Category: CNN Regional

By Leah Phillips

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    EASLEY, South Carolina (WYFF) — Dozens of women participated in the first-ever “Timeless Queens of Fleetwood Beauty Pageant” on Wednesday.

The pageant, held at Fleetwood Post-Acute in Easley, was a two-day event, with the swimwear and talent portions held on Tuesday.

For the second portion, the ladies put on their best dresses, and were escorted in front of the crowd by local police and firemen.

Toni Durnil, the activity director for Fleetwood Post-Acute, was in charge of running Wednesday’s show. She knew she wanted to make the experience special for the ladies participating, which is why she got the community involved.

“Just because people have wrinkles, people might see that,” said Durnil. “That’s not how I see things, I look into their spirit, their soul.”

Participants had their hair, makeup, and nails done by students at the Upstate College of Cosmetology. Ashley Johnson, a cosmetology education specialist at the school, said Durnil reached out to ask for help with making the ladies feel pampered on the day of the pageant.

“Not only did it brighten their day, but it brightened our day. We learned so much,” said Johnson.

At the end of the show, each participant was given a specialized award, but in true pageant fashion, the first ever “Timeless Queen” was crowned, as well as runners-up.

“We always have that little child in us that wants to dress up, and to wear a crown, and to feel beautiful.”

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By Bethany Cates

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    GUILFORD COUNTY, North Carolina (WXII) — A Guilford Metro 911 operator is receiving praise after using her skills and experience to help save a woman from being sexually assaulted, all while remaining silent on the line.

The call taker allowed the caller to guide them using descriptions in conversation to pinpoint a location, what was going on, and how to get the victim out safely.

This all happened Sept. 7 around 5:30 a.m. Guilford County Metro 911 received a call that they knew required immediate assistance.

“I looked at the call, and I thought OMG, this is awful, and I said, ‘We need to get people there quick,'” said Alexis Johnson, Emergency Communication Specialist Master.

Johnson dispatches first responders to scenes.

Within seconds of being on the phone with the operator, the caller stated, “Why you got a gun pointed at me?”

Johnson said that at that point, the operator did not speak but instead collected information.

“So she starts taking the call, from what I understood, the female wasn’t speaking to her, it was more an open line, and she could hear everything,” said Johnson.

Johnson said while the operator was taking in the details, she was reading the notes to see who she could dispatch to the location.

“I happened to look at the map, and I saw that Guilford County Sheriff’s Office had some units that were actually going to be a little bit closer,” said Johnson.

Johnson and the team said that they were able to use RapidSOS, which is a tool that helps to narrow down the exact location of where the victim was.

Senior Shift Supervisor Kellie Zimmerman said the location is often the most important detail they need to be able to send help.

“If they are not able to speak freely, it is always great if they can try to give us some context clues, what’s going on, try to say things out loud,” said Zimmerman.

Zimmerman said the operator who took this call averages about 18,000 calls a year, and she is immensely proud of her dedication to serving the community.

“I just want to give credit to my call taker who handled this,” said Zimmerman. “She is solely a call taker, which is the foundation of 911. We could not do our job without solid call takers.”

Officers arrived within minutes and made an arrest before a sexual assault could occur.

WXII is working to learn more about the suspect in this case.

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By Carson Zorn, Samantha Romero

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    PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida (WBBH) — A woman was arrested Monday after being accused of stealing a motorized Publix shopping cart and driving it down Airport Road in Punta Gorda.

According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a Publix store located on Tamiami Trail in Punta Gorda around 10:12 a.m.

Deputies say they talked to the store manager, who told them that a woman had come to the store, stolen a motorized shopping cart and was seen driving it south on Tamiami Trail from Airport Road.

Deputies tracked the woman, identified as Robin Zick, 42, of Punta Gorda, to a Circle K gas station on South Tamiami Trail, almost a mile from the Publix.

Deputies met with Zick, who was still sitting on the cart, and confirmed that the cart, valued at $2,500, was stolen from the Publix.

Emergency medical services then arrived on the scene due to a phone call that Zick had made prior to deputies speaking with her, the CCSO said.

Deputies questioned Zick, who told them that she had taken the motorized shopping cart to go to a medical appointment she had. She told deputies she planned on driving the cart to her appointment and then bringing it back to the Publix.

Zick was then transported to the hospital for further evaluation.

After being released from the hospital, deputies arrested Zick.

Zick faces charges of grand theft.

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By Stephanie Stahl

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — October marks the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a disease that strikes mainly women, but doctors say people need to understand it can also happen to men.

Juan Namnun, the baseball coach at Frankford High School in Philadelphia, is also a breast cancer patient.

“Shock, it’s hard to put in words when you hear, ‘I’m sorry to tell you this, there’s no easy way, you have cancer,'” he said. “I knew very little about it; it never crossed my mind.”

The 47-year-old Delran, New Jersey, father of three ended up having a double mastectomy.

“It was the hardest thing I ever had to do emotionally and physically,” he said.

Namnun said months of physical therapy were torture as simple activities were painful.

“Open refrigerator doors, I couldn’t because they took so much muscle mass out, steering wheel, holding umbrella, things of that nature, so life has been a huge challenge, but I’m on my way back,” Namnun said.

Namnun is in a rare group of about 2,800 men who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, just 1% of all cases.

“I think most men are relatively unaware that they can get breast cancer,” Dr. Lori Timmerman, of Virtua Health, said.

Timmerman, a breast cancer surgeon, said men like Namnun need to check themselves because there are no screening guidelines.

“So, usually it’s a change to your breast tissue, either thickening of the nipple, a nodule in your breast tissue or in your chest area, and it’s something that’s there and then doesn’t go away,” Timmerman said.

Namnun is now taking chemotherapy drugs and is relieved to be back at the ballpark.

Namnun is also working on raising awareness about male breast cancer with a special baseball event to help crush cancer.

Namnun and his wife, Lena, are the founders of the Philadelphia Public League Coaches vs. Cancer Baseball Fest.

It’s a one-day event to help “crush” cancer.

The event attracts about 200 people annually and has raised $25,000 for the American Cancer Society. This year, Juan Namnun invited Timmerman to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the tournament.

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By Christina Fan

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A dramatic partial building collapse that sent bricks crumbling nearly 20 stories Wednesday in the Bronx remains under investigation.

Remarkably, no one was hurt. Still, many residents say other ongoing safety issues in the NYCHA high-rise need to be addressed.

A safety fence now surrounds the collapse zone in a courtyard at the Mitchel Houses on Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven section.

City agencies continue their cleanup and inspection efforts, as they try to pinpoint the cause of the explosion that led an entire corner of the high-rise to collapse Wednesday morning. Officials said the force came from the boiler room and sent shockwaves up the chimney.

The city says 38 apartments were issued vacate orders, and more than 140 residents were relocated out of an abundance of caution. Gas has also been shut off for the entire complex.

“October 1st is when the city turns on the heat. So there was an individual downstairs who was turning on the system,” Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry said Wednesday night. “This is an investigative theory that the pilot, before it was lit, caused this incident to happen.”

Other residents who have been cleared to stay in their homes say they aren’t sure they want to. Many said the building has a laundry list of other safety issues.

“I’m very scared. I want to know what’s going to happen with the rest of these buildings, because I hope it’s not, you know, the same condition,” one resident said.

“It’s sad that we, as New Yorkers, we have to go through this,” said resident Tania Cruz. “We never expect for something to happen like this. Going through it is just like, what’s next?”

According to city records, the building at 205 Alexander Avenue has two active violations from the Department of Buildings dating back to 2020 for unsafe facades. The most recent is from February 2024.

A group of residents plans to hold a rally Thursday morning, calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to provide NYCHA with the funding to maintain and upgrade their buildings to prevent events like this from happening.

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