Category: CNN Regional

By Adam Duxter

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    ZIMMERMAN, Minnesota (WCCO) — School was not in session over the holiday weekend, but a four-legged friend still managed to pay a visit to a Zimmerman, Minnesota, Montessori school.

The entire incident lasted less than 10 minutes, but left Prairie Hill Montessori with a shattered door and quite the story to tell.

“We got a call, we were up at our cabin… I was more concerned about the deer, which is just the way I am,” said Katherine Curtis, the school’s owner and instructor.

Curtis says the entire moment was caught on CCTV. It shows the deer break through a tempered glass door before tearing through the building, knocking items off shelves and attempting to exit through another door.

Eventually, a local sheriff’s deputy responded and was able to shoo the deer out the door.

“We were all like amazed at how fast it all happened. Actually, how fast the sheriff was able to get here,” Curtis said.

On Tuesday, Curtis was using the incident as a teaching moment. The school had painted a life-size deer on the boarded-up door, and students were coloring deer photos.

“All of the children came in this morning and reported to me what happened,” she said. “It’s unique. It’s something we can remember for years and we’ll have the video. The kids can remember it as something unique and special that happened to us at Prairie Hill.”

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 Frank Sulkowski

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    BULLOCH COUNTY, Georgia (WJCL) — In Bulloch County, kindness sometimes arrives on a yellow school bus.

For the past 11 years, Edward Rich has safely transported students for Brooklet Elementary School, Southeast Bulloch Middle School, and Southeast Bulloch High School. But for the children who ride with him, Mr. Rich is known for more than getting them to and from school. He is also known for a tradition that reflects his generous heart.

“It’s very rewarding,” said Rich. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to do this, but these are memories I can take with me the rest of my life.”

Each year, Rich rewards students for good behavior on the bus with a pizza dinner, paid for entirely out of his own pocket. He also makes sure to get permission from parents before taking students out. It is a simple gesture, but one that leaves a lasting impression.

“You don’t find very many people that are willing to do extra stuff for their students,” said Jennifer Douberly.

“He goes above and beyond,” said Allen Martin, Director of Transportation for Bulloch County Schools. “That’s what we look for when hiring our drivers.”

What makes the tradition even more meaningful is that Rich does it quietly. He does not seek praise or attention. Instead, he chooses to recognize students in a personal, thoughtful way—showing them that respect, kindness, and good choices matter.

“I wanted to do something for the kids that behave well and this seemed like a fun thing for them to do,” said Rich. “I like seeing them have a good time.”

During the final week of school, Rich continued that tradition by taking two groups of students to Nonna Picci in Statesboro for dinner.

In a world where big headlines often overshadow small acts of goodness, Edward Rich reminds us that everyday heroes are all around us. Sometimes they are behind the wheel, opening the bus door with a smile, and teaching children lessons that go far beyond the ride home.

“This was on my bucket list,” said Rich. “Driving a school bus is something I wanted to do for a long time. I used to have my own business and this allowed me to drive before I went to work and drive in the middle of the day. After dropping off the last student, I would go finish my day off at my office.”

Bulloch County Schools always looking for experienced and motivated bus drivers. For more information visit Jobs in Transportation.

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 Christian Petersen

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    WELCOME, North Carolina (WXII) — Five days have passed since the death of Kyle Busch, and NASCAR fans are still grieving.

The Richard Childress Racing Museum is closed, but the memorial in front of the museum continues to grow as NASCAR fans try to process the loss of one of the best drivers in the sport’s history.

Fans from as far away as Colorado are making their way to Welcome. The sidewalk in front of the Richard Childress Racing Museum is lined with flowers, cards and M&M’s in a tribute to Busch. There is even a banner hanging from Northwest Elementary School, which is just a few miles away.

One card with a hand drawing of a No. 8 car reads, “Number 8 on the track, number 1 in my heart.”

Besides leaving gifts, fans will stand and reflect on memories of Busch both on and off the track. Some will share stories of the famous driver. They say it helps with the healing process. Busch was one of the more polarizing figures in the sport, but whether you loved him or hated him, everyone I spoke with says they respected his grit, determination and desire to win.

NASCAR fan Sean Hunter said, “It was unreal. He was like Kobe Bryant to NASCAR. You know how big Michael Jackson’s death was, so sudden. We’ve just got to cherish each other, that’s all, because anything could happen at any moment.”

Will Parker added, “I was not a Kyle Busch fan. I was a Jeff Gordon fan, but I always respected Kyle for his tenacity, his hard work, his dedication to the sport, and it’s still kind of surreal that he’s gone.”

The folks at Richard Childress Racing say fans are welcome to come by and leave gifts or simply pay their respects.

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 Omose Ighodaro

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    RICHLAND, Mississippi (WAPT) — Seniors in Richland spent the day walking toward better health. The Richland Senior Center hosted its annual Walk for Wellness event in recognition of National Senior Health and Fitness Day.

Mary Hydrick, a 101-year-old participant, shared her thoughts on staying healthy.

“I like to get out with people,” Hydrick said. “Stay active. Do like I do. I play cards, I walk, and I get involved in everything that I can.”

Richland Mayor Clay Burns also participated in the event and emphasized the importance of exercise.

“At my age, I walk. And everyone needs to walk,” Burns said. “It’s an easy thing for us to do to keep our health up.”

Organizers said the event was designed to encourage healthy habits and to help seniors stay active and engaged in the community.

“It’s a good thing that we do for the seniors in the community so they can come together and just have a creative outlet and fun times together,” said Shea Thames, Richland Senior Services director.

The goal for participants was to walk one mile, which was 15 laps around the indoor track. The event featured 26 vendors who offered health resources and blood pressure checks. Attendees also enjoyed lunch, prizes, and medals.

Hydrick shared another detail about her active lifestyle.

“Oh, I still drive,” Hydrick said with a smile. “I drive at night and I get going to where I want to go.”

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 Melanie Wingo

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    ROSEVILLE, California (KCRA) — The halls of Oakmont High are just days away from seeing-off two seniors, bound for an Ivy League institution. Both students are headed from Roseville, California, to New York’s Cornell University.

Twins Devin and Brody Chambers aren’t just celebrating high school graduation this week. They’re also looking ahead to having each other when they enter the next phase along their educational paths.

“Having that piece of home that is just a call away is, I think, going to make it a whole lot easier,” Devin Chambers said.

Brody Chambers echoed his twin sister’s sentiment, saying, “We’ve been really close for all of my life.”

Devin was the first to be accepted by the school back in March. A long jump and triple jump star, she’s going to Cornell on a track and field scholarship. But she appreciates what’s in store for her in terms of the coursework she’ll experience.

“When I went to the school, I absolutely fell in love with it,” Devin said. “I fell in love with the people, the environment, just that academic rigor as well of, obviously, an Ivy League.”

A few weeks later, the Chambers family learned Cornell accepted Brody, too.

“When I got into Cornell I was really excited. I really like their low student-to-faculty ratio,” Brody said. “I feel like I can get a good relationship with my professors and there’s overall a really tight-knit community.”

A math and computer science whiz, Brody is ready to jump into the academic intensity offered at Cornell with both feet. He thinks his future plans will include putting his mathematics skills to the test.

“Something in the sports analytics field… something like the quantitative finance field,” he said. “All those kinds of ‘mathy’ things where you get to analyze something and make decisions based on math and models and stuff is something I really want to do.”

Devin says she plans to major in psychology and has aspirations of possibly going on to medical school to become a psychiatrist.

“I’ve always been interested in how the brain works and why people do what they do,” explained Devin. “I’ve always also been interested in a little bit of the med side.”

The school community the twins will leave behind is proud to call them their own. Oakmont High School’s principal says Devin and Brody are respected students among their peers and staff.

“They’re leaders with all the students around here. The students look up to them, because they make the right choices. They’re nice to teachers. They’re nice to other kids. Other students,” explained Oakmont High School Principal Marc Buljan. “They’re out there in the community doing things also. And so they’re just the all-around students that you want to have here and that we have at Oakmont High School.”

Brother and sister – now on to the next chapter.

“The fact that I get to go to college with my sister is really just something that’s incredible,” Brody said. “I’m really lucky to have that.”

Both are grateful they’ll figure out what’s next — together.

“We’ve grown up together. We’ve gone through highs and lows together. We’ve gone through basically everything together,” Devin said. “Having that with me in this next big journey is going to be incredible.”

The Chambers twins will graduate from Oakmont High School on Friday.

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 Felix Cortez

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    WATSONVILLE, California (KSBW) — A Watsonville man has been arrested, accused of making an online post threatening violence at next week’s graduation ceremonies.

“The post mentioned something along the lines that a mass shooting was going to happen during the school graduations,” said Erika Vasquez, spokeswoman for Watsonville police, which investigated the online threat.

Arrested was Moises Resendiz, 21, who allegedly directed the threat at the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, which is set to hold more than 30 promotions and graduations beginning next week. No specific ceremony was mentioned in the alleged threat, which was posted on the district’s website on May 9.

“We worked with our team within the school district to make certain that we were looking at all security measures at all our events, not just our graduations and our promotions. Taking a threat seriously is something that’s really important and something that we need to do as a school district,” said Alejandro Chavez, spokesman for Pajaro Valley Unified School District.

An alert resident saw the threatening post and immediately notified Watsonville police, who then obtained a search warrant for the Instagram post and Resendiz’s home on the 700 block of Rodriguez Street.

Police said Resendiz admitted posting the social media threat to provoke outrage in the community.

Investigators said no guns were found during the search and no firearms are registered to Resendiz.

“We just want to reassure our community that there is no active threat, and the safety of the students is always our number one priority,” Vasquez said.

“I think it’s going to be a beautiful time. I think the weather’s going to cooperate, and we’re going to have some great graduations and great promotions this upcoming week,” Chavez added.

Resendiz was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on suspicion of making criminal threats.

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 Jacquelyn Quinones

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    CAPITOLA, California (KSBW) — The organization behind a proposed female surfer statue, “Honor,” is moving forward with plans to bring the project to Capitola after months of discussions with the city of Santa Cruz.

The statue is designed to honor women’s contributions to surfing and would serve as a counterpart to the iconic male surfer statue on West Cliff Drive, which has been in place for over 30 years.

“This is only going to be the third female surf statue in the world. There are only 40 male surf statues, so for us to find such a prominent spot in Santa Cruz County to honor her is phenomenal,” said project founder, Kari Lockhead.

The statue, named “Honor,” is not modeled after a specific person but represents all women who find connection to the water.

“She’s a strong, athletic, confident woman,” Lockhead added.

Kaila Pearson, a member of the committee behind the project, said the initiative is personal for her.

“As a female, I was able to see myself in three other females, and that gave me the confidence and the capacity to assert myself in the lineup and go into male-dominated areas in life,” Pearson said.

Pearson also shared that her father, Bob Pearson, who shaped the board for the male surfer statue in Santa Cruz, will shape the board for the female statue if the project is approved.

Capitola Vice Mayor Gerry Jensen expressed his support for the project and its proposed location.

“It was just an opportunity that I thought Capitola should just jump on the opportunity, embrace the statue, and it really symbolizes what the surfer reserve is about,” Jensen said.

“I think this will be a nice resting place for her. I think she’ll be seen all throughout the day. We get tourists year-round, and I think [it will provide] really great visibility for our young gals that do the Junior Guard program,” Jensen added.

A local female surfer also shared her enthusiasm for the project.

“I love the idea. I love it. I feel like it will be inspirational to all the young girls,” she said.

The city of Capitola stated that the next steps involve the organization submitting an application to the Arts and Cultural Commission. The commission will make a recommendation, and the proposal will then go to the city council for a vote.

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 Nick Sloan

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    OLATHE, Kansas (KMBC) — The viral bird saga at an Olathe car dealership appears to have reached its happy ending.

Days after a robin built a nest on the tire of a brand-new Ford F-250, the baby birds have officially flown the coop at Olathe Ford Lincoln.

The dealership shared the update Wednesday on Facebook.

“What started as a little nest on an F-250 turned into a story shared around the world,” the dealership wrote.

They weren’t exaggerating.

The unusual story, involving a sold pickup truck stuck on the lot because of federally protected birds, quickly took off online earlier this month and was shared across the country.

Back on May 17, employees said a robin had built a nest directly on the truck’s tire.

Once the eggs hatched, federal protections meant workers couldn’t touch the nest or move the vehicle until the birds were ready to leave on their own.

The dealership said it plans to leave the nest in place for a few more days just to make sure the bird family has fully moved out.

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 Laura Terrell

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    ANKENY, Iowa (KCCI) — A Westwood Elementary School teacher is gifting her students a handmade goodbye ahead of her retirement after 35 years.

Ahead of her final lesson on Friday, second-grade teacher Kim Rohlf gifted all of her students homemade quilts as a way to remember their time together and remind each student they were special.

“I love teaching and I love quilting, so it gives a little to share my love with them as they leave and I end my chapter of teaching,” she said.

Some were themed after holidays, students’ birthdays, or even special interests like dinosaurs or sports.

“Every quilt is made based on our personalities,” second grader Gabrielle said. “She would add special details about us and she would make sure that it is very nice.”

In addition to making these quilts and personalizing them to each of her students, she also hand-wrote notes to each of them.

That’s when she realized it was going to be much harder to say goodbye than she thought.

“It’s very heartwarming, it makes this harder than I thought it was going to be, but I’m excited to start that new chapter in my life,” Rohlf said. “I thought it could just be at the end of the year and walk out the door. They’re making it a little bit harder than that.”

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.