Category: CNN Regional

By Pepper Purpura

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    URBANDALE, Iowa (KCCI) — Two local heroes were recognized Tuesday evening as the City of Urbandale presented lifesaving awards to 11-year-old Mya Cannon and her aunt, Alexis Newton, honoring their quick thinking and decisive actions that saved a child from drowning.

The awards were presented during a special ceremony ahead of the Urbandale City Council meeting, highlighting the pair’s courage and awareness in a moment of crisis.

The incident unfolded at a local pool, where Mya was the first to notice something was wrong.

“I just saw something under the water, and I knew something was wrong,” she said. The child’s condition immediately raised alarm. “He had purple lips, and he was really pale.”

Though she had never faced a situation like this before, Mya acted without hesitation, drawing attention to the child in distress.

As Mya alerted others, Newton stepped in and pulled the child from the water.

“It happened so fast, but it felt like forever at the same time,” Newton said. “I didn’t really have time to process what was going on until later that night.”

Once out of the pool, an employee began CPR while 911 was called, setting off a chain of response that ultimately saved the child’s life.

While both focused on helping during the emergency, the emotional reality set in afterward.

“When I saw the family trying to get him to breathe, that’s when it hit me — this is really real,” Newton said.

Cannon echoed the concern.

“I was really scared. I was just hoping he would make it.”

The following day brought relief when the child’s family confirmed he was recovering and had returned to normal.

“They’ve told me multiple times how grateful they are,” Newton said. “Things could have been so different.”

City officials said the recognition of Cannon and Newton underscores how awareness and willingness to act can make a life-saving difference. Mya was honored for recognizing the emergency and initiating action, while Newton was recognized for removing the child from the water and helping ensure immediate care.

Despite the public recognition, both say they were simply doing what anyone should do.

“I think it feels great knowing that we were there in that time to help,” Newton said. “But at the same time, I know both of us would do that for anybody.”

Mya admitted the ceremony made her nervous — but also proud. Her aunt focused on the latter.

“It makes me really proud,” Newton said. “She’s always looking out for people. She’s a really great kid.”

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 Michael Paluska

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    HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Florida (WFTS) — A simple look out the window at your favorite bird could do more than brighten the day. In fact, it may help keep the brain sharp.

A recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests the complexity of birdwatching, combined with the social interaction often found in birding groups, may improve cognition and help protect brain health as people age. Researchers found the hobby’s mental demands can help reorganize the brain, strengthen cognitive function, and ward off some effects of aging.

Dr. Siyun Peng, an assistant professor in the School of Aging Studies at the University of South Florida who was not involved in the study, said the findings align with what scientists know about neuroplasticity and aging.

“Neuroplasticity is referred to the idea of your brain can grow,” Dr. Peng said.

“If you exercise your brain, your brain will get better, just like your muscles,” Dr. Peng said.

“You can make it better, even at age 60, at age 80,” Dr. Peng said.

On a sunny, cool morning in Hillsborough County, more than a dozen birdwatchers gathered at a wood stork colony. Binoculars, cameras, and spotting scopes were all trained in one direction as the group learned to count colonies like scientists. Members of Tampa Audubon and Audubon Florida were there too to give expert advice.

“It is a joyful activity,” Allie O’Connor said. ”It feeds your soul.”

In addition to cognitive benefits, Dr. Peng said the social side of birdwatching may be one of its biggest advantages.

“From my perspective, what’s like, additionally beneficial bird watching is you usually go with a group, so you engage in, like, social interaction with people too,” Dr. Peng said. “Like you interacting with strangers, acquaintances, or the people you don’t know that well, it’s especially beneficial for your brain’s cognitive health.”

“As long as you’re meeting strangers, your brain’s gonna fire?” Tampa Bay 28 reporter Michael Paluska asked Dr. Peng.

“Yeah! Exactly, and this actually has some roots in evolution, too, because, like, humans’ brains have evolved to adapt to, maybe, large social groups. So our brain is really, like, evolved to process social information, like, who’s my enemy, who’s my friend, who I can trust, like, who’s friends with, who like, what’s the relationship with? So those are very complex, like the information our human beings need to, like, pause to survive in large social groups. So that’s why we think like interaction with people is fire your like brain neurons like that much.”

For many on the outing, meeting new people is part of the experience.

“I’m not an Audubon member. I just came today to be part of the group to start counting,” Sheila Plant said.

“I am with them, and I’ve just been identifying birds just for fun,” Plant said.

“Bird watching gets me out in nature and an opportunity to see and experience different things,” Ann Paul, president of the Tampa Audubon Society, said. “You meet a lot of different people, and what’s really fun about bird people is they are fun, and they have something to say.”

Beyond its social elements, the hobby also challenges the brain through identification and observation.

“It’s tricky sometimes to be able to identify all the different species, whether they are on nests or just on the islands, so there is a learning curve to it,” Jeff Liechty, Audubon Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries manager, said.

“There are so many different parts of your brain that are exercised,” Dr. Peng said.

“So you are like recognizing emotions, you have been engaging in facial recognition, also remembering the language,” Dr. Peng said. “So if you do like MRI of it, you will see like, different parts of brain, basically, like, your brain gonna light up, like a Christmas tree, just like so many different parts of brain that, like, light up to try to, like, process the information,” Peng said.

With these benefits in mind, for birdwatchers, the advantages are already clear.

“Yeah, I think it is good for your mental health and your physical health too. It’s bound to be helping my blood pressure to be here admiring the birds,” Sherry Keller said.

“What’s your favorite bird?” Paluska asked.

“Usually it’s the next one I see,” Keller said.

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 Paula Wethington

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    Michigan (WWJ) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources sparked attention and questions after it reported that a walleye weighed in at 15 pounds during recent fish egg collection efforts.

The fisheries staff had been working on the Muskegon River, with 97 pairs of walleye spawned on March 31 and an additional 60 pairs on April 2.

The DNR included this note: “the largest fish collected weighed in at an impressive 15 lbs!”

The DNR recreational stocking efforts include lake trout, brown trout, walleye and other species at locations across the state. The Metro Detroit fish stocking locations include walleye placed in Pontiac Lake and rainbow trout in the Clinton River.

The fish are weighed prior to egg collection, and that’s how the 15-pound walleye was verified, the DNR said.

The largest walleye recorded in Michigan weighed 17.19 pounds, and was caught in 1951 in Pine River in Manistee County, the DNR reports.

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By Jermont Terry

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A commute downtown to work for one woman left her fuming and fighting off her attacker after getting assaulted on a CTA train on Tuesday morning.

A trip to the police station wasn’t on Chiquita Brown’s plan, but she walked into the 1st District to file a complaint.

“I believe I was sexually assaulted on the Red Line this morning,” she said.

Brown hopped on the “L” at 63rd Street, and by the time she got to the 35th Street station, she couldn’t believe what had occurred.

“It was crowded this morning, so I was standing up, and a guy passed me and groped my behind,” she said.

Brown said the man didn’t just touch her backside, saying the offender touched her between her legs from behind.

She said she was violated on the crowded CTA train, and her defense instincts kicked in.

“I lost it,” she said. “I started hitting him, and I said, ‘ You don’t touch me, why are you putting your hands on me?'”

She was in the first train next to the conductor, who radioed the police, but when the doors opened, the man ran off. The assault left brown furious.

The conductor described the offender as a Black male with a tan jacket, blue jeans, and short dreads.

This incident comes as the Federal Transit Administration has called for CTA to revamp its safety plan or risk losing funding. The CTA last month said it plans to increase policing hours by 75%, but Brown said she didn’t see a single officer.

“Whatever their tactic is, we need results. So you can threaten to hold back money, but at the end of the day, we need results. I feel like they do need to go back to the drawing board,” Brown said.

More than 400,000 people ride the CTA trains weekly, and for those like Brown who depend on the transit system to get to work, they wait for a resolution.

She’s not happy the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to Illinois’ law barring concealed carry of guns on public transit

“They denied the appeal to bring your firearms on the train because we may need to have it because people will think twice,” Brown said.

Officers met Brown at the Clark/Lake Station when the train arrived, but as of Tuesday night, no arrests were made.

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By Pete Caggiano

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    HONOLULU (KITV) — A new storm system approaches and brings a flood risk through Friday.

Tonight, expect cloudy skies with temperatures in the upper 60 degrees. Rain is expected for Maui County and the Big Island.

On Wednesday, mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain is forecast, mainly in the afternoon and evening. Some rains will be heavier. Winds will be from the south/east at 5 to 10 mph. High temperatures will be in the upper 70 degrees to near 80 degrees.

A Flood Watch goes into effect from 6 a.m. on Wednesday through Friday at 6 p.m.

Weather Alert Days are in effect from Wednesday to Friday due to the flood risk. Gusty Kona winds will also develop on Thursday and Friday. Expect winds gusts over 40 mph in some downslope spots as winds shift from the southeast to south from Thursday through Friday. Computer models indicate possible rainfall totals of 5 to 12 inches.

A Winter Storm Advisory is in effect for the summits of the Big Island.

Surf heights will increase: north-facing shores 6 to 10 feet, west-facing shores 5 to 7 feet, south-facing shores 6 to 10 feet, and east-facing shores 1 to 3 feet. High Surf Advisories possible for the south shores.

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 Gracie Palmer

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Black bears naturally thrive in heavily forested environments with dense vegetation and access to water. But as construction expands into those areas, their habitats are being disrupted and, in many cases, reduced.

“Their habitat kind of needs to be a wide range of different elements and complexities, which our mountains provide,” WNC Nature Center’s Animal Wellness Coordinator Chesley Hollander said of bears.

As more roads and homes are built, bears are increasingly pushed closer to humans.

“We are unfortunately their biggest predators, and that’s because we are driving around in their habitats, we’re developing in their homes and trees,” Hollander added.

At the same time, North Carolina’s black bear population has grown significantly — more than quadrupling over the past two decades to an estimated 20,000 bears statewide. With shrinking habitats and a growing population, sightings in urban areas are becoming more common.

While experts say that it is impossible to stop all development, there are other ways to support bear populations in western North Carolina.

“Accommodating for the natural space, allowing for the forest areas to happen, providing natural forging options for them in landscaping, things like that,” Hollander said.

Custom home builder Brian Sineath, owner of Sineath Construction, says certain communities have implemented rules to limit human interactions with the bears.

“Some communities you have to keep the dumpsters covered, or signage up that’s saying no food trash, and we try to police that very closely,” Sineath added.

Sineath says preserving natural vegetation during construction is also a priority for him.

“We use native trees. You know, if there’s wildlife corridors, we want to protect those. Try to leave as much buffer around the streams, and around those pathways as we can,” he said.

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.