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CBS News
17 minutes ago
- Business
- CBS News
Oakland County restaurant helps out neighboring business after fire
Little is left of the Fork N' Pint on Cass Lake in Waterford Township, Michigan, after a massive fire on May 1 that instantly left around 30 members of the restaurant's staff unemployed. "We were in the parking lot at 7 a.m. watching our dreams burn," William Schwab, operating manager at Fork N' Pint, said. Schwab and one of the co-owners of the restaurant, Doug Young, say that once the dust settled and their emotional state calmed after a few weeks, their main goal was to help out all of the hourly workers who were out of jobs. On Sunday, Billy's Tip 'n Inn in White Lake, a restaurant with no relationship to Fork N' Pint, pitched in with a fundraiser for those employees. "It's awesome for the Fork N' Pint hourly employees," Tim White, the owner of Billy's Tip 'n Inn, said. "Our heart just went out to them when we heard about what happened, and my family's got history in that building, and we just wanted to help out in any way we could, and this was the best way we could do it." "We're stopping evictions with this event. There's people losing their homes because of this fire," Schwab said. "So events like this [are] to get them some money, to make them feel good that the community did care. What they did in supporting them, and they're trying to help. Emotionally, it's very supportive," Young said. Hundreds of people came to Billy's Sunday where all of the cover charges and 25 percent of the food and beverage sales will now be going directly to the Fork n'Pint hourly staff. "The meat and the potatoes of this business is the staff, is the server that comes to your table, is the chef that cooks you your food. Even the kid that comes and grabs your plate when it's dirty, that's the heart of the business," Schwab said. There will be another fundraiser for Fork N' Pint employees on June 18 at Santia Hall in Keego Harbor.
CBS News
17 minutes ago
- General
- CBS News
Maryland community rallies to support family of fallen Baltimore firefighter
The mother of a fallen Baltimore firefighter said her son "loved helping everybody." In return, the community gave back to the family of Lt. Mark Dranbauer, who died on May 16 after suffering a medical emergency days earlier while battling a fire. A fundraiser, hosted at Jimmy's Famous Seafood on Sunday, was expected to raise $15,000 to $20,000 for Dranbauer's family. He left behind a 5-year-old son who recently graduated from kindergarten, with firefighters attending the ceremony. "A proper sendoff for him so they can be smiling, and remember in a positive fashion, not just today, but moving forward," said John Minadakis, co-owner of Jimmy's Famous Seafood. Several firefighters, as well as the Punishers LEMC Maryland motorcycle group, with whom Dranbauer rode, shared stories and memories. Tickets to the event included unlimited drinks and a buffet crafted by the chefs at Jimmy's Famous Seafood. There was also a DJ, speeches, games, auctions, celebrity appearances, and more. "It just goes to show how many people cared about Mark and the impact he had," said Robin Dranbauer, Lt. Mark Dranbauer's mother. Saving lives all the way through On May 12, Lt. Dranbauer, 44, was approximately 30 to 40 feet off the ground when he fell backward down a ladder. He remained on the aerial ladder, where he was helped off and taken to a hospital. He was pronounced dead four days later, and with his organ donations, he is expected to save 70 lives, according to medical officials. Lt. Dranbauer served with the Baltimore City Fire Department for 23 years. "He just loved helping everybody," Robin Dranbauer said. Born to be a firefighter Robin Dranbauer told WJZ that Lt. Dranbauer was raised in a firefighting family. His mother and father volunteered for local fire departments. At first, Lt. Dranbauer's family didn't know he was interested in following in his parents' footsteps. "We used to take Mark to the firehouse with us all the time," Robin Dranbauer said. Lt. Dranbauer volunteered as soon as he was allowed, and his parents were along for that first ride. Robin Dranbauer said her son quickly became a leader. "He mentored me on many because I would call him and say, 'I'm not sure I treated this patient right,' and we would talk about it all the time," Robin Dranbauer said. Keeping Lt. Dranbauer's memory alive Lt. Dranbauer's family says they will continue living for their fallen hero, including his mother, who still volunteers with her local firehouse. Her first call reminded her of her son, who worked for Engine Co. 5. "I went down Tuesday to the volunteer firehouse, and my first call was an engine call, so I was like, 'Mark, you're here'…I ride the medic most of all, so I'm going to keep going with that," Robin Dranbauer said.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
'It's such a blessing': Johnstown Navy veteran selected to receive free new home through community initiative
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A veteran has been selected to receive a brand-new free house through a collaborative project of the Polacek Veteran Home Initiative, Vision Together 2025 and Hosanna Industries. Darren Hill, who served in the Navy from 1987 to 1994, was picked after a panel of representatives from local veterans' organizations privately interviewed five finalists Saturday. He currently lives in the Elks Flood City Lodge 371 building in Johnstown. 'It's such a blessing for me and my daughter to be able to move into a place that comfortable in the stage of her life right now,' Hill said, "because she's getting ready to start high school and she can just focus on school instead of where I stay at now, because I stay on top of a lodge where they play the music downstairs and all that, so it's kind of noisy." The application process was open to honorably discharged veterans from Cambria and Somerset counties with dependents, who met other criteria regarding military service, community involvement and personal finances. Hill volunteers with the Elks Lodge and St. James Missionary Baptist Church. 'All those countless hours of helping people and doing good work is paying off for me,' Hill said. 'I'm happy. I'm so happy.' The home, which will be constructed on Somerset Street in Johnstown, will be gifted by the Polacek Veteran Home Initiative, led by JWF Industries CEO and Chairman Bill Polacek. 'Bill has a very respectful understanding of veterans and service members because a good portion of his business is involved in that,' said retired Army Col. Jeff Pounding, who helped organize the application and selection process. 'And he has a very good sense of honor.' The entire process is expected to move quickly. Vision is currently going through the legal steps of acquiring the property and getting it prepared for construction. Allegheny County-based Hosanna Industries is expected to do a "blitz build" from July 14-17. A foundation will be put into place before that time. Then, over four days, volunteers plan to construct an entirely new home that will be ready to move into – with flowers on the table and towels in the bathroom – on July 17. 'I'll literally be in a new home by the end of the month of July,' Hill said. 'I can't ask for nothing better than that, I'll tell you. God is so good.' It will be a 1,000-square-foot, three-bedroom ranch house. 'We've done this several hundred times, but it's always a leap of faith,' said Johnstown-area native Rev. Donn Ed, founder of Hosanna Industries. 'We always hope and pray that it's all going to work well, and it always has. "I don't want to minimize the effort. It's a monumental effort on the part of hundreds of people to make all those pieces fit together properly in the right sequence at the right time. This blitz-building procedure that Hosanna has kind of invented, it's extremely time-critical. 'From day one until the very end, every moment is accounted for. There can't be any slop in the gears because there's not enough allowance of time to permit it. Everything's got to be right on.' About 150 volunteers are needed. Even people without construction skills can help in other ways, such as cooking or donating landscaping materials. Anybody interested in participating can contact Hosanna Industries at 724- 770-0262. 'People who know nothing about home construction are welcome to volunteer, because their energies will be properly channeled into productive results by the Hosanna team,' Ed said. 'Skilled volunteers are also needed: block layers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, drywall mechanics. All of these are very much needed and invited to join in this unique community building venture.' This is the first home in Vision's plan to construct 21 new houses throughout Johnstown, using revolving funds provided by community organizations through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development's Neighborhood Partnership Program tax credit initiative. The other houses will be sold to people, unlike the first home that is free to the selected veteran. 'The ones going forward are for anybody,' Vision Together 2025 Executive Director Robert Forcey said. 'In fact, that's kind of a misconstrued assumption that a lot of people have been making that these are only for low-income families. "We made them affordable enough for somebody that they should be able to afford it on low- to middle-income. But for these houses, we've had applicants all the way from a first-year graduate from UPJ (the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown) all the way to a couple that's been renting for 30 years and they want to move into their first house for the first time.' Forcey said one of the goals of the first free house is to 'show everybody that it's a viable project and it's going to move forward.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Decatur police run ‘Pack the Cruiser' food drive
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — Packing a police cruiser is normally a bad thing — but the Decatur Police Department flipped that on its head to help get food donations for those in need. Officers pulled an S.U.V. in front by a grocery store on airport plaza drive. For four hours they collected non-perishable items like peanut butter — pop-tarts — and more. They had some help from northeast community fund collecting the food — which will go to food banks in the Decatur area. Cancer survivors get together to celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day 'Everybody's been really, really generous, giving out, you know, canned goods and box foods and all the non-perishables,' Patrol Officer Tucker Tool said. 'So we're very, very excited and very pleased with the turnout. Look at the weather out here today, you know, and get to go out and, you know, talk to the community and interact with them and just, you know, have an overall great experience and for a good cause.' They also took monetary donations as well to get specific products that weren't donated on Saturday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Monroe officer hurt in shooting released from the hospital
MONROE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The officer shot multiple times following a police chase in Monroe early Saturday morning has been released from the hospital. Around 1:45 a.m., a Monroe officer was driving on Old Charlotte Highway when they noticed a suspicious vehicle near Rocky River Road. Officials said the driver took off, and the officer started a pursuit. Less than five minutes later, officers successfully used stop sticks, ending the chase on Goldmine Road near River Chase Drive. Police say the suspect, 18-year-old Joshua Hayden Sikes, opened fire and struck a female officer multiple times. The identity of the officer has not been released. She was taken to a local hospital, and was released the next day. After being released, she was escorted home by first responders in the area. 'The support we have received from the community has been overwhelming. We are so appreciative for this outpouring of love! Please continue to pray for the injured officer and those involved as we move forward in the following days,' officials said. Anyone who wishes to send cards or give anything for the officer is asked to contact Lt. Morgan Malone with the department so it can be delivered to the officer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
