Category: CNN Regional

By Madison Thomas

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    MARANA, Arizona (KGUN) — Seventh and eighth graders in the National Junior Honor Society and Student Council at Legacy Traditional School – Northwest Tucson spent almost an entire school year working to support Honor Flight Southern Arizona.

Through various events, including dances and a carnival, the students raised the funds to give Korean War veteran John Carlstrom an experience he will remember forever.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our student body, our Student Council and our NJHS, and I know we’re all just so thrilled and excited for him, that he gets to go and do this part of his life that he’s going to remember,” NJHS President, Gigi Hand said.

Carlstrom, who turns 97 next month, will soon fly to the nation’s capital to tour the memorials dedicated to military service.

“I had thought about this honor flight for many years,” Carlstrom said.

The Honor Flight is scheduled to depart on June 1 and return to Tucson on June 3.

“I’m impressed with their activity and the planning and actual work that they did to make this happen for me. This is really quite an honor, and I’ll remember it always,” Carlstrom said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KGUN verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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 KCCI staff

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Students at Horizon Science Academy in Des Moines are coding drones to simulate NASA’s Artemis II mission.

The students have coded drones to rise, orbit and descend, simulating the spacecraft’s path around Earth and the moon. Teachers say the hands-on lesson connects computer science, math, and real-world space exploration.

“I feel like the moon race is starting again, and we’re raising, hopefully, the astronauts of the future,” IT coordinator Selim Gedik said. “And it gives me a lot of joy to see they are able to imagine being an astronaut or a space woman, spaceman, and that dangerous mission for the whole humanity.”

The learning won’t stop in the classroom. This weekend, some students will visit the Drake Municipality Observatory to learn more about moon cycles and use telescopes.

Artemis II launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:35 p.m. CT on Wednesday.

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 Peyton Headlee

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — A Sacramento family is asking for help after they say someone took their dog while it was outside of their house.

Surveillance video shows the 7-month-old French bulldog, Kilo, outside its North Sacramento home on Frienza Avenue around 3 p.m. Saturday when a black SUV pulls up. The dog runs to the car, and the person on the passenger side scoops him up before they drive away.

“I can’t sleep without him,” Jannelle Jay, Kilo’s owner, said.

She said he had just been let out to go to the bathroom. They thought he ran off when he didn’t come back.

“I’m thinking like, oh my God, he’s running around somewhere. He’s lost. Like he’s a baby. I don’t know where he’s at,” Jay said.

She thinks he was taken because of his breed.

“Because he’s a Frenchie. He’s worth a lot of money,” Jay said.

She has filed a police report and posted his photos to social media groups, hoping they’ll be able to find him.

“Just bring my dog back. I miss him a lot,” Jay said.

She is now offering a $500 reward.

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 Jason McNabb

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — Aden Heyman, a former Albuquerque firefighter who was acquitted of rape charges last year, is suing yet again for his job back and damages, claiming wrongful termination and defamation.

Heyman was one of three Albuquerque firefighters accused of raping a woman nearly three years ago, and one of two to actually go on trial. He has been adamant that he was treated unfairly by Albuquerque Fire Rescue before his trial and wants damages, as well as his job back.

Heyman was eventually fired by Albuquerque Fire Rescue after an internal investigation and was also sued by the victim. Court records show that lawsuit is still ongoing. However, Heyman, along with fellow accused firefighter Anthony Martin, were both acquitted on the rape charges two years later.

Heyman’s attorney, Jason Bowles, said at the time, “Their careers have been ruined. Their lives have been ruined for two years, and their families have been affected. So, now, thank God they’re free, but now they have to rebuild it all back.”

Last year, Heyman sued the city of Albuquerque and Fire Chief Emily Jaramillo, claiming defamation, wrongful termination, and violation of due process rights. That suit was dismissed by a district court judge just last month.

Now, another suit has been filed, this time in federal court. It makes similar claims to the previous one, alleging Heyman’s termination from the department was wrongful since it happened before a trial or any admission of guilt. Chief Jaramillo is once again accused of defamation, claiming she branded Heyman as a criminal through public statements before the case went to trial. The suit is asking for back pay, damages for alleged civil rights violations, and even reinstatement at Albuquerque Fire Rescue.

A spokesman for Albuquerque Fire Rescue said, “An internal investigation determined the employee violated AFR policies. The city will respond to his allegations in court.”

Bowles declined to speak with KOAT about the lawsuit Wednesday.

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 Hickey

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    STILLWATER, Oklahoma (KOCO) — When astronauts lift off toward the moon Wednesday, they will be using critical parts built in Oklahoma.

Dozens of critical pieces of technology that will help in the launch of Artemis II are made by Frontier Electronic Systems in Stillwater.

“This has been years of development, building products in anticipation of this. There are not a lot of people in the U.S. or the world who can say, ‘Yeah, we touched these parts going to space.’ That’s cool!” Darryl Smith, program manager at Frontier Electronic Systems, said.

More than 20 pieces of equipment that Artemis II will use are made in Stillwater, including the rotational hand controller astronauts will use in their capsule.

“If they move forward, it’ll pitch forward or pitch back sideways,” Smith said.

Inside a former Payne County hotel, it’s all hands on deck at Frontier Electronic Systems, where they are putting together critical aerospace technology equipment.

“There’s a slot that goes into this. So, many inspections,” Michelle Aiken, senior quality and compliance representative at Frontier Electronic Systems, said.

Aiken said that these panels took years to build and emphasized the importance of precision.

“If you want to do something challenging and do something that means a lot, this is the place to be,” she said.

Frontier Electronic Systems has been part of several launches, including Artemis I, which paved the way for this moon mission.

Aiken said that this will be the first launch she had a hand in.

After tuning in to the takeoff, the team at Frontier Electronic Systems will move on to their next mission.

“We here at Frontier are continuing to build additional products for additional launches,” Smith said.

The launch is set for 5:34 p.m. CT on April 1.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Ricardo Tovar

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    BIG SUR, California (KSBW) — As drivers feel the pain at the gas pump, some are getting sticker shock when they pull in for gas in the coastal hamlet of Gorda-by-the-Sea on the Big Sur coast.

“That’s insane. I just saw it right now, and I couldn’t believe it. It’s not something I’m used to,” said Gustavo Fraga, traveling north from Los Angeles.

“I’m a tourist, but for me, that’s too high — too expensive,” said Diego Monge, visiting from El Salvador.

What is too expensive? How about $10 for premium, $9.70 for plus, and $9.40 for regular, the cheapest option.

“Over there in L.A., we’re at about, like, $6 max, which is something that, you know, hits everyone like crazy. But here it’s $10. I’ve never seen that, ever,” said Fraga.

And most people never will — unless they’re traveling along the scenic Big Sur coast, where there are few gas stations in between. Gorda Gas is often mentioned as having the highest gas prices not just in the state, but in the country.

We asked the station owner what he tells customers when they ask why his prices are so high.

“Well, I always tell them the high prices are because we run the place on generators. We don’t have power — we create our own power here,” said gas station owner Leo Flores.

The price of diesel Flores needs to power his generators is also on the rise. But another reason, Flores says, is that his gas is hauled in from Fresno, more than 100 miles away.

At more than $9 a gallon, not everyone is filling up the tank. Customers are usually pumping less than three gallons — just enough to get to a cheaper station.

“They probably could charge $20 a gallon, and if you have to get gas, you have to get gas,” said Debbie Carignan, traveling from Southern California.

Don’t expect to see $20-a-gallon gas in Gorda. That’s because the owner is limited by the number of digits on his gas pumps, so for now, $9.99 is the max.

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 Marvin Hurst

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    LAKE DALLAS, TX (KTVT) — City leaders in Lake Dallas got more than an earful from residents who believe they were failed during a crisis in late March when a house explosion critically injured Jessica Bailey Lopez.

“A young woman’s life is forever altered. Traumatized for something that was completely preventable,” Sarah Parker said.

Parker joined many others who filled the city council chambers in Lake Dallas. She said the response on March 19 demonstrated the city’s inability to respond to its citizenry in any emergency.

“What is your plan to prevent this from ever happening again? What is your plan to notify this community? What is your emergency action plan because there is zero,” she said.

The explosion shook part of the city. Lopez was airlifted to a hospital, where she remains in critical condition. During the chaos, emergency responders evacuated 40-50 people, according to Lake Dallas City Manager Luke Olson.

Wendy Orozco said she was left without essential information about the safety of her home, the length of displacement, or even where to go for assistance. She said her friends got it worse from a rude officer who evacuated them.

“When the daughter answered the door, she was told she must evacuate,” Orozco said. “She said, ‘It’s not that easy, my mom has stage four cancer, it’s going to take a minute.”

A councilman said officers were moving to save lives. Orozco said he pointed the family north even though they had nowhere to go. Fortunately, they were able to spend some time at the Orozco home.

“We are all victims. We are all victims within our own little community,” Parker said.

Atmos Energy’s Vice President of Public Affairs, Kelly Beigler, and Vice President of Operations for the MidTex Region, Kyle Slaughter, gave an update on their findings. Slaughter said the cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

“While the investigation into the event at 620 Moseley is ongoing, we want to share with you what we have learned to date,” Slaughter said. “We discovered a leak on our gas main under Wilson Drive near 620 Moseley.”

He said a portion of the pipe was sent to the lab for analysis. Slaughter described the section of pipe as “short” and owned by a “predecessor.” He said that the company worked to remove the kind of pipe discovered on Wilson, south of the explosion, but somehow missed this portion made in the 70s.

According to Slaughter, they acquired the gas distribution system in 2004 and were unaware of its existence. In the meantime, he said the company removes this piping when found. They are removing two miles of it in Lake Dallas.

As for a disaster or an emergency plan, Olson said the city does have one. It does not have a system to alert residents in the event of an emergency. He said they would consider a system during budgeting, which is coming up.

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 Bri Buckley

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    MIAMI, Florida (WFOR) — Surveillance video shows an alleged domestic violence incident involving professional boxer Gervonta Davis and his former girlfriend, with the boxer’s attorney filing a motion to dismiss the charges on Wednesday.

The incident occurred in October 2025 inside Tootsie’s strip club in Miami Gardens. The video reportedly shows Davis, also known as “Tank,” dragging the woman down a hall and pushing her down the stairs of the club where she works. At one point, she appears to be asking him to stop.

Davis was charged with battery, false imprisonment, and attempted kidnapping following his arrest in January. He has since been released.

During a court hearing Wednesday morning, Davis’ attorney, Simon Steckel, filed a motion to dismiss, which the judge denied. Steckel claimed there is more to the story.

“The video speaks for itself. However, what you guys may or may not know is that within an hour or so after that video was made, she went home with him and spent the next 9 hours with him, with no fear, with no problems, and that’s also documented in the video that we have,” Steckel said.

Richard Wolfe, the alleged victim’s lawyer, disputed the claim. “That’s a gross mischaracterization of what happened. What happened is, as he threatened to do, he showed up at her house. She was scared like any other victim; she did what she needed to do to get out of that situation,” Wolfe told CBS News Miami.

The defense claims that the former girlfriend is extorting Davis in this case

The defense further argued that the case is an instance of extortion, claiming the woman demanded $1.1 million after the incident, documented in writing.

“We believe this is a shakedown, a shakedown by the alleged victim of Mr. Davis for money because he had a fight coming up at the time, within two weeks after this alleged incident, in which he was scheduled to make a lot of money on a fight against a guy by the name of Jake Paul. And I believe this all ties together and we’re going to put this together in court before this judge and before anyone else that we have to,” Steckel said.

Wolfe countered that his client was merely trying to settle the case. “There was a request to settle the case; whatever those requests were, those are what’s called confidential settlement communications. They can never come into court; they are inadmissible,” Wolfe said. “My client didn’t ask for this, she is a victim here.”

Davis’ next court date is scheduled for May 14th.

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.