Author: CNN Newsource

By Russ Reed

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    BANGOR, Maine (WMTW) — The Maine Department of Public Safety has confirmed the state’s emergency communications director has resigned after he was charged in connection with the death of a comfort dog.

Brodie Hinckley, who was on paid administrative leave, resigned as director of the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications effective Oct. 3, according to a DPS spokesperson.

Hinckley also served as the handler of Baxter, a 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever who was Maine’s first official comfort dog.

Baxter was found dead on May 28 inside a state vehicle, which was parked at the Bangor Regional Communications Center.

At the time of Baxter’s death, DPS officials said the vehicle the dog was in unexpectedly stopped running, which caused its air conditioning system to shut down. The National Weather Service said Bangor reached a high temperature of 83 degrees on May 28.

Last month, the Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office charged Hinckley with a civil violation of animal cruelty.

District Attorney Christopher Almy said Baxter was inside the building with Hinckley at the start of the day, but got moved to the vehicle after making a mess inside.

“The dog itself had caused a little problem inside the building. It had defecated, urinated and whatnot. So, he took the dog out to the car and put it in the car while he was working inside the building,” Almy said.

Almy said evidence shows that Baxter was left in the car for around 4 hours. The car was initially left on, but the battery ran low, causing the air conditioning to turn off.

In Maine, animal cruelty can either be a criminal offense or a civil violation. Punishment for the civil violation includes fines and potentially barring the person from owning an animal.

“I think the evidence would show that this particular handler had some knowledge of how long a dog should be in a vehicle and under what conditions,” Almy said. “He had a lot of feelings for the dog, and he was quite remorseful. So, balancing those two things, that’s why we came to the conclusion that a civil charge was appropriate.”

Hinckley is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 6.

State officials said the vehicle Baxter died in was regularly used to transport the dog. Following Baxter’s death, the vehicle went through a thorough inspection to identify potential malfunctions.

Baxter joined the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications in 2022 and offered emotional support to emergency telecommunicators at the state’s three regional dispatch centers.

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By Marissa Barrett

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    MANCHESTER, N.H. (WMUR) — A Manchester aldermanic committee met Tuesday to discuss possible changes to the city’s homestead law.

The discussion stems from a controversy involving homemade pickles.

The Manchester Health Department sent a cease-and-desist letter to Daniel Mowery in August, telling him he needed a permit to continue canning and a commercial license for his kitchen.

Committee members reviewed the city’s current food safety regulations and how they might be updated.

“This particular item has been on the books for over six decades, and it’s a lot to deal with, and we’re doing the best we can with what we have now in front of us,” said Alderman Norm Vincent.

“I really believe we should be aligning with the state 100% and we shouldn’t as Manchester citizens be treated any different than our surrounding towns,” said Alderman Crissy Kantor.

News 9 Investigates found that the health department issued 33 cease-and-desist letters for homemade foods between 2019 and 2025.

The committee plans to consider potential exemptions for things like baked goods next month.

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By Veronica Haynes, Peter Eliopoulos

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    BARNSTABLE, Mass. (WCVB) — An Arlington, Massachusetts, man is facing assault and battery charges after an altercation with a 77-year-old man at a “No Kings” rally on Cape Cod on Saturday.

Peter Afouxenides, 61, was charged with assault and battery on a person older than 60 in connection with the incident that happened near the Airport Rotary in Hyannis as crowds left the rally, Barnstable police said.

According to police officers who were monitoring traffic and pedestrian flow on Route 28, they saw a blue Toyota SUV stop abruptly in the roadway and a man and woman quickly exit and walk to the rear of the vehicle.

When officers walked over to where the SUV stopped, they saw an injured man with a cardboard sign in the roadway. With the help of bystanders and a nurse, the man, later identified as Jeffrey Smith, 77, was moved out of traffic onto a grassy area.

Smith told NewsCenter 5 that he put his sign out and in an attempt to get Afouxenides to slow down after he said that he sped into the intersection.

“I’m completely defenseless,” Smith said. “The blows felt like I was getting hit by a baseball bat and I thought, this is it.”

Smith’s friend told officers the driver got out and confronted the man, saying the cardboard sign touched his vehicle. The driver, later identified as Afouxenides, then punched Smith several times in the face, according to the police report.

Cell phone video shows Afouxenides throw the sign at Smith and get back into his car.

Smith was taken to Cape Cod Hospital with facial lacerations and bruises. His glasses were also broken during the altercation, police said. When questioned by police at the hospital, Smith could recall few details about the altercation, according to the police report.

Afouxenides posted bail after his arrest and was released.

Smith said he had just one message for Afouxenides:

“I’d say shame on you. Shame on you,” Smith said.

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By Audrey Biesk

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    NORTH CAROLINA (WXII) — In 2025, more than 300,000 women will hear for the first time the words, “You have breast cancer,” according to the American Cancer Society.

A North Carolina woman received that diagnosis at the young age of 28, forever changing her life.

Lorelei Colbert is a military spouse and needed a health exam to move abroad. In that exam, a lump was found in her breast, and she was diagnosed with stage 2B triple-negative breast cancer.

“That was five years ago. I had eight rounds of chemo, bilateral mastectomy the day after my 29th b-day, and reconstruction,” Colbert said. “I had four rounds of Lupron, which are shots, hoping one day I could have a family. A few years later, I had my miracle baby post-cancer.”

Ever since, Colbert has been on a journey of hope.

“I feel very grateful to be celebrating five years since diagnosis as a mom, a survivor and as a woman,” she said. Colbert has learned what it means to advocate for her health. “Breast cancer doesn’t discriminate on age, especially when I was 28 and doctors didn’t want to believe it was breast cancer.”

She hopes to empower others to stand up for themselves, too. “Especially for young women to know your normal.”

Colbert said the words, ‘on to live,’ is a mantra she lives by.

“It’s not saying every day is perfect, it’s saying that you have the courage to take one step forward and try again,” she said.

That mantra has inspired her platform and business. With each purchase, she gives back to triple-negative breast cancer research and local organizations, including the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.

Colbert remembers her dear friend, Lynn, who was a top fundraiser she now calls her angel.

“Lynn was facing her third diagnosis. We weren’t sure what the future held, and I’ve learned through this journey what it means to be here, what it means to celebrate your people while they are here,” Colbert said. “I told Lynn, ‘What if we get a wheelchair and I push you around that loop at Country Park?’ And that’s exactly what we did.”

Colbert encourages the community to stand behind the survivors and thrivers, and support those who could one day receive a breast cancer diagnosis.

“I think these events help push our world forward. I think it helps push research and funds. It encourages me to keep going, it encourages me to embrace that ‘on to live’ mantra, because our efforts make a difference,” she said.

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By Allison Petro

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    ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. (WESH) — A father is facing several charges after his son, who has autism, was discovered naked on an I-4 ramp, according to the Altamonte Springs Police Department.

Officers reported witnessing a child running naked down the ramp and attempted to communicate with the child, but realized he was autistic and non-verbal.

Shortly after, officers received a 911 call about a missing child who matched the same description. Altamonte Springs police officers met up with the callers at a nearby Walgreens.

Upon arriving, the mother immediately checked the child and placed him into her vehicle.

The mother told the police officer that she fell asleep in the passenger seat while the child’s father delivered food for Uber Eats.

After she woke up, she noticed it was very quiet and turned around to check up on the child. However, she soon realized he was missing from his seat.

The father was also shocked and claimed he thought the child was in the back seat while he picked up orders.

After realizing the child was missing, they traced their steps back to every delivery spot. That’s when they saw a heavy law enforcement presence near the I-4 ramp and made the 911 call.

The father, 35-year-old Jeremy Rouse, decided to come clean to officers and admitted he knew the child was missing from the back seat. However, he continued making deliveries because he didn’t want his Uber Eats rating to drop.

As a result, Rouse was arrested and charged with cruelty toward a child without great bodily harm and perjury for making a false affidavit in official proceedings, according to the Altamonte Springs Police Department.

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By Khiree Stewart

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — An artificial intelligence detector led police to believe a person was armed with a weapon at a Baltimore County school — when it turns out, they had a bag of chips.

Taki Allen was sitting with friends Monday night outside Kenwood High School, eating a bag of chips after football practice. About 20 minutes later, police officers showed up with guns, walking toward Allen.

“It was like eight cop cars that came pulling up for us. At first, I didn’t know where they were going until they started walking toward me with guns, talking about, ‘Get on the ground,’ and I was like, ‘What?'” Allen told WBAL-TV 11 News.

Allen said police told him an AI detector thought his bag of chips — which he crumpled and placed in his pocket when he was finished — was a weapon.

“They made me get on my knees, put my hands behind my back, and cuffed me. Then, they searched me and they figured out I had nothing,” Allen told WBAL-TV 11 News. “Then, they went over to where I was standing and found a bag of chips on the floor.”

Police showed Allen the picture that triggered the AI detector.

“I was just holding a Doritos bag — it was two hands and one finger out, and they said it looked like a gun,” Allen told WBAL-TV 11 News.

County police sent a statement Tuesday afternoon to WBAL-TV 11 News, saying: “On Monday evening, at approximately 7:20 p.m., officers assigned to Precinct 11-Essex responded to Kenwood High School following a report of a suspicious person with a weapon. Once on scene, the person was searched and it was determined the subject was not in possession of any weapons. I would refer you to BCPS regarding questions pertaining to Omnilert.”

Last year, Baltimore County high schools began using a gun detection system that employs AI to detect potential weapons by utilizing existing school cameras. The system can identify a possible weapon and send an alert to the school safety team and law enforcement.

“Nobody wants this to happen to their child. No one wants this to happen,” said Lamont Davis, Allen’s grandfather.

In a letter to parents after the incident, the school’s principal said:

“I am writing to provide information on an incident that occurred last night on school property. At approximately 7 p.m., school administration received an alert that an individual on school grounds may have been in possession of a weapon. The Department of School Safety and Security quickly reviewed and canceled the initial alert after confirming there was no weapon. I contacted our school resource officer (SRO) and reported the matter to him, and he contacted the local precinct for additional support. Police officers responded to the school, searched the individual and quickly confirmed that they were not in possession of any weapons. We understand how upsetting this was for the individual that was searched as well as the other students who witnessed the incident. Our counselors will provide direct support to the students who were involved in this incident and are also available to speak with any student who may need support. “Please know that ensuring the safety of our students and school community is one of our highest priorities. We work closely with Baltimore County police to ensure that we can promptly respond to any potential safety concerns, and it is essential that we all work together to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for all Kenwood High School students and staff.” WBAL-TV 11 News reached out to Omnilert, the AI gun detection software company used by Baltimore County Public Schools, but the company said it doesn’t comment on internal school procedures.

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By Jonathan Greco

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    TULSA COUNTY, Okla. (KOCO) — Authorities say a 17-year-old boy died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after taking a police officer’s holstered firearm Tuesday at the Tulsa Boys Home.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office said deputies received a 911 call shortly before 9:25 p.m. Tuesday saying a 17-year-old boy had been shot. The shooting happened during an archery class taught by two off-duty Tulsa police officers in the gym.

During the class, the teenager approached one of the officers from behind and grabbed a gun from the officer’s holster. The 17-year-old boy then took his own life.

Two other students were in the gym when the shooting happened.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation into the 17-year-old boy’s death. Information about the teenager has not been released.

“Our hearts and prayers are with everyone affected by today’s tragedy,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook.

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