Category: CNN Regional

By Mark Landon

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    SALINAS, California (KSBW) — In East Salinas, an arm wrestling contest brought together ten participants to test their strength and unite local businesses in a community-focused event.

“It was about five or six years ago, Fabian came into my San city store and gave me a spool of. He does arm wrestling, and what we basically want to put our logo on his board. I’m like, you know what? Seems like a good guy. Let’s, we’ll promote,” said John Fisk, owner of Fisk Paints.

Fabian Lopez, who organized the event, shared his philosophy, saying, “I’m a dreamer. You know, you have to be audacious and go for your wild dreams. People that do that are the ones that do the impossible. I keep on.”

Fisk and Lopez explained how the event came about: “Four weeks ago, he [Lopez] showed up here, and I said, all right, let’s give it a shot,” said Fisk.

“I go canvassing, and I just saw, for instance, I’ll try to sell my show to different people,” said Lopez

Lopez added, “I just want people to have fun. And, you know, just compete in something in a positive way and bring people together.”

Reflecting on his personal journey, Fabian said, “Ever since I beat colon cancer in 2017, that’s what triggered the audacious side of me going through that really transformed me because anything could happen.”

Lopez concluded with a motivational quote, “One big quote that I really like is from Les Brown. He says, ‘Jump in, grow wings on the way down.’ That’s me. Just got to risk it all.”

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Ayron Lewallen

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    HOOVER, Alabama (WVTM) — Born at just 30 weeks, Shep Maddox was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at eight months old. His parents, Kati and Richard, chose to fight for his future.

“A lot of things go through your mind, but you want the best for your kids, right?” Richard said. “Those things go through your mind and you’re wondering, ‘Is he going to be able to do the things that he wants to do in life?’ … But then, we quickly realized that Shep was going to have a bigger impact on people’s lives than we could ever have. It was just really cool to see how the Lord worked. We just figured out how fortunate we were to be able to walk through every single day with him.”

Children’s of Alabama supported Shep through multiple surgeries and intensive physical therapy, including major leg reconstruction at age eight.

Today, he’s running faster, walking around theme parks and even trick-or-treating and playing at the beach without assistance.

“He is able to move through his world in a way that once seemed out of reach, and that is a gift that we will never be able to stop being grateful for,” Kati said. “We will forever be grateful for that.”

Now stronger and more active than ever, Shep is focused on what he loves most—sports.

“I’m thankful for my PTs helping me do all these new things like sports,” he said. “I get to be really good at my sports because I’m getting stronger. Thank you Dr. Doyle, Dr. Wozow, Ms. Lisa and Ms. Corrine.”

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By Zoe Blair

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    BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — Barrett Brasfield, born at just 26 weeks and weighing barely a pound, spent 403 days at Children’s of Alabama before he finally got to go home.

His mother, Carli Brasfield, recalled the uncertainty of those early days.

“Really those first few days were just very unknown,” she said. “We didn’t really know some nights if he would make it through the night or what we were going to be looking at, but we just held on the hope that, as long as Barrett wanted to keep fighting, we would keep fighting with him.”

During his time in the hospital, Barrett faced numerous challenges, including early infections and sepsis, which required intubation and extensive medical treatment.

Carli said, “He had unfortunately a lot of early infections and sepsis through a central line, and that kept us intubated for a really long time. He was on a lot of antibiotics, he got a lot of transfusions.”

There were moments of doubt for the Brasfields.

“There were certainly days too when we didn’t know if Barrett would see the next day, and he was sedated and paralyzed and on a ventilator for months and months and we really started questioning, are we doing the right thing? Should we keep fighting?” Carli said.

On April 1, Barrett received a tracheostomy, which marked a turning point in his recovery.

“The trach offered us the ability to get him off so many medications that he was on,” Carli said. “It’s given us the time for him to develop and grow and his lungs to heal. Certainly he would not be thriving like this without it, but I don’t know at some points if he would be here without it.”

The Brasfields credit Children’s of Alabama for their son’s progress.

“Children’s in Birmingham is the only one locally that does the tracheostomy,” Carli said. “There’s other NICUs in town, but Children’s is the only one that has the ventilator dependence technology program. And so we had to be at Children’s.”

The hospital staff became like family to the Brasfields.

“One of our big prayers was that we would have the right staff at the right time.” Carli added, “We had doctors and nurse practitioners and nurses that have loved Barrett like their own. They have been our friends on really dark days. They’ve been our families on holidays. When family couldn’t come in, they’ve been Barrett’s brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles.”

Now at home, Barrett is adjusting to life outside the hospital and recently celebrated his first Halloween.

His father, Roman Brasfield, shared their hopes for the future, saying, “We always talked about getting him to the park. You know, one day we’re going to fight for seeing him play on the playground. And that really made that become reality. And, just can’t thank them enough.”

As Barrett’s lungs continue to strengthen, the Brasfields look forward to the day when he can breathe on his own without the trach.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

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By Chantelle Navarro

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    NORMAN, Okla. (KOCO) — The University of Oklahoma student who received a zero on a psychology essay after citing the Bible is speaking out after claiming religious discrimination.

Samantha Fulnecky, a junior at OU, said after bringing up what happened to the university, the school decided that the grade, which was worth 25 points, would not count against her. But that doesn’t mean the conversation is over just yet.

“I just did the assignment and turned it in, and I talked about the Bible in it. That is, I view all my opinions in the world through, the Bible,” Fulnecky said.

When she submitted the essay reacting to an article for her class, she received a zero. Her graduate instructor, who is transgender, was the person grading the essay.

They called the essay offensive and said it lacked empirical evidence.

“I gave my opinion, and, not just my opinion, but that’s like the Bible says that God created male and female, and anything that’s not from God, is glorifying to God, is glorifying to the enemy,” Fulnecky said.

Excerpts of the essay said society is pushing the lie of multiple genders, and that is demonic. She said she believes it is against God’s will.

“What I meant by that, the demonic thing, is that I didn’t mean for that to be offensive, but the truth will naturally offend people, and so I think that’s why people are kind of viewing that as offensive,” Fulnecky said.

“So, would you have a problem having a transgender teacher?” KOCO 5’s Chantelle Navarro asked.

“I would not if they were able to separate their kind of beliefs and things from grading, then I don’t really care who my professors are,” Fulnecky said.

She was supposed to be graded on whether there was an understanding of the article, whether it was a clear reaction, and whether the main ideas were organized in a coherent discussion.

She received zero out of 25 points and filed a complaint against OU, claiming her religious freedom was violated. The instructor was placed on administrative leave.

Fulnecky said she isn’t sure whether she will seek any legal action.

“In the end, I really do not see this lawsuit going anywhere, as there is no constitutional guarantee to an A in a class at a public university,” attorney Ed Blau told KOCO.

The graduate instructor, who was contacted through email, declined to comment.

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By Michael Cusanelli, Jackson Stoever

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    WINOOSKI, Vermont (WPTZ) — A second-grade student and his mother from Winooski have been arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The 7-year-old boy and his mother were detained while traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Winooski School District found out about their detainment when the student did not show up for class on Monday. The school then called the boy’s father, who said he did not know where his family was, and that he had lost contact with them last week. He told the school that they had left to visit family out of state on Thursday. He lost contact with them on Friday.

The boy and his mother were on their way to visit family in Minnesota. They made it as far as Illinois. That is where they were detained. It is unclear why they were taken into custody or why they were stopped in the first place.

The family is originally from Ecuador. As for their legal status, the father was in the process of applying for asylum in the U.S.

Winooski has a “sanctuary school district,” which means the district does not inquire about immigration status.

They are currently being held together at a detention facility in Texas. The school district was able to make brief contact with them there, but the call dropped. They have not heard from them since.

Winooski School District Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria says this is the first time one of their students were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He is now calling for their release.

“We sort of already know what happens to detainees, whether they’re detained here or elsewhere, it’s all the same web,” said Chavarria. “Our families live in fear. I personally understand that. Many families do not have the privilege to go about their lives the same way most people can, to go to the grocery store, to go to school, to visit family without having this constant terror of being separated from your child.”

In a statement posted to the district’s social media page, Chavarria said, “Our second grader should be in his classroom, not in a detention cell.”

Chavarria is a native of Nicaragua and a naturalized American citizen. Earlier this year, he was held by immigration authorities in Houston while returning from a visit to family members overseas.

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By John Grinvalds

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    LEXINGTON, Neb. (KETV) — The news that Tyson Foods would be shuttering its plant in Lexington, Nebraska left the community adrift last week.

“They feel like their life is over,” Ramon Prado, a counselor in Lexington, told KETV last Tuesday. “They dedicated their life the last, at least for sure the last 20 to 25 years, 30 years to Tyson.”

City and state leaders have rallied to keep the closure from destroying Lexington, but agricultural leaders in Nebraska say its impact on the beef industry in the state will be unavoidable.

“It’s just not the closing of a plant,” Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue said. “It’s the closing, you know, of that whole economy that goes around that.”

The end of production in Lexington will hurt the plant’s 3,200 employees. But it will also spell trouble for the truckers and producers who weave their way onto the compound every day, hauling roughly 4,000 heads of cattle.

“Those cattle have to go somewhere,” Craig Uden, the incoming president of the Nebraska Cattlemen, said. “It’s really in the center of the cattle feeding industry up here in Nebraska. There’s been more growth around this plant within the 200 miles.”

There are other plants in Nebraska, but whether they can pick up the slack is an open question.

“It’s a logistics nightmare,” McHargue said. “You have to now add that time, these trucks are gonna have to go farther. So you really need more trucks on the road, which then you need more truck drivers.”

One cause for the catastrophe is the downturn in the national cattle herd. The American Farm Bureau says, after years of drought and labor issues, it’s at its lowest in more than 70 years. McHargue and Uden say that puts strain on the packers who have fewer heads to process per day.

“There was a risk that we would lose a packer,” McHargue said. “What’s very unfortunate is that it’s in Nebraska. And, you know, that’s the disappointing thing, especially with the newer reports that cattle on feed, you know, is number one here in Nebraska more than Texas. So why Nebraska?”

Both McHargue and Uden say the herd population is set to rebound.

“I do believe the herd will grow,” Uden said. “It’s just going to be at a slower pace.”

But then, there will be fewer packers, fueling more economic uncertainty down the line.

“The pinch point, my gut says we’re going to have in a couple of years if we don’t get a plant like Lexington retooled and back to processing cattle,” McHargue said.

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By Phil Tenser, Peter Eliopoulos

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    SOMERVILLE, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Fire officials credited a utility worker for using a bucket truck to rescue a resident from a burning building on Monday in Somerville, Massachusetts.

According to Chief Charles Breen of the Somerville Fire Department, the Eversource employee was working nearby when they saw the fire. They used the bucket truck to help a woman out of the upper floor.

“She had climbed out a window onto the front porch under heavy smoke and fire conditions, and the Eversource worker got her into the bucket and got her to safety,” Breen said. “So I, I’d like to really give credit to that worker. He did a hell of a job. Definitely saved a woman’s life.”

The worker did not want to be identified but told NewsCenter 5 that he was working up the street and spotted the smoke.

He said he saw the woman stuck on the awning as she was trying to escape through the window. He drove down and extended his bucket truck to help her get to safety.

Breen said the rescued resident was not seriously injured, but they were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation.

Pictures from the scene show the resident sitting on the awning with flames burning to her right and the bucket truck waiting in front of her.

Sky5 flew over the building at 47 Marion St. after the flames were knocked down and saw heavy damage to both floors of a unit near the center of the building. Numerous firefighters were working on the roof, where some smoke was still visible.

“We were able to get ahead of it on both sides and stop into that one unit. However, all six units have suffered smoke and water damage,” Breen said.

The affected building is located on the south side of Lincoln Park, near the intersection with Wyatt Street. The intersection was closed for the emergency response.

Fire officials said the utility worker did not want to be identified.

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By JD Franklin III

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    MCDOWELL COUNTY, North Carolina (WXII) — Deputies in McDowell County went above the call of duty to care for an elderly couple in the community.

On Thanksgiving, a McDowell County resident, who was in a local nursing facility recovering from surgery, contacted the sheriff’s office to ask, “Can someone please check on my wife?”

Officials realized that his wife, 96, was at their home with no way to communicate.

Two deputies immediately responded. While checking on her, one of the deputies realized she was spending the holiday alone and brought her a Thanksgiving plate from his own family’s dinner.

Since then, officials said they have been stopping by daily to make sure she is doing well.

On Monday, the granddaughter of the couple stopped by the sheriff’s office to thank deputies. She and one of the deputies were able to snap a photo, which you can see below.

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