Theresa De Leon was tossing a baseball when she saw Christian Cooper for the second time in her life Wednesday night. Immediately, she walked to him, arms outstretched, and the two embraced. Probably few of the people at the Birmingham Barons game at Regions Field realized they were witnessing a miracle as the two stood on the field together.

The heart monitor beeped steadily. Students took turns pressing a stethoscope to the patient’s chest, the intensity in their faces reflected in the one-way mirror on the other side of the room. They pulled the covers up at the bottom of the hospital bed and checked the patient’s foot for a pulse.

On March 11, 2011 at 2:46 p.m., a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck northeast Japan. It released tsunami waves as high as 130 feet that swept across 217 square miles. This unexpected disaster carried tons of debris out to sea and cost the country billions of dollars in damages. More than 15,000 lives were lost.

It should have been a shoo-in. But when the buzzer signaling the end of the fourth quarter rang out, the No. 1 seed in the South Region, Union University, was behind the University of Tampa by 10 points, eliminating them in the opening game of the 2016 NCAA DII National Championships. Union’s women’s basketball ended their season 28-4 overall while the 8-seed Tampa advanced to the region semifinals with a 20-12 record.

For Tom Sheffer, the term “ice house” does not represent anything cool or wintery; it means sizzling steaks and the bold flavor of south Texas. Sheffer, owner of Avo and Dram, is opening a new “casual neighborhood hangout” called Ice House on Cahaba Road. The restaurant will serve Texas-style barbecue and a selection of tacos in addition to sandwiches and limited bar options, including snacks.

On Aug. 18, Rickwood Field, which the National Park Service identifies as the oldest baseball park in America, turns 106 years old. Built by wealthy industrialist Rick Woodward, Rickwood Field served as the home field for the Birmingham Barons from 1910 to the end of the 1987 season. The Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Southern League also used the stadium from 1920 until the team became integrated into the Barons in 1964.

When Mark Davis read the email telling him that he won the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Freedom Award, he was thousands of feet above the ground, on his way to a shipyard in Seattle to teach veterans how to inspect nuclear submarines and Navy ship carriers with ultrasound equipment. “Of course, I couldn’t jump up and down on the airplane,” he said.

Wearing a nametag that simply reads “Mrs. Patty,” she stands in the riding arena like the ringmaster of a circus. She always seems to be more in motion than anyone or anything else, even when she’s simply standing with her hands on her hips, critical but kind blue eyes roving over the scene she loves.

Dressed in their Sunday best, kids at First United Methodist Church in Lexington skipped around fire trucks Sunday morning and sat inside a bulletproof S.W.A.T. vehicle. For the 15th anniversary of 9/11, First United Methodist Church wanted to honor local first responders. The church invited first responders in Henderson County, including members of the police and fire departments, EMS and Henderson County Rescue Squad, to a free breakfast and time for the community to thank them for their service.

The basket of toilet paper, oven mitts and aluminum foil meant so much to Lolita Stephens. For the single mother, not only was it the accumulation of months of taking classes to equip her for financial stability and home ownership, working full-time and saving up for a down payment, it represented a bright future for Stephens and her children as well as a supportive community of friends.

Middle and high school science teachers from different districts met at Louis Pizitz Middle School to discuss changing science standards and how to more effectively engage students. Verbs are taking a central role in science class; textbooks are being thrown out, and teachers aren’t “teaching” as much as they are “facilitating” student learning.

After her son Bubba, a Jackson-Central Merry student and football player, died in a 2014 house fire at age 17, well-meaning people encouraged her to move on with her life. But she would hold her arm against the stove to see how hot she could stand it. She felt guilty for being at work instead of home, wondering if her son would still be alive had she left earlier.