Category: CNN Regional

By Hamilton Kahn

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    ROSWELL, New Mexico (KOAT) — Sometimes, all it takes is a single word to cause an uproar.

A door-cam video that has gotten a lot of attention online captured a terse exchange between a woman candidate for the Roswell school board who is a Democrat and a Republican woman who had once sought a seat in the state House of Representatives.

The school board candidate, Sarah McArthur, was going door-to-door to get votes. Instead, she got a chilly reception from Tracy De La Rosa.

When De La Rosa asked if she was affiliated with Emerge, an organization that recruits Democratic women to run for elective office. McArthur said yes.

De La Rosa then said, “We don’t want Emerge candidates in New Mexico.”

Then, to her deep regret after the fact, McArthur’s response included a word that is considered to be a slur against the LGBTQ+ community.

“Well, we don’t want MAGA fa****s either,” McArthur said.

De La Rosa said, “Did you just say ‘fa****s’? because I got it on camera,” and McArthur said, “Good, I’m glad.”

Once the video was posted online, McArthur decided to make a public apology.

“I meant to say ‘fascist,’ and in the heat of the moment, the wrong word came out,” McArthur wrote. “I take full responsibility for using a hateful and unacceptable word. It was wrong and I deeply regret it. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ+ community and to everyone I’ve disappointed.”

In a subsequent Facebook post, De La Rosa had the last word — for now, at least.

“What happened to inclusion?” De La Rosa wrote. “I thought we could all believe whatever we want to believe without hate.”

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By Pete Cuddihy

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Honey bees across America are facing a crisis that threatens their very existence.

Research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows that Nebraska is among the hardest-hit states, losing as many as 70 to 80% of bee colonies in the past year.

“Bees are really important if you like a diverse diet,” said local beekeeper Mark Welsch.

Welsch began beekeeping nearly 50 years ago and has firsthand experience dealing with the challenges that come with colony collapse.

“Bees are not thriving like they used to,” he said.

While “colony collapse” may sound like every bee is dying, the issue is far more complex. Curious to learn more, I visited the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“Colony collapse is not necessarily where the colonies are completely dead,” explained entomologist Judy Wu-Smart of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “But they have completely depopulated in terms of the workforce and are no longer functional.”

Wu-Smart, who educates beekeepers across the Midwest, said there are multiple threats to bee colonies. One of the biggest is the Varroa destructor mite.

“This is a mite that is an active, parasitic kind of pest that rides around on the bee, feeds on them, and removes and depletes some of their fat bodies,” Wu-Smart said.

To put it into perspective, if a human were the size of a bumblebee, the mite would be about the size of a dinner plate. These mites also transmit viruses that spread throughout a colony, eventually killing all of the bees.

“The real solution to Varroa mites is just selecting hives that take care of them naturally,” said Welsch.

That solution led me to Mike Wrobel, president of the Omaha Beekeepers Club, who is working to breed bees that can resist mites.

“What you really need are unique queens that are resistant to the mites to begin with,” said Wrobel.

Wrobel calls these “quality queen bees.” They carry genes that make them sensitive to mites and capable of removing them from the hive.

“They’re able to smell the fact that the mite has just started to reproduce,” Wrobel explained.

But creating these quality queens isn’t easy.

“I can select the male bees and harvest their semen, then instrumentally inseminate the queen to make sure I’m getting the right genetics on both the male and female sides,” he said.

To control remaining mites, Wrobel treats his hives with oxalic acid gas.

“It’s enough to kill the mites, but not enough to kill the bees,” he added.

While these solutions help keep mites in check, Wu-Smart warns that they are only one piece of the puzzle. Pesticides are also a major threat.

“They can cause erratic changes in behavior that ultimately cause a colony to decline,” she said.

Those behavioral changes can affect even the most resilient bees.

“One of the solutions is breeding for stronger, more resilient bees — and he’s doing that,” Wu-Smart said. “But all his efforts will be at a loss if we can’t control pesticide exposure and improve the availability of forage.”

Another obstacle is the lack of plant diversity in the landscape, making it difficult for bees to get the nutrients they need to fight disease.

“All they have is corn and soybeans, and it’s just not nutritious enough for them,” Welsch said.

While the situation may seem bleak, there is still hope.

“I’m very hopeful for the future. I think there is public interest, and there’s definitely a need,” Wu-Smart said.

One small step anyone can take is adding more diverse plants to their yard. “If everybody — like a lot of my neighbors — had flowering plants in their yards, it would be much easier for the bees,” Welsch noted.

Another important action is making sure state leaders understand the urgency of the issue. “The first step is to recognize that we have a beekeeping industry in need of help — both with disease diagnostics and with landscape support,” Wu-Smart said.

There’s still time to act, but saving the bees will take effort from everyone.

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By Tony Cabrera

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    MISSION VIEJO, California (KABC) — Live, soothing music is part of new volunteer program at Mission Viejo Animal Services Center. It’s called Wild Tunes and it was founded by a 12-year-old boy in Houston. It has since spread to shelters across the country.

“I get emotional, it’s so rewarding,” said volunteer Elliot Battle, as he played guitar and sang for some of the dogs. “It just makes me feel really good that I can use my gift to give back.

“I try to play my favorite songs, and the songs that relax me,” said volunteer Nicole Steiman as she played her harp to the cats. “And they relax me just looking at them curling up sometimes to sleep or sometimes they’ll come up to here.”

“I remember the first time I started singing, there was one little dog and he was a little shaky at first and was like very overwhelmed. And then he started to calm down and he laid down on the floor and I saw his eyes close and I was, like, wow, that’s beautiful,” said Wild Tunes Ambassador Kayden Tokarski, who comes to sing to the animals.

For the one-stop-shop shelter, the program helps them rehabilitate the animals to be ready for adoption.

“Some have been through a lot. We investigate cruelty and neglect and those ones are the ones that are really special to us,” said Animal Services Director Brynn Lavison.

It’s become very popular with volunteers of all ages who want to help make a difference, even if it’s just for a couple minutes.

“The real big change that I can see is in the dogs. When the dogs, if there’s no dogs coming and going, they’re all just laying in their kennels. There’s a musician playing. They are so calm, like they’re listening,” Lavison said.

“I didn’t realize that it touched them like it touches us and it’s just a it’s a very special thing to be able to come together and give them some peace. That’s the biggest thing for me. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.”

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By Emily Sanderson

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    GREENDALE, Indiana (WLWT) — A Greendale City Council member is facing charges, accused of stealing over $115,000 from a civic club that he was president of and using it for things like trips, concerts, dinners and political campaigns.

Brett “Mooch” Hamilton is facing several charges, including theft, fraud, money laundering, corrupt business influence and official misconduct. He’s a Greendale City Council member, a volunteer football coach for Lawrenceburg schools and president of the Dillsboro Civic Club.

The charges stem from his role leading the civic club and having access to the account for the town’s annual homecoming festival.

Court documents allege he used a debit card associated with the festival to make withdrawals totaling $115,774. Documents state the thefts took place over a span of seven years, from 2018 to 2025.

The money was allegedly used for things like cruises, dinners, concert tickets, home mortgage, tax services, a vehicle lease and political events.

According to court documents, other Dillsboro Civic Club board members were not aware of the withdrawals until a check Hamilton wrote was flagged by the bank.

Court documents allege that when confronted by the other board members, Hamilton pleaded with them not to report it to the police.

Documents also allege that during the investigation, Hamilton retained counsel and declined an interview.

When speaking with Hamilton’s wife, court documents state records show she and Hamilton had completely separate bank accounts. She provided officials with dates that would corroborate some of the purchases made by Hamilton, court documents state.

Hamilton appeared in court Tuesday, where a trial date was set for Jan. 20. Bond was set at $50,000 cash and $50,000 surety.

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By Zoie Henry

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    MILWAUKEE (WISN) — The ninth annual donut smackdown in Milwaukee is raising $100,000 to replace the gym floor at the Daniels Mardak Boys & Girls Club, which was damaged during historic flooding in August.

Anne Zizzo, owner of the Zizzo Marketing Group that organizes the smackdown, explained that the gym serves more than 200 students daily, but currently, it cannot host after-school activities. To raise money, dozens of teams are competing in a donut-eating contest.

“This is my first year doing this fundraiser. Although I’ve been eating donuts my whole life,” said Jeremy Hillenbrand, a competitor.

Teams will raise money all month by receiving donations online. Competitors are eager to take on the challenge.

“I’ve slammed way too many mini donuts in my mouth at one time and forgot to get any kind of liquid in there. So it gets, it gets kind of challenging,” participant Pedro Guerrero said.

“You know, I tried to dump all the donuts in the water so they’d be easier to go down, but then I ended up eating dried donuts instead. So I think it was just, I got my own head a little bit,” Hillenbrand said.

The team that eats the most donuts in two minutes will be crowned by a Wisconsin sports legend.

“Donald Driver is actually coming to crown our donuts SmackDown champions. So we’re going to have a Super Bowl champion crowning three layers of donuts. SmackDown champions, the top three fastest eating teams, the highest three fundraising teams,” Zizzo said.

If you’d like to donate or sign up for the contest, head to the official Donut Smackdown website.

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By Hannah Hilyard

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    MILWAUKEE (WISN) — As fans fill up American Family Field for postseason baseball, there’s one man inside the ballpark who’s had a front row seat to Brewers history for nearly half a century.

You may not recognize his name, but Marty Wellskopf has been a part of the Brewers for 47 years.

He started in Brewers’ media hospitality in 1978 alongside his father. Wellskopf was just 18 at the time.

“When you first start out, everybody is older than you. The players are older, and all of a sudden, it’s like you’re the same age. And now it’s like I could be their grandpa, you know,” Wellskopf said.

He’s seen all the highs up close, like the team making its first and only World Series appearance in 1982 at County Stadium.

“I could stand out there and hear all the cars out on Wisconsin Ave. It was just like the old wedding back in the day when everybody honked their horns.”

Wellskopf has also experienced the lows, such as the absence of legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker, who passed away earlier this year.

“He’ll be missed. He was a big part of the game. I knew him from way back. Yeah, it was a lot of good memories,” Wellskopf said.

It’s his devotion to the game and his dedication to the job that keep him coming back for more. Although he retired from his day job five years ago, he has no plan to leave his post with the Brewers any time soon.

“I love baseball. And I love the people that I work with. It’s just a regular thing that I look forward to come spring, you know. It’s like, OK, it’s that time of year, let’s get going,” he said.

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