Author: CNN Newsource

By Kyle Langellier

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    APPLETON, Wisconsin (WGBA) — Before September, customers at vape shops like Top Dogz in Appleton could choose from more than 200 different flavored vape products. Now, only 39 remain on the shelves.

The dramatic reduction follows a new Wisconsin state law requiring all vape products to receive FDA approval before being sold. The change has left many smoke shops across the state scrambling to clear old inventory or face fines as high as $1,000.

“Vapes were definitely our number one seller,” Jason Williams, co-owner of Top Dogz, said.

Williams co-owns Top Dogz with Jenny Peters. The business owners say they’re seeing fewer customers walk through their doors since the law took effect at the beginning of September.

“Clearly we see a decline in the number of people coming through our doors, our numbers are down a little bit,” Williams said.

An employee at A-Z Smoke Shop in Appleton, who declined to appear on camera, said the business is losing between $3,000 to $5,000 daily since the law went into effect.

The Top Dogz owners express concern not just for their business, but for customers who relied on vape products that are no longer available.

“What’s impacted the most by this is our customers. Because a lot of our customers have chose to stop smoking cigarettes and now they have to come back to cigarettes,” Peters said.

Non-profit Wisconsinites for Alternatives to Smoking Tobacco, also known as WiscoFAST, filed a lawsuit challenging the law. However, the lawsuit was overruled on Sept. 5.

If the law isn’t reversed, Peters said Top Dogz may need to re-brand as a corner store to stay in business. Two Appleton smoke shops, including Fox Valley Vapor, have already temporarily closed.

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By KGUN News Staff

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    BISBEE, Arizona (KGUN) — A man was transported to Copper Queen Hospital in Bisbee by helicopter over the weekend after getting stuck at the bottom of the Lavender Pit Mine.

According to a Cochise County Sheriff’s Office’s social media post, its Search and Rescue unit was activated after the man called 911 at around 1 a.m., saying he was stuck at the bottom of the pit.

Mine security was notified, but they were unable to reach the victim due to condemned roads.

Tucson DPS Air Rescue Ranger 2 was brought in to assist. They flew recon around the pit, picked up a CCSO rescue specialist at the pit overlook, then conducted a hover ingress to rescue the man, who was injured.

The man was flown directly to the Copper Queen.

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By Athena Kehoe

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — It’s been about a year since many streetlights went dark in one Tucson neighborhood, and residents say they’ve had enough.

You’ve heard it before: copper wire theft. But neighbors are asking why it’s taking so long to fix the lights.

“It used to be you could see the streets, you could see the traffic coming through them, but you can’t even see that anymore because it’s so dark in these areas,” explains Seth Nilson, who has lived in Tucson for over 40 years.

Seth Nilson said he’s filed multiple reports using the city’s 311 app and online complaint forms. But he says he’s tired of seeing statuses marked as “acknowledged” without any real change.

“I just want them back on to feel safe again,” he explains.

Since filming this story on Friday, September 12, Nilson said he noticed some of the streetlights start to work, specifically on W Calle Siglo.

The City of Tucson’s Transportation Department has told neighbors they’ve seen an increase in copper wire theft over the last year. The problem has grown large enough to overwhelm city crews trying to make repairs in a timely manner.

Nilson says streetlights act as a natural deterrent, spotlighting potential crime scenes before thieves have a chance to strike. “I think it’s their responsibility to keep their citizens safe and so that’s, you know, part of it we paid for the lights and we expect them to work.”

In Tucson, stealing copper wire can be charged as either a felony or misdemeanor, depending on its value. Nilson hopes the city will prioritize finding more effective solutions to prevent the thefts in the first place.

KGUN 9 reached out to the Department of Transportation to ask how many lights are currently out citywide due to copper wire theft. The department has not yet responded to this question, but did tell KGUN 9 via email:

“As a result of the scale of the problem, all streetlight repair locations (wire-theft caused or not) are being prioritized by safety, operational impacts, and work efficiency. Outages on major streets with higher traffic speeds and pedestrian/bicyclist activity, traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, emergency repairs, etc. may generally be addressed before getting to individual outages on neighborhood streets.”

The department has also confirmed to KGUN 9 that they are “coordinating to return to the site to fix the current issue and plans to further harden the infrastructure in an effort to prevent future wire theft.”

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By Julian Mitchell

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    HOMEWOOD, Alabama (WVTM) — Being a card collector means you’re always chasing, searching for the next thing.

“I don’t even know how to explain it; just, you got to love it. It’s the thrill of it, trying to chase it, seeing what you can get, just that’s the fun part,” Brooks Vernon, owner of Magic City Collectibles, said.

Vernon has been chasing that feeling since he was a kid.

“Me and my dad went to Target and bought a box there. I was collecting basketball at the time, I was real big into the guys that came out that year. Got me hooked and couldn’t stop. Just yeah, love it,” Vernon said.

He’s turned his love now into a business called Magic City Collectibles. A card shop is running at just 18 years old.

“One day he told basically my dad was like, ‘Hey I want to start a card shop,’ so my dad was like, ‘Alright we can try this out,” Maddie Vernon Walker said.

It’s a family business, too; his sister Maddie Vernon Walker runs the Pokémon and trading card games side of the shop.

“When you have family with you every day and trustworthy people, you feel like you’re in the right space,” Vernon Walker said.

Since the shop opened three years ago, it has been nothing but growth. Vernon’s done trades with MLB players like the Royals’ Jac Caglianone and Bobby Whitt Jr.

“It’s kind of crazy cause you meet them and it’s like you don’t know what they’re going to be like, but they’re just like you. Just a collector and into it,” Vernon said.

Of course, it all starts for Vernon with the kids who are falling in love with collecting at a young age, just like he did.

“I try to help them through their collecting journey even if it’s like, hey, I got 20 bucks and it’s a $30 box, I’ll pay the difference and get it for them,” Vernon said.

“You never know who’s going to be the next me or want to open a shop, collect, flip and make money.”

Vernon has collected some rare cards in his collecting journey, but the shop he has is something truly one-of-one.

“It’s just a fun journey because I get to do it with my dad every day, family works with us, sister runs the Pokémon. So, it’s just crazy, fun way to do it. Family business and keep it going,” Vernon said.

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By Stephanie Moore

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    BEAUFORT, South Carolina (WYFF) — An 82-year-old woman is accused of shooting and killing her husband at the South Carolina health care facility where they lived.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called about 10:30 a.m. Friday to Preston Health Center at the Cypress of Hilton Head.

Deputies arrived and responded to a patient’s room, where they say they found Harriett Kay Recker, 82, alongside her 81-year-old husband who had a gunshot wound.

The husband died in the room.

Recker was arrested on charges of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

She is being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center.

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By WMTW News Staff

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    WEST GARDINER, Maine (WMTW) — A Maine man was able to escape from his car and swim away after crashing into the Cobbosseecontee Stream on Sunday morning.

According to Maine State Police, 27-year-old Brandon Nale, of Winslow, drove off Interstate 295 around 7 a.m. near the West Gardiner/Gardiner line.

State trooper Tom Bureau arrived within minutes and immediately entered the water in an effort to rescue the driver. He found the car submerged about seven feet underwater, but was unable to open the door because of oil that had leaked out. After trying to gain access for a few minutes, he learned that the driver had already escaped and swam to a nearby home.

Investigators think Nale had fallen asleep at the wheel, hit a concrete barrier, and launched into the stream. He was ultimately transported to MaineGeneral Hospital in Augusta with non-life-threatening injuries.

The left lane of I-295 was shut down for about an hour while the Maine State Police Dive Team helped recover the car.

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By Nick Matoney

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    CADOGAN TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — A woman recently evicted from a home in Cadogan Township, Armstrong County, is facing multiple charges after three dead babies were found inside the house.

According to a criminal complaint filed against Jessica Mauthe, 39, of Ford City, the investigation began when the owner of a property on Oak Lane was cleaning out the residence and found a dead baby in a trash bag inside a closet.

Police said two other dead babies were found in totes in the attic.

The criminal complaint said that during a police interview, Mauthe described birthing the infants and placing them in the locations where they were found.

Mauthe is charged with criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse.

She is being held in the Armstrong County Jail.

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By Lauren Lennon

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    AURORA, Colorado (KMGH) — There’s no question that some tutoring services can be costly for families.

That’s why two brothers, Salahdiin and Abdullahi Adan, took it upon themselves to fill a need they saw within their community.

“The community, they don’t have a lot of resources and a lot of tutors, especially in low-income areas,” said Salahdiin.

“I saw the issue, and I wanted to help out my community,” he added.

So Bright Minds tutoring was born. It’s an initiative where the brothers offer free one-on–one tutoring with students.

“We tutor younger students leading up to eighth grade with fractions, differentials, fundamental math, social studies, human geography, US History, English, all of that,” explained Abdullahi.

Salahdiin, the founder of the initiative, said his brother, Abdullahi, saw the impact the organization had on the community, and soon became a co-founder.

Both brothers fuel the initiative’s mission with their own experiences.

“I just entered sixth grade, and I learned fractions. So I was looking for a tutor, and I realized, like, how expensive and how limited tutors are,” shared Salahdiin.

“I was studying for the SAT in June of this year, and I saw how expensive SAT tutors could get,” said Abdullahi.

He went on to describe how he benefited from having a teacher who helped him reach new heights in his academics, “before I took my first SAT, the school day SAT, she helped me get from a pretty low math score to a higher, you know, where I could get scholarships and other things.”

“I want to be that person for other people. I want to be that support. I want other people to have that feeling as well,” he added.

Currently, they focus their services on students in an apartment complex in Aurora, where they claim to see lower test scores.

“It’s maybe 20 to 25 students. And we go there every other Monday,” said Abdullahi.

The brothers also tutor an additional 25 at a local library.

“Before we start tutoring any of the students, we take a diagnostic test at first, and we make sure that they’re on their level. So if they say they’re in sixth grade, we make sure they reach a sixth-grade, if not seventh-grade level,” he explained.

And for Abdullahi and Salahdiin, this initiative is so much more than just helping students catch up in the classroom; it’s an opportunity to make a difference in their community.

“It feels pretty rewarding seeing the kid with a smile on their face and finally being able to understand basic, you know, algebra, basic functions, basic equations. I remember I struggled with that a lot when I was younger,” said Abdullahi.

“For me, it’s like a sense of happiness and joy for them, because I see them succeed and they get the opportunity that I didn’t have when I was their age,” his brother added.

“There’s always someone to help you out. You shouldn’t feel ashamed or afraid to reach out” Both brothers are students at the Lotus School for Excellence; Abdullahi is a senior who hopes to attend Fordham University in New York, while Salahdiin is a sophomore. Their principal noted how the school plans to further their initiative on campus as well.

“We are planning to partner with them in really moving this common course, because Bright Minds also wants to really promote mentorship and opportunities for our students, and that speaks to our goals,” said Ermek Bakyt.

“We are in talks about how this can play out after school, because really what we’re targeting is after school time between 3:20 and 4 pm, where TAs go into the classrooms. They are matched with our middle schoolers, and learning begins,” he added.

As for the future of their initiative, the Adan brothers hope to expand their services to other areas.

The brothers say they have a team of about six other volunteers who help with tutoring services. If anyone is interested in volunteering or signing up for services, the organization’s website has directions on how to get involved.

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