Category: CNN Regional

By Jennifer McLogan

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — Shortly after the Artemis II rocket launched on its trip around the moon, a college professor in New York learned he was picked by NASA to help with future missions.

Stony Brook University professor Timothy Glotch is one of just 10 scientists from across the country selected to shape research plans for the next Artemis moon missions.

Glotch got the call of his life Wednesday, when NASA exploration leaders told the Long Island planetary geologist that he and nine others would be bringing their wealth of experience to the Artemis program.

“I was over the moon!” he said. “My heart was racing, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face for the entire day.”

Glotch will help astronauts on the 2028 Artemis mission locate minerals and water ice near the moon’s south pole, and start to build a base on the moon in the coming years.

“Artemis is being built from the ground up to be sustainable,” he said. “I’m excited to bring Artemis to Stony Brook and teach classes.”

Glotch will be front and center for the 2028 launch to the moon from either Cape Canaveral, Florida, or the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

While discussing his elation, Glotch donned gloves – a strict protocol – and showed lunar dust experiments from rock samples collected on the surface of the 4.5 billion-year-old moon by Apollo astronauts more than 50 years ago.

“We can take this tiny little amount of sample and use it to inform our global perspective,” he said. “By studying the moon, we learn more about the Earth.”

All of his research is being done on Earth, but would Glotch ever want to take a rocket on a trip to the moon?

“I don’t even like tall roller coasters,” he said. “I’m happy to do my science here on Earth.”

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 Logan Hall, Neal Riley

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    WORCESTER, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A potentially rabid fox attacked a woman in Worcester, Massachusetts Friday in an incident that was captured on video.

It happened at about 7 a.m. on Esther Street. Video shows the fox running at the victim repeatedly while she tries to fight it off.

Witness Dahnyel Swenson said she saw the victim “running up the stairs, hitting it with the pocketbook, screaming” and she “got pinned against her home trying to fight this medium-sized fox.”

The fox then dragged the woman to the ground.

“It lunged at her so fast … she didn’t know which way to go,” said Swenson, who lives across the street and said she had just warned the victim about a recent fox sighting in the area.

Swenson said she noticed that the victim pinned the fox to the ground, so she and her daughter rushed to help. Swenson’s daughter managed to trap the fox with a green recycling bucket until the first responders arrived.

“There’s a hole in the bucket, so I had to get a rake because it’s viscous, it’s trying to come through the hole,” Swenson said.

Swenson grabbed a rake and a green recycling bucket, and her daughter managed to trap it under the bucket until first responders arrived.

The victim was hospitalized because the bites to her ankle and both hands drew blood, police said. Swenson said her daughter also went to the hospital because she had gotten blood on her during the incident.

“We’re taking all the precautions. Now she’s going through all the rabies shots series for the next week,” Swenson said.

The animal was euthanized, and its remains have been sent to a Webster Square Animal Clinic for rabies testing.

Worcester police said that hours earlier, someone reported that a fox tried to bite them near Gibbs Street. An animal control unit responded, but didn’t find the fox.

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 Ashley Paul

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The annual Bunny Bonanzoo, an Easter celebration held at the Maryland Zoo, attracted kids and families on Friday

Kids have the chance to not only participate in the egg hunt, but also see a bubble show, win candy, and meet this weekend’s most famous animal, the Easter bunny.

“I think it’s kind of our big spring opener, you know, the weather is going to start to look a little prettier and nicer and warmer. And it’s just a fun time to bring the family, lots of crafts and big things for the kids to do today,” said Colleen Burch with the Maryland Zoo.

And of course, the animals will get an Easter treat too.

“We have a lovely volunteer that makes these big papier-mache eggs, and the animal keepers will stuff them with some fun treats. They put them in with our animals, and you get to watch the animals tear them up and have a good time,” said Burch.

Many parents said Bunny Bonanzoo has become a tradition to visit the zoo each year, kicking off spring and Easter weekend.

“We’ve actually done this day since she was born, so she just turned 12 today, so it’s her birthday. So we came out for her birthday to do it for the 12th year, I think now, and it’s become a tradition,” said one mother.

“Just being together, I think, is really important. Just being able to celebrate what this is all about,” said another.

The annual event is about spending time with family, having fun, and supporting a great cause.

“It is rewarding, and we love to have them come and educate them on why it’s so important to have animals and conservation and all of those things,” said Burch.

The Bunny Bonanzoo will continue through Easter weekend.

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 Wakisha Bailey, Bill Seiders

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — A young survivor of the Northeast Philly plane crash took center court Friday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Ten-year-old Ramesses Vazquez-Viana was honored before the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game.

Minutes before tip-off, Ramesses rung the ceremonial bell to kick off the Sixers’ game as the arena looked on, hearing his story of resilience over the speakers — a journey we’ve documented from the beginning.

Ramesses has been through so much and continues to heal from severe burns suffered in the January 2025 plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia. He suffered burns to more than 90% of his body.

After nearly a year of treatment in Boston and more than 40 surgeries, Ramesses is now making a remarkable recovery.

Ramesses is back in school part-time and surrounded by support, including from David Kelleher, owner of David Dodge, who gifted the family a minivan and a courtside experience to Friday’s game.

“What Ramesses has done and the way he’s fought through this is Philadelphia, it’s Philly,” Kelleher said. “He and I have had a friendship together, a love for each other.”

“I’ve never been in here, so it’s kind of surprising,” Ramesses said. “I never thought the stadium would be like this.”

When asked if he was nervous to ring the bell Friday night, he had only this to say: “A little bit, but mostly my mom is nervous.”

Before ringing the bell, Ramesses was met with a standing ovation from both Sixers and Timberwolves fans.

His mother, Jamie Vazquez-Viana, joined him at center court as he rang the bell and said this moment was more than just a ceremony.

“Every day he’s still showing me how great he is,” she said. “I’m learning from him. It’s amazing to see him so happy about it. This is a unique event, something we’ve never did before and he’s never gonna forget this.”

She says this experience will stay with them long after the bell rings.

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 Cindy Hsu

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    HARLEM, New York (WCBS) — The struggle for some dementia patients and caregivers just to get through the day can be daunting and stressful, but some programs in New York are helping alleviate stress.

Arts and Minds at The Studio Museum in Harlem invites adults with memory disorders and their caregivers to sessions of lively discussions about different artworks.

More than 6 million Americans struggle with dementia, according to the National Institutes of Health. Research has shown that music and art can help lower depression for some of these patients and help inspire moments of lucidity.

Founder Carolyn Halpin-Healy started the program in 2009 using art to help provide positivity and community for people struggling with mental illness.

“When people hear dementia, Alzheimer’s, memory loss, cognitive impairment, they think there’s nothing new left for them. But they find out in our programs that there’s a lot that’s new, and they may be just newly inspired,” she said.

Creative treatment for dementia patients

Tony Bailous is a program volunteer who used to attend the sessions while he was a caregiver to his wife, Linda.

He said when she recognized the pieces of art, a light would go off in her head.

“You could see it. It would bring her back to me, you know. So, yeah, it was, it was a tremendous help. And it brought her joy,” Bailous said.

Linda died about five years ago. Bailous is now a volunteer, understanding both the burden of the disease and the joy of remembering.

“Life is easier” Program participant Arby Muslin, who is a caregiver to his wife of 58 years, Zenaida, praised the program.

“Being in our situation, at our age, and the problems we have, just getting out together in an event like this to a museum, it’s wonderful,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter that they forget. They will continue to carry that experience with them for the rest of the day. They may eat their dinner with more pleasure; they may sleep more peacefully,” Halpin-Healy said. “And when all of those things are happening for the person with a diagnosis, life is easier for the caregiver and relationships have the possibility of being restored.”

The program requires advanced registration but is free.

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 Greg McQuade

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    HANOVER COUNTY, Virginia (WTVR) — Don Ducote is proving that hidden treasures aren’t always unearthed at yard sales or buried deep in sand.

“I don’t know what is in here,” Ducote said. “It is kind of neat that he brought a few things back. It kind of connects you with the whole situation.”

Sometimes, priceless finds turn up covered in cardboard.

“It was a plenty of stuff, and I did not expect to find anything like this,” Ducote said. “When I finally got to this little box of war-type related stuff, that is when I found them.”

While rummaging through his late father’s keepsakes, Ducote made a startling discovery.

“He never said anything about them or that gave any indication that they were there,” Ducote said.

Large sheets of paper folded away for decades detailed a chapter of his father, Captain Warren Ducote’s, life in ink.

“But then I saw one of these, and there was a bunch more, and I thought, ‘Where is this going to end?’ He loved drawing. He loved painting. He loved all kinds of artwork. Each page has its own theme.”


Vivid vignettes of soldier life in Italy and Africa, 80-plus years ago.

“All World War II. All of it. The harshness of it. The fun of it. The danger of it. And camaraderie of it,” Ducote said.

The officer in the 141st Field Artillery put pen to paper from combat to close calls.

“It shows a battle scene and that is what his intention was,” Ducote said. “He shows private moments like you wouldn’t want to talk about like a whole lot when you have to go to the bathroom and there are shells falling right next to you.”

Don believes the sketches heal scars.

“I wish he had been more verbal about it, but verbs go through the air and disappear, so isn’t it better?” Ducote asked.

Captain Ducote even decorated each page of his wartime photo album with original artwork.

“He put pen in ink drawing, and then he water colored each and every one of them,” Ducote said. “They haven’t seen the light of day until today.”

After returning home, the Louisiana native packed up his pictures.

Post-war Don’s father works at NASA’s Goddard Space Center near Washington. His attempt as a commercial artist never pans out.

Don recorded his Dad’s recollections of war in the 1980s, but his father never mentioned his illustrations.

“Why didn’t he bring these out? Why didn’t he have them on the wall?” Ducote said.

Thirty-three years after his dad’s death, Ducote says the drawings deserve to be shared.

“They can’t display everything, and I understand that. But some of this is culturally significant, I think,” Ducote said.

Preserving these pages for posterity, Ducote shared that holding something so personal strengthens the bond between a son and his late father.

“It means a lot. It is all I got,” he said. “It’s all I got left.”

Finding a loved one’s masterpieces hiding in plain sight.

“I am just amazed that he was able to do all of these,” Ducote said. “We get to see exactly how life was back then.”

Ducote urges you to dig a little deeper; one never knows what is waiting to be discovered at the bottom of a box.

“I enjoyed thoroughly looking at all of this stuff. It is a whole lot of fun,” Ducote reflected. “I don’t know when he did this. It is amazing he had time to do all this, but he did it.”

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 Joi Fultz

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    PETERSBURG, Virginia (WTVR) — Virginia State University senior Joshua Branch-Howell is combining his passion for music and portraiture in his first solo show exhibition at the Petersburg Public Library.

The exhibition, titled “Jazzology,” is on display until the end of the month.

“It features 40 portraits of legendary jazz musicians and vocalists,” Branch-Howell said. “Each portrait is paired with a color scheme that represents a feeling or experience I get when listening to their music.”

Branch-Howell, a self-proclaimed old soul, is captivated by the soulful sound and timeless tempos of the genre.

“My favorite genre would be jazz,” Branch-Howell said. “I can’t get enough of it. Spiritual jazz, free form jazz, contemporary, smooth.”

The art prodigy allows each note to guide the strokes of his hand.

“I’ve been doing live art performances across campus,” Branch-Howell said. “Blasting all sorts of music on my speaker and getting into the groove of painting and drawing. My goal was to inspire, create and entertain.”

The process of creating each masterpiece gave Branch-Howell confidence after overcoming shyness.

“I was diagnosed with autism at 2,” Branch-Howell said. “I was very insecure, from my face, to my voice. Art has given me an outlet to voice my thoughts.”

Branch-Howell hopes his journey encourages others to never be afraid to share themselves or their art with the world.

“Just be yourself and keep on creating,” Branch-Howell said.

Branch-Howell will host an art talk about his process of creating these pieces on April 8 at 6 p.m. at the library, which is located at 201 W Washington Street.

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.