Month: September 2025

By Loureen Ayyoub

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    SAN FRANCISCO, California (KPIX) — In the still waters of an indoor swamp nestled within the California Academy of Sciences, a ghostly figure glides just beneath the surface. Claude, the museum’s beloved albino alligator, marks a rare and remarkable milestone this week: his 30th birthday.

Born without melanin, Claude’s brilliant white appearance is due to albinism, a genetic condition that renders him both visually striking and highly vulnerable in the wild. In nature, his lack of camouflage and sensitivity to sunlight would make survival nearly impossible. But here in San Francisco, Claude has not only survived, he’s become a local legend.

“Claude has become this massive icon to the San Francisco community,” said biologist Jessica Witherly, one of the Academy’s animal caretakers. “Everyone loves him and his story. He’s got two children’s books. And we get news articles or info from kids across the United States saying how much they love Claude. So he’s kind of become this iconic character.”

The California Academy of Sciences is home to more than 38,000 live animals, but none quite like Claude. Since arriving in 2008, the reptile rescue has become a cornerstone of the Academy’s Steinhart Aquarium. His docile nature and striking appearance draw countless visitors every year.

“All of our animal care biologists take care of different animals here,” Witherly explained. “So, some days, I’m looking at starfish under the microscope and other days I am climbing into this pit and feeding Claude with my other caretakers.”

This week, the Academy hosted a birthday celebration in Claude’s honor—complete with a swamp-themed party, enrichment treats, and plenty of adoring fans. The festivities highlighted not just Claude’s longevity but the dedication of the team that has ensured his continued health and comfort.

“Claude would not survive in the wild as an ambush predator,” Witherly said. “Everyone would be able to see him, they’d unfortunately eat him. And also, he would get sunburned and turn into a very uncomfortable pink alligator.”

Instead, he receives regular checkups, environmental enrichment, and even gentle scrubs to help maintain his scales. His calm demeanor makes him a favorite among staff and visitors alike.

“He’s a very calm guy,” Witherly said. “A lot of people don’t think he’s real because he doesn’t move that much. But I’ve never been scared. Luckily, at the Cal Academy, we train our staff and have tons of opportunities, so we feel very confident and comfortable whenever we’re working with our animals.”

Though Claude may be one of a kind, in the heart of San Francisco, he’s found a home where he’s celebrated just the way he is.

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By Dillon Thomas

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    FORT COLLINS, Colorado (KCNC) — Those who are battling cystic fibrosis may be one step closer to having less invasive care thanks to research being conducted at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Students and staff are working on a technology that will allow doctors and patients to better understand a subject’s condition without having to do otherwise timely and invasive scans.

The research is funded, in part, by CSU football head coach Jay Norvell and his wife, Kim.

“My wife, Kim, was born with Cystic Fibrosis, which is a chronic disease,” Jay said. “When she was a child, her doctors told her she may not live until kindergarten.”

However, decades later, Kim has been by Jay’s side as he navigates the career of a university-level football coach. While Kim helps support Jay and his endeavors on the field, Jay is helping Kim navigate her personal battle with cystic fibrosis.       

“We’ve been fighting this disease as a couple,” Jay said.

Part of that effort has been through supporting the national research foundation, as well as research being conducted on their local university campus. That’s how the couple was introduced to Jennifer Mueller and her research students.

Working alongside one other university, the team has helped develop a technology that allows for live digital scans of a patient’s lungs.

“This is an electrical impedance tomography system,” Mueller said as one of her students stood nearby wearing the sensors for the system.

By taping a series of sensors and wires to a patient, a computer is able to create a video scan that shows blood flow and airflow in and out of the lungs in real time.

“As the heart beats, we will see blood flow changes between the heart and the lung,” Mueller said.

Cystic fibrosis symptoms can vary, but often include thick mucus buildup in the lungs, which can impact oxygen and blood flow. The system being developed at CSU allows for a non-invasive scan of the lungs to look for symptoms.

Mueller said, oftentimes, doctors today will ask their patients to receive either an MRI or a CT scan. Those at times can come with exposure to radiation or even require anesthesia.

Mueller said their development will allow people as young as premature babies to be better scanned while also being able to stay awake.

“So, it gives more information (with video as opposed to a still image),” Mueller said.

“They have been doing a great job, and Jennifer’s research is really going to help us,” Kim said.

Mueller said she hopes to have the technology available for doctors and patients nationwide within the next five years.

“It is right here. It is so close,” Kim said. “I think this will be really helpful in the future for CF patients. Just seeing it live in live time. Because up until now, we can’t.”

Jay said he loves being able to see the success of the university on both the athletic and educational sides.

“To be able to meet students and professors that are actually putting their own research efforts into helping cystic fibrosis, and that being done on this amazing campus, we just felt it was natural for us to support that,” Jay said.

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By Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield

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    MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — There’s something to be said about staying in touch with old friends, but four friends have done it against the greatest of odds.

Sandy Robertson, Terri Naab, Shari Hamlin and Priscilla Bauer gather on the shores of Lake Minnetonka at Maynard’s, traveling across the country, to commemorate each year they are still alive.

“They said, ’60/40, 60 you are gonna die.'” Bauer said.

It was when they were all facing their mortality that they first faced each other at Methodist Hospital’s oncology ward.

“We were all sitting next to each other in that radiation room. At first, we were just polite to each other and we all just started talking,” Bauer said.

They named their new social circle, the R-Gang, all in radiation at the same time.

Sometimes, the conversations were light, but sometimes they were heavy.

“After the whole breast cancer diagnosis, I said, ‘What am I doing in sales? I need to write.’ And so I quit my sales job and started writing,” Bauer said.

They still share perspectives every year and remember the two friends they lost along the way. Judy and Shirley died of other illnesses. Sherry, the youngest, died of cancer.

“She was very young, she got married in September and died in March,” Bauer said. “We all went to the wedding. It was one of the most beautifully sad events that I have ever been to. She was so special to us.”

The women say they are still so special to each other.

“Even though it was tragic and horrible, it was one of the best times in my life because I met these people,” Naab said.

“I will never let go of these girls, no, there’s just no way,” Hamlin said.

The ladies are all cancer-free and thriving. They’ll reunite again next year at Maynard’s.

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By Megan Shinn

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — From the hay and the woodchips to the squeaks and the “wheeks,” Julene Robinson’s got a full house of rescue guinea pigs. She said people now know her as the guinea pig lady.

Robinson opened Wheek Care Guinea Pig Rescue and became the nonprofit’s executive director in 2017.

“I started getting people, ‘oh, you have a guinea pig, take mine, you have a guinea pig, take mine,'” said Robinson.

“It just kind of fell into place,” she said.

After someone gave her a guinea pig as a pet, she learned all she could.

“Once you get the pattern down to taking care of them, it’s a piece of cake,” she said.

Now she’s rescued over 200 just this year.

“They do mean a lot to me because they’ve been thrown away. They are discards,” she said.

These precious pets are discarded by people who can’t provide for them, don’t have the space, or changed their minds.

“We work a lot with the humane society across the United States,” said Robinson.

An estimated 1.5 million families in America own a guinea pig. They’re social pets with an average life span of five to eight years, but sometimes people abandon them or need some help tending to them.

Robinson said she gets them healthy at the vet, provides a safe space, nourishment and hopefully a new home. More than two dozen volunteers make caring for all the rescue pets possible.

“Just incredible, it adds so much joy to my life,” said volunteer Sarah Steranka.

It’s a labor of love that comes with responsibility and a drive to help hundreds of our smallest household pets find a forever home.

“Do your education, that’s the best thing that anybody can do,” Robinson told KDKA-TV anchor Megan Shinn.

She suggests people try to keep their guinea pigs housed if they can.

Before getting a guinea pig, she welcomes people to visit her nonprofit and learn from her. Robinson said she also suggests looking for a vet who treats exotic pets specifically. Wheek Care Guinea Pig Rescue will also help you find a vet or provide supplies if you’re going through an emergency.

The next event for Wheek Care Guinea Pig Rescue is set for Sept. 20th, at Deer Lakes Park on Bailey’s Run Road from noon to 4 p.m. It’s called a “pignic.” For details on the event and how to contact the nonprofit, visit their website.

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By Jessica Riley

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — An animal rescue in Tarentum has installed a 24/7 microchip scanner, making it easier to help lost pets be reunited with their owners.

The scanner is installed outside Paws Across Pittsburgh’s rescue house on East Sixth Avenue. It means people who find a lost pet don’t have to wait until a vet’s office or shelter opens.

“The easiest way if you lose your pet for somebody to get it back to you is a chip,” said Jackie Armour, the president and founder of Paws Across Pittsburgh.

The new microchip reader has step-by-step instructions. After scanning the pet and finding the microchip, you can search it in a nationwide registry. From there, the registry connects you to the chip company and ultimately the owners.

Paws Across Pittsburgh said microchipping is important, and they’re looking to expand to other locations.

“Most people think their pet will never get lost until their pet gets lost. So regardless, if the cat’s inside, what if the cat gets outside?” Armour said.

Paws Across Pittsburgh says if your pet isn’t microchipped just yet, they recommend that you get it done.

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WCBS

By Katie Houlis

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    NEW YORK CITY, New York (WCBS) — Hundreds of people named “Ryan” gathered in New York City on Saturday in an attempt to break a world record, while raising money for a good cause at the same time.

The second ever “Rytoberfest” was held at Torch and Crown in Union Square. The event was organized by Ryan Meetup, an organization that aims to one day break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people with the same first name.

“It’s crazy seeing this many Ryans in one place, and I don’t know. It’s so unreal … Everyone has the same name as you,” said Ryan Clapham, who traveled from Australia for the event.

All proceeds from the event went to the Ryan Callahan Foundation, which was started by former New York Rangers Captain Ryan Callahan to raise money for pediatric cancer patients and their families.

The first Rytoberfest was held in New York City in October 2023 and was attended by over 200 Ryans.

Ryan Meetup has organized various events across the country. The organization’s website stresses that participants’ first name must be Ryan – no Bryans or people with the last name Ryan – though alternate spellings are acceptable.

The current Guinness World Record holder for the largest gathering of people with the same first name was set in 2017 when over 2,000 people with the first name “Ivan” got together in a town in the Balkans.

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By Katie Houlis

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    NEW YORK CITY, New York (WCBS) — Hundreds of people named “Ryan” gathered in New York City on Saturday in an attempt to break a world record, while raising money for a good cause at the same time.

The second ever “Rytoberfest” was held at Torch and Crown in Union Square. The event was organized by Ryan Meetup, an organization that aims to one day break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people with the same first name.

“It’s crazy seeing this many Ryans in one place, and I don’t know. It’s so unreal … Everyone has the same name as you,” said Ryan Clapham, who traveled from Australia for the event.

All proceeds from the event went to the Ryan Callahan Foundation, which was started by former New York Rangers Captain Ryan Callahan to raise money for pediatric cancer patients and their families.

The first Rytoberfest was held in New York City in October 2023 and was attended by over 200 Ryans.

Ryan Meetup has organized various events across the country. The organization’s website stresses that participants’ first name must be Ryan – no Bryans or people with the last name Ryan – though alternate spellings are acceptable.

The current Guinness World Record holder for the largest gathering of people with the same first name was set in 2017 when over 2,000 people with the first name “Ivan” got together in a town in the Balkans.

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.