Category: CNN Regional

WBZ

By Ken MacLeod

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    Massachusetts (WBZ) — A senior at a Massachusetts high school has turned her Girl Scout project into a potentially life-saving effort for young athletes in her community.

Siene Hesbach is a student athlete who recently moved to Maynard after spending three years in the Netherlands. After the move, she noticed that the town lacked publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs). They were available in schools and government buildings, but not near the athletic fields.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in student athletes, according to the National Library of Medicine. Maynard schools only had one portable AED and there are several fields, all minutes apart from one another.

So she decided to help make a change for her Girl Scout Gold Award Project. After 18 months of fundraising, Hesbech raised around $20,000 to give five AEDs in the town.

“She didn’t take no for an answer,” Tom Hesbach said.

“At first, the town was a bit wary of it. We went ahead and had to fundraise it all,” Hesbach said.

They have been installed at the Alumni Track, Fowler Field, Rockland Field, Ice House Landing, and Memorial Park.

Fire department will mantain AEDs Siena said that the Maynarad Fire Chief Angela Lawless was a firm supporter every step of the way and that the fire department will help maintain the devices.

“There were a lot of obstacles that had to be overcome, and we did it together. I am very proud of her today,” Chief Lawless said.

You can do anything you want to do. Even if there are roadblocks, someone like your fire chief is going to help you through it all,” Hesbach said.

The AEDs come from Chelmsford company Zoll and will be able to instruct the user on how to use them in the event of an emergency.

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By Briauna Brown

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    FORT WORTH, Texas (KTVT) — One person was killed and at least five others were injured after gunfire erupted inside a Fort Worth nightclub early Sunday morning, police confirmed.

The Fort Worth Police Department said at about 1:40 a.m., officers responded to a shooting call at Social Liv, which is in the 3000 block of Bledsoe Street in the popular West 7th entertainment district.

When officers arrived, a man was found inside the business with gunshot wounds to his upper torso, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers said five other shooting victims were either transported by ambulance or self-transported to area hospitals.

During a news conference Sunday afternoon, Fort Worth PD spokesperson Officer Brad Perez said those five victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to survive.

Fort Worth PD said homicide detectives learned the suspects fired handguns inside the club, striking the man who was found dead, and injuring others.

The suspects ran from the scene, and no arrests have been made yet, authorities said.

In a news release, Fort Worth PD said the shooting “appears to be unprovoked” and gang-related; however, the investigation is still in the preliminary stages.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office will later release the identity of the man who was killed. No other victims’ names have been made public at this time.

Perez said Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garcia has increased street patrols following this incident and two other fatal incidents that happened over the weekend.

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KTVT

By Briauna Brown

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    FORT WORTH, Texas (KTVT) — One person was killed and at least five others were injured after gunfire erupted inside a Fort Worth nightclub early Sunday morning, police confirmed.

The Fort Worth Police Department said at about 1:40 a.m., officers responded to a shooting call at Social Liv, which is in the 3000 block of Bledsoe Street in the popular West 7th entertainment district.

When officers arrived, a man was found inside the business with gunshot wounds to his upper torso, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers said five other shooting victims were either transported by ambulance or self-transported to area hospitals.

During a news conference Sunday afternoon, Fort Worth PD spokesperson Officer Brad Perez said those five victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to survive.

Fort Worth PD said homicide detectives learned the suspects fired handguns inside the club, striking the man who was found dead, and injuring others.

The suspects ran from the scene, and no arrests have been made yet, authorities said.

In a news release, Fort Worth PD said the shooting “appears to be unprovoked” and gang-related; however, the investigation is still in the preliminary stages.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office will later release the identity of the man who was killed. No other victims’ names have been made public at this time.

Perez said Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garcia has increased street patrols following this incident and two other fatal incidents that happened over the weekend.

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By Tara Lynch

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — If you’ve been near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor this week, you’re again left with a simple question: What is that smell?

“Walking around, you obviously smell it. Windows down, you smell it too,” said Lauryn Allen of Fells Point.

What’s causing that smell? The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) said the smell is due to an annual turnover event caused by the weather.

The drastic change from daytime to nighttime temperatures caused surface water to cool and sink to the bottom of the harbor, causing bacteria from the floor to rise.

“We keep getting these swings, and eventually, when the temperature starts to mellow out a little bit, and that diurnal change between night and day is not as drastic, it’ll figure itself out,” said Charmain Dahlenburg, Director of Conservation at the National Aquarium.

These bacteria don’t require a lot of oxygen. At the surface, non-oxygenic photosynthesis takes place, and a sulfur-like byproduct creates not only the smell but a green hue, according to Dahlenburg.

“This is something that naturally occurs in lakes,” Dahlenburg said. “It’s very beneficial to distribute the nutrients across lakes. It’s often called upwelling. In the harbor, this should be not acting like a lake, but because we created this box where we dredged it, the water becomes very stagnant, stratified, and that’s when we see these thermal inversions.”

On Thursday, the water was green and had an odor described as an “egg-llike” smell.

“It smells like an unfortunate tray of deviled eggs that’s been left out for a really long time,” said Emily Ward of Remington.

Dead fish in Baltimore’s harbor A putrid stench has been all too common at the harbor recently. Last week, the MDE estimated that there were 25,000 dead menhaden fish in the water from Canton to Locust Point.

Scientists with MDE said they measured low dissolved oxygen levels, and said this is likely due to the seasonal die-off of algae. They do not think the low levels were caused by pollution.

Residents react Now, neighbors who work and live along the waterfront say the smell is stinking up their homes.

“I have some vague memories of this happening as a kid, too, but nothing so acute and disgusting as this right now,” said Isabella Chilcoat of Fells Point. “My first floor smelled like eggs, or a stink bomb went off, and I was trying to figure out what in my house was causing them. Then, I stepped outside, and of course, the entire area smells terrible.”

Others said this is not a good fragrance for Baltimore’s most prized tourist spot.

“I feel a little ashamed, honestly,” Ward added. “I love Baltimore, and I love people being excited about Baltimore, and it’s kind of embarrassing that tourists are subjected to this.”

It will likely take a soaking rain or front to get rid of the smell.

Dead fish in Baltimore’s harbor A putrid stench has been all too common at the harbor recently. Last week, the MDE estimated that there were 25,000 dead menhaden fish in the water from Canton to Locust Point.

Scientists with MDE said they measured low dissolved oxygen levels, and said this is likely due to the seasonal die-off of algae. They do not think the low levels were caused by pollution.

Residents react Now, neighbors who work and live along the waterfront say the smell is stinking up their homes.

“I have some vague memories of this happening as a kid, too, but nothing so acute and disgusting as this right now,” said Isabella Chilcoat of Fells Point. “My first floor smelled like eggs, or a stink bomb went off, and I was trying to figure out what in my house was causing them. Then, I stepped outside, and of course, the entire area smells terrible.”

Others said this is not a good fragrance for Baltimore’s most prized tourist spot.

“I feel a little ashamed, honestly,” Ward added. “I love Baltimore, and I love people being excited about Baltimore, and it’s kind of embarrassing that tourists are subjected to this.”

It will likely take a soaking rain or front to get rid of the smell.

The National Aquarium said a long-term solution is raising the harbor’s floor so that water can flow in and out more easily.

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By Ashley Grams

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    LAKEVILLE, Minnesota (WCCO) — A baby boy from Lakeville, Minnesota needed specialized medical care at a hospital across the country.

Thanks to some committed parents and a Midwest nonprofit staffed with volunteer pilots, he made the journey.

“He’s overcome like every obstacle,” said mom Mackenzie Richardson.

Chase Byers has faced some serious health challenges. The 8-month-old was born prematurely, after a high risk pregnancy, alongside his twin brother Cameron Byers.

But unlike his brother, Chase Byers was diagnosed with a heart condition — dextro-transposition of the great arteries and a ventricular septal defect — which required surgery.

“So, it essentially meant his pulmonary and aorta were switched backwards,” Richardson explained.

After seeing doctors in the Twin Cities, Chase Byers’ parents searched for a second opinion. The young couple found a heart surgeon at Boston Children’s Hospital confident he could give their child the specialized care he needed.

“[The doctor] said I am 99.9% confident I can do the arterial switch procedure, and it can be one and done,” said Richardson.

The next piece of the puzzle – transportation. Richardson considered the options, like driving nearly 20 hours or getting on a commercial flight with her son’s medical equipment and dozens of people.

“If Chase were to get a common cold within a month of his surgery, they would have postponed it so it just wasn’t a risk we were willing to take,” she said.

The family turned to a Midwest nonprofit, Lifeline Pilots, for help getting to Massachusetts.

“This is a way to get some flying in and feel good about it at the end of the day,” said volunteer pilot and Lifeline Pilots board member Ken Reily, who is based in Minnesota.

While Reily didn’t pilot Chase Byers’ plane, he’s flown over 50 patients in the last 18 years to non-emergency medical care.

“[Some patients] otherwise wouldn’t drive for this care or maybe it’s too expensive to travel and we can get them there,” Reily said.

The nonprofit says they flew over 1,000 flights last year and concentrate their help in ten Midwest states. Reily says it’s the people who keep him coming back year after year.

“Just the passengers, they are so thankful,” he said. “It’s just tremendously rewarding.”

After a month and a half in Boston, little Chase Byers is back at home in Minnesota recovering. His dad, Evan Byers, calls the difference “night and day.”

“After this it’s like, why would you not get a second opinion?” said Evan Byers.

The couple are now encouraging other families to advocate for themselves and hoping people take advantage of the nonprofit and community support that made their journey just a little bit smoother.

The Byers are still fundraising to cover the cost of their son’s future care.

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By WCCO Staff

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Two people from Roseville each face manslaughter charges after their 15-month-old girl fell from the balcony of their apartment and died earlier this summer.

The parents were each charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter.

The criminal complaint says that a woman at the apartment on Lexington Avenue North called police around 2 p.m. on July 6 to report that the child had fallen.

Documents describe a balcony at least two floors above, with vertical metal bars with gaps between them. A sliding glass door leading to the balcony was partially open and there was a large tear in the screen. The fiancée of the woman who called police reported that the sliding door and screen had been broken for several months.

While authorities were providing aid to the girl, they noticed a second child crawl through the bars on the balcony and hold onto the outside. The complaint says that officers yelled at the child to go back inside and eventually a woman came out to retrieve the child and went back into the apartment.

The girl was pronounced dead a day after the fall.

In a follow-up interview with a child protection investigator, the 30-year-old woman said the children were watching TV while she was getting ready to take a shower. She said their father was home and assumed he would stay for a while.

The father, 35, told the investigator he had arrived home to find the kids watch TV and made them lunch. He told their mother he was leaving and assumed she would watch them, the complaint says.

According to the charges, a maintenance employee had repeatedly warned the couple that he had seen children hanging out of the balcony and warned them of the danger.

The father denied the reports of the children hanging out of the balcony, documents state. He also said the family had asked management to fix the screen door multiple times, though records show no requests.

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