Mr. Salazar watches as the owner counts his money at police headquarters - credit, released by Riviera Beach Police Department
Mr. Salazar watches as the owner counts his money at police headquarters – credit, released by Riviera Beach Police Department
From Riviera Beach in Florida comes the story of a man returning $30,000 to a poor soul who’d misplaced it, saying “it wasn’t mine to take.”
The story is simple, yet powerful, and a reminder that there are good people all over the country; all over the world.
It starts with Luis Salazar walking into the bathroom of a Wawa convenience store and finding a fanny pack hung on the handrail inside the stall.
Salazar asked around inside the store to see if anyone had forgotten it, with no avail. His next thought was to open it up to look for an ID, but his mind went “numb” from what he saw inside: several huge wads of cash.
Yet being the good person prefaced in this story, Salazar never thought of taking a dime, and instead spent several days trying to locate the person who owned it. Eventually, the fanny pack’s owner contacted Riviera Beach police to report it missing, who used security camera footage to identify Salazar.
They told him the owner was waiting at the Riviera Beach Police Station, and Salazar went right over.
“So, I give him his bag. ‘This is yours.’ And he was crying. And he hugged me,” Salazar said.
“I was pretty astonished that anybody would have done that,” said the owner, who chose not to be identified. “Think about it. That’s life-changing money. People would kill for that kind of money.”
For his part, Salazar didn’t seem astonished.
“It’s not my money to take. I was not raised that way,” Salazar said.
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Madyson Silvagnoli - via Instagram @ maddytheicecreamlady_
Madyson Silvagnoli – via Instagram @ maddytheicecreamlady_
A heartwarming, brain-freezing story comes now from the streets of Massachusetts, where a woman who offered free ice cream to a penniless child sparked a McFlurry of giving.
Madyson Silvagnoli can be found in her truck—Maddy’s Ice Cream and More—along the streets of Gardner on hot summer days.
Silvagnoli says her ice cream truck is a symbol of childhood and nostalgia for her customers, and is as much about spreading joy as turning a profit.
So perhaps it should not have surprised anyone when, confronted with a teary-eyed child explaining he had “no dollars” to buy ice cream, Silvagnoli dolloped a single scoop in a small cup, added some whipped cream and sprinkles, and handed it to the boy.
“We don’t turn kids away when they don’t have money,” Silvagnoli can be heard in a video that went deliciously viral. “You want an ice cream from Maddy, you get an ice cream from Maddy.”
“Buddy, you can always come up to the ice cream truck,” Silvagnoli tells him.
Shared on Instagram, the response to Maddy and her kindness was immense, with many praising her to the high heavens. The comment section coalesced around the idea of donating to a sort of fund that can pay for free ice cream to other children without pocket money.
Silvagnoli put up a product on her website called the No More Tears fund, and also launched a line of merchandise where the proceeds go to do just that—funding free ice cream giveaways.
It features happy smiling cartoon ice cream cones and cups with a tagline “kindness is always free” which was taken from the caption of the viral video that was viewed 9 million times.
Speaking with Today, Silvagnoli said she “empathizes” with every child who comes up to the ice cream truck.
“The world is getting so scary, and I have three daughters, and nieces and nephews and all that, and I want them to have a bright future,” she adds. “I feel like, if I start something so small they can see my kindness, pay it forward, and it just spreads.”
Many reefs on New South Wales are described as urchin barrens - credit, Great Southern Reef Foundation, supplied to ABC News
Many reefs on New South Wales are described as urchin barrens – credit, Great Southern Reef Foundation, supplied to ABC News
Native coastal Australians are experiencing a dramatic reversal of fortunes—from facing jail time over fishing to being trained to lead a whole new fishing industry.
Documented in a feature piece at Australia’s ABC News, young people from the Walbunja indigenous community are reconnecting to traditional fishing practices in order to suppress a very yummy plague of long-spined sea urchins devasting southern Australia’s reefs, seagrass, and kelp forests.
Months ago, it looked like Walbunja youth John Carriage was going to face jail time for diving for abalone and lobster, something his ancestors would have done for thousands of years.
It was the fourth time, he told ABC, he has been in court defending the right to practice his cultural heritage of free diving for dinner.
As it turns out, his was the most recent in a string of dropped charges against traditional fishermen, as the state of New South Wales has decided to close this chapter of indigenous prosecution.
And for good reason: NSW needs their help. Decades of overharvesting predatory fish, and a rise in average sea temperatures have created a suite of unbalanced conditions that have proven to be like steroids for the long-spined sea urchin, an endemic species, but one whose destructive tendencies used to be kept under control by these other factors.
Today, legions of these little invertebrates march across the NSW seabed devouring any vegetation they find. Fortunately for human civilization that disrupted the balance in their ecosystem, a simple solution presents itself—lunch.
Now, Walbunja members are training to establish the first Aboriginal-led fishing industry in New South Wales by unleashing their traditional diving practices against the urchins to the end of harvesting thousands annually for the Australasian seafood markets.
John Carriage and his brother Denzel are among those training to dive for urchins professionally under a program organized by the Joonga Land and Water Aboriginal Corporation and helped by an AUD$1.48 million grant offered by the government that once sought to imprison them.
“Every time we’re taking a sea urchin out, we’re allowing the weed to regrow,” Carriage told ABC. “We should be able to have more fish, more lobster, more abalone, and better quality sea urchins.”
“The urchin industry is relatively new in Australia, and there’s a real opportunity for traditional custodians to be at the center of this industry, rather than at the margins of it as we’ve seen with other fisheries in the past,” said marine biologist Cayne Layton, who explained that urchin gathering can have demonstrable, positive impacts on marine vegetation richness.
As part of their training with Joonga Corp. the Denzels will learn how to pilot boats, dive with supplied oxygen, and select the best urchins for harvesting, cleaning, and export.
Elders are thrilled their youth are having the chance to forge a relationship with their “sea country” as they did when they were young—they called it a necessary step to healing the land, even if it’s land that’s underwater.
In India, where more people are injured or killed on the roads than almost anywhere else, a recently created program is aiming to save lives by leveraging the largest source of capital the country possesses: human capital.
The Rah-Veer program will reward Good Samaritans with 25,000 Indian rupees—about $250—for stopping to assist victims of road accidents during the first 60 minutes post injury.
First aid during this “golden hour” substantially improves the chances any patient will survive, but the problem is convincing people to get on their knees among the blood and bones and help.
In India, where traffic can be abominable, in particular on rural roads, ambulances are routinely required to cover large distances and may not arrive within this golden hour. In such circumstances, a badly injured motorist could fall beyond the point of no return if no one is there to apply a tourniquet, a splint, or even just to be placed in the recovery position.
Open to all citizens, those with medical training or not, Rah-Veer rewards will be given to anyone who stops to help, and will be shared if multiple stop.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways wrote that Rah-Veer ensures that citizens who help accident victims are shielded from legal complexities. There is no requirement to disclose personal information, and no one will be detained. Their privacy is protected, and if a statement is required, it is done quick, simply, and at a time and place of the witness’s choosing.
Every year, the Ministry awards the 10 most vital or courageous Rah-Veer interventions with a bonus $1,000 and a certificate of appreciation.
In the same legislation that created the Rah-Veer program, a new tweak to hospital funding will ensure that no victim of a road collision will be refused due to the inability to pay upfront. Cashless treatment is guaranteed for the first 7 days; hospitals cannot demand upfront payment and cannot refuse admission.
The expenses are expected to be covered under a new payment stream from general insurance companies in insured cases, and by a government fund in the case of uninsured vehicles or hit-and-runs.
Quote of the Day: “Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
Photo by: Thomas Depenbusch (CC license)
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Happy Birthday to Cher, who turns 80 today. The actress, dancer, and singer has sold over 100 million records. The ‘Goddess of Pop’, with her distinctively resonant contralto voice, reached the top of the charts in 1965 with the Sonny & Cher hit, I Got You Babe, and in her solo career with four No.1 singles, Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, Half-Breed, Dark Lady, and Believe. WATCH her sing My Way to an elephant… (1946)
Matt Moore and Christopher Rek look for juvenile barramundi - credit, supplied to ABC by Catchment Solutions
Matt Moore and Christopher Rek look for juvenile barramundi – credit, supplied to ABC by Catchment Solutions
From Queensland, Australia, comes the story of how a little salt can go a long way to restoring an ecosystem.
Near the area of Mackay, tidal gates and embankments built between 50 and 60 years ago to keep out tides of seawater are being removed by the dozen. It’s reestablishing salt marsh and estuarine ecosystems that humans once spent a fortune trying to eliminate.
As knowledge about the importance of these ecosystems has grown, experts on the ground say, it gradually became clear that it was better to return the land back to its natural state.
“Mackay’s getting built in and the animals are running out of space,” 60-year-old rancher Christopher Rek told ABC News AU. “I stole from nature by using all my cows and now it’s time to give the land back and let nature do its thing.”
Greening Australia, the Yuwi Indigenous Corporation, the water management company Catchment Solutions, and the state fisheries authority, all took part in helping undo the tidal controls. Catchment Solution contacted Rek to allow them to remove the tidal gates that stopped salt water coming onto his property.
Already, he and fisheries ecologies Matt Moore have recorded juvenile barramundi using the reestablished waterways the tidewater has brought. Before settlement, these brackish waters were key channels that allowed salt-tolerant species to move between the sea and the interior to seek spawning nurseries.
Not only were the habitats important for animals like fish, but for plants like mangroves. Along with the lack of salty water, these globally important trees were outcompeted by an introduced grass species brought to Queensland for use as cattle fodder.
The sea near Cape Palmerstone National Park, with the wooded embankment seen in the mid-ground – credit, supplied to ABC by Greening Australia
Hymenachne is considered a weed of national significance, but the return of the salt water through a 45-foot-long channel dug through an artificial embankment has already killed off 80% of it in the area around Cape Palmerston National Park.
At 180-feet in length, the embankment blocked the ocean’s high tide from entering a wide area at the southern boundary of the Yuwi traditional owners native title lands.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Greening Australia helped the Yuwi dig the channel which restored Neptune’s touch and banished the Hymenachne. Local elders were there to witness the event, which they described as “a very special and spiritual moment.”
In Mackey alone, there are between 500 and 600 tidal gates, with thousands more located across Queensland, so more work is needed. Inspiring stories like Christopher Rek’s pasture-turned-barramundi-habitat, or the Yuwi reconnecting with their watery world, will hopefully help drive the movement forward.
It’s definitely a worldwide trend: removing dams, restoring natural water movement and displacement. It benefits all manner of ecology and industry alike, and something GNN would expect to continue through the decades to come.
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Prince William in 2017 - credit, CC 2.0. Foreign Commonwealth Office
Prince William in 2017 – credit, CC 2.0. Foreign Commonwealth Office
Prince William is selling 20% of the Duchy of Cornwell estate to fund affordable housing and nature projects over the next decade.
Established by King Edward III in 1337, the vast private estate spans 128,000 acres across 19 counties to provide the heir to the British throne with an independent income, which today amounts to some £20 million annually.
The title of Duke of Cornwall and the ownership of the estate automatically pass to the eldest living son of the reigning monarch. The current Duke is Prince William, son of King Charles III, who expects the sale to generate half a billion sterling, or around $669 million, to spend on local communities living around that vast acreage.
“We’re not the traditional landowner… we want to be more than that. There is so much good we can do,” said Prince William to the London Times. “I’m trying to make sure I’m prioritizing stuff that’s going to make people’s lives, living in those areas, better.”
This was echoed by the Duchy’s chief executive Will Baxter, who said the estate “should exist to make a positive impact, particularly in the communities where we can make the biggest difference.”
The Times reported that the offloading seems to be currently planned for Duchy property in Bath, Cornwall, Dartmoor, the Isles of Scilly, and Kennington in south London. Early estimates are that it could lead to 12,000 housing units by 2040, about one-third of which are expected to be affordable for the lowest income brackets.
Duchy of Cornwall holdings – CC 4.0. BY-SA a loose necktie
Much of the estate’s lands are in rural areas, so money and attention will be devoted to reviving rural economies and communities, as well as developing environmental value in the form of carbon storage potential in peat bogs, woodland, and wetlands.
Both the BBC and the Times noted that criticism of royal finance has increased, particularly since the scandal involving Prince Andrew, and has led to the first review of royal property financing since 2012. It is expected to see a reduction.
Prince William was voted the most popular member of the British monarchy back in 2017 according to a poll by YouGov, and with a magnanimous focus and gestures like this, in contrast to “plaques and patronages” must certainly contribute to that.
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Since 2023, the price of gold has more than doubled, turning people’s spare jewelry or heirlooms into valuable assets—in many cases without them even fully realizing it.
At the current spot price of $4,500 an ounce, anything above 18 karats is suddenly of substantial value. Pieces bought by one’s parents and grandparents in the 60s and 70s when an ounce of gold was worth between $35 and $200 per ounce could be close to ten grand at current prices.
Indian-American entrepreneur Sidhi Singhvi, who’s career has involved working across a variety of financial markets, including investment grade jewelry, recently co-created a unique-in-the-world fintech platform called Unvault that allows people to create a portfolio out of their jewelry that they can track and observe as if they were looking at stocks or bonds.
“Unvault is a way to understand the value of your jewelry that is locked in drawers and completely out of your thoughts,” Singhvi told GNN’s Andy Corbley in a telephone interview.
“It’s your first line of defense to understand a little bit about the asset you own. We put it in a portfolio for you, so think about a Robinhood for your jewelry, where you can see the value of it change with the values on the market.”
Users upload photos of their jewelry to Unvault, which then uses artificial intelligence to inspect the piece and generate a valuation, which will then be plugged into the user’s portfolio, allowing them to see its market value when they want, or just make it easy to include in a household audit.
“I always found it strange that gold, which is a huge asset class and an asset class that’s owned by half the houses in the US, doesn’t benefit from the infrastructure we have for Bitcoin, for example,” she said.
– credit, supplied by Unvault
As December 2025 turned into January 2026, the price of gold and particularly silver went “parabolic” as the investment phrase goes, rising almost vertically to $5,600, and picking up considerable public interest along the way which Singhvi noted.
“I believe this is gold’s shining moment, not only with what’s reflected in the pricing but also in the sentiment that we see: that customers are more and more aware of gold pricing, in the daily movements of gold, they’re into tracking, they want to know the value of what they own, and I think that’s a very good moment for us and something like Unvault.”
With 4.9 out of 5 stars on Trust Pilot, including 165 five-star reviews, Unvault is rapidly gaining in popularity. Along with gold, it also offers valuations of silver and gemstones.
Users report receiving substantially higher valuations for their unwanted jewelry than at pawnshops or even neighborhood jewelers that work in the resale market.
Maria from San Francisco wrote that Unvault valued her grandmother’s jewelry at $8,000, and though she didn’t choose to sell, it convinced her to take out an insurance policy on it.
Others love that they can watch the price go up and down based on movements in the market and sell their pieces without taking the risk of negotiating with a dishonest or unscrupulous merchant.
“If you want to sell to us, you can sell to us,” Singhvi said, acknowledging that it’s not a guarantee that local buyers would agree with an Unvault valuation.
“It’s okay if the jewelers or the pawnbrokers don’t want to use it, we didn’t build it for them. We built it for people who have jewelry and who have no idea, and who don’t want to go to a pawnshop or a jeweler and get paid $100 for their piece that could be worth thousands. We built it for them to get some answers quickly, from their home, from their couch even.”
JP Morgan’s price forecast for gold this year is $6,300 per ounce, implying both that there could be another 30% to run, and no better time to look through the jewelry box and revisit old pieces that may have lost their shine.
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The Asian giant tortoise in Thailand - photo by Thai National Parks, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Asian giant tortoise in Thailand – photo by Thai National Parks, CC BY-SA 4.0.
In the far-eastern Indian state of Nagaland, locals are protecting mainland Asia’s largest tortoise species, an animal they used to hunt.
Governments around the world struggle to effectively govern or manage their frontier borderlands, and few borderlands feel as frontier as Nagaland, being more than two-day’s drive from New Delhi on the border with Myanmar and Nepal, and populated by diverse ethnic groups speaking diverse languages.
But this is now proving to be a strength, not an impediment, as local tribal reserves replace government reserves as the reintroduction sites for the tortoise, and local youths replace professional conservationists as the scaly animal’s “guardians.”
The Critically-Endangered Asian giant tortoise was heading towards population collapse and extinction until the Nagaland Zoological Park began a captive breeding program that saved the population.
Shailendra Singh, Director of the Turtle Survival Alliance Foundation India which oversees the animal’s reintroduction along with the Nagaland Forest Department, explains that the program started with 13 turtles, some of which were seized from Nagaland markets where they were destined to be eaten, and others that had been kept as pets.
“The program reached its turning point when some villagers voluntarily donated tortoises they had kept as pets in their homes for captive breeding, and the community that once exploited them was sensitized to restore and nurture the species back in the wild from the brink,” Singh told the Relevator.
From those 13 tortoises, 7 female and 6 male, 114 individuals have been born—half as many as the entire wild population in all of Asia, according to some estimates. Previous reintroduction efforts by the federal government failed both to protect the tortoises or to keep track of them.
By contrast, the over 100 tortoises released into the Nagaland tribal reserves—small but numerous—are closely tracked by young men and women trained in basic conservation strategies.
This almost one-to-one involvement by locals creates a unique attachment to the animal.
At the release event in the Old Jalukie Community Reserve last August – credit, supplied to the Revelator by Newme Shamma
“We started by simply tracking them, but today we realize how important they are in keeping our forest vibrant and alive with their unique ways,” says Iteichube, a 33-year-old resident of the 370-hectare Old Jalukie Conservation Reserve.
80% of Nagaland territory is made up of these community forest reserves. There are 407 of them, amounting to 50% of all such reserves in India.
Iteichube proudly wears an olive drab t-shirt labeled “Tortoise Guardian” when he leaves home at 8 a.m. every morning to go look for signs of the tortoises’ activity. Nibbled leaves and depressed ground indicate foraging behavior.
The Asian giant tortoise displays a unique-in-the-world nesting strategy by building a mound of leaves between 2 and 7 feet in height in laying its eggs therein.
The success of the Nagaland model is now hopefully going to be replicated in the neighboring state of Manipur, which recently hatched their first clutch of artificially incubated Asian giant tortoises at the Manipur Zoological Gardens.
Local elders told the Revelator stories of whiling away their childhood riding these tortoises along the forest paths, and that these days are long gone. Perhaps they spoke too soon. Thanks to this collaboration between zoo and community, the next generation of these forest dwelling communities may recapture this storybook privilege.
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Winslow Homer painting ‘Snap the Whip’ (1872) – cropped
Quote of the Day: “Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse.” – Winston Churchill
Photo by: Winslow Homer’s 1872 masterpiece, Snap the Whip (cropped)
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Winslow Homer painting ‘Snap the Whip’ (1872) – cropped
115 years ago today, the world’s first national park department, Parks Canada, was established, 5 years before its counterpart in the US Today they manage the country’s 48 National Parks, 3 National Marine Conservation Areas, 172 National Historic Sites, 1 National Urban Park, and 1 National Landmark. Parks Canada is mandated to “protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations.” WATCH a video montage of all the land they oversee… (1911)
Many of the coffins had the words singer of Amun written on them - credit Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, retrieved from Facebook
Many of the coffins had the words singer of Amun written on them – credit Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, retrieved from Facebook
In Luxor, a large burial chamber has been uncovered in one of the city’s ancient necropolises that has remained undisturbed for at least 2,600 years.
Inside was a depository of 22 coffins and 8 mummies that seemed to belong to a special female temple caste who sang sacred songs at festivals and during religious rites.
The words “Singer of Amun” was found repeatedly on the coffins, and suggests the burial chamber was designed especially for these unique and respected women.
The discovery was made in the southwestern sector of the Asasif necropolis inside a tomb chamber carved directly into bedrock. The coffins were arranged in 10 horizonal rows, where they were found with a variety of other funerary objects.
Most exciting of all were 8 sealed jars arranged within a large ceramic vessel that still had their original clay seals, and which therefore may still contain organic remains, either of funerary substances like oils and resins or even biological material from the mummies.
They were described as an “information goldmine” and are due to undergo state-of-the-art conservation and laboratory analysis.
Dating has been carried out amid the frantic and “urgent” preservation work of protecting the flaking pigments and splintering wood of the coffins, which seems to indicate they spanned 400 years of Egypt’s Third Intermediate Period, roughly between 1070 and 664 BCE.
- credit Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, retrieved from Facebook
Amun was a powerful deity worshiped at the ancient temple of Karnak, and these “singers” would undoubtedly enjoyed special religious and social privilege alongside their temple responsibilities. Evidence of how female officials lived and died among Egypt’s religious castes is “rare” said the excavators from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Zahi Hawas Foundation for Archaeology and Heritage.
The careful layout of the tomb, where it was clear the arranging of the coffins was done to conserve space and fit as many deceased inside as possible, indicates the coffins had likely been moved there from their original location. Motives remain unknown
Mr. Sharif Fathi, Minister of Tourism and Archaeology said in a statement that this discovery is a new addition to the record of outstanding archaeological discoveries that Egypt is witnessing and reflects what archaeological research works have received from the full and continuous support of the Egyptian state.
Its incredible canopy, its eye-watering golden colors in autumn, and the manner in which it ties the small farming community together saw it end Poland’s 4-year winning streak in the competition that features nations honoring their most beloved wooden citizens.
The Oak of Laukiai (Quercus robur) once stood almost forgotten, known only to the people of the small Rukai village. A year ago, however, the local community restored the area around the tree and organized a celebration in its honor, bringing people together and reminding them of its quiet strength with music and costume.
Today, the sixth generation of the Laukiai people is growing up alongside this oak.
It won after more than 200,000 votes were cast for special trees in 12 different countries. This included a 150-year-old wild apple tree in Slovakia which took 2nd place, and the inevitable Polish contender: an incredible white elm growing almost horizontally out over a waterway, whose branches have each become trees in themselves.
“The competition was extremely close—the ranking remained uncertain until the very last moment,” said Petr Skrivanek, Coordinator of the European Tree of the Year in a statement.
“This year’s magnificent trees attracted huge attention across Europe. During the voting period, the website recorded around 1.5 million visits, with more than 200,000 unique voters.”
Previous editions of the contest were decided by bulk vote. This year it was changed to a “tree point” system that prevented the contest from devolving into a mere question of which nation could get out the vote; which for the last 4 years has been Poland.
Many of the countries have their own tree of year contests, with the winner being nominated for the following year’s continent-wide edition. Competition is fierce, with the UK’s 2025 national winner—the Argyle Street Ash—coming in just 12th place.
WATCH a celebratory video in honor of the oak…
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Blue Marine team putting oysters in new home - credit Solent Seascape Project
Blue Marine team putting oysters in new home – credit Solent Seascape Project
Last week, volunteers dumped 20,000 oysters into English waters to recreate historic, biodiverse oyster reefs.
260 people came down to Chichester Harbor in Portsmouth to take part in what one of the participating organizations called, “the UK’s largest subtidal oyster reef restoration project.”
For centuries, native oysters were part of everyday life across an area of the English coast called the Solent. Coastal communities relied on oyster beds for food, trade, and employment, with evidence of oysters being harvested in the harbor dating back to Roman times.
The restoration aims not only to recover a lost species, but to help reconnect the region with an important part of its maritime heritage.
“This is a hugely significant moment for marine restoration in the UK,” said Dr. Luke Helmer, from the Solent Seascape Project.
Volunteers having fun cleaning oysters – credit, Solent Seascape Project
“Native oysters were once abundant across the Solent, but populations have collapsed over the last century. By restoring oyster reefs at this scale, we’re helping rebuild an ecosystem that supports biodiversity, improves water quality, and benefits coastal communities.”
Despite the decline described by Dr. Helmer, oysters remain one of the marine environment’s most important ecosystem engineers. A single oyster can filter up to 200 liters, or around 44 gallons of water a day.
This improves water quality while the reefs they form create habitats for hundreds of marine species and help protect coastlines from erosion.
“What’s especially exciting is the scale of public support behind this effort. Having hundreds of volunteers directly involved in preparing oysters for deployment shows how strongly people want to be part of restoring our seas.”
This is not the coalition’s first mass-volunteer effort. In 2025, the Solent Seascape Project organized the planting of 120,000 seagrass seeds in and around the mouth of the Hamble river. A few months on, the plants have created a saltmarsh area the size of a soccer field. The local community contributed more than 700 volunteer hours to seagrass seed collection alone.
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Jackie and Shadow the eagles - credit, Friends of Big Bear Valley
Jackie and Shadow the eagles – credit, Friends of Big Bear Valley
4th grade science teacher Sara Stinson must have known she was doing a great job when her intrepid students began giving themselves extra homework.
It didn’t involve studying for an exam, but raising money to help a local wildlife trust buy a parcel of imperiled land in California’s Big Bear Valley where Jackie and Shadow make their nest.
Jackie and Shadow are a mating pair of bald eagles that Stinson introduced to her class last year. They and their two chicks are monitored by a 24/7 live webcam set up by the Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV) nonprofit.
“We get to see the eagles set up their nest, then we get to see them lay eggs, and then we get to see the eggs hatch and the chicks grow,” Stinson told ABC 7 news, adding that it is the perfect accompaniment to the cycle of life course.
Then a few months ago, Stinson noticed while pulling up the live cam that the area where the eagles hunt—the last undeveloped shoreline of the beautiful Big Bear Lake, was going to be turned into a luxury housing development unless local environmental activists come up with $10 million to purchase it.
“I started sharing the information with them and they felt so passionate about it. They were like, ‘What can we do?'” Stinton said.
What they could do was fundraise and generate awareness—a dual mission they pursued with passion. One student told ABC he set up a lemonade stand, while another said she was posting flyers around local businesses with information about how to donate.
“When we first heard about this news, it was very sad for us because we are worried that the thing we have been watching for years can go away,” said 4th grader Evie Cook.
The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust (SBMLT) entered into a limited Purchase Option Agreement to buy the land, called Moon Camp, as a last resort, with the organization having until the end of July to pay the developer for the biodiverse area that includes not only the hunting ground of Shadow and Jackie, but also the habitat for some endemic plant species like the ash-gray Indian paintbrush.
So far, SBMLT and FOBBV have raised around a quarter of the total, and both admitted that they will eventually attempt to secure a loan to make the purchase if it comes down to it.
Until then, the kids are hard at work with their lemonade stands and their bake sales—determined to give back to the eagles that first enriched their science class all those months ago.
Quote of the Day: “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” – Margaret Mead
Photo by: Brandon
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
25 years ago today, the computer-animated blockbuster Shrekpremiered in the US. In the story, a runaway donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) befriends an ogre named Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) and urges him to go on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz)—who is hiding a secret that will change his life forever. For years, DreamWorks was developing this Scottish-set fairy tale and was rewarded at the box office—it grossed $484 million worldwide, with a production budget of just $60 million. READ more… (2001)
British Sgt Taylor Johanson (left) with Officer Peter Kinsey (right) and Chief Drake –Nashville PD / SWNS
British Sgt Taylor Johanson (left) with Officer Peter Kinsey (right) and Chief Drake – Nashville PD / SWNS
A British policeman has been hailed as a hero after helping to save the life of an American officer while on holiday in Nashville.
Off duty sergeant Taylor Johanson had just arrived in the Tennessee city when he saw local Officer Peter Kinsey being assaulted by a man on the side of the road.
The officer from Ashford, Kent, was driving down the I-440 exit ramp at around 8pm on May 7 in his rented Jeep Wrangler and immediately stopped to help.
He says that the American officer was being assaulted by a 43-year-old pedestrian, who even managed to grab the officer’s gun and fire a round while it was holstered.
Rushing into action, the Brit tackled the suspect and managed to keep him restrained until Officer Kinsey was able to taser and handcuff him.
“We had been out of the airport for about ten minutes,” said the 34-year-old Englishman. “As I was driving on the exit ramp I saw the police car parked up and could see two people fighting on the floor.”
“I stopped my car to see what was going on. The suspect was on top of the officer and he was head-butting him, punching him, biting him.”
He decided to jump on top of him and was able to pull him off and hold him down, while his girlfriend Emily, who is also a constable in England, called the local police and asked for backup.
“I hadn’t really thought about it to be honest. It was only really afterwards when I realized the gravity of what was going on,” Sgt. Johanson told SWNS news. “Natural instinct kicked in—and that fight or flight.”
Officer Kinsey reported he saw the pedestrian walking along the exit ramp and went to check on him after his commands to stop were ignored. But, as he approached, the stranger started to attack him, pinning the cop face-down for around six minutes in the “traumatic” ordeal.
Pedestrian on exit ramp – Nashville PD bodycam / SWNS
Bodycam footage shows the tense struggle before Sgt. Johanson, who works in the Community Safety Unit with the Kent Police, runs in, asking ‘Are you okay?’”
And, Kinsey has credited Sgt. Johanson with saving his life.
“It is probably the closest near-death experience I can say I have had, and probably the most traumatic. It’s very scary. I knew he was going for my gun.
“The thoughts going through my head was he’s not getting my gun away from me and I’m just going to have to hang on.”
The English couple were visiting the city on a six-day trip to see Johanson’s sister and some of the local attractions.
“This was supposed to be a relaxing holiday away from my children—but it started off quite the opposite!”
He says that they pulled over for a few minutes shortly before the incident to put some music on, and if this hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t have seen the struggle.
“It is a bit like divine intervention. It was definitely the right place at the right time and I am glad it was me… Everyone was just driving past.
“Six minutes in that situation is horrendous. It is a long time. If I had driven away and the officer had died, I don’t think I would be able to forgive myself.”
He was then invited to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department station to meet the officers, including Police Chief John Drake and Officer Kinsey and his wife.
The department gifted him challenge coins, a police blanket, and he is being sent an engraved watch—which usually goes to officers who have served 30 years—as a special thank you.
“Our police department is beyond grateful to Sgt. Johanson for stopping to assist Officer Kinsey, and actively engaging to subdue the man who was assaulting him,” said Chief John Drake of the Nashville Police Department.
“The suspect had already managed to get his finger into the trigger guard and fire a round from the officer’s holstered pistol.
“He miraculously appeared when Officer Kinsey needed help. I believe he likely saved our officer’s life.”
The Kent officer of nine years has since returned home a hero and is remaining in touch with some of his new officer pals.
“You are a police officer all the time whether you are on holiday or not.”
“Everybody has been so kind. I was blown away when I went to the police station. They were so lovely. I think I have got a few free dinners in the works next time I go out there!”
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Student Graduation at NC State University – Credit: Wilson College of Textiles
Student Graduation at NC State University – Credit: Wilson College of Textiles
Over 170 students set to graduate from North Carolina State University were about to get the surprise of a lifetime when they filed into the arena in their red caps and gowns.
As with all graduation speeches, possibilities seemed palpable; hopes and dreams were waiting on the horizon.
Unbeknownst to the scholars, their commencement speaker, Anil Kochhar, had a lifeline planned that would pay off the final year of student loans for every 2026 graduate in the school’s Wilson College of Textiles.
“It is my privilege to announce today that, in honor of my father Prakash Chand Kochhar, my wife Marilyn and I are providing a graduation gift to cover all the final-year education loans incurred by Wilson College graduates,” Kochhar exclaimed.
The announcement earned raucous cheers and numerous rounds of applause from everyone in attendance. Instantly, 176 students who were receiving bachelor’s degrees and 26 who were receiving master’s degrees had an entire year of college debt wiped away. (Watch the joyful moment below…)
“Marilyn and I hope that all of you leave Reynolds Coliseum today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks, and build the lives you’ve worked so hard to achieve.”
Credit: Wilson College of Textiles (video screenshots)
The man’s father, Prakash Chand Kochhar, emigrated from India to Raleigh, North Carolina, 80 years ago to study textile manufacturing in America. He was believed to be only the second student from India to ever enroll at the university. Kochhar eventually earned his bachelor’s degree in textile manufacturing in 1950 and his master’s degree in the same program in 1952.
His textile engineering skills soon led to success in a career that criss-crossed several states as part of a global textiles company. He passed away in 1985, but his legacy continued with a scholarship that has been in existence for the last 40 years—and it carried on when his son spoke into the microphone on the graduation stage.
“My father could not have imagined this moment. Not just me standing here, but all of you sitting here,” the younger Kochhar said in his speech. “A new generation, shaped by a different world, but connected by the same spirit of possibility that brought him here decades ago. And that’s what today represents.”
Suddenly, a new group of graduates was heading out into the world with an unexpected head start provided by their graduation speaker. And an assist from a former student who chased down the American dream all the way from India.
Alyssa D’Costa, a fashion and textile management major, told the College what the gift meant to her. “As a daughter of immigrants myself, this money helps me and my family a lot, and I’m really fortunate to have an opportunity like this.”
What her generous benefactor remembers most about his father is his spirit: “The look in his eyes told me anything is possible.”
Watch the video from NC State below…
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