9 Good News Stories: 3rd Graders Get Full Ride; Besmirched Cat Wins

ACROSS AMERICA — The 63 third graders at Bernard Black Elementary School in Phoenix are years away from deciding what they want to do with their lives, but if they decide on college, one worry is already taken care of:

Their tuition is already covered.

The Rosztoczy Foundation, which has been awarding scholarships since 2005, surprised the students — and their families — with the promise of a full-ride scholarship for each of them. It’s the second time in a decade the charity has promised scholarships to an entire class in Phoenix’s Valley area.

Abisail Castaneda said he’s happy because he wants to go to college like his sisters. His dad, Asael Castaneda, is happy, too. “He has secured the scholarship and will not limit himself to worry about which career and money troubles,” he said.

Pamela Vigil, the school principal, said the promise of a free ride pushes students to “work hard, stay focused, be motivated” and to realize that if they work hard, “a world of opportunity is at their fingertips. » By Caitlin Sievers for Phoenix Patch

Why He’s Green

If you're looking for genetically modified foods, products with MSG or high fructose corn syrup, you won't find a lick of that at Green Life Market in Wayne, New Jersey. That's the point, according to owner Kamel Yassin, who had thrived in several industries, including the biomedical field, before a mystery illness sidelined him in the 2008. He couldn’t walk for a few months, his neck hurt and he couldn’t stand. He had panic attacks. He ruled out a long list of frightening diseases before discovering he had Lyme disease. So he changed his diet, changed his life and brought over "blessed seeds" from the Middle East and began to heal himself. » By Josh Bakan for Wayne, New Jersey, Patch

Why They’re Vegan

At the beginning of the pandemic, Janine Smalls and Lanise Herman-Thomas began cooking the hearty plant dishes on the menu of one of Harlem’s hottest restaurants to feed kids enrolled in their Young Excellence Society after-school program after it had to temporarily close. “We didn't want to have our kids displaced," Smalls said, “so we went to our kitchen and began cooking meals.” The food was a hit with the students. They expanded, serving larger and larger amounts of food from a tiny apartment-style kitchen. As word spread beyond Harlem, customers from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and elsewhere started ordering carryout. The sisters raised enough to keep their Young Excellence Society staff on the payroll and hand out pencils, PPE and other supplies to dozens of kids. There’s more to the story of how this effort became Vegan Hood and why customers love it so much. » By Nick Garber for Harlem, New York, Patch

On Pointe Homecoming

The pandemic has been brutal on the arts. This weekend, Broadway ballerina Lyrica Woodruff and guest artist Maté Szentes triumphantly return to the stage for the Westside Ballet of Santa Monica’s Mother’s Day weekend performances of “New Horizons.” For Woodruff, who grew up in Santa Monica, returning to the stage that has been empty since 2019 is a perfect homecoming. This weekend’s events pay tribute to the life-renewing qualities of spring with a demonstration of how the ballet world is resiliently re-emerging: experiencing artistic growth and renewed energy — creatively blossoming with new visions, ideas and experiences. "The arts were hit extremely hard by the pandemic," Woodruff told Patch. "We took class in our kitchens and living rooms. We weren't able to share the gift of storytelling with others in the way we love to." » By Nicole Charky for Santa Monica, California, Patch

‘Project Empathy’: Being Seen And Heard

The pandemic has been tough on everyone, leaving many feeling isolated and alone. At the same time, groups of people from diverse backgrounds are seeking ways to be seen, understood and feel connected. A group in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, addressed both with “Project Empathy: A Study In Human Connection.” It featured eight people from diverse backgrounds who spent two months listening to each other’s stories and learning about their lives "I did some work with the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee to support a process of writing an anti-racism and inclusivity statement last year,” co-director Allison Iantosca told Patch. "I've been trying to bring into awareness all the things that we didn't know about implicit bias and inclusion." » By Mary Ellen Gambone for Holliston-Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Patch

How To State Love

Stephen “Oneshoes” Ward loves his home state so much so that he wrote a song about it, “An Anthem for Virginia.” It’s a bigger hit than Ward expected on social media. “I've had people that have responded to this, that have said things to me that, 'Tomorrow, if my life would end, at least in that aspect of things, this musical journey for me has been fulfilled,' " he said. "I had a woman say ... 'This will definitely be on my playlist when God goes to take me to Heaven.' They tell me their stories. 'I moved away. I was gone. Virginia always called me home.' " » By Michael McConnell for Manassas, Virginia, Patch

An Emerging Visionary

Keep an eye on this kid from Columbia, Maryland. In March 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arthur Wang, now 17, recognized teachers were going to need face coverings and other items of personal protective equipment that were hard to come by at the time, so he and his sister, Amanda, convinced a few dozen other students to join them in a nonprofit group to help close the gap. The nonprofit, which assembles and distributes teacher care kits, has grown beyond Wang’s school and state, and he is one of 25 U.S. high school students recognized with Prudential Emerging Visionary awards. » By Kristen Danley-Greiner for Columbia, Maryland, Patch

Ultimately, Winning A Cat Fight

At the end of a lengthy court battle, Miska — the “most persecuted tabby” in Bellevue, Washington — may still be prone to hissing at or otherwise “taunting” other neighborhood cats, and Miska may still trespass and commit considerable mischief if given a chance. King County animal control cited the besmirched cat’s owner, Anna Danieli, dozens of times and handed down thousands of dollars in fines. She sued, settling this week for $125,000 and also winning an important city code change for other pet owners. “Not every case has wins that are tangible or simple, so achieving something very meaningful for our client and the Bellevue community is rewarding,” a lawyer for Danieli said in a statement. » By Lucas Combos for Bellevue, Washington, Patch

The Christmas Cat Story

In the 1970s, a North Jersey truck driver saved a giant fiberglass cat used in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from the landfill. What’s happened to the humongous Christmas-hat-wearing cat in the past 52 years is a story worth telling, and Montclair native Wheeler Antabanez and WeirdNJTV were just the ones to do it. » By Eric Kiefer for Montclair, New Jersey, Patch

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