Month: September 2025

By Liz Crawford, Ed Specht

Click here for updates on this story

    DELAWARE COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Letters written during World War II were finally received by the soldier’s family in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, more than 80 years after they were sent.

It’s all thanks to a postage collector on a mission and a social media post. CBS News Philadelphia was there when a brother and sister opened the previously sealed letters their late father sent to his parents in 1944.

Sitting in a home in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, siblings Kathleen Morris Rosati and John Morris held three unopened letters addressed to their grandmother, Mrs. Francis Morris of Drexel Hill, sent by their father, Jimmy Morris, while he was serving in the 83rd Thunderbolt Division of the U.S. Army during the war.

According to the National World War II Museum, between 1942 and 1945, more than 1 billion letters, known as V-mail, were processed, however three of those letters weren’t opened until 2025 thanks to Erik Martin, a postage collector in Massachusetts who ordered a batch of war envelopes online.

“This batch had four letters to the same woman, and I saw that three of them were still sealed, so I’ve never seen that before,” Martin told CBS News Philadelphia.

He became determined to find the descendants of Mrs. Francis Morris, so Martin posted the information he had about the letters on a Drexel Hill Facebook page. That helped lead to the connection within a day. From there, Martin mailed the letters to the Morris family in Delaware County.

On Monday, the two siblings sat together as they opened the historic family letters.

“Oh my gosh, it’s just incredible. … I feel like my dad’s right here with me,” Morris Rosati said.

All three letters were written between May and June of 1944, right around D-Day, when their father was stationed in England. Here’s some of what the letters said:

Dear Mom and Pop, Well I’m back in England now. I don’t know how long we’ll stay but write me anyhow…I had a very nice trip coming here…they lost my bags in the train. I sure hope they find them so I can get them back. I’m fine and I hope this letter finds you all at home the same. Your loving son, Jimmy. I hope to see you soon.

Dear Mom, Pop and all, Here it is Sunday again and I am fine. Hope this letter finds you all the same at home. I am okay and I am sure it won’t be much longer until I’m back home again. I got a letter from Grandma the other day. I’ll write you again soon. Your loving son, Jimmy.

Dear Mom, Pop, and all, Just a few lines to let you know I am okay and I hope this letter finds you all well at home. I haven’t had any mail since I’ve been in England and that doesn’t make me so happy. If there’s one thing I miss, it’s my mail. I hope little Billy is off and running around again. Tell the little rascal I was asking for him. I will close for now and I’ll write again soon. Give everyone my best regards. Lots of love, Your loving son, Jimmy.

Both children recognized their father’s handwriting and felt the sentiment of each letter confirms what they’d always known about their father — his family meant everything to him, even back then when he was just 19 years old.

“Here he is all the way from home and what’s getting him through is thinking about his family,” Morris Rosati said.

Coincidentally, the siblings received the letters the same week their father would have turned 101. He passed away in 2005 at the age of 81.

“When you look at the state of the world today and some of the things that are happening, in a way, I’m glad Dad’s not here to see it, but this comes at a time when I just feel like he’s telling me it’s going to be OK,” Morris Rosati said.

Jimmy Morris was one of five brothers who all served in World War II. They all came home and lived long lives. After the war, Jimmy Morris spent most of his career as a mail carrier in Delaware County, and his children said he took great pride in making sure each piece of mail made it to its intended destination.

“They certainly were the greatest generation. My dad could do anything, fix anything,” John Morris said.

The siblings said their father didn’t talk about the war with them, but he loved his country deeply and flew an American flag every day.

Please note: 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 Lisa Rozner

Click here for updates on this story

    NEW YORK CITY, New York (WCBS) — A Jewish student says antisemitic graffiti was found on his freshman dorm door at New York University last week.

The disturbing incident comes as NYPD data shows anti-Jewish hate crimes are on the rise in New York City.

“Free Palestine,” “Jew” scrawled on student’s door

Police say the act of hate happened on Sept. 9 at around 11:30 p.m., when the 18-year-old student, who had stepped out for a late-night snack, saw graffiti on his door inside Weinstein Hall saying “Free Palestine” and “Jew,” along with an image that appeared to be that of a pig.

The student did not want to be identified out of fear of retaliation, but he first reported it to End Jew Hatred campus coordinator Daisy Kahn.

“He is feeling really scared and startled,” Kahn said. “We talked to him about the importance of reporting, that he has rights.”

In a letter to the community the next day, the university’s president said, in part, “The targeting of a Jewish student is inexcusable raw hatred. As a campus, we must speak with a single voice in condemning this act. NYU has a zero-tolerance policy towards antisemitism and other forms of hatred.”

“The university has already taken steps to install security cameras in the dorm,” Kahn said. “However, the mere fact that a student thought that it was okay to write these antisemitic slurs on his door means that NYU is not doing enough.”

Hate crimes against Jews are up, NYPD says

The NYPD said it is investigating the incident as criminal mischief and the investigation is ongoing.

“Just saying the words ‘Free Palestine,’ you know, seemed a little innocuous, like you’re for the Palestinians, you’re for people’s human rights, and then it says ‘Jew.’ Whoever graffiti’d this person’s door is telling the world that antizionism is antisemitism today,” said Rabbi Mark Wildes, founder of Manhattan Jewish Experience.

Last year, the NYPD reported 54% of all hate crimes were against jews. During the first quarter of 2025, that number rose to 62%.

“Every student is entitled to their civil rights, and to learn free from harassment,” Kahn said.

NYU said the graffiti was cleaned up and support is being provided for the student.

Please note: 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 Logan Hall

Click here for updates on this story

    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — One small business owner in Massachusetts is thrilled about the possibility that a deal could be reached to save TikTok in the United States. President Trump is set to meet with China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday to discuss the deal.

Michelle Silva, owner of Kali Rose Boutique, says that the app transformed her business.

“TikTok came in and overnight a viral video took off, and we went from I would say about 500 orders to about 20,000 orders overnight,” she said. “It was impressive.”

She has made more than $1 million in sales through the app alone.

“The power of TikTok. We post our warehouse sales, and people are driving from all over the place, showing up here and we have thousands of people coming to our warehouse sale from TikTok,” Silva said.

“TikTok has been a complete game changer for us with the growth that we’ve had over the last couple of years,” she said. “We’ve moved into a larger space, and it would definitely be detrimental if it were to go away, but we are very hopeful and positive that won’t be the case.”

Tripled size of operation Kali Rose Boutique has more than tripled the size of its operation. The brand now operates out of a 30,000-square-foot warehouse and employs more than 50 people.

“Of course you would always love that but it’s not even a thought that crossed my mind, until all of a sudden it’s viral video after viral video and gaining traction of thousands and thousands of followers,” she said.

Silva said she is just grateful for all that the app has done to help her business grow.

Why is TikTok banned? TikTok was banned due to national security threats as a Chinese company owns the app. U.S. officials said that it could be used to spy on the U.S. public and used to influence the population.

Trump has extended the app’s deadline several times since taking office. But the Supreme Court has upheld the decision to ban the app and said that it does not violate the First Amendment.

For more information about why TikTok is banned, click here.

Please note: 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.