Category: CNN Regional

By Noelle Lilley

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    NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — An off-duty volunteer EMT was honored Wednesday for saving a man’s life at the 2026 New York Knicks Championship parade.

On Wednesday, Simone Kelly received the Lifesaving Award for Extraordinary Personal Action from The American Red Cross in Greater New York.

Kelly was enjoying the festivities on June 18 when she noticed a man climb on top of a subway station entrance, then pass out.

“If someone was closer and someone was gonna get there, I don’t feel the need to stick my nose in every situation,” she said. “However, you know, after probably 30 seconds of nothing happening, I said, ‘I cannot sit here any longer. I’m going to be the one to jump in.'”

Kelly and other parade-goers sprung into action and administered the overdose reversal drug Naloxone, also known as Narcan.

“Overdose is the leading cause of death for adults ages 18 to 44. And that is a number that I am uncomfortable with and that’s why I get trained,” Kelly said.

They kept an eye on him until EMS and police arrived.

“The message I think people should take away is get trained, get yourself prepared so that you can act. But the other message is be courageous,” said Doreen Howe, CEO of the American Red Cross in Greater New York. “Be willing to step forward and help someone else when they’re in need. Don’t just stand back. Step forward.”

Kelly is a member of the South Orange Volunteer Rescue Squad in New Jersey and also previously worked as a lifeguard. She said she hopes others are inspired to intervene when they see someone in need.

“We have gotten comfortable stepping over bodies, and I think we should be a little more comfortable stopping,” she said.

Kelly is currently studying neuroscience in Madison, New Jersey, with plans to pursue emergency psychiatry in medical school.

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 Hannah Kliger

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    BROOKLYN, New York (WCBS) — Imagine getting invited to a family Zoom call, and having more cousins than you can fit in Yankee Stadium.

For the Wyckoff family, that is not so far-fetched.

The Wyckoff name has been part of Brooklyn’s history for hundreds of years. The family traces its American roots to Pieter Claesen Wyckoff, who settled in the New World in the 1600s.

Ten generations later, Matt Wycoff is still learning about the ancestor who started it all.

“It’s definitely neat. I feel very lucky. You hear stories of people getting interested in genealogy, especially as they get older. And all that work was kind of already done for me,” Matt Wycoff said.

Dani Wyckoff is another branch of the sprawling family tree. She said the name has followed her across the country.

“I’ve run into people with the same last name at restaurants in California … They’re everywhere,” she said.

And sometimes, strangers recognize the connection.

“I’m checking in for the reservation. They’re like, ‘Oh wait, that’s my last name, that’s crazy,'” Dani Wyckoff said.

The family has even had a dedicated genealogist: Jason Wyckoff, a 13th-generation descendant and family historian associated with the Wyckoff House Museum.

“There’s Wyckoff town in New Jersey, there’s Wyckoff Lake in Michigan, this Wyckoff mountain in Montana, there’s even a glacier in Antarctica named Wyckoff Glacier,” he said of the family’s impact.

The family’s history is extensively documented through old records and books, tracing descendants through generations of early Brooklyn history.

Those descendants served in America’s wars, married into presidential families, and became pioneers in fields including art, science and film.

Today, the Wyckoff family in America operates as a genealogical organization with a database containing more than 65,000 family members across 18 generations.

The family’s history is centered around the Wyckoff House Museum, the homestead of their ancestor and a site believed to be the oldest standing structure in New York state. Its oldest part dates back to the 1650s.

And even 65,000 documented descendants may be only a fraction of the larger family.

“My conservative estimate thinks that there’s probably over a half million folks who really are what I would call a cousin,” Jason Wyckoff said.

For Matt Wycoff, who said he didn’t know of his family ancestry until he was cleaning out his late grandfather’s house, the most meaningful part of that history is the story of the immigrant who started it all.

“That’s the part of his story that I really connect with is that, you know, that he went on this grand adventure and was an immigrant to this country. Like virtually everyone else,” he said.

A grand adventure that created a family so large, you’re bound to run into a cousin in nearly every state.

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 Sydney St. Claire

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    LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WLEX) — Kentucky students are learning more than healthy habits through a program designed to teach potentially lifesaving skills.

The American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge is a three-week program for students from pre-K through fifth grade. The program combines lessons on healthy living with training in skills such as Hands-Only CPR.

The American Heart Association says more than 350,000 people experience sudden cardiac arrest outside a hospital each year, including about 23,000 children.

Through the Kids Heart Challenge, students learn about healthy eating, sleep and physical activity. Families can also participate by learning Hands-Only CPR.

“Not only are students learning these healthy habits and skills, but their parents are able to also learn these life-saving skills, and then they become first responders in their own communities,” said Josie Bailey, School Engagement Director for the American Heart Association.

More than 200 Kentucky schools participated in the program last year, including about 50 schools in the Fayette County area.

Bailey said the program is available to schools across Kentucky, with the goal of creating more people who are prepared to respond during an emergency.

Schools can choose when to participate in the three-week Kids Heart Challenge.

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 DeLaina Crutcher

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    LEXINGTON, Kentucky (WLEX) — Lexington Police are investigating a stabbing after a commercial vehicle crashed into a residence Thursday morning.

According to police, officers were called to the 3300 block of Valhalla Drive around 9:56 a.m. for reports of a commercial vehicle striking a home and a disorder occurring.

When officers arrived, they found a female victim suffering from apparent stab wounds and a commercial vehicle that had crashed into a residence. Officers and emergency medical personnel rendered aid before the woman was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The Lexington Fire Department said the crash caused significant structural damage to the residence.

Police have not released additional details about the circumstances surrounding the stabbing or the vehicle crash. The investigation remains active and ongoing.

Authorities said there does not appear to be an active threat to the public.

Valhalla Drive remains blocked as police continue their investigation.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the case to call Lexington Police at (859) 258-3600. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Bluegrass Crime Stoppers by calling (859) 253-2020, visiting Bluegrass Crime Stoppers, or using the P3 Tips app.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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 Brit Stack

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    JOPLIN, Missouri (KOAM) — Federal court documents allege that a Republican candidate for the Missouri House of Representatives asked a now former campaign staffer to plant drugs on his opponent.

Thomas Ross is the GOP candidate for Missouri State House District 161. The seat represents parts of Jasper County.

Authorities booked Ross into the Joplin city jail on September 2nd on unspecified charges.

Now, the federal court documents show that he is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a mixture or a substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.

According to the documents, a former campaign manager for Ross reached out to the FBI on July 30th, 2026. They told investigators that Ross asked them to plant drugs on his August 4th primary opponent, Louise Secker.

The former staffer gave law enforcement a “black nylon glove” that he claimed was given to him by Ross in June 2026. Tests by agents would go on to reveal that a substance within a bag in the glove contained cocaine. A capsule, identified as Adderall a Schedule II controlled substance, was also found in the glove.

At that time, the FBI gave the informant a audio recorder to use during a meeting at Ross’s home on July 31st.

“Approximately 1 hour and 18 minutes into the conversation, C.S. told Ross that he still had ‘the bag and addies’ if Ross wanted him to ‘try,'” the court documents state.

The affidavit showed that Ross agreed and spoke of a small purse Secker carried.

Ross is slated to be on the November 3rd, 2026 general election ballot, facing Democrat Aaron Metzger.

The Missouri Republican Party has called on Ross to withdraw from the race.

Metzger’s campaign has not issued at statement as on Wednesday night.

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 Jeff Morgan

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WMAR) — Maryland is launching a new program that will guarantee income for workers taking family or medical leave, and the state is working to make employers and employees aware of the upcoming changes.

Any employer with at least one employee must participate in the state’s new Family and Medical Leave Insurance program.

The program provides payments of up to $1,000 a week for people on family or medical leave.

Workers in Maryland will contribute 0.45% of their gross income to the program.

The state says the average Maryland worker will contribute about $1 a day.

“Paid leave has tremendous benefits for not only workers but also for employers and businesses,” Maryland Secretary of Labor Portia Wu said. “It increases retention. It helps to keep people attached to the workforce and helps smaller businesses who might not otherwise be able to support such a benefit keep their skilled talent working with them.”

Workers can receive up to $12,000 in paid leave per year.

“In exchange for that, what workers get is job protection as well as income replacement of up to close to $1,000 a week for the average worker in the event that something happens,” Wu said.

Wu said the program addresses a gap that leaves many workers financially vulnerable during unexpected health crises.

“Everyone knows someone where a sudden stroke or heart attack or cancer or their spouse has a suddenly need to take leave. The fact is, workers aren’t able to work when these incidents happen often, and what’s what they’re doing now is totally losing their pay and risking their jobs. And so this program will make sure that does not happen and provide that financial security that Maryland families and workers really need and deserve,” Wu said.

Employers need to register now. Contributions will not come out of paychecks until Jan. 1.

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By Jeff Hager

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    JOPPA, Maryland (WMAR) — Out for some exercise, Shantel Washington walked past a house on Joppa Crossing Way when a pit bull attacked her.

“I’m calling for help to the neighbors and it just seemed like nobody was coming, and he just kept biting me and biting me and biting me,” recalled Washington, “and then once she was able to hold onto his collar, I was able to get on top of her car while she took him in the house.”

Images of Washington’s injuries are so graphic that we have modified them, but you can make out just how extensive they are.

The owner would later tell police that the dog had been tethered behind the house and when someone let it loose to go back inside the house it took off.

Washington says she felt victimized a second time when she learned what became of the dog.

“That night, once I got out of surgery, I want to say maybe around 10:30, I learned the dog was still in the house and was only I believe like a 30-dollar fine and a 10-day quarantine,” said Washington.

Animal Control confirms that the owner of the dog did receive a citation and the dog has now been quarantined in the home for 10 days.

The owner had the option of surrendering the dog, but refused to and further restrictions have come with keeping it.

“They did deem the dog to be dangerous so with that there’s also restrictions placed on the owner as well,” said Capt. Mark Fox, “such as the dog has to be secured within the residence at all times. You know. It has to be in a locked cage. If you take the dog off the property, the dog must be leashed and also muzzled.”

Those measures ring hollow for Shantel Washington who still faces a long road to recovery, a series of rabies shots since there’s no record of the dog’s registration and the prospect that it remains inside the home where the attack unfolded.

“I’m like, ‘That dog cannot stay in the neighborhood. I have a four-year-old daughter. She likes to go for walks. We have other neighbors and kids in the neighborhood. This is a very family-oriented neighborhood and other people walk the neighborhood,” said Washington, “so I just think that he could be a danger to somebody else.”

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By Crystal Flintrop

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    TREMPEALEAU, Wisconsin (WXOW) — Monarch butterflies are making their way south for the winter, and visitors at Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge are getting a hands-on role in helping researchers track that migration.

The refuge is hosting its third year of the Monarch Journey Program, which allows visitors to catch monarch butterflies in the field before bringing them back to refuge staff to be measured, tagged and released.

“We are experiencing the monarch migration. The monarch is the only known butterfly that makes a round-trip or migration round-trip, for example, like the ducks,” Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Services Ranger Dana Schelling said. “They will travel all the way south to Mexico to be there and spend the winter.”

According to the U.S. Forest Service, some monarchs travel as far as 3,000 miles during that journey. Eastern North American monarchs spend the winter in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico.

Before participants head into a field at the refuge, staff give them an informal lesson on the butterflies and the tagging process.

That includes how to distinguish between male and female monarchs, where to look for them and how to safely catch them.

“If the butterfly is perching on a flower, they need to sneak from the back and place their net on top of the butterfly,” Schelling said. “Then, as they are placing that net on top of the butterfly, that is on a flower, they need to slowly remove it from the butterfly, from the plant and then eventually put it inside a cage.”

For Galesville resident Lance Remus, the tagging program was an unexpected addition to a day at the refuge with his children.

“They have off school today, so I brought them out just to see the birds and the refuge stuff, and take a little walk on the trail,” Remus said. “And when we did, we met the rangers and they told us that they had the monarch catching program today. So the kids wanted to do it and it was fun for them.”

Remus said it took a little practice to figure out the best way to catch the butterflies.

“It took a little bit,” Remus said. “You had to figure out the technique of how to catch them and not have them fly away. But, it wasn’t too hard. You just have to handle very delicately, obviously.”

Participants can catch as many monarchs as they would like before bringing the butterflies back to the refuge contact station for tagging.

There, refuge staff carefully remove each butterfly from its cage and handle it by the wings before placing a small tag on the rear wing.

“They are actually very strong little creatures,” Schelling said. “And we try to be delicate and handle them with our hands without harming them.”

Rangers also measure each monarch’s wings before releasing it.

“It’s going to help us also to know the difference in size, because we actually, when we tag them, we measure their wings,” Schelling said. “It’s also going to let us know the difference in the generations because they go through metamorphosis. And every time we go through that process, we know that it’s a different generation.”

The tags can also help researchers track migration routes, longevity and survival rates if the butterflies are later recovered.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says monarchs making the fall trip are part of what is often called the “super generation.”

Unlike earlier summer generations that complete their life cycle in about four weeks, the fall generation can live for up to eight months and delays reproduction until spring.

The agency says decreasing daylight and temperatures, along with changes in milkweed and nectar sources, help trigger the fall migration.

Monarchs use air currents and thermals to travel long distances, while researchers continue to study the combination of directional cues they use along the way.

The refuge has seen strong participation in this year’s Monarch Journey Program.

“We have had an outstanding response from the community,” Schelling said. “We have had over 150 visitors and we also have tagged more than 200 butterflies, maybe 250.”

At least 50 more monarchs were tagged during Friday’s program.

Schelling said the program is also meant to connect people with the refuge and give them a role in the research.

“It’s a way to get people outdoors and experience the refuge and help us too with this effort of citizen science,” Schelling said.

The remaining scheduled sessions are Thursday, Sept. 3, Friday, Sept. 4, and Saturday, Sept. 5, from 9 a.m. to noon at Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge.

Nets, butterfly identification guides and butterfly cages are provided. Groups of more than six people are asked to call ahead so accommodations can be made.

The Monarch Journey Program is weather permitting and will continue while tagging supplies remain available.

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 Michelle Charlesworth

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    STATEN ISLAND, New York (WABC) — Dramatic video shows a man struck by lightning last week on Staten Island during strong storms.

Doorbell video shows the moments of the scary incident.

Thomas Fahmy was walking out of his home on the way to a dentist appointment when the lightning struck his foot.

“Once the lightning bolt struck me, the initial sensations that I had throughout my whole body were like completely unprecedented, tingling, numbness, pain, just I feel this burning sensation,” he said.

Fahmy spent the night at the hospital but did not suffer any burns.

“No burns. I had multiple body exams, no burns at all,” Fahmy said. “I went on church Sunday to say thank you God.”

On Saturday, he bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket.

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.