Category: CNN Regional

By Taylor Lang, Lisa Crane

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    JEFFERSON COUNTY, Alabama (WVTM) — The Jefferson County coroner identified several human remains on Thursday that were found by neighborhood dogs in Birmingham.

A human skull and a long bones were found by a neighborhood dog starting back in August of 2024. More remains were discovered by a K-9 team, the coroner said.

Those remains belong to Curtis Taylor Jr., from Center Point, according to the coroner. He was reported missing on Feb. 21, 2024, from a family residence that was across the street from where the dog found his remains.

The timeline Aug. 20, 2024

A human skull was found on the shoulder of the road next to a home. It is believed the skull was found by a dog and moved from its original location. A search found no other remains.

Dec. 13, 2024

The coroner’s office performed an autopsy on the skull, which showed the victim had been shot. While the analysis developed a full DNA profile, the Jefferson County coroner said that it did not match anyone in the national database.

The same dog that found the skull found a long bone in the front yard of the same home. Deputies checked nearby vacant homes and doorbell cameras, but couldn’t find where it came from.

Dec. 20, 2024

The long bone was found to be from the same person that the skull was from, according to the coroner.

According to the owners, Birmingham police put a tracker on one of the dogs in December of 2024 to determine where they were finding these bones. Officials hope tracking the dog’s roaming patterns will help them figure out where the dog found the bones.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office worked with law enforcement to see if there were missing-persons cases that could be connected to the case.

March 4, 2025

DNA analysis confirmed all of the human remains are from the same person, but that person was not identified.

Multiple missing persons cases were ruled out.

The GPS locations of where the dogs from the residence travel were used to search more areas, but no remains were found.

Aug. 8, 2025

A K-9 search found more skeletal remains in the woods at the property of Taylor’s family.

Aug. 11, 2025

Another long bone was found.

Dec. 4, 2025

All the skeletal remains come from the same person who has been identified as Curtis Taylor Jr., 25. He was visually impaired and reported missing by his family, who lives across the street, on Feb. 21, 2024.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating his death.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Ubah Ali

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — In the heart of Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, DFL lawmakers condemned attacks on the Somali community while addressing the growing fear and arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Almost every person living here is a citizen,” said state Sen. Zaynab Mohamed.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, data shows over 107,000 people identified as Somali across the state. A majority of them live in the Twin Cities.

Many Somali families fled civil war, seeking an opportunity and a brighter future for their children, including Sumeya Mohamud’s family.

“I was born in Kenya, grew up here, went through schooling from kindergarten to now college here in Minnesota,” Mohamud said. “This is all I know.”

She says her parents’ struggle paved the way for her to shine. Next semester, she will graduate college with her nursing degree, eager and determined to give back to the community.

Despite the political rhetoric, she’s grateful to be Somali and American.

“One thing my parents taught me was resilience, not letting others’ perception of you limit what you can do for yourself,” she said.

Ahmed Yusuf knows that resilience, too. He left Somalia in the late ’80s, unable to read. Today, he’s an author. In 2012, he wrote “Somalis in Minnesota,” a book detailing the experiences of Somali immigrants and why they chose Minnesota. Back then, he says about 50,000 Somalis called the state home. Today, that number has doubled.

But the stories he shared in the book are still the stories today. The challenges and triumphs of a community — each person with their own story of survival, perseverance and hope as they chase the American dream.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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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    ANTELOPE, California (KOVR) — A Sacramento County dog picked up thousands of miles from home after he went missing five years ago was reunited with his family on Wednesday.

“He disappeared from the neighborhood and the owner kept searching for him, but could not find him,” said Cindy with Helping Paws and Claws.

Choco’s family had no idea where he was because he went missing from his home in Antelope in 2021.

He turned up near Detroit, Michigan, tied to a fence. No one knows how he got there, more than 2,000 miles from home.

“He was sheltered at the Lincoln Park Animal Shelter,” Cindy said. “They were kind enough to get him to the vet and get him all of his vaccinations.”

His rescue is all thanks to a microchip and the dedicated California group, Helping Paws and Claws.

“As a retired animal control officer, we have tried to impress upon people how important microchipping your pets are and registering that animal that microchip, and this is proof positive that microchipping works and this is why he’s coming home today,” Cindy said.

It also took a little help from strangers, like Pam, who donated her SkyMiles for the flight.

“I actually contacted Penny before I contacted my husband to see if it was okay to give our miles to fly Penny and the dog,” Pam said.

So Choco hopped aboard a flight and after a short drive home, his new life feels all too familiar.

Choco’s owners in Antelope had nearly given up hope they’d ever see him again.

“The reason why he would get out a lot is because he would get out a lot with his previous family,” Choco’s owner, Patricia, said. “As soon as he arrived, I found out he is an escape artist and after five years of having him, he finally got out and disappeared.”

“Shocked,” Patricia said. “I called the number, ‘You’re talking about Lincoln, California, right? No, Lincoln, Michigan.'”

The question is how in the world Choco became a nomadic traveler.

“Microchip your dogs,” Patricia said. “With the holidays and the extreme cold, a story like mine can be your story next.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

KOVR

By Ashley Sharp

Click here for updates on this story

    ANTELOPE, California (KOVR) — A Sacramento County dog picked up thousands of miles from home after he went missing five years ago was reunited with his family on Wednesday.

“He disappeared from the neighborhood and the owner kept searching for him, but could not find him,” said Cindy with Helping Paws and Claws.

Choco’s family had no idea where he was because he went missing from his home in Antelope in 2021.

He turned up near Detroit, Michigan, tied to a fence. No one knows how he got there, more than 2,000 miles from home.

“He was sheltered at the Lincoln Park Animal Shelter,” Cindy said. “They were kind enough to get him to the vet and get him all of his vaccinations.”

His rescue is all thanks to a microchip and the dedicated California group, Helping Paws and Claws.

“As a retired animal control officer, we have tried to impress upon people how important microchipping your pets are and registering that animal that microchip, and this is proof positive that microchipping works and this is why he’s coming home today,” Cindy said.

It also took a little help from strangers, like Pam, who donated her SkyMiles for the flight.

“I actually contacted Penny before I contacted my husband to see if it was okay to give our miles to fly Penny and the dog,” Pam said.

So Choco hopped aboard a flight and after a short drive home, his new life feels all too familiar.

Choco’s owners in Antelope had nearly given up hope they’d ever see him again.

“The reason why he would get out a lot is because he would get out a lot with his previous family,” Choco’s owner, Patricia, said. “As soon as he arrived, I found out he is an escape artist and after five years of having him, he finally got out and disappeared.”

“Shocked,” Patricia said. “I called the number, ‘You’re talking about Lincoln, California, right? No, Lincoln, Michigan.'”

The question is how in the world Choco became a nomadic traveler.

“Microchip your dogs,” Patricia said. “With the holidays and the extreme cold, a story like mine can be your story next.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 LeeAnn Huntoon, Stewart Moore

Click here for updates on this story

    BREVARD COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office announced a “major drug and explosive devices arrest” of 26-year-old Maxwell Horvath on Wednesday.

Described by the sheriff as “breaking bad on steroids, authorities found dozens of high-powered rifles and handguns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, grenade simulators, and five improvised explosive devices.

About 92,000 pounds of a substance removed from kratom, which makes a substance called 7-OH, which is 15 times more potent than morphine, was also found.

Back in 2017, Horvath served two years of federal probation for charges related to explosive devices and drug possession. The sheriff’s office said Horvath now faces a lot more, including pending federal indictments.

Horvath is behind bars, and the sheriff said they are still working on the specific charges he will face.

BCSO credited the successful arrest to the work of its agents and partners, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Palm Bay Police Department.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Olivia Young

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    THORTON, Colorado (KCNC) — A Colorado cow sanctuary needs help, now more than ever.

On Oct. 29, more than $20,000 of equipment was stolen from Pay & Friends Inc. in Thornton.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says it has no leads on who could have done it, leaving the nonprofit to pick up the pieces.

“Babies! Are you ready?” Gwen Buehler calls to her seven cows, who she calls “the babies.”

Every day, Buehler feeds the cows four bales of hay.

“Throw it down, let me cut it, and then we can flake it and toss it in,” said Buehler.

Lately, the work has been harder since Buehler arrived to find an outbuilding door that had been locked, open.

“My heart just dropped, my stomach dropped, and I thought somebody’s been in there. So I opened it up, and sure enough, a lot of our farm tools were stolen that night,” said Buehler.

Thieves took more than $20,000 worth of equipment, including nearly all of the nonprofit’s farm tools and their ATV.

“That’s a huge tool for us to be able to move that grass around,” said Buehler. “We have a lot to do during snow, during summer. Each season has its challenges.”

The loss has made it tough to take care of the cows.

“It takes a lot more manpower, woman power,” Buehler said.

“Just trying to save up, because it’s feed season, they eat more,” she continued. “It’s about $1,600 to $1,800 a month just to keep them fed.”

Palani is the cow who started it all. After becoming vegan in 2017, Buehler rescued him from a dairy farm, where male calves are often killed shortly after birth.

“It was important to me to be able to rescue a bull calf, to save his life,” Buehler said. “Not have him end up in the discard pile.”

Buehler says female cows meet the same fate in the industry once they stop producing milk.

“The mama cows are always pregnant or nursing or lactating, and each time they have a baby, it’s taken from their mom so that they can produce milk for humans,” Buehler said.

From there, she rescued six more cows, and the nonprofit Pay & Friends Inc. was born.

“We really just took all of them from an end-of-life, which would have been the slaughterhouse,” she said.

Now the cows’ lives consist of daily feedings and educational visits from groups like the Denver Rescue Mission youth program.

“They got to take fresh fruits and vegetables home, they were so excited. And then they got to feed cows, and a lot of the kids had never seen a cow before, so that was kind of cool to see,” said Asha Leos, youth and family coordinator at the Denver Rescue Mission. “Then we got to come here and volunteer as well and help Gwen with moving hay bales, breaking down boxes, and the kids kind of turned it into a playground.”

“Homelessness is something a child should never have to experience,” Leos continued. “So getting to just be outside, be in fresh air, and be surrounded by an environment that’s full of love and joy, that’s the best experience you can give a kid.”

Buehler hopes visitors will see the animals in a new light and think about where their food comes from.

“Whether it’s an animal, a human, they’re all alive. They all have souls. They all have feelings. They all have personalities,” she said.

Even the theft won’t stop her from her mission.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office told CBS Colorado the burglary was reported to them, and that “due to the lack of investigative leads at this time, the case status is inactive. If anyone has information related to this burglary, they can contact our dispatch at 303-288-1535 or contact the Sheriff’s Office directly at 720-322-1313.”

Pay & Friends Inc. participates in Colorado Gives Day. The nonprofit is in need of cash donations, volunteers, produce, and basic tools and supplies. To learn more, visit their website.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

KCNC

By Olivia Young

Click here for updates on this story

    THORTON, Colorado (KCNC) — A Colorado cow sanctuary needs help, now more than ever.

On Oct. 29, more than $20,000 of equipment was stolen from Pay & Friends Inc. in Thornton.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says it has no leads on who could have done it, leaving the nonprofit to pick up the pieces.

“Babies! Are you ready?” Gwen Buehler calls to her seven cows, who she calls “the babies.”

Every day, Buehler feeds the cows four bales of hay.

“Throw it down, let me cut it, and then we can flake it and toss it in,” said Buehler.

Lately, the work has been harder since Buehler arrived to find an outbuilding door that had been locked, open.

“My heart just dropped, my stomach dropped, and I thought somebody’s been in there. So I opened it up, and sure enough, a lot of our farm tools were stolen that night,” said Buehler.

Thieves took more than $20,000 worth of equipment, including nearly all of the nonprofit’s farm tools and their ATV.

“That’s a huge tool for us to be able to move that grass around,” said Buehler. “We have a lot to do during snow, during summer. Each season has its challenges.”

The loss has made it tough to take care of the cows.

“It takes a lot more manpower, woman power,” Buehler said.

“Just trying to save up, because it’s feed season, they eat more,” she continued. “It’s about $1,600 to $1,800 a month just to keep them fed.”

Palani is the cow who started it all. After becoming vegan in 2017, Buehler rescued him from a dairy farm, where male calves are often killed shortly after birth.

“It was important to me to be able to rescue a bull calf, to save his life,” Buehler said. “Not have him end up in the discard pile.”

Buehler says female cows meet the same fate in the industry once they stop producing milk.

“The mama cows are always pregnant or nursing or lactating, and each time they have a baby, it’s taken from their mom so that they can produce milk for humans,” Buehler said.

From there, she rescued six more cows, and the nonprofit Pay & Friends Inc. was born.

“We really just took all of them from an end-of-life, which would have been the slaughterhouse,” she said.

Now the cows’ lives consist of daily feedings and educational visits from groups like the Denver Rescue Mission youth program.

“They got to take fresh fruits and vegetables home, they were so excited. And then they got to feed cows, and a lot of the kids had never seen a cow before, so that was kind of cool to see,” said Asha Leos, youth and family coordinator at the Denver Rescue Mission. “Then we got to come here and volunteer as well and help Gwen with moving hay bales, breaking down boxes, and the kids kind of turned it into a playground.”

“Homelessness is something a child should never have to experience,” Leos continued. “So getting to just be outside, be in fresh air, and be surrounded by an environment that’s full of love and joy, that’s the best experience you can give a kid.”

Buehler hopes visitors will see the animals in a new light and think about where their food comes from.

“Whether it’s an animal, a human, they’re all alive. They all have souls. They all have feelings. They all have personalities,” she said.

Even the theft won’t stop her from her mission.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office told CBS Colorado the burglary was reported to them, and that “due to the lack of investigative leads at this time, the case status is inactive. If anyone has information related to this burglary, they can contact our dispatch at 303-288-1535 or contact the Sheriff’s Office directly at 720-322-1313.”

Pay & Friends Inc. participates in Colorado Gives Day. The nonprofit is in need of cash donations, volunteers, produce, and basic tools and supplies. To learn more, visit their website.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

WCCO

By John Lauritsen

Click here for updates on this story

    KELLOGG, Minnesota (WCCO) — The holidays are upon us, and in the town of Kellogg, Minnesota, you’ll find a toy store unlike any other: LARK Toys.

“They are getting into everything, but that’s good because it’s a toy store!” said Katelyn Key, a LARK customer shopping with her kids.

And no better place to get into things than a store of such massive size.

“We fill about 20,000-square-feet plus with the best toys that we can find,” said Miranda Gray-Burlingame.

She and her family are the proud owners of LARK Toys. The original owners, the Kreofskys, opened the store in 1983 and named it “Lost Arts Revival by Kreofsky,” or LARK for short.

“‘Lark’ also means a carefree, whimsical adventure,” said Gray-Burlingame.

And that’s what they aim for. Part of this is a museum, and a trip down “Memory Lane” reveals toys that are nearly a century old. There’s even a Gen X Star Wars corner.

“An 8-year-old John Lauritsen would have loved this section right here. These are vintage toys from the ’80s,” Lauritsen said.

“The Rancor is probably the most celebrated, but all of them have been played with for many, many, many hours,” said Gray-Burlingame.

From the toy store to the bookstore, which has a vast selection — but it’s not quite as it seems. One of the book shelves is actually a secret door that leads into a gathering space designed for celebrations.

“It’s for music, for meetings, for dancing,” she said.

What makes LARK truly stand out is its hand-made selection, and that’s where Tim Monson comes into play. He’s been doing this for a long time.

“It’s coming up on 40 years. I do all the maintenance, the woodworking, build all the displays,” said Monson, LARK shop manager.

He creates letter blocks, pull toys and puzzles. Monson is a one-man Santa workshop, and there’s pride in knowing customers buy thousands of his hand-crafted toys each year.

“And that’s a uniqueness you can’t find anymore, so pretty proud of that,” said Monson.

There’s the sound of his bandsaw, and then there’s the sound of a carousel. Every half hour, fish, ostriches and giraffes with monkeys spin around the store.

Just like the hand-carved toys you find at LARK, it also houses a carousel featuring animals hand-carved from basswood. But this ride proves you’re never too old to be a kid.

“For little kids and all the way up to folks who are over 100, we have a wall of photos back there of people who are over 90. When they come, they get a free ride and a certificate that says they’re ‘forever young,'” said Gray-Burlingame.

It’s a different kind of toy story, a place that’s hoping to build happiness one playset at a time.

“We know that everybody loves their kids and wants a better world for them, and watching them enjoy their kids, it’s just great,” said owner Kathy Gray.

“We are really, really lucky to be in the business of playing,” said Gray-Burlingame. “We hope that LARK has a very long, long, fun future.”

LARK also has mini golf when the weather cooperates. They are open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, but are only open on the weekends during January and February.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 John Lauritsen

Click here for updates on this story

    KELLOGG, Minnesota (WCCO) — The holidays are upon us, and in the town of Kellogg, Minnesota, you’ll find a toy store unlike any other: LARK Toys.

“They are getting into everything, but that’s good because it’s a toy store!” said Katelyn Key, a LARK customer shopping with her kids.

And no better place to get into things than a store of such massive size.

“We fill about 20,000-square-feet plus with the best toys that we can find,” said Miranda Gray-Burlingame.

She and her family are the proud owners of LARK Toys. The original owners, the Kreofskys, opened the store in 1983 and named it “Lost Arts Revival by Kreofsky,” or LARK for short.

“‘Lark’ also means a carefree, whimsical adventure,” said Gray-Burlingame.

And that’s what they aim for. Part of this is a museum, and a trip down “Memory Lane” reveals toys that are nearly a century old. There’s even a Gen X Star Wars corner.

“An 8-year-old John Lauritsen would have loved this section right here. These are vintage toys from the ’80s,” Lauritsen said.

“The Rancor is probably the most celebrated, but all of them have been played with for many, many, many hours,” said Gray-Burlingame.

From the toy store to the bookstore, which has a vast selection — but it’s not quite as it seems. One of the book shelves is actually a secret door that leads into a gathering space designed for celebrations.

“It’s for music, for meetings, for dancing,” she said.

What makes LARK truly stand out is its hand-made selection, and that’s where Tim Monson comes into play. He’s been doing this for a long time.

“It’s coming up on 40 years. I do all the maintenance, the woodworking, build all the displays,” said Monson, LARK shop manager.

He creates letter blocks, pull toys and puzzles. Monson is a one-man Santa workshop, and there’s pride in knowing customers buy thousands of his hand-crafted toys each year.

“And that’s a uniqueness you can’t find anymore, so pretty proud of that,” said Monson.

There’s the sound of his bandsaw, and then there’s the sound of a carousel. Every half hour, fish, ostriches and giraffes with monkeys spin around the store.

Just like the hand-carved toys you find at LARK, it also houses a carousel featuring animals hand-carved from basswood. But this ride proves you’re never too old to be a kid.

“For little kids and all the way up to folks who are over 100, we have a wall of photos back there of people who are over 90. When they come, they get a free ride and a certificate that says they’re ‘forever young,'” said Gray-Burlingame.

It’s a different kind of toy story, a place that’s hoping to build happiness one playset at a time.

“We know that everybody loves their kids and wants a better world for them, and watching them enjoy their kids, it’s just great,” said owner Kathy Gray.

“We are really, really lucky to be in the business of playing,” said Gray-Burlingame. “We hope that LARK has a very long, long, fun future.”

LARK also has mini golf when the weather cooperates. They are open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, but are only open on the weekends during January and February.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.