5-year-old boy dies from injuries suffered by falling tree in Kansas City, Missouri

CNN Newsource on June 2, 2026

By Dre Bradley

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KSHB) — The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department said a 5-year-old boy died Saturday after being struck by a falling tree on Wednesday, May 27.

The child was pronounced dead at 3:03 p.m. Saturday after being removed from life support, KCPD said.

Kansas City, Missouri, police are now treating this incident as a death investigation.

We reached out to the family of the 5-year-old boy — they said they just want privacy and prayers at this point.

We also reached out to Kansas City Parks & Recreation, which owns the area. The department did not provide a statement and directed us to contact KCPD.

On May 27, shortly after 10 a.m., KCFD was notified about a person struck by a falling tree near NW 68th Street and NW Waukomis Drive.

Upon arrival, fire crews determined that a large tree had fallen on a child.

KCPD said the tree fell on the boy as he was playing in a creek.

Gerald Kutz, a Northland resident who visits Line Creek Trail every week, says the news is devastating.

“I’m very sad for the family and sad that this happened,” Kutz said.

Kutz says the trail is a popular destination for families.

“I know this is a great trail for families to come down and use the creek,” Kutz said. “Such a rare occurrence for something like that to happen.”

He also says falling trees are not an uncommon sight along the trail.

“Well, I’ve ridden the trail enough to know that trees frequently fall,” Kutz said.

Oscar Velasquez, who also rides his bike on the trail, says he has seen branches and trees on the ground there before.

In an interview in his native Spanish, he also said he feels very sorry for the family.

“It hurts me a lot that this happened. I am very sorry for the family members,” Velasquez 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.

Philadelphia man among over 35,000 former federal workers waiting for full retirement benefits

CNN Newsource on June 2, 2026

By Liz Crawford

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — The fact is, the federal workforce is smaller than it was two years ago. Since January 2025, more than 275,000 federal workers have been eliminated, and one reason for that was incentives from the Trump administration.

Now, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is experiencing a historic surge in retirement applications, and more than 35,000 former government employees are currently waiting for their full retirement benefits.

Darryl Woodson, 65, worked for the federal government for nearly half a century. After the many cuts to the workforce last year, he decided to enroll in the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), which paid him three months’ salary before his retirement benefits were supposed to kick in. He says that hasn’t happened yet and he’s out of money.

Woodson’s story starts in 1979 when he was 18 years old, and his mother, who had taught him how to sew, made him take the government job.

“I would sit at the sewing machine, and I would make clothes for the Marines, for the Coast Guard, for the Air Force,” Woodson said.

He said he made $5.26 per hour but kept getting promotion after promotion. Eight agencies and 46 years later, Woodson last worked at the Department of Housing and Urban Development based in Philadelphia.

In 2025, when the Trump administration proposed big cuts to all federal agencies, Woodson said he consulted his HR staff, who estimated he would receive more than $9,000 per month in retirement. He decided it was time.

“I love my job. I miss my job, but I had to leave because if I didn’t leave, there was a concern that my job may be abolished,” Woodson said.

He said after getting his full salary as expected, he was eligible to receive his monthly retirement benefit starting in October 2025, but he went months without anything until he says his retirement application was approved. Then he started receiving about $1,000 per month this past March.

“The savings have been exhausted. I’m relying on my good friends. I went from six figures to basically $1,000 a month,” Woodson said.

The Office of Personnel Management is the federal government’s human resources agency and oversees the retirement payments for federal workers. Woodson said he’s been trying to talk with someone at OPM for nine months but can’t get anyone on the phone or via email. Now, he sends a letter every day.

OPM’s website says it’s experiencing a historic surge of retirements, all while its own department lost 25% of its employees to the same incentives. Woodson said he understands the backlog, but he needs answers.

According to the OPM website, most retirees should have their full retirement payments within 60 days, but high volume means it’s taking longer. In the meantime, the agency issues “interim pay” usually within 30 days while they catch up on processing. Interim pay should be about 80% of one’s full retirement benefit.

OPM says 38,547 people are still waiting for their full retirement benefits and a lot of the issues with the retirement system predate the current administration.

After CBS News Philadelphia reached out to OPM, a spokesperson confirmed they are working on getting Woodson all the money he’s owed.

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.

Knicks’ run to the NBA Finals is the talk of New York City: “It’s about damn time”

CNN Newsource on June 2, 2026

By Allen Devlin

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    NEW YORK CITY, New York (WCBS) — The Knicks right now are the beating heart of New York City.

There’s an undeniable buzz throughout the five boroughs, a fever that hasn’t been present since 1999, the last time they made it to the NBA Finals.

“It sounds like we love our city, we love where were from. It’s about damn time,” resident Jev Vaughn said.

“It’s the best thing the city’s done since 1999,” Miguel Guzman said.

And while the franchise’s first championship in 53 years is hardly a foregone conclusion, there’s no doubt these Knicks not only have the respect of their opponents, the San Antonio Spurs, but also the support of the vast majority of the Big Apple’s 8.5 million residents heading into Game 1 on the road on Wednesday night.

Look no further than the MTA stations outside of Madison Square Garden. The iconic green lights have been replaced with basketballs, and the railings have been painted Knicks orange and blue.

“I think it’s awesome. It’s a really cute touch. I think it puts us in the basketball spirit,” Riddhi Bhattacharya said.

Pizza and Knicks basketball rule Carroll Gardens

Then there’s Prince Street Pizza in Carroll Gardens, Queens, which has been electrifying the block with outdoor watch parties during the playoffs. A popular eatery by day then transforms as the sidewalk becomes the center of the show on game nights.

“It was a beautiful thing because it just kind of happened organically,” former owner Dominic Morano said. “We’re gonna be out here every night. We’re gonna be parked right here. I’m gonna have the TV out. We’re gonna have chairs. We’re gonna close it off. We’re gonna have pizza. We’re gonna have a good time.”

And Wing Bar right next door will be carrying the alcohol portion of the party for the playoff participants.

“We have a backyard of like 200 people, to people all the way out standing in the street. We can’t do anything about it, but they’re all out there,” one employee said.

Bedtime officially canceled

Over at City Hall, Mayor Zohran Mamdani got into the spirit Monday by signing an executive order canceling bedtime for New York City’s youngest Knicks fans.

“All right, my friends, executive order is signed, bedtime is repealed. All of you can watch the Finals,” the mayor said to screams of joy.

Kids surveyed in the Woodlawn section of the Bronx couldn’t have been happier.

“I’m so excited. Wemby got nothing on us. Let’s go Knicks!” one said, referring to Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.

“I think it’s epic. I am going to stay up all night!” another said.

Jalen Brunson mural lights up East Williamsburg

And from the mayor’s house, we went to Morgan District Walls in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where a fresh mural of Knicks superstar point guard Jalen Brunson is now watching over the neighborhood.

“Man, it was amazing. We had maybe like eight or nine 7-8-year-olds. We had really small like 6-year-olds and we all gave them paintbrushes and stuff,” artist Nahabi Roman said.

All of it finalized just in time for the Finals.

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.

FBI offers $10,000 reward as manhunt continues for escaped federal inmate in Georgia

CNN Newsource on June 2, 2026

By Dan Raby

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    ATLANTA, Georgia (WUPA) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of up to $10,000 in the hopes that it will help authorities catch an inmate who has been on the run for days after escaping from a federal prison camp in Georgia.

Authorities are searching for 34-year-old Arthur Cofield, an Atlanta man who was serving an 11-year and three-month prison sentence for leading an $11 million fraud scheme while in custody.

The FBI says Cofield was discovered missing from the minimum-security camp next to the Federal Corrections Institution in Jessup on the afternoon of May 26.

The escapee is considered armed and dangerous and has ties to the metro Atlanta area.

Cofield is described as approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing approximately 210 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Investigators have not shared a description of what he may be wearing.

If you have any information about Cofield’s location, call the FBI’s Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-225-5324,or call the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-877-926-8332.

Inmate convicted of multi-million-dollar fraud scheme

Cofield was serving a prison sentence for armed robbery in Butts County and faced an attempted murder charge in Fulton County when federal prosecutors announced new charges in 2020.

Authorities say Cofield used a contraband cellphone to steal the identity and get into an online account of a Charles Schwab client, who was identified only as “S.K.” He then allegedly impersonated S.K. to contact Charles Schwab to open a checking account in their name, getting a co-conspirator to send him a picture of S.K.’s driver’s license and a Los Angeles utility bill as verification.

Now with access to the accounts, prosecutors say Cofield and a female co-conspirator reached out to an Idaho precious metal dealer, eventually leading Charles Schwab to wire $11 million from S.K.’s funds to the dealer to buy 6,106 American Gold Eagle coins. He then allegedly hired a private security company to transport the coins from Idaho to Atlanta, where investigators say a co-conspirator used them to arrange the purchase of a massive home near West Paces Ferry.

Cofield was found guilty to identity theft and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud and sentenced in 2024. As part of the sentencing, he was ordered to pay restitution to the victim.

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.

Boston drag queen Jujubee has lead role in RuPaul’s upcoming movie “Stop! That! Train!”

CNN Newsource on June 2, 2026

By Courtney Cole

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — This summer, a Boston-based performer will hit the big screen in a movie that’s bound to make you laugh. Jujubee is one of the leads in “Stop! That! Train!” starring RuPaul. The cast is made up of famous queens like Latrice Royale, Symone, and more.

Jujubee is a four-time competitor on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

“RuPaul is a great human, a great businessman, a fabulous drag queen, and builds the best kinds of worlds for not just the queer audience, but everybody out there,” Jujubee said.

Behind the drag makeup and persona of Jujubee is Airline Inthyrath, a musician and performer who grew up in Lowell. They explained that “Lowell is a really loving place and very accepting. And I always felt like I was at home there.”

Airline first dressed in drag during a Halloween party and it changed his life.

“I thought that it was the coolest thing ever, and I finally felt beautiful for the first time.”

Now, he’s thrilled to take on the challenge of acting.

“It’s a very interesting layer for me. So I’m Airline dressed up as Juju, and then Juju’s acting as whatever character that I’m given. So in ‘Stop! That! Train!,’ it’s Airline playing Juju, playing Dee Dee,” Airline said.

It took just 19 days to film the movie, and Airline explained that it is just one big satire.

“So if you can imagine ‘Airplane,’ but it’s on a train and there’s drag queens. You’re gonna find that your favorite drag queens aren’t just great drag performers or makeup artists. You’re gonna see us actually dig in and act. We’re not just queens. We’re actors. So for people in towns that may have never experienced drag queens, what I want them to take away from this is that queer art is so important and visibility matters so much because I want that person in small town USA to see me and say to themselves, If Juju can do this, so can I,” Airline said.

“Stop! That! Train!” hits theaters nationwide on June 12th.

Airline is also preparing to release an EP of original music called “Mess For You,” and he’ll be in a “Wicked” parody in Provincetown in July.

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.

Houston Chronicle Endorses James Talarico for U.S. Senate: A Democracy-Supportive Call for Texas to Choose Service Over Scandal

CNN Newsource on June 1, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

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    June 1, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — HOUSTON — In a Texas political season already hotter than a July sidewalk and louder than a Friday night stadium, the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board has made its choice for U.S. Senate — and its message is as clear as a church bell on Sunday morning: Texas needs servant leadership, not self-serving spectacle.

The Chronicle endorsed James Talarico for U.S. Senate, framing the contest as a defining choice between integrity and chaos, public service and political self-preservation, democratic responsibility and partisan performance. In its endorsement, the editorial board presented Talarico as a leader focused on coalition-building, education, accountability, working families, and the moral courage required to govern a state as powerful and diverse as Texas.

For Houston Style Magazine readers, this endorsement is more than another campaign headline. It is a civic alarm clock. It reminds Texans that elections are not entertainment, public office is not a personal shield, and the U.S. Senate is no place for leaders who treat government like a courtroom escape hatch or a cable-news audition.

Talarico, a former public school teacher, Presbyterian seminarian, and Texas state representative, has built a political identity around decency, faith-informed service, and practical reform. That matters in a moment when many Texans are exhausted by political shouting matches that generate heat but very little light. The Chronicle’s endorsement praised him as someone who can speak across party lines while still standing firmly for public education, economic opportunity, government transparency, and democracy itself.

That is especially important in Houston, where democracy is not an abstract classroom word. Democracy is whether Third Ward, Sunnyside, Acres Homes, Fifth Ward, Alief, Fort Bend, Katy, Pasadena, Pearland, and every corner of Harris County has a voice that counts. Democracy is whether public schools are strengthened, whether workers have opportunity, whether seniors are protected, whether small businesses can thrive, and whether communities of color are treated as partners in progress rather than afterthoughts at election time.

The Chronicle’s endorsement also drew a sharp contrast with Republican nominee Ken Paxton, whose political career has been clouded by years of controversy, ethics questions, impeachment drama, and criticism from both sides of the aisle. While Paxton’s supporters describe him as a fighter, the deeper question for Texas voters is this: fighting for whom?

Fighting for democracy is different from fighting for personal survival. Fighting for families is different from fighting for headlines. Fighting for Texas is different from fighting to keep political power at any cost.

Talarico’s message, as reflected in the endorsement, is not rooted in rage. It is rooted in repair. He has spoken about banning congressional stock trading, pushing back against gerrymandering, protecting public schools, and building an energy future that respects Texas’ oil-and-gas foundation while embracing renewable innovation and job creation. For Houston — the energy capital of the world — that balance is essential.

Our city understands energy. We understand industry. We understand labor, technology, ports, pipelines, petrochemicals, innovation, and environmental justice. A serious Texas senator must understand that the future cannot be built by ignoring either workers or communities. The future must include both.

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At its core, the Chronicle’s endorsement is a challenge to Texas voters: choose character over controversy, unity over division, and public service over political revenge.

The 2026 Texas U.S. Senate race may become one of the most watched contests in America. But for Houstonians, the question is beautifully simple: who will fight for the people when the cameras turn off?

Democracy does not defend itself. It must be protected at the ballot box, strengthened in our neighborhoods, taught in our schools, and renewed by citizens who refuse to let cynicism win.

The Chronicle has made its choice.

Now Texas must make history.

For more info or to make a donation, go to: jamestalarico.com

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.

Kierra Lee
KIELEESTYLE@GMAIL.COM
4096658446

Harris Health Earns NIH Praise for Turning Compassion Into a Clinical Care Comeback Story

CNN Newsource on June 1, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

Click here for updates on this story

    June 1, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — HOUSTON — In a city that knows how to fight through storms, Harris Health is earning national recognition for helping patients weather one of America’s most heartbreaking public health crises: opioid and substance use addiction.

With five national sites participating in a clinical study designed to improve substance use disorder treatment in primary care, the National Institutes of Health recently commended Harris Health for successfully recruiting nearly one-third of the study’s 300 participants. Harris Health enrolled 87 participants in the study led by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a division of NIH, while also receiving praise for its outpatient treatment program as a model for helping patients battling opioid and stimulant addiction.

That is not just impressive paperwork. That is Houston-style public health leadership—where compassion puts on comfortable shoes, walks into clinics, reaches out to shelters, makes phone calls, prints flyers, listens without judgment, and helps people find a path back to themselves.

“Harris Health shares a vision to provide patients with the most effective care available,” said Matthew Schlueter, PhD, RN, chief nursing officer for Ambulatory Care Services at Harris Health. “Having our patients included in the national benchmarking research will only help all communities around the country.”

The timing could not be more urgent. The opioid crisis remains a national emergency, even as recent data finally show signs of progress. CDC data show U.S. drug overdose deaths fell to 79,384 in 2024, with 54,045 involving opioids. The CDC also reported that overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone dropped sharply from 2023 to 2024.

For Harris County families, those numbers are more than statistics. They are empty chairs at dinner tables, parents praying late into the night, children waiting for a loved one to come home whole, and communities asking healthcare systems to do more than diagnose. They are asking them to heal.

Harris Health’s Office Based Addiction Treatment program—known as OBAT—is answering that call with a practical, patient-centered model rooted in primary care. Under the leadership of Jennifer LaHue, MBA, RN, project manager, site principal investigator and director of OBAT, the team has recruited participants through physician and staff referrals, word-of-mouth, in-person outreach, virtual connections, community events, shelters, flyers and information booths.

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“We are meeting people where they are and making it easy for them to connect to services and treatment that can help them overcome their substance abuse disorders,” LaHue said.

That sentence deserves to be framed in every clinic lobby in America.

Because the future of addiction care is not about forcing patients to navigate a maze while carrying trauma, withdrawal, shame and fear on their backs. It is about building doors where walls used to be.

The NIH HEAL Initiative, launched to accelerate scientific solutions to the opioid and pain public health crises, continues to support research aimed at improving prevention and treatment strategies for opioid misuse and addiction. NIDA leads HEAL research connected to opioid use disorder and overdose, making Harris Health’s successful participation part of a much larger national movement to make recovery more accessible and evidence-based.

In other words, recovery is not a solo act. It is a choir. One anonymous OBAT participant shared that when they started, they were struggling with cocaine, alcohol and opioids. After their first visit, they received appointments, medications and support. They later found work, improved their health and began managing life again as a productive member of society.

That is the kind of success story Houston understands. Not polished. Not perfect. But powerful.

Mohammad Zare, MD, medical director of OBAT, assistant chief of staff for Ambulatory Care Services at Harris Health, and professor and vice chair of Family Medicine at UTHealth Houston, credits the program’s success to a holistic team approach.

“Patients are the center of our focus,” Dr. Zare said. “They come to us needing help to overcome their addictions and we’re here to help them in the process.”

For Houston Style Magazine readers, this recognition is not merely a healthcare headline. It is a community headline. Harris Health’s work reminds us that safety-net medicine is not second-class care. At its best, it is frontline innovation—delivered in real neighborhoods, to real families, with real consequences.

As Harris Health celebrates 60 years of service to Houston and Harris County, its NIH commendation offers a timely reminder: public healthcare, when fueled by science, dignity and determination, can become a bridge from crisis to recovery.

And in Houston, we know a thing or two about building bridges.

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.

Kierra Lee
KIELEESTYLE@GMAIL.COM
4096658446

Women Professionals in Government Sets the Stage for “An Evening of Elegance and Excellence” in Houston

CNN Newsource on June 1, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

Click here for updates on this story

    June 1, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Houston, prepare for an evening where elegance meets impact, where white attire becomes a statement of unity, and where the business of good government gets a well-earned spotlight. Women Professionals in Government, widely known as WPG, will host “An Evening of Elegance and Excellence” on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 6:00 PM CT, bringing together civic leaders, public servants, community advocates, professionals, and friends for a signature Summer Social designed to raise funds for scholarships, community service grants, and WPG’s continued mission-driven work.

The 2026 Summer Social will feature Harris County Administrator Erica Lee Carter as guest speaker—an especially fitting voice for an organization dedicated to advancing women in government and public policy. In February 2026, Harris County Commissioners Court appointed Carter as County Administrator, making her the first African American woman to hold the position; she officially assumed the role on March 9, 2026, overseeing county operations, strategic-plan implementation, and coordination across departments.

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For Houston Style Magazine readers, this is more than a social event. It is a celebration of leadership, legacy, mentorship, and the bright future of women shaping public service in Harris County. Founded in 1981 by Mary Dipboye, a University of Houston graduate with a master’s degree in public administration, WPG was created to build a network where women in government could gain knowledge, sharpen skills, and support one another’s career growth.

Today, that mission continues with purpose and polish. WPG describes itself as a nonprofit, politically nonpartisan organization organized for charitable, educational, and social welfare purposes. Its mission includes building support networks for people interested in government and public policy, providing career-growth knowledge and skills, offering scholarships to young women pursuing government and public-policy degrees, and supporting agencies serving women and children.

That mission comes alive through WPG’s year-round work. The organization meets monthly from September through May, excluding January, creating a forum where city, county, state, and federal professional women—and men who work in or with government—can gather, network, and hear from community leaders. WPG also provides two scholarship opportunities annually for young women pursuing degrees in government and public policy, while also offering grant funding to other charities serving women and children in Harris County.

The 2026 Summer Social carries that tradition forward with style. Guests are encouraged to wear white, giving the evening a crisp, celebratory feel worthy of the Harris County Ceremonial Courtroom. Admission is $50 for members and $60 for non-members, with sponsorship and donation opportunities helping strengthen WPG’s scholarship fund, community-service grants, and operating support.

Carter’s presence adds a powerful contemporary note. Her public-service résumé includes experience across local, state, and federal government, nonprofit work, service as an elected Harris County Department of Education trustee, and a term representing Texas’s 18th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2024 to 2025. Harris County’s announcement also noted her work on economic opportunity, voting access, budget management, afterschool programming, the CROWN Act as county employee policy, and support for minority- and women-owned businesses.

In a city where public service often requires both grit and grace, WPG’s Summer Social reminds Houston that government is not just buildings, budgets, and board meetings—it is people. It is the professionals who keep services moving, policies improving, communities connected, and doors opening for the next generation.

And yes, this is also a networking event. Bring the business cards, bring the confidence, and bring the white outfit that says, “I came to support excellence—and I understood the assignment.”

Event Details Event: Women Professionals in Government Summer Social — “An Evening of Elegance and Excellence” Date & Time: Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 6:00 PM CT Location: Harris County Ceremonial Courtroom, 201 Caroline Street, Houston, Texas 77002 Attire: Members and guests are encouraged to wear white Admission: Members $50; Non-Members $60 More Information & Tickets: Visit WPG Houston online at wpghouston.com

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Why Houston Should Attend Attend because scholarships matter. Attend because women in public service deserve support. Attend because mentorship changes careers. Attend because grants to organizations serving women and children strengthen Harris County. Attend because an evening in white can help create a brighter future.

From monthly luncheons to scholarship opportunities, from leadership development to community giving, WPG has spent more than four decades building a civic table where women are not simply invited—they lead. Since 1981, WPG has played a role in advancing women professionals through networking, skill-building, and knowledge-sharing, while also supporting women students committed to public-service careers.

Houston, this is the kind of evening where elegance is not just what guests wear—it is what the organization represents: excellence in service, dignity in leadership, and a commitment to lifting women and children across Harris County.

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.

Kierra Lee
KIELEESTYLE@GMAIL.COM
4096658446

Fishing event honoring Fletcher Merkel brings hundreds of kids together, raises funds for Annunciation scholarship

CNN Newsource on June 1, 2026

By Conor Wight

Click here for updates on this story

    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — On the Lake Harriet shoreline in Minneapolis Saturday evening, dozens of children picked up a fishing rod for the first time.

It’s a skill that 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel taught his own friends. It made for the perfect premise for a new annual event, Fishing For Fletcher, that’s designed to bring people together and help further education at Annunciation Catholic School.

Fletcher Merkel lost his life there last August in a shooting that also claimed the life of 10-year-old Harper Moyski. Dozens of others, primarily children, were injured.

It’s a tragedy that Mollie and Jesse Merkel will not allow to define their son, a boy who adored nature and making friends. That kind of shared joy was on full display on Saturday as kids learned to fish; of the 250 registered children, about 150 of them had never done it before, according to organizers.

“He [Fletcher] included all the kids in his class. He never liked for anyone to be sitting out or not feel like they were part of the community,” Mollie Merkel said, “I think he’s watching us and is joyful that his people, his community are here.”

Off the water, children played in a bounce house and ran across the grass as adults entered a silent auction, raising more than $42,000 as of Saturday evening. Organizers said that proceeds will go to the Fletcher Merkel Memorial Endowment Fund through the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota. His parents say they now have enough to give two children a full-ride through 8th grade at the school.

“We’re just doing our best to combat what happened to us with joy and kindness. And set an example to prove that good can overcome evil,” Jesse Merkel said.

The couple said they were “overwhelmed” by the support from fellow Annunciation families as well as total strangers from across Minnesota.

They said that some days are much harder than others. The end of the school year proved particularly difficult, they said, as they see how other children have grown over the course of the school year.

“How tall would Fletcher be? How many new pairs of shoes would I have had to buy him this year? What sports, like what would he be doing right now?” Mollie Merkel pondered.

They’re painful questions that they’ll never have answers to, but they have a clear answer when it comes to the kind of impact Fletcher Merkel had on his classmates and his community. Smiles, laughter and live music punctuated the inaugural Fishing for Fletcher event.

It was months in the making. Lance Kramer, a father at Annunciation who lives near the Merkels, said that he began thinking about a fishing event to honor Fletcher Merkel within weeks of the shooting.

“What kept running through my mind was that she [Mollie Merkel] said ‘I don’t want people to forget Fletcher. I don’t want them to remember him for what happened, I want them to remember him for who he was,'” Kramer said. “He was a little 8-year-old boy that just lived life to it’s fullest. He tore through sneakers in like a week or two. He loved sports, he loved people.”

That shared love brought in so many volunteers that at a certain point, Kramer and other organizers needed to kindly turn people away.

Fishing for Fletcher brought in familiar faces from across town, including cheerleaders with the Minnesota Vikings.

For the Merkels, they hope to keep bringing new faces to Annunciation through their fundraising efforts. It’s the kind of welcoming spirit that they say Fletcher Merkel extended to others just about everyday.

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.

Emergency fish salvage in place at reservoir on Colorado’s Eastern Plains

CNN Newsource on June 1, 2026

By Jesse Sarles

Click here for updates on this story

    Colorado (KCNC) — Officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife are encouraging everyone with a valid Colorado fishing license to come and catch fish at Nee Noshe Reservoir in Kiowa County.

Monday marks the start of an emergency fish salvage due to the reservoir drying up.

CPW says they’re making the move due to the ongoing drought and reduced reservoir operations. Jim Ramsay, CPW Aquatic Biologist, said the “reservoir is unlikely to refill in the foreseeable future.”

The reservoir is located within Queens State Wildlife Area about 21 miles north of Lamar and 12 miles south of Eads.

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.