Author: CNN Newsource

By Abby Dodge

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — Miami’s dining and nightlife scene is famous for its flashy rooftops, high‑end cocktails, and trend‑setting restaurants. The city’s classic neighborhood dive bars, once hubs of local culture, are disappearing.

Owners and longtime patrons say the challenge isn’t a lack of loyal customers. It’s the rapid redevelopment reshaping neighborhoods across Miami‑Dade County.

“These locations are kind of dying,” said Junior Silva, co‑owner of Duffy’s Tavern, one of the area’s enduring dive bars.

At places like Duffy’s, survival depends on remaining rooted in the surrounding community. Co‑owner Jose El Toledo Jr. calls a true dive bar “a secret community bar,” a sentiment echoed by Steve Interfeld, co‑owner of Happy’s Stork Lounge.

“Every day here is just locals,” he said. “It’s just people, family.”

Some bars have adapted to the times. Ball & Chain on Calle Ocho now offers a more polished experience, but its origins trace back to The Copa, a well‑known dive bar decades ago. Miami historian Paul George remembers its gritty charm.

“The Copa was really a grungy place,” he said. “I was there as a young college student, so I can attest to that.”

Inside Ball & Chain today, posters of Count Basie, Billie Holiday and Chet Baker nod to that earlier era.

But not all historic establishments have survived. Tobacco Road, considered one of Miami’s most storied dive bars, was demolished after closing.

“Personalities have left those neighborhoods,” George said. “On the site of where Tobacco Road now is, is nothing.”

For regulars at Duffy’s Tavern, the shrinking number of classic bars is reason enough to hold onto what remains.

“If there were more bars like this left in Miami, I would have found them,” said patron Anne Powell.

Another regular, Lino Marcos, pointed to the changing landscape: “Everything is corporate and massive and big-chain stores.”

Duffy’s faced an uncertain future when longtime owner Wayne Russell sold the decades‑old bar in 2025. But he says the new owners were determined to preserve it.

“These people want to keep Duffy’s, Duffy’s… which is rare,” Russell said.

The new owners see themselves as caretakers. “All we want to do is make sure there is a Duffy’s for the next generation,” Toledo said.

Without that commitment, Silva believes the bar could have easily been replaced by a 10-story development.

Happy’s Stork Lounge recently confronted that reality. The North Bay Village bar, which had operated since the 1950s at the corner of 79th Street and Treasure Drive, is now the site of a mixed‑use development project. The lounge has since relocated a few blocks away.

“We wouldn’t have wanted to move, but we had no choice,” Interfeld said. “Unless you own the land, you’re a nobody, basically.”

Inside the new space, portraits of early‑day patrons smoking and drinking while bellied up to the bar still hang on the walls. Smoking is now restricted to outside, a small price to pay during what could be the death of dive bars.

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 Ricky Sayer

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    GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Olympic bronze medalist Jasmine Jones was celebrated by her family and friends at a surprise party held in Greensburg on Sunday.

Jones earned her medal by placing third in the two-woman bobsled at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

“I was loving every bit of it. I was soaking up every ounce, because it’s your child, and no one knows what she worked through to get there,” said Jones’ mother, Christine Graves Vincent, who was able to attend the Olympics to see her daughter compete thanks to a GoFundMe campaign. “We thank God for people who gave out of their heart.”

She had to keep the party a surprise from her daughter. Jones entered to applause and chants of “USA, USA.”

“So, that was crazy,” Jones said. “Just to see them all there, even cheering for me, and I do have something to show for it. It just really makes me, you know, proud to be where I’m from, and grateful to have the support behind me.”

That support helped to power her through years of training, some of which she did at a Westmoreland County gym, Virtus Barbell.

“Oh, she’s incredible,” said the gym’s owner, Nicole Bohince. “She is always dialed in and confident and one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met.”

Jones originally wanted to go to the Olympics as a track and field athlete before switching to winter sports, where many of the same skills apply.

“It’s phenomenal,” Vincent said. “It’s phenomenal because what takes, what 50 seconds took over four years to achieve, and a dream she had over 15 years ago.”

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 Wakisha Bailey

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    ARDMORE, Pennsylvania (KYW) — There’s something about lighting a candle — it makes you feel good.

At Cork and Candles in Ardmore, the experience goes beyond scent. It’s about joy, creativity and connection. But behind the warm glow and custom fragrance blends, owner Chris Holloway is fighting a battle most customers never see.

When you walk into Cork and Candles, you’re welcomed with what many call “The Holloway Experience.”

Retired from the mortgage industry, he reinvented himself as an entrepreneur and chandler, or candle maker, guiding customers as they mix and pour their own custom candles.

“If you like two fragrances individually, they’ll both smell nice together,” Holloway said.

The shop fills quickly. Laughter echoes. Wax pours. Wicks are set carefully in place.

But after the doors close, Holloway’s workday continues.

“I’m on a dialysis machine 12 hours a day,” Holloway said. “Most of those hours are done overnight. Some are done during the day.”

Holloway was diagnosed in 2005 with a rare kidney disease called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS. He received a kidney transplant in 2016, but the average lifespan of a donated kidney is between eight and 15 years.

Now, he’s waiting for a second transplant.

His wife, Tia Holloway, is by his side every step of the way.

“I know he’s hurting. I know he’s suffering. I have to watch it every day,” she said.

It was Tia Holloway who encouraged him to share his story.

“I think it’s time you start sharing your story,” she told him.

That story reached our newsroom after CBS Philadelphia General Manager Kelly Frank and her family visited the shop, read about Chris Holloway’s journey and were moved to act.

“I would love to bring my team down here for a team-building event,” Frank said. “And I would also love to see if I can donate a kidney.”

They aren’t alone. Customers have had similar reactions — inspired not just by the candles, but by Holloway’s resilience.

When asked what comes next, Holloway keeps it simple.

“We wait for the most part,” he said. “And we pray. We pray and we go on with our lives.”

If you visit Cork and Candles, you may want to make a reservation. And there’s one rule inside the shop:

“No candle could leave here nameless,” Holloway said.

Every candle poured carries a story, and for Holloway, every flame lit is hope.

Becoming a living donor is a process that can take six months to a year. Holloway’s family created a website and fundraiser to spread awareness about his journey. He says he hopes to raise awareness — not just for himself, but for the thousands of others waiting for a life-saving transplant.

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 Hannah Kliger

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — The images of a laundry hamper full of clothes, an unmade bed and a crowded bookshelf stop people in their tracks. The photographs were taken inside the bedrooms of children killed in school shootings, transforming everyday details into memorials.

The public photography exhibit at Brooklyn Bridge Park is drawing visitors into intimate spaces frozen in time: children’s bedrooms left exactly as they were before their lives were cut short.

“I felt like the country was growing numb to the whole school shooting epidemic. And I was like, what could I possibly do to shake people out of that numbness, including myself? Because I was growing numb to it,” said Steve Hartman, a CBS News correspondent who has covered close to a dozen school shootings. “I felt like they were all blending together, and we were just accepting it as a nation.”

Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp are now the subject of the short documentary “All the Empty Rooms,” directed by Joshua Seftel, which takes viewers inside these preserved spaces.

“As they happen more and more often, the news coverage would shrink to maybe a couple of days, and then we’re on to the next story. It just felt wrong, and it felt like we needed to sort of wake up as a nation and restore our empathy,” he said.

The film, now nominated for an Oscar, presents seemingly ordinary rooms that families have turned into sacred spaces, preserving them for years as a way to process grief.

“They’re places that most people don’t get to see, and we wanted to share those with the world so that they can see the toll that gun violence is taking on these families and on our country,” Seftel said. “The rooms are exactly the way they were when their child left for school that morning, and they never came back.”

Mia Tretta, a survivor of a 2019 school shooting in Santa Clarita, California, said the violence remains deeply personal.

“I was hanging out with my friends before class when he pulled that gun out of his backpack and shot me and four others, killing two of them,” she said.

One of those killed was her best friend, Dominic Blackwell.

“In his bedroom, you see the SpongeBob all over and the sports trophies and football, and you really get a sense for who he was as a person,” Tretta said.

Bopp’s photos of Blackwell’s room are among those attracting attention at the Brooklyn Bridge Park display.

“It’s a very eye-catching thing, and I think most of us can really relate to that intimate space in the home, thinking about what happens when that person is no longer there,” said Cailley Frank-Lehrer, senior producer of Photoville, which is behind the exhibit.

“All the Empty Rooms” is streaming on Netflix. The photography installation will remain on display at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park through March 4.

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 Steve Maugeri

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — A new law is meant to get rid of boats that have been sitting in the same spot of the water for a long period of time, and as CBS News Miami’s Steve Maugeri shows us, the new rule appears to be working.

CBS News Miami did a ride along through the Biscayne Bay by Maurice Gibb Memorial Park in Miami Beach last May, right as a new law limiting how long you can anchor a boat there took effect.

But when CBS News Miami went out on the water at the start of 2026, the bay was practically empty.

“This used to be filled with the worst boats possible, and now look at it,” said Miami Beach City Commissioner David Suarez.

Suarez said he had been pushing for those law changes.

The law limits anchoring a boat in counties with 1.5 million people or more to 30 days every six months.

“If you’re a cruiser, a legitimate cruiser and you’re passing through, you have 30 days which is more than plenty of enough time to anchor and enjoy our waterways and our city and move on,” Suarez said.

Suarez said the law gives local governments more control over its waterways by letting marine patrol enforce these law changes.

“I knew this was not gonna last forever,” said Alexi Afonin, who used to live on his boat near Miami Beach.

Afonin moved his boat as soon as he heard about the new laws. Afonin said felt he was being kicked out, but understands why the changes were made.

“Something had to be done because more boats were coming, being stored and forgotten about more more,” he said. “It totally got out of hand.”

Miami Beach police said that so far under the new laws they’ve issued 87 citations, but no arrests have been made. For derelict vessels on the water, police have issued 45 citations and made 15 arrests.

The laws also limit how far away you can anchor from a mooring field, super yacht repair facility or private marina.

Suarez said boaters have been cooperative with the law changes.

“This is the type of anchoring we wanna see in Miami Beach,” Suarez said while showing CBS News Miami a compliant boat anchoring in the bay.

Miami Beach police did have to remove some inoperable or abandoned boats, costing the city about $140,000.

As for the people that live on boats, CBS News Miami was told many of them went to a mooring field.

At a mooring field they pay a monthly fee for getting an assigned spot, and they have access to shore if they need to use the shower or go to the store.

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 Alexa Liacko

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — At an alternative high school in Gwinnett County, getting students to show up has long been one of the toughest lessons.

Dr. Candice Richardson decided to tackle that challenge not with punishment, but with compassion — and sneakers.

Richardson teaches at Gwinnett Intervention Education Center East, where students are often placed due to attendance, academic, or behavioral issues. For years, many students struggled to feel connected to school. Richardson believed that had to change.

“We have a problem with attendance,” Richardson said. “And that’s why some of our kids are here. I thought, well, let’s see if we can make a difference.”

Her solution was simple but unconventional: the Sneaker Spirit Squad. Any student with perfect attendance for an entire week earns the chance to trade required uniform shoes for colorful sneakers one day the following week. The incentive, she said, gives students something to look forward to — and a way to express their individuality.

The results were immediate. Richardson said attendance rates are now nearly double what they were before the program began.

“We saw kids who weren’t coming to school all the time,” she said. “All of a sudden, now we have them come to school every day.”

Students say the sneakers mean more than comfort or style. Ninth-grader Kallan Forsyth said the strict dress code can feel discouraging, but earning sneaker day feels rewarding.

“It shows I’m hardworking,” Forsyth said. “I try my best even when I don’t really know what to do.”

Another ninth-grader, Kymir Fraley, said the chance to wear his own shoes boosts his confidence. “You look good, so you feel good,” he said. “That makes me have more drive to do my work.”

Richardson’s approach is shaped by an unusual path to the classroom. She began her career as a medical doctor, practicing in the Bahamas before moving to the United States. After taking a job as a substitute teacher, she realized education — not medicine — was her calling.

“With teaching, I get an opportunity to do more holistic healing,” Richardson said. “It’s the mental, the physical, the spiritual — every aspect of that child.”

That mindset is evident in her classroom, where students are greeted each morning warmly and reminded that they matter. Several said Richardson has helped them through personal struggles far beyond academics.

“It’s given me the motivation to come here every day and do great,” said ninth-grader Shamia Young.

Michel Romero, also a ninth-grader, said Richardson offers guidance when life feels overwhelming. “She’s helped me piece myself together and gave me great advice on how to proceed,” he said.

Principal Brandon Bell said Richardson treats her classroom like a triage unit, drawing on her medical background to meet students where they are.

“She uses that level of care and commitment to help kids become the best version of themselves,” Bell said.

Richardson also makes sure no student is excluded. If a family cannot afford sneakers, she buys them herself so every child can participate.

Her impact was formally recognized this year when she was named Teacher of the Year by the Gwinnett County School District.

“When you believe in people, and they know you believe in them, they begin to believe in themselves,” Richardson said. “And it transcends the classroom.”

For students once at risk of walking away from school altogether, Richardson has shown that sometimes all it takes is someone willing to walk or step alongside them.

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, Adam Thompson

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    HOWARD COUNTY, Maryland (WJZ) — State investigators said three Howard County police officers shot and killed a man early Sunday morning at an apartment complex in Columbia after he refused to drop a knife.

Witnesses showed WJZ Investigates the location of the body, near the entrance to Patuxent Commons, a new apartment complex on Freetown Road in Hickory Ridge, with units set aside as affordable housing for senior citizens and people living with disabilities.

The police response began at 12:09 a.m. Sunday.

Police said they received a 911 call from a man who threatened to harm himself.

In dispatch audio, a first responder said, “We were speaking with a caller on the phone. He began making suicidal statements.”

Police could not find the man when they arrived.

“Can we get another couple units over here to start making checks for this guy?” police asked on dispatch audio. “He’s not in his apartment.”

As the officers exited the apartment building, they said the man was in the parking lot walking toward them with a knife in one hand.

They said they told him to drop that knife several times, but he refused.

That is when three officers opened fire, according to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division, which investigates all fatal incidents where police are involved.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

WJZ Investigates spoke with witnesses who watched the incident unfold from the windows of the building.

A witness who wanted to remain anonymous told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren said he heard six shots.

“It was very frightening, very frightening,” the man said. “Basically, all he said [was], ‘Let’s party. I want to party. I told you there was going to be a party.'”

The man said he did not see the man’s knife from his vantage point.

The attorney general’s investigators said the incident was captured on officers’ body-worn cameras and police did recover a knife near the man.

“It needs to be investigated to the fullest, to the fullest extent it needs to be investigated,” the witness said. “I just can’t understand how something like this tragically happened.”

The building, Patuxent Commons, opened late last year to much fanfare, including a speech by the county executive steps from where the shooting unfolded Sunday.

“Patuxent Commons is great because it represents our values in action,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball told the crowd at the ribbon cutting in November 2025.

Patuxent Commons is a $44 million public private partnership led by the Autism Society of Maryland. One quarter of the units are set aside for people with disabilities and 40 percent as affordable housing for seniors.

The Autism Society of Maryland and Mission First Housing told WJZ Investigates in a joint statement, “This is a disturbingly tragic event, and we have been in touch with the family to express our deepest sorrow and offer support.”

The organizations stressed, “Our immediate focus is on supporting residents and staff who are experiencing shock, grief, and trauma.”

Howard County police declined to comment on the apartment shooting.

The attorney general’s team has 20 business days to release the body-worn camera footage and two business days to release the name of the man who died and the officers.

This is the second death involving Howard County police this year.

The Maryland Attorney General’s office is still investigating a fatal crash in January that happened as police tried to pull over a teenager for speeding.

Full statement from Autism Society of Maryland and Mission First Housing:

“Early Sunday morning, a resident of Patuxent Commons was shot and killed outside of the property following a wellness check by the Howard County Police Department. The Autism Society of Maryland (AUSOM) and Mission First Housing Group (Mission First) deeply mourn this loss. This is a disturbingly tragic event, and we have been in touch with the family to express our deepest sorrow and offer support.”

“The Howard County Police Department and Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division are conducting a full investigation. They have issued a statement and no further information is available at this time.”

“Any questions concerning the incident should be directed to the Howard County Police Department. Mission First is cooperating fully with authorities and will continue to do so.”

“Together, we support a full investigation of this tragedy on behalf of the family, the residents of Patuxent Commons, the entire Howard County community, and members of the disability community.”

“Our immediate focus is on supporting residents and staff who are experiencing shock, grief, and trauma. Staff members are on site at this time and additional staff and grief counselors will be in the community tomorrow, Monday, March 2, to respond to resident concerns and offer support.”

“Patuxent Commons exists to provide safe, affordable, inclusive housing rooted in community for adults with disabilities, older adults and families. That mission has not changed. We are committed to fully understanding the chain of events that led to this tragedy and learning everything we can once the investigation is complete.”

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 Tessa DiTirro

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    CLEVELAND (WEWS) — If you LOVE mac and cheese, get ready to loosen your belt! The 10th annual Mac ‘n’ Cheese Throwdown is back and cheesier than ever. The delicious day supports W.A.G.S. 4 Kids, Working Animals Giving Service 4 Kids.

The Northeast Ohio non-profit trains service dogs and provides them directly to families in our community. The service dogs help children with mobility assistance, autism, and mental health support.

“All the kids are local, so there’s probably somebody down the street or a friend of a friend’s kid is directly going to benefit from what’s happening in that room,” said W.A.G.S. 4 Kids executive director Sera Nelson.

Fifteen local chefs will be serving up their best take on the comfort food. See the chef lineup here.

Sera Nelson said every year folks ask if the throwdown really is unlimited, and the answer is YES, you can eat as much mac and cheese as your heart desires.

“This is not a tasting, this is not a flight,” said Nelson.

“The rookies that are joining in are people we’ve been begging to join for years. Grumpy’s is coming in with their breakfast mac; it’s going to be really cool. It’s hashbrowns with mac and cheese and bacon,” said Nelson.

She continued, “Irie Jamaican is joining too, for anybody that’s ever been to Jamaica, they absolutely brought Jamaica to Cleveland, it’s ridiculous. I tend to fast a little bit before the event.”

Mac ‘n’ Cheese Throwdown will be held this year at TENK Westbank, located on the west bank of the Flats, at 2111 Center St. The fun begins at 12 p.m. on March 7.

“If you’re getting ready for fest season in Cleveland, this is it. You’re going to have your small business merchants, you’re going to have Cleveland’s scene in the building,” said Nelson.

While you’re chowing down, you’ll be voting on your phone to crown the best-of-the-best mac champs. Chefs are vying for titles like “rookie of the year” and “heavyweight mac champ” among 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.