Fire department backs efforts to name park after fallen firefighter
The Huntersville Fire Department is backing an effort to name a new park after a fallen firefighter.
Jeff Hager died in 2021 after contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.
Nonprofit aims to get therapy dogs to departments hurt by Hurricane Helene
The town of Huntersville is now asking residents for feedback on what to name a new park next to Fire Station 4.
HFD is encouraging residents to tell the town to name the park the Firefighter Jeff Hager Memorial Park.
It will be located next to the station on McIlwaine Road and include a splash pad, pickleball courts, a playground, and trails.
VIDEO: Huntersville Fire ends contract with MEDIC
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Soap Lake Class of 2025 faced trials, came out stronger
Jun. 12—SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake Class of 2025 has not had an easy time getting where it is, said principal William Britt. "This journey, your journey, has been one to remember, from the late nights spent on homework to the anxiety of exams to moments when everything felt overwhelming," Britt said. "You have made it all with grit, humor and heart. Statistically, many of you weren't expected to be here, and yet here you are walking proudly, head held high, chest out, proving to the world that I am someone. I am great. I will not be another statistic." The 27 seniors who graduated May 31 persevered through the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, Britt said, as well as facing personal challenges and setbacks. But the students who struggle become creative thinkers and world-changers, he said. "I can say that with conviction because I lived it," Britt said. "I know what it's like to hustle to meet ends meet ... I know what it's like to run out of food stamps and to rely on a friend's home for a warm meal, a clean shower and a pillow to sleep at night. We moved often when rent became too high, which meant starting over at new schools over and over again. When I look at you, I just don't see students. I see myself." Of the students in the class of 2025, seven had gone their entire school career through Soap Lake schools, said school counselor Jeremiah Baergen, and several were multi-generational Eagles whose parents and grandparents had also graduated from Soap Lake. One of those was ASB President Addison Frazier. Frazier read some dreams her classmates had written about in the fifth grade: dreams of becoming a dancer or a professional athlete or a zookeeper. Those dreams may not have stayed the same, Frazier said, but other dreams are out there for the taking. "Life isn't something that happens to us," Frazier said. "It's something we build every day with our choices, energy and passion. Remember to take it all in, whether it's joining on your friend group, helping someone in need, or chasing a dream or simply laughing a little louder. As soon as we step into this new start in life, don't wait for the perfect moment to jump in. This is it right now; this is our perfect moment." Valedictorian Sophia Opalko was not a lifelong Soap Lake student, having moved to town seven years ago, she said. "This diploma is not just paper," she said. "It is proof you're capable, you're worthy and you're just getting started. Be proud of what you've accomplished, and even more proud of what you'll become. This is not the end. This is just the beginning of your story." "The average life expectancy is about 75 years," Britt said. "You spent 18 years of those growing up with us today, going out there and meeting your mark ... Congratulations, Class of 2025. You've got this."
Newsweek
18 hours ago
- Newsweek
Passenger Gets 'VIP Seat' on Southwest Flight, Not Prepared for Flight Attendant's Request
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Southwest Airlines passenger boarding in Group B was surprised to find himself offered a prime emergency exit row seat—until flight attendants revealed the real reason. Standing on the jet bridge, the man—who described himself as 6 feet, 6 inches (1.98 meters) in height, 250 pounds (113 kilograms) in weight and a retired combat veteran—noticed two flight attendants peer down the boarding line, lock eyes with him, exchange words and reenter the plane. 'VIP seat' Moments later, after scanning his boarding pass, the original poster (OP) was met by a smiling crew member at the aircraft door who whispered, "We've saved you the VIP seat in the emergency exit row." Typically coveted for its extra legroom, the emergency row seat was already being guarded by another flight attendant who blocked other passengers from sitting there. Stock image: Southwest Airlines aircraft landing. Stock image: Southwest Airlines aircraft landing. Photo by Seibel Photography LLC / Getty Images As the man sat down, the attendant apparently leaned in and explained, "You're gonna be my ABA for this flight." Still puzzled, the OP was informed that ABA stands for "Able-Bodied Assistant"—a person flight attendants can quietly assign on flights to help in the event of an emergency, or if an onboard situation arises. The man then learned there was more to the story. "They had a very drunk, very large man two rows ahead of me with his equally drunk wife," the OP told Redditors. "Evidently, they had been on the flight when it landed and given them trouble. Not enough to get kicked off, but enough to make them nervous." Flight attendants typically enlist ABAs seated in exit rows to assist in evacuations if needed, but the designation is also informally used by some crews as a strategy to place calm, physically capable passengers near potential disruptions. "The flight was uneventful," the man added. In a follow-up message to Newsweek, the OP said he flies quite often. "Since COVID, I've noticed people getting meaner towards flight attendants," he wrote. "It's almost as if consequences don't matter. There are certain airlines I won't fly because it's almost like I'm flying 'Con-Air' (Spirit, Frontier)." He added that he was a retired combat veteran of six tours and was "happy to help" the attendants. 'The drunks aren't going' According to Newsweek reports, flight attendants have been praised for their caring work with customers, although sometimes the interactions can be tense. Back on the Reddit story and commentators were generally appreciative, with one person in particular responding, "As the parent of a 6'4 child, this makes me very happy!" A fellow user shared that their 70-year-old father is also 6 feet, 6 inches in height. "He's had this happen many times where he boards and the flight attendant says, 'Here's your seat, sir!'" A contributor quipped: "Well, this explains why a large muscular person always gets seated two rows behind me." However, a critic felt the flight attendants should have done more: "30 year stewardess here. If someone is so drunk on my flight that I think I may need an ABA, the drunks aren't going. "The law is they cannot 'appear to be intoxicated.' Glad things worked out well." Newsweek's "What Should I Do?" offers expert advice to readers. If you have a personal dilemma, let us know via life@ We can ask experts for advice on relationships, family, friends, money and work, and your story could be featured on WSID at Newsweek. To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, click here.
San Francisco Chronicle
19 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
A look at previous plane crashes in India
NEW DELHI (AP) — India has had several major plane crashes in recent decades. An Air India flight with more than 240 people on board crashed in the city of Ahmedabad on Thursday. Here are some previous aircraft accidents in India: Aug. 7, 2020 An Air India Express flight to bring back Indians stranded abroad by the COVID-19 pandemic skidded off a runway in heavy rain and cracked in two in southern India. Eighteen people including the two pilots were killed and more than 120 were injured. The Boeing 737-800 was flying from Dubai to Kozhikode in Kerala state. May 22, 2010 An Air India flight arriving from Dubai overshot the runway in the city of Mangalore and plunged over a cliff, killing 158 people out of the 166 on board. The wreckage of the Boeing 737-800 was strewn across a hillside. July 17, 2000 An Alliance Air Boeing 737-200 crashed into a residential area about 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) from its destination and burst into flames in Patna, killing more than 50 people on board and five on the ground. Nov. 12, 1996 A Saudi Arabian airlines Boeing 747 taking off from the airport in Delhi collided in midair with an arriving Kazakhstan Airline flight, killing all 349 people on both planes. It was one of the deadliest crashes in aviation history. April 26, 1993 An Indian Airlines 737-200 hit a truck beyond the runway while taking off and crashed soon after in the city of Aurangabad, killing 55 of the 118 people on board.
