Category: CNN Regional

By Kim Lucey

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    DEDHAM, Massachusetts (WHDH) — A nativity display at a church in Dedham is raising some eyebrows and now the Archdiocese of Boton has weighed in.

At St. Susanna Parish, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus are missing and in their place there is a sign that reads, “ICE WAS HERE” and a phone number residents can call if they spot immigration enforcement agents in the community.

And despite pushback from the archdiocese, the nativity was still on display on Sunday.

In a statement, the archdiocese said, “The people of God have the right to expect that, when they come to church, they will encounter genuine opportunities for prayer and Catholic worship—not divisive political messaging. The Church’s norms prohibit the use of sacred objects for any purpose other than the devotion of God’s people. This includes images of the Christ Child in the manger, which are to be used solely to foster faith and devotion. Regarding the recent incident, St. Susanna Parish neither requested nor received permission from the Archdiocese to depart from this canonical norm or to place a politically divisive display outside the church. The display should be removed, and the manger restored to its proper sacred purpose.”

Victoria Weston, who visited the manger scene, said she supported the message.

“It was a blessing to me, as a fellow Christian, I’m like this is brave, for a church to put this out there,” she said.

Beth Everts agreed, saying, “Unfortunately there’s been so much hating or just stepping back and not doing the right thing and standing up and being able to say, ‘this is wrong, what’s happening’ and I thank the church for doing that.”

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By Abner Sosa

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    ROGERS, Arkansas (KHBS, KHOG) — Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day serves as a moment to honor the more than 2,400 Americans killed in the 1941 attack that thrust the United States into World War II. Local veterans say the lessons of that day and the sacrifices made continue to shape their lives and their service.

At VFW Post 3031 in Benton County, Navy veteran and post commander Jerry Tobey reflected on why the anniversary still weighs heavily on service members. For Tobey, the attack remains a powerful reminder of how quickly life can change.

“Pearl Harbor. It was one of the biggest losses in Navy history that we lost. The memorial for the Arizona will never be forgiven. The Navy will never forget that one day,” Tobey said.

Tobey served on ships across all four oceans and spent years on alert in the Persian Gulf. Tobey said the attack on Pearl Harbor changed the way every service member approaches danger.

“That’s why 99 percent of the military is always on alert after Pearl Harbor. That’s why the bases are always on alert now,” Tobey said.

For many veterans, the end of service does not mean the end of vigilance. Tobey said that is why finding a place where he feels secure matters. For Tobey, that place is the VFW.

“This is home. And I feel safe here. I always will in this place. I got my buddy Al, Jesse and my family,” Tobey said.

Across the room, Army veteran Albert Al Butler has made the post home as well. Butler enlisted the day after his 17th birthday, spent 11 years in uniform and served a year in Vietnam. Now retired, Butler said the VFW provides community and familiarity.

“I have been coming here for 15 or 16 years. I am up here just about every day. I have had several positions at the post, and it is home,” Butler said.

On this Pearl Harbor anniversary, Butler said remembering history is essential to preventing it from repeating.

“If you do not remember your history, it is going to repeat itself. If there is a conflict and you know about it, do not forget it. And like I say, history will repeat if we do not remember and take steps to avoid getting into the same circumstance,” Butler said.

For both Tobey and Butler, the remembrance is about sacrifice, vigilance and the families, military and otherwise, who continue to keep them grounded long after their service ends.

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By Kurt Knue

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — Tee Higgins has now undergone multiple different concussion scares over the course of the past few weeks.

On Sunday, Higgins was removed from the Bengals’ game against the Buffalo Bills on two separate occasions and placed into concussion protocol on the sidelines. Higgins had already been removed early from Cincinnati’s game against the New England Patriots due to a concussion two weeks ago, which caused him to miss last week’s Thanksgiving game against the Baltimore Ravens as he recovered.

Additionally, Higgins could be seen taking multiple other hard hits to his head throughout the game leading up to both of his removals from the field on Sunday.

However, the star wide receiver says that he wants people to know that he is fine, and that the contact is all part of the game.

“I’m a soldier,” Higgins told WLWT after the game. “Soldiers take hits. You know, it happens. It’s football. It’s the name of the game. But you’ve got to get up. Next play mentality.”

When asked about whether he ever thought about voluntarily taking himself out of the game after the hits, Higgins responded, “I didn’t think about that at all. I’m a team-first guy. You know what I mean? My team needed me, you know, I feel like they did. So I went out there and played. Tried to dog it out with my team.”

And play, he did. Higgins caught two separate touchdowns throughout the course of the game, which marked the first time that he had linked up with Joe Burrow since last season to put points on the board for Cincinnati.

However, it would ultimately turn out to not be enough, with the Bills emerging victorious 39-34 over the Bengals.

Higgins said that he intends to keep pushing forward into next week’s rematch with the Ravens, and that he successfully cleared concussion protocol without medical staff noticing any issues during the Bengals-Bills game.

“It’s ball, man. It’s ball,” said Higgins of his repeated injury scares.

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By Sam Schmitz

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    DOOR COUNTY, Wisconsin (WISN) — Deputies from the Door County Sheriff’s Office made a surprising discovery after they pulled over a speeding driver on State Highway 42, Dec. 5.

During the stop, the sheriff’s office said deputies realized the driver-side headlight of the vehicle was not working and that a handheld flashlight was being used as a makeshift substitute.

“While an attempt was made to increase visibility, a flashlight is not a safe or legal replacement for proper headlights,” the sheriff’s office said in a post. “Headlights play a critical role in nighttime visibility and safety. Drivers are encouraged to check their vehicle equipment regularly before traveling.”

The sheriff’s office did not say whether or not the driver was officially cited. WISN 12 News has reached back out to the sheriff’s office for confirmation, but have not heard back as of Dec. 7.

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By Joshua Davis

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    GREENSBORO, North Carolina (WXII) — Community members in the gate city are celebrating the lives and legacies of six men who fought to desegregate the game they loved, as Sunday marks 70 years since the Greensboro Six made history. In the words of one of their sons, they refused to wait for change, so they played for it.

In Greensboro, golfers of different generations hit six “drives to freedom” in honor of Dr. George Simkins Jr., Phillip Cook, Elijah Herring, Samuel Murray, Joseph Sturdivant, and Leon Wolfe.

Those six men who broke the rules of the then segregated Gillespie Golf Course and changed the game of golf in Greensboro and beyond.

“Dec. 7, 70 years ago, they came out here, signed their names on the course registry, each put down their 75 cents in green fees and walked out to this tee and teed off,” said Chris Simkins. “They wanted the opportunity for everyone to be able to play on this course without fear or exclusion.”

Simkins, the son of Dr. George Simkins, told WXII he was 12 when his father told him the story.

“The clubhouse manager was standing right beside them, screaming at them, saying, ‘You cannot play here. You’re trespassing. Why are you here?'” he said. “I couldn’t make sense of it, because I didn’t know what it was like to live under segregation.”

He said their actions got them arrested, and their court case against the city went all the way to the Supreme Court. However, each hardship — from the threats they faced to even the golf clubhouse burning down — laid the foundation for people of all races and creeds to learn and enjoy the game of golf at Gillespie.

“Ordinary people can do extraordinary things if they are determined to do it and can make a difference,” Simkins said. “What they did here changed the course of history, not just here in Greensboro, but across America.”

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By Rachael Perry

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    STUART, Florida (WPBF) — No charges were filed against a man detained during the Stuart Christmas parade after officers discovered he was carrying a gun and a dagger.

WPBF 25 News caught up with Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek, who explained why the man was detained and why no charges were filed.

According to Budensiek, officials with the MCSO, alongside Congressman Brian Mast and his staff, were navigating East Ocean Boulevard at the beginning of the parade when the incident happened.

“One of his [Congressman Mast] staff members noted that an individual had appeared to be following all of us for a period of time, or at least walking the same route, and they looked suspicious,” Budensiek said.

He described the man as wearing a hat pulled down and a heavy jacket despite the warm climate. Officials with the MCSO dropped back to get closer to the man and investigate their concerns.

“As soon as he saw them adjust positions to him, he stopped walking and tried to blend into the crowd and kind of ease out of there, at which point they engaged in a conversation,” Budensiek said.

The sheriff said the man appeared to be “off” and under the influence of a controlled substance.

As officials continued talking to him, Budensiek said they realized he was dressed in multiple layers, including a long-sleeved shirt, a jacket, and some sort of apparatus. Budensiek said that ended up being a rifle-rated bulletproof vest.

“Let me put that in context. Our deputies wear soft body armor; they’re not rifle-rated body armor. This is legit rifle-rated body armor; it’s a higher level than normal body armor. With that, he had a dagger tucked down in his pants, and he had a handgun on his hip,” Budensiek said.

Budensiek said the man told officials he was just walking the route to find his daughter, but they weren’t satisfied with his answers and took him to the MCSO for questioning.

The sheriff said the man agreed to answer their questions, but his story changed.

“His story was that he had been an informant for us, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, which he had been, and had been getting death threats. Why you need that type of protection and why you’d even come out if you’re that afraid is beyond us. I don’t know,” he said.

At some point in previous years, Budensiek said the man had provided information to their narcotics unit, and claimed he was afraid of retaliation for that.

Budensiek said they don’t know if the man had any ill intentions, but a search of his phone did not reveal anything suspicious. He was questioned by both local and federal law enforcement, and no charges were filed.

“This is a concerning case for us because it’s kind of a trick bag. We were not able to arrest him last night because, legally, technically, he’s allowed to carry a firearm on that route. What he’s not allowed to do, though, is be suspicious and follow along and just be high while he’s possessing a firearm,” Budensiek said.

He said a few things could have changed that, including if the man was a convicted felon, if he had a risk protection order or a domestic violence injunction in place, along if he had brandished the weapon in any unlawful fashion.

While officials believe the man was under the influence of narcotics, they were not able to test him as he was not under arrest. However, Budensiek said the man’s family informed them he has struggled with drug use.

“Our detectives are working on what we call a risk protection order to try to prohibit him from having a gun until he can get whatever’s going on mentally or with controlled substances squared away. So, at this time, we have the vest, we have the gun. He was released last night,” Budensiek said.

The sheriff said the man was carrying a loaded Glock 9mm handgun with a bullet in the chamber. However, he said the case has nothing to do with open carry laws but instead sheds light on responsible gun ownership.

“I am all about the Second Amendment. If people want to carry, I’m good with that. But responsible gun ownership is what we’re about. Use your common sense; if you’re going to come out to an event like this, be appropriate with it. If people want to carry, I’m good with it, but use your brain’s common sense,” he said.

Budensiek said there’s a fine line between violating somebody’s Second Amendment rights and protecting the public. He said, in this case, they had enough to detain him, and he feels they did the right thing.

“It’s a different climate — 25 years ago, you never heard of an active shooter just to be an active shooter. I think Columbine really kind of kicked off that climate. You never know who’s going to be here and why they’re here and what they’re going through mentally. Mental illness is a big thing. Drug addiction is a big thing, unfortunately. So, everybody’s got to pay attention individually. Again, we’re doing our best to try to protect,” Budensiek said.

At the end of the day, Budensiek said, even if the man had no bad intentions, he’s glad they had the resources in place. He said it’s their job to make these events safe for children and families to enjoy.

“Our SWAT guys are out here. We’re flying all the rooftops of any higher elevated perch. We have undercovers in the crowd. We have blockades to keep people from driving down the routes. We’re living in a day and age where we have to be extremely careful, and last night, I’m appreciative to Congressman Mast’s staff and my staff for seeing something that wasn’t right and taking action,” he said.

Congressman Brian Mast took to social media, where he wrote:

“Martin Co. Sheriffs Deputies were on it last night. Unfortunately, we live in a world where they have to be, but thank God they are. From Sheriff Budensiek to all his deputies, air assets, K-9’s and handlers, SWAT and tactical units, plain clothes, EOD, reserve deputies, everyone that handles the logistics of events like last night with 10s of thousands of people. They will risk everything and leave nothing to chance, on behalf of each of us.

THANK YOU MCSO.THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO PUTS ON THE BADGE OR SHIELD, GUN AND ARMOR, to protect us.” – Brian Mast

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