Month: November 2025

By Joe Holden

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — It’s 7:06 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood.

Video obtained by CBS News Philadelphia shows a man eating an apple and lobbing something through the plate-glass window of a business near 2nd and Market streets, smashing it.

Police say the thief took the cash register, which they say had $1,500 inside. By this point, investigators say the thief has burglarized six Center City and Old City small businesses in a week, including Sonny’s Famous Steaks.

“When they got here at 9 o’clock, my boys called and said someone had busted the glass,” said Chrissy, a manager at the store. “So their first instinct was to go to the basement and check and make sure everything was OK. They did get the register, and they didn’t take the tablets, thank God, but they did take the register.”

Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith said officers detected a pattern.

Over 10 days, investigators say a total of nine small businesses were burglarized overnight. Officers then started working earlier shifts, and police say on Oct. 29, they caught 66-year-old Derek Wilks breaking into a business.

“Mr. Wilks was using a iron-cast gas cap and he was throwing that through plate glass windows of establishments,” Smith said. “And in all these instances, he was going for the cash register.”

Detectives say Wilks has a distinctive walk given recent hip surgery. They’ve since charged him with all nine burglaries. Smith said given his arrest history, they believe he’s responsible for more.

“He has 34 prior arrests,” Smith said.

“Out of those 34, 29 are commercial burglary,” he added. “He’s been at it for a very long time.”

Police say they believe Wilks took more than $5,000 out of the pockets of small businesses — those businesses glad to hear of the arrest.

“The detective called us and let us know, which is great, great work Philly PD,” Chrissy said.

“Can’t destroy Philly businesses. We need Philly business,” said Mike, a patron at Sonny’s.

“You do the crime, gotta do the time,” he added.

According to records, there’s been a 50 to 60% increase in commercial burglaries in Philadelphia.

But police say they’ve seen an 86% increase in arrests and cases being closed with commercial burglary within the last year.

CBS News Philadelphia reached out to Wilks’s attorney, and we’ve yet to hear back.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner 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.

KYW

By Madeleine Wright

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    CHESTER, Pennsylvania (KYW) — The beat of the drums echoed outside Chester City Hall as retired professional athlete Fredia Gibbs returned home to be celebrated for making history as the first Black woman to win a world kickboxing title.

“It takes a village to build a champion and Chester is my village,” Gibbs said. “They built me. Chester made me who I am today.”

On Thursday, the city gave Gibbs a hero’s welcome, complete with a bronze statue dedicated to her legacy. Originally displayed at her alma mater, Cabrini University, the statue now has a permanent home in Chester, the place where her journey began.

“Why am I crying?” Gibbs said as she saw the statue. “Because it’s home, that’s why! Right where it belongs.”

Gibbs’ journey wasn’t easy. As a child, she faced bullying and fear until her uncle, William Grose, taught her karate to build her confidence.

“My goal was to teach her to be the best that she could be,” Grose said. “I automatically saw that she had champion blood in her body.”

From karate to kickboxing, Gibbs shattered stereotypes and became a champion.

“Being in a male-dominated sport, combat sports, and breaking barriers there in that area right there, that was very, it was very tough,” Gibbs said.

Her statue stands as a testament to perseverance, showing that the toughest battles can shape the strongest champions.

“Don’t quit because sometimes when we just about to quit, we got maybe two more steps to go before we win,” Gibbs said.

Dubbed the “female Rocky,” Gibbs’ story is now heading to Hollywood, with a feature film about her life set for release in 2026. Academy Award-nominated screenwriters and producers Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, along with Emmy-nominated producer Marc Ambrose, are working on the project.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner 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.

By Madeleine Wright

Click here for updates on this story

    CHESTER, Pennsylvania (KYW) — The beat of the drums echoed outside Chester City Hall as retired professional athlete Fredia Gibbs returned home to be celebrated for making history as the first Black woman to win a world kickboxing title.

“It takes a village to build a champion and Chester is my village,” Gibbs said. “They built me. Chester made me who I am today.”

On Thursday, the city gave Gibbs a hero’s welcome, complete with a bronze statue dedicated to her legacy. Originally displayed at her alma mater, Cabrini University, the statue now has a permanent home in Chester, the place where her journey began.

“Why am I crying?” Gibbs said as she saw the statue. “Because it’s home, that’s why! Right where it belongs.”

Gibbs’ journey wasn’t easy. As a child, she faced bullying and fear until her uncle, William Grose, taught her karate to build her confidence.

“My goal was to teach her to be the best that she could be,” Grose said. “I automatically saw that she had champion blood in her body.”

From karate to kickboxing, Gibbs shattered stereotypes and became a champion.

“Being in a male-dominated sport, combat sports, and breaking barriers there in that area right there, that was very, it was very tough,” Gibbs said.

Her statue stands as a testament to perseverance, showing that the toughest battles can shape the strongest champions.

“Don’t quit because sometimes when we just about to quit, we got maybe two more steps to go before we win,” Gibbs said.

Dubbed the “female Rocky,” Gibbs’ story is now heading to Hollywood, with a feature film about her life set for release in 2026. Academy Award-nominated screenwriters and producers Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, along with Emmy-nominated producer Marc Ambrose, are working on the project.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner 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.

WCBS

By Christina Fan, Christine Sloan, Justin Lewis

Click here for updates on this story

    RIDGEFIELD, New Jersey (WCBS) — Windy conditions took down trees around New York City and New Jersey overnight.

One tree was blown over and hit the power lines in Queens. Limbs of another fell onto cars and blocked the street on the Upper West Side.

A tree crashed into a multi-family home in Ridgefield, New Jersey, taking out a chunk of a brick wall and exposing the interior of a second story room.

The family said they were asleep inside when they heard a thunderous boom around 1 a.m. The father said he ran to his son’s bedroom, couldn’t get through the door, called out to him for several minutes in a panic and received no response. He ran outside and started to pray.

“I was asleep, and I just hear a little noise and my son shouting. I was calling. He wasn’t responding. He passed out, so I just ran outside naked, shouting for help. I didn’t take my phone, anything. I asked the neighbor to call for help, so I was just there praying to God for a miracle to happen, and after 30 minutes, he stepped outside,” the father Rubicon Okudzeto said.

“I didn’t know it was a tree, exactly. I just felt like something pressing down on me. And I just knew I was in pain, so I had to get out of there. So I started crouching out, then I went trying to find anyone in the house, but there was no one there. Then I went to my neighbors, knocking on the door, but no one answered. So I went outside and I found my dad over there,” said the son, Gael Okudzeto. “I was just thankful. I am really lucky to survive this, because not everyone would be this lucky.”

The 18-year-old was checked out for bruising to the side of his body. He came home after spending hours in the hospital, but is expected to be OK.

He said all he remembers is a loud noise. He thinks he was unconscious for a few minutes in his room, which he said was filled with debris.

“Everything is destroyed. Like, everything’s covered by the roof. I lost all my clothes,” he said.

Another family downstairs was able to get out without injuries.

Neighbors said they heard a loud thud on Bruce Street, while all of New Jersey was under a wind advisory with gusts reported stronger than 50 miles per hour.

A woman who lives in the building said the ground shook so violently, at first, she thought it was an earthquake, looked online to see if there were reports of one, couldn’t find anything and then went back to sleep. She came outside hours later to walk her dog and realized what happened.

“I texted my neighbors – I’m close with them down here. I haven’t gotten a response, but I think they’re OK, I didn’t see that it hit them — it didn’t hit them directly,” said neighbor Marissa Blanco. “I mean, these winds, these trees, got to be careful.”

While it appeared most of the branches and trunk fell in the direction of the road, there was still noticeable damage to the building. One branch also shattered the rear window of a car.

First responders taped off the apartment complex, and two of the units closest to the tree were evacuated.

Peak wind gusts reached up to 70 mph in parts of the Tri-State Area late Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Stony Brook, New York reported the strongest at 70 mph, followed by Bayville, N.Y. at 61 mph and White Plains, N.Y. at 60 mph.

New Jersey’s peak gusts were reported in Bayonne, which saw 57 mph.

Today started off brisk, with wind chills making it feel like the 30s and 40s, especially north and west of the city. This afternoon stays mostly sunny, but blustery, with highs only reaching the low 50s — about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than yesterday.

You’ll want to bundle up tonight, as it could be the coldest night of the season so far in the city, with lows near 40°. Suburbs will dip into the 30s, and some distant spots could even flirt with the 20s. A Frost Advisory has also been issued across our suburbs, so do be mindful of those plants before you turn in.

Tomorrow will be a touch milder under partly to mostly cloudy skies, with highs in the upper 50s. But don’t get too comfortable — showers move in tomorrow night.

Looking ahead to the weekend, Saturday starts with early showers, but clears up nicely by afternoon. Expect highs in the mid 60s. Sunday, however, looks soggy again, with showers likely and highs around 60°.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner 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.

By Christina Fan, Christine Sloan, Justin Lewis

Click here for updates on this story

    RIDGEFIELD, New Jersey (WCBS) — Windy conditions took down trees around New York City and New Jersey overnight.

One tree was blown over and hit the power lines in Queens. Limbs of another fell onto cars and blocked the street on the Upper West Side.

A tree crashed into a multi-family home in Ridgefield, New Jersey, taking out a chunk of a brick wall and exposing the interior of a second story room.

The family said they were asleep inside when they heard a thunderous boom around 1 a.m. The father said he ran to his son’s bedroom, couldn’t get through the door, called out to him for several minutes in a panic and received no response. He ran outside and started to pray.

“I was asleep, and I just hear a little noise and my son shouting. I was calling. He wasn’t responding. He passed out, so I just ran outside naked, shouting for help. I didn’t take my phone, anything. I asked the neighbor to call for help, so I was just there praying to God for a miracle to happen, and after 30 minutes, he stepped outside,” the father Rubicon Okudzeto said.

“I didn’t know it was a tree, exactly. I just felt like something pressing down on me. And I just knew I was in pain, so I had to get out of there. So I started crouching out, then I went trying to find anyone in the house, but there was no one there. Then I went to my neighbors, knocking on the door, but no one answered. So I went outside and I found my dad over there,” said the son, Gael Okudzeto. “I was just thankful. I am really lucky to survive this, because not everyone would be this lucky.”

The 18-year-old was checked out for bruising to the side of his body. He came home after spending hours in the hospital, but is expected to be OK.

He said all he remembers is a loud noise. He thinks he was unconscious for a few minutes in his room, which he said was filled with debris.

“Everything is destroyed. Like, everything’s covered by the roof. I lost all my clothes,” he said.

Another family downstairs was able to get out without injuries.

Neighbors said they heard a loud thud on Bruce Street, while all of New Jersey was under a wind advisory with gusts reported stronger than 50 miles per hour.

A woman who lives in the building said the ground shook so violently, at first, she thought it was an earthquake, looked online to see if there were reports of one, couldn’t find anything and then went back to sleep. She came outside hours later to walk her dog and realized what happened.

“I texted my neighbors – I’m close with them down here. I haven’t gotten a response, but I think they’re OK, I didn’t see that it hit them — it didn’t hit them directly,” said neighbor Marissa Blanco. “I mean, these winds, these trees, got to be careful.”

While it appeared most of the branches and trunk fell in the direction of the road, there was still noticeable damage to the building. One branch also shattered the rear window of a car.

First responders taped off the apartment complex, and two of the units closest to the tree were evacuated.

Peak wind gusts reached up to 70 mph in parts of the Tri-State Area late Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Stony Brook, New York reported the strongest at 70 mph, followed by Bayville, N.Y. at 61 mph and White Plains, N.Y. at 60 mph.

New Jersey’s peak gusts were reported in Bayonne, which saw 57 mph.

Today started off brisk, with wind chills making it feel like the 30s and 40s, especially north and west of the city. This afternoon stays mostly sunny, but blustery, with highs only reaching the low 50s — about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than yesterday.

You’ll want to bundle up tonight, as it could be the coldest night of the season so far in the city, with lows near 40°. Suburbs will dip into the 30s, and some distant spots could even flirt with the 20s. A Frost Advisory has also been issued across our suburbs, so do be mindful of those plants before you turn in.

Tomorrow will be a touch milder under partly to mostly cloudy skies, with highs in the upper 50s. But don’t get too comfortable — showers move in tomorrow night.

Looking ahead to the weekend, Saturday starts with early showers, but clears up nicely by afternoon. Expect highs in the mid 60s. Sunday, however, looks soggy again, with showers likely and highs around 60°.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner 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.

WFOR

By Tania Francois

Click here for updates on this story

    MIAMI (WFOR) — For 33 years, South Florida has come together to make the holidays brighter for families who need a hand. Neighbors 4 Neighbors’ Adopt a Family campaign is back, and this year the Boggs family is hoping for a little help to make their Christmas feel like home.

Meet Yancy and Luna, ages 9 and 10. Their wish lists look a lot like other kids their age.

“I would like some clothes, shoes and a hoverboard,” Yancy said.

Luna, meanwhile, wants “an electric scooter, some clothes, shoes, something for me to play with, and a nail kit”.

The girls live with their father, a single dad doing everything he can to keep his daughters happy, healthy and whole.

“[I] raise them by myself. I had to get out and get some help for them,” he said.

Despite the challenges, the sisters stay focused at school.

“We are really good kids and we don’t like to be mean to people. I think we deserve it because we do good things and not bad things,” they said. “A, B honor roll and we’re gonna be thankful.”

The family has been through a lot. For a time, they moved from hotel to hotel. Their father is grateful for the community groups that stepped in and helped.

“I lived hotel to hotel for a while. Picket Fences helped me out and Broward Solutions helped me out,” Dad said. “It’s another year and I didn’t want to put them through the same things again. Something has to change for the better.”

Now they are in a new apartment. What they want most is a first good Christmas in a place that finally feels like home. The girls are also thinking about Dad.

“I want him to get some new clothes and some shoes” said Luna while Yancy added, “I want him to care for himself a little bit.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner 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.

By Tania Francois

Click here for updates on this story

    MIAMI (WFOR) — For 33 years, South Florida has come together to make the holidays brighter for families who need a hand. Neighbors 4 Neighbors’ Adopt a Family campaign is back, and this year the Boggs family is hoping for a little help to make their Christmas feel like home.

Meet Yancy and Luna, ages 9 and 10. Their wish lists look a lot like other kids their age.

“I would like some clothes, shoes and a hoverboard,” Yancy said.

Luna, meanwhile, wants “an electric scooter, some clothes, shoes, something for me to play with, and a nail kit”.

The girls live with their father, a single dad doing everything he can to keep his daughters happy, healthy and whole.

“[I] raise them by myself. I had to get out and get some help for them,” he said.

Despite the challenges, the sisters stay focused at school.

“We are really good kids and we don’t like to be mean to people. I think we deserve it because we do good things and not bad things,” they said. “A, B honor roll and we’re gonna be thankful.”

The family has been through a lot. For a time, they moved from hotel to hotel. Their father is grateful for the community groups that stepped in and helped.

“I lived hotel to hotel for a while. Picket Fences helped me out and Broward Solutions helped me out,” Dad said. “It’s another year and I didn’t want to put them through the same things again. Something has to change for the better.”

Now they are in a new apartment. What they want most is a first good Christmas in a place that finally feels like home. The girls are also thinking about Dad.

“I want him to get some new clothes and some shoes” said Luna while Yancy added, “I want him to care for himself a little bit.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner 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.

WBZ

By Mike Sullivan

Click here for updates on this story

    BOSTON (WBZ) — An East Boston corner grocery store is generating donations after a tongue in cheek sign out front of the store voiced their displeasure for the loss of SNAP benefits and spoke of their support for those impacted. The sign includes a certain, crass four-letter word that serves as both a punchline and a rallying cry.

The sign reads, “Did your SNAP benefits get taken away? We think that is extremely (expletive) up. Please take what you need.”

“Sure does! It has been getting a lot of photos and attention, but that’s my personality right there,” said Alexis Cervasio, owner of EBO & Co Groceries on Meridian Street in East Boston.

Cervasio not only owns the corner spot but leads a secret supper club. Between her store and the club, they started with a $250 run to Market Basket, so they could put the food and sign out in front of her store.

“Then people started to match us. You just have to get it started, and the people make it happen. I knew we could count on our following,” said Cervasio. “We aren’t looking for people to show us their card, but people feel compelled, and I am like, ‘Put it away! Take what you need.'”

Cervasio says even people who receive SNAP benefits have been donating to the cause if they feel like they can get by with what they have.

“I have been in tears all week. It’s been an emotional week here,” said Cervasio. “We had a father come in here yesterday, he’s like, ‘I’m a single father with two kids, I work at the airport. I am not getting paid right now, plus I’m not getting my SNAP benefits.’ He is like ‘so this is awesome.'”

They are still accepting donations of food at EBO but also are accepting monetary donations that they will use to buy food. Her grocery store carries a wide range of items that includes a fresh fruit and vegetable stand, fine wines, oysters, caviar and boutique foods. She has been going to major grocery stores to get more canned goods and non-perishables that her store may not supply.

“I filled up four baskets yesterday at Market Basket, so that was about $1,000, and it was gone by the end of the day,” said Cervasio.

EBO’s fresh fruit and vegetable stand is offering deals like six oranges for $1 or three avocados for $5.

“Our fruit stand is probably one of the most approachable on this side of the harbor,” said Cervasio. “It’s nice that we have a balance for both.”

“It’s a blessing and everyone should be grateful for it,” said Bernice Gordon, a woman who has been without her SNAP benefits and came by to look at the donations. “Everyone is trying to help out because nowadays everyone needs to stick with each other.”

Gordon spoke with WBZ then chose not to take anything from the table, saying off camera, “I only take what I need, and someone may need it more.”

“When I heard, it might get shut down, I started preparing my family. We look out for each other,” said Gordon. “Every day is a good day if you can eat something and wake up.”

Cervasio can be contacted via the store’s Instagram @ebo.grocery.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner 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.

By Mike Sullivan

Click here for updates on this story

    BOSTON (WBZ) — An East Boston corner grocery store is generating donations after a tongue in cheek sign out front of the store voiced their displeasure for the loss of SNAP benefits and spoke of their support for those impacted. The sign includes a certain, crass four-letter word that serves as both a punchline and a rallying cry.

The sign reads, “Did your SNAP benefits get taken away? We think that is extremely (expletive) up. Please take what you need.”

“Sure does! It has been getting a lot of photos and attention, but that’s my personality right there,” said Alexis Cervasio, owner of EBO & Co Groceries on Meridian Street in East Boston.

Cervasio not only owns the corner spot but leads a secret supper club. Between her store and the club, they started with a $250 run to Market Basket, so they could put the food and sign out in front of her store.

“Then people started to match us. You just have to get it started, and the people make it happen. I knew we could count on our following,” said Cervasio. “We aren’t looking for people to show us their card, but people feel compelled, and I am like, ‘Put it away! Take what you need.'”

Cervasio says even people who receive SNAP benefits have been donating to the cause if they feel like they can get by with what they have.

“I have been in tears all week. It’s been an emotional week here,” said Cervasio. “We had a father come in here yesterday, he’s like, ‘I’m a single father with two kids, I work at the airport. I am not getting paid right now, plus I’m not getting my SNAP benefits.’ He is like ‘so this is awesome.'”

They are still accepting donations of food at EBO but also are accepting monetary donations that they will use to buy food. Her grocery store carries a wide range of items that includes a fresh fruit and vegetable stand, fine wines, oysters, caviar and boutique foods. She has been going to major grocery stores to get more canned goods and non-perishables that her store may not supply.

“I filled up four baskets yesterday at Market Basket, so that was about $1,000, and it was gone by the end of the day,” said Cervasio.

EBO’s fresh fruit and vegetable stand is offering deals like six oranges for $1 or three avocados for $5.

“Our fruit stand is probably one of the most approachable on this side of the harbor,” said Cervasio. “It’s nice that we have a balance for both.”

“It’s a blessing and everyone should be grateful for it,” said Bernice Gordon, a woman who has been without her SNAP benefits and came by to look at the donations. “Everyone is trying to help out because nowadays everyone needs to stick with each other.”

Gordon spoke with WBZ then chose not to take anything from the table, saying off camera, “I only take what I need, and someone may need it more.”

“When I heard, it might get shut down, I started preparing my family. We look out for each other,” said Gordon. “Every day is a good day if you can eat something and wake up.”

Cervasio can be contacted via the store’s Instagram @ebo.grocery.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner 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.