Flooding closes two Hawaii schools as heavy rain impacts area

CNN Newsource on March 13, 2026

By Gil Cano

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    HALEʻIWA, Hawaiʻi (KITV) — Flooding on Oʻahu’s North Shore forced the closure of two public schools Thursday as heavy rain created ponding on roads and in neighborhoods.

The Hawaii Department of Education closed Haleʻiwa Elementary School and Waialua High and Intermediate School because of flooding in the area.

Standing water was also seen in front of St. Michael School, while drivers across the North Shore navigated large puddles and flooded roadways. Some parked vehicles were splashed with muddy red water as cars drove through the flooded streets.

For some residents, the flooding created problems close to home.

Waialua resident Shirley Mori said she woke up to significant ponding near her property.

“Over there was a big pond that looks like you could go fishing in it,” Mori said.

Mori said water pooled around her yard and rose to the steps of her front porch. She said flooding also collected beneath her home.

She is now calling on the city to address drainage concerns on her street.

“I want them to open the drains so that when it rains the water just goes through so it doesn’t flood,” Mori said. “Because if it does flood it’s going to go all the way into the garage and it’s going to flood into the back room.”

Students in the area also described challenges caused by the wet conditions.

Allison, a student on the North Shore, said the rain made school grounds difficult to navigate.

“They said that the grass was super slippery,” she said.

The student also reacted after learning Gov. Josh Green canceled school for students in the area on Friday.

“That’s good so I don’t have to be scared,” Allison said.

Flooding remained visible across parts of the North Shore as the rain continued.

Island News will continue to provide updates on school closures and weather impacts across the islands.

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Stolen car street confrontation: Victim used AirTag to find vehicle, Milwaukee man charged

CNN Newsource on March 12, 2026

By Tanner Kahler

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    MILWAUKEE (WISN) — Prosecutors filed charges Friday against a Milwaukee man accused of stealing a car before being confronted by the victim in the middle of a street. Video of the incident has since gone viral on social media.

Lavontae Williams, 22, is charged with first-degree recklessly endangering safety, driving or operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent and bail jumping. Each charge carried a habitual repeat criminal modifier.

Car Stolen at Grocery Store

According to the criminal complaint, the victim’s car was stolen March 3 at the Pick ‘N Save near 56th and Capitol Drive in Milwaukee. The victim, who is an Instacart driver, had gone into the store with her boyfriend to pick up an order. The pair left the car running in the parking lot, where it was stolen. Prosecutors said the victim then used an Apple AirTag, inside the vehicle, to track down the stolen car. The woman and her boyfriend then traveled to the intersection of Capitol Drive and Teutonia Avenue where they spotted the stolen car.

Confrontation in the Street

The victim told police she and her boyfriend approached the vehicle “with the intent to recover it.” One went to the driver’s door, the other went to the passenger door. That led to a struggle with the driver, who then hit the gas pedal, causing the car to spin in circles in the middle of the street. During the chaos, the vehicle crashed into a Milwaukee County Transit Bus. The woman and the boyfriend eventually got the driver out of the car. There was a brief fight and then the driver ran off.

Play Video Suspect Identified

According to the complaint, during the struggle to get the driver out of the car, the stolen car victim’s boyfriend reached into the suspect’s pocket and removed an ID card. The card belonged to the defendant, Lavontae Williams.

Stolen car spins through Milwaukee intersection in bold confrontationStolen car spins through Milwaukee intersection in bold confrontation Call to Hospital

The following day, prosecutors said police responded to Aurora Sinai Hospital to speak with a nurse. The nurse said she had seen the viral video of the street confrontation. The nurse stated the man who was behind the wheel of the car had walked into the hospital that day saying he was assaulted. The man was wearing the same clothes as the person in the video, the complaint said.

Appearance in Court

Williams appeared in court on Monday, March 9 where cash bond was set at $1,500. His next hearing is scheduled for March 16.

At the time of the crime, prosecutors said Williams was out on bond for a misdemeanor retail theft case out of Waukesha County. He was also previously convicted of felony battery/theft to a judge in June 2022.

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Resignation of Ohio State University president could be linked to podcast host

CNN Newsource on March 12, 2026

By Matthew Dietz

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    COLUMBUS, Ohio (WLWT) — More details have been released in connection with the surprising resignation of Ohio State University’s president Walter “Ted” Carter Jr.

According to the school, Carter recently disclosed that he had an “inappropriate relationship,” with someone seeking public resources to support her personal business and offered to resign.

The school said Monday that the Ohio State University Board of Trustees has accepted Carter’s resignation.

This week, JobsOhio released a statement, saying Carter’s departure is “possibly connected to a relationship between him and the host of a podcast for veterans.”

The Callout Podcast is hosted by Krisanthe Vlachos and sponsored by JobsOhio. On LinkedIn, Vlachos referred to Carter as “a dear friend and mentor.”

It’s not clear what the nature of the inappropriate relationship was and an investigation has been opened into Carter’s possible misconduct.

“For personal reasons, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my role as president of The Ohio State University,” Carter said in a statement from the university. “I disclosed to the board of trustees that I made a mistake in allowing inappropriate access to Ohio State leadership.”

An interim president at OSU hasn’t been announced yet, but the university said it plans to announce a transition plan for leadership in the coming days.

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5-year-old girl names new Cincinnati Children’s helicopter to transport patients ‘Care Force One’

CNN Newsource on March 12, 2026

By Matthew Dietz

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — Cincinnati Children’s Hospital revealed its first dedicated helicopter to transport patients on Tuesday.

Cincinnati Children’s partnered with Air Methods to get the helicopter, which is branded with Cincinnati Children’s logo and colors.

The helicopter includes night-vision capability, a cruising speed of over 150 miles per hour and a roundtrip range of 300 miles from Cincinnati Children’s Burnet Campus.

Cincinnati Children’s also held a naming contest for children to offer suggestions on what the helicopter should be called.

A 5-year-old child, named Ellie, offered the name that was ultimately chosen for the aircraft – Care Force One.

“Our new helicopter can dramatically speed up the transport of newborns and children from hospitals across Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and parts of West Virginia,” said Evaline Alessandrini, MD, chief operating officer of Cincinnati Children’s. “Travel time can be cut in half or more, allowing specialized care to begin as soon as our team arrives.”

Ellie said the name was inspired by Air Force 1, the plane that transports U.S. presidents across the country.

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Neighbors say deadly dog attack that killed beloved cat follows years of complaints

CNN Newsource on March 12, 2026

By Tia Maggio

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    SAVANNAH, Georgia (WJCL) — Residents in one Savannah neighborhood say they’re fed up after a deadly dog attack left a beloved neighborhood cat dead and renewed concerns about safety on their street.

The attack happened Saturday in the Ardsley Park neighborhood near 48th Street in the front yard of another neighbor’s home. Neighbors say the incident is the latest in a long list of problems involving a nearby resident and his dogs.

Ardsley Park homeowner Lindsey Melvin said her nearly 11-year-old cat, Fitz, was attacked and killed by a neighbor’s dog.

Melvin said Fitz wasn’t just her pet — he was known throughout the neighborhood.

“Not only did I have him, but the neighborhood had him, the street had him. There were people six houses down that knew his name,” Melvin said.

Melvin says the dogs belong to her neighbor, Calum Crampton, who she claims owns multiple dogs that have shown aggressive behavior in the past. She said the attack that killed Fitz is far from the first incident.

“I’m not the first person to lose their cat. I’m not the fourth person to be a victim of these dogs in some form or fashion,” Melvin said.

Several neighbors told WJCL 22 News they have raised concerns about the dogs for years. They claim the animals have attacked people, children and other pets.

Police records obtained by WJCL 22 News show multiple past complaints involving Crampton, including reports related to animal attacks, harassment and disorderly conduct.

Johnny Walgate, who’s lived in the neighborhood for 30 years, said the attack happened in his front yard. He said the situation has made some residents afraid to even step outside.

“We’ve got women that won’t go out their front doors because he goes after them verbally,” Walgate said. “He has threatened women with guns. He’s threatened lots of people.”

One neighbor, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons, said she previously obtained a restraining order against Crampton after alleged threatening behavior: “We don’t go out the door unless we’re pretty sure he’s not out on the street. I don’t walk my dog anymore. I just go from my front door to my car and out the driveway,” she said.

Now, some neighbors say they want stronger local laws to address dangerous animals and irresponsible pet ownership.

Residents say they have repeatedly reported incidents to authorities but feel more action is needed.

“We call the police. We do everything we’re supposed to do. But we can’t do any more than we do,” one neighbor said. “It’s up to law enforcement, and it’s up to judges.”

WJCL 22 News reached out to the Savannah Police Department and Chatham County Animal Services for comment.

While Savannah police said they could not comment directly on the case, Chatham County Animal Services confirmed the incident is under investigation.

Neighbors told WJCL 22 News that animal control removed Crampton’s dogs from the home Tuesday afternoon. However, Chatham County officials have not yet confirmed that action. The investigation remains ongoing.

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‘The Alabama Solution’ documentary educating audiences before heading to LA for Oscars ceremony

CNN Newsource on March 12, 2026

By Ayron Lewallen

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    BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — The Oscars are just a few days away, and the group behind one documentary could walk away with one of the most prestigious awards in film.

“The Alabama Solution” sheds light on the state’s prison system. It’s filmed mostly through contraband cellphones given to inmates to share their day-to-day lives.

The City of Birmingham hosted a screening at the Carver Theater on Tuesday to give people a better understanding of the issues. Documentary co-producer Beth Shelburne believes everyone has a collective responsibility to understand the experiences of those who are impacted by the justice system.

“The film represents a look at some of the things that are happening,” she said. “It does not represent the totality of the situation, which is really comprehensive, and across the system, we don’t really get into the lack of health care for people in the system, the crisis with people that are suffering from mental illness. There’s so many issues that are happening, and you just can’t include it all in a two-hour film.”

Danny Dandridge is one of the men who made the film possible by risking his life to record chilling video from inside the prison walls used in the project.

“It’s more than just a film to me,” he said. “It’s my life because I lived everything in the film. I was one of the ones that stood up and fought every day for not just my freedom, but for everybody else’s freedom. It was a lot of injustice going on in the system. The administration killing inmates and hiding it and getting away with it. I couldn’t take it no more. I just stood up—me and the rest of my brothers and a lot more other people—we stood up, fought, shot videos of the incidents and everything that was happening and we put it out there.”

For some who went to Tuesday’s screening, it was their first time seeing the film. Cathy Lee told WVTM 13 she left feeling encouraged to do her part to create the change she hopes to see.

“It was heart-wrenching,” she said. “I was already very aware of how bad it was in prison systems, but it was disgusting to me to realize how our systems are being used in this state, and especially being used as a almost as a slavery situation where we have people out working in the public and not being paid, and the state of Alabama is making money from that.”

Shelburne feels there’s still a long way to go before changes to the justice system are made. She said she feels like our state leaders failed those impacted by the justice system and hopes the documentary will get them to do better.

Part of that was inviting Gov. Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall to a screening of the documentary in LA before the Academy Award ceremony. She says those invitations were declined, though.

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Woman demands answers after teen caught on Ring camera kicking her door

CNN Newsource on March 12, 2026

By Brooklyn Joyner

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    JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — A woman in Jackson is looking is to hold someone accountable after a young man was caught on her Ring camera trying to kick in her door.

Jacqueline King said her Pecan Tree Park neighborhood is quiet, and this type of behavior is unacceptable there or anywhere.

“Where are the parents?” King asked.

That is the question that lingers in her mind after she woke up Tuesday night to banging on her door. King’s doorbell camera capturing a boy kicking at her door.

“My elderly mother is here and the first thing I thought was she’s fallen,” King said. “We needed to see what was going on, and my daughter looked at the Ring camera, and she said that’s not what happened. She showed me the video, and I said, ‘You have got to be kidding.'”

The incident not only broke King’s screen door, but it also has her worried for the future of the children involved, whom she said she doesn’t even know

“You have some homeowners that are armed and the first thing they’ll do is shoot, and the next thing you know, this would have been a different interview,” King said.

This is not the first time 16 WAPT has reported on a situation like this. In February, a group of teens in Brookhaven were caught on camera going to multiple homes and kicking on people’s doors.

“By it happening in Brookhaven, something tells me we need to nip this in the bud right now,” King said.

King said the youth need positive activities to occupy their time, because if not, they will continue to make terrible decisions.

“You have in the summer vacation, bible school. Why not have something open to them during these periods where they can be engaged be enlightened and encouraged?” King said.

King said she reported the incident to police.

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Arkansas Game and Fish Commission seeks public help to protect endangered species

CNN Newsource on March 12, 2026

By Yuna Lee

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    BENTONVILLE, Arkansas (KHBS, KHOG) — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is calling on residents to help protect endangered species like the Ozark Cavefish and Benton County crawfish by being mindful of water pollutants.

One of the biggest threats to Arkansas crawdads, also known as crayfish or crawfish, is water pollution. The commission says that by living more consciously above ground, people can protect the animals living underneath it.

“Whenever it rains, the water, it goes into nearby streams. But in these karst systems like Northwest Arkansas, the water gets underground really quickly,” Conservation Fish Ecologist Chance Garrett said.

Ozark Cavefish and Benton County crawfish live underground and are sensitive to increased nutrients or sedimentation.

“So any pollutants that happen to be on the landscape at the time get delivered into that water,” Garrett said.

Garrett said they have used dye to map out where rainwater travels in Northwest Arkansas.

“We track where that dye goes to understand how the water is connected to the surface,” he said.

Garrett advised homeowners to consider what they are putting into their yards.

“You know, do I have to spray this pesticide or herbicide, or could I maybe do some weeding with my on my hands and knees? Or do I have to fertilize my lawn again this month? Or is it really green and looking good? And that would be just excess nutrients,” he said.

The goal is to keep the natural state beautiful and alive for all who call it home.

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Man sues SC County after deputies falsely identify IBS medication as illegal drugs

CNN Newsource on March 12, 2026

By Caitlin Ashbaugh

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    GREENWOOD, South Carolina (WYFF) — A Florida man who served time for narcotics charges is suing Greenwood County and sheriff’s department deputies after SLED lab reports showed they falsely identified his IBS medication as pills containing fentanyl and cocaine.

Bryan Getchius, alongside his attorney Tyler Bailey, announced a lawsuit on Wednesday against Greenwood County, the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Dennis Kelly, Deputy David Keener, Deputy Wesley McClinton and Officer James Freeman.

The lawsuit demands a trial by jury, claiming Getchius suffered for crimes he did not commit. Getchius served 15 days of jail time and 16 months of house arrest for the following charges: possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and trafficking fentanyl.

“He loses his job. He is publicly ridiculed. People don’t believe that he was innocent. All because of this unreliable drug, field drug kit that was used,” Bailey said.

A 40-minute body camera video on McClinton’s person shows how the scene unfolded on May 15, 2024.

Getchius was pulled over in Greenwood on his way home to Florida after visiting his mother and family on allegations of swerving lanes. Getchius admitted he was carrying a suspended license, which prompted deputies to conduct a search of his vehicle.

McClinton can be seen in the footage locating pill bottles and searching online twice to determine what they were used for. Getchius told deputies it was dicyclomine, used to treat symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

In incident reports, deputies reported the pills were “poorly made” and “broke apart with very small amounts of force.”

“I begged them, I said, please take my urine. You know, I said anything. My blood,” Getchius said.

Deputies conducted multiple field drug tests, which produced a positive result for fentanyl.

Getchius was taken into custody and transported to the Greenwood County Detention Center. Shortly after, another drug test was completed and returned positive results for cocaine.

The results were sent off to SLED for forensic lab testing while Getchius faced the court.

“My mom, sister and uncle sitting in the background. ‘Mr. Getchius, you’re a slightly risk and a danger to the community.’ I felt like the biggest piece of garbage ever,” Getchius said.

Because of an 18,000-case backlog, the state agency did not provide lab results until October 2025. The report showed all of the pills in Getchius’ possession were exclusively dicyclomine, by both visual examination and other testing.

The lawsuit alleges prosecutors attempted to push Getchius to plead to a lesser charge and dismiss the trafficking charge, for which he could have faced up to seven years of prison without parole. Getchius refused.

In the fall of 2025, charges were dismissed against Getchius. His attorney claims he has faced thousands of dollars in legal fees and a tarnished reputation.

Getchius said he was honoring a long-term streak of sobriety and was working at rehab and addiction centers in Florida at the time of his arrest.

“They took me away from everything that helped me to get and stay sober. I was sent back to ground zero with nothing,” Getchius said.

“Sleeping in jail for days is something you can’t put a price on. This is, your freedom is everything. Especially when you’re sober and you’re accused of being a drug trafficker or user,” Bailey said. “We want to see some reform. We want to see more reliable drug tests being used. We want to see, figure out a way to get rid of these thousands of case backlog where innocent people are out there fighting for their freedom right now. We want to see change.”

Greenwood County provided the following statement, claiming they are representing the sheriff’s department and any related employees.

“We were informed today that a civil lawsuit may be filed against Greenwood County and the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office. At this time, we have not received or reviewed the lawsuit and are unable to comment on the specific allegations. We will review the filing once it is received and respond through the appropriate legal process.”

Sheriff Kelly told WYFF News 4: “No comment on pending litigation.”

WYFF News 4 also attempted to reach the individual defendants and did not receive a response. We are also working to learn whether the sheriff’s department has or plans to take administrative action, or if an internal investigation has been requested by SLED.

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.

Red flag warning and increased fire danger across Oklahoma as drought continues

CNN Newsource on March 12, 2026

By Meteorologist Mikayla Smith

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    OKLAHOMA (KOCO) — KOCO 5 is tracking a critical fire danger on Thursday as another red flag warning is in effect for western Oklahoma.

Below is what you need to know about Oklahoma’s fire danger and drought conditions.

A red flag warning is in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday for all of western Oklahoma and stretching close to Oklahoma County.

Although the warning was only issued for western Oklahoma, there is still a low fire danger in central and western Oklahoma.

It has been several weeks since central and western Oklahoma received beneficial rain, and some places have gone several months without even a quarter inch of rainfall.

Over the last week, the heaviest rain fell across eastern Oklahoma, where widespread values were well over an inch.

The rain is much needed after coming out of a top 20 driest February on record for Oklahoma City.

All of this dry weather will lead to a risk of increased fire danger heading into the weekend. There is a risk each day, with Thursday and Sunday being the greatest concern.

Oklahoma needs the rain to prevent fires from ravaging the state like it did last year. Last March, a fire outbreak ended up burning more than 170,000 acres as well as 500 structures and was responsible for four deaths in Oklahoma.

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