Category: CNN Regional

By Carlos Garcia

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    RANKIN COUNTY, Mississippi (WAPT) — Jake Russell, a dedicated runner from Mississippi, achieved a remarkable feat by winning the Pinhoti 100 ultramarathon in Alabama, a race known for its brutal 100-mile course through rugged backcountry.

Russell, who has been running since his college days at Mississippi College, decided to take on the Pinhoti 100 after being inspired by the community of runners he encountered while crewing for Chris Mixon at a previous event.

“I was like, ‘Man, this is just cool.’ I was like, ‘I love this community,'” Russell said.

He signed up for the ultramarathon shortly after, despite not having run such a race before.

“Before I even ran that race, I signed up for Pinhoti. So I signed up for these two races, not even running any of them. And I was like, ‘Let’s go for it,'” he said.

The race began on the evening of Nov. 1 at Pine Glen Campground in Choccolocco, with Russell among 100 other racers.

“I had more of a chance of winning the lottery than I thought I had of winning this race,” Russell said.

As the race progressed, Russell faced significant physical challenges, particularly at mile 40 when lactic acid began to affect his calves.

“Everything hurts — like my core was hurting, my arms were hurting, my neck — every part of my body was hurting,” he said.

Despite the pain, Russell persevered, driven by a personal motivation to give everything he had.

“Everything in my body is like, ‘No, don’t.’ But I knew though, like mentally, I was like, ‘Man, if I don’t — I came out here because my goal was to give everything I had,'” he said.

With the finish line in sight, Russell pushed through the final mile, supported by his friend Chris, who kept him informed of the remaining distance.

“It was almost surreal because I felt like I didn’t even think I could win. I think my wife had a lot of confidence that I could finish,” Russell said.

Celebrating with his wife and friends, Russell enjoyed a Dr. Pepper, a favorite drink, marking a special moment of triumph and support.

“I drank it and she was holding me up, and it was a really nice moment to just be there with my wife and all my friends and all the people that were supporting me,” he said.

Now recovering from the race, Russell is contemplating future challenges. He said he might run another one, but not right away. As a first-time ultrarunner, Russell’s victory at the Pinhoti 100 marks a significant milestone in his running career.

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

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By Addie Meiners

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — Airport first responders are talking about what it was like to be on the scene of the UPS plane crash less than a minute after the plane hit the ground.

Just two weeks prior, they had been at a full-scale training exercise which prepared them for such emergencies.

“Most airport emergency response personnel go their entire career without seeing something like this. We just never dreamed it would happen two weeks after a full scale exercise,” said Chief Josh Grimes of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority. “It makes you think twice, looking up at an aircraft now.”

Eight members of the airport’s public safety team were dispatched to the scene by air traffic controllers, who witnessed the crash unfold from the tower. Within thirty seconds of impact, the crew was on their way.

While crews had prepared for the scenario, Grimes said, there was nothing that could have prepared them for what they were met with at the scene.

“When they first arrived on the scene, they were met with a huge wall of fire. They could tell that they had burning oil on the ground. A lot of burning oil. Huge column of smoke. And they obviously had live electrical wires down that were arching,” said Grimes.

The department had recently purchased two new specialty fire trucks, designed for responding to plane crashes. Those $2M trucks allowed first responders to shoot water or foam while driving, helped prevent the situation from worsening.

They practiced this maneuver emergency scenarios practiced during the training exercise on Oct. 21, as well as coordinating dozens of agencies to respond together.

“That’s why we work together with all the other responders, is to prepare how a unified command system would go, how our emergency operations center would be structured, how the responders would work together. Those things, they paid off,” he said.

Grimes said they are now offering members of their department counseling to help deal with the aftermath of the crash.

The department is also conducting a post action review.

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By Jackson Stoever

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    PLATTSBURGH, New York (WPTZ) — One Plattsburgh resident is sharing his love for cinema with the help of familiar branding, all part of a nationwide effort to bring nostalgia back to your living room.

Steve Ouellette loves movies. He has hundreds of DVDs and VHS tapes in his collection.

“We may need a new house if he expands his collection,” his wife, Michelle, said jokingly.

Steve has fond memories of wandering through the aisles at the old Blockbuster video store on Smithfield Boulevard before it closed in 2012.

“There’s something to the tactile feel of seeing it in person,” Steve said. “People like to go shopping instead of just clicking a button. It’s the same with video.”

More than a decade later, Steve has joined in on a national effort to bring Blockbuster back to Plattsburgh in his own front yard.

The concept is simple: you take a DVD, and then leave one behind for the next person.

There are other pop-up locations like this one in our region, including southern Vermont, in Ludlow and Poultney.

It’s a chance for Steve to revisit the classics and bring back an era of cinema that was lost in what is now an age of streaming.

“So many people my age and younger grew up going to Blockbuster, the local video store. It was a big deal, picking up the movie, bringing it home, paying late fees; that’s all gone now,” Steve said.

Steve’s pet project is also a breath of fresh air for his wife, Michelle, who is more of a bookworm than a movie buff. She offers paperbacks for when you need a break from the big screen.

“It’s really cool to see parents walking their kids down the street and peeking at the books. I think there’s videos for kids too, but I don’t pay much attention to that,” Michelle said, laughing.

The pop-up Blockbuster can be found at their home on Sanborn Avenue. Steve said he hopes this concept catches on with others.

“I would love if someone from Burlington sees this,” said Steve. “Someone over in Burlington should start one of these.”

More Blockbuster locations can be found online. In the meantime, Steve says he is still accepting movies to help grow the collection available to the community.

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By Kirk Enstrom, Arielle Mitropoulos

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    CONCORD, New Hampshire (WMUR) — New Hampshire officials announced Monday that they have solved a 50-year-old murder case in which a 22-year-old woman was found dead in her Concord apartment.

Attorney General John Formella said a review of the 1975 death of Judy Lord determined that she was killed by her neighbor, Ernest Theodore Gable.

“I’m proud to say but also solemnly say that we can bring long-awaited closure to this case,” Formella said.

He said Gable will not face justice in the case because he was stabbed to death in 1987 in Los Angeles.

Lord was 22 years old when she was found strangled to death inside her home at the Royal Gardens apartment complex on May 20, 1975. She was living with her 20-month-old son at the time, and the baby’s cries led the building’s apartment manager to discover Lord’s body.

“The scene police discovered more witnesses to a violent and desperate struggle,” said Senior Assistant Attorney General Christopher Knowles.

Knowles, who runs the state’s Cold Case Unit, said the original Concord police investigation was thorough, and Gable, who was 24 at the time, was identified as a suspect early in the case. But he said a flawed hair analysis by the FBI incorrectly excluded Gable as a suspect.

Gable had a lengthy arrest history, and Lord had told her friends that she was afraid of him

Knowles said there was evidence that Lord was sexually assaulted. Semen found on a towel matched Gable’s blood type, and fingerprints at the scene were also a match, Knowles said.

Knowles called the circumstantial evidence “overwhelming” before hair samples were sent to the FBI, which conducted a microscopic analysis of the hairs. That technique was considered to be the gold standard in hair analysis, and the FBI was the leading authority, Knowles said. But the technique has since been discredited, and Knowles said it is no longer a tool used by investigators.

New DNA analysis definitively linked Gable to the crime, and the new analysis by the Cold Case Unit allowed investigators to remove the FBI report from the case, Knowles said.

Investigators said that if Gable were still alive, he would be charged with first-degree murder.

“This case demonstrates that no cold case is ever truly closed until we find the truth, and that time is only one impediment,” Formella said. “Time is also an asset, because we will continue to work year after year, decade after decade, until we find the answers in these cases.”

Several of Lord’s family members were at Monday’s press conference watching the announcement. Her son, Gregory Lord Jr., was watching virtually and sent a statement saying his mother will always be with him.

“I’m told I look just like my mom, and I’m proud of that,” he said.

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By Todd Kazakiewich

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    SAUGUS, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Saugus police are investigating after a family was attacked as they left the Square One Mall on Monday night.

Angela Rodriguez said she went to the mall with her family to buy a puppy for her son, Isaac, who just turned 11.

Rodriguez said she left the mall with her sons and grandson at 8 p.m. As they got closer to her vehicle, she said she saw two masked men, one of whom was already inside. She said her only instinct was to protect her kids.

“My other two kids they were crying. Isaac came to defend me. (One man had a knife),” Rodriguez said. “But I said, ‘In Jesus name you have to go away from us. Jesus is with us. You have to go away.’ I try to protect my kids.”

Isaac said one of the men punched him in the stomach before they fled the area.

“I was trying to protect my mom, but I wasn’t protecting (my stomach area), so he punched me so hard and it hurt me so badly,” Isaac said.

Saugus police said the men, who were about 18 to 20 years old, were all dressed in black and wearing black beanie style hats and masks, were last seen heading toward the closed Sears Automotive building on Route 1.

Saugus Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli said the department is investigating and urged anyone who witnessed the incident to call police.

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By Emily Maher

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    MEDFORD, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Hundreds of gallons of home heating oil were pumped into the basement of the wrong Massachusetts home on Monday, triggering a hazardous material response because the property doesn’t have an oil tank.

According to the Medford Fire Department, the 385 gallons of oil were pumped into the home at 48 Linwood Street. It should have been delivered to a home at 48 Linwood Street in Malden instead.

“We don’t have the tank in the basement. How can they order the oil for (it)?” said homeowner Dang Nguyen. “I think the guy come in to the wrong address.”

“Normally, when you’re filling up an oil tank, once it starts to get full, you’ll hear the whistle and that keys the driver to shut down the oil,” said Deputy Chief Nicholas Davis of the Medford Fire Department. “There’s no whistle, because there’s no tank. You know, you look down for a second, you look up and there’s 385 gallons in the basement.”

No one was hurt, but the oil coated the floor of the basement. Fire officials said the cleanup will take significant time.

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By Bethany Cates

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    GREENSBORO, North Carolina (WXII) — There was only one rule for the annual community Thanksgiving meal at Luxe Soulfood & Cocktails in Greensboro, and that was simply to show up.

The whole goal was to ensure everyone who walked through the door was able to receive a warm home-cooked meal with no questions asked, no requirements and no barriers.

For almost a decade, the community gathering has fed over 200 people each year, providing a sense of belonging in downtown Greensboro.

“It’s a continuation of meeting the needs of the people right where they are,” said Monica Stimpson, CEO of CareLink Solutions, Inc., a partner for the event.

Between the hours of 4 and 6 p.m. Monday evening, anyone could come in, enjoy a free meal, good music and fellowship.

“We were able to bring together what we were already doing on a day-to-day basis and expand the capacity of what we’re doing, joining hearts and compassion together,” said Stimpson.

Chris Gregory Sr. is the operating partner at Luxe, and he said the event was all about showing love to everyone who walked through the door, no matter their situation.

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“Make sure they feel like a person, when they leave here, that’s the most important part, is some people just need a conversation, a handshake, and a hug, so we try to do that,” said Gregory Sr.

Gregory’s son also joined in on the volunteer efforts, and he said he loves seeing a smile on everyone’s faces as they come through the line.

“Well, my favorite thing about doing it is I’m seeing new people, and I’m happy to see them having a good time,” said Gregory Jr.

And while some said this might be the only meal they receive this Thanksgiving holiday, they were thankful to eat it with those who made them feel at home.

“We’re very welcoming, come be a guest at our house,” said Gregory Sr.

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By Britt Leoni

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    FORT MYERS, Florida (WBBH) — For 40 years, Mark Loren has owned his Fort Myers jewelry shop.

“We work on a lot of engagement rings, redesigning a lot of pieces for clients who are coming in, necklaces, pendants,” Loren said.

Of all the jewelry he’s worked on in his four decades, this October, he took on one project that was unlike any other.

“It was the first time I’ve ever worked on reliquaries like that before,” Loren said.

“They were a mess; they really looked like garbage,” Sister Mary said.

Sister Mary lived at Church of the Ascension on Fort Myers Beach with a group of cloistered nuns. That is, until Hurricane Ian destroyed the church and their belongings.

“We saw the water rise until it was over the wall, over our enclosure wall, which is 8 feet high,” Sister Mary said. “All of the relics that were in the back wall, they were underwater, so we just picked up what we could find.”

That’s when Loren stepped in to help.

“He changes our watch batteries, and he usually polishes our rings; he does lots of things for us,” Sister Mary said.

“It meant a lot in that we were able to be successful for them, and that we learned something along the way. I learned a lot about church reliquaries,” Loren said.

“We were really humbled that he would do that for us. It was a really great gift,” Sister Mary said.

As the years go by, life will inevitably bring setbacks, but we must remember that miracles are right around the corner.

“I believe in the love that she has on her face when she walks in the door. That’s what I believe in,” Loren said.

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