Watch: Vermont state trooper makes heroic rescue of 8-year-old girl from icy pond



A Vermont state trooper made a heroic rescue of an 8-year-old from an icy pond.

Two sisters were playing on a frozen pond when they fell into the water in northwestern Vermont. An 80-year-old homeowner was able to pull the younger girl to shore, but the neighbor was unable to swim and couldn't save the older sister. The elderly man contacted the police.

Vermont State Trooper Michelle Archer responded to an emergency call about a small child plunging into a frigid pond on private property in Cambridge, Vermont. Archer was in the area and arrived at the scene within five minutes after the 911 call was made.

Archer retrieved a rope and flotation device from her police cruiser. The state trooper noticed the motionless girl in the middle of the pond, as seen in the police bodycam video.

Despite the freezing temperatures, Archer jumped into the icy water to rescue the 8-year-old girl.

Archer swam to the helpless girl in the bone-chillingly cold water and rescued the girl by bringing her back to the snow-covered shore.

The child snapped back to life and began making noises after being rescued from the freezing water.

A second state trooper arrived at the scene as Archer was bringing her out of the water. The second Vermont state trooper carried the girl to an ambulance that was already there.

The girl was rushed to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont. Despite her injuries first thought to be life-threatening, the girl has made a complete recovery and returned home within several days.

"There wasn’t a whole lot of thinking going on. Something was taking over – training. It was the opposite of panic," Archer told local outlet Vermont News First.

Vermont State Police officials commended Archer, trooper Keith Cote, and the homeowner “for their selfless, heroic conduct, and all three have been recommended to receive the agency’s Lifesaving Award."

The incident happened on Dec. 17, but authorities didn't release the police bodycam footage until Friday.

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Body cam video: Vermont State Police Trooper dives into icy pond to save child www.youtube.com

Watch: Lost dog returns home to family after surviving epic 150-mile trek across Alaskan sea ice



A lost dog was reunited with his family after an amazing 150-mile trek across sea ice in Alaska. The wandering dog survived the unbelievable journey despite being bitten by a wild animal.

An Alaskan family was visiting relatives in March when two of their dogs disappeared. One of the dogs, named "Starlight," turned up more than two weeks later in the next town over, about 35 miles away.

However, the family's dog named "Nanuq" disappeared and didn't return immediately. The family posted photos of their lost dog online in hopes that someone had seen Nanuq.

Out of nowhere, the owner's father found a dog that looked like Nanuq in a Facebook post written about a month after the dog went missing.

"My dad texted me and said, 'There's a dog that looks like Nanuq in Wales,'" said Nanuq's owner, Mandy Iworrigan.

She clicked on the Facebook post and reacted, "I was like, 'No freakin' way! That's our dog! What is he doing in Wales?'"

Nanuq, which means polar bear in Siberian Yupik, somehow traveled 150 miles from the town of Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island across the frozen Bering Sea to the town of Wales on the Alaskan mainland.

Iworrigan told the Anchorage Daily News, "I have no idea why he ended up in Wales. Maybe the ice shifted while he was hunting. I'm pretty sure he ate leftovers of seal or caught a seal. Probably birds, too. He eats our native foods. He's smart."

Iworrigan was able to bring Nanuq home on a regional airplane that was transporting athletes for the Bering Strait School District's Native Youth Olympics tournament.

Iworrigan filmed the ecstatic and improbable reunion with Nanuq at the airport in Savoonga. Iworrigan and her 8-year-old daughter, Brooklyn, could be heard shrieking with joy on video as they spotted Nanuq's nose pressing against the transport cage inside the airplane's storage area.

The joyous family said Nanuq was in pretty good health considering he had made a grueling 150-mile journey across the sea ice. However, the missing dog was attacked by an unidentified animal and suffered two large bite marks. The dog's owner believes Nanuq was attacked by a seal, wolverine, or polar bear.

“If dogs could talk, both of them would have one heck of a story,” Iworrigan said of Nanuq and Starlight.

Iworrigan is thankful for the people who took the time to post photos of the lost dog and the teacher who lent a dog carrier for Nanuq's flight back to his family.

"Alaska has caring people, and I’m happy for that. I’m blessed and fortunate. There’s people that actually care out there," Iworrigan said.

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AK family, dog reunited after sea ice journey www.youtube.com

Vietnam veteran's dog tag found in rice field is returned to family 57 years later: 'Means the world'



The dog tags of a Vietnam veteran have been returned to his surviving family thanks to a chance encounter.

United States Marine Corps Corporal Larry Hughes lost his dog tag in 1966 while serving his country near the Da Nang Province in Vietnam.

Flash forward to October 2022, when former Virginia Senator Jim Webb and Notre Dame Professor Michael Desch took a group of students to visit the province. While exploring an area near an airstrip used by the U.S. military, a villager approached them. The villager said that he had found six dog tags of American soldiers while plowing rice fields over the years.

Desch explained, "He said, ‘Oh, by the way, I have six dog tags that we found over the years plowing is rice fields.' And he had one on his keychain. And I asked if we could bring it back."

Webb – who is also a former Navy secretary – reacted by saying, "I was like, 'We need to find this person.' It's so symbolic."

Webb did some research and found out that Corporal Hughes had died. However, his son and sister were alive in Inglis, Florida.

On Friday, the Pentagon delivered the long-lost dog tag to the family.

Hughes' sister Patricia Hughes Prickett told WTVT, "I couldn't believe it. It was like a step back in time."

"I was always so proud of Larry," Prickett added. "There was never a moment when I was not proud of him. And I'm just glad that he's been recognized."

Hughes' son Carl Hughes said of his dad, "He was very humble. He never talked about his time in the service."

Prickett believes that Hughes didn't talk about his military service because many people didn't appreciate the sacrifices he made.

"That means the world, and the Vietnam vets are getting recognition that they didn't get before," Prickett said.

Hughes reflected on how incredible it was to receive the cherished memento back from a place that was formerly an enemy territory.

"The two sides hated each other, and look how they come together now that how quickly you can build that friendship, that bond," Carl Hughes said. "And that's what the world needs, is everybody can get along and love each other."

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Vietnam veteran's dog tags returned to family 57 years later www.youtube.com

Drunk South Carolina man gets caught on video stealing Santa statue, but holiday theft ends in a merry Christmas story



A drunk South Carolina man was caught on video stealing a Santa statue from a Greenville restaurant. However, the Christmas thief had a revelation that restored the yuletide faith.

A man was caught on video stealing a Santa Claus statue from outside the Bonjour Main restaurant in downtown Greenville on Dec. 11.

WSPA-TV reporter Henry Coburn was covering the story, and interviewing the restaurant's owner Mayra Gallo. The owner interrupted the interview, "He's sitting right up there."

The holiday hijacker returned to the scene of the crime – not to steal another Christmas decoration, but to apologize for his naughty behavior. Less than 24 hours after stealing the Santa statue, the thief returned to Bonjour Main to beg for forgiveness.

The man – who identified himself as Melvin – had brought the owner a dozen roses in an effort to apologize for stealing the Santa statue.

To accept his apology, Gallo asked Melvin to come clean with a TV interview with Coburn. The owner promised not to press charges as long as Melvin's apology was sincere.

Melvin said, "I'm sorry. Really sorry. I know saying sorry doesn’t do anything, but I promise I’ll do better."

Coburn noted that Melvin "looked both nervous and extremely embarrassed."

The Kris Kringle crook claimed he was celebrating a friend's birthday on the night of the theft with some alcoholic beverages. He admitted that he may have indulged in a few too many spirits.

He confessed, "Just wasn’t thinking. I was like, 'That’s cool. Wish I had it.'"

Coburn wrote on Twitter, "He said that less than 24 hours later (and doubtlessly more sober), he brought it back. He says he felt horrible, wanted to make things right and, of course, wanted to avoid charges."

"I'll do anything I can to make things right, pay for any damages, fix anything I can, work for free," Melvin pleaded. "I'll literally do anything to resolve this situation in the most positive way possible."

Gallo took Melvin up on his offer to help around the restaurant. She said that not pressing charges was her Christmas gift to Melvin.

In the end, the Santa Claus statue robbery ends in a merry Christmas story.

ONLY ON 7: Upstate Santa thief apologizes www.youtube.com

Man with Down syndrome was fired by Wendy's after working at restaurant for 20 years, but then the internet stepped up



A longtime Wendy’s employee with Down syndrome was fired from his job after working at the restaurant in North Carolina for more than 20 years. However, the internet stepped in and stepped up to ameliorate the disappointing situation.

Dennis Peek, 51, had worked for over 20 years at the Wendy’s restaurant in Stanley, North Carolina. On Wednesday, Peek's sister declared publicly that he was fired from his job.

Peek's sister, Cona Young Turner, was furious that her brother was fired and slammed the Wendy's location for firing him.

Turner wrote on Facebook, "My brother Dennis has worked at Wendy’s in Stanley for over 20 years and I am heartbroken to say they have fired him!"

"His dream was to retire from there someday and he was looking forward to a huge retirement party," she said. "We may just give him that party and tell him he has retired because he does not understand being fired!"

Turner alleged that management at the Wendy's location told her that Dennis "was unable to perform the duties of a normal person's job."

"I am very disappointed with the management at Wendy’s in Stanley," she continued. "They have no idea how they hurt my brother!"

The Facebook post went viral, racking up more than 13,000 shares and nearly 5,000 comments on the social media platform.

Peek's story was covered by local news outlets, and soon spread to national media publications.

Management at the Wendy's in Stanley quickly reversed course and offered to rehire Dennis.

Turner said, "They have offered Dennis his job back starting next week. My heart is overwhelmed by the support that you all have given my brother and myself! Thank you all so much!"

The Carolina Restaurant Group – which owns the Wendy's in question – gave a statement to WBTV on Peek's termination.

“We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our employees and our customers," the Carolina Restaurant Group stated. "This was an unfortunate mistake and lapse in protocol; we are in touch with the employee’s family, and we are looking forward to welcoming him back to work in the restaurant."

The group was asked if any disciplinary action would be taken against the manager who fired Dennis.

"We cannot comment further on personnel matters, but we’re taking appropriate action," the group replied. "This was an unfortunate mistake that we’re working through with the team member, his job coach and family. We’re also using this as an opportunity to retrain all our teams on our protocols."

However, Turner said that her brother with Down syndrome would not be returning to his former place of employment of more than 20 years.

"Dennis will not be returning to Wendy’s," Turner said.

"He will be having his BIG RETIREMENT party that he has been wanting," she announced. "Wendy’s has offered to help with expenses and anything else they can for his special day."

Turner encouraged people to send cards and letters to Dennis at PO Box 183 Mount Holly, NC 28120.

Family enjoys tearful reunion with golden retriever missing for 3 months in Colorado wilderness thanks to a dispatcher's brilliant idea



A family had an emotional reunion with a lost golden retriever who was lost for three months in the Colorado wilderness. The missing dog was found thanks to a police dispatcher's genius idea.

Taylor Salazar and her late husband, Fili, adopted the dog in 2019 when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The couple named the dog "Farrah," and Fili called her "the classic goldie."

"We needed something to brighten up our household. And she did just that," Salazar said. "He was in love with her the minute he saw her."

Fili died three months after Farrah was adopted, but the dog provided Taylor comfort during the grieving process.

On June 21, Salazar's father suffered a seizure while driving and crashed his car. Farrah was in the vehicle during the accident and ran away in the rural area of Colorado. Taylor's dad recovered, but Farrah was nowhere to be found.

Salazar searched for her golden retriever, but was unsuccessful. Salazar got the word out that her dog went missing, and some people saw Farrah.

"If they got too close, she'd run away and she knew where to go. She was hiding," Salazar told KRDO.

Farrah had gone missing for three months, but Taylor never lost hope of being reunited with her dog.

A dispatcher from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office had a brilliant idea. The Fremont County Sheriff's Office was scheduled to conduct an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) exercise, and the dispatcher suggested searching for the dog during the training.

"Today the FCSO UAS team took part in a training mission with a humanitarian twist," the Fremont County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. "Farrah the Golden Retriever was lost several months ago when the car she was in was involved in an accident."

"Today, the FCSO drone was deployed in the area where she was last seen," the sheriff's office stated. "Within minutes, Deputies spotted her using the drone's infrared camera."

Taylor said of her tearful reunion, “She stuck her head through the barbed wire fence, and then the next minute she’s laying in my lap and I was like, ‘I got her!’”

"I just started crying," Salazar said.

Salazar helped lure Farrah with chicken.

Being out in the harsh conditions of the Colorado wilderness caused Farrah to lose half her weight. The beloved golden retriever also had an injury to her leg and hip. A veterinarian said Farrah likely was hit by a car and expects one of her legs to be amputated.

Taylor is dedicated to nursing Farrah back to health. Besides the police, Salazar believes her late husband helped bring Farrah home.

Missing golden retriever reunites with family after Fremont County deputies find dog with drone www.youtube.com

Video: 'Hero' Indiana man saved 4 children from blazing house fire: God 'used me like his instrument that night'



An Indiana man is being hailed as a hero for saving five people, including four children, from a raging house fire.

Around 12:30 a.m. on Monday, Nick Bostic was driving home and noticed that a house was on fire. He immediately pulled into the driveway and ran to the back of the home.

Bostic told WXIN, "I saw the fire on the balcony so I slammed on the brakes, pulled in the driveway, and ran into the house from the back. I was hollering ‘Is there anybody in there?’"

Bostic busted into the burning home. The 25-year-old Lafayette man helped three children – as young as 2 years old – and their 18-year-old sister escape the inferno. However, the group told him that there was still a 6-year-old child trapped in the smoldering home.

The fire had grown in size, and the smoke made it difficult to see and breathe.

"The smoke just came out of nowhere. It was pitch black, pitch black. The heat was excruciating," Bostic explained.

Emergency personnel said they couldn't enter the blazing home because of the "intensity of the fire."

"Nicholas wrapped his shirt around his mouth and nose and plunged into the blackness," the city of Lafayette said in a statement. "He described it as so black that he couldn’t see anything in front of him, and the heat from the fire made it seem as if he was walking into an oven."

He was able to locate the 6-year-old girl, but the only exit available was through a window on the second floor.

"I grabbed her and held her snug and I ran up those stairs like a running back for the Colts. I jumped out that window," Bostic said. “I was just pushing time on its edge. I was pushing its limit, literally pushed its limit to the last millisecond. I just got lucky."

Bostic broke the window by punching the glass with his bare hands.

Dramatic police bodycam video shows the moment that Bostic emerged from the daunting scene carrying the child away from the blaze.

Lafayette body camera footage of fire rescue www.youtube.com

Bodycam footage shows an officer tending to Bostic's injuries, including applying a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

Bostic asks emergency personnel, "Is the baby OK? Please tell me that baby's OK."

\u201cMORE:\n\nBostic: "Is the baby OK? Please tell me that baby's OK."\u201d
— Joe Paul (@Joe Paul) 1657827105

Police noted that the 6-year-old was "miraculously mostly uninjured."

Bostic was seriously injured in the frantic rescue, suffering from severe smoke inhalation, burns, and cuts on his arms and legs. Bostic was flown to a hospital in Indianapolis. Bostic has since been released after several days of treatment.

"The front of my hand, it's cut up pretty bad," Bostic said. "They rewrapped it before I left. But I got a cut right here, a possible severed tendon. The bottom of my hands are blistered like I grabbed something hot. I recall seeing flames through the window as I was punching it out."

"Waking up every morning I have something to remind me of why I'm here, still alive. Why God keeps me here," Bostic told News 18, according to Fox News. "He used me like his instrument that night."

Bostic was recognized for his heroic actions by the Lafayette Police Department, the Lafayette Fire Department, and Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski.

“Nicholas Bostic’s heroic actions saved lives. His selflessness during this incident is inspiring, and he has impressed many with his courage, tenacity, and steadfast calmness in the face of such perilous danger,” the city of Lafayette said in a statement.

The fire was ruled accidental, but is still under investigation.

Lafayette man rescues 5 people from burning home www.youtube.com

WWII veteran searches years for little girl who wrote him thank-you letter, gets the 'miracle' he was wishing for: 'This is a godsend'



World War II veteran Frank Grasberger received a "thank you" letter from a young girl 12 years ago, which touched his heart so much that he has been thinking of the little girl ever since. The WWII veteran finally got to meet the little girl, who is all grown up now, and it was a heart-melting reunion.

When Dashauna Priest was 9 years old, she wrote a letter to Grasberger thanking him for his service in World War II, where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Dashauna wrote the letter to Frank because she admired people in uniform.

"If it wasn't for you we would never have freedom. ... I'm so happy you made sacrifices," the letter reads. "Your friend, Dashauna Priest."

YouTube CBS Sunday Morning

Priest's letter gave Grasberger life, and he carried it around with him wherever he went. "I'd never be without it," he said. "Because it's something that somebody thought of me that much."

His wife, Delores, explained, "When he has that letter with him, he has a feeling of faith, and trust, and love."

Delores contacted Priest's school and sent her a card, thanking her for the special letter.

Grasberger attempted to track down the little girl who wrote the special note to him, but never was able to find her.

Jill Pawloski, the services director at the Vitalia Senior Residences in Strongsville, Ohio, heard about Frank's story and how much the letter meant to him. She began using social media to try to track down Priest.

The heartwarming meeting of two strangers, who bonded through a 12-year-old letter, finally happened in July.

Priest, who is now 21 years old, met the WWII veteran she had thanked so many years earlier.

Frank melted when he finally got to meet Dashauna. "Don't make me cry, please. Honest to God. Oh, I love you so much. I really do."

"You don't know how long … I pray every night with this thing, I really do," Frank told Dashauna. "This is a godsend, it really is."

To make the meeting even more extraordinary, Priest surprised Frank by wearing her Army National Guard reserve uniform to the teary-eyed meeting. She is serving in the military as Frank once did.

"You can't imagine the feeling I had when she stood next to me. It just took my breath away, it really did," Grasberger told CBS News.

Delores joked about her 95-year-old husband, who survived three heart attacks, "I thought, 'Where's his heart pills?' Because I thought, 'This is it! This is the big one!'"

"There's love there, deep down in the heart. She's like my third daughter, she really is," Frank said of Dashauna.

"It started with a lot of love and affection," Delores added. "And it's ending the same way."

"And now I met the girl that signed me the letter … and that is a real miracle," Frank said. "That really is."

A thank-you to a veteran www.youtube.com


7-year-old boy went back into raging house fire to rescue baby sister: 'I didn't want my sister to die'



A family lost their home during the holiday season, but thanks to brave 7-year-old Eli, they didn't lose something even more precious — the family's youngest member.

Dec. 8 was like any other night. Chris and Nicole Davidson fed their three children dinner and tucked them into bed by 8:30 p.m. However, the Davidsons were awakened in the middle of the night to the smell of smoke in their home in New Tazewell, Tennessee.

"And about 11:30 someone woke me up and I know it was God," Nicole told WLTV-TV.

Nicole said Chris, who is a former fireman, "grabbed the fire extinguisher trying to buy me time to get the kids, and I grabbed the boys because they were closest to the fire."

They ran outside, but their 22-month-old daughter was still inside the burning home.

Nicole Davidson said the living room was engulfed by the inferno and prevented her from accessing the bedroom where her 22-month-old daughter was sleeping.

"The scariest moment of my life was when I couldn't get her," Nicole said.

"The smoke and fire was so thick there was no way I could get to her," Chris told CNN. "We went outside to get to her from the window, but there was nothing for me to stand on to reach up there."

Young Eli reminisced about saving his sister in the dire situation, "Dad busted the window and then I said, 'I can't do it,' like two times, and then I said, 'I got her dad'. And when we went down there I said, 'I was scared but I didn't want my sister to die."

Chris said he "picked up Eli, who went through the window and was able to grab her from her crib."

"We couldn't be more proud of Eli," Chris Davidson said. "He did something a grown man wouldn't do."

While the baby was rescued, the Davidsons' home couldn't be saved from the devastating fire. There were 20 firefighters on the scene battling the blaze, but New Tazewell Fire Chief Josh Miracle said, "nothing was left."

The Davidsons have fostered 34 children, including Eli, and adopted two others. But now they don't have a roof over their heads.

"We lost everything that we have ever had," Chris Davidson said. "Our entire lives were in that home. Our three cars were also damaged in the fire."

"It's devastating. We have nothing," he said. "You have never been as humble as you are when you don't even have your own underwear to wear."

A GoFundMe was launched to help the family financially and has raised over $270,000.

Nicole thanked those who gave donations to the family, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I could never repay anyone for their kindness that they've shown my family. Please know that it will always be with me, it's not something you forget about. I am beyond grateful."

Nicole told an anecdote about Eli's newfound fame, "I read several of the comments to him, and his reply to me this morning was 'Mom I'm gonna be famous.' I still don't think at his age he grasps what he has done and how phenomenal that is."

Homeless man's bold 'hungry' sign results in hundreds of job offers

A homeless man from California with an indomitable work ethic has received hundreds of job offers after a picture of his unique "hungry" sign went viral on Twitter.

David Casarez, 26, is a software developer with three years of job experience and a college degree. But when he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area last September with a dream founding a startup company, he found himself down on his luck, Casarez told KNTV. He couldn't find a job, soon ran out of money, and eventually became homeless.

But he refused to resort to begging. Instead, he put on his best clothes and made a sign that read, "Homeless Hungry 4 Success Take a Resume."

He was standing on the side of the road, handing out copies of his resume when he was spotted by Jasmine Scofield. She took a picture of him and his resume and posted it to social media, writing if "anyone in the Silicon Valley could help him out, that would be amazing." Her post went viral, with more than 216,000 likes and 134,000 retweets.

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"I knew it would be posted on social media, I didn’t know it would blow up like this," Casarez said. "I’m trying not to take any money, I really do just want a job opportunity, that’s all I’m asking."

According to KOAT, since the post went viral Casarez has received at least 200 job offers from tech companies including Google, Netfliz, LinkedIn, and more, proof that you should never give up on your dreams and work hard.

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