Author: CNN Newsource

By Daniel Macht

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    SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) — The Christian Brothers High School community is mourning the loss of a student-athlete who died, KCRA 3 has learned.

Jaden DeJesus-Eves was a star player as a 6-foot-8-inch freshman on the Sacramento Catholic school’s varsity basketball team, according to athlete profiles.

“We learned yesterday that our beloved student, Jaden Eves, had passed away,” Christian Brothers spokesperson Kristen McCarthy said. “We are heartbroken as we hold Jaden and his family in prayer.”

Jaden’s mother described him as pure light and a very joyful kid.

“He was my one and only. Honestly, he was my world,” she said. “He gives me a hug in the middle of the games and people have given him a hard time about it. And he’s like, I’m still going to give my mom a hug.”

Jaden was known as a gentle giant and a force on the basketball court. She said basketball was his passion.

“He had big dreams, he had goals, and he knew what it was going to take to get there,” his mother said. “We raised him to have strong faith, true love of family and community, passion for basketball all day, every day. Basketball.”

His coach, Jermaine Brown, told KCRA 3 he’s the kind of kid who kept his teammates smiling.

“If you had a bad day, Jaden was coming in and walking in and just smiling and we just loved it so much,” Brown said. “He loved everybody.”

Jaden played his final basketball game on Tuesday night, but before he did, he led his team in prayer as he had done for the last five games.

“We went in the locker room all together and Jaden led us all in prayer. And he was ready for the moment,” his coach said.

When asked how they want people to remember Jaden, this is how his mother and coach responded.

“His love for the game, his love for his brothers and his love for his mom. That’s all he talked about. That was his world. Every day. He talked about it. The things he wanted to accomplish for his mom,” Brown said.

“Jaden was a light, I might be a little biased, but he just he had a good heart and it and it was visible,” his mother said.

She also described him as a “bright light, a true gentle giant. He was a wonderful young man and a beloved student, teammate, classmate, and friend.”

KCRA 3 spoke to a player on Thursday from Natomas High School who played both with and against Eves.

Marcus Harris described him as a friend and a rival.

“He was a great basketball player. You know he was very tall for his age, a 6’8″ freshman so it was very hard to guard him,” Harris said. “A very gentle, a very compassionate young man. You know, he’s a gentle giant. He just cared for everyone, very goofy guy.”

Details on his cause of death have not yet been confirmed.

A prayer service was held on Thursday morning at Christian Brothers.

The basketball team lost a playoff game on Tuesday night.

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 Ricardo Tovar

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    SALINAS, Calif. (KSBW) — If you’ve been on social media in recent days, you’ve likely seen photos and videos of a banana car around Monterey County.

It has many wondering: Who is driving this potassium-powered pickup? Why is it here? What is it promoting? When did it arrive? And where will it pop up next?

KSBW 8 has answers.

The driver, Steve Braithwaite, 65, who lives on a farm in Michigan, said he’s in Monterey County because it gets cold this time of year back home — and his “Big Banana Car,” as he calls it, has no heater.

He makes a living — “not much of one,” he said — driving people in his fruit-themed vehicle. He said he makes enough money for gas and food, but relies on the kindness of strangers for places to stay as he pursues his dream of taking the banana car around the world.

Braithwaite said he received a couch-surfing offer in Salinas from someone who shares his love of hot rods. He said he traveled up Highway 1 through Big Sur to get to Salinas and has already spent time in Castroville and Cambria. He said he loves downtown Salinas because it feels like stepping back in time.

Braithwaite, originally from Oxford, England, immigrated to the United States 40 years ago. He said he got the idea to build the banana car after watching the British version of “Top Gear” and seeing vehicles such as the “fastest garden shed” and a couch car.

He said the final inspiration came after he left a gas station, saw a bowl of fruit and decided to model the car after the shape of that very banana.

Braithwaite said he started building the vehicle in 2008, finished it in 2011 and has been driving across the United States ever since. He said he has been to every state except Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. He has also traveled to parts of Mexico and to Toronto.

Braithwaite said he planned to take the car overseas, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those plans. He said he was unable to make money for two years and used his savings to get by. Now, he said, he hopes to take the banana car to other countries soon and is looking for someone who can record and edit video to document the trip online.

Braithwaite said the Big Banana Car will offer rides this weekend at The Power Plant Coffee 1 in Moss Landing.

Rides are scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, and Sunday, March 1, weather permitting.

Braithwaite said the rides help fund his travels and are pay-what-you-like. Riders must bring car seats if required by law, and the car can take up to three riders at a time.

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 Felix Cortez

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    CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. (KSBW) — Helen Anthony, a Rhode Island woman, has been awarded nearly $19 million by a Monterey County jury for injuries she sustained when she was run over by a state parks volunteer at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve in June 2023.

Anthony expressed gratitude to the jury, saying she was “appreciative of the jury who took a month of their time to hear all the evidence.”

She detailed her injuries, stating, “I have a traumatic brain injury. I had my jaw totally dislocated on both sides. My teeth were knocked out, my top teeth. I had a fracture underneath my left eye,” and added, “I was face down, not breathing on the side of the road.”

The driver was a state park volunteer who accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brakes.

Anthony filed a claim against the state parks, arguing that the 82-year-old park docent was not a state employee, thereby clearing the state of any liability.

Anthony said, “This was just unbelievable. Not only that, the state actually threatened us with a letter, threatened us by letter, saying that if we brought this frivolous suit against the state, they were going to sue us for costs. I mean, it’s just unbelievable.”

Anthony’s attorneys argued that the docent was the responsibility of the state, was driving a park’s vehicle, and was not properly trained.

Her attorney, Roger Dreyer, said, “No one was in charge. And if you don’t put anybody in charge, no one’s responsible. Guess what happens? Things like this tragedy. You got to have accountability. You got to have people assigned to do their job. And then you have to watch them to make sure they did it.”

After a month-long trial and a day and a half of deliberation, the civil jury sided with Anthony, awarding her nearly $19 million for pain, suffering, and loss of wages.

At the time of the accident, Anthony was a councilwoman and land use attorney in Providence, Rhode Island.

She said, “The deficits are such that I can’t do my law practice or be on city council, which is something that I’ve been passionate about.”

Dreyer emphasized the impact of the loss, stating, “This money, Ms. Anthony, would flush it down the toilet if she could go back to having her real life for her family and for herself. No amount of money compensates someone for the grievous nature of her loss.”

California State Parks issued a statement saying, “California State Parks respects the jury’s decision and expresses its sincere and deepest sympathy to Helen Anthony and her family for the injuries she suffered at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.”

The parks department is considering an appeal to the $18.9 million judgment, while Anthony and her attorneys hope the department will review its training and protocols for volunteers statewide.

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 Jeremiah Estrada

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    WAIKIKI, Hawaii (KITV) — A 70-year-old man died several days after he was rescued from the ocean at Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki on Friday morning.

The Honolulu Ocean Safety Department responded to a water emergency in Waikiki involving a 70-year-old man at 10:36 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. Bystanders pulled the unconscious swimmer from the waters of Kahanamoku Beach and performed CPR until first responders arrived.

Ocean Safety lifeguards continued life-saving measures on the man until Honolulu Emergency Medical Services took over to take him to an emergency room. He was taken from the beach by ambulance in critical condition.

The man’s condition worsened and he died in the hospital about a week after the ocean incident, according to police on Thursday morning, Feb. 26. The identity of the victim has not been released.

Police reported there were no obvious signs of foul play.

It was not reported whether the victim was a visitor or a resident. It was also not reported who he was with at the time of the incident or if he was with anyone at the beach.

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 Leondra Head

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — What was expected to be a routine wealth-building meeting for parents at Drew Charter School turned into a life-changing surprise.

Families of kindergarten students learned their children would each receive a $10,000 investment fund — part of a broader initiative aimed at closing the wealth gap and breaking cycles of poverty.

Parents were stunned.

“I’m surprised! Pleasantly surprised!” said Nicole McClendon, whose son is in kindergarten.

McClendon said she initially believed the meeting would focus on a previously announced $500 college fund. Instead, families were told their children would receive significantly more — an investment that could grow over time.

The announcement was met with applause as leaders revealed the details of the Youth Opportunity Fund.

Drew Charter School

All 139 kindergarten students at Drew Charter School are eligible for the $10,000 investment. To access the funds, students must graduate from an Atlanta public school and complete financial literacy courses at Drew.

The money will accrue interest over time and can be accessed when the student turns 25 years old. Funds may be used for college tuition, homeownership, entrepreneurship, or retirement.

“I think it’s great for families who are economically disadvantaged and don’t have the resources a lot of other families have,” McClendon said.

She hopes her son will use the money wisely — ideally for a future home.

“Definitely for home ownership. I would encourage him to hold out and wait to use it until he’s ready to purchase a home,” she said.

East Lake Foundation

Ilham Askia, CEO of the East Lake Foundation, said the initiative is designed to address generational wealth disparities at an early age.

“The whole point is to eliminate the wealth gap for our youngest learners,” Askia said.

The nonprofit partners with Drew Charter School to provide students and families with resources intended to support long-term success. The $10,000 investments are being funded in partnership with Harlem Children’s Zone through the Youth Opportunity Fund.

For many parents, the surprise was more than financial — it was symbolic.

“I wish when I was his age, I wish that was something offered to my parents,” McClendon said.

Foundation leaders say the long-term goal is not just to provide money, but to teach financial literacy and create pathways to economic mobility — giving Atlanta’s youngest learners a head start on building wealth.

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.