Author: CNN Newsource

By Juli McDonald

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    SEEKONK, Massachusetts (WBZ) — After the COVID lockdown, a Massachusetts couple decided to visit every city and town in the state. This year, they finally achieved their goal.

“I don’t think we’re done,” Jenny McBride said cheerfully, of her visits across some of our state’s most underrated communities.

“We look at this and see memories. I see Nantucket and think we went E-biking for the first time. I see Randolph, I rode a horse for the first time,” Jo Gray added.

351 cities and towns

Officially, they are “done”- crisscrossing the Commonwealth to visit each of the 351 cities and towns making up Massachusetts. This grand goal came to the Newton couple during the pandemic; out for some fresh air and heartbroken after their business closed for good.

“Same walk, same people, didn’t want to get close to people. We just got grumpy about it. We decided one day to take a walk in a different town,” they recalled.

And as the world opened back up, the adventure unfolded.

“Instead of what we can’t do, let’s see what we can do,” Jo explained.

Exploring while supporting small businesses

There were a few rules: they had to be together, and this wasn’t a drive-through. They researched, explored, and contributed to the local economy.

“Every time we came home, we were like, ‘We have to visit food!’ I got coffee from an independent roaster. I hadn’t bought coffee from a corporate place in so long,” Jo said proudly.

2025 was jam packed, but they delighted in the challenge.

“We still had Martha’s Vineyard, we still had Nantucket, we still had some Berkshire towns. By that point we were like we got this! We knew we were in the homestretch. Honestly, we kind of miss it already a little bit,” she said.

Even after living here for decades, they say discovering “home” helped them heal.

“It’s taught us that we can find goodness, we can find joyful moments everywhere. You just can’t prejudge a town until you go there and see it and talk to people and see what it has to offer,” Jenny said.

The women often left behind friendly cards to let locals know about their travels. If you’d like to learn more about their individual visits or find your town, visit their blog or find them on Instagram @Massachusetts351_jo_jenny

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 Pastorino

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — A partnership program between the UNO School of Music and the UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences is studying how music can help Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.

“When we develop Alzheimer’s and dementia, the part of the brain that processes music is relatively unaffected throughout all the stages of dementia. So, if someone hears a song that they heard in their 20s or 30s, it can automatically trigger a ton of different emotions and memories,” Mary Perkinson, founder and director of Music & Memory, said.

Music & Memory’s overall goal: to contribute to the lives of older adults.

UNMC neuropsychologist Vaishali Phatak says there are lots of types of memories, but studies show music specifically can evoke memories of experiences that occurred in a person’s life, known as autobiographical memories.

“We find the music that we have listened to in our late adolescence or early adulthood can provoke the most vivid memories,” Phatak said.

That is why during a Music & Memory session, you will hear songs from artists such as the Beatles and see audience members’ eyes light up at the sounds.

“As we start playing and doing the sessions, there’s this light of recognition in their eyes, and they’re connecting with us on a different level,” Perkinson said.

Songs are performed by both professional quartets and the UNO Maverick String Quartet.

Perkinson says they hope those students are inspired to create programs like this of their own as they progress academically.

Members in the audience do more than listen at these sessions; they perform along with the music.

“I think it’s their minds going back and just having a clear recognition. They can smell the memory, they can feel the memory, they can touch the memory, and it’s like right in front of them. It’s the power of music that does that,” Perkinson said.

If you would like to support the Music & Memory program, click here.

Perkinson says all donations go toward research and the program’s growth.

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 Forrest Sanders

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    FRANKLIN, Tennessee (WTVF) — One man’s new Christmas tradition is quite the tribute to his city. It’s something that takes a whole lot of patience, but people are loving how it’s all turning out.

“People are always pretty surprised when they hear it’s just Styrofoam, Elmer’s, and paint!” said Gregg Zollinger, meticulously working on a piece.

Zollinger lives in Franklin. He loves downtown.

“We love the energy that it has,” he said. “I love seeing the old buildings.”

A few years ago, when Zollinger’s wife was looking to buy a little Christmas Village, Zollinger had this idea. What if downtown Franklin became something of a muse to create a Christmas Village himself?

“I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be cool if all the buildings in our Christmas Village were these great downtown Franklin buildings with so much history and connection to where we live?'” he said.

Zollinger’s miniature Styrofoam recreations include Franklin Theatre and Gray’s on Main.

Zollinger started doing these Christmas 2020. Every Christmas since then, he’s done another recreation of a downtown Franklin building. There are now five miniatures.

I asked Zollinger how he got started doing this kind of art. I did not expect his answer.

“Growing up I played Dungeons & Dragons!” he said.

A few years ago, Zollinger decided he’d paint the figures that came with the game and then add a few things of his own like tiny trees and rocks.

“It is unusual, but you can kinda see how it connects!” he laughed. “It’s still miniatures and painting and art and craft.”

He just kept getting better at this. When the Christmas Village started, Zollinger was zeroing in on the details around the city.

“It’s probably about 50 hours I spend on each one of them, a little more, a little less,” Zollinger said.

He captures the texture of bricks. He even added some movies to the Now Showing banner of his Franklin Theatre miniature. These are the things that make it all come alive.

“That’s the main reason it takes so long!” Zollinger laughed.

As he decides what downtown building to take on next year, Zollinger continues a tribute to a city using skills learned through playing Dungeons & Dragons. It’s all now a Christmas-time tradition and gift for his wife. It’s all about the details.

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 Daisy Kershaw

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — This Christmas marks a special milestone for one local woman, as she turned 100.

Helen Barhorst is celebrating 100 years of life, 100 birthdays and 100 Christmases, well-lived and well-loved.

She said it’s that love that keeps her going.

“It’s unbelievable that I’m still here. I never in my life thought I would live to be a hundred,” said Helen.

On her centennial, generations of her family gathered to celebrate her.

“It’s tremendously special,” said daughter Nancy Cooper. “I’ve never known anyone to live to 100, and to be related to someone.”

Helen is creating memories and magic for those she loves.

“I look back at all the memories she’s created not only for me but really for her family,” said Diana Barhorst.

Ten decades of memories, 10 decades of history — history the Barhorsts were part of.

Helen’s late husband, Walter Barhorst, served during WWII.

“My husband was in the Air Force, and he flew 45 missions, and thankfully, he was not hurt,” she said.

She has loved and lost.

“Buried two sons, which broke my heart,” said Helen.

This now great-grandmother knows how precious time is, and she knows time with the people we love, however much we get, is the ultimate gift.

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 Cecil Hannibal

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    SACRAMENTO COUNTY, California (KCRA) — This Christmas, the Sacramento region experienced stormy weather, but residents still found ways to enjoy the holiday with family and friends.

“This time of year we get big trees and lots of leaves,” said East Sacramento resident David Macko as he and his neighbor Greg Dyer took on clean-up duties.

Dyer, who was cooking for a large family gathering, said, “Yeah, it kind of interrupted the cooking schedule. I’m cooking for 16, a lot of people, four daughters, and a lot of in-laws and grandkids.”

While some were busy unclogging gutters, travelers in the Sierra encountered more snow than expected.

Stew Munnerlyn, traveling to Truckee for Christmas, said, “We’re trying to get up to Truckee but having a little trouble here,” as his family was stuck in a traffic jam on Interstate 80.

Despite the challenges, Munnerlyn found joy in the journey, sharing, “We got the kitty through Tasha, it’s her first road trip, her first time seeing snow, really.”

In Folsom, families enjoyed a break in the clouds. Josh Simister, a Folsom dad, expressed, “Christmas is spending time with family and this little gift right here,” as he held his 3-year-old daughter. “We all wore matching pajamas, which only I am still wearing.”

Four-year-old Catherine Adams from Folsom was excited about her gifts on Christmas Day.

“It’s Santa, but it’s pajamas,” she said, as she showed off her new matching pajamas and shared her delight in receiving a building set and a robot set.

Despite the stormy weather, the holiday spirit remained strong, reminding everyone that Christmas is about cherishing time with loved ones.

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.