Author: CNN Newsource

By Tre Ward

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    LOMBARD, Ill. (WLS) — A Chicago woman is facing charges for a DUI crash in the west suburbs that left a family of four with serious injuries, police said.

The crash happened around 12:12 p.m. Tuesday near Route 53 and the Illinois Prairie Path in Lombard.

The DUI suspect, Jaquelin Onofre Reyes, 27 of Chicago, was driving a Hummer SUV when she attempted to pass traffic in front of her, colliding with another car before crossing into oncoming traffic, crashing into northbound Infiniti SUV containing a family of four, including two children ages 7 and 10, Lombard police said.

Prosecutors say two open containers of alcohol were found inside Onofre Reyes’ vehicle.

Ten-year-old Brady Putnam was seriously injured, family says he required further surgery at a second hospital.

Onofre Reyes’ BAC was .238, which is nearly three times the legal limit, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office said.

A relative told ABC7 the family was on their way home from picking up a new puppy, which was a Christmas gift for the kids.

The Putnam family took pictures with the weeks-old pup just moments before this violent crash.

“I could not imagine the urgency that they were feeling when my sister’s calling out his name, and he’s not responding,” relative John Bruzina said.

Andrew Anderson, a former firefighter, was near the scene moments after the crash happened.

He jumped into action while another Good Samaritan helped with the pet.

“Soon as I seen smoke, I can tell something wasn’t right,” Anderson said. “She had pointed over to the boy, and I can tell right away looking at him that he needed help…In and out of consciousness. I would say he would not probably remember that wreck.”

The family now hoping to reunite the Putnam kids with their new family member.

ABC7 was told the pup was taken to a veterinary hospital to be checked out.

The suspect was charged with four counts of Aggravated DUI – Great Bodily Harm, officials said.

Onofre Reyes appeared in court Wednesday, she was released on electronic monitoring. Her next court appearance is Jan. 20.

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 Abby Wray

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    WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) — Juvenile gun arrests in Wichita are way up from last year.

Within the last 72 hours, three shootings in Wichita have left one teen dead, one teen critically injured and another adult man critically injured.

Wichita police arrested 36% more kids and teens on gun-related charges this year compared to last year and other recent years. It’s a growing problem being addressed by law enforcement, but it raises the question: how are so many kids getting their hands on high-power weapons?

“If they have children in the home, the children need training as well,” explained Andy Padilla, a firearms instructor for Arden Defense. He says gun education for all ages is incredibly important.

“If they’re outside of the home, you know, friends or something of that nature, they have a solid understanding of what to do if one is present,” said Padilla.

Getting children involved in the training and education process early is his recommendation.

Tuesday evening, police say two 18-year-old men were together, one showing the other two guns. During that interaction, one man pointed the gun at the other and fired, striking him and sending him to the hospital in critical condition. Now the other young man is in jail for aggravated battery.

And police say on Monday afternoon, a group of teens gathering in a backyard left a 14-year-old boy dead from a gunshot wound; that evening, a 15-year-old boy was in jail.

“I just ask that we come together as a community and keep an eye on our kids, keep an eye on our firearms,” said Joe Sullivan, Wichita police chief, on Monday afternoon.

In 2025, Wichita police say 21 children and teens were injured or killed in a shooting. Year to date, in 2024, 28 kids/teens were injured or killed in Wichita shootings; in 2023, 24 kids/teens were injured or killed in Wichita shootings; in 2022, 21 kids/teens were injured or killed in Wichita shootings.

Year to date in 2025, 124 kids and teens have been arrested for gun-related charges. That number is up 36% from last year. Year to date, in 2024, 91 juveniles were arrested for gun-related charges; in 2023, 86 juveniles were arrested; and in 2022, 93 juveniles were arrested.

“We have to take it upon ourselves to ensure that those tools, when they are not actively in our possession, the ones that own them, they should be locked up so no one has access to them,” said Padilla.

Experts say gun storage is one of the most important gun safety measures.

“You know, especially someone who has just a handgun or something, they have handgun safes, they have safes you can keep in your car, keep in your home,” said Padilla.

Whether it’s with a gun safe or a gun lock, Padilla says to keep guns far out of reach of minors and untrained adults.

“The important thing is just you know having something secure, any firearms or belongings that you don’t want just anybody to have access to,” said Padilla.

Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office also offers free gun locks to the public. It says anyone can walk into the Sedgwick County jail lobby and ask for one- no questions asked.

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 Carlos E. Castañeda

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A San Francisco man convicted of sexually assaulting two of his relatives was sentenced to a lengthy prison term, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said in a press release that a judge sentenced Sergio Alvarado, 60, to a total of 25 years and four months in state prison following his convictions.

A jury found Alvarado guilty of three counts of forcible rape and one count of forcible oral copulation for crimes that happened in 2014. He was also convicted of attempted forcible oral copulation on a minor and assault in a 2019 case involving a different victim.

Prosecutors said Alvarado sexually assaulted the first victim repeatedly over a period of several months. Several years later, Alvarado assaulted the other victim, a 16-year-old relative, in his car after he offered to drive her to a job interview, the DA’s Office said.

“Family violence occurs within ongoing relationships that are expected to be protective, supportive, and nurturing,” said Assistant District Attorney Sheila Johnson in a prepared statement. “Mr. Alvarado’s exploitation of that trust caused two generations of women profound psychological trauma. Hopefully, seeing him brought to justice restores their sense of humanity and sends the message that violence of this kind will not be tolerated.”

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By Julie Sharp

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Flooding, mud and debris flow continue to worsen on Wednesday afternoon in Wrightwood, as heavy rainfall has led authorities to issue a community-wide “shelter in place” advisory.

Around 1:30 p.m., the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department advised the community of Wrighwood to shelter in place and to avoid unnecessary travel, as the area continues to be hard-hit by Southern California’s winter storm.

Highway 2 leading into Wrightwood is washed out due to flooding, with evacuation and safety warnings in place as crews work to get the situation in the area under control, according to San Bernardino County Fire.

San Bernardino County Public Information Officer Chris Prater commented on a video posted to X showing mud and debris rushing over Highway 2, and said that is just one of many such situations occurring across Wrightwood.

“Right now, Highway 2 is impassible due to multiple debris flows, and there is some heavy flooding in the area,” Prater said.

He said around 7:30 a.m., crews were receiving reports of flooding and debris flow, and there were reports of homes being impacted. He could not confirm at this time if homes were actually impacted, as crews are working to control damage.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has issued an evacuation warning for the town of Wrightwood, everything from Pine Street up to the Los Angeles County line, Prater said.

“We are asking people to stay away from the area,” Prater said, as the priority is life safety, with a focus on protecting the residents.

He said that, with the resources already in place and the request for additional resources, the hope is to get things under control quickly. “This was expected. We have been in the planning stages for this storm for at least a week now with our cooperating agencies at OES and other fire agencies,” he said.

Janice Quick, the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce president and 50-year resident, said she has heard of many people in the community concerned about their homes. One friend of hers has a foot of water inside his home.

“I’ve seen some heavy rain, but I’ve never seen rain last this long, as far as the heaviness and this amount of rain — and of course because of our fire, we’ve got a lot of mud and debris flow,” Quick said. The Bridge Fire ravaged the area in 2024.

She said most people are choosing to shelter in place, as Highway 2 is closed and other roads are impacted by mud and debris.

Fire crews are requesting three additional engines, hand crews, a dozer, and a swift water rescue unit.

Dr. Ariel Cohen, with the National Weather Service, warned that things could get worse in the next couple of hours for the Wrightwood area in the San Gabriel Mountains.

“We are closely monitoring central Los Angeles County, north of downtown over the San Gabriel Mountains, and nearby valleys and westward toward areas around the San Fernando Valley, the Santa Monica Mountains – think of that as an arch around the higher terrain- that corridor is where we will see the greatest amount of wind damage as well as extreme, really high rain fall amounts and flooding, and we expect that to worsen in the next couple of hours,” Cohen said Wednesday morning.

A Care and Reception Center has been established for evacuees at Serrano High School, 9292 Sheep Creek Rd., Phelan.

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 Jason Rantala

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Jim Bzoskie was more than the pastor at Cornerstone Bible Church in Hastings, Minnesota; he also selflessly donated his time, those close to him said.

The 76-year-old volunteered as a chaplain for 47 years with the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office.

“He didn’t do this to pad his pocketbook, he did it because he had a big heart,” Dakota County Sheriff Joe Leko said.

“Every Tuesday, typically, he would come into the jail, do a bible study for our inmate population,” Jacob Schak, a program sergeant at the Dakota County jail, said.

Bzoskie lent a helping hand to deputies and families experiencing a lost loved one, by their side during the darkest of times, Leko said.

“Some of the difficult things we’ve gone through with the tragedy in Burnsville, losing three first responders. We’ve had suicides in our own office that we’ve had to maneuver, and to not have Jim next to us, I couldn’t imagine going through those things without him,” Leko said.

The sheriff said Bzoskie’s final moments were spent helping free a motorist who’d spun out in the snow outside his church. It was just after that act of kindness last Friday, Bzoskie died, likely from a heart attack, his daughter, Sarah Lindner, said.

Bzoskie had been inside the church preparing gift bags for inmates in the county jail.

“He was helping people until those very last moments. I had a friend tell me he served right up to the bell, and I was like ‘I love that,’ and he would have wanted that,” Lindner said.

Bzoskie also worked as a chaplain for the Hastings police and fire departments.

He was an avid Wild fan, a season ticket holder for at least two decades, Lindner said, and a Minnesota State Fair fanatic, who never missed a day.

The holidays were his favorite time of year, Lindner said.

“His last words were ‘Merry Christmas,’ and we just see that as such a beautiful thing, knowing that dad loved Christmas and he’s going to have the best Christmas ever,” Lindner 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 Bo Evans

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    TEXAS (KTVT) — Many families are celebrating their first Christmas this year with newborns, making the holiday extra special.

But there’s one family from Georgia that’s holding their new addition extra tight, celebrating a Christmas they never thought would come.

It was only possible because one North Texas hospital did something no other hospital was willing to try.

“We came to Fort Worth hopeful and prayerful that this would be the place,” said Sarah Ellen Beavers.

The Beavers’ family needs a miracle.

Sarah Ellen and her husband Zach Beavers, were expecting a baby girl due last spring when doctors discovered a problem.

“Her OBs had found that the left side of her heart had not developed,” said Dr. Kevin Wilkes, a pediatric and fetal cardiologist at Cook Children’s.

The baby had a rare combination of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and Turner syndrome. The only real option was heart surgery.

“If a baby with Turner Syndrome did not get the Norwood surgery, in all likelihood, that baby is not going to survive,” said Dr. Vincent Tam, the Medical Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cook Children’s.

But this particular combination of issues led hospitals in Georgia and around the country to be wary of attempting the surgery.

“About a month prior to her being born, we found out that Georgia was off the table and that we needed to look elsewhere,” said Sarah Ellen Beavers.

“We just felt like we were handed a death sentence and we were like, ‘God’s got something a lot more planned, so we got to go figure out what it is,'” said Zach Beavers.

Turns out, there was a plan involving a North Texas medical student.

“I was shocked, speechless because I wasn’t expecting such a quick turnaround,” Anisha Saripalli, a medical student, UNT Health Fort Worth.

Saripalli’s shock is because in March of this year, she presented her research about positive outcomes at Cook Children’s for newborns undergoing the Norwood surgery to rebuild their hearts.

“If it weren’t for that being published on March 5, then the hospital that had previously said no wouldn’t have known to refer us here,” said Zach Beavers.

The Beavers arrived in Fort Worth on March 14.

But getting here was just half the battle. Just hours after the Beavers welcomed Anna Claire to the world, she was rushed into open-heart surgery.

“We also knew there’s a chance you’re coming to Texas and you go home empty-handed,” said Sarah Ellen Beavers.

But two surgeries and 5 months later, Anna Claire was going home. Today she’s thriving.

“She smiles and giggles, and her smile covers her whole face, and she’s just joyful,” said Sarah Ellen Beavers.

Joyful is an apt word for the family of three celebrating their first Christmas together.

“I continue to just go back to, these are the days we prayed for. Each day, a sleepless night… It’s a joy because it’s a day we didn’t know or think we would have,” said Sarah Ellen Beavers.

Anna Claire will need one more heart surgery as she continues to grow, and one day will need a heart transplant.

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By Elyssa Kaufman

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — Burglars left with $10,000 from a mini mart in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood early Thursday morning.

CBS News Chicago crews spoke with the owner of Lucky Mini Mart, at 4103 N. Lincoln Ave., who confirmed an ATM and cash register were stolen during the break-in.

He said the burglars pulled off the security fence to get inside the business. The owner estimates $10,000 was taken.

Video from the scene shows debris and merchandise scattered throughout the entrance.

Chicago police confirmed there was a call for service, but did not provide further details.

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 Rian Stockett

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    ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has begun a new phase of land acquisition for its Asheville I-26 Connector Project. The agency estimates that this will result in about 80 relocations.

“In hearing that, it was really hard for me to continue investing resources in the space when I’m thinking about this big mountain I’m going to have to climb, and what that’s going to take financially and just the longevity of things,” said Veronica Carlson, the owner of Asheville Kava X Coffee.

Carlson said that four months after taking over as owner of Asheville Kava X Coffee, she learned that this location would be affected by the Asheville I-26 Connector Project.

“It was going to be December, and then I heard that was being pushed back, from chatter around the community, to March, and I think there was a release about March. Recently, I heard that the building owner here is closing their contract with the DOT,” Carlson said.

On Monday, Dec. 22, NCDOT announced that they’ve started right-of-way acquisition for the north section of the connector project. They said in a press release that the right-of-way phase covers the area going from Haywood Road, up I-240 East, and across the French Broad River, plus Riverside Drive.

According to the agency, construction is anticipated to begin on the north section early next year.

Carlson, however, says she’s been given no timeline for relocation.

“I haven’t been served a notice, which will be when I can start doing things, because if I’m to act before that notice is served, I forgo the reestablishment benefits that would be paid out by the DOT,” said Carlson.

NCDOT says after an appraiser visits the property and the appraisal is complete, the agent will present a written offer of fair market value, much like a typical real estate transaction. It says that owners and tenants who must relocate will receive relocation assistance information and time to consider their options.

“If I can’t fight the DOT, and I can’t reason and say, ‘I really want to keep this space because people really like it, they hang out here, it’s awesome.’ They’re not going to listen to me. I’ve just got to go with the flow,” said Carlson.

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.