Author: CNN Newsource

By Sheldon Ingram

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    HICKORY, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — Bedillion Honey Farm is owned by Mark and Sarah Bedillion. They say someone intentionally set fire to 50 beehives on their farm in Industry, Beaver County.

They estimate a loss of roughly 50,000 bees, and they say whoever is responsible went to great lengths to reach the beehives deep in a secluded wooded area.

“We rolled up to it. I was a little confused, like, where are the beehives?” said the couple’s daughter, Lily, who made the discovery with her father. “When you really get to looking at it, you can see squares of ash where they burned the pallet.

“My heart dropped, my dad’s heart dropped, a pretty long moment of silence until it set in that all of our hives were caught on fire. It was heartbreaking, to say the least.”

Bedillion Honey Farm owns a small retail shop in Hickory, which Sarah manages.

“It was like getting punched in the gut,” she said. “It was heartbreaking. They killed our bees, killed them. We’re estimating about 50 hives out of the bunch, so tens of thousands of bees.”

Family members say the beehive farm destroyed was one of 25, spread across the region.

They are hopeful that Ohioville police can find whoever is responsible.

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 Alex Howard

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    LABELLE, Florida (WBBH) — It’s the fruit synonymous with the Sunshine State, stamped onto license plates and woven into Florida’s identity. But the citrus industry has endured decades of hardship, with production falling by roughly 73 percent due to hurricanes, freezes, invasive pests, and disease.

Among the most devastating threats is citrus greening, a bacterial disease that has crippled groves across the state. Now, growers and researchers say emerging technologies — including gene editing — could help bring Florida oranges back from the brink.

From his groves outside LaBelle, Wayne Simmons, owner of LaBelle Fruit Company, has witnessed the industry’s struggles firsthand.

“My goal in life and my lot in life is growing oranges, and I want to continue to do that,” Simmons said.

A fifth-generation Floridian, Simmons says citrus is more than a livelihood — it’s a legacy.

“I am committed. I want to be a steward of the land and carry on the tradition,” he said.

For decades, growers have battled storms, cold snaps, invasive pests, and blight. But citrus greening remains the most destructive.

“There is no known cure for greening, so we are certainly at a disadvantage,” Simmons said.

Over the years, growers have tried protective coverings, antibiotic treatments, and other mitigation strategies. One method, however, has remained essential: selective breeding.

“You know, we have always felt like, as a grower community, the silver bullet to greening is going to be a resistant tree,” said Matt Joyner of Florida Citrus Mutual. “We are seeing some go into the ground that are showing tolerance, if not total resistance.”

Many groves are already planting conventionally bred trees designed to withstand the disease.

“All of these trees here have just been conventionally bred to resist greening,” Joyner said.

Meanwhile, researchers from the University of Florida, along with federal agencies including the USDA and FDA, are testing a more advanced solution: CRISPR gene editing.

“CRISPR allows the breeder to locate those genes in the tree that are less desirable … and eliminate them instantly,” Joyner explained.

The technology functions like accelerated selective breeding, allowing scientists to target traits linked to disease susceptibility.

While CRISPR-developed trees remain in field trials, industry leaders say greening-resistant oranges produced using the technology could reach grocery stores as soon as next year.

“I think the important thing is how we are harnessing current technologies used in medical science and agriculture around the world,” Joyner said. “We are finally able to harness some of these technologies here in Florida in an expedited manner that is going to move this industry forward.”

For growers like Simmons, that progress represents more than innovation — it offers a path to preserving a way of life rooted deep in Florida soil.

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 Andrew Ramos

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A terminally ill Bronx man made one final request from his hospital bed before he died. He wanted to say goodbye to his dogs and make sure they end up in a loving home.

Now, a local group is on a mission to fulfill that wish.

It was a moment that almost didn’t happen. The man, a patient at Columbia University Irving Medical Center who only wanted to be identified as “Mr. Spencer,” was granted his dying wish to say farewell to his German Shepherds Bowie and Nikki.

“It was a tear jerker, seeing them get so excited to see their owner,” said Jennifer Brooks of NYC Second Chance Rescue. “They laid near his bed. We stayed for quite a while.”

The medical team connected with the Long Island City-based rescue to make it all happen.

Hours after last month’s emotional meeting, Mr. Spencer passed away. The hospital did not disclose his illness.

“There was a room of 10 doctors and literally there was not a dry eye in the room,” Brooks said.

With no relatives or caretakers listed to take custody of the dogs, Second Chance Rescue stepped up. Brooks, the rescue’s founder, is now tasked with making good on the promise she made to Mr. Spencer, finding Bowie and Nikki a forever home.

“I believe, you know, seeing him in that state they knew they had to move on now and they are gonna find a new loving home,” Brooks said.

In addition to getting them adopted together, it would also be required that the pair be the only pets in the home.

“They are big dogs. Being out of the city would be nice for them,” Brooks said. “They are therapy dog material. Every person in the hospital who went up to them, they licked their hand. They are super friendly.”

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 Matteo Iadonisi

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    PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Anita Lewis and Gwendolyn Ebron are making Black history of their own, following a 33-hour teaching marathon.

The two longtime educators met thanks to an organization called ‘Urban Intellectuals,’ which is dedicated to teaching Black history.

Ebron, a Philadelphia-based teacher with Urban Intellectuals, recalls a phone call she got from Lewis.

Lewis, who is based in Friendswood, Texas, was looking for her next bold accomplishment following her doctorate.

She decided she wanted to break the Guinness World Record for specifically the ‘Longest History Lesson.’

The current record is 26 hours and 34 minutes, achieved by Andrew Torget in Denton, Texas, in 2018. That lesson was focused on Texas history.

After teaming up, Ebron and Lewis spent months planning a 33-hour lesson focused on Black history.

And they say it still wasn’t enough time to cover it all.

Their teaching marathon took place on February 27th and February 28th, 2026, at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on Cheltenham Avenue. It was well-attended and also livestreamed online by Urban Intellectuals.

They must now submit all their evidence to Guinness World Records for verification. As of now, it remains an attempt at a world record.

But for Ebron and Lewis, the real prize would be inspiring students young and old to recognize their potential and pass these lessons forward.

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By Julie Salomone

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    TAMPA, Florida (WFTS) — A dad has joined social media to make a plea to save his 15-year-old’s life.

Juan Uribe joined TikTok just to share his son’s story. His son, Max, has a rare blood disorder that may soon turn into a deadly blood cancer.

He needs to find a stem cell donor.

“My son has a very rare blood disorder that, if it’s not treated with a stem cell transplant in the next few months, it will develop into MDS or AML, which are forms of blood cancer and are very deadly,” he said on the TikTok video.

Juan also shared his son’s story on Facebook and Instagram.

“Ultimately it was kind of desperation, three weeks ago, we learned that we didn’t have the perfect match donors that we thought we had. I said what’s the quickest way to reach the most number of people, and so that’s what led me to open up accounts on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and all of that,” said Juan.

Juan’s plea went viral and the video has millions of views.

His son’s story has reached athletes and celebrities.

“We had Shakira share the story on her Instagram stories. We’ve had people like Joe Jonas. We’ve had people like Meghan Trainor. We’ve had Isaac Rochell was one of the first to reshare, repost the story,” he said.

“I am so grateful to every single one of them, even those that only have 10 followers that have been reposting. It’s really unbelievable how kind and generous people have been with that and how generous people have been, written messages of support and love and prayer.”

Juan said his son loves playing school sports, including soccer, wrestling and tennis.

He also enjoys playing the piano and making music, which can be found on Spotify.

Max has a twin named Sophie.

“His sister is not a perfect match, unfortunately,” said Juan.

Juan said finding a matching donor for Max is especially difficult due to Max’s mixed ethnicity, which includes 50% Colombian. Typically, the best donor match is someone who shares a patient’s ethnic background. Juan explains who is most likely the perfect match for his son.

“The perfect match is likely to be in populations with Afro-Latino heritage, so you can imagine people that have Colombian heritage, Brazilian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, but with European ancestry as well, so it’s like that mix that we’re looking for,” he said.

Since Juan’s viral video, the NMDP, formerly known as “Be the Match,” has had 33,000 people request a kit to see if they’re a potential match for Max, but more potential donors are needed. Juan encourages everyone to request a kit from the NMDP.

“The clock is ticking, We have to move to transplant in mid-May, potentially sooner if things were to go even worse, and we need to maximize the number of new donors we add to the registry,” said Juan.

Patients with diverse ethnic backgrounds have a harder time finding a matching donor since minorities are underrepresented in the national stem cell registries.

The process to become a potential match is simple.

“You’ll have an envelope that comes to your home, two swabs. You’ll swab the inside of each cheek, that’s collecting the cells on the inside of your cheek,” said Erica Sevilla, Public Relations Manager at NMDP.

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 Allie Kaiser

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    CLEWISTON, Florida (WFTX) — A nonprofit is giving monkeys and apes rescued from abusive and illegal situations a second chance at life, and its founder said the rehabilitation work at the facility is vital for the animals.

Deborah Misotti is the founder and director of Talkin’ Monkeys Project in Clewiston.

For Misotti, the work is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream — one that started at the zoo when she was just a child.

“I was that weird four or five-year-old child standing there going ‘whoo whoo’ and calling with the Gibbons,” Misotti said.

She spent years volunteering at other sanctuaries before launching her own — a dream that didn’t become a reality until she was in her 50s.

“I never thought at 50 years old that I’d be able to do something like this, and it happened, because I made it happen,” Misotti said.

The monkeys and apes at the sanctuary are all rescues.

“Some people had them as pets illegally, or they had them as pets, and they couldn’t handle them anymore, or from the investigations, where they were illegally held,” Misotti said.

Now in her 70s, Misotti said the nonprofit could use more help, as the manual labor of caring for the animals is becoming more difficult. She said the future of her childhood dream remains uncertain, but she thinks about it often.

“I can’t imagine walking outside and not seeing them, not hearing them, but we all get old,” Misotti said.

If you would like to volunteer or donate to the Talkin’ Monkeys Project, you can contact Misotti by calling (863) 677-0053 or emailing debbie@talkinmonkeysproject.org.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WFTX verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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 Annie Brown

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    LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WLEX) — A Lexington 3D printing business is helping restore a historic Victorian home — and its new owner says the technology’s potential is only beginning to be realized.

Complete3d, located on Limestone Street on the University of Kentucky’s campus, offers a full range of 3D printing services, from in-house printing to retail sales, printer repairs, and materials.

“We’ve got the space itself, where we do 3D printing for customers and things, but we also have the storefront aspect where people can buy materials and the printers themselves. They can bring them here for repairs, it’s like I said just a little bit of everything. If you can think of something 3D printing related, we probably do it,” Alec Whisman said.

Whisman took over as owner and operator of the business in January. He said the shop handles an unusually wide range of projects — from replacement vintage car parts to anatomical models of horse hooves for a UK professor.

“I have a university lecturer here at UK that has these molds of horse hooves for horses that have had a disease. He’s taken these molds, brought them to me, I’m scanning them, and he’s showing me the part that he’d like to cut and I can make a physical prop he can hand out to students and you can just detach and re-attach that little side of the hoof,” Whisman said.

Among the shop’s recent projects is the restoration of the Aisling House, a historic Victorian home in Winchester’s Thompson neighborhood built around 1888. The home had sustained significant damage to architectural components that are no longer easily reproduced using traditional methods.

“It was very damaged. And the processes for recreating that is not really around anymore. What they did was they brought an example of each damaged component to me, I’ve taken a 3D scanner, scanned those objects, and then re-created them as a 3D model you can mass produce to create all of this siding,” Whisman said.

With 3D printing often costing significantly less than traditional manufacturing, Whisman believes the technology’s most transformative applications are still ahead.

“I think that the amount of people getting exposed to it will inspire the people who will find another use for it,” Whisman 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 Alex Barber

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    PARIS, Kentucky (WLEX) — Paris, Kentucky, is marking a historic moment — 65 years after three Black teenagers were jailed for sitting down at a local diner and asking to be served.

Margaret Nichols, Weida Allen and Augustine Fields — known as the “Paris 3” — were honored Sunday with their own day in the city. Paris Mayor proclaimed Mar. 1, 2026, as “Paris 3 Day” in the city of Paris, Kentucky.

During the era of segregation, the three sat down at a local diner as teenagers, wanting to be served. They were arrested and held in jail for 36 hours. The three women’s actions led to a yearlong boycott and brought local change to Paris.

Karrie Claybrook, the granddaughter of Weida Allen, produced a documentary film to tell their story. The ceremony was held in the very courtroom where the “Paris 3” were originally sentenced.

“I have no words….. God is good,” Claybrook told LEX 18.

Claybrook said the film is meant to spark conversations about stories similar to the “Paris 3” that played out across the nation throughout American history.

“These types of stories happened all across our country. We hope when people watch the film, they see their grandmother or their auntie. They start to have some conversations,” Claybrook said.

For Claybrook, preserving this history goes beyond looking back.

“It’s so important to preserve our history, not because we want to get stuck in the past, but because we want people to move through it. In order to do that you have to confront it and have the hard conversations. But what happens when you do that, life gets more full and beautiful. You have what you have today. You have a town coming together and choosing healing over silence,” said Claybrook.

Claybrook hopes the documentary will carry Nichols’, Allen’s, and Fields’ message of healing, beyond Kentucky, to a national audience.

“We got a lot of work ahead of us. I think what we are seeing with this film isn’t just about Paris. It’s about, how do we heal as a nation?” Claybrook said.

Karrie Claybrook, is also the director of the nonprofit called TapUStry Collective.

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.