Author: CNN Newsource

By Audrey Biesk

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    GREENSBORO, North Carolina (WXII) — There is a one in eight chance a woman will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.

That statistic is true for a Triad woman who is a two-time breast cancer survivor. Elsie Best said her mission is to spread joy and fundraise for ACS while raising awareness.

“If you truly want to live, you will fight to live and that’s one of the things it taught me,” Best said as she reflects on her diagnosis.

Each day since receiving the news that she had stage four breast cancer, Best said she chooses to remain positive. She is proud to share that at 88 years old, she feels good today. Best went through years of treatment, a double mastectomy and two separate breast cancer diagnoses, but she said she never let that define her.

“Look your best, because you deserve the best. You are the best, not because my name is Best, but because you deserve the best of life,” she said while smiling.

She shows up to several events in the Triad benefiting the American Cancer Society and always lights up the room.

“Go out and do something for yourself, put some lipstick on, step out the back door, get dressed up,” Best said. “It is very important how we treat our bodies, we don’t have to treat them like they are something to put on a shelf.”

Best said her mission is to raise awareness and critical funds for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K each year.

“Donate. That is the most important thing, to donate for the research. My second time around was much easier than the first time,” Best said.

She knows firsthand what the support means to her, so she is paying it forward. Best has received awards for her impressive fundraising totals.

“We are praying and we are hoping that there will be a cure for breast cancer,” Best said.

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By Matthew Rodriguez

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Los Angeles police are investigating a road rage incident near Baldwin Hills, where a man pulled another driver out of a car and beat him.

The victim, Adam Berry, said he was driving on La Cienega Boulevard on Sept. 23 when he encountered a slow-moving work truck that was towing a Toyota Camry.

“It was going slow, but there are three lanes, so I went around him,” Berry said. “No honking. Nothing.”

About a half mile down the road, the other driver approached his window and berated him with expletives and anti-gay slurs, according to Berry.

“I roll my window down and he starts screaming at me,” he said. “I’ve been in LA for 15 years now, so it’s nothing too unusual, unfortunately … I do remember processing, I should probably not be sticking around for this. I don’t want to be stuck at a light with this guy.”

Berry said he drove through traffic, at times cutting people off, before stopping at the intersection of La Cienega and Obama Boulevard.

“I don’t see him anywhere,” Berry said. “I’m assuming I’m in the clear. But, next thing I know, my driver’s side mirror is getting kicked in, and a hand reaches in and opens my door and pulls me out of the car.”

The suspect threw him to the ground and beat him while other drivers watched, according to Berry.

“All lanes of cars were stopped,” Berry said. “Everyone’s just sitting there watching. No one really got out, as far as I could see. I think everyone was pretty freaked out.”

After the initial assault, Berry said the man came back and punched him three more times while he was trying to get a picture of the suspect and his license plate.

“I’m trying to wipe the blood off of my phone and get a good shot that’s usable for the police,” Berry said. “I can’t get the blood off in time. He comes back, and I get about three more hits to the head.”

The suspect drove away but got stuck in traffic, allowing Berry enough time to take a picture of the man and his license plate for the police.

The Los Angeles Police Department said the suspect was gone when they arrived, but they took a felony battery report for the incident. Paramedics took Berry to the hospital to treat a gash to his chin and bruises to his forehead. Police are still searching for the suspect.

Berry said he’s still rattled two weeks after the attack, and while he’s seen road rage incidents on social media, he never thought it could happen to him.

“I’ve never had anything like that happen in my life,” he said. “I just feel like there’s a lot of heat, a lot of hate, and I really honestly think we’re all a lot more alike … I just wish that this stuff would stop because this is a really beautiful community.”

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By Rachael Perry

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    PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (WPBF) — A viral social media challenge is raising concerns nationwide, including in communities on the Treasure Coast.

The trend is known as the door-kicking challenge, and officials are warning of both the dangers and legal consequences.

A homeowner in Port St Lucie recently posted a video to social media claiming someone was aggressively kicking and banging on their door overnight. They said the person appeared to be going to several homes in the neighborhood.

People in the comments quickly suspected it may have been teens taking part in the viral challenge.

WPBF 25 News caught up with Master Sgt Dominick Mesiti, who explained how the challenge works and what makes it so dangerous.

“You’ll either have juveniles or young adults tend to conceal their identity, maybe armed with a foe weapon or not, a pellet gun or a BB gun that looks real, and they attempt to kick in the front door of a residence during the middle of the night, alerting the residence at 2 a.m. or whatever have you,” Mesiti said.

He said the trend is especially dangerous in the state of Florida.

“We have the Stand Your Ground laws plus the Castle Doctrine, where you can use reasonable force up to and including deadly force to protect yourself. At 2 a.m., if somebody’s kicking your door in and you don’t know their intention, then it could end very, very poorly,” he said.

Two teens were arrested in Volusia County after officials said they were caught on camera, one wearing a mask, walking up to a home and kicking in the door before running away.

The Volusia County Sheriff, Mike Chitwood, said it’s “a good way to end up dead, especially in Florida.”

“You got to think you’re about to become a victim of a home invasion robbery, and you’re under a castle doctrine. You’re going to shoot first and ask questions later,” Chitwood told WESH 2 News. “You’re endangering your future with this TikTok challenge. You know, you’re going to be charged with a felony.”

Master Sgt. Dominick Mesiti echoed that by explaining the legal consequences.

“When you’re physically trying to kick in a door, you likely damage the door, which is criminal mischief. If you make entry into the home, you’re looking at a trespass at a minimum, maybe even a burglary charge, because your intent is obviously to scare or breach the peace. So, if there’s an intent to commit a crime within a home, that’s a burglary. So you’re looking at several different charges that you could be facing by attempting this type of, quote unquote, prank,” he said.

On top of the legal consequences, Mesiti said the threat to life is extremely concerning. He said the PSLPD hopes parents take the time to explain that to their children.

“Tell their children not to give in to peer pressure and educate them on what the consequences are legally and just in general, where they could be seriously injured or maybe even killed attempting to do such a prank,” he added.

When it comes to the use of force, Mesiti said it’s a case-by-case basis; however, he emphasized the importance of understanding the laws and being responsible gun owners.

“You need to know what your rights are as far as protecting yourself and your property. And there is a risk to it. Law enforcement will get involved, and we will conduct an investigation. It will go to a grand jury if there’s a death involved, and that’s up to a grand jury to decide if the homeowner did or did not properly utilize that kind of force,” Mesiti said.

To avoid that from happening, he said it’s important that people report these incidents to help law enforcement prevent a tragedy.

“Our goal is to prevent something from happening. We don’t want to have to make an arrest, especially if it’s a juvenile conducting a prank, but if they’re damaging property, if they’re intentionally trying to kick a door in, if they’re intentionally trying to scare people, there may be legal consequences,” he told WPBF.

He said after seeing cases nationwide of children and teens taking part in pranks like ding-dong ditching and being killed in the process, these conversations are crucial.

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By Romelo Styles

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    VIRGINIA BEACH (WTKR) — In the heart of Pungo, the sound of dirt bikes revving and tires spinning through dirt signals more than just family fun — it’s the beginning of what could become Virginia Beach’s newest community resource.

Mark Brown, a Virginia Beach father who has been riding dirt bikes for 30 years, is working to transform his backyard track into a formal youth training facility. Alongside his wife Somer, Brown wants to create a safe space where children ages 4 to 8 can learn proper riding techniques before heading to larger, more dangerous tracks.

“I’ve been riding ever since I was seven, so I’ve been riding for 30 years now,” Brown said.

The idea grew from watching his son Dayton, who has been riding since age 2, navigate the sport with natural ability.

“He’s never used training wheels or anything. His balance has just always been from the start — little balance bikes — and it’s kind of like a natural thing to him now when he’s riding. It’s his track now,” Brown said.

The Browns’ vision extends beyond their own family. After coaching their children’s T-ball and softball teams, they recognized a gap in youth dirt bike instruction in the area.

“We taught his T-ball team and our daughter’s softball team, and we were just sitting there thinking one day, you know, we should do this with the dirt bike stuff,” Brown said.

Currently, most local tracks mix young riders with adults on larger bikes, creating safety concerns for parents.

“A lot of the practice tracks we’d go to with him, it’s all size bikes. He’s riding with adults on bigger bikes — and I don’t feel safe with that. I really wanted a spot just for the little kids,” Brown said.

The family’s proposed training program would focus on safety fundamentals, teaching young riders proper techniques for turns, corners and basic riding skills in a controlled environment.

“Take mainly kids like within the 4 to 8-year-old range — kind of almost like T-ball. You have a group of them out here, be able to work with them individually — turns, corners, teaching them safety,” Brown said.

The response from local families has exceeded the Browns’ expectations.

“When we started, it was just an idea. Then people were like — please do this, my kid needs somebody to help,” Brown said.

The family is currently working with Virginia Beach city officials to obtain a conditional use permit that would allow them to convert their agricultural land into a small training facility.

“Yeah, I’ve spoke with a couple people, and so far I feel like it’s pretty positive,” Brown said.

If approved, the Browns hope to welcome young riders from across Virginia Beach, building both safety skills and confidence in the next generation of motocross enthusiasts.

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By WTKR Web Staff

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    VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia (WTKR) — A contractor was sentenced to 30 years in prison Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to raping an 11-year-old girls on three separate occasions.

Ricardo Mejia was hired to renovate a family’s bathroom but instead committed crimes against the child on three different occasions. He was charged with three counts of rape of a child under the age of 13, and for breaking into the home.

With a heavy accent that was difficult to understand at times, he addressed the court Tuesday before his sentencing to apologize.

“I know I am not the only one experiencing hard times,” said Mejia. “I’m sorry for the pain she is going through in this process.”

A search warrant outlines how on Oct. 9, 2024 around 2:30 a.m., the parents heard noises coming from their 11-year-old daughter’s bedroom. The door was locked and they got a butter knife to force it open. Then, they saw a naked man climbing out of the window, the warrant says.

Court records state that Mejia is accused of climbing through the window on three occasions. He confirmed this during an interview with legal authorities.

Mejia said the first rape took place when the child’s parents weren’t home, multiple days before he was caught. The second and third times happened at night in the child’s bedroom, according to court documents.

We previously interviewed Crime Analyst Richard James about this case.

“That that is a clear violation of trust for someone who clearly understands the layout of your home, how to get in your house, and how to get out of your home,” said James.

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By Shelley Bortz

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    PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It was a tense situation at Pittsburgh Colfax on Tuesday after a 7-year-old student in the school’s autistic support program briefly wandered away during recess. Staff and school police immediately jumped into action, and thanks to a retired teacher, that child is safe tonight.

Police say the little boy vanished just after noon during a game of hide-and-seek at Colfax elementary. That set off an immediate search that ended when a neighbor called 911.

Officials say it happened around 12:15 when a 7-year-old student left the school grounds without anyone noticing.

Once staff realized the child was missing, they immediately initiated a search of the building and the surrounding property. The school was placed on “hold” status, which means students stayed in classrooms while every locker, closet and restroom was searched.

It wasn’t until another student spoke up that it was learned the 7-year-old talked about “playing hide-and-seek” and “running far so they wouldn’t be caught.”

The student was finally found after knocking on a nearby neighbor’s door, which happened to be the home of a retired Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher.

That former teacher called 911, and within minutes, the child was reunited with his family.

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