The week's good news: Feb. 9, 2023

1. Couple that met during chance encounter on plane celebrates 40th wedding anniversary

If Vickie Moretz and Graham Kidner hadn't booked standby tickets for a World Airways flight from Washington, D.C., to London — and snagged the last seats on the plane — they wouldn't have spent the last 40 years married. "When you think back, all the things that had to line up for us to meet is incredible," Graham told CNN Travel. "One slight change of plans, we never would have met. It was meant to be." In early 1982, Vickie and her friend were heading to England for a work study program, while Graham was returning home after traveling through the U.S. They were thrilled to get the last three seats on the plane, all in one row, and became fast friends. Graham took the Americans on a whirlwind tour of London, and before he had to head north to his home, he took a picture with Vickie, their arms around each other. They had an instant connection, and when Graham visited a few weeks later, "by the end of that evening, we were holding hands," Vickie said. "That was March 6. And then we were engaged July 4, and married December 28." They now live in the U.S., where they raised their two children, and for their 40th wedding anniversary, their neighbor snapped a picture of them recreating the photo from their first night in London. "It was amazing how we met, and how things turned out," Vickie told CNN Travel, adding, "and that we're still together, that's amazing too."

CNN Travel

2. Brothers Jason and Travis Kelce are about to make Super Bowl history

Super Bowl LVII could just as easily be referred to as the Kelce Bowl. On Sunday, Jason Kelce, a center for the Philadelphia Eagles, and Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, will become the first brothers to ever compete against each other in the Super Bowl. "My mom can't lose," Travis, 33, told ESPN. "It's going to be an amazing feeling playing against him ... you won't see me talking too much trash because of how much respect and how much I love my brother. But it's definitely going to be an emotional game." The brothers from Ohio have always been close, but were so busy during previous football seasons that they had a hard time staying in touch. In September, they launched a podcast, "New Heights," and that's been a great way for them to stay connected. They definitely still remember the sibling rivalry they had as kids, when they tried to outdo each other no matter what game they were playing, but Jason, 35, told ESPN he's found that "when you get to a certain point being brothers, it becomes more of a pure relationship. I'm no longer telling him what to do or showing him the ropes or trying to offer guidance as an older brother. Now it's more as just as friend. We get to genuinely just enjoy each other's personalities and who we are as individuals."

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

ESPN

3. Minnesota teen has slept in his backyard for more than 1,000 nights: 'I'm just here having fun'

Isaac Ortman has found that there's nothing like sleeping under the stars — and that's exactly what he's been doing every night since April 2020. It all started when the 14-year-old's dad, Andrew, suggested he sleep outside for the weekend. It was the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it would be something different for the Duluth, Minnesota, resident to do. Isaac told Today that after two nights outdoors, he decided to see if he could last for an entire year. More than 1,000 days later, Isaac is still going strong, and doesn't plan on stopping soon. "I'm not out there to beat any world record," he said. "I'm just here having fun in my backyard." Isaac is a Boy Scout, and he did thorough research when it came to picking the right equipment for sleeping outside during the different seasons — his coldest night was 38 degrees below zero. He also prepares ahead of vacations, and has stayed at campgrounds with his dad while the rest of the family is in a hotel. There is still one grassy area Isaac hopes to conquer. "If he had one wish right now, it would be for the president to ask him to camp out on the White House lawn," Andrew told Today. "Wouldn't that be neat? It would be a feel-good story for the nation."

Today

4. Alabama students celebrate their classmate's adoption during special day

When Melanie and Anthony Brown formally adopted their 9-year-old daughter Jasmine on Feb. 2, they weren't alone in the courtroom. Jasmine's classmates at Danville-Neel Elementary School in Danville, Alabama, joined them, in addition to her teacher, principal Tara Morrow, employees from the Alabama Department of Human Resources, and a Court Appointed Special Advocates worker. The idea to incorporate Jasmine's "village" came to Melanie when she was thinking about her own childhood, she told Good Morning America. Melanie is adopted, and said kids were mean about it. She didn't want Jasmine to have this same experience, and invited her classmates to the adoption ceremony. For the event, Jasmine wore a shirt that said "I Love My Village," while her classmates donned tees that read "We Are The Village." Melanie told GMA Jasmine said it "was really good to have them there, to know how much she's loved." Morrow was also glad that the students were part of the ceremony, saying, "You hear about adoption but if you've never really been a part of one, you really don't know the legality part of it and how it all goes down. So I think that was a great experience for them to be able to be a part of that."

Good Morning America

5. 91-year-old crossing guard retires after decades of service

In the more than four decades she spent as a crossing guard, Louise Kobs, 91, helped countless children in Levittown, New York, get to and from school safely. "It was the greatest job," Kobs told WABC. "I love it very much." The great-grandmother was 50 years old when she started working as a crossing guard, and her son, Kevin, said her family spent years asking her to retire, but she kept telling them no. Finally, she decided it was time, and on Jan. 24, her last day at work, Nassau County declared it "Louise T. Kobs Day." People came out in droves to celebrate her, stopping Kobs to give her flowers and hugs. She was "a staple of the neighborhood," one parent told WABC, and another said she "always brightens your day." Several parents shared that she helped them cross the street back in the '80s and '90s, and while it won't be the same without her, Kobs won't be too far away — she intends to keep volunteering at her church and at the local police department.

WABC