A Barista's Classy Move: 5 Great Things This Week

Two people in two very different occupations have one thing in common: the capacity for making an above-and-beyond gesture:

• Starbucks Worker Goes Extra Mile for Deaf Patron: When Ibby Piracha, who is deaf, went to give his order via text at his usual Starbucks in Virginia, the employee passed him a note to say that she'd learned sign language specifically to help him out. Piracha was so moved, he posted about it online—and found that he wasn't alone in his sentiment.
• Firefighter Pays Big Utility Bill for Struggling Family: After responding to a medical call at a Detroit home, firefighter Ryan McCuen learned that Christy Stone has five kids, including two teens with muscular dystrophy, one of whom needs a ventilator. Problem: Electricity had been shut off over $1,023 in unpaid bills. Solution: McCuen's remarkable generosity.

• WWII Hero's Dog Tags Finally Coming Home: More than 70 years after Pfc. Thomas E. Davis was killed in World War II, his family is getting a tangible reminder of him: his dog tags. It's all because of a sharp-eyed cultural historian poking around in a field in Japan—and it's no stretch to say Davis died a hero.
• Lost Cat Returns Home After 1.4K Miles: It takes about 22 hours to reach Florida by car for a person traveling from Wisconsin. But if you're a cat, the 1,484-mile journey takes closer to two months. At least that's how long it took Nadia, a Russian blue. Of course, details about the journey are a mystery.
• Dog Hit by Trains (Plural) Still Alive: A 14-month-old puppy is recuperating at home—miraculously—after being hit by multiple trains in Idaho, his family says. A conductor finally noticed him injured on the tracks, and now donations are helping defray big medical bills.

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