Author: CNN Newsource

By Jazmon DeJarnette

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    SEASIDE, California (KSBW) — Students at Cal State Monterey Bay gathered outside the Otter Student Union to protest after racially charged graffiti was discovered at the same location in February, calling for accountability and increased safety measures.

“Tell me how many times you’ve seen a derogatory term on your door or on your student union, or in your face, or someone telling you to your face, or on Instagram or whatever?” said DeeJay Thornton, a student at CSUMB.

Another student, Brejhan Williams, expressed frustration with the university’s response, saying, “I need more than just an email. I need competency classes, cultural competency classes, so people stop looking at me like I’m the odd one out because I’m not the only Black person that they’ve ever seen.”

The university stated that the incident remains under investigation and outlined steps it has taken to support students.

“We are working and meeting with our cultural identity center, specifically our Helen Rucker Center, our Black Student Union. We have regular check-ins and follow-ups to ensure that we are hearing them and that we are addressing their concerns,” said Nizhoni Chow-Garcia, associate vice president of Community and Belonging at CSUMB.

The school announced additional measures to prevent future incidents, including mandatory microaggression training for all students and staff starting next semester, security camera upgrades in residence halls, and increased awareness around Title IX.

“We unequivocally support our Black students and our Black community. Our mission as a community is social mobility for all and especially our underserved communities,” Chow-Garcia said.

Students also raised concerns about broader issues on campus, including challenges faced by the Helen Rucker Center, which serves as the Black Student Union.

“The Helen Rucker Center, which is also the Black Student Union, where we all collect, also has been under attack. There have been certain affiliations coming in and challenging Black opinions when we are having seminars,” said Morgan Woods, another student.

The protest ended with participants joining hands and raising their voices in unity. Students emphasized the importance of fostering change within their community.

“The university can do the things that they can systemically. But at the same time, we as students have to build a culture of accountability and build a culture of love amongst our Black students and show that we’re really supportive,” Thornton said.

The university reiterated its commitment to addressing these issues and announced a campus-wide seminar next Friday on the impacts of harmful language.

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 Daniel Macht, Denzen Cortez

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    California (KCRA) — Two caregivers accused of the starvation death of a 14-year-old Live Oak girl with developmental disabilities made their initial court appearance on Thursday.

Megan Fredrick, 33, and 37-year-old Sherwood Johnson II face charges of murder and child abuse causing death, the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office has said.

In January, deputies responded to Rachel Street after receiving reports that the girl, identified by family as Gwen Fredrick, was unresponsive. First responders attempted to save her life, but she died.

The sheriff’s office said Fredrick relied on a feeding tube for nutrition, and her cause of death was determined to be starvation and neglect.

The suspects fled to Washington and were being held in the Spokane County Jail before being returned to Sutter County and booked into the jail. Bail was set at $750,000 each.

On Thursday, no pleas were entered. The arraignment was continued to May.

If the defendants make bail, they would not be allowed to leave the state or perform caregiving.

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 Aja Dorsainvil

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    BOYNTON BEACH, Florida (WPTV) — Boynton Beach Police said they arrested a 35-year-old man in connection with the beating death of a 29-year-old man over an alleged $12 debt.

With the assistance of the U.S. Marshals, police arrested Brannon Michael Taylor, 35, in Delray Beach on Wednesday.

Detectives said on Sunday, at around 7 a.m., Boynton Beach Police responded to reports of a dead body located in a wooded area near Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park.

Police said when officers arrived they located the body of 29-year-old Jordan Scales, who had suffered severe head trauma, and found a metal pole, with what appeared to be blood on it, nearby.

Detectives said they began an extensive investigation and identified Taylor as the suspect. Preliminary investigation revealed that prior to the fatal beating, Taylor and Scales were bickering over $12 that Scales allegedly owed Taylor. Shortly after, Taylor began beating Scales with the metal pole, which led to his death.

According to police, Taylor provided a full confession on Wednesday and was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon.

He is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail.

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 Fletcher Keel

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — A father has been found guilty on all counts that he was reckless in the death of his 3-year-old daughter, who was killed in a dog attack in December 2024.

Houston Warren was found guilty on charges of manslaughter and child endangerment.

Judge Virginia Tallent found Houston guilty on all counts, saying he should have known the dogs were a substantial danger.

In December 2024, Kingsley Wright was spending time with her dad, Warren Houston, for the holidays.

Prosecutors claimed Houston put the child to sleep on the couch, with the dogs in the same room, locked inside a broken cage.

In court last week, video from that night showed Kingsley was attacked for more than 30 minutes, but nobody came to help her. Houston was sleeping in a separate room, with the door closed, according to investigators.

The following day, Houston said he has thick walls in the home, saying he accidentally fired a gun inside the apartment once and nobody in the building seemed to notice.

He also said he sleeps with fans on.

While on the stand, he added that he didn’t hear any barking or screaming overnight.

Prosecutors said the dogs were improperly secured in a broken cage and the three-year-old was put in danger by being left alone near them.

Houston’s defense argued the incident was a tragic accident.

Houston will be sentenced on May 22. He faces a minimum of three years in prison, and a maximum of 11 years.

He has been out for the trial but, after the guilty verdict, he was remanded to jail.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Scott Sutton , Audra Schroeder

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    PALM CITY, Florida (WPTV) — A 33-year-old man from Colombia is in custody after he ran from a trooper following a traffic stop Thursday afternoon along Interstate 95 in Martin County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

This happened on northbound I-95 at mile marker 113 in Palm City at about 3:51 p.m.

FHP said the man, Jaime Alberto Silvabernal, was driving a Chevrolet Traverse when a trooper tried to stop the vehicle because the Traverse’s tag was not assigned to the vehicle.

During the investigation, it was determined that the vehicle had no active registration and the license plate attached had been previously assigned.

FHP said Silvabernal did not have legal status in the United States.

Investigators said when the trooper asked the driver to step out of the vehicle, he initially complied; however, when one handcuff was placed on the left wrist, the driver failed to follow the directions of the trooper and “actively resisted with violence.”

During the struggle, the FHP said Silvabernal escaped and began to run south in the northbound lanes while traffic was still approaching.

FHP said with the assistance of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Port St. Lucie Police Department and the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, a perimeter was set up from mile marker 114 south to mile marker 110.

Law enforcement began to track Silvabernal south on the east side of the fence separating Interstate 95 and residential areas bordering the highway.

Silvabernal was found on the east side of the fence in the bushes.

FHP said when Martin County deputies ordered him to surrender, he refused, and a Martin County K-9 was deployed and bit the suspect’s left arm.

Silvabernal was then taken into custody and treated for his injuries. FHP said he will be booked into the Martin County Jail on multiple charges.

No officers or the K-9 were hurt.

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 Madison Perales

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Millard Public Schools said the teacher accused of generating child pornography has been “removed, and we are proceeding with termination and cancellation of his contract.”

A parent comes forward with student concerns about a Millard Public Schools’ teacher.

Forty-seven-year-old Matthew Lund was arrested Wednesday for alleged child pornography.

KETV NewsWatch 7 exclusively sat down with this parent on what kids told each other leading up to Lund’s arrest.

In court Thursday, the judge ordered a $1 million bond on Matthew Lund’s case after prosecutors revealed he had allegedly generated artificial intelligence child pornography on his schoolwork laptop and was masturbating to the footage while at work.

The court ordered Lund to have no contact with anyone under the age of 19 and to have a GPS tracker.

“He was hiding in plain sight,” said a Millard Public Schools parent who wants to remain anonymous for her child’s privacy.

She said Matthew Lund ran a club her child attended, adding he was upset once he learned the news of Lund’s arrest.

“He can’t believe that someone he trusted to keep him safe would do something like this,” she said.

We’re not showing the parent’s face or using her name to protect her child’s privacy.

She said other people had questions about Lund, and showed us a TikTok from March using Lund’s face in a video captioned, “Mr. Lund when he sees 8th grade girls in Nike pros.”

“He made a lot of kids uncomfortable, including my son, but he couldn’t quite say why. It, just, something was off,” the parent said.

In court, the prosecuting attorney said law enforcement in February got a cyber tip that Lund was using his work computer to upload AI-generated child pornography.

The tip included explicit content featuring AI-generated content of children ranging from three to 10-year-old boys; the warrant found more.

“One hundred four files consisting with child sexual assault material were located, depicting children ranging from infants to approximately 12 years old,” the prosecuting attorney said in court.

It was also disclosed in court that Lund admitted to generating the content and to masturbating at work.

“You think you’re dropping your kids off and those teachers are going to protect your kids,” the parent said.

She said she wants a better vetting policy.

“Can they mandate them to see a therapist and make sure that they’re, you know, of sound mind and okay to be around kids? I don’t know, but it’d be cool if they could,” she said.

In a statement to KETV, Millard Public Schools said, “All staff go through a thorough background check during the hiring process. Millard maintains open communication with law enforcement and regulatory agencies that alert us to any ongoing concern. Additionally, Millard is diligent about investigating all concerns brought to us.”

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 Brittany Decker

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    JEFFERSON COUNTY, Alabama (WVTM) — What looks like a mess along the side of the road in Corner turns out to be something much more meaningful, thanks to one man who keeps showing up to clean it.

Every few days, and sometimes within minutes, the trash returns.

Beer cans. Soda bottles. Fast-food wrappers. Tires. Even furniture.

“It’s one thing to see a problem and complain about it,” said Keith Golden. “And there’s another to strap up your boots and go out and fix the problem.”

Golden has spent the past 20 years doing just that.

In this unincorporated community that borders Walker, Blount and Jefferson counties, Golden is known for many things. He substitutes at the local school. He calls football games for those who can’t attend. On Facebook, he’s a go-to source for weather updates.

But on the roadside, he’s something else entirely.

Armed with work gloves and trash bags, Golden spends four to seven hours at a time clearing debris, climbing down hillsides, cutting through briars and even wading into creeks to pull out waste.

“I’ve waded in knee-deep water before to get Styrofoam out,” he said. “It’s just part of the job.”

What he finds can be surprising.

“A gun, one time. Tools. I found money. I found a prosthetic leg,” Golden said.

Much of the trash, he said, starts small — a single cup or bag tossed from a car window.

But it adds up.

“It’s just a cup, but with everybody doing it, that’s hundreds of bags and hundreds of cups,” he said.

In one weekend alone, Golden collected 86 bags of trash and nearly 2,700 pounds of debris. Since October, he said he has picked up close to 23,000 pounds and nearly 100 tons over the past several years.

Still, he keeps going.

Sometimes, his work doesn’t go unnoticed. School bus drivers honk as they pass. Students wave. As a substitute teacher, he uses those moments to talk about responsibility and community.

“This is not just a Corner problem,” Golden said. “This is an everywhere problem.”

For him, the solution is simple.

“Care,” he said. “Care enough about your community.”

And in a place where trash can pile up quickly, Golden proves that consistency, and a willingness to act, can make a lasting difference — even if it starts with just one bag at a time.

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.