Author: CNN Newsource

By Pepper Purpura

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — A quick-thinking Amazon delivery driver is being credited with helping save a Des Moines home after spotting flames while on her route Friday morning.

Ciara Aschan was making deliveries around the 6900 block of Southwest 15th Street just before 11:30 a.m. when she noticed smoke and flames coming from the back of a neighboring house.

“I noticed the flames coming out of the top of, like, the attic area on the house,” Aschan said. “And I’m like, oh my God, I think that house is on fire.”

Aschan immediately called 911, then ran toward the home, banging on doors and shouting to alert anyone inside. She eventually found an open door and checked to see if anyone was home, but no one was inside.

Des Moines Fire Department officials said Aschan’s fast response gave crews a crucial head start that helped them limit the damage to the home’s second floor.

“It saved a lot of damage — it saved the house,” said Des Moines Fire Department’s Mike Morgan. “If somebody would have been in there, obviously, we could have saved a life.”

The homeowners later sent Aschan a message thanking her for her actions.

“You saved our house,” the message read. “The fire department said if you hadn’t, we could have lost the entire house. I can’t say thank you enough.”

Fire investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of the blaze, but said it likely began near a wood-burning stove.

No injuries were reported.

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By Ted Scouten

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    Florida (WFOR) — Living his best life as a scuba diver in the Keys, Nick Kolor, known as “Cuda” like barracuda, made a life-changing decision at just 25 years old.

He wanted to donate one of his kidneys.

“I decided it really was impossible to justify not giving up the kidney. I don’t need it. Someone else does. It was pretty straightforward,” he said.

Kolor decided to donate one of his kidneys to anyone who needed it, a stranger.

“The thought process should be, you know, what goes around, comes around. There’s millions of other 25, give or take, year olds walking around to have a perfectly healthy spare kidney. It is a spare part. You don’t, you don’t need it. There’s no clinical necessity there,” he said.

Honored to save a life After passing the screening process, Kolor was on the operating table at Memorial Regional Hospital.

Hours later, he was told his kidney had gone to a child who was on the waitlist for three years.

“The surgeon came and visited pretty right after I woke up and told me it went to a 9-year-old boy. It was successful, that’s all that matters,” Kolor said.

He got to meet that little boy, just briefly.

“There was a thumbs-up exchange that we had… that was cute,” he recalled.

Transplant surgeon and former patient applaud Kolor’s decision Dr. Linda Chen is a transplant surgeon at Memorial Regional.

“Altruistic donors who just are so selfless that they want to give an organ, that really touches my heart, because I know that there is good in this world,” she said.

Lisa Mananzan knows the anxiety of waiting for a kidney.

“I’m one that has receiving end of it, and I’m so incredibly grateful for people like Nick,” she said.

She, too, received a kidney from a living donor a year ago.

“I have a new lease on life, and I’m going to take full advantage of it. And I’m very proud of what Nick did, just absolutely amazing,” she said.

A new life-saving mission Now, Kolor is on a mission. He started an organization called “The Spare Parts Project” to encourage other 20-somethings to give a life-saving gift.

“Donate life. Give a piece of yourself. You know, it’s just, it’s too easy,” he said.

For more information on kidney donation, visit: mhs.net/services/transplant/kidney-transplant.

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By Carli Petrus

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    ROYAL OAK, Michigan (WXYZ) — A 26-year-old Canton woman crashed her car through the windows of an Ulta Beauty store on Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak early Sunday morning after fleeing from a traffic stop, according to police.

Katrina Patterson was arrested and charged with several felonies, including malicious destruction of a building, following the incident that occurred just after 12:30 a.m.

Police video shows Patterson’s car ramming through the cosmetic store’s windows. Once inside the building, Patterson attempted to escape again by backing up and hitting a police car before driving deeper into the store, causing additional damage.

“She just crashed into Ulta, crashed into Ulta,” an officer said as frantic police communications captured the moment of impact.

The incident began as a routine traffic stop in a nearby neighborhood before Patterson fled from officers. Police say she was intoxicated at the time of her arrest.

Community member Beth Armstrong watched the police video and expressed shock at the incident.

“I mean, it’s just wild. I don’t know the story, what was happening, but it’s crazy,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong recalled her own experience being hit by an impaired driver about five years ago while pulling into the children’s hospital where she worked.

“I was pulling into the children’s hospital actually that I worked at and was side swiped by somebody and she seemed to drive away but also kept stopping and going, hit me again, and then turned into another one of the hospital parking lots and hit a sidewalk and there were people walking to and from work,” Armstrong said.

“I just wish people paid more attention to one another, like be more mindful of your neighbor whether you know them or not and don’t put someone else’s life at risk for a good time or to numb some feelings,” Armstrong said.

Patterson’s bond is set at $50,000. The exact amount of damage caused both inside and outside the Ulta store remains unknown. The popular beauty store is currently boarded up with no timeline for reopening.

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

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By Marc Cota-Robles

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    LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A woman led law enforcement on a chase from Ventura County to the U.S.-Mexico border Monday afternoon and then crossed into Mexico, officials said.

The driver, identified as 29-year-old Alyssa Wilson of Simi Valley, allegedly stole a minivan from a sober living home in the 1900 block of East Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies spotted the minivan in Simi Valley and initiated a traffic stop, but the driver fled and entered the 118 Freeway and reached speeds of up to 90 mph, authorities said.

The chase was in the Sherman Oaks area around 11:15 a.m. and traversed all the way to San Diego County. When the driver got on the 405 Freeway, the California Highway Patrol took over the chase.

Officials said the driver was having a mental health crisis and took the minivan from her mother, who called CHP.

The driver remained mostly on the southbound 405 Freeway, passing through Orange County before eventually transitioning onto the southbound 5 Freeway into San Diego County. The driver then got on the south 805 Freeway and made it to the U.S.-Mexico border crossing by about 1:30 p.m.

CHP called off the chase after the driver crossed into Mexico just before 1:30 p.m.

Authorities attempted to deploy at least four spike strips during the chase, but they were not successful as the driver managed to swerve around them.

During one of those attempts, officers stopped traffic on the 5 Freeway in the Oceanside area and threw a spike strip in front of the van, but it did not deploy correctly.

In total, the woman drove about 155 miles and went from the San Fernando Valley to the border in a little more than two hours. She hit basically no traffic and never hit extreme high rates of speed.

It’s unclear if Mexican authorities will work with police in the U.S. to take the woman into custody.

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By Tammy Mutasa

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    Massachusetts (WBZ) — During a meeting with Wayland Public School leaders and the Middlesex District Attorney, the mother of the student targeted in the latest hate incident called on the district to do better in a powerful message. Other frustrated parents packed into the meeting at the Wayland Community Center Monday night.

“It is a heart-wrenching experience to witness your child subjected to such hate,” said the student’s mom through tears. “Our hearts ache for my son and others who look like him.”

Disturbing display in locker room The mom, who did not want her name published, thought her 16-year-son was safe at school. But she says the junior was targeted with a disturbing display found in the locker room – a yellow plastic “children at play” sign wearing his football jersey hanging from the ceiling with a belt around its neck.

“I just want justice for my son. He deserves justice,” she said. “It’s devastating and heart-wrenching to know that my son is enduring pain from the incident, and they will be returning to school in a week.”

School leaders say the students involved in the hate incident are being held accountable for their actions, which is part of their nondiscrimination protocol, but legally they can’t elaborate as the investigation continues.

“I think at the local level, the state level and county level, we have to do better because this is a really, really tough time,” said interim superintendent Dr. David Fleishman.

“We know we can do better and if we didn’t want to, we wouldn’t be here,” said Town Manager Michael McCall.

Middlesex DA task force The Middlesex DA says they have an anti-hate, anti-bias task force working to address hate crimes for the last five years.

“You also have to have in place, what is going to be the response,” said Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. “It’s not helpful to say we’ve got this problem and where are we going with this problem but is there something we need to hold someone accountable.”

The community recent rallied and the conversation is a start for healing, but everyone admits they can do better to stand up against hate.

“I’m glad Wayland is taking a stand and I’m glad that they’re coming together but we need more. We need more. Something needs to be done,” said the student’s mom.

It is not the first time Wayland Public Schools have faced racism concerns. In 2022, racist graffiti targeting former Superintendent Omar Easy was found near the high school.

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By Mike Darnay, Chilekasi Adele, Garrett Behanna

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    BUTLER, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A home in the city of Butler was heavily damaged when a vehicle slammed through the front of the building during a late-night police chase.

“It was devastating. It was scary,” Tonya Green, who lives across the street, said.

The crash happened at a home near the intersection of New Castle Street and Hansen Avenue during a police chase just before midnight on Monday, dispatchers said.

One person was taken to the hospital from the crash that dispatchers said was originated by Pennsylvania State Police troopers.

State police later confirmed the pursuit began at the Sheetz location along New Castle Street in Butler Township. Troopers observed a silver Volkswagen Jetta with a man, later identified as Joseph Bailie, in the driver’s seat.

The vehicle was running, and the headlights were on, but Bailie appeared to be unconscious, as his head was slumped over and he was not moving, police said.

Troopers knocked on the vehicle windows to get Bailie’s attention and made multiple requests for identification, but he began to flee soon after, shifting the vehicle into drive and striking the concrete pole in front of him.

Bailie then shifted into reverse and accelerated at a high rate of speed, almost striking one of the troopers, police added.

During the pursuit, police say Bailie approached the intersection of Hansen Avenue and State Route 356, attempted to negotiate a right turn onto Hansen Avenue, but lost control of the vehicle due to his speed. He then crashed into the residence.

“I heard this big bang,” Green said.

KDKA’s news crew at the scene observed that the front of the home was heavily damaged, with caution tape blocking off part of the area.

“It’s a mess!” Green said.

It appeared that the vehicle, which was removed from the scene, had slammed through the front porch and into the home. The residence was vacant at the time of the incident, police confirmed.

Bailie proceeded to exit the vehicle and fled into the residence, where he was found and taken into custody. He has been charged with fleeing to elude a police officer, reckless endangerment, DUI, and various traffic violations.

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By Eric Miller

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    North Carolina (WRAL) — A North Carolina woman will have to pay $1.75 million after a jury found her liable for destroying a Durham couple’s marriage.

The lawsuit filed in Durham County Court accused Brenay Kennard – an influencer with nearly 3 million followers on TikTok and 274,000 followers on Instagram – of seducing and having an affair with her manager, Tim Montague.

“She has received justice from losing her husband and the father of her children,” said Robonetta Jones, who was the attorney for Akira Montague, Tim Montague’s ex wife.

The jury found Kennard liable for criminal conversation and alienation of affection.

North Carolina’s alienation of affection law allows a spouse to sue the person they blame for an affair that ends a marriage. North Carolina is one of the few states that allows jilted spouses to sue someone for interfering in their marriage.

Akira Montague, who brought the suit to civil court, married Tim Montague on Oct. 20, 2018, according to the lawsuit.

Akira Montague claimed the affair caused her mental anguish, damage to her health and deprived her children of a two-parent household.

Kennard slammed the verdict saying Akira Montague knew her marriage was over and allowed the affair.

“She gave her consent,” Kennard said. “She said it was okay because she knew her marriage was over with, and it was done.”

The alleged affair played out both in the manager’s home, and on Kennard’s social media, Akira Montague claimed.

Tim Montague eventually left his wife for Kennard.

In previous North Carolina cases involving alienation of affection, plaintiffs have received millions of dollars.

In 2011, Carol Puryear was ordered to receive $30 million from Betty Devin. Carol Puryear was the former wife of Donald Puryear, who owns a trucking company in Raleigh. The settlement is the largest of its kind in North Carolina history, according to court records. In 2018, NFL star Fletcher Cox was sued by a North Carolina man named Joshua Jeffords, who claimed the football player had an affair with his wife. The lawsuit ended in an undisclosed settlement. In 2021, former state Sen. Rick Gunn settled a lawsuit filed by Arthur Johns for $3 million. Gunn was accused of having a long-running affair with Johns’ wife, who was Gunn’s legislative assistant.

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