Steve Rhode

A viral food truck moment. A quiet hero in a wheelchair. A rescue dog waiting for someone like you. These aren’t just Wake County stories—they’re reminders of what’s still good.

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Dive into today’s feel good news with incredible stories of community spirit and compassion.

A baby falls out of a moving car in Lumberton, North Carolina, and three strangers, along with quick-moving EMS and police, race to save his life. In Davenport, Iowa, a $3,000 medical helmet goes missing, until a man named Scott Cline sees a post in the What’s Going On Quad Cities Facebook group and quietly mails it back. And in Wake County, even the cauliflower gets eaten thanks to a student-powered food-share program that’s turning unopened lunches into lifelines.

You’ll hear about:

• Flynn from Cedar Falls, and the community that showed up for him
• Scott Cline from Davenport, who turned a Facebook post into a small act of big kindness
• The fast response from Lumberton’s police and EMS, and the man who blocked traffic with his truck
• Students and staff at Millbrook and Dillard Drive schools helping others one snack at a time

These stories could’ve ended badly. But they didn’t.

KFDM News Story: https://kfdm.com/news/local/breaking-good-samaritan-rescues-baby-after-car-seat-flies-out-at-busy-lumberton-intersect

Food Waste Story: https://www.wral.com/news/education/more-wake-schools-turning-wasted-food-into-snacks-for-students-june-2025/

Medical Helmet Story: https://www.wqad.com/article/news/local/good-news/lost-baby-helmet-davenport-whats-going-on-quad-cities-post-mailed-to-family/526-149990fa-6059-4435-a797-ef6bcb26d621

Today’s episode takes you on a tour of North Carolina’s most surprising — and inspiring — feel-good stories.

We start in Johnston County, where high school students are skipping the minimum wage grind and jumping straight into $52,000-a-year jobs in pharmaceutical manufacturing thanks to a one-semester BioWork program funded by industry giants like Novo Nordisk and Grifols.

Then we head to the airport, where the TSA had to remind travelers that their Costco membership cards — as beloved as they may be — do not count as federal ID. (Yes, really.)

Next up, a lost-and-found tale from a Walmart in North Carolina, where a little boy named Grayson lost his beloved stuffed animal — named simply “Dog” — and a kind stranger named Ashley France not only reunited them, but gave Dog a scrapbook-worthy adventure story to take home.

And finally, we light a candle — literally — with Philip Freeman, a Raleigh Navy veteran and deep-sea diver who turned his wife’s mosquito problem into Murphy’s Naturals, a nationally distributed bug-repellent company that gives back to the planet, veterans, and local jobs.

From biotech dreams in Clayton to citronella candles in Wake County, this episode is a reminder that good news doesn’t just happen — good neighbors make it happen.

In today’s episode of Good Morning Wake County, Steve brings you three stories of quiet strength and second chances.

We start in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where David Peters turned his struggles with addiction into a national Facebook support group called Never Give Up — now 15,000 members strong and led by his brother Jason Peters. It helped transform the life of Chris Puddy, a former drug dealer turned restaurant general manager at Greece E Spoon.

Then we head to San Diego, California, where Cambodian refugee Steve Yeng, paralyzed by polio and raised in a refugee camp, built a peanut butter whiskey empire called Skrewball with his wife Brittany — a brand that went from outsider idea to national sensation, eventually partnering with Pernod Ricard (the makers of Jameson).

Finally, we travel to Bessemer, Alabama, just outside Birmingham, where Bryan Odom, once incarcerated, now hires others like him at Expedited Transport Agency — thanks to the Second Chance Hiring Fair founded by District Attorney Lynniece Washington and supported by U.S. Pipe and the Birmingham Business Alliance.

It’s a show about redemption, grit, and the surprising power of being seen.

🎧 Plus: a Dad joke you’ll be telling in the carpool lane.
🗺️ Stories from: Sheboygan, San Diego, and Bessemer
👥 Featuring: David Peters, Jason Peters, Chris Puddy, Steve Yeng, Brittany Yeng, Bryan Odom, Lynniece Washington
🛠️ Organizations: Never Give Up, Greece E Spoon, Skrewball Whiskey, Expedited Transport Agency, U.S. Pipe, Birmingham Business Alliance, Pernod Ricard

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Acts of Kindness

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In today’s Good Morning Wake County, Steve brings you three unforgettable stories of everyday people stepping up in remarkable ways.

🦅 First, we head to Morrisville, North Carolina, where a red-tailed hawk crashes toddler storytime at the town library — only to be rescued by the Morrisville Fire Department with the help of Library Director Christina Adams and a firefighter willing to climb 15 feet without a manual on “hawk retrieval.”

🧒🏽 Then, it’s off to Howick Village, New Zealand, to meet 13-year-old Michael Collins, a student at Howick College, who turned birthday money into a booming 3D printing business called 3D Wonder Works. With support from his grandmother, principal Dale Burden, and enterprise teacher Tracy Spiers, Michael now sells his creations at Howick Village Market and Clevedon Farmers Market — all while training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and Judo.

👟 Finally, in Raleigh, North Carolina, meet Donna Kidder — a 71-year-old grandmother, marathon runner, and cancer fighter living with multiple myeloma for over a decade. Thanks to a new CAR-T cell therapy called Carvykti, Donna is still running — literally — and offering up wisdom on what it means to live past your “expiration date.”

From flying hawks to fierce young hustlers to fearless grandmothers, this episode is about quiet heroes, persistence, and the beautiful noise made by people who show up.

📍 Featuring:
Morrisville Fire Department, Christina Adams, Michael Collins, Howick College, 3D Wonder Works, Clevedon Farmers Market, Howick Village Market, Dale Burden, Tracy Spiers, Donna Kidder, and Carvykti CAR-T cell therapy

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Acts of Kindness

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In today’s episode of Good Morning Wake County, we travel from Massachusetts to North Carolina to South Carolina — and meet the good neighbors who showed up when it mattered most.

First, the Murdock High School Blue Devils in Winchendon, Massachusetts thought their final baseball game was lost to lightning and Memorial Day rain, until Pastor Jason Cox at the United Parish of Winchendon helped organize one last, unforgettable exhibition game. With help from community members like Adam LeBlanc, Jenna Hirons and Justen Hires of Castle Road BBQ in Rindge, and Tim Shufelt at Shoefly Graphics in Athol, the team played a joyful final matchup against local heroes known as the Honey Badgers, including police, firefighters, veterans, and alumni, at Allen Field in Ashby.

Next, we meet 22-year-old Kai Ritchie of Cary, North Carolina, who survived a devastating head-on crash on I-40 in Raleigh just before his birthday. With strength, support, and love from his mother Stormy Schumann-Ritchie, his grandmother, his first-grade teacher, and the team at WakeMed, Kai endured four surgeries and weeks of therapy, and walked out of the hospital a month later, calling his survival “a miracle.”

And finally, in West Columbia, South Carolina, a group of volunteers from Dominion Energy’s transmission team, including Tyler Claytor and Mary Sale, gave the Good Samaritan Clinic a much-needed refresh. With funding from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, nearly 20 employees painted, landscaped, and added safety features to help restore pride and warmth to the space. Clinic executive director Mike Young shared how much that love and labor means to the staff and patients they serve.

Three towns. Dozens of names. One shared truth:
When people show up, healing happens.

Voices and organizations featured:• Levi Woertz• Pastor Jason Cox, United Parish of Winchendon• Adam LeBlanc, Murdock High School alumnus• Jenna Hirons & Justen Hires, Castle Road BBQ, Rindge, NH• Tim Shufelt, Shoefly Graphics, Athol, MA• Kai Ritchie & Stormy Schumann-Ritchie, Cary & Fuquay-Varina, NC• WakeMed Hospital, Raleigh, NC• Tyler Claytor & Mary Sale, Dominion Energy• Mike Young, Good Samaritan Clinic, West Columbia, SC• Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation

🎖️ Hat tips to the original reporting by:🧢 The Gardner News🎨 Southwest Lexington Ledger

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Acts of Kindness

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In today’s episode of Good Morning Wake County, Steve brings you three stories of quiet strength and unexpected comebacks, from a historic wool mill in Minnesota to a mother’s long-awaited graduation in Alabama, and a talent-filled triumph right here in Wake County, North Carolina.

We begin in Faribault, Minnesota, where the Faribault Woolen Mill, founded in 1865 and once shuttered after 144 years, has roared back to life thanks to former Dairy Queen CEO Chuck Mooty and a merger with American menswear company CircleRock. What started with knocking on doors and asking, “Do you remember how this machine works?” became a full revival of a piece of American manufacturing history.
🎩 Source: Forbes – Faribault Mill Is An Inspiring Story Of Industrial Rebirth

Then we head to Gadsden, Alabama, where Candida Pedro Aguirre, a mother of three, finally walked the stage in cap and gown at Gadsden State Community College, nearly 12 years after giving birth just months before her original high school graduation. Her story of perseverance, mentorship, and a scholarship surprise will stay with you.
🎓 Source: Gadsden Messenger – Candida Aguirre earns diploma and scholarship

Finally, Steve shines a light on Wake County’s own brilliance. Raleigh recently ranked #2 for “talent density” in the South, thanks to steady performance in STEM education, patents, and innovation infrastructure. With neighbors like NC State, Wake Tech, and startups in RTP and Fuquay-Varina, it’s no surprise our region is quietly shaping the future.
🧠 Source: CommercialCafe – Southern US Innovation Hubs: The Top 20 Cities Ranked

Plus — stick around to hear today’s Dad joke and a few ways you can help keep this good news flowing.

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Acts of Kindness

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Meet Jevin Millsaps, an 8-year-old from Axtell, Texas, who’s turning roadside cans into a retirement plan and a vending machine business, with a little help from KCEN News reporter Brandon Cote.

Then, travel to Redding, California, where students at Parsons Junior High are changing lives just by telling the truth at their school’s ROAR Assembly.

And in Mercer County, New Jersey, The College of New Jersey and the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber are helping teens turn big ideas into real businesses through the state’s first Young Entrepreneur’s Academy.

These are feel good news stories about courage, community, and the power of believing in a kid before they believe in themselves. Good news, good stories, and a reminder that sometimes the biggest change starts small.

🎩 Sources:

• Jevin’s story: KCEN News, reporter Brandon Cote – https://www.kcentv.com

• ROAR Assembly: KGET News – https://krcrtv.com/news/local/parsons-junior-high-students-inspire-peers-with-stories-of-triumph-over-adversity

• YEA! in Mercer County: Community News – https://www.communitynews.org/business/first-young-entrepreneurs-academy-in-nj-comes-to-mercer/article_db0c9244-67fe-448

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Acts of Kindness

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In this feel-good episode of Good Morning Wake County, we head back to the Fuquay-Varina Growers Market to meet Alison Haggerty of Purple Martin Farm, who swapped logistics for heirloom tomatoes and now teaches us why knowing your farmer matters.

Then we shift gears to the tech scene, where Scot Wingo and Robbie Allen just invested $9 million into startups at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park during the Raleigh-Durham Startup Summit. It’s innovation with a local soul — pulled pork included.

And finally, we ride along with Kendrick Scott from Wake County Public Schools to check out new mobile command vans funded by the Center for Safer Schools — high-tech calm in plain white wrappers.

It’s Stories of Good, Feel Good News, and Good News with deep local roots and universal heart.

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