Category: CNN Regional

By Zach Rainey

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    NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina (WYFF) — A man who was about to receive a warning from police during a traffic stop in North Charleston, South Carolina, landed himself in jail after officers say he tried to slyly toss a baggie of fentanyl and cocaine.

Around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, officers with the North Charleston Police Department were patrolling near local hotels on Ashley Phosphate Road when they spotted a driver, later identified as 40-year-old Vincent Leonard Jones Jr., not wearing a seatbelt and initiated a traffic stop.

As officers followed the vehicle before it came to a stop, they reportedly observed Jones moving around and interacting with the center console, leading officers to suspect he may have been attempting to hide contraband or grab a weapon.

Officers said that the vehicle eventually stopped near Northside Drive and La Quinta Lane.

Police said Jones became uncooperative when officers attempted to conduct a frisk, backing away and refusing to comply. Although officers confirmed he was not carrying a weapon on his person, they considered his behavior, the area’s history of drug activity, and his criminal record in deciding to request a K-9 unit.

A K-9 officer with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office arrived and conducted a free-air sniff around the vehicle.

According to police, the K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics, giving officers probable cause to search the vehicle. During the search, officers found two THC vape pens and a live 12-gauge shotgun shell inside the center console.

Officers said that while they were seizing the items and preparing to release Jones with a warning, Jones allegedly tossed a clear plastic bag to the ground. When officers picked up the bag, they discovered four smaller bags containing a white powdery substance.

Police said three of the bags contained a combined total of approximately 2.6 grams of suspected narcotics. Field testing indicated the substance was cocaine and fentanyl.

Further investigation revealed Jones had previous felony convictions, including possession of a stolen handgun and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, making his possession of ammunition illegal under state law.

Jones was charged with trafficking fentanyl, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and multiple drug distribution charges within proximity of a school or park.

He was transported to the Al Cannon Detention Center.

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 Rachel Whelan

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — A West Price Hill mother says she and her three children have been displaced after a tree crashed onto their rental home during severe storms last Thursday.

Among her children is 14-year-old Kennedy Ross, a quadriplegic who uses a ventilator, wheelchair and hospital bed. Kennedy had just returned home days earlier after spending two months at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital recovering from pneumonia.

“Being home was supposed to be a relief,” her mother, Kiera Whitmire, said.

Whitmire said she and her family were inside the home on Beech Avenue when the tree came down.

“We thought somebody drove into our house,” she said.

Kennedy said she was lying in her bed when it happened.

“Like woosh,” Kennedy said. “I didn’t think it hit my room at first because I didn’t see it.”

Whitmire said she took photos the following morning showing debris scattered throughout the yard and a tree resting on top of the section of the home where Kennedy sleeps.

As of Wednesday afternoon, seven days after the storm, the tree remained on the home.

“There’s a tree sitting on the house,” Whitmire said. “There’s a crack on the side of the house where the tree has basically sliced it like a can-opener.”

Whitmire said the damage knocked out power to part of the home, including the kitchen.

She said hundreds of dollars worth of groceries spoiled, and some of Kennedy’s medications require refrigeration.

“My daughter is on 13 medications,” Whitmire said. “Two of them require to be refrigerated.”

Whitmire said she has spent hundreds of dollars paying for hotel rooms while trying to care for Kennedy away from the family’s handicap-accessible home.

She said relocating has been especially difficult because Kennedy requires medical equipment and accommodations that many homes do not offer.

“It makes me really sad because as a single mother of three children, I really work really hard to take care of them,” Whitmire said.

When WLWT visited the property Wednesday afternoon, contractors were removing debris outside the home.

Whitmire said workers told her they had been called to the property about an hour before WLWT arrived. She believes cleanup efforts only began after WLWT contacted the property’s owner and management company seeking comment.

WLWT could not independently verify whether the cleanup was related to our inquiries.

Whitmire said she first reported the damage to the property’s owner and management company the morning after the storm. She said she also contacted the city of Cincinnati and filed a residential complaint after she felt no progress had been made.

She said she has received a 24-hour notice to enter from management and has spoken with office staff, but says she still has not been given a timeline for repairs or told when her family can safely return home.

WLWT called and emailed the property’s owner and management company Wednesday afternoon, asking when repairs began, whether temporary housing assistance had been offered, and when the family may be able to move back in.

As of publication, WLWT had not received a response.

Whitmire said she is now exploring other housing options but says finding an affordable, handicap-accessible rental has been challenging.

“My five-year-old came with me yesterday to check and see if the tree was still on the house,” Whitmire said. “And he said, ‘Mom, do they even care?’ And that broke my heart.”

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 Keenan Smith

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    Michigan (WXYZ) — June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. Men are far less likely than women to seek mental health support, and the consequences can be serious.

But, one local program is trying to reach boys long before they become men in crisis. That organization, Building Better Men, is helping young men learn to name their emotions, manage conflict and take control of their future.

At just 8 years old, King Holliday can already tell you what anger feels like, and more importantly, what to do with it.

“When I get super angry, I take a break, I breathe 10 times and sometimes I draw,” King said.

“How do you feel after you do that?” I asked.

“After I do that, I feel more relaxed,” he said.

Those are not just childhood lessons. They are mental health skills. Inside Building Better Men, these lessons are being taught early.

The program was created by Odis Bellinger, a clinical therapist, author, and recipient of the 2016 Presidential Volunteer Service Award. He said the insight began with his own childhood.

“We created Build a Better Man, probably out of my dysfunction. I grew up in a household, didn’t have a biological father there,” he said.

Bellinger said he grew up in Detroit’s Dexter-Davidson area, knowing something was missing even before he could name it.

“Never having a man in a house, you really didn’t know what you were missing, but you know it affected you, right?” he said.

So, in 1990, he created a program for boys who needed what he once needed: Guidance, structure and the tools to process what they feel.

“We want them to be a better son, a better student, a better person, a better problem solver, and a future family man,” Bellinger said.

During Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, the message is especially important. Men are less likely to seek help. Bellinger believes that pattern starts long before adulthood with boys who are never given the language or support to work through what they feel.

“That’s where everything starts, right? So to be able to understand how to process your feelings, to understand why you feel the way you feel,” Bellinger said.

For 10-year-old Cadin Scott, that lesson includes learning that recognizing emotion and expressing it is not weakness, and that being in touch with your feelings — be it sadness or anger — doesn’t mean being controlled by them.

“Let it all out, make sure somebody knows how you’re feeling,” Cadin said. “After I let out my emotions, it’s kind of like you go back to regular.”

Edward Spinks, 13, said the program brings him connection.

“Because I do not get out the house much [00:02:25][1.9]

He said it also brings him a chance to talk with other boys his age outside of school and outside of home.

“We need communication in our everyday life,” he said.

Bellinger said the work on emotions has to start early — before anger becomes violence, before loneliness becomes isolation, and before boys grow into men who don’t know how to ask for help.

More than three decades later, Bellinger said Building Better Men now reaches about 240 young men each year across five sites.

He said he sees the results in the men who come back years later. Some are athletes, some are doctors, some are lawyers. All were once boys who could use someone willing to invest in their potential.

“If you plant a seed, it can grow,” Bellinger said.

For the boys who are still in the program, what it means to be a better man is taking root.

“It helped me improve my manners and patience, definitely patience,” King said.

Bellinger said emotional health doesn’t start in adulthood. It starts by giving boys the books, the language and the support to handle what they’re feeling before it turns to something heavier.

He said Building Better Men is always looking for volunteers, donors, partners and schools or community sites interested in starting a chapter. You can find more information on their website.

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 Allison Petro, Madilyn Destefano, Meghan Moriarty

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    KISSIMMEE, Florida (WESH) — Titusville Police Chief John Lau was terminated on Wednesday after refusing to take a drug/alcohol test following a rollover crash on Tuesday night, according to a letter from the City of Titusville.

However, the city said Florida Highway Patrol “determined no criminal charges will be filed.”

The crash occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Barna Avenue and River Oaks Drive, FHP said

Lau was in a 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe, which was an unmarked Titusville Police Department vehicle.

The Tahoe ran off the roadway and overturned several times. Lau was extricated from the vehicle before he was transported to Parrish Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The letter from Titusville said Lau was terminated “effective immediately” for “violating the City Policy on Drug and Alcohol after refusing to do a drug test after the crash.”

The release says officers observed at the scene, “a partially consumed vodka bottle and a metal cup.”

According to a case report from TPD, officers also “could hear a slight slur in Chief Lau’s speech.”

Officers also said Lau’s eyes were bloodshot.

Lau refused to submit to an alcohol test at the hospital. He was discharged on Wednesday.

The city says TPD will release body camera video, photographs, and the incident case report.

Lau began his career with the Titusville Police Department in 1992. He worked his way up the ranks to police chief in 2013.

Deputy Chief Tyler Wright has been appointed acting chief of police.

>> This is a developing story.

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By Jolie Sherman

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    PONTIAC, Michigan (WXYZ) — Thousands of car enthusiasts are in Pontiac this weekend for the 54th annual Pontiac-Oakland Club International — a convention the state has only hosted twice in its history.

The timing is no coincidence, as this year marks 100 years since the Pontiac brand was introduced.

Among those making the trip is 83-year-old Gary Cummings, who drove his 1937 Pontiac 2,446 miles from his home in Seattle, Washington to Pontiac, Michigan for the centennial celebration.

“They would honk at me, and I would [pushes horn] honk at them,” Cummings said.

“Like the Pontiac factory, it wasn’t one employee who built the car, and it hasn’t been one person to keep the car running. It’s with friends, and I’m giving back to my friends by driving out here,” Cummings said.

The car holds a lifetime of memories. Cummings’ girlfriend — who would later become his wife — found it at a yard sale.

“I actually purchased it for $175… He wanted $300 for it, which is still a great price. But I told him, I can’t afford it. Remember, this is 1961 dollars,” Cummings said.

The very next day, he drove that Pontiac to his high school graduation. The car went on to become a fixture in his family’s life.

“I used it as our only car when got married, our honeymoon, and for two children brought them home in the car. So it is truly a family car,” Cummings said.

Cummings made the six-day cross-country journey with a good friend. The trip wasn’t without its challenges — the two dealt with a dead battery along the way — but a good Samaritan stepped in to help.

“There’s lots of people out there to help you when you need it,” Cummings said.

Cummings made it to Pontiac just in time for this weekend’s festivities, which include a parade in downtown Pontiac Friday night and a car show at the Oakland Expo on Saturday.

The Pontiac Transportation Museum organized the event. Terry Connolly, the museum’s board chair, encouraged people to visit.

“This city has a wonderful legacy in car culture, and come and visit the Pontiac Transportation Museum as well. You can see it all on the floor in air conditioned comfort,” Connolly said.

Connolly also spoke to the enduring appeal of the Pontiac brand.

“As you may have found out talking to people, Pontiac has probably the largest following of any retired brand of automobile,” Connolly said.

For Cummings, the car is a time capsule in more ways than one — carrying both his personal stories and a piece of living history.

“When I get into the car, and I’m able to feel the transmission when I shift, and look out the window, and see the emblem, the Pontiac Indian head, I feel like I’m in a time machine, traveling back in time,” Cummings said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXYZ’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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 Patrick Talbot

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    OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — Oklahoma City unveiled a 35-foot-tall cowboy boot sculpture outside the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, adding a new attraction to Route 66 as part of the highway’s centennial celebration.

The oversized sculpture celebrates two Oklahoma icons — cowboy culture and America’s most famous highway. Artist Cameron Eagle, who designed the piece, said the inspiration came from a lyric in the song “Kicks 66.”

“Oklahoma City’s mighty pretty. That’s it, doesn’t describe any other town,” Eagle said.

Eagle explained that every detail of the sculpture was designed to reflect Oklahoma’s culture and identity.

“The boot just kept really, really speaking to me as far as, you know, one of the things that they wanted, they wanted it to represent Oklahoma and Oklahoma culture. So the boot is for everybody,” Eagle said.

He added that the design includes a cactus, which he said symbolizes strength and resilience.

“The cactus, a lot of people have said, ‘We don’t have a cactus here in Oklahoma.’ I said, ‘I beg to differ.’ That’s an indigenous plant. It’s in all 77 counties, and I put that in there as a balance to also symbolize strength and resilience,” Eagle said.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said the goal was to create a landmark that connects the city to Route 66 and encourages visitors to stop and take photos.

“I wanted the words of that song in there, and I wanted it to be something people would stop by, check out and take pictures with,” Holt said.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official unveiling of the sculpture, and as the sun set, the boot was lit for the first time, shining brightly as part of the celebration.

The cowboy boot joins a growing list of attractions across Oklahoma celebrating Route 66, including the Wellston Pin, a giant pushpin art installation marking the midpoint of Route 66 within the state. Communities are also restoring historic landmarks and creating new destinations to attract visitors from around the world.

Oklahoma boasts more than 400 drivable miles of Route 66 — more than any other state — and officials hope new attractions like the cowboy boot will keep travelers exploring the highway for generations to come.

This giant boot serves as a reminder that the Mother Road isn’t just preserving history — it’s still making it.

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By KAKE News Staff

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    EL DORADO, Kansas (KAKE) — A tanker truck transporting 8,000 gallons of ethanol overturned in El Dorado on Thursday, causing evacuations and highway closures.

Keri Korthals, Director of Emergency Management for Butler County, said the incident happened Thursday afternoon when a tanker hauling 8,000 gallons of ethanol overturned near Kansas Avenue and South Main Street in El Dorado.

Korthals says the vehicle rolled on its side and some ethanol breached, went down the street and into the storm drain.

A small amount of ethanol did get into the river, Korthals said, and Butler County 911 dispatchers are currently contacting landowners on the river with cattle, warning them to temporarily keep cattle away from the river.

Despite this, Korthals said this is “not an excessive contamination.”

Korthals said that emergency management has contacted the Kansas Department of Health and Environment regarding the spill.

Residents in the nearby vicinity were evacuated for several hours while crews worked to clear the scene. The evacuation has since been lifted, and the highway has reopened.

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.