Category: CNN Regional

By Forrest Sanders

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    NASHVILLE (WTVF) — A man invited us to be in the operating room as he became a milestone patient at Vanderbilt Health for a groundbreaking treatment. He’s sharing his story as both a “thank you” and a chance to share a message.

The story starts in the era of cassette tapes, the Walkman, and pins on jean jackets. It was the mid-80s when Aaron Davis first met future wife Kimberly.

“Kim was the only girl in our school that had just the coolest hair!” Aaron laughed.

“Short on one side, long on the other,” Kimberly nodded.

“I was in 7th grade, she was in 8th grade, so I had the 8th grade girlfriend!” Aaron said. “So, automatically, I was the cool guy.”

“He was trouble,” Kimberly said, looking over at Aaron. “He was trouble, but he was nice.”

Aaron and Kimberly didn’t stay together back then, but life eventually brought them back, and they married.

“We’ve been together 21 years, so it’s been a good story,” Aaron said.

Before their visits to Vanderbilt Health began, Aaron was going through night sweats, indigestion, heart burn, and constipation. Back near their home in east Tennessee, he went in for a colonoscopy.

“I made the appointment,” Kimberly said. “He went. Then, we knew.”

“When I woke up, the doctor was standing there,” Aaron remembered. “‘Mr. Davis, you have cancer.’ Without my wife, I probably would have went septic and never known I had cancer. I would have passed away. It’s been a very emotional roller coaster for the past four years.”

Aaron and Kimberly began the long trips to Vanderbilt Health, about 175 miles from their home. They’ve made the trip about 50 times as Aaron is treated for a cancer that spread from his colon to his liver.

Something to know is when Aaron and Kimberly met in the mid-80s, some treatments were just not around that are here for Aaron today.

“This is the HAI pump,” Aaron said, showing a small circular device. “I was the 13th patient here at Vanderbilt to receive this. This is under the skin. They access this. It holds two weeks of chemo. Instead of going through your whole body, it’s only passing through your liver.”

There’s something else. Dr. Sekhar Padmanabhan of Vanderbilt explained Aaron is a milestone patient for a new treatment.

“He’s actually the 100th histotripsy case that we’ve performed here at Vanderbilt,” Padmanabhan said.

“The histotripsy is a ground-breaking technology, and it was first approved by the FDA in 2023,” Aaron said.

“It uses ultrasound waves to non-invasively destroy liver tumors,” Padmanabhan continued.

“I have three spots,” Aaron said. “It goes in and actually liquifies the tumor. There’s no cutting. I will be sedated during the procedure. There’s hardly any recovery. From what I understand, you might be sore for two or three days. What gives me confidence is knowing I have one of the best teams in the world. If my story can help one person who sees this get a colonoscopy, maybe come to Vanderbilt, get their life saved, my journey on Earth is worth it.”

Before the procedure, Aaron told me those thank yous both to Vanderbilt and to Kimberly.

“She’s never left my side the many times and procedures I’ve been through here,” Aaron said. “It’s brought our marriage closer together and shown us how much we love each other and need each other. I’m very fortunate to be a recipient.”

Those many trips from east Tennessee are expensive for Aaron and Kimberly.

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 Patsy Montesinos

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    NASHVILLE (WTVF) — FEMA has approved public assistance to support local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations in Middle Tennessee following recent winter storm damage.

Individual assistance remains under federal review, which would provide funds for home repairs and temporary housing for affected residents.

Nashville residents can access in-person support at two Disaster Assistance Centers beginning Tuesday morning. The centers are located at the Hadley Park Community Center and the Smith Springs Community Center.

More than a dozen agencies will be on site to provide wellness services, mental health support, employment assistance, insurance guidance and resource referrals. Residents are encouraged to bring identification, and no appointments are necessary.

For many residents, the need for help remains urgent. Nashville small farmer Ariana Kaufman exemplifies the ongoing recovery efforts many face after losing power for 11 days during the winter storm.

“Things feel more hopeful. The sun is out,” Kaufman said.

Her smile now replaces the tears seen during the bitter cold, when she struggled without electricity while caring for her animals. Like many residents, Kaufman spent day after day in the dark. Walking away from her animals was never an option for the small farmer.

“You’re not only thinking about yourself, but now you have these other outdoor beings that need extra care too,” Kaufman said.

She left her property for only one night when the cold became too dangerous.

“There were a little bit of the beginning stages of hypothermia, and so that’s when we ended up having to leave,” Kaufman said.

With electricity restored, her work has shifted from surviving to repairing. Storm cleanup and electrical repairs have totaled around $4,000 so far, with costs continuing to mount.

“Everything is fine here. It’s just a little bit overwhelming, the amount of trees down that need to be chained up,” Kaufman said.

Now that the ice has melted, Kaufman is finding positive aspects in the storm’s aftermath, particularly increased community connection.

“At least in my neighborhood of people like wanting to get each other’s phone numbers and have dinners and things like that. So it feels like it was a positive shift to get community,” Kaufman said.

Until the last fallen limb is cleared, Kaufman continues her daily recovery work.

“Continuing chainsawing every day,” Kaufman said.

Kaufman encourages those wanting to help to start with immediate neighbors by checking in, lending assistance and helping clean up winter storm damage.

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 Brendan Ponton

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    CHESAPEAKE, Virginia (WTKR) — A Chesapeake mother addressed the school board Monday night after she says her son was called a racial slur during a high school basketball game last Friday.

Tiana Morton says the incident happened when her son’s Great Bridge JV basketball team was playing at Hickory High School. Morton asked that her son not be named.

“There were the use of racial slurs, the n-word was tossed around a few times from different players on the team,” Morton said. “I didn’t hear it. I saw it mouthed.”

Morton says she of course talked about what happened with her son and says white Hickory players were using the racial slur during the game.

“Eventually my son did react and tried to get to another player and then he was ejected, but no consequences were given to the other players,” Morton said.

After the incident, Morton posted about what happened on social media. The post has been shared more than 1,000 times.

Morton says she has spoken with the principal of Hickory High School about the incident.

“She let me know that it was confirmed that children were saying the n-word on the court, but they are not confirming who said it,” Morton said.

Morton brought her concerns to Monday night’s school board meeting.

“When racial harassment is minimized or addressed inconsistently, it sends a message to students about what behavior is tolerated and whose experiences are taken seriously,” Morton said.

The board’s chair briefly responded to Morton’s comments.

“Please email the rest of your comments because we do care about what you have to say,” Kim Scott said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Chesapeake Public Schools said they were aware of the concerns, adding, “We take all reports involving student conduct, including allegations of inappropriate or discriminatory language seriously.”

The spokesperson says because this involves students, they cannot comment on individuals or potential discipline, continuing, “There are clear procedures in place for reviewing concerns at the school level and in coordination with the VHSL.”

Morton says the language is unacceptable.

“I think it’s degrading, I think it’s dehumanizing,” Morton said.

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

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    MARTIN COUNTY, Florida (WPTV) — Multiple people were saved in separate incidents after vehicles plunged into waterways in Martin County recently, both of which involved good Samaritans assisting in the rescues.

The first incident involved a good Samaritan rescuing a pregnant woman from a vehicle that plunged into a waterway along Interstate 95 last week.

According to Martin County Fire Rescue, this happened just before 8 a.m. Friday near the 112-mile marker on Interstate 95.

A vehicle left the roadway and became fully submerged in a pond near the weigh station.

Officials said as the car began to sink, a good Samaritan who witnessed the crash immediately “jumped into action”.

“We were told the witness swam roughly 30 feet from the shore to reach the vehicle. He was able to reach the driver, whom he recognized was pregnant, and open the door. Thankfully, he successfully pulled her to safety before the car was completely lost under the water,” according to a Facebook post on the Martin County Fire Rescue page.

Crews arrived and took the driver to a local trauma center with serious injuries.

A fire rescue dive team entered the water to conduct a secondary search of the vehicle and assist with recovery operations.

“We are incredibly grateful for the bravery shown by this citizen. His quick decision to swim out and reach the driver undoubtedly changed the outcome of this incident,” Fire Rescue said.

In a separate incident, a family of four was rescued Sunday from a canal that was 5 to 6 feet deep in Indiantown.

Martin County Fire Rescue said just after 3 p.m., a Jeep was upside down in a waterway located at the intersection of Southwest Minute Maid & Southwest Allapattah roads.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said during a Monday afternoon news conference that when deputies arrived at the scene, a good Samaritan was holding a woman’s head above the water.

“Unbeknownst to the deputies … they (also found) out that there are three kids in the car also, so they immediately opened the doors and they started pulling these children out — ages 10 and younger. I think the youngest one was 6 months old,” Budensiek said. “They were able to pull the children out, pull them to safety, and get the lady help that she needed.”

Officials said Sunday the three young children had minor injuries.

The woman, who is the children’s mother, was successfully extricated from the Jeep with serious injuries.

All of the victims were taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce for treatment.

Budensiek said they were first alerted to the crash by a driver who saw the Jeep earlier, but then it suddenly vanished.

The driver then turned around and spotted a small trail, the width of a car, leading off into an area where the canal was located.

“The good Samaritan made their way out there and found this (woman) submerged in her car unconscious,” the sheriff said. “Our investigation leads us to believe that this female, whom our deputies know, … has suffered from seizures recently and may have had a seizure which forced her to drive the car off the road and into that canal.”

Budensiek said if it wasn’t for the quick thinking by the good Samaritan, who spotted the woman’s vehicle no longer on the road, the vehicle likely would not have been found “for a long period of time.”

“It’s one of these crashes that you read about every once in a while where cars just disappear, and you can’t find them, but thankfully, that good Samaritan noticed something was wrong and went back, and our deputies were able to help them render aid for the female and save the kids,” Budensiek said.

As of last night, the sheriff said the female driver still was not breathing on her own, but doctors were optimistic that she was going to survive. The children were unharmed in the crash, the sheriff said Monday.

The sheriff’s office did not release any of the names of the good Samaritans or the victims in the two cases.

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 Mike Trim

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    PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida (WPTV) — A Palm Beach County artist is making waves in the ice sculpting world, proving that Florida’s heat can’t stop a master craftsman from creating chilling masterpieces.

Ben Rand, who operates out of his Jupiter Farms freezer, recently won gold at this year’s Cultural Olympics in Milan, competing against 24 carvers from 16 different countries.

“A lot of people think it’s incredibly ironic that I make ice sculptures in Florida,” Rand said.

Despite the South Florida climate, Rand has established himself as one of the world’s best ice sculptors. His victory in Milan was particularly meaningful because his family was there to witness the achievement.

“For me, it was really cool and to have my family with me to show my boys all these amazing sculptors and people,” Rand said.

Ice sculpting became Rand’s passion during culinary school, and he has since perfected his process. His workshop features specialized machines that create 300-pound blocks of ice, each taking about five days to freeze completely.

“Fifteen degrees in there. Perfect ice carving weather,” Rand said about his freezer workspace.

The sculpting process begins with a chainsaw to cut out the larger shape, then gets refined with chisels and chippers. Rand can complete a sculpture in just three hours, creating pieces that are featured at major events throughout the area.

“It’s the natural beauty of frozen water. The crystal aspect of it, when it’s melting, it’s always shimmering,” Rand said. “Every carving I’ve ever set up people just have to come and touch it.”

His finished sculptures draw crowds who can’t help but stop and stare at the intricate frozen artwork, a testament to the skill that earned him international recognition.

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

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    FREDERICK, Maryland (WMAR) — A long-standing federal policy continues to reduce retirement pay for tens of thousands of combat-injured veterans, prompting renewed calls for congressional action.

The policy affects service members who are medically retired and eligible for both military retirement pay and Veterans Affairs disability compensation. Under current law, veterans must forfeit a portion of their military retirement pay if they receive VA disability benefits. This is a requirement supporters of reform often refer to as the “Wounded Veteran Tax.”

Marine Corps veteran Adam Kishleski is among those impacted.

Kishleski joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school and deployed to Iraq just months after the September 11th attacks. Only weeks into his deployment, he was critically injured by a 97-pound improvised explosive device.

“I was in Iraq for just over a month when I got blown up breaching a door,” Kishleski said.

The explosion ended his deployment and his military career.

“I was fortunate enough to make it out alive but ended up losing my left arm and my right leg,” he said.

Kishleski spent more than a year recovering at Bethesda and Walter Reed, relearning how to walk and adjust to life after his injuries. Like many combat-wounded service members, he was medically retired.

It was during his separation from the military that he says he learned how retirement and disability benefits would affect him financially.

“At the time, the military had VA disability pay or military retirement pay made available to you, and you could choose to receive one or the other,” Kishleski said. “But if you chose the VA disability pay, they would back out your military retirement dollar for dollar.”

The offset is rooted in federal law.

According to statute, “current law generally prohibits an individual from receiving two types of government payments for the same period of service (38 U.S.C. 5304[a]). As a result, there is a dollar-for-dollar offset in place for veterans who are eligible for both military retired pay and VADC.”

Military retirement pay is typically reduced by the amount of VA disability compensation received in order to prevent what lawmakers have historically described as “double-dipping.”

Some groups of veterans are exempt from the rule or qualify for special compensation programs that reduce the offset. However, veteran advocacy organizations like Wounded Warrior Project have raised concerns, arguing that retirement pay and disability compensation serve different purposes.

Advocacy groups maintain that retirement pay is earned through years of service, while disability compensation is meant to account for injuries sustained during service.

“If you’re a postman and you got hit by a car and were forced into retirement, you’d receive both your disability pay and your retirement,” Kishleski said. “It’s rather disappointing that our military veterans aren’t treated the same way.”

The Major Richard Star Act would allow combat-injured veterans who were medically retired to receive both full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation.

Supporters estimate the change would affect roughly 50,000 veterans nationwide.

In the House, the bill has more than 300 co-sponsors but remains stalled in committee. Six out of eight Maryland representatives have cosponsored the bill. Congressmen Andy Harris and Steny Hoyer did not sign on.

In the Senate, a companion bill is currently sitting in the Armed Services Committee. Both Senators from Maryland have signed on.

When asked about the status of the House legislation, a representative from the office of Gus Bilirakis provided the following statement:

“The Major Richard Star Act remains a top priority for Congressman Bilirakis. He has held multiple meetings with senior Department of War officials, as well as House and Senate leadership, to determine the best path forward for advancing this legislation. The Congressman will continue working to correct the injustice of concurrent receipt faced by these combat-wounded veterans.”

For veterans like Kishleski, the legislation represents more than a financial change.

“It would mean a great deal to me,” he said. “To know that our politicians care to take care of our veterans after something so significant happens.”

Kishleski also said he believes the issue carries implications for future service members.

“Make it clear to everyone who puts their name on a blank check that if something happens, their country is going to take care of them,” he said.

As Congress continues to debate the legislation, the policy remains in place, leaving thousands of combat-injured veterans subject to the offset.

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 Rushaad Hayward

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    COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (WMAR) — Jim Henson, Gayle King, and Larry David are some notable alumni who attended the University of Maryland, College Park, which is now home to Zaila Avant-Garde.

If that name doesn’t sound familiar, it should.

Avant-Garde made history as the first African American girl to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2021.

What was the word that put her in the national spotlight? Murraya—a genus of tropical plants.

She is the second Black woman to win the award. Jodi Anne Maxwell achieved this in 1998.

Maxwell was born in Kingston, Jamaica, making Avant-Garde the first American-born Black woman to do so.

Now, Avant-Garde is a student at College Park, studying cell biology and genetics.

“It’s been amazing. We’re halfway through our first semester here, and so far I’ve been having a lovely time,” she said.

“My overall career plan is to become a biomedical researcher. I plan to attend a PhD program after undergrad.”

As you can imagine, winning the spelling bee changed her life.

Not only has Avant-Garde appeared in commercials with Shaquille O’Neal, but she also secured a publishing deal with Random House, becoming a New York Times best-selling author.

“How do you manage all of that at such a young age? That seems like a lot going on in your life,” we asked.

“It’s all about time management, which is easier said than done,” she replied.

Spelling bee champion and best-selling author are not the only accolades on her resume.

Avant-Garde holds Guinness World Records in several basketball dribbling categories.

What’s next for her? When she finishes school, she hopes to work with NASA.

“One of the things I really want to do is work with NASA’s Human Research Program to help find a way for humans to inhabit other planets, such as Mars—and the Moon, which is not a planet, but you get the idea,” she explained.

The best piece of advice she can give to anyone looking to follow their dreams: “Don’t listen to people telling you that you can’t do it.”

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 Eileen Buckley

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    VILLAGE OF KENMORE, New York (WKBW) — There’s a battle over historic preservation brewing in the Village of Kenmore, where residents are fighting to save a former church building from demolition to make way for a Shake Shack restaurant.

I cover the Northtowns and caught up with some residents who want the church building preserved.

The former Kenmore Presbyterian Church on Delaware Avenue could be torn down as part of a development plan by Rochester-based owners who want to bring the national burger chain to the village.

Shake Shack has confirmed with 7 News that it has plans to open a location at this site.

However, longtime resident Nancy Anastasia, who has lived in Kenmore her entire life, told me she is opposed to the plan.

“I hate to see a chain come in — that’s not what Kenmore’s all about,” Anastasia said.

She wants to see the historic building preserved rather than demolished to make way for a fast-food restaurant.

“I hate to see us lose old buildings. I kind of hope we can get it listed on a preservation– and then they can’t demolish it,” Anastasia said.

David Brown, another resident fighting the plan, has deep family ties to the village. His great-grandfather built some of the first homes in Kenmore, giving him a personal connection to preserving the area’s history.

“The best outcome would be for Shake Shack to abandon the idea,” Brown said.

Brown explained the church’s history, noting that “in 1924, they built this building around the wooden church while they still had services.”

He has created a Facebook page to rally support for historic preservation and hopes the church could be named a landmark to stop demolition and keep Shake Shack out.

“Horrible, horrible, and it’s the worst time to open a fast food restaurant…I just don’t get it,” Brown said.

Brown suggested a potential compromise: “I don’t know if they could build where the parking lot is and leave the church for another use.”

The developer’s plan calls for constructing a two-story building with retail space and housing.

“If it were adapted for reuse, they would probably get tax revenue. They never got tax revenue for the last 120 years or so,” Brown said.

The village held a hearing on the matter last month, but the mayor and village board have not made a final decision yet.

Residents continue pushing for preservation options.

“See if we can get the building listed on the preservation list so that it can’t be demolished and then move forward from there,” Anastasia said.

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

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    TAMPA, Florida (WFTS) — A Hillsborough County Public Schools employee found her kidney donor through the power of social media and workplace community after another HCPS employee responded to her plea for help at two in the morning.

Mayra Nieves had been fighting kidney failure for five years, undergoing dialysis since 2021 after an allergic reaction to an antibiotic triggered an immune disorder she didn’t know she had. Her situation began in 2018, and despite various treatments, her condition spiraled out of control.

“From there, things just spiraled out of control. They tried some treatments that didn’t work, and in 2021, I started dialysis,” Nieves said.

Late last year, her patience finally paid off when a donor came forward. But the story of how she found her match demonstrates the power of community and social media.

Nieves’ coworkers had made a banner for her to post on social media seeking a kidney donor. That’s what Jenna Folken, another Hillsborough County Public Schools employee, discovered while scrolling through her Facebook.

“When I found her post at two in the morning, my full intention was to never be outed for doing this. That kind of fell by the wayside, obviously,” Folken said.

Folken got tested and, in December, gave Nieves one of her kidneys. The two women now share more than just a school district bond — they share a life saving bond.

“I have been so blessed by God and by Jenna. I thank God for Jenna that she made the decision and she followed her calling and gave me a second chance at life,” Nieves said, “I firmly believe that God orchestrated the entire thing. From beginning to end, this was God’s hand.”

Both women are well on their way to recovering, and their biggest message now is encouraging others to consider getting tested to donate organs, with the goal of creating more stories like theirs and saving more lives.

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