‘It was this whole Cincinnati thing’ | Girls flag football growing in Ohio, with Badin leading the way

CNN Newsource on February 17, 2026

By Kristen Skovira

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    CINCINNATI (WCPO) — Girls flag football is one of the fastest-growing high school sports in the country, and this spring it reaches a major milestone: it becomes an official varsity sport in Ohio.

At the center of that growth is Badin High School, home of the reigning Ohio girls flag football state champions. What started as a brand-new program quickly turned into a title run — and a blueprint for schools across the state.

For players Bella Heile and Lexi Brecht, last season began with uncertainty.

“Everyone kind of doubted us at the beginning of the year,” Heile said. “Then we came out and kind of proved everyone wrong. Everyone started being excited — it was this whole Cincinnati thing.”

That excitement wasn’t just local. Professional football organizations like the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns reached out to Ohio high schools, encouraging them to form girls flag football teams and offering resources to get started.

Watch to learn more about the program and its growing popularity:

Badin head coach Mike Sebastian, a basketball coach by trade, had to learn the sport from scratch.

“First thing was Google,” Sebastian said. “We had to learn everything. The Bengals did a great job with trainings, and there was NFL material we had access to that really helped.”

That crash course paid off quickly. Badin surged all the way to the 2025 state championship — and won.

“All in one season,” Sebastian said. “It was incredible. We actually ran an illegal play on our very first play. So yeah, we had a lot to figure out.”

Flag football’s appeal goes beyond trophies. Players say it’s a sport where speed, agility and effort matter more than size.

“You don’t have to be the biggest or the strongest,” Brecht said. “It’s about speed, agility and wanting to play.”

That accessibility is driving explosive growth statewide. Ohio had fewer than 20 girls flag football teams in the early 2020s. By last season, that number climbed to around 80, and projections show more than 160 varsity teams could be competing in the near future.

“We were at about 20 teams last year,” Sebastian said. “And it looks like they’re doubling that this year.”

The momentum doesn’t stop at high school. Girls flag football has now been added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, officially placing it on the pathway toward becoming a full NCAA championship sport. That move opens the door to college teams, scholarships and national competition — opportunities that didn’t exist just a few years ago.

For Heile and Brecht, the message to others considering the sport is simple.

“Just get out and try,” Heile said. “There’s bound to be something you’re good at if you really want to.”

This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Scripps editorial team 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.

Nationally-ranked teen snowboarder makes miraculous return to the slopes after surgery

CNN Newsource on February 17, 2026

By Marielle Mohs

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A young southern Twin Cities metro snowboarder is proving nothing will stop her from competing in the sport she loves.

Thirteen-year-old Brynn Rux is typically one of only a few girls taking on the terrain at Buck Hill in Burnsville, Minnesota.

“It took a lot of overcoming mental blocks and just being comfortable just being in the park with older people,” Rux said.

She picked up the passion at just 2 years old. Her training and goals were on track as a national competitor until back and shoulder pain started slowing her down.

“I knew it was getting worse, but thought it was probably just pain from snowboarding,” Rux said.

Her mom, Stefanie, brought her in to a doctor and when the X-rays came back, they were shocked to find a 56-degree curve in her spine.

“Even seeing her X-ray, it looked like it was broken. It didn’t even look like scoliosis. It didn’t look like anything I had seen before,” Stefanie said.

Last summer, Rux underwent surgery to correct her congential scholiosis. It’s something Dr. Joseph Perra, a spine surgeon at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, said was important to do while Rux was still young.

“Doing it a little bit earlier allows us to get a greater degree of correction,” Perra said.

Surgery required using two rods to straighten Rux’s spine. It’s a recovery that typically takes an entire year, but Rux was back on the slopes within five to six months.

“I know that I’ve gone through this really hard thing and nothing is probably going to be scarier than what I just went through,” said Rux. “If I can do this, I can do anything.”

Perra credits three decades of technological advances for Rux’s speedy recovery.

“(35 years ago) we would never let them go back to this level of sport or this quickly,” Perra said.

The surgery even improved her skills on the slopes.

“Some of the mechanics and physics in what she’s doing, it’s easier now than it was before,” said Stefanie.

Rux is more driven than ever, with her sights set on four years from now.

“That’s where I want to be, like the Olympic level or the world competitions,” Rux said.

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Teen ensuring women receive necessary breast cancer screenings in Ukraine despite war

CNN Newsource on February 17, 2026

By Najahe Sherman

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — February is National Cancer Prevention Month, and one South Florida teenager and her friend have teamed up to make sure women in their home country of Ukraine get the necessary breast cancer screenings despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.

For Isabel Gurvitch, starting the non-profit MammogramMe was personal.

Her mother is a breast cancer survivor.

Her family relocated to Miami from Ukraine to escape the war, but she realized many women in her home country aren’t able to take the preventive steps needed to protect their health.

“So, we started MammogramMe to remind women, ‘Hey, you guys need to check yourselves.’ There are things that can kill you in your own body, and we are helping women now in Ukraine get mammograms,” said Gurvitch.

Isabel Gurvitch and her best friend, Mahika Jassal, who now lives in Poland, started a partnership with one of the biggest hospitals in Ukraine, Adonis.

“We send the money to Adonis, and then Adonis will provide the mammograms. Over the last three years, we’ve done over 200 mammograms,” said Gurvitch.

Mahika Jassal FaceTimed us from Warsaw, Poland, where she leads a MammogramMe chapter.

“I go to the American School of Warsaw, and so we established a chapter there, and we have a club with over 35 members. When we give every round of mammograms, and we see the women whose lives we’ve touched, it just really feels like our work has an impact, and it always feels good to see we’re able to help them in some way,” said Jassal.

The movement has taken off, the ladies now have five chapters that help raise money.

“I’m beyond proud. These girls are amazing and they did it all on their own,” said Anna Gurvitch, Isabel’s mother.

“You’re 17-years-old. Where does this drive come from?” asked CBS News Miami.

“It comes from personal experience, from my mom and having to leave a country I called home. It’s a lot of hurt that I turned into grit, so other women don’t have to go through it,” said Gurvitch.

The ladies have big plans for the future of the non-profit.

Their next goal is to raise enough money so they can help provide cancer treatment for women in Ukraine who can’t afford lifesaving care.

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Santita Jackson, daughter of Rev. Jesse Jackson, says her father was always a champion of people

CNN Newsource on February 17, 2026

By Adam Harrington, Audrina Sinclair

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — Santita Jackson, the daughter of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said Tuesday that she hoped people would remember her father as their “champion.”

Jackson died Tuesday morning at the age of 84.

“As a father, he was always present, and I couldn’t ask for any more than that. That was the presence of his life was his presence in my life and in the life of my siblings,” said Santita Jackson. “But I hope that people will remember him as their champion, as someone who when he fell down, he got up, because he said the ground was no place for a champion.”

Jackson first moved to Chicago on a Rockefeller grant to study at Chicago Theological Seminary, and was ordained as a minister in 1968.

“He took that calling very seriously, and our mother did. They were in ministry together,” said Santita Jackson, “and it’s been heartwarming to have felt the love for the people, to have seen the tributes.”

Santita Jackson also emphasized that her father was always looking to lift people up. She pointed to his campaign for president in the 1984 Democratic primary, when he became the first African American to launch a nationwide presidential bid.

“In his 1983 speech, November 3, 1983, when he announced his run for the presidency, he said, ‘When I win, you will,'” said Santita Jackson.

Santita Jackson noted that the Rev. Jesse Jackson was the only candidate in that Democratic primary to pledge to put a woman on the ticket with him if he won.

Quoted by Dartmouth Libraries, the Rev. Jackson said during a Democratic primary debate on Jan. 15, 1984: “[T]here is the need to involve the persons who in the past have been denied in the ways of justice within our society. Women are 53% of this nation. Seventy percent of all poor children live in a house headed by a woman. Our [Democratic National] Convention in San Francisco will be 50% female. So there’s a basis for having equity. We now have women in Congress and the Senate, on the Supreme Court. Lastly, if indeed Mrs. Indira Gandhi can run India, a nation of 600 million people, if Golda Meir could run Israel in the time of war, if Mrs. Thatcher can run Britain, a woman can run this country.”

When Walter Mondale eventually won the Democratic primary that year, he put a woman, Geraldine Ferraro, on the ticket as his running mate for vice president. Santita Jackson gave her father credit for Mondale’s move.

Mondale lost to President Ronald Reagan, who won a second term in November 1984. But Santita Jackson also gave her father credit for “laying the groundwork” for later successful Democratic presidential candidates, including President Bill Clinton in 1992 and President Barack Obama — who of course also had a Chicago background — in 2008.

“He was making a philosophical change, making space for a Bernie Sanders, for progressive politics,” said Santita Jackson. “It was, everyone is in, and nobody is out.”

Santita Jackson also highlighted her father’s oratory and his community efforts, such as the youngsters mentored by the PUSH Excel Oratorical Society.

“I hope that the power of his words will live on, and the power of service,” she said. “You know, Dr. [Martin Luther] King [Jr.] said that everyone can’t be famous, but everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.”

Santita Jackson said her father and his institution took on all kinds of service beyond what the general public knows about.

“Having been in a food line himself, we have been giving away food throughout the holidays for more than 60 years, because he understands,” said Santita Jackson.

Santita Jackson said her father always communicated to everyone that he believed in them, and worked to ensure that everyone he encountered and helped could be somebody with a voice.

“As Reverend Jackson would say, ‘My mind’s a pearl. I can learn anything in the world.’ And he meant that. And ‘up with hope, down with nope,’ and he lived all of that, and as he said, ‘I am a public servant,’ and he lived to serve the public, the people,” said Santita Jackson, “and he was a man of the people. He was never part of the elite.”

Santita Jackson referenced her father’s speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco.

“My constituency is the desperate, the damned, the disinherited, the disrespected, and the despised,” Rev. Jackson said at the convention. “They are restless and seek relief. They have voted in record numbers. They have invested the faith, hope, and trust that they have in us. The Democratic Party must send them a signal that we care. I pledge my best not to let them down.”

Santita Jackson said she hoped her father would be remembered for loving and standing up for people until the end.

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Simpson Road Trojans honored in Atlanta, 64 years after historic Little League dream

CNN Newsource on February 17, 2026

By Sam Crenshaw

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — When was the last time you attended a celebration that was 64 years in the making? For the Simpson Road Trojans, one of Atlanta’s best Little League baseball teams, that long-awaited recognition finally arrived this week.

In 1962, the Simpson Road Trojans made history as the first all-Black team from Georgia to earn an invitation to the Little League World Series. But instead of their moment of glory, the team was sidelined by an accusation of having an overaged player—a claim that was later proven false. By then, however, it was too late for the Trojans to fulfill their World Series dream.

“We were just 12-year-old kids who loved baseball,” recalled Terrance Chatman, co-executive producer of a new documentary about the team. “The more adversity they experienced, the more they triumphed over all of it.”

Coach Larry Morrow remembers the obstacles the team faced in 1962. “Back then, there were people who tried to keep us from going,” he said.

Dr. Eddy Von-Mueller, co-executive producer of the documentary, reflected on the larger significance: “We’d like to think that kids are exempt from the casual brutality that systemic racism and Jim Crow meant. But the truth is, it wasn’t just that they were Black—it was that they were winning.”

This week, eight surviving players, their coach, and family members gathered at Atlanta City Hall, where they were honored with a proclamation initiated by City Councilman Byron Amos. The ceremony was a powerful reminder that the Simpson Road Trojans have not been forgotten.

“It meant so much,” said Levi Miller, the team’s third baseman. “God blessed us to do what we did.”

The Trojans’ story is now the subject of a documentary, ensuring that their legacy—and their long-overdue celebration—will inspire future generations.

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Witnesses describe confusion, fear in deadly hockey rink shooting

CNN Newsource on February 17, 2026

By Riley Rourke, Juli McDonald

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    PAWTUCKET, Rhode Island (WBZ) — Two people were killed and three were critically wounded in a shooting at a high school hockey game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island Monday afternoon.

Witnesses described the fear and confusion when shots rang out during a co-op boys hockey game at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena around 2:30 p.m. Two adults were killed and three victims are in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said the shooter, identified as Robert Dorgan, died from a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound. She said the shooting stemmed from a family dispute.

The shooting happened on what was senior day for the players.

“It was supposed to be a special day for the team, and it’s really sad,” said Melissa Dunn, whose son plays on one of the teams.

People inside the arena said they didn’t realize they were hearing gunshots at first.

“You just hear the loud noises. And we’re used to the kids banging on the board with their skates, so we thought it was that at first,” Dunn said.

“I thought it was balloons at first. It was loud. It kept going on, so I ran right into the locker room right after I got off the ice,” said Olin Lawrence, a sophomore goalie from Coventry High School.

Lawrence and the other players barricaded themselves in the locker room while people in the stands ran out of the arena

“We were just trying to be safe. We were trying to see if everyone was all good and if everyone was safe. Just to get everyone on the door,” he explained. “We pressed against the door and just tried to stay safe down in there. It was very scary. We were very nervous. It was a lot of shots.”

But once Dunn left the arena, her first thought was of her son’s safety.

“I tried to get back in the rink, and I actually got back in there to find out where he was, and I saw them doing CPR in the stands and it was just really disturbing,” she told reporters outside of the Pawtucket Police Station. Dunn and her son were both okay. He said that he feels pretty shaken up about the incident, but was not injured.

People said that they never expected this to happen at their neighborhood ice rink.

“You don’t know what it feels like until you’re actually in it. It’s very scary,” Lawrence said.

“Really a lot of the parents shaken up. Some I could hear crying that the shooter was sitting behind them, next to them, not knowing what was about to happen,” one woman said.

Kevin Hernandez, a photographer who lives down the street from the arena, said he frequently takes photos of the sports being played there. He was not at the arena at the time, but was there yesterday to photograph a basketball game.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s devastating. I think only about two months ago we had a similar event in Brown. This hits even closer to home. That event was maybe 15 minutes. This was now five. It’s really scary to know that I was in a setting like this just yesterday. I can’t believe it,” Hernandez said.

Pawtucket, Rhode Island is about 5 miles from Providence and 45 miles south of Boston.

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Musical “Penelope” allows audiences hear story of Odysseus from his wife’s point of view

CNN Newsource on February 17, 2026

By Lisa Hughes

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — A new production at the Lyric Stage in Boston is telling the story of “The Odyssey” in a way you’ve never seen before. In the musical “Penelope,” audiences finally get to hear Odysseus’ wife’s side of the story.

“She’s kind of a footnote in the Odyssey. So putting her front and center and telling her point of view about what’s going on is really interesting and exciting,” said actor Aimee Doherty, who portrays the title character.

“What is universal is that moment where we’ve all had to say, this is not the future I wanted, this is not the future I expected,” said producing artistic director Courtney O’Connor. “How do I move forward?”

O’Connor jumped at the chance to stage this musical.

“We love origin stories. We love hearing suddenly this other person’s point of view on something. It’s the same story, but it is from someone else’s point of view. And that only enriches and deepens that original story for us.”

While it is a one-woman show, Doherty said it may be a bit different from what you might expect.

“I am not alone on stage. I have a beautiful big orchestra behind me,” Doherty said.

Music director Dan Rodriguez said, “It’s almost structured more like a concert where Penelope is just hanging out with the band, singing her thoughts.”

And the band interacts with Penelope throughout the production.

“To see (Dan) and Aimee working on the music, it’s not just another character in the show. The music is the show,” O’Connor said,.

“The music is beautiful,” Doherty added. “It’s like a pop rock instead of musical theater, which is interesting and challenging for me to do.”

“It takes elements from all these different genres and weaves them together into something, I think pretty special,” Rogriguez said.

You can see “Penelope” at the Lyric Stage in Boston through March 1st.

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$15,000 vintage guitar reportedly stolen from music store, police say

CNN Newsource on February 17, 2026

By Adam Thompson

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    BEL AIR, Maryland (WJZ) — Police in Bel Air, Maryland, are searching for a stolen vintage guitar worth $15,000.

Officers said three women and a man entered the store “Music Land” on Gateway Drive on February 3. Surveillance video shows them taking a 1947 Martin D-28 acoustic guitar from a display area, concealing the instrument and leaving the store.

The guitar has a distinct cracking on the back from prior refinishing along with a unique serial number.

Police shared a photo of the group who are being sought for identification and interview purposes. No charges have been filed.

Anyone with information should contact the Bel Air Police Department at (410) 638-4500 or kmartin@belairmd.org.

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Lina Guerra’s body was found in the kitchen freezer — as her husband flew to Hong Kong: Affidavit

CNN Newsource on February 17, 2026

By WTKR Web Staff

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    NORFOLK, Virginia (WTKR) — Lina Guerra, the 39-year-old Norfolk woman reported missing at the beginning of February, was discovered by Norfolk police in the kitchen freezer after her husband, 38-year-old David Varela, allegedly killed her, according to an affidavit from the FBI.

Police also say Varela flew to Hong Kong on Feb. 5, the day after Guerra was reported missing.

Norfolk Police are working with NCIS, Homeland Security and the FBI in the search for Varela, who is a reservist on active duty with the U.S. Navy. Authorities have not reached him since his departure.

Speaking with News 3 Wednesday through a translator, Paola Ramirez, who is married to Guerra’s brother and lives in Colombia, said Varela was a jealous husband.

Guerra’s family reported her missing after not hearing from her for two weeks. Varela told her family in Colombia, South America that Guerra was arrested and imprisoned on shoplifting charges.

They said he even sent him a picture of them together and said he was him visiting her in jail. In the picture sent to Guerra’s family by Varela, she appears to be wearing an orange jumpsuit.

In the messages shared with News 3, Varela tells Paola that he has not stopped crying and hasn’t eaten in more than a day due to his wife’s incarceration.

Court records confirmed that Guerra was never charged with or convicted of this shoplifting crime.

The family says Varela was jealous, wouldn’t let her work, wouldn’t let her have friends, wouldn’t let her study and wouldn’t let her go out alone.

“I want to emphasize that there had been violence before from David,” Ramirez told News 3 through a translator. “He had hit her previously, but she didn’t tell us because she didn’t want to worry us. He appeared to be very religious, very calm, normal, that’s why this is so shocking; we never imagined he’d do something like this.”

Guerra’s family says she was empathetic, loving, and always worried about others.

“Lina was the pillar of our family,” Ramirez said. “She put others above herself. She was very loved and adventurous, hardworking, very humble.”

Varela has been charged with first-degree murder and concealing a dead body, police say.

Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi is seeking to extradite Varela back to the U.S. to face the charges.

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Why Bucks Coal Fired Pizza is scaling back on its viral iguana pizza

CNN Newsource on February 17, 2026

By Christy Waite

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    NORTH PALM BEACH, Florida (WPTV) — Bucks Coal Fired Pizza in North Palm Beach will not be offering a pizza topping that went viral on social media.

Our Christy Waite connected with Frankie Cecere, the owner of Bucks, to learn how the idea of iguana pizza began.

“My buddy hit me up and was like, ‘How do you feel about me bringing in some iguana meat and making iguana pizza?’ I said, absolutely,” Cecere said.

Cecere said it was the first time he had ever made an iguana pizza, but his shop serves meats like gator and venison.

The video went viral during Florida’s historic cold snap. While iguanas were falling from trees, Bucks was expanding their menu. The video inspires customers to try something new.

“We have received about 1,500 calls for iguana pizza. It’s highly sought after, apparently,” Cecere said. “We were getting 200 to 300 calls a day.”

Those calls also led to complaints and a visit from the Health Department.

“People called in saying we had live iguanas in house like an animal cruelty issue,” he said. “We don’t have live iguanas here.”

Despite not having, selling, or killing iguanas, he has decided to scale back and not serve iguana meat, at least for now.

Cecere tells WPTV that he is currently looking for a vendor to supply iguana and is working to learn more about iguana serving regulations.

“I thought it would fall under catch and cook — you don’t need a license to harvest iguanas, because they’re an invasive species — but apparently, there’s no statute for it,” he said

From tree to table, invasive to innovative, it seems iguana has become just as controversial as pineapple on pizza.

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