Category: CNN Regional

By Ryan Hughes

Click here for updates on this story

    FAYETTEVILLE, Georgia (WUPA) — If you have the need for speed, there is an action-packed steel roller coaster about 20 miles from downtown Atlanta that’s attracting enthusiasts from across the country.

ArieForce One is filled with multiple airtime moments, weightlessness, and has you believing you’re traveling to space.

“Once you get to the inversions, you get to the rolls and things like that, you feel like you’re completely out of control,” said Grayson Moon.

Sitting near the entrance to Fun Spot America in Fayetteville, riders on board ArieForce One will climb 15 stories and fly at speeds up to 64 miles per hour.

“I have ridden 220 coasters, and this is my No. 1 coaster,” Moon said.

Moon met CBS News Atlanta at the theme park after driving from Charlotte. She’s part of the national group American Coaster Enthusiasts, and has ridden Arie more than 200 times.

“Arie, I typically describe as a bucking bronco. The very beginning – it’s very nice, it’s very smooth, and then all of a sudden it just sort of smacks you from behind,” she said.

ArieForce One first opened in 2023. It has the largest Zero-G stall in the country, which means the train rotates 180 degrees, stalls, and makes you feel like you’re floating for nearly four seconds.

“It’s just a world-class attraction,” said Jesse McKay.

It’s an attraction drawing fans from all over. McKay is from Nashville, Tennessee.

“There’s a lot of airtime hills kind of ejector moments where you feel like it’s ejecting you out of the seat,” McKay said.

Bryce Biffle traveled from Arlington, Texas, to ride Arie more than 30 times for his 35th birthday.

“As soon as you drop down that drop and go up into that raven trust dive, it is just thing after thing after thing,” Biffle said.

CBS News Atlanta decided to jump on board. Our team sat in the first row next to Moon to give Arie a test run.

It was a 155-foot climb to the top, and then it’s an intense ride filled with flips, twists, and constant turns.

Enthusiasts like Biffle, Moon, and McKay describe the coaster as a gem in metro Atlanta, where riders can take advantage of a world-class ride at a smaller park without the long lines.

“Normally, when I go, I’ll stay for a few hours and ride it about 15 times nonstop and have to go sit and breathe a few minutes, and then do the same again,” McKay said.

“The most I got in one day was 49. I couldn’t get the 50th, my thighs were a little angry at me,” Moon said. “It leaves you breathless, and there aren’t that many coasters that do that to me anymore.”

Beginning Feb. 16, all of Fun Spot America’s indoor and outdoor rides, including ArieForce One, will be open during the week and weekends.

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 Mike Sullivan

Click here for updates on this story

    BOSTON (WBZ) — An Irish man living in the Boston area, who is married to a U.S. citizen and is seeking a green card, has been in ICE custody for five months.

Seamus Culleton entered the United States in 2009 under a visa waiver program which allowed him to stay for 90 days. The Department of Homeland Security said he overstayed his time.

In April 2025, Culleton married Tiffany Smith. Smith said her husband is a plasterer and was detained by ICE after going to a Home Depot in Saugus, Massachusetts on Sept. 9.

“I think they spotted him in Home Depot and followed him and stopped him outside Home Depot,” Smith said.

Smith and her lawyer, Ogor Winnie Okoye, said Culleton told ICE agents he had a marriage-based petition in place and was about to receive a green card. They said ICE agents ignored his claims and took him into custody.

Okoye said Culleton is a “model immigrant” with no criminal record.

“In Seamus’s case, he came in 2009, his only immigration infraction is visa overstay,” Okoye said. “That’s what held him in custody for the past five months. It’s inexplicable.”

Smith said Culleton was quickly taken to Burlington, Massachusetts and then onto Buffalo, New York and finally to a facility in El Paso, Texas.

“It seems like they just wanted to get him out of Massachusetts as quick as they could,” Smith said.

Okoye said Culleton was waiting to have an interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, but that hasn’t happened because he’s in ICE custody.

Okoye said USCIS will not let his wife do the interview nor will they let him do it from custody. They said if he is let out, that USCIS can immediately speak with him.

“The fact that all of the policy memos from the USCIS support an adjudication of a green card petition even at this stage, and yet we don’t have, you know, the discretion exercised in his favor is just something that is for me inhumane,” Okoye said. “And especially that he has statutory protection, the fact that he qualifies as an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen.”

In a phone interview this week with Irish state broadcaster RTÉ, Culleton said he barely gets any time outside, no fresh air and is served kid sized meals.

“It’s not good,” Smith said. “I don’t think anyone deserves to live like that.”

She fears for his life, adding that he looked jaundiced when they finally saw him on a video chat two days ago.

“He has lost a lot of weight,” Smith said. “Seamus was always a guy, he’s like always making a joke no matter what situation, he’s always goofing around, and it’s just, I don’t know, that’s gone.”

In a statement, Assistant DHS Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said Culleton is “an illegal alien from Ireland.”

“He received full due process and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on September 10, 2025,” McLaughlin said. “He was offered the chance to instantly be removed to Ireland but chose to stay in ICE custody, in fact he took affirmative steps to remain in detention. A pending green card application and work authorization does not give someone legal status to be in our country.”

McLaughlin said any claims about the conditions at the ICE facilities are false. “ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens,” she said.

For months, Smith did not see her husband at all and only talked over the phone. She said the facility in El Paso only got video conference call abilities recently.

She said the past five months have felt like five years.

“I hope to get back to normal life. I hope he can be released, just so we can finish what we started,” Smith said. “We did it the right way, so at least just let us finish that.”

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 Paul

Click here for updates on this story

    HARFORD COUNTY, Maryland (WJZ) — A blood drive in Harford County on Tuesday honored two sheriff deputies who were killed while responding to a call 10 years ago to the day.

Deputies Mark Logsdon and Pat Dailey were gunned down while responding to a call for a suspicious person at a Panera Restaurant in Abingdon, Maryland.

Now, their families are turning sorrow into service.

“We were told that a lot of blood was used for Mark that day to try to save him, so our family talked and we came up with this idea of a blood drive,” said Debbie Logsdon, who is Mark Logsdon’s mother.

More than 100 people signed up to donate blood in the name of the community heroes.

The blood drive in honor of deputies Logsdon and Dailey has been held annually for nine years.

“When you think about service and you think about heroism, you think about these two deputies,” said Red Cross spokesperson Scott Marder. “Mark and Pat gave the ultimate sacrifice for their communities, but you don’t have to wear a badge or uniform to save a life.”

Marder told WJZ that Tuesday’s blood drive will save at least 100 lives, on top of the hundreds already saved by this event in years past.

It’s especially important this year after weeks of bad weather has severely impacted their supply.

“We are down about 35% in terms of the blood that should be on the shelves and people were not able to get out to blood drives to donate because of the weather,” Marder said.

Donors said they couldn’t think of a better way to honor the fallen deputies than through action.

“I think it shows the law enforcement that we’re all behind them,” said Thomas Rowan Sr. “We appreciate them and we’re here to support them in any way that we can.”

Debbie Logsdon remembers like yesterday the fateful day when her son, Deputy Logsdon, was killed in the line of duty.

“Even though it’s been 10 years, as a mother, it goes back every single day,” Debbie Logsdon said.

Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said Feb. 10, 2016, was a dreadful day for the department when Logsdon and Dailey were gunned down while responding to a call for a wanted person at the Panera Bread in Abingdon.

“We were sitting in the big conference room and I got a text that a deputy had been shot and my heart sank,” Gahler 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 Taylor Anthony

Click here for updates on this story

    EAST AMHERST, New York (WKBW) — For many, Valentine’s Day is filled with cards, flowers, and time spent with loved ones. But for some seniors, the holiday can magnify feelings of loneliness, especially after the loss of a spouse.

An AARP survey shows more than one in three older adults experience loneliness, a number that increases following major life changes like widowhood. That reality is what inspired a local Senior Helpers organization to collect handwritten Valentine’s Day cards for seniors across the community.

Among the recipients is Margery Mussell, who lost her husband of 78 years last June. While the grief remains, she says love has never truly left her side.

“My hubby is always with me, even though he’s passed,” Mussell said. “But he was with me for 78 years of wonderful married life, and he will always be the love of my life.”

For others, the cards serve as a reminder that they are not forgotten. Betty Brooks says the simple gesture carries deep meaning.

“It’s very heart-wrenching to know that so much love goes into each one of these things that we’re doing here today,” Brooks said.

Senior Helpers says the goal is simple: to bring comfort, connection, and a sense of belonging to seniors who may not receive a call, gift, or visit on Valentine’s Day.

Community members are invited to take part by sending handwritten Valentine’s Day cards to help spread the love.

Cards can be sent to the Senior Helpers office: 4764 N French Rd, East Amherst, NY 14051

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 Elyssa Kaufman, Kris Habermehl

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A freight train derailment in Chicago Ridge is impacting Metra SWS service on Wednesday morning.

According to Chicago Ridge police, the derailment took place near Ridgeland Avenue and Central Avenue. Police said there is no danger to the public, and emergency crews are working closely with railroad officials to assess the situation.

All Metra train service to and from Chicago Ridge has been suspended as the morning commute begins. According to Metra, the train derailment is impacting trains scheduled to leave Chicago from 6:30 a.m. to around 8:30 a.m.

Officials have reported the following road closures:

Ridgeland Avenue is closed between Southwest Highway and Washington Street. Central Avenue is closed at the railroad tracks between 107th Street and Pleasant. Commuters are encouraged to seek alternate routes.

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 Mike Castellucci

Click here for updates on this story

    GUFFEY, Colorado (KMGH) — Dana Peters knows what community means.

“Ten years ago, my husband asked, ‘How you going to do it?’ I said, ‘One day at a time,” Peters explained, as she started rolling out the dough.

The winter season is slow for Peters. On this particular day when we caught up with her, she told Denver7 she would be making a grand total of six cinnamon rolls. And she hoped that one or two customers come in.

“That’s when our locals support us”, she said, adding her baked good keep the lights on at The Bakery, in Guffey — population 32.

She said people come from all over for the cinnamon rolls, even if they didn’t mean to.

“One lady, she was in a tizzy. She came in and asked where she was? I said, “It’s OK, you’re not lost.’ Three hours later, she drove in again and I said, ‘Oh no,’ thinking she was going in circles.”

As it turns out, the woman went to Cripple Creek, picked up her brother and brought him with her and said, “You gotta see this place!” Peters said.

For people who’ve never ventured out to this part of Park County, it might seem like you’re lost driving on your way to Guffey. From a Y in the road where it pointed one way — to Cañon City and the other to Guffey — Denver7 didn’t pass a single car for 14 miles.

The road into town doesn’t even have a center stripe.

“It’s just a road, but it’s paved!” Peters said.

The owner of the town’s bakery has more on her plate than just pastries and lunch.

“My husband has been raising cattle for 50 years; I’ve been at the ranch for 20, off the grid, 8 miles from here, 5 miles from a maintained road,” said Peters. “I’ve recently sold a third of the herd because I’m doing it myself. Since he was diagnosed with cancer a year ago, he hasn’t been at the ranch much. He’s on the mend though,” she said.

While Peters’ husband recovers from cancer, she raises cattle from the top of a mountain, and makes sure the cinnamon rolls rise down in town.

“I’m not going to make my millions in Guffey”, Peters said.

But the payoff here, she said, is the community she knows, which makes her as rich as her cinnamon rolls. “We get a lot of, ‘Wow, there’s a town.’ That’s the part I like, having a business here cause we’re part of the community. Sometimes we are the community,” Peters 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 Tony Peterson

Click here for updates on this story

    MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (WCCO) — Food insecurities are a growing concern among many cultures. Many in the Twin Cities’ Muslim community have stopped working and leaving their homes due to Operation Metro Surge.

Ramadan is the holiest month in Islam. It’s a time for prayer, reflection, community and fasting.

Fartun Weli is a proud, first-generation Somali American who’s been in Minnesota for 26 years.

“[Ramadan] reminds us what being hungry looks like. It’s a devotion to our creator, our God,” Weli said. “This time of fasting, it’s also a time of family and feasts after sundown each day.”

Fifteen years ago, Weli started Isuroon, a nonprofit that provides assistance for immigrants and their families. It also provides culturally specific food, something most food shelves don’t.

“We’re getting people driving from 40 minutes to come to our food shelf because halal is very kosher,” Weli said.

Those foods include dates, rice and halal proteins.

“We ran out of flour and rice, but we’re ordering it,” she said.

Weli says they need help with financial donations and food to help feed the growing number of people who have lost their jobs and income.

She remains positive and surprised with the response from fellow Minnesotans.

“What happened was an opportunity to see how far trying to destroy one community can ignite the conscience of the larger society,” Weli said. “There’s so much goodness that this crisis has generated. It’s all spiritually great. It fills the soul.”

And hopefully it will fill the stomachs of those suffering from food insecurities, something Weli is proud to be helping with.

“The history is, Minnesota, you showed up, and now you’re a leader for the world,” Weli said.

Isuroon needs help both financially and supplies. Click here for more information.

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 Shardaa Gray

Click here for updates on this story

    CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — Students at the Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Chicago learned about the Tuskegee Airmen’s contribution to the profession during a ceremony honoring the legacy of the city’s chapter.

“I’m telling you, you gonna be good. I don’t care what color you are, you gonna be good. You want to be one of the best,” said Dr. Bill Winston.

Dr. Winston shared inspirational words and stories in the McKinley Park neighborhood on Tuesday morning.

“Bullets surrounded my airplane, and none of them hit me, and I thank the lord for that,” he said.

The campus honored the legacy of Chicago’s DODO chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen during Black History Month.

Melvin Knazze, 80, is a member of the chapter.

“I’m just elated about that acknowledgement because it’s a part of our history that was buried for so long,” Knazze said.

Sheila Webber said her father was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen. She said carrying on his legacy means a lot to her.

“When I was growing up, it wasn’t talked about a whole lot back then,” she said.

Tuesday’s ceremony also spotlighted the next generation of aviation professionals being trained in Chicago, like 22-year-old AIM graduate Roman Carprue. He signed the tail of one plane.

“I’m officially airframe and powerplant rated, which gives me the authority to do maintenance on aircraft. Which is, you have to go through 18 months through AIM to achieve this,” Carprue said.

AIM senior instructor Victor Croswell said nearly 700 students have graduated since 2021 and came from all over Illinois, even out of state. Some are even at risk.

“What I try to preach to them and tell them on a continual basis, hey, we want to give you mentorship. We want to give you a positive direction to go in,” he 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.