You ever have that moment where your brain blanks and your body just moves? Today we've got two stories about exactly that kind of decision-making.

First: Eddie Hunnell, a 57-year-old software engineer from Holly Springs, was at his son's wedding rehearsal when Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina. When he saw 66-year-old Leslie Worth swept into the flooded North Fork New River, his Plan A with a canoe didn't work. So he jumped in himself. Now he's receiving the Carnegie Medal—North America's highest honor for civilian heroism.

Then: Sydney commuters are discovering that sharing their morning ferry rides with 40,000 migrating humpback whales is just part of life now. These school bus-sized creatures are turning one of the world's busiest harbors into the gentlest traffic jam you've ever seen. It's a conservation success story happening in real-time, complete with whales who seem genuinely curious about the humans they're meeting.

Both stories reveal something about what happens when the unexpected shows up and people—or whales—decide to engage instead of look away.

Plus: a dad joke that might actually make you groan out loud.

From Wake Forest, North Carolina, this is Good Morning Wake County—where we find stories that remind you what's possible when ordinary people decide to jump in.

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James Watson, 64, bought his first home in Southeast Raleigh for $850/month through a housing model most people have never heard of. Steve discovers how Community Land Trusts work, why a former real estate developer had no idea they existed, and the surprising origins that make it all possible.

Learn exactly how James saved 22% below market value and why this 50-year-old solution feels revolutionary in 2025.

Plus: a dad joke about getting tired.

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EPISODE DESCRIPTION:

This episode explores two remarkable examples of human problem-solving under impossible constraints. At the University of Alabama, Dr. Jalai Wang and the engineering team have developed a revolutionary process to transform potato skins and agricultural waste into sustainable construction materials, capturing carbon while reducing cement emissions. The $6 million National Science Foundation project involves collaboration with researchers from the University of Idaho and the University of New Mexico, combining fermentation technology with large-scale 3D printing to create metamaterials with properties not found in nature.

The second story examines the extraordinary endurance required for B-2 bomber missions lasting up to 44 hours. Captain Mike Haffner from the 13th Bomb Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri details the planning and physical demands pilots face during these extended flights. Lieutenant General Steve Basham, who flew B-2s for nine years before retiring as deputy commander of U.S. European Command, shares insights about nutrition and sleep management in cramped cockpit conditions. The episode reveals how crews adapt commercial solutions like Walmart cots and rely on flight surgeons' expertise to maintain peak performance over marathon missions.

Both stories demonstrate how professionals excel when working within seemingly impossible limitations - whether solving climate change with kitchen scraps or maintaining combat readiness during multi-day flights.

Join our community at https://tapyournews.com/podcast for show reminders and to suggest stories you think we should cover. The best reporting often starts with neighbors who know where to look.

A Florida surgeon performs the first FDA-approved transcontinental robotic surgery on a patient in Angola, Africa, an Indiana good Samaritan stops a drunk driver with a potentially fatal BAC of .40, and UK researchers develop tiny robots that could revolutionize water infrastructure maintenance. Steve explores three stories about intervention, medical, personal, and technological, that show how the most important work often happens where we can't see it.

Join our community at https://tapyournews.com/podcast for show reminders and to suggest stories you think we should cover. The best reporting often starts with neighbors who know where to look.

Three overlooked stories worth knowing: A Cary nuclear engineer's true impact had nothing to do with his PhD or judicial career, Australian engineers copied 400-million-year-old shark skin to save airlines billions in fuel costs, and why your plumber has more job security than corporate executives in the AI age. Featuring Jeff Jeffries' mentorship approach that touched "numerous men," MicroTau's biomimicry breakthrough saving 4% fuel per flight, and Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison's honest assessment of which jobs AI can't replace. Real stories from Wake Forest, North Carolina about what actually lasts versus what we think matters.

Join our community at https://tapyournews.com/podcast for show reminders and to suggest stories you think we should cover. The best reporting often starts with neighbors who know where to look.

Today we share incredible stories of second chances and service from right here in Wake County and beyond. From John Walter's miraculous recovery after defying 1% survival odds following a tragic accident near Wakefield High School, to twenty new firefighters who chose to run toward sirens through Wake Tech's Career in a Year program.

Plus, meet the Taylor family in Oklahoma who are teaching their kids that service isn't just an act, it's a way of seeing the world. These are the stories that remind us good news is happening all around us - sometimes it's as simple as showing up with your whole heart.

Join our listener community at https://tapyournews.com/podcast where you can get show reminder emails and send in suggestions and stories you think we should tell. Because the best good news often comes from neighbors who know where to look for it.

We begin with the extraordinary legacy of Lunsford Lane, a man born into slavery in Raleigh, North Carolina, who returned not for vengeance but for love. His story lit a fire in two children, Anna Julia Cooper and Charles N. Hunter, who would go on to shape American education and history.

Then we travel to Philadelphia, where doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine used groundbreaking gene-editing technology to save baby KJ from a deadly condition called CPS1 deficiency.

Next, we follow hikers Krissy Tower and Gavin MacNeil through Prince Edward Island’s Island Walk, where a rainy night turned into a heartwarming stay with local hero Ellen Locke in Fortune Cove. Her porch — and her kindness — made all the difference.

In Garner, North Carolina, we meet Pamela Noel, who thought she won $2,000 on a scratch-off… until the North Carolina Education Lottery told her it was actually $1 million. She chose a Hyundai Genesis — and a debt-free future.

Finally, we visit Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where 8-year-old entrepreneur Aubrey Brosch runs Aubrey’s Farm Adventures, selling eggs and handmade goods, all while charming the local Chamber of Commerce and going viral online.

These are feel-good stories of resilience, kindness, hope, and hard work — stories to make your coffee warmer and your morning better.

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In this episode of Good Morning Wake County, host Steve shares four powerful stories of people who saw something broken and stepped up to fix it.

From the rugged backcountry of Colorado where the Good Samaritan Remediation Act offers hope for toxic mine cleanup, to a Denver contractor whose stolen tools sparked a wave of community kindness.

You’ll hear how a WWII dog tag lost in a 1945 plane crash on the Isle of Man made its way back to a family in Philadelphia, and how one new dad in Raleigh, North Carolina, started the Raleigh Stroller Society to help fathers find connection and support.

These aren’t stories about headlines — they’re about heart. About the folks who repair not just tools and landscapes, but faith, memory, and community.

Join the community, visit https://tapyournews.com/good-morning-wake-county-podcast/