Category: CNN Regional

By Norman Seawright

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — Investigators are working to determine the cause of a house fire on Monticello Avenue in Newburg that sent one person to the hospital early Tuesday morning.

The fire left neighbors shocked and grateful for the quick response by firefighters.

Frances Floyd was walking her dog when she noticed smoke rising from the home.

“I started to change my mind, but then something told me just to go ahead and walk the dog this morning,” Floyd said. “As I was coming down the street, I saw the smoke going up.”

Floyd immediately called 911 and tried to alert anyone who might be inside.

“I started hollering and saying, ‘Hey, is anybody back there?’” she said. Two men, including the boyfriend of another neighbor, Shantel Burks, stopped to help.

“We heard the windows, the glass breaking, popping on the windows, and the smoke was really coming out,” Floyd recalled.

Burks said she heard an explosion, and her boyfriend realized the house was on fire.

“He woke up, he was like, ‘Do you smell it?’ And I came out and said, ‘The house is on fire,’” Burks said.

Firefighters from Fern Creek, Jeffersontown, and Okolona responded to the emergency within minutes of the 7 a.m. dispatch. Assistant Fire Chief Dewayne Hutchens praised the swift action of his team, which contained the fire before it could spread to neighboring homes.

“No damage to the surrounding houses. The fire was knocked out fairly quickly, but there was some pretty moderate to severe damage inside the home,” Hutchens said.

While firefighters searched the home, they discovered a victim who had not been able to escape. The person was rescued and transported to the hospital.

“We were not alerted to their presence. We actually had to find them within the home,” said Hutchens.

“They’re good people. I see him cutting grass, doing his thing, and I love to see him,” Burks said.

“I just hope they’re okay, whoever was in there,” Floyd said.

Hutchens said that Metro Arson is investigating the fire but said foul play is not suspected. There is no update yet on the condition of the victim.

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By Jim Keithley

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    GORHAM, Maine (WMTW) — A Maine couple has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners of a Gorham mobile home park after their 2-year-old son drowned in the community swimming pool.

On May 22, 2024, Oakley Schmidt slipped away from his parents and got through a fence surrounding the pool at Friendly Village. The boy was found floating facedown in the pool, and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Jake and Natasha Schmidt claim Friendly Village’s owners put profits over people and ignored safety issues involving the pool fence.

Legal-Ease attorney Jeffrey Bennett, who is representing the couple, said video captured by mounted surveillance cameras shows Oakley outside the gate and then inside the pool area.

“Holes have been punched through the fence and the location of the gate, which act as a makeshift ladder that allows children to climb up and over the gate,” Bennett said.

Oakley’s parents attended a press briefing about the lawsuit on Tuesday at the Legal-Ease offices, but did not speak.

“Jake and Natasha do not deflect their responsibility whatsoever,” Bennett said. “But as anyone with children knows, no matter how careful you are, no matter how attentive you are, there comes a time when a child darts off.”

Bennett said the Schmidts have suffered mental anguish and emotional distress. He added a hefty $150 million award from a jury would send a message to other corporations.

“The mobile home park was aware of the danger, knew of it and intentionally ignored it,” Bennett said. “A few hundred dollars toward the replacement of that gate would have prevented this tragedy.”

Legal-Ease has requested a jury trial, which would not happen for at least a year.

Maine’s Total Coverage has attempted to contact the owners of Friendly Village for comment on the lawsuit multiple times, but no one has returned calls or emails.

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By Mary Saladna

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    EVERETT, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Community members rallied outside Everett City Hall Tuesday night, calling for the return of a 13-year-old boy who is now being held in an ICE detention center in Virginia.

“As a mother, as a community, we should be outraged,” said Guerline Alcy Jabouin, an Everett city councilor.

Last week, the 13-year-old was arrested by Everett police for allegedly threatening another student at his school.

While the boy’s mother waited at police headquarters following his arrest, she discovered her 13-year-old son had been turned over to ICE and quickly moved out of state.

“This is a rogue agency,” State Senator Sal DiDomenico said at an Everett City Council meeting Tuesday night. “A rogue agency that is breaking the law in our community…they should return this child to our state [and] they should get out of our business.”

Others echoed his sentiments.

“Remove ICE from our city — issue a formal correction to the misinformation spread online,” said Everett City Councilor Katy Rogers.

Earlier in the day, Mayor Carlo DeMaria praised the police department’s swift response to the initial arrest of the teen, saying they prevented a potential tragedy.

DeMaria said Everett police were not responsible for the 13-year-old being detained by immigration authorities.

“Police did not contact ICE about this recent juvenile arrest,” he said at the press conference. “ICE works independently and has the authority to access certain law enforcement databases and take action on its own accord.”

The Department of Homeland Security said the boy was in possession of a knife and a gun during his arrest, but DeMaria disputed part of that.

“There was no firearm recovered,” he said, although the 13-year-old was in possession of a double-sided knife.

At the city council meeting, residents expressed their concern about immigration authorities.

“We face arrests and fear every day, we demand due process,” said Lucy Pineda, an Everett resident.

“It’s very simple— ICE should not be detaining minors, we shouldn’t be collaborating with ICE at all, really,” Shane McNally, another Everett resident, said.

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By Joshua Davis

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    WILKESBORO, North Carolina (WXII) — Chris Handy, a 50-year-old father, overcame the challenge of losing part of his leg to walk his daughter, Noelle, down the aisle at her wedding in June.

His journey began on January 1, when he went down to the basement barefoot and ended up with a splinter in his toe, which led to an infection.

The infection caused his leg to swell to his ankle and resulted in a low-grade fever. After consulting with doctors, Handy made the difficult decision to amputate his leg below the knee.

“We made the determination to go ahead and take the leg below the knee, rather keep doing small operations to try to save it,” he said.

His daughter, Noelle Shumate, expressed her concern, saying, “I was really worried. It’s always hard, because you think your parents are invincible, and then you get, you know, to the point where their health is not where it used to be.”

Handy spent several months in the hospital, followed by physical therapy, which he described as a humbling experience.

“To lay on your back in a hospital bed from January until April 2, whenever I ended up losing my leg, yeah, I laid in the hospital bed for that many months and then turned around and having to do physical therapy. It’s very humbling experience,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Handy was determined to walk his daughter down the aisle. “We’re going to get it done. I’ll find a way, whatever it took,” he said.

Physical therapists at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist supported Handy in adapting to his prosthetic leg, helping him build strength over seven days.

Dr. Walter Davis, Medical Director at the Sticht Center Rehab, noted Handy’s focus on regaining function.

“He was so focused on the function, he was really looking to the therapist to teach him how to get out of bed, first, how to get to the bathroom on his own, how to get in and out of a wheelchair, and then how to walk,” Davis said.

Kelsey Robinson, a physical therapist at the Sticht Center Rehab, shared how they simulated an entire wedding for Handy to practice walking down the aisle and even the first dance.

“We basically were able to simulate an entire wedding, and let him practice walking down the aisle. And then he also got to, later in his stay, practice the first dance as well. And I can just tell you, you could hear a pin drop in that room. Everybody was speechless,” Robinson said.

When the big moment arrived, Handy was nervous about stepping on his daughter’s dress, but he successfully walked her down the aisle using a cane.

“That flowing dress scared the crap out of me. I just knew I was gonna step on it. I was gonna ruin something. It was gonna be for God and everybody but I used the cane and walked her down the aisle, and didn’t have an issue doing the transition ever to the grass. So it’s great,” Handy said.

Noelle reflected on the experience, saying, “To walk down the aisle with him was just, it’s something I always dreamed about, and it didn’t happen how I always dreamed about. But it was much more than that. It was perfect, because we got to do it together.”

Handy is now back to work and has even walked his other daughter around her college campus. He emphasized the importance of mindset in physical therapy, saying it makes the difference in getting back on your feet.

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By Natalie Bailey

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — A water main break caused a geyser of water to shoot into the air early Wednesday morning near businesses in northeast Oklahoma City.

The break was reported shortly after 2 a.m. near the intersection of East Memorial Road and Broadway Lane. Oklahoma City Fire Department crews told KOCO 5 that they couldn’t turn off the water and had to call the OKC Utilities Department for assistance.

OKC Utilities Department officials told KOCO 5 that the break is expected to have minimal traffic impacts and water outages because of its location in the grass. They confirmed that three customers located directly on the corner of Memorial and Broadway will have service impact.

Repairs are expected to be made by 2 p.m. Wednesday.

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By Madilyn Destefano

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    DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (WESH) — A woman was found unresponsive in her Daytona Beach home with severe injuries consistent with what appeared to be an animal attack, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.

When officers arrived Friday just before 7:15 p.m., they found 38-year-old Monica Emerson inside the home. They also discovered four dogs running freely.

Police said the victim’s significant other told investigators he spoke to Emerson about 30 to 40 minutes before coming to the home. He was planning to take her to the bank,

The incident report shows police saw animal feces spread throughout the home before finding the victim in a back room on the floor, lying next to the bed.

The report states she had missing skin, and cuts on her body including to her eyes lips and left arm. Police say none of the injuries appear to be the result of foul play or caused by human involvement.

Further investigation suggested Emerson may have experienced a medical episode that caused her to lose consciousness, during which time she was fatally attacked by the dogs. Her partner told them she was epileptic and took medicine twice a day.

DBPD Animal Control Services took custody of all four dogs. The animals were then transferred to Volusia County Animal Services where they will be held for 10 days before being euthanized.

It’s unclear whether the dogs belonged to Emerson. The investigation remains active and ongoing.

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By Laura Terrell

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Gabe Fholer was in kindergarten when he started experiencing fevers and unexplained pain. His mom knew something was wrong.

“Our pediatrician came in and said his white counts were so high the machine couldn’t read them,” Stephanie Fholer said.

Gabe was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

“Just the worst thing you can imagine. Just the shock. He was a very healthy, normal, active 6-year-old,” Stephanie Fholer said.

Gabe spent a year and a half going through treatment, including chemotherapy.

“This particular type of ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) was very challenging to cure. It required some less conventional approaches at the time,” Dr. Nick Fustino said.

Doctors say Gabe was one of the first children at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines to receive a breakthrough drug called Blinatumomab.

KCCI first told you about Blinatumomab back in July. Late last year, clinical trials for the immunotherapy drug ended early due to its clear benefits, and Blinatumomab is now standard practice for treating B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer.

Blinatumomab works in combination with chemotherapy but is considered less toxic and does something chemo cannot do.

“It has taken our cure rates from probably a little bit below 90% for acute lymphoblastic leukemia to well above 95%. And it’s also very effective in very hard-to-cure cases like Gabe’s was,” Fustino said.

In Gabe’s case, Blinatumomab helped get his cancer down to a level low enough so he was able to get a bone marrow transplant.

“His transplant was deemed effective,” Stephanie Fholer said. “There is no sign of cancer in his body, and right now he has no more chance of getting leukemia than you or I do.”

Gabe is now back on the ballfield doing what he loves and enjoying second grade in Des Moines.

“It’s a terrible thing to have happen, but our outcome has been miraculous. Medicine is just amazing,” Stephanie Fholer said.

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