Author: CNN Newsource

By Adam Klepp

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    TEMPE, Arizona (KNXV) — Surrounded by Santas and Snowmen, Judy Enz doesn’t hold back when it comes to decorating for the holidays.

“I think every room of the house is decorated,” Enz said.

While her home is full of holiday cheer, one thing has been missing for decades: Christmas lights. Now 86, the effort of getting up on a ladder to put up the lights is not worth the risk of falling.

“It has been a long, long time, and I’m anxious,” Enz said.

But this year is different. A group of volunteers with the Tempe Community Action Agency, armed with ladders, clips, and coils of lights, arrived at Judy’s Tempe home, determined to give her the full Christmas experience again.

“She’s missing the lights! And everyone loves when the lights go up. So it’s wonderful to be able to do this for her, and it’s why we do what we do,” Carrie Aranda said.

Casey Thomas, also volunteering, says the project has created connections across the community.

“We have gotten to meet so many different seniors, people we look forward to seeing again every single year,” Thomas said.

The light-hanging program is part of TCAA’s Neighbors Helping Neighbors initiative. For more than a decade, volunteers have decorated and later removed holiday lights for local seniors, all at one low price.

“She’s not paying anything for this,” Aranda said. “Judy’s a wonderful part of our program, and we’re just happy to help.”

With her house glowing for the first time in nearly 20 years, Judy says the only thing shining brighter than the lights are the volunteers who made it possible.

“I definitely want Tempe Community Action Agency highlighted,” she said. “Because they’re a tremendous group. And they help so much.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Richard Butler

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    AURORA, Colorado (KMGH) — A longstanding holiday tradition at Children’s Hospital Colorado is bringing comfort and creativity to young patients who spend their holidays in the hospital.

Each year, children receiving care at Children’s Hospital Colorado are invited to create artwork for the Holiday Card Project that is displayed in the main lobby and voted on by visitors, staff and families. The drawings are turned into holiday cards sold throughout the community, with proceeds supporting programs for patients and families.

Hospital leaders say the project generates roughly $80,000 each season. The money goes right back into the hospital for initiatives that improve patient and family experiences.

For many of the young artists, the project offers a rare break from long treatment days.

“During very difficult times, it really is a nice thing for them to be able to focus on something different,” Suzy Jaeger, the hospital’s Chief Patient Experience and Access Officer, said.

The cards showcase winter scenes, Colorado landscapes and holiday themes, all created by patients.

“It’s wonderful to watch the pride, not only in the patients themselves, but their family,” Jaeger said. She went on to say, none of it would be possible without volunteers.

Volunteers visit patients in their rooms, help spark design ideas, and make sure children have the supplies they need. One volunteer has become central to the program’s success.

Mary Sharon Balakas has been leading the Holiday Card Project for nearly seven years. A volunteer since 2016, she spends two days a week at the hospital, working in the gift shop, supporting events and chairing the card program. Each summer, she helps collect artwork from patients and their siblings. The top 10 designs are printed and sold online and inside the hospital gift shop.

“It’s just so rewarding to see these kids celebrated as selected artists at Children’s,” Balakas said. “We’re so thankful for them expressing themselves. They get to express themselves through this art.”

Her colleagues said her dedication extends far beyond the holidays. Association of Volunteers Director Kathleen McBride described Balakas as “dedicated, committed, and a woman of her word,” adding that she’s a role model to staff and volunteers alike.

Jaeger echoed that feeling. “She’s pretty special given the extra level of commitment that she provides to our organization,” Jaeger said.

Balakas said the joy of supporting families keeps her coming back.

“I like being here. I like being able to help and make a difference for the families,” Balakas said.

If you’d like to support Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Holiday Card Project, you can do so by purchasing an holiday card inside the gift shop or place an order online through the Holiday Card Project website.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Paula Christian

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    PIERCE TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WCPO) — The Ohio Department of Agriculture says two of the 72 black vulture carcasses cleaned up from a Clermont County elementary school’s campus tested presumptive positive for bird flu.

Ohio wildlife officials on Friday morning collected the dead vultures, which were splayed across the ballfields and grass St. Bernadette’s School on Locust Lake Road.

Pierce Township officials said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) initially refused to clean up or test the dead birds and only agreed to help hours after being contacted by the WCPO 9 I-Team.

“They were very adamant that they were not coming. There was a recommendation that you just take them, put them in a bag, double-bag them and throw them in the garbage,” said Pierce Township Trustee Allen Freeman. “It was very clear that there was no help coming … Thanks to Channel 9, you guys reached out to ODNR, and amazingly, they started to change their tune.”

Staff and teachers returned from Thanksgiving break on Dec. 1 and found dead vultures spread across a campus where more than 200 children are enrolled. The school contacted Pierce Township Fire Chief Craig Wright for help, who said he reached out to ODNR for guidance.

“(ODNR wasn’t) overly concerned with the situation. They really had no intention to come out and do anything for the problem,” Wright said. “It did upset me. I was a little surprised. It’s a wildlife issue. There’s no better agency than them to deal with a wildlife issue.”

Over the next few days, Wright said he contacted local public health and emergency management agencies for help to come up with a contingency plan, while the dead birds remained at the school.

“It’s a big undertaking to clean up this many dead animals when you really don’t know or have the education or expertise to deal with that issue,” Wright said.

An ODNR spokesperson said the agency does not typically collect dead wildlife, but decided to help “for this unique circumstance.”

“The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has conducted testing of other dead wild birds in Clermont County, and we have been advised that those other birds are ‘presumed positive’ for HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) … once a presumed positive case is identified in a county, all additional dead birds found in groups of six or more are also presumed to be HPAI and are treated as such. Therefore, the vultures in this case are presumed to be positive for HPAI, however, ODNR is working to collect additional samples to send for testing due to this unique circumstance,” according to a statement from ODNR.

Freeman and Wright both said that ODNR declined to test the birds. A spokesperson for Clermont County Public Health confirmed the claim.

“As is protocol in situations involving wildlife, the issue was originally reported to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which declined to test the birds,” according to a statement from public health spokesperson Krista Rose.

“However, given the potential risk to public health, we worked with our state partners to arrange testing. … On Friday, Dec. 5, two birds are being delivered to a state animal laboratory for testing,” Rose said.

Those positive test samples have been sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa for confirmation.

Meanwhile, dozens of seemingly healthy black vultures flew around the school on Friday morning. They perched in trees and on the baseball field fence near the carcasses.

Freeman said he worries about more bird deaths.

“You also have a lot of geese that are in this area as well. So, all of those are flock animals, and they can be spreading this to countless areas inside Clermont County … and we would have no idea,” Freeman said. “There are a number of people very close by that have cattle operations, and it has been known that bird flu can jump to cattle … it starts to open up an entirely new avenue that deals with our food and our food supply.”

But Wright urged residents not to panic. If it is bird flu, the current risk to the public is very low, Rose said.

“Transmission occurs through contact with respiratory droplets and bodily fluids from live birds. Transmission of bird flu in wildlife can increase in the spring and fall with bird migration. The current strain of H5N1 has been found in the wild and domestic bird populations since 2022 throughout the country, including Ohio,” Rose said.

ODNR crews cleaned up eight more dead vultures at the school on Sunday.

Pierce Township residents who find dead birds are urged to contact the township fire department or the Ohio Department of Natural Resources at 800-945-3543 or wildinfo@dnr.ohio.gov.

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By Kim Lucey

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    DEDHAM, Massachusetts (WHDH) — A nativity display at a church in Dedham is raising some eyebrows and now the Archdiocese of Boton has weighed in.

At St. Susanna Parish, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus are missing and in their place there is a sign that reads, “ICE WAS HERE” and a phone number residents can call if they spot immigration enforcement agents in the community.

And despite pushback from the archdiocese, the nativity was still on display on Sunday.

In a statement, the archdiocese said, “The people of God have the right to expect that, when they come to church, they will encounter genuine opportunities for prayer and Catholic worship—not divisive political messaging. The Church’s norms prohibit the use of sacred objects for any purpose other than the devotion of God’s people. This includes images of the Christ Child in the manger, which are to be used solely to foster faith and devotion. Regarding the recent incident, St. Susanna Parish neither requested nor received permission from the Archdiocese to depart from this canonical norm or to place a politically divisive display outside the church. The display should be removed, and the manger restored to its proper sacred purpose.”

Victoria Weston, who visited the manger scene, said she supported the message.

“It was a blessing to me, as a fellow Christian, I’m like this is brave, for a church to put this out there,” she said.

Beth Everts agreed, saying, “Unfortunately there’s been so much hating or just stepping back and not doing the right thing and standing up and being able to say, ‘this is wrong, what’s happening’ and I thank the church for doing that.”

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By Abner Sosa

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    ROGERS, Arkansas (KHBS, KHOG) — Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day serves as a moment to honor the more than 2,400 Americans killed in the 1941 attack that thrust the United States into World War II. Local veterans say the lessons of that day and the sacrifices made continue to shape their lives and their service.

At VFW Post 3031 in Benton County, Navy veteran and post commander Jerry Tobey reflected on why the anniversary still weighs heavily on service members. For Tobey, the attack remains a powerful reminder of how quickly life can change.

“Pearl Harbor. It was one of the biggest losses in Navy history that we lost. The memorial for the Arizona will never be forgiven. The Navy will never forget that one day,” Tobey said.

Tobey served on ships across all four oceans and spent years on alert in the Persian Gulf. Tobey said the attack on Pearl Harbor changed the way every service member approaches danger.

“That’s why 99 percent of the military is always on alert after Pearl Harbor. That’s why the bases are always on alert now,” Tobey said.

For many veterans, the end of service does not mean the end of vigilance. Tobey said that is why finding a place where he feels secure matters. For Tobey, that place is the VFW.

“This is home. And I feel safe here. I always will in this place. I got my buddy Al, Jesse and my family,” Tobey said.

Across the room, Army veteran Albert Al Butler has made the post home as well. Butler enlisted the day after his 17th birthday, spent 11 years in uniform and served a year in Vietnam. Now retired, Butler said the VFW provides community and familiarity.

“I have been coming here for 15 or 16 years. I am up here just about every day. I have had several positions at the post, and it is home,” Butler said.

On this Pearl Harbor anniversary, Butler said remembering history is essential to preventing it from repeating.

“If you do not remember your history, it is going to repeat itself. If there is a conflict and you know about it, do not forget it. And like I say, history will repeat if we do not remember and take steps to avoid getting into the same circumstance,” Butler said.

For both Tobey and Butler, the remembrance is about sacrifice, vigilance and the families, military and otherwise, who continue to keep them grounded long after their service ends.

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By Kurt Knue

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — Tee Higgins has now undergone multiple different concussion scares over the course of the past few weeks.

On Sunday, Higgins was removed from the Bengals’ game against the Buffalo Bills on two separate occasions and placed into concussion protocol on the sidelines. Higgins had already been removed early from Cincinnati’s game against the New England Patriots due to a concussion two weeks ago, which caused him to miss last week’s Thanksgiving game against the Baltimore Ravens as he recovered.

Additionally, Higgins could be seen taking multiple other hard hits to his head throughout the game leading up to both of his removals from the field on Sunday.

However, the star wide receiver says that he wants people to know that he is fine, and that the contact is all part of the game.

“I’m a soldier,” Higgins told WLWT after the game. “Soldiers take hits. You know, it happens. It’s football. It’s the name of the game. But you’ve got to get up. Next play mentality.”

When asked about whether he ever thought about voluntarily taking himself out of the game after the hits, Higgins responded, “I didn’t think about that at all. I’m a team-first guy. You know what I mean? My team needed me, you know, I feel like they did. So I went out there and played. Tried to dog it out with my team.”

And play, he did. Higgins caught two separate touchdowns throughout the course of the game, which marked the first time that he had linked up with Joe Burrow since last season to put points on the board for Cincinnati.

However, it would ultimately turn out to not be enough, with the Bills emerging victorious 39-34 over the Bengals.

Higgins said that he intends to keep pushing forward into next week’s rematch with the Ravens, and that he successfully cleared concussion protocol without medical staff noticing any issues during the Bengals-Bills game.

“It’s ball, man. It’s ball,” said Higgins of his repeated injury scares.

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