Category: CNN Regional

By Lauren Pozen, Matthew Rodriguez

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    WHITTIER, California (KCAL, KCBS) — The Santa Ana winds created dangerous conditions in Southern California, with a tree branch falling on 13 children in Whittier on Friday.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the ordeal happened this afternoon at Katherine Edwards Middle School. The kids suffered injuries ranging from minor to moderate and were all taken to the hospital.

“All of a sudden, the mailman starts yelling, ‘I need help!” one witness said. “Two more guys jumped over, lifted up the tree and carried the girl away from the trees, and all these other students were scrambling from the tree.”

In other areas, the winds cut off power to several communities as Southern California Edison also cut power to more than 110,000 customers across the region to help prevent wildfires. The outages caused traffic lights to either go out or flash, making it difficult to drive around some areas.

“They had originally said the power would be out from Thursday until Friday night,” Calabasas resident Mike Saunders said. “We just got a notice it will be indefinite, or they don’t know when it is going to come back on. A lot of people are very inconvenienced, people that don’t have generators.”

Without power at home, people are also worried that their food would go bad.

“Right now, I have a cooler and trying to get some ice blocks to get everything from my fridge so all the food doesn’t go bad,” Calabasas resident Max Ortiz said. “We’re talking about $400, $600 worth of food.”

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 Olivia Young

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    ARVADA, Colorado (KCNC) — “Bluegrass Coffee and Bourbon Lounge” has been an Arvada staple for years. The Kentucky-themed restaurant has locations in Olde Town Arvada and the Candelas neighborhood. But soon, the restaurant will be saying goodbye, and it hopes the community can help some of its employees before it does.

The general manager of both Bluegrass lounges says the owners run multiple businesses out of state and no longer have the time or money to keep this one open. When both Bluegrass locations close their doors at the end of this month, about 50 employees will be out of a job.

This week, a fire made things even worse for two of those employees.

“Losing my job, losing my house, having three kids and being a single mother is not easy,” said Yohanna “Carolina” Bracho, kitchen manager at Bluegrass Lounge, speaking through a translator.

Bracho doesn’t know how she’ll keep food on the table and a roof over her three children’s heads.

She and her oldest child work at Bluegrass Lounge in Olde Town Arvada. But this month, the lounge will close its doors, leaving Bracho and the other employees without jobs.

“I feel like everything just gathered together,” Bracho said.

“The owners, there’s some big commitments coming up and bills to pay, and they ultimately decided the best plan for them was to close it down,” said Josh Schwartz, general manager of Bluegrass Lounge.

“I am looking for a new job,” Bracho said.

Monday night, Bracho was cooking plantains in her Arvada apartment when she says she stepped away for only a moment to take her youngest to the bathroom.

“I heard a big boom and kind of an explosion in the kitchen,” Bracho said. “It was such a big fire that my first instinct was not to put out the fire, but to grab my kids and get out of there.”

Bracho says a neighbor extinguished the fire, and first responders soon arrived, but told her she couldn’t take any belongings because of asbestos concerns.

“There was a lot of dust and a lot of ashes everywhere throughout the apartment,” Bracho said. “My house is gone. All my belongings are gone, but my kids are safe.”

Bracho says her apartment complex, The Iris, allowed her to move into another unit, but says they asked her to pay a new security deposit and first month’s rent. Records she shared from her renters insurance say the apartment charged her a “$500 deposit transfer fee plus $897.80 and $150 for the move,” totaling $1,547.80.

“I don’t have money to pay another deposit,” Bracho said.

Bracho’s boss, Josh Schwartz, tried to help out.

“That sounded a little fishy to me, and we wanted to call the apartment complex right away to see if we could figure something out for them,” said Schwartz. “The manager was going to call me back at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. I had not heard word from them since.”

CBS Colorado called and emailed The Iris but hasn’t heard back yet.

But within an hour of CBS reaching out, Yohanna says the apartment canceled that lease and sent her a new one. This one appears to have at least removed the $150 moving fee, but the remaining charges now total about $1,500.

“They’re not charging the deposit, but they are charging me October again that I had already paid originally,” Bracho said.

“We decided to get into action right away,” said Schwartz.

Bluegrass employees are working to help the family, starting an online fundraiser and collecting donations.

“So many of the employees and customers have already brought in air beds, towels, you know, cosmetics and toiletries,” said Schwartz.

“I’m overwhelmed with emotions. I’m really sad,” Bracho said.

Even as Yohanna fears a future with no job or home, she’s grateful for the support of the Bluegrass community, a family that will still be there for her, even after the lounge closes.

“They’re my family,” Bracho said.

“I’m hoping they ultimately find something for Carolina and her three children where she can be comfortable, and they can stay. The kids can stay in the same school district, and they can rebuild their lives together,” said Schwartz, “knowing after these doors close that our relationships can still foster.”

Arvada Fire Protection District says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The last day the Olde Town Arvada Bluegrass location will be open is Oct. 31. For Candelas, it’s Oct. 30.

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 Robbie Owens

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    DALLAS, Texas (KTVT) — What does retirement look like after leading the world’s largest airline? Exotic travel? Rest and relaxation?

For former American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, it means helping others get their careers off the ground.

“We were looking for the best of the best,” former American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said. “But if you exclude a huge proportion of the population, you can’t say you have the best of the best.”

Parker says he recognized the lack of diversity in airline cockpits while leading American Airlines. He also identified two significant obstacles that prevent aspiring pilots from pursuing careers in aviation.

“I think the two biggest barriers are financial resources and awareness,” Parker said. “And if you live in a community where you don’t see anyone else in your community that actually has this as a career choice, then it’s just not something that shows up on your horizon.”

Parker and his wife, Gwen, launched Breaking Down Barriers, a Dallas-based nonprofit that provides financial assistance, training opportunities, and mentorship to aspiring pilots from underserved communities.

“If you meet our students, I mean, you will fall in love,” said Gwen during a visit to Dallas Executive Airport. “They work so hard – because this is a difficult job. I mean, not just anybody can do the work. You have to have grit, grind, determination, and our students have that.”

Among those students is 21-year-old Kyra Lee, who once struggled to imagine herself pursuing a career in aviation.

“Honestly, I never would have seen this for myself,” Lee said. “So it’s a shocking moment every single time I meet a new milestone. I’m just, I can’t believe it.”

With help from a Breaking Down Barriers scholarship, Lee has already earned several aviation certificates and is working toward her goal of becoming a commercial airline pilot.

Parker says the cost of flight training can prevent otherwise qualified students from pursuing that dream.

“You can get a loan to go to any college in the United States,” the former CEO said. “You can’t get a loan to go to pilot school. And, you know, people need the financial resources … absent that, they don’t have the opportunity.”

But the program provides more than financial assistance. Students say the encouragement and support help them persevere when the demanding training becomes difficult.

“And so I was like, ‘they’re really paying for this. They’re really counting on me. Like, I have to lock in. I have to do right,” said Lee when remembering a particularly difficult stretch in the training. “So after I got past it, I was like, `there can’t be anything that stands in my way.'”

That growing confidence has become another benefit of the program, helping students see possibilities they might never have considered.

“It really puts the belief and the trust into the community that there are people out there who really want to see you succeed,” Shakeel Pearson said.

Pearson has completed his training through Breaking Down Barriers and now serves as an instructor. He’s also building the flight hours needed to pursue a career as a commercial airline pilot.

“Being able to be somebody that comes from where I come from, that looks the way I look, and to not only get into the industry, but to be succeeding in it right now? It has all been through the work and the efforts that BDB is giving to us in what they want us to continue and carry in our communities,” says Pearson.

In return, the organization asks its students to pay it forward by mentoring others who hope to follow in their footsteps.

“Every one of these individuals is a leader,” Parker said. “They’re not just going to be pilots. They are going to be leaders in their communities. They’re going gonna be examples for others.”

For Parker and his wife, the mission extends beyond helping students earn their wings. They hope each success story will inspire others who might otherwise never consider a future in aviation.

“I like to say these individuals won’t just have their lives transformed,” Parker said. “They’re going to transform the lives of others.”

Breaking Down Barriers will host its inaugural Aviators Ball on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Addison Airport. Proceeds will support scholarships and help expand aviation training opportunities for students from underserved communities.

For event information or to support the nonprofit, visit BreakingDownBarriers.org.

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 Paul Burton

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    MILFORD, Massachusetts (WBZ) — If there was ever a lesson that small, kind gestures can go a long way, this group of teens from Milford, Massachusetts, certainly is a wonderful example.

Earlier this week, 7-year-old Tristan Caron, who has autism, was at Urban Air Adventure Park in Bellingham with his mother, Christina, when a group of teenagers invited him to play with them. The interaction left a lasting impression on Christina, who took to social media to thank the teens for including her son.

Livy Molinari, one of the teenagers, told WBZ-TV that the interaction happened when she decided to ask Tristan one question after noticing he was sitting by himself.

“I said ‘that’s a really nice ball you have,’ because he had just won a ball,” she said. “I was like, ‘can I hold it for a second?’ And he was like, ‘yeah sure.'”

A simple game of toss with Tristan turned into a 40-minute jamboree of hide-and-seek, catch and fun on the slide.

“He was really excited and happy when we asked his mom if he could play with us too,” said Kelsey Zozzaro, one of the teens.

It was more than just laughter. Tristan’s mom said it was life-changing for her son who usually gets left out. She was able to identify the teenagers through Facebook.

The teens told WBZ-TV that they had no idea Tristan had autism but saw him sitting alone and wanted to include him.

“We just wanted to include him and have a fun time playing around at Urban Air. And I feel really happy he felt included and as joyful as he did,” said Anna Hele, another one of the teens.

Word of the teens’ actions spread quickly around the community, something the group said they did not anticipate but are embracing.

“It’s nice we included him and other people get to know about this, so maybe they can think about it when other people aren’t included,” said Kenny Leite, a teen from the group.

Urban Air Adventure Park has been in contact with everyone involved and said they plan to invite everyone back to the park for a day of celebrating the teens’ act of kindness.

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 Katie Houlis, Rob Flaks

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A man was killed in a shooting at a Midtown Manhattan subway station Saturday, officials say.

It happened on the northbound E train platform at the Seventh Avenue station near West 53rd Street just before 12:30 p.m.

Police said two men got into a dispute on the platform. According to the NYPD, the dispute spilled onto a train that had pulled into the station, then back onto the platform.

It’s unclear at this time if the shots were fired on the platform or on the train, police said in a press conference Saturday afternoon.

Authorities say the victim was shot in the chest and taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead. Police say they are not releasing the victim’s identity until family has been notified, but the victim was possibly in his 30s.

Police say the gunman fled on foot. No arrests have been made. The NYPD has released photos of a person wanted in connection to the shooting. He was last seen wearing a red tracksuit, a black vest and a black face mask.

Anyone with information is urged to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public may also submit tips online at Crime Stoppers website or via X @NYPDTips.

A witness who was on the subway described the chaos after hearing the gunshots.

“I heard the gunshots, so everyone just threw themselves on the floor. We sat for a while, and someone said, ‘Get off the train.’ We got off and saw police working on the gentleman who was shot,” said Paul Sampson, who was aboard the train.

The MTA said they are coordinating with the NYPD and working to retrieve surveillance footage from cameras on the platform and train cars.

“Guns have no place in transit which is why we’ve strongly supported New York State’s legal fight to make sure it’s illegal to carry them in the subway system,” Kemper said in a statement, in part. “The perpetrator will be caught and should face maximum consequences from the justice system. It is fortunate nobody outside the fight was hurt.”

One witness said she and her daughter had just boarded the train and sat down when they heard multiple shots being fired on the platform.

“All of a sudden I heard a shot, and then there was like a mass exodus. Everyone started running out, and then there was at least probably three more [shots],” the daughter said.

No weapons were recovered at the scene, police say. The investigation is ongoing.

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.