Category: CNN Regional

By Jacquelyn Quinones

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    WATSONVILLE, California (KSBW) — The ongoing government shutdown is causing increased strain on vulnerable populations in Watsonville, where food banks are experiencing a surge in demand and anxiety.

Second Harvest Food Bank, which serves approximately 70,000 people monthly, has been receiving a high volume of calls since the shutdown announcement.

“It’s just causing a lot of uncertainty in the community, so obviously, federal workers don’t know when their next paycheck is coming,” Mary Casey, Chief People and Culture Officer at Second Harvest Food Bank, said. “So many people rely on benefit programs that are potentially in jeopardy depending on how long things go on so there’s just a lot of disruption and anxiety in the community.”

Second Harvest Food Bank is committed to supporting the community during this challenging time.

“We’re just here for people, we’ll have people who can walk them through but we just want everyone to know that we have food,” Casey said.

At Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes, which serves roughly 100 meals during lunchtime, there is also concern about the potential effects of the shutdown.

“The underserved communities are already potentially worried about where they are going to get their next meal whether they need to make a choice between paying their electricity bill or food or medical expenses,” said Ashley Bridges, executive director at Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes.

The shutdown is expected to put many patrons of Loaves and Fishes on edge if it continues.

One patron, Myra Echevarria, shared their concerns, saying, “It’s going to create quite a bit of an impact on my financial status. I really can’t afford groceries.”

Another patron, Miguel Quezada, expressed fear about the situation, stating, “Honestly, it’s very scary just because there’s not that many jobs, either I’m on disability, I got injured at work.”

Second Harvest Food Bank encourages the public to call their hotline for any food assistance questions.

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By Sasha Lenninger

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    Albuquerque, New Mexico (KOAT) — More than 500 pilots are expected to participate in the Balloon Fiesta, with 59 joining for the first time.

One of those first-timers was 20-year-old Marissa Vereb. She received her license in October last year in Albuquerque outside the airfield. Vereb has been involved in ballooning for as long as she can remember, with her father showing her the ropes. “Burn flame flame flame hold your redline down,” her father instructed.

Vereb remembers growing up watching her dad attend balloon tethers and waking up early to go ballooning, inspiring her to start flight training as a sophomore in high school.

“I didn’t have enough time to fly consistently with school and all my other activities. Once I graduated high school, I got to fly a lot more,” Vereb said.

Now, she is helping bring younger pilots into the sport.

“We’re always talking about how to keep it going and just getting new pilots involved, and I myself am trying to get my friends involved,” Vereb said. “I can just try to reel them in and take them for flights and start teaching them, and it gets people really hooked and they want to come out and crew and be part of it, and I can’t wait for the community to grow even more,” she said.

Vereb will fly her first-ever Balloon Fiesta with the Aerostar balloon named Mini Bob. Her advice to anyone thinking about becoming a pilot is to stay determined and consistent no matter what, because it’s worth it.

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By James Maloney

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    SAINT JOHNSBURY, Vermont (WPTZ) — A Northeast Kingdom man is lucky to be alive after collapsing from cardiac arrest in August. This week, he finally got the chance to thank the people who saved him.

Bob Fenoff, 67, was working on a wall in his office when he said he suddenly blacked out and collapsed. Fenoff’s office is connected to the garage, which he leases to VTRANS.

“I just lost consciousness and that was it. Ended up on the floor,” Fenoff said.

Two VTRANS employees, Noah Royer and John McClure, immediately jumped into action. They dialed 911 and began performing CPR — skills they had learned through mandatory workplace training.

“Even though it doesn’t train you for moments like that, it gives you the basics,” Royer said. “Fight or flight takes over from there.”

First responders arrived minutes later. Paramedics used a defibrillator to restart Fenoff’s heart. He spent two weeks in a coma before waking up and is now expected to make a full recovery.

“If it had not been for the brave and immediate actions of Noah Royer and John McClure, I do not think that Mr. Fenoff would be standing in front of us today,” Keith Feddersen, a paramedic with CALEX Ambulance, said.

Fenoff and his wife, Kathy, say they can’t express enough gratitude for the lifesaving efforts.

“I’d thank you a hundred times — can’t thank you enough,” Kathy said.

First responders hope Fenoff’s story will inspire others to learn CPR and AED use.

“Getting certified is vitally important,” Capt. Phil Hawthorne of the St. Johnsbury Fire Department said. “This case really proves it.”

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By Ayron Lewallen, Taylor Lang

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    MONTGOMERY, Alabama (WVTM) — It was supposed to be a fun night out for Keauna Lambert on Saturday. She told WVTM 13 she left the house to go see her favorite social media influencer, but she never thought she would be caught in the middle of a deadly shootout with so much bloodshed.

Two people are dead, including a teen, and a dozen other people are injured following a mass shooting in downtown Montgomery late Saturday night.

Montgomery police said it happened near Bibb Street and Commerce Street around 11:30 p.m., when two groups started shooting at each other in the middle of a crowd.

What we know

Jeremiah Morris, 17, and Shalanda Williams, 43, were killed in the shooting. Police believe they are Montgomery residents. Police believe one of the people shot was targeted. When the gunfire started, others in the crowd pulled out guns and started shooting. Thousands of people were in the city this weekend for the Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic, the Alabama National Fair and Alabama State University’s homecoming game. The city stood firmly in its belief that the shooting was not related to these events. There is a reward of at least $50,000 for information that leads to an arrest. If you have any information, call Alabama CrimeStoppers at 334-215-7867. Lambert said she was looking forward to a night out in the downtown Montgomery entertainment district, but she didn’t even have a chance to get out of her car before the chaos unfolded. She said she heard what she believes is 100 shots fired.

“I’m just glad I’m here,” Lambert said. “I’m glad my friends are safe. I’m glad it wasn’t more people than it was because it was just really scary. It felt like I was in a movie.”

Because of what happened, Lambert said she’s reconsidering going out again. She said that was her first time going out in Montgomery and hates that it could be her last.

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By Zach Rainey

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    BUNCOMBE COUNTY, North Carolina (WYFF) — An inmate in Buncombe County, North Carolina, has been captured after he was mistakenly released, according to the sheriff.

On Thursday, Joseph Shustek was mistakenly released from the Buncombe County Detention Facility.

Authorities said Shustek had been found guilty of assaulting a woman on Sept. 11, 2024, and was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon on Sept. 18, 2025.

On Friday, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office announced Shustek’s capture.

The sheriff’s office released the following statement along with the release:

“On behalf of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, we want to extend our sincerest and most profound apology for the erroneous release of inmate Joseph Shustek on October 2nd, 2025.

“This was a serious institutional failure, and we take full responsibility for this procedural error. We understand that this mistake has caused fear and distress for the community, and particularly for the victim(s) of this individual. There are no words that can adequately express our regret for the pain this has caused. The systems in place to prevent such an event failed, and for that, we are truly sorry.

“Our Sheriff’s Office dedicated every available resource to re-apprehend Joseph Shustek and can say that he is now back in the custody of the Sheriff. We are in the process of thoroughly reviewing the procedures that led to this failure and are implementing immediate changes to ensure it never happens again. We would like to thank the District Attorney’s Office for promptly notifying us of the erroneous release and for communicating with the most recent victim to address their immediate safety concerns.”

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By Leah Phillips

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    ANDERSON COUNTY, South Carolina (WYFF) — Family, friends, and fellow public safety officers honored the life and legacy of Det. Mark Garrett, while attending his funeral on Sunday.

The service was held at NewSpring Church in Anderson, but before even arriving at the building, streets were lined with supporters waiting on the procession.

The procession honored many aspects of Garrett’s life. Firetrucks and police vehicles, paying tribute to his early career working in fire service, before transitioning to law enforcement back in 2009.

One unique aspect of Garrett’s life also made an appearance, at the very tail-end of the procession: hundreds of bikers, riding in his honor.

“He was a cop, but he was a biker. I mean, there’s no other way to look at it. Honest to God, I mean, he would walk up to you and give you a hug,” said Jason Welliver, one of the bikers in Sunday’s procession, who also called Garrett a friend.

“The good die young, I mean, that’s the truth. You just never know,” Welliver said.

Jim Dennis, who didn’t know Garrett personally, still wanted to join in on the ride after hearing about the impact the detective had made on the people he knew.

Dennis said the procession was the largest he had ever ridden in, stating, “It was a good one. It was very big, I’d say at least a mile or more of two rows of motorcycles, and the whole procession must’ve been a couple miles long.”

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By Lora Lavigne

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    North Carolina (WRAL) — Four people were injured in a wreck involving a school bus in Wendell Monday morning.

Sky 5 footage showed the Rolesville High School bus sitting in a field on Doc Proctor Road near Edgemont Road around 7 a.m.

The State Highway Patrol said there was heavy fog in the area when the bus struck a large broken tree limb that had fallen into the roadway. The bus then went off of the road to the right, striking a ditch before stopping in a field.

Of the 11 students on the bus, three had minor injuries but were not transported by EMS. Authorities said their parents picked them up at the scene. The bus driver was transported to Wake Medical Center in Wendell for treatment of minor injuries.

Students on the bus told WRAL they were physically lifted out of their seats during the crash.

“I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ And then it was just shaking and shaking and then we landed into the trees and all that. It was just like..wow,” Rolesville High student Mason Roberson, who was on the bus, told WRAL.

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By Carly Haynes

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    North Carolina (WRAL) — All the time your kid spends playing video games may just get them a college scholarship or a high-paying job, and North Carolina is poised to create a workforce in a booming community.

The Playthrough Gaming Convention wrapped up its two-day stint in Raleigh on Sunday. The convention, according to Visit Raleigh, is a weekend-long extravaganza showcasing the latest games and providing an opportunity for gamers to meet others with similar passions.

From video games, eSports, tabletop games and playtesting new creations, the convention had something for everyone.

One person in attendance was Robert Heck, whose passion for the racing game Gran Turismo 7 landed him in the international spotlight.

“I’ve traveled all across Europe doing this for the past year now,” Heck said. “I’ve been one of the best drivers in North America.”

Simulation and game design is one of the fastest-growing careers, with job markets expecting the demand for skilled game designers to grow 18% by 2030.

“Especially indie games, that’s really growing,” said one attendee. “There’s a lot of really great indie games coming out.”

Raleigh schools are also trying to tap into the multibillion-dollar industry. William Peace University, North Carolina State University and Wake Technical Community College all offer specialized programs in game design. Michael Statum, an eSports scout with Louisburg College. Statum said the school is offering $5,000 scholarships for eSports tournament champions to join the school’s program.

NC State is also becoming a major regional hub for video games. The university, with help from the North Carolina General Assembly, plans to build a multimillion-dollar eSports arena on its campus by late 2026.

“The sky’s the limit right now,” Statum said.” What we’re trying to emphasize is that there’s different avenues within the esports realm that have a career path within it. Whether it’s software design, hardware design, video game simulation design, graphic design, content creation or videography.”

With three of the top major game developers in Wake County, people can take their skills straight from the screen to a job in the Triangle.

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