‘Nowhere to go': Owner asks for community's help after her restaurant catches fire, closes
A Jamaican restaurant in University City is closed indefinitely after a fire significantly burned its interior.
Cocoa's Jamaican Jerk was operating out of a food truck for ten years as the owner, Paula Brown, worked to open a brick-and-mortar location, she told Channel 9's Eli Brown.
But on Saturday, the building caught fire, damaging much of its interior.
'It's just all gone,' Brown said. 'I'm sorry y'all. I worked hard.'
The University City restaurant employed many students looking for job experience, Brown said. And much of her food went to people in need.
'When I came here, they grasped me, and they loved me, and I love them back,' she said. 'I love them back. I have so many friends here and so many associates, and that's something I've never had in my life.'
READ: Hickory firefighter, 20, dies after medical emergency following overnight fire call
She said she was working at Taste of Charlotte in uptown on Saturday when she got the call that a fire had started in her restaurant.
The Charlotte Fire Department said the fire was accidental and likely electrical.
Brand obtained surveillance footage that caught the sound of flames and the moment firefighters came running inside, but not much more. The lens was likely burned up by that point.
Brown said many of the things in her restaurant that burned were handmade and some of it was sent to her from her now-deceased mother and sister.
'Coming here to Cocoa's was like coming out of my bedroom and into my living room,' she said. 'To invite people into my house and socialize and feed them and cook dinner and stuff like that. Now it's like I'm stuck in my bedroom. It's like there's nowhere to go.'
She is asking for any help she can get. But she knows for sure she wants to leave behind Cocoa's as her legacy and a love letter to the city she calls home.
'I just wanted to be a part of something,' Brown said. 'In Charlotte, I felt a part of when I didn't feel a part of a lot of other things.'
She told Brand that she is unsure of her next steps, but she had a big success at Taste of Charlotte, giving her some hope.
Anyone who would like to help Brown and Cocoa's Jamaican Jerk can visit the Cocoa's Needs Us GoFundMe.
WATCH: Hickory firefighter, 20, dies after medical emergency following overnight fire call
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chicopee Fire Department promotes two officers to new ranks
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – It was an exciting day in Chicopee on Wednesday for two members of the Chicopee Fire Department, as a new captain and lieutenant were sworn in and pinned. Nicholas Brown was promoted to the rank of captain, and Gregory Pray to the rank of lieutenant. Both of their families, as well as members from the fire department, were there to watch and celebrate their achievements. Chicopee celebrates Portuguese heritage with flag-raising ceremony 'We're going to have two more excellent officers who have done a great job through this process, and they are going to represent us really well,' said Chicopee Fire Captain Katie Collins-Kalbaugh. 'I'm so proud of my dad for becoming captain, because he has been practicing for this the whole time, and he's been really working for this, and we finally got him to be captain,' Captain Brown's daughter Mia said. 'Just to say, I am very proud of him.' 'I am very happy, because it makes us have happy tears,' said Captain Brown's daughter Olivia. Both the new captain and lieutenant completed the rigorous process, including studying for months, taking the assessment test, and completing an interview. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
'She was a hero': Tennessee woman fostered more than 400 children, many with special needs
Nancy Arlene Woodall's phone rang in the middle of the night. It was her brother-in-law, Mike Beach, then the chief of police in Smyrna. Two young boys had been abused. Could she take them in? "That's what started everything," her daughter Michelle Brown recalled. That spontaneous act of kindness in the 1980s launched decades of Woodall serving as a foster mom to more than 400 Tennessee children, many with disabilities. She died June 8 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She was 71. "The community is truly losing a gem of a person who had a selfless heart for one of the most vulnerable populations — foster children," said Kassie M. Davis, director of the Rutherford County CASA (court-appointed special advocates for children). "Most people would look away at the hardest foster care cases, but she opened her arms and welcomed them into her home multiple times over the years." Brown, 52, is the oldest of Woodall's three biological children. "What she did was amazing," Brown said. "She was a hero." Early on, Woodall cared for as many as 10 foster children in addition to her three biological children in her house at one time, her birth daughters and one former foster child said. Woodall made it work with strict house rules and expectations — each child did chores, and older kids helped care for the younger ones. Woodall also stayed in touch with her foster kids and mentored them long after they aged out, relatives and former foster kids said. "She changed lives and saved lives, and her legacy will never be forgotten," the state Department of Children's Services said in a June 10 Facebook post. One of her first foster children, Jennifer Ulrich, 50, said she and Woodall occasionally butted heads, but they stayed connected until Woodall died. "Coming to her in such a young age in 1987 was one of best things that could've ever happened in my life," said Ulrich, a storage facility manager in Smyrna. "Because of her, I am the person, the mother I am today." Woodall launched new programs to meet foster kids' needs as they popped up in her house. When she found out the state only gave foster parents an extra $50 for Christmas presents, Woodall started an Angel Tree program for all foster kids in Rutherford County. Woodall found sponsors and raised money every year until she died. When foster kids started arriving with belongings in trash bags, Woodall started a program to get luggage for youth in protective care. "Her impact extended FAR beyond her Rutherford County front door," DCS said in the Facebook post. "Nancy played a key role in shaping the Foster Parent Bill of Rights [and] she served as a foster parent advocate to mentor others." In 1991, Woodall took in a 4-month-old baby who'd been abused so badly that the girl would grow up unable to walk or talk. Woodall stopped working outside her home to have more time to take care of the girl, Amanda, whom Woodall adopted when the girl turned 16. After Amanda Woodall died in 2012, Nancy Woodall almost exclusively fostered children with disabilities or medical challenges. Those included children who'd had organ transplants, children with autism and children with Down syndrome, her birth daughters said. "Once she lost Amanda, she had a fear that nobody would take care of those kids, and she had the experience and knew how to do it," Brown said. "She didn't want a child left in a hospital room or a facility where they wouldn't get the attention they needed." Woodall's own medical issues stopped her from being able to foster kids in 2023, her birth daughters said. But she kept raising money for the Angel Tree program, and she kept advocating for foster kids and parents. Memorial services are planned for June 14. Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the funeral immediately following at Woodfin Memorial Chapel, located at 1488 Lascassas Pike in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In addition to her hundreds of foster children, Woodall, born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, is survived by her biological children, Michelle Brown (Aaron), Hannah Reynolds (Brent), and Matthew Adam Woodall (Whitney); grandsons, Knox and Cooper Reynolds; and siblings, Robert Butler (Cindy), Barbara Croft (George), Brenda Beach, Mike Trotter (Deborah), and Renee Butler; and nieces and nephews. The family has requested donations to the Rutherford County Angel Tree, P.O. Box 3135, Murfreesboro, TN 37133, or online at Reach Brad Schmitt at brad@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Remembering Tenn. woman, foster mom to hundreds of kids, many with special needs
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Jamaica's ‘crocodile guardian' is fighting to save the island's feared predators
Editor's Note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex's Perpetual Planet Initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action. In the heat of the Jamaican sun, where the wetlands glisten and buzz with life, an ancient predator is vanishing. There are around 28 species of crocodiles found throughout the world's tropical and subtropical regions. But there is only one species in Jamaica, found primarily along the southern coast from St. Thomas to Westmoreland. Once revered and feared across the island, the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) has long ruled the mangroves and coastal lagoons. But in recent years, its population has been decimated, due to illegal hunting, habitat loss and plastic pollution, as well as killings prompted by a lingering fear among locals. Lawrence Henriques has made it his life's mission to change that. Known as 'The Crocodile Guardian,' Henriques has spent the past four decades fighting for their survival. He runs the Holland Bay Crocodile Sanctuary, a grassroots conservation project in the southeast of the island, perched on the edge of what he says is one of Jamaica's last viable crocodile habitats. From this remote corner of the island, he's trying to undo years of damage: nursing sick crocs back to health, raising juveniles and restoring their numbers in the wild. 'There's a real fear of crocodiles in Jamaica,' says Henriques. 'They're not tolerated by a lot of people. So if one turns up in someone's backyard, it's often killed for meat or just because people are afraid.' Although crocodiles are often seen as aggressive and dangerous, attacks are few and far between. While reliable figures are hard to come by, according to the global database CrocAttack, there have been 11 incidents reported over the past decade in Jamaica, including one fatality in 2018. That's why Henriques is working to change the narrative about the animal and help people understand that they are far less threatening than their reputation suggests. Born and raised in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, during the 1960s, Henriques always had a penchant for 'creepy crawlies,' such as spiders, scorpions and snakes. But it was crocodiles that truly captured his attention. 'We had a lot more crocodiles and a lot more habitat in those days,' he recalls. 'I always had a half a dozen or so baby crocodiles rearing in my bedroom.' That fascination eventually became a vocation. After studying overseas and learning more about reptiles when working with the Scientific Exploration Society, a UK charity, in Belize, Henriques returned to Jamaica in 1980. He was startled to find that despite crocodiles being classified as endangered in 1971 under the Wildlife Protection Act, there was little practical conservation happening. 'The laws were there, but nobody was doing anything,' he says. 'The environmental agency was very under-resourced and still is to this day. And there was nobody really with expertise or knowledge on reptiles.' Henriques volunteered to assist the Jamaican government, carrying out crocodile rescues and providing rehabilitation, all while holding down a job in the citrus industry. He continued like this for almost 20 years, before a brief relocation to London, UK. When he returned to Jamaica in 2010, he launched what would become the Holland Bay Crocodile Sanctuary — a facility dedicated to rescue, rehabilitation and public education. The sanctuary, which lies on the edge of a wetland, is home to 27 adult crocodiles along with 18 baby crocs. The juvenile crocs have been bred on site and are typically released into the wild after three years, while the adults have been rescued and rehabilitated after being hit by cars, caught in traps, or found living in squalid conditions. Over the past three years, around 90 have been successfully released back into the wild according to Henriques. One of the crocodiles living at the sanctuary currently is Xena, who was discovered guarding her eggs in an area littered with trash, her skin slimy and her teeth gray from pollution. Savannah Boan, an international ambassador from Gatorland Global, the conservation arm of the Florida-based wildlife park which helps to fund the sanctuary, says that since being relocated, Xena's skin has healed and her teeth are white again. Her babies have also been raised at the facility and released into safe areas, helping to boost wild populations of the species. 'Lawrence is doing extraordinary work with very limited resources,' she tells CNN. Despite legal protections, crocodiles in Jamaica face growing threats. Poaching is rampant, often driven by demand for meat or misguided fear, according to officers from the country's National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA). 'Poaching is definitely a huge problem,' says Leighton Mamdeen, an environmental officer at NEPA. 'We try to limit it through enforcement measures such as regular monitoring and we partner with the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Defence Force to do patrols.' According to media reports, there is a thriving black market for crocodile meat and eggs in Jamaica, with the meat sold for as much as 5,000 Jamaican dollars ($31) a pound (450 grams) – more than 10 times the price of chicken meat. This could stem from a widespread misconception in some rural communities that crocodile meat has aphrodisiac properties. Damany Calder, another environmental officer at NEPA, says he has noticed a troubling pattern during callouts, when crocodiles are discovered with their tails removed. 'There's a rumour about the crocodile tail… it's (used) either for sexual performance, fertility or longevity,' he says. In other cases, crocodiles have been found in backyard ponds, kept as pets, or used as props for TikTok stunts or music videos. There was even a time when a small live crocodile was found stuffed in a broken fridge, says Calder. He believes it may have been part of a ritual referred to as Obeah, a Jamaican religious tradition similar to voodoo. Social media videos have occasionally resulted in prosecutions but only if culprits are caught in the act, Calder says. Individuals found guilty of killing crocodiles may be charged a maximum fine of $100,000 or face one-year imprisonment. 'The police are heavily involved, and they're trying to improve the penalties,' says Henriques. 'But like everything else, it's catching the person and proving it in court. It's a very long, drawn-out process.' Development is another killer. Jamaica's mangroves and wetlands are currently being cleared for tourism and residential development according to The Forestry Department. This affects the country's coastal resilience, as mangroves reduce wave energy and storm surges, helping to prevent flooding, and it damages biodiversity, as they are serve as nurseries for fish and provide essential habitat for species like crocodiles. As this territory shrinks, crocodiles are forced closer to humans. 'These animals are ending up in places they've always lived,' Henriques says. 'But now those places are towns and roads … We've taken their habitat.' To Henriques, the crocodile isn't a menace — it's a keystone species that has been on the island for millions of years. It even features on the Jamaican coat of arms, which shows a crocodile perched atop a royal helmet and mantling, designed to symbolize the island's unique wildlife and natural heritage. 'They're like engineers of the ecosystem,' he says. 'They dig channels, control fish populations and keep the wetlands healthy.' He explains that the presence of these apex predators helps to regulate biodiversity within aquatic ecosystems by controlling prey populations and creating microhabitats that support various flora and fauna. But Henriques warns that because of poaching and habitat loss, the island no longer has many large male crocodiles left along the coastline: 'Most now are smaller. It's a serious shift.' 'What's happening in Jamaica reflects a global pattern — wetland species are disappearing, and with them, the health of the entire ecosystem,' he adds. Despite the challenges, there's a cautious sense of hope. Henriques and NEPA have ramped up community outreach and education programs, especially in areas near crocodile habitats. 'One of the most impactful things we've done is visit schools,' says Mamdeen. 'If you start with the kids, you'll have a greater chance of securing the animal's future.' When reports of a crocodile in a pool of water near a school caused panic among parents and children, NEPA directed its outreach efforts toward local students. 'We told them: crocodiles would rather run (from you) than rush (towards) you,' he says. 'If you're near water at night, walk with a stick. If the animal is touched, it moves.' Henriques added: 'People are beginning to understand these animals have a place … They're not pests. They're survivors.' Still, the sanctuary is one of only a few conservation efforts on the island, and without continued support, Henriques fears Jamaica's crocodiles may not survive the next few decades. 'We can't afford to lose them,' he says. 'They've been here longer than we have. They're part of this land.'
