Month: July 2026

By Tessa DiTirro

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    AKRON, Ohio (WEWS) — Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce tied the knot in a private ceremony at Madison Square Garden last weekend. Now, fans can own one of the same wedding gifts given to the newlyweds while supporting a longtime Akron business.

Don Drumm Studios in Akron said a customer recently stopped by the shop to purchase its pewter ornament called “The Wedding Couple.” The customer requested a gift note that read, “For Travis and Taylor,” leaving employees wondering who the gift was actually for.

Those suspicions were later confirmed when the studio learned the customer was a friend of the newly married couple.

The ornament wasn’t the only local gift making its way to the superstar couple. The wedding guest also purchased musical instrument measuring spoons and a casserole dish from Don Drumm Studios for the stars.

The moment was especially meaningful for Don Drumm Studios’ pewter manager, Jessica Shumski, who is both a fan of Swift and the employee who helped prepare the gift.

“To be a part of the happiest day of her life, just in a small way, to wrap a gift for her — just to bring her that tiny bit of happiness back, that she’s created for so many people, it just means so much,” said Shumski.

“The Wedding Couple” was created by Leandra Drumm, the daughter of Don and Lisa Drumm and the owner of Don Drumm Studios. It retails for $24.

Drumm said, “What we thought was special about this is that they chose a local gallery. We are a family-owned business. We are actually celebrating our 55th anniversary this year. My father is 91, still practicing his art, but each one of those items had a meaning to the customer that related to Travis and Taylor.”

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 McKenzie Nelson

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KSHB) — For many young soccer players, walking onto the field at the FIFA World Cup is nothing more than a dream.

That dream became reality for 8-year-old Kansas City native Enoch McCleery.

Just moments before Argentina’s World Cup match against Algeria at Kansas City Stadium, McCleery walked onto the field hand in hand with Argentine captain Lionel Messi — creating a memory he said he will never forget.

“I felt very nervous and thrilled at the same time,” McCleery said.

The opportunity came as part of FIFA’s player escort program, which gives children the chance to accompany players onto the field before kickoff.

After flipping a coin to determine which team they would join, McCleery ended up with Argentina and quickly made his way to the front of the line alongside Messi.

“So we flipped a coin to see what team we would walk out with, and then I ran to the front of the line since the captain goes first,” McCleery said.

With nearly 70,000 fans filling the stadium and cheering around him, the moment was overwhelming.

“I felt nervous because all I heard was yelling, but it was cool,” McCleery said.

McCleery’s uncle, Gerardo Flores, watched from home as his nephew shared the field with one of soccer’s biggest stars.

“It caught me off guard honestly,” Flores said. “I was like, ‘No way,’ and then with this guy — it was so cool to watch him.”

The unforgettable walkout was followed by an unforgettable performance. Messi led Argentina to victory, scoring the first FIFA World Cup hat trick of his career.

“It was amazing,” Flores said. “This guy, he’s unbelievable, breaking records. In a way, we kind of touched that through my nephew.”

What makes the story even more remarkable is that it is not the family’s first memorable encounter with Messi.

Two years ago, when Messi visited Kansas City with Inter Miami for a match against Sporting Kansas City, McCleery’s older brother, 14-year-old Dillon Duenaz, made headlines after running onto the field and taking a selfie with the soccer icon before security escorted him away.

“I’ve always been a fan of Messi, since I was born and growing up,” Duenaz said. “I had the opportunity to go watch him, and then I had seen a bunch of kids that had taken pictures with him who had run on the field, so I thought I could also take my chance.”

After snapping the photo, Duenaz said the interaction ended quickly.

“After I had taken the picture, they said, ‘He can go now,’” Duenaz said.

From a viral selfie to the World Cup spotlight, the family now has two extraordinary Messi memories that will be passed down for generations.

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 Jada Strayer

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    CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (KRIS) — A Utah veteran sang the national anthem and threw out the first pitch at a Corpus Christi Hooks game Friday night — the result of a bond formed nine months ago over a song about veterans mental health.

The connection began when Sam Torres, a former Marine Corps sergeant, heard Adam Kelley, a former Army staff sergeant, singing a song called “Grandpa My Hero.”

“I was listening when Jenny played it… that song Grandpa My Hero. I was very close to my grandfather and me being a marine and his grandfather being a marine that really just hit home with me. It just really hit me hard,” Torres said.

Kelley writes music to raise awareness for veterans mental health, drawing from his own experience. His music is available on Spotify and Apple Music under Adam Kelley.

“As a veteran, I suffer from PTSD just like a lot of veterans do, and I went to a very dark place one time… When I wrote that song, it pulled me out of that hole, and I said if it could pull me out of the hole, imagine another veteran that’s out there that can listen to that song and maybe it’ll pull them out too,” Kelley said.

After hearing the song, Torres felt compelled to act.

“Something inside me lit up and I said we can’t just leave this alone, Jenny we have to do something for him… So I made a goal that day. I said, you know what? I’d love to see Adam sing the national anthem somewhere so people can hear his voice and get him out there,” Torres said.

That goal became reality Friday night at Whataburger Field, where Kelley performed the national anthem and threw out the first pitch at the Hooks game.

For Kelley, the moment didn’t feel real until he arrived in Corpus Christi.

“I really didn’t believe it till I got down here, to be honest… I couldn’t thank him enough like I still, there’s not enough. He’s done so much and I just don’t know how I could ever thank him and repay him,” Kelley said.

Up until the night before the event, the two men had never met in person. Their first meeting at the airport felt like a reunion between old friends.

“When we first saw each other at the airport… it was like two brothers who hadn’t seen each other in years. We just hugged each other like, hey man, you made it. It was awesome,” Torres said.

Both veterans say the friendship that grew from a single song is one that will last a lifetime.

“It’s lifelong friends now, for the rest of our lives we’ll be very good friends, you know, knowing that we can be there for each other,” Torres said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KRIS 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.

By Taylor Epps

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WMAR) — After 55 years in the Baltimore City Public School system, Dr. Laura D’Anna got a sendoff she never saw coming.

Friends, family, former students and colleagues packed the American Legion Post #22 on York Road for a retirement party — and D’Anna had no idea it was happening.

“And I’m usually pretty good about sensing something’s up,” D’Anna said. “When we pulled up, I said, ‘This doesn’t look like a restaurant!'”

Her friend Tammy Dowell told her they were getting Italian for dinner.

“To fool her into coming out with me to get her here was a task because she never falls for a trick,” Dowell said.

Instead, she walked into a room covered in her favorite shade of blue, full of some of her favorite people. She was given a tiara and a sash that read: The legend has retired.

Dozens showed up to celebrate, including her childhood friends from Southwest Baltimore, students and colleagues from her decades in Baltimore City Schools.

“It just says how many lives she’s touched over 55 years and the incredible work she’s done,” Dowell said.

D’Anna has been a principal since 1998, known for telling it like it is.

“She says what she means, and she means what she says; she’s very direct. She’s lovable,” Dowell said.

She spent most of her career in alternative schools for kids in the juvenile detention system.

“I never gave up on anybody; I said, ‘ No, you can do better than this. To see them all here and tell me what they’re doing now,” D’Anna said.

Several of her students came up to her to let her know they’ve made something of themselves, thanks to her guidance.

The last school she led was Eager Street Academy; students there wrote her a letter, which was read aloud at the party.

“Our time together has come to an end. But we will love you until the end. Our dear beloved friend, we wish you the best,” the letter said.

Former students also raised a toast in her honor. D’Anna admitted she had wondered whether anyone would recognize her contributions.

“I said nobody really cares, and I just felt so alone,” D’Anna said. “And I always say, let the work that I have done speak for me.”

For anyone who has stumbled in life, D’Anna offered this advice:

“You feel like, okay, what did I do wrong, where did I go wrong, what can I do better? And you go back with a vengeance; you never ever give up,” D’Anna said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our 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.

By WLEX News Staff

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    CORBIN, Kentucky (WLEX) — On Saturday, a 5K run and walk fundraiser brought the Corbin community together to support a young girl and her family as she fights a rare and aggressive brain cancer diagnosis.

The event supported Millee Kate Daugherty, 6, who is battling DIPG, or Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.

According to the National Cancer Institute, DIPG is a fast-growing type of brain tumor starting in the pons of the brain stem. About 300 children in the United States are diagnosed each year.

Friends organized the fundraiser to help the Daugherty family with medical costs and raise awareness about the diagnosis. Millee Kate’s mother, Allyson Daugherty, said the community’s response exceeded expectations at the event.

“I feel like it’s such an underrated diagnosis. A lot of people don’t know about it, so to be here and to raise awareness for it has been awesome, and the turnout today has been wonderful. It’s really more than we expected,” she said.

The Daugherty family said they cannot thank the community enough for the support during this time.

LEX News previously spoke with the Daughtery family, which read more below.

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 Veronica Ortega

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    Detroit (WWJ) — Shoes intended for an annual charity giveaway in Detroit were recently stolen from a local nonprofit organization’s warehouse. Now, the group is asking for your help.

NW Goldberg Cares was set to give away 1,000 pairs of sneakers at its annual Hoopfest, a community event tied to Mayor Mary Sheffield’s “Occupy the Summer” initiative, but on Friday, the nonprofit’s founder made a surprising discovery at their warehouse.

“I just happened to notice that something seemed very off about how many shoes were in the warehouse. Sure enough, I went to the back of the facility, saw a bunch of big boxes, as well as some bags that previously had sneakers in it, completely empty,” Daniel Washington, founder and executive director, NW Goldberg Cares, said.

Washington says a person or group stole about 400 pairs of shoes.

“From the looks of it, it looks like they were somehow able to pry up the door on the backside of the building, crawl underneath, and while somebody else was in, somebody was able to hand shoes out underneath the door,” he said.

Washington says a report was filed with the Detroit Police Department, but so far, they don’t have any leads.

“DPD staff is working on the case right now. We’ve been in contact with several sergeants on the issue, and at this point, we’re just hoping for some type of information on it or recovery of some sort,” Washington said.

The custom-designed brand shoes were donated by Social Status Detroit and USA Basketball. The value is more than $40,000.

“Depending on what shoes you’re talking about, you could go as up to $45,000 to $75,000. Because again, shoes, depending, were as much as $220 a shoe. So, a lot of loss,” Washington said.

Since the news broke, the community has stepped up to help.

“We have about over 130 pairs of individual shoes that were donated via our Amazon wish list, which has truly helped us in so many ways because, you know, without those types of donations, without people stepping up, you know, we would be up a creek without a paddle, as they say,” Washington said.

Hoopfest gives hope to kids and teens.

“For so many kids across this great city, they might not have ever had a brand new pair of shoes, right? Money is tight in the household, and at the end of the day, we want to give them that level of confidence or give them that little boost to say, ‘Hey, you deserve the experience of opening up a brand new pair of shoes,'” Washington said.

Washington shared the following final message with CBS News Detroit on Sunday:

“I encourage anybody who needs help, just reach out before you make it or do an act like this that compromises the integrity of an event like ours. Just reach out. Say, ‘We need help.’ Express your needs. Say, ‘Hey, we’d love some support in this way. Is there any way we could work alongside you?'”

The nonprofit founder says they’re resilient and they’re not going to let the incident stop Hoopfest from being a success. The event runs Friday through Sunday at Curtis Jones Park.

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 Andrew Ramos

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    New York (WCBS) — A New Jersey man says his T-shirt nearly got him kicked off a United Airlines flight.

Sam Saadeh, of Linden, was on a flight traveling from Atlanta to Newark Liberty International Airport on June 4 while wearing a T-shirt that said, “Bombing kids is not self defense.”

Saadeh, who is of Palestinian descent, said the T-shirt holds a deeper meaning and advocates for children.

According to a recent United Nations report, more than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza by Israel in what have been described as targeted attacks. The Israeli government has rejected the report and has denied deliberately targeting civilians.

“Change your shirt or you can’t get on this flight” Saadeh told CBS News New York he was “very confused” when a supervisor pulled him off the plane just after boarding.

“He was like, ‘Hey, the flight attendant finds your shirt offensive,’ and I was like, ‘Why?'” Saadeh said. “He goes, ‘Here are the choices. Either you change your shirt or you can’t get on this flight.'”

Both upset and humiliated, Saadeh says he opted to change, but claims he couldn’t get specific answers, even when he landed in Newark, where he spoke to airline personnel.

“She kept saying, like, ‘You could see how the shirt is offensive.’ I was like, ‘I can’t see how the shirt is offensive,'” Saadeh said. “She was like, ‘It’s 2026.’ I was like, ‘I know what year it is.'”

He added, ” ‘Do you think kids shouldn’t be bombed, or kids should be bombed? Like, what are you offended by?'”

Flier files complaint with DOT A United spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News New York, “This customer flew as scheduled after changing his shirt.”

As per the airline’s rules posted on its website, United has the right to deny transport to passengers who are “not properly clothed, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene or offensive.”

Saadeh said he is consulting with lawyers.

“At the end of the day, this shirt, to me, is very clear that I think bombing kids is wrong … regardless if you’re Palestinian or if you’re from Mobile, Alabama,” he said.

Saadeh said he has filed an official complaint about the incident with the United States Department of Transportation, adding that he’ll continue to wear the T-shirt at the center of the situation.

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 Logan Hall

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    Boston (WBZ) — There was a dramatic rescue at a fire in Lawrence, Massachusetts Sunday.

A firefighter pulled a man out of a third-floor window as flames spread to three multi-family homes.

Lawrence Fire Chief Patrick Delaney said they received multiple 911 calls about the three houses on fire at the intersection of Haverhill and Margin streets at about 12:45 p.m.

“Crews did an excellent job once they arrived on scene to make sure we did a primary search of all three buildings, make sure everybody was out,” Delaney said.

One firefighter saved a man who was trapped on the third floor of one of the homes.

“Our crews did an excellent job by spotting him up in the window. He had smoke coming out all around him, he was waving for help. Our crews did a great job getting a ladder up to him. One of our members went up there and assisted him down the ladder. It’s a very heroic thing and we take our hats off him because he did an excellent job,” Delaney said.

No one was hurt and there’s no word yet on how or where the fire started.

More than fifty people were forced out of their apartments. They won’t be able to go back any time soon due to the extensive damage caused by the fire.

Lawrence, Massachusetts is about 30 miles north of Boston.

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 Laura Fay, Ryan Hughes, Andrew Kozak, Bill Seiders, Scott Jacobson

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    Philadelphia (KYW) — More than two dozen people are displaced after part of the roof came off a Philadelphia Housing Authority building in West Philly during strong storms Saturday afternoon.

Firefighters were on the scene near 55th and Vine streets Saturday afternoon, where a large piece of metal and piles of debris were on the ground near the building.

Tyreese Niblack, who was in the building at the time, described what happened.

“I heard a giant boom, and I’m like, ‘Did we get hit by lightning?’ Then I looked out the front door and saw the roof was on top of my vehicle, and then, immediately, the leaking from the third floor and the second floor started to come down, so I immediately started unplugging everything and then getting the kids out,” Niblack said. “Once I knew the kids were out, I stayed in just to grab the important paperwork and anything I could … I don’t know when they’re gonna let us back in.”

Inside, it looks “like someone turned the spigot on from the ceiling, on each floor,” he said.

Niblack said he and his wife were planning to start their honeymoon Monday morning, but he’s not sure what’s next for his family.

No injuries have been reported.

Eleven apartments were significantly damaged, and the more than 30 residents of those units have been moved to a nearby hotel for the next week or so, Kelvin Jeremiah, CEO of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, said in a press conference Saturday night. The housing authority has found new units for them to move into, Jeremiah said.

Jeremiah said the building has a concrete roof but water was able to get in and damage some apartments.

Crews were at the scene Saturday night cleaning up the debris.

City leaders urge caution, patience In a press conference Saturday night, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and other local leaders urged residents to be patient as crews respond to damage around the city.

Parker asked residents to check on their neighbors and said cleaning up downed trees and power lines and resolving power outages will take time.

Parks and Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson said her agency is working to clean up downed trees. Slawson said workers are prioritizing trees that are blocking homes and roads.

No injuries related to the storms have been reported, Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson said.

Storm damage around Philadelphia area Officials said more than 3,000 calls came into Philadelphia’s 911 center at the height of the storm, which is a surge from a normal day.

In Wynnefield, neighbors said about a dozen cars were partially submerged in several feet of water near 57th Street and Lebanon Avenue. Some basements flooded, cars were damaged, and when the water receded, the roads were turned into a muddy mess.

“This was an impressive storm,” said Dominick Mireles, deputy managing director with the Office of Emergency Management. “The widespread damage across seven zip codes, we’re talking West Philadelphia, Overbrook, Wynnefield, down to South Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia.”

At 55th Street and Cedar Avenue in West Philly, a large tree uprooted part of a sidewalk and came crashing down on top of Tykeyah Guinn’s SUV.

“Thank God no one was in there. It’s just a car, it can be replaced, but it is still very frustrating,” Guinn said.

Neighbors say power lines started sparking, and their electricity went out around three in the afternoon.

“We heard something go boom and started seeing this green flash and all the power, it went zzzzzz,” Kimberly Shaw said.

At 58th and Lansdowne Avenue, police said part of an auto service building collapsed. Bricks landed on cars and covered part of the street, leaving several trolleys stranded with nowhere to go.

“The bricks just started coming down really slow, and I ran from my front door to the kitchen, and that was it,” said Angela Scott, who lives across the street.

What is a microburst? At least four separate microbursts caused the damage across the city on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service surveyed the damage and found four distinct microbursts raced from Lower Merion through West and South Philadelphia between about 2:45 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. Wind speeds were estimated between 60 and 70 miles per hour, leaving a damage path roughly 12 miles long.

So, what exactly is a microburst?

Inside a thunderstorm, rain falls into a layer of dry air. As that rain evaporates, it cools the air, making it much heavier. That cool air crashes toward the ground, then spreads outward in every direction like water hitting the floor.

Those straight-line winds can be incredibly destructive, ripping off roofs, snapping trees, knocking out power, and in stronger cases, reaching over 100 miles an hour. That’s exactly the type of wind damage we saw across the city.

Storms cause power outages Saturday’s storms caused power outages across the Delaware Valley.

As of 11 p.m. Saturday, about 25,000 PECO customers were without power, including 16,052 in Philadelphia.

A few dozen customers with PSE&G, Delmarva Power and Atlantic City Electric were also experiencing outages, according to the companies.

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.