Category: CNN Regional

By Corey Howard

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — The parents, Jessica Bruseulas and Johnathan Castillo, are now behind bars in Albuquerque, facing multiple charges, including child abuse resulting in great bodily harm.

According to court documents, law enforcement is uncertain if the child will survive, as she was exposed to narcotics and beaten numerous times. Medical personnel informed investigators that the infant sustained multiple brain hemorrhages, a fractured skull, and bruising to her head.

They also said the child was in critical condition and not expected to survive the night.

“Just a horrific story of a young infant whose life has been marked by incredibly horrifying physical abuse,” John Day, KOAT legal expert and a former prosecutor, said.

Bruseulas told detectives that her boyfriend, Castillo, often used fentanyl and meth and became extremely violent while on drugs. She said Castillo would strike the infant with a closed fist for making noises, a pattern of abuse that began when the child was just two months old.

“Right now, at least the charges pending are looking at a range of sentencing from six years up to 18 years, depending on other charges,” a source said.

The court documents reveal that Bruseulas attempted to stop Castillo, but he would attack her. When investigators asked why she didn’t reach out to police, she said she was terrified.

“Was there nobody else in this child’s life that saw this going on and couldn’t step in to intervene?” Day questioned. “And you’ve got, in this case, both the mother and the father charged, the mother charged particularly with failing to report child abuse on the theory that she let this occur and didn’t do anything to stop it.”

The initial court appearance for Bruseulas and Castillo has not been set yet.

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By Krista Tatschl

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    INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (KETV) — An Independence, Missouri, family said their home was invaded and they were threatened by masked intruders with a gun.

A 78-year-old resident of the home said he heard pounding on the door of his home around midnight Sunday into Monday.

When he opened the door, two men wearing bandanas on their faces and Spectrum vests rushed in, pistol-whipping the man in the face, the family said.

The masked intruders allegedly kicked down the door to his adult daughter’s bedroom and put a gun to her head, demanding money. When the intruders saw her husband, who ran in when he heard the commotion, the men allegedly began shooting.

Fortunately, no one was shot, the family said. The intruders got away with credit cards and have not yet been caught.

The Independence Police Department confirmed an incident occurred but said a full report with more specific details was not yet available.

“At this time, we have no indication that Spectrum employees were involved,” Spectrum said in a statement.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to report it to the Independence Police Department.

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By Pete Cuddihy

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Matthew McDonnell, 39, has served the metro with the Omaha Fire Department for 17 years. Now he’s facing a bigger fight, an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma.

Everything changed for the McDonnell family when they found out Matthew had brain cancer. But as their world shifted, the Omaha Fire Department stepped into action. They say being there for each other during hard times is the expectation.

“I could not survive what he is going through without them,” said Matthew’s wife, Staci McDonnell.

In his greatest time of need, Matthew McDonnell’s coworkers came to his family’s side.

“Situation like this, it’s all hands-on board and everybody comes to help out no matter what it is,” said OFD firefighter Jeff Driscoll.

The 39-year-old Omaha firefighter was diagnosed with brain cancer back in June.

“They found the mass on his brain. It was five centimeters big on the back of his brain,” said Staci McDonnell.

McDonnell went through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.

He began to recover, but a cavity from where the tumor was removed filled with fluid and shifted his brain.

“The brain had shifted so much that now is where he’s having problems with the right side of his body and with his speech and with his hearing,” said Staci McDonnell.

As things have become more difficult for the McDonnell family, his buddies from the Omaha Fire Department have stepped up to help carry the load.

“Every single day, they’re asking what they can do. They mow my lawn. They come to the hospital, they hang out with him, they take him to appointments,” said Staci McDonnell.

“He’d be the first one to show up if it was somebody else,” said Driscoll.

Now the fire department looks to raise money for the McDonnells’ medical expenses by holding a spaghetti and meatball feed with auctions and raffles.

And with time, family and friends hope he’ll make a full recovery.

“Who knows, he might get back on the job. So we’re hoping,” said Matthew’s uncle, Bob McDonnell.

The Omaha Fire Department will be hosting that spaghetti feed on November 23rd at the Omaha Firefighters Hall.

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By Jasmine Franklin

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    NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — There are two infant deaths linked to whooping cough in Louisiana. The fatalities of two babies are why parents say it’s now more important than ever to use caution.

State leaders describe it as the worst whooping cough outbreak in the past 30 years.

“I’m genuinely shocked, I didn’t know that was happening or going on,” said Munira Schofield.

Parents are stunned to learn of more than 360 confirmed cases of the infection.

Some cases are becoming more severe, even causing two infants to die in Louisiana.

“It’s kind of scary to know something as small as a cough that people can brush off can evolve into something bigger,” said Schofield.

Doctors say a cough is just one of the symptoms.

“It’s just that parents have become more skeptical about vaccinations, especially with infants,” said Dr. Veronica Lewis

Pediatrician Veronica Lewis tells me, infants are most vulnerable to getting infected, and it’s important for parents not to ignore the signs.

“You know some parents might brush off that runny nose, cough, or congestion, but if they notice a more harsh or rhythmic cough, especially to the point where the child is forcibly coughing,” said Lewis.

The rise in cases is prompting parents like Schofield to take more precautions to keep her little one safe.

“If I can prevent my child from having to go to the hospital because of something as catastrophic as potentially dying from whooping cough, I will do the necessary preventative measures to take care of that,” said Schofield.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, sharing concerns over the historic outbreak, in a statement he says in part, “No child in Louisiana should die from a vaccine-preventable disease. Please protect your children with a vaccine.”

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By Pepper Purpura

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    CRESTON, Iowa (KCCI) — Five months after collapsing at a spring track meet, 15-year-old Nate Bentley is back under the Friday night lights — this time with a personalized plan and a heart monitor helping make it possible.

In April, the then-freshman football player, wrestler, and runner had just handed off the baton to his teammate at the Glenwood track meet when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest.

Bentley, a three-sport athlete whose mother says “football was his first love,” went into cardiac arrest in April after handing off the baton in the sprint medley at Glenwood. A coach quickly retrieved the school’s automated external defibrillator (AED) and delivered a shock to the teenager to help revive him before he was rushed to Children’s Nebraska in Omaha.

“When I got there, I realized it was a lot worse than I had imagined,” Bentley’s mother, Erin Wallace, said.

Doctors later diagnosed Bentley with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, or CPVT — a rare, genetic heart rhythm disorder.

“It’s relatively uncommon and can be hard to diagnose because the heart is structurally normal,” said Dr. Ben Hale, a pediatric electrophysiologist at the University of Iowa. “Often the first symptom of CPVT can be cardiac arrest.”

People with CPVT are typically told to avoid strenuous exercise and especially contact sports, such as football. But getting back to his “first love” was a huge priority for Bentley because being an athlete was a part of his identity.

Hale designed a cautious, step-by-step return-to-play plan, starting with monitored exercise testing.

“We can recreate some of the triggers of CPVT-related arrhythmias in a very controlled and safe environment,” he said.

But the emotion and adrenaline of a live sporting event like football can have an additional impact on the heart that Hale said he couldn’t recreate at the hospital.

To better gauge how practicing sports affected Bentley’s heart, Hale placed a special heart monitor in his chest, called a loop recorder, to track Bentley’s heart rhythm during real drills and sporting events, along with medication and strict safety protocols.

Through the summer, Bentley trained and kept his conditioning up, even joining cross-country when he wasn’t yet cleared for full-contact pads. By early September, Hale allowed a limited return to football practice.

After a week of normal readings at practice, Bentley returned to Glenwood Stadium on Sept. 13. This time, he walked off the field after the final whistle.

To keep him safe, Hale requires an AED on hand and a second person with Bentley anytime he exercises or competes. Data from the loop recorder will contribute to research on CPVT—including rare, real-world measurements captured during a contact sport.

Hale credits Bentley’s survival and recovery to the immediate use of CPR and the AED at the track meet — a reminder, he said, that preparation saves lives.

Wallace is accepting donations to offset the cost of medical expenses and trips to Iowa City. Those contributions can be made to @erin-wallace-103 on Venmo.

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