Category: CNN Regional

By Jay Motiwala

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    MOUNT AIRY, North Carolina (WXII) — Volunteer rescue crews in Mount Airy braved historic flooding over the weekend, risking their lives to save others as rapidly rising waters submerged streets and cars.

“This was the most historic storm of our time since at least 1979,” said Chief Corey Scearce of the Mount Airy Rescue Squad.

Rescue personnel faced immense challenges but managed to save around a dozen people trapped in homes and vehicles.

“The water was immense, it rose very rapidly. It was very dark,” Chief Scearce said.

Chief Elijah Childers of the Pilot Mountain Rescue Squad, who led several rescues, shared details of one particularly dangerous operation.

“She was 30 feet down, sitting on her car, with water rushing,” Childers said. “Calmed her nerves, was able to get her back upstream and up to safety.”

The volunteers credited their success to the dedication of their team.

“Our team is wonderful. We are 100% volunteers here. We are the definition of community,” Chief Scearce said.

He highlighted the selflessness of the rescue crews.

“Somebody just put themself in immediate danger for them, and got paid absolutely nothing for it, except for the fact that they had an opportunity to save a life,” Chief Childers said.

Despite the overwhelming odds, the volunteers said they would do it all over again for their community.

“All of us, we are the community of Mount Airy. We are your teachers, your EMTs, your paramedics, your business owners, and we have a heart to serve our community. So we are the definition of community,” Chief Scearce said.

“It makes all those hours of training, it makes all those hours of the headaches, it makes all those hours of everything else we had to go through, completely worth it,” Chief Childers said.

The volunteers advised residents to trust their instincts and avoid driving through roads that appear too dangerous.

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 Jon Chrisos

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    PORTLAND, Maine (WMTW) — Nurses at Maine Medical Center held a protest outside the Portland hospital Wednesday morning, as they continue to call for the release of a colleague who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Maine’s Total Coverage has confirmed that Debora Kapisha, a registered nurse at Maine Medical Center, is in ICE custody. The Maine State Nurses Association said ICE agents detained Kapisha on Thursday, July 30, while she was traveling through Boston Logan International Airport.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that Kapisha was arrested by ICE on Thursday.

“Kapisha entered our country on May 14, 2024, on a visa that was set to expire on November 13, 2024. She failed to depart before this date in violation of our nation’s immigration laws. She will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of her removal proceedings. She will receive full due process,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement shared with Maine’s Total Coverage.

Kapisha works as a medical-surgical nurse at Maine Medical Center. The union said Kapisha, who is from Zambia, is legally authorized to live and work in the United States while her asylum case is pending. Maine’s Total Coverage has not independently verified details of her immigration status.

“Any pending application does not confer legal status,” the DHS spokesperson said in their statement.

The union said ICE planned to transfer Kapisha from Massachusetts to Louisiana, but said Thursday that will not be the case. Kapisha’s attorneys and union representatives are seeking her release and trying to prevent the transfer.

“Debora is an amazing nurse and takes great care of her patients,” said Abigail Nelson, a registered nurse who works with Kapisha. “She is a kind and supportive coworker. We are like a family here, and it feels like a piece of us is missing.”

The nurses are also calling on Maine Medical Center to sponsor Kapisha for permanent residency.

MaineHealth said Wednesday that it has contacted members of Maine’s congressional delegation in an effort to get more information about Kapisha’s status.

MaineHealth officials said all individuals who come to work at MaineHealth are thoroughly vetted to assure they are authorized to reside and work in the United States. MaineHealth officials said they received no notice that Kapisha was taken into custody and have been provided no information by immigration officials as to her current whereabouts or the status of her case. MaineHealth officials said they did hear from Kapisha’s attorneys and that they are providing the appropriate support as the attorneys work to secure her release.

“Needless to say, we are concerned, especially given that this individual appears to have been living and working here legally,” Britt Crewse, president of MaineHealth’s Southern Region, which includes Maine Medical Center, said in a statement.

Crewse said he is also concerned about the impact this could have on other MaineHealth care team members who happen to be immigrants.

“We take great care in making sure everyone who comes to work for us is legally authorized to do so,” Crewse said. “Nevertheless, the enforcement surge by immigration authorities has many of our care team members on edge.”

The DHS spokesperson noted that the United States is offering $2,600 to all people who are in the country illegally, as well as a free flight to self-deport.

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 Alexis Mathews

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — Grand Master Khalid A. Raheem and his daughter, Ashanti, are hosting a back-to-school supply drive at his martial arts academy in Louisville’s Russell neighborhood to help families during challenging times.

Raheem said the event reflects the values of martial arts, emphasizing lessons that extend beyond the mat. The father-daughter duo are both black belts, but this generosity showcases their hearts of gold.

“She said, ‘Dad let’s just do a mother give-away, something for new mom.’ So, we collected Pampers, wipes, baby food, breast pumps — you need it,” Raheem said.

In addition to items for new mothers, the pair is giving away school uniforms, pencils, notebooks, scissors, and other supplies.

In today’s economy, these items are expensive, and many families are feeling the strain of school supply costs.

“The list keeps getting longer and longer. We’re talking about shoes, outfits, backpacks,” said Kaiya LeBlanc, a Louisville parent.

According to the National Retail Federation, back-to-school shopping will cost parents an average of $146 per child, excluding the rising costs of school lunch essentials.

To help lift that burden, Richard Wilson is sponsoring the outreach effort.

“I feel it’s very important that people come together and help these kids break down barriers that are stopping them from getting their education,” Wilson said.

In challenging times, the community shows up, including meeting kids’ greatest school needs that don’t fit inside a backpack.

“We care about your mental, getting your mental right, making sure that you feel seen and that you’re able to unleash your inner beauty,” said LeBlanc.

Kaiya LeBlanc, a salon owner, highlights the importance of confidence, knowing that when you look good, you feel good.

She said, more importantly, events like this set a foundation for children, including her 6-year-old daughter, to also do good in this world.

“I think it’s very important to let them know that they’re being supported throughout this journey,” said LeBlanc.

There’s also an encouraging message for parents who may be feeling overwhelmed.

“Don’t give up. God is in control, and there’s still hope for tomorrow,” said Wilson.

If you need supplies or would like to donate to the supply drive, stop by the Arabian Knights Martial Arts Academy at 2001 W. Broadway, Suite 7.

GM Khalid Raheem can also be reached at 330-303-8170.

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 Nicholas Brooks

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    JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — Jackson police are investigating after a woman was found hanging from a tree Monday night in the backyard of an apparently vacant home along Road of Remembrance.

Officers responded to the 500 block of Road of Remembrance around 7:30 p.m., according to the Jackson Police Department.

Police have not released the woman’s identity, and the cause of death has not been determined.

The discovery has left neighbors shocked and disturbed.

Violet Wilson, who lives in the neighborhood, said she was heartbroken after learning a woman had been found dead in a backyard.

“It was heartbreaking,” Wilson said. “One, because they said she was found in a backyard not alive. God did not put us here to be done that way.”

Wilson said the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death were especially disturbing.

“It is unnatural in this lifetime. You don’t see things like that,” Wilson said.

Darian Johnson, another homeowner in the neighborhood, said the discovery has shaken the area, which he described as quiet and home to many older residents.

“It’s quiet. Older people live over here,” Johnson said. “So just to hear that happen, it got shook. Basically, it got the whole neighborhood shook because we never had that problem.”

Johnson said the incident has even caused some residents to reconsider whether they should remain in the neighborhood.

“It put me in a whole other stage like, man, should we still stay here or should we leave,” Johnson said.

The Hinds County coroner said the cause of death has not been determined and the woman’s body was sent to the state medical examiner’s office for further examination.

The coroner also confirmed to 16 WAPT News that a photograph showing the woman appears to have been taken at the scene.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Jackson Police Department.

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 Beth Carlson

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    LEAWOOD, Oklahoma (KMBC) — A Kansas City-based non-profit rescued five severely malnourished greyhounds from Oklahoma over the weekend, arriving Sunday in Leawood to begin rehabilitation.

Kansas City Retired Greyhounds as Pets (REGAP) received notice that several dozen greyhounds were living in deplorable conditions and drove five hours to help rescue the dogs.

President Julie Morrison said it was one of the worst situations she’s seen in her years of rescuing the dogs, as they were neglected for an unknown amount of time, after rescuers believe they were in a breeding operation.

“This time was one of the most difficult for sure. It’s incredibly heartbreaking. Especially the dogs that did not survive; that was even after we got them. We still lost five dogs after that. And that was really, really hard,” Morrison said.

Several rescue groups gave the dogs immediate medical care before five began the journey back to their new home in Kansas City.

Sunday, volunteers began the long process to help the dogs recover from ticks, fleas, malnourishment, anemia, skin infections, and several other minor injuries.

“We got to the ER, and their glucose would not stay stable,” Morrison said. “So, their blood sugar just was not able to be maintained. That was the biggest concern. And that’s what we needed to stabilize right at the beginning.”

Each dog received small portions of food to slowly introduce their diets and received baths. Despite their traumatic experiences in Oklahoma, the dogs were more than happy to receive love from the Kansas City volunteers.

“They’re walking and kissing us, and being a dog with severe anemia, it’s just remarkable,” Morrison said.

The dogs will stay at a Leawood boarding shelter while they prepare to find foster families for the five greyhounds. Each one has been given a name, based on the characters in Ted Lasso, a popular sitcom with a soccer team nicknamed ‘the greyhounds.’

Morrison said despite the extreme challenges they’ve been through, the dogs have been incredibly resilient.

“We’re going to be focusing on nutrition, focusing on human love and attention, getting into the vet to begin the process of getting to where we can do spay and neuter eventually. But it’s going to take some time,” Morrison said.

KC REGAP is now looking for more volunteers and donations to help support the greyhounds as they adjust to their forever homes.

“I don’t think there’s another breed that could go through what these dogs go through and come out on the other side like they do,” Morrison said.

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 Melissa Blasius

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    PHOENIX (KNXV) — A Homeland Security Task Force announced the outcome of a two-year investigation in Arizona to stop cross-border firearms trafficking, including five indictments and the seizure of guns and ammunition.

The main case involves 21 defendants, including Fernando Daniel Castro, 24, of Phoenix, and alleged co-conspirators. Castro is accused of recruiting and paying others to act as straw purchasers, who go through legal channels to buy guns with the intent to illegally transfer them to someone else.

Several defendants in the case made repeated purchases of multiple firearms at different gun stores in the Valley, according to the indictment.

Federal agents allege Castro sold some of the firearms knowing, or having reason to believe, they would be smuggled out of the country.

Homeland Security agents say they seized 100 weapons and more than 125,000 rounds of ammunition in Arizona as part of this case. They said they made arrests in both the U.S. and Mexico.

“Every single illegal firearm and round taken off the street today represents potential lives saved,” said Jason T. Stevens, the special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Arizona.

The investigation involved multiple federal agencies and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.

“We know criminal organizations in Mexico are well-funded, and their tentacles are stretched into our communities,” said A.J. Gibes, the special agent in charge of the ATF Phoenix Division. “It takes a network to defeat a network.”

The task force Investigation that led to the Castro indictment grew out of four earlier federal cases involving seven other defendants.

In one prior case, a man, trying to cross into Mexico, was stopped at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales in February 2025. The criminal complaint said he was transporting 42 AK-47-style rifles and 42 ammunition magazines in his van.

Several of the defendants have already pleaded guilty in their cases.

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By Ford Hatchett

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    PHOENIX (KNXV) — Marc Johnson had been in and out of homelessness for 40 years.

A chance encounter with an ABC15 news story in 2024 changed everything.

Now 65, Johnson said he was sleeping on cardboard outside in South Phoenix but stopped at a family member’s home to shower one day in 2024 when he caught a story on ABC15 about Entryway, a non-profit that partners with apartment complexes and multi-family housing providers to help those in need get jobs and discounted housing.

“Trying to get something to eat, get some rest and get out of the elements and I was just watching the news ABC15,” Johnson said.

The story inspired him to call Entryway. He worked with Entryway Executive Director Mandy Porter-Griffith, who helped him find shelter and workforce trainings. Soon after, Johnson landed a job with PB Bell at a Phoenix apartment complex, testing pool chemicals, handling maintenance concerns and learning skills he never had before.

“I didn’t know anything about air conditioners, dishwashers, none of this stuff. Now I can take a sink out, I can do all this stuff now,” Johnson said.

His health tracker shows he walks 13 miles a day on the job. The work has paid off. Johnson now has his own car and his own furnished place, celebrating 16 months of having his own apartment.

He’s still training and hoping to earn a promotion to leasing agent. But more than anything, he wants his story to give others hope.

“I kept on pushing and having faith. Now I just want to be obedient and help other people and give them hope,” Johnson said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KNXV verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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 Drayton Charlton-Perrin, Tayjon Bumphus

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    CLINTON, Kentucky (WPSD) — A California initiative is forcing farms across the country to either make drastic changes to their practices or forgo selling pork products to the Golden State.

The Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, or “Proposition 12” in California, sets minimum space rules for farm animals and bans the sale of animal products that do not meet these standards.

“[The initiative] affected the industry across the whole country,” said Michael Williford, owner of Williford Farms. “It raised prices a little bit for consumers. Everybody’s a little bit worried how far it’s going to reach.”

Under the rule, breeding pigs must have at least 24 square feet of room between them and another pig. Williford said this would mean big cutbacks on the litter size.

“We have a 4,800 head site,” Williford said. “It would probably cut it down to about 2,000, so it would have dramatic impacts.”

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman has long criticized the initiative and spoke out at the 146th St. Jerome Fancy Farm Picnic.

“They’re telling Kentucky farmers how to raise their hogs,” Coleman said. “Hogs that become this delicious Kentucky pork. Friends, that stinks.”

California consumes 13-15% of all domestic pork products in the country while only producing less than 0.1%, according to the National Pork Producers Council.

Rittenberry Farms in Burna, Kentucky, has officially been Proposition 12 certified. Owner Joey Rittenberry said the majority of farms couldn’t afford to raise hogs the way his farm does.

“I raise pigs outside on dirt,” Rittenberry said. “We don’t use crates; we don’t use any kind of confinement. It’s just a different way to raise pork, and it doesn’t work for everybody.”

Rittenberry said the main reason it can’t work for the majority of farmers is the extra land and manpower needed to keep the same production volume.

“It takes a lot more land, and a lot more labor,” Rittenberry said. “Labor is very difficult to come by right now.”

Williford believes the space requirements for the pigs go against their own nature. He said the veterinarians who check on his animals say the hogs are very healthy.

“Pigs are very social animals; they want to be with their herd,” Williford said. “They want to be close to their buddies, and if they can’t do that, then it’s not real healthy for them.”

Proposition 12 also requires a third-party auditor, which Williford said would add to the financial stress on smaller farms.

“To be audited by a third-party auditor in order to be in compliance and sell to California, the cost of having that done would all just be astronomical,” Williford said.

KPP reports the pork industry has an economic impact of more than $640 million in gross domestic product in the commonwealth and supports almost 9,000 jobs statewide.

Currently, a federal bill called the “Save Our Bacon Act” is finding support from many pork producers and hog farmers across the country. This bill would prevent states from making their own regulations, like in California’s Proposition 12.

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 Penelope Lopez

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    FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina (WTVD) — Five years after her disappearance, the case of Laniyah Whitted, a Fayetteville teenager reported missing in 2021, has reached a breakthrough with the discovery of her remains and an arrest in her murder.

On Thursday, Cumberland County sheriff’s deputies recovered human remains in a wooded area of Fayetteville. Authorities later confirmed the remains belonged to Whitted, who was 17 when she was last seen in November 2021.

Kabron Thaggard, 22, appeared in Cumberland County Detention Center court Tuesday afternoon.

Thaggard is being charged with first-degree murder and concealing a body.

He was already in custody for separate armed robbery charges.

Thaggard entered the courtroom with little expression, even glancing over at Whitted’s family, who sat in the front row visibly emotional.

Prosecutors said Thaggard and Whitted, who were dating, had a domestic dispute on Nov. 19, 2021.

“She was shot in the head as a result of that domestic dispute,” said Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West.

Whitted’s family last saw her when they dropped her off at Cape Fear High School on Nov. 16, 2021. She was reported missing a week later on Novemeber 23rd.

“She had goals that she wanted to meet, and it was taken within a split second. Over what, we don’t know why,” said her aunt, Ashley Whitted.

The family endured years of uncertainty and heartbreak.

Ashley Whitted recounted the moment authorities confirmed the remains were Laniyah’s.

“They identified Laniyah with her dental work from the remains that was left out in the grave.”

Reflecting on the loss, Ashley Whitted said, “What could we have did to save it? But we don’t have that anymore. We don’t have the option. And he didn’t give us a choice. Selfish, but she’ll be always forever serving. So, yeah, that’s my baby.”

The family searched tirelessly, including on Laniyah’s birthday, March 8, near Deep Creek Road.

In June, after new evidence surfaced, deputies searched the woods and Cape Fear River but found nothing.

Last Friday, Chopper 11 captured video of human remains being found in a wooded area where the family had searched months earlier.

“If we would have went to the left and walked over to the right, we might have discovered her that day. But we went to the right. So, you know, I just think that was with us just shielding us,” Ashley Whitted said.

Nicole Walton, another aunt, recalled: “We had the search party and we walked down the street, you know? Well, you know, trying to find something.”

Ashley Whitted said she wants Laniyah to be remembered for who she was. “She’s forever my 17. Yeah. And that’s how we look at it, full of energy.”

Five years have passed since Whitted disappeared, but the pain remains for her family.

Thaggard is being held without bond.

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.