Category: CNN Regional

By Mike Sullivan

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    BROCKTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Inside Brockton High School, dozens of teens are learning how to offer mental health support to their classmates.

The students are “under a lot of different stressors” in the age of social media, according to Brockton Schools’ director of health and wellness, Dennis Genuich. Whether it be online feuds, arguments, growing expectations, or a mental health diagnosis.

“Conflict is a big thing in high school,” said student Darlie Gregoire.

The group of 40 students, called the “First-Aiders,” is trained in conflict resolution, mediation, and mental health. They even received a certification in March from the mental health education group Pinnacle Partnerships.

Part of the training includes role-playing sessions where they learn how to mediate discussions and approach their peers if they think they may be struggling with self-harm, eating disorders, depression, or bullying. The simulations also include how to deal with inter-peer conflicts, such as disagreements about a crush and betrayal.

Genuich said students are often more aware of the goings-on than they are, and other students feel more comfortable speaking with their peers than with an adult.

“We are connected in a way before the adults can come,” said Gregoire. “It does give us an advantage.”

“Some of the students who seemingly have it all together and you wouldn’t notice that they are having any difficulty. Those are the students reaching out for help, and they reach out primarily to their peers,” Genuich said.

One student, Princess Adedyon, has already put the skills to use, helping a friend in a crisis. She explained that her approach includes an action plan to help students resolve conflicts.

“Instead of me dismissing it, I talked to her, and then we both decided as a collective that it would be good for us to find one of her trusted adults,” Princess explained.

She explained that they don’t directly tell the students how to solve the problem, but they provide pathways for their peers to get help.

“Anyone should never be afraid to reach out to someone,” Adedyon explained.

Sometimes the situations are tense and nerve-wracking, and she has to remind herself she’s trained for them.

“I think I do take a breath and I tell myself that it’s okay. I am trained in this, I know what I am doing,” said Adedyon.

Genuich explained that the goal is to double the number of trained students by expanding the training to all of the health classes next year.

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 Paul Burton

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    PAXTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — The 2026 graduating class of Anna Marie College in Paxton said it was bittersweet to cross the stage at commencement on Saturday, knowing they would be the last to receive a degree from the school.

“Feels amazing. A lot of trials and tribulations. A very hard warming journey, but we made it, and we are the last class, so it felt even all the more of an accomplishment,” Jason Feliciano said.

“I’m happy, but at the same time I am sad because this is our home, and if it’s closing, we need to find another place,” graduate Elizabeth Ansah said.

Back in April, the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education issued a notice saying that Anna Maria may not have “sufficient resources” to stay open through the next academic year. Then, the private Catholic college announced it would close for good after serving the community for over 80 years, citing financial pressure and declining enrollment.

“It’s sad, it’s a nicer rural community,” parent Christian Manuilow said. “I really think this is a beautiful day to celebrate all that this school has offered for the past 80 years.”

Around 1400 undergraduates will now have to find a new place to go to school. Regis College in Weston has said it will accept students who want to transfer. Regis will also hold all transcripts, degree certificates, and other important academic records for Anna Maria alumni. Feliciano said that students need to overcome the setback and continue their education however they can.

“To be a role model for other youth that no matter what comes your way you just gotta get up and keep going,” he explained.

New graduates feel confident that, despite the school’s closure, the community will remain.

“I think we are still going to be a family. We can still communicate, but we will miss each other,” Ansah 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 Mike Hellgren

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore City police are investigating the rape of a developmentally disabled woman, which was not discovered until just weeks before she gave birth in December 2024.

The victim’s family is suing the state along with the operator of the group home where the victim lived at the time.

The victim could not give consent.

She is blind and non-verbal and has the cognitive ability of a toddler, according to the lawsuit, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

The allegations in the lawsuit are shocking: a developmentally disabled woman who received around-the-clock care was raped, and it was not discovered until she was taken to Sinai Hospital in Northwest Baltimore in the fall of 2024 with abdominal swelling and pain.

Doctors there confirmed she was pregnant and contacted Baltimore police.

A police spokesman told WJZ Investigates, “This investigation remains actively open, and we still can’t comment any further.”

No arrests have been made.

The victim later gave birth to a healthy child.

Jessica Gallatin of Cecil County cares for her own developmentally disabled sister and read the family’s detailed account when it was first published in The Washington Post this week.

“I instantly just thought of my sister, and then I cried. It took me a second to get my composure…” said Gallatin, who is a member of the advocacy group Concerned Citizens of Self-Direction Maryland. “It was devastating to hear. It’s definitely a worst fear situation.”

Compounding her fears are state budget cuts that she said are pushing more vulnerable people into group home settings.

“Everyone feels exposed, and this story just kind of validated everyone’s concerns,” Gallatin said.

She still has many questions.

“Wasn’t somebody else around? How did that even happen? I’m just trying to picture it. I don’t know. I was at a loss for words trying to think of how something like that can happen,” Gallatin told WJZ.

Elliott Petty, a lawyer representing Dominion Resource Center, the operator of the home where the victim lived at the time, told WJZ, “Dominion Resource Center denies wrongdoing as to [the victim] but expresses its love and support of [the victim] and her family in this difficult circumstance. DRC has worked and will continue to work and cooperate with Baltimore City Police in their investigation.”

A Dominion executive told The Washington Post that six of her staff members have been cleared of wrongdoing, and the company’s legal representative noted the state did not recommend any corrective action after the incident.

The lawsuit also names state agencies, including the Maryland Department of Health, which told WJZ it “…cannot comment on ongoing litigation.”

But the agency stated, “Investigations of complaints regarding services for Marylanders who participate in DDA waiver programs have been and continue to be a priority for the Moore-Miller Administration. The Maryland Department of Health’s goal is to provide a sustainable, accessible, and effective program of meaningful services for Marylanders with disabilities.”

According to the family’s lawsuit, the fact that the pregnancy was not discovered for months, “…is not only outrageous but inconceivable given [the victim’s] evident vulnerabilities and the comprehensive care she was supposed to receive. This claim seeks to hold the Defendants accountable for their inexcusable failure to protect [the victim], resulting in her profound suffering and the birth of her child under traumatic circumstances.”

The family’s lawyer said they are concerned other vulnerable people could be at risk with the rape suspect or suspects at large.

Gallatin shares those fears.

“It’s just unthinkable [to] me that someone is capable of doing that,” she said. “The fact that he’s still out there I think, is really concerning.”

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 Naomi Ruchim

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A woman is mourning the loss of her brother after he was stabbed to death in a random attack in Times Square late Monday night.

According to New York City police sources, the teenage suspect claimed the attack was part of a TikTok trend.

Police say just before 11:30 p.m. Monday, three people approached Leonidas Baez, 39, on West 43rd Street while he appeared to be sleeping.

Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows the group waking him up before one of the suspects chased him into an alley and stabbed him to death.

Prosecutors say the group ran off, leaving Baez bleeding on the sidewalk.

Jayden Sanchez, 17, was arrested and charged with murder and other offenses, including robbery and assault.

According to police sources, Sanchez told investigators he and his accomplices chose to attack Baez as part of a TikTok trend targeting unhoused individuals or people addicted to drugs.

Police say they are still working to identify his accomplices.

Investigators say Sanchez is also accused of slashing a man near a Midtown newsstand the night before he attacked Baez.

For sister Catalina Baez, the pain is still hard to process.

“I can’t call my brother up. I can’t text my brother,” she said. “I can’t hear my brother’s voice again.”

She described her brother as a free spirit.

“He wasn’t homeless. This is the lifestyle that he wanted to live,” Catalina Baez said. “He was a hippie, you know? He lived a Bob Marley life. Just wanted to be free.”

She said it’s “disgusting” that her brother’s death was allegedly part of a social media trend.

This isn’t the first case of its kind in New York in recent weeks. In late April in Binghamton, five teenagers were charged after police say they beat a man on the street who later died. Investigators in that case say the attack was tied to a similar social media trend.

Catalina Baez saw Sanchez in court Friday and says she’s still trying to understand how someone so young could allegedly do something so violent.

“Obviously, I’m hurt more than anything because why would you take someone who was loved by so many people?” she said.

Catalina Baez said she wants her brother, a father of two, to be remembered for his joy.

“Super happy, really intelligent, loved to study, loved to read,” 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 Nick Caloway

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    JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (WCBS) — An iconic New Jersey hot dog stand that’s been in business for nearly 90 years could be getting pushed out for new luxury apartments and a Whole Foods.

The owners of Boulevard Drinks in Jersey City’s Journal Square said new building owners gave them until the end of May to get out, but they’re putting up a fight to avoid closing for good.

The hot dog joint has been an institution for generations of commuters and locals looking for a quick bite in Journal Square Plaza. Some said they’ve been customers for their entire lives.

“I’ll be 80 next year, so that’s how long. It’s been over there since I was a little kid,” a resident named Lorraine said.

“Simple and plain, grilled dogs,” resident Eric Rutledge said. “This is a landmark in Jersey City.”

Developers of the site in Journal Square plan to build a new luxury high-rise, along with around 80 new units of affordable housing and a Whole Foods store, officials said.

Boulevard Drinks’ owners said they have until May 27 to find a new home, even though manager Victor Victoratos said their lease is valid until 2034.

“If it was up to me, we’d stay right where we are. Everybody knows us and they all come to us,” he said.

Boulevard Drinks remains open, for now, and the lines at lunchtime are longer then usual as word gets out about its potential closure.

“They want us out. We’re hoping to get relocated somewhere within the square,” Victoratos said. “We’re gonna fight like hell.”

Mayor James Solomon and Councilman Tom Zuppa said the city is “working with developers and community members to find a path that keeps Boulevard Drinks in the neighborhood.”

“This is bigger than one establishment. As Journal Square continues to grow, this administration is dedicated to ensuring that development deals we negotiate include meaningful protections and opportunities for the local businesses that build this community. Growth should lift the neighborhood — not push out the people and places that define it,” the joint statement said.

Local leaders said they support new development, but not at the expense of neighborhood favorites.

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 Lauren Pozen

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    SANTA CLARITA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A Southern California family is turning their tragedy into a warning after their beloved dog ate a death cap mushroom during a simple walk in the park.

“Bogie was the sweetest dog ever,” owner Chloe Julian said. “We got him when he was 9 weeks old. We basically raised him, and he brought so much joy into all of our lives.

Julian said her 1-year-old golden retriever, Bogie, was staying with family while she and her fiancé were out of town. She said during a walk at Valencia Summit Park, her family saw him eat something.

“She noticed, but by that point, he already ate the mushroom,” Julian said. “They went home, put him to bed like normal in his crate. Then, the next morning, when they woke up, they realized that he threw up everywhere, all over his crate.”

The family rushed Bogie to the emergency veterinarian for IV fluids and medication. Overnight, she said his condition worsened. Julian and her fiancé rushed home to be with him.

“We could just tell, the minute we got there, that he was not OK,” Julian said.

They faced a major problem. They still had no idea what kind of mushroom Bogie ate.

Julian and her fiancé said they went back to the emergency vet and uploaded a picture of the mushroom to a poison control group while they waited. It was so serious that a specialist from Rhode Island saw the post and called Bogie’s vet to help.

“It was a death cap mushroom,” Julian said. “I’ll never forget one of the tests he had was his blood mixed with something. It showed how yellow his liver was. And, at that point, they’re like he’s going into liver failure.

Death cap mushrooms are highly toxic to both humans and pets. Expert Bob Cummings said the fungi have become increasingly more common.

“This toxin goes to those vital organs and literally shuts them down by shutting down its genetic machinery,” Cummings said. “They cannot do anything. It’s almost like someone takes your liver out.”

Julian said Bogie was in a lot of pain, and they didn’t have many options left.

“We told him how much we loved him, and then when we brought him back in, that’s when we had to make the decision to take him to doggy heaven,” Julian said.

Experts said people should leave death cap mushrooms alone if they encounter them on a walk.

“I want this story to save at least one animal,” Julian said. “We don’t have our baby anymore. But, I hope that his story will save someone else’s.”

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 Brian Maass

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    DENVER, Colorado (KCNC) — A Denver County Court judge on Friday sentenced a vocal police critic to 60 days in jail and two years of probation, saying he needed to send a message that would deter her and her YouTube followers from future doxing of law enforcement.

“The court finds the defendant has no respect for the law,” said Judge Isaam Shamsid-Deen, adding that Regan Benson, 53, had shown no accountability for her actions.

The case stems from a September 3, 2025, livestream Benson conducted outside a Denver Police station. An advocate for the homeless and a persistent critic of law enforcement, Benson has livestreamed hundreds of times and has roughly 24,000 followers on YouTube. During the broadcast, she solicited her followers to search for the home address of a Denver police commander. When followers found it and relayed it back to her, Benson read the address aloud on the stream and suggested there should be a “pig roast” at his home.

Benson maintained the remark was “a joke, hyperbole” with no malicious intent and no direct threat.

A week after the livestream, Denver police obtained a warrant for Benson’s arrest on a charge of posting personal information of a protected person online, a Class 1 misdemeanor. The case appears to be the first prosecution in Colorado under the state’s anti-doxing statute. The officer whose address was publicly broadcast said he feared for his safety and that of his family.

A jury convicted Benson of the charge in March. She was sentenced on Friday afternoon.

In handing down the sentence, Shamsid-Deen pointed to Benson’s conduct after the verdict. Immediately following her conviction, she livestreamed again, calling the jury “stupid,” declaring the judge biased, and reiterating her contempt for the criminal justice system. The judge said Benson “purposely and willfully disrespects the law” and that the sentence was necessary to deter her and her followers from similar conduct.

The sentencing itself hit a procedural snag. Shamsid-Deen initially sought to impose a 90-day jail term, but prosecutor Jonah Karls informed him that the sentence exceeded his legal authority, something the judge appeared unaware of. Shamsid-Deen then reduced the sentence to 60 days. He also denied a defense request to delay Benson’s jailing until early next week, ordering her taken into custody immediately.

Benson’s attorney, Jamie Hubbard, said the prosecution was both legally flawed and politically troubling.

“I feel very strongly now is not the time for the Denver District Attorney to be targeting people like Regan Benson who hold our law enforcement officers accountable,” said Hubbard.

She argued that posting the officer’s home address did not constitute an imminent threat and therefore did not violate the law. She also called Colorado’s anti-doxing statute unconstitutional, saying Benson was exercising her First Amendment rights during the livestream. Benson will appeal, Hubbard said.

Hubbard drew a pointed comparison between the Benson case and the federal prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted over a May 2025 Instagram post showing seashells arranged to spell “8647,” a photo Trump supporters interpreted as a threat against the 47th president.

“It is offensive to me and scary that our prosecutors in Denver are doing the same thing the Department of Justice is doing under this administration,” Hubbard said.

Denver District Attorney John Walsh pushed back in a written statement after the sentencing.

“I have always, and always will, vigorously support all Coloradans’ First Amendment expression. But in this case, as a jury of Denverites found beyond a reasonable doubt, the defendant’s conduct clearly stepped across the line,” Walsh said.

Benson may not remain jailed for long. The judge allowed her to post a $3,000 bond, which would allow her to remain free while her appeal proceeds. Her husband, Bo Benson, said Friday he hoped to post the bond that evening and expected his wife to be released shortly after.

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 Chris Hoffman

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    BETHAL PARK, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A Bethel Park teacher is thriving after the scare of a lifetime. Doctors found a tumor on her brain, but it never stopped her from doing what she loves. Now five years later, she never takes a day for granted.

Inside K.D. Meucci’s class at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Bethel Park, and you’ll find high-energy education.

“These kids are amazing. Just fill my heart with such love,” Meucci said.

Meucci tries to instill a sense of strength and belief in each child, letting them know they can get through challenges and hard times.

“She just makes us believe in ourselves,” student Cal Cuadros said.

“Everybody wants her,” student Anisa Gorman said.

They’re lessons Meucci used to get through some of life’s hardest challenges. In the fall of 2021, she got COVID and recovered, but still felt off.

“I just thought I had COVID. We’re in a COVID school year, which is really hard for everyone,” Meucci said.

Meucci started seeing bright lights and feeling faint. She went to a hospital and after scans, she learned there was a tumor on her brain. AHN neurosurgeon Dr. Matthew Shepard scheduled surgery for her six days later. For Meucci, it was a hard time of fearing the worst and having conversations with family about if it didn’t go well. Her children were 6 and 4 at the time.

“If I don’t make it, take care of my kids. Make sure my daughter has a prom dress and all the things moms take care of,” she said.

When she went in for the six-hour operation, Dr. Shepard saw the cards from students all around her and it hit him right in the feels, when usually he’s laser-focused.

“That moment struck me with, look, we are not just operating on a tumor. We are operating on more than an individual and her family. We are operating on the community,” Dr. Shepard said.

The surgery was a success. The tumor was benign and had meningioma. Those are slow growing tumors that give symptoms of headaches that won’t go away, seizures, and neurological issues. Dr. Shepard said only one percent of people will get these, and unfortunately, there’s no real explanation why.

For Meucci, this didn’t slow her down. Since 2019, she would read bedtime stories to students once a week on Facebook Live. The day after the surgery was that day, and she didn’t hesitate to keep it going from her hospital bed.

“I’m so swollen. I’m black and blue. I’ve got this hat on my head because I had brain surgery,” Meucci said about the video she recorded that night.

“She probably goes down as one of the most motivated individual patients I’ve had since I started practicing neurosurgery,” Dr. Shepard said.

Within three months, Meucci was back in the classroom. Dr. Shepard is now forever part of her family, and to that point, she has his face on earrings.

“I really do look at him like you are my hero. Without him, I don’t want to think about where I could be,” Meucci said.

Almost five years later, Meucci still goes back for MRIs to make sure everything is good. Right now, she is in a better spot physically and mentally. She is happier now than she was before.

“We just don’t know what life is going to throw at us. We really need to seize the moment, live in the moment and be as happy as we can be,” Meucci said.

That includes seeing the meaning of the family we’re born with and the family we make along the way.

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 Alexa Herrera

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    NEW YORK CITY, New York (WCBS) — A New York City man will be sentenced Friday after he pleaded guilty to making explosives, storing them on apartment building rooftops and throwing at least one onto subway tracks.

Michael Gann was charged in June 2025 when prosecutors said he made six devices and set one of them off near the East River and the FDR Drive.

He tried to get rid of the rest by hurling them into the river from the Manhattan side of the Williamsburg Bridge. Two of them landed in the water, and one landed on train tracks. Authorities said they found one in Gann’s bag and another in his pocket.

The indictment said he stored the explosives on the rooftops of SoHo apartments. Investigators said they found 30 grams of explosive powder on top of the buildings.

Gann learned how to make explosives online Gann told law enforcement he was trying to make pyrotechnics and learned how to do it using the internet.

Investigators said before he was arrested, he searched for “3D gun printing,” “clorine bomb [cq],” and “firework chemical equation.”

He also told law enforcement he used artificial intelligence to learn which chemicals to use and mix.

A month before the incident, he ordered pounds of chemicals, dozens of cardboard tubes and 50 feet worth of fuses.

“Very damaging, even deadly” Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, previously said these devices are highly dangerous.

“Even a relatively small-looking device — in this case 600 times the explosive power of a firework — in close proximity of a subway car can be very damaging, even deadly,” she said.

Gann faced a host of federal charges, including attempted destruction of property by explosives and transporting explosive materials. The charges carry a maximum potential sentence of 40 years in prison.

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By Dave Carlin

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — “The Pitt” star Isa Briones is bringing heightened pride and Filipino presence to both stage and screen.

While on break from filming the hit HBO medical drama, she’s playing the great Connie Francis in the Broadway musical “Just In Time,” about the life and music of Bobby Darin.

Filipino representation on stage The TV star was born to be on stage.

She toured with “Hamilton” at age 19, and later made her Broadway debut in “Hadestown” in 2024, where she performed alongside her father, Jon Jon Briones, who had famously triumphed on Broadway in the revival of “Miss Saigon.”

“For me, watching my dad go through this business, it was not easy being a Filipino man,” Isa Briones said. “If my dad got cast, he was cast as the Chinese guy, as the Vietnamese drug lord … Watching him never give up on that, I was like, this doesn’t have to keep happening.”

She added, “Now we get to see so many more stories actually told by Filipinos about Filipinos.”

Isa Briones’ final performance in “Just In Time” is May 29.

“I’m showing you all of who I am” On screen, Isa Briones plays Dr. Trinity Santos on “The Pitt,” helping spotlight Filipino contributions to America’s healthcare system.

“It just meant a lot to me to represent part of who I am and get to show, like, oh, there’s also not just Filipino nurses, there’s also Filipino doctors, there’s an array,” she said.

She added, “I’m showing you all of who I am, and it’s good.”

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.