Good News: Pharma Teens to Porch Candles

Good News: Pharma Teens to Porch Candles

Author: Steve Rhode - Local Good News Podcast Host June 11, 2025 Duration: 8:53

Today’s episode takes you on a tour of North Carolina’s most surprising — and inspiring — feel-good stories.

We start in Johnston County, where high school students are skipping the minimum wage grind and jumping straight into $52,000-a-year jobs in pharmaceutical manufacturing thanks to a one-semester BioWork program funded by industry giants like Novo Nordisk and Grifols.

Then we head to the airport, where the TSA had to remind travelers that their Costco membership cards — as beloved as they may be — do not count as federal ID. (Yes, really.)

Next up, a lost-and-found tale from a Walmart in North Carolina, where a little boy named Grayson lost his beloved stuffed animal — named simply “Dog” — and a kind stranger named Ashley France not only reunited them, but gave Dog a scrapbook-worthy adventure story to take home.

And finally, we light a candle — literally — with Philip Freeman, a Raleigh Navy veteran and deep-sea diver who turned his wife’s mosquito problem into Murphy’s Naturals, a nationally distributed bug-repellent company that gives back to the planet, veterans, and local jobs.

From biotech dreams in Clayton to citronella candles in Wake County, this episode is a reminder that good news doesn’t just happen — good neighbors make it happen.

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Start your morning with Good Morning Wake County-Your Daily Dose of Good News. Each episode is a brief, focused look at the positive stories happening right here in our community, hosted by Steve Rhode. This isn't your typical news cycle; instead, it's a deliberate search for the encouraging and often overlooked moments that define Wake County. You'll hear about local entrepreneurs whose small ideas are making a big difference, volunteers whose quiet work strengthens our neighborhoods, and everyday people whose actions create genuine connection. Steve delivers these narratives in a concise, friendly format designed to fit into your morning routine, offering a genuine alternative to the day's louder headlines. Tuning into this podcast means beginning your day with a reminder of what's going right, highlighting the specific characters and efforts that collectively make this area unique. It’s a daily habit for anyone who believes that local news should inform and inspire, providing a reliable source of optimism directly from the places you know.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 97

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