Category: CNN Regional

By WDJT News Staff

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — A Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus driver is being praised for his actions after a missing girl boarded his bus, and he took quick action to get her to safety.

Video from the incident was released by MCTS.

According to MCTS, driver Johnny R. was operating the Red Line on a rainy afternoon when a young girl got on the bus alone without money for fare.

The girl, according to MCTS, matched the description of a critically missing person report he saw earlier in the day.

Johnny spent no time taking action; he immediately called MCTS dispatch, and they notified Cudahy police.

“I think I picked up that missing 10-year-old girl,” Johnny can be heard on the phone in the video.

Cudahy police arrived and was able to help the girl get home safe.

This is just another example of MCTS drivers being in the right place at the right time.

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By Alex Dowd

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    SAHUARITA, Arizona (KGUN) — Southern Arizona is stepping into wine season. For local vineyards and wineries like Arizona Hops and Vines, that means a bit of relief.

The winery owners, sisters Shannon Austin and Megan Stranik, say they’ve had a “stressful year,” trying to make a profit while battling tariffs and trying to keep their wines affordable.

The two opened their winery in 2012 and have spent the past several years building a loyal customer base while navigating the growing industry in Arizona’s first region to earn the American Viticultural Area (AVA) designation.

“The wineries here don’t have to follow the rules [of more established regions],” said Austin. “We’re paving our own way and figuring out what works here. We’re— in a lot of ways— a fearless wine region.”

This year has given this region and others a bit of a scare. Tariffs on aluminum coming in from Canada—the world’s largest aluminum exporter— and glass from Mexico has eaten into their profits since the sister say they’re avoiding raising prices.

“We’re trying to maintain our prices, not react right away to the tariffs or the economy,” Austin said. ““We’re trying to be family-friendly and budget-friendly, and it’s just such a different vibe out in Sonoita. We just want to give people the opportunity to come and relax and not be worried that it’s going to be expensive or exclusive.”

They’re hoping with seasonal visitors or “snowbirds” and students settling back into Southern Arizona in the coming months, they’ll get some relief.

They’re encouraging Arizonans—both full-time and part-time to save their wallets a little stress and take a trip down to Sonoita.

“It’s a budget-friendly little trip to getaway which we all need right now,” Austin said.

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By Bri Pacelli

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — A University of Arizona team has developed a 25-foot solar drying tower designed to reduce food waste and emissions.

The startup, Kuairu, co-founded by University of Arizona professor Goggy Davidowitz, created the system to dry fruits and vegetables in hours rather than days, with zero carbon footprint. The design uses natural heat gradients to preserve produce that might otherwise end up in landfills.

Backed by Tech Launch Arizona, the team scaled the project from handling 250 pounds to four tons of produce at a time. In addition to extending shelf life, the system also recaptures water from the drying process, producing clean drinking water.

Researchers say the next step is getting the first system fully operational, with hopes of expanding its impact worldwide.

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By JJ McKinney

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    Arizona (KGUN) — The Pima County Sheriff’s deputy who allegedly made threatening comments toward President Trump on social media has been placed on a paid leave of absence and is being investigated by the Secret Service, according to Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.

In a statement made on Facebook, Sheriff Nanos said the department has been made aware of social media postings by Deputy Ramon Hernandez that have been alleged to be inappropriate.

“We are very much concerned,” Nanos said in the statement. “We have been notified by several citizens, as well as the Secret Service. The Secret Service is conducting a criminal investigation as we speak, and we are cooperating fully. To that point, we have protocols that are governed by law and by policy.”

Sheriff Nanos said the department won’t start any internal investigation until the Secret Service has had a chance to complete its investigation.

“To be clear, this Sheriff and this department does not and will never condone violence of any kind,” Sheriff Nanos said. “We hold our team to a higher standard, a level of professionalism that’s above all. We expect the best out of our team at all times, 24/7; not just during their eight-hour day.

“We are committed to keeping this community safe and will take a very close look at all of the allegations that are in front of us.”

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By Kelly Doty

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    TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Deputies are asking for the public’s help after they say a woman posing as a federal agent scammed a resident out of $25,000.

The Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office said the scheme started as a “classic phone scam,” where the caller claims the victim has committed a crime and says the only way to resolve the issue is to pay money.

After failing to get the victim to transfer funds via a cryptocurrency machine, deputies said the scammers offered to send a “federal agent” to the victim’s front door to collect the money. A woman posing as a federal agent then appeared at the victim’s home and walked away with $25,000 in cash.

“Unfortunately for her, she forgot the most important part of any disguise… not getting caught on camera,” the sheriff’s office said in a social media post.

Authorities released images of the suspect and asked for the public’s help in identifying her.

Anyone with information on the woman in the photo or her identity is asked to contact the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office at 828-884-3168 or submit a tip through Crime Stoppers.

The sheriff’s office also advised the community that “real federal agents don’t call demanding money, don’t send you to crypto machines, and definitely don’t swing by to pick up bags of cash.”

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By Ford Hatchett

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    PHOENIX (KNXV) — Tuesday in Maricopa County Justice Court, Benjamin Alvarez, the man whom MCSO accused of neglecting more than 50 animals at his Rio Verde property in August, scored a big win as a judge granted Alvarez all of his animals back.

A full day of testimony from investigators, animal advocates, a veterinarian, and Alvarez himself resulted in the judge determining that MCSO had not met the burden to show that the animals were cruelly mistreated or neglected.

Detectives showed video of them walking the property, finding no water available for the horses, zebras, camels, goats, and birds on site. A detective testified to checking the property for available water sources and finding none.

Alvarez, who said he’d kept animals on the property since the late 1990s, testified he had provided water to the animals both the night before and the morning of MCSO’s search, but said a leak from a water container resulted in MCSO believing there was insufficient water on site.

Alvarez testified that he had not lived on the property with the animals since 2002, but visited the site at least twice a day and had other people who also visit the site regularly to feed, water, and check on the animals.

Witnesses who saw the animals testified they looked healthy.

Alvarez’s defense attorney, Melissa Baugh, argued that MCSO’s initial entry onto Alcarez’s property without a warrant was unlawful, but the judge found exigent circumstances did exist for an MCSO deputy to make entry to check on the well-being of the animals before Animal Crimes Detectives obtained warrants to search the property and seize the animals.

After the judge ruled to return all of his animals to his custody, Alvarez told ABC15 he was thrilled to get the animals back and finally get to share his side of the story.

“There are two sides to the story, and they never heard my story until now, and the judge has decided to have them give back my animals, and that makes me very happy,” Alvarez said. “People don’t understand that I also rescue animals. I mean, I love animals more than anything.”

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By Dean Fioresi

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    California (KCAL, KCBS) — A brother and sister from Rosarito, Mexico, were sentenced to federal prison on Monday for their roles in a kidnapping and ransom scheme, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Prosecutors say that the brother, 55-year-old Mario Alex Medina, also known as Shyboy, pretended to act as an intermediary between the victim’s family and kidnappers. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

His sister, 52-year-old María Alejandra Medina, a U.S. citizen living in Mexico, was sentenced to eight years for crossing the border with her brother’s son to collect the ransom money, the DOJ’s news release said.

A jury found both siblings guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking and one count of conspiracy to demand a ransom payment in October 2024, prosecutors said. The same jury also found Mario Medina guilty of one count of making a foreign communication with intent to extort.

“On November 5, 2022, Mario Medina directed and helped accomplices break into the house of a neighbor, identified in court documents as ‘R.V.,’ kidnapping the victim at gunpoint, pistol whipping him and firing a gun near his head,” prosecutors said. “

The next day, they placed a ransom call to the victim’s Los Angeles County family and demanded $70,000 for his release. They sent the family video of the victim being beaten via WhatsApp, prosecutors also noted.

Another accomplice called the victim’s family on Nov. 10, telling them that he would be killed if they did not pay $30,000, the release said.

“Later that day, Mario Medina — pretending to be an intermediary between R.V.’s family and the hostage takers — told the victim’s family to meet at a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro … to make the ransom payment,” the DOJ said.

Mario Medina’s son, 32-year-old José Salud Medina, who is also known as Gordo, joined María Medina as they met the family at the McDonald’s and secured the ransom payment. They then took the money back to Mexico, prosecutors said.

“The hostage takers on November 11, 2022, then left R.V. tied up and alone in a small, subterranean trench, where Mexican law enforcement rescued him later that day,” the release said.

Prosecutors also said that José Salud Medina is in custody of Mexican officials on unrelated charges, but that he will be tried separately for the same case. He has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking, one count of conspiracy to demand a ransom payment and one count of making a foreign communication with intent to extort.

Each sibling was ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution as well.

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