California city’s first-ever Pride event moves indoors after pushback

CNN Newsource on June 27, 2026

By Nina Burns

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    OAKDALE, California (KOVR) — Oakdale’s first Pride event is moving forward this weekend after organizers changed venues following pushback over its original location and a planned drag performance.

Some residents pushed back over the event’s original location at Dorada Park and a planned drag performance.

“I also understand staff has issued a permit for a so-called Pride event,” one speaker said during the latest City Council meeting.

Another speaker raised concerns about the event being advertised as open to all ages, including children, and having a drag queen host.

After the public pushback, organizers moved the event indoors to the Bianchi Center.

“It was a huge upgrade to be able to provide a more accessible space in the heart of Oakdale,” said Ryan Hall, president of CalPride.

Hall said the idea to bring Pride to the city did not come from outside Oakdale, it came from people living there.

“That’s my place as a mom of rainbow kids, absolutely,” said Elizabeth May, owner of Sisters Coffee.

May’s coffee shop hosts a monthly LGBTQ+ social.

“I had a young man walk in here and say, ‘We don’t have anywhere to have a social here for LGBTQ.’ I said, ‘Heck yes,'” May said.

Still, the backlash has left parents like May concerned.

“How does it feel? Scary. I’m excited, but as a mom of a kid in the community, I’m nervous for them,” May said.

May said the venue change helped ease some of the tension.

“The different venue made a win-win situation for everyone. I was very proud of the kids for making that hard decision,” May said.

For organizers, the drag performance is part of the celebration.

“Enjoy some line dancing, enjoy some live music, enjoy the drag show, and then also enjoy community members and our local businesses, our local artists and partner organizations,” Hall said.

Oakdale Pride is scheduled for Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Entry is free.

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.

2 juveniles charged with arson and causing a catastrophe in massive fire

CNN Newsource on June 27, 2026

By Frederick Sutton Sinclair

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    ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Two juveniles are in custody and face multiple charges, including arson and causing a catastrophe, in connection with a massive fire that destroyed several properties Wednesday night in Allentown, Pennsylvania, officials say.

The fire broke out at an old furniture factory in the 300 block of North Front Street, forced nearby residents to evacuate and hundreds in the area without power.

The juveniles are being held in juvenile detention and are being charged with arson, causing a catastrophe, recklessly endangering another person, and conspiracy, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

Authorities have not released the names or ages of the juveniles, but due to the circumstances of the offense, the charges will go through the juvenile system.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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12-year-old girl on scooter killed in Haverhill school bus collision

CNN Newsource on June 27, 2026

By Neal Riley

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    HAVERHILL, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A 12-year-old girl has died after she collided with a school bus while riding on a motorized scooter with another child in Haverhill, Massachusetts, authorities say.

The collision happened Thursday at about 4 p.m. at the intersection of Portland Street and 5th Avenue. Haverhill police had previously said that both children were seriously injured and taken to a local hospital.

The girl who died attended Haverhill Public Schools. Her identity has not been released as family members are notified.

Footage from the scene showed a school bus surrounded by police caution tape, with a damaged black scooter on the ground. The road was closed to traffic while police investigated.

Massachusetts State Police and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are assisting Haverhill police in the investigation. Police have not said what may have caused the crash.

Haverhill schools Supt. Margaret Marotta said grief-counseling will be available at the middle school Friday and Monday. She also encouraged parents to talk to their children about scooter safety, saying they can pose “very real dangers,” especially to young operators.

“Many young people ride friends’ scooters or ride together, often without fully appreciating the risks involved,” she said. “These conversations could save a life.”

Anyone who saw the collision or has information is asked to contact Haverhill police at 978-373-1212.

Haverhill is about 35 miles north of Boston near the New Hampshire border.

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60,000 gallons of wastewater mistakenly dumped into Merrimack River; popular Massachusetts beaches closed

CNN Newsource on June 27, 2026

By Neal Riley

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    NEWBURYPORT, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Plum Island beaches in Newburyport, Massachusetts are closed after 60,000 gallons of wastewater were accidentally dumped into the Merrimack River on Thursday.

The city of Haverhill said it’s alerting nearby communities and residents along the river that a contractor doing sewer separation work on Thursday morning “mistakenly discharged wastewater to the storm drainage system” on Garden Street over a four-hour period.

“As a precaution, residents and recreational users in Haverhill and downstream Merrimack River communities are advised to avoid contact with river water in the vicinity of the discharge and downstream areas for 48 hours,” the city said.

Plum Island Beach closed The Newburyport Health Department has closed all public access to Plum Island Beach. The closure is expected to last through at least Monday, depending on water quality tests.

Making contact with unsafe water can result in nausea and vomiting, respiratory symptoms, eye irritation and earaches.

Massachusetts beach closures There were about three dozen beach closures in Massachusetts on Friday. Most were due to unsafe levels of bacteria in the water, which is not unusual after heavy rain.

The other beaches closed Friday, according to the Interactive Beach Water Quality Dashboard, are:

Damon Pond Beach, Ashby (Other) Hopkinton Reservoir – Main Beach, Ashland (Bacterial Exceedance) Patuisset, Bourne (Bacterial Exceedance) Cliff Pond, Brewster (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Flax Pond, Brewster (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Oyster Pond, Chatham (Bacterial Exceedance) Hidden Bay, Dartmouth (Bacterial Exceedance) Moses Smith Creek, Dartmouth (Bacterial Exceedance) Manhattan Avenue, Fairhaven (Bacterial Exceedance) Good Harbor Creek, Gloucester (Bacterial Exceedance) Kings, Lynn (Bacterial Exceedance) Plum Island, Newburyport (Sewer system overflow event) Crystal Lake, Newton (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom) Frye Pond Beach, North Andover (Bacterial Exceedance) Little Sandy, Pembroke (Bacterial Exceedance) Kendall Lane, Provincetown (Bacterial Exceedance) S.P.E.N.A. Beach, Rochester (Bacterial Exceedance) Front Beach, Rockport, (SSO event) Whitehall Pond Beach, Rutland (Other) Children’s Island, Salem (Bacterial Exceedance) Ocean Avenue, Salem (Bacterial Exceedance) Kings, Swampscott (Other) Beamans Pond, Templeton (Bacterial Exceedance) Briarwood, Wareham (Bacterial Exceedance) Crow Hill Pond Beach, Westminster, (Bacterial Exceedance) Margaret Lindley Park, Williamstown (Bacterial Exceedance) Shannon Beach, Winchester (Bacterial Exceedance)

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Life sentence for 19-year-old convicted in murder of Maryland garden center owner

CNN Newsource on June 27, 2026

By JT Moodee Lockman

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    DAVIDSONVILLE, Maryland (WJZ) — A 19-year-old man received a life sentence after he was convicted of killing the owner of a Maryland garden center in 2025, according to Anne Arundel County court officials.

Under a plea deal, Jonah Poole will have the possibility of parole. He was also ordered to forfeit money stolen from the murder victim, 67-year-old Stephen Koza, court officials said.

Maryland store owner killed Koza, who owned Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center in Davidsonville, was found dead on May 24, 2025, in a burned vehicle that was parked in the lot of his business.

The vehicle was engulfed in flames when police arrived, and investigators said they found Koza’s body tied up and burned inside the pickup truck.

Inside the business, police found a crime scene that indicated there had been a struggle. They later determined that Koza was attacked around closing time, tied up, and put in the back of the truck.

Second suspect arrested According to police, Kylee Dakes was also arrested and charged in connection with the murder. Poole and Dakes were a couple and were scheduled to graduate from Southern High School a few weeks after the murder took place.

Poole worked for Koza at Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center in 2024, detectives said.

Police claim Poole and Dakes drove Koza around in the back of the truck before returning to the store and setting the vehicle on fire.

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.

PCE Inflation Hits Three-Year High as Price Pressures Intensify

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By Juliegrace Brufke | Quincy News Correspondent

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    Washington (Quincy News) — U.S. inflation climbed to its highest level in more than three years in May, the federal government reported Thursday, as higher energy prices continued to filter through the broader economy.

The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index rose 4.1% since this time last year, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported, up from 3.8% in April and the third consecutive month the number moved higher. Core PCE, which strips out food and energy and serves as the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation benchmark, climbed 3.4% year over year, its fastest pace since late 2023. The Fed’s inflation target is 2%, a level headline PCE has remained above for roughly five years.

Consumer outlays rose 0.7% in May, ahead of the 0.6% analysts had projected. Personal income climbed by the same amount, well above the 0.4% forecast and the personal saving rate nudged up to 3%.

David Mitchell, professor of economics and director of the Bureau of Economic Research at Missouri State University, said the numbers weren’t surprising.

“Inflation has not been tamed,” Mitchell said. “It builds upon itself. Once people get into the psyche that prices are going up, they respond differently than if prices are relatively stable.”

Oil and gas prices began spiking in late February as U.S. military operations against Iran escalated, and Mitchell argued those costs had months to filter into goods and services well beyond the pump.

“There’s been plenty of time for those increases in gas and oil prices to start filtering into the broader economy,” he told Quincy News in an interview. “It’s a continual problem that will continue to get worse until the Fed starts taking it much more seriously.”

The report landed a week after the Fed wrapped up its June policy meeting, where officials dropped expectations for rate cuts this year and signaled they were prepared to raise rates if inflation remained elevated.

Policymakers lifted their full-year inflation forecasts to 3.6% for headline PCE and 3.3% for core. The Federal Open Market Committee pledged in its post-meeting statement to deliver price stability after missing its own goal for five consecutive years.

Markets were largely unmoved following the report with stocks holding steady and Treasury yields dipping modestly. Traders still expect a rate hike before year’s end, with September seen as the most likely window.

Mitchell questions whether the Fed has a viable plan.

“It doesn’t look like they’re doing much of anything to address it,” he said. “They’re just hoping the problem goes away on its own, and it’s not going to. It becomes its own self-feeding monster.”

He pointed to the 1970s as a warning, adding that inflation ran for years before the Fed finally acted aggressively under Chair Paul Volcker in the early 1980s, pushing the economy into a painful recession. It worked, and the lower inflation that followed lasted for decades.

“They spent roughly 40 years trying to squeeze inflation out of the economy,” Mitchell said. “It’s almost like they’re throwing away 40 years’ worth of work by letting it creep back.”

The next PCE report is scheduled for July 30, 2026.

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Summer program helps visually impaired students explore careers in technology and cybersecurity

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By Kelsey Jones

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    RICHMOND, Virginia (WTVR) — A unique summer program in Richmond is helping visually impaired students discover what is possible in the world of technology.

Twenty-one students from across Virginia are participating in the 10th annual Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired’s Cyber Space Program. Students are building websites from scratch, learning cybersecurity fundamentals, and exploring AI. For many, it is their first introduction to coding.

Kaleb Calhoun, 19, has albinism — a genetic condition that affects pigmentation and can cause low vision. He attended the Cyber Space Program three years ago as a student. Now a student at William and Mary, he has competed in AI competitions and helped develop AI imaging technology. This year, he returned to the program as an instructor and mentor, helping other visually impaired students discover opportunities he never knew existed.

“Without this program I would have not gone the steps I’ve taken now towards this cybersecurity career and pathway,” Calhoun said.

Calhoun said his visual impairment has never defined what he can accomplish.

“No matter what condition you have, no matter what disability, if you try hard and with determination and with opportunities and connections, you can get almost anywhere you want to go,” Calhoun said.

Micah Davis, 18, is a first-time attendee putting those technology lessons into practice.

“It’s been fun learning how to make websites, learning how AI works, learning about the future,” Davis said.

Davis said the program has given him a new appreciation for the technology people use every day and the work that goes into creating it.

“I didn’t know it was such a process,” Davis said.

Program leaders say the goal goes beyond technology. They hope the opportunity breaks down barriers and exposes students to career paths they may have never considered possible.

“We’re big on empowerment and letting them realize that they are capable of, you know, going into these fields and doing it well,” said Kathy Malone, deputy commissioner of services for the blind and vision impaired.

On Friday, students will showcase their work to family members, mentors, and community leaders.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WTVR’s editorial team 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.

Her son died at swim school. Now she has a message for parents: stay there and watch your children.

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By Melissa Hipolit

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    RICHMOND, Virginia (WTVR) — April Chang will never forget saying goodbye to her son Mitchell when she and her husband left him and his older brother at their swim school in Texas at a date night event in February 2018.

“Every second of it, I do. Every, every look, glance, everything,” Chang said.

Twenty minutes into her meal, her phone rang.

“I got a call on my phone, and the gentleman said that he was from the fire department and that I needed to go to the hospital because my son was injured,” Chang said. “I’m like, okay, well, what type of injury, and he goes, he, he goes, he wasn’t, he wasn’t responsive, he, he wasn’t responsive when he left to go to the hospital.”

Her son died from complications of a near drowning. He was 3 years old.

“When Mitchell drowned, the ratio in this in the pool room was 16 to one. We were told the ratio would be five to one,” Chang said.

“There was a class change out, I guess you could say, like he actually drowned right at the end of his swim group, and the last few minutes the new group came in, they were not trained to do a head count.”

Mitchell’s death devastated his parents and his older brother, who witnessed what happened. But when they learned how unregulated the swim school and swim camp industry is, they decided to take action and push for change — at the very least in Texas.

“We found out this is a very largely unregulated industry, it’s one that few left, actually, that has basically like no safety regulations going on out there, which really surprised us, because in the shopping center, where his swim school was, it was the only business that basically had no regulations,” Chang said.

Chang has been working to get legislation passed in Texas to set some sort of standards, but it has not yet passed.

“It was not a priority on some of the lawmakers,” Chang said.

After the death of 9-year-old King Overton at a swim camp at SwimRVA-North in Henrico County on June 15, CBS 6 asked various state agencies about what type of oversight and regulations exist for swim camps and swim schools in Virginia.

VDOE told us Virginia does not have specific requirements for child-to-adult ratios and swimming instructor certification for summer swim camps. Unless a program that offers swimming is licensed, it does not have to follow any state-mandated ratios or staff qualification standards, according to VDOE.

The Virginia Department of Education said SwimRVA is not licensed.

“When this happens more… wish our story was further. I wish others had heard, so that they more families could be educated to know. I wish that lawmakers, even if it was even national, would take this seriously, because this happens in near drownings. Near drownings happen a whole lot, actually, and it’s going to just because the environment, I wish that this would be taken seriously, because our children are everything,” Chang said.

Investigators are still working to determine exactly what happened that led King Overton to accidentally drown.

A page on SwimRVA’s website showcasing their frequently asked questions about their summer camps does not load. The Wayback Machine, an internet archive, showed their FAQ page from 2021, which indicated they had a staff-to-student ratio at that time of 1 to 10.

Chang believes the ratio should be close to one to four or five. Even so, she says she will never again feel comfortable leaving her child at a swim camp or school without her.

Her message to other parents: stay there and watch them.

“I shouldn’t have left Mitchell. I shouldn’t have done it. I’m his mommy. I was the last one, and I knew he couldn’t swim. Geez, that’s so hard to say, but it’s the truth,” Chang said.

CBS 6 is still trying to get more information from the Virginia Department of Education about why some swim schools and swim camps don’t have to be licensed or follow state requirements, and what exactly the state rules are for swim camps and swim schools.

The Virginia Department of Health said new legislation enacted this year that takes effect July 1 will have requirements related to facility staffing and incident response at public aquatic facilities, but those are still being developed.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WTVR’s editorial team 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.

Virginia man uses art to heal after years in prison, mental health battle

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By Joi Fultz

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    RICHMOND, Virginia (WTVR) — Jerrod Buford first picked up a paintbrush as a kid, never imagining that same creative outlet would carry him through his darkest days in prison.

Buford, who grew up in Williamsburg, was convicted and arrested as a young man and spent almost a decade behind bars. During that time, he struggled deeply.

“Turning to drugs and alcohol to kind of shadow over emotions,” Buford said. “Looking for acceptance, approval. Not just from my parents, but from friends, from, you name it. I mean, I tried to commit suicide, I don’t even know how many times,” Buford said.

It was inside prison walls that art became more than a hobby.

“Throughout my prison time, I learned, the freedom that I desired, I’ve always had it. I got, I found it, in a box,” Buford said.

More than three years after his release, Buford continues to advocate for art as a tool for healing. He describes his work as a gift he feels called to share.

“I received a blessing from God that just allowed me to display what he’s given me,” Buford said.

For Buford, creating art is also a way of processing his past.

“That’s what art has done for me. It’s given me the ability to look at parts of my life, all parts of my life, and find the good and the negative, learn from the negative,” Buford said.

He shares his story and artwork with a wide audience through social media, including live sessions on TikTok, and holds art classes with new communities.

Buford said his mission is to help others find their own path toward healing — whatever form that takes.

“What I strive to do is guide this person to just create, man. Don’t care what people think about your creation, you just need to get it out,” Buford said. “Whether it’s with art, addressing your mental health, getting your life right — just do 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.

Possible landspout tornado rips through Los Lunas, damaging homes and cars

CNN Newsource on June 26, 2026

By Aliyah Chavez

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    LOS LUNAS, N.M. (KOAT) — A possible landspout tornado swept through Los Lunas on Thursday afternoon, leaving behind damaged homes, shattered cars, and debris scattered across the village.

Dashcam footage captured it near Interstate 25 around 3:30 p.m., showing its size and sparks erupting as it hit power lines twice.

“Well, everything was going smooth, and all of a sudden, the lights went out. And then we heard, like, a very loud noise,” Maria Gutierrez said, who works nearby.

Gutierrez said pieces of sheet metal flew from an unknown direction and landed on top of a truck in the Del Taco drive-thru. The people inside were trapped and needed to be freed by the Los Lunas firefighters. They were unharmed inside.

Crews were seen across the village cleaning up broken tree limbs, cottonwood branches, and debris scattered in every direction on Thursday evening.

At Los Lunas High School, batting cage nets were twisted high into light poles, showcasing the strength of the winds.

One car was left wrapped in plastic after its windows were blown out, with shattered glass strewn throughout the interior.

“If you guys do see a big storm like this, take shelter. Be safe. Stay in your cars. Run into a building,” one resident said.

Officials with the village of Los Lunas said they have not received any further reports of injuries.

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.