Category: CNN Regional

By Isaiah Sharp

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    IDAHO (KIVI) — Idaho’s weather can be hard to track. From neighborhood to neighborhood, skies can look vastly different, but the National Weather Service (NWS) has a volunteer program making it easier to track.

The NWS Cooperative Observer Program spans 8,700 volunteers across the country, helping to track forecasts in remote locations.

One of Idaho’s oldest is in Emmett, run by Wayne Rexford. Every morning at 7, he relays data for NWS, which helps them track conditions in Gem County.

Rexford’s work spans almost half a century.

“I get to do this, I don’t have to do this,” Rexford said.

Eric Johnson, who works with NWS, understands that these sights bring vital information to their offices in Boise. He says that without volunteers, this data would be absent from important forecasting.

“The manual observations taken in certain locations across the U.S. has been instrumental for agriculture, business and all government agencies that use the data.”

The program volunteers track several data points such as daily temperature highs and lows, precipitation amounts, wind speed and soil moisture. Throughout the year, the data points shift depending on the season.

Sharp asked Rexford about his favorite part of the job, and Rexford said it’s getting to witness what Mother Nature has to offer every morning.

“And occasionally, God has a paint brush out here, has a paint brush out here that we have a sunrise that’s something to look at,” 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 Jill Lamkins

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KMTV) — The bald eagle population in Nebraska is thriving, and over the last decade, more of the birds have moved into suburban environments.

At Flanagan Lake in northwest Omaha, an eagle’s nest sits just over a few feet away from houses. Nebraska Game and Parks Nongame Bird Program Director Joel Jorgensen said the raptors have adapted and can actually thrive in areas with human activity.

“Especially near water bodies. Water bodies is kind of prime nesting habitat for bald eagles,” Jorgensen said.

The suburban nests make it easier for neighbors and wildlife photographers like Roger Meisinger to capture images of the birds.

“Yeah, she’s watching us,” Meisinger said.

“I got three nests within 15-20 minutes of my house and sometimes it’s almost difficult like which one do I wanna go to today?” Meisinger said.

The recovery of bald eagles has been a triumphant success over the last several decades, making sightings in northwest Omaha possible. The species was considered endangered in the 1960s and threatened in the 1990s before eventually being deemed recovered.

While the birds are no longer a threatened species, federal law still protects them. With boundaries in place, the eagles can live freely.

“You know, taking care of bald eagles, doing what’s right, just helps us, you know, maintain the progress that’s been achieved over the last several decades,” Jorgensen said.

During a our visit to Flanagan Lake, Meisinger spotted another adult eagle flying toward the tree.

“Oh wait, we got an eagle coming in. Right there. That the other adult. Get your camera, get your camera, get your camera. It’s gonna probably go to the nest,” Meisinger said.

The eagle eggs at Flanagan Lake have not hatched yet, but Nebraska Game and Parks said they will start this month. By mid to late June, the babies will leave the nest.

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By Shanice Hopkins

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — A family escaped to safety after a fire broke out early Thursday morning at a home in northwest Oklahoma City.

The fire happened at a home in a neighborhood near Wilshire Boulevard and Council Road as storms moved through the Oklahoma City metro.

A fire captain at the scene told KOCO 5 that working smoke alarms alerted the family of the fire. They safely got out and flagged down someone driving by to call 911.

“The occupants were initially notified by a smoke detector, were able to get out of the structure before we got on scene,” Capt. Cody Summers said. “Just brings to mind, check your smoke detectors. Make sure everything’s working properly.”

The fire was contained mainly to the garage. Oklahoma City Fire Department officials said firefighters rescued two cats.

A news release states that the fire appears to have started in the garage, and minor smoke damage was reported throughout the home.

Someone living at the home told firefighters that she had been “burning sage to cleanse the house” before the fire started.

No injuries were reported. Oklahoma City Fire Department officials said the fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damage.

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By Olivia Tyler

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    CLIVE, Iowa (KCCI) — A vending machine at a Waukee elementary school is serving books instead of snacks, thanks to the Waukee Community Schools Foundation.

Students at Shuler and Waukee Elementary can now take books home for free via the library’s new book vending machine.

“It’s more motivation for kids to read and just creating those lifelong readers,” said Shuler Elementary librarian Nikki Kennedy.

Fifth graders at Shuler got to go first. Kennedy gave them tokens, which she keeps, and they got to choose what books they wanted to read first.

Kennedy said the foundation is now thinking about giving grants to each elementary school in the district so they, too, can have machines.

“I was excited because I don’t have much books at home,” said one student.

“The goal is every year to have every kid on their birthday or their half birthday be able to come down and choose a book as a gift,” Kennedy said.

The vending machine has a few books for each age range in the school, K-5. During the pilot year, it will focus on fifth graders. Next year, they plan to have it ready to serve every kid in the school, with the hope of filling it with as many different books as they can.

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By Allie Triepke

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    NAMPA, Idaho (KIVI) — “It shouldn’t be a crime to use the restroom.”

This concern from a Nampa resident, who identifies as a transgender woman, is now a reality after Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 752 into law.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of backlash, said she is a born-and-raised Idahoan who transitioned to become female-presenting about 10 years ago. She said she has not had issues using women’s restrooms since she transitioned.

“[To] risk going to jail for using a restroom— that’s like a law of the past,” she said.

The new law requires people in Idaho to use public bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their biological sex rather than their gender identity.

It makes it a misdemeanor offense to knowingly enter a bathroom designated for the opposite biological sex. A second offense could result in a felony charge punishable by up to five years in prison.

Supporters of the bill say it is intended to protect privacy, safety, and dignity in sex-separated spaces.

“House Bill 752 provides a clear proactive tool to secure sex-separated private spaces in our state, while accommodating common sense realities,” said Ben Toews, the bill’s sponsor.

Opponents, including transgender advocates, say the law creates confusion and raises concerns about how it will be enforced.

The Nampa resident said she now worries the law could force her to use men’s restrooms, potentially putting her in unsafe situations. She described a recent incident at a restaurant where she and another woman attempted to use a stall in a men’s restroom because of a long line for the women’s restroom.

“Security came in and grabbed us both by the arm, and was like, ‘You guys cannot be in here.’ Totally understandable, we shouldn’t be in there. [But] it’s kind of ironic because that’s where lawmakers want me,” she said.

She said the situation escalated after others in the restroom realized she was transgender.

“Two different men tried getting me to go into a stall with them and ‘have fun,’ and I’m just like, no,” she said.

The woman said she plans to follow the law but remains concerned about safety. “If it occurs where I have to keep using the men’s restroom, who knows how far things can go,” she said.

Local law enforcement agencies would investigate alleged violations, but would not actively patrol for them.

The law includes exemptions for individuals in “dire need” of a restroom, as well as for custodial staff and law enforcement.

The ACLU of Idaho has criticized the legislation, saying it “puts all Idahoans in danger” and raises constitutional concerns.

The law is set to take effect on July 1.

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By Madison Thomas

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    MARANA, Arizona (KGUN) — Seventh and eighth graders in the National Junior Honor Society and Student Council at Legacy Traditional School – Northwest Tucson spent almost an entire school year working to support Honor Flight Southern Arizona.

Through various events, including dances and a carnival, the students raised the funds to give Korean War veteran John Carlstrom an experience he will remember forever.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our student body, our Student Council and our NJHS, and I know we’re all just so thrilled and excited for him, that he gets to go and do this part of his life that he’s going to remember,” NJHS President, Gigi Hand said.

Carlstrom, who turns 97 next month, will soon fly to the nation’s capital to tour the memorials dedicated to military service.

“I had thought about this honor flight for many years,” Carlstrom said.

The Honor Flight is scheduled to depart on June 1 and return to Tucson on June 3.

“I’m impressed with their activity and the planning and actual work that they did to make this happen for me. This is really quite an honor, and I’ll remember it always,” Carlstrom said.

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

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By KCCI staff

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Students at Horizon Science Academy in Des Moines are coding drones to simulate NASA’s Artemis II mission.

The students have coded drones to rise, orbit and descend, simulating the spacecraft’s path around Earth and the moon. Teachers say the hands-on lesson connects computer science, math, and real-world space exploration.

“I feel like the moon race is starting again, and we’re raising, hopefully, the astronauts of the future,” IT coordinator Selim Gedik said. “And it gives me a lot of joy to see they are able to imagine being an astronaut or a space woman, spaceman, and that dangerous mission for the whole humanity.”

The learning won’t stop in the classroom. This weekend, some students will visit the Drake Municipality Observatory to learn more about moon cycles and use telescopes.

Artemis II launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:35 p.m. CT on Wednesday.

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By Peyton Headlee

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — A Sacramento family is asking for help after they say someone took their dog while it was outside of their house.

Surveillance video shows the 7-month-old French bulldog, Kilo, outside its North Sacramento home on Frienza Avenue around 3 p.m. Saturday when a black SUV pulls up. The dog runs to the car, and the person on the passenger side scoops him up before they drive away.

“I can’t sleep without him,” Jannelle Jay, Kilo’s owner, said.

She said he had just been let out to go to the bathroom. They thought he ran off when he didn’t come back.

“I’m thinking like, oh my God, he’s running around somewhere. He’s lost. Like he’s a baby. I don’t know where he’s at,” Jay said.

She thinks he was taken because of his breed.

“Because he’s a Frenchie. He’s worth a lot of money,” Jay said.

She has filed a police report and posted his photos to social media groups, hoping they’ll be able to find him.

“Just bring my dog back. I miss him a lot,” Jay said.

She is now offering a $500 reward.

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By Jason McNabb

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — Aden Heyman, a former Albuquerque firefighter who was acquitted of rape charges last year, is suing yet again for his job back and damages, claiming wrongful termination and defamation.

Heyman was one of three Albuquerque firefighters accused of raping a woman nearly three years ago, and one of two to actually go on trial. He has been adamant that he was treated unfairly by Albuquerque Fire Rescue before his trial and wants damages, as well as his job back.

Heyman was eventually fired by Albuquerque Fire Rescue after an internal investigation and was also sued by the victim. Court records show that lawsuit is still ongoing. However, Heyman, along with fellow accused firefighter Anthony Martin, were both acquitted on the rape charges two years later.

Heyman’s attorney, Jason Bowles, said at the time, “Their careers have been ruined. Their lives have been ruined for two years, and their families have been affected. So, now, thank God they’re free, but now they have to rebuild it all back.”

Last year, Heyman sued the city of Albuquerque and Fire Chief Emily Jaramillo, claiming defamation, wrongful termination, and violation of due process rights. That suit was dismissed by a district court judge just last month.

Now, another suit has been filed, this time in federal court. It makes similar claims to the previous one, alleging Heyman’s termination from the department was wrongful since it happened before a trial or any admission of guilt. Chief Jaramillo is once again accused of defamation, claiming she branded Heyman as a criminal through public statements before the case went to trial. The suit is asking for back pay, damages for alleged civil rights violations, and even reinstatement at Albuquerque Fire Rescue.

A spokesman for Albuquerque Fire Rescue said, “An internal investigation determined the employee violated AFR policies. The city will respond to his allegations in court.”

Bowles declined to speak with KOAT about the lawsuit Wednesday.

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