Category: CNN Regional

By Paula Wethington

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    Michigan (WWJ) — A 63-year-old Michigan Lottery winner said he was inspired by players sharing their winning moments on the TikTok social media app and bought some instant lottery games for himself.

“I saw some TikTok videos of people scratching lottery tickets and winning big, and I thought to myself how that would never happen to me,” Grosjieon Moore, of Detroit, told lottery officials when he claimed his prize.

“A few days later, my wife and I were scratching Lottery tickets when she yelled: ‘We got a winner!’ She thought we’d won $50,000, but when I looked it over, I saw we’d actually won $500,000. It was amazing!”

Moore bought his winning $500,000 Bonus Scratch Multiplier instant game ticket at New Quick Stop Market on West Grand River Avenue in Detroit. Moore told lottery officials that he plans to save his winnings.

The $500,000 Bonus Scratch Multiplier instant game launched in February.

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 S.E. Jenkins

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    Texas (KTVT) — The Texas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in each classroom has been upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, according to an opinion released by the court on Tuesday.

In June 2025, the Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 10, which requires public elementary and secondary schools to display in each classroom a “durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments.” The poster or copy must measure “at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall,” use an easily readable typeface, and be “display[ed] in a conspicuous place.”

A lawsuit filed in early December 2025 claimed that the law violates the First Amendment. The American Civil Liberties Union and religious freedom organizations filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in San Antonio on behalf of 18 families with children in public school across the state. Sixteen school districts were named as defendants, including seven from North Texas.

Court says Ten Commandments displays are not “engines of coercive indoctrination”

The court found the law to be legally compliant with the First Amendment, meaning it does not improperly establish or endorse a religion nor does it prevent individuals from practicing their faith.

In its opinion, the court said in part:

“S.B. 10 … does not tell churches or synagogues or mosques what to believe or how to worship or whom to employ as priests, rabbis, or imams. It punishes no one who rejects the Ten Commandments, no matter the reason. It levies no taxes to support any clergy. It does not co-opt churches to perform civic functions. These are the kinds of things ‘establishments of religion’ did at the founding. S.B. 10 does none of them.”

The plaintiff’s lawsuit argued they didn’t “want their children to be forced to observe and venerate a state-mandated version of the Ten Commandments each school day, in violation of their religious freedom,” according to a news release from the ACLU.

The court disagreed, saying that SB 10 requires no religious exercise or observance.

“Students are neither catechized on the Commandments nor taught to adopt them,” the court document reads. “Nor are teachers commanded to proselytize students who ask about the displays or contradict students who disagree with them. Most importantly, the ‘coercion’ characteristic of religious establishments was government pressure to engage in religious worship. That’s why establishments prescribed liturgies and punished those who skipped them. S.B. 10 is far from that. It puts a poster on a classroom wall. Yes, Plaintiffs have sincere religious disagreements with its content. But that does not transform the poster into a summons to prayer.”

The court also said that exposing children to religious language is not enough to make the displays “engines of coercive indoctrination.”

“S.B. 10 authorizes no religious instruction and gives teachers no license to contradict children’s religious beliefs (or their parents’). No child is made to recite the Commandments, believe them, or affirm their divine origin.”

The ACLU released a statement on Tuesday saying it is disappointed in the court’s ruling.

“We are extremely disappointed in today’s decision,” the statement reads. “The Court’s ruling goes against fundamental First Amendment principles and binding U.S. Supreme Court authority. The First Amendment safeguards the separation of church and state, and the freedom of families to choose how, when and if to provide their children with religious instruction. This decision tramples those rights.”

The Senate author of the bill, Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, called the court’s ruling a great day for the state.

“As I have said all along, few documents in the history of Western civilization and in American history have had a larger impact on our moral and legal code, and our culture, than the Ten Commandments,” King said in a statement. “Returning this historical document to public school classrooms will provide moral clarity and allow students to better understand the foundation for much of American history and law. This is a great day for Texas!”

The case could ultimately end up in front of the Supreme Court.

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 Conor Wight

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    Minnesota (WCCO) — Recently released 911 logs provide new insight into how police responded to the assassination of state Rep. Melissa Hortman, including the fact that officers did not recover her body for nearly an hour after the initial shooting at her home.

Documents obtained by WCCO show that Brooklyn Park police first arrived at the Hortman’s residence at about 3:35 a.m. on June 14, 2025. They were doing a proactive check on the state lawmaker and her family after Sen. John Hoffman and his family were targeted earlier that morning in a violent shooting that left Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, injured; their daughter, Hope, narrowly avoided physical injury in the attack.

Officers instantly witnessed someone shoot a man in the doorway of the home. One of the officers fired his gun, and the suspect ran inside. It’s two minutes later, 3:37 a.m., that they “rescue” the first shooting victim. This was Mark Hortman, Melissa Hortman’s husband, who died from his injuries.

From there, police evidently proceeded with caution. They weren’t sure where the shooter was and did not know how many other people were in the home. The first two officers called for back-up and a drone was deployed to investigate the home. At 4:09 a.m., the drone observes a woman down on the stairwell, according to the 911 log. It’s unclear to first responders if she is still breathing.

By about 4:37 a.m., it’s still unclear to law enforcement if anyone else is still inside, including the shooter, but a team enters the property. It’s not until 4:40 a.m. that they successfully recover Melissa Hortman’s body.

By about 5 a.m., these documents also reveal that officers had a name; they knew they were looking for Vance Boelter. But that name wasn’t released to the public until later that afternoon; he was brought into custody on June 15 after a 43-hour manhunt.

Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley declined to speak with WCCO-TV on Tuesday, but he called in to WCCO Radio on Monday to discuss the issue at hand. Bruley said that there’s important context missing from the 911 logs; the primary variable at play for the officers was that everything went quiet after the initial gunfire at the front door. It meant that there was no clear indication of an active threat to others, Bruley said, given they didn’t know about other victims in the house.

“There’s no other information about where anybody is in that house, there’s no other shooting, there’s no other ‘active killing’ indication,” Bruley said.

He said investigators would later learn that Melissa Hortman was likely struck by the same gunfire that hit her husband.

“When you actually hear the gunfire, that is very quick; it is not until long after that we’re able to piece it together that he essentially shoots Mark into Melissa simultaneously,” Bruley said.

Peter Johnson, a use-of-force expert who trains other members of law enforcement in firearm use, said that officers likely followed protocol here.

“Because the report does not indicate that officers heard continued gunfire, the situation would not have warranted an ‘active shooter’ response, which is reserved for situations involving ongoing, observable violence,” Johnson said in a statement. “Instead, officers appropriately contained the residence, called for additional personnel, activated SWAT, and worked to develop an operational plan despite having very limited information about the suspect’s exact location.”

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 Ubah Ali

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    Minnesota (WCCO) — Operation Metro Surge ended just about two months ago. Now, an amended court filing is tallying the cost of the immigration crackdown.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, along with Minneapolis and St. Paul, filed an amended version of their lawsuit against the federal government. State and local agencies say they were forced to spend big and fast without any warning.

The U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California, San Diego surveyed more than 1,300 people living in both Twin Cities and found the operation not only disrupted daily life, but it also drained the local economy to the tune of millions of dollars, according to a new survey.

The new court filing claims a combined $610 million in business losses for both cities; more than $440 million in Minneapolis and just over $165 million in St. Paul.

That survey found encounters with federal agents caused many people not to go to work. Researchers estimate about $240 million in lost wages for residents. In Minneapolis, the total was nearly $190 million, and just under $50 million in St. Paul.

The surge strained police resources in both Twin Cities and across the metro. Minneapolis police, for example, extended 500 shifts and canceled 1,000 vacation days while they dealt with the calls for help.

According to a survey from January through the end of March, the Minneapolis Police Department racked up over $6 million in overtime.

The St. Paul Police Department spent nearly $5 million directly tied to federal immigration activity between November 2025 and February 2026.

The surge led to canceled conventions during those three months. The Minneapolis Convention Center brings in millions of dollars into the city, which is used to help pay for the city’s hospitality infrastructure.

The study also found people who encountered federal agents were far more likely to skip medical appointments. In Minneapolis, 66% of those needing urgent care avoided going to the hospital, the study found.

City leaders believe the damage left behind should not fall on local taxpayers.

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 Jermont Terry

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    Illinois (WBBM) — A far south suburban community continues to deal with unhealthy drinking water.

The issue in University Park goes back nearly seven years. Now, residents could be eligible for a huge paycheck for their troubles.

From lead to nitrate in the water, residents have experienced it all. However, this week, the village is sending out letters informing them that they have settled a huge class action lawsuit against the water company and large compensations are coming.

For most residents in the village, water bottles serve as a constant reminder of what they can’t use from the faucet, including Keith Lynch.

Back in 2019, Lynch and those living in University Park were told by the water company, Aqua Illinois, that there was a major lead contamination. Bottled water was supplied back then and even now.

“Six years and we can’t resolve this? Something is wrong somewhere,” he said.

Pam Kedrouske, owner of Twins Lounge, has the same woes. Trying to run a bar without any water is costing them around $500 a month—that’s an extra $6,000 annually, and there was still a water bill to be paid.

A far south suburban community continues to deal with unhealthy drinking water.

The issue in University Park goes back nearly seven years. Now, residents could be eligible for a huge paycheck for their troubles.

From lead to nitrate in the water, residents have experienced it all. However, this week, the village is sending out letters informing them that they have settled a huge class action lawsuit against the water company and large compensations are coming.

For most residents in the village, water bottles serve as a constant reminder of what they can’t use from the faucet, including Keith Lynch.

Back in 2019, Lynch and those living in University Park were told by the water company, Aqua Illinois, that there was a major lead contamination. Bottled water was supplied back then and even now.

“Six years and we can’t resolve this? Something is wrong somewhere,” he said.

Pam Kedrouske, owner of Twins Lounge, has the same woes. Trying to run a bar without any water is costing them around $500 a month—that’s an extra $6,000 annually, and there was still a water bill to be paid.

“There’s going to be a monetary reward to all the residents who were on the lead advisory, and the do not consume list, but better than that, all residents of the great village of University Park will receive a monetary award,” he said.

“Gives me some relief,” Lynch said.

“Anything that any of the people in this town can get, they deserve it,” Kedrouske said.

Village leaders say the compensation will be retroactive to include people who even moved out of University Park but were impacted at the time.

“No amount right now can erase what we went through, but it will definitely help us feel better about our future,” said Trustee Gina Williams. “Whether you are a business, a church … everyone will be able to get compensated in some form or fashion.”

Residents will be eligible for compensation by this fall. Despite the pending compensation, the money doesn’t solve the ongoing water woes.

The money is said to be the first step. The mayor says next he’s working on getting federal funds so they can take the 12 miles of water pipe, switch the current water company, and move to a new water supply.

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 WXYZ Web Staff

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    DETROIT (WXYZ) — Four people on the Detroit River were rescued late Tuesday morning after their boat overturned, 7 News Detroit has learned.

The incident happened just after 11 a.m. on the river near the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

Bob Grimes, one of the people who rescued one of the men in the water, said he dragged one of the men into the back end of his boat and then the Coast Guard and other agencies showed up.

Grimes said that the river was “rough” with water coming over his boat.

Detroit police confirmed to 7 News Detroit that they assisted in the rescue and that there were no injuries.

Video from Chopper 7 showed several boats, including the U.S. Coast Guard, and emergency crews at the Delray Boat Launch, which is off Jefferson near the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

Officials haven’t said how the boat overturned.

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.