Category: CNN Regional

By Gino Recchia

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    FRANKLIN, Wisconsin (WISN) — Milwaukee County Parks crews are moving fast to stop the spread of a deadly fungus discovered for the first time in the area. Roughly 30 oak trees at Whitnall Park are being cut down after the detection of oak wilt, a disease that can kill trees within weeks.

“It’s not unknown to the United States. It’s been around since the 1940s, starting in Texas, working its way up. But we haven’t had any in Milwaukee County Park property until now,” said Operations Manager Peter Bratt.

The fungus blocks a tree’s ability to move water from its roots to its canopy, causing the leaves to brown and wilt from the top down. It spreads both underground through connected roots and above ground through insects carrying fungal spores.

“The key is to really address it aggressively before it spreads to other adjacent oaks,” Bratt said.

Dark streaks or cracks in bark are other signs of oak wilt, and forestry officials urge residents to watch for symptoms in their neighborhoods.

“The good news is we have a lot of trained professionals who work on this. And other good news is we have a lot of partners for funding reforestation efforts.” Bratt said.

While it is tough to see so many trees come down, forestry crews say taking action now will save hundreds more in the long run. If parkgoers are concerned about trees in their area, they can contact Milwaukee County Parks at 414-257-7275.

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By Jesse Zanger, Alice Gainer

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    WHITE PLAINS, New York (WCBS) — A parking garage partially collapsed in White Plains Wednesday morning

It happened around 9:08 a.m. on Hale Avenue and South Broadway. City officials say several roads are closed around the area.

Officials said the fifth floor partially collapsed into the fourth floor.

Video shows multiple emergency vehicles near the large parking garage. A photo shows a metal beam apparently came down, along with slabs of concrete, crushing at least three cars within the garage. There are up to 15 cars in the collapse zone, officials said.

The garage, located at 50 Hale Avenue, is connected to Westchester One office tower, next to the Westchester Mall and Senesta Hotel.

“This morning, we received word of a partial collapse in this garage. The most important thing I can say at the beginning – no injuries, no fatalities,” Mayor Tom Roach said.

“We’re blessed that it wasn’t something more tragic. If it was at 8:30 in the morning, who knows what would’ve happened when people were coming into work. So we’re blessed that there really wasn’t anybody inside the garage,” White Plains Public Safety Commissioner David Chong said.

It’s not yet clear what caused Wednesday’s collapse.

Fire departments from Yonkers, New Rochelle, Scarsdale and more all responded to assist.

“We’ve had a great, supportive response from mutual aid, so we have all types of equipment here,” Roach said. “But the bottom line is that what we’re working on now is shoring up the garage to make it safe to remove the vehicles that are in there. The fire department, along with multiple fire departments that are assisting us, is actually constructing columns. They put in columns initially, but they’re constructing more substantial columns to ensure the safety of anyone who goes into the building.”

Once engineers sign off on that, vehicles will be removed from the garage under police supervision. Officials expressed optimism that process may start by the end of the day Wednesday, though it may take longer.

In 2023, a parking garage collapse in Lower Manhattan killed one person and injured several others. That collapse prompted New York City officials to implement a new inspection program, requiring owners of some 4,000 parking garages in the city to submit reports on their garage’s safety. As part of that report, an engineer is required to walk through each garage and make note of conditions.

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By Mauricio Maldonado, Sergio Candido

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    JACKSONVILLE, Florida (WFOR) — A Florida mother is accusing a Jacksonville police officer of using excessive force after she was arrested outside her daughter’s school, an encounter that was caught on video and has now gone viral.

The incident happened the afternoon of Oct. 7 outside an IDEA charter school in Jacksonville’s Riverview neighborhood.

Erika McGriff, 39, had parked her car in an intersection and left it running while picking up her 9-year-old daughter in the rain, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

“I asked the principal what was the proper procedure when picking up the walkers whenever it was raining,” McGriff later said in a press conference on Tuesday. “He explained to me the procedures. I then went to pick up my daughter.”

JSO officers said McGriff’s driver’s license had been revoked in the past. An officer working at the school, Randy Holton, approached her and she attempted to walk away, authorities said. A verbal confrontation between McGriff and Holton turned physical as the officer attempted to arrest the woman, JSO said.

Videos showed the confrontation escalating as the officer tried to handcuff McGriff.

Police bodycam footage from the officer involved showed McGriff getting up and taking a swing at the officer.

Cellphone video from another angle showed the mother and the officer fighting and throwing punches at each other. That video also showed the officer throwing McGriff to the ground while attempting to arrest her. At one point, he put her in a headlock and she can be heard screaming that she can’t breathe.

“All I was trying to do was get my daughter out of the school, from out of school, without getting wet, drenched in the rain. That’s all and none of this. Everything that happened that was just like uncalled for and it’s not fair,” McGriff said.

McGriff, represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, alleged that the officer used unnecessary force during the arrest.

She claims the officer used chokeholds, grabbed her hair, punched her with closed fists and put a knee on her neck.

“The type of force used on Erika McGriff, the chokeholds, the hair grabbing, being punched with closed fists in the face, having a knee put on her neck, should be reserved for armed and dangerous criminals who are a threat to the public and our safety,” Crump said as reported by CBS affiliate WJAX. “But not for mothers who are doing their part to go pick up their daughter from school so she won’t get rained on.”

For their part, JSO said McGriff violently resisted arrest, punched the officer, and bit him. She’s been charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence and operating a vehicle with a revoked license.

Crump has vowed to fight the charges in court.

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WBZ

By AARON PARSEGHIAN

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    WORCESTER, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A Worcester store known as a community hub for all things Japanese manga culture was hit by a costly theft over the weekend.

John Le, owner of Otaku Sekai – which roughly translates from Japanese to “Nerd World” – said surveillance cameras caught a man stealing hundreds of Pokémon cards Saturday from his Park Avenue shop.

“It was a busy day,” Le said. “I had rows of people just trying to look at product cards and everything else. It was a very good opportunity for anyone that wanted to kind of, like, steal something.”

Video showed the suspect flipping through binders of Pokémon cards, stuffing several into his sweatshirt, then walking out with another full binder. Le estimated the man took around 500 cards worth more than $3,500.

“Three thousand dollars is two weeks of my staff’s pay,” Le said. “It’s a lot of money to us.”

The cards ranged in price from $5 to $15 each, far less than the rare, high-value collectibles that can sell for thousands. Le said the taking of that specific inventory makes the loss sting even more.

“My whole inventory in that price range is something that parents and kids can actually afford day to day,” he said. “So, it’s kind of sad that my whole inventory in that price range is gone.”

Le opened Otaku Sekai four years ago after leaving his corporate job, turning a small mall kiosk into a popular local gathering place for manga and trading card enthusiasts.

He says his goal was to create “a space for people to come and just hang out, be social, meet each other,” bonding through a common and growing interest.

Now, photos of the suspect are posted outside the shop as Worcester police investigate. Despite the setback, Le said he remains focused on the sense of community that first inspired his business.

“The family bonding – you know, the friends, the emotion, the feels that’s all into these cardboard that’s worth so much more than their monetary value,” he said.

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By AARON PARSEGHIAN

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    WORCESTER, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A Worcester store known as a community hub for all things Japanese manga culture was hit by a costly theft over the weekend.

John Le, owner of Otaku Sekai – which roughly translates from Japanese to “Nerd World” – said surveillance cameras caught a man stealing hundreds of Pokémon cards Saturday from his Park Avenue shop.

“It was a busy day,” Le said. “I had rows of people just trying to look at product cards and everything else. It was a very good opportunity for anyone that wanted to kind of, like, steal something.”

Video showed the suspect flipping through binders of Pokémon cards, stuffing several into his sweatshirt, then walking out with another full binder. Le estimated the man took around 500 cards worth more than $3,500.

“Three thousand dollars is two weeks of my staff’s pay,” Le said. “It’s a lot of money to us.”

The cards ranged in price from $5 to $15 each, far less than the rare, high-value collectibles that can sell for thousands. Le said the taking of that specific inventory makes the loss sting even more.

“My whole inventory in that price range is something that parents and kids can actually afford day to day,” he said. “So, it’s kind of sad that my whole inventory in that price range is gone.”

Le opened Otaku Sekai four years ago after leaving his corporate job, turning a small mall kiosk into a popular local gathering place for manga and trading card enthusiasts.

He says his goal was to create “a space for people to come and just hang out, be social, meet each other,” bonding through a common and growing interest.

Now, photos of the suspect are posted outside the shop as Worcester police investigate. Despite the setback, Le said he remains focused on the sense of community that first inspired his business.

“The family bonding – you know, the friends, the emotion, the feels that’s all into these cardboard that’s worth so much more than their monetary value,” he said.

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By Abner Sosa

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    FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas (KHBS, KHOG) — The University of Arkansas is installing Ten Commandments posters in classrooms across campus, following the implementation of a new state law that requires public schools and universities to display them.

The initiative stems from Act 573, legislation passed earlier this year mandating the posting of the Ten Commandments in every classroom and building in the state’s public education system.

A Christian nonprofit, Counteract USA, donated 500 posters to the university to comply with the law. The group was founded by former University of Arkansas student Abigail DeJarnatt. She declined an on-camera interview but told 40/29 News the goal is to “remind students of moral values” and ensure compliance with state law.

“This is Arkansas law. And so, any opportunity that we have to remind students at the University of Arkansas that right and wrong, meaning and purpose are real, that there is a God who sees them and knows them and loves them, we’re going to take that opportunity,” DeJarnatt said.

The move has sparked renewed debate about the separation of church and state. Chris Sweeney, who leads the Ozarks chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, said his organization believes the law is unconstitutional.

“We continue to believe that Act 573 is plainly unconstitutional,” Sweeney said. “For atheist, Jewish, or nonreligious students, it is coercive. And we understand that we’re going to fight back.”

Sweeney added that the Freedom From Religion Foundation is working with the American Civil Liberties Union to prepare legal challenges.

“We’re going to continue with legal challenges,” Sweeney said. “We have decades of precedent behind us that favor the separation of church and state, and we’re leaning into that.”

DeJarnatt emphasized that Counteract USA did not draft Act 573 but is helping schools follow the law as written.

“We didn’t write the law,” DeJarnatt said. “We’re just taking advantage of a law that exists, and a separation of church and state is not a principle or a phrase found anywhere in our founding documents.”

On campus, students expressed mixed reactions.

“Personally, I’m a Christian. I do believe in God. I believe in Jesus and what he did 2,000 years ago. And I think it’s a great thing,” said senior Jace Windom.

First-year Camryn LeBlanc took a different view, “I’m not religious personally, so it’s not like I care so deeply about it. I just feel like they shouldn’t be putting money into kind of pushing religion.”

DeJarnatt said students who want other faiths represented should contact their legislators. Under Act 573, all Arkansas public classrooms must display the Ten Commandments, either through donations or voluntary contributions.

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WBZ

By David Wade

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    Massachusetts (WBZ) — A woman who was run over and impaled by an e-bike is on a mission to get them better regulated in Massachusetts as their popularity grows.

It’s rare to see Lynne Forester and her husband Gary sitting still. Their iPad is proof, filled with photos from their international hiking trips.

“We’ve hiked 200 miles at one time, and 112 miles another time. We’ve done ten walks like that,” Lynne said.

At home, Lynne walks five miles on the Cape Cod Rail Trail every morning. But one morning last month, disaster struck. An e-bike slammed into Lynne. Somehow, the handlebars impaled her left eye. Her eye is still completely shut and the prognosis is unclear.

“I remember being hit. I remember my hands being under my face and blood was pouring out of my eye and then I went unconscious,” she recalled.

At the scene, first responders used the Jaws of Life to cut the handlebars from Lynne’s face. She spent 24 days in the hospital.

“I’m better than I thought I would be, accepting the damage to my eye,” she said.

Lynne knows she’s lucky to be alive. Last summer, Minh Dang, a father of three in Braintree, was hit and killed by an e-bike in Boston’s Back Bay. His family said he loved gardening, coffee, and being a dad.

So how could that happen from a bicycle?

E-bikes make going faster easier, thanks to a built-in battery that gives riders a boost while pedaling up to 20 miles per hour.

Mark Vautour at Landry’s Bicycles can hardly keep them in stock.

“They’re tremendously popular and growing,” Vautour said.

There are basically two types of e-bikes:

Class 1, which uses pedal assist only. Class 2, which has both pedals and a throttle.

They’re convenient and fun – when you ride under control. Whether you pedal or hit the throttle, once you reach 20 miles per hour, the battery shuts off.

The law in Massachusetts says if you go faster than 20 miles per hour using a motor, you need a license, registration, and a helmet. But police say a lot of people are modifying their bikes.

A quick search on YouTube shows dozens of videos explaining how to change the settings. Within minutes, riders can manipulate the settings to get their bikes up to 40 miles per hour.

Police across Massachusetts have been sharing videos of crashes and near-crashes, many involving teenagers.

In Mansfield, Police Chief Ronald Sellon told the town’s Select Board that they need to have a discussion about tighter rules on local bike paths. He says modified e-bikes are especially dangerous – powerful enough to reach speeds more like mopeds or motorcycles.

“I don’t think that folks realize that by law, that takes it from something that your 14- or 15-year-old can ride with a bicycle helmet – to you know you need a license, it needs to be registered,” Sellon said.

Many towns are already changing rules and posting warnings. At the State House, lawmakers are debating what else can be done.

The answer is still unclear. State Senator Barry Finegold, a Democrat from Andover, is pushing hard.

“Make it be common sense. If these things are like motorcycles, then get them licensed like motorcycles,” he said.

Meanwhile, get well cards and doctor’s appointments are piling up for Lynne Forester. Her left eye remains closed, and she still doesn’t know if she’ll ever see again.

“From what I know, the muscles that open your eye are not working,” she said.

She wants everyone to hear what happened to her and she wants e-bikes off all trails.

“I said it the first day I woke up, I said, ‘That’s going to be my mission,'” she said.

State law currently bans e-bikes on unpaved bike paths and kids under 17 have to wear helmets. Some towns want to ban them on all paths and make adults wear helmets as well.

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By David Wade

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    Massachusetts (WBZ) — A woman who was run over and impaled by an e-bike is on a mission to get them better regulated in Massachusetts as their popularity grows.

It’s rare to see Lynne Forester and her husband Gary sitting still. Their iPad is proof, filled with photos from their international hiking trips.

“We’ve hiked 200 miles at one time, and 112 miles another time. We’ve done ten walks like that,” Lynne said.

At home, Lynne walks five miles on the Cape Cod Rail Trail every morning. But one morning last month, disaster struck. An e-bike slammed into Lynne. Somehow, the handlebars impaled her left eye. Her eye is still completely shut and the prognosis is unclear.

“I remember being hit. I remember my hands being under my face and blood was pouring out of my eye and then I went unconscious,” she recalled.

At the scene, first responders used the Jaws of Life to cut the handlebars from Lynne’s face. She spent 24 days in the hospital.

“I’m better than I thought I would be, accepting the damage to my eye,” she said.

Lynne knows she’s lucky to be alive. Last summer, Minh Dang, a father of three in Braintree, was hit and killed by an e-bike in Boston’s Back Bay. His family said he loved gardening, coffee, and being a dad.

So how could that happen from a bicycle?

E-bikes make going faster easier, thanks to a built-in battery that gives riders a boost while pedaling up to 20 miles per hour.

Mark Vautour at Landry’s Bicycles can hardly keep them in stock.

“They’re tremendously popular and growing,” Vautour said.

There are basically two types of e-bikes:

Class 1, which uses pedal assist only. Class 2, which has both pedals and a throttle.

They’re convenient and fun – when you ride under control. Whether you pedal or hit the throttle, once you reach 20 miles per hour, the battery shuts off.

The law in Massachusetts says if you go faster than 20 miles per hour using a motor, you need a license, registration, and a helmet. But police say a lot of people are modifying their bikes.

A quick search on YouTube shows dozens of videos explaining how to change the settings. Within minutes, riders can manipulate the settings to get their bikes up to 40 miles per hour.

Police across Massachusetts have been sharing videos of crashes and near-crashes, many involving teenagers.

In Mansfield, Police Chief Ronald Sellon told the town’s Select Board that they need to have a discussion about tighter rules on local bike paths. He says modified e-bikes are especially dangerous – powerful enough to reach speeds more like mopeds or motorcycles.

“I don’t think that folks realize that by law, that takes it from something that your 14- or 15-year-old can ride with a bicycle helmet – to you know you need a license, it needs to be registered,” Sellon said.

Many towns are already changing rules and posting warnings. At the State House, lawmakers are debating what else can be done.

The answer is still unclear. State Senator Barry Finegold, a Democrat from Andover, is pushing hard.

“Make it be common sense. If these things are like motorcycles, then get them licensed like motorcycles,” he said.

Meanwhile, get well cards and doctor’s appointments are piling up for Lynne Forester. Her left eye remains closed, and she still doesn’t know if she’ll ever see again.

“From what I know, the muscles that open your eye are not working,” she said.

She wants everyone to hear what happened to her and she wants e-bikes off all trails.

“I said it the first day I woke up, I said, ‘That’s going to be my mission,'” she said.

State law currently bans e-bikes on unpaved bike paths and kids under 17 have to wear helmets. Some towns want to ban them on all paths and make adults wear helmets as well.

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By Matt Flener

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    KANSAS CITY, Kansas (KMBC) — The family of Charles Adair has asked Wyandotte County for a $25 million settlement after the death of the 50-year-old in the Wyandotte County Detention Center this summer.

The request is included in a notice of intent to file a lawsuit filed Monday by Adair’s family attorney Ben Crump.

The letter sent to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County claims excessive force by Wyandotte County deputy Richard Fatherley, bystanders’ liability, improper training and alleges Adair’s wrongful death.

“This proposal is founded on the substantial evidence indicating that Charles Adair met his demise due to the actions of individuals who were obligated to safeguard him, without any justification whatsoever,” the letter said.

On July 5, Adair died after Wyandotte County Deputy Richard Fatherley kept his knee on Adair’s back for nearly 90 seconds, court documents say.

Adair was arrested July 4 for traffic violations.

According to court documents, Adair received medical treatment for a wound on his leg. He entered the detention center with multiple health issues, including hypertension, diabetes and schizophrenia.

On Adair’s way back to his cell from his medical treatment, court documents say Adair began to argue with officers and yell.

Several deputies described Adair as incoherent.

Court documents detail what body camera video from inside the detention center shows, down to the second:

8:36:18 – Adair is taken out of his wheelchair and placed stomach down on the bunk in his cell with his hands cuffed in front of him and his knees on the ground. Adair can be heard yelling for help.

8:36:22 – Deputy Richard Fatherley places his left leg and knee on Adair’s lower back and his left hand on Adair’s left shoulder. Fatherley can be heard saying, “You’re done, stop, give me your hands.” Adair responds, “Okay.” Adair then works his handcuffed hands under his body up toward another deputy.

8:36:37 – Another deputy appears in the video to help take off Adair’s handcuffs.

8:36:46 – Adair is seen moving for the last time on the body camera video.

8:37:40 – An unnamed deputy removes the handcuffs from Adair. Fatherley continues to hold Adair down with his knee on Adair’s back as other deputies leave. Adair is not seen moving and he is still face down on the bed.

8:37:48 – Fatherley takes his knee off Adair’s back and leaves the cell.

This timeline shows Fatherley had his knee on Adair’s back for approximately 1 minute and 26 seconds.

Minutes later, two unnamed deputies and a nurse entered the cell to find Adair unresponsive.

Lifesaving measures were attempted and EMS was called, but Adair was pronounced dead at 9:19 p.m.

Fatherley is charged with second-degree murder, or in the alternative, involuntary manslaughter. However, Fatherley has not been arrested but summoned to court in November.

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By Nick Sloan

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    BONNE TERRE, Missouri (KMBC) — Lance Shockley was executed by lethal injection Tuesday evening for the 2005 murder of Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Graham Jr.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe denied clemency Monday, saying the killing of a state trooper investigating Shockley’s criminal actions “was an attack not only on a dedicated law enforcement officer, but on the rule of law itself.”

“Violence against those who risk their lives every day to protect our communities will never be tolerated,” Kehoe said in a statement. “Missouri stands firmly with our men and women in uniform.”

Shockley, 48, was pronounced dead shortly before 6:15 p.m. in Bonne Terre, Missouri.

He was convicted of first-degree murder for ambushing Sgt. Graham outside his home in Carter County.

Prosecutors said Shockley shot Graham from behind, paralyzing him, before firing again in the face and shoulder.

Graham had been investigating Shockley for his alleged involvement in a fatal drunk-driving crash that killed a passenger.

Minutes before his execution, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay of execution.

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