Author: CNN Newsource

By Tim Fang

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    California (KPIX) — Officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said eight people were arrested and more than 20,000 cannabis plants were eradicated in raids targeting illegal growing operations on public lands across the state.

On Tuesday, CDFW announced results of the operation by the department’s Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET).

In July and August, officers raided six sites hidden within sensitive habitats and watersheds. Additional officers from the CDFW Cannabis Enforcement Program, local agencies and the U.S. Forest Service were also involved in the raids.

The agency said the raids were prompted by reports from the public, which included a hunter scouting for deer in one of the cases.

Lands where the grows were located included Forest Service property, land owned by municipal water districts and large, underdeveloped private properties accessible to the public.

“Our water is a delicately balanced system that enables communities to thrive and the environment to flourish. Illegal cannabis grows threaten that balance. If you violate the law, we will do everything in our power to hold you accountable,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

The growing sites were located throughout California, from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties to the south, to Tehama County in the north. Sites in San Mateo County and Santa Cruz County were also targeted.

Photos shared by the agency of the San Bernardino County grow showed cannabis plants growing adjacent to Joshua trees, which are subject to a state conservation law. A container of rodenticide was found at the site, along with water being diverted by hoses and trash.

During the raids, officers arrested eight suspects on suspicion of multiple offenses, including depositing hazardous substances on land belonging to another, cannabis cultivation resulting in water pollution and causing “substantial” environmental harm to public lands, along with resisting arrest.

Officers said a suspect at one of the sites attempted to flee and was apprehended by an agency K-9. Authorities did not identify the suspects.

At the grow sites, officers seized the pesticides carbofuran and methamidophos, which are described as highly toxic and banned for use in the United States. Two illegally possessed firearms were also seized.

Officers also restored water flow at five locations where it was illegally diverted. The agency said 2,300 pounds of trash and infrastructure were also removed and the sites were staged for future cleanup.

At least 21,000 cannabis plants were eradicated, which the agency estimates would have consumed 9.5 million gallons of water over their growing cycles. In addition, 150 pounds of cannabis processed for sale were also eradicated.

CDFW said based on evidence and interviews with the suspects, officers have concluded that transnational criminal organizations operated the illegal cannabis grows.

“When criminals steal or destroy the natural resources that support California’s extraordinary biodiversity, we are committed to stopping them—and we have the teams in place to do that, no matter how far into the wilderness they try to hide their operations,” said Charlton Bonham, the Director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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By Chelsea Hylton

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — The Los Angeles Zoo is celebrating the birth of two baby girl chimpanzees.

Over the past several weeks, two unnamed female chimpanzees were born. The first infant was born on Aug. 20 to 35-year-old mother Yoshi and 26-year-old father Pu’iwa. The second infant was born on Sept. 9 to 18-year-old first-time mother Vindi.

Both infants and their mothers are doing well and are bonding, the L.A. Zoo said.

“These are significant births for the Zoo and both are welcome additions to the dynamic, multi-male, mixed-age troop which closely mirrors the species’ natural social structure in the wild,” said Candace Sclimenti, curator of mammals at the L.A. Zoo.

The L.A. Zoo has a long-standing history of caring for chimpanzees, including a breeding program that is part of the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is administered by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The goal is to increase genetic diversity and sustainability of the North American Chimpanzee population.

Senior Animal Keeper Megan Fox said she has known Yoshi and her family for nearly 30 years and it’s “lovely to see her as a new mother again.”

“Yoshi is an experienced mom and this is Vindi’s first baby, but moms and infants are bonding and have been settling into the role of motherhood very well,” Fox said. “It’s exciting to have these new additions to the troop, and they are adding a whole new social dynamic to the troop.”

Chimpanzees are one of the closest genetic relatives. They are native to forests and grasslands in parts of east, west and central Africa. The L.A. Zoo said chimps are known for their facial expressions, gestures and vocalizations.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), chimpanzees are classified as Endangered.

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By Scott Carpenter

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    ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Alabama (WVTM) — A large sinkhole along U.S. 231 near Pell City, Alabama, has opened multiple times since July, causing concern for drivers in St. Clair County as the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) works to find a permanent fix.

The sinkhole is dangerously close to the road, with patchwork visible in the northbound lane. ALDOT warns that the sinkhole could open again.

Laura Kohler, who drives past the sinkhole, said, “I don’t want to be around it.” She tries to avoid the area but must drive past it when heading to Pell City. Kohler added,”Part of the road is caved in.”

Jason Thrasher drives over the sinkhole for work. Both Kohler and Thrasher find the sight frightening. “Very concerning because you don’t know how big it’s gonna get the next time it opens up,” said Kohler.

Thrasher shared his experience, “I left one morning, they were working on it, fixed it. Then in two hours, I came across it and it had sunk some more.”

The sinkhole first opened in late July, reaching a depth of about 30 feet, and has reopened several times since. Video footage shows ALDOT crews filling the sinkhole with rocks and soil in August after it opened for the third time.

Scott Brande, a UAB associate chemistry professor with expertise in geology and sinkholes, explained the complexity of fixing a sinkhole. “You want to plug the hole at the bottom and so you want to put the larger size grains and gravel and stones at the bottom and gradually fill it with finer materials as you work toward the surface to fill all of the openings up,” Brande said.

He described the underground holes as complex and interconnected, similar to a sponge, and suggested they might be part of a complex cavern system.

Brande said, “My guess is in many areas the holes interconnect and they’re part of a maybe complex cavern system and whatever is poured into one opening may break through a narrow neck into another one.”

He noted that there are several reasons sinkholes can open up.

Residents in St. Clair County mentioned that construction work was being done on the road right before the sinkhole first appeared.

Kohler said, “They had resurfaced it recently, and right after it opened up.”

ALDOT refers to it as a “naturally occurring sinkhole” discovered during resurfacing work on U.S. 231.

Drivers are less concerned with how it opened. “Just fix it. That way we don’t have to deal with it,” said Thrasher.

ALDOT denied multiple requests for an interview, but sent the following statement.

“The naturally occurring sinkhole was originally discovered in late July while ALDOT crews were carrying out an unrelated resurfacing project on US-231. Sinkholes are relatively common in Alabama due to underground limestone deposits, which can dissolve over time, causing subterranean voids. Heavy rainfall recorded during the spring and early summer months may have contributed to the sinkhole’s original growth. Since our original emergency repair, ALDOT has performed additional work on the site’s foundation. That included sealing the bottom of the hole with concrete and compacting more dirt and rock with heavy equipment. We would not have reopened the road to traffic if we had any reservations about motorists’ safety. Over the last several weeks, ALDOT commissioned a thorough geotechnical analysis of the site to determine the best path forward. With that knowledge now in hand, ALDOT is monitoring the site on a daily basis and considering options for a more permanent repair if it becomes necessary to ensure the roadway’s stability and motorists’ safety.”

There are currently thousands of sinkholes across Alabama.

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By Lauren Martinez

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    MORGAN HILL, California (KGO) — In a quiet Morgan Hill neighborhood on the north end of town, neighbors are surprised to hear police are investigating a prowling incident.

Police say on Tuesday morning a woman who lives off of Saffron Drive reported that a man knocked on her front door. She said he then attempted to get into her backyard through a side gate, but was unable to.

She believed the suspect used a Wi-Fi jammer as her home surveillance cameras went offline during the incident. However, the cameras kept recording.

On Thursday, we sat down with Detective Sergeant Sean Bayard.

“Unfortunately, some of those jammers they operate on the same signal as Wi-Fi signals and that’s where the jamming takes place, as that jammer approaches the Wi-Fi signal it will cause interruptions to the cameras,” Sergeant Bayard said.

Police say on Wednesday morning, the same woman reported she had been followed by a white Chevy sedan after she noticed it was parked outside her home. Police said the vehicle followed her as she drove her children to school.

“And as she continued to drive through town, that vehicle was making every turn she was making. And so she did the right thing by immediately calling 911, our dispatchers right away told her to start driving towards the police department as well as dispatching a patrol officer,” Sergeant Bayard said.

Police say they pulled the sedan over, and detained a woman and man. Police said the man was the same suspect in the surveillance video who prowled around the woman’s home.

They were both booked on charges of criminal conspiracy, stalking, prowling, vandalism, and providing a false name.

Nearby neighbors like Caitlyn Amaral gave credit to the homeowner who remained watchful.

“You never want to assume like someone is following you, you never want to assume that it’s something bad so sometimes like you never know – and like that’s brave of her to assume the worst the you know, because you don’t know,” Amaral said.

Frankie Luna said it’s a reminder how valuable home surveillance cameras are.

“Everyone needs to have it, it’s just good for proof – it’s like having a dashcam on your car, it’s just good evidence to have for everyone,” Luna said.

Seargeant Bayard recommends getting home surveillance cameras hard wired to prevent potential Wi-Fi jammers that are sold on the market.

As far as the investigation, detectives are looking into whether this was random, the suspects may have followed the victim from work.

It remains an open investigation.

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By Luz Pena

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — What would you do to find the love of your life? A Bay Area woman is putting out billboards and a website searching for her perfect match.

“I’m looking for a husband, a committed relationship and hopefully the love of my life,” said Lisa Catalano, searching for her future husband.

For nearly a month, Bay Area resident and bachelorette Lisa Catalano decided to put herself out there and when we say out there, we mean on six to seven digital billboards on Highway 101 from the South Bay to San Francisco. All hoping “the one” or someone who knows a good match send him her way. Her ad is straight to the point, “MarryLisa.com“

Luz: Pena: “This is pretty bold. What happened that you said this is the approach I’m going to take?”

Lisa Catalano: “Every time I got a little frustrated with the dating scene within Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, I would work a little bit on my website. It started off kind of almost a joke. I can do this myself; I can do this myself. I can do it and then I was thinking maybe that is not a crazy of an idea after all and the I said I have to promote the website somehow and what is more local than a billboard?”

Her website is her personal application collection service where potential husband candidates apply and they learn her likes and non-negotiables.

“I’m looking for somebody who would be compatible with me on things like religious views, politics – you know, healthy lifestyle because I lead a healthy lifestyle, things that match up on all of that. And someone who’s ready to get married and have kids in the future, that’s something I want to try for,” said Catalano.

One thing about Lisa is that she is not simply relying on the billboards. She is also keeping an eye out when she is out and about.

“I have fliers, business cards. It’s the same information that’s on the website, but just in a different form,” said Catalano.

Catalano said her search recently went viral when she posted it on TikTok, which lead to an influx of applicants.

Pena: “How many applications have you gotten?”

Catalano: “Oh, gosh. I don’t know. My phone’s been going off and I think I got some more just as we’ve been standing here.”

This endeavor is pricey with specific highway billboards costing more than others. Even though she wouldn’t reveal how much she is investing, she is staying hopeful all this will be worth it when she meets her future husband.

Pena: “If your future husband is watching right now, what do you want to say to him?”

Catalano: “I’m real. This entire project is real. I am serious about finding the love of my life and I am not an AI woman on a generated on a billboard. I actually exist.”

For now, the search continues.

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By Leanna Scachetti

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    BOSTON (WCVB) — For Boston singles, online dating has become a common form of making connections. But in a time when the CDC says 1 in 3 adults feel lonely, there’s a unique option to find a date in person.

“In this day and age, people swipe so quickly, it’s hard to find genuine connections,” said Emily Smith, organizer of the Boston chapter of Pitch-A-Friend.

The format, first started in Philadelphia a few years ago, is exactly what it sounds like.

Participants bring their single friend, prepare a presentation and pitch them “Shark Tank” style, highlighting what they’re looking for in a relationship, their hobbies, pet peeves and best qualities.

“I was really touched,” said Alex, who both pitched and was pitched by his friend Stephen. “You know, he said a lot of really nice things about me. It would be nice to maybe hear some of those things outside of a pitch event once in a while!”

So what does it look like IRL?

“I didn’t know what to expect, but it was so much fun,” said Marissa, a 23-year-old participant who came with a group of friends. “And I can’t wait to come back!”

Watch the video above to see how a night out at the Boston Public Market turned out.

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