posthumously inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2013.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KIVI verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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.