Author: CNN Newsource

By Kara Peters

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    OAK RIDGE, North Carolina (WXII) — Trick-or-treating fun is happening all week, but the big day is Friday, Halloween. For most families, it’s all about costumes, candy and fun.

But for one Triad mother, it’s a reminder of her daughter who did not return home.

It has been three years since Ayonna Suttles lost her daughter, Aliyah Thornhill. A pain she has learned to live with through poetry, letters and bittersweet memories.

“You couldn’t have told me that three years I’d be in 2025 without my baby,” Suttles said. “I wouldn’t have believed you.”

Halloween 2022 began like so many others, filled with excitement and joy.

Suttles sent a loving message to Thornhill before she left for trick-or-treating, not knowing it would be her last.

That night, Thornhill and another teen were hit by a car on Haw River Road in Oak Ridge. Thornhill did not survive.

“It’s unfair. It’s unfair because this is the year that I’m supposed to be doing the graduation stuff, I’m supposed to be sending my daughter to prom, and I can’t do that,” Suttles said.

Thornhill was a freshman at Riverside High School in Durham. She was a straight-A student, kindhearted and heavily involved in school theater.

Suttles walked WXII crews through the halls her daughter loved so much, as she returned to Riverside for the first time since Thornhill’s death.

She thanked the theater directors and educators who helped Thornhill’s passion blossom and kept her name and memory alive.

As families get ready for Halloween, Suttles’ message is simple: Be careful.

“If you see kids, stop. Put down your cellphones for one day, turn them off for an hour if you have to,” Suttles said. “It hurts. It hurts that my daughter is no longer here, but when you realize the impact that this 14-year-old girl made, I’m just proud to be her mom. “

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By Lily Coleman

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    PITTSBURGH (WTAE) — Emergency crews rushed to Acrisure Stadium Saturday night after a man working on the main scoreboard fell off, landing almost 50 feet below.

It happened around 10 p.m. Saturday.

According to Pittsburgh Public Safety officials, first responders were told by other employees that the man fell about 50 feet from the main scoreboard to a mid-level catwalk area.

Crews were able to get to the man, stabilize him, and load him into a Stokes basket before lowering him to a waiting ambulance using a rope system.

The man, who has not been identified, suffered serious injuries primarily to his lower body. He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital and was last said to be in critical condition.

A spokesperson for the Pittsburgh Steelers later stated that the worker was installing production equipment at the time of the incident.

Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 has reached out to the Steelers organization and Acrisure Stadium officials to learn more about the incident.

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By Alan Shope

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — Staff at the historic Folly Theater are cleaning up after a costly and frustrating break-in that left the 125-year-old downtown landmark badly damaged.

Police say vandals broke into the nonprofit theater early Friday morning, smashing through the ADA entrance and wreaking havoc inside the building.

“They smashed our ADA door and went into the building,” said Cassidy Manetta, the theater’s marketing manager. “They broke a bunch of our monitors and deployed six or seven fire extinguishers, which is really what caused the most damage because it got into our HVAC system.”

The thick residue from the extinguishers spread through the entire facility, forcing the cancellation of this weekend’s scheduled show.

Crews expect cleanup to take at least a week and the full cost of repairs could reach $300,000.

“We do not know the extent of all the damage yet or what is missing,” Manetta said. “We haven’t really been able to survey it properly.”

The Folly, known for bringing affordable performing arts to Kansas City, now faces an unexpected pause in programming.

Manetta said the theater hopes to reopen in time for its next show on Nov. 1.

“We know for sure that some liquor was smashed — they threw red wine up the walls to the ceiling,” she said. “It just stinks, you know? Why do this to a place that’s just trying to bring arts to the community?”

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By Rachel Williams

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    WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — As the government shutdown hits just over the three-week mark with no resolution in sight, thousands of federal employees continue to work without pay. While the missed payday has added financial strain for many, one local auto repair shop is stepping in to lend a hand.

Midas Automotive Service in West Palm Beach is offering help to federal employees who are struggling to afford car repairs during the shutdown.

“The last thing I want is someone to not be able to get to work because their car broke down and compare that to putting food on the table,” said owner Ron Katz.

This isn’t the first time Katz has stepped up to support government workers. During the 35-day shutdown in 2018-19, he said the shop helped about 10 to 15 federal employees get back on the road.

“We’ve fixed cars for free, we’ve done oil changes, we helped finance people if it’s a big repair. We just go above and beyond for these people who are not getting paychecks right now. I remember one lady came in with a water pump, which is a $1,200 repair, and she was working at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, and she had no way of getting back and forth. We took care of it, and it worked out with her,” Katz said. “Bring the car in and let’s see what we can do to keep them on the road until they start getting a paycheck.”

Federal workers at Palm Beach International Airport say transportation costs are becoming a growing financial concern as the shutdown drags on, making small community resources like this one increasingly vital.

Katz said this time around, the shop has put a system in place to verify who qualifies for assistance.

“I am going to need to see their government ID, and I’m also going to ask for their last paycheck so I can make sure they’re still employed and that it’s verifiable. Unfortunately, there are some unscrupulous people that would try to get repairs for free and that’s not fair to us or for the other people who work for the government and who are without a paycheck right now,” Katz said.

As for who’s covering the costs, Katz said the responsibility falls on him.

“I am a franchisee; I’m paying for everything, I’ll work out with the customer to figure out, depending on each repair, how it’s going to be handled. But as far as when we do the oil change and it’s something we can do, I will handle that,” he said.

Katz said Midas of West Palm will continue to offer help to federal employees until the government reopens.

“It’s not a Democrat or Republican problem. It’s a people problem right now, and we have people working who are not collecting a paycheck,” Katz said.

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By Mike Moses

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    MOUNT WASHINGTON, New Hampshire (WMUR) — First responders are warning anyone heading up Mount Washington to be prepared after dozens of hikers were brought down the Mount Washington Cog Railway this weekend.

Andy Vilaine and his team at the Cog Railway helped the hikers who were caught off guard by winter conditions make it back to the base.

“Number of folks we’re in the early stages of hypothermia, confused about what the offerings and availabilities would be at the top in terms of shelter and rides down,” Vilaine said.

New Hampshire Fish and Game also helped some hikers in distress.

“It’s literally life or death situation. If they go up there unprepared,” Lt. Mark Ober with New Hampshire Fish and Game said.

Ober said a group of Canadian hikers in sweatpants and sneakers tried to get into the Summit Building, which is now closed to the public for the season, along with the Mount Washington Auto Road.

“People should not be hiking unless they’re fully prepared. Part of that preparation is doing research and finding out what the conditions are. The Mount Washington Observatory has a great website that tells you up-to-date conditions at the time,” he said.

Grace Mardo and her friends, former SNHU athletes, planned out all the details for their Mount Washington adventure and weren’t surprised to learn of the more than two dozen hiker rescues.

“So we had a lot of layers, gloves, hats, things like that,” one of Mardo’s friends said.

The Mount Washington Cog Railway will help hikers with a ride down if there is room, but it costs the price of a one-way ticket.

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By Giacomo Luca

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    FLORENCE, Kentucky (WLWT) — A quick-thinking teenager grabbed the steering wheel of his father’s car and veered it away from traffic after realizing he was suffering a seizure behind the wheel in Florence on Saturday.

The car crashed through the fence of an outdoor furniture business and came to a rest against the structure of the business’s main building.

The crash happened just after 4 p.m. on Saturday along U.S. 42, near Quadrant Road. Miraculously, no one was injured.

“First of all, I didn’t know what was going on, and I heard a big bang,” said Ray Imhoff, the owner of A Cottage Collection, the business that the vehicle crashed into. “I just thought it was another wreck. You know this is a busy corner. And then I came outside, and there was a car over our ramp.”

While Imhoff was initially shocked to see the damage done to his business, he says that he was happy to learn that the damage done to his business appeared to have saved lives.

Fifteen-year-old Cooper High School student Prazel Magar recounted what happened during the crash to WLWT, saying he noticed the car was veering out of the lane when he turned over and saw his father, who has a history of suffering seizures, had fallen unconscious.

“He just blacked out and then we kept on going,” Magar said. “And then from our right side, cars were coming in. And then I realized I was given three seconds to think, like, what am I going to do?”

Magar said his father’s foot was still on the accelerator, and he knew he had to make a fast decision or someone could have gotten hurt.

In that moment, in an effort to avoid hitting another car, Magar decided to turn the car’s steering wheel off the road, sending it plunging into the lot of A Cottage Collection.

Magar says that his father did not remember the crash and was stunned to learn what had happened when he regained consciousness.

“He was like, ‘Where am I? Where are we?’ And I’m like, ‘What do you mean? We just crashed.’ And he’s like, ‘We crashed? What? Oh, should we reverse?’ And I’m like, ‘No, no, no. We need to call the police.'”

Magar said that he was thankful that he was in the car when the incident happened.

“What if I just didn’t go to the gym?” said Magar. “Or like, what if I didn’t go with him? He would have just tragically … yeah.”

In the future, Magar said he recently obtained his driver’s learner’s permit and will be practicing a lot more behind the wheel over the next few months after this incident.

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By Bradley Davis

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    CASCADE, Colorado (KRDO) — For the last four years, a man from Cascade has built a “haunted forest” attraction at their home and invites students from the RiseUp school in Colorado Springs to take a walk through for free.

“It’s absolutely amazing when you have someone in the community like Kevin who steps up and gets us,” RiseUp Development Officer Kathy Stults said.

Kevin Holt grew up in Southern Colorado and said he was inspired by the late Nick Venetucci and Venetucci Farms. Holt said he carried out a free pumpkin from the farm every year while growing up and wanted to do his part to give back to local children.

“They all stand at the house, and they all collectively say, ‘Thank you, Mr. kevin!’ and it just melts my heart,” Holt said.

Many of the students at RiseUp are non-verbal, and their conditions can make it difficult for them and their families to enjoy Halloween like other children.

“He doesn’t really trick or treat. We’ve tried over the years, but it’s just not his thing,” said Catherine Buckham, whose son, Alexander, goes to RiseUp.

The Haunted Forest gives the students a safe space to have Halloween fun with their parents and teachers. Their field trip is on October 30.

“I get to bring him out here, and he can experience all of these things, at least on whatever level he gets it,” Buckham said.

Holt also hosts a free pumpkin giveaway on October 25. Anyone is welcome to stop by, see his haunted attraction and grab a pumpkin until they’re out.

Holt said it takes him over a month of daily work to set up the haunted forest. He lines the short drive/walk with huge animatronics and other decorations donated by the community.

“It’s one of the most unique, warming feelings that a guy can ever have, that truly, you’re giving back from you’re heart,” Holt said. “Somebody really does appreciate what you do, and they love you.”

His giant skeletons hover above the shoulder of Highway 24 as you head West to Woodland Park, right at the Fountain Avenue intersection, as you head up to the Pikes Peak Highway.

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