Category: CNN Regional

By Rebecca Klopf and Jeffery Morris

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    TOWN OF EAGLE, Wisconsin (WTMJ) — A Chicago woman revived her boyfriend twice with CPR after both were struck by lightning in the Kettle Moraine State Forest on Aug. 9, 2025. Rescue crews took 50 minutes to reach them on foot after she called 911.

Nick Broderick had surprised girlfriend Eva Broderick with a 10-mile hike at the forest.

“It was a really beautiful hike for, I would say, most of it up until the last bit,” Eva Broderick said.

They were a little more than 2 miles from their car when a sudden storm hit.

“The rain just kept getting heavier and heavier as a really big rainstorm just suddenly hit us out of nowhere,” Nick Broderick said.

With nowhere to take shelter, they kept moving forward. The storm grew worse, and the thunder was so loud Eva Broderick grew worried.

“She turned around and turned to me and said, Nick, ‘what if we get struck by lightning?'” Nick Broderick said.

Minutes later, the last thing Nick Broderick remembers from that day was hearing a boom. Firefighters said the tree next to them took a direct lightning hit, and the couple was struck by the ground current.

“All I remember was being, like, curled in a fetal position, like, with my, hands over my ears, like, screaming, I think, and feeling what can only be described as electricity in my feet,” Eva Broderick said.

“I was curled into Nick, and I looked over, and he was laying on his back, like, his eyes were half open, glazed over, and he was blue and, like, not breathing,” Eva Broderick said.

Eva Broderick called 911 and immediately started CPR. But she couldn’t tell rescue crews where they were — the cell signal kept dropping.

“It’s pinging out a mile, a mile and a half into the forest area and it’s not very specific,” Palmyra Fire Rescue Asst. Chief Dan Schiller said.

She couldn’t remember where they had entered the forest or which path they were on. When crews reached the trailhead, there were three path options.

“We just took a best guess and tried to send people everywhere we could,” Schiller said.

It took 50 minutes from the 911 call for crews to reach them — and they could only get there on foot. Eva Broderick — who had also been struck by lightning — had to revive Nick twice in that time.

“That is not something that normally happens,” Schiller said.

Eva performed CPR on Nick despite having been struck by lightning herself.

“This is pretty extraordinary on its own,” Schiller said.

Nick Broderick was taken to a hospital, where he spent three days recovering. He has some hearing loss in one ear and tendon issues from the strike.

After Nick was released from the hospital, he proposed to Eva. They got married this August.

“We wanted to rewrite August and make it a better month,” Nick said.

“I’ve made the joke quite a few times that he can’t leave me. I brought him back from death, so he’s kind of stuck with me,” Eva Broderick said.

Eva will be honored with the Lifesavers Award at the Palmyra Fire Department in two weeks for her bravery in saving Nick.

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 Nicholas Brooks

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    JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — Contractors working to redevelop Jackson’s former Metrocenter Mall say vandalism over the last several weeks has caused millions of dollars in damage, creating another obstacle for a proposed nearly $1 billion redevelopment.

During an exclusive tour with 16 WAPT News, the inside of the former mall showed shattered glass covering floors, holes in walls, stripped electrical wiring, broken doors and debris scattered throughout the property.

Mark Pendleton, a BioCrete Global worker who says he inspects the facility daily, told 16 WAPT News that much of the damage was not there just a few weeks ago.

“They busted these windows out just to get into an area they don’t need to be in,” Pendleton said.

Pendleton said he has run at least 10 unauthorized people off the property. He also described finding evidence of people attempting to stay inside the building and said he put out a fire inside the facility last week.

“Last week I put a fire out that was going on inside,” Pendleton said.

Bob Hickingbottom, general manager of the Metrocenter project, said the vandalism has become increasingly aggressive over the past two to three weeks.

Hickingbottom said the damage could cost millions of dollars to repair and is putting additional financial pressure on the redevelopment effort.

Despite the damage, Hickingbottom said businesses have already committed to the proposed project.

“We have grocery stores that are already committed, we have drugstores. We have schools, clinics, and the like,” Hickingbottom said.

Developers are still waiting on required permits and approval from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality before cleanup and construction can begin.

Contractors say proposed security measures include a 10-foot wall around the property, a single entrance and exit, and security personnel at the entrance. In the meantime, they are considering additional ways to secure the building, including welding doors shut.

“We’re probably gonna try to weld the door shut,” Hickingbottom said, describing the challenges of keeping people out.

16 WAPT News reached out to the Jackson Police Department for information about reports of vandalism at the mall. The department had not responded at the time of the report.

There is no clear timeline for when cleanup and construction will begin.

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 Logan Hall

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    FOXBORO, Massachusetts (WBZ) — A simple act of kindness from a group of teenagers made a lasting impression on a Foxboro, Massachusetts, mother whose 7-year-old son has autism.

Christina Caron was at Urban Air Adventure Park in Bellingham with her son, Tristan, when she experienced an unexpected moment of inclusion while waiting in line to get him popcorn.

A group of teenagers approached Tristan and invited him to play with them. The teens played catch with him and even included him in a game of hide-and-seek.

For Caron, the interaction was especially meaningful because her son is not always met with the same kindness.

“More often than not, he’s not met with kindness,” Caron said. “Any child that is perceived as a little bit different, sometimes folks just see it I don’t know as a threat, maybe it’s just something different.”

But the teenagers’ welcoming attitude gave her a different perspective and reminded her of the good that can come from simple gestures.

“To see these teenagers just be so inclusive, and so welcoming and warm, it was just a really good feeling,” Caron said.

She said it was reassuring to see so many young people willing to accept Tristan for who he is.

“It was just a really good feeling to know that there are so many good kids and teens out there who are going to accept my son for the wonderful boy that he is,” she said.

After the encounter, Caron was able to identify the teenagers through Facebook. She hopes to connect with their parents to share how much the experience meant to her and her son.

Chad Darling, owner of Urban Air Adventure Park, said the story reflects the positive connections that can happen when young people reach out to one another.

“It’s always a great story to hear about youngsters, especially kids who don’t know each other making friends,” Darling said. “We’ve been around for about eight years now, so it’s great to hear these stories.”

For Caron, the moment was a reminder that even a brief interaction can have a lasting impact.

“A small moment, a small act of kindness can turn someone’s day around,” she said. “It can change the trajectory, and it just meant so much to me.”

Urban Air Adventure Park has been in contact with Caron and plans to invite everyone involved back to the park for a day celebrating the teenagers’ act of kindness.

What began as an ordinary visit to an adventure park became a memorable reminder of the importance of inclusion and how a little kindness can make a big difference.

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 Jazmon DeJarnette

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    WATSONVILLE, California (KSBW) — Yazmin Flores Opperman, a Watsonville baker, has transformed her love of pastries into a successful business with the support of a local nonprofit.

Opperman has been baking since she was a little girl. She grew up in Mexico, later studied culinary arts in Mexico City, and spent years showcasing her pastries in restaurants. But eventually, she wanted something of her own.

“If you have the courage, and look for the ways, you can do it,” Opperman said.

For Opperman, finding her way meant finding support. She found that through El Pajaro Community Development, a Watsonville nonprofit that helps entrepreneurs get the tools and skills they need to run a business.

One way it does that is through its commercial kitchen, which gives food business owners a place to prepare their products without having to open a kitchen of their own.

“The last thing that we want community members to feel is the overwhelming aspect of documentation, language barriers that they face when they’re trying to open a business. So we try to make that lighter on them,” said a representative from El Pajaro.

Within El Pajaro is Mujeres Emprendiendo Vuelo, a program focused on helping Latina entrepreneurs build their businesses.

“It has had such a success, and especially on women entrepreneurs, because we understand that through the history, women have a tendency to have much more challenges to access capital, to access services, and to access opportunities,” said Cesario Ruiz, director of culinary business development, El Pajaro Community Development.

Opperman is one of about 40 businesses operating out of El Pajaro’s commercial kitchen. Before launching her bakery, Opperman received help from El Pajaro, learning what it takes to turn her baking into a business.

“They taught me about, like, finances, marketing, licensing, everything you need to start your own business,” Opperman said.

In May 2025, Opperman opened Le Sucre Cake Studio, bringing her hard work and dreams to life.

“Everything can be tied to my Mexican roots. And that’s why I create some desserts with European techniques, more like French techniques,” Opperman said.

Today, Opperman fills about 70 orders a week. From preparing those orders to selling her treats at local farmers markets, her days start early and don’t end when the baking is done.

“It’s seven days, like 24 hours, but I enjoy it. I do this since I was a child and I played to make cakes, and this is my life,” Opperman said.

With support from El Pajaro, Opperman has built a foundation for her business and hopes to take it even further.

“We want to open a front door shop. It’s the dream. My grandmother always said to me the limit is the sky. And I always believe in that,” Opperman 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 Nicole Kikkert

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    SANIBEL, Florida (WBBH) — A burrowing owl stuck in a glue trap was rescued, rehabilitated, and released back into the wild by the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) on Sanibel Island.

CROW staff described the animal in the situation as lucky, noting the bird had no major injuries.

“It’s really horrifying. I mean, to be honest, it’s kind of the more emotional parts of the job is seeing the animals in that level of distress,” said a CROW representative.

The rescue began with an emergency call to CROW about the owl, which had been found stuck in a glue trap and unable to move.

“Somebody just happened to find it. That was on this trap, and, thank goodness, they recognized that that is an emergency,” said Amber Strassler, a staff member at CROW.

Strassler explained that these incidents are common, so the clinic keeps “glue go kits” on hand to handle such cases. The adult owl was sedated and underwent two rounds of specialized baths to remove the glue. After nine days of care, the bird was released back into the wild.

Tracy Sanders, an owl advocate who has rescued many burrowing owls from glue traps, described the distress these animals experience.

“It’s unfortunate because they don’t understand what’s happening to them. So they just keep struggling to try to get free,” Sanders said.

Wildlife officers noted that while glue traps are currently legal outdoors, new rules banning outdoor glue traps will take effect on Dec. 31 to promote humane treatment of wildlife.

CROW advises the public not to touch or attempt to remove animals stuck in traps, as doing so could cause further harm.

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.