Category: CNN Regional

By Jeff Nguyen

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    WEST HOLLYWOOD, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Cell phone video captured a fight between two women outside a pair of hot dog vendor carts in West Hollywood over the weekend, which local business owners say is just the latest in a troubling trend in the area.

It happened early Sunday morning on Santa Monica Boulevard, where multiple street vendors often set up, according to Larry Block, who owns the nearby Block Party Store.

Surveillance camera footage from Block’s store shows vendors dumping what he says is bacon grease from the carts, leaving the pavement stained and slippery.

“Then the rats get in there, and the rats come into the store,” Block said. “We have a number of infestations. We have a number of rats in the city.”

On top of that, Block says that vendors have been violent at times.

“I had asked them to move, and they went to punch me in the eye after I had eye surgery last year,” Block said.

He’s one of several business owners in the area who have expressed concerns about fire hazards from the vendors’ carts, many of which they say aren’t licensed. Cellphone video from last summer shows one hot dog cart engulfed in flames as customers stand by.

Block said that he also believes many of the workers at the hot dog stands are underage.

“A truck lines up on San Vicente somewhere around 9:30, 10 o’clock in the evening and 30 carts come off this truck at a time,” Block said.

West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman says that a 2019 law decriminalized street vending, so enforcement has become increasingly difficult, even if the vendors are operating across the street from the sheriff’s station.

“It’s tough to enforce, because some of the vendors go out there and they’re only out there for an hour or two,” Heilman said. “By the time our code enforcement officers arrive, they’re gone, or they move.”

Additional difficulties in addressing the issue include politicization, which has increased since immigration enforcement operations became more common last year, according to WeHo Times publisher Paulo Murrillo.

“Anyone whose criticized them, like, they get called racist and it just becomes a whole different thing,” Murrillo said.

Business owners say that they’ve been complaining about the problem, but they are not getting support from city hall on an issue they say shouldn’t be politicized.

“Everybody is suffering from fear of speaking up, because they’ve been batted down for being against immigrants,” Block said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, who are investigating the brawl from the weekend, says that they’ve spoken with the alleged victim but have not been able to track down the other person involved yet.

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 Jasmine Viel

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    LA CANADA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Security cameras showed the moment three masked suspects crept through the backyard of a La Cañada home before forcing their way inside.

Homeowner Diana Avetyan said the break-in happened last week, when no one was home except her dog, Chloe. She said the suspects used bear spray on her dog before ransacking her bedrooms.

Moments later, the security cameras captured the suspects rushing out Avetyan’s door with pillowcases stuffed with jewelry, handbags and family heirlooms, such as her grandfather’s watch.

She said the suspects were carrying signal jammers inside their backpacks that disabled portions of the home’s security system. Avetyan said the cameras captured what appeared to be a white Kia waiting nearby before the security system cut out.

“Disgusted and violated extremely,” said Avetyan, describing how the burglary made her feel. “You feel safe, but not anymore.”

Avetyan believes the group could be tied to other recent break-ins in Los Angeles.

In Studio City last Friday, two masked suspects used bear spray on Steve Calabro after he confronted them during a break-in at his neighbor’s home. He said the thieves drove off in a white Kia with a blacked-out windshield.

“When I saw the footage of that, it gave me goosebumps because it was the same guys,” Avetyan said. “They had the same backpacks, and they had the same getaway car.”

On Sunday night in Beverly Grove, three masked suspects connected to a white Kia tried to break into a home on Oakwood Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers said a nanny and two small children were at home during the attempted break-in, but the home’s security system scared the suspects away before they could take anything.

Avetyan said she is ready to move. She hopes someone recognizes the car and the suspects are caught before another family becomes a target.

“At this point, it’s not even about catching them and getting my stuff back. I’ve kind of lost hope in that,” she said. “It’s the fact of doing something that will take us one step closer to catching them.”

LAPD detectives said they have not made a connection between the burglaries.

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 Anna Alejo

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    COLORADO (KCNC) — As Colorado marks 150 years of statehood, a one-of-a-kind traveling exhibit is hitting the road, and it’s carrying a history many Coloradans have never heard.

The “Breathing, Healing Bus” will wind through communities across the state. It’s part rolling classroom, part memorial and part celebration. Inside, the true story of Indigenous people in Colorado is told in vivid detail — from massacre to resilience, from erasure to a powerful declaration: “We are still here.”

Terri Bissonette, lead facilitator for Wakaska Yuza Native Youth Leaders, says that message is long overdue.

“We knew it would be really important for folks to learn the true history of what happened to tribal nations as Colorado was becoming a state,” she says. “Native history is Colorado history. And it’s important for all Coloradans to know and understand — not only what occurred in the 1800s — but the ongoing battles and struggles and challenges that we have.”

The history on board is sobering. The early leaders of the state, Bissonette says, had an intentional goal: to make Colorado Native American-free. They came close. And for generations, that story was buried, she says.

The Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples are still carrying the weight of that era. The massacre of their ancestors, Bissonette says, is a wound that has never fully healed.

“When trauma is not resolved, it just perpetuates, and it manifests itself in different ways. And that’s really what we see,” said Bissonette.

But the bus isn’t only about pain. A section on board is dedicated to healing, meditative breathing, reflection, and hope. Bissonette is clear about what she wants visitors to walk away feeling.

“We don’t want anybody going through the exhibit triggered or re-traumatized. We want folks to feel inspired. Truth and healing can exist in the same space,” she said.

The voices telling that story belong, in part, to Native youth.

Brielle Patillo, a student from the Northern Arapaho Nation, joined the project with a purpose.

“What inspired me to do this is to just be able to speak up for the people that can’t speak up,” said Patillo. “How we’re getting murdered, and nobody notices it, nobody recognizes it.”

She’s talking about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women — a crisis her community lives with every day. Cases dropped. Families waiting. Women are forgotten.

But Brielle carries pride alongside that pain. She recently learned that her great-grandmother wrote the dictionary for the Arapaho language.

“I think we should keep on teaching young people about our languages and just keep our traditions. I don’t want my culture to just be forgotten,” said Patillo.

Her fellow student December White Plume points to the images on the bus — the buffalo, the memorials, the red handprints representing missing women.

White Plume said, “They tried to kill us off, but we’re still here. They tried to kill all of our buffalo, but our buffalo are still here.”

Elizabeth Tafoya, who is Jicarilla Apache and Laguna Pueblo, sees the bus as living proof of something powerful.

“We aren’t a dying people,” Tayoya said. “We are still keeping on our legacy. And we can see this through a lot of our youth today.”

That’s ultimately what Terri Bissonette hopes every Coloradan takes with them when they step off the bus. Not guilt, not grief, but understanding. And maybe a little surprise.

“I can’t tell you how many people I’ve run across in the state of Colorado who say, ‘There are Native people here?'” Bissonette said.

There are. They always have been.

And now, on a bus rolling across the state their ancestors called home long before it had a name, they are making sure you know it.

The Wakaska Yuza Native Youth Leaders project received a grant for the traveling exhibit from the America 250-Colorado 150 Commission. Learn more at controlgroupproductions.org/truth-250-150 and at nativeyouthleaders.org.

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 Kendall Keys

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    SUSSEX, Wisconsin (WISN) — The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office is searching for the vandal responsible for defacing a Sept. 11 memorial in the village of Lisbon.

Crews worked Monday to remove the images of antisemitism.

“We are, you know, a hard-working, blue-collar village. And so when you see that, I think everybody kind of gets a little jolt in their heartstrings,” Village Administrator Daniel Green said. “It just hurts to, to read it and see something like that. The first thing you want to do is find the person who did it and have it removed immediately.”

Someone spray-painted swastikas on the memorial and references to the Bible on the village hall building.

“The memorial was the worst part,” Green said. “The building we can clean up, or we can rebuild. But a memorial like this, many people donated money and funds for this to happen. And it’s close to a lot of people.”

Each year on Sept. 11, people gather at the memorial. In 2021, WISN 12 News spoke to the Lisbon Fire Department lieutenant who wanted to build a tribute to those killed in the attack in the small Waukesha County village.

“Everybody pitched in. An idea that started out in my mind as a small display in the wall of the firehouse turned into this wonderful display here at the community park,” Meyer said in 2021.

The memorial’s meaning made cleaning it up even more important. Crews used a special chemical agent to power wash the spray paint off of a real steel beam from the twin towers, being careful to preserve the piece of history.

“The highway guys did a great job cleaning this up,” Green said. “Hopefully we don’t have to hear about something like this happening for a long time.”

The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. Nobody has been arrested.

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By Brett Rains

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    POCOLA, Oklahoma (KHBS, KHOG) — Concern is growing in Pocola, Oklahoma, after thousands of gallons of chemicals spilled in Fort Smith and flowed downstream, raising questions about long-term environmental impacts.

Emergency managers said the spill happened Saturday, May 2, when a holding tank ruptured at the C&S Chemicals facility on Highway 271 in Fort Smith. Approximately 89,000 gallons of chemicals were released into the environment, primarily acidified aluminum sulfate — commonly used to disinfect poultry houses — along with nearly 3,000 gallons of sulfuric acid, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality.

Most of the chemicals entered storm drains and flowed into a nearby drainage ditch, moving downstream toward Oklahoma. Crews are working to neutralize the waterway by reducing acidity levels.

The drainage creek runs from Fort Smith to the Poteau River. An Arkansas Game and Fish spokesperson said crews have counted more than 300 dead minnows and sunfish so far, but residents across the state line say they’ve seen far more.

“There are thousands of fish dead in this creek,” said Jerry Vaughn, who lives along Highway 112 near the contaminated drainage creek. “My children, my grandchildren, fished in this creek for 15 years or 16 years. Lots of fish, and they’re dead. They’re just dead.”

Vaughn lives next to the creek where crews are currently testing and aerating the water after the spill. He said he’s especially worried about what happens as the water flows into a swamp before reaching the Poteau River — and what that could mean for his beehives.

“From here, this creek goes into a huge swamp before it gets into the Poteau River,” Vaughn said. “I have 14 beehives. Those bees work that swamp. And from the research I’ve done, that aluminum sulfate gets into my bees. It’s going to kill my hives.”

Remediation efforts are expected to take two to four weeks, according to emergency managers. Vaughn said he fears the impacts could last much longer.

“I don’t think I’m being told everything,” Vaughn said. “The problem is the aluminum sulfate. It’s not going away. It’s going to be a long-term problem. I’m afraid that long-term problem is just going to be my problem instead of the people that dumped this into the creek.”

In an email sent to 40/29 News, an EPA spokesperson said the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality, with assistance from Oklahoma, is now the lead agency monitoring the cleanup. C&S Chemicals is responsible for all cleanup costs, and a company spokesperson said the total cost is still being determined.

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By Eric Graves

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    KANSAS CITY, Kansas (KMBC) — Bishop Ward High School seniors will not walk across the graduation stage Tuesday evening as scheduled after a recent act of vandalism.

School leadership postponed the commencement ceremonies after seniors reportedly damaged the school building.

In a message to parents, Bishop Ward leadership said the vandalism happened the night of Thursday, May 7, and involved a “significant portion” of the senior class.

Bishop Ward parent Alexcia Gonzales said Thursday was the last day of school for seniors.

Gonzales said she called the school Friday. An administrator told her the vandals destroyed classrooms, damaged furniture, threw eggs and ripped textbooks.

“I don’t understand,” Gonzales said. “What would you think is funny about destroying a classroom? That’s not funny. Like, that’s not even considered a prank.”

Gonzales said her son, Emilio Duran, was out hand-delivering graduation announcements to family and friends Thursday evening.

“He’s been through a lot,” Gonzales said. “And he’s worked really hard. And for it to end like this, it’s just very upsetting.”

In a statement, Bishop Ward High School leaders said commencement ceremonies would be rescheduled when the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department investigation into the vandalism concluded.

Gonzales said it’s frustrating for her son and other uninvolved seniors to be punished for the actions of their classmates.

“All the students weren’t involved, but they’re punishing everybody,” she said. “I know it’s to teach everybody a lesson, but still, it’s not right. It’s not right.”

With that graduation date up in the air, Gonzales has had to change plans quickly. Her son’s grandparents were supposed to come into town, and they had booked an Airbnb.

“Luckily, we were able to get a refund, but I had to let everybody know there’s no ceremony,” she said. “That was hard.”

Gonzales is hoping Bishop Ward will reschedule graduation, but she’s worried because she doesn’t know how long the investigation will take.

She’s hoping the parents of the students involved will help speed up the process.

“I hope if they know that their student did it, that they will make their student come forward because they’re ruining it for everybody,” Gonzales said. “I know if my son was involved, oh, best believe I would take him to the police station.”

In a statement, KCKPD said officers were called to the school before 8 a.m. on Friday, May 8, for a reported burglary.

“The initial investigation indicates that multiple persons, potentially students, gained access to the school building after hours on May 7 and vandalized several interior areas, causing damage to property. The identity of those involved and total value of damaged property is currently undetermined.”

Once KCKPD finishes up the investigation, Bishop Ward High School leadership will decide on any disciplinary actions and whether they would like to pursue charges.

Gonzales said she’s keeping a close eye on her email, hoping to see details on a rescheduled graduation date.

If not, she’s planning to give her son his own ceremony at his graduation party.

“I said, ‘Hey, if you don’t have a ceremony before this party, we will make one for you,'” Gonzales said. “We’ll do the whole thing. We’ll play the song, make you wear your cap and gown. We’ll put a red carpet down. You can walk across and act like you’re getting the diploma.”

But she and her son are both hoping for the real thing.

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.