ACROSS AMERICA — Selena Schuster and Tim “Timmy” Matykiewicz have been best buddies since they were toddlers. They went through school together, played on the same baseball team and now they’re sharing top billing on the Carl Sandburg High School homecoming court in Orland Park, Illinois.

Their journey there reflects the best in their peers, who looked beyond the long enduring mid-century stereotypes about homecoming royalty to elect a pair who possessed none of them.

The coronation of Selena and Timmy, seniors who went through special education classes together, as homecoming queen and king was a culmination of a campaign by their mothers.

“It says a lot for how they are viewed by the other Sandburg students, outside of the special education program,” Jen Schuster, Selena’s mother, told Patch. » By Lauren Traut for Orland Park (Illinois) Patch

Any musician worth a riff knows consistent gigs can be a tough get. The five-member State Street Combo, a rhythm and blues band that started 25 years ago in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is an exception. Mary Fagan, who leads on vocals and guitar, has toured nationwide, but loves the laid-back feel of monthly performances at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana in Concord, telling Patch, “It’s fun. It’s nice, we’re local, we come down and hang out, play some tunes, and have some dinner. It’s a really relaxed setting.” » By Tony Schinella for Concord (New Hampshire) Patch

Hunger and food insecurity heightened by COVID-19 pandemic persist in pockets of New York’s Upper East Side. Unlike other areas of the city, the Upper East Side had never received a community fridge — the open-to-anyone refrigerators stocked by neighbors to help each other out. This one is backed by the food justice group Grassroots Grocery and Gotham Food Panty, both of which aim to fight food insecurity at the neighborhood level. “I hope that this event and the community space it’s initiating serve as a catalyst to activate our community in the fight for food justice for our fellow neighbors,” Daniel Zauderer, Grassroots Grocery CEO said. » By Nick Garber for Upper East Side (New York) Patch

When she was a little girl, Molly Boeckman put a portrait in her mind of her dream wedding. In her white gown, she was posing on a bench at her grandparents’ property in Cutchogue, New York. It didn’t quite happen that way when she married the love of her life last summer, because her grandparents’ home had sold after they died just 30 days apart in 2011. But Boeckman worked up the nerve to track down the new owner and asked if it’d be OK if she dropped in for a photo shoot the morning of the wedding. The new owner was happy to accommodate the bride-to-be, who told Patch she felt her grandmother’s approval as she posed on the bench. “She would be thrilled,” Boeckman said. “As long as we were happy, she was happy.” » By Lisa Finn for North Fork (New York) Patch

Scotty Landes had a dream he was sitting on the beach in Santa Monica when his friends asked him how he got there. They didn’t believe him when he said he’d walked the 16 miles to get there, but he was insistent. He shared his dream with his podcast co-host, Kurt Braunohler, and together, they dreamed up the inaugural Door 2 Shore charity event in which people across the country were encouraged to secure pledges and walk from some door to some shore and jump in fully clothed. Charities included those fighting human trafficking, supporting immigrant families, and working against animal cruelty. » By Emily Rahhal for Santa Monica (California) Patch

When Ed Jordy moved to Florida, he figured he was prepared for whatever the sea might lash him with after surviving Superstorm Sandy at his Mastic Beach, New York, home. Hurricane Ian’s fury was worse, though, and Jordy feared a storm for the first time — rightly so. He gathered a few keepsakes and his pets, finding when the storm passed that his mobile home had been obliterated. Now, his buddies back on Long Island are raising money on GoFundMe to make up for what they can’t do physically to help him get back on his feet. “He kind of lost everything,” one of them, Keith Redo, told Patch. “So, we are up here in New York, and we really can’t help him.” » By Peggy Spellman Hoey for Shirley-Mastic (New York) Patch

The coast of Sarasota, Florida, escaped major damage from Hurricane Ian, putting Richard Dear and others in a position to help fellow Floridians recover from catastrophic loss wrought by one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the state. Fort Myers and nearby Pine Island were among the hardest his areas, and Dear told a local television station that “to see such historical buildings and culture wiped away in a moment is absolutely heartbreaking.” » By Megan VerHelst for Sarasota (Florida) Patch

You’ve heard the old saw: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” In this case, the lemons are cancer, and Savannah Zeaman, an 11th grader from Warminster, Pennsylvania, is selling lemonade to make money for research. This is the ninth year for Savannah’s Lemonade Stand, which Zeaman started as a second-grader after her kindergarten teacher died of cancer. “I felt so horrible after her passing and never wanted anyone to have to feel the way I did,” she told Patch. » By Dino Ciliberti for Warminster (Pennsylvania) Patch

It’s probably not what you’re thinking. Adele Sanchez and her family are growing the “Great Pumpkin Patch” in the middle of a sidewalk in Hoboken, New Jersey, a densely populated city where gardening space is at a premium. The sidewalk pumpkin patch was a surprise, springing from the compost pile. The neighbors sort of love it. “It’s such a unique feature within the city,” said Delphine Arthur, an interior designer whose shop is near the pop-up gourds, told Patch. “It really gives a distinctive festive look and feel to the street. I’ve had several clients notice and ask us about it. I’m sure it will provide great fun for the children in the neighborhood.” » By Caren Lissner for Hoboken (New Jersey) Patch

Even Charles M. Schulz’s beloved “Peanuts” character would have exclaimed “good grief!” over this: Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota, grew a pumpkin the size of a rhinoceros and took home $23,040 in prize money from the 2022 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California. A pumpkin this size — at 2,560 pounds, a record for North America — deserves a name, if not its own ZIP code. Gienger calls his pumpkin Maverick. » By Anna Schier for Across Minnesota Patch

We leave you with this photo of a male orangutan at ZooTampa who snuggled into a basket of woven fire hoses to weather Hurricane Ian. Preparing for storms of that magnitude requires months of planning, with species-specific protocols for the 1,100 animals at the zoo and training of a ride-out team. Everyone at ZooTampa survived Hurricane Ian, including the devilishly handsome flanged orangutan with cheek pads you want to leap into the computer and squeeze. (Do not try this in real life; a male orangutan is around seven times stronger than you are.) » By D’Ann Lawrence White for Tampa (Florida) Patch

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