A different kind of fight: inside the free boxing class that’s punching out Parkinson’s

CNN Newsource on April 23, 2026

By Kara Burnett

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    BALTIMORE COUNTY, Maryland (WMAR) — At Rock Steady Boxing Charm City, fighting back takes on a new meaning. It’s a free class helping people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disorder that can cause tremors and slowed movement. But there’s another side that’s not always visible.

The disease can also impact dopamine levels, which may lead to anxiety and depression for some patients. For many in the class, the diagnosis can feel overwhelming at first.

“Because of the people I’ve met here, it’s very rewarding,” said Jim Czarnecki, who is living with Parkinson’s.

Czarnecki was diagnosed four years ago. He thought his symptoms were signs of a stroke.

“It was kind of relieving knowing what it was, but again, not knowing what it was. I did research, and it was scary.”

But Czarnecki and his family made the decision that he wouldn’t stop living a full life. He retired, traveled, and joined Rock Steady Boxing at Charm City, where he found a new kind of family.

“We go to trivia night together, we go to breakfast club. It’s a huge extension of your family, but it’s also an extension of people you can relate to because they understand what you’re going through,” he said.

The non-contact boxing program focuses on high-intensity workouts designed to improve strength, balance, and coordination.

“Finding a community like this definitely made a big difference because it can be a pretty lonely feeling when you first get that diagnosis,” said Mary Thomey, another member of the program.

According to the National Institute of Medicine, regular exercise may help improve brain function and manage symptoms of Parkinson’s. About 500,000 Americans are diagnosed with the condition, but experts say the true number is likely much higher, possibly closer to one million.

“When I graduated PT school back in the early 2000s, we were instructed that with Parkinson’s disease, there’s nothing that we could do, and you didn’t want to make folks exercise because you didn’t want to spend the rest of their dopamine. Turns out that’s false,” said Patricia Wessels, a physical therapist and head coach of Rock Steady Boxing.

Nine years ago, one of her longtime patients came to her. She thought it was a routine visit to treat his back pain, but instead, he told her he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

“I literally told him, ‘I don’t treat that, you need a different therapist.’ And he said, ‘No, I’m not going to another one, and they said I needed therapy.’”

So instead of turning him away, she came across the national organization Rock Steady Boxing and decided to bring the program to Baltimore.

“It’s really, really… it’s so meaningful. I could cry if I think about it too much, but one of the things I love so much about doing this work with this group of people is that even on their worst day, they bring 110%,” she said.

The class is free, funded by the Maryland Association for Parkinson Support, which offers exercise and support programs in 15 counties.

Each week, they reach more than 2,000 people across the state living with the condition.

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.

Thieves destroy nearly 75 fire hydrants to steal metal parts, putting lives at risk

CNN Newsource on April 23, 2026

By Carli Petrus

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    DETROIT (WXYZ) — Thieves have destroyed nearly 75 fire hydrants on the west side of Detroit in the last 48 hours, stealing parts and putting lives at risk.

Crews with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department are racing to repair the broken hydrants along Southfield Road and across the west side after thieves tore through dozens in about two days.

“We think the number is about 75 so far,” DWSD Deputy Director Sam Smalley said.

The thieves are targeting metal nozzles and stems on top of the hydrants, which are worth about $600.

Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms said the vandalism is a serious and unacceptable situation that puts lives at risk.

“No matter how fast we get to a fire, if we don’t have an operable fire hydrant, it takes seconds, sometimes even minutes away from maybe us saving lives,” Simms said.

Smalley noted the scale of the damage is the most alarming part.

“One hydrant here or there is manageable, but the problem is whoever’s doing this is doing multiple hydrants in a row. So when DFD shows up, they’re not going to have a hydrant within 600 or 900 feet, which put people’s lives at risk,” Smalley said.

City officials, including the Detroit Fire Department, Detroit Police Department and DWSD, came together Wednesday to address the issue. They are warning scrapyards not to accept the stolen parts.

“If we find you purchasing them, we’re going to take action to the fullest extent that we possibly can,” Smalley said.

Detroit police are working to track down whoever is responsible.

“This is a public safety issue. If my partners in blue are unable to respond to a fire properly, it can end lives or it can be the difference in saving lives,” Detroit Police Cmdr. Dietrich Lever said.

Meanwhile, crews are installing stronger, harder-to-remove parts to prevent future thefts.

“We’re putting in some specialized stems where we find that they’ve been taken. They’re not easily removable with ordinary tools. You have to have special tools to remove them a second time,” Smalley said.

Officials are asking the community to help stop the thefts.

“If you see anyone at all out here taking something from the hydrants please, call 911 because it is a theft and secondly, call the fire department or the water board and we’ll be right on top of it,” Simms said. ————— This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXYZ’s editorial team 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.

Money Museum hosts free open house to celebrate National Coin Week

KRDO on April 23, 2026

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Saturday, everyone can keep their money when visiting the Edward C. Rochette Money Museum.

Museum tickets are free all day Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is hosting multiple free activities. Museum staff will demonstrate coin-making every hour using their replica 18th-century equipment in their “mini mint.” Guests will get to keep the coins as a souvenir.

The museum will also host multiple games for prizes, including a cash-grab “prize cube” for actual money!

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Evacuees reflect as Hammer Fire in Hanover enters second day; morning update expected

KRDO on April 23, 2026

Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Few things are more unsettling than having to leave your home in a hurry because of a wildfire, without knowing if your home will be there when you return.

That uncertainty will likely continue to increase on Thursday as crews fight a 4,200-acre fire in the Hanover community of southern El Paso County.

The Red Cross is operating a temporary shelter for evacuees at Hanover Junior & Senior High School, and although officials won’t disclose the number of people staying there, one evacuee told KRDO 13 that approximately 20 people are at the shelter.

A few evacuees are staying in their vehicles and caring for pets; some said they haven’t slept since fleeing their homes.

“We had just ordered a pizza when we were told to leave,” one evacuee said. “My kids got it, but I didn’t get any of it.”

Another evacuee said many residents who fled went to Colorado Springs, where a shelter for large animals is open at the Norris Penrose Event Center.

Authorities plan to provide new information at a press conference later Thursday morning.

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Ferndale Rat Patrol ramping up efforts to help residents combat chronic rodent problems

CNN Newsource on April 23, 2026

By Jolie Sherman

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    FERNDALE, Michigan (WXYZ) — Rats are a creepy, crawly and chronic problem for some residents in Ferndale, with the rodents appearing in yards and even inside vehicles.

To combat the issue, a local group known as the Ferndale Rat Patrol has been hitting the streets to help homeowners, and their plan is to do even more.

John Kraus, who moved to Ferndale in November 2019, said he noticed the rats right away. He said the rodents mostly come out at night, and he captured videos last year showing them scurrying across yard.

“One of our very first catches was a mature rat, and I would say that’s probably a good 12 inches in length,” Kraus said.

The clever rodents have also climbed into his family’s car.

“A rat did get into our tailpipe and had torn apart some of our leather seats and got into some of children’s car seats as well,” Kraus said.

Ferndale Mayor Pro Tem Laura Mikulski does not take the issue lightly. She co-founded the Ferndale Rat Patrol in 2016. What began as a group of 20 members has turned into an online network of more than 9,000 people.

“We’re one of the most active groups on Facebook. We post a ton of content. We have a ton of educational material out there,” Mikulski said.

The group teaches residents how to take action using humane methods such as traps, rather than poisonous chemicals that could harm other animals.

Mikulski recently helped longtime Ferndale resident Carol Jarvie bust a rat burrow using dry ice to create a CO2 chamber and euthanize the rats.

“We just scooped little pots into the dry ice and just kind of dumped it in there, and used sticks, which are plentiful here,” Jarvie said.

Jarvie said her next-door neighbor, who has a night camera, has noticed fewer rats since the group came out to her neighborhood last weekend.

The Ferndale Rat Patrol plans to ramp up its efforts this year by visiting more neighborhoods and launching an app to educate homeowners.

“If I have the knowledge to speak out about this and help people out, why wouldn’t I do this?” Mikulski said.

The city of Ferndale posted a rat reduction guide on their website.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXYZ’s editorial team 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.

Customs and Border Protection agent charged with assault in connection with Durango, Colorado, protest

CNN Newsource on April 23, 2026

By Austen Erblat, Alan Gionet

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    Colorado (KCNC) — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent has been charged with assault almost six months after he allegedly shoved a woman to the ground at a protest in southwestern Colorado.

Nicholas Rice, 47, has been issued a summons to appear in court on local charges of misdemeanor third-degree assault and criminal mischief over his alleged behavior at a protest outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Durango early on the morning of Oct. 28, 2025.

Video of a masked agent shoving a woman to the ground at the protest went viral across social media platforms in the days after. Protesters gathered after 45-year-old Fernando Jaramillo-Solano was taking his 12-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son to school, and they were arrested by ICE agents. Gregory Davies, a senior official with ICE’s Denver field office, testified in federal court days later that Jaramillo-Solano was “mistaken” for someone else the agency was looking for.

The arrest of the family prompted an immediate protest outside the agency’s facility.

A masked agent, now identified as Rice, was seen in multiple videos recorded by protesters grabbing a woman’s phone and throwing her to the ground.

That woman, 57-year-old Franci Stagi, told CBS News Colorado on Wednesday, “I’m glad something is being done finally, for not just me, but for all the people,” but said she wanted to consult with her attorney before speaking further about the charges against the agent.

Stagi said at the time of the protest that she remembered recording the agent on her phone when he grabbed it and assaulted her.

“He grabbed me by the hair, and he lifted me off the ground somehow, in a chokehold. It’s still really blurry, but I’ve seen the video myself,” she said at the time, choking up in tears as she recalled. “Then he and two other ICE agents were over top of me which- they’re huge people and it’s just pretty surprising that this would happen.”

Stagi described herself as a 5-foot-2-inch waitress and expressed concern about the children who were in custody and their treatment.

Stagi was not charged in connection with the protest and has no criminal record in Colorado.

Rice hadn’t been publicly identified until he was charged. In videos taken that night, he was wearing a mask covering his face and only identified with a patch on his vest that read “police” with a badge next to it.

“We know, the courts have confirmed that people have a right to record the police. That includes federal law enforcement,” said Tim Macdonald, legal director for ACLU of Colorado. “Lots of time, law enforcement doesn’t like that. So we have seen instances where, whether it’s federal or other law enforcement, try to confiscate, take people’s phones away from them, because they don’t want the public to know what’s been happening.”

Macdonald said the rights of protesters are well established: “It’s a sacred right in this country to protest, to voice concerns to our government, to petition our government. And let them know if a citizen doesn’t like what the government is doing, they have a First Amendment right to do that. It’s a bedrock principle of our country.”

After the publication of this story, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security responded to a request for comment, saying, in part, “we are still gathering all the facts about this incident and will update the public as soon as more information is available.”

“These actions by Colorado sanctuary politicians are unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt,” the statement continued. “Federal officers acting in the course of their duties can only be investigated by other Federal agencies. The states do not have the authority to run an investigation.”

At the time that Jaramillo-Solano entered the U.S. illegally from Colombia on Dec. 22, 2024, near San Diego. The spokesperson went on to say that the actions of the protesters “delay justice,” and “inadvertently” push for the release of allegedly violent criminals in the facility, whose cases are unrelated to that of Jaramillo-Solano, who was not accused of any violent crimes.

Davies testified in federal court at the time that ICE won’t arrest anyone who’s going through legal immigration proceedings, but attorneys with the ACLU of Colorado responded, saying that Jaramillo-Solano was going through the asylum process. Compañeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center told CBS Colorado the same, saying it was helping the family go through that process.

On Wednesday, Enrique Orozco-Perez, co-executive director of Compañeros, said the Jaramillo-Solano family is no longer in the United States. Fernando Jaramillo-Solano and the two children were detained at an ICE detention family detention center in Dilley, Texas, where Orozco-Perez said the children experienced mental health issues, but declined treatment out of fear. The father and two children self-deported back to Colombia, where the family had fled amid fears of violence. The children’s mother followed weeks later. She was the lead on the asylum case, Orozco-Perez said.

Rice was issued a summons and is due in La Plata County Court on May 27. Court records show he had not yet retained or been assigned an attorney and contact information couldn’t be located for him through public records.

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.

Mike Vrabel to seek counseling, miss Day 3 of NFL Draft with Patriots as new photos with Dianna Russini surface

CNN Newsource on April 23, 2026

By Mike Toole, Aaron Parseghian

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — Mike Vrabel won’t be with the New England Patriots for Day 3 of the NFL Draft on Saturday because he’s seeking counseling, the team confirmed to WBZ-TV Thursday. The new development, first reported by ESPN, came hours before the New York Post published a new round of controversial photos of the Patriots head coach with former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini.

The Post published the pictures Thursday afternoon, claiming the two were caught on camera together at a New York City bar on March 11, 2020, when Vrabel was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans and Russini worked at ESPN.

These photos were revealed 16 days after the newspaper posted pictures of them together at a resort in Arizona last month. Vrabel and Russini are married to other people.

The NFL Draft starts Thursday night. When Vrabel leaves during Day 3 on Saturday, the Patriots will have eight selections to make.

“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them. In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend,” Vrabel said late Wednesday night, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, before the new photos surfaced. “This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.

“I have always wanted to lead by example, and I believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person. I appreciate the support that everyone has given me and promise a stronger resolve as a result.”

According to Reiss, Vrabel, who has two sons with his wife, Jen, plans to be with his family this weekend outside of Massachusetts. The coach told ESPN he’ll be in contact with the Patriots during the draft Saturday.

Mike Vrabel Dianna Russini photos The controversy started on April 7, when the Post published photos of Vrabel and Russini together at the Ambiente hotel in Sedona, Arizona on Saturday, March 28.

The pictures showed them holding hands, embracing and sitting in a pool and a hot tub. They each released statements to the newspaper downplaying the photos.

Vrabel told the Post at the time, “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”

Russini resigned from the Athletic a week later.

“I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career,” the longtime NFL reporter wrote in her resignation letter on April 14.

The Post published more pictures of Vrabel and Russini, reportedly taken on March 28 in Arizona, on Wednesday.

The Patriots have not issued a formal statement on the controversy and the NFL said it’s not investigating Vrabel’s behavior.

Vrabel addressed the matter for the first time in public Tuesday with a brief statement to reporters at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. He didn’t mention Russini or the photos.

“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive,” Vrabel said.

He apologized for not addressing the situation earlier but added that he wanted to speak to the team first. The Patriots held their first day of voluntary organized team activities on Monday.

NFL Draft time The NFL Draft starts at 8 p.m. Thursday in Pittsburgh. The Patriots are scheduled to pick at number 31, which is estimated to be sometime around 10:30 p.m. if they don’t trade the pick. Rounds two and three are Friday, with the Patriots scheduled to pick at 63 and 95, respectively.

Rounds four through seven, which Vrabel will miss, will be held Saturday. The Patriots currently have two fourth round picks, one in the fifth round, four picks in the sixth round and one in the seventh.

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.

Man who owned “Home Alone” house at time of filming found dead days after child porn charges filed

CNN Newsource on April 23, 2026

By Sara Tenenbaum

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    Illinois (WBBM) — The man who owned the Winnetka house where “Home Alone” was filmed at the time the movie was made was found dead days after being charged with multiple felonies for child sex abuse materials.

John Abendshein, 79, of Lake Forest, was arrested on April 16 and charged with seven counts of possessing child sex abuse materials. Lake Forest police said multiple cyber tips led to an online account allegedly associated with Abendshein that was used in the possession, manufacture and distribution of child sex abuse material.

Abendshein wrote a memoir about owning the “Home Alone” house and how it changed his life.

Abendshein appeared in court to face charges last week and was released with conditions. The Lake County, Illinois, Coroner’s Office said that on Wednesday evening, they were notified about a body found in the Lake Forest Open Lands: Derwen Mawr Nature Preserve by police.

The body was identified as Abendshein. His cause of death has not been released, but an autopsy is scheduled for today.

The coroner’s office and police said they believe this was an isolated incident with no further threat to the community.

Further details were not available. A death investigation by Lake Forest police is ongoing.

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United Airlines CEO says company may focus on other cities after O’Hare flight cap

CNN Newsource on April 23, 2026

By Sara Tenenbaum

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — The CEO of United Airlines said the company may look to grow in other cities if federal regulators keep limiting flights at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

The comments came on an earnings call Wednesday and follow the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to cut summer schedules at O’Hare by around 12%.

The FAA is restricting O’Hare to 2,708 flights per day from May 17 to Oct. 24. A total of 3,080 flights were currently scheduled at O’Hare for peak summer days in 2026. The agency said it’s taking these steps to help improve safety and efficiency at the airport. They are also bringing in more air traffic controllers, speeding up air traffic controller training and increasing communication between themselves, the airport and airlines during possible high-risk periods.

Right now, O’Hare is seeing a jump in traffic with a record number of travelers last year, reclaiming its spot as the busiest airport in the world.

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Math whizzes: North Ridgeville students impress mathematicians in international competition

CNN Newsource on April 23, 2026

By Catherine Ross

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    NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio (WEWS) — The trigonometric functions written on Jake Lord’s classroom whiteboard could easily look like a foreign language to the non-math-savvy among us.

“In this sense, we are in pre-calculus and so we’re getting towards calculus,” the Lake Ridge Academy math teacher explained.

Lord teaches both classes, along with AP statistics, at the private K-12 school in North Ridgeville. The equations on his whiteboard could be considered a warm-up for three students he said have displayed an extraordinary math aptitude.

“I’ve never had students like these three, where math is their favorite thing to do, even outside of school,” he said.

Kisen Yao, Shirley You and Eric Shin recently beat out thousands of other students to advance to the finals of an international math competition.

“They are way past me. I don’t know that I’d be able to come to the solutions that they did,” Lord laughed.

The three friends share a passion for math.

“I think I like that math always has an answer,” said Shin.

The Lake Ridge Academy senior is an exchange student from South Korea. You and Yao are also exchange students from China. All three have spent their high school careers at the private school in North Ridgeville.

They said the excitement of their recent competition has been a highlight of their time abroad.

“I think this is one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had, not just because of the uniqueness of the competition and the results,” said Yao, a high school junior. “But also, it was a really awesome experience to work with my teammates and communicate and work through those fantastic problems.”

As the president of the school’s math club, Yao had the idea to enter the MathWorks Math Modeling Competition and enlist You and Shin.

“I kind of wanted to explore how math can be related to real life,” said You, also a junior at the school.

The M3 Challenge is an international math modeling competition. The competition’s work time spans a continuous 14-hour period, at the end of which teams submit a solution paper explaining their work and conclusions.

This year’s 770 teams used provided data to explore the rise of online gambling and its impact in the U.S. and U.K.

“How the money they lose during the gambling might affect their whole household. It was a really interesting problem,” said Shin.

The team initially received word that it had been selected as semi-finalists.

“That was good enough,” said You.

Then, on spring break, they found out their solutions were impressive enough to be among the top six finalist teams.

You said, “I was so surprised.”

On Sunday, the students will be flying to New York City to present their findings to a panel of professional mathematicians. The winning team will receive a $20,000 scholarship.

“Something like this is huge for their future,” Lord said.

All three students hope to attend U.S. colleges. After Shin graduates this spring, he will attend the University of Southern California. You said she hopes to attend UCLA. Yao’s dream school is MIT.

All three plan to study math-related fields.

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.