Category: CNN Regional

By Aaron Cantrell

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    MURFREESBORO, Tennessee (WTVF) — For more than 30 years, one barbershop owner has been making sure the cost of a haircut does not keep a child from starting school with confidence.

Shawn Moses offers free haircuts to all K-12 students at his A Cut Above the Rest Neighborhood Barbershop locations each back-to-school season — and he said the tradition is about far more than a fresh cut.

“You look good, feel good and act good and you do good,” Moses said.

As back-to-school costs continue to climb, the free cuts provide meaningful relief for families.

Sabrina Jones brought her son Daniel in for a cut and said the savings make a real difference.

“Things that used to be on sale, you don’t catch them on sale anymore. So it’s been difficult to budget for our first needs and then haircuts,” Jones said.

Moses said the impact is especially significant for larger families.

“Families that have three or 4 children, that helps out a great deal when it comes to getting them ready to head back to school,” Moses explained.

For Moses, the mission goes beyond haircuts. He believes raising children is a community effort.

“I know being generous and giving does something for people, when you give to them and love them that way,” Moses said.

He said the relationships he builds in the chair have lasting effects on the children he serves.

“They come back and tell me, ‘Pastor Shawn, my child’s grades went up because of Pastor Shawn’… the barber gave me a good word, a haircut, bought some shoes for me,” Moses added.

Daniel, an 8th grader, said the experience left him feeling ready for the school year.

“It’s amazing. I would definitely come back here and bring some more customers, too,” Daniel said.

For Moses, that kind of confidence is exactly why he keeps the tradition going.

“It’s about giving to them and not expecting anything in return,” Moses said.

Moses offers free haircuts to children multiple times a year. His next event is planned around the holidays.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WTVF 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 Marc Davis

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    VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia (WTKR) — A Super Bowl sparked a passion. Now, A.J. Hudson is turning that passion into a legacy.

Hudson, a senior running back and receiver for Frank Cox High School, traces his love of football back to Super Bowl 50, when he was a first grader watching the Denver Broncos take on the Carolina Panthers. By second grade, he was ready to play.

“I first started playing in second grade,” he recalled. “In the fall going into second grade I wanted to try out after me and my friends talked about it. We got on the same team and I just fell in love.”

Born with a partial right arm, Hudson faced plenty of challenges learning the fundamentals of the game. Beyond his team’s practices, he and his father put in extra work to overcome them.

“We would go out there every night,” remembered Hudson. “I had practice three times a week when I first started, but we would stay after. We would be at the house in the mornings catching, taking handoffs and all that.”

His head coach at Cox, Tyler Noe, has watched Hudson’s development firsthand.

“Watching him catch footballs is one of the most impressive things in the world because it doesn’t bother him, it doesn’t affect him,” Noe said. “He goes up there, catches it, comes down and he continues to run.”

Doubt from others only added fuel to Hudson’s drive.

“People doubted me,” he said. “People said I couldn’t take a handoff or I couldn’t play football. That always kind of stuck with me.”

That motivation has helped shape him into one of Cox’s most important players — and one of its most respected leaders. Hudson noted that he doesn’t hear many doubts anymore, but his drive hasn’t decreased.

“Great leader,” Noe pointed out. “Kids look up to him. Even his friends look up to him, coaches, I look up to him. He’s just a great kid and a great leader for this program and these other kids that are out here.”

Hudson does not see his limb difference as a defining characteristic, and those around him have taken note.

“He does not like when people talk about it as a hindrance to his ability to play football because to him he’s just a football player,” Noe said.

For Hudson, the lessons he has learned on the field extend far beyond it.

“It’s not even football-wise,” he added. “Learn to adapt to anything outside, in the classroom, on the field, so nothing’s really been a big problem.”

Hudson is also mindful of the example he sets for others who may be watching — much like he once watched and was inspired.

“I try to be the best role model I can,” he said. “If I can be any inspiration to those people in the stands, I’d love it.”

Noe said Hudson has looked to NFL player Shaquem Griffin as a model for navigating his own journey.

“When Griffin was playing in the NFL, he leaned on him a lot and watched him a lot, just to see how he maintained it,” noted Noe. “I think he’s definitely an inspiration for a lot of kids out there who are watching from the stands.”

With college aspirations on the horizon, Hudson is focused on finishing his high school career strong — and leaving a message for anyone who needs to hear it.

“Don’t let the talk get to you. Keep striving to do your best and you can do anything you put your mind to.”

Hudson and Cox open the season August 28 at Ocean Lakes.

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 Paula Wethington

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    Detroit (WWJ) — The Detroit Police Department reports six people arrested, and narcotics estimated at over $75,000 in street value seized, after a recent round of search warrants.

The search warrants were served on July 28 in the 2200 block of Andrus Street and in the 17000 block of Arlington Street. Detroit police say that Michigan State Police worked with them at the Arlington Street location, as state troopers were seeking a shooting suspect at that site.

The search warrants targeted a drug trafficking operation, police said.

In the aftermath, there were four felony arrests and two misdemeanor arrests.

Police also took into evidence 833.6 grams of cocaine, 58.4 grams of fentanyl and 249.5 grams of assorted pills; along with a watch, a chain, a vehicle, firearms accessories and packaging supplies.

The total estimated street value of the narcotics in this seizure was $75,023.

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 Anthony Bettin

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — As Minnesota continues to feel the aftershock of a federal immigration surge that sparked protests, traumatized families, devastated businesses and left two of its residents dead, the Department of Homeland Security is set to expand its presence in the state in a new capacity.

Tennessee-based CoreCivic announced Tuesday it has been awarded a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the use of its prison in Appleton, Minnesota.

In announcing the contract opportunity earlier this year, the federal government said it “needs to increase bed capacity to meet the administration’s interior enforcement and border decompression goals.”

Prairie Correctional Facility holds 1,600 beds and has been empty since 2010, according to CoreCivic. Under the new, five-year contract with ICE, it will begin housing detainees later this year.

CoreCivic CEO Patrick Swindle said he was “pleased to announce” the new contract, which the company touted will “generate total annual revenue of approximately $75 million.”

In a statement, Indivisible Twin Cities said it was “outraged and horrified” by the contract and called the facility a “detention camp.”

“After the siege on our state by out-of-control federal agents who flagrantly ignored the law, it is an insult to our communities to open a for-profit concentration camp in our state. We oppose any concentration camp in Minnesota, or anywhere else,” the group said.

When ICE and Border Patrol agents flooded into the state earlier this year, many detainees were held at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis before being moved to facilities in other states. Minnesota officials, immigration lawyers and others alleged the conditions within the building were deplorable, citing a surfeit of beds and bathroom facilities, leg restraints for detainees and barriers to accessing legal aid.

Appleton is in western Minnesota, about 30 miles from the South Dakota border.

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 Ashley Grams

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Cameras in north Minneapolis have captured cars trying to beat trains across the tracks, people climbing between rail cars and ignoring stop arms.

The rail crossings at Lyndale Avenue North, 45th Avenue North and Humboldt Avenue North are known for long waits as trains run in and out of the rail yard.

“We live in the neighborhood, we go to the library often and I’m constantly stuck behind this train. There are times I have been stuck behind this train for 40 minutes,” said Sophia, who was waiting for the train on Tuesday. “I’ve been late to work. I’ve been late to social engagements.”

This week, Minneapolis City Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw said she’s helped secure $2 million in federal funding for a solution, adding the city and the railroad company are also pitching in another $500,000.

Vetaw said the long waits impact everyone living in the Camden area, including “emergency vehicles, school buses, metro transit, seniors.” She said some of the potential solutions are an overpass, underpass or pedestrian bridge.

“There’s not really anyone that you can talk to that’s lived in this area for a day or 50 years that doesn’t have a story about this railroad crossing,” Vetaw said. “I think the community is going to be excited about a solution to getting back and forth.”

The council member shared the city’s application for a Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant from 2024, laying out the safety concerns. The application also states the highest volume of traffic is on Lyndale Avenue at 10,765 vehicles per day.

“I’m usually walking to my boyfriend’s house, so I’m always waiting about 20 minutes,” said Philisha Givens, who grew up in the area, often waiting at the rail crossings.

Vetaw didn’t share a project timeline but said they want to engage with the neighborhood about possible solutions moving forward.

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 Ashley Grams

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Cameras in north Minneapolis have captured cars trying to beat trains across the tracks, people climbing between rail cars and ignoring stop arms.

The rail crossings at Lyndale Avenue North, 45th Avenue North and Humboldt Avenue North are known for long waits as trains run in and out of the rail yard.

“We live in the neighborhood, we go to the library often and I’m constantly stuck behind this train. There are times I have been stuck behind this train for 40 minutes,” said Sophia, who was waiting for the train on Tuesday. “I’ve been late to work. I’ve been late to social engagements.”

This week, Minneapolis City Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw said she’s helped secure $2 million in federal funding for a solution, adding the city and the railroad company are also pitching in another $500,000.

Vetaw said the long waits impact everyone living in the Camden area, including “emergency vehicles, school buses, metro transit, seniors.” She said some of the potential solutions are an overpass, underpass or pedestrian bridge.

“There’s not really anyone that you can talk to that’s lived in this area for a day or 50 years that doesn’t have a story about this railroad crossing,” Vetaw said. “I think the community is going to be excited about a solution to getting back and forth.”

The council member shared the city’s application for a Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant from 2024, laying out the safety concerns. The application also states the highest volume of traffic is on Lyndale Avenue at 10,765 vehicles per day.

“I’m usually walking to my boyfriend’s house, so I’m always waiting about 20 minutes,” said Philisha Givens, who grew up in the area, often waiting at the rail crossings.

Vetaw didn’t share a project timeline but said they want to engage with the neighborhood about possible solutions moving forward.

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 Beret Leone

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    MINNESOTA (WCCO) — Crews in St. Paul, Minnesota, plan to clear out the city’s largest encampment on Wednesday.

Crews are expected to begin clearing out the encampment at Pig’s Eye Park around 8 a.m. It will be the first of three sites to close under St. Paul’s new “Coordinated Transition Plan,” which has been controversial since the start.

Advocates are raising concerns about where people will go after the camp is cleared. Before crews move in, a community breakfast and demonstration was happening, with protesters attempting to block the closure.

The city said drug use, assaults and fires are driving up 911 calls and making it too dangerous for the roughly 140 people living at Pig’s Eye Park. City leaders initially said they planned to hold a news conference before the closure, but then canceled it.

Ahead of Wednesday’s closure, city officials said they’ve been focused on outreach, connecting people living in the camp with shelter, housing and health services. The city said it has added emergency shelter capacity through Ramsey County and outreach teams will work with residents to help them move and connect with resources.

For anyone who refuses to leave, the city says it will continue its “Four Es” approach: Engagement, education, encouragement and enforcement as a last resort.

The city designated an area for protesters in anticipation, saying in part, “This is a difficult day” and “we ask that everyone present allow the process to proceed safely.”

“Our focus throughout the day remains connecting people to shelter and services,” the city added.

Emotions were high at a public hearing about the encampment on Tuesday.

“There are real people with real commitments that are ready to help,” one resident said.

“You just threw away $1 million from a city with a very large deficit that I just heard at a budget meeting,” said another resident.

The city said the clearout is expected to continue throughout the day and could last into early evening.

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.