McDonough hairstylist survives breast cancer, empowers other survivors by making wigs

CNN Newsource on November 1, 2025

By Alexa Liacko

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — The CDC says about 10% of all new breast cancer cases in the U.S. are in women younger than 45.

As the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month nears, Tameshia Effinger is starting a project she wants to last far beyond October.

Earlier this year, the 39-year-old hairstylist was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Three weeks after celebrating her birthday in Paris, she found a lump in her breast.

“Initially, I was terrified. I work on my feet. I work with my hands. I need energy. And so I didn’t know what it was going to look like going forward,” she said.

A breast cancer diagnosis meant rounds of chemotherapy, surgery, and tons of pain.

Still, every Friday, she wore pink in observance of breast cancer awareness. Through doing so, she found sisterhood with other survivors and eventually found purpose.

By making her own wig to deal with chemotherapy hair loss, she came up with the idea to provide free or discounted glueless wigs to women who’ve lost their hair.

One of those clients is Erica Silimon, who turned to Effinger for help after being treated for lupus and losing her hair.

“In that moment just to get your hair done and feel pretty again…and I told her you will always be blessed because you’re a blessing to others,” Silimon said.

“I see myself as just the little girl who always knew how to braid hair. Now I’m realizing how big of an impact I’ve made for so many women — and I didn’t even know it at first,” she said.

Now, Effinger encourages other women through social media posts to get mammograms sooner and to see their own beauty no matter what they see in the mirror.

And on Friday afternoon, she rang the bell at Piedmont Cancer Institute in Henry County, signaling the end of her cancer treatment and the start of what she hopes is a new chapter in her health.

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3 children dead in Paterson house fire, New Jersey officials say

CNN Newsource on November 1, 2025

By Elijah Westbrook, Mark Prussin

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A family of five, including three children and two adults, is dead after a fire tore through their home overnight in Paterson, New Jersey, the mayor said.

Strong winds fueled the flames on Emerson Avenue as firefighters also battled frigid temperatures to get the blaze under control, officials said Saturday.

Family of 5 dead, mayor says The children killed were 14, 12 and 7 years old, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office said. Two adults, a 39-year-old male and 38-year-old female, were also pronounced dead at the scene, investigators said.

They were a family, according to Mayor Andre Sayegh.

“This tragedy really hurts my heart considering that there are five fatalities, but you don’t view it that way. They’re not numbers. It’s a father, mother, and three children. It was a family of five, unfortunately, no longer with us,” Sayegh said.

Paterson’s fire chief said crews were on the scene for hours after the house started burning just before 10 p.m. Friday.

“It was a fast-moving fire due to the wind conditions, which contributed to the rapid spread to the upper floors where the victims were found,” Chief Alex Alicea said.

The rear of the home was completely charred by the morning.

“Really good people” Neighbors were devastated after learning about the fatal fire.

“Very good people. Really, really good people, friendly. Every time I drive by, they would always wave. If they were outside, they would see my car, I would beep the horn and I would wave to them … and then to hear about this, it’s unbelievable,” John Miller, a neighbor, said.

The fire chief said it could take time to fully identify the victims.

The American Red Cross said it was helping seven people displaced by the fire by providing temporary housing, food, clothing and other emergency supplies.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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New survey shows growing support for more affordable housing in New Hampshire

CNN Newsource on October 31, 2025

By Alanna Flood, Adam Sexton

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    MANCHESTER, N.H. (WMUR) — News 9 got an exclusive first look at a new survey that shows Granite Staters want to see more action on the issue of affordable housing.

According to the latest annual statewide Survey on Voter Attitudes on Affordable Housing, 78% of New Hampshire voters think their communities need more affordable housing.

“You really see this across party lines, across demographics, across every region of New Hampshire. In fact, some might say it’s the most unifying issue of our time,” said Elissa Margolin, with the Initiative for Housing Policy and Practice.

The survey also shows that 68% of voters support allowing people to convert large, single-family houses into up to four apartments. The survey was released on Wednesday morning by Saint Anselm College.

The average rent in New Hampshire right now is $2,100 per month, according to Zillow. Housing Action New Hampshire said full-time workers would need to earn at least $35 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment in New Hampshire.

“We are starting to see some relief, and we’ve made some progress, and that’s really exciting. But at the end of the day, we’re starting from one of the worst affordability metrics and environments we’ve ever seen, and so there’s a long way to go for policymakers local, state and federal, to solve this,” said Nick Taylor, with Housing Action New Hampshire.

The survey shows that the number of New Hampshire voters who believe there needs to be more affordable housing built in their towns has risen 15% over the last five years.

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Fake officer strikes woman in head during traffic stop; deputies seek witnesses

CNN Newsource on October 31, 2025

By Kelcie Bolden

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    ALCORN COUNTY, Miss. (WAPT) — The Alcorn County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a woman reported being attacked by someone posing as law enforcement early Thursday morning.

Deputies said they received a crash alert around 6:30 a.m. near the intersection of Highway 72 and County Road 605. When deputies arrived, they were unable to locate any vehicle in the area.

About 30 minutes later, the sheriff’s office was called to Magnolia Hospital after a woman arrived reporting an assault.

According to deputies, the woman told investigators she had been pulled over by an unknown vehicle with a blue light on the dashboard. She said a white man wearing a dark-colored T-shirt asked for her driver’s license before striking her in the head with an object, causing her to lose consciousness.

The woman told authorities she woke up and drove herself to the hospital. Her condition has not been released.

Deputies are asking anyone who was traveling along Highway 72 around that time and saw anything suspicious to contact the Alcorn County Sheriff’s Office.

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‘Get on your knees and pray’: Upstate family visiting Jamaica try to get home after Hurricane Melissa

CNN Newsource on October 31, 2025

By Miya Payton

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    ABBEVILLE, S.C. (WYFF) — What was supposed to be a trip to celebrate multiple birthdays turned into frightening moments for one upstate family. A small group of people from the Upstate are in Jamaica waiting and hoping to return home. Communication with their families has been minimal due to signal disruptions from Hurricane Melissa.

Dominique Smith and Victoria Sutton and several of their family and friends landed in Jamaica and reached their hotel last Saturday, that’s when they learned of what was ahead of them. Smith recalls his first thought after hearing about Hurricane Melissa.

“How are we going to get home?” Smith said.

Smith called his mother, Shamekial Gray, who was at home in Abbeville. Gray gave her son the only advice she knew.

“Everybody, get into the same room. Y’all get on your knees and pray,” Gray said.

“Everybody was in shock and ran to the room, we been in the room ever since,” Smith said.

When Hurricane Melissa hit, Smith and Victoria’s mothers’ phones went radio silent.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Gray said. “Sitting up waiting for a call and never got one until the next day.”

“Instantly, I just started praying that God would spare them of this storm,” said Victoria’s mother, Tamara Sutton.

Now that the storm has passed, it leaves behind uncertainty.

“We really don’t know when we’re coming home, actually,” Smith said.

“We’re just ready to get home to our kids,” Victoria said.

“I have to hear every day in the morning when I get up from my granddaughter, either can she call her mom or will her mom be home today?” said Tamara.

On Facebook, there has been an outpour of community concern and prayers.

“I love you and I thank you for praying for us, and believe it or not, you’re keeping us going,” Smith said.

Smith’s mom doesn’t know when she will get a call from him again and doesn’t know when he will get home, but says there is one thing she is certain of.

“I don’t ever want him to leave,” she said.

Gray and Tamara said they want the community to continue to pray for not only their children but also for all those who want to return home and for those who live in Jamaica.

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Jury awards $25 million to mother of Maine teen who died after misdiagnosis

CNN Newsource on October 31, 2025

By Jacob Murphy

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    PORTLAND, Maine (WMTW) — A jury has sided in favor of a Maine woman in a medical malpractice case involving her late daughter.

Lyndsey Sutherland was awarded $25 million Thursday night, more than four years after the death of 15-year-old Jasmine “Jazzy” Vincent, who was from the Gray-New Gloucester area.

Jazzy started feeling very sick on July 14, 2021, and was initially diagnosed with pneumonia.

A doctor with the Mid Coast Medical Group later misdiagnosed Jazzy with gynecomastia, a condition commonly found in men who use anabolic steroids.

Jazzy ultimately died of cardiac arrest on Aug. 1, 2021, 18 days after she first felt sick. Days after she died, it was determined Jazzy’s cardiac arrest was caused by a fluid buildup related to acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a form of cancer Sutherland’s lawyers said is highly curable if properly diagnosed.

Sutherland’s lawyers argued Jazzy’s doctor at Mid Coast Medical Group did not review her medical history, did not run a complete set of vital signs and did not provide her with standard, appropriate care.

The defense argued that medical personnel have to make many decisions every day, and that they should not be punished if they are not always correct. The defense also argued Jazzy’s primary care, Martin’s Point Health Care, bears responsibility in the case.

The jury ultimately found that Mid Coast Medical Group was negligent.

Maine’s Total Coverage contacted MaineHealth, which owns Mid Coast Medical Group, with a request for comment but had not received a response as of Thursday night.

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Alleghany County deputies searching for runaway inmate

CNN Newsource on October 31, 2025

By JD Franklin III

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    ALLEGHANY (WXII) — Deputies in Alleghany are searching for an escaped inmate.

According to the sheriff’s office, the inmate’s name is Daniel Allen. He ran away from officers on Wednesday night during a work detail at the law enforcement center in Sparta.

Deputies describe Allen as 5 feet 10 inches tall. Officers said his current charges are non-violent.

Anyone with information about Allen’s whereabouts should contact the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office.

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Wayland school officials address racist incident involving Black student’s jersey in locker room

CNN Newsource on October 31, 2025

By Peter Eliopoulos, Phil Tenser

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    WAYLAND, Mass. (WCVB) — School officials are investigating a racist incident involving a Black student’s football jersey in the locker room of Wayland High School, families were told Friday.

A yellow plastic “children at play” street safety figure was discovered in the boys locker room, hung by a belt around its neck from a ceiling pipe, according to a message from WHS Principal Allyson Mizoguchi. The figure was wearing the student’s jersey.

She added that a student immediately reported the discovery to staff, sparking an investigation that has identified students responsible for the incident.

“This centuries-old symbol of hate and racial violence evokes deep emotion and has no place in our community,” Mizoguchi wrote.

“This racist act violates a sense of safety for valued members of our community and is counter to the values we hold sacred as a district,” Superintendent David Fleishman wrote in a note to families.

Mizoguchi said the WHS counseling team “and other trusted adults” would be available to students Friday. She also encouraged students to speak with their families about the incident and reach out to the administration if they require additional assistance.

“We do not tolerate acts of hate in Wayland, and we will take all appropriate actions to ensure accountability, learning, and healing within our community,” the principal said.

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100-year-old Wichita woman shows there is no age limit on Halloween spirit

CNN Newsource on October 31, 2025

By Maddy Terril

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    WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) — Stripes, polka dots, and wings. Oh, my!

100-year-old Dorothy Jones skips the tricks and brings the treat of a smile to everyone she comes across in her Halloween costumes every year.

It started five years ago as a joke with the receptionist at her annual check-up at the doctor’s office when they realized her appointment for the following year would be on Halloween.

“We’re expecting you not to just come in your ordinary, plain clothes,” Jones told us.

She said the staff laughed. She didn’t.

Jones took it as a challenge, and from there, a tradition was born.

This year, however, she said, was the most fun because she got to stretch the fun not just to her annual check-up but also to her hair appointment.

“I was two days early, and so I was afraid I would miss all of that; believe me, I didn’t miss any of it. It was great fun, and I enjoyed it,” Jones said.

In December, Jones will turn 101.

Each year brings new challenges and questions.

“When you get to be 101, don’t you begin to get a little worried. I do, but I just keep rolling. So we’ll see,” Jones said.

Adding that each year, when Halloween comes to a close, she takes the costume off and forgets about it until the next year.

Her children, Toni Johnson and Greg Jones, showed off their sweet and fun dynamic with their mother, who, still with a century under her belt, runs the show.

“It’s been fun. And you know, whatever she wants to do at this point, 101 years old,” Greg, her son, said.

They have now stepped into a caretaking role for the woman who has taken care of them for so many years, and now they are just happy to give back.

“We take care of her, and are going to take care of her forever,” Greg said.

While Dorothy’s body has slowed down, her kids said her mind is just as sharp as ever.

“She’s very independent. She’s very bright, you know,” her daughter, Toni, said.

As long as Dorothy Jones is able, she said she will keep dressing up, and with that, joy will continue to be spread to all those she comes in contact with.

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Unity Township church group traveling to Jamaica to help Hurricane Melissa victims

CNN Newsource on October 31, 2025

By Ed DiOrio

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    UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WTAE) — Those in need in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa will soon have help on the way from Westmoreland County.

A few mission groups from Western Pennsylvania go to the Caribbean, and now Charter Oak Church in Unity Township is joining the relief effort.

A group from the church will leave in the early morning on Saturday. Lorren Riggle and Todd Hrtyanski are two men going on the trip. They’ve gone to the island many times.

“In particular, this is my eighth time going to Jamaica itself,” said Riggle, the manager of Local Outreach Missions at Charter Oak. “We organize many trips throughout the year. We go into communities and help out however we can.”

“It’s a blessing to go help people and build relationships,” said Hrtyanksi, the trip’s leader. “We’ve done this for 20-plus years. You can multiply that, and over the years, think about how much we’ve taken down there.”

They normally help the people of Harmons.

“We continue to go back to the same community,” Riggle said. “We want to see the evolution and growth of that community through what we’re pouring out. We’ve worked at a medical clinic, built a medical clinic, refurbished a clinic, and we’ll go into the schools and help with tutoring. It’s awe-inspiring in the sense that they’re happy with what they have.”

They organize the trips through the group Won by One. It’s a mission trip organization that originated in DuBois, Pennsylvania. Twenty-one Westmoreland County residents signed up for this year’s trip.

However, this trip won’t be like the others.

“It’s going to be unknown for us,” Riggle said. “This trip was scheduled last November to go down.”

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, that changes the game plan of how to help those in need.

“Our expectation is to go beyond Harmons and the village that we normally work in,” Riggle said. “We’ll start helping folks with their cleanup process.

“[We’ll be] in the schools, we’ll build a house, we’ll build a foundation while we’re there,” Hrtyanksi said. “We’ll be redoing the roofs and whatever else we can do. Each day, we’ll do different serving opportunities in the community.”

Regardless of what the group comes across, they’re bringing a lot with them. Over 1,000 pounds of supplies are being flown down through 21 suitcases.

“We’re going with food, school, and medical supplies,” Riggle said. “They’re all going to be needed regardless. We’ve got peanut butter, dried goods, and dry milk they can reformulate when they get down there.”

After one week, they’re coming back with a lot less.

“The clothes that we wear down there, we’ll leave with them,” Hrtyanksi said. “This week, we’ll leave behind our shoes and everything.”

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