Author: CNN Newsource

By Kennedy Cook

Click here for updates on this story

    DENVER, Colorado (KCNC) — A former professional snowboarder-turned-artist has completed a 391 foot mural in Denver’s Larimer Square. The colorful street art runs down the street and stretches across the whole block.

“We took the Larimer square and made it more of a three dimensional cube and opened it up in sections as far as like a new opening for growth, a new opening for new businesses a new opening for people to merge, and more community to come together through,” said artist Pat Milbery.

Milbery says his inspiration comes from Colorado’s landscapes and the iconic Abbey Road album cover by the Beatles.

“It’s fun to put those little pieces into things and let anyone who comes through here, whether you live locally and pass by this thing every day on your bike after work or you come here a couple times a year with your family downtown,” Milbery said.

Milbery has been painting murals for more than 20 years and his work can be found all over Denver.

The community is taking notice of the mural.

“The artist has done a great job,” one visitor to Larimer Square said. “It makes you feel like you want to live here again.”

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 Logan Smith

Click here for updates on this story

    LONGMONT, Colorado (KCNC) — A Longmont police K9 was recently cited for malodorous conduct following a late night encounter with a backyard skunk.

According to a Facebook post by the Longmont Police K9 Association, Delta was let out at night for what was described by authorities as a routine potty break. But, moments later, she returned “foaming at the mouth, smelling absolutely criminal, and aggressively rubbing her back across the grass like she was trying to erase evidence from the scene.”

A suspect was then observed making its getaway, according to the post. A skunk sauntered from the scene.

“The suspect was short, suspicious, heavily armed, and smelled like pure felony.”

Officers and witnesses chose to not pursue the suspect.

Instead, Delta was rushed to a wash basin for a bath at 1:30 in the morning. The procedure was documented as evidence.

“Delta smells slightly less illegal,” the association reported. No injuries were reported but morale remains low inside the patrol vehicle.

The suspect remains at large.

There is no word yet from Longmont PD about a possible review of its potty break procedures.

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 Steve Large

Click here for updates on this story

    SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — The Sacramento Park Commission is preparing to kick off the renaming process for Cesar Chavez Plaza after Chavez’s sex abuse allegations came to light in March.

Cesar Chavez Day was cancelled immediately and changing the name to the plaza could take more time

The parks commission released new details for the name change of Cesar Chavez Plaza, showing that a public survey will go out from June to July. A staff review will last from August to September and a city council adoption could come between October and November.

The City of Sacramento first renamed its city plaza to Cesar Chavez Plaza in the 1990s to honor the labor leader’s lifetime of work.

The downfall of the iconic name came in just days this March when Dolores Huerta announced Chavez had raped her and other came forward with their own allegations of sexual assault as young girls.

“I mean, I’ve painted Cesar Chavez’s face several times. His face was 14 feet high,” artist Carlos Lopez said. “When I heard that Chavez had done these atrocities to these ladies, it was like a sucker gut punch.”

The parks commission says the new name must reflect Sacramento’s values, history, and cultural diversity.

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 Dean Fioresi

Click here for updates on this story

    LOS ANGELES, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A man was fatally shot in the parking lot of the Universal Studios Park & Ride in Studio City on Sunday morning, according to Los Angeles police.

Officers said that the shooting happened at around 11:20 a.m. near the parking lot in the 10800 block of Ventura Boulevard. By the time they arrived at the scene, the suspect had already fled the area.

Arriving first responders found the victim, only described as a man in his 40s, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

LAPD detectives did not provide information on the suspect or motive in the incident as their preliminary investigation got underway.

A Metro spokesperson shared a statement with CBS LA upon request, stating that the shooting was not related to their services and that it only happened in the surrounding area.

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 Dean Fioresi

Click here for updates on this story

    LOS ANGELES, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Two investigations were launched on Sunday after a Los Angeles County voting center was vandalized and a mail-in ballot box was burned, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

In a news release, Los Angeles County officials said that early Sunday morning, vandalism was found at the voting center at Cesar E. Chavez Park, located in the 400 block of Golden Avenue in Long Beach. Officials said that election workers quickly responded and that voting operations were not disrupted.

In addition, Los Angeles County staff said a “limited number of Vote by Mail ballots” appeared to have sustained fire-related damage inside a ballot drop box at the Department of Public Social Services-Civic Center, located at E. 4th Place in Los Angeles.

“Preliminary information indicates the incident was isolated and involved a small number of ballots, as it occurred between the most recent scheduled collection and the following morning’s retrieval,” the news release said.

The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan said the department is reviewing both incidents and working to identify voters who may have been affected. Officials said the voters will be directly contacted and given information on other voting options, including replacement ballots.

They said reports have been filed with the Los Angeles Police Department.

“Our responsibility is to protect voters and ensure every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot,” Logan said in a statement. “Any attempt to interfere with voting or election operations is taken seriously. We will continue working closely with law enforcement and other partners to safeguard the voting process and ensure voters can participate with confidence.”

Logan also said in the news release that attempts to disrupt voting, damage election infrastructure, interfere with other voters or vandalize election facilities “will not be tolerated” and that “full enforcement of prohibitions” will be pursued.

Anyone who notices suspicious activity regarding election materials, facilities or voting operations was urged to contact the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk at 800-815-2666, option 2.

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 Andrea Nakano, Kassia Bonesteel

Click here for updates on this story

    SAN FRANCISCO, California (KPIX) — A San Francisco landlord was charged with murder, assault, and arson today, after he allegedly shot and killed his tenant in the Sunset District earlier this month.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced Thursday that 68-year-old Philippe Chagniot was charged with murder in connection with the execution-style shooting of 58-year-old Eric Bigone, identified by police as Chagniot’s tenant.

On May 17 in the early hours of the morning, the San Francisco Police Department received reports of a shooting on 46th Avenue between Ulloa and Vicente streets. Officers who responded found the victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and despite efforts by both police and paramedics, authorities said he died on the scene.

In a press conference on Thursday, Police Chief Derrick Lew said Chagniot planned Bigone’s killing, alleging that surveillance video showed Chagniot spray-painted other security cameras in the area before lighting a fire on top of a car in front of Bigone’s home. Chagniot then hid as Bigone came out from his home to put out the fire, Lew said.

“When the victim exited his residence to deal with the fire, the suspect shot the victim in the back using an automatic firearm equipped with a silencer,” said Lew. “The suspect then stood over the victim and fired again before fleeing the scene.”

Officers used nearby surveillance cameras to find Chagniot on the bicycle he allegedly left the crime scene on, and then in a car. Police said investigators tracked Chagniot’s movements, watching the suspect travel from his house to Bigone’s before the crime and then back again after it.

Officers arrested Chagniot that day near the scene of the crime, authorities said. Police did not reveal what the motive was in the killing.

Chagniot was charged with murder, along with an allegation that he used a firearm in the commission of the murder, and a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait. He was also charged with assault with an automatic firearm, arson, possession of an automatic firearm, possession of a silencer, and possession of a high-capacity magazine.

He was scheduled to appear in court on Friday at the Hall of Justice.

The District Attorney’s Office said that it planned to ask for Chagniot to be held without bail while he awaits his trial due to the public safety risk he poses.

“This was a heartbreaking incident for our Sunset community, and I know many neighbors have been deeply shaken by the violence,” said District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong. “As someone who represents this neighborhood and hears directly from residents every day, it is deeply upsetting whenever a life is lost to violence in our community. Incidents like this leave a real emotional impact on neighbors, families, and the broader Sunset community.”

But those who know the suspect are in disbelief.

Joy Gayle lives right next door to Chagnoit and said what the police are saying doesn’t sound like the man she knows.

“Phil Chagnoit is a great neighbor. He’s a great man,” Gayle said. “I’ve known him for 35 years. He’s a family man. He was my dentist.”

A couple of other neighbors we talked to echoed Gayle’s sentiments.

“I’m really shocked,” Gayle said. “We’re all like shocked. It’s so out of character for him.”

Friends of Bigone fondly remember him as a grandfather, a hard worker and a member of a local band.

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 John Ramos

Click here for updates on this story

    ALAMEDA, California (KPIX) — On Monday, new rules kick in that require many who apply for government food assistance to be working. It’s a mandate from President Trump’s HR-1 budget bill, and those who supply food to struggling people are wondering how it’s all going to work.

The changes could leave potentially hundreds of thousands of Californians looking for work.

SNAP is the federal food assistance program once known as food stamps. In California, the program is called CalFresh, and people get their benefits loaded onto an EBT debit card, which can be used to purchase food at grocery stores.

When those benefits are cut or disrupted, the burden for keeping people fed falls on places like the Alameda County Food Bank. The food bank’s director, Michael Altfest, said that’s exactly what they’re preparing for now.

“Over the course of this coming year, we’re expecting somewhere between 20-to-30,000 people having their benefits either eliminated or impacted as a result of this cut,” he said. “But because of the nuances of the exemptions and all those sorts of things, it’s going to be a while before food banks really know what the impact is going to feel like.”

The HR-1 spending bill requires that, to get food assistance, people ages 18–64 without dependent children under age 14 must participate in qualifying work, volunteer or training activities for at least 20 hours per week.

There are some exemptions for students, pregnant women and those with physical or mental disabilities.

“It definitely will mean that people who are within those definitions will need to meet those work requirements somehow,” Altfest said.

He said everyone is trying to figure out how to quickly expand work or volunteer opportunities for thousands of new job seekers.

That’s what Michael Bernick, Special Counsel at Duane Morris LLP, did when he headed up the state’s Employment Development Department.

Bernick thinks the new work requirements could be beneficial, as they were in the 1980’s when the old welfare system was overhauled. He said that to be effective, it requires an entire support system to help people with job training and placement.

“It’s a tough, tough, tough world out there in terms of trying to get a job. But that’s why you need this work structure and support,” Bernick said. “These work mandates can actually be successful or positive, as they were in the welfare-to-work, but they need to have these other elements that we don’t have right now.”

Bernick said he believes having people do productive work is beneficial financially and psychologically. But at this point, no one knows what will happen when thousands of new people get dumped into an already tightening job market.

“The main point you bring up is the right one, which is, where are these jobs coming from?” he said. “That’s been the big gap so far. So that even those of us who support the rules are concerned that you need this other structure placement, or transitional jobs, or some supported work.”

There is still a little time to figure it out. The rules give non-working applicants three months of benefits before they are cut off.

CalFresh clients must reapply for benefits every year, so they will have 90 days after they reach their reapplication date to find work. For that reason, it could take 12 to 15 months to know what the full impact of the new rules will be on both the job market and the food safety net.

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 Dylan Olsen

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — The group working to restore and preserve the historic Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago in the South Loop is celebrating a milestone this week.

The nonprofit Friends of Historic Second Church will reinstall a 133-year-old stained-glass window, starting on Monday and continuing through Thursday.

The church, at 1936 S. Michigan Ave. at Cullerton Street, was built in 1901. Its current building replaced an earlier one that was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

The current building in the South Loop was constructed to replace it between 1872 and 1874, and has been home to the church ever since — having survived a devastating fire that destroyed the interior in 1900.

Friends of Historic Second Church has finished more than 20 restoration projects.

“Something special happens when you have the right people together who share a passion in a beautiful place all working toward the same goal,” Friends of Historic Second Church executive director Andy Pierce said in March.

The jeweled window was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, the son of the founder of the iconic Tiffany brand. The restoration has taken 14 months.

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 Adam Harrington, Steffanie Dupree

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — More than 5,000 racers turned out for the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Run for the Zoo on Sunday, all to benefit wildlife conservation and animal care.

The 48th annual Run for the Zoo was composed of a 5k run and walk and a 10k run. In addition to entry fees, participants raised more than $21,000 for the zoo, a news release said.

The Lincoln Park Zoo is the only privately managed free-admission zoo in the U.S., and relies on donations and guest purchases for 85% of its funding.

The run wound around and through the zoo, with views of Lake Michigan, the Chicago skyline, and protected natural areas and animal habitats.

A virtual run was also available, and 500 kids ages 3 to 8 ran, climbed, and crawled through a kids’ course.

“Run for the Zoo is one of our most cherished annual events, and it was even more special this year as we celebrated the newest rhino resident at Lincoln Park Zoo,” Lincoln Park Zoo senior events manager Meg Hein said in a news release. “We loved gathering zoo fans and Chicago’s running community in support of animal care and global conservation!”

The run on Sunday highlighted the eastern black rhinoceros, in conjunction with the March 19 birth of rhino calf Hazina. The race shirt and medal for the race this year featured an adult rhinoceros like Hazina’s mom, Kapuki, and the kids’ course medal featured a rhinoceros calf.

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.