Author: CNN Newsource

By Gabriel Thomas, Rachael Lardani

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    Pennsylvania (WGAL) — Employees with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission packed care boxes Thursday for survivors of human trafficking in the Susquehanna Valley as part of an annual outreach effort.

According to organizers, survivors often lack essentials when they are rescued, making the donated care boxes a vital resource.

“They are packed with essential items that they don’t have when they are rescued off the street. It gives them something they can hold on to, a sense of hope, and shows them that someone cares,” said Deb Lehan, PA Turnpike Commission Employee.

Advocates say human trafficking can happen anywhere and are encouraging the public to learn ways to recognize when someone may need help.

One tool is the universal hand signal for distress: Hold one hand up with the palm facing outward, tuck the thumb into the palm, then fold the fingers down over the thumb.

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 Peyton Headlee

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    VACAVILLE, Calif. (KCRA) — The Islamic Center in Vacaville is hoping to build a new 6,600-square-foot, three story mosque to address the community’s growth, sparking mixed reactions from residents during a meeting at the McBride Senior Center.

The current Islamic Center is a green house on the corner of Bush Street near Monte Vista Avenue.

“As our community has grown, so has the need for a larger and more accommodating mosque,” said the architect, Rob Sesar, during a presentation at a neighborhood meeting about the proposed build.

He presented detailed plans for the mosque, including its proposed height, number of parking spaces, and usage.

He also addressed concerns from neighbors, particularly about noise, stating, “There will be no external speakers or amplified sound methods used at the proposed Islamic center.”

As far as concerns about parking, he said the mosque will have 37 parking spaces on site to serve peak prayers and events.

Community members expressed both concerns and support during the meeting.

One resident noted, “The tower is over 60 feet tall. There is nothing compatible with 60 feet and higher in that same area.”

Another emphasized the importance of worship, saying, “We just want to be able to worship just like everyone else worships in the community.”

Others called for further studies, with one community member stating, “We do need to do a traffic impact study. We need to do an environmental impact study on noise ordinance and how that’s going to effect the community and how does this fit in with what Vacaville has a master plan.”

Another saw the proposal as an opportunity for engagement, saying, “I think this is an opportunity for the Muslim community to engage with our neighbors but it’s also an opportunity for our neighbors to engage and learn from the Muslim community.”

The city explained that the meeting is part of the development review process, aiming to provide community members with a clearer picture of the proposal, to answer questions, and gain feedback.

“We’re trying to handle this project in a manner that is respectful of the community that’s proposing it as well as the community of Vacaville and it’s like we would do with any other church or other religious use,” Erin Morris said.

Next steps involve staff continuing to evaluate the project, including environmental assessments and traffic studies. The proposal will go first to the planning commission for a formal hearing, but if community members or proponents aren’t happy with the decision, it could be appealed to council for a final decision.

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 Amari Saxton

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    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KOAT) — Today, the Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation gave KOAT a behind the scenes in preparation for their annual Daffodil Days fundraiser.

Volunteers, including KOAT’s Royale Da, created stunning bouquets for the annual fundraiser in support of the Robert Wertheim Hospice House.

The organization provides a home away from home for New Mexico residents needing end-of-life care. Friday’s fundraiser is set to bring together more than 200 volunteers and to prepare and sell 90,000 daffodils at pop-up shops at locations like Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Santa Fe from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We’re always looking for more volunteers. It’s great to bring the community together. Every year, we’re open to having as many volunteers as we can get our hands on. It feels good to help others and to know exactly what 100 percent of the efforts and money is coming and where it’s going to.”

The foundation says last year it brought in a little over $251,000, raising over $4 million for the facility since the fundraiser began.

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 Felix Cortez

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    HOLLISTER, Calif. (KSBW) — Hollister is considering removing Cesar Chavez’s name from public spaces after a New York Times report accused him of sexual assault and molestation.

Hollister Mayor Roxanne Stephens, who lives near Avenida Cesar Chavez, expressed her emotional struggle with the situation.

“For me, I have a heavy heart and it will be very difficult to pass by that sign every day. I can only imagine the sentiments of victims of sexual assault,” Stephens said.

Stephens has called for a special council meeting on Thursday to discuss whether the street and a proposed park named after Chavez should be changed.

“Whether it’s appropriate to have any structures that are part of the city honoring an individual who engaged in victimizing women and young girls. So we have to think about that,” Stephens said.

Hollister is one of the first cities to publicly debate the removal of Chavez’s name from schools, parks, and streets, following the report that accused him of sexually assaulting women and children, with the youngest alleged victim being 12 years old.

A local man, Scott Leifheit, suggested renaming the spaces for other advocates.

“If he’s being accused of something of wrongdoing, maybe they can, you know, rename it for other people who fought the cause. You know, instead of Cesar Chavez,” Leifheit said.

However, another Hollister resident, Yvonne Sanchez, urged caution.

“You know, we got to take maybe more time to look at all the facts because what he did was great. And so we can’t just say one thing takes away from that. Also,” Sanchez said.

The special council meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall in Hollister. It will serve as a listening session to provide direction on the possible removal of Chavez’s name from a city street and a proposed park.

Should the city decide to proceed, it will be an action item set for a later date. Similar discussions are expected to occur in other city councils across the state.

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 Caleb Barnes

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    KENTUCKY (WLEX) — A traveling piano tuner is bringing his skills to underserved communities as the number of piano tuners in the United States continues to shrink.

Tim Arbisi calls himself the piano doctor. He is self-taught and travels the country tuning pianos in areas where finding a tuner has become increasingly difficult.

“I am the piano doctor,” Arbisi said.

The field of piano tuning has seen a dramatic decline. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were roughly 12,000 piano tuners working across the country. That number has since dropped to fewer than 7,000.

“We had about 12,000 piano tuners in the United States, which is, it’s not a lot, but it’s enough. Now on this side of COVID, we have less than 7,000,” Arbisi said.

That shortage has left many pianists struggling to find someone to service their instruments. Glen, a pianist at Mount Gilead Baptist Church in Lexington, said the church’s concert piano had gone more than a decade without being tuned.

“It has been a while since we’ve had our concert piano tuned. Um, so it’s probably been over 10 years or so, and it was time for that,” Glen said.

Glen said finding a tuner locally has not been easy.

“We would have to go all the way to Ohio to, to grab someone, and then they would put you on a schedule. So what I’ve noticed is that you would have to wait,” Glen said.

Arbisi said the piano presents a unique challenge among musical instruments because players have no way to tune it themselves.

“Every musician wants their instrument to sound the best that they can, and piano is the one instrument that musicians play that they, they don’t know how to tune. Think about that. If you play a guitar or any other instrument, you know how to tune it, but with piano, piano players don’t tune pianos, they just sit down and play them,” Arbisi said.

That gap is what drives Arbisi to keep moving. He said traveling to underserved areas allows him to help a large number of musicians in a single trip.

“I realized, you know what, if I get to some of these areas that are completely underserved, well, there’s so many to do that I can walk in and, and it would be a huge, a huge windfall, and I would help so many people,” Arbisi said.

This week, Arbisi made six stops in Lexington and seven in Bowling Green before heading to his next destination.

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 Sean Daly

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    YBOR CITY, Fla. (WFTS) — Odelma Matos is the Queen of Ybor City, a 4th-generation Cuban cigar roller whose image adorns every inch of wall space at La Faraona Cigar Factory and Lounge.

And this Saturday at 2 p.m., Odelma will do what no one in her famous family — in fact, no one anywhere on the planet — has ever done:

Roll a 465-foot cigar, a new world record.

The previous record? 295 feet.

“This is important to me, my heritage,” she says. “This is good for Ybor City, too.”

As part of Tampa Cigar Week, a celebration of the city’s rich history, especially the strong Cuban influence, Odelma’s epic cigar will snake down several blocks of historic 7th Avenue. The event is free to attend.

In the early 1900s, Ybor City earned its nickname of “Cigar Capital of World,” by pumping out 600 million cigars a year — at the time, more than the entire country of Cuba.

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 Will Thomas

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    NAGS HEAD, N.C. (WTKR) — The sounds of good old-fashioned camaraderie — a drill cutting into plastic, equipment being assembled — could all be heard at Jim Troutman’s house on Tuesday. Gathered around a table were members of the Outer Banks Anglers Club, building devices to tackle an environmental issue in our waterways.

“The purpose of this is to collect the monofilament, the fishing line that is discarded, sometimes in gnarled knots, and keep it out of the waterways, keep it off the beaches. It does impact our wildlife, it can get wrapped around propellers, and these anglers have boats, and they don’t want that to happen. So this is a great opportunity for people to have a place to distribute it, store it,” said Debbie Swick, a member of the club.

News 3 has introduced you to Swick in the past on her efforts to ban mass balloon releases in North Carolina. She’s now teaming up with fellow members of the Anglers Club for this mission.

“To be able to utilize my membership with this wonderful club and these wonderful people that are in it to do something that positively gives back to the environment and the community, was a win, win,” said Swick.

What the club was building is called a “monofilament recovery and recycling vessel” — basically a large tube built out of PVC pipe and other plastic pieces. It’s meant to be a place for people to discard their fishing line so it does not get out into our waterways.

“If the turtles get tangled up in this line that’s been thrown overboard, it can be detrimental to them. So that’s another reason for setting these up,” said Jim Troutman, current member and past president of the club.

The Outer Banks Anglers Club is spearheading these efforts and placing 20 devices at piers and marinas around the Outer Banks. But once a device is full, the mission doesn’t stop there.

“We will collect it. We ship it back to Berkley Line in Iowa once we have a full box. They are going to turn it into either tackle boxes, or they’ll recycle it into a fishing nursery, which is similar to a coral reef, place for the little bait fish and the baby fish to hide out in the ocean. So it’s kind of a full circle thing,” said Swick.

The club is casting its line into an important environmental issue facing the area. It will start by installing the 20 devices and hopes to grow its mission from there around the Outer Banks.

“The anglers club is going to be responsible. We are going to collect it on a regular basis, make sure that they are well maintained and if need be, replaced. So we’re looking forward to being a part in a positive way,” said Swick.

The club is funding these efforts entirely out of its own budget.

“We’ve taken it out of our treasury because it’s a worthwhile endeavor and investment. It’s an investment in our beaches and the beaches for the visitors as well,” said Swick.

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 Chase Houle

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    ATLANTA (WXIA) — Vancey Jackson and Desiah Goodson decided to take a last-minute trip to Disney over the weekend. But when it was time to return home on Monday, their travel plans quickly unraveled.

“I look at her, she looks at me, I said, ‘Look, you want to get a U-Haul?” and she was like, ‘I was thinking the same thing,'” said Jackson.

Jackson says their flight from Orlando back home to Atlanta got canceled.

“We’re calling around, calling around. And I’m like, “Okay, flights aren’t being rebooked because everybody is staying the night in the airport. It’s just crazy, like, there’s no flights going in, there’s no flights going out. It’s crazy. Like, oh my gosh,” recalled Jackson.

With no flights available and no rental cars left, the pair came up with a different plan: rent a U-Haul box truck and drive back to Atlanta.

They loaded their two suitcases into the cargo area and hit the road.

They said the drive took about 6.5 hours.

“I’ve never drove in a U-Haul before, but when I tell you, she did amazing. I was kind of nervous, like, ‘uhhhh okay,’ but she did really good I swear. She pushed it up the highway. I was so proud of her,” said Goodson.

In total, they say the trip cost them less than $600 — a price they say was well worth it to get home.

“Honestly, I didn’t want to get stuck. I needed to come home to do my clients. I stand on being there for my clients, being on time, and showing up, so we’re like, you know what, we’re going to get home no matter what,” explained Goodson, who is a hair stylist.

11Alive’s Chase Houle reached out to U-Haul to ask whether more people are turning to their trucks as rental car options run out, but did not receive a response.

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.