Author: CNN Newsource

By Drew Amman

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    MAYSVILLE, Kentucky (WLEX) — A mother and daughter in Mason County are rejecting multimillion-dollar offers for their land as a proposed data center project continues to move forward, and they say they’re not budging.

Ida Huddleston has been offered $60,000 an acre for her 71-acre property to make way for the project; she has turned down the offer multiple times.

“What they’ve proposed and carried on it’s not a business deal, it’s a mind harassment,” Huddleston said.

Her message to the developers remains the same.

“I said I don’t want your money, I don’t need your money, but I do feel sorry for everybody around us,” she said. “They’re gonna be affected by it.”

Her daughter, Delsia Bare, has also declined to sell. Bare turned down a $48,000-an-acre offer for her 463-acre property.

Adding to their frustration is the fact that the Fortune 100 company behind the project has not been publicly identified.

“When they will not reveal who they are that’s a major player in what you’re going to do with the rest of your life if you are stuck here or even if you are leaving here,” Bare said.

LEX 18 has been following this story since last spring. In December, LEX 18 reported on Andy Grosser and his father, Timothy, who rejected nearly $8 million for their farm at the same proposed data center site.

The data center would be located at Big Pond Pike in Mason County. Tyler McHugh, economic development director for the Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development Authority, pointed out to LEX 18 in October that the project would create 400 full-time positions along with more than 1,500 construction jobs.

“As far as jobs would go, they would become if not our largest employer, definitely top three,” McHugh said.

Bare is skeptical of those projections.

“My guess is you won’t have over 50 and they won’t even be here at this building when it’s said and done,” Bare said.

As for what comes next, Huddleston’s position is clear.

“I’m staying put,” she said.

Mason County Fiscal Court is still reviewing the project. A data center regulation ordinance recently passed changed the residential setback from 500 to 750 feet.

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 Spencer Wilson

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    SUMMIT COUNTY, Colorado (KCNC) — Investigators are trying to determine what caused a deadly vehicle explosion at a popular hiking trailhead in Colorado.

Summit County deputies responded around 7 a.m. Friday to reports of an explosion and a vehicle fire at the Straight Creek Trailhead near the Dillon Valley neighborhood. When first responders arrived, they found a vehicle fully engulfed in flames with a man inside. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office is working with several agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control and local fire departments to determine what happened.

Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said bringing in specialists is standard in cases like this.

“Anytime there is an explosion and a tragic death, there will be a significant investigation,” FitzSimons said in a statement. “We have brought together a team of experts to determine exactly what happened.”

Investigators said the incident appears to be isolated and there is no ongoing threat to the public outside the immediate scene.

Multiple neighbors called 9-1-1 after hearing the explosion. “I totally thought it was an avy bomb,” Jess Koepl, who lives nearby, explained. “It had just snowed, and Loveland Pass is pretty close.”

Koepl was walking his dog when he heard a boom and saw the smoke. As he got closer to the trailhead, Koepl said he saw the vehicle burning and heard additional pops. Koepl said he did not have his phone with him at the time, so he turned around to get help. By the time he was heading back, emergency crews were already arriving.

“I guess I’m a little freaked out by it,” Koepl said. “I really have no idea what happened, so I’m just kind of waiting for something to come out.”

Investigators spent hours examining the scene and removing debris scattered around the parking area.

The identity of the man who died has not yet been released. The Summit County Coroner’s Office will determine the official cause and manner of death.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the sheriff’s office.

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 JoBeth Davis

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    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — One of the suspects in the deadly mass shooting near Union Station at the tail end of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Victory Parade and Rally entered a plea to a lesser charge in court Monday.

Dominic Miller, originally charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with the shooting that killed Lisa Lopez-Galvan, entered a guilty plea to unlawful use of a weapon Monday. The second-degree murder charge was dropped. The unlawful use of a weapon was reduced to a Class E felony.

Miller has been sentenced to two years in prison and will receive credit for time already served.

Miller’s attorney says Miller has been in custody for more than two years and is expected to be released from jail soon.

Court records said the shooting followed an argument between two groups at the end of the rally.

Prosecutors alleged at the time that another suspect, Lyndell Mays, was the first to pull a gun during at the event, but that it was Miller who fired the fatal shot. A third adult, Terry Young, is also set to face trial in the shooting.

Mays won’t face trial for his part in the rally until March 29, 2027.

Young’s trial, scheduled for March 2026, has also been delayed.

Miller himself spent weeks in the hospital after also being wounded in the shooting.

Three suspects under the age of 18 were also charged. None were certified to stand trial as adults, meaning the cases remained in family court.

At the start of the plea hearing Monday, family members of Lisa Lopez-Galvan all spoke about their loss, how their lives and the community changed. They spoke to Miller saying they hoped he had remorse and would make changes to his life.

In court, Miller said he was remorseful and would pray for the family. He said that he never meant for the incident to happen.

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 Ricardo Tovar

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    SALINAS, Calif. (KSBW) — The Housing Authority of the County of Monterey hosted a grand opening for its Fairview Transitional Housing Complex this week.

The complex, located at the former Fairview Inn along Fairview Avenue near Sanborn Road, will provide 46 units to assist families and individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

A developer previously in charge of the project was accused of misusing funds, causing delays in the county’s efforts.

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By Amari Saxton

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    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KOAT) — This weekend, students across New Mexico had the opportunity to celebrate American history and culture through poetry at the 21st anniversary of the Poetry Out Loud event.

The event consisted of eleven high school students who were state finalists and represented their schools, which ranged across the state.

The event showcased three rounds from the eleven finalists of spoken word poetry as well as a 15-minute performance from a mariachi band.

The students showcased poems from several famous artists, ranging from Langston Hughes to Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman. In light of International Women’s Day, some students chose poems that contained powerful messages about women’s rights.

“I wanted to include something that I connected with as a woman”, runner-up Noelle Humphreys said. “I love Georgia Douglas Johnson, so I chose ‘The Heart of a Woman’ because it really moved me.”

The winner of the event, Hadas Frish, received $200 as well as a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry material. In addition to the cash prize, the winner also received an all-expense-paid trip to represent New Mexico at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, D.C., in April.

“I think the topic that I chose and the way that I delivered it helped me,” Hadas said. “Not a lot of people talk about women’s suffrage in their poems, and I think that’s something that stood out to the judges.”

Hadas said she is also excited to head to Washington, D.C., to represent New Mexico in the state finals.

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 Nijzel Dotson

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    OAKDALE, Calif. (KCRA) — Two children and two adults were killed after a vehicle crashed and caught fire in Stanislaus County early Sunday morning, officials said. Two other children were seriously injured.

According to the California Highway Patrol, officers responded to reports of a solo vehicle crash after 3:05 a.m. on the Oakdale-Waterford Highway near Claribel Road. CHP said a 2014 Dodge SUV was fully engulfed in flames when officers arrived, with two children outside of it.

The SUV was traveling northbound when the driver veered off the road and hit a concrete barrier, according to CHP. When it caught flames, a 12-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy were able to get themselves out of the vehicle.

Four other people were pronounced dead at the scene.

A family member identified the victims as Adrian Solorio, Brenda Cisneros, their 5-year-old child and an infant.

The relative of Solorio said the husband and wife were leaving a family gathering in Merced and were just 10 minutes from their home when the crash took place.

The children who made it out of the vehicle suffered major injuries and were taken to UC Davis Medical Center in a helicopter, officials said.

It is unclear what caused the driver of the SUV to crash. An investigation is still underway, according to CHP.

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By Jamie Azulay

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    WESTBROOK, Maine (WMTW) — Kimberly Sullivan is a nurse and a mom who started a project collecting and donating feminine products to girls at Westbrook Middle School. She wants to make sure all girls have what they need to feel confident and comfortable in their changing bodies.

She said, “That one girl could be the next president. You don’t know. She could find a cure for cancer, and if I made a difference in that, then that’s wonderful.” With the help of neighbors and friends who sent money and supplies, she packs a couple of sanitary pads, a few tampons of varying sizes, and a lip balm or a pack of facial tissues in a small zipper pouch.

She was inspired by an experience she had while volunteering in the Falcon’s Nest, a free resource room at the middle school stocked with food, clothing and hygiene products. She recalled the day a preteen girl came in crying after starting her period.

Sullivan said, “She was crying because she had leaked through her underwear and pants, which, if you’re a woman or a girl, it’s happened to you, or it will happen to you at some point. We all know.”

She helped that student find the right supplies and a change of clothes, gave a big hug, and sent her back to class. “It’s a natural thing that’s going to happen,” she said. “We all know it, and it’s healthy. She should just have supplies. It’s no big deal.”

Sullivan also hopes her efforts can lead to education and conversations about what women go through. She talked with her son about menstruation and hopes other adults can have similar conversations with the boys and men in their lives.

She said, “I’ve told him, ‘Don’t ever make fun of a girl. Don’t ever tease a girl because of it.'” To start a conversation like this, Sullivan suggests being honest and using biological terms. She hopes doing so will help to eliminate bullying and increase care and compassion.

“The world out there is kind of awful right now, but there are points where it can be happy,” Sullivan said. “It can be kind. There are people that will help you, and this, being a woman, is how you get through it — together.”

Sullivan would like to keep her project going for years to come. Donations to support her can be dropped off at Westbrook Middle School.

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 Breana Ross

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    DUNDALK, Md. (WBAL) — Dental students are getting real experience in a new virtual reality lab in preparation to treat patients.

For first-year dental hygiene student Malique May-Holzman and her classmates, learning is hands on at the Community College of Baltimore County’s Dental Hygiene Program.

“I like helping people, and I feel like a lot of people are apprehensive about coming to the dentist, and I want to be that person where I can encourage them to come,” May-Holzman told WBAL-TV 11 News.

Before students work on actual patients, they train at CCBC’s new virtual reality lab.

“I noticed that there was a gap in the utilization of technology for dental hygiene education training,” said Brionna Watson, the director of CCBC’s Dental Hygiene Program.

Watson is the mastermind behind the VR lab who worked to turn her vision into a reality.

“In this headset, they get to immerse themselves in a virtual dental environment, where they are actually able to get as much repetition as they would like with different clinical skillsets,” Watson told WBAL-TV 11 News. “That sequence that they get to practice really allows them to have more confidence, reduce their anxiety, and just allow them to have a risk-free environment with practicing before actually entering a patient’s mouth.”

While attending the 2024 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tech Summit, Watson met Howard R. Jean, the founder and CEO of Black Meta Agency. From there, many collaborated to open the VR dental hygiene lab in December, making history.

“This is the first virtual reality software and lab in the U.S. for dental hygiene education,” Watson told WBAL-TV 11 News.

Jean helped Watson find a team to develop the technology, and the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation funded the lab. Gleechi, a company based in Sweden, developed the VR technology software. The New York University College of Dentistry helped with the learning module for local anesthesia simulation.

Students have found the innovative technology beneficial.

“I feel like it being interactive is a lot more fun than just reading the textbook, in my opinion,” May-Holzman told WBAL-TV 11 News.

“It helps build confidence because you are actually doing the manual motions of it rather than just reading it in a textbook,” said Malik Benu, a first-year dental hygiene student.

While CCBC’s VR lab is the first in the country for dental hygienists, Watson hopes it isn’t the last.

“The goal is to expand to other dental hygiene students nationally so that they can get the proper training that enhances their performance,” Watson told WBAL-TV 11 News. “It ultimately helps them with student engagement, builds their confidence, also the long-term goal of student retention, getting more students to graduate and supplying the workforce demand because there’s a shortage right now of dental hygienists.”

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.