Author: CNN Newsource

By Kimber Collins

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    HONOLULU, Hawaii (KITV) — A simple upgrade in Moanalua Valley is showing how Oahu families can play a role in protecting Hawaii’s environment and water future.

Mālama Maunalua, in partnership with the City and County of Honolulu and local nonprofits, installed one of hundreds of rainwater capture systems Monday as part of the Rainwater Capture Incentive Program.

The initiative provides free green infrastructure, including rain barrels, rain gardens, and native landscaping, to up to 300 households island-wide.

How it Works: The rain barrels capture stormwater before it runs off into streets and streams. Instead of carrying pollutants like oil, tire particles, and chemicals straight into the ocean, the water can be reused for home gardens and landscaping.

“For our land program, we have been working with homeowners on what is called green storm infrastructure,” explained Pam Weiant, Director of Science and Planning for Mālama Maunalua. “Pollutants can include brake fluid and tire bits that wash into the ocean untreated. With these systems, that runoff is captured and reused instead.”

Homeowner Curtis Miyashiro says the project helps his family while also protecting reefs.

“I never really thought about that, but it’s true, all of that is going into our ocean, killing our reefs. But yeah, primarily for me, it was to water my plants,” Miyashiro said.

Strong Community Demand: Since applications opened in August, nearly 2,300 households have applied, more than 80% requesting rain barrels. That demand far exceeds the initial 300 homes selected for the pilot.

For those not chosen this round, rain barrels are still an affordable option. They typically cost between $80 to $180, with a $40 rebate available from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

Looking Ahead: Organizers say the interest proves how much residents want to take part in solutions. Conversations are already underway about how to expand the program next year and bring rainwater capture to more communities across Oahu.

“Every barrel installed is a step toward cleaner coastlines, healthier reefs, and more resilient neighborhoods,” Weiant said.

About the Partners: The Rainwater Capture Incentive Program is led by Mālama Maunalua in collaboration with the City’s Department of Facility Maintenance, Pono Home, 3Rwater, and several community groups. The project is supported by the Wai Maoli: Hawaiʻi Fresh Water Initiative, Ulupono Initiative, and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

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By Perla Shaheen

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    SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A San Diego-based Navy commander is under investigation after social media posts about her LinkedIn profile led to her removal from leadership positions.

Commander Janelle Marra, who has served on active duty in the Navy for 17 years as a doctor and the head of a unit trained to provide medical care during military operations, was notified earlier this month that she was being investigated.

“I don’t care where you work or what you do. Nobody should have to find out that they’ve lost positions via Twitter,” Marra said.

According to Marra’s wife, Cassandra, they didn’t understand what was happening until they saw a post on X from a far-right account called Libs of TikTok. The account had screenshotted Marra’s profile, highlighting her pronouns and job title as Deputy Medical Director for Transgender Healthcare.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reposted the screenshot with the caption: “Pronouns updated: she/her/fired.”

“Why would you repost something like that? It was a little bit terrifying, because we’re still receiving threats and harassment,” Cassandra said.

Cassandra shared a nomination letter from January of last year that includes Marra’s title as “Navy Deputy Medical Officer for the Transgender Health Center” under the Biden administration.

“Nobody ever said, hey we’re dropping this, we’re stopping this, so she kept doing the job,” Cassandra said.

A U.S. Navy official told me that the Transgender Health Center was abandoned during Donald Trump’s presidency. The official said Marra was nominated but not officially appointed to the position.

Cassandra says Marra was expected to start the job once she was nominated.

“She goes into work every single day, still willing to serve this country despite what her country’s done to her,” Cassandra said.

Marra hasn’t been fired and is still working as a physician at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.

A Navy official says she “was removed from her leadership role due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead pending an investigation of potential violation of Navy social media policy.”

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KGTV’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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By Jason McNabb

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    TAOS, New Mexico (KOAT) — The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge near Taos, New Mexico, has been closed to pedestrian traffic after a recent surge in suicides, including the death of a 15-year-old boy on Sunday, prompting the New Mexico Department of Transportation to seek a viable solution.

Since the 1960s, the bridge has been a popular spot for tourists and sightseers seeking breathtaking views of the river and canyon below. However, a sign now greets visitors, stating, “Do not stop on the bridge,” and “No walking allowed.” Six people have died by suicide at the bridge in 2025, with half of those occurring in the last three weeks.

Taos County Sheriff Steve Miera previously commented on the situation, saying, “Unfortunately, you have people from all over the state, from all over the country come to jump off this bridge.”

Clarie Miller, the lead coordinator of suicide prevention for the state’s Department of Health, supports the move to close the bridge and hopes it leads to a permanent barrier.

“We know, as recommended by American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, that barriers are the best thing when it comes to bridges. You can look at different states across the country and know that our call boxes were a first step,” Miller said.

However, some visitors expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of a barrier. One visitor remarked, “It’s just going to lead to more fatalities, illness and injuries. It’s going to be decrepit to walk through for our tourists and our local community to look through.”

Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani, a public health professor at New Mexico State University, noted the unusual nature of the suicides at the bridge.

“This seems like an emerging copycat kind of suicides where we are looking at possibly a point cluster where a number suicides happen. In a short period of time in a particular space. So this has to be investigated as per the guidelines of CDC and other professional organizations,” he said.

Khubchandani emphasized the rarity of jumpers among the 45,000 suicides annually and the need for mitigation at the bridge, a sentiment echoed by Miller.

“It can be done. We need to do more studies. There was one done in 2018 that the Department of Transportation has on hand and they’re going to be reviewing that to see what we can do. This is one of the last few swing bridges so it is reasonable that significant modifications are going to take a lot of adjustment,” Miller said.

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By Stephanie Moore, Caitlin Ashbaugh

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    SPARTANBURG COUNTY, South Carolina (WXII) — Lauren Vaughn, a former teacher’s assistant in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, has filed a lawsuit against the school district, its board of trustees, and its superintendent, alleging she was wrongfully terminated over a Facebook post made in her personal time.

The lawsuit states that Vaughn’s post was made on Sept. 10, the day of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death, and included a quote from Kirk: “I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.” Vaughn added “Thoughts and prayers” to Kirk’s quote in the post.

Vaughn continued the conversation in the comments, stating, “I disagree with Kirk and think today should not have happened. I’m sorry it did.” Another read: [T]he WHOLE point here is that any time someone is killed fits [sic] a tragedy. Even someone I may not like. Even someone I disagree with. But instead of accepting it, why don’t we do something about it?”

The lawsuit claims she further stated, “She felt no satisfaction here. Just heartbreak for anyone and everyone affected by gun violence and a hope that one day, enough will be enough. At the end of the day, all want the same thing—for everyone to be safe in their school, home, church, in a public place, at a rally or event, or just out in public.”

The post was deleted later that evening, according to the lawsuit.

“The comments she made were not unprofessional, and they weren’t inflammatory, and there was nothing wrong with her comments. In fact, she quoted Mr. Kirk, his own stance, and offered commentary,” Vaughn’s lead attorney, Jack Cohoon of Burnette Shutt and McDaniel law, said. “Miss Vaughn was just using her First Amendment rights and was not engaging in anything that could reasonably be construed as disruptive.”

The lawsuit accuses the district’s social media guidelines of being unconstitutional, overly broad, vague, and viewpoint-discriminatory. It claims the guidelines ask employees to “be respectful and professional in all communications, by word, image or other means, always representing the district in the best light.”

Vaughn and her attorneys accuse District 5, its board of trustees, and the superintendent of violating the First Amendment, the South Carolina Constitution, and wrongful discharge in violation of public policy. Vaughn is demanding a trial by jury.

“The First Amendment is designed to protect unpopular speech. If it only protected popular speech, it wouldn’t be. It wouldn’t be necessary,” Cohoon said. “There are no absolutes in this situation. But at the same time, in this case, it illustrates that the employer cannot just say you spoke about something that makes us uncomfortable and terminate the person, which is what happened. At the same time, employees do have to be aware that things they say if the employer can claim that, can plausibly claim and prove that they were disruptive.”

Cohoon continued, claiming social media policies should be reviewed for “overbroad” statutes and conversations could be more open to include law or legislation in the broadening effects of social media and technology use in speech or censorship.

“People need to realize that it’s there, that when they put things to social media, it exists. Sometimes it goes beyond, you know, where they intend. Having said that, it’s important that there be protections for people to engage as citizens,” Vaughn said. “This seems to be a hot-button issue at this very moment in a way that I’ve never seen before with regard to freedom of expression, and maybe this is going to prompt conversations about how to better protect individuals’ ability to express themselves. But my concern is that it might create an environment where there’s more restrictions rather than less with regard to people being able to express themselves.”

WYFF News 4 has reached out to Spartanburg School District Five for a comment. The district responded with a statement:

“We are aware of the lawsuit, but cannot comment on pending litigation,” a District 5 Spokesperson said.

The full lawsuit can be read here.

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By Lindsay Weber

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    MERIDIAN, California (KCRA) — A vigilant driver helped lead deputies to a convicted felon who was impersonating a peace officer, according to the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office.

On Saturday, deputies responded to the area of Highway 20 and Bridge Street in Meridian following a report from a motorist who believed they were pulled over by someone impersonating law enforcement.

Deputies found the suspect vehicle near South Tarke Road and Highway 20, and located 42-year-old Jaymi Ramirez, of Marysville, who is a convicted felon with an active warrant, officials said.

The sheriff’s office said a search of Ramirez’s vehicle uncovered a loaded AR-15 magazine, an unregistered AR-15 rifle and an LED pod capable of flashing red and blue lights.

Ramirez was booked into the Sutter County Jail on felony firearm-related charges, possession of paraphernalia and impersonating a peace officer.

Drivers who believe they are stopped by someone who is not a law enforcement official are urged to contact the authorities.

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