Category: CNN Regional

By Nick Lunemann

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    Minnesota (WCCO) — More than a year after a devastating hockey injury changed his life, Jackson Drum walked across the stage to receive his high school diploma.

Jackson Drum, an Alexandria, Minnesota, teenager, was injured during a hockey game in Vancouver, Canada, in January 2025.

His mother, Erica Drum, said he suffered a severe spinal cord injury and doctors told the family he might not be able to eat, swallow, breathe or walk on his own again.

Since returning home to Alexandria, Jackson Drum has spent months in physical therapy at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute. His family drives from Alexandria to Golden Valley several times a week for therapy.

His progress has come gradually. Erica Drum said her son started with a platform walker, then moved to a smaller walker, and later began using arm crutches.

Graduation became one of his biggest goals.

“Not the whole school has seen me walk,” Jackson Drum said before the ceremony.

When his name was called, Jackson Drum walked across the stage as classmates, family and friends cheered.

Jackson Drum said his recovery is not over. He plans to attend a program at Rutgers University this summer to help students with spinal cord injuries learn how to live more independently before college.

He hopes to eventually attend Liberty University and return to hockey by coaching.

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 Hannah McIlree

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    Michigan (WWJ) — Temporary concrete barriers are now in place outside the Evans Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport after a driver crashed an SUV into the building entrance Friday morning.

The crash happened around 9:30 a.m., shortly before Jose Restrepo and his wife arrived at DTW.

“In a world of risk and probabilities, unexpected things can happen,” Restrepo said. “So we have to live with these things; just manage them.”

Police say a 67-year-old man drove a Cadillac SUV the wrong way down Rogell Drive before slowly passing through gaps in protective barricades, openings designed to meet ADA accessibility requirements, and crashing into the terminal’s front doors. The vehicle stopped just short of a security checkpoint. Despite the incident, some travelers say they still feel safe.

“I guess it won’t happen again, hopefully, but who knows?” said traveler Natalie Hicks, who was flying to Texas. “Yeah, I feel safe.”

Airport officials say the newly installed barriers are part of an enhanced temporary safety measure. A permanent solution is in the works and will include reinforced bollards or barriers designed to prevent vehicles from reaching pedestrian areas. Some visitors initially mistook the added barriers for routine roadwork.

“I’ve driven in five states in the past two days, and there’s been a lot of construction,” said Mackenzie Krahl, visiting from North Carolina. “So the barriers — I honestly just thought it was part of construction and nothing out of the ordinary.”

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 Nikki DeMentri, Will Kenworthy

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — A historic donation to a historic home — the family of Betsy Ross is donating an important piece of history this month to the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia.

CBS News Philadelphia caught up with Eric Conrad ahead of the unveiling in Old City.

Last month, he started the “Original 13 Odyssey” bike journey. It’s a 60-day, 3,600-mile tour of America’s original 13 colonies.

“I’m going to the original 13 states. I’m going to the original capitals, and so I’m going down the coast, mainly,” Conrad said.

On June 14 — Flag Day — the dad from Maryland is making a stop in Philadelphia at the Betsy Ross House.

“I’m related to Betsy Ross. She is my great, great, great, great grandmother,” Conrad said.

Conrad shared that his family still owns several things from Ross. Her original sewing table was one of those items.

“I’ve always been used to seeing an old sewing table that belonged to her and pulling drawers open and seeing the little piece of material and bobbins and things like that,” Conrad said.

Conrad’s family passed it down from generation to generation.

“And my mom, same thing, she had it right next to her kitchen,” Conrad said. “When my mom passed, it came to me, and it always sat right next to our kitchen.”

It’s currently missing a drawer. Why? Well, the Betsy Ross House team notes that historians believe Betsy used the drawer as a sewing basket to carry around all of her supplies. The drawer, they say, was later replaced, and now the team is working alongside woodworkers to match the piece.

“We need to remind people what they fought for. Betsy and her husband all had gone through the war and such an effort to get freedom,” Conrad said.

That’s Conrad’s reason for donating the sewing table that sat next to his kitchen all those years.

As for his bike journey, he did that before — in 1976 — for the nation’s bicentennial.

“I did a 44-day trip, 3200 miles, rode about 85 miles a day. No phones, no cellphones, no internet, all paper maps,” Conrad said with a laugh.

So this trip … “I’m calling it twice in a lifetime,” Conrad finished the sentence.

And twice this trip, he’ll be in America’s birthplace, on Flag Day and the Fourth of July.

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 Dre Bradley

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KSHB) — The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department said a 5-year-old boy died Saturday after being struck by a falling tree on Wednesday, May 27.

The child was pronounced dead at 3:03 p.m. Saturday after being removed from life support, KCPD said.

Kansas City, Missouri, police are now treating this incident as a death investigation.

We reached out to the family of the 5-year-old boy — they said they just want privacy and prayers at this point.

We also reached out to Kansas City Parks & Recreation, which owns the area. The department did not provide a statement and directed us to contact KCPD.

On May 27, shortly after 10 a.m., KCFD was notified about a person struck by a falling tree near NW 68th Street and NW Waukomis Drive.

Upon arrival, fire crews determined that a large tree had fallen on a child.

KCPD said the tree fell on the boy as he was playing in a creek.

Gerald Kutz, a Northland resident who visits Line Creek Trail every week, says the news is devastating.

“I’m very sad for the family and sad that this happened,” Kutz said.

Kutz says the trail is a popular destination for families.

“I know this is a great trail for families to come down and use the creek,” Kutz said. “Such a rare occurrence for something like that to happen.”

He also says falling trees are not an uncommon sight along the trail.

“Well, I’ve ridden the trail enough to know that trees frequently fall,” Kutz said.

Oscar Velasquez, who also rides his bike on the trail, says he has seen branches and trees on the ground there before.

In an interview in his native Spanish, he also said he feels very sorry for the family.

“It hurts me a lot that this happened. I am very sorry for the family members,” Velasquez 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 Liz Crawford

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — The fact is, the federal workforce is smaller than it was two years ago. Since January 2025, more than 275,000 federal workers have been eliminated, and one reason for that was incentives from the Trump administration.

Now, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is experiencing a historic surge in retirement applications, and more than 35,000 former government employees are currently waiting for their full retirement benefits.

Darryl Woodson, 65, worked for the federal government for nearly half a century. After the many cuts to the workforce last year, he decided to enroll in the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), which paid him three months’ salary before his retirement benefits were supposed to kick in. He says that hasn’t happened yet and he’s out of money.

Woodson’s story starts in 1979 when he was 18 years old, and his mother, who had taught him how to sew, made him take the government job.

“I would sit at the sewing machine, and I would make clothes for the Marines, for the Coast Guard, for the Air Force,” Woodson said.

He said he made $5.26 per hour but kept getting promotion after promotion. Eight agencies and 46 years later, Woodson last worked at the Department of Housing and Urban Development based in Philadelphia.

In 2025, when the Trump administration proposed big cuts to all federal agencies, Woodson said he consulted his HR staff, who estimated he would receive more than $9,000 per month in retirement. He decided it was time.

“I love my job. I miss my job, but I had to leave because if I didn’t leave, there was a concern that my job may be abolished,” Woodson said.

He said after getting his full salary as expected, he was eligible to receive his monthly retirement benefit starting in October 2025, but he went months without anything until he says his retirement application was approved. Then he started receiving about $1,000 per month this past March.

“The savings have been exhausted. I’m relying on my good friends. I went from six figures to basically $1,000 a month,” Woodson said.

The Office of Personnel Management is the federal government’s human resources agency and oversees the retirement payments for federal workers. Woodson said he’s been trying to talk with someone at OPM for nine months but can’t get anyone on the phone or via email. Now, he sends a letter every day.

OPM’s website says it’s experiencing a historic surge of retirements, all while its own department lost 25% of its employees to the same incentives. Woodson said he understands the backlog, but he needs answers.

According to the OPM website, most retirees should have their full retirement payments within 60 days, but high volume means it’s taking longer. In the meantime, the agency issues “interim pay” usually within 30 days while they catch up on processing. Interim pay should be about 80% of one’s full retirement benefit.

OPM says 38,547 people are still waiting for their full retirement benefits and a lot of the issues with the retirement system predate the current administration.

After CBS News Philadelphia reached out to OPM, a spokesperson confirmed they are working on getting Woodson all the money he’s owed.

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 Allen Devlin

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    NEW YORK CITY, New York (WCBS) — The Knicks right now are the beating heart of New York City.

There’s an undeniable buzz throughout the five boroughs, a fever that hasn’t been present since 1999, the last time they made it to the NBA Finals.

“It sounds like we love our city, we love where were from. It’s about damn time,” resident Jev Vaughn said.

“It’s the best thing the city’s done since 1999,” Miguel Guzman said.

And while the franchise’s first championship in 53 years is hardly a foregone conclusion, there’s no doubt these Knicks not only have the respect of their opponents, the San Antonio Spurs, but also the support of the vast majority of the Big Apple’s 8.5 million residents heading into Game 1 on the road on Wednesday night.

Look no further than the MTA stations outside of Madison Square Garden. The iconic green lights have been replaced with basketballs, and the railings have been painted Knicks orange and blue.

“I think it’s awesome. It’s a really cute touch. I think it puts us in the basketball spirit,” Riddhi Bhattacharya said.

Pizza and Knicks basketball rule Carroll Gardens

Then there’s Prince Street Pizza in Carroll Gardens, Queens, which has been electrifying the block with outdoor watch parties during the playoffs. A popular eatery by day then transforms as the sidewalk becomes the center of the show on game nights.

“It was a beautiful thing because it just kind of happened organically,” former owner Dominic Morano said. “We’re gonna be out here every night. We’re gonna be parked right here. I’m gonna have the TV out. We’re gonna have chairs. We’re gonna close it off. We’re gonna have pizza. We’re gonna have a good time.”

And Wing Bar right next door will be carrying the alcohol portion of the party for the playoff participants.

“We have a backyard of like 200 people, to people all the way out standing in the street. We can’t do anything about it, but they’re all out there,” one employee said.

Bedtime officially canceled

Over at City Hall, Mayor Zohran Mamdani got into the spirit Monday by signing an executive order canceling bedtime for New York City’s youngest Knicks fans.

“All right, my friends, executive order is signed, bedtime is repealed. All of you can watch the Finals,” the mayor said to screams of joy.

Kids surveyed in the Woodlawn section of the Bronx couldn’t have been happier.

“I’m so excited. Wemby got nothing on us. Let’s go Knicks!” one said, referring to Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.

“I think it’s epic. I am going to stay up all night!” another said.

Jalen Brunson mural lights up East Williamsburg

And from the mayor’s house, we went to Morgan District Walls in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where a fresh mural of Knicks superstar point guard Jalen Brunson is now watching over the neighborhood.

“Man, it was amazing. We had maybe like eight or nine 7-8-year-olds. We had really small like 6-year-olds and we all gave them paintbrushes and stuff,” artist Nahabi Roman said.

All of it finalized just in time for the Finals.

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 Dan Raby

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    ATLANTA, Georgia (WUPA) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of up to $10,000 in the hopes that it will help authorities catch an inmate who has been on the run for days after escaping from a federal prison camp in Georgia.

Authorities are searching for 34-year-old Arthur Cofield, an Atlanta man who was serving an 11-year and three-month prison sentence for leading an $11 million fraud scheme while in custody.

The FBI says Cofield was discovered missing from the minimum-security camp next to the Federal Corrections Institution in Jessup on the afternoon of May 26.

The escapee is considered armed and dangerous and has ties to the metro Atlanta area.

Cofield is described as approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing approximately 210 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Investigators have not shared a description of what he may be wearing.

If you have any information about Cofield’s location, call the FBI’s Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-225-5324,or call the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-877-926-8332.

Inmate convicted of multi-million-dollar fraud scheme

Cofield was serving a prison sentence for armed robbery in Butts County and faced an attempted murder charge in Fulton County when federal prosecutors announced new charges in 2020.

Authorities say Cofield used a contraband cellphone to steal the identity and get into an online account of a Charles Schwab client, who was identified only as “S.K.” He then allegedly impersonated S.K. to contact Charles Schwab to open a checking account in their name, getting a co-conspirator to send him a picture of S.K.’s driver’s license and a Los Angeles utility bill as verification.

Now with access to the accounts, prosecutors say Cofield and a female co-conspirator reached out to an Idaho precious metal dealer, eventually leading Charles Schwab to wire $11 million from S.K.’s funds to the dealer to buy 6,106 American Gold Eagle coins. He then allegedly hired a private security company to transport the coins from Idaho to Atlanta, where investigators say a co-conspirator used them to arrange the purchase of a massive home near West Paces Ferry.

Cofield was found guilty to identity theft and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud and sentenced in 2024. As part of the sentencing, he was ordered to pay restitution to the victim.

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 Courtney Cole

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    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) — This summer, a Boston-based performer will hit the big screen in a movie that’s bound to make you laugh. Jujubee is one of the leads in “Stop! That! Train!” starring RuPaul. The cast is made up of famous queens like Latrice Royale, Symone, and more.

Jujubee is a four-time competitor on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

“RuPaul is a great human, a great businessman, a fabulous drag queen, and builds the best kinds of worlds for not just the queer audience, but everybody out there,” Jujubee said.

Behind the drag makeup and persona of Jujubee is Airline Inthyrath, a musician and performer who grew up in Lowell. They explained that “Lowell is a really loving place and very accepting. And I always felt like I was at home there.”

Airline first dressed in drag during a Halloween party and it changed his life.

“I thought that it was the coolest thing ever, and I finally felt beautiful for the first time.”

Now, he’s thrilled to take on the challenge of acting.

“It’s a very interesting layer for me. So I’m Airline dressed up as Juju, and then Juju’s acting as whatever character that I’m given. So in ‘Stop! That! Train!,’ it’s Airline playing Juju, playing Dee Dee,” Airline said.

It took just 19 days to film the movie, and Airline explained that it is just one big satire.

“So if you can imagine ‘Airplane,’ but it’s on a train and there’s drag queens. You’re gonna find that your favorite drag queens aren’t just great drag performers or makeup artists. You’re gonna see us actually dig in and act. We’re not just queens. We’re actors. So for people in towns that may have never experienced drag queens, what I want them to take away from this is that queer art is so important and visibility matters so much because I want that person in small town USA to see me and say to themselves, If Juju can do this, so can I,” Airline said.

“Stop! That! Train!” hits theaters nationwide on June 12th.

Airline is also preparing to release an EP of original music called “Mess For You,” and he’ll be in a “Wicked” parody in Provincetown in July.

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.