Mike Gonzalez Reports

(WNCN 11-9-15) By: Mike Gonzalez Danny Ruiz has been fighting for more than 30 years for equal rights for those with disabilities Daniel Ruiz still remembers what life was like before the accident. "I was  a popular teenager that was playing football and running track and field so to suddenly have my life come to a near stop, would be life altering. It's a hard pill to swallow at any age I would imagine. I really saw no future for me," says Ruiz. In 1983 at just 15 years old a motorcycle accident took Ruiz'ability to walk but it would not take his will to fight. However, Ruiz admits those first few months were very difficult.   Click link to see ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings   "I woke up with my bed surrounded by doctors.After hearing them talk about my injury (broken back),I asked if  I'd have kids and walk again? I was told you to have bigger things to worry about. After a major surgery and three months of rehabilitation, ...

Felicia Gilner L  and Richard Tillies R opened 9 Round Fitness just over a month ago in North Raleigh                                                           Watch Video Of 9Round Workout!  Raleigh, NC (WNCN) Oct 20,2015 Walk into 9Round Fitness in North Raleigh and you better be ready to work hard. "9Round offers a 30 minute full body kickboxing workout. There are no class times, a new round starts every 3 minutes," says co-owner Richard Tillies. On this Saturday morning the gym is packed with everything from soccer moms, to fitness buffs even young boys who came to learn some boxing techniques. "The response so far has been great. Although we have been open less than two months we have phenomenal members who have become advocates of the gym and the 9Round experience in their own communities,"says Tillies. ...

Youth Life Center 2519 South Roxboro St in Durham . The Youth Life Learning Center on  Cornwallis  Road in Durham was born 17 years ago when Pastor Ron Lewis realized his church wasn't doing enough in its own community. "We were doing missions all across the world and it's like we'd forgotten to recognize the fact there are neighbors who need development, they need help, they need opportunity. So when we came to this neighborhood and saw the amount of help needed...we really felt the love and a calling to come here and tell the good news, share our lives and share our resources with these wonderful children,"said Lewis. Lewis is the Senior Pastor of Kings Park International Church in Durham. It's one of the state's largest and most ethnically diverse churches in North Carolina.  Pastor Lewis says many of his congregation come from the Corwallis neighborhood. "This is definitely a tough area and there's lot's of kids in need but t...

Marco Roldan Passed Away At The Age Of 71 June 18th   Marco Roldan passed away quietly with family at the age of 71 on June 18th after a long battle with Cancer. Roldan was a pioneer in the world of Hispanic food in the Triangle. He established the first Hispanic store in the Triangle that is still the heart Hispanic life in Raleigh. WNCN'S Mike Gonzalez profiled him earlier this year in the above documentary.   January, 15,2014 By Mike Gonzalez El Mandado  was Raleigh's first Hispanic and Mexican store. If you didn't know where you were, you may mistake it for a store in Mexico."El Mando started on wheels...visiting our customers door by door in 1989," said owner Marco Roldan during an interview I conducted with him in January of 2014. Roldan said he built the business the old fashioned way. "We started visiting our customers and delivering to them door to door every weekend and then we started expanding," said Roldan. Roldan never ...

About This Recipe"We love this chicken. The marinade whips up in a minute in the food processor or blender. Preparation time does not include time to marinate." CLICK HERE FOR THIS MEXICAN CHICKEN RECIPE ON OUR WEBSITE Ingredients 8 chicken thighs or 4 chicken breast halves, on the bone Marinade ingredients 1/2 onion 1 large garlic clove 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon dried chipotle powder 1 teaspoon paprika 1 limes, juice of or 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 handful cilantro leaf (optional) Directions Put all marinade ingredients in the blender or food processor and liquify. Put marinade in a gallon-size zip lock bag and add chicken pieces. Turn a few times to distribute marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours I leave it for about 10 hours. Remove chicken from marinade and place on hot grill. Discard marinade. Grill, turning occasionally, until chicken...

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour Ready In: 5 Hours 10 Minutes Servings: 8 "This is a recipe for  Cuban-style roasted chicken marinated in 'mojo' sauce." INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 2 tablespoons minced garlic 3 tablespoons lime juice 3 tablespoons orange juice 1 (6 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces DIRECTIONS: 1.Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until very hot. While the oil heats, mash the cumin, salt, oregano, and garlic together into a paste in a heat-proof bowl; whisk the hot oil into the paste. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Add the lime juice and orange juice; stir. Place the chicken in a large sealable bag; pour the marinade over the chicken and shake to assure an even coating. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, up to overnight.2.Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Arrange the marinated chicken in a ...

This is another great recipe from The Hispanic Food Network as part of our Summer BBQ Season Carne asada, or grilled meat, is great backyard grill food. It is enjoyed throughout Central America and Mexico. Many recipes get very elaborate with the marinade ingredients, but the original recipe relies on a simple combination of onions and citrus juice to highlight the flavor of the beef. The ingredient measurements are pretty vague, but it lets you make it according to your own taste. Personally, I would use the maximum amounts of everything. Enjoy! Skip to Next Recipe INGREDIENTS Nutrition SERVINGS 4-6 UNITS US 2 -3lbs flank steaks or 2 -3 lbs skirt steaks 1 -2 onion , thinly sliced 2 -3 oranges , juice only salt and pepper, to season 1⁄4cup oil DIRECTIONS In a large stainless steel or glass bowl, mix the meat with the onions, orange juice, salt, pepper and oil. Cover and marinate at least 1 hour, or better yet overnight. Start a good fire in your grill, pre...

MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS ON HFNTV Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 5 Minutes Servings: 4 "Rib eye steaks marinate in orange juice, toasted cumin seeds, and a few other seasonings before hitting the grill briefly for delicious, flavorful seared meat." INGREDIENTS: 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/4 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons Montreal-style steak seasoning 2 1/4 teaspoons lime juice 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 1/2 pounds beef rib-eye steaks DIRECTIONS: 1.Place cumin seeds into a small skillet over medium heat; stir constantly until seeds turn dark brown and smell toasted, about 1 minute. Immediately pour seeds into a bowl to stop the cooking. Mix cumin seeds with orange juice, vegetable oil, steak seasoning, lime juice, and oregano in a bowl.2.Place steaks into a large resealable plastic bag, pour orange juice marinade over the meat, and squeeze out air. Seal bag and turn it over several times to coat meat with m...

Tangerine Adobo Chicken Yield: Serves 8 Ingredients 4 cups Orange Tangerine Flavor Juice or fresh squeezed Tangerine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon Maggi Seasoning Sauce 2 tablespoons chipotle chiles in adobo sauce from a can, chopped 8 chicken thighs (bone-in) Instructions Heat Juicy Juice and sugar in a large saucepan; whisk until sugar is completely dissolved. Whisk in seasoning sauce and chiles; cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat; let cool. Place chicken thighs in a large freezer bag; carefully pour in Juicy Juice mixture. Seal; refrigerate for 12 hours. Preheat grill or broiler. Grill or broil chicken for about 7 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in center. To test, pierce a thigh with a knife and if juice is clear, the thighs are cooked.

When you meet Raleigh Rapper Carldrelius SuperSpitz, you realize right away that being an artist from the Tarheel state really means something him. "This is all for Carolina. We want to show people what we're all about and unite. I'm talking all the races," said the Spitz, who I interviewed during the production of his latest music video for his hit song Sushi, a track you can find on Sound Cloud.  "Sushi is a song that is about little bit more than just the food," Spitz says with a smile. He came up with the song when his good friend Andrei Dood, a chef in Raleigh told Spitz he should write a song about Sushi. Andrei Dood L encouraged Spitz to write a song about Sushi "I invited him over for Sushi one day and I said Spitz, you got to write a song about Sushi. So we got a beat and he started saying Sushi. I said, come on Spitz you have to say something more than Sushi. So I gave him a little bit of this green stuff we call Wasabi. He spit tha...

Floyd Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao Saturday night in the richest purse in boxing history. But many casual fans wondered why they wasted their time for another boring boxing match. I had a chance to talk to both the hardcore and casual fan to see what they thought.  "He ran the whole night," said James Hutchison. "He's a master at his craft, you just don't understand boxing," said his roommate Ted Forsyth. So goes the story with Floyd Mayweather once again in his victory over Manny Pacquiao Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Two ringside judges scored the fight 116-112, while the third had it 118-110 giving Mayweather the unanimous decision. The roommates paid 30 bucks a piece to watch the fight at Hooters in Raleigh, North Carolina. Hutchison admits he's a casual fan but he expected much more action out of Floyd Mayweather. "I was just disappointed is all I can say. I've watched Mayweather fight a few times and he'...

       NBC's legendary comedy show turns 40 this month.  This Sunday night  from 8:00 pm to 11:30 WNCN will air the SNL 40th reunion. We've put together a few links of the best characters and sketches. Check out these links  TOP 30 SKETCHES SNL OVER THE YEARS SNL ON HULU

It's no secret I love food. Thank Goodness I like to exercise! The foods I love the most are anything Hispanic. I grew up in Miami and have always loved Puerto Rican, Cuban and Carribean foods. I graduated from NC State in 1996 and I can't believe the selection of Hispanic restaurants we have in the Triangle now. In the mid-ninties there weren't many. These are some easy recipes from my favorite food blog sites that you can make for the Super Bowl. Most are actually pretty easy to make. It may take an adventurous spirit to give it a try but I'm sure you and you're guests will be impressed by what you can make with some fresh ingredients and a few helpers. I also included some videos from a show I hosted while I worked on the West Coast. It was called En La Cocina (In The Kitchen). We traveled around the Northwest highlighting restaurants and I'd make a few recipes here and there. I still maintain the website Hispanic Food Network. Please log on for recipe...