Category: CNN Regional

By Kirk Tupaj

Click here for updates on this story

    UTICA, New York (WKTV) — Two 13-year-old boys jumped into action to save a young girl from drowning while swimming.

Ayham Alzanam and his cousin Alksaam Alterri were on their way to swim when they saw a girl in water about 4 to 5 feet deep struggling.

The boys said the girl may not have realized how deep the water was and started to panic.

“So, there was a couple people here. There were a lot of people here. A lot of grownups, and there were teenagers there. There was one like right next to her. Someone like directly right next to her but did not help,” Ayham Alzanam said.

Older teenagers were nearby watching, but Alzanam and Alterri decided to help.

“I thought she was going to be dead because no one was helping. Like everyone’s just watching and standing there as she’s drowning,” Alzanam said.

The boys pulled the girl to the shoreline, called 911, and started CPR. The girl’s father was nearby and took over CPR.

Ayham’s brother Ayman Alzanam called the boys heroes.

“It’s very concerning that the girl almost died. They’re the only ones that did all the work by calling the police and the emergencies to come,” Ayman Alzanam said.

Ayham’s father Jamil Alzanam said he is proud of his son.

“Ayham is skinny, but he go in the water, and he tried to help the lady and push on her and called the police, and he tried to call me, but I’m working and can’t answer the phone, and he called his mommy,” Jamil Alzanam said.

Utica Police said after three days in the hospital, the girl is expected to make a full recovery.

“They tell me you are a superhero,” Alksaam Alterri said.

“They’re just saying you’re a hero and stuff, and I just say ok because it’s like… it’s the right thing to do. It’s not a hero. It’s the right thing to do,” Ayham Alzanam 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 Esme Murphy

Click here for updates on this story

    MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — Monday marks six years since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis.

People gathered at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, also known as George Floyd Square, throughout the day to remember and celebrate his life. The somber remembrance was sprinkled with joy at the site of his death.

Floyd’s uncle, Selwyn Jones, got the news the morning after May 25, 2020.

“I basically think, going back through the time, because when I heard what happened to my nephew, on the 26th, my whole life changed. The whole world changed,” Jones said.

George Floyd’s girlfriend, Courteney Ross, delivered books to one of the many stands that held memorabilia about a man whose death changed a city and a nation.

“Floyd would like it like this. Floyd would like everybody celebrating. He never liked to see tears in anybody’s eyes. I tell everybody whenever he saw anyone in need, he would take his big arm and wrap it around them,” Ross said.

There are a few new businesses in the area, including a photo studio in which Kingdemetrius Pendleton displays his work, which focuses on the killing and destructive aftermath.

“I am asking that people don’t just come out on this particular day, but come out all particular times because this community needs their help,” Pendleton said.

Among those who lived through the trauma was Terrill Griffin, one of the Minneapolis firefighters who helped save Minneapolis from burning.

“I feel like there is a tremendous amount of growth that can take place here, a tremendous amount of healing still has to come forward,” Griffin said.

A candlelight vigil at the site took place on Monday around 8 p.m., the hour that Floyd was murdered.

The future of what George Floyd Square will look like remains unresolved. Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne said the council will be voting on one proposal in early June, both by a council committee and the full council.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says work on renovating the area will begin in the summer.

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 Dan Raby

Click here for updates on this story

    HART COUNTY, Georgia (WUPA) — A high-speed chase ended with a man accused of driving a stolen car jumping into a North Georgia lake to try to get away from officers, officials say.

Sean Mays, a 29-year-old resident of Gumlog, Georgia, is charged with multiple felonies.

Officials say the situation began early Sunday morning, when a white 2017 Subaru Outback was reported stolen from Hart County.

Around noon, a trooper with the Georgia State Patrol spotted the vehicle on Highway 17 in Lavonia and attempted to stop the driver, identified as Mays. Instead of following orders, police say Mays sped off, leading to a chase that saw speeds of over 100 mph.

The pursuit ended when Mays crashed into a guardrail of a bridge on Gumlog Road. Deputies say Mays then jumped into Lake Hartwell to try to get away, but he was caught by officers and deputies with assistance from a civilian’s boat.

Photos posted on Facebook by the Lavonia Police Department and the Hart County Sheriff’s Office showed a soaked Mays getting pulled into the boat by officers.

Mays is now charged with felony theft by taking, felony entering auto, felony fleeing and attempting to elude, and other traffic-related offenses.

The investigation remains active.

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 Larissa Scott

Click here for updates on this story

    RUSKIN, Florida (WFTS) — Inside Shields Middle School in Hillsborough County, Teresa Dixon’s 8th-grade civics class has been working on something special.

“I am very excited,” said 8th grader America Ramirez.

It’s a time capsule.

“To be opened in 50 years to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence,” said Dixon.

The students are writing letters.

“To the future,” said Dixon.

“Hopefully in 50 years, the students that are reading the letters can really get a glimpse of what it was like 50 years prior,” said Deanna McCahan, principal of Shields Middle School.

These 8th graders are writing about all sorts of things for future students.

“I’m just writing, basically asking them and telling them how it is now,” said 8th grader Junior Colon.

“I want to tell them about my time here in Shields Middle School. I also want to tell them about what’s going on currently in 2026,” said Ramirez.

“I’m just writing about how cool I am and how my friends are cool and how my girlfriend is cool,” said 8th grader Anthony Delgado.

The students have been excited about this time capsule.

“They were jumping up and down. This is amazing,” said Dixon.

“They’re actually talking about like, ‘Oh, in 50 years, where am I going to be? How old will I be?’ Some of the students were talking about ‘Oh, they’ll be grandparents,’ Maybe they’ll have grandkids that are at this school,” said McCahan.

“I bet you I’m going to be wrinkly and you can see my cheekbones,” said Delgado.

When I was there, students read their letters to me, filled with details of their day-to-day lives, their hopes, questions about what the future might be like, and what learning is like now.

“When you think about it, as kids, from just the time they started their education journey in kindergarten to now, things have changed so much. A lot of their instruction is hybrid. Some of it is in person, but some of it is on the computer. With all of the changes that have happened over their lifetime, to think about those changes that are going to keep evolving and what it’s going to look like in 50 years is really exciting for them,” said McCahan.

Dixon listened to her students with pride as they shared what they wrote.

“I’m glad to have this opportunity, honestly, for them. This is just a cool way to leave this school for everybody else,” said Dixon.

“I hope they’re using this time to reflect on who they are now and what’s happening now and really kind of think about what the future might look like. Actually taking this in, more than just saying ‘oh this is something fun to do,’ I’m hoping that they do some reflection on this,” she added.

And while no one knows what the future holds in 50 years, one thing that seems pretty certain is that these students will be okay.

“Chase your dreams. There’s really nothing that will stop you. And if it does stop you, move it out of the way,” said Delgado to his fellow students.

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 Chantaye Imani

Click here for updates on this story

    BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — At Historic Union Cemetery, a Bakersfield business owner is working to preserve the legacy of his father and other local veterans.

George Clerou, whose family founded Clerou Tire Company in East Bakersfield in 1942, said honoring veterans is deeply personal.

“All four of these individuals were from Bakersfield,” Clerou said while looking through photographs of his father and his friends in uniform. “And they all went to high school together.”

The photos tell the story of a generation of Bakersfield men who went off to war together during World War II.

Clerou’s father, Joseph Clerou, was a Bakersfield native who played football at Bakersfield High School and Bakersfield College before earning a scholarship to the University of San Francisco. After graduating, he joined the Marine Corps.

“They said all of a sudden, ‘Hey Joe, you’re going to Pendleton and you’re a company commander,’” George Clerou said. “And here he was, a second lieutenant fresh out of Marine Corps boot camp.”

As World War II intensified, Joseph Clerou trained soldiers before deploying to Guadalcanal.

He later traveled to New Zealand, where he helped train members of the Second Marine Division.

In November 1943, he was deployed to Tarawa, one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific theater.

“He was now a captain in a pioneer battalion handling logistics and supplies, and that was a very heated battle,” George Clerou said.

Joseph Clerou survived several more battles and later served during the Korean War.

By then, he was married with two children, including George.

“He figured, ‘I can’t get shot at again,’” George Clerou said. “Instead of being deployed to Korea, he ended up spending the Korean War in Virginia.”

George Clerou said growing up with a military father came with discipline, but also love and respect.

“He was a colonel in the Marine Corps, so you didn’t want to cross him,” he said. “It was his way or no way, but we all loved him.”

Today, Clerou continues to honor veterans through both the family business and his role on the board of Historic Union Cemetery.

“People don’t understand the sacrifice, or they take that sacrifice for granted,” he said. “I don’t want to forget them. I don’t want to forget any of these headstones. They all have a story.”

Joseph Clerou 1919-2003.

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 Colter Anstaett

Click here for updates on this story

    NORFOLK, Virginia (WTKR) — In honor of Memorial day, News 3 is highlighting the Navy funeral honor guard team at Naval Station Norfolk.

“You see anywhere from, I would say, eight [to] nine sailors,” said Mona Gunn, describing the honor guard at a funeral.

Gunn knows all too well the experience of a funeral with the Navy funeral honor guard.

“They’re there to escort the remains,” Gunn explained. “Of course for family it’s one of the toughest places to be, at that gravesite.”

Gunn’s son, Cherone, was killed in the USS Cole attack in 2000. The ship was, and as of 2026 still was, home-ported in Norfolk.

“It’s just the solemn occasion,” Gunn said about seeing the honor guard at the funeral. “But, it means a lot because it’s the last act of honor.”

News 3 first talked with her and her family a few days after the attack. At the time, she pictured her son in the mess hall on the ship.

“I knew he was there, probably, eating, joking. Being a happy person,” Gunn told News 3 in 2000.

For members of the honor guard, the solemn job is one they are proud to take on.

“When they asked me if I wanted to do it I was honored to be honest,” said BM2 Matthew Mudderman.

For the funeral honor guard team members, being part of the team is not only an honor but something that helps them as well.

“It gives me comfort knowing that if the training we do here continues on that the professionalism that will be delivered to my family when I go,” Mudderman said.

“It gives me a lot of clarity as well, because what we speak, for the honorable and faithful service, that means a lot to a lot of people,” YNSN Tashya Campbel said.

The team covers nearly two dozen states, going to around 20,000 funerals a year.

“You never really get immune to grieving families,” said Navy Casualty and Funeral Honors Team Program Manager ray Cunnikin.

Cunnikin showed News 3 some of the many letters of thanks the team has received.

“They make sure that whenever they’re out in the field that the family feels as though the Navy and the military service of their fallen service member mattered,” Cunnikin said.

“Seeing them, and knowing he was in the Navy and they were there to honor him says a lot but it doesn’t erase that pain,” said Gunn.

The honor guard can be requested for service members who died while active duty or veterans as long as they were not dishonorably discharged.

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 Carlos E. Castañeda

Click here for updates on this story

    SANTA ROSA, California (KPIX) — A man in distress who climbed atop of a bus in Santa Rosa spent the next 10 hours perched atop the bus before officers were able to safely bring him down, police said.

The Santa Rosa Police Department said in a post on social media that the incident began at about 9:21 p.m. Sunday when officers responded to the area of Mendocino and McConnell avenues near Santa Rosa Junior College regarding someone on top of a Sonoma County Transit bus who had called 911 repeatedly asking for help.

Officers arrived and cleared the bus of riders and closed off the surrounding area. Police said officers communicated with the man and repeatedly offered help but he refused to come down from the bus. It was determined that initiating physical contact with the man could increase the risk of injury to him, the officers, or bystanders.

The standoff lasted through the night as officers used de-escation techniques while evaluating the safest way to resolve the situation, police said.

At about 6:56 a.m., the man came down from the bus and was safely detained without injury, police said. He was identified as 47-year-old Byron Poindexter of Pittsburg.

Poindexter was arrested and charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked at the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility.

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 Audra Schroeder

Click here for updates on this story

    LAKE PARK, Florida (WPTV) — A West Palm Beach man allegedly broke into a Lake Park store to steal Pokémon cards — using a chainsaw.

According to an arrest report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Clayton Warren, 33, was arrested and charged with burglary and grand theft after the owner of Collection Realm in Lake Park contacted PBSO on May 21 to report an overnight burglary.

Surveillance video showed a man using a battery-powered chainsaw to cut a triangle into the hurricane-proof front window. In the process, blood was left behind. Warren initially attempted to break the window with a rock.

After watching surveillance video, the owner estimated that $12,000 worth of Pokémon cards were taken — both sleeved cards and bulk bonus cards. Surveillance also showed that a man matching Warren’s appearance had been in the store on May 19.

Investigators used a license plate reader to locate Warren’s vehicle, which was captured on surveillance cameras, and found it was registered to a West Palm Beach address. A search warrant was provided and Warren was arrested at the home.

He is being charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure and grand theft greater than $10,000 but less than $20,000.

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 Cassandra Garcia

Click here for updates on this story

    LOXAHATCHEE, Florida (WPTV) — A Palm Beach County mother is counting her blessings after her 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter’s drowning scare on Easter. On Saturday, she got the chance to thank the first responders who saved her daughter’s life.

The reunion in Loxahatchee brought together Lennox and the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue crew who treated her after she was found floating in a pool at an Easter family gathering.

“You saved us and I appreciate you,” Lennox’s mother, Chrissy, told the first responders at the reunion.

The last time they met, Lennox was in and out of consciousness, pulled from a pool and fighting for every breath.

“Truly a gift to be able to see her, hear her laugh and to hold her,” Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Lt. Jason Frisbie said.

Chrissy said she thought her daughter was safe with family when things took a dramatic turn.

“It was a fight or flight mode. It just — I don’t know as a mom, you just kind of went in and just kind of took some of the training that I had known in my past and just kind of went full force and started doing CPR on her,” Chrissy said.

Those chest compressions and rescue breaths were the difference between life and death, according to Frisbie.

“It was crucial in her successful recovery. Without that, it might have been a different outcome,” Frisbie said.

Chrissy said she is forever grateful to those who rendered aid.

“They treated my child as if they were their own and that meant the world to me,” Chrissy said.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue used the morning to stress the importance of CPR training, teaching others how to respond in emergencies. The message comes at a critical time, as 2 toddlers drowned in separate incidents just this week: one in Palm Beach Gardens and another in Port St. Lucie, which resulted in death.

Fire rescue officials stressed the importance of vigilance and education as the summer months approach.

“Definitely [take] CPR classes, also swimming classes early for children,” Frisbie said.

Chrissy is now echoing that same message to other parents.

“As a parent, if you’re a new mom or you’re a parent that has two or three kids, get CPR, get some type of knowledge because you never know,” Chrissy said. “If it wasn’t for that, my daughter wouldn’t be here right now,” Chrissy said.

Lennox now serves as living proof that when seconds count, knowledge saves lives.

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