Category: CNN Regional

By Ben Winslow

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    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSTU) — Utah Valley University released its highly-anticipated report on Friday about security issues surrounding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“It is the opinion of the Project Team, based on our review of all available information, that at no time during the events leading up to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, or in its aftermath, did any employee or agent of UVU act in bad faith or in willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others,” the review said.

However, the report identified “inconsistencies” in campus safety policies, personnel and resources that led to his killing in front of thousands during a Turning Point USA event on campus.

“The event originated with a July 2025 request from UVU’s TPUSA student chapter for Charlie Kirk to speak in the fountain courtyard. In an August 21 questionnaire response, TPUSA projected approximately 600 attendees and reported no security concerns. At an August 25 planning meeting, UVU participants raised concerns about the outdoor location, anticipated attendance, protest activity, crowd management, and access control, and suggested alternative venues. TPUSA requested that the event remain in the courtyard and preferred to manage its own ticketing. The university’s committee allowed those arrangements,” a summary said.

It added that TPUSA did raise cocnerns about a pedestrian walkway above the area where Kirk was to speak.

“On the morning of September 10, TPUSA’s security team again raised concerns about people on the walkway. Chief Long responded that officers would arrive by 11:00 a.m. to address the request. UVUPD officers cleared the area by directing people away from the area directly above the speaking location and blocked it off with police tape. The UVUPD Chief of Police proposed meeting with TPUSA’s security at 11:00 a.m. on the walkway above the canopy where Charlie Kirk would speak, but this meeting did not occur,” the report said.

Following the report’s release, a statement was released by the attorney for Erika Kirk, Charlie’s wife, who has claimed, along with her family, that lax university security helped lead to her husband’s death.

“This report reaffirms the facts we laid out in our Notice of Claim: that UVU security was woefully understaffed and unprepared to manage the obvious risks associated with an event of this nature,” wrote Brett Parkinson. “The buck stopped with UVU leadership and law enforcement. Justice for Charlie and his family requires true accountability for UVU’s fatal shortcomings that day.”

Tyler Robinson is facing aggravated murder charges, accused of shooting Kirk during the event last year. Utah County prosecutors have alleged that Robinson killed Kirk over politics. They have argued in court filings that a bullet found in the suspected murder weapon with the inscription “Hey Facist! CATCH!” is an “overt political reference.” Prosecutors have alleged that Robinson texted his romantic partner “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

Robinson’s attorneys have disputed the evidence as proof of political motivation. Utah County prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.

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 Evelyn Holmes, Tre Ward

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    GLENWOOD, Illinois (WLS) — Chicago police spent hours searching a south suburban cremation business connected to the owners of a South Chicago funeral home where investigators say more than 50 decomposing bodies were found in August.

Officers carried dozens of boxes out of Planet Green Cremations in Glenwood and loaded them into unmarked Chicago police vehicles. Yellow police tape surrounded the business as officers moved in and out of the property.

Chicago police said Area Two detectives were “conducting a follow-up investigation” at the Glenwood business.

According to the Illinois state comptroller’s office, the Glenwood location is a storefront rather than an actual crematory. It is owned by Johanna Morgan.

Morgan and her husband, Clark Morgan, also own the South Chicago Chapel, where investigators say more than 50 decomposing bodies were found on the property in August.

One of the owners was seen sitting in a vehicle at the other end of the parking lot during the police activity in Glenwood. He drove away as a reporter approached the vehicle.

The police activity brought Franquella Campbell, a former Planet Green customer, back to a loss her family believes the business mishandled.

Campbell’s family believes her mother’s cremation was mishandled and questions whether the ashes the family received in an urn are actually those of her mother.

“I don’t understand why they haven’t been here sooner. All our paperwork say this place. Her name. This place,” Campbell said.

Campbell said her mother told her what she wanted done before she died.

“I had one assignment, one assignment. She told me what to do before she died. Make sure she was okay! She’s not okay. So, I’m not okay,” Campbell said.

Owners absent from court hearing The Glenwood search took place the same day Johanna and Clark Morgan did not appear in court in a lawsuit brought by the city over alleged code violations at their South Chicago funeral home.

Attorneys for the Morgans appeared via Zoom. Also appearing were an attorney for the city, an inspector from the Department of Buildings and the buildings commissioner.

The city requested a preliminary injunction barring the property from being leased, used or occupied. The city also sought an inspection to determine whether the property remains vacant and safe.

The judge granted both requests.

The inspection is scheduled for Oct. 23 from 10 to 11 a.m. The city has requested that the Morgans be present. The preliminary injunction will remain in effect until the next court hearing, scheduled for Oct. 30 at 9:30 a.m.

Marketa Kristofek, who attended the hearing, said she has been grieving over what happened involving her son, Marcus.

“This was a matter that I have been grieving for a while regarding to my son, Marcus,” Kristofek said.

Kristofek’s son died in 2010. She said his remains were neglected by the Chicago Heights Crematorium and the Morgans. Kristofek said she was given a sealed urn but does not believe it contains her son’s remains and thinks the remains could belong to someone else. She said she has found discrepancies in paperwork and has pursued the matter for years.

“We have to have some type of understanding who is regulating these people, that they can move around and continue to move here and there,” Kristofek said.

Prior police encounter involving bodies in minivan The investigation also follows an encounter involving the Morgans and Evergreen Park police in June 2024, about two years before the discovery at the South Chicago funeral home.

Body camera video shows police responding after two bodies were found inside the Morgans’ minivan, which was double-parked outside the couple’s home.

“This car is parked in the street and there’s two bodies inside,” an officer said in the video.

“Yeah we’re funeral directors,” Johanna Morgan responded.

Officers later spoke with the Morgans, whose faces were blurred in the video.

“Guys you’re seriously making a mountain out of a molehill here,” Johanna Morgan told police.

“Ma’am let’s be honest. Like we explained. It looks terrible. We’re letting you give your justification of what’s going but you gotta work with us here. If we roll up on a van parked like that with two body bags in the back, you just expect us to –” an officer responded.

“They’re on stretchers,” Clark and Johanna Morgan said.

“I get it but do you expect us to just be like, ‘You know what? Don’t worry about it,'” the officer replied.

The earlier encounter is now raising questions about whether more could have been done sooner.

The court-ordered inspection of the South Chicago Chapel is scheduled for Oct. 23, ahead of the Morgans’ next court hearing on Oct. 30.

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By Michael Rosales

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    MONTEREY COUNTY, California (KSBW) — Marine Mammal Center staff are preparing for a busy season as they address two major issues: warming ocean waters caused by El Niño and an increase in sea lions sickened by domoic acid.

On Thursday, the center’s rescue team responded to a call about a sea lion in distress, quickly capturing the animal and transporting it to the center’s medical bay for immediate evaluation.

Giancarlo Ruli, a spokesperson for the center, explained that El Niño conditions could lead to more frequent rescues.

“Oceanographers in the Pacific this weekend have reported that it is the hottest the ocean has ever been recorded in and over 150 years,” Ruli said.

The warming waters are disrupting the food chain, often forcing fish that marine mammals rely on to migrate away from the bay.

“We saw record numbers of sick, malnourished marine mammals as a result, primarily in late 2013, 14, and 15,” Ruli said.

In 2015, an El Niño year, the Marine Mammal Center reported one of its worst years, rescuing over 1,800 animals, including more than 1,000 sickened sea lions. This year’s El Niño is particularly concerning because the warming spike is happening earlier than in previous years.

“This spike now, the hottest ever in terms of what’s forming with this El Niño in the Pacific, has happened two months earlier than that spike, a decade past,” Ruli said.

As the center braces for what could be another challenging year, it is urging the community to step up and volunteer to assist with rescue efforts.

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 Tanner Kahler

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    MADISON, Wisconsin (WISN) — Madison police said they are investigating a case of possible hazing after finding 30 people covered in food, condiments and other liquids inside the basement of a fraternity house Wednesday night.

Once inside, police said they found several people in the basement — most of whom were 18 years old, police said.

“Several of these men had visible injuries consistent with being physically assaulted. A thermostat in the room was set to 81 degrees, creating hot and humid conditions,” Madison police said.

Police arrested Brayden Klein, 20, and Samuel Vane, 20, and booked them into jail for hazing and disorderly conduct.

Madison police said Alpha Epsilon Pi is an unrecognized and unaccredited student organization. The University of Wisconsin said the organization’s status was terminated in 2015.

According to investigators, officers received an anonymous tip that led them to the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house near Carroll and Langdon streets.

“We will be in contact with their national chapter and speaking with them. I believe they will have their own sanctions and stuff like that could be in play there,” Captain Kipp Hartman with the Madison Police Department said in a press conference, Thursday.

Since this chapter continues to be recognized by its national organization, it is legally allowed to operate as a fraternity chapter unaffiliated with the university,” the university said in a statement.

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By Angela Williams

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    OXFORD, Mississippi (WAPT) — An Ole Miss freshman from Colorado and a junior from Atlanta were found dead this week, with packages of kratom found nearby.

“Until now, we have upheld the wishes not to release the names of the students,” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Shawnboda Mead, EdD, said in a statement. “Today, the families of Aidan Hamilton, a freshman from Englewood, Colo., and Robert Strang, a junior from Atlanta, have given us permission to share their names. The families have asked for privacy as they grieve.”

On Tuesday, authorities said one student was found dead on campus and another in a house in Oxford. A 911 call that went out was for a possible overdose.

Narcotics officials said at the scene of each death, packaged kratom was found that was sold from a retail store. Investigators were looking into the cause of death and whether kratom played a role.

The drug has been banned in Lafayette County since 2021.

Mead acknowledged that inaccurate information is being shared by some people who don’t have all the facts.

“We can all help by not repeating information that has not been officially confirmed by avoiding public speculation about what happened or why, especially as the causes of the two deaths are still under investigation,” Mead said.

The university’s counseling center and UMatter: Student Support & Advocacy are available for those seeking assistance.

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By Addison Kliewer

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    OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association said recent immigration raids have caused disruptions to the beef industry and could lead to higher prices.

The Oklahoma association released a joint statement alongside the Kansas Livestock Association and the Texas Cattle Feeders Association on Thursday, saying recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the three states has delayed shipments of thousands of fed cattle over the past few days, which has led to millions of dollars in lost revenue and additional costs. The letter said ICE activity has caused workforce disruptions at Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas feedyards, dairies, processors, feed and grain companies, transportation hubs and community services.

The groups also said the enforcement has had a “massive chilling effect on legal, documented, skilled workers who put beef on the table and keep the cattle supply chain moving.”

While the organizations said they respect the responsibility of federal agencies to enforce the law, the disruptions have come at a time of “enhanced focus and pressure on the cattle and beef supply chain.”

“They are a costly and unnecessary impact to cattle producers already suffering from unwelcome political interference in both markets as well as the physical supply chain. Frustratingly, the harm these actions cause to cattle producers last for days and weeks after such operations conclude,” the groups said in the letter.

The groups urged federal officials to conduct enforcement actions in a lawful and transparent manner that respects due process and communicates clearly with affected employers and communities.

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By Nikita Ramos

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    PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida (WPBF) — The Florida Department of Education is urging school districts to implement stricter book review policies, outlining a 90-day plan for superintendents to address concerns about inappropriate materials in school libraries.

Florida Education Commissioner Henry Mack sent a letter this week to superintendents and charter school leaders, reminding them of their responsibility to ensure library materials comply with state law.

Mack said parents are still finding a shocking amount of material that fails that test and that it should not fall on a parent to take action. Last week, Palm Beach County School Board members discussed the issue, with some individuals speaking out about inappropriate books they found in school libraries. One parent criticized the county’s process for reporting such books.

The memo from the Department of Education called the current process “unacceptable” and emphasized that districts should take the initiative to review materials themselves. WPBF reached out to five local school districts regarding their review processes. St. Lucie County stated that it always complies with Department of Education laws and regulations. Martin County said its staff routinely reviews collections and media specialists follow procedures when selecting new materials. The district added that it will continue to align its practices with state guidance.

The state reiterated that local school boards are ultimately responsible for ensuring compliance and superintendents are expected to carry out those duties.

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By Kerry Breen

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — Two 20-year-olds were arrested after police were called to the scene of an alleged hazing incident where over two dozen young men were partially clothed and covered in liquids. Some of them were injured, police said.

The Madison Police Department said they received an anonymous tip about an event at the unaccredited Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. When they arrived at the house, they found about 30 “partially clothed males covered in food, condiments and other liquids” in the basement. The room’s thermostat was set to 81 degrees, police said.

Several of the men had “visible injuries consistent with being abused,” police said.

The “vast majority” of the men were 18, police said.

A photo with the men’s faces redacted shows the group in a dirty space with black walls and the Alpha Epsilon Pi letters painted on a piece of furniture.

Two people, identified by police as Brayden J. Klein and Samuel N. Vane, were arrested for hazing and disorderly conduct and taken to the Dane County Jail. The Madison Police Department said that the president and vice president of the fraternity were present and spoke to responding officers, but did not specify if Klein and Vane held those titles.

The men in the basement were escorted outside and checked for incapacitation and injuries.

“Several of these men had visible injuries consistent with being physically assaulted,” police said.

No other charges have been announced in relation to the incident. An investigation remains ongoing, and those with information are asked to contact the Madison Police Department.

Alpha Epsilon Pi is an unrecognized and unaccredited student organization at the University of Wisconsin, police and the school said. The school said in a statement that because the chapter is still recognized by the national Alpha Epsilon Pi organization, it is legally allowed to operate as an unaffiliated fraternity chapter.

A spokesperson for the Alpha Epsilon Pi Headquarters said it takes the allegations concerning the Madison chapter “extremely seriously.” The national organization plans to “cooperate fully” with the investigation, the spokesperson said, and members found responsible for criminal conduct will be expelled from the organization.

“Hazing is a betrayal of everything our fraternity stands for,” the spokeperson said.” There is no place for it in AEPi. No exceptions. No excuses. We educate our members about their responsibility to ‘Be Your Brothers’ Keeper.’ This is not an optional value. It is a fundamental expectation of membership. Anyone who engages in hazing forfeits the privilege of being an AEPi brother.”

The University of Wisconsin said it is also investigating the incident as it relates to its nonacademic misconduct process. Campus officials are providing support to affected students.

The Madison Police Department said that anyone whose safety is jeopardized during the Greek life recruitment process should contact authorities.

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