Category: CNN Regional

By Conor McGill

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    LOOMIS, California (KOVR) — April is Autism Awareness Month, and one young man in Loomis is proving that you can do anything you set your mind to.

At 23 years old, Cameron Weitzel has turned his passion into a business and is using his voice to inspire others.

He’s the owner of Cameron’s Collectibles, an online shop filled with retro finds and nostalgic treasures.

“My business is about getting collectible stuff and retro stuff and Hot Wheel cars,” Cameron Weitzel said.

From Hot Wheels to toy dolls, each item is handpicked and carefully listed online by Cameron himself.

“I take pictures of them and put how much money it is,” he said.

But his journey hasn’t been easy. His family says doctors once doubted he would be able to communicate.

“Our neurologist told us that he was going to be nonverbal and we were going to accept that. However, we were going to try our best to try and get those words out,” said his mother, Trina Weitzel.

Despite the challenges, his family never gave up, leaning on faith and determination day by day.

“Sometimes it takes hour by hour for us to get through the day and it helps that we have faith. We don’t have a lot of family support, but that was another reason we started the blog, was to reach out to other people and let them know they’re not alone,” she said.

They later created a blog called “Rockin Autism Journey,” aimed at sharing their story and building a supportive community.

And their experience reflects a broader trend. According to the CDC, autism rates have risen from 1 in 36 children to 1 in 31, highlighting the importance of awareness, acceptance, and inclusion.

For Cameron, his business is more than collectibles. It’s independence, confidence, and a sense of purpose.

“It’s hard sometimes, but it gets easier,” Cameron said.

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 Aaron Parseghian

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    Worcester, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A four-year-old boy is expected to recover after falling from a seventh-floor window at an apartment complex in Worcester, Massachusetts according to police and a family member.

Emergency crews rushed to the Lincoln Village Apartments Wednesday night after a frantic 911 call reported a child had fallen out a window.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene. One man, identified as Antonio, said he heard the screaming and ran to help. He said he saw the boy fall several stories before landing on the ground.

“The way he hit the ground, you don’t survive that. That kid had guardian angels. Whether people are spiritual or not, that kid had something on his shoulder that said ‘you’re not today,'” he said.

Boy landed on patch of mulch Worcester police said officers arrived within a minute and found the boy conscious, alert and breathing. He was taken to a hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

Investigators said the child fell more than 60 feet and narrowly missed large utility boxes below. Officials believe the impact was partially cushioned by a patch of mulch on the ground.

“It was an amazing unique circumstance that definitely could have gone a different way,” said Sgt. Elise Miranda with the Worcester Police Department.

Detectives are still working to determine exactly how the fall happened, but they believe the child may have fallen through the screen of a common-area window that had been opened to cool the apartment.

As temperatures rise, police are urging families to take precautions.

“As we start getting into the warmer weather, everyone is going to start opening up those windows, we’re talking about air conditioning and things like that,” Miranda said. “Couple things you’re going to want to start looking at are the locks on the screens, making sure the screens are intact.”

Miranda suggested parents with young kids in the home should also buy additional security tools around windows.

The investigation remains ongoing. Police said the family has been fully cooperating, but understandably distraught.

The child was still in the hospital Thursday in stable condition, but he is expected to make a full recovery.

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 Michele Gile

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    ORANGE COUNTY, California (KCBS) — Fillmore, a 3-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, is being praised as a hero after he alerted his family to a fire raging in their Orange County garage.

The massive flames and smoke filled the Dalis family’s garage early Wednesday morning while everyone was asleep, except for Fillmore.

“Continuous barking,” homeowner Tom Dalis recalled. “I said maybe there’s something out there. We get coyotes.”

After waking up, Dalis’ wife said she saw a red light and ran out thinking something was wrong at their neighbors’ home. But the fire was much closer, consuming their garage and minutes away from reaching the main house, where Dalis, his wife and mother-in-law live.

“He was going crazy,” Dalis said. “It was popping. It was very loud. I don’t know if the windows of the car were popping.”

Everyone agreed that Fillmore’s persistent barking served as a smoke alarm, alerting the family to the danger in their garage. Dalis said he immediately ran and grabbed his hose, spraying down the flames as firefighters arrived.

“Without him, we probably could have lost the house if we were not woken up,” Dalis said. “He saved our house and potentially our lives.”

Smoke alarms in garages aren’t legally required, but experts said it’s not a bad idea to have one. Crews believe the fire was electrical.

“He was scared because of the noise and stuff but happy after that,” Dalis said.

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 Web Staff

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    WAUWATOSA, Wisconsin (WDJT) — A Wauwatosa Police Department K-9 helped take in an armed suspect after police responded to an armed robbery at Mayfair Mall back in late February.

According to officers, when they arrived at Mayfair Mall, they saw three people running through the parking lot.

One was stopped and taken into custody while the other two fled into the underground tunnels.

Body cam video from Wauwatosa PD shows the moments when K-9 Zev chased down one of the suspects, taking him down before an officer took him into custody.

The last suspect surrendered and was taken into custody.

During the chase, police confiscated a firearm after it was dropped during K-9 Zev’s take down of a suspect.

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 Salomone

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    SARASOTA, Florida (WFTS) — A Manatee County woman survived a rollover crash after hitting a nearly 9-foot alligator in Sarasota County.

The crash happened before sunrise on Easter Sunday, around 6 a.m.

Maslin Kurtz was traveling on Fruitville Road and Cowpen Lane in a rural part of Sarasota County.

“I thought I hit something and blew a tire just because it ripped my car off the road,” she recalled.

Her Toyota 4Runner crashed into a pole.

“I was just praying that somebody would see me. Obviously, I saw lights go by, so I thought I was behind a bush or something. I didn’t know where I ended up,” she said.

She said a couple had spotted her SUV, which had crashed into the pole. They called 911 for help.

“I was crushed between the roof and the steering wheel,” said Kurtz.

Kurtz was hospitalized at Sarasota Memorial Hospital for four days. She spent two of those days in an intensive care unit.

“I had a few fractures on my spine. My sternum is fractured and then my left scapula, the shoulder blade,” she said.

She said she feels fortunate she survived the crash. She must wear a brace for four to six weeks, followed by physical therapy.

She’s expected to make a full recovery.

“I’m just grateful that I’m here and I give all the glory to God,” said Kurtz.

Kurtz said the alligator did not survive, and deputies helped remove the gator from the roadway.

A friend started a GoFundMe page to help Kurtz with her medical bills.

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 Terrance Friday

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    CHEBOYGAN, Michigan (WWJ) — In downtown Cheboygan, Michigan, businesses are preparing for possible flooding as water levels remain high at Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex along the Cheboygan River.

As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the Cheboygan River was at 4.92 inches below the top of the dam, according to the State of Michigan Emergency Management and Homeland Security officials.

With the waters reaching closer than 6 inches, the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office says status has reached the Level 2 or “set” stage in the Ready, Set, Go instructions to the public.

As water levels are just inches below the top of the dam, business owners are bracing for the worst while hoping for the best.

“We keep going through these daily motions of trying to keep a business afloat,” said Jennifer Thorton, general manager of Cheboygan Title Agency. “I have employees who are in fear for their family and their life, so I am sending them home right now and again try to keep the day-to-day operations going in the business.”

Some businesses near the river have set up sandbags and are moving inventory to higher ground, while other businesses are holding off for now and watching conditions closely.

“We keep thinking, ‘Are we way overreacting?’ But again, is it going to hurt anything? No. I hope we laugh about this and make a sandbox of all this extra sand, that is my hope, but again, it isn’t going to hurt anything,” Thorton said.

“I think a lot of the people are not as well off as I am through this because our home is safe and we don’t have high water there,” added Cheboygan resident Tami Byron-Okuly. “We are going to be involved in this because this is our community.

“Help one another and see what you can do for somebody else who needs help right now, and give someone some relief. It’s going to be okay, and we are all going to be okay. We are all here to help.”

Local officials are reminding residents to stay cautious, to keep an eye on changing conditions and to be ready to act quickly if flooding worsens.

If conditions worsen, downtown Cheboygan and the surrounding areas will move to the “go” stage, signaling an evacuation.

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 Rian Stockett

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Western North Carolina sheriffs are warning the public about a new synthetic drug they say is more potent than fentanyl.

The McDowell County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning about cychlorphine on its social media accounts on Wednesday, April 15, saying it’s been linked to multiple overdose deaths in eastern Tennessee.

The drug is also on the radar of other local counties.

Captain Justin Bell with the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office said the danger of cychlorphine is similar to that of other synthetic opioids.

“The biggest message that we would like to get out is that it’s like other synthetic opioids that the most dangerous part is that they can be easily placed into other substances that the user may not know that they’re ingesting,” said Captain Bell.

The Facebook post from the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office says cychlorphine is up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl.

Captain Bell says that because it’s much more potent than fentanyl, smaller amounts can be deadly. He said that a cychlorphine overdose would also require more doses of Narcan to combat it.

Although they’re warning people about this opioid, Bell said authorities haven’t seen it in Transylvania County yet.

News 13 asked them about their efforts to prevent it from coming into the county. “We recognize that you can’t arrest this problem away, OK? So, it’s more about education, hopefully response and saving lives, and getting the word out there,” said Bell.

He says they learned about this drug from their narcotics task force which he says works with local, state, and federal partners to identify emerging drugs early, share intelligence across agencies, track where these substances are coming from and target and disrupt trafficking networks.

“Our approach to it is to make them aware that this is out here, that an exposure may be more significant, and to prepare them with products like the training in Narcan to counteract those reactions to the drug,” said Bell.

The state crime lab says it hasn’t seen any deaths in North Carolina caused by cychlorphine, however it’s prepared to test for it if needed.

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.