Category: CNN Regional

By Raymond Strickland

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — A woman from Argentina who lives and works in Philadelphia is in ICE custody in New Mexico after she was arrested in July at Philadelphia International Airport while on her way to the FIFA World Cup.

Iliana Lick, 30, has been living in the U.S. for three years, but has been in Philadelphia with her boyfriend since 2024.

Lick’s boyfriend, Steven Melchiorre, dropped her off at the airport on July 11. That’s when she was arrested at a PHL terminal. Melchiorre reflected on the phone call the two shared moments after she was detained.

“It’s Iliana crying on the phone saying like, ‘ICE arrested me, I’m at the detention center in Philadelphia,'” Melchiorre said. “It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was so devastated.”

Melchiorre said Iliana entered the country legally after obtaining a travel visa to be in the U.S. He said she was hoping to get a work visa and has a pending application to stay in the country.

“Never having missed a hearing date, never committed a crime, never missed any fees. It was surprising that she was arrested,” he said.

Lick had been building a life with her boyfriend in South Philadelphia. She has also been working as a nanny, helping look after Mike Brahm and Carolyn Bavington’s young son.

Bavington said Lick’s arrest is still hard to process.

“A lot of emotions. We’ve been sad. We’ve been angry. We’ve been scared. A lot of scrambling, trying to figure out what we can do to help,” Bavington said.

CBS News Philadelphia has learned Lick’s arrest is a part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, with ICE increasing enforcement across the country, including at 15 U.S. airports in recent weeks.

Last month, ICE took more than 46,000 people into custody for alleged immigration violations like entering the U.S. illegally or overstaying their visas, according to Department of Homeland Security data.

It’s a policy change under the Trump administration. Previously, people with a pending application were rarely detained.

Regarding Lick’s case, DHS said in an emailed statement:

“She entered the United States on March 17, 2023, and overstayed her visa. Lick will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of her immigration proceedings.”

The DHS spokesperson added, “to be clear, work authorization or a pending application do not confer legal status in the United States.”

While Melchiorre waits for a resolution, he is now worried about whether Lick will ever get the chance to come back home to Philadelphia.

“It’s tough seeing someone who has been ingrained in the community, all of a sudden be flying to an Argentina World Cup game, get arrested at an airport. It’s tough to see,” Melchiorre said.

Melchiorre said Lick is scheduled to have a bond hearing in New Mexico on Tuesday, where he hopes a judge will grant her a release on bond. The bond is not a guarantee and the possibility of her being deported is a real possibility.

Lick’s loved ones are staying positive and hopeful she can return home.

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 Stephanie Stahl, Sean Tallant

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    GLASSBORO, New Jersey (KYW) — In a freak accident, a South Jersey father was impaled by a tree branch in his face when he fell from a ladder in his yard. The branch went through his nose and into his brain.

CBS Philadelphia takes you inside the operating room at Jefferson Health for a close-up look at the tricky medical intervention that saved 45-year-old Troy Hathaway’s life.

X-rays showed the tree branch going through his cheek, nose, eye and up into his brain.

Hathaway said he was cutting branches in his backyard in Glassboro, New Jersey, when the ladder suddenly gave way, and he fell about 8 feet.

“Initially, I really thought I broke my jaw,” Hathaway said.

He didn’t know at the time, but the broken tree branch was sticking out of his jaw.

“I hadn’t lost consciousness, I wasn’t nauseous, I felt fine other than being a little bit sore and my ego being a bit bruised,” Hathaway said.

At Jefferson Health’s trauma center, the medical team quickly realized they needed to call in the specialists.

“This was a pretty huge piece of tree that was stuck through his face and into his brain. And we needed to move quickly on this, but we wanted to move smart,” Neurosurgeon Chris Farrell said.

Farrell said the team wanted to avoid having to cut the skull and decided to go through the nose, which is sometimes how they remove brain tumors.

Farrell said luckily the branch didn’t pierce any vital tissues. It was able to be removed through Hathaway’s cheek without causing any damage or bleeding.

“Overall, you know, a tricky thing, but it couldn’t have gone better,” Farrell said.

“I was so lucky to be with such an amazing surgical team, like the doctors, the whole team are absolutely beyond words,” Hathaway said.

The four-hour surgery left him with just a few stitches and some bruising, but no issues with breathing or seeing. He said he’s fine.

“Absolutely. Yes, no, no issues. That’s it’s mind-boggling to think of that,” Hathaway said. “It’s emotional because it’s tough to sit there and think like how close it could have been.”

Hathaway is on antibiotics and back home, feeling lucky and grateful to be reunited with his wife and daughter.

Doctors were concerned about infection, but there are no signs of that and he is expected to make a full recovery with no issues.

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 Joan Murray

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    MIAMI (WFOR) — Marine scientists are employing a technique known as “coral IVF” to help restore damaged coral reef systems in the Florida Keys.

The project, which involves a partnership between the University of Miami Rosenstiel School and other researchers, focuses on collecting floating coral egg and sperm bundles. These are fertilized and grown into “baby corals” before being attached to existing reefs once they reach a specific size.

Similar restoration work is being conducted at Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Research Center in Dania Beach.

Rachel Ionata, a research and development manager at the center, said the effort is driven by a desire to preserve the environment for future generations.

“My parents and grandparents used to dive and talk about what it was like on the reef,” said Ionata, whose team manages the corals through each stage of development. “We raise them for a year and a half. We feed them and do everything in stages”.

Graduate student Aidan Healy, who works in the water several times a week, explained that the young corals require protection after being placed on the reef.

“We’ll grow them and take them to the caged areas so fish can’t get to them,” Healy said. “That’s a problem with juvenile coral. Fish eat them”.

The reef system has faced significant decline for decades due to rising water temperatures, disease and pollution.

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 La’Tasha Givens

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    MARIETTA, Georgia (WUPA) — Back in 2022, Alonzo Kirkman and his wife, Brianca, were basking in the joy of their growing baby boy, whom they would name Brayden. But the glow captured in maternity pictures turned dim during delivery.

In the midst of several complications, Brianca began hemorrhaging. She was in excruciating pain and couldn’t communicate, leaving Alonzo not knowing what to do or say.

“What was supposed to be a joyous process, it really was a lot of turmoil at times, and honestly, there were some dark moments during that entire pregnancy journey,” Alonzo Kirkman said. “As a man, you want to be able to support your wife, but I just didn’t have the tools to do so.”

Brayden was born healthy and happy, but the Marietta father vowed to never repeat the despair he felt during those uncertain moments. With their second child due in June, Alonzo wanted to have his wife’s back, so he enrolled in the Dads to Doulas online course.

The program, which operates under the Dear Fathers media platform, was originally founded by Brad Edwards after he suffered the heartbreaking loss of twin boys during pregnancy.

Kirkman was part of a summer cohort alongside other Atlanta fathers. The six-week course offers in-person and online classes teaching men about pregnancy, labor, and the delivery process. Participants learn medical terminology and receive hands-on training using birthing tools so they can actively support their partners.

“So, we are in a crisis. And when you look at Black women, they are three, sometimes four, sometimes five times more likely to experience maternal mortality. That’s not even counting what’s going on with maternal morbidity, with these lifelong issues that women have,” said Kyra Betts, the lead facilitator working with Alonzo Kirkman.

Demand for the Dads to Doulas training has surged, Betts said, with the last online cohort having a waiting list of 400 men.

For Kirkman, the training made all the difference in how he prepared to advocate for his family while his wife Briance was pregnant with their second child.

“It’s really equipped me to have the words that I need in order to talk to the medical staff for the new baby that we have on the way,” Kirkman said.

Coffee table conversations for the Kirkmans became focused on upcoming doctor’s appointments and addressing any concerns before their visit. Ahead of the delivery, baby Aloni’s first outfit was picked out, mom’s bag was packed, and dad was fully equipped with the birthing plan and prepared for all scenarios.

Baby Aloni arrived six weeks early and had to spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. During that critical period, Kirkman says the doula training proved to be a lifeline.

“Being able to just get that education and learn those different things really helped when it came time for us being in the hospital for an extended amount of time. When they are talking, I’m like, ‘ Hey, I learned this in class.’ And it just helped me have confidence,” Kirkman said.

That confidence provided the blanket of protection his wife needed.

“It really made me feel seen and loved because I was really scared the second time around after what we endured with my son. It made me feel safe,” Brianca Kirkman said.

In addition to an abundance of love, this dad is now armed with knowledge.

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 Monique John

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    CHEROKEE COUNTY, Georgia (WUPA) — Ulmaria Williams has had a passion for caring for older adults since she was a child in her home country of Liberia. That passion grew even stronger in 2008 when her father battled dementia. Through that experience, she realized that many older adults struggle with social isolation and cognitive decline.

“I realized over the years that a lot of them are lonely, regardless of their status,” Williams said.

That realization inspired her to start Adopt a Mom and Pop, a nonprofit that connects groups of volunteers with older adults in nursing homes and community centers. The program helps them stay engaged, build relationships and make new friends.

Now based in Cherokee County, Williams said she strives to make older adults feel valued while helping them remain active.

“We have incorporated a lot of activities to suit everybody’s personality,” Williams said.

Williams and about two dozen volunteers spend time with seniors by playing games, providing entertainment and leading exercise and wellness activities. The volunteers are of all ages — including seniors themselves.

“We have middle-aged volunteers. We have kids because the seniors like intergenerational activities,” Williams said. “The kids like to play with them, and they like to learn from them.”

“It’s different,” said Nancy McConkey, one of the seniors Adopt a Mom and Pop visits at a Woodstock assisted living facility. “Since we’re here nonstop, it’s nice to have things that are different. And it’s loving. We need so much of that.”

Jerilyn Nighttraveller once performed as a clown. Now a volunteer and board member with the group, she said telling stories to other seniors helps keep her spirit and comedic skills alive.

“It keeps us active mentally,” Nighttraveller said. “It’s an activity socially, you know, and sometimes there are outings to restaurants.”

Williams and her team hope to expand Adopt a Mom and Pop to serve older adults outside Georgia.

“Every time I meet a senior and I can help them, it’s such a joy,” Williams said. “It’s fulfilling because I know God called me for a time like this.”

Williams said she and her volunteers take pride in brightening the days of the seniors they visit.

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.