Category: CNN Regional

By Matthew Rodriguez

Click here for updates on this story

    ORANGE COUNTY, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Uber was ordered to pay $40 million to the family of a woman killed on an Orange County freeway after a rideshare driver left her on the side of the road.

Carol Normandin and Ken Parker said their 23-year-old daughter, Emily Normandin-Parker, and a friend ordered an Uber after a night out on Aug. 12, 2023. During the ride, Normandin-Parker’s friend became sick and vomited in the car. The driver pulled over to the side of State Route 73 and kicked the women out of the car, leaving them on the side of the freeway.

Normandin-Parker was fatally struck by another car as their Uber drove away.

“The reason we’re talking is because he didn’t take responsibility and neither did Uber,” Parker said. “They’re still not taking responsibility. We do not want this to ever happen to another mother or another father.”

During a five-day arbitration hearing, Uber argued that the driver was an independent contractor under California law and that the ridesharing company should not be held accountable for his actions.

A retired judge acting as the arbitrator awarded Normandin and Parker $20 million each.

In a statement, Uber disagreed with the decision.

“No family should have to suffer the loss of a child, and our thoughts continue to be with the Normandin-Parker family,” Uber said. “While we respect the arbitration process, we believe the arbitrator was wrong in holding Uber legally responsible for the tragic events of that night.”

After the decision, Uber initially offered a settlement agreement that prohibited Normandin and Parker from publicly discussing the incident, with a provision requiring them to pay $10 million each time they did, according to Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP, the law firm representing the family.

“We turned it down because we would never accept that kind of condition,” Parker said. “The case was never about money in the first place.”

The family created the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation to honor their daughter and advocate for stronger rideshare safety regulations.

“In a private car, it’s whatever rules they have,” Normandin said. “It’s whatever they’re offended by. I think the whole business model of someone getting in a stranger’s car, a stranger to both Uber and a stranger to us, is just dangerous.”

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 Terell Bailey

Click here for updates on this story

    DETROIT, Michigan (WWJ) — When a fire truck is racing to an emergency, every second counts.

A new pilot program launched in Detroit is testing technology designed to help fire and EMS vehicles move through intersections faster by communicating with traffic signals before they arrive.

The 90-day pilot is taking place at five intersections in Detroit’s Corktown and Michigan Central area. The system combines technology installed in emergency vehicles with technology at designated traffic signals.

Michael Wieck, focus accounts director at Miovision, explained that the two pieces work together to put the system in place. The technology can request a green light before the emergency vehicle reaches the intersection, while cross traffic gets a red light, giving drivers time to clear the way.

Similar technology is already being used in other states, including Texas and Florida.

Shobhit Jain of Miovision said the 90-day pilot will give officials enough data to create a blueprint for potentially expanding the technology.

“Once we have enough data, a blueprint in 90 days, we can scale it in a much more confident way,” Jain said.

The goal is to improve emergency response times while making intersections safer for first responders and drivers.

At the end of the pilot, officials will determine whether the technology could be expanded.

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 Estrada

Click here for updates on this story

    WAIKAPU, Hawaii (KITV) — Maui firefighters are working to extinguish a brush fire near Kuihelani Highway in Waikapu on Thursday afternoon.

The Maui Fire Department (MFD) was alerted about a brush fire at 3:22 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, located west of Kuihelani Highway and south of Waiko Road. Firefighters arrived at the scene and found a multi-acre area of brush and grass burning in the direction of Kuihelani Highway.

Firefighters on the ground halted their efforts as an MFD helicopter dropped water onto the brush.

Firefighters are continuing to fully contain and extinguish the fire. MFD said forward progress in this fire stopped at 4:26 p.m.

The brush fire does not pose a threat to any nearby structures. No injuries were reported from this incident.

The fire led to the temporary closure of Kahului-bound lanes on Kuihelani Highway between Honoapiilani Highway and Waiko Road. The Maalaea-bound lanes are anticipated to reopen around 5:30pm.

The cause of the fire has not been determined at this time.

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 DeJanay Booth-Singleton

Click here for updates on this story

    FLINT, Michigan (WWJ) — Two brothers who were acquitted in the Michigan Gov. Whitmer kidnapping plot case have filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Dana Nessel, Michigan State Police and FBI officials, alleging that they were framed and unlawfully detained, which impacted their business.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Michael Null, of Plainwell, and William Null, of Shelbyville, on Sept. 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. It is seeking a jury trial and asks that the brothers be compensated for damages and attorney fees.

A jury acquitted the brothers and a third person, Eric Molitor, in September 2023 of providing support for a terrorist act and a weapon charge. The men were the last of the 14 men facing charges in state and federal court. Nine were originally convicted and five were cleared.

The lawsuit alleges that the Null brothers were deprived of their right to bear arms, had their Fourth Amendment rights violated, and suffered humiliation, lost wages and reputational harm.

The lawsuit claims that federal officials “knowingly and intentionally caused Plaintiffs to be arrested, detained, and prosecuted without probable cause by fabricating evidence and making materially false statements to federal prosecutors.”

It also alleges that the accusations against the brothers were “drummed up” by an FBI agent, his paid confidential informant, and other agents and officers.

“The only terrorists in the courtroom were the government, pursuing a frame against the Plaintiffs,” read the lawsuit. “AG Nessel’s administration has lost the important cases, and failed to get justice for the people of Flint. Rather, she spent her time in office with an agenda.”

CBS News Detroit reached out to Nessel’s office and the FBI for comment and is awaiting a response.

The lawsuit comes after convictions for three of the men — Joseph Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar — were overturned in 2026. The men were accused of having secondary roles in the scheme and were not charged with having a direct role.

The key players, Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., were convicted of a kidnapping conspiracy in 2022 in a different court. They were accused of running a plot to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation ahea of the 2020 election in response to their frustration with COVID-19 restrictions.

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 Todd Feurer

Click here for updates on this story

    WILMETTE, Illinois (WBBM) — Two people were injured when a semi-trailer truck hauling steel beams hit the underside of the Lake Avenue bridge over the Edens Expressway near Wilmette on Thursday evening.

Illinois State Police said the truck was headed south on the Edens when it hit a girder on the underside of the bridge around 5:20 p.m., spilling part of its load of steel beams, damaging multiple cars.

Two people who were injured were taken to the hospital, but their conditions were not immediately available.

Police said two northbound lanes and two southbound lanes of the Edens Expressway were blocked after the crash. The Lake Avenue bridge was closed in both directions while Illinois Department of Transportation crews inspected it to make sure it was safe to reopen to traffic.

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 Kimberly King

Click here for updates on this story

    EDNEYVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Nearly two years after Helene devastated western North Carolina, some bridges that were destroyed by the storm remain without repairs or reconstruction.

Ray Lyda, an apple farmer in Edneyville, says he has tried to call the North Carolina Department of Transportation for an answer on why the agency hasn’t started to rebuild two Helene-destroyed bridges on public roads in the heart of apple country.

Lyda’s right. The two broken bridges are on Waters Road and Townsend Road.

“When you’re driving tractors with spray machines before daylight and pulling bush hogs and farm equipment, it’s tough,” he said.

Lyda showed News 13 a multi-mile detour his workers must drive in large tractors and machines to get to farm acreage they need to work on the other side of Waters Road.

“Why haven’t you let people know when you’re going to do something? When are you going to start?” he said.

On Thursday, News 13 found out that it will be soon.

“Delays with right-of-way acquisition and the design process pushed back the construction start date, but that’s scheduled to begin this fall,” said Stephanie Johnson, spokesperson for NCDOT. “Once construction begins, the contractor will have four months to finish the Waters Road bridge and six months to finish the Townsend Road bridge.”

Johnson confirmed both bridges were part of an emergency express design-build contract awarded in March 2025 for approximately $5 million.

“The damage to these bridges necessitated full replacements, so the contractor had to design entirely new structures,” she added.

This news was welcome for Lyda, but he still feels there’s been a lack of urgency by the NCDOT for farmers like him, who he said need the bridges for work.

“We used it every day,” said Billy Ellis, a longtime Edneyville farmer. “Hauling apples out, we would go this way. We’ve had to go the opposite direction all year now.”

At the Townsend Road bridge, heavy machinery was parked on both sides of Clear Creek, and rebar and beams appeared to be staged about 50 feet from the Creek bed.

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 Robbie Owens

Click here for updates on this story

    DALLAS, Texas (KTVT) — Three months ago, Dallas firefighter Ian Kammerer found himself on the unfamiliar side of a 911 call.

Call it instinct, or perhaps intuition, but something was suddenly, seriously wrong with his healthy 5-week-old son, Kenji.

“We just picked him up,” Kammerer said, “and he just screeched and then [we] just saw the blood was drained from his face.”

Paramedics rushed the baby to Medical City Children’s Hospital in Dallas. Kenji’s intestines, for no obvious reason, had suddenly twisted, shutting off the blood supply.

“And literally we were sitting in that room, and those doors kept opening,” Lindsey Kammerer, Kenji’s mom, said from a hospital waiting area. “And we kept watching for an update.”

Doctors said they were worried, too.

“And she came right to my face and said, `Do you think he’s going to make it?'” Dr. Kris Bysani of Medical City Children’s said. “And he was dying.”

Doctors there said that had the parents not acted so quickly, Kenji almost certainly would have died.

“We were so worried about him,” Dr. Shweta Murthi said. “And on the way up to the ICU, as we were bringing him up on the stretcher, I remember he opened his eyes, and he looked at us, and we brought Mom to the bedside, and we said, `There’s hope. There’s still hope.”

Now, 77 days and four surgeries later, Kenji is going home.

“You’re happy. Excited. Scared?”, Lindsey said, before deciding on “all the above.”

As dozens of Medical City Children’s staffers lined the halls with rattles and signs, Ian’s fellow firefighters joined them. The makings of a dream day began to emerge from what could only be described as a nightmare.

“It was overwhelming,” Ian said. “I remember, at my station, they were already thinking of things that we would need. Even the first week, we were just focusing on him, and everything was already taken care of.”

Now 4 months old, Kenji is a chubby, squirming, sometimes fussy bundle of joy. Before his parents began to embrace the bliss of normal life, Lindsey couldn’t hold back the tears as she thought of her much-expanded family at Medical City Children’s.

“I don’t think there’s enough words to tell them. And I don’t think that they even truly understand how, as individuals, each impacted us,” Lindsey said. “Like you could put each person in front of me, and I could probably tell them a moment where they just saved me, or they saved Ian.”

All while saving her precious baby boy.

“It’s everyone,” Lindsey said, “everyone.”

Ian said, “We’re just so thankful.”

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 Eric Valadez

Click here for updates on this story

    SOUTHLAKE, Texas (KTVT) — Organizers of a pride festival denied a permit for a community event to support LGBTQ+ residents in Keller and Southlake are promising not to give up.

On Tuesday, the Southlake city council gave no reason before rejecting Pride Kel-So’s request to hold an event on Oct.3, on the grounds of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church.

The event is being promoted as a celebration of love, diversity, and community spirit featuring inclusive vendors, food trucks, and family-friendly activities to support LGBTQ+ and ally-owned businesses.

When asked for comment and an explanation on the vote, the city of Southlake referred CBS News Texas to the Sept.15 city council meeting and video, where the item was “considered, and the City Council took action.”

The unanimous council vote to deny came after no debate and no questions for April Dreyson, Pride Kel-So co-founder, who was present for the vote. While one Southlake resident submitted a note of support, fewer than 10 others submitted notes of opposition.

One Southlake resident appeared in person to speak against the festival, saying last year’s event caused upheaval.

“I don’t believe that’s representative of the values of our community,” said Paul Segal. “Seeing these drag queens out there like last year, it was abhorrent.”

Rev. Ellen Singer, an associate pastor at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, attended the council meeting, saying it was the church’s mission to welcome everyone. She told city leaders that last year’s event was a great success and that she saw no reason it wouldn’t be again this year.

After Pride Kel-So welcomed nearly 1,600 people to its festival last year, organizers had to apply for a special use permit this year because of the crowd size.

Dreyson told CBS News Texas on Thursday that she worked with the city of Southlake for several months to meet its requirements. The city’s Planning and Zoning committee recommended approving the permit in August, citing adequate space, parking, and other needs to hold the event on private property.

Dreyson said she felt blindsided by the council’s decision.

“I think that it sends a message because of them having no comment and just shutting down an event in what seemingly is because it’s an event for the queer community without any comment does send that message that you don’t belong here.”

Dreyson and her wife, Shaina, relocated to Fort Worth from Keller last year. She said that when the couple started their event-planning business three years ago, they were pleasantly surprised by the community’s acceptance. But they felt a shift when they announced plans for a pride event to serve suburban Tarrant County.

“I think we did see a lot of we were accepted, that doesn’t mean the gay community is accepted in this area,” said Dreyson. “We love you, but we don’t need to make it too gay.”

Dreyson said she appreciates anyone who shows up to speak out for their beliefs or to protest outside an event, as happened last year. However, her fight isn’t about making a point.

“Until people start to get to know more people in LGBTQ+ community, and really try to get to know us and have conversations, there are going to be assumptions made about us that do create this kind of upheaval and I think misguided anger and misperceptions of us as a community.”

Pride Kel-So has received hundreds of private messages of support since Tuesday, according to the co-founder.

Dreyson told CBS News Texas she plans to reach out to the city for an explanation on Friday. Regardless, she’s hopeful their event will still happen, if they have to pivot.

A message to supporters posted on Pride Kel-so’s Facebook page read, “We will not be silenced. We will not be made to just ‘go away.'”

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 Shelly Garzon

Click here for updates on this story

    ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Nearly two years after Helene washed away its food truck, prep kitchen and neighboring bar, an Asheville restaurant is beginning a new chapter in the same River Arts District where its story started.

Guajiro Cuban Comfort Food has opened its new brick-and-mortar restaurant inside the historic Asheville Cotton Mill, marking a homecoming years in the making for the family behind the business.

For co-owner and chef Joel Morales, being back in a kitchen also means returning to something he has known for much of his life.

“I started cooking alongside family and friends when I was 18. I’ve been cooking for a long time,” Morales said.

But getting to cook inside a permanent Guajiro restaurant was never guaranteed.

In Sept. 2024, Helene devastated parts of Asheville’s River Arts District. Guajiro’s food truck, prep kitchen and neighboring bar were in the path of the storm.

In the immediate aftermath, widespread communication outages left Morales unsure of what had happened to the business.

“I didn’t know the magnitude of the damage because the cell phone service was down. There was no way to communicate with each other. It wasn’t until two days later that I found out we lost everything,” Morales said.

What followed was not a quick rebuild.

Before contractors could begin transforming the space, the team spent months clearing mud and debris from the Asheville Cotton Mill by hand.

“Helene came one day, you know, knocked us down. We spent months cleaning up this building by hand, getting it to the point where we could have contractors come in here,” co-owner Christian Barroso said.

As work continued on the building, Guajiro found a way to keep serving customers. The team secured another food truck and established a temporary home at Hi-Wire Brewing in Biltmore Village.

The food truck kept the business moving, but Barroso said a permanent space had always been the dream.

That goal has now become a reality inside the same historic building the team helped clean out following the storm.

For Morales, the new restaurant represents more than replacing what was lost.

“It’s like a story that shows what we’re capable of. There were difficult times because bad things happened, like the loss of our business and the rebuilding, but we’re so excited to be back. We’re grateful to the Asheville community and our customers that have always supported us,” Morales said.

The opening also comes during Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

At Guajiro, that heritage is reflected throughout the restaurant and in a menu built around Cuban food and traditions.

The restaurant is opening in phases as the team settles into its permanent space.

For the people behind Guajiro, opening the doors follows roughly four years of building the business through food trucks, followed by the destruction caused by Helene and nearly two years of recovery.

Now, after years of serving customers from food trucks and rebuilding from a storm that threatened the future of the business, Guajiro has something it did not have before Helene: a permanent home in the River Arts District.

A new kitchen, a permanent home and a family’s dream coming to life.

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 Lisa Rozner

Click here for updates on this story

    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — It’s easy to complain about litter in New York City, but how many people actually do something about it?

When one man recently spotted a Brooklyn eyesore near his commuter rail stop, he took matters into his own hands.

He called out 311 on social media and it ended up being a call to action for himself.

“People were telling me, ‘Oh, how about you stop making videos about it, and go clean it yourself?’ So I did,” Joshua Service said.

Service says when he commuted from Queens to his job in Crown Heights last week he noticed a mess under the Long Island Rail Road Nostrand Avenue station near Atlantic Avenue.

In response to his 311 complaints, the Department of Sanitation said, “It will inspect within 7 days.” Service learned the holdup was due to the site in question also being considered a homeless encampment.

“It was a catastrophe,” Service said. “Sanitation couldn’t just come and get the bags. They had to make sure it wasn’t the homeless person’s property.”

When it comes to homeless encampments, New York City requires the Department of Social Services first visit the site seven days in a row before it can address the area.

“What I worried about was just making sure that the area was neater for everybody,” Service said.

So for two hours on Monday, the 25-year-old says he put on some gloves and filled up about 10 garbage bags.

“Women’s shoes, children’s shoes. I’m seeing that they probably had garbage that was dumped here,” Service said. “Someone was like, ‘Do you work for the Department of Transportation?’ I said, ‘No, man, I’m an independent contractor.'”

Strangers acknowledge his efforts.

“Phenomenal. It was philanthropic. He was passionate about it and cleaned it up. [It’s] something we need more of,” said Haile Ali, of Crown Heights. “It’s a step forward. When you deal with the things going on on this planet, raindrops make puddles, so every little bit counts. You know what I mean?”

Service didn’t just clean up the area; the Department of Homeless Services says when it went out there Wednesday, it helped moved someone to a shelter.

“My main takeaway from this experience is that no matter who you are, you can make a change,” Service said. “We as a people make our community.”

He said the best part is that he did something for others, and added he does want to become mayor one day. After all, his last name is Service.

City Councilmember Chi Ossé plans to honor Service for his service on Friday at the spot he cleaned up.

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.