Author: CNN Newsource

By Peter Choi

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    WOODLAND PARK, Colorado (KOAA) — It’s not every day you meet a gym buddy who’s 81 years old and also a world record holder. What Bonnie Sumner accomplished may surprise you, but the message she hopes others take from it is even bigger.

Sumner heads to the gym at least three times a week, sometimes four.

It’s a special place for her, where she set a world record at 81 years old. Sumner held onto a pull-up bar for just over three minutes, earning her a world record.

What began as a lighthearted conversation with her trainer at Woodland Park Fitness quickly turned serious.

“There was a picture of a man hanging from a bar in an article,” said Sumner. “I wondered what the Guinness World Record was for women my age. And then someone said, ‘Well, let’s break the record.’”

From there, training began alongside her coach, Eve Lawrence.

“The gym owner and I looked it up,” said Lawrence. “I knew at that point she could beat the record.”

Still, Sumner says the challenge wasn’t easy, but she hopes others focus on the bigger takeaway.

“The older we get, the more we need to take care of our bodies,” she said.

To many, Sumner has become an inspiration.

“Very inspiring,” said Lawrence. “I think people don’t connect age with fitness goals and new challenges.”

As for what’s next, Sumner says she’s not chasing another record.

“I think this is one and done,” said Sumner. “My goal isn’t to go for another record.”

Instead, she hopes her story encourages someone else to try, even if they think it’s too late.

“I want people to say, ‘I’ve been doing this. Maybe I’ll try that,” said Sumner.

Her message is simple, don’t set your limits, especially when it comes to age.

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 Riley

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    WEST NEWTON, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A driver in West Newton took a wrong turn at a railroad crossing on Thursday morning, which landed them stuck on the tracks.

For Gary Johnson, it was just another normal morning. He heard the train coming before things went boom and began to shake. That sound was a box truck completely wiping out his front porch.

Somehow, no one was hurt, but after the box truck became stuck on the railroad tracks around 5:30 a.m. Thursday morning, it was hit by a CSX train and sent into Johnson’s porch.

The driver was from out of town and headed to the post office to deliver Amazon packages when his GPS led him the wrong way and onto the tracks. The truck became stuck, and the train was unable to stop in time.

“I know the driver was extremely upset and scared, and rightfully so, because if the officer had not gotten to him, he could’ve been hit by the train,” explained West Newton Mayor Mary Popovich.

For Mayor Popovich and Police Chief Dustin Sanner, this is a problem they’ve seen before, just never this severe. Their hope now is that this close call can lead to change and awareness of the crossings.

“For whatever reason, some GPS tells you there’s a street there,” Chief Sanner said. “If you’re not from town, you don’t know there’s not a street, it’s just tracks.”

“We realize there is an issue, so we need to work with PennDOT to put some signs up, and then we have to figure out how to get the mapping done correctly,” added Mayor Popovich.

Finally, Mayor Popovich took the time to remind drivers that if you’re at a railroad crossing and having an emergency or a problem, look for the blue sign. From there, call the number on the sign and give the operator the code.

However, if you have an emergency, call 911.

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 Stephanie Stahl

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — A Philadelphia toddler and a dog from Los Angeles have a unique bond that came together thanks to a CHOP doctor and a story from CBS News Philadelphia.

Cameron Knowles, 3, and a dog named Panini both have the world’s smallest pacemaker.

It’s an unlikely connection that was put together by Dr. Maully Shah of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Two and a half years ago, Cameron had a heart block and was too small for a conventional pacemaker. He became the first baby at CHOP to receive a specially modified device that was placed outside his heart.

Panini, who lives with Heather Ashley Boyer in Los Angeles, has the same kind of heart block, and like Cameron, sizing for a pacemaker became an issue.

“So I found an article, your article online, that reported on baby Cameron,” Boyer told CBS News Philadelphia.

Then, when veterinarians said they couldn’t help, Boyer called CHOP.

“They’re like, ‘Oh great, what’s your patient’s date of birth and insurance info,’ and I was like, ‘Oh crap,’ and so eventually I had to fess up and say, ‘Well, my patient has four legs and a tail,'” Boyer said.

When Boyer reached out to Shah, she sent a photo of Panini.

“Once you see that picture, there is no turning back, right? I’m all in,” Shah said.

There were massive regulatory hurdles, but Shah and Boyer kept pushing. Three months ago, Panini got the special pacemaker at Cornell Veterinary Hospital.

“She’s been doing amazing,” Boyer said. “She’s very active now.”

Boyer was back on the East Coast for Panini’s check-up and visiting her parents as Shah arranged for everyone to meet.

“It’s so great to see that they’re connected by such a small device,” Shakiara Pressley, Cameron’s mother, said.

Both Cameron and Panini are thriving now, with their identical tiny pacemakers, defying the odds

“This is why you have to believe in the goodness of people, even in the hardest of times, right?” Shah said.

Panini is a Chiweenie, which is a mix between a chihuahua and a dachshund. Panini the Chiweenie has 6,600 followers on Instagram.

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 Lisa Rozner

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — Jewish parents at a Brooklyn Heights middle school are raising concerns about alleged bias after the school’s principal decided not to invite a Holocaust survivor to speak to students.

Back in December, Middle School 447 Principal Arin Rusch declined a request to invite Sami Steigmann to speak to students, causing a controversy. In a surprising move, the Department of Education reversed Rusch’s decision and invited Steigmann to speak at the school on Thursday, which he accepted.

Still, some are calling for the principal’s removal.

In a Nov. 18 email to a parent, Rusch said Steigmann’s presentation wasn’t right for the school “given his messages around Israel and Palestine.”

In video obtained by CBS News New York from a virtual PTA meeting on Dec. 9, Rusch said she would arrange for students to visit museums that teach about the Holocaust and defended her decision about Steigmann.

“When I reviewed the speaker’s website … I found the slides to be political in nature,” she said. “DOE’s policy is that students should learn in a politically neutral environment.”

A 2021 DOE policy states, in part, “School buildings are not public forums for purposes of community or political expression.”

Back on Dec. 4, Steigmann told CBS News New York he had never spoken with Rusch.

“What I tell people that invite me, I said, look, I would like to say A, B, C, OK? Is it against your company’s or your school’s policy?” he said at the time.

A DOE spokesperson told CBS News New York, in part, “Our top priority is ensuring their students feel safe and get the high-quality education they deserve …We are not able to comment on the outcomes of investigations of every reported incident. We have handled them and continue to handle them as they arise.”

Rusch did not respond to CBS News New York’s multiple requests for an interview.

Some parents who spoke to CBS News New York say this is the latest in a pattern of instances of alleged antisemitism.

At the Dec. 9 PTA meeting, parent Ramon Maislen asked how the school is making decisions on political neutrality, citing a seventh grade art assignment from the fall that referenced keffiyehs, a symbol of Palestinian pride.

In 2024, the group New York United in Fighting Antisemitism asked the mayor to ban keffiyehs, writing, “This symbol is prominently displayed at protests where chants, slogans and signs openly call for the death of Israel and Jews.”

“So why is something that is being taught as current events, which is also political, acceptable, but the story of a Holocaust survivor is not acceptable because it’s too political?” Maislen told CBS News New York.

He added, “I think at the end of the day, most of the people that are protesting with keffiyehs aren’t, you know, hating Jews or anything like that, but certainly there is a minority of people that are actively anti-Jewish, and if you’re going to teach kids, just teach them the whole breadth of what’s going on.”

Maislen said this isn’t the first time he has felt like the principal has been “dismissive” of his concerns. He said he previously emailed her about a performance of “Apocalypse Defiance Circus” by the Bread and Puppet Theater that students attended in December 2022.

In one scene, performers say, “U.S. taxpayers currently pay $3.8 billion annually in military aid to Israel … We are breaking through the dam, but we must keeping pushing until Palestine is free, from the river to the sea.”

Maislen shared Rusch’s response, which read, in part, “I was able to check in with several teachers who were on the trip … None of the adults I spoke to found the tone to be anti-Semitic … They didn’t interpret this as criticism towards Jews or Judaism (and I didn’t get the sense that the show presented Israel as a Jewish state so much as a country that is well funded by the U.S.).”

Several other parents who spoke to CBS News New York did not want to reveal their identities for fear of retaliation.

The United Jewish Teachers organization is now calling for the principal’s removal, saying in a Dec. 14 email to the district’s superintendent that it believes Rusch is not accepting responsibility for what it calls her “bias against Israel.”

Members of New York City’s Bipartisan Jewish Caucus will be at Steigmann’s presentation on Thursday.

CBS News New York’s Lisa Rozner called Rusch’s office multiple times and emailed her requesting responses to the specific concerns raised by parents and the United Jewish Teachers. Rozner has not heard back.

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 Donald Fountain

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — T.I. has spent decades commanding stages as a chart-topping rapper, but these days, the Atlanta icon is chasing laughs instead of platinum plaques and finding healing along the way.

Known to fans as T.I. or T.I.P., Clifford “Tip” Harris has stepped into a new role as a standup comedian, a move he admits was never part of the plan. Harris said comedy wasn’t something he set out to pursue, even as his career expanded into acting, writing and producing.

“I ain’t never really had no interest in being a comedian,” Harris said. “But I have had interest in doing comedies and movies, writing them, producing them, acting in them.”

That changed a few years ago when the Atlanta native began performing standup sets around the country. Harris said he quickly fell in love with being on stage, returning night after night to sharpen his craft. His commitment eventually earned him a spot opening for Dave Chappelle, one of comedy’s most respected voices.

“I fell in love with it,” Harris said. “Every day, I was coming back to try and get back on stage everywhere I was. I think that’s what kind of made people know that I was serious about it.” Harris’ new comedy special, “Cheaper Than Therapy,” reflects both his growth as a performer and his willingness to be vulnerable. He said filming the special offered a sense of relief during a challenging period in his life.

“I’ve gone through some stuff,” Harris said. “And to make sense of it all, you have to kind of toss it out there. You have to converse about it. Laughing about things that I would have normally maybe kept to myself, laughing with others about it, has proven itself to be therapeutic for me.”

The pivot to comedy marks a major shift for Harris, whose career includes more than 10 million albums sold in the U.S., three Grammy Awards, and a long list of honors across music and entertainment. He is also the founder of Grand Hustle Records, owner of the Akoo and Hustle Gang clothing brands, an artist-owner of TIDAL, and a businessman with interests spanning real estate, technology, and sports.

Still, Harris knows not everyone will immediately embrace his evolution. He said that skepticism doesn’t concern him.

“I’m not looking for acceptance or for any reaction from anybody,” Harris said. “I’m not waiting for people to take me seriously. I’m worried about how long it can continue to heal me.”

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 Logan Hall

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    WAKEFIELD, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Lifelong New England Patriots fan Eric Jellison never imagined that rolling up his sleeve to donate blood would send him to the Super Bowl.

The Wakefield, Massachusetts resident was randomly selected by the American Red Cross from a nationwide pool of donors and won a trip for two to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California. At first, he didn’t believe the call was real.

“I have to say that I was very shocked, honestly. Like everyone says with all the scams and things going on in the world, you never know what to believe,” Jellison said.

He and a guest will now see the Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks in person Sunday. It will also be the first time he’s been to an NFL game.

“When I hit the stadium, when I’m there in the parking lot, that’s when it’s really going to hit. I’m just going to be in awe of the whole event,” Jellison said. “We are absolute fans. I have all my old jerseys, my Ty Law and all those different things that you get over the years, posters and signs.”

His connection to blood donation is personal. Jellison was in a traumatic accident as a child and said a blood transfusion saved his life. He’s been a donor ever since.

Kelly Isenor, director of communications for the Red Cross of Massachusetts, said they hope Jellison’s once-in-a-lifetime experience will shine a spotlight on the need for blood donations.

“Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood,” Isenor said. “For Eric to win this amazing prize for doing something that was so selfless, we love to be a part of that.”

For someone who has watched every Super Bowl from his couch, Jellison said the experience feels surreal.

“I’m just a regular person,” he said. “I’m just donating blood and just doing what I can to help others as best I can, and this reward just seems unbelievable.”

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 Samantha Chaney

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    MATTAPOISETT, Massachuetts (WBZ) — As lifelong fans of the Patriots and the Seahawks, a Mattapoisett couple may be picking sides this Super Bowl Sunday, but they’re celebrating both teams with a massive snow sculpture on their front lawn.

Mark Mooney and his wife, Judy, have been happily married for 38 years. But when it comes to football, they don’t always see eye to eye.

“In my house, we’re kind of like a house divided a little bit,” Mooney said.

Mark is a lifelong Patriots fan while his wife loves the Seattle Seahawks.

“Not speaking for my kids, but… go Patriots!” Mooney joked.

To honor both teams and their accomplishments heading into Super Bowl Sunday, Mooney built a large snow sculpture featuring each team’s logo.

“We’ve got the Super Bowl trophies, the six Patriots ones versus the Seahawks single one,” he explained.

Using snow from last week’s storm, the Mattapoisett man spent hours creating the sculpture.

“It takes about six hours total,” he said. “Piling up the snow is probably the biggest part and then carving it out.”

And when the game is over, he doesn’t destroy his hard work.

“Whatever team wins gets to keep the logo up,” Mooney said. “We’ll scrape the other logo off and put like ‘Super Bowl Champs’ up.”

Mooney says the tradition dates back to 2009. “When my kids were small, making piles,” he recalled.

Over the years, he’s built everything from football helmets to carved team logos out of snow mounds, using the displays to connect with his community.

“It’s just expressing my ‘Patriot-ism,’ right? And my love for the town, and being able to share my enthusiasm with them,” Mooney said.

The sculpture will remain on his lawn for as long as Mother Nature allows. As long as the cold sticks around, he says neighbors are welcome to stop by, show their own “Patriot-ism,” and snap a selfie.

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 WFTX Digital Team

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    NAPLES, Florida (WFTX) — New court documents are revealing disturbing information about the 13-year-old shot and killed, and deputies said his father pulled the trigger.

According to documents, Gergory Zecca is charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child. Deputies said Zecca, another man and the child were “playing with guns” at a Collier County apartment complex in July.

The shooting happened at the Crest Apartments on July 19, 2025, at 8:08 p.m.

According to court documents, the person who lives at the home called 911 after the shooting, telling dispatchers he believed there was a fatality from an “accidental firing.”

“I think we have a fatality,” the man said during the 911 call. He told dispatchers someone was shot but “didn’t shoot themselves,” documents said.

Deputies said they found two guns on the kitchen island. Jones was performing CPR on the child, who had been shot above the sternum, the report said.

The 13-year-old did not survive. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the lower neck and ruled it a homicide. A doctor said Zecca was impaired by alcohol at the time he shot and killed the child, documents said.

The man who called 911 told investigators that Zecca inserted a magazine into a gun, pointed it at the teenager and the weapon discharged. The group had been drinking at a local bowling alley before returning to the house, where Zecca was practicing drawing the firearms in the kitchen, deputies said.

Deputies noted that Zecca smelled like alcohol. They also found marijuana at the scene.

After the shooting, the report said Zecca was emotionally distraught, expressing suicidal thoughts and asking deputies to shoot him. He was Baker Acted following the incident.

A witness told investigators that Zecca worked with his stepfather, who they identified as “Dog the Bounty Hunter.”

The group had been at the bowling alley celebrating the boy’s last day in Florida before returning to Colorado as part of a split custody arrangement, documents said. The child had been in Florida for 2.5 months.

Zecca is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon for a first appearance.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WFTX 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 Maki Becker

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    BUFFALO, New York (WKBW) — A 7-year-old Buffalo boy is recovering in foster care after authorities say his mother and stepfather repeatedly tried to drown him in ice-cold water and starved him for over two months.

Jacklyn Balabis and Parris Woods were arrested on January 30 on charges related to the alleged abuse of the boy, which prosecutors say began in October. A third defendant, Cassandra Baughman, is accused of participating in the attempted drowning.

The case came to light on December 11 when emergency responders were called to an address on Parkdale Avenue on Buffalo’s West Side after the child was found unconscious in a bathtub.

“Seven year old male was not responding. He’s awake and breathing,” dispatch audio obtained through Broadcastify revealed.

Minutes later, dispatchers reported conflicting information about the boy’s condition as crews worked to revive him.

The child spent eight days in the hospital and made what Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane called “a remarkable recovery.”

“We expected this little boy to not survive for the first few days,” Keane said.

Three other younger children who lived in the home are now in foster care.

Ring camera footage from neighbors captured emergency vehicle lights as first responders worked at the scene. An additional video showed Buffalo police surrounding the building during the January 30 arrests.

Police records show multiple calls to the Parkdale address, including reports of screaming in November, along with domestic trouble, assault and ambulance calls.

One neighbor described hearing angry yelling from the residence.

“It was…somebody was angry,” the woman said. “Breaks my heart. It’s scary because I think of my son and I just, I don’t know. It’s a thought process that we can’t understand how somebody could do that to their own child.”

Roemello White from Child and Family Services joined Voices to discuss CFS’s role in helping the community, families, victims and survivors in the context of an abuse case.

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 Dominick Philippe-Auguste

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    BALTIMORE COUNTY, Maryland (WMAR) — A Baltimore County Fire paramedic is facing numerous charges following an investigation that began in November 2025.

Christopher M. Carroll, 36, is accused of tampering with and contaminating items that were later consumed by others.

The investigation began after a Baltimore County Fire Department supervisor called police on November 30, reporting potential criminal conduct involving a fire employee.

According to charging documents, the supervisor told police that he was made aware of an X account, formerly known as Twitter, belonging to Carroll with the username “TattedVersDaddy.”

The account was discovered by another supervisor, who saw videos depicting Carroll nude and engaged in multiple sexual activities.

Some of the videos, according to the charging documents, showed or alluded to sexual acts that would cause others to unknowingly come into contact with or ingest Carroll’s bodily fluids.

The videos appeared to have been filmed within Baltimore County Fire facilities and the Baltimore County Public Safety Building. Another video appeared to use Baltimore County Fire Department Station 2 in Pikesville as a backdrop.

Investigators reviewed Carroll’s X profile, which featured a “selfie style” image of Carroll that included his face and a large distinctive tattoo covering his chest.

A Linktree account was featured on the profile, which led to JustForFans and OnlyFans profiles.

Images and videos reviewed by investigators depicted Carroll engaged in sexual acts and posing nude.

Charging documents state that one video depicted a man, believed to be Carroll, showing himself from the waist down while wearing clothing consistent with a Baltimore County Fire employee uniform.

The video showed the man walking toward a large ice maker and then urinating into it.

Sixteen Baltimore County Fire employees who worked at Station 2 confirmed to detectives they had obtained ice from the ice maker after it was contaminated.

Carroll is also accused of ejaculating into a container of coffee creamer and onto a keyboard on another employee’s desk.

One supervisor confirmed to police that coffee creamer is regularly used by employees at the station.

Following reports of Carroll’s alleged actions, Baltimore County Fire conducted hazmat cleaning of all stations and offices.

Police executed a search warrant and conducted a traffic stop on Carroll, seizing his phone and collecting an oral swab.

His tablet, cellphone, and other electronic devices were also seized and forensically examined.

Carroll now faces 23 charges, including destruction of property and knowingly and willfully causing another to ingest bodily fluids.

He is currently being held without bond at the Baltimore County Detention Center.

WMAR-2 News reached out to Baltimore County Fire for comment and are waiting to hear back.

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.