Human remains found in Illinois, identified as man reported missing in June

By Elyssa Kaufman

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    MONEKA, Illinois (WBBM) — Human remains found in Mokena, Illinois, were identified as belonging to a Joliet man who went missing in June of 2025.

According to the Will County Sheriff’s office, land surveyors were working in a field near Oakwood Drive and Townline Road when they found what appeared to be a human skull around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

When Will County Sheriff’s deputies searched the area, they found additional bones throughout the field.

Investigators connected the DNA to 35-year-old Terhan F. Gordon was reported missing by his family on June 27, 2025.

Will County officials said the final cause and manner is pending.

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Ohio dance instructor sentenced to prison for attempted murder

By Karin Johnson

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    WARREN COUNTY, Ohio (WLWT) — A Warren County dance instructor is headed to prison for attempted murder.

Olivia Clendenin, 29, of Franklin, was convicted by a Warren County jury of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, and illegal discharge of a firearm at or into a habitation, along with accompanying firearm specifications.

On Thursday, Judge Robert Peeler sentenced Clendenin to 16 to 20.5 years in prison.

On Jan. 1, 2025, prosecutors say Clendenin became aware that her husband and her boyfriend were together at a party after both men found out earlier that evening about the relationship each had with Clendenin.

After unsuccessfully attempting to persuade her husband to leave the party, Clendenin responded to Dearth Road in Clearcreek Township, the location of the party, with a .40 caliber handgun.

Clendenin then fired eight shots, striking a man who was sitting on the porch at that residence, in the abdomen, nearly killing him.

During Clendenin’s sentencing hearing, that victim, Daniel Johnson spoke.

“On the day of the incident, I was attending a New Year’s Day get together. I had been invited over and was sitting on the porch minding my business. The defendant was attempting to shoot at someone else, and I was the one who ended up being shot. In that moment, my life changed for reasons that have nothing to do with me,” Johnson said.

He said the shooting has impacted every part of his life emotionally and physically. He said he is still recovering and has chronic pain.

Clendenin also spoke.

“I would just like to say that I care deeply about my family, my friends, my business and those who rely on me in this world,” she said. “To Daniel, I am very, very glad that he is well after a difficult time he has been through, and I truly hope that he has a great future and I wish him nothing but the best in his future.”

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Video shows large crowds swarm downtown on Opening Day

By Richard Chiles, Fletcher Keel

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — It’s been a long night for Cincinnati police after large, unruly crowds were caught on camera.

Several fights were reported and multiple arrests were made all in the hours after Opening Day celebrations.

At one point, much of The Banks was blocked off, as well as access to the Roebling Bridge. Those areas have since reopened, but there are still a lot of questions.

Video obtained by WLWT shows crowds swarming officers at the Banks Thursday evening. People can be seen pushing, shoving and falling over each other.

WLWT reporters saw at least two arrests while in the area Thursday night.

Other videos posted online, that WLWT does not have permission to share, depict fights breaking out as well from Fountain Square to Washington Park and Over-the-Rhine.

Cincinnati police were working crowd control and dealing with fights into the early hours of the morning.

See the video at the top of this story to listen to officer’s radio traffic.

“I don’t know if we have any more cars but we need some crowd control over here, before we have other fights breaking out,” one officer said over the radio.

“Are there any drone operators right now out working?” an officer asked a dispatcher.

“We’ve got a few,” they responded.

“Copy Send me one over here at Findlay and Elm, start videotaping all of this for us.”

In a social media post, Cincinnati’s police union—FOP Queen City Lodge No. 69—asked for prayers for the officers “trying to manage an unruly crowd of criminals that are terrorizing OTR, Downtown and the Banks.”

The union’s post continues, saying, “this is a direct result of a soft on crime City Hall and Hamilton County Judges. Welcome to lawless Cincinnati.”

WLWT spoke to a sergeant dealing with the crowds after bars closed. We’re told that while officers were busy, crowds like this are pretty normal after a big event like Opening Day.

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Iowa native Carter Baumler’s parents reflect on his road to the Rangers’ Opening Day roster

By Kayla James

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Opening Day for Major League Baseball’s 2026 season saw a lot of new faces making it to the big leagues, including relief pitcher Carter Baumler, a Dowling Catholic graduate who learned he made the Opening Day roster in a special way on Monday.

During the top of the fifth inning of the Texas Rangers’ spring training game against the Kansas City Royals, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker walked to the mound to speak with Carter Baumler after he retired the first two hitters. His parents were watching the scene from the stands.

Watching from the stands, Baumler’s parents, Brad and Mary Lynn, weren’t sure what was happening at first.

“We weren’t sure what to think. We didn’t know what he was going to say,” said Brad Baumler, Carter’s father. “All of a sudden, we saw the smiles and the announcers and what they were talking about. We knew at that point he got the nod and he was going to the big leagues.”

“We came to tears,” said Mary Lynn Baumler, Carter’s mother. “This has been such a dream for him.”

Carter Baumler quickly returned his focus to the game, striking out the next hitter to finish a perfect inning Monday night.

“I thought I would check in with him Tuesday morning, and I said,’Good morning. How was your first sleep as a big leaguer?” recalled Mary Lynn Baumler. “He replies back, ‘Haha. I didn’t sleep, mom’. I thought that was so cute.”

For his family, the moment was years in the making.

Like his older and younger brothers, Carter Baumler has played sports since he was 6 years old. His father says his drive and talent for baseball started to show not too long after that.

“I remember him throwing a kid out trying to steal, and one of the parents, he’s like, ‘Man, did you see that arm?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I saw it.’ It kind of really stuck with me a little bit after that,” said Brad Baumler.

That potential kept growing, especially when Carter Baumler started playing for Dowling Catholic High School his freshman year.

“He’s already throwing balls in the high 80s, low 90s. It was kind of evident that that was the path he was going to go,” said Brad Baumler.

He played all four years at Dowling Catholic before being selected 133rd overall by the Baltimore Orioles organization in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Even as he continued to work hard and grow, Brad and Mary Lynn Baumler say he remained grounded. When he returned to central Iowa, he would often stop by to help younger players from either his baseball club or high school team.

“He just has such a big heart,” said Mary Lynn Baumler. “He just wants to see them have as much success and fun as he has.”

His parents say his attention to detail is key to his growth, helping him know what to master.

“I think that’s the reason he’s where he is today — not only the work ethic and the determination,” said Brad Baumler.

“I just kept telling him: trust in God’s plan and your time is coming,” said Mary Lynn Baumler.

That time did come.

Baumler is on the Texas Rangers’ Opening Day roster, marking the latest milestone in a journey built on patience, discipline, family and faith.

His parents say he stayed true to himself while enjoying the game he loves.

“I remember just a week or two back he goes, ‘Dad, I’m just going out there to perform and I’m doing what I loved to do,’” recalled Brad Baumler. “And then he goes, ‘This is a lot of fun.’”

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Firefighter injured, flocks killed in massive fire at Iowa egg farm

By KCCI staff

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    HANCOCK COUNTY, Iowa (KCCI) — Officials at an egg farm in northern Iowa say one firefighter was injured in a massive fire last night.

“Our Hawkeye Pride Egg Farm experienced a devastating fire last night, and we are still assessing the scale of the damage,” according to a statement from the company. “While no employees were harmed, our prayers are with the firefighter who was injured during the response to the fire. We are keeping him and his loved ones close in our thoughts.”

The condition of the injured firefighter has not been made public.

Hawkeye Pride Egg Farm is located near Corwith in Hancock County. It’s unclear how many birds died in the fire, but the company’s statement went on to say “several flocks were lost.”

“We are saddened that, despite our team’s work and the brave and tireless efforts of multiple fire departments, several flocks were lost to the fire,” the statement said. “We are grateful for the swift and ongoing actions by first responders and our farm employees, who helped keep our team safe and prevented the spread of the fire to additional hens.”

The Belmond Fire Department shared photos of the fire March 26-27, 2026, at Hawkeye Pride Egg Farm near Corwith, Iowa.Iowa fire department shares photos of massive fire at northern Iowa egg farm Local fire crews first responded to the fire around 6 p.m. Thursday and, as of 11 a.m. Friday, were still on the scene as the fire continued to burn.

“The massive size of these buildings made it difficult to contain, and soon spread into adjacent buildings,” according to a Facebook post by the Belmond Fire Department. “The decision was later made that all buildings south of the origin of fire, were unsavable due to multiple factors. Fire crews continued to work on extinguishing the original fire building as to keep it from spreading further to the north. As of this morning (3/27), the fire buildings to the south are still flaming. Area crews remain on scene with excavators working to remove debris and gain better access to the areas still on fire.”

Officials with the Belmond Fire Department say the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Rollie Jensen shared photos and video with KCCI that he says he took at Hawkeye Pride Egg Farm near Corwith. They show that the fire started before it got dark outside.

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House Panel Debates Integrating AI in Heavily Regulated Banking Industry

By Tom LoBianco | Quincy News Correspondent

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    Washington (Quincy News) — House lawmakers pressed some of the nation’s top banking regulators Thursday on how the heavily regulated industry is adapting to the rapid spread of AI.

Top staff from the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) detailed the balance federal regulators have been seeking between enabling AI innovation in banking and maintaining consumer protections

Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee’s subcommittee overseeing digital assets and AI said they wanted to know more about how regulators can best adjust for the rapid adoption of AI that’s already here.

“The question before us is not whether this transformation will occur, it will. The real question is whether our regulatory framework is prepared to meet the moment regulators must evolve as quickly as the technologies that they oversee,” said subcommittee chair Bryan Steil, a Wisconsin Republican, in his opening statement. “A static approach to supervision in a dynamic environment is a recipe for failure.”

The panel is eyeing a draft bill, the Financial Services Innovation Act of 2026, which would mandate federal regulators like NCUA, which oversees the nation’s credit unions, to establish new offices dedicated to facilitating AI adoption and innovation. The bill would also create formal “sandboxes” for regulators, banks and the financial industry to find safe ways to incorporate AI.

The panel’s Democrats, meanwhile, raised concerns that consumers were not represented at Thursday’s hearing, repeatedly demanding that someone from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), established after the 2008 Great Recession, come before them to explain the dangers to consumers.

Long-serving California Democrat Brad Sherman said he was skeptical of new efforts by tech leaders to seek exemptions from consumer protection laws and regulations.

“We see often that people, particularly in the tech world, want to do something that we’re already doing, but they put a high-tech name on it, and then they say, therefore there shouldn’t be any regulation,” Sherman said. “I know that there’s a bill before us to create a special technology unit in the bank regulators, and I sure hope that that isn’t a system for saying, ‘Well, you just claim to be technological. You go to the special unit and they liberate you from all consumer protections.’”

Thursday’s hearing was the latest in a series of congressional sessions examining concerns and potential challenges as the Trump administration moves to reduce regulations and expand engagement with AI. President Donald Trump tapped Oracle founder Larry Ellison and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, as well as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to serve on the influential President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). He also appointed David Sacks, formerly the White House AI and crypto czar, to lead the PCAST panel.

The surge of attention from across the government comes as no surprise to experts tracking the issue.

Jamil N. Jaffer, founder of the NSI Cyber & Tech Center at George Mason University’s Scalia Law School, told Quincy News, “Financial services, like many other industries, is seeing significant opportunities for innovation with the advent of generative AI and the efforts of Congress to ensure that consumers can benefit from this innovation by providing regulatory clarity that promotes innovation is a smart move.”

“Ensuring that innovators and investors have the flexibility and incentive to effectively partner to deliver trusted, safe, and secure AI capabilities to financial consumers is also important in this critical industry,” said Jaffer, who is also setting up a new AI & Innovation Institute at GMU Law.

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Father fights for his life as family says he’s being denied heart transplant he needs

By Leanne Suter

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    LOS ANGELES, California (KABC) — A Southern California man in need of a heart transplant is fighting for his life. Despite having insurance, his family says the life-saving surgery has yet to happen.

Rhett Pascual has been hospitalized at Keck Medicine of USC since February. The 53-year-old is in a race against time and medical approval for a heart transplant to save his life.

“It’s a matter of life and death. I’m just looking for a chance. Give me a little bit more time,” Pascual said from his hospital bed.

Pascual, a husband and father of two, was first diagnosed with cardiomyopathy before later suffering a stroke. Pascual’s heart has now given out, and his only hope is a transplant.

“He’s fighting. He’s fighting for us. He’s fighting for his family. He doesn’t want to die,” his wife Julia Pascual told Eyewitness News.

Their son, Rhyss Pascual, described the ordeal as “a very difficult and heartbreaking journey,” adding that the family is determined to support his dad.

Pascual’s family says when he first arrived at Keck Medicine of USC they were told he couldn’t be put on the transplant list because of financial issues despite having full insurance coverage.

The time it’s taking to sort out the paperwork is taking a major toll on Pascual’s heart and triggering a second denial.

“Basically, they’re saying he’s getting denied now because he’s too weak, but why wait four weeks? He’s already been here a month,” Julia Pascual said.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the family cover the deductible costs of a transplant as Pascual remains focused on his faith and his fight for a new heart.

“I’ll get stronger, and once I’m on that list, it’s hope. That’s what’s important,” Pascual said.

Eyewitness News reached out to the hospital for comment. Officials say due to patient privacy they can’t release any details on the case.

Pascual’s family say they continue to pray he will soon be added to the heart transplant list.

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Suspect arrested for hiding cameras in restrooms at parks, police say

By Brandon Downs, James Taylor, CBS13 Photojournalist

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    ELK GROVE, California (KOVR) — A suspect was arrested Thursday after cameras were found hidden in women’s restrooms at multiple Elk Grove parks, police said.

Detectives learned two hidden cameras were found in the women’s restrooms toliets at Elk Grove Regional Park and Jan Rau Park on March 5.

Elk Grove officers and the Cosumnes Community Services District then checked all other park restrooms throughout the city. Police said no additional cameras were located.

Video footage from a park camera and traffic cameras in the area helped officers identify a suspect, identified as 37-year-old William Raasch of Sacramento.

A search warrant at Raasch’s home was served and police said they learned Raasch had placed hidden cameras in at least two other community parks. Those parks are believed to be Kloss Park and Zimbelman Park.

Police said the restrooms where the cameras were placed are often located near playgrounds and sports fields, areas that are regularly used by children and families.

The investigation also determined Raasch dressed up to resemble a woman in an apparent effort to avoid detection, police said.

Raasch was arrested on 12 counts of photographing or videotaping an undressed person in a private area and three counts of eavesdropping.

“Our detectives served a search warrant at his residence and ultimately found a plethora of digital evidence. They spent the last couple of weeks going through all of that,” said Sgt. Jason Jimenez with Elk Grove police.

Police added that there could be additional victims who have not yet been identified and are urging anyone with information to come forward.

Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Elk Grove Police Department.

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Train derailment near Reno sends more than 20 railcars off tracks

By Cecilio Padilla

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    RENO, Nevada (KOVR) — A freight train derailment near Reno saw more than a dozen railcars crash off the tracks Friday morning.

According to the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, the derailment happened just before 7 a.m. near Interstate 80 and USA Parkway, about 20 miles east of Reno.

Exactly what led up to the derailment is unclear, but officials say about 20 to 25 box cars went off the tracks.

Officials noted that no injuries have been reported. Further, officials say no hazardous material has been spilled.

Nevada State Police say one lane of eastbound I-80 is closed due to the emergency response. Drivers should expect significant delays for the time being.

Also due to the crash, Amtrak is warning riders that the California Zephyr’s Train 6 route is delayed.

It’s unclear how long it will take for the derailment to be cleared.

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Mayhem: Victim recalls brutal beating involving a hammer and blowtorch

By Daniel V. Ramirez

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    IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (eastidahonews.com) — Court documents detail the savage beating of a 20-year-old by a 41-year-old Idaho Falls man, where the suspect allegedly used a claw hammer and a blowtorch on the victim’s face.

Thomas James Cota is facing felony mayhem and felony aggravated battery. If he is found guilty, Cota faces up to 29 years in prison.

According to court documents, on March 4, deputies with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office interviewed the 20-year-old victim about a savage beating he endured on March 1.

The victim stated that while at a residence in Bonneville County, Cota had accused the victim of stealing his mother’s ashes, which he denied doing.

The victim recalled that Cota had told everyone to leave the room they were in, and that’s when the beating occurred.

The document states the victim was struck on the left side of his face with a claw hammer and on his head, legs, ankle and hand. The victim’s eye was struck by the hammer, causing it to protrude, but was punched back in it’s socket by Cota.

At some point, the victim recalled passing out from the pain. A blowtorch was used on the victim’s face, according to the document.

The victim heard Cota telling another person, who was armed with a firearm, that they should take him to the foothills. Later, he heard Cota ask the other person for the firearm, but it wasn’t handed over.

The document states that the man with the firearm had told Cota that the victim had not taken his mother’s ashes.

The 20-year-old believed that if Cota had been given the gun, he would’ve been shot.

The home’s owner later intervened and ordered everyone to leave the property.

A follow-up with the victim days later allowed a detective to document the injuries the victim sustained from the beating.

From that report, the victim required 16 staples, his right eyeball was a dark red color with bruising around the eye, a sprained ankle and hand, three nasal bone fractures and facial trauma. The victim can only see halfway from his right eye.

An arrest warrant was issued for Cota on March 5, and on March 25, he appeared before Senior Judge Keith Walker.

Cota is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge Tawnya Rawlings at 1 p.m. on April 8.

Though Cota has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

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