Nineteen sea turtles that were rehabilitated in Missouri after suffering the effects of cold water temperatures in New England were released Wednesday afternoon into the Atlantic Ocean off of Jacksonville, Florida.
It was sunny and 72 degrees as the turtles made their way into the ocean off Little Talbot Island State Park near Jacksonville, rehab facility officials said. Their long journey was made possible by the Johnny Morris Sea Turtle Center in Springfield, Missouri, and the nonprofit group Turtles Fly Too. The turtles were then driven to Florida before their release.
Twenty loggerhead and Kemp’s ridley turtles were flown in December from the New England Aquarium in Boston to the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, according to director of animal care Mike Daniel.
One of the turtles was critically ill and died after arriving in Missouri. But the other 19 spent 13 weeks being treated for cold stunning, which occurs when water temperatures drop quickly and cause sea turtles to suffer from various conditions such as pneumonia, hypothermia, and dehydration. Veterinarians at the center provided round-the-clock care.
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Hundreds of sea turtles along the Atlantic Coast of the United States have suffered from cold stunning over the past few months, and most are typically flown to Florida for rehab.
The Missouri turtle center opened in 2020 and has rehabbed some 64 sea turtles.
The turtles were equipped with specialized satellite tracking devices that allow conservation scientists to monitor them.
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This story has been updated to correct the number of sea turtles rehabbed at the Johnny Morris Sea Turtle Center. It rehabbed some 64 sea turtles, not 55.
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Two Affinia Healthcare employees were recognized for their work in community health during the recent Community Health Workers Association of Missouri conference.
Candace Henderson, Affinia’s director of community health, received the organization’s Individual and Community Capacity Building Award after being nominated in eight categories. Henderson leads a team of community health workers who connect residents with health screenings and other services.
Naila Hudson, a community health worker with Affinia, received the Individual and Community Assessment Award. Her duties include coordinating mobile mammography events, conducting health screenings and assisting with the organization’s food pantry.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Jackson County grand jury indicted a man in connection with a 2024 hit-and-run that left one mad dead.
Carleno Gonzales has been indicted for first-degree involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault and leaving the scene of an accident, according to an indictment filed Thursday.
These are the same charges Jackson County prosecutors filed against Gonzales in December 2025.
The crash occurred on Nov. 19, 2024, near the intersection of U.S. Highway 71 and East 59th Street.
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Gonzales, driving a Chevrolet Cruze, fled the scene on foot after he struck a Chrysler 200, driven by Terrell Williams, that was stopped at a traffic light.
Witnesses at the scene saw the Cruze “driving erratically at a high rate of speed” before the crash, per court documents.
Williams died from the injuries he sustained in the collision. Court documents said a passenger in Gonzales’ vehicle was seriously injured.
Gonzales is currently in custody at the Jackson County Detention Center on a $150,000 cash-only bond.
He is set for an arraignment at 9 a.m. on June 16.
