Author: CNN Newsource

By Kaley Fedko

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    DUBLIN, Georgia (WUPA) — A milestone at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is also the story of an extraordinary gift.

On June 3, the hospital’s 2,000th organ transplant went to 2-year-old John Miller of Dublin, Georgia.

Long before the toddler took his first steps, his parents, Greer and Chris, knew he would some day likely need a new kidney.

John was born with Hydronephrosis, a condition where urine travels back up into one or both kidneys, causing them to swell.

He was just four weeks old when he was taken by helicopter to Children’s with stage five kidney failure.

“They told us at the Macon hospital that if we would’ve waited any longer, then he probably would’ve gone into cardiac arrest,” Greer Miller told CBS News Atlanta.

Mrs. Miller told us there were over 100 potential candidates on John’s donor list, but the perfect match turned out to be someone close to the family.

“Lance, my cousin, unexpectedly had a motorcycle accident and ended up passing, and it was during the time of his passing when the hospital he was at was asking the immediate family: what do you want to do?” said Chris Miller, “and they elected to let him be an organ donor. My aunt kind of reminded them that John needed a kidney.”

Lance Miller passed away May 31.

His family made a decision that would save John’s life.

“They lost a son, a father, a husband, you know, everything, and in the worst time of their life they thought of us. They thought of saving our son John,” Mr. Miller said.

Then, another hurdle arose. The match was perfect, but the size was not.

Lance Miller’s adult kidney had to fit inside a 2-year-old’s body.

The surgery was led by Children’s pediatric surgeons Dr. Bhargava Mullapudi and Dr. Richard Hendrickson, who told us they have developed a technique to fit adult organs into the bodies of some of their smallest patients.

“We talked about this with the family and the pre-op evaluation,” Dr. Hendrickson said. “The kidney transplant evaluation told them this may be a little too big for him, but Dr. Mullapudi and I have figured out ways in order to mobilize the inside of the retroperitoneal space to make these bigger kidneys fit without having any issues.”

He said he plans to present the size analytics at an international panel next year.

“No matter what size the child is, we like to have kidneys a certain size,” Dr. Hendrickson said. “We look at the scan or the imaging from the donor, and then we try to assess if we can get that kidney to fit in the young children.”

John’s surgery marked the milestone of the 2,000th organ transplant at Children’s.

For the Miller family, that number comes second to the man who made it possible –– Lance Miller.

“John being the 2,000th organ on top of it, like how it all happened. I mean, it just makes me want to sit here and tell people how amazing Children’s is and just and how important it is to donate your organs if you can,” said Greer Miller.

John’s parents told us he is doing great post-operation.

“He doesn’t know what to do with all this energy,” Mrs. Miller said. “We’re able to see him talking more. Since he’s gotten his kidney, he’s just I mean, he’s a new kid.”

His parents said John will continue intensive follow-up care for the next year before those appointments become less frequent.

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 Nakell Williams

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    FAYETTEVILLE, Georgia (WUPA) — For nearly a decade, Fun Spot America has given residents of Fayetteville, Georgia and visitors from around the world moments that have kept them coming back for more. Now fans of the park and its unique roller coaster are saying goodbye before it shuts down for good.

The amusement park, which opened in 2017, is known as an affordable place where families can have fun and make memories that will last a lifetime. It had previous been a Fun Junction USA park from the 90s until its acquisition by the Fun Spot company.

In June, the company shared the bad news that its final day of operation would be Aug. 2. Faithful parkgoers told CBS News Atlanta that they’re disappointed about the closure.

Courtney Ray and her family traveled from Houston, Texas for one last visit to the park.

“That’s why we made an emergency trip out here to say goodbye to one of our favorite roller coasters. We came to ride ArieForce One,” Courtney Ray said.

She was one of the many from across the country to ride the park’s signature coaster. Known as one of the best in the country and built by Rocky Mountain Construction, the steel roller coaster has a top speed of 64 miles per hour, a 146-foot drop at an 83-degree angle, and four inversions.

Ethan Clark and Hannah Right drove hours from their hometown of Boone, North Carolina to pay their respects and ride ArieForce One.

“They built an incredible coaster at a very odd location,” Clark said. “I honestly kind of love the little charm they have at the theme park itself. The arcade and everything – it is nostalgic when I was I kid they don’t look like this anymore.”

Throughout the theme park, there were signs of Fun Spot America’s imminent closure – empty booths, shuttered food stands, and a few visitors on the park’s other rides.

A manager at the park said he was saddened by the leader’s decision to shut down the Fayetteville location, but said he’s extremely grateful he will not have to deal with unemployment. The company is working with current employees to secure placements at other locations, including in Florida.

In a statement, Fun Spot America CEO John Arie Jr. thanked the Fayetteville community for its dedication and support.

“Our Atlanta team has poured their hearts into serving our guests and creating a place where families could have fun together,” Arie said.

The park will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Aug. 2. Unlimited ride passes are less than $40.

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 Aaron Parseghian

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    PEABODY, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A family farm in Peabody, Massachusetts, is calling for the public to help stop an ongoing problem: dozens of roosters being abandoned on their property.

Every day, Madison Wood cares for dozens of animals at her farm, including cows, emus, goats and alpacas. It’s been in the family since the early 2000s.

But while many of the animals arrive through planned rescues, Wood said roosters continue showing up unexpectedly after being dumped over the farm’s fencing.

“It’s a shame, and I know I’m not the only farm that deals with this,” Wood said. “I know it’s quite a common phenomenon for people to dump them in. It just so happens that we are easily accessible, next to the road.”

Wood said the farm has dealt with nearly 30 abandoned roosters since she took over operations in 2021, with the most recent case happening last week.

She said each new arrival requires time, space and resources to ensure the birds do not pose a risk to the rest of the animals.

“I will go get my net and I will catch them and I will quarantine them in the barn for two weeks just so I can have a closer eye on them, make sure they don’t have anything [disease or illness],” Wood explained.

Wood believes the issue stems from the growing popularity of backyard flocks, leading some owners to abandon roosters after realizing they are male chickens. Or simply because it’s too much work to care for them.

Instead, she urges prospective animal owners to carefully consider the responsibility before bringing one home and if you have second thoughts, find a willing adopter for the animal. Don’t just leave them at any farm you drive by.

“Just do your proper research when buying any animal,” Wood said. “I love all animals, so it is a shame to call them a burden, but at that point when I have so many it does become kind of a burden.”

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 Neal Riley, Tammy Mutasa

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    NATICK, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Ina and David Steiner are getting tens of millions of dollars from eBay after being terrorized by former executives and employees in a bizarre harassment campaign. But the Natick, Massachusetts couple says the money isn’t the most important part of the $55.7 million settlement.

The Steiners have a long-running online newsletter that covers eBay and other internet marketplaces. Federal prosecutors say that in 2019, some eBay executives became enraged by their coverage and anonymous comments on the Steiners’ website, and began a cyberstalking campaign that included online threats and disturbing deliveries to the couple’s home like a bloody pig mask and a book on dealing with the death of a spouse.

The couple told CBS News Boston in an interview that the windfall they’re getting is life-changing, but they want this case to be about the fact that no company is too big to be held accountable.

“The most important thing in that settlement agreement is the non-disclosure. The fact that as journalists, we are free to talk about this, there are no encumbrances,” David Steiner said. “A company cannot go and try to influence a journalist’s coverage just because they may disagree with it.”

Some former executives went to prison in the case and eBay paid a $3 million criminal penalty in 2024. Ina Steiner said the civil settlement sends a message of “deterrence.”

“We were really trying to get answers and get to the truth,” she said. “But we also wanted to make sure we did everything we could so this wouldn’t happen to anyone else.”

The harassment campaign involved sending live spiders and cockroaches to the couple’s door, and eBay employees even traveled to Boston to try and put a GPS tracker on the couple’s car, investigators said. The Steiners lived in fear for months.

“It was so scary. It was kind of like a Stephen King-kind of nightmare,” Ina Steiner recalled. “And then when we found out that it was eBay, it was just mind-boggling.”

She said she learned during the ordeal and lawsuit process that big companies “have these armies of security people.”

“They can be weaponized. And even on a regular basis, they are scrutinizing people’s social media activities,” Steiner said. “I don’t think people realize the extent to which what you say online is being tracked and potentially being misused.”

David Steiner said he hopes the settlement “allows us to hopefully live the rest of our lives in peace,” though they’re not about to retire. The couple said they are the kind of people who bring their laptops on vacation and work seven days a week.

“We’re happy that we have some financial security – that’s like understating it, it’s crazy. But it’s the message it sends,” Ina Steiner said. “If we had a choice, absolutely we would never have been stalked and harassed. We never would have.”

As part of the settlement, $6 million will go to various charities, including those protecting free speech. eBay said in a statement that “what the Steiners were subjected to by former eBay employees in 2019 was wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened.”

“If a small company in business, a couple of publishers from Natick, Massachusetts can hold the world’s biggest companies accountable, then everybody else better take notice,” their attorney Chris Murphy said.

The couple says they can’t put a price on getting their peace of mind back.

“It’s starting to sink in, but we’ve had to fight so hard along the way that it’s kind of hard to believe that it’s now over,” Ina Steiner said. “But we’re very happy about it.”

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 Kaicey Baylor

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore County Police officers are back on the basketball court for the department’s annual Cops and Kids Basketball Clinic.

“This is the 13th year for Cops and Kids Basketball,” said Officer Keith Boone with the department’s Wilkens Precinct Community Outreach Team. “It’s about the ninth year that we’ve done it,” referring to the full-week program.

Officer Keith Boone organizes the camp, along with Officer Keith Mallory. It brings together children ages 6 to 17.

“We work on ball handling, shooting,” said participant Joshua Neguse.

“We do scenario-based drills, a lot of defensive drills,” Officer Mallory said.

The camp helps students build their endurance, while also sharpening their skills. Neguse said he’s been attending the camp for a couple of years.

“This is like also helping you get reps in before high school ball,” he said.

Most importantly, Baltimore County Police want these children and teens to just have fun.

“We get to hang out with them,” Officer Boone said. “We get to mold them. The biggest thing is we get to break down prejudices and walls.”

The officers are also building real connections with new and returning campers.

“You can trust these officers,” Neguse said. “Especially, Officer Mallory; that’s one of my trainers.”

Young people attending the camp are creating strong bonds with officers across the force. Boone said the program has fostered deep conversations with participants and has allowed them to have a different outlook on life.

“With so many juvenile crimes and all of this on the news all the time, it gives them choices to see that they don’t have to go out and do that stuff,” Officer Boone said. “They can come here. They can be safe. They can have fun.”

Young people in the camp also have another person to look up to.

“Help inspire them to be what they want to be in life, if it’s going to be a professional basketball player, a public servant or whatever they want to do,” Officer Mallory said.

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 Mike Hellgren

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore City’s latest crackdown on dirt bikes has some riders upset and asking for the mayor and police commissioner to meet with them.

They marched from Baltimore City Hall to police headquarters Wednesday afternoon.

Police Commissioner Richard Worley’s spokeswoman said he is willing to meet with them.

Last month, Worley told the city council he “can’t stand” the dirt bikes and police are doing everything they can to get them off the streets.

Some riders say the response is too heavy-handed.

Those protesting how the city has implemented its crackdown stressed dirt bikes have long been part of Baltimore’s culture.

“We need to treat it as such. We cannot continue with the erasure of history,” said James Green, with B360.

But riding on city streets is illegal and could lead to a maximum $1,000 fine or 90 days behind bars.

“No person may drive or ride any dirt bike or other unregistered motorcycle or similar vehicle on any public or private property that is located within the city of Baltimore. In addition, no person may possess any dirt bike or any unregistered motorcycle within the city of Baltimore,” according to the BPD website.

Green said there has to be a middle ground.

“We acknowledge that we want accountability, but we also want as we want the opportunity to regulate what this looks like,” he told a crowd gathered in front of police headquarters.

Critics say the dirt bikes are noisy safety hazards.

Recent incidents have prompted police to clamp down.

They include the death of a rider after a collision with an SUV in Northwest Baltimore in May.

In June, an officer was injured by a dirt bike.

Police told WJZ Investigates they have seized 103 dirt bikes and ATVs so far this year.

“We’re going do everything we can to take every single dirt bike off the streets,” Commissioner Worley told members of the Baltimore City Council June 2nd. “If the businesses out there want to allow them to fuel up at their gas stations, we will cite the businesses for allowing them to fuel up at their gas stations.”

The recent police crackdown led young dirt bike riders to the seat of power in Baltimore — City Hall.

They made their voices heard as they walked to police headquarters—asking the commissioner to meet with them.

“We are standing on these steps because we do not want to be an opposition to law-enforcement. We are standing on the steps because it’s a call to change and say we invite you to our table, because too often, we’ve been fighting to get to theirs,” said Rashad Staton, an activist with Community Law in Action.

The various community groups represented at the demonstration said they understand the need for enforcement but want safe places to ride legally, and feel riders are being demonized.

“I just want peace. I just want to ride and not be criticized for it,” said Kanye Miller. “I want to be free.”

Fellow rider Daron Harrell said, “I feel like it’s unfair to us because we love to ride. It’s not just something that we do. It’s literally built into our community.”

Activist Dayvon Love, with Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren, “These are folks who are not saying they should just be allowed to do whatever they want. They’re saying that they want it to be regulated, so they have a place to do it. So, it’s important.”

Love also said, “To crack down in hopes that it just disappears or a law-enforcement-centric approach to it, it just is another example of the way our youth are dehumanized in this society.”

A BPD spokesperson told WJZ that while no group has yet to formally request a meeting, “We welcome the organizers to reach out, and Commissioner Worley is always willing to engage in constructive conversations about public safety and community concerns.”

Retired NFL player Aaron Maybin was among those calling for action on the steps of police headquarters.

“We’re calling on Commissioner Worley, we’re calling on the mayor’s office, we’re calling on all of our legislative policy leaders to come to us, to come to the individuals within the dirt bike community,” Maybin said. “We need them at the table with us so that a solution that is equitable and practical can be implemented.”

He told the crowd, “That same thing that’s always been done is criminalizing our youth, dirt bike riders, and everybody else in the process rather than coming up with equitable solutions.”

Full statement from Baltimore Police

“The Baltimore Police Department is aware of planned protest and remain fully committed to protecting the rights of individuals to peacefully assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights. The Department is prepared to deploy officers as needed to support peaceful demonstrations, assist with traffic flow, and maintain public safety. BPD has and will continue to work in close coordination with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure a respectful environment for all.”

“Please note that to date, neither Commissioner Worley nor members of the Baltimore Police Department have received a request from any community organizations or residents seeking a meeting regarding this issue.”

“We welcome the organizers to reach out, and Commissioner Worley is always willing to engage in constructive conversations about public safety and community concerns.”

“The Baltimore Police Department’s role is to enforce the laws as enacted. Any discussion regarding potential changes to Maryland’s dirt bike laws or regulatory framework is appropriately directed to our legislative partners.”

“BPD remains committed to working with lawmakers, community members, and other stakeholders to support solutions that enhance public safety.”

“Regarding enforcement, BPD has seized 103 dirt bikes and ATVs year-to-date.”

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.