Category: CNN Regional

By Jamarcus Fitzpatrick

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    OPELOUSAS, Louisiana (KATC) — For years, Jonah Manuel’s dream was to play professional baseball.

Now, the Westminster Christian alum has a chance to continue his baseball journey in one of the sport’s fastest-growing entertainment brands.

Manuel recently received an invitation to participate in a Banana Ball tryout this fall, putting him one step closer to potentially joining one of the six teams that make up the popular Savannah Bananas organization.

“It’s still kind of surreal,” Manuel said. “At one point it seemed unrealistic and crazy, but so many people have been telling me I’d be perfect for this that eventually I bought in. I think I’d regret not trying.”

Banana Ball has exploded in popularity since its inception in 2023, drawing sellout crowds across the country with a baseball-meets-entertainment format that emphasizes fan interaction, trick plays, dancing and player personalities.

Manuel said his connection to the opportunity dates back several years when a former trainer mentioned a Banana Ball tryout before the sport’s popularity surged. After years of encouragement from friends and family, he recently submitted an application and personality-focused video before receiving an invitation.

Unlike traditional baseball tryouts, Banana Ball evaluations focus on more than athletic ability.

Participants are expected to showcase energy, dance routines and entertainment skills alongside their baseball talents.

The tryout will include choreographed dances, batting practice and defensive drills where players can display trick plays and creativity.

“I’m going to try and land a couple of backflip catches if I get the chance,” Manuel said. “These next few months, that’s what I’m going to be working on.”

For Manuel, the appeal extends beyond simply returning to the diamond.

The former Delgado Community College, Loyola (New Orleans) and LSU Alexandria player believes Banana Ball aligns with his personality and his original love for the game.

“We played this game because we love it,” Manuel said. “Somewhere along the line, baseball stopped letting players show that. In Banana Ball, you can show emotion, be yourself and have fun. That’s what drew me to it.”

A multi-sport athlete during his high school years, Manuel played football and baseball before continuing his baseball career at the collegiate level. After finishing his playing days, he moved to the Houston area, where he now works as a sports performance specialist and coach.

Despite stepping away from competitive baseball, he said the sport never fully left him.

“Every now and then you get that itch to get back into it,” Manuel said. “I can’t fight that feeling.”

If selected, Manuel could be drafted by any of the organization’s six teams, including the Savannah Bananas, Party Animals, Firefighters, Indianapolis Clowns, Texas Tailgaters, or the recently added Loco Beach Coconuts.

The draft is scheduled for November following a series of tryouts that will run through the fall.

Regardless of the outcome, Manuel said the experience has already reignited his passion for baseball and strengthened his connection to the community that pushed him to pursue the opportunity.

“Even if this doesn’t go the way I want it to, I’m going to have so much fun preparing for it,” Manuel said. “Because of this community, I get one more day as a baseball player. For that, I’m eternally grateful.”

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 Sam Jackson, KOMU 8 Reporter

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    COLUMBIA, Missouri (KOMU) — One hundred butterflies were delivered and released at Jefferson Farm and Garden Wednesday morning, just days before the 9th Annual Butterfly Festival.

Tim Reinbott, who’s been working as the director of field operations and communication at MU Extension for nearly 40 years, release day is one of his favorites.

“To me, this the culmination of all that we do in our research programs, in our outreach,” Reinbott said.

In early May, Reinbott started talking to Michigan Butterfly Farm about what butterflies MU Extension was seeking for Jefferson Farm and Garden. Jefferson Farm had a lack of variety of butterfly species, so MU Extension requested specific species from the Michigan farm.

The butterflies were shipped just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, and they arrived at Jefferson Farm around 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The butterflies were shipped in cooled envelopes. FedEx delivered the package, and once it was opened and the butterflies adjusted to the warm weather, they started flying around their new home.

“What’s so nice is that it brings together the insect as well as the plant (and it) all comes together, and that benefits all of us in the food that we eat, so the release is such a fun time to see them come to life,” Reinbott said.

Reinbott is retiring this year after four decades of serving. Saturday will mark his last festival as an MU Extension employee. But he said he plans to continue his research on butterfly habitats.

“This was very special when we got the butterflies and unpacked them today knowing it will be the last time I get to do this,” Reinbott said.

Second-graders from Hallsville saw the Wednesday butterfly release on their first field trip of the summer.

Macy Atwood, the kindergarten through second grade teacher, gives a butterfly unit every school year.

“When we do our butterfly unit, they don’t get a lot of opportunities to interact with them, and it’s only a couple butterflies, so to have … 100 butterflies flying around, they were really excited to get to see them so close,” Atwood said.

The Butterfly House at Jefferson Farm and Garden will be open to the public Saturday for the 9th Annual Butterfly Festival, where families and community members can enjoy food, activities and the friendly insects.

The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 4800 E. New Haven Road in Columbia. It includes tours of the native Butterfly House and the gardens, kids activities, interactive exhibits and a plant sale, according to MU Extension.

To report an error or typo, email news@komu.com.

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 Jacqueline Aguilar

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    MARANA, Arizona (KGUN) — Every bin Isaiah and Aiden Ocejo clean brings them one step closer to the basketball court. The two Marana brothers launched a bin cleaning business this summer with one goal in mind: making it to the NBA.

The brothers offer pressure washing, scrubbing and deodorizing services for trash and recycling bins across Marana and Tucson.

“What inspired me was just like I wanted a quick and easy way to raise money and with all the materials we had, I just felt like this was the easiest way we could do it,” Isaiah said.

One bin costs $20, two bins cost $35, and each additional bin is $15. They say business has been steady since they launched.

“It’s been pretty good, pretty active. We’ve done like 10 different people’s bins so far,” Aiden said.

The money they’re earning is helping cover the costs of attending the Nike Basketball Camp starting in July at Mountain View High School.

“We’ve played basketball our entire lives, and we want to make it to the NBA. That’s our dreams,” they said.

The business idea came from their parents, Ariella and Alberto Ocejo, who wanted to give the boys a way to work toward their goals while serving the community.

Ariella says Isaiah had already been working with his dad at his construction company and that Aidan wanted to start earning money, too.

“They are straight-A students, they are on honor roll. It’s just like, okay, what can the boys kind of do together,” Ariella Ocejo said.

“I just thought about easy way, an easy way that I could, something I could teach them to do by themselves. It’s not something that complicated, something that was going to take a lot from them to do,” Alberto Ocejo said.

But for Ariella and Alberto Ocejo, the business is about more than raising money.

“It’s teaching them that things are not free and don’t come easy,” Ariella Ocejo said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KGUN verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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 Sean Daly

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    SEMINOLE, Florida (WFTS) — Addison Parapon wants to be a police officer when she grows up.

But the 11-year-old middle schooler at Madeira Beach Fundamental knows life can throw you curveballs.

“If I can’t be a police officer, this would be my Plan B,” she says.

“This” is construction.

In fact, Addison is one of dozens of students attending Girls Only Construction Camp this week, a 4-day experience hosted by Pinellas County Schools at Jacobson Technical High School in Seminole.

No boys here learning a thriving trade? Addison is fine with that.

“They’re always like, we’re so much better than girls,” she says with a shrug.

Instructor Christine Ferry, past president of the National Association of Women in Construction, says women have become a coveted hire in this field.

“This is something females should be flocking to,” she says. “There is money to be made. There is construction in Florida happening all over the place.”

Girls Only Construction Camp packs a lot of teaching in just a few days. The students will learn general construction techniques, build chairs for Habitat for Humanity and even make themselves a keepsake cutting board.

For more Pinellas County camps, including a Girls Only Automotive Camp, go here.

For more with Sean Daly, go here.

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 Erin Jones

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    Texas (KTVT) — EDITOR’S NOTE: Recently, we introduced you to a North Texas girl whose transplant journey captured hearts across the country. Now, the nine-year-old is sharing an emotional meeting with the family of the donor who saved her life.

Penny Martin constantly inspires others, whether through her music or her remarkable journey.

She was born with complex heart defects and spent months waiting for a life-saving heart transplant.

Now, there’s a new chapter in her story.

“At first, I was nervous, but then I was… we’re going to be good friends,” she said.

Meeting the donor’s father She recently met the father of the donor whose heart now beats inside her.

“Emma was a great girl,” Ryan Ainsworth said. “She loved to draw. She played music.”

Like so many teens, Ainsworth says his daughter struggled with her mental health. And last year, she took her own life at just 15 years old.

“The night before, she came to me, and she sat at my shop, and we talked that night, and she got up that night on the pickup that we were sitting on and gave me a big hug,” he said.

Ryan never imagined that would be their last conversation.

Turning loss into purpose There have been a lot of dark days, but because Emma chose to be an organ donor, a part of her life on through multiple recipients, including Penny.

“The day of our transplant.. donation.. one of my mother’s friends lives in Weatherford and saw Penny on Facebook that had her sign up that said today is the day that I get my new heart,” Ainsworth said.

Ryan couldn’t believe it. This week, he is in town for a work trip and didn’t want to miss the opportunity to finally meet Penny and hear her heartbeat.

“It was awesome,” he said. “Awesome. It was pretty tough, but it was great. We walked out, and there were some pink skies, and that was one of the songs that we played at her funeral, and I was like, ‘Holy cow, there’s things all over this that Emma is saying.'”

A bond that feels like family “It feels like we’re already family,” Paula White, Penny’s mother, said. “Penny and him are already two peas in a pod. She has really met her match. They just really hit it off.”

Their video has now touched millions of people online, and they hope the attention helps save even more lives.

Ryan is raising money to install benches at schools with QR codes that link students to suicide prevention resources. He’s also hoping to one day meet the other recipients of his daughter’s organs.

“This isn’t about us,” he said. “This is about sharing with other people.”

Together, they want to turn heartbreak into hope.

Website: Nobodysitsalone.org

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 Marissa Sulek

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A scary scene in Portage Park after a massive tree fell on top of a van full of kids as strong storms swept the area on Wednesday afternoon.

Michael McIntosh says he was driving a van with six kids. He pulled up on Henderson Street to drop off 11-year-old Ethan Duran when a giant tree crashed down on the van with the kids inside.

McIntosh says the roof caved in.

“It just bounced on my head and came back up, and I look back, and I just see the kids, and I am like, ‘let’s get the kids out of here,'” he said.

“Good thing the car did not smoosh or else Mr. Michael would be squished,” Ethan said.

“It was a loud boom, just boom,” said his mom, Soledad Galban.

Galban says her family grabbed all the kids, brought them inside their house, and called their parents.

“I started crying because I got so scared and my legs started shaking,” Ethan said.

“It’s crazy out here on Michigan Avenue. You got downed trees everywhere,” a city worker said.

In the Loop, severe weather knocked down branches near Grant Park. Crews were working to clear the debris shortly after. In Park Manor, the roof at a winery was blown off.

“They trusted me, they trusted my word when I told them to get out and everything,” McIntosh said.

He says parents came to pick up all the kids, but they did call 911.

“No ambulance showed up. The news showed up before the ambulance and the police,” he said.

Neighbors came together to remove some of the branches. A few cars and a lamppost were also damaged, but everyone is glad the tree did not break through the windshield or collapse on the van any more than it did.

“I’m just happy to be alive, I’m just happy to be alive,” McIntosh said.

No injuries were reported, and the tree along with the van has since been removed.

Forestry crews with the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation are clearing trees across the city. They say if you have a downed tree, first be cautious and report it to 311. The city reminds everyone to be patient as they work through requests.

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 Chelsea Hylton, Dean Fioresi

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    GARDEN GROVE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — The FBI served a search warrant at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove on Wednesday morning following the chemical crisis that forced more than 50,000 Orange County residents to evacuate in April.

Aerial footage of the scene showed agents from the FBI and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at the facility in the 12000 block of Western Avenue.

The FBI Los Angeles office confirmed agents were executing a warrant at the location. A copy of the search warrant obtained by CBS News said officials were seeking to seize documents, records and devices related to methyl methacrylate and other hazardous substances.

Last month, a tank holding 6,500 gallons of methyl methacrylate, also known as MMA, at the GKN Aerospace facility was involved in a chemical crisis that forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes in six Orange County cities.

The tank carrying the highly flammable, toxic substance became compromised and at risk of a “catastrophic explosion” or leaking as the contents continued to self-heat, according to Orange County Fire Authority officials. The ordeal spanned over five days as local first responders worked to mitigate the incident and reduce the risk to residents.

Soon after the incident began, California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in Orange County. While the mitigation process was still ongoing and thousands remained evacuated, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced that he was launching a probe into GKN Aerospace, asking anyone who knows more about the compromised tank or who works at the company and wants to whistleblow on illegal practices or negligence to come forward.

As of Wednesday night, the substance inside the tanks still has not been removed. Cleanup work was still underway, but the process to remove the MMA was delayed due to unavailable resources, including sealed trucks that would be able to safely transport the material.

Members of the community have been vocal about their frustrations with GKN and local officials, demanding transparency and answers about the incident.

“We cannot sleep at night with the GKN monster under our beds,” one woman said at a special city council meeting on Tuesday night, just hours before the search warrant was served.

GKN’s Garden Grove location Senior Vice President Steve Carlin was in attendance at the meeting, where he heard concerns directly from residents and city council members. While they had already announced community support initiatives and a $3 million donation to the Orange County United Way’s OC Community Resilience Fund, many are still wondering how they’ll be reimbursed for the money they spent to find shelter for their families and pets, or missed 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.