Author: CNN Newsource

By Matthew Rodriguez

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    HAWTHORNE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Los Angeles County deputies are searching for the suspect who severely beat a mother and son inside a Hawthorne apartment on Thursday afternoon.

The victims were found inside a unit in the 4000 block of 139th Street at roughly 3:20 p.m., according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department. Investigators said they suffered blunt-force trauma.

Deputies said the mother, who is in her 50s, and her juvenile son were taken to the hospital in critical condition. The mother was “pronounced death imminent by an emergency room doctor,” according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies could not immediately provide a suspect description.

Investigators asked anyone with information to contact LASD’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or through their website, lacrimestoppers.org.

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 Tori Mason

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    AURORA, Colorado (KCNC) — A coalition of doctors, educators, students and community organizations is urging Aurora City Council to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored vapes, menthol cigarettes and nicotine pouches.

The push comes months after Denver implemented its own flavored tobacco sales ban, prompting some customers to consider shopping in neighboring cities.

“I’m gonna have to come all the way to Aurora to get one,” one Denver vaper told CBS Colorado earlier this year.

PREVIOUS STORY: Denver’s flavored vape ban sends customers across city lines

Now, the Flavors Hook Kids Aurora coalition wants Aurora to follow Denver’s lead.

“We feel strongly that kids’ health outcomes shouldn’t be determined by their zip code,” said Jodi Radke, regional director of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Advocates say flavored nicotine products are particularly appealing to young people, with candy-like flavors and colorful packaging contributing to concerns about youth addiction.

According to Colorado’s 2025 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, more than a quarter of high school students statewide reported having tried vaping.

“We know we can’t stop youth from vaping, but we could reduce the numbers,” said Elijah, an Aurora high school student.

A July poll commissioned by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids found 70% of likely Aurora voters surveyed supported ending the sale of flavored tobacco products. Keating Research surveyed 600 likely Aurora voters between July 14 and July 20. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

The poll was commissioned by an organization advocating for the ban, and its findings do not necessarily reflect the positions of Aurora City Council members.

A citywide vote would not be required for council to approve a ban. However, no such ordinance has been formally introduced.

In March, Aurora City Council unanimously approved new licensing requirements for tobacco retailers, including additional compliance checks and restrictions on where new tobacco businesses can operate.

The ordinance was intended to reduce youth access to tobacco products but did not include a ban on flavored products.

Councilmember Gianina Horton, who supports the coalition’s efforts, acknowledged that a flavored tobacco ban has not been actively discussed by council.

“There’s a lot more consideration that needs to go into place before legislation is officially proposed in front of other council members,” Horton told CBS Colorado.

Horton said that process would include conversations with businesses that could be affected by additional restrictions.

When Denver’s flavored tobacco ban went into effect, some vape shop owners told CBS Colorado they lost more than half their sales. The restrictions have also raised concerns among retailers about adults who use flavored vaping products instead of traditional cigarettes.

The coalition argues that reducing access to flavored tobacco products is an important step toward preventing nicotine addiction among young people.

Horton said she hopes to work on a possible ordinance in the coming weeks, but says that additional conversations with stakeholders are needed.

“Conversations are going to be really critical in the next couple of weeks,” Horton said.

Advocates are hoping to see the issue brought before City Council before the end of the year.

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By Ray Campos and Adam Duxter

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    ST PAUL, Minnesota (WCCO) — A 100-year-old candy shop in St. Paul says it is sticking with its family recipes this Halloween, even as the cost of chocolate keeps climbing, its new owner says.

Tom Saunders took over Regina’s Candy in May, carrying on a tradition that has lasted generations.

“The family motto is there’s no skimping on the family recipe,” Saunders said.

Keeping that promise hasn’t been easy. Saunders said that when the shop’s ingredient costs go up, it has to raise its prices.

“We’re not going to compromise on quality,” he said. “And our customers are happy to pay for that.”

Cacao, the main ingredient in chocolate, has surged in price over the last few years. Heat waves and heavy rains in West Africa have contributed to crop shortages, and U.S. tariffs have also pushed prices up. Abdallah Candies in Apple Valley is among other Minnesota candy makers that WCCO has reported are facing higher cocoa prices.

Americans are expected to spend a record $13.5 billion on Halloween this year, including $4.1 billion on candy alone, according to the National Retail Federation. That’s up from last year’s record of $13.1 billion. A 100-piece bag of assorted candy now averages $17, up 71% since 2021.

Some manufacturers have turned to cheaper ingredients. Saunders said Regina’s still makes its chocolates the way it always has.

Saunders said many customers come from families that have shopped there for generations, with grandparents bringing their children and now grandchildren bringing theirs. He said that tradition is “one of the things that will keep us resilient against rising cocoa prices or competition from Big Box.”

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By Web Staff

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    HENNEPIN COUNTY, Minnesota (WCCO) — Hennepin County prosecutors had to dismiss multiple criminal cases because crime victims were afraid to travel to court during Operation Metro Surge, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says in a report to the Minnesota Truth Council.

Operation Metro Surge began in December 2025 in Minnesota and was described by the Department of Homeland Security as the largest federal immigration law enforcement deployment in the nation’s history.

The report, finalized earlier this month, lays out how the county attorney’s office says the operation disrupted the county’s public safety system and what prosecutors did in response.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the cases “had to be dismissed because of the federal government’s behavior.” That “made us all less safe,” she said, and “helped defendants avoid accountability and even facilitated threats against victims.” In one case described in the report, a defendant threatened a victim from abroad after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported the defendant.

More than 35 crime victims in cases the county attorney’s office is prosecuting reported feeling unsafe traveling to county courthouses, the report says. It says some of them left Minnesota and, in some cases, the country entirely. Prosecutors say victims must appear in person to testify at trial, even though the office expanded its remote services.

Since May 2025, ICE has detained more than 30 defendants in active Hennepin County prosecutions, according to the report. Two were taken out of Minnesota within hours. The county attorney’s office says ICE does not notify prosecutors when it deports a defendant.

Prosecutors presented ICE with state court orders directing the return of 20 defendants to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. ICE returned eight to be prosecuted, the report says. It says ICE refused to return nine, disregarding the orders, and claimed to be unable to return the other three.

The report says nearly two out of three immigrants arrested by ICE during the operation had no prior U.S. criminal history, citing a Human Rights Watch report. Dozens of those arrested were crime victims themselves, the report says.

The county attorney’s office says armed and masked federal agents raided county courthouses during the operation. Hennepin County prosecutors and law enforcement partners, including the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, sent two letters asking then-Chief Justice Natalie Hudson to prohibit civil enforcement actions, including immigration enforcement, in courthouses. Connecticut and Oregon already had such policies. Hudson declined, most recently on March 6.

Federal agents shot three Hennepin County residents between Jan. 7 and Jan. 24, killing two, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the report says. It says federal agencies barred state investigators from shooting scenes and withheld evidence. The county attorney’s office and state partners have sued the federal government twice. The office announced July 13 that it had obtained some withheld evidence, but the report says federal cooperation soon halted again and litigation continues.

The county attorney’s office has charged two ICE agents. Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. was charged April 16 with two counts of second-degree assault for allegedly pointing a weapon at two people while driving alongside them. Christian Castro was charged May 18 with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime for allegedly firing through the front door of a home.

The county attorney’s Transparency and Accountability Project, launched March 2, is investigating more than 30 federal actions. Its investigator has conducted more than 100 witness interviews and collected more than 1,100 photos and videos. Prosecutors say identifying agents is difficult because most wore face coverings and the federal government has not shared evidence.

WCCO has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment and is awaiting responses.

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By Victor Jacobo

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    SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (WBBM) — A deal to keep the Chicago Bears from moving to Indiana reportedly is closer than ever, with sources telling Crain’s Chicago Business that lawmakers in Springfield could vote as soon as next month on legislation to help the team build a stadium in Illinois.

Crain’s cites momentum from an Oct. 1 meeting in Chicago, featuring NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois legislative leaders, and Bears minority owner Pat Ryan.

“My understanding is that [Ryan] was in this meeting representing the business community, not representing the Bears. Roger Goodell and the NFL were there representing the Bears,” said sports business expert Marc Ganis.

According to Ganis, Ryan’s relationships with stakeholders might have helped move discussions forward to focus on legislation that would allow a municipality, including Arlington Heights or Chicago, to create a stadium financing authority to help build a publicly owned stadium.

“Which is effectively a stadium authority that would own the stadium, but would not, unlike other stadiums around the country, require government money to go into the stadium itself,” Ganis said.

The Bears would finance construction of the stadium, while public funds would be used for new roads and other infrastructure the state usually finances for such large-scale projects. Because the stadium would be owned by the public, it would not pay any property taxes, like the Bears’ current stadium, Soldier Field, or the White Sox ballpark, Rate Field.

Ganis said the legislation would likely need to pass both the Illinois House and Illinois Senate by Dec. 3, the last day of the fall veto session.

“If a real deal is not done by then, you know, the handwriting is on the wall about, Hammond, Indiana,” Ganis said.

In his most recent comments on the topic, Pritzker said he’s maintained communication with stakeholders, and signaled moving ahead with efforts on the bill, which would open the door on a stadium in Arlington Heights or Chicago.

“That’s a decision that the Bears get to make. They’re a private company, and that way they have the option. We want to keep them in the state of Illinois. If we give them those two options, I think that would be satisfactory,” Pritzker said.

Ganis said, despite recent renderings like a possible Bridgeport stadium for the Bears, Arlington Heights remains the top Illinois destination, because it’s been vetted. The Bears purchased the former Arlington Park racetrack site in 2023 for $197 million, and have said that site and Hammond are their only two options for a new stadium.

“Best to focus on what is available. To keep the Bears in Illinois, that would be Arlington Heights,” Ganis said.

The fall veto session in Springfield runs from Nov. 17 to Nov. 19 and Dec. 1 to Dec. 3.

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By Erin Jones

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    HIGHLAND PARK, Texas (KTVT) — The battle over one of the largest churches in the Park Cities has taken another turn.

The head of the United Methodist Church’s Horizon Texas Conference on Thursday announced that Highland Park United Methodist Church will remain part of the denomination and appointed a new senior pastor.

But leaders of the newly named Highland Park Methodist Church are rejecting the bishop’s authority, insisting they will remain in place.

“The bishop’s declaration changes nothing for us,” the church said in a statement. “This Sunday, we will worship as usual.”

All this comes after more than 90 percent of voting church members voted to leave the church conference.

The vote came after the conference sued the church over bylaw changes and other disagreements.

About a week ago, the church made a video explaining why it supports the church council’s recommendation to separate from the United Methodist Church.

“The conference’s lawsuit and the action surrounding it have brought us to a place that none of us could’ve predicted and certainly want to be, but we have a responsibility to respond to the circumstances that we are facing now in the moment, not the ones that we had anticipated or even hoped for,” Rev. Paul Rasmussen said.

Around the same time, the bishop posted an informational video about church governance on social media.

“Decisions about denominational affiliation, decisions about the trust in which property is held, decisions about the identity of the church as a UMC – these are not local matters that a local body may quietly adjust. They belong to the whole church,” Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. said.

Now, two separate worship services are planned for this Sunday.

Members who want to remain United Methodist will be worshiping at University Park United Methodist Church.

Meanwhile, Highland Park Methodist Church’s existing leadership plans to continue services at its longtime campus.

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By Hannah Kliger

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — Fourteen years after Superstorm Sandy crippled public transit citywide, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it invested upwards of $7 billion to protect the system from future storms.

Resiliency upgrades included a major $500 million overhaul at Coney Island Yard. The 100-acre yard, one of the largest and most critical facilities in the MTA system, was inundated with saltwater when Sandy struck the New York area in October 2012, damaging infrastructure and disrupting operations.

“There was about two feet of water in the yard and saltwater and copper cables don’t go well together,” said Robert Laga, senior vice president of MTA Construction and Development.

Tens of millions of gallons of storm surge brought operations to a standstill. “It was a big Herculean effort to try and get the system back up and running,” he said during a rare tour of the sprawling facility.

For Abby Jordan, a lifelong Brighton Beach resident who was a student at Hunter College when Sandy hit, the storm exposed the stark differences between coastal communities and neighborhoods farther inland.

“It really became a tale of two cities,” Jordan said.

Jordan recalls traveling from her devastated neighborhood into Manhattan in the aftermath of the storm.

“Coastal communities really were impacted, and many other communities that were inland didn’t face as much devastation,” she said. “The trauma of constant emergency cleanup operations, transformer fires, and flooded buildings highlighted the inequities.”

At the sprawling Coney Island Yard, the MTA has since undertaken extensive flood protection and infrastructure improvements intended to limit damage during future coastal storms.

A massive flood wall now surrounds the property.

“We have a concrete wall that’s reinforced. And then in the event of a storm, we have a flood door which rolls over to that area and seals the yard shut. There are about nine or ten gates here that we have to protect,” Laga said.

Parts of the wall extend deep underground, to prevent seepage from below.

“Sixty-foot sheets, 35, 40 feet below grade,” Laga said during a drive around the perimeter. “So there could be an ocean around this yard. Water will not get in there.”

Another major component of the project is an elevated bridge stretching approximately 4,000 feet across critical sections of the yard. It carries cables that were previously routed underground and vulnerable to flooding.

“Power cables, third rail cables, return cables, communication cables, signal cables all run on this bridge,” Laga said.

The yard also has about 20,000 feet of drainage designed to move rainwater toward Coney Island Creek while preventing water from flowing back into the facility.

During Sandy, the creek overflowed and connected with storm surge coming from the ocean. The MTA also reinforced the railroad bridge that crosses the waterway, which was repeatedly hit with debris during the storm.

Laga said the storm forced the agency to reconsider the risks posed by rising seas and increasingly severe flooding.

“It was a wake-up call to the MTA,” he said. “When the subway system started, 100 plus years ago, nobody anticipated storm sea level rise, coastal events, or flash flooding.”

For Jordan, the experience helped shape her career in climate education and advocacy. Now, she is a climate education program manager at the National Wildlife Federation.

“It changed everything,” she said. “It put me on the path to not only understanding the climate science, environmental science, but the policies that need to be enacted to help communities really plan for a climate-resilient future.”

The now-completed work at Coney Island Yard is part of MTA’s plan to adapt its systems to flooding threats, intended to protect critical equipment and keep the system operating when the next major storm hits.

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By Elissa Candiotti

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — As nearly 60,000 runners take on the 26.2-mile course of the iconic New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 1, all eyes will be on the finish line. But ask Joanne Navarra and she’ll tell you the real magic happens at the start, where the full spectrum of the human experience unfolds.

“You know, it’s more exciting than the finish because you have everybody at one time, you know, and it’s like an adrenaline rush,” Navarra said.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the marathon’s five-borough course. It’s a milestone that holds special meaning for Navarra, who is celebrating 50 years as the head volunteer at the race’s start village at Fort Wadsworth.

“I would never have thought the first year I was there, I’d still be doing this 50 years later, but I enjoy it,” she said.

On Oct. 24, 1976, as part of New York City’s celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial, the marathon’s starting line moved from Central Park to Staten Island, sending runners across five bridges and through all five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan.

At the time, the event looked nothing like the sprawling start village runners see today — only 2,090 participants took part, paying a $5 entry fee, supported by a small group of volunteers.

“It was like just a local race. You went to Fort Wadsworth and you signed up to run. My husband wanted to run. I said, ‘You’re out of your mind. What are you talking about?'” Navarra recalled. “I said, ‘Well, what am I going to do?’ So I started volunteering and helping them.”

She had no idea the event would ultimately represent the starting line to a new life adventure for her and her husband Victor, a New York City Fire Department lieutenant, for decades to come.

“It just grew bigger and bigger, and our roles grew bigger and bigger,” Navarra said. “And I think it was like maybe after about three years, [race co-founder and organizer] Fred Lebow said, ‘You guys can run the whole start.’ And that’s what we did.”

She’s even competed in the marathon herself a few times — volunteering in the early morning first, and then hustling to the back of the startling line right after.

Over the years, the Navarras helped New York Road Runners transform race-day logistics into a well-coordinated operation. From recruiting volunteers and organizing corrals to directing runners toward the starting line at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, they became integral to getting the race underway.

But race day has never been quite the same for Navarra since Victor died in 2007 from paranasal sinus cancer, which was attributed to his volunteer work at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Continuing their marathon tradition has since become one of the most meaningful ways she honors his legacy.

“I mean, it was like a passion for him. And he loved the start because it was everybody together,” Navarra said. “Up until his dying day, he was going to be at that marathon.”

Attending the marathon was, in fact, one of Victor’s final goals. After doctors gave him just months to live, he made a list of things he wanted to do.

“The last goal was he was going to be at that marathon. Come hell or high water, he was going to be at the marathon,” Navarra said. “And at that marathon he was blind, he had no idea what he looked like, but he was there and he could barely talk. He had said to me, ‘If something happened to me before that just put me on ice.'”

Now, 19 years later, Navarra is still leading the charge. In the days leading up to the race, she’s busy overseeing the construction of the start village area, hosting meetings with volunteers to run through race-day logistics, and distributing trash and donation bags for clean-up in the corrals.

And by 8:30 a.m. on the big day, you can find her 85 feet in the air, perched in the bucket of an FDNY truck overlooking the starting line and sending orders from above despite her fear of heights. She says Victor would’ve gotten a kick out of that.

“He knows how much I hate heights, and I still hate them. I hate even getting on the step ladder, “Navarra said. “I think he’d be proud that I’ve continued to do it, you know, and kept all the relationships going.”

On Nov. 1, as nearly 2,000 volunteers gather at the start village under Navarra’s guidance, it’ll be a celebration not just for the runners but for the woman who’s helped make the starting line a happy place to be for 50 years now, with no finish line in sight.

“You don’t really see a sad face. It’s just nice to see everybody all together and having a good time,” Navarra said.

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By Madeline Bartos

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    GREENE COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Two people are facing charges after a string of copper wire thefts that caused about $200,000 in damage in Greene County, police said.

Pennsylvania State Police on Thursday said troopers in Waynesburg have been investigating numerous burglaries and thefts throughout Greene County over the past six months.

Police said people have been stealing copper wire from cellular tower sites, transformers and other energy supply systems, resulting in about $200,000 in damage.

After an “extensive” investigation, police said troopers executed multiple search and arrest warrants throughout the county on Monday. As a result of the investigation, police said 48-year-old Glen Miller II and 38-year-old Natasha Baker, both of Cumberland Township, were charged in connection with multiple incidents.

Both Miller and Baker are in the Greene County Prison, police said.

AT&T has said on its website that it’s been experiencing “an alarming increase” in copper theft and vandalism impacting its network infrastructure. The company said that the thefts can put people at risk, impacting their ability to call for help in the case of an emergency.

“The Pennsylvania State Police remain committed to investigating crimes that impact critical infrastructure and the communities we serve,” police said in a press release.

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By Tom Dougherty, Ben Payne

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    BUCKS COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Four people were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning in Lower Southampton, Pennsylvania, according to Bucks County dispatch.

Bucks County dispatch told CBS News Philadelphia that first responders responded to a home in the 300 block of Philmont Avenue just after 8 p.m. Thursday.

Four victims were rushed to the hospital, Bucks County dispatch said. They said three dogs and a canary were also affected. The township said all four people were conscious, but didn’t have an update on their conditions.

The source of the carbon monoxide remains under investigation.

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