Category: CNN Regional

By Tiara Leflore

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    JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — As prom season approaches, more than 200 high school juniors and seniors from across Jackson lined up Saturday outside Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist Church for the annual Her Prom Closet gown fitting.

The event, sponsored by Memphis-based Couture Cares, let students try on and take home formal gowns at no cost.

“They will come and be able to try dresses on at no cost, take it home, wear to the prom and say yes to the dress,” organizers said.

Davina Jones of Couture Cares said the program aims to ease financial burdens on families so parents can focus on other priorities like college and graduation.

“We’re just trying to take the burden off these parents at this expensive cost and in these times that we’re in,” she said.

Senior pastor Reginald Buckley, who has hosted the fitting at Cade Chapel for eight years, framed the event as more than a wardrobe giveaway.

“As they say yes to the dress, they’re also saying yes to something much deeper — saying yes to themselves, saying yes to the image of who they want to be, who they are attempting to become, and who God has already ordained them to be,” Buckley said.

Buckley added that the goal is to build confidence and integrity in the students.

“A sense of beauty that goes beyond the exterior of the dress and the exterior of the face — it really begins with who they believe they are at their core,” Buckley said.

In addition to gowns, teens had the chance to compete for scholarships and receive dorm supplies to help with the transition to college.

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 Megan Matthews

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    CLARKSVILLE, Indiana (WLKY) — Nearly 150 handmade bowls lined the walls at Our Lady Providence High School, not as decoration, but as a visual reminder of neighbors facing food insecurity.

The display was part of “Empty Bowls,” a student- and staff-led event that raises awareness about hunger while generating support for local food pantries. Attendees were invited to enjoy soup and rolls, then take home a handcrafted bowl meant to keep the cause top of mind long after the meal.

“It’s a reminder for us, for people that do have food every day, because we are so lucky, we should be grateful for what we have and what we are able to donate to the less fortunate,” Brennan Hall, a junior at the school, said.

Staff say the work behind the event spans the entire school year, with students involved in nearly every detail, from creating the bowls to designing event materials.

“All year long, the students are putting together the whole event,” Tina Cooper, the art teacher, said. “So from starting to make 150 bowls, they also do all the gift bags and design the T-shirts and all the signs, and then digital design also.”

Cooper said the bowls are intended to serve as a lasting symbol of those who go without.

Funds raised through the event will benefit the food pantries at Holy Family Church and St. Anthony’s Church.

“They both have their own food pantries. But it’s open to the public in the community, not just our diocese families,” Cooper said. “And so all the money raised, we divide it by two, and we give half to one and half to the other.”

Organizers hope the event continues to grow, making a difference, one empty bowl at a time.

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 Miya Payton

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    ABBEVILLE, South Carolina (WYFF) — In Abbeville County, a woman who went missing on Valentine’s Day is now back with her family just in time for her birthday. Annie B. Tisdale has dementia and was found after several days of searching.

Annie’s husband, James Tisdale Jr., said she left home on Valentine’s Day to pick up food but never returned. He recalled his thought process when she first went missing.

“Are we going find her in time, that you know, she would be still alive?” James said. “I was concerned that she was she’s missing medication.”

Considering his wife has dementia, James asked police to start a search right away. On Sunday, Feb. 15, they tracked her pick-up truck using traffic cameras.

“She had been tracked leaving Abbeville, going to Calhoun Falls, coming back from Calhoun Falls, going to Greenwood, coming back from Greenwood, going back to Calhoun Falls,” James said.

Investigators told the family the last traffic camera spotted Annie in Lavonia, Georgia. On Monday, their son, Jarrett Tisdale, flew into town.

“I was preparing myself for, you know, both outcomes, dead or alive,” Jarrett said.

Jarret shared the posts on social media about her disappearance and navigated search teams.

“We were getting nervous,” Jarrett said.

Annie and James are pillars in the community through their careers in education. Their son says it was no surprise when past students, neighbors, and even strangers joined the search. Yet another day passed with no new leads.

“You’re disappointed and desperate,” Jarrett said.

“Was I sleeping? Well, no. I was just mainly praying,” James said. “Praying that someway, somehow, she would be found.”

Then on Wednesday, Feb. 18, Annie’s truck was spotted on the side of the road in Toccoa.

“She didn’t even know she was lost,” Jarrett said. “She just thought she ran out of gas. She was like, ‘I’ve been here a long time, I just want to go home,'”

A love that disappeared on Valentine’s Day found its way back home, just two days before her birthday.

“It feels like the day we got married,” James said. “We’ve been married 55 years, and we’ve been on this road a long time together, and I want more. I would like for us to be on this road as long as we 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 KETV Staff

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    COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KETV) — From New Mexico to New York, teams took to the mat for the National Deaf Cheer Competition.

After months of perfecting their routines, 12 teams were ready to showcase their talent.

“Make sure we hit all of our moves, all of our stunts. We have so much creativity,” Kaitlyn Johns, senior cheerleader at Iowa School for the Deaf, said.

Despite competitive spirits, NDCC leaders say Saturday was about community.

“It’s best that we’re together. We get fired up, your spirit is lifted,” Levi Mathis said. “It’s just so much better in person.”

“It’s all about bringing the community together,” Jennifer Alka said.

It was helping bring each cheerleader closer to their teammates, even in times of hardship. The Iowa Bobcats had to rework their routine weeks before competition after senior Kailani Mefy got injured and is now out for the season.

“If anyone makes a mistake, we learn, we try our best, we don’t give up,” junior Amiya Wood said. “If one is missing or something happens, we still continue. We don’t give up.”

These competitions also give the schools a chance to show off their sport.

“I like doing the stunts, I like flying, that’s my favorite thing,” Mefy said. “I feel like I am flying in the air, you know?”

Each athlete also took the time to support their competitors.

“I want other schools for the deaf to have this experience too,” Wood said. “If they win, that’s great. We can show that they invest very much into it.”

“When the students are sitting here and the kids come out on the floor to perform, they really go all out for them,” Mathis said.

Mathis and Alka said the most important part is giving the kids a place to shine.

“They’re grown with their confidence and feeling like, ‘Yes, it’s about me!’ Their confidence grows so much every time they leave,” Alka 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 Malcolm Shields

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    PALM BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — Mar-a-Lago, the Florida residence of President Donald Trump, has been the location of several trespassing incidents since he became the president in 2017.

Sunday’s recent apparent trespassing and deadly shooting adds to the list of trespass incident at the resort on Palm Beach.

Here’s a look back at some incidents:

Kelly Weidman – 2017

A then resident of Clearwater, Weidman was arrested on Jan. 20, 2017, on accusations she snuck into Mar-a-Lago, smeared bananas on cars and left explicit messages on a computer inside the resort.

This incident occurred hours before Trump was sworn in as president during his first term as president.

Court documents note that on April 30, 2018, the trespassing charge was dropped by the state attorney’s office after Weidman completed a diversion program.

LU JING – 2019

A Chinese national was found not guilty of trespassing, but guilty of resisting arrest from a Dec. 18, 2019, incident at the resort.

The woman, who does not speak English, said during trial she was dropped off at the property by a tour guide and did not see anything to indicate that she was not allowed on the property.

After security guards told her to leave the property, she was found on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach by Palm Beach Police Department Officers and taken into custody.

Hannah Roemhild – 2020

Two Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies shot at an SUV operated by Hannah Roemhild from Connecticut after she sped past a checkpoint outside Mar-a-Lago.

Roemhild reportedly had a mental health crisis when she sped through the checkpoint on Jan. 31, 2020.

Roemhild was not hurt during the shooting. The deputies who shot at Roemhild were cleared of any wrongdoing in 2023.

On Jan. 18, 2022, in Palm Beach County, Roemhild was found not guilty on two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, fleeing of attempting to elude at a high speed and reckless and resist officer without violence charges by reason of insanity.

She was also found not guilty because of insanity on Aug. 26, 2021, in federal court in South Florida.

Donald W. Cleveland – 2022

He was arrested on June 29, 2022, for trespassing after warning.

The Palm Beach Police Department told the Secret Service that the man had been on the property at least the night before. The man said he wanted to talk to then-President Trump.

Police searched the man’s vehicle and discovered a black battery pack with multiple wires sticking out, a white pillowcase with cables and unknown items wrapped in duct tape and multiple baking sheets.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad and K-9 dogs were called to the scene. Cleveland was Baker acted.

According to Palm Beach County court documents, Cleveland did not appear for his July 20, 2022, court hearing and an arrest warrant remains active.

Jeffrey D. Olson – 2025

According to a federal complaint, Olson jumped over the north wall of Mar-a-Lago and entered the restricted area. He moved to the East lawn of the property where he was detained by U.S. Secret Service personnel.

Olson told law enforcement that he entered the property to contact President Donald Trump.

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 Madison Monroe Adams

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    PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida (WBBH) — The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man after he fell into a stranger’s pool in Port Charlotte.

Charlotte County deputies reported that Christopher Zubrycky, 43, claimed to be a CIA agent after reportedly drinking vodka on Thursday afternoon and forgetting where he lived, leading him to a stranger’s home on Monet Avenue instead of his own on Winsom Avenue.

A couple living on Monet Ave. said a stranger knocked on their door asking to stay for a few days. They told him to go bother someone else, but Zubrycky is accused of making his way inside their lanai.

Rusty Simplex, a resident, remarked, “I would shove my boot so far up his [expletive] he would be tasting leather.”

The couple called 911, and moments later, they heard a splash as the stranger fell through their pool cover into the water. An affidavit said he then climbed out of the pool and knocked on the back door, asking for French fries and a towel.

Simplex questioned, “Was he the naked? No, no. No, thank God, you don’t want to be seeing them peckers there in your backyard.”

Deputies found Zubrycky sitting on a chair by the pool. They said he told them he held his breath underwater for three minutes.

They arrested Zubrycky for trespassing, disorderly intoxication, and resisting a deputy without violence.

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 Drew Bishop

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    PADRE ISLAND, Texas (KRIS) — The new Bob Hall Pier on Padre Island incorporates cutting-edge “windstorm engineering” designed to survive future hurricanes that destroyed its predecessor.

James Maddalone, owner of Maddalone Development and the local contractor responsible for the pier’s decking and handrails, explained how the structure is built to do battle with Mother Nature and win.

“And so for man to try and do war against the water is really crazy. Ultimately, the question is: Who’s going to win?” Maddalone said.

When hurricanes Hanna and Harvey went to war against the old Bob Hall Pier, Mother Nature was the resounding winner. Maddalone set out to solve this problem using lessons learned from windstorm engineering principles.

“I remember after Harvey I spent two years in Port Aransas rebuilding. I was standing in a house that was built to windstorm requirements. Nailing patterns, steel, Simpson brackets. I was standing in a house that was just blown apart but was still together,” Maddalone said.

Those same principles were applied to the specially treated lumber that thousands of visitors will soon be walking on.

The pier features 200 “pop-off panels” designed to detach during storm surge, allowing the concrete and steel foundation to absorb the force while remaining intact.

“When the water surges up… these panels we’re looking at will actually come free. It allows the pier itself to stand, which is the concrete and the steel in the bed of the ocean. That allows the pier to take the force,” Maddalone said.

In short, the new Bob Hall Pier is designed to be easily repaired even after extreme weather events.

“You might lose portions of the wood structure…. but the concrete is staying,” Maddalone said.

The pier includes over 3,000 linear feet of ADA-compliant handrails.

Everything is designed through the lens of doing battle with the next hurricane and winning.

“What failed and how it failed… you study that and then develop new methods of construction so things can better withstand when the devastation happens, when the hurricane takes place, when the flood takes place,” Maddalone said.

When asked about rod holders on the pier, Maddalone said it wasn’t in the engineering specifications but he’s “pretty certain” it will be an add-on in the future.

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