11 Good News Stories: May The Force Be With You; Who Saved Christmas?

ACROSS AMERICA — If you happen to be looking for a haircut and find yourself in Rocky Point, New York, be prepared to do a double-take at Anthony’s Star Wars Barber Shop.

Longtime owner Anthony Ciaravino has made sure the Force will always be with his customers and, well, anybody else who ventures by. They’re greeted by a child-size stand-up Darth Vader action figure with the Sith Lord’s signature red lightsaber drawn at oncoming traffic, flanked by two stormtroopers.

And that’s just the beginning of a motif that will make a true “Star Wars” fan utter the words of Chirrut, the Rogue One: “I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.” The inside is a toy museum specializing in action figures from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. John Candy movies often play in the background. There’s a pinball machine and a foosball table. On the back wall, between two barber chairs and in front of old-school round mirrors, is a giant display of action figures in a battle scene from “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.”

What’s up with all the memorabilia? A lot more than fandom, Ciaravino told Patch’s Peggy Spellman Hoey.

“It takes them back to the ’80s for those that remember," Anthony said. "If you see a father and a son playing a game of foosball, and they're not on their phone for five minutes, it just makes you feel good. They are spending some quality time making great memories.” » By Peggy Spellman Hoey for Miller Place-Rocky Point Patch

Sportswoman Of The Year

Temecula, California, native Kelsie Whitmore was named Sportswoman of the Year by USA Baseball. Whitmore made history this past spring by becoming the first female to play baseball in a league affiliated with Major League Baseball, making her professional debut with the Staten Island FerryHawks on April 21 and following it with 39 appearances in her rookie season in the Atlantic League. She made her seventh career appearance for the Women's National Team this past summer. Whitmore, who is aiming for the highest level possible in professional baseball, said she is using the off season to focus on herself, both a player and a person. “My same goal hasn’t stopped,” she said. » By Ashley Ludwig for Temecula Patch

‘A Beacon Of Light’

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Tom Kropp immediately booked a ticket to Poland so he could see firsthand how he could help. “I said, ‘Let me find out what the need is,’ ” Kropp, a resident of Lindenhurst, New York, told Patch’s Maureen Mullarkey. His wife is from Ukraine, and he has visited the eastern European country 25 times since 2001 to help with charitable causes. “I felt like I was part of a solution,” he said “I was able to bring a beacon of light from America to these people. It gave them a little more hope. To say, hold on, that we were behind you.” » By Maureen Mullarkey for Lindenhurst Patch

Furniture A Key To Getting Off Streets

If you are living on the street, odds are you don't have a proper kitchen table or couch. For people in Danbury, Connecticut, who are transitioning from cardboard mattresses to indoor plumbing, that’s a not-frequently-discussed speed bump on their path. Multiple organizations are ready to help with finding both employment and housing, few help them get settled into their new apartments. That’s where the non-profit Danbury Off the Streets steps in. These are the brass tacks people, the ones who physically lift the homeless from curbside to crash-pad, who pay that game-changing security deposit, who stock that first larder with bagels for that new toaster. “We saw the same people at the shelter year after year,” Joe Simons, the director of the nonprofit, told Patch’s Rich Kirby, “and this was a way we were able to make a permanent change in their lives.” » By Rich Kirby for Danbury Patch

‘Stick Together For Liam’

Liam Doxsee, an 8-year-old from Coal Valley, Illinois, born with severe combined immunodeficiency, will receive a much-needed surgery after insurance initially refused to pay for the $104,000 procedure. The condition has left him unable to fight off infection; lymphedema in his right leg left him vulnerable to sepsis and cellulitis and kept him in the pediatric care unit, isolated and lonely, his mother wrote on a GoFundMe page that had raised just over $87,500 at midday Friday. Something else happened: After media coverage, Liam’s insurance company agreed to pay for the surgery, freeing some of the donated money for ongoing medical expenses. “This has been a hard 8 years, but Liam is absolutely incredible,” his mother wrote on the crowdfunding page. “No matter how much debt, traveling, illnesses we will always stick together for Liam.” He’s scheduled for surgery Jan. 25 at Cleveland Clinic. » By Anna Schier for Across Illinois Patch

‘I Shouldn’t Doubt Anybody’

When Nathan Martinez, a 17-year-old Oswego High School junior from Montgomery, Illinois, needed a service project to complete his Eagle Scout, the highest honor given out by the Boy Scouts of America, he found himself on an interesting journey, trying to find something that would meet the Eagle Scout requirements, but that would also make a difference. And what a difference Martinez made: With a team of volunteers, he recently made and donated 140 blankets — about 100 more than he expected to collect — to Project Linus, a national nonprofit that supplies blankets to local hospitals for pediatric patients, local shelters and other agencies. “(The community support) taught me that I shouldn’t doubt anybody,” Martinez said. “I had a lot of doubt at first and I doubted that a lot of people would donate which is why the goal (of blankets) was so small, but then as more people started to donate, I started to appreciate my community a lot more and I was grateful that so many people were willing to help me.” » By Jeff Arnold for Oswego Patch

Who Saved A Family’s Christmas?

In case you were wondering who saved Christmas for a single mom and her two sons in Riverside, California, it was the cops and the smoke eaters. The family’s apartment was burglarized on Christmas Eve, and all the gifts Mom planned to pass out the next morning were gone. She was devastated, of course. Folks back at the Riverside Police Department played elves, arriving at the apartment before sunrise with gifts and $700 to make Christmas right for the family. Then the Riverside Fire Department got wind of the plan to help and brought even more gifts to the family a few hours later. » By Ashley Ludwig for Banning-Beaumont Patch

Good Samaritans Save Mail Carrier

And who knows how much Christmas a group of good Samaritans saved when they stopped a strong-arm burglary of a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier in Newark, California. When police arrived, they learned the passersby had chased off the suspects. Both were captured later after a 2.8-mile car-chase and ensuing foot chase. » By Kim Harris for Newark (California) Patch

A Reunion With Heart

James McFarland, a police detective in Houston, exercised every day. He trained in the martial arts. He served as a police officer. And that was partly why it was so shocking when he had a massive heart attack at Newark Airport last spring. Luckily, a fellow passenger who happened to be an EMT performed CPR, and with the help of the Port Authority Police Department, they rushed him to the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. His heart was functioning at 15 percent. Back to his normal routine now, he recently had a chance to reunite with the people who saved his life. » By Eric Kiefer for Newark (New Jersey) Patch

Llama Drama

Animal control officers in Fairfax County, Virginia, recently dealt with some llama drama after the animal escaped and led them on a chase. It took some doing to corral the llama, who was running along a busy highway, but police finally captured her in someone’s back yard. The llama’s owner was overjoyed and “eager to be reunited with his llama,” police said. » By Emily Leayman for Fairfax Station Patch

‘This Really Hurts’

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Chuck Bonham fought back tears when he announced in mid-December that P-22, the mountain lion known affectionately as the “Hollywood Cat,” had been euthanized after he was struck by a car. “This really hurts,” Bonham said. “It’s been an incredibly difficult several days, and for myself. I felt the entire weight of the city of Los Angeles on my shoulders.” » By Paige Austin for Hollywood Patch

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