Author: CNN Newsource

By Ellie Nakamoto-White

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — Friday night’s Milwaukee Bucks game against the Chicago Bulls will have a special visitor in the crowd.

It’s the trip of a lifetime for a young boy from Virginia, who’s dreamed of seeing Giannis Antetokounmpo play in person.

Now, standing in front of Fiserv Forum, JR Slife’s jaw is dropped.

“I knew it’d be a tall building, but that’s huge, that’s massive,” Slife told CBS 58’s Ellie Nakamoto-White. “It’s cool!”

The 12-year-old has loved basketball since he can remember.

But not just for the sport itself — it was a way to help navigate him through his earlier years.

JR was born with severe clubbed feet and underwent multiple surgeries and therapy.

“He was in casts until he was about two years old, so he wasn’t walking until he was about two,” said his mom, Tamara, noting that he still has difficulty walking and running.

Despite that, JR picked up a basketball when he was around 3 and hasn’t put it down since.

“Despite his feet, despite his pain, it’s his passion and it’s his love, and it’s what’s kept him going,” Tamara said.

As a Port Washington native, Tamara added that she was hoping her son would also fall in love with her home team.

“We’ve been watching the Bucks from afar in Virginia this whole time,” Tamara said.

But it was #34 who stood out to JR specifically.

“I really love his story and it kind of inspired me because I was born with my feet backwards, and if he can overcome what he did, I can overcome what I need to and what I went through,” Slife said.

On Thursday, Nov. 6, JR boarded his first flight ever to travel to Milwaukee to attend Friday’s game.

“I was super excited, I was just jumping up and down, like going crazy,” JR said.

His dream? To play in the NBA as a point guard — and maybe even for the Bucks.

“Thank you, Giannis, for inspiring me to overcome my challenges with my feet,” JR said. “Thank you for being a great player and pretty much inspiring me. I’ve been following you since I was a little kid. Go Bucks!”

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 Dean Fioresi

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    California (KCAL, KCBS) — The 5 Freeway north of Los Angeles was closed for hours and a shelter-in-place order was issued to more than 19,000 residents in Castaic after a natural gas line ruptured on Saturday afternoon.

L.A. County Fire Department officials say that they received reports of an explosion in the area just north of North Park Elementary School, near Ridge Route Road and Pine Crest Place at around 4:20 p.m., which was then followed by reports of a strong gas smell.

The 5 Freeway is a major artery that links Southern California to the rest of the state. It runs north all the way through Oregon and Washington to Canada.

It’s unclear what caused the gas line, which is also referred to as a 600 psi “transmission gas line,” to rupture, but Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies told CBS Los Angeles that it was possibly caused by a mudslide.

Los Angeles County Fire Captain Brian Knight said that first responders were waiting on SoCalGas personnel to shut off the 34-inch main gas line so they could begin their investigation. It has since been mitigated by the gas company, but some residual gas was expected to continue seeping out for some time, Knight said.

A SoCalGas spokesperson told CBS LA that crews safely located and isolated the damaged section of the pipeline, and that once the remaining gas was vented, they would assess damage and begin repair work.

“The cause of the break has not been determined,” the spokesperson said. “However, significant land movement has been observed near the break.”

They said that there were “no indications” of an ignition or explosion.

The pipeline is used for transportation and will not impact homes or businesses in the area, officials told CBS LA. They said here were five “non-residential natural gas customers” that were experiencing outages from the break.

No evacuation orders have been issued, though LAFD firefighters asked that residents living within a one-mile radius of the gas line shelter in place until just before 10 p.m. Residents were also asked to close their doors, windows and vents and turn their HVAC systems off.

Firefighters said that there is no immediate threat to Los Angeles as a result of the leak, though residents throughout the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys should expect to experience a “strong smell of natural gas.”

California Highway Patrol officers issued a SigAlert just after 5 p.m., closing both northbound and southbound lanes north of Lake Hughes Road. Eastbound and westbound lanes of SR-318 and SR-126 were also closed to other traffic, as they were used to divert traffic from I-5. With the CBS LA helicopter overhead, lines of traffic were seen stretching back miles from the spot of the SigAlert.

The closure was lifted at around 8:45 p.m.

No injuries have been reported yet.

Arson and explosives detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were called to the scene, as well as a hazardous materials team, deputies said.

In a post on X, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office said that he had been briefed on the pipeline rupture and that the state’s Office of Emergency Services was assisting with response to the incident.

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 Dave Carlin

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    NEW YORK (WCBS, WLNY) — An off-duty NYPD helped a frantic mother whose infant was choking.

If not for his brave actions, the baby girl might not be alive.

“I went out and saw the mom with the baby lifeless in her arms” Video from a home surveillance camera shows NYPD Officer Freddy Cerpa saving the life of the unresponsive 1-year-old girl. He checked her airway and then patted her on the back until she was breathing again. It happened on Dec. 7 at around 2 p.m.

Friday at NYPD headquarters, he spoke about his heroic actions, which he called just part of his job.

“I was home getting ready to go to work,” Cerpa said. “I hear banging on my door … ‘Please help my baby.’ I went out and saw the mom with the baby lifeless in her arms.”

The taps to the baby’s back he learned during police academy training about a year ago.

“I felt her chest go up and down, meaning that she’s starting to breathe again,” Cerpa said. “It’s an amazing feeling to know I was able to help save a baby’s life before Christmas.”

The parents knew they could get help by running to his front door because they are longtime family friends. The couple asked not to be identified.

“They gave me their gratitude about helping them and just let me know the baby’s fully recovered,” Cerpa said.

That very same week there was a similar save. On Dec. 10, NYPD Det. Michael Greaney saved a choking 8-month-old girl. That impressive rescue witnessed by many driving by along the Bronx River Parkway.

“Our mission is to preserve life, and I feel that’s the most Important part of being a police officer,” Cerpa said.

He said he will remember forever the rush of relief he felt.

Cerpa is assigned to the 43rd Precinct stationhouse in the Bronx. There’s one thing he wants every member of the public to know.

“If you have any precautions you want to take, like taking a CPR class there are resources you can find online,” Cerpa said.

That’s advice from an officer who knows when he’s off duty, he’s always on call.

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 Edie Kasten, Joe Donlon

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — An Indiana woman who found inner peace and her mission in life by running is changing the world one footstep at a time.

“I am not an elite runner. I am not a fast runner. I am just a person who knows that running can change so much,” Judy Kupsik said.

Running has changed so much in Kupsik’s life, but first there was so much pain.

“I lived a pretty quote-unquote normal life here in Highland. I had a pretty stable household growing up. … My mom was always sick, though, so that always caused a lot of fear and anxiety to build up within me,” she said. “When you’re filled with that much anxiety and fear, it has to go somewhere, and it can lead to dangerous things.”

In Kupsik’s case, it led to an alcohol addiction that began in her teens and went on for years.

“It was drinking to numb the pain, and to numb the hurt,” she said.

In 2012, desperate to find her footing, she returned to a childhood hobby – running. At first it, was just for fun. Then it hit her.

“I felt good, and I’m like, ‘You know what? I think I can do this. I think I can run a half marathon,'” she said. “So I did. I just went out and ran a half marathon.”

She ran her first full marathon in Chicago in 2014 as her 13-year marriage was ending.3

“There was just something inside of me that just needed to keep running and keep moving forward instead of backward into the pain and into the hurt,” she said.

But that race wasn’t enough.

“That high wore off very quickly, and I was still left seeking,” she said. “All of a sudden, going to be a single mom. How was I going to do this? I was at the end of myself. Completely at the end of myself.”

It all began to change on Christmas Eve 2014, when Kupsik walked into Faith Church in Highland.

“I knew about this church was here, but I had never been here before,” she said. “The music and the message just broke through my heart, and I surrendered my life to God that night.”

One Sunday in 2016, she heard about a church mission trip to help an orphanage in Haiti.

“I had never been out of the country before, but I want to go. I want to do that,” she said. “I want to go help these kids if I can help these kids.”

But first, she had to stop drinking, and she did with the help of a dedicated mentor. She took the trip to Haiti, and it had a profound impact.

“Haiti is one of the poorest countries in this Western Hemisphere. I had never seen anything like that before in my life. I literally held children in my arms, and I felt their bones in my hands where there should have been fat,” she said. “This should not be like this. It shouldn’t be happening. So, when I got back, that resolve of, like, ‘What can I do in this world to help this?'”

In 2017, she joined the church running team, which raises funds for World Vision, a nonprofit that brings clean water and other resources to places that desperately need them.

“When clean water comes into a community, that’s where everything starts to change; when people are no longer getting sick, when they no longer have to walk miles for dirty water,” she said. “Moms are able to stay home or start small businesses and raise funds for their family.”

Kupsik is determined to help make it all happen. This year, she ran the Chicago Marathon to raise funds for World Vision.

She also ran marathons in Fox Valley and in Nairobi, Kenya, to benefit Hope Mobility, a nonprofit which provides wheelchairs and other equipment for people in need. She did all three big runs in just 35 days.

On any given day, you can still find Kupsik pounding the pavement and finding grace.

“I will run for hours, no music, no other people with me; just me, my breath, my body, my surroundings, and it literally shuts everything off,” she said. “Everything just stops, and it’s just, like, this calm and this peace.”

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 Kerry Breen

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    FLORIDA (WFOR) — A boy with autism, 6, was rescued from a pond on Christmas Day by Florida police, fewer than 18 months after a similar incident led to the child being enrolled in swimming lessons.

The boy, identified by police as Coco, was found in chest-deep waters, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release shared Friday morning. Deputies in a sheriff’s helicopter helped lead officers to the child.

Video shared by the sheriff’s office shows the police searching the area for Coco before the helicopter crew spots him in the water. The child was cold but unharmed, police said.

Coco is nonverbal and known to be attracted to water, police said.

In August 2024, Coco, then 5, escaped his home through a second-story door. His escape set off an alarm inside the house and led his family to call the police. Coco’s family said at the time he was attracted to water.

Volusia County Sheriff’s Deputy Wes Brough found Coco clinging to a branch in a pond in his Deltona neighborhood, the office said on social media at the time. Brough carried the boy to dry land, where he was medically cleared and returned to his family.

After the incident, Coco started swimming lessons, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies also spoke with his family about improving precautionary measures on the house and having Coco wear a GPS tracker at all times.

Authorities urge families of children with autism or special needs to use multiple layers of protection, including door alarms, secure fencing, and wearable tracking devices, CBS affiliate CBS12 reported.

“Most importantly, we’re just glad he’s back home safe,” the sheriff’s office 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 Ashley Paul, Adam Thompson

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A family of six are displaced, and two of their dogs are missing, after a fire destroyed their Harford County home on Christmas Eve.

People driving around looking at holiday lights alerted emergency responders to the fire in the 500 block of Flintlock Dive in Bel Air. Officials said the fire appeared to have been sparked by an electrical issue with the Christmas tree.

Fire officials said witnesses driving through the neighborhood noticed the fire in the living room of the home and stopped to tell the owners, who weren’t home at the time.

They reported hearing dogs inside the home and attempted to save them by kicking the front door open, while another neighbor broke the back door window in an attempt to save the pets, according to fire officials.

The estimated cost of damage is about $500,000.

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.