Missouri has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the country, thanks in part to its juvenile justice system, which emphasizes rehabilitation in small groups, constant therapeutic interventions and minimal force. When someone becomes unruly, the other youths are trained to talk him down.
Missouri and other states are using these new approaches to try to stem the flow of adults behind bars, and it is working…
Missouri Reduces Prison Returns by Treating Juveniles With Lighter Hand
U.S. Home Sales Climb at Fastest Pace in 10 Months
Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose at their fastest pace in nearly six years in February, data showed on Monday, providing some good news for the recession-hit economy.
They rose 5.1 percent for the month: “The buyers are just seeming to come out of nowhere … We’ve had a long dry spell, but it seems to be over.”
(Read more in Reuters)
Lesson of Natasha Richardson Saves Ohio Girl
The lessons learned from the sudden death of Natasha Richardson last week actually saved a little girl in Ohio this week.
The 7-year-old was hit in the temple by a line drive and appeared to be recovering fine. Days later, having seen the reports about Richardson, her father raced her to the doctor after she complained of a head ache. Doctors diagnosed the same injury as Richardson and swept her into surgery.
“Dr. Cohen told us that if we hadn’t brought her in Thursday night, she never would have woken up.”
Read the full article at CNN – including a list of 5 things to do after any head injury – or watch the video below)
Thanks to Sue Massey for the story tip!
Lights Dim Worldwide for Earth Hour 2009 (Video)
From the Acropolis in Greece to the Giza Pyramids to the Empire State Building in New York, illuminated patches of the globe went dark Saturday for Earth Hour, a campaign to highlight the threat of climate change.
Photo: The Empire State Building dims during Earth Hour (c) Jin Lee from WWF
Three Cups of Tea Author Still Building Peace – and Schools – in Afghanistan
Greg Mortenson has been promoting peace by building schools and purging ignorance in Pakistan and Afghanistan for more than a decade.
“If you fight terrorism, that’s based in fear. But if you promote peace, that’s based in hope,” Mortenson said. “And the real enemy I think is ignorance. It’s ignorance that breeds hatred.”
(Read full story at ABCNews.com)
His Pennies for Peace raises money from American schoolkids by collecting pennies to build his schools. His best-selling book is Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations One School at a Time.
Full story is at the above link – from which all the above intro text was copied.
Prisoners Baby-Sit Toddler Found on Md. Highway
A prison work crew baby-sat a 2 1/2-year-old boy who was spotted Friday running along the center lines of a rural Maryland highway, with trucks loaded with gravel rumbling by.
The six minimum-security inmates shared their lunches with the toddler, who apparently wandered away from home, and played with him while authorities located the parents and investigated, said Correctional Officer Gary Kershner, who was overseeing the prisoners.
(Read the full AP story via WTOP News in Washington)
Image courtesy of Sun Star
GameStop Announces Record Sales, Positive 2009 Outlook
Pre-eminent specialty game retailer GameStop has announced sales of $3.5 billion for the year to Jan 31st 2009, with increased profits, and is expecting 5-10% growth in new U.S. game sales in 2009.
(Read the details at GamaSutra)
New Owner of Lincoln Logs to Re-hire Laid Off Workers
The decision by Lincoln Logs to shut down production late last year as they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection jolted the Adirondack region of Chestertown.
But the 32-year-old company was purchased by a company that was already interviewing former employees for new jobs.
“They are happy this will put people back to work who would otherwise be unemployed.”
African-American Divers Join Search for Sunken Slave Ship
The search for a 19th-century slave ship, wrecked on a reef while illegally transporting 561 African slaves, continues in Biscayne National Park but with an new twist. The National Association of Black SCUBA Divers recruited volunteers to join the hunt and “Dive With a Purpose”.
Ken Stewart, the southern regional representative of the association sent an email a few years ago to encourage members to “dive with a purpose.” The response was immediate, and the following April, ten divers gave their own time and money to fly to Biscayne, train under the park’s sole underwater archaeologist, and begin mapping one of the 91 undocumented wrecks on Biscayne’s ocean floor.
Teen Raises $14,000 for Medical Expenses to Treat Neighbor Child
Two years ago 5-year-old Annie suffered a massive seizure caused by undiagnosed Addison’s Disease. Inspired by the call to “act as if what you do makes a difference,” Bothell High senior Jenn Lund, 18, organized an auction this year that yielded $14,000 to help pay for treatment of the child’s brain damage.
Photo Bothell High senior Jenn Lund, Annie Sullivan and Jean Sullivan, by Fumiko Yarita / Bothell-Kenmore Reporter
(Read about the inspired teen who created Annie’s Auction at the Bothell Reporter)
Submitted by Andrea Sawyer, Jenn’s mom, in Bothell, WA
Salvation Army Distributes $3.6 Million for Newly Unemployed in Midwest
The Salvation Army Central Territory-made up of 11 states in the Midwest-announced today that a total of $3.6 million will be distributed to assist newly unemployed persons throughout the Midwest.
The money will be used exclusively for families and individuals who are in crisis as a result of unemployment occurring after Oct. 1, 2008.
Katie Couric Features Good News Network on CBS News (Video)
Katie Couric talked about the Good News Network in her Notebook segment on the CBS Evening News last night.
“A website devoted to all the good news that’s fit to print…”
“It’s good to know that GOOD news is just a mouse click away.”
Watch the segment below…
(Featured photo by David Shankbone, CC license)
Cities Turn Off the Lights Tomorrow for Earth Hour
Creating a day of global solidarity, 2848 cities and towns in 83 countries across seven continents have signed up to observe Earth Hour by turning off their lights. (Photo, Sydney turned off its lights in 2008)
From the small island nations of the South Pacific to the densely populated cities of the Americas, millions of people from all walks of life and corners of the world will participate in the third annual Earth Hour, including 66 national capitals and 9 of the10 most populated cities: New York, London, Beijing, Paris, Moscow, Singapore, Berlin, Rome, Athens, Cairo. L.A., and Washington DC.
The Great Pyramids of Giza, the world’s greatest symbol of the power of collective action, head up a list of 829 landmarks around the world switching off their lights for Earth Hour, including, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Empire State Building, the Acropolis, the Colosseum in Rome, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Arc de Triomphe, Sydney’s Opera House, the Las Vegas Strip, Niagara Falls and the Sears Tower.
Environmental Protection Agency Halts Mountaintop Removal Permits
The US Environmental Protection Agency this week called for a halt to select mountaintop removal permits, in order to address their impact on water quality.
Two letters were sent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressing serious concerns about the need to reduce the potential harmful impacts on water quality caused by certain types of strip mining practices, particularly mountaintop removal, where the top of a mountain is blown off, showering rock and debris into valleys and stream.
Illinois Doctor Offers Free Treatment in Recession
A small ad was placed in a Central Illinois newspaper by a local doctor who offered that for the duration of the calendar year, he will treat, free of charge, his regular patients who have lost their jobs or health insurance due to the current recession.
“I didn’t see it as selfless, but just my way to do my part during this economic crisis,” said Dr. Gary Turpin.
(Read more from The Journal Standard) Thanks to Jean Black for the story tip!
(Photo courtesy of Sun Star)
Become a 21st Century Citizen
“I am an American and I have rights.” But, if we have our rights, don’t we also have our responsibilities?
Where our rights empower us, our responsibilities ennoble us. They are the great give and take of the American contract and the new initiative 21st Citizens is moving to rally people around a Bill of Responsibilities.
21st calls on citizens, communities and corporations — to forge a new reality, a new approach to things. It starts with “I” — the result is “We.”
To start, 21st is drafting a Bill of Responsibilities and asking for your input. Soon, 21st will evolve to provide real, actionable ways for each of us to make our mark as a Citizen of the 21st Century.
Watch their Video on YouTube and contribute your ideas on their website: www.21stcitizens.com
Amazon.com Posted Biggest Job Growth Since Dot Com Boom
The good news keeps coming from Amazon.com. After surprising Wall Street with a stellar fourth quarter, the Seattle-based Internet retailer disclosed in January that its employment had risen to 20,700 people as of the end of 2008. That translates into net growth of 3,700 people — its biggest annual jump in nearly a decade.
The company listed about 100 open positions for the month of January, the vast majority of them in the Seattle region.
Oregon Business to Add 350 New Jobs
The job news isn’t all bad in Central Oregon. TRG Customer Solutions announced Thursday it needs an additional 350 workers at its call center in southwest Bend. Since October, TRG has been a tech support and customer service center for Apple products.
56 New Forest Species Found in Papaua New Guinea
Scientists have discovered 56 species believed new to science in Papua New Guinea, including a tiny chirping frog, jumping spiders, and an elegant striped gecko.
The discoveries were announced yesterday by Conservation International whose expedition found the species last summer during a month-long study of Papua New Guinea’s central mountains.
(Photo, A newly discovered tree frog © Steve Richards)
More than 600 species were documented during the expedition. Of those, a total of 50 spider species, two plants, three frogs and one gecko are believed to be new to science. The three frogs include a tiny brown frog with a sharp chirping call (Oreophryne sp.), a bright green tree frog with enormous eyes (Nyctimystes sp.), and a torrent-dwelling frog that has a loud ringing call (Litoria sp.), pictured above. The gecko (Cyrtodactylus sp.) was the only specimen of its kind found in the dense rainforest.
Stocks Continue to Rally on Optimistic News
Wall Street built on its big March rally Thursday as fresh nuggets of upbeat news gave traders reason to reach for more stocks. Good numbers from Best Buy Co. and ConAgra Foods Inc. as well as strong demand at a government debt auction pushed traders to step into the market. Major stock indexes rose more than 2 percent, including the Dow.