Author: CNN Newsource

By Paul Burton

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — The 32nd annual Jimmy Fund Clinic Summer Festival took place on Sunday, giving cancer patients and their families the chance to experience Franklin Park Zoo in Boston as one community.

“When you’re battling cancer, you have different things happening,” said Lisa Scherber, the director of patient and family programs for the Jimmy Fund. “Maybe you’re in a wheelchair, you’ve lost your hair, maybe you’ve lost a limb. We just want our families to be safe and together.”

“It’s a cool experience, it takes my mind off a lot of stuff,” said Greg Nekrourian, who was diagnosed with cancer three months ago. Now his entire life has changed. He took in the giraffes with other cancer patients.

“I’m 21 years old and I was told that I have T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. And at that point, when I got diagnosed, I was relatively healthy,” said Nekrourian. “When I see younger kids, I say those are true warriors. It feels like you’re not alone. This can be a lonely journey.”

Organizers said 3,500 people took part in the amazing experience impacting more than 600 families. One of the purposes is to bring patients together who are going through cancer with those who have already overcome it.

“The nurses come, our physicians come, front desk staff come, we get to see the kids that are just thriving and kids that we saw in an infusion chair on Friday, they’re here today,” said Scherber. “To see kids that are five years out, 10 years out, 20 years out and you are standing at the giraffes with them and you can start talking. That’s what it’s all about.”

The festival is held to mark September as Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.

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By JT Moodee Lockman

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — Baltimore Police and community members helped to return a herd of lost goats to their home on Saturday, officials said.

Officers said they were called to the 3000 block of Frederick Avenue for a reported “animal disturbance.”

Police arrived to find several goats grazing on grass in the area.

More officers and animal control officials responded and began wrangling the goats to a confined area, and attaching them to leashes, police said.

Kids and neighbors in the community assisted officers in returning the goats to their home nearly a block away, police said.

Rescuing four-legged friends

This is not the first time that first responders have been called to help animals in Maryland.

In early August, Baltimore County firefighters were called to rescue a 32-year-old horse named John after he escaped from his owner’s property and fell into a hole.

Crews responded to a home in Reisterstown where John was found stuck in an 8- to 10-foot hole. A local two-company provided a crane, which was used to lift John out of the hole.

Nearly 30 Baltimore and Howard County firefighters responded to the scene to assist in the horse rescue.

In July, more than 40 dogs were rescued after a tip about inhumane conditions inside a Harford County home, the sheriff’s office said.

“No water, feces in the cage and the house, and the house was hot,” Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. “As far as domestic animals, it is the most disgusting case we have dealt with.”

In a similar case in August, nearly 100 dogs and puppies were rescued from a puppy mill in Harford County, according to the Humane World for Animals.

The rescue prompted an investigation by the sheriff’s office.

“It’s an overwhelming, heartbreaking scene—you couldn’t walk a few feet without stepping around dogs or slipping in their waste,” said Stacy Volodin, Maryland state director of Humane World for Animals.

The animals were taken for treatment, the organization said.

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By Loureen Ayyoub

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    SAN FRANCISCO, California (KPIX) — In the still waters of an indoor swamp nestled within the California Academy of Sciences, a ghostly figure glides just beneath the surface. Claude, the museum’s beloved albino alligator, marks a rare and remarkable milestone this week: his 30th birthday.

Born without melanin, Claude’s brilliant white appearance is due to albinism, a genetic condition that renders him both visually striking and highly vulnerable in the wild. In nature, his lack of camouflage and sensitivity to sunlight would make survival nearly impossible. But here in San Francisco, Claude has not only survived, he’s become a local legend.

“Claude has become this massive icon to the San Francisco community,” said biologist Jessica Witherly, one of the Academy’s animal caretakers. “Everyone loves him and his story. He’s got two children’s books. And we get news articles or info from kids across the United States saying how much they love Claude. So he’s kind of become this iconic character.”

The California Academy of Sciences is home to more than 38,000 live animals, but none quite like Claude. Since arriving in 2008, the reptile rescue has become a cornerstone of the Academy’s Steinhart Aquarium. His docile nature and striking appearance draw countless visitors every year.

“All of our animal care biologists take care of different animals here,” Witherly explained. “So, some days, I’m looking at starfish under the microscope and other days I am climbing into this pit and feeding Claude with my other caretakers.”

This week, the Academy hosted a birthday celebration in Claude’s honor—complete with a swamp-themed party, enrichment treats, and plenty of adoring fans. The festivities highlighted not just Claude’s longevity but the dedication of the team that has ensured his continued health and comfort.

“Claude would not survive in the wild as an ambush predator,” Witherly said. “Everyone would be able to see him, they’d unfortunately eat him. And also, he would get sunburned and turn into a very uncomfortable pink alligator.”

Instead, he receives regular checkups, environmental enrichment, and even gentle scrubs to help maintain his scales. His calm demeanor makes him a favorite among staff and visitors alike.

“He’s a very calm guy,” Witherly said. “A lot of people don’t think he’s real because he doesn’t move that much. But I’ve never been scared. Luckily, at the Cal Academy, we train our staff and have tons of opportunities, so we feel very confident and comfortable whenever we’re working with our animals.”

Though Claude may be one of a kind, in the heart of San Francisco, he’s found a home where he’s celebrated just the way he is.

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By Dillon Thomas

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    FORT COLLINS, Colorado (KCNC) — Those who are battling cystic fibrosis may be one step closer to having less invasive care thanks to research being conducted at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Students and staff are working on a technology that will allow doctors and patients to better understand a subject’s condition without having to do otherwise timely and invasive scans.

The research is funded, in part, by CSU football head coach Jay Norvell and his wife, Kim.

“My wife, Kim, was born with Cystic Fibrosis, which is a chronic disease,” Jay said. “When she was a child, her doctors told her she may not live until kindergarten.”

However, decades later, Kim has been by Jay’s side as he navigates the career of a university-level football coach. While Kim helps support Jay and his endeavors on the field, Jay is helping Kim navigate her personal battle with cystic fibrosis.       

“We’ve been fighting this disease as a couple,” Jay said.

Part of that effort has been through supporting the national research foundation, as well as research being conducted on their local university campus. That’s how the couple was introduced to Jennifer Mueller and her research students.

Working alongside one other university, the team has helped develop a technology that allows for live digital scans of a patient’s lungs.

“This is an electrical impedance tomography system,” Mueller said as one of her students stood nearby wearing the sensors for the system.

By taping a series of sensors and wires to a patient, a computer is able to create a video scan that shows blood flow and airflow in and out of the lungs in real time.

“As the heart beats, we will see blood flow changes between the heart and the lung,” Mueller said.

Cystic fibrosis symptoms can vary, but often include thick mucus buildup in the lungs, which can impact oxygen and blood flow. The system being developed at CSU allows for a non-invasive scan of the lungs to look for symptoms.

Mueller said, oftentimes, doctors today will ask their patients to receive either an MRI or a CT scan. Those at times can come with exposure to radiation or even require anesthesia.

Mueller said their development will allow people as young as premature babies to be better scanned while also being able to stay awake.

“So, it gives more information (with video as opposed to a still image),” Mueller said.

“They have been doing a great job, and Jennifer’s research is really going to help us,” Kim said.

Mueller said she hopes to have the technology available for doctors and patients nationwide within the next five years.

“It is right here. It is so close,” Kim said. “I think this will be really helpful in the future for CF patients. Just seeing it live in live time. Because up until now, we can’t.”

Jay said he loves being able to see the success of the university on both the athletic and educational sides.

“To be able to meet students and professors that are actually putting their own research efforts into helping cystic fibrosis, and that being done on this amazing campus, we just felt it was natural for us to support that,” Jay said.

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By Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield

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    MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — There’s something to be said about staying in touch with old friends, but four friends have done it against the greatest of odds.

Sandy Robertson, Terri Naab, Shari Hamlin and Priscilla Bauer gather on the shores of Lake Minnetonka at Maynard’s, traveling across the country, to commemorate each year they are still alive.

“They said, ’60/40, 60 you are gonna die.'” Bauer said.

It was when they were all facing their mortality that they first faced each other at Methodist Hospital’s oncology ward.

“We were all sitting next to each other in that radiation room. At first, we were just polite to each other and we all just started talking,” Bauer said.

They named their new social circle, the R-Gang, all in radiation at the same time.

Sometimes, the conversations were light, but sometimes they were heavy.

“After the whole breast cancer diagnosis, I said, ‘What am I doing in sales? I need to write.’ And so I quit my sales job and started writing,” Bauer said.

They still share perspectives every year and remember the two friends they lost along the way. Judy and Shirley died of other illnesses. Sherry, the youngest, died of cancer.

“She was very young, she got married in September and died in March,” Bauer said. “We all went to the wedding. It was one of the most beautifully sad events that I have ever been to. She was so special to us.”

The women say they are still so special to each other.

“Even though it was tragic and horrible, it was one of the best times in my life because I met these people,” Naab said.

“I will never let go of these girls, no, there’s just no way,” Hamlin said.

The ladies are all cancer-free and thriving. They’ll reunite again next year at Maynard’s.

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By Megan Shinn

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — From the hay and the woodchips to the squeaks and the “wheeks,” Julene Robinson’s got a full house of rescue guinea pigs. She said people now know her as the guinea pig lady.

Robinson opened Wheek Care Guinea Pig Rescue and became the nonprofit’s executive director in 2017.

“I started getting people, ‘oh, you have a guinea pig, take mine, you have a guinea pig, take mine,'” said Robinson.

“It just kind of fell into place,” she said.

After someone gave her a guinea pig as a pet, she learned all she could.

“Once you get the pattern down to taking care of them, it’s a piece of cake,” she said.

Now she’s rescued over 200 just this year.

“They do mean a lot to me because they’ve been thrown away. They are discards,” she said.

These precious pets are discarded by people who can’t provide for them, don’t have the space, or changed their minds.

“We work a lot with the humane society across the United States,” said Robinson.

An estimated 1.5 million families in America own a guinea pig. They’re social pets with an average life span of five to eight years, but sometimes people abandon them or need some help tending to them.

Robinson said she gets them healthy at the vet, provides a safe space, nourishment and hopefully a new home. More than two dozen volunteers make caring for all the rescue pets possible.

“Just incredible, it adds so much joy to my life,” said volunteer Sarah Steranka.

It’s a labor of love that comes with responsibility and a drive to help hundreds of our smallest household pets find a forever home.

“Do your education, that’s the best thing that anybody can do,” Robinson told KDKA-TV anchor Megan Shinn.

She suggests people try to keep their guinea pigs housed if they can.

Before getting a guinea pig, she welcomes people to visit her nonprofit and learn from her. Robinson said she also suggests looking for a vet who treats exotic pets specifically. Wheek Care Guinea Pig Rescue will also help you find a vet or provide supplies if you’re going through an emergency.

The next event for Wheek Care Guinea Pig Rescue is set for Sept. 20th, at Deer Lakes Park on Bailey’s Run Road from noon to 4 p.m. It’s called a “pignic.” For details on the event and how to contact the nonprofit, visit their website.

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By Jessica Riley

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — An animal rescue in Tarentum has installed a 24/7 microchip scanner, making it easier to help lost pets be reunited with their owners.

The scanner is installed outside Paws Across Pittsburgh’s rescue house on East Sixth Avenue. It means people who find a lost pet don’t have to wait until a vet’s office or shelter opens.

“The easiest way if you lose your pet for somebody to get it back to you is a chip,” said Jackie Armour, the president and founder of Paws Across Pittsburgh.

The new microchip reader has step-by-step instructions. After scanning the pet and finding the microchip, you can search it in a nationwide registry. From there, the registry connects you to the chip company and ultimately the owners.

Paws Across Pittsburgh said microchipping is important, and they’re looking to expand to other locations.

“Most people think their pet will never get lost until their pet gets lost. So regardless, if the cat’s inside, what if the cat gets outside?” Armour said.

Paws Across Pittsburgh says if your pet isn’t microchipped just yet, they recommend that you get it done.

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By Katie Houlis

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    NEW YORK CITY, New York (WCBS) — Hundreds of people named “Ryan” gathered in New York City on Saturday in an attempt to break a world record, while raising money for a good cause at the same time.

The second ever “Rytoberfest” was held at Torch and Crown in Union Square. The event was organized by Ryan Meetup, an organization that aims to one day break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people with the same first name.

“It’s crazy seeing this many Ryans in one place, and I don’t know. It’s so unreal … Everyone has the same name as you,” said Ryan Clapham, who traveled from Australia for the event.

All proceeds from the event went to the Ryan Callahan Foundation, which was started by former New York Rangers Captain Ryan Callahan to raise money for pediatric cancer patients and their families.

The first Rytoberfest was held in New York City in October 2023 and was attended by over 200 Ryans.

Ryan Meetup has organized various events across the country. The organization’s website stresses that participants’ first name must be Ryan – no Bryans or people with the last name Ryan – though alternate spellings are acceptable.

The current Guinness World Record holder for the largest gathering of people with the same first name was set in 2017 when over 2,000 people with the first name “Ivan” got together in a town in the Balkans.

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By Ryan Yamamoto

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    BERKELEY, California (KPIX) — A buyback program offering cash to people living in their RVs may become a model after the City of Berkeley effectively cleared out a homeless encampment this past January.

It was so successful that UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative began a study to understand what works and what doesn’t work when asking people to move from an encampment into a shelter.

For several years, Mike Jones had lived in his van at the notorious encampment on 2nd Street between Cedar and Page, until this past January, when he accepted an offer to get off the streets.

“The program chose me, I won’t say I chose the program, they came around, they had a plan, and I needed change,” said Jones.

The change came in the form of cash payment for his van, but also his own room at the Capri Motel on University Avenue, where, after several months working with outreach workers, he is now eligible to move into housing.

“I’m waiting for placement, now,” said Jones. “They helped me get my affairs in order, paperwork, Social Security Card, ID, and even my birth certificate.”

Jones is one of 56 residents, according to the UCSF study, who decided to sell their vehicle and move out of the 2nd Street encampment that the City of Berkeley had marked as a top concern.

“I think there is only one word to describe it, which was dangerous,” said Peter Radu, who serves as manager for the city of Berkeley’s Neighborhood Services. “Scattered needles, raw sewage, active rodent burrows, you name it.”

According to city documents, between August 2023 and July 2024, police were called to the encampment 369 times — 33.1% for high-priority calls. The fire department was called 81 times — 38 for fires and 43 for medical emergencies.

Instead of just clearing the encampment, the city of Berkeley, through the state’s Encampment Resolution Fund, offered cash for people’s RVs, $175 per linear foot, $5,250 for a 30-foot vehicle.

The deal came with a few conditions. Residents would receive 15% of the cash payment up front when they moved into the motel, and the rest of the cash once their vehicle was towed. And if they choose not to stay, they could keep the 15%, no questions asked.

“If folks are really attached to this RV as their last remaining asset, that asset is not liquid. What if we liquefy that asset for them in the in the form of a cash payment?” said Radu. “And we found that overwhelmingly, for 29 out of the 32 vehicles that we targeted, the answer to that was, yes.”

The motel room also provided residents, a sense of security and privacy, and a place to store their belongings.

“We had seen how the use of motels and other non-congregate spaces where people have the dignity of their own private room compels folks who are, you know, previously reluctant to engage with homeless shelters to accept our offer and to move inside,” said Radu.

Jones admits if he were offered a traditional shelter bed, he would have declined the offer.

“The rooms are beautiful, you get a shower, you got microwaves, fridge freezer in there,” said Jones.

The motel, which is operated by the nonprofit Dorothy Day House, also provides meals, additional storage, a bike parking lot and allows people to bring their pets. The real goal is to get residents out of the motel and through the lengthy process of permanent housing.

“We’ve had four to five different people that have moved into permanent housing,” said Dorothy Day House Program Director Roshone Atkins. “We’ve also had some people reunite with family, which is really important because a lot of times when you’re out, in an encampment, you’re disconnected from your children or your sisters and brothers. And so, they have had the opportunity to reconnect with family.”

Jones said the staff treat him and the other residents who moved from the encampment with respect.

“They don’t look at you in a down way in nothing,” he said. “They understand, you know, because it could be them one day. You just never know.”

The city is now looking to replicate the program by clearing a series of RV encampments in West Berkeley around Grayson St. and Dwight Way.

Currently, they are working to secure funding to master lease a 32-room motel, contract with Dorothy Day house, and pay for another RV buyback.

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By Meredith Bruckner

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    MICHIGAN (WWJ) — A program launched by a Metro Detroit woman is having a life-changing impact on college students.

Community Living Centers employs students to care for other students with disabilities on their college campuses. Executive director Lisa Murrell launched the program 11 years ago.

“I was approached by a young man in a wheelchair, and he told me that he had just graduated from high school with honors,” said Murrell. “He had been accepted to the University of Michigan. He wanted to live on campus and go to games at the Big House like his dad did, and — would I help him?”

Alexia Steinberg and Abraham Mansuroglu have been working together for a year and a half.

“I have someone with me 24/7,” said Mansuroglu. “I’d say in the morning, I have someone help me get out of bed, shower, brush teeth, go to the bathroom.”

“It’s never really awkward because Abe’s so funny,” said Steinberg, who hopes to become a physician assistant. “I know that hands-on care and working with people like Abe will help me become a successful caregiver one day.”

Aside from practical experience gained through caregiving, students on both sides of the program said they were grateful for the friendships they made while navigating college together.

“I remember while we were going through the hiring process, Lisa said, ‘You all live the same lives,'” said sophomore Mel Malczewski. “And that’s really stuck with me. Because, you know, since having student caregivers, I realized that everyone really is living the same lives here.”

“I’ve really enjoyed caring for other students,” said Gabriela Rodriguez, who works with Malczewski. “Mel is a couple years younger than me, and I wouldn’t have met them otherwise, so it’s been a really nice experience to meet a student and a friend.”

In total, the program serves 10 students who need 24/7 care at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Central Michigan University and Hope College.

The center employs more than 110 student caregivers to help the students with every aspect of their lives.

“It’s honestly been super nice to be a caregiver but also be a friend,” said Steinberg. “Abe and I text even not with our shifts. He really has become a friend and someone who I can just lean on and trust with anything.”

“All of high school, I had someone who was a lot older than me, and it was fine. They were helpful,” said Mansuroglu. “But at the same time, it was a little bit strange just going around with sometimes 60-year-olds and 70-year-olds … I feel like now it’s just different, whereas now I’m a friend with my caregivers and we hang out at the same time as them helping me, so I enjoy it.”

Murrell said the bonds the students and student caregivers create are lifelong.

“They end up being in each other’s weddings,” she said. “One of the young men is the godfather to several of his former staff members’ children. They’re family. We create families.”

To learn more about the program, visit the Community Living Centers website.

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