Month: November 2025

By Elle McLogan

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — Special education teacher Alanna O’Donnell didn’t have any farming experience when she came up with the idea that would transform her school community — chickens.

“Lots of this, we had to learn on the fly,” she said.

Her students, who range in age from 14 to 22, have autism and a range of intellectual disabilities. Every day, they’re cleaning, feeding, watering and composting at the chicken coop behind P.S. 177Q. They’ve built confidence in their tasks over time.

“It’s easy now, not hard anymore,” Ayhan Khan said.

The chickens roam beside a playground in a thriving farm, where the group harvests vegetables for sale.

“We grew about 1,500 pounds of food this year,” O’Donnell said.

She says the farm experience has brought a sense of trust and mutual support.

“There’s just the feeling of camaraderie,” she said.

Now, students pose for photos with arms around one another.

“We didn’t get that before,” she said.

It’s important to her that students build skills for the workforce. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds with disabilities was nearly 24% — double the rate for those without disabilities.

“Just give my kids a seat at the table. They’ll do the work,” she said. “And that’s all I want to do is give them a shot. They deserve it. They’re good kids.”

O’Donnell has now been recognized with the $25,000 FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence. She’s helping other schools build programs like hers because, she says, all students are worth it.

“They are strong, intelligent. They learn differently. That’s all it is,” she said. “They want to be included. They need to be included.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Sharon Lawson

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — A metro Atlanta Army veteran and beauty queen is turning a personal tragedy into a mission to protect young women.

Raquel Riley Thomas is behind a growing self-defense movement aimed at teaching other women life-saving skills.

Thomas is the founder of DefendRiley. She wants to give women the ability to defend themselves should the need arise.

Thomas’s drive comes from a deeply personal place. After losing her mother to suicide in 2013, she learned that her mother had survived an assault. Thomas lived through similar trauma herself.

That discovery pushed her to launch the DefendRILEY initiative, which provides hands-on self-defense training built on awareness, confidence, and action.

“You fast forward to now, I’m taking martial arts, and I wanted to do something in honor of her, and I decided to start DefendRILEY,” Thomas said. “I wanted to make sure that I was really focused on getting young women and young girls out there getting self-defense classes.”

A senior red belt in taekwondo, Thomas trains under Master Tommy Cho in Marietta and mentors women to put themselves and their safety first.

“They’ve got to take the time and understand that, just like you want to go get your hair done, just like you like to go get your nails done. Guess what? I got to go to self-defense class,” she said.

Thomas is working towards her black belt while staying focused on plans to turn her program into a nonprofit that would offer scholarships to make self-defense accessible to young women and girls.

The metro Atlanta woman’s strength comes from a lifetime of service. As a former Army captain, Thomas was inducted into the Library of Congress. She’s also this year’s reigning Elite Queen of the World, redefining what power looks like.

For Thomas, her classes are a way to turn survivors into warriors and prepare the next generation to step into adulthood protected, not powerless.

“It’s not a want, it’s a need,” she said. “You have to learn how to protect yourself because no one else will.”

To learn more about DefendRILEY, visit the program’s website.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Mike Toole, Penny Kmitt

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — Here’s a different Black Friday shopping story.

Two women from England like it so much they come to Boston every year with empty suitcases looking for deals.

Sue Holloway and her friend Claire Caddie live in Surrey, England, just outside of London. Each year, they hop on a plane to Massachusetts to go shopping for the holidays.

“This is our 23rd, 24th year of coming. We love Boston. We love South Shore Plaza. We love the bargains,” Holloway told WBZ-TV. “They’re not as good as they used to be, but they’re still really, really good. They’re so much better than the U.K.”

She and Caddie were at the South Shore Plaza in Braintree early Friday before the stores opened at 6 a.m. They each brought an empty suitcase to the mall.

“Because it’s easier than carrying the carrier bags,” Holloway said. “We take back two large suitcases each.”

“It’s a break for us. It’s a girly trip. We love it. We just love Boston. It’s so small and it’s friendly. Everybody’s so lovely,” she added.

They got into Boston Tuesday afternoon and spent all day Wednesday at the mall. They took a break for Thanksgiving dinner at their hotel Thursday.

They’ll take another break Friday night to see Cirque du Soleil’s Twas The Night Before at the Boch Center Wang Theater in Boston.

“Saturday and Sunday we’re at Wrentham at the outlets,” Holloway said.

Monday is set aside for any returns before they head home, where Black Friday isn’t much of a thing now.

“They don’t really do it back in the U.K. anymore. It’s died a lot there,” Holloway said.

She and Caddie want to be clear; their priority is shopping for their families for the holidays. But they pick up a few things for themselves too.

“We’ll be in Macy’s for about four hours,” Holloway said.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Kimberly King

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    Hendersonville, North Carolina (WLOS) — on-profits opened their doors serving Thanksgiving meals with love to hundreds. But at the Hendersonville Rescue Mission, the love of giving and receiving food came full circle this year for the rescue mission’s chef.

“If I had to say anything to anybody out there, I’d tell them they can do it,” said Chris Gosnell.

Gosnell oversaw the prepping and cooking for the entire Thanksgiving meal that served over 300 people on Friday and Saturday.

“I feel privileged to be part of this. It’s a real blessing,” Gosnell said.

Gosnell grew up in Mills River.

“I was homeless,” Gosnell said. “I had a had a lot of trauma as a child. I had a lot of things I hadn’t deal with. I had deaths in the family. Once I got sober from drug addiction, and started to get some counseling I was able to get this stuff out and start healing.”

Coming a long way, Gosnell has been sober for four years. After reaching sobriety from drug addiction, Rescue Mission helped get Gosnell into a cooking training program that’s changed his life.

“This place gives you the tools to be successful. It’s not something you’ll do in one day,” Gosnell.

While Gosnell oversaw all the food coming out on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., he said it was worth it to see everyone eating the meal, smiling and enjoying it.

The meal included several Thanksgiving classics, including turkey, rolls, beans, and sweet potatoes.

“Being with friends and just sitting down,” said Richard Lange, who dined with Ragland about the meal. “Being a human. It brings a little home to me.”

Tim Jones, Hendersonville Rescue Mission’s operations director, says Gosnell is very dedicated.

“Chris is so dedicated,” Jones said. “He’s the one that wants to get it right because he was on the receiving end.”

Gosnell says he hopes to be as much of an inspiration for other people as they are to him.

“I hope that I’m an inspiration to other people,” said Gosnell. “As other people were an inspiration to me.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Drew Amman

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    LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WLEX) — A man who spent nine years in the Kentucky Department of Corrections is now dedicating his life to helping others in his community.

McKenzie Bradford, who has been out of jail for six years, spent his day feeding homeless individuals in Lexington through a grassroots initiative focused on giving back.

“Just feeding as many people as we possibly can,” Bradford said.

Bradford and his friends gathered outside Bluegrass Community Health Center, distributing free pizza, chips and drinks to those in need. Along with the food, they offered words of encouragement and support.

“Sometimes when you’re going through things in life, you might need a little nudge or just an act of kindness to see that someone truly cares,” Bradford said.

Bradford’s mission extends beyond feeding the homeless. On his YouTube channel, he shares his personal experience with incarceration, hoping to reach others who might be facing similar challenges.

“I committed the crime so I had to do the time,” Bradford said. “I just get on there and I talk to people and just tell them exactly what I went through.”

When asked about his biggest message, Bradford’s response was simple but powerful.

“Do the right thing just simply because it’s the right thing to do,” Bradford said.

Bradford hopes to expand his community outreach efforts and is considering making this initiative an annual event.

“Maybe this will turn it into an annual thing,” Bradford said.

Looking toward the future, Bradford wants to establish a nonprofit organization, work as a motivational speaker in jails and continue helping those experiencing homelessness in his community.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Alex Orenczuk

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    PUNTA GORDA, Florida (WFTX) — Gena Walck returned to Punta Gorda’s Fire Station One this week to thank the crew who tried to save her pet Capuchin monkey during a late-night medical emergency last month.

Walck brought handmade ornaments and a painting of her 9-year-old monkey, Leah, to the firefighters who jumped into action when she arrived at the station seeking help.

Walck told Fox 4 that Leah suddenly fell ill, and with no veterinarians available nearby, the fire station became her last resort.

Video from that night showed that firefighters placed Leah on a table in the engine bay, gave her oxygen, checked her vitals and even intubated her.

Walck said Leah’s condition briefly stabilized before worsening. Despite the crew’s efforts, she passed away shortly afterward.

Walck said losing Leah, who she raised from the time she was three weeks old, has been devastating. But, she returned to the station with hugs and gifts as a way to honor the firefighters’ attempt to save her.

The ornaments she handed out show Leah wearing a Fire Station One helmet. Walck also gifted the department a painting of Leah for the station’s wall.

“I’m absolutely beyond grateful for all they did to try to save Leah,” Walck told Fox 4. “I just can’t thank them enough.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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.