12 Good News Stories: Sucker (For Your Shirt), Sneaky Fox Snacks

ACROSS AMERICA — Two years after her beloved pup, Kovu, went missing, Aisha Nieves was finally prepared to share her home with another dog. What she wasn’t prepared for, however, was finding her missing dog mere moments after making the decision.

Looking through the Lehigh County Humane Society website, Nieves saw Kovu, whom the shelter had renamed "Ash."

"I saw the little scar over one eye, the scar from when he got caught in a gate, and I was, like, 'Oh, my God, that's my baby! That's Kovu!'" Nieves said.

When she went to the shelter, Nieves was worried Kovu, a tan pit bull-Rottweiler mix, wouldn't remember her. But when she arrived, remember her he did. Read the story on Philadelphia Patch

C-Suite Cutie

At 4 months old, baby Zane Kahin captivated the judges of the 2021 Gerber spokesbaby contest "with his cheerful attitude, infectious giggles and playful smile that can light up any room.” Not only did he win the contest, he also nabbed the company’s honorary title of "chief growing officer." Read the story on Orlando Patch

Never Too Late

Frank Rongo of Hoboken, New Jersey, recently proved you’re never too old to accomplish something incredible. Rongo was supposed to graduate high school in 1951 but had to drop out to help take care of his mother after his father died. Decades later, the 86-year-old veteran finally received his degree. Read the story on Hoboken Patch

Students Doing Good

Organ donation is not a topic that floats across the minds of many teenagers or college students — but in 2018, two New York University sophomores set out to increase the number of young people thinking about it. What started as a two-person initiative is now a fully running organization of more than 20 people. Read the story on West Village Patch

---

Sneaky Fox Snacks

Sometimes your video doorbell captures things that are simply too cute not to share. In Virginia, a fox was caught red-pawed as he sneakily gobbled up cat treats from the windowsill of a Fairfax County home. Read the story on Fairfax City Patch

Helping Home Run

A group of seventh-grade baseball players from Illinois recently joined forces with a Downers Grove business to provide meals and care packages to people following a devastating June 20 tornado. Conor Grimm, 12, helped with the deliveries. "When we gave out the meals, all the senior citizens had a smile on their faces, and they kept saying thank you, so it was very heartwarming," he told Patch. Read the story on Downers Grove Patch

Sucker (For Your Shirt)

Meeting the members of your favorite music group is a dream come true. Meeting them while wearing a shirt with their likeness on it is even better. Margo Trumpower was walking her dog, Sonny, while wearing her 15-year-old Jonas Brothers T-shirt. Imagine her surprise when someone yelled, "Nice shirt," and that someone happened to be Nick Jonas. Read the story on Cleveland Patch

100 Years Young

Joliet resident Ted Micci celebrated his 100th birthday in style last weekend. After a century of life, Micci, an Italian immigrant and World War II veteran, is living life to the fullest. He even renewed his Illinois driver's license for another year. "I keep my fingers crossed when I go," he said. "I did good enough to get into the next century." Read the story on Joliet Patch

Hot Panda Summer

Prep for cuteness overload: Xiao Qi Ji, a 10-month-old giant panda cub at the National Zoo, was recently introduced to his own small "fruitsicle" on a hot summer day. "So far, he seems to really enjoy them, holding them with both his front and back paws, and closing his eyes as he relishes the refreshing treat," the zoo wrote in a blog post. Read the story on Washington, D.C. Patch

Good Girl Remembered

No one wants to lose a pet, but when Maya the Great Dane died in mid-May, her owner knew she had a story worth sharing with others. “Hers is a story of tremendous love, strength and valor," her owner said before sharing Maya’s story with Patch. Turns out she was not only a good companion, she was also credited with chasing off more than 20 bears from her neighborhood. Read the story on Vernon Patch

Choosing Peace

Saul Aroha Nui Tea, who goes by "Salty," has chosen to walk a different path from many of the other vendors of the Street Sense newspaper in Washington. In a recent podcast, Salty talked about his recent trip to California, how he learned to play guitar, and what inspired him to walk a path of peaceful activism. Read the story on Washington, D.C. Patch

Message Delivered

George Morrow was a teenager in 1926 when he had a message for the world. Nearly a century later, his message was finally delivered when a Michigan diver discovered it, tucked inside a glass bottle in the Cheboygan River. Read the story on Detroit Patch