Wholesome News Hour: Lifesaving teens, unlimited strawberries, and charity for Virginia schools

Good news is still news! Dogwood’s wholesome news hour is a quick refresh from the day’s hard news, celebrating some of the positive things happening throughout Virginia. Today, we’re highlighting three pieces of good news directly from the commonwealth.

Virginia teen saves 13 neighbors from an apartment fire

A 17-year-old boy is being called a hero after saving a dozen of his neighbors from an apartment fire. 

Matthew Wilson and his mother were in their Newport News apartment when they noticed a slight beeping sound outside.

Matthew quickly sprang into action when he realized the beeping was a distant fire alarm. 

The heroic teen went door to door to ensure he got his neighbors out of the complex. When one of Matthew’s neighbors didn’t answer the door, the teen even attempted to break down the door to save the resident.

Thanks to Matthew’s selfless efforts, everyone in the apartment building escaped safely.

The Wilson family’s apartment did sustain significant smoke and water damage from the incident, and they are incredibly proud of Matthew for his heroism and thankful that everyone made it out safely. 

Virginia company uses AI to skyrocket strawberry production with innovative tech

A Richmond-based company, Plenty Unlimited, has opened the first indoor strawberry farm.

Using an AI-based system, the company can grow strawberries at peak flavor year-round without causing undue stress on the environment.

These indoor farms allow Plenty to use 97% less land and 90% less water than traditional farms —they even have technology that pollinates the strawberry flowers without intervention from bees. 

Grown vertically, the indoor plants can produce approximately four million pounds of strawberries every year.

The first batch of these crops is expected to hit stores in 2025, so get ready for ripe, tasty strawberries in every season. 

A retired Virginia teacher donated 1 million dollars to her old school

After her death, retired teacher Lillian Orlich donated a hefty amount of money to her former school Osborn High School. 

The former history teacher was able to save one million dollars throughout her career and left that money to the students in Prince William County. 

Her donation supports many programs in the county, including college funds for rising seniors, STEM education programs, digital innovation, school improvements, and more.

During her 67 years as a teacher, Orlich was dedicated to her school and students. She was known for her punctuality, the weekly meals she cooked for her staff, and her hard work at her school’s summer school program.

Lillian Orlich sadly passed away at the age of 95 earlier this year. In her honor, Osborn High School held a memorial service for her at the school and named the auditorium after her to preserve her memory.