Author: CNN Newsource

By Forrest Sanders

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    NASHVILLE (WTVF) — A woman has now been a part of the Grand Ole Opry story for 40 years. She doesn’t take the stage with a guitar. However, if you’ve been to the Opry, you’ve very likely seen her.

On another night at the Grand Ole Opry, I found Marcia Campbell backstage.

“This is the Honky Tonk Angel room, and it is absolutely amazing,” Campbell said, looking around at pictures on the wall. “It’s our women in country music.”

Just like those women, Campbell also has a long story with the Opry.

“It all started with my granny,” she explained. “I remember dancing with my grandmother in the kitchen. She would just hum, and we would have the best time.”

Campbell’s grandmother, Christine Barnett, was teaching a style of dancing that was a very old tradition and one that had been featured on the Opry since 1952.

“Appalachian-style square dancing,” Campbell nodded.

“Were you saying even as a child, ‘I want to be on that stage?'” I asked her.

“I didn’t know how to dream that big!” she answered.

Instead, Campbell, a little girl from Dickson County, was dancing at festivals and competitions. It was at one of those the director of the Grand Ole Opry Square Dancers happened to see her.

“I got the call,” Campbell remembered. “I was very young. I didn’t have a driver’s license. I was only 12-years-old at this time. I made a debut, and then in 1985, I became a member of the Grand Ole Opry Square Dancers or Melvin Sloan Dancers.”

On those Opry broadcast nights, Campbell was growing up among country music legends.

“For one, Mr. Roy Acuff,” she smiled. “We also had Minnie Pearl. We had Roy Clark. Bill Monroe.”

The connection to the Opry has brought so many amazing moments. You can even hear Campbell’s feet dancing on a recording by Dolly Parton.

“The album is Little Sparrow,” she said. “The song is He’s Gonna Marry Me. Dolly wanted a square dance rhythm.”

Campbell has now been square dancing on the Opry for 40 years.

It actually isn’t the longest. Eddie Oliver danced for 50 years.

“Does Marcia go to 50?” I asked Campbell.

“Shoot yeah!” she laughed. “Absolutely! Like Dolly was saying, ‘I don’t have time to get old.'”

Speaking of Dolly, in 40 years of amazing Opry memories for Campbell, Saturday night was another one.

“We are celebrating Dolly Parton’s 80th birthday!” she said.

The Grand Ole Opry Square Dancers ran out on the stage, all sporting blonde Dolly Parton wigs. They began to perform their routine.

“I don’t take it for granted,” Campbell said. “God has given me great health to do this and a full heart. Only eight dancers in the whole wide world get to dance at the Grand Ole Opry. As long as I can get out there and do a great performance, I’ll be here. To dance is to be joyful.”

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 Sarah Hagen , Erin Holly

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    CHESAPEAKE, Virginia (WTKR) — The group of nine Black women who say they experienced racial discrimination while dining at Cork & Bull Chophouse in Chesapeake in November 2025 filed a $5 million lawsuit on against the restaurant Tuesday.

“I think they were hopeful at one point, that there may be some resolution. Now, they’re a little sad that we had to get to this point,” Joyvan Malbon-Griffin, the attorney representing the nine women said.

“Plaintiffs were lawful, paying patrons who were expelled from Defendants’ restaurant solely because of racialized assumptions, despite having no involvement whatsoever in a physical altercation that occurred between unrelated customers,” the lawsuit states.

Shakoya Somerville-Holt, one of the plaintiffs, told News 3 in a previous interview that the incident happened when she and eight friends were having dinner at the restaurant on Nov. 6, 2025.

Shortly after, Somerville-Holt said two other Black women at a nearby table got into a fight. Despite not knowing the women involved in the altercation, Somerville-Holt said restaurant management also told her group they had to leave.

All the women in Sommerville-Holt’s group were dressed in white tops and denim bottoms, making them “visibly distinguishable from all other patrons,” the lawsuit states.

“The management came over to our table and told us that they will not be servicing us tonight, that we had to leave,” Somerville-Holt said in a previous interview with News 3. “I questioned, ‘are you shutting the entire restaurant down for tonight?’ ‘No, we’re just not serving you all, because y’all like to fight.'”

After police arrived, they confirmed the women had no involvement in the fight and allowed them to collect their things.

According to the lawsuit, Dallas Walton, a Cork & Bull chef, approached the women aggressively while they were gathering their belongings and said, “I run this [expletive]” and “Get the [expletive] out.”

Multiple restaurant patrons expressed sympathy to the women and left the restaurant in protest.

At least one of the plaintiffs was treated medically for stress, and others sought out counseling, according to the lawsuit.

“Many of them still have not dined out, even in the holiday season, for fear that that same incident could happen again,” Malbon-Griffin said.

The plaintiffs are seeking $5 million in damages for malicious and reckless conduct.

Chesapeake Neighborhood Reporter Erin Holly went into Cork & Bull and spoke to the manager on duty. He said the restaurant is aware of the lawsuit and has no comment at this time.

“Whatever the motive was behind the lack of public accommodation, does not need to happen again,” Malbon-Griffin 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 Glass

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    JUPITER, Florida (WPTV) — Although Lung Cancer Awareness Month is observed nationally in November, a woman who attended a Let’s Hear It meet-up said she would like to see awareness raised year-round.

WPTV Morning Anchor Ashley Glass spoke with Holly Fisher, who said a scan at Jupiter Medical Center helped her beat lung cancer.

“I had no idea about it. I found out by accident,” Fisher said. “Jupiter Medical Center has a program that if you don’t qualify through insurance to be scanned, you can get a $99 CT scan.”

Jupiter Medical Center offers a self-pay, $99 low-dose CT lung screening designed to detect lung cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages. About 800 people receive the screening each year, according to a spokesperson.

A spokesperson also stated that the hospital offers free financial counseling to assist patients in exploring options for managing their medical bills.

On the Treasure Coast, HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital and HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital also offer low-dose CT lung cancer screenings. A spokesperson said patients should speak directly with their care team to determine eligibility and access.

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, accounting for about 1 in 5 cancer deaths nationwide.

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 Bohman

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    WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (WPTV) — A mother is demanding prosecutors reopen the case after her son was shot and killed in what authorities ruled a justified Stand Your Ground shooting, despite video evidence that a criminology expert says should have led to homicide charges.

Yvonne Victorero and seven supporters demonstrated in front of the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, protesting the decision not to charge the man who shot and killed her son Rolando Victorero in December 2023.

“We’re here to find justice,” Victorero said.

The case gained attention after I obtained video footage showing the deadly confrontation between Rolando Victorero and Kelvin Fajardo over a woman. The video shows Victorero appearing to confront Fajardo, who was wearing red. Victorero was shot, then fled, and was shot twice more before dying later that night.

“I think they should reopen the case and reinvestigate,” Victorero said.

Deputy reports WPTV obtained included emails from Victorero to Fajardo prior to the shooting.

According to the report, Victorero wrote, “Ain’t no one gonna stop me from whooping you when I see you,” and “Just fight me… let me get some anger out on you.”

The deputy recommended Fajardo not be prosecuted under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, which allows people to use deadly force if they reasonably believe they are in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm.

Gary Kleck, professor emeritus of criminology at Florida State University, reviewed the video at my request and questioned the decision not to prosecute.

“It was originally designed basically to address cases where there really was lawful, there was legitimate self-defense,” Kleck said.

“In this case, there should have been a pretty obvious case for a criminal homicide rather than self-defense,” Kleck said.

Kleck believes prosecutors in Florida are often reluctant to bring charges when suspects use the Stand Your Ground defense.

“I guess you could call it bureaucratic problems of productivity, you’re supposed to have a good conviction rate as a prosecutor,” Kleck said.

I obtained an email sent to Victorero’s lawyer from the prosecutor defending her decision not to file charges.

“The shooter merely had to have had a reasonable basis to believe he was about to suffer a forcible felony such as aggravated battery,” former Assistant State Attorney Aleathea McRoberts wrote in 2024.

A representative from the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office said it has not received any additional information from law enforcement.

Despite the setback, Victorero vows to continue her fight.

“And I will not stop until I can be heard, and I will find justice,” Victorero said.

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

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    FRANKFORT, Kentucky (WLEX) — A Kentucky family’s decade-long fight for justice took a significant step forward Tuesday as lawmakers in Frankfort discussed “Logan’s Law,” legislation inspired by the 2015 murder of 6-year-old Logan Tipton.

The Tipton family joined state lawmakers today to advocate for House Bill 422, better known as “Logan’s Law,” which would increase minimum sentences for certain violent offenders and limit early release options.

Logan Tipton was murdered in his sleep in 2015 in Woodford County; Ronald Exantus was acquitted of murder by reason of insanity and served only seven years in jail for assault before being released on mandatory re-entry supervision.

“This is our first opportunity to make sure that we can hold ourselves as a Commonwealth accountable for the failures that resulted in this family and this community having to endure what it has endured as a result of unfathomable, unpredictable leniency,” the bill’s co-sponsor, Representative T.J. Roberts said.

The family expressed relief that their concerns are finally being heard at the state level.

“It feels good to know that people are listening, they’re paying attention. And they’re upset about it just like we are, just like our state reps are, they’re upset,” Logan’s father, Dean Tipton, said.

While the family knows they cannot bring Logan back, they are working with lawmakers to prevent similar tragedies from happening to other families.

“(Exantus) was able to do this work in prison, these classes and this and that, and knocked off almost 10 years of his sentence in this class, and if you’re so mentally ill, I don’t see how that’s possible,” Tipton said.

Logan’s Law would increase the minimum time certain offenders must serve before becoming eligible for parole and limit early release options like mandatory reentry supervision for violent criminals.

“We have to value human life in Kentucky, and one of the ways to do it is to ensure that murderers truly can be held accountable and be, and Kentucky can feel safe to know that they will never walk our streets again where they can kill another Kentuckian,” a representative said.

The legislation also makes significant changes to insanity pleas in criminal cases.

“Logan’s law does get rid of not guilty by reason of insanity. It does keep guilty but mentally ill,” a representative explained.

“It makes clear that we are going to put our foot down as a commonwealth,” the representative added.

The Tipton family remains hopeful that Logan’s legacy will prevent future tragedies.

“I have 100% faith in it and you know Logan’s gonna save some other kids, some other family, and his legacy will be here long after we’re all gone so in a way, you know, he’s gonna outlive us all,” the family said.

Logan’s Law is receiving bipartisan support in Frankfort, with more than half of Kentucky House members already signed on as co-sponsors.

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.