Category: CNN Regional

By Dan Raby

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    ATLANTA, Georgia (WUPA) — The suspect in a deadly stabbing on the Atlanta Beltline in August has been deemed not competent to stand trial, a Fulton County judge has ruled.

Court records obtained by CBS News Atlanta reveal that a judge declared 54-year-old Jonathan Hamby incompetent, putting him on a separate competency docket. The records showed that he was also looking for new counsel in his case.

According to a post on the Superior Court of Fulton County’s website, the Competency Docket involves the judge, attorneys for the prosecution and defense, and mental health experts as part of a “restoration process.” If a defendant is “not restorable” they can ultimately be committed.

Hamby has been charged with murder, possession of a knife during the commission of a felony, aggravated assault, and terroristic threats in the death of 29-year-old Ramon Harris on the Beltline on Aug. 23, 2026.

Body camera footage showed officers arriving at the scene and ordering Hamby to get on the ground. Hamby is heard in the footage telling officers that he was defending himself.

Jail records show Hamby has been booked dozens of times since 2011 on charges that included obstruction, battery, criminal trespass, interference with government property, aggravated assault and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony.

In a statement following his arrest, Hamby’s family said he had a long history of severe mental illness and active psychosis and had repeatedly tried to get him treatment.

“We spent years desperately fighting a broken system to prevent this exact tragedy from happening,” the family wrote.

Court documents show that Hamby is scheduled to be in court for a pre-indictment preliminary hearing on Dec. 17, 2026 with a status conference on Feb. 11, 2027.

As of Wednesday, Hamby remains in custody at the Fulton County Jail.

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 WABC News Staff

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    NEW YORK CITY, New York (WABC) — A deal has been reached to end the horse carriage industry, a city official says, with the mayor pushing for worker protections in the bill to be voted on next week.

The council is scheduled to vote on the bill Oct. 22, and it is expected to pass. The mayor also agrees with ending horse-drawn carriage rides and is expected to support the legislation.

The legislation includes provisions intended to help carriage owners transition out of the industry.

Councilman Chris Marte, the bill’s sponsor, said city agencies would be tasked with developing a transition plan for affected workers.

“We’re going to have agencies create a plan that they have to deliver to the mayor and the speaker, outline a potential new jobs for these workers financial assistance, even compensation for their medallion and horses as well. We wanted to make sure that this bill was a win win, that we protect horses, workers and the public at large,” Marte said.

City Hall issued a statement Tuesday saying officials have been working with those affected by the proposed ban.

“We have been working closely with the City Council, union partners, carriage drivers, animal welfare advocates, and community leaders to deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all.”

It is not yet clear what will happen to the horses.

Horse-drawn carriages have been a New York City attraction for more than 160 years, drawing tourists to Central Park.

Efforts to end the rides intensified following the death of a horse named Deniz this summer and the death of 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan, who was riding with his family when a horse became spooked.’

Horse carriage unions, operators sound off on ban The horse carriage union remains concerned about what the ban would mean for its workers and the animals.

Transport Workers Union International President John Samuelsen said the bill does not have meaningful economic relief for workers.

“It only says the city should prepare a worker transition plan by April 2027 and include weak measures like job fairs and job counseling. It says the city should ‘consider’ financial compensation for carriage owners who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy city-issued medallions and build up their businesses,” Samuelsen said.

He went on to say that Menin is using “the tragic death of a tourist to contrive a public safety crisis. This is disgraceful political opportunism, and Zohran should not simply go along with it, particularly when immigrant families’ livelihoods are being destroyed. This entire situation is reprehensible.”

Among those concerned is Ahmet Bilici, who has been giving carriage rides in Central Park for nearly 25 years. A trained veterinarian from Turkey, Bilici said he found work driving carriages after arriving in New York and has remained in the industry ever since. He now worries that his carriage medallion could become worthless if the ban takes effect.

“No way. I will fight for my horses, my family, my child. This is not cheap,” he said.

Horse carriage operators and union representatives argue the industry is heavily regulated and should not be shut down.

“We are a lawful, regulated business that’s been in business here in the park since 1858. We’re licensed and regulated by the city. And you cannot just take people’s medallions, their property, their small businesses, their licenses, horses and shut them down,” said Christina Hansen of the horse carriage union.

Joshua Sausville, a horse carriage owner, defended the treatment of the animals.

“The horses are getting a better life here than they’ll ever get anywhere else. That much I can promise. I don’t know who they think they’re helping, but they’re not helping any horses,” Sausville 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 Marcus Solis

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    GREENWICH, Connecticut (WABC) — A cat named Turtle has been reunited with his family after being missing for 571 days and traveling across two states.

Turtle disappeared in March 2025. Originally a stray from Tennessee, Turtle had been microchipped and had an ear tip indicating he had been neutered. Before his disappearance, he lived in Greenwich with Kelly Moore.

“I love him so much and it was just a comedy of errors,” Moore said describing how the cat ran away through a partially open screen door.

Moore turned to Rocket Lost Pet Rescue for help after Turtle went missing. Founder Rocco Autero set up cameras near the family’s home to determine whether the cat was still in the area.

“He was actually, he was showing up. He came by here, you know, every night we caught him on video. He was afraid of cages,” Autero said. “So that’s one of his fears, cages.”

The sightings eventually stopped, leaving Moore fearing the worst.

“I cried and cried so many nights. And I felt responsible because not being aware of the storm door. And we were… we were really brokenhearted,” she said.

The breakthrough came last week when someone posted about finding a cat in Mamaroneck. Autero saw the post and believed the animal might be Turtle.

“It’s shocking, you know, that he was found and he traveled a long distance a lot further than we’ve seen many cats go,” Autero said.

The cat’s microchip ultimately confirmed his identity. After some effort to get Turtle into a carrier, he made the trip back home to Greenwich.

“If this can happen, anything can happen. It’s so wonderful and I’m so happy to have him back,” Moore 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 Dean Fioresi, Michele Gile

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    Huntington Beach, California (KCAL, KCBS) — An “aggressive” great white shark spotted off the Huntington Beach coastline prompted the temporary closure of the beach on Tuesday.

In a social media post, Huntington Beach Fire Department officials said they received a “credible report” of a 10- to 12-foot great white shark near Lifeguard Tower 16.

“The shark was reportedly circling, a behavior classified as aggressive under Marine Safety’s shark response protocols,” the post said.

Out of an abundance of caution, city officials opted to close the beach from Seapoint to the Huntington Beach Pier, approximately a mile north and south of the lifeguard tower.

“We do see animals from time to time. So, is it unusual? No. But the size of the shark is bigger than we normally encounter,” said HBFD Battalion Chief Doug Leach.

Firefighters said the stretch of beach would remain closed until at least 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

“Please follow all posted signs and instructions from lifeguards. Public safety remains our top priority,” the post said.

City marine safety personnel were expected to continue monitoring the situation after posting warning signs on the beach and notifying beachgoers.

On Wednesday, the surfer who spotted the shark spoke with CBS LA.

“When the wave stood up, you could see the sun through the back, and so then I saw the shark fully through the back of the wave swimming basically straight towards me,” said Patrick, who was foil surfing Tuesday afternoon when the shark suddenly appeared. “It was probably 20 to 40 feet away from me.”

He said he doesn’t believe the shark was coming after him; rather, they were just crossing paths. He said he beelined for the shore after seeing the shark with something in its mouth.

Chris Lowe, a California State Long Beach Marine Biology Professor and Shark Lab Director, said this is typically the time of year when sharks move up and down the coast. With El Niño now impacting the oceans, what was a “sharky summer” is turning into a “sharky fall.”

“It’s not over yet. So, we’re just getting into the thick of the season, so this could go well into December,” Lowe 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 WRAL staff

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    North Carolina (WRAL) — The North Carolina State Fair opens Thursday, and after a deadly accident at a Six Flags Amusement Park in Georgia, safety is top of mind for most fairgoers.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina Labor Commission inspected nearly 100 carnival rides, including the new 230-foot-tall ferris wheel.

Ride inspectors demonstrated how they inspect the parts and mechanics of each fair ride. While the attractions are fun, safety is a priority.

Just one day after a man died after falling from a roller coaster at Six Flags in Georgia, WRAL News asked Luke Farley, the state’s labor commissioner, what his team is doing to keep fairgoers safe.

“We’re in contact with the folks in Georgia, both the authorities and the ride operator down there, to understand what happened so that we can learn and apply lessons to the rides here in North Carolina. But the rides we’re going to be looking at here today are different,” Farley said.

Farley said inspectors will spend close to 1,000 hours inspecting rides. Even though the fair opens Thursday, Farley said inspections will continue until closing day.

“That means we will have inspectors on site making rounds all throughout the fair, the run of the fair, checking on these rides, talking to the operators to make sure that things are working the way they should,” Farley said.

He also encouraged fairgoers who witness or experience any issues on rides to report those concerns to state fair officials.

On Wednesday, inspectors will be at the fair again to make sure food is stored at proper temperatures, that equipment used for food is clean and functioning properly, and that food tents and trucks are sanitary.

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 Sara Tenenbaum, Victor Jacobo

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    Illinois (WBBM) — A 19-year-old Palatine man has been arrested after an investigation into threats involving a potential mass shooting that may have targeted a Hindu temple.

Palatine police said on Sunday afternoon that they were contacted by Mount Prospect police, who said they had been tipped off to a possible mass shooting by someone who received “concerning electronic communications” from Alexandros Paporakis of Palatine.

Paporakis was arrested outside his home in the 1300 block of North Baldwin Court Sunday evening by Palatine and Mount Prospect police.

While searching his home, police said they found a rifle, multiple loaded rifle magazines, hundreds of additional rounds of rifle ammunition, tactical equipment, a tactical vest containing body armor and a patch with imagery associated with white supremacist extremism.

“They recovered a rifle, they recovered loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of rifle ammunition as well as a body armor,” said Palatine Police Chief William Nord.

With help from the FBI, police said they were able to examine Paporakis’ electronics and electronic communication, and said they found a manifesto in which he self-identified as a white supremacist and wrote about his hatred for non-white people, including Jewish people, African Americans, Indians and other non-white people.

“Reading through the manifesto, he did state some extremist ideologies and talked about violence, he talked about mass killings and how he wanted to carry out this mass shooting,” Nord said.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Paporakis with one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon for possessing a rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches long, both felonies.

In court Wednesday, prosecutors said Paporakis’ coworker told police he had openly talked about being a white supremacist at his job at Taco Bell, making disparaging comments about people of other races. The coworker also told police he had discussed Nazis and an armed struggle, and expressed a particular hatred toward people from India.

Prosecutors said on Saturday, Paporakis told a coworker he was planning “it” at the largest Hindu temple in Aurora, then told another coworker that Sunday “was going to be a special day.”

Prosecutors said early Sunday afternoon Paporakis texted his coworker and asked him to call him. When he did, prosecutors said Paporakis told his coworker his gun jammed and “he got out of there ‘super-fast.'” After the call, he sent the coworker messages on Signal showing an AR-style rifle, showing how the gun failed to fire when he pulled the trigger, and a photo of himself in a tactical vest, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors also said during this chat he sent the coworker a copy of his eight-page manifesto. He also told them that he planned to carry out the attack later.

After they spoke over the phone, this coworker and another colleague called 911 to report the incident, prosecutors said.

Palatine police said the specific intended location in Paporakis’ alleged threats has not been confirmed and an investigation into that remains open. The Aurora police were notified of the threat, who then coordinated outreach to Hindu places of worship in the area to make them aware. The FBI was also involved in the investigation.

Court documents say Paporakis suffered from mental and emotional health issues and had been without prescribed medication. A judge ordered Paporakis detained while awaiting trial.

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.