Category: CNN Regional

By Forrest Sanders

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    NASHVILLE (WTVF) — Sir Paul McCartney is set to take the stage at The Pinnacle Thursday night. Beyond his beloved songwriting, there is another way Nashville is appreciating McCartney’s talents. There is quite the local tie.

You have something big or something just cool happening in Nashville, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find photographer Ray Di Pietro.

“I call it my never-ending photo essay,” Di Pietro said. “If I die tomorrow, you’d know what’s pretty much going on in my time here.”

“I just juggle cameras like they used to back in the day,” he continued, showcasing three cameras hanging around his neck.

Di Pietro rarely covers something so personal. There’s a reason he is close to an exhibit at Frist Art Museum made up of photography by someone you know.

“We’re talking about THE Sir Paul McCartney,” said Seth Feman, executive director and CEO of Frist Art Museum.

Feman said the exhibit’s pictures are taken by McCartney in 1963 and 1964, right around when the Beatles came to the United States. It was the start of the British Invasion.

“They’re getting really global attention at a whole new level,” Feman said of the era captured by the pictures. “Paul is carrying around a camera and watching this happen in real time.”

There are candid moments of the other Beatles and glimpses behind-the-scenes of appearances that would go on to be legendary. That includes pictures taken around The Ed Sullivan Show appearance.

“He took these photographs in the 60s, and they basically got put away,” Feman continued. “It was only a handful of years ago that he went back into the archive and realized this was a real treasure trove and a real moment.”

Something about Di Pietro, his dad was a touring musician during that same time the Beatles had their breakthrough.

“My father’s name was Ralph Di Pietro,” he continued. “He was a guitar player and singer. That band was Joey and the Showmen, and they were the orchestra of Johnny Hallyday, who was a French superstar.”

It just so happens, in this exhibit of pictures taken by McCartney in 1963 and 1964, there’s a picture of Di Pietro’s dad.

“Why the Beatles interacted with Johnny Hallyday and Joey and the Showmen, they were both playing the Olympia Theater in Paris,” Di Pietro explained. “Paul McCartney must have been hanging out or talking to them, and he got that photograph which looks like a jazz album cover. It’s quite remarkable.”

Di Pietro has known about this photograph for a few years. He first spotted it in McCartney’s book of photography, 1964: Eyes of the Storm.

“There’s my father, and I just gasped, and I felt like my heart almost stopped,” Di Pietro remembered. “I was shocked.”

“He passed away eleven years ago on Monday, today would have been his funeral,” Di Pietro said of his father. “He would have gotten the biggest kick out of this. I know he loved that period of his life as a 20-year-old, 21-year-old. For it to come into town, and I get to visit my dad is an honor, and it’s very special.”

The Frist exhibit, Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm, is here through January 26.

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By WFTX Digital Team

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    LEHIGH ACRES, Florida (WFTX) — Fox 4 has received the report of Neil Bates where it explains why deputies also charged him with crimes connected to the planned family suicide pact.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said Barbara Bates, Neil’s wife, called 911 and they responded to the suicide-related call in Lehigh Acres on Monday.

Deputies said they found Barbara, Neil and their disabled 18-year-old son with knife injuries.

Barbara was charged with two counts of attempted murder and aggravated child abuse. On Wednesday, Neil was arrested and charged.

After his arrest, deputies questioned Neil.

According to court documents, Neil said he and his family were dealing with financial struggles while caring for their son. Other court documents related to the case said their son is developmentally challenged.

Neil told deputies their son was diagnosed with Asperger’s and that he had several physical limitations and conditions. The report said he only went through fifth grade, and was informally homeschooled.

The report said he did not follow an official program, but was only taught subjects that Neil knew. Neil said his son was more intelligent than most people his age.

However, Neil told deputies he did not believe his son would be able to live by himself.

About a month ago, the report said they got an eviction notice and Neil claimed their son wanted to die because of that.

The dad claims the son came up with the idea of a family suicide pact.

Neil said they had their final meal before going forward with the self-harm, and he claims the son became impatient and wanted to pass away.

According to the documents, they all consumed either alcohol or sleeping pills.

Neil said he did not harm his son and “out of cowardice,” he hurt himself. Then, the report said Neil passed out and woke up at the hospital that night.

“Neil refused to admit that the suicidal plan was his idea or Barbara’s claiming that [the son] was the one wishing to die,” the report said.

Deputies said that Neil changed his story at least twice during the interview.

Neil is charged with criminal attempt to commit a life felony for the conspiracy to murder his son. He’s also charged with aggravated abuse of a disabled adult.

He will be in court on Friday for a pre-trial detention hearing.

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By Christie Ileto

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    MOUNT LAUREL, New Jersey (WPVI) — What some saw as limitations, George Lynn turned into lifelong motivation.

For the past decade, Lynn has worked as a pharmacy delivery driver at the Mount Laurel Wegmans, a job he calls his dream. He says he’s proving that no diagnosis can dictate destiny.

Diagnosed with autism at age 3, Lynn refused to let that label define him. He started in an entry-level role at the supermarket chain and worked his way up.

His current position came through The Arc of Camden, an organization that supports people with developmental disabilities.

“After a while, George said, ‘I can do more. I want to work in the pharmacy department,'” said Jessica Scott, director of employment services at The Arc of Camden. “So we ended up helping him advocate for a higher role.”

“They taught me how to follow through, like with management, to make sure I was able to get the job,” Lynn said. “I was so grateful.”

“We hire people for their heart. The training is easy, you can teach them the technical parts of what they do,” store manager Todd Allen said. “There’s something for everybody.”

Lynn now travels to speak about his disability, early intervention and the impact of supported employment.

“Autism does not stop you, because what Arc of Camden County does for these people with disabilities is they make you feel like you’re part of society and not secluded,” Lynn said. “They want to make you feel included.”

He hopes his story inspires others with autism to pursue their goals.

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By John Shumway

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    ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Pop quiz: What is the most common street name in the United States? From town to town, and community to community, street names repeat, and that can create a problem for emergency responders.

The answer to the pop quiz: Second Street, followed by Third Street, First Street, and Fourth Street. First Street would be the leader, but so many towns changed their First Street to Main Street that it diluted the pool.

Now, why would we ask this question? It’s become a challenge for 911 and emergency response. In Allegheny County alone, there are 130 municipalities, and plenty of repeated street names.

Having the same street names was no big deal in days gone by. For instance, Thompson Run Road is used in Ross Township, Penn Hills, and West Mifflin.

“Those things happen, or happened, a long, long time ago, prior to us having a central 911 center,” explained Deb Beiber, Allegheny County Address Management Administrator. “When you were in West Mifflin, and you called 911, you were only calling the West Mifflin police, so there was no problem.”

Nowadays, centralized 911 centers have changed things.

An example is Sharpsburg and Etna, which are adjacent. According to Bieber, they both have the same street names with the exact same street numbers, which can cause confusion.

“It’s a legitimate issue, but we’ve got ways to vet that out to make sure that we’re getting the right one,” she said.

Meanwhile, Emergency Management Chief Matt Brown said that seconds count.

“If we can’t confirm where you are, we can’t send the help,” he said.

Brown said that you should always start with a city, township, or borough.

“Then they match what the caller gives them with what they’re seeing on their mapping tool,” Brown explained. “That, again, is our connection to the phone system.”

However, Brown said to remember that Allegheny County has 130 municipalities. That means plenty of Main Streets, River Roads, and yes, Second Streets.

So, what do they do when the county comes to them with new street names that could pose a conflict?

“I do a very harsh recommendation,” Bieber said. “I do a, ‘Please, please, please, don’t do this.’ The county itself does not have the authority to say no.”

Even a name seemingly as unique as Third Degree or Turkeyfoot, you will find multiples in western Pennsylvania. Those streets are decided by local towns, and they are reluctant to make changes. While PEMA has a committee that is working on state guidelines, that’s simply all they will be, guidelines with no teeth.

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

Please note: 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.

KDKA

By John Shumway

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    ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Pop quiz: What is the most common street name in the United States? From town to town, and community to community, street names repeat, and that can create a problem for emergency responders.

The answer to the pop quiz: Second Street, followed by Third Street, First Street, and Fourth Street. First Street would be the leader, but so many towns changed their First Street to Main Street that it diluted the pool.

Now, why would we ask this question? It’s become a challenge for 911 and emergency response. In Allegheny County alone, there are 130 municipalities, and plenty of repeated street names.

Having the same street names was no big deal in days gone by. For instance, Thompson Run Road is used in Ross Township, Penn Hills, and West Mifflin.

“Those things happen, or happened, a long, long time ago, prior to us having a central 911 center,” explained Deb Beiber, Allegheny County Address Management Administrator. “When you were in West Mifflin, and you called 911, you were only calling the West Mifflin police, so there was no problem.”

Nowadays, centralized 911 centers have changed things.

An example is Sharpsburg and Etna, which are adjacent. According to Bieber, they both have the same street names with the exact same street numbers, which can cause confusion.

“It’s a legitimate issue, but we’ve got ways to vet that out to make sure that we’re getting the right one,” she said.

Meanwhile, Emergency Management Chief Matt Brown said that seconds count.

“If we can’t confirm where you are, we can’t send the help,” he said.

Brown said that you should always start with a city, township, or borough.

“Then they match what the caller gives them with what they’re seeing on their mapping tool,” Brown explained. “That, again, is our connection to the phone system.”

However, Brown said to remember that Allegheny County has 130 municipalities. That means plenty of Main Streets, River Roads, and yes, Second Streets.

So, what do they do when the county comes to them with new street names that could pose a conflict?

“I do a very harsh recommendation,” Bieber said. “I do a, ‘Please, please, please, don’t do this.’ The county itself does not have the authority to say no.”

Even a name seemingly as unique as Third Degree or Turkeyfoot, you will find multiples in western Pennsylvania. Those streets are decided by local towns, and they are reluctant to make changes. While PEMA has a committee that is working on state guidelines, that’s simply all they will be, guidelines with no teeth.

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

Please note: 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 Joe Holden

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — It’s 7:06 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood.

Video obtained by CBS News Philadelphia shows a man eating an apple and lobbing something through the plate-glass window of a business near 2nd and Market streets, smashing it.

Police say the thief took the cash register, which they say had $1,500 inside. By this point, investigators say the thief has burglarized six Center City and Old City small businesses in a week, including Sonny’s Famous Steaks.

“When they got here at 9 o’clock, my boys called and said someone had busted the glass,” said Chrissy, a manager at the store. “So their first instinct was to go to the basement and check and make sure everything was OK. They did get the register, and they didn’t take the tablets, thank God, but they did take the register.”

Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith said officers detected a pattern.

Over 10 days, investigators say a total of nine small businesses were burglarized overnight. Officers then started working earlier shifts, and police say on Oct. 29, they caught 66-year-old Derek Wilks breaking into a business.

“Mr. Wilks was using a iron-cast gas cap and he was throwing that through plate glass windows of establishments,” Smith said. “And in all these instances, he was going for the cash register.”

Detectives say Wilks has a distinctive walk given recent hip surgery. They’ve since charged him with all nine burglaries. Smith said given his arrest history, they believe he’s responsible for more.

“He has 34 prior arrests,” Smith said.

“Out of those 34, 29 are commercial burglary,” he added. “He’s been at it for a very long time.”

Police say they believe Wilks took more than $5,000 out of the pockets of small businesses — those businesses glad to hear of the arrest.

“The detective called us and let us know, which is great, great work Philly PD,” Chrissy said.

“Can’t destroy Philly businesses. We need Philly business,” said Mike, a patron at Sonny’s.

“You do the crime, gotta do the time,” he added.

According to records, there’s been a 50 to 60% increase in commercial burglaries in Philadelphia.

But police say they’ve seen an 86% increase in arrests and cases being closed with commercial burglary within the last year.

CBS News Philadelphia reached out to Wilks’s attorney, and we’ve yet to hear back.

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

Please note: 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.

KYW

By Joe Holden

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — It’s 7:06 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood.

Video obtained by CBS News Philadelphia shows a man eating an apple and lobbing something through the plate-glass window of a business near 2nd and Market streets, smashing it.

Police say the thief took the cash register, which they say had $1,500 inside. By this point, investigators say the thief has burglarized six Center City and Old City small businesses in a week, including Sonny’s Famous Steaks.

“When they got here at 9 o’clock, my boys called and said someone had busted the glass,” said Chrissy, a manager at the store. “So their first instinct was to go to the basement and check and make sure everything was OK. They did get the register, and they didn’t take the tablets, thank God, but they did take the register.”

Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith said officers detected a pattern.

Over 10 days, investigators say a total of nine small businesses were burglarized overnight. Officers then started working earlier shifts, and police say on Oct. 29, they caught 66-year-old Derek Wilks breaking into a business.

“Mr. Wilks was using a iron-cast gas cap and he was throwing that through plate glass windows of establishments,” Smith said. “And in all these instances, he was going for the cash register.”

Detectives say Wilks has a distinctive walk given recent hip surgery. They’ve since charged him with all nine burglaries. Smith said given his arrest history, they believe he’s responsible for more.

“He has 34 prior arrests,” Smith said.

“Out of those 34, 29 are commercial burglary,” he added. “He’s been at it for a very long time.”

Police say they believe Wilks took more than $5,000 out of the pockets of small businesses — those businesses glad to hear of the arrest.

“The detective called us and let us know, which is great, great work Philly PD,” Chrissy said.

“Can’t destroy Philly businesses. We need Philly business,” said Mike, a patron at Sonny’s.

“You do the crime, gotta do the time,” he added.

According to records, there’s been a 50 to 60% increase in commercial burglaries in Philadelphia.

But police say they’ve seen an 86% increase in arrests and cases being closed with commercial burglary within the last year.

CBS News Philadelphia reached out to Wilks’s attorney, and we’ve yet to hear back.

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

Please note: 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 Madeleine Wright

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    CHESTER, Pennsylvania (KYW) — The beat of the drums echoed outside Chester City Hall as retired professional athlete Fredia Gibbs returned home to be celebrated for making history as the first Black woman to win a world kickboxing title.

“It takes a village to build a champion and Chester is my village,” Gibbs said. “They built me. Chester made me who I am today.”

On Thursday, the city gave Gibbs a hero’s welcome, complete with a bronze statue dedicated to her legacy. Originally displayed at her alma mater, Cabrini University, the statue now has a permanent home in Chester, the place where her journey began.

“Why am I crying?” Gibbs said as she saw the statue. “Because it’s home, that’s why! Right where it belongs.”

Gibbs’ journey wasn’t easy. As a child, she faced bullying and fear until her uncle, William Grose, taught her karate to build her confidence.

“My goal was to teach her to be the best that she could be,” Grose said. “I automatically saw that she had champion blood in her body.”

From karate to kickboxing, Gibbs shattered stereotypes and became a champion.

“Being in a male-dominated sport, combat sports, and breaking barriers there in that area right there, that was very, it was very tough,” Gibbs said.

Her statue stands as a testament to perseverance, showing that the toughest battles can shape the strongest champions.

“Don’t quit because sometimes when we just about to quit, we got maybe two more steps to go before we win,” Gibbs said.

Dubbed the “female Rocky,” Gibbs’ story is now heading to Hollywood, with a feature film about her life set for release in 2026. Academy Award-nominated screenwriters and producers Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, along with Emmy-nominated producer Marc Ambrose, are working on the project.

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

Please note: 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.

KYW

By Madeleine Wright

Click here for updates on this story

    CHESTER, Pennsylvania (KYW) — The beat of the drums echoed outside Chester City Hall as retired professional athlete Fredia Gibbs returned home to be celebrated for making history as the first Black woman to win a world kickboxing title.

“It takes a village to build a champion and Chester is my village,” Gibbs said. “They built me. Chester made me who I am today.”

On Thursday, the city gave Gibbs a hero’s welcome, complete with a bronze statue dedicated to her legacy. Originally displayed at her alma mater, Cabrini University, the statue now has a permanent home in Chester, the place where her journey began.

“Why am I crying?” Gibbs said as she saw the statue. “Because it’s home, that’s why! Right where it belongs.”

Gibbs’ journey wasn’t easy. As a child, she faced bullying and fear until her uncle, William Grose, taught her karate to build her confidence.

“My goal was to teach her to be the best that she could be,” Grose said. “I automatically saw that she had champion blood in her body.”

From karate to kickboxing, Gibbs shattered stereotypes and became a champion.

“Being in a male-dominated sport, combat sports, and breaking barriers there in that area right there, that was very, it was very tough,” Gibbs said.

Her statue stands as a testament to perseverance, showing that the toughest battles can shape the strongest champions.

“Don’t quit because sometimes when we just about to quit, we got maybe two more steps to go before we win,” Gibbs said.

Dubbed the “female Rocky,” Gibbs’ story is now heading to Hollywood, with a feature film about her life set for release in 2026. Academy Award-nominated screenwriters and producers Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, along with Emmy-nominated producer Marc Ambrose, are working on the project.

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

Please note: 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 Christina Fan, Christine Sloan, Justin Lewis

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    RIDGEFIELD, New Jersey (WCBS) — Windy conditions took down trees around New York City and New Jersey overnight.

One tree was blown over and hit the power lines in Queens. Limbs of another fell onto cars and blocked the street on the Upper West Side.

A tree crashed into a multi-family home in Ridgefield, New Jersey, taking out a chunk of a brick wall and exposing the interior of a second story room.

The family said they were asleep inside when they heard a thunderous boom around 1 a.m. The father said he ran to his son’s bedroom, couldn’t get through the door, called out to him for several minutes in a panic and received no response. He ran outside and started to pray.

“I was asleep, and I just hear a little noise and my son shouting. I was calling. He wasn’t responding. He passed out, so I just ran outside naked, shouting for help. I didn’t take my phone, anything. I asked the neighbor to call for help, so I was just there praying to God for a miracle to happen, and after 30 minutes, he stepped outside,” the father Rubicon Okudzeto said.

“I didn’t know it was a tree, exactly. I just felt like something pressing down on me. And I just knew I was in pain, so I had to get out of there. So I started crouching out, then I went trying to find anyone in the house, but there was no one there. Then I went to my neighbors, knocking on the door, but no one answered. So I went outside and I found my dad over there,” said the son, Gael Okudzeto. “I was just thankful. I am really lucky to survive this, because not everyone would be this lucky.”

The 18-year-old was checked out for bruising to the side of his body. He came home after spending hours in the hospital, but is expected to be OK.

He said all he remembers is a loud noise. He thinks he was unconscious for a few minutes in his room, which he said was filled with debris.

“Everything is destroyed. Like, everything’s covered by the roof. I lost all my clothes,” he said.

Another family downstairs was able to get out without injuries.

Neighbors said they heard a loud thud on Bruce Street, while all of New Jersey was under a wind advisory with gusts reported stronger than 50 miles per hour.

A woman who lives in the building said the ground shook so violently, at first, she thought it was an earthquake, looked online to see if there were reports of one, couldn’t find anything and then went back to sleep. She came outside hours later to walk her dog and realized what happened.

“I texted my neighbors – I’m close with them down here. I haven’t gotten a response, but I think they’re OK, I didn’t see that it hit them — it didn’t hit them directly,” said neighbor Marissa Blanco. “I mean, these winds, these trees, got to be careful.”

While it appeared most of the branches and trunk fell in the direction of the road, there was still noticeable damage to the building. One branch also shattered the rear window of a car.

First responders taped off the apartment complex, and two of the units closest to the tree were evacuated.

Peak wind gusts reached up to 70 mph in parts of the Tri-State Area late Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Stony Brook, New York reported the strongest at 70 mph, followed by Bayville, N.Y. at 61 mph and White Plains, N.Y. at 60 mph.

New Jersey’s peak gusts were reported in Bayonne, which saw 57 mph.

Today started off brisk, with wind chills making it feel like the 30s and 40s, especially north and west of the city. This afternoon stays mostly sunny, but blustery, with highs only reaching the low 50s — about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than yesterday.

You’ll want to bundle up tonight, as it could be the coldest night of the season so far in the city, with lows near 40°. Suburbs will dip into the 30s, and some distant spots could even flirt with the 20s. A Frost Advisory has also been issued across our suburbs, so do be mindful of those plants before you turn in.

Tomorrow will be a touch milder under partly to mostly cloudy skies, with highs in the upper 50s. But don’t get too comfortable — showers move in tomorrow night.

Looking ahead to the weekend, Saturday starts with early showers, but clears up nicely by afternoon. Expect highs in the mid 60s. Sunday, however, looks soggy again, with showers likely and highs around 60°.

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

Please note: 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.