Category: CNN Regional

By Phil Tenser

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    BOSTON (WCVB) — Conservators at Boston’s Granary Burying Ground recently found and restored what Mayor Michelle Wu described as one of the oldest gravestones of a free Black person in America. The mayor announced the discovery during the city’s annual Independence Day Oration at Faneuil Hall.

Wu said the team believes the man was once enslaved under the name Sebastian Lake, but died free in 1729.

“That discovery is likely one of the oldest gravestones of a free Black person in America. It’s been there all along. We just had to go look and share the story,” Wu said.

In her July 4 speech, the mayor also highlighted the work of the city archaeologists who used a 251-year-old map to locate a Revolutionary War fort built on the eve of the Battle of Bunker Hill. She said archaeologists found the fort near the base of the Bunker Hill Monument and uncovered the trench along with musket balls and gun flints from the battle.

Mayor Wu said Boston is installing more than 40 new historic markers across Boston to recognize people and places that have been underrepresented in traditional histories.

As examples, she pointed to locations including the former Hyde Park Town Hall, where women cast ballots before it was legal, and the site where Boston students walked out of school to protest segregation.

The mayor said she wants children across Boston to see themselves reflected in the city’s history.

“Every kid growing up in our city should know what’s possible here. If a child in Roxbury or Chinatown or Mattapan learns that people like them built this country and this city, then leading it doesn’t sound so crazy,” Wu said.

Mayor Wu, a Democrat who has often clashed with the Trump Administration and Republican leaders at the national level, said the city’s preservation work is intended to tell what she described as a more complete story of Boston and the nation around America’s 250th anniversary.

“While the federal government tries to narrow the story of America, Boston keeps expanding it,” Wu said.

She said a better understanding of the past can help shape future generations, adding that she wants children visiting museums, reading textbooks or walking through Boston to “find proof of what’s possible in America” through stories of sacrifice, determination, struggle and progress.

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 Wanya Reese

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    WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (WXII) — Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough gave WXII 12 News an exclusive look at a humanoid robot that could soon be seen in Forsyth County.

“I’m going to show you something. You can’t push him down, and if he did fall down, he would hop back up,” Kimbrough said.

The robot, called a “humanoid,” is part of a partnership with Artificial Intelligence Robotics Arts R&D at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts/Center for Design Innovation in Winston-Salem. It is capable of running, walking, and even dancing.

When it comes to crime, the robot can map out a crime scene or an event using 3D technology.

Kimbrough shared that the humanoid can be used to fight crime in other ways.

“We can send the humanoid into that same situation and accomplish the same thing: hostage negotiations, breach the door, go inside the house, do all the talking and recording. I can program it to do whatever I want it to do, hit buttons. As you saw, it started fighting, started dancing, and it talks. Any motion I want it to do, I can program it to do,” Kimbrough said.

Currently, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office does not own the robot, which costs $75,000. Kimbrough did not specify if or when the office would purchase it, but said, “It is coming to a town near you soon.”

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 Brooke Silverang

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    WELLINGTON, Florida (WPBF) — Some people go their entire lives without ever running a marathon and then there is Mia Rodriguez -a South Florida native who just finished running 26.2 miles every day, for 30 days straight.

When Mia Rodriguez from Wellington puts her mind to something, she takes it all the way.

“Ive been a runner my whole life and last year I did 10 miles every day for 100 days. I wanted to do something a little bit more challenging this time through. Something a little more tolling on the body but wasn’t as long of a challenge”, said Mia. “So it’s just something I decided to do and I’m doing it for charity as well.”

Mia is raising money with her miles for organizations that are all have meaning to her like, hungry families, kids in need of coaches and for those struggling with mental illness. Planning her miles in the Florida heat and storm season is not always easy but Mia made it happen and has the Strava stats to prove it.

“I’d say the biggest challenges is not even the running at all, it’s been everything else outside of it like the recovery, eating the right amount of food finding the mental fortitude to get back up and get out and go, said Mia. “The running has been the easiest part and just having such a good community like Celis and good running friends has made this incredibly easy. I just feel like the days are flying by.”

As for what’s next, Mia says she’s inspired to do an ultra-marathon and get back into Hyrox training.

Whatever challenge Mia decides to take on, she’ll always have a solid community cheering for her.

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 Brandon Hogan

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    VOLUSIA COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — A Volusia County Beach Safety lifeguard who’s also a candidate in the Ormond Beach mayoral race was hospitalized after a lightning strike Saturday near the Seminole Approach, according to a Beach Safety spokesperson.

Damien Curry told WESH 2 News before 7 p.m. that he had been discharged from the hospital.

“Just got out of the hospital! Toes still tingling! Crazy day!” he said via text.

A patrol vehicle was struck while Curry was standing next to it, the Volusia County Beach Safety spokesperson said in a statement, adding the strike transferred indirectly to him.

Curry was medically evaluated and transported to the hospital as a precaution, the statement reads.

Curry is in the running for Ormond Beach mayor against George Doran, Lori Tolland, and incumbent mayor Jason Leslie.

WESH 2 News interviewed Curry in 2022 when a car crashed through a toll booth and onto Daytona Beach.

On Saturday night, Curry told WESH 2 News he’s home resting and recovering.

We spoke with Heather Brooks, who was vacationing in Ormond Beach.

“That’s crazy. No, I didn’t expect that at all,” she said of the lightning strike. “So, definitely got to be looking out for the lightning I reckon.”

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 A.J. Nwoko

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    HENRICO COUNTY, Virginia (WTVR) — When Mickey Spencer arrived at Darby House senior apartments in east Henrico Sunday morning and saw the damage from the night before, the reality of what had happened set in.

“When you come and look at it and actually see it, it’s a different kind of real,” Spencer said.

Spencer’s friend and former classmate are among the more than 60 seniors displaced when a three-alarm fire tore through the four-story building late Saturday night. Henrico Fire crews battled intense flames in extreme heat while evacuating residents, many of whom had mobility issues.

“A lot of damage. I’m thankful that it’s not as bad as it’s perceived to be and I’m thankful that everyone got out,” Spencer said.

Now, Spencer said the challenge is helping her friend access belongings, medications and mobility equipment still inside the damaged building.

“I’m hoping that all who had health or medical challenges are able to resolve them,” Spencer said. “We have to do what we can to help her out and that’s what we plan to do.”

Her concern was echoed by David Brown, who came to the scene hoping to retrieve an oxygen tank and wheelchair for his daughter’s grandmother, a fourth-floor resident now recovering in the hospital.

“I came here to support and help remove, hopefully, what I thought was going to be an easy thing to get — an oxygen tank and wheelchair,” Brown said.

Brown said the cost of the equipment makes the situation even more stressful.

“The wheelchair alone was almost $10,000. An oxygen tank $700 without insurance. It’s so much to think about,” Brown said.

He said the family is holding out hope they will be able to retrieve the items once they are allowed back inside.

“We’ll come back whenever they let us in, hopefully, to grab those things for her so she can move forward with transportation and hopefully a new place to live,” Brown said.

Rob Rowley, Henrico’s Emergency Management Chief, said the county recognized early on that a traditional shelter would not meet the needs of this population.

“This population has unique needs that are just not appropriately addressed in a congregate shelter,” Rowley said.

The county assisted the American Red Cross by paying for 49 hotel rooms at the Marriott at Virginia Center Commons. GRTC bused residents there after they were rescued from the fire. Rowley said the rooms are secured through Wednesday to give the Red Cross and the property owner time to work on longer-term solutions.

“We have gone ahead and secured the rooms through Wednesday to make sure that we have the time that we need to get the Red Cross and the property owner engaged and give them the time they need to make things happen,” Rowley said.

Rowley said the county is committed to making sure no one is left without a place to go.

“We are not going to allow someone to be left standing in a parking lot,” Rowley said.

Brown said the community response has given his family hope.

“That’s why our family all gathered up here to help out and to be supportive and help anyone that needs it,” Brown said. “Because that’s what we need now is people to come out in the community to help out in these tough times.”

Spencer said the situation is a reminder of the community’s responsibility to its oldest residents.

“These are seniors. These are elders. We have to take care of them,” Spencer said.

Firefighters were called to the 1400 block of Shirleydale Avenue, off Darbytown Road about two miles east of downtown Richmond, after an automatic fire alarm triggered just after 10:05 p.m., according to Henrico Division of Fire officials.

When crews arrived, they found heavy fire coming from the back of the building, with flames extending into the roof, Henrico Fire Chief Douglas Clevert Jr. said.

The incident was escalated to a third-alarm assignment, bringing more than 30 fire, EMS, command and support units to the scene.

Clevert said dozens of rescues were made during the incident, with Henrico Police playing a significant role alongside firefighters — at one point transporting a wheelchair on top of a police car to make sure a resident had what they needed to reach the waiting buses.

At least four residents were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No life-threatening injuries were reported among residents or fire personnel.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Henrico County Fire Marshal’s Office.

Darby House, which opened in late July 2006, offers 108 affordable one and two-bedroom apartments for residents 62 and older.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WTVR 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 Sarah Martin, KSL

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    MAPLETON, Utah (KSL) — For 16 years, a Utah boy lived with just one kidney working at far below normal levels.

When a kidney donation became his only option, he found a match right in his backyard.

Collin Chournos spends three hours, three days a week at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City hooked up to a dialysis machine. But soon, he will get a kidney donation from a neighbor who says he felt a prompting to get tested.

“It’s pretty exciting, finally coming to head,” Collin says. His family has been anticipating this moment since before he was born.

“I had two kidneys. The first one died when I was born. The second was working 33%.” For years, his determined parents and a team of doctors kept that kidney working, “getting 16 years off a kidney, working 30%. It’s pretty crazy.”

But over the last 12 months, that kidney has finally failed. “Now I’m on HD, which is hemodialysis, and that filters my blood through a port near my heart.”

Collin has been on the transplant list for years, but now a donor has been found at the perfect time.

Jesse Craig lives right behind Collin with his wife and six children. Both families moved into their Mapleton neighborhood around the same time six years ago and became close through school activities and walks around the block.

“I feel like I was prompted to go get tested,” said Craig. “My kidney was meant for Collin at this point in time.”

Craig is a physical therapist and will need to take about eight weeks off of work to recover from the surgery, but says he’s never second-guessed this decision. “I feel God led us to each other, to give Collin an opportunity to do the things that he’s supposed to do in his life that he wouldn’t be able to do, without having, having a healthy kidney.”

Recovery will take about a year, but already Collin is ready to get back to volleyball and soccer. “I’m looking forward to definitely playing sports again. It’s going to be exciting.” He’s also got his sights set on a long career helping kids just like him; “Since I was like, 7, I wanted to be a nephrologist.”

A kidney doctor.

While some of the surgeries are covered by insurance, both Collin and Craig will incur significant medical expenses to make this transplant happen.

More than 100,000 people are on the transplant list across the country awaiting an organ donation; more than 80% of those are kidney donations just like Collin. You can get tested by signing up with the Health Resources and Services Administration or speaking with your primary care physician.

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 Robbie Owens

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    PONDER, Texas (KTVT) — From a medically induced coma to a heartwarming welcome home, a freak accident at a spring track meet is teaching Ponder coach Blake Crutsinger a little something about miracles.

“I mean, with the brain injury, you just never know,” said Leslie, his wife. “He’s done everything so much faster than anybody thought he would, and continues to do that and to prove people wrong.”

Two months ago, at a regional track meet in Tyler, Coach Crutsinger was hit in the head with a shot put. But his wife, Leslie, refused to believe that it was as bad as the doctors warned. She’s recalling the difficult days that followed.

“And they called me about 6:30 and said, ‘The swelling’s not going down, and we’re going to have to do the craniectomy,'” Leslie said. “So they removed part of his skull for that. It was terrifying. That was a long, hard day – a really long, hard day. But he did good.”

The Crutsingers knew it would be a long road to recovery. But they also knew they’d get there… one hug, one prayer at a time. And they tell me they could feel those prayers coming from all over.

“Faith,” said an emphatic Ginger Dieter, nothing he coached her son, and he’s just a “good guy.” So her prayers were among those keeping the family supported.

Leslie, his wife, kept everyone updated on his progress through social media posts. And when she learned that Blake was coming home instead of entering an extended-stay inpatient rehab facility, the community moved quickly.

“When we turned the corner and saw everybody in our yard and on the street, we both got emotional,” Leslie said. “I knew it was going to happen, but until you see it… he got very emotional, and I told him, ‘Just be ready for what’s coming.'”

While Bill Withers’ Lean on Me blasted on a nearby car radio, student athletes and cheerleaders, fellow coaches, and family friends linked arms and sang along.

Coach Crutsinger still has lots of outpatient rehab ahead. The brain injury means he is re‑learning the connections that support his verbal skills. For now, his wife of more than 20 years does most of the talking, as he nods in agreement.

Still, when asked about the family’s message to the community, well… there are some moments that need no words. His eyes pooled with tears, and one rolled down his cheek as he hurriedly wiped it away.

“We just want to say thank you,” Leslie said. “The outpouring from people we don’t know, the people that have reached out on Facebook, social media, the prayers, the churches – everybody that has come together and prayed for him. I firmly believe that’s why he is the way he is right now.”

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

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The Maryland Zoo is home to more than 50 different species of animals from all over the world. While some of them are used to extreme heat, others are not so much.

Therefore, the zoo has all kinds of protocols in place to make sure that all 1,800 animals stay cool and healthy.

You wouldn’t have found a red panda in sight if you had visited The Maryland Zoo on Friday, despite having air-conditioned logs, shaded areas, and temperature-controlled water bowls.

“The first choice the animals have is the choice of whether to be outside or whether to be inside where it’s cool and air-conditioned. So right now, the red pandas are exercising that choice,” Mike Evitts, Director of Communications at the Maryland Zoo, said.

Evitts says especially for animals like red pandas, who are naturally found in cold weather, it’s important that they can stay cool all summer, especially when the temperatures reach over 100 degrees.

“Unlike people, most animals do not sweat. So, they can deal with hot temperatures in a couple of different ways. Obviously, they can drink water. They exchange hot air through panting and breathing like your dog at home might. They also just lie down. They don’t move much; they stay in the shade, and they conserve their core temperature to try and keep their body temperature low,” Evitts explained.

On the other hand, African Elephants are accustomed to the heat.

“They’ve lived in Maryland for many years, so we like to call them our Maryland elephants,” Sarah Balzer, a zookeeper, told WJZ’s Ashley Paul.

Tuffy, the 44-year-old African Elephant, was loving the water cannon on Friday, one of many ways he stays cool during the heat wave.

“The sand, the mud, they will put that all over their bodies, and that helps with bug repellent, all the nasty flies and everything, so that will help keep them from that. And it will act as a natural sunscreen too,” Balzer added.

Elephants have many blood vessels behind their ears, so when they flap them, they can lower their body temperature by up to 10 degrees.

They also have the option to hang out in the mud wallows or swim.

That’s what the otters had been doing all day.

“Obviously the otters have a really amazing pool of water and waterfalls and a lot of area to swim, but also if they want to dry out or want to use the restroom, they have lots of shore and sandy areas,” Evitts said.

Otters also have hollow logs to lay in that are ventilated if they need a break from swimming but want to stay cool.

During the winter months, the zoo has a separate set of protocols to ensure the animals can stay warm and healthy.

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