Boyfriend arrested for murder of woman after telling police she overdosed

CNN Newsource on April 27, 2026

By JT Moodee Lockman

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    Maryland (WJZ) — A Maryland man has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend after he initially told officers that she overdosed, according to Anne Arundel County Police.

Scott Kirby, 33, of Pasadena, was charged with murder, assault and giving a false statement to police after his girlfriend, 34-year-old Heather Beaver, was found dead in a home in April 2025, according to police.

Girlfriend found dead in Maryland home Officers responded to the home in the 1200 block of Lorene Court, where they found Beaver unresponsive after Kirby called 911 and said she appeared to be suffering from an overdose.

An autopsy revealed that Beaver had multiple blunt force injuries, and a toxicology test revealed her death had nothing to do with an overdose, police said.

During their investigation, police found evidence that contradicted Kirby’s explanation. Evidence from the scene suggested a violent struggle and assault had occurred.

Investigators eventually determined that Kirby assaulted Beaver, during which she suffered fatal injuries.

Kirby was arrested and charged in Beaver’s death on April 23, police said.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call 410-222-4731.

Victim’s mother condemns domestic violence In a statement, Beaver’s mother, Susan Beaver, said domestic violence affects too many families.

During an interview with WJZ last year, Susan Beaver said her daughter has two children and was in an abusive relationship.

“After a year of grief and unanswered questions, an arrest has finally been made in the murder of my daughter, Heather,” Susan Beaver said in a statement. “She was deeply loved and deserved a future filled with safety and happiness.”

Susan Beaver said her daughter was working to turn her life around before she died.

“In her memory, I ask our community to take domestic violence seriously – to listen, support and act. We will continue to honor Heather and seek justice in her name,” Susan added.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233.

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Nearly 350 layoffs coming to 2 Massachusetts colleges that announced plans to close

CNN Newsource on April 27, 2026

By Neal Riley

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    Massachusetts (WBZ) — Two Massachusetts colleges that recently announced plans to close this year will be laying off nearly 350 workers combined, according to state filings.

Anna Maria College in Paxton, which announced last week it will close after the spring semester, said layoffs will affect 150 workers. Hampshire College in Amherst is expecting 199 layoffs once it closes at the end of the Fall 2026 semester.

Hampshire College’s website says employees began to find out last week about their job status.

“The staff and faculty reductions will happen in waves, with the majority of employees ending their employment on June 15,” the college said. “Every employee will receive at least 60 days notice.”

Anna Maria said some staff will be retained to help students “through degree completion.” Layoffs there will take place between June 22 and June 30.

“We are working as quickly as possible to determine impacted roles and timelines, and will communicate directly with those affected as decisions are finalized,” the school’s website says.

Other schools are stepping up to take in students as transfers, but no similar partnerships have been established for staff members. The MassHire Department of Career Services will be helping laid-off faculty at both schools find new jobs.

An online petition supporting Hampshire College’s staff is asking leaders at other colleges in western Massachusetts to take in staff members who lose their jobs.

“The situation is a crisis,” the petition states. “Hampshire faculty and staff will lose their health insurance June 30th, cutting off their access to necessary medication and treatment. Some members of the community will face deportation; some will suffer housing insecurity.”

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Wellesley mother accused of killing 2 young children agrees to face murder charges in Massachusetts

CNN Newsource on April 27, 2026

By Penny Kmitt

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    Massachusetts (WBZ) — Janette MacAusland, the Wellesley mother charged with killing her two young children, waived extradition rights in a Vermont courtroom Monday afternoon and will return to Massachusetts to face murder charges.

She appeared in Rutland Criminal Court via a video feed from jail on a fugitive from justice charge. MacAusland was wearing a padded vest during the proceedings.

“She’s decided that the best thing is to get back to Massachusetts as soon as possible,” her attorney said during the court appearance.

MacAusland will be held without bail, the judge said. She is expected to be arraigned on two murder charges in Massachusetts within the next two weeks.

The investigation began late Friday night when MacAusland showed up at a relative’s home in Bennington, Vermont bleeding, with a neck injury and appearing “highly distraught,” according to police.

Officers in Bennington then called Wellesley Police to check on MacAusland’s daughter and son, ages 7 and 6, at their home on Edgemoor Avenue. When officers arrived, they found the children dead inside the house.

MacAusland was taken into custody by Bennington Police as a fugitive from justice. The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office got an arrest warrant and charged her with two counts of murder. She’s been held without bail at the Marble Valley Correctional Facility.

There’s no word yet on how the children died or a motive in the case. Court records show MacAusland’s husband Samuel had filed for divorce last October and he filed for custody of the children and their home.

Cale Darrah, the family’s babysitter, told WBZ-TV she didn’t see this tragedy coming.

“She seemed to just deeply love her children, like any other mother that I’ve come across,” Darrah said. “They had, like, very small, insignificant kind of arguments in front of me. Nothing that raised any, like, huge alarm bells.”

According to Wellesley Public Schools Superintendent Dr. David Lussier, the children were students at Schofield Elementary School. One was a second grader, and the other was in kindergarten.

“She was a bit of a girly-girl, she always loved when I would do her hair, loved the color purple,” Darrah said of the children. “He loves to read, especially a lot of books about planes, trains, trucks, all that good stuff.”

Support was offered to students, staff, and families at the school on Monday.

“This is an unimaginable loss that will be deeply felt not just at Schofield but across our entire community,” Lussier said in a statement. “I ask that we all keep this family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

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Passengers help woman give birth on board Delta flight from Atlanta to Portland

CNN Newsource on April 27, 2026

By Dan Raby

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — A Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Portland last week had a special addition to its passenger list after a woman went into labor in the air.

A spokesperson for the Atlanta-based airline said that Delta Flight 478 was just about 30 minutes from Portland International Airport on Friday night when the unexpected visitor gave the signal it wanted to be there for the landing.

The flight attendants onboard sprang into action, aided by a doctor and two nurses who happened to be on board.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, actually,” Oregon EMT Tina Fritz told KOIN 6, saying that she and her friend improvised using a flight attendant’s shoestrings to create a makeshift tourniquet for an IV.

“She’s like, ‘I gotta push, I gotta push.’ And within three really good pushes, the baby was out and doing perfect. Mom was a rock star, like, mom did so good,” Fritz said.

Because of the situation, the crew declared an emergency and were given priority landing at the Portland airport. They landed safely, and the woman was met by emergency medical services.

“We extend our sincere thanks to the crew and medical volunteers on board who stepped in to provide care to a customer onboard prior to landing in Portland,” a Delta spokesperson told CBS News Atlanta. “The health and safety of our customers is always our top priority, and we wish the new family all the best.”

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Singing protesters speak out against lifting of mining ban near Boundary Water

CNN Newsource on April 27, 2026

By Jason Rantala

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    ST. PAUL, Minnesota (WCCO) — Several dozen people gathered at Lake Como in St. Paul, Minnesota, Sunday, hoping to have their voices heard as they protested the lifting of the mining ban near one of the state’s last true wilderness escapes.

Despite hours of pleas from Minnesota lawmakers, the U.S. Senate recently voted to open up 225,000 acres of land to copper sulfide mining near the Boundary Waters.

Sunday’s event was put on by The Singing Resistance, a grassroots organization that uses song as a form of nonviolent protest. Organizers said well over 100 people showed up.

“We sing to bring that collective grief and that collective empowerment here to grow our masses and speak up for what we want and what we believe in,” said Amanda Roloson, outreach coordinator for The Singing Resistance.

“My largest concern is that they start mining, right, and our waters are then contaminated and polluted and the wildlife will die, the waters, you know, will no longer be pure,” said Claire Roth, a member of The Singing Resistance.

Advocates of mining near the Boundary Waters said it could bring in hundreds of jobs to northern Minnesota. Twin Metals Minnesota said they are “…committed to moving forward with the responsible development of our mineral resources for the benefit of Minnesota communities…”

Speakers at Sunday’s event told the crowd to contact their elected officials. They did just that Sunday, sharing what they said was Gov. Tim Walz’s personal cell phone number.

“I know there are some more steps that can be taken and we are out here gathering support,” said Roloson.

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Experts warn Colorado River system is heading toward ‘water bankruptcy.’ Here’s what that means.

CNN Newsource on April 27, 2026

By Geneva Zoltek

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    LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Colorado River, lifeline to 40 million people across the Southwest, is sliding deeper into what experts are calling “water bankruptcy.”

“We have overused the account,” Thomas Rebermark, policy director with the Stockholm International Water Institute, told Channel 13.

“We’re constantly overusing more than we actually get from the water system,” he continued.

In a United Nations report published earlier this year, researchers define the idea:

The concept of water bankruptcy draws attention to the evidence that societies rely on both renewable water flows and long-term natural storage, comparable to drawing on income and savings, and that in many basins and aquifers, sustained withdrawals have exceeded renewable replenishment and safe depletion thresholds.

Across regions and levels of development, water systems are under unprecedented pressure. Rivers, lakes and wetlands are degrading, groundwater resources are being depleted beyond sustainable limits, and glaciers are retreating at accelerating rates. These trends signal not only growing stress, but in many contexts a structural imbalance between water demand and available resources.

The Colorado River is named as a “hotspot” in the report because it demonstrates “over-promised” water.

Rebermark says the Southwest is not the only part of the world facing this sort of crisis.

“Whether it’s the Colorado River or it’s with the Nile or the Mekong or other examples also in Europe that we see that we have overused the income stream,” Rebermark explained.

“It doesn’t mean that water disappears overnight, but it means that every decision we take now is harder and more even more important. So that’s why we also need all hands on deck,” he continued.

Local trends of declining water:

This winter, the Upper Colorado Basin saw some of the lowest snow totals in recorded history. As a result, federal officials made a decision to limit water releases from Lake Powell downstream in the coming months. Officials say that will result in substantial drops in Lake Mead’s elevation.

“All we’re seeing are depletions,” Kyle Roerink, advocate with the Great Basin Water Network, said.

“We are dealing with changing snowpacks, changing runoff patterns, increasing evaporation rates, drier soils, and other natural phenomena that are depleting our bank accounts and our savings accounts,” he said.

Water managers face an encroaching deadline for the river and are expected to make key decisions by October on how to divvy up the shrinking Colorado River going forward. Negotiations between the seven basin states take place behind closed doors, leaving much of the public in the dark about what cuts could be coming down the pike.

“The state of negotiations right now is another unprecedented consideration that we are grappling with here in the desert Southwest. We have never seen all the states at loggerheads as they are right now. We have seen other states go toe-to-toe over the years, but never anything quite like this, and it is weighing heavily over the managerial decision-making, such as this issue that we’re talking about right now,” Roerink said.

“We really don’t know how things will work yet in 2027 and in 2028. But what we do know is that reservoir levels are going to be at their lowest levels ever. And so this is a dark cloud hanging over us, and unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like it will be spitting out any water in the near future,” he continued.

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Ruby Duncan, activist who championed rights of Nevada’s needy families, dies at 93

CNN Newsource on April 27, 2026

By Alyssa Roberts, Anjali Patel

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    NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A longtime activist for the rights of needy families in Southern Nevada, Ruby Duncan, has passed away. She was 93 years old.

The City of North Las Vegas shared a message about Duncan’s passing on Sunday, describing Duncan as “a giant of advocacy and justice, who worked tirelessly to better the lives of working Nevadans.”

“Her impact is felt today throughout Southern Nevada through assistance and support for women and children and the addition of community resources to the Historic Westside,” North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown stated.

In a 2024 interview with Good Morning, Las Vegas anchor Anjali Patel, Duncan reflected on her activism and decades of effort to stand up for local low-income families.

Duncan’s activism began when an on-the-job injury put her out of work and she soon found herself on welfare. “I did not want to be on welfare,” Duncan said. “I hated it.”

When she got together with other mothers in a similar situation, inequities became clear, and Duncan stepped up — gathering, organizing, and agitating. Duncan went on to organize and lead protests on the Las Vegas Strip that would be pivotal in Nevada’s eventual acceptance of social welfare programs for families in need — and single mothers, in particular.

She also went on to start the nonprofit organization Operation Life, which brought the Historic Westside its first library, a health clinic, employment and housing aid, among other resources.

Duncan has an elementary school named after her in North Las Vegas, as well as a street named for her at UnCommons in the southwest valley.

In our 2024 interview, Duncan urged people to exercise the right to vote and to stand up against injustice: “Don’t give up. Never, never say, ‘I can’t,'” she said.

In her statement on Duncan’s passing, Mayor Goynes-Brown thanked Duncan for her years of advocacy and activism.

“I extend my deepest condolences to her family and to all who were touched by her,” she stated.

“I also extend my gratitude to Ruby for showing us all what it means to stand up and advocate for others. Her legacy of justice and compassion will continue to be taught to generations of North Las Vegas students at Ruby Duncan Elementary School. Thank you, Ruby.”

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School district pilots new artificial intelligence program inside classrooms

CNN Newsource on April 27, 2026

By Justin Hinton

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    LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Clark County School District is in the middle of a pilot program incorporating artificial intelligence into lessons at several schools, including Fremont Middle School.

Sixth graders in Ms. Aiello’s class are using Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, to help research whether volcanic eruptions make global temperatures warmer or cooler.

Instead of just giving students the answers, the AI tool—referred to as a “gem”—points them to helpful resources and responds to their questions with more questions to stimulate their minds.

“This time specifically, I found a collection of resources and websites, articles, that I uploaded into the gem, and it’s pulling information from that, so it’s only using the information that I’m giving it,” Aiello said.

Students like Sebastian and Kayleb log on to ask the gem questions about their research.

“My favorite part is that it can give you a diagram of what you’re trying to work on, like how I’m using a diagram that it gave me on my notes,” Kayleb said.

“I think before, I would use AI to just answer simple questions, but now I’m using it way more in the classroom,” Sebastian said.

When asked how his parents reacted to the use of AI in the classroom, Kayleb noted it was not a surprise.

“They actually didn’t have much of a reaction. They kind of expected for something like that to happen,” he said.

Aiello said it also helps with her students whose first language is Spanish.

She says if they have trouble understanding what they are reading, they can ask the gem to translate it to a lower grade level to better comprehend the material.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KTNV’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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.

Homeowner aims to get ahead of AI by selling his estate for equity in Anthropic

CNN Newsource on April 27, 2026

By KPIX Staff

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    MILL VALLEY, California (KPIX) — A Bay Area homeowner is making a unique play to get ahead of the artificial intelligence arms race by listing his Mill Valley estate not for cash but for equity in Anthropic.

It’s a 14-acre estate in Mill Valley, and the homeowner priced it for about $8 million. But he doesn’t want your money. He wants your stock.

“I felt underexposed to AI, which is the future in my mind. And overexposed to real estate. And so, the concept was very simple. I was assuming there would be a bunch of young up-and-coming successful people at Anthropic that started there, and maybe had a little bit of money but not much and now are worth a significant amount of money, but it’s all in one stock,” Storm Duncan, the founder of Ignatius, told CBS News Bay Area.

As an M&A banker, he is looking for a buyer who will trade their stock in Anthropic, an AI company that is estimated to be worth $1 trillion.

“One person at Anthropic reached out, he’s like I don’t want to live there but I think it’s a good diversification strategy,” Duncan said.

“You have to be comfortable with the concept of exchanging that for a portion of your interest in Anthropic stock,” he added.

Butch Haze, a luxury real estate specialist with Compass, said this AI boom reminds him of the Bitcoin craze.

“It’s a really smart seller,” he said. “These are really unique times. It will be interesting for the title companies. How do they process the title work and do the actual trades? And how does the city collect taxes on the transfer tax? So, there are some things to work out here.”

He said that because of heightened interest in Anthropic, which is a privately-owned company, there may be some uncertainty.

“The question is, would a buyer right now give up their Anthropic stock? And I think that’s the bigger question,” Haze said.

Jay Ritter, the director of the IPO Initiative at the University of Florida, said there is speculation that Anthropic will go public within the next year.

“From a motivated seller, maybe an employee of the company that does have all their eggs in one basket and who wants to buy a house in this specific area, it might make sense,” he said. “I don’t expect selling a home for stock in a private company to be a trend. I think maybe there will be some copycats, but this is not something that your average middle-class investor is going to be doing.”

Duncan, however, sees it differently.

“There’s people like myself, like can’t we democratize this? Can’t we provide access to some people that aren’t normally going to get access to this opportunity? So, I think you’re going to see a lot more people trying to follow my lead in that regard and get access because everybody’s anxious that you’re either in AI or you’re going down,” he said.

Duncan added that there are no serious buyers yet, but there are some conversations.

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Local groups create reusable menstrual pads to help families in need

CNN Newsource on April 27, 2026

By Vanessa Gongora

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — Menstrual products are a basic necessity, but with the prices of everyday items continuing to rise, some families are struggling to afford them.

To help bridge the gap, Queer Girls Pantry for Kids 84745 partnered with Crafting Resilience to create reusable menstrual pads.

Leah Dardis and Alex Bell run the pantry, providing food and essentials for families in need.

“So we provide food for families with school-age children. That could be anyone that is in transition, unhoused, living in apartment complexes or any kind of hotel. All different situations, we try to meet people where they are,” Dardis said.

Dardis and Bell noticed pads and tampons go consistently, prompting them to take action.

“I’m in the pantry every day, so I hear all about how they can’t afford it. They’re spending all their money on food, baby food, diapers, and the costs aren’t going down and with the benefits and stuff, they don’t have enough money,” Bell said.

The initiative has become an all-hands-on-deck project, with community members jumping into action to cut, sew and organize the materials. Founder of Crafting Resilience, Regina Dante, started the organization in 2025 to give people sewing lessons around the community, and transitioned her work into mutual aid.

Dante said the groups are assembling kits for those in need.

“It’s going to be one large wet bag, one small wet bag. There’s going to be three panty liners, six day pads, and three overnight pads,” Dante said. “And that’s on average enough for three days of a period or so.”

The wet bags are used for storage and to prevent leakage for when you switch out the pads.

The pads are made from recycled fabric and designed to feel just like underwear.

“The panty liners have two layers of flannel, the day pads have four layers of flannel, and the overnight pads have three layers of absorb, which is a super absorbent fabric,” Dante said.

Dardis noted that people will often choose pads and tampons over other hygiene products in her pantry. She says the reusable pads will be for people who are in a little more stable situation that have access to washing machines.

“You got three teenage girls in your house, you’re gonna wipe out a whole box of tampons and that is, you know, quite a price,” Dardis said.

Research shows that since 2019, the average price of a pack of sanitary pads has risen 41%, with tampons increasing by 36%.

Community member Leigha Campbell came out to help sew the pads and knows firsthand that they will make a huge difference.

“I’ve used these before. They’re really nice and I feel like they’re really nice on your skin too,” Campbell said.

The goal is to make 39 liners, 78 day pads and 39 overnight pads and get feedback on how they can be improved.

The community is invited to help continue the process on Sunday, May 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m at Queer Girls Pantry located at 1003 W. Huron Street on the westside.

Dante says if you want to help sew, bring your own sewing machine and make sure you’re comfortable using it.

If you don’t know how to sew, that’s okay. You can help with cutting, assembling, applying snaps and more.

Donations are also accepted. Materials needed are flannel, cotton t-shirts or jersey fabric, snap pliers, plastic snaps, ballpoint sewing machine needles and quilt clips or clothespins.

Queer Girls Pantry for Kids 84745 also takes food or monetary donations.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KGUN’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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.