Author: CNN Newsource

By Michele Gile

Click here for updates on this story

    GARDEN GROVE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — While Orange County officials say the toxic chemical crisis in Garden Grove has moved out of the emergency response phase and into a cleanup phase, a group of affected residents joined mass tort litigation after being evacuated from their homes for days.

Orange County-based attorney Shawn Steel announced the lawsuit on Friday, saying he is presenting individual cases rather than a class action, as the compensation requested for each person varies depending on their experiences due to the incident and evacuations.

So far, Steel said there are 30 plaintiffs and “Many of these cases are six figures,” he thinks, in terms of financial compensation.

“Many of the clients here were given 15 minutes’ notice. A police man went to their door, knocked on the door and said ‘you gotta leave, now,'” Steel said.

He noted that people in the area didn’t know much about GKN Aerospace and were quite surprised by the crisis.

Shadi Dababneh spoke at Friday’s news conference announcing the litigation and said his parents have owned their Westminster home, directly across from the manufacturing plant, for 30 years. He said he grew up in the house and still lives there.

“I grew up there my entire life, and countless times I have driven past this plant, not knowing that it could possibly blow up one day.” He said his father is fending off buyers, making low-ball offers on the property because of its location near the plant.

Steele said some issues people are dealing with are anxiety, fear, and psychological harm.

“Hard to measure, but it’s real. For example, one of our clients, Roxanna, she was driving back into town, she started hearing what was going on with her family, she had a panic attack and went to the Kaiser emergency room,” he said.

Officials say they averted disaster. There was never an explosion or a leak. GKN Aerospace has apologized and said the company is committed to understanding what happened and identifying ways to support those affected.

Steel said his clients are seeking compensation for various things like temporary lodging, hotel costs, food expenses, transportation, medical evaluation, relocation and moving expenses. Devalued property is also a concern.

Orange County leaders have already initiated action and launched an investigation into GKN Aerospace, as District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced an open probe into the company. He’s asked anyone working there who wishes to be a whistleblower over illegal conduct or misdoings to come forward.

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 Julie Sharp, Austin Turner, Dean Fioresi

Click here for updates on this story

    RIVERSIDE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Riverside fire crews battled flames at a large apartment complex near UC Riverside on Friday afternoon, with officials saying as many as 50 units were destroyed after a contractor accidentally started the blaze.

Aerial views on Friday afternoon show that flames spread throughout the large, sprawling University Riverside Gardens Apartments at 2996 Iowa Avenue. UC Riverside staff said the apartment complex is not owned or operated by the university, but students do live there.

The Riverside Fire Department said about 150 people were displaced as a result. Firefighters saved 62 units from destruction, the department said, but it’s unclear when those tenants will be allowed to return home.

Crews from Riverside city and county departments responded, tackling flames as they consumed much of the complex. Ontario Fire and Riverside County Cal Fire crews also responded.

Firefighters believe a contractor accidentally started the fire in the attic when they were working on a pipe that turned hot. Without fire stops in the attic, the fire quickly spread through the building.

“Water tower operations are up to put as much water on this fire as we can,” said Riverside City Fire Department Division Chief Jeff White. “The type of what we call a garden-style apartment, that open attic space that can run across, around the entire building, allows the fire to spread unchecked if there wasn’t any type of fire suppression system within the attic system.”

Evacuations were quickly executed, and the American Red Cross has been requested to assist displaced people at the complex.

UC Riverside said the property is not owned or operated by the university, but that “the university is working to determine how many UCR students reside at that location and provide resources and basic needs.”

School officials said they were conducting outreach to students affected by the fire to ensure they had the proper support. They urged anyone else to contact UCR Basic Needs at 951-827-3663 or housingsupport@ucr.edu.

No injuries or rescues are reported.

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 Jasmine Viel

Click here for updates on this story

    PASADENA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Lines of people wrapped around the block, for blocks, for a new K-beauty store in Pasadena with some shoppers even sleeping outside overnight before Friday’s grand opening.

Olive Young is a South Korean leading beauty and lifestyle retailer with 27 years of skincare expertise, and the Pasadena location is its first brick-and-mortar store in the U.S.

Beauty store enthusiasts lined Colorado Boulevard to Green Street, braving a night on the sidewalk, just to be among the first to get inside. “It was pretty cold, but we had blankets and chairs,” one shopper said.

The K-beauty line uses social media to share products, creative uses and solutions to consumers around the world.

“K-beauty is fast, it’s trendy, and it’s also very smart,” Priscilla Kang, Olive Young merchandising team lead, said, noting this isn’t just another beauty store opening.

“The major difference — we focus on new and emerging brands. We just don’t work with the big mega brands, but we work with small indie … just out in market brands,” Kang said.

Industry experts say the K-beauty market surged in popularity over the last decade and is projected to reach nearly $38 billion globally by 2033.

Shoppers at Friday’s grand opening said they are committed to K-beauty because of “way better ingredients,” and “because it’s pretty much fantastic on the skin, it’s like magic.” One shopper said that while she was in South Korea last year, she bought an extra suitcase to stuff it with K-beauty products.

Some would say camping overnight for beauty products is a bit much, but it doesn’t compare to shopper Sienna Laster’s dedication. “It’s worth it, because I usually fly to Korea to go to Olive Young. I flew there twice within the last year to buy skincare,” she said.

Olive Young merchandises by category-specific zones throughout the store, where each space is tailored to help customers easily discover products based on their individual needs.

Stores also offer complimentary services, from skin scans to scalp analysis, inspired by the retailer’s popular services in Korea.

Olive Young is preparing to open its second U.S. store in Century City in just two weeks, and then will expand to the East Coast

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 Olivia Young

Click here for updates on this story

    LONGMONT, Colorado (KCNC) — With Memorial Day weekend signaling the unofficial kickoff of summer, it’s also the start of the water recreation season. But with fun on the water comes risk. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says there were 20 water-related fatalities in 2025 in Colorado. Eleven of those were boat-related, with eight involving a paddle craft.

In Colorado, children 12 and under are legally required to wear a life jacket, but CPW strongly recommends everyone wear one on the water.

The agency has been working to provide free life jackets to recreators. Right now, there are almost 40 free life jacket loaner stations in the state. One of the newest was made possible by a Longmont Eagle Scout.

“Your awesome day at the lake can go to a very distressing one quickly,” said Grant Brown, boating safety and registrations program manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “Unfortunately, these drowning incidents happen in seconds.”

“Out of nowhere, the wind kicked up, and it was so windy we couldn’t paddle, we couldn’t go anywhere,” said recreator Sherry Pacheco.

High winds and cold water can spell tragedy on the water.

“I always wondered, how do people drown out there on their paddleboard? And then after that, it’s like, oh, I get it,” Pacheco said. “Your life jacket is stuck to your paddle board, and then what do you do if, you know, the wind blows your paddle board away and it picks it up because the paddle board’s so light it’ll pick it up and take it away.”

“Traditionally, wind events coupled with cold water is usually when we see incidents,” said Brown. “Imagine you’ve fallen off your board into very cold water. Instinctively, physiologically, you panic, and you’ll gulp water. They say those first few seconds will determine the survivability of that. Oftentimes, people try to swim after that paddleboard. Unfortunately, you’ll never be able to catch up to a craft that’s floating on the surface of the water.”

A life jacket can make all the difference. That’s why CPW was happy to work with Longmont and Eagle Scout Magnus Henry to bring a life jacket loaner station to Lake McIntosh.

“Its purpose is to hold life jackets for the community to use,” said Henry.

“People are coming in and might get to the lake and forget a life jacket at home or just not have one, and then instead of risking paddling without one, just grab one, so you can have a safe day,” said Brown.

In the past year, Henry designed and built the station for his Eagle Scout project, which holds free jackets anyone can borrow while on the water.

“Take a look inside, you’ll notice that a lot of the slots where life jackets are empty, so it probably means that they’re being used,” said Henry.

“I feel more comfortable with her having the life jacket out on the water, just in case she falls off the paddleboard or out of the kayak, as she floats and she’s safe. That’s the most important thing to me, is just making sure she’s safe,” a recreator said of her daughter.

With Memorial Day weekend signaling the kickoff for boating season, the station is getting plenty of use.

“I know probably a lot of people don’t think to or don’t remember to bring life vests, so it’s nice just to have that option there,” said recreator Tony Adams, who grabbed and used a life vest along with his friend Reema Baishya.

“We were just looking for a lake day. The weather’s really great today, so we just wanted to get out,” said Baishya. “They’re right there, so that worked out well.”

“I love seeing them grab that jacket and put it on, so it’s being used. That’s potentially a life saved right there from this loaner station,” said Brown.

Henry hopes the station is a reminder that safety is just a jacket away.

“It’s free, here to use. Please take one, it could help save your life,” said Henry.

Some tips that could save your life on the water this summer:

Consider taking a boater safety class. A paddleboard is considered a vessel. Check the weather before you go. Don’t paddleboard alone. Don’t just grab a life vest or bring it on your paddleboard; put it on. It can’t save you if you’re not wearing it.

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 Chierstin Roth

Click here for updates on this story

    DENVER (KCNC) — There is a new bar and dance hall in downtown Denver co-founded by a young man with an old soul and an appreciation for the good old days.

“This is Chris Ledoux, George Jones, ‘Who’s Gonna Fill their Shoes.’ That’s one of (Jones’) best albums,” said Colton Patterson, as he pointed to photos on the wall.

Everything inside Broken Bow Western Bar and Dancehall is intentional. It’s Patterson’s way of tipping a hat to a past American way of life and the man who inspired his love for old school country music, his grandpa.

“He’s quite the man and inspired me towards a lot of this stuff,” Patterson told CBS Colorado. “He listened to this music and lived the lifestyle that we make art about, and we post about all the time. So it’s just kind of been like the ode to him that we’ve done over the years”

Still a teenager, Patterson is not quite old enough to buy a beer.

“That always comes up in conversations,” he laughed.

Patterson just opened Broken Bow with his dad in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, and it’s already gaining traction with country artists, who are stopping by to play the venue.

“It’s something that sets us apart,” Patterson said. “Having a real importance on live music and live musicians, and finding them, and bringing them out.”

The country bar is an extension of the Broken Bow clothing line Patterson launched while he was a student at Columbine High School. The clothing features artwork he draws himself.

“I would draw a lot in school,” Patterson said. “That got me in a lot of trouble at times.”

In the evening, his attention shifted to shipping his clothes.

“I was not very good at that, but we built it up, and I learned how to do it,” Patterson said.

Broken Bow skyrocketed in popularity, taking off with big-time collaborations with artists and well over 1 million followers on social media.

“It blew up with young and old people alike,” Patterson said.

The meaning behind his trademark drawings of skeletons, a core to the Broken Bow brand, has also evolved. Now, that same artwork is on display throughout the new venue. It’s an effort to allow people in Denver to enjoy some nostalgia.

“It’s of a dead culture or something that is kind of dying in America, and, at this point, that’s kind of what the logo stands for and resonates with people in their heads,” Patterson explained.

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 Tori Mason

Click here for updates on this story

    BENNETT, Colorado (KCNC) — A Kansas family’s trip to Colorado for a wedding turned into a fight for survival. A 2-year-old girl was bitten twice by a rattlesnake near Bennett and airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Quinn Robertson was supposed to be the flower girl in her aunt’s wedding this weekend in Byers. Instead, the toddler is recovering in the pediatric intensive care unit after receiving more than 30 vials of antivenom, a blood transfusion and emergency lifesaving care following the bite Monday evening.

The family had driven hours from the Kansas City area to an Airbnb in Bennett. Colleen, a florist, came early with her husband and daughter to prepare flowers for her sister’s ceremony.

After unpacking, Colleen took Quinn outside to look at horses.

While walking through rough terrain, Quinn was bitten twice on the thigh.

“We almost were to the fence, and I hear a little cry,” Quinn’s mother, Colleen Robertson. “I quickly lifted her up. I look down, and I see the snake.”

Quinn’s condition rapidly deteriorated.

“Within a couple minutes, she started losing oxygen, was going all white and going in and out of consciousness,” Robertson said. “It was so fast.”

The family called 911 while trying to keep Quinn awake until help arrived.

Robertson said she began performing CPR while waiting for first responders. About 20 minutes later, emergency crews arrived and Quinn was airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora.

“It would probably be too late if we drove there,” Robertson said, who followed in a police escort as she is nearly 9 months pregnant.

When the family arrived at the hospital, Robertson said dozens of medical professionals surrounded Quinn in the emergency room.

Dr. Danae Massengil, a pediatric toxicologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said rattlesnake bites can be especially dangerous for small children. Massengill said venom can cause extensive tissue damage, dangerous blood clotting issues and severe systemic reactions that can rapidly destabilize patients.

After roughly 48 hours, Quinn had received more than 30 vials.

“They had to borrow from various hospitals because there wasn’t enough here,” Robertson said. “But thank God they had the antivenom here at this hospital.”

Massengil described Quinn’s case as an extremely severe envenomation.

“She was very, very sick,” Massengill said. “She required three, four-plus loads of antivenom just to be able to control the degree of her severity.”

Doctors eventually removed Quinn’s breathing tube Wednesday, and she has since started physical therapy. Her recovery remains uncertain.

“There’s a lot of tissue damage from the bite since it was so intense,” Robertson said. “There’s still a lot of unknowns right now as far as when she’ll be able to dance and jump again.”

Massengil said recovery from severe snake bites can take time, especially when mobility and tissue damage are involved.

“Kids are very resilient,” she said, “But realistically speaking, it does take some time to work towards getting back to that full functionality and full mobility.”

Massengil said Quinn experienced what appeared to be a rare “anaphylactoid-like reaction,” where her body responded almost as if it were having an allergic reaction to the venom.

“She certainly is one of the sickest patients we’ve had in a while,” Massengil said.

Doctors are now closely studying Quinn’s case. Robertson said hospital staff have told her Quinn’s treatment may help shape future care protocols for pediatric snakebite victims. A crowdfunding page has since been created to help cover medical expenses, travel costs and lost wages while the family remains in Colorado. She hopes Quinn’s story serves as a warning for other families to stay vigilant during rattlesnake season.

“Not to be fearful,” Robertson said, “but just to really put into action some protocols to protect those you love while being extra cautious.”

Massengil urged families to stay alert outdoors as Colorado enters peak rattlesnake season, which typically runs from late spring through September.

“If the bite does happen, try to stay calm, call 911 as quickly as possible, and get to a healthcare facility so you can receive the appropriate treatment,” she said.

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 Tony Peterson

Click here for updates on this story

    SHAKOPEE, Minnesota (WCCO) — Reading books can be a great escape, and that’s ringing true at a Shakopee Prison, where inmates are voting on the next book the country should read.

Created by Freedom Reads, a nonprofit organization in Connecticut, the Inside Literary Prize is the first major U.S. book award decided exclusively by incarcerated readers. The project started in 2023.

“They read five books that come from the National Book Award,” said David Perez Dehoyos from Freedom Reads. “Translated fiction and fiction. At the end of it all, we’re gonna vote for which book the world deserves to read.”

Hundreds of incarcerated individuals from prisons across the country fill out the judging forms after thorough discussion amongst their peers.

“It’s a type of escapism, ’cause I can get into a book and everything around me disappears,” said Darlene Wind.

The goal is to bring contemporary, thought-provoking literature into correctional facilities, giving the incarcerated population a voice in the national cultural conversation. Besides the contest, Freedom Reads wants to install prison libraries with 500 paperback books each.

“Our goal is to put one of these Freedom Reads libraries in every prison within every housing unit in every prison in America,” said Craig Gore with Freedom Reads.

Gore says they’ve already installed about 700 libraries in 17 states. Eight libraries are being installed in the Shakopee prison.

The winning book will be revealed in August.

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 Frankie McLister

Click here for updates on this story

    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A group of visually impaired and blind sailors are breaking barriers and waves on Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis. A diverse group of 20 who’ve all physically lost some percentage of sight, take the lake with an eye on the prize.

“This is kind of like a dream come true, to be honest,” said Vedran Huseinbegovic, who suffers from Usher syndrome. “It’s a combination of vision and hearing loss.”

Because of Twin Cities Blind Sailing, Huseinbegovic and many others can see that dream come to life.

“I never thought I’d be able to do this. But here I am,” said Huseinbegovic. “And we haven’t crashed yet.”

The organization partners with the Minneapolis Sailing Center, which then recruits volunteers to be sighted guides. Those guides are in each boat where the participants are either visually impaired or blind.

“It’s not me telling them what they can and can’t do, it’s them discovering,” said Katy Boyd, the vision behind Twin Cities Blind Sailing.

Boyd started the organization in 2023 after having picked up the sport while living in Boston. She remembers at the age of 30 being told she was legally blind herself.

“Anything can be adaptive,” Boyd added. “Just because, and this is what I tell kids, just because something hasn’t been done, doesn’t mean it can’t be done, it just might mean you’re the first.”

Every other week throughout the summer, the group gathers on the lake’s northeast corner to cruise. For those craving competition, they race too.

When WCCO asked Joshua Peterson from Woodbury if he could see much of what he was controlling on the boat, he said, “not a whole lot, especially with the glare I’m getting.”

Persevering from the bow, to the stern.

“It was just nice to be out and listen to the sounds around, sounds of the sail,” said Kayla Weathers of South Saint Paul.

“You know, it’s freeing” said Peterson.

“Blind people can do whatever we set our minds to,” Boyd told WCCO.

For more information, visit the organizations website.

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 Duxter

Click here for updates on this story

    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Minneapolis street will forever serve to honor the police officer who lost his life on it. A portion of Blaisdell Avenue is now called “Officer Jamal Mitchell Way.”

Two years ago, Officer Mitchell was shot and killed while responding to an active shooter. The man who murdered him was the person Officer Mitchell was trying to help.

Mitchell’s friends, family, and community gathered on Saturday to make sure his name is remembered.

“He is emblematic of everything that Minneapolis is about,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “This is someone who lived his life in service to those he loved — a hero, who gave his life to protect others without a second thought.”

“May every person who passes this sign take a moment to reflect on the example Jamal Mitchell set for all of us,” said Katie Blackwell, Interim Chief of Minneapolis Police. “Jamal, we will never forget you.”

“Man, do we miss him,” said friend and neighbor Chris Dunker. “Our backyard barbecues, our game nights, even just conversations, Jamal, with you in your front yard as you were playing with your kids.”

“Jamal, my friend, we miss you daily. We admire your bravery, we honor your legacy, we will never forget your sacrifice to this community,” said Dunker. “Rest easy, brother.”

Mitchell was awarded the Medal of Honor and a Purple Heart after his death in 2024. His former commander says Mitchell’s name on the street sign reminds us we are the fabric of each other.

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 Jermont Terry

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — The Rise Up Healing Collective is a nonprofit that provides holistic healing, mental health advocacy, and violence intervention services.

They offer a wide range of services, including meeting with elementary school kids to teach them how to prevent violence.

One by one, second and third graders embark on a new mental journey. They ditch their shoes and grab a mat for a unique after-school program.

Coaches Sidney Francois-Friis and Emmaline Jones spent the past 10 weeks teaching yoga techniques to the young kids at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Calumet City. The coaches insist this is deeper than just stretching and breathing.

“To allow them to heal and to understand that they can control their emotions,” Francois-Friis said.

Rise Up Healing Collective started just over three years ago. This year, it’s one of 80 organizations across the Chicago area that works with Strides for Peace to combat gun violence. The coaches say what’s happening in the after-school program is also a crime prevention.

“This is exactly what we do. We do crime and harm prevention in our community, social and emotional learning, and we have family members, as well as ourselves, who have been directly affected by gun violence,” Francois-Friis said.

While he’s an adult, he recalls vividly a tragic time when he was a teen.

“When I was in high school,one of my teammates got shot and killed. He was 14 years old, and he didn’t deserved to be killed at 14,” he said.

Both coaches view coming into the elementary school as a way to catch children when they are most impressionable.

“We can very intentionally come into the children’s lives and implement tools of self-awareness, tools of how to care for your body, care for your mind and show up for your community,” Jones said.

By finding their inner peace and connecting with their mind, body, and spirit. The nonprofit hopes that later in life, they will remember to reflect and think before taking action.

“We are also very intentional about instilling leadership in our space we talk about what are your gifts,” Jones said.

“Sometimes you have to pause on academics and really focus in on do they have skills to identify their emotions,” said Assistant Principal Jeanelle Smith.

Smith says she’s seeing changes in students’ behavior since participating in the Rise Up program. She adds that the school district understands social-emotional behavior.

“I think our students at this level can be easily forgotten,” she said. “We come from a generation of do as you’re told, and we don’t realize, they, too, come to school with certain things that are out of their control, but it affects them.”

Rise Up not only comes into schools, but they also take teenagers and young adults on emergence trips out of the country to broaden their view.

“What do we want the future to look like? In order for the children to live in the world we want, we have to rise up and create those things,” Jones said.

One breath 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.