Category: CNN Regional

By Cheryl Fiandaca

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    WAKEFIELD, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A Wakefield, Massachusetts, mom says her sixth-grade daughter is afraid to go to school, telling the WBZ I-Team the preteen has been threatened and bullied for months. The mom says the school has taken some action against the students involved, but the bullying hasn’t stopped.

The 12-year-old is a typical preteen, excited about playing softball and was looking forward to starting sixth grade. But her mom, Diana, says instead of worrying about homework or making friends, she is worried about being bullied and threatened at school.

“She’s being called all sorts of names like slut and whore,” Diana said. “I have a student that told her that she should kill herself. If not, that he’s going to kill her, then he’s going to harm me and rape me.”

Not all of the threats are verbal. Screenshots of text messages sent to the 12-year-old’s phone came from an unknown account and said things like “no one likes you” and “I hope you drown yourself.”

Diana says all of this started last year when her daughter was in the fifth grade at the Galvin Middle School in Wakefield and continued into this school year. Diana says she is distraught. “My daughter is beautiful, she’s smart, she’s funny. And, you know, my daughter shouldn’t have to feel the way she does, not wanting to go to school, not wanting to take the bus and feeling inadequate to be at school,” Diana said. “My daughter should feel safe.”

In an email, the school principal told Diana they conducted an investigation and they did “find other problematic messages” on a male classmate’s phone and that the school “responded according to our disciplinary rubric.”

And in a separate message about the sixth grader, the vice principal told Diana, “a few kids were really mean to her and we’re dealing with them all and they’re in trouble.”

Diana says her daughter is very upset about the bullying and said she does not think the school is doing enough to protect her. “They don’t give these students consequences, you know, and I agree with her,” Diana said.

The school administration did move the student who was allegedly sending the bullying messages out of her daughter’s classes. But Diana says the two still share a lunch period. “I think they have not done enough. The kid was in the cafeteria, and he mocked my daughter and threw food at her,” she said.

Just recently, Diana said school officials suggested her complaints about her daughter being bullied are motivated by race. “Everything has been documented, everything is in writing. I just want the bullying to stop,” Diana said. “I don’t care who they are, where they come from, the bullying it needs to stop. She shouldn’t feel uncomfortable to go to school, she’s only 12.”

Wakefield schools superintendent did not respond to the I-Team’s repeated requests for an on-camera interview. Diana says she has filed a complaint with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. It tells the I-Team that complaint is under review.

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 Kaicey Baylor

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore Police are investigating after two people attempted to rob a restaurant in Southeast Baltimore while customers were being served.

Officers responded to Patterson Public House on East Baltimore Street Sunday night in reference to an unarmed robbery. No injuries or damage were reported. Police have not made any arrests and Baltimore City robbery detectives are investigating the incident.

“It wasn’t an armed robbery,” said restaurant owner Scott Lanphear. “It was really just sort of an emotional toll that it took on everybody.”

Lanphear said two people showed up to Patterson Public House and sat at the end of the bar. One of them appeared to distract the server while the other demanded money from the bartender.

“Felt like a scam,” he said. “‘Oh, I’ll give you my Venmo, you give me the cash from the register.'”

He said the bartender said no.

“Then the gentleman said, ‘Well, I don’t think you understand this is a robbery. So, give me the money from the register,'” Lanphear said.

The bartender said no again but the man was persistent, asking questions on how to access the register. Eventually, he and another person ran off. During that time, the business was still open with customers inside.

“They were so quiet,” Lanphear said. “I don’t even know if the guests or a handful of guests at the bar, I don’t think they noticed that anything had gone wrong.”

It comes as other small businesses have experienced break-ins recently. On Wednesday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott noted the city has seen a 26% reduction in commercial robberies this year.

“We’re going to continue to focus on through BDC (Baltimore Development Corporation) and others on how to support the small businesses in the city of Baltimore,” Mayor Scott said. “They are the backbone of our economy.”

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 Tara Lynch

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — After his car was stolen, a Baltimore City man said he’s now facing thousands of dollars in fines, toll violations and other expenses tied to the person who allegedly stole his vehicle.

Trace Thompson said his 2020 Subaru Legacy was stolen from his Mount Vernon neighborhood on Oct. 17. When he finally got it back nearly two weeks later, he said the car was trashed.

Thompson said, as usual, that he parked his car near the apartment where he’s lived for three years. The next morning, he came outside to find his car missing. Initially, he called 311 for help and was told the vehicle may have been moved because of the Baltimore City Marathon. He eventually asked the operator to send a police officer to investigate.

“I was in a bit of panic,” Thompson said.

Baltimore City Police told WJZ an officer responded on Oct. 19 and filed a report. Investigators said there was no broken glass or debris at the scene, and it was unclear how the suspect gained access to the vehicle.

Investigators later located the vehicle through the city’s license plate reader system, which showed it being driven near Washington Street and De Soto Street.

Thompson said he also contacted the vehicle’s manufacturer for help tracking it. The company was able to locate the car near a motel in Lansdowne.

“That’s usually the responsibility of the police department. I think that failed to happen,” Thompson said of his call to Subaru. “I was actually able to pass my location information to the police department and two days later, at 3 o’clock in the morning, I received a call that my car had been found next to a Wawa.”

On Oct. 30, Baltimore County Police recovered the vehicle around 2:30 a.m. at the Wawa on Washington Boulevard in Lansdowne.

Officers arrested the driver, 71-year-old Bobby Hamlett of Perry Point. He was charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and unauthorized removal of a motor vehicle.

Hamlett appeared in court and was released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to return to court in December.

According to court documents, Hamlett told investigators the vehicle’s owner allowed him to borrow it and that he was returning it on Oct. 31. Thompson denies knowing Hamlett or giving him permission to drive the car.

“I don’t think I would ever let somebody borrow my car and take it to a highway motel,” Thompson said.

When the car was recovered, Thompson said its rear window was damaged and needed to be replaced.

“The individual actually, through the left side port window, was able to pop the rubber out and then pry out the window from there,” Thompson explained.

Thompson said the interior was also littered with trash, drugs and bodily fluids. He paid $600 to have the vehicle professionally cleaned.

“I think the car was more of a crime scene than a vehicle recovery. It was disgusting,” Thompson said.

Man left with thousands in fines and expenses But the expenses didn’t stop there.

Thompson said he began receiving notices for unpaid tolls and a $2,398 fine from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration for lapsed insurance coverage he said he was unaware of.

“I got two [unpaid tolls] within an hour of each other between Baltimore Harbor Tunnel South and Fort McHenry,” Thompson said. “I received a fine for $2,398 in the mail for insurance.”

The MVA told WJZ it is working with Thompson to address the insurance fine, which was originally issued in January. The agency said an additional notice was sent after the vehicle was reported stolen.

Thompson maintains that he had insurance coverage throughout the period in question. He said he still doesn’t know whether additional tickets or fines will arrive.

Now, Thompson is asking city leaders to do more to protect residents from vehicle thefts and similar crimes.

“If stuff like this keeps happening to your young professionals, we’re going to leave,” Thompson said.

Thompson now parks nearly a mile from his apartment in a parking garage, adding another expense to his monthly budget. He said he feels his vehicle is safer there than parked on the street.

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 Sarah Horbacewicz

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    SOUTH FORK, Colorado (KCNC) — A bridge damaged by days of flooding is leaving dozens of residents in South Fork’s Beaver Creek community without a safe way to drive into town, as neighbors rely on one another while the community works to restore access before winter.

Tony Cooper, who lives in the community said the water under, over, and around the bridge was so strong it severely damaged homes along the river.

“This big log right here got jammed underneath the bridge, and when it got jammed, that’s what compromised it,” Cooper said.

After town officials said they felt the bridge move as they stood on it and deemed the bridge unsafe to drive on, residents were left walking across it to get groceries and other necessities. Cooper chatted with CBS Colorado as he waited for a neighbor to get a ride back home on the other side of the bridge.

“We’re in a city that we don’t have the ‘Walmarts’ and big stores and stuff like that,” Cooper said. “So you ask people a lot, ‘Hey, we’re going to the city. Do you need something?'”

The bridge was already under pressure after the first round of flooding this year. After a second round, and alongside the town’s efforts to dig trenches for water around the bridge, it was still deemed too damaged for vehicles to cross.

“They can’t drive and get to town. They have to come out and walk to the grocery store,” said Linette Nye Schmidt, a public information officer with South Fork Fire Rescue of the residents of the estimated 30 homes in the Beaver Creek community, with some of them still vacant.

Reflecting on the storm and the resulting damage across the region, Nye Schmidt added, “We’ve never seen anything like this in our lifetime.”

In the meantime, the town is working with the U.S. Forest Service and other property owners to turn a separate dirt trail into an access road. The goal is to give residents another way in and out of the community while officials assess the bridge.

“We don’t have the timeline until we can get the resources in to check it and see what has to be done,” she said. “And obviously, we’re fighting with a lot of other people that need their bridges looked at.”

If the bridge needs to be completely replaced, South Fork officials estimate the cost could reach $1 million, which officials say is about 40% of the small town’s entire annual budget.

“It is a huge economic impact for a town to have to replace something like this,” Nye Schmidt said. “It’s a very small town, and they just don’t have the budget for big replacements, especially unexpectedly like this.”

That’s why she says officials are hoping for federal aid to help cover the cost of repairs or replacement, as the bridge is just one part of the extensive flood damage across southwest Colorado, where homes, businesses and roads have been damaged or washed away.

For now, neighbors in Beaver Creek are relying on one another to get through the days ahead, as the town works to find a safe way to connect them back with the community.

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 Brian Unger

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    ROME, Georgia (WUPA) — Natalie Wade came to Rome, Georgia, hoping to win a plumbing competition. She left with first place and a working future already taking shape.

The Adairsville High School student has a job lined up with Atlanta-based mechanical contractor McKenney’s before she graduates. She says the opportunity includes paid work and help covering her trade education.

“I wanted that stability right out of high school,” Wade said.

She was among about 300 high school students participating in a skills challenge organized by the Associated General Contractors of Georgia. Students competed individually and in teams in trades including plumbing, drywall, carpentry and masonry.

The setting had the pressure of a sporting event: a clock running, competitors concentrating, and judges examining the results. But beyond the awards, the competition offered a chance to demonstrate skills construction employers need.

Wade’s assignment involved installing the plumbing for a sink and washing machine. Judges checked measurements, whether the pipes were straight and level, and whether students understood the math behind their work.

Judge and plumber Kory Lindsey said the pressure can push students to rush.

“We got a timer running. They start speeding up. They feel like they don’t have enough time,” Lindsey said.

For Wade, repetition helped her stay focused.

“It’s just muscle memory,” she said.

She finished second at both the regional and state levels last year. Even after this year’s work was complete, she wasn’t certain she had done enough to win.

“I really thought my partner was going to win for sure,” Wade said afterward, explaining that she thought his soldered connections looked better.

skills-2.png Students competed individually and in teams in trades including plumbing, drywall, carpentry and masonry. CBS News Atlanta The judges saw it differently. Wade took first place in plumbing.

“This definitely, like, reminds me that I can do this,” she said.

While students competed against each other, construction employers were looking for people to hire.

“We can’t build anything without people,” said Zach Fields, CEO of AGC Georgia. “And we need more people.”

Fields said an aging workforce makes recruiting and training younger workers especially important as experienced tradespeople retire.

Associated Builders and Contractors estimates the industry needs to attract 349,000 new workers nationally in 2026 to meet demand. A separate workforce survey by the Associated General Contractors of America and NCCER found that 42% of respondents reported project delays caused by shortages of their own workers or subcontractors’ workers.

Skilled construction trades offer another route into a challenging job market. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, unemployment among recent college graduates fell to 5.2% in the third quarter of 2026, its lowest level in more than a year, although researchers said conditions remained challenging.

Fields said the competitions’ goal is to connect students with employers before they leave high school.

“They’re going to be inundated with offers,” he said.

He emphasized that four-year degrees have a place in construction, including engineering, architecture and construction management. But entering through a skilled trade can also provide experience, income and a path toward running a job site.

“We care mostly about experience and know-how,” Fields said.

For Wade, the appeal is practical: training for a career while earning money.

“They also pay for my trade school,” she said, describing a program through Local Union 72 in Atlanta. “They also … pay me while I’m going to school.”

A first-place finish and a career foundation already built.

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.