Author: Edward Campbell

A wildfire burning near the Lake County and Mendocino County line continued to threaten the area after rapidly expanding in the Potter Valley region, with evacuation orders still in effect for several Lake County zones. The Lucas Fire began Thursday, Sept. 10, near Potter Valley. CAL FIRE reported the fire at 1,099 acres and 5% contained in its latest posted incident update, with crews continuing suppression efforts in difficult terrain. The cause remains under investigation. The fire has prompted evacuations in parts of Lake County, while warnings remain active in areas of Lake and Mendocino counties. Officials have urged residents…

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, Alexandra Brzezinski still remembers the moment her family realized something terrible had happened to her cousin, Christine Olender. For Brzezinski, the anniversary is not simply a date in American history. It is a reminder of a woman she loved — a cousin known for her energy, warmth and unmistakable personality. “Christine was really the firecracker,” Brzezinski recalled. “But we lost her on 9/11.” Olender was 39 when she died at the World Trade Center. She was working as an assistant general manager at Windows on the World, the restaurant and event space on…

An elderly woman was pulled to safety after her car caught fire Friday afternoon in Chicago’s Dunning neighborhood, with a bystander stepping in before firefighters arrived. The vehicle was engulfed in flames in the 3200 block of North Orange Avenue, according to video shared on social media. Tanya Fermin was outside when she noticed the woman still inside the vehicle. She said the elderly woman was sitting in the back passenger area and appeared to be looking for her purse. Fermin quickly approached the car and urged the woman to get out. “I had to tell her, ‘Ma’am, you have…

Chicago is preparing for an unusually busy weekend as Mexican Independence Day celebrations, concerts, sports and festivals bring large crowds to downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. With several major events taking place at the same time, city officials are warning that traffic conditions could become difficult enough to require temporary restrictions on vehicle access in parts of the Loop. People heading downtown are being encouraged to use public transportation rather than drive. Officials say any restrictions would depend on traffic and crowd conditions as the weekend unfolds. If vehicle access into the Loop is limited, officials have identified several locations that…

The family of a Chicago woman who died after an SUV plunged into the Little Calumet River is calling for changes along a dangerous stretch of South Indiana Avenue, saying better barriers, lighting and warning signs could help prevent another tragedy. Ralphelle Howard, 26, was one of five adults inside a Chevrolet Trailblazer when the vehicle crashed into the river around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday near 130th Street and South Indiana Avenue. Police said the driver lost control, struck a barrier and went into the water. Three people, including the driver, were able to reach shore. A fourth passenger, 24-year-old Trumayne…

A New Baltimore tattoo shop owner’s tongue-in-cheek offer involving Flock cameras has gone viral, turning a joke about surveillance technology into a broader conversation about privacy, public safety and how the cameras are used. Steven Jean, owner of The Alien Body Shop, posted an unusual offer on Instagram: Bring a Flock camera to his shop and he would give you a free tattoo. The post was intended as satire. Instead, it quickly spread across social media. Jean told CBS News Detroit that the post had been viewed more than 2 million times. He also began receiving photos and videos from…

Highland Township, Mich. — A Michigan landscaping company is seeking answers after six of its employees were stopped by federal immigration agents while traveling to work Thursday morning. The workers, employed by GLC Property Maintenance in Highland Township, were stopped by a group of vehicles associated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The company says the six employees are legally authorized to work in the United States through the federal H-2B visa program. The encounter has left the company questioning why the workers were stopped and what prompted the federal agents to approach them. Video recorded by one of the…

A 25-year-old Orangeburg man is facing charges after deputies investigating severe injuries to a 1-year-old child discovered a home where the child and a vulnerable adult were allegedly living in extremely poor conditions. Justice Anderson was charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk and neglect of a vulnerable adult following an investigation at a residence on Manlicher Drive in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. The investigation began on Friday, Sept. 4, after medical personnel at MUSC Health notified the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office about a 1-year-old child who had suffered severe injuries. Deputies then went to the residence where the…

A West Virginia father is facing multiple criminal charges after a crash in Clay County killed his two young sons and seriously injured another child who was riding in the vehicle. James Edward Neal Jr., 34, has been charged with two counts of child neglect resulting in death in connection with the deaths of his sons, 7-year-old James Edward Neal III and 13-year-old Zayden Andrew Hurley. The crash happened Aug. 22 as Neal was driving an SUV with the two boys and a 14-year-old friend of the children. The group was reportedly returning from a football event when the SUV…

A Springfield man is facing multiple felony charges after police say he struck and killed a pedestrian, left the crash scene and later appeared to have a teenager behind the wheel of the same SUV. The victim was identified as 50-year-old Darryl Moore, who was hit shortly after 11 p.m. Sept. 4 near Ridge Road and North Limestone Street in Springfield, Ohio. Moore was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center and later flown to Miami Valley Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Investigators say Moore was walking along North Limestone Street while pulling a wheeled trash container. Surveillance footage…