Author: CNN Newsource

By Kati Weis

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    LOS ANGELES, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Following a heated board of commissioners meeting last week calling for a review of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s utility rate increases, and public concern over high staff wages, the LADWP has provided CBS California Investigates with the agency’s updated 2026 executive salary numbers.

In 2025, according to the California State Controller, one executive made more than $700,000, but LADWP says that employee has since been replaced, and its top executive is now making $626,274 a year. LADWP says its executives do not receive bonuses or overtime pay.

See the table for all of the executive salaries at LADWP in 2026.

JOB CLASS TITLE

ANNUAL SALARY

Gnl Mgr & Chf Engr Wp: $626,274.72 Electrical Services Manager: $488,592,00 Mngg Wtr Utlty Engr: $456,854.40 Asst Gnl Mgr Wp: $449,529.70 Asst Gnl Mgr Wp: $449,529.70 Asst Gnl Mgr Wp: $408,663.36 Asst Gnl Mgr Wp: $453,616.33 Asst Gnl Mgr Wp: $449,529.70 Electrical Services Manager: $488,592.00 Power Engineering Manager: $515,840.40 Asst Gnl Mgr Wp: $453,616.33 General Services Manager: $493,561.44

LADWP tells CBS California Investigates that high supervisor and mechanic wages in 2025, dozens exceeding $600,000, were due to significant overtime. To see full wages paid to LADWP employees in 2025, click here: gcc.sco.ca.gov/Reports/Department.aspx?departmentid=348649&year=2025&utm_

In a statement to CBS California Investigates last week, LADWP explained that total overtime paid to over 13,000 employees accounts for 5% of LADWP’s $10.8 billion total budget. LADWP added that labor costs are 18% of the agency’s total budget.

“The overtime reported in 2025 reflects extraordinary operational demands, including response and recovery efforts associated with the January Palisades Wildfires, major storm events, high-wind conditions, periods of extreme heat, the December atmostpheric river event, and other potential outage-causing weather incidents throughout the year,” an LADWP spokesperson said in a statement to CBS California Investigates. “During these events, crews and supervisors often work extended hours to prevent outages, make repairs, restore service, and support emergency operations 24 hours a day. In the case of the Palisades Wildfire response, some staff worked weeks without a day off. The employees highlighted in these records belong to teams with key roles in those efforts.”

CBS California Investigates compared LADWP’s updated executive salaries with those of other utility companies in California and found that LADWP’s executive salaries in 2026 are not as high as Southern California Edison’s in 2025. SCE’s 2026 numbers are not yet available.

Last year at SCE, the President and CEO earned an annual salary of $838,614 and a bonus of $628,872, while the SCE VP and COO earned $552,603 and a bonus of $346,981. Click here to see all SCE salaries: cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/energy-division/reports/reports-on-utility-costs/sce-annual-go-77-m-2025.pdf

However, LADWP’s executive salaries are higher than Glendale Water and Power’s salaries were last year, a utility company that, according to two different independent studies over the last two years, has higher base rates than LADWP. Glendale’s general manager makes only $296,710 a year, and the utility company’s assistant general manager makes $284,770 a year, according to the California State Controller.

In 2025, the highest-paid employee at Glendale Water and Power was $455,101. See a full list of Glendale Water and Power wages by clicking here: gcc.sco.ca.gov/Reports/Department.aspx?departmentid=15776&year=2025

Burbank Water and Power’s executive salaries last year were also lower than LADWP’s, according to the state controller. The general manager earned $464,299, and the assistant general manager earned $306,778.

Riverside and Pasadena Water and Power’s top executives also made less than LADWP’s highest-paid executives, according to the state controller.

However, farther north in Sacramento, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District paid its top executives more in 2025 compared to LADWP’s 2026 executive salaries. The company’s CEO and general manager made $1,102,219 in 2025 and the COO made $587,817, according to the state controller.

LADWP also added in a statement to CBS California Investigates last week that the agency “continues to actively recruit and hire additional skilled workers to reduce staffing gaps and strengthen operational capacity.”

The agency provided an example: “A power system electric line crew foreperson takes a minimum of 4 years to train– and overtime remains a necessary and cost-effective tool to ensure reliable service and emergency response capabilities while vacancies are filled. Overtime for employees who perform the critical work of providing essential water and power services to our customers, are used while we address hiring challenges inherent in a civil service process that can delay hiring and filling of vacancies.”

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 Tania Rogers

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    FORT PIERCE, Florida (WPTV) — Big Apple Pizza restaurant owner Scott Van Duzer has been involved with the Read To Succeed program.

“With our Read To Succeed, and after three years, we’ve gotten 40,000 books out there, but I found a way to get books out there a lot quicker,” said Van Duzer.

It’s called the New Worlds Reading program.

Amy York, and her son Tripp, read together from books he gets in the mail.

“So, he got these books through a program called New Worlds Reading, and they are a partnership with the University of Florida and Scholastic,” York said. “Well, it’s awesome because they ship the books right to your house.”

Van Duzer said it’s easy getting books.

“It’s real simple. All they have to go to is New Worlds Reading on the website and sign up,” he said. “It takes less than five minutes, and they get nine free books a year through fifth grade.”

Van Duzer said he wants to help all kids, especially low income children, to have access to books.

“It’s just essential that we get books in kids’ hands earlier and to have them in the home,” he said, “I think it’s just a huge step in their educational journey.”

Van Duzer feels so strongly about kids improving their reading that he is renovating a part of his restaurant into a reading room.

“Once that room is done, I’ll have four computers in there designated for New Worlds Reading, where the kid can come out, still get a free book,” he said, “but at the same time sign up for New Worlds Reading also.”

York believes in a strong reading foundation.

“I believe that it’s all children’s right to read and having access to books is so important,” she said. “One day he can choose whatever career path he wants, but reading is the foundation for all careers.”

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 Christa Swanson

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    CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colorado (KCNC) — On Tuesday, authorities said two Colorado Mountain College students who were found dead in Chaffee County experienced a catastrophic anchor failure while rappelling, which resulted in their deaths.

Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon were reported missing on Oct. 23 after they didn’t return from a hiking trip near Ice Mountain. In the days after they left, the area saw heavy snowfall, which complicated search and rescue efforts. Search and rescue crews found Matsuda’s vehicle on Monday and later found the hikers’ tent collapsed underneath the snow near Lake Ann.

The bodies of both men were found on Wednesday morning in a basin of West Apostle Mountain. The Chaffee County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy and determined that Matsuda and Donlon died instantly of blunt force injuries.

During its investigation, the Chaffee County Coroner’s Office discovered that an anchor point the hikers were using experienced a “catastrophic failure of unknown cause” while they were rappelling.

“The investigation showed that Jackson was beginning to rappel from a primary anchor point on a rock substrate. That anchor appears to have been backed up by a piton and a secondary anchor made of rock substrate. Kaden was attached via his personal anchor device to the same anchor points as well as the primary anchor point,” the sheriff’s office explained.

They say Matsuda and Donlon died after they fell “a substantial distance.”

“Kaden and Jackson lived life at the highest peaks, chasing freedoms and panoramic views that most of us only see in pictures. We hope their families and friends find strength in the memories of their vibrant spirits. While their lives were far too short, they spent their final moments together surrounded by the majestic beauty of Chaffee County’s high peaks that they loved. There is also relief knowing neither of them suffered,” said Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich.

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 Cindy Bae

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    NASH COUNTY, North Carolina (WTVD) — Southern Nash High School is mourning the loss of a student who was killed in a crash while waiting for her school bus Tuesday.

Officials have not identified the victim, and Nash County Public Schools asked that the family’s privacy be respected as they grieve.

According to the State Highway Patrol, a school bus stopped on Bryant Road with its amber lights flashing, but its red lights and stop arm had not been activated. The student ran into the roadway and was struck by a westbound Chevrolet Silverado.

Authorities said the student was thrown into a ditch and died at a hospital about two hours later.

Troopers said the pedestrian’s actions contributed to the crash. Investigators do not suspect impairment, and no charges are expected.

The tragedy also serves as a reminder for drivers and pedestrians to remain alert around school buses.

“My prayers go out to the family,” Benito Marshman said. “Just be careful out here.”

Nash County Public Schools said its Traumatic Event Debriefing Team was on campus Tuesday and will remain available to support students in the coming days.

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 Michael Guise, Madeline Bartos

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    MT. LEBANON, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A father and two children died in an apparent murder-suicide in Mt. Lebanon on Tuesday, according to police. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the three people as 42-year-old Patrick Lynch, 8-year-old James Lynch and 6-year-old Caroline Lynch.

Mt. Lebanon Police Chief Jason Haberman said in a news conference on Tuesday that three people were found unconscious in the street near a parking garage behind the township’s municipal building on Washington Road around 4:15 p.m. They were later declared dead at the scene.

In an update on Tuesday night, the Allegheny County Police Department said preliminary information suggests it was a murder-suicide and all three had injuries from an apparent fall.

Haberman, who said investigators are “treating this incident not as an accident,” declined to share more specifics about what happened or what led up to the deaths.

“There will be a significant amount of trauma associated with this event for the community,” Haberman said.

The Mt. Lebanon Police Department said on Tuesday that there is no threat to the public.

KDKA talked to a witness who said he was going into his apartment building on Florida Avenue when he noticed a large police presence. He said he talked to a woman who had called police.

“She said she was the first on scene and saw what she saw and it’s nothing — man, you could see a horror movie, you know?” he said. “Doesn’t match this at all. I mean this is real, real sad.”

Police said the investigation is ongoing.

“Everybody in the Mt. Lebanon community will know somebody involved in this incident,” Haberman said. “We really want to send our condolences.”

In a letter to families, the Mt. Lebanon School District said Markham and Washington elementary schools will be closed on Wednesday. Children at other schools who want to stay home will have their absences excused, the district said. School counselors will be available.

Mt. Lebanon is about 5 miles south of Pittsburgh.

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.

For more information about mental health care resources and support, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.

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 Lisa Hughes

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    EASTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Beverly Trenholm is ready to welcome voters, poll pad in hand. She uses the technology at check-in at the town hall in Easton, Massachusetts.

For the past few weeks, she has been helping people who are voting early. On Election Day, she planned to arrive at 6:15 a.m. and leave, if she is lucky, at 11 p.m. It’s a long, fulfilling day she is proud to be a part of.

“To me, elections are very, very important,” Trenholm said. “We the people. It’s our opportunity to have a say in our government and how we’re governed.”

She has volunteered as an election worker for more than a dozen years. In that time, she has witnessed big changes. What used to be a one-day job now requires a longer commitment. Like many election workers, she now begins working in July verifying addresses for mail-in voting in the primary. After a two-week break in September, efforts shift to preparations for the general election including another round of mail-in voting and early in-person voting at the town hall.

Trenholm works anywhere from one- to five days a week. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love it,” she said smiling. She enjoys the time she spends with fellow election workers, the voters she meets, and knowing that the election process is safe.

“To me it’s just a continuation of my service to my country,” she told WBZ-TV.

Service has defined Trenholm’s professional life for decades. A retired Navy captain in the Nurse Corps, she served two tours of duty. The first was at the submarine base in Groton, Connecticut. Her second tour of duty began in 2006 during the Iraq War troop surge. She spent a year “boots on the ground” in Landstuhl, Germany treating casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan.

She went into the military as an ensign and worked her way up to commander. She retired from the Navy after 22 years. Trenholm also worked as a nurse at VA Medical Centers in Massachusetts for 30 years. When she retired from the VA, she knew she wanted to contribute in a new way. She described election work as the perfect fit.

Even after Trenholm moved from Easton, she continued to work on elections there with a sense of loyalty, friendship, and gratitude.

“I’m doing this for a community I lived in for 41 years,” she said. “I still have connections here. I raised my kids here and I feel I owe them a contribution.”

Town hall in Easton is a historic building, both grand and inviting. Town clerk Danielle Sicard, who currently also serves as president of the Massachusetts Town Clerks Association, said workers logged 230 hours in a single week before the general election.

“This is where the magic happens,” she said, arms extended.

At least in Easton, she said, there is no shortage of election workers, and she is thankful for every one of them.

“Since COVID we’ve definitely seen an uptick,” she explained. In part, she credits media attention with raising awareness of the job and its responsibilities. She advises people interested in becoming poll workers to contact their town clerk’s office at least a couple of months in advance.

Volunteers should be registered voters, unless they are 16 or 17 years old. Polling places will often allow a small number of younger workers. Volunteer election workers receive training and take an oath to be faithful and impartial. In some cities and towns, they are offered an hourly wage. Pay is set by each community. In Easton, Sicard said some choose to direct the money they are paid back to the town.

She espouses transparency. Anyone with questions about the process is welcome to see how it works.

“If you’re unsure how something is operating, I know my colleagues across the state would love to have you come and ask the question,” she explained. “Take a seat at the table. I’ll make you an election worker!”

She said that when curious people see the checks and balances that protect the process, they’re often motivated to become part of it.

“They become some of our best poll workers,” Sicard said.

Trenholm’s commitment to the process over many years makes her especially helpful.

“She has a real appreciation for what we do,” Sicard said, “And because we have her on many of my advance teams we have, she really sees the entire process.”

Both women said 2026 is an especially busy election season in Massachusetts because of the nine ballot questions. Trenholm explains to voters, as they arrive, that the ballot is two pages.

“Voters have a rare opportunity to write laws and change laws in addition to electing candidates they want to have in office,” she said.

Voter Jon Buterbaugh takes it seriously. Arriving at Town Hall to vote early, the 33-year Easton resident applauded the election workers and his fellow voters who uphold a pillar of democracy.

“We do our civic duty,” Buterbaugh said. “That’s what we’re here for. We’re residents of the town, residents of the country. We have to do our duty.”

Trenholm plans to continue fulfilling her duty as long as she is able. Hers is a meaningful contribution that makes her feel like she is doing something worthwhile.

“It just makes me feel good that I can ease the path for somebody else to vote,” she said.

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.