Month: February 2026

By Erika Gonzalez

Click here for updates on this story

    MIAMI (WFOR) — Research shows that having social connections is one of the most reliable predictors of a long, healthy, and satisfying life.

But making friends as an adult can be difficult. Between work, family, and packed schedules, finding meaningful connections can feel out of reach.

Health experts say the lack of social connection can have serious consequences. About one in three adults in the U.S. report feeling lonely.

Nearly one in four say they lack social or emotional support according to a recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Loneliness is an epidemic here in the U.S.,” said relationship expert Shari Leid.

Leid says strong friendships aren’t just nice to have, they’re essential.

“What we want in the end is relationships. That’s what matters,” she said.

Her advice is simple, be intentional.

“We tend to neglect our social life a lot, but prioritize it,” Leid said.

That message resonates with Miami mom Sharon Feiereisen.

After moving to South Florida, Feiereisen found herself starting over, without friends, family nearby, or a built-in support system.

“I moved alone with both of my kids and I had no mom friends, and it was very hard,” she said.

Looking for a connection, Feiereisen decided to create it herself.

She launched “The Mom Club,” a community that brings together moms, dads, and families through small, in-person events focused on health, wellness, and conversation.

The group hosts meetups almost monthly, giving parents a chance to connect beyond school drop-offs and playdates.

“These events are intentionally kept small so you can come here alone and it’s not awkward,” Feiereisen said. “Everyone’s looking for somebody to complain to and get it out.”

What started as a way to meet people has turned into lasting friendships.

“There are people who I’ve told the most insane things. And I can’t even believe we’ve only known each other a year-and-a-half,” she said.

Experts say fear is one of the biggest barriers to making friends as an adult , worrying about how we’ll be perceived.

Leid encourages people to shift their focus.

“Make the first move,” she said. “Everyone’s a little nervous when you first meet somebody. It gets easier over time.”

For Feiereisen, taking that first step changed everything.

“I wouldn’t have had any community,” she said.

Now, through The Mom Club, she’s helping others find the same sense of belonging she once searched for herself.

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 CBS 58 Newsroom

Click here for updates on this story

    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — A Milwaukee police officer has been criminally charged for allegedly using the department’s Flock technology license plate recognition system to check on the whereabouts of two people for personal reasons.

According to a criminal complaint, detectives found that between March 26-May 26 of 2025, Officer Josue Ayala ran the license plate of one victim 55 times, and the license plate of a second victim 124 times during the same timeframe.

Prosecutors say an investigation revealed the victims had been in a relationship with one another, and once that relationship ended, one of them began to see Officer Ayala.

The complaint alleges Ayala used the Flock system to check on their locations for personal reasons, in violation of MPD’s standard operating procedure, which states the Flock system “shall only be used for bona fide law enforcement purposes.”

The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) says they became aware of the allegation in December of 2025. Chief Norman initiated a criminal investigation at that time, placing Officer Ayala on full suspension. When the investigation substantiated the claims, MPD says the case was referred to the Milwaukee County DA’s office.

“I am extremely disappointed to learn about the incident and expect all members, sworn and civilian, to demonstrate the highest ethical standards in the performance of their duties. If a member violates the code of conduct, they will be held accountable,” said Chief Jeffrey Norman. “I want to remind the public that everyone is afforded the right of due process under the law, and as such, are innocent until proven guilty.”

Ayala remains on full suspension, according to the police department, pending his tentative resignation agreement with the district attorney’s office.

He’s charged with attempted misconduct in public office.

If convicted, Ayala could face up to nine months in prison and be fined up to $10,000.

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 Brian Unger

Click here for updates on this story

    WALTON COUNTY, Georgia (WUPA) — About 50 miles east of Atlanta, along Highway 78 near the Oconee County line, a modest roadside marker tells the story of one of the most horrific racial crimes in American history.

It marks the site of the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching — widely recognized as the last documented mass lynching in the United States.

Between 1880 and 1968, Tuskegee University researchers say Georgia recorded 637 lynchings — one of the highest totals in the nation. Most went unprosecuted.

Among them: the killings on July 25, 1946.

On that summer day, George Dorsey — a World War II veteran — and his wife Mae, along with Roger and Dorothy Malcolm, were traveling near the Apalachee River in Walton County.

The Malcolms and Dorseys were sharecroppers who had encouraged Black community members to vote in Georgia’s all-white primary earlier that year.

After a confrontation with a wealthy white landowner, Roger Malcolm was arrested and jailed in Walton County. He was later bailed out by Loy Harrison, a local farmer who was also identified as a Klansman.

As Harrison drove the two couples toward his farm, their car was stopped at Moore’s Ford Bridge by a mob of roughly 30 white men.

George Dorsey and Roger Malcolm were dragged from the car, tied to a tree in a nearby field, and shot. Dorothy Malcolm, who was seven months pregnant, and Mae Dorsey were also killed. According to statements later given to authorities, the four were shot dozens of times.

No one was ever convicted.

For Cassandra Greene and Nicole King-Crawford, the site is not just history — it is sacred ground.

“I immediately feel sad… hurt,” Greene said during a recent visit to the bridge. “This is exactly where they were killed.”

For two decades, Greene and King-Crawford have helped organize an annual July 25 reenactment of the lynching. They say the performance is not about spectacle, but remembrance.

“It reconnects you to your humanness — your compassion, your empathy,” Greene said. “That’s what it should do.”

Despite four sweeping investigations by the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation over 81 years, no suspects were publicly named and no arrests were made.

Many in the community believe prominent local residents were involved.

“This town… there were prominent people here that were involved,” Greene said. “Would you want your family’s name to be out? They don’t want it.”

One potential key to the case remains locked away: sealed federal grand jury testimony from 1946. More than 100 witnesses reportedly testified.

Hank Klibanoff, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and director of the Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project at Emory University, has long pushed for access to those records.

“I do believe the secrecy behind grand juries — including Moore’s Ford — is to protect the bad guys, not the good guys,” Klibanoff said.

He remains hopeful that answers may still exist in archives — or within families.

“You don’t know if someone gave a deathbed confession 40 years ago,” he said.

Authorities acknowledge it is unlikely that anyone who directly witnessed the lynching is still alive. But descendants in Walton County may hold pieces of the truth.

Greene says she prays one day a family member will come forward — not just for accountability, but for reconciliation.

“We want reconciliation,” she said. “That’s what’s important.”

The impact of Moore’s Ford reached beyond Walton County.

In December 1946, the killings helped prompt President Harry Truman to establish the President’s Committee on Civil Rights — a 15-member panel tasked with investigating racial violence and recommending federal action to protect civil rights.

Nearly 80 years later, Moore’s Ford Bridge stands as a reminder of terror, silence, and unfinished justice — and of a chapter of Black history that remains as difficult to confront as it is necessary to remember.

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 Christopher Harris

Click here for updates on this story

    AVONDALE ESTATES, Georgia (WUPA) — The City of Avondale Estates has received a $1 million anonymous donation. Donors say the gift was made possible “thanks to Waffle House serving Avondale since 1955.”

City leaders announced the contribution this week, calling it a remarkable tribute to the community where the first Waffle House restaurant opened nearly 71 years ago.

On Labor Day 1955, neighbors Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner launched the original Waffle House on East College Avenue in Avondale Estates. Built on the idea of fast service, 24-hour availability, and a welcoming atmosphere, the small restaurant grew into a national chain with more than 2,000 locations across the United States.

Today, the original site operates as the Waffle House Museum, preserving the look and feel of the 1955 restaurant.

City officials say the $1 million gift will give Avondale Estates flexibility to invest in projects that directly benefit residents. Potential uses include infrastructure upgrades, parks and public spaces, public safety initiatives, and other improvements designed to enhance quality of life.

Mayor Jonathan Elmore called the donation “a remarkable act of kindness.”

“For someone to honor a hometown story that began right here in Avondale Estates, and to do so in a way that benefits our city, is profoundly generous,” Elmore said in a statement. “On behalf of the Board of Mayor and Commissioners and our community, we are incredibly grateful.”

City Manager Patrick Bryant said the funds provide a rare opportunity to address both current and future needs while celebrating a company with deep local roots.

“This gift provides the City with a rare and valuable opportunity, allowing us to respond strategically to current and future needs while celebrating a business whose roots are right here in Avondale Estates,” Bryant said.

While the donors chose to remain anonymous, their message made clear the connection between the gift and Waffle House’s origins in the city.

Residents and visitors interested in experiencing that history can tour the Waffle House Museum, which is open by appointment for guided tours on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. The museum also hosts open houses four times a year, with the next scheduled for March 7.

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 Barclay Idsal

Click here for updates on this story

    BOISE, Idaho (KIVI) — Members of the House Business Committee are receiving criticism for allowing David Pettinger, who has a history of costumed appearances at the statehouse, to deliver testimony with his face painted brown while wearing stereotypical Mexican attire.

The testimony occurred as the House Business Committee discussed Senate Bill 1247 (SB-1247), which would require Idaho contractors and agencies with more than 150 employees, with contracts equal to or greater than $100,000, and those who are paid wholly or in part with public funds, to use the federal “E-Verify” software during their hiring process.

Chairman of the House Business Committee, Rep. Josh Wheeler (R – District 35) introduced David Pettinger and stated that he had two minutes to deliver his testimony.

Pettinger’s racist testimony began, “El jefe, amigos, mi interpreter es presente… no hablo inglés.”

He was then cut off by Rep. Steve Berch (D – District 15). “Mr. Chairman, point of order, this is not performance theater here; if we can please have straight testimony, otherwise, I don’t think this is an appropriate form of testimony for this committee here,” said Rep. Berch

Rep. Wheeler agreed with Berch’s statement and instead asked Pettinger to deliver “straight testimony, otherwise we’ll move on.”

Pettinger responded by asking the committee to proceed in Spanish: “en espanol, en espanol?”

The committee was then put at ease for a short break before resuming Pettinger’s testimony, which he resumed in English.

Pettinger went on to say that he was going to argue against the bill as an undocumented immigrant to further make a point about how undocumented immigrants are endangering the “community.” Without providing evidence, Pettinger went on to make claims about Idaho companies employing undocumented immigrants who raped underage females.

He finished by stating that SB-1247 is a “good bill” and that he “was looking forward to giving you some entertainment, and uh, I think that you would have enjoyed that testimony substantially more.” He conceded, “I don’t wanna end up in these handcuffs again, uh, by your friends from the Idaho State Patrol in the back, we will just leave it at that.”

In a statement, Director of the ACLU of Idaho Ruby Mendez-Mota slammed the committee chair for allowing the testimony to proceed.

“Allowing a clearly racist demonstration in their committee absolutely does qualify as ‘conduct unbecoming a Representative which is detrimental to the integrity of the House as a legislative body,’ and the committee chair allowed it. Members of our community have been gaveled for far less, and that double standard is inexcusable,” said Mendez-Mota. “We are calling on leadership to enforce that standard and be held accountable. We remind lawmakers that they represent all of their constituents, even those with dark skin, even those who don’t speak English as a first language, even those they disagree with; and we remind them it is their duty to hold themselves accountable to a high standard, or we will do it for you. What this committee did here is support racist behavior, and it’s absolutely unacceptable.”

Poder of Idaho echoed those sentiments, saying in a social media post, “Behavior like such will not be tolerated by our community.”

In a phone interview with Idaho News 6, committee member Rep. Steve Berch (D – District 15) called the testimony “patently racist,” adding Pettinger should have been escorted out. “If someone had appeared in blackface and discussing issues affecting African-Americans, you wouldn’t tolerate that for a minute. And neither should you do that when someone who was not Hispanic dresses and basically mocks Hispanic Idahoans. So, you know, to me, this was completely inappropriate and under any rule of decorum— the person in question should have been escorted out of the committee room.”

When asked who may interfere or stop testimony in progress, Rep. Berch answered that the committee chairman has the “broad decision-making authority in regard to how public hearings are conducted.”

Public testimony instructions as listed on the House Business page state, “You may be asked to leave by the committee Chairman if you participate in disruptive activities.” The instructions do not mention the way people must be dressed.

Idaho News 6 has reached out to the House Business Committee to ask what policies govern the conduct and appearance of individuals who testify, and to House leadership to clarify who holds the authority to intervene when a member of the public’s conduct during testimony is deemed disruptive or offensive.

Pettinger was previously arrested at the Idaho Statehouse in 2021, while dressed as The Joker, for a warrant related to disturbing the peace. He was also seen in brownface, holding out a microphone to passersby, while dressed as Aladdin at the 2025 State of the State Address.

Pettinger was also captured on video in April 2025, replacing the city’s Pride flag at City Hall with an “Appeal to Heaven” flag.

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 Matt Schooley

Click here for updates on this story

    BOSTON (WBZ) — The Blizzard of 2026 will be something one Boston couple will never forget. They eloped right in the middle of the snowstorm.

Maddie McNamara and Drew Baker had planned a small wedding at Boston Public Library.

They then learned both the library and an alternate location were closed as a blizzard hit the city. They decided to elope in their hotel instead.

Their photographer walked over from his hotel and after a five-minute ceremony, the newlyweds headed outside into the snow.

“They went into the Common and frolicked around there, threw snowballs at each other. Jumped in the snow laying on their on their backs like snow angel style. It was just, I’ve never seen couples like let loose like that before,” photographer Chris Graham said. “A lot of brides, they’re stressed on their wedding day, you know? And I’ve never seen anybody as not stressed as they were. It was amazing.”

Graham told WBZ-TV he hopes the unorthodox wedding will show others you can do whatever you want for your special day.

Boston is still cleaning out Tuesday after the blizzard dumped 17.1 inches of snow in the city.

Other parts of Massachusetts saw even more snow. In the southeastern part of the state, some communities were buried with more than three feet of snow. More than 200,000 customers were still without power in Massachusetts as of Tuesday night and Eversource said full restoration will likely take several days to complete.

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.