Author: CNN Newsource

By Stephanie Stahl

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — A medical student at the University of Pennsylvania is on a special mission in the research lab that could save her life.

Yentli Soto Albrecht’s battle is against ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease. She has a rare genetic form of the disease.

It’s a race against time in the research lab for Soto Albrecht, who is an MD/PHD student at the Perelman School of Medicine.

“I’m not sure I’ll survive this, but everything I do is toward that goal,” she said.

Genetic testing shows the 32-year-old has the same form of ALS — Lou Gehrig’s disease — that killed her 42-year-old father in 2024.

“In that year, I was seeing my dad die of ALS the same way that I’m likely going to die,” Soto Albrecht said. “And I felt like I had now a deadline as to how long I’d be able to live, and that felt really devastating in the moment.”

ALS becomes paralyzing. Soto Albrecht’s dad was in a wheelchair at her wedding. His form of ALS, which runs in the family, is also linked to a form of dementia called FTD.

“My hope is to turn the needle toward making ALS and FTD survivable diagnoses,” Soto Albrecht said.

Currently, there are no cures and limited treatments.

For Soto Albrecht, the future depends on research.

Big help is coming from Dr. Defne Amado, an ALS researcher at Penn, who also treated Soto Albrecht’s father.

“It’s a really tough disease,” Amado said.

The research here is focused on developing a gene therapy.

“In ALS, only motor neurons are affected by that disease,” Amado said.

Now together in the lab, Amado and Soto Albrecht share a special mission.

“She is just really determined to put a dent in this disease,” Amado said, “and we share that determination.”

Research that they’re hoping will someday be life-saving.

On April 8, there’s going to be a push-up challenge for ALS to fund research.

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 Liz Crawford, Will Kenworthy

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    QUAKERTOWN, Pennsylvania (KYW) — It’s been more than three weeks since a peaceful protest in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, turned into a violent altercation when students clashed with police and five teenagers were arrested.

In the last few weeks, numerous students and witnesses have told CBS News Philadelphia that everything took a turn when Police Chief Scott McElree charged into the crowd. He was caught on video putting a 15-year-old girl in what appears to be a chokehold.

CBS News Philadelphia is not using her name, but her family sat down with investigative reporter Liz Crawford in their first-ever interview about what happened that day and their fight for justice.

Roughly 40 students walked out of Quakertown Community High School on Feb. 20, protesting ICE. Allison Reynolds said she had talked with her stepdaughter ahead of time about participating in the school walkout.

“We talked about safety, right? If you’re going to leave, please be safe.” Reynolds said.

Later that afternoon, Reynolds said, she found out things had gone terribly wrong from a neighbor’s text, including a picture of her stepdaughter being choked by a man.

According to video and witness accounts, when the students got about a half mile from the high school, the protest took a turn. At the time, Quakertown police said some of the teenagers started throwing snowballs and kicking cars.

Students told CBS News Philadelphia that was in response to counter-protesters who were following them in vehicles, and then a man dressed in regular clothes charged into the crowd of students.

The family said later that night, they found out that man was McElree, who is both police chief and borough manager in Quakertown.

“Somebody had messaged me and said, ‘Do you know who that was?’ and I said, ‘No,’ and they told me it was the chief of police and I was — shocked is not even the word,” Reynolds said.

The girl told her family that McElree was wearing ordinary clothes, arrived in a regular vehicle and never identified himself as an officer. She says she was defending a friend from the man before she was put in a chokehold.

Their daughter, who was not hurt, was in custody for four nights before a judge granted her release. Four other teenagers were also detained. They’ve become known as the “Quakertown 5” and many groups and community members have spoken out against their arrests and have called on the police chief to resign. McElree appeared to be bleeding in videos and has gone on workers’ compensation leave.

“Who was the aggressor? Clearly, it was the chief. Clearly, the chief incited any reaction that came after that,” said Timothy Prendergast, the attorney representing the girl. “Certainly his actions were that of a counter-protester and not of an officer de-escalating or under crowd control.”

The teens have been charged with felony aggravated assault. All of their attorneys are calling on the district attorney to drop the charges.

CBS News Philadelphia reached out to McElree’s attorney and has not heard back.

The Quakertown Police Department says it is cooperating with the Bucks County District Attorney’s office, which is conducting its own investigation into the police response at the protest.

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 Alexa Herrera, Carolyn Gusoff, Christina Fan

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    LONG ISLAND, New York (WCBS) — A fire engulfed an elementary school on Long Island causing extensive damage, officials said Tuesday.

An automatic fire alarm for smoke detectors was set off at 4:40 a.m. at West Side Elementary School in Laurel Hollow, fire officials said. The Oyster Bay Fire Company and Atlantic Steamer Fire Company responded and found the building on fire.

Video from Chopper 2 showed flames shooting out of the roof. Large, billowing clouds of smoke were also seen overhead as responders worked to extinguish the flames.

The fire was contained to the library area the community room below it.

“Unfortunately, with books and paper, there’s heavy fire load, so once it gets in there, it’s tough to extinguish. You gotta get into every nook and cranny there to really cool it off,” said Atlantic Steamer Fire Chief Franceso Barbera.

It took about 150 volunteer firefighters to get the fire under control within two hours. Nobody was at the school during the incident, and officials said there were no injuries.

School officials said the damaged wing of the building is more than 230 years old and has a storied history. George Washington is said to have stopped there in 1790 when they were building the community’s first school house and, according to legend, he helped raise one of the first rafters.

Nassau County fire investigators said the fire isn’t considered suspicious, and it appears to have been caused accidentally and involved the building’s electrical system in the basement.

“When I got here, I saw part of the library was on fire, and it’s horrible. The kids use the building. But we will work through this and we’ll be fine, eventually,” Cold Spring Harbor school superintendent Joseph Monestero said.

It is unknown if the school will be able to reopen later this week. School officials say they will communicate with families on what the plans will be for the future. The district is working on its plans going forward for the 220 students who attend Westside Elementary. The superintendent said much of the building is not damaged, but sadly the part that was included historic books.

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By Steven Yablonski

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    PALM COAST, Florida (WFOR) — A Florida woman has been arrested after giving birth to a baby in her bathroom toilet and allegedly letting it drown before burying it in a shallow grave in her backyard hours later, investigators say.

According to information provided by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, someone called authorities requesting a welfare check on a woman, who was later identified as Anne Mae Demegillo, 20, of Palm Coast, around 4 a.m. on March 6.

The sheriff’s office said that the anonymous caller claimed Demegillo sent her text messages saying that she had secretly been pregnant and unexpectedly gave birth at home.

The message also showed that Demegillo’s baby was born alive and crying, but Demegillo had apparently done something to the infant, according to the sheriff’s office.

When Flagler deputies arrived at the scene, they said they met with Demegillo, who told them that she wasn’t sure she was pregnant, but began to experience severe pain overnight, and later delivered the child in her bathroom toilet.

She claimed that she thought the infant was dead, so she hid it in a duffle bag in her closet and went about her day, the sheriff’s office said. When she returned from a theater performance in New Smyrna Beach, she decided to bury the dead infant in a shallow grave in her backyard, authorities said.

At no point did she contact emergency services for help, the sheriff’s office continued.

After the investigation, detectives said that they determined Demegillo “knowingly and purposefully allowed the newborn to drown in the toilet.”

Demegillo has since been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.

“This is a heartbreaking tragedy for our community, for the family involved, and an emotionally difficult case for them,” Sheriff Rick Staly said.

Staly went on to say that under Florida’s Safe Haven Law, parents who cannot care for a newborn can bring the child at birth to a local fire station, hospital or law enforcement agency to surrender it.

“That is a much better solution than what we are investigating today – for everyone involved, but most importantly the infant who was prevented from the life they deserve,” Staly continued. “May God bless this infant and hold and comfort the baby in his loving hands with the love the baby never received on earth.”

The sheriff’s office said that Palm Coast’s Save Haven Baby Box allows for someone to remain anonymous if surrendering a newborn, and it’s located at Fire Station 25.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about what took place should call the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office at 1-386-313-4911.

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By Ted Scouten

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    OAKLAND PARK, Florida (WFOR) — For 36 years, Fr. Bob Caudill has been feeding the homeless at All Saints Catholic Mission in Oakland Park. For the last 12 years, he’s been locked in a standoff with the city, which alleges he’s operating a nonpermitted soup kitchen.

“In 2014, they decided to rezone the power line area. They told me fallaciously that ‘you have to stop feeding, you’re not feeding in the new zoning,'” Fr. Caudill siad.

Fr. Caudill kept feeding the homeless, offering them showers, and giving spiritual guidance. There’s a price to that.

“Long and short of this is the case, we are suing them to stop the harassment because it’s over $500,000. It’s 125 dollars a day since 2014, and they put a lien on our building,” he said.

He already took the city to court in January, but Oakland Park’s attorney successfully got the case tossed because of a missed deadline.

Jeremiah Williams is unhoused. He’s been coming here the past few months as he works to get a license to drive semi’s.

“I come here to take showers. I come here to eat breakfast and lunch. I use my snap card to purchase other items. I go to the park, I exercise there, and, I even come to mass here,” Williams said.

He depends on the help to give him a hand up.

“I don’t know any other church or any other, any other pastor that will help us the way that he has,” Williams said.

“So Christ was very clear about us helping his people, and it doesn’t matter what stage of life or who you are,” Fr. Caudill said.

“Everybody’s just a child of God, point blank, right?”

Fr. Caudill plans to continue his mission to give food to the hungry as he prepares to head back to court for a second round on trial.

“Pray for us,” he urged. “Help us win this trial. Amen!”

CBS News Miami reached out to the city of Oakland Park. They said they cannot comment because of pending litigation.

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By Najahe Sherman

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — A South Florida teenager refused to let a diagnosis define her.

Instead, she turned her adversity into action, creating a movement to make sure other teens facing the same challenges never feel alone.

For 19-year-old Sofi Quintana, simple items like face wipes, nail kits, and cozy socks are more than just essentials. They’re comfort, connection and a reminder that someone understands.

After being diagnosed with epilepsy herself, Quintana spent her own share of time in hospital rooms. She remembers the uncertainty and isolation. The feeling that no one else quite got it.

So, she decided to change that.

She created Teens Experiencing Epilepsy Now or TEEN, a program dedicated to supporting young people navigating life with seizures.

“The main thing I do is create these care packages, and deliver them to the hospitals, so teens can get them and feel a little bit more comfortable in their hospital stays,” Quintana said. “But in the most recent years it has taken off into this whole advocacy type thing.”

What started as care packages has grown into a powerful platform. Quintana also served on a panel for Purple Day in Disney and traveled to Tallahassee to advocate for training in schools for people who experience seizures.

“It was probably around my sophomore year of high school when I was sent to Tallahassee to advocate for a seizure safety bill,” she said. “Then I finally started to be like, if I accept this and I do something about it, my life can actually be so much better than it is right now.”

That was the turning point.

“Once she started talking, she was like, ‘People are listening to me. I’m going to keep talking,'” Stephanie Quintana, her mother, said. “It was great, I was so proud to see her finally realize that the things she could say, could be important.”

And people are listening. Now she also has a Teen epilepsy blog and offers social media tips and educational material. She has become a local source for people needing advice.

“My favorite is when the parents reach out to me and they’re like, ‘How can I help my daughter” I don’t know what to do'” Quintana said.

Through her advocacy work she found her voice.

“You’re not alone. You can do cool things too,” she said. “Epilepsy doesn’t have to be the thing that totally changes your life. Yes, it could change your life, but it could change your life for the better.”

Sofi Quintana says she has plans to expand her organization in the future and create other TEEN chapters, in more communities, so teens with epilepsy know they are not alone.

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 Neal Riley

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — The owner of the TD Garden arena in Boston is suing a Massachusetts cannabis dispensary over an alleged trademark violation.

Delaware North, which owns the home of the Boston Celtics and Bruins, filed the lawsuit last month against The Boston Garden Dispensary, which has pot shops in Cambridge, Somerville and Athol.

The lawsuit says the names are nearly identical, and “members of the public are likely to be confused as to the source, sponsorship, or other commercial affiliation of TBG’s goods and services.”

It further alleges “irreparable harm” from customers assuming that marijuana products sold by The Boston Garden Dispensary are associated with TD Garden. The company wants a court to order the destruction of any materials that are found to contain their illegal trademark.

Owner Ivelise Rivera said her team hired a trademark lawyer to make sure the name “The Boston Garden” was available before they opened their first shop in Athol.

“Nobody disputed, nobody said, ‘no, you can’t use it,'” Rivera told CBS News Boston. “We moved forward and got the trademark and then proceeded to name our stores and open. We’ve been open for four-and-a-half years and hadn’t heard anything until they just filed.”

Rivera told the Boston Globe that they considered a rename, but Delaware North was not willing to help cover the costs of rebranding.

“As far as I know of, I’ve never heard of anybody confusing us with the arena,” she said. “I don’t think anyone sees The Boston Garden dispensary name and thinks they’re going to the arena. We’re hoping for the best outcome.”

The original Boston Garden on Causeway Street was demolished and replaced by the new arena in 1995. The building has previously been known as the FleetCenter and TD Banknorth Garden before adopting its current name in 2009.

In a statement, a Delaware North spokesperson said:

“Boston Garden” is among the most recognized brands in Boston sports and entertainment, tied to a historic arena that has been part of this city’s history since 1928. Delaware North has developed substantial goodwill in connection with this famous brand and holds multiple trademark registrations for “Boston Garden” (which are in full force and effect). We have made good‑faith efforts over a period of years to resolve this matter amicably and remain hopeful that an agreement can still be reached.

“To rebrand is not something that we really want to do,” Rivera said. “They never hung on to the name. They retired it. They really just said we’re not doing this and retired it, didn’t want to name the Garden, the Boston Garden because they wanted to get paid a lot of money to use somebody else’s name. So, I think we’re in here fair and square and it’s our name.”

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By Adam Thompson, Tara Lynch

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore’s Leakin Park will be closed off during the evenings and overnights until March 19 as sharpshooters from the U.S. Department of Agriculture kill deer to reduce the city’s deer population.

Baltimore City officials say deer are overpopulated in the city. The city’s deer management program will target three parks this month.

Sharpshooters will kill off more than 100 deer in Leakin Park. The park will be closed from 4 p.m. until 7 a.m. on March 9 through March 19.

Volunteers and the Baltimore City Police Department will help to clear the park so the sharpshooters can work.

Druid Hill Park in Northwest Baltimore and Herring Park in East Baltimore will follow.

The meat harvested from this operation will be donated to the Maryland Food Bank, and is estimated to create 40,000 meals.

“This problem has been going on for decades. We’ve let it go for far too long,” said Shane Boehne, leader of the city’s deer management program.

Baltimore City Rec and Parks said the deer population in parts of the city can be more than 20 times higher than what is considered normal for a forested area.

Overall, the goal is to bring the deer population to 20 per square mile.

“If you’re able to bring it down to that 20 deer per square mile, and if you basically go hands off for a little while, you’ll have an increase back in the population. So we have to do constant management,” Boehne said.

The project is expected to make the parks healthier as part of its effort to increase the tree canopy.

“In this era of rapid change, we want to have stable, resilient ecosystems, especially forested ecosystems,” said Jerry Burges, the Johns Hopkins University Environmental Science and Studies Director. “They give us all sorts of services. But if you even value small things, like seeing a variety of birds, that’s often an important thing for residents. In areas where we have really high deer densities, we see the disappearance of certain bird species.”

Baltimore officials say sharpshooting was chosen as the method because it is cost-effective and less disruptive to surrounding communities.

“The whole point of sharp shooting is to kill these deer on impact,” Boehne said. “We don’t want to spook, spook these deer and make them flee the area and go out into residential areas.”

Baltimore City residents have raised concerns over the city’s deer-kill plan, which includes a less harsh method.

“I’m more of one who believes in taking a balanced approach, maybe sharp shooting is a percentage of how we get to the attrition, but maybe there are other modest and milder methods,” said Linda Batts, with the Hanlon Improvement Association.

“When we talk about disadvantaged and marginalized communities, we’re talking about changing the economic mainstream, eliminating the long standing effects of redlining that have some communities impoverished and without their basic needs, while other communities are living their best lives and have access to goods and services and the economics that make them thrive.”

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By La’Tasha Givens

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    DUNWOODY, Georgia (WUPA) — For many students, the morning routine can become mundane. But a group of fathers known as the Hero Dads at Dunwoody Springs Elementary School welcome students with music, hugs, and high-fives, getting them excited about the day ahead.

Dressed in costumes and armed with portable speakers, these fathers have taken over the carpool lane to ensure students, parents, and teachers start their day with a smile.

They started 15 years ago with the goal of giving hardworking teachers the morning off and breaking up the monotony of the school week.

“The teachers do a lot of hard work; they get here early in the morning,” said Adewale Odetunde, a Hero Dad known to the students as “Dynomo the Dolphin.” “We try to make carpool a little bit fun for them, for the kids, and the parents.”

“It brings up the energy for the kids as they’re coming into school,” Odetunde said. “They jumped out the car and gave me a high five… they were very excited to see us this morning.”

Over the past 15 years, Hero Dad Elston Nesbitt has seen four of his own children pass through Dunwoody Springs Elementary.

“It’s absolutely great because my kids get to participate in that same thing too,” Nesbitt shared. “My kids get to see that other dads care about kids as much as I do.”

The Hero Dads have become such a staple of the school culture that students now frequently request their presence at other school events to “get the party started.”

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