Every state but Alaska
has issued at least one AMBER Alert — a public announcement of a child
abduction using the media, email and traffic signs — since Texas
launched the first program in 1997. But the number of alerts has been
dropping off, and state officials say that’s not a bad thing.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC),
the number of alerts has declined in the past three years. There were
275 issued nationwide in 2005, falling to 262 in 2006 and 227 in 2007.
As of May 31 this year, there were only 74 alerts.
"Ashlee Smith, the 9-year-old who started to collect toys for kids who
have lost everything in fires, is now about to become a nonprofit
entrepreneur earning "501(c)3" status. She started out when the Angora fire hit last year, destroying many homes in South Lake Tahoe. Having
lost all her toys in a house fire once, Ashlee, the daughter of a firefighter, said she knew how it felt and wanted to
help. (Nevada Appeal) This is from our local paper and right in our back yard, so we'll be bringing her some toys for her cause this week!
An eight-year-old boy who had set his heart on
'marrying' his school sweetheart achieved his final wish the day before
he died of childhood leukemia. (Daily Telegraph) Karen wanted to pass this link along, saying, "I stumbled on this story and it brought tears to my eyes. It made me want to start searching for more "good news" and I was delighted to find your site."
Animal lover Jerry Dimick was driving with a friend in northeast Pennsylvania when he saw a beautiful peacock standing on the side of the highway, cars speeding past. He was determined to find the bird a safe place to stay. He picked it up and, and with no room in the back of his pick-up truck, Jerry planted the peacock in the front seat. "The bird was sitting in between the two of us. He sat there," Dimock added. So far, the peacock's new foster father has had no luck with the Game Commission, animal control, the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or the local zoo. (WNEP.com TV-16 w/ Video)
A pet rabbit is credited with saving a couple from a raging fire that
swept through their home in the southern Australian city of Melbourne
early Thursday after scratching on their bedroom door.