Category: CNN Regional

By Ashley Paul

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — Some Harford County parents are speaking out after their children’s longtime school bus driver was removed from her route after allegedly allowing a student to get off the bus to rescue an injured kitten.

Cynthia Morgan, who drove students in the district for 11 years, told CBS News Baltimore she is devastated by the decision.

Parents say they understand the safety concerns but believe removing Morgan from her route was excessive.

Video recorded on Heaps School Road shows little traffic on the rural road, a detail parents say is important to understanding what happened.

“We live in North Harford, so it’s very rural out here, off of Heaps School Road, a very low-traffic road,” parent Carolyn Kalambihis said. “She wouldn’t have done it, let a child get off the bus to get a kitten if it was a more high-traffic road.”

Morgan was removed from her route this week after she allegedly allowed a student to get off the bus to pick up an injured kitten. Morgan confirmed the account to CBS News Baltimore but declined to speak on camera.

Kalambihis acknowledged the potential safety risks but said she believes Morgan understands that allowing a student off the bus was a mistake.

“It’s definitely a concern for safety. There is no question that it was a mistake,” Kalambihis said. “It shouldn’t have happened. I believe she knows that and understands, and looking back, knows she made a mistake and should not have done what she did.”

Parents rally behind longtime bus driver Kalambihis said Morgan drove her children to North Harford Elementary School for five years and became someone they looked forward to seeing each day.

“She is an angel. She is the most caring person,” Kalambihis said. “Every year at the beginning of the school year she buys every child on the bus school supplies. She buys them gifts for Christmas, every holiday, birthdays she gives them birthday cards, all out of her own pocket. She just does it because it makes her feel good.”

Harford County Public Schools said Morgan was employed by an independent contractor, not directly by the school district.

However, the district is responsible for certifying drivers who transport students for its schools.

In a statement to CBS News Baltimore, the district said, in part, “Certification and decertification are not always based on a single factor but often involve consideration of multiple circumstances and requirements…. Student safety remains our top priority, and all certification decisions are made with that responsibility in mind.”

The district declined to comment on Morgan’s specific situation.

Petition calls for her return Kalambihis and other parents are circulating a petition calling for Morgan to be allowed to return to her route.

“We just feel the way that it was handled was not appropriate,” Kalambihis said. “We feel that termination was a little excessive, an overreaction by the Department of Transportation through HCPS. I think it could have been handled in a lot of other ways.”

Cleary Inc. employs bus drivers who transport students for Harford County Public Schools.

CBS News Baltimore reached out to the company for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

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 Ryan Baker, Adam Harrington

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — Updated on: October 9, 2026 / 10:48 AM CDT / CBS Chicago

Mike Ditka, a football legend who went from a star tight end for the Chicago Bears to its most famous coach to this day, has died at the age of 86.

His family confirmed his death in a statement, writing, “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka. While the world knew Mike as a Hall of Fame football player, legendary coach, and leader of the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX championship team, we knew him as the heart of our family Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever.”

The NFL posted a statement on their social media, writing, “The NFL is deeply saddened by the passing of Hall of Fame coach and tight end, Mike Ditka. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also posted about his death, writing, “Da Coach was not only an icon in Chicago, but the entire football world. Our thoughts are with Mike Ditka’s family, friends, and Bears fans today. May his memory be a blessing.”

Ditka was born Oct. 18, 1939. Before he became Da Coach, the legend of “Iron” Mike Ditka was forged in the blue-collar town of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, northwest of Pittsburgh.

Ditka never forgot his working-class roots, but he did use football as his ticket out of working in the steel mills. He earned a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, where he became an All-American tight end in 1960.

“If you wanted to be good at something, you had to work at it,” Ditka told CBS Chicago in 1985, “and nobody was going to give you nothing for nothing.”

The Bears drafted him fifth overall in 1961. He was named the NFL’s rookie of the year and went on to revolutionize the tight end position as a pass-catcher.

“I didn’t particularly like those people I was playing against, I really didn’t,” Ditka said. “I wasn’t a guy who went up and shook hands before the game or after the game.”

The pinnacle of Ditka’s six-year run with the Bears came in 1963, when #89 helped lead the team to an NFL championship.

However, after a contract dispute with owner George “Papa Bear” Halas, the five-time Pro Bowler was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the 1967 season.

Ditka would cap off his playing days by catching a touchdown in Super Bowl VI for the Dallas Cowboys. Upon retirement, he immediately joined Tom Landry’s coaching staff in Dallas.

In 1982, Ditka’s career came full circle when Halas brought him back to the Bears as the 10th head coach in franchise history.

As coach, both fans and the media couldn’t get enough of Ditka’s gruff and tough coaching persona. Ditka’s fiery sideline demeanor quickly turned into on-field success.

“I don’t want to be competitive. I know what that is,” Ditka said in 1985. “I want to be the winner.”

The 1985 Bears reached and won Super Bowl XX. On Jan. 26, 1986, in New Orleans, Ditka’s Bears dominated the New England Patriots 46-10, making Ditka one of only two men to win an NFL title as a player, assistant coach, and head coach.

In 1988, Ditka became the first tight end ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

However, later that year, he suffered a heart attack. He would recover, and in 1990, he led the Bears to a sixth division crown.

But following a 5-11 finish in the 1992 season, Ditka was fired.

Ditka later returned to the NFL for a three-season stint as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, from 1997 through 1999. Afterward, Ditka retired from coaching.

But the iconic status of Da Coach continued to grow, especially in Chicago. He became a successful restaurateur and appeared in commercials for a range of products, hawking everything from wine to wieners.

In late 2013, Chicago’s favorite Grabowski received the ultimate tribute — as his iconic jersey #89 was retired during a halftime ceremony at Soldier Field.

Ditka also had a longstanding relationship with CBS Chicago. Throughout his run as Bears head coach, Ditka also made weekly appearances during football season with Channel 2 sports director Johnny Morris on “The Mike Ditka Show.”

“The Mike Ditka Show” ended after Ditka was fired from the Bears in January 1993. But in the mid-2000s, Ditka was appearing on CBS Chicago again as an analyst for the program “2 on Football” with sports director Mark Malone. He also appeared as a color analyst for local broadcasts of preseason Bears games.

Ditka was also a commercial spokesperson for many products and an avid golfer. He was also closely tied to Misericordia, the Chicago facility that serves young people with developmental and physical disabilities.

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 Ryan Takeo

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KSHB) — About 1,000 Kansas City-area K-12 students will receive free eye exams and prescription glasses at a five-day vision clinic this week at Kansas City University.

Fidelity Security Life Insurance Company, the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation and Score 1 for Health are partnering to host the clinic.

One of those 1,000 students was a second grader named Jace. He took several vision tests with licensed optometrists on Wednesday.

Jace then picked out his own glasses. On-site technician volunteers with OneSight helped put together the glasses within the hour.

“It’s cool,” he said shyly as he worked his way through the line.

Bo Prescott manages a vision store in Alabama. This week, he’s one of the volunteers.

“It’s like a highlight of our year,” Prescott said.

Yzeylle Esiong is a KCU first-year student who also volunteered Wednesday. She remembers when she first learned she needed glasses as a kid. That’s one reason why she wanted to help out students like Jace.

The clinic runs October 5-9.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Scripps editorial team 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 Steve Kaut

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    KANSAS CITY, Kansas (KSHB) — A man is charged with injuring an officer after an incident with Kansas City, Kansas, police.

Roberto Pineda, 47, of KCK, is facing one count of aggravated battery against a law enforcement officer, per court records.

Pineda allegedly ran over a KCKPD officer’s foot with a black Buick Regal while fleeing from a traffic stop around midnight on Sept. 29.

Officers found out around 4 p.m. the same day that the vehicle was parked at a business in the 2900 block of State Avenue.

The KBI is investigating the aggravated battery of a police officer at North 29th Street and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. An officer turned on the emergency lights on his police car, Pineda got out of his car and ran from police, and two officers chased him.

When they caught up to him, he tried to take a gun from one of the officers. The officer managed to get a knife and stab Pineda. A second officer hit Pineda with a baton, according to a news release from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

The officer who fought with Pineda was treated at a hospital and released.

Pineda was released from the hospital and arrested on Oct. 2, per the KBI.

He is expected to face more charges in the fight over the officer’s gun.

Pineda is currently being held in the Wyandotte County Detention Center. A judge set his bond at $75,000.

A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13.

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 John Lauritsen

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    MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — If you’ve ever wanted to own a house designed by a famous architect, now is your chance. A 75-year-old Minneapolis home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is on the market.

“This is fun. This does not feel like a job here. This has been a fun process,” said David Stickney, of Stickney Real Estate.

The 2,500-square-foot home on Burnham Boulevard is the first Wright home Stickney has ever worked with. He knows it’s a rare opportunity for a realtor. And as he looks to sell it, he’s getting a history lesson.

“This is not one you would want to replicate today, just with the cost to build and the materials that were used,” said Stickney.

Built in 1951, it’s on the market for nearly $2.5 million. It comes with three bathrooms, three bedrooms and some of Wright’s typical features, like a massive fireplace, built-in furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows.

The home also has a walk-out terrace which overlooks Cedar Lake. And it plays into Wright’s style of designing with humanity and the environment in mind.

“You really feel like you are one with nature at this property,” said Stickney.

Inside, visitors can’t help but notice angles at every turn.

“Different ceiling heights. You’ll notice even the walls will taper in as they go up higher,” said Stickney.

But there are also features that aren’t usually part of a Wright design.

“The fact that it features cull marble and western larch interior paneling which was typically used on the exterior of homes,” said Stickney.

The owner has modernized with a new garage, new roof and new HVAC improvements, while also going to great depths to keep Wright’s iconic work intact.

“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever worked on here in the cities,” said Stickney. “Really viewing this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The home is one of more than 1,000 structures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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 Emma Burch

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    OKLAHOMA (KOCO) — Students across Oklahoma will hear personal stories about the dangers of drugs later this month as Red Ribbon Week returns to classrooms, and among those voices are two mothers who lost their children to fentanyl.

For Karla Carlock and Melissa Baptiste, this isn’t just a Red Ribbon Week lesson—it’s a warning they wish their own children had heard.

“She was 19 years old, and she was a student at Cameron University majoring in early childhood education,” Carlock said about her daughter, Rain. “And then I got a call the next day that they found her dead in bed.”

Carlock’s daughter died after taking a pill labeled as Xanax, which her autopsy revealed was laced with fentanyl.

“We got Rain’s Law passed, and it requires fentanyl education in grades six through 12. So, she’s teaching, just in a different way,” Carlock said.

Carlock and Baptiste now visit schools to share their stories, educating students about fentanyl, Narcan, overdose signs and how to get help. Baptiste lost her son, Jeffrey, in 2022.

“My two high school kids found their brother, and they had no idea what was going on or how to fix or help him,” Baptiste said.

She said that’s why the lesson has to go beyond just saying no to drugs. She said if someone dies while sharing pills, those who call for help won’t be responsible for their death.

“There is a Good Samaritan law in place which protects people if they call for help,” Baptiste said.

The mothers say their message is resonating with students.

“One little girl came up to me and said, ‘I lost my sister that way.’ And another little boy said, ‘I just want to say thank you. Can I give you a hug?’” Carlock said.

The two moms are available to visit schools year-round, and their message is simple: one decision can change a life.

“You matter. Your life matters, and no matter what you’re going through right now, there’s still hope,” Carlock 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 Alan Shope

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    OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (KMBC) — Amelia White, a 10-year-old from Leavenworth, will be celebrated at this year’s Light the Night event in Overland Park.

“I want to be a nurse. I might want to be a doctor,” Amelia said, sharing her aspirations for the future.

Amelia recently rang the bell as a cancer-free survivor after undergoing more than 29 months of treatment.

“It was wonderful, and I was super happy,” Amelia said.

Her mother, Elizabeth White, talked about the difficult journey her daughter faced after being diagnosed at just 7 years old.

“Amelia was diagnosed with stage 4, B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma,” Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth recalled a heartbreaking moment early in Amelia’s diagnosis.

“She came to me and she said, ‘Do I have the deadly kind of cancer?’ That was very hard,” she said.

Despite the challenges, Elizabeth described her daughter as a “warrior.”

“There were so many days, and I’m trying to not get emotional, where Amelia said, ‘I can’t do this,'” Elizabeth said.

Now cancer-free, Amelia is back to being her playful self, and her family hopes she can inspire others at the Light the Night event.

“I think meeting survivors and hearing those stories is very helpful,” Elizabeth said.

Amelia plans to share a message of hope with others battling cancer.

“Like my mom said, just hang in there. It’s a lot of work to do it, but you’ll get through it,” Amelia said.

Her family hopes her story will encourage others to “hang in there, just lift each other up in all moments, good and bad,” Elizabeth 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 J.D. Miles

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    GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (KTVT) — A North Texas charity is preparing to send emergency relief supplies if and when Hurricane Isaias makes landfall.

Employees with World Vision are ready to dispatch trucks to the Florida-Mississippi region, where the storm is expected to hit.

A forklift is moving 26 pallets of packed boxes that could be transported to the Gulf Coast as early as tonight. The supplies include cleaning kits, a portable generator, a gas can, backpacks, diapers, toilet paper, bottled water, and toys for children who may be without their own for a while.

The nonprofit considers these items essential for hurricane victims, drawing on its extensive experience in disaster relief.

Roberta Taylor, site manager for World Vision’s Dallas operation, oversees a 56,000-square-foot facility in Grand Prairie. The nonprofit, which has operated for 75 years, primarily helps families living in poverty. However, World Vision also responded to 13 emergencies in the U.S. last year and 104 worldwide.

“It’s a sad situation for those involved in a disaster, but I’m grateful that we are here to be able to help to bring that light, you know, to fulfill just the smallest of needs,” Taylor said.

Taylor said the Grand Prairie warehouse serves as a regional staging hub, positioned to respond to humanitarian crises within 72 hours.

With Hurricane Isaias churning toward the coastline, Taylor and other employees have plenty of work ahead over the next 24 hours.

“Long hours, you get a little hectic because there’s people making donations specifically for that particular disaster, so you know our doors open sometimes earlier in the morning, sometimes later at night, sometimes the trucks have to roll at 3 in the morning,” Taylor said.

The first truck will not leave the facility until its driver knows where the supplies are needed.

World Vision is coordinating with Gulf Coast churches and other relief organizations to determine where the supplies should be delivered.

CBS News Texas will provide updates as more information becomes available.

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.