Category: CNN Regional

By Angela Rozier

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    PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (WPBF) — Sixteen-year-old Sawyer Tinsley from Jupiter High School is using her love for fostering kittens to support mental health and raise funds for animal rescues in Palm Beach County.

Tinsley began fostering kittens from Palm Beach Purrs during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she found it difficult to make friends.

“You would have to be six feet away, you couldn’t really speak, you had masks on, you couldn’t really see people. So, it started there when I was just like … this is hard, like, this is hard to do school in these conditions,” Tinsley said. “It was the best thing for helping me transition during COVID time when it was really hard.”

To help other middle school girls facing similar challenges, Tinsley created a club called “PAUSE,” inviting them to her home to spend time with foster kittens.

“And then they just come and we put them downstairs and then they can just run around. The kids play with them and talk about their, like, stressors (they) have been going through in middle school, cause that’s when it starts to like amp up for elementary school,” Tinsley said.

Florida Atlantic University student Chloee Wilkerson, who was taking a break from studying at PetSmart in Palm Beach Gardens, where the foster kittens are located, shared her experience.

“It’s my favorite coping mechanism. I’ll wake up at night to, but this is the least consequential one to do,” Wilkerson said.

Tinsley has also launched Flamingo Flocking, an annual fundraiser where pink flamingos are placed in yards overnight each August, raising about $3,000 a year for Palm Beach Purrs. Additionally, a 5K Flamingo Run 4 Rescues fundraiser is scheduled for May 9 at Riverbend Park to support four other animal rescue groups in the area:

Palm Beach Purrs palmbeachpurrs.org Wild Whiskers wildwhiskers.org Great Dane Rescue of South Florida greatdanerescueofsouthflorida.com Kelly’s Fosters kellysfosters.com

Looking ahead, Tinsley hopes to pursue a career in sports psychology. “Hopefully I am in a successful career and have lots of cats. I gotta have cats and dogs. I love animals,” Tinsley 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 Pamela Comme

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    DELTONA, Florida (WESH) — A baseball that smashed through a car windshield and landed inside is just the latest example of what neighbors say is a growing safety problem near Manny Rodriguez Park.

For the past four years, Wanda Torres says foul baseballs from the nearby field have repeatedly landed on her property, in one case damaging her car, smashing a window and even hitting her.

“See, these are the balls! I have more balls,” Torres said, showing a collection she says she’s gathered from her yard.

Torres said the issue began after the baseball field was built at the park.

“The second time, I was playing with my grandbabies over here with the truck, and hit the car, and they both hit me,” she said.

She says one of those incidents happened while she was outside with her grandchildren. Another close call came when a ball landed just inches away from them.

The problem, she says, isn’t going away.

Just last week, a foul ball struck a neighbor’s windshield, shattering the glass.

“When I saw what happened to my window, I became concerned that it could happen to people who are driving by on this road, and it could cause a more serious accident,” said neighbor Ann.

Neighbors say the issue has become more than just property damage, raising concerns about safety for families and drivers nearby.

Torres says she has contacted the city multiple times, but so far, no action has been taken.

She and other neighbors believe adding netting around the field could help prevent further damage.

“I think the problem is also that the park is being misused. I was told that it was really supposed to be for younger children so that the foul balls really wouldn’t make it over the fence, as it does constantly right now,” Ann said.

Until changes are made, neighbors say they no longer feel safe, especially when letting their children play outside.

WESH 2 News reached out to a city spokesperson to ask whether there are plans to add netting. They said property damage is rare, but the parks department is looking into possible solutions.

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 J.D. Miles

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    MABANK, Texas (KTVT) — A homeowner in Mabank noticed something unusual on her doorbell camera — a brief moment that set off a wave of community support for an aging veteran in need.

He’s only on camera for a few seconds, but it made a distinct impression on Savannah Saulters.

“I was like, ‘There should be no reason that a 76-year-old man is delivering my pizza at 10:30 at nighttime,'” said Savannah Saulters, who lives in Mabank, about an hour southeast of Dallas. “That should not be happening.”

She posted on social media asking neighbors if they recognized the elderly man in the video wearing a veteran’s cap, and wondered why he was delivering DoorDash so late at night.

“OK, I’m gonna send an extra $50, but I didn’t make it to the door in time by the time he was leaving,” Saulters said. “I was like, ‘What can we do more to help him?'”

It didn’t take long at all to find out that the food delivery driver was Larry Phillip Colvin.

“My Social Security just wasn’t cutting it anymore,” Larry Colvin said. “I had to do something, and I can’t hold down a regular job.”

He’ll be 77 in May. He began delivering food because the costs of health care for his wife and son were higher than his monthly income.

“My wife is looking at a couple of surgeries, my son has three autoimmune diseases, lupus and dystonia,” said Larry Colvin.

Larry Colvin is a proud Vietnam veteran who’s been forced back into the working world after 10 years of retirement as a repairman.

“I think it’s very hard on him,” said daughter-in-law Donna Colvin. ” I think he’s almost 77 years old, and it’s gotta take its toll somewhere.”

“I do it usually Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday,” Larry Colvin said.

Attending church on Wednesday keeps him off the streets every night.

“I wish I didn’t have to do it at night because that’s when you make the most money,” he said.

Saulters started an online donation fund for Larry Colvin’s family that has raised almost $9,000, an overwhelming gesture to his family that will hopefully help him put the brakes on his job as a delivery driver.

All because someone saw a heartbreaking story in only a few seconds of video.

“What you’ve done has helped our family tremendously,” Donna Colvin 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 Averie Klonowski

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    SPANISH FORK, Utah (KSTU) — As extreme heat and drought conditions impacts nearly all of Utah, a seventh-generation family farm in Spanish Fork is relying on long-practiced conservation methods and a new, colorful crop to weather the challenge.

“This is a whole new ball game. This is the driest I can remember,” said Rex Larsen, owner and operator of Larsen Family Farms.

Larsen explained that the challenge of farming is that no two years are alike, but this year is particularly difficult.

“The least amount of snowpack that we’ve had. Our Spanish Fork River is about 50% normal,” he said.

For Larsen, farming is a legacy he feels compelled to continue. His family has been working on the land for seven generations.

“Barely, wheat, alfalfa, corn, pumpkins, and now tulips,” said Larsen. To protect that legacy, the family has spent years creating water conservation techniques.

“Nearly every one of our ditches is lined with concrete, so the water will stay in the ditches and go out into the field,” Larsen explained. “Most of our land is laser-leveled, so it’ll irrigate more efficiently.”

The farm also captures and recycles any runoff water.

While Larsen plans for some of his fields to remain idle, his daughter, Kara Lewis, had an idea to ensure the farm can still profit.

“We’ve planted 250,000 tulips here on our farm,” Lewis said.

She planted the seeds back in December, selecting a crop that is better suited to the current conditions.

“They are very drought resistant. They don’t like a lot of water in the spring,” Lewis said.

Using a specialized system that gets water directly to the crop rows, the family is continuing their conservative approach to watering. Larsen hopes the tulips will be ready for the public to see within a week or two, providing a way to supplement the farm’s income when other fields can’t grow anything.

Larsen said water conservation is something most farmers strive for, adapting to whatever conditions they face.

“Those years that it’s dry, you learn to conserve,” he said. “Those years that it’s wet, you learn to pivot and take what you can.”

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 Sula Kim

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    METAIRIE, La. (WDSU) — A local family is still waiting for closure several years after their loved one’s death.

Metairie native Thomas Hand was gunned down in 2022 while preaching the gospel on the streets of Montgomery Alabama.

The 38-year-old was shot to death right in front of his pregnant wife and two-year-old son.

A 17-year-old was arrested and charged in the case, but he posted bond and there has been no movement in court. They’re still waiting for a trial four years later.

Sister Kelly Massa says her calls are not getting through and there’s been no clear communication or transparency. She feels frustrated because her repeated attempts for an update are going unanswered.

“I don’t understand how a murderer can make bond for a capital murder charge and now he’s living his life for four years. It’s another setback and I feel like I’ve been living in disbelief,” Massa said.

To soothe her pain, Massa visits her brother’s grave in Metairie, where the grief continues until they get some closure.

“It just feels like we’re sitting here with this open wound, and we can’t close it until we get some type of peace and justice for Tommy. It’s frustrating and I’m hoping for help by speaking out,” Massa said.

Charlie Hawthorne from the Montgomery Alabama district attorney’s office told WDSU, part of the delay was because the suspect’s attorney got suspended from practicing law. He said the trial is scheduled for July, but Kelly Massa says the family has not been told anything. Massa says no one has reached out to inform her about the updates.

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 Alan Shope

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    GARDNER, Kan. (KMBC) — A Gardner family is asking for help to improve their daughter’s quality of life by raising money for an accessible van.

Twelve-year-old Macy Hornbuckle is known for her bright personality and signature smile.

“That’s her number one signature look right there — her smile,” said her mother, Jacque Hornbuckle.

At a young age, Macy was diagnosed with a rare hypomyelination disease — a condition so uncommon her family says there are only a handful of known cases worldwide.

“She started having seizures, and we found out that she had hypomyelination disease,” her mother said.

Macy, now a sixth grader, attends school by bus. But outside of school, her mobility is limited, making even simple outings difficult.

“You have to plan a trip just to go to your local grocery store,” said her father, Mark Hornbuckle.

The family’s challenges grew even greater when the van they relied on to transport Macy broke down more than a year ago.

Now, they’ve launched a campaign called “Miracle for Macy” to raise money for a fully accessible van, which can cost between $50,000 and $80,000.

“It would mean so much to us,” Mark Hornbuckle said.

In an effort to raise funds, a family member donated a Ford Mustang that belonged to Macy’s grandfather. The family is now raffling off the car through a business in Junction City, hoping to generate enough money for a down payment.

“It was her grandfather’s Mustang, and my brother donated it,” Mark Hornbuckle said.

For Macy’s parents, the goal is simple: give their daughter the opportunity to experience more of the world.

“That is why she needs a van,” Jacque Hornbuckle said. “She needs the van to be able to go do these things that a typical child does.”

“Be able to let her see things and be able to get out and enjoy her life like she should be able to,” Mark Hornbuckle added.

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.