From the big screen to hospital hallways: Star Wars characters surprise children at TMC

CNN Newsource on May 21, 2026

By Dan Spindle

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is the first Star Wars film to hit theaters in more than six years. But before you head to the movie theater for a fantastic popcorn flick, consider how important these characters from a “galaxy far, far away” can be to those who need an extra boost in the healing process.

West on Grant just east of Craycroft and right into the parking lot; “This is the Way” to the Tucson Medical Center Emergency Department for children.

For Meagan Bethel, it’s also a way for her to express creativity through a costuming group, the Mando Mercs, that keeps them coming back for the kids.

“People know it’s Star Wars, even though it’s my own custom character, they know the Mandalorian t-visor and they know the armor; what that means,” Meagan said.

For her, it started with conventions and fandom.

“I saw a lot of women dressed up as Mandalorians, like, oh it’s not just for the guys. I can do this, too. There’s so much Star Wars happening right now that I feel like there’s something for everybody,” Meagan told me.

This group, unlike the Empire loyalist 501st Legion or the Rebel Legion with its Jedi peacekeepers attracts volunteers looking to embody the warrior spirit of the Mandalorians.

“I’m in no rush today so it’s your schedule,” Meagan told the hospital staff.

So the health care professionals at TMC set aside a space where the magic happens, piece by piece, soft and hard goods attached.

“Even though we have our own custom characters, we do have to follow a very strict rule to make sure they look screen accurate,” Meagan showed me with several pieces of armor locked in place.

Then it’s time to don the helmet for any person looking to follow this creed of kindness.

Of course, a little help from the bad guys is always welcome as this TIE fighter pilot tags along.

“I was a young kid when the prequel were coming out. I remember The Phantom Menace. People relate to Star Wars, whether it’s when they were kids or they saw it last week. It’s something that everyone can have fun with,” Meagan told me.

On this recent Star Wars Day, I followed along, room to room to room.

“It’s nice to meet you! My name is Nadala Haast. I’m a Mandalorian.”

These tiny fans got to travel to “a galaxy far, far away.”

“Hello there. Happy Star Wars Day!” “Hello! Happy Star Wars Day!” “Hello there. Happy Star Wars Day!”

They traveled far from their stresses and far from the pain and hospital beds…

“Yeah Grogu couldn’t come today but he wanted to send this as a gift to you. He’s filming the movie. He’s pretty famous.”

…and close to the connection Star Wars brings through the goodness and generosity of others. Call it a Force that can help in the healing process.

“It says something really special about a human being that can put time apart to bring you joy and just a simple smile into someone’s day,” Stephanie Padilla, a pediatric nurse at TMC, told me.

Meagan the Mandalorian moved on.

“Are you gonna go see the movie when it comes out? I’m excited for it.”

Her mission as a Mandalorian? To help kids like KC have a moment of make believe in a fantasy world; if only for a few special minutes.

“I hope you have a good Star Wars Day. Maybe watch some Star Wars later,” Meagan said.

“It’s awesome. It’s never like I’ve seen before,” KC Sandia told me of the unexpected visit.

“I hope you have a happy Star Wars Day,” Meagan told the patients, already planning her next visit clad in armor to break down walls spreading smiles through Star Wars.

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.

‘We just want our mom out’: Family speaks on woman charged in Thanksgiving poisoning death

CNN Newsource on May 21, 2026

By Kimberly King

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    HENDERSONVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — For the first time, the daughter of Gudrun Casper-Leinenkugel is speaking out publicly, insisting that her mother is innocent of accusations that she fatally poisoned her other daughter and attempted to poison other relatives during a Thanksgiving dinner in 2025.

Maija Lacey, 28, attended Wednesday’s bond hearing, where a Henderson County judge denied Casper-Leinenkugel’s request to be released while awaiting trial.

“We just want our mom out. I don’t think it’s right that she’s in there,” Lacey said after the hearing.

Henderson County Judge Athena Brooks denied bond as prosecutors outlined details tied to two separate death investigations involving Casper-Leinenkugel. Prosecutors allege Casper-Leinenkugel poisoned her adult daughter, Leela Jean Livis, and others at a Thanksgiving gathering last fall by serving wine laced with acetonitrile, a chemical that converts to cyanide in the body.

Casper-Leinenkugel is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and multiple counts of distributing a prohibited food or beverage.

Investigators have also charged Casper-Leinenkugel in the 2007 death of Michael “Misha” Schmidt, who died at the same rural Henderson County property where Casper-Leinenkugel lives.

“The victim and the defendant were friends,” prosecutor Michael Van Buren told the court of the Schmidt case. “The victim had a trailer on that property. At one point in time, somehow this defendant was able to get that property.”

Van Buren said investigators determined Casper-Leinenkugel was the last person seen with Schmidt before he was found dead after the two had been drinking alcohol together. Prosecutors allege Schmidt’s death was also caused by acetonitrile poisoning.

Maija Lacey, Casper-Leinenkugel’s daughter, said she does not believe either case against her mother is supported by strong evidence.

“There’s a lot of factors in it that just don’t make sense,” Lacey said. “They’ve put a lot of stuff out there that’s just twisted words and not what’s actually been said.”

Lacey describes her mother as loving and devoted to her children, saying Thanksgiving dinner last fall felt no different than previous family gatherings.

“We were all there having fun. She cooked everything like she always does,” Lacey said. “It was nothing different than any other holiday get-together.”

Investigators said Casper-Leinenkugel poisoned her 32-year-old daughter, Livis, through wine served during the meal. But Lacey said her mother never handled the wine.

“Mom didn’t touch the wine. It was Leela that poured it,” Lacey said.

Evan Pegg, Maija Lacey’s boyfriend, also attended the dinner and said he became violently ill after drinking the wine. Despite that, he said he does not believe Casper-Leinenkugel had any role or poisoned anyone.

“The reason why I’m alive is because of her mom telling Maija to call the ambulance,” Pegg said.

Lacey said she also drank the wine but did not become sick. She added that her mother and Livis had always been very close. She said everyone was loving and happy to be together last Thanksgiving.

During Wednesday’s hearing, the prosecutor told the court that investigators found internet searches on Casper-Leinenkugel’s devices about what happens when someone ingests acetonitrile.

“It’s not anything normal people would have in their home,” Van Buren said. “It’s used for industrial pharmaceutical-type uses.”

Van Buren said emergency responders found Livis unresponsive and claimed Casper-Leinenkugel later specifically asked medical personnel to test for cyanide poisoning.

Defense attorney Paul Bidwell argued that prosecutors lack direct evidence tying Casper-Leinenkugel to the alleged poisoning. Bidwell questioned the handling of the wine and whether investigators can prove his client delivered the substance.

“They’re trying to prove Ms. Leinenkugel attempted to murder people at that Thanksgiving dinner,” Bidwell said. “That theory suggests she did it in a very inefficient way because she apparently did not ever touch the delivery system for the poison.”

A future hearing in the case is scheduled for August, when attorneys are expected to argue additional motions before the court.

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Police want the public’s help finding a potential child stalker in a Pink Panther costume

CNN Newsource on May 21, 2026

By Alan Etter

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    FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia (WTOP) — A person wearing a Pink Panther costume was reportedly following children in Fredericksburg, Virginia, last week, and police are asking for help in identifying the costumed individual.

In a post on the Fredericksburg Police Department’s Facebook page, police said they received a call at approximately 4:30 p.m. Thursday about someone wearing the costume with cowboy boots who was following children along the Lafayette Boulevard corridor.

“Residents are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to authorities immediately,” the post reads.

Police did not say whether there were any interactions between the subject and any child. There have not been any reports of injuries.

Patrols have been increased in the area out of an abundance of caution, police said.

“Anyone who has seen or interacted with the suspect is urged to contact the Fredericksburg Police Department at 540-373-3122,” the post says.

To make an anonymous tip, the post said, text 847-411 and text “FPDtip” followed by the tip. Or, download the free FPD Tip app available for Android and iPhones.

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KCKPD memorial brings fallen officer’s son home decades later

CNN Newsource on May 21, 2026

By Rachel Henderson

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    KANSAS CITY, Kansas (KSHB) — Kansas City, Kansas, honored its fallen officers Wednesday, making sure all families who lost someone in the line of duty were invited, including one family that hadn’t attended a memorial service in decades.

Roger Lutcher Jr. attended the service to honor his father, Patrolman Roger Lutcher, who was killed in the line of duty.

The department reached out to Lutcher Jr. through Facebook.

In late December 1969, Patrolman Lutcher was shot by a suspect he helped chase.

Police fired at the escaping suspect, who was killed.

Patrolman Lutcher died from his injuries days later in January 1970, leaving behind a wife and two young children.

Lutcher Jr. was just 4 years old when he lost his father.

“I was four or five, and to be told that your dad’s not coming back is something I remember,” he said.

His father’s fellow officers stepped in to help in the years that followed.

“I was raised with all the other dads,” Lutcher Jr. said. “His partners all became my dads; it was like four of them. There was no separation because they were always there for us.”

That law enforcement presence shaped how he grew up and how he raised his own children.

“It was pretty much a law enforcement bring-up,” Lutcher Jr. said. “They did a wonderful job because I took that, and I raised my sons the same way.”

His little sister also pursued a career in law enforcement.

The connection to his father runs deep; Lutcher Jr. and his father share the same middle name, Edward.

One of Lutcher Jr.’s sons, Roger Lutcher III, also shares the name.

To this day, his mother keeps the memory of Patrolman Lutcher alive.

“To this day, she’s constantly reminding me, ‘You look just like your dad, you do this like your dad, you write like your dad.’ It’s a whole lot of reminders,” he said.

With his father’s name etched in stone, Lutcher Jr. knows the department never forgot him.

But over the years, that connection faded.

“That has faded, but when I came here and started seeing this again, I started remembering that again,” Lutcher Jr. said. ”Seeing his photo and everything helped make me remember dad’s not coming home anymore.”

Tuesday was the first time Lutcher Jr. had seen this photo of his father.

He saw it at a gathering for family members held Tuesday evening.

His father’s name appears on a list with 19 other officers KCKPD has lost in the line of duty since 1889.

The most recent loss came in 2025.

To this day, the department is still working to connect with families.

“There is a concerted effort to build on inviting relatives of all the fallen men and women that we honor today,” said Wyandotte County Administrator David Johnston. “We’re also looking for the family members of those who gave their lives decades ago.”

Wednesday was Lutcher Jr.’s first time at a memorial service in decades.

“I think I just got lost, and now they found me,” Lutcher Jr. said. “So it really feels good to be found again and be part of this again.”

Attendees embraced one another Wednesday, leaving loved ones with words of comfort.

KCKPD Chief Karl Oakman addressed those in attendance.

“What I do pray is it is well with your soul,” Oakman said.

Lutcher Jr. also took a moment to speak to other grieving families.

“Just to be there, to be able to hold their hand and shake their hand and let them know, ‘It’s going to be okay, they’re going to take care of you because they did and they still are to this day,'” Lutcher Jr. said.

For him, the day carried deep meaning and a renewed sense of belonging.

“Now I feel like it’s a part of me here,” Lutcher Jr. said. “We share that name, but I’ve never lost this family.”

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

High school student spreads kindness with handwritten letters for thousands of classmates

CNN Newsource on May 21, 2026

By Tamara Vaifanua

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    RIVERTON, Utah (KSL) — A student at Riverton High School decided to write thousands of letters to every student at his school, all in an effort to be kind.

Student Body President Seth Christensen said he wanted to make a personal effort to connect with his classmates in a meaningful way. He said some days he would get up at 3 in the morning just to get started handwriting the letters, then deliver whatever he had written that day at school.

“I want people to be able to know that they are loved,” he said. “I hope that’s what they get from those letters — that they are worth the time to have someone write a letter for them.”

In all, Christensen said he wrote 2,336 letters.

The school’s attendance office even helped hand out the letters, since there were so many.

Christensen said it was worth it just to make others feel loved.

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Elementary school employee charged with sex abuse of children, filming students

CNN Newsource on May 21, 2026

By Pat Reavy

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    PANGUITCH, Utah (KSL) — A Garfield County man who police say works at an elementary school and was arrested and accused of uploading child sex abuse material was charged Wednesday with 22 first-degree felonies.

Dallen Benjamin Platt, 20, of Henrieville, is charged in 6th District Court with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, 18 counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and sodomy on a child, all first-degree felonies.

The investigation began a week ago when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children task force that suspected child sex abuse material was being uploaded to an IP address in Utah. On Thursday, investigators served a search warrant at Platt’s residence.

Platt admitted to sexually abusing two young children under the age of 5 and secretly recording two teens naked, according to charging documents. He claimed he would then send his videos to a 13-year-old girl in Texas. Platt allegedly told investigators he is in a “relationship” with the 13-year-old.

“Platt stated that he works at a local elementary school. He admitted to taking photos of children at the school and sending the photos to (the 13-year-old) to rate their attractiveness. He also admitted to using AI to manufacture nude images of the children,” charging documents state. “Law enforcement is conducting additional investigation into these files.”

Neither the charging documents nor the arrest report indicate which school Platt works at or what he does there. The crimes Platt was charged with on Wednesday happened at his residence and not the school, the charges say.

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Congress Debates Bank-Fintech Partnerships as Regulators Struggle to Keep Pace

CNN Newsource on May 21, 2026

By Juliegrace Brufke | Quincy News Correspondent

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    Washington (Quincy News) — The debate over how tightly Washington should police the partnerships between banks and financial technology firms landed before a House subcommittee Wednesday, where lawmakers and industry witnesses agreed on little beyond the view that the current framework is falling short.

Sheetal Parikh, general counsel and chief compliance officer at Treasury Prime, a fintech infrastructure company, said regulatory pressure had already taken a toll. By the second quarter of 2024, roughly 35% of all bank consent orders were directed at institutions engaged in fintech partnerships, a trend she said has discouraged community banks from entering the space.

“A regulatory posture that inadvertently discourages community banks from these partnerships does not inherently make banking safer,” Parikh told the panel. “Displacing activity to less regulated corners of the system is not consumer protection. It’s risk transfer with no net gain.”

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) was not persuaded. He said decades of financial regulation were built in direct response to market failures, from the Great Depression to the 2008 financial crisis, and questioned whether the technology industry shared that sense of institutional memory.

“They come here and they fight regulation like hell. They do not want to be regulated, and they spend millions and millions of dollars trying to persuade members of Congress to give light-touch regulation or no regulation,” he said.

Several witnesses said the fintech firms they work with have very little interest in circumventing the rules. Without a bank partner, they noted, most could not operate at all.

Witnesses repeatedly returned to cost as the central argument for these partnerships. Erica Khalili, co-founder and chief legal and risk officer of Lead Bank, a Kansas City, Missouri-based community bank, said digital distribution reduces customer acquisition costs from as much as $200 to as little as $5, making it economically viable to reach consumers that traditional banks have not served.

Parikh pointed to a fintech on Treasury Prime’s platform that offers a zero-percent APR credit card to consumers with no credit history through a partnership with Academy Bank. She said more than 100,000 people have used the product, with the average user gaining 50 credit score points in the first year.

Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) said access alone is not enough. With 4.2% of Americans unbanked in 2023 and another 14.2% underbanked, she said Congress should be focused on whether the products reaching those communities are safe and affordable.

Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) raised a separate concern: that regulators do not understand what they are overseeing. A recent trip through Silicon Valley, he said, had deepened his skepticism about Washington’s ability to keep pace with the industry.

Alexandra Steinberg Barrage, a partner at Morrison Foerster and former FDIC official, acknowledged the gap is most likely solidified. “Technology moves in real time, and our regulatory agencies do not,” she told lawmakers. “Closing that gap is perhaps the wrong goal. Addressing that gap robustly and thoughtfully is the goal.”

Khalili flagged a court fight that she said could quietly reshape the entire landscape. A 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling held that out-of-state banks must comply with Colorado’s interest rate caps when lending to state residents. If other states follow, she warned, the patchwork of state rules could make the state bank charter far less attractive. She said Lead Bank supports the American Lending Fairness Act, backed by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), as a way to address the issue.

Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.) used his time to promote the Payments Access and Consumer Efficiency Act, or PACE Act, a bill from Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) that would give fintechs a federal license for direct access to payment networks. Liccardo said the bill would reduce fees on everything from rent payments to international remittances.

Full committee Chairman French Hill (R-Ark.) brought the discussion back to fundamentals. Hill, who spent much of his career in banking, said the partnerships that fail tend to do so for a reason that no legislation can address: a board that was not doing its job.

The subcommittee set a June 24 deadline for witnesses to respond to additional written questions.

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Amazon driver quits mid-shift and throws packages into street, so police officers finish her route

CNN Newsource on May 21, 2026

By Joseph Buczek

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    FLAT ROCK, Michigan (WWJ) — Police officers in Flat Rock, Michigan, delivered packages after an Amazon delivery driver threw them out of her delivery van and quit mid-shift.

On Wednesday, officers responded after a 911 caller reported that an Amazon delivery driver was in a residential area, yelling on her cellphone and throwing packages into the street.

Police say the driver quit mid-shift and mid-deliveries and threw several packages into the road.

Officers recovered all discarded packages and, after being deputized by Amazon as temporary delivery drivers, Sergeant Beggs and officers McCardle and Porter completed the deliveries.

“It’s not every day that Amazon needs to deputize officers for this type of assistance,” the Flat Rock Police Department said.

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Dallas trial date set for rapper Pooh Shiesty in kidnapping, armed robbery Gucci Mane case

CNN Newsource on May 21, 2026

By Briauna Brown

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    DALLAS (KTVT) — A trial date has been set for Memphis rapper Pooh Shiesty for kidnapping charges after he allegedly pulled a gun during a contract dispute with Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane’s record label in Dallas.

Pooh Shiesty, whose legal name is Lontrell Williams Jr., is one of nine defendants charged in the January confrontation, which happened at a recording studio on Dallas Parkway.

Pooh Shiesty is scheduled to stand trial in federal court in Dallas on July 6. The final pretrial conference is scheduled for July 1, according to court documents.

Affidavit details allegations Prosecutors said the Pooh Shiesty and the other suspects planned a violent ambush, luring the victims to Texas for a “business meeting.”

The victims, including Gucci Mane, whose real name is Radric Davis, flew to Dallas to meet with Pooh Shiesty. Investigators said the suspects, including Pooh Shiesty and Big30, another rapper, separated the victims when they entered the recording studio on Dallas Parkway.

Pooh Shiesty allegedly took Gucci Mane into a recording room while others remained in a control room. Inside the recording room, Pooh Shiesty allegedly pulled an AK-style pistol and forced Gucci Mane to sign paperwork releasing him from his contract with Gucci’s label, 1017 Records.

As that was happening, prosecutors said the remaining suspects drew firearms and began robbing others in the studio.

Evidence leads to arrests According to court documents, the evidence gathered in the case included surveillance video, cellphone data and social media posts made by the suspects.

All nine were taken into custody on April 1 and April 2.

On April 9, a federal judge in Dallas ordered Pooh Shiesty to remain in custody pending trial.

If convicted as charged, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of up to life in federal prison.

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Minneapolis daycare owner charged with fraud tried to flee country days after closing center, prosecutors allege

CNN Newsource on May 21, 2026

By WCCO Staff, Jonah Kaplan, Ubah Ali

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Federal fraud charges were unsealed Wednesday against a Minnesota daycare owner who prosecutors allege tried to flee the country just two days after shutting the daycare center down.

Federal prosecutors said Future Leaders Early Learning, a site sponsored by Feeding Our Future, pretended to feed children during the pandemic, but pocketed much of the money instead.

Fahima Mahamud, the daycare’s owner, was charged with one count each of wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States through Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program, or CCAP, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday. Mahamud is currently under house arrest.

She is accused of stealing taxpayer money that was meant to help families feed their children. Prosecutors allege her center at one point was claiming to serve 60,000 children monthly and falsifying invoices to justify reimbursement.

Between January and July 2021, her daycare center received more than $850,000 in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds directly from Feeding Our Future — a nonprofit group that is at the center of what federal authorities have called a $250 million fraud scandal — but only a fraction was used to purchase food, according to an indictment obtained Wednesday.

In 2020 and 2021, Mahamud submitted receipts claiming to have served two meals a day to 1,000 different children, seven days a week, the court documents state.

And from 2022 to 2025, Mahamud submitted roughly 13,000 claims for $4.6 million in reimbursements through CCAP “on behalf of recipients from whom co-payments were not collected as required,” the indictment alleges.

The Future Leaders Early Learning Center was one of 10 Minneapolis daycares visited by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley in December and featured in a viral video. State license investigators had also visited the site on Nov. 10, 2025, and issued a citation for the space not being clean and children’s files not containing immunization documentation.

In February, Mahamud notified the state that Future Leaders Early Learning was closing. That same day, prosecutors say she booked a flight to London.

In April, at least 20 Minnesota daycares and autism centers were raided by federal agents. It’s unclear if Future Leaders Early Learning Center was one of them.

So far, nearly 100 people have been charged in the Feeding Our Future scheme. The Justice Department said Wednesday that it would hold a news conference Thursday morning to announce a “major law enforcement action involving fraud” in Minnesota. Among those taking part in the event would be acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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