Category: CNN Regional

By Hannah Hilyard

Click here for updates on this story

    MILWAUKEE (WISN) — Lunchtime hit a little differently at Pulaski High School when some of the Milwaukee Bucks showed up for a big surprise.

Pulaski took in all the students from Lincoln Ave. School after their school burned down in June. Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins and players Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, and Kel’el Ware showed up to the building Wednesday wanting to recognize and celebrate both student bodies.

“I just want them to be able to feel that, you know, people care for them. People are here for them. And you know, it’s a safe environment,” said Ware, Bucks center.

The visit began with the Bucks recognizing Pulaski High School ninth graders for welcoming the younger students into their school this year. Afterward, the team joined the Lincoln Avenue students for lunch, where pizza, ice cream, and salad were served.

Jakučionis, Bucks guard, said, “Salad, tomatoes, all the healthy stuff,” when asked what he was handing out. He added, “I was trying to make sure they take their salad!”

The students were thrilled by the visit. “I said, ‘Oh, I hope you guys win this year!'” said Thiago Rodriguez, a fifth grader from Lincoln Avenue School.

“Pretty exciting!” said Donavin Batista, another fifth grader. “This usually doesn’t happen!”

Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins also attended, handing out team swag and sharing his thoughts on the students’ resilience. “We’re just happy to be able to come here, celebrate that, recognize, and it actually rubs off on me, too,” Jenkins said.

The Bucks acquired Jaquez Jr., Jakučionis, and Ware in a summer trade with the Miami Heat. The Heat received superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks’ first preseason game is Oct. 5.

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 John Rupolo

Click here for updates on this story

    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — Classroom temperatures in some Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) buildings have reached as high as 93 degrees in recent weeks, prompting concerns from parents and teachers about the conditions in the classroom.

Parents waiting to pick up their children Tuesday afternoon at Eisenhower Middle School shared what their children have been saying about the heat.

“Usually it’s, ‘We’re sweating, Mom. It’s hot. It’s uncomfortable,'” one parent said.

Another parent said, “We’ve lived here since 2020, and since our kids have been back in school, they haven’t had working AC or swamp coolers.”

APS stated in an email that there are currently 400 work orders for cooling units across the district. The district clarified that not all of these work orders are for broken air conditioning units, some are for maintenance. APS noted that these work orders represent just 2% of the 22,000 cooling units in its schools.

We spoke to Sarah Hager, president of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation.

“Statistically, it’s not a lot. But when I think about one teacher in a classroom with, if you’re teaching elementary, 30 kids all day, it’s unbearable,” Hager said.

The district reported that one-third of its cooling systems use refrigerated air, while the remaining two-thirds rely on swamp coolers.

“Swamp coolers efficiently work by reducing the heat by 15 to 20 degrees. On a 100-degree day, you’re only going to get down to 85 degrees, and that’s just not good enough,” Hager said.

The teachers union also highlighted issues with refrigerated air systems, noting that the air conditioning at Onate Elementary went out in March and was only repaired this week.

APS said it has been deploying portable cooling units in classrooms that have no air conditioning.

Hager said all APS buildings need to be converted to refrigerated air.

“Are we going to wait until a student is severely injured at school because they had heat stroke?,” said Hager.

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 Andrew Capasso

Click here for updates on this story

    TUCSON, Arizona (KVOA) — A Tucson dog owner is fighting to keep her pet alive after the dog was placed on a euthanasia list nearly a year ago following an attack on a family member.

The dog, named Sergeant Snuggles, is an Anatolian Shepherd. Both the dog’s owner and the person who was attacked say the dog made a mistake.

“The breeder said he was great with kids – he was nine months old at the time we got him,” Jennifer Evancho said.

Evancho wanted two dogs to protect her chickens. She found Snuggles in Queen Creek when he was nine months old.

“Kids loved to snuggle with him. Like a couple of weeks later, they called him Snuggles because he loves to snuggle with him,” Evancho said.

Last October, Evancho says her other Anatolian dog was in heat and Snuggles wasn’t fixed yet, so they’d kept him tied up. She says coyotes were out, dogs were barking and Snuggles was agitated.

“It was just the perfect storm. Everything went wrong for poor Snuggles,” Evancho said.

When Evancho’s mother went out to the trash and tried to go back in the house, the situation escalated. “She tapped him on the back of the head. He freaked out,” Evancho said.

Animal control records show Snuggles bit Evancho’s mother on the arm, the groin and the face. Officers wrote they found a chunk of her scalp in the yard with hair still attached.

“It was an isolated event. He was provoked. It’s not like he’ll never be put in that situation again,” Evancho said.

At the time, the report shows Evancho’s mother said she wouldn’t go back to the house as long as Snuggles was there. Now, Evancho’s lawyer says she doesn’t feel that way anymore.

“The person who is injured here is not advocating for this dog’s destruction. In fact, she is opposed to this dog’s destruction,” the lawyer said.

Evancho is now appealing the order to put Snuggles down. She’s taken the county and the city of Tucson to court twice, appealing the city court decision and now suing in federal court.

“He’s like my dogs are like my babies. They’re kids to me. They always have been. I love snuggles and I feel like this is my fault for, you know, for it happening. Like it never should have happened,” Evancho said.

Because of the court process, Pima County Animal Care Center says its hands are tied and the dog has to stay in the kennel. In a statement, Pima County called the attack near fatal and says the nature of the injuries the dog inflicted are so horrific and serious, the county agrees with the court’s decision to put Snuggles down.

The county released a statement from Pima County Animal Care Center Director Steve Kozachik:

“Last October, a near-fatal incident occurred in which a 110-pound dog affectionately named Snuggles mauled a family member of its owner in the backyard of their home. The victim suffered severe injuries to her face, scalp, arms, and groin. A large part of the side of her face was torn open. Animal Protection Services Officers later found a portion of her scalp in the yard after being contacted by emergency first responders. The victim was transported to the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery to repair her wounds. During the investigation, Pima Animal Care Center impounded the animal, which is standard practice when an animal attack results in serious injuries. Our officers noted the dog had been illegally tethered outside at the time of the attack.

“In the legal proceedings that followed, a Tucson City court magistrate declared the dog to be a danger to the public and ordered that it be euthanized. While that is not an outcome anyone at PACC hopes for, in cases such as this we all recognize the decision is consistent with our public safety responsibility. We understand the family’s affection for the dog and its desire to see him returned to them, but the nature of the injuries the dog inflicted are so horrific and serious, PACC agrees with the decision of the court. We believe this dog is 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 Tyson Palodichuk

Click here for updates on this story

    ROSEBURG, Oregon (KEZI) — A Roseburg man was working about an hour and a half away from his Tesla when he got an alert that the car’s alarm had gone off.

Matthew Keller checked the Tesla’s cameras and saw someone moving around inside. He then drove until he could get cell service, called police and used the Tesla app to track the vehicle.

Eugene police were called around 12:15 p.m. Sept. 12 for a report of a stolen vehicle. Keller was able to give officers the Tesla’s location, which led them to a home on Waite Street in Eugene.

Officers found the Tesla with its back window smashed and 48-year-old Kip Allen Carr standing a few feet away. Police said various belongings were scattered around the vehicle, and Carr was wearing a jacket belonging to Keller.

Keller said a spare key card he had left inside the Tesla appears to have been used to operate the vehicle.

When he recovered the car, Keller said he noticed Carr had changed some of the Tesla’s screen settings. A pair of Keller’s prescription sunglasses was also missing.

Police said Carr admitted to stealing the Tesla and trying to open the front door of the Waite Street home. The door was locked, and the homeowner was not inside when Carr attempted to enter. Police said Carr planned to drink a beer and take a shower at the home.

The vehicle’s owner was able to recover it, and police said the home was never entered. No injuries were reported.

Carr was arrested and booked into the Lane County Jail on charges of first-degree burglary of a residence, third-degree theft from a vehicle, unauthorized use of a vehicle and first-degree criminal mischief.

Keller said the Tesla has scratches and a broken window, and he is working with his insurance company and a repair shop to have the damage fixed.

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 Jazsmin Halliburton, Marie Moyer

Click here for updates on this story

    JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri (KMIZ) — Hundreds of Missourians from across the state met at the Capitol rotunda Wednesday afternoon in support of placing a moratorium on data centers until state regulations are in place.

“Now they are building one within a mile of our house, it’s taking up good cropland, In fact, my two sons lost 500 acres.” Montgomery County Farmer Bob Ridgley said.

This rally comes after months of community pushback against an Amazon data center in Montgomery County that officially broke ground in June. Water use is one complaint shared by residents at public meetings for the project. Other complaints include the high power loads required by data centers and the use of productive farmland for the project.

According to Data Center Map, there are at least 95 data centers in the state.

“Everything’s been so hush-hush and quiet about it. And first thing you know, they just kind of dump on you,” Ridgley said.

Residents have other demands, including health and environmental protections, transparency with local residents and shared prosperity between data centers and the community. The group also wants guarantees that data companies cover all energy costs and that they would not receive tax incentives.

Groups involved included NoMo Data Centers, The Missouri Rural Crisis Center and the Missouri Workers Center.

“We want a moratorium because there’s nothing in place right now, there’s no one in Missouri that can oversee these sites,” Franklin County Farmer Patricia Schuba said.

The Missouri Department of Economic Development clarified with ABC 17 News that state statutes regulate utility costs. Adding that the creation of data centers are up to local leaders and their citizens.

“State statute contains consumer protections for electrical infrastructure costs associated with projects like data centers, ensuring that companies, not residents, pay for one hundred percent of the power data centers use and any new infrastructure costs that are directly driven by operations,” The MDEC said in a statement.

Ridgley adds that he did not feel like he had a say in local development.

We need more information,” Ridgley said. “We’re going to need it [AI], but not the way they’re trying to push it on us, is what they’re doing.”

Governor Mike Kehoe has been a vocal supporter of data centers, praising the projects for their economic benefits to small communities, which many protesters pushed back on.

“The small town will be overwhelmed, so they’ll try to ramp up, maybe more motels, maybe more restaurants, whatever,” Eric Vimont, a farmer from Lawrence County, said. “Those workers will then finish the job and go home, and what do the little towns have? No employment surge whatsoever.”

Vimont added that he has concerns about privacy.

“There’s no good that will come from them anyway, we want none of them,” Vimont said. “If the data centers and the whole AI technology thing ever gets in place, that will be the mechanism that they use to steal all the rest of the freedoms that we have.”

Before the rally, State Rep. Colin Wellenkamp (R-St. Charles) announced plans to lead legislation in regulating AI data centers and placing guardrails on companies.

“Protections are especially needed to secure water and power resources while also requiring transparency and prohibiting increased utility costs from being passed to Missourians that only benefits private AI companies,” Wellenkamp said in a statement.

State Sen. Joe Nicola (R-Grain Valley) similarly has supported legislation that regulated AI.

“Senator Nicola is very concerned about both data centers and Ai. He believes Missouri needs some common sense guardrails in place and plans on filing legislation for the upcoming session,” Jodi Widhalm, Nicola’s Chief of Staff said in a statement.

There are now discussions about a proposed data center development in Callaway County. Local officials describe the multi-billion-dollar development as the largest private investment in Callaway County history.

The project includes two data center buildings of about 800,000 square feet each, creating a sizable new industrial and technology footprint in what is now a rural area. According to Crusoe Director of Economic Development Morgan Alu, each building would have about 204 megawatts of power, with the entire campus capped at 500 megawatts.

Following the rally, the group began a protest in downtown Jefferson City to the Governor’s Mansion. On the way, one 31-year-old Kansas City man was arrested by police.

The Jefferson City Police Department claimed in a statement that the man failed to use the sidewalk during the protest.

“The demonstration was organized and remained peaceful. However, the group did not have authorization or a permit to occupy the roadway, resulting in the obstruction of vehicular traffic. Officers with the Jefferson City Police Department responded to the area and observed the group walking eastbound on Capitol Street from Jefferson Street. Several verbal warnings were issued advising demonstrators that occupying the roadway was unlawful and directing them to use the available sidewalks,” JCPD Lieutenant Curtis Finke said in a statement.

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 Matthew Sanders, Demetra Alarcon

Click here for updates on this story

    JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri (KMIZ) — Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has signed an executive order putting limits on the use of video obtained from Flock license-plate-reader camera networks.

The order signed Wednesday puts restrictions in place until the Missouri General Assembly creates its own. The order requires license plate and vehicle data to be deleted after 30 days, prohibiting companies from selling the data, limiting the use of the images to “legitimate criminal justice and lifesaving purposes,” and prohibiting the incorporation of AI facial recognition technology with license-plate camera systems.

“The government should not be building a permanent record of where law-abiding Missourians go, who they visit, or how they live their daily lives,” Kehoe stated in a news release. “This executive order is the first step in creating safeguards against abuse of this data, while still understanding the benefits of these vital public safety tools for law enforcement.”

The order also directs the Missouri Department of Public Safety to establish rules for using the technology.

License-plate cameras, especially those made by Flock, have led to abuse and misuse concerns after news of police officers violating civil rights. Kehoe highlighted a New York investigator accused of conducting unlawful searches.

In St. Charles, Missouri, a civilian police employee was caught using the information for non-police purposes.

The cameras are used extensively in Mid-Missouri. The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office recently dropped its contract with the company. The Columbia City Council plans a public hearing after citizens have repeatedly raised concerns about the city’s 100-plus Flock cameras.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), as chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, has also launched investigations into license plate reader companies.

Columbia City Councilwoman Christina Hartman brought up the idea of a public hearing in the last city council meeting.

In an interview with ABC 17 News, Hartman said she is glad the state is looking into the issue.

“I think it is a matter of public interest and constitutional right. So we need to make sure that we’re considering those things,” said Hartman.

Hartman said the signing of this executive order came as a surprise to her.

“So I think we need to really figure out what are the details behind that. And then I think that we also really need to strongly look at those constitutional rights and the rights for people to move freely within the U.S.,” said Hartman.

Looking ahead, Hartman said Columbia needs to look at what is right for the city.

“We need to get that public hearing held and start making those decisions to move forward, whatever that looks like,” said Hartman.

Hartman said that the future of Flock cameras in Columbia will certainly be determined in the next few months.

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

Click here for updates on this story

    KAUAI, Hawaii (KITV) — Instead of celebrating her daughter’s dream wedding on Kauai, Beverly Bonney’s family is now scrambling to reschedule the celebration.

Dozens of family members and friends from across the country were supposed to fly in in about two weeks. That’s before Hurricane Lowell devastated the island.

“All of us all — 40 of us — at this point we’re still trying to make arrangements,” she said.

The family had rented two beach houses for an intimate ceremony on the south shore where an entire neighborhood was destroyed by the storm.

“The place that we were planning on having the wedding, they said, ‘It’s a disaster area. You can’t even reach it by road,'” Beverly said.

And now they are trying to get refunds and plan everything from scratch.

“People are going to lose money,” she said. “Some people are being told that they’re not going to get their airfare returned. Some people are told, ‘Well, you need to still come.'”

All while trying to figure out what’s happening on the Garden Isle.

“We were also getting conflicting information, ‘Oh, you know we weren’t touched. You know everything’s fine over here. The sun is shining.’ So it was very hard to navigate how bad it actually was,” she added.

State leaders have asked tourists to stay away from Kauai while the island recovers — a sentiment Beverly and her family embrace.

“We understand the suffering that is happening for people who live there and now is not the time to go,” she said. “We love the island. We love the people and hopefully in May, it’ll be a good time for us to go and celebrate love and life and move forward.”

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 Ashley Mackey

Click here for updates on this story

    LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Meet Joey, a life-saving Labrador Retriever with the Los Angeles County Fire Department who performs search and rescue.

Joey may enjoy chasing a ball and snuggling with family, but the 2-year-old pooch is also a certified search-and-rescue K-9 credited with finding three people alive after a deadly earthquake.

Joey is a member of the Los Angeles County Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, also known as USA-2. Now, he’s a semifinalist in the American Humane Society’s 16th annual Hero Dog Awards.

“When he’s not working, he likes to play with his ball. We usually play about 20 minutes every day at the park. He loves to snuggle with the family,” Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Louis Gudiel said.

Joey and Gudiel trained together for more than five months before becoming certified.

“We trained for over five months to get him certified, and Joey and I were certified in September of 2025, and we were mission-ready to deploy anywhere in the world,” Gudiel said.

That call came in June, when Joey and Gudiel deployed to Venezuela following a deadly earthquake. They arrived three days after the disaster, and Joey found three survivors buried in the rubble.

“It feels good to put in all that work, all that training, and be able to deploy and make a difference. So when we get those live alerts, it’s not only good as a K-9 team, but it’s also for our department and our nation,” Gudiel said.

When Joey is not searching for people in disaster zones, he provides comfort to first responders at his station.

“I’ve never been at a station with a dog before, so having Joey here is really cool. He’s here for us, he helps us, and it’s cool just saying you have an international hero working at your station,” Los Angeles County firefighter Matthew Vela said.

Joey is competing as a law enforcement and first responder dog semifinalist in the 16th-annual Hero Dog Awards.

People can vote for Joey once every 24 hours through Sept. 18 on the American Humane Society 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 Jose Luis Verduzco

Click here for updates on this story

    BAKERSFIELD, California (KERO) — Authorities are searching for the driver of a pickup truck who struck a mother selling elotes near a FoodMaxx parking lot and fled the scene without stopping to help.

Silvia Soto, 46, was struck just before midnight on Friday, Sept. 11, near the FoodMaxx parking lot on Niles Street, according to the California Highway Patrol. Investigators say the driver of a 1990s-era pickup truck fled before officers arrived. Soto remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery.

Her daughter, Esmeralda Morales, says Soto spent countless hours selling corn on the cob to provide for her four children, sometimes staying out until midnight to earn extra money for the family.

“My mom is a very great person. She’s always selling day and night to make money for us,” Morales said.

Morales says she had no idea what had happened until she woke up the following morning.

“I saw my grandma in my room. And then she had a face of devastation…and she’s like, ‘Mija, I don’t know how you’re gonna take this, but your mom’s in the hospital.’ And I got scared. I started crying,” Morales said.

Morales took me to the spot where she says the crash happened. Tire marks are still visible on the roadway, which she believes were left behind the night her mother was hit and seriously injured.

She says the family is feeling the impact of Soto’s absence not only emotionally, but financially as well.

“It’s been pretty hard on my family since she’s the breadwinner. She paid mostly everything…and it feels pretty empty in the house without her,” Morales said.

Days after the crash, the driver has still not been identified. Morales has a message for the person who left her mother in the road.

“I hope you turn yourself in. We’re going to get justice for my mom because she didn’t deserve none of that,” Morales said.

Anyone with information on this incident can call CHP at 396-6600.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KERO verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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 Josh Kristianto

Click here for updates on this story

    SURPRISE, Arizona (KNXV) — More than a month after the City of Surprise terminated its contract with Flock Safety and directed the company to remove its network of automated license plate reader cameras, many of the devices remain standing throughout the city.

The lingering presence of the cameras has frustrated some residents who believed the technology would be removed shortly after the city ended the agreement.

A drive through Surprise still reveals dozens of the cameras mounted on poles at intersections and along major roadways.

For residents like Jim Ellis, that raises concerns about whether the cameras could still be collecting information.

“We’ve heard stories around the country where these contracts have been canceled and, unfortunately, they’re still being used, and they’re still capturing data and pictures of vehicles,” Ellis said.

The City of Surprise canceled its contract with Flock Safety on Aug. 13 and requested that all company-owned cameras be removed from within city limits.

According to city officials, the city has since followed up with Flock seeking a more specific timeline for removal. The company has informed the city that it is still working on determining a removal date.

For some residents, the delay has become a concern of its own.

“I still would like to see the city bag these up until Flock can remove them permanently from the city,” Ellis said.

Ellis has been one of the most vocal critics of license plate reader technology in the area.

He says his concerns stem from a personal experience last year when he was questioned after El Mirage police allegedly connected his vehicle to a hit-and-run investigation using information gathered through the Flock system.

“It made me feel really uncomfortable, it really did,” Ellis said. “It made me feel like my privacy was invaded considering I didn’t do anything wrong.”

The ongoing debate reflects broader concerns about automated license plate reader systems, which capture images of vehicles and record license plate data to assist law enforcement investigations.

Supporters argue the technology helps solve crimes and locate suspects. Critics say it creates significant privacy concerns and carries the risk of misuse.

Unlike Tempe, which covered cameras during its transition away from Flock technology, Surprise officials say they currently have no plans to place coverings over the remaining cameras while awaiting removal.

ABC15 reached out to Flock Safety multiple times seeking comment and a timeline for removal but did not receive a response.

Before the contract was canceled, Surprise police said the cameras had contributed to investigations involving serious crimes, including homicides, robberies and carjackings.

Still, some residents argue those benefits do not outweigh concerns about privacy and accountability.

“There’s a lot of things that would be good if they weren’t abused,” said Waddell resident Gary Jahneke.

For now, the cameras remain visible across Surprise as residents wait for a clearer answer on when they will finally come down.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KNXV verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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.