Category: CNN Regional

By Catherine Ross

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    NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio (WEWS) — The trigonometric functions written on Jake Lord’s classroom whiteboard could easily look like a foreign language to the non-math-savvy among us.

“In this sense, we are in pre-calculus and so we’re getting towards calculus,” the Lake Ridge Academy math teacher explained.

Lord teaches both classes, along with AP statistics, at the private K-12 school in North Ridgeville. The equations on his whiteboard could be considered a warm-up for three students he said have displayed an extraordinary math aptitude.

“I’ve never had students like these three, where math is their favorite thing to do, even outside of school,” he said.

Kisen Yao, Shirley You and Eric Shin recently beat out thousands of other students to advance to the finals of an international math competition.

“They are way past me. I don’t know that I’d be able to come to the solutions that they did,” Lord laughed.

The three friends share a passion for math.

“I think I like that math always has an answer,” said Shin.

The Lake Ridge Academy senior is an exchange student from South Korea. You and Yao are also exchange students from China. All three have spent their high school careers at the private school in North Ridgeville.

They said the excitement of their recent competition has been a highlight of their time abroad.

“I think this is one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had, not just because of the uniqueness of the competition and the results,” said Yao, a high school junior. “But also, it was a really awesome experience to work with my teammates and communicate and work through those fantastic problems.”

As the president of the school’s math club, Yao had the idea to enter the MathWorks Math Modeling Competition and enlist You and Shin.

“I kind of wanted to explore how math can be related to real life,” said You, also a junior at the school.

The M3 Challenge is an international math modeling competition. The competition’s work time spans a continuous 14-hour period, at the end of which teams submit a solution paper explaining their work and conclusions.

This year’s 770 teams used provided data to explore the rise of online gambling and its impact in the U.S. and U.K.

“How the money they lose during the gambling might affect their whole household. It was a really interesting problem,” said Shin.

The team initially received word that it had been selected as semi-finalists.

“That was good enough,” said You.

Then, on spring break, they found out their solutions were impressive enough to be among the top six finalist teams.

You said, “I was so surprised.”

On Sunday, the students will be flying to New York City to present their findings to a panel of professional mathematicians. The winning team will receive a $20,000 scholarship.

“Something like this is huge for their future,” Lord said.

All three students hope to attend U.S. colleges. After Shin graduates this spring, he will attend the University of Southern California. You said she hopes to attend UCLA. Yao’s dream school is MIT.

All three plan to study math-related fields.

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 Ryan Gamboa

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KSHB) — Wednesday’s announcement that the Royals will build a new ballpark at Hallmark headquarters in Kansas City brought back fond memories for Judy Manning.

“He was just a poor boy from southern Indiana who grew up enjoying art,” she said of her husband.

Judy was married to her husband, Shannon Manning, for 62 years.

Shannon Manning passed away four years ago.

In 1967, he was recruited by Hallmark to work in its package design department, where he often worked with paper products and ornate decor.

She remembered a quiet and kind man that always had a knack for creation.

Her den studio in her senior living community is lined with his artwork.

“Any trip we’d take, he always had a sketchbook and a pencil or pen,” Manning said.

It was only a few years after her husband began his Hallmark job that the Kauffman family asked the company to have its designers create a lasting logo for the new team.

“They chose Shannon’s over 16, 20 people who designed emblems, but they chose Shannon’s. A wise decision, I thought,” she said.

Manning remembered the excitement and disbelief the Kauffman’s selected his work.

There were even perks that came with being selected, including season tickets for a year and complimentary tickets to some games after that first season.

It wasn’t about the prize to Shannon, but how he used his passion and creativity.

“It’s so clever, a lot of people don’t realize that the logo is a takeoff of home plate,” Manning explained. “Of course, the crown, Hallmark, the Royals, it’s all together. They’re family.”

At Wednesday’s press conference, where the Royals and Hallmark announced the downtown stadium project, Don Hall, Jr., executive chairman at Hallmark, mentioned Manning’s creation.

“There’s an interesting history the Royals and Hallmark share,” he said. “John [Sherman] alluded to it. When the Royals came to Kansas City, they adopted the crown. That has become one of Major League’s most enduring and unmistakably Kansas City icons. That crown was designed by a Hallmark artist. When a new Royals stadium opens here at Crown Center, it will return to the very neighborhood where it was created.”

Manning’s work was also featured in a stadium hype video shared at the announcement gathering and on social media.

“I almost broke down in tears, really,” Manning said. “I wanted that. I wanted that to be the case. I wanted them to hang onto that logo, and of course, the scoreboard. I always thought the scoreboard was wonderful when we were at the stadium.”

Manning spends much of her day in that den studio, surrounded by her husband’s artwork and working on pieces of her own.

“It’s comforting,” she said. “It makes me feel like he’s near. He’s got his arms around me every time I’m in that room.”

But there’s one piece of art she keeps near her, in her bedroom. It’s the final paper sculpture he created, an intricate image of Kauffman Stadium and the scoreboard that bears his design.

“The last piece he did, the last paper sculpture he did, was of the Royals stadium,” she explained. “I hope that the Royals will want it back, and put it in the Hall of Fame.”

There’s plenty of Royals memorabilia inside her home, a tribute to her husband and the team they love, coming home.

“I hope that it never fades, baseball will never fade,” Manning said. “Baseball is here to stay and we think that the emblem is here to stay too now. He would be ever so proud.”

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 DeJanay Booth-Singleton

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    Michigan (WWJ) — Police officers in Madison Heights, Michigan, helped a 72-year-old woman who was unconscious from choking at a restaurant.

According to the Madison Heights Police Department, officers responded on April 16 to Charlie’s Restaurant on N. Campbell Road. Police found the woman from Shelby Township who was not breathing and lifted the woman from a seated position to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

Police say two of the officers alternated on performing the abdominal thrusts while two other officers kept the woman upright. Within minutes, officers dislodged the blockage, and the woman was able to breathe again.

Police say the woman was transported to a hospital for observation and was discharged later that day.

“Although the woman wished to remain anonymous, she expressed heartfelt appreciation for the actions of the first responders, crediting them with saving her life,” police said. “The Madison Heights Police Department extends special recognition to Officer Teal, Officer Rivera, Officer Al-Hilfi, and Officer Berlucchi for their swift actions. Their efforts reflect an unwavering dedication to public safety and their commitment to serving the Madison Heights community.”

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 Julia Avant

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    Michigan (WWJ) — Around this time six years ago, restaurants and bars were closed due to the pandemic, forcing regulars to stay home.

Instead of letting friendships that started at local dives fade away, one group of guys in Metro Detroit kept theirs alive in a garage.

“We go back a little way, a dozen years for some of us,” said Pete Belanski.

To the people driving by, it looks like your typical group of guys hanging out at a buddy’s house. But if you look a little closer, you’ll find a group of men in all different stages of life with one thing in common: true friendship.

“Everybody would get there about four and break up at six. We were the happy hour guys,” said Belanski.

The Happy Hour Guys met five times a week for almost a decade at a bar and grill in Metro Detroit until the pandemic.

Stopping what these men looked forward to every week, but not for long.

“They were shutting down the bars on Tuesday, and I think Thursday we were here,” said Belanski.

That’s how the Corona Lodge came to be, with a little decor and a bigger fridge and TV. A buddy’s garage took social distancing to a whole new level.

“A lot of people think it’s crazy, but I don’t. They say they are still coming by, and I said, ‘ Why wouldn’t they? ‘” said Scott Cavanaugh, the homeowner’s son.

Cavanaugh’s father, Bill, started the lodge. He says his dad’s rules were to bring your own chair, booze, and not to talk about politics.

Business was good for the Corona Lodge for six years, even after Bill got sick.

“He would ask me over and over again, ‘You are going by the house to see the guys, right?’ It was important to him you don’t want to make them feel like they are imposing,” said Cavanaugh.

Sadly, Bill died a couple of weeks ago. Losing the man who started their beloved tradition is something that’s still hard for the group to talk about. But they say they are grateful for the man who never gave up on friendship.

“We miss him, you know. Bill was one of a kind grouchy dude, but we loved him,” said Belanski.

From a group of friends who met five times a week, the Corona Lodge is now open every day until their friend’s home is sold, which is something the group is not focusing on; they just want to focus on the friendships and the memories that will live forever.

“You need a shoulder to cry on or somebody to fix something, here they are,” said Belanski.

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 Briauna Brown, CBS Texas Staff

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    Texas (KTVT) — A man who was naked when he attacked two men with firewood, killing one, was found not guilty by reason of insanity on Tuesday, according to court records.

Court records show that the suspect, Chrisantus Omondi, was charged with the January 2024 murder of 51-year-old Scotty Jackson.

How the murder unfolded According to a police affidavit, on Jan. 13, 2024, Fort Worth officers were called to a home on Wendover Drive, where they found a man lying in the front yard with severe blunt force trauma to his head. The victim, later identified as Jackson, died at the scene.

A homeowner told police that he called Jackson to purchase and deliver firewood to his home, and after arriving by U-Haul to unload it, Jackson and the homeowner were approached by a naked man, Omondi, who was 27 at the time.

Omondi reportedly claimed that he was the owner of the home and held up a key. When the homeowner and Jackson told Omondi to leave, Omondi allegedly picked up a piece of firewood and hit both Jackson and the homeowner in the head.

The homeowner told police that Omondi chased him, and he ran inside his home to call 911. But while he was on the phone, the homeowner witnessed Omondi attacking Jackson again, striking him repeatedly before he dumped a wheelbarrow on him, the affidavit said.

Omondi then went to another home on Wendover Drive that operated as an Airbnb, renting individual rooms to tenants. One of those tenants said she believed Omondi was high on a substance.

When officers approached the Airbnb, they heard yelling before Omondi, still naked, came outside. Officers said Omondi became aggressive he was ultimately tased and taken into custody.

Omondi was charged with murder and aggravated assault.

Victim’s daughter calls killing unforgiveable CBS News Texas spoke with Jackson’s daughter, Kasey DeLeon, following the incident. She described her father as hardworking and said, “He would do anything for anybody.”

DeLeon expressed how she wanted justice for her father’s murder and how hard it would be to live without him.

What happens now? After the judge’s insanity ruling, Omondi will be immediately committed to a maximum-security unit designated by the Department of State Health Services for evaluation and treatment upwards of 30 days.

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 Lauren Linder

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    PITSSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Crews made a nearly 100-year-old discovery underground in the Alle-Kiski Valley while cleaning up a former hazardous site.

Outside the Stop’ n Shop convenience store at Spring Hill and Freeport in Harrison Township, workers have been actively uncovering what could be considered historical artifacts below the surface of the parking lot where there once was a gas station decades ago.

Spokespeople for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection told KDKA they first started receiving complaints about the smell of gasoline from the sewer system in the area in 2018, and they started to drill in 2019. Then came the pandemic and they took a pause until March 3, with contractors from EnviroTrac discovering 10 underground storage tanks dating back to 1929.

The agency confirmed to KDKA that some were leaking because they were structurally compromised, with tests showing groundwater was contaminated with gasoline.

Crews removed any contaminated soil, and as of Wednesday, they’re almost done filling the hole, with the DEP saying remediation work is underway “to address an imminent and substantial threat to public health and welfare.”

In the process, the agency said it’s testing all contaminated materials “to ensure proper handling, transportation, and disposal.”

The DEP said no one knew the tanks were there because they were never registered with the state due to how old they are. It wasn’t until 1989 when the Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act became law, requiring registration of most underground tanks.

The agency expects the project to continue for at least another month.

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 Brian Unger

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    CONYERS, Georgia (WUPA) — The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo just thundered through Conyers, drawing riders from across the country, all chasing eight seconds of glory.

Under the lights of the Charles C. Walker Arena at the Georgia International Horse Park, the scene is part pageantry, part pressure cooker.

Boots are polished, hats are set just right, and the crowd roars when the gate swings open. For 19-year-old Terrance Jackson of Conyers, the assignment is simple: stay on the horse.

The rodeo’s operators call it “the greatest show on dirt,” and after 42 years, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo has become the longest-running Black rodeo in the country — a traveling celebration of culture, competition, and history that rarely gets its due.

Named for Bill Pickett, the cowboy, showman, and early film star who invented “bulldogging” (yes, that involved leaping from a horse onto a steer and, incredibly, biting its lip, and wrestling it down by its horns) — the event carries forward a legacy that helped build the American West, even if history books didn’t write it.

That legacy lives on through CEO Valeria Cunningham, who sees something deeper than competition in the arena and sees the riders as more than competitors. Parents, she says, often tell her, “When my child comes and competes, they feel like they’re surrounded by family.”

Beneath the bravado, the bucking, the boots, there’s belonging and history. Because behind every ride is an echo of the thousands of Black cowboys who helped shape the American West.

On this night, in Georgia dirt, they’re holding on to that legacy and a bucking horse. For Terrance Jackson, eight seconds were all it took to win.

“Man versus beast,” he said, “It ain’t nobody but you and that horse, and you hold on with all you got.”

Next stop for the Pickett Rodeo is Fort Worth, Texas, before the tour heads to its finals in Washington, D.C., this September.

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 Ryan Hughes

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    SEWELL, New Jersey (KYW) — Step inside the DePace Sports Museum of Champions and you’ll find some of the most treasured sports artifacts and collectables that span several centuries.

From golden statues of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, and the actual trunks they wore during “The Fight of the Century” in 1971, to the locker Babe Ruth used, the nonprofit museum in Sewell, New Jersey, offers visitors a unique display of sports history from around the world, with an emphasis on the tradition of Philly sports.

“It brings all these people back, and they reminisce, ‘Oh, I remember this, I remember that, or I shared this with my dad.’ Really special moments, and it brings it back,” said Dr. Nicholas DePace, who owns the museum.

But DePace is reflecting on his own special moment that happened three weeks ago in Rome. DePace had a private audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, an experience he said is beyond once in a lifetime, or even winning a Super Bowl.

“I told him we’re bringing you some gifts from the Philadelphia area, and his eyes lit up because he’s a Villanova graduate,” DePace said.

DePace’s good friend set up the meeting, and knowing Leo is a sports fan and grew up in Chicago, he presented him with not only a custom Villanova basketball jersey, but also an autographed White Sox photo from when the team won the World Series in 2005, and a game-used football from the Bears’ 1946 championship season.

“I think we made him happy, and we wanted to bring some joy to him as he’s bringing joy to everybody else,” DePace said.

DePace said sports unite people around the world, and with the Flyers in the playoffs for the first time in six years, he’s hoping for a little divine intervention.

“I wouldn’t count them out. Miracles can happen, the pope will tell you that, and even though he’s not a Flyers fan, I’m sure he would be excited if they were to get into the Stanley Cup,” he said.

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 Shannon Brinias

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    HICKS, Texas (KTBS) — A community came together to support an 8-year-old East Texas boy battling a dangerous form of cancer — and their effort has made a life-changing difference.

For Easton Green, even the final few steps up to his new front door can feel heavy. But those steps led to something extraordinary: seeing his new home for the very first time. The house, along with everything inside it, was donated by people moved by his family’s situation.

“We have been working really hard to get all of this together so that when this family comes home, they can turn it into a happy haven of peace and just rest and relaxation,” said Michelle Cox of Chloe’s Journey of Faith.

Easton has been battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is expected to undergo two or more years of chemotherapy — treatment that will further strain his already compromised immune system. His family’s previous mobile home had mold and plumbing issues, making it unsafe for someone in his condition. At first, organizers thought they could rehab it but eventually settled on replacing it once contractors got a look at the scope of work needed.

“Since Easton got sick, we have had the community come out — and really, the outreach has been amazing,” said his grandmother, Krista Smith Klectka.

Organizer Michelle Cox understands the difficult road ahead, as the mother of a critically ill child, Chloe, who died at 13 and for whom the nonprofit Chloe’s Journey of Faith is named.

When the call for help went out, people from across Texarkana, the surrounding region, and even beyond stepped up.

“I was able to reach out to all of our contractors — the moving company, the skirting crew, the AC company. There were so many people involved, and they’ve all very generously donated their time,” said Taylor Bradshaw, Clayton Homes of Texarkana general manager.

Through those combined efforts, the cost of the home was significantly reduced, with donations covering all but $19,000 of the price. Now, Easton and his family can focus more on his treatment and less on financial stress.

The new home offers not just shelter, but a safer, healthier environment as Easton continues his fight.

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.