Celina football coach Bill Elliott placed on paid, non-disciplinary leave following son’s child porn charges

By Doug Myers

Click here for updates on this story

    CELINA, Texas (KTVT) — Highly successful Celina High School head football coach Bill Elliott has been placed on paid, non-disciplinary leave due to a potential conflict of interest related to an ongoing investigation involving his son.

Caleb Elliott, 26, recently resigned from the school district and now faces two felony charges — including possession of child pornography — after allegedly recording students in a locker room.

The case has sparked a firestorm of concern and outrage among parents.

Undefeated season under Bill Elliott’s leadership

Bill Elliott has served as head coach at Celina High School since 2012. He led the team to a Class 4A Division I state championship in 2024, capping a perfect 16-0 season. This year, Celina is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A Division I with an 8-0 record.

He publicly apologized to the community during a recent school board meeting.

Principal also placed on leave

In a letter to parents Friday, Celina ISD Superintendent Tom Maglisceau announced that Moore Middle School Principal Allison Ginn had also been placed on paid, non-disciplinary leave, pending the outcome of investigations.

Caleb Elliott previously served as an eighth-grade football coach and sixth-grade social studies teacher at Moore Middle School.

He was reassigned from Celina High School to Moore Middle School in the summer of 2023 following allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a senior student.

Third-party investigator recommended action

The district said the decision to place Bill Elliott and Ginn on leave was made at the recommendation of a third-party investigator.

“To be clear, the investigator has not made findings in any respect; however, based on her preliminary review, and in an abundance of caution, she recommended the district consider placing both employees on non-disciplinary leave pending completion of the independent third-party investigation,” Maglisceau said.

Details of the criminal allegations

According to an arrest affidavit, investigators say Caleb Elliott recorded several boys in the Moore Middle School locker room during school hours. Police recovered 12 photos from his phone, all described as meeting the legal definition of child pornography and showing boys in various stages of undress.

Lawsuit and state inquiry underway

In the letter, Maglisceau acknowledged a lawsuit filed by parents of Moore Middle School students against Celina ISD and Caleb Elliott. He also noted a letter from state Rep. Jeff Leach to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton requesting a fully independent criminal investigation.

The lawsuit alleges that Elliott was caught placing cameras in the locker room during the 2024-25 school year and that the district responded with apology letters but did not terminate him.

Maglisceau said the district will update the Texas Attorney General’s Office and Leach on the status of all investigations related to the case.

Two investigations currently in progress

Maglisceau said two investigations are underway: one by the Celina Police Department into alleged criminal conduct, and another by the district’s independent third-party investigator.

“One of the primary purposes the district retained an independent third-party to conduct an investigation was to ensure there was no possibility of a conflict of interest or effort to ‘cover up’ information regarding the students’ claims,” Maglisceau said.

District pauses internal review for now

Maglisceau said the district paused its internal investigation at the request of Celina police, who asked the district to hold off to avoid a conflict. He said Celina ISD is complying.

He said the scope of the third-party review includes hiring practices, employee retention, the district’s response to claims, and broader systemic issues related to Caleb Elliott. He noted that the district terminated Elliott’s employment and required him to surrender his teaching certificate.

District promises transparency and updates

Maglisceau said the district will take appropriate action and share the results with the community once the investigations are complete.

He urged patience, discernment, and unity – emphasizing Celina’s strength and resilience in the face of adversity.

CBS News Texas will continue to provide updates as new information emerges.

Please note: 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.

20 hikers rescued after getting stuck in snowy conditions on Mount Washington in New Hampshire

By Victoria D

Click here for updates on this story

    NEW HAMPSHIRE (WBZ) — Twenty hikers were rescued from Mount Washington in New Hampshire Saturday after they got stuck in the windy, snowy conditions on the mountain.

The hikers were rescued by the Mount Washington Cog Railway, the train that climbs the mountain year-round. Andrew Vilaine, the railway’s trainmaster, said the hikers made it to the summit but were “poorly prepared” due to lack of experience and poor gear choices.

“Most were unaware of the full set of winter conditions and the lack of facilities at the summit,” said Vilaine in an email to WBZ-TV.

Vilaine said he was operating the train on Saturday and came across the hikers, who were “pleading for a ride down.” The hikers were put in the train and were carried down the mountain.

As of Sunday morning, it was 20 degrees on the mountain, with a wind chill of 2 degrees and 3 to 4 inches of snow on the ground and wind blowing 35 miles per hour. Vilaine said the Auto Road, where drivers can climb the mountain themselves, remains open but not to the summit because of the weather.

Vilaine said the hikers’ conditions varied from exhaustion to hypothermia and he doesn’t believe any of them required a trip to the hospital.

“Our intervention and putting them in a warm train warded off hypothermia,” said Vilaine in an email.

Mount Washington recently experienced its first measurable snow of the season last week.

Please note: 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.

Acrisure Stadium worker taken to the hospital in critical condition after fall from scoreboard

By Patrick Damp

Click here for updates on this story

    PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A worker at Acrisure Stadium had to be taken to the hospital on Saturday night after a fall inside the stadium.

According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, around 10 p.m., EMS, fire, and police were all called to the North Shore for reports of a man who had fallen.

Once they arrived on the scene, other workers told them that inside the stadium, a man had fallen about 50 feet from the main scoreboard to a catwalk area.

Medics were able to reach him, get him stabilized, and lower him into an ambulance.

He was taken to the hospital in critical condition and suffered severe injuries, mainly to his lower extremities.

Several Sunday Night Football crews were also around the area on Saturday night.

A statement from Acrisure Stadium was provided to KDKA-TV, which you can read in full below:

“An incident occurred last night at Acrisure Stadium as crews were preparing for the Sunday Night Football game. A crew member installing production equipment suffered a fall. The individual was taken to Allegheny General Hospital, and we are awaiting confirmation of the worker’s condition.”

Thanks to being able to utilize drones, police were able to document the scene.

Please note: 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.

Police find suspected cocaine in trick-or-treater’s bag

By Patrick Damp

Click here for updates on this story

    ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Police are investigating after a bag of cocaine was found in a trick-or-treater’s bag on Saturday night.

According to a Facebook post from Ingram Borough Police, on Saturday night, they were alerted to an unknown substance in a child’s trick-or-treat bag.

When given the evidence, the powder was in a small, knotted bag, and preliminary tests came back positive for cocaine.

Police said that as of Sunday morning, the exact location where the suspected cocaine may have been put in the bag is not known. They’re also reminding parents to check all of the Halloween treats their children get during trick-or-treating.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ingram police at 412-921-6969.

Please note: 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.

A couple’s private love letters found at Free Little Library are on way home after some online sleuthing

By Madeleine Wright

Click here for updates on this story

    Pennsylvania (KYW) — A Delaware County couple’s private love letters are on their way back home, thanks to the kindness of a stranger and some online sleuthing.

Debi Mercuri was walking with her 4-year-old granddaughter, Parker, through Merwood Park in Havertown when they picked up a book from a Little Free Library. It’s a neighborhood box where people take a book, leave a book.

Inside a copy of “From Dude to Dad” were two handwritten love letters between a husband and wife. The husband’s letter ended with the words “Love, Stumps,” signed next to the doodle of a dog. The wife’s letter ended with the words “Love, Mrs. Cianciarulo.”

“Oh my gosh, I held them to my heart right away,” Mercuri said. “Being a hopeless romantic, I thought, oh, these are so beautiful. These are keepsakes. These are absolute keepsakes.”

Mercuri posted a photo of the letters on Facebook, hoping to find the owners.

Before long, Jennifer Cianciarulo from Havertown saw the post and immediately recognized the handwriting. The letters were hers and her husband Dan’s, written years ago during pre-Cana, a Catholic marriage preparation program.

Dan Cianciarulo said the couple donated the book while clearing out their basement, not knowing the letters were still inside. He said it is important to get the letters back.

“I think it would be really fun, and it would be great for us,” Dan said. “It would be fun to share them with our kids too.”

Mercuri plans to return the letters in person, and she’s looking forward to giving the couple a big hug.

“It renews my faith,” Mercuri said. “Fate, I just don’t think there are many coincidences in life.”

Mercuri hopes the experience inspires others to look for ways to connect and to spread kindness in unexpected ways.

Please note: 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.

Contractor falls into pool of water above Palisades Nuclear Plant reactor, has to be decontaminated

By Joseph Buczek

Click here for updates on this story

    Michigan (WWJ) — A contractor at Palisades Nuclear Plant in West Michigan fell into a water-filled reactor cavity Tuesday morning and had to be decontaminated.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the incident happened around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Covert, Michigan, plant, when a worker fell into a pool of water that is located above the reactor. The contractor ingested some of the water.

Holtec International, which owns the plant, confirmed that the contractor, who was working inside the containment building, was wearing the required personal protective equipment, including a life vest, which is standard when working near a pool without a barrier.

The worker was pulled from the water and decontaminated by radiation protection personnel. Radiation levels were later detected at 300 counts per minute in their hair, according to officials, and around 4:30 p.m., they left the plant to seek medical attention.

“The worker was promptly assisted from the water, evaluated, monitored, and decontaminated for removable contamination in accordance with established industry standards and safety procedures,” said Nick Culp, senior manager of government affairs and communications for Holtec International. “Radiological assessments are ongoing and are expected to confirm exposure well below regulatory and administrative dose limits. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was properly notified, and a review of human performance factors contributing to the incident is underway.”

The contractor suffered minor injuries from the fall and has since returned to work, Holtec International said.

The incident comes as crews recently received 68 assemblies of new nuclear fuel after the plant earned “operations status” in August from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Located along the Lake Michigan shoreline, Palisades first opened in December 1971 before Entergy closed the plant in May 2022. Holtech International purchased the shuttered plant in June 2022.

The company expects the 800-megawatt plant to serve more than 800,000 homes and businesses once it resumes operation.

While Holtec International has not announced when the plant is expected to restart, the operation effort includes the work of over 600 nuclear professionals supported by more than 1,000 contractors, vendors and suppliers.

Please note: 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.

‘The impossible can become possible’ Hope Kittel’s remarkable journey to world champion

By Mike Curkov

Click here for updates on this story

    CEDARBURG, Wisconsin (WDJT) — CrossFit is a test. A test of strength. A test of will. A chance to find your limit. And for some, there may be no limit. As long as you can adapt.

“The impossible can become possible.” said Hope Kittel from Adapt and Conquer CrossFit in Cedarburg.

In March of 2023, Hope suffered an unknown ‘neurological event’ while in gym class at Cedarburg High School. She was paralyzed from the neck down, she lost her memory, she even lost her voice.

“I think it’s kind of a hard thing to describe,” said Hope through a whisper. “Because I could somewhere consciously understand that I was losing everything.”

Her memories from before still haven’t come back.

“That was terrifying to not be able to recognize my family members or my friends.” she said. “That was definitely hard for my parents and my sister to have me not be able to recognize them or find comfort in anyone. It was so lonely.”

As she put it in an Instagram post one year later, ‘It was the scariest thing, to live the life of a person I don’t even remember.’

It was her family that gave her the name ‘Hope.’ And her family and friends that never gave it, or her, up.

“For awhile I thought it was really annoying because people were like, your name’s so fitting,” said Kittel. “Because this wasn’t some prophecy that I’m fulfilling.”

Eventually she came around to its deeper meaning.

“The longer that I think about it, it’s kind of crazy.” she said, “I think Hope, when you’re laying in that hospital bed is all you have. Even I would say, the mental struggle, I lost hope at times. But I think it’s something that the people around you can hold for you. That belief. You can borrow their belief. Borrow their strength. Borrow their hope.”

Hope wasn’t down for long. She started fighting her way back. Little by little. She worked her way out of the hospital.

“A lot of times, they’re quick to say, you’ll never walk again, you’ll never use your hands again, you’ll never have this function or speak again but screw that, honestly. Screw the labels that are put on you.” said Hope.

She worked through nine weeks of intensive rehab at the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Michigan and with the neurological unit at Marquette.

She made immense improvements.

But her life changed again when she met Jason Olejniczak and Tom Miazga at Adapt and Conquer CrossFit and United Training Foundation.

“I mean Hope’s a survivor, a battler, a warrior.” said Olejniczak, founder of United Training Foundation which helps cover the costs for adaptive athletes to train. “All of the competitive adjectives, she’s got them.”

“I knew from the get-go that there was a bull-headedness about her that she was never going to quit.” said Miazga, the now 9-time consecutive ‘Fittest Seated Man on Earth.’

“She was never going to stop until she achieved the goals that she herself set for herself.” he said.

One of her first major goals was to walk across the stage at graduation. Which she did with Olejniczak helping to move each leg, one step at a time.

“He was like, we’ll find a way.” Hope said. “I kept that a secret from my family and friends so it was a complete and total surprise to them. I did it, not only for myself but for everyone who has been a part of this journey.

hen she found a new goal. A new ‘impossible.’

“Watching him [Tom] compete for his 8th title,” she said. “Seeing someone I’ve seen work so hard. His grit. His determination. Maybe I could do that too.”

Tom is now the 9-time defending ‘Fittest Seated Man on Earth.’ He earned that title this past September at the 2025 World Adaptive CrossFit Games in Las Vegas, a three-day competition with nearly 300 athletes from 29 countries. There are seven events across different classifications of ability and points awarded based on how you place in each event.

The 2025 games were also Hope’s first time competing. She won every single event.

“It’s pretty safe to say that she dominated the entire weekend which is a lot of fun.” said Jason.

“I did have this confidence kind of instilled especially from Tom and Jason. Just. ‘I got this.” Hope said. “Do everything that I can. Put it all out there, every time.”

19-year old Hope Kittel can now call herself the ‘Fittest Seated Woman on Earth.’

Not a bad way to be able to introduce yourself and a heck of an introduction to the world of adaptive competition.

“To see that many people doing such impressive work on this world stage was remarkable and inspirational.” she said.

Hope is coming to terms with the fact that she’s the inspiration now.

“It’s been a hard thing to hold onto,” said Hope. “but I think that constant reminder of ‘That is my name.’ That is who I am. And at times I think that I can be that Hope for other people.”

“I think that is where I find pride is being able to invite people into spaces where they can be supported and loved the same way that I was.” she said. “And if I can give that Hope and that love to other people. Then I can…that’s a proud name that I can hold.”

Please note: 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.

Tourism in western North Carolina reaches peak levels since Helene

By Rian Stockett

Click here for updates on this story

    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — It’s peak tourism season here in western North Carolina, and Explore Asheville says tourism over the last few weeks is the highest it’s been since Helene.

“I think I can speak for everyone in this area that we’re lucky and blessed to have a fantastic October,” said Bruce O’Connell, the Owner of Pisgah Inn.

A great year, that’s how O’Connell is describing the current season, despite sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway being closed for most of the year.

“I think just getting the roads clear, and government doing its part, and the parks service. I think the Blue Ridge being open and being a beautiful fall season, I think it’s brought everybody here,” said Susan Jowers, a Brevard resident visiting the Pisgah Inn.

The last time News 13 spoke with O’Connell was a month ago, when stretches of the parkway were reopened, and he said that he anticipated this year being an off-season.

O’Connell said this year, being an off-season has changed, as two weeks ago, the Pisgah Inn surpassed the amount of guests it saw in 2024.

“Not back so to what it was before Helene, but it’s trending in the right direction, and I think that’s just more businesses coming back and then more people outside the area knowing that they’re back,” said Sean Trickett, an Asheville resident.

O’Connell attributes the success of this season to the weather, saying that while October is their most important month, the weather in October can change quickly.

“There could be rock slides, there could be snowfall, there could be ice, they could close the parkway at a moment’s notice, close the tunnels, this year that hasn’t happened. We’ve been open straight through,” O’Connell said.

Explore Asheville says indicators from the last three weeks have been the strongest for out-of-town guests to our area since the storm.

“The signs are really positive this fall, we’re hearing from local businesses that sales are up about 20% the past few weeks,” said Dodie Stephens, the Vice President of Marketing at Explore Asheville.

Please note: 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.

Stockton’s Filipino American National Historical Society unites community with the past

By Charlie Lapastora, Irene Gonzalez

Click here for updates on this story

    SACRAMENTO (KOVR) — It is Filipino American Heritage Month, and CBS Sacramento is celebrating the rich culture and prominent leaders.

In downtown Stockton, the Filipino American National Historical Society remains a pillar in the community.

“The museum is here to kind of let them recognize and discover themselves, and discover the strength that their parents, parents’ parents, all the way down to the time that we first came here,” said Erwin Mina, the museum’s board president.

Among the many historical artifacts are items and photographs of the late labor leader Larry Itliong.

Through his work, Itliong led the 1965 Delano Grape Strike that sparked the farm labor movement.

Itliong’s leadership would be pivotal in forming the United Farm Workers, along with Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.

It’s one of many historical events defining what it means to be Filipino.

“We are stewards of the land and stewards of culture,” Mina said. “Ours isn’t about conquest. Ours is about copwah, mahneehan, where a community is uplifting an individual and an individual in turn uplifts the community.”

It’s places like this where so many Filipino elders, affectionately known as manongs and manangs, want to ensure the next generation understands their own history.

“It’s really helped me to learn about myself and I want other people to have that experience also,” said June Bond, a retired educator at the Stockton Unified School District.

Bond is the vice president of the museum and a long-time educator. She says her motivation comes from the elders who paved the way.

“They took their dreams and put them on my shoulders,” Bond said. “The question was never, ‘Are you going to college?’ The question was, ‘What college are you going to?'”

Even though she’s retired, Bond is constantly teaching others about culture and unity.

“It’s about caring about others and making sure that everybody is pulled upward, along the way,” Bond said.

For the first time ever, Stockton’s Filipino history will be on display in our nation’s capital.

“What’s so exciting for us, those of us here in this area, is the story centers around Little Manila in Stockton,” Bond said.

A few years ago, 26 steamer trunks were discovered at a lodge in Stockton that once housed Filipino farmworkers.

“What’s going to be exhibited in the Smithsonian American History Museum in Washington, D.C., are three of the trunks that have belongings of this generation of Filipinos,” said Marissa Aroy, an award-winning documentarian and filmmaker.

Aroy’s documentary, “The Delano Manongs,” will be featured alongside the exhibit, showcasing items from those time capsules.

“Their letters, their photographs, their really cool suits, everything from the farm tools that they used,” Aroy said.

“This museum is not our museum, it’s yours and everybody else’s,” Erwin said.

The Filipino American National Historical Society is open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

And the Filipino exhibit titled, “How Can You Forget Me” will run Nov. 20 through Nov. 28 at the Smithsonian American History Museum.

Please note: 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.

Southern California pastor sentenced for sexually assaulting young girls

By Matthew Rodriguez

Click here for updates on this story

    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — A Santa Ana pastor has been sentenced to 45 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting three young girls.

Carlos Ramirez Valdez, 61, was convicted of 14 counts related to the child sexual abuse cases that happened while he was the leader of Iglesia De Dios Ebenezer Church between 2012 and 2019. He became a pastor at another Santa Ana church after the assaults.

“Churches should be safe sanctuaries, not hunting grounds for child molesters,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. “These young girls were subjected to unimaginable abuse by someone in a position of trust. The sexual exploitation of children will never be acceptable, and predators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Valdez allegedly sexually assaulted three girls, between the ages of 4 and 10, who attended masses at Iglesia De Dios Ebenezer Church.

Prosecutors said he sexually assaulted one of the girls over a seven-year period, beginning when she was four years old. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said she reported the abuse to a school counselor. In 2017, Valdez also repeatedly sexually abused a 7-year-old girl over an eight-month period.

The third case happened between 2014 and 2015. The girl told the Garden Grove Police Department that he sexually assaulted her while he drove her home from church.

Please note: 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.