Category: CNN Regional

By Jason Rantala

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — An 85-year-old St. Paul, Minnesota, woman helped stop an armed home intruder from stealing her vehicle this week by trapping him inside her garage, according to authorities.

The incident began Tuesday afternoon in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood, when the homeowner said a man entered her home through a back door while she was inside.

Ramsey County deputies said the suspect was armed with a knife. According to police, he grabbed the keys from inside the home and headed to the car in the garage.

As the suspect tried to drive away, the homeowner quickly closed the garage door, preventing him from escaping in the vehicle. Forced to abandon the attempt, the suspect fled on foot, authorities said.

Investigators later linked the suspect to a stealing spree across St. Paul.

“It’s unclear what the motive was,” Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Joe Kill said.

The following day, deputies located the suspect driving a different stolen vehicle and attempted to stop him near Ford Parkway.

“We thought it would be the best place to take him down. He was kind of caught up in traffic,” Kill said. “As we attempted to, he ended up ramming cars and ourselves out of the way.”

Witnesses told authorities he approached people who were out for a walk and asked for directions to Minneapolis.

Deputies said those witnesses provided a detailed description of the suspect, while a camera captured the license plate of the stolen vehicle in Minneapolis. The information helped investigators track the suspect to another St. Paul residence.

Police say the man was hiding inside a closet and they took him into custody.

Deputies say the suspect, described as a career thief, is now being held in the Ramsey County Jail. He is facing a first-degree burglary charge.

“To make the citizens of Ramsey County and Hennepin County feel safer, that a guy that would steal people’s cars or go into people’s homes is off the streets as fast as possible is our number one goal,” 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 Jeremiah Martinez

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    YOLO COUNTY, Calif. (KCRA) — Two parents were arrested after deputies found a newborn baby living in a makeshift tent under an Interstate 5 overpass in Yolo County, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a tip on Sept. 9 of a man and woman living under the I-5 overpass near County Road 19A. When deputies arrived at the location, they found Fernando Esparza, 29, and Melissa, 29, along with their 7-day-old baby.

The baby was immediately removed from the area and was taken to Woodland Memorial Hospital for evaluation. The baby was then transported to a neonatal intensive care unit in Sacramento County.

Detectives responded to the scene to launch an investigation into the baby’s welfare. Child Welfare Services also responded to the area.

During the investigation, the sheriff’s office said detectives documented “hazardous living conditions” under the overpass. Conditions included suspected methamphetamine pipes, trash, rotten food, vomit on a mattress, sleeping accommodations on the dirt floor without bedding, vomit on a mattress.

During the investigation, detectives documented hazardous living conditions, including numerous suspected methamphetamine smoking pipes, accumulated trash, rotten food, sleeping accommodations on the dirt floor without bedding, vomit on a mattress, and feces inside a baby carrier, the sheriff’s office said.

Detectives also found the mother’s placenta and umbilical cord in a nearby garbage bag, according to the sheriff’s office.

The parents told deputies they were waiting to take their child to the hospital at a later date, the sheriff’s office said.

Esparza and Rivera were arrested on child endangerment charges and have been booked into the Yolo County Jail. The child was placed into protective custody.

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 Beau Bowman

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    DALLAS CENTER, Iowa (KCCI) — The Dallas Center-Grimes School District honored a man who never got the chance to graduate, but spent decades helping students reach their own dreams.

Paul Little, 98, received his high school diploma Thursday at his nursing home in Dallas Center, 80 years after he would have graduated from Dallas Center High School in 1946. Little left school during his junior year to work and help support his family.

At the surprise presentation, Little appeared stunned when the superintendent arrived with the diploma.

“I think it’s very important. We need to support the kids in schools,” he said.

After leaving school, Little farmed for years outside Panora. He and his late wife, Eleanor, later made it a priority to support students at Panorama High School.

“For the last 15-18 years he’s given money out to help our kids get jump-started to the next stage in life,” said Kasey Huebner, superintendent for Panorama Community Schools.

Huebner said more than 150 students have benefited, and each earned a place on what the family calls Paul’s Hall of Fame.

When Little moved back to Dallas Center and into the nursing home, he brought more than picture frames. He also brought $50,000 for the education foundation.

“We’re excited to play just a little role in recognizing the awesomeness that is a guy like Paul in our community,” Scott Blum said.

Little’s donation now supports students in the district he once would have called his alma mater.

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 Lydia Blackstone

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    SAVANNAH, Ga. (WJCL) — They may have looked like tourists taking in Savannah’s sights from a trolley, but the people aboard shared a connection forged on a battlefield more than 80 years ago.

They are the children, grandchildren and loved ones of soldiers who served in the 106th Infantry Division during World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge.

“My grandfather was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Bulge, Dec. 16, 1944,” said Kathy Spinella, president of the 106th Infantry Division Association.

Randy Wood, the son of a 106th veteran, said his father spent six months in a German prison camp.

The division’s veterans formed the association before leaving Europe in 1945, according to Brian Welke, author of “Boys, Just Boys.” Members and their families have gathered every year since.

For Spinella, the association also helped answer questions her family had carried for decades about her grandfather.

At the first reunion she attended with her mother, Brian Welke had her grandfather’s complete military file and shared information they had spent years trying to find.

That discovery eventually took Spinella to Belgium, where she visited her grandfather’s grave.

This year’s Savannah gathering marked a difficult milestone: It was the first reunion held without a 106th Infantry Division veteran in attendance.

“We’ll be figuring out how we continue from here,” Wood said. “But we’re here until the last man stands, and that’s what our purpose is.”

As the number of living World War II veterans continues to decline, their families are working to preserve their stories and maintain the bonds created through the association.

Spinella said the reunions honor the veterans while giving their families a chance to spend time together and share in the camaraderie.

The group met in Columbus last year and plans to gather in Gettysburg next year. While the location changes, its mission remains the same: honoring the veterans of the 106th Infantry Division and keeping their stories alive.

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By James Curtis, Kyle Schmidt

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    MATLACHA, Fla. (WBBH) — A roughly 480-pound dolphin stranded on a sandbar in Matlacha on Thursday was rescued and released back into the water after hours of effort by the community, firefighters, and marine biologists.

According to the Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District, the dolphin was successfully released and tagged by a marine biologist to monitor its movements. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Marine Mammal Rescue team from Charlotte County was also at the scene.

Dave Coates, a Matlacha resident, described the situation, saying, “It was on the sandbar for hours.”

Valerie Bender, another local, shared how the community quickly mobilized to help. “Someone knocked on our door looking for if anyone had a boat,” she said.

A team worked tirelessly on the sandbar to save the dolphin, carving trenches to guide it back into the water. Sylvia Radvansky, a Matlacha resident, emphasized the community’s connection to local wildlife.

“Everyone cares about the wildlife; we care about the dolphins and the manatees, and we want them to survive,” she said.

Mike Hannon, another resident, praised the collective effort.

“The response by the locals and civilians here was everybody on deck,” he said.

Susan Dahod, an aquatic biologist at the scene, explained one possible reason for the dolphin’s predicament.

“This dolphin could have just been chasing fish and got up on the sandbar and couldn’t get off,” she said.

After ensuring the dolphin was safe to be released, marine biologists tagged it to monitor its movements before setting it free.

“That’s what we do out here. That’s true for the people out here and the animals out here. People kind of just rally and take action,” Dahod 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 Emily Sanderson, Danielle Dindak

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — Police have launched a death investigation after a 7-year-old Cincinnati Public Schools student with special needs died while riding home on a bus Wednesday.

What happened The girl, 7-year-old Ngone Talla, attended Roselawn Condon School, according to Cincinnati Public Schools. Her family says she was discovered unresponsive in her wheelchair when the bus arrived at their home.

WLWT confirmed that the bus involved was operated by First Student, which released a statement saying, “All of us at First Student are deeply saddened by the death of a student on one of our buses. Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family, classmates, school community and all those impacted as they navigate this difficult time.”

First Student said since the investigation is active, they could not provide any further details.

Family speaks out Talla’s family says they noticed the bus sitting outside the home for about 10 minutes, saying they usually see the back doors open for the ramp to get her wheelchair out. According to the family, when they saw that wasn’t happening, they went outside and that’s when they were told she was not responding. The family says when they were let on the bus, they found the 7-year-old unresponsive.

“We went on the bus, and I see my sister unresponsive and lifeless. So, I’m there, I’m mad. I’m yelling in the bus. I’m like, okay, how did this happen?” Marema Talla, Ngone’s sister, said.

12-year-old Marema says she often helped mom get her little sister off the school bus when she returned home each day.

The child’s father, Abdoul Talla, said he got a call Wednesday afternoon and learned Ngone wasn’t breathing.

“They say the bus was staying here like over 10, 15 minutes before they let them know,” he said, “The bus driver came outside and he told them like, ‘oh come look’. And they went inside the bus, and they see she was not breathing, she was not moving. And after that, that’s why they call me, and I say call 911, and I call 911, me myself. And I drive up here and I see my daughter inside the bus and I was like ‘it’s over’. And that’s when they took her the Children’s and they said ‘it’s over’.”

The family is now left with broken hearts and unanswered questions.

“The driver and a second person, they’re supposed to just watch carefully, the kids, because you cannot have these kids in this bus and you’re not watching them. And it was really hot yesterday, and I don’t know what’s going on. I’m waiting for the investigation to let us know what’s happened,” Abdoul Talla, Ngone’s father, said.

Coroner statement The coroner reported that there were no traumatic injuries or signs of harm related to her death.

“She became unresponsive in her wheelchair on the bus, but she has extensive medical history including cerebral palsy. There was nothing traumatic and no injuries were related to the death,” the coroner’s office said in a statement.

School response Cincinnati Public Schools shared Talla went to school at Roselawn Condon School.

“Our hearts are with her family and everyone who knew and loved her. This is an unimaginable loss for them and a heartbreaking day for the Roselawn Condon community,” CPS said in a statement.

CPS says their Crisis Response Unit is at the school supporting students and employees.

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.