Midwest
Minnesota boy, 3, not expected to survive after attack by pit bulls
- A 3-year-old Minnesota boy, Covil Allen, who was attacked by two pit bulls last week, is not expected to survive, according to his family.
- Covil’s family was at a home in Brooklyn Park where dogs were being sold, and police believed they were there to buy a dog.
- During the attack, adults used hammers and pick axes to try to fend off the dogs, according to the warrant.
A 3-year-old Minnesota boy who was attacked by two pit bulls last week is not expected to survive, his family said.
The parents of Covil Allen are preparing their son to be an organ donor, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Friday. An online campaign is raising funds to help Covil’s parents cope with expenses related to the July 19 attack in the backyard of a home.
A search warrant obtained by WCCO-TV said Covil’s family was at a home in Brooklyn Park where dogs were being sold. Police said they believed that the child’s parents were there to buy a dog.
MICHIGAN BOY, 8, SAVES SISTER, 6, FROM NEAR-FATAL DOG ATTACK
When the dogs began to attack Covil, adults “started to defend the 3-year-old by using hammers and pick axes to get the dogs off,” according to the warrant.
A 3-year-old Minnesota boy who was attacked by two pit bulls last week is not expected to survive, his family said. (Fox News)
Police officers arrived and saw the dogs attacking the child and shot both animals, police said. One dog was killed and the other was taken to a veterinary hospital and euthanized.
The fundraising posting said Covil’s mother also was bitten, on the leg, and has had several surgeries.
Police said an investigation continues into the attack on Covil and another dog bite incident on Tuesday, when a 7-year-old girl was attacked by a loose dog. She was not badly hurt. Officers killed the dog when it then tried to attack a boy, police said.
Brooklyn Park police Inspector Elliot Faust said larger conversations are underway with city leaders and elected officials about dog attacks.
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Indianapolis, IN
Authorities brace for retaliation in wake of after-prom party shooting in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS — The victim of Sunday morning’s shootout on the north side of Indianapolis has been identified as 38-year-old Brittany Marie Members.
Two other people were wounded at a short-term rental property at 40th Street and Park Avenue when an SUV full of gunmen opened fire on the house where Members’ daughter was hosting an after-prom party.
Approximately 100 shell casings from multiple guns were discovered at the scene as the result of three volleys of gunfire — two from the assailants and one from the people at the house.
A photograph from earlier in the evening showed three partygoers displaying four guns — two of them large semi-automatic rifles with banana clips — standing in front of party decorations.
Area residents told FOX59/CBS4 that party planners returned to the home Sunday night and removed the decorations nearly 24 hours after the early morning shooting.
“It was pure pandemonium, it was scary, it was terrifying, and I would have likened it to some type of war movie,” said Brandi Mitchell, a neighbor who awoke to a bullet hole in the front window of her home at 1 a.m. Sunday. “We heard a lot of yelling, a lot of screaming, so we just knew at that point it was gunfire, and I just immediately took cover.”
Neighborhood security video obtained by FOX59/CBS4 recorded the sounds of gunfire, people fleeing the scene on foot and a white SUV that rolled backward up Park Avenue after the first round of shots, headed back toward the house for a second volley and appeared to drive in reverse again after the partygoers fired back.
Mitchell said neighbors have recognized that the large yellow house across the street has been utilized as a short-term rental since early 2025, and while there was no previous trouble, she became uneasy as Saturday night rolled on and more young people arrived at the address.
“But as the night progressed, there were more and more people showing up, and we were getting a little agitated because it’s a lot of people,” Mitchell said. “And when there’s a lot of people, and didn’t look like a lot of supervision after those hours, it could get a little scary.”
The City’s Office of Public Health and Safety will deploy violence interrupters to reach out to victims and the community in an attempt to quell any potential retaliation.
“We don’t want that one shooting to become four, and we don’t want that one homicide to become four,” said Deputy Public Safety Director Tony Lopez.
In the coming days, Lopez’s staff will be “engaging with the family, engaging with others, trying to figure out if retaliation is possible, where’s the retaliation coming from.”
Lopez said warmer weather and springtime or end-of-school celebrations bring more parties to short-term rental properties around Indianapolis, making it challenging to monitor and follow up on violence that occasionally occurs.
City officials have indicated it is likely the owner of the Park Avenue property may face a fine for failing to register his short-term rental location with the Bureau of Neighborhood Services.
Cleveland, OH
2026 NBA Playoffs: Cavaliers vs. Pistons series prediction, pick for the second round
Sean Barnard breaks down the upcoming second-round NBA Playoffs series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons will face off in the second round of the Eastern Conference, with the remaining playoff teams trimmed down to eight. Both sides are coming off a grueling seven-game series and will have little time for rest. The Cavaliers squeaked by the Raptors while the Pistons were pushed to the brink by the eighth-seeded Magic.
The Pistons are -125 favorites to win the series on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Cavaliers are +105 underdogs. These are the shortest odds of any of the second-round matchups.
However, there are plenty of different ways to get involved in the action that hold more appeal than just betting the series straight up. This article will take a look at a preview for each team and a pair of series bets that have caught my eye.
Cavaliers vs. Pistons preview, prediction
Cleveland Cavaliers
It was a turbulent series for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After failing to get over the postseason hump with the same core, Cleveland pulled the plug by trading Darius Garland in exchange for James Harden, hoping this would change. It took seven games for them to officially bury the youthful Toronto Raptors, but Cleveland proved to have enough to get the job done. The Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 52-30 record and earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland has gone 36-53 against the spread, and the game total is 45-44 to the over/under.
Even following Harden’s addition, Donovan Mitchell still headlines the production for Cleveland. The seven-time All-Star averaged 27.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.5 rebounds across the regular season. Neither star quite lived up to expectations in the opening round, but they still advanced to the second round. Harden added 20.5 points and 7.7 assists across his 26 games in Cleveland, while Evan Mobley posted averages of 18.2 points and nine rebounds per game. Jarrett Allen, Max Strus, Jaylon Tyson, and Dean Wade also play notable roles.
As a team, the Cavaliers averaged 119.5 points per game during the regular season, ranking fourth in the NBA. Cleveland also ranks sixth in offensive rating, eighth in field goal percentage, and 13th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents have scored 115.4 points per game against the Cavaliers, which ranks 15th. They also rank 15th in defensive rating, eighth in opponent field goal percentage, and 26th in opponent three-point percentage.
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons led the Eastern Conference from start to finish this season, ultimately finishing the season with a 60-22 overall record. The organization had a massive turnaround last season, improving its record from 14-68 in 2023-24 to 44-38. They got their first taste of postseason basketball, losing to the Knicks in a hard-fought series, and further took a step forward this season. While it was not the cleanest path to advancing to the second round, Detroit’s postseason aspirations are still within reach. On the season, the Pistons are 47-42 against the spread and 41-48 to the over/under.
Cade Cunningham sets the tone for this entire roster and leads the team in production. The former number one overall pick posted averages of 23.9 points, 9.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds across the regular season. Jalen Duren made an All-Star leap alongside him, posting averages of 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game on the season, but he has greatly struggled in this postseason. Daniss Jenkins has been a breakout impact player this season, while Tobias Harris provides veteran leadership to the young roster. Ausar Thompson, Kevin Huerter, Duncan Robinson, and Ron Holland also play notable roles.
Detroit is scoring 117.8 points per game this season, which ranks eighth in the NBA. The Pistons also rank 10th in offensive rating, third in field-goal percentage and 17th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 109.6 points per game against the Pistons, which ranks third in the league. J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad also ranks second in defensive rating, third in opponent field-goal percentage, and first in opponent three-point percentage.
Cavaliers vs. Pistons Best Bets
Detroit Pistons to Win the Series (-125)
It was a concerning opening series for the Detroit Pistons, but this is a much cleaner matchup for them. Detroit has built an identity by playing hard-nosed defense and being the tougher and more athletic team on just about every floor they walk on. The Magic had the size to match this, and the Pistons’ offensive struggles showed face for stretches.
Don’t expect this to be the case against the Cavaliers. This is the same Cavaliers’ core that head coach Kenny Atkinson publicly questioned for its toughness following a playoff exit. While James Harden is a change on the roster, he doesn’t exactly have the track record to support this change in mental toughness. Evan Mobley is a high-level defender, but the Cavaliers have underwhelmed defensively all season. They faced a Raptors team with some similar offensive issues as the Pistons, and Toronto still managed to push them to seven games. This includes the Raptors winning a game in which they shot just 32% from the field and 13% from three-point range.
In addition, it felt as if the Pistons took a few games to wake up to the playoff atmosphere. The organization largely had the top seed locked up for a few weeks and was able to take its foot off the gas down the stretch. In contrast, the Magic had been fighting for their playoff lives for a couple of weeks and played with a desperation that showed in the results. The Pistons got better as the series went on and looked like the team they showed all season by the series conclusion. Expect this to carry over into the second round and for Detroit to find a way to win with the -125 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook being extremely manageable.
Detroit Pistons to Go Undefeated at Home (+270)
The Pistons finished the regular season with a 31-9 record at home this season. They also won three straight games at home during the round one series after dropping the series opener. While the Cavaliers posted a 25-16 road record during the regular season, they dropped all three games in Toronto in the opening round, including a 22-point blowout. Detroit has a committed fan base that is sure to bring the energy and believes in this current team. This will be a hostile atmosphere for Cleveland, and the Pistons have a strong outlook for protecting home court.
It is fair not to have full belief in this Pistons team after a concerning opening round. But they flipped the switch midway through and looked like the team they have all season. Cleveland has not shown the ability to win on the road in the postseason, and this path only looks slimmer in this matchup. Expect the Pistons to defend their home court whenever they have the chance, and the +270 odds are a friendly payout for matchups they will likely be comfortable favorites in.
Cavaliers vs. Pistons FAQ
When is Game 1 of Cavaliers vs. Pistons?
Game 1 of the Cavaliers vs. Pistons series will take place on Tuesday, May 5th at 7 p.m. ET.
Where is Game 1 of Cavaliers vs. Pistons?
Game 1 will be held at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, as the Pistons hold the home-court advantage in the series.
How many games is the Cavaliers vs. Pistons series?
This is a best-of-seven series between the Cavaliers and Pistons. The first team to win four games will move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Illinois
DOJ seeking Illinois voter data to purge suspected noncitizens, documents suggest
Article Summary
- The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Illinois for access to its complete, unredacted voter registration database.
- Documents filed in federal court suggest the agency wants the information so it can purge the names of suspected noncitizens using a federal database that many have criticized for being inaccurate.
- Similar suits have been filed in 29 other states and Washington, D.C. Judges in six states have granted motions to dismiss the suits. No judge has yet ruled in favor of DOJ’s request.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
SPRINGFIELD — The Trump administration’s lawsuits seeking access to sensitive voter registration data in Illinois and dozens of other states is one part of a broader effort to purge state voter rolls of suspected noncitizens, according to documents filed recently in federal court in Springfield.
Those documents were filed Thursday, April 30, by attorneys representing the Illinois AFL-CIO and other groups that have intervened in the case seeking to prevent the Department of Justice from obtaining the information. They say it proves the agency’s stated reasons for seeking the data — to determine whether Illinois is complying with voter list maintenance requirements — is only a pretext and the agency’s suit against the state should be dismissed.
Read the filing
Several former DOJ attorneys who have worked in the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division filed an amicus brief in the case in March, arguing the agency has no statutory authority to seek the information to conduct its own list maintenance program or to identify noncitizens.
The new documents filed Thursday include internal DOJ emails that the attorneys say were made available “in response to a public records request lawsuit.”
One of those was a June 16, 2025, email from Michael Gates, who was then a deputy assistant attorney general in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, to his superior, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who oversees that division. In that email, Gates states that the division is seeking access to the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database.
“This will be helpful to us because it will allow us to compare this SAVE database against states’ voter rolls, which we will get directly from states under the (National Voter Registration Act),” Gates wrote.
The next month, on July 28, DOJ sent its first letter to the Illinois State Board of Elections seeking access to Illinois’ complete, unredacted statewide voter registration list, indicating that it was part of DOJ’s efforts to enforce voter list maintenance provisions of NVRA. The letter was signed by Gates. It also bore the name of Maureen Riordan, acting chief of the Voting Section within the Civil Rights Division.
Gates has since left the Justice Department. He is currently a Republican candidate for California attorney general in that state’s upcoming June 2 primary.
SAVE database
The SAVE database was originally set up to help states verify the citizenship and immigration status of people applying for public benefits such as Medicaid and SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Some states also use it to verify people’s eligibility to vote.
But the program has also been the target of criticism because of its tendency to misidentify people as noncitizens due to its use of incomplete or inaccurate data.
On April 21, the watchdog groups Common Cause and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, filed a lawsuit against DOJ in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleging the agency wants to use state voter registration lists and the SAVE database to conduct what they call “a sprawling new voter surveillance and purging apparatus that endangers millions of Americans’ fundamental voting and privacy rights.”
A second document filed last week in the Illinois case is a Nov. 18, 2025, email from the acting chief of the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, Eric Neff, that appears to suggest how the agency should conceal its intentions when asked why it is seeking states’ voter registration databases.
“I believe our reply should always be: ‘We will use the data in a manner consistent with Federal law’ and say nothing more,” Neff wrote to fellow DOJ lawyers Jesus Osete and Matt Zandi. He also said of the Help America Vote Act, the Civil Rights Act and NVRA, “none of them require (us) to give the states information about what we are going to do with the data. No judge will have authority to limit us beyond a promise of Federal law compliance.”
Illinois lawsuit
Illinois has refused to hand over an unredacted voter registration list. Instead, it has provided DOJ with electronic copies of partially redacted files that do not include sensitive information such as dates of birth, driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers.
In December, DOJ filed suit in the Central District of Illinois seeking access to the unredacted files. It also filed similar suits in 29 other states and Washington, D.C.
The Illinois AFL-CIO, Common Cause several and other groups have intervened as codefendants in the case.
Attorneys for the state and the intervening parties have filed motions to dismiss the DOJ lawsuit. Judge Colleen Lawless has not yet ruled on the motion. Similar suits have already been dismissed in six other states. No court has yet ruled in favor of DOJ’s request for access to the unredacted voter files.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
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