With election day coming up, the country is more divided than ever. Sometimes it can be good to take a step back from looking at what is going on in the world, since the news can feel depressing at times. To counter that, here are some heartwarming, wholesome news stories that readers may have missed.
Amidst all the chaos brought by Hurricane Helene, a special housing development in Cortez, Florida is still standing, leaving many in awe. The development, called Hunter Point, has made it through Hurricanes Ian, Idalia, and now Helene not only staying structurally sound, but also keeping the lights on while they did it. Marshall Gobuty, the president of Pearl Homes said his houses have a ground floor garage that is solid concrete, the walls are filled with a hard insulation, rather than foam, which makes them more sturdy and energy efficient. A steel roof was needed to make it much harder for strong winds to come and take it off, and solar panels were installed and they keep a battery charging that can power the building on its own for several days. One of the most important safety precautions was connecting the three floors with steel beams, all of which paid off in the end.
“I think they should implement these kinds of houses in every housing development in Florida, and if not, at least the houses on the water,” said freshman Addison Ahmuty.
It is no secret that dogs are man’s best friend. After an 84-year-old man fell and couldn’t get up, his dog Gita knew she had to do something. She went into the road and sat, refusing to get up. That was until the sheriff patrolling the area saw and decided to go try and pick the dog up. Gita stood up and began walking, and the sheriff followed, sensing that something was wrong. The dog led the sheriff to the cabin where her owner was lying helpless. Without Gita, he wouldn’t have gotten the medical attention that he needed as fast as he did, and would not have lived.
Australia is putting the marine environment first. Over 10,000 additional square miles were just protected in the Heard and McDonald Islands in Australia’s southern territories. This, paired with a few other marine life protected areas in the country, has made it so 52 percent of Australia’s ocean territory is protected. This is far more than any other nation and they’re doing a great job at demonstrating good environmental habits to the rest of the world.
In other news, a flight between Las Vegas and Monterey nearly ended in tragedy when the pilot went into cardiac arrest. Thanks to one brave Californian woman, the tragedy was averted. After following instructions from the air traffic control tower at the airport at Meadows Field, the woman was able not only keep her cool, but get everyone aboard to safety. Airport director Ron Brewster said that they were able to have ambulances on scene as soon as the plane came to a stop.
“I can’t believe that a woman was able to save so many lives without any prior knowledge on flying a plane,” said freshman Elle Tannebaum.
This October, a 71-year-old woman lost an envelope with cash at a market in Massachusetts. When she realized it was missing, she called her nephew to go back to the grocery store with her and help her look for it, but it was nowhere to be found. As they were about to leave, a manager came running out of the store to hand her her money. A different customer had found the envelope and knew that it was a significant amount of money that would definitely impact its owner’s life. He returned it to the store’s management who then passed it onto the woman. This inspiring act proves that there are still some good people in the world.
“It’s hard to think what I’d do if I found an envelope with that much money in it. I would like to think I’d do the same thing as the other customer and I think he’s a real inspiration,” said freshman Stella Mei.
These days, when Americans turn on the TV, pick up a newspaper, or scroll news reports on their phones, they are bombarded with negativity, but it doesn’t have to be this way. There are so many positive stories to report and bright spots in a world that sometimes feels dark.