Good News of the Week: Girl's Band Plea Goes Viral; A Lotto Winner Among Us

As a local news organization, Patch covers stories of all kinds, from heartbreaking tragedies to nitty-gritty breakdowns of government and school district issues. But some stories are simply inspiring, often showing that at the heart of our communities is a desire to do good. Here are some of the touching headlines from the past seven days.

A Port Jefferson girl is picking up viral attention for a YouTube video where she pleas for her favorite band, British pop group One Direction, to visit her for her birthday.

Melena Butera, who has Down Syndrome, has been a huge fan for years, and so far thousands of people have flocked to her Facebook campaign to help make the band meeting a possibility for her 16th birthday.

See the video above.

Anthony Veraldi is a happy man this week after winning $1 million in the New York Lottery Powerball this week. He purchased the winning ticket at at the Mobil gas station at 5477 Nesconset Highway in Mt. Sinai.

"I waited to tell my wife because I wanted to see the expression on her face," Veraldi said in the statement. "I did send her an email earlier in the day letting her know I had some great news to share when I got home."

Veraldi, who will net $661,800 after taxes, said that he plans to use the money to enjoy time with his family.

Organizers in Southold are hoping to get enough locals to buy bricks to encircle the statue at in Peconic, with hopes of adding some grandeur to the local monument.

The brick installment with feature several columns on which the names of local firefighters who died at the World Center on 9/11 inscribed on it.

Bricks cost $100 apiece.

A Suffolk County Police officer this week saved a man's life at in St. James when they used a defibrillator to revive a Shoreham man who collapsed in the store.