Category: CNN Regional

By Eric Graves

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — Behind the bar at Fern Bar in Kansas City, Diana Condori is focused on more than just making drinks.

“You just slap it, opens up those aromatics,” Condori said while preparing a cocktail.

But for Condori, a great cocktail is about more than what’s in the glass.

“How you make people feel. It is, I think, going to stay with them more than sometimes what the cocktail is going to taste like,” she said.

As bar manager at Fern Bar along Southwest Boulevard, Condori has built her approach around relationships, something she says starts with energy.

“I think energy is everything,” she said.

That connection shows up in small, personal moments with customers.

“You don’t have to even talk to them. I just pour it. Here you go. And I think it makes them feel special to, you know, to not even have to say anything,” Condori said.

And for new customers, she keeps things simple.

“I’m not doing anything special. I’m just making him laugh. I’m making a daiquiri, which is a very simple lime, sugar, and rum,” she said.

What’s not simple is what she’s built behind the bar.

“My most important thing is making sure that the culture that I work in is a positive and fun environment, and I take care of my people,” Condori said.

That philosophy has earned her national recognition. Condori is now a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.

“It’s scary,” she said, laughing.

Condori said the honor, one of the most prestigious in the culinary industry, came as a surprise.

“And to be on that list, I was like, I have so much work to do. Still, There is so much work to be done I want to keep learning and growing,” she said.

The recognition also carries meaning beyond the bar.

As the daughter of Bolivian immigrants, Condori said she’s heard from others who see themselves in her success.

“A lot of people have reached out to me who, you know, have looked like me, and they’re having a Latina in a space like this is pretty cool,” she said.

As for winning the award, she isn’t thinking too far ahead.

“That would be, I don’t know, that would be a fluke,” she said.

For now, Condori is staying grounded.

“We’re not saving lives here. We’re just making cocktails,” Condori 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 Terri Parker

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    LAKE WORTH BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — Twenty years after Cynthia Moffett was shot and killed while working at a Lake Worth golf course pro shop, detectives are renewing their call for the public’s help in solving the case.

Moffett was killed on March 23, 2006, at the Forest Oaks Golf Club pro shop on Lucerne Lakes Boulevard in what investigators believe was a robbery.

One clue has lingered for two decades.

According to investigators, the killer fled the shop with wrapped coins taken from the register. Some of those coins were later found scattered outside, suggesting a hurried escape.

Detectives believe the shooting happened between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Moffett’s body was later found outside the south door of the pro shop.

Despite years of investigative work, no one has been arrested.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said the homicide case remains active and detectives are still hoping someone with information will come forward.

The case has left a lasting mark on those who knew Moffett.

Friends and loved ones have described her as someone who helped others and volunteered at St. Jude Catholic Church in Boca Raton, teaching English to migrant workers. After Hurricane Wilma knocked out power in the area, they said she used the pro shop’s gas power to cook hot meals for people looking for food.

Now, 20 years after her killing, investigators say even a small tip could make a difference.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS. Tips can remain anonymous. Information can also be submitted through the PBSO app using the “See Something” feature.

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 Rachael Perry

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    RIVIERA BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — Anthony Evans was driving to work when he says a man ran out in front of his truck and tried forcing him out of his vehicle. Seconds later, Evans told WPBF 25 News he was rushing himself and his coworker to the hospital after they were both shot.

Evans is just one of five people who were shot in what officials say was a mass shooting in Riviera Beach. It happened on March 16 in the Azure Estates Community on Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard. According to police, the suspect, Terrell Gibson, then ran into the road and shot three more people as they were driving by, including Evans and his coworker.

Hear in his own words the moment he realized he had been shot and what he remembers from that night here.

Evans and his coworker are both recovering and doing much better.

He told WPBF 25 News he grew up in Riviera Beach and at one point served seven years in prison. After being released, he started R.O.U.T.E (Redirecting Offenders Unemployed to Employment) and focuses on helping at-risk youth avoid the path to incarceration.

“These things have to change. We can no longer glorify that type of behavior. So who else is best to talk to them than someone who’s been there? I must say that I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I’ve got the T-shirt. We need to come together as adults, as parents, and put forth the effort to give these kids an alternative to crime, to violence,” Evans told WPBF.

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 Allison Petro, Madilyn Destefano

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    OCALA, Florida (WESH) — An Ocala woman was arrested after she allegedly stabbed an 83-year-old, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies identified the suspect as 45-year-old Jennifer Michelle Gill.

On Saturday, deputies responded to reports of a stabbing at a home. They were told that the victim, an 83-year-old, had been stabbed multiple times with a knife. He sustained 7 cuts to the back of the head, one on the back of his left shoulder, two cuts on his right hand and three cuts on the other, the arrest affidavit said.

The victim’s wife drove him to the hospital after the attack. The victim’s wife is also Gill’s mother, according to the arrest affidavit.

The reports also claimed that Gill had fled the scene with the weapon. Deputies said they located Gill about 1 1/2 miles from the home and took her into custody.

During the investigation, deputies learned that Gill entered the kitchen and sprayed soapy water in the victim’s eyes before the stabbing.

Gill later admitted to the attack and said she wished the knives had been sharper, according to deputies.

The defendant’s mother, also known as the victim’s wife, told deputies she does not know why her daughter would do this, but that her daughter “hates the victim for unknown reasons,” the report said.

When Gill was asked what her motive was, she told deputies it had been “a lot of years of things building up.”

Gill also alluded to the victim causing “a lot of pain for people” and that she “didn’t want to have to do it,” the arrest affidavit said.

After stabbing the victim, Gill took his cane and began to hit him with that as well.

Gill was arrested and is being held without bond in the Marion County Jail. She was charged with attempted first-degree murder.

According to the report, the victim is in stable condition.

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 Kyle Schmidt

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    CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Florida (WBBH) — A chilling 911 call on March 8 described a gruesome scene in Charlotte County where neighbors found Paul Bradley dead, leading to the arrest of his caregiver, Shannon Giblin, who deputies say reportedly confessed to stabbing him.

The caller described the scene, saying, “There’s blood everywhere.” Bradley’s truck was missing, and his live-in caregiver and roommate, Giblin, was also gone.

The caller said, “He was covered with plastic, so I think she did it.” Giblin and Bradley’s truck were later found in Sarasota County that night, where investigators said she confessed to stabbing him.

The crime scene tape has since been removed, leaving only a “No Trespassing” sign. More than two weeks have passed since Bradley was found, and neighbors are still in disbelief.

“Who had the nerve to do something like that?” said Donna Borges, a neighbor from the Ranchettes.

Court records reveal that Giblin told detectives she had been staying at Bradley’s home for nine days, during which time she claimed he was verbally abusive and made sexual advances toward her. However, neighbors described Bradley as a “happy-go-lucky guy” who was friendly to everyone.

Deputies were sent to Bradley’s house on the morning of the incident after he expressed a desire to kick Giblin out. Giblin later told detectives that she confronted Bradley about being kicked out, and the two separated.

Investigators reported that Giblin reportedly said she grabbed a knife and walked toward Bradley, and when he grabbed her wrists, she cut his arm. Following her reported confession, Giblin was arrested and accused of second-degree murder.

Giblin is scheduled to appear in court for criminal arraignment on April 20 and is being held without bond.

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 Rachel Whelan

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    BURLINGTON, Kentucky (WLWT) — Boone County deputies say drone technology helped them track down a man accused of firing a shotgun at a home before hiding in the woods for hours.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office released drone and body camera video showing the moments deputies located and arrested 56-year-old Richard Zornes Wednesday morning.

Deputies say the incident began just after 1 a.m. Wednesday on Locust Grove Road in Burlington.

Investigators say Zornes arrived at a home armed with a shotgun and confronted a woman he had been in an on-and-off relationship with. During the confrontation, deputies say Zornes fired a shot that grazed the woman’s head.

No serious injuries were reported.

Authorities say Zornes fled the scene, prompting a search that lasted several hours.

When daylight arrived, deputies deployed a drone near Zornes’ home on Rabbit Hash Hill Road, a rural area in Boone County.

Drone footage released by the sheriff’s office shows the aircraft flying over wooded terrain before spotting Zornes moving around near a tent in the woods.

Deputies say the drone operator was then able to track Zornes as he left the tent and walked back toward his home.

Body camera video shows deputies moving in and taking him into custody.

Major Philip Ridgell with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office said drone technology has become an important tool for law enforcement.

“What we have accomplished with the drones, I think, is something that is absolutely a game changer in our industry,” Ridgell said.

Ridgell said drones also help protect deputies by allowing them to monitor suspects from above before officers move in on the ground.

While the technology helped locate a suspect in this case, Ridgell said drones are most often used to search for missing people.

“Especially children who have found themselves in rural or dangerous parts of the county — creeks and waterways and things of that nature– the into the drones has paid for itself 100 times over,” Ridgell said.

Zornes later appeared in court where he faced charges including attempted murder in a domestic violence case, wanton endangerment, terroristic threatening and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

He is currently being held in the Boone County Jail on a $1 million cash bond.

Ridgell also said the Boone County Sheriff’s Office was recently approved to upgrade its drone fleet as part of the sheriff’s latest budget.

The department expects the new drones to be deployed in the field in the near future.

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 Breana Ross

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — Baltimore police’s Advanced Imaging and Rendering Team is improving crime scene investigations with its all-women drone team.

The AIR Team uses advanced technology to document crime scenes from above.

“I believe in this technology and what it can do for the city,” said Megan Descalzi, a forensic scientist with BPD, who leads the team of 11 crime scene technicians on the drone team.

Descalzi said the concept of an all-women drone team is rare within the drone community, which is predominantly male.

“A lot of individuals within the world of drones and public safety and law enforcement are mostly men. So, for us to have an (all-woman) drone team is something that a lot of agencies are really impressed by,” Descalzi said.

“It’s really cool just to put ourselves out there and be like, ‘Yes, we are an all-women’s team,’ and it’s exciting,” said Erika Schmidt, a crime laboratory technician on the drone team.

In 2025, the team deployed drones at over 100 crime scenes. Rachel Hare, a crime laboratory technician with BPD, highlighted the benefits of aerial photography in investigations.

“With an aerial photo, you can see the whole crime scene. It gives the jury a better layout of where everything happened. You can show potential escape routes and things like that, so it’s one of those things that gives you such a good perspective to be able to put together the evidence and give the jury a better picture of what happened,” Hare said.

The drones aren’t limited to just outdoor investigations, though. They can also be flown indoors.

“The purpose of this in the world of crime scenes is when we have scenes inside of locations that are not safe for us to enter,” Descalzi said. “These drones will allow us to fly in while our technicians are safe outside, and still be able to document the scenes and capture videos or photographs so that we can still make sure that the scene and all of the evidence within it is maintained properly.”

The capability is crucial for investigations in vacant homes, and it also assists the fire department in large fire scenes where safety is a concern.

“It’s placing eyes inside of the location without putting anyone in harm’s way,” Descalzi said.

Descalzi hopes the team’s work will inspire more women to pursue drone piloting.

“I want to show other women, I want to show girls that you can be a drone pilot and you can be just as good as anybody else in this field,” Descalzi 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 Forrest Sanders

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    NASHVILLE (WTVF) — We all need to ask our loved ones to share their stories. You never know what they’ve lived. A group is helping connect someone with an amazing story with a well-deserved trip. There’s a way you can help.

“Do you mind if I ask how old you are?” I asked Leigh Walker.

“Well, if I live until November, I’ll be 100!” she laughed.

Until the past few years, there’s this story Leigh didn’t really share. People didn’t know this woman from Burns lived an important part of history.

“When the war broke out, they just took all the young men and put them in the Army,” Leigh remembered, thinking back to the era of World War II. “President Roosevelt told all young women to report to your nearest college. If you were able-bodied, you went. We didn’t know what we were going for. I was 16 when I went in.”

Leigh left her home in Oakland, California to become a welder at the Richmond Shipyards. Both Leigh and her mother Esther were among the many women part of the war effort.

“Women were welders and carpenters, and it didn’t make any difference what field you went into,” Leigh continued. “It was all for the war. A woman can do anything she puts her mind to!”

I asked Leigh why she didn’t talk about this for so long. Her answer has to do with memories of WWII.

“You wanted to forget it,” she nodded. “It was awful, and if people would see what war is like, it might be different.”

It was two years ago at Dickson City Hall, Leigh shared her story publicly for the first time.

The story was a shock for daughter Marcia Chandler and son-in-law Johnny Chandler.

“I knew nothing about this!” Marcia said.

“I didn’t think she was telling the truth,” Johnny added.

“We thought she was kidding, but she wasn’t!”

No, Leigh had proof.

“I found my welding certificate from the union,” Leigh said.

That night in Dickson was the beginning of many accolades that now cover Leigh’s walls.

“I’m a Tennessee colonel!” Leigh said.

Leigh’s still having adventures. Shortly after this interview, Leigh left on her first flight in 30 years. She headed to New Orleans to visit The National WWII Museum.

Even though she’s already left, the Valor’s Voice non-profit is still raising money to pay for Leigh’s trip.

Before she left, I had one last question for Leigh. Why did she change her mind about sharing her story? Leigh said she realized she has a lesson to give.

“I think if more people listened to what war is like, they wouldn’t be so anxious to get into one,” Leigh said. “That’s the way I feel about it. If people would think how awful wars were, they wouldn’t have wars. You have to go through one to understand.”

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.