Author: CNN Newsource

By Eileen Buckley

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    VILLAGE OF KENMORE, New York (WKBW) — There’s a battle over historic preservation brewing in the Village of Kenmore, where residents are fighting to save a former church building from demolition to make way for a Shake Shack restaurant.

I cover the Northtowns and caught up with some residents who want the church building preserved.

The former Kenmore Presbyterian Church on Delaware Avenue could be torn down as part of a development plan by Rochester-based owners who want to bring the national burger chain to the village.

Shake Shack has confirmed with 7 News that it has plans to open a location at this site.

However, longtime resident Nancy Anastasia, who has lived in Kenmore her entire life, told me she is opposed to the plan.

“I hate to see a chain come in — that’s not what Kenmore’s all about,” Anastasia said.

She wants to see the historic building preserved rather than demolished to make way for a fast-food restaurant.

“I hate to see us lose old buildings. I kind of hope we can get it listed on a preservation– and then they can’t demolish it,” Anastasia said.

David Brown, another resident fighting the plan, has deep family ties to the village. His great-grandfather built some of the first homes in Kenmore, giving him a personal connection to preserving the area’s history.

“The best outcome would be for Shake Shack to abandon the idea,” Brown said.

Brown explained the church’s history, noting that “in 1924, they built this building around the wooden church while they still had services.”

He has created a Facebook page to rally support for historic preservation and hopes the church could be named a landmark to stop demolition and keep Shake Shack out.

“Horrible, horrible, and it’s the worst time to open a fast food restaurant…I just don’t get it,” Brown said.

Brown suggested a potential compromise: “I don’t know if they could build where the parking lot is and leave the church for another use.”

The developer’s plan calls for constructing a two-story building with retail space and housing.

“If it were adapted for reuse, they would probably get tax revenue. They never got tax revenue for the last 120 years or so,” Brown said.

The village held a hearing on the matter last month, but the mayor and village board have not made a final decision yet.

Residents continue pushing for preservation options.

“See if we can get the building listed on the preservation list so that it can’t be demolished and then move forward from there,” Anastasia said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WKBW 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 Blake Phillips

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    TAMPA, Florida (WFTS) — A Hillsborough County Public Schools employee found her kidney donor through the power of social media and workplace community after another HCPS employee responded to her plea for help at two in the morning.

Mayra Nieves had been fighting kidney failure for five years, undergoing dialysis since 2021 after an allergic reaction to an antibiotic triggered an immune disorder she didn’t know she had. Her situation began in 2018, and despite various treatments, her condition spiraled out of control.

“From there, things just spiraled out of control. They tried some treatments that didn’t work, and in 2021, I started dialysis,” Nieves said.

Late last year, her patience finally paid off when a donor came forward. But the story of how she found her match demonstrates the power of community and social media.

Nieves’ coworkers had made a banner for her to post on social media seeking a kidney donor. That’s what Jenna Folken, another Hillsborough County Public Schools employee, discovered while scrolling through her Facebook.

“When I found her post at two in the morning, my full intention was to never be outed for doing this. That kind of fell by the wayside, obviously,” Folken said.

Folken got tested and, in December, gave Nieves one of her kidneys. The two women now share more than just a school district bond — they share a life saving bond.

“I have been so blessed by God and by Jenna. I thank God for Jenna that she made the decision and she followed her calling and gave me a second chance at life,” Nieves said, “I firmly believe that God orchestrated the entire thing. From beginning to end, this was God’s hand.”

Both women are well on their way to recovering, and their biggest message now is encouraging others to consider getting tested to donate organs, with the goal of creating more stories like theirs and saving more lives.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WFTS 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 Conor McGill

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    TRUCKEE, California (KOVR) — Just one day after police said a truck intentionally drove into a group of youth baseball players outside a Safeway in Truckee, members of the 12U Tahoe Titans spoke about the terrifying experience and their determination to move forward.

“I looked behind me and then the next thing I remember was getting pulled out of rubble,” said Gavin DeWit, a first baseman for the team.

The incident happened as the Tahoe Titans were fundraising outside the grocery store, selling jerky to help pay for an upcoming trip to the Cooperstown All-Star Village in New York. Truckee police say a driver deliberately plowed into the group, eventually crashing into the side of the store.

“I remember hearing the truck a half second before I got hit,” said catcher Rowan Grant. “When I got hit, I just felt a little tingle and then the pain came on. I got flung away.”

Three players, three parents, and one sibling were injured in the crash. All survived.

The driver, identified as 49-year-old Jonathan Maurer, has been arrested and faces multiple charges, including assault with a deadly weapon likely to cause great bodily injury.

According to court records, Maurer has a lengthy criminal history in Nevada County, including a felony assault conviction from 2015 involving great bodily injury.

Parents say the moments leading up to the crash still feel unreal.

“He put a cigarette out on one of our signs, then came back out, gave us a weird look, mumbled something under his breath and walked away,” said Jamie DeWit, a parent of one of the players. “The next thing I knew, myself and our boys were being pulled out of rubble.”

Video from the scene shows the aftermath of the crash, with damage to the storefront and the area now boarded up.

Despite the trauma, the team reunited the very next day, focusing on healing and supporting one another.

“It was very scary,” Gavin said.

For parents, the hope now is accountability and safety.

“If I could just say anything — just get this person off the street, off the road, out of our community so we do feel safe again,” Jamie said.

And for the players, the focus remains on baseball and the summer ahead.

“It’s going to be a fun summer,” Grant said. “I’m just going to put this behind me and do my best to not think about it, but at the same time remember the people who got hurt.”

The Tahoe Titans say they are grateful for the outpouring of community support and are now looking ahead to their upcoming tournament in New York.

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 Cody Stark, Cecilio Padilla

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — Bad Bunny featured a real wedding during his Super Bowl halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara – a ceremony that was officiated by a pastor from Sacramento.

The pastor who performed the ceremony is Antonio Reyes from Sacramento’s Project Church.

In a post written in Spanish to his Instagram page, Reyes confirmed that it was indeed him at the Super Bowl.

“Now that the secret is out… this was an honor for me as a Latino and as a follower of Jesus to be in the presence of such a historic moment as this,” Reyes wrote.

Originally from Michoacán, Mexico, Reyes is a community leader and helped start the Spanish-language services at south Sacramento’s Project Church.

Reyes told CBS Sacramento on the Monday after the game that he was given short notice about being part of the halftime show. He echoed the message of Bad Bunny’s performance, saying it was monumental for Latino representation.

“To be able to be a pastor, a Latino, and to be able to be there and somebody can see themselves through me … is just amazing,” Reyes said.

Reyes did get to meet Bad Bunny and introduce himself, saying that the artist hugged him.

“Incredible guy, very humble, very kind,” Reyes said.

The pastor says his phone was overwhelmed with messages after his appearance.

“I’m still trying to catch up with everything.”

As for the couple Reyes married, the pair reportedly invited Bad Bunny to their wedding and the Latin music megastar countered with an invite to his Super Bowl performance.

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 Kara Finnstrom

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    ALTADENA, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Thousands of Altadena’s cherished trees were lost during and after the Eaton Fire, but there are efforts underway to salvage and repurpose them, and it has attracted one of the world’s top guitar makers, Fender Guitars.

A towering Deodar Cedar once grew near the historic Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena, but it fell after the Jan. 7 hurricane-force winds.

For the last decade, Jeff Perry has been swooping in when trees come down and rescuing, preserving and repurposing them.

He says salvaged trees can provide the same precious lumber as the healthy ones that are chopped down.

“Los Angeles County consumes less wood in a given year than we mulch,” Perry said.

When Perry heard woodchippers in Altadena, he secured a lot, which now looks like a tree graveyard and approached the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“I said, ‘Please, can we divert those logs here and we’ll take all of them,'” Perry said.

Perry now has about 1,000 trees, some of which are badly scarred. He said that even though a tree was burned or damaged during the fire, the inside of the log is still good for lumber.

But it’s a race against time, since the trees are organic material and will begin to decompose.

Perry’s nonprofit is working to get the permits and donations needed to build a temporary mill, along with a wood bank for fire survivors.

“This is a flagship project of Angel City Reciprocity,” Perry said.

He’s recruited local carpenters to craft the wood into items needed for rebuilding, like flooring and tables. Fire survivors will then be able to buy them at reduced cost, preserving part of what was.

“His [Perry] goal was to make sure that those trees that grew up in Altadena would remain in Altadena,” said Michael Bridges with the San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Bridges is part of the rebuilding force and is also a guitar player. He sparked the idea of creating guitars from reclaimed wood from Altadena.

Fender’s John Dreyer and Bridges met at a fundraiser and, with Perry’s support, began giving one of his salvaged Altadena trees a new shape.

The guitars are being created in Fender’s custom shop and will be auctioned off to support the rebuilding effort.

Musicians at one of Altadena’s benefit concerts played the instruments.

“The neckplate on the back of the guitar has artwork that says, ‘We are all Altadena,'” Dreyer said. “Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes, he ultimately ended up playing the guitar on stage.”

The guitar, the first powerful gift from Altadena’s magnificent trees. Perry hopes to create thousands more as reminders of the beauty that last year’s fire could not destroy.

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 Tyler Job

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    MADISON, Wis. (WISN) — Gov. Tony Evers says a Wisconsin Burger King franchise owner had 1,656 child labor and wage payment law violations over a two-year span at its restaurants across the state.

Those allegations include 14 and 15-year-olds starting work without a child labor permit, minors working six-hour or longer shifts without a required break, and children under 16 working before or after the hours permitted for school-age workers, or working more hours than they were given.

“My administration and I are committed to cracking down on fraud and abuse impacting Wisconsin workers, most especially our kids, and we will continue this good work to ensure our laws are working for the folks and families we serve,” Evers said in a news release.

Evers says the violations, which included more than 600 children from 2023 to 2025, are the largest amount of child labor and wage payment infractions in modern Wisconsin history.

The franchisee in question, Cave Enterprises, runs 105 Burger King locations in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development is ordering Cave Enterprises to pay more than $237,000 in unpaid wages to the employees affected, and penalties of up to $828,000 ($500 per violation for the 1,656 infractions).

“For kids who choose to work, child labor laws provide essential protection to ensure that they can continue to do well in school and enjoy the best parts about growing up in Wisconsin while staying safe in the workplace,” DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek 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 Jessica Schambach, Abigail Ogle

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    Oklahoma (KHBS, KHOG) — Senate Bill 743, which makes it a crime to disrupt worship services in Oklahoma, has been signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt following a vote by the Oklahoma Senate.

The law makes it a crime to use profanity, commit rude or indecent acts, or make unnecessary noise during worship services.

“Senate Bill 743 creates enhanced penalties for unlawful disruption of a worship service, including up to a $500 fine or up to one year in county jail for a first offense. A second or subsequent offense is a felony punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to two years in prison, or both. Under the legislation, protesters within 100 feet of a place of worship must maintain at least eight feet of distance from individuals entering or exiting, unless consent to approach is given,” state lawmakers said in a news release.

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 Sloan, Eddy Lozano

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    KANSAS CITY (KMBC) — A Kansas City art center is celebrating the past, present, and future of Black history through the work of local artists.

The exhibit, titled “Reclaiming the Canvas,” is on display at the Zhou B Art Center KC and highlights a wide range of styles and perspectives from Kansas City artists.

KMBC 9 photojournalist Eddy Lozano went inside the exhibit to capture the artwork and the stories behind it.

The art experience is open to the public through March 26. More information is available on the art center’s website.

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.