Author: CNN Newsource

By Gregg Montgomery

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    INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana State Board of Animal Health has implemented new movement restrictions for animals entering the state, aiming to prevent the entry of New World screwworm into Indiana, following its identification in Texas and New Mexico.

Indiana has no confirmed cases of New World screwworm, but the pest could be carried into the state by people or animals from infested areas, a news release from the Indiana animal health board said.

The movement restrictions apply to all livestock and companion animals originating from a New World screwworm-infested zone. Animals entering Indiana from these zones must meet enhanced entry requirements, including an animal movement certificate, provided by the state-of-origin and approved by both the state-of-origin and the Indiana Board of Animal Health prior to shipment.

Animals in transport must also be inspected by a U.S. Department of Agriculture-accredited veterinarian within five days of departure and obtain a certificate of veterinary inspection issued within five days of movement to Indiana.

The new restrictions align with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s New World screwworm playbook, the release said.

The certificate of veterinary inspection must document the application of an effective treatment for New World screwworm. For livestock and poultry species, treatment must be applied within 14 days of movement, unless the animals are going directly to slaughter. Cats and dogs require treatment within five days of movement.

Several categories of animals are exempt from some of these requirements. These include hatching and table eggs, chicks, poults, or ducklings younger than 5 days of age, and birds from National Poultry Improvement Plan-certified flocks moving on a specific former called NPIP 9-3.

Small mammals, such as hamsters, gerbils, Guinea pigs and exotic birds that are bred, born and housed indoors are also exempt, although a certificate of veterinary inspection is still required and proactive treatment is encouraged if deemed safe.

Swine from indoor-housed commercial swine farms moving within a valid Swine Production Health Plan are exempt if they are inspected and found free of wounds within five days of movement, or if an effective treatment is applied within 14 days of movement, unless going directly to slaughter.

Indiana animals that leave the state for exhibitions or other temporary movements may return on the same certificate of veterinary inspection used for travel if the certificate is still valid (less than 30 days) and the animal has not traveled into an infested zone. The Board of Animal Health has not changed exhibition requirements for fairs or open shows, but all out-of-state entries must meet applicable interstate requirements.

Animal owners should observe their pets, livestock and poultry closely for signs of New World screwworm. These signs include the presence of unusual flies or maggots in or around open wounds, sores, or body openings such as the nose, ears, navel, or genitalia. New World screwworm flies are characterized by orange eyes, a metallic blue or green body and three dark stripes along their backs.

Other signs include wounds that continue to drain or grow larger, often accompanied by the smell of decay. Animals may also show discomfort, such as head-shaking or irritated behavior. Watching for these signs is especially important after travel and exhibitions.

New World screwworm flies are attracted by smell and lay eggs in open wounds on warm-blooded animals and rarely, humans. Within hours, the eggs hatch into worms that burrow into the flesh in a screw-like pattern to feed, causing wounds to expand and deepen. Infestations should be treated by a veterinarian with specific FDA-approved medications labeled as effective on New World screwworm and some pesticides are also labeled for control.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Mexican animal health officials have been working to halt the northward spread of New World screwworm. They use a sterile fly release program to disrupt the breeding cycle, a method that was key to eradicating New World screwworm from the United States in 1966. The USDA has increased its production of sterile flies in Texas to combat population growth.

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 Kara Kenney

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    INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Special prosecutors have declined to file criminal charges against a Delaware County sheriff’s deputy whose 10-year-old daughter with special needs died after he left her inside his truck on a summer day.

I-Team is not naming the deputy because he was not criminally charged and he was off duty at the time of the incident, which happened on Aug. 14.

The girl died of vehicular hyperthermia, or heatstroke.

On Aug. 14, the outside temperature was 85 degrees, and the temperature inside the vehicle would have reached 132 degrees after several hours, records show.

According to a report to the court, the deputy called 911 at 6:44 p.m. to report he had accidentally left his daughter in his truck.

“She has rigor already. I messed up,” the deputy told the 911 operator.

The girl had been diagnosed with a syndrome that limited her ability to speak, walk, and move.

The deputy picked the 10-year-old girl up from school at 2:30 p.m., and once inside the house, his two-year-old daughter was “throwing a fit.”

The deputy then became preoccupied with quieting the toddler, according to the report to the court.

He said he then lay down with the toddler to nap and then woke up around 6 p.m.

The deputy went out to his truck to get a bow so that he could practice-shoot, and that’s when he found his 10-year-old daughter unresponsive inside the truck, records show.

When Delaware County Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene, the deputy said “I messed up” and put his hands behind his back, according to the report to the court.

The special prosecutors, Chris Gaal and James Luttrull, declined to prosecute the deputy and outlined the following determinations:

The deputy was not on duty at the time of the incident. There is no evidence he left his daughter in the vehicle on purpose. The deputy did not make any excuse for his lapse of memory. Numerous events may have contributed to the deputy’s mental state, including a recent death in the family. “The credible and admissible evidence is not sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a criminal offense has occurred,” read the report.

The deputy was placed on paid administrative leave on or about Aug. 14, 2025, and returned to work on or about Jan. 15.

I-Team contacted the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office to see if the deputy had any comment or statement on the special prosecutor’s findings, but a spokesperson said he did not have a public statement.

On average, 38 children die in hot cars every year in the United States.

Seventeen children have died in hot cars in Indiana since 1990, records show.

Marah Crapo, 20 months, died in Hendricks County in August 2019 after her parents took a nap after church. The Crapos were never criminally charged.

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By Burt Levine

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    June 10, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Two weeks after Texas’ May 26 primary runoffs, one message is still ringing louder than a church bell on Election Sunday: voters were not simply choosing candidates — they were choosing disruption.

Across Texas and Greater Houston, runoff results revealed a political appetite for younger voices, louder fighters, fresh faces, and candidates willing to challenge the comfortable old order. In race after race, voters looked at long résumés, familiar names, and decades of public service — then politely, and sometimes not so politely, showed them the exit.

Call it generational change. Call it protest politics. Call it democracy with a little hot sauce. Whatever the label, the 2026 runoff season proved that the old political playbook is being rewritten in real time.

The biggest headline came in the Republican U.S. Senate runoff, where Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated longtime U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Cornyn, a fixture in Texas politics for decades, represented the steady, senior statesman wing of the GOP. Paxton ran as the boat-rocker — combative, unapologetic, and powered by a base that preferred confrontation over caution. The voters chose the shake-up.

That same energy rolled into Houston’s congressional map. In Congressional District 18, longtime U.S. Rep. Al Green, a respected civil rights voice and veteran public servant, was defeated by State Rep. Christian Menefee, whose campaign leaned into youth, urgency, and a sharper generational call to action. Menefee’s victory was not just a win; it was a thunderclap from voters demanding new tactics for a new political era.

In Congressional District 7, Alexander Hale defeated Tina Cohen, another example of voters rewarding a younger challenger with a bold pitch. In west Houston’s Congressional District 38, Jon Bonk defeated Shelley DeZavala, continuing the same pattern: less establishment polish, more grassroots punch.

The theme did not stop at Congress. In the Republican runoff for Texas Attorney General, State Sen. Mayes Middleton defeated U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, while Democrat Nathan Johnson won his party’s attorney general runoff over Joe Jaworski. In both contests, voters made clear they were not afraid of reshuffling the deck.

Locally, the political tremors were even more personal.

In Harris County, Dr. Letitia Plummer defeated former Houston Mayor Annise Parker in the Democratic runoff for Harris County Judge. Parker brought history, experience, and name recognition. Plummer brought momentum, outsider energy, and a campaign that connected with voters ready for a different kind of county leadership. On the Republican side, Orlando Sanchez defeated Warren Howell, setting up a high-profile November battle for one of the most powerful county offices in America.

In Fort Bend County, Commissioner Dexter McCoy delivered one of the night’s most commanding victories, defeating Judge Rachelle Carter in the Democratic runoff for County Judge. At just 34, McCoy’s win symbolized the rise of a new Fort Bend — younger, more diverse, more assertive, and unwilling to wait its turn.

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In Texas House District 131, Staci Childs defeated Lawrence Allen Jr., son of longtime State Rep. Alma Allen, in a Sunnyside-area contest loaded with legacy, loyalty, and change. In Alief’s House District 149, Dr. Darlene Breaux defeated longtime incumbent Hubert Vo, ending more than two decades of representation and signaling that even trusted incumbents must keep pace with communities that are rapidly evolving.

Even beyond Texas, the mood is unmistakable. In Louisiana, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy failed to make the Republican Senate runoff, finishing behind Julia Letlow and John Fleming. Across the South, from Houston to Baton Rouge to Atlanta to San Antonio, voters are testing a new political formula: less patience, more purpose.

For democracy, that is not necessarily a crisis. It is a reminder.

Democracy is not a museum piece. It is a living, breathing, sometimes rowdy institution. It does not promise incumbents lifetime leases. It does not guarantee that seniority will beat sincerity. And it certainly does not reward leaders who forget to listen until election night.

For Houston Style Magazine readers, the 2026 runoffs offer a civic lesson wrapped in a political headline: communities are watching, voters are organizing, and young leaders are no longer waiting at the back of the room. They are stepping to the microphone.

The November general election will determine who can transform campaign energy into governing results. But one thing is already clear: the voters have spoken, and they did not whisper. They shouted for change.

REGISTER TO VOTE: Harris County Vote and For Bend County Vote

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Kierra Lee
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By Jermont Terry

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    Illinois (WBBM) — A strange and what some call disturbing sight in Grant Park on Tuesday — a burning cross.

Chicago police spent about three hours investigating the cross burning earlier in the day. Though much information about the incident was not released, the sight here in the public park stirred emotions and shocked many.

The flames from the cross burning in the middle of Grant Park were visible to anyone driving or walking down Columbus Drive. It left Keinika Carlton and her daughter, Alyna, in pure disbelief.

“How did this happen? Like, I’m sure the people walking past saw someone walking down the street with a cross, sit up there, and light a fire to it. I’m surprised there wasn’t more people watching this,” Keinika said.

The two were driving near Grant Park. They didn’t see who started it, but they say it stirred up many emotions.

“I know my grandmothers and great grandmothers and grandfathers have experienced in real time, life in the South. So immediately I just felt sad,” Keinika said.

“It’s very hurting. Even in schools, they make it seem like things like that was so long ago and we’re making so much progress, and we’re clearly not. There is no progress because it’s clearly happening to this day in broad daylight,” Alyna said.

CPD has not said much about this incident.

“This was something that was used against Black people in the South,” Keinika said.

It is unclear if the incident was racial, as the act implies, or if it is connected with something else. Either way, the mother and daughter say seeing this cross burning in such a public place should upset everyone in its own right — not to mention the safety aspect as well.

“That could have gotten really out of control. It could have caught fire to all those trees over there and everyone in the area … people could have suffered,” Keinika said.

The tree trunk the cross was leaning against was torched, along with some leaves. The flames did not spread.

The Chicago Fire Department was called to put out the fire just before 2:30 p.m. Police are working to learn the motive.

“This is how things start. It starts from a distance, and it gets closer and closer, and you are in flames,” Alyna said.

It was unclear how long the cross was burning or if it was carried in or built it by the tree.

Police have not said if anyone is in custody in connection with the burning.

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By Ashley Grams

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    Minnesota (WCCO) — A new state law goes into effect on Aug. 1 in Minnesota, which will no longer allow 10-, 11- and 12-year-old children to be prosecuted. Instead, children under 13 who are considered delinquent, or who have broken a state law, will be redirected to social services.

The Minnesota Association of County Social Service Administrators (MACSSA) represents social service staff across the state’s 87 counties and is asking the state to step in and make changes to the law.

Anne Broskoff is the Human Services Director in Brown County; she’s also part of MACSSA and says while violent acts in that age group may be few, counties aren’t prepared for those situations.

“From a human services perspective, that’s a role that we’re not used to dealing with in terms of addressing public safety for people that commit crimes against other people,” Broskoff said. “We really are looking for some reasonable exceptions for those violent crimes.”

Broskoff says they have concerns about finding the right place to house a child if they are a danger to themselves or the community.

“I think that this law change will be really helpful for youth that are starting to go down a path that they shouldn’t, that we can try and bring alongside those families and youth some well-needed resources and supports,” Broskoff said. “But I’m worried about our capacity to serve the breadth of what this law can bring, and I have some worries about community safety and youth safety.”

Broskoff says they are asking the state to amend the law to make an exception to prosecute and securely house children ages 10 to 12 years old who commit a serious violent crime.

The Minnesota Association of Community Corrections Act Counties, representing over 40 counties, and the Association of Minnesota Counties share these worries.

“There are concerns around the kids that may commit the serious offenses and the lack of available placement options for them,” Emilio Lamba said, representing both groups. “Whether they are going to end up in secure detention, if that mechanism exists, or if county staff may have to potentially sit with these children in county offices, hotels, until they can find the appropriate placements.”

Minnesota’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC) is also asking the state to pump the brakes, to complete more research and ensure services outside of the juvenile delinquency jurisdiction are properly set up for children in the 10 to 12 age range. JJAC members are appointed by Gov. Tim Walz’s office and advise state lawmakers on juvenile justice and law.

Kate Richtman, vice chair of JJAC, said while they support the age change, there are a lot of questions at the county level about what this law will look like in practice.

“But what should that [secure] place be, and are there beds available, and what do you do at two o’clock in the morning?” said Richtman. “We aren’t sure what the capacity is going to be, and where those services are really going to need to be put in place.”

During the legislative session, JJAC asked state lawmakers to delay the law another year, but no changes were made.

JJAC said there are two other states that have the minimum age set to 13: Maryland and New Hampshire. But unlike Minnesota, Richtman said in both states there are “carve-outs” or exceptions for kids under 13 who commit certain offenses.

JJAC data collected from state agencies show 747 kids between the ages of 10 and 12 were arrested in 2023; 423 of them were referred for court proceedings, but fewer than 100 were placed in detention. Richtman says it can be difficult to get a full picture of how many kids in this age range will be impacted by this law change because often kids are referred to diversion programs.

Though Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says Minnesota’s most populous county is ready for the new law come August. Moriarty argues that, often, kids don’t face charges and instead are found unable to stand trial under the current system.

“When a judge finds them incompetent, we can no longer prosecute; that child cannot be held in the juvenile detention center, which means they walk out the door with no services,” she said.

Moriarty says since kids are already walking out the door without charges, the law change will help get child offenders the resources they need.

‘We need to get them the help they need so that they don’t continue to cause that type of harm,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Corrections said they are preparing to notify juvenile detention facilities across the state about the law, clarifying that as of Aug.1, the facilities will not be able to place a child under 13 on a hold.

“The [DOC] is also working with facilities on how they might continue to work with that age group if they are interested in doing so,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement. “The state of Minnesota will be offering training to the courts and law enforcement agencies about these changes soon.”

The spokesperson also said the only juvenile facility operated by the state, which is in Red Wing, has not admitted a child under the age of 13 to its cognitive treatment program in more than 20 years.

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