Category: CNN Regional

By Malcolm Shields

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    PALMETTO BAY, Florida (WPBF) — A mayor of a South Florida village is calling for the resignation of a councilman after his post on social media following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

On Thursday afternoon, village of Palmetto Bay Mayor Karyn Cunningham asked for councilman Steve Cody to resign.

Multiple news outlets reported that Cody reposted a quote made by Kirk in 2023, ”I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-Given rights.”

Above the Kirk quote, Cody allegedly said, “Charlie Kirk is a fitting sacrifice to our Lords: Smith & Wesson. Hallowed be their names.”

Smith & Wesson is a gun manufacturer.

Kirk was shot and killed on Wednesday while hosting an outside event at Utah Valley University by a gunman who has not been captured as of Thursday night.

Cody apologized in a statement posted to his social media account on Thursday, saying in part that he made a significant error in judgment by sharing a quotation on his personal Facebook page that referenced remarks made by the deceased Charlie Kirk in 2023 concerning the Second Amendment and gun violence.

Cunningham said Cody’s post condoned violence and condemned Cody’s behavior. The mayor met with protesters outside the Palmetto Bay village hall on Thursday.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said on a social media post Thursday that if the Facebook post by Cody is legitimate, Cody should resign.

Cody, however, did not say in the letter if he will continue to serve as the village’s councilman.

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By Greg Fox

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — David Adams was stunned to walk into his jewelry store Monday morning to find that the whole place was ripped apart by thieves.

“I opened the door and you know, saw the devastation. I didn’t even think something like this was even possible,” he said. Adams owns Adams Jewelry in Orlando.

There were three of them inside, according to the brief glimpse captured on one of his security cameras before the trio sprayed black paint on them, to shield the rest of their dirty work.

The ring camera outside the back door stopped working at 10 p.m. Sunday.

Adams is still taking inventory and wonders what to tell customers whose items may have been stolen, while cross-checking his records to figure out exactly what was taken and of what value.

He described the items, “watches, necklaces, pendants, rings and pretty much any piece or type of jewelry you can imagine.”

Asked if they could be heirlooms, Adams said, “Of course! And those are the things that I am just very concerned about.”

The thieves cut into the side of the store safe with a torch. That’s where the most valuable items in the store were kept.

Adams is working with police and his business neighbors of the 63-year-old store on Corrine Drive in Orlando, in hopes of collecting surveillance video that might offer some clue to help police track down the brazen burglars.

Adams said, “It’s been a lot of clean up and finding things in the debris and trying to wrap my head around this.”

If you have information or if you’re a regular customer of Adams Jewelry, you’re being asked to contact the store, as many of their customer records were lost.

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By Muhammad Abdul Qawee

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    LEE COUNTY, Florida (WBBH) — Mia Garcia, an 11-year-old girl, reunited with Bridgett Addison, the woman who saved her from drowning at Lakes Park in South Fort Myers, days after the incident.

Just days ago, Mia’s experience at the park was anything but fun as she fell into the water and couldn’t get out. Bridgett Addison heard the screams for help that day and jumped in to save her.

“Thank God we are here, especially her,” Addison said, reflecting on the rescue.

Even though Bridgett can’t swim, she was able to help Mia out of the water. The two hadn’t seen each other since that rescue.

When asked what she would do upon seeing Addison again, Mia said, “Definitely going to run up and hug her.”

Moments later, she did just that, running to Addison and embracing her in a hug full of love and a second chance.

“I’m so happy that you are OK,” Addison said during their reunion.

Addison brought Mia balloons, a stuffed animal, and a handwritten card with a heartfelt message. “I wanted you to know how very special you are. Continue being the beautiful person God created you to be, love always, Bridgett Addison,” she read from the note.

Addison, who was in the right place at the right time, humbly said, “People keep saying you were a hero. You, your hero. Your hero. I don’t feel like I’m really a hero. I feel like if you see anybody in distress, help them.”

Mia Garcia, reflecting on Addison’s modesty, said, “It makes me feel okay. Because she is a hero, she just is. Probably doesn’t see that.”

From now on, Mia and Bridgett aren’t strangers; they’re family.

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By Siafa Lewis, Nate Sylves

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — On Sept. 11, 2001, 11-year-old Magee Capsouto and her family lived in Lower Manhattan, just five blocks north of the World Trade Center.

“It was one of those days, like perfect fall. You know, you go outside, the sky is blue, you don’t see a cloud in the sky,” Capsouto, who now lives in the Philadelphia area, said.

Capsouto, her younger brother and their mother had walked over to the farmers market at the World Trade Center Plaza.

“We happened to be looking north, and we watched the plane barrel straight down the street and hit the north tower,” she said. “There was definitely no figuring out which way was up, it was just a very primal screaming for our mom. She came running back, she grabbed us, and she pulled us and we ran across the street.”

With their home compromised once the South Tower collapsed, the family ran half a mile north out of harm’s way.

“My parents owned a restaurant, and that just was the only place we could think to go,” she said.

Her parents decided to open the restaurant to the community, serving three free meals a day to anyone who needed it.

“We actually became kind of a de facto staging ground for first responders, for people who spent their days on the pile trying to find survivors,” Capsouto said.

One night in the days after the attacks, Capsouto did something that helped change the course of her life.

“One of our neighbors from the building was like, ‘Hey, you play violin, I think that would be a great thing.’ And so they just kind of threw me up on a table, and I played,” she said. “And there was something deeply, deeply powerful about being able to give back.”

Capsouto would go on to play the violin professionally, including her current stint with the Philly Pops. She’s also earned her doctorate in music arts and works to advocate for equity in classical music.

Her younger brother is now a firefighter, both lives changed and shaped, like so many others, by the horrors of that day and the warmth, love and community borne of it.

“Music is a language that doesn’t require words,” she said, “and so we could just be in the moment of music together.”

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By Mike Brookbank

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    CLEVELAND (WEWS) — While there are so many out there right now, there’s one scam that continues to rapidly spike in cases. This heads up is so important because it’s a strategy that could easily catch any of us off guard.

And I’ve talked about them a lot on Good Morning Cleveland: Imposter scams.

In 2024, they rose to the top spot in the fraud category with nearly 846,000 reports according to the Federal Trade Commission, resulting in a loss of about $3B, a 362% increase from 2020.

Two Northeast Ohio women, bonded by trauma, faced a new crisis together that left them vulnerable and taken advantage of when they needed help the most.

It started with a phone call in a moment of need.

“She said I’m just at my worst. I don’t know what to do,” said Lillian Lee.

That prompted Lee, a Seymour Avenue survivor, to rehome a green-cheeked conure, a small type of parrot, she raised by hand.

“All animals have that special, unique way that God gave them to make us feel OK. This is me gifting it to another trauma survivor,” said Lee.

That survivor was Laura Cowan.

“She offered me Precious, like a support animal,” Cowan said.

At the time, the Cleveland woman, who endured years of domestic violence, found herself struggling with a flood of emotions.

“Being a survivor of any type of trauma, you have flashbacks, you know, nightmares,” Cowan said.

Cowan said it can all take a toll on your health, and she noticed a difference after she got Precious.

“Oh, man. My blood pressure went down, a little bit calmer,” Cowan said.

The last two weeks have been anything but calm.

“I’ve been calling her name. Precious. Precious. Pretty girl,” Cowan said.

Precious escaped as Cowan was walking into her home.

“And she flew straight into our backyard, a big tree,” Cowan said.

Cowan immediately called Lee for guidance on what to do.

“I contacted every person known to man that can be able to get her out of that tree,” said Lee.

Lee and Cowan turned to social media, posting a picture of Precious and what happened.

“We were at the mercy of others. We couldn’t climb the tree,” Lee said.

A short time later, they were contacted by a pet rescue company through that social media post.

“She said, well, they do want a deposit upfront before they come, and they’ll head straight out once it’s confirmed,” Cowan said.

Cowan sent $100 via Apple Pay. A 45-minute arrival window turned into two hours.

Then the company called, claiming the truck got a flat tire and they needed $110 for a replacement.

“And I said no, we’ve been scammed,” Cowan said.

The person they were dealing with was pretending to be a legitimate business.

“Yeah. We looked at their page. The pictures were great. They had a whole team. Wow, this is awesome,” Cowan said.

The information Cowan and Lee found online was copied from a legitimate pet rescue company’s site.

“All they need to tell you is one thing, send me money first. Don’t. Don’t,” said Lee.

In my consumer reporting over the years, I’ve learned that when you are in the moment of a crisis, with emotions elevated and the clock ticking, scammers will take advantage of you.

“That’s right. And they offer, you know, everything in the world to you. And you want to hear it,” Cowan said.

The delay in dealing with the imposter company gave Precious time to move out of sight.

“They really don’t understand how bad they really hurt somebody,” said Lee.

As Cowan waits to see if she can get any of her money back, Lee is ready to help fill the void in her friend’s heart.

“I will gift her, when it’s time, another one because I know she’s a good person, and I know she loved that bird,” said Lee.

I learned that the pet search and rescue group that was impersonated is based in Florida, but it has clients across the country.

I spoke with the owner, and she informed me that someone had copied her content and then used it to create a fake business page on Facebook.

“They just came in and stole it. And then they started contacting people pretending to be my business. And then when people responded, they kept conversations on direct message on Facebook and text message, never providing personal information, never talking on the phone,” said Annalisa Burns, Pet Search and Rescue.

While spotting these bogus businesses can be tough, there are a few things to remember.

First, do not click on links or call numbers sent to you in a message you weren’t expecting. Second, contact the business or organization using a verified phone number, website or email. Finally, watch out for blurry images on a website or strange area codes on a text or call.

Remember, impostors use government agencies like the IRS, local police for missed jury duty, airline customer service and the Ohio Turnpike to scare money out of people.

These just scratch the surface when it comes to the many schemes we continue to see.

Take the few extra minutes to do your homework.

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By Juliette Goodrich, Molly McCrea

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — When the Golden State Valkyries clinched a playoff spot in their inaugural season on September 4, superfan Audacious Wilson from the East Bay was both thrilled and satisfied.

“That was magical! You know, I knew from the start. I was like, ‘No, we’re going to take it and we’re going to go all the way,’ ” she exclaimed, with a big smile.

But “going all the way” also means a change in venue.

Due to a scheduling conflict at Chase Center in San Francisco, the first home game will take place 54 miles south, at the SAP Center in San Jose.

But no worries: all Ballhalla will be there, including the team’s state-of-the-art hardwood court.

The Valkyries’ court is portable. It’s made with interlocking panels that can be taken apart and reassembled like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

In a secure loading dock at Chase, 36 pallets containing 400 panels were carefully loaded onto 3 trucks for the journey south.

Each panel weighs about 400 pounds. Once the playoff schedules at SAP are known, a team of 8 to 12 people at SAP will reassemble the court. It takes an estimated 4 and a half hours to put it back together.

“We specialize in situations like this,” Zach Riberdy said.

Riberdy is the spokesperson for Connor Sports.

The company’s manufacturing facility is in Amasa, Michigan. The employees there build about 800 courts a year.

“Every year, we do about 1.2 to 1.3 million square feet of hardwood installed across the country,” Riberdy said.

The Valkyries play on hardwood, built by Connor Sports using a custom chevron pattern.

“As soon as we saw it, we knew it was going to be different. We knew the court was going to be special,” Riberdy said.

But what makes the Connor court even more special is how the company approaches timber harvesting.

“We realized that the number one resource we needed for us to be successful is a living, breathing product that comes from earth,” Riberdy said.

The company makes its playing floors from maple wood. Maple is very durable, very dense, and very hard wood.

“As the company was growing, as the company was becoming more popular, we realized that we couldn’t just go where we wanted to go and cut down trees from wherever we wanted to cut down trees,” recounted the spokesperson.

The company developed ways to use maple more sustainably. They work with several different timber companies and rotate crops and different forests so that there is no overharvesting. In addition, the company says it uses every single piece of wood responsibly.

Connor Sports is certified by the Rainforest Alliance and recognized by several organizations for its zero-waste protocols.

“Nothing goes to waste, and we’re very mindful of that, and we’re also very proud,” Riberdy said.

Those sentiments landed well with Wilson.

“We’re the Bay Area,” Wilson said. “You know we’re about sustainability and creating ways to improve the environment,”

Connor Sports also built the courts for the NCAA Men’s and Women’s final four and March Madness tournaments, as well as the court for the Golden State Warriors.

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By Joi Fultz

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    HENRICO COUNTY, Virginia (WTVR) — A 64-year-old substitute teacher in Henrico is embarking on an extraordinary journey to inspire his students: biking 1,400 miles from Virginia to New Orleans.

David Lannes, known to students as “the sub that comes to school on his bike,” will travel through eight states and 20 cities over two weeks, averaging 65 to 90 miles per day. His unique twist? Every stop will feature a Five Guys restaurant.

“All the cities I’m stopping at all have Five Guys,” Lannes said. “It was just a fun hook for the kids, they all think, like, how can somebody eat hamburgers and french fries 20 days in a row?”

But this journey isn’t about the food — it’s about inspiring students to push beyond their comfort zones.

“I just want them to realize they can take on a challenge,” Lannes said. “I’m trying to get them to stretch themselves a little bit, dream big and, you know, do something that’s out of their comfort zone, that’s all.”

The lifelong learner has created an interactive website where students can follow his progress and learn about the history and geography of each city he visits. Having previously biked across the country when he was younger, Lannes knows the physical demands ahead but remains determined to complete the journey with his students in mind.

“I just want to be an inspiration to the kids and I can’t just sit around and do nothing,” Lannes said.

As a special touch, Lannes will carry the Nuckols Farm Elementary School mascot — a little fox — attached to the front of his bike throughout the entire trip.

“The mascot here at Nuckols farm is the little fox, so we’re going to latch this to my bike, to the front of my bike and this is going to be my mascot for the trip,” Lannes said.

Students at Nuckols Farm Elementary School will gather Monday morning to cheer Lannes on as he begins his inspiring journey from the Short Pump area to his home city of New Orleans. People can follow his progress at journeydavid.com.

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