Author: CNN Newsource

By Wakisha Bailey

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — In West Philadelphia, a new generation of business owners is setting up shop — and they’re not even old enough to drive.

Young entrepreneurs took center stage at the NOMO Foundation’s Small Business Expo, turning their passions into profit and proving that age is no barrier to building something of their own.

From sausages to spinach dip, the smell of sizzling sausages filled the air as 11-year-old Zy worked the grill, serving up her specialties: mild sausages and burgers.

Right next to her, another 11-year-old, Amira, offered samples of her homemade chicken and spinach dip. Amira started her business at just 9 years old.

“I look at them being children, but learning how to do business,” one customer said after tasting her dip.

From sauces to stitches, the young vendors showcased a wide range of talents.

Sisters Ajah and her younger sibling turned yarn into wearable art — sandals, hats, and crochet crop tops — all designed and made by hand.

Others used their booths to share their personal stories through their craft. One 15-year-old artist proudly told customers, “I’m 15, and I’m trans — you’re supporting a trans artist.”

For some, entrepreneurship is a family affair.

13-year-old Bahiyyah, owner of Molly’s Boutique, sells colorful balls of ribbon that are actually socks, priced between $20 and $35. While she runs the front of the shop, her mom is in the back teaching sewing classes.

These young designers are learning to make clothing that can often be expensive to buy, aiming to make it more affordable for their community.

“It shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to cover,” one participant said.

NOMO’s mission: opportunity starts here.

Whether it’s through a sewing class or a pop-up shop, NOMO — which stands for “New Options, More Opportunities” — is showing the next generation that business dreams can start right here in West Philly.

The organization runs programs year-round to keep youth engaged and empowered.

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By Rian Stockett

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    BLACK MOUNTAIN, North Carolina (WLOS) — A unique mural in Black Mountain is drawing lots of attention to local shops ahead of a new art gallery’s grand opening.

Many families have stopped in front of the mural to take photos.

“The mural outside has brought a lot of business to the store and the town because before it was just a blank yellow wall, so now it’s this gorgeous, beautiful Black Mountain mural, and many, many people come to take their picture there,” said Debbie Hinten, the Team Lead at Sassafras, a bookstore in downtown Black Mountain.

Hinten says she’s noticed many customers walk into the shop after taking photos in front of the mural outside one of their entrances.

“All of the tourists that come by that are photographing themselves in front of this, and then that is proliferating all over the internet, is massive in terms of just cultural influence and actual economic dollars,” said Jonathan Bidwell, one of the artists commissioned to bring the mural to life.

The artwork was done by a designer in Atlanta named Ben Rupp; however, Bidwell was asked to bring the design to life and adapt it to the environment of Black Mountain.

“I had to make some adaptations, slight changes to the design just to sort of fit it to the wall,” Bidwell said.

The mural was commissioned by Cherry Street Gallery, an art gallery preparing to open, and was painted on the side of the gallery.

They finished the mural in late July, and then Bidwell came back a week ago to add a protective clear coat.

“I love it, I was just admiring it when I was walking by,” said Thomas Barker, a Black Mountain resident.

The Gallery Director at Cherry Street Gallery says they are looking to open by the end of the month.

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By Samantha Chaney

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — Shoplifters have hit the Lululemon store on Newbury Street in Boston for the second time in a week, getting away with hundreds of dollars worth of clothing.

It happened just before 5 p.m. on Sunday. Boston Police said two girls went into the store, grabbed pricey merchandise and ran out. Police didn’t have a specific amount but they said several hundreds dollars in clothing was stolen this time.

Second shoplifting in a week

Shortly after the snatch and grab, police say they also responded to a separate report of threats at the store ALO, just down the street. Authorities have not confirmed whether the two incidents are connected.

Just last week, police released surveillance video showing at least three people running out of the same store, their arms full of clothing. In that incident, police said they got away with $6,140 in clothing.

“On this street, in such a nice store, I would not expect that,” said Ashley Hanlon, a shopper in the area. She suggested potential security solutions like adding security at the store’s door to check receipts.

No arrests have been made in either incident.

WBZ-TV reached out to Lululemon for comment on the thefts but has not heard back.

“I don’t think you’re ever going to stop everyone from doing crazy things,” said shopper Shelley Koren. “I think at the end of the day, as long as you’re protecting the people around you, as long as everyone’s safe in the building, that’s what matters.”

Other stores targeted before In May, the Sunglass Hut shop on Newbury Street was targeted by shoplifters. Police said six people stole more than 40 pairs of sunglasses that were worth more than $20,000.

Just this past summer, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said shoplifting is on the rise in the city. Cox said shoplifting increased by 93% in 2023 compared to 2019.

Cox said police are focused on targeting repeat offenders to crack down on shoplifting. The city is also increasing security in areas like Nubian Square in Roxbury.

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By Madeline Montgomery

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — Some pastors in metro Atlanta say they’re witnessing something they’ve never seen before: fear is keeping people out of church.

From Lithonia to Atlanta’s West End, pastors report a noticeable drop in attendance. They say undocumented churchgoers are skipping services, worried immigration agents could be waiting outside. It’s part of a growing national trend that faith leaders link to new immigration enforcement rules under the Trump administration.

One man told CBS News Atlanta he hasn’t attended church for at least a month because he’s afraid ICE agents might show up. He said his pastor has even asked congregants not to meet in person for now.

Across metro Atlanta, church leaders are getting creative to keep faith alive while keeping their members safe.

A Lithonia pastor said he’s moved some services from the chapel to his living room.

“Many of our people are scared,” he said. “That’s why I invite them to my home, to sing, to praise God, to worship together with freedom.”

The fear isn’t limited to Georgia. A pastor in Baltimore told CBS News he’s also noticed longtime congregants staying away.

“There comes a point where the church has to adapt, not give up,” he said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons told CBS News that despite restrictions being lifted on immigration raids at churches, houses of worship are not a target.

“We’re not going to go ahead and target a church or synagogue,” Lyons said.

Still, church leaders remain cautious after ICE agents reportedly detained a man at a church earlier this year. Many religious organizations are now distributing guidelines reminding churches of their rights, from locking doors during services to exercising the right to remain silent.

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By Jolie Sherman

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    DETROIT (WXYZ) — A travel nurse who is based in Kansas is celebrating two major milestones this weekend in Detroit: completing her ambitious goal of running 50 full and half marathons in all 50 states by her 50th birthday.

Michelle Floyd will cross the finish line at the Detroit Free Press Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 19, marking the completion of a 15-year journey that began in 2010. She turned 50 on Friday.

“That was the main goal: 50 states by my 50th birthday,” Floyd said.

Floyd’s first race was in San Francisco, where her parents flew out to see her and support her from sidelines. What started as a single marathon evolved into an ambitious cross-country quest.

“I see a race and I can’t not sign up,” Floyd said.

To achieve her goal, Floyd made significant career changes, becoming a travel nurse specifically to accommodate her racing schedule.

“It’s 100% the reason why I quit my staff nursing jobs because at my staff nursing job, I wasn’t able to take PTO because they were short-staffed all the time,” Floyd said. “So, I had to say goodbye to my favorite place I worked to complete my goal, and it worked.”

Floyd’s mother, Jetta, watched her daughter’s dedication grow over the years.

“She’s always been very athletic — extremely. She always likes to stay active. She likes to travel,” Jetta Floyd said.

Throughout her journey, Floyd completed five full marathons in California, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida and Illinois and half marathons in the remaining 45 states.

“It was just game on after that,” Floyd said.

The Detroit Free Press Marathon will always hold special significance for Floyd as her final race.

“I’m super excited about this one. It’s an international race; I get to go into Canada. It’s going to be so exciting. I can’t wait,” Floyd said.

Floyd says this achievement isn’t the end of her running career. She plans to continue racing and is considering participating in marathons in other countries.

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

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By Elijah Skipper

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a glass mason jar filled with more than $26,000 in gold coins sits, waiting to be found.

Every morning, the online search map for Countdown Treasure gets smaller, and the growing number of adventurers refresh their browsers to see if their favorite trail is still “in the circle.”

Now on Day nine of the hunt, the circle has shrunk to 75 miles, and the total prize pool has climbed past $41,000, fueled by premium signups that add $10 to the jackpot each time someone joins.

For creator Adam Howell, the idea began as a mix of adventure, family fun, and a way to help western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene.

“I grew up in Rock Hill, South Carolina, just south of here on Lake Wylie,” Howell said. “We’re definitely mountain people over beach people. Pisgah’s our go-to, but we love the Smokies too. Sometimes I’ll just head up here for a long walk — it’s where I clear my head.”

The concept stems from a Boston-area contest called Project Skydrop, which made national headlines last year for hiding $25,000 in gold on the forest floor and livestreaming it until it was found.

“I wasn’t a treasure hunter at all,” Howell said with a laugh. “But I joined that one on day one. It was so well done, the shrinking map, the suspense. My kids and I were packing the car to drive up there when I saw the webcam go dark. Someone had found it. We were bummed, but it was such a fun experience.”

That same night, Howell decided he wanted to bring the idea home.

“I thought, ‘someone needs to do this in the Blue Ridge,’” Howell said. “And after Hurricane Helene, it became about more than just adventure. I wanted it to help the communities that make this place what it is.”

The treasure, a mason jar filled with $26,250 in American Gold Eagle coins, sits no more than 50 yards off a public hiking trail. It isn’t buried or hidden; it’s in plain sight, watched 24/7 by a live webcam on the official website.

“It’s just sitting there,” Howell said. “Not in a bush, not under the ground. The live cam lets everyone see it’s still there.” The shrinking map is visible to anyone online. Premium hunters, who pay for extra clues, get daily aerial photos taken from gradually higher altitudes.

“The circle shrinks on the map while the photos expand,” Howell said. “You start seeing more, maybe a river, a road, a ridge, until you can piece it together.”

The treasure did hit one early snag, or paw.

“It was about 3 a.m. on the first night, and I looked at the webcam, and the treasure was gone,” Howell said. “Turns out, a raccoon came through and knocked it over.”

The footage quickly went viral, and Howell gave the midnight thief a name: Wreaky Raccoon.

“I drove back up there with a new jar — this one with a lid and nailed down,” he said. “Now we’ve got Wreaky Raccoon merch, and all of that goes toward hurricane relief.”

Two dollars from every premium signup, and all merchandise proceeds, go toward local recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of western North Carolina last year.

So far, more than $3,000 has been raised for the Bee Log Community & Relief Center in Yancey County and the Appalachia Service Project, which rebuilds homes across Central Appalachia.

“We’ve got hunters who were directly impacted by Helene,” Howell said. “So, it means something that we can give back while having fun.”

Howell says even if only one person finds the gold, thousands are already winning in their own way.

“Hiking through the woods, I don’t think a good walk is ever wasted,” he said. “People are out there camping with their families, exploring new trails. Some have said they haven’t walked this much in years, and they always add a smiley face at the end.”

With the circle shrinking and the weekend ahead, Howell says he’s excited to see how the community finishes strong.

“We’re on Day nine now, closing in on double digits,” he said. “My big hope is just that it ends smoothly, and that everyone feels like it was fair, fun, and worth the journey.”

Anyone can track the shrinking search area or join the community.

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By Lauren Pastrana

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — A University of Miami Ph.D. student has powered her way through breast cancer treatments and is now using her power lifting workouts as part of a research study.

LaShae Rolle was a competitive power lifter who realized the lump she felt in her breast needed to be checked out.

“I was in the middle of my Ph.D. in cancer prevention research, funny enough, and that kind of led me to figuring out that the lump that I had in my breast could potentially be cancerous,” she told CBS News Miami.

Rolle was 26 years old when she was diagnosed with HR+, HER2- breast cancer last year and invasive ductal carcinoma. The news came as a shock, but not just because of her age — she has no family history of the disease.

“At age 26, it was just insane for me,” Rolle said. “I didn’t think it was realistically possible.”

She decided early on that she would not just fight the disease, she would power lift her way through it.

“Just out of nowhere and I immediately said, ‘I was going to fight it, regardless of the stage. Anything.’ And that’s what I did,” of powerlifting, she said. “So for me, powerlifting has made the biggest difference. It was the one thing that I had that was my normal.”

She worked with her doctors at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Institute, as well as her mentor, Dr. Tracy Crane.

Crane, the Director of Digital Health and Lifestyle Medicine for Cancer Survivorship, helped Rolle throughout her cancer journey and through her research.

“We learned so much because she was willing to … she was committed to what she was talking about with exercise and then having the science behind it and documenting it in rigorous fashion,” Crane said. “It allowed us to learn a lot.”

The team at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center designed a strength training program that lined up with her chemotherapy cycles. High-intensity days of squats, bench presses and dead lifts were scheduled before her infusions. More moderate days were scheduled mid-cycle. Her recovery days were scheduled for after her infusions.

Rolle’s dedication to documenting her journey and using it for research means she will be helping others on their own cancer journeys.

“She was able to continue on, and the benefit to the research she did was that she really was able to document, as I mentioned, and you know rigorously keep track of her symptoms when she had her chemotherapy and her treatment,” Crane said.

Rolle maintained most of her strength and she inspired others with her social media posts. Her followers are now an inspiration to her to keep pushing.

“You have to have a lot of strength inside you, so you just have to pull it out and keep going,” Rolle said.

Rolle will be finishing up her PhD soon and she plans to become a researcher in the cancer prevention field to focus on risk factors like diet and exercise. She told CBS News Miami she plans to be living proof of what she studies.

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