Category: CNN Regional

By Malcolm Shields

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    BUNNELL, Florida (WPBF) — The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday evening that one of its deputies was involved in a crash with an electric scooter operated by a 15-year-old teenager in the city of Bunnell.

According to the sheriff’s office, the deputy was driving through an intersection Wednesday afternoon when the operator of the scooter “ran a stop sign and collided with the patrol vehicle.”

The sheriff’s office said the deputy had the right of way and was traveling about 19 mph.

The sheriff’s office said the teenager was evaluated by Flagler County Fire Rescue and was not seriously hurt.

The dash camera video from the deputy’s patrol vehicle appears to show the teenager fall backwards off the scooter before the scooter collided with the patrol vehicle.

The video shows an attempt to shift the patrol vehicle away from the scooter moments before impact.

“Parents, please take a few minutes to talk with your kids about riding safely,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement on Facebook. “These devices are fun, but they share the road with cars, trucks, and deputies. Let’s all do our part to keep our riders safe.”

The sheriff’s office said the Bunnell Police Department is investigating the collision.

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 Hogan

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    ORANGE COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — A man who sued an Orange County airboat company last month claimed negligence led to him being bitten on the face by an alligator.

Edil Kasenov, of Broward County, filed the lawsuit May 20 against Airboat Rides at Midway, which advertises daily airboat rides on the St. Johns River east of Christmas.

The Airboat Rides at Midway website further states it offers an “Alligator Encounter where you can hold an alligator and take pictures” for free at the end of an airboat tour.

Kasenov’s lawsuit demands $50,000, pointing to an incident on June 9, 2025, during which — as a business invitee to the property — he claims to have been bitten in the face by an alligator that was handed to him by an employee, resulting in serious injuries, during one of these free alligator encounters.

“As a result of the Defendant’s failure to properly train and/or supervise (its) employees in a safe and reasonable manner, and/or warn the Plaintiff of the dangerous and hazardous condition, the Plaintiff suffered serious injuries,” the lawsuit states, going on to claim Kasenov was never warned “of the alligator’s vicious nature.”

WESH 2 News has reached out to the airboat company for comment.

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 Jamy Pombo Sesselman

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    HOPKINTON, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A Hopkinton, Massachusetts, man was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly held a man who walks with crutches under water during an altercation over the use of a residents-only lake Wednesday, police said.

Steven Dana, 70, got into a fight with a 21-year-old man at Sandy Beach on Lakeshore Drive just before 7 p.m. after he confronted the victim about his use of Lake Maspenock.

The only boat ramp to the lake, which straddles Hopkinton and Milford, is on Lakeshore Drive, and use of the ramp is limited to Hopkinton residents from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, police said.

Police reviewed video footage that showed Dana slapping the victim across the face before they ended up in a struggle in the water, at which point Dana forcefully held the victim under the water, officials said. Bystanders then pulled Dana off the man.

“This is an incident of senseless violence that could have had tragic results, and we treat matters like this with the utmost seriousness,” Deputy Police Chief Scott van Raalten said. “The Hopkinton Police Department asks that residents contact the proper authorities to investigate incidents that involve the enforcement of the town’s bylaws rather than taking matters into their own hands.”

Dana and the alleged victim declined medical treatment.

Officials learned that the 21-year-old had been involved in an accident a few months prior that caused severe injuries and that he was walking on crutches.

Dana was charged with an attempt to murder, two counts of strangulation/suffocation, and assault and battery on a disabled person and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

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 Russ Reed

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    KITTERY, Maine (WMTW) — A New Hampshire man has been arrested for the murder of a Maine woman who was found dead inside her Kittery home more than 30 years ago.

Daniel Jolly, 59, of Portsmouth, was arrested shortly before 6:15 a.m. Thursday on a warrant charging him with murder in connection with the 1993 killing of 73-year-old Maxine Bitomski, according to the Maine State Police.

Bitomski’s body was found on Jan. 16, 1993, by Kittery police officers who responded to her Colonial Road home. An autopsy was conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner the following day. The cause of Bitomski’s death remains withheld pending the unsealing of court documents, but the medical examiner ruled her death a homicide.

Detectives from the Kittery Police Department and Maine State Police continued to work the case over the next three decades and determined that Jolly knew Bitomski through his employment with Medical Market, a Portsmouth-based medical supply company that provided oxygen equipment and services to Bitomski prior to her death.

Beginning in 2021, the case was re-examined by the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit – South. Detectives continued to pursue leads, review evidence and utilize advances in DNA testing, which ultimately led to Jolly’s arrest.

“This arrest reflects the determination and commitment of investigators who never stopped working this case,” said Maine State Police Lt. Tom Pickering, who oversees the agency’s Major Crimes Unit – Unsolved. “The work completed by current and retired Maine State Police detectives, members of the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory and the Kittery Police Department over the past 33 years was instrumental in bringing this case to this point.”

Jolly was transported to the Rockingham County Jail in Brentwood, New Hampshire, where he will remain held pending extradition proceedings.

The investigation into Bitomski’s death remains ongoing. State police are asking anyone who has information related to the case to call Major Crimes Unit Sgt. Justin Huntley at 207-624-7076, ext. 9.

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 Caitlin Ashbaugh

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    HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WYFF) — The jury in a horrific wall collapse from 2021 has decided a record-setting, multi-million-dollar verdict for the state of North Carolina, bringing a yearslong dispute and six weeks of trial to a close.

$101 million will go to two of the four workers involved and one of their wives. Hajoca Corporation, the defendant and site of the incident, opted for a confidential settlement.

Hajoca provided the following statement to WYFF News 4:

“Hajoca disagrees with, but respects the jury’s verdict in this case. Rather than endure a lengthy appellate process, we were able to settle the case after verdict, and the terms of that settlement are confidential. Hajoca is pleased to conclude this matter after more than five years of ongoing litigation, and looks forward to continuing to serve its customers and the community of Hendersonville.”

The remaining workers settled cases before the trial began.

A 54-page complaint describes the moment a 12-foot retaining wall toppled over in 2021, burying four construction workers under tons of dirt and construction materials. The crush killed one man, a brick mason, and for hours the survivors were stuck and waiting for rescue.

Three of the workers survived with excruciating injuries, revealed in X-rays provided to WYFF News 4.

“As you can imagine, it is one of the most difficult things for them to talk about. He was conscious. He was slammed face down into the pavement. He was broken,” Attorney John McCabe said. “They define themselves by their work and by their family. And just were very committed. The voids in their lives are huge. When that wall fell, it shattered their bodies, and it shattered their lives. Their lives will never, ever be the same.”

Court documents claim the original wall was damaged in a storm months before, and this was an attempt to rebuild the structure. The complaint accuses Hajoca Corporation of negligent practices, including a lack of required permitting.

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By Clay LePard

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    AUSTINBURG, Ohio (WEWS) — Inside the garage of Shawn Shannon’s home, a team of volunteers operates like an assembly line, building a massive display for America’s 250th anniversary.

The display, dubbed “Project Postcard,” consists of drawings made by kids at Jefferson Area Local Schools, St. John School, Grand River Academy and SPIRE Academy, as well as from area churches.

“We used the theme of where would you like to go in America for your vacation or around the world — and draw your picture of where you want to go,” Shannon said.

Shawn Shannon remembers watching an enormous flag fly over Geneva Elementary during the Bicentennial in 1976.

“I believe it was 35 feet high and 90 feet long, and all the kids, they sewed the stars, and they sewed the stripes,” Shannon said. “This was really the thought that started all this.”

That memory inspired Shannon to dream big for America 250, an idea that is now inching closer to the same size as that bicentennial flag.

“We’re probably going to have 1,000 or better posters, and these are all going to go up,” Shannon said. “We have kids in kindergarten, preschool, all the way to high school. My guess is we’re going to be 20 feet up this way. So you’re looking 20 feet by 150 feet, so it could be very massive.”

For Shannon, an Army veteran and longtime history teacher, the project is personal.

“I get nostalgic when it comes to history, so this is right up my wheelhouse,” Shannon said. “We’re just trying to give America a little bit of love, make our community a little bit better at a time where community is fighting and a lot of things [are] going on in our world — here’s one day we put all of it away and celebrate together.”

The completed postcard display can be seen at two upcoming events.

The first is this Friday at Austinburg Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. as part of the annual Nickel Day Carnival.

The second is on the Fourth of July in downtown Jefferson as part of Ashtabula County’s America 250 celebration.

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 Sanderson

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    NORWOOD, Ohio (WLWT) — The Norwood Skyline community is rallying around the family of a waitress who was stabbed to death at work Tuesday.

27-year-old Alyssa Hill was working during the lunch rush on Tuesday when her ex-boyfriend, Rick Wright, entered the restaurant and stabbed her.

Hill later died at the hospital.

Wright has been charged with murder and is being held without bond.

Countless messages online described Hill, a mother of two, as a hardworking, devoted mother who loved everyone she knew unconditionally.

Many people have come to the Skyline on Montgomery Road, laying flowers outside the place where Alyssa worked.

Skyline Chili posted to social media Thursday as the Norwood store reopened, sharing it’s devastated by the loss of Hill, a longtime server at the restaurant.

To support Hill’s family, Skyline said it will be donating 20 percent of the restaurant’s sales for the week of June 8 – 15 to an established fund that will directly benefit her two children.

Skyline says it has contributed $25,000 to this fund and its partners at Coca-Cola Consolidated have also contributed $25,000.

A GoFundMe has also been set up by family to help cover funeral expenses and provide support for Hill’s two children.

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By Metia Carroll

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    NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — Actor Shia LaBeouf has pleaded guilty to a Mardi Gras Day incident in New Orleans.

On Wednesday, LaBeouf pleaded guilty to 3 misdemeanor counts of simple battery.

As part of that plea, he will be on probation and take anger management classes.

“The DA’s investigation proved exactly what Shia LaBeouf said from the beginning: this was nothing more than a Mardi Gras bar tussle. He came to court wanting to take accountability, and he has done so,” said LaBeouf’s attorney, Sarah Chervinsky.

Investigators say he was reportedly causing a disturbance and becoming increasingly aggressive at a Royal Street business.

A staff member attempted to remove Mr. LaBeouf from the establishment. Once removed from the building, NOPD says the victim told police LaBeouf punched him several times.

Detectives say LaBeouf then reportedly assaulted another person, punching him in the nose.

He will receive no jail time, and any allegations of a hate crime have been dismissed.

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By DeAndria Turner

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — Volunteers planted fruits and vegetables on Wednesday in Louisville’s Smoketown neighborhood at a site tied to Muhammad Ali’s early life, marking the 10th anniversary of the boxing legend’s death with service projects across the city.

The garden sits at the former Presbyterian Community Center, one of the first gyms where Ali trained. Now part of the Smoketown Family Wellness Center, the space is being used to help address food insecurity in a neighborhood leaders describe as a food desert.

“We are located in the old Presbyterian Community Center, which housed one of the first gyms that Muhammad Ali trained in,” Charlotte Gay Stites said. “So to be a part of this Day of Compassion, and to uphold his beliefs and core values, is a big part of who we are.”

Stites said access to healthy food remains a challenge in Smoketown, making the garden especially meaningful.

“In some neighborhoods, particularly like Smoketown, we’re in a food desert,” she said. “Getting healthy foods is very difficult and challenging.”

Volunteer Vincent Zialen said spending a few hours helping was a simple way to honor Ali’s legacy.

“If we can get out here for two hours to kind of give back in that little sense, and kind of follow that same path and honor his legacy, it’s the very least we can do,” he said.

The gardening effort was one of more than 30 service projects organized for Ali’s annual Day of Compassion. More than 1,000 volunteers worked with nonprofit groups across Louisville, including at Feed Louisville, where volunteers, among them Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, packed food and supplies for people in need.

Garret McCorkle said the idea grew out of conversations about how best to remember Ali a decade after his death.

“It came about with me and a few colleagues going to Mrs. Ali and asking how she envisioned the 10th anniversary of Muhammad’s passing,” McCorkle said. “True to Muhammad and true to Mrs. Ali, they said they would love to see the city of Louisville giving back.”

Organizers said the goal was to reflect the spirit that filled Louisville after Ali’s death and to channel it into action.

Ten years later, the city is honoring its hometown champion not just with remembrance, but with service.

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.