Author: CNN Newsource

By Forrest Sanders

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    NASHVILLE (WTVF) — The damage from January’s ice storm is widespread, sadly, destroying a lot of familiar sights in the area. One woman is using her talents to make the best of the situation.

“What do you want to hear about Walter?” asked Jodi Buc, sitting on her front porch.

Buc was talking about a friend she’s known for a long time on Vaughns Gap Rd. in Nashville.

“I think he’s only about 65-years-old,” she said of Walter. “He covered the whole front yard!”

I should probably say Walter’s a tree. He’s been part of the family since Buc’s in-laws bought the house in the early 60s.

“A willow oak,” she said. “Bringing up the boys, I would get a little stressed. I would come out and just lean up against Walter and breathe.”

Buc’s an artist and has explored all different styles.

“My homage to Jackson Pollack,” she said, holding up a canvas.

Having Walter around served as inspiration. She loves creating trees in her work.

“It’s a tree I did in wire,” Buc said, holding up another piece. “I think it’s the first of several I’ve done.”

You’ve probably gathered all is not well with Walter. It was in the winter storm a few weeks ago, Buc’s husband heard the crash outside.

“He knew exactly what happened,” Buc said. “The day before they fully trimmed Walter down, I leaned up against him for a half hour. I just knew he was going to go, but I didn’t know it was going to be the next day.”

Walter was there through a lot of this long artistic journey Buc’s been on.

“Trees are special,” she nodded. “They’re alive.”

Buc does have a new friend.

“That’s Walter Jr.?” I asked, looking at a newly planted tree.

“Of course that’s Walter Jr.!” Buc answered.

Besides that, Buc wanted to give a little thank you to Walter.

On one of the pieces of wood waiting on the side of the road to be picked up, Buc painted a portrait of Walter. It faces the street for everyone who drives by.

“I had to do it,” she said. “I started it for myself because I was so sad. It took off. People kept stopping by. Being self taught, I’ve never really shown my work. This is really the first time the public has seen what I do.”

Buc said people are welcome to drive by and see this. It’s Vaughns Gap Rd. across from Saint Henry Catholic Church. She’s hoping she can find someone to saw the tree so that she can keep the art piece.

“Must have been a hundred people yelling out, ‘hey, that’s great’, or ‘we’re going to miss your tree!'” Buc said. “It’s made a lot of people happy. I think it really meant something to more than me and my family.

Thanks, Walter.

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 Robb Coles

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    NASHVILLE (WTVF) — Two years ago, Cari Hollis’ 26-year-old son Austin died during the first week of March.

He was a dance instructor at Arthur Murray in Nashville — and a registered organ donor.

On Saturday, the studio became the setting for an emotional reunion between Hollis and two strangers whose lives Austin saved.

Click here for more information on Hollis’ search to find the people who received her son’s organs.

Hollis first went through the traditional channels like Tennessee Donor Services to connect with people who received her son’s organs, then she reached out on social media.

She said she’s been on both sides of organ donation and can understand people’s hesitation when it comes to contacting the family of an organ donor.

Kathleen Moran received lungs from Austin Hollis via organ donation.

She had been given just months to live before she received the call that a pair of lungs had become available.

“He’s my angel, he’s my angel that saved my life,” said Kathleen Moran.

Moran said she had tried to reach out to Austin’s family but struggled to find the words.

“I tried writing her several times, but every time I tried to write, it was just over; I just couldn’t stop crying,” Moran said.

She traveled to Nashville from her home in Mississippi to meet with the Hollis family.

Chip Sayers received Austin Hollis’ liver.

He said he was close to death before the transplant.

“I was within hours of death,” Sayers said. “Austin checked a box on his license to become an organ donor, and I’m alive today because of that,” Sayers said.

The group gathered at Arthur Murray on Saturday — Austin’s favorite place — to meet for the first time and do his favorite thing: dance.

The group learned the Bachata, which was Austin’s favorite dance to teach.

Cari Hollis is still hoping to connect with other people who may have received Austin’s organs.

They would have received their organs on March 8, 2024.

Through donor services, she’s learned some information about the recipients, but communication can be difficult.

As for the recipients she’s already met, they’re planning to meet again, too.

“We’ve already started plans to go and visit them and their families,” Hollis said.

The Hollis family runs the Boo House, a charity outreach in honor of Austin and Cari’s father.

This story was reported on-air by journalist Robb Coles and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WTVF 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 Jeffrey Lindblom

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    NORTHVILLE, Michigan (WXYZ) — Maple syrup season is in full swing in Michigan, and Maybury Farm in Northville is inviting visitors to see exactly how it’s made — from identifying the right trees in the woods to watching fresh sap drip into buckets.

Weekend wagon rides beginning March 7 at the farm take guests out to the sugarbush, where educators walk them through the entire process.

Executive Director Diana Wallace said the experience is designed to be immersive.

“So that you can get the whole hour of education,” Wallace said.

The ride out is a leisurely one. Tractor driver Bryan Craft said he keeps a relaxed pace on purpose.

“Saving just a little bit for the drive home,” Craft said.

Once visitors reach the sugarbush, they trade the wagon for a walk through the snow and mud. Team Lead Educator Monica Nick leads the group in learning how to identify a maple tree — a task that’s trickier than it sounds when the trees have no leaves.

“How do you figure out what a maple tree is out here?” Nick said.

Without the tree’s signature red leaf, visitors have to look at the branch structure instead. Maple trees have what’s called “opposite” branching — meaning branches grow directly across from one another, rather than staggered.

After identifying the right trees, the group learns how to tap them. A spile is pushed into the tree at a 45-degree angle, about 2 inches deep, to allow the sap to flow freely.

Barn Supervisor Nat Wootton said the farm taps sugar maples specifically because of their higher sugar content.

“We tap sugar maples, they’re 2-3 percent sugar,” Wootton said.

Wootton said sugar maples have 2 to 3 times more sugar than a typical maple tree. He also said the current weather conditions make this the ideal time of year for syrup production — with freezing temperatures overnight and a thaw each morning creating the right environment for a steady sap flow.

“If you have a nice steady flow, it means that the weather is cooperating with you,” Wootton said.

The team checks the tapped trees to see how much sap has collected, dumps any contaminated contents, and lets visitors watch — and even taste — the fresh sap dripping from the spile.

From there, the sap heads into an evaporator, where it’s heated and boiled down. Water is cooked off, leaving behind the syrup.

Nick said the season and the color of the syrup are closely connected.

“Typically, maple syrup season is end of February to the end of March. In the first part of the season, you’ll get syrup that looks like very light,” Nick said.

As the season progresses, the syrup grows darker.

Michigan ranks 5th in the country for maple syrup production, and Maybury Farm wants visitors to feel connected to that legacy.

“We want people to experience maple syrup from Michigan,” Wallace said.

At the end of the tour, visitors get to sample a Michigan-sourced maple syrup.

———

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Scripps editorial team 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 Jessica Davis

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    CHESAPEAKE, Virginia (WTKR) — A Suffolk firefighter who was off duty helped stop a house fire from spreading in a Chesapeake neighborhood, and fire investigators say his quick thinking kept the damage to a minimum.

Joshua Baker was at home when a neighbor knocked on his door to alert him to the fire.

“I went to the door and she said, hey their house is on fire, it clicked immediately, I said I have my gear in the garage,” Baker said.

Baker suited up and ran across the street to the burning home, where the family had already evacuated to the front yard.

“I just completed turned out I went full pants, threw the hood on, threw the jacket on threw the helmet on and I took off down the street,” Baker said.

The homeowner told Baker the fire was in the room above the garage. Baker entered the home without a mask and found the first floor was clear before heading upstairs.

“I went up the stairs and slowly cracked that second door and when I did you can tell it was banked down probably to about your knees,” Baker said.

Baker then fought the fire from outside, using a ladder to reach the second floor and a garden hose to extinguish the flames.

“We went to the window, the window was there. We opened the screen up and just kinda started spraying water on it. I guess we hit a good portion of it enough to knock it down,” Baker said.

According to a press release, when Chesapeake Fire Department crews arrived, they found the fire had already been extinguished and worked to clear debris and smoke from the house.

Baker said he gives credit to the Chesapeake Fire Department and the community around him.

“We’ve got a great group of people who live here in the neighborhood I think everyone got everyone’s back they just knew in that instance okay this is the problem, we have somebody who can fix that problem, or might know a little bit better avenue,” Baker said.

No one was hurt. The neighbors who live in the home have found another place to stay. Chesapeake Fire Department says the fire was accidental.

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 Hatfield

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    PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (WPTV) — We learning construction is coming along for this new BMX track in Port St. Lucie. It’ll be in the new Tradition Regional Park and the city said it’ll be the first of its kind in the world.

I spoke to neighbor Lance Sparks, who’s been using the hills on the construction site as a bike ride. Sparks said the new track, can give him a new option.

“I don’t have to ride the dirt hills now,” said Sparks.

I went out on the track with Scott Samples of Port St. Lucie to look at the progress. Construction began last fall and is expected to be completed summer 2026.

The wood, the ramps and the turns on the track were all designed by a computer. The city said it’s the first track like this in the world.

“It’s the first time this has ever really been done,” said Samples. “Very unique. Really creates a very cool and for very specific type of track.”

Samples said it’ll be the first of it’s kind that is completely concrete and adaptive for anything on wheels.

“Not just BMX bikes, whether they want to skateboard, whether they want to do it on a scooter, whether they want to do it on a three wheeled recumbent bike, there’s a lot of opportunities,” said Samples.

He said the track will be open to the public.

“Something that we’re able to make more inclusive to everybody, instead of just a certain segment of the population,” said Samples.

The park will also include a learning center for young riders to learn road safety. The city said they also just received an agreement with U.S. BMX. Pending council approval, the track can host sanctioned U.S. BMX events.

“You’ll start to see people coming in from around the state, around the country, perhaps internationally, and that really helps us to grow our economy as well,” said Samples.

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 Matt Sczesny

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    WELLINGTON, Florida (WPTV) — A group of seniors in Wellington is keeping a classic New York street game alive, swinging rubber balls and reliving childhood memories on a South Florida parking lot turned ballfield.

A closed-off parking lot at Wellington’s Village Park might as well be a side street in Brooklyn, Queens or any other place where the players of the Palm Beach Senior Stickball League grew up.

“It means more than most people would ever understand. This is our life as a kid,” Barry Davis of the Palm Beach Senior Stickball League said.

Now in its 24th year, the league features players with various skills. They get together once a week for 9-inning games that usually take about an hour to play.

Bouncing a rubber ball to a hitter with a lean stickball bat, the hitters are limited to three swings, and hits are determined by automatic boundaries, and caught balls are outs.

“Sunnyside Queens, I was probably 10,” said John Huston about when he started playing.

At Friday’s game, the Legends defeated the Outkasts in the championship game.

“I enjoy it, makes me smile, it makes me laugh, I really, really enjoy it,” Huston, who plays for the Legends, said.

Many of the players come from neighborhoods across New York City and stopped playing after their teenage years, only to take it up now in South Florida.

“I can remember playing in Brownsville. We had a small schoolyard right behind my apartment building,” said Artie Kret.

The league plays both a summer and winter schedule in Wellington.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist. Portions have been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WPTV 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 Samantha Gutierrez

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    FELLSMERE, Florida (WPTV) — An animal rescue located on the Treasure Coast is looking to rebuild after 11 cats and a tortoise died in an early-morning fire.

Ted Pankiewicz thought he was hearing a rocket launch when a loud rumble woke him up. It was actually the cottages at his Fellsmere cat rescue, For the Love of Paws, that were up in flames.

The fire started around 5:30 a.m. Monday, trapping 15 cats and one tortoise. Investigators believe it was likely caused by an electrical issue, possibly a window air conditioning unit.

“Honestly thought it was a rocket launch… but I could see that, that there was like a glow,” Pankiewicz said.

Pankiewicz and his son searched for any animals they could reach. When they found four cats trapped in an outdoor kennel, Pankiewicz ran in to get them — burning his arms in the process.

“I was thinking at that point that there wasn’t anything I could do for them because it was completely engulfed,” Pankiewicz said.

One of the cats, Socks, caught fire as she ran toward him.

“My son yelled, ‘I think I hear one of the cats,'” Pankiewicz said. “Socks came running to me. When she came running to me, she caught on fire.”

The two ripped the kennel from the wall just before the flames spread.

“We were just yanking, yanking, yanking. We were finally able to rip it, rip the bolts out of the wall, and lift the kennel up, and we were able to get them out,” Pankiewicz said.

Four cats survived. Eleven cats and the tortoise did not.

“They might not have been our cats from the beginning, but you know, they become our babies,” Pankiewicz said.

The nonprofit is now asking the community for help as it works to rebuild from the ground up.

“We don’t know where to start,” Pankiewicz said.

We spoke with Pankiewicz, who said the community can help by volunteering, donating money or donating items to their thrift store.

“Any little bit of help, you know, that we can get at this moment. You know we really need it, because we’re hurting,” Pankiewicz said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WPTV 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 Cyera Williams

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    CALVERT COUNTY, Maryland (WMAR) — During Women’s History Month, Marine Corps veteran Sandy Vazquez is being recognized not only for her military service but also for the way she continues to uplift women in her community.

Vazquez, owner of SWT Fitness, created the women-only gym to be more than a workout space. She says it’s a place for women to support and empower each other.

“SWT Fitness is a women’s gym,” Vazquez said. “It’s all group fitness classes, but it’s more than that. It’s a community. It’s a sisterhood.”

Vazquez joined the U.S. Marine Corps at 18, serving eight years and leaving as a sergeant. She says the experience shaped who she is today.

“I always say I wasn’t born in 1969,” Vazquez said with a laugh. “I was born in 1987 when my feet hit those yellow footprints at Parris Island.”

The Marines, she says, taught her discipline, honor, and integrity—values she still carries today.

After leaving the military, Vazquez continued her career in public service.

In 2000, she joined the Anne Arundel County Police Department, becoming the department’s first Hispanic female officer. She went on to serve for 20 years.

“I’ve spent my whole life in a man’s world,” she said. “When COVID came around, it was my opportunity to retire and say, you know what—I want a women’s gym. I want a place where we can empower each other.”

That vision became SWT Fitness, which stands for Sistas Working Together.

Over the past five years, the gym has grown to nearly 300 members, offering group fitness classes that welcome women of all ages, shapes, and fitness levels.

“The hour they spend here—this is their time,” Vazquez said. “We spread ourselves so thin as women. We take care of everyone else first, and we take care of ourselves last. Here, they can focus on themselves.”

The workouts can be challenging, but Vasquez says empowerment is just as important as exercise.

“You’re going to sweat, but you’re also going to feel empowered and know that you matter here,” she said.

The discipline she learned in the Marines continues to influence how she runs her business.

“If you get knocked down, you have two choices,” she said. “You fall and stay down, or you get up and fight. That’s what I learned in the Corps—we don’t give up.”

Outside of the gym, Vazquez continues to mentor others as an ESL teacher, working with Hispanic students in Anne Arundel County. She says empowering the next generation is just as important to her as helping women find strength in the gym.

“I tell my kids they matter, they count, and they’re going to accomplish a lot of things,” she said. “And I’d love to give a shoutout to my Panthers in Anne Arundel County—you can do this.”

For Vazquez, Women’s History Month is a reminder of how far women have come—and how important it is to keep pushing forward.

“It’s important to celebrate the women who came before us,” she said. “They empower us to keep knocking down walls and keep going.”

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 Molly Demrow

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    KENTUCKY (WLEX) — Michael Sizemore thought he was having a normal weekend. He was outside building a chicken coop for his wife and three kids when he discovered a tick bite behind his knee.

“It was on a Saturday,” Sizemore said. “And I come to work Monday morning and go to work and then my leg itched right behind my knee. So I reached down and I was like, God, that itches, and I felt a welp. And I was like, what’s that? I pulled it up, there’s a tick.”

At first, he wasn’t concerned.

“I kept it and I made a joke and I was like, well, I was like, he may kill me, but I’ll kill him first,” Sizemore said.

But weeks later, his condition took a serious turn.

“Four weeks later, I’m sicker than a dog. I mean, I’m just, I can’t explain what was going on with me. I had terrible reflux and chills, no appetite. My heart rate was getting up to like 180 beats a minute,” Sizemore said.

A cardiologist at Baptist Health eventually identified the cause.

“He ran a tick panel and two days later, they called me on a Saturday and he said, or his assistant, she said, you have alpha gal syndrome. And I was like, you’re kidding? She said no,” Sizemore said.

Alpha gal syndrome is linked to certain tick bites and can trigger serious allergic reactions to mammal products.

“A lone star tick or a deer tick would feed on a mammal, and then when it bites another host, a human, it injects that molecule into the bloodstream of the host. So the immune system recognizes that and attacks it,” Sizemore said.

Ticks are most active in wooded areas and tall grass. Something as small as a single bite can trigger the condition, leaving people allergic to foods many eat every day.

For Sizemore, that reality has reshaped his daily routine.

“I can’t eat at any restaurants. I have to meal prep everything. I mean, me and my wife, every Saturday and Sunday, we meal prep everything for my week,” Sizemore said.

Now, Sizemore is pushing for better food labeling to help others living with the condition.

“Me and thousands of others would really appreciate it stuck on the label that it’s alpha gal friendly, you know, cause there’s, you know, vegan and dairy-free, soy-free. We have all that, gluten-free. We have all that. But it’d be really nice to have alpha gal friendly somewhere on there too,” Sizemore said.

For now, Sizemore says he is learning to live with alpha gal syndrome and holding out hope that a cure will one day be found.

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.