Category: CNN Regional

By Lindsay Clein

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    CHIMNEY ROCK, North Carolina (WXII) — Helene forever changed Western North Carolina.

For one Chimney Rock neighborhood, in particular, it’s also changing what kind of wildlife can be spotted there.

One man in Chimney Rock says bears have been coming onto his property since the storm, after their food sources were washed into his neighborhood.

“Oh, I saw it all happen,” Bob ‘The Cowboy’ Graham said.

The day Helene hit remains fresh in his mind.

“It happened just like that,” Graham said.

The damage came quickly. The swift waters and strong winds brought so many rocks and trees to his backyard.

“The storm uncovered all of this,” he said, as he pointed to piles of debris.

Not only were remnants from nature swept downstream, but also food sources for wildlife.

“I haven’t seen Bigfoot,” Graham said. “I’ve seen plenty of bears, though.”

Since the storm, bears have been coming onto his property.

“Little Bit has no fear of them,” Graham said of his dog. “She goes right after them.”

His dog, named Little Bit, has no problem chasing the bears away.

“I think they wait in the shadows and wait until we leave,” Graham said.

This wasn’t so much a problem prior to the storm.

“All the people’s refrigerators and restaurants– all their food and debris ended up here,” Graham said. “And since there were no people here, the bears were coming down and eating large.”

Now, the bears are used to finding food there.

“So they’ve gotten used to coming down here,” Graham said. “And now that people are coming back, neighbors have been seeing them, too.”

From bear sightings to bear carvings, he’s using scraps from the extra trees and debris for some good.

“We had so many trees end up here in the backyard,” Graham said. “And Josh started carving tree spirit animals and people into them.”

His friend Josh has been using the remnants from the storm to scrap together carvings for decor. A sign of resilience after the storm.

“And he goes, ‘I wanna make sure people know there’s good going on here,'” Graham said. “It’s not all devastation. Let’s show there’s beauty that survived.”

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By Julia Miller

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    Alabama (WAAY) — Madison County Elementary School and the Gurley community united for a heartwarming celebration, honoring eighth-grader Josslyne Hulsey as she completed her final cancer treatment.

Josslyne’s journey, which began as a student at the school, concluded with a pep rally where she rang a bell, symbolizing the end of her treatment. Gurley Mayor Stan Simpson declared September 26, 2025, as Josslyne Hulsey Day, recognizing her strength and resilience.

“I hope everybody takes some comfort in the fact that she’s fought this journey with such grace and style and strength,” said Simpson. “And show an exhibit to all of us that we all can do that if we put our mind to it.”

Students participated in “Hats on for Josslyne,” a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, raising $728 in one day.

Josslyne expressed excitement about the future, saying, “I guess, I want to start doing cheer again.”

Her mother, Ashley Dickerson, shared the moment’s significance, stating, “That’s more money that can go towards more treatments for not only other kids that have been diagnosed but kids that will be.”

The community’s support showcased the power of unity, proving that no fight is faced alone.

AI assisted with the formatting of this story.

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By Israel La Rue

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    SPRINGFIELD, Oregon (KEZI) — A Springfield mother, Jamie Bittle, said she found a letter in the mail on Wednesday, threatening her family and saying to leave the country.

But Bittle said she doesn’t think the letter was meant for her.

“I honestly don’t think it was meant for me because I was born in this country,” Bittle said. “I just really would like to know who did it because they need to be held accountable. It’s not okay to be threatening people’s children, and for them to say something like that bothers me a lot because America was founded on immigrants.”

She also said it was addressed to an apartment, whereas she lives in a house.

“I looked at it some more and I was like, no, this can’t be for me, like I don’t have a space number, I don’t have an apartment number,” Bittle said. “So it doesn’t make sense.”

Nonetheless, Bittle said the contents of the letter was concerning enough to send the word out.

“It’s alarming. It’s very alarming because it sounds like somebody who will do something bad and don’t have control over themselves about, you know, the way they feel about things and they feel a little too strongly,” Bittle said. “I feel like they’re taking things to a whole nother level, which you should never ever go there.”

She said what crossed the line for her was the implicit threat towards children.

“Made me sick to my stomach because I have a five year old son and yeah, I would do anything to protect him,” Bittle said. “I’ll do anything to protect any child. So yeah, it just made me sick.”

The Lane County Board of Commissioners had a strong response to similar flyers sent around the community.

“Let us be clear: white nationalism, racism, and xenophobia are not welcome here. These flyers are not just pieces of paper, they are symbols of a larger system of hate that we must all actively reject.”

Springfield police said they are currently investigating who sent the letter and why it was sent.

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By Adam Bartow

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    WESTBROOK, Maine (WMTW) — Marcel Lagrange pleaded guilty Monday to murdering two people in front of their children in downtown Westbrook in 2023, reversing a previous not criminally responsible plea.

Lagrange pleaded guilty to all six counts against him Monday, including two counts of intentional or knowing murder, one count of aggravated attempted murder, one count of aggravated assault, one count of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and one count of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon.

Westbrook Police were called to the intersection of Main Street and Bridge Street around 8:30 p.m. on June 19, 2023. When they arrived, authorities say they saw Lagrange shoot and kill Brittney Cockrell outside of a car.

Inside the car, emergency responders later found 41-year-old Michael Hayter dead and two children, ages 7 and 11, who witnessed the shooting.

Court papers reveal that 11-year-old Mason told police that LaGrange shot at him but missed because the boy ducked.

Investigators say Lagrange did not know the victims.

On Aug. 31, 2023, when a judge asked how he was going plead, LeGrange said “I’m not guilty. Not guilty by reason of insanity.” His attorney also added at the time, “not criminally responsible.”

On Monday, Jeff McKinney, grandfather of the two children, was in the courtroom.

“I can’t imagine not being here. Brittany would want me to be here. Mike would want me to be here,” he said.

He told Maine’s Total Coverage that Lagrange should serve life in prison.

“Not that we are not capable of forgiving, but, you have to look at the level of crime committed here. There’s nothing less that will suffice,” said McKinney. “We trust in the truth and the light. And that’s the only reason I’m able to stand here and talk.”

Lagrange will be sentenced during another hearing later this year. The exact date was not set Monday.

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By Pavlina Osta

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    SHEBOYGAN, Wisconsin (WDJT) — A family is demanding answers after a 32-year-old Canadian man was killed in Sheboygan Falls.

The killer is still on the run. With no known suspect or motive, there’s a cloud of uneasiness over the small community.

Mike Robinson was shot along the railroad in the heart of Sheboygan Falls just minutes away from his hotel.

His family in Canada says he was visiting from Pennsylvania for a golf trip.

The golf weekend for the guys hit a high Tuesday at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan.

“He got his first hole in one on this golf course. The excitement of that phone call, the excitement of seeing that video, the excitement on his face — if you’re a golfer; just to get a hole in one on a prestigious course, just crazy,” said Lidia Cirivello, Mike Robinson’s aunt/godmother.

That’s one of the last videos the Robinsons have of Mike, celebrating on the course.

“I want to wake up because I feel like we are dreaming,” said Cirivello.

That night, the group went out to celebrate Mike.

“They had dinner close to the hotel, they leave the bar, and then next thing you know, we end up getting a call,” Cirivello explained.

A call no family wants to receive.

“The world is just not going to be the same without him in it,” said Cirivello.

Robinson’s aunt and cousin sit close, holding pictures of Mike on his wedding day.

“We are broken; our entire lives are broken. That baby will never see her dad, my niece isn’t going to see her husband, how do you come back from any of this?” said Cirivello.

Just a month ago, Robinson and his wife, Rachel, welcomed their first child.

“How is this little 5-week-old, she’s never going to meet her daddy. She’s never going to know how beautiful of a father,” said Cirivello, lost for words.

Robinson’s brother and sister-in-law are flying in Thursday, Sept. 25, from Canada. The family is demanding answers on who did this.

“It’s such a small town, they don’t have any answers in such a small town. It’s so frustrating when you’re so far away and you can’t do anything,” said Amanda Modica, Mike Robinson’s cousin.

Sheboygan Falls police released a statement Thursday saying no arrests have been made.

They’re asking anyone with helpful information to come forward.

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By WDJT News Staff

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — Three Milwaukee siblings have been charged with conspiring to intimidate a key witness in an armed robbery trial by threatening her with immigration enforcement, according to two criminal complaints issued in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

The witness testified Tuesday, July 22 against 31-year-old James Jamall Hughes, who was on trial while jailed for robbing her of a Ford Edge. After she took the stand, Hughes pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors say the day before her testimony, Hughes called his sister, 35-year-old, Jassmine Shydae Mulbah from jail. During the recorded call, he gave her the victim’s phone number and told her to send a message that read “ICE” with the date of testimony.

Mulbah later admitted she and her sister, 29-year-old Betina Hughes, carried out the plan and contacted immigration authorities, according to the complaint.

The witness told investigators two women in the courtroom appeared to record her while she testified. During a break, one followed her into the hallway. Her husband said another woman confronted him in a waiting area, yelled at him and threatened to call immigration while he held their child.

Mulbah was arrested Sept. 2 and acknowledged her role, according to the complaints. Betina Hughes was identified as the person with the phone in court. James Hughes later told investigators he did not remember giving out the victim’s number.

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By Angela Williams

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    JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — A man who confessed after his arrest in Jackson to killing a 4-year-old girl was sentenced to life in prison in Mississippi.

Daniel Callihan, 38, entered a guilty plea Monday before Hinds County Circuit Judge Debra Gibbs. Callihan pleaded guilty to capital murder, sexual battery and two counts of kidnapping. Gibbs sentenced him to life for capital murder and sexual battery and 30 years for each of the kidnapping charges. The sentences are to run consecutively with each other and with sentences he received in Louisiana.

“This is one of the most horrific crimes that I’ve had to preside over,” Gibbs said before sentencing Callihan.

Erin Brunett, 4, and her 6-year-old sister were the subjects of an Amber Alert in June 2024 after they were kidnapped from Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. Their mother, Callie Brunett, was murdered before the girls were taken.

Investigators traced Daniel Callihan to a home on Boozier Road in Jackson, where Erin Brunett was found dead. The other girl was later reunited with her family.

After questioning following his arrest in 2024, Callihan was asked by a reporter as he left Jackson Police Department headquarters if he killed Erin Brunett. He responded saying, “Unfortunately, on Lexapro, sober, no drugs in my system, I did it.”

Calli Brunett’s sister, Brandi Hosch, spoke during Monday’s hearing in Jackson. She called Callihan a predator, a monster and a rapist. She said the only reason the family agreed to the guilty plea was to prevent the surviving child from having to see Callihan again during a trial.

“The hole you left behind cannot be filled,” Hosch said. “We are forever changed in the worst possible way because of you.”

Callihan pleaded guilty Sept. 26 in Louisiana to first-degree murder for the killings of Callie and Erin Brunett. Callihan was sentenced to two mandatory life sentences without parole. The sentences will run consecutively.

He has already pleaded guilty in federal court to similar crimes after admitting to killing Callie and abducting her daughters in the summer of 2024 from their home.

The judge also said Callihan deserved more than a life sentence, saying he deserved “much worse.”

Callihan will be sentenced in federal court in New Orleans on Nov. 19 and will serve a life sentence without the possibility of probation or parole. Callihan will serve his sentences at the Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana.

Callihan’s suspected accomplice, Victoria Cox, is set to go to trial on Dec. 8 in Hinds County. Cox is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and sexual battery.

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