Category: CNN Regional

By WCCO Staff

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Minnesota State Patrol trooper ran into a burning Minneapolis home overnight Thursday to rescue residents, according to the Minneapolis Fire Department.

Crews were called just before 1 a.m. to the home off 29th Avenue South near Riverside and East Franklin avenues in the Seward neighborhood after the trooper reported the fire.

The trooper had rescued two residents before firefighters arrived, says Assistant Chief Melanie Rucker, but one resident was still trapped inside.

Firefighters were able to pull the third resident from the home, and they were transported to an area hospital in critical condition. The other two residents were also hospitalized for smoke inhalation and are in stable condition, Rucker says.

The trooper also suffered smoke inhalation but wasn’t hospitalized. Rucker says firefighters also rescued and revived a cat at the scene.

“Our thoughts are with the residents injured in this fire and with the State Trooper who bravely entered the home before our crews arrived,” Rucker said. “Their actions, and the rapid, coordinated efforts of our firefighters and medical teams, helped prevent an even more devastating outcome. We remain hopeful for the full recovery of everyone affected.”

Rucker says the home is now “uninhabitable,” and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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 Matt Schooley

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    HAMPTON FALLS, New Hampshire (WBZ) — Police are investigating a crash at a New Hampshire apple orchard that left two people with serious injuries.

It happened around noon on Wednesday at Applecrest Farm Orchards on Exeter Road in Hampton Falls. The business describes itself as the largest apple orchard in New Hampshire.

The Hampton Falls Police Department said two people were seriously hurt after being hit by a car.

First responders treated the patients and both were taken to area hospitals for evaluation.

Police did not provide any additional details on the extent of their injuries.

The driver involved in the crash, which police said is not considered suspicious, has been identified. They remained on scene after the crash and have been cooperating in the investigation, police said.

Hampton Falls Police have not yet released the names of the driver or the people who were injured.

Police did not immediately release details about what led up to the crash.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Hampton Falls Police Lt. Justin Ranauro.

Video from the scene showed several damaged cars in the parking lot, along with what appeared to be damage to a nearby farmstand. A white SUV with front-end damage and a white sedan with rear-end damage were each towed from the scene.

No additional details on the crash are currently available.

Applecrest Farms says that in addition to being the largest orchard in New Hampshire, it’s also the oldest in the state.

Located on the seacoast of New Hampshire, Hampton Falls is about 45 miles north of Boston.

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 WTKR Web Staff

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    NORFOLK, Virginia (WTKR) — One Norview High School student was killed and another was injured in a shooting during school dismissal on Wednesday, according to Norfolk police.

Officers responded to the 6800 block of Sewells Point Road around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. When they arrived, they found two 16-year-old students who had been shot. One died of their injuries, according to NPS Superintendent Jeff Rose.

“I am at a loss for words about the shooting that occurred during dismissal involving three Norview High School students today,” Rose wrote in an email to the community. “Unfortunately, one of our students passed away because of this incident.”

Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot said the shooting happened outside of the school as school was being dismissed.

He says an altercation happened between two groups and someone pulled out a gun and started shooting.

“We understand the scope of what happened out here. It’s certainly tragic, but we anticipate being able to quickly wrap this up,” said Talbot.

A Norfolk Public Schools spokesperson said three students were involved in the shooting.

Norview High School went into lockdown during the incident, and Norview Middle delayed dismissal.

“Norfolk Public Schools Security kept all of our students at Norview Middle School safe and secure during the incident, which is what caused the delayed dismissal,” Rose wrote.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi also came to the school to review what happened. “Without going into the facts of the case, children are children. Their brains are different. Their ability to control their impulses is different and that means that the entire legal system for children is different,” he said.

Fatehi wanted to reassure parents the incident was isolated. “For parents who are worried about their kids thats part of life unfortunately,” Fatehi said. “This is isolated we’re out here because this does not happen every day.”

An NPS spokesperson said that crisis counselors, psychologists, school counselors and other support personnel for students and staff will be available at Norview High School in tomorrow and in the coming days.

Additional NPD officers, NPS school resource officers and security personnel will also be at school before the start of the day up until all students have been dismissed.

Norfolk police are still investigating the incident.

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 Margaret Kavanagh

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    NORFOLK, Virginia (WTKR) — Two 25-year-old Chinese nationals are facing federal charges after prosecutors say they ran a scheme to steal Teslas using stolen identities this past spring and summer.

Jialiang Huang, a student at Virginia Tech, and Yaoxu Zhou are accused of wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, according to federal court records.

According to the records, the two men allegedly bought and leased numerous Teslas using stolen identifications.

Prosecutors say they then removed the GPS systems from the cars and had them re-titled in Montana using fraudulent documents.

It states removing the GPS systems made it difficult for authorities to locate the cars.

Court records outline two allegations of theft — one in Henrico and another in Norfolk.

Prosecutors allege that on May 16, Huang and Zhou went to a Tesla dealership in Norfolk and used the stolen identification of a man to lease a Cybertruck, making a down payment of more than $11,000.

It states Tesla never received any additional payments.

The victim discovered an application for a car loan on his credit report and contacted authorities.

Prosecutors say the suspects were also working with another suspect located in China and another man who is currently in a California jail on related charges.

Legal analyst Sonny Stallings explained the allegations.

“It’s sophisticated crime. Somebody had to sit down and work on this and know how to do certain things, know what they needed when they went to lease that car. That’s key. They just didn’t walk into the leasing agent and say, ‘Hey, I want to lease that car. What do I need?’ They knew what they needed. They needed identification. They needed insurance information,” Stallings said.

Stallings said the case is a good reminder to check your credit and make sure it’s protected.

“The people are out there, they get you information, you got good credit, you could one day find out you bought a car.” Stallings said.

Arrest warrants have been issued for both men. Attempts to reach them were unsuccessful.

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

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    LOS ANGELES, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A Los Angeles County court is considering a conservatorship for a Fairfax homeowner after years of trash piling up at the property.

The seemingly never-ending saga in the 600 block of Martel Avenue, just south of Melrose Avenue, came to a head in April 2024, when city crews removed seven tons of trash and debris that attracted rodents and a host of insects.

Property records showed that the LA Building and Safety Department cited the homeowner in 2014 for violations, including garbage on the property, excessive vegetation, open storage, and no driveway access.

Neighbors said the homeowner, who is in his 70s, suffers from mental health issues and collects recycling to make some money.

“He has a mental issue and it’s real,” said neighbor Liz Kay. “It’s called hoarding and he’s just been so abused in this neighborhood. I feel terrible for him because he’s a really nice man and he tries.”

When the situation got out of hand two years ago, Mayor Karen Bass paid a visit to the neighborhood and said she would work with county officials to “figure out how we get care for him.”

In 2026, Bass aired her frustration that the trash kept piling up.

“It is outrageous that the owner of this private property has once again allowed the conditions to disintegrate and neighbors are forced to live near this mess,” Bass wrote in a statement. “The criminal case against the owner is ongoing as the court considers appointing a conservator.”

The mayor’s office said the homeowner has a court hearing scheduled for Oct. 16.

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 Marvin Hurst

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    FORT WORTH, Texas (KTVT) — Ms. Opal Lee turned 100, and the woman known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” had a former first lady help her celebrate a century of life, legacy and unfinished business.

Michelle Obama headlined a special speaker series at the Fort Worth Convention Center, capping Lee’s centennial celebration while raising funds for the National Juneteenth Museum.

For the crowd, it was more than a birthday party. It was a call to action.

“It was awesome!” Dr. Lyndia Thomas said. “I enjoyed Michelle’s speech. I enjoyed the audience, the atmosphere, and everything. She was outstanding.”

Obama shared personal stories about life in the White House, the scrutiny she faced, and the lessons she learned along the way.

Analisa Gabriel brought her niece, Gabrielle Diaz, a recent college graduate who has admired the Obamas for years.

“It wasn’t so much about the politics, but it was just about her and her life and lessons,” Gabriel said. “I was glad that I had my niece with me because she had life lessons for her young people.”

Diaz said she even received a letter from Barack and Michelle Obama when she graduated from high school.

For others, simply sharing the room with two women who have shaped American history was overwhelming.

“I never would have said that I’m gonna be in the same room, in the same air, with Ms. Opal and Mrs. Obama,” Rita Green-Bibbs said. “I love it.”

Green-Bibbs called the experience life-changing.

But the night wasn’t just about looking back.

Party attendee M.J. Jones said Obama’s message was clear: The responsibility to create change belongs to the next generation.

“There’s change that still needs to happen,” Jones said. “Her job is not done. And she kind of instilled that in us tonight to keep going and to keep fighting.”

That message echoed Lee’s own lifetime of advocacy.

The Fort Worth civil rights icon helped lead the national effort to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Now, her vision for the National Juneteenth Museum aims to preserve that history and educate generations still to come.

At 100 years old, Lee’s legacy is still being written.

And on a night celebrating a century of her life, the crowd left with a reminder that the work she started is far from finished.

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 Adam Duxter

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    MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — If there’s anyone who understands the nuances around youth violence, it’s Imam Hassan Jama, the founder of Minneapolis’ oldest and largest mosque.

He has spent his life teaching kids, but even he is perplexed by a surge in gun violence this week. Police in the Twin Cities suburbs say a shooting outside an Eden Prairie High School football game and the 100 rounds fired in a Bloomington residential neighborhood Tuesday morning are connected East African and Somali gangs.

Hama blames social media and a lack of direction for young people. But he’s pushing back on a narrative he says is driven by police and politicians alike.

“Anyone who commits a crime, we want to treat as a criminal, not name their ethnicity. A crime is a crime, regardless of who did it,” he said. “Stop calling the whole Somali youth Somali gangs. You are not helping. You are harming more than you’re helping.”

He said the Somali community in Minnesota is trying hard to integrate and reach the American dream. He added that trust is quickly eroding between East Africans in Minnesota and law enforcement, but says he and other faith leaders are working to rein in the violence.

“Loudly, I want to address to Somali youth, to any youth, to any youth in Minnesota, what you’re doing is wrong,” he said. “It’s against your teaching, against your tradition, against what your parents teach, and it’s against who your community is. Stop today. Stop right now. You’re putting at risk the whole community.”

Hama says it’s the lack of trust between parents and police that he believes has many families not cooperating with law enforcement.

Police say that’s hurt their ability to arrest anyone for the recent crimes.

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.