Category: CNN Regional

By Dan Raby

Click here for updates on this story

    GEORGIA (WUPA) — A Georgia bird is set to be removed from the federal government’s list of endangered and threatened species after seeing its population grow, officials say.

The wood stork, the only true stork that breeds in the U.S., was once on the brink of extinction when it was put on the list as part of the Endangered Species Act in 1984. Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that the stork’s population dropped by over 75% since the 1930s, mostly due to habitat loss.

In the years since, officials say they’ve seen a positive change. Today, the wood stork’s breeding population is estimated at between 10,000 and 14,000 nesting pairs across around 100 sites — more than twice the number of pairs and over three times the number of colonies compared to when it was listed.

Wood storks are now found in 13 counties in southern Georgia and around the state’s coast, as well as Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

“The wood stork’s recovery is a real conservation success thanks to a lot of hard work from our partners,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik. “The Trump administration is working quickly to remove federal protections from species that no longer need them, and I’m proud that the wood stork is another example of that.”

Some advocates are concerned that the delisting may hurt the iconic bird.

In a release after the announcement, the Southern Environmental Law Center called the decision “premature” because of shrinking wetland habitats.

“This is a short-sighted and premature move. Wood storks need wetlands to survive, and that habitat is facing overwhelming pressure. It is disappointing that Fish and Wildlife Service largely brushed away serious concerns about how losses to wetlands protections and climate change’s consequences for our coast increase threats to our U.S. population of wood stork,” said Ramona McGee, SELC’s Wildlife Program leader. “This delisting comes at a time when species face a storm of proposed federal rollbacks to habitat protections that are likely to imperil wood storks and countless other Southeastern species.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service said it has a 10-year monitoring plan to make sure the species continues to recover.

The delisting will be final on March 9.

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 Jeffrey Lindblom

Click here for updates on this story

    MOUNT CLEMENS, Michigan (WXYZ) — Two longtime Detroit firefighters turned their brotherhood into a business. Nearly 20 years ago, they opened a restaurant in Mount Clemens that pays tribute to their days in the firehouse.

John and Greg served alongside one another as Detroit firefighters for many years. Then, almost 20 years ago, they went into business as friends here at the Mount Clemens Engine House.

“Quality food, quality service, and that will get you through a lot,” said owner Greg Sisoy.

Sisoy said that advice comes from his friend, colleague and business partner, John Gusumano.

“Yeah, he was always take care of the customer,” Greg said of his friend. “Service is everything.”

Sisoy’s restaurant and bar has a similar look to where he spent 35 years of his life as a Detroit fireman.

“It’s not a job. It’s more of a way of life. It’s a brotherhood in the firehouse,” Greg said.

Sisoy started his career in 1988, 16 years after Gusumano, the man who became his mentor, with both men batting blazes and the bar business.

“So, he kind of took me under his wing and taught me everything he knows,” Sisoy said.

Around the bar, you can see firefighting memorabilia and tributes to fallen firefighters, men he calls a part of his brotherhood. His late friend is among them.

“Yep. It was during COVID. He died of COVID, actually, in December of 2020. So, yeah, it was tough,” Greg said. “He was a great guy. Big heart. If you needed help, he was always there for you.”

The two gutted the space together, building the bar and restaurant you see now, serving drinks, pouring beers, and bringing out food to smiling family and friends. They’re using hoses that spray soda, not water, for burning buildings. But it turns out being a firefighter and a bar owner has a bit of a crossover, outside of just the decor.

“You’re taking care of people. You want to do the best job you can do. Make everyone happy,” Sisoy said.

Sisoy hung up his jacket three years ago, and I asked him if he found some reprieve during his 15 years wearing both a first responder and a hospitality hat, getting away from the dangers of duty at his bar. But he said it was the opposite.

“I never considered it work, going to the firehouse. It was like a day off,” Sisoy said.

Nowadays, he says he still puts out small fires, just the slightly different, service-centric kind. Plus, he says the guys still come by and will give him a hard time every now and again.

“It can be trying sometimes. It’s like old times again, every time they come in,” Greg said.

So, to this day, he’s still putting out those small fires and still serving the public in some capacity. Things that make him very happy; this is the Engine House.

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 Matthew Rodriguez

Click here for updates on this story

    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Police arrested a Long Beach man allegedly tied to a string of bronze plaque thefts in several Orange County cities.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has charged the suspect, Sean Paul Green, with 10 counts of grand theft and 10 counts of felony vandalism. He pleaded not guilty. He’s being held on a $100,000 bail. Green’s arraignment is scheduled for March 4.

The Orange Police Department apprehended Green after he allegedly stole multiple bronze plaques from several locations in the city, including Old Towne Orange, on Jan. 20.

Investigators said they reviewed surveillance systems to identify Green as a suspect. Orange PD said detectives linked him to more bronze plaque thefts in Huntington Beach, Santa Ana and Tustin.

Detectives located Green at this home and booked him into the Orange County Jail on Feb. 5.

“The bronze theft problem is a growing concern in the Southern California area and we ask members of the community to report suspicious activity when they see it,” Orange PD wrote in a Facebook post.

After a push from Southern California lawmakers in October 2025, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 476, which mandated junk dealers and recyclers to collect detailed records of people selling precious metals and lawful ownership. It also expanded restrictions on the possession of scrap metal and increased penalties for those who stole copper wire.

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 Christa Swanson

Click here for updates on this story

    COLORADO (KCNC) — A man will spend nearly 30 years in prison after shooting a man at his birthday party in Northern Colorado in 2024.

The Weld County District Attorney’s Office said Ricardo Velado-Contreras was a party celebrating his birthday at a home in the 2400 block of 11th Avenue in Greeley on Jan. 4.

He reportedly confronted Julian Lozano-Pinon about inappropriate contact with his younger brother. Authorities said Lozano-Pinon denied the allegations, and the argument escalated until Velado-Contreras shot him once in the chest.

Police were called to the scene, and Lozano-Pinon was taken to the Northern Colorado Medical Center, where he died of his injuries.

Investigators said alcohol and cocaine were consumed at the party and that Velado-Contreras was showing his handgun to others at the party prior to the shooting.

Velado-Contreras pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last week for Lozano-Pinon’s death. He has been sentenced to 28 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.

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 Ruta Ulcinaite

Click here for updates on this story

    DETROIT (WXYZ) — A local woman is sharing her story after prosecutors say she was stabbed multiple times by a man she met on the Facebook Dating app, hoping her experience will encourage other survivors to speak up and seek help.

Jakayla Archie, 27, said she was assaulted and stabbed by 31-year-old Detroit resident Donneal Darren Sandridge-Jones during what started as a casual date last month.

“I was really thinking I’m glad I made it out alive because my mother, you know, what would he have done with my body if I didn’t make it out that night?” Archie said through tears.

Archie said it was one of the darkest days of her life, uncertain she would ever make it out alive.

“It was just so scary for me. Then I felt like I was just alone and I was trying to get away but any which way I turned, I couldn’t get away,” she said.

Archie decided to try Facebook Dating around the holidays and matched with Sandridge-Jones. After chatting online for about a month, she said they started going out and met up a few times at his home on Elmdale Street in Detroit.

“Listen to music, watch movies and stuff like that, just casual dating,” she said about the few times they hung out.

But during their last meeting in January, she said Sandridge-Jones was irate for reasons unknown to her. Shortly after they met, she says he became aggressive.

“That’s when he ran and he went to go get the knife and he stabbed me in my throat and he cut me and then he told me ‘b****, I’ll kill you,'” Archie said.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office says Archie was stabbed multiple times and then was allegedly forced to drive the suspect around to multiple locations.

“He’s yelling like ‘b****, keep driving, keep driving. You want me to kill you? You want me to kill you?'” she said.

Bleeding and terrified, she said she followed his orders until they ended up back at his home. The suspect also allegedly broke the windows of her car. Archie was ordered inside the suspect’s home until she found an opportunity to grab her keys and run away, calling 911 after hours of what she calls, torture.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office says Sandridge-Jones was arrested Jan. 31 and was charged with two other separate domestic violence incidents, all of which allegedly occurred at his home and all of which allegedly occurred with women he was dating at the time.

Archie is physically OK now, but mentally still hasn’t recovered and is giving dating a break. She hopes her story reminds women to stay vigilant and speak up.

“I don’t want anyone to feel that it’s embarrassing to go through domestic violence. Don’t be embarrassed about anything — it happens,” she said.

Sandridge-Jones remains at the Wayne County Jail. He’s facing multiple charges including assault with intent to murder, unlawful imprisonment and malicious destruction of property. He’s due back in court later this week.

Detroit police told the Scripps News Group they haven’t received any additional reports tied to the suspect, but that it doesn’t mean they’re not out there, encouraging anyone that may be a victim of domestic violence to speak up and give them a call.

Meta could not be immediately reached for comment about the incident.

If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation, please know you are not alone. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE. It’s available 24/7 and is confidential and free. ________

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Scripps 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 Karen Morfitt

Click here for updates on this story

    COLORADO (KCNC) — Aviation Park in Lakewood used to be filled with parents and their children. Recently it has transformed into a refuge for many of the Colorado city’s unhoused residents.

“What is beautiful and what made me decide to live here … is like a nightmare,” Cat Stone said.

Stone bought her condo next to the park four years ago. The balcony, she said, was the selling point.

“The part that I liked the best (was) walking out with my mug of coffee early in the morning to see those beautiful sunrises and look out on the park,” Stone said.

Now, her balcony overlooks a growing number of tents and the activity of the people living there.

“It used to be one or two occasionally, but then I don’t know what happened,” she said.

As the number of tents continues to grow, so do concerns about public health and safety.

“People are finding syringes, human excrement, condoms, Narcan boxes … just trash, trash, trash all over the place,” she said.

Stone says she has called police and filed multiple reports with the City of Lakewood.

“I got a nice letter that says, you know, it’s very difficult what we are doing, we are understaffed and overworked, and sometimes it will take up to 48 hours for us to react to one of your reports. Then a few days later I get a message that ‘This case has been closed,'” Stone said.

“Even though nothing’s really changed?” CBS Colorado reporter Karen Morfitt asked.

“Nothing,” Stone replied.

She shared her frustration with neighbors on Nextdoor and found many who echoed her concerns.

CBS Colorado requested records to find out how many 911 calls have come from Aviation Park. In roughly three months, the park generated nearly 150 calls for service — everything from burns, drugs and noise complaints to outstanding warrants.

Kerry Wrenick, the regional homeless coordinator for Jefferson County, says Lakewood is not alone. The county saw a 27% increase in people experiencing homelessness from 2024 to 2025, according to the annual Point-in-Time Count — the largest increase in the Denver metro area.

“The hidden homelessness — people don’t think about it, but when you are driving down the street and you see it day in and day out, that’s when people begin to recognize we are seeing an increase in unsheltered homelessness,” Wrenick said. “We don’t have emergency shelter options across the way to meet the needs, and we don’t have housing that’s within reach for those making minimum wage. So the visibility is becoming the prominent piece.”

She says cities across Jefferson County are now working together to bring more resources online. Lakewood, she says, is leading that effort by opening the first navigation center in the county.

“Everybody wants a solution, but the solution is hard to come by when you say, ‘Yes, but not here or there.’ I think having open and honest dialogue is going to be imperative right now,” Wrenick said.

“This is what I say to the city: whatever’s happening here is not a solution, and it’s not going to make anything any better,” Stone said.

CBS Colorado asked Lakewood police and city officials for comment about their response to the situation around Aviation Park, and what is being done to balance the needs of all residents.

The city provided a statement saying :

“We are quite aware of concerns about those who are unhoused camping in and around Aviation Park, and we also understand the impact this has on residents, the neighborhood and the community’s overall quality of life.”

“The city, including the Police Department, continues to work diligently to address the issues surrounding homelessness through a number of measures to provide a continuum of responses and services to resolve this community concern. We have a cross-departmental team that works continuously on this issue to respond as quickly and as timely as possible. However, as is the case with cities across the metro area and the country, the increase in homelessness continues to outstrip the city’s resources and ability to manage it. As a result, resolving encampments often takes longer than we or the residents would like to see. Even so, addressing homelessness remains a top priority for the city and the Police Department.”

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.