Author: CNN Newsource

By Jarrett Harding

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WBBH) — An investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) found that dozens of sloths intended for “Sloth World Orlando,” which has yet to open, died after being kept in unsuitable conditions.

FWC reported that 21 sloths arrived in Florida from Guyana in December 2024, while 10 more came from Peru in February 2025. The animals were reportedly housed by “Sanctuary World Imports” in a warehouse that lacked water and electricity.

The licensee of the warehouse told investigators that the facility was not properly equipped to receive sloths but said it was “too late to cancel the shipment.”

FWC’s report stated that climate-controlling devices, including space heaters, air conditioning units, ceiling fans, and a large humidifier, have since been installed at the facility.

There is still no word on when “Sloth World Orlando” will open.

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 Tanner Kahler

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    IOWA COUNTY, Wisconsin (WISN) — Authorities in Iowa County, Wisconsin said they found a massive dead snake dumped along a county highway Thursday.

Pictures posted by the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office show the snake measuring several feet in length.

“This animal is not native to our area and was likely being kept in captivity,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “The manner in which it was left along a public roadway is concerning and has caused alarm among passing motorists.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office at 608-930-9500 (ext. 2).

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 JoBeth Davis

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — It’s the announcement Kansas Citians have been waiting for for years.

On Wednesday, the Kansas City Royals announced that, in partnership with Hallmark Cards, a new downtown Royals baseball stadium is coming to Kansas City, and not just to downtown Kansas City, but to an already iconic location.

Specifically, the team said the complex will be built on an 85-acre development surrounding a park-like central square with fountains.

A note from the team’s news release calls this the “Royals stadium at Crown Center.”

“Our founder Ewing Kauffman wanted the Royals to be Kansas City’s forever, and he wanted the team to benefit his hometown as much as possible,” Royals CEO and Chairman John Sherman said. “Joining Hallmark with this project achieves both and extends the Hall family’s critical legacy of helping Kansas City grow.”

Officials said the plan includes a world-class ballpark, surrounding mixed-use development, and “reimagined headquarters” for both the Royals and Hallmark at Crown Center.

“When the new Royals stadium opens at Crown Center, something proud will come full circle,” said Don Hall Jr., Hallmark Cards’ executive chairman of the board of directors.

“The iconic Royals crown that Hallmark created will return to the very neighborhood where it was conceived. Every time a fan walks through the stadium doors, they’ll be standing in a place shaped by Kansas City and Hallmark’s creative spirit.”

Sources tell KMBC 9 News that the deal has been in the works for months and came together last week.

The team said that Sherman and Hall have known each other and worked together for decades and that the trust and mutual respect shared between them were “critical in creating a possibility that nobody would have imagined even a year ago.”

The new stadium and complex will be built on what is currently the Hallmark corporate office headquarters.

That headquarters sits where Pershing Road meets Gillham Road at East 25th Street.

Hall said the new stadium will take advantage of the existing Crown Center infrastructure and will merge the city’s Washington Square Park into plans for the complex.

“…building onto the original vision for Crown Center,” Hall said during Wednesday’s news conference. “The ballpark will feel like part of the community.”

“We’re proud to bring our crown right back to the place it was created,” Sherman said of the partnership with Hallmark.

Royals, officials discuss stadium funding: In a news release Wednesday, the team said that the expected private investment of $2 billion or more would be the largest in Kansas City history.

The project is expected to be funded primarily by the Royals and other private investors and supplemented by funding from the city of Kansas City and Missouri’s Show-Me Sports Investment Act.

“Today’s announcement reinforces that the state of Missouri is not just where the Kansas City Royals play but where they belong,” said Gov. Mike Kehoe. “This decision by the Royals to invest in our state is more than just a commitment to Kansas City; it is a commitment to communities and fans across Missouri. I appreciate the partnership of the Royals organization, Hallmark, and state and local leaders in working together to make this project a reality.”

The project, the team said, would bring 20,000 jobs in the construction phase alone.

The release also says the development will enhance previous Kansas City investments, including the Streetcar, and optimize “ample parking” within a 10-minute walk.

“Royals baseball would push from the bottom into the top 10 in walkability among Major League Baseball teams, lowering the cost and growing the accessibility for Kansas Citians to enjoy and connect with their team,” the release states.

Earlier this month, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas announced a now-passed ordinance paving the way to fund the city portion of the project.

“For over 50 years, Crown Center and the Kansas City Royals have created memories that last a lifetime for the people of our region,” Lucas said. “The public-private partnership between Hallmark, the Royals, Kansas City and our state ensures we connect our neighborhoods, keeps our downtown vibrant and maintains big-league baseball in our city for generations to come. I look forward to decades of new, treasured experiences, thousands of jobs, vibrant small business growth and millions of visitors building the beating heart of our region — our downtown — while cheering on our Royals. Play ball!”

In a news conference Wednesday morning, John Sherman said to great applause, “The Kansas City Royals are staying in the state of Missouri.”

Sherman went on to thank local leaders, saying, “and the Kansas City Royals are staying in Kansas City, Missouri.”

Groundbreaking for the project is expected in 2027.

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 Todd Magel

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    ELK HORN, Iowa (KCCI) — The Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn has unveiled Fjord Ferryman, a 22-foot-tall wooden troll created by world-renowned Danish artist Thomas Dambo, celebrating Danish migration and sustainability.

“My hope is to make something that makes people smile,” Dambo said.

Dambo shared his love for building and working with wood.

“But what I love the most is to build. So it was so nice to come here and stand in the sun yesterday on the prairie and just help build something and good, because there’s nothing nicer than wood,” he said.

The troll is constructed from what Dambo calls “garbage wood,” materials that would typically end up in the trash.

“For me, the message is that our world is drowning in trash and our world is running out of resources, and the solution is just so screamingly obvious. Don’t turn our resources into trash we are drowning in,” Dambo said.

The sculpture represents the migration of Danes to the Midwestern prairies in the late 1880s.

“So that’s why my sculpture here is sailing in a big wooden boat across the prairie and ferrying the humans across,” Dambo said.

Fjord Ferryman is one of 176 sculptures Dambo has created in his Denmark studio and installed around the world.

Erik Andersen, executive director of the Museum of Danish America, expressed his enthusiasm for the new addition.

“If you don’t know about trolls, what an unbelievable discovery. So, we’re incredibly fortunate to have it. And our timing on it was. I mean, this is unbelievable,” Andersen said.

The half-million-dollar project was completed in just six weeks. True to Dambo’s style, visitors will need to search for the troll, adding an element of adventure to the experience.

“I always hide my sculptures or try, I always hide them because then people have to go and find them,” Dambo said. “And that gives people these experiences that are much, much bigger than the actual experience of looking at the sculpture.”

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 Jennifer Mayerle

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    Minnesota (WCCO) — You’ve likely heard of Liam Ramos, the 5-year-old boy from Columbia Heights, Minnesota, in the bunny hat detained with his dad earlier this year by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Columbia Heights Public School District had at least seven students detained during Operation Metro Surge, most with their parents. That includes Valley View Elementary fifth grader Zuriel.

She and her mom, Soraya Gualinga, were sent to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Dilley, Texas, in January after her mother was arrested while at work. They stayed there for nearly two months.

Inside a Valley View classroom, Zuriel and her mom — who spoke with WCCO via a Spanish language interpreter — say they are grateful to be here.

Gualinga said she was terrified, and she wasn’t leaving without her daughter. So they went to her house to pick up Zuriel.

Zuriel said there was a small box where they put their phones so they couldn’t communicate with anyone.

The family came to Minnesota from Ecuador in 2024 and says they used the CBP One app to apply for asylum. Their case was moving through the system when they were taken to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis.

Zuriel says she thought it was another check-in, but noticed people with their hands and feet tied up.

“‘That’s it. I’m done for. I’m going to jail right now,'” Gualinga said.

She says she imagined the worst as they shackled her feet, but says she wanted to be strong for her daughter so she wouldn’t be scared.

They say they flew on a commercial flight to Texas the same day, living in a room with a few beds, other kids and families at the center in Dilley for 55 days.

Zuriel said she was scared during her detainment because she didn’t know where she was. She kept asking her mom what was going on and when they were going to leave.

They say they were released following a habeas petition arguing they were unlawfully detained and made their way back to Minnesota. Gualinga has to wear an ankle monitor until her next immigration appointment.

Zuriel is back with her classmates. She says she hasn’t shared what her family went through with friends, but being with them helps her.

They say they live with anxiety and fear. Zuriel says she worries every time she sees a car like the one they were taken in.

They also want people to know there is hope. She said she wants to tell her friends still at Dilley to not lose faith, that everything will be OK in the end.

Gualinga said if she had to make the same choice again, she wouldn’t have brought her daughter with her.

She’s now signed a DOPA form, giving another adult authority to make decisions for Zuriel if she is detained.

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 Heath Kalb

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    DETROIT, Michigan (WWJ) — Dozens of Black men of all ages gathered Thursday afternoon to set a positive example in Detroit.

It’s finally starting to get warm outside, and New Era Detroit is doing what it can to ensure that Black men of all ages are setting a good example in every neighborhood of the city, as violence typically rises in the summer months.

“You build relationships with the community, we build relationships with each other. And then once again, the community, especially the kids, get to see us out in unity and then our boots on the ground to show that we really care,” said Zeke Williams with New Era Detroit.

The organization, which has been around for over a decade, began its “Brothas on the Block” walks about two years ago to help more Black men feel comfortable being visible, positive presences in the city.

“Our goal is to bring everybody out the neighborhood to come outside to engage with each other. So as we walk the blocks, we pick up trash, we engage with the neighbors,” said Parellee with New Era Detroit.

As we move into the warmer season, the community group says this outreach is more important than ever. They say that when younger people spend more time outside, conflict resolution is especially important, whether it arises from neighborhood disagreements or the so-called “teen takeovers” in the downtown area.

“As you know, in Michigan, there’s a lotta winter months where everybody is in the house, and it’s a lot of tension that goes on over the winter months with the younger crowd, and so as those tensions grow and as summer comes, they see each other and tensions might happen,” said Parallee.

The group says these walks are a positive way to engage with their own communities, rather than waiting for another tragedy to get involved.

New Era says it will hold a different walk in a different Detroit neighborhood every other 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.