Category: CNN Regional

By Jonah Gilmore

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    KENNER, La. (WDSU) — A viral video showing two young males being detained by federal agents in Kenner is sending shockwaves through Jefferson Parish and intensifying fears already gripping immigrant families as school attendance plummets across the district.

The witness who recorded the encounter, Mimi Spiehler, said the individuals looked like teenagers and appeared to be wearing Bonnabel High School uniforms.

While WDSU has not confirmed whether they were students, the timing has deepened concerns. Absences among Hispanic students in some Jefferson Parish schools have surged to as high as 40% in recent weeks.

Community members say this video explains exactly why.

“I cannot imagine how these people feel and how scared they are, ” Spiehler said.

She described the moment federal agents detained the pair as terrifying, not just for those taken into custody, but for anyone watching.

“I was shaking. I couldn’t stop shaking for hours. You hear about it, but when you actually see it,” Spiehler said.

Immigration attorney Paula Ferreira said that federal agents can detain minors, a fact many families are only now learning.

“Technically, a minor child can be detained. There are safeguards, but it does happen,” Ferreira said.

Those safeguards, however, may do little to reassure undocumented parents who face a painful dilemma: come forward for a detained child and risk being detained themselves.

“If the parents are undocumented and appear for their child, they could likely be detained and possibly removed,” Ferreira said.

Advocates say the current climate is pushing families into hiding and keeping students out of classrooms, a ripple effect that, they warn, will have long-term consequences for the parish.

“It’s a travesty,” Spiehler said.

Kenner police confirmed they assisted federal agents with transport during the incident, but said they could not verify whether the individuals detained were students.

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By Kelby Wingert

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — A Des Moines man accused of hiding cameras in porta-potties now faces federal charges after a grand jury returned a 19-count indictment against him, according to court documents.

Tyler Pavlick, 32, was already facing 88 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and invasion of privacy in state court.

Now, he faces charges of sexual exploitation of a child and child pornography in federal court.

Law enforcement said Pavlick placed cameras in porta-potties at a public event in Des Moines and a high school track meet in State Center.

Police said there could be dozens of victims in the case.

Pavlick still faces multiple charges in state court.

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By Chris Oswalt

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    JACKSON, Miss. (WAPT) — A Jackson woman is gaining attention online after helping a group of peace advocates traveling on foot across the country.

TikTok user Ray Ray shared that she met members of the Walk for Peace pilgrimage as they passed through the metro this week. She says she handed out bags filled with water, bananas, crackers and other snacks to help keep the monks energized on their long journey from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C.

The group stopped at the Mississippi State Capitol on Thursday, where they continued their message of unity and resilience. They are resting Thursday night in Pelahatchie before continuing east across Mississippi.

According to Walk for Peace organizers, Day 48 of their journey includes travel toward Morton and Forest along U.S. 80. Supporters can meet them during two scheduled public visiting windows: the lunch stop from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at coordinates 32°21’12.0”N 89°38’41.6”W, and the overnight rest from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at coordinates 32°21’38.8”N 89°26’33.5”W.

Organizers say they are grateful for the warm welcome in Mississippi and encourage anyone interested to check their live map in the pinned post on their social media page for updated stop locations.

“May you and all beings be happy and at peace,” the group wrote in Thursday’s update.

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By Jon Chrisos

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    WELLS, Maine (WMTW) — Maine health officials were able to locate a person who touched a rabid raccoon in Wells after the animal tested positive for the virus this week.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention says the animal was reported acting strangely near Sanford Road and Evergreen Drive on Monday, Dec. 8.

Someone reportedly tried to move the raccoon out of the road before police collected it. Tests later confirmed the raccoon was infected with rabies.

The Wells Police Department told Maine’s Total Coverage the person who moved the raccoon has been found and is receiving treatment.

Rabies is rare but almost always deadly once symptoms appear, making quick medical evaluation essential for anyone who may have had direct contact with the animal, officials said.

The virus spreads through bites or scratches from infected animals, and it can also be transmitted if infected saliva comes into contact with an open wound.

Health officials continue to remind people not to approach or feed wildlife and to keep garbage and pet food secured.

Pet owners are encouraged to maintain current rabies vaccinations, and anyone who suffers an animal bite or scratch should wash the wound thoroughly and seek medical advice.

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By Justin Schecker, LeeAnn Huntoon

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    PALM BAY, Fla. (WESH) — Robin Pisciotta was driving through the 1400 block of Norbert Road in Palm Bay when she noticed a child near a police officer searching through a suspicious bag on Thursday.

“That’s when the kid explained to me that a bag of rifles had been thrown out of a vehicle, so I pulled out my phone and started recording,” Pisciotta said.

She said the bag was black and orange and it was very large. By the time she had gotten there, it looked like the cop was sifting through ammo boxes.

Palm Bay police confirmed they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the bag of guns left on the side of the road.

Pisciotta expressed her concern, saying, “When they told me it was a bag of rifles, guns, and ammo at first I was like, ‘Woah, woah, woah — that is so dangerous there’s tons of kids that play around here all day long and my next thought was that there’s probably a lot more to it because people wouldn’t just throw out a bag of rifles on the side of the road those are very valuable.”

Pisciotta mentioned that her son was in the car with her as she recorded the video.

“Him and the other kid were like they could have been loaded, any kid could have picked those up, like how dangerous that was,” she said.

Now that police have secured the guns and ammo, Pisciotta hopes detectives can piece together how this happened and find out who did it.

“I thought that was so crazy. This is a regular, nice neighborhood. You don’t see any crime or any weird things happening around here; it was just very shocking, especially with so many kids around,” she said.

Crimeline Crimeline’s mission is to increase the safety of the Central Florida community by assisting law enforcement agencies in removing undesirable individuals from the community, according to its mission statement.

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By Don Davis

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    WASHINGTON, D.C. (KGUN) — The Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity filed suit Dec. 10 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., seeking to block President Donald Trump’s image from appearing on the 2026 National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands America the Beautiful annual pass and to force the government to restore the contest-winning photo of Glacier National Park to the main pass.

The complaint alleges the Department of the Interior violated the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004 by replacing the contest-winning Glacier image — which federal law requires the government to use each year — with a close-up of the president’s face, moving the Glacier photo to a newly created “Nonresident” pass and creating Resident and Nonresident passes that the law prohibits. The America the Beautiful pass, which costs $80 annually, provides entry to national parks and many federal recreation areas, including sites used by Tucson residents such as Saguaro National Park and portions of the Coronado and Santa Catalina public lands.

“Blotting out the majesty of America’s national parks with a closeup of his own face is Trump’s crassest, most ego-driven action yet,” said Kierán Suckling, the Center’s executive director, in the group’s press release. “The national parks are not a personal branding opportunity. They’re the pride and joy of the American people.”

The Center argues the substituted photo was not taken on federal land and was not entered in the National Parks Foundation’s public lands photo contest, which the law makes the official source for the annual pass image. The suit seeks enforcement of the statute’s requirements and a halt to what the plaintiffs call the politicization of federal public-lands branding.

The lawsuit will have a local impact for residents of Tucson and southern Arizona who use the America the Beautiful pass to visit nearby federal lands. The pass covers entry to Saguaro National Park — whose two districts flank the city — as well as federal recreation sites and national forests in the region. For many Tucson-area outdoor enthusiasts, the litigation raises questions about how the government manages national symbols and whether design changes could affect the pass program or how passes are sold and distributed.

The Center for Biological Diversity describes itself as a national nonprofit with more than 1.8 million members and online activists dedicated to protecting endangered species and wild places. The group’s involvement puts a local organization at the center of a national legal fight over imagery and the scope of federal authority to design and issue recreation passes.

The case underscores a broader debate over the role of public lands imagery and whether federal property should be used to promote or reflect political leaders. The suit asks the court to require the Interior Department to follow the contest process mandated by Congress and to restore the Glacier National Park photograph to the main America the Beautiful annual pass.

The lawsuit includes these images of the contest-winning Glacier National Park photo and the main 2026 America the Beautiful Annual Pass created by Trump.

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