Category: CNN Regional

By Jamie Azulay

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    BATH, Maine (WMTW) — Members of the Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association were joined by their president, Trent Vellella, on the picket line Monday. More than 600 workers with the UAW Local 3999 started a labor strike at midnight after voting to reject the “best and final offer” from General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works (BIW) on Sunday.

The company offered what they consider a “historic annual wage increase” with a total compounding wage growth of 23.8% over the 4-year contract period. Vellella said that offer is below the national average for this line of work.

“We’re trying to address the livable wage issue in Maine,” he said. “I think everyone knows that prices have increased, and the cost of living in Maine has increased.” Union leadership is also considering health insurance and retirement income security.

Vellella said, “Our members are concerned about increased deductible and out-of-pocket maximums.” However, BIW wrote in a statement that their proposal includes health insurance rates that are “significantly below market.”

BIW also noted the preservation of work from home, flexible workweek and vacation purchase opportunities. Vellella said the purpose of their strike is not to bash the company; it is to support the workers who are eager to be back on the job.

“We all just want to get back to work, continue supporting the U.S. Navy,” he said. This strike comes about a month and a half after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Bath and praised those employees for their work.

In a written statement released by the union, Vellella said, “We had hoped the Company took to heart the statements made by Secretary Hegseth here at GD BIW on February 9th because our membership certainly did.”

During that visit, Secretary Hegseth said, “To your leadership, like I say to all leadership, invest in your plants and invest in your people.” Vellella specifically appreciated Hegseth’s comments about corporations in the defense industry.

“No more excuses,” Hegseth said. “No more barriers to entry. No more monopolies. No more egregious executive bonuses. No more stock buybacks. No more ridiculous CEO salaries.”

Vellella said, “Secretary Hegseth has made it clear that the administration has taken attention to the fact that corporations, particularly in the defense industry, are paying more attention to the shareholders than they are to the employees that generate those profits.”

Negotiations between the union and BIW are expected to pick back up Monday evening. The company wrote in a statement they are “continuing to negotiate in good faith with the BMDA to explore opportunities to better align company and union objectives. “

BIW has a page for negotiation updates available on their website.

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 Marissa Tansino

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    LITCHFIELD, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A Litchfield woman is running the Boston Marathon to raise awareness for spinal muscular atrophy and honor her daughter, who defied medical expectations by living beyond her second birthday.

Keleigh Morin said her daughter, Meriden, was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type 1 shortly after birth.

Despite doctors predicting she wouldn’t live past age 2, Meriden will turn 10 in June.

“So, Mer was diagnosed, when she was 6 months old,” Morin said. “At the time when she was diagnosed, it was very much a life-limiting diagnosis.”

Meriden’s daily life involves using a g-tube for eating and communicating through texts, picture talk and an iPad.

Despite her challenges, Meriden has made significant progress, which Morin attributes to the care received at Boston Children’s Hospital.

“They’ve done so much for us,” she said. “And even though they say you don’t owe them anything, or that’s not why they’re there, it feels amazing to give back in some way.”

Morin is running the marathon to raise awareness for SMA Type 1 and Boston Children’s Hospital, fulfilling a promise she made to her daughter.

“When I found out she would eventually lose the ability to move, I decided that I would move enough for both of us,” Morin said.

Inspired by other families, Morin began training for races with an adaptive stroller.

“In her words, she’ll say if it’s a nice day that she wants to go running. She is so, so happy to go running,” Morin said. “And she loves to tell people that she’s run these races with her mom.”

“I’ve committed myself to moving for her in all the ways and to have it combine in a way that I’m not only moving, but raising money and bringing awareness and bringing solidarity for these kids,” Morin continued.

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 Angela Rozier

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    PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (WPBF) — Sixteen-year-old Sawyer Tinsley from Jupiter High School is using her love for fostering kittens to support mental health and raise funds for animal rescues in Palm Beach County.

Tinsley began fostering kittens from Palm Beach Purrs during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she found it difficult to make friends.

“You would have to be six feet away, you couldn’t really speak, you had masks on, you couldn’t really see people. So, it started there when I was just like … this is hard, like, this is hard to do school in these conditions,” Tinsley said. “It was the best thing for helping me transition during COVID time when it was really hard.”

To help other middle school girls facing similar challenges, Tinsley created a club called “PAUSE,” inviting them to her home to spend time with foster kittens.

“And then they just come and we put them downstairs and then they can just run around. The kids play with them and talk about their, like, stressors (they) have been going through in middle school, cause that’s when it starts to like amp up for elementary school,” Tinsley said.

Florida Atlantic University student Chloee Wilkerson, who was taking a break from studying at PetSmart in Palm Beach Gardens, where the foster kittens are located, shared her experience.

“It’s my favorite coping mechanism. I’ll wake up at night to, but this is the least consequential one to do,” Wilkerson said.

Tinsley has also launched Flamingo Flocking, an annual fundraiser where pink flamingos are placed in yards overnight each August, raising about $3,000 a year for Palm Beach Purrs. Additionally, a 5K Flamingo Run 4 Rescues fundraiser is scheduled for May 9 at Riverbend Park to support four other animal rescue groups in the area:

Palm Beach Purrs palmbeachpurrs.org Wild Whiskers wildwhiskers.org Great Dane Rescue of South Florida greatdanerescueofsouthflorida.com Kelly’s Fosters kellysfosters.com

Looking ahead, Tinsley hopes to pursue a career in sports psychology. “Hopefully I am in a successful career and have lots of cats. I gotta have cats and dogs. I love animals,” Tinsley 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 Pamela Comme

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    DELTONA, Florida (WESH) — A baseball that smashed through a car windshield and landed inside is just the latest example of what neighbors say is a growing safety problem near Manny Rodriguez Park.

For the past four years, Wanda Torres says foul baseballs from the nearby field have repeatedly landed on her property, in one case damaging her car, smashing a window and even hitting her.

“See, these are the balls! I have more balls,” Torres said, showing a collection she says she’s gathered from her yard.

Torres said the issue began after the baseball field was built at the park.

“The second time, I was playing with my grandbabies over here with the truck, and hit the car, and they both hit me,” she said.

She says one of those incidents happened while she was outside with her grandchildren. Another close call came when a ball landed just inches away from them.

The problem, she says, isn’t going away.

Just last week, a foul ball struck a neighbor’s windshield, shattering the glass.

“When I saw what happened to my window, I became concerned that it could happen to people who are driving by on this road, and it could cause a more serious accident,” said neighbor Ann.

Neighbors say the issue has become more than just property damage, raising concerns about safety for families and drivers nearby.

Torres says she has contacted the city multiple times, but so far, no action has been taken.

She and other neighbors believe adding netting around the field could help prevent further damage.

“I think the problem is also that the park is being misused. I was told that it was really supposed to be for younger children so that the foul balls really wouldn’t make it over the fence, as it does constantly right now,” Ann said.

Until changes are made, neighbors say they no longer feel safe, especially when letting their children play outside.

WESH 2 News reached out to a city spokesperson to ask whether there are plans to add netting. They said property damage is rare, but the parks department is looking into possible solutions.

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 J.D. Miles

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    MABANK, Texas (KTVT) — A homeowner in Mabank noticed something unusual on her doorbell camera — a brief moment that set off a wave of community support for an aging veteran in need.

He’s only on camera for a few seconds, but it made a distinct impression on Savannah Saulters.

“I was like, ‘There should be no reason that a 76-year-old man is delivering my pizza at 10:30 at nighttime,'” said Savannah Saulters, who lives in Mabank, about an hour southeast of Dallas. “That should not be happening.”

She posted on social media asking neighbors if they recognized the elderly man in the video wearing a veteran’s cap, and wondered why he was delivering DoorDash so late at night.

“OK, I’m gonna send an extra $50, but I didn’t make it to the door in time by the time he was leaving,” Saulters said. “I was like, ‘What can we do more to help him?'”

It didn’t take long at all to find out that the food delivery driver was Larry Phillip Colvin.

“My Social Security just wasn’t cutting it anymore,” Larry Colvin said. “I had to do something, and I can’t hold down a regular job.”

He’ll be 77 in May. He began delivering food because the costs of health care for his wife and son were higher than his monthly income.

“My wife is looking at a couple of surgeries, my son has three autoimmune diseases, lupus and dystonia,” said Larry Colvin.

Larry Colvin is a proud Vietnam veteran who’s been forced back into the working world after 10 years of retirement as a repairman.

“I think it’s very hard on him,” said daughter-in-law Donna Colvin. ” I think he’s almost 77 years old, and it’s gotta take its toll somewhere.”

“I do it usually Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday,” Larry Colvin said.

Attending church on Wednesday keeps him off the streets every night.

“I wish I didn’t have to do it at night because that’s when you make the most money,” he said.

Saulters started an online donation fund for Larry Colvin’s family that has raised almost $9,000, an overwhelming gesture to his family that will hopefully help him put the brakes on his job as a delivery driver.

All because someone saw a heartbreaking story in only a few seconds of video.

“What you’ve done has helped our family tremendously,” Donna Colvin 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 Averie Klonowski

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    SPANISH FORK, Utah (KSTU) — As extreme heat and drought conditions impacts nearly all of Utah, a seventh-generation family farm in Spanish Fork is relying on long-practiced conservation methods and a new, colorful crop to weather the challenge.

“This is a whole new ball game. This is the driest I can remember,” said Rex Larsen, owner and operator of Larsen Family Farms.

Larsen explained that the challenge of farming is that no two years are alike, but this year is particularly difficult.

“The least amount of snowpack that we’ve had. Our Spanish Fork River is about 50% normal,” he said.

For Larsen, farming is a legacy he feels compelled to continue. His family has been working on the land for seven generations.

“Barely, wheat, alfalfa, corn, pumpkins, and now tulips,” said Larsen. To protect that legacy, the family has spent years creating water conservation techniques.

“Nearly every one of our ditches is lined with concrete, so the water will stay in the ditches and go out into the field,” Larsen explained. “Most of our land is laser-leveled, so it’ll irrigate more efficiently.”

The farm also captures and recycles any runoff water.

While Larsen plans for some of his fields to remain idle, his daughter, Kara Lewis, had an idea to ensure the farm can still profit.

“We’ve planted 250,000 tulips here on our farm,” Lewis said.

She planted the seeds back in December, selecting a crop that is better suited to the current conditions.

“They are very drought resistant. They don’t like a lot of water in the spring,” Lewis said.

Using a specialized system that gets water directly to the crop rows, the family is continuing their conservative approach to watering. Larsen hopes the tulips will be ready for the public to see within a week or two, providing a way to supplement the farm’s income when other fields can’t grow anything.

Larsen said water conservation is something most farmers strive for, adapting to whatever conditions they face.

“Those years that it’s dry, you learn to conserve,” he said. “Those years that it’s wet, you learn to pivot and take what you can.”

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 Sula Kim

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    METAIRIE, La. (WDSU) — A local family is still waiting for closure several years after their loved one’s death.

Metairie native Thomas Hand was gunned down in 2022 while preaching the gospel on the streets of Montgomery Alabama.

The 38-year-old was shot to death right in front of his pregnant wife and two-year-old son.

A 17-year-old was arrested and charged in the case, but he posted bond and there has been no movement in court. They’re still waiting for a trial four years later.

Sister Kelly Massa says her calls are not getting through and there’s been no clear communication or transparency. She feels frustrated because her repeated attempts for an update are going unanswered.

“I don’t understand how a murderer can make bond for a capital murder charge and now he’s living his life for four years. It’s another setback and I feel like I’ve been living in disbelief,” Massa said.

To soothe her pain, Massa visits her brother’s grave in Metairie, where the grief continues until they get some closure.

“It just feels like we’re sitting here with this open wound, and we can’t close it until we get some type of peace and justice for Tommy. It’s frustrating and I’m hoping for help by speaking out,” Massa said.

Charlie Hawthorne from the Montgomery Alabama district attorney’s office told WDSU, part of the delay was because the suspect’s attorney got suspended from practicing law. He said the trial is scheduled for July, but Kelly Massa says the family has not been told anything. Massa says no one has reached out to inform her about the updates.

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.