Category: CNN Regional

By John Shumway

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — We all know that Sunday is Mother’s Day, but without looking it up – what is Saturday? It’s National Dog Mom Day!

It’s not just something I found on the internet; there are cards, and a lot more than meets the eye when you want to celebrate the dog mom in your life.

Not to mention, the dog-mom relationship is a special one. While dog dads can bond with their pups, there’s just something different about mom, and anyone who has looked into the eyes of their dog knows.

“There is an unspoken connection that goes between you and your animal,” said celebrity dog trainer and educator Chrissy Joy. “There’s an emotional bond that is created, there’s so much love that is put between you and your dog, that you can almost read their minds after a little while.”

Joy said the research is there that when you make eye-to-eye connection with your dog, there’s a neurochemical result.

“The oxytocin, which plays a major role in the love and care that women tend to give and nurture to other beings,” Joy said.

She also said that after a while, your dog will begin to read your mood. The behaviors between dog and dog mom are unspoken, but understanding how you’re feeling says a lot about the bond and connection.

Meanwhile, cats will give love and affection when they darn well please, Joy said that dogs are unwavering in their response, but it doesn’t come without effort.

“There are things that you can do to grow that bond, and it’s spending time together,” she said. “So, it’s doing the grooming and exercise and paying attention to their needs.”

There’s also the flipside…the hair. You’re going to have to be okay with a lot of dog hair and other disruptions.

“You’re going to have to be okay with adjusting your vacations,” Joy said. “You’re going to have to be okay with random vet visits in the middle of the night, because it can happen, and it is expensive.”

Joy herself has a nine-year-old daughter, a husband, and five dogs.

“They’re not equal to a human, in my opinion, there are very, very big differences, but the love that I can bring out can be the same.”

While she did acknowledge that dog dads can have a strong connection, it’s not the same as moms.

So, if you’re looking to enhance that connection, it can be done through more than just treats, feeding, and walks. Find their favorite scratch spot, and if they wear a collar, it’s under the collar or just about their tail on their lower back. Of course, there’s always the classic spot, right behind the ears.

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 Ellie Nakamoto-White

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — A legal fight is cooking up over Milwaukee’s newly approved food truck ordinance that will go into effect Saturday, May 9.

On Thursday, May 7, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed a lawsuit on behalf of a local food truck owner, calling the new rules “unconstitutional.” The lawsuit is seeking an emergency stay of the law to stop it from going into effect.

The ordinance, which was approved unanimously by the Milwaukee Common Council last month, requires food trucks operating downtown to shut down earlier under rules aimed at curbing late-night violence.

But the lawsuit says food trucks shouldn’t be the ones blamed for that violence, and the ordinance interferes with the food trucks owners’ rights to earn a living. It also claims that the ordinance singles out food trucks specifically while allowing brick and mortar restaurants in the same areas to stay open.

We are expecting to hear from officials who filed the lawsuit as well as from the food truck owner they are representing.

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 Charles Perez

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Part of the American story is shaped by those who’ve arrived from distant lands seeking opportunities they could not have found in their home countries.

For this Amazing America 250 feature, we talk with Asheville’s Sophie Steinberg, who, at 104 years old, is a living testament to that immigrant journey.

Born in 1922, in what is now Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), Steinberg arrived in America as an infant aboard the RMS Aquitania. She traveled with her mother and two brothers, fleeing the violent anti-Jewish attacks of the time, known as pogroms. It was part of a broader wave of persecution that forced millions of Jews to leave Eastern Europe.

For Steinberg, it was a journey away from the life she might have had if her family remained in what became part of the Soviet Union.

The family settled in Baltimore, and Steinberg grew up during the Great Depression. During World War II, her brothers and cousins served overseas, and her younger brother was killed in Italy in the Battle of Anzio.

At the age of 28, Steinberg became an American. It was a milestone she describes as deeply meaningful.

“I really felt good about that,” she said, recalling the pride of officially becoming an American.

Over the decades, she witnessed defining moments in U.S. history, from the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 to the triumph of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.

Over the years, she built a career at a law firm, where she finally retired at the age of 93. Today. With four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, she remains ever forward-looking, hoping their generations will chart a course to a hopeful future.

“Let’s get back to caring for each other,” she said. “Thinking about each other— what’s good for us.”

By “us,” she emphasizes, she means everyone, including those who have come looking for a better life.

“Most everybody is an immigrant in some way,” she said.

Her personal philosophy is simple: She never focused on her age, only on doing what needed to be done.

At 104, Steinberg’s life tells a distinctly American story — one of perseverance, opportunity, and the enduring hope that the future can be better than the past.

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 Mya Constantino

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    SALT LAKE CITY (KSTU) — Inside Pho Hao in West Valley City, a steaming bowl of Pho arrived at the table, its slow-simmered broth rich with spice, thin slices of meat tucked between noodles, and fresh herbs floating on top.

“There’s just something nourishing and comforting about a bowl of pho,” Brandon Luong said at the table.

Online, Luong is known as the “Pho King.” He has reviewed more than 50 pho restaurants across Utah. He says his personal Pho quest started with a simple spreadsheet back in 2021.

“I just went from restaurant to restaurant and made a spreadsheet for myself,” he said. “Some of my friends were like, ‘Hey, can I get that spreadsheet from you?’ Then they were like, ‘You should put it on Reddit.’ I’m like, ‘What do I call it?’ I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ll make a joke — I’m the King of Pho. I’m the Pho King.’”

The name stuck.

Luong, who grew up in South Jordan, has since eaten his way through Salt Lake, Summit, and Utah counties, even creating a basketball-inspired graph to rank each bowl. He said he borrowed the idea from a player stat chart he found; he plots restaurants along an X and Y axis, complete with images.

“I saw this graph that plotted out basketball players,” he said. “It just had a picture and a cutout of their faces.”

When it comes to judging pho, Luong says the broth makes up about 80 percent of the score. “For me, the perfect bowl tastes like a hug,” he said. “It’s reinvigorating. It feels almost healing in a way.”

Some say pho restaurants with numbers in their names often stand out as signs they may be authentic, family-owned spots — and that the food will likely be good. Fox 13 News asked whether he thinks that still holds true.

“That’s generally a good sign,” Luong said with a laugh. “The number is never actually random. It’s usually a number that means something to the restaurant owner or their family — maybe the year their grandma was born, the year they opened.”

Luong said after moving out of his family’s home, he stopped eating the dish for a time. When he eventually returned to it, he found something deeper. “It’s definitely the tastiest way for me to discover parts of my culture that I didn’t know existed,” he explained.

Despite tasting dozens of bowls across Utah, Luong says his favorite is the Pho he grew up eating at home. “I always say the secret ingredient to Pho is time,” he said. “But the secret ingredient to all food is nostalgia. That’s just a taste you can’t replicate.”

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 Pepper Purpura

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — After years of planning, fundraising and advocacy, Iowa’s first centralized care center for sexual assault survivors is entering its final phase before opening this fall.

The Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Center, or SAFE Center, is expected to open in October inside Des Moines University’s clinic tower on Grande Avenue after lawmakers unanimously approved $1.5 million in state funding this legislative session.

Organizers say the project is still about $700,000 short of its fundraising goal, but they believe the center is now closer than ever to becoming a reality.

The SAFE Center is designed to bring together medical care, forensic exams and support services for survivors of sexual assault under one roof.

“It will change the landscape of the way victims are cared for,” founder Shannon Knudsen said.

Right now, many survivors in Iowa receive care through emergency rooms or hospital systems that may not always have trained forensic nurses available.

Knudsen, a longtime Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, or SANE nurse, said survivors can face long waits or may have to travel between facilities trying to find help.

“Right now, people are waiting eight hours, sometimes 12 hours in the emergency room, and they leave without being seen and getting care,” Knudsen said.

The SAFE Center aims to eliminate many of those barriers by creating a dedicated, standalone facility focused specifically on survivor care.

Once open, the center plans to provide:

24-hour access to care Sexual assault forensic exams Medical treatment Mental health support Victim advocacy services Follow-up care Space for law enforcement interviews and reporting if a survivor pursues it

Knudsen emphasized survivors will not be required to report assaults to police in order to receive services.

“If they want to make their police report, they can make their police report there,” Knudsen said. “They can meet with their victim advocates or their prosecutors or whoever they need to.”

The center is designed to operate independently from hospitals and law enforcement agencies while still coordinating with community partners across Iowa.

Organizers say the goal is to create a trauma-informed environment where survivors know exactly where to go for help.

“It’s to provide that comprehensive care from beginning to end and whatever they may need,” Knudsen said.

Research has shown survivors are more likely to seek help and participate in investigations when care is coordinated, accessible and trauma-informed.

Currently, Iowa’s system can be fragmented, particularly in rural communities where trained forensic nurses may not always be available.

Knudsen said that inconsistency can discourage survivors from continuing the process.

“Sometimes they give up, and that’s a tragedy, because that means that a criminal is going through and no one is going to be prosecuted,” Roxanne Conlin, an advocate for the SAFE Center, said.

Organizers say the Des Moines facility is intended to become the first in a broader statewide network.

The SAFE Center plans to eventually open satellite locations across Iowa to help connect survivors in rural and underserved regions with care closer to home.

Those satellite locations would still coordinate with the Des Moines center while expanding access to forensic exams, advocacy and follow-up services statewide.

Knudsen said demand for services is already significant.

“We see about 300 victims a year right now,” she said. “So that’s been my biggest fear, bursting at our seams on day one of opening the doors.”

The organization says services at the SAFE Center will be free and confidential for survivors.

The bill funding the project is now awaiting the governor’s signature. Independent donations can be made here.

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 Bob Jones , Mercy Sackor

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    AKRON, Ohio (WEWS) — A youth-led documentary will soon premiere in Akron, addressing the impact gun violence has had on young people.

“Talking Kids Off The Trigger” was created by Akron Kids Against Gun Violence, which includes Providence and Allie, who are sixth graders at Miller South School in the city, and Kori, an eighth grader at Litchfield Middle School.

Gun violence shouldn’t be a worry for them, but some have been touched by it — whether it happened close to where they live, or through losing a friend.

“Not too long ago, there was a shooting in my neighborhood,” said Kori. “…A kid got shot.”

“I knew a kid who sadly passed away to gun violence,” Providence said.

The preteens and teens are not just talking about the problem of youth gun violence in the city; they’re doing something about it and looking for solutions.

“Sometimes it takes more than just an adult saying it to make it real. A child taking action means something,” Providence said.

Last fall, the students began working on the powerful documentary. They researched gun violence in Akron and interviewed people impacted by it, including men who at one time were suspects or victims of gun crimes, but have since turned their lives around and now serve as mentors.

“We can’t stop people from doing gun violence. We can only help here and there, and maybe that’ll help something not happen,” Providence said.

The kids were supported in making the documentary by TomTod Ideas, a nonprofit in Summit and Stark counties that works with middle schoolers seeking ways to improve their communities.

“To see these kids sit across from these community leaders and have this really important conversation is just a huge moment of pride,” said Patrick, director of programming.

The documentary is meant to transform trauma into messages of hope, resilience and change — part of that change comes from youngsters wanting their friends to grow up and adults to take notice.

“It’s coming from kids. Adults should really like wake up because why is a kid saying this at 13, 12 or 11?” Kori said.

The documentary will premiere at the Akron Urban League on Thursday afternoon. After that, the plan is to share it with community groups and online.

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 Jamal Goss

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    ROSWELL, Georgia (WUPA) — For many senior citizens, a simple visit can make all the difference. Oscar Bird said his weekly lunch with volunteer Marian Andeweg has become one of the highlights of his life.

“Well, she takes me to lunch once every week, and it’s something that I look for very much,” Bird said. “It’s a change in my life.”

Bird is a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran who is legally blind and cannot drive. Most days, he said, he spends time at home listening to music and the Atlanta Braves.

Andeweg volunteers with Senior Services North Fulton. She started with the organization through its Meals on Wheels program and later became connected with Bird through a friendly visitor program.

“To find purpose in my own life, I think, to do something useful with my life,” Andeweg said.

What began as a volunteer visit has turned into a friendship. Bird said Andeweg’s visits give him something to look forward to each week.

“We just enjoy each other’s company, and I look forward to seeing her every week,” Bird said. “It’s a bright spot in my life.”

Andeweg said she realized Bird was often by himself at home and wanted to help him get out of the house.

“He was by himself at home a lot,” Andeweg said. “He was legally blind. He can’t drive. He’s kind of isolated to the house.”

Their visits often include lunch at one of Bird’s favorite restaurants, including Mika Sushi in Roswell.

Bird said the friendship has helped him through difficult moments.

“I was really depressed and she just made it all right, just being there,” Bird said.

Andeweg said programs like Senior Services North Fulton provide more than meals or transportation. She said they offer connection, check-ins, and support for older adults who may otherwise feel isolated.

“If programs like this would be taken away, it would be devastating,” Andeweg said. “They rely on it.”

Bird said the weekly visits have changed his outlook on life.

“That’s the highlight of my life,” he said.

Volunteers with Senior Services North Fulton say just a few hours a week can make a real difference in someone’s life.

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 Rachel Henderson

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    BONNER SPRINGS, Kansas (KSHB) — Moon Marble in Bonner Springs is the kind of place that’s hard to describe, but customers seem to agree on one thing.

“It was really cool seeing all the colors that he used to make marbles…” said Grant Maley, a third grade student visiting from Stilwell, Kansas, with his younger brother Theo.

Karol Hattok, a customer from Platte City, put it simply.

“It was just really cool,” Hattok said.

Bruce Breslow founded Moon Marble in 1997 alongside co-founder Lynda Sproules.

Before it became a marble store, Breslow used the building — which he bought in the 1970s — for custom woodworking.

The two had previously worked together at a greenhouse before Sproules joined Breslow’s woodworking business.

When they started making game boards, they needed marbles, so they contacted Marble King in West Virginia and ordered a supply.

They set them up in the front room of the building, and the rest took on a life of its own.

“I was like, ‘What are you doing? We’re going to be stuck with these marbles forever, I’m going to be burying you with them.’ Well, that didn’t happen,” Sproules said, laughing. “People started coming around ’cause they needed marbles. Eventually, we just took this front room of the building and set it up with marbles so people could come, and then it just took on a life of its own.”

The store’s name comes from a type of marble that looks like the moon.

Most of the marbles sold there come from Guadalajara, Mexico, though the shop also works with companies that purchase marbles for industrial uses.

Breslow’s path to marble-making started on vacation, when he and his wife spotted a jar of marbles in an antique store.

He couldn’t stop talking about them and told his wife he was going to figure out how to make them.

He eventually met a couple of craftspeople at a craft show who showed him how, and he started selling handmade marbles at the Renaissance festival.

When kids began coming into the shop, he started teaching them how to play, and then thought they’d like to see how marbles are made.

“I came in here and just started making marbles, and that was a long time ago,” Breslow said.

Those demonstrations have become a signature of the Moon Marble experience.

Breslow heats glass and shapes it by hand in front of visitors, drawing reactions from customers of all ages.

“I enjoy the kids and watching the folks go, ‘Whoa, did you see that?'” Breslow said.

For young visitors, the demonstrations leave a lasting impression.

Theo Maley, a first grader celebrating his birthday that weekend, said it was his first time at the shop.

“It’s our first time,” Theo said.

His older brother Grant was captivated by the craft.

“I liked when he was twisting it and how the glass fibers were holding up really well,” Grant said.

They’re not the only youth captivated by the experience.

“It’s satisfying. Like, you just start out as this blob, and it just forms to make this,” said Zach Dalton, a fourth grade customer who said his dad had bought him a marble from Breslow on a previous visit.

Theo had come in with his own expectations before seeing the demonstrations.

“I thought it would be a factory factory,” Theo said.

He added, “I thought it would be kind of like making pottery.”

For Breslow, the demonstrations are about more than just the craft.

“I think it’s great for the boys and girls to see somebody making a living doing what they love,” Breslow said. “I think it makes an influence like, ‘Hey, maybe I’d like to make something with my hands.’ To put that thought out there.”

The shop draws visitors from well beyond the Kansas City area.

Sproules said out-of-state license plates fill the parking lot in the summer, and the store’s website helped it survive the pandemic.

“I had a young couple from Chicago, and she said the only reason she came to Bonner Springs was to visit us,” Sproules said. “And they drove seven hours, and they were turning around and going seven hours back.”

Hattok, whose daughter came in for a job interview and loves marbles, said the shop’s appeal is easy to understand.

“I’ve seen this place packed like elbow to elbow,” Hattok said. “[It’s] just family-oriented, like the old school games and being able to see the marbles being made. Even from my daughter’s collection, I know no two are alike. They’re all different. It’s just amazing how quick they can make ’em.”

The store carries games and toys spanning multiple eras, drawing customers of all ages and backgrounds.

“We have games and toys from every era, so no matter whether somebody’s 15 or 500, they come in, and they remember things from their childhood,” Sproules said. “I think it just brings people good memories.”

Both Breslow and Sproules say they won’t run the shop forever, and affordability is a factor in finding the right successor.

“We’d like to sell it to somebody who loves it,” Breslow said.

Given the loyalty Moon Marble inspires, finding that person may not be difficult.

“It really unifies people,” Sproules said. “It’s crazy that some little round pieces of glass can do that.”

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KSHB verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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.