Author: CNN Newsource

By Chris Davis

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    MURFREESBORO, Tennessee (WTVF) — It’s an intimidating walk into the Rutherford County Courthouse, especially when you have to meet one-on-one with a judge. Thankfully, this was a meeting Taylor, a 17 year old child who’s been in Tennessee’s foster care system for years, has wanted for years.

“This is what you want to do?” asked Judge Darrell Scarlett, a Circuit Court Judge in Rutherford County.

“Yes,” Taylor replied. “I give my full consent.”

Taylor first met her future adoptive parents, Matt and Karis Leckron, two years ago. The Leckrons had independently prayed about becoming foster parents, not knowing the other was feeling the same divine pull. Two years ago, they were asked to take in a 15-year-old girl for the weekend. That girl was Taylor, and before the weekend ended, they knew they wanted her to stay permanently.

“I watched her and my wife interact with each other, and I knew that’s what I wanted forever,” Matt Leckron said.

Karis Leckron said the decision to adopt was clear from the start. “It wasn’t even a doubt in my mind that the next step was to adopt her when the opportunity came,” she said.

The transition wasn’t without challenges. “So our very first experience parenting was with a teenager — so we got baptized by fire for sure,” Karis Leckron said.

“Sometimes we would sit and have long talks even at night when they were both snoring, almost falling asleep,” Taylor added.

Tuesday, the Leckrons officially went from being Taylor’s foster parents, to becoming the real thing. Judge Scarlett praised both the family and Taylor during the hearing. “You’re getting a wonderful, wonderful child. And from what I hear from her, she’s getting wonderful wonderful parents too,” Scarlett said before approving the adoption.

The courtroom erupted in applause as the adoption became official. “I love you,” Matt told his daughter. “I love you too,” Taylor replied.

Joyanna Wever, Taylor’s teacher at Holloway High School in Murfreesboro, helped coordinate the attendance of Taylor’s friends and fellow classmates. “They all wanted to be here and be like — we’re there for you and we’ve got your back,” Wever said.

Taylor was moved by the support from her friends. “It means the world to me honestly because they showed up to support me and my family,” she said.

Now officially part of the Leckron family, Taylor is considering her future career options, including possibly writing a book about her life experiences. “I also want to advocate for kids, maybe social working,” she said.

Taylor, who is formally taking the last name Leckron, knows whatever she pursues, she’ll be supported by two loving parents every step of the way. “It’s going to be etched in our memory forever — this day,” her father said.

“It’s just such an answered prayer,” her mother added.

“Now I have a forever family, and that means a lot to me,” Taylor told us.

November is National Adoption Month, highlighting the need for families willing to adopt older teenagers in foster care, who often face longer waits for permanent homes.

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By Ange Toussaint

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    BOYNTON BEACH, Florida (WPTV) — Nearly two years after a Boynton Beach mother was shot and killed outside her home, her family is suing the city and a police officer they say failed to protect her, even after she went to the police for help.

“I really don’t understand how my mother walked inside of a police station, a man that is threatening her life followed her in there, and the officer thinks it was just OK to let them walk out,” said Fridelene Daniel’s daughter.

Daniel was killed outside her Boynton Beach apartment in November 2023, just hours after she filed a complaint against her ex-boyfriend, Robens Cesar.

“Even looking at the video, Robens is there menacing my mother,” her daughter said.

She was just 16 years old at the time.

“I got a phone call from my aunt and she was freaking out, saying I heard gunshots,” she recalled.

Now, Daniel’s daughter has filed a wrongful death lawsuit accusing the city of Boynton Beach and Officer Jermaine Jones of failure to protect her mother from Cesar.

“Somebody walks in, asks you for help, and you do absolutely nothing, you just let them walk out,” she said.

According to police reports, Daniel told Officer Jones that Cesar was following her and that he owned a gun. Body cam video shows Cesar standing inside the Boynton Beach Police Department lobby as Daniel made her complaint that morning. You can hear Daniel tell the police, “He keeps following me. I don’t want that.”

Cesar later told investigators he “couldn’t stand to see Daniel with another man.”

An internal affairs investigation later revealed Officer Jones claimed there was some misunderstanding at first, saying Daniel, who was from Haiti and spoke with a Creole accent, may have been misunderstood when she said the word “gun.”

The lawsuit alleges Officer Jones failed to conduct a proper investigation and neglected to take immediate action to ensure Daniel’s safety.

“We have a police force that took an oath to serve and protect,” said attorney Gary Susser, who represents Daniel’s daughter.

Officer Jones was suspended for two weeks following the internal investigation, but Susser says that isn’t enough.

“When you have a woman seeking help, literally being stalked and harassed, and literally followed into the police station, nothing was done. And that is egregious conduct,” Susser said.

A spokesperson for the Boynton Beach Police Department said the city will respond through legal channels.

Cesar, who is charged with first-degree murder, is still awaiting trial.

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By Jack Watson

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    BALTIMORE COUNTY, Maryland (WMAR) — After waiting more than 40 years for answers in her father’s murder, Anne Allen is giving back, with the hope of helping other families find closure.

The former Arundel High School teacher is donating $30,000 of her own money to the Baltimore County Police Department to fund DNA testing and analysis for cold case homicides.

Allen’s father, Samuel Allen, was shot and killed during a home invasion in 1981 at the family’s Liberty Road home in Lochearn. A man broke into the house with a revolver and cloth bag, demanding money. When Samuel Allen walked into the room, the intruder shot him twice.

“I know how my life changed in an instant, when that guy broke into my house, and the horrible effect that spread,” Allen told WMAR-2 News this November.

The case went unsolved for decades until Allen asked police to re-examine it in 2023. DNA testing of evidence led investigators to Alan Bass, who is already serving five life sentences in Delaware on rape charges.

If Alan Bass’ Delaware sentence ever changes, Baltimore County police are ready to charge him with Samuel Allen’s murder.

Allen said she wants the same closure for other families waiting for answers in their loved ones’ murder.

“I would like to earmark it for, ‘can you do it for cold cases in the DNA?’ Because that’s a gotcha, you know, we can place you at the scene at that time,” Allen said.

The donation first goes to Baltimore County, then to the police department specifically ‘to fund outsourcing of homicide cold case DNA testing and analysis,’ according to a document which passed through the Baltimore County Council.

“It would be nice if somebody from the police department would say, ‘hey, this case that you’re going to read about, some of the money that you donated went to that.’ But I don’t need to hear about it. I just figure, if it helps somebody,” Allen said.

She also hopes her story sends a message to potential criminals that no murder is ever truly lost to time.

“And hey, before you get to the point of hurting somebody, you might realize, darn, 40 years from now and longer, somebody can catch up with you,” Allen said.

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

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By Randall Newsome

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    BALTIMORE (WMAR) — A new biography about Tupac Shakur is offering a deeper, more personal look at the life of one of hip-hop’s most influential — and most misunderstood — icons. The book uncovers stories that may surprise even the most devoted fans, including some rooted right here in Baltimore.

But what may surprise readers even more is the man behind the book.

Jeff Pearlman is best known as a sports writer, covering everyone from Walter Payton to the 1990s Dallas Cowboys. So when he set out to write about Tupac Shakur, even he knew people might question it.

“I’m an untraditional Tupac author,” Pearlman told WMAR-2 News. “Obviously, I’m a sports writer, I’m a white guy, I’m from rural New York. There are going to be a lot of questions — ‘Why are you writing this book?’ I understand that 100%.”Pearlman decided to let his work speak for itself. Over the course of several years, he interviewed 652 people — an extraordinary effort that became Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur.

“You tell the journey,” he said. “Tell you what kind of soda he liked, who he dated, what his love letters sounded like, what went behind the songs.”

For Pearlman, one of the most fascinating chapters in Tupac’s life began right here in Charm City.

“Baltimore is my favorite part of his life,” Pearlman said. “He moves from New York to Baltimore, and it’s such a transformative time for him.”As a teenager, Tupac attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where he studied acting, poetry, and music. His classmates included future NBA star Sam Cassell — and a girl that would become the object of his affection in his younger years, Mary Baldridge, a ballet dancer.

After going down a rabbit hole during his time doing research in Baltimore, Pearlman tracked down Mary, now living in Nebraska. What she shared with him became one of the book’s most emotional discoveries.

“Mary told me her mom had found about 150 letters that Tupac wrote her under the bed,” Pearlman recalled. “She said, ‘If you come to Nebraska, I’ll share them with you.’ I said, ‘I’ll be there tomorrow.’”Through those letters, Pearlman found Tupac the poet, Tupac the romantic, and Tupac the dreamer — long before the fame.

The book also reveals heartfelt new moments from Tupac’s life — including a reunion between the real mother and son who inspired his 1991 hit, “Brenda’s Got a Baby.”

And while much of the world knows the story of Tupac’s tragic death at 25, Pearlman uncovered something few have ever heard about:

“On an abandoned lot in Lumberton, North Carolina — a town that time has forgotten — a portion of his ashes were buried,” Pearlman said. The location, he added, is known to only about a dozen people.

For Pearlman, this book is about more than fame or tragedy. It’s about showing the full human being behind the headlines.

“He wasn’t just ‘Thug Life’ or a slogan on a T-shirt,” he said. “He was a real human being who had to overcome so much. Even though he died at 25, I consider him a resounding success story.”

Originally, Pearlman had a different title in mind for the book. But his daughter suggested one that stuck — a phrase pulled straight from Tupac’s own words.

Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur, was released October 21, 2025.

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By Annie Brown

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLEX) — A Louisville mother and daughter say they’re still shaken after witnessing a deadly plane crash Tuesday night that left them dangerously close to the scene of impact.

Debbie Graham and her daughter, both teachers, were driving home from work on Crittenden Drive when they suddenly found themselves at the crash site of a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F UPS plane at Muhammad Ali International Airport.

“Just suddenly in front of us was a gigantic fireball. Followed almost immediately by another fireball. We pulled over immediately and called 911,” Graham said.

The experience remains difficult for Graham to discuss.

“While we were at the site, there was a secondary, smaller explosion which shot more debris into the air and we ended up having to run from that,” Graham said.

Video captured by Graham shows the massive smoke cloud just moments after the plane’s fiery crash on the airport runway.

“You could see where buildings had been hit, trees had been hit, and where it had made the initial impact. Everything was on fire and black smoke was just rolling out of everything,” Graham said.

The mother and daughter were trapped near the scene for about 10 minutes before officers escorted them to a safer distance.

“Within five minutes of us being there the emergency services just came in what seemed like hundreds,” Graham said.

While both women are shaken by the experience, they say they’re thankful to be alive and grateful for the first responders who arrived on scene. Their thoughts remain with the families of the victims.

“Just thinking that…that people lost their lives in that. It’s overwhelming,” Graham said.

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By Derek Heid

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    LOCKPORT, New York (WKBW) — For 106 years, the final resting place for Pvt. Thomas Ryan was an unmarked grave in Lockport until his great-grandson stepped in this year to give this Civil War veteran a proper burial.

James Joustra Jr. has learned more and more about his great-grandfather over the past few years. Specifically, his upbringing in Lockport, after moving there from Ireland at age 7, and his Army service for the Union in the Civil War for the 116th New York volunteer infantry regiment.

“I read about this regiment, it was amazing what they did,” Joustra said. “It fought in about 12 major battles. I don’t know how you live through that.”

Ryan served through the end of the war, spending the rest of his life in Lockport, where he died in 1919 and was buried in St. Patrick’s Cemetery.

With the cemetery’s help, a group cleaned up Ryan’s plot, but when they unburied the headstones, they only found markers for Ryan’s two wives.

His name was engraved on both stones as their husband, but for 106 years, he’s had no headstone to call his own.

“You’ve got a veteran without a marked grave, and that really motivated me to get involved with it,” Joustra said.

Joustra, an Army veteran himself, got to work, reaching out to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which, this summer, funded a headstone to place atop Pvt. Ryan’s grave.

“It really warms one’s heart because I feel closer to him. I know more about it. I never knew what he looked like. I still don’t. I don’t have a photograph of him, but I know a lot about him,” he said. “Knowing what he lived through, I felt it was the right thing to do.”

It took a century to get him a headstone of his own, but there’s more honor for Pvt. Ryan on the way.

Saturday, November 8, will be ‘Private Thomas J. Ryan Day’ in Lockport, as the city honors him with a public ceremony.

The ceremony is at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Lockport at 10 a.m. All are encouraged to attend.

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By Taylor Anthony

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    BUFFALO, New York (WKBW) — One Western New Yorker is turning his passion for fitness into a mission to feed families this Thanksgiving.

Marty Kretz, owner of MBody Health and Fitness, is organizing the “Pavement to Plates” fundraiser, a one-day challenge to walk 100,000 steps, nearly 50 miles, on November 23. His goal is to raise funds and awareness for FeedMore Western New York, which provides meals and nutritional support to families across Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, and Cattaraugus counties.

“I got into what I do training-wise because I enjoy helping people,” Kretz said. “So this is just another way for me to do that…to get some attention for FeedMore Western New York and help them out.”

Kretz has already raised more than $500 and hopes to grow that total before the big day. He’s inviting others to get involved by donating, sharing information, or joining him for part of the walk. Sponsors and participants will receive recognition, and there are incentives for donations, including T-shirts.

Collin Bishop, FeedMore WNY, Chief Communication Officer, says Marty’s effort comes at a crucial time.

“Right now we’re seeing an increase in the number of people who need nutritional assistance across our four-county service area,” said Bishop. “The smallest thing makes a huge difference; it doesn’t have to be a big donation. Everybody in our community has the ability to do something like this and make a huge difference.”

Kretz hopes his steps will inspire others to take action, proving that even the smallest gestures can lead to a big impact.

If you’d like to donate, sponsor or participate in the “Pavement to Plates” walk, visit the website freefunder.com/campaign/pavement-to-plates.

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