Category: CNN Regional

By Jordan Bontke

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    GOODYEAR, Arizona (KNXV) — A Goodyear neighbor helped locate a missing vulnerable woman, but his good deed cost him his off-road vehicle when it caught fire during the rescue.

Scott Stafford was driving his UTV on a Friday night when he noticed people with flashlights searching the Sedella neighborhood in Goodyear.

The pest control business owner stopped and learned the group was looking for a woman who had left an assisted living facility without her phone.

“My dad was diabetic, so I kind of knew what could happen,” Stafford said, noting that he was told that the woman had diabetes and a mental health condition.

Stafford voluntarily joined the search well after sundown. During a search that lasted several evening hours on April 10th, Stafford eventually found the woman sitting by a tree in an unpaved area of the neighborhood.

“I looked over the door, and I said, ‘Hey, are you lost?’ And she said, ‘Yeah,’ and then I said, ‘Guess what? I found you.’ And that’s when my adrenaline went out the window. Like I had drank 13 Red Bulls,” Stafford said.

Stafford helped get the woman to the authorities so she could return to her assisted living facility. While reporting on missing people over the years, investigators have told ABC15 the first 48 hours are the most important when someone goes missing, but this woman was found after about five hours.

Just as the woman was able to get to safety with authorities, Stafford turned back to his UTV to discover it had caught fire. It is unclear how the fire started, and he is working with his insurance company to determine coverage.

After Stafford shared the incident on social media, neighbors started a crowdfunding account to help him replace the destroyed UTV. Stafford said any leftover money will be used to provide free pest control services to someone in need.

“It’s free to be nice,” Stafford said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KNXV 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 Lillian Donahue

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    PHOENIX (KNXV) — A Phoenix teen is recovering after an assault allegedly involving other high school students as she walked home from the light rail last week.

Phoenix police said they are investigating the incident, which happened near Camelback Road and 19th Avenue on April 8.

Ayane Mefford and her mother, Lucero Orozco, said Mefford rode home from Central High School on the light rail. She said she felt increasingly uncomfortable when multiple teenage boys began following her.

While leaving the Valley Metro stop, Mefford asked a friend to help walk her home.

“We were walking, I’m trying to calm my friend down, because I did see them and I’m like, ‘Just calm down, you know, to keep walking,’” Mefford said. “We’re telling them, ‘just go home’ you know, we don’t want nothing and that’s when everything started going downhill.”

Mefford said she felt a blow to her head before hitting the ground. The whole incident was caught on camera. Her friend ended up in the street.

“I was so scared,” Mefford said. “I was like, oh my God, like, just wanted to go home.”

Orozco said she ran to the area to find her daughter collapsed and seizing. Mefford was taken to the hospital.

“She does need physical therapy. She needs back injections from the trauma of what happened,” Orozco said.

Orozco posted her daughter’s story online. It has gained millions of views worldwide.

“We’re going to get justice. I made the video for awareness,” Orozco said. “It made it to Mexico, New Zealand, Venezuela. Because it’s happening everywhere, not just here, it’s happening everywhere.”

She said her top priority is helping her daughter settle into her “new normal” as she recovers from injuries to her neck and back.

For years, ABC15 has extensively covered teen violence issues across the Valley.

Orozco said she has a message for any teens engaging in violence.

“It’s not worth your future. It’s not worth it,” Orozco said. “There are other ways to handle things. Kids need to know that it’s not okay.”

The Phoenix Union High School District released a statement on Wednesday.

“The Phoenix Union High School District is aware of the off-campus incident allegedly involving students from Central High School. The District will always prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our students and we are fully cooperating with the police investigation into what took place.”

The Valley Metro also saying they’re aware of the incident.

“…we are working with the Phoenix Police Department to support the investigation of an incident that escalated off Valley Metro property. Field Security Officers were deployed in the area at the time and continue to be deployed there.”

An online fundraiser has been created to help with Mefford’s 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 Allie Triepke

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    BOISE, Idaho (KIVI) — A handmade quilt created by contributors from across the country is now on display in the Treasure Valley, honoring the life of Kaylee Goncalves and offering comfort to her family.

The Kaylee Jade Dahlia Quilt, unveiled at The Quilt Crossing, was crafted by more than a dozen quilters and dahlia enthusiasts from Idaho and beyond. Each square was stitched with messages of remembrance, forming a one-of-a-kind tribute to Goncalves, one of four victims killed in the 2022 University of Idaho murders.

“You’re never gonna replace the void that has occurred in their life, but it can be brighter, and it’s a very loving kind of tribute,” said contributor Kristin Custer of Caldwell.

The quilt draws inspiration from the Kaylee Jade Dahlia, a newly bred flower with bright pink and purple tones named in Goncalves’ memory. Custer said the vibrant colors are meant to bring light during a dark time.

Quilters from states including Florida, Ohio, and Idaho contributed to the project, each creating pinwheel-style sections that were later assembled by Nampa quilter Jodi Frederick.

“It looks better up there than I thought it would. I’m really happy that it’s done,” Frederick said. “It’s a relief that I got it done on time.”

Vickie Holbrook, another contributor, said the quilt represents more than a creative project.

“What the quilt means to the family really is an everlasting hug and something that can help in dark times,” she said.

Organizers say the quilt is meant to symbolize a nationwide embrace of support for the Goncalves family, with contributors hoping it provides a sense of comfort and connection.

The quilt will remain on display at The Quilt Crossing before being presented to the Goncalves family on May 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 CBS 58 Newsroom

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — A Milwaukee man trying to get to work late Wednesday, April 15 ended up wading out of floodwater after a rideshare vehicle got stuck under a bridge near Burleigh and 31st.

Corey Wedgeworth tells CBS 58 that he was headed to his third-shift job when the driver followed a navigation app route into the flooded underpass. Wedgeworth said he warned the driver not to head in that direction after seeing the water ahead, but the driver took that path anyway and became trapped.

Wedgeworth said he got out and made his way through waist-deep water before eventually returning home to change clothes and then heading to work.

He said his experience also left him thinking about Milwaukee families dealing with flooding across the city.

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 Itinease McMiller

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — For the first time, we are hearing from the woman behind a now-viral video showing a mama bear doing something moms everywhere can relate to: trying to wrangle her cubs.

Kristina Rupp said she was driving home on Emma Road in Asheville when traffic suddenly came to a stop.

“I was actually annoyed because traffic was stopped. I thought it was a goose or something,” Rupp said.

But she quickly realized it was a mama bear trying to get one of her cubs out from underneath a car. Rupp grabbed her phone and began recording, capturing the bear’s determined effort to get all of her cubs safely across the road.

Like toddlers, the cubs certainly didn’t make it easy. Every time the mother pulled one to safety, another wandered right back toward danger.

“That’s what was so funny for me. I really empathized with her, and I wanted to help her. That was my instinct, I was like she needs a babysitter,” Rupp said, laughing.

The video has clearly struck a chord, especially with parents. As of April 16, the video has reached 7.3 million views on TikTok, 4.4 million views on Instagram, 4.4 million views on YouTube, and 950,00 views on Facebook. Across all of WLOS’s social media platforms, it has reached a combined 17 million views.

Even though Rupp doesn’t have children of her own, she said her experience as a nanny made the moment instantly relatable.

“They were so sweet. To see this mama bear have this really complex emotion of patience, and then losing it. It was so funny. And they were being so naughty,” she said.

Beyond the laughs, Rupp said the experience left her with a deeper takeaway.

“We’re so lucky they’re still here, as much as they are with us having boomed this area so much,” Rupp said. “And how important it is to keep some areas wild for the bears, for all these animals, so that they don’t end up on the road.”

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission said encounters like this are becoming more common and is now expanding its “BearWise” program statewide, aimed at helping people safely coexist with bears.

For many viewers, the viral moment serves as both a heartwarming and important reminder that even in the wild, moms have their hands full.

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 Bun Choum

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    HAMMOND, Louisiana (WDSU) — The Hammond Police Department has taken a 13-year-old in custody in connection with a shooting near the Tangipahoa Alternative School Tuesday morning.

According to Hammond police, the shooting happened in the school carline around 7:39 a.m.

Police say that before the shooting, the 13-year-old boy and his father got into an argument. Officers say the boy did not want to go inside the school.

Due to the argument, the school resource officer responded to the carline, and the father of the boy decided to take his son home.

As the car began to drive out of the carline, the resource officer heard gunshots and saw the teen approaching the officer with a gun, according to police.

Hammond police say the father’s car then accelerated across the street into a home. There was a Pre-K-aged student in the backseat. That child was not injured and is now in the custody of another family member.

The home the father crashed into was damaged, but no one inside was hurt.

After the car crashed, police say the 13-year-old got out of the car and began walking toward the side door of the school with the gun.

According to Hammond police, the school resource officer put himself between the scene and the school. The resource officer then disarmed the teen and took him into custody.

The teen was taken into custody without incident, and the boy’s father was taken to North Oaks Medical Center and is considered critical at this time.

Officers have secured the scene, and there is no ongoing threat to public safety. The school was placed on lockdown as a precaution, but has since returned to normal operations.

The identity of the teen and father will not be released at this time. The teen will be taken to the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center to be processed.

The school has placed counselors on campus for students who need to speak about the incident, according to school officials.

Due to the boy’s age, no information on his criminal history or behavior record at the school will be released.

“This type of violence is senseless and outrageous and sadly underscores why school resources officers are so important,” said Hammond Chief of Police Edwin Bergeron Jr. in an issued statement. “We are incredibly grateful that we had a SRO at the school to intervene and prevent further injuries.”

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 KCCI Staff

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — A new pilot program giving Des Moines paramedics the ability to perform blood transfusions in the field is already being credited with saving lives — and changing how trauma care begins.

Doctors say some of the most critical moments in saving a patient don’t happen in the hospital, but in the minutes after they are injured.

“By treating patients early, we can automatically decrease the risk,” said Dr. Carlos Pelaez, trauma medical director at Iowa Methodist Medical Center.

That philosophy helped launch a pilot program last November that equips certain ambulances with blood and the tools needed to administer transfusions on scene.

Now, first responders and medical specialists say it’s making a life-or-death difference.

Coby Klocko, a paramedic in Des Moines, saw that impact firsthand on Feb. 19.

A 911 call reported a stabbing at Polk County’s Life Services Center.

“There was a stabbing victim that was in trouble and was bleeding out,” Klocko said.

When Klocko arrived, he was faced with a critical decision. Although he had only practiced administering blood transfusions on training mannequins, he knew the situation called for immediate action.

“I just took a few deep breaths, realized I’ve done this plenty of times, and it’s just another routine thing, just on a live patient,” he said.

Using the mobile blood transfusion system, Klocko began treatment before the victim arrived at the hospital.

That early intervention, doctors say, can increase survival rates by roughly 30 percent.

“I have been in practice for approximately 15 years,” Pelaez said. “This is the single most relevant change in trauma care in our city that I have seen since I started practicing trauma surgery.”

Klocko also believes having the kit and training to use it was critical to his patient’s survival.

“If I didn’t have the blood, I don’t think it would be the outcome that we had today,” he said.

His decision to begin the transfusion in the field ultimately saved the man’s life — and led to a moment not every paramedic gets to experience: meeting the patient he helped save.

For Klocko, it’s a reminder of the stakes that come with every call.

“Coming to work every day, you just never know what you’re going to get yourself into,” he said. “But having the tools that we have in our ambulances, knowing that I can make a difference in somebody else’s life, and also make an impact on their family, is definitely a huge reward, not just for myself, but for our entire department.”

As the pilot program continues, doctors and first responders say it could mark a major shift in how trauma care is delivered — starting long before a patient reaches the hospital.

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 Jacquelyn Quinones

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    SOQUEL, California (KSBW) — Local organizations in Santa Cruz County are working together to build a straw bale tiny home village next to Mount Calvary Lutheran Church on Cabrillo College Drive in Soquel, aiming to address the housing crisis and climate challenges.

Just Places, in partnership with People First, is reviving a building method from the 1800s to construct the homes.

“It was developed in the 1800s by farmers who had no resource for wood, so they saw these bales and realized they’re like building blocks the way kids play with Legos, etc. So they started stacking with bales and built really substantial homes and churches in Nebraska in the 1800s, and some of those homes are still standing and occupied,” said Michele Landegger, a general building contractor.

Landegger began building with straw bales in 1996 and has completed more than a dozen homes, along with several studios. His projects range from 1,200-square-foot spaces to 4,000-square-foot conference centers, all within Santa Cruz County.

“The reason we’re building with straw now is that straw is a biogenic carbon sequestration. It can hold carbon and draw it out of the atmosphere and hold it for its entire viable life of its use,” Landegger said.

Landegger and her team at Just Places are stepping in to help address the need for housing in Santa Cruz County.

The plan is to build a small village of LEED-certified cabins constructed from straw bales.

These thoughtfully designed homes are intended for very low-income residents, offering not just shelter but stability and a path forward.

“They have the land, we have the idea and inspiration to do it, and so we talked with them and said, ‘Hey, do this,’ and they were really receptive,” another contractor, Kita Glass, said.

According to Landegger, this project will be a step forward in combating the homelessness issue in Santa Cruz County.

“It’s affected lots of people I know in lots of different ways. It’s really hard to pay rent here, it’s really easy to lose your housing, and even if you’re in a house, you’re affected by it in all kinds of different ways,” Glass said.

The team still needs to raise at least $300,000 to cover the cost of the project. They will host two fundraisers this weekend, and according to Just Places, if they raise the necessary funds, the project could be completed within four to six months.

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.