The week's good news: June 16, 2022

(Image credit: fieldwork/iStock)

Jump to category:

1. Phoenix gas station owner sells gas at a loss to help his customers
2. Teen surprises school custodians with thank you gift from all of his classmates
3. High school senior injured in crash achieves her goal of walking at graduation
4. 104-year-old woman's wish comes true when she gets to hold a penguin
5. Swimmer and conservationist strives to protect the planet while breaking records

published 16 June 2022

1. Phoenix gas station owner sells gas at a loss to help his customers

Jaswiendre Singh is giving his customers — and their wallets — a break. Singh owns a gas station in Phoenix, and while he is buying gas at $5.66 a gallon from his supplier, he's selling it for 47 cents less. With 1,000 gallons of gas pumped at his station every day, it's a big loss for Singh, but what's important to him is that he's giving some relief to his customers. "My mother, my father, they teach us to help," Singh told KTVK/KPHO. "If you have something, you have to share with other people." His generosity means the world to customers like James McGary, who fills up his tank twice a week. "I am super thankful," he said. "I'm grateful that he's here."

They spent the year keeping the floors shiny, the desks clean, and the trash cans empty, and before classes were out for the summer, Kaleb Kelley-Jones wanted the custodians at his Kansas high school to know how much their hard work was appreciated. The 18-year-old bought a card for each custodian, and had all of his fellow students, as well as the teachers and administrators at Atchison High School, sign them. With the help of his family, he also baked cookies, and delivered the cards and homemade treats to the custodians. "They do a lot for us at the school," Kelley-Jones told USA Today. "I don't know if they're ever acknowledged for it." The custodians were stunned by his kind gesture, with one calling the teenager "precious."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Khalia Carter's senior quote is ringing true. For her quote, the Fort Myers, Florida, resident chose: "It's almost impossible to get it done until it's done. So, if you put your mind to it and work for it, you will do it." Carter has been living by this sentiment since mid-April, when she was hit by an alleged drunk driver and suffered traumatic brain injuries. Instead of going to classes, she had to spend the last several months at physical therapy, where she's been learning how to walk again. Carter had to miss out on the typical end-of-year activities for seniors, but vowed to attend graduation. She made it clear her goal was to walk across the stage, unassisted, to receive her diploma — and on May 21, she did exactly that. Carter's mother, Shawnda Cook, told CBS News that since the accident, she's been sad and upset, "but then there are the other emotions. Like, 'Wow, this girl has the strength to move on, we need to look up to her.'"

It finally happened: Bertha Komor's lifelong dream of holding a penguin came true. The 104-year-old Farmington, Connecticut, resident was able to meet Mr. Red Green of the Mystic Aquarium earlier this month. The aquarium and Twilight Wish Connecticut, an organization that grants wishes for senior citizens, made the surprise visit happen, bringing Mr. Red Green to Komor's retirement community. "I didn't expect this," she told WFSB. "Best part was petting him and seeing him close up." She laughed and smiled as Mr. Red Green curled up on her lap, content with the attention he was receiving. Komor's granddaughter, Karen Rivkin, was there to witness this magic moment. "I am just so excited for her and just so happy that she was able to have this wish come true and to just have been in our life for as long as she has," Rivkin told WFSB.

Last month, Merle Liivand put on her monofin and set off — to not only break a swimming record, but to also bring attention to the problem of plastic pollution in oceans. On May 7, the Florida resident broke the record for the longest swim while wearing a monofin; she swam for 26.22 miles off the coast of Miami, finishing in 11 hours and 54 minutes, Guinness World Records says. "Swimming with the monofin without using my arms is similar to how dolphins and marine animals swim," Liivand told Guinness. "They have a fin and can't use any arms." During her swim, Liivand picked up trash that she found in the water, and placed it in a kayak that was following her. Part of Liivand's swimming mission is to get more people to understand the problem of marine pollution and take action. "At the end of the day, this isn't just about a record," she told Guinness. "It's about helping the community and the world. ... We need to make sure that we're all healthy. Healthy humans means a healthy planet."

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.