Category: CNN Regional

By Rachael Lardani

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    CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. (WGAL) — A fire destroyed a duplex and displaced two people in Franklin County early Thursday, according to the Chambersburg Fire Department.

Crews responded to the blaze in the 700 block of Broad Street in Chambersburg Borough at 3:10 a.m.

Officials said firefighters arrived and found flames shooting from the back of a two-story duplex.

Cat alerted residents, officials say According to the fire department, a cat awakened the residents to the smoke conditions, which allowed them to escape safely.

Officials said two adults were displaced.

‘Extreme hoarding conditions’ Firefighters said they encountered “extreme hoarding conditions” on both sides of the duplex, complicating their efforts to search the building and extinguish the fire.

Despite those challenges, crews brought the fire under control within 15 minutes, according to the department. Crews cleared the scene around 6:30 a.m.

Fire may have started on stove, officials say According to the department, investigators believe the fire began on the kitchen stove.

Officials said items may have been stored on the stovetop and a control knob may have been accidentally turned.

The fire caused an estimated $150,000 in damage.

Smoke detectors were not working, officials say Investigators found smoke detectors installed throughout the residence, but said none were operational because they had not been properly maintained.

“We are thankful that everyone made it out safely,” Chambersburg Fire Chief and EMS Director Dustin Ulrich said. “This incident highlights the importance of functioning smoke detectors and prompt action in emergencies.”

The Chambersburg Fire Department recommends checking smoke detectors monthly and maintaining clear, uncluttered living spaces to reduce fire risks and help occupants and emergency personnel move safely during an emergency.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Jacqueline Policastro | Quincy News Correspondent

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    Washington (Quincy News) — Federal Reserve officials voted 9-3 to hold interest rates steady last month, though minutes released Wednesday showed many policymakers believed further rate increases would likely be necessary if inflation did not decline.

Minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee’s July 28-29 meeting show “several” participants favored an immediate quarter-point rate increase, while a larger group, described as “many” participants, believed additional tightening would likely be necessary if inflation failed to decline. Some also questioned whether financial conditions were restrictive enough to return inflation to the Fed’s 2% target.

The Fed ultimately voted to maintain its benchmark federal funds rate at 3.5% to 3.75%. Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari and Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan cast the three dissenting votes in favor of a quarter-point increase.

The minutes do not establish that more than three voting members wanted an immediate increase because the Fed uses the term “participants” to include voting and nonvoting policymakers. But they make clear that concern about persistent inflation extended considerably beyond the three dissents.

David Mitchell, professor of economics and director of the Bureau of Economic Research at Missouri State University, told Quincy News the Fed’s credibility on inflation remains a key consideration.

“I think the bigger issue for the Fed is their credibility on inflation than whether there is going to be a mild recession going forward if rates go up,” Mitchell said.

Inflation Dominated the Debate

At the July meeting, most Fed officials still expected inflation to ease during the remainder of the year as the effects of tariffs and earlier energy-price increases faded. But many warned it could prove more persistent.

Officials pointed to continued Middle East turmoil and supply-chain disruptions, and many worried that after several years of inflation above the Fed’s target, persistently higher prices could begin influencing inflation expectations and decisions about wages and prices.

Fed staff saw risks pulling policymakers in opposite directions. Risks to employment and economic growth were viewed as tilted to the downside, while risks to inflation were skewed to the upside.

“My prediction for the next meeting: You will continue to see a larger number say we have to do something with inflation, despite the fact that it looks like the economy is slowing down,” Mitchell said.

The Data Have Changed Since July

The complication for the Fed is that Wednesday’s minutes describe the economy as it looked three weeks ago.

Since then, employers shed 23,000 jobs in July while the unemployment rate held near 4.1%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Inflation has also shown some improvement. Consumer prices increased 0.1% in July and 3.4% from a year earlier. Core inflation, excluding food and energy, rose 2.5% over the year, down from 2.6% in June.

Those reports added evidence of a softer labor market and easing inflation ahead of the September meeting.

Markets are pricing in the Fed holding rates steady in September as the most likely outcome, according to CME FedWatch.

Mitchell said he expects the three July dissenters to remain in the rate-hike camp and believes they could potentially be joined by another policymaker, though he expects the majority of the committee may again choose to wait for additional data.

Notably, the minutes showed no indication of a faction advocating for interest-rate cuts, despite expectations earlier in the year that easing inflation could open the door to lower rates in 2026.

Warsh Floats Fewer Fed Meetings

The minutes also show that Fed Chair Kevin Warsh asked policymakers to consider reducing the number of scheduled FOMC meetings from eight per year to six, arguing that meeting roughly every two months could allow more economic information to accumulate between decisions and give officials more time to consider longer-term monetary policy questions.

No decision was made, and any change would not affect the remainder of the 2026 calendar. The proposal comes as Warsh seeks to reduce the Fed’s forward guidance and provide fewer signals about future policy moves.

Mitchell said there is an argument for allowing markets to interpret economic conditions without the Fed showing all of its cards, but said less communication carries a cost.

Warsh’s approach, he said, “adds to a whole lot more volatility” and risks creating “a man-behind-the-curtain mystique to the Fed.”

“I think people are probably better off with more information than less,” Mitchell said, “but I also can see the argument where you don’t want to show all your cards at the same time.”

The Fed’s next policy meeting is scheduled for Sept. 15-16.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Tom LoBianco | Quincy News Correspondent

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    Washington (Quincy News) — Market Recap: The Treasury’s buyback announcement helped lift stocks higher Wednesday. Moderna shares surged after positive news in the development of a melanoma vaccine. Oil climbed amid President Trump’s latest threats against Iran. And U.S. debt topped $40 trillion for the first time.

The S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq each gained about 0.2%. Treasury yields fell after Treasury announced it would double some buybacks of longer-term government debt, with the 10-year falling about 5 basis points and the 30-year about 9 basis points. Oil also rose amid continued uncertainty over Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.

The Fed’s July meeting minutes showed increased concern about inflation. Several policymakers were prepared to raise rates at the meeting, while many said an increase could be needed if inflation does not move back toward the Fed’s 2% target.

Today’s Focus: Walmart raised its full-year outlook Thursday but missed Wall Street expectations for quarterly comparable sales as shoppers pulled back amid higher gas prices. Shares fell about 6% in premarket trading.

Weekly jobless claims land at 8:30 a.m. ET.

ON THE SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026

-8:30 a.m. ET – Weekly jobless claims; Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey

-Thursday earnings – Walmart, Deere, Alibaba

-Friday, 9:45 a.m. ET – August S&P Global Flash PMIs

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Richard Ramos

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    LOCKEFORD, California (KOVR) — A 44-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an investigation into allegations that recreational vehicles were sold without proper notification to their owners at an RV dealership in San Joaquin County, officials said Wednesday.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office identified the individual as Thomas Schultz.

Investigators determined that multiple RVs may have been sold at Carson Pass RV in Lockeford without proper notification to their rightful owners and without completing the required Department of Motor Vehicles documentation.

Shurtz was arrested on 53 counts of grand theft and is being held on $2.1 million bail, officials said.

The investigation began after the sheriff’s office received reports of possible fraudulent sales involving RVs placed on consignment in March.

The agency said Wednesday that it recognizes the financial and personal impact the case has had on those involved.

“For many victims, these RVs were more than just vehicles,” the sheriff’s office said. “They represented years of hard work, retirement savings, and precious memories with their children and loved ones.”

The investigation remains ongoing.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Joy Benedict

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    SANTA MONICA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Thousands have donated their jewelry, art, and furniture so others can buy them at the Santa Monica pop-up Lange Foundation Estate Sale, raising money for the animals.

Gillian Lange started rescuing animals from area shelters 50 years ago. Then she started her own and founded the Lange Foundation, which has been around for decades.

“It became the first foundation in the United States that was dedicated to rescuing impounded animals,” Lange said.

The foundation also runs intervention programs at six city shelters across two counties, aimed at helping families considering surrendering their animals.

“You can’t rescue the way out of the overcrowding in the shelters. In the last few years, we’ve spread our wings, and we’re now very heavily into spay and neuter,” Lange said.

Last year, they gave out 2,300 vouchers to animal owners to help spay or neuter their pets.

In a foundation newsletter announcing the estate sale, Lange wrote, “This sale just has to be a success …”

“We have the largest sterilization programs in the Antelope Valley and San Bernardino County.” She said that demand for vouchers is high, so the foundation sends a spaymobile to the area as often as possible.

“People want to sterilize their pets, they just can’t afford it,” Lange wrote. She also said the foundation steps in to provide medical care, giving people an alternative to surrendering their animal should costs look overwhelming.

“When people have animals that are sick or in an accident, they can’t afford the veterinary care,” Lange said.

The annual estate sale has been going on for decades, raising money for the foundation’s cause.

Terri Walker has supported the estate sale every year, but after losing her home in the Palisades Fire, she said that over the last two years, she’s been buying more than donating.

“There’s an etched mirror over there that’s absolutely beautiful, I’m thinking of using it in my bathroom,” she said.

Those funds will help animals like Violet, a 7-year-old sheep dog mix rescued from South LA’s shelter; Harper, rescued from a homeless encampment; and Claurese, surrendered when her family couldn’t afford her medical bills.

“We are worried that we cannot sustain all of our programs, which are having a huge impact,” Lange wrote. “This year our expenses have been almost double our donations.”

The estate sale includes jewelry, art, furniture, designer handbags, clothes, and more, and takes place at 2512 Santa Monica Boulevard, Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m to 5 p.m.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Laurie Perez

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    COMPTON, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Loved ones are remembering the former Tustin High School football star who was killed in Compton last week for his big heart and standout personality.

William Leapart graduated in 2024 with a 3.4 ERA and the respect of his peers and coaching staff with the Tillers football team. Though he was raised in Compton, he transferred to Tustin to play football.

On Wednesday, the team shared a post on social media to remember their former standout receiver.

“He was a kind, hardworking student who was loved by his teammates and coaches,” the post said. “Words are insufficient to describe the heartbreak felt by our staff and William’s former teammates. Our thoughts are with William’s family and all those affected by his loss.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies say that Leapart was killed a little before 10 p.m. on August 13. They were called to S. Stanford Avenue in Compton after learning that a car had crashed into a telephone pole in the area and found the 19-year-old dead inside from a gunshot to the head.

Witnesses told police that they heard lots of shots and screeching tires in the moments before their arrival. Still, deputies say they haven’t learned a motive or located a suspect in the incident.

As their investigation continues, Leapart’s loved ones are remembering the boy with so much talent they could tell he was special from a young age.

“William was a standout child,” said Curtis “Spider Loc” Williams, a family friend. “William wasn’t a hefty dude, but he played big. His heart was big.”

He says that off the field, Leapart was just as big off the field. He was slated to start community college in the fall and had spent the last several months working as a caregiver in an elderly living center.

“This was a young man that was definitely not involved in anything that we would consider,” Williams said. “It’s just the most shocking thing possible. It just, it blows my mind.”

Williams runs a podcast that focuses on urban entertainment, and often tough issues that youth can face. He said that crime happening too close to home will unfortunately be a topic once again.

“Our babies definitely need to be able to feel safe driving in our communities at any time of night, any daytime,” he said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Dillon Thomas

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    LARIMER COUNTY, Colorado (KCNC) — An invasive species of snail has been confirmed in Carter Lake in Northern Colorado, prompting Colorado Parks and Wildlife to focus on preventing the species from spreading to other waterways in the state.

New Zealand mudsnails are small, brown creatures that can consume large amounts of nutrients in an ecosystem and compete with native species for food.

“These mud snails are very big eaters, and they just kind of go through all of the different nutrients that are in an ecosystem and don’t really provide any benefits back to anything else in there,” said Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Van Hoose said the snails do not pose a risk to human health, but they can have negative effects on aquatic ecosystems.

“They are not good food for fish. They can pass right through birds that eat them and then come out unscathed,” Van Hoose said.

The snails can also reproduce by cloning themselves, making them difficult to eliminate once established.

“They don’t really provide any other benefits to the land or the water. Instead, they just eat, and eat, and eat, and sap all of the nutrients and outcompete our native species for food,” Van Hoose said.

The discovery at Carter Lake is the latest example of New Zealand mudsnails being found in Colorado. Van Hoose said they have been confirmed in 41 other bodies of water across the state.

At Carter Lake, boat inspection checkpoints are now looking for the snails in addition to other invasive species, such as zebra mussels.

“It’s pretty common in Colorado anymore,” said Byron Maine, a boat owner visiting Carter Lake.

Maine had his boat inspected when he arrived at the lake.

“They just examine the boat, look for live wells, look at your anchor, the bottom of the boat on the trailer, things like that,” Maine said.

Boats are inspected again when leaving the lake.

“(The staff checks) to make sure you drain your boat, don’t have any water on it, clean it off, any weeds that are left on it, and just make sure it’s all cleaned off and ready to go,” Maine said.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say the snails are likely to remain at Carter Lake because of how easily they reproduce.

The agency’s focus now is preventing the New Zealand mudsnails from being transported from Carter Lake to other waterways in Larimer County.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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, S.E. Jenkins

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    ARLINGTON, Texas (KTVT) — In just 17 minutes, a Tarrant County jury convicted an Arlington man of capital murder in the 2025 stabbing death of his estranged wife, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Frederick Spears, 57, was automatically sentenced to life without parole for killing 53-year-old Mary Spears, days after a judge ordered him to stay away from her and Arlington police mistakenly dropped him off at her home.

According to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, Frederick Spears stabbed her multiple times in the backyard of her Arlington home in the 1000 block of Shortleaf Pine Drive on Sept. 22, 2025.

“She was slaughtered and left for dead,” said Allenna Bangs, a Tarrant County assistant district attorney.

Authorities said Frederick Spears bought a knife and saw kit – described as a “murder kit” – before returning to the home early that morning.

Prosecutors said he waited in the backyard near the side of the house and confronted her. They said she tried to fight back at only 83 pounds before he stabbed her repeatedly after she asked him, “What took you so long?”

“She tried to fight back,” Assistant District Attorney Chase Payne told jurors. “She was unsuccessful.”

Mary Spears’ son, Ashton, found her unresponsive. She was later pronounced dead at a hospital, according to police.

“He (Frederick Spears) made good on the promise he had been making (to Mary) for years,” Bangs said. “He always said, ‘I’m going to kill you.'”

Authorities located Frederick Spears behind a church, where he stabbed himself and attempted to stab a police K‑9 before being subdued and hospitalized.

Four days earlier, Frederick Spears had been arrested for threatening his son with knives.

At the time of the stabbing, Ashton Spears shared Ring camera footage with CBS News Texas showing the Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, incident that police say led to his father initially being charged with aggravated assault–family violence.

The video shows Frederick Spears holding a knife and threatening him.

Ashton Spears said his father had a long history of violence.

“You have to walk on eggshells with him. You don’t want to make him mad,” he told CBS News Texas.

He said he told his mother he was tired of being pushed around.

“I was like, you know, ‘Mom, I’m tired of him pushing me around and trying to terrify me,'” he said. “And she was like, ‘Please, I don’t want him to hear us’ – and he came running out of my mom’s room, and he was just cursing, screaming, and yelling.”

Ring camera footage captured what happened next.

“My mom, she’s like, ‘Ashton, he has knives,’ and that’s when I realized he had two knives. He had one in each hand,” he said.

After being jailed, Frederick Spears posted bond and was released. An emergency protective order was issued barring contact with Mary Spears and her family.

On the same day, an Arlington police officer gave Frederick Spears a ride back to Mary Spears’ home under the premise that he was retrieving his vehicle, which led to another verbal argument, police said. An officer instructed him to leave, and he complied, police said.

Days later, Mary Spears was dead, and Frederick Spears was jailed on capital murder charges.

Despite the trauma, Ashton Spears chose to forgive his father.

“I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone; I wouldn’t even wish it upon him,” he told CBS News Texas in 2025. “I don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize me going to heaven – the only way I will get to see my mom again.”

He said he was holding onto her love and kindness.

“She was an amazing woman,” he said.

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

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    CRANDALL, Texas (KTVT) — A Crandall High School football player was injured during practice on Wednesday and flown by medical helicopter for treatment, the district said.

The student-athlete’s injury occurred at the PIT in Crandall, a Kaufman County community about 20 miles east of Dallas.

Crandall ISD issued a social media alert ahead of the helicopter landing near the baseball fields to transport the student for advanced medical care.

“We understand the presence of emergency vehicles and a medical helicopter may cause concern, so we wanted to keep our families informed about the activity on campus,” the district said.

The district also asked the community to respect the family’s privacy.

“Our thoughts are with the student and the student’s family,” the district said.

CBS News Texas will provide updates as more information becomes available.

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