Author: CNN Newsource

By Jobina Fortson-Evans

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — Lance and April Ledbetter are husband and wife and the team behind the Dust-to-Digital record label.

“It all started not far from where we are now, over at Georgia State University,” Lance said. “I was working at the college radio station.”

In 1999, Lance took over a radio show that played music from the 1920s and 30s.

“I could not find gospel music, and so I had a lot of listeners calling in, and they were requesting it,” Lance continued.

Like a true eager college student, Lance tracked down music collectors and put those songs on the air.

“As I was listening to these tapes in my apartment, I started to think these people can only hear it if they are in this broadcast area,” Lance went on. “I started to think, ‘How do you put this music where it’s out in a record store?’ because back then you had to go to a record store. It wasn’t Spotify. It wasn’t Youtube.”

At the time, Lance was dating his now wife, April, and the duo learned it all, licensing, manufacturing, and distribution. After 4 and a half years, the couple released their first project, “Goodbye Babylon.”

“The final product was a six-CD box set with a 200-page book that told you everything, or at least everything we thought you needed to know, to get you started on this journey into gospel music,” Lance said.

“A music writer out in L.A. published a notice in Billboard saying there’s this label in Atlanta that needs distribution and here’s the phone number,” April said. “It was our home phone number that they printed in Billboard magazine!”

The music industry took notice. “Goodbye Babylon” was a hit. They sold out.

“To get the Grammy nomination was just validation that this is worthwhile,” April said.

“So many artists in the collection, both in the CDs and in the book, were never recognized in their lifetime,” Lance said. “So in a way, I felt like this is their moment as well.”

“Goodbye Babylon” didn’t take home the gold hardware, but the Ledbetters went on to win Grammys for future projects.

“I wanted to create an access point so people could see how magical and moving this music was and create a path for them to find it,” Lance replied.

The couple restores music of all styles and genres from all over the country. In 2012, they started a non-profit dedicated to that work.

“It’s a real-time process, so it’s pretty labor-intensive in that regard,” April said.

Their latest project is a partnership with the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dust-to-Digital is producing an online archive of thousands of rare recordings that will be freely accessible to the public, continuing their effort to literally stop music from becoming…dust.

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 Tessa DiTirro

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    WAYNE COUNTY, Ohio (WEWS) — Fire departments across the country are facing a difficult reality: fewer firefighters, tighter budgets, and more emergency calls than ever before. Now, one department in Wayne County is turning to new technology to help close that gap.

The Wooster Township Fire Department is among the first in the nation to use a new automated pump system, “Sam,” installed directly on one of its fire engines.

Traditionally, operating a fire engine’s pump panel requires a dedicated firefighter to manually control water flow, pressure, and valves during a fire response. The process is complex and highly hands-on.

“It’s a huge help because we have very limited staffing on duty, and then even when we do get a call, we’re relying on volunteers to show up,” said Fire Chief Dallas Terrell.

The automated system allows firefighters to manage water pressure more efficiently without requiring a full-time pump operator. According to developers at Idex Fire & Safety, the core technology used in many fire engines has remained largely unchanged for generations.

Project Template 2.jpg News 5 “Sam” is a smart system run by a touch screen controlling the pump panel for the Wooster Township Fire Department. “Pumping is an incredibly manual process, and the technology today that is on the truck predates most people’s grandparents,” said Jason Cerrano of Idex Fire & Safety.

The system monitors water supply and hose pressure in real time via Bluetooth.

Firefighters can be alerted to issues between the truck and the nozzle before someone radios in a problem, a feature developers say can save critical seconds.

“When your firetruck can actually tell you before someone themselves has a chance to get on the radio that you have a problem between the truck and the nozzle, it can literally save lives,” Cerrano said.

Terrell says the department has been using the technology for about a year and has already seen improvements in on-scene efficiency.

“The fire service is very heavy on tradition, and this definitely steps away from that traditional pump panel and engineer with the fire trucks,” Terrell said. “But we’re not afraid to embrace change and try to adapt to new technology that helps us do our jobs better.”

As staffing shortages continue to affect fire departments nationwide, innovations such as automated pump systems may soon become less a luxury and more a necessity.

Terrell says he has already received calls from departments across the country asking how the system works — and whether it could help their own crews operate more effectively.

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By 7 News WHDH

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    BROCKTON, Massachusetts (WHDH) — A group of neighbors in Brockton spent hours shoveling, helping an elderly woman who was stuck in the snow clear the way so she could make it to an important medical appointment.

On Monday night, Angela Montrond said she got a call saying she might need to take her grandmother to the appointment on Tuesday morning.

“I get a call from my aunt maybe around 9, close to 10 o’clock, and she tells me that she might need me to come take my grandmother to dialysis. She asked me if the roads were clear, because I only live five minutes away,” Montrond explained.

The family was concerned because the city’s plows had not yet cleared Essex Street, leaving Montrond’s grandmother snowed in.

“Completely blocked — no plow went through there at all,” said Montrond.

As she made her way to her grandmother’s house the next morning, she found half a dozen neighbors on Essex Street had already pitched in. They had spent hours shoveling to help her grandmother make her appointment.

“From what I saw, no snowblowers, just shovels,” said Montrond. “Everyone was still shoveling when I got there. And they shoveled enough, they cleared it all out so my grandmother was able to walk to Calmar Street where I picked her up.”

Montrond said their difficulty did not end there, however.

“I actually got stuck a little bit further down on Calmar Street, so my mom intercepted and brought grandmother to her dialysis appointment,” she said. “My mom actually, after she dropped her off, she got stuck somewhere by the renal center, where she said multiple cars got stuck, ambulances, everything got stuck. So she was there for a few hours and another aunt stepped in and picked up my grandmother.”

When all was said and done, Montrond’s grandmother made it to her appointment and back home on the snowy roads thanks to her family and some caring neighbors.

“My grandmother has been there the most on that block — she’s been there for over 40 years. So everyone knows her, and anytime somebody needs something they’re willing to help out,” she said. “She was just very happy she made it to her appointment, and to see that everyone was willing to lend a hand and help her out.”

Montrond said plows have since cleared the road.

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 Julie Hanson

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    MILFORD, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A Milford, Massachusetts teenager who was a guest at President Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, was escorted out of the House Chamber after the Department of Homeland Security targeted him in a post on social media.

Marcelo Gomes da Silva was at the Capitol as the guest of Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton.

“I’m very grateful that Seth invited me,” he told CBS News Boston. “It’s an opportunity not a lot of people get to have, it’s really rare.”

Last May, Gomes da Silva was detained for several days by ICE. The agency said that Gomes da Silva’s father was their intended target, but they arrested the teen because his student visa expired and he was in the country illegally.

Since then, he said he’s applied for asylum and shares his story in hopes of increasing people’s understanding of the immigrant experience.

Gomes da Silva described the overall Washington, D.C. experience as a positive one. “There were a lot of nice people, good people.”

One moment that particularly struck him was a conversation with Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas, who he described as “a pretty funny guy.”

“I ended up telling him my story, although I was nervous it would backlash,” Gomes da Silva recounted. “He actually said, ‘You’re a true American.’ It was really interesting to see that, in the Republican party, some people, if you just explain your story and get them to understand and feel empathetic, they’ll change their minds, or at least budge.”

As Mr. Trump delivered his speech, the teen’s experience took a turn.

The Department of Homeland Security posted on X that Gomes da Silva “is an illegal alien who has no right to be in our nation. We are committed to enforcing the law and fighting for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens like him.”

He was escorted out of the speech at approximately 9:45 p.m. by one of Moulton’s staff members and watched the remainder of the speech from Moulton’s office.

A spokesperson for Congressman Moulton said the decision to pull Gomes da Silva from the House gallery audience was made “out of an abundance of caution” after the official government account for DHS issued a post “targeting and harassing Marcelo.”

“My immigration officer said it was OK, everyone said that it was OK,” Gomes da Silva said.

“Someone that works for ICE, she said if you are under an asylum case, that you are protected and that you’re legally in America,” Gomes da Silva said. “So, to see the DHS post that tweet really affected me because it’s like you are kind of being a hypocrite.”

Gomes da Silva arrived in Milford from Brazil when he was six years old. He entered the U.S. with his parents legally with a visa that later expired. He said he has now applied for asylum.

Moulton said he invited Gomes da Silva to the State of the Union because, “He is exactly the kind of young person America should be investing in, not locking up.”

Despite being pulled from the House Chamber, he remained positive.

“It was incredible,” Gomes da Silva said Wednesday. “To see Donald Trump talk in person and give his speech, to me was interesting.”

He said he’s disappointed that Rep. Moulton has received any backlash for bringing him to the State of the Union. “He didn’t drag me here like ICE officers dragged me to a detention center. I decided to be here. I decided to fight. I decided to work hard.”

As for his future, Gomes da Silva has political aspirations, with one main goal in mind. “I want to do whatever I can to help the immigrants in my community, and immigrants in America.”

“I truly believe that if I continue speaking out and help in being a voice we could potentially make a bill and be able to pass a law that would help immigrants,” he said.

If people take one message from his experience, Gomes da Silva hopes that it’s an understanding that the path to citizenship is not as easy as some may believe.

“A lot of immigrants come here because their country isn’t giving them what they need and need to find a better life. And when they come here, a lot of them try to do their best to learn the language and learn what it means to be an American,” he said.

“At the end of the day, a lot of people see black and white, but there actually is a lot of gray. A lot of people just say, ‘they’re immigrants, they’re illegal, they shouldn’t be here.’ But there’s a lot more to that. We’re humans.”

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By Megan De Mar

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — Two couples said they are still fighting to get their children back after they were taken from them just hours after their birth.

The reason they said was because of paperwork they didn’t understand. Now, they’re saying the problem needs to be fixed.

Hours after Lakeith and Mykel Ray welcomed their baby boy into the world on Jan. 3, the Department of Children and Family Services came to take him.

When they wouldn’t hand him over, an officer from the Peru Police Department eventually took him from Mykel’s arms.

“It was just … heartbreaking,” Mykel said. “I was not able to breastfeed. I wasn’t able to bond.”

The Rays said it all stemmed from a DCFS hotline call six years ago when their older children were removed from their home to investigate an allegation. They wanted a hearing, but their public defender told them they needed to agree to a “stipulation,” meaning accept certain facts and findings as true without requiring the state to prove them or risk losing their children permanently.

“We didn’t find out until years later that stipulating our rights meant pleading guilty, and we were never guilty of anything,” Mykel said.

They said they never even saw a piece of paper with allegations spelled out.

“We wouldn’t have been in this situation. Our kids would have been home. This case would have been over with … years ago,” Lakeith said.

It’s hard to fathom this feeling, but another couple from Wisconsin doesn’t have to imagine it.

“I haven’t seen him since August,” said Nita P.

Nita and Earl’s newborn baby boy was also taken from them in a Harvey hospital in August. They were just traveling through Illinois when Nita went into labor.

The baby was taken due to allegations of possible drugs in the baby’s system, an allegation that was later contradicted by further testing.

“It felt like, you know, like we was in another country, like, like, this couldn’t possibly be America,” Earl T said. “I just seen the front page and I’m thinking it’s a regular court paper.”

Both said that if they had not agreed to this, knowingly or unknowingly, they would have their son.

“Because we knew what they were saying was false from the beginning,” Nita said.

“Parents are just kind of signing off on these allegations without fully realizing it,” said Rep. Jed Davis (R-Yorkville).

Davis called this a “due process crisis.”

“This isn’t just a traffic ticket. This is a child and a parent,” he said.

Davis introduced House Bill 5254 to overhaul it. The legislation would require each allegation be listed separately and individually acknowledged by the parent.

“Let’s not skip things that can clearly help rectify situations that were wrongfully placed in the beginning,” he said.

Meanwhile, both couples are still actively fighting for their kids, knowing it will be a long and complicated road.

“We have to bring the knowledge to what’s wrong in the system,” Lekeith said. “It’s ripping families apart and taking kids from their families.”

CBS News Chicago reached out to DCFS for the agency’s input on the proposed changes to the stipulation process. A spokesperson said they’re reviewing and monitoring the bill and do not have a position at this time. The bill was introduced this month and referred to the rules committee for further discussion.

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By Anna Meiler

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    MALDEN, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Scott Marino, the Malden High School girls’ basketball coach, is charged with raping a student.

Marino, 54, will be arraigned Thursday in Woburn District Court. He’s also a math teacher at the Linden School in Malden.

The Middlesex District Attorney said Marino was arrested Wednesday in connection with an incident at his home in Stoneham a week earlier on February 18. He allegedly gave alcohol to an 18-year-old girl and sexually assaulted her.

According to Malden superintendent of schools Tim Sippel, the incident is “alleged to have occurred outside of working hours and involving one of our high school students.”

Marino is charged with two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and battery and one count of furnishing alcohol to a person under the age of 21.

Sippel said Marino was immediately placed on leave.

“I understand how upsetting and distressing this is to our community given the serious nature of these allegations. We thank you for your continued commitment to our students and our district community. The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority,” the superintendent said in a statement.

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By Dennis Valera

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    HOWARD COUNTY, Maryland (WJZ) — A campaign has brought a Howard County nonprofit and local businesses together to ensure domestic violence and sexual assault survivors feel safe.

In the inaugural Be Our Valentine campaign, HopeWorks aims to build a stronger network for survivors.

While the campaign officially ends after Saturday, HopeWorks hopes to continue the partnerships beyond February.

Before you even walk into Queen Takes Book in Columbia, the bookstore’s goal is to make you feel comfortable and safe.

Once you’re inside, bookseller Emily Tuttle said she and the other workers hope you feel at home.

“[Making a space] where they feel as though they can browse the shelves and just have a moment to themselves if they need to,” Tuttle said.

Queens Take Book took it a step further this month, though, by taking part in the Be Our Valentine campaign.

Tuttle said it’s a “no brainer” kind of partnership, given Queens Take Book is a women-owned bookstore and HopeWorks is the county’s only comprehensive domestic violence and sexual assault center.

“When we think about our community, we are thinking about supporting each other, really just leaning into that connection,” Tuttle said. “So I think it makes so much sense for us to do this campaign with them.”

The overall goal of taking part in the campaign is advancing and spreading awareness of HopeWork’s work and message. It can be done in a number of ways, whether it be by donating money outright, or figuring some kind of special with the business.

Queen Takes Book, for example, is doing a Blind Date with a Book special. People can pick up one of these books and, if they donate five dollars to HopeWorks, they’ll get a five dollar discount on the book.

Queen Takes Book is one of three businesses participating. Immaculate Clean and Nest Movement Studio also are taking part.

The winter season is always a time to ensure HopeWorks is spreading awareness of its services.

“We wanna make sure that survivors have an outlet and know that our services are available,” said Ngozi Obineme, HopeWorks’ executive director.

Obineme said winter is always when domestic violence and sexual assault incidents see an uptick, because people typically spend more time at home.

With as bad as the storms have been this season, Obineme said they’ve recently seen more inquiries into their services.

With the campaign, she hopes HopeWorks is reaching a wider audience.

“Being able to provide emergency shelter, legal advocacy, and counseling requires strong community partnership,” Obineme said.

HopeWorks is working to establish partnerships with more businesses after the campaign ends.

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By Joi Fultz

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    HENRICO COUNTY, Virginia (WTVR) — For Anna Bialkowski, it’s the sights and sounds of the tiniest patients that fulfill her heart, even on the heaviest of days.

Bialkowski has clocked into the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital for the past 10 years, and each little life and their journey is the reason she keeps coming back.

“This is the part that I love, being able to see a baby who was very small grow to be nice and big and strong,” Bialkowski said.

But while her love for these little ones inside the hospital is something to admire, it’s her dedication to them outside of work that truly exemplifies her caring spirit.

“So I started crocheting costumes for the babies, and it just kind of snowballed from there,” Bialkowski said.

From St. Patrick’s Day to Christmas, Bialkowski spends hours of her off days crocheting unique items for the babies.

“Pretty much every holiday that we can make a hat for, we make something for them,” Bialkowski said. “We have made pumpkins. We have made bears, Pooh Bear.”

Her most recent creation: berets to help celebrate an upcoming pediatric fundraiser themed “Evening in Paris.”

“This purple one is for a smaller patient who weighs about 2 pounds and this one is for our newer patients on the unit who weighs about 9 pounds,” Bialkowski said.

It’s a hobby she says has helped in some really difficult moments.

“I love bringing a moment of joy to the families during a very stressful time in their lives,” Bialkowski said.

With a passion for babies and making them the cutest little clothes, Bialkowski says she has no plans to put down her crochet hook anytime soon.

“They’re just so strong, even though they’re so tiny,” Bialkowski said.

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

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 Rob Cardwell

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    CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Virginia (WTVR) — An art teacher’s idea to bring museum experiences into her classroom has grown into a division-wide project.

Students from every elementary school in Chesterfield County have created miniature works of art that will be displayed at Chesterfield Town Center for the entire community to see.

It started about a year and a half ago at Elizabeth Scott Elementary, where art teacher Heather Levet noticed not all of her students had access to art museums. Her solution was to buy a dollhouse and transform it into a small art museum that could fit inside her classroom.

The idea caught on and visual arts specialist Jimi Herd said the concept quickly sparked a bigger conversation.

“We always said, I wonder what this would look like if we brought it to a division wide level and used it as a theme for our all county art instillation,” Herd said.

Now, students at all of Chesterfield County’s elementary schools are drawing, gluing, and painting their way into the project.

Woolridge Elementary art student Emily Defreece said the creative freedom made the experience especially exciting.

“You can make what you want in the museum, which I thought was very fun, because you could draw and make and glue all this stuff together,” she said.

The finished works will be on display for the whole community to enjoy.

“We partnered with Chesterfield Town Center to secure a spot in the mall for three months where we’re going to put the museum on display for the entire community to see,” Herd said. “I’m so proud of our students of these exhibits. I’m so proud of our students. I’m so proud of our teachers.”

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

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.