Author: CNN Newsource

By Jason Rantala

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Community organizers and health care workers are expressing outrage after they say U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were allowed inside a Minneapolis hospital for more than 24 hours. They claim agents handcuffed a patient to their bed, all without a judicial warrant.

ICE was allowed to stay by that patient’s bedside for more than 24 hours, according to a spokesperson for Unidos MN.

Over the holiday, ICE agents got into HCMC’s emergency department without a judicial warrant, according to the organization. Agents were given access to staff-only areas, like break rooms and parking lots, they said.

ICE was confronted and removed from HCMC, but that was more than 24 hours later, according to Unidos MN.

“Our Hennepin County commissioners worked with leadership of the hospital, including the leadership of security, established that there was no judicial warrant, and told them that they had to leave and they left,” said Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis.

“This is an individual with a high medical risk that that individual, if he was detained, he could have lost his life,” said Rep. Mohamud Noor, DFL-Minneapolis.

In a written statement online, Hennepin Healthcare acknowledged the incident.

“We can confirm that any federal agents arriving with a patient presented appropriate identification, adhered to our established processes, and left after Security asked for documentation to support their continued presence. Our security, legal and leadership teams worked together throughout, with a focus on providing care and support for the patient and our team,” the statement read.

Unidos MN is demanding hospitals like HCMC adopt clear protocols when it comes to ICE.

“Our current processes are largely aligned with the guidance proposed by Unidos, and like all our processes, we routinely review them in the interest of safety and care of our patients, employees and visitors,” Hennepin Healthcare said.

The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to WCCO’s request for comment on the incident.

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 Gregg Montgomery

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    INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Firefighters and an animal hospital rescued a kitten stuck in a metal sewer grate, Indianapolis Fire Department said Tuesday night.

A person near a gas station at Emerson Avenue and Thompson Road saw the trapped kitten, and the firefighters were called to help about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The firefighters removed the grate along with kitten, which had its head stuck in the drain cover, and took it to Noah’s Stop 11 Animal Hospital Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Care South. That’s where the sedated kitten and the grate were separated in about 20 minutes.

The 5-month-old kitten on Tuesday night remained at the animal hospital, and its operators hope to find a home for the fortunate feline.

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 Cody Alcorn, Reeves Jackson, Donesha Aldridge

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    ATLANTA (WXIA) — The tires on an aircraft blew out while attempting to land at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday evening, according to airport officials.

The LATAM Airlines flight was coming from Peru, officials said. Passengers on the aircraft are being deplaned. The passengers were aboard LATAM Airlines flight 2482 from Lima, Peru, to Atlanta. The plane, a Boeing 767, departed Lima at 12:14 p.m. and landed in Atlanta at 7:38 p.m.

Several passengers aboard the plane told 11Alive’s Cody Alcorn exactly what happened on the harrowing experience at the Atlanta airport.

A woman who is a passenger on the plane said that after the landing, bathroom doors broke inside the plane, panels broke, insulation was coming from the ceiling and that passengers were still stuck on the plane as of 9:10 p.m. She told 11Alive’s Cody Alcorn they were off the flight by 9:40 p.m.

She talked about how there was a lot of turbulence coming into Hartsfield-Jackson on landing and the touch down was extremely rough before the tires blew. Once she was off the plane, she said the tires looked like they were halfway melted. The passenger was able to grab a photo of the busted tires when deplaning.

Another passenger said the plane felt like it was continuing at high speeds once it touched down, and as the plane tried to come to a halt at what felt like faster than normal speeds, the tires blew on the plane.

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 Kemberly Richardson

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    NEW YORK (WABC) — Strangers in Inwood joined together to help a dog walker who lost part of her rent money at a neighborhood bagel store.

In what could be dubbed the Miracle on 207th Street, JJ Cerillo has been reminded there is goodness and generosity out there.

“There are nice things happening around communities, especially Inwood, Inwood is a very tight community,” Cerillo said.

While she was inside Inwood Bagels on Dec. 30, Cerillo had three $100 bills in her wallet mixed in with other money. When she paid, she didn’t realize until she got home that some money had fallen out.

“I’m freaking out, almost had a panic attack, so I called them and was like did you happen to find $300,” Cerillo said.

Manager Deja Hamad got the call.

“She said to look for the $300 and I came all the way here to check and I told her no, nothing,” Hamad said.

Cerillo went back and looked for the money that was for part of her rent but had no luck. So she posted about it on the neighborhood group chat and acknowledged it was a long shot, but asked if anyone had found the $300.

One of the first to reply, a neighbor named Drew, proposed that if two people joined him, he would put $10 toward replacing the lost money.

And within 24 hours, Cerillo said she had the $300.

She immediately let everyone know, calling it a win-win as others commented that it was a beautiful outcome for the community and good neighborly news.

Drew said he wanted to help because he’s been in her shoes before when several years ago he lost $600.

As for the lost cash, Cerillo said the person must have needed it more and there are no hard feelings.

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 Reba Hollingsworth

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    RICHMOND, Virginia (WTVR) — Farrah Massenburg says there’s so much to be excited about as she prepares to chair the 31st annual Women and Wellness luncheon next month.

“We’re excited by the 31st year. Excited about being the chair of the Women and Wellness luncheon,” Massenburg said.

The excitement also comes from where her journey has taken her and where it’s leading her now.

“I’m a walking testimony. I’m a billboard of hope,” Massenburg said.

In 2019, Massenburg discovered a lump in her breast while breastfeeding her baby. The wife and mother of four would undergo aggressive chemo treatments, the loss of her hair and a double mastectomy.

“There were moments I was told I was dying, or, ‘Your organs are about to shut down,'” Massenburg said.

After her long road to recovery, Massenburg wanted to give back to the cancer center that saved her life.

“It was just that comfort. It was that care. Allowing us to be who we are and not feeling like a patient,” Massenberg said.

Part of her way of giving back includes serving on the Women and Wellness Committee. She’s the chair of next month’s signature luncheon at the Jefferson Hotel. The annual event has raised over $5 million for research and programs at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“The thing we’re focusing on is taking it back to the ‘we’ in wellness because it takes a community. Everybody sees hope differently. But the fact we all see hope is inspiration,” Massenburg said. Olympic hurdler and breast cancer survivor Chaunte Lowe will deliver words of inspiration as the luncheon’s keynote speaker.

“It’s a lot of metaphors there. There’s jumping over the hurdle, jumping over life, jumping over obstacles and winning,” Massenburg said.

The Women and Wellness luncheon is Tuesday, Feb. 3 at the Jefferson Hotel.

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 Forrest Sanders

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    MANCHESTER, Tennessee (WTVF) — Two women in Manchester weren’t looking for credit when they began volunteering for an amazing cause. However, the people they help are wanting to shower them with praise.

Andrea Wix and Brandi Johnson stood at the back of van, filling Styrofoam boxes with chicken, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and green vegetables the two of them made.

“Whatever’s on sale is what we buy!” Wix said.

This has been going on for about a year. Wix and Johnson feel called to do this work.

“Sometimes this is the only home cooked meal that they get,” Wix said. “Sometimes when we pull up, we have a few waiting in line because they haven’t ate.”

Several times a week, Wix and Johnson get meals to people living in hotels in Manchester. They also take meals to people who don’t have a place to stay at all.

“Anyone is welcome,” Johnson said. “It’s the homeless, the ones in need, anyone who needs a home cooked meal, who’s going through hard times.”

“It’s like having 250 children that we love dearly,” Wix agreed.

People in the Manchester community donate food and money for the two to do this. It always just seems to work out.

“Sometimes we’re like, ‘we have less than a hundred dollars to feed three hundred people!'” Wix said. “We go to the store, and there it is. It’s on sale.”

They have kept this up through everything.

“Andrea was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier in the year,” Johnson said.

After surgeries, Wix is now in remission.

“There’s work to be done!” Wix said.

“There’s work to be done,” Johnson agreed. “God says, ‘feed his people, and we are feeding his people.'”

As I followed Wix and Johnson delivering the meals, I was struck by how many people came over wanting to share something about them.

“They help so many people,” one woman said. “I am so grateful to God for them, and I know many are.”

“The Lord’s hand is right there with them,” a man agreed. “They’ll be going up there.”

He pointed to the sky.

“We don’t know what we would have done if you had not been here,” a man told Wix and Johnson, taking a box of food.

“Do we cook good?” Johnson asked a woman standing in her doorway.

“Yeah!” she laughed.

Before I left Manchester, I asked Wix and Johnson if the people have anything in common who take these meals.

“People wanting to be loved, wanting to be seen,” Johnson said.

“To have a conversation, to be treated as people,” Wix nodded.

“As long as there’s life, there’s hope,” a woman said, watching Wix and Johnson head out to their next stop. “The Lord died for everybody.”

“We’re thankful for them,” Johnson said of the people on their stops. “They’re thankful for us.”

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 Jeff Hager

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    ELKTON, Maryland (WMAR) — The convenience and the costs of goods at the Family Dollar store on Chestnut Drive in Elkton keeps customers like Heather Garland coming back for more, and word that criminals had recently placed card skimmers over the keypads at the checkouts prompted concern they may have stolen her credit card information.

“I definitely did use it that day,” said Garland, “but I’ve been keeping an eye on my bank accounts and stuff like that, and I haven’t had any activity so I’m good in that department.”

According to police, alert employees checked for such devices when the store first opened one day last week and discovered someone had placed them on the machines a few hours later as part of a growing trend in this area of the state.

“We’ve gotten calls from multiple agencies in Harford County,” said Lt. Mike Zack of the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, “We recently got contacted by an agency in New Castle, Delaware about an incident that occurred in their jurisdiction.” Fortunately, businesses are catching on to the crime and know how to spot the devices. They also have a new option for finding those, which may prove to be the most difficult to detect.

“This is a 3D print image that Target will actually send out to retail businesses or law enforcement if you request it,” said Zack as he displayed a yellow molded piece of plastic used to safeguard the readers, “This is the credit card slot and then if it slides on properly it covers the X and the O then you know there’s not a skimmer on there, but if it blocks at any point then you know there’s a skimmer.”

Police also have advice for consumers who are concerned they could be putting their information at risk every time they use their card. They say using contactless ‘Tap to Pay’ with your card at checkout provides some protection, while using cash may be the safest means of all.

“Oh I prefer to use cash honestly,” said Garland, “That’s just my personal opinion. Banks these days, all the electronics and stuff, it’s just getting to be too much for me and I’m not that old. A lot of electronics are just messing things up.”

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 Derek Heid

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    BUFFALO, New York (WKBW) — Over the weekend, Canisius baseball player Thomas Zwirecki got called up to the big leagues, asked by MLB superstar pitcher Paul Skenes to catch for him at a practice session in Buffalo.

With a one-week heads-up, Zwirecki thought he was just doing a favor for his college baseball coach.

“I got a text from a coach. He said he had somebody reach out to them that asked if they could find a catcher for a ‘high profile arm’ in town, so I said, ‘Sure, I could help,'” Zwirecki said. “When I heard high-profile arm, I originally thought it was a high school kid who was throwing in front of a scout or something along those lines.”

A few days later, he found out that his original thought couldn’t have been more off.

“I really got the call and [my coach] was like ‘So, you’re never going to believe this, but Paul Skenes is coming to Buffalo and needs to throw a bullpen [session],'” Zwirecki said. “My initial reaction is that somebody is messing with me.”

Paul Skenes, the two-time MLB All-Star, reigning Cy Young Award-winning and former first overall draft pick, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, was coming to Buffalo, and this Amherst native spent an hour of his Saturday catching a bullpen practice session for him.

Skenes, as well as his girlfriend, social media influencer Livvy Dunne, and fellow Pirates pitcher Jared Jones, were in town for Sunday’s Bills game, but the workouts were too important to skip.

“We did it at the Bills facility. In their weight room, they had a turf pad,” Zwirecki said. “I threw with him, caught him off the mound, it was very, very incredible to say the least.”

Q: “Is this something that you’re rubbing in [your teammates] faces a little now?”

Zwirecki: “Well, it’s safe to say that he is definitely the best pitcher I’ve ever caught in my life.”

Q: And how do the pitchers here take that?

Zwirecki: “They were giving me a hard time. They thought it was one of the coolest things in the world. You can only imagine how a college pitcher feels when they hear that.”

And as the Canisius Baseball season gets going in a few months, Zwirecki said Skenes taught him some valuable lessons to share with his team.

“The way they prepare is the biggest thing that I took away from it,” he said. “I’m definitely going to instill that into our guys this year.”

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By Ayron Lewallen

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    HOKES BLUFF, Alabama (WVTM) — Tuesday marks five years since the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. On that day, pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol and demanded the results of the 2020 election be overturned. They attacked officers and destroyed parts of the building. One officer died a day after the attack from their injuries. Another four took their own lives as a result of what happened.

Just last year, President Donald Trump pardoned people convicted for their involvement. Some of them are from right here in central Alabama. More than 1,000 people were charged by the Department of Justice in connection with the riot.

In the year since Russell Alford was pardoned by Trump, he said all he has is a piece of paper on a wall. Other than the $20,000 he spent on legal fees, Alford told WVTM 13 he was already semi-retired before going to prison and still owns his body shop business.

Alford spent 365 days in a Mississippi prison. He was convicted of entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct and demonstrating inside the Capitol during the insurrection. Alford said he walked about 12 feet inside the Capitol building, stood up against the wall, took 11 minutes’ worth of video, but never said a word.

Alford admits he was never a fan of Trump and had never been to one of his rallies or visited the Nation’s Capitol. He said he had the money to travel and decided he wanted to see what unfolded that day with his own eyes.

“I was tired of sitting on the couch and listening to the mainstream media bark at you and tell you what they wanted you to hear, and I wanted to see it for myself,” Alford said. “I saw so much double-fisting going on in the media. I could afford to go to Washington. I drove up there and seen it, and all that stuff, you might as well yelled action. That’s how ridiculous it was. That’s the only reason I, because I wanted to see it for myself.”

Alford told WVTM 13 he almost went back to D.C. on Tuesday for the march to the Capitol. Dozens of people who were pardoned by Trump wanted to celebrate five years since the insurrection, but Alford decided against it.

While he still believes the 2020 election was stolen—a claim that has been proven to be false by political experts—he said he sleeps happily at night knowing he didn’t lie to anyone and feels it’s all God’s will.

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.