Category: CNN Regional

By ByGabe Ferris, Kassandra Gutierrez, Vanessa Vasconcelos, Brisa Colón, and KFSN Digital Team

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    PORTERVILLE, California (KFSN) — A Tulare County Sheriff’s Office detective was shot and killed during a confrontation in Porterville on Thursday.

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said that deputies were serving an eviction notice at a home on Brian Avenue near North Salisbury Street around 10:40 a.m. when shots were fired.

Authorities said the suspect, identified as 59-year-old David Morales, barricaded himself inside the home and was believed to be armed with a high-powered rifle. Multiple shots were exchanged.

Detective Randy Hoppert was struck, and after a tactical rescue was taken to Sierra View Medical Center in Porterville, where he later died.

Sheriff Boudreaux said officials considered using a medivac helicopter to transport Hoppert to the trauma center at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, but the detective’s condition was too volatile for air transport.

Boudreaux says that Morales’ motive is unclear, as he had no prior criminal history. Despite having 18 registered handguns, the Sheriff says Morales used a rifle to shoot at deputies.

Morales was killed after being run over by an armored vehicle after nearly seven hours of terror.

Fallen detective leaves behind pregnant wife

Hoppert served in the U.S. Navy from 2010 to 2015 and joined the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office on January 5, 2020.

He leaves behind a wife who is four months pregnant.

His grandfather previously served as a Tulare County undersheriff.

Deadly confrontation during eviction

Boudreaux said the eviction involved a final notice after the suspect failed to pay rent for 35 days and was expecting law enforcement to arrive.

He said Morales “laid in wait,” and deputies immediately came under gunfire when they arrived to serve the notice.

The detective who was killed was part of the group of officers who responded to assist.

Boudreaux said the detective died around noon, approximately 60 to 80 minutes after the eviction process began.

Heavy law enforcement response unfolds

Several SWAT teams were deployed to the area, and Sheriff Boudreaux said homes across four blocks were cleared as a precaution.

Crisis negotiators responded to the scene, with multiple law enforcement agencies assisting. The California Highway Patrol also deployed a helicopter equipped with specialized technology to help locate the suspect.

Westfield Elementary, Sequoia Middle School and Monache High School were placed in a secure status, with students safe inside.

Boudreaux also confirmed the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom requested a briefing on the situation.

This is the first line-of-duty death for the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office since December 7, 2007, nearly 20 years ago.

Suspect killed during evening operation

At around 6 p.m., Sheriff Boudreaux said Morales had left the home and was moving through the yards of at least three nearby houses while wearing tactical equipment and camouflage.

Boudreaux said a Kern County SWAT team drove a BearCat vehicle into a yard where Morales was located.

Morales was found lying prone on the ground, and started firing at the armored vehicles.

The officers inside made the decision to run over the suspect, killing him.

Boudreaux described Morales’ motive as unclear, noting he had no prior criminal record, not even a traffic ticket.

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 Hunter Sowards

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — The Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation after a Frontier Airlines plane nearly collided with two trucks on an LAX taxiway.

No one was injured during the close call, but the pilot appeared shaken and worried while describing it to air traffic controllers.

“We just had two trucks cut us off,” the pilot said in ATC audio. “We had to slam on the brakes to not hit them.”

The plane was traveling at low speeds, likely giving the pilots enough time to avoid the collision.

“It happened so fast,” the pilot said in ATC audio. “I have to go check on the flight attendants in the back. It was real close, closest I’ve ever seen.”

Frontier Airlines said there were 217 passengers and seven crew members on the flight. It praised the pilots for their quick thinking. LAX has not released information about who was driving the trucks.

Brian Sinclair, a former F-18 pilot who is now an instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy, said air traffic controllers likely did not see the incident because it happened in a blind spot.

“In this case, there are three specific locations at LAX that ground people in the tower cannot see the taxiways,” Sinclair said. “You could see that that would be a risk.”

LAX has significant ground traffic with separate lanes for cars and planes.

“But, there are times when those lanes intersect, and the rules of the road still apply,” said Kris Van Cleave, senior transportation correspondent at CBS News. “You got to yield for the bigger vehicle.”

Van Cleave stressed that there were considerable differences between the LAX incident and last month’s collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in which two pilots died.

In the LAX close call, the plane was traveling roughly 15 mph compared to the significantly higher takeoff speeds.

“It is not a circumstance like we saw in LaGuardia, where you had vehicles that were responding to an emergency, that were crossing an active runway, that were under direct air traffic control,” Van Cleave said.

Experts said this is a situation where improvement can likely be made.

“In my 20 years of naval aviation, a lot of lessons learned were written in blood, i.e., we had fatalities,” Sinclair said. “Here is a perfect example of a get-out-of-jail-free lesson learned. Nobody was hurt. No equipment was damaged, and still there’s a lesson to be had here.”

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 Nicole Comstock

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    ONTARIO, California (KCAL, KCBS) — An Ontario mother sued the school district after staff found her son face down in a pool after teachers and aides allegedly left him unattended.

The family’s attorney, Robert Glassman, said the little 4-year-old boy is nonverbal, has autism, spina bifida and hydrocephalus. The young boy, identified as J.M., adapted to his condition by using his upper-body strength to move around.

“He can’t speak,” Glassman said. “He can’t tell his mom and his family how he’s feeling. So, he’s living with this nightmare terror inside.”

His family said their son has not been the same since he nearly drowned at Lincoln Elementary last December.

“He was left unattended — when he was supposed to have a one-on-one aide with him at all times — for 10 minutes,” Glassman said. “That’s like an eternity. And, he ended up crawling to the big pool and was found face down in the pool for close to a minute before he was pulled out.”

An Ontario Police Department report provided to CBS LA by the family’s attorney indicates a teacher’s aide said she had been away from J.M. for 10 minutes when she began to hear people yelling frantically and calling out to him. The report also indicates that a teacher acknowledged she was supposed to remain with J.M. but was in her classroom during the incident.

The child was airlifted to a hospital.

“The degree of negligence in this case is really astounding,” Glassman said.

Glassman added that J.M. went without oxygen and now has diminished cognitive function, as well as post-traumatic stress, even during bath time.

The family’s lawsuit accuses the Ontario-Montclair School District of negligence and unsafe campus conditions. CBS LA contacted the district and school board about the incident, but did not receive an immediate response.

The district told the LA Times that it could not comment on pending litigation.

“He very easily could have died as a result of this incident,” Glassman said.

Glassman said the family wants the school to fix safety issues at their campus pools.

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 Kristen Consillio

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    HONOLULU (KITV) — A grassroots group of volunteers has been helping storm impacted families and they are determined to make a difference as this next storm is about to strike. The group has been helping people impacted by the storms for months — turning their compassion into action.

Josue Aguilar has been busy helping people move their belongings, and families, to safer areas and buying them supplies ahead of the impending storm.

“This is going to be like the fourth major storm in the last two months that’s hit Oahu, like the whole island and the other islands as well,” Aguilar said. “So really just getting some items, always need water. Have some batteries just in case people need to charge up flashlights.”

It’s been weeks now since his volunteers, numbering in the thousands, have been helping with cleanup and everything in between.

“It’s always amazing to see how many people come out to support,” Aguilar said. “Really people are always ready and want to help. They just need to know how and when.”

Aguilar runs nonprofit Inside Outreach, most recently helping flood victims pick up the pieces after devastating storms damaged properties and displaced residents who, in many cases, are now homeless.

“It’s just been amazing. I mean obviously, this whole month and a half has been pretty heavy on a lot of people, but the amount of people that have risen up to the occasion and just started helping without even like thinking twice,” he added. “They just jump in like literally pulling people out of dangerous situations.”

Telling the stories of people and places in need.

“Through all of the storytelling, we were able to raise $50,000 that’s gonna go all to the community,” he said.

And their social media posts continue to inspire volunteers to donate time, money and aloha.

“It’s unbelievable. You know, express human come like this. I our community and our people all over the island just come and volunteer the service, just to help their neighbors,” said flood victim Blanche McMillan. “They’re there to show the love and respect for others.”

To donate or volunteer, visit: insideoutreach.org

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 KITV Web Staff

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    KILAUEA, Hawaii (KITV) — Kilauea’s 44th eruption episode ended on Thursday night after spurring lava for over eight hours. The summit of Kilauea was evacuated due to tephra chunks falling in the area and ashfall is also affecting the surrounding areas.

The Hawaii Volcano Observatory announced eruption episode 44 began at 11:10 a.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2026. This comes nearly a month after episode 43 came to an end.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Volcanoes reported that episode 44 ended at 7:41 p.m. after eight hours of continuous lava fountaining from Kilauea’s north vent.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park said rangers are evacuating the area early Thursday afternoon due to tephra chunks the size of softballs falling at Kilauea Overlook at Kilauea Military Camp around noon. USGS Volcanoes raised the alert level for the eruptions to RED at that time. The Kahuku Unit at the park remained open.

USGS reported winds are blowing from the south, possibly spreading volcanic gas emissions and tephra within three miles of the vent. It is warning visitors about possible lighter ash and Pele’s Hair flying at further distances.

The National Weather Service issued an Ashfall Information Statement due to ash and tephra (fine glass particles that may irritate the skin and eyes) in the area and downwind of the eruption.

The eruption has closed Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Highway 11 in Puna at the 25.5 Mile Marker at the intersection of Nahelenani Street and in Kau at the 40 Mile Marker. Drivers are asked to avoid the area and use alternate routes.

Highway 11 near Volcano Village reopened to traffic after 6 p.m.

Residents in the nearby communities are advised to take necessary precautions to limit exposure to ashfall.

Most lava fountaining episodes since Dec. 23, 2024, have continued for a day or less.

To watch the eruption live, head to the USGS’ live webcams here: usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/webcams

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 Adam Duxter

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Two Minnesota school districts were in federal court on Wednesday for a hearing in a lawsuit they filed to keep federal immigration agents away from schools.

Fridley Public Schools and Duluth Public Schools filed the lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during the peak of Operation Metro Surge.

The districts are trying to fight an executive order signed by President Trump in January 2025. The order reversed an October 2021 policy by the Biden administration prohibiting immigration enforcement actions at or near schools and other “sensitive locations” like churches or hospitals.

“Our district needed a helper. We needed to pursue how to keep our children safe. My job is not about federal immigration policy, it’s not about ICE enforcement, but it is about children’s safety and the safety of our children was taken away and their federal right to attend school in a safe learning environment was taken away,” Fridley Superintendent Brenda Lewis said. “And we looked at multiple ways to get that safety back and this was one of the ways, and also, we never want to see this happen to another school district in this state or the nation.”

When the lawsuit was filed, the Department of Homeland Security told WCCO in a statement that agents are not going to schools to arrest children, but instead to protect them.

“Criminals are no longer be able [sic] to hide in America’s schools to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense,” said Tricia McLaughlin, former assistant secretary of DHS. “If a dangerous illegal alien felon were to flee into a school, or a child sex offender is working as an employee, there may be a situation where an arrest is made to protect public safety. But this has not happened.”

Both sides made their arguments in court Wednesday. The judge said a decision will come at a future date.

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By John Lauritsen

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    SPOONER, Wisconsin (WCCO) — Walleye openers are just a few weeks away in Wisconsin and Minnesota. That means you’ll see more lines in the lakes, and more fish in the hatchery.

“We have the capacity to raise a lot of fish here at the hatchery,” said Ruth King, an educator with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

King is talking about thousands upon thousands of little walleyes and muskies.

As the Gov.Thompson Hatchery in Spooner, Wisconsin, celebrates three decades in operation, they’re getting ready for another season of raising fish. But first, they have to catch them. Not with bait, but with nets.

“Tedious. It takes a long time to fix these nets,” said fish technician Ben Oldenburg.

The nets capture spawning fish for their eggs. They are fertilized in the lake and then taken back to the hatchery, disinfected and put in jars where they hatch into holding tanks.

“They’ll spend a couple of days in the tanks and then we spend all summer feeding them in our ponds out back,” said King.

There are 46 rearing ponds at the hatchery. In September, the fish are taken out of the tanks and relocated to lakes and rivers across northwest Wisconsin.

“If you were to draw a line from Hudson to Eau Claire and up to Ironwood, Michigan, that’s roughly the geographic area we cover,” said King.

The entire operation gets support from a pretty unique group: Friends Into Spooner Hatchery, or “FISH.”

“They can see through the murals on the wall the story of how the hatchery works,” said Larry Damann, a FISH board member.

Damann takes guests to the visitor center which has its own fish tales to tell. His group is known for promoting conservation, including their “Adopt a Musky” program where the fish are tagged, and when caught, people can learn where they’ve been and how much they’ve grown.

“Even guys who fish will come here and learn a lot about things they didn’t know about their sport,” said Damann.

When it comes to trophy fish, the goal here isn’t to reel them in but to raise them — creating new generations of fish, and hopefully new generations of anglers.

“I highly recommend stopping anywhere around the fishing opener. We almost always have something to see,” said King.

The hatchery and visitor’s center are open Monday through Friday.

The Wisconsin DNR is also turning the old 1914 hatchery on site into a walk-through museum that will be open to the public.

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 Conor Wight

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    ST. PAUL, Minnesota (WCCO) — If you heard the audio of St. Paul Fire Captain Brian Buxton introducing himself to Department of Natural Resources Officer Annette Schlag, you’d think the pair had just met for coffee.

Instead, Schlag was in a neck brace, lying on the ground in the woods. Buxton had just descended some 130 feet from a hovering helicopter to help her.

“Hey Annette. My name is Brian, I’m a medic with St. Paul,” Buxton said. “We called everything to get you out of here today.”

According to the DNR, Schlag was dismantling an illegal deer hunting stand when she fell about 20 feet on March 30. It happened in the Whitewater Wildlife Management Area near Plainview, east of Rochester.

At first, state trooper Lt. Craig Benz said that local first responders were able to locate the officer and provide care. But when those local firefighters realized Schlag may have internal injuries, they contacted the Minnesota Air Rescue Team (MART). Benz serves as chief pilot, taking off with Buxton and his fellow St. Paul Fire Captain Frank Tate.

The DNR shared video of the rescue. As Benz keeps the chopper steady, Tate mans the winch, helping to lower Buxton to the forest below. Once on the ground, Buxton’s bedside manner takes over. The camera on his helmet captures what he says to Schlag.

“My job is you. That’s my sole job, alright?” Buxton said.

He coaches her as he secures the DNR officer in what’s called an ARES bag; it’s like an enclosed gurney that secures a patient before they are taken up into the sky. Buxton is alongside her as they ascend; Tate is there, hanging out of the helicopter, to bring them inside.

“I don’t think there’s any time for fear,” Tate said, “When you do get a call, it’s very rewarding. We put hundreds if not thousands of hours into training to do this.”

Buxton said that part of that training is helping people feel safe as they are brought skyward.

“If the patient is not in a position to be rescued, we did our job poorly,” Buxton said.

The team brought Schlag to an ambulance waiting in a nearby field. Schlag is now recovering, putting out a statement via the DNR to WCCO.

“On behalf of my husband Ben and I, as well as our friends and family, we want to extend our most heartfelt thanks to all the incredible first responders and medical staff who assisted in the rescue and follow-up medical care. This was certainly unexpected, but we are grateful it didn’t lead to a more undesirable outcome,” Schlag said. “The outpouring of support we have received has been nothing short of incredible.”

Schlag went on to thank eleven agencies involved in emergency response and medicine.

Benz said it’s all a team effort. The equipment is also critical for MART; the helicopter they used in this rescue operation was purchased about one year ago. Benz explained that it has newer technology that ensures they can remain in the air during a rescue, avoiding the process of landing that was required with their previous aircraft.

Benz said that state police use the helicopter often for patrolling work. These kinds of rescue operations happen about 30 times a year, he 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 Conor McGill

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    CITRUS HEIGHTS, California (KOVR) — A normally quiet neighborhood in Citrus Heights is recovering after a weekend Airbnb party grew out of control, causing chaos and costly damage.

According to the homeowner, the property on Dunmore Avenue was rented using a fake profile, allegedly posing as an elderly person.

Video obtained by CBS News Sacramento shows a large crowd gathered at the home, with some people even climbing down from the roof as the situation intensified.

The Citrus Heights Police Department says calls began coming in around 10 p.m. reporting a large gathering in the 6700 block of Dunmore Avenue.

At first, officers believed the home was vacant. After contacting the property owner, they confirmed it was being used as an Airbnb rental.

Law enforcement flooded the area, bringing in a drone and air support to help disperse the crowd.

A neighbor who has lived in the area for three years but did not want to be identified by name said the response was overwhelming.

“They came from all directions… they blocked it off so people could only get out the main street,” the neighbor said.

The same neighbor noted that while parties at short-term rentals can happen, they are typically much smaller.

“A lot of the Airbnb parties that are thrown are not as big… maybe 50 people and they keep it on the low,” the neighbor said.

Despite the size of the crowd and numerous calls for service, police say they did not have legal justification to make arrests, in part because the gathering was taking place at a rented property.

The neighbor said the incident was unlike anything they’ve seen in the typically calm area. They added that more safeguards may be needed to prevent similar situations in the future.

“I definitely think there needs to be an extra step of precaution… I don’t know what the action would be, but there should be something,” he said.

In a statement, Airbnb said it has a strict ban on disruptive parties: “This type of behavior has no home on our platform or in the communities we serve.”

The company says the guest responsible has been suspended and that it is cooperating with law enforcement.

The homeowner says they are now dealing with thousands of dollars in damage and emotional distress following the incident.

Questions remain about how the fake profile was able to book the property. Police say what happens next will likely depend on Airbnb’s investigation.

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.