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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Today on Good Morning Wake County, we take you from a missing tortoise named Tank in Greenfield, Illinois to the streets of Raleigh, where law enforcement officers ran for the Special Olympics. Then we head west to California for the inspiring story of Trevor Turner, a former inmate turned award-winning college graduate, before coming home to Raleigh to remember Eliza Craven and the $2.5 million gift that will help other families facing childhood illness. These are stories of good, stories of heart… and the kind of feel-good news that stays with you.

🎧 Featuring:

• Tank the Tortoise 🐢 (Greenfield, IL)

• Wake County Special Olympics

• Trevor Turner (Bakersfield College, CA)

• Amanda & Lee Craven + Transitions LifeCare (Raleigh, NC)

• Team Speedy Sloth + Eliza Alice Craven Pediatric Fund (Duke University, Durham, NC)

  
  

🔗 SOURCES & LINKS

Tank the Tortoise – First Alert 4:

https://www.firstalert4.com/2025/05/28/illinois-town-comes-together-find-missing-tortoise/

Torch Run / Special Olympics:

https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/wake-county-law-enforcement-runs-through-rain-to-benefit-nc-special-olympics/

Trevor Turner, Bakersfield College Grad:

https://www.bakersfield.com/bakersfield-life/bakersfield-matters-bc-grad-defies-odds-earns-collegiate-recognition-with-inspiring-story/article_b47665db-424d-4ac8-8555-f5d02d1dff75.html

Eliza’s Story / Transitions Kids

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/raleigh-nc/eliza-craven-10806995

https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/the-whole-family-is-the-patient-childrens-hospice-program-in-raleigh-receives-2-5-million-gift/

https://www.supportdukehealth.org/site/TR/Angels/AngelsAmongUs?pg=team&fr_id=2621&team_id=30983

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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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In this episode of Good Morning Wake County, host Steve takes listeners on a gentle ride through some of the most heartening local stories of the week.

We head to Franklinton just beyond the Wake County line, where the Funkytown Festival is gearing up for a retro night of live music, DJ Funk, food trucks, and disco-inspired dancing on Main Street.

Then, it’s off to Fuquay-Varina, where the Fuquay-Varina Growers Market is doing more than selling produce — it's championing food access and community wellness. Learn about Senior Day on June 14, a Summer Meal Program for kids, and hear from farmer Alison Haggerty of Purple Martin Farm, who’s growing much more than vegetables.

Back in Raleigh, we celebrate the unsung success of Wake County’s job market — now boasting the lowest unemployment rate of any major metro in North Carolina at just 2.9%. With comparisons to counties like Mecklenburg, Durham, Orange, Guilford, and Edgecombe, Steve breaks down what the numbers really mean.

Finally, we take a sunset stroll through Raleigh’s best golden-hour spots, from the skyline views at Dorothea Dix Park and wraparound porches at Heights House Hotel, to hidden corners like Lassiter Mill Park, The Raleigh Times rooftop, and the hush of WRAL’s Azalea Garden — all inspired by a thoughtful list from Raleigh Magazine.

If you're craving quiet victories, warm light, and a deeper connection to your own backyard… this one’s for you.

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As Raleigh’s Dix Park blossoms into a crown jewel of public space, it also reopens questions about history, progress, and who gets to stay.

In this episode, Steve explores the complicated legacy of the land — from its Indigenous roots and time as Spring Hill Plantation, through its transformation into the Dorothea Dix Hospital, and now into one of the most ambitious urban parks in North Carolina.

You'll hear a quote from Kane Realty’s Stacey Buescher and Dix Park Executive Director Kate Pearce, as well the story of a Wake County schoolteacher whose front yard marks a very real line between growth and displacement.

Then we tumble into something a little lighter: Abby Lampe, an NC State graduate and Johnston County native, just rolled her way to second place at the infamous Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling Race in Gloucestershire, England. Dressed in her Wolfpack shirt and full of grit, Abby tells the BBC and Raleigh’s Adam Gold why she’s already planning a comeback in 2026.

Finally, we meet Benji — a Yorkie found abandoned outside the Wake County Animal Center. With help from Nicole Kincaid and her team at Perfectly Imperfect Pups, Benji’s journey from pain to healing is a reminder of what grace, empathy, and second chances really look like. Steve shares his own story of a rescue dog named Karl, and why these stories stick with us.

From blooming playgrounds to muddy hillsides to cardboard boxes that carry more than they seem — this episode is about second chances, and the hope that transformation can still lead to joy.

From slides to spotlights, today’s episode is packed with Wake County joy — and a few moments that might just stick with you.

We begin in Raleigh, where the brand-new Gipson Play Plaza at Dix Park is finally open for play — complete with a swing terrace, sunflower sculptures, and a splash-ready waterfall grand plaza. You'll hear about 9-year-old Susanna Scheffel’s first trip down the slides, a memory shared by longtime Raleigh donor Tom Gipson, and why city leaders like Stephen Bentley and Ruffin Hall believe this park is unlike anything else in the Southeast.

Then, Steve reflects on what growth has really given Wake County — from new neighbors and coffee shops to international listeners tuning in from Germany, Canada, the UK, and Spain. There’s even a grocery store moment with a brand-new transplant from upstate New York. Growth isn’t the enemy… it might just be the invitation.

And finally, we head to Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, where Alexia Jorge made baseball history. She’s the first woman to start in a Coastal Plain League game — and she didn’t just show up, she was named Player of the Game after leading the Holly Springs Salamanders to victory over the Carolina Pirates. With a gold medal from the U.S. Women’s National Team and a dream that started when people told her “no,” Alexia’s story is the kind of Wake County moment worth remembering.

If you’ve got a good news story to share from Wake Forest, Wendell, Cary, Clayton — or anywhere in Wake County — visit TapYourNews.com to send it in.