Author: CNN

WWJ

By Paula Wethington

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    DETROIT (WWJ) — A dog that had been living for over a year in a shelter with Friends of Michigan Animals Rescue was reunited with his former family.

After 387 days in the Belleville animal rescue shelter, the dog called Ziggy had become the shelter’s longest resident, according to the details related on the rescue agency’s social media accounts.

The staff knew that the dog was surrendered into shelter care when his owner had to enter long-term memory care. But the canine’s story began long before that – it turns out that he was lost from a Dearborn Heights family about four years ago. And that’s who eventually came to claim him.

“Over a year passed, and we couldn’t understand how such a gentle, affectionate dog was still here,” the staff said.

“Shelter life wore him down. He barely lifted his head when people walked in. We tried everything to help him feel safe … but he was waiting for something he couldn’t name.”

A photo of the dog looking at Christmas tree ornaments that was circulating on Facebook as part of a shelter promotion to find new homes for their animals got in front of the right people. A message was sent to the shelter with the author saying Ziggy might actually be her dog Toby, who ran away four years ago.

The shelter looked over photos she submitted of the dog as a puppy, showing the markings on his face and body.

“She came to meet him,” the shelter staff said. “Ziggy, who almost never wagged his tail, suddenly did. There was no doubt he was hers.”

With that, Ziggy went back to a family that had never forgotten him, and called him Toby.

“There wasn’t a dry eye in the building,” the staff 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.

KDKA

By Patrick Damp

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    PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Central Catholic High School has unveiled what they’re calling the most ambitious capital campaign in the history of the school.

It’s being called the “Centennial Campaign: Rooted in Tradition, Building For Our Future.” The goal of the campaign is to raise $55 million for campus improvements ahead of the school’s 100th anniversary in the 2027-28 school year.

The project will be broken down into three phases.

The first phase will be a renovation of the Brothers’ House, which houses the De LaSalle Christian Brothers who serve on the campus. This phase was completed during the 2024-25 school year, and it modernized and expanded the facility to create accessible, dignified living quarters and enhanced community spaces.

They also repurposed the underutilized sections of the facility to house the Offices of the President, Admission, and Finance and Administration.

Phase two will be the construction of a new student center, and the school is preparing to break ground on the new, 102,000-square-foot center.

It would be the largest campus construction project since 1927, when the main building was built.

The new student center will include a regulation-sized gymnasium, fitness center, season team locker rooms, a TV studio, lecture hall, dining hall, and student gathering spaces.

This would replace the nearly 50-year-old gym on campus.

The third and final phase will be the main building enhancements. That would include the installation of an elevator to ensure ADA compliance, upgraded security measures, and modernized climate control.

It will also create extended space for the fine arts program, as the dining hall and athletic facilities will be moved to the new student center.

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.

KCBS

By Zach Boetto

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s detective is being praised for his swift actions to stop a motorcyclist accused of killing a deputy in October.

Two months ago, Detective Shaun Wallen was driving around on his day off when Angelo Saldovar, the man charged in the deadly shooting of Deputy Andrew Nunez, led a high-speed chase through the 210 Freeway near Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario. The pursuit, which reached 200 mph at times, ended when a gray sedan collided with Saldovar’s motorcycle.

“It was me driving the gray car on the freeway, and it was me involved in that incident,” Wallen said.

San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus commended Wallen’s actions, saying that it’s what the department looks for in recruits.

“We need people like Shaun out there that are willing to do the things that, as a civilized public, we’re not willing to do,” Dicus said. “They’re willing to stop the things that go bump in the night.”

This wasn’t the first time Wallen jumped into action. A decade ago, he was involved in a shootout with the suspects in the Inland Regional Center terrorist attack that killed 14 people.

“This incident happened, when the IRC thing happened 10 years ago, everyone wasn’t surprised that it was me,” Wallen said.

Dicus and Wallen did not provide details of what motivated Wallen to crash into Saldovar because of the case is still working through the court system.

“Very proud of all the actions that Shaun took in this case,” Dicus said. “I would just say to the public, as we saw it, I would certainly hope that they expect that we have men and women out there that are willing to go out and take actions like this in order to protect us.”

In his 14 years with the department, Wallen said he was well-trained for both scenarios and swore to continue to protect his community even in its darkest moments.

“The right thing for the right reasons,” Wallen said. “If you have the capability and the ability to do something to help the public, to help your partners, and you don’t do it, then the job’s not for you.”

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.

KCNC

By Olivia Young

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    COLORADO (KCNC) — As of Thursday afternoon, 13 schools in the Boulder Valley School District were still without power following the outage that started on Wednesday. The windstorm busted out several windows at Fairview High School in southern Boulder.

Around 5 p.m. Thursday, the district announced that after Thursday’s closures, schools will be closed again Friday across the district.

Wind gusts that reached hurricane levels caused damage to 10 entryway windows at Fairview, disrupting students taking their finals inside.

“It’s pretty scary. You know, if you’re in school and your windows are rattling, it was definitely some tense moments there,” said Randy Barber with the Boulder Valley School District. “When the windows broke, we pulled kids out of that area and, you know, kind of closed that specific section off.”

Barber says other damage to their schools includes fallen limbs on playgrounds and fencing, and minor damage to roofs and HVAC units.

“There are a lot of impacts following the windstorm. We had more than half of our schools that had power out. And additionally, you know, with all the other impacts like traffic lights being out and that kind of thing, debris in the roads,” said Barber.

Those impacts leading the district to close all schools Thursday — it’s the first time they’ve done so because of wind.

“Ever since the Marshall Fire, you know, we as a community have been very concerned about wildfire and the winds get pretty high here,” said Barber. “It’s never been driven to the place where we’ve had to look at an actual school closure.”

They’re not the only school community impacted.

Jefferson County closed more than two dozen schools Thursday, and Poudre closed three.

As districts across the Denver metro area decide whether or not to open Friday, Barber says it’s a protocol they’re preparing to use again.

“We’ll be ready for the next time it comes around — as early as tomorrow,” said Barber.

With Boulder Valley School District announcing that school will be closed again on Friday, it means an early start to winter break for the students. Barber says that the finals that they were supposed to take on Thursday and Friday will be rescheduled for January after break.

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.

KCBS

By Tom Wait

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — After self-deporting to South Korea in June, U.S. Army veteran Sae Joon Park has spent the last six months isolated away from his family, in a country he hasn’t lived in since he was a child.

“It’s scary,” he said. “There’s a good chance I’ll never make it back home.”

Park, a Purple Heart recipient after being shot in combat, struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after returning home. While he had a green card, his legal status was jeopardized after he was charged with drug possession and failure to appear in court 15 years ago.

Given Park’s military service, immigration officials allowed him to remain in the U.S. They told him that his deportation order would not be enforced if he had regular check-ins with immigration agents, according to his attorney, Danicole Ramos. For more than a decade, Park raised his children in Southern California without issues, until President Trump began his second term this year.

During a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the summer, Park said agents told him he would be deported.

“He had his cuffs out. He was ready to detain me, put cuffs on me and everything, which as unbelievable,” Park said. “Why would I go back to jail? I didn’t do anything wrong. It took him a while, but he got the OK from the supervisor to put an ankle bracelet on me, and I had three weeks to remove myself.”

Park was forced to leave his family behind and move to South Korea.

“I had to leave everything behind; my kids, my mom, who has Alzheimer’s right now, she can’t remember anything,” Park said. “It’s been really tough.”

Last week, Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-Rhode Island) confronted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about veterans and military families facing deportation or prolonged detention. After Noem said no veterans have been deported, Park joined the congressional meeting via Zoom.

“I was really surprised. I didn’t know what to expect,” Park said. “The way he presented the question and the way she answered. I thought it was great. It really put her on the spot.”

Park said the spotlight on his case gave him some hope. However, he and his attorney have not heard back from the Department of Homeland Security even though Noem said she would review his case.

CBS LA reached out to DHS for a statement but has not received a response.

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.

KOVR

By Cecilio Padilla

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    SACRAMENTO (KOVR) — An arrest was made in Crescent City as law enforcement officers continue to investigate the deadly Esparto fireworks warehouse explosion.

The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office says, back on Dec. 12, deputies and the Yolo County District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Bureau served a search warrant to a home on Calaveras Street in Crescent City.

Detectives say the warrant stemmed from the ongoing investigation into the Esparto explosion, which left seven people dead.

Authorities say the Crescent City search uncovered more than 100 pounds of illegal fireworks.

Ronald Botelho III was arrested during the search warrant and faces multiple felony charges, including possession of destructive devices and explosives, child endangerment, and intent to manufacture destructive devices. He was also booked on misdemeanor charges related to explosives, illegal fireworks, and firearm violations.

Del Norte County officials did not state exactly how the investigation is related to the Esparto explosion.

The investigation into the Esparto explosion has resulted in a number of raids and arrests across California, including in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

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.

WFOR

By Bri Buckley

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    SUNRISE, Florida (WFOR) — A tow truck driver is facing felony charges after towing a car away with a young girl still inside.

Surveillance video provided to CBS News Miami showed the moment a tow truck quickly pulled up to take a blue car away on Sunday in Sunrise.

In the video, a man believed to be the owner of the car was seen frantically running up and yelling at the driver to stop because his 4-year-old daughter was inside, according to the arrest report from the Sunrise Police Department.

He told police that he went to the Bistro Creole Restaurant on West Oakland Park Boulevard for just two minutes, when the tow truck began to take his car. That’s when he ran out and chased after the tow truck.

According to the police report, he saw his daughter fall out of the car, and he ran into traffic to get her to safety.

The driver of the tow truck, identified as 34-year-old Sergio Suarez, was arrested for child neglect without great bodily harm.

“This one stood out to me; he towed a vehicle allegedly without checking whether or not there was anyone in the vehicle, and there was a child in the vehicle, who then had to jump out of the vehicle in the middle of the road,” said Judge Corey Friedman.

Suarez appeared in bond court on Monday. His lawyer defended him, claiming he and his colleague checked the car three times, and he was “at a loss” as to where the neglect charge came from.

According to the report, police called the tow company, All-Ways Towing in Pembroke Park, to ask Suarez to come back to the scene. When he did, he dropped the car off away from the officers and tried to leave the scene again. He was pulled over by police a short time later.

“It doesn’t make sense to me if a 4-year-old had to jump out of the vehicle and had injuries that anybody checked the vehicle because they would have been able to see a 4-year-old,” Friedman said.

The girl had minor injuries on her arms and legs and was taken to the hospital to get checked out.

Multiple witnesses saw the whole thing happen, according to the police report.

“I wanted to tear up. I have nieces and nephews; anything can happen. Thank God the little girl made it home safe, safe to her family,” said Aidan, of Coral Springs.

CBS News Miami reached out to All-Ways Towing and was told no comment.

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.