As a local news organization, Patch covers stories of all kinds, from heartbreaking tragedies to nitty-gritty breakdowns of government and school district issues. But some stories are simply inspiring, often showing that at the heart of our communities is a desire to do good. Here are some of the touching headlines from the past seven days.
Heroes Welcomed Home
This week two local war veterans received heroes' welcomes after returning home from deployment.
On Friday, Private First Class Kenny Lockard returned to Southampton to be greeted by members of the Southampton Fire Department, in which Lockard was a junior firefighter, and members of Southampton Volunteer Ambulance, in which he is an EMT.
Lockard had served in Afghanistan since February 2012.
Earlier in the week, Army National Guard Sgt. Charles Glass was met by his wife and family, as well as firefighters and emergency medical services volunteers from across Suffolk County, for his homecoming from Afghanistan.
Glass, a 30-year-old combat medic, is a member of the Sag Harbor Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Fellow EMTs and Sag Harbor Fire Department members traveled to Islip's MacArthur airport to meet Glass and to escort him home to a crowd that had assembled, at 1 a.m., to celebrate his return.
Treasure Island Visited by Playwrites
Actors performing their rendition of Treasure Island at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson this week were surprised to find the he creators of the show: Sherman Yellen, who wrote the book for the play (and blogged about the Theatre Three performance on Huffington Post), Gary William Friedman, who composed the music and Will Holt, who wrote the lyrics, in the audience.
"This was a moment of theatre history for our company," said Executive Artistic Director Jeffrey Sanzel, who also directed the play. "To have these three legendary Broadway figures attend not just a performance of their work, but a world premiere, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Comsewogue Grad Scores Scholarship
Ashley George, 2012's Salutatorian at Comsewogue High School in Port Jefferson Station, has won a $25,000 scholarship for developing a new type of biosensor for the medical field.
George was one of only eight students across the country to win the scholarship.
