Category: CNN Regional

By Mallory Sofastaii

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    BALTIMORE (WMAR) — A Baltimore family is fighting a water bill totaling more than $3,600 for a home where no one has lived since July.

The City says one person uses about 3 cubic feet of water per month, or roughly 2,200 gallons. The vacant Southwest Baltimore home was billed for more than 100 cubic feet or 77,000 gallons. And another 70,000 gallons the following month.

Janeen Sullivan’s family has owned the home for more than 60 years. Her aunt moved out in July due to health issues, and Sullivan has since been checking on the property and paying some of the bills, including water.

“I looked at it, I’m ready to pay it, and it was like $1,000. I’m like, she’s not living here. And then I looked at the usage and it said it was 77,000 gallons of water. I’m like, yeah, that’s a little crazy,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan questioned how that volume of water could go unnoticed at a vacant residential property.

“I think someone would have noticed that kind of water leaking out of a house on the ground down the road. I’m pretty sure the street would have been flooded, pretty sure,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan filed a billing dispute in October. The following month, another $1,700 was added to the balance. She filed another dispute in November.

“They did say they would send someone out to look at the meter, but again, that was October, and we’re in February right now,” Sullivan said.

With the total climbing past $3,600, Sullivan grew concerned the property could end up in tax sale.

“Bill keeps going up. I went online at some point and said just cut off service,” Sullivan said.

After Sullivan contacted WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii, the city scheduled a site visit. A crew arrived the next day, but they were there to address a separate leak at a neighboring property.

A few days later, the city replaced the meter. Crews found no leaks or repairs and recommended Sullivan apply for a bill adjustment. The city could not share specific details about the case, but Sullivan said she was told a running toilet may have caused the spike. She said the sheer volume of water involved should have triggered an earlier response.

Sofastaii asked the city about the process for requesting a water meter inspection. Customers should contact the Department of Public Works Customer Support and Services Division by phone at 410-396-5398, visiting their office at the Abel Wolman Municipal Building, 200 Holliday Street, First Floor, Room 8, Baltimore, MD 21202; or email dpw.billing@baltimorecity.gov. An agen can order a meter investigation if needed. DPW also says most failed meters under-register water use — not over-register it. Click here for more information.

DPW also confirmed that while a billing dispute is active, an account is not eligible for tax sale. As of 2020, a residential property cannot be included in tax sale if the only lien is an unpaid water bill. The city also offers payment plans for water bill balances of $50 or more.

Sullivan has now submitted a bill adjustment request. DPW says reviews typically take about four weeks, and decisions are sent by mail.

“If we decide to get rid of the house, it’s going to be our decision, not the city’s,” Sullivan said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WMAR 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 KTNV Staff

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    LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — “He’s going to be very much loved.”

Those were the words from the officer who welcomed the now-viral Golden doodle the newest member of his family.

We first brought you the story earlier this week when the dog was abandoned by his owner at an airline ticket counter at Harry Reid International Airport.

The dog, given the name “JetBlue,” was placed into the care of Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas, which was flooded with requests to adopt the pup once the story went public.

This comes after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department posted about the arrest of the dog’s owner for animal abandonment. According to police, the woman didn’t complete the paperwork needed to fly with her dog as an emotional support animal. After learning she wouldn’t be able to bring the dog with her, she left it tied near the ticket counter, police said.

“While that part of his story is heartbreaking, what has followed has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas stated in a recent social media post. “The outpouring of love from our community has been overwhelming in the most beautiful way.”

Ultimately, one of the officers who responded to the airport the day the dog was abandoned was chosen as his new family.

Officer Skeeter Black and his family were there outside DawgsHouseLV Saturday morning to officially welcome JetBlue to his new forever home.

“We’re just very excited to add him to our family,” Black told the audience that had gathered for the event. “We’re just very happy…. We’re going to enjoy him. He’s going to be very much loved and, yeah, we’re just excited.”

Danielle Roth with Retriever Rescue also shared that JetBlue Airlines donated $6,000 upon learning of the story, which was then doubled by an anonymous donor.

“I’m hoping this face brought so much awareness to our community of dogs that need us,” she 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 Jacob Murphy

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — Nick Gross is your everyday Marquette University sophomore student, he’s a journalism major with a minor in political science and is a member of the Marquette Knights of Columbus.

Over winter break, Gross and some students in the chapter traveled to Rome for a trip led by Father Michael Maher.

“I was expecting to see the Vatican, the Pantheon, all the major churches there,” Gross said. “The main thing I had outside everything else from the get-go was, I want to see the Pope.”

Maher has been leading trips with students to Rome for around 25 years.

“I lived in Rome for about 12 years and so it’s a great pleasure for me to share something that I love, both the city of Rome and the catholic church with students,” Maher said.

Maher spent time with Pope John Paul II while he lived in Rome and uses what he learned in the 12 years spent in the city to guide the students on the trips.

“The whole way to lead a trip successfully is you should be like a clear camera lens, you focus but you don’t get in the way,” Maher said.

With high expectations going into the trip, Maher did just that, and the students ended up in the front row at the Pope’s general audience, which was moved inside due to rain.

“Somehow we got some strings pulled and we’re able to get in there and had the tickets,” Gross said. “It was like the biggest surprise; it was like waking up to a Christmas gift on Christmas morning.”

After Pope Leo blessed the couples in attendance, he made his way down the aisle, as Gross and his classmates stood in anticipation.

“He’s coming down the aisle, it’s dramatic, my heart was racing because how many people really get to see the pope, it’s a privilege that I was able to do that,” Gross said.

The students were holding a Marquette flag and started to attempt to get the Pope’s attention.

“He was going side to side, and he didn’t have to stop by us, he did, he shook my hand and a couple other guys’ hands in the group, and he said Go Marquette and gave us a thumbs up, it was unbelievable,” Gross said.

A moment where time stopped for Gross, as he shook hands with the Pope.

“It was just, it was unreal,” Gross said. “It was absolutely unreal and it takes me back to that moment, I was just starstruck I couldn’t even believe it.”

Despite lasting just a couple seconds, it’s a memory that will last a lifetime for Gross and add to the list of memories for Father Maher.

“One of the things I would say is, what is the purpose of an education, and an education is to understand what is beautiful and acquire the skills to duplicate it,” Maher said.

It’s a moment in time that makes Gross anything but your everyday student, now with a memory of a lifetime.

“Doing all of the things that we do here on campus together and then being able to have that experience, they say you’re good friends with somebody, you’re okay friends with somebody when you know them here, but when you meet the Pope with somebody then you’re friends for life,” Gross 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 Marisa Sardonia

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    BELTON, South Carolina (WLOS) — Nearly 25 years after a South Carolina woman was shot and killed at a party in Belton, detectives have made an arrest in the case.

The shooting occurred on June 26, 2001, after what was supposed to be a small, laid-back get-together grew into a larger party, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

During the evening, investigators said three unfamiliar men arrived and got into an argument with someone at the party. When they were asked to leave, the men stopped the car in the driveway and fired at least one shot from inside the vehicle, authorities said. Authorities said the bullet traveled through a wall and hit a man in the shoulder before fatally striking Jennifer Lawson in the head.

The 29-year-old mother was described as an innocent bystander who was “at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Now, more than 24 years later, 55-year-old Andretti Mondez Goss faces multiple charges in connection with Lawson’s death, including murder.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said Lawson’s case was reopened over the past summer. Detectives re-interviewed witnesses, crossed state lines to gather more evidence and identified additional witnesses, the sheriff’s office said. This led investigators to identify Goss as one of three men involved in Lawson’s death.

Goss remains in the Anderson County Detention Center and was denied bond.

“This case is a testament to the persistence and dedication of our investigators,” Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride said. “Our Cold Case Unit is committed to giving a voice to victims who can no longer speak for themselves and to seeking justice, no matter how much time has passed.”

This case remains an active investigation. More arrests are possible, investigators 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 Alan Shope

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    KANSAS CITY (KMBC) — Community members gathered Saturday for a peace rally and fundraiser after a deadly double shooting inside a Kansas City nightclub.

“This gun violence has got to stop,” said Tamika Bowman, whose daughter, TiShauna Ballard, was one of two women killed in the shooting.

Bowman said her family is still grappling with the loss.

“People that survived the shooting, my prayers go out to them all as well,” she said. “I don’t have my baby anymore. I can’t hold her. I can’t talk to her. She can’t call me.”

Ballard and Eboni Silas were shot and killed early last Sunday morning inside Status Nightclub near 28th Street and Southwest Boulevard.

The event, called Enough Is Enough, was organized to help raise money for the victims’ families and to send a message against gun violence.

“It’s heartbreaking. It’s frustrating. It’s unnecessary,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

Pat Clarke, who works in community outreach, said the city must confront the toll violence is taking.

“I have a question: who’s next? Two babies. Two young women are gone. Is the city upset yet?” Clarke said.

Earlier this week, Kansas City officials shut down the nightclub where the shooting happened.

Police have a suspect in custody, but Johnson said the investigation depends on community cooperation.

“We cannot sit on social media and say that we’re tired of this and enough is enough if you’re not willing to offer up what you know,” Johnson said.

For Bowman, the pain remains constant.

“I just wanna hear her just say mama one more time. I just want to talk to her and I can’t,” she said.

Clarke said the ripple effects of violence extend far beyond a single moment.

“A person walks up into a nightclub and destroys families forever. What are we going to do?” he 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 Emily Pofahl

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    MILWAUKEE (WISN) — The Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision Friday that President Donald Trump did not have the authority to impose tariffs without congressional approval, declaring most of the sweeping tariffs he enacted in 2025 illegal.

Trump’s administration had argued that the tariffs were imposed using emergency powers due to trade deficits with foreign countries. The president angrily spoke out against the ruling later Friday in a news conference.

“How ridiculous is that? I’m allowed to embargo them. I’m allowed to tell them you can’t do business in the United States anymore — we want you out of here. But if I want to charge them $10, I can’t do that,” Trump told reporters.

The ruling has created more uncertainty for some American businesses, including Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee.

Russ Klisch, president of Lakefront Brewery, said the tariffs enacted by Trump early last year led to Canada stopping its purchase of their beer.

“You’re talking a couple hundred thousand dollars — four, five hundred thousand that went to Canada that we don’t have any more sales,” Klisch said.

That loss accounts for about four percent of their revenue.

Klisch calls the Supreme Court’s ruling a positive for exporters, but he doesn’t expect Canada to resume buying their beer anytime soon. Rebuilding the relationship will take time.

“They’re still upset with us. It’ll take a while,” he said.

Also on Friday, Trump announced new tariffs through a different statute.

“Today, I will sign an order to impose a 10% global tariff under section 122 over and above our normal tariffs already being charged,” Trump said.

This presents another potential challenge for Lakefront Brewery, which imports aluminum and barley.

“If that’s increased in price, you wonder if that’s going to go up or not,” Klisch said.

Across the U.S., some large companies, like Costco, have filed lawsuits demanding refunds from the federal government. However, Klisch doubts he will receive any compensation for his lost revenue.

“I’m not expecting any refund,” he said.

In response to tariffs last year, Lakefront Brewery increased product sales in other areas in 2025 to avoid laying off employees. Despite the latest news, Klisch said he is not changing anything yet and will wait to see what happens.

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 Hamilton Kahn

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    DEMING, New Mexico (KOAT) — When Kyle Eckmann, 21, was arrested on August 22, 2025, he had driven from Texas to New Mexico with a 15-year-old girl against her family’s wishes.

When he got out of the car, Eckmann said he had a gun (he did not) and threatened to shoot a New Mexico State Police officer. Once he was in custody, he told the girl not to talk, but after she was taken to a hospital she told officers that Eckmann allegedly threatened to kill her and her family if she didn’t go with him, court documents said.

After being read his rights, Eckmann told police that he’d given her his phone to text her mother, then read her mother’s text saying she should tell him to drive her home and that she was a minor.

Eckmann was charged with kidnapping in the first degree, child abuse, bribery of a witness, aggravated assault of a police officer, and aggravated fleeing from a police officer.

Fast forward to February 16 2026, after Eckmann had spent 179 days in pretrial custody and had reached a plea deal. The recommended 18-month sentence was suspended, and instead he ws given supervised probation, with counseling and therapy required, and no contact with the victim allowed.

Eckman pleaded guilty to the aggravated fleeing charge. The child abuse, witness bribery, aggravated assult of a police officer, and contributing to the delinquincy of a minor charges were dropped.

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.