Category: CNN Regional

By Wakisha Bailey, Alan Wheeler

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Patrick and Carol Cassidy have cheered through wins, losses and now, another playoff run. For these two, their love story started more than 50 years ago, with a little help from the Phillies and a ballpark that no longer stands.

The Cassidys walk hand in hand into every Phillies game. They’ve been season ticket holders for decades, but their connection to the team runs much deeper than fandom.

“If it weren’t for the Phils, or for my dad being the director of operations for the Phils, this would never have been,” Patrick Cassidy said.

Long before Citizens Bank Park, the Cassidys were spending their nights at Veterans Stadium. Patrick Cassidy’s father worked as the team’s director of operations, and Patrick joined him fresh out of college.

“I would do just about everything – from counting tickets to helping with giveaways,” Patrick Cassidy said.

That job turned out to be life-changing.

It was the early 1970s, and team owner Bill Giles was trying to bring fans back to the ballpark. His idea: the Hot Pants Patrol, a group of usherettes who greeted fans and brought fun back to the stands.

One of those usherettes was a young woman named Carol Ann Zacny.

“There were a lot of pretty girls, but she was a step above all of them,” Patrick Cassidy said. “All I could say to myself was, ‘wow.'”

Carol became one of the most recognizable faces at the Vet, even voted Ms. Schmidt by 80,000 fans.

“I could not believe I’m getting paid like $9 for a game and then I’m coming to see the Phillies every night,” Carol said while laughing.

Her section? Gate B, which is where she met Patrick Cassidy.

“He was a very nice-looking young man — blonde hair, blue eyes, tall and very handsome,” Carol said.

The two began dating, and soon their love story became as timeless as their team.

The couple married, raised three boys and built a life filled with baseball memories. Their son Ryan now runs the local apparel company Philly Goat, where one of the designs pays tribute to his mom’s Hot Pants Patrol days.

“There’s just a special something about fans and the team,” Patrick Cassidy said. “That relationship has always been so very strong.”

Now, as grandparents, they share those stories with a new generation — tales of Gate B, the Phillies and a love that’s lasted through every season.

“I wish we could go back just to enjoy it all over again,” Carol Cassidy said. “When he walks into the room, my heart still skips a beat.”

“That’s your heart giving out,” Patrick Cassidy said.

The couple rarely misses a game. Every once in a while, Carol Cassidy gives up her seat so one of their sons can join dad. But for her, Patrick will always be the MVP.

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By Krista Tatschl

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    OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (KMBC) — Jude Nickson isn’t letting a lack of sight stop him from reaching his goals.

Nickson, a student at Indian Woods Middle School, has bilateral microphthalmia.

“My eyeballs did not fully grow, so right now my eyeballs are about 1/10th the size of your guys’s, and I have prosthetic eyes,” he said.

Nickson hasn’t let that slow him down – literally. He’s running cross country at his school, with a little support.

No student who is blind had ever run for the school before Nickson, so assistant principal Lindsey Constance decided to step up and help.

“When we start, we have a guide rope. … I hold it, he holds it together,” Constance said.

The two run side by side, and Constance helps Nickson avoid obstacles. She gives him cues about bumpy terrain or turns.

“Like, if there’s a tree root, they’ll say there’s a root ahead and they’ll either try to, like, veer me around or tell me to step over,” Nickson said.

Constance and Nickson said that cross country isn’t always easy.

“Every time you run, you always want to quit,” he said. “You just have to keep going.”

Constance said she was worried about cuing him wrong, or him falling. But Nickson doesn’t let fears hold him back.

“You might get a little bit injured, like, I’ve twisted my ankle a little bit. … Just keep going,” Nickson said.

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By Pete Cuddihy

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    PAPILLION, Nebraska (KETV) — When customers in Papillion ordered their Domino’s Sunday afternoon, their delivery came with a surprise visit from the Papillion Fire Department and a check on their smoke detectors to ensure their safety.

A normal day in a Domino’s kitchen is filled with sprinkling garlic knots with parmesan, cutting up pizzas into slices, and folding their famous boxes up ready for delivery. But Sunday was no ordinary day for the Domino’s Papillion store.

The pizza chain teamed up with the Papillion Fire Department for Fire Prevention Week, adding a new vehicle to their delivery team. Now following behind their famous delivery cars — marked with the red and blue game piece — was a Papillion fire engine.

“Teamed up with Domino’s Pizza this year to check residents for smoke detectors. If they have working smoke detectors, credit to them — they got a free pizza,” said battalion chief of Papillion Fire Department Brian Oshey.

While employees in the kitchen pressed the dough and laid the toppings, firefighters Brian Oshey and Todd Groose waited for their moment to deliver customers’ orders with a side of safety.

When orders were bagged, it was time for the Papillion Fire Department to roll out, knocking at the door with pizza in hand, ready to check the customer’s smoke alarms.

The delivery resulted in a win-win scenario: working alarms meant free pizza for the customer — a positive day.

Team lead at Domino’s, Jonathan Glynn, is happy he was a part of it.

“I lived in Papillion my whole life, so doing this is really cool,” said team lead at Papillion Domino’s, Jonathan Glynn.

Rewarding the community for taking precautions, Oshey said, “We applaud people for taking steps to make sure they’re keeping their family and their home safe.”

The Papillion Fire Department said that if you don’t have a working smoke detector or if you need one replaced, you can contact the mayor’s hotline, and they’ll replace it for you.

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By Sean MacKinnon

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    Ohio (WLWT) — It’s been a decade since a two-year-old girl was murdered in Butler County, but her father’s act of organ donation saved another life.

The little boy who received Kinsley Kinner’s lungs is now 10 years older.

At Springboro Cemetery in Warren County, Kinner’s headstone is decorated for Halloween.

The little girl is forever two years old, but part of her lives with Wyatt Linderman.

“Sometimes I cry because I start talking about her story,” 12-year-old Wyatt said.

In 2015, Kinner was murdered by her mother’s boyfriend in Butler County. Bradley Young was sentenced to life in prison. Rebekah Kinner was sentenced to 11 years for her part in Kinsley’s death.

Hundreds of people attended the 2-year-old’s funeral and candlelight vigils. In Kinsley’s death, another family was given a second chance.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without Kinsley and her father’s choice,” Jordan Linderman, Wyatt’s mother, said.

Kinsley’s father, Scott Senft, made the decision to allow his daughter’s organs to be donated.

“He was a really good father, and he loved her to death and this tore him up,” Terry Senft said.

But his choice to allow organ donation saved a little boy’s life.

“He [Wyatt] is the recipient of Kinsley’s lungs. So we always try to keep her memory alive the best that we can,” Jordan said.

Every year around Kinsley’s birthday, Wyatt and Jordan visit her grave. They’re often joined by Kinsley’s dad and family, like her great-grandmother Terry Senft.

“They’re like our family now, we feel like they’re a part of us,” Senft said.

Wyatt and Kinsley’s dad, Scott, first met in 2015. Today, they’re even closer.

“He loves being friends with Wyatt. They get along great,” Senft said. “He got him a mini bike and took it to Wyatt.”

With Kinsley’s donated lungs, Wyatt plays soccer and basketball.

“I want to be a doctor or athlete, but if that doesn’t work out, then a doctor, like heart or lung [doctor],” Wyatt said.

Even with doctor visits over the years, the seventh-grade student is growing up healthy.

Kinsley’s organ donation is forever a gift.

“It changed my life because she gave me the way of living, and I wouldn’t really be here today without her lungs and her family making that decision,” Wyatt said.

He’s living proof of an organ donation success story. Linderman played on Team Ohio in the Transplant Games last year and plans to compete in Denver in 2026.

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By Pamela Comme

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    NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Florida (WESH) — After decades of living on Normand Avenue, Earl Wischmeier is no stranger to flooding. His New Smyrna Beach home has been hit twice, but after the last storm, he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands.

“I lifted everything up, loaded everything in the attic, cleaned up the mess,” Wischmeier said. “Within four or five hours after the hurricane, we had it all swept up and dried up and cleaned up and fans going.

But rather than relocate, the longtime resident made a different choice: He raised his house.

“It’s no good if it floods,” he said.

Wischmeier elevated his entire home 46 inches off the ground, a project that’s taken time, planning, patience, and the help of a few friends and people. From designing the lift to securing materials and determining where to stay during construction, the process has been anything but straightforward.

“I built the garage in the back, and I lived in the garage when I worked,” he said. “We worked on the house, but we really were only out of the house for like three months.”

He is now back home, finishing up the remaining work and optimistic about the future, despite acknowledging the slow pace.

“I don’t know how much time I have left,” he said. “Probably forever. Slow going.”

The project cost around $100,000, but Wischmeier says it’s already paying off. Confident that the risk of future flooding has been drastically reduced, he has canceled his flood insurance altogether.

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