Author: CNN Newsource

By Caitlin Ashbaugh

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    COWPENS, South Carolina (WYFF) — South Carolinians will start to see new sights on the roads as the state begins issuing a new, specialized license plate.

The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles announced it would be replacing the “While I Breathe, I hope,” blue palmetto logo with a new plate, which pays homage to the state’s pivotal role during the Revolutionary War. The move is just months ahead of the official commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American independence.

The selected slogan will read “Where the Revolutionary War Was Won,” and the plate will be decorated with a soldier holding up the infamous Moultrie flag.

Historians widely attribute the Battle of Cowpens and the Battle of Kings Mountain as a pivotal turning point in the war. South Carolina Historical Society CEO Elizabeth Chew said this is what led to the British surrender in Yorktown.

“The Upcountry was actually a very intense place during the revolution because there were a good number of folks who remained loyal to the British crown. That divided families, it divided siblings or even divided spouses,” Chew said. “There were no British soldiers on the field. It was only Americans who were loyalist and Americans who were patriots.”

Chew said this interpersonal conflict made larger impacts on the turnover and eventual ending of the war.

The wording of the plate is creating an online discourse, with some users being concerned over potential misinterpretation.

WYFF News 4 spoke to visitors at Cowpens Battlefield to see what they thought about the license plate change.

Linda Hager, native to a Northern state but local since the 1980s, believes the sentiment made sense for the state, considering these battles.

“People can have their opinions. They’re entitled to their opinion. This is where the war was won. This is where it ended. I’d put one on my car. Definitely. And if I could get one for my bike. Yes!” Hager said.

There are others who believe the attribution would make more sense for Virginians, as the war technically ended in Yorktown.

Lynn Elliott was visiting Cowpens for the first time as a person with ancestors who were in the battle. Her distant relative, Elizabeth Countryman, previously lived on the property as a farmer.

Elliott loved the idea of the plate, but she did describe the theory as more logistical.

“I love that, this is the first time I’ve seen it. It’s very patriotic. I would get one if I lived here in South Carolina,” Elliott said. “I think it was more of a continuum. I certainly think that the end of it started here. South Carolina played a big part in it.”

Chew said that although people choose to interpret the quote as they will, the heated discussion could open a vital educational door, where she believes South Carolina was overlooked.

“In the 20th century, I think the role of South Carolina in the revolution was kind of diminished. This has gotten so widespread that it’s on the license plates of everyone’s car. Getting history in the people’s minds just in their average everyday activities. That to me is incredibly exciting and important,” Chew said.

Any South Carolina resident who renews their vehicle registration, typically within the 10-year service cycle, will receive the default replacement plate, unless they have selected a different choice. The agency will offer another standard plate option for those who wish to opt out of the new design, which is the emblem reading “In God We Trust.”

Every office location in the state will have these available. Customers can also receive the plates by mail.

The DMV said the new design will help with visual cues for law enforcement and fellow motorists on the roads.

When asked about the discourse over the writing, the DMV responded:

“The SC250 Commission designed the plate at the direction of the SC General Assembly, who authorized the plate in law. As a state agency, the SCDMV will leave such debates to others.”

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 Bethany Cates

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    WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (WXII) — From praises to prayers is how people in the congregation at Mount Sinai Full Gospel Deliverance Center in Winston-Salem started their 2026.

“As we were closing to get ready to go to the photo booth, a bullet came through the vestibule door into the sanctuary door,” said Senior Pastor Yvonne Hines.

Hines said she has never experienced something so unsettling in her 30 years of ministry.

She said as soon as they heard the shots, everyone immediately hit the floor.

“We did everything that we were supposed to do, we had security on the grounds, we had a pipeline to the police department, we had people in-house who were prepared,” Hines said.

Hines said her message during her first Sunday service of the new year was a message of encouragement.

“We will proceed with probably a more cautionary perspective, but we will proceed with our service agenda,” Hines said.

She also added that there was a distinct takeaway that came from all of this.

“The world that I grew up in has changed considerably,” Hines said.

Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough also posted a response to the incident on Facebook. One of his deputies was grazed on the hand by the bullet.

“I just want to know where did we lose the respect for the church, where did we lose the respect for one another,” Kimbrough said.

And while this wasn’t the outcome Hines expected walking into the New Year, the situation has given her a renewed sense of purpose as she continues to minister to the community.

‘When something of this magnitude happens, when you’ve got grit and guts, it kind of steers you, adversity gives you a recharge or a reset,” Hines said.

Hines said the church is offering a $5,000 reward if anyone can provide any information on who fired the shots.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office also asks that if anyone has any information, please come forward.

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 Caitlyn Scott, Mike Clark

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    PITTSBURGH (WTAE) — The play that helped send the Pittsburgh Steelers to the playoffs also gave a local teacher the gift of a lifetime Sunday night.

North Allegheny High School tech-ed teacher Justin Karolski was the lucky fan who caught the final missed field goal by Ravens kicker Tyler Loop.

Karolski brought the ball to school when classes resumed after winter break, sharing the excitement with his students.

He spoke to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Monday, describing the moment as one of the biggest in Pittsburgh sports history, noting that many students commented on the significance of the event.

“A bunch of people in the section I knew were all taking pictures with it and having a good time,” Karolski said. “Then more people started to come down, and I wanted to be able to make it to work on time in the morning. So I hid it underneath my jersey as I walked out to make sure that I wasn’t being mobbed.”

He continued, saying, “This is one of the biggest moments in Pittsburgh sports history that they’ve seen. And many of them were commenting that when they saw this.”

Karolski, a regular attendee at Steelers games, said he had never before had the chance to catch a ball like this, until Sunday night.

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 Rachael Perry

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    LANTANA, Florida (WPBF) — A short note with an urgent message led police to the home of an 81-year-old man, who they say was battered by his caretaker.

According to the police report, officers with the Lantana Police Department were called to a home on Dec. 29, 2025, by a mail carrier after finding a note in the elderly man’s mailbox that read “call the police.”

WPBF 25 News Reporter Rachael Perry sat down with the victim, who asked to remain anonymous.

The 81-year-old said his now former caretaker, Denise Williams, had gotten upset with him the day before police arrived over his bathroom being messy. He said she began screaming at him, so he reached for his phone to call for help.

“She jumped on my chest as I was lying down, trying to get my phone, and she jumped on my chest and started grabbing it. She finally got it, scratched me, as you saw, and then she grabbed my phone, and the two house phones, the landline phones, and my car keys. She dumped them in her room and locked the door,” he said.

He said he tried defending himself but eventually gave up.

“She almost violently grabbed my full hand, and finally I couldn’t stand the pain, because she was really squeezing it hard, so I let go of it, and then I started to call on the house phone, and she grabbed those and took them away,” he said.

The man said he had no other way of calling for help, but he found a piece of paper and quickly got an idea.

“So I wrote the little note, put it in the mailbox,” he said.

The note read “Call the police” and was discovered the next day by his mailman, who did just that.

The victim said police arrived and interviewed him, where he gave them the make and model of Williams’ car. She was found a short time later at a nearby gas station. The police report shows Williams had the victim’s debit card and checkbook.

According to police, Williams admitted to taking the victim’s cellphone and causing the injury to his hand. Detectives note Williams also admitted to disconnecting both landline telephones and hiding all three phones in her bedroom.

Officers searched the locked bedroom where they say they found the two landline phones with the modems attached, along with a cellphone.

Williams was arrested on several charges, including battery on a person 65 years of age or older, along with robbery. She’s being held in the Palm Beach County Jail.

The victim said he acknowledges all the good she’s done for him in the past, noting that Williams has saved his life four times. However, he said her behavior has shifted over the last few months.

“Every month, every day, she got a little bit worse,” he said.

The 81-year-old said he’s now on his own as he searches for a new caregiver.

“I got a hold of a VA, and I may get a hold of somebody else because I really need a live-in. I’ve been getting worse and worse and worse off and worse off,” he said.

In the meantime, he’s thankful his hand has started to heal.

WPBF 25 News reached out to both the United States Postal Service and the Lantana Police Department for an interview, but did not hear back.

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 Maci Tetrick

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    NOBLESVILLE, Indiana (WRTV) — The calendar might say 2026 now, but for the herd of goats at Happy Goat Lucky Acres in Noblesville, it feels like Christmas on repeat.

“Their most favorite time of year is after Christmas, because they get all the Christmas trees,” said Jordan Stevens.

Stevens owns the farm, which houses 18 goats.

The farm is currently asking the public to drop off their real Christmas trees and wreaths, as the goats find them delicious.

“They pretty much eat all of it,” Stevens described. “They’ll strip the bark and eat the pine needles off of it, basically all of it until it’s bare.”

Eating the trees is also good for the goats, as they are a natural dewormer.

Where did the idea come from to ask the public for their trees?

“I just saw it on Facebook one time, another goat farm asking for them,” Stevens shared. “And I’m like, ‘Why are we not doing that?'”

The farm is happy to take your real trees – as long as they didn’t come from a big box store.

“They tend to be sprayed with a fire retardant or a pesticide,” Stevens said. “That could be very harmful to them. So we only accept locally-grown trees.”

If your tree fits the criteria, and you’d like to donate it, you can message the farm on the Happy Goat Lucky Yoga Facebook page.

What can you do if you don’t live close enough to this Noblesville farm to drop off your tree?

“Reach out to any local livestock goat farms that are around,” Stevens suggested. “They might even ask their local chatter group on social media or Nextdoor, and see if any farms are interested in taking the trees.”

Screenshot 2026-01-02 at 6.11.05 PM.png WRTV Many communities have programs that turn Christmas trees into mulch, which can help create habitat for wildlife.

One of these programs is the Holiday Tree Recycling Day in Carmel on Friday, January 9.

“This is a great opportunity for local sustainability within Carmel Parks,” said Sean Sluyter with Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation. “We’re able to be within our own community and bring these trees back and to use them within the Carmel Parks community.”

The event will happen at Central Park West, in the Westermeier Commons area (by the playground) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Cars can pull into the parking lot, and volunteers will help unload your tree.

The trees will be used to make mulch, which will be used in the parks and trails once the ground starts to thaw.

“It’s also great for our little creature friends that live in and around our trees,” Sluyter said. “Getting the amphibians and bugs a place to stay warm.”

You can find more information about the program here.

Back in Noblesville, the Stevens and their herd of goats are happy for any amount of trees this January.

“They’ll eat them fairly quickly, so we go through quite a few pretty quickly,” Jordan Stevens laughed. “We’re just grateful to get whatever we get, and if it ends up being a big turnout, we’re really excited, but if we only get a few, we’re just happy that they at least have a little bit of a treat this time of year.”

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 Britt Leoni

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    NAPLES, Florida (WBBH) — At 13 going on 30, Paul Campbell is known for having the answers to most of life’s questions.

“Find what you really want to do with your life, and if you do that, you will find happiness, and you will find peace,” Campbell said.

He’s wise enough to know how he likes to spend his time. He’s wise enough to know how not to spend his time.

“Not to gamble, because that’s bad,” Campbell said.

Most of all, Campbell is wise enough to know what most of us spend our entire lives searching for… his life’s purpose.

“Nobody deserves to lose their life early because of being homeless,” he said.

Campbell first learned what homelessness was at 6 years old. That’s when he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“‘Mah, I want money.’ She’s like, ‘What do you need money for?’ I’m like, ‘They need money so they can eat,'” Campbell said.

The family decided to take Campbell’s passion for helping the homeless and start with a sock drive.

Seven years later, he has donated 8,000 socks and clothes to St. Matthew’s House in Naples.

“I get to hand things out, I get to drop things off, I get to do all these things,” Campbell said. “This has enabled me to do so much more outside myself.”

“Such a little guy for such a big heart, you know it’s great,” said Rachel Fratterelli, Shelter Intake Manager of St. Matthew’s House in Naples.

When it comes to each of us asking what our own purpose may be, Campbell proves we can’t go wrong by looking inside our hearts and outside ourselves.

“I’m just hoping to kind of like pass this torch to my kid or any other kid who needs that kind of purpose in their life,” he said. “They can find it through doing what they love. Helping somebody. Helping many people. It’s just awesome.”

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 Adam Schumes

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    INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — A Venezuelan restaurant in Indianapolis has become a gathering place for community members processing the dramatic political changes unfolding in their homeland thousands of miles away.

Orlando Sanchez and his wife watched with dozens of others as news broke of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s removal over the weekend. Inside their northeast side Venezuelan restaurant, Cumaco Arepa House, phones came out immediately as the community absorbed the breaking news.

“As many people pass away for this, you know, and never see it. People fight for this for many, many years. Now we can see it that happen,” Sanchez said.

What’s usually a place for food and celebration quickly transformed into a space for processing developments from Venezuela. The removal of Maduro sparked a wave of emotion for families with deep ties to the country, with some feeling cautious hope while others expressed uncertainty about what comes next.

“We’re waiting for 25 years, you know, people are being in power doing many things to Venezuelan people, but in the meantime, we are happy,” Sanchez said.

His wife, Mayrin Sanchez, expressed concern for family members both in Venezuela and abroad.

“I was afraid. For our family, our family inside, outside of Venezuela,” she said, holding back tears.

Orlando Sanchez described the complex emotions surrounding the political shift.

“It’s mixed with joy, definitely, ok, but we say, ok, what’s going to happen after this,” he said.

The Sanchez family emphasized that this moment isn’t about celebrating or politics. It’s about staying informed, protecting family members still in Venezuela and ensuring the world continues paying attention once the headlines fade.

“Pray for us because I know we wait for this for many, many years. We want Venezuela back to the right condition. I know it’s going to take time,” Orlando Sanchez 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 Rian Stockett

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    HENDERSONVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — A local woman found out that a loud boom on New Year’s Eve wasn’t caused by fireworks.

When Toni Constantino walked around her house to find out what the sound was, she didn’t notice the hole in her windshield at first.

It wasn’t until the next day when her wife got into the truck and found a bullet sitting in the passenger seat.

“Then she looks up, and she’s like, oh my god, and she sees the windshield, which had this big hole. And then we’ve had glass just everywhere, from literally front to back, and in everything,” said Constantino.

Constantino says someone from the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office came out on New Year’s Day, but she didn’t feel like they took what happened seriously.

“I had to kind of encourage him to please write up a report and to take the bullet and do something with it, because I feel like there should be a traceable thing,” said Constantino.

News 13 reached out to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, but the sheriff’s office declined an interview. The sheriff’s office did send News 13 a redacted report related to the incident, which said the case has since been closed.

Under case status, the document says “Closed by Other Means.”

News 13 responded to the sheriff’s office asking why the case was closed and what that meant. News 13 is still awaiting a reply.

Constantino said she’s feeling frustrated.

“(I’m) pretty mad because it makes you feel like they don’t care. You call them because that’s who we’re supposed to call, and they’re supposed to help keep us safe…if they won’t enforce the law what are we supposed to do?” she 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.