Author: CNN Newsource

By Dawn White

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    FORT WORTH, Texas (KTVT) — Members of one of the most historically significant Black churches in North Texas heard the final sermon in the building they’ve gathered in for more than 110 years.

Mount Gilead Baptist Church was featured as one of Fort Worth’s most endangered places last year. The list highlights some of the community’s most historic landmarks, either shuttered or at risk of demolition.

It’s the end of an era for those who attend the church. Members came together for the last service in the building on Sunday morning, but they said it’s just another chapter in their more than 150-year history.

The sounds of music, celebration, and community filled the inside of the church as the congregation paid a bittersweet tribute to the building it had worshipped in since 1912. Members voted to sell the building after decades of costly repairs and a smaller congregation.

The history of Fort Worth’s oldest Black church begins in 1875, when a group of freed slaves built the original building and helped to found it. It started in a Black settlement known as “Baptist Hill” before moving to the current location on Grove Street. It once housed a swimming pool, gymnasium, and day nursery before segregation.

Patricia Williams has attended the church for 40 years.

“I hope it will always be a beacon to what, I think it was, 12 slaves started many, many years ago, and that needs to be taught,” Williams said. “That history needs to be never be erased because you can’t erase history. You can’t replace it, but hopefully, my great-great grandchildren will remember this building and remember that significance.”

“To see our ancestors have the tenacity and determination to not only build the building but using that building to help improve the quality of life of Blacks in this community is something that should be preserved, protected and defended. The building has significance to those of us who have historically known that as a church, but the reality is the church is inside of us,” said Reb. Kyev Tatum, Sr., with Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas.

The congregation is looking for a new place to call home, while the future of the historic building remains uncertain.

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 Briseida Holguin, S.E. Jenkins

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    DALLAS, Texas (KTVT) — The Oak Cliff community is continuing to pay respects to the victims who died in an apartment explosion last week. Sunday, a vigil was held for Marisol Perez and her 18-month-old son, Eric Jr.

“From one day, one minute to the next minute, they were gone, and we just thank everybody that’s here,” said Nora Carmona, one of Perez’s sisters.

Dozens gathered to honor the lives of Marisol Perez and her 18-month-old baby.

The two, along with Sylvia Collins, a community activist, died in Thursday’s apartment explosion in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood.

“My sister will always be remembered,” said Maria Lopez, another of Perez’s sisters. “And we will care and love her daughter and her husband forever.”

The 38-year-old was one of four sisters, a wife and a mother of two.

Marisol’s little girl, Vanessa, who turns 10-years-old on Monday, was pulled from the rubble moments after the explosion by a good Samaritan.

The family says they’re staying strong to support Vanessa and Perez’s husband, who was away at work when the explosion happened.

“We could never bring back body, soul or Eric, but we can bring justice to the families so that there will be closure,” said community activist Carlos Quintanilla.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is handling the investigation and has been in touch with the family on how the process will work.

“We believe that there will be a preliminary report within two weeks. There will be a second docket report within a year, and hopefully, within the next 18 and 24 months, there’ll be a final report.”

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 Jason Rantala

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    EDINA, Minnesota (WCCO) — John Meehan was checking the surveillance cameras outside his Edina, Minnesota home Sunday morning. Little did he know what he would find.

“Showed the video to my wife and she said ‘no way, that must be a dog or something.’ I was like . . . that’s definitely a bear,” said Meehan.

The footage from just after 5:30 a.m. Saturday shows a black bear walking through Meehan’s backyard, not far from the Minneapolis border.

Another neighbor had a similar sighting, capturing a backyard bear on camera in Edina’s Country Club neighborhood just after midnight Sunday.

Elise Grennan and her dad Doug Grennan had their sighting near Lake Pamela Saturday night.

“I was kind of just in the kitchen and I heard my aunt scream ‘oh my God, is there a black bear in our backyard,'” said Elise Grennan.

“She had to cross through quite a bit of urban places,” said Doug Grennan.

“I’m not too alarmed because I’ve seen bears up at the cabin and stuff like that, so I know they’re generally not going to harm too many things,” said Meehan.

The Minnesota DNR said black bears are expanding outside their typical range. They’re working to better understand it and they invite people who’ve spotted them to submit that info online.

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 Reg Chapman

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    MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — A Minneapolis Fire truck was parked outside the Uptown VFW on Saturday, not to put out a fire but to take part in a community event.

Firefighters teamed up with Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 246 to replace a worn-out flagpole and replace the old stars and stripes.

“We have a flagpole on top of our building that needed a little fixing, so we used an extension ladder. We didn’t think it was a safe idea,” said Eric Swenson, Commander of the Hames Ballentine VFW Post #246.

So members of the Minneapolis Fire Department came with their big ladder rig to lend a helping hand.

Firefighters worked to get the ladder in place. Then they helped a group of Veterans walk across to the roof, where they hoisted a U.S. Flag and a flag that honors prisoners of war and servicemembers missing in action.

“Anytime we can be out in [the] community and help them out, whether it’s a large project, a small project, something as just raising a ladder or just helping them on their worst day, we are willing to step in and help out,” said Nate Jensen, a Minneapolis Firefighter and Marine Corps veteran.

Jenson, who is also a current member of the Naval Reserve, said he was honored to help.

“All those guys who have given a lot and sacrificed a lot for us each and every day, you know, just being here and watching the flag being raised gives you that sense of pride and makes you really remember there are people every day that walk these streets [who] are willing to sacrifice everything,” said Jenson.

Community came out not only to see a fire truck and firefighters in action, they also came out to support a blood drive.

“Veterans of Foreign Wars is a civic-minded organization, and the state of Minnesota is currently in a blood emergency so we figured team up with Memorial Blood Centers and have a blood drive here,” said Jason Cole, the Junior Vice Commander at the James Ballentine VFW Post #246.

106 years and counting. James Ballentine VFW is committed to helping others, and they are grateful for the helping hand they get from local heroes.

“Every day we are out here helping out again, it just reinforces that the Minneapolis fire department and the crews that come in show up every day, we are committed to making this place a better environment for everyone that is walking through the city,” said Jensen.

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 Nick Lentz, Jack Springgate

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    FRAISER, Michigan (WWJ) — A 15-year-old boy is dead after an officer shot him while responding to a reported domestic dispute in Fraser, Michigan, on Saturday evening, according to the city’s Department of Public Safety.

Officers with the city responded to the reported dispute on the 17000 block of Breezeway around 5:30 p.m.

“During the encounter, an officer discharged their firearm, striking a 15-year-old male,” the city agency said in a news release.

The teen was taken to the hospital where he later died, officials said. No officers were injured in the shooting.

Officials have yet to disclose further details about the alleged dispute or the shooting.

Investigators were going door-to-door after the shooting to speak with nearby residents. CBS News Detroit spoke with a couple who live across the street from where it happened. They said they didn’t see what happened, but have recently seen police in the area more frequently.

“The last couple months, the police have been coming by here, and they’d be sitting out front, and then we’d see them go in the house, and talk to people and come out, but nobody’s getting arrested or anything,” Michael Bone, a nearby resident, said. “They’d leave. And it just keeps going on, and on and on. I told my wife, I said, ‘Eventually something is going to happen with this juvenile.'”

The officer who shot the teen has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation by the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, the agency 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 Nick Lentz

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    MONROE TOWNSHIP, Michigan (WWJ) — A 50-year-old tree trimmer is dead after a tree fell on him while he was working a job in Monroe Township, Michigan, on Saturday night.

According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the incident near the intersection of Timber Lane and South Dixie Highway shortly after 7:05 p.m. Investigators said three men from Ohio had been hired to remove a tree at a home in the area.

Officials said the workers were cutting the final section of the tree when the incident happened. The 50-year-old man, from Springfield, Ohio, reportedly attempted to grab a rope as the tree was falling, resulting in the timber hitting him in the head, according to the sheriff’s office. He died at the scene.

The Springfield man was taken to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office in Ohio for an autopsy, officials said.

The sheriff’s office and the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 734-240-7530.

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 Raymond Strickland, Mike Spatocco

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Survivors of lung conditions, their families and advocates gathered at the Philadelphia Zoo Saturday for the 12th annual Philadelphia Lung Force Walk.

More than 1,000 people participated in the 1-mile walk. The trip took them around the zoo as families were encouraged to walk together while enjoying the zoo’s animals along the way.

Among the participants was Tiffany Fagnani, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017.

“I’m on my second line treatment now, and that medication was actually not approved. First-line treatment when I was diagnosed. And thanks to research and research funding, that medication was approved at the time that I needed it,” Fagnani said.

Valerie Brown, who has been diagnosed with lung cancer twice, said events like the Lung Force Walk have helped her navigate a difficult battle.

“We support each other all the time. It is so important. Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer. This can be a hard journey, and you sometimes need to lean on your community and your support people,” Brown said.

Both women are team members with Lung Cancer Survivors of Greater Philadelphia.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the state of Pennsylvania and across the U.S, according to the American Lung Association. In the Greater Philadelphia region, an estimated 3,820 people are living with lung cancer, and an estimated 973,200 are living with lung disease.

“My mother is a lung cancer survivor,” said John Whetstine, who studies cancer and has a lab at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Whetstine says he received a grant through the American Lung Association because of money raised at events such as the Lung Force Walk. He says fundraising is what helps him and others advance their research to help detect cancers early and save those affected.

For cancer survivors like Amy Grove, it’s that research that gives her faith and keeps her determined to never give up.

“It gives us a lot of hope to see a lot of people here,” said Grove, who is also a team member of Lung Cancer Survivors of Greater Philadelphia.

The fundraising goal for the Lung Force walk was $250,000. As of this writing, the event surpassed that goal by more than $10,000.

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 Tom Ignudo

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    FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (KYW) — A referee at a South Jersey flag football game choked a coach after a call on the field escalated Sunday, police said.

Edward McKinnie, 47, was charged with second-degree aggravated assault after he allegedly choked a coach at the Franklin Township Sports Complex at a youth flag football game, according to police.

Police said officers responded to the assault at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Franklin Township Sports Complex on Pennsylvania Avenue.

According to police, a call on the field escalated, and McKinnie allegedly choked a 46-year-old Newfield man who was coaching one of the teams.

Witnesses at the flag football game corroborated the assault, police said. They told police that McKinnie and the coach had to be separated by spectators at the game.

McKinnie, of Blackwood, was processed and released, and he is set to appear in court for the assault charge, police said.

The coach who was allegedly choked was treated by Gloucester County EMS for his injuries at the scene, according to police.

The assault remains under investigation.

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 Garrett Behanna

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    BETHEL PARK, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Police in Bethel Park are searching for the owner of a chicken that was found wandering along a roadway and temporarily disrupting traffic.

According to a social media post from the Bethel Park Police Department, officers responded to the area of 160 Drake Road after receiving a report of a chicken in the roadway, which was “apparently indecisive as to whether or not to cross the road,” the post read.

When officers arrived, they found the bird roaming in the center lane, creating a traffic hazard. Police said the chicken was safely captured after what they described as a brief foot pursuit.

The bird was transported to police headquarters, where officers joked that the chicken had been “detained” and “interrogated” before the chicken “claimed” she was directing traffic rather than blocking it.

Police identified the bird as what appears to be a Plymouth Rock chicken and are asking anyone who believes the animal belongs to them to contact the department at 412-833-2000.

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 Mike Sullivan

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A Massachusetts General Hospital program is providing support for cancer survivors to help deal with the physical and mental issues that come after their battle.

The “SMART Program,” which stands for “Stress Management and Resilience Training” for cancer survivors, focuses on the unexpected changes and health issues that come from dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

As a working mom, Kate Joyal says she constantly thinks about what’s coming next, but she could never have predicted her cancer diagnosis.

“I was hospitalized for a bowel obstruction in June of 2024, blindsided by it; I didn’t see it coming at all,” said Joyal. “‘I had a colonoscopy, and then I had some biopsies done, and that’s when I found out I had stage four colon cancer.”

After this life-changing diagnosis, the pieces of Joyal’s life began to scatter. As a mother of two, she says the fear for her family is what struck her the most. Her kids witnessed her undergoing chemotherapy at home.

“Because I am so young, they gave me a very aggressive form of chemo to help shrink the tumors down,” said Joyal.

After eight rounds of chemotherapy, surgeons at Mass General removed her tumor. Joyal did not feel relief. Instead, she felt sad and anxious.

“You don’t see your doctors as often. It’s scary,” said Joyal. “For those who have gone through the experience, it’s sort of the start of something else.”

After entering remission, Joyal had a new battle: one with mental health.

“How do you talk to people when you’re sad or anxious, and everybody else is thinking ‘You should celebrate, you’re done with treatment,” said Giselle Perez, the Director of the MGH Mind Body Cancer Survivor Program. Perez oversees the SMART program at the hospital.

So Joyal took part in the SMART program with other survivors her age. The program aims to build strength and resilience skills through group therapy. They are also testing to see if better mental health leads to improved physical health and have found multiple observations, but nothing causal or conclusive.

She explained it helped her acknowledge both her feelings and her situation. The group also talked about the aspects of their life they appreciate now.

“Some of the things that we all were saying are very simple. I was in tears after it,” said Joyal.

For instance, she never let her children sleep in her bed with her and her husband before, and now she does.

“I feel more empowered to be there for them and be a part of everything they are going through, and I don’t know if I felt that before,” said Joyal. “It gave me a better feeling of being their mom.”

WBZ and CBS are partnering with the National Alliance of Mental Illness Massachusetts this month. If you or someone you know needs help addressing mental health, you can reach out to them at namimass.org. You can also call them at 617-580-8541.

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.