Category: CNN Regional

By Dacia Johnson

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    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — An Orlando woman was arrested Wednesday after deputies say she was involved in a robbery after inviting a man over to her apartment.

Anne Aksell, 29, is facing robbery with a firearm, grand theft and aggravated battery charges, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident happened on Monday when deputies responded to a 911 call about a man who had been beaten with an ax and robbed at an apartment complex on Colonial Drive.

The victim told deputies he drove to the apartment to meet Aksell when the three men attacked him, taking his wallet, phone and keys, an OCSO arrest affidavit says.

The victim had a stab wound to the back and a laceration on his head, OCSO said.

The victim told deputies he started following a woman, later identified as Aksell, on Instagram a year ago, but she began messaging him two weeks ago. At one point, Aksell’s boyfriend told the victim to leave her alone.

The victim said he did until Aksell said they had broken up and she invited him over. She was dressed in lingerie and came out to meet him when he arrived, the affidavit says.

The victim followed Aksell upstairs, where he was approached and told not to move by a man the victim said was Aksell’s boyfriend.

The victim ran down the stairs, where two more men were waiting with a knife and an ax and began to hit him.

OCSO said the victim was able to run after being hit, but the men caught up to him and hit him again.

That’s when the victim was able to hop a fence and find someone to call 911.

OCSO said the victim’s car was found abandoned.

A search warrant allowed deputies to locate clothing matching the victim’s description of the suspects, and surveillance video corroborated the victim’s account.

Aksell at first said she was afraid of the victim and that’s why the men attacked him, but later admitted they had planned the attack.

Aksell was taken into custody.

Her boyfriend, Nicholas Lavallee, is also facing charges.

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 Marvin Hurst

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    MCKINNEY, Texas (KTVT) — A North Texas woman says exercise and some therapy have helped her regain control of her life after devastating losses turned recent Decembers into a season of grief.

LaTonya Rodgers, a 48-year-old wife and mother from McKinney, lost two siblings within months of each other, tragedies that she says left her emotionally overwhelmed and physically inactive.

“I wasn’t doing anything. I wasn’t active. I wasn’t moving, just kind of grieving through food,” Rodgers said.

Her grief began in December 2023, when a cousin called with news she never expected: her baby sister, Ashley Emory, had been found dead in her apartment. Rodgers said she was stunned. Although the sisters had not spoken recently, she believed Emory was living in East Texas and had no reason to fear the worst.

Police later determined Emory had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death in Commerce, Texas, on Dec. 13, 2023. Authorities said her cause of death was blunt force trauma and compression to the neck. Rodgers said investigators told the family they have DNA evidence, but no arrests have been announced.

“Just knowing how young and how sweet she was, how could somebody do something to someone that sweet?” Rodgers said, recalling caring for her sister as a baby.

The loss hit Rodgers harder than anything she had experienced before. But about three months later, she said something changed.

“A voice in my head said, ‘It’s time to get up,'” she said.

Rodgers began walking and exercising at a park, eventually joining a gym in Frisco after a friend’s recommendation. Now, she’s there as early as 4 a.m., working with coaches and sticking to a strict fitness routine. She said exercise, along with therapy, helped stabilize her mental health.

“Mentally, I feel great,” Rodgers said. “I do have moments, but it’s nothing that I can’t snap out of real quick.”

Her experience reflects a broader struggle many face during the holidays. A national survey found 41% of respondents expect increased holiday stress, while 48% worry about grief or missing someone during that time.

Rodgers’ grief deepened again in May, when her younger brother, Kenneth Emory, died in prison. Court records show he was incarcerated for sexual assault and had attempted to appeal his plea deal. Rodgers said his birthday, on Dec. 24, adds another emotional weight to the season.

As the oldest sibling, Rodgers said she struggles with guilt.

“How could I let this happen? Why didn’t we stay in touch?” she said.

Rodgers said prison officials have not indicated whether her brother’s death is under criminal investigation. She has paid for his death certificate and plans to review it to learn how he died.

Despite the unanswered questions, Rodgers remains committed to her fitness routine to keep her life on track. While she hopes for justice in her sister’s case and clarity surrounding her brother’s death, she says exercise has helped her find a sense of strength and peace.

“If I never get the real truth,” Rodgers said, “at the end of the day, they’ve got to go and face somebody way higher than me.”

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 Jack Watson

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    CATONSVILLE, Maryland (WMAR) — From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, when it comes to merry, there’s no one quite like Larry Murray.

For about 10 years, Murray has been the DIY architect of a dazzling neighborhood light show. He’s got it down to an art and a science.

“It takes a little over a month to get all this stuff up,” Murray explained to WMAR-2 News.

Murray works fire rescue in Montgomery County and calls Catonsville home, on Rawlings Well Road.

“I’ve seen police cars out here. I’ve seen a row of cars up and down here watching and stuff like that. It runs every single night. It comes on at about between 5:30 and 6, I think it’s 5:30 is when it’s coming on right now, and it ends at 9:30 for the neighbors and stuff,” Murray said.

Folks can watch from their cars and tune their dials to 88.7 for Christmas music to follow along.

Over 1,000 followers on Facebook look forward to the post each year saying the show is on.

“The community comes out, they love it. They’re like, ‘We love your show. You bring so much joy to the community. We love your house. We come by every year. We’ll go out and we’ll sit in front of your house for 30 minutes and just enjoy the lights,'” Murray said.

“Love doing this,” he added. “This is how I like to celebrate Christmas. This is how I like to celebrate joy, you know, the birth of Jesus, and, you know it’s exciting to me.”

The show will run through New Year’s, until it’s time for the lights to go dark.

“It’ll take me weeks to get this down,” he laughed.

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 Robert Boyd

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    ODESSA, Florida (WFTS) — Throughout the hockey season, Tampa Bay 28 has been highlighting some of the community’s most passionate Lightning fans. We recently had one fan from Odessa reach out to us about his autograph collection, something he’s been building since he was a kid.

From cards, to sticks to jerseys, Chris Weisman has thousands of pieces of Lightning memorabilia, the majority of it is autographed.

“This is one of my favorite hockey sticks I have collected throughout the years; this one is game used by Marty St. Louis,” said Weisman, showing off all the gear he has collected over the years.

“This is a gift from one of my best friends, his mom got the newspaper clippings from when we won the first Stanley Cup then put a little collage together,” said Weisman. “Vinny Lecavalier was one of my idols, next to Marty St. Louis, he was a staple for the Lightning organization and meeting him throughout the years many times he signed many cards for me.”

Chris began his collection when he was seven years old.

“When I used to get good grades on my report card my dad would give me packs of cards to open, so it all started when I was not doing great in school and I started getting better grades, that was my motivation,” said Weisman.

Chris remembers hanging outside the old Ice Palace before and after games. He said the best part about getting an autograph, is meeting the player.

“I would go and I would get pictures with the players and then I would go get them developed and then go back and get them signed the next week,” said Weisman.

Chris started lacing up his own skates, participating in various Lightning community programs, so it was only fitting when he became an adult, he got a part time job with the team.

“It was a full circle moment, it really was,” said Weisman. “What we would do is go into the community, go into the schools, teach kids who have never held a hockey stick before how to play the game, how to hold the sticks, some of the rules of the game.”

He even received two championship rings, like what the players wear.

“It’s something no one can take away from me, I only wear it for special occasions,” said Weisman.

Chris stepped away from the team to focus on raising his own family, but his passion for the Bolts has never been stronger. He hopes to be a voice in the community for all those young autograph seekers out there, it’s more than just a signature, it’s a lifelong memory.

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 Madeleine Wright

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    WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (KYW) — Homeowners in one South Jersey community are demanding answers after their fence was hit yet again.

Police body camera video shows Washington Township, Gloucester County, police discovering the scene of the crash around 1:30 a.m. on New Year’s Eve.

By daylight, the damage was clear. A driver veered off Egg Harbor Road near Dorado Avenue and plowed through a backyard fence before taking off. The damage affects three homeowners, who all share the fence, and may have to pay for repairs. The fence runs along the backyard of more than a dozen homes.

The hit-and-run driver turned himself in at 3 p.m. the same day and claimed he swerved to avoid striking a deer, police said. The investigation is ongoing.

“I’m very frustrated because now what do I have to go through to get my fence fixed?” Washington Township homeowner Jeffrey Krouse said.

It turns out this isn’t the first time this has happened. There was another hit-and-run involving this same section of fence in 2019. Police said the driver in that case may have been distracted.

A different section of the same fence, further down Egg Harbor Road, was hit in July 2025 and August 2025. Police said the August 2025 incident involved a drunk driver and the July 2025 incident involved a driver who fell asleep at the wheel.

Homeowners are worried if this pattern continues, somebody could get hurt.

“I have grandchildren and if they’re out in the yard and somebody comes through that fence, there’s nothing to stop it,” Krouse said.

The Washington Township Police Department has been in contact with the Gloucester County Highway Division about the possibility of installing guardrails.

“There’s many homes along the stretch that have swimming pools,” Chief Patrick Gurcsik from the Washington Township Police Department said. “It’s definitely a concern that somebody would be in one of those backyards when an accident happened.”

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 Brian Unger

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — This time of year can be especially painful for families coping with loss, and for children, that grief can begin far too early.

In Georgia, one in 10 children will lose a parent, sibling or primary caregiver before turning 18. For many of them, help comes from Kate’s Club, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that supports children and families learning how to live with loss.

They are some of the smallest mourners; children just learning to write, speak, and understand the world around them, sometimes before they even learn how to ride a bike. Many are so young they use drawings to express what words cannot: the loss of a mother, father or sibling.

“His name was Deondre,” Anthony Rolland said. “He was very funny. He was tall, 6-foot-5.”

Anthony was just 5 years old when his older brother, Deondre, was killed in a shooting. Now 15, Anthony says the bond they shared is something he still carries with him.

“Me and him just always used to, like, play with each other,” Anthony said. “We just had great bonding together.”

Kate’s Club was founded in 2003 by Kate Atwood, who lost her mother, Audrey, to cancer when she was 12 years old. Since then, more than 15,000 children have found support through the organization, which helps them take their first steps through grief.

“Developmentally, until about 7, a lot of children won’t really realize that death is permanent,” said Lane Pease, the club’s director of education.

Research shows children who lose a parent are five times more likely to develop a psychiatric disorder. Because of that, Kate’s Club offers long-term support, recognizing that grief does not follow a set timeline.

“I don’t believe in the word closure,” Pease said. “I don’t think they can start the healing process till later. With homicide, death, there’s many things, and it can drag on for years.”

Anthony’s mother, Deatrice Stroud, said the loss of her son was overwhelming, and that Kate’s Club helped her family find a way to talk openly about their pain.

“It was the most excruciating pain that you could ever experience,” Stroud said. “It’s not the natural order. You don’t think your children will go before you, and when they’re taken due to violence, it’s horrible because you have to deal with the law.”

The mission at Kate’s Club is to bring grief out of the shadows, to replace isolation with compassion, connection, and understanding.

“I started getting good grades,” Anthony said. “I started becoming, like, a better person.”

For families dealing with loss, Kate’s Club aims to show that grief doesn’t have to be faced alone, and that healing, though slow, is possible.

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.