Category: CNN Regional

By Joe Donlon, Edie Kasten

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    CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — The kindness of strangers can change lives. A downstate Illinois restaurant owner was shocked by the number of people who reached out to help him when he needed it most.

Nick Bohn is a husband and father, and he’s very independent.

“I’ve never been one to ask for anything, I’d just rather try to do it myself,” he said.

Molly Clyden is a wife and mother, and by nature a helper.

“I’ve always been the person on the giving end. I’ve always been the one to … I want to help others,” she said.

Bohn and Clyden said it’s darn pretty great that they found each other.

In late June, Bohn got an amazing gift from Clyden – one of her kidneys. The process began back in November.

“My doctor thought I had a gallbladder issue, and so she sent me in for an ultrasound and bloodwork,” he said. “She called me the next morning at like 7 o’clock in the morning, and was like, ‘Your ultrasound came back fine, your gallbladder’s fine, but you’ve bloodwork showing you have kidney disease.'”

Bohn said he went to the emergency room and was told he was in stage 5 renal failure.

“It just hit us like a ton of bricks,” he said.

His best option was finding a living donor for a kidney transplant.

Bohn isn’t one to ask for help, but his wife, Lindsay, posted his story on Facebook. He said the number of people who offered to donate blew him away.

“I was getting messages from Indiana, from Florida, from Virginia,” he said. “We got interviewed by the local paper, and the guy, the reporter doing the story was like, ‘Yeah, my wife signed up to donate to you.’ I was like, I didn’t even know the guy, I didn’t know her.”

Clyden just happened to be on Facebook that evening.

“Didn’t even read the full post, I just read that he needed one, and I shot off a message right away,” she said.

But Clyden wasn’t one of the far-away folks. She lives in the next tiny town over from Bohn.

You wouldn’t know it by seeing them now, but they had never met before.

“There’s a one in 100,000 chance that she was that perfect of a perfect match without being my sibling,” Bohn said.

“I’ve had jokes on people. ‘Are you sure you’re not related, like a family tree somewhere?'” Clyden said.

The transplant surgery was performed at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Bohn’s wife was at his side. Clyden’s entourage included a stuffed dinosaur.

“It’s my middle daughter’s. So, she wanted me to have it with me,” she said.

Clyden wore a t-shirt saying “Kidneys are made to be shared.”

In pre-op, Bohn and Clyden were in adjacent rooms. After lots of hugs from loved ones, it was showtime.

The delicate surgery took about four hours. It was a laparoscopic procedure, meaning smaller incisions, and it went without a hitch.

“When the doctor, the surgeon took her kidney out, she said it was a perfect kidney,” Bohn said.

“She said it was beautiful,” Clyden said.

“After two weeks already, my bloodwork’s showing that it’s working perfectly, like better than probably my other two have ever worked,” Bohn said.

“I was happy it was done and I did it, able to give him a nice kidney,” Clyden said.

Bohn could finally breathe easy after months of pain, anxiety, and dialysis, and he has a new friend – “kidney buddies for life,” as Clyden put it.

“She’s an amazing, awesome human being to want to do this for a stranger. I will never be able to thank her enough,” Bohn 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 Dave Savini

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    CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — More violations at Chicago’s Bohemian National Cemetery and Crematorium have surfaced, which is now under investigation for its role in mishandling bodies connected to the family that ran South Chicago Chapel.

More than 50 decomposing bodies were found at the Far South Side funeral home last week. Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation records showed South Side Chapel’s funeral director was listed as Johanna Morgan and her husband Clark Morgan as its president.

Clark Morgan previous owned and operated Heights Crematory in Chicago Heights, which was shut down in 2025 and was accused of mishandling the bodies of people who had recently died.

CBS News Chicago Investigators have now obtained disturbing photos being examined by state regulators showing further apparent misconduct at Bohemian National Cemetery and Crematorium. The photos are graphic in nature, and while CBS News Chicago has blurred some of them, they give a clear picture of how bodies were being handled there in 2025.

The photos show remains left outside of refrigeration units with body parts exposed, unsanitary conditions, bodily fluids on the floor, even a deceased dog left on top of a cooler in front of a fan. Photos of the outside cemetery show flooding and floating debris. One photo even appears to show part of a bone lying in the grass.

Along with the 56 bodies found at South Side Chapel, investigators also recovered more than 50 boxes of cremains. All have been sent back to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office where only 12 have been identified.

After Heights Crematory was shut down in 2025, Clark and Johanna Morgan lost their crematory license, but faced no criminal charges. They were able to keep operating their funeral business, as well as Planet Green Cremations in south suburban Glenwood.

After the Morgans lost their cremation license, they used Bohemian National Cemetery Crematorium to carry out the cremations they promised to families at South Chicago Chapel. Twenty-two bodies connected to the Morgans were found at Bohemian last week.

The Illinois State Comptroller’s Office confirmed they found other problems in recent years at Bohemian, including broken cremation equipment. There is also a record that staff there was improperly emitting particles through their smokestack.

Bohemian faces fines and suspension, and have agreed to shut down while the state continues its probe.

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 Joseph Buczek, Paula Wethington

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    DETROIT, Michigan (WWJ) — The FBI Detroit Field Office has announced the addition of a man previously charged with wire fraud and money laundering to the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters List.

Federal authorities say the man, Darren Anthony Robinson, is connected to a federal fraud investigation in which investors lost a total estimated at about $100 million. The tip that led to the investigation came into the FBI Detroit office, and dozens of the victims of the scheme were from Michigan, Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said during a press conference on Thursday morning.

Robert Kuszynski, IRS Criminal Investigation Detroit Acting Special Agent in Charge, also spoke at the press conference to discuss allegations, a federal indictment and efforts to locate the fugitive.

The Most Wanted Fraudsters List is separate from the FBI’s long-promoted Most Wanted List. The fraudster list launched in June and has resulted in four arrests so far, Runyan said.

Runyan and Kuszynski said a $150,000 reward has been posted for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Robinson.

According to details provided at the press conference, hundreds of people fell victim to what Runyan called a Ponzi scheme. Earlier investors were paid by later investors, while funds were diverted to other purposes, including “Robinson’s personal lifestyle,” the FBI said. QYU Holdings purported to be a professional investment company trading in the foreign currency exchange market, the FBI said. Federal authorities accuse Robinson of raising about $100 million from investors in the United States, Canada, Panama and other countries.

The victims included retirees, families saving up for college expenses and business owners, Runyan said.

The impact, she added, was “significant financial harm.”

The IRS got involved, Kuszynski said, because “money laundering is essentially tax fraud in progress.”

Robinson, age 56, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and has traveled extensively both within the U.S. and internationally, the FBI said. He is known to have connections to Panama, the United Arab Emirates and Colombia.

The FBI said in 2023 that Robinson was a principal and operator of QYU Holdings, and that the investment activities under investigation started around 2010 and continued through 2023.

The circumstances that led to his escape from authorities, Runyan said, are that Robinson was released on bond and on approved travel when he was able to get the GPS tether removed. A federal arrest warrant was issued for him in January 2024 from the U.S. District court for the Eastern District of Michigan after Robinson was charged with 11 counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

“Someone knows where he is,” Runyan said.

“Darren Robinson – if you are watching this press conference, turn yourself in,” she urged.

Those with tips to submit are asked to contact the FBI tipline at 800-CALL-FBI or their local FBI office.

Those who believe they may be victims in the case may contact the FBI at a special page for the QYU Holdings investigation.

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 Conor Wight

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    HOPKINS, Minnesota (WCCO) — About two weeks ago, a parent connected to an in-home daycare in Hopkins said that she received a notice from the owner. The owner intended to close due to relationship troubles with her husband.

This week, that man killed her, their 7-year-old daughter and a 78-year-old relative before taking his own life.

The possibility of marital trouble is one of several details revealed in a search warrant related to the domestic violence murders carried out in two cities on Wednesday morning. While the document contains names of those involved, WCCO is not reporting them here to allow authorities to contact next of kin.

According to the document, a man was dropping off his two children at the daycare on the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North when he heard the sound of children screaming from inside. He told police that when he entered the back door, which is the typical drop-off point, he witnessed the male suspect stabbing his wife and his daughter with a screwdriver.

From there, the man — who called 911 — said that he grabbed his own children and two others and fled. He said that he got the notice about the woman intending to close the daycare due to “relationship issues” with the suspect about two weeks ago.

Investigators said that the six other children inside the home did not suffer physical injuries. They found the victims on the bottom floor, but said that the man was on the top level of the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A shotgun was still in his hand, according to the search warrant.

Prior to the events in Hopkins, investigators believe the man killed his 78-year-old relative at her home in Burnsville. He had been living there temporarily.

Police are still trying to pin down a motive. The idea that the relationship was ending sets off alarm bells for experts like Nikki Engel, who serves as the co-executive director of Violence Free Minnesota.

“Attempts to leave a relationship are associated with higher rates of lethality,” Engel said.

While there are plenty of unknowns, Engel said that the horrific acts carried out in Hopkins and Burnsville are in line with available data about family murder-suicides.

Violence Free Minnesota has tracked at least 231″intimate partner violence related homicide-suicides” in Minnesota since 1989. Of the 231 perpetrators, 229 were men; 207 of the victims were women killed by a current or former male partner.

“How do we bring into public conversation the role of male entitlement and misogyny? Because if we’re going to solve this issue we have to diagnose it accurately, or we’re never going to get to the solution,” Engel said.

Engel said it’s also not uncommon for other family members to be targeted. What stands out to her in this case as a statistical anomaly is the stabbings; according to Violence Free Minnesota, a gun is used in 85% of intimate partner homicide-suicides.

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 Bryan Lynn, Mike Hellgren

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — A Baltimore County police officer will not face criminal charges in connection with the death of 56-year-old Samuel “Big Sam” Brown, Maryland’s Attorney General announced on Thursday.

Officer Derek Hadel was placed on administrative leave following the Feb. 16 encounter at a Woodlawn intersection. Brown died at a hospital nearly two weeks later on Feb. 27. The State’s Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the manner of death a homicide in March.

Body cam footage showed incident The Maryland Attorney General’s Office released the police-worn body camera footage in March.

Investigators said the Baltimore County officer found Brown asleep behind the wheel at a stoplight in the area of Whitehead Court and Security Boulevard in Woodlawn around 3:30 a.m. on February 16.

The video shows footage of Brown getting out of his vehicle during a conversation with the officer. The video then shows Officer Hadel pushing Brown back two times.

A verbal altercation continues, and Brown is then seen shoving the officer’s hands down.

The officer is then seen throwing two punches, and Brown falls back and hits his head on the concrete. The Attorney General’s report said Officer Hadel requested emergency medical services (EMS) and rendered medical aid to Brown until EMS arrived to transport him to the hospital.

A statement issued by Attorney General Anthony G. Brown concluded by saying that “after completing its investigation and evaluating all the available evidence, the Office of the Attorney General has determined that the subject officer did not commit a crime under Maryland law.”

Family’s reaction Brown’s family told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren Thursday they are “incredibly disappointed” by the attorney general’s decision and said their lawyers will be giving a detailed response next week.

In March, Billy Murphy, the attorney for the Brown family, told WJZ, “At the time of the attack, ‘Big Sam’ was obviously drunk. He was defenseless because he was standing still with his arms at his side when he got hit. His hands were empty. He had no weapon, and you can see that Officer Hadel’s violent attack was completely unnecessary, inexcusable, and in fact criminal.”

Murphy said Brown suffered a fractured skull and broken bones in his face.

The veteran attorney told WJZ, “Instead of de-escalating the situation as he was required by law and departmental policy to do, he chose to escalate the situation illegally by sucker punching big Sam in his face.”

Brown’s daughter, Deja Brown, wept during the March news conference.

“He was ‘Big Sam’ to everyone else, but he was just ‘Dad’ to us, and this didn’t have to happen. It’s wrong. It’s devastating to all of us,” she said. “He was loving. He was caring. He was whatever we needed him to be whenever we needed him to be it, and my family just prays that justice will be served.”

“Big Sam” Brown often worked with DJ Quicksilva, who said no one truly understands the pain Brown’s loved ones are feeling.

Why no charges? In their report, investigators for the Maryland Attorney General wrote, “There is insufficient evidence to prove the officer in this case intended to use force that exceeded what was necessary and proportional to protect himself.”

The investigators determined Brown was so close to the officer that using pepper spray or a Taser to de-escalate “would have been unadvisable.”

They noted the officer did lightly push Brown and give verbal commands.

The report stated, “Mr. Brown’s refusal to comply with law-enforcement commands, his continued approach towards the officer, and his multiple slaps at the officer’s hand presented an imminent threat to the officer’s safety.”

The medical examiner previously ruled Brown’s death was a homicide.

The attorney general’s report said, “The evidence here is insufficient to defeat a claim that the subject officer acted in self-defense. Specifically, we cannot prove that it was unreasonable for the subject officer to believe that Mr. Brown posed an ongoing threat to his safety, as Mr. Brown had defied commands, confronted the subject officer, and twice slapped at the officer’s hand. With these facts—and evidence that Officer Hadel acted in accordance with his BCPD training on defensive tactics—we cannot prove that the use of force demonstrated a reckless disregard for Mr. Brown’s life. Nor can we prove, considering Mr. Brown’s proximity and assaultive conduct, that the use of force was more than reasonably necessary to stop the threat presented.”

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 Tammy Mutasa

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    WORCESTER, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Police in Worcester, Massachusetts, said there were two separate fox attacks in less than 24 hours in the same neighborhood. Now a 6-year-old girl and a grandmother are both being treated for rabies as a precaution.

At just 6 years old, Janessa Pagan-Williams can already point to every place a fox got to her. The bandages, cuts and stitches were still fresh from the terrifying attack on Jones Street on Wednesday evening.

Janessa says she was on her friend’s bike in the backyard when the animal lunged at her, knocking her to the ground.

“Really, really scared. It felt like a dream, and I was in the hospital,” Janessa said. “I saw it and it looked at me back and it growled at me, and it came charging at me and bit my leg and made me fall off the bike.”

The second grader’s screams sent her brother running outside where he finally kicked the fox away.

“It bit really hard. It went deep, deep, deep to the tissue,” added the child.

Janessa wasn’t the only one attacked in the neighborhood. Around the corner on Granite Street, a grandmother, Zena Bottom, was bitten on her foot Thursday morning.

“When it was on my foot, I was trying to shake it off, shake it off, shake it off like this but it wouldn’t come off so I reached down and yanked it off of my foot and I threw it,” said Bottom.

She had heard her daughter and infant grandbabies screaming outside and didn’t hesitate. “I wouldn’t hesitate,” said Bottom. “I’m glad it was me and not them, how about that.”

Worcester Police say the fox was found and put down. Both victims had to get the rabies vaccine.

Now both are home sharing a warning and a little gratitude. “Watch out for your children and make sure that there’s no wild animals around,” said Bottom.

Worcester Police say the fox will be sent to the state for testing.

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 Madeline Bartos

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A man was rescued after he fell down an elevator shaft and was pinned at the bottom for hours, Pittsburgh authorities said.

Pittsburgh Public Safety said first responders were called to the 900 block of River Avenue around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday for reports of a man who had fallen about 8 to 12 feet down an elevator shaft without light or ventilation inside the abandoned Microsoft building.

EMS crews found the man in the pit of an elevator shaft and lowered medics down to perform a technical rescue while monitoring air quality for contaminants.

The man was conscious, but one of his legs was pinned. Medics gave him fluids and pain control medication before placing him in a victim harness and hoisting him out of the elevator shaft.

He was taken to a hospital in stable condition, though he has multiple leg fractures. Pittsburgh EMS District Chief Mike Rogers said he had been in a “horrible position” for about six hours.

“He’s pretty lucky to be alive,” said Pittsburgh EMS District Chief Mike Rogers. “Very good response, we work well with the fire department. Especially people that just found him and let us know because otherwise we wouldn’t have found him at all. This is abandoned. Nobody comes in here for any official purpose, so he would not have been found for a long time.”

Rogers said it’s unknown what he was doing in there, but it’s believed that he was with two other people who took off after he fell. Someone apparently called 911 hours after the man fell, but Rogers said he didn’t know who.

Inspectors from the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections were called to evaluate the building, Pittsburgh Public Safety 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 La’Tasha Givens

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    CHATTAHOOCHIE HILLS, Georgia (WUPA) — A good amount of summer rain has finally lifted Georgia out of a severe drought, bringing long-awaited relief to local agricultural workers.

For nearly a year, dry conditions heavily impacted farmers across the state, but the recent turn in the weather is giving growers in Chattahoochee Hills a reason to look forward to a promising fall harvest.

The National Weather Service recently announced that Georgia’s drought is officially over.

“During 2025 and 2026, we had an 11-month period we were under a drought here. We were in a severe drought,” CBS News meteorologist Troy Bridges said. “And there was a period of time during that time 100% of us were in a severe drought, and that has never happened. That’s the first time that’s happened in history, so that’s why this one was such a big deal.”

The prolonged dry spell hit local agriculture hard, forcing growers to cope with lost crops and mounting irrigation costs. Brandi Whitney, affectionately known as Farmer Brandi of Serenbe Farms, was among those who felt the daily burden of trying to save her fields.

“Oh, we had to irrigate almost all the way through until the nighttime,” Whitney said. “So I would leave it on during the daytime. I would go home and eat, and then I would come back in the evening time to turn everything off, so yeah, it was a long period of just rotational everyday irrigation.”

Even when relief first appeared on the horizon, it brought its own set of challenges. When the initial downpours arrived, the parched ground was too hard to absorb the moisture properly, leading to field flooding and additional crop loss.

“The soil was so compacted that when it rained it didn’t have anywhere to go, and erosion follows the path of least resistance so we had a lot of flooding in our field areas,” Whitney recalled. “There were a lot of crops that we lost.”

Despite the initial setbacks, the sustained rainfall has set the stage for a strong recovery as the seasons shift. Farmers are now preparing for what they hope will be a promising fall harvest.

“So we’re really excited,” Whitney said. “For us, the fall is the greatest time of the year. It’s the longest-producing on this farm, so we’re just hoping for a steady rain so that we don’t have to irrigate so much. Our plants are healthy and strong in the ground. They’re not having to be stressed by the heat or the lack of water from rain and that sort of thing.”

Bridges noted that the replenished moisture levels are vital for crop success heading into the autumn months.

“We have more water in the soil,” Bridges said. “That soil is gonna be much more healthy to grow that vegetation that we need, so all vegetables, those pumpkins, and all that kind of stuff.”

The benefits extend beyond produce. Farmers with livestock report that recent rains have revived fields into green pastures, which is expected to extend the grazing season. This boost in natural pasture growth will improve livestock nutrition while helping farmers reduce the high cost of winter feed.

While local agricultural communities remain deeply grateful for the moisture, they are keeping a close eye on the skies. Farmers emphasize that balance is key, noting that while rain is desperately needed, too much at once can be harmful. As fall approaches, Chattahoochee Hills growers are holding out hope for steady, moderate rainfall to keep their momentum going.

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 Rashad Williams

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    GWINNETT COUNTY, Georgia (WUPA) — Six people are alive today thanks to the swift actions of one of the roommates from the group who saved the others during a Gwinnett County house fire.

Forty-six-year-old Christopher Hammond said he got off work around 3:15 a.m., made it to the gym, then returned home to the 700 block of Camp Perrin Road NE in Lawrenceville around 4:15 a.m., about an hour before investigators said firefighters were called about a house fire.

Investigators said they believe the fire was intentionally set.

“It’s a tragedy because we lost everything, so we’re just trying to figure out where to go from here, but just take it one day at a time, you know,” Hammond said. “Just the fact that someone tried deliberately to burn us out and it was six people inside. I’m cleaning my house. I was getting ready to cook. Getting ready to take a shower, and then the power just says pow, and it’s not like lightning struck. The power did something weird, and the lights kind of exploded almost.”

Hammond said he walked outside, noticed an orange glow and heard more noises before he realized that flames had engulfed the side of the house where the garage was. He said he initially thought one of two cars in the garage at the time caught fire.

“All you heard was pow pow pow pow pow pow pow pow, and everything was orange … So I knew I had to wake everybody up in the house,” he recalled.

Hammond ran inside and woke his five roommates up. He said everyone made it out and stood together while watching the house burn. The group was unable to pass the driveway due to the severity of the flames and the heat.

Ring camera video obtained by CBS News Atlanta shows a person light something, drag it toward the home, and throw it into the garage. Additional videos show the person return with what appears to be a water gun to spray a fluid onto the fire.

Hammond said he believes it may be a targeted attack on the homeowner and not the renters.

“No one in the house has any enemies or problems with anybody,” Hammond said. “There’s no one that I have any problems with, and I talked to the other roommates, and no one has any problem with anyone to where they would try to come and kill six people. That’s deep.”

Hammond said he’s thankful he was awake when the fire started, and plans to stay in a motel until he can find a more stable living situation.

Gwinnett County Fire & Emergency Services had several team members out Thursday canvassing the area around the burned house. Public Information Officer Capt. Ryan McGiboney said any time a house fire happens in the county, they go out to the area to ask neighbors if they can come in, check their smoke detectors and replace them if need be for free, they go over a fire escape plan, how to immediately act if a fire is detected, plus other fire safety measures.

“We know the conversation is already happening in the home: ‘How could this happen? How could this have happened to our neighbors? Are we safe?’ That’s prime time for us to come in, join you in that conversation so we can tell you how to get out safely,” McGiboney said. “We don’t want to see these tragedies happen where people lose everything they work for.”

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.