Author: CNN Newsource

By Jaysha Patel

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    QUEENS, New York (WABC) — A 6-year-old girl is recovering in the hospital after she was struck by falling bricks while playing outside in Maspeth.

The incident happened just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday near 59-01 Maspeth Avenue.

A family friend said the building belongs to the girl’s family. The friend said the child was peeking through an opening to wave at her father, who was at the construction site, when the bricks fell on her.

She was taken to the hospital with a head laceration and a broken leg, but is said to be stable.

The portion of the structure that collapsed was described as a 4-by-3-foot section of the brick side facade.

The girl’s mother said she was unloading groceries from a car when she heard her daughter scream. The father also witnessed the incident from behind a fence,

“A very scary situation. She was crying. Her leg is broken and she needs surgery,” the girl’s mother said. “She was under the big one, it was very heavy. She’s been walking here everyday because we live here.”

The city’s Department of Buildings responded and is investigating. Inspectors were seen taking photos of the building as part of their investigation.

As a result of the partial collapse, DOB issued a violation to the property owner for failure to maintain the garage building.

Police officers also searched the sidewalk with flashlights as they worked to determine what caused the debris to fall.

The girl is expected to undergo surgery for her leg on Friday.

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 Brian Hickey

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — At 86, Gary Matranga is still chasing speed records—at more than 300 mph.

The Sacramento driver and his team set two records this summer at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats in a highly modified 1966 Barracuda. Matranga raised his own record in the gas division by 17 mph, reaching 308 mph.

Then the team entered the car in the fuel division, where it faced competitors running on nitromethane and alcohol. Matranga’s car reached 310 mph, topping a record that had stood at 305 mph for eight years.

When asked how long he’s been obsessed with speed, Matranga said, “Almost all my life, I’m 86.”

While the salt flats are known for miles of seemingly smooth surface, Matranga says the ride is quite violent at first, “It’s a handful of work sometimes.”

About halfway down the five-mile track, he says the car stabilizes but continues to drift, requiring constant input.

“About 2.5 miles, it kind of settles down with the air force and then at 300 mph it still moves around, the car moves around quite a bit. When we pull the shoots it really pulls off,” said Matranga.

The Barracuda is powered by a twin-turbocharged Hemi engine with more than 500 cubic inches of displacement and over 2,400 horsepower. Matranga’s team believes that with a few tweaks to the engine, it could reach 340 mph, though the car’s performance depends on the condition of the salt.

“It’s all about reading the salt. Sometimes the salt won’t take the power. We have to keep taking horsepower out of it and Gary has to drive it harder. Other times, the salt is very grippy and we can apply a lot more power,” said car chief Glen Hutchison.

The team plans to spend the winter testing the Barracuda’s engine and looking for the extra power needed to go faster.

The team works nights and weekends around their day jobs, fulfilling their need for speed, “It’s just an addiction, once we say we are going to do this, we set a goal. We have to do that,” said Hutchinson.

Matranga also has his sights on a new car called a streamliner.

A streamliner looks like a rocket with wheels lying on its side.

Matranga hopes to record his fastest speeds ever.

“The idea is to go streamliner at 400 mph,” he said.

The search is now on for a streamliner as Matranga approaches his 87th birthday and sets his sights on joining the 400-mph club.

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By Matt Flener

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — A mother is asking for answers after finding her daughter’s headstone buried under weeds and grass at XII Gates Cemetery in southeast Kansas City.

Charity Hooper laid her 6-year-old daughter, Angel, to rest at the cemetery 12 years ago after she was killed in a drive-by shooting. Hooper visited the cemetery, located at 9500 E. Bannister Road, on Oct. 17, on the 12th anniversary of Angel’s death.

“This is my daughter’s tombstone,” Hooper said as she then uncovered grass and weeds from her aunt’s tombstone nearby. “Like literally, this is what I had to do to uncover my daughter’s tombstone.”

“When I came out here, I literally was dizzy,” she said. “Just walking in circles, dizzy, trying to find my baby’s tombstone.”

Hooper shared her story on social media this week, and KMBC saw mowers working at the cemetery on Thursday. However, a worker later asked KMBC 9 Investigates to leave the property following an interview with Hooper.

KMBC 9 Investigates eventually found the owner of the cemetery, Saundra McFadden-Weaver, at her office.

She attributed the overgrowth to weather-related delays.

“I’m apologizing to you, Ms. Hooper, and if you would be kind enough to give me a call, we’ll correct whatever the problem is,” McFadden-Weaver said.

Public records reviewed by KMBC 9 Investigates revealed that the cemetery owes nearly $36,000 in overdue tax bills. Additionally, Twelve Gates Incorporated, the cemetery’s owner, has been administratively dissolved by the Missouri secretary of state.

“I think that everything’s being handled with the state of Missouri,” she said. “And we are in the middle of doing all of those things that need to be done.”

Hooper continues to grieve the loss of her daughter, whom she remembers for her big heart.

She wants to make sure to continue to honor her well.

“They’re mowing today,” she said. “Hopefully they’ll keep it up.”

She is organizing a cleanup at the cemetery this Sunday at 10 a.m.

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By Allison Petro

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — A jury found a man guilty of stealing nearly $1 million in jewelry from the Mall at Millenia, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

The incident happened Feb. 26, 2025, when Jaythan Lawrence Gilder allegedly posed as a representative for an Orlando Magic player interested in purchasing jewelry at a Tiffany & Co. store.

Gilder was taken to a private room to see the jewelry.

According to the affidavit, Gilder grabbed the jewelry and fled the store, injuring an employee in the process.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers later stopped him and said Gilder swallowed the jewelry to hide the evidence.

Officials later recovered the jewelry, which they confirmed matched the stolen items.

“This verdict sends a clear message that violence and theft will not be tolerated in our community,” State Attorney Monique Worrell said in a statement.

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By Maegan Summers

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    LANCASTER, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — A 5-year-old boy with autism went missing for 15 minutes during recess at Hamilton Elementary School in Lancaster before being found in a wooded creek behind the school, according to the School District of Lancaster.

The boy’s mother, Shantilly Rivera, described the moment she learned her son, Malachi, had been found in the creek.

“I know it’s true, but I’m like, still sitting here like, nah, that didn’t happen. Like there’s no way,” Rivera said.

Malachi’s clothes were dirty and soaking wet when he was found, and he had scrapes and bruises on his legs and back, Rivera said.

“He has like scratches on his leg. Some bruises and scratches on his back,” she said.

Malachi is nonverbal, which his parents said made the situation even more frightening.

“He could have been in the water drowning and he couldn’t ask for help. He can’t scream out, someone help me, I’m drowning! Nothing. He would just drown,” Rivera said.

Malachi’s father, Ivan Rivera, said his son started attending Hamilton Elementary a month ago for its special needs program, which is supposed to provide one teacher for every two students in his class and ensure constant supervision.

“He needs extra precaution, he needs extra care and extra attention. And that’s what we thought we were getting when we put him in. That didn’t seem to be the case today,” Ivan Rivera said.

A district representative said the school immediately called 911 and launched an all-hands-on-deck search as soon as staff realized Malachi was missing.

The representative said student safety is the district’s top priority and confirmed the incident is under investigation. No staff members have been placed on leave at this time.

Malachi’s family said he is doing okay but will not be returning to Hamilton Elementary.

“Somewhere along the line, they promised us that he’d be safe and they failed. They failed us, and they failed him,” Shantilly Rivera said.

The district said its investigation will include reviewing policies to determine what changes are needed to prevent similar incidents.

Malachi’s family suggested measures such as more staff, a fenced-in playground, alarms on gates, or a tracker for students, saying these could have made a difference.

They also cited a similar incident in February when a nonverbal 11-year-old went missing from Fulton Elementary School in Lancaster.

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By Renee Aldana

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    DEERFIELD, Wisconsin (WKOW) — Some Milwaukee Brewers fans are getting tattoos to commemorate the team’s World Series run.

For one local tattoo artist, Brewers fever is bringing in a flood of new customers. Katie Long owns Wild Violets Beauty in Deerfield and says a friend gave her the idea to offer Brewers-themed flash tattoos.

“This week actually was kind of a slow week. It was starting out really slow, and I was like, man, I’m gonna have to tell my husband this week is kind of dead,” Long said.

Long says as soon as she posted her flash sheets, it went viral, gaining more than 100,000 views. She’s done more than 30 Brewers tattoos so far. Long said she has booked at least 40 new clients since posting the designs. Fans have traveled from as far as Elkhorn, about an hour away, to get the tattoos. “I had the lady say she wanted to come three hours, and I was very honored, but a part of me was like, ‘You don’t need to go all that far away,'” Long said. “But it’s been amazing. It’s been an adventure. I did not expect this to happen.”

Long said many clients are season ticket holders who want to commemorate the playoff run. One woman told Long she and her son bond over Brewers games and secured tickets for all four potential home games if the series goes to seven. Jason Frane has been a fan his whole life and says he’s been waiting 42 years for the Brewers to be in the World Series. “Every time I look at it, I can remember the feeling of the Brewers getting to the World Series and turn into a little kid again,” Frane said.

Frame says getting the tattoo ranks among the most emotional moments of his adult life. “My kids were born, and then that moment… probably the only three times I’ve cried as an adult,” he said. “People are so pumped. They are loving it,” Long said. “Everyone and their mother are wanting tattoos. They are wanting to get in. They love the little sausages. People are just so excited. So they want to commemorate that by coming in and doing tattoos.”

From Brewers logos to little racing sausage designs, fans are finding all different kinds of ways to celebrate a run they won’t soon forget. Long says she’ll be doing these flash tattoos as long as people want them.

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By Allison Wise

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    SPRINGDALE, Arkansas (KHBS) — What started as a childhood lemonade stand has grown into a lasting legacy of love, hope and giving back for one Northwest Arkansas teenager.

Karis Quinn was just 6-years-old when she began raising money for metastatic breast cancer research, inspired by her mother Lisa’s diagnosis with stage 4 breast cancer.

Her lemonade stand fundraisers brought in thousands of dollars for METAvivor Research and Support Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research and supporting people living with metastatic breast cancer.

For Karis, the mission has always been personal.

After losing her mother to the disease, she has continued raising money in her memory, carrying forward a commitment to helping other families affected by breast cancer.

Now a high school student, Karis is turning the page on a new chapter of fundraising.

This fall, she’s trading lemonade for hot chocolate.

On Oct. 22, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Karis will host a hot chocolate fundraiser, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting METAvivor.

While the seasons have changed and the little girl behind that first lemonade stand has grown up, the purpose behind her efforts remains the same.

The fundraiser is an opportunity to honor her mother’s memory while supporting research that could give other families more time with their loved ones.

Metastatic breast cancer, also known as stage 4 breast cancer, occurs when cancer spreads beyond the breast to other parts of the body.

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By Kaleb Clark

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    Medford, OREGON (KDRV) — Law enforcement agencies across Southern Oregon arrested 22 people and cleared 28 warrants last week during a national family violence warrant sweep.

According to the Medford Police Department, the operation brought together 27 law enforcement personnel from MPD Patrol, Criminal Investigations Division, Jackson County Sheriff Oregon’s Parole and Probation and advocates from Community Works. The sweep was part of ongoing efforts to hold offenders accountable and support victims of domestic violence.

The operation cleared 16 open or probable cause cases. Four victims connected with support services during the sweep.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, an opportunity to raise awareness, support survivors and highlight resources available to those experiencing abuse. MPD says holding offenders accountable is an important part of ongoing work, but connecting victims with support and resources is equally important.

Help is available for anyone experiencing domestic violence. Community Works operates a 24-hour helpline at 541-779-4357, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 800-799-7233 or by texting START to 88788.

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