uplifting news

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'Hospital' for Misfit Toys Keeps Joy Going for a New Generation

Venezuelan nonprofit gives outgrown playthings a makeover, donates them to vulnerable kids

(Newser) - The doll's golden curls are intact, and soon her head is, too. One by one, the toys that show the wear and tear of love are restored for the holidays: sewed and combed, stuffed and dressed. From Barbie dolls to a Kung Fu Panda character with a paw raised...

Construction Workers Save Blind Cat From Frozen Pond

They came to the rescue after 20-year-old cat fell through ice in Massachusetts

(Newser) - Tiki, a 20-year-old blind black-and-white cat, likes to roam about outdoors. But this time he caused a scare after he was seen on ice floating in a Massachusetts pond and then fell in. He has an alert passerby and a couple of nearby construction workers to thank for his rescue...

'One in a Billion' Egg Fetches $250 at Auction

Charity initially thought donation of 'almost perfectly spherical' egg was a joke

(Newser) - A man who bought a "one in a billion" egg on an auction site after having a few pints in his local pub ended up using it to do some good. In August, Ed Pownall of Lambourn in Berkshire, England, paid $187 for the egg, which was described by...

Kids Get to Hop a Flight to the North Pole

Santa and fun await in a transformed Denver airport hangar

(Newser) - Dozens of kids cheered on a festively decked-out plane in Denver when the pilot announced their destination for the day: the North Pole. More than 100 children, some of whom have serious health issues, were then taken on a roughly 45-minute flight near the city over the weekend before landing...

He Tried to Return Library Book After 50 Years

Michigan branch told him Chuck Hildebrandt he could keep it

(Newser) - Fifty years later, a man who grew up in suburban Detroit tried to return a very overdue baseball book to his boyhood library. The answer: You can keep it—and no fine. Chuck Hildebrandt, 63, of Chicago said he visited the public library in Warren while in town for Thanksgiving,...

600 Booksellers Just Got a Bonus From James Patterson

Author says he wanted to acknowledge 'all their hard work this holiday season'

(Newser) - Staffers at Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama, San Francisco's City Lights Books, and the Nook in Cedar Falls, Iowa, are among 600 booksellers receiving $500 holiday bonuses from James Patterson, the bestselling novelist who has been awarding independent store employees since 2015. "Booksellers save lives. Period,"...

Indiana Man Spots 2 Missing Babies in Freezing Weather

They were left in car seats in a ditch outside his home after a car theft, and both are fine

(Newser) - An Indianapolis man made an incredible find when he outside to retrieve a package: two missing babies in a ditch near his house, both still in their car seats. Robert Deane brought the girls inside from the 27-degree weather and called police, and all ended well, reports USA Today . The...

Runner's GPS Animation Stuns the Internet

Hat tip to Duncan McCabe, who ran 700 miles over 10 months to create a dancing stick man

(Newser) - An accountant by trade, Duncan McCabe puts his creative mind to work in other pursuits, like incredible stop-motion art using GPS, which has now taken the internet by storm. Over 10 months, McCabe recorded 120 of his runs through Toronto, Canada, on the fitness app Strava . His route stayed mostly...

Hiker Gets Lost, Survives 50 Days in Woods
Hiker Gets Lost,
Survives 50 Days
in Freezing Woods
in case you missed it
Dec 1, 2024 11:25 AM CST

Hiker Gets Lost, Survives 50 Days in Freezing Woods

He's now recovering at a hospital after being found in Canadian Rockies

(Newser) - Authorities feared the worst for a 20-year-old missing more than five weeks in the backwoods of the Canadian Rocky Mountains—but he was found alive Tuesday. Two people heading to work in British Columbia's Redfern-Keily Park recognized Sam Benastick as the missing hiker as he walked toward them on...

Rescuers Pull Dog Out of 50-Foot Mine Shaft

Firefighters helped rescue the beleaguered canine from mine shaft in California's El Dorado County

(Newser) - There are almost 2,000 abandoned mines in California's El Dorado County, according to FOX40 , which details the tale of "one poor dog" who ended up 50 feet deep in one. Per an online statement , firefighters responded to a middle-of-the-night call last Thursday at an area about 70...

Wayward Sea Turtle Receives Improbable Rescue

Native to the US, it wound up in the Netherlands before being safely returned

(Newser) - An endangered sea turtle that was found about a year ago some 5,000 miles from its native waters has been released into the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Houston Zoo. The Kemp's ridley sea turtle, named Boeier after the boat that rescued it, was found off the...

Disney Cruise Ship Rescues 4 From Catamaran

The Disney Treasure's maiden voyage will be next month

(Newser) - Disney's newest cruise ship won't have its maiden voyage with passengers until next month, but the Disney Treasure picked up four people during an unscheduled stop on Sunday. The cruise ship rescued the four from a sinking catamaran around 265 miles off the coast of Bermuda, ABC News...

This Rare Dime May Fetch $500K at Auction
Rare 1975 Dime Sells
for More Than $500K
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Nov 2, 2024 12:20 PM CDT

Rare 1975 Dime Sells for More Than $500K

Whereabouts of dime with missing letter had been a mystery for decades

(Newser) - An incredibly rare dime has sold for the equivalent of more than 5 million ordinary dimes. The coin, whose whereabouts had remained a mystery since the late 1970s, sold for $506,250 in an online auction that concluded Sunday, according to auction house GreatCollections, per the AP . The dime is...

Lifeguard on Finding Lost Teen Kayaker: 'Crying My Guts Out'

Kahiau Kawai, 17, was found alive clinging to kayak off coast of Honolulu after nearly 12 hours

(Newser) - A teenager in Hawaii was recovering Friday after spending more than 11 hours clinging to a kayak before being rescued during an overnight ocean search by an off-duty lifeguard and the US Coast Guard. Kahiau Kawai, 17, had gotten separated from his high school paddling team on Wednesday after capsizing...

'She Looked Into His Eyes, and He Was Sold'

Southwest pilot Matt Prebish adopts kitten he was flying on hurricane rescue flight with 145 animals

(Newser) - What's part of Matthew Prebish's job as a volunteer pilot after natural disasters: evacuating displaced animals. What's not necessarily part of the job: adopting one of those uprooted cuties. But that's exactly what Prebish ended up doing after a weather delay earlier this month in Milwaukee,...

'Your Dog Is a Hero. She Saved Your Life Today'

Gita leads deputy to fallen owner in rural Washington state

(Newser) - It's as close as you'll get to a real-life Lassie rescue. A dog in rural Washington state is credited with saving the life of her 84-year-old owner by leading a deputy straight to him, reports KREM . Deputy Colton Wright of the Stevens County Sheriff's Office was patrolling...

Conjoined Twins Separated, Go Home to Celebrate First Birthday

Amari and Javar Ruffin had successful separation surgery in August

(Newser) - Twin brothers who were born conjoined recently celebrated their first birthday after undergoing successful separation surgery, the AP reports. Amari and Javar Ruffin, whose family lives in Philadelphia, were born via cesarean section on Sept. 29, 2023. The brothers—who shared part of their sternum, diaphragm, abdominal wall, and liver—...

Octogenarian Nearly Became the Oldest Miss Universe Contestant

Choi Soon-hwa made it to finals of Miss Universe Korea pageant, but won't advance

(Newser) - Choi Soon-hwa may not have won Miss Universe Korea, but her appearance at Monday's pageant proved, as CNN put it, that "age is just a number." Choi, variously reported as 80 or 81, had hopes of becoming the oldest woman ever to compete in the Miss Universe...

79-Year-Old Broke Leg Hiking Alone. Then Came 'Angels'
79-Year-Old Broke Leg Hiking
Alone. Then Came 'Angels'
in case you missed it
Sep 29, 2024 7:00 AM CDT

79-Year-Old Broke Leg Hiking Alone. Then Came 'Angels'

US airman Troy May carried Ursula Bannister on his back for nearly three hours

(Newser) - Ursula Bannister has climbed to a mountain lookout in Washington state once a year for the past 23 years. She normally brings someone with her to the spot where she scattered her mother's ashes, but on Aug. 28, the 79-year-old set out on the challenging 1.6-mile out-and-back trail...

It's Just Like Party of 5, Except It's a Party of 6

Michigan State defensive back Armorion Smith, 21, is raising his younger siblings after mom's death

(Newser) - Armorion Smith pressed his palms together over the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes, and leaned against the kitchen sink. The 21-year-old Michigan State defensive back needed a moment in the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home he shares with five younger siblings. He has a lot on his plate—more than...

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