Author: CNN Newsource

By Eric Henderson

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Paleontologists have discovered the first known trackway made by a full-grown Tyrannosaurus rex: four connected footprints found in the badlands of southwestern North Dakota, not far from the Montana border.

The find is described in a new paper published this week in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Before it, only two isolated adult T. rex footprints had ever been confirmed anywhere in the world, one in New Mexico and one in Montana. Neither showed how the animal was moving.

“Bones tell us an enormous amount about these animals, but footprints capture a moment of behavior,” said Dr. Tyler Lyson, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. “With a trackway, we can actually follow an animal as it moved across the landscape. That is incredibly rare for T. rex.”

The trackway was found in 2025 on U.S. Forest Service land near Marmarth, North Dakota, by Kent Hups, a high school teacher and amateur fossil hunter who was volunteering on one of Lyson’s digs.

“As a teacher, I’m always telling my students that science starts with curiosity, passion and careful observation,” Hups said. “I never imagined that could lead me to a discovery like this.”

The trackway runs about 23 feet long and consists of four three-toed footprints, each roughly 3 feet long. Researchers used the spacing between the prints to estimate the animal was walking about 3.5 to 4.5 mph, despite weighing more than seven tons.

Researchers attributed the tracks to T. rex based on their size, their shape, and the fact that the surrounding rock has produced an unusually high number of tyrannosaur bones, including a juvenile specimen nicknamed “Teen Rex,” discovered in the same badlands by three boys on a family hike in 2022.

The site was scanned in 3D by Denver Museum researchers, and lead author Peter Falkingham of Liverpool John Moores University in England analyzed the data and wrote the paper without visiting North Dakota in person.

Three of the four footprints are set to be airlifted out by helicopter this fall and taken to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

The tracks date to about 66.5 million years ago, near the very end of the Cretaceous period, one of the last walks any T. rex is known to have taken before scientists believe an asteroid impact wiped out the dinosaurs.

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 Morrissey Walsh

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    MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WGAL) — A bright smile belonging to a little girl from York County is about to light up the big screen in Times Square to help to represent people with Down syndrome around the country.

Shyla chosen for Times Square presentation Shyla, a sassy 4-year-old from Manchester Township in York County, was chosen to be part of the National Down Syndrome Society’s annual presentation in Times Square.

“I just want to tell everyone here she is. Yeah, she has Down syndrome. It doesn’t define her, but it definitely makes her who she is,” Shyla’s mom Sharee Gunther said.

Shyla’s photo was chosen from more than 2,500 entries to be featured with people from around the country as part of the presentation before the annual Buddy Walk.

“It’s the moment we’re giving them to celebrate and be with people just like them. But then it’s for the passersby who are walking in Times Square, like, what is this huge crowd? Why are all these people with Down syndrome up on this screen? The more that we are doing that and just embracing the beauty of the Down syndrome community, we are seeing so many small changes each year,” said Michelle Sagan of the National Down Syndrome Society.

Milestone follows years of health challenges Seeing her daughter on the big screen marks a milestone for one mother after more than four years of challenges.

“Shyla has come a long way. She’s had several surgeries, several serious surgeries. We almost lost Shyla a couple of times,” she said. “Just to see how she just keeps plugging along, how strong not just she is, but when you meet children with Down syndrome, you realize you hear their stories. And they all kind of have similar stories with heart conditions and breathing conditions and how they just fight, fight, fight through that. And it makes them who they are,” she said.

The presentation will be livestreamed on the NDSS Facebook page from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on Sept. 12.

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By Barry Simms

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — The FBI has detailed the arrest and conviction of Michael “Teekaye” Junior, a Howard County man who was apprehended in 2024 at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport while attempting to board a flight out of the United States.

How the investigation began The investigation began after federal agents obtained social media posts showing the man shooting an assault rifle at a gun range in Severn.

The FBI also released photos from his Instagram account, where he claimed he was training and displayed a machete. According to the agency, Teekaye had tried to travel to Africa to join a terrorist group.

The FBI obtained a social media post showing Teekaye shooting an assault rifle at a gun range in Severn. Federal agents also released photos from Teekaye’s Instagram account, where he claimed he was training at the shooting range and displayed a machete.

“Michael Teekaye wasn’t somebody who was just talk. He took very concrete steps to enact his plans,” FBI Special Agent Thomas Szymanski told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

‘Self-radicalized online’ Szymanski told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates that Teekaye self-radicalized online but went beyond the actions of lone-wolf actors by seeking guidance and logistical support from ISIS operatives.

The FBI revealed that Teekaye attempted to purchase a 9mm assault rifle but was unable to do so due to being on probation for a disorderly conduct charge.

Despite efforts by the FBI during his teenage years to intervene by interviewing him and his parents and enrolling him in a de-radicalization program, Teekaye continued to focus on extremist groups.

“What we found after we looked through his phone post-arrest was that rather than change his ways, he changed his tactics. He became more aware of the FBI presence in his life and tried to do many things to obfuscate his true intentions,” Szymanski told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

Teekaye eventually shared his plans with an undercover officer and conducted online searches for Jewish individuals and institutions to target in Columbia.

Why prosecutors found the case challenging Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Hoffman, who prosecuted the case, described the case as challenging.

“We had quite a lot of evidence against Teekaye, but on the other hand, he was young and he did have a mental health history. It was very important that we explained to the judge what a danger he was,” Hoffman told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

After his arrest, Teekaye made alarming statements, captured in recorded audio, vowing that prison would not deter him: “I’m just gonna get out in 20 years and I’m just gonna do it here. Okay? Okay? It will never stop. Jihad will never stop. I’ll just do it here then when I get out.”

In another recording, Teekaye stated, “You think 20 years is something? I’ll be like 40 when I get out, then I’ll just do it. I don’t care. It will never stop. I’ll come and I’ll kill your soldiers. I’ll kill you, and I’ll kill.”

‘(He) was clearly not remorseful about his choices’ Szymanski told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates that Teekaye was unremorseful at the time of his arrest.

“He actually kicked and spit on me and another agent and was clearly not remorseful about his choices at that time,” Szymanski told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

Hoffman emphasized the broader implications of the case.

“I think we are seeing more American young people go down that pathway to violence.”

“One of the striking aspects of the case is that he self-radicalized. I think we are seeing more American young people go down that pathway to violence,” Hoffman told WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates.

Once Teekaye gets out of prison, he will be on lifetime supervised release under monitoring by federal probation officials.

The FBI said during the investigation there was no risk of an immediate attack on anyone in Maryland.

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By Brian Shlonsky

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    STATEN ISLAND, New York (WABC) — Signs of patriotism and remembrance surrounded a Staten Island gathering Wednesday as FDNY families, active firefighters and retirees commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and paid tribute to the lives lost that day and in the years to follow.

A New York City fireboat delivered a water salute, while two ladder trucks parked outside the Staten Island FerryHawks baseball stadium held a large American flag above the street.

Along a fence outside the stadium, flags were tied to the names of firefighters who died in the Sept. 11 attacks or from illnesses linked to their service in the years since.

For Mia Welsh, one of those names belonged to her father, Robert Welsh III, who died in August 2023 from 9/11-related glioblastoma.

“I try to want to be half the person he was. Obviously, it’s a hard role to fill,” Welsh said.

Welsh said her father was at Ground Zero after the attacks. Her mother was supposed to be at the World Trade Center that day.

“My mom actually worked in the World Trade Center. She worked in the South Tower. She was late to work that day,” Welsh said.

Despite the loss, Welsh said she focuses on her pride in her father’s service.

“I try not to think about it as being sad because I’m proud that I have a father that gave his life saving other people,” she said.

Many attending the memorial service carried their own stories of sacrifice.

Thomas Glenn Smith Jr. said his father, Thomas Glenn Smith Sr., served with FDNY’s 224, known as the Trench Dogs, in Brooklyn Heights.

“My father was in 224, the Trench Dogs, in Brooklyn Heights,” Smith said.

Recalling his father’s account of Sept. 11, Smith said, “From where he was on Hicks Street, they had to drive through the Battery Tunnel, he said he had a lot of fear.”

Smith’s father died in March from 9/11-related lung cancer.

“It’s very hard. I try not to get emotional all the time, but I do have a lot of pride,” Smith said.

Hundreds of FDNY family members joined hundreds of active and retired firefighters at the ceremony honoring those lost in the attacks and those who later died from illnesses connected to their response and recovery efforts.

Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore addressed the crowd, acknowledging the continuing toll on FDNY families.

“I cannot pretend to know your pain, first in losing so many in a single day and then continuing to lose our people to illness in the years since,” Bonsignore said. “There are no words that can make the burden any lighter.”

The ceremony concluded with a pledge to never forget those who died on Sept. 11 and those lost in the years that followed.

Attendees also received commemorative books containing messages from the mayor, the governor and the president.

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By Deanna Sipe

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    CLYDE, N.C. (WLOS) — The Town of Clyde has acquired 36 parcels of land from Haywood County that are located in the floodplain, with the potential for the land to be opened up.

The land previously owned by the county was bought with federal money following storms like Ivan and Frances in 2004 and Fred in 2021.

“What we did was, the state would buy these properties through the federal money that they received, and the state would deed them to the county, but they would be heavily restricted; in other words, there can be no buildings put on them,” said Haywood County Commissioner Kevin Ensley.

According to Ensley, for nearly 15 years, the county has maintained the land or leased it out to residents for $1 per year to garden on, but now that’s changing.

Ensley says there’s potential for parks and ball fields among other recreational ideas for the parcels.

Karen and Bruce Brumbaugh, who have lived in Clyde since 2019, bought their home from owners who experienced Ivan and Frances, choosing to elevate the house after the two storms.

Following the buying of their home, the Brumbaughs have experienced both Fred and Helene.

“So, on the ground floor, Fred probably came four or five feet up on the ground floor, so everything we had on that ground floor kinda got trashed. There was a lot of damage to the garage doors and stuff like that, but it really wasn’t all that bad,” Bruce Brumbaugh said.

Helene hit three years later, causing much more damage to the Brumbaugh home.

In the months following Helene, the Brumbaughs say they worked with a Haywood County contractor who worked through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help get the Brumbaughs money to fix their home. The Brumbaughs say a Haywood County contact has approached them for buyouts.

“I think we go in on the next bundle of people who are waiting on buyouts. I think everything’s moving a lot faster since Helene, cause some people were still waiting on buyouts from Fred, so I think things have started moving along a lot better,” Karen Brumbaugh said.

The Brumbaughs are saying they would consider a buyout.

“We would consider it; I mean it would have to not be an insult what we were offered. From what we understood, the buyouts should come with an offer that was the value of the home and property the day before the event,” Karen Brumbaugh said.

Until then, the Brumbaughs say they want to see the land kept safe.

“My biggest thing is the maintenance of whatever they do and the patrolling of it, so it stays a safe environment for everybody,” Karen Brumbaugh said.

They would also like to see it maintained.

Ensley says the properties included in the 36 parcels do not include any properties or homes affected by Helene, as the county is still waiting for the Helene buyouts to come along and that could lead to more properties becoming available.

“To build in Clyde now you’re gonna have to elevate so high in those areas that it almost becomes unfeasible because of the amount of area you’d have to elevate, probably in some areas 12 feet,” Ensley said. “So, I think a lot of people after Helene saw how high the flood was, they decided to sell.”

Ensley says that the Town of Clyde’s property tax revenue was decimated by the town, causing it to look for other areas outside of the floodplain to rebuild homes, and that the newly acquired parcels could potentially help.

“I think the town is actively trying to find property outside the flood areas to expand their tax base with, you know, maybe parcels that are available being able to build back on those so people can live in Clyde again, but that’s one problem that they’ve had was the tax base, and this is not gonna help that other than it maybe have parks and other amenities that might be able to draw people to Clyde to where when these new houses are built they’ll be able to get folks to come back to Clyde,” Ensley said.

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