Category: CNN Regional

By Adam Harrington, Beth Godvik, Desiree Evans

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A first grader returned to school on Chicago’s Southwest Side Tuesday for the first time after receiving a new heart.

Classmates and teachers at Peck Elementary School, 3826 W. 58th St., welcomed Joselin Nevarez to school Tuesday.

Everyone dressed in red for heart health, and Joselin received a big bunch of red heart balloons to celebrate her return. She jumped around with her class to celebrate, to the accompaniment of the classic 2014 song, “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors.

Joselin was born with one heart chamber. After years of treatment, she received a heart transplant this past summer.

Joselin was born with one heart chamber, and lived with hypoplastic heart syndrome until undergoing her transplant. Joselin’s family hopes to raise awareness and show support for other families going through major health issues.

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.

WBBM

By Adam Harrington, Beth Godvik, Desiree Evans

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A first grader returned to school on Chicago’s Southwest Side Tuesday for the first time after receiving a new heart.

Classmates and teachers at Peck Elementary School, 3826 W. 58th St., welcomed Joselin Nevarez to school Tuesday.

Everyone dressed in red for heart health, and Joselin received a big bunch of red heart balloons to celebrate her return. She jumped around with her class to celebrate, to the accompaniment of the classic 2014 song, “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors.

Joselin was born with one heart chamber. After years of treatment, she received a heart transplant this past summer.

Joselin was born with one heart chamber, and lived with hypoplastic heart syndrome until undergoing her transplant. Joselin’s family hopes to raise awareness and show support for other families going through major health issues.

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 Michael Guise

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    PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A fan suffered life-threatening injuries when he fell from the stands at PPG Paints Arena during Monday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Public Safety said.

The man fell from the 200 level, hitting another person in the suite level below before falling to the 100 level, Pittsburgh Public Safety said in a post on Facebook. The man who fell was taken to a hospital in Pittsburgh with life-threatening injuries, officials said.

The fall happened during the first period on Monday, and play did not stop at any point. First responders were called to the arena around 7:15 p.m., officials said.

The person struck by the falling man was evaluated by first responders and declined to go to the hospital. In a statement, the Penguins said, in part, that the organization and OVG Management Group, which operates PPG Paints Arena, are “closely monitoring the situation. Our concerns remain with the individual and his family at this time.”

A photo from the area on Monday showed about 10 200-level seats roped off with yellow tape. A pane of glass in the front of the section is also missing. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fall. No additional information was released on Monday night.

“We saw a bunch of people scrambling over there … saw him taken away,” witness Devin Voop told KDKA. “Obviously, I hope he’s OK.”

The incident comes on the heels of a worker at Acrisure Stadium falling 50 feet from the stadium’s scoreboard on Saturday night. Authorities said the worker suffered severe injuries, mainly to his lower extremities, and was listed in critical condition.

Earlier this year, Kavan Markwood fell 21 feet from his seat onto the warning track at PNC Park during a Pittsburgh Pirates’ game against the Chicago Cubs. Doctors said he suffered several injuries, including to his skull, brain, spine, ribs and lungs. But at the time, they said he was recovering ahead of schedule, given the severity of his injuries.

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 Michael Guise

Click here for updates on this story

    PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A fan suffered life-threatening injuries when he fell from the stands at PPG Paints Arena during Monday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Public Safety said.

The man fell from the 200 level, hitting another person in the suite level below before falling to the 100 level, Pittsburgh Public Safety said in a post on Facebook. The man who fell was taken to a hospital in Pittsburgh with life-threatening injuries, officials said.

The fall happened during the first period on Monday, and play did not stop at any point. First responders were called to the arena around 7:15 p.m., officials said.

The person struck by the falling man was evaluated by first responders and declined to go to the hospital. In a statement, the Penguins said, in part, that the organization and OVG Management Group, which operates PPG Paints Arena, are “closely monitoring the situation. Our concerns remain with the individual and his family at this time.”

A photo from the area on Monday showed about 10 200-level seats roped off with yellow tape. A pane of glass in the front of the section is also missing. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fall. No additional information was released on Monday night.

“We saw a bunch of people scrambling over there … saw him taken away,” witness Devin Voop told KDKA. “Obviously, I hope he’s OK.”

The incident comes on the heels of a worker at Acrisure Stadium falling 50 feet from the stadium’s scoreboard on Saturday night. Authorities said the worker suffered severe injuries, mainly to his lower extremities, and was listed in critical condition.

Earlier this year, Kavan Markwood fell 21 feet from his seat onto the warning track at PNC Park during a Pittsburgh Pirates’ game against the Chicago Cubs. Doctors said he suffered several injuries, including to his skull, brain, spine, ribs and lungs. But at the time, they said he was recovering ahead of schedule, given the severity of his injuries.

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 Stephanie Stahl, Casey Kuhn

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    ROBBINSVILLE, New Jersey (KYW) — A new type of radiation therapy is showing promise in treating cancer in pets.

The new kind of treatment places radiation directly into cancerous tumors, so there’s limited damage to nearby tissue.

Anu is the Donnelly family’s beloved bulldog, who has the most common form of canine skin cancer. After surgery and medications, she recently had a new kind of radiation therapy.

“It’s like very concentrated and doesn’t go all over the place,” Terrie Donnelly, Anu’s owner, said. “It just sounded good.”

They went to NorthStar VETS in Robbinsville, New Jersey, for the isoPet treatment that uses something called radio-gel.

Veterinary oncologist Diana Sanchez said the gel contains a radioactive isotope that’s placed directly inside the treatment area to destroy cancerous tumors.

“The type of radiation, it’s a high-energy type of radiation, but it travels a very short distance,” Sanchez said. “It’s delivering the radiation in a way that you can make it safe for the surrounding tissue.”

Sanchez said it’s safer and less invasive than traditional external-beam radiation.

For the treatment, Anu first got some light sedation, and then the radioactive gel was injected directly into the cancer tumors.

Sanchez said it’s usually a one-time shot with the pet up and out, with limited side effects.

“To have the ability to have a medication that can be safe, and that can be easy, and that can be affordable and accessible for the owners, it’s amazing,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said while it’s still a new treatment, early indications are promising.

Donnelly is hoping this will be Anu’s last, best treatment.

“We just love her,” she said. “She’s part of the family. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

The maker of radio-gel is working to get FDA approval to begin human trials, which they hope will eventually become a new targeted radiation option.

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 Stephanie Stahl, Casey Kuhn

Click here for updates on this story

    ROBBINSVILLE, New Jersey (KYW) — A new type of radiation therapy is showing promise in treating cancer in pets.

The new kind of treatment places radiation directly into cancerous tumors, so there’s limited damage to nearby tissue.

Anu is the Donnelly family’s beloved bulldog, who has the most common form of canine skin cancer. After surgery and medications, she recently had a new kind of radiation therapy.

“It’s like very concentrated and doesn’t go all over the place,” Terrie Donnelly, Anu’s owner, said. “It just sounded good.”

They went to NorthStar VETS in Robbinsville, New Jersey, for the isoPet treatment that uses something called radio-gel.

Veterinary oncologist Diana Sanchez said the gel contains a radioactive isotope that’s placed directly inside the treatment area to destroy cancerous tumors.

“The type of radiation, it’s a high-energy type of radiation, but it travels a very short distance,” Sanchez said. “It’s delivering the radiation in a way that you can make it safe for the surrounding tissue.”

Sanchez said it’s safer and less invasive than traditional external-beam radiation.

For the treatment, Anu first got some light sedation, and then the radioactive gel was injected directly into the cancer tumors.

Sanchez said it’s usually a one-time shot with the pet up and out, with limited side effects.

“To have the ability to have a medication that can be safe, and that can be easy, and that can be affordable and accessible for the owners, it’s amazing,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said while it’s still a new treatment, early indications are promising.

Donnelly is hoping this will be Anu’s last, best treatment.

“We just love her,” she said. “She’s part of the family. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

The maker of radio-gel is working to get FDA approval to begin human trials, which they hope will eventually become a new targeted radiation option.

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.

WCBS

By Jennifer McLogan

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    RIVERHEAD, Long Island (WCBS) — Birders are going cuckoo for a rare sight on Long Island. The common cuckoo bird has been spotted only four times in U.S. history in the lower 48 states, experts say. Now, it’s in Riverhead.

Hundreds of people have traveled from dozens of states, hoping for a glimpse of the bird that is native to Europe and was blown off course.

“We started a crazy viral birder insanity,” said Roy William Gardner, the eagle-eyed golfer who first saw the cuckoo.

Gardner said he was in a golfcart moving between holes when he spotted “an unusual bird going post to post.” He texted photos of the bird to his nephew, an ornithologist from Cornell and now a bird biologist at UCLA.

“It’s pretty amazing that my uncle, who’s a non-birder, can send a text message across the country,” said nephew Christopher Sayers.

Within minutes, the bird species was identified by UCLA and Cornell.

“He said, ‘what you have there is called a lifer.’ He goes, ‘people go their whole lifetime and not see this,'” Gardner said.

Soon, bird lovers started arriving by ferry, plane and car.

“This is an amazing find,” one person said.

“He lives in Europe and he winters in Africa, so for him to be this far off course,” another marveled.

Was the cuckoo bird possibly blown into New York on the wings of the recent nor’easter?

Farms and golf courses have been allowing the visitors onto their properties to spot the cuckoo. The local Riverhead Times reported 225 sightings in two days.

“It does have a classic cuckoo song, but this is going to be a migrating individual,” Sayers explained.

It’s too young to be vocalizing, but it’s showing off its plumage, gray and white body and long tail.

“If you want to go see it, you’ve gotta go find it!” said Gardner.

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 Jennifer McLogan

Click here for updates on this story

    RIVERHEAD, Long Island (WCBS) — Birders are going cuckoo for a rare sight on Long Island. The common cuckoo bird has been spotted only four times in U.S. history in the lower 48 states, experts say. Now, it’s in Riverhead.

Hundreds of people have traveled from dozens of states, hoping for a glimpse of the bird that is native to Europe and was blown off course.

“We started a crazy viral birder insanity,” said Roy William Gardner, the eagle-eyed golfer who first saw the cuckoo.

Gardner said he was in a golfcart moving between holes when he spotted “an unusual bird going post to post.” He texted photos of the bird to his nephew, an ornithologist from Cornell and now a bird biologist at UCLA.

“It’s pretty amazing that my uncle, who’s a non-birder, can send a text message across the country,” said nephew Christopher Sayers.

Within minutes, the bird species was identified by UCLA and Cornell.

“He said, ‘what you have there is called a lifer.’ He goes, ‘people go their whole lifetime and not see this,'” Gardner said.

Soon, bird lovers started arriving by ferry, plane and car.

“This is an amazing find,” one person said.

“He lives in Europe and he winters in Africa, so for him to be this far off course,” another marveled.

Was the cuckoo bird possibly blown into New York on the wings of the recent nor’easter?

Farms and golf courses have been allowing the visitors onto their properties to spot the cuckoo. The local Riverhead Times reported 225 sightings in two days.

“It does have a classic cuckoo song, but this is going to be a migrating individual,” Sayers explained.

It’s too young to be vocalizing, but it’s showing off its plumage, gray and white body and long tail.

“If you want to go see it, you’ve gotta go find it!” said Gardner.

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 Tania Francois

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — He makes his living as a lawyer, but what he lives for is the opportunity to give back. For 15 years, Miami attorney Larry Handfield has picked up the tab at Joe’s Stone Crab for more than a hundred kids, many from his old neighborhood. Police officers are invited too.

The goal is to build trust before anyone meets in a courtroom.

“I don’t want these individuals to be my clients,” Handfield said. “I take money out of my pocket because the cases I deal with are big cases. If I can avoid seeing them in court, I’m much happier.”

Handfield is the lawyer high-profile clients call when the stakes are at their highest. Over a 40-year career, he has tried more than 600 cases in state and federal courts.

“I am a true trial lawyer,” he said. “I’m at my best in the courtroom, relating to jurors and making sure my client gets the best representation possible.”

His path started far from the bench. Growing up on Wilmington Street in Opa-locka, Handfield dreamed of being a medical doctor when a TV icon nudged him toward a juris doctorate instead.

“Perry Mason was this white lawyer who never lost a case,” he said. “Watching that, I told myself, if he can do that, I can do that.”

A proud graduate of Miami Carol City Senior High and Bethune-Cookman University, Handfield learned service early. His philanthropy now includes two buildings named after him at Bethune-Cookman, a symbol of years of giving. Asked to estimate his contributions, he said, “Millions. Millions.”

Beyond the courtroom, Handfield has chaired several boards, including the Miami-Dade Public Health Trust, which oversees Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kionne McGhee calls him a mentor and a door-opener. McGhee once waited six hours to meet Handfield. He left with a job offer.

“From that couch, I became a trial lawyer, a state representative, and now vice chair of the county commission,” McGhee said.

For Handfield, the win column is measured in people, not verdicts.

“I love this community,” he said. “We are not perfect, but with all it has blessed me with, the least I can do is make it a better place for others and keep making this one of the best cities in the country.”

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.

WBZ

By Logan Hall

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    EASTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A “paperwork error” is disqualifying teams from eight vocational high schools from a post season tournament in Massachusetts. Some parents are furious that this is how their students’ sports experience will end.

Becky DeOliveira’s son Vinny is a senior on the Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School boys’ soccer team. They had a great season with a 13-1-1 record, but they won’t get to play in the Massachusetts Vocational Athletic Directors Association (MVADA) tournament because of a scheduling oversight.

“They live for this, my son’s been on the team for four years,” DeOliveira said. “The kids themselves have put in a lot of dedication, a lot of teamwork, a lot of effort.”

Teams in the league were required to leave a placeholder game on their schedule, listing it as TBD (to be determined) to reserve a spot in the tournament. Southeastern and seven other schools didn’t do that. They were all ruled ineligible for the postseason.

DeOliveira said the ruling is especially painful for the team’s 10 seniors, many of whom won’t play competitively after high school.

“After this, this is it. Some of them might not go to college because it’s a voc-tech school. They are going out in the real world, like let them be kids,” DeOliveira said.

While many players have taken the news with grace, DeOliveira said it’s been harder for parents to accept.

“I went to my son and was like, ‘Hey, how you feeling?’ and he goes ‘it is what it is.’ I think most of the team’s like that. They are so good, they are so humble. I think the coach has really tried to instill in them that we have tried everything we can. But me, as a parent, I’m looking at it as like, I feel like there’s another choice.”

The MVADA did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

“We believe it is deeply unfair to remove student-athletes from postseason play because of a paperwork error, especially one that many schools struggled to interpret,” Southeastern Regional School District Superintendent Holly McClanan said in a statement.

DeOliveira is holding out hope that a solution can be found and her son will get to take the field with his team one last time.

“I’m always looking on the positive side,” she said. “And I feel like for a clerical error, for this to just happen the way it’s happening I feel like there has to be a better outcome.”

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.