Why the Pittsburgh Zoo’s new lion cub was named after a potato

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Ross Guidotti

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Four months after she was born, the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium’s lion cub made her public debut with her new name on Monday.

The cub was named Kiazi, which means potato in Swahili.

“When she was first born and she was just little and just laying there, doing nothing but sleeping and nursing, she looked like a baked potato,” said lion handler Karen Vacco.

“And the fact that her father is a first-time dad, he came from Idaho. Idaho potato,” Vacco added.

The zoo had more than 1,100 names to choose from, with the contest to name the cub raising more than $5,700. She was on display Monday, much to the delight of visitors.

“I like it because it plays with its mamma,” a young visitor said.

Kiazi was born on April 5 to first-time parents Hondo and Scarlett. African lions are considered vulnerable, and their numbers have declined more than 50% over the last 25 years.

Officials say Kiazi is as healthy as can be and will spend a few more years at the zoo before she heads out to start her own pride at another zoo. But for now, Vacco says, “She’s our baby, and we’re going to keep her.”

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.

Deadly U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works explosion “should never have happened,” report says

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Ricky Sayer

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    CLAIRTON, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has released its final report into the deadly explosion at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Plant, finding it was the result of multiple preventable safety issues.

The report, released a day shy of one year since the explosion, faults the company, saying the explosion that killed Timothy Quinn and Steven Menefee and injured 11 others “should never have happened.”

It cites the outcome of the deadly explosion being the result of the absence of a formalized procedure, the proximity of buildings employees work out of to where dangerous processes take place, and what the report refers to as an ineffective process safety management system.

“This incident was the result of workers routinely performing a task incorrectly over a period of years until it ultimately led to a catastrophic explosion,” CSB Board Member Sylvia Johnson said. “Companies must outline procedures for any task that could potentially cause harm to workers and make sure that workers are fully trained on those procedures.”

Drew Sahli has been in charge of the investigation that produced Monday’s report. It faults U.S. Steel for not having a formal procedure for a safe or proper way to complete the specific valve-cleaning process that caused the explosion.

Workers from U.S. Steel and its contractor MPW Industrial Services were cleaning a 70-year-old valve when the valve broke, leading to coke oven gas igniting and exploding. As KDKA was the first to report in the weeks following the explosion, workers had used water and significantly overpressurized the valve, leading to its failure.

“There was no procedure describing the correct or proper or safe way to do that operation, and unfortunately, the operation was done in such a way that directly caused the valve to fail,” Sahli said.

In the days and weeks before the explosion, investigators say it’s what wasn’t thought of that helped result in the explosion.

“Nobody ever sat around and said, ‘Hey, is it a good idea to be doing this? This valve is rated for 50 pounds of pressure. Is it a good idea to hook up a [water] pump truck capable of producing far more than 50 pounds?'” said Drew Sahli, the investigator in charge of putting together the report for the Chemical Safety Board.

The CSB report says workers had been cleaning the valves incorrectly for years.

When asked why it had not failed before the explosion, Sahli said he doesn’t have a solid answer, but that they do know for the valve to fail, it had to have been closed or nearly closed. That would prevent the water that was being used to clean the valve from getting out. The board concluded that a formal procedure for using water to clean valves wasn’t drawn up despite U.S. Steel management being aware of and endorsing the practice.

“The second safety issue is the longest one in the report, and that one talks about what’s called facility siting,” Sahli said.

In short, it meant U.S. Steel didn’t put enough distance between its coke batteries and buildings where people work out of. The two men who died were in or near control rooms located above the coke oven piping, and a break room was above it too.

“When buildings are occupied by personnel, they must be adequately designed or located to protect the personnel or equipment from fires, explosions, or toxic releases,” Sahli said. “Had these buildings been located in a different area of the facility, away from coke batteries, this incident could have been far less severe.”

He explained that U.S. Steel could have taken action to identify and fix the issue.

“The history of this issue at Clairton is that the companies had multiple opportunities in the past to think about this topic, and unfortunately, the company has chosen not to do that,” he said.

U.S. Steel didn’t act because it believed it wasn’t required to do so, Sahli said. Whether the reason is valid has been disputed.

It connects to the third safety issue the report says resulted in the explosion — what they call process safety management systems.

“Maybe you weren’t required to do it by regulation, but you should have done it anyway, because now you have two employees who were fatally injured during this incident, and had you done all of these activities voluntarily, they might still be with us,” Sahli said.

The Chemical Safety Board made multiple recommendations.

They include evaluating those distances between buildings and hazardous processes, developing a written procedure for washing valves with pressurized water, and developing a comprehensive process safety management system.

In a statement to KDKA, U.S. Steel said, “We appreciate the work of the Chemical Safety Board contained in its Final Report and will thoroughly review its recommendations.”

They also outlined several safety protocols they say they have already strengthened, including establishing standardized best practices for valve cleaning, improving their management of change program and having workers complete comprehensive training related to those changes.

As for Tuesday’s remembrance of the explosion, along with lowering flags and a moment of silence, U.S. Steel says workers will gather for safety discussions, the company saying the best way to honor their fallen colleagues is to make sure everyone returns home in the future.

A company spokesperson said, “As we honor their memory, and those of others we have lost, we also reflect on the responsibility we all share to protect one another and ensure safety remains at the center of everything we do.”

The spokesperson said they will remember their colleagues and keep their families and loved ones in their thoughts.

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Pittsburgh-area family warns pet owners after beloved dog dies from rare fungal infection

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Christopher DeRose

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A local family is warning other dog owners about a potentially deadly fungal infection that took the life of their beloved German shepherd in just days.

Beansie was a 5-year-old German shepherd who suddenly died last month after a short but aggressive battle with blastomycosis — a fungal disease found in soil and decaying organic matter, often around fresh water.

“Towards the end of June, he developed a small open wound on his back, and we thought it was just like a typical hot spot. After two weeks, it was not healing and getting much, much bigger,” said Mylyssa Wilson, owner of Petite Feet Pet Care.

Wilson was Beansie’s pet nanny and dog walker for years. She says once those first symptoms appeared, his condition deteriorated quickly.

“He started to develop signs of difficulty breathing, which happened fast,” said Wilson. “It was on a Monday that he started to show those signs; by Saturday we had him down at the emergency vet and by Sunday he had passed away because the fungus had completely taken over his lungs.”

Wilson says blastomycosis can be difficult to detect.

She believes Beansie may have been exposed to one of the local parks where they regularly walked. Other symptoms can include coughing, weight loss, loss of appetite, and fever.

Wilson says the veterinarians she has spoken with have told her blastomycosis has been considered exceedingly rare in Pennsylvania, with cases more commonly associated with other parts of the country.

But Beansie never left the area. Neither did his sister, Vala. And shortly after Beansie died, Vala was tested. She came back positive for blastomycosis and is now being treated and is doing well.

“It is heartbreaking,” said Wilson. “We don’t want anybody else to go through this and suffer needlessly; you know when treatment can be started soon enough to save another pet, that’s what we want.”

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Douglasville man convicted of laundering $2.7 million stolen in romance, online scams

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Zachary Bynum

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    DOUGLASVILLE, Georgia (WUPA) — A Douglasville man has been convicted of laundering more than $2.7 million stolen from victims of romance scams and other online fraud schemes, including older adults who lost retirement savings, federal prosecutors said.

A jury on Thursday convicted 41-year-old Babajide Adesayo on all charges following an eight-day federal trial, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. The charges include two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 16 counts of transactional money laundering.

Federal prosecutors said Adesayo helped move money through a transnational network that sent victims’ funds overseas, primarily to China, Hong Kong and Nigeria. U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg described Adesayo as a key financial player in a network that targeted elderly victims and moved their savings beyond the reach of U.S. authorities.

How prosecutors say the scheme worked According to information presented in court, fraudsters began communicating online with unsuspecting victims between April 2020 and September 2021, posing as friends, business associates or romantic partners.

After building relationships with the victims, prosecutors said the scammers asked them for money using false stories, including claims that they needed business equipment, had been imprisoned or were suffering from injuries or illnesses.

Victims were then directed to send hundreds of thousands of dollars, in some cases including retirement savings, to business accounts belonging to Adesayo’s co-defendant, Nigerian national Efemena Igbe.

Prosecutors said Igbe transferred much of that money to Adesayo and disguised the transactions as payments for vehicles from Adesayo’s automotive business. Adesayo then sent much of the money to accounts in China, Hong Kong, Nigeria and other countries. Over roughly 17 months, prosecutors said he received and moved more than $2.7 million in victim funds.

Prosecutors say the money laundering continued after his arrest Adesayo was arrested in June 2024 and initially released on bond, but prosecutors said the money laundering continued while his case was pending.

Additional victims sent money either directly to Adesayo’s business accounts or through other accounts that later transferred the funds to him, according to prosecutors. Authorities said Adesayo quickly withdrew or transferred that money after receiving it.

A federal magistrate judge later revoked his bond after authorities discovered the additional conduct. Adesayo has remained in federal custody since March 2, 2026.

The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement agencies in New Hampshire, Mississippi and New York.

Adesayo is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 20 before U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each conspiracy count, up to 10 years on each transactional money laundering count and an additional consecutive sentence of up to 10 years for offenses committed while on release.

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Video shows thieves storm New Jersey jewelry store armed with sledgehammers. Here’s what happened next.

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Nick Caloway

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    WOODBRIDGE, New Jersey (WCBS) — Four suspects pulled off a brazen smash-and-grab robbery inside a Woodbridge, New Jersey, jewelry store over the weekend.

Police said they made off with more than $1 million worth of gold and diamonds.

Surveillance video shows five robbers dressed in black getting out of a silver vehicle on Oak Tree Road, shortly before 8 p.m. on Saturday and storming into 9lakha Jewelers. Instead of guns, they brandished sledgehammers and smashed every display case in the store.

“They just started banging both sides of the cabinets, and the moment was so scary,” co-owner Shushmita Chauhan said.

One customer was inside at the time of the heist, but he or she ran out as the chaos erupted.

The store’s owners say the thieves were gone in less than a minute and made off with nearly all of the merchandise in the store.

“They start throwing stuff in those bags and they took everything and just ran out,” Sonu Chauhan said.

Video shows the suspects get back in the getaway car and speed off, just as a nearby private security guard arrives to confront them.

Woodbridge police say they are actively investigating this case, but so far have made no arrests.

The Chauhans only opened the store about a year ago.

Shushmita Chauhan got emotional thinking about all their hard work that was shattered in just moments.

Now, they have to reorder everything and update their security, but they said they plan to reopen this week and won’t be deterred by criminals.

“So, this is my dream business, so I’ll probably try to pick this up again,” Sonu Chauhan said.

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NYC music scene mourning the loss of local legend Chester Mazur, killed in Hell’s Kitchen hit-and-run

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Naveen Dhaliwal

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — A U.S. Postal Service truck struck and killed a beloved fixture of New York City’s music scene over the weekend.

The driver, who is accused of fleeing the scene, is now facing charges.

Police said 66-year-old Chester Mazur was just steps away from his Hell’s Kitchen apartment on West 55th Street and Ninth Avenue early Saturday morning when he was struck.

Police said the driver kept on going and was later arrested.

The USPS said it’s “cooperating fully with the investigation.”

For Mazur, music wasn’t just something he played. It was a passion that followed him through performances throughout the Big Apple.

“He was everywhere and knew everything and everybody,” friend Michael Jung said. “Everybody knows Chet and everybody loves Chet.”

Over the last four decades, Mazur and Jung, his close friend, shared a bond built around music. On Friday, Jung watched Mazur at Otto’s Shrunken Head in the East Village.

“He just, like, rolled on the floor and started doing bicycle wheels with his feet,” Jung said. “It’s just very, very expressive. He had a very kind of raw interpretation of music.”

Tragically, that ended up being his final show. Mazur’s death has since sent shockwaves through the local music community.

“It’s just completely unbelievable. That shouldn’t have happened,” Jung said.

Those closest to Mazur are now mourning much more than an accomplished musician. They’re mourning a friend and a man whose music created friendships that lasted decades.

“He was the best — honest and smart, knowledgeable, fun, everything about him,” Jung said.

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South Florida family raising awareness of sudden cardiac death through free community EKG screenings

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Najahe Sherman

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    AVENTURA, Florida (WFOR) — A South Florida family is turning tragedy into a lifesaving mission.

After losing their 19-year-old son, Eli Silverman, to an undiagnosed heart condition, they’re raising awareness about sudden cardiac death through free community EKG screenings. Their hope is that one simple test can save another family from heartbreak.

Father Steve Silverman and his son Josh spent the afternoon looking through family photos of Eli Silverman, remembering the vibrant college student, athlete, brother, and friend whose sudden death changed their lives forever.

Now they’re honoring him by helping prevent the same tragedy from happening to other families.

“That day, he played 18 holes of golf, a couple hours of pickleball, came home, didn’t feel exactly right, took a shower and he went to bed and my wife found him the next morning with my son,” said Steve Silverman.

Doctors say an EKG could have detected the heart condition that claimed Eli Silverman’s life. His family founded the Eli’s Lasting Impact Foundation to provide heart screenings and raise awareness.

“I know from personal experience that it saved my life, after my brother passed away, I went in for testing, and the doctors found an arrhythmia in my EKG which led to medical intervention which ultimately had lifesaving implications for me,” said Josh Silverman, Eli’s brother.

More than 300 young people attended a free screening event in partnership with the City of Aventura.

“Chances are we’ll save a life today because one of the people we tested today will find out they need to go have an ablation to save their life. It’s a tragedy that should never ever happen and if you play a varsity sport, you’re required to have this test,” said Mayor of Aventura, Howard Weinberg.

“It’s very easy and painless. It takes less than 10 minutes, and it can make all the difference,” said Eli’s friend, Max Rappoport.

For Eli’s family, every screening is another chance to protect someone else’s future.

“We’re doing this to help save lives, we’re doing this to help make sure my son’s legacy and life shines forever and if we can spare one family or one life, then we know that we’re going to make my son proud,” said Steve Silverman.

Eli’s legacy now lives on through a simple test that could mean the difference between life and death.

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.

Miami-Dade fines property owners over $29K for illegal truck storage in Redland neighborhood

CNN Newsource on August 11, 2026

By Steve Maugeri

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    REDLAND, Florida (WFOR) — Miami-Dade County says the owners of a lot at 19600 SW 136th Street missed a July 8th deadline to comply, after inspectors discovered trucks were being stored on the property without county approval.

“They play games with the county. It’s like a cat-and-mouse game. The cat’s after them,” said Diego, who lives nearby.

He says he moved to the Redland to get away from all the city noise.

“When they’re waiting to get in, they stop traffic. They break down in the middle of the road, which blocks our entrance to the house,” Diego said.

“There’s actually less peace and quiet here than in the city.”

Diego reached out to CBS News Miami in February.

CBS News Miami has been following up with Miami-Dade County for months, and the county just announced that inspectors found 48 semi-trucks illegally stored on the lot.

The total fines are more than $29,000.

“They make these car lots because, in their view, it’s out in the middle of nowhere. When you bring cameras and report on it, it brings light to what’s happening out there,” Diego said.

CBS News Miami went to the property owner’s listed address in Doral. A woman answered the door and took CBS News Miami’s contact information. The station is still waiting for a response.

Diego says he hopes the fines will add up and motivate someone to at least move the trucks farther away.

“It wouldn’t be a total win, but it would be a partial win,” Diego said.

The county has given the property owners 30 days to remove the trucks and correct the violations, or they could face steeper fines and penalties. However, the county says the property owners are appealing the citations.

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.

Big Bear bald eagle Jackie dies after health “continued to deteriorate,” California veterinary center says

CNN Newsource on August 10, 2026

By Austin Turner

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    MIRA MONTE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Jackie, the bald eagle who gained national attention for raising eaglets in Big Bear with her partner Shadow, has died after receiving care in an animal care center, Ojai Raptor Center in California announced Monday.

The center, which cared for Jackie for her last three weeks, said she died in the early hours of Monday morning.

“It is with profound sadness that we share that [Jackie] passed away in the early hours of this morning, following more than three weeks of intensive medical care,” the center said.

The veterinary center has detailed every step of Jackie’s time in their care, including a series of setbacks that she faced due to anemia and a mystery illness that caused her packed cell volume to drop well below average. Despite undergoing a blood transfusion, Jackie’s condition continued to worsen.

“Over the past several days, her condition continued to deteriorate despite intensive treatment and the combined efforts of our veterinary team and consulting specialists,” Ojai Raptor Center said. “She remained critically ill, receiving oxygen therapy, supportive treatment, and around-the-clock monitoring in our intensive care unit.”

Her remains have been transferred into the care of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Jackie had been in the care of the raptor center since July 17, when she was transferred following rescue by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation’s San Dimas Raptor Rescue team. They responded to the Dana Point Park area near Big Bear Lake after learning that she had been involved in a fight with two subadult eagles and was found to be “very sick.”

Jackie and Shadow have gained national fame as their day-to-day lives have been observed for years via a livestream camera operated by the Friends of Big Bear Valley, a nonprofit wildlife organization.

Estimated by the Friends of Big Bear Valley to have lived about 14 years, Jackie mothered several eaglets to fledging with Shadow, including Simba, Spirit, Sunny, Gizmo and her two most recently hatched eaglets, Luna and Sandy.

The names were famously chosen by students at nearby Big Bear Elementary School. Sandy was named after the late Sandy Steers, the longtime FOBBV executive director who helped launch the livestream cameras. Steers died earlier this year.

In a statement, FOBBV urged the public to treat the organization and Ojai Raptor Center’s staff with kindness in light of the news.

“Soar free Jackie,” the organization said.

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Legacy Community Health Celebrates National Health Center Week by Expanding Access to Care for Women, Children, and Families

CNN Newsource on August 10, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

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    August 10, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — HOUSTON — National Health Center Week may have officially ended Saturday, August 8, but in Houston, the mission behind the celebration is still very much on the clock.

For Legacy Community Health, the week was less about ceremonial applause and more about reminding Southeast Texas families what community health centers were built to do: remove barriers, meet people where they are, and make quality healthcare accessible before a medical problem becomes a crisis.

That mission fits squarely within the 2026 National Health Center Week theme, “Building Innovative Care Where It Matters Most,”celebrating a community health center movement with a 60-year legacy of providing affordable, accessible care. Legacy itself has spent more than four decades carrying that promise forward across the Texas Gulf Coast.

Today, Legacy is the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in Texas, serving more than 200,000 patients annually through more than 60 locations, including 39 School-Based Health Care clinics. Its approach connects clinical care with pharmacy services, nutrition, maternal health, literacy, behavioral health, eligibility assistance and social support.

“Access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on a person’s financial circumstances,” said Robert Palussek, Chief Executive Officer of Legacy Community Health. “Legacy helps connect patients and families to quality healthcare, support services, and resources that improve health outcomes regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.”

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For women and growing families, that healthcare home can begin even before a baby is born. Legacy offers free walk-in pregnancy testing with no appointment required, along with prenatal scheduling, eligibility assistance, coverage support and access to Perinatal Navigators. Care can continue through pregnancy, postpartum recovery, lactation support, family planning and women’s wellness services.

But Legacy’s philosophy stretches beyond the examination room. Food insecurity, transportation, cost and other social pressures can influence health almost as surely as a diagnosis.

“When someone screens positive for food insecurity, it is often a sign of broader challenges,” said William Lyons, Social Services Director. “That’s why the screen matters.”

“It is often the first thread that leads the care team to everything else a person is quietly managing, and to the benefits and resources that can help.”

Through Food Rx, Legacy partners with the Houston Food Bank to connect eligible patients with fresh fruits and vegetables, nutrition education and healthier eating support.

“What you eat plays a significant factor in your overall health,” said Pinkie Fosha, Manager of Programs, Health Connect.

“Nutrient-poor diets contribute to the development of obesity, hypertension, and many other preventable diseases.”

For Fosha, however, the work is about more than nutritional numbers.

“To be able to make someone’s day a little easier is why we do the work. Many of our patients come to the markets frequently, and to see their smiles and be able to serve them is so rewarding.”

That philosophy extends to Legacy’s broader work addressing social drivers of health.

“We meet our patients where they are, addressing any identified needs directly or through collaboration. Knowledge and access are key,” Fosha said.

For children, Legacy layers healthcare with development and learning. Growing Great Minds supports parents and caregivers of children from birth through age five with developmental screenings, milestone guidance and parent education. Meanwhile, Little Readers, launched in 2015, has distributed more than 300,000 books, transforming a well-child visit into an opportunity to strengthen literacy, language development and family bonds.

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And when getting to a doctor is itself the problem, Legacy brings healthcare closer. Its 39 school-based clinics on KIPP, YES Prep and Galena Park ISD campuses provide services including primary care, behavioral health, immunizations, well-child visits, sports physicals and preventive healthcare.

Medication affordability completes another important piece of the puzzle.

“We make sure the patient has seen eligibility so they get the best possible price on our sliding scale,” said Neha Agrawal, Director of Clinical Pharmacy Services.

“Our priority is that each patient gets the medication and care they deserve.”

Legacy’s bilingual Eligibility Specialists also help families navigate Medicaid, CHIP, Marketplace coverage, sliding-fee programs, renewals, referrals and financial-assistance options.

National Health Center Week may be over, but the work it celebrates certainly is not.

In Houston—a city big enough to have almost every kind of healthcare challenge imaginable—Legacy continues demonstrating that some of healthcare’s smartest innovations are wonderfully uncomplicated: make care easier to reach, easier to understand and harder to fall out of.

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For appointments or more information, patients may call (832) 548-5000. To learn more, visit legacycommunityhealth.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.

Kierra Lee
KIELEESTYLE@GMAIL.COM
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