Month: December 2025

WBBM

By Edie Kasten, Joe Donlon

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — An Indiana woman who found inner peace and her mission in life by running is changing the world one footstep at a time.

“I am not an elite runner. I am not a fast runner. I am just a person who knows that running can change so much,” Judy Kupsik said.

Running has changed so much in Kupsik’s life, but first there was so much pain.

“I lived a pretty quote-unquote normal life here in Highland. I had a pretty stable household growing up. … My mom was always sick, though, so that always caused a lot of fear and anxiety to build up within me,” she said. “When you’re filled with that much anxiety and fear, it has to go somewhere, and it can lead to dangerous things.”

In Kupsik’s case, it led to an alcohol addiction that began in her teens and went on for years.

“It was drinking to numb the pain, and to numb the hurt,” she said.

In 2012, desperate to find her footing, she returned to a childhood hobby – running. At first it, was just for fun. Then it hit her.

“I felt good, and I’m like, ‘You know what? I think I can do this. I think I can run a half marathon,'” she said. “So I did. I just went out and ran a half marathon.”

She ran her first full marathon in Chicago in 2014 as her 13-year marriage was ending.3

“There was just something inside of me that just needed to keep running and keep moving forward instead of backward into the pain and into the hurt,” she said.

But that race wasn’t enough.

“That high wore off very quickly, and I was still left seeking,” she said. “All of a sudden, going to be a single mom. How was I going to do this? I was at the end of myself. Completely at the end of myself.”

It all began to change on Christmas Eve 2014, when Kupsik walked into Faith Church in Highland.

“I knew about this church was here, but I had never been here before,” she said. “The music and the message just broke through my heart, and I surrendered my life to God that night.”

One Sunday in 2016, she heard about a church mission trip to help an orphanage in Haiti.

“I had never been out of the country before, but I want to go. I want to do that,” she said. “I want to go help these kids if I can help these kids.”

But first, she had to stop drinking, and she did with the help of a dedicated mentor. She took the trip to Haiti, and it had a profound impact.

“Haiti is one of the poorest countries in this Western Hemisphere. I had never seen anything like that before in my life. I literally held children in my arms, and I felt their bones in my hands where there should have been fat,” she said. “This should not be like this. It shouldn’t be happening. So, when I got back, that resolve of, like, ‘What can I do in this world to help this?'”

In 2017, she joined the church running team, which raises funds for World Vision, a nonprofit that brings clean water and other resources to places that desperately need them.

“When clean water comes into a community, that’s where everything starts to change; when people are no longer getting sick, when they no longer have to walk miles for dirty water,” she said. “Moms are able to stay home or start small businesses and raise funds for their family.”

Kupsik is determined to help make it all happen. This year, she ran the Chicago Marathon to raise funds for World Vision.

She also ran marathons in Fox Valley and in Nairobi, Kenya, to benefit Hope Mobility, a nonprofit which provides wheelchairs and other equipment for people in need. She did all three big runs in just 35 days.

On any given day, you can still find Kupsik pounding the pavement and finding grace.

“I will run for hours, no music, no other people with me; just me, my breath, my body, my surroundings, and it literally shuts everything off,” she said. “Everything just stops, and it’s just, like, this calm and this peace.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Edie Kasten, Joe Donlon

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — An Indiana woman who found inner peace and her mission in life by running is changing the world one footstep at a time.

“I am not an elite runner. I am not a fast runner. I am just a person who knows that running can change so much,” Judy Kupsik said.

Running has changed so much in Kupsik’s life, but first there was so much pain.

“I lived a pretty quote-unquote normal life here in Highland. I had a pretty stable household growing up. … My mom was always sick, though, so that always caused a lot of fear and anxiety to build up within me,” she said. “When you’re filled with that much anxiety and fear, it has to go somewhere, and it can lead to dangerous things.”

In Kupsik’s case, it led to an alcohol addiction that began in her teens and went on for years.

“It was drinking to numb the pain, and to numb the hurt,” she said.

In 2012, desperate to find her footing, she returned to a childhood hobby – running. At first it, was just for fun. Then it hit her.

“I felt good, and I’m like, ‘You know what? I think I can do this. I think I can run a half marathon,'” she said. “So I did. I just went out and ran a half marathon.”

She ran her first full marathon in Chicago in 2014 as her 13-year marriage was ending.3

“There was just something inside of me that just needed to keep running and keep moving forward instead of backward into the pain and into the hurt,” she said.

But that race wasn’t enough.

“That high wore off very quickly, and I was still left seeking,” she said. “All of a sudden, going to be a single mom. How was I going to do this? I was at the end of myself. Completely at the end of myself.”

It all began to change on Christmas Eve 2014, when Kupsik walked into Faith Church in Highland.

“I knew about this church was here, but I had never been here before,” she said. “The music and the message just broke through my heart, and I surrendered my life to God that night.”

One Sunday in 2016, she heard about a church mission trip to help an orphanage in Haiti.

“I had never been out of the country before, but I want to go. I want to do that,” she said. “I want to go help these kids if I can help these kids.”

But first, she had to stop drinking, and she did with the help of a dedicated mentor. She took the trip to Haiti, and it had a profound impact.

“Haiti is one of the poorest countries in this Western Hemisphere. I had never seen anything like that before in my life. I literally held children in my arms, and I felt their bones in my hands where there should have been fat,” she said. “This should not be like this. It shouldn’t be happening. So, when I got back, that resolve of, like, ‘What can I do in this world to help this?'”

In 2017, she joined the church running team, which raises funds for World Vision, a nonprofit that brings clean water and other resources to places that desperately need them.

“When clean water comes into a community, that’s where everything starts to change; when people are no longer getting sick, when they no longer have to walk miles for dirty water,” she said. “Moms are able to stay home or start small businesses and raise funds for their family.”

Kupsik is determined to help make it all happen. This year, she ran the Chicago Marathon to raise funds for World Vision.

She also ran marathons in Fox Valley and in Nairobi, Kenya, to benefit Hope Mobility, a nonprofit which provides wheelchairs and other equipment for people in need. She did all three big runs in just 35 days.

On any given day, you can still find Kupsik pounding the pavement and finding grace.

“I will run for hours, no music, no other people with me; just me, my breath, my body, my surroundings, and it literally shuts everything off,” she said. “Everything just stops, and it’s just, like, this calm and this peace.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Kerry Breen

Click here for updates on this story

    FLORIDA (WFOR) — A boy with autism, 6, was rescued from a pond on Christmas Day by Florida police, fewer than 18 months after a similar incident led to the child being enrolled in swimming lessons.

The boy, identified by police as Coco, was found in chest-deep waters, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release shared Friday morning. Deputies in a sheriff’s helicopter helped lead officers to the child.

Video shared by the sheriff’s office shows the police searching the area for Coco before the helicopter crew spots him in the water. The child was cold but unharmed, police said.

Coco is nonverbal and known to be attracted to water, police said.

In August 2024, Coco, then 5, escaped his home through a second-story door. His escape set off an alarm inside the house and led his family to call the police. Coco’s family said at the time he was attracted to water.

Volusia County Sheriff’s Deputy Wes Brough found Coco clinging to a branch in a pond in his Deltona neighborhood, the office said on social media at the time. Brough carried the boy to dry land, where he was medically cleared and returned to his family.

After the incident, Coco started swimming lessons, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies also spoke with his family about improving precautionary measures on the house and having Coco wear a GPS tracker at all times.

Authorities urge families of children with autism or special needs to use multiple layers of protection, including door alarms, secure fencing, and wearable tracking devices, CBS affiliate CBS12 reported.

“Most importantly, we’re just glad he’s back home safe,” the sheriff’s office said.

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

WJZ

By Ashley Paul, Adam Thompson

Click here for updates on this story

    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A family of six are displaced, and two of their dogs are missing, after a fire destroyed their Harford County home on Christmas Eve.

People driving around looking at holiday lights alerted emergency responders to the fire in the 500 block of Flintlock Dive in Bel Air. Officials said the fire appeared to have been sparked by an electrical issue with the Christmas tree.

Fire officials said witnesses driving through the neighborhood noticed the fire in the living room of the home and stopped to tell the owners, who weren’t home at the time.

They reported hearing dogs inside the home and attempted to save them by kicking the front door open, while another neighbor broke the back door window in an attempt to save the pets, according to fire officials.

The estimated cost of damage is about $500,000.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. 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 Ashley Paul, Adam Thompson

Click here for updates on this story

    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A family of six are displaced, and two of their dogs are missing, after a fire destroyed their Harford County home on Christmas Eve.

People driving around looking at holiday lights alerted emergency responders to the fire in the 500 block of Flintlock Dive in Bel Air. Officials said the fire appeared to have been sparked by an electrical issue with the Christmas tree.

Fire officials said witnesses driving through the neighborhood noticed the fire in the living room of the home and stopped to tell the owners, who weren’t home at the time.

They reported hearing dogs inside the home and attempted to save them by kicking the front door open, while another neighbor broke the back door window in an attempt to save the pets, according to fire officials.

The estimated cost of damage is about $500,000.

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