Category: CNN Regional

By Matteo Iadonisi

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    PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — It’s a novel concept: Over 50 independent bookstores across the Philadelphia region are hosting a day full of page-turning excitement.

The ‘Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl’ is celebrating its fourth annual event today, Saturday, August 22, 2026. It runs for this one day only until each business’ closing time.

Author signings, discounts and giveaways could be discovered across 18 neighboring areas.

To keep up with the next Philadelphia Bookstore Crawl, and for a list of bookstores that participated, visit their 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.

By Connor Steffen

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    CINCINNATI (WCPO) — A Metro bus driver is being hailed as a hero after she stopped her bus, called 911 and performed chest compressions on a 14-year-old boy shot in the head on Warsaw Avenue in East Price Hill.

The shooting happened Tuesday when, according to a witness, the boy and friends were throwing rocks at a home on Warsaw Avenue. A man came out of the home and shot the boy in the head. The witness said the man then ran away from the scene and more people inside the house at the time ran out the back.

Briona Akins was driving her bus route through Price Hill when she came off Glenway Avenue onto Warsaw Avenue and spotted something was wrong.

“I seen a commotion, some teens, some adults running and screaming,” Akins said. “I seen a young boy laying in between the curb and the street. He had blood coming out of his head.”

She said she turned on her hazard lights, pulled the parking brake, secured her bus, called 911 and ran to the boy. Akins, who has received CPR training, turned him over and began chest compressions.

“I knew that I was going to have to help this young man’s heart beat. I can’t seem to get over how little his chest was,” Akins said. “I didn’t want to do the compressions too hard because I didn’t want to hurt the young man further than what he already was hurt.”

Her actions, she said, encouraged others nearby to step in and help. A coworker from the Queensgate garage came over and took over the 911 call. A passenger got off Akins’ bus and continuously checked the boy’s pulse while she performed compressions. Another bystander used a T-shirt to apply pressure to his wound. Akins continued chest compressions until paramedics arrived and took over.

“I don’t know what had me dialed in like that, but I was on it,” Akins said.

It was only her second day on the route. Akins said she believes divine intervention put her in the right place at the right time.

“Before I pull this bus out of this garage, I say the same prayer. I ask God that He be a fence of a shield around this bus of protection,” Akins said. “God makes no mistakes, none at all.”

Akins said she has not yet been able to speak with the boy’s family, but hopes to one day.

“I would love to even have a relationship with the child if they would allow that in the future,” Akins said.

Akins’ parents, both retired bus drivers, said they are beaming with pride.

“When I heard the whole story, I was amazed,” Renee Akins, Briona’s mother, said. “I know she was crying when she called, so she went through some stuff.”

According to family, the 14-year-old is still being treated at the hospital. Cincinnati Police are actively investigating the shooting and did not have an update Thursday, including any information about a suspect.

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 Forrest Sanders

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    LEBANON, Tennessee (WTVF) — I’ve always loved an unusual fair competition. The Wilson County – Tennessee State Fair definitely has those.

This year, the fair hosted something new, something that drew in Cheyenne Genberg and Justin Franiak.

“It’s the Wilson County Fair-lympics!” Franiak laughed.

They work for Cumulus Media. Franiak hosts The Overnight Ride.

The fair this year has a focus on forestry. That’s led to this special competition.

“You have never shouted Timber?” I asked.

“Just during the Kesha song!” Franiak answered.

“TIIIIMBEEEER!” a man shouted into a microphone, launching the fair’s Timber Yelling Contest.

Not just anybody’s going to have the pipes for this, but I guess if anybody does, it’s going to be people at the fair.

“HOOOWDYYY! Just so proud to be here!” shouted a woman playing Minnie Pearl at the competition.

Generally, the timber yelling was all about volume. However, one competitor took on cutting a tree without HOA approval.

“Timbeeerrrr,” he whispered to the laughs of the crowd.

Not bad, but competition was on the way; a metro school bus driver. Oh, she’d been training her whole life for this.

The bus driver held her “timber” for a full 18 seconds.

Franiak went up.

“I don’t sweat this much when I cut trees!” he laughed. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

Franiak went back and forth with the crowd.

“When I say TIM, you say BER!” he called. “TIM! BER! TIM! BER!”

“I won!” Franiak said.

“I got third in the husband calling!” Genberg added. “This is better than my wedding day!”

It’s all just part of the beauty of the fair. Where else can you pick up a donut bacon burger and rest a spell to the dulcet sounds of TIIIMMMBBBBEEERRRR?

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 Robb Coles

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    NASHVILLE (WTVF) — A night at the Wilson County Tennessee State Fair turned frightening when a popular ride appeared to malfunction, sending several riders to the emergency room.

Officials said nine people were involved in an incident on the Wave Swinger ride, where they came in contact with the surrounding fence as the swings came down.

Four were taken to the emergency room, and all four have since been released.

Five others were treated for injuries at the medical center at the fair.

Jamie Nowak watched her husband and 2 kids on the ride when the incident happened.

“I think I blacked out, I’m so thankful my 5-year-old was not on the outer row,” said Jamie Nowak.

The Wave Swinger is a spinning ride with swings.

Her husband, Tim, rides it often — 4 to 5 times that night alone — but both said something felt different this time.

“It was coming down too fast and it was still spinning too fast,” Jamie said.

“This feels a little stranger compared to the other times,” said Tim Nowak.

Then the swings crossed over the fence surrounding the ride.

“As the outside row got closer to the rail, we realized they’re not in the ride; they’re not inside the gate,” Jamie said.

“Pretty much the entire outer row as I observed, it starts banging against the top of the rail, and then the majority of those people end up on the outside of the rail,” Jamie said.

While Tim and his youngest child were on an interior row, their 10-year-old was on the outside, close to the fence.

“I was like, ‘What things are on the other side of this that he could potentially run into?’ My biggest worry was a leg getting stuck in one of those — in the fence,” Tim said.

Crews and bystanders rushed in to help.

State fair officials said medical teams arrived immediately.

Following the incident, state officials stopped allowing the Wave Swinger to operate until manufacturers take a closer look.

According to the state, an inspector examined the ride on August 12 and after the accident and did not find anything abnormal about it.

No one in the Nowak family was hurt, but Tim said it will be a while before they ride the Wave Swinger again.

“I think it might take a little time, especially for my little guy,” Tim said.

State fair leaders said nine people were treated for injuries after the incident.

Five of those were released after receiving care at the fair’s medical center, the other four were taken to the emergency room and later released.

Below is a statement from both the Wilson County-Tennessee State Fair and Reithoffer Shows.

Statement from Reithoffer Shows:

“We are aware of an incident involving our Wave Swinger ride. The ride stopped, and as it was coming down, a few guests came into contact with the surrounding fence.

A state inspector is currently examining the ride and, at this time, has found no abnormality with the ride.

We do not have any additional information to report at this time and will provide further updates when more information becomes available.”

Statement from Wilson County-Tennessee State Fair:

“Nine guests were involved in an incident. Five guests were released at the fairgrounds and four guests were transported to the hospital for further testing.

Response was immediate and all guests were provided professional medical attention. They were taken to our new on-site medical facility adjacent to the amusement rides and received care immediately from staff by Wilson County Emergency Management Agency and Ascension Saint Thomas professionals.”

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 Forrest Sanders

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    NASHVILLE (WTVF) — The Wilson County Tennessee State Fair’s got all sorts of things commanding attention. Still, Sarah Kaufmann was up to something in the Made in Tennessee building this week the crowds really couldn’t believe.

“I’m from Ireland,” one man told me as he walked closer to see Kaufmann work.

“You ever see anything like this?” I asked him.

“No! We don’t have this back home!”

Kaufmann was sculpting, but what was it?

Well. People say you are what you eat, and Kaufmann is the Cheese Lady.

“Can I use that?” she asked me with a laugh.

“You can use that. That’s a freebie.”

“I bring crackers and apples,” Kaufmann continued. “I have a snack! I’ll never be a starving artist.”

She turned her attention to the mountain of cheese in front of her.

“I’m carving this beautiful 500-pound barrel of cheese from Bongards.”

How did Kaufmann find out she can do this?

“I hailed from Wisconsin, born and raised,” she began. “Native cheese head!”

Kaufmann worked in advertising for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. Doing some work for them, she discovered the talent.

“I’ve been carving cheese for about 30 years,” Kaufmann nodded.

Now, she does her sculptures everywhere.

“I just carved at the Grammy’s,” Kaufmann continued. “I carve at the Kentucky Derby. The NFL.”

It was at this fair last year, she sculpted cheese Dolly Parton.

“I take cheese and make putty, I add food coloring and inlay it into the sculpture,” Kaufmann said, describing her process of creating color in her sculptures.

“What particular kind of cheese do you use?” a woman asked while watching Kaufmann.

“I use a lot of cheddar,” she answered.

And yes, let’s get this out of the way. Kaufmann does get asked that question.

“Who cut the cheese?” she laughed. “I say, ‘I cut the cheese professionally. I cut the cheese all the time. I get paid to cut the cheese!'”

In coming to the fair this year, Kaufmann had to come up with a piece to sculpt that would be right to celebrate America 250.

Six days after the first time I met Kaufmann, I went back to see her again and catch just how much she’d sculpted in those days.

She’d created an elaborate scene including a frontiersman and his dog.

“Saluting the 250th birthday of America!” Kaufmann said. “It’s combining that Tennessee heritage, that Tennessee pride. What is a man without his blue tick coon hound? The long rifle. I made sure that’s an 1812 era.”

Cheese is her job. Cheese is her art. Cheese really is Kaufmann’s chance to meet so many people. Y’know. It really is good to be The Cheese Lady.

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 Nijzel Dotson

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    LINCOLN, California (KCRA) — A man is in custody after five workers at Thunder Valley Casino were stabbed on Wednesday night, officials said.

Joseph Naugle, 22, was booked into the Placer County Jail on attempted murder charges, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said. The agency expects more charges in connection with the attack.

Officials said the stabbing was reported around 7 p.m. at Dos Coyotes Border Cafe inside the casino. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said it appeared the suspect knew all of the people who were stabbed.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they took the suspect into custody within minutes. A KCRA 3 news crew saw a man with an apron in handcuffs and placed him into a patrol vehicle.

One person was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The four other victims were treated at the scene by Thunder Valley emergency personnel and Cal Fire. None of their injuries were life-threatening.

Thunder Valley officials confirmed the stabbing involved employees and happened in the kitchen area of the restaurant. Photos shared to KCRA 3 showed the workers getting treated by paramedics on the casino floor.

The sheriff’s office also confirmed on Thursday that Naugle and the five people stabbed were all Dos Coyotes employees.

There were no additional outstanding suspects and no active threat to people at the casino, officials said.

Thunder Valley added that the casino was not evacuated. The restaurant closed while the casino remained open for the evening.

On Friday, Naugle made his first court appearance in connection with the stabbing. He is ineligible for bail, and the Placer County District Attorney’s Office said five separate criminal protective orders were filed against Naugle.

KCRA 3 received a statement from Naugle’s family on Sunday regarding the stabbing:

“We want to express our profound sorrow and deepest sympathies to the Thunder Valley employees and their loved ones who are suffering following Wednesday’s events. We are praying continuously for their recovery and peace of mind. Joseph is a young man who has battled severe physical and mental health issues for a long time,” the statement reads in part. “While we cannot speak on the details of the active legal case, we hope there will be an understanding of the complex medical realities involved.”

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By Michael Rosales

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    SANTA CRUZ, California (KSBW) — Students at Branciforte and Mission Hill middle schools in Santa Cruz are now required to complete a safety training program to obtain a permit for parking their e-bikes on campus.

The process, similar to obtaining a driver’s permit, involves a three-part course offered through Santa Cruz City Schools. The first part covers e-bike and road laws, the second includes a skills course, and the final part is a supervised group ride to practice real-world riding.

“E-biking is an outstanding way to get around town, but we’re all really familiar with the risks,” said Scott Bronson, a parent.

Wesley Bronson, a student who participated in the program, shared his experience. “There was a lot of sharp turning that I think I will find very useful later in life,” he said.

Another student added, “We worked on braking. Like, going really fast. Going really slow, and, like, seeing how much like you slide. Yeah. Like different speeds.”

Unlike drivers, middle schoolers are not typically taught the rules of the road. This free program, developed by the City of Santa Cruz, Ecology Action, and Santa Cruz Police Department, aims to fill that gap and prepare students for riding in traffic.

“With the increase in bike accidents, especially with e-bike accidents, we thought we could be part of the solution,” said Casey O’Brien of the California Highway Patrol.

The program also educates students on the capabilities of e-bikes. “This program teaches kids on how fast you can go. For example, a level one. Level two can go up to 20 miles an hour. It’s important to wear a helmet. It’s important to obey traffic laws. It’s very important to stop at stop signs,” said Israel Murillo, a CHP representative.

Both Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, which are capped at 20 miles per hour, qualify for the program. Class 3 e-bikes, which can reach speeds of up to 28 miles per hour and are only for riders 16 and older, are not allowed on campus.

“I feel like that was a good lesson. And a lot of people should know,” said Wesley Bronson.

The district reports that the program attracts an average of 16 students per session and has been well-received by parents. Additional courses are planned for the future.

Statewide, new e-bike safety measures have also been introduced this year, including battery and electrical safety standards, speed requirements, and increased enforcement against modifications that can turn e-bikes into mopeds.

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By Jazmon DeJarnette

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    SALINAS, California (KSBW) — A Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce from a farm in Mexico sickened thousands across 17 states, leading to a decline in fresh produce sales, but the Central Coast industry is beginning to recover.

The Grower-Shipper Association reports that demand for fresh produce is rebounding.

“Things are rebounding right now. You know, many factors. One of which schools back in session. So there is naturally more institutional purchase that would typically occur of many produce items, including fresh vegetables,” said Christopher Valadez, President and CEO of The Grower-Shipper Association.

Despite this progress, the association noted that some growers remain concerned about whether consumers feel comfortable buying fresh produce.

Data from Nielsen IQ shows that dollar sales of prepackaged salads dropped 14% through July 25 compared to the previous year after the outbreak was announced.

JP Dundore-Arias, an associate professor of plant pathology at California State University, Monterey Bay, described Cyclospora as a “silent, invisible threat” and highlighted the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the parasite.

“It is unclear what are exactly the factors or the environments that drive that survival outside of a human host in an agriculture environment, whether the soil, the positions, whether they are specific crop tissues or plant parts that might be more conducive for the pathogen to survive,” Dundore-Arias said.

Valadez a emphasized that produce from the Salinas Valley, California, and the United States has not been implicated in the outbreak.

“The product from the region, the Salinas Valley, California, the United States, for that matter, was not, is not, and has not been implicated in the Cyclospora outbreak,” Dundore-Arias said.

As the FDA investigation continues, consumer confidence in fresh produce is improving. Some shoppers say their spending habits have not changed, though they are taking extra precautions when preparing lettuce.

“Well, I still think the vegetables are the healthiest way to eat. And so, it seems like when you research it, it comes out of Mexico waterborne. So I think that Taylor Farms has stopped completely that line. So I feel comfortable buying,” one shopper said.

Another shopper added, “I have a lot of friends in ag, and they do a good job. So again, we just clean it better than we did before.”

The recovery process faces challenges as the growing season in the region tapers off, making future production uncertain.

“What recovery looks like is not, you know, it’s not crystal clear. It’s not certain. But I think what is certain is to ensure that the public knows with respect to the safety of their product and the origin of their product. That product from California in the United States was not and has not been implicated in the Cyclospora outbreak,” Dundore-Arias said.

The FDA has stated that all recalled iceberg lettuce related to the Cyclospora outbreak is now off the market.

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By Felix Cortez

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    MONTEREY COUNTY, California (KSBW) — As an all-out aerial attack on the Timber Fire resumes and firefighters continue to make progress on containment, a road closure has been shortened, allowing more businesses to reopen. One of those restaurants, Nepenthe, welcomed back visitors Thursday. According to managers, the restaurant was losing $70,000 a day.

“When you think about a business that cannot operate, that’s hundreds and ultimately thousands of employees, depending on the number of businesses and the geographic range of impact. So even the businesses that were open were running at reduced staffing levels, so there’s a huge impact throughout the local economy and the human impact that is hard to overstate,” said Kirk Gafill, general manager of Nepenthe and president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce.

For many employees, it was nearly two weeks of uncertainty, wondering when they might get back to work.

“It was about 12 days no work for myself and it felt like way longer just because I love the routine and the rhythm and the dynamic and the company culture that we do have here so being without it suddenly felt like a part of myself was on pause,” said Shana England, a supervisor at the Phoenix gift shop.

“We can return to work, we can get back to our jobs and we can safely, you know, feel secure with everything going on, you know, and being back I mean, I’m just grateful,” said Skye Arle, a host at Nepenthe.

With the northern roadblock moving south of Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, the restaurant plans to reopen Saturday for breakfast. Deetjen’s employs more than 40 people.

“It’s not just a light switch we have to bring back food we have to bring bring back all the staff, inform the people who actually evacuated from their homes, who live within the evacuation zones, we have to get them back into their houses, we have to get all the food product and everything situated we have a lot of cleanup to do,” said Matt Glazer, general manager of Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn.

Also on Thursday, Big Sur Fire announced on social media that incident command centers at CSUMB and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park will now be consolidated at the Pfeiffer camp as the threat to structures has been minimized on the coastal side of the fire. That also means the highway could soon reopen, according to Big Sur Fire.

“You know, the neighbors help neighbors around here you know, everyone that has a part to play in this community is there to protect the land, is there to continue the tradition of looking after each other,” said Arle.

“Thankfully things are settling down now and we can get back into motion and welcome people back to Big Sur,” England added.

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By James Stratton

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    KENOSHA, Wisconsin (WISN) — A now-resigned Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office deputy faces felony charges after prosecutors say he searched a romantic partner more than a dozen times to track her whereabouts in the Flock camera network, a license-plate reader database.

Frank McGrath faces two counts of misconduct in public office. The Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office filed the criminal complaint late Wednesday.

Racine County Sheriff’s Office investigators started a criminal investigation in February.

Prosecutors allege an internal audit of the Flock license plate reader camera system showed Deputy Frank McGrath searched “16 to 17” times on Sept. 30, 2025, while off duty.

“Defendant McGrath listed the search reason as ‘Suspicious’ for all queries and left the case number field blank,” the criminal complaint reads.

12 News Investigates also obtained internal investigative documents from the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office through a public records request.

“He admitted the searches were not related to any criminal investigation or law-enforcement function,” the internal review documents say. “He acknowledged he used the system specifically to determine the whereabouts of [redacted] during a period of relationship conflict. He described escalating jealousy leading up to the incident, including concerns related to a close male coworker of [redacted] whom she had recently fallen out with.”

The woman, according to the investigative documents and the criminal complaint, is also a Kenosha County sheriff’s deputy.

Prosecutors also allege McGrath used another internal GPS location system to track the deputy’s body camera location and squad car location roughly 40 times between July 18, 2025 and Oct. 23, 2025.

Prosecutors say he told the victim her exact location and stated, “I know everything,” while she was parked squad-to-squad with another deputy behind a county salt shed.

Internal investigative documents show McGrath admitted to searching the location of the squad car, “… including while he was off duty, for purely personal and jealousy-driven reasons (to see where she was, who she was sitting with, and which deputies she was working near).”

McGrath resigned in December, according to Kenosha County Human Resources.

McGrath did not answer his phone Wednesday. WISN 12 News knocked on the door of an address listed for him and left a business card there as well. Thursday, at another address listed for McGrath, someone told a 12 News crew to stay off the property.

Text messages recovered in the investigation, according to the criminal complaint, show he texted the victim acknowledging lying about his use of Flock.

“In the text messages, Defendant McGrath stated that his actions ‘got out of hand,’ that he ‘lost control,’ and that running her plate 17 times ‘makes me look really bad,'” the complaint states.

Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office did not agree to an interview. 12 News Investigates asked if they plan to review the Flock policy or add any guardrails to the system, but they did not answer that question Wednesday.

The sheriff’s office posted a press release to social media late Wednesday. The sheriff’s office says, following the incident the office added more safeguards to the Flock Safety system. Those changes include adding any sworn supervisor as an auditor to the system, requiring personnel to document a legitimate law-enforcement reason and case number before searching, reducing data retention from 30 days to a week, and requiring all deputies to complete new training and review policy requirements.

McGrath is set for an initial appearance on Sept. 17, according to court records. WISN 12 News is using his department photo because he has not been booked into the Kenosha County Jail, so no booking photo is available.

McGrath is the third officer in southeastern Wisconsin to face charges for allegedly misusing the technology. A judge sentenced Milwaukee Police officer Josue Ayala to probation for tracking an ex-girlfriend. Milwaukee Internal Affairs Detective Tehrangi Chapman faces a felony charge. Plus, the Racine County District Attorney is reviewing potential charges for two officers there.

“People are realizing, ‘oh this can be abused and we don’t want that,’ and ‘oh my gosh it’s everywhere,'” said U-W Madison Professor Dorothea Salo who researches IT and technology.

Salo believes the safeguards the sheriff’s office put in place make for a good step forward. She says the public scrutiny of the technology is adding to awareness.

“I don’t think the uptick we’re seeing right now is actually due to a rate of change in how much police misuse surveillance technology, it’s just becoming more apparent because of all of the scrutiny on these ALPR systems,” she said.

Flock did not respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.

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.