Author: CNN Newsource

By Ubah Ali

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — In the heart of Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, DFL lawmakers condemned attacks on the Somali community while addressing the growing fear and arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Almost every person living here is a citizen,” said state Sen. Zaynab Mohamed.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, data shows over 107,000 people identified as Somali across the state. A majority of them live in the Twin Cities.

Many Somali families fled civil war, seeking an opportunity and a brighter future for their children, including Sumeya Mohamud’s family.

“I was born in Kenya, grew up here, went through schooling from kindergarten to now college here in Minnesota,” Mohamud said. “This is all I know.”

She says her parents’ struggle paved the way for her to shine. Next semester, she will graduate college with her nursing degree, eager and determined to give back to the community.

Despite the political rhetoric, she’s grateful to be Somali and American.

“One thing my parents taught me was resilience, not letting others’ perception of you limit what you can do for yourself,” she said.

Ahmed Yusuf knows that resilience, too. He left Somalia in the late ’80s, unable to read. Today, he’s an author. In 2012, he wrote “Somalis in Minnesota,” a book detailing the experiences of Somali immigrants and why they chose Minnesota. Back then, he says about 50,000 Somalis called the state home. Today, that number has doubled.

But the stories he shared in the book are still the stories today. The challenges and triumphs of a community — each person with their own story of survival, perseverance and hope as they chase the American dream.

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By Ashley Sharp

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    ANTELOPE, California (KOVR) — A Sacramento County dog picked up thousands of miles from home after he went missing five years ago was reunited with his family on Wednesday.

“He disappeared from the neighborhood and the owner kept searching for him, but could not find him,” said Cindy with Helping Paws and Claws.

Choco’s family had no idea where he was because he went missing from his home in Antelope in 2021.

He turned up near Detroit, Michigan, tied to a fence. No one knows how he got there, more than 2,000 miles from home.

“He was sheltered at the Lincoln Park Animal Shelter,” Cindy said. “They were kind enough to get him to the vet and get him all of his vaccinations.”

His rescue is all thanks to a microchip and the dedicated California group, Helping Paws and Claws.

“As a retired animal control officer, we have tried to impress upon people how important microchipping your pets are and registering that animal that microchip, and this is proof positive that microchipping works and this is why he’s coming home today,” Cindy said.

It also took a little help from strangers, like Pam, who donated her SkyMiles for the flight.

“I actually contacted Penny before I contacted my husband to see if it was okay to give our miles to fly Penny and the dog,” Pam said.

So Choco hopped aboard a flight and after a short drive home, his new life feels all too familiar.

Choco’s owners in Antelope had nearly given up hope they’d ever see him again.

“The reason why he would get out a lot is because he would get out a lot with his previous family,” Choco’s owner, Patricia, said. “As soon as he arrived, I found out he is an escape artist and after five years of having him, he finally got out and disappeared.”

“Shocked,” Patricia said. “I called the number, ‘You’re talking about Lincoln, California, right? No, Lincoln, Michigan.'”

The question is how in the world Choco became a nomadic traveler.

“Microchip your dogs,” Patricia said. “With the holidays and the extreme cold, a story like mine can be your story next.”

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By LeeAnn Huntoon, Stewart Moore

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    BREVARD COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office announced a “major drug and explosive devices arrest” of 26-year-old Maxwell Horvath on Wednesday.

Described by the sheriff as “breaking bad on steroids, authorities found dozens of high-powered rifles and handguns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, grenade simulators, and five improvised explosive devices.

About 92,000 pounds of a substance removed from kratom, which makes a substance called 7-OH, which is 15 times more potent than morphine, was also found.

Back in 2017, Horvath served two years of federal probation for charges related to explosive devices and drug possession. The sheriff’s office said Horvath now faces a lot more, including pending federal indictments.

Horvath is behind bars, and the sheriff said they are still working on the specific charges he will face.

BCSO credited the successful arrest to the work of its agents and partners, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Palm Bay Police Department.

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By Olivia Young

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    THORTON, Colorado (KCNC) — A Colorado cow sanctuary needs help, now more than ever.

On Oct. 29, more than $20,000 of equipment was stolen from Pay & Friends Inc. in Thornton.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says it has no leads on who could have done it, leaving the nonprofit to pick up the pieces.

“Babies! Are you ready?” Gwen Buehler calls to her seven cows, who she calls “the babies.”

Every day, Buehler feeds the cows four bales of hay.

“Throw it down, let me cut it, and then we can flake it and toss it in,” said Buehler.

Lately, the work has been harder since Buehler arrived to find an outbuilding door that had been locked, open.

“My heart just dropped, my stomach dropped, and I thought somebody’s been in there. So I opened it up, and sure enough, a lot of our farm tools were stolen that night,” said Buehler.

Thieves took more than $20,000 worth of equipment, including nearly all of the nonprofit’s farm tools and their ATV.

“That’s a huge tool for us to be able to move that grass around,” said Buehler. “We have a lot to do during snow, during summer. Each season has its challenges.”

The loss has made it tough to take care of the cows.

“It takes a lot more manpower, woman power,” Buehler said.

“Just trying to save up, because it’s feed season, they eat more,” she continued. “It’s about $1,600 to $1,800 a month just to keep them fed.”

Palani is the cow who started it all. After becoming vegan in 2017, Buehler rescued him from a dairy farm, where male calves are often killed shortly after birth.

“It was important to me to be able to rescue a bull calf, to save his life,” Buehler said. “Not have him end up in the discard pile.”

Buehler says female cows meet the same fate in the industry once they stop producing milk.

“The mama cows are always pregnant or nursing or lactating, and each time they have a baby, it’s taken from their mom so that they can produce milk for humans,” Buehler said.

From there, she rescued six more cows, and the nonprofit Pay & Friends Inc. was born.

“We really just took all of them from an end-of-life, which would have been the slaughterhouse,” she said.

Now the cows’ lives consist of daily feedings and educational visits from groups like the Denver Rescue Mission youth program.

“They got to take fresh fruits and vegetables home, they were so excited. And then they got to feed cows, and a lot of the kids had never seen a cow before, so that was kind of cool to see,” said Asha Leos, youth and family coordinator at the Denver Rescue Mission. “Then we got to come here and volunteer as well and help Gwen with moving hay bales, breaking down boxes, and the kids kind of turned it into a playground.”

“Homelessness is something a child should never have to experience,” Leos continued. “So getting to just be outside, be in fresh air, and be surrounded by an environment that’s full of love and joy, that’s the best experience you can give a kid.”

Buehler hopes visitors will see the animals in a new light and think about where their food comes from.

“Whether it’s an animal, a human, they’re all alive. They all have souls. They all have feelings. They all have personalities,” she said.

Even the theft won’t stop her from her mission.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office told CBS Colorado the burglary was reported to them, and that “due to the lack of investigative leads at this time, the case status is inactive. If anyone has information related to this burglary, they can contact our dispatch at 303-288-1535 or contact the Sheriff’s Office directly at 720-322-1313.”

Pay & Friends Inc. participates in Colorado Gives Day. The nonprofit is in need of cash donations, volunteers, produce, and basic tools and supplies. To learn more, visit their website.

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By John Lauritsen

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    KELLOGG, Minnesota (WCCO) — The holidays are upon us, and in the town of Kellogg, Minnesota, you’ll find a toy store unlike any other: LARK Toys.

“They are getting into everything, but that’s good because it’s a toy store!” said Katelyn Key, a LARK customer shopping with her kids.

And no better place to get into things than a store of such massive size.

“We fill about 20,000-square-feet plus with the best toys that we can find,” said Miranda Gray-Burlingame.

She and her family are the proud owners of LARK Toys. The original owners, the Kreofskys, opened the store in 1983 and named it “Lost Arts Revival by Kreofsky,” or LARK for short.

“‘Lark’ also means a carefree, whimsical adventure,” said Gray-Burlingame.

And that’s what they aim for. Part of this is a museum, and a trip down “Memory Lane” reveals toys that are nearly a century old. There’s even a Gen X Star Wars corner.

“An 8-year-old John Lauritsen would have loved this section right here. These are vintage toys from the ’80s,” Lauritsen said.

“The Rancor is probably the most celebrated, but all of them have been played with for many, many, many hours,” said Gray-Burlingame.

From the toy store to the bookstore, which has a vast selection — but it’s not quite as it seems. One of the book shelves is actually a secret door that leads into a gathering space designed for celebrations.

“It’s for music, for meetings, for dancing,” she said.

What makes LARK truly stand out is its hand-made selection, and that’s where Tim Monson comes into play. He’s been doing this for a long time.

“It’s coming up on 40 years. I do all the maintenance, the woodworking, build all the displays,” said Monson, LARK shop manager.

He creates letter blocks, pull toys and puzzles. Monson is a one-man Santa workshop, and there’s pride in knowing customers buy thousands of his hand-crafted toys each year.

“And that’s a uniqueness you can’t find anymore, so pretty proud of that,” said Monson.

There’s the sound of his bandsaw, and then there’s the sound of a carousel. Every half hour, fish, ostriches and giraffes with monkeys spin around the store.

Just like the hand-carved toys you find at LARK, it also houses a carousel featuring animals hand-carved from basswood. But this ride proves you’re never too old to be a kid.

“For little kids and all the way up to folks who are over 100, we have a wall of photos back there of people who are over 90. When they come, they get a free ride and a certificate that says they’re ‘forever young,'” said Gray-Burlingame.

It’s a different kind of toy story, a place that’s hoping to build happiness one playset at a time.

“We know that everybody loves their kids and wants a better world for them, and watching them enjoy their kids, it’s just great,” said owner Kathy Gray.

“We are really, really lucky to be in the business of playing,” said Gray-Burlingame. “We hope that LARK has a very long, long, fun future.”

LARK also has mini golf when the weather cooperates. They are open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, but are only open on the weekends during January and February.

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By Kevin Wallevand

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    MOORHEAD, Minnesota (WDAY) — Sometimes, neighbors on your block or living on a nearby farm become lifelong friends.

For a much loved retired school teacher from Moorhead, a generation gap has never stood in the way of a beautiful friendship that started more than a dozen years ago in a south side neighborhood.

Despite life changes, and more than 70 years separating them, the two are more connected than ever.

At 90, Clark Tufte scoots down the halls of Touchmark, ready to take on another day. But there is something special about their reconnection on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Kenzie Case is at Touchmark for another visit.

“How are you?” Case asks Clark as they stroll down the hall at Touchmark. “You have a busy week?”

Case is 16, a busy junior at Moorhead High School. But her friendship with Tufte goes back to when she was just a toddler.

“I remember every day after school, he would be sitting in his garage and he would wait for me to get off the bus. And we sat and talked about school,” she said.

Case, on a short break from high school, took down the decorations for Thanksgiving.

“We decorate the tree for all the seasons,” she said.

Tufte’s family will decorate for Christmas. But as Tufte will tell you, Kenzie has been there for him. He, for her. And everyone in both families couldn’t be happier.

“I love her so much and she loves me. And what I really, really appreciate is that my family welcomes it. None of them live here and my grandchildren and my kids, they just welcome it,” Tufte said.

Think of that, a simple conversation in a neighborhood driveway between a grandfather and toddler was so meaningful 13 years ago.

“I have enough love to go around,” Tufte said, laughing.

The friendship is only richer today.

“It is super nice, he is just one phone call away if I need anything. He is always there to talk,” Case said.

We change as we age. Meaningful connections like this, they sure don’t.

“I have to hug you. I am going to cry,” Tufte said, choking back tears at the end of the visit.

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By Erin Jones

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    NORTH TEXAS (KTVT) — With Christmas fast approaching, and families looking for pets to give their loved ones as gifts, the Better Business Bureau is issuing a warning about a puppy sales scams online.

One scam recently cost a North Texas family hundreds of dollars.

Dr. Nicckay Natson says when she came across a Google listing for a breeder specializing in Maltipoos, it was hard to resist the cute-looking puppies.

“You know, I just wanted another animal to love on, to dress up, to put bows in their hair,” she said.

Not once did she think the listing could be a scam.

“If it’s on Google, you would think it would be legit because you have to pay, you pay money to be on Google,” she said.

She communicated with the so-called breeder over email and texts and agreed to meet at an address in Dallas.

Natson and her husband sent a $750 deposit through Zelle, but then, when they got to their meeting point, something just felt off.

“When we got to the location we were looking and we’re like this doesn’t look great. Really, this is a hotel, they sent us to a hotel,” she said.

She immediately got on the phone.

“A lady answered, and I said, ‘We’re here, we’re here, to meet you,’ and the person who answered the phone acted like they didn’t know what I was talking about,” she said.

That’s when the Natsons realized that they’d been scammed.

“I just bawled and cried,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe that these people just scammed us.'”

“To be taken advantage of that way, it made us feel like we were just mistreated,” Alton Natson said.

The Better Business Bureau says these types of scams are on the rise, especially during the holidays.

“They are continuing because they are successful,” BBB Spokesperson Monica Horton said. “The crooks and the scammers, they pay for advertising, they pay for advertising on social media, they pay to be in the top of the search results.”

The nonprofit says always do reverse image searches of the pets to see if they show up on another website, and don’t pay anyone a dime until you see the pet in person. The Natsons also recommend FaceTiming both the breeder and their customers.

You can report any scam to the BBB and of course, the police, but getting your money back can be tough.

“A lot of these scams are perpetrated from outside the United States, so there’s not a whole lot that can be done,” Horton said.

The Natsons hope all this information gets across to anyone in the market for a new pet.

“Any deal that sounds too good to be true is too good to be true!” Alton Natson said.

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By Patsy Montesinos

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    LEBANON, Tennessee (WTVF) — Jesse Anne Bybee knows what it’s like to start over with nothing. That’s why she’s spending her days off driving around Lebanon, collecting winter clothes from more than 100 donors for women at The Next Door Recovery.

“Anything is appreciated because again these women don’t have anything and you know the journey is longer than just a 28-day rehab stay,” Bybee said.

After posting on social media asking for donations, the response overwhelmed her. The cause hits close to home — Bybee has walked the same path as the women she’s helping.

“It’s a very special place to me because they have helped heal me so many different times in my life,” she said.

Now nearly a year sober, Bybee wants to give back by doing for others what so many once did for her.

“It’s really hard to do this without support. And there’s no way that I would be here talking to you guys if it weren’t for my family and especially for The Next Door, because, you know, they really helped me,” Bybee said.

She’s not working alone. Arielle Dee, who is also in recovery and more than a year sober, joined the effort after seeing Bybee’s social media post.

“So when I seen her post, I reached out immediately and was like, take this off my hands. Get it to where it needs to go,” Dee said.

For both women, their ability to help others represents how far they’ve come.

“It shows that we do recover. It is possible. Like she said, where we came from to be able to do this today, there’s no words for it,” Dee said.

They hope their journey can inspire women currently in recovery.

“See that someone loves them. Someone cares enough to go out of their way and make sure they have what they need and that’s what it takes. That’s where that support comes from or else you don’t get better,” Dee said.

Bybee believes there’s a purpose behind her mission and plans to continue collecting donations.

“The more people that we have to help the better because this is such a huge epidemic,” she said.

She finds fulfillment in making a difference one winter coat at a time.

“I’m pleased that I can at least do this. That way these women can leave rehab and have some clothes to wear. Something that they can do whatever they please with. It’s theirs,” Bybee said.

Anyone wanting to help can reach out to Bybee on Facebook to make a donation or she encourages everyone to drop off items at local recovery centers or shelters in need.

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By Marvin Hurst

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    LINDSAY, Texas (KTVT) — Shawn Neu and his wife, Christy, are now offering a $4,250 reward, hoping to secure an arrest in the killing of one of their bison.

The reward is sponsored by SR Bison Ranch, Texas Bison Association, Gail Ahnert — a National Bison Association Member and Liberty Highlands Cattle Company.

“We’re going to find out who did it. And, you know, justice needs to be served on this,” Neu said. “Taking a member of our family, one of my wife’s babies.”

Neu said he could see beer cans near the County 301 Road portion of his property in Cooke County on the Monday before Thanksgiving. The previous night, the couple heard their dogs barking, but had no idea what it was connected to until they went to clean the fence line.

When the couple made their cleaning rounds, they made a gruesome discovery.

“We saw Louisiana lying there and no head at all,” he said. “My wife, you know, was hysterical at that point.”

Louisiana is the bison cow he bought in Jonesboro, Louisiana, seven months prior. Her carcass, he said, was decomposing after a one-shot kill, and she was headless. They called the Cooked County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Ray Sappington said the animal cruelty/livestock crime occurred between November 23 and November 26. But tracking a suspect has been formidable.

“What kind of makes this challenging was that it rained Sunday night going into Monday morning,” Sappington said. “So, any evidence that might have been there had been washed away. So, we didn’t see blood. We didn’t see drag marks. We didn’t see hair from going over the fence or through the fence.”

According to Sappington, there is no surveillance video. His deputies have been running down leads, but nothing has evolved into a suspect or arrest. The sheriff said this is the first time his office has investigated a crime like this since he was elected 5 years ago.

It’s a scene where he believes there was more than one person involved because of the weight of the bison’s head.

“That would be a pretty big challenge, to kill the animal and then get a head of that size and that weight across the pasture, through a fence, and into your vehicle by yourself,” Sappington said.

Neu said they have enhanced security on his property because this was a personal matter.

“I do take this personally. I take it personally that somebody would want to come out and, you know, violate one of our animals like this, trespass on our property, and just. It’s just really disrespectful,” Neu said.

Sappington said anyone with information about the case can call 940-665-3471, or send an anonymous tip to tips@co.cooke.tx.us.

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