11 Good News Stories: Muscle Car’s Stories; 9/11 Responder’s New Lungs

ACROSS AMERICA — Every car has a story — or several, as Craig Miller found out when a torn-up parking ticket set him off with the determination of a detective to find previous owners who had also loved the 1965 Pontiac GTO he was restoring.

“From that traffic ticket, a little tenacity and stick-to-it-ness” the Oak Forest, Illinois, man found the car’s second owner, Denny Sidowski, who received the ticket as a college student in Ames, Iowa.

From there, Miller found Mike Hogrefe, who drove the car off the dealership lot in 1965 with his wife, Geri. Miller has also formed relationships with other previous owners to get a sense of the history of the cars.

It’s “what car guys do,” Hogrefe told Patch, adding he’s surprised the car is still running because he thought it had been totaled in a wreck five years after he sold it. “Here this thing is still alive,” he said. » By Lauren Traut for Oak Forest Patch

Breathing Freedom

The 4th of July was extra-special for Tony Moyet of Bloomfield, New Jersey. It was the one-year anniversary of his life-saving double lung transplant, and the reason he needed it epitomizes many of the values Americans celebrate on Independence Day. Moyet was one of the ferry captains who helped evacuate people from Manhattan following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the World Trade Center. When he developed breathing problems seven years later, doctors attributed it to his time at Ground Zero. “My lungs are working great,” Moyet said, extending his gratitude to his “miracle worker” doctors and the “donor hero who gave me my new lungs.” » By Eric Kiefer for Bloomfield Patch

‘More Wholesome Than His Character’

Larry Pitrof felt a real, honest-to-goodness “tingling sensation” when he finally opened a long abandoned file cabinet at a University of Maryland medical school building. The director of the Baltimore medical school’s alumni association, Pitrof thought multiple times over his 28 years on the job that the files might hold secrets about Dr. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham, a graduate of the medical school in 1905. His unremarkable baseball career would have been footnote in Major League Baseball history if not for the “Field of Dreams” movie, where Moonlight Graham is a central character. “It made Dr. Graham very real,” Pitrof told Patch. “His life was more wholesome than the character’s.” » By Beth Dalbey for Baltimore Patch

‘On the Cover of the …’ (Apologies To Dr. Hook)

Moorestown, New Jersey, native Liam Sutcliffe never imagined he’d be featured playing the trumpet on the cover of Jersey Jazz magazine. As an 8-year-old, he resisted his mother’s insistence that he sit down at the piano for lessons, though he eventually did capitulate. Then he watched a Dizzy Gillespie video, and his world changed. He switched to the trumpet, and has been playing the jazzy brass instrument most of the last 13 years. “I really liked the music that I heard, even though I had not heard a lot of that type of music before that,” he told Patch. As his selection as the musician for the magazine’s cover art suggests, it was a smart decision. » By Janel Miller for Moorestown Patch

Vote For ‘I Voted’ Sticker

It’s common for election workers to hand out “I voted” stickers after people cast their ballots. They’re mass-produced, often featuring a replica of a flag, but Ulster County in New York is tricking up the stickers. The county election board held a contest among students for “I voted” sticker designs, and now through the end of the month, residents can vote for their favorite. The contest is a fun way “to bring young people into the election process,” elections commissioner Ashley Dittus said. Her colleague, commissioner John Quigley, said the program emphasizes “the importance of free and fair elections.” » By Michael Woyton for Mid Hudson Valley (New York) Patch

Why Wouldn’t Every Couple Do This?

Here’s why: Even when you make your dog an honorary groomsman and hire a trainer to teach him to walk down the aisle as gracefully as the bride, the dog will do what the dog wants to do. Colonel, a Portsmouth, Rhode Island, couple’s dog didn’t glide down the aisle, but rather ran full-bore toward the couple, crashing into a microphone and basically stealing the show, according to a video you have to see to appreciate. “This is totally him,” the bride said, “and so perfect.” » By Jimmy Bentley for Portsmouth Patch

Sisters Take Learning Journey Together

South Orange, New Jersey, sisters Maya and Jasera Abdurrashid both received their associate liberal arts degrees from a local college this year and plan to enroll together at Savannah School of Art and Design in Georgia. What makes that unusual is that Maya is only 15, the youngest person in her graduating class. Her mother, a teacher in New York City, homeschooled her because of a medical issue, and “the academic work at home was rigorous,” Maya said. The experience helped her in other ways, preparing for the online and hybrid models offered to students during the COVID-19 pandemic. » By Eric Kiefer for West Orange Patch

These Sisters Collect Tiaras

Amanda Peacock, 23, was recently crowned Miss South Jersey and advanced to the Miss New Jersey pageant. Her younger sister, Alyssa, 17, was crowned Miss Eastern Shore Outstanding Teen, and she’s now going for the Miss Teen New Jersey title. Pageant competition has been a bonding experience for the sisters, and gives them a chance to showcase their singing talents and pursue important social impact initiatives. » By Janel Miller for West Deptford (New Jersey) Patch

Lobster Brings ‘Shellebrity’ To Aquarium

Cheddar, a rare bright orange lobster, will never be anyone’s entrée. The workers at a Red Lobster in Hollywood, Florida, made sure of that after finding the one-in-30-million find among lobsters shipped to the restaurant. Named both for her color and the chain’s popular Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Cheddar is now enjoying, ahem, “shellebrity” at Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. » By Tiffany Razzano for Miami Patch

A ‘Fur-ocious’ Bear Plays Soccer ...

California has a fur-ocious, up-and-coming striker coming out of the woods of Lake Tahoe. A couple of videos show a young black bear playing soccer on the front of a Tahoe neighborhood. While the bear doesn't appear to be quite at the level of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo — yet — it showed off impressive agility and speed, with quick turns and pivots, and rare tree-climbing abilities. » By Daniel Hampton for Across California Patch

... And Another Is Frightened By Fish

A black bear took a swim in a small pond in Pepperell, Massachusetts, to beat the heat the other day. Video shows the panting bear settling into the pond, ready for a cool soak and a few gulps of water. It was all good, perhaps a perfect spa day for a bear, until a school of koi fish encroached. And do you know what? That scaredy-bear jumped twice and ambled away. » By Megan VerHelst for Across Massachusetts Patch