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Good Samaritans Sprang into Action to Save Baby That Fell into Lake Michigan

By
Andy Corbley
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Courtesy of Lio Cundiff family
Courtesy of Lio Cundiff family

From Chicago comes the story of a pair of heroes rescuing an infant that had been blown into Lake Michigan.

30-year-old Lio Cundiff was on the phone with his aunt at Belmont Harbor when he felt the wind pick up fiercely, followed by a bloodcurdling scream from a woman close by.

Cundiff knew exactly what had happened—the wind caught the bassinet of a stroller, and, as the nursery rhyme goes, down went baby cradle and all—right into the lake.

“I just realized that the lady wasn’t able to help because she was in too much panic, which is understandable. So I’m like, ‘I guess I’m going in,’ and I just jumped,” Cundiff told the Chicago Tribune. “I had no idea what the plan was.”

Reaching the stroller, Cundiff couldn’t get the baby out and had to lift the top half out of the water to stop it from sinking.

Enter Luis Kapost, an American Airlines pilot who was the second on-scene, and paired Cundiff’s impulsive-heroism with a more measured response. Realizing Cundiff was treading water with 30+ pounds of soaking wet stroller, he tossed one arm of his Chicago Cubs jacket to him, which Cundiff admitted helped a lot.

Holding onto the other arm of the jacket, Kapost kept Cundiff afloat until the baby’s nanny arrived to help him lift the stroller out of the water.

First responders arrived to take man and baby to the hospital.

“Yeah, I called work, called my girlfriend. My aunt was on the phone. She heard the whole thing. I just threw my phone down and I guess she called my mom. I was just trying to make sure they all knew I was fine and the baby was good,” Cundiff told local news.

SAVE THE CHILDREN: Hero Stranger Rescues Mom and 3 Kids After Car Flips into Canal Waters: ‘Nobody was around’

Despite the weather being fair, the water was still cold, and at the hospital they discovered that Cundiff was experiencing elevated heart enzymes that concerned the doctors enough to recommend an overnight stay.

Kapost applauded his co-savior.

ALSO CHECK OUT: A Passing ‘Angel’ Rescues Woman 8-Months Pregnant from Her Sinking Car

“That’s the epitome of a hero, someone who’s going to act, to help somebody else they don’t know even though they’re placing their own life in danger,” Kapost told the Tribune. “He’s an absolute rock star.”

As for Cundiff, he admitted that being called a hero felt weird: labeling himself just a server and stand-up comedian in the right place at the right time.

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Abandoned Las Vegas Airport Dog Finds a Forever Home with the Officer Who Saved Him

By
Andy Corbley
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credit - LVMPD Instagram
credit – LVMPD Instagram

A little goldendoodle has a brighter future ahead of him after abusive treatment by his owner saw her arrested, and an officer leap at the chance to adopt.

The story must, unfortunately, include some rather ugly details before one can salute Officer Skeeter Black for his compassion towards animals.

It begins on February 2nd at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas where Jet Blue staff were attempting to inform the dog’s owner she would not be permitted to board as the paperwork for the animal—claimed to be a service animal—hadn’t been completed.

The owner tied her dog to a metal baggage measurement rack and left, prompting the Jet Blue staff to call the police. Officers later confronted the woman, who had proceeded through security checkpoint to the departure hall at gate D1.

A police recounting of the incident claimed she stated the airline would not allow her to fly with the dog while adding it had a tracking device “implying it was acceptable to leave the animal behind and it would return to her.”

The police disagreed, and detained her on misdemeanor animal abuse charges. However, a violent attempt at resisting arrest saw her removed from the airport.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Tiny Disabled Puppy Found in Dumpster Gets New Home in Time for Christmas

“Animal Protective Services took custody of the dog,” the police statement read. “After the mandatory 10-day hold period passed and the owner never returned, Retriever Rescue of Las Vegas stepped in.”

The dog was affectionately renamed Jet Blue, and 10 days after the 10-day hold, Officer Black, who had confronted Jet Blue’s former owner, arrived with his family to fill out the adoption paperwork.

“Bon voyage, Jet Blue and welcome to a new life where you’ll be loved beyond words by Officer Black and his family,” a LVPD social media update read.

SHARE This Story Of A Smiling Reward For An Officer’s Job Well Done, And An Animal That Found A New Home… 

China’s Yangtze River Rebounds After Fishing Ban and Investment to Reemploy 200,000 Fishermen

By
Andy Corbley
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Shane Young
Shane Young

The mighty Yangtze river has experienced a dramatic improvement in ecological health halfway through a 10-year fishing moratorium.

The focus of a $2.7 billion restoration project, this crucial aquatic artery had been severely degraded by decades of damming, overfishing, fragmentation, pollution, and neglect.

Now, a new study reports a tripling of fish biomass, increases in the Yangtze finless porpoise numbers, and disproportionate increases in the amount of large, game fish species.

GNN reported in 2021 on the Yangtze river fishing moratorium. One of the three great rivers of China and the third-longest in the world, its estuary at Shanghai is one of the busiest freshwater ports in the world, while its length and abundance is home to 60% of China’s freshwater fisheries that together employ over 200,000 people.

In many ways, water is a key part of the identity of the Chinese people. Going back as far as 4,000 BCE, society was organized for the first time around the management of water, and the nation’s founding myth—that of the Yellow Emperor taming the raging waters of the Yellow River, stands in testament to the enduring power of China’s rivers both as economic engines, and sacred places.

But like so many rivers around the world, even the Yangtze could not withstand industrialized society. Continual construction of dams, sand mining, dumping from huge factories that stand along its course, and decades of overfishing gradually eroded its ecological integrity.

As the Chinese boom continued into the 21st century, and wealth replaced poverty in much of the country, calls began to ring out for greater protections of the Yangtze, but not before the extinction of the Baiji—a freshwater dolphin native to the river that was worshiped as a goddess.

Perhaps this tragedy was the catalyst for an unprecedented restoration program led by an international team of freshwater biologists. The proposal was a 10 year moratorium on fishing coupled with a massive welfare program to reemploy all the fishermen thusly disposed of their livelihoods.

110,000 fishing boats were impounded with compensation, shoreline mining and extractive industry was halted, and water quality improvements were mandated. The results were succinct. Even halfway through the 10-year ban, 70 years of degradation were seemingly rolled back.

“The seven-decadal biodiversity loss was halted with improvements in fish biomass, body condition, species diversity, and initial recovery of threatened species,” the authors of the study measuring the impacts of the legislation wrote in their abstract.

“Eliminating fishing pressure was likely key to this recovery, in addition to actions targeting water quality improvement, hydrological and riparian habitat restoration, and vessel traffic reduction.”

CHINA CLEANING HERSELF UP: China’s War on Pollution Improved Air Quality 42%, Reduced Global Pollution Average, and Returned 2 Years of Life to Citizens

The study team, which included Chinese and Western biologists, surveyed 57 river sections across the Yangtze basin, comparing data from the pre-ban period (2018–2020) with the early post-ban years (2021–2023).

Overall fish biomass rose by 209%, rising to 235% for game fish like bream. The Yangtze finless porpoise also benefited substantially.

RIVER RESTORATION: Toronto River Once So Polluted it Caught on Fire Now Is Flush with Fish

“Its population rose by one-third, from 445 individuals in 2017 to 595 in 2022. This rebound is likely attributable to a more abundant prey base, reduced mortality from fishing gear and vessel collisions, and lower underwater noise pollution,” Chen Yushun, a professor at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, wrote in the paper.

High up the flow of the Yangtze remains the Three Gorges Dam, a hydroelectric plant and accompanied reservoir so large it changed the equilibrium point of the Earth by a fraction of a percent. This likely puts an upper limit on just how much restoration the river can and will enjoy, as many species will likely have their historic spawning grounds beyond the dam’s reaches.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 4 Dams Set for Removal in Maine Will Open Hundreds of Miles of River for Salmon, Herring and Sturgeon

Hundreds of dams have already been dismantled along the river, unlocking hundreds of miles of habitat connectivity otherwise isolated.

The authors in their paper said similar programs could be used to reverse ecological decline along other major rivers like the Amazon and Mekong.

SHARE This Incredible Return Of Nature Along The Yangtze… 

Ancient Egyptian Artifacts Recovered Just One Day After Being Stolen from Australian Museum

By
Andy Corbley
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Ancient Egyptian artifacts recovered after heist from Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology – Courtesy of Queensland Police
Ancient Egyptian artifacts recovered after heist from Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology – Courtesy of Queensland Police

Queensland police say they’ve recovered 4 priceless artifacts of ancient Egyptian antiquity that had been stolen from a museum earlier this month.

The world is experiencing a rash of unsolved museum break-ins lately, but thanks to superb policing, this one wasn’t added to the list.

At approximately 3 a.m., a police report stated, a man smashed a window of The Abbey Place Museum and took several artifacts before leaving the scene.

Just a day later, however, police apprehended a certain Miguel Monsalve, after the artifacts were discovered in his camper van near a ferry terminal on Russell Island, Australia.

The artifacts included a 2,600-year-old cat figurine, a funerary mask that would have adorned a mummified noble, a bead necklace, and a 3,300-year-old collar.

On the underground antiquities market, the items might be worth as much as $100,000, but some minor damage the objects sustained could have depleted that substantially.

Museum curators sent a message to the thief through ABC News AU that the objects were held at the Abbey Museum for the educational benefit of the community and the state of Brisbane, and that being exposed to the Australian climate would put them at risk of irreparable harm.

THIEVES CAUGHT: Stolen Van Gogh Returned by Sherlock Holmes of the Art World–Seized from Museum During COVID

Fortunately, the short manhunt resulted in an arrest and a recovery of the artifacts. Mr. Monsalve is now being held without the possibility of bail for counts that include breaking and entering and three counts of willful damage.

The Abbey Museum boasts a collection that chronicles “1 million years of human history,” and the artifacts, now recovered, will return to the original purpose of aiding in the telling of that story.

SHARE This Crack Police Work With Your Friends On Social Media… 

“Friendship is love without her wings.” – Lord Byron

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Friendship is love without her wings.” – Lord Byron

Photo by: Chang Duong

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?

Credit: Chang Duong

Good News in History, February 24

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Good News Network
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Breezing Up (A Fair Wind) - Google Art Project

190 years ago today, one of the foremost painters of 19th-century America, Winslow Homer, was born. Born in Boston to a father always seeking to pull off a get-rich-quick scheme, Homer was molded by his mother; a talented watercolor painter who taught him the basics. His most prolific period was when he moved to Maine and began to paint the robustness of fishing and seagoing cultures there, producing iconic imagery of 19th-century America such as The Gulf Stream, The Fog Warning, and Breezing Up (A Fair Wind). READ about the man’s life and see some of his paintings… (1836)

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Infecting Mosquitoes with Natural Bacteria Lowered Dengue Risk by 70% in Citywide Experiment

By
Andy Corbley
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Dean Calma IAEA, CC 4.0. BY-SA
Dean Calma IAEA, CC 4.0. BY-SA

A gold-standard scientific trial revealed an existing mosquito control method works not only to reduce insect numbers, but also the diagnoses of dengue fever in the area.

Dengue, also known as “breakbone” fever, is a severe viral infection spread by mosquitoes that can be debilitating when caught, and lethal if caught again.

In Singapore, populations of Aedes egypti, or the Nile mosquito, are controlled by releasing captive-bred male mosquitoes carrying a kind of bacteria called Wolbachia, found on many insect genera.

The Wolbachia in this case have been modified to make any eggs born via breeding with the infected mosquitoes sterile, a technique known as Wolbachia-mediated incompatible insect technique–sterile insect technique (IIT-SIT) according to Medical X Press.

Even though IIT-SIT is practiced in different parts of the world, there has never been a randomized-controlled trial done on its effectiveness at controlling or reducing the transmission of mosquito-born diseases.

Faculty at the Environmental Health Institute in Singapore’s National Environment Agency, along with a few collaborators, selected 15 densely-populated areas of the city-state and randomly divided them into groups that would receive a transplanted swarm of IIT-SIT male mosquitoes, and others that would receive none.

MOSQUITO CONTROL: ‘Cheaper, More Humane’ Drones Emerge as Key Weapon in Mosquito Control from Poland to Africa

The scientists didn’t know which areas saw the mosquito release when they began to use traps to catch and estimate insect population, and national health statistics to observe the number of dengue fever cases for 20 months.

By study’s end in 2024, the amount of mosquitoes recorded inside the traps set in wards where Wolbachia-infected males were released plummeted 77%. Of residents who tested positive for dengue fever, 21% were recorded in the control areas, while just 6% were found in the study areas—a transmission reduction of around 71%.

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The study is the first, scientifically-robust evidence that IIT-SIT with Wolbachia is effective at controlling both dengue and the mosquitoes that spread it; invaluable as the world is living through a sort of dengue explosion.

SHARE These Fantastic Results With Your Friends On Social Media…

Diseased Rhino Recovers After Florida Zoo Team Surprise Locals with Pioneering Veterinary Tactics

By
Andy Corbley
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John Towey / Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society
John Towey / Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society

A Florida zoo team recently traveled to Zimbabwe after they were asked to help a white rhino suffering from a parasitic eye infection.

They came up with a “ridiculous idea” to corral the wild animal, earn its trust as if it were a horse or dog, and administer eye drops and other care.

It took place outside of Hwange National Park, where a special project called the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative was ongoing to reintroduce members of the southern white rhino subspecies onto communal lands to give locals a stake in the animal’s future.

The Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society CEO Margo McKnight was visiting the area in August of last year when she was alerted to a problem and asked to help: a male rhino named Thunza seemed to be on the verge of scratching himself blind.

“This rhino had bleeding eyes. He was rubbing his eyes,” said the ironically named Mark Butcher, managing director at a local safari lodge supporting the initiative.

“And I was looking at a potential where this guy was gonna lose his eyesight. And this is in a pilot project that’s got fantastic vision for a future for conservation throughout Africa.”

McKnight, along with several animal behaviorists from the Palm Beach Zoo who arrived later, proposed a method they’d been developing with their own animals, where the  injured or ill creatures are desensitized to caregiving through their own volition. The essence of what that entailed, however, struck the locals as beyond the pale.

“Believe me, we didn’t think of it; it was a completely ridiculous idea to us,” Daniel Terblanche, a security manager at the safari lodge, told AP. “But without trying all of the things that we could to rectify that situation, we would have been in trouble, I think.”

It entailed coaxing the rhinos into corrals using their favorite food, before gradually helping them grow accustomed to the presence and touch of humans through squirting water on their face, petting them, and pulling gently on their horns.

RHINOS RECOVERING: 

Within two weeks they were able to get Thunza to come close to them, stay put while the team administered eye drops directly into the infected eye, and train the local security force to do the same in case the infection should return.

The Florida zoo team left excited both about Thunza’s long-term health prospects.

The southern white rhinoceros is the most numerous in the world, and the most widely dispersed across Africa. Like all rhino, they are at severe risk of poaching for their horns, but when measured across the whole of their range, are not considered endangered.

SHARE This Ridiculous Idea That Saved A Rhino’s Eye On Social Media…

Osaka Stunned by Anonymous Gift of Gold Bars to Fix Aging Water Pipes

By
Andy Corbley
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Osaka City Waterworks Bureau
Osaka City Waterworks Bureau

Have you seen the price of gold recently?

In the Japanese city of Osaka, one man obviously did, and decided to cash in for the sake of his community.

The mayor and his staff were staggered when they discovered an anonymous resident had presented 21 kilograms of gold bars to the city as a contribution to fix Osaka’s dilapidated municipal water piping.

Built in the post-war economic boom, some 160 miles of municipal water pipes need replacing, and the total investment to do so is far more than the gold. But such high quality investment capital being turned over by a private citizen left the honor-conscious Japanese in the city’s government humbled.

“It’s a staggering amount and I was speechless,” Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama said. “Tackling ageing water pipes requires a huge investment, and I cannot thank enough for the donation.”

In a statement, Yokoyama’s office said they will strictly honor the donor’s wishes that his capital go to replacing water pipes.

CIVIC-MINDEDNESS:

At current rates, the 21 kilos of gold will fetch some 560 million Japanese yen, enough to replace 1.2 miles of pipes.

The third-largest city in Japan, Osaka recorded some 92 cases of pipe leakages, some of which made their presence known by sinkholes appearing along the city’s roadway.

The Guardian’s report on the event said that Osaka’s municipal water system was built even earlier than other cities, and is now aging out that much sooner.

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Man’s Dream About Having Heart Attack Leads to Real-Life Diagnosis and Life-Saving Surgery

By
Andy Corbley
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Jeremy Schwartz, credit, the Cleveland Clinic via SWNS
Jeremy Schwartz, credit, the Cleveland Clinic via SWNS

A man who dreamed he died of a heart attack took it as a sign and was soon diagnosed with a dangerous heart condition.

Jeremy Schwartz had a “vivid” dream in which he suddenly died of a heart attack while climbing Ama Dablam, a 22,000-foot mountain he was due to climb during the then-upcoming month of October, in 2025.

Earlier that year, he rode a bicycle across the whole 1,000 mile length of Italy, and completed a solo, 120‑mile circumnavigation of a mountain range in Albania. In short, he was the last 63-year-old you would imagine suffering a heart attack.

Nevertheless, after waking from his dream, Schwartz immediately searched online for a consultant cardiologist and went for an appointment two days later.

“I’ve never had anything like a premonition before. But this dream was so strong and so clear that it left me with an overwhelming sense of importance and urgency,” Schwartz said. “It was so vivid, clear and memorable.”

Schwartz underwent a heart scan, blood tests, an MRI, a CT scan, and an echocardiogram, before being told he had an aortic aneurysm, a dangerous, weakening and bulging of the aorta that can rupture, just a few days before his flight to the mountain in Nepal.

He was transferred from the consultant to Cesare Quarto, a cardiac surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic’s London location, and successfully underwent the David procedure: an open-heart surgery that replaces a diseased aortic root.

Schwartz said his diagnosis came as a “complete shock.”

“I am not a tarot card reader or a spiritualist, and I’m not religious,” said the former executive turned motivational speaker. “I think my subconscious helped make sure I became aware of something that might otherwise have remained hidden.”

The 6-hour surgery was completed without complications, and the staff at the Cleveland Clinic got Schwartz walking almost immediately after surgery.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Taxi Driver Saves His Marriage By Inventing Anti-Snore Pillow That He Dreamt Up in His Sleep

“It is not the first time I have heard a similar story,” said Dr. Quarto. “I strongly believe some patients have an internal alarm bell that starts ringing. Some are able to hear it, and some aren’t.”

Looking back, Schwartz believes several factors may have contributed to the intuition he felt about his upcoming climbing expedition.

About a year earlier, while on a business trip, he recorded a higher‑than‑normal blood pressure reading.

INTERNAL INTUITION: Watch Bus Driver Intervene When Dog Was in the Hands of Dubious Stranger Claiming to Be Its Owner

Additionally, a friend from his local cycling club had died suddenly of a heart attack while riding. And later, he learned on the very day he was scheduled to climb Ama Dablam, another climber on the mountain collapsed and died from a heart attack.

“One of the challenges for men is we often delay taking important medical action,” Schwartz opined. “A lot of these conditions are preventable or treatable if you catch them early.”

“If something feels wrong, it’s not clever or manly to pretend it isn’t. Don’t wait, don’t rationalize, don’t tough it out. Get it checked out. It’s how you get to keep living the life you love.”

SHARE This This Man’s Unconscious Intuition, And The Wisdom To Listen To It…

“The wish for healing has always been half of health.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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Good News Network
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Credit: Felipe Galvan

Quote of the Day: “The wish for healing has always been half of health.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Photo by: Blue Diamond Photography (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?

Credit: Felipe Galvan

Good News in History, February 23

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Good News Network
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140 years ago today, an American inventor used electrolysis to extract aluminum from aluminum oxide, a process that eventually resulted in reducing the price of aluminum by a factor of 200, making it affordable for many practical uses from soda cans to the Wright Flyer. As small grains amid clay, it was thought by medieval alchemists to be the grains of dirt from a second, currently forming, earth. Today, more aluminum is produced than all other non-ferrous metals combined. The process was discovered by Charles Martin Hall, who helped found the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, which became the Aluminum Company of America. READ more… (1886)

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Moving Companies Offer Free Moves to Domestic Violence Victims in 8 States – Thousands, So Far

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Good News Network
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Credit: Meathead Movers
Credit: Meathead Movers

Getting out of an abusive relationship is vital, yet packing up and moving out is more than daunting. But, thanks to Meathead Movers, it’s much easier—and doesn’t cost a dime—to leave a spouse or partner behind and start a new future.

For 25 years, California’s largest independently-owned moving company has been helping end domestic violence in their state by offering their moving services for free to those who need it.

Even better, they launched a coalition in 2015 that attracted eight other moving companies in the United States to join them in their mission.

The program they launched, #MoveToEndDV, has inspired over 200 businesses to pledge free services for domestic violence survivors–from moving to self-storage, and even security companies in three California cities that will send a guard during your move.

Last year alone, Meathead Movers completed 106 domestic violence-related moves for free, including eight emergency moves in the cities they serve: San Luis Obispo, Ventura County, Orange County, Fresno and Bakersfield.

Founded by brothers Aaron and Evan Steed, the company is a powerful example of how businesses can create tangible community impact through service.

Courtesy of Meathead Movers

“These moves became very personal to us,” Aaron told GNN in 2015 when we wrote our first story about the CEO of Meathead Movers. “They made all the employees so proud, and became part of our mission statement.”

Aaron’s compassion inspired the owner of a local moving company in Fort Worth, Texas, to reach out and ask how they could offer free services when they were unable to afford the cost. Aaron suggested dedicating just one day per month, with employees volunteering their labor—the most significant expense. Nearly the entire team stepped up.

Today, that company, Veterans Moving America, works with shelters to provide moving services to survivors in Fort Worth—creating a Texas-sized ripple-effect in their own community.

Other moving companies that have joined #MoveToEndDV include:

Veterans Moving America – Fort Worth
Helping Hands Moving and Maids – Salt Lake City, Utah
We Help! Cincinnati Movers – Cincinnati, Ohio
Elite Moving Services – Des Moines, Iowa
Gentle Giant Moving Company – Boston, Massachusetts
Parks Moving & Storage – Pittsburgh, Harrisburg & State College, Pennsylvania
Always Professional Moving – Phoenix, Arizona
Brown Box Movers – Dallas, Texas

How it works

The moving companies are advised to work with local domestic violence-prevention shelters that will screen victims who are requesting a free move. This is to ensure that the victim—whether male or female—is supported throughout the transition—and to keep movers safe.

“What’s good about that is, they can be vetting the requests for help, supporting the women with counseling, and making sure when we went in, the proper restraining orders were in place, or police were on hand if necessary,” explained Aaron.

In 2020, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence took over #MoveToEndDV and assumed facilitation of the program. With NCADV’s national resources and support services for shelters and survivors, this partnership has enabled Meathead Movers to reach and support even more individuals impacted by domestic violence.

MoveToEndDV – Credit: Meathead Movers

If you or your business can donate products or services, or funding for #MoveToEndDV, whether for moving support, security services, handyman work, or auto repair, visit their website here.

That sense of doing good becomes contagious, inspiring employees and communities alike to take part in meaningful acts of kindness.

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“These women are completely abandoning their life as they know it and trying to rebuild from scratch, and businesses are rallying together for them,” Aaron said. “We want them to know that people in the community have their back. We want to do this is communities all over the country.”

SHARE THIS MOVING STORY With Friends–and Victims–on Social Media…

Plastic Mardi Gras Beads Just End up in Landfill, So Coalition Swaps in Seed Beads and Jambalaya Spice Packets

By
Andy Corbley
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A morning after Mardi Gras - credit, Grounds Krewe supplied
A morning after Mardi Gras – credit, Grounds Krewe supplied

Flung plastic beads, coins, and other trinkets can seem like treasures in the heat of a Mardi Gras moment, but if you’ve ever seen the streets of New Orleans the morning after, you’d recognize only trash.

That’s why a coalition of government agencies and nonprofits is creating “seed beads,” biodegradable party favors, and culturally-smart alternatives like bags of Jambalaya spices, as a way of cutting back on this mountain of party waste.

It’s not just about removing this unnecessary burden of 1,123 tons per year from the landfill; it’s a climate necessity, as the countless plastic objects have been found time and time again to clog the stormwater system.

It’s been 22 years since Hurricane Katrina caused one of America’s largest and most destructive weather-related disasters, and anything that impedes the city’s drainage capacity is considered far more than an inconvenience.

Grounds Krewe, one of the nonprofits working to reduce the environmental footprint of Mardi Gras, operates within a coalition organized by the city’s tourism association called Recycle Dat.

At first, the coalition would work to gather up all the Mardi Gras waste, whether drink cans or plastic beads, and either repackage them or recycle them. Founder of Grounds Krewe Brett Davis realized that, unfortunately, the work was clearing the streets of toxic, cheap crap no one wanted and preparing it only to clutter the streets again.

Since the 2024 Mardi Gras season, he’s managed to sell $1 million of interesting and or environmentally sound “throws.” Davis, a New Orleans native, told the New York Times that when he was a kid, there was desperation to catch anything that came off the parade floats that ply the city center.

After regulations came into effect that prevented any logo or identifiable image on objects thrown from the floats, the name of the game became the cheapest, least valuable stuff participants could afford. It led to a kind of “bead fatigue,” and now, most of what’s thrown from the floats is neither caught nor desired.

Davis’ opinion is that this could all change if what’s thrown off the floats is actually interesting. So far he has assembled a large team of volunteers of all age groups to put together tiny burlap sacks of Jambalaya spice, native flower seed mix, or plant-based glitter.

CUTTING BACK ON WASTE: New ‘eBay for Government’ Helps Counties and States Auction Off Property, Reduce Waste

It’s not a totally new idea to throw things of value. In the Carnival culture of Mardi Gras, some floats bring really interesting things like hand-painted coconuts, and the idea of scarcity—of throwing something that people actually want—something rare and interesting, not only reduces the ecological footprint of the event, but brings back some of the animus it had when Davis was young.

Volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of New Orleans assembled throw packets – credit, supplied to the Times by Grounds Krewe

The Times report also covered the work of two University of Louisiana scientists who began experimenting with creating beads from algae. One of the scientists, Naohiro Kato, used 3D printers to form the algae beads, which he filled with okra seeds. This not only helps the beads break down faster as the okra germinates, but encourages those who’ve caught them to pay attention to what it is they’re actually holding.

NEW ORLEANS NEWS: Birds Sing Anew After Residents of New Orleans Ninth Ward Restore 40-Acre Wetland to Historic Glory

Another LSU scientist, Qinglin Wu, approached the bead problem differently: using a byproduct of sugarcane production called begasse. These sugarcane beads were thrown out for the first time this year by a long-time float organizer.

“The city used to measure the success of Mardi Gras based on the trash collected,” said Kevin Ferguson, chief of staff for the New Orleans mayor. “But there are a lot of reasons we have to make a change.”

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Town Enthusiastically Switches to Restorative Justice and Reoffending Almost Vanishes

By
Andy Corbley
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A C for Unsplash+
A C for Unsplash+

In northern Alberta, a restorative justice program is making a huge difference in a closely-knit community.

With just 68,000 residents, putting someone from Fort McMurray in prison or juvenile detention has a big impact. Instead, a restorative justice program established for the town’s youth in 2022 has been expanded to include adults, and the results are hugely positive.

Out of 115 participant offenders, only 1 has gone on to re-offend, a demonstration that personal responsibility mixed with forgiveness works when punishment may not.

One case study is that of a young resident called Sam (not his real name) who was “irked” by a comment made by his brother, and in response took a swipe at him with a kitchen knife.

Sam’s brother fortunately disarmed him, while their mother called the police  who arrived and arrested the minor for aggravated assault. But instead of a conviction and a criminal record, he was offered a second chance through the restorative justice program.

To be part of the program, the offender must admit fault, and the victim has to agree to be present at that admission. While in the program, Sam got a driver’s license, a job, and, if it can believed, repaired his relationship with his brother such that they still live together in the big logging town.

“It has changed my view on how things could be done and how it actually heals the community as a whole,” Nicole Chouinard, manager of the region’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) victim services and restorative justice programs, told CBC, admitting she used to consider it too “soft.”

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AROUND THE WORLD: 

Mark Hancock, RCMP chief superintendent, pushed for the program’s expansion to include his Wood Buffalo region and Fort McMurray after seeing its positive impact in Labrador.

“You have to face the person you’ve done the harm to, you have to hear how it affected them and how it affected their supporters as well,” added Hancock, who recounted one man saying that it would be harder than just going to court.

Alberta program data shows that restorative justice is effective at keeping people out of the criminal justice system, and there are now 21 organizations in 11 communities across the province that administer it.

SHARE This Great Trend Towards Reconciliation Rather Than Revenge In Alberta…

“To fail to love is not to exist at all.” – Mark Van Doren

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Credit: Blue Diamond Photography (CC license)

Quote of the Day: “To fail to love is not to exist at all.” – Mark Van Doren

Photo by: Blue Diamond Photography (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?

Credit: Blue Diamond Photography (CC license)

Overcoming 3D-Printer Challenges, MIT Produces an Electric Motor in Just 3 Hours

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Advanced 3D printer - Courtesy of MIT scientist Luis Fernando Velásquez-García and team
Advanced 3D printer – Courtesy of MIT scientist Luis Fernando Velásquez-García and team

A broken motor can bring an automated machine factory to a halt—and instead of ordering a replacement part that could take days or weeks to arrive, with costly production delays, it may soon be easier, faster, and much cheaper to make a new motor onsite.

MIT researchers announced on Wednesday that they have developed a multi-material 3D-printing platform that could be used to fully print electric machines in a single step, with 3D materials costing just 50 cents.

They used their new system to produce a fully 3D-printed electric linear motor in a matter of hours using five materials. They only needed to perform one post-processing step for the motor to be fully functional.

The assembled device performed as well or better than similar motors that require more complex fabrication methods or additional post-processing steps.

Their system processes multiple functional materials—including electrically conductive materials and magnetic materials—by using four extrusion tools to handle varied forms of printable material, with the printer squeezing them through a nozzle as it fabricates a device one layer at a time.

In the long run, this 3D printing platform could be used to rapidly fabricate customizable electronic components for robots, vehicles, or medical equipment with much less waste.

“This is a great feat, but it is just the beginning. We have an opportunity to fundamentally change the way things are made by making hardware onsite in one step, rather than relying on a global supply chain. With this demonstration, we’ve shown that this is feasible,” said Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, in MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories, and the senior author of a paper describing the 3D-printing platform, published in Virtual and Physical Prototyping.

3D MAGIC:
• Scientists Using 3D-Printing Stem Cells that Can Be Implanted as Brain Tissue
• Woman Given New 3D-Printed Windpipe in World First

To fabricate an electric machine, the researchers needed to be able to switch between multiple materials that offer different functionalities. For instance, the device would need an electrically conductive material to carry electric current and hard magnetic materials to generate magnetic fields for efficient energy conversion.

Most multi-material extrusion 3D printing systems can only switch between two materials that come in the same form, such as filament or pellet, so the researchers had to design their own. They retrofit an existing printer with four extruders that can each handle a different form of feedstock.

They carefully designed each extruder to balance the requirements and limitations of the material. For instance, the electrically conductive material must be able to harden without the use of too much heat or UV light because this can degrade the dielectric material.

At the same time, the best-performing electrically conductive materials come in the form of inks which are extruded using a pressure system. This process has vastly different requirements than standard extruders that use heated nozzles to squirt melted filament or pellets.

“There were significant engineering challenges. We had to figure out how to marry together many different expressions of the same printing method — extrusion — seamlessly into one platform,” Velásquez-García told MIT News.

The researchers utilized strategically-placed sensors and a unique control framework so each tool is picked up and put down consistently by the platform’s robotic arms, and so each nozzle moves precisely and predictably, ensuring that each layer of material lines up properly—because even a slight misalignment can derail the performance of the finished machine.

Making a motor for 50 cents in materials

After perfecting the printing platform, the researchers fabricated a linear motor, like the ones used in applications like pick-and-place robotics, optical systems, and baggage conveyers.

They fabricated the motor in about three hours, with a total material cost of about 50 cents.

Their 3D-printed motor was able to generate several times more movement than a common type of linear engine that relies on complex hydraulic amplifiers. They only had to magnetize the hard magnetic materials after printing to enable full functionality.

“Even though we are excited by this engine and its performance, we are equally inspired because this is just an example of so many other things to come that could dramatically change how electronics are manufactured,” says Velásquez-García.

3D THRILLS:
 • New 3D-Printed Titanium Alloy is Stronger Than the Standard – Yet 30% Cheaper
• World’s Largest 3D Printed Building is a Horse Barn That Can Endure Florida Hurricanes

In the future, the researchers want to integrate the magnetization step into the multimaterial extrusion process, demonstrate the fabrication of fully 3D-printed rotary electrical motors, and add more tools to the platform to enable monolithic fabrication of more complex electronic devices.

(Original article by Adam Zewe, MIT News)

Good News in History, February 22

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Map showing the results of the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819 - Citynoise, CC 2.5 SA-BY

207 years ago today, Spain sold Florida to the United States as part of the Adams-Onis Treaty. It settled a standing border dispute between the two countries and was considered a triumph of American diplomacy. The cost was equivalent to $537.8 million in today’s dollars priced in gold, but was just 5 million Spanish dollars at the time. Spain had long rejected repeated American efforts to purchase Florida. But by 1818, Spain was facing a troubling colonial situation in which the cession of Florida made sense. READ how it happened… (1819)

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Teacher Wins $1M Prize for Turning India’s Slums Into Hundreds of Open-Air Classrooms

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Rouble Nagi – submitted to GEMS Education 2026 Global Teacher Prize
Rouble Nagi – submitted to GEMS Education 2026 Global Teacher Prize

An Indian teacher who has established more than 800 learning centers across India for children who have never attended school has been named the winner of the $1 million Global Teacher Prize from GEMS Education.

Located in over 100 slums and villages, Rouble Nagi’s classrooms offer safe, inspiring spaces to help overcome the challenging conditions shaped by poverty—child labour, early marriage, irregular attendance, and a lack of infrastructure.

Rather than seeing these realities as barriers, Ms. Nagi designs education around real life: flexible schedules for working children, hands-on learning using recycled materials, and practical skills that demonstrate immediate value to families.

As a result, her programs have reduced dropout rates by more than 50% and significantly improved long-term school retention.

Rouble plans to use the $1 million prize money to build a free vocational institute and digital literacy training program to help transform the lives of millions more marginalized young people.

It all started after she was asked to do an art workshop as an artist in her early 20s. “I met a child who’d never seen a pencil, and it was the turning point of my life.” (Watch the video below…)

Rouble Nagi drawing with children – Credit: Apeksha Roy (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Over the last two decades, she has helped bring more than one million children into the formal education system—and one of her not-so-secret weapons is art.

She has transformed abandoned walls into large interactive murals that teach everything from reading, math, and science, to hygiene, history, environmental awareness, and social responsibility.

The murals, funded through her nonprofit Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, are not decorative artworks, but open-air classrooms that draw children into learning, engage parents, and turn entire neighborhoods into partners in education.

“Rouble Nagi represents the very best of what teaching can be – courage, creativity, compassion, and an unwavering belief in every child’s potential,” said Sunny Varkey, who founded the annual Global Teacher Prize and GEMS Education.

AMERICAN TEACHER NEWS: Virginia Teacher Retired After 67 Years – And Just Left $1 Million to Her School ‘Family’

Slums of Jaffer Baba Colony were painted bright colors by Rouble Nagi’s Misaal Mumbai project – by Pburka (CC BY-SA 4.0)

“By bringing education to the most marginalized communities, she has not only changed individual lives, but strengthened families and communities.”

Now in its tenth year, the Global Teacher Prize—which collaborates with UNESCO—is the largest award of its kind, with Nagi selected from over 5,000 nominations and applications from 139 countries.

“This moment reminds us of a simple truth: teachers matter. UNESCO is honored to celebrate teachers like you, who, through patience, determination, and belief in every learner, help children into school—an act that can change the course of a life,” said Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education.

Rouble, who is also the author of the book, The Slum Queen, travels extensively across India, working directly with children in the learning centers and mentoring the teachers who lead them.

She has recruited and trained more than 600 volunteer and paid educators, creating a scalable model that meets children where they are—academically, socially, and economically.

TEACHING TIP: High School Math Teacher Named 2023 Teacher of the Year For Her ‘One Good Thing’ Classroom Ritual

Alongside her work in education, Rouble is an internationally recognized artist. Through the Rouble Nagi Design Studio, she has created more than 850 murals and sculptures and exhibited in 200 shows worldwide, with her work selected for the President of India’s permanent collection.

“Her work reminds us that teachers are the most powerful force for progress in our world.”

SHARE THE INSPIRING STORY With Your Favorite Teachers on Social Media…

High Schoolers Build Unlikely Friendships With Seniors Through Chair Volleyball

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Good News Network
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Lake Belton High School volleyball team join seniors at Woodland Cottages

What started as a simple chair volleyball game at a senior living community in Belton, Texas, has grown into a meaningful intergenerational friendship.

The sporty seniors, who proudly call themselves “The Hit Squad,” regularly host friendly chair volleyball matches with members of the Lake Belton High School volleyball team.

The games have become a highlight for both groups, filling the community with energy, laughter, and spirited competition.

“We just laugh and laugh when we practice,” said Hit Squad member Charlotte Wheeler.

And, the relationship has expanded in heartfelt ways beyond the chairs of Woodland Cottages.

The residents traveled to one of the girls’ games recently, cheering from the stands and surprising eight senior athletes with personalized goodie bags during the school’s ‘Senior Night’ celebration.

In return, students have embraced the connection with enthusiasm, visiting often to build friendships—and the impact has been tangible for families and staff.

Girls from Lake Belton High School volleyball team with seniors – Woodland Cottages

“I’m ready to get some wisdom and skills from those who know more than I do,” high schooler Thia Allsion told the Belton Journal.

And, the number of students eager to interact with the senior community has grown.

RELATED: Teens Learn the Lost Arts of Sewing and Ironing at New Summer Camp Taught By Local Grandmas Staving off Loneliness

Seniors make signs of support at Woodland Cottages

“After word of the matches spread across campus, the undefeated Lady Broncos basketball team asked to schedule their own chair volleyball game with residents.”

AMAZING: When a Preschool Was Opened Inside a Dementia Care Home, All Heaven Broke Loose

The story continues to unfold with lively matches, groups cheering in the stands, post-game hugs, and smiles that span generations.

Meanwhile, residents report increased physical activity, stronger social engagement, and a renewed sense of purpose, a Woodland Cottages spokesperson told GNN.

OPEN CONNECTIONS IN YOUR HOMETOWN By Sharing The Idea on Social Media…

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