11 Good News Stories: Good Cops; Busy Beekeeper; Demon Dog Love

ACROSS AMERICA — Shawna Stewart’s story is a familiar one: A single mother of five, the Westchester County, New York, woman wanted a job so she could support her family.

The availability of child care and a lack of experience held her back. She was constantly rejected by employers.

She even thought about putting her kids up for adoption. She was that desperate.

Stewart had an option not always available for similarly situated single parents: Greyston Bakery. She applied for a job there and didn’t have to answer the usual questions about gaps on her resume or go through a background check.

In fact, she told Patch, “Greyston saved my entire family. I feel like a new person: good about myself and my future. Best of all, I can be the example to my kids that I have always wanted and tried to be, and my kids are proud of me.”

But that’s not all: Her story, and the bakery’s mission, are the subjects of a documentary. By Lanning Taliaferro for Pelham, New York, Patch

Her Second Act

When you're just 14 years old and have beaten cancer, what do you do for a second act? If you're Brookfield, Connecticut, ninth grader Maddie O'Farrell, you start planning what you can do to lighten the load for other young people looking ahead to lifetimes in and out of hospitals. Looking ahead to the rest of her life with renewed optimism, she knows she wants a career in medicine so she can help kids avoid some of the rough edges she banged into along the way. "I've experienced it from the other end,” she said. By Rich Kirby for Brookfield, Connecticut, Patch

Another Door Has Opened

Until recently, the police department in Belleville, New Jersey, had never promoted a Latina officer. Barbara Bermudez, a teacher for a decade before she realized police work was her true calling, said her promotion to sergeant represents “one more door that’s opening for all of us.” The proud moment for everyone involved resonated especially deeply with Councilwoman Naomy De Peña, who said, “From one Latina who works hard for this town to another, I applaud your service and thank you for being a trailblazer in Belleville.” By Eric Kiefer for Belleville-Nutley, New Jersey, Patch

Class Has How Many Valedictorians?

When high school senior class grade points are tallied to choose the valedictorian, two- and three-way ties are fairly common. But a nine-way tie? That’s the case in a suburban Houston high school, where the principal said it was obvious the class of 2021 was “special” when they were freshmen. By Tim Moran for Bellaire, Texas, Patch

“Miracle” He Lived To Tell About It

Technically, Rosemary Smekal was a wife, a widow and a wife again in a span of a few minutes that felt much longer after her husband, Richard, had a heart attack and tumbled from a utility truck bucket. “Everybody was saying he shouldn’t be here,” a relieved Rosemary said. “He literally died out there.” Fortunately, when Smekal fell, he landed in front of the office of a Somerville, New Jersey, doctor, who saw the man fall and performed CPR and other life-saving measures until the rescue squad arrived. Smekal’s wife calls it “a miracle” they were able to bring her husband back to life. By Alexis Tarrazi for Bridgewater, New Jersey, Patch

Busy Beekeeper

David Blinn wasn’t that keen about bees as an Indiana farm kid. His dad started raising them when sugar was rationed during World War II, and the youngster’s chores revolved around them. Adulthood took him overseas during the Vietnam War, to college and graduate school, and to a long career as a chemist. He forgot all about the bees until, retired in Bradenton, Florida, a frantic neighbor told him bees were getting in his house. Blinn knew just what to do, even though half a century had passed since he last handled them. Now, he’s the neighborhood go-to guy to rescue problem bees. To date, he has rescued and relocated about 200 colonies. By Tiffany Razzano for Bradenton Patch

Good Cops Caught On Tape

Gerald Philbrook, a Tempe, Arizona, 4-year-old, was understandably sad when someone jacked his Gator-brand wagon from the apartment where he lives with his family. His dad offered to sell whatever he could to come up with a reward for the return of the wagon. “It’s not worth much in dollars, but the time spent with my son making this work is priceless,” Dad wrote in a Facebook post. “This was a project that me and my son spent months trying to get to work.” When Tempe police officers saw the post, they decided to get the 4-year-old a brand new Gator wagon, and Gerald’s sadness turned to joy. By Christopher Boan for Tempe, Arizona, Patch

Another Good Cop

An Ohio police officer came to the aid of a baby girl Monday after the child's mother was arrested on several drug charges. The baby had "no food, no clothes, no diaper, no chance," Springdale Police Chief Thomas Wells wrote on Facebook, noting that one of his officers, Cpl. Kellen Lyons, took it upon himself to buy supplies for the child using his own money. "This is what police do every day, stepping up and making a difference," Wells wrote. By Andy Nguyen for Across Ohio Patch

A "Flood" For Diversity

A lot of kids have trouble learning to love reading when the characters in their stories don't connect to their lives. Eighth graders Sophia Antholine, Megha Mourya and Ananya Srinivas — all members of the Waukesha, Wisconsin, STEM Academy — made it their mission to fill the Women’s Center library with books that celebrate diversity with what they billed as The Book Flood project. "We wanted to improve diversity in books and reading," Antholine told Patch. "We thought with more diverse books, we could promote the love of reading." By Karen Pilarski for Waukesha, Wisconsin, Patch

Demon Dog Gets A Home

If you thought no one would possibly want the “demon dog” Prancer, you’d be wrong. The Second Chance Pet Adoption League found a home for the Morris Plains, New Jersey, Chihuahua who doesn’t like other dogs, cats, men and children. After Prancer ascended to worldwide fame, the Morris Plains shelter received hundreds of inquiries and adoption offers from around the world. The moral to the story: If you ever lose hope at finding love, just know that Prancer did it against all odds. By Josh Bakan for Morris Township-Morris Plains, New Jersey, Patch

Escape The Pandemic On The Road

If a year cooped up because of the pandemic is wearing on your last nerve, consider a cross-country RV trip — something one of our Patch editors did with her son. “The pandemic has held so many challenges, so much anxiety, so much sadness for so many. But if there is one shining gift this past year has given, it's the precious gift of time — the chance to make memories in a world that's all too often rapid-paced,” she wrote. “I'll always be grateful for the moment my son and I decided to step into that RV and set off on the adventure that will forever be one of the most awe-inspiring of our lifetimes.” By Lisa Finn for North Fork, New York, Patch

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