Boynton Beach man charged with felony animal cruelty after dog abuse caught on video, police say

CNN Newsource on September 15, 2026

By Andrelika McMillian

Click here for updates on this story

    BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (WPBF) — A 52-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after witnesses and surveillance video allegedly captured him abusing a dog during two separate incidents in Boynton Beach, according to Boynton Beach police records.

Juan Latrez Poole was arrested Sept. 15 and charged with felony animal cruelty under Florida law. His bond was set at $1,000, according to the arrest report.

The investigation began Sept. 9 when officers responded to the 2300 block of South Federal Highway following a report that a man had lifted a black Labrador above his head and slammed the animal onto the ground near a bus stop, a probable cause affidavit states.

Officers were unable to find the man or the dog at the time.

Police received a second report the following morning in the same area. A witness told investigators she saw a man yank the dog’s leash, strike the animal with a bottle and lift it several feet off the ground by its leash before swinging it through the air.

The witness said the dog, which was wearing a red service dog vest, appeared terrified and was shaking and flinching, according to the affidavit.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the area that they said showed both incidents. In footage from Sept. 9, police said the man grabbed the dog by its collar and a leg, lifted it over his head and forcefully slammed it onto the ground twice.

A second recording from Sept. 10 allegedly showed the man hit the dog in its side or chest with a bottle, wrap the leash around his hand and suspend the animal in the air as it flailed.

Boynton Beach police identified Poole after comparing the recordings with body camera footage from an unrelated August encounter involving a man with the same dog, service vest and backpack, the affidavit states. A witness later identified Poole in a photo lineup.

Investigators said the video, witness statements and identification established probable cause to charge Poole with felony animal cruelty.

The records did not provide information about the dog’s current condition or who has custody of the animal.

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.

Trial begins for woman accused of killing elderly couple in Mount Dora

CNN Newsource on September 15, 2026

By Bob Hazen

Click here for updates on this story

    MOUNT DORA, Fla. (WESH) — The trial for Vickie Williams, accused of murdering an elderly couple at their Mount Dora home on New Year’s Eve in 2022, began Monday at the Lake County Courthouse, where her defense claims she was insane at the time.

Williams’ defense lawyer did not deny that she killed Darryl and Sharon Getman but argued that her actions were driven by psychosis.

“Because of her psychosis, we will learn that Ms. Williams believed that Mr. and Mrs. Getman were going to rape and kill her children, and she had to stop them from doing so even though this sounds crazy,” her lawyer said.

The defense told the jury that Williams has a brain abnormality, hears voices, sees people who aren’t there, and believes the rapture is coming. They described her bizarre behavior, including showing up in random houses, making nonsensical statements, and giggling to herself.

Williams is accused of sneaking into the Waterman Village senior living complex multiple times before allegedly stabbing the Getmans and stealing their car.

Prosecutors acknowledged Williams’ mental illness but argued that she understood her actions and their consequences.

“Vickie Williams knew what she was doing and the consequences, and she knew what she did was wrong,” prosecutors said.

They noted that Williams returned to her home in Savannah after the murders, washed her clothes in the Getmans’ house, and lied to investigators about several details.

Prosecutors are now calling witnesses, including residents of the Getmans’ neighborhood.

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.

136 chickens seized and euthanized after Lee County cockfighting ring busts

CNN Newsource on September 15, 2026

By Carson Zorn

Click here for updates on this story

    LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WBBH) — 136 birds that were removed from two separate suspected cockfighting rings in Lee County in August have been humanely euthanized.

A spokesperson for Lee County confirmed that the 136 birds, which were rescued from suspected cockfighting operations in Lehigh Acres and Buckingham, were humanely euthanized.

“Fighting birds that are seized during raids are generally not considered suitable for adoption,” the spokesperson said. “Due to their conditioning and behavioral characteristics, these birds generally cannot be safely integrated into standard backyard flocks or typical home environments.”

The news comes after Lee County deputies uncovered two separate cockfighting rings in late August.

In one incident, deputies responded to a mobile home trailer fire on Westwood Acres Road in Buckingham, and they said they discovered multiple roosters, a fighting ring, and evidence of a cockfighting operation while clearing the property.

Deputies removed approximately 83 birds from the scene and arrested the owner, Raul Cartaya Ramos, on an animal cruelty charge, according to LCSO.

In an unrelated incident, deputies were called to a possible cockfighting ring along Nashville Avenue South in Lehigh Acres. Deputies found multiple injured roosters housed in separate enclosures, evidence of a training area, sparring muffs, a dummy chicken, and used syringes.

Yelandis Rodriguez Hernandez was arrested after deputies removed 53 birds from the home. Hernandez is also facing an animal cruelty charge.

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.

A family just set a Guinness World Record for 5 generations sharing the same birthday

CNN Newsource on September 15, 2026

By Katrina Markel

Click here for updates on this story

    SILVER CITY, Iowa (KMTV) — A southwest Iowa family has officially set a world record: five consecutive generations all share the same birthday.

Fred Harlow is in the middle of those five generations — all born on September 14. His grandfather Wilber, his mother Addie, his daughter Emma Bell, and her son Arthur are now being recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the family with the most generations born on the same day.

“You know, when you have children yeah, they’re a gift, this is a very unique gift,” Fred said. “We always thought it was pretty cool, but we never really — I never thought much of it as far as record holder. Just kind of figured everything happened for a reason.”

Only recently did they pursue official recognition.

“We always joked about it. Like, ‘Oh, it’s four generations, it should be a world record,'” Emma said.

She learned the family had actually been tied with other families at four generations, but never thought to submit the paperwork. That changed after her grandmother Addie died and Emma learned she was expecting her second child, with a due date of September 14.

“I grew up with my grandma saying ‘You have to have a boy on September 14th.” Every year, is what she would say,” Emma said. “I went early with my first, so I was bound and determined to make it our due date.”

Her son Arthur arrived right on time.

“Lo and behold, he’s a record breaker,” Fred said.

They believe her Addie would have been thrilled.

“I think she’d be pretty proud and pretty impressed that we actually made it happen and had it be a boy on the 14th,” Emma said.

The shared birthday comes with another remarkable pattern.

“It starts with Wilber, so it actually goes boy, girl, boy, girl, boy — the entire way through,” Emma said.

Neither Emma nor Fred want to put any pressure on the next generation. For now, they will continue to enjoy celebrating their record-setting birthdays together.

“It’s just amazing,” Fred said.

“It’s been fun,” Emma said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KMTV 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.

63 years after Birmingham church bombing, Denise McNair’s sister calls on people to confront racism

CNN Newsource on September 15, 2026

By Ayron Lewallen

Click here for updates on this story

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WVTM) — Sixty-three years after four little girls were killed at Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church, Lisa McNair said the hatred behind the attack is not confined to history.

Lisa’s sister, Denise McNair, was only 11 years old when she was killed alongside Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carole Robertson on Sept. 15, 1963. Ku Klux Klan members planted dynamite beneath the steps of 16th Street Baptist Church. The bomb exploded before Sunday morning service, killing the four girls, injuring nearly 20 other people and severely damaging the building.

The attack shocked the nation and intensified support for the Civil Rights Movement. It became part of the national reckoning that helped build momentum for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and, amid the broader struggle for voting rights, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. She feels some of those rights are under attack today.

“[I’m] very upset that they’re trying to take the voting rights away from us and everybody. and I think that we’re not mad enough about it as Americans on the right and on the left,” McNair said. “We need to really get mad and really fight with that anger, not hurt people with that anger … Denise and others died for that. We should not let their death be in vain and be silent. We can no longer be silent witnesses and say, ‘Well, it’ll be all right.’ No, it won’t. We have to be bold. [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.] said we have to substitute courage for caution, and this is a time for us to do that.”

Speaking at Denise’s gravesite — the first time she has done so with a local television news station — McNair reflected on her family’s loss and the racism she believes has become more visible again in recent years.

For McNair, though, the history is also personal. She said her faith and the example set by her father taught her not to answer racism with more hatred. McNair said her father refused to judge an entire race by the people who murdered his daughter and believes love should not be mistaken for silence or inaction. She is calling on fellow Christians — particularly white Christians — to stand more forcefully against racism and hate.

Her message carries particular weight at Denise’s gravesite, where the engraving captures the collision of innocence and hatred that still echoes decades later: “She loved all but a mad bomber hated her kind.”

McNair said she does not know who chose those words. With both of her parents now gone, she can no longer ask them.

Birmingham leaders and community members will gather at 16th Street Baptist Church to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the bombing. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. City and church leaders will honor the four girls and open the church’s new education and visitors center.

McNair hopes it will serve as a living lesson — preserving the truth of what happened at the church and helping future generations understand both the consequences of hate and the responsibility to confront it.

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.

FBISD Trustee Shirley Rose-Gilliam Gets Ready for Election

CNN Newsource on September 15, 2026

By Burt Levine

Click here for updates on this story

    September 15, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — With the Tuesday, November 3, 2026, General Election approaching, much of the political spotlight will naturally shine on statewide and congressional contests. But in Fort Bend County, one race much farther down the ballot will help determine decisions made much closer to home — inside classrooms, campuses and communities.

Dr. Shirley Rose-Gilliam, the incumbent Fort Bend ISD Position 4 trustee and current Board Secretary, is seeking re-election in a six-candidate contest. FBISD’s official election listing shows Rose-Gilliam facing Robert Dombrowski, Rob Dominguez, Dan Mathews, Shirisha Mudhireddy and Eric Pursley. Positions 1 and 5 are also on the November ballot.

For Rose-Gilliam, public education has been considerably more than a campaign talking point.

The longtime Missouri City resident is a 30-year education veteran who spent 25 years serving Fort Bend ISD at Willowridge, Kempner, Elkins, Bush and Marshall high schools and McAuliffe Middle School. Both of her children graduated from FBISD schools, and she and her husband, Kevin, have lived in Fort Bend County since 1986.

Her academic résumé includes a Bachelor of Science from the University of Houston, a Master of Education from the University of Houston-Victoria and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Texas A&M University. She was a finalist for FBISD Secondary Teacher of the Year and was named FBISD Secondary Principal of the Year while serving at Bush High School. She continues working with Houston-area school districts as an educational consultant.

Rose-Gilliam has described the influence of education on her own life in deeply personal terms.

“I remember how one school and one teacher made a difference in my life by instilling a vision and dream in me.”

That philosophy helped shape the motto associated with her educational work: “Believe in the Possibilities!”

And the possibilities — as well as the challenges — are considerable.

According to the Texas Education Agency’s latest 2025–26 reporting, Fort Bend ISD enrolls 78,062 students. Few Texas districts better illustrate the changing face of metropolitan Houston: students are approximately 28.4% Asian, 28.0% African American, 25.8% Hispanic and 12.9% White, with students of multiple and other racial backgrounds rounding out the enrollment. Nearly half of FBISD students are classified as economically disadvantaged.

The district is simultaneously confronting demographic change and declining enrollment. Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith reported in May that an independent demographic study confirmed enrollment declines, making decisions involving facilities, staffing, resources and long-range planning increasingly important.

Those are precisely the kinds of issues that make school-board elections worth watching. FBISD’s seven trustees serve without compensation and are responsible for policy, oversight and support of the district. Members are elected by position to three-year terms.

The Position 4 election therefore gives Fort Bend voters an opportunity to examine Rose-Gilliam’s record alongside the backgrounds and priorities of her five challengers.

Houston Style Magazine readers democracy only works when voters make that examination — and then participate.

Texas voters have until Monday, October 5, 2026, to register for the November election. Early voting runs October 19 through October 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, when polls are scheduled to be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

The U.S. Senate and statewide races may command the television commercials, but when Fort Bend families reach the school-board section of their ballots, they will be making decisions about leadership that reaches all the way to the classroom door.

That makes the bottom of the ballot anything but an afterthought.

Dr. Shirley Rose-Gilliam Fort Bend County – Elections/Voter Registration

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.

kierra lee
KIELEESTYLE@GMAIL.COM
3465287733

This filmmaker wants to be taken seriously. That’s why he made a movie with markers and crayons

CNN Newsource on September 15, 2026

By Keith BieryGolick

Click here for updates on this story

    CINCINNATI (WCPO) — Spencer Lamb is talking too much.

He says it himself. And so he starts coloring.

The 25-year-old draws a picture with markers and a pack of construction paper he bought for $2.99 this morning. Then, he opens a four-pack of crayons — the kind kids often get at restaurants.

“When we reach a certain age, we lose that childish wonder,” Lamb said. “And I hope the film expresses that.”

Lamb’s new short film is a comedy about self-serious artists trying to make it into a stuffy art world using crayons and markers. In a way, it’s about his pursuit to make a movie at 25 years old.

“It has sometimes been so humiliating,” Lamb said. “But the first step to being good at something is sucking at it.”

But if you ask the people who run Cincinnati’s independent film festival, he does not suck at filmmaking. “Coloring” is nominated for two short film awards and screens at Cindependent on Sept. 17.

When asked about the film, Dahlia Kressler covers her mouth and laughs. She’s the festival’s associate director and tells me she watched 40 short films to help decide what should make the festival.

“Oh my God, I loved that one,” Kressler said. “If we don’t program this, I’m going to be genuinely upset.”

In Eden Park, Lamb takes three crudely-drawn pictures to hand out to strangers. He tells me it’s how he made much of the film.

“Hello,” Lamb said. “Are either of you interested in art?”

He shows the pictures to two people sitting on a bench.

“Did some kids draw them?”

“No,” Lamb said. “Me and this gentleman did.”

Lamb’s film screens on Sept. 17 at 11a.m. in Memorial Hall.

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.

Parents arrested after child found unresponsive inside a vehicle

CNN Newsource on September 15, 2026

By abc15.com staff

Click here for updates on this story

    PHOENIX (KNXV) — A Peoria couple is facing negligent homicide and child abuse charges after a 5-year-old boy was found unresponsive inside a vehicle at a residence and later pronounced dead at a hospital.

At around 3:45 p.m. Sunday, Peoria Police responded to a home near 69th Avenue and Mariposa Grande Lane after receiving reports of a child found unresponsive inside a vehicle.

Officials say family members removed the child from the vehicle and began administering CPR.

The boy was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A preliminary investigation determined the family arrived at home from church at about 1 p.m. At around 3:45 p.m. the family realized the child was missing and began searching for him. His mother located him unresponsive in the family vehicle and called 911.

“It appears that it was a miscommunication between family members of who was actually going to get the child out of the car,” Kennedy said.

911 was not called until 2:45 that afternoon. The boy was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Officials announced that the child’s parents, Mihail Sabo and Anca Sabo, were arrested and booked on charges of negligent homicide and child abuse.

The judge set a $150,000 secured appearance bond for each parent, less than the $250,000 cash-only bond the state had requested.

Both parents were ordered to have no contact with each other and can only see their four surviving children under supervision by the Department of Child Safety or an appropriate responsible adult.

The couple has been married for 19 years and has four other children ranging in age from 9 to 18. The defense attorney told the court the family has no prior criminal history and no prior DCS involvement.

The judge did not restrict either parent from returning to their home, but the no-contact order between the two effectively complicates that.

Officer Kennedy said Arizona’s extreme heat makes tragedies like this one a danger every family should take seriously, and offered a simple reminder.

“We like to say look before you lock,” Kennedy said. “Always ensure and have a clear communication on who is taking responsibility for that child. Don’t just assume that your spouse or another family member may be taking that child out. It takes 2 seconds to take another look and ensure and go through the car one more time just to make sure no pets, elderly members, or children are left in that car. It could save a life.”

Both Mihail and Anca Sabo are due back in Maricopa County Superior Court for a status conference on September 21st at 8:30 a.m., followed by a preliminary hearing on September 23rd at 8:30 a.m.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional information is available 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.

Some Sol Blume festival ticket holders still without refunds 2 years later

CNN Newsource on September 15, 2026

By Kayla Moeller

Click here for updates on this story

    SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — For thousands of people who bought tickets to Sacramento’s Sol Blume R&B music festival, the wait for a refund has stretched into years.

The festival, which features R&B, hip-hop and soul artists, last took place in 2023. Its planned 2024 return was postponed after winter storms damaged Sacramento’s Discovery Park.

Organizers told ticket holders they could either request a refund or keep their tickets for the festival’s eventual return, with some ticket holders promised upgrades.

But that return never happened.

Now, ticket holders say communication from the festival has largely disappeared.

Alaisha Eden is one of them. She says she spent about $900 on tickets and has kept a folder filled with screenshots documenting her attempts to get her money back.

“At this point I’ve kinda just given up,” Eden said. “I’ve reached out to the BBB and whoever I could, and nothing.”

CBS News Sacramento found little recent activity from the festival. Sol Blume’s Instagram account remains online, but its last post was the April 2024 announcement postponing the festival.

Eden says she’s repeatedly tried to get the attention of organizers through that post.

“I’ve been commenting on that IG post for 60 weeks,” she said.

The festival’s official website is no longer operating.

“Stop treating people like they don’t exist,” Eden said. “You guys made a buck.”

Another former ticket holder, Malia Larbi, spoke with CBS News Sacramento about the same issue in 2024.

“To have no communication or any social media updates for months is kinda concerning,” Larbi said at the time.

Two years later, Eden says the frustration hasn’t changed.

Sol Blume’s financial troubles have also become the subject of litigation.

A lawsuit filed by former ticketing partner Lyte Inc. alleges Sol Blume and its owner owe at least $1.5 million. Lyte has since gone out of business.

Eden said she also contacted her bank, but was told too much time had passed and that she needed to work through the ticket vendor.

“I explained to them there was no merchant, there wasn’t anybody, nobody to speak to,” Eden said. “And they told us there wasn’t anything they could do.”

For Eden, the frustration is about more than the money. She and her roommate originally bought their Sol Blume tickets to celebrate their birthdays.

Eden said she attended the festival in 2022 and wanted to experience it again.

Her birthday is coming up again.

“It’s on Sunday,” she said. “There’s not a lot of things going on in Sacramento that are that big, and it was a three-day event. It was a great time.”

CBS News Sacramento has reached out to Sol Blume organizers repeatedly over the past two years for comment about the postponements, ticket refunds and the lack of communication. The organizers have not responded.

For consumers who believe they are owed money by a business, the California Attorney General’s Office says complaints can be filed against businesses.

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.

Firefighters reunite with dog they rescued from Pasadena house fire

CNN Newsource on September 15, 2026

By Rina Nakano

Click here for updates on this story

    PASADENA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A Pasadena family’s dog reunited with his rescuers, who pulled him out of a house fire that nearly killed him last week.

Owner Fernando said he was out of the country when his wife and kids left their 6-year-old sheltie Milo home alone while they ran some errands. They said a delivery person who happened to be passing by not only saw the smoke but also heard their dog barking and called 911.

Moments later, Ring cameras captured Arcadia firefighters breaking the front-side window. Seconds later, Sierra Madre firefighter Jessica Johnson went into the home. It was the second-year firefighter’s first active house fire call.

“When I got on scene, I just listened to my captain’s orders and went to work,” Johnson said.

Even as the Pasadena Fire Department arrived, no one heard any barking. Using a thermal imaging camera, Johnson navigated around the heavy smoke. She found Milo after reentering the home three times.

“He was in the living room, right behind this window, just under the table,” Johnson said. “I just happened to catch a glimpse of him, went over, grabbed him and pulled him out.”

Milo had suffered major smoke inhalation. Johnson handed the unconscious dog to the team standing by with an animal oxygen mask.

By that time, Fernando’s wife was rushing home, praying to see her dog again.

“Please God, make sure Milo is doing OK,” Leti recalled saying. “Because if not, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Five minutes passed before Milo suddenly rolled over. While he was dirty and dusty, the family was greatful their beloved Milo was alive.

“I just couldn’t believe he’d just gone from the verge of life and death to basically his normal self,” son Fernando Jr. said.

On Monday morning, Milo reunited with his rescuers, each of whom received a custom smiling Milo shirt. The family will be out of their home for at least a few months, but they’re grateful to be whole after a veterinarian said Milo will fully recover.

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.