Category: CNN Regional

By Carlos E. Castañeda

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    SAN JOSE, California (KPIX) — Three people were arrested following a police undercover investigation into a human trafficking operation in San Jose running out of a motel and involving motel staffers, authorities said.

The San Jose Police Department said in a press release that its human trafficking task force, along with Santa Clara County’s human trafficking unit, took part in a months-long investigation into alleged trafficking at Caravelle Inn & Suites, located on North First Street and East Rosemary Street in North San Jose. The investigation began after the Police Department received multiple tips about the alleged activity.

Police said the investigation determined an elaborate sex trafficking operation was being operated from the Caravelle Inn involving motel staffers. The two-star hotel is listed as a motel in online travel guides.

“During the investigation, we found that the illegal operation involved multiple hotel staff and housed multiple survivors who were staying there on a long-term basis,” said Police Department spokesperson Stacie Shih at a press conference on Tuesday.

On Oct. 1, officers raided Caravelle Inn and arrested three suspects police identified as responsible for the operation: 62-year-old Cong Tien Nguyen, 45-year-old Qi Hong, and 50-year-old Rizaldy Mariano, each a resident of San Jose. Police said Nguyen and Mariano are employees of the motel. All three were booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on charges of pimping, pandering, and conspiracy.

Police also cited and released two adults for solicitation. Six survivors were also located at the motel and provided resources, the department said. During the search, detectives also located approximately $30,000 in cash. The investigation remains ongoing.

Shih said that the department is focusing on an expected increase in human trafficking in advance of Super Bowl 60, which will be hosted in the Bay Area in February and played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, as well as FIFA World Cup matches in the summer of 2026.

“With these events on the horizon, the months approaching, we will continue making sure that we utilize these proactive enforcement approaches, such as undercover operations, to target these illegal sex trafficking operations and hold these traffickers responsible,” Shih said

“As multiple major sporting events quickly approach next year, I want to make it loud and clear that these illegal operations have no place in our city,” said Police Chief Paul Joseph in a prepared statement. “We will stop at nothing to shut them down and protect our most vulnerable community members.”

The department encouraged anyone with information about such activities to contact the Human Trafficking Task Force at (408) 537-1999 or email stopslavery@sanjoseca.gov.

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By Robert Boyd

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    TAMPA, Florida (WFTS) — Growing up in Venezuela, Tony Selvaggio witnessed firsthand how many families lived without computers, and soon realized the issue existed right here in his new home of Tampa Bay.

“Most people don’t know that there is a problem, most people don’t know that 80 percent of our computers are being thrown away and not being recycled,” said Selvaggio.

So in 2014, just a few years after immigrating to the U.S, Tony opened eSmart Recycling. Last year, the business accepted more than one million pounds of used electronics.

“If it has a plug, a switch, or a battery, then we can recycle it,” said Selvaggio.

Tony knows how impactful a computer can be. His first and only computer growing up not only got him through school, but it’s also how he applied for his VISA.

“When you hear numbers, like in the county we have a wait list of 1,500 kids who don’t have computers in their home, it sounds like a problem that shouldn’t exist,” said Selvaggio.

This past year, Tony donated more than 1,000 refurbished computers to people in need.

“We work hand in hand with Hillsborough Education Foundation; we work a lot with non-profits in the community that really need access to computers,” said Selvaggio.

One of their non-profit partners is GTE Financial. They say Tony’s dedication to giving back is significant during Hispanic Heritage Month.

“He was doing amazing things, and we are all about empowering our community, and we definitely wanted to empower more people like him,” said Onassis Santiago with GTE Financial.

Every day, Tony walks past a sign outside his office that reads, “If you want to change the world, start in your own community.”

“Hispanic Heritage Month for me is an opportunity to celebrate our upbringing, those things that we bring from a cultural standpoint that can help us become more competitive as a community. This is a perfect example,” said Selvaggio.

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By Brad Hamilton

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    California (KPIX) — For decades, anyone driving along Interstate Highway 280 in Hillsborough could look up and see a giant statue of Father Junípero Serra watching over the Peninsula next to the Crystal Springs rest stop.

But this summer, Caltrans quietly removed the statue, and the move is reigniting a debate over the 18th-century missionary’s legacy.

Patricia Gonzalez knows the Crystal Springs Rest Area better than most, since she manages it.

“As a kid, I remember going to Blackberry Farm and passing the statue and knowing, ‘Okay, we’re almost there,'” she said.

For the past three years, Gonzalez has watched travelers pull off I-280, some for a quick break, others to take photos with the figure that stood guard above them.

“The last people to come were from Ireland, and they came to see the statue, and it was gone,” Gonzalez said.

Built in 1975 by artist Louis Dubois, the 26-foot-tall statue had become part of the landscape, a landmark for commuters, families, and tourists from around the world.

But this summer, the view changed overnight.

“All I was told is that they were going to close the rest stop down,” said Gonzalez. “They closed it for about a week and took the statue down.”

Gonzalez says crews from Caltrans arrived in August with little notice. When the rest area reopened, the statue was gone.

Caltrans later confirmed the removal, saying the monument no longer met requirements under the state’s Transportation Art Program and that the structure was too fragile to move safely.

On its website, Caltrans says the Transportation Art Program installs artwork that represents communities’ “unique aesthetic, environmental, scenic, historical, and cultural values.”

Serra, an 18th-century Spanish missionary, helped found the first nine of California’s 21 missions. But his legacy has become increasingly controversial. To his supporters, he’s a symbol of faith and heritage. To his critics, he represents a painful era of colonization and the suppression of Indigenous people.

Greg Castro, a cultural leader with the Association of Ohlone Tribes, has advocated for years to see the statue come down.

“One of the responses we get is that we’re trying to erase history,” Castro said. “And my response is that the statue itself erases history, it ignores the harm that was done.”

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said he was not told about the removal before it happened.

“No one fought for St. Junípero Serra because, apparently, officials from Caltrans and the Transportation Art Program didn’t consult with anyone who would give them an opinion that differed from their own,” said Cordileone in a statement sent to CBS News Bay Area. “Would we expect this treatment if it happened to be associated with another religious organization? I think not.”

Serra was canonized as a saint by Pope Francis in 2015. His statues have been the target of protests in recent years, including in 2020 when one in San Rafael was vandalized with red paint and another in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park was toppled by demonstrators.

Today, the hillside in Hillsborough where Serra’s statue once stood is empty, just a patch of earth above the rest stop Gonzalez still runs.

“People are going to miss it,” she said. “People still come every day to see it. It’s sad.”

While the debate over Serra’s legacy may continue for years, Gonzalez says for her, it’s simpler: a piece of local history that’s now just a memory on the drive home.

Caltrans says the statue was removed back in August and that there are no plans to rebuild or replace it.

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By Annie Brown

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    LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WLEX) — If you’ve spotted purple pumpkins around Lexington recently, they’re not just seasonal decorations – they’re part of a meaningful initiative to raise awareness about domestic violence.

The “Peace Pumpkins” are the result of a partnership between Transylvania University and Lexington’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention Coalition. Students at the university paint the pumpkins each October in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

“Maybe when someone sees a pumpkin that they can smile and see that they’re not alone,” said junior Alejandro Perez Canedo.

The purple pumpkins can be found throughout the city – at local businesses as well as in government buildings and courthouses.

Ashley Hill, the Dean of Student Success at Transylvania University, said the October tradition began in 2019 as a companion project to the “Wake Up Lexington” initiative that takes place each April.

“We paint more and more each year. We started with 50 pumpkins the first year, we’re up to 150. We probably could go more than that and still have a need for more pumpkins,” Hill said.

But these aren’t just decorative pumpkins. Each one comes with a card featuring a QR code that links directly to domestic violence resources.

“For issues like domestic violence, I believe awareness is the best thing you can do to make change. Everybody knows everybody here, and I feel like spreading the word is the best way to go about that,” said junior Max Hankins.

The QR codes provide access to resources that could potentially change lives, offering help to those who need it or information for people who might encounter someone in need of assistance.

“Even if you think that it’s not something that applies to you right now, it might be something that could help somebody in the future. It might be something that you can keep in your back pocket when you run into a family member, a friend, a community member,” Hill explained.

The message behind the Peace Pumpkins is simple but powerful: “Our job is to take care of each other, so check it out just to have the knowledge for whoever you encounter in the future,” said Hill.

The initiative demonstrates how a creative community partnership can turn a simple fall tradition into a tool for awareness and support during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

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By Mike Moses

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    MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (WMUR) — The man convicted of killing his friend in 2019 with a sword, kitchen fork, and other weapons was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Hassan Sapry was found guilty last month, following a second trial, of killing 57-year-old Wilfred Guzman inside his Laconia home. Sapry’s first trial ended in a mistrial in 2022.

Several members of Guzman’s family, including his son, Wilfred Guzman Jr., read impact statements during the hearing.

They described Guzman as a loving man and a protector whose life was taken in a place he should have felt safest.

“It was definitely a long time coming for this trial to be, you know, ended and through all the delays,” Guzman Jr. said. “I think he got what he deserved.”

Guzman Jr. said that while the pain will never fade, the sentence allows his family to move forward.

“I mean, there’s no sense of closure when it comes to, you know, sentencing, but it’s a sense of relief. Now we can move forward together and just have memories of my father,” he said.

Sapry declined to speak when given the chance.

Prosecutors said the sentence is meant to send a clear message.

“Part of the sentencing is deterrence. And the hope is that by imposing a significant sentence, it will not only deter this perpetrator, but other perpetrators like him,” said Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin.

Sapry was also ordered to pay restitution. The judge noted that small monthly payments will serve as a continued reminder of his crimes.

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By Audrey Biesk

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    GREENSBORO, North Carolina (WXII) — There is a one in eight chance a woman will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.

That statistic is true for a Triad woman who is a two-time breast cancer survivor. Elsie Best said her mission is to spread joy and fundraise for ACS while raising awareness.

“If you truly want to live, you will fight to live and that’s one of the things it taught me,” Best said as she reflects on her diagnosis.

Each day since receiving the news that she had stage four breast cancer, Best said she chooses to remain positive. She is proud to share that at 88 years old, she feels good today. Best went through years of treatment, a double mastectomy and two separate breast cancer diagnoses, but she said she never let that define her.

“Look your best, because you deserve the best. You are the best, not because my name is Best, but because you deserve the best of life,” she said while smiling.

She shows up to several events in the Triad benefiting the American Cancer Society and always lights up the room.

“Go out and do something for yourself, put some lipstick on, step out the back door, get dressed up,” Best said. “It is very important how we treat our bodies, we don’t have to treat them like they are something to put on a shelf.”

Best said her mission is to raise awareness and critical funds for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K each year.

“Donate. That is the most important thing, to donate for the research. My second time around was much easier than the first time,” Best said.

She knows firsthand what the support means to her, so she is paying it forward. Best has received awards for her impressive fundraising totals.

“We are praying and we are hoping that there will be a cure for breast cancer,” Best said.

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