Category: CNN Regional

By KNXV Staff

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    MARICOPA COUNTY (KNXV) — Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after nine dogs were found in “filthy” conditions in the far West Valley.

MCSO’s Animal Crimes Unit responded to the property near Old US 80 and Salome Highway, west of Buckeye, on Wednesday for reports of neglect.

Neighbors reportedly made numerous complaints about the alleged neglect of the animals. MCSO said they were found without adequate food, water, or shelter.

Video from the scene on Wednesday showed a large area of debris surrounding kennels and fenced areas.

The suspect had reportedly been living on the property in an RV, and when she became aware that the investigation was underway, she abandoned the dogs and moved the RV, MCSO says.

Sheriff’s officials have been working to contact the owner.

No additional information has been released.

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 Leslie Solis

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    CALDWELL, Idaho (KIVI) — Teen dating violence is not just a statistic; it is happening in Canyon County, and local advocates say the numbers are rising.

At Advocates Against Family Violence, Outreach Coordinator Tiffany Ruiz says the scope of the problem is alarming.

“We served last year, 250 teens that were survivors of sexual assault, and that is an extremely high number,” Ruiz said.

February is recognized as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, but Ruiz said the nonprofit’s work extends far beyond a single month.

She has worked at the agency for 20 years, with the last 15 years focused on teens in various capacities, including supporting survivors navigating court cases and at-risk youth in need of case management.

Ruiz said teen dating violence is often minimized by adults, allowing unhealthy behaviors to become normalized across generations.

“Their parent experienced it, their grandparent experienced it, and so they aren’t noticing those red flag behaviors,” she said. “They’re seeing it as normal behavior or expected behavior.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, one in twelve high school students will experience physical abuse before eighteen, and one in ten will experience sexual abuse.

In Canyon County alone, Ruiz said the nonprofit served 9,047 youth last year through school presentations, juvenile detention programs and other outreach efforts.

“Specifically, through our program last year, we served 9,047 youth,” she said.

The number of teens needing direct services is already trending upward this year.

“We have already served just in January alone, 105 youth, and we’ve provided 276 youth services,” Ruiz said. “And we’ve served 24 that are survivors of sexual assault.”

Ruiz said the increase reflects a continuing trend.

“If we keep heading this way, we will surpass the number that we saw last year,” Ruiz said.

Abuse does not always present as physical harm. Ruiz said technology is increasingly being used as a tool of control.

“We have a lot of teens that don’t identify repetitive text messaging or always needing to have your location on and checking your location by a significant other is not a normal, healthy behavior,” she said.

Beyond prevention education, the organization also responds when assaults are reported. Advocates Against Family Violence is part of the local Sexual Assault Response Team and works alongside law enforcement agencies in Canyon County.

When an assault is reported, advocates are called to the hospital to meet survivors — teens and adults — often within hours. Ruiz said their role begins at that moment and continues as long as the survivor wants support.

The nonprofit recently launched what it calls Roar Again Kits, comfort bags given to survivors at the hospital through grant funding.

The kits include new clothing in various sizes, including undergarments, sweats, sweatshirts, slippers and shoes. Because clothing worn during an assault is typically collected as evidence, survivors are often left with hospital scrubs. The kits allow them to leave in regular clothing.

Each bag also contains a blanket, sensory items to ease anxiety, a handwritten note and a small stuffed lion named Roarie. Separate kits are prepared for youth and adults.

“It’s kind of being looked at as teen drama or not that big of a deal because they are just teens, but the reality is, is that if that’s the way that we’re responding to it, they’re then going to think it’s not a big deal and think that it’s normal, and it’s not,” she said.

She said one of the most important steps adults can take is to listen when teens speak up.

“When I talked, they didn’t listen, so maybe they’ll listen to how I act,” Ruiz recalled teens telling her.

Advocates Against Family Violence will continue year-round outreach in Canyon County schools and community programs to reduce the number of teens who experience dating violence.

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

By Laura Terrell

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    DES MOINES, Iow (KCCI) — Sometimes the most colorful surprises come during the darkest times. That’s exactly what happened at John Stoddard Cancer Center in Des Moines.

“I have a friend who is a cancer patient here, and she told me about so many of the wonderful programs that have enriched her life, and when I had the opportunity to make a donation in kind, I took advantage of it,” said Catherine Schut.

Schut owns a beekeeping flower farm in Prairie City called Hive and Petal. She often drops off beautiful bouquets of flowers at John Stoddard Cancer Center to brighten the day of cancer patients. Schut was dropping off 40 bouquets the day KCCI was there.

“This was such a shock and a very pleasant surprise,” said Meddy Paulus.

Paulus, 45, was diagnosed with breast cancer in April of 2025 after a routine mammogram. It came as a shock as she had just arrived back in Des Moines after competing in a elite level weight lifting competition.

“Since I have gone on this journey and continue to go on it, I am just a huge advocate of changing the narrative for cancer patients,” said Paulus.

Paulus says her cancer journey has been tough, but acts of kindness, like a surprise gift of flowers brightens her day and inspire her to keep going.

“It was a really great way to just kind of lift the spirits,” said Paulus.

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 Dani Miskell

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    SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Cleanup crews are working across San Diego to remove fallen trees and debris from Monday’s powerful storm, with city officials reporting 49 tree-related calls and 16 confirmed fallen trees.

The urgency comes as another storm is expected to roll in Tuesday night.

The talk-of-the-town has been a massive Torrey Pine that toppled in Pacific Beach on Monday afternoon. West Coast Arborists carefully sawed the 30-foot tree piece by piece because a parked car was blocking access to the full trunk.

“We have to make sure the right of way is clear for not just vehicles and pedestrians, but emergency responders, like ambulances or things like that that need to get through,” said Brian Widener, the City of San Diego’s Forester.

The City must clear downed trees regardless of whether they fall on city property or private land. Widener said homeowners had previously reported that the Pacific Beach Torrey Pine was leaning before Monday’s storm hit, and it’s now being evaluated by the City.

“We had unprecedented winds in the last 24 hours, and with a good amount of saturated soils,” Widener said, explaining that taller, mature trees are more susceptible to wind damage than shorter ones.

The City is actively responding to tree-removal requests across multiple neighborhoods. Residents who spot additional hazardous trees can submit requests through the Get It Done app or website.

“Our arborists will respond to those requests fairly quickly within 24 hours, 48 hours,” Widener said.

The storm also caused a major fire event overnight near Escondido, where lightning struck around 1 a.m., igniting about 100 palm trees. San Diego Fire-Rescue, Escondido Fire, Cal Fire, and rainfall worked together to extinguish a blaze that burned approximately one acre in a couple of hours.

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 Marc Monroy

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    TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A window at the University of Arizona Hillel building was cracked early Saturday morning after an object struck it, leaving Jewish students and community members on high alert.

The incident occurred at the Hillel building, a Jewish student organization’s building on campus, where an object hit and cracked two windows but did not break them completely. No one was inside the building when the incident happened.

Ziva Goldfein, a freshman at the university, said the incident has made her feel less secure on campus.

“It terrifies me for lack of a better term and I hate that we’re living in a world full of hate,” Goldfein said.

The New Mexico native said while her life as a freshman at the University of Arizona has been relatively calm, this recent incident has left her more alert about her surroundings.

“In the short term, it’s definitely scary and definitely worries me and shapes how I live my life,” Goldfein said.

While some students and directors at the Hillel building are unsure if this was a targeted attack, Interim Executive Director Eddie Lang believes it was intentional.

“For us, this feels like a continuation of the hate speech and hate speech that goes unannounced that turns into action,” Lang said.

Goldfein said she has experienced some antisemitism before, but nothing violent has happened to her personally. She remains hopeful the incident was accidental.

“Hopefully this is just a foolish mishap and I’m confident the university and everyone involved will make sure it gets handled,” Goldfein said.

Both Tucson Police and University of Arizona Police are investigating the incident.

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

By Jessica Brown

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    BOSTON (WCVB) — Love is in the air as a couple who met while trying to help their patients heal takes on a new challenge to support the hospital that brought them together.

“We met working on North Sixth, which is an inpatient cardiology unit,” said Hannah Russell, a nurse practitioner at Tufts Medical Center. “Which really kind of started our foundation as good friends, trusting one another and trusting the process.”

Russell and partner Dana Weaver have seen each other through plenty of milestone moments. He encouraged her to become a nurse practitioner. She was by his side as he graduated as a physician assistant.

At the heart of it all: their careers in the cardiology unit at Tufts.

“Putting someone else’s heart into somebody else and then having that patient thrive is just a really amazing thing to see,” said Weaver.

Russell added, “It’s really important to be able to connect with people quickly when they’re in such a critical place and probably one of the worst weeks of their life.”

Connecting with patients — and each other — is now pushing this team to take on a new challenge: this year’s Boston Marathon.

“I think Boston has been on both our bucket lists,” said Russell.

The pair actually took on their first marathon together in Maine, but they know this race will be a whole new experience.

“It’s so much different when you’re running and everybody’s cheering you on,” said Weaver.

And, of course, they will be putting in the miles to raise money for the hospital that brought them together.

“It is really special to be able to, while we’re running, be running for Tufts Medical Center and actively be trying to make changes for the better for patients,” said Russell. “We dubbed ourselves the ‘Tufts Marathon sweethearts.'”

They even started an Instagram account with that name.

Both say those training runs are a great way to relieve stress from the day and connect.

“After some long days, getting a run, just like talking it out, I think it’s kind of nice,” said Weaver.

Russell agreed.

“When I’m running, I find myself thinking about my patients in the past, my patients that are currently on our patient load, what we can do better for them,” 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.

By Ari Hait

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    WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — David Aprea, a paramedic and neighbor, quickly responded to a home invasion on 50th Street in West Palm Beach Thursday morning, helping his injured neighbor and chasing down the suspect.

“It’s just the nature of me. I saw somebody in need, and I helped them,” Aprea said.

The incident occurred around 11 a.m. when a 73-year-old resident returned home to find an intruder inside.

The resident, who only speaks Spanish and requested anonymity, described the terrifying encounter.

“He grabbed me, picked me up, and slammed me to the floor,” the resident said.

The suspect then ran from the house.

Aprea owns a nearby property.

“All of a sudden, the gentleman across the street started screaming, yelling, come running out that he was getting robbed. And he was covered in blood,” Aprea said.

Without hesitation, Aprea and another man took off after the suspect.

“The robber just took off down the block, and we chased after him, chased him down a driveway, and he went to hop a fence, and he dropped the bag and (we) just recovered the bag,” Aprea said.

After retrieving the stolen items, Aprea, a paramedic with 38 years of experience in New York, returned to render medical assistance to the victim.

“He was just in pain. He was bleeding from the head. So, I had a medical kit in my truck and took care of him,” Aprea said.

West Palm Beach police arrested the suspect, Zieare Peavy, a short time later, a few blocks away. Peavy faces charges of home invasion and aggravated battery.

Reflecting on the day’s events, Aprea said he never considered his own safety. “Just a basic day,” he said with a laugh.

Despite his heroic actions, Aprea said his wife was not pleased with the risk he took.

Aprea admitted, “I got in trouble.”

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 Madilyn Destefano

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    ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA, Florida (WESH) — A man is accused of breaking into an SUV in a Publix parking lot in Ormond-by-the-Sea Friday, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

Justin Allen, 37, was arrested after he broke into an “innocent” Publix employee’s vehicle with a hammer, the VSO said.

“She’s still a little shook up that her world got rocked like that,” said Zachary Yeoman, Daytona Nissan Infiniti owner. “But there’s a big smile on her face. She was definitely upset that someone would do that to her vehicle.”

Car dealership owner Yeoman found out about what happened. So, he stopped by the Publix to try to track down the employee. He talked to her and is now helping with her car repairs, even setting her up with a free rental car so she and her family can get around. Yeoman is just happy to lend a hand.

“I talked to the manager where she works, and he said she’s one of the hardest workers there,” he added. “She still came to work, no excuses.”

According to the VSO, Allen said he was “taking revenge” on an ex’s car.

However, deputies say the vehicle actually belonged to someone else, who was not his ex.

When deputies arrived at the Publix, they found Allen in the passenger seat of the vehicle with a hammer in his hand, according to the arrest affidavit.

Allen began “striking the in-car radio while seated inside the vehicle,” the report said.

After being taken into custody, Allen said the car belonged to him and he was causing damage to his own property. He quickly, spontaneously uttered that it was his girlfriend’s car, the report said.

However, deputies met with the woman Allen claimed was his girlfriend, and she told the VSO that their relationship had ended and there was no communication between them.

Allen is charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, criminal mischief of over $1,000 and possession of drugs.

Allen posted a $10,500 bond and has since been released.

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.