‘Artists thrive here’: KC Streetcar helps give local artist his big break

CNN Newsource on October 8, 2025

By Olivia Acree

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    KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KSHB) — The KC Streetcar Main Street Extension is just weeks away from its grand opening, with city officials set to sign the final safety and security verification Wednesday.

This verification is the last required step before the extension opens to public service on Friday, Oct. 24.

For those planning to attend the opening ceremony, the KC Streetcar Authority will distribute 3,000 special commemorative posters designed by a Kansas City Art Institute alum.

Sam Morgan, who entered as a student and has since graduated, won the design competition for the official opening day poster.

“They had a presentation of exactly what they wanted, and we all got to throw our hats into the ring and produce a poster,” Morgan said.

Morgan’s design stood out for its colorful storytelling approach.

“I specifically really wanted to tell a story with my poster,” he said. “I wanted these little people to start, and they’re getting on the streetcar, and then they’re riding it all the way to the City Market and having a good time.”

The poster continues the KC Streetcar’s tradition of featuring local artists throughout its system. From streetcar wraps to Art in the Loop musicians, the transit system consistently highlights Kansas City’s creative community.

“Art is super important to the type of community that we’re trying to build with the streetcar and that social experience that you can have on the streetcar,” said Donna Mandelbaum, KC Streetcar Authority communications director.

Mandelbaum emphasized how the streetcar connects riders to the city’s artistic treasures.

“We’re hitting just like the treasure of the art institutions here in Kansas City, and you could get it all just a block away from where we’re standing right now on the streetcar route,” Mandelbaum said.

For Morgan, the poster represents his first professional project and a potential launching pad for his art career.

“This can open up my art career… It’s really awesome,” Morgan said.

The KC Streetcar Authority will distribute all 3,000 posters for free during the Oct. 24 opening ceremony.

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

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Some of Colorado’s mountain road cameras have gone dark, CDOT promises fix by 2027

CNN Newsource on October 8, 2025

By Spencer Wilson

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    Colorado (KCNC) — Drivers in Colorado’s high country and western slope have lost a key travel tool this summer- nearly 137 Colorado Department of Transportation road cameras that used to show highway conditions are now offline.

The reason? CDOT’s contract with a third-party camera provider ended after years of unstable service, and the state-run organization is going to take on the task itself.

“The vendor was under a lot of financial penalties and not performing,” Bob Fifer, CDOT’s Deputy Director of Operations, said. “When we went out to bid, we didn’t get a bid back from anyone to continue the service.”

According to CDOT, about 137 cameras were affected, many of them on mountain passes and rural highways. Roughly a third of those cameras, Fifer said, were rarely functional even before the contract ended, needing frequent repairs.

For mountain communities like Steamboat Springs, the blackout is a big deal. “The weather can get very sketchy up here, snowy, foggy, solid ice,” Shannon Lukens with Steamboat Radio News said. “We always want to know what’s happening on Rabbit Ears Pass. Those cameras were really, really helpful.”

CDOT says it plans to replace 66 of the most critical cameras, focusing on high-traffic and high-risk areas first, at a cost of $8 million. The new cameras will be installed and maintained by CDOT directly, with the full network expected to be online by fall of 2027, although 10 new cameras have already gone up, with Fifer promising to add to the network as soon as they have the ability to do so.

“If we get them up in the next 60 to 120 days, they’ll be online,” Fifer said. “We’ve already put up two critical cameras, one near the Mesa Nordic Center and another on top of Berthoud Pass.”

The department says it hopes to expand the network beyond the initial 66 cameras as future funding allows, possibly reaching remote corners of the state that have never had live traffic coverage before.

Until then, many routes, including Rabbit Ears Pass, will remain camera-free.

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Former cheer coach accused of recording in bathrooms has 100+ victims, assistant DA says

CNN Newsource on October 8, 2025

By KVIA Staff

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    EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — At a bond hearing today, Judge Antonio Aun ruled that Christopher Sotelo’s bond requirements be lowered. Sotelo is accused of putting recording devices inside the bathroom of a cheerleading gym. Two of the victims were a 17-year-old girl and a 6-year-old girl. Aun ordered the bonds that had been listed at $100,000 and $50,000 be lowered to $15,000. The $20,000 bond was lowered to $15,000, and the $10,000 and $5,000 bonds were denied.

This is Sotelo’s second time dealing with confinement in jail and the need to post bond. He was initially arrested on August 30, and posted a $30,000 bond and was released that same day. Officials rearrested Sotelo on October 2 on new charges. After today’s bond hearing, Sotelo’s second round of bonds have been lowered to a total of $45,000.

Jail records show that as of 3 p.m. October 7, Sotelo remains detained in the El Paso Downtown Jail.

During the bond hearing, Assistant District Attorney Cristina Viesca-Santos stated she has been informed there are more than 100 victims in this case. Viesca-Santos argued during the bond hearing that the judge should not keep Sotelo on a lowered bond because more cases are likely.

Update (4:20 PM): ABC-7 just obtained court documents detailing the reasons for Sotelo’s new charges. The court documents state that a 17-year-old and a 6-year-old were both captured on the hidden camera footage.

ORIGINAL STORY (October 2, 2025): The former cheer coach that had previously been arrested and charged with illegally recording in sensitive areas is now facing additional charges.

El Paso Police announced today that Christopher Sotelo, 32, is facing five new charges of invasive visual recording. Police officers rearrested Sotelo and booked him into jail on a combined $185,000 bond.

Last month, ABC-7 learned from court documents that Sotelo had allegedly hidden two recording devices in the Texas Bandits All-Star Cheerleading building’s bathrooms. Officials have not explained the events leading up to Sotelo’s rearrest, nor what cause officials to file additional charges against him.

Sotelo retained Brian Kennedy as his defense attorney. Kennedy provided the following statement to ABC-7:

“Christopher Sotelo has retained me as his attorney. I have no idea why they issued new warrants and re-arrested him. We haven’t seen any paperwork as to the probable cause for the new warrants. As we get more information, I will be available.”

Brian Kennedy

El Paso Police Department officials are asking anyone with additional information to come forward.

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Southgate Anderson High School closed after bullet found in classroom

CNN Newsource on October 8, 2025

By Paula Wethington

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    SOUTHGATE (WWJ) — Classes are canceled Wednesday at Southgate Anderson High School after police say a bullet was found inside a classroom.

Southgate police are on scene, investigating the call at the school on Leroy Road near McCann Avenue in Southgate.

Police confirmed that they are sweeping the building and are working to determine where the bullet came from.

Officials said there is no threat to the public.

An investigation is ongoing.

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Mother remembers son who died in Minneapolis fire as man with “a great heart”

CNN Newsource on October 8, 2025

By Jason Rantala

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A mother is remembering her son nearly two weeks after authorities say he was killed in a fire that was set on purpose.

Pamela Lazor said her 39-year-old son Housten Housley went to school with 41-year-old Andrew Nietz, who officials have now charged with second-degree murder and first-degree arson.

Housley died on the night of Sept. 24, when authorities said Nietz set fire to the duplex where he lived. Hennepin County court documents say Nietz “had previously made threats” against Housely.

“He just had a great heart,” Lazor said of her son. “He was a great kid, lots of friends. There’s so many people that are devastated by what happened to him.”

Lazor knew Nietz well. She used to rent to him in the building, but had to evict him for his drug use, court documents said.

“The kid definitely had his violent tendencies,” Lazor said. “And, unfortunately, my son was the victim of that.”

Charging documents said a witness told police that Housley and Nietz would get into fights when they drank together.

Lazor said her son and Nietz had been on-and-off friends for years. Housley was trying to help Nietz, while at the same time, trying to distance himself, she said.

Several hours after the fire, court documents said Housley’s car was found in south Minneapolis and Nietz was behind the wheel. Officers observed scratches on his arm and face. According to charges, location data showed Nietz at the residence up until the time of the fire.

“There’s no justice because I will never be able to talk to my son,” Lazor said.

Lazor said her son was killed by a man he was trying to help.

Nietz has two prior convictions for arson, including a conviction in the fifth degree from March 20, 2023. In that case, he started a trash can on fire at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He was also convicted of first-degree arson in 2012 for starting a fire at the Mall of America.

Nietz’s bond is set at $500,000.

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Texas organization helps schools get Ten Commandments displayed in classrooms, calling it important historical document

CNN Newsource on October 8, 2025

By Lacey Beasley, Julia Falcon

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    TEXAS (KTVT) — The Ten Commandments law went into effect earlier this month, meaning posters displaying the religious foundations are slowly showing up in classrooms across the state. Some districts are buying them and others are relying on donations.

One organization, Texas Values, is leading the rollout. It’s one of the groups that helped pass Senate Bill 10.

Organizers believe that by hanging the Ten Commandments it helps students understand the foundation of the United States.

“We feel like the Ten Commandments are an important historical document,” said Jonathan Covey, with Texas Values. “This has been something that we’ve worked on for a few sessions.”

Here’s what you need to know about SB 10:

Posters must either be donated or campuses can use district funds to buy them voluntarily. Must be framed 16 x 20 inches Must be displayed in a visible part of the classroom. According to restoreamericanschools.com, over 4,600 schools have been adopted so far, which means there are posters hanging in classrooms already or there are posters on the way. That’s out of 9,088 campuses across Texas.

Lacey Beasley: Walk me through this process. Where do you guys get the posters, and how does it get from you guys to the classroom?

Jonathan Covey: We partnered with a number of other organizations as kind of a coalition to create a website. It’s called restoreamericanschools.com. Through the website, you can order posters for the schools that you want to adopt as a volunteer. They’ll be shipped to your home, and then you can take them and drop them off at the school.

Beasley: Why are you a supporter of having the Ten Commandments displayed in public school classrooms?

Covey: Whether or not you’re even a religious person, it’s undeniable that concepts like prohibitions against theft, prohibitions against murder, and honoring your father and your mother, those ideas have shaped the foundations of a lot of legal codes, but especially those in the United States.

Beasley: There’s no denying this is a religious text in the christian bible. Is that pushing a christian agenda into classrooms?

Covey: That’s the coercion argument. The great thing about America is that we can disagree, and sometimes we might be offended, but the supreme court has been very clear that just because you’re offended by a display doesn’t mean that you’re being coerced by that display. If people are offended by straight up facts, you’re going to have a bumpy life ahead of you.

Beasley: What is stopping teachers from hanging text from other religious accounts?

Covey: I don’t know if anything that’s stopping them.

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LA County man restrained to hospital bed for a month after immigration operation

CNN Newsource on October 8, 2025

By Alys Martinez

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    LOS ANGELES COUNTY, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A man hospitalized after an immigration operation at a Los Angeles County car wash has been granted a temporary restraining order that commands federal agents to remove the security guards who have accompanied him since late August.

The federal judge also ordered the Department of Homeland Security to remove the restraints that have tied him to his hospital bed for the past month.

Bayron Rovidio Marin suffered a severe leg injury during an immigration raid at the Carson Car Wash on Aug. 27. According to court documents, he was taken to Harbor UCLA Medical Center. Federal agents remained at his bedside during admission, transfer to non-public treatment areas and through his stay, keeping him handcuffed to his hospital bed.

In addition to the restraints, two to four uniformed guards, either private security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, have been continuously stationed in his hospital room, monitoring him at all times, according to the court documents.

“In this case, he was arrested in a car wash raid and held in the custody of the government for over a month at the hospital without any charges brought, without any determination he was in violation of immigration law,” Marin’s lawyer Jean Reisz.

Reisz, who is also a professor at USC, said her client received the temporary restraining order on Saturday night, Oct. 4.

“The judge talks about freedoms from restraint of liberty without due process is the cornerstone of American society,” Reisz said. “I think it’s concerning. I think it’s part of these aggressive tactics used by this administration in enforcing immigration law.”

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), which is also representing Marin, stated he “was forced to endure medical treatment and recovery with ICE agents in his room.”

“ICE agents listened to every conversation between him and his doctors,” CHIRLA wrote in a statement. “They interrogated him while he was in pain and under the influence of medication. They did not permit him to see his family and removed his access to phone calls.”

Marin remains hospitalized, and the temporary restraining order will remain in effect until Oct. 18. The federal government has until Oct. 16 to respond.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said Marin was “an illegal alien from Guatemala” who tried to escape agents by scaling a fence during an immigration operation on Oct. 4. Marin fell and CBP agents helped him until he was taken to the hospital, the spokesperson wrote.

Marin and his attorney said he suffered the leg injury on Aug. 27.

CBS News Los Angeles asked federal agents to clarify their statement, but did not receive an immediate response.

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3 arrested in alleged human trafficking operation run out of motel

CNN Newsource on October 8, 2025

By Carlos E. Castañeda

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    SAN JOSE, California (KPIX) — Three people were arrested following a police undercover investigation into a human trafficking operation in San Jose running out of a motel and involving motel staffers, authorities said.

The San Jose Police Department said in a press release that its human trafficking task force, along with Santa Clara County’s human trafficking unit, took part in a months-long investigation into alleged trafficking at Caravelle Inn & Suites, located on North First Street and East Rosemary Street in North San Jose. The investigation began after the Police Department received multiple tips about the alleged activity.

Police said the investigation determined an elaborate sex trafficking operation was being operated from the Caravelle Inn involving motel staffers. The two-star hotel is listed as a motel in online travel guides.

“During the investigation, we found that the illegal operation involved multiple hotel staff and housed multiple survivors who were staying there on a long-term basis,” said Police Department spokesperson Stacie Shih at a press conference on Tuesday.

On Oct. 1, officers raided Caravelle Inn and arrested three suspects police identified as responsible for the operation: 62-year-old Cong Tien Nguyen, 45-year-old Qi Hong, and 50-year-old Rizaldy Mariano, each a resident of San Jose. Police said Nguyen and Mariano are employees of the motel. All three were booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on charges of pimping, pandering, and conspiracy.

Police also cited and released two adults for solicitation. Six survivors were also located at the motel and provided resources, the department said. During the search, detectives also located approximately $30,000 in cash. The investigation remains ongoing.

Shih said that the department is focusing on an expected increase in human trafficking in advance of Super Bowl 60, which will be hosted in the Bay Area in February and played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, as well as FIFA World Cup matches in the summer of 2026.

“With these events on the horizon, the months approaching, we will continue making sure that we utilize these proactive enforcement approaches, such as undercover operations, to target these illegal sex trafficking operations and hold these traffickers responsible,” Shih said

“As multiple major sporting events quickly approach next year, I want to make it loud and clear that these illegal operations have no place in our city,” said Police Chief Paul Joseph in a prepared statement. “We will stop at nothing to shut them down and protect our most vulnerable community members.”

The department encouraged anyone with information about such activities to contact the Human Trafficking Task Force at (408) 537-1999 or email stopslavery@sanjoseca.gov.

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Man refurbishes old computers and gives them to families in need

CNN Newsource on October 8, 2025

By Robert Boyd

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    TAMPA, Florida (WFTS) — Growing up in Venezuela, Tony Selvaggio witnessed firsthand how many families lived without computers, and soon realized the issue existed right here in his new home of Tampa Bay.

“Most people don’t know that there is a problem, most people don’t know that 80 percent of our computers are being thrown away and not being recycled,” said Selvaggio.

So in 2014, just a few years after immigrating to the U.S, Tony opened eSmart Recycling. Last year, the business accepted more than one million pounds of used electronics.

“If it has a plug, a switch, or a battery, then we can recycle it,” said Selvaggio.

Tony knows how impactful a computer can be. His first and only computer growing up not only got him through school, but it’s also how he applied for his VISA.

“When you hear numbers, like in the county we have a wait list of 1,500 kids who don’t have computers in their home, it sounds like a problem that shouldn’t exist,” said Selvaggio.

This past year, Tony donated more than 1,000 refurbished computers to people in need.

“We work hand in hand with Hillsborough Education Foundation; we work a lot with non-profits in the community that really need access to computers,” said Selvaggio.

One of their non-profit partners is GTE Financial. They say Tony’s dedication to giving back is significant during Hispanic Heritage Month.

“He was doing amazing things, and we are all about empowering our community, and we definitely wanted to empower more people like him,” said Onassis Santiago with GTE Financial.

Every day, Tony walks past a sign outside his office that reads, “If you want to change the world, start in your own community.”

“Hispanic Heritage Month for me is an opportunity to celebrate our upbringing, those things that we bring from a cultural standpoint that can help us become more competitive as a community. This is a perfect example,” said Selvaggio.

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Junipero Serra statue at Highway 280 rest stop in San Mateo County quietly removed by Caltrans

CNN Newsource on October 8, 2025

By Brad Hamilton

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    California (KPIX) — For decades, anyone driving along Interstate Highway 280 in Hillsborough could look up and see a giant statue of Father Junípero Serra watching over the Peninsula next to the Crystal Springs rest stop.

But this summer, Caltrans quietly removed the statue, and the move is reigniting a debate over the 18th-century missionary’s legacy.

Patricia Gonzalez knows the Crystal Springs Rest Area better than most, since she manages it.

“As a kid, I remember going to Blackberry Farm and passing the statue and knowing, ‘Okay, we’re almost there,'” she said.

For the past three years, Gonzalez has watched travelers pull off I-280, some for a quick break, others to take photos with the figure that stood guard above them.

“The last people to come were from Ireland, and they came to see the statue, and it was gone,” Gonzalez said.

Built in 1975 by artist Louis Dubois, the 26-foot-tall statue had become part of the landscape, a landmark for commuters, families, and tourists from around the world.

But this summer, the view changed overnight.

“All I was told is that they were going to close the rest stop down,” said Gonzalez. “They closed it for about a week and took the statue down.”

Gonzalez says crews from Caltrans arrived in August with little notice. When the rest area reopened, the statue was gone.

Caltrans later confirmed the removal, saying the monument no longer met requirements under the state’s Transportation Art Program and that the structure was too fragile to move safely.

On its website, Caltrans says the Transportation Art Program installs artwork that represents communities’ “unique aesthetic, environmental, scenic, historical, and cultural values.”

Serra, an 18th-century Spanish missionary, helped found the first nine of California’s 21 missions. But his legacy has become increasingly controversial. To his supporters, he’s a symbol of faith and heritage. To his critics, he represents a painful era of colonization and the suppression of Indigenous people.

Greg Castro, a cultural leader with the Association of Ohlone Tribes, has advocated for years to see the statue come down.

“One of the responses we get is that we’re trying to erase history,” Castro said. “And my response is that the statue itself erases history, it ignores the harm that was done.”

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said he was not told about the removal before it happened.

“No one fought for St. Junípero Serra because, apparently, officials from Caltrans and the Transportation Art Program didn’t consult with anyone who would give them an opinion that differed from their own,” said Cordileone in a statement sent to CBS News Bay Area. “Would we expect this treatment if it happened to be associated with another religious organization? I think not.”

Serra was canonized as a saint by Pope Francis in 2015. His statues have been the target of protests in recent years, including in 2020 when one in San Rafael was vandalized with red paint and another in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park was toppled by demonstrators.

Today, the hillside in Hillsborough where Serra’s statue once stood is empty, just a patch of earth above the rest stop Gonzalez still runs.

“People are going to miss it,” she said. “People still come every day to see it. It’s sad.”

While the debate over Serra’s legacy may continue for years, Gonzalez says for her, it’s simpler: a piece of local history that’s now just a memory on the drive home.

Caltrans says the statue was removed back in August and that there are no plans to rebuild or replace it.

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