Month: December 2025

By Patsy Montesinos

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    LEBANON, Tennessee (WTVF) — Jesse Anne Bybee knows what it’s like to start over with nothing. That’s why she’s spending her days off driving around Lebanon, collecting winter clothes from more than 100 donors for women at The Next Door Recovery.

“Anything is appreciated because again these women don’t have anything and you know the journey is longer than just a 28-day rehab stay,” Bybee said.

After posting on social media asking for donations, the response overwhelmed her. The cause hits close to home — Bybee has walked the same path as the women she’s helping.

“It’s a very special place to me because they have helped heal me so many different times in my life,” she said.

Now nearly a year sober, Bybee wants to give back by doing for others what so many once did for her.

“It’s really hard to do this without support. And there’s no way that I would be here talking to you guys if it weren’t for my family and especially for The Next Door, because, you know, they really helped me,” Bybee said.

She’s not working alone. Arielle Dee, who is also in recovery and more than a year sober, joined the effort after seeing Bybee’s social media post.

“So when I seen her post, I reached out immediately and was like, take this off my hands. Get it to where it needs to go,” Dee said.

For both women, their ability to help others represents how far they’ve come.

“It shows that we do recover. It is possible. Like she said, where we came from to be able to do this today, there’s no words for it,” Dee said.

They hope their journey can inspire women currently in recovery.

“See that someone loves them. Someone cares enough to go out of their way and make sure they have what they need and that’s what it takes. That’s where that support comes from or else you don’t get better,” Dee said.

Bybee believes there’s a purpose behind her mission and plans to continue collecting donations.

“The more people that we have to help the better because this is such a huge epidemic,” she said.

She finds fulfillment in making a difference one winter coat at a time.

“I’m pleased that I can at least do this. That way these women can leave rehab and have some clothes to wear. Something that they can do whatever they please with. It’s theirs,” Bybee said.

Anyone wanting to help can reach out to Bybee on Facebook to make a donation or she encourages everyone to drop off items at local recovery centers or shelters in need.

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.

KTVT

By Marvin Hurst

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    LINDSAY, Texas (KTVT) — Shawn Neu and his wife, Christy, are now offering a $4,250 reward, hoping to secure an arrest in the killing of one of their bison.

The reward is sponsored by SR Bison Ranch, Texas Bison Association, Gail Ahnert — a National Bison Association Member and Liberty Highlands Cattle Company.

“We’re going to find out who did it. And, you know, justice needs to be served on this,” Neu said. “Taking a member of our family, one of my wife’s babies.”

Neu said he could see beer cans near the County 301 Road portion of his property in Cooke County on the Monday before Thanksgiving. The previous night, the couple heard their dogs barking, but had no idea what it was connected to until they went to clean the fence line.

When the couple made their cleaning rounds, they made a gruesome discovery.

“We saw Louisiana lying there and no head at all,” he said. “My wife, you know, was hysterical at that point.”

Louisiana is the bison cow he bought in Jonesboro, Louisiana, seven months prior. Her carcass, he said, was decomposing after a one-shot kill, and she was headless. They called the Cooked County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Ray Sappington said the animal cruelty/livestock crime occurred between November 23 and November 26. But tracking a suspect has been formidable.

“What kind of makes this challenging was that it rained Sunday night going into Monday morning,” Sappington said. “So, any evidence that might have been there had been washed away. So, we didn’t see blood. We didn’t see drag marks. We didn’t see hair from going over the fence or through the fence.”

According to Sappington, there is no surveillance video. His deputies have been running down leads, but nothing has evolved into a suspect or arrest. The sheriff said this is the first time his office has investigated a crime like this since he was elected 5 years ago.

It’s a scene where he believes there was more than one person involved because of the weight of the bison’s head.

“That would be a pretty big challenge, to kill the animal and then get a head of that size and that weight across the pasture, through a fence, and into your vehicle by yourself,” Sappington said.

Neu said they have enhanced security on his property because this was a personal matter.

“I do take this personally. I take it personally that somebody would want to come out and, you know, violate one of our animals like this, trespass on our property, and just. It’s just really disrespectful,” Neu said.

Sappington said anyone with information about the case can call 940-665-3471, or send an anonymous tip to tips@co.cooke.tx.us.

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.

By Marvin Hurst

Click here for updates on this story

    LINDSAY, Texas (KTVT) — Shawn Neu and his wife, Christy, are now offering a $4,250 reward, hoping to secure an arrest in the killing of one of their bison.

The reward is sponsored by SR Bison Ranch, Texas Bison Association, Gail Ahnert — a National Bison Association Member and Liberty Highlands Cattle Company.

“We’re going to find out who did it. And, you know, justice needs to be served on this,” Neu said. “Taking a member of our family, one of my wife’s babies.”

Neu said he could see beer cans near the County 301 Road portion of his property in Cooke County on the Monday before Thanksgiving. The previous night, the couple heard their dogs barking, but had no idea what it was connected to until they went to clean the fence line.

When the couple made their cleaning rounds, they made a gruesome discovery.

“We saw Louisiana lying there and no head at all,” he said. “My wife, you know, was hysterical at that point.”

Louisiana is the bison cow he bought in Jonesboro, Louisiana, seven months prior. Her carcass, he said, was decomposing after a one-shot kill, and she was headless. They called the Cooked County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Ray Sappington said the animal cruelty/livestock crime occurred between November 23 and November 26. But tracking a suspect has been formidable.

“What kind of makes this challenging was that it rained Sunday night going into Monday morning,” Sappington said. “So, any evidence that might have been there had been washed away. So, we didn’t see blood. We didn’t see drag marks. We didn’t see hair from going over the fence or through the fence.”

According to Sappington, there is no surveillance video. His deputies have been running down leads, but nothing has evolved into a suspect or arrest. The sheriff said this is the first time his office has investigated a crime like this since he was elected 5 years ago.

It’s a scene where he believes there was more than one person involved because of the weight of the bison’s head.

“That would be a pretty big challenge, to kill the animal and then get a head of that size and that weight across the pasture, through a fence, and into your vehicle by yourself,” Sappington said.

Neu said they have enhanced security on his property because this was a personal matter.

“I do take this personally. I take it personally that somebody would want to come out and, you know, violate one of our animals like this, trespass on our property, and just. It’s just really disrespectful,” Neu said.

Sappington said anyone with information about the case can call 940-665-3471, or send an anonymous tip to tips@co.cooke.tx.us.

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.

By Kim Rafferty

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    NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) — We’re listening to your voice in Madison after several of you reached out to us about an apartment complex where two elevators weren’t working.

People who live at Madison Towers in Nashville say they feel trapped in their apartments after both elevators in the building broke down, leaving elderly and disabled tenants with no safe way to navigate the eleven-story complex.

Tenants say it’s causing a dangerous situation for disabled people living on higher floors there.

Tonya King, who lives on the seventh floor, said she hasn’t left her apartment in four days because the climb is too difficult.

“I am out of breath and I ain’t been down the stairs in four days because the elevator is out,” King said.

King made the trek down all seven floors just to speak with NewsChannel 5 about the elevator problems.

“Someone told me y’all were down here, that is the only reason I came down here myself,” King said. “We have two. We should not have both of them out and they keep coming to fix the one on the other side but it keep breaking down too.”

The building houses many elderly and disabled tenants who rely on Metro Development and Housing Agency vouchers. For these residents, using the stairs poses serious safety risks.

Lisa Kahner, who uses a walker and lives on the fourth floor, needed help getting down just to get to the food pantry.

“Don’t nobody want to help you because they can’t even get help themselves,” Kahner said.

Without working elevators, even her fourth-floor apartment feels impossibly high.

“I feel like crying right now because I was scared to death on them steps because I almost fell… Ain’t no telling what would happen,” Kahner said.

Both tenants said the problems began after a fire alarm Friday. Kahner said she couldn’t even evacuate during the emergency.

“Someone pulled the fire drill and I couldn’t get down because I couldn’t go down the steps,” Kahner said.

A sign posted on the elevators indicates Freeman Webb Company manages the property. The notice confirms both elevators are out of service.

King said residents on higher floors face even greater challenges.

“You got people paralyzed up higher on the 10th and 11th floor that can’t even get down,” King said.

King estimates a couple hundred people live in the building and she said tenants need a safer option for getting around.

I reached out to both the Metro Development and Housing Agency and Freeman Webb Company for comment.

A spokes person with MDHA said elevators stopped working Saturday evening. One elevator was restored on Sunday but had issues again. MDHA said they hope to have one of them running before the end of the day.

The property manager said they’re working on getting someone to speak with us, but we haven’t received any specific information yet.

In this article, WTVF used artificial intelligence to help them convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before they published it. WTVF cares about your trust in them and where you get your news, and using this tool allows them to convert their news coverage into different formats so they can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets WTVF’s journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.

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.

By Michael Rosales

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    CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, California (KSBW) — The Carmel City Council voted to permanently ban pickleball at Forest Hill Park, the city’s only public park with pickleball courts, after receiving noise complaints from neighbors.

“We’ve had laws against ice cream cones and high-heeled shoes, so this seems like another crazy one that you’re going to outlaw pickleball,” one attendee, Terry Moran, said.

A group of seniors who play pickleball weekly pushed back against the decision, feeling excluded from the decision-making process.

“We’ve been trying to participate as much as possible, but we feel like we’ve been left out of certain decisions,” Cynthia Vanderburg, a pickleball advocate, said.

The ban follows weeks of debate and was driven by complaints from a small group of residents living near the park.

“We’re not bad people saying you shouldn’t play your sport, just have compassion on the neighborhood that’s receiving this sport,” one attendee said.

Another added, “There are other places for these people to go and play. I can’t. What am I going to do? Sell my house and move away?”

Pickleball players argue that a few neighbors should not be able to shut down a sport that is important to many.

They emphasize the benefits of the sport, including exercise, enjoyment, and social interaction.

“It’s a great way to socialize, a great way to exercise, and it appears to be that the people who got this ban, or five people who live around the park, but there’s been no attempt to really look at what the community wants,” Moran said.

Council members acknowledged the arguments from both sides but ultimately decided to proceed with the ban.

The ban will take effect in 30 days, although pickleball is already off-limits at Forest Hill Park due to a temporary ban.

Despite the vote, the mayor expressed hope that the council could work with both sides to find a compromise.

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.

KYW

By Eva Andersen

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Families caring for seriously ill children received a moment of comfort and holiday joy Wednesday as CVS Health partnered with the Ronald McDonald House in University City to host a festive celebration designed to give them a break from medical routines.

Ten-year-old Gabe Peterson, who has lived with complex congenital heart defects since birth, was among the children enjoying the event. His family has stayed at the Ronald McDonald House since he was eight days old while he undergoes ongoing treatment and surgeries.

“They make me feel safe,” Peterson said.

Partners with CVS Health helped transform the house with holiday décor, crafts, dinner and giveaways, including blankets, teddy bears and gift cards. Organizers said the goal was to bring families a few hours of normalcy during a season many spend inside hospitals and care centers.

“We’re hoping that with the blankets, with the bears … that the families feel joy and warmth in an otherwise challenging time,” said Jenny McColloch, vice president of community impact and chief sustainability officer for CVS Health.

Philadelphia-based interior designer Meghan Gallagher, hired by CVS Health for the celebration, decorated the Ronald McDonald House with bright ornaments, trees and colorful holiday accents. She said she wanted families to feel “a little bit of joy, a little bit of comfort” the moment they walked in.

Gabe’s mother, Jessica Allen, said each detail made a difference.

“It makes it so nice for all of the families to be able to have the spirit of the holidays, and just all of the love and kindness that you see come out around the Ronald McDonald House,” she said.

The Ronald McDonald House will continue its holiday events next week with a 14-foot Christmas tree lighting on Tuesday.

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.

By Eva Andersen

Click here for updates on this story

    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Families caring for seriously ill children received a moment of comfort and holiday joy Wednesday as CVS Health partnered with the Ronald McDonald House in University City to host a festive celebration designed to give them a break from medical routines.

Ten-year-old Gabe Peterson, who has lived with complex congenital heart defects since birth, was among the children enjoying the event. His family has stayed at the Ronald McDonald House since he was eight days old while he undergoes ongoing treatment and surgeries.

“They make me feel safe,” Peterson said.

Partners with CVS Health helped transform the house with holiday décor, crafts, dinner and giveaways, including blankets, teddy bears and gift cards. Organizers said the goal was to bring families a few hours of normalcy during a season many spend inside hospitals and care centers.

“We’re hoping that with the blankets, with the bears … that the families feel joy and warmth in an otherwise challenging time,” said Jenny McColloch, vice president of community impact and chief sustainability officer for CVS Health.

Philadelphia-based interior designer Meghan Gallagher, hired by CVS Health for the celebration, decorated the Ronald McDonald House with bright ornaments, trees and colorful holiday accents. She said she wanted families to feel “a little bit of joy, a little bit of comfort” the moment they walked in.

Gabe’s mother, Jessica Allen, said each detail made a difference.

“It makes it so nice for all of the families to be able to have the spirit of the holidays, and just all of the love and kindness that you see come out around the Ronald McDonald House,” she said.

The Ronald McDonald House will continue its holiday events next week with a 14-foot Christmas tree lighting on Tuesday.

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.

By Jennifer Bisram

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A teenage basketball player is trying to stay hopeful as he recovers from a stray bullet shooting that happened at a Brooklyn bus stop over the weekend.

His injury is so severe, he is unsure if he will ever be able to walk again.

Nana Donkor, a 16-year-old junior at Far Rockaway High School in Queens, said he was waiting for a bus near East 16th Street and Avenue J in Midwood just before 5 p.m. Sunday when another teenager approached him.

“Some kid that looked very familiar to me came up to me, tapped me, and says, ‘Oh, what’s up, man? How are you doing?'” Donkor said. “I said, ‘Oh, what’s up?’ Gave him a dap.”

Then, Donkor says three teenagers in masks suddenly came out of nowhere.

“They let out their gun, and I heard the cock-back sound of the gun,” he said. “And I tried to take off, and I guess I was hit with a stray bullet.”

Donkor now has a bullet lodged in his spine.

“Hurts so much,” he told CBS News New York’s Jennifer Bisram on Wednesday.

Police said Donkor was not the intended target. No arrests have been made at this time, and police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to give them a call.

Donkor remains at Maimonides Medical Center with loved ones by his bedside.

“Praying a lot,” mother Daniella Boakye said. “And I have prayer warriors that has been supporting, the whole church, the family, all of them are supporting with prayers, so I know everything will be better. It’s just a matter of time.”

Donkor said he’s even praying for the person who pulled the trigger.

“I would just want him to apologize to me for what he did,” he said, “and you know, he’s a kid just like me, and I pray he lives his future and has a good life ahead of him, too.”

Donkor said he’s unsure if he will be able to walk, let alone play basketball again.

“If it doesn’t get better, then most likely I may not be able to play again,” he said. “That’s going to hurt.”

Still, he isn’t giving up.

“God is great, and I will be back on the court [sometime] soon,” he said.

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.

WCBS

By Christina Fan, Dick Brennan, Doug Williams

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A New York University student was attacked while walking to class in Manhattan earlier this week, and police say the man in custody is a repeat offender with a history of assaulting women.

In an emotional video posted on social media, 20-year-old Amelia Lewis recounted the assault and demanded something be done to prevent the suspect from targeting others.

Surveillance video shows Lewis walking to class on Monday morning in Greenwich Village, when a man runs up behind her near Broadway and Waverly and appears to slap her on the backside and then shove her to the ground, knocking off her headphones.

Bystanders are seen frozen in shock before running to her aid.

“Just be aware when you’re walking anywhere right now in New York. I never thought this was going to happen to me, because I’ve seen the stories and I was like, oh that’s so scary. But having it actually happen now, it’s like oh my God,” Lewis said on her social media video.

Lewis then did her first interview, speaking on the “Megyn Kelly Show” on Sirius XM on Wednesday.

“I wanted to report this and after I did tell the cops, I let NYU security know to let students know that this man is going around doing this to other women,” Lewis said. “They also told me they were already aware of the man in the blue towel around his neck running around the city.

“It’s really sad. This is something that happens all the time in New York, and I really want to make sure I use my voice and keep others protected and also help other girls that have maybe gone through the same experience as I,” she added.

Police arrested 45-year-old James Rizzo in the attack and charged him with persistent sexual abuse, forcible touching and assault. According to the New York State Department of Corrections, Rizzo, who police sources say is homeless and has 16 prior arrests, was out on parole after serving time for sex abuse.

Police said Rizzo is also facing charges stemming from a string of four residential burglaries in Manhattan in the early morning hours on Tuesday, as well as two additional and unrelated attacks on women, including the random punching of a 59-year-old woman on Mercer Street in December 2023.

The other attack involved 68-year-old Dianne Brazell, of Houston, who was in New York last week for Thanksgiving. She said she was walking with her family on Fifth Avenue in Midtown when, out of nowhere, a man started screaming obscenities in her face.

“And then he seemed to step back for a moment. I thought he was going to leave, and the next thing I knew, I was slammed into a plate glass,” Brazell said.

She was dazed and bruised as people scrambled to help her.

“I have a laceration in my forehead that required six stitches. I have a bruise on my left leg from my knee to my ankle,” she said. “I have a bruise on my left shoulder. I bit my tongue.”

Despite the attack, Brazell said she has no problem returning to New York. In fact, she was overwhelmed by all the support she got.

“It just renewed my faith that even though there are some very bad people among us, there are many more wonderful people,” she said.

Rizzo was expected to be arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday night.

On NYU’s campus on Tuesday and Wednesday, nearly every young woman had seen the disturbing video.

“My dad sent it to me. He was like, ‘You’ve got to stop walking around with your noise-canceling headphones on, because it could be you in another world,'” student Jules Fang said.

“It was really disgusting to see that happen, because she was literally just like minding her business,” Victoria Valenzuela said.

“I think it’s kind of scary in New York City to be a woman,” Ella Filler said. “I’m actually hoping my parents never see the video because they would freak out.”

“Something happens like that and you just get on your toes a little bit more because you never know what’s gonna happen,” Bela Ahn added.

An NYU spokesperson responded to the incident, saying the school takes it seriously and is continuing to offer support to Lewis.

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.