Category: CNN Regional

By Kaitlyn Hart

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    BLACKFOOT (eastidahonews.com) — Driving to work on a cold November morning, a local 20-year-old’s life changed forever in a split second.

Karter Robison had just graduated from the College of Eastern Idaho almost six months before, and was on his way to Blackfoot on Nov. 5 from his home in Pocatello, to go to his job as a welder.

“I was going to Blackfoot at like four in the morning, and I guess I dozed off, closed my eyes for a second, and the road curved to the right. I drove right into a construction zone on I-15,” Robison says. “I hit a pile of asphalt, and my car basically jumped on top of a bunch of beans, and it like skewered the car.”

Robison’s girlfriend of four years, 19-year-old Paisley Peterson, says Robison always texts her when he gets to work. That morning, she didn’t hear from him.

“I woke up at like 5:30 a.m. or 6 a.m., and saw that he didn’t text me. Luckily, we have Life360, so I was able to check his location and saw that he was on the side of the road for like an hour and a half.”

Peterson says once she saw Robison had been on the road for so long, she decided to go looking for him.

“I called him a few times, and he didn’t answer, so I just started driving toward his location. I looked on (Idaho 511) and saw there was an accident, so I started freaking out a little bit,” Peterson says. “I didn’t tell anyone until I got to (Robison’s) car. I was the one who called our families to tell them, so they were all able to meet us at the hospital like ten minutes after the ambulance got there.”

Robison doesn’t remember much from the aftermath of the crash, but says it took first responders almost two hours to get him out of the car.

“When I first remember being in the car, I remember not being able to feel my legs and having lower back pain. As time went on, the back pain grew worse,” Robison says. “I started to feel my sternum in my ribs … I cracked my sternum, and I completely broke off my tailbone as well as a spinal injury with (two) broken vertebrae.”

Robison was eventually transported to Portneuf Medical Center, and from there was flown to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake, where he had a ten-hour surgery to try and repair the damage.

“I didn’t really start to feel it until maybe a couple of days after surgery,” Robison says. “I am unable to walk or stand without any assistance. I can’t just like, stand up out of bed in the morning and stuff like that.”

After a 46-day hospital stay, Robison was finally released to go home, but the challenges aren’t over.

“We have to drive to Salt Lake every weekend because they’re the closest place that specializes in spinal cord injury for physical therapy,” Robison says.

According to Peterson, many of the clinics in Pocatello refused to treat Robison because they lacked the experience and specialty doctors to treat him.

“I want to walk again, but I’m also realistic, and I understand the seriousness of the injury, and how often people recover from it,” Robison says, “It’s not a very common thing to recover from. It happens, but it’s just very uncommon.”

During his recovery, Robison requires a wheelchair to get around, but currently only has access to a manual wheelchair that requires him to push it himself. But his doctors have strongly recommended that Robison get a power wheelchair that will keep him from needing shoulder surgery in the future.

“The therapist keeps saying that your legs are completely different than your shoulders, and your shoulder joint isn’t meant to push a wheelchair around all day,” Peterson says. “People who have spinal cord injuries often have to get shoulder replacements and stuff because of how consistently they use their shoulder. Having a motorized attachment will take some of the stress off his shoulder and prevent further injury.”

Because Robison is so young, and he will likely be using the wheelchair for an extended period of time, doctors are trying to prevent him from wearing out his shoulder. Unfortunately, insurance will only cover part of the cost, leaving Robison to come up with thousands of dollars to afford the wheelchair he needs.

Robison’s family has organized a GoFundMe to raise money for a motorized wheelchair and travel costs to and from Utah for treatment, and hopefully a full recovery. “I’m getting stuff back as time goes on, so (doctors) are optimistic, but there’s no way to tell me if I’m going to be able to walk again or not,” Robison says.

During his recovery, Robison says he’s been able to lean on his family and friends for support and urges anyone else in a similar situation to keep pushing through.

“Without family and friends, we probably wouldn’t be able to do this stuff for sure,” Robison says. “With somebody in a similar situation, (if) you’re given a bad hand, you just have to do it. Do the best you can, keep your head up, and try to keep moving forward. The world doesn’t stop for you.”

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.

By Brandon Downs

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — A fire at a single-story home in San Jose has left six people displaced and three people injured, fire crews said Sunday evening.

The San Jose Fire Department responded to Endfield Way, located off Story Road near S White Road, for a second-alarm fire at a one-story single-family home.

The fire caused major damage to the home and an adjacent home sustained exterior heat damage and internal smoke damage.

Fire crews said one firefighter and two residents were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The residents self-transported and the firefighter was taken to a hospital by fire personnel. Crews added that a dog died.

The American Red Cross is assisting the people displaced by the fire.

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.

By Charlie Lapastora

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    SACRAMENTO (KOVR) — With rain forecasted this week, it could impact almond farming during their crucial blooming season over the next few weeks.

CBS Sacramento spoke with almond farmer Mike Weststeyn on Wednesday and followed up with him on Sunday before potential rain on the horizon. Mike farms 700 acres of almond trees throughout San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties with his son, Erik.

Almonds make up a $5 billion industry in California and that triples with the economic output and ripple effect, according to UC Agricultural Issues Center director Daniel A. Sumner. In San Joaquin County, it’s the second largest crop.

“That’s how we make a living,” Mike said. “We’re producing those and that’s what we’re trying to sell, those, as in if we don’t have a crop to sell, that’s hard on the bottom line. If we don’t have a crop to sell, yeah, not making money.”

That is why these next few weeks of the almond blooming season, which will end around March 1, are crucial for farmers like Mike, his son Erik, and the more than 7,000 almond farmers throughout the state, who make up 80% of the world’s almond production.

“It’s really a critical time, even after bloom, and that nut starts to grow, it’ll shed this outside covering, and it’ll be sitting there, like with this little green nut, was really sensitive to frost at that stage. If we get a frost, any temperate down below 32 degrees, that will freeze that little nut there and it’ll fall off,” Mike said. “It’s not going to bloom again. You’re going to have to wait again until next year.”

With rain in the forecast this week, farmers are putting fungicide sprays on trees before the rain to hold it over until there’s clear skies again.

“The last couple nights you could hear the sprayers running out in the orchards. Lot of guys have been doing that, getting everything covered, so it gets a fungicide treatment on before the rain, so it will hold until we can get back in the orchards after the rain,” Mike said.

Mike is expecting, with the rain, that California won’t get a bumper crop, which would be between 2,500 and 3,000 pounds an acre. He says it may be a little less than that. If that’s the case, he’s hoping almond prices will go up to help the bottom line.

Since CBS Sacramento spoke with Mike on Wednesday, he gave an update on how the crops have been since then – and what he’s expecting this week.

“The last couple days have been really good,” Mike said. “The bees have been out, buds are pollinated. We’ve had pretty decent weather, looks like there’s some rain coming in tonight, so yeah, maybe the next couple of days, the bees are going to be hold up in their house and not too much pollinating going on. But, we’ll see if the weather clears up by Thursday and they’ll get back to work after that. Maybe a little hit on the crop but hopefully not too big of a hit. That’s what we’re hoping for.”

But whether or not this weather affects their crop, for Mike, he’s just grateful he gets to farm through this with his son.

“Having the opportunity to be with him every day, I get the phone calls, I always have somebody to talk to,” Mike said. “It’s different for me, my dad passed away when I was just graduating from college and I never had the opportunity to really farm with my dad. So, this is, it is special, have a kid that wants to farm and is willing to learn and is good at doing that stuff, it’s really special.”

Erik graduated from UC Davis in 2024 with an ag systems management degree and came back home.

“Could’ve gone some other places and made some more money, but the dream of growing the family business and the hope to keep that going for generations and someday pass it down to my kids really was the main draw,” Erik said.

Erik also got married recently and his wife works in the ag finance industry. Mike and his wife, Amy, enjoy having them around, making home-cooked meals, and Mike said Amy especially is looking forward to having grandkids. Mike said his daughter works in Sacramento at the Blue Diamond office. Almonds are very much a part of this family, as Mike grew up on an almond farm with his dad farming it at a property near where they are today in Ripon.

And almonds need the bees. With two beehives per acre on their property, Mike also calls these bees “vitally important” to their operation. If there’s rain or temperatures below 50 degrees, the bees can’t fly. If the bees can’t fly, they can’t pollinate, and there’s no crop. But, they’ve been able to fly and pollinate these last few days and they’re hoping that after the rain, they can still get a good crop.

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.

By Dean Fioresi, Lauren Pozen

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Dramatic video shows the moments when a Montclair jewelry store employee fights back during a robbery last week.

It happened on Thursday, Feb. 12, at around 7:45 p.m. at Fast-Fix Jewelry and Watch Repairs, located in the 2000 block of E. Montclair Plaza Lane, according to the Montclair Police Department.

Investigators say that the suspect entered the store holding a small bag, which he put down before walking back out of the door. The suspect then “looked around outside the business” before going back inside and walking to the rear of a glass jewelry display case inside, where the employee was standing.

He allegedly pulled a handgun from his jacket and began demanding that the woman open the jewelry case.

“The suspect raised the gun toward the employee multiple times and used a flashlight in his other hand to push the employee,” the Montclair police release said. “The suspect shattered the glass case with the gun and attempted to grab items from the case, but was pushed out of the business by the employee.”

The employee, who wished to only be identified as Alin, said that she was scared but overcome with anger when she fought back.

“He said, ‘Don’t scream. Don’t anything, just open the case,'” Alin recalled. “I said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Go, come back, go,’ and push him. He said, ‘No, just calm down.'”

She says that before running off, the suspect shocked her lower body with a stun gun. He grabbed a few items and took off, she says.

Despite being shaken, Alin says she was uninjured in the incident. She says that for her, it was personal because it’s more than a job to her.

“It’s my brother’s store, you know,” she said.

The store owner says that among the stolen items were gold pieces, watches, diamond rings, gold chains and bracelets, all of which combine for thousands of dollars of loss.

“When you have a jewelry store, you feel like you are targeted in these kind of places, to be honest,” the store owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said. “Especially with gold prices soaring so high, now you become a really target.”

He says that this is the second time that his store has been hit by a thief and is hopeful that state laws can be changed to protect store employees and customers.

“I don’t want to have that kind of feeling where every customer comes in wearing a hoodie and put on sunglasses and I have to now tell them, ‘Get your sunglasses off, get your hoodie off, get your cap off.’ Is that the way that we should be working?”

Police say that as the suspect ran from the store, another person hit him with a chair to try and slow him down, but the suspect was able to continue running and was last seen heading west through the mall.

A gun recovered at the scene was found to be an unloaded and inoperable BB gun, according to police.

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.

By Sarah Horbacewicz

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    COLORADO (KCNC) — One city in Colorado has entered an official drought watch as dry conditions continue this winter.

The city council shared their desire to be proactive and asked residents to voluntarily limit water use where they can as the dry conditions continue. This also comes as North Metro Fire Rescue, which services Broomfield, put a level 2 burn ban into effect on Sunday.

Now, Broomfield residents like Susanne Eck are closely watching the weather and their water use. “Everybody is just aware of how we’re in a drought right now. We haven’t had the snowfall that we’ve needed,” Eck said.

In order to conserve water and save money on a rising water bill, last year, Eck converted her front yard to a “zero-scape” design. This means that instead of grass, her yard is landscaped with rocks, mulch, and a tree or two that requires less water.

“Water is a limited resource, and with people moving into Colorado, it’s just strained the system a lot. And so we decided we do our part to try and reduce our water footprint,” Eck said, while noting her water bill has gone down by a third this year.

This dry season isn’t just impacting water use in Broomfield, but putting firefighters on high alert as North Metro Fire put a Level Two Burn Ban in place Sunday. This means no open flames outdoors, restricting any barbequing, and being vigilant about any cigarettes or other flammable materials outside.

North Metro Fire Public Information Officer Katie Converse says the dry weather is also keeping firefighters on high alert, explaining, “We’re seeing more red flag days and more level two burn bans this year because of the dryness, and we’ve upped our staffing, and we’ve sort of changed our tactics.”

Converse says they are also expecting to have a Red Flag Day later this week and want to make sure residents are taking burn bans seriously.

“Especially on these warm days as we see the wind kick up, which it’s supposed to later this week, folks need to be really careful with any sparks or flames outside, and be sure to sign up for their emergency alerts,” Converse said.

Both the drought watch and the burn ban are precautionary measures as the Broomfield community works to best prepare for dry weather and winds this winter.

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.

By Christa Swanson

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    COLORADO (KCNC) — Firefighters in Colorado have been looking for new and better ways to prepare for wildfires as the fire season has extended year-round.

The Aspen Fire Department now has a new drone strike team to help combat wildfires. The fire department reports that the five drones are autonomous and equipped with sensors that enable them to avoid obstacles. They also include heat-detection and infrared capabilities.

The drones have the same capacity as a medium-sized brush truck, capable of carrying 20 gallons of water plus 80 gallons of foam.

AFD said it has been working on the plan to procure the drones all year, and they signed the contract on Thursday. Fire Chief Jacob Andersen says they expect to receive the new drones in July, but it will take time to obtain approval for flight over federal lands.

The drones can also be controlled by a pilot. During the demo in Colorado, a pilot at a controller company in California flew the drone. Andersen says the department is already training its staff to use them.

“My priority is the safety of our community here in Aspen — our residents, our visitors, our firefighters, and the unique beauty we call home,” said Andersen. “Advances in semi-autonomous suppression and other wildfire technologies give us powerful new tools to make that happen. The best tools for what we do are built with firefighters in mind, and when they are, it shows. We welcome any innovation that helps us protect lives, property, and the landscape we’re entrusted to defend.”

The department said the drones cost between $5,000 and $6,000 each and were funded by private donors.

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.