San Diego couple’s photographer begins viral search for couple she accidentally photographed getting engaged

By Emily Coffey

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    San Diego (KGTV) — Joni Cobarrubias began taking photos around 10 years ago with a digital camera her parents bought her in high school. What started with graduation photos has turned into a profitable business, taking photos of couples’ special moments in her cinematic, unique and warm style.

She never expected to go viral over a favor for a stranger – a favor she’s still hoping to fulfill.

While shooting one couple’s engagement photos, she unwittingly captured another couple’s engagement while at Windansea beach, snapping two cinematic shots from afar. The moment happened on October 18th during the daylight, on the corner of Bonair Street and Neptune Place.

“I looked that way, and I saw this couple together, facing each other,” Joni said. “It looked like they had just had a proposal. I didn’t actually see him get down on one knee … It was a really cute moment. She was holding flowers.”

She later posted the photos on social media, asking for help finding the couple, as they had scurried away before she could give them the photos she had taken.

“I thought the power of social media might be able to find them,” Joni said.

The video has garnered one million views and hundreds of comments from all over the world.

Still, she hasn’t found the couple.

“Some people have pointed that they maybe don’t want to be found. Maybe it’s a secret thing,” Joni said.“If they are out there and they find the video, I’d love to at least give them the photos and I can always take the video down.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

LA man cracking down on people using cones to reserve street parking

By Laurie Perez

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Joey Morales, known as the “Cone King” on TikTok, has made it his mission to stop people from using the orange pylons to reserve street parking along Los Angeles’ busy roads.

“I started this about 2023, early 2023 is when I fully started going in with it,” he said. “I want to say I’ve, at least, removed over 5,000 off of Los Angeles streets.”

It’s against city code to block the street with anything without a permit. Residents can call 311 to report it, but Morales turned into a vigilante parking enforcement officer after struggling to find street parking himself.

“A lot of people would say it’s a Karen move,” Morales said. “It is, but at the end of the day, you can’t pick up a public parking spot and assume that because it’s in front of your house, it belongs to you.”

With more than 20,000 followers on TikTok, Morales records himself reclaiming the open curb space from those he considers entitled. The Robin Hood of parking also takes requests to remove cones from neighborhoods around South LA.

“I had over 3,000 messages that I get on a weekly basis from residents here in South LA who are having the same issue with everybody,” he said.

Many of the cones belong to the LA Department of Transportation or Public Works, which he returns to the city.

Not everyone likes what he’s doing. A man confronted him for taking a cone on Wednesday night. Still, LA’s Cone King remains undeterred, believing he’s filling a need the community wants and needs.

“I don’t show up to an area unless I’ve been requested,” he said. “If I’m showing up, it’s because multiple people in that area have already contacted me and the city has done absolutely nothing about it.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

LA man cracking down on people using cones to reserve street parking


KCBS

By Laurie Perez

Click here for updates on this story

    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Joey Morales, known as the “Cone King” on TikTok, has made it his mission to stop people from using the orange pylons to reserve street parking along Los Angeles’ busy roads.

“I started this about 2023, early 2023 is when I fully started going in with it,” he said. “I want to say I’ve, at least, removed over 5,000 off of Los Angeles streets.”

It’s against city code to block the street with anything without a permit. Residents can call 311 to report it, but Morales turned into a vigilante parking enforcement officer after struggling to find street parking himself.

“A lot of people would say it’s a Karen move,” Morales said. “It is, but at the end of the day, you can’t pick up a public parking spot and assume that because it’s in front of your house, it belongs to you.”

With more than 20,000 followers on TikTok, Morales records himself reclaiming the open curb space from those he considers entitled. The Robin Hood of parking also takes requests to remove cones from neighborhoods around South LA.

“I had over 3,000 messages that I get on a weekly basis from residents here in South LA who are having the same issue with everybody,” he said.

Many of the cones belong to the LA Department of Transportation or Public Works, which he returns to the city.

Not everyone likes what he’s doing. A man confronted him for taking a cone on Wednesday night. Still, LA’s Cone King remains undeterred, believing he’s filling a need the community wants and needs.

“I don’t show up to an area unless I’ve been requested,” he said. “If I’m showing up, it’s because multiple people in that area have already contacted me and the city has done absolutely nothing about it.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

Owatonna’s T-38 Talon Thunderbird jets are a salute to the Air Force

By John Lauritsen

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Driving along Interstate 35 in Owatonna, Minnesota, you can’t miss the giant jets near the airport.

“Really, they come from all corners of the country,” said Dave Beaver, airport manager. “We had an arrival yesterday from Florida, California, Colorado.”

At Owatonna’s Degner Regional Airport, planes are coming and going. But there are three on site that never take off, yet they never touch the ground.

“That display is really something else,” said Beaver. “We routinely see people stop off the interstate, come in and ask questions and take pictures.”

The story begins years ago when the city acquired one of the T-38 Talon Thunderbird jets from the Air Force. Then Buzz Kaplan, an Army veteran and local plane enthusiast, acquired two more. In 2006, they began the process of moving the T-38’s, departing from an Owatonna museum and arriving at the airport.

“It was quite a feat to move those three aircraft a quarter mile,” said Matt Thurnau, Chairman of the Owatonna Airport Commission. “They had trucks and trains and moved them slowly down the road.”

Moving them was one thing, positioning them was another. Supporters wanted the T-38s to be pointed skyward. They’re positioned in a flying formation called the “bomb burst,” according to Thurnau.

Each of the jets weighs more than 12,000 pounds. And it’s 70 feet from the noses of each of the planes, all the way down to the ground.

“There’s 308 tons of concrete and steel at the base of that. So, it’s not going anywhere,” said Thurnau.

And it’s a bit of an engineering marvel. Just this past summer, the monument withstood a storm with 70 mph wind gusts.

“The stands that the planes are on were tested in a wind tunnel, up to 113 miles an hour,” said Thurnau.

Don McCann is a long-time Owatonna resident and councilmember. He said the T-38’s aren’t just a landmark, they’re a salute to the men and women of the Air Force. Because when it comes to supporting those in service, the sky is the limit.

“I almost look at it as the gateway to Owatonna,” said McCann. “And that’s community coming together and doing something very iconic. And that’s really why we like it.”

Occasionally the jets have to be cleaned because of bird nests and other debris.

They also need to be painted from time to time, with all three jets receiving new paint jobs this past summer.

Please note: 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.

Owatonna’s T-38 Talon Thunderbird jets are a salute to the Air Force


WCCO

By John Lauritsen

Click here for updates on this story

    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Driving along Interstate 35 in Owatonna, Minnesota, you can’t miss the giant jets near the airport.

“Really, they come from all corners of the country,” said Dave Beaver, airport manager. “We had an arrival yesterday from Florida, California, Colorado.”

At Owatonna’s Degner Regional Airport, planes are coming and going. But there are three on site that never take off, yet they never touch the ground.

“That display is really something else,” said Beaver. “We routinely see people stop off the interstate, come in and ask questions and take pictures.”

The story begins years ago when the city acquired one of the T-38 Talon Thunderbird jets from the Air Force. Then Buzz Kaplan, an Army veteran and local plane enthusiast, acquired two more. In 2006, they began the process of moving the T-38’s, departing from an Owatonna museum and arriving at the airport.

“It was quite a feat to move those three aircraft a quarter mile,” said Matt Thurnau, Chairman of the Owatonna Airport Commission. “They had trucks and trains and moved them slowly down the road.”

Moving them was one thing, positioning them was another. Supporters wanted the T-38s to be pointed skyward. They’re positioned in a flying formation called the “bomb burst,” according to Thurnau.

Each of the jets weighs more than 12,000 pounds. And it’s 70 feet from the noses of each of the planes, all the way down to the ground.

“There’s 308 tons of concrete and steel at the base of that. So, it’s not going anywhere,” said Thurnau.

And it’s a bit of an engineering marvel. Just this past summer, the monument withstood a storm with 70 mph wind gusts.

“The stands that the planes are on were tested in a wind tunnel, up to 113 miles an hour,” said Thurnau.

Don McCann is a long-time Owatonna resident and councilmember. He said the T-38’s aren’t just a landmark, they’re a salute to the men and women of the Air Force. Because when it comes to supporting those in service, the sky is the limit.

“I almost look at it as the gateway to Owatonna,” said McCann. “And that’s community coming together and doing something very iconic. And that’s really why we like it.”

Occasionally the jets have to be cleaned because of bird nests and other debris.

They also need to be painted from time to time, with all three jets receiving new paint jobs this past summer.

Please note: 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.

Dallas comedian’s 4,500-mile first date goes viral — and sparks real romance

By Amelia Mugavero

Click here for updates on this story

    TEXAS (WWJ) — The holidays can feel especially lonely when you’re still searching for love. But one Dallas woman is proving that when the connection is real, distance doesn’t stand a chance. She boarded a plane and traveled more than 4,000 miles for a first date — and a shot at meeting Mr. Right.

Dallas comedian and actress Theresa Rowley shares much of her life online with thousands of followers. But even with a growing fan base, she says fame hasn’t exactly made finding love any easier.

“It was difficult, and it was quite lonely,” Rowley said. “So I focused on other things, being creative.”

That changed when Sean Rooney, from Longford, Ireland, sent her a direct message.

“He shot me a message, and it was a nice compliment, in that creative Irish way,” Rowley said.

Rooney remembers it the same way.

“I’d see Theresa pop up online and I’d think, ‘This girl is funny,'” Rooney said. “I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.”

After weeks of calls and FaceTimes, the two decided to meet on a first date 4,500 miles away.

“Were you nervous?” Rowley was asked.

“Terrified,” she said.

Asked whether she feared he could be a stalker, Rowley said, “I was! But I felt in my gut it was a safe situation.”

She brought a friend along, just in case, but once the two met, the nerves faded.

“He just seemed to understand me,” she said. “I just knew it was going to be something.”

Rowley began documenting their growing relationship on social media, and the videos quickly went viral — even catching the attention of Ireland’s media and tourism department, which later flew her back at no cost.

A 2025 global study shows she’s not alone: one in six couples now meet online — a 21% increase since 2010.

Rooney says the distance hasn’t stopped their connection. “The difficult part is not being able to reach out and touch that person,” he said. “But it hasn’t prevented us from getting to know each other well.”

He has since visited Texas, sampled Buc-ee’s and brisket, and spent Thanksgiving with Rowley’s family.

“We never saw this coming,” Rowley said.

Now, the couple is taking their relationship one day at a time, hoping their story gives others a little courage — and maybe a bit of Irish luck.

“Don’t give up,” Rooney said. “You just have to believe there’s another connection out there for you.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

Dallas comedian’s 4,500-mile first date goes viral — and sparks real romance


KTVT

By Amelia Mugavero

Click here for updates on this story

    TEXAS (WWJ) — The holidays can feel especially lonely when you’re still searching for love. But one Dallas woman is proving that when the connection is real, distance doesn’t stand a chance. She boarded a plane and traveled more than 4,000 miles for a first date — and a shot at meeting Mr. Right.

Dallas comedian and actress Theresa Rowley shares much of her life online with thousands of followers. But even with a growing fan base, she says fame hasn’t exactly made finding love any easier.

“It was difficult, and it was quite lonely,” Rowley said. “So I focused on other things, being creative.”

That changed when Sean Rooney, from Longford, Ireland, sent her a direct message.

“He shot me a message, and it was a nice compliment, in that creative Irish way,” Rowley said.

Rooney remembers it the same way.

“I’d see Theresa pop up online and I’d think, ‘This girl is funny,'” Rooney said. “I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.”

After weeks of calls and FaceTimes, the two decided to meet on a first date 4,500 miles away.

“Were you nervous?” Rowley was asked.

“Terrified,” she said.

Asked whether she feared he could be a stalker, Rowley said, “I was! But I felt in my gut it was a safe situation.”

She brought a friend along, just in case, but once the two met, the nerves faded.

“He just seemed to understand me,” she said. “I just knew it was going to be something.”

Rowley began documenting their growing relationship on social media, and the videos quickly went viral — even catching the attention of Ireland’s media and tourism department, which later flew her back at no cost.

A 2025 global study shows she’s not alone: one in six couples now meet online — a 21% increase since 2010.

Rooney says the distance hasn’t stopped their connection. “The difficult part is not being able to reach out and touch that person,” he said. “But it hasn’t prevented us from getting to know each other well.”

He has since visited Texas, sampled Buc-ee’s and brisket, and spent Thanksgiving with Rowley’s family.

“We never saw this coming,” Rowley said.

Now, the couple is taking their relationship one day at a time, hoping their story gives others a little courage — and maybe a bit of Irish luck.

“Don’t give up,” Rooney said. “You just have to believe there’s another connection out there for you.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

Missing goldendoodle returned to owner after being spotted with stranger on CTA train

By Noel Brennan

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A dog is back home with his owner thanks to the actions of a stranger after going missing in the Loop.

The search for Cooper quickly spread across the city of Chicago with the help of social media.

From the beginning, Cooper fit right in with his owner, Rylee Parker.

“Yeah, he’s like I told everybody. He’s always been an on-my-hip dog. He goes everywhere with me,” Parker said.

For two years, they shared all adventures, except one.

On Sunday night, when Parker met up with friends in the Loop, he briefly left Cooper in the car so he could validate parking. When he came back, his vehicle was ransacked and Cooper was gone.

“I lost my mind.” I started running up and down the street,” Parker said.

Rylee walked all over the Loop, asking anyone if they’d seen his dog, but with no luck. He then took to social media to get help in the search.

“It got over 3,000 shares. It was in every community page that we had in Chicago,” Parker said.

The miniature golden doodle practically became a mini celebrity by the time a woman riding the Pink Line spotted the pup in a stranger’s arms.

“I mean, without hesitation, she basically just took him, and that’s when the train doors opened,” Parker said.

One phone call later, and after being separated for 21 hours and 36 minutes, he and Cooper were reunited.

“I offered to give her all the money I had. She didn’t want it. She was just so glad that she was able to find Cooper.”

Like an itch he can’t scratch – Parker has questions for Cooper he knows will never be answered, but they both know, they belong together.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

Missing goldendoodle returned to owner after being spotted with stranger on CTA train


WBBM

By Noel Brennan

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A dog is back home with his owner thanks to the actions of a stranger after going missing in the Loop.

The search for Cooper quickly spread across the city of Chicago with the help of social media.

From the beginning, Cooper fit right in with his owner, Rylee Parker.

“Yeah, he’s like I told everybody. He’s always been an on-my-hip dog. He goes everywhere with me,” Parker said.

For two years, they shared all adventures, except one.

On Sunday night, when Parker met up with friends in the Loop, he briefly left Cooper in the car so he could validate parking. When he came back, his vehicle was ransacked and Cooper was gone.

“I lost my mind.” I started running up and down the street,” Parker said.

Rylee walked all over the Loop, asking anyone if they’d seen his dog, but with no luck. He then took to social media to get help in the search.

“It got over 3,000 shares. It was in every community page that we had in Chicago,” Parker said.

The miniature golden doodle practically became a mini celebrity by the time a woman riding the Pink Line spotted the pup in a stranger’s arms.

“I mean, without hesitation, she basically just took him, and that’s when the train doors opened,” Parker said.

One phone call later, and after being separated for 21 hours and 36 minutes, he and Cooper were reunited.

“I offered to give her all the money I had. She didn’t want it. She was just so glad that she was able to find Cooper.”

Like an itch he can’t scratch – Parker has questions for Cooper he knows will never be answered, but they both know, they belong together.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

Human skull found in Coney Island, police say

By Jesse Zanger

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    New York (WCBS) — A human skull was found in Coney Island, police say.

The gruesome discovery was made Tuesday afternoon.

Police said they got a 911 call at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday from a man who had been walking on the Boardwalk. He spotted the skull in the scrub at the base of the Boardwalk between West 33rd and 34th Street.

No other body parts were found.

A forensic anthropologist the medical examiner’s office confirmed it was indeed a human skull. The anthropologist is working on dating the skull to develop a possible age and potential reconstruction.

Area residents were alarmed by the discovery.

“Well, that this neighborhood is not as safe as I thought it was,” Coney Island resident Ed Opper said. “I walk this boardwalk all hours, sometimes one, two in the morning, and I really always felt safe here. But now I’m gonna have second thoughts.”

“I don’t know what to think of it,” another person said. “That’s really unsettling.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.