Author: CNN Newsource

By Laura Terrell

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    WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — West Des Moines police have made in arrest in the murder of realtor Ashley Okland nearly 15 years after her death.

Kristin Elizabeth Ramsey, 53, of Woodward, is charged with first-degree murder. She has been booked into the Dallas County Jail and is being held on a $2 million cash-only bond.

Okland, 27, was found dead with two gunshot wounds inside a model townhome where she was holding an open house on April 8, 2011.

The 911 call came in on a Friday afternoon around 2 p.m. Even though the crime happened in the middle of the afternoon the case went unsolved for nearly 15 years.

‘Feels like a long time’

KCCI spoke with Josh Okland, Ashley’s brother, in 2025 around the 14th anniversary of his sister’s death.

“When I think about the last time I saw her, yeah, 14 years feels like a long time,” said Josh Okland.

He’s spent the last decade and a half wondering why someone would want to kill his sister. He vividly remembers being with her the day before she died.

“April 7th, we spent the entire afternoon together. Her real estate career was booming, and she hired me to be her assistant to work on small stuff for her, make pamphlets. So we sat at Panera in Ankeny for four hours, and she was training me, but yeah, I will never forget that day,” said Josh Okland.

He had no indication that anything was wrong or that she was afraid of anybody. “No. Not at all. And we were very close. If there was something going on, she would have told me,” he said.

Ashley Okland’s legacy is permanently planted in Ewing Park, where a playground for children with special needs is built in her honor.

“I am proud to be her brother. She impacted so many people in such a positive way and such a good role model for a short 27-year life. Her legacy lives on,” said Josh Okland.

The investigation

In 2025, the West Des Moines Police Department told KCCI that investigators have interviewed hundreds of people and looked into more than a thousand leads in the case. In 2024, when Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced the state’s new Cold Case Unit, Josh Okland was there with several other families seeking answers and justice.

A news conference will be held at the West Des Moines Police Department at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. KCCI will livestream the news conference on our website, Facebook and YouTube.

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 Nick Caloway

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    SOMERSET COUNTY, New Jersey (WCBS) — Grubhub is launching New Jersey’s first commercial food delivery by drone.

CBS News New York’s Nick Caloway has learned more about the high-tech service and how it’s expected to work.

It looks like something out of the future, but starting this week, Somerset County customers ordering certain meals through the Grubhub app may see their dinner arrive from the sky.

The mobile food ordering and delivery platform is testing autonomous drone delivery within a 2.5-mile radius of Wonder, a food technology start up in Green Brook.

The price is the same as a standard delivery but gets to customers faster.

“Less minutes, less miles. We think the food will stay hotter. We think that there will be less emission on the road from a vehicle, if it works,” said Stephanie Brown, Wonder’s head of community and government affairs.

The drone lowers food using a tether system and follows Federal Aviation Administration-approved routes.

The pilot program, the first of its kind in the Northeast, starts on Wednesday and will last for three months. If it’s successful, the service could expand.

Company officials say the drone goes about 40 mph but add safety comes first.

“We are fully autonomous, but we always have a pilot at the controls, always monitoring the aircraft, and always able to steer the aircraft,” said Joe Houghton, COO of Dexa, an FAA-certified drone delivery company.

During a community demonstration Tuesday, high winds forced operators to keep the drone only about 5 feet above the ground, but neighbors still showed up to see the tech in action. Green Brook resident Danny Hughes said he was initially worried about the noise.

“And I just saw it take off. I’m not worried now,” Hughes 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.

By Larry Seward

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — A woman who lost $1,200 to someone impersonating comedian and radio host Rickey Smiley was able to meet the star in person, thanks to the management of Miami’s HOT 105 radio station.

Smiley was in Miami for a promotional event on Friday. Before that, HOT 105 hosted a meet-and-eat event with Smiley and his fans. The station’s program director extended a special invitation to Denise Kinsler to attend.

“Who knows, they might be changing our lives, and it might be the door to catapult us to where we’re supposed to go,” Kinsler said at the beginning of the event.

Days earlier, CBS News Miami reported on Kinsler’s story of loss. Kinsler runs “A Leap of Faith Foundation,” a charity that promotes healthier communities through plays she writes and showcases.

While the group was seeking donors, Kinsler found an unverified TikTok page she believed belonged to Smiley. The account’s manager immediately offered support, including help with tuition and a small business loan. The person claiming to be Smiley also offered a VIP trip to Dallas to discuss film. Kinsler said they sent her messages and videos to convince her the offer was legitimate.

All Kinsler had to do was pay $1,200 through a third-party app. Her money went to accounts with other people’s names, and the promised trip to Dallas never materialized.

“I’m like damn, oh my God,” Kinsler said in early March. “I want to take the law into my own hands and find this person because you’re preying on people’s vulnerabilities.”

A week later, HOT 105 brought Smiley to their building for the fan meet-and-eat. The station’s program director made Kinsler and her family special guests. “I was excited,” Kinsler said. “I was grateful.”

Her time with Smiley was brief, and the star told CBS News Miami he was happy to meet her.

“I’m excited for her,” he said. “Unfortunately, that’s been going on all over the country. It’s fake Rickey Smiley Facebook pages. Fake this and that, taking advantage of people. People who are within a certain demographic need to get with their grandkids and understand what catfish and scammers are. It’s a lot of scammers. Some people just need to be careful.”

Kinsler has filed a criminal complaint with the City of Miami Police.

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 Daniel Wilkerson

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    GEORGIA (WUPA) — A bill moving through the Georgia Legislature could make it easier for homeowners to build small backyard homes known as accessory dwelling units, or ADUs.

The proposal would reduce zoning barriers and allow homeowners to add a small second unit on their property. Supporters said it could help address Georgia’s housing shortage.

These types of homes already exist in neighborhoods like Virginia-Highland. Some are built above garages, while others sit in the rear of properties.

“What this bill is really about because I know there’s been a lot of questions out there about it, is helping families care for aging parent or child returning back home from school who can’t afford a home or apartment right now and providing affordable rental options for teachers or service workers who want to live closer to where they work” said state Rep. Tangie Herring, the bill’s sponsor.

Virginia-Highland homeowner Leah Matthews said she and her family once considered building a carriage home.

“The cost has gone up dramatically, so in hindsight, we wish that we would have taken the time and done it then,” said Matthews.

She said the extra space would have been useful as her family grew.

“I think for us – we both work from home, so it would have been great to have that extra space to get out of the house, especially, you know, with three cats and two dogs, and then also we are zoned RG-2, so on our street, if we ever did want to rent it out, you know, full time or even Airbnb, we would have been able to do that” said Matthews.

Kristin Allin, a principal planner with the Atlanta Regional Commission, said adding more housing types like ADUs could help create more affordable options.

“It could add a new type of housing, which we’re always at ARC promoting innovative housing types. It could add something. It could be rented at a lower price level, and it could also add supplemental income for homeowners who have an ADU in their backyard,” said Allin.

Allin also pointed to what is already happening in other parts of metro Atlanta. She said places like Canton are offering pre-approved ADU plans to cut red tape and make it faster and cheaper for homeowners to build.

An increase in backyard units has raised concerns about density and parking in states like California.

“Yeah, I mean California is different in a lot of ways. They have different restrictions that are long-standing, that are maybe a little bit different than what we have in Atlanta, so in our area, we have a little more flexibility,” said Allin.

Matthews said for her family, the biggest drawback would be losing yard space.

“Other than that, I don’t really think there are many drawbacks to it,” said Matthews.

The bill has already passed the Georgia House and now heads to the Senate.

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 Mike Sullivan

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    BRIDGEWATER, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A magnet fisherman from Cape Cod recently discovered a derringer pistol in a case in a Bridgewater, Massachusetts river. The magnetic spelunker and YouTuber believes the gun may have been stolen or is possibly evidence from a crime.

Bridgewater police say the weapon is now under investigation.

“This must have been a very good case because it looked like it had been down there easily 30 years, 40 years,” said Nate DeMontigny, creator of the YouTube channel Cape Cod Magnet Crew. “The gun inside was completely pristine. It looked brand new. It even actually had a sticker on it, a for sale sticker.”

DeMontigny found the gun while casting over a bridge on Summer Street in Bridgewater. Early that day he cast off a different bridge in town and found a gun clip to a different weapon. The find gave him the impression that more could be down there.

“When you find something like that, evidence that there is something else, you always go back,” said DeMontigny.

DeMontigny is no stranger to finding a weapon. WBZ went out with him and other magnet fishermen in 2024 for a story and discovered the remnants of bomb in a Needham river.

This mysterious derringer pistol has sparked more intrigue than any of his other dangerous finds because people want to know the back story. Before posting a video of the find to YouTube, he posted a photo of the story on Reddit. He says it quickly gained more than a million views.

After finding the weapon, he contacted Bridgewater police before putting any of the footage online. Police tell WBZ the weapon and the circumstances behind it are currently under investigation. They would not divulge any more information than that right now. While DeMontigny believes the gun could be stolen, it turns out that it may end up being his in the end.

“They say I have to wait a year from the date. Luckily, I remember the date because it’s the day after my son’s 18th birthday,” said DeMontigny.

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 Ashley Paul

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    HARTFORD COUNTY, Maryland (WJZ) — A Harford County family was reunited with their cat, who went missing five years ago.

Melissa and Brooke Garci thought they were never going to see their cat, Artemis, again, until the most unlikely scenario played out.

In September 2021, Artemis, who is an indoor/outdoor cat, never returned to her Hickory, Maryland home.

The Garcis made fliers in a desperate attempt to find her.

“I posted them around the neighborhood, rolled them up, and put them in people’s doors, knocked, and got nothing,” Melissa Garci said.

Emotional reunion

Five years later, a woman came into the Harford County Humane Society with a cat she found in her unfinished basement.

As standard procedure, the shelter scanned the cat for a microchip and called the listed number.

“This woman answered, ‘Hello?’ And we said we have your cat, and she was unbelieving. And she said, ‘Are you sure? My cat has been missing for five years,”” said Erin Long, with the Harford County Humane Society.

Long says she has never seen an animal reunited with its owners after that much time, and the Garcis were just as shocked.

“I was like, I couldn’t cry yet because I was in disbelief, but when I saw her, I was like, ‘Omg, she looks exactly the same,'” Brooke Garci said.

“It was a beautiful thing”

Photos from the tearful reunion show the moments Artemis stepped out of her carrier and laid eyes on her long-lost family.

“He kind of walked out of the kennel and looked at them and went right over and was rubbing on them, got in mom’s lap, got in daughter’s lap. It was a beautiful thing,” Long said.

While we’ll never truly know where Artemis was this whole time, what we do know is that the name Artemis comes from the Greek goddess for hunting and wilderness, and after surviving five years on her own, she certainly lives up to it.

“Her instincts are strong,” said Brooke Garci.

The humane society urges people to microchip their pets, and make sure that to keep the information associated with the chip up to date.

It could make all the difference if your pet is ever to get lost.

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 Jenna Wells

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — Timothy Olson, found guilty in the 2022 kidnapping and robbery of an elderly woman, learned his sentence Tuesday, March 17.

He’ll spend more than 30 years in prison, with more time possible as he faces charges as an alleged “dating app predator” linked to two death investigations.

Judge Kristy Yang sentenced Olson to 33 years in prison Tuesday. It comes just days after a trial filled with disruptions, and this hearing was no different.

Olson was removed from the courtroom three times for interrupting the judge before the hearing could fully begin.

“You’ll be brought back out when you can follow the rules,” Hon. Yang said.

After about an hour of disruptions, Judge Yang ordered Olson to appear only by Zoom from the holding cell behind the courtroom and dismissed two motions he filed asking for a mistrial.

“It has simply come to a point where enough is enough,” she said.

Prosecutors detailed Olson’s long criminal history, involving drugs, burglary, theft, and fraud, as well as his other accusations, noting the DA’s office has heard from other alleged victims since this trial began.

“This victimization isn’t just a one time, done,” Deputy District Attorney Sara Sadowski said. “This lasts with victims, especially when they’re being taken advantage of in this way, for years.”

As the judge handed her sentence, she focused on the elderly victim, saying though she wasn’t physically harmed, she was traumatized.

“On a daily basis, she relives this incident and is able to recall this incident,” Judge Yang said.

Olson made it clear he plans to appeal.

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 A.J. Bayatpour

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    MADISON, Wisconsin (WDJT) — The Wisconsin Senate’s final regular session of 2026 created some unusual coalitions and compromises in order to get a pair of high-profile bills to Governor Tony Evers’ desk.

On Tuesday, the Senate passed bills legalizing online sports betting and banning the use of FoodShare aid on the purchase of candy and soft drink products.

The sports betting bill required a nearly 50-50 mix of Democratic and Republican support in order to pass.

The 21-12 vote included 12 Democrats joining nine Republicans in passing the bill. Nine Republicans and three Democrats voted no.

With the Senate GOP evenly split on the issue, two Republican senators, State Sen. Andre Jacque (New Franken) and State Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) spoke against the bill on the floor Tuesday. None spoke in favor.

“Family breakdown, lost productivity, addiction treatment,” Nass said. “Bankruptcy, increased demand for social service, criminal justice costs and diminished household savings far exceed any revenue benefit to the state.”

The bill legalized online sports betting, as long as wagers are made through a platform connected to a server on tribal land.

Limiting the legality to only tribal casinos was a key component in securing the Democratic votes needed to clear the Senate.

“My vote today is to get this going, that all these tribes can start having these conversations,” Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) said. “To figure out where all of them want to go.”

Last month, Evers said at a WisPolitics luncheon his support for the bill would hinge on getting the state’s tribes on the same page. He indicated that had not happened yet.

“We have to engage the tribes on that, and I don’t think there’s been much,” Evers said. “It’s their issue. We have to have them at the table, and to my knowledge, they are not at the table.”

When asked about the governor’s stance on the bill Tuesday, Evers’ spokeswoman, Britt Cudaback, referred back to Evers’ comments at the February luncheon.

If Evers does sign the bill, some conservatives have signaled they’re prepared to file lawsuits challenging whether it’s legal to allow wagering without amending the state constitution.

Right-wing critics have also taken issue with the tribal exclusivity, saying there should be an open market if online sports betting is allowed.

That opposition forced lawmakers in the Assembly to cancel a vote on the bill last fall.

Corporate online betting behemoths, DraftKings and FanDuel, have registered in opposition to the bill.

The Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi tribes, along with the Milwaukee Brewers and Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, are among those who’ve lobbied in support of the bill.

The bill passed on a voice vote in the Assembly last month.

On Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) told reporters after his own WisPolitics luncheon he supported the sports betting measure because people are gambling using offshore accounts.

Vos maintained it was better to move that betting into a regulated system, which would also provide revenue for the state.

“If it were up to me, and I could wiggle my nose like ‘Bewitched,’ I would not have online gambling, but we can’t,” Vos said. “We already have it in Wisconsin. We already have billions of dollars – I think 10 times the amount was bet on the Super Bowl online versus in Las Vegas, so it’s already there.”

A ban on food stamps for candy, soft drinks

The Senate also voted to send Evers a bill banning the use of state FoodShare benefits for the purchase of candy and soft drink products.

Evers’ office indicated Tuesday the governor will sign the bill because of funding Republicans attached to the proposal.

Evers has wanted the GOP-controlled Legislature to approve giving the Department of Health Services (DHS) an additional $72 million to make up for federal funding that was cut through President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”

The federal cuts come from changes that require states to cover a larger share of administrative costs for Medicaid programs, and there is also a new provision that threatens further cuts to states that report high error rates when processing applications

The governor’s office said Tuesday GOP leaders indicated they’d only vote for the funding if it were attached to the new restrictions on how FoodShare aid could be used.

The bill cleared the Senate by a 25-8 vote. Each of the “no” votes were from Democrats. Seven Democrats joined all 18 Republicans in backing the measure.

A busy last day

The Senate took up numerous other bills during its final scheduled session of 2026. Those measures include:

Allowing the UW System to make Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals for student athletes and providing state funding for athletic facility maintenance. The bill passed 17-16, with 11 Republicans and 6 Democrats providing just enough votes to pass Allowing DACA recipients to receive occupational licenses. The 31-2 vote overwhelmingly passed, allowing “Dreamers,” the children of undocumented immigrants but who lived in the U.S. most of their lives, to get state licenses in professions such as health care, education and the trades A bill allowing victims of sexual extortion, referred to as “sextortion,” to file civil lawsuits A ban on flying drones over school property without the school’s permission. It creates a fine of up to $5,000 for violating the ban

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