uplifting news

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Garbage Collectors 'Miraculously' Recover Lottery Ticket

A woman's million-dollar prize is salvaged in Italy

(Newser) - A woman in Italy won a million-dollar lottery, only to realize that she had thrown out her winning ticket in the trash. Incredibly, garbage collectors then found the ticket after combing through mounds of trash for hours, reports AFP . It was "miraculously still in one piece," says Roberto...

Zac Brown Band Gifts Free Cruises to Entire Fenway Crowd

Country star marks 15th sold-out show at Boston stadium with $40M giveaway to 37K-plus recipients

(Newser) - Concert swag usually means a T-shirt, but Zac Brown just took things a bit further. Marking his 15th consecutive sold-out show at Boston's Fenway Park on Sunday, the country star told more than 37,000 fans they were all getting a cruise for two via the Margaritaville at Sea...

Teen Uses Lasso in River Rescue
Teen Uses
Lasso in
River
Rescue

Teen Uses Lasso in River Rescue

'Luckily, I caught him on the first try,' says 14-year-old Jory Thomas of Montana

(Newser) - A Montana teen's rodeo practice may have saved a life. Fourteen-year-old ranch hand-in-training Jory Thomas was camping with his family near Greycliff when they heard shouts for help from the Yellowstone River and saw people in the fast-moving water, reports Fox News . Authorities say a raft and paddleboard hit...

Ultra-Rare Identical Quadruplets Enter the World

Woman in Australia gives birth to the naturally conceived girls

(Newser) - Australia just logged a birth so rare that doctors are struggling to emphasize just how rare it is. A 34-year-old woman, Jenitar Na'amoana, delivered identical quadruplet girls via C-section at 28 weeks and four days at Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital last week, reports the BBC . Newborns Emily,...

Five People Stayed Afloat Four Days Before Sea Rescue

Survivors clung to fishing trap, boat debris in Indonesia

(Newser) - An improbable maritime rescue is making headlines out of Indonesia. Five of the people who vanished after a passenger boat went down off South Sulawesi on Wednesday were found alive Saturday—four days after the sinking—reports the Anatolian News Agency . One of the survivors is a 7-year-old girl, per...

'The Pigeon Came Up to Them Seeking Help'

Oakland firefighters deliver oxygen to bird near scene of vehicle fire

(Newser) - Images of Oakland firefighters helping out a struggling pigeon seem to have charmed the internet. The odd moment took place after firefighters responded to a vehicle fire, reports the Oaklandside . When the fire was out, firefighters spotted a pigeon that appeared to be suffering from smoke inhalation. "The crew...

He Was on Lake for the Fourth When the Screaming Started

Off-duty Texas firefighter Jason Horne saves 3 young children stuck under capsized boat

(Newser) - Firefighter Jason Horne figured he was in for a quiet Fourth of July boat ride with his 12-year-old daughter. Instead, he ended up pulling three young children from under an overturned boat on a north Texas lake. Hearing screams on Alvarado Park Lake, the 50-year-old off-duty firefighter and medic dove...

Mystery Do-Gooder Is Showering Churches With Gold

8 English churches report finding gold and silver coins, worth nearly $100K

(Newser) - A 14th-century church in Lancashire, England, was facing $1 million in repair costs when vicar Jane Lee discovered a bag left near the altar on Good Friday. Inside were nine gold coins, dated 1999, which later sold for nearly $40,000. "We just burst into tears when we saw...

In Venezuela, 'Hospital McDonald's' Serves Up Hope

Earthquake survivors get burgers, care, and search for missing pets at fast-food joint in devastated city

(Newser) - Hope came in the strangest of places: A Venezuelan restaurant that has come to be known as "Hospital McDonald's." Gabriela Alves found herself embracing her 6-year-old dog Buddy on Thursday in the fast-food outlet after a week of searching for the white pup that went missing when...

She Rowed From California to Hawaii by Herself

Kelsey Pfendler completes record 2,400-mile journey

(Newser) - A Grand Canyon river rafting guide who aimed to become the first American woman to row across the mid-Pacific solo has completed her record-breaking journey from California to Hawaii. Hundreds gathered to cheer on Kelsey Pfendler as she pulled into a Honolulu harbor Friday night on her 21-foot row boat,...

Father Saves His Toddler, Loses His Foot
Father Saves His Toddler,
Loses His Foot
in case you missed it

Father Saves His Toddler, Loses His Foot

Los Angeles man rescued her from an oncoming truck

(Newser) - A Los Angeles father lost part of his leg saving his 2-year-old daughter, and he says he'd have no problem making the same choice all over again. Jordan Stannard was buckling Sadie into the family car in Venice earlier this month when a truck came barreling at them. He...

This Boy Will Never Forget His Birthday in Disney

Arizona's Andres Robles was deemed Disneyland's 1 billionth visitor on Friday, on his 8th birthday

(Newser) - Turning 8 was big for one Arizona boy, but not as big as the number now forever attached to his birthday. On Friday, Andres Robles was named Disneyland's 1 billionth honorary guest as he entered the Anaheim, California, park with his parents, Alejandra and Jose, on what happened to...

Metallica Gives Foodbank a Lifeline Before Show

$26K donation translates to about 9K meals for facility in Cardiff, Wales

(Newser) - Metallica's latest stop in Wales came with more than pyrotechnics and power chords. The metal band quietly sent £20,000, or more than $26,000, to the Cardiff Foodbank before a sold-out show there on Sunday, reports the BBC . The gift came through the band's All Within...

Giraffe MIA for 2 Weeks Found 'Fat and Happy'

Gracie had been missing after slipping out of enclosure in Hill Country

(Newser) - Earlier reports of Gracie the giraffe's recovery were premature. The young giraffe, who went missing for about two weeks in Texas after wandering off a remote private ranch, was finally found Friday, and the open range appeared to have agreed with her. The giraffe was spotted about 4...

Man, 98, Who Broke Record for Wing Walk: 'I Don't Like Heights'

Harry Heasman's daring flight raises funds for children's cancer charity, earns him Guinness honor

(Newser) - At the age of 98, Harry Heasman finally got the view he'd been chasing since childhood, all while strapped to the top of a flying plane. The British World War II veteran spent upward of nine minutes standing on the wings of an aircraft more than 1,000 feet...

Independent Bookstores Are Thriving, Not Vanishing

They're expanding at a rate not seen since the late 1990s

(Newser) - Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, is used to strangers expressing sympathy when they learn what she does for a living. "It's all so funny," she says. "When I tell them I run the trade association for independent stores, they'll say, 'It'...

Florida Man Finds $30K in Wawa Bathroom, Returns It

Finder says he never considered keeping someone else's cash

(Newser) - A Florida man who walked into a Wawa bathroom and walked out with $30,000 that wasn't his says he never thought about keeping it, the Washington Post reports. Police in Riviera Beach, Fla., say 58-year-old construction worker Luis Salavar (variously reported as Salazar) found a black fanny pack...

Owl Found in Concrete Mixer Is Finally Flying Free

Workers at Utah sanctuary had to install new feathers

(Newser) - An adolescent owl that was found stuck in a concrete mixer in southwestern Utah is finally flying free, the AP reports. After being released, the owl hovered for a moment while the aviary roof was retracted, gained speed, and then flew out into the wild. "It feels so, so...

Debbie Gibson, 'Geezer' Butler Praise Beagle Rescue Effort

Pop star, Black Sabbath co-founder have common ground when it comes to dogs

(Newser) - Pop star Debbie Gibson and Terry "Geezer" Butler, co-founder of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, are singing the same tune when it comes to sparing dogs from medical experiments. The unlikely pair came together this week not for a most unusual duet, but instead to praise ongoing efforts...

Teen Graduates Law School at 18 With Top Honors

James Chilimigras, who began high school at age 12, is done at Loyola New Orleans' law school

(Newser) - Most kids James Chilimigras' age are just entering college, while he's now a freshly minted lawyer. The 18-year-old from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, has graduated with highest honors from Loyola University New Orleans' College of Law, which says he's likely the youngest law grad in Louisiana history and among...

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