Category: CNN Regional

By Peyton Furtado

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    TRAVELERS REST, South Carolina (WYFF) — A CNN documentary titled “Simril(l)s: A Family in Black and White” tells the story of a multi-racial family from South Carolina, who have come together despite a painful history, now sharing their journey at Furman University.

The Simrils and Simrills have their differences, even in how they spell their names. Their story traces back to York County, South Carolina, where Spencer’s ancestor was a slave owner and Klan member, while Michael’s ancestors were former slaves who testified in federal court against the Klan. The two men discovered they were related more than a decade ago.

“Knowing that my family had this connection with slavery and the Ku Klux Klan that was unknown. That was that that was that was buried, that had manifested itself in trauma and alcoholism on both the white and the black size within to find each other, to go on this shared quest, to become friends, to become family through the process,” said Spencer Simrill.

Their stories are traced back in tragedy to Harriet, who was left alone after her family moved to Liberia and testified against the KKK in federal court. “The Ku Klux Klan entered her home. They terrorized her,” Michael Simril said.

When the two families started getting together in 2014, CNN took notice. The families chose forgiveness over forgetting, becoming one big family. “We’re better. We’re better together as one and not separated and divided,” said Michael.

The family shares their story at universities around the nation, including Furman. Michael expressed hope, saying, “You know, like it’s almost felt like if we could overcome this, then we or others could overcome. I don’t want to say anything, but a lot.”

After the lights came up and people started to file out, the big takeaways were that we’re not all that different. And things aren’t always black and white.

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 Quanecia Fraser

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — An Omaha mother says her child with special needs came home with a red mark on her face. She says her daughter was assaulted by a school bus aide, who is now no longer with the district, according to Omaha Public Schools.

“This is just horrible,” Tyresa Colwell told KETV Investigates.”In the picture, you can see a handprint, and you can see a welt mark of like, in between the fingers on her face.”

Colwell says she got in touch with the OPS transportation specialist.

“I guess I was more hopeful that maybe it was something that didn’t happen from somebody, so that’s why I was waiting for them to see the tapes,” Colwell said.

But that hope went away.

“So basically, (the transportation specialist) said that she sees him leaning over the seat doing something to her in an aggressive manner, but they can’t see exactly what he’s doing because his back is faced towards the camera, but it was enough for them to know it wasn’t right so then they put him on suspension,” Colwell said.

According to a police report, Colwell was told the bus driver got off the bus to use the restroom and a teacher went back to her classroom, leaving 8-year-old Lyric alone with the bus aide.

“She’s in a harness so she can’t even defend herself even if she tried, and she can’t tell me what happening because she’s nonverbal,” Colwell said.

In an e-mail, OPS said the bus aide is no longer employed with the district.

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of the young people we serve. We care deeply about the students in our care,” the district said in a statement.

“How many other times, or (what other) kids could he have done this to that can’t speak for themselves?” Colwell wonders.

OPS told KETV Investigates bus drivers and aides are trained on how to interact with children with special needs.

Colwell said she was told she’ll have to view the video in-person. She said she’s waiting for her lawyer to be present with her to do so.

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 Russ Reed, Jim Keithley

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    SACO, Maine (WMTW) — A historic general store in Saco that has existed for nearly 100 years has been closed following the retirement of its owner.

First opened in 1929, the Way Way Store at 93 Buxton Road was owned and operated by several generations of the Cousens family until it first closed in 2003.

Saco couple Peter and Bridget Scontras then reopened the Way Way Store in June 2011 and operated it over the past 14 years.

“Basically, it was like the Kennebunk rest stops are on the (Maine) Turnpike or any other rest stop. You come here, you get gas, you’d buy food, you’d go to the bathroom, take care of yourself, and then you’d be off on your trip because there was no turnpike,” Peter Scontras said. “This was it. This was your stop.”

The Way Way Store closed early for the season in October 2025 following the death of Bridget Scontras, who had Parkinson’s disease.

“I can’t do it without her,” Peter Scontras said of his late wife. “I can sell the products, but, emotionally, she’s not with me and being together for 61 years is something you never forget. I can’t do it. I’m not going to do it.”

In a post shared to the store’s Facebook page on Saturday, Peter Scontras announced the store is “closed forever” due to his retirement.

“Finally retired with gratitude,” Scontras said in the post.

Peter Scontras had retired from teaching when he and his wife thought of purchasing the Way Way Store to use the vacant building as a roadside spot to sell and rent kayaks and canoes. But when he went to Saco City Hall to acquire a permit, the city planner pitched him a different idea.

“He started talking to me and says: ‘Have you thought of reopening the store?’ I said: ‘You’re crazy. I’m retired,'” Scontras said in a 2013 interview with Maine’s Total Coverage.

Peter Scontras said he was met by gratitude from the community when he reopened the Way Way Store, which still sold penny candy but also served ice cream and offered blueberry pies, maple syrup and pumpkins. The business was also kept going by Scontras’ original idea of selling and renting kayaks and canoes.

The inside of the Way Way Store was always filled with antique signs and products, which Scontras referred to as his candy.

“I’m going to miss the people. I’m going to miss the kids and the experiences and the stories, and the camaraderie and the feeling of happiness, and seeing people come in and say, ‘Oh wow, look at this! This reminds me of my childhood,’ and then they leave with a smile,” Scontras said.

The Way Way Store is about 3 miles away from Saco’s Mill District, the economic hub of the city in the early 20th century. That trip from the mills to the general store is how the business got its name.

“Back then, this store was quite a distance from the downtown and not that many people came out this far unless they were on a trip,” Scontras said. “So someone would ask someone: ‘Where are you going today?’ ‘I’m going to check out that store that’s way, way out there.’ So the name stuck: Way Way.”

The Way Way Store has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since December 1995.

Scontras said he will post a sign later this week that simply reads: “Store closed. Retired. Thank you.”

“We had a good run. We brought a lot of happiness and joy to a lot of people,” he said.

For Scontras, and a lot of other people in the Saco area, this is an end of an era.

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 Stephen Cohn

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    WAUWATOSA, Wisconsin (WISN) — A crash on northbound I-41 in Germantown turned dangerous fast when a vehicle caught fire with the driver still inside, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.

The crash happened around 8 a.m. Monday, just north of County Line Road. When Germantown police arrived, flames were already coming from the engine area.

The sheriff’s office said a Washington County deputy arrived and gave his fire extinguisher to an off-duty firefighter who had stopped to help.

As people worked to knock down the flames, the deputy and a Germantown officer reached the driver, whose foot was stuck under the door.

The deputy freed the foot, and the officer pulled the 40-year-old Wauwatosa man out moments before the fire grew worse.

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 Marissa Barrett

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    MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A kidney donor from Alaska drove from Chicago to Boston in the middle of a blizzard to help a New Hampshire woman in need.

Kelly Nixon was scheduled to fly from Anchorage, Alaska, to Boston to donate her kidney to Michelle Wood of Westmoreland, New Hampshire.

Wood has a form of kidney disease that is deadly without a transplant.

When Nixon’s travel plans were disrupted by a snowstorm, she and her husband, Paul, were stranded in Chicago.

Despite the weather, the couple rented a car and drove hundreds of miles to reach Tufts Medical Center in time for the surgery.

“It was really windy,” Nixon said. “We were getting tossed around a bit, and we ended up making it in two days.”

Wood said she is grateful for Nixon’s determination.

“I have so much love for Kelly, and this big, amazing, enormous gift that she’s done is phenomenal,” she 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 Maria Wilson

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    SOMERSWORTH, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A section of High Street in Somersworth reopened Tuesday night after a crash near Market Basket, officials said.

News 9 spoke to two of the many people who rushed to help the driver who was injured in the crash.

“I had gone out and like saw like the wreck, and I saw people like running over there. I saw the truck on its side,” said Ashley Daigle, one of the good Samaritans.

Daigle said she was taking her kids to eat at a nearby restaurant when the crash happened around 6 p.m.

“Somebody had a fire extinguisher and was like bashing like the windshield out to try to like get him out,” Daigle said.

She told News 9 how she reacted in the moments after the crash.

“I was just like, alright, let’s see if we can just like, you know, keep him talking, like ask him what his name is, like his age, if he has any medical conditions, or if he’s on any sort of medications that could help,” Daigle said.

The Somersworth Fire Department says the downed power lines from the crash knocked out power to part of the city last night, which impacted nearby businesses and homes. The power has since been restored.

Another person who helped the injured driver, Joshua Goodin, said he was stopped at a traffic light at the time of the accident when the power lines shook.

“I heard a loud bang, and I was looking at the sky, sitting at a red light, and saw the lines just bouncing around, ready to come off all the poles,” Goodin said.

Goodin told News 9 he was the one who smashed the car’s window.

“Somebody brought a fire extinguisher. I broke the back passenger door window and got the door open, climbed in, and started administering first aid.”

Both Daigle and Goodin say they were moved by how many people tried to help.

“People were giving me their clothes, sweatshirts, T-shirts, whatever they had handy,” Goodin said.

“I’m just like relieved and touched by like how many people that, you know, rushed to this man’s aid to help,” Daigle said.

The driver’s condition is unknown, and it is unclear what led up to the crash.

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 Mary Saladna

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    NATICK, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A Massachusetts woman trying to sell her expensive gemstone in an online marketplace deal said she was almost robbed by the prospective buyer.

Kathleen Sanfacon, a registered nurse, Dunstable firefighter, and mother of two, met up with an online buyer at the Natick Mall on Tuesday.

The buyer said he was willing to pay $27,000 for the heart-shaped diamond she was selling.

The two met near the Bank of America inside the mall.

“I wanted to make sure we’d be safe and on camera and in public,” Sanfacon said.

She also went a step further and introduced herself to two bank employees, explaining that she was there to sell a diamond.

When the buyer showed up, the two went into the bank ATM vestibule.

“I took out the diamond, he had a tester, he looked like he was testing it,” said Sanfacon. “He started to put it back in the little case and I thought he was then going to get out the money, and he just ran.”

That’s when Sanfacon grabbed onto the man and didn’t let go.

“He said, ‘I have a gun and I’ll shoot you. I don’t want to have to use it,'” Sanfacon said.

She said she never saw a gun but she was dragged by the suspect.

Sanfacon suffered a dislocated pinky and scrapes to her knees and elbows.

She is grateful to the two bank employees who kept an eye on the “meet up” and came running to help her.

The employees helped tackle the suspect and called police.

Keyjuan Webb, 23, of Beverly, was arrested and arraigned on Wednesday.

Webb pleaded not guilty and was held without bail. He is due back in court on Friday for a dangerousness hearing.

“It took at least four of us to hold him down and I was able to pry [the diamond] out of his hands,” said Sanfacon.

Her diamond is currently being held as evidence.

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.