Author: CNN Newsource

By Lydia Blackstone

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    SAVANNAH, Georgia (WJCL) — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to honor survivors and those who help them heal — inside and out.

At Gents of Savannah, a local Savannah barber shop, plastic surgeon Dr. Patrick Buchanan sat in the chair Monday for the first time in nearly a year and a half. But this visit wasn’t about his own appearance. Buchanan donated 10 inches of his hair to help patients who’ve lost theirs to chemotherapy.

“Seeing patients come in with chemo and knowing their hair is going to be lost — I don’t have the best-looking hair, but I was able to grow it,” Dr. Buchanan said.

The Georgia Institute of Plastic Surgery doctor said he grew his hair out for 17 months — against his wife’s better judgment — before deciding to make the cut. Surrounded by family, Buchanan smiled after his haircut and said he felt “like a million bucks.”

That’s a feeling he hopes his patients share. Many of the people he treats are breast cancer survivors working to regain their confidence after surgery.

“We just want to make you feel whole again,” Buchanan said. “One of the best things is when a patient comes in and says, ‘Dr. Buchanan, I feel like myself now.’”

One of those patients is Megan Steckler, a breast cancer survivor who credits Buchanan and his team for helping her through a whirlwind year.

“I got a call on Valentine’s Day first thing in the morning,” Steckler said. “The next week I met Dr. Bennet, then Dr. Buchanan. On March 6, I had a double mastectomy.”

Her cancer was invasive and fast-moving — fueled by hormones. Steckler said catching it early changed everything.

“If I had waited another year or two to get scanned, it would have been a completely different story,” she said.

Now in recovery, Steckler said she finally feels like herself again — the same message Buchanan hopes to pass on through his donation.

“I’m glad my patients could experience this with me,” Buchanan said. “I’m human, they’re human — we’re all in this together.”

Gents of Savannah said this was the first time they’ve helped a client donate hair. Buchanan left with a bag of his own hair, ready to ship it off to Locks of Love.

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By Ayron Lewallen, Taylor Lang

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    MONTGOMERY, Alabama (WVTM) — It was supposed to be a fun night out for Keauna Lambert on Saturday. She told WVTM 13 she left the house to go see her favorite social media influencer, but she never thought she would be caught in the middle of a deadly shootout with so much bloodshed.

Two people are dead, including a teen, and a dozen other people are injured following a mass shooting in downtown Montgomery late Saturday night.

Montgomery police said it happened near Bibb Street and Commerce Street around 11:30 p.m., when two groups started shooting at each other in the middle of a crowd.

What we know

-Jeremiah Morris, 17, and Shalanda Williams, 43, were killed in the shooting. Police believe they are Montgomery residents. -Police believe one of the people shot was targeted. When the gunfire started, others in the crowd pulled out guns and started shooting. -Thousands of people were in the city this weekend for the Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic, the Alabama National Fair and Alabama State University’s homecoming game. The city stood firmly in its belief that the shooting was not related to these events. -There is a reward of at least $50,000 for information that leads to an arrest. If you have any information, call Alabama CrimeStoppers at 334-215-7867.

Lambert said she was looking forward to a night out in the downtown Montgomery entertainment district, but she didn’t even have a chance to get out of her car before the chaos unfolded. She said she heard what she believes is 100 shots fired.

“I’m just glad I’m here,” Lambert said. “I’m glad my friends are safe. I’m glad it wasn’t more people than it was because it was just really scary. It felt like I was in a movie.”

Because of what happened, Lambert said she’s reconsidering going out again. She said that was her first time going out in Montgomery and hates that it could be her last.

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By Yunier Martinez, Jackson Stoever

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    SAINT ALBANS CITY, Vermont (WPTZ) — Authorities in St. Albans are investigating a disturbing incident after a family’s dog reportedly ate meat laced with rat poison in its own backyard.

Veterinarians at Burlington Emergency & Veterinary Specialists said the dog, named Hank, was brought in for emergency treatment after ingesting what appeared to be raw ground meat filled with poison.

The nightmare started in the family’s backyard with one of Hank’s favorite hobbies, a game of fetch.

That is when they found lumps of raw meat with green pellets mixed in, which owners Erin Langevin and Reid Atwood believed to be rat poison.

“It’s just uncalled for. It’s not right,” Atwood said. “It’s like attempted murder, that’s how we feel.”

According to the family, they acted quickly, inducing vomiting before rushing Hank to the clinic. That quick response, doctors said, likely saved his life.

“Decontamination is a big key in toxicity,” said Dr. Eric Weiner, an emergency veterinarian at BEVS. “A lot of times, as long as they’re mentally appropriate, if they’re already showing clinical signs, then inducing vomiting would not be a good thing to do. But in this case, he was acting okay. So the family induced vomiting, they got a lot out. We never know if it’s all of it, how much is left, so that’s why we’re still being overly cautious.”

Staff at BEVS said they’re hopeful he will not suffer any long-term effects.

“These animals are innocent creatures. They live to please us. I don’t know why anyone would want to harm an animal. I’m speechless,” Weiner said.

The family later shared an update on Facebook saying Hank is now recovering and in good spirits.

Their quiet neighborhood is now on edge, with fellow dog owners on the block now looking to add to their security systems.

“We had neighbors approach us asking how Hank is, and if there’s anything they can do,” Langevin said. “They’re concerned for their own safety.”

Hank’s family is just thankful to still have their four-legged companion by their side.

“Ever since he’s walked into our home, he’s just been our world. I can’t live without him,” Langevin said. “I don’t know what I would have done if this turned south.”

Meanwhile, St. Albans police continue to investigate who may have placed the poisoned meat in the yard.

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By Mike Moses

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    SALISBURY, Massachusetts (WMUR) — Dave Benedict, a Derry captain who survived a boat capsizing off Salisbury, Massachusetts, more than six weeks ago, says he lost his best friend, Joe Courteau, during what was supposed to be their final trip through the Merrimack River.

“I’ve been boating my whole life, especially down the Merrimack River. This was my last trip through the mouth, me and Joe and I got a beautiful slip down in Boston Harbor, where it’s calm,” Benedict said.

Benedict told News 9 that shortly after leaving the Merrimack River on Aug. 23, both of the boat’s engines failed. Within minutes, the current pushed their 50-foot vessel into 20-foot waves.

“I would say from the time my motors died, within 10 minutes, it was completely underwater,” he said.

Even after they made it inside the boat, waves crashed through the windows, flooding the cabin.

“Blew everything right out. Furniture, everything just went for a ride. So, once everything got up, and I was like, I look up and I go, and now Joe’s gone,” he said.

Benedict escaped to the water, where he described being tossed around by the waves like a “rag doll.”

“Now that I’m in the water, when it hit me it pushed me down at least 15, 20 feet and spun me like I was in a washing machine,” he said.

He stayed in the water for more than an hour until he was rescued by the Coast Guard.

“I had every thought that you could imagine going through my mind, and like I said, when that pole came out from that cutter, Coast Guard, and I grabbed onto that pole, it was like I was reborn again, almost. That’s how I felt,” he said.

Crews searched for Courteau, but his body has not been found.

Despite surviving, Benedict says the loss of his best friend still haunts him.

“I did everything with Joe, but now, you know, I don’t know what to do anymore,” he said.

Benedict thanked first responders who helped him and said he will never return to the open ocean.

“I’ll never go out there again. I’ve been boating my whole life — that’s it for me,” he said.

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By Bethany Cates

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    CLEMMONS, North Carolina (WXII) — After fighting a fight of her own, Penny Hull said that as soon as she was able to get back on the dance floor, she was going to do one night of free classes in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

“I wanted to give back because I am now a cancer survivor myself, but I am very new; I just rung the bell Sept. 11,” said Hull.

After 25 years of teaching classes alongside her husband, Hull said she never thought she would have to take a break due to finding out she had breast cancer.

“I had two surgeries and 20 rounds of radiation that and I didn’t know that was going to happen, and a lot of people gave,” Hull said.

In March, she had to take a break from teaching due to her diagnosis and radiation appointments.

After having so many people help her in her time of need, she looked forward to getting back on the dance floor to do what she does best, teaching North Carolina Shag.

“You got to keep moving, this is a good way of moving, you know, learning how to do different dances and everything like that,” said Esther, a breast cancer survivor.

The energy on the dance floor was contagious, but through every step, there was an important message being shared about taking the right preventative measures against breast cancer.

“It’s really good to be able to be here and to share with people the importance of self-examination, do your mammograms, get your exercise,” said Kimberly Barnhill, a breast cancer survivor.

And even through the battles, Hull said she will continue to show up and spread awareness, giving back to those who once poured their support into her.

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By Ari Hait

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    STUART, Florida (WPBF) — Staff and customers at a Stuart restaurant were surprised by an uninvited guest Monday afternoon when a gator was spotted just a few feet away from the front door.

A bartender at Hudson’s on the River first saw the gator on the rocks near the tiki bar on the side of the restaurant.

The bartender quickly informed assistant general manager Sarah Felten, who initially thought she was kidding.

“She said, ‘What’s our policy on alligators at the tiki?’” Felten said. “And I thought she was joking, so I kind of laughed and was just like, ‘They’ve got to be over 21.’ And she said, ‘No, there’s an alligator at tiki.”

Felten and operations manager Ben Foster went to check it out and saw the gator.

“He was just very docile,” Felten said.

“He was definitely not being aggressive in any way. He was just hanging out,” Foster said.

Despite the gator’s lack of aggression, Foster and Felten knew they couldn’t leave him there.

He had chosen a spot just a few feet away from where children and pets gather to play.

“Thankfully, he was only about four and a half feet, so it wasn’t a full-grown adult, but it was still definitely pretty scary,” especially given the proximity to areas where children and dogs play.

Felten attempted to scare the gator away but found it unafraid.

“I actually came in this area here to try and scare him off, and he was just not afraid of me at all,” she said. “I was more afraid of him than he was of me.”

The staff then called the Stuart police, who captured the now uncooperative gator.

“He was flipping and rolling around and hissing,” Felten said

“He was flipping and turning around, and then they kind of wrestled him down,” Foster said.

The police relocated the gator unharmed, leaving Foster with a memorable experience.

“It was wild. It was definitely nothing like we’d experienced before. I didn’t think I’d come to work today and see an alligator at my restaurant,” he said.

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