Category: CNN Regional

By Patsy Montesinos

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    NASHVILLE (WTVF) — A Nashville couple’s routine immigration interview took an unexpected turn last week when immigration officials detained one spouse.

Dominique Flemister and his 28-year-old wife, Terez Metry, walked into the Department of Homeland Security’s local office last Monday for what they believed would be a standard interview to prove their relationship as part of Metry’s immigration process.

“He looks at us and says, you’ve been approved for your I-130. I’m like, okay, awesome, awesome,” Flemister said.

The I-130 approval represents the first step toward obtaining a green card. However, moments after receiving the approval, immigration officials separated the couple and detained Metry.

“And I didn’t get to say bye to her. I didn’t get to see her,” Flemister said.

Metry’s family fled Egypt during the Arab Spring in 2011 when she was a teenager. They applied for asylum but were denied, leaving her with a removal order at 13 years old.

“She didn’t know; her mother didn’t tell her. And it wasn’t until we got together and we started trying to do the whole entire process of trying to get her to become a citizen,” Flemister said.

The couple has known each other since middle school and married three years ago at the Parthenon in Nashville. Flemister, a U.S. citizen, filed the sponsorship paperwork in late 2022.

“Because I feel like if you’re doing something the right way and the way it should be done, I feel like you really shouldn’t be punished for it,” Flemister said.

Metry has no criminal record and has worked as a dental assistant at Tennessee Family Dental since 2018. Her coworkers described her as an exceptional person who didn’t deserve this treatment.

“Here we have an individual who is a wonderful person, a wonderful human being, and has not committed any crimes. And yet she’s treated like a criminal. And so I think most people would say that’s a terrible injustice,” Dr. Robert McDonald said.

“She did not deserve this type of treatment. She is an absolutely amazing person. There is no one that I could compare her to because she is just, she surpasses all of that, you know,” Jasmine Sneed said.

Before her detention, Metry had been preparing to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her husband.

“She loves to decorate,” Flemister said. “We did everything together. Everything.”

Instead of spending the romantic holiday together, Metry remains in ICE custody in Alabama.

“She is absolutely terrified. Absolutely terrified,” Flemister said.

According to immigration attorneys, cases like these were often approved without incident in past administrations, with immigration agents typically focusing on individuals with criminal records. Metry’s attorney says he has never had a client detained in a similar case and is seeking a temporary stay to keep her in the country.

Friends have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover her legal defense costs.

ICE has not responded to requests for comment.

Metry’s arrest while having no criminal record comes as a new, internal Department of Homeland Security document reveals fewer than 14 percent of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by ICE last year had charges or previous convictions of violent crimes. It also shows that nearly 40 percent of those arrested didn’t have any criminal record and were only accused of civil immigration offenses. Fewer than 2 percent had homicide or sexual assault charges or convictions, and around 2 percent were accused of being gang members.

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 Ja Nai Wright

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    BALTIMORE (WMAR) — A Baltimore running club is taking its support for single mothers to the next level this weekend with a 134-mile relay race from Baltimore City Hall to Philadelphia City Hall.

The Track Hawks Run Club has partnered with the Jeremiah Program to raise funds and awareness for single mothers pursuing college degrees.

The relay begins at 6 a.m. and aims to finish by 6 a.m., covering the distance between the two cities.

“This is my way of showing up for women that I may never meet, but I will know that they are well taken care of, and they will forever be well taken care of,” Yasmine Allen said.

The Jeremiah Program in Baltimore currently serves 54 mothers and nearly 100 children, providing financial support to single mothers pursuing their college education.

Danielle Staton, executive director of the Jeremiah Program, drew parallels between the relay and the program’s mission.

“Great analogy for what we do at the Jeremiah program, you know our moms are running the race of being single moms trying to get a degree, but they’re not doing it alone. They have a coach, a literal coach who supports the work. They have a community that supporting them, and we’re passing on that baton of opportunity, and at the finish line is their children,” Staton said.

The event serves as both a fundraiser and awareness campaign, with organizers hoping to raise more than $5,000.

Demetrius Kingston, a member of the Track Hawks Run Club, said the cause resonates with him personally.

“My sister is a single mom, and I grew up with women all around me, so I always felt like we always need to take care of the women first, so I felt like as soon as I heard this, I was like oh yeah we need to jump on that because I always see in the eyes of any woman that needs help. We can always just help out,” Kingston said.

Yasmine Allen, also with Track Hawks Run Club, said she connects with the mothers in the program as both a single mother and runner.

“Someone band together just to help single mothers because at the end of the day, we are the most unprotected and we need the most protection, so if I have to run 20 miles or 134 miles, which is what will be running this weekend, that’s exactly what we are planning to do,” Allen said.

The Jeremiah Program has five mothers graduating in June, and organizers hope events like this relay will continue supporting their educational goals.

The rally begins Saturday at 6am at Baltimore City Hall, and they expect to reach the Philidelphia city hall by 6am on Sunday.

The Jeremiah Program also has another fundraiser called Raising The Stakes at Blue Pit in Hampden on May 2nd.

“This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WMAR 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.

By Caleb Barnes

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    MIDWAY, Kentucky (WLEX) — Sitting on the sideline at Kentucky Christian University men’s basketball games is nine-year-old Sadie Maynard. She’s on the bench where she’s hard at work, wearing black and red with the Knights logo.

“I’m a manager,” Sadie said. “I’ll give (the players) water and high five their hands when they’re out.”

Head coach Charlie Pack says Sadie isn’t shy about her role.

“She just brings a certain amount of determination and she will let them know when they’re playing bad as well,” he said with a smile.

Sadie’s dad Todd is an assistant coach on staff at Kentucky Christian. A KCU alum who once played basketball for the school, Todd accepted an opportunity to be the dean of the school of business and leadership while also working as the assistant men’s basketball coach. The coaching field is one familiar for the Maynards.

“I grew up watching my dad a lot,” Sadie said. “It really made me like love wanting to do that. Like I wanted to be on the court most of the time he was on the court, but sometimes I couldn’t.”

Sadie is the youngest of three girls, and she took an early liking to basketball.

“My dad put a little mini basketball in my hand when I was a baby,” she said.

“Ever since she was little she’d walk around and dribble,” Todd said. “It was one of those things where she was like, ‘I’d like to sit with you over there’ and we let her do it.”

“I said, ‘Hey, you can fill up the water and you got to work hard and it’s an important position.’ That’s one thing about her that you’ll notice if you look at what she does during the games. She feels like it’s valuable and she does and she takes it serious.”

That’s how Sadie’s work as manager began. Her hard work is one of the reasons why Coach Pack wanted to retain Sadie as a manager when he brought Todd onto his staff.

“When I decided to come up and Coach Pack gave me the opportunity to come up and be an assistant it was one of those things that, we’re a basketball family and she’s always been around,” Todd said. “I told her, I said, ‘hey I’ve got to feel things out and see how things are,’ but Coach Pack’s been awesome. He’s given us the opportunity.”

“Our whole team and the approach is kind of be like family,” Pack added. “They’ve embraced her, she’s embraced them, and you know she’s just part of our family now.”

Sadie works out with the team in practice, and she encourages players from the sidelines during games. What does she say to help lift up the guys?

“Keep your head up and play your game,” Sadie said. “Do what you know you can do.”

She’s also a pretty good basketball player herself, playing for her age group in the West Virginia Thunder.

“Last summer in Knoxville, Tennessee, they won a national championship,” Todd shared. “She’s been around enough ball to understand that it’s serious and you got to take it serious and consistently you have to work.”

From playing to managing, Sadie has a long future in basketball. One day, the roles for Todd and Sadie just might reverse.

“Eventually one day when she’s done playing, and we told her to go as far as you can go, but whenever she becomes a head coach one day, we’ve got a handshake agreement that I will be her assistant,” shared Todd. “So whenever that happens, I’ll have to help her on her bench.”

Kentucky Christian University is based out of Grayson. The Knights took on Midway University Tuesday night, where they picked up a 70-63 win.

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 Evelyn Schultz

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    RICHMOND, Kentucky (WLEX) — A Madison County spa is offering Kentuckians a unique way to experience winter year-round with the state’s first snow room, a new form of cold therapy that’s gaining popularity across the country.

House of Beauty Medspa in Richmond recently installed the custom snow room. The innovative therapy space allows guests to relax while snow falls around them in a controlled environment.

“A snow room is a cold therapy experience where the temperature is kept controlled, and light snow falls in the room in a very calm and relaxing environment,” said owner Jaclyn Johnson.

Johnson was inspired by snow rooms she discovered around the globe when deciding to bring this new type of cold therapy to her facility. The custom-built room features a snow generator mounted on the ceiling that Johnson can fully customize, adjusting both flake size and speed.

The room maintains a temperature of around 34 degrees, making it less intense than other forms of cold therapy while still providing optimal health benefits.

“It reduces inflammation in the body, it’s really good for muscle recovery, and it helps to improve circulation,” Johnson said. “I find it really invigorating, it wakes up all your senses.”

She says a session in the snow room may just be what you need to leave with a warm heart, no shoveling required.

“I want it to be relaxing, I want it to be a place where you can leave all your worries at the door and be refreshed,” Johnson 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 Sean Daly

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    TAMPA, Florida (WFTS) — Serenity eyes the K-Pop Taco suspiciously.

She smells this curious creation, then leans in, slowly, and takes a bite.

The student at Sligh Middle School in Tampa shakes her head excitedly.

“Oh yeah, it’s good!” she says.

Make that one vote for the K-Pop Taco, which features Korean BBQ chicken in a bao bun — and could very well be on the menu at Hillsborough County schools next year.

Serenity and hundreds of middle- and high-schoolers wielded their power at the Silo Bend Events Center in Tampa this week.

They will decide on new breakfast and lunch menu items for next year. Each item has to adhere to nutritional standards while being tasty, hip, and exciting.

“That’s who we want to have the power, right?” says Shani Hall, general manager of Student Nutrition Services. “If the kids won’t eat it, it’s not worth anything.”

Other items, provided by local food vendors, included Bagelfulls (cream-cheese-stuffed bagels), Morning Swicy Stack (a sweet/spicy chicken sausage on a croissant), Rockin’ Butter Chicken on Queso Fries (a blend of Indian and Mexican flavors), and more.

The kids will vote this week, then the winners (could be as many as four or five) will be announced soon.

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 Tim Fang, Jose Fabian

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — San Francisco schools will be closed for a fourth day on Thursday, said Laura Dudnick, San Francisco Unified School District director of communications on Wednesday afternoon.

Teachers have been striking for three days over wages and benefits.

“I will be very clear: We are making progress,” Dudnick said. “The items being discussed today are health care, salaries and special education.”

At a news conference earlier Wednesday, ahead of an expected meeting with the United Educators of San Francisco, Superintendent Maria Su made an urgent plea for an agreement to be reached.

“We are prepared and committed to getting this agreement done today. We all must act with urgency, we all must get together to get this done,” Su said.

Su described the district’s latest offer as “generous” and at the same time “fiscally responsible.”

“With our current proposal, we are putting money back into pockets of our educators, with a significant increase in compensation and healthcare benefits. This is about putting real money back into the pockets of educators. This is an investment in educators and their families in San Francisco,” she added.

At the news conference, Su said both State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and Mayor Daniel Lurie urged both sides to get a deal reached.

Union president Cassondra Curiel said in a statement Tuesday night that the district’s negotiators had moved on issues involving sanctuary schools, housing protections, classified compensation, artificial intelligence and contracting out services.

“The administration told us for the past 11 months none of this was possible. Clearly it is — when we stand together,” Curiel said. “The time is now for SFUSD to fully funded family healthcare, address special education workloads and provide fair compensation for certificated staff that will stabilize our schools and end this strike.”

On Tuesday evening, Mayor Daniel Lurie said he met with the head of both the union and Su.

“They gave me an update on the progress that has been made today, and I made it clear – they can and they need to get this done. Every day in the classroom matters for our children,” Lurie said in an update posted to his social media. “Getting our schools open is the top priority, and we can do that while supporting our educators and keeping the school district on the path to fiscal stability.”

Lurie said the city would continue to provide support for impacted students.

About 6,000 teachers represented by the United Educators of San Francisco began walking the picket lines Monday, after the district and union were unable to reach an agreement over the weekend. Sticking points on an agreement include wages, healthcare for dependents, along with assistance for special education staff.

More than 50,000 students attend 122 schools in the SFUSD.

Dudnick said the district will be working with the state to ensure it provides students with the legally required number of instruction days.

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 John Franchi

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    SALT LAKE CITY (KSTU) — Olympic champions are sharing their stories with Utah elementary students, hoping to inspire the next generation of athletes who will come of age just as the 2034 Winter Olympics arrive in their home state.

When the Olympics are held in Utah in 2034, current 4th graders will be graduating from high school. This timing makes them the perfect students to learn about working toward goals that sometimes end with gold.

At Guadalupe School, students listened intently as Olympic legends shared their experiences and wisdom. “It’s the athlete against the mountain, it’s the athlete against gravity, it’s the athlete against themselves,” said Doug Lewis, who competed in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.

Lewis loves sharing his Olympic stories with young audiences. “Olympians come from within themselves so if you can light that fire in a kid and just start their engine, start that work ethic, inspire them to go after that dream, there is nothing better than that,” Lewis said.

Lewis was joined by Tristan Gale, who won gold in skeleton at the 2002 Salt Lake Games. She believes the Olympics present Utah youth with unmatched opportunities. “When you grow up in Utah, because every venue is here, you can try all of it,” Gale said.

The Olympians want kids to know that anything is possible. Chris Mazdzer proved that in 2018 when his silver medal in luge made history.

“I am actually the only non-European man to medal in the men’s luge,” Mazdzer said.

His achievement demonstrates that Olympic dreams can come from anywhere. “100 percent an Olympian can come from anywhere,” Mazdzer said.

That’s the lesson PE teacher Amber Rigdon hoped students would learn when she invited the Olympians to her class. “I really stress they train for years, they don’t just go out there and do it. They train super hard,” Rigdon said.

Great results aren’t given – they are earned. When 4th grader Brentley was asked how hard someone has to work to get a gold medal, he understood the commitment required. “Really hard,” he said. “Years!”

The message wasn’t lost on these 4th graders who may go for gold in eight years. “When you try and keep working on it you’ll achieve it,” said Sofia, another 4th-grade student.

Utah 2034 organized the meeting with Olympic athletes at Guadalupe School.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team 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.