Author: CNN Newsource

By Ana Medina

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    LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WLEX) — Joseph Curtis has been homeless for almost four years. Instead of just panhandling, he picks up a brush.

Every day, Curtis sets up at the corner of Russell Cave Road and West New Circle Road in Lexington, his 9-month-old dog Bobby by his side, and paints whatever he envisions that day.

“Panhandling out here like this, it breaks a man’s spirit,” Curtis said.

“I started doing this because it don’t make me feel like I’m bumming, you know. I do what I can for, you know, for my dog, for my girlfriend,” Curtis said.

State data shows more than 900 people are experiencing homelessness in Fayette County. Behind the numbers are real people with real stories.

Curtis says he is no fine art master, but he finds meaning in every piece he creates.

“I’m nowhere near Bob Ross, nowhere. That man to me is a God when it comes to paintings,” Curtis said.

He describes one of his paintings as carrying a deeper message.

“It’s more of — there’s a light at the end of the darkness,” Curtis said.

Curtis believes most people who buy his work are motivated by more than just wanting the art itself.

“I think people’s more or less, uh, buying my paintings just to help me out, you know, not because they actually want them,” Curtis said.

When asked about available resources, Curtis expressed frustration.

“They say they got resources. Well, all right, prove it. Quit tearing down buildings that they can get to, you know. Let the homeless use to sleep in,” Curtis said.

He also spoke about how he feels society views people experiencing homelessness.

“The way society looks at homeless people. They look at us like we’re a piece of trash,” Curtis said.

What Curtis says he wants most isn’t sympathy — it’s a chance.

“Give us a helping hand up, not a helping hand out,” Curtis said.

Through every painting he sells, Curtis hopes people see more than his circumstances — they see the person behind them.

Curtis says if anyone wants to purchase his art, you can stop by at the corner of Russell Cave Road and W. New Circle Road, every day.

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 Neal Riley

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    NATICK, Massachusetts (WBZ) — eBay has agreed to pay $55.7 million in a settlement with a Massachusetts couple that was the victim of a bizarre harassment and cyberstalking campaign orchestrated by former employees of the company.

Ina and David Steiner, who run the trade publication ECommerceBytes from their home in Natick, started receiving online threats and upsetting deliveries to their home in 2019, including a bloody pig mask, live spiders and a book on surviving the death of a spouse. Pornographic magazines addressed to David Steiner were purposefully sent to their neighbors, and their home was listed on Craigslist as a nightly destination for “singles, couples and swingers.”

Law enforcement was able to trace a rental van that followed David Steiner one day back to an eBay employee, and in 2020, the Department of Justice charged seven eBay executives and employees with cyberstalking. Some executives even went to prison for their role in the scheme.

Federal prosecutors say leaders at the company were enraged by the couple’s newsletter and critical comments from readers who posted on their website.

“Take her down,” former CEO Devin Wenig texted.

“I want to see ashes. As long as it takes. Whatever it takes,” former chief communications officer Steve Wymer wrote.

The Steiners told “60 Minutes” that they started sleeping in separate rooms so that if someone broke in at night, at least one of them could call police or escape.

“It felt like corporate terrorism because we were terrorized. And it was very calculated. It was very vicious,” Ina Steiner said.

The couple will receive $48.7 million in the settlement, including $2 million from Wenig. eBay will give $6 million to various charities, and Wenig will also donate $1 million to a charity protecting First Amendment rights in Ina Steiner’s name.

eBay, which paid a $3 million criminal penalty in the case in 2024, said in a statement on Tuesday that “we continue to extend our deepest apologies to the Steiners.”

“As we have long stated, what the Steiners were subjected to by former eBay employees in 2019 was wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened,” eBay said. “We condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the employees who perpetrated and pled guilty to criminal charges for the misconduct against Ina and David Steiner.”

Wenig, who has said his “take her down” text referred to a communications strategy, also issued a statement.

“No one should ever have been subjected to what the Steiners endured in 2019, and I’m saddened by it, especially because it occurred during my time as CEO of eBay,” Wenig said. “The harassment was deliberately done in secret and without my knowledge, as established by an independent law firm review, a federal probe, and the sworn testimony of the security employee convicted as the ‘ringleader.'”

Christopher Murphy, the attorney for the Steiners, said in a statement that “this case was always about more than obtaining financial recovery.”

“From the beginning, our clients wanted to uncover the truth, protect journalists and publishers, hold those responsible accountable, deter future corporate misconduct, and help ensure others would never have to endure what they experienced,” Murphy said. “We believe this resolution sends a clear message that corporations and their executives cannot engage in this type of misconduct without facing significant consequences.”

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 WCCO Staff

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — A Minnesota woman who’s a trained legal observer is suing the federal government after she says she faced retaliation for monitoring agents during Operation Metro Surge earlier this year.

One of the four plaintiffs in the suit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, is Richfield resident Nicole Cleland, who told WCCO in February her Global Entry was revoked just three days after an encounter with a Border Patrol agent on Jan. 10, whom she says she was legally following in a vehicle. Cleland, 56, said the agent already knew her name and warned her not to follow him.

“It isn’t about losing that privilege, it is about how I lost the privilege,” Cleland told WCCO earlier this year. “Of those methods in which [the government is] tracking people, which of them are actually legal and how many of them are actually interfering with our privacy and our personal security?”

The defendants in this case are three federal agencies and the men who currently run them: Markwayne Mullin with the Department of Homeland Security, David Venturella with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Rodney Scott with Customs and Border Protection.

Lawyers allege in the filing that the agent’s actions amount to “intimidation and retaliation” regarding Cleland’s First Amendment-protected right to legally observe federal law enforcement.

“Nicole Cleland has self-censored some of her personal communications over electronic media for fear of government surveillance; experiences fear and anxiety each time she travels; and, until she successfully used it as identification at an airport, reasonably feared that in addition to terminating her Trusted Traveler status, the government may have invalidated her passport as well,” the court filing reads.

Cleland says she’s used Global Entry since 2014 and was reapproved in 2024. That status typically lasts for five years.

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 Gio Insignares

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Sophia Maddox, co-director of the Hulu documentary “My Grandfather Charles Manson,” spoke about her deeply personal journey after finding out through a DNA test that her biological grandfather was one of American history’s most infamous criminals.

She says everything began about four years ago, when she received a phone call from her father, who told her that a DNA test identified the grandfather she had never known — Charles Manson.

“I need to understand what happened, no matter where it takes me,” Maddox says in the trailer for the documentary, which tells the emotional tale that shattered her world, as she learns about her family history and their connection to Manson, the cult leader who orchestrated the murder of actress Sharon Tate and six others across Los Angeles in 1969.

“The whole point of this documentary was, yeah, I’m going to face it,” Maddox said, during an interview with Inside Edition. “I’m going to tell the story before anyone else tells my story.”

Maddox says that she was initially in shock at the revelation, terrified that evil was in her family’s blood. The magnitude of the information, paired with a lifelong warning from her father, Daniel, was overwhelming.

“My dad always told me we were cursed growing up,” she said. “Part of the curse was the lies we were being told and not knowing who we came from.”

While speaking with CBS LA, she said that her father kept them from watching “dark,” or violent shows and movies. When she first guessed who her grandfather was, Maddox says she thought it may have been Ted Bundy.

“He said, ‘Bigger,'” Maddox recalled. “I just thought of ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,'” and I was like, ‘What’s that guy’s name?’ and I Googled the name, cause I didn’t know what he looked like and I kinda saw a resemblance within my dad there.”

During the filmmaking process, Maddox says that her relationship with her father became strained. It still hasn’t healed.

“I regret calling you my daughter,” Maddox’s father can be heard saying at one point in the film. “I don’t ever want to talk to you again.”

She says that her investigation into who Manson was drove the two apart, but she’s still hopeful they can reconcile.

“He completely blocked me from his life. I have him unblocked; he can come to me anytime he wants. But, you know, I’ve got no hard feelings or animosity,” Maddox said.

Ultimately, she looks at the project as a means of moving on and setting herself free from her family’s darkest secret so she can take her life into her own hands.

“You don’t have to be related to the most infamous criminal to relate to needing to break generational cycles and traumas and do the work and go to therapy,” Maddox said. “So, I hope people can relate in some capacity.”

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 Haley Zarcone

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    BRADENTON, Florida (WFTS) — More than 150 residents remain scattered across assisted living facilities throughout the Tampa Bay area three days after a partial roof collapse forced an emergency evacuation at Aviata at Bradenton Villas early Sunday morning.

Family members and advocates say loved ones have been placed in facilities as far south as Englewood and as far north as New Port Richey — with medical records, wheelchairs and personal belongings still trapped inside the damaged building.

On Monday, Tampa Bay 28 observed engineers walking the property on behalf of the City of Bradenton, assessing the structural damage. But for families like George Mendez, the focus isn’t just on the building — it’s on getting critical documents and equipment their loved ones need.

Mendez, who holds power of attorney for 93-year-old Alfred Perani, came to the facility Monday after repeated phone calls to Aviata Health Group went unanswered.

“You can’t get through to anybody. So I’m glad I came because I talked to a fireman. He put me in touch with somebody,” Mendez said. “So finally, but it’s very frustrating.”

Perani, who has been a resident at Aviata at Bradenton Villas for three years, was evacuated to a facility in Palm Harbor. Mendez found an available bed at another facility in Bradenton to bring his friend closer to home — but says he can’t complete the transfer without Perani’s medical records.

“They have some beds available. And she gave me a list of paperwork they needed. But I called and called. Nobody answers their phone, so I came and they won’t let you in,” Mendez said. “And the lady at Westminster said that you’re the 7th person that’s called us from there, and it’s a first come, first serve basis, and they’re having the same problem you are.”

Adding to his frustration, Mendez says Perani’s section of the building wasn’t even affected by the roof collapse.

“What I find a problem with is that the section that Alford was in was not affected by the roof. They’re all walking through there and eating in there, but they won’t let me go into his room and get his things, and I don’t know why not,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get his things. His wheelchair’s in there that I bought for him, and he’s going to need that chair.”

In a joint statement released Monday, the City of Bradenton and Manatee County provided new details about why the Fire Marshal ordered the emergency evacuation.

Officials say the partial roof collapse compromised multiple building systems essential to safe operation, including fire protection, electrical and air conditioning systems. Damage to critical support areas necessary for resident care, combined with the inability to safely complete a full structural assessment during the emergency, made it unsafe for residents to remain.

The emergency response involved the City of Bradenton Fire Department, Manatee County Public Safety and Emergency Medical Services, and multiple regional partners. All 157 residents were evacuated by approximately 4 a.m. Sunday.

The City of Bradenton is in charge of the building assessment. A city spokesperson confirmed that city officials and the Fire Marshal were on-site at Aviata Monday, along with flooding and restoration specialists.

According to the joint statement, the property owner’s structural engineer is responsible for evaluating the building, and any determination regarding the cause of the collapse will be based on that evaluation.

Following the evacuation, Aviata resumed responsibility for the care of its residents, including communication with families and coordination of any subsequent movement of residents.

The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) is conducting site visits at the facilities where residents were relocated as part of its state regulatory oversight.

However, officials say all inquiries regarding individual residents — including their current locations, family notifications or subsequent relocations — must be directed to Aviata. Due to HIPAA and other privacy requirements, agencies involved in the emergency response cannot provide protected information regarding individual residents.

For the second day in a row Monday, Tampa Bay 28 attempted to reach Aviata Health Group to ask about communication concerns raised by families. The company’s mailbox was full.

Until a dedicated communication line is established by Aviata, families seeking information may contact Aviata through its general information number at 800-781-9593, according to the joint statement from city and county officials.

“We recognize how important it is for families to know where their loved ones are and receive accurate information,” the statement reads. “As additional contact information is provided by Aviata or AHCA, we will share it to help connect families with the appropriate resources.”

There is no timeline yet for when families might be able to access belongings inside the building or when residents might be able to return to the facility.

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 Mythili Gubbi

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    WASHINGTON TERRACE, Utah (KSTU) — Neighbors in a Weber County neighborhood are relieved to be back home after they had to evacuate because of a fast-moving fire that burned right up to homes.

Washington Terrace city manager Tom Hanson said the Adams Fire burned 45 acres, and all evacuations were lifted around 5:30 p.m. He said about 250 homes were evacuated as a precaution. A home and trailer were damaged. A civilian and a Weber County Sheriff’s Office deputy were both burned by the fire. The condition of the civilian is unknown, while the deputy was treated for minor injuries and released soon after.

Kevin Cundick lives in the neighborhood and was one of those evacuated. He said he was by the ridgeline and saw the flames get very close, as seen in the video below.

“The fire approaches really rapidly and it just quickly came over the head,” Cundick said.

He is a former firefighter and found himself on the other side of this fire.

“I was thinking, what can I do to help here?” he recalled. “I have seen that exact situation before, and it is scary all the time.”

Crews from the Weber Fire District, Riverdale Fire, Mountain Green Fire, South Weber Fire District, and many other agencies helped put out the fire.

Zeline Ramirez lives about two blocks from the fire. She was evacuated and spent time at the temporary shelter at the senior center.

“It got hard when it got really brown, and then there was like a north wind, and it was blowing it toward our house, and it was just like smoke, and we could see little bit of ash come down,” she said.

Neighbors who were not evacuated, but could see the smoke around them, came by to help. Jordan Smith, who lives in Riverdale, has been evacuated from his home because of a fire in the past, so he dropped off crates of water at the senior center.

“We noticed all these people getting evacuated. We thought, ‘What can we do to help?’ This is a stressful time, time when people are worried about their homes, pets, what’s going to happen, when they can get back in,” he said.

Washington Terrace Mayor Mark Allen said he could understand what his neighbors were dealing with.

“I was forced to evacuate,” he said at a press conference. “And I’ll tell you, that’s an eerie feeling. I just encourage everybody, no matter where you are, if you are encouraged to evacuate, please evacuate.”

Cundick said he’s so thankful for all the crews who showed up to make sure they could go home safely.

“Without them, it would have been a different day,” he 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.