Month: November 2025

WFOR

By Erika Gonzalez

Click here for updates on this story

    MIAMI (WFOR) — They bought homes with big dreams, and even bigger mortgage payments, hoping to refinance once rates dropped. But with interest rates still hovering near 6%, real relief hasn’t arrived.

When Eddie Capote and Beatriz Lora bought their first home together in Miami in 2023, interest rates were climbing, but so was their dream of finding a place to start a family.

“It was a full rehab project for the both of us, but now I think we’ve little by little we’ve started to make it more beautiful as the months go by,” Lora said.

But fixing up their new home was just part of the challenge. What’s been harder to rebuild is their budget.

“We’ve been waiting for rates to come down for two years,” Capote said. “Obviously, we were expecting that when we purchased they would come down sooner.”

Melinda Payne with The Truth About Lending said she’s hearing that same frustration from many of her clients stuck in refinancing limbo.

“There’s a tremendous amount of demand that is going on right now, even with the slight decreases we’ve seen over the last several months in interest rates,” Payne said.

Payne said for some homeowners who bought when rates peaked around October 2023, refinancing could finally make sense.

“We see that there are clients out there that have interest rates in the high sevens, maybe even in the low eights,” she said. “So right now, with interest rates being in the high fives to the low sixes, it’s a significant savings for them.”

Even as rates inch lower, experts say homeowners need to crunch the numbers before they refinance, factoring in the new rate, closing costs and how long they plan to stay in their home.

Payne said it’s not a one-size-fits-all decision.

“A perfect example is we have a client who owns a house right now that’s at a much higher interest rate, but he’s moving, he’s selling,” she said. “So even though he may have a 7.8% interest rate, the closing costs that he would pay just don’t make sense for him to refinance right now.”

For now, Payne said the best strategy isn’t rushing to refinance, it’s getting ready for when the right moment comes by paying down other debt, keeping your credit score high and building equity.

“What’s that magic number if it were to drop, what do we need to have? What papers do we need to have in place to to be able to refi?” Lora said.

Mortgage rates are determined by several factors, including the 10-year treasury bond yield, federal reserve policy, investment activity and other economic conditions. But this fall, many experts say the jobs market and inflation will be the top influencers on where mortgage rates head next.

As for Capote and Lora, they’re just waiting for rates to hit their goal and they hope it happens soon.

“Like a 5, 5.25%, we’re, gonna pull the trigger. I mean that’d be like $1,000 a month in savings,” Capote said. “Who wouldn’t want to do that?”

One piece of advice Payne gives her clients who are still house hunting: make sure you’re comfortable with the payment at today’s rate, not the rate you hope to get later. Because while refinancing may save you money down the line, it shouldn’t be the only plan keeping that dream home within reach.

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 Erika Gonzalez

Click here for updates on this story

    MIAMI (WFOR) — They bought homes with big dreams, and even bigger mortgage payments, hoping to refinance once rates dropped. But with interest rates still hovering near 6%, real relief hasn’t arrived.

When Eddie Capote and Beatriz Lora bought their first home together in Miami in 2023, interest rates were climbing, but so was their dream of finding a place to start a family.

“It was a full rehab project for the both of us, but now I think we’ve little by little we’ve started to make it more beautiful as the months go by,” Lora said.

But fixing up their new home was just part of the challenge. What’s been harder to rebuild is their budget.

“We’ve been waiting for rates to come down for two years,” Capote said. “Obviously, we were expecting that when we purchased they would come down sooner.”

Melinda Payne with The Truth About Lending said she’s hearing that same frustration from many of her clients stuck in refinancing limbo.

“There’s a tremendous amount of demand that is going on right now, even with the slight decreases we’ve seen over the last several months in interest rates,” Payne said.

Payne said for some homeowners who bought when rates peaked around October 2023, refinancing could finally make sense.

“We see that there are clients out there that have interest rates in the high sevens, maybe even in the low eights,” she said. “So right now, with interest rates being in the high fives to the low sixes, it’s a significant savings for them.”

Even as rates inch lower, experts say homeowners need to crunch the numbers before they refinance, factoring in the new rate, closing costs and how long they plan to stay in their home.

Payne said it’s not a one-size-fits-all decision.

“A perfect example is we have a client who owns a house right now that’s at a much higher interest rate, but he’s moving, he’s selling,” she said. “So even though he may have a 7.8% interest rate, the closing costs that he would pay just don’t make sense for him to refinance right now.”

For now, Payne said the best strategy isn’t rushing to refinance, it’s getting ready for when the right moment comes by paying down other debt, keeping your credit score high and building equity.

“What’s that magic number if it were to drop, what do we need to have? What papers do we need to have in place to to be able to refi?” Lora said.

Mortgage rates are determined by several factors, including the 10-year treasury bond yield, federal reserve policy, investment activity and other economic conditions. But this fall, many experts say the jobs market and inflation will be the top influencers on where mortgage rates head next.

As for Capote and Lora, they’re just waiting for rates to hit their goal and they hope it happens soon.

“Like a 5, 5.25%, we’re, gonna pull the trigger. I mean that’d be like $1,000 a month in savings,” Capote said. “Who wouldn’t want to do that?”

One piece of advice Payne gives her clients who are still house hunting: make sure you’re comfortable with the payment at today’s rate, not the rate you hope to get later. Because while refinancing may save you money down the line, it shouldn’t be the only plan keeping that dream home within reach.

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 Kirstyn Clark, WRAL reporter

Click here for updates on this story

    North Carolina (WRAL) — A Greensboro man is facing charges after a 4-year-old boy accidentally shot himself with an unsecured gun inside a Durham home.

Officers said they were called to reports of a shooting around 10:40 a.m. on Sunday on Linwood Avenue. When they arrived, they found the child with a gunshot wound.

Patrick Daye, 52, has been charged with permitting a young child to use a dangerous firearm.

According to arrest warrants, Daye is accused of leaving a 9mm pistol “in a condition that the firearm can be discharged” and easily accessible for the child without the parents’ permission causing injury.

Police said the boy is in critical condition but is stable. No other injuries were reported.

Daye was released after posting on $1,000 bond. He appeared in court Monday morning.

Neighbors told WRAL News they were sad when they found out the child had been shot, one calling it an example of the “senseless violence that happens too often in this area.”

“This is sickening,” said Robert Adams, who lives near the scene. “It has to stop, ‘cause our kids are dying at no fault of their own. Everybody just stands and looks, and they go on with their day after this happens, like it’s OK. But it’s not OK. We got to do something.”

Others told WRAL News they are just heartbroken.

“I don’t remember seeing no child,” Bass said. “Maybe it’s a grandchild or somebody. But if that happened, it just breaks my heart. Something like that, for a child, it breaks my heart.”

She said despite witnessing shootings and break-ins in the neighborhood, she’s never seen such a large police presence for one incident.

“I was just shocked,” she continued. “We came home [and] couldn’t get down our street. Like what in the world is going on?”

“This is sickening,” said Robert Adams, who lives near the scene. “It has to stop, ‘cause our kids are dying at no fault of their own. Everybody just stands and looks, and they go on with their day after this happens, like it’s OK. But it’s not OK. We got to do something.”

Others told WRAL News they are just heartbroken.

“I don’t remember seeing no child,” Bass said. “Maybe it’s a grandchild or somebody. But if that happened, it just breaks my heart. Something like that, for a child, it breaks my heart.”

She said despite witnessing shootings and break-ins in the neighborhood, she’s never seen such a large police presence for one incident.

“I was just shocked,” she continued. “We came home [and] couldn’t get down our street. Like what in the world is going on?”

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 Adam Schumes

Click here for updates on this story

    INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — An Indianapolis woman is facing multiple charges after court documents say she used social media to advertise and operate illegal parties that served alcohol to minors at her east side apartment complex.

Court records claim police were called to the woman’s apartment near 12th and North Arlington Avenue more than 30 times since January, including reports of shots fired and a person armed.

WRTV spoke with two residents who asked not to be shown on camera or share their identities for safety reasons.

“I didn’t sign up to pay a lot of money to sleep next to a nightclub and not be able to really be comfortable,” said the first neighbor.

“I’ve seen them out here where they were tapping, patting people down at the doorway, and then 20 minutes later you’ll hear a gunshot or two,” the second neighbor said.

The first neighbor described the toll the parties have taken on their daily life.

“For the past probably six months, I’ve probably slept two hours a day. Like, it’s just, you don’t leave after a certain time at night. There’s a lot of anxiety and stress,” they said.

According to the probable cause affidavit, authorities believe the woman advertised the parties on social media, sometimes requiring payment at the door.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officials say they’re seeing people using social media to advertise illegal parties. The department emphasized the importance of community involvement in addressing these situations.

“We don’t know unless the community reaches out and continues to tell us, and you can’t. I understand it’s hard. Maybe we come one time, we get that party shut down,, or they quiet down. But then it continues on, you see another party and another party. We need to track that,” IMPD Officer Tommy Thompson said.

Neighbors who spoke about the situation agreed that community involvement is crucial.

“This is the part where everybody needs to get involved for me because I live here and the other neighbors, some of them can’t fend for themselves,” one neighbor said.

Another resident stressed the importance of protecting young people in the community.

“When you see a crowd of people or a group of young people that looks as if it’s illegal, like protecting our youth, like them are our futures. There’s enough bad things going on, and it takes for everybody to get involved,” the neighbor said.

IMPD urges community members to call and report suspicious party activity to help prevent further incidents. — 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 Olivia Hickey

Click here for updates on this story

    OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — The Clara Luper National Sit-In Plaza was dedicated in downtown Oklahoma City, commemorating the historic sit-in led by teacher Clara Luper and 13 NAACP Youth Council members at Katz Drug Store almost 70 years ago.

The plaza sits on the original site of Katz Drug Store and features life-sized bronze statues depicting Luper and the sit-in participants, aiming to ensure their efforts are remembered.

“Let this plaza be a symbol to all, especially small children, when they see these life-sized bronze statues, some that are their own size, may they understand even the smallest can do great and mighty things,” Pastor Derrick Scobey of Ebenezer Baptist Church said.

Thousands gathered for the dedication of the plaza, which serves as a monument to a significant milestone in the civil rights movement.

“This story for too long has not been told and has largely gone unnoticed, but today, we proclaim Oklahoma City as the birthplace of the national sit-in movement,” Rev. Lee Cooper of the Clara Luper Legacy Committee said.

On Aug. 15, 1958, Clara Luper and the NAACP Youth Council held a sit-in at Katz Drug Store’s lunch counter. Within three days, they were served, leading to the desegregation of the store and sparking a wave of sit-ins across the country during the civil rights movement.

Marilyn Luper-Hildreth, Clara Luper’s daughter and one of the original council members, expressed her pride in their actions, saying, “I’m so glad we sat down in Oklahoma City because if we had not sat down in Oklahoma City, young people throughout this nation would’ve never stood up.”

Returning to West Main Street and North Robinson Avenue for the dedication, Luper-Hildreth reflected on their resilience and the ongoing struggle for equality.

“Hold on, continue to fight, continue to vote, and we shall overcome,” Luper-Hildreth said.

A key note in the statue’s design is an open stool, allowing visitors to sit at the counter for a personal connection to the historic moment.

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 KAKE News

Click here for updates on this story

    WICHITA, Kansas (KAKE) — Wichita police say an 80-year-old woman who was stabbed Friday morning has died, and they’ve arrested her daughter for murder.

Officers responded at around 7:50 a.m. to a reported cutting at a home in the 1500 block of East Crowley, near Wassall and Hydraulic. They arrived to find the 47-year-old suspect outside the home with cuts on her hands. Inside the residence, officers found Anita Avers unresponsive in her bed with multiple stab wounds.

EMS took Avers to a local hospital, where she died just before 8:30 a.m.

Jail records identify the suspect as 47-year-old Angelynn Mock, who is in jail for murder in the first degree.

Anita’s husband tells us she was a therapist at Wichita Counseling Professionals.

KAKE News has confirmed that the suspect, Angelynn Mock, is a former news anchor in St. Louis.

The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office on Sunday confirmed to KAKE News that Mock has not been charged in relation to the arrest, saying, “This case has not been presented to our office for a charging decision so Ms. Mock has not been charged with any crime in relation to her arrest on Friday.”

The investigation is ongoing.

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 Jolie Sherman

Click here for updates on this story

    TROY, Michigan (WXYZ) — A 15-year-old Life Scout from Troy is making history while working toward one of scouting’s highest honors.

Anson Pingree built an 1830s-style bread oven for Troy’s Historic Village as part of his Eagle Scout project, creating a functional piece of history that will serve the community for years to come.

“It’s cool. It’s like I built a little piece of history and it gets to stay here for as long as the village exists,” Pingree said.

The ambitious teen wanted his Eagle Scout project to leave a lasting impression.

“I didn’t want anything small. I wanted it to be long lasting and show people in the future how I was as a scout and a person,” Pingree said.

The historic bread oven fulfills a long-held vision for the village’s youth programs.

“It’s really, really exciting for us,” said Alex Konieczny, Troy’s Historic Village youth program director. “I’ve had this vision of having a bread oven for baking bread and things like that.”

Pingree began construction in July and spent four months building the oven from the ground up. His father, Dan Pingree, supported him throughout the project, continuing a family tradition of Eagle Scouts.

“I was a Boy Scout and Eagle Scout. My father was an Eagle Scout, and my grandfather was an Eagle Scout,” Dan Pingree said.

The $1,300 project was funded through donations from family and friends. On Saturday, the oven was fired for the first time during a bread baking class at the village.

Jeff Pavlik, a historian and bread baking instructor dressed in 1830s-style clothing, taught participants using authentic period recipes.

“They’re going to get their hands involved in history. They’ll get to see how the yeast was made and how the yeast was utilized, the process and the techniques,” Pavlik said.

Pavlik, also an Eagle Scout, helped with the oven project that will significantly support the village’s operations.

“Being able to do programs like this, this is how we operate, this is how we stay open and serve the community and it lets us keep doing more and more cool stuff,” Konieczny said.

Pingree hopes to complete his Eagle Scout Board of Review by the end of the year.

—————

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXYZ’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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 McKenzy Parsons

Click here for updates on this story

    VILLISCA, Iowa (KETV) — In the tiny town of Villisca, Iowa, one house carries a sinister secret.

Stepping inside 508 East Second Street takes you back to June 12, 1912, when the home belonged to the Moore family.

That fateful night, two neighbor girls, the Stillinger sisters, made the unfortunate choice of sleeping over.

None of them would ever wake up again. That night, all eight would be murdered with an ax.

Decades later, brave souls enter the house to learn the story and to experience the paranormal.

My curiosity brought me to a tour of the home led by property manager Kelly Mattson.

“This is where the Stillinger girls were found. Sadly, they were unrecognizable. The only way they could be identified was that their names were in their Bibles,” said Mattson.

A walk through the halls will send shivers down your spine and give you the feeling that time stopped when the murders took place.

“There’s actually a mark here in the wall. This one led authorities to believe the killer was left-handed. This is the way the upswing of it is,” said Mattson.

Even more chilling than the mark was entering the area where the murderer waited to strike.

It’s believed that the killer hid in this attic that very night when eight different murders were committed throughout this house, going room by room, person to person — and to this day, over 100 years later, we still don’t know who was behind it all.

What we do know is that visitors swear they come into contact with the paranormal.

“If you think of haunted, it happens. It’s gotten to the point that footsteps and voices are normal — which is really crazy to say,” said Mattson.

KETV’s assignment editor and paranormal investigator in her own right, Victoria Holley, came along to help me identify possible spirits in the house.

“If you hear a word, that might be a ghost trying to pick it out,” said Holley.

She came prepared with equipment that would put the Ghostbusters to shame.

“This is called a REM pod. The idea is that spirits can manipulate energy, so if something gets close to it, it’ll tell you how close and how strong the electromagnetic field is,” said Holley.

Almost instantly, energy was picked up, setting off the REM pods throughout the house—from the baby’s crib to the attic where the murderer waited to strike.

Now that there was a sign that spirits might actually be in the house, it was time to try and communicate.

“Is anyone in the room with us?” I asked.

We grabbed more advanced tools. This device is believed to allow souls to communicate by manipulating energy in a room to pull words from radio frequencies.

At first, our conversation seemed promising.

“Should I leave the house?” I questioned.

“Slowly,” answered the machine.

But as I moved throughout the house, I stopped getting answers.

“Do you want me to leave?” I questioned again.

I was left with the sound of static.

I was down to one last tool. Similar to the radio, I’d ask a question, and it would talk back.

“Do you know what happened in this house?” I asked.

“Friday,” said the machine.

“What happened Friday?” I asked

“Help,” the machine replied.

Again, it seemed like we might be making progress, sending me the signal that something was important.

“What’s important?” I asked

At the very same time, the REM pod we left in the crib beeped off.

Just when we thought we were going to get an answer related to the murders, I stopped receiving answers from the devices.

While we may not have actually seen any ghosts during our stay at the house, we felt their presence in every room.

A place where eight innocent souls continue to rest to this 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.