Author: CNN Newsource

By Michaela Springer and Alan Selph

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    BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (WISH) — Five women were shot early Sunday morning during a fight near Indiana University’s campus, Bloomington Police Chief Mike Decoff said. No arrests have been made.

The shooting happened around 12:25 a.m. on the 400 block of East Kirkwood Avenue outside Nick’s English Hut, as crowds gathered for the annual Little 500 weekend.

Decoff said the gunfire was not random.

“I want to reiterate, this was not just random gunfire. It was a fight between two people that broke out,” Decoff said during a Sunday press conference.

Victims identified:

All five gunshot victims are female, ages 17 to 22, police said. None are in life-threatening condition.

• A 20-year-old woman from Plainfield: gunshot wound to upper torso, struck by bullet fragments in the side.

• An 18-year-old woman from South Bend: embedded bullet fragments in ankle and shin.

• A 22-year-old woman from South Bend: embedded bullet fragments in the back of the thigh.

• A 17-year-old girl from Indianapolis: embedded bullet fragments in foot and ankle.

• A 21-year-old woman from Indianapolis: embedded bullet fragments in shins and thighs.

Four victims were treated and released. One was admitted for further treatment.

In total, nine people went to area hospitals after the shooting. Police said five were transported from the scene, one by police squad car, two by personal vehicles, and one by ambulance from a nearby gas station. Four others were hurt from cuts and scrapes while fleeing.

A Bloomington officer stationed on Kirkwood heard the shots and saw the crowd scatter, police said.

“We had several officers stationed in the area to monitor the event. It was going very peacefully until the shots broke out,” Decoff said.

The shooting ended a night of Little 500 celebrations near IU Bloomington’s campus. Police have not identified any suspects and said it was unclear if any victims are IU students.

Residents react:

Noah Cohn, a Bloomington resident, said he was disappointed.

“I feel like it’s kind of messed up because this is a college town,” Cohn said. “I feel like there’s no need for anyone to get shot regardless of the conflict.”

Travis Mitchell said he wasn’t surprised.

“I mean I feel like it’s kind of a normal thing when Little Five happens, there’s always a shooting or something right around this strip,” Mitchell said.

Mayor Kerry Thompson said the city had protocols in place for the weekend crowds.

“We have many visitors in Bloomington for many significant events and protocols in place to try to support crowds,” Thompson said. “That worked incredibly well for the national championship… and unfortunately, people brought guns to the party last night.”

Thompson encouraged residents to leave firearms at home but noted Indiana law prevents the city from banning guns. She said the city will conduct a review of safety protocols.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information or video from the area around 12:30 a.m. Sunday is asked to contact Detective Chris Scott at 812-339-4477.

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 Jenna Wells

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    SHOREWOOD, Wisconsin (WDJT) — Behind her cozy Shorewood home, Paige Hammond has created a Nordic paradise.

“When I get into something, I get very into it,” she told CBS 58’S Jenna Wells.

Hammond’s love for saunas started years ago: First at gyms and spas, then at McKinley Marina’s Hot Spell sauna.

Two years ago, a trip to Finland turned Hammond’s sauna enjoyment into a near obsession.

“This feels like it was supposed to be in my life,” she said. “I can’t technically afford to go to a private sauna place every day, and I want to sauna every day.”

Thankfully, her husband likes saunas, too – and Costco has everything.

“We keep joking that Costco should really be paying us dividends at this point,” Hammond laughed.

After a big delivery, and some hard work, their very own sauna was up and running, but through the winter, Hammond found herself spending a lot of sauna sessions solo.

“I would try and get everyone I know to come sauna. But like, not everybody loves sauna as much as I do,” she said. “I know it’s not for everybody. Like, it’s sitting in a hot box.”

So, in February, she posted in a Shorewood neighborhood Facebook group.

“I said, essentially, I have a sauna. I sit in it alone sometimes,” Hammond explained. “I would love to have people come and, like, experience it.”

To her surprise, more than sixty women responded. The sauna only fits six at a time, So Hammond set up a sign-up system.

“Five strangers that are all women that live in the village of Shorewood come over here and they meet each other,” Hammond said.

Since then, she has hosted more than dozen sessions.

“I saw Paige’s post on LinkedIn. Somebody in my network must have been connected with her,” said Hammond’s neighbor, Sara Mae Polinag. “I was like, Shorewood… women… sauna… I’m in.”

She is now one of a few repeat visitors.

“Were you nervous at all that you were just showing up to a stranger’s house?” Jenna asked.

“I mean, I probably should have been, but honestly, no,” Polinag laughed. “I think part of that is because I knew it was like, honestly, with women.”

While the sessions often start with small talk, they never end that way.

“It just kind of feels like we’re we’ve all kind of known each other for a long time, and this is our first time meeting each other,” Polinag explained.

“It’s crazy how fast you can connect with women when you’re in this situation, like, when you’re sweating with them, I guess,” Hammond said.

The spontaneity is reminiscent of making friends on the playground.

“You would see a child outside, and you would walk up to that kid and be like, I’m a kid and you’re a kid, should we be children together and go play?” Hammond remembered.

The connections have grown bigger than the backyard.

Hammond recently launched a website called Shorewood Women’s Social, a space for neighbors to organize similar gatherings.

“I wanted to give people permission to do what I was doing and give them an outlet to kind of get this out to people,” she explained.

More than 100 women have already joined, and they’re getting events on the calendar.

While the group is exclusive to Shorewood, Hammond welcomes others to steal her idea.

“I hope people see this, and I hope it inspires them to want to do something really similar in their own communities,” she 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 Rian Stockett

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    CANTON, North Carolina (WLOS) — A family gets to sleep in their own beds for the first time since their house was destroyed by Helene 19 months ago.

“Today we are moving back to our home,” said Donella Pressley, a Canton Resident. “A lot of people don’t think, well, your house floated away, but you still have a mortgage. It doesn’t matter that your house floated away. You still have to pay for it.”

Pressley describes herself as a two-time winner of the floods, as before Helene, her home was damaged by Fred.

After Fred, organizations like Mountain Projects and Baptists on Mission helped repair it.

But after Helene, there was no repairing. Pressley had to rebuild from scratch.

“You just have to put your big-girl pants on and your boots and wade through the muck that the river leaves, and you just have to fix it. And that’s what you have to concentrate on. You just have to fix it,” Pressley said.

Pressley says they’re able to do this thanks to funding from the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management.

“It’s going to be years down the line for other people to assess and to get help and to get things fixed,” Pressley said.

Not just a new home and deck, the ground has been raised per flood code, making the house 10 feet higher than it used to be.

Pressley says the day before Helene came through, they were prepared, packing their pets, clothing and memorabilia, but some of their belongings, they’ll never get back.

“A home is where we’re at and what we’re doing and not so much about the stuff,” Pressley 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 Monique John

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — Before every appointment in the Teal Mobile, its curator, Jeremiah “Bowtie” Woods, gives it a fresh spritz of its signature scent: the conscentual spray. With hints of the beach and fresh linens, he says it has to smell just right so survivors get the most out of the experience.

“We wanted to combine all of those things to help release dopamine and fight against cortisol. Because we don’t want people to feel stressed out,” Woods said.

Woods created the Teal Mobile, an on-the-go retreat space, through his Conyers nonprofit, The Hands Off Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to provide therapy and resources to those impacted by sexual violence. Teal is the color that represents Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Woods says he was inspired to take action after serving as a juror in a sexual assault case.

“I felt the system failed them,” Woods said of the young women in the case. “I felt like we as a jury failed them. And ultimately, I realized we didn’t know enough about sexual violence to actually be effective in supporting survivors.”

“A lot of anger, a lot of frustration, a lot of really trying to understand this very key, simple concept: if you don’t have a safe place to live, work, and grow, re-navigating and building a better life away from your trauma is almost impossible,” he said.

Inside the space, visitors meditate, drink tea, and color. Hands Off holds events and brings the Teal Mobile to public spaces to make therapy more accessible.

“That’s why I think that this is so effective and so needed,” said counselor Rabeshia Clay. “Because it’s kind of like, you close off from the world, and you can just have that 12 minutes of just being with yourself, just being focused, and it’s really great for everyone to just kind of have that moment and to really just kind of recenter with themselves and being mindful.”

Conyers resident Barbie Hines says she’s a survivor. She’s the narrator behind the mobile’s Spanish translation and says she’s proud her voice is broadening access to care.

“[N]obody can save the world,” Hines said, “but we can put our part to make sure that we help a person one at a time. Day by day. Even if it’s with baby steps.”

“At the core of all this, we’re talking about consent,” Woods said, “And so, if you don’t want the things that we provide, I’m not forcing it on them. And if you do want them, then I say: ‘Hey, listen. How can I best serve you? Here are the things we provide. Here is what you may be looking for. Let’s see where we can meet and what we can do.'”

Hands Off is holding a Bridgerton-themed tea party on Saturday to raise awareness of their efforts, as well as more community events and initiatives throughout the year. Anyone looking to learn more can visit the organization’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.

By Courtney Cole

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — A Boston man says he’s lucky to be alive after jumping into the Charles River to save his dog in a rescue effort that was caught on camera.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more scared in my life and humbled. I actually thought I was going to drown,” Hans Nagrath told WBZ-TV.

The real estate agent was out for a run on Marathon Monday with his 2-year-old goldendoodle Benny.

“We’ve had him for two years,” Nagrath said. “He’s definitely like a son to us.”

Benny, who was off-leash at the time, suddenly took off after two geese and dove into the water to chase them.

“I kept calling, ‘Benny, come back! Benny, come back!'” Nagrath recalled. “Couldn’t even hear me, didn’t turn around.”

Panicked, Nagrath ran around looking for possible rescue solutions.

“I was just picturing Benny drowning, and I just didn’t think,” he said.

Nagrath decided he had to go in.

“And then after maybe a few minutes of swimming, the wind got knocked out of me. I couldn’t really like breathe properly it was so cold,” he said. “I was about 10 feet from Benny when I was like, ‘Oh God, I can’t move my arms and I don’t know what’s going to happen.'”

Nagrath said he didn’t have enough energy to grab Benny, but he was able to get the dog in front of him and push up Benny’s hind legs whenever he started to sink.

“And then we finally got to the pier. I was screaming for help,” Nagrath said. “Someone helped get Benny up and then helped me up.”

Onlookers at the river gave Benny a Boston Marathon blanket to help warm him up. Both dog and human were OK despite the 40-degree temperature of the river.

Nagrath was replaying the scary moments in his head even after he got to shore. He says he wishes he had asked someone to find a flotation device or call 911 before he jumped in.

“There was a point though where I was like, ‘I need help here.’ I was looking around, there was no boats or anything,” he said.

The frightening ordeal doesn’t seem to have made much of an impact on Benny, however.

“On the walk home, he was still ready to chase after geese,” Nagrath said. “And I was like no, this is not happening.”

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.