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Air Force reservist inspires next generation of pilots

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Major Kenny Thomas isn’t just following his own dreams of flying. He’s also introducing the dream to others by inspiring a new generation to take to the skies.  

Thomas has loved airplanes since he was a kid. 

“I used to get the books from the library that just had pictures of airplanes, the airplane encyclopedias,” he said. 

The Air Force reservist was 28 when he first flew a plane, but he wished he had started flying sooner. 

“I remember on one of my first flights, I flew up to the Atlanta Motor Speedway, and I remember seeing a bunch of kids out there, flying. And I was like, ‘Man, how come I didn’t know about something like this when I was their age?'” said Thomas. “And that was one of the things that sparked me to be like, ‘All right. I gotta find a way to be able to give kids who were me that same experience and exposure.'”

Now, Thomas leads the nonprofit Legacy Flight Academy. 

“We want to make sure that people in all communities have the same access to being able to get jobs as pilots,” Thomas said. 

Only 2% of pilots in the U.S. are Black. Thomas and his volunteers want to change that by getting kids in planes and teaching them history. 

“The foundation of Legacy Flight Academy is the Tuskegee Airmen. We want to live the legacy, which is what we’re doing by having excellence, having integrity, by setting goals. We’re living the legacy,” he said. “And then growing the legacy is when we can go out and we find these students, and we help them get to where they can reach their goals and reach their dreams. 

Shaniya Marshall is a pilot today thanks to Thomas. “Legacy Flight Academy gave me my first scholarship for $7,500, which allowed for me to finish my private pilot’s license. 

“I never thought of it as more than a childhood dream,” she said. 

For Thomas, the reward is seeing students thrive. 

“When you’re flying with a student, and you’re trying to teach them something, and all of a sudden they get the ‘ah hah’ moment, it makes you feel like all the work you’re putting in with them, all the energy and all the time, is worth it.”



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Former New York Gov. David Paterson, stepson attacked while walking in New York City

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NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.

The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.

Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.” 

The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.” 

Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added. 

Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor. 



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Teen critically wounded in shooting on Philadelphia bus; one person in custody

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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.

At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.

There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.

According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.

Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.

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Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said  

CBS Philadelphia


Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.

Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.

The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said. 

Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind. 

According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.

“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”

This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.



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