Lake County man hailed as a hero for risking his life to save another

Carl Painter was recently honored for saving the life of a woman in her burning apartment in Round Lake Beach."I try to live every day to the fullest," Painter said. "Give a hug and a kiss to your family every time you leave the house because you never know what the day will bring." The story.

How to spot a real hero

Within days of each other, Barry Bonds and Jeremy Hernandez each did something remarkable.

Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s home-run record.

Hernandez pulled 50 screaming kids from a bus perched on a collapsed Minnesota bridge.

Which one is a hero? The full story.

Life, not death made Wilson a hero

Wilson and Detective Sgt. John Smith were killed Friday at the Best Budget Inn as they attempted to question a member of the domestic extremist group the Aryan Circle. Dennis Clem, who allegedly shot both Smith and Wilson, died in a second barrage of gunfire after the officers were killed.

Bastrop police shootings uniting community BASTROP — Bastrop Police Chief Alan Freeman and his family found a bag of sausage biscuits on their doorstep this morning with a simple note signed, “thinking of you.” As details surrounding the shooting deaths of two Bastrop police detectives are being pieced together by officials, the community has joined together to mourn the loss of the two men and to stand behind the Bastrop Police Department.

Hockey hero helping local kids

Eric Nick, 10, right, and Nathan Phillips, 14, left, are among a group of local children who have benefited from Arron’s Chance 2 Play Hockey Fund, established by NHL player Arron Asham.


Asham, who grew up in Portage la Prairie, had an opportunity to meet with the boys last night on the heels of a golf tournament that will take place on Friday to raise money for the fund. Read Story. By Leah Kellar, The Daily Graphic
Staff photo by Leah Kellar

Spear much more than just a coach

Rob Keesler was an 11th-grade student in John Spear's social studies class at Monticello back in 1996, as well as Spear's right fielder on the baseball team.

"He made class fun," Keesler said. "He put his heart and soul into teaching and baseball, and was a big influence on me on wanting to be a teacher."

Spear, Monticello's baseball coach since 1984 and a long-time teacher, died in a car accident late Friday night in Rock Hill. He was 54.

Keesler was Spear's jayvee coach and in his sixth year teaching eighth-grade social studies in the district.

"I've lost a mentor and a friend," Keesler said.

Spear taught each of Monticello athletic director Ken Garry's children.

"And they all liked him," Garry said. "They all thought he was an outstanding teacher. He was a conscientious coach who loved baseball, was a good family man and genuinely a nice guy, really a fine person."

Baseball is "more of a hobby" for most Monticello kids, Keesler says. Good players came through the program, just not nine of them in the same year. Overall numbers were down some years, and it's tough talking a kid into playing when bad weather keeps him inside until the first game.

"But he never had a year where he gave up," Keesler said. "He lived and breathed baseball, and he was always trying to learn more and always teaching the kids something."

Spear's players loved playing for him, and respected his way of doing things. Senior Mike Hughes, who pitches and plays the outfield, said Spear tried to get every kid into every game — which is almost unheard of at the varsity level.

"When our season went downhill last year and the year before, he made sure the seniors got some playing time," Hughes said. "Most coaches would put the younger guys in, but we were fine with that."

Spear is survived by his wife, Elaine, son, David, and daughter, Gina. David Spear is a Monticello junior and would have played this spring on the varsity for the first time. The family declined comment yesterday, and funeral arrangements were not immediately available. By Kevin Witt, Times Herald-Record January 20, 2007

School's kids remember John Spear

Monticello — They wrote in colored ink, in purples and greens and bright blues. They wrote to John Spear words he'll never read:

"¦ the kindest person I've ever known "¦
"¦ incredible teacher "¦
"¦ contagious smile "¦
Students, former and current, came to the library at Monticello High School yesterday to talk and grieve and write kind words about Spear, for 20 years a teacher and baseball coach and linchpin of this school's life.
... it was a pleasure to play on your last team ...By Ramsey Al-Rikabi; Times Herald-Record January 22, 2007

Pit bull dies saving 2 women from cobra

Pit bull dies saving 2 women from cobra

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: The crowd at Divisoria Plaza here was celebrating a hero but this was no warrior, no peace worker or anticorruption advocate.

“Chief” died on February 12, saving two women from a cobra attack. He was a pit bull terrier.
Chief saved 87-year-old Liberata la Victoria and her granddaughter Maria Victoria Fronteras, the wife of his master, from a cobra that snaked through an opening in the family’s kitchen shortly after 2 p.m.

The snake struck twice at the women. Twice, the dog dashed from a corner and shielded them.
Marlone Fronteras, the terrier’s owner, said Chief seized the venomous snake in the neck with its teeth and repeatedly slammed it on the floor until it died.

But the cobra managed to bite the dog’s jaw. Chief died a few minutes following their battle, after giving its master a farewell gaze.

The Fronterases and members of the pit bull owners’ group gave the dog a “hero’s burial” the same day it died.

“We just waited for the children to arrive from school because they loved Chief so much,” said Fronteras, adding that his children even called the dog “kuya” (older brother).

Fatal wound

Maria Victoria shed tears as she narrated the dog’s heroism.
“The snake was in front of us, maneuvering a deadly attack,” said Mrs. Fronteras. “I screamed out loud to ask for help.”

Hearing this, the four-year-old pit bull terrier dashed from its sleeping area to fight off the deadly snake, she said.

Maria Fronteras said she saw the cobra expand its neck as soon as she turned the lights on.
She said the cobra looked like it was spitting as it inched closer, about a meter away, toward her.
From out of nowhere, she said Chief jumped on the cobra, bit it in the neck, and then shook and slammed it till it died.

Moments later, the dog slouched flat and fainted, spreading its arms and feet on the floor.
“Chief looked tired,” said Maria Victoria Fronteras.

The dog lost control of its organs some 30 minutes; it started to urinate and defecate uncontrollably inside the house as it gasped for air and panted heavily.
A veterinarian told the Fronterases nothing could have saved Chief. The snakebite was near the dog’s brain and the venom spread rapidly.

Maria Victoria immediately called Marlone who rushed home, stunned by the news.
He said the last thing Chief did was wag its tail while gazing at him.

“Chief gave his two deep breaths and died. It was saving its energy to get a glimpse of his master for the last two seconds of its life,” said Ian de la Rama, a friend of the Fronterases.
Balloons

The local chapter of the Royale Pit Bull Club-Ancient Fraternal Order of the Pit Bulls gave Chief a colorful farewell. Members of their club and their children released balloons and lit candles at the crowded Divisoria Plaza in the heart of this city.

The group also used the event to correct a misperception about pit bulls.
“They are not natural-born killers; they are gentle and very loyal to their masters,” said rally organizer, Eugene Tan.

In other countries, pit bull terriers were once bred for bull-baiting—a “game” where dogs attacked bulls in pits—and subsequently, dog-fighting.

In the United Kingdom, for instance, the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991 regulates the breeding and sale or exchange of pit bull terriers and three other kinds of dog—Japanese Tosas, Dogo Argentinos and the Fila Brasileiros. The regulation covers crossbreeds of those dogs.

There is no such law here. Nonetheless, pit bull terriers in the country suffer from bad publicity, the rally organizers admitted.

Champ
Chief, they hope, can salvage from beyond the grave his fellow pit bull’s image.
Tan said what the dog did was consistent with the nature of pit bull terriers. “They can be territorial, and they are very protective of their masters.”

Tan’s group officially declared Chief the “grandfather” of pit bull terriers in the city. The dog, he explained, was popular among dog breeders here that up to 60 percent of Cagayan de Oro’s estimated 500 pit bull terrier population owe their existence to Chief.

“Chief was very popular [among dog lovers]. Many loved and sought it for breeding because of its size, and because the dog was tame and loveable,” said Tan.

He said Chief even won a weight-lifting competition for dogs.

“To us, Chief was the Manny Pacquiao of pit bull terriers in the city. He was the champ.”