Jury selected in wrongful raid trial of Southwest Side family by Chicago police in 2018

CNN on February 3, 2026


WBBM

By Dave Savini

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — The civil rights trial of a wrongful Chicago police raid on an innocent family began on Monday.

The case involves a Chicago grandmother, her daughter, and her four grandchildren, who all said police pointed guns at them. It’s a case CBS Chicago first exposed years ago.

The botched raid happened back in 2018. The family said they’ve been living with trauma from it ever since. On Monday in a packed courtroom, they sat behind the officers involved as a jury was selected.

Attorney: “How did you feel when all this happened?

Lakai’ya: Scared.

Attorney: Why were you scared?

Lakai’ya: Because I didn’t know what was going on.”

Lakai’ya Booth and her siblings answered questions during a pre-trial deposition as part of their federal civil rights lawsuit against the city. She was just four years old when CPD officers wrongly raided her family’s home.

She’s one of dozens of children documented over the last eight years who said police pointed guns at them during similar raids.

Attorney: What do you remember happening that day?

La’niya: A big boom sound.

Her older sister, Laniya, was 11 at the time of the raid.

“A lot of like five to 10 police officers rushing in with these big guns,” she said.

One after another, they relived that moment in 2018 when officers burst into their family’s home in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Attorney: Why do you think you felt afraid when the guns were pointed at you?

E’Monie: Because there’s weapons pointed at a 13-year-old.

Now, over seven years after the raid, they will testify against the officers involved, accusing them of excessive force, pointing guns at them, and leaving them traumatized.

Their mother and grandmother were also there when police raided the home looking for a gang member and a handgun, but an investigation by CBS News Chicago found they were in the wrong house.

They took the word of a paid informant and didn’t properly vet the information.

“I’m like, oh my god. Please don’t let him shoot my baby,” Cynthia Eason said in 2018.

The CBS News Chicago investigators have spent years exposing how innocent people are treated by officers during these raids, especially children.

Some of the children from other wrongful raid cases are also expected to testify as part of the trial. Attorneys for the family will work to prove that CPD engages in a pattern of pointing guns and using excessive force against children.

“What are you doing, pointing guns at innocent young children? Wake up,” said Attorney Al Hofeld Jr.

Hofeld is the family’s attorney and said the jury will also hear the traumatic impact on the adults who were in the home at the time of the raid, like Eason, the children’s grandmother, who was in her underwear when officers burst into the home.

Eason said police forced her outside in a state of undress in front of her neighbors.

“When I was sitting there, one officer was laughing at me,” she said.

She said she kept asking for clothes but was denied.

“I looked at him, he’s laughing, and imagine how that feels,” she said.

Data shows the cities already spent $600,000 on legal fees for private law firms to defend the officers involved, and that number is expected to increase as the trial is expected to last a month.

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.

Mother warns of TikTok trend involving Needoh cubes that left her 9-year-old son with severe burns

CNN on February 3, 2026


WBBM

By Marissa Sulek

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A Plainfield mom is warning parents and kids about the danger of a popular toy that burned half of her son’s face.

In the last couple of months, Loyola Medicine says they have had four patients come in with burns from a Needoh cube — a sensory toy filled with gelatinous material.

The toy itself has no problems, but there’s a TikTok trend going around that encourages kids to put the gel toys in the microwave — causing them to explode and leading to significant burns.

It’s the flexible jelly-like toys that are causing concern for parents after a TikTok trend is pushing kids to stick the Needoh cube toy in the microwave to make them more pliable, since they firm up over time.

“Him and a friend, through conversation, were talking about it at school, and then he, i guess, just got the idea to try it,” said mother Whitney Grubb.

She said her 9-year-old son Caleb Chabolla put one of his Needoh cubes in the microwave a few weeks ago as they were getting ready for school.

“I heard him scream and I saw him take off running towards one of our bathrooms and that stuff had popped on his face,” she said.

Grubb said when Caleb opened the microwave, it exploded all over his face, causing second-degree burns on one side and his hands. Whitney drove him to the emergency room.

“By the time, you know, we were settled in at Loyola, his eye was completely swollen shut, so I was immediately worried about his eye,” she said.

“Because it’s so viscous, it sticks, and it stays hot longer, it’s going to cause a more significant burn,” said Kelly McElligott.

McElligott with Loyola Medicine’s burn center said once Caleb got to the hospital, they washed the burns, cut away dead skin, and applied ointment. They also had an ophthalmologist check on Caleb’s eye and found his vision was thankfully unimpaired by the accident.

Doctors said Caleb is not the only patient falling for the trend.

“A child who heated it up in the microwave, then put her finger on it and her finger went through, and it burned her finger,” McElligott said.

She said Caleb spent two days in the hospital and did not need skin grafts, but may develop scars.

Both she and Whitney now want families to be cautious.

“Do not heat these up in any way, shape, or form. Whether it’s the microwave, hot water, those things can really be dangerous,” McElligott said.

“Just talk with your kids, make sure they understand the safety of the things,” Grubb said.

CBS Chicago did reach out to the company, Schylling, that manufactures Needoh, but did not hear back.

There are warning labels on the product that tell users not to heat them.

As for Caleb, he has a follow-up appointment at the burn clinic tomorrow morning and goes back to school later this week.

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.

Hot dog vendor kicked out of normal spot for Super Bowl’s clean zone

CNN on February 1, 2026


KPIX

By John Ramos

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    SANTA CLARA, California (KPIX) — Businesses in San Francisco and Santa Clara are gearing up for what they hope is an influx of customers during Super Bowl week. But one long-time vendor in the South Bay has been shut down, a casualty of what the NFL calls its “clean zone.”

Howard Gibbons knows a good hot dog when he sees it. Known as “The Hot Dog Dude” of Santa Clara, he takes pride in his product.

“Freshly chopped onions. None of that fake bagged stuff,” he said, as he set up his condiments table.

But for Gibbons, the success of his business has always depended on three things: location, location, location. For the last 12 years, his hot dog cart has called the underpass to the Great America VTA station home. But unfortunately, it’s right next to Levi’s Stadium, the home of Super Bowl LX.

“They shut down all vendors,” Howard said. “All street vendors are not allowed within what they call their ‘clean zone.’ Why it’s called the ‘clean zone,’ I don’t know. I didn’t know I was dirty. I thought I was a pretty clean guy.”

On Saturday, he was hired for a private event, providing lunch at a local Adult Education Center.

But as of last Thursday, he’s been kicked out of his normal location, where he serves commuters walking to and from the VTA train station. And for the last three weeks, he’s lost about half his business as the VTA commuter parking lot was closed for the exclusive use of the NFL.

Gibbons finds that ironic since for the last eight years, he said the city has been trying to attract vendors to the area.

“And now they’re being closed down for this event,” he said. “It’s kind of like, you got ’em out of the closet, you got ’em to come out and be clean, and then you tell ’em, well, you don’t get to play in the big game. You’re sitting the big game out.”

As he hung up his “Hot Dog Dude” banner above the serving area, Gibbons said that when the Super Bowl comes to town, the NFL basically owns the area around the stadium, including banning any advertising within the clean zone.

“Me putting this up during the Super Bowl would be, ‘Call the FBI. We got an advertisement violator here,'” he said, laughing.

But Howard is luckier than most. The Bay Area Host Committee has offered to subsidize some of his losses for the weeks before and after the game. His daughter, Wendy Rogers, said it helps that he’s so well-connected in the community.

“He’s pretty well known. I mean, he knows the mayor, he knows everybody,” she said. “You know, I try to call him sometimes and he’s like, ‘I can’t talk, I’m in a meeting.’ He’s at a City Hall meeting, letting ’em know, and fighting for what’s right.”

What doesn’t feel right to Gibbons is what’s happening to all the other vendors, especially with all the big talk about the economic boost of hosting the Super Bowl.

“I guess they’ll play,” he said. “The billionaires will make their money. And they’ll leave a mess, and ‘Y’all have a nice day.'”

Gibbons said he used to operate a full-sized food truck 12 years ago but switched to a hot dog cart when they began building Levi’s Stadium, so he could stay in the area. He said he was allowed to operate when the Super Bowl was last played there in 2016, but this time he’s been completely shut down.

Super Bowl organizers say there are closures to streets and public infrastructure surrounding Levi’s Stadium for safety and security reasons for the event. There are similar closures around the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

All closures for the Super Bowl are available on Santa Clara’s 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.

Researchers train dogs to detect “silent killer” canine cancer

CNN on February 1, 2026


KYW

By Stephanie Stahl, Will Kenworthy

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — There is new hope in the fight against a devastating cancer in dogs that is often deadly.

Researchers at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center in South Philadelphia are training dogs to help detect hemangiosarcoma, a form of canine cancer.

The dogs learn how to identify the cancer by smelling three boxes, with one containing a sample of malignant blood.

“It really does feel like magic because I can’t smell anything from the samples. It’s a tiny drop of blood serum,” Clara Wilson, a researcher at the Working Dog Center, said. “We wanted to focus on hemangiosarcoma, which is a really devastating canine cancer.”

Hemangiosarcoma is a tumor that is often called the silent killer because it grows in the body and goes unnoticed until it’s too late.

In the first phase of the research, the dogs identified the cancer 70% of the time. And when they get it right, they get a treat.

Until now, the research primarily focused on human cancers, with the dogs being able to identify ovarian and pancreatic cancer.

“Dogs are very unique because they have this incredible sense of smell,” Wilson said. “It just really does feel amazing and gives me a lot of respect for understanding that there’s a lot of things that I can’t understand that they’re picking up on.”

Once the dogs identify the cancer, researchers look for markers in the samples that could eventually be used to create a test that would find the cancer early, when it’s more treatable.

“The idea is that if dogs can smell something, that means that there’s a signal to detect,” Wilson said.

These dogs are laying the groundwork for eventually being able to find cancer early and save lives for both humans and animals.

The working dog center also trains dogs to detect drugs, bombs and alert for medical conditions.

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.

14 people have died during dangerous cold snap in NYC, Mayor Mamdani says

CNN on February 1, 2026


WLNY

By Alexa Herrera

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said a total of 14 people have died outside during the dangerously cold weather.

As the freezing temperatures continue, new single-room shelter units will open for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness, Mamdani said at a news conference Saturday.

Preliminary findings found hypothermia played a role in the deaths of eight people. Officials are still waiting for the final results from the medical examiner’s office.

“This is one of the longest, most sustained cold stretches our city has endured in years, and it is showing no signs of abating. We remain in a Code Blue,” he said.

The emergency code went into effect Jan. 19, and officials have resorted to forcibly removing people experiencing homelessness from the streets to save lives.

Single-room-occupancy style shelter units opened Sunday in Upper Manhattan. They are designed for people who are reluctant to go indoors because they don’t want to share rooms or are skeptical of other shelter options.

“By making new single-room units available, we are meeting people where they are and removing barriers that keep too many New Yorkers out in the cold,” Mamdani said.

The mayor also said a new low-barrier-bed shelter site will open to make spaces more accessible.

Mamdani said officials ramped up outreach to get New Yorkers into shelters.

They have made more than 860 placements into shelters and safe havens since the start of the cold snap. Sixteen people were involuntarily transported who were determined to be a danger to themselves or others, he said.

Warming shelters remain open to anyone across the five boroughs. There are also 20 warming buses parked across the city.

“We have expanded shelter capacity, relaxed intake rules and worked with faith-based and community-based organizations to scale up outreach. As we have made clear, we are not going to slow down in this work,” he said.

On Friday night, 17 on-call ambulettes were deployed, which offer people on the streets warmth, food and medical attention.

Anyone who sees a person whom they think may need help is asked to call 311.

“It takes everyone stepping up and keeping an eye out for those across the city for us to be able to protect each and every New Yorker,” Mamdani said.

The mayor said an additional 130 city workers will help clear snow across the city.

“That means, in addition to the 2,500 sanitation workers who are working each 12-hour shift, we now have more than 1,200 additional workers who will be assisting in the cleanups of this city,” he said.

Mamdani also highlighted the 67 million pounds of snow melted and the 188 million pounds of salt used.

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.

Boy recovering after sparkler accident that caused severe burns

CNN on February 1, 2026


WFOR

By Ivan Taylor

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — A 9-year-old boy is recovering in the hospital one month after suffering severe burns while playing with sparklers.

From his hospital bed, holding a teddy bear, Santiago Claudio recalled the moment his upper body caught fire.

“I was on fire. I was so hot,” Santiago said.

Vitini Rammin, director of the Trauma and Burn Program at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, said Santiago suffered second- and third-degree burns to about 18% of his body. She said injuries that severe often require multiple surgeries, skin grafts and long hospital stays.

“They took skin from my leg, from my back to put it in my stomach,” Santiago said.

Santiago has been hospitalized since Jan. 1. The accident did not happen at midnight on New Year’s Day, but later that afternoon.

His mother said she was working at the time. Santiago was being watched by his brother, but went into the backyard with another child without telling anyone.

“He was lighting one of the sparklers for his cousin,” she said. “Suddenly, a spark caught his T-shirt.”

Santiago ran back into the house screaming that he was burning.

“It was so hard. I was so desperate,” she said.

Santiago has since undergone several surgeries and remains under strict medical supervision because of the risk of infection. Doctors say he is still vulnerable to germs and must be closely monitored.

Despite everything, Santiago is focused on one simple goal.

“I want to play with my dog,” he said.

His dog, Bruno, has been waiting at home for him.

Santiago is expected to be released from the hospital on Monday.

Next week marks National Burn Awareness Week. Hospital officials say they treated more than 100 pediatric burn cases last year and hope Santiago’s story serves as a warning to parents about the dangers of fireworks and sparklers, especially when children are unsupervised.

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.

Beauty school student considered changing her number before ex fatally shot her, family says

CNN on February 1, 2026


WFOR

By Joan Murray

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    DAVIE, Florida (WFOR) — Flowers line the wall of the Aveda Institute in tribute to 20‑year‑old Aileen Martinez, who was shot to death in the parking lot of the cosmetology school on Tuesday.

On Friday, Davie police identified the shooter as 25‑year‑old Jose Orpi of Pembroke Pines. Police said Orpi, who once dated Martinez, shot her before turning the gun on himself. Orpi later died at the hospital.

Orpi’s family declined to comment Friday.

A memorial post online says, “Orpi’s passing has left family, friends, and neighbors deeply saddened. Jose was known for his warmth, kindness, and unwavering dedication to those around him.”

That picture is difficult to reconcile for Martinez’s devastated family, who said that after she broke up with Orpi last fall, he called her “excessively,” and she had recently considered changing her phone number.

Martinez’s family said in a statement, “We condemn the violence and stalking that led to this unimaginable loss. No parent should have to bury their child, and no one should ever live in fear for choosing to walk away from a relationship.”

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.

Father and son among crew of 7 on fishing boat Lily Jean that sank off Gloucester, family member says

CNN on February 1, 2026


WBZ

By Paul Burton

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    GLOUCESTER, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Flowers, signs and a wreath are laid at the Fisherman’s Memorial in Gloucester, Massachusetts as the U.S. Coast Guard announced it suspended the search Saturday morning for the six missing crewmembers of the fishing vessel Lily Jean that sank off the coast on Friday. The body of one crewmember was recovered, and so was an empty life raft.

“Our crews searched as long and as hard as they possibly could, always with the hope of bringing your loved ones back to Gloucester,” said Capt. Jamie Frederick, commander of Coast Guard Sector Boston.

For over 24 hours, Coast Guard crews conducted an exhaustive search in dangerous conditions covering more than 1,000 square miles using multiple aircraft, cutters and other boats.

“Despite these efforts, we have only located one deceased crewmember. Five crewmembers, and one NOAA observer remain missing,” Frederick said. “I believe there is no longer a reasonable expectation that anyone could have survived this long.”

Ricky Beal told WBZ-TV on Saturday that his brother Paul Beal and nephew Paul Jr. were on board the vessel when it sank. “It’s just devastating. I can’t explain it,” Beal said.

“I started fishing first, and Paul was, he used to come along with me, and then he worked on some of the party boats, the boats for hire,” Beal said. “The support from the community has been unbelievable.”

Greg Sousa owns the Crow’s Nest in Gloucester and knows several of the fisherman onboard the Lily Jean who are presumed dead.

“It’s a real local boat with real local guys,” Sousa said. “Everyone is talking about it. Paul is one of the good guys. PJ, you know, father and son gone at the same time.”

Grief and crisis counselors will be on hand at Our Lady of Good Voyage Church over the next two days to help families and community members impacted by the tragedy.

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.

Fort Worth store manager reunites with woman he rescued from freezing cold: “He saved my life”

CNN on January 30, 2026


KTVT

By S.E. Jenkins, Bo Evans

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    TEXAS (KTVT) — The woman whose life was saved from the dangerous cold and the Fort Worth store manager who rescued her were reunited on Thursday.

Surveillance video captured the moment the manager of Evans Food Mart rushed to rescue his customer, Bobbi Burrell, out of the cold.

“I didn’t think anyone was going to help at first, or could hear me,” Burrell said.

Burrell says last Friday was her 50th birthday. She was trying to get to a warming shelter, but said it had closed.

She said she was out in the cold all night Friday into Saturday morning. Just before freezing rain and sleet started to fall, the manager at Evans Food Mart found her frozen on the street. He was the only one strong enough to lift her.

“So I couldn’t stand up, couldn’t walk,” said Burrell. “I started crawling through the ice to try to get some help, without my shoes on. I just couldn’t get them on. So I left my hands and feet, just my body frozen.”

That’s when Faris Hussain stepped in.

Fort Worth store manager helps save homeless woman found frozen outside Faris Hussain, a manager at the store, said another regular customer rushed in Thursday morning after spotting Burrell on the ground.

Hussein said Burrel is a regular, coming in every day for the past 5 years.

“When I heard her name, it was one of my good customers, so I instantly was like, ‘Hey man, no no no, there’s no way. We gotta go help her right now,'” Hussain said.

Hussain ran outside and lifted her himself.

“She felt like a rock, as stiff as a rock,” he said. “I mean, it was, when I picked her up, her entire body was just, it was like, no matter which way you picked her up, her body was going to stay the same form.”

The Fort Worth Fire Department confirmed crews responded and paramedics took Burrell to a hospital.

“Think about it,” said Hussein. “It’s like, God’s watching her. She’s been through a car accident just a few months before that; her birthday was the same, one night before it froze over. It’s kind of like God’s watching over you, like, ‘No, we’re gonna make sure you’re good.'”

Burrell said she’s thankful to everyone involved.

“Definitely with the prayers, you feel blessed that great things will happen,” said Burrell. “And live all your life, go back to work and be off the street, and a big turn of events. Hopefully, to inspire others to help, you know, if somebody is screaming for help, help them.

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.

Waukegan homeowner says contractor ghosted her and left $8,900 bathroom project unfinished

CNN on January 30, 2026


WBBM

By Megan De Mar

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A Lake County woman has a warning for other homeowners, after she said a contractor took thousands of dollars, destroyed part of her home, and then vanished, even leaving his tools behind.

Linda Lange, of Waukegan, got police and the courts involved after her contractor left her high and dry, and yet, months later, the damage remains, and the contractor’s disappearing act continues.

A construction project frozen in time has over Lange’s home in Waukegan. Instead of the new toilet and shower she was promised, she has two holes in her floor.

Lange hired contractor Bob McEvers to do the work in August. He’s done a previous project in her home that she was very happy with.

“Every time he would ask me for money, not thinking – you know, he needs this, he needs that – you know, I wrote a check,” she said.

But the project was taking forever and the excuses kept rolling in when he would fail to show up, from claiming “I tweaked my ankle pretty badly” to saying he’d fallen asleep on his couch for five hours.

Meantime, Lange noticed there was hardly any progress on the job after paying $7,000 on an $8,900 project.

“With that, I said to him, I want all the receipts of everything you have bought for this project,” Lange said.

While Lange said he told her “okay,” she said that conversation was the last time she saw him.

“I mean, he’s like he fell off the face of the Earth. I have no clue,” she said.

When McEvers stopped returning her calls, she went to his home several times, even with North Chicago Police, but they weren’t able to make contact.

She filed a police report and had a lawyer send a letter. Eventually, she filed a civil claim against him, but she said they haven’t been able to find him to serve the summons.

As CBS News Chicago Legal Expert Irv Miller explained, even if a judge rules in her favor, she won’t necessarily get her money back right away.

“Even if they find the person, if there is a judgment, he has to have money or assets to pay the judgment, and a lot of the time that doesn’t happen,” Miller said.

Lange said she doesn’t know what it will cost to fix things in her home.

“I haven’t had anyone in here to give me an estimate,” she said.

Steve Bernas, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago, said it’s a usually warning sign when a contractor says they don’t have the money to pay for things they’ve been hired to do and ask you for the money.

Bernas suggested paying a third of the bill down at the beginning when hiring a contractor, a third in the middle of the job, and the rest at the end of the project, because once the money is paid, the consumer loses leverage.

He also said homeowners should file complaints with the state, leave reviews online, or whatever else they can to leave a paper trail.

“If you don’t find anything online about that person, that could be a sign, too, because they may not be established, they may have changed their name,” Bernas said.

CBS News Chicago couldn’t find McEvers, but did find his sister, who sent an email saying she has struggled to stay in contact as well.

“This is heartbreaking. If I hear from Bob, I will talk with him about reaching out to you and finding out a way to resolve the situation,” McEvers’ sister wrote.

Lange should know more about her civil complaint at the end of the month, but in the meantime, she hopes others will learn from her nightmare.

“At my age, it won’t happen again. It truly is a learning experience, and I don’t want him to be able to do this to anyone else,” 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.