Author: CNN Newsource

By Bethany Cates

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    CLEMMONS, North Carolina (WXII) — After fighting a fight of her own, Penny Hull said that as soon as she was able to get back on the dance floor, she was going to do one night of free classes in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

“I wanted to give back because I am now a cancer survivor myself, but I am very new; I just rung the bell Sept. 11,” said Hull.

After 25 years of teaching classes alongside her husband, Hull said she never thought she would have to take a break due to finding out she had breast cancer.

“I had two surgeries and 20 rounds of radiation that and I didn’t know that was going to happen, and a lot of people gave,” Hull said.

In March, she had to take a break from teaching due to her diagnosis and radiation appointments.

After having so many people help her in her time of need, she looked forward to getting back on the dance floor to do what she does best, teaching North Carolina Shag.

“You got to keep moving, this is a good way of moving, you know, learning how to do different dances and everything like that,” said Esther, a breast cancer survivor.

The energy on the dance floor was contagious, but through every step, there was an important message being shared about taking the right preventative measures against breast cancer.

“It’s really good to be able to be here and to share with people the importance of self-examination, do your mammograms, get your exercise,” said Kimberly Barnhill, a breast cancer survivor.

And even through the battles, Hull said she will continue to show up and spread awareness, giving back to those who once poured their support into her.

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By Ari Hait

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    STUART, Florida (WPBF) — Staff and customers at a Stuart restaurant were surprised by an uninvited guest Monday afternoon when a gator was spotted just a few feet away from the front door.

A bartender at Hudson’s on the River first saw the gator on the rocks near the tiki bar on the side of the restaurant.

The bartender quickly informed assistant general manager Sarah Felten, who initially thought she was kidding.

“She said, ‘What’s our policy on alligators at the tiki?’” Felten said. “And I thought she was joking, so I kind of laughed and was just like, ‘They’ve got to be over 21.’ And she said, ‘No, there’s an alligator at tiki.”

Felten and operations manager Ben Foster went to check it out and saw the gator.

“He was just very docile,” Felten said.

“He was definitely not being aggressive in any way. He was just hanging out,” Foster said.

Despite the gator’s lack of aggression, Foster and Felten knew they couldn’t leave him there.

He had chosen a spot just a few feet away from where children and pets gather to play.

“Thankfully, he was only about four and a half feet, so it wasn’t a full-grown adult, but it was still definitely pretty scary,” especially given the proximity to areas where children and dogs play.

Felten attempted to scare the gator away but found it unafraid.

“I actually came in this area here to try and scare him off, and he was just not afraid of me at all,” she said. “I was more afraid of him than he was of me.”

The staff then called the Stuart police, who captured the now uncooperative gator.

“He was flipping and rolling around and hissing,” Felten said

“He was flipping and turning around, and then they kind of wrestled him down,” Foster said.

The police relocated the gator unharmed, leaving Foster with a memorable experience.

“It was wild. It was definitely nothing like we’d experienced before. I didn’t think I’d come to work today and see an alligator at my restaurant,” he said.

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By Matt Leonard, Gail Paschall-Brown

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — A nonprofit organization is pushing for the closure of the Epic Universe rollercoaster Stardust Racers after a guest died on the ride in September 2025.

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was found unresponsive after riding the coaster on Sept. 17 before being declared dead later that evening at a local hospital. Now, the nonprofit organization Juneteenth Project Coalition is petitioning for the coaster — which only opened in May 2025, alongside the rest of the new Epic Universe theme park — to be shut down.

“It’s a death trap. It is a death trap, and I’m a disabled American veteran. I have been in a wheelchair,” Tina Wilson, the organization’s founder, said. “But for them to reopen the ride, it’s just a slap in the face.”

Universal Orlando reopened the ride on Saturday, Oct. 4, a little more than two weeks after Rodriguez Zavala’s death. The reopening was met by disappointment and frustration from the victim’s family and attorney Ben Crump.

“Once we get a fair amount of signatures, if I have to get my bullhorn and go and stand out in front of Universal Studios until they shut that ride down, I will because it’s not fair,” Wilson said.

In its own investigation into the ride, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said, “Following the incident, Universal contacted the department as required by Florida Law and voluntarily invited the department to observe all testing and inspections, which exceeded state requirements.”

“Did you lose a family member on that ride? That’s what I’m asking the CEO and the Department of Agriculture, did you lose a family member?” Wilson said. “How would you feel if two weeks after that individual passed and it’s business as usual?”

President and COO of Universal Orlando Karen Irwin said that internal findings to date confirm that the ride systems functioned as intended and that equipment was intact at the ride’s start, throughout the duration of the ride, and upon the ride vehicle’s return to the station.

“So, you could not wait, you’re going to make money anyway. You’re Universal, you’re a big corporation. It’s very insensitive. Shut down the ride until the investigation and the family has some kind of closure. It’s only been two weeks,” Wilson said.

Wilson and the Juneteenth Project Coalition previously petitioned and protested the Orlando FreeFall drop tower after 14-year-old Tyre Sampson fell to his death from the ICON Park ride in 2022.

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By Jenyne Donaldson

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — A South Baltimore coffee shop does more than specialize in lattes, honey, candles, mugs and self-care, body and handmade products.

Hon’s Honey Marketplace in Brooklyn and all its products are handcrafted and whipped up by women survivors of abuse, addiction, poverty, trafficking and other trauma who are rebuilding their lives one step at a time. Employees call the experience working at Hon’s life-changing.

“The main thing is it’s a safe place for women,” said Kathy Kempa, who is a manager of infused honey at Hon’s and works in production, making infused honey.

Kempa is recovering from substance abuse and now has a job, a car, an apartment and a new outlook on life.

“I have a car because of them through the car match program. I’m on my way to being a homeowner because of them, and (it’s) just giving me an opportunity to work to help provide for my family. I’ve also become a peer recovery specialist, so I can also help them and guide them in the right direction of where they can go for rehab or recovery or just to come in and start the classes,” Kempa said. “It’s so many different areas to help women get back into society, to help them, just to help them get their life, to get their peace of mind back. It’s amazing.”

Curtis Bay-based “Drink at the Well” is the umbrella nonprofit organization under which Hon’s Honey operates. Abigail Erickson, the marketplace manager, called Curtis Bay the forgotten neighborhood of Baltimore.

“There’s real trauma and real poverty and real, like, severely marginalized people, groups here are that are simply just not being recognized,” Erickson told 11 News.

Latoya Cabos, a barista at Hon’s, said her life has transformed in the six years she has been a part of the well.

“They gave me the opportunity of having a job, they provided child care for me, because I didn’t have child care, so I was able to work,” Cabos told 11 News.

For more information about the coffee shop and how you can help support them, visit the following website.

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By Carson Zorn

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    FORT MYERS, Florida (WBBH) — A vehicle caught fire while inside a car wash station at an Iona Jiffy Lube on Monday morning.

A Gulf Coast News reporter spoke to an Iona fire chief on the scene at the Jiffy Lube on San Carlos Boulevard.

According to the fire chief, the incident was a vehicle fire with minor damage to the walls next to it. The rest of the building has no damage.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

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