Month: September 2026

By Georgia Dawkins

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    POWDER SPRINGS, Georgia (WUPA) — A Powder Springs mother is marking a major milestone after breast cancer: She has lost 50 pounds and is training to run her first 5K.

Talya Johnson-Parker is preparing for the Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta Race for the Cure on Oct. 17. For her, the fitness journey is about more than reaching the finish line.

“I have a 5K coming up, and it’s my goal to be able to run it,” Johnson-Parker said.

Her daily goal is to reach 10,000 steps. During workouts, she often keeps Beyoncé’s “Alien Superstar” on repeat.

Johnson-Parker said she remains mindful of the possibility that her cancer could return.

“Cancer is such — they all have their own personality,” she said. “And so I learned that with mine, it’s the kind that wants to come back.”

She is documenting her progress and 50-pound weight loss on social media. Johnson-Parker said sharing her experience could help other people facing cancer feel less alone.

“I just want to be more open about the journey because there’s someone else going through it quietly,” she said. “There’s someone who doesn’t have the boldness or the bravery to say, ‘This is what I’m going through.’ And maybe the little bit that I do share makes a world of difference for them to feel seen and for them to feel like they’re not alone.”

Painted Pink for Breast Cancer selected Johnson-Parker as a speaker for its annual survivor brunch on Oct. 3.

Tayler James, a board member with Painted Pink, said members of the organization have supported Johnson-Parker throughout her experience.

“Talya is one of our close friends for many of our board members,” James said. “We have had the opportunity to be with her throughout her entire journey, from finding the lump in her breast through each stage of her journey.”

James said emotional support remains important beyond medical treatment.

“We provide the emotional support because the journey doesn’t stop at cancer,” James said.

Johnson-Parker will put her training to the test during the Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta Race for the Cure at Lenox Square on Oct. 17.

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 DeRose

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    WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — There’s a debate over when a new police dog can join the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office.

Makro, a highly trained 2 1/2-year-old German shepherd mix, was donated to the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office and his handler, Deputy Joshua Porter, last spring.

Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert says that “Mak” will primarily be part of the team that serves arrest warrants throughout the county.

“The benefit of the K-9 is if you indicate that someone is barricaded inside a house or hiding in a bedroom, which happens often, we’re going to send the K-9 in and, surprisingly, people give up,” Albert said. “Defendants give up, knowing what will happen if the K-9 comes in.”

Albert says that other than a small cost of around $2,000 to go toward Porter as Mak’s handler, all other costs are being taken care of by his department.

So he said he’s perplexed as to why, in over 100 days and 19 different meetings, a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, hasn’t come from the Westmoreland County commissioners to approve Mak for active duty.

“These dogs need to work and be trained, or they start to regress and we are at that point now, so I had to go public with this,” Albert said.

KDKA spoke with all three county commissioners on Monday, who all said they are in favor of law enforcement and Makro working for the sheriff’s office.

Commissioners Sean Kertes and Douglas Chew say that ultimately an MOU is coming, but bringing on a new police dog just takes time.

“I would not characterize this as Westmoreland County slow-walking anything through purposefully,” Chew said. “This is an important MOU. There are a few things required. A K-9 program has not been in effect at the sheriff’s office for many years and spinning this up is not an overnight job.”

“What it is, from our standpoint, is just getting it done properly and making sure that we have this set up right the first time, so that we don’t have grievance issues, we don’t have physical issues, we don’t have issues for the department,” Kertes said. “But we are not slow-playing or trying to create chaos of any means or necessity.”

Commissioner Ted Kopas shared the sentiments of his fellow commissioners but added that there are bigger issues in the county right now than this.

“This county would be much better served if the sheriff put forth this kind of effort to solve his overtime budget that’s hundreds of thousands of dollars over, a wasteful, costly lawsuit against the county to prevent GPS monitors in sheriff’s vehicles and in addition to the tens of thousands of unserved warrants,” Kopas said. “His efforts are really in the wrong place right now.”

Now again, while there is no official timeline on when Makro will be joining the sheriff’s department officially, the sheriff did say that Porter is still training Mak on his own time twice a week so that when he does come on board, he will be an effective officer.

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 Madeleine Wright

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    DELAWARE COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KYW) — For many families, apple picking is a fall tradition. But this year’s harvest is looking different at farms across the region after a late spring freeze damaged crops.

Linvilla Orchards in Middletown Township, Delaware County, said it lost about 90% of its apple crop after a freeze on April 20. The freeze also damaged the farm’s peaches and plums.

Norm Schultz, a farmer at Linvilla Orchards, said an unusually warm spring caused the trees to open their buds early, leaving the delicate blossoms vulnerable when temperatures dropped.

“It’s never happened in the 28 years I’ve been here where we lost this many crops at one night,” Schultz said.

Linvilla is still offering pick-your-own apples but has been forced to make adjustments because of the smaller crop.

The farm is offering smaller bags and plans to bring in fruit from other farms. That way, customers who cannot find enough apples in the orchard can still fill their bags.

“We’re just working around the challenges and trying to have a great fall experience for everyone,” Schultz said.

Linvilla is not the only farm dealing with the effects of the freeze.

Duffield’s Farm Market in Sewell, Gloucester County, New Jersey, said it lost about 70% of its apple crop. The farm expects its apple picking season to be shorter this year, but some varieties like Red Delicious and Golden Delicious are still available.

“It’s upsetting,” Tracy Duffield, an event coordinator at Duffield’s Farm Market, said. “We’re just thankful that we have what we have. We had to look elsewhere for apple cider because our grower has just enough to supply himself with cider, but fortunately, we found another source.”

The damage extends beyond individual farms.

Officials estimate the agricultural industry in Pennsylvania faces between $150 million and $200 million in economic losses because of the April freeze.

Pennsylvania is a major producer of specialty crops including apples, peaches, grapes, cherries and strawberries.

In May, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro urged the federal government to expedite disaster assistance for farmers affected by the freeze, including faster damage assessments and crop insurance payments.

In August, Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced $10 million in grants were available to farmers whose crops were harmed by the April freeze.

In New Jersey, the freeze is estimated to have caused about $300 million in agricultural damage.

Farmers are already looking at ways to protect future crops from another deep freeze.

Schultz said Linvilla is exploring technology and other methods that could help protect blossoms when temperatures drop.

“Some people have flown helicopters over the fields during the frost, because a lot of times, there’s warm layer of air that you can push down to the orchard,” Schultz said. “We’re going to reach out to some helicopter operators and see if that’s a potential solution. I know one farmer who did it and had some success.”

There are also sprays designed to protect blossoms from freezing.

Despite the smaller crop, customers are still coming to Linvilla to enjoy apple picking.

“I’d heard a little about just the frost damage that had occurred,” David Hillmeyer from Malvern said. “I was able to actually fill a bag of apples, so it was successful.”

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 Eva Andersen

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — A teenage girl appeared to walk away unharmed after she was pushed beneath a Mack truck in Northeast Philadelphia, an incident captured on security video that witnesses described as a miracle.

The girl has not been identified, and her medical condition remains unknown.

Security video from Ivonne Jewelry store on the corner of Summerland Avenue and Marcella Street shows the girl looking down at her cellphone as she walks in front of the truck. Moments later, the truck begins moving, pushing her underneath.

Bladimir Gomera, who works at Ivonne Jewelry, said he and his cousin, store owner Ivonne Roson, were outside recording a separate video when they saw what was happening.

“I was yelling, ‘Stop, stop, stop,'” Gomera said.

Video shows Gomera attempting to get the driver’s attention as Roson also signaled for the truck to stop.

Gomera said he ran to check on the girl and found that her hair was pinned beneath one of the truck’s tires.

“I talked to her — she told me that she was fine,” Gomera said.

Witnesses said they directed the driver to move the truck slightly forward so the girl could free herself.

Roson said the girl remained calm after getting out from beneath the truck.

“She was very quiet,” Roson said. “We ask her, ‘Are you OK?’ She said, ‘Yes.'”

Witnesses said the girl, whom they estimated to be between 14 and 16 years old, then walked home. They say the phone remained in her hand throughout the incident.

There is no traffic light or stop sign where witnesses said she crossed. Roson and Gomera said the driver appeared concerned and may not have seen the girl walk in front of the truck.

Philadelphia police said officers were dispatched to the area Friday, but no one involved in the incident was there when they arrived. Police said the incident remains under investigation.

Joe Kaminer, who lives nearby, said he had not heard about what happened until CBS News Philadelphia showed him the security video.

“I’m glad that she’s OK. It’s a miracle,” he said. “She got hit by a giant truck and she’s OK.”

Gomera also called the outcome remarkable.

“The odds were more to the fatality side,” he said. “It’s a miracle that she’s alive.”

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 Christine Sloan

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    SECAUCUS, New Jersey (WCBS) — Thousands of gallons of diesel fuel spilled from an AI data center in Secaucus late last week, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said.

Contractors have been at the scene since, removing the oil from nearby Anderson Creek, a tributary of the Hackensack River.

The diesel fuel discharged from a storage tank at Equinix Data Center on Friday has been contained, the New Jersey DEP said.

The DEP said it is estimated that 5,000 gallons was discharged, but a spokesperson said it’s unclear how much made it into the creek.

Bill Sheehan of Hackensack Riverkeeper said he has been told a computer glitch caused the spill.

“The computer was calling for oil,” he said.

The DEP said there have been no impacts to the Hackensack River and “there are no drinking water intakes in the area and no impacts to wildlife have been reported.”

Sheehan said he’s concerned.

“I’m not saying that they found a lot of dead animals. I’m not saying that. I am saying it’s too early to know,” he said.

Equinix said it detected the fuel release Friday, stopped it, and immediately contacted different agencies, adding, “We are working closely with those agencies, local officials, and community stakeholders to ensure a thorough remediation, while also conducting a full investigation to determine the root cause and prevent recurrence.”

“Secaucus is the place where data centers have been being built,” said Ben Dziobek of Climate Revolution Action Network. “We need to slow this down, and we are calling for a statewide moratorium on data centers.”

Equinix said it has been in the community for more than two decades and is committed to resolving the issue, and will be transparent with the community.

The DEP said the cleanup should take several days.

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 Neal Riley

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — Rapper Macklemore said Ed Sheeran has dropped him from his concert tour, including an upcoming performance at Gillette Stadium, amid controversy over his “Free Palestine” comments and a phone call from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Macklemore was set to open for Sheeran in Foxboro, Massachusetts on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26. But his name has now been scrubbed from Gillette Stadium’s website.

In an Instagram post, Macklemore said Sheeran told him last Monday that Kraft called about the upcoming performance at Gillette, which Kraft owns.

“Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium,” Macklemore wrote. “Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”

Kraft has been outspoken in his advocacy to combat antisemitism, spending millions in a “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign. He released a statement on Monday saying, “Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech.”

“Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line,” Kraft said.

During a concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month, Macklemore said he joined Sheeran’s tour, “so I can stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine.” He then performed a song that was inspired by pro-Palestinian students who illegally took over part of a Columbia University building.

The Anti-Defamation League called Macklemore’s comments “hateful” and said he “has a record of demonizing Israel and Israelis, falsely accusing Israel of genocide and engaging in antisemitic rhetoric and behavior.”

Macklemore wrote in Monday’s Instagram post that “Antisemitism is real.”

“When criticizing Israel, opposing Zionism or saying ‘Free Palestine’ gets conflated with hatred of Jewish people, it doesn’t protect Jewish people. It protects Israel from accountability,” he said.

Kraft said in his statement that he agrees with Macklemore that “Too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate.”

“I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goal is the same – peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate,” he 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 Mike Sullivan

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    HERRIMAN, Utah (WBZ) — The bricks of Boston’s Fenway Park are unmistakable, as are the streets that surround its hallowed grounds. While some are named after famous Red Sox players, another set of streets named after Sox stars is going viral on social media. It’s a neighborhood in Herriman, Utah, where all of the streets are Sox legends.

At less than 30 years old, Herriman is a relatively new city that developers say is one of the fastest-growing in Utah. It was founded by Henry Herriman, who was born in 1804 in, of all places, Massachusetts. While it sits south of Salt Lake City, in the northern part of Herriman is a development started in 2022 by Edge Homes. The list of streets goes from Xander Lane to Fisk Drive. Edge Homes Project Manager Brandon Parr is the man behind it, and a die-hard Sox fan.

“I had the opportunity to name some streets, I was like why not incorporate my favorite team into this, and the rest is history,” said Parr. “Began following the team when Wade Boggs started playing for them in the ’80s, and I’ve been following ever since I was 6 or 7 years old.”

Every day you can find him in the office with a Red Sox hat on while holding a Red Sox mug. It’s hard to believe the company went along with his plan.

“Zero pushback,” said Parr. “In fact, I don’t even think anybody knew I was really doing it until it was done.”

Parr says one neighbor even called the city asking to change Pesky Lane because they didn’t like the negative connotation of the word pesky.

“I said, ‘OK, we need to tell them this is a guy’s last name. This is Johnny Pesky. They named a pole after him for heaven’s sake,'” said Parr.

Over the last 24 hours, the neighborhood has blown up on social media with Major League Baseball referencing the neighborhood on Twitter when the Red Sox have a highlight. After Payton Tolle threw an immaculate inning, they tweeted the video with the caption, “Tolle Terrace coming soon to a neighborhood in Utah.” They followed up with another version for Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin. When Red Sox fans caught wind, they too began sending jokes and video posts to social media.

“We looked it up online, and I’ve seen some of the comments and stuff. It’s awesome,” said Parr.

The area’s discovery has some fans wondering what player’s name they would want as their street.

“Carl Yastrzemski was my favorite player growing up,” said Sox fan Chris Carrigan. “It’s why I wore number eight in college and all of that.”

WBZ-TV caught up with Carrigan before he played softball at Fenway Park for a game with MassMutual. The Worcester native was supposed to play at Fenway when he was playing for Assumption College.

“They moved the game from Fenway to Holy Cross and I was like, I never got to step on Fenway,” said Carrigan. “Today I get to 40 years later.”

Having been to Utah, he says Sox fans don’t know what they are missing. “It’s a beautiful place out there, and it is awesome,” said Carrigan.

Perhaps there may even be a few more Sox streets in the future. “It might happen. It might happen. I have several projects I can throw these names in,” Parr 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 Jeffrey Lindblom

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    MOUNT CLEMENS, Michigan (WXYZ) — Jason Vanderwal has spent half a decade throwing a nearly 10-pound magnet into Metro Detroit waterways. He says he never knows what he’ll find — but his latest discovery may be his most surprising yet.

Vanderwal, known online as Motor City Magnet Fishers, pulled a World War II-era Browning machine gun from the Clinton River in Mount Clemens a few days ago — his 116th firearm recovered from local waters.

“I like to describe it as cleaning trash and debris from the waterways,” Vanderwal said.

For five years, he has been casting a magnet capable of nearly two-and-a-half tons of magnetic pull into Metro Detroit rivers and lakes. Most of the time, he expects to pull up railroad spikes or rebar. But over the years, his finds have included antique signs, 116 guns, mortar rounds, landmines, and hand grenades.

“In places like Detroit, we have 100s of years of history,” Vanderwal said.

This latest find, though, stopped him in his tracks.

“And all I see is just a long tube with a square on the end,” Vanderwal said.

He says he has no idea how the machine gun ended up in the river.

“I have no idea how it could have possibly got there,” Vanderwal said.

After pulling the weapon from the water, Vanderwal called local law enforcement. The Mount Clemens Sheriff’s Office now has the weapon under its supervision.

Since the discovery, theories have been swirling about how a World War II-era machine gun ended up at the bottom of the Clinton River.

“The mafia threw it in… or it was stolen from an armory,” Vanderwal said.

Nolan Sanders, who was fascinated by the discovery, had his own ideas.

“Maybe it was in a war, or a famous person owned it,” Sanders said. “You wonder… why was it thrown there?”

Vanderwal says the mystery is part of what draws people to the hobby — but it isn’t what keeps him coming back.

“Sometimes we find something interesting. Sometimes we find something historical. But the purpose is to do good by our environment,” Vanderwal said.

He says he hopes the machine gun will eventually be returned to his possession.

Vanderwal says he plans to release the full experience with the firearm on his YouTube channel on Thursday.

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 Tiarra Braddock

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    WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Michigan (WXYZ) — Karl Edward Teschler, 46, was arraigned Saturday on charges of aggravated indecent exposure and attempted criminal sexual conduct stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred Thursday at an Oakland County park.

According to investigators, a woman was sitting inside her vehicle at Waterford Oaks County Park when Teschler allegedly pulled up next to her in an SUV. Police say he got out of his vehicle with his pants down, opened the woman’s car door and began fondling himself.

Waterford Police Chief Scott Underwood said the woman was able to provide officers with Teschler’s license plate number. Investigators then used Flock license plate reader technology to help track down the vehicle.

“We later within an hour got an alert on that license plate in the area of 15 Mile and Utica Road,” Underwood said. “Sterling Heights police were notified. Turns out, the registered owner of that car was on his way home.”

Teschler was arrested later that day.

Police also said officers discovered duct tape, rope and zip ties inside Teschler’s vehicle following his arrest.

Teschler was arraigned on Saturday. The court set a $50,000 cash bond and ordered Teschler not to return to Waterford Oaks County Park. He was also ordered not to contact, threaten, intimidate or harass the complainant or any witnesses in the case.

“The allegations are quite concerning to the court,” the judge said. “I am concerned about the safety of the public.”

Sheree Shorter, a Waterford resident who frequently visits the park, said she was surprised to hear about the allegations.

“To go out in a park like this, a nice area, especially in Waterford, you don’t hear stuff like that,” Shorter said.

She said the incident serves as a reminder to stay vigilant while in public.

“I’m going to be very aware of my surroundings,” she said, adding that she carries personal safety devices when she’s out alone.

Teschler is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 21 and again on Sept. 28 for additional hearings.

Anyone with information related to the case is encouraged to contact the Waterford Township Police Department.

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.