Category: CNN Regional

By Rachael Perry

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    MARTIN COUNTY, Florida (WPBF) — A routine drive turned into a life-or-death rescue in a matter of seconds when a vehicle veered off the road and flipped upside down into a canal, trapping a mother and her three young children inside.

The crash happened Sunday afternoon off Southwest Allapattah Road in Indiantown. According to investigators, the mother was driving when she suffered a seizure and crashed. Her three young children were in the backseat.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said a good Samaritan was first on the scene, helping the children out of the vehicle while holding their mother’s head above water.

WPBF 25 News caught up with the good Samaritan, Casey Curtis, at the site of the crash.

“I just got off of work, and I was going home, there was somebody behind me I noticed driving, and then all of a sudden I looked up, and they seemed to be accelerating and drove off the side of the road,” Curtis said.

He quickly pulled over and turned around while dialling 911. Curtis said he followed the tire tracks, which led him to a canal behind a large amount of brush.

“I started walking towards her, and was on the phone with 911 at that point. Once I got up to the fence area, I noticed that there was knocking, banging on the window, and kids screaming,” he told WPBF.

He said the 911 operator advised him to wait for first responders, but he didn’t listen.

“I was like, no, there are kids. I’m going to help. So I put the phone down, and I got to the car, opened up the door, and there were three kids sitting there staring at me helplessly,” Curtis said.

He said the mother was still buckled into her seat, and her head was underwater. Curtis said he quickly got the children out of the vehicle and up on the bank while he climbed into the vehicle to help their mom.

“I lifted the mom’s head up out of the water, and she wasn’t breathing. So I did what I could to try to get her to start breathing, and there was nothing. I just looked at her face, and I gave her a breath, and as soon as I gave her a breath, she started breathing again,” he said.

As this was happening, Curtis said he could hear her children crying.

“I let the kids know that mom’s going to be okay. They were freaked out. There was definitely water starting to come into the car,” he said.

Curtis said he doesn’t know how much time passed, but he could feel water coming into the vehicle as they waited for EMS.

Eventually, a deputy with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office pulled up and helped Curtis get the mother out of the vehicle. Officials with Martin County Fire Rescue arrived a short time later and began treating the mother. The family of four was then taken to Lawnwood Medical Center.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the family said the three children are OK, but they’re asking for prayers for their mother, who is still hospitalized.

When asked what his response was to those calling him a hero, Curtis said he’s grateful he was there to step in, but he just did what he felt was right.

“I believe that you have to look inside yourself to see if you think you are mentally and physically capable of helping somebody else out, then you should,” Curtis said.

Sheriff Budensiek told reporters that if Curtis had not checked his review mirror, he’s not sure if the family would have been found.

“We likely would not have found that car for a long period of time,” Budensiek said. “It’s one of these crashes that you read about every once in a while where cars just disappear, and you can’t find them.”

Curtis echoed that by explaining how hidden that area is from the road.

“There was nobody around, and there definitely would not have been anybody that would have seen this car for who knows how long. Those kids would not have been able to open that door or bust a window out, so there’s no way of them surviving,” Curtis said.

With that said, he’s hoping whoever is responsible for maintaining that area will take steps to clear some of the brush.

“At least maintain it to where it doesn’t get this tall again, and potentially look into putting some kind of guardrail because there is a ditch over here, and cars can definitely get into it,” he said.

Looking back at that day, Curtis said he thanks god for putting him in the right place at the right time.

“My belief is that I say thank God, right? But it’s not the jealous God that everyone says you should be fearful of, the one that these churches are trying to shove down our throats, the one that they want to make money off of. It’s somebody, an entity, right? The creator, the true heavenly father that is in all of us and who we are connected to,” he said.

He’s asking the community to keep the mother in their thoughts and pray for her recovery.

“I want all the focus to go on Mom. Like I said, I feel like we are all connected through the true heavenly father, and I feel like if everyone out there gets grounded, goes out in nature, and actually prays and gets rid of all these horrible feelings that this world has out there, that this mom will be fine,” Curtis said.

If anyone would like to help support the family during this difficult time, the family asks that you contact LaShunda Boggs on Facebook. They’ve also provided a link for anyone who would like to donate.

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 Ari Hait

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    WELLINGTON, Florida (WPBF) — Vanilla Ice’s hit song “Ice, Ice Baby” has made a remarkable return to the top of the music charts, reaching number three on Billboard’s rap songs chart, driven by politics and winter trends.

“I honestly had no idea. I could never imagine,” Vanilla Ice told WPBF 25 News during an interview at his home in Wellington.

Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Rob Van Winkle, said the song often sees a spike during the icy months of winter, and this year’s Winter Olympics has also increased attention.

“I’m just sitting here scrolling through social media, TikTok,” he said. “And it’s one after another. ‘Ice Ice Baby.’ I get it. It works well with the Winter Olympics.”

Another factor contributing to the song’s popularity is its association with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.

Both supporters and opponents of ICE are using “Ice, Ice Baby” in social media videos related to the agency.

“I’ll take anything that drives my songs. Whatever makes people laugh and have fun,” Vanilla Ice said. “Because that’s all they’re doing is using it for little parodies and stuff like that.”

Despite the political connections, Vanilla Ice prefers to remain neutral.

“I would never try and comment on how to run a country. I’m neutral. I don’t do anything. I stay in my lane if that makes any sense, you know?” he said.

“Just woke up one day and found that my song is number one 36 years later,” he said with a laugh. “And I’m like, Whoa! So, I’m ready to go dancing again.”

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 WESH Staff

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando is getting a big boost – all because of a Super Bowl bet.

Attorney Dan Newlin bet on the Seattle Seahawks winning the big game, and he promised to donate whatever he earned to support charity.

He made good on that promise on Wednesday, presenting a $1 million check.

The money donated will be used for research to treat and cure children’s cancer.

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 Matthew Dietz & Richard Chiles

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — A rescue in Cincinnati Wednesday night is serving as a reminder to parents that water can pose a danger to kids year-round, especially those with autism, if they’re not prepared.

Cincinnati firefighters rescued an 11-year-old girl with autism who was near icy water at Bramble Park. Officials say it happened around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, when multiple crews were called to the park in Madisonville.

Firefighters say the girl was alone and had wandered down to the pond.

First responders worked with the girl’s father and lowered an extension ladder to allow two of them to reach the child in a gully, including one who was in an ice suit.

The crew member who reached the young girl placed her on the ladder and was able to safely reunite the girl with her father.

No injuries were reported in the incident and it’s not known what led to the girl going into the gully.

This story had a happy ending, but that isn’t always the case.

We’ve seen other similar cases over the past few years, specifically involving children with autism: A rescue back in November in Pierce Township and two drownings in West Chester, a 7-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy.

There are efforts in Ohio and Kentucky to better coordinate the search for kids like these when they wander way.

Advocates say a big way you can help is get your child swimming lessons.

“Parents can’t always be there to save their kids. We try as we might, you know, we do everything in the world that we can,” said Leslie Williams, president of the Empath for Autism Foundation. “These parents are taking a lot of safety measures, door alarms, having GPS tracking on their children. Sometimes, it doesn’t work, but if they do find themselves in that situation, how are they going to survive being in the water?”

The Cincinnati Recreation Center offers swim lessons year round. Empath for Autism provides lessons for free. Information on how to sign up is available on their website.

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 Britt Leoni

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    CAPE CORAL, Florida (WBBH) — At eight and a half pounds and 19 inches, Mike and Taylor Pudlin consider their 5-month-old baby, Blake, to be a heavyweight champion.

“He’s here, and he’s healthy. I mean, the things that he’s accomplished, nobody expected,” said Mike.

Not because eight and a half pounds is heavy at Blake’s age, but because the amount of adversity he’s faced is.

“She said he weighs an ounce less than a block of Philadelphia cream cheese … and he is as tall as a Coke bottle,” said Taylor.

Blake was born at less than one pound on Aug. 29 last year at Golisano Children’s Hospital — his chances of survival were slim.

“They couldn’t find his heartbeat on the monitor. It was shallow when they found it, and the beats were very, very slow,” said Taylor.

After nearly 2 months in the NICU, Blake developed sepsis. His lungs stopped working.

“We got a call on our way to the hospital one morning from the doctor, and she said, ‘Blake is just not participating anymore,'” said Mike.

“They said today’s the day, he’s not doing good. Bring your kids so they can meet him in case,” said Mike.

Just when it seemed nearly impossible that this family would take home their newest member, Blake proved otherwise.

“She’s like, it looks good, and I just remember being like, what do you mean it looks good?” said Taylor. I just felt my shoulders sit back for the first time in three days. After that, every day it was, it looks good, it looks good, he looks better, he is responding,” said Taylor.

Day by day, the heartbeat that was barely beating grew stronger.

“Here he is. Perfectly healthy,” said Mike. “Besides needing oxygen and a few breathing treatments, I see a 6-foot, 5-inch, 220 lb. running back.”

“I don’t care if he will be the smallest kid everywhere he goes, or if he has lung problems or whatever it may be, I know that he’s here for a reason,” said Taylor. “I know that God allowed him to thrive and defied all those odds for a reason. As his parent, I cannot wait to see what that reason is.”

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 Chase Houle

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    ATLANTA (WXIA) — A driverless Waymo vehicle ended up in the middle of an active police scene in Atlanta over the weekend, prompting renewed concerns about how autonomous vehicles respond in dangerous situations.

The incident happened on Saturday on Cheshire Bridge Road. 11Alive’s Chase Houle watched the Waymo vehicle, with a passenger seated in the back, bypass multiple Atlanta Police squad cars and officers before coming to a stop in the middle of the crime scene.

Just down the street, an apartment complex was on lockdown. SWAT teams and officers in tactical gear were seen going in and out of the building as police responded to what they described as a dangerous situation. According to Atlanta Police, a man had barricaded himself inside a unit after allegedly shooting at officers. Two reported injuries during the encounter; one officer was grazed in the head while the other sustained lacerations to his hand from falling debris.

This is not the first time Waymo vehicles have drawn attention in metro Atlanta.

In December, an autonomous vehicle was recorded driving around a stopped school bus that had its stop sign extended and lights flashing while children were exiting. Our reporting of the incident prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open an investigation into similar cases.

A month later, another situation involving a Waymo vehicle raised questions. A woman rear-ended one of the autonomous cars, and a responding Georgia State Patrol deputy allegedly told her he was unsure how to handle the crash.

Following Saturday’s incident, questions remain about how police are expected to manage driverless vehicles that enter active emergency scenes.

Attempts to obtain clarification from the Atlanta Police Department on standard operating procedures were unsuccessful. A spokesperson directed inquiries to the department’s website, where no relevant or updated guidance could be found.

An open records request has since been filed seeking more information.

A Waymo spokesperson said in a statement: “While navigating the parking lot, we entered an unsecured, not-taped-off lane (to the left of your video framing) before coming to a stop. As our protocols are designed and we’ve trained first responders to do, a police officer disengaged the vehicle, and our roadside assistance team retrieved it.”

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 Kaitlyn Ross

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    ACWORTH, Georgia (WXIA) — There’s a full-court press at the cash register when Michael Masterangelo is working.

At the Publix in Acworth, customers will wait 30 to 40 minutes to check out in Michael’s line.

“They will come here specifically just to get in his line,” his mom, Dayna Peshel, said. “They will wait 30 or 40 minutes just to get in his line. It means everything. I am so proud of him.”

Michael, who has an intellectual disability, has worked at the same Publix for 10 years. He greets nearly every customer as if they were an old friend.

“I like ringing people up and seeing people every day!” he said. “I’m just so happy to be here, every day to work.”

As soon as some shoppers arrive, they start scanning the lanes, not for the shortest line, but for him.

“As soon as I walk in the door, I look for him,” one customer said. “And if he’s here, it just changes everything.”

Store Manager Courtney McGuinness says that kind of impact can’t be trained.

“His positivity that he comes in every day with, it makes working and shopping here enjoyable,” she said. “He’s always smiling. He’s always interacting.”

And Michael isn’t just greeting customers. He’s rallying a team.

“This is his team that he’s raising the money for,” McGuinness said. “And he was very focused on meeting his goal.”

That team? Special Olympics is a community Michael has been part of since he was 7 or 8 years old.

“I enjoy what I do! I love doing this for the Special Olympics organization,” he said. “I like to have fun playing sports with each other. I love this whole event.”

This year, Michael set a personal fundraising goal at his register.

Then he shattered it.

“I can’t believe I did $31,603 by myself, at my register!” he said. “My personal goal is crazy! And I did that in 6 days!”

He raised more than $31,000 in less than a week, right there between scanning groceries and counting change.

“He raised more alone than certain districts in our region,” McGuinness said.

Michael remembers the moment the biggest donation came through.

“The biggest donation I got was $1,200!” he said. “I was like WOW, oh my goodness, no way, this is crazy!!”

Customers weren’t just donating. They were cheering.

“He’s my buddy!” one shopper said from behind the counter. “He is one of the few people I trust!”

Michael treats everyone in his line as if they matter.

“Him being so genuine, he truly cares about every single person he comes in contact with,” McGuinness said. “Whether it’s a child, it’s an adult, someone he played a sport with, someone he grew up with, he genuinely cares about everyone.”

And they care right back.

“They make me so happy and cheer me on and stuff!” Michael said about the customers who show up to his basketball games. “Next coming weekend, they’re coming to watch me play basketball!”

For his mom, watching the community show up for her son is overwhelming in the best way.

“It makes me feel amazing,” Peshel said. “I feel like I raised him right, and he is just a light to everyone. I get text messages, phone calls. I am very proud. I am a very proud mom. I don’t worry about him. I know he is going to be okay. Because he has so much love with family, friends, and community.”

Michael says the feeling is mutual.

“It feels like I am so special, helping people and others,” he said. “And I love this whole community, and everyone loves and supports me!”

Between ringing up groceries, talking Georgia Bulldogs football, and hyping up every customer who walks through his lane, he keeps the energy high.

“I am always so positive,” he said. “I am always encouraging people, like, ‘ Oh yeah, you got this, let’s go!!”

Then comes the final send-off:

“Welcome, have a good day, come back and see us!”

At this Publix, it’s not just a checkout lane.

It’s a team.

And Michael? He’s playing to win.

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 Stephanie Stahl

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — A better treatment for sickle cell disease, which strikes mainly people of color, is transforming medicine in Philadelphia, making this Black History Month especially meaningful for one local family.

This is a new gene therapy that works with the patient’s own blood, which gets reprogrammed. It’s already changing one young man’s life.

Austin Louis, 20, stays busy almost a year after getting a revolutionary treatment for sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder that causes excruciating pain.

“It totally worked, I feel amazing,” he said.

For the first time in his life, Louis can enjoy being outside in the cold, which triggered pain before the treatment.

“I feel totally different,” he said. “It’s a brand new body. I feel like a new human.”

Louis was the first patient at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia — outside of a clinical trial — to get a new FDA-approved treatment.

It involves collecting his stem cells, which are then manipulated with a gene editing technology called CRISPR to normalize the blood.

Last March, Louis was back at CHOP for the infusion of his reconstituted blood.

“I totally feel relieved,” Louis said.

His parents, who moved the family from New York to South Jersey to be closer to CHOP, are relieved, too.

Because sickle cell disease affects mainly people of color, this Black History Month is especially poignant for the family.

“This is history in the making,” Jennifer Louis, Austin Louis’ mother, said. “I think it’s pretty amazing.”

It’s also a big accomplishment for the team at CHOP, offering a novel new way of treating — and maybe even curing — sickle cell disease.

“You don’t get these very often in your career. So for me, wow, this is a big one,” said Dr. Alexis Thompson, attending hematologist at CHOP. “To be able to imagine something that is as extraordinary as gene therapy affecting a population that so often feels overlooked and is underserved by our health care system, it’s just so rewarding.”

A growing number of patients have received the gene therapy, putting a future within reach where sickle cell disease is not such a devastating diagnosis.

Austin Louis is glad to be living without pain for the first time in his life – and helping others along the way.

“I’m paving the way for others,” he said. “So I feel great about 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.