Category: CNN Regional

By Dacia Johnson

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    ORLANDO (WESH) — More than 200 people have been evacuated from an apartment building just west of Orlando after a woman called 911 early Thursday morning when she couldn’t open her front door and heard popping sounds.

William Farhat, the division chief with Orange County Fire Rescue, said when crews arrived, they had to pry the woman’s door open and found structural instabilities in the building.

A portion of the building was evacuated at that time, Farhat said. Other doors also had to be pried open to free residents.

Crews found cracks inside.

The Rialto apartments are located on W. Sand Lake Road in Dr. Phillips. just west of Interstate 4.

The Orangetheory Fitness, which is part of a string of businesses attached to the apartments, said it had to cancel classes this morning for “building damage” in a story on Instagram.

Building inspectors had to be brought in and determined the entire building needed to be evacuated.

Farhat said they are working with VisitOrlando and The Red Cross to find hotel rooms for displaced residents.

It’s unclear if or when residents would be allowed back in. An engineer needs to look at the building, Farhat said.

Residents worried Residents who live in the apartment building told WESH 2 they were evacuated and not given much information.

One woman said her cat was still in her apartment on the top floor.

Olivia Stephenson said she was told there’s structural damage and a few people needed to be rescued from the building.

Stephenson said she was told it could be hours or never as far as when she can go back in.

Another resident said there is a crack in the ceiling.

Crews break down doors A woman told WESH 2 fire crews used an ax to pry her door open and free her. She lived below the woman who originally called 911.

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 Spencer Tracy

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    PORT ORANGE, Fla. (WESH) — A Port Orange family says a dangerous power pole with a live wire left them living in fear for months.

Cayla Moses, who has three children under the age of 9, said her family was too afraid to go outside, calling the situation a “constant safety and fire risk.”

She said Florida Power & Light crews visited multiple times and labeled the problem “emergent,” but no repairs were made for months.

“I trusted that, and within a few days, we had a different contractor that came out and told us it was extremely dangerous and his men had gotten out of there for their safety. We were also told that we should not be in our yard or around it at all,” Moses said.

She said the leaning pole and live wire affected daily life, making it difficult to park cars, enter and exit the home, or keep her children contained safely.

“For the last few months, it’s been hard keeping them contained to a certain area or just inside completely,” she said.

Moses said the family tried repeatedly to get FPL to fix the problem.

“It would just be a cycle of this … and it would have to keep happening because no answers were coming. It’s been a roundabout of that until we turned to Facebook,” she said.

After turning to social media and calling WESH2, crews were finally on-site to replace the leaning pole and repair the wire.

Moses said she felt relief but also frustration. “It definitely gives me peace. … I can breathe again for sure, but I’m also a little frustrated that’s all it took,” she said.

She said the delay was dangerous, especially with dry vegetation near the home.

“It only takes one spark, and everything out here could go up,” she said.

Moses also urged neighbors to be vigilant. “The people in charge aren’t always looking out for you, and so, you kind of have to look out for yourself and your neighbors. If you see something, say something,” she said.

In a statement, FPL said crews responded and prioritized the repair:

“FPL is aware of the situation and has been in direct contact with the customer. Our teams recently assessed the area and determined the pole needed to be replaced, along with vegetation trimming, to address the customer’s concern and safely deliver reliable electricity. The work requires coordination among multiple specialized crews. Our crews were on site today and completed the necessary repairs as quickly as possible. Safety is our top priority, and we appreciate our customers’ patience as our crews completed this work.”

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 Gabriel Thomas, Rachael Lardani

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    Pennsylvania (WGAL) — Employees with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission packed care boxes Thursday for survivors of human trafficking in the Susquehanna Valley as part of an annual outreach effort.

According to organizers, survivors often lack essentials when they are rescued, making the donated care boxes a vital resource.

“They are packed with essential items that they don’t have when they are rescued off the street. It gives them something they can hold on to, a sense of hope, and shows them that someone cares,” said Deb Lehan, PA Turnpike Commission Employee.

Advocates say human trafficking can happen anywhere and are encouraging the public to learn ways to recognize when someone may need help.

One tool is the universal hand signal for distress: Hold one hand up with the palm facing outward, tuck the thumb into the palm, then fold the fingers down over the thumb.

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 Peyton Headlee

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    VACAVILLE, Calif. (KCRA) — The Islamic Center in Vacaville is hoping to build a new 6,600-square-foot, three story mosque to address the community’s growth, sparking mixed reactions from residents during a meeting at the McBride Senior Center.

The current Islamic Center is a green house on the corner of Bush Street near Monte Vista Avenue.

“As our community has grown, so has the need for a larger and more accommodating mosque,” said the architect, Rob Sesar, during a presentation at a neighborhood meeting about the proposed build.

He presented detailed plans for the mosque, including its proposed height, number of parking spaces, and usage.

He also addressed concerns from neighbors, particularly about noise, stating, “There will be no external speakers or amplified sound methods used at the proposed Islamic center.”

As far as concerns about parking, he said the mosque will have 37 parking spaces on site to serve peak prayers and events.

Community members expressed both concerns and support during the meeting.

One resident noted, “The tower is over 60 feet tall. There is nothing compatible with 60 feet and higher in that same area.”

Another emphasized the importance of worship, saying, “We just want to be able to worship just like everyone else worships in the community.”

Others called for further studies, with one community member stating, “We do need to do a traffic impact study. We need to do an environmental impact study on noise ordinance and how that’s going to effect the community and how does this fit in with what Vacaville has a master plan.”

Another saw the proposal as an opportunity for engagement, saying, “I think this is an opportunity for the Muslim community to engage with our neighbors but it’s also an opportunity for our neighbors to engage and learn from the Muslim community.”

The city explained that the meeting is part of the development review process, aiming to provide community members with a clearer picture of the proposal, to answer questions, and gain feedback.

“We’re trying to handle this project in a manner that is respectful of the community that’s proposing it as well as the community of Vacaville and it’s like we would do with any other church or other religious use,” Erin Morris said.

Next steps involve staff continuing to evaluate the project, including environmental assessments and traffic studies. The proposal will go first to the planning commission for a formal hearing, but if community members or proponents aren’t happy with the decision, it could be appealed to council for a final decision.

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 Amari Saxton

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    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KOAT) — Today, the Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation gave KOAT a behind the scenes in preparation for their annual Daffodil Days fundraiser.

Volunteers, including KOAT’s Royale Da, created stunning bouquets for the annual fundraiser in support of the Robert Wertheim Hospice House.

The organization provides a home away from home for New Mexico residents needing end-of-life care. Friday’s fundraiser is set to bring together more than 200 volunteers and to prepare and sell 90,000 daffodils at pop-up shops at locations like Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Santa Fe from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We’re always looking for more volunteers. It’s great to bring the community together. Every year, we’re open to having as many volunteers as we can get our hands on. It feels good to help others and to know exactly what 100 percent of the efforts and money is coming and where it’s going to.”

The foundation says last year it brought in a little over $251,000, raising over $4 million for the facility since the fundraiser began.

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 Felix Cortez

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    HOLLISTER, Calif. (KSBW) — Hollister is considering removing Cesar Chavez’s name from public spaces after a New York Times report accused him of sexual assault and molestation.

Hollister Mayor Roxanne Stephens, who lives near Avenida Cesar Chavez, expressed her emotional struggle with the situation.

“For me, I have a heavy heart and it will be very difficult to pass by that sign every day. I can only imagine the sentiments of victims of sexual assault,” Stephens said.

Stephens has called for a special council meeting on Thursday to discuss whether the street and a proposed park named after Chavez should be changed.

“Whether it’s appropriate to have any structures that are part of the city honoring an individual who engaged in victimizing women and young girls. So we have to think about that,” Stephens said.

Hollister is one of the first cities to publicly debate the removal of Chavez’s name from schools, parks, and streets, following the report that accused him of sexually assaulting women and children, with the youngest alleged victim being 12 years old.

A local man, Scott Leifheit, suggested renaming the spaces for other advocates.

“If he’s being accused of something of wrongdoing, maybe they can, you know, rename it for other people who fought the cause. You know, instead of Cesar Chavez,” Leifheit said.

However, another Hollister resident, Yvonne Sanchez, urged caution.

“You know, we got to take maybe more time to look at all the facts because what he did was great. And so we can’t just say one thing takes away from that. Also,” Sanchez said.

The special council meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall in Hollister. It will serve as a listening session to provide direction on the possible removal of Chavez’s name from a city street and a proposed park.

Should the city decide to proceed, it will be an action item set for a later date. Similar discussions are expected to occur in other city councils across the 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 Caleb Barnes

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    KENTUCKY (WLEX) — A traveling piano tuner is bringing his skills to underserved communities as the number of piano tuners in the United States continues to shrink.

Tim Arbisi calls himself the piano doctor. He is self-taught and travels the country tuning pianos in areas where finding a tuner has become increasingly difficult.

“I am the piano doctor,” Arbisi said.

The field of piano tuning has seen a dramatic decline. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were roughly 12,000 piano tuners working across the country. That number has since dropped to fewer than 7,000.

“We had about 12,000 piano tuners in the United States, which is, it’s not a lot, but it’s enough. Now on this side of COVID, we have less than 7,000,” Arbisi said.

That shortage has left many pianists struggling to find someone to service their instruments. Glen, a pianist at Mount Gilead Baptist Church in Lexington, said the church’s concert piano had gone more than a decade without being tuned.

“It has been a while since we’ve had our concert piano tuned. Um, so it’s probably been over 10 years or so, and it was time for that,” Glen said.

Glen said finding a tuner locally has not been easy.

“We would have to go all the way to Ohio to, to grab someone, and then they would put you on a schedule. So what I’ve noticed is that you would have to wait,” Glen said.

Arbisi said the piano presents a unique challenge among musical instruments because players have no way to tune it themselves.

“Every musician wants their instrument to sound the best that they can, and piano is the one instrument that musicians play that they, they don’t know how to tune. Think about that. If you play a guitar or any other instrument, you know how to tune it, but with piano, piano players don’t tune pianos, they just sit down and play them,” Arbisi said.

That gap is what drives Arbisi to keep moving. He said traveling to underserved areas allows him to help a large number of musicians in a single trip.

“I realized, you know what, if I get to some of these areas that are completely underserved, well, there’s so many to do that I can walk in and, and it would be a huge, a huge windfall, and I would help so many people,” Arbisi said.

This week, Arbisi made six stops in Lexington and seven in Bowling Green before heading to his next destination.

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By Sean Daly

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    YBOR CITY, Fla. (WFTS) — Odelma Matos is the Queen of Ybor City, a 4th-generation Cuban cigar roller whose image adorns every inch of wall space at La Faraona Cigar Factory and Lounge.

And this Saturday at 2 p.m., Odelma will do what no one in her famous family — in fact, no one anywhere on the planet — has ever done:

Roll a 465-foot cigar, a new world record.

The previous record? 295 feet.

“This is important to me, my heritage,” she says. “This is good for Ybor City, too.”

As part of Tampa Cigar Week, a celebration of the city’s rich history, especially the strong Cuban influence, Odelma’s epic cigar will snake down several blocks of historic 7th Avenue. The event is free to attend.

In the early 1900s, Ybor City earned its nickname of “Cigar Capital of World,” by pumping out 600 million cigars a year — at the time, more than the entire country of Cuba.

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.