Author: CNN Newsource

By Edward Smith

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — A Louisville woman’s effort to keep her miniature horse, Bandit, at her home is gaining traction after a new ordinance required animals like him to be kept on at least one acre of land.

In the backyard of Susan Bruner’s home, 14-year-old Bandit doesn’t make much noise, aside from an occasional neigh, but he has become the center of community discussion in recent weeks.

Kaylah Morris, a local resident, said, “The kids they love they love to feed him apples. Like we have the fence. We just feed them apples. And stuff right over the fence and yeah, he’s he’s great.”

The miniature horse has been at the forefront of backlash against a recently passed Louisville Metro ordinance. While the ordinance primarily focused on micro-chipping pets, it also included requirements for horses and other animals, stating they must be kept on at least one acre of land.

For Bruner, this change was both major and unexpected.

“They came out the end of November. The first part of December. …And wellness check. Everything checked out. I said, yeah, because it always does and we’re up to code. Everything’s fine. And he said, actually, you’re not any more,” Bruner said.

Neighbors were equally disappointed to learn that Bandit might have to leave. One neighbor expressed, “I think it’s sad, honestly, because they’ve had them for a long time, and and I that’s the neighbor’s baby. And I would feel so bad if that happened to them.”

In response, neighbors started a petition, gathering more than 1,600 signatures, which caught the attention of the Metro Council.

Jennifer Chappell, one of the ordinance’s sponsors, released a statement Monday, expressing her support for Bandit and recommending that Bandit and other affected animals be grandfathered in.

“I want to be clear that I support Bandit and his owner, and I appreciate the compassion this community has shown in keeping Bandit at home,” Chappell said in a statement. “After speaking with Metro Animal Services and the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, I learned ponies and miniature horses were included in this ordinance because they were inadvertently omitted from earlier animal control language. This was simply meant to add clarification, not to target a specific animal or community member. Metro Animal Services will be recommending Bandit be grandfathered in, and I have initiated the process to add that grandfathering language to all animals affected in the legislation that was passed in October.”

Bruner said Bandit is an important piece of her life.

“He’s my baby. He calms me when I get nervous and stressed. I go out on the porch and he comes up and he just. He calms me,” Bruner 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 Zach Rainey

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    WILMINGTON, North Carolina (WYFF) — Officers in Wilmington, North Carolina, arrested a naked man following a disturbance at a hotel.

Shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday, officers with the Wilmington Police Department were called to a hotel in the 4700 block of Market Street about a naked man causing damage to hotel property and approaching people in the lobby.

When officers arrived, they found the 33-year-old man, identified as Eliot Watkins, in a wooded area nearby.

According to officers, Watkins fled and jumped into a retention pond. As he tried to get out of the pond, officers detained him. During his arrest, Watkins kicked an officer.

Watkins was charged with indecent exposure, assault on a government official, disorderly conduct, injury to personal property, and misdemeanor larceny.

This remains an ongoing investigation. No other details have been released.

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 Imani Clement

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    BOSTON (WCVB) — A Boston man is facing assault and robbery charges after he allegedly beat his neighbor over a wrongly delivered package, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said.

On Dec. 22, police responded to a 911 call from a witness saying that a man had assaulted an older neighbor and stolen his phone at an apartment building at 730 Cummins Highway in Dorchester.

When officers arrived, the suspect, Khalil Muhammad, 29, spoke to police.

“(Muhammad) stated that the victim, a 77-year-old man, had come to his apartment accusing him of stealing a package,” Hayden said. “Officers found the victim badly beaten with his eyes swollen shut, a bleeding cut under one eye, and unable to answer questions. The victim was transported to the hospital.”

According to the victim, he went to Muhammad’s apartment to retrieve his wrongly delivered Amazon package, which is when Muhammad punched him in the face and took his $700 cellphone.

The victim ran, but Muhammad followed him and continued to assault him as he went up a flight of stairs.

Muhammad has a lengthy criminal history, including an open case of assault and battery on a police officer, possession of drugs and resisting arrest in East Boston, as well as violent offenses in New York that go back to 2015.

He was also on probation at the time of the incident for two separate cases in Dorchester.

A judge revoked bail in the East Boston case, and Muhammad was ordered held on a detention detainer for both probation violations.

Muhammad will return to court on Jan. 22 for a pretrial hearing on the assault and battery on a person over 60 and unarmed robbery charges.

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 David Jones

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    WILDWOOD, Florida (WESH) — Staff at the Wildwood Soup Kitchen are celebrating a Christmas miracle of their own: a $750,000 donation by an anonymous local foundation that has helped the organization eclipse its goal of $1.5 million to purchase a new building.

The soup kitchen has been facing eviction since it received a letter in mid-October from its landlord, the First Presbyterian Church of Wildwood, informing leaders that they had two choices: pay more rent and spend less time in the fellowship hall kitchen, or be evicted come December 31.

Since then, the organization has been aggressively fundraising and had met around half of its goal when the large donation came in.

“Words really can’t describe it,” said Jeff Hetrick, manager of the Wildwood Soup Kitchen. “When you go from being a little over halfway there to eclipsing the need, it’s really unbelievable joy and exuberance.”

Barbara McManus, president of the Board of Directors, said the foundation that donated the money wishes to remain anonymous.

“I just can’t get over it, it just blows my mind that somebody would do that and be able to do that generosity and not expect anything in return,” she said.

But the Wildwood Soup Kitchen’s fundraising campaign hasn’t ended.

The organization will close on the building, located on Main Street/U.S. 301 in Wildwood, on February 1. Currently, the building houses hot dog restaurant Coney Island Drive Inn.

McManus said, starting February, they will be able to start renovations with a tentative move-in date in April or May.

“We know that we want to upgrade a few of the equipment already there, we’ll remove some stuff that’s there, add some of our own stuff,” she said.

The goal now is to raise an additional $600,000 to help in that mission, which she said they’ve already raised around $150,000.

But, as for what happens to the soup kitchen in the meantime, McManus said that’s still up in the air.

Their lease at the church building ends December 31. McManus and Hetrick said they’ve been in negotiations with the church for a six-month extension, but haven’t inked a new deal.

“The problem is we only have two more days before we’re told we have to leave this building,” McManus said.

“I have no idea what the lease will have in it. I’m hoping it will have everything that we want it to be, in that case we can have a six-month extension.”

Still, she said she and the other staff at the soup kitchen are thankful for all the support they’ve received both from the community and across the country.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s one canned good or one dollar or 750,000 dollars,” Hetrick said. “They all make a difference and they all make an impact to feeding the needy here in the Sumter County area, some may think they’re not contributing but every little bit helps.”

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.