Mom demands answers after son with autism returns from school with missing teeth, bloody shirt

CNN Newsource on May 8, 2026

By Alice Gainer

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    BROOKLYN, New York (WCBS) — The mother of a Brooklyn student with autism has been trying to find out why her son came home from school last month with two teeth missing.

The NYPD is also investigating.

“What is happening here?” It has been two weeks since Raqibah Smiley says her 5-year-old son came home from school missing his two front bottom teeth and had blood stains on his shirt.

“I’m like, oh my god, there’s missing teeth, there’s blood stains. You know, what is happening here?” Smiley said.

The mother said to her knowledge, her son’s teeth had not been loose.

“I feel like if it was, I think that’s something I probably would have noticed,” she said.

Her son has autism and is nonverbal, so Smiley said she immediately drove to P.S. K721 in Gravesend to get answers.

“Nothing was reported” According to a report CBS News New York reviewed, a school official spoke with the paraprofessional assigned to Smiley’s child and classroom, and that person first said the boy showed up to school off the bus that way.

Smiley said she reviewed video with the school that shows her dropping him off in the morning that day with no blood stains on his shirt.

The paraprofessional then apologized and said it was a long day, and told the school official they noticed blood coming from the child’s mouth and gave him water but did not report it to the nurse or administration.

“Did he fall? Did he run into the wall? We know he’s autistic, he’s nonverbal. He’s 5, typical boy, OK? He’s a daredevil. It happens,” Smiley said. “But what happened? I still don’t have no answers, and that’s my thing.”

Smiley contacted the NYPD and has kept her son out of the school since.

“This is a school for people like my son, children like my son. Nothing was reported,” she said. “I’m waiting for justice. I’m waiting for answers. I don’t trust anybody right now.”

The New York City Department of Education said the school district’s Special Commissioner of Investigation is reviewing the allegation and intends to investigate this matter.

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.

Atlanta women find community and connection through growing Bible study and faith ministry

CNN Newsource on May 8, 2026

By Kaley Fedko

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    ATLANTA, Georgia (WUPA) — A young woman in Atlanta is turning bible study into a space where women from different generations can lean on each other through faith.

What started as one pastor’s idea has now grown into a ministry connecting hundreds of women across the metro.

Mallory Henson runs EncountHer Women’s Ministry at Encounter Church.

She told CBS News Atlanta she was shocked when her pastor asked her to start the group nine years ago.

“I was about 24 when God just called me to be over this ministry,” Henson said. “A 24-year-old out of college, I’m like, okay, what does this mean? What does this look like?”

It looks like fun.

The group has grown into a community of more than 300 women.

Every month, dozens show up for events designed to make faith feel welcoming, modern, and fun.

“We’re out here living, and we look fun, we look healthy. It’s just, it’s a blessing. I dress how I want to dress, still look my age, and not have to look like, you know, a nun, if you will, to be in the Lord’s church,” Henson said.

April’s meetup included a morning workout class followed by smoothie bowls and open conversations about stress relief.

Henson said the real impact happens at the planned activities, connections forming between women who may have never otherwise met.

The group’s age range spans from 18 to 65.

“We have doctors. We have psychiatrists. We have people from all different walks of life. We’re just able to come together and bond over God, over our love for God, over our love for our church. The friends that I have encountered, we locked in,” said 27-year-old Amber Sylvain.

The women said that cross-generational connection is what makes EncountHer special.

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.

Attempted traffic stop on off-duty military member leads to arrest of police impersonator in Baltimore

CNN Newsource on May 8, 2026

By JT Moodee Lockman, Drew Aunkst

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — A Maryland man was arrested for impersonating a police officer after he tried to conduct a traffic stop on an off-duty military member in Baltimore County, State Police said Thursday.

Eric Baummer, 59, of Mount Airy, is facing charges after police said he tried to stop a vehicle on Interstate 695 on Tuesday. He was driving a black Ford Explorer at the time.

An attorney for Baummer is not yet listed in court records.

Fake traffic stop A driver called troopers around 4:40 p.m. to report that a Ford was trying to pull him over near the outer loop of I-695 at Washington Boulevard.

The caller was later identified as an off-duty member of military law enforcement, troopers said.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the driver called 911 after the Ford activated blue and white flashing lights. The driver did not pull over, troopers said.

“He recognized that the lights were blue and white. Police officers in Maryland have red and blue lights,” Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo said.

The driver said the Ford, driven by Baummer, drove past and changed lanes in front of him before getting off I-695 at Hollins Ferry Road.

According to police, the driver followed Baummer to a gas station in the 4300 block of Hollins Ferry Road in Lansdowne.

State troopers and Baltimore County police quickly responded and arrested Baummer.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone who may have experienced a similar encounter is asked to call police at 410-780-2700.

“We certainly don’t urge people to follow somebody who is trying to impersonate a police officer, but we do urge motorists to call 911 if they feel something is not right, if they’re pulled over by somebody who doesn’t show a badge, if you do think that something is not legitimate,” Russo said.

Police impersonator in Harford County This incident comes nearly a week after a man was arrested in Harford County for impersonating an officer in a shopping center.

Robert Dicocco, 56, was charged with 10 offenses after police said he pulled into a Joppatowne shopping center to get food with police lights activated on his SUV, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said.

When deputies questioned Dicocco, he provided what appeared to be official credentials. However, deputies noticed that when he went into a restaurant, he had a gun on display, but when he left, it was concealed, an action that is illegal in Maryland.

Deputies checked with State Police and learned there was no officer by the name of Dicocco.

During his arrest, multiple fake law enforcement items were found, including vest badges, ID cards and the emergency lights on his SUV.

“People like that need to be off the streets,” Baltimore County resident Jim Reed said. “We don’t need it. We got enough problems as it is.”

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Flower shops plan deliveries carefully as gas prices surge

CNN Newsource on May 7, 2026

By Peyton Headlee

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — Gas prices are climbing across Northern California due to the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz and the increases are affecting businesses that rely on fuel, including floral shops preparing for Mother’s Day deliveries.

Flower shops across the region are gearing up for one of their busiest weekends of the year.

Jim Relles, owner of Relles Florist in Midtown Sacramento, said they are handling ten times their usual volume of flowers for Mother’s Day.

“We’re trying to group the orders together, so we’re not making a lot of trips to one area,” Relles said. “We can’t raise our prices so high to really balance what it’s costing us. It’s too much for the consumer. So, we’re hoping to get as much business as we can and hope that’ll balance off the higher prices.”

Botanic Flower Shop in Sacramento is also absorbing the increased costs to keep their delivery prices the same, even as some farms they source flowers from have added delivery fees.

“It’s a little one, but it’s nothing to where it’s really impacting our prices in the store, which is great,” Elise Waelder, a florist at Botanic Flower Shop, said. “Flowers can already kind of be expensive. And so, we really try to keep that in mind. And we want everyone to be able to come in and get flowers.”

She said they are being a little stricter on where they will deliver to, but that they always offer pickup as well.

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Epstein Commission hires law firm to help investigate Zorro Ranch and ties to New Mexico

CNN Newsource on May 7, 2026

By John Rupolo

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — The Epstein Truth Commission is investigating allegations of sexual abuse and criminal activity at Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in Santa Fe, which he owned from the 1990s until his death in 2019.

Sky 7 provided aerial footage of the ranch, where much of what occurred over decades remains unknown. The New Mexico Department of Justice has searched the property, but it is unclear what was found or if anything is linked to Epstein. These are among the questions the commission aims to address.

The bipartisan commission, formed earlier this year, is tasked with investigating Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse and criminal activity.

“We are hopeful that this team of people can help us tell the story of what happened at Zorro Ranch. And in the enterprise of Jeffrey Epstein over the course of that time,” said Rep. Andrea Romero, who chairs the commission.

The Albuquerque law firm Faddoul, Cluff, Hardy & Conaway, P.C., has been hired to assist in the investigation.

“Whether it be sex abuse, trafficking. We’ve heard such horrifying allegations in many different ways. This is about bringing them justice,” said Romero.

The law firm will handle tasks such as issuing subpoenas, conducting hearings, and taking testimony from alleged victims. The findings will be presented to the public.

“This isn’t about politics. This isn’t about power. This isn’t about people being protected any longer. This is about hard stories and hard truths that we have to tell to the public,” said Romero.

The commission is operating on a $2 million budget, funded entirely by prior Epstein settlements. Of that, $750,000 will go to the law firm.

“This is so important for us to get right as to what laws need to be looked at and what it is that we can be doing to rectify the wrongs,” said Romero.

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Witches gather after Hung Cao called Monterey ‘a really dark place’ with ‘a lot of witchcraft’

CNN Newsource on May 7, 2026

By Alicia Alvarez

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    PACIFIC GROVE, California (KSBW) — A “witchy” gathering was held at Lovers Point on Friday in direct response to acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao’s comment that the area is “a really dark place” with “a lot of witchcraft.”

Cao originally made the comment in 2023, saying, “There’s a place in Monterey, California, called Lovers Point. The original name was Lovers of Christ Point. But now it’s become — they took out the Christ — it’s Lovers Point. Monterey is a really dark place now, a lot of witchcraft. The Wiccan community has really taken over there.”

He also mistakenly said Lovers Point was in Monterey, when it is actually in Pacific Grove.

More than a dozen people gathered on Beltane, a pagan holiday marking the beginning of summer, in witch-themed outfits to paddleboard.

Miranda Diamanti, a participant, said the idea started as a Facebook invite from Elsa Rivera for a fun community gathering. Rivera also organizes a yearly “brujas paddle,” which translates to “witches paddle” in Spanish. The group hosted its fourth one in October. “I don’t think it was intended to be a regular thing, but throughout the evening we all kept saying we should make it that way,” she said. “[We met to] have a witchy gathering in response to what Navy Secretary Hung Cao said about our beloved area.”

Diamanti pushed back against Cao’s generalization of the area.

“There’s something a little ironic about trying to define a place rooted in beauty, community and connection through fear or assumption. Lovers Point has always been more than a name — it’s a feeling,” she said. “Monterey isn’t ‘dark’; it’s layered. It’s home to churches, spiritual seekers, nature lovers, artists, healers and everyday people just trying to live with a little more kindness in their day.”

This is not the first time the Central Coast has seen witchy water sports. A group in Capitola called the “Capitola Sea Witches” takes to the ocean on paddleboards in witch-themed garb on Halloween.

In a different response to Cao’s comment, a “Witches of Monterey” web game has appeared. The game is played in a web browser and is free to access. The game focuses on collecting money from a shift at the 17-mile-drive toll booth. With the accrued funds, the player can recruit witches to their coven.

The player is also prompted to “run a sacrifice ceremony” and “light the black candles. Whisper the rites. Channel the darkness Hung Cao warned them about.”

With points gained from sacrifices, the player can then “attack” what the game calls “Lovers of Christ Point.”

Cao said Lovers Point was previously named “Christ Point,” which appears to be the basis for the game’s name for the area. The area was once called “Lovers of Jesus Point,” not “Christ Point.”

The accrued “dark favor” points lower the “purity” of Christ Point, prompting comments such as, “The Chamber of Commerce receives 400 anonymous Yelp reviews,” as the coven attacks the area.

Once the player topples “Lovers of Christ Point,” the game signals the player’s win with a pop-up saying the area has been successfully renamed “Lovers Point.”

The game’s title page features a snapshot of KSBW’s article on Cao’s comments.

Diamanti said generalizing the area as dark misses what makes it special and that Lovers Point reflects love, openness and respect for differences.

“If anything, Lovers Point reflects exactly what its name suggests: love in many forms,” she said.

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.

Dental students hoping to leave lasting ‘impression’ with their end-of-year art project

CNN Newsource on May 7, 2026

By Randi Rousseau

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    NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (WDSU) — Dental students in New Orleans are eying a different kind of crown these days.

The LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry’s Principles of Occlusion class is proud to present the 2026 Art Cast Contest, a project breaking the mold when it comes to traditional learning.

They are coupling curriculum with creativity, crafting works of art out of the dental casts.

“We teach them how to make these dental casts,” said Dr. Jorge Palavicini. “And as they’re making these dental casts, they, well, they end up with a whole bunch of them. So, at the end of the year, instead of throwing them away, I make them turn it into an art piece.”

From the grinning Cheshire Cat to Mount “Brushmore,” even a wedding cake you can really sink your teeth into, students certainly drill into the assignment.

“It’s awesome. It’s a good chance and a good break from just all of the studying and all the exams and practicals that we do for our first year,” said Becca Simar.

Three out of every four dentists or dental hygienists practicing in Louisiana are graduates of the school.

Palavicini started the contest 7 years ago, and since then, it’s become a unique and beloved tradition, garnering many smiles.

“Because of the New Orleans vibe, because of the New Orleans environment, I think this is great,” said Palavicini. “And we can see them display the other, even the other year’s, projects. We have them in the library here.”

While the winner may not get a plaque, per se, the experience plus bragging rights really leaves a lasting impression.

“Dentistry is a large aspect creativity. So, it’s really cool to see them learn some of the first skills that they learned this year and take it and make these beautiful projects,” said Ethan Redlich.

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Community rallies to keep Grocery Store open after Fire

CNN Newsource on May 7, 2026

By Beth Carlson

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    MALVERN, Iowa (KETV) — It’s been five years since a fire destroyed Mulholland’s Grocery in Malvern, Iowa, an over 150-year-old family-run store.

Fourth-generation owner Tom Mulholland worked to reopen the store after three long years. But now, he says it’s a struggle to pay off the price tag of rebuilding. “Insurance was nowhere near enough,” Mulholland said. “I am in debt about $700,000 right now, and the store is having enough business doing enough that we would be okay if it wasn’t for those huge loan payments every month.”

During the years of rebuilding, the town and the surrounding area was left without a grocery store.

“It was an over 22-mile round trip to the closest grocery store. There were people that walked to this grocery store. There were people that ride electric scooters to this grocery store because that’s all they’ve got. So, it was a real hardship,” Mulholland said. At 66 years old, Mulholland works 65 hours a week to keep the store running. Then the community found out he was using his retirement savings to help pay off the rebuilding loans.

“I love my job, you know, that’s all by choice, but I’m trying to be there for the people that really depend on us,” Mulholland said. “In the time I’ve had my grocery store, within 45 miles, six communities have lost their only grocery store.”

An online fundraiser is trying to help pay off the loans. So far, it’s raised $38,000.

“There’s a lot of anonymous people on there. I see that a high school girlfriend donated $1,000. I mean, that really says something,” Mulholland said. Mulholland said he just wants to keep his family’s legacy alive and keep his hometown from becoming a food desert.

“I want to build this store to be strong enough so that someone else will want to take over, and there will still be a store here to take care of people for the next 20 or 30 years,” Mulholland said.

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Woman arrested after bringing sword hidden inside cane to Cincinnati City Hall

CNN Newsource on May 7, 2026

By Sean MacKinnon

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    CINCINNATI, Ohio (WLWT) — A concerning situation unfolded on Wednesday at Cincinnati’s City Hall, when a woman tried to bring a sword into council chambers.

It happened on Wednesday afternoon during the public comment portion of the Cincinnati city council meeting, causing a serious scare.

Police said the suspect had the sword hidden inside a cane and made it past City Hall security. Councilmembers said the sword wasn’t pulled from the cane but it surprised them that the sword made it through security.

According to Cincinnati Police, Alexandra Dalton, 29, was arrested. She was charged with resisting arrest, inducing panic, carrying concealed weapons and interrupting a lawful meeting.

“So your officers just took my cane,” Dalton said into the mic during public comment, moments before she was arrested.

Police said Dalton misled security by claiming the cane was for a disability, with the sword concealed inside it.

“They attempted to ask her to step out, to make sure that they cleared the chambers, if she had a weapon. It didn’t appear it went the way in which she was willing to step out, and i saw the police try to effect an arrest,” councilmember Scotty Johnson said.

Police said everyone inside the building was safe and the suspect was escorted out of the building by law enforcement.

Mayor Aftab Pureval called for a recess, and once the meeting resumed, Pureval explained what happened inside.

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Father saves his son from falling power lines

CNN Newsource on May 7, 2026

By Jacob Murphy

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    WILTON, Maine (WMTW) — What started as a pleasant spring day quickly came crashing down for one Wilton family. Scott Towers was visiting his brother’s home with his wife and three kids Tuesday afternoon. Their short walk home quickly turned for the worse when thunderstorms caught them by surprise.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve never experienced anything like the weather that had come through here,” Towers said.

His brother only lives about two houses down in the Arkay Mobile Home Park. It takes less than two minutes, but even in that short time, Towers says

“It was like a bomb went off. The poles all started to snap and come down around us, and the trees were all started popping,” he said. “My wife had told our kids to run home because we really thought it was a tornado coming through. It was that extreme.”

Towers admits what happened next was a blur. He was running home with his son when one power line had fallen nearby, and he could see the power lines were going to land directly on him and his son.

“I shoved him forward, and when I shoved him forward, the lines dropped right in front of me,” he said. “The lines literally fell in my hands, and I just had to hold on to them because my son was right there. When I held on him, it threw me backwards about four or five feet onto the ground, and I completely blacked out.”

Towers’ brother and neighbors saw and heard what had happened, and came rushing to his aid.

“I had seen him collapse on the ground. Me and his brother went over to try and see. He wasn’t breathing, he wasn’t moving,” said Tyler Steadman, who lives across the street.

His brother, Dustin Towers, says he attempted some chest compressions on him. Eventually, he was able to wake him. “I grabbed him by the head and I shook him. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through.”

Scott Towers was taken to the hospital, but thanks to his quick reflexes, the rest of his family only had minor scrapes and bruises. Towers says electricity had traveled through his hand out of his elbow.

He was back home Wednesday morning, now with a heart monitor as a precaution.

“I would do it time and time and time again. You know, it’s not necessarily that I went out of my way to grab [the power line]. I had to catch it, or it was going to land on my son, and there was no question about that,” Towers said.

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.