15 Good News Stories: Fun With Cicadas; Lifesavers; Teen Vs. Bear

ACROSS AMERICA — If you can’t silence them — and you can’t tell a cicada to shut up — join in the fun.

That could be the motto of a family in Maryland, where millions of periodical cicadas are making a lot of noise as they awaken from their 17-year slumber.

Sarah Frank and her children — 9-year-old Alexander and 6-year-olds Audrey and Owen — are competing to see who can find the most cicadas and claim the Grand Cicada Award.

“All the kids think they’re pretty, and so do I,” Frank told Patch in an email, adding hers is probably an unpopular opinion.

“They are very outdoorsy kids,” she said. “They live to be outdoors and find lots of creatures.” By Jacob Baumgart for Bowie, Maryland, Patch

More Fun With Cicadas

When the 17-year cicadas hatched, so did an idea for Scott Kanowitz and his family in Fairfax, Virginia. They turned their back yard into a set for a collection of photos starring the insects that, in their own right, have become a national craze. More toys and props have emerged along with the cicadas, and they’ve been photographed in decidedly human poses — having a hot dog, rolling along on a skateboard, driving and, well, you’ll have to see for yourself. By Jeff Arnold for Fairfax, Virginia, Patch

A Lucky Delivery

Amazon delivery driver Wakie Medina usually finds Crows Hill Road in Woodbridge, New Jersey, a fairly quiet street, but when he recently turned onto it, he saw smoke. Was it someone’s grill? “No,” he decided as he got closer. “This is just too much smoke.” While a neighbor alerted the fire department, Medina turned his attention to the teenager trying to put out the fire with what appeared to be a watering can. His grandmother and sister were inside, the boy said. Without hesitation, Medina rushed in and helped the two out, then walked casually back to his truck. "I did what I had to do and got out of the way and went back to my truck," he told Patch. "I was in the right place at the right time." By Carly Baldwin for Woodbridge, New Jersey, Patch

Do Nurses Ever Clock Out?

A couple of nurses — Naela Yasin and Mary Kasper — weren’t officially on duty when they attended a graduation ceremony at a suburban Chicago high school. But they went to work when they saw a woman in the audience collapse, performing CPR until an ambulance arrived. “I stood up and suddenly 1,000 eyes were upon me,” Kasper said. “In that moment, I blocked everything else out because that’s what we’d do if we were in a hospital.” Added Yasin, “our actions happened automatically once we knew someone was in danger." Both were honored at a recent Tinley Park Village Board of Trustees meeting. By Yasmeen Sheikah for Tinley Park, Illinois, Patch

7-Year-Old’s Heroic Swim

Chase Poust is only 7, but braved the same St Johns River current of that swept his dad and 4-year-old sister away from their anchored fishing boat, swimming against the swift current to get help. He was scared, and the swim was tough, he said later, but it all worked out well. “We’re here. By the grace of God, we’re here,” dad Steven Poust told local news outlet WJXT. “Little man made it to shore and got help, and that’s what saved our lives.” By Tim Moran for Jacksonville, Florida, Patch

Teen Takes On A Bear

Incidents once rewound only in the memory now can be played again and again thanks to cell phone video cameras. That means Bradbury, California, 17-year-old Hailey Morinico will be able to relive again and again the moment she shoved a mama bear off her backyard wall as it swatted at her dogs. “The bear is literally picking up one of my dogs,” she said in a TikTok video. “Her name is Valentina, she is the baby and as her slave, I have to protect her.” By Kat Schuster for Monrovia, California, Patch

140 Years Of Hair

For 140 years, through the longer hairstyles men wore in the late 1880s through the butch and buzz cuts and undercuts and man buns, Lincoln Way Barber Shop has been a mainstay in Plainfield, Illinois. Founder Albert Worst, current owner 84-year-old Don Kinley’s great-grandfather, dubbed it “the worst barber shop in Plainfield.” It wasn’t, of course, because men and boys kept coming through four generations of Worst’s family. Now, it's offering $1.40 haircuts as part of the celebration, which Sharon Kinley said is “not just about the Worsts and the Kinleys; it’s about the barbers that have been — good barbers.” By Emily Rosca for Plainfield, Illinois, Patch

Young Stylist Sharpening Her Scissors

In East Orange, New Jersey, 18-year-old Maylani Brown is just starting to sharpen her scissors as she becomes the city’s youngest small storefront business owner with Maylani’s Beauty Garden. City officials called her “truly inspirational” at a business launch event, praising the Bronx, New York, native for both her entrepreneurial spirit and her appreciation for the diversity of East Orange. By Eric Kiefer for West Orange, New Jersey, Patch

Veteran is Finally Home

Vainuupo Avegalio was a U.S. Army sergeant. He’s an artist and a poet. And, until recently, the Virginia veteran was homeless, living on the road as he traveled around the country conducting workshops for at-risk kids, inmates, first responders, veterans and people living with mental illness. Last month, he got the keys to a fully furnished home and “the miracle of having a house is almost more than his mind can process,” according to HeroHomes Loudoun, the organization that made it possible. By Liam Griffin for Leesburg, Virginia, Patch

These Families Got Keys, Too

Homeownership is also a dream come true for three Newark, New Jersey, families, thanks to a community program that converts previously blighted properties into attractive homes for low- and moderate-income residents. “It hasn’t hit me that I’m really a homeowner — something I always wanted to be,” said Charlene Spann as she received the keys to her new home. By Eric Kiefer for Newark, New Jersey, Patch

Twins, 100, Celebrate 100 Events Of Summer

Twins Elaine Foster and Evelyn Lowe were feted with a drive-by parade on Tuesday, a fitting tribute included in the 100 Events of Summer celebration in Bowie, Maryland. Their well-wishers showered the sisters with gift baskets, flowers, balloons and a gift card to their favorite restaurant. By Jacob Baumgart for Bowie, Maryland, Patch

Finally Able To Ride The Subway

Subway riders with mobility issues now have another option when they want to take the subway in New York City, with the completion of a project to bring the 57th Street-Seventh Avenue station into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. “For far too long, wheelchair users like myself — riders with vision or hearing disabilities, seniors who have difficulties with stairs, parents with children in strollers and so many others — have struggled to get around a system that wasn’t built with us in mind,” Quemuel Arroyo, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s chief accessibility officer, said at a news conference. “That’s changing now.” By Sarah Belle Lin for Midtown-Hell’s Kitchen, New York, Patch

A Taste of History

With the launch of Knafeh Queens, Fatmah Muhammad is offering a taste of her history with Knafeh, a recipe passed down through the generations of her family from their village in Palestine to Southern California. The sweet and salty, gooey, cheesy and buttery phyllo dessert is adored throughout Palestine and is seen as a dish that unites. "It's something that as a Palestinian little girl, growing up, it was a lot of my amazing memories revolve around Knafeh," she said. "It's a dessert that unites people. It's usually served at celebrations, family events, birthdays." By Nicole Charky for Los Angeles Patch

A Strike Against ALS

Mike and Beth Snedden are loyal Chicago White Sox fans, but Thursday’s home game against the Detroit Tigers was special for the couple. It was the first Lou Gehrig Day across Major League Baseball, and Mike was scheduled to throw out the first pitch, and 100 of his friends and family members were invited to watch him do it. He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, as it is formally known — last year. By Andrea Earnest for Frankfort, Illinois, Patch

Honk If You Want Books

A family of geese walked into a Barnes & Noble store in Deerfield, Illinois, causing quite a stir among customers as they “browsed” the shelves and headed toward the music section. The geese, a pair of adults and goslings, eventually left on their own, but not before a customer captured it all on video. By Eric DeGrecie for Deerfield, Illinois, Patch