Contaminated fuel pumped at some Denver metro area gas stations, according to state officials

CNN Newsource on January 9, 2026

By Jennifer McRae and Ashley Portillo

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    DENVER (KCNC) — Some gas stations in the Denver metro area, including Costco, Murphy Express and King Soopers locations, sold contaminated fuel on Thursday, according to the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety.

King Soopers confirmed to CBS News Colorado that the pumps at 13 of its gas stations in the Denver metro area contained contaminated fuel. That fuel was pumped into vehicles by customers.

According to a King Soopers company representative, multiple locations in Aurora, Broomfield, Parker and other cities were impacted. Store officials said the fuel was delivered by a third-party carrier.

Several customers told CBS Colorado that the unleaded gas they pumped into their vehicle was contaminated with diesel. Lance Strait got gas from a Parker King Soopers on Thursday morning and drove to work without any issues. “But on the way home, it was sputtering and misfiring and obviously had some serious mechanical issues,” said Strait.

“I think everybody is in panic mode right now,” he said.

Many drivers have a similar story. Tracy Burlingame filled her tank up at the same King Soopers on Wednesday evening. Her husband drove the vehicle the next day.

“It was just not driving right at all, sputtering, in wouldn’t accelerate, and we talked, and was like, that sounds like bad gas,” said Burglingame.

Burglingame’s vehicle was towed to a nearby auto shop.

“They did call me this morning and say that they tested the fuel, and it was diesel. So, we had nearly 25 gallons of diesel put into our unleaded truck,” said Burlingame, who was also told repairs would be about $3,000.

“It’s upsetting,” she added.

Once King Soopers learned about the contaminated fuel, officials said all affected fuel lines were shut down. Teams continued to work to complete the remediation process and get the pumps back online.

King Soopers released this statement, which read in part: We sincerely regret the inconvenience and disruption this has caused our customers. We understand how important reliable fuel service is, and we are committed to working directly with any impacted customers to resolve their concerns. Customers who believe they may have been impacted are encouraged to contact their local store and we will assist them promptly.

An earlier update from King Soopers had listed some locations in Boulder and Littleton but the company amended its location list to include five fewer locations, lowering the number of gas stations impacted to 14 locations. That list was updated several hours later to exclude the location at 15109 E. Colfax Ave., leaving the total number of locations impacted at 13.

Murphy Express said a gas station of theirs in Parker was impacted. That is located at 13001 Copperhead Trail.

The known Costco locations that are impacted, according to Colorado officials are in Sheridan and in Superior.

The Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety released this statement to CBS Colorado: The Division of Oil and Public Safety began receiving complaints about bad gas on Thursday, January 8. Reports were coming from fuel sold at Costco, Murphy Express, and King Soopers locations, among others.

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.

California is drought-free for the first time since 2000, U.S. Drought Monitor shows

CNN Newsource on January 9, 2026

By Kayla Moeller

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KMAX, KOVR) — Current drought maps are showing California is drought-free for the first time in 25 years.

The U.S. Drought Monitor climatologists put out a weekly map assessing drought conditions across the country. This week’s map continues to show zero drought conditions across the whole state of California.

“This is the first time we have seen that since December of 2000. It’s been quite a while since there’s been no abnormally dry conditions or worse being depicted in the state,” said Brian Fuchs, climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The map shows that much of the rest of the country is experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions.

“When we start looking at California, the first map that actually had no drought depicted in the state on the U.S. Monitor was the map on the week of Dec. 9. That was where we had zero drought, but we did have a little under 9% of the state that is abnormally dry. Since that time, we’ve knocked down that abnormally dry with the continued wet pattern, so now we have no abnormally dry, no drought being depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor map,” Fuchs said.

“This water year that started Oct. 1, we got off to a great start. We’ve seen regular storms work their way through over the months and in the first quarter of the water year, as we rounded into the new calendar year, we’re at about 150% of average for precipitation,” said Michael Anderson, a state climatologist with the California Department of Water Resources.

Our first alert weather team says this 2025-2026 season is considered to be a La Niña year, and for California, that usually means drier conditions.

“But this year is an anomaly. We’re seeing the storms form right off the coast of California, so they’re coming right in and inundating the state from north to south, so we’ve had this heavy, steady rain that has continued,” meteorologist Kristine Hanson said.

That steady rain has also helped refill California’s reservoirs, with 14 of the 17 major ones at 70% or more capacity.

But that doesn’t mean these conditions are here to stay. Climatologists say we’re in a wait-and-see period to see how the rest of winter goes and what things look like come fire season.

“That back and forth is something California is well accustomed to,” Anderson said. “We’ll see then, as we get into February and March, when they start the growth cycle, if there’s continued moisture to allow for that and then fire season begins when those grasses begin to dry out.”

“The next week or so is supposed to be fairly dry and warm as well, so again, as quickly as we’ve seen these dry situations get tampered down and relieved, they could be developing again,” Fuchs said.

The Climate Prediction Center is projecting California to stay drought-free through the end of March, but they’re coming out with their monthly update next week, so we’ll see if those projections continue through April and into spring.

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‘No one verified the evidence’: Woman says AI-generated deepfake text sent her to jail

CNN Newsource on January 9, 2026

By Chad Pradelli and Cheryl Mettendorf

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    PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Courts are now facing a growing threat: AI-generated deepfakes.

Melissa Sims said her ex-boyfriend created fake AI-generated texts that put her behind bars.

“It was horrific,” she said.

Sims said she spent two days of hell in a Florida jail.

“It’s like you see in the movies ‘Orange is the New Black’,” she said. “I got put into like basically a general population.”

Her story made headlines in Florida.

Sims and her boyfriend had recently moved there from Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

She said her nightmare began in November 2024 after she called the police during an argument with her boyfriend, when she said he allegedly ransacked her home.

“Next thing I know, I’m looking at him and he’s slapping himself in the face,” she said.

She said he also allegedly scratched himself. When police arrived, they arrested her for battery.

As part of her bond, the judge ordered Sims to stay away from her boyfriend and not speak to him.

Fast forward several months, and she said her boyfriend created an AI-generated text that called him names and made disparaging comments.

“I end up getting arrested for violating my bond,” she said. “No one verified the evidence.”

Judge Herbert Dixon says Sims’ ordeal is one of increasing frequency.

“Several years ago, it started out with just fake audio recordings,” he said. “And now it’s gotten to a point of fake video and fake images being produced.”

Dixon is a senior judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He also serves as a member of the Council on Criminal Justice alongside former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. Its mission is to advance policy in the criminal justice system.

“One of the things we’re trying to do is to develop a framework for the responsible use of artificial intelligence,” he said.

He believes prosecutors and police need to do a bit more due diligence in this age of AI before they bring charges.

Drexel University professor Rob D’Ovidio teaches AI forensics.

“This is scary to say, but we’re no longer going to be able to trust what we see in front of us,” he said.

He said AI-generated video, texts and other evidence can be difficult to spot. AI is simply getting too good.

“The challenge is the detection tools are not keeping up with those capabilities,” he said.

As an example, he created an AI-generated photo to show us. He input it into three different well-known AI detection software programs. All three spit back different results that ranged from 1% to 62% probability of the photo being synthetic or AI-generated.

“The standard nowadays is we trust unless proven otherwise, right? I think we have to flip the script and distrust until we verify,” he said.

As for Sims, her story has a happy ending.

After eight months of legal wrangling by her attorney, prosecutors dropped the bond violation charge against her. And, last month, she went to trial on the battery charge and was acquitted.

Sims shared her story on her journey to advocate for a new law to create AI evidence standards and penalties.

“If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone,” she added.

In July, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed a new digital forgery law that makes it a felony to create AI deepfakes that injure, exploit or scam in the state.

WPVI-TV reached out to Sims’ ex-boyfriend but has not heard back.

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Mayor Mamdani spends morning with Ms. Rachel singing to kids at Lower Manhattan school

CNN Newsource on January 9, 2026

By WABC Staff

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    LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) — Mayor Zohran Mamdani spent the morning with YouTube sensation Ms. Rachel to sing to children at a school in Lower Manhattan.

The toddler whisperer, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, has a giant internet following on her YouTube series, where she sings to children while teaching language development.

Mamdani and Ms. Rachel sang to children at District 2 3K/Pre-K Center on Friday morning, a pre-K on Washington Street.

The two sang “The Wheels on the Bus” to a classroom of several dozen children.

They then had a group discussion with the children about how they feel. The mayor said he is feeling happy because Thursday he announced universal child care for every 2-year-old.

“Giving makes us so happy, and giving child care makes everyone really happy in the city,” Ms. Rachel said

That led to their next song — “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”

Of course no Ms. Rachel visit is complete without her friend Herbie, her orange cuddle and comfort doll who appeared at the end.

Ms. Rachel was one of Mamdani’s high-profile picks to serve on his inaugural committee.

Her YouTube channel has around 18 million subscribers and her videos have racked up more than 13 billion views.

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Illinois man arrested for child pornography with help of electronic sniffing dogs

CNN Newsource on January 9, 2026

By Sara Tenenbaum

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    ANTIOCH, Illinois (WBBM) — A man from Antioch, Illinois, has been arrested and charged with possessing child pornography with the help of two electronic detection dogs.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said they received a tip from an email provider that suspected child pornography had been sent from a device in Lake County. Their investigation traced the device to the 1000 block of Deertrail Court in Antioch, police said.

Sheriff’s officers searched the residence with the help of two electronic detection K9 officers, Grip and Enzo.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said they seized electronics containing dozens of images of child pornography and videos of children under the age of 13 during their search.

David J. Ransdell, 72, is now charged with five felony counts of possessing child pornography. Additional charges are still possible, the sheriff’s office said.

Police did not say when Ransdell is due in court.

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.

Shawn Johnson East speaks out on protecting babies from RSV

CNN Newsource on January 9, 2026

By Alyx Sacks

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a high level of respiratory illness in Iowa. With babies being especially vulnerable to RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, Iowa native Shawn Johnson East is raising awareness about methods of prevention.

Johnson East, an Olympic gold medalist and mother of three, joined a pediatrician to provide advice for parents, inspired by her experience when her two oldest children contracted RSV as babies, leading to her son’s hospitalization.

“It took a really quick turn to where he was struggling to breathe, and so we ended up in the emergency room, which was a very, very scary experience for a mom,” Johnson East said.

The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend the RSV monoclonal antibody treatment Beyfortus for babies under 8 months.

“When I got pregnant with our third, our due date was, like, peak RSV season. I had two babies at home, a bunch people visiting for the holidays,” Johnson East said. “My pediatrician had a really great conversation with me about before this, which gives just an extra line of defense to babies at a young age for their first RSV season, which gave us more confidence going into it.”

Pediatrician Dr. Mona Amin said it’s important for parents to look for warning signs.

“It’s a highly contagious and unpredictable virus that can spread person to person. So, sneezing, coughing, contaminated surfaces. And the reality is that for many of us, it could be a mild cold,” Amin said. “But for some babies, especially those under 1, it can lead to serious lung infections. And so, no baby is too healthy or too strong to get RSV and to also potentially have those serious lung infections.”

Symptoms to look for: runny nose, eating or drinking less, or a cough, which may progress to wheezing or difficulty breathing

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High school student raises money for hospital after health journey

CNN Newsource on January 9, 2026

By Rachel Whelan

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    INDIAN HILL, Ohio (WLWT) — An Indian Hill High School senior is turning a delayed medical diagnosis into a mission to help others.

Aiden Kincaid blends right in at baseball practice, working drills alongside his teammates. But for years, he says he felt like an outsider. In fifth grade, Kincaid went from being one of the tallest kids in his class to watching others pass him by.

“I remember it went from, like, I was looking down on people, to people were looking down on me,” he said.

His mom, Amber Kincaid, said concerns became clearer during annual physicals as Aiden’s growth percentile steadily dropped.

“It was like 80%, then 75%, then 60%, then 50% — it got down to 30%,” she said.

Despite visiting multiple doctors, the explanation was often the same: Aiden was just a late bloomer. Amber didn’t accept that.

“I’m a scientist, and I needed real data,” she said.

After years of searching for answers, the family was referred to Dayton Children’s Hospital, where a four-hour diagnostic test confirmed Aiden had growth hormone deficiency.

“It was just relieving. Finally, I had an answer and an explanation for why things were happening to me,” Aiden said.

Once treatment began, the changes came quickly. Amber said her son grew about six inches within the first six to nine months.

“I’m now 5-8, and three-fourths. I could round up, but I like staying true to who I am,” Aiden said.

Now, Aiden is using that experience to help others. He started a nonprofit called “Teens Together,” focused on raising awareness for growth hormone deficiency and other conditions that can be overlooked or take years to diagnose.

“It’s just been a dream of mine to give back,” Aiden said. “Internally, I feel like this is something I need to do, especially with how much they’ve done for me.”

On Friday, Aiden will present a $10,000 check to Dayton Children’s Hospital — the same hospital that helped diagnose and treat him.

For Amber, watching her son turn uncertainty into purpose carries an important message for other families.

“Listen to your gut. Listen to your kid,” she said. “And if you think something’s off, keep looking.”

To learn more about Teens Together, click here:

teenstogether.org/donations.

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Postal worker puts NFL rivalry aside to save dog wearing Mahomes jersey

CNN Newsource on January 9, 2026

By Pete Cuddihy

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    OMAHA (KETV) — After more than three weeks away from home, a nine-pound dog donning a Patrick Mahomes jersey has finally been reunited with his owner.

Milo the dog traveled four miles in 24 days, and one of the most unlikely heroes helped save him. When Milo ran away, he was still wearing his Kansas City Chiefs jersey. As the weeks passed, his owner began to lose hope until she received a call 24 days later. She never imagined the person who would save her dog would be a rival fan.

Rain or shine, Roy LaMark III delivers his mail route. He said it is not a job where you are constantly rewarded or thanked. LaMark continues his work with a smile, even after his world was rocked by a cancer diagnosis and the death of his father in 2025. He said those hardships can make it tough to get up every day and fight through it.

The positives in life keep him going, including his love for the Buffalo Bills. As a proud member of Bills Mafia, LaMark never imagined a highlight of his career would be saving a missing little dog wearing a Patrick Mahomes jersey.

Milo ran away from his home in Blackstone more than three weeks earlier. His owner, Terilyn Beilke, searched everywhere for him, posting flyers on social media and handing them out in person. She later said she did not realize how much emotional support Milo provided until he was gone.

LaMark said people often approach him with flyers about missing dogs, but nothing had ever come of it. That all changed three weeks later while he was on his delivery route. While walking up to a porch, LaMark noticed a dog hiding under a table. He called the number on the flyer and reached Beilke.

Beilke said she saw LaMark’s name come up on her phone and learned he was likely looking at her dog. Milo had traveled a total of four miles during the three weeks he was missing. Beilke said she does not know how he survived on the streets.

Now reunited with her dog 24 days later, Beilke said she finally feels whole again. Unlike most days, this time, the postal worker was thanked for doing his job. LaMark said it was a happy ending and that he was grateful to be a part of it and witness the reunion.

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.

Authorities urgently searching for missing 12-year-old Oklahoma boy a week after he was last seen

CNN Newsource on January 9, 2026

By Jordan Ryan

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    CHICKASHA, Oklahoma (KOCO) — The urgent search continues for a 12-year-old Oklahoma boy who was last seen a week ago in Chickasha.

Ryan “RJ” Davis was reported missing on Jan. 2, and he was last seen at Fourth Street and East Grand Avenue near the Quality Inn. Police and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation have been investigating the “suspicious disappearance,” and the community is now coming together to help search.

This story has inspired a lot of people from the area to volunteer to search for Davis, whom law enforcement officials believe is still alive.

A Facebook group was created less than 24 hours ago, designed to organize volunteer search efforts. The group already has more than 650 members.

“Seeing everything that he has been through and knowing that he is out there needing adults that are going to help guide him to safety, I think we just see our own kids and other members of our community in him and just say if it was my son, I would really want the community to rally,” Allana Taylor said about creating the Facebook group. Davis’ parents, George and Kimberly Cole, were arrested and booked into the Caddo County Jail. OSBI officials said they face child abuse charges.

“It was learned that there was apparent harm done to this child while he was living with these two parents,” Hunter McKee with the OSBI said.

If the 12-year-old boy is found, authorities have made it clear he would not return home.

Authorities have searched several properties connected to Davis’ parents, but they have not provided any updates on those searches.

Volunteers are meeting Friday morning to start their search. A vigil is also scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Train Depot Park in Chickasha.

Anyone with information about Davis’ location is asked to call 911 or contact the OSBI tip line at tips@osbi.ok.gov or 1-800-522-8017. People can also call the Chickasha Police Department at 405-222-6050.

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.

New Orleans man accused of kidnapping, human trafficking

CNN Newsource on January 9, 2026

By Erin Lowrey

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    NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — The New Orleans Police Department has arrested a man accused of kidnapping and human trafficking.

According to police, Rashad Johnson, 37, of New Orleans, was arrested on New Year’s Day and is facing kidnapping and child trafficking charges.

Police said Johnson is accused of assaulting a teenager and has been booked with trafficking children for sexual purposes, indecent behavior with a juvenile, and several other crimes.

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.