Month: January 2026

By Faraz Javed , Brian Schwartz

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    PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — At the Epiphany Glass Studio in Pontiac, art takes on a deeply personal meaning as owner and artist April Wagner transforms cremation ashes into stunning memorial glass sculptures.

The studio has been crafting art of various shapes and sizes for years, but Wagner recently took her craft in this meaningful direction. Each piece is handcrafted, with a small portion of ashes fused into molten glass, whether ordered online or made in person during special workshops.

Wagner calls the process “healing through beauty,” and for many clients, it provides a way to channel grief into something lasting and beautiful.

“People tell me that it’s great to have their loved one immortalized in a piece of art or to be able to view instead of just an urn with a bunch of ash in it, something colorful,” Wagner said. “If it’s the shape of a heart or a flower, or in the case of a pet, if it looks like your cat with the coloration, it just really keeps that memory alive.”

For Lish Dorset, creating a memorial piece for her beloved cat Ronnie became part of her healing journey. Ronnie was the first cat Dorset adopted as an adult when she moved out on her own.

“She and I were together on our own for a couple of years, and then I met my husband, she met my husband, and we were just kind of a little trio for the longest time,” Dorset said.

When Ronnie passed away at age 13 on Dorset’s birthday, the loss hit particularly hard.

“I wasn’t expecting to spend my birthday that way, and so it was really, really difficult,” Dorset said.

As part of her healing process, Dorset created a glass piece in person at the studio.

“It does make me a little bit emotional when I see it, but it’s just a little piece of her and it feels like a little bit of her spirit,” Dorset said. “It’s just kind of moving throughout the glass piece.”

Studio Manager Shannon Teeple explains that the creation process takes about 15 minutes. The studio offers an entire line of memorial pieces available on their website in different styles and colors, and twice a year, provides a unique opportunity for clients to create pieces themselves with the artists.

The workshops bring together people from different walks of life, each with their own story to tell and person to celebrate.

“When I came for the workshop that day, everyone came from a different walk of life, had a different story to tell, and a different person to celebrate,” Dorset said.

For Dorset, the experience provided the closure she needed.

“It really was. And now I get to see this every day. And it’s just a happy reminder,” she said.

From the heat of the furnace to the cool touch of glass, these creations serve as far more than décor – they’re bridges between goodbye and forever, helping families hold onto memories in a tangible, beautiful way.

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

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 Crystal Olney

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    LAWRENCE, Kan. (KSHB) — Court documents unsealed last week provide new information in the hours leading to the Jan. 17 deadly shooting at The Hawk bar in Lawrence.

The incident at the Jayhawk Cafe, also known as The Hawk, resulted in the death of 18-year-old Aiden Sullivan Knowles and left 16-year-old Brady Clark injured.

In the days following the shooting, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office filed murder charges against Caiden Clem and Daitron Daniels-Strickland, both 18.

A Douglas County District Court judge on Friday, Jan. 23, unsealed the affidavit filed by Lawrence police in support of the charges.

According to the affidavit, when police began setting up the crime scene on Jan. 17, officers were approached by three males who claimed to have witnessed the shooting and were familiar with the victims.

The group of males — including the victims — arrived at The Hawk around 10 p.m. on Jan. 16. While they were there, the group met another group that included Daniels-Strickland and Clem. The witnesses reported there were no issues between the groups during the evening.

Two of the males left The Hawk to go to The Wheel, and were later denied reentry to The Hawk. Before leaving, they noticed a group of males and Daniels-Strickland arguing with bar staff about a cell phone and shots were fired shortly after, according to witness statements in the court document.

Video from the Jayhawk Cafe’s surveillance system showed Clem, Daniels-Strickland and two other males sneak into the bar from an unstaffed side entrance around 11 p.m. on Jan. 16.

Staff at the bar instructed Clem and his associates to leave around 1:45 a.m. on Jan. 17, which led to an altercation with staff. During the fight, Clem is shown on video pulling out a semi-automatic handgun, but it is pinned to his side by another male.

The group is eventually forced outside, and staff convinces Clem to leave. The court document says Clem then points his firearm at the left side of a bouncer’s head at the western exit doors, where Daniels-Strickland and his group are attempting to reenter.

Clem and Daniels-Strickland fired shots toward the bar around 1:49 a.m., according to video surveillance evidence.

In Clem’s statement to police, he denied having a firearm, firing any weapons, being involved in any issues at the bar or hearing any gunshots.

Daniels-Strickland said in his interview with police he claimed he saw an altercation between a group and bar staff at closing and then heard multiple gunshots, which led him to firing his firearm “because he was scared.” In his statement, he also claimed he did not aim at anyone and fired his weapon upward.

When police showed Daniels-Strickland a video of the incident and showed he fired directly at people near the door, he said he did not remember seeing subjects in front of him, according to court documents.

During Daniels-Strickland’s interview, he said maybe it was a “good thing he caught a body on his first adult charge.”

Two firearms, believed to be related to the incident, were located by officers while searching the area the morning of the shooting. A tan colored semi-automatic handgun was found near Gertrude Sellards Peasron’s residence hall and a black Glock handgun was found under a vehicle inside a parking garage at 1136 Louisiana St., according to court documents.

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 Alexandra Simon

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    LEHIGH COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Three people died while trying to shovel and clear snow during Sunday’s winter storm in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, the coroner’s office said.

The three people who died ranged in age from 60 to 84 years old and were reportedly shoveling snow before experiencing medical emergencies.

The Lehigh County Coroner’s Office said the deaths were all ruled natural, and are consistent with cardiac-related events that can happen during “strenuous activity such as snow removal, particularly in older adults or those with underlying health conditions.”

Parts of the Lehigh Valley received nearly a foot of snow Sunday. Allentown recorded 11.5 inches, Germansville got 14 inches and Emmaus had 13.3 inches.

Sunday’s snow started fluffy and soft, but hardened up when precipitation changed over to sleet and freezing rain, making it more difficult to shovel throughout the rest of the day.

Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio urged anyone who continues to clear snow Monday to “use caution.”

“Take frequent breaks, stay hydrated, avoid overexertion, and seek assistance when possible – especially individuals with a history of heart disease or other medical concerns,” Buglio said.

The names of the three people who died have not been publicly released.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk on Monday urged people to help their neighbors when they can.

“If you’re young and strong and ready to shovel some snow, that’s phenomenal,” Tuerk said. “However you feel, just watch yourself. Just take care.”

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 Evelyn Holmes

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    CHICAGO (WLS) — A man on a mission did not let the extreme cold Friday prevent him from reaching his goal.

Joabe Barbosa, 25, wants to become the first person to run every single street in Chicago. That’s about 4,000 miles.

It has become one of the missions in life for Barbosa, to run all of the about 4,000 miles of Chicago streets that make up the city’s 77 neighborhoods.

“Everywhere in Chicago, amazing people everywhere you go they always support me on my journey,” Barbosa said. “I feel safe everywhere I go.”

So far, the Roosevelt University graduate student has conquered about 80% of the city’s more than 2,000 street by mapping out a grid and using a zig-zag approach to make sure all blocks are covered.

Barbosa often uses public transportation to travel to neighborhoods, running on average 10 miles a day, six days a week regardless of the weather.

ABC7 caught up with him Friday morning at a CTA Blue Line station.

“Coldest day in years, but that doesn’t stop me,” Barbosa said. “Because I’m gonna be out there with the Chicago flag representing and trying to get more streets.”

Barbosa’s journey began in August 2024. He posts his progress on social media and documents his runs on an app called Strava. He’s managed to check off a lot of the city and says some of his favorite communities have been on the city’s South Side and West Side.

“I really like running on the South Side. Amazing people there always supporting me on my journey,” Barbosa said.

Born in Brazil and raised in England, Barbosa went to college in Kentucky on a sports scholarship before moving to the Windy City a few years ago to pursue his doctorate in clinical psychology.

Ironically, he says he really doesn’t like running, but started it as rehab after surviving a life-threatening mountaineering accident in March of last year that left him with frostbite and hypothermia. His doctor told him he needed to get his blood flowing, so since he couldn’t play his favorite soccer every day, he took to the lakefront trails.

‘So with that, I started running on the lakefront trail cause I play soccer, but you can’t play soccer every day, but you can run every day,” Barbosa said. “But when I was running on the Lakefront Trail, I was just thinking this is beautiful, but it’s boring and so I thought, why don’t I go to different neighborhoods.”

Donning the Chicago city flag as a cape, Barbosa says while he often runs alone, sometimes he’ll pick up a running partner along with way, who loves Chicago and its people as much as he does.

“Just encouraging people to go out there and just explore Chicago and explore the world,” Barbosa said.

The Chicago man is not the only runner pursuing the challenge. At least two others also have designs on the city.

Barbosa hopes to finish his quest by April or May.

Once the run is complete, he plans on submitting his accomplishment for official Guinness World Record recognition and maybe even take his run every street effort to other cities.

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.