Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Friday ending greyhound and any other kind of dog racing in the state.
“Greyhound racing has run its course in Arizona,” said Governor Ducey. “It’s heartening that these beautiful greyhounds will soon be off the track and in loving homes. For any families looking to adopt a new canine companion this summer, I encourage you to consider one of these gentle and intelligent dogs.”
Although the new law, unanimously approved by the state legislature, allows for racing until the end of the year, the Tucson Greyhound Park–the last such establishment in the state–will be ending its live dog races by the end of June, according to the governor’s office–and the animals involved will be ready for adoption this summer.
An active adoption movement in the U.S. has assisted retired racing dogs and found homes for them as pets, with an adoption rate of over 90 percent.
Arizona becomes the 40th state to outlaw the activity, according to the Denver Post, since Gov. Hickenlooper signed a measure that prohibited commercial greyhound racing in Colorado in 2014.
In recent years, several state governments in the United States have passed legislation to improve the treatment of racing dogs in their jurisdiction–and four more states hold no greyhound races, despite the “sport” being legal there.
In the remaining states where it is practiced, the profitability has declined rapidly. The total amount gambled on greyhound racing nationwide declined by 67% between 2001-2011.
In Florida, where 12 of the 22 operational dog tracks in the US remain, the financial decline is even more significant– 72% between 1990 and 2013. RACE This Story to Your Dog-Loving Friends… Click to Share. (Photo by AngMoKio, CC)
President Obama awarded the Medal of Valor, to thirteen public safety officers who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life.
Since 2001, police, firefighters and other first responders have been nominated by their agencies and recommended through the Medal of Valor Review Board.
“It was your courage and quick thinking that gave us our safety,” Obama said at the White House. “Although, this particular moment for which you are being honored is remarkable … we know every day you go out there, you have a tough job.”
One of the recipients whose stories were described in the ceremony, which was held today during National Police Week, is a fallen officer posthumously honored. Philadelphia Police Sergeant Robert Wilson III was shot in a video game store robbery during which he confronted two gunman, and moved away from customers and shopkeepers to keep them safe.
The other recipients of the 2014 Medal of Valor are:
Officer Mario Gutierrez (Miami-Dade Police Department, FL)
For bravery and composure while enduring a violent attack. Officer Gutierrez sustained multiple stab wounds while subduing a knife-wielding assailant who attempted to set off a massive gas explosion that could have resulted in multiple fatalities.
Patrolman Louis Cioci (Johnson City Police Department, NY)
For courageously resolving a volatile encounter with a gunman. After witnessing the murder of his fellow officer, Patrolman Cioci pursued and apprehended the gunman at a crowded hospital, thereby saving the lives of employees, patients, and visitors.
Officers Jason Salas, ad Robert Sparks, and Captain Raymond Bottenfield (Santa Monica Police Department, CA)
For courage and composure in ending a deadly rampage. Officer Salas, Officer Sparks, and Captain Bottenfield placed themselves in mortal danger to save the lives of students and staff during a school shooting on the busy campus of Santa Monica College.
Major David Huff (Midwest City Police Department, OK) For uncommon poise in resolving a dangerous hostage situation. Major Huff saved the life of a two-year-old girl after negotiations deteriorated with a man holding the child captive at knife point.
Officer Donald Thompson (Los Angeles Police Department, CA)
For courageous action to save an accident victim. While off duty, Officer Thompson traversed two freeway dividers and endured first- and second-degree burns while pulling an unconscious man to safety from a car moments before it became engulfed in flames.
Officer Coral Walker (Omaha Police Department, NE)
For taking brave and decisive action to subdue an active shooter. After exchanging gunfire, Officer Walker single-handedly incapacitated a man who had killed and injured multiple victims on a shooting spree.
Officer Gregory Stevens (Garland Police Department, TX)
For demonstrating extraordinary courage to save lives. Officer Stevens exchanged gunfire at close range and subdued two heavily-armed assailants preventing a mass shooting.
Officer Niel Johnson (North Miami Police Department, FL)
For swift and valorous action to end a violent crime spree. Officer Johnson pursued a man who had shot a Miami police officer and two other innocent bystanders, withstanding fire from an assault weapon, and apprehended the assailant.
Special Agent Tyler Call (FBI)
For his heroic actions to save a hostage. Special Agent Call, who was off duty with his family, helped rescue a woman from her ex-husband who had violated a restraining order and held the victim at gunpoint.
Deputy Joey Tortorella (Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, NY)
For placing himself in grave danger to protect his community. Deputy Tortorella confronted and subdued a volatile gunman who had shot and wounded his parents inside their home and by doing so prevented the gunman from threatening the safety of students at a nearby elementary school.
A 14-year-old member of one of the rarest mammal species on the planet gave birth to a female calf at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in their Indonesian National Park home on May 12.
The baby Sumatran rhino weighed 45 pounds and started her life healthy and active. The International Rhino Foundation shared a video of the birth on Facebook and YouTube.
Currently, there are fewer than 100 of the critically endangered Sumatran rhinos still alive. But hopes are high for a further uptick in the population because in November a male Sumatran –the last one in the western hemisphere– was transported to Indonesia to help save his species.
The 8-year-old hero, named Harapan (“Hope” in Indonesian), left Ohio and traveled nearly 10,000 miles to this same sanctuary at Way Kambas National Park. Harapan was born at the Cincinnati Zoo in a captive breeding program that has provided some of important breakthroughs for rhino reproduction in captivity.
The day Superstorm Sandy hit the coast of New Jersey, Palma and her family were standing in their home in a foot of water. They knew they had to evacuate immediately.
“Trying to get out was a nightmare,” says Palma of her escape from the neighborhood. “The street was flooded and we had to drive on the neighbors’ lawns.”
Palma’s family evacuated to her mother’s home five miles to the south, and after the storm had passed, the family came back to their home to survey the damage.
“It was like a war zone. Utter devastation,” said Palma of her neighborhood. She watched her neighbors walking around their destroyed properties inspecting the damage and crying over everything they had lost.
Palma discovered her house had been submerged in three to four feet of water. From the force of the water, the house’s contents had been pushed into the kitchen. The front porch had floated away and was sitting down the block. The fence was gone. She never imagined she could lose everything in just one night.
Palma and her family remained displaced for the next three years, two months, and two days. The process of applying for aid from the state, institutions designed to support people in need after a disaster, was frustrating and slow. After a year of wading through bureaucracy, they were told they did not qualify for support.
At a loss for what to do next, Palma heard from a friend about A Future With Hope, an International Relief Teams partner organization, that was rebuilding homes for those in need in New Jersey. It took just 10 months and she was home again in a brand new house built by IRT volunteers.
Palma is incredibly thankful to these two organizations for working together to give her back her life. She knows without their support, she would still be homeless. Rebuild Your Friends’ Faith In Humanity… Click To Share
This cat staged an escape worthy of Indiana Jones — surviving disaster in a kitchen appliance.
Crews fighting the Fort McMurray wildfire in Alberta, Canada found Tux the cat in the middle of a home — where everything else was destroyed – sheltering inside the stove.
They believe a gas explosion blew out the glass on the front of the oven and Tux hopped inside before another blast toppled the stove, trapping the cat, but at the same time protecting him from the heat and flames.
Firefighters bandaged Tux’s paws and put his picture out on social media where Jody Lishchynsky recognized her feline friend, and was reunited soon after.
The Lishchynsky family had only about 15 minutes warning of the fire’s approach, and in the chaos, Tux was trapped behind the fire line.
They had been gathering what they could carry, when the fire jumped the highway and raced toward them.
The family loaded their dog and what they were carrying into the truck, but when they turned to go back and rescue the cats, the fire had already encircled the house.
They took refuge at a relative’s cabin, where they later were surprised to find a photo of Tux online – along with the story of his amazing survival strategy.
“I don’t know why that fireman looked in that stove,”Lishchynsky told the Canadian Press. “That’s just beyond me. Sure enough, there’s the little frigger.”
Since Tux’s return, the Lishchynskys learned that at least one of their other cats, Sky, escaped the fire as well.
When a classroom of fifth-grade students sat down to take a big test, each child was met with a personal message of encouragement printed on top of their desk.
Teacher Chandni Langford wrote the notes by hand with dry-erase markers, giving each of her charges in in Woodbury, New Jersey one last dose of confidence before they would dive into a test that measure their progress toward college and careers.
The messages were in line with the “growth mindset” education concept followed at Evergreen Avenue Elementary School—the idea that hard work and dedication can bring students the same successful results as intelligence and talent.
“So many of my students have shown tremendous growth over the year,” Langford told TODAY. “I wanted to make sure they know I’ve noticed.”Encourage Your Friends With This Story, Share It…
An Ohio mayor, Tom Scarnecchia, will be giving up $34,000 a year to help reduce his city’s deficit.
The shortfall in Niles has risen to $130,000. WKBN News reports the town is in “a fiscal emergency, and the state requires that the budget be balanced.”
The city council, too, is discussing cutting their own pay by 50 percent.
“I think that him making that personal sacrifice should show the citizens that he’s doing the very best he can. He loves Niles,” Councilman Barry Steffey told WKBN.
A Northern Irish woman only discovered in 1989, that she had an older sister—and finally embraced her for the first time at the arrivals gate of Dublin airport on Tuesday.
27 years ago, Lesley Fagan’s mother told her she had a sister, who had been placed up for adoption, but searches since then have been futile.
She recently learned that other twins had been reunited through Facebook, so, Fagan posted an online appeal that eventually led to her sister.
Once considered permanent, tattoos are now removable through laser treatments, which is good news for those who no longer want to be associated with gangs or lifestyles from their past.
For the last four years, hundreds of inmates in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have taken advantage of the Tattoo Removal Service, a joint program of the Inmate Services Bureau, the Medical Services Bureau, and Homeboy Industries.
The highly successful service uses advanced technology to benefit inmates who commit to bettering themselves while in custody so they can re-enter their communities with a truly “clean slate.”
The removal service incentivizes inmates to engage in structured academic or vocational training, and life-skills classes offered by the Bureau’s Education Based Incarceration unit, thus becoming eligible for tattoo removal treatments.
Inmates regret having gotten tattoos for varying reasons. Some acquired their first tattoo as young as eleven years old, before they could make a wise decision. For others, a tattoo not done by a skilled professional has produced an unsightly or distorted image. And almost all inmates have experienced the negative social stigma attached to some tattoos—especially when they are offensive or prominently displayed on the face, neck, or hands.
Perhaps most importantly, many employers adhere to stated or unstated no-tattoo policies that can limit a former inmate’s job opportunities.
The city’s Tattoo Removal Service is overseen by trained medical personnel who use a medical-grade laser that breaks down the tattoo ink. If the removal process takes longer than the inmate’s sentence, officials coordinate with Homeboy Industries to complete the removal at no cost to the individual.
2,248 inmates have benefited, so far –and, at no private or public cost.
The Inmate Welfare Fund – which pays for essential health, welfare and educational needs of the inmates and is funded by “collect only” pay phones, inmate vending machines, barber shop, and hobby-craft sales– fully pays for all the tattoo removal expenditures, incurring no additional outlay from the Sheriff’s Department or the public.
Having received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, the tattoo clinic, along with the associated academic, vocational and life-skills training, stands as one of the Sheriff Department’s most powerful means of helping inmates secure employment, gain community acceptance, and reducing recidivism.
The herbs peppermint and rosemary have been proven to boost mood and memory, with significant benefits displayed for older people, according to new research from Northumbria University.
Researchers from the University’s Department of Psychology have found that drinking peppermint tea improves alertness, while simply smelling the aroma of rosemary positively enhanced memory in people over 65. They also found the scent of lavender actually impaired it, while chamomile tea had a calming and sedative effect which significantly slowed memory and attention speed.
In one study, the researchers asked 180 volunteers to consume either a chamomile or peppermint tea drink and tested their cognition and mood before and after drinking. A control group drank hot water for comparison.
They found that peppermint enhanced and aroused both mood and cognition, helping to improve long term memory, their working memory and alertness.
In a separate study, 150 healthy people aged 65 and over were placed in rooms which had been scented with rosemary and lavender essential oils, or a control room which had no scent. They were asked to undertake tests that assessed their prospective memory – the ability to remember to do something at a given time, such as taking medication, or after receiving a prompt, such as posting a letter after seeing a post box. They also completed a mood assessment test.
Those who had been in the rosemary scented room displayed significantly enhanced prospective memory, with test scores 15% higher than those who had been in the room with no aroma. They were also more alert.
In contrast, those who had spent time in the lavender scented room displayed significantly increased calmness and contentedness, with a decrease in their ability to remember to do something at a given time.
Scent receptors in your nose send messages to the amygdala and hippocampus (parts of the brain) that affect emotions and memories. The theory is that scent can influence these areas.
Dr Mark Moss, Head of the Department of Psychology, said: “Peppermint has a reputation for being psychologically or mentally alerting. It picks you up and makes you feel a little bit brighter, so we endeavored to test this out by giving people peppermint tea, or chamomile tea, which is a more calming drink and then put them through some computerized tests. We found that those people who had drunk the peppermint tea had better long-term memory. They were able to remember more words and pictures that they had seen. In contrast, the people who had the chamomile were slower in responding to tasks.
“Rosemary meanwhile has a reputation about being associated with memory – even Shakespeare said ‘rosemary is for remembrance’ – and it’s also associated with being invigorating. We have found that people are more alert after being in a room that has rosemary aroma in it. We tested prospective memory – our ability to remember to remember to do something – on people over 65 years of age, to see if we could improve their ability and we found that rosemary could do that. This is potentially very important because prospective memory, for example, enables you to remember to take your medication at certain times of the day.
“It is interesting to see the contrasting effects that different herbs can have on both mood and memory, and our research suggests that that they could have beneficial effects, particularly in older age groups. If you were otherwise healthy then this research suggests that there is an opportunity to have an improved memory.”
Northumbria University’s Department of Psychology has undertaken a number of studies into the effects of herbs and substances on mood and memory. They have also found that sage, ginseng, lemon balm and gingko biloba can all have positive effects on improving mental performance.
The findings were presented at the annual British Psychological Society Conference in Nottingham at the end of April.
This plucky English bridesmaid shows us that heroes come in all shapes, sizes—and dresses.
A formal wedding photo shoot was set to commence on the lawn of Dumbleton Hall next to a lake that seemed idyllic–or so everyone thought.
“We had just assembled the bridesmaids around the bride and groom, when suddenly we heard this AWFUL traumatic squawking,” photographer Rosie Hardy told Good News Network. “This nasty black swan had stolen one of the goslings from two parents, and had its beak around its neck trying to drown it.”
Without missing a beat, Faye West, the sister of the bride, kicked off her heels and marched into the lake.
“By the time I shouted for help from onlookers, Faye was already shoe-less and bounding over to the lake like a live woman, with a mission!” Hardy recalled. “She didn’t break speed as she hit the water, and within seconds the swan had gotten the message.”
After scaring off the bully, West scooped up the tiny chick and returned it to its mother on the opposite bank.
“The geese swam off quite happily a little while later, but not before letting off two very lovely honks to thank her,” added Hardy, who snapped a photo of the lucky feathered family (below), and posted the story on Facebook, quipping, ‘Faith in humanity: restored’.
All photos used with permission of Rosie Hardy
Hannah the bride, and new husband Mark Jefferies, are delighted that their fairy tale wedding in Gloucester, England didn’t end in a homicide.
“We are breathing a sigh of relief that the big day went well, and with no gosling fatalities in the photos,” Mark Jefferies was quoted as saying in local newspapers.
After being stationed for more than nine months in a foreign country, this first lieutenant was given an early homecoming surprise when his connecting flight was being piloted by none other than his father.
Mario Lopes was transferring to fly home from Germany to Virginia Beach, after serving in Kuwait. His father, a United Airlines pilot also named Mario, saw that his son’s flight was departing on his own airline–and jumped at the chance to captain it.
Waiting until everyone was aboard the plane, Mario’s dad snuck up behind his son and said, “First Lieutenant Lopes! What are you doing on my aircraft?!”
“I was awestruck when I saw him. When our bus pulled up next to a United 777 in Kuwait I thought about how cool it would be if Dad could fly us home,” Mario told Good News Network. “I figured it was impossible because as far as I knew he was in Virginia Beach waiting for me!”
A colleague recorded video of the beautiful reunion.
“It’s absolutely the best surprise I’ve ever had. As great as it is being back in the US, that was certainly the best thing to happen to me.”
(WATCH the Heartwarming Reunion Above)Click to SHARE the Homecoming…
This dog can’t control his emotions when he realizes he’s going home with his best friend that he hasn’t seen in two years.
When Jose was down on his luck, recently divorced, homeless, and depressed, Chaos helped him through it all. But rather than putting the dog through any further stress, Jose decided to ask a friend of a friend to take care of Chaos temporarily. Unfortunately, after Jose had put his life back together, the person refused to give Chaos back.
Jose figured he’d never see his dog again, until a Wisconsin animal shelter called him last month. They’d found a lost dog with a microchip that pointed back to Jose.
“I couldn’t get to the shelter fast enough, I couldn’t wait for it to open to see Chaos!” Jose told WREX News.
A once homeless piano player has not only rehabilitated himself and his family relations, he has landed a recording contract less than a year after his talents were discovered on a sidewalk and applauded worldwide.
Donald Gould became an overnight sensation last summer when a video of him playing a piano on the streets in Sarasota, Florida was viewed millions of times on social media.
Since then, Gould was offered a regular paying gig at a Sarasota piano bar, has completed rehab for his addiction, reunited with his son, and played the national anthem before a National Football League game.
Austin, Texas-based Triple Pop Records offered him the contract to record his first single — the song he played in last summer’s video, Styx’s “Come Sail Away”.
The lead vocalist and keyboardist of Styx, Dennis DeYoung, even sent Gould his congratulations.
Gould says his change of fortune in the last several months has made him look forward to each new day.
“Most of the time you find success right when you’re at the point at, just about had enough. ‘I’m gonna give up that’s it,’” Gould told WFLA. “You push yourself beyond that point and you’ll see the door to success open up.”
Order his single on iTunes, where it is now available for pre-sale.
(WATCH the video below and READ more from WFLA News) — Photo: WSB, WFLA video
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This toddler may be too shy to interact with anyone, but who wouldn’t go starry-eyed for Snow White?
While at Disney World with his family, two-year-old Jack-Jack refused to look at Mary Poppins and declined a friendship with Buzz Lightyear, but when he saw the fairest of them all, it was love at first sight.
Two weeks after going on the vacation, Jack-Jack was diagnosed with nonverbal autism, meaning he’s usually as mute as Ariel – but that doesn’t stop him from re-watching this special moment with the raven-haired Disney princess over and over again.
(WATCH the video above)Hakuna Manatata… Click To Share
When the staff of this pizza parlor had gone two weeks without hearing from one of their regular customers, a simple check-up turned into the restaurant’s first life-saving delivery.
Kirk Alexander has ordered a pizza from the same Salem, Oregon Domino’s Pizza restaurant almost every day for seven years.
Over the weekend, the staff realized they hadn’t heard from him in 11 days, so manager Sarah Fuller asked one of her delivery drivers to stop by Alexander’s house to check on him.
Tracey Hamblen found the lights and television on, but no one answering the door, so Hamblen called police.
Deputies and paramedics found Alexander inside his house, having a medical emergency and rushed the 48-year-old man to the hospital.
“The Sheriff’s Office would like to personally thank Mr. Hamblen for his quick actions and willingness to take time out of his day to care for others,” the Marion County Sheriff’s Office posted to it’s Facebook page.
Not only is the man recovering well, the two Domino’s superheroes were rewarded with tickets to see “Captain America: Civil War,” and a trip to Las Vegas to attend their company’s worldwide rally.
A group of Cleveland teens were overwhelmed with emotion as they beat out 20,000 other students to claim top prize at the FIRST Robotics World Championship.
Their Team 120, made up of students from the Cleveland School District–as well as Virginia, California, and Illinois–sent their robot into the competition featuring 634 teams from 42 countries around the world.
The students stayed up late working every night, skipping parties, to make sure their machine was in prime condition for its events.
The organization, “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” (abbreviated FIRST), encourages students to look toward futures in science, math, and engineering fields. Its robotics competition is the oldest and largest of its kind in the world.
“This is where we aspire, it’s where we learn to innovate and become the future,” Iris Harris, Team 120 member, told WOIO News. “This helps our future.”
Do you still think American kids can’t complete in science and math?
A relentless Florida sheriff has spent six years getting the homeless off his county’s streets — and the heartening news is, he finds them homes and jobs.
Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee’s department was swamped with complaints about homeless people wandering the streets, sleeping in parks, and begging for money.
He decided instead of sending deputies to move them along, he’d assign a squad to move them forward.
Gee assigned five deputies and a department colonel to work with the homeless in the county around Tampa.
They partnered with nonprofits and religious charities to help the homeless find solutions to their problems ranging from treatment for addiction to finding jobs. The deputies soon found out that many of the homeless didn’t realize there was help or benefits available.
In one case, deputies responded to complaints of a couple panhandling for money in traffic. Instead of taking them to jail, the deputies found them an apartment and jobs.
“Within six months, they were self sufficient,” Sheriff’s Major Chad Chronister told the Tampa Tribune. “It’s not that they didn’t want help. They just didn’t know how to get it.”
The Sheriff’s program has moved 500 people into temporary housing and found permanent homes for more than 200.
