11 Good News Stories: Big Bird Is Blue, But 'Demon' Dog Is Bluer

ACROSS AMERICA — Someday, 17-year-old David Odekunle wants to be a doctor. But before he gets to medical school, he’s faced with a big decision:

After getting acceptance letters from 15 schools, including seven in the Ivy League, which should he pick for his undergraduate work?

The ambitious Bloomfield, New Jersey, teen told Patch that what he’s accomplished is within the grasp of his peers.

“Being yourself and exploring your passions to the fullest are the best way to increase your chances of getting into any school,” he said. “For me, that involved exploring my interests in science and participating in meaningful extracurriculars that I was passionate about, such as Chess Club and Mock Trial Club.”

Of course, he added, “It is also very important to do your best in all your classes, and take classes that interest and challenge you.” By Eric Kiefer for Bloomfield, New Jersey, Patch

Homelessness Changed Corporate Culture

Wealth management adviser Ted Shanahan could have just written check, but he took a client up on an offer to learn more about a Reston, Virginia, nonprofit called Homestretch, which works primarily to get women and children off the streets, out of shelters and into their own homes. Government funding takes care of the housing but doesn’t address the systemic issues. “Blown away” by the stories he heard, Shanahan took the experience back to his colleagues. They were all in. "All of a sudden, this blew up to be one of our corporate milestones and cornerstones of what we're about. It changed our culture.” By Michael O’Connell for Reston, Virginia, Patch

Success Baked Into This Recipe

Paula Fasciano (top photo) knows how difficult it is for young adults like her son to find a job. Matthew, 24, was born with Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by a mild-to-moderate intellectual disability. So the Pennsylvania woman teamed with her friend Suzette Koller, also the mom of a child with intellectual disabilities. Together, they volunteer their time to help run a bakery that provides jobs to 15 people with developmental disabilities. By Peter Blanchard for Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Patch

A Few Words About [Words]

Jonah Zimiles left his law practice more than a decade ago so he could spend more time with his son Daniel, who lives with autism. When Zimiles and his wife learned their local Maplewood, New Jersey, bookstore was closing, they bought it, christening it [words]. Now, it’s well known as a welcoming place for people with special needs and, in fact, has one of the largest collections of books about special needs in the country. NBC’s “Today” show featured the store in a segment about helping small businesses during the pandemic. The store got a special nod because April is Autism Awareness Month. By Caren Lissner for Maplewood, New Jersey, Patch

No Citizens Life Saving Award — Until Now

Throughout its 120-year history, the fire department in Tinley Park, Illinois, has never had the occasion to bestow a Citizens Life Saving Award. That changed this week after David Sleeper did what many would not have as he drove home from work one morning in March: Seeing flames coming from a house, he called 911, then got out of his vehicle and started banging on the windows to rouse the couple sleeping inside. They escaped without injury. By Yasmeen Sheikah for Tinley Park, Illinois, Patch

What Is: Stoneham?

The answer to the question in the headline: This town in Massachusetts is home to two-time “Jeopardy!” winner Patrick Hume. When presented with the card on the popular quiz show that read, “It wasn’t just a purple color and flower, it was also a washerwoman,” his answer after the traditional “what is?” response isn't often heard on the program. By Jenna Fisher for Stoneham, Massachusetts, Patch

All Hail The Abuelas And Nonnas

Life and business partners Jonathan Anzaldi, 32, and George Torres, 34, had been putting in grueling hours at their jobs in New York City when the pandemic hit. They were vocations rather than avocations, so when Anzaldi lost his job, they saw a chance to get out of the city and move to Orange County, California, Torres’ home turf, and achieve their shared dream of opening a restaurant. Called NANAS Italian & Mexican, it’s a tribute to the vivacious cultures and matriarchs behind the inspiring recipes — the abuelas and nonnas. By Nicole Charky for Redondo Beach, California, Patch

With This Vaccine, I Thee Wed?

Well, not quite. But the coronavirus deprived Sarah Studley the pleasure of wearing her wedding gown the day she got married, so she decided to wear it to a mass vaccination clinic in Baltimore last weekend. She may have been the only person there so dressed, but she wasn’t the only bride who had to postpone or scale down her wedding, or move the whole thing online. About 80 percent of U.S. couples reimagined their weddings during the pandemic. By Elizabeth Janney for Baltimore Patch

Jimmy Kimmel Goes Local

If you’ve been keeping up with a Southington, Connecticut, family’s pandemic-inspired videos on YouTube — and if you haven’t, why not? — you may already know that late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel joined Will Smith, Tony Robbins and other celebrity A-listers helping Dan and Beth Presser and their daughter, Maddie, raise money for the hunger relief group Feeding America. The organization has seen demand skyrocket as millions of people lost their jobs and businesses to the pandemic. By Chris Dehnel for Southington, Connecticut, Patch

Why Is Big Bird Blue?

The iconic "Sesame Street" character Big Bird is wearing blue instead of yellow in a whimsical rooftop installation at the stately Metropolitan Museum of Art. Alex Da Corte perched the blue-feathered Big Bird on a swinging sliver of a moon in “As Long as the Sun Lasts” — but why? The Met called the installation “a bold work [that] oscillates between joy and melancholy, and brings a playful message of optimism and reflection.” By Nick Garber for Upper East Side, New York, Patch

Hope Is About All This Dog Has

Let’s be clear: Prancer is a bit of a nightmare and a lot of work. The Chihuahua has been called “demonic,” “a neurotic mess” and “a traumatized Victorian child that now haunts our home.” Would you sign up for this? Second Chance Pet Adoption League in Morris Plains, New Jersey, put all the cards on the table with its bet that someone is looking for “neurotic, man hating, animal hating, children hating dogs that look like gremlins.” Any takers? By Josh Bakan for Morris Township-Morris Plains, New Jersey, Patch

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