Newtown team advances to World Series, and more
Several of the team members attended Sandy Hook Elementary, which was devastated by a shooting last year that killed 20 students and six teachers.
Newtown team advances to World Series
A baseball team from Newtown, Conn., will play in the 10-and-under Cal Ripken World Series next week. Several of the Newtown Renegades attended Sandy Hook Elementary, which was devastated by a shooting last year that killed 20 students and six teachers, and others had siblings there. But the team overcame the tragedy to beat teams from Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire and reach the World Series. “They’re great little ambassadors for the town,” said co-coach Joe Rios. “They wear that Newtown on the front of their shirts and they go out and carry themselves with a lot of pride.”
The biggest band in the world
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Thai Elephant Orchestra may be literally the biggest band in the world. The players, all retired work elephants based in Lampang, Thailand, have been trained to play supersized percussion instruments with their trunks. The orchestra was co-founded by Columbia University neuroscientist David Sulzer, who built an enormous xylophone, marimbas, and drums, along with mallets for the pachyderms to strike them with. The band’s three albums are so accomplished, Sulzer claims, that one music critic was convinced he was hearing professional musicians. “[He] said, ‘I bet it’s a new music group from Asia.’ I said, ‘You got it.’”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
An ingredient in Coca-Cola may be funding Sudan's war
Under the Radar Global trade in gum arabic centres on the African nation – and proceeds bankroll conflict between the army and paramilitary rebels
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Homes for multi-generational families
Feature Featuring a 1900 Jacobean-style mansion in Massachusetts and a 22.5-acre compound in California
By The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Foot PSA
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published