A boss says thank you, and more

A boss says thank you

A retiring Michigan car dealer has crowned his career by giving each of his 89 employees $1,000 for every year they worked for him. Howard Cooper, of Ann Arbor, Mich., sold his dealership earlier this year, and last week shared his payout. One longtime bookkeeper received a $46,000 check, while a mechanic who started in July received $83. Cooper also stipulated in the sale that the dealership’s new owner must retain his staff. “I wanted to thank my employees,” said Cooper, “and that was a way I could do it.”

From orphan to fashion model

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Two months ago, Fior Mendez was living in an orphanage in the Dominican Republic, nursing the unlikely dream that one day she’d be a fashion model. Last week that dream came true, as the willowy 22-year-old sashayed down the runway at Lincoln Center during New York Fashion Week. Orphanage director Sonia Hane arranged for Mendez to go to New York, where she met—and quickly impressed—a casting agent. Mendez hopes her story inspires her fellow orphans. “I want to show them that if you are dedicated, you can do something,” she said, “and that even if you’re sad, you always have hope.”

“Hummer Hero” saves children from speeding car

Darrell Krushelnicki was driving his Hummer in Edmonton, Alberta, last week when he saw a group of children in a crosswalk. As he slowed to let them pass, he spotted a sports car flying toward the kids, its driver distracted by his cellphone. Without thinking twice, the 46-year-old steered his SUV into the path of the speeding car so it would get hit instead of the children. Neither driver was injured in the crash, and Krushelnicki has been nicknamed the “Hummer Hero” by grateful locals. “I’m just glad the kids are okay,” he said. “The only thing that needs repairs is some twisted metal.”