Author: CNN Newsource

By Jonathan Ayestas, Maricela De La Cruz

Click here for updates on this story

    ESPARTO, California (KCRA) — Five of the eight people arrested in connection with the deadly Esparto fireworks explosions appeared in court on Monday. Their arraignments were postponed to Thursday.

Among the defendants were Sam and Tammy Machado, who own the property that prosecutors said was storing about a million pounds of illegal explosives on the day the facility burst into flames.

Two defendants, Douglas Michael Tollefsen and Jack Lee, lost their attorneys during the court proceedings. Both lawyers appeared remotely and stated they could no longer represent them, without providing a reason. This means Tollefsen and Lee will need new legal counsel before their cases can move forward.

Tammy Machado also appeared in court, where she pleaded not guilty. She is expected to return on Thursday.

Family members of some of the victims of the Esparto explosion were present in the courtroom, with some hoping to address the judge. Jhony Ramos Sr., the father of Jesus and Jhony Ramos—two of the seven men killed in the explosion—shared his frustration.

“My children are already dead. It was two of them who were killed. I don’t know why they’re still being given rights,” Ramos said.

The family’s attorney, Ramin Younessi added, “We believe they knew a lot and they turned a blind eye. A lot was going on here for many years out in the open and it’s unfortunate. Those kids could’ve been alive today.”

The other three arrested are Kenneth Chee, Ronald Botelho III and Gary Chan Jr. Of the eight arrested, five are facing second-degree murder charges for the seven killed.

Chee made his first court appearance Friday in a Florida courtroom after being arrested at Disney World.

The Yolo County DA said that because the investigation is ongoing, additional people may face charges in connection with the blasts.

Sam and Tammy Machado both worked for the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office, Sam having been a lieutenant and Tammy a non-sworn employee. Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez said he accepted their resignations on March 17.

For months, investigators, including Cal Fire’s state fire marshal, looked into the facility. That led to Devastating Pyrotechnics and Blackstar Fireworks having their licenses revoked.

A grand jury indictment on April 3 alleges that most of the defendants operated multiple black-market fireworks companies from the Esparto location, selling “overcharged fireworks” made with significantly more explosive material than typical fireworks. Labels identified in the indictment include Bean Day Ho, For The Streets, Big Bully, and Double OG.

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 Jack Springgate

Click here for updates on this story

    HAMTRAMCK, Michigan (WWJ) — Hamtramck police say it only took them 30 minutes to find a kidnapping suspect and rescue the teen who was with him on Monday morning.

Police say the armed abduction happened while the 16-year-old was on their way to the bus stop just after 7 a.m. Monday.

The department’s lead detective said tips from community members came in almost immediately, leading officers to find the teen and the suspect together at a gas station about two and a half miles from the area of Edwin and Brombach, where we learned the crime initially happened.

Surveillance and body cam video show the teen and the suspect make their way out of the suspect’s vehicle.

Speeding up the video, it took officers roughly 90 seconds to close in on the suspect at this Sunoco station on the corner of Conant and Nevada.

That’s where police say they safely recovered the teen, all after the abduction police say happened while the teen was walking to their bus stop.

Following the arrest, police realized how critical their fast response was and how much danger this teen was in.

“It was a criminal with a history of rape charges, and we will make sure he gets what he deserves,” said Hamtramck Mayor Adam Alharbi.

Hamtramck Police Chief Hussein Farhat says the teen and the suspect didn’t have any connection to each other before this, and it was random in nature.

“This appears to be an isolated incident, and there is not believed to be continued threats to the community,” he said.

The student’s school, Frontier International Academy, confirmed that the kidnapping did not occur on school grounds and that student safety is its highest priority.

“We are grateful to report that the student has been safely recovered and is currently with family. Law enforcement acted swiftly, and a suspect is in custody,” the school said.

Farhat shared his message for anyone planning on carrying out crimes in Hamtramck.

“The message is going to be clear to any criminal out there, we are very hospitable here in Hamtramck, but if you come here and try to break the law, we will get you, as we got you today before half an hour had passed,” he said.

Police say they’re not releasing any information on the suspect until his arraignment, which they expect to happen in the next one to two days.

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 Heath Kalb

Click here for updates on this story

    DETROIT (WWJ) — Former Eastern Michigan football player Freddie McGee III went viral on Monday, doing anything he possibly could to get the Lions’ attention for a tryout to make the team.

“I felt I just needed to take matters into my own hands,” said McGee.

The Canton, Michigan, native, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the Arena Football League, says he arrived at the Lions practice facility in Allen Park at 8:45 a.m. Monday to beg for a chance to walk onto the Lions, just like how he walked onto Eastern Michigan’s football team a few years ago.

“This morning was a little nerve-racking, you know, this is definitely stepping outside of my comfort zone,” said McGee. “Just wanted to come out here, maybe catch the right scout, the right personnel person pulling in here, maybe take a look at the sign I have and get to know my story a little bit, maybe give me a shot today.”

McGee’s brave pitch to the Lions is that he’s not just a dreamer; he dominated the AFL last year with 14 interceptions and 25 pass breakups. And his story is one that he says exemplifies everything Dan Campbell and the Lions should be looking for: grit.

“Other than just being a local kid and growing up loving the Lions, I feel like I’m the epitome of grit, like my career hasn’t been easy, I’ve overcome a lot of adversity,” said McGee.

“Freddie believes in himself and is going after his dream. He walked on here and earned a scholarship. He has been super productive in the AFL. He wants to keep going and I absolutely love that,” said EMU coach Chris Creighton.

CBS News Detroit reached out to the Lions organization for comment and is awaiting a 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.

By Beret Leone

Click here for updates on this story

    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Most people run to their basement during severe weather, but Melanie Metz instead runs toward the storm.

The National Weather Service confirms three tornados hit southern Minnesota Monday night in Amboy, Matawan and Elmore. That’s on top of dozens of hail reports and even some gusts of wind nearing 60 MPH in southern parts of the state.

The weather allowed Champlin based meteorologist and storm chaser Metz to capture some seriously captivating footage. Metz has been chasing storms for 25 years.

“I can’t believe it, honestly. I mean, that’s a long time when I started chasing it was before we even had smartphones, so I couldn’t see radar when I was on the road. It’s been a long time,” she said.

Monday night, her vantage point was from Truman, Minnesota — near Fairmont. She met up with a fellow meteorologist and friend to stake out the storm. She captured some incredible videos, including one which depicted an intact, super cell tornado. Metz believes it the tornado NWS pegged in Amboy.

“We ended up chasing this storm for quite a while until it finally started to organize and became a supercell and produced a couple of tornadoes right in front of us,” she said.

Metz says the chase is thrilling, fascinating and combines her love of storms and photography. But—it’s not something to try without experience.

“There’s so much passion and excitement and energy in it, it’s also very dangerous, and we have to remember that, because we can tend to forget that, especially now, with just so much video out there, tornadoes and people trying to get really close, it’s important to remember how dangerous it can be,” Metz said. “If you get in just the wrong spot, it can happen quickly.”

Metz describes Monday night’s storms as “potent” and “explosive.” She says this kind of weather is typical in Iowa and Kanas this time of year, but it’s a bit unusual for Minnesota in April.

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 Sara Tenenbaum

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — After surveillance video showed a delivery robot smashing into a CTA bus stop, the little guy and the company he works for have issued an apology.

The pint-sized courier busted through the glass of the shelter in West Town at Grand and Racine in March.

Serve Robots, the company behind the robot, posted an ad on the bus stop with a picture of the delivery boy displaying the message, “Nasir is sorry.”

“Dear West Town neighbors,” the speech bubble above him reads. “I took ‘breaking into the market’ too literally. I’m really sorry about the bus stop… and the dramatic entrance. I promise to do better.”

The crash happened right outside Centre Construction Group, where they were not without sympathy.

“I actually felt bad for the guy a little bit,” said Bayard Elfvin, CEO and founder of Centre Construction Group.

At the bottom of the ad, a message from Serve reads, “We are committed to learning from our mistakes and continuing to improve our technology. We want our robots, like Nasir here, to help reduce traffic, empower local businesses, and be good neighbors that communities want to see on their streets.”

The robots are working in Chicago as part of a pilot program, and its expansion is still being assessed. There is a grassroots effort to put the brakes on it, and a petition with more than 3,700 signatures argues the pilot program has been too disruptive. The petitioners also say the robots “cause safety and accessibility issues for Chicagoans.”

The pilot program is scheduled to run through May 2027.

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 Max Williams

Click here for updates on this story

    ELKHORN, Nebraska (KMTV) — Nebraska has the highest rate of Parkinson’s disease cases per 100,000 people in the U.S., according to a research study from last October. For Omaha resident Dave Arneson, a diagnosis changed his outlook on life and led him to pick up a new hobby to battle the disease: painting.

A decade ago, doctors gave Arneson 10 years to live. Today, he still has not retired from his job and uses art as a mental exercise.

“I watch a ton of Bob Ross and a lot of my paintings look like Bob Ross’ so I enjoy doing them,” Arneson said.

Arneson, who has lived in Omaha for decades, attended a Parkinson’s Foundation educational event in Elkhorn on Monday that around 250 neighbors attended. He believes education on the disease should be more accessible.

“Looking back I had all the symptoms I just didn’t really pay attention,” Arneson said.

Arneson’s son, Nick, watched his father change from quiet to outgoing on a mission to spread awareness. Arneson remembers consoling a mutual friend when they were diagnosed.

“I told her which strangely enough I think I’m a better person with Parkinson’s,” Arneson said.

Arneson does not want to sugarcoat the disease. He opted for a brain procedure to cut down on side effects from his medication.

Rachel Spooner, who works in neuroscience research at Boys Town National Research Hospital, spoke at the presentation. She said Arneson’s painting hobby is a great example of a mental exercise proven to help those with Parkinson’s.

“Those painting and those motions with the strokes might help improve their handwriting so it becomes legible again,” Spooner said.

Arneson looks forward to the Parkinson’s Foundation’s Moving Day, an event where neighbors can get active at Werner Park. The event takes place on June 7 this year.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KMTV 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.

By Rachel Ripp

Click here for updates on this story

    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — A Kansas City woman with an extensive grant-writing background just created a new AI-powered app to help nonprofits.

Barbara Wright created an app called Grant Builder Pro Max.

“I wrote raps, rhymes, songs, plays, never knowing — and stories — never knowing that that would end up being a part of my destiny and something that I would do,” said Dr. Wright, president of Certified Dream Builder Inc.

She has experience writing grants for the Housing Authority and Kansas City Public Schools. She also taught at JCCC and UMKC for years.

“I started to develop some systems that expedited the grant process using PDFs and using Excel and using some of the technology that was already existing at the time. I didn’t even realize that I was developing a system that goes out and scrapes search engines and pulls the information in. I didn’t realize I was developing an AI myself, for the grant writing,” Wright said.

This tool, which makes the grant writing process easier, is available on the App Store for iPhones and the Google Play Store for Androids.

Important features within the app are completely free, including the questionnaire and readiness profile.

Depending on answers submitted in the questionnaire, the app will generate suggestions and advice on how a nonprofit can improve its readiness.

Wright and her team launched the first version of the app about two years ago, but they went back to the drawing board several months ago to build a new version with AI. The AI version has only been available for about two months.

“I want as many people as possible to have the things that they need,” Wright said. “Take your dreams and your ideas and turn them into reality. I say my slogan is, ‘I help manifest millions for missions who are providing miracles to many.'”

She hosts a free virtual class in conjunction with the app, covering topics of grant writing for child care, veterans programs, homelessness and housing.

In it, she asks the important questions:

Have you thought about how to sustain when the money is gone? Have you developed your goals and objectives? Have you considered how you want this to be successful and who you’re going to serve?

Wright is currently helping entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders from Kansas, Colorado and Florida.

“I can take my software and empower families in the Florida area and do what I need to do to serve them in a quicker motion,” said Evelyn Deterville, executive director of Extra Mile Club Str8 Up.

Some of these people taking her class tell KMBC the app has allowed them to be more responsive to vision and mission, converting solutions into income.

“I’m really appreciative of it, and as I said, Dr. Barbara is touching and serving as a catalyst for social entrepreneurs all over the country, and her app has given us a powerful tool to make that happen,” said Daniel Haupt, director of Destiny Community Development Center.

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.