Category: CNN Regional

By Nolan Hyman

Click here for updates on this story

    UTICA, N.Y. – (WKTV) — The Sebilj Monument project is close to completion, and the Bosnian American Community Association celebrated it at the annual fundraiser dinner Thursday night.

Joined by members of the community, the BACA recognized all the volunteers who put forth their effort and support into the project.

The night served as a thank you for all those who gave their support from the start.

“It’s humbling to finally recognize the people that have been tirelessly working and showing up, day in and day out, providing food,” said Kailey Sweet, the treasurer for BACA. “It’s really awarding to see the community coming together.”

Volunteers put countless hours into building a monument that stands as a lasting tribute to Bosnian heritage.

The monument will be a replica of the original Sebilj, a wooden fountain in Sarajevo.

And to match its style down to the finest detail, the replica in Utica was built with Bosnia-imported wood.

“It’s hard to put it into words… seeing the Sebilj back in Sarajevo… then being able to see it being recreated here with so many younger generations, older generations, all in between, I really can’t put the feeling into words. It’s incredible,” said Sweet.

The fountain will be operational, providing clean, free water to the entire community.

Sweet said the monument is set to be completed in a couple of weeks.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 WABC Staff

Click here for updates on this story

    NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Two people were found dead in flooded basements in New York City on Thursday after heavy storms moved through the area, according to police.

A 39-year-old man was found unconscious and unresponsive in a flooded basement in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, police said.

The FDNY Scuba Team went into the flooded basement around 4:25 p.m. and removed him. He was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“I was here when they dragged his body out of the water,” said Akiva, the victim’s friend.

Neighbors told Eyewitness News that the man lived in the basement and went back in to save one of his two dogs and was unable to get out.

“He was just very pure, simple person,” Akiva said. “Didn’t really need much at all. He was a giver, he wasn’t a taker.”

Crews pumped the water out of homes in the area, owned by people drowning in worry with every rain drop.

“Every single time it rains, my heart and pressure goes up because I know what to expect,” said landlord Renee Phillips.

In a separate incident in Washington Heights, a 43-year-old man was found unconscious and unresponsive in a flooded boiler room, according to police.

NYPD ESU removed the man from the boiler room and EMS pronounced him dead on the scene.

The effects of rainstorms have become progressively catastrophic for New York City residents, who feel like they are being flooded out of the city, and now are losing their neighbors.

“Why are the roads paved so unevenly that all the water becomes like Noah’s arc here? Because people don’t think – maybe we should make things level,” Akiva said.

“If I work every day, you know, and I pay my taxes and I’m crying out for help – somebody come out and help with the situation. I’m tired of crying out and nobody’s hearing me. But somebody’s hearing something today,” Phillips said.

Police are investigating both incidents.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Krista Tatschl

Click here for updates on this story

    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — Roller coaster rides reportedly turned from thrills to scares for a few recent guests at Worlds of Fun.

A couple said they were riding the Mamba, the tallest coaster at the Kansas City theme park, on Oct. 11 when a young girl behind them announced that her seat belt was not latched.

“It was completely undone,” said Chris Evins, who helped hold her down. “And there was this big of a gap between her and the lap bar.”

Evins and his wife held onto the girl and her friend next to her as the 205-foot-tall coaster went on.

“I said, ‘Look, you’re going to make it through the rest of this ride. We’re not going to let you go,’” Evins said.

Cassie Evins said both girls were crying as they held on.

“72 miles an hour, holding onto somebody. It’s terrifying,” Cassie Evins said.

One day after that incident, a guest reported another alleged seat belt malfunction on the Mamba.

A mother said she shouted that her son’s seat belt hadn’t locked as the cars entered their first climb.

This time, the ride reportedly stopped, and the seat belt, which the mother said was twisted and loose, was adjusted.

“We probably won’t go back for a while,” Cassie Evins said. “We need to see the change, and once we see that change, I will be comfortable taking my four children, who I am not comfortable taking currently.”

Inspectors from the Missouri Division of Fire Safety reportedly went to evaluate the coaster Thursday morning.

They told one of the affected guests that a ride inspector discovered some restraint devices that were “not functioning properly” on the Mamba, and the ride was taken out of service until repairs were made, which were expected to be done Thursday or Friday.

KMBC 9 reached out to Six Flags, the parent company of Worlds of Fun, for a statement on the situation.

“The safety of our guests and team members is a top priority,” a park spokesperson said. “Following the report of a guest concern on the ride earlier this month, our team immediately closed the ride and completed a thorough inspection before reopening it that evening. The ride is equipped with a multi-layered restraint system, and it has operated safely since the initial concern was raised.

“The ride has undergone a comprehensive safety review, and we have implemented modifications requested by the Fire Marshall to ensure it meets or exceeds all applicable safety standards before it reopens to guests this evening.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Itay Hod

Click here for updates on this story

    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — In a cramped garage right across from San Francisco’s Dolores Park, something prehistoric has emerged.

“It looks like it’s good to go,” Trevor Mead said, making a final check before his latest transformation.

For the past three years, Mead, a San Francisco lawyer and artist, has been working on a monster of a project. He flips a switch, steps inside, adjusts the controls — and just like that, the creature comes to life.

Meet the Doloresaurus, a seven-foot-tall, fifteen-foot-long glowing dinosaur on a mission to light up people’s lives. About once a week, he roams the neighborhood, stomping his way into people’s hearts.

“That is the best Halloween costume I’ve ever seen,” said local Stephanie Gladney.

“Only in San Francisco! Trust, only in San Francisco,” added Brendon Milan-Howells, another parkgoer.

Mead said the idea first hatched in 2023, when he saw a dinosaur art installation and wondered, “What if I made my own?” Only his version is less Jurassic Park and more Dolores Park.

“It is spreading joy at exactly the time and place we need it the most,” Mead said.

With PVC bones and skin made of foam lined with LED lights, the Doloresaurus can roam the streets for up to six hours at a time. Mead said this is just the first hatchling — he hopes to build a whole herd so others can roam their own stomping grounds.

At the end of the night, this dino headed back to his cave, a reminder that sometimes, even the craziest idea can spark a kind of joy that never goes extinct.

“When I’m done, I’m tired,” Mead said, “but it’s always satisfying, especially when nothing broke.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

KPIX

By Itay Hod

Click here for updates on this story

    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — In a cramped garage right across from San Francisco’s Dolores Park, something prehistoric has emerged.

“It looks like it’s good to go,” Trevor Mead said, making a final check before his latest transformation.

For the past three years, Mead, a San Francisco lawyer and artist, has been working on a monster of a project. He flips a switch, steps inside, adjusts the controls — and just like that, the creature comes to life.

Meet the Doloresaurus, a seven-foot-tall, fifteen-foot-long glowing dinosaur on a mission to light up people’s lives. About once a week, he roams the neighborhood, stomping his way into people’s hearts.

“That is the best Halloween costume I’ve ever seen,” said local Stephanie Gladney.

“Only in San Francisco! Trust, only in San Francisco,” added Brendon Milan-Howells, another parkgoer.

Mead said the idea first hatched in 2023, when he saw a dinosaur art installation and wondered, “What if I made my own?” Only his version is less Jurassic Park and more Dolores Park.

“It is spreading joy at exactly the time and place we need it the most,” Mead said.

With PVC bones and skin made of foam lined with LED lights, the Doloresaurus can roam the streets for up to six hours at a time. Mead said this is just the first hatchling — he hopes to build a whole herd so others can roam their own stomping grounds.

At the end of the night, this dino headed back to his cave, a reminder that sometimes, even the craziest idea can spark a kind of joy that never goes extinct.

“When I’m done, I’m tired,” Mead said, “but it’s always satisfying, especially when nothing broke.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Tim Fang

Click here for updates on this story

    SAN JOSE, California (KPIX) — Police in San Jose are searching for at least two suspects after a sculpture gifted to the city from Japan has been stolen from a city park in downtown last month.

According to officers, a bronze Momotaro statue was cut down and stolen from Veterans Memorial Park around 7 a.m. on Sep. 25.

The statue, which features a depiction of the popular hero in Japanese folklore also known as the “Peach Boy”, was a gift from San Jose’s sister city of Okayama, Japan. San Jose’s sister-city partnership with Okayama is its longest-running, dating back to 1957.

A statement from the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs on Oct. 21 described Momotaro as “an important and beloved part of our community.”

Photos shared by police showed one of two suspects pushing the statue in a shopping cart, heading northbound towards Park Avenue.

Anyone with information is asked to email detectives at 5029@sanjoseca.gov or to call the department’s non-emergency line at 408-277-8900, referencing case #25-288-0623.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Tim Fang

Click here for updates on this story

    MONTEREY COUNTY, California (KPIX) — A Monterey County man has been arrested after authorities said they found unregistered “ghost” guns along with materials to manufacture improvised explosive devices during searches of two homes earlier this week.

According to the Marina Police Department, 21-year-old Ryan James Keating of Marina was arrested and booked into the Monterey County Jail on Tuesday. Police said an investigation was launched after officers received a tip concerning online posts by Keating.

Detectives, in conjunction with the San Francisco Office of the FBI, obtained search warrants for two homes tied to Keating. A Gun Violence Restraining Order was also obtained.

On Tuesday, warrants were served at homes on Mildred Court in Marina and Olmstead Avenue in Pacific Grove. “Riley”, a police K-9 trained to locate firearms and ammunition, was brought in to help.

During a search of the Marina home, police said they located two ghost gun handguns and two ghost AR-15 rifles, which were in the process of being manufactured. Firearms parts and a 3D printer were also found.

Officers said they also located chemicals and components to manufacture improvised explosive materials and devices (IEDs). The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad was brought in to ensure the materials were rendered safe.

The search also yielded 2,500 rounds of ammunition, two shotguns, one handgun and three rifles which were legally purchased.

At the Pacific Grove home, officers located four legally purchased handguns and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition.

Police said in both homes, they found “racial and hate motivated literature”, along with books on the manufacturing of improvised weaponry and military tactics.

Keating was booked into the Monterey County Jail on $50,000 bail. Police said he faces charges of possession of destructive device material and possession of high-capacity magazines.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Ryan Hughes

Click here for updates on this story

    New Jersey (KYW) — Strong wind gusts, driving rain and rough surf are once again causing problems down the Jersey Shore.

For the second time this month, an angry Atlantic Ocean was eating away at the dunes and washing away part of the beach at Seacliff Avenue in Strathmere.

“It’s one after another, and you feel so helpless because you’re limited on what you can do and the resources you have to work with,” said Craig Reeves, the superintendent of the Upper Township Public Works Department.

Reeves was closely monitoring the conditions Thursday. He says many homes are now at risk after most of the beach was lost and several feet of dunes were wiped away two weeks ago, when a strong nor’easter battered many shore towns. Strathmere declared a state of emergency.

“We really lost a lot two weeks ago with that event, so now we’re very vulnerable,” he said.

Strathmere also suffered severe erosion in August from the impacts of Hurricane Erin that churned off the coast.

Steven Hafner, the assistant director of Stockton University’s Coastal Research Center, says with the storms hitting so close together the beaches can’t naturally recover, so more damage is being done.

“When the next storm comes in, the beach elevation is lower, the beaches are narrower, and the storm surge allows the waves to progress further up the beach until they’re impacting the dune systems,” Hafner said.

“It’s a concern, we don’t have a lot to work with, and we have a way to go this winter,” Reeves said.

The last beach replenishment project in Strathmere was at the beginning of last year. The next one is slated for 2027, but it depends on federal funding being available.

Reeves says until then there is not much the township can do. He plans to be out Friday morning to assess the damage.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.