Month: February 2026

By Metia Carroll

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    New Orleans (WDSU) — Two cousins will be making history as one of the longest consecutive riding members of the Krewe of Iris.

Jackie Gondrella and Lynn Worley, cousins aged 79 and 86, have been riding with the Krewe of Iris for 56 years.

“Fifty-six years, this will be 56 years,” Gondrella said.

Initially, when the cousins joined the krewe in 1970, they had a mutual understanding that it would be a one-time deal.

“One-time deal, one and done, we knew we couldn’t afford it again,” Gondrella said.

Despite the $200 dues and monthly payments for beads, they found the investment worthwhile.

“We were so young and poor we would put on layaway and pay each month up until Mardi Gras to get our beads,” Gondrella said.

Reflecting on the costs, Gondrella humorously considered the real estate she could have owned had she invested the money elsewhere.

For the past 56 years, the cousins have cherished their time on the parade route, including the original one that rolled into the French Quarter.

“Ohhhh, the real thrill of a lifetime, turned onto Royal Street, people above us, below us, and you would get to the corner, and the crowds extended on every side street, it was fantastic,” Gondrella said.

Back then, the rules were looser, the crowds tighter, the floats smaller, and the costumes more revealing.

“Oh goodness, we were young and we wore short costumes, we were cute,” Gondrella said with a laugh.

In 2010, Gondrella traded her tunic for a tiara, becoming the queen of Iris.

“John and I were the king and queen of Iris,” she said.

It was a memorable year, coinciding with the Saints’ Super Bowl win, earning her the nickname “Super Bowl Queen.”

2020 marked the first time in 56 years that the duo didn’t roll down the avenue and then there was last year, which brought a scare when Worley thought Gondrella was dead.

“I turned around, her eyes were wide open. I thought she was dead… that was my worst experience,” Gondrella said.

This year, Gondrella is riding with a broken arm, determined to continue despite the challenges.

“This year it’s a broken arm, but I’m riding, I hope nothing else happens,” she said. “I only think about getting healthy enough to get on that float and ride … I don’t ever think about not riding, cause that even just thinking about that would be devastating to me. Because I know there will come a time when I get on at all,” Gondrella said.

The cousins are addicted to the thrill of the ride, and this year, all they want is a chance to do it again.

“I don’t know many people who do one thing for 56 years and still love it,” said Worley.

“I love it just as much as the first time I rode,” said Gondrella.

Jackie and Lynn are riding on the romance float, with Jackie on the neutral ground side and Lynn on the sidewalk side, talking to each other across the float.

They used to ride with Jackie’s sister Anne, who passed away, and the krewe marked her spot with a memorial plaque, ensuring her presence with them every time.

Iris is rolling Saturday at 11 a.m. along the Uptown parade route.

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 KETV Staff

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    ASHLAND, Neb. (KETV) — Even with a full plate at his own restaurant, TJ Olson said Round the Bend Steakhouse is willing to step up after Omaha Steaks ended food service distribution earlier this week.

“We can cut, package and get them out. Kind of a short-term solution to get them through a busy holiday weekend that they were expecting to have product and now they don’t,” Olson said.

This is not a permanent answer, but he hopes to bridge the gap.

“If we can be that short-term answer for a couple of weeks to get help you out until you find a new supplier, that’s what we want to do,” Olson said.

Olson said Round the Bend can provide steaks, ribeyes and other products, all prepared by their in-house butchers.

“We grind all of our scraps from our steaks to turn into our burgers, so we have a lot of ground beef on hand as well,” Olson said.

His help doesn’t stop at butchering — Olson also has advice for finding a new supplier.

“Don’t jump around from this one to this one to this one. Find one you can build a relationship with,” Olson said.

He’ll give you recommendations for getting lower prices.

“Get together with four other restaurants and buy 100 cases of meat,” Olson said. “You can get that price down, and you can ask your suppliers to do that.”

He’s even offering to connect owners with sales representatives. He said he’s doing it because if the restaurant industry can get through the COVID-19 pandemic, then it can get through anything.

“We wanted to be that little voice of hope, like, ‘Hey, we can get through this weekend. It’s Valentine’s weekend,'” Olson said. “If we could do that, that’s what we wanted to do.”

If owners are worried about finding quality meat, Olson said that they shouldn’t be.

“There’s enough high-quality places that can come in and step right in where Omaha Steaks were for these folks with just as good, if not better, quality,” Olson said.

He said the restaurants are all in this together.

“We’re here for you no matter what industry you’re in,” Olson said. “Whether you’re a Korean barbecue or barbecue place or a steakhouse just like us, we’re going to help.”

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 Beth Carlson

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    OMAHA, Neb. (KETV) — Twenty-five years after the death of her son Jermaine Moore, an Omaha mother is still fighting for justice while keeping his memory alive.

On Valentine’s Day in 2001, the 17-year-old was shot several times, including in the head, according to Omaha Police. Linda Moore says no arrests have ever been made in her son’s case and her questions remain unanswered.

“Who did this? Why? Why would you lure him out of the house to do that to him? You know, 17 years old, his life was just getting started,” Linda Moore said. “They took a wonderful person for me. My only son.”

She remembers her son as a kind person who looked out for his family.

“He was just so joyful, outgoing, and. You know, I was just always used to that bright, pretty smile he always had on his face,” Linda said.

She often wonders what his life would be like if he were still here today.

“He would have been an amazing dad, because he was so overprotective of his sisters. He helped them out of everything. Every time they got in trouble, he was always right there,” Linda said.

The family believes that someone lured Jermaine out of his home that night.

“I could just remember that smile going out of the door, walking down the street. And that was the last time I seen my baby. And something kept telling me to call him back,” Linda said. “He told me, whatever you do, don’t come around this corner. You know, it’s like he knew. It’s like he protected us,”

She said she believes witnesses still know the truth of her son’s death.

“They’ve been hiding it all these years, instead of coming forward,” Linda said.

Moore said the holiday is especially tough for her family every year.

“My kids went to the gravesite and lit off 25 balloons, but I couldn’t get out. I just remember him as he is,” Linda said. “I’m never going to give up. If it takes me to the last breath. I will never give up. As long as I’m here, I’m going to keep more fighting to find out who killed my son.”

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 Kayla James

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    MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (KCCI) — A Marshalltown couple ran into a wedding day hiccup Thursday when the judge scheduled to marry them didn’t show up, but love and a quick phone call found a way.

Alexis and Rean Webb planned to tie the knot at the Marshall County Courthouse at 4 p.m. on Feb. 12. It was always meant to be something intimate, where they would be surrounded by close loved ones.

“We wanted something very small and low-key,” said Rean Webb.

The couple, joined by their children, posed for a photo inside the courthouse. Unfortunately, just moments later, they would learn the judge they had an appointment with wasn’t going to show up, and there wasn’t a different judge available.

While the no-show could have derailed their plans, the Webbs kept calm. In fact, they said they were more surprised by how quickly everything came together next.

“My dad instantly jumped up, and he was like, ‘I know somebody: Jody,'” Alexis Webb said.

That “somebody” was Jody Anderson. He’s a friend of Alexis’s dad and is ordained. He and his wife are also the owners and funeral directors of Anderson Funeral Homes.

Anderson said he was at home when Alexis’ father called his phone. His wife woke him up to let him know who was on the line.

“I rolled into the funeral home. Parking lot was full of cars. Family members. Didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Anderson said.

Still, he opened the doors to the funeral home’s chapel, welcomed the family inside, and took time to speak with the couple.

“I took 5-10 minutes, met with them, discussed the importance, made sure they were both for real,” Anderson said.

They were.

Within 30 minutes of that first phone call, Alexis and Rean Webb were married in a ceremony the couple said turned out to be more meaningful than they expected.

“It was even better than we expected because we kind of did get a real wedding in a sense. We’re in a chapel. I got to walk down the aisle with my dad. The girls got to be flower girls. My son got to be the ring bearer, and his son got to be his best man. I mean, what more could we ask for?” Alexis Webb said.

For the Webbs, what began as a setback ended with a wedding they’ll never forget, and they’re grateful for Anderson.

As for Anderson, helping was never a question.

“It goes back to my career as a funeral director. The phone rings? I go. I mean, you don’t say no. You help people, and I think that’s what the good Lord put me on the Earth to do, is to help people, and I was just happy to help,” Anderson 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.

By Hamilton Kahn

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    OTERO COUNTY, N.M. (KOAT) — After numerous reports of poor conditions and imprisonment of immigrants who may not be in the U.S. illegally, the New Mexico legislature passed, and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill that is likely to reduce, if not eliminate, the detention of people by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Immigrant Safety Act bans local and state authorities from contacting ICE to detain people in New Mexico for civil immigration violations, and a quick response has come from the Otero County Detention Facility in Alamogordo. It announced that it will close when its contract is no longer in effect.

State Sen. James Townsend (R-Eddy & Otero) said the facility’s shutdown will deliver a heavy blow to the local economy.

“It’s a huge deal,” Townsend said. “It hurts Otero County, there’s no other way to spin it. There’s 1,000 going to be lost. There are three counties that are going to be affected, and as you well know, 1,000 jobs in New Mexico is a big deal.”

The other two facilities holding people detained by ICE in New Mexico are the Torrance County Detention Facility and the Cibola County Detention Center.

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 Kirsten Maselka

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    CLAXTON, Ga. (WJCL) — For many people, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of romance. For those who have lost a spouse, it can be a difficult day to navigate.

JoAnn Strickland, of Claxton, Ga., knows that feeling.

“We were together 27 years, then he got sick,” Strickland said.

Her husband died of cancer in 2016. In the years that followed, Strickland said she leaned on family and friends and had no interest in another relationship.

“My friends gave me a hard time, said, ‘You’ve got to get out and date somebody,’” she said. “I never thought I would fall in love again… I never thought I would even date.”

Hunter Bickers, a therapist at Waters Edge Counseling, said those emotions are common. He said there is no set timeline for when someone should start dating after losing a partner.

“That’s the big question, and it’s a struggle a lot of people experience,” Bickers said. “But if the answer is, ‘I am open and I’d like to explore and expand again while still commemorating and cherishing what I had,’ then maybe it is the right time.”

For Strickland, that readiness came slowly. Then she met Steve Stiegman.

“We clicked,” Stiegman said. “We don’t go anywhere where we don’t have a good time.”

Strickland said starting over brought complicated emotions, including learning not to measure a new relationship against the one she lost.

“You can’t compare it to your spouse that you lost, so I had to work through that,” she said.

Bickers said many widows and widowers worry that loving again means betrayal.

“We don’t have to prove our loyalty by staying alone forever,” Bickers said. “Moving forward does not necessarily mean completely moving on. That person is still in your life — it just looks a little bit differently.”

Strickland said her late husband remains part of her life — while making room for something new.

“I still visit the cemetery. I bring flowers and talk to him,” she said. “Steve can be part of that.”

Last Christmas, Stiegman proposed.

“He had on the shirt that said, ‘Will you marry me?’” Strickland laughed.

This Valentine’s weekend, the couple plans to spend the day at their favorite place and enjoy quality time.

“We’re going to hit the beach,” Stiegman said.

Strickland said finding love again changed her perspective.

“I really didn’t think I needed anybody until I met Steve,” she said. “It makes you want to love stronger if you find somebody that you can be with.”

Mental health professionals say no one has to navigate grief alone, and support from friends, family or a counselor can be an important part of healing.

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.