Category: CNN Regional

By Kevin Wallevand

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    MOORHEAD, Minnesota (WDAY) — Sometimes, neighbors on your block or living on a nearby farm become lifelong friends.

For a much loved retired school teacher from Moorhead, a generation gap has never stood in the way of a beautiful friendship that started more than a dozen years ago in a south side neighborhood.

Despite life changes, and more than 70 years separating them, the two are more connected than ever.

At 90, Clark Tufte scoots down the halls of Touchmark, ready to take on another day. But there is something special about their reconnection on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Kenzie Case is at Touchmark for another visit.

“How are you?” Case asks Clark as they stroll down the hall at Touchmark. “You have a busy week?”

Case is 16, a busy junior at Moorhead High School. But her friendship with Tufte goes back to when she was just a toddler.

“I remember every day after school, he would be sitting in his garage and he would wait for me to get off the bus. And we sat and talked about school,” she said.

Case, on a short break from high school, took down the decorations for Thanksgiving.

“We decorate the tree for all the seasons,” she said.

Tufte’s family will decorate for Christmas. But as Tufte will tell you, Kenzie has been there for him. He, for her. And everyone in both families couldn’t be happier.

“I love her so much and she loves me. And what I really, really appreciate is that my family welcomes it. None of them live here and my grandchildren and my kids, they just welcome it,” Tufte said.

Think of that, a simple conversation in a neighborhood driveway between a grandfather and toddler was so meaningful 13 years ago.

“I have enough love to go around,” Tufte said, laughing.

The friendship is only richer today.

“It is super nice, he is just one phone call away if I need anything. He is always there to talk,” Case said.

We change as we age. Meaningful connections like this, they sure don’t.

“I have to hug you. I am going to cry,” Tufte said, choking back tears at the end of the visit.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Erin Jones

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    NORTH TEXAS (KTVT) — With Christmas fast approaching, and families looking for pets to give their loved ones as gifts, the Better Business Bureau is issuing a warning about a puppy sales scams online.

One scam recently cost a North Texas family hundreds of dollars.

Dr. Nicckay Natson says when she came across a Google listing for a breeder specializing in Maltipoos, it was hard to resist the cute-looking puppies.

“You know, I just wanted another animal to love on, to dress up, to put bows in their hair,” she said.

Not once did she think the listing could be a scam.

“If it’s on Google, you would think it would be legit because you have to pay, you pay money to be on Google,” she said.

She communicated with the so-called breeder over email and texts and agreed to meet at an address in Dallas.

Natson and her husband sent a $750 deposit through Zelle, but then, when they got to their meeting point, something just felt off.

“When we got to the location we were looking and we’re like this doesn’t look great. Really, this is a hotel, they sent us to a hotel,” she said.

She immediately got on the phone.

“A lady answered, and I said, ‘We’re here, we’re here, to meet you,’ and the person who answered the phone acted like they didn’t know what I was talking about,” she said.

That’s when the Natsons realized that they’d been scammed.

“I just bawled and cried,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe that these people just scammed us.'”

“To be taken advantage of that way, it made us feel like we were just mistreated,” Alton Natson said.

The Better Business Bureau says these types of scams are on the rise, especially during the holidays.

“They are continuing because they are successful,” BBB Spokesperson Monica Horton said. “The crooks and the scammers, they pay for advertising, they pay for advertising on social media, they pay to be in the top of the search results.”

The nonprofit says always do reverse image searches of the pets to see if they show up on another website, and don’t pay anyone a dime until you see the pet in person. The Natsons also recommend FaceTiming both the breeder and their customers.

You can report any scam to the BBB and of course, the police, but getting your money back can be tough.

“A lot of these scams are perpetrated from outside the United States, so there’s not a whole lot that can be done,” Horton said.

The Natsons hope all this information gets across to anyone in the market for a new pet.

“Any deal that sounds too good to be true is too good to be true!” Alton Natson said.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Patsy Montesinos

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    LEBANON, Tennessee (WTVF) — Jesse Anne Bybee knows what it’s like to start over with nothing. That’s why she’s spending her days off driving around Lebanon, collecting winter clothes from more than 100 donors for women at The Next Door Recovery.

“Anything is appreciated because again these women don’t have anything and you know the journey is longer than just a 28-day rehab stay,” Bybee said.

After posting on social media asking for donations, the response overwhelmed her. The cause hits close to home — Bybee has walked the same path as the women she’s helping.

“It’s a very special place to me because they have helped heal me so many different times in my life,” she said.

Now nearly a year sober, Bybee wants to give back by doing for others what so many once did for her.

“It’s really hard to do this without support. And there’s no way that I would be here talking to you guys if it weren’t for my family and especially for The Next Door, because, you know, they really helped me,” Bybee said.

She’s not working alone. Arielle Dee, who is also in recovery and more than a year sober, joined the effort after seeing Bybee’s social media post.

“So when I seen her post, I reached out immediately and was like, take this off my hands. Get it to where it needs to go,” Dee said.

For both women, their ability to help others represents how far they’ve come.

“It shows that we do recover. It is possible. Like she said, where we came from to be able to do this today, there’s no words for it,” Dee said.

They hope their journey can inspire women currently in recovery.

“See that someone loves them. Someone cares enough to go out of their way and make sure they have what they need and that’s what it takes. That’s where that support comes from or else you don’t get better,” Dee said.

Bybee believes there’s a purpose behind her mission and plans to continue collecting donations.

“The more people that we have to help the better because this is such a huge epidemic,” she said.

She finds fulfillment in making a difference one winter coat at a time.

“I’m pleased that I can at least do this. That way these women can leave rehab and have some clothes to wear. Something that they can do whatever they please with. It’s theirs,” Bybee said.

Anyone wanting to help can reach out to Bybee on Facebook to make a donation or she encourages everyone to drop off items at local recovery centers or shelters in need.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Marvin Hurst

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    LINDSAY, Texas (KTVT) — Shawn Neu and his wife, Christy, are now offering a $4,250 reward, hoping to secure an arrest in the killing of one of their bison.

The reward is sponsored by SR Bison Ranch, Texas Bison Association, Gail Ahnert — a National Bison Association Member and Liberty Highlands Cattle Company.

“We’re going to find out who did it. And, you know, justice needs to be served on this,” Neu said. “Taking a member of our family, one of my wife’s babies.”

Neu said he could see beer cans near the County 301 Road portion of his property in Cooke County on the Monday before Thanksgiving. The previous night, the couple heard their dogs barking, but had no idea what it was connected to until they went to clean the fence line.

When the couple made their cleaning rounds, they made a gruesome discovery.

“We saw Louisiana lying there and no head at all,” he said. “My wife, you know, was hysterical at that point.”

Louisiana is the bison cow he bought in Jonesboro, Louisiana, seven months prior. Her carcass, he said, was decomposing after a one-shot kill, and she was headless. They called the Cooked County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Ray Sappington said the animal cruelty/livestock crime occurred between November 23 and November 26. But tracking a suspect has been formidable.

“What kind of makes this challenging was that it rained Sunday night going into Monday morning,” Sappington said. “So, any evidence that might have been there had been washed away. So, we didn’t see blood. We didn’t see drag marks. We didn’t see hair from going over the fence or through the fence.”

According to Sappington, there is no surveillance video. His deputies have been running down leads, but nothing has evolved into a suspect or arrest. The sheriff said this is the first time his office has investigated a crime like this since he was elected 5 years ago.

It’s a scene where he believes there was more than one person involved because of the weight of the bison’s head.

“That would be a pretty big challenge, to kill the animal and then get a head of that size and that weight across the pasture, through a fence, and into your vehicle by yourself,” Sappington said.

Neu said they have enhanced security on his property because this was a personal matter.

“I do take this personally. I take it personally that somebody would want to come out and, you know, violate one of our animals like this, trespass on our property, and just. It’s just really disrespectful,” Neu said.

Sappington said anyone with information about the case can call 940-665-3471, or send an anonymous tip to tips@co.cooke.tx.us.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

KTVT

By Marvin Hurst

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    LINDSAY, Texas (KTVT) — Shawn Neu and his wife, Christy, are now offering a $4,250 reward, hoping to secure an arrest in the killing of one of their bison.

The reward is sponsored by SR Bison Ranch, Texas Bison Association, Gail Ahnert — a National Bison Association Member and Liberty Highlands Cattle Company.

“We’re going to find out who did it. And, you know, justice needs to be served on this,” Neu said. “Taking a member of our family, one of my wife’s babies.”

Neu said he could see beer cans near the County 301 Road portion of his property in Cooke County on the Monday before Thanksgiving. The previous night, the couple heard their dogs barking, but had no idea what it was connected to until they went to clean the fence line.

When the couple made their cleaning rounds, they made a gruesome discovery.

“We saw Louisiana lying there and no head at all,” he said. “My wife, you know, was hysterical at that point.”

Louisiana is the bison cow he bought in Jonesboro, Louisiana, seven months prior. Her carcass, he said, was decomposing after a one-shot kill, and she was headless. They called the Cooked County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Ray Sappington said the animal cruelty/livestock crime occurred between November 23 and November 26. But tracking a suspect has been formidable.

“What kind of makes this challenging was that it rained Sunday night going into Monday morning,” Sappington said. “So, any evidence that might have been there had been washed away. So, we didn’t see blood. We didn’t see drag marks. We didn’t see hair from going over the fence or through the fence.”

According to Sappington, there is no surveillance video. His deputies have been running down leads, but nothing has evolved into a suspect or arrest. The sheriff said this is the first time his office has investigated a crime like this since he was elected 5 years ago.

It’s a scene where he believes there was more than one person involved because of the weight of the bison’s head.

“That would be a pretty big challenge, to kill the animal and then get a head of that size and that weight across the pasture, through a fence, and into your vehicle by yourself,” Sappington said.

Neu said they have enhanced security on his property because this was a personal matter.

“I do take this personally. I take it personally that somebody would want to come out and, you know, violate one of our animals like this, trespass on our property, and just. It’s just really disrespectful,” Neu said.

Sappington said anyone with information about the case can call 940-665-3471, or send an anonymous tip to tips@co.cooke.tx.us.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Kim Rafferty

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    NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) — We’re listening to your voice in Madison after several of you reached out to us about an apartment complex where two elevators weren’t working.

People who live at Madison Towers in Nashville say they feel trapped in their apartments after both elevators in the building broke down, leaving elderly and disabled tenants with no safe way to navigate the eleven-story complex.

Tenants say it’s causing a dangerous situation for disabled people living on higher floors there.

Tonya King, who lives on the seventh floor, said she hasn’t left her apartment in four days because the climb is too difficult.

“I am out of breath and I ain’t been down the stairs in four days because the elevator is out,” King said.

King made the trek down all seven floors just to speak with NewsChannel 5 about the elevator problems.

“Someone told me y’all were down here, that is the only reason I came down here myself,” King said. “We have two. We should not have both of them out and they keep coming to fix the one on the other side but it keep breaking down too.”

The building houses many elderly and disabled tenants who rely on Metro Development and Housing Agency vouchers. For these residents, using the stairs poses serious safety risks.

Lisa Kahner, who uses a walker and lives on the fourth floor, needed help getting down just to get to the food pantry.

“Don’t nobody want to help you because they can’t even get help themselves,” Kahner said.

Without working elevators, even her fourth-floor apartment feels impossibly high.

“I feel like crying right now because I was scared to death on them steps because I almost fell… Ain’t no telling what would happen,” Kahner said.

Both tenants said the problems began after a fire alarm Friday. Kahner said she couldn’t even evacuate during the emergency.

“Someone pulled the fire drill and I couldn’t get down because I couldn’t go down the steps,” Kahner said.

A sign posted on the elevators indicates Freeman Webb Company manages the property. The notice confirms both elevators are out of service.

King said residents on higher floors face even greater challenges.

“You got people paralyzed up higher on the 10th and 11th floor that can’t even get down,” King said.

King estimates a couple hundred people live in the building and she said tenants need a safer option for getting around.

I reached out to both the Metro Development and Housing Agency and Freeman Webb Company for comment.

A spokes person with MDHA said elevators stopped working Saturday evening. One elevator was restored on Sunday but had issues again. MDHA said they hope to have one of them running before the end of the day.

The property manager said they’re working on getting someone to speak with us, but we haven’t received any specific information yet.

In this article, WTVF used artificial intelligence to help them convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before they published it. WTVF cares about your trust in them and where you get your news, and using this tool allows them to convert their news coverage into different formats so they can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets WTVF’s journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Michael Rosales

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    CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, California (KSBW) — The Carmel City Council voted to permanently ban pickleball at Forest Hill Park, the city’s only public park with pickleball courts, after receiving noise complaints from neighbors.

“We’ve had laws against ice cream cones and high-heeled shoes, so this seems like another crazy one that you’re going to outlaw pickleball,” one attendee, Terry Moran, said.

A group of seniors who play pickleball weekly pushed back against the decision, feeling excluded from the decision-making process.

“We’ve been trying to participate as much as possible, but we feel like we’ve been left out of certain decisions,” Cynthia Vanderburg, a pickleball advocate, said.

The ban follows weeks of debate and was driven by complaints from a small group of residents living near the park.

“We’re not bad people saying you shouldn’t play your sport, just have compassion on the neighborhood that’s receiving this sport,” one attendee said.

Another added, “There are other places for these people to go and play. I can’t. What am I going to do? Sell my house and move away?”

Pickleball players argue that a few neighbors should not be able to shut down a sport that is important to many.

They emphasize the benefits of the sport, including exercise, enjoyment, and social interaction.

“It’s a great way to socialize, a great way to exercise, and it appears to be that the people who got this ban, or five people who live around the park, but there’s been no attempt to really look at what the community wants,” Moran said.

Council members acknowledged the arguments from both sides but ultimately decided to proceed with the ban.

The ban will take effect in 30 days, although pickleball is already off-limits at Forest Hill Park due to a temporary ban.

Despite the vote, the mayor expressed hope that the council could work with both sides to find a compromise.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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 Eva Andersen

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Families caring for seriously ill children received a moment of comfort and holiday joy Wednesday as CVS Health partnered with the Ronald McDonald House in University City to host a festive celebration designed to give them a break from medical routines.

Ten-year-old Gabe Peterson, who has lived with complex congenital heart defects since birth, was among the children enjoying the event. His family has stayed at the Ronald McDonald House since he was eight days old while he undergoes ongoing treatment and surgeries.

“They make me feel safe,” Peterson said.

Partners with CVS Health helped transform the house with holiday décor, crafts, dinner and giveaways, including blankets, teddy bears and gift cards. Organizers said the goal was to bring families a few hours of normalcy during a season many spend inside hospitals and care centers.

“We’re hoping that with the blankets, with the bears … that the families feel joy and warmth in an otherwise challenging time,” said Jenny McColloch, vice president of community impact and chief sustainability officer for CVS Health.

Philadelphia-based interior designer Meghan Gallagher, hired by CVS Health for the celebration, decorated the Ronald McDonald House with bright ornaments, trees and colorful holiday accents. She said she wanted families to feel “a little bit of joy, a little bit of comfort” the moment they walked in.

Gabe’s mother, Jessica Allen, said each detail made a difference.

“It makes it so nice for all of the families to be able to have the spirit of the holidays, and just all of the love and kindness that you see come out around the Ronald McDonald House,” she said.

The Ronald McDonald House will continue its holiday events next week with a 14-foot Christmas tree lighting on Tuesday.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.

KYW

By Eva Andersen

Click here for updates on this story

    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Families caring for seriously ill children received a moment of comfort and holiday joy Wednesday as CVS Health partnered with the Ronald McDonald House in University City to host a festive celebration designed to give them a break from medical routines.

Ten-year-old Gabe Peterson, who has lived with complex congenital heart defects since birth, was among the children enjoying the event. His family has stayed at the Ronald McDonald House since he was eight days old while he undergoes ongoing treatment and surgeries.

“They make me feel safe,” Peterson said.

Partners with CVS Health helped transform the house with holiday décor, crafts, dinner and giveaways, including blankets, teddy bears and gift cards. Organizers said the goal was to bring families a few hours of normalcy during a season many spend inside hospitals and care centers.

“We’re hoping that with the blankets, with the bears … that the families feel joy and warmth in an otherwise challenging time,” said Jenny McColloch, vice president of community impact and chief sustainability officer for CVS Health.

Philadelphia-based interior designer Meghan Gallagher, hired by CVS Health for the celebration, decorated the Ronald McDonald House with bright ornaments, trees and colorful holiday accents. She said she wanted families to feel “a little bit of joy, a little bit of comfort” the moment they walked in.

Gabe’s mother, Jessica Allen, said each detail made a difference.

“It makes it so nice for all of the families to be able to have the spirit of the holidays, and just all of the love and kindness that you see come out around the Ronald McDonald House,” she said.

The Ronald McDonald House will continue its holiday events next week with a 14-foot Christmas tree lighting on Tuesday.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: 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.