Category: CNN Regional

By Trevor Sochocki

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    DALLAS (KTVT) — By most accounts, Shepherd Riddle is the typical 11-year-old boy — his grandma loves him and he likes exactly what you would expect. But it’s what he doesn’t like that you might not expect.

“I don’t like the attention at all,” said Shep, as his family and friends call him, who gets a lot of it at school. “It just annoys me, that every day I’m asked, ‘Hey, why do you need a wheelchair?’ ‘Hey, why can you stand if you have a wheelchair?'”

Once he’s in his wheelchair, his diagnosis becomes more obvious — he has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a disease that weakens the muscles over time.

“They get stiff,” he explained. “And tired.”

It’s not just the arm and leg muscles either, making actions like walking or going up stairs difficult — the heart and lungs weaken over time, too.

“It was annihilating, because there’s no cure,” said Kate Miner Moebel, Shep’s grandma, of the day the family found out about the diagnosis. “It’s fatal.”

The median life expectancy is only into the late twenties.

So, when that gut-punch of a life-altering event came into Shep’s family, Moebel had to decide what her role would be.

“What I decided was, I will carry the hope,” she said. For her, this means finding the beauty in every day.

“The beautiful is who Shep is,” Moebel said. “Without a disease. Irregardless.”

“Having this event is just an expression of me carrying the hope for Shep,” said Moebel. “And for 300,000 other little boys and young men.”

And that’s not the only reason to smile — life expectancy has increased in the last decade.

“There are beautiful things happening around us in medicine,” Moebel explained.

One of those things is the CureDuchenne clinic in Denton. It provides care to underserved and uninsured people with Duchenne.

“I think it’s good that we’re trying to find the cure,” Shep said.

CureDuchenne’s second annual Champions in Dallas fundraiser is on Oct. 2 with all proceeds from the event going back to the clinic.

On Thursday night, the nonprofit CureDuchenne will be hosting its second annual Champions in Dallas fundraiser.

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By Jermont Terry

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — South Side community leaders are sharing their fears and frustrations after a new round of ICE arrests on Wednesday outside a Bronzeville shelter

The people detained become part of the more than 800 arrested in “Operation Midway Blitz.”

As Homeland Security touts the hundreds of arrests since the operation started, those running the shelter are insisting that the way ICE agents moved in was over the top and unnecessary.

Security surveillance caught the moments federal ICE agents in SUVs pulled up outside a homeless shelter in Bronzeville. Agents were seen jumping out, and people started running as agents followed.

“But there were, probably again, 20 that they chased,” said Bright Star Community Development Corporation executive director Caryl R. West.

Bright Star Church runs the former migrant shelter, which is now converted into a 260-bed homeless shelter. Despite having the names of everyone who stays in there, church leaders say Homeland Security never contacted them to see if who they were looking for was registered.

“They would’ve given us an opportunity to help identify those individuals. We could have, in fact, let them know if they were here or if they were maybe at work,” said executive director Lakreshia Kindred.

The agents never entered the shelter, but church leaders, once they discovered what was going on, came out.

Bright Star’s pastor, Chris Harris, took to social media to sound the alarm.

Church leaders understand that federal agents are carrying out the mission, but argue that the way ICE is going about detaining people is cruel and unnecessary

“What they’ve portrayed is not really how things are being executed, and if what they’re saying is true, there’s a way to do it with peace and dignity.”

“They didn’t show us the respect to come to our facility to come and communicate with us,” said West.

Church leaders said ICE arrested four people, but say the way this was done has left all of those here uneasy.

“We brought them here to provide shelter, and now they feel as if though they don’t have any shelter,” West said.

There is no word of anyone getting injured during the arrests. Operation Midway Blitz started back on September 8.

CBS News Chicago reached out to ICE about the incident, but has yet to hear back.

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By Christopher Harris

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    AUSTELL, Georgia (WUPA) — A woman is facing multiple felony charges after a fire destroyed Eagle’s Chapel Church in Austell Monday night, authorities said.

Austell is located about 17 miles west of Downtown Atlanta, in Cobb County.

Investigators said Aries Maliah Jordan not only set the blaze but also sent text messages threatening to burn the church and kill the pastor and his wife, according to an arrest warrant.

Austell Fire Chief Brandon Merritt confirmed to CBS News Atlanta that Jordan was arrested late Tuesday. He said more details about the case are expected to be released soon.

The church’s lead pastor, Raphael Grant, described the moment he found out.

“I received a call from one of my leaders asking me, ‘What happened? Is everyone okay?’ She told me the church is on fire, it’s on the news,” Grant said. “I was lying in bed. I just jumped out of bed and drove to the church premises and lo and behold, the church was on fire.”

Grant said firefighters and police were already on the scene, but the damage was beyond repair.

“As a matter of fact, the entire building, 20,000 square feet, is completely in rubble. There is nothing,” he said.

The fire is a painful blow to the congregation. Three years ago, the church was heavily damaged by flooding and had only recently reopened.

“We just finished rebuilding because of the flood. Everything in the building was brand new, and now everything is gone,” Grant said. “For now, this coming Sunday, we will be having the service in front of the church, outside at 10 a.m. We also have a GoFundMe account, and we really need financial help at this moment.”

Justice Asante, head of media for Eagle’s Chapel, called the church a cornerstone of the community.

“This is the house of God. I’ve been here for 10 years now,” Asante said. “We had early devastation of water damage, but we were able to get back. As soon as we came back, this is the second year, but unfortunately the fire destroyed the building.”

Despite the loss, Asante said the congregation’s faith and unity remain strong.

“The atmosphere here is electrifying. It’s an amazing place to have worship. We welcome everybody that comes from all parts of the world,” he said. “The building is one aspect of it, but the church is the people. You can’t destroy the church of God. So we are gathering ourselves together to continue on.”

Court documents from the Magistrate Court of Cobb County accuse Jordan of starting the fire at the church on Joe Jerkins Boulevard between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Sept. 29. The building was completely destroyed in the flames.

The warrant lists several felony charges against Jordan, including first-degree arson, burglary, vandalism of a place of worship, criminal damage to property, possession of tools for the commission of a crime, and making terroristic threats.

Investigators also said a plastic container of ignitable liquid was found at the scene. The church’s pastor told authorities the container did not belong to the church.

Jordan is also accused of entering the building without permission and intentionally setting the fire, which authorities say could have endangered lives.

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By KABC Staff

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    MONROVIA, California (KABC) — Workers at an In-N-Out in Monrovia got a slithery surprise at the drive-thru.

An employee of the burger joint found a python on Monday and brought the snake to the Pasadena Humane Society.

The non-profit says the python seems to be well taken care of and may have recently escaped their home. It’s unclear if the snake is a male or female.

The snake is currently not up for adoption. Officials hope to find the owner soon.

Anyone with information about the snake is urged to contact the Pasadena Humane Society at (626) 792-7151, ext. 997.

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By Bradley Davis

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    PUEBLO, Colorado (KRDO) — It’s more of a museum than a man cave, but with all the perks of the latter.

“It’s getting pretty filled up,” Broncos superfan Kevin Nunn said.

A big screen TV, a working locker room and a tricked-out Broncos golf cart that can hit 50 miles per hour. It’s the place to watch the Denver Broncos, and to admire the thousands of signed and one-of-a-kind Broncos memorabilia.

“Everyone says, ‘Are you done?’ You’re never done,” Kevin said.

Signed footballs, jerseys and playing cards. Game-worn gear, vintage orange crush player cans, and props from the stadium. Kevin and Sue Nunn work hard to fill their Broncos Firehouse with the unique.

“We don’t want stuff you can go to the store and buy. We want stuff that is authentic,” Kevin said.

“The older stuff’s fun,” Sue added.

The building used to be Pueblo Firehouse Engine 9 before the Nunn’s, both truckers, bought it from the city about 15 years ago for their semi trucks. They moved on from that idea after the purchase and set their sights on something a little more orange.

“What do we do with this building? What should we do with it? And then we decided, well, let’s just put all the Bronco stuff in there, take it out of the house, and bring it over here,” Kevin said.

If it were Disney telling Kevin and Sue’s story, they probably would have met at a Broncos game. Instead, the Broncos Firehouse didn’t get its start at Mile High, but on the side of the highway.

“Well, we actually met while I was a truck driver, and she was doing some deliveries, and I was walking home, and she picked me up,” Kevin said.

“Was your shared fandom something that you two bonded about when you first met, when she picked you up at the truck stop?” I asked the two.

“No, it was more about the trucks!” both said at the same time.

Their shared love for trucks quickly evolved into a family obsession with everything Broncos. They took KRDO13 around to do what they love most: share their collection with other fans.

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