Author: CNN Newsource

By Alexa Velez

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    COLLIER COUNTY, Florida (WBBH) — The National Fire burning in Big Cypress National Preserve in eastern Collier County has grown to 35,334 acres and is 64% contained, according to fire officials.

The wildfire started Feb. 22 about 25 miles east of Naples, south of Interstate 75 and east of State Road 29. The cause remains under investigation.

On Monday, containment increased after rain moved through parts of the fire area. Officials said the rain helped following a week of dry conditions and shifting winds, giving crews an opportunity to strengthen containment lines.

After a morning reconnaissance flight, firefighters focused on extinguishing hotspots along the fire perimeter using water and hand tools. Aviation resources were limited to reconnaissance and mapping flights because of afternoon thunderstorms and reduced fire activity.

Firefighters will continue patrolling the full perimeter Tuesday, reinforcing containment lines and putting out hotspots.

Turner River Road remains open for access to the Bear Island area of Big Cypress National Preserve north of I-75.

Beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday, all trails east of Turner River Road will reopen to the public. Trails west of Turner River Road remain closed.

On Sunday, firefighters set small, controlled fires to burn leftover vegetation that the main wildfire hadn’t reached yet. This helps remove fuel so the fire can’t spread further.

At the same time, helicopters and planes dropped water on hotter areas of the fire north of Lower Wagonwheel Road, between SR-29 and Turner River Road, to help calm the flames.

Officials said there was no perimeter growth Sunday.

Fire activity was most active near the northern portion of Birdon Road, while crews continued patrolling and putting out isolated hotspots across the fire area.

On Saturday, fire managers carried out a strategic firing operation along SR-29 between Deep Lake, Lower Wagonwheel Road and the northern portion of Birdon Road. Crews used ground and aerial ignition to burn vegetation between containment lines and the main fire to help secure the perimeter.

Officials said most of the planned three-day operation was completed Saturday.

Authorities say the closure of SR-29 and the voluntary evacuation of Jerome have been lifted.

Smoke is expected to linger overnight and into Sunday morning, especially along SR-29 and parts of U.S. 41 near Carnestown. Drivers are urged to use caution.

The fire is being managed by the Southern Area Gray Incident Management Team. Resources assigned include 15 engines, three water tenders, four helicopters and three single-engine air tankers, with 197 personnel on the incident.

Closures remain in parts of Big Cypress National Preserve, including Bear Island, Pink Jeep and Gator Head campgrounds. Burns Lake Campground has reopened.

Officials say dry conditions and drought continue to make the fire difficult to suppress. A burn ban remains in effect in Collier County.

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 Morrissey Walsh

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    YORK, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — It’s been four years since a shooting in York City took the life of 24-year-old Roman Padilla, leaving his family searching for answers. Some answers came Wednesday, when York City police charged a man, who was a juvenile at the time, with the killing.

“We knew this day was going to come; we just didn’t know when,” said Will Padilla, Roman’s father. “But it’s here.”

Significant development unfolds Wednesday morning for Padilla started with an unexpected, but not unwelcome, phone call from York City police detectives, marking a significant development in his son’s case.

“I didn’t know how to react. In a way, I was kind of happy. But it’s not really anything to celebrate. I guess the accountability kicked in, and now I’m able to get that closure with my family we have been waiting for, for three years,” Padilla said. “I do feel like I got closure, like I said, but at the same time. It feels like I’m going to relive the moment again.”

Detectives compile enough evidence to charge Carlos Rivera after nearly four years Detectives have been working on the case since 2022, compiling evidence to bring charges against 21-year-old Carlos Rivera. “We were able to finally put this to a resolution, hopefully, and at the very end gets justice for these families,” Detective Commander Andy Baez from the York City Police Department said.

Rivera is charged with criminal homicide in connection with the death of Roman Padilla. According to charging documents, a witness came forward in May 2023, alleging Rivera’s involvement in Padilla’s death and providing Padilla’s contact information to Rivera for a marijuana purchase.

In January 2024, another witness informed police that Rivera attempted to rob Padilla and confessed to killing him.

“It’s still a little emotional roller coaster right now, because the end of the day, it’s not just us hurting. I’m pretty sure, his side of the family’s hurting as well,” Padilla said.

It took almost four years to charge Roman’s alleged killer, but York City detectives say this case had teeth.

“It was just a matter of putting it all together, putting the right pieces in place, because, again, we don’t want to go to court with just half the information, because that’s not going to gain us anything,” Baez said.

Rivera would have been 17 at the time of the shooting.

“I’m asking for accountability and justice from this individual. And that’s all we want,” said Padilla.

Will honors his son daily at work Will Padilla says he honors his son daily through his work at RMP Towing.

“I have my vehicle, license plates. Everything is RMP. I wear his hat, my clothes, my uniforms. I represent his name, his initials, which is Roman Maurice Padilla. I represent him 24 hours a day. And that’s what keeps me going every day,” said Padilla.

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 Tori Yorgey

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    COLUMBIA, Maryland (WBAL) — The family of the man involved in a Howard County police shooting on Sunday is speaking out following the incident.

Alexander LaMorie, 25, called 911 around midnight on Sunday, according to his family. The family said LaMorie had autism and lived in the Patuxent Commons Apartment Complex, which is a mixed-income development with about 25% of units set aside to help serve individuals with disabilities.

According to Howard County police, officers were called to the complex off of Freetown Road around midnight Sunday for a man threatening to harm himself. Police said officers encountered a man with a knife walking toward them and refused to drop it when ordered to. That’s when three officers fired their weapons, hitting and killing LaMorie.

Per protocol, the Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General is investigating the shooting. The involved officers are identified as officers Joel Rodriguez, a two-year veteran, and Cody Bostic, a six-year veteran, along with PFC Joseph Riebau, a 10-year veteran. All officers are assigned to the Field Operations Command.

In a statement to WBAL-TV 11 News on Wednesday, Jill Harrington, LaMorie’s mother, said:

“Every parent of a child with autism knows this is their worst nightmare. Alex was in crisis and called for help, and first responders must be better trained to prevent tragic outcomes instead of contributing to them. People who knew Alex or are moved by his tragic and unnecessary death should pick up the phone to their state and federal representatives to demand better for the most vulnerable members of our society from those who are sworn to protect our communities. “As a veteran-military family and children and grandchildren of first responders (police and fire), we are horrified and are suffering more than the horrors of traumatic grief — we are suffering the systematic, betrayal-based moral injury that comes when those sworn to protect choose to end a life instead of exhausting every effort to save one. “We are suffering the betrayal of the fundamental values of service to our nation — to defend and protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — and the sworn duty of first responders to protect, not harm, those they are called to help. “Persons with autism who are in crisis must never be viewed as expendable. Alex deserved understanding, de-escalation, and safe care in his moment of greatest need.”

Ami Neiberger, a friend of the family, said in a statement:

“The event which occurred during the early morning of March 1, 2026, is very difficult for us, as a family, to understand. Nevertheless, everyone who knew and loved Alexander (Alex) LaMorie is deeply saddened and shocked by his death which occurred after he called for a ‘wellness check.’ “Alex was a kind, loving, and enthusiastic person, and a bright light in the community. While Alex faced challenges related to his autism, he was able to function with it in his daily life and refused to be hampered by it. He was 25 years old, had earned an associate’s degree and was a student at the University of Maryland Global Campus. “He was excited to be a part of the Patuxent Commons Community, which is full of caring and support for people with autism. He served on the advisory board for the Autism and Grief Project with the Hospice Foundation of America. Alex spoke publicly about autism and presented on panels at the San Diego Comic Con and before the Association for Death Education and Counseling where he offered help and advocacy for those experiencing grief and loss. Like many others with autism, he was dedicated and involved with keeping himself healthy and stable. If the circumstances required, he had a safety plan and knew to call others for help. “Alex was raised by a loving and caring mom and grew up in a military-veteran family. He was the great-grandson of a retired New York City policeman and grandson of a New York City Firefighter. Alex was known and loved by many in the grief, disability and military-veteran community.” LaMorie was involved with the Hospice Foundation of America. The organization’s president shared a statement with WBAL-TV 11 News about LaMorie, an “important voice in our work to raise awareness about the experience of grief as an autistic adult,” saying, in part:

“He served as an advisory board member for a special project we recently completed, AustismandGrief.org, a website for adults with autism who have experienced loss, their family members, clinicians, and clergy. He participated in podcasts, interviews, and presentations about the website. We loved working with Alex. His intelligence and kind manner left a lasting impression on all of us.” Howard County police told WBAL-TV 11 News that roughly 80% of their officers are certified members of their Crisis Intervention Teams to more effectively and safely interact with people with mental health issues and intellectual disabilities. HCPD said of the three officers involved in this incident, two were CIT-trained, and the third was a specially trained negotiator.

HCPD added they strongly encourage families to register in their voluntary 911 flagging program to be added into their database and alert police when responding to calls involving individuals who may have mental or physical health issues, or disabilities.

The OAG said all three officers were equipped with body cameras, and their IID office will release body-worn camera footage — typically within 20 days of an incident.

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 Chierstin Roth

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    DENVER (KCNC) — K-9 unit police dogs with Colorado’s law enforcement agencies work hard to keep our communities safe. But that also means a lot of wear and tear on their bodies. One group is stepping in to help keep them healthy and prolong their careers.

BOLO is a recently retired police dog with the Denver Sheriff Department, with a background in sniffing out narcotics and cell phones in the city’s jails.

“He exceeded the typical career in length of time,” said Stevan Allen, who runs Sierra Peaks Animal Rehabilitation.

Ten-year-old BOLO, short for be on the lookout, retired in February.

“I didn’t have to retire him because he got injured, which has made his retirement all that much more enjoyable,” said Deputy Michelle Padilla, BOLO’s handler.

BOLO went out on his own terms thanks to the work of Allen.

“My specialty was in orthopedic sports medicine, and, when I started to transition because of fun to work with dogs, I realized very quickly that there wasn’t the same training philosophy in how we treat athletes on the human side,” Allen explained.

Because of his approach to treatment, the length of BOLO’s career was nearly doubled, and he does this work at no cost to the agency through his nonprofit, Friends of Sierra. He now treats nearly a dozen K-9 unit police dogs from departments across the metro and has a waitlist of over 20 police dogs whose handlers want to get into the program.

A combination of laser therapy and cross training helps keep the K-9 unit dogs healthy and prolongs their careers during which they experience constant wear and tear on their joints. Allen says it helps save law enforcement agencies serious cash.

“We tried to calculate what would be the economic savings to a department for every year we could extend the careers,” Allen said. “We determined it was approximately $75,000 per year that we could extend the careers.”

For Deputy Padilla, Allen’s work to keep BOLO healthy both during and after his career is priceless.

“It makes me a little emotional,” Padilla said. “I’m the first female canine handler that our department has had, and now I’m a trainer for our department. He has brought me so far in my career.”

Padilla also shared the many ways BOLO’s has been there during tough times in her personal life.

“I owe everything to him to make him as healthy as possible,” 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.

By Hunter Sowards

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — A group of residents who lost everything in the Palisades Fire is fighting to keep their land from being sold to a luxury developer.

More than 300 people lived in the 170 homes at the Palisades Bowl Mobile Home Park, including Jon Brown and Beverly Narayan, both of whom owned houses there for about a decade.

“The way that they are marketing it is just concerning,” Brown said.

Brown is describing the real estate advertisement that calls the remnants of the Palisades Bowl Mobile Home Park a “rare coastal development opportunity.”

Brown and Narayan said the property owners bypassed people who owned homes and are now trying to redevelop the land.

“Every single one of those spaces is represented by another human being,” Brown said. “To characterize this as a clean slate is an obnoxious move to kick us all while we’re down.”

For more than a year, residents have tried cooperating with the property owners, even forming a nonprofit and working with city and county officials to protect the status that says the land cannot be rezoned for commercial use.

“When you look at mobile home tenancy law, it’s pretty specific about how you can terminate a tenancy,” Narayan said. “Wildfire or destruction of the park isn’t one of them.”

Mayor Karen Bass said people have retraumatized by this battle, and she supports every person returning home. Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said there are state and local laws protecting the residents. She said her office will use every tool to help them protect that right.

“We need all these agencies to apply pressure to the owners and say, ‘You’re not going to get this change of use. This isn’t going to be a Marriott Hotel,” Brown said.

The homeowners fighting to return to their homes fear that they will have to take the property owners to court.

“That’s the only thing I can think of to make them at least come to the table and start talking,” Narayan said.

The residents said property owners have ignored their good-faith offers to buy back their homes if they are looking to sell. The Palisades Bowl Mobile Home Park was a rent-controlled property with some of the only affordable homes in the entire community.

CBS LA reached out to the property owners for a statement on the residents’ claims but did not receive an immediate response.

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.