Category: CNN Regional

By Samson Tamijani

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    TULSA COUNTY, Oklahoma (KJRH) — The summertime grazing land Jennifer Hastings’ beloved 21-year-old Rainy and 9-year-old Hope usually reside in sits empty since May 20.

Hastings said someone took them during the overnight hours, with the land’s fence cut open next to the intersection of 57th and 105th West Avenue.

“I would give anything to have them back,” Hastings told 2 News Oklahoma.

Hastings, a nurse practitioner, has cherished being a horse owner for more than 17 years. She said surveillance cameras caught a couple unrecognized trucks with horse trailers in the days prior to their disappearance, but Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t been able to identify the vehicles.

“I mean, to a certain extent you feel violated,” she said.

Hastings also filed a case with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture’s investigative services unit, who she said found tire tracks that are being considered in the investigation.

Debi Metcalfe of the North Carolina-based NETPOSSE Stolen Horses International said Hastings did everything right since the theft, include reporting to her organization.

“She keeps trying to get (awareness of) the horses out there. When we put the horses in our system, I can’t tell you how many different groups on Facebook alone this has been shared to from our post,” Metcalfe told 2 News via Zoom.

Metcalfe started Stolen Horses International in the 1990s after she became a victim herself. The group now helps thousands of horse theft victims each year, including in Green Country.

“And a lot of horses look alike. We encourage people to put some type of physical brand on them,” Metcalfe added. “I prefer a freeze brand and a microchip because there is no perfect ID by itself.”

Hastings said she’s also canvassed horse auctions around central and eastern Oklahoma, but a friend contacted the 2 News Problem Solvers in hopes of reaching even more attention to bring the special needs mare, Rainy – and Hope, back home.

“I don’t care if we catch the person who did it. I’m not looking for punishment. I just want my horses back,” Hastings said. “So I’ll never give up hope, but it’s just – every day you feel a little more desperate.”

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 Brodie Myers

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    TULSA, Oklahoma (KJRH) — Gov. Stitt recently signed ‘Leo’s Law.’ It culminates a year-long effort by Jacob Towe.

“It’s just been a lot of work. We’ve been traveling really around the whole country, and Oklahoma, just going to meetings, meeting with lawmakers,” Towe said.

His dream became reality on May 29 when Gov. Stitt signed the legislation.

Towe said he feels, “relieved, because, with everything we’ve done, there’s always the next step. So there’s been a little bit of relief every time we’ve got something done, but there’s always something else to do.”

Those next steps are key. Towe said he’s not done yet.

“I’m just going to try to make sure that it’s implemented right. And that DHS is actually doing this. Just trying to figure out the best way we can do this, and just try to keep advocating to save lives, any way that I see fit,” Towe said, “Tell people that this is a drug that doesn’t discriminate. I miss my son a lot, every single day. I really hope this saves somebody else from this.”

The legislation is complicated, but put simply, it requires DHS to perform drug testing on parents suspected of drug use, before gaining custody of children. Towe said he lost his son, Leo, to a fentanyl poisoning when he was with his mother.

“I hope this saves kids lives, in Oklahoma. I really do believe that this will. So I hope that this just help saves lives in Oklahoma,” Towe said.

Towe offered advice for people seeking to implement laws for their own cause.

“Just to not give up if you believe that it’s something that important. To keep trying. And to keep knocking on doors,” Towe said, “To keep making phone calls. Keep making emails. And just to try to reach out to your legislators and try to establish good relationships with them.”

Leo’s Law becomes official Nov. 1.

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 Max Williams

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    NEBRASKA CITY, Nebraska (KMTV) — Paula Robbins says quilts tell a story. Each square is distinct, but sewn together, they make a whole.

In the fabric of Robbins’ story, though, is a major snag.

“My husband and I were involved in a terrible car wreck,” Robbins said.

The injury was devastating for Robbins and her family. She fell into a coma.

“If I am being kept alive on life support to just let me go,” Robbins said. She explained that she had prepared an advance directive with her wishes just in case something terrible should happen to her.

Robbins says she’s still here today because her family kept her alive long enough for her sister to visit from New York. Still in a coma, they connected through music at her bedside.

“The song that she was singing was the old Pete Seeger song ‘Goodnight Irene’ — she played acoustic guitar and we would just sing songs all the time,” Robbins said.

Robbins says she came back to consciousness in October of that year, but with no memories from a 6-week period and a long recovery ahead.

“I had to learn how to walk again, I had to learn how to write, I couldn’t sign my name,” Robbins said.

By spring, Robbins felt she had regained her skills.

“I felt like sewing,” Robbins said.

She picked up an old hobby just in time for the 150th birthday of Nebraska.

“All 93 counties are represented in the quilt,” Robbins said as she explained the intricacies of the large hanging quilt.

That Nebraska-inspired piece became the first major quilt she completed after the accident. It is now part of her exhibit at Kimbell Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska City.

The display, called “TBI Recovery Quilts,” weaves together her work from before and after her traumatic brain injury. Though she still has hard days, a quilter’s patience keeps her pattern intact.

“Sometimes it just takes a little time to process things, just a little time,” Robbins said.

As her fingers glide across the fabric, her greatest works wrapped around her like a blanket, Robbins hopes to one day create a piece as good as her all-time favorite — a quilt made before her life was changed forever that won a blue ribbon at the state fair.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KMTV’s editorial team 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 Ava Kershner

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    OCEANSIDE, California (KGTV) — Kathy Easterbrooke has spent nearly three decades making sure her students were not just well-read, but well-fed.

Cans of tuna fish, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, spaghetti, and condiments line the shelves.

Her classroom almost resembling a grocery store.

“Try to keep some of the basics here like, you know, tuna fish and pasta and beans, that kind of stuff,” Easterbrooke said.

Easterbrooke began teaching at El Camino High School in 1999, back when things were a bit more analog.

“It was kind of pre-cell phones and all of that kids probably still had pagers,” Easterbrooke said. “Part of it has been my growing up, right, because I started here at 29, and now I’m 55,” Easterbrooke said.

Over the years, she noticed something beyond typical teenage hunger in her students.

“I thought kids are always hungry at school and I always kind of wrote it off as just they’re teenagers of course they’re hungry, but no, some people are legitimately food insecure, right?” Easterbrooke said.

That realization led her to start a classroom food pantry in 2017. ABC 10News even featured her as a Classroom Hero at the time.

Senior Richard Higuera said walking into her classroom carries a certain feeling.

“I know it’s gonna be a good day,” Higuera said.

Fellow senior Salvador De Leon said the pantry reflects something deeper than just food.

“It’s very welcoming and, and heartwarming to feel that a teacher has real and genuine involvement in the community and help feeding their community,” De Leon said.

The pantry has continued to grow and will move into the school’s Wellness Center after Easterbrooke retires.

After nearly three decades in the classroom, Easterbrooke said her students have taught her just as much as she has taught them.

“This job can break your heart and it also can heal your heart, right?” Easterbrooke said. “Students get a bad rap. Most kids are lovely, right? And wanna learn and and are, you know, at school for all the right reasons.”

Easterbrooke’s next stop after retirement is Mexico 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 Laura Acevedo

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    SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Four men were arrested and charged in connection with a suspected drug smuggling tunnel that was discovered beneath a store called Buy 4 Less in a shopping center just feet from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

The Department of Justice made the announcement outside the storefront Monday afternoon, joined by multiple agencies including Border Patrol, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, and Customs and Border Protection.

The suspects made their first court appearance Monday afternoon in a federal courtroom in San Diego, facing charges relating to building the tunnel and importing and distributing a controlled substance. Two of the four are from San Diego. The other two are from Mexico.

The U.S. attorney’s office says the tunnel stretches 1,933 feet long and 55 feet deep. Authorities believe it was built and operated by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

“This was a sophisticated tunnel that had lighting, ventilation, an electric rail system, wood shoring, and multiple staircases,” said Kevin Murphy, acting Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the Homeland Security Investigations Tunnel Task Force had been surveying the location for about six months. On Friday, the suspects allegedly attempted to move their first shipment of narcotics through the tunnel and into the U.S., leading to the seizure of over a ton of cocaine.

“Ultimately seizing 851 packages of cocaine. With a total weight of 2,406 pounds. That is an estimated value of the bulk street cost of $45 million,” said Murphy.

Investigators say the store was operating as a front.

“It was fronting as a liquidated goods retailer; they sold appliances, luggage, sort of miscellaneous household items,” said.

The U.S. Attorney called the drug seizure and tunnel discovery a significant blow to the cartel’s operation.

“Put directly, cocaine is now the lifeblood of the cartels, and what you see here today is a cardiac arrest for their system,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KGTV 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 Chad Mills

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    SARASOTA, Florida (WFTS) — As hurricane season begins Monday, two iconic aircraft helping forecasters track and predict storms are marking a major milestone.

The NOAA Hurricane Hunter planes, nicknamed “Kermit” and “Miss Piggy,” are celebrating 50 years of flying directly into hurricanes. They help collect critical data used by meteorologists and the National Hurricane Center.

And while the missions take crews across the Gulf and Atlantic, the aircraft and flight crews are based right here in Central Florida at NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland.

During a recent stop in Sarasota, NOAA Hurricane Hunter Commander Brett Copare gave Tampa Bay 28 an up-close look aboard “Miss Piggy,” a Lockheed P-3 Orion aircraft covered with decals representing decades of storms, including Hurricanes Katrina, Helene, and Milton.

Copare says flying into hurricanes can feel like “riding a roller coaster through a washing machine.”

“There’s so much rain. It’s so loud,” Copare said.

Despite the aircraft turning 50 years old, NOAA says generations of technological upgrades have transformed the planes into flying science laboratories capable of collecting data on wind, pressure, humidity, and rapid intensification from inside storms.

National Weather Service Tampa Bay meteorologist Jennifer Hubbard says the information gathered during those flights is invaluable to forecasting.

“There is nothing else like it,” Hubbard said.

NOAA crews based in Lakeland also fly post-storm imaging missions, capturing high-resolution imagery for FEMA and first responders to help identify blocked roads, damaged neighborhoods, and areas in need of urgent help after hurricanes.

For the NOAA flight teams, hurricane season means long hours, dangerous missions, and flying toward storms while others are trying to get away.

But as Copare put it, “We will show up.”

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 Sean Daly

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    TAMPA, Florida (WFTS) — Nancy Bird — bar owner, retired nurse, constant seeker of knowledge and wisdom — sums up her current life’s mission like this:

“Beer and science match really well!”

And she’s just the person to pair ’em up at New World Tampa (810 E Skagway Ave), an indoor-outdoor community hub near USF that’s all parts biergarten, music hall, and science classroom.

Nancy is the inventive mind behind “Pints of Science.” Think TED Talks but with beer and bar food! Local luminaries — for instance, ecologist Dr. Neal Halstead, who talks about gopher tortoises — give fun 20-minute talks to a lively crowd.

“Pints of Science” is a monthly event (tickets are $8), with Nancy handpicking the illuminating experts, who discuss space, animals, and conservation — and sometimes even how to play the ukulele.

Quick bursts of know-how that are good for the mind and soul.

For Nancy, it’s all about making the world a better, more understanding place.

“What can I do? How can I improve the Earth with what I’m doing?” she says.

The next “Pints of Science” event is June 10. Speakers will be Juliana E. French (assistant professor of psychology at USF on how social media can hinder relationships), Kevin Fridy (a professor of political science and international studies at the University of Tampa on West African elephants), and Amanda Hoffman-Hall (assistant professor of environmental studies at Eckerd College on space satellites).

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By Cameron Polom

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    MESA, Arizona (KNXV) — At a Mesa memory care center, one woman’s love story is quietly becoming an inspiration to everyone around her.

When Mary Grace Oakes moved her husband into the memory care program at Pegasus Landing of Mesa, staff expected frequent visits. What they didn’t expect was for the retired librarian to move into assisted living herself, determined to stay close to him as dementia changed their lives.

Now, twice a week, Mary Grace brings residents together for dramatic read-aloud sessions, using her longtime librarian voice and theatrical storytelling to transport listeners far beyond the walls of memory care. Staff says residents light up during her readings, while families see moments of connection, joy, and engagement.

But her impact stretches even further.

Mary Grace also attends dementia support groups, encourages other spouses walking the same difficult road, and spends evenings watching movies alongside her husband and his neighbors.

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.