Category: CNN Regional

By Todd Magel

Click here for updates on this story

    BOUTON, Iowa (KCCI) — A construction crew is busy building two new, giant grain bins for farmer Mike Brelsford. It’s a $1.2 million project he’s constructing due to the soybean trade problem.

“Most years we go and, we will sell some at harvest, but you can’t do it this year. You’re going to lose money,” said Brelsford, who farms 6,000 acres around Dallas and Boone Counties. After 50 years in the fields, he says this is the worst trouble for farmers since the farm crisis of the 1980s. He, other farmers, and co-ops are busy building additional storage so they don’t have to sell soybeans at a loss this fall.

“Once again a supply and demand. And if China doesn’t buy our beans, then we have no place to go with them. And the elevators can only hold so much to they run out of room,” Brelsford said.

Brelsford saw the soybean crisis coming, so he ordered the new grain bins last summer. It’s a gamble he hopes will pay off once crop prices rebound, allowing him to sell soybeans without taking a federal handout.

“No farmer wants taxpayer money. We want to be a business like John Deere and Pioneer. We want to set our prices and make, be able to pay our bills,” Brelsford said.

A possible federal government bailout for farmers could be announced anytime.

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.

By Russ Reed

Click here for updates on this story

    NEWBURGH, Maine (WMTW) — Amazon says the hundreds of Maine ballots found in a Newburgh woman’s package were not put in the box by anyone who works for the company.

The Newburgh resident said she found five bundles of 50 blank ballots in an Amazon delivery she received Sept. 30. The woman told Maine’s Total Coverage reporter Jackie Mundry the package appeared to have already been opened and retaped.

According to the woman, she found all the items she had ordered in addition to the 250 ballots for the Nov. 4 general election. She said she immediately called the Newburgh Town Office and handed the ballots over.

In a statement shared with Maine’s Total Coverage, Amazon said it is cooperating with the law enforcement agencies investigating the incident and it seems someone outside the company is responsible.

The company said that based on initial findings, it appears the package was tampered with outside of Amazon’s fulfillment and delivery network, and not by an Amazon employee or partner.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said the city of Ellsworth received two boxes of absentee ballots as planned on Sept. 30, but one of those boxes was missing five packets of ballots totaling 250 ballots. Bellows said Ellsworth officials notified state election officials, who then contacted the printer and authorized carrier of the ballots to investigate what happened.

In addition, Bellows said a conservative blogger emailed a staff member at the Secretary of State’s Office at about 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 1 to notify them that they would be posting an article about the Newburgh woman’s claims. Bellows said state election officials did not receive word from Newburgh town officials until 8 a.m. on Oct. 1, who reported that they received the blank ballots from the resident. According to Bellows, detectives with her office immediately went to Newburgh and secured the blank ballots.

Bellows said as soon as her office became aware of the Newburgh incident, she directed the Secretary of State’s Office law enforcement division to investigate. According to Bellows, those investigators are working closely with the Maine Attorney General’s Office and Maine State Police, as well as federal law enforcement partners, including the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

“I have full confidence that law enforcement will determine who is responsible, and any bad actor will be held accountable,” Bellows said Monday. “We will not stop until we have answers.”

Bellows said the number of ballots reported missing in Ellsworth corresponds to the number of ballots received by the Newburgh resident, but she would not confirm if the ballots found in Newburgh were the ones missing from Ellsworth. The two communities are approximately 40 miles apart.

According to Bellows, the ballots that were found in Newburgh cannot be used to cast a vote, and that Ellsworth has received 250 new ballots and now has its full allocation.

Bellows also said an out-of-state private organization contacted Maine election officials because they believed they were in possession of return envelopes for Maine absentee ballots, but she said her office was able to confirm that all communities have received their appropriate shipments of return envelopes.

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.

By Elena LaQuatra, Kalea Gunderson

Click here for updates on this story

    CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — A cow was rescued from the median of I-79 near Cranberry Township in Butler County Wednesday morning.

Sky 4 was over the scene where the cow somehow got into the median on the interstate near mile marker 81. State Police said several people reported seeing the cow around 7 a.m.

Traffic was backed up for about two miles approaching the area while police remained at the scene.

The news alert reached the right person, local farrier Kyle Carson.

“I decided this morning before I was going to go to work … I was like, well, I might call and just see if they need a hand,” Carson said. “The crews there had traffic stopped, and we sat there for a little bit and just kind of assessed the situation and let the cow relax a little more and just hang out. And then I just rode right up here and roped her and then took her over to the trailer.”

Carson said shortly after 10 a.m. he was able to rope the cow and get her loaded safely onto a trailer. He was relieved, noting this could have ended much differently.

“My cattle and livestock have just always been a part of my life, and that’s why it’s important to take care of them when they need taken care of and that was a situation that she was put, not just in danger herself, but mainly putting people in danger and a lot of them. So it was important to go get her caught.”

While this wasn’t his first rodeo, the irony of the highway rescue was not lost on him.

“The funny part about this whole thing is that my horse, his name is Highway,” Carson said.

State Police were able to confirm with local farmers that she doesn’t belong to them, but she was taken to a local farm and is receiving veterinary care.

How the cow got loose on the highway is still unknown.

“We do not have owner information or know where the cow came from. Local farmers confirmed it does not belong to them,” state police told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.

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.

By Michelle Meredith

Click here for updates on this story

    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — How could a simple magnolia tree, a homeowner’s association, and a 5-year-old kid create a controversy so hot it set the social media world ablaze?

It started earlier this year, when Ariel Barner, a single mother of five, bought a house in the River Chase subdivision in Orlando. In front of the subdivision is the controversial magnolia tree.

It’s right down the sidewalk where kids wait for the school bus, where they hang out. Owen’s mom says he likes to swing on one branch with his feet dangling.

Ariel says her son is all boy, with a love for monster trucks, dirt buckets, shovels, and the great outdoors.

But according to the homeowner’s association, what seems like child’s play violates HOA rules.

Ariel says without first talking to her, the association sent a certified letter demanding her son stop swinging on the tree and ordered her to pay close to $400 in attorney’s fees.

Ariel expressed her frustration and hurt, saying with tears in her eyes, “So we moved here to feel safe, feel whole, to be a part of something. So, to know that it’s been … I don’t want to say stripped away … I would be lying if I didn’t say I feel intimidated living here, or small.”

The HOA’s attorney, Tennille Shipwash, says they first talked to Airel before sending the letter, and says they sent it for a reason.

“Really, the concern is safety. The branches to me don’t appear that sturdy. They were afraid of the child being injured.”

Ariel, a content creator, shared her son’s story on social media, where it stirred up a lot of emotion, support and even financial help. Reflecting on community values, Ariel said, “Me growing up, neighbors used to step up and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to tell your mom.’ There used to be love and support in a neighborhood.”

But there’s hope on both sides that with a conversation, the neighborhood can, like the magnolia tree, grow love and support again.

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.

By Edward Franco

Click here for updates on this story

    NAPLES, Florida (WBBH) — Shane Tilley and John Hansen were fishing in a canal in Golden Gate Estates when they discovered two turtles chained together and injured, leading to an unexpected rescue mission.

“I was livid when I left here. I mean, I was, I was crying, I was teary-eyed,” Shane Tilley said.

Instead of catching fish, Tilley and Hansen found the turtles connected by a lock, with a chain pierced through their shells.

“They had this going through it, drilled holes through each of their shells,” Tilley said.

John Hansen expressed his disbelief at the situation.

“I was disgusted, for one. Just thinking that somebody would actually go and do that to an animal is just beyond me,” he said.

“Just seeing a hole literally drilled to the side of the shell and having them chained together, I mean, when struggling for air, and they get low and diving down, it was just one big struggle after another,” said Hansen.

The friends managed to rescue the turtles, removing the chain and setting them free after one of the turtles bit Tilley.

“I just used pliers and just bent the hooks and pulled them out. They weren’t too happy with me doing it,” Tilley said.

Despite contacting wildlife officers, Tilley and Hansen were informed that not much could be done since no one witnessed who chained the turtles. They believe this could be a case of animal cruelty.

“It’s just not proper. It’s not right. And then hopefully people can learn for something like this. You just can’t go around doing that. It doesn’t matter if it’s human or any animal — can’t do that,” Hansen said.

Both Tilley and Hansen plan to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity and report it to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, hoping that people will respect Florida’s wildlife.

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.

James Willingham
470-603-1211

By DeJanay Booth-Singleton

Click here for updates on this story

    DETROIT (WWJ) — A mother and her child were arrested after a student was stabbed on Wednesday at a school in Detroit, officials say.

The incident happened at the Gompers Elementary-Middle School, where officials say the mother allegedly gave the child a knife and the child attacked a fellow student.

School officials say they are unaware of any other students targeted in the attack.

Officials say the metal detector went off when the mother entered the school, but a security guard failed to search her. The security guard was removed from the school pending an investigation. School officials say the individual could be terminated.

Officials say classes are cancelled on Thursday “to ensure safety protocols are in place at the school.” Additionally, a family meeting is scheduled for Thursday.

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.

By Jonah Kaplan

Click here for updates on this story

    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Mark Tasche was so proud that his grandsons learned to fish like him, but there was one more lesson he wishes they would’ve taken to heart.

“Your life jacket — when you’re in a situation that’s even halfway dangerous — put it on,” the 66-year-old Tasche told WCCO News. “My grandsons both should’ve learned from me. They should’ve learned from my example.”

Neither of Tasche’s grandsons, Tyler and Tristan, were wearing life jackets on Tuesday when their fishing boat capsized on the Mississippi River in Monticello, Minnesota. Tyler, 28, was located unresponsive and died, according to the Wright County Sheriff’s Office. Tristan, 18, was able to make it to shore, along with his grandfather.

“I don’t know that I’ll ever go on a boat again,” Tasche said. “I don’t know that I’ll fish again. I would rather Tyler would’ve survived. If I could change places with him laying on that cold slab like he is now, getting cremated like he is now, I would do that.”

The sheriff’s office says Xcel Energy employees, the Monticello Fire Department, the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota State Patrol assisted in the recovery efforts.

Tyler Tasche is also survived by his wife and four children. A fundraiser has been set up to support the family.

“It’s a huge and immense void,” Tasche said. “Everybody liked Tyler. He helped everyone with everything.”

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.

By Doug Myers

Click here for updates on this story

    DALLAS (KTVT) — A dispute over the failure to say “thank you” after a door was held open escalated Tuesday into a series of arguments, a fatal shooting at a Dallas shopping center, and the arrest of a 22-year-old woman on a murder charge, police said.

Police say Keona Hampton shot and killed 41-year-old Cecilia Simpson in the parking lot outside a PetSmart following a verbal and physical altercation that began at a nearby Five Below.

Shooting reported at shopping center Officers responded to reports of a shooting around 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Wheatland Towne Crossing shopping center in the 2500 block of West Wheatland Road.

Simpson had been shot multiple times and was taken by Dallas Fire-Rescue to Methodist Central Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, authorities said.

Hampton left the scene before officers arrived but was located, arrested and charged with murder later that day, according to police.

Affidavit details confrontation timeline According to the arrest affidavit, Simpson held the door open for the suspect — Hampton — as they exited Five Below, but became upset when Hampton didn’t say “thank you,” sparking a verbal confrontation.

Simpson and a witness, who asked not to be identified, drove to PetSmart in the same shopping center and told employees Hampton was following them. Hampton entered the store, argued with the witness, then left and returned a few minutes later.

Simpson and Hampton argued again, prompting PetSmart employees to ask all parties to leave, according to the affidavit.

Fight escalates in parking lot In the parking lot, Hampton allegedly threw a drink bottle at Simpson’s vehicle. Simpson approached Hampton and continued arguing, which escalated into a physical fight. The witness told police that Simpson struck Hampton several times while yelling at her to leave.

When the witness stepped away from the fight, Hampton pulled out a black and silver handgun and fired three shots, striking Simpson and causing her to collapse, according to the affidavit.

Suspect tracked and arrested Surveillance video showed Hampton fleeing in a black 2005 Ford 500 with visible damage. Police later found the vehicle at an apartment complex on John West Road in Dallas, where Hampton was located on a balcony.

Around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, officers conducted a traffic stop on Trail Glen Drive and arrested Hampton.

During an interview with detectives, Hampton admitted to engaging in a verbal dispute, entering PetSmart twice, throwing a drink bottle at Simpson’s car, fighting with Simpson and ultimately pulling a gun and shooting her. Hampton told investigators she was “just trying to get [Simpson] away from her,” the affidavit states.

Investigation remains ongoing The investigation is ongoing.

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.

Fenly Foxen
Fenly.Foxen@cnn.com
7-9473