Category: CNN Regional

By Steve Maugeri

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    SOUTH FLORIDA (WFOR) — Steven Maclean, a long-haul truck driver, says he has spent $2,500 more on fuel this past month hauling supplies from Canada to South Florida and across the U.S.

“You don’t plan for anything extra, that’s for sure,” Maclean said. “You barely pay yourself”.

Maclean noted he has seen different diesel prices in each state he has traveled to. As of Saturday, AAA reported Florida’s average diesel fuel price at $5.54 a gallon.

“Florida’s price is the best now that I’ve seen,” Maclean said. “Maine, like a month ago, was $5; now it’s up to $6, I think”.

The conflict in Iran continues to impact fuel prices. Al Hanley, who is with a CDL school that trains truck drivers, teaches techniques to limit fuel usage.

“Idle time is a killer, so if they’re stuck in traffic, and the truck is running and it’s doing miles, that hurts them,” Hanley said. “Planning your routes better—maybe operating at different times of the day, overnights, or weekends—and maybe not driving during rush hour if they can avoid it”.

Hanley said it is hard to tell how much this will impact the freight industry because fuel prices have fluctuated almost daily.

AAA data shows Miami’s average diesel price is $5.52 a gallon, 3 cents less than yesterday, but this price range is significantly higher than the average of $3.43 a gallon this time last year.

Trucking companies often buy fuel in bulk, but the price they pay one day could be higher than the price the next day, Hanley said.

“It’s called a short squeeze,” Hanley said. “They’re having to get a higher price today and receive it at a higher price than it is really in the market”.

Hanley believes that if drivers use his tips, they could save thousands in gas a year, noting that trucks carrying heavy loads over long distances usually have poor gas mileage.

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 Paul Burton

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — The Boston Marathon is now just hours away for about 30,000 runners from around the world who have been training months for this day.

“It’s my first time running Boston. It is incredible to be here,” said runner Tracey Hasse who came in from the United Kingdom.

Athletes and their families and friends have been all over Boylston Street near the finish line this weekend, getting their race numbers and some swag at the runners expo at the Hynes Convention Center.

“It’s as much as part of the tradition as anything anymore, like buying an official race jacket,” said runner Mike Moon, who’s visiting from Canada. This will be his 28th Boston Marathon.

“In fact, I’m going to write a book and it’s going to be called just ‘Why?’ Why would you do this every year? This is 28, don’t know if this will be the last,” Moon said.

Hasse came to Boston with six family members and friends

“My running journey started with just a challenge and it’s taken me all over the world. I am about to become a six-star finisher here after three years. I started running and never stopped running,” she said.

Jason Hoberman of New Jersey is one of the thousands of runners raising money for charity. He’s running on behalf of his wife who recently beat leukemia.

“I joined the Blood Cancer United team to support blood cancer research. Because of research she was able to get through this and here she is,” Hoberman said.

“Never give up hope and keep fighting for your family and what you believe in and stay positive and hopefully research continues and we can put an end to all these horrible diseases,” his wife Tracey Hoberman said.

There were also crowds of runners at the Fan Fest in City Hall Plaza.

“This is a celebration for both the runners and the non-runners. Food, entertainment, activities for kids. We’ve got activities for adults,” event organizer Scott Halstead said.

The Boston Marathon starts just after 9 a.m. Monday in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. The 26.2-mile course runs through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton and Brookline. It ends on Boylston Street in Boston. This will be the 130th running of the race.

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 Adam Thompson, Ashley Paul, JT Moodee Lockman

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A man was arrested after he was injured by a self-inflicted gunshot wound while committing a robbery at Towson University on Thursday, according to school officials and Baltimore County police.

Around 9:15 p.m., Towson University Police were called for possible gunshots fired in a stairwell in Tower C in the 150 block of Cross Campus Drive.

They arrived to find an injured man who was taken to a local hospital with a self-inflicted, non-life-threatening gunshot wound, officials said.

During their investigation, county and school police determined that the injured man was not a student at the university. Officers said he fired the weapon, hitting himself in the lower body.

According to county police, the shooting occurred as the man was committing a robbery. No other injuries were reported.

Charges are pending, and the investigation is ongoing, police said. This appears to have been an isolated incident, according to officials.

“Firearms are strictly prohibited on TU’s campus, and an immediate after-action review is underway,” school officials said.

The incident comes as the university prepares for its annual TigerFest weekend event.

“I was standing over there around that pavilion, and I’m hearing somebody shot themselves and I’m like, ‘Huh?’ So I walked up the stairs and saw endless cop cars, endless ambulances, I didn’t know what was going on,” said a freshman named Mack.

Video taken by students showed the enormous response on the 150 block of Cross Campus Drive after police responded.

“It was just kind of scary because you don’t know what’s happening. All you know is shots are fired, someone got shot. And I’m like, oh my God, that’s actually insane,” said junior Edwardina Beeko.

Another student video showed the suspect being loaded onto an ambulance.

“It’s like dang, a random dude could just come in there with a gun, and you would never know. What if the dude wasn’t robbing someone but wanted to kill people, wanted to shoot the school up, or something? I don’t feel safe,” said Mack.

Students say residents of the dorm are required to swipe their Towson student ID card to get into the building, and any guests must be signed in by someone who lives there.

The desks are manned by community center assistants, who are often students themselves, not security guards.

“I’m not going to frisk anyone, we’re not like actual security,” said Beeko and junior Nancy Ekpo. “As a CCA, I’m very aware of safety and who comes in and out. I feel like we’re such a public base, I feel like me, in the back of my mind…we don’t have metal detectors or guards patting anyone down, you want to hope that nobody ever thinks to do this, but for me, I’m always like it’s a possibility.”

Right now, it’s unclear if the suspect was signed into the building or if he had an intended target.

Anyone with information is asked to call 410-887-INFO.

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 Nicole Comstock

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    MONROVIA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — The owners of a beloved Monrovia burger joint are asking for help after thieves broke into their home and stole their entire life savings of $140,000.

“We don’t have much time left already,” owner Pan Pimoslavakun said. “We’re not young anymore.

Pan and her husband, Vorawat, have owned Burger Basket in Monrovia since 1963 and were hoping to retire in five to seven years with the $140,000 they kept in a lockbox at their home.

They had to close their mom-and-pop burger joint for a couple of weeks after Vorawat was hospitalized because of the stress from the burglary.

“Those monies is actually for my retirement,” Pan said. “I’ve been working for 30 years.”

Security cameras captured the burglars rifling through the elderly couple’s belongings on March 26. One guy knocked on the door first. Then, the family says two others broke through a small window, manhandled their dogs and stole priceless mementos handed down through their family over generations, along with the cash.

The couple immigrated from Thailand long ago and worked hard to save that money over three decades. Their son, Jesse Narkmanee, said he had warned his parents not to keep it in cash.

“Old-school Asian community. They like to put their life savings in cash cause that’s what they trust,” Narkmanee said.

Their son put together an online fundraiser to help them recover, and community support started pouring in.

“My parents were open for a little bit after the robbery, and so many people came to support them, to buy more burgers,” Narkmanee said. “I’m just so thankful. It made my dad cry a lot. I’ve never seen my dad cry before. He cried tears of joy.

They are also asking for help finding the suspects. The family said the burglars got away in a gray Nissan Rogue, but it had stolen plates.

“We don’t want this to happen to anyone,” Pan said. “This hurt.”

The Monrovia Police Department said it is actively investigating the case and encouraged anyone with info to call detectives.

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 Ashley Sharp

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — From overserved to served with a lawsuit, Carnival Cruise Line has been ordered by a Florida jury to pay $300,000 to a Sacramento woman who, according to a federal lawsuit, crewmembers served 14 tequila shots before she fell down a stairwell and was injured.

Diana Sanders, a nurse at a Vacaville hospital, filed the lawsuit after the January 2024 incident aboard the Carnival Radiance.

She told CBS News Sacramento that there is so much more to this story than her just being overserved alcohol. She said it’s about systemic safety failures. She was not yet ready to share her experience in an on-camera interview.

According to the lawsuit, “Carnival crewmembers served [Sanders] approximately fourteen alcoholic beverages within a span of approximately eight hours… due to her inebriated state that was caused by this over-service of alcohol… [she] suffered a severe fall.”

“When you do take these people on your cruise ship, you are responsible for their well-being,” Sacramento defense attorney Mark Reichel, unrelated to this case, told CBS News Sacramento. “You can’t over serve someone, and if something happens to them, the bar is, in fact, liable.”

As for the fact that this presumably took place in international waters, Reichel says those laws would still apply.

“Where do they do business out of? And it is international waters, but where did they leave from?” Reichel explained.

The Florida jury found Carnival to be 60% liable for the incident, for failing to exercise reasonable care. Sanders was found to be 40% negligent for her own consumption.

Sanders claims she was visibly intoxicated, blacked out and woke up at the bottom of a crew-only stairwell, where she suffered a head injury and was covered in bruises she could not explain on her inner thighs and arms.

“They gave me conflicting information. They treated me like a criminal. I was very concerned they would not tell me exactly what happened to me,” Sanders said in a social media video posted by her attorney, Spencer Aronfeld.

Sanders says she filed the lawsuit because the cruise line would provide no video showing what unfolded.

“Come to find out they had all the tapes right before but nothing afterwards, and they will not show us what happened that day,” Sanders said.

According to the lawsuit, her injuries were severe. It reads, “As a result of these crewmembers’ misrepresentations, [Sanders] has suffered severe bodily injuries resulting in pain and suffering, disability, scarring, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of independence, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, expense of hospitalization, medical and nursing care and treatment.”

Aronfeld says while passengers do have the responsibility to drink responsibly, cruise lines must also serve responsibly.

“When you serve somebody who is visibly intoxicated repeatedly drink after drink after drink, it can lead to disastrous consequences,” said Aronfeld.

Aronfeld points out in the lawsuit, “To maximize revenue, Carnival deliberately designs its vessels to ensure there are alcohol serving stations in every nook and cranny of the ship.”

Considering that Sanders had purchased a drink package on the cruise, Aronfeld says this case highlights the dangers of overconsumption and popular all-inclusive drink packages.

“Do you think that makes a cruise line rethink a service like that? Because that is the culture, right? To keep drinking to get your money’s worth?” I asked Reichel.

“You couldn’t be more right that the expectation of what they’re purchasing is the experience that she had… you know, I think it’s within limitations, and the alcohol is the limitation,” Reichel said.

Carnival representatives told CBS News they disagree with the verdict and plan to pursue an appeal and a new trial.

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By Christa Swanson

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    AURORA, Colorado (KCNC) — Aurora police are investigating a high-speed crash that killed one person late Friday night.

According to the Aurora Police Department, a Chevrolet Camaro was speeding eastbound through the 11500 block of E. Yale Avenue around 11 p.m. when it left the right side of the road. The Camaro struck a light pole and then a tree.

Witnesses told investigators they saw the Camaro traveling down E. Yale Avenue at a very high rate of speed just before the collision.

Authorities said the adult male driving the vehicle died at the scene. No other occupants were inside the Camaro, and no other vehicles were involved.

APD said the driver will be identified by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office. The crash remains under investigation.

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 Andrea Nakano

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    SAN FRANCISCO, California (KPIX) — Some San Francisco residents in the Outer Sunset district woke up to flashing lights and officers early Thursday morning.

A sea lion was caught on camera, just hanging out with a bunch of officers in the area of 48th Avenue and Irving Street. It was quite a scene at the street corner as they tried to corral it.

“Wasn’t an arrest, exactly, but the police officers were trying to get a California sea lion in custody,” said Tamara Barak Aparton, a San Francisco Parks & Recreation spokesperson. “It had wandered out of the ocean and onto the city street.”

Officers and park rangers found a dog crate large enough to fit the sea lion pup into and took it to the bike storage area at a nearby ranger station until the Marine Mammal Center picked it up.

“We are all rooting for him,” Barak Aparton said.

The sea lion’s new name is Irving. The Marine Mammal Center says it doesn’t know its sex yet and whether or not Irving is sick.

Daniel Costa, a professor of ecology at UC Santa Cruz, says at first glance, it looks like a healthy seal pup.

“Sea lions are probably losing a little bit of their fear of people as they get more accustomed to us,” Costa said. “So, my first thought is that sea lion you guys saw was just a curious sea lion.”

Professor Costa has traveled the world to study sea lions. He says the California sea lion population has exploded since the Marine Mammal Protection Act was enacted in 1972. Some of them have become so friendly that he refers to them as sea dogs.

“They’re kind of like a Husky or an Irish Setter,” Costa said. “They’re very energetic. They’ll do anything for food.”

But he warns, it’s never a good idea to get too close to Irving or any other sea lion.

“They’re most likely going to run from you,” he said. “They’re more afraid of us than we are of them. However, if they’re cornered, it’s just like a dog and I’m calling them sea dogs. They will bite and they have really sharp teeth.”

Professor Costa is not ruling out domoic acid poisoning, but he says this could be a sign that sea lions have maxed out of their habitat and are exploring. The hope is that Irving will be released back into the Pacific soon.

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 Julie Sharp, Michele Gile

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    ORANGE COUNTY, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department arrested a 14-year-old for allegedly hitting an 81-year-old substitute teacher while riding his e-bike, then fleeing the Lake Forest crash site.

On Thursday, around 4 p.m., deputies were called to Toledo Way and Ridge Route Drive, which borders El Toro High School, for a pedestrian struck by an e-bike. They found Ed Ashman with life-threatening injuries. He was taken to a hospital and remains in critical condition.

There’s an online fundraiser going for “Ed Ashman: Veteran, Teacher, Fighter,” with many students saying Ashman was a good man.

“A lot about him is very genuine, and like he cares for us, and he’s a good substitute,” student Catalina Speights said.

Neighbor John White said he knew it was just a matter of time before there was a bad accident “… because a lot of the e-bikers have been misusing, not following the laws of the road.”

According to the OCSD, the teen fled the scene on a bike, determined to be an off-road electric motorcycle. Witnesses provided information about the teen biker, and a search warrant was served at a nearby residence in the city of Lake Forest.

The 14-year-old was arrested and booked at Orange County Juvenile Hall for charges related to the incident.

The Saddleback Valley Unified School District put out a statement saying the incident is deeply upsetting. It also pointed to district e-bike guidelines, which include completing a safety course and permitting requirements.

Student Jessie Salas said everyone is talking about the incident. “They even had an announcement saying like ‘pray for him,’ and all that,” she said.

“He’s really got a good work ethic,” White said, adding he would joke with Ashman, “So you’re still going to school!”

Anyone with additional information is encouraged to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at (714) 647-7000.

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.