11 Good News Stories: ‘Fatbergs’ On Notice; Kitten Saves A Family

ACROSS AMERICA — Let’s talk about “fatbergs” — the greasy masses of solidified fats and waste materials that cause kitchen catastrophes and clog city sewers. That’s good news, you’re asking?

It is, because of what Laura Lady, of Webster, New Hampshire, is doing about it.

Lady had never heard the word “fatberg” until a conversation at, of all places, the dinner table. “We started talking and joking about it … a blog of fat in the sewer?” she told Patch. “I was intrigued, horrified, and fascinated, too.”

That allure became an obsession of sorts and started Lady down a rabbit hole. The result was FryAway, which offers a trio of products to tackle variations of oils before they go down the drain, turning them into solid organic waste that breaks down naturally in landfills. » By Tony Schinella for Concord (New Hampshire) Patch

Happy Birth Day

Cara Rahming, of Orland Park, Illinois, had resigned herself to giving birth to her first child while her husband, Harold, a captain in the Army, was thousands of miles away serving in Iraq. He was scheduled to return home in mid-October, but little did his wife know that he was plotting a much earlier return. Cara went into labor four days early, but her husband had built enough time into his surprise arrival to be there when their son, Harold Leroy Rahming II, was born. » By Jeff Arnold for Orland Park (Illinois) Patch

Speaking Of Babies …

A Newark, New Jersey, police officer recently got a reminder of why he became a cop when he and his partner, both emergency services officers for the police department’s Special Operations Division, assisted during a tense, difficult birth. “Just bringing a child into the world, and knowing that she’s safe and breathing, shows that as police officers, we’re here for a reason,” Eric Paro said. His partner, Prince Rankin, has helped deliver three babies. Paro, a first-timer, said his partner gave him “probably the best hands-on training I could have ever had.” » By Eric Kiefer for Newark (New Jersey) Patch

And Speaking Of Police …

An elementary school principal in Toms River, New Jersey, decided to “stick up for police” in the literal sense (top photo). Matt Gray allowed students to duct tape him to the wall, where he remained for several hours, to raise money for Vest-A-Cop, a fundraiser to outfit Toms River police officers with bullet-resistant vests. Gray, whose performance as a wall-hanging raised $1,500, said generosity showed how students and parents “support our local law enforcement officers that protect them each and every day in Toms River.” » By Karen Wall for Toms River (New Jersey) Patch

An Unforgettable Day

Even before the tragic events of July 4 that forever altered life inside the tight-knit North Shore community now ripped in two, Highland Park's high school club hockey program had experienced its share of tough times through the COVID-19 pandemic. The program was entirely shut down in 2020, and the next year, the Highland Park Giants had to travel out of state to practice and compete because of restrictions in Illinois. Then, their home rink was shut down for renovations, making for a rough start to the 2022 season. The Chicago Blackhawks made up for it, inviting the Giants to the team’s training rink for what the kids thought would be a public service project. Instead, the Giants were treated to an NHL-level training day. “It was unbelievable and unforgettable,” Giants team president Mike Schaffer told Patch. “These kids grew up with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and for them to meet their heroes — it was an unbelievable and unforgettable experience.” » By Jeff Arnold for Highland Park (Illinois) Patch

Enough Stories For A ‘Starry Sky’

From surviving through the Great Depression to flying B-47 bombers for the Air Force in World War II to making music with legends like Roy Orbison and Connie Francis, Vern Richardson says he’s lived an “interesting life” — one he knows is winding down. The 90-year-old Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, man is healthy, but a realist, too. “Death is a part of life,” he told Patch. “It could happen any day. But if it happens to be another 10 years, I won’t complain.” Whenever that happens, his stories live on in an autobiography, “Far … Beyond the Starry Sky: Second Edition,” is available on Amazon, and a third edition is in the works. Spoiler alert: A classically trained violinist, Richardson was a sessions musician for Orbison’s breakout hit, “Only the Lonely,” and thought it was “awful music” that would sell only a few dozen copies. He still gets royalties from it. » By Dino Ciliberti for Warminster (Pennsylvania) Patch

The Story Behind The Story

Can we get a shout-out for Joey Buccilli? The 10-year-old from Middle Island, New York, recently read his own short story, typed in Braille because that’s how he reads and writes, on the award-winning podcast, “Story Pirates,” which features stories written by its young listeners. His story, “Fainting,” is based on a trip to the Outer Banks, but how he got to that point is a story in itself. » By Peggy Spellman Hoey for Shirley-Mastic (New York) Patch

Shout Out This Kitten, Too

The 4-month-old kitten Thor already had a warm place in the Stamper family’s heart, but he sealed the deal after a thunderstorm that knocked the power out in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The garage door accidentally closed, trapping deadly carbon monoxide from the generator used to power appliances inside the house. All four members of the family were asleep when Thor, the first to feel the effects of the poisoning, let out a screeching cry that awoke the family. Good job, Thor. » By Dylan Siwicki for Farmington-Farmington Hills (Michigan) Patch

And Just Adore This Cat

The moment she saw her, Stefanie Whitley “just fell in love” with Lilly, one of four littermates saved from a dumpster. An animal lover all of her life, the Mastic Beach, New York, mom adopted the kitten, who grew up to be a cat with a mind of her own and, “honestly,” Whitley said, was more “like a dog” than a cat. She is an indoor/outdoor cat who likes to explore, and when she didn’t come home as expected, Whitley assumed the worst. Two weeks later, Lilly showed up in a most unusual way. She meowed and rang the doorbell, triggering an alert that showed up on the TV screen. The doorbell camera caught it all; it’s a must-see. » By Peggy Spellman Hoey for Shirley-Mastic (New York) Patch

Riding For A Cause

It probably didn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows Bridgewater, New Jersey, firefighter and rescue volunteer Steven Hernandez signed up for a rigorous 225-mile bike ride over the Rocky Mountains to raise money for cancer research. Helping others is his M O. He dedicated his ride to his father, a cancer survivor, and to other firefighters because cancer the leading cause of death for them. Hernandez chose the toughest leg in Bristol Myers Squibb’s 2022 Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer ride, joining 125 other employees of the company who set out to ride nearly 3,000 miles from Cannon Beach, Oregon, to Long Branch, New Jersey, over three days. He biked from Salt Lake City, over the Rockies and into Denver. “Our elevation gain was 12,000 just on bikes,” he said. » By Alexis Tarrazi for Bridgewater (New Jersey) Patch

How Lucky Are Brothers?

There’s luck, and then there’s unbelievable luck, and it’s luckier still when it stays in the family. The first stroke of luck was about three years ago when Danny Mudd’s brother won a $1 million Virginia Lottery. This year, Mudd’s own ticket worth $3 million was punched. He took the cash payout of $1,875,000. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said when claiming his oversized check from Virginia Lottery officials. “I was like, ‘No, this can’t be!’ ” » By Liam Griffin for Ashburn (Virginia) Patch