Author: CNN Newsource

By Jerry Olenyn

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICO, California (KHSL) — Skyler Boles has already helped catch lightning in a bottle once.

Now, the man who played a pivotal role in transforming Spikeball from a casual backyard hobby into a national phenomenon is betting his latest invention can do the same.

The new venture is called Futbocce, a hybrid sport that blends the global reach of soccer with the strategic simplicity of bocce ball.

The rules of Futbocce are designed to be intuitive. Much like traditional bocce, the game centers on a singular target known as the “pallino.” In Boles’ version, the pallino is a white soccer ball kicked anywhere across an open field. Players then take turns kicking their team’s balls to see who can land closest to the mark.

“It’s a simple idea,” Boles said. “You’re playing bocce ball, but just playing with your feet. It’s just a new take on a fun backyard game.”

The idea struck Boles two years ago at Community Park in Chico. While playing a round of traditional bocce, he looked over at a nearby soccer match and realized the two concepts could be seamlessly integrated. He trademarked the name that same night.

Boles, a Chico native who currently works for the Bay Area-based lawn game company “Bucket Golf,” believes the crossover appeal is the key to the game’s future success.

“Soccer is the most popular sport in the world,” Boles noted. “Bocce ball is also an internationally known backyard game. I think it has the legs to go global.”

One of the primary draws of Futbocce is its accessibility. Boles says the game is designed for all ages and skill levels.

While the business side is moving forward with trademarks and formal branding, the heart of Futbocce remains rooted in the casual, social atmosphere of a Sunday afternoon at the park.

Given Boles’ track record with Spikeball, local enthusiasts are watching closely to see if this backyard hybrid will become the next staple of American lawn culture. For now, the game is just beginning to find its footing.

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 Beth Carlson

Click here for updates on this story

    PAPILLION, Nebraska (KETV) — Months after her 13-year-old daughter and a friend ran from a man who attempted to lure them into his car, a Sarpy County mother is speaking out about sex offender laws in Nebraska.

63-year-old David Jenkins was sentenced this week for one count of child enticement, to serve 90 days in prison, followed by five years of probation and 25 years on the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry. Kala, the mother of one of the victims, said horrifying details emerged about what happened during his sentencing.

“As they were walking back to the Dairy Queen, a man circled the block a couple of times, pulled over, blocked them in, and tried to call them into his car,” Kala said. “He had had rope and gloves, bedding and other items in his car.”

Kala said her family is still dealing with the trauma it caused to her young daughter. She said she’s concerned about her family and other families’ safety because of the Nebraska laws set for sex offender sentencing.

“The state itself is ranked highly for being one of the best places to raise a family. But I think when it comes to sexual predators and sexual offenses, I think the sentencing is our lax,” Kala said.

Sarpy County Deputy Attorney Leighandra Hazlett said Jenkins intended to harm the two young girls.

“David Jenkins took a sense of safety and security and innocence from these girls. This is not supposed to happen in Papillion or anywhere,” Hazlett said.

Sarpy County Attorneys worked with Kala and her family after the incident. Chief Deputy Attorney John Reisz said they looked at pursuing the maximum sentence for the charges, which is three years.

“As they were walking back to the Dairy Queen, a man circled the block a couple of times, pulled over, blocked them in, and tried to call them into his car,” Kala said. “He had had rope and gloves, bedding and other items in his car.”

Kala said her family is still dealing with the trauma it caused to her young daughter. She said she’s concerned about her family and other families’ safety because of the Nebraska laws set for sex offender sentencing.

“The state itself is ranked highly for being one of the best places to raise a family. But I think when it comes to sexual predators and sexual offenses, I think the sentencing is our lax,” Kala said.

Sarpy County Deputy Attorney Leighandra Hazlett said Jenkins intended to harm the two young girls.

“David Jenkins took a sense of safety and security and innocence from these girls. This is not supposed to happen in Papillion or anywhere,” Hazlett said.

Sarpy County Attorneys worked with Kala and her family after the incident. Chief Deputy Attorney John Reisz said they looked at pursuing the maximum sentence for the charges, which is three years.

Kala posted online about the horrifying incident, calling for more education around tougher punishments in the state.

“I think the most surprising thing that came from that is my inbox was flooded with hundreds of people that have very similar stories, with people that have had very minor to no sentences, or who have had or been repeat offenders and had nothing really has changed,” Kala said.

She said she’s working with state and local leaders to discuss how they can prioritize safety for families like hers.

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 Kendra Broddus

Click here for updates on this story

    MANCHESTER, New Hamsphire (WMUR) — In a first for New Hampshire, an electronically monitored Safe Haven baby box has been installed at the Manchester Fire Department.

The box will automatically call 911 when the door is opened.

Inside the box is an orange bag with information about the Safe Haven Law, along with forms the mother can fill out about the baby’s medical history if she chooses to.

Once the door is shut, it locks to make sure no one unauthorized can take the baby.

Inside the box, the temperature is kept between 75 and 80 degrees. There’s also a camera to capture when a baby is placed inside.

A baby can be surrendered at any hospital or at a staffed church, fire department or law enforcement facility, but the box offers a new secure option for a mother looking to surrender their baby without a face-to-face interaction.

“This fire station here has been a safe haven for many, many years, and the baby box hasn’t changed that,” said Manchester Fire Chief Ryan Cashin. “It just allows for the anonymity of the mother and that extra layer of allowing them to safely drop off that baby in a time of need.”

The box was installed a year after Manchester first responders found an infant in Pine Island Pond in March 2025. Manchester police lovingly named her Baby Grace.

In February 2026, Hepay Juma, 26, of Manchester, was arrested in connection with the case and charged with reckless second-degree murder.

“That call is one of the calls that will stick with my members for their entire lives. So, that’s not one that ever goes away,” Cashin said. “It was important to us to do something moving forward. To give an option, to give a chance that this wouldn’t happen again.”

To learn more about New Hampshire’s Safe Haven Law click here.

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 Kenny Choi

Click here for updates on this story

    SONOMA COUNTY, California (KPIX) — Residents living near the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport say the skies above their neighborhoods are getting louder as passenger traffic and jet service continue to grow.

Airport officials say they received nearly 30,000 noise complaints in 2025, compared with about 1,100 in 2023. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, the airport received 15,530 complaints, with 8,500 in April.

Neighbors in west Sonoma County say the noise increased sharply more than two years ago, when the Federal Aviation Administration changed departure flight patterns. Some residents say planes now fly more directly over their homes, especially on weekends.

“It literally comes over this house, over these redwoods and heads west to Occidental,” resident Paul Zehrer said.

Zehrer and others say flights can come just minutes apart on busy days.

“Sunday afternoons, flights are five minutes apart. Sometimes less,” he said.

“The procedures are regulated by the FAA,” airport manager Jon Stout said. “They control flight procedures, air traffic. We don’t control the planes once they leave the ground.”

The airport has hired consultants to study potential changes, including requiring planes to reach higher altitudes before turning west. Stout said that could help reduce noise and spread flight paths farther south.

“We’re trying to get the FAA to put that old procedure as primary, while the airport works on drafting procedural changes we want to submit to the FAA,” Stout said.

Residents have formed the West Sonoma County Jet Noise Coalition and say they plan to continue pressing airport officials, county supervisors and congressional representatives for relief.

“With the increased activity at the airport, it’s going to get worse,” Zehrer said. “Share the burden. Let’s move these around a little bit. It’s not impossible to solve something like this.”

Airport officials say the addition of Southwest Airlines earlier this year has contributed to more complaints, with some departures starting at 6 a.m.

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 Matthew Rodriguez

Click here for updates on this story

    IRVINE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A 71-year-old man in Irvine is accused of beating a group of ducklings, killing one in the process, before throwing them in a trash can.

The Irvine Police Department said the ducklings and a mother duck were swimming in a community pool near Morena and Segura Thursday morning when suspect Randall Bertsch, who lives nearby, gathered some of the ducklings into a box.

Bertsch then struck some of the ducklings before throwing them into a trash can, according to investigators.

Officers said when they found the ducklings, one of them was dead. Another suffered severe head trauma and was taken to a local veterinary clinic for treatment. The other ducklings and the mother duck escaped Bertsch, according to Irvine PD.

Detectives quickly located Bertsch at his home. After refusing to talk to the investigators, officers got a search warrant and arrested Bertsch for animal cruelty.

“We want to assure the community that the protection and welfare of animals in our city remains a high priority,” Irvine PD wrote in a statement. “We thank the community members who reported this incident and assisted our officers.”

Irvine PD said it will submit the case to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for formal charges once officers finish their investigation.

Officers reminded residents that migratory birds are protected by federal law and cannot be moved or relocated in most cases.

They urged residents to call Animal Services at (949) 724-7000 if they need help with ducklings or other wildlife.

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 Olivia Young

Click here for updates on this story

    CASTLE ROCK, Colorado (KCNC) — A Colorado restaurant has experienced two fires in two days. The couple that owns Hideaway Bar & Grill in Castle Rock say this week’s fires are being investigated as suspicious. While they are determined that Hideaway will reopen, they say there are a lot of questions that need to be answered before then.

Castle Rock Fire said there were two separate fires — one Tuesday and then another Wednesday morning. Wednesday’s fire was not a rekindling of Tuesday’s, and it’s not known if the fires are related. What caused them is still unknown.

“It’s been a rough week,” said Becky Stroh, owner of Hideaway Bar & Grill.

Hideaway Bar & Grill is the longtime dream of Stroh and her husband, which they realized in 2012.

“It took years of working hard and saving and all that stuff, you know, to get there,” said Stroh. “Built this amazing Hideaway family, their regulars, and of course, our staff.”

Just after midnight Tuesday, Stroh got an alert about a power outage at the restaurant.

“We called the police because we were concerned,” said Stroh. “They said that there was the fire department, police here on scene because there was a fire.”

Crews put out a fire burning on the front of the restaurant. Castle Rock Fire says the fire burned the south and east sides of the building with a minor extension into the kitchen.

It came just a day after Stroh says someone tried to rob the restaurant late Sunday night.

“We’re not saying that the two are related. We’re not saying that the person is responsible. We can’t, we don’t know,” said Stroh.

Before the smoke could clear from Tuesday’s fire, Stroh got one more dreaded message early Wednesday morning: Another fire was burning at Hideaway.

“Part of me was shocked, part of me is not. I feel like we’re under attack,” said Stroh.

Castle Rock Fire says this fire was not a rekindling of the previous one. This fire caused damage to the back of the restaurant, including its game room and bar.

“The kids loved it. Adults loved it. They played pool there,” said Stroh.

The restaurant appears to have been closed during all three incidents, and no one was injured in the fires.

Castle Rock police say a “person of interest” was taken into custody Wednesday on other charges, and the official causes of the fires are under investigation.

“We have to wait before we can even know what our next steps are,” said Stroh. “The road to recovery from this, it will be very long.”

Stroh is left feeling devastated, scared and uncertain.

“We want to feel like we are safe right now. We don’t want to get another phone call saying this happened again, or something,” said Stroh.

But she’s determined not to let her dream be extinguished.

“We’re not the type of people that are going to let this destroy us,” said Stroh. “We have to keep going.”

The only bright side to come out of the situation? Stroh says their Douglas County community has stepped up in a big way to support them. Neighbors have donated to help support her 21 employees who are now out of work, and other restaurants have offered to give those employees free meals.

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 Anna Alejo

Click here for updates on this story

    AURORA, Colorado (KCNC) — If you walk the halls of Aurora Central High School, you’ll hear dozens of languages. With about 2,200 students from more than 40 countries speaking more than 50 languages, it is one of the most diverse schools in Colorado, and its principal is working to make sure the staff reflects that.

To fill his classrooms with teachers who mirror the global makeup of his students, Principal Kurtis Quig has looked overseas, recruiting educators on J-1 visas.

“I currently have 11 staff members, and I’ve worked out to go and find from Kenya, from the UK, from the Philippines to be in this building,” Quig said.

Roughly half of Aurora Central’s students are learning English, and Quig says the benefits of his international hiring strategy go well beyond simply filling open positions.

“Instead of being taught that this is the only way to do things, they’re getting multiple perspectives on how teaching can be done,” he said.

Among those international recruits is Mary Joy Alunday, who came from the Philippines to teach mathematics — a subject, along with science, that Colorado schools have often struggled to staff. Alunday says walking into an Aurora Central classroom was unlike anything she had experienced back home.

“I have at least 20 different cultures in the class, so that’s different from what we have in the Philippines,” she said.

She also quickly noticed a difference in the level of family support some students receive – or lack.

“The importance of education for Filipinos is very, we say top one,” Alunday said. “I’ve seen a lot of kids who really want to study but they don’t have a strong support from their parents,” Alunday said. “So I want to stand up for them.”

Science teacher Jan Michael Sotto, another J-1 visa recruit from the Philippines, said his biggest concern when he arrived was whether students would accept him.

“I want them to know that I appreciate them a lot, like they accepted me — that’s my first fear,” Sotto said.

That fear has since been replaced by pride.

“I have lots of kids who are excelling, doing good stuff — not only academically,” he said.

The school recently hosted a Culture Fest, an all-school assembly where students showcased their heritage, as they, like their teachers, navigate new surroundings together.

For Quig, the mission is straightforward.

“Ultimate goal: student achievement, student engagement,” he said. “This program does exactly that.”

Aurora Public Schools currently has 16 teachers working on J-1 visas, 11 of them at Aurora Central. The J-1 visa program allows educators who are already fluent in English to live and work in the United States for three to five years.

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.