Category: CNN Regional

By Ethan Carlson

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    AURORA, Colo (KMGH) — Twin brothers Kapil and Sunny Bhandaram play tennis for Cherry Creek High School, but this week they are spending their time at Aurora Central High School as camp counselors at Colorado Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp.

The free camp invites children with physical disabilities from across Colorado to try adaptive sports.

“I love sports, and I love teaching kids, and this is one of the greatest places to do it,” Sunny said. “Every single kid here is so wholesome, so nice, and they love every second that they are here.”

Kapil described the moment campers realize what they are capable of.

“Say they hit a ball over the net, and they’re like, ‘oh my god, I can actually do this’, and they haven’t been exposed to stuff like this their entire lives,” Kapil said. “Seeing that click and that change in their life experiences is just really heart-filling.”

The camp offers a wide range of activities for its participants with sports like swimming, kayaking, tennis, hockey, rugby, basketball, fencing, archery and more.

Liz Feicht is a volunteer coordinator for the nonprofit camp. She said the experience goes beyond athletics.

“It’s just really cool to see the kids develop these friendships throughout the course of a week and throughout the years,” Feicht said.

For the Bhandaram brothers, watching campers discover new sports has been deeply rewarding.

“I think it’s one of the greatest feelings anyone can ever feel to see someone else succeed or see someone else be fulfilled,” Sunny said.

The experience also inspired the brothers to launch their own nonprofit, called Spark Elite. They plan on launching the website next week.

“We didn’t realize that this is the only week in the year that they get to play these sports. We thought, ‘what if they had somewhere to play year round, and they can get better and better, and then keep coming back,’” Sunny said.

Their goal is to make it easier for adaptive athletes to find programs and resources.

“That’s kind of the whole goal of Spark Elite, to advertise and compile everything into a one-stop shop for every adaptive athlete to kind of go there and be able to pick any sport they want,” Kapil said.

The brothers say the kids at camp make their work worthwhile.

“It makes me happy to see them being happy,” Kapil 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 Mackenzie Stafford

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    CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) — William Jacobs will now face murder charges for allegedly killing 10-month-old Edward Hayes.

The Colorado Court of Appeals reinstated the murder and child abuse charges against William Jacobs on overturning a district court’s dismissal, which had cited “outrageous government conduct” by former 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley. The appeals court ruled that Stanley’s actions, while unethical, did not meet the stringent legal standard for dismissing a case.

On May 21, 2023, emergency services responded to a Motel 6 in Cañon City for an unresponsive 10-month-old boy, Edward Hayes. Hayes was taken to Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs, where he later died.

According to the arrest affidavit, William Jacobs was reportedly the last person to have cared for the baby when police responded. He was living with the baby’s mother, Brook Crawford, at the time, and was watching Hayes while Crawford worked.

During an interview with detectives, the affidavit stated Jacobs admitted to biting Hayes on the arm “while playing with him” and hitting Hayes’ head on a door frame while trying to make him throw up a few days earlier. He also said he disciplined Hayes in the same way he’d disciplined his dog and “demonstrated throwing his dog, but used an infant-sized doll to demonstrate lightly throwing [Hayes] onto the bed.”

Jacobs was charged with first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, and child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury in connection with Hayes’ death. District Judge Kaitlin Turner had dismissed these charges, determining that Stanley’s public comments to KRDO13 Investigates’ Sean Rice about Jacobs’ guilt, juvenile criminal history, and lewd remarks constituted “outrageous government conduct.”

The appeals court, however, emphasized that while Stanley’s conduct was improper and led to her disbarment, it did not involve the creation or commission of the underlying crime, which is typically required for such a dismissal.

“Linda Stanley had nothing to do with the death of this child. What she did was outrageous. What she did was bad conduct. What she did was unethical. But it doesn’t amount to something that is outrageous government conduct for the purposes of dismissal of a crime,” explained Criminal Defense Attorney Jeremy Loew.

Stanley has since been disbarred for her extrajudicial statements in addition to other ethical violations.

The court clarified that ethical violations, which led to Stanley’s disbarment, are distinct from conduct warranting dismissal of criminal charges.

Legal expert Jeremy Loew noted the rarity of a murder case being dismissed and then reinstated on appeal, contrasting it with cases where prosecutorial errors during trial lead to a new trial.

“Rarely do we see a situation where a case is outright dismissed. And then, the prosecution does something, and it comes back on appeal, where the person needs to be rearrested. And so, I would say this is pretty rare, as opposed to the Letecia Stauch situation, where the prosecution made a mistake during trial. And now Ms. Stauch gets a new trial. This is basically the opposite of that, where the prosecution did something, but it shouldn’t have justified a dismissal. And as a result, the person has to be rearrested,” shared Loew.

Loew also noted that KRDO has done everything right regarding this case.

“We have the First Amendment here. We want our news people to be doing investigations, to be going out there getting the facts, asking the hard questions, seeing if elected officials are going to make stupid comments doing the interviews. And I think KRDO is completely aboveboard on this. And, we’re lucky to have people like Sean and yourself who are out there, like getting elected officials to make fools of themselves,” said Loew.

Loew says District Attorney Jeffrey D. Lindsey, who felt the initial judge made an error, will now prosecute the case to the fullest extent of the law, as Stanley is no longer involved.

The appeals court concluded that while Stanley’s comments may have impacted Jacobs’ constitutional rights by heightening public condemnation and potentially affecting jury impartiality, mechanisms exist to mitigate these concerns. The court noted that these concerns must be addressed “at the appropriate time in the proceedings,” listing several means by which a court can ensure a defendant’s right to a fair trial in the face of pretrial publicity.

The Colorado Court of Appeals’ order reverses the dismissal, reinstates the charges against Jacobs, and remands the case to the district court for further proceedings. Jacobs will likely be rearrested and prosecuted.

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 Kaley O’Kelley

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    PHOENIX (KNXV) — Jariah Edwards was just 17 years old and pregnant when she had reportedly been trying to leave her boyfriend. That man is now accused of tracking her down in San Diego last weekend and killing her.

The Valley teen was found with a gunshot wound on Saturday while on vacation in California with her family. She was rushed to the hospital, where she later died. Doctors performed an emergency C-section, and her baby girl remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Trevon Williams, 21, was arrested and has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges.

Prosecutors say, if convicted, Williams could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

Her friends tell ABC15 she had been desperate to end her relationship with Williams.

“He found her. She wanted to leave him. She wanted to be done with him. This is not what she wanted at all,” a friend said. “She tried to leave multiple times, and he scared her multiple times.”

Friends described her as someone who always made people feel seen, funny, and wanted to be a mom.

Edwards was one of several recent local victims of violence involving young mothers-to-be.

In Buckeye last month, a triple shooting killed one teenager, her unborn baby, and the child of another pregnant teen who was injured in the same attack.

What to know about teen dating violence

These cases are drawing attention to the issue of teen dating violence.

According to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, one in 12 high school students reports experiencing some form of dating violence.

Experts say many cases go unreported due to fears of retaliation.

Warning signs can include:

Extreme jealousy or possessiveness Demanding access to a partner’s phone or social media Constantly monitoring a partner’s location Threats or intimidation after a breakup

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 John Rupolo

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    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KOAT) — Nichelle Nichols, widely recognized for her role as Lt. Uhura on “Star Trek,” became a trailblazer as the first Black woman to play a lead role on television.

Not only did Nichols consider leaving “Star Trek” to pursue theater, but Martin Luther King Jr. personally urged her to stay. “Please, this is the first time a person like us has been in a role of power and influence, and I need you to stay,” said Lisa Curtis, an attorney for the Nichols family.

Nichelle Nichols’ family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Gila Medical Center in Silver City, New Mexico, where Nichols was treated in 2022. A jury awarded $13 million to the family.

“Nichelle Nichols had a new heart condition, and the great people that were taking care of her sent her to the emergency room to be diagnosed. They did a terrible job of that,” Curtis said.

The lawsuit alleges that Gila Medical Center “hired, credentialed, and inappropriately supervised unqualified medical providers and allowed them to treat Ms. Nichols.”

Nichols was later transferred to an assisted living facility, where she died hours later.

“So, she needed to see somebody that could diagnose her and treat her. They didn’t transfer her to Las Cruces. It’s just a trip down I-25. It should have been an easy call, but the problem is a hospital [with] very poor policies for that,” Curtis said.

Attempts to reach the medical center and their attorney for comment were unsuccessful. However, in court filings, the hospital stated Nichols died due to natural causes.

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 Faith Egbuonu

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    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KOAT) — On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, Presbyterian Healthcare Services announced most of its Medicare Advantage Plans will be discontinued by 2027 amid financial strain. According to PHS, roughly 30,000 members will be impacted by the change.

Health plan and administrative roles have also been reduced, and 150 layoffs will go into effect. Currently, there are 14,000 Presbyterian employees. However, the decision will not affect members’ coverage for the current year. KOAT reached out to PHS in response to the announcement. PHS sent the following statement.

What are Medicare Advantage Plans?

“A Medicare Advantage plan (also known as Part C) is a bundled “all-in-one” alternative to Original Medicare. Offered by private insurance companies approved by Medicare, these plans combine your Part A (hospital) and Part B (medical) coverage, and most also include prescription drug coverage (Part D).” On Tuesday, KOAT spoke with licensed clinical social worker Kenneth Winfrey on the impacts he believes the cuts will have on New Mexicans in the near future. Winfrey works with patients under Medicaid and Medicare.

“Health members are going to end up with a fractured care team. What the Medicare Advantage Plans have been able to allow some people to do is to create a suite of services. So, they have a cardiologist or a primary care physician or a physical therapist that are covered under one plan,” Winfrey told KOAT.

“We’ve come to appreciate and understand that the Medicare Advantage plans are very difficult for providers and for entities like Presbyterian. It’s just really unfortunate that it’s happened this way with such a large entity,” Kenneth said.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services statement

“Presbyterian is focused on where we can make the greatest difference: delivering high-quality care, expanding access, and staying a strong, independent healthcare system for New Mexico. To support that mission, we have made the difficult decision to no longer offer most of Presbyterian Health Plan’s Medicare Advantage plans in 2027.

Importantly, this decision does not affect members’ coverage for the current plan year, which will continue as expected. For Presbyterian, continuing in this market would limit our ability to invest in the care, workforce and access to serve New Mexicans where they need us most. We will continue to offer our Medicare Advantage Dual Plus Special Needs Plan (D-SNP).

We have also reduced some health plan and administrative roles. These are difficult decisions involving valued members of our workforce who have made meaningful contributions to Presbyterian and to our communities.

About 150 roles have been impacted. Direct patient care roles will not be affected. Hiring and expanding clinical positions is our greatest need—we are actively trying to fill about 870 open clinical positions across our hospitals and clinics.

We know this news may be disruptive and we are committed to supporting our community throughout the transition. Community members can call (505) 923-2000 (TTY 711) for help.”

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.