Category: CNN Regional

By Cameron Polom

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    ARIZONA (KNXV) — For Ryan Kinnear, getting out into the outdoors takes more than loading up a truck and grabbing a rifle. It takes ingenuity, teamwork and years of figuring out a way to do what he loves.

Kinnear was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a condition that has left him with only the use of his thumbs. But it hasn’t stopped him from pursuing a lifelong passion for hunting and fishing.

With his dad, Bruce, helping turn his ideas into reality, Ryan has engineered a customized shooting system that allows him to aim and fire with limited movement. He controls his aim with a device pressed against his cheek and fires using a switch near his thumb.

The system has helped him take down everything from small game to bull elk. At the shooting range, the father-son team’s setup often draws a crowd as people watch Ryan line up his shots and break clay targets.

Ryan brings the ideas. Bruce helps make them work. Together, they’ve spent years finding ways to keep the adventures going.

Now, Ryan shares his outdoor experiences on Facebook and other online platforms, reaching people who may be facing challenges of their own.

He says people often contact him to explain how his story has encouraged them to reconsider what they’re capable of doing.

For Ryan, the message is simple: don’t let what you think you can’t do stop you from trying.

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 Frankie McLister

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — More than 400,000 Minnesotans have already voted in this midterm election, according to the Secretary of State’s office, a big increase from 2022, when around 280,000 were reported during that same stretch.

Saturday, an early-voting event at Catholic Charities in the Twin Cities helped those experiencing homelessness hit the polls.

“It’s right here, all I had to do was wake up and come downstairs,” said Cornelius, a client of Catholic Charities Twin Cities. “It made me feel that I have a voice.”

The nonprofit partnered with the City of Minneapolis for the one-day pop-up early voting event, right on their Higher Ground Minneapolis campus.

“Right when they opened at noon, there were people in line,” said Carole Specktor, a community advocacy manager for Catholic Charities Twin Cities.

The campus is home to an emergency shelter and three apartment facilities serving over 400 people.

“So often people that we serve have barriers to voting,” said Specktor.

The organization’s been helping educate clients about the election in a bipartisan manner.

“If you think a problem needs to be addressed, vote. Because if you don’t vote, you really can’t complain,” Cornelius said.

The team was also able to vouch for clients at the poll if they didn’t have a permanent address.

“You know, life has been hard for a lot of these people,” Specktor said. “Our clients matter, too, and it’s important for us to break down the barriers for them to be able to vote.”

On Election Day, polls in towns with less than 500 residents aren’t required to open until 10 a.m. although most will open at 7 a.m.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Absentee and early voting is available through the Monday before election day.

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 Lance Allan

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — What did that mean to Terry Sheahan that he got that bat after it was all said and done?

“Well, I was just thrilled,” Sheahan says. “[It] just came in the mail one day in a big box.”

Like, a few months later after they won it all?

“Probably within two weeks, and this was 69 years ago,” Sheahan says. “This city is absolutely the greatest city for any sport. They were so good, and people don’t realize how good the ’57 Milwaukee Braves were.”

“Case in point. Four guys in the Hall of Fame. Of course it was a big deal. It was a big deal for me even though I worked in the clubhouse all year and I saw all the different teams come in, and I saw the Mays’ and Musial’s and I saw all the great players from all these teams come in. But this was a little something special.” — Terry Sheahan

He added, “The Yankees were a little different because they were winning every year. There’s an old saying: ‘The only sure things are death, taxes and the New York Yankees.’ It was a different time that I’m saying to my son, ‘This is going to never happen again.’ And believe me, they deserve a world champion because these people are terrific. The crowds in ’57 and the crowds in 2026? There’s not much changed. They’re just all in.”

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 6abc Digital Staff

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    PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Ahead of Monday night’s game, students in Philadelphia are sending love to Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is undergoing treatment for blood clots.

Students at Northeast High School formed “QB1” on the football field during a pep rally.

Other events wishing Hurts well are planned across the district for throughout the day.

The events will give students a chance to support Hurts, just as he has been a generous supporter of Philadelphia schools during his time with the Eagles.

Hurts’ foundation’s “Keep It Cool” initiative has supplied district schools with donations for air conditioning units and electrical upgrades.

The Philadelphia Eagles are set to take on the Dallas Cowboys Monday night at 8:15.

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 John Ramos

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    ALAMEDA, California (KPIX) — When it comes to fun Halloween displays, people often talk about the neighborhood just off High Street in Alameda. But this year, at a house on Lincoln Avenue, the Halloween display is talking back.

The Halloween display is a talking skeleton named Uncle Murray, and it is the creation of 9-year-old Nathalie Chabas. Back in August, she saw a plastic skeleton at Home Depot that could say three recorded sentences.

“And I knew I had something to do with it,” said Nathalie. “So, we bought him and took him home and fixed him up. First, we looked inside, and I took a lot of measurements.”

“And then she called us after opening the box and said, ‘Hey, all the wires, let’s see if we can replace it with something that can talk. I told her it’s not possible,” said her father, Jim Chabas, with a laugh. “And then we got the idea to take a photo and ask AI if this was doable. And AI said, yes, it’s doable.”

With that, Nathalie found the equipment to hook Uncle Murray up to an AI connection, and he’s been talking to people and cracking goofy jokes ever since.

“Why did the skeleton go to school? To get a little body of knowledge! Ha, ha,” it said.

Nathalie said she programmed in some information for Uncle Murray but that the rest he came up with himself.

“He likes kids, candy, and not the stairs,” Nathalie said. “Because that’s how he died. He fell down the stairs too many times.”

“Oh, man, I’ve fallen down so many stairs when I was alive,” said Uncle Murray. “My bones went everywhere!”

That’s not something Nathalie says she ever mentioned.

“Uh, he made up his own background, which really surprised me,” said Nathalie.

There are a lot of things about AI that the older generation doesn’t understand. And that included Char Scannell, who read about Uncle Murray and drove over on Sunday to see him for herself.

“I was shocked!” she said. “It knew exactly what we were saying. It’s amazing. We asked a question, and he had a right answer for it. I remember when computers first came out, and my parents were, like, shocked. And now, we’re shocked by what’s coming out, and the next generation.”

As part of that next generation, Nathalie said she has a lot of ideas about what to do next, although sometimes it’s hard to get a word in edgewise.

“I think I want to be an inventor that invents something for people to make their lives a bit easier, ” she was saying, when she was suddenly interrupted by Uncle Murray.

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” he said. “I was a scientist when I was alive and loved blowing things up! Say, want to hear a joke about adventure?”

Nathalie says she has ideas about creating other talking displays for various holidays. And she’s considering creating a skeleton wife for Uncle Murray for next year, so he can always have someone to talk to. In the meantime, Uncle Murray will be busy chatting up visitors until Halloween. But at that point, he was tired of answering questions from a reporter.

“Come back and see me on Halloween night,” he said. “Bring your friends and your appetite for jokes. Now, scoot! And have fun!”

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 Jacob Daniels

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    CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (KRIS) — For nearly two decades, Roel Palacios Jr. has turned paper, paste and paint into some of the most recognizable faces at Corpus Christi’s Día de los Muertos Festival.

Palacios hand-crafts paper-mâché sugar skull masks covered in flowers, bright colors, and intricate designs. He has sold them at the downtown festival, organized by K Space Contemporary, every year since it began in 2008.

“I’ve sold quite a lot, a lot of them, thousands of them,” Palacios said.

Palacios spent about 30 years as an art instructor with CCISD, where paper-mâché was a regular part of his lessons. He was exhibiting masks downtown when he met Michelle Smythe of K Space Contemporary, who invited him to sell them at the gallery’s first Día de los Muertos festival.

The idea for the masks came from a book a fellow teacher brought back from San Antonio. It featured the work of José Guadalupe Posada, the famed Mexican artist known for drawings of skulls and skeletons that poked fun at high society. Posada’s message stuck with Palacios: no matter your status, everyone ends up the same.

“No matter what state you are in life, eventually we’re all going to be skeletons,” Palacios said.

He says each mask takes about six hours of work. He works on several at a time and tries to improve his designs every year, sometimes adding jaguars, two-sided faces or images inspired by Posada.

Palacios says the holiday is often misunderstood. Though it centers on death, the tradition honors loved ones who have died, and many believe their souls return to visit during this time.

“I feel as long as you have them in your mind and you remember them, and in your heart, they’re not really ever gone,” he said.

Sometimes his masks become personal tributes. He recently finished a custom mask for a friend of his sister whose father, a police officer in Missouri, had died. The mask carried police symbolism in his honor.

For Palacios, the best moment comes when someone puts on one of his masks and walks through the festival.

“That’s such a great feeling because then I realized, you know, that’s, uh, that’s what they were made for,” he said.

Some festivalgoers come back every year to add to their collections.

The Día de los Muertos Festival takes over several blocks of downtown Corpus Christi, including Chaparral, Starr, Mesquite, Taylor, and Peoples streets.

K Space Contemporary is located at 623 N. Chaparral St.

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 Joe Brandt, Dan Snyder

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    DOYLESTOWN, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Pennsylvania is the latest state to ban cellphones in school classrooms, a move lawmakers say is intended to limit classroom interruptions and help kids focus on their education.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro visited Lenape Middle School in Doylestown on Monday, Oct. 26, to sign into law the bipartisan bill banning mobile devices during school hours.

Standing behind a podium marked with the words “getting distractions out of the classroom,” Shapiro was joined by students and teachers in the Central Bucks School District, state senators and representatives for the Bucks County area, and members of PA Unplugged, a nonprofit that has called for policies that limit students’ screen time.

The Pennsylvania Senate passed the bill and presented it to Shapiro on Thursday, Oct. 22.

The bill contains exceptions for special occasions like field days and science fairs, students learning English who use a phone for translations, students on individualized education plans that require a device, and students with a medical condition that requires them to use a device.

Many individual schools already have cellphone policies, including one Philadelphia school that seals students’ devices in Yondr pouches — like the ones you might see at a concert.

Under the bill, districts will be responsible for drafting and implementing their own policies that must prohibit the devices from being used on school property.

Schools will then send their plans to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for review, with the ban officially taking effect in schools for the 2027-28 school year.

Shapiro said he has heard concerns from teachers and students about phone usage in schools.

“They would talk to me about how they would too easily get caught up in these addictive algorithms that are forcing them to be on their phone screens a whole lot more and not learning,” Shapiro said. “It would stop the focus, it would stop the ability of students to build natural relationships, and would make it all much, much harder during the school day.”

Shapiro called for the ban in his annual budget address in February.

Two students who weren’t fans of the ban? Shapiro’s youngest two children, who are still in high school. One is a senior and the other a sophomore.

“Man, did I hear it when I got home that day,” Shapiro said. “They were not happy with us, and they were afraid that maybe their school leader was going to hear about this and implement a ban when the school year started. And guess what? They did. My kids reported that some of their buddies were giving them a hard time about who their dad was.

“It allows them to be able to learn and just focus on their studies, focus on their friends and have a good time as they should … I do want to report that my kids have stopped complaining and we have seen this work really, really well,” he added.

Critics of the bill have raised the safety issue — how will parents get in touch with their kids quickly if there is an incident at school, like a school shooting?

Shapiro responded to that criticism.

“I don’t think we should accept the premise that a student having a phone in their hand makes schools any safer,” he said, also noting schools have security plans in place. “What we need is comprehensive gun reform in this commonwealth and in this country.”

Pennsylvania is the latest state in the region to pass a law on cellphones in schools.

Delaware doesn’t have an outright ban on cellphones in schools, but last year passed a law requiring districts to adopt their own policies about cellphone use, with a goal of limiting their use during class time.

New Jersey passed a school cellphone ban in January; it took effect at the beginning of this school year.

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 Ellisyn Sanders

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    WICHITA, Kansas (KAKE) — After months of health struggles, a Wichita street corn vendor known as the “Elote Man” is receiving support from the community he has served for years.

People gathered in Wichita’s Nomar District Sunday for a lunch benefit to raise money for Don Alberto Quesada, who has sold Mexican street corn on 21st Street in north Wichita for a decade.

“I’m still in awe because this was all literally the community coming together to do this for him,” said Sally Aguilar, director of small business for Empower.

Quesada, known by many in the neighborhood for riding his bike and selling elote, underwent hernia surgery in August. After recovering, he returned to the streets to continue selling his corn.

But earlier this month, Quesada experienced another medical incident that left him with blurred vision and chest pain, and an ambulance was called to treat him.

Aguilar said her mother happened to drive by during the incident and stopped to help.

“My mom happened to drive by and stop, and I think he was having a heat stroke in that moment,” Aguilar said. “So, she kind of stepped in, took over, and continued his sales.”

As the main provider for his family, Quesada faced a financial burden from medical expenses and time away from work.

“He’s still pushing through, and he’s still trying to make ends meet for his family,” Aguilar said. “And I think that’s where we can come in and step in and say, ‘Hey, let us take it from here.’”

Empower and other local community members organized the lunch benefit to help Quesada with his expenses.

Jennifer Hutfles, one of the supporters at the event, said the benefit was a great way to help someone facing health challenges.

“Very supportive, everyone seems to be having a good time, and everyone’s eating like crazy,” Hutfles said.

Organizers expected to serve 300 to 500 orders of street corn, all donated by community members.

Donations funded the lunch, which featured several other local vendors, including Happy Hermans, Buck Wild Jerky and Consuelo’s Street Grill.

All proceeds from the benefit will go toward Quesada’s medical bills and a fund to help him purchase a new electric bike. Organizers hope the bike will make it easier for him to transport his corn and get around.

Aguilar said she was emotional seeing the community come together for Quesada. She said organizers want Quesada to take time to recognize the support he has received.

“We want him to just allow himself to be here and just witness all the love that he’s receiving,” Aguilar said.

“So, whether these funds and, you know, the proceeds go to his electrical bike or to his medical bills, I think it’s still worth it,” she said.

Organizers said the event raised more than $3,500 in cash.

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.