Author: CNN Newsource

By Chloe Godding

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    JOHNSON COUNTY, Kansas (KMBC) — Newly released court documents are shedding light on a 3-year-old’s death after she was found unresponsive in a hot car in Johnson County, Kansas.

Tyler Pence was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child endangerment after he was accused of leaving the 3-year-old and a younger child in a hot car on Sept. 3, 2025. Pence was arrested in April 2026.

According to an affidavit, Pence called 911 at 5:22 p.m. on Sept. 3 and told dispatchers that his daughter was not breathing.

Deputies responded to eastbound K-10 Highway in Johnson County and found Pence’s 2019 Buick Encore with all the windows down.

A 3-year-old girl was unresponsive in a car seat in the backseat, according to court documents. She was reportedly pale and covered in sweat.

A 2-year-old boy also appeared unresponsive in the backseat. Deputies gently shook him, and he responded lethargically.

Despite efforts by medical crews, the 3-year-old was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. The 2-year-old was hospitalized.

Pence told law enforcement officers that he had left his Overland Park residence at 4 p.m. and drove toward Lawrence to look at apartments. He said he and the children had been driving around for 20 minutes, according to court documents. Pence said he did not work that morning and that the children had been with him the whole time.

Deputies noted the vehicle’s air conditioning was turned on low with the fan at full blast. They also noticed that Pence did not appear to be sweating, according to court documents.

Investigators began work to figure out what happened leading up to the girl’s death.

They determined via a weather report that the lowest temperature recorded from 3 p.m. to 5:18 p.m. on Sept. 3 was 85 degrees. A medical examiner said conditions in the vehicle could have reached up to 130 degrees, according to court documents.

Detectives spoke with Pence’s colleagues, who said he showed up for his normal shift, which was 3 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., on Sept. 3. One of those colleagues told detectives that they had told Pence to go home that day because he had been sick, but he said he wanted to start his shift and get everyone organized before leaving.

Surveillance of entrances and exits showed that Pence arrived for work at 2:59 p.m. and got into his vehicle at 5:19 p.m. Surveillance video at a nearby gas station showed Pence purchasing a snack and two kids’ drinks just before that shift, consistent with what was found in the vehicle.

Based on security footage, detectives allege in the affidavit that Pence left the young children in the car, which was not running and had the windows rolled up, for 139 minutes.

Detectives spoke with other parties throughout the investigation, including a babysitter, who said she told Pence she could not watch the kids on Sept. 3. Another person told detectives that at a family gathering on Aug. 29, she told Pence that she wasn’t working at the moment and could watch the kids if he needed. At that time, Pence reportedly wrote down his work schedule, including Sept. 3.

During a formal interview, Pence reportedly told detectives the air conditioning had been out in his vehicle and he had not been able to get it fixed. He said that he had left his place around 4 p.m. to look at apartments.

Detectives said a license plate reader captured him on K-10 at 2:48 p.m. Pence then apologized, according to court documents, and said it could have been 3 p.m. He again said he did not work and was off that day.

The 2-year-old was transferred to a standard pediatrics room in the hospital in October 2025. Court documents did not include the 3-year-old’s exact cause of death.

Pence’s next court hearing is scheduled for July 6.

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 Abel Garcia

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    LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Triple-digit temperatures are hitting Southern Nevada before summer has even officially started, and the people who spend their days outside are already feeling the impact.

Asphalt at a shopping center on the corner of Charleston and Rancho measured 136 degrees, while bus stops in the area were registering between 120 and 130 degrees — conditions that workers and transit riders are navigating every day.

A worker with a cleaning services company at the shopping center said the heat this year feels more intense than usual. He and his crew take a 10-minute break every 40 minutes, stepping into the shade or into their cars with the air conditioning running.

“It’s been very hot,” said Martha Rando, a regular bus rider.

Rando waited nearly an hour at one of those scorching bus stops for her bus to arrive.

“About an hour. It was an hour. I was an hour late for the appointments,” Rando said.

Pool plastering worker Erick Calderon said the extreme heat forces his crew to shift their schedule.

“We usually work like one, like we say just one hour difference earlier,” Calderon said.

Calderon said proper preparation is essential for anyone working outdoors.

“Our sombrero and our long sleeve shirts for the sun because without long sleeves….you would get burned,” Calderon said.

Calderon said the heat is no joke and urged everyone to dress appropriately, stay hydrated and wear plenty of sunscreen.

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada told me it has secured a $750,000 federal grant to launch a program called “Let’s Go Prepared.” Over the next two years, the program will work to make the transit system more resilient to extreme weather. On Tuesday, the RTC’s Summer Heat Team was out at bus stops distributing water bottles to help riders stay cool.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KTNV 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 Jarah Wright

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    LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Should spousal privilege be lifted so a possible murder confession can be admitted in court?

That’s what prosecutors are asking a judge, according to new court documents.

This all stems from an incident in November 2024. Las Vegas police received a report from the officer manager of an HOA who was concerned that she hadn’t seen resident 68-year-old Monique Gilbertson in at least a week, that Gilbertson lived alone with her dogs and birds, and an unknown vehicle was parked in front of her house.

When officers arrived at the home, court documents state officers knocked on the front door for over 45 minutes with no response. However, after they saw several dogs and excrement, they contacted a locksmith to remove the lock on the outer screen door and Daniel/Jazzlyn Roush opened the inner door. Officers also discovered Gina Lopez inside the home.

As officers searched the home, court records state officers looked “anywhere a person could be or a body could be.” They found a locked deep storage chest freezer that was covered in “blankets, towels, and junk.” The locksmith was called to open it and officers found Gilbertson wrapped in a tarp.

“It appeared to LVMPD officers that Gilbertson had been there for quite some time as her body was completely frozen, showing signs of frostbite, and smelled as if the body had begun to decompose,” court records state in part.

In addition to finding Gilbertson, records state police also found methamphetamine, fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder and various drug paraphernalia.

During an interview with police, the officer manager told officers about a conversation she had with Gilbertson. Gilbertson said she met a transgender person, later identified as Roush, at Home Depot and she wanted to help Roush by letting them stay with her, records state.

“Within one week of Roush moving in, problems emerged. Gilbertson complained Roush was a filthy/messy person, and many of Gilbertson’s belongings mysteriously went missing. Drug paraphernalia also started to appear throughout the house,” court records read in part. “Gilbertson decided to contact a lawyer friend about eviction. Ultimately, Gilbertson kicked Roush out and changed the locks.”

That’s a different story than what Roush told police.

According to court records, Roush told officers that Gilbertson was “someone who used cocaine, opiates, and pain pills, and was also taking Ozempic.” They also said while Gilbertson briefly threatened to evict them, they had resolved those issues.

Roush said a week before Halloween, he returned to the house and found Gilbertson “slumped back in a chair in the ‘bird room’ with her head and arms hanging limp, rigid to the touch.” They also claimed there was powder and a straw on a nearby dining table, which Roush assumed was cocaine. Rather than call 911, Roush “panicked” and “claimed to be extremely afraid that, as someone who had recently moved in and had conflicts with Gilbertson, Roush would be suspected of causing Gilbertson’s death.”

They also state the next day, his wife, later identified as Lopez, wrapped Gilbertson in a tarp, emptied the freezer and placed the body inside. Roush also told officers they locked the freezer and cleaned up the drug paraphernalia, according to court records.

In an interview with detectives, Lopez told officers she had been married to Roush for about 16 years, and while they weren’t divorced, they had not been living together for years. She said Roush had come back into her life a month before Gilbertson’s death.

Lopez told officers that she and Roush used methamphetamine and that Roush dealt drugs as their “sole means to make money and had been supplying Gilbertson with cocaine and fentanyl.”

While Lopez initially told officers that she had nothing to do with placing Gilbertson in the freezer, court records show officers found Lopez’s DNA on a towel inside the freezer and Gilbertson’s identification was in Lopez’s purse.

According to records, detectives “also confronted Lopez with anonymous tips alleging that she had not only supplied drugs to Gilbertson but had also smothered her.” Lopez initially denied those claims but disclosed that “Roush had told her, during the car ride to the residence on the night of the arrest, that Gilbertson had been overdosing in her chair and that Roush had smothered her with a pillow because she panicked and did not want to be blamed for the overdose.”

Lopez then admitted to grabbing Gilbertson by the ankles while Roush took her under the arms and that together they placed Gilbertson into the freezer,” records state.

The question is if those admissions will be allowed in court due to spousal privilege.

In Nevada, spousal privilege protects married couples from being forced to testify against each other, either through testimony or protecting private, confidential conversations during marriage. There are certain exceptions. For example, spouses suing each other in civil court cases and juvenile or family court proceedings to protect children from abuse or neglect.

Prosecutors are asking the court to rule that spousal privilege doesn’t apply in this case because while the two are legally married, “they have been irreconcilably separated for numerous years.” They also argue spousal privilege does not apply because they fall under the crime-fraud exception, which allows such communications.

Court records show that Judge Tierra Jones has set an evidentiary hearing to discuss the matter on Thursday.

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 Colette Bordelon

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    DENVER (KMGH) — In the final days of the 2026 legislative session, two Colorado mothers are taking a stand for their sons who were killed by police through a bill they believe will help other families in the future.

Senate Bill 26-190 would require law enforcement agencies share recordings of deadly encounters involving civilians with their families before the public. In addition, it would implement protocols around investigations worked by several agencies, and restrict attorneys or officers from making statements that could “prejudice legal proceedings.”

Basic information like charges, public records, investigation status, and arrest details could still be shared publicly.

According to State Senate President James Coleman, D-District 33, this concept has been in the works since the beginning of the year.

“The bill ultimately does two things in the name of transparency. One is making sure that families can get access to body cam footage in a reasonable amount of time, as well as some kind of communication from the department where the interaction happened with law enforcement and the individual,” Coleman said. “I want to be clear: This bill was way bigger than that in the beginning. There’s a lot of issues that we need to address when it comes to relationships between law enforcement and community. But, we thought this is a great start.”

SB26-190 would require law enforcement agencies proactively provide relevant video and audio recordings when officers kill a person to their immediate family within 21 days of the incident.

A family member could decline viewing or listening to such recordings.

In addition, families would have to be notified of their right to view the footage at least 72 hours before it is released to the public.

“We just want to make sure that the measures are in place, so that in the case of something unfortunate happening, that families can get information. You get clarity,” said Coleman. “We know that it’s not going to necessarily be the perfect solution, but it’s a solution that gets us a better outcome for the families.”

Those unedited recordings would be available to anyone upon request, but only after that 21-day family notification period has ended.

Within the first day of any use-of-force incidents where a person is killed, law enforcement agencies must update all known immediate family members of the victim on the current status of the investigation and inform them of every agency that is part of the investigation.

Coleman believes the bill, which is being run by Democratic lawmakers, will pass out of both chambers before the end of the session.

“I’m the Senate President. Not the president of the Democrats or Republicans or the Black community only, but I am Black, and have a responsibility to people who look like me to make sure that I’m running these policies that impact — not just us — we believe everybody will be impacted by this in a positive way,” said Coleman. “The folks who need some kind of direction in terms of how they better communicate with families and body cam footage when it comes to these incidents, they’ll have a blueprint to utilize.”

LaRonda Jones understands the pain of losing a loved one at the hands of law enforcement.

“There’s no backing down. There’s no moving aside,” Jones said. “I’m standing strongly until this fight is completely over, until we get justice for my son, Kylin Lewis, and to let the officers know that things are about to change.”

Kilyn Lewis, 37, was unarmed when he was shot and killed by an Aurora SWAT officer in May of 2024.

“I cannot watch the body cam footage because I don’t want to see the last things that my son did — because of our closeness, our relationship — I want to see remember him in the peaceful moments that we had,” Jones explained. “For other families that would like to see the full scope what happened to their loved one, what this bill, 190, does for them… Whatever the case may be, they’ll be able to see what happened in those moments.”

Jones, alongside Veronica Seabron, came to the Colorado State Capitol to watch SB26-190 during its second reading on the Senate floor on Friday.

“You lose a loved one, time keeps going, but in your heart, the time stops,” Seabron said.

Her son, 23-year-old Jalin Seabron, was shot and killed by a Douglas County deputy when responding to a shooting inside the Main Event in Highlands Ranch in Feb. of 2025.

“I wanted to see the footage. I never heard anything back from the police until I actually got an attorney. And then once I got an attorney, then they allowed me to go to the police station to see the video with my attorney,” Seabron said. “Me and my attorney saw the video, but the public didn’t, so I felt like I was the only one who knew what really happened before all the speculations were put out.”

Seabron believes SB26-190 will give future families the ability to see that footage, if they would like to, in a timely manner.

“This bill would be fantastic for other mothers to not just start from square one,” said Seabron. “It’s been a wound that you have to reopen in order for people in society, for the public to see what is actually fair, what is fair for the living victims that are left.”

The families have worked closely with MiDian Shofner, the CEO of the Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership, on the legislation. Shofner said SB26-190 exemplifies practical, not just conceptual, legislation.

“The opportunity and the transparency that will come through this legislation is something that I don’t think we’ve seen in modern time,” Shofner said. “While we didn’t agree on everything, I have to applaud the legislators for holding the line to making sure that it was the families that were prioritized to ensure that we are not talking just about intent, but we are actually talking about and holding expectancy of impact.”

Shofner said SB26-190 is the first step in a “comprehensive legislative proposal” that is now taking shape.

In the first hearing for SB26-190, Republican lawmakers on the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee voted against advancing the legislation.

State Sen. Rod Pelton, a Republican who represents District 35, provided a statement to Denver7 explaining his position. Pelton said the bill is “another example of government rushing to politicize law enforcement,” and that the proposal “risks undermining due process, compromising active investigations, and fueling public outrage before all the facts are known.”

Read the full statement from Pelton here:

This bill (SB26-190) is another example of government rushing to politicize law enforcement instead of supporting the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities. This bill risks undermining due process, compromising active investigations, and fueling public outrage before all the facts are known. Colorado families want safer streets and accountability, but they also want fairness and respect for the rule of law. I stand with law enforcement officers who deserve the same presumption of innocence and protections afforded to every citizen.

State Sen. Rod Pelton, R — District 35

The Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police has concerns with portions of the bill they believe could “create legal ambiguity and unintentionally discourage timely, factual communication with the public during critical moments.” The organization told Denver7 they support the goal of transparency for families and communities after such incidents and are working alongside lawmakers to ensure the legislation reflects that.

“Police chiefs have a responsibility to support thorough investigations while also helping keep their communities informed and safe. Clear communication helps prevent misinformation, reduce unnecessary community tension and provide important context,” a spokesperson for the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police said in a statement. “Our focus remains on ensuring any legislation strengthens transparency for families and communities without undermining public communication, transparency or community safety.”

In Colorado, Senate Bill 20-217 implemented an increased use of body-worn cameras. The following year, House Bill 21-1250 adjusted that original legislation, clarifying when body-worn cameras or dash cameras should be activated and setting certain provisions around how the footage is released.

SB26-190 has passed out of the Senate and is heading to the House of Representatives for consideration. There is no estimated cost to the state.

The 2026 legislative session ends on Wednesday.

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 Maggy Wolanske

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    DENVER (KMGH) — Goalies across the NHL have found unique ways to share their personality on their protective gear. Transforming their goalie masks with symbols and signs that fans have turned to love.

Colorado Avalanche Scott Wedgewood has burgundy and blue all over his helmet with designs of his daughter as Baby Peach and his two dogs. These helmet designs are not just for the pros; local youth proudly showcase their personalities and the motivation to play.

Scott Sage, a visual arts teacher at Trails West Elementary and die-hard Avs fan, transforms blank hockey masks into personalized artwork.

“It’s different working on helmets, just taking things from a 2-D aspect, or that’s just the design to putting it on to a 3-D surface,” said Sage. “I think it’s just, I don’t know, there’s something about just watching it come to life. I think the fun part for me is actually getting to sit down with the kids and actually ask them, like, what do you want it to look like?”

Working at Trails West Elementary is a full-circle moment for Sage, who attended the school. He remembers when his current classroom was a kindergarten room where he was picked up as a student outside.

“Both my parents were teachers growing up, so I always kind of knew that’s the route that I was going to take,” said Sage. “I love working with kids, and so getting my first full year in has just been unbelievable, and getting to know the kids really well.”

While art is one passion, hockey is another. He’s not only a proud Avalanche fan but also plays goalie and is thrilled with how the team is playing so far.

“Oh, I’m stoked, it’s eerily familiar to 2022, but I feel like we’re even stronger, especially with our goalies, and I think the lumber yard is the best in the league,” Sage said.

He has noticed the storytelling ability of hockey masks, where players can have their personalities shine on the ice through their gear.

One of the masks displays two wolves and is proudly worn by Amelia Howser. She described the special meaning this design has.

“I did wolves because they symbolize courageousness and relentlessness, and they symbolize what a goalie is actually like being about,” said Howser. “I picked ‘howler’ cause I grew up loving wolves. Me and my grandfather always used to howl at the moon every time I went over to his house, and he started calling me ‘howler.'”

While Sage has designed several goalie masks, the ones worn by his former students hold special meaning and are a reminder of the heart in hockey.

“Ultimately, that’s what you want to do as a teacher,” said Sage. “You want to leave marks on the kids and hope that when they leave, when they’re older, they still remember you and stuff like that. This is one way that they’re going to remember me as long as they’re wearing it, so I think that’s huge.”

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 Colin Riley

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    BOULDER, Colorado (KMGH) — For City of Boulder firefighter Nikki Mastriona, joining the fire service meant stepping into a world where men made up the overwhelming majority of her colleagues.

“I think naturally we all feel that way, coming into a male dominated industry,” Mastriona said. “7% of the nation’s firefighters are women, and so it’s extremely intimidating.”

The intimidation often starts early — in training. Gear, tools and physical tests are typically designed with a one-size-fits-all approach that can make it harder for women to succeed.

“There was only so much that they could tell me, and so I had to do a lot of figuring this stuff out on my own in a lot of days. It was really daunting,” Mastriona said.

When she struggled to find resources tailored for women, Mastriona decided to create her own. The result is Built For The Badge, a complete platform aimed at preparing women for careers in firefighting, emergency medical services, law enforcement and the military.

“I came up with the idea that I wanted everything to be in one place,” Mastriona said.

According to Mastriona, the site offers physical training plans, written exam study guides, a national job board and a mentor network. It will soon be available as a mobile app.

“There’s no guesswork on what you need to be doing to prepare you to get into the fire service and then all the way up to retirement,” she said.

The program has already reached women across the country, including firefighter and EMT April Ziviello in Pennsylvania.

“Learning from guys, it’s, you know, they give great advice, but at the end of the day, I can’t do it the same way that they do,” Ziviello said.

Ziviello says shorter women face unique challenges. “The shorter girls have to work even harder, because nothing is our size. The gear doesn’t fit us. The air packs are huge on us,” she said.

“I think it’s going to open up the door to a lot more connections for women in general,” Ziviello said. “And I think it’s super important that we realize that there are other people out there like us.”

Boulder firefighter Rory Loveridge agrees the public benefits when fire crews reflect the communities they serve.

“If the community that you serve is they see themselves represented in you, then that makes them feel more comfortable and ultimately leads to a better service,” Loveridge said.

The launch of Built For The Badge comes at a time when Colorado fire departments face staffing struggles. Denver7 recently reported the state needs more than 2,000 firefighters and millions of dollars in new equipment to keep up with demand. Recruiting more women could help fill those gaps.

It also comes in the wake of concerns about poorly fitting gear for female firefighters. In 2022, Denver7 profiled a Fort Collins duo working to design uniforms for women in wildland firefighting. Built For The Badge offers training that accounts for women’s body mechanics, physiology and menstrual cycle-based performance.

“The biggest thing that we’re trying to drive home is that women… it’s not that they’re not capable. They just don’t have the resources,” Mastriona said.

“We don’t ever want to lower the standards in this field,” she added. “You know, they’re there for a reason, and so we just want to make sure that we’re training women up to that standard, and supporting them.”

Mastriona plans to expand Built for the Badge to police and military prep in future phases — with the ultimate goal of making it a resource departments can offer directly to recruits.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KMGH 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 Alex Dowd

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — Artificial intelligence is creeping into nearly every aspect of life, including one of the most sensitive: healthcare. A Tucson-based tech company is using AI to make pregnancy a safer process for women.

The Journey Pregnancy App from Emagine Solutions Technology helps women track medical markers during and after pregnancy. Now, they’re asking Arizonans to try it out in a new study where the app connects to wearable technology, such as smartwatches or blood pressure monitors.

“Because people have been doing it forever, there’s a perception that that means it’s safe for everyone, and it never has been,” said Sharon Thompson, a longtime physician and Science Advisor for Emagine Solutions Technology.

Thompson says the United States is lagging behind other similarly developed nations in maternal safety. For every 100,000 births in the U.S. in 2024, there were 17.9 deaths. That rate rises for black and indigenous women.

“One of the problems in the United States is that our maternal mortality rate and also morbidity— meaning complications in pregnancy—is way too high,” Thompson said.

As a two-time survivor of preeclampsia, Emagine founder and CEO Courtney Williams is no stranger to the dangers of pregnancy. Her own experience inspired her to create the Journey App.

“I didn’t want anybody else to go through that,” She said. “I didn’t have visibility into my blood pressure trends. I didn’t ask a lot of questions. If I’d had something to monitor my symptoms, I would’ve been able to see the trends.”

The app offers regular check-ins on a user’s blood pressure, heart rate and other health markers with the option to track overall mood or count the kicks a patient feels.

If any of the markers lean outside of a normal range, the app sends a notification first to check again, then to head to a doctor.

“I think people sometimes need the push, the sort of permission to seek medical help,” Williams said. “Especially women when we’re caring for other people other than ourselves.”

Once at the doctor, the Journey app can help patients log and bring up concerns while helping doctors narrow in on any irregularities that may have come up between visits, since Thompson says the average check-up runs around or under 15 minutes.

“You don’t live with a doctor, so there are times when you are home, and there’s a week or two or four between you and your next visit. Things can happen in those times.”

For those in-between times, Journey’s AI doula Aria can answer questions any time of the day or night, backed by thousands of meticulously researched articles.

The app has been around for a few years. Williams says over 45% of their users reported feeling safer during pregnancy.

Now, the Emagine team is looking to expand the Journey app’s reach by conducting a study with funding from the Arizona Commerce Authority to provide health tech bundles to women in Arizona to monitor their experiences during pregnancy with a Fitbit and a blood pressure monitor.

They’re accepting participants on a first-come, first-served basis.

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 Ryan Hill

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    SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — While gas prices have dipped ever so slightly from one day to the next in San Diego, it’s still hitting people’s wallets to gas up their cars.

“July will be nine years in business, and we serve healthy comfort food,” Ari Behbahani, co-owner of The Go-Go Truck, said. “We go all around the county. We don’t have a set location. We come here quite often, a few times a month, and we actually do the scheduling for it for the food trucks, and we do a lot of catering, basically wherever the money’s at.”

But when that impact starts to hit your business and your livelihood, it starts to hit a little bit harder.

“It’s been pretty rough. This gets eight miles to the gallon, so if you can imagine, that’s not great gas mileage and during COVID-19, I think it was in 2022, we saw a jump that was kind of similar to this,” Behbahani said. “And then we were very happy when it went down, and then now it’s just kind of every week has just been kind of getting worse and kicking our butts.”

Behbahani told ABC 10News that, depending on where they’re going, filling up a full tank for the truck is $200 when the truck is on empty.

“I would say once a week, we’re filling up, but that’s like $150, and then we have our propane, which is also going up, and then gas for the generator.”

That $150 weekly cost used to cost $120, according to the food truck owner.

Behbahani said the cost of food, including beef, has also gone up as gas prices have risen. It’s resulted in a small increase for their entrées.

But there’s another thing she’s having to overcome while battling the prices of gas.

“I have a breast cancer diagnosis, and it runs in my family,” Behbahani said. “Healthcare costs aren’t low either, so it’s kind of coming at us from both ends. Just trying to take it one day at a time and, like I said, hopefully by the time I’m out of convalescence that the gas prices maybe come down a little bit.”

While Behbahani’s in the midst of a fight for her business and her life, she’s serving up a message for everyone during these trying times.

“I think we’ve kind of probably all noticed that people are on edge and they’re all getting hammered from all directions on all accounts, and I think just being kind to one another is really the biggest thing we can all do,” Behbahani 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.