Month: March 2026

By Madison Perales

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    NEBRASKA (KETV) — America is already feeling the impact of the Iran-U.S. conflict as oil prices soar. It has already gone up 6% since the missile strikes early Saturday morning. Trickling down to your local gas station, going from the pump to your wallet.

“We will see diesel prices move higher and gasoline moving higher, and we could see as much as $0.50 to a dollar per gallon on that,” Creighton economist Dr. Ernie Goss said. “Depending, again, on the length of this conflict.”

Goss said the oil market was beginning to bounce back, but military action overseas muddied the water.

A week ago, AAA Fuel Prices showed Nebraska’s average gas prices were right around $2.55, with the national average at $2.94.

As of Monday, the state’s lands at $2.72, compared to the $2.99 nationally.

Goss and UNO economist Dr. Jane Liu said the oil impact will naturally bleed into the agriculture and manufacturing industries.

“The agriculture economy depends on the oil prices hugely, not just transportation, but fertilizer, input costs,” Liu said.

Nebraska farmer Matthew Erickson said they haven’t felt the blowback yet.

“The past couple of years in farming have been very thin on margins, and this is another year where farmers are looking to cut costs anywhere,” he said.

He said farmers diversifying their craft helps with uncertainties.

“About a month ago today me and my family officially became chicken tenders,” Erickson said.

Liu said the American economy is resilient.

“So, one geopolitical factor is not enough to trigger a recession,” Liu said.

Goss said the Federal Reserve may buy bonds as a potential move to balance prices; however, people may see prices in the grocery store at higher-than-normal prices.

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 Nick Iadonisi

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    HOLICONG, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — Bake Ability Bakery offers treats made with love by people with intellectual disabilities.

The Bucks County business offers them employment opportunities while developing life skills.

“We want them to come in and feel like this is somewhere where they’re included and they’re special. And we take that extra 5 minutes to have that conversation with the customers here at Bake Ability,” said Store Manager, Savannah Raphial.

“People genuinely are really receptive to the idea and come back because of that. So that’s really what my goal is,” she continued.

Also, check out their bakeabilities.com.

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 Christie Ileto

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    PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The sale of more than 200 million boxes of Girl Scout cookies each year can be traced back to a single experiment at Broad and Arch streets in 1932, where a group of Philadelphia Girl Scouts and their parents launched what would become the most successful youth-led fundraiser in the country.

Long before online ordering and cookie-tracking apps, the first batches were baked in ovens at Philadelphia Gas and Electric, now PECO.

Kim E. Fraites-Dow, CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, said the idea came from parents who worked at the company and volunteered with the Girl Scouts.

“So in 1932, there were girls and parents in Philadelphia who, the parents worked at what is now PECO. So, Philadelphia Gas and Electric at the time, and they were volunteers for Girl Scouts, and they had ovens at their location on North Broad Street. And so they asked the company, would you mind if we try to bake, you know, in bulk, some cookies to help these girls with their fundraisers?” she said.

Fraites-Dow said the aroma drifting down the street quickly drew customers.

“And people were walking by, and they’re like, ‘What’s that smell? OK, we need some of that,'” recalled Fraites-Dow.

The following year, cookies were baked again at the same location.

By 1934, the Girl Scouts of Greater Philadelphia partnered with Keebler to produce Refoils, launching the first commercial cookie sale. Promotions went out to churches, streetcars, radio stations and newspapers. Boxes held 44 cookies, and at six boxes for $1.35, buyers saved three cents. Between 110,000 and 114,000 boxes were sold, helping pay off a balance for Camp Indian Run.

“They saved money to do programs, to travel, to do amazing projects,” Fraites-Dow said. “And so the first year was kind of an experiment, and the second year was a commercial cookie sale.”

The success quickly spread.

“So it was so successful that it was picked up by our national organization just two years later. And now it’s the largest girl in business in the world,” she said.

Today, cookie shipments arrive by helicopter or truck, and troops nationwide sell roughly 200 million boxes annually at an average of $6 each. Seventy-five cents of every dollar earned is reinvested into the Girl Scouts organization.

Fraites-Dow said the tradition continues to honor the “entrepreneurship and vision and revolutionary spirit of people in the city.”

This year’s cookie season began in mid-January, but cold weather prompted an extension.

“We actually extended our sales through March 22nd this year,” she said. “So if you see a girl in your neighborhood, please talk to her, ask her about what she’s planning to do with her cookie proceeds, and buy a box of cookies during cool.”

The business model now used nationwide still traces its roots to that Center City corner where a few determined Girl Scouts first turned baking into a movement.

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 Mariana La Roche & Emily Pofahl

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    MUSKEGO, Wisconsin (WISN) — Muskego police are investigating a shooting at a Taco Bell restaurant Monday afternoon near Moorland and Janesville Roads. According to police, the shooting happened around 1:10 p.m. after a fight inside the fast food restaurant involving two customers and “several employees.”

The fight then continued outside. Police said the person who fired several shots was a Taco Bell employee. Dispatchers described the fight on dispatch audio.

“Currently a physical fight going on at Taco Bell between two customers trying to get into the kitchen area,” audio obtained by WISN 12 said. “All I hear is screaming and they’re just requesting police. He did shoot 2 to 3 rounds. Apparently he was an incident an employee versus an employee.”

Officers arrested the shooter. Charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety are expected to be forwarded to the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office.

Medics took one person who was injured int he fight to a hospital. That person is expected to survive

Tuesday afternoon, officers placed evidence markers in front of the restaurant near the drive-through area. Police had the Taco Bell roped off as they continued their investigation.

Employees at a nearby daycare said they heard gunfire and placed the facility on lockdown for a brief period. Everyone inside the daycare was safe, and the facility has since reopened.

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By WABC Eyewitness News

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    NEW YORK (WABC) — A teenager on Long Island facing a critical health battle will get a life-saving kidney after finding a matching donor.

Elias Manolis, a 13-year-old boy from Franklin Square, was born with a kidney condition known as UVJ obstruction, and because of it, his kidneys are now failing. His parents don’t qualify as kidney donors, nor do others in his family.

Eyewitness News spoke with Manolis in January about his desperate search for a new kidney.

“If I get a new kidney, then I actually can live a normal life,” he said. “On a weekend, I would normally go out with a friend, go biking, but as soon as 1 o’clock hits, I have to come home and do a catheterization,” Manolis told Eyewitness News.

On Friday, Manolis’ mother posted on social media that someone has graciously agreed to donate a kidney to him.

“Life-altering news!!!! We’re beyond thrilled that a kind-hearted living donor has been found for Elias. Our hearts are full of gratitude,” wrote Manolis’ mother in the description of the video posted to Instagram.

At the time, doctors said they were looking for potential donors with type O or B bloods, and a body mass index of 35 of less in order to find a match for Manolis.

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 Michelle Charlesworth

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    STATEN ISLAND, New York (WABC) — A daring rescue was caught on camera when an off-duty officer ripped down a fence to get into a back yard to help save two girls and their mother from a fire.

The fire happened last Wednesday on Rensselaer Avenue, but the heroic officer, Lt. James Heinz, spoke out about the rescue on Monday.

“The front door was already up in flames, I couldn’t get in, so I was trying to run down the driveway and there’s a fence in the back yard, you heard people yelling so I knew people were inside, so I had to break down their fence,” Heinz said.

Heinz tore down the fence and then ripped out a window – all with his bare hands – to get the girls out of the burning house.

“The two kids were inside and we ripped out that window and just took them right out that window,” Heinz said.

The two girls, ages 5 and 11, a mom, grandmother and adult son were all safe.

Tragically before the fire, the family lost their patriarch, and his remains were another worry, but the ashes were later recovered.

While Heinz is a police officer, he is not a firefighter.

“I have 13 years of experience, you never know what when the day is gonna come,” he said. “No time to panic, it’s just…you had to act.”

By the way, he did it in short sleeves, and apparently it’s in his blood.

“Ironically enough, my brother is a fireman and he actually responded,” Heinz said.

The little girls also were heroic and grabbed their uncle.

“From what I understand, one the little girls alerted him first, luckily she alerted them and they tried to put it out first and it spread,” Heinz said.

Heinz said quick thinking and quick action is just what they do.

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 Donald Fountain

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — Elizabeth Gill has dedicated the last 10 years of her life to helping out Atlanta firefighters.

“Volunteering is a way of life,” Gill said. “What you’ve been given is what you give back.”

Gill volunteers at fire stations across Atlanta throughout the year, but on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, she helps deliver food and supplies to the stations. Gill says it’s the least she can do.

“They’re the first people that come to your aid when you’re in trouble. We’ll always thank you for that,” she said.

Gill’s passion for helping firefighters started on Feb. 21, 2016. A day, she said, was the toughest of her life. Early that morning, Gill’s daughter, Rachel Thorn, was trapped in a fire at Pharr Manor in Buckhead.

On that day, Capt. Chip Newell of Atlanta Fire Station 4 was on the scene helping to put out the fire.

“They were telling us to get out of the building because the roof was going to come in on us,” Newell recalled. “But yes, I remember seeing her in the bedroom.”

Thorn suffered severe injuries, but firefighters pulled her out. She was then transported to Grady Memorial Hospital alive, just in time for Gill to see her.

“You know, the first few hours you think, ‘She’s going to get through this. She’s going to make it,'” said Gill.

However, as time passed, Thorn’s condition worsened, and the 37-year-old woman died 10 hours later. Despite the pain of losing her daughter, Gill found a reason to be grateful.

“That’s what they saved. The chance to see her, to be with her, to pray over her. They saved the moments he had with her,” said Gill. “We’re forever indebted to the fire department for being there that morning and helping her that morning to get out of that fire.”

Now every year on Feb. 21, Gill holds a luncheon to honor Thorn and the firefighters who brought her out of the building alive. A plaque now hangs in Atlanta Fire Station 21 to honor Thorn’s life and memory.

Newell says he’s still amazed by how Gill responded to the tragedy.

“It’s amazing how grief will take you down different trails. A grief-stricken mother losing her daughter in a structure fire has turned that grief into such a positive change. That’s absolutely amazing,” said Newell.

Before the luncheon started this year, Gill shared a few words.

“And we will continue to honor them every day on Feb. 21st for the rest of our lives,” she said.

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By Olivia Tyler

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — The Iowa Girls High School State Basketball tournament begins in Des Moines on Monday, bringing thousands of visitors and a significant economic impact to the area.

Forty teams across five classes are competing this week, while the metro area anticipates up to 20,000 visitors, according to Catch Des Moines.

Many attendees use this week as a vacation, exploring various parts of Greater Des Moines. Bailee Arnburg, director of sports at Catch Des Moines, said, “They’ll really hit every pocket of Greater Des Moines. Not only in the hotel piece, but also in the restaurants.”

The tournament is expected to generate $750,000 for Central Iowa businesses. Following the boys state wrestling tournament two weeks ago and with the boys state basketball tournament arriving next week, Catch Des Moines anticipates a total impact of $3 million.

Arnburg said, “Even with the weather, the fans always come up, and they show up and they show out for those athletes. So that’s the one of the best things about living in the Midwest, and honestly, in Iowa, people love sports. They love supporting their teams in their schools.”

Visitors will not only be crowding Des Moines but also shopping in West Des Moines, dining in Altoona, and enjoying activities in Ankeny. After the games, some girls might even shop for prom dresses, as Arnburg mentioned, “We hear a lot that the girls come and get their prom dresses when they’re here. So maybe, maybe we’ll see some influx in that as well.”

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.