Category: CNN Regional

By Roland Beres

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    BOISE, Idaho (KIVI) — Ron Martinez crashed his Porsche during a speed run at the annual Tour De Force event outside Sun Valley in 2024.

The fact that Martinez is alive — much less practicing martial arts at a high level — is remarkable.

We spoke with Martinez at his gym, Boise Cities Krav Maga, about the crash and what happened that day.

We watched Martinez teach and practice Krav Maga, and it is hard to imagine that he and his nephew survived the unthinkable less than 2 years ago.

“We’re the only people to survive a 200-plus mile per hour crash in a convertible with the top down,” Martinez said.

The convertible was a 9-11 Turbo S, which can go 0-60 in just over 2 seconds.

Martinez had participated in the annual charity speed run three times before. His fourth run, however, ended in disaster.

“That year the road was pretty bumpy,” explains Martinez, “and one of the tires on the Porsche turbos came off and I flipped 14 times, going 200 mph with my nephew, Zach.”

Both he and Zach are nearly back to normal now.

Martinez just had another surgery on his hand, and his right forearm is missing a chunk of flesh, but considering he broke 54 bones, collapsed both lungs, and had a brain bleed, lucky is hardly adequate to describe his survival.

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 Laura Acevedo

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    CHULA VISTA, California (KGTV) — A Chula Vista woman has stepped up to help two children whose parents were detained by ICE last week, offering to foster their family dog after seeing the story on ABC 10News.

Julie Rieth contacted ABC 10News just 30 minutes after Friday’s story aired about two children left in the care of a family friend after Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained both their parents in Chula Vista. The family friend, Itzel Jimenez, had been forced to surrender the family’s boxer, Bella, to a shelter because of her own child’s allergies.

On Tuesday, Rieth met Jimenez and the boys at Chula Vista Animal Services to pick up Bella. The emotional reunion captured the moment the boxer recognized the children she had been separated from.

“I see them crying, and it hurts my heart. I wish I could do more,” Jimenez said.

Rieth, who has been a boxer owner for 30 years, said she felt compelled to help after seeing the story.

“I saw the story on ABC 10, and when they put her picture up there when she was in the lobby, I just thought, ‘What is going on?’ It just broke my heart,” Rieth said.

She agreed to foster Bella while the parents’ immigration case remains ongoing.

“That’s just not where family dogs belong, and she’s probably so scared and so stressed out,” Rieth said.

ABC 10News has reached out to ICE multiple times over the past few days, both locally and at its headquarters, to request information about the parents’ case. So far, they have not responded.

The family now has an attorney, and Congressman Juan Vargas is also getting involved in the case.

Despite never meeting the family, Rieth said offering to help felt like the right thing to do.

“Although we’re not having issues like Minnesota, it’s right here all the time and when you see it go on in your own community, you gotta step up and step in,” Rieth said.

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

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    ROSEVILLE, California (KCRA) — Athletes and their coaches are already in Milan with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony set for Friday.

Meanwhile, coaches in Northern California, like Julia Durkee and Paolo Borromeo from Skatetown Roseville, are preparing to inspire the next generation of athletes.

Most days, you can find Durkee and Borromeo on the ice, sharing their expertise from years of training and competing.

“Before becoming a coach, I competed until I was like 21,” Durkee said. “And then I became a show skater.”

Borromeo is still competing, having reached the Olympic qualifiers in October, although he fell short of skating for the Philippines in Italy.

“I had a great time, and it was a good experience going for it,” Borromeo said.

Durkee has her own Olympic journey, as she is going to Italy to watch the pair skating and to coach.

“I coach in person here at Skatetown, but I am so passionate about getting to coach virtually as well,” she said.

Durkee runs a virtual skating club and a YouTube channel, with more than 100,000 subscribers, where she trains people worldwide online. She plans to host clinics and sessions to coach some of them in person while in Europe.

“It’s incredible getting to be part of people’s skating journeys,” Durkee said.

Both coaches are dedicated to sharing the sport they love.

“I want to kind of help provide like other kids the same experiences and feelings that skating has provided for me,” Borromeo said.

“You get to help develop their character, you get to help develop their belief in yourself. And it’s just a really beautiful thing to be part of that,” Durkee added.

The Olympic figure skating events begin on Friday.

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 Lisa Crane

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    PELHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — A St. Clair County teen was killed in a car crash in Canada on Monday. He was playing hockey on a junior league team in Alberta and died along with two Canadian teammates when their car was hit by a semi-truck loaded with gravel.

For 17-year-old Caden Fine, hockey was his life. He started playing when he was nine, and last year he signed with the Southern Alberta Mustangs junior league team and moved to Canada. Craig Simchuk is the head coach for the Birmingham Bulls. He coached Fine when he was younger.

“For local guys here, that’s kind of their way out is to move up the ladder either to Nashville or some bigger cities where hockey is more predominant,” said Simchuk.

Learning of his death on Monday in a car crash has been devastating to those at his home rink in Pelham. Taylor Dickin coached Fine when he played on the Birmingham Bulls junior team.

“It’s a small hockey community here, and all the kids play with each other right when they start playing and maybe as young as five, right? So, they get to know each other really, really well and spend a lot of time on the road in hotels and things like that. So, I know all the kids involved are hit pretty hard, with the news,” said Dicken.

His coaches brag on Fine’s hockey skills. One thing they all mentioned was that fine was considered small for this sport, but that didn’t hold him back. His love for the game made up for his size. Simchuk added, “The old cliche is, you know, you need to be big and tough to play the sport. But he made up for it with his heart and his grit, like he knew that he was smaller, but that didn’t stop him. And it actually probably propelled him and drove him to where he was fearless.”

Fine leaves behind a heartbroken family including an older sister and younger brother. His father said in the depths of his grief he wants to make sure people remember his son for not only being a good hockey player but also for being a great kid.

Another one of Caden’s coaches has started a fundraiser to help his family deal with transporting his body back home and funeral arrangements.

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 Charlotte Hancox, Michael Cusanelli

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    CHARLOTTE, Vermont (WPTZ) — Earlier on Tuesday, an ice rescue unfolded on Lake Champlain after a group of skaters became stranded on a chunk of ice.

Now, everyone have been safely rescued, with no injuries reported.

An ice shelf broke and started moving away from shore, taking a group of skaters with it.

“We were skating up to it and then we saw that there was no way one of them skated north, and we took a look south. We could see no area that we could skate across,” said Brett Blanchard, one of the skaters that was rescued. “It was more mild that became heavier embarrassment, which is how did we get here?”

Officials say a total of ten people were skating in the area at the time. Two people from Vermont were able to get back to shore. Three from New York found a safe ice path and made it back on their own.

The remaining five skaters were left stranded on moving ice.

“They thought it was safe enough, and then conditions changed very quickly, and they became stranded. Folks have to remember that no ice is safe ice.” Said Lieutenant Paul Ravelin with the Vermont State Police.

Another group who was about to start skating noticed the ice cracking. They then saw the skaters get stuck and quickly called 9-1-1.

“it just opened up very quickly. And we’re looking out there and we’re like, how are those guys going to get across that ice? Well, they couldn’t.” said Carol Huntington.

Multiple rescue crews throughout the area responded. The rescue took more than an hour, with skaters brought bake to land one by one.

“to happen that quickly, none of us have seen that. It’s a great life lesson, which is when you think you know ice, when you think you know things, end of the day, you may not,” said Blanchard.

Vermont State Police said anyone planning to go on the ice should always be in groups, have your phone on you, and always dress warm.

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 COUNTY, South Carolina (WYFF) — For one upstate family, this past weekend’s snowfall ended with grief. The Abbeville County Coroner’s Office says 35-year-old Christopher O’Quinn died after a sledding incident using a UTV.

“I just said, there’s been accident, and your dad is now in heaven and my youngest, of course, he said, I don’t want my daddy in heaven right now,” said Christopher’s wife, Jordan O’quinn. “And I said, me either, baby.”

Jordan thinks of the day her husband, Christopher O’Quinn, took his final breath.

It was just pure southern fun in the snow. This time ended in a tragedy,” Jordan said. “It was an accident. It wasn’t reckless.”

Jordan recalls what she describes as God’s protecting hand in every moment during the tragedy. She names specifically; their children were not outside at the time.

“I couldn’t see out of the back of the window to see the initial hit. So, I didn’t see that. That’s God,” Jordan said. “And when I went to Chris, and I was praying for him for just a heartbeat … just a breath. He never did. He never felt pain. So that’s God.”

Christopher’s family says he was an intentionally loving husband, father, brother, and friend. The family and loves one say they are in constant prayer.

“Lord, I said, you’re going to have to show up, and you’re going to have to show out,” Jordan said.

Christopher leaves behind three little children who are ages 8 and under.

“The Bible says that he will be a father to the fatherless,” Jordan said. “And I’m going to hold Him to it.”

For her sister, Raegan McCullough, the heartbreak has brought bloodshot eyes. Over the past days, countless people have shown support in grand ways and shared memories of Christopher.

“We’ve had people come tell us how he led them to Christ and how he led their family members to Christ,” McCullough said.

Jordan takes what she learned from her husband and pours out in prayer to those who are struggling with loss.

“For the people that have lost, God, I thank you for the time that they were able to have their loved ones. I pray peace and mercy and grace,” Jordan said. “We thank you, thank you, thank you for the life that you gave us before these tragic events. And we thank you for the life that you are going to give us coming out.”

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 Kelly O’Brien

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    NORTH HAMPTON, North Hampton (WMUR) — One New Hampshire business’ dreams are coming true as their product will be featured in Super Bowl 60 on Sunday.

While all of New England will have their eyes on the Patriots, Sherry Rand, owner of Pom Express in North Hampton, will be watching the Seattle Seahawks dancers.

Rand started her business in 1986, selling all the gear cheerleaders wear. By the late 1990s, she had narrowed her focus to pom-poms exclusively.

“There’s a multitude of decisions to make in their design and choices for each team,” Rand said. “And it was just, I think I just had a good feeling that, that was going to be the future of poms.”

As the business grew, Rand’s daughter, Kris McClelland, joined to help out.

Their American-made pom-poms can now be seen around the world, in the hands of big names like Lady Gaga and Madonna.

Recently, the NFL started calling.

“We kind of said, ‘Oh my gosh, wouldn’t it be wonderful to start working with some of these teams, especially the Seahawks?’ Their colors are fantastic. They’re so vibrant,” McClelland said.

Eventually, the Seahawks reached out to Pom Express.

Rand and McClelland anxiously followed the team through the regular season, the playoffs, and now to the Super Bowl.

“I watched every game. I’m not a super football follower, but I sure became interested all of a sudden,” Rand said. “I watched every game, and now my heart is really going to be beating really, in two different directions.”

Neither expected to see their product on the biggest stage for sports in the country.

“We’re thrilled. We are absolutely thrilled that we’re a part of it. We’re thrilled to see our poms out there on the, in the lights, and see the dancers and just be a part of all the amazing energy,” McClelland said.

Both Patriots fans at heart, Rand and McClelland said no matter the outcome of Sunday’s game, they feel like winners.

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 Rhondella Richardson, Yogev Toby

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    BOSTON (WCVB) — The Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Red Cross, and the NFL are sending two Massachusetts locals to the Super Bowl this week to watch the New England Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks.

Zeeshan Mohammed, 13, of Sharon, will be cheering on the New England Patriots from the stands this Sunday, after being one of 24 Make-A-Wish recipients from across the country.

Mohammed, an eighth grader who dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon, underwent treatment for lymphoma. During that time, his family says, football helped him take his mind off his illness.

The NFL will provide Mohammed and his family Super Bowl tickets, and Make-A-Wish’s sports charity, Fanatics, will offer the kids special events, athlete meet-ups and a tour of the Levi’s Stadium as part of the five-day experience.

The NFL also collaborated with the Red Cross during a January blood donation campaign to award one randomly selected donor tickets to the game.

For Eric Jellison, of Wakefield, the Super Bowl will be his first-ever NFL game.

Jellison had been a lifelong blood donor after experiencing a severe traumatic injury at a young age and receiving blood transfusions. He then made a promise to continue giving blood.

“I’ve never actually gone to a football game, so my first one to be my home team in the Super Bowl is an amazing feeling, and I can’t wait to get out to San Francisco to get the full effect,” he said.

Jellison won two tickets to the game, pre-game activities, the Super Bowl Experience and a $1,000 gift card.

“I’ve watched every Super Bowl with my childhood friend, who I’m taking,” Jellison said. “So, we’ve been friends for like 44 years. And every year we get together, and we watch. And we’ve had some disappointing years, but we had a lot of good ones as well.”

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 Jamy Pombo Sesselman

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    FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A Dighton, Massachusetts, man who won two tickets to the Super Bowl during the Patriots sendoff at Gillette Stadium on Sunday is taking his father to the big game, and the trip is extra special for the pair.

Duncan Tarver was one of three people who had the chance to win two tickets to the game.

“We were hanging out with a few people in the bar afterwards, and they’re like, ‘Why aren’t you bringing your girlfriend?'” Duncan Tarver said. “I love her to death, you know? But these memories are made with my dad, you know? That’s really important to me. Everything that we’ve gone through the last few years together, you know, it’s really the least I can do to give back to (him).”

The luck winner is taking his father, Aaron, who is battling prostate cancer that recently metastasized.

“It’s a mind shift, and priorities change a lot,” Aaron Tarver said.

“Making the memories has been the biggest priority, and this is an opportunity to make the greatest memory ever,” Duncan Tarver said.

Duncan Tarver said he hasn’t made it to many games in the past few years and is thrilled to be going to the biggest game of the season.

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.