Author: CNN Newsource

By Mallory Anderson

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    MILWAUKEE (WISN) — At American Family Field Tuesday, three young Aurora Health Care patients received the surprise of a lifetime when they learned they would be going on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Milwaukee Brewers’ spring training in Arizona.

As snow covered the parking lot, the atmosphere inside the stadium was melting hearts as the boys discovered they were chosen for this special opportunity through a special video featuring several current and former Brewers players.

“I’m Quinn Priester, pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, here to tell you we’ve got a major surprise coming your way from my team and our friends at Aurora Health Care,” said Priester in the video. “What do you think about ditching the cold Midwest winter and trading it for sunny Arizona where your favorite team in baseball takes part in spring training?”

The three pediatric patients, hailing from Kewaunee, Jefferson, and Marinette counties, have faced serious health challenges, including cancer and brain hemorrhages. Among them is 13-year-old Andersen Kerls from Ixonia, who has been dealing with Crohn’s disease for a year.

“It’s been up and down, definitely. It’s been a lot better lately, but when I first was diagnosed, it was terrible,” Kerls said.

While new medication has helped him manage his pain and find foods he can eat again, Crohn’s is a disease he’ll deal with the rest of his life. Kerls’ courage to continue fighting and smiling is just one reason why his doctor nominated him for the trip.

“Their bravery, their tenacity, and their dedication to get through, that is by far the best qualities that we really look for when saying, ‘Hey, this is a great candidate to be considered,'” said Dr. Kevin Dahlman, medical director of Aurora Children’s Health. “But we wish we could do this for all of our patients. Truly.”

During the VIP trip in February, the boys and their families will meet Brewers players, participate in warmups, and even throw out the first pitch at a game.

This is the fifth year Aurora Health Care and the Milwaukee Brewers have teamed up for the surprise trip.

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 Krystle Rich

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — St. Joe’s Prep junior pitcher Cole Kuhn models his game after a few Phillies legends.

“Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels,” Kuhn said. ” In 2008, they won it, and I was born in 09, so I’m definitely a big Cole Hamels fan.”

Kuhn is 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, and at only 16, he throws over 100 mph. After working with Ascent Athlete, a baseball development program in Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, Kuhn saw his velocity jump from 90 mph in March 2025 to 101.8 in January.

“I was overwhelmed with joy,” Kuhn said. “I was really focused on this winter, getting stronger and more explosive. Then 101 comes, and I feel great about it.”

As a freshman, Kuhn stood at 5-foot-11, 165 pounds and played three sports. Then he hit a growth spurt, shooting up to 6-foot-6 in two years. He put soccer and basketball aside and now solely focuses on his game on the mound.

“The goal for him is throw hard, throw strikes, get guys out at the highest level possible,” David Keller, a pitching coach at Ascent Athlete, said. “Building that frame on him was the biggest part.”

Kuhn attributes his flame-throwing capabilities to his work in the weight room and training five days a week at Ascent Athlete, where he said he had a total physical transformation.

“That is where I really started to mature in the weight room,” he said.

Kuhn still knows the real work is mental.

“Being a pitcher, you have to stay in control,” he said. “And to be in control, you have to have control over the physical game and the mental game. Visualization, my biggest one. I visualize myself on the mound doing what I do best: throwing strikes.”

The Philly phenom committed to Duke University and can’t wait to bring the heat.

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 Ross DiMattei, Joe Brandt

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    LEHIGH COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, is terminating its lease agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, which had been renting office space used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from the county, an official said Tuesday.

Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel said he was terminating the agreement and DHS “should consider themselves evicted” in an announcement Tuesday afternoon.

“The department’s failure to pay rent, combined with DHS’s national reputation for recklessness, chaos, and public disorder, warrants ending any relationship with the County. We will not accept their blood money,” Siegel said in a statement.

The county “will take all necessary steps to enforce the lease termination and protect the interests of Lehigh County residents,” the statement said.

CBS News Philadelphia has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

The announcement comes after Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security owe more than $100,000 in unpaid rent for an Allentown office space owned by the county.

In a letter to Siegel and the board of commissioners shared earlier Tuesday, Pinsley called for ICE and DHS to pay back rent for the space and urged the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners to evict the federal tenants immediately.

“I think the county should be unequivocal and tell ICE: pay your bills, pack your s***, and get the hell out,” Pinsley said in the letter.

Pinsley explained his demands during a press conference Tuesday. He said he feels “a growing sense of alarm and sadness” following recent ICE activities in Minneapolis.

“As Lehigh County controller, I have watched Minneapolis but worry about Lehigh Valley. There were no pepper balls flying across Hamilton Street on my way to work today, but that’s no guarantee that there won’t be tomorrow,” he said.

“We can give them a taste of their own medicine. We’re going to deport ICE,” Pinsley said.

In a statement, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who represents the Lehigh Valley in Congress, said in part, “You don’t need to hold a press conference to address a rent dispute with law enforcement. Instead of negotiating in good faith with HSI, Mr. Pinsley has chosen to attack an office that — I’m sure he knows — works to investigate human trafficking and other serious crimes.”

Pinsley, a Democrat, is seeking his party’s nomination to run against Mackenzie in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.

Pinsley said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) entered into a “memorandum of agreement,” or MOA, with the county in November 2022 to lease county-owned office space inside the Hamilton Financial Center building in Allentown. County commissioners intended that agreement to be a binding contract for 10 months, and then HSI and ICE would enter into a standard three-year lease of the office space through September 2026, Pinsley claimed.

Pinsley said HSI would pay $29,250 for the first 10 months under the MOA, and then shift to yearly rent costs of $36,153 for the first year under the lease, increasing annually until reaching $38,354 for the final year.

HSI’s Special Agent in Charge at the time signed the MOA, but not the lease. HSI later said the person who signed the agreement lacked the authority to do so.

The county and HSI are also seeking a 3-year renewal for the lease, which would keep HSI and ICE in the space into the fall of 2029. Pinsley noted that HSI intends to pay the county once the lease terms are agreed upon.

“While the MOA was agreed to, both parties have not agreed to the terms of a lease agreement, which is still pending to date. As such, no payment has been made by HSI to the county since the commencement of the MOA and lease agreement on December 1, 2022,” Pinsley’s letter said.

The county’s fiscal records don’t show that any rent was received for this property, despite it being occupied since 2022. Pinsley said the total amount of back rent uncollected totals to about $115,000, with the potential for $7,600 in late fees.

HSI has been using the space to collaborate with local law enforcement and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.

Pinsley said continuing to allow HSI and ICE to use the space could create “public perception risk that the County is enabling ICE,” and could be “creating the impression that County government is not standing with working families or protecting community stability.”

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 Nick Caloway

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    FLORHAM PARK, New Jersey (WCBS) — A New Jersey family has been reunited with their beloved dog that was lost when their car was stolen.

Jacklyn Katz said her family brought Bauer, a 15-week-old Australian labradoodle, home to Madison just over three weeks ago.

“He is a very sweet puppy,” she said. “And, obviously, we fell pretty hard and quickly for him.”

On Monday night, Katz took the new pup with her to run some errands. She stopped at a CVS on Columbia Turnpike in Florham Park.

“But I did leave the car running because I was afraid of him freezing,” Katz said. “And then I ran in for my prescription, I came out, and my car was gone and my dog was gone.”

Katz said the car was driven to Newark before the GPS system was disabled.

Tuesday afternoon, Katz had a desperate plea for the thief.

“You can have the car. Just please give me my dog back,” she said.

Tuesday evening, Katz told CBS News New York a woman reached out to her family on the lost pet website PawBoost and said she found Bauer on I-78. The good Samaritan met up with the family and reunited them with Bauer.

Katz said she has learned the hard way not to leave the car running. She hopes others will, too.

“I obviously am going to have to live with this decision for the rest of my life,” she said. “And I will deal with it the best that I can.”

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 Madeline Montgomery

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — Saint Thomas More School in Decatur is marking its 100th day of school, a fun milestone that marks the halfway point of the school year.

For the special day, most kindergarteners decided to bring 100 objects, but KJ Schmansky decided to bring her 100-year-old great-grandfather.”

“I was born October the 8th, 1925 in Grant Park. Well, not in the park…” Sonny Ragan joked.

For Schmansky and her classmates at Saint Thomas More School, this was a show-and-tell to remember.

Kindergarteners dressed up as centenarians as Ragan showed his great-granddaughter’s class a life well-lived.

“They asked him questions like what was different from now and then,” Schmansky said.

“Did I have a car? Were there grocery stores?” Ragan said.

Other than three years in the U.S. Navy, Ragan has lived in Atlanta his entire life.

“It’s been a big, big change for somebody who’s 100 years old,” he said.

What’s kept him going for 100 years? Ragan says it’s faith and family.

“I’m not good with that many words, but she’s the best. I tell you, I love her with all my heart, and I think she loves me the same way,” he said.

It’s faith, family, and love that bridges generations.

Ragan says that he hopes to live to 105 to see his great-granddaughter continue to grow up.

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 Bo Evans

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    FORT WORTH, Texas (KTVT) — Carlie Lindsey always has prices on her mind when she’s at the grocery store.

“I am looking for the digital coupons, I’m looking for the sales, we’re in the clearance aisle all the time,” said Lindsey. “I love to stay under $150, and that is just to make sure we can do all the other stuff that we have, like our bills, gas, and everything like that.”

But $150 at the grocery store doesn’t go as far as it used to, especially if you’re trying to feed a family of six.

So, often, her trips to Kroger in Fort Worth are a little shocking.

Recently, Lindsey’s pastor told her that her family had been selected for a private meet and greet with some Texas Rangers players. But that was just the setup for a heartwarming surprise.

“We were taken back of the Kroger to the dairy aisle, and lo and behold, there’s two Rangers and a big ole check with $1,000 written on it,” said Lindsey.

“You just saw the smile on mom and dad’s face, you know, the shock on the kid’s face. They were shy at first, but they warmed up, and that was cool to see,” said Texas Rangers pitcher Robert Garcia.

Garcia and Rangers pitcher Cole Winn were there to take care of the family’s grocery bill.

“At Kroger, every day we want to surprise and delight our customers, and sometimes that goes a little above and beyond,” said Director of Corporate Affairs for Kroger, John Votava.

“To see my kids’ faces when they got to get whatever cereal they wanted and whatever juices they wanted and however many of whatever they wanted, I was like OK, this is the experience of a lifetime, really,” said Lindsey.

“The cereal aisle, it just reminded me of when I was a kid. The things that mean the most to you, like being able to pick out your own cereal is awesome,” said Garcia.

Being able to feed your family worry-free? That’s what Lindsey is most thankful for.

“I’m just truly blessed, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity. Words can’t even express the amount of gratitude I have,” she said.

Now, despite filling up three carts worth of groceries, the family only spent $535, so Kroger sent them home with gift cards for the rest of the money.

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 Mike Hellgren

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The United States’ intervention in Venezuela could reshape the nation.

The past few weeks have been some of the most pivotal in Venezuelan history, with the capture of President Nicolas Maduro now facing narcoterrorism charges in the U.S., and the battle over who should lead next.

Two local brothers who were captured and held hostage in Venezuela revealed new details about their ordeal to WJZ Investigates and spoke about their hope for a stable future for the country.

The Oribio brothers know firsthand about the human rights abuses in Venezuela after both were wrongfully detained while visiting their native country on January 7, 2025.

“I’m very hopeful things will improve significantly,” said Ronald Oribio, a petroleum geologist with a background in the oil and gas industry. “There are still many people in jail and human rights are still being violated.”

His brother Erick Oribio told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren, “Many people ask us about torture, but in my opinion, when it’s a wrongful detention, from the first minute, it is torture.”

They described how it all began. Some of these details have never before been publicly revealed.

“The moment we were detained, we were pulled over and six to seven policemen got out of a vehicle, pointing guns at us without asking any questions, without making any indication that we had done anything wrong, which of course we had not,” Ronald Oribio said.

His brother, Erick, a long-time politically influential voice in Baltimore’s Hispanic community and publisher of Latin Opinion, revealed that Nicolas Meduro’s regime falsely believed he was working with U.S. intelligence.

“The reason why is someone complained—we don’t know who yet—that I was an FBI agent, that I was a CIA agent, that I sent guns from Florida to Venezuela door-to-door by FedEx,” Erick Oribio said. “And I flew to Venezuela. I was there to receive the guns to kill the president.”

“Of course, those were false allegations and accusations,” Ronald Oribio said. “Later, they understood and found out there was nothing at all regarding FBI connections, but then we were just kept hostage as bargaining chips—for leverage—political leverage.”

The brothers said they were housed in a small cell—just six feet by six feet—and forced to wear face coverings any time they left.

But at least they were together.

“At times, we would not be able to see anything,” Ronald Oribio said. “It was terrifying. We were deprived of any communications with the outside world. We had no access to legal counsel. It was frightening, the level of uncertainty, not having any information about our families. They probably thought we were just missing or we were dead. So many things went through our minds.”

The Oribio brothers lived like that for 193 days while bipartisan diplomatic efforts to free them were happening behind the scenes.

During their detention, the brothers said there had been several false reports that they would be released.

“After so many months of going through so much psychological terror, we didn’t want to create any more expectations,” Ronald Oribio said.

But this time it was real.

On July 18, 2025, they were flown to El Salvador and gained their freedom as part of a prisoner swap.

“We were wearing some freedom T-shirts made by Under Armour. Very Baltimore. I was proud,” Erick Oribio recalled. “Since the beginning, I felt it was a miracle. I was full of gratitude. I still feel that way.”

Last week, the Oribio brothers were at the White House for the visit of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

As for who should run the country next, the answer is complicated.

“During this transition time, it may not be the right time to say who should run the country. Obviously, the country should be run by that leader that has the support of the majority of the Venezuelan population,” Ronald Oribio said. “If after the transition or as part of the transition, new elections need to take place, that may be a suitable solution.”

Erick Oribio shared many of his thoughts in Spanish, including on his release from detention and on Maduro’s future. You can watch them here.

The brothers brought a flag to the interview that represents hostages and those wrongfully detained as they closely watch what is next for Venezuela.

Ronald Oribio said it worries him “knowing what is still going on, knowing some of the friends we made in prison are still there, and knowing some of them have been sentenced just recently to many years in prison, being innocents.”

While they are optimistic about the future and would like to visit Venezuela again, Ronald Oribio said, “It is not safe for us to go back at this moment…We feel it is going to be the new Venezuela soon, we hope.”

Both brothers plan to write books about their hostage experience.

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 Paula Wethington

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    DETROIT (WWJ) — Over $14,000 in cash, hundreds of pills and three firearms were confiscated during a narcotics investigation on Jan. 16, the Detroit Police Department reported.

Three people also were arrested during the evidence seizures in the 17000 block of Hull Street and the 18000 block of Cardoni Street. “Both locations were known to be run by a gang,” police said.

The total value of the seized items is about $172,465. The items included:

27,629 grams of marijuana.

101 Xanax pills.

350 oxycodone pills.

354 fentanyl pills.

One handgun.

One shotgun.

One rifle.

Cash.

The teams and units working on this case included the Detroit Police Department 11th Precinct’s Special Operations Unit, Gang Intelligence Unit and Traffic Enforcement Unit.

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.