The week's good news: April 25, 2019

1. Rescue dog helps owner pick up trash across Arizona

Soon after Katie Pollak adopted her dog Chipper seven years ago, she discovered that he wasn't obsessed with traditional toys, but rather discarded plastic water bottles they would find while out on walks and hikes. "He started picking them up immediately, so I encouraged it and rewarded it," Pollak told Today. "And he motivated me to do the same. I really started getting out and picking up more than I was before, so we created kind of a team." Pollak and Chipper, now 8, live in Mesa, Arizona, and enjoy spending time outdoors. Pollak carries garbage bags with her every time they go hiking or paddleboarding, and together, they pick up recyclables, including cans and bottles, and trash, like old clothes and wrappers. They have filled countless bags, and often meet up with friends to clean trails, parks, and other spaces across Mesa.

Today

2. Girl born without hands wins national handwriting competition

Writing in cursive comes naturally to Sara Hinesley, and she has the award to prove it. Hinesley, 10, was born without hands, and to write, she puts a pencil between the ends of her arms. She tried prosthetic hands, but quickly decided they weren't necessary. "She can do just about anything — oftentimes better than me or my husband," her mom, Cathryn Hinesley, told CNN. A third-grader at St. John's Regional Catholic School in Frederick, Maryland, Hinesley says that when her teacher taught her how to write in cursive, she thought it was "easy." She entered the 2019 Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest and won the Nicholas Maxim Award, which is given to an entrant with a physical, developmental, or intellectual disability. Hinesley said she hopes that other kids "who have challenges learn from me," and see that "if you try your hardest, you can do it."

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CNN

3. Police officer drives Illinois man to job interview after pulling him over

Instead of giving Ka'Shawn Baldwin a ticket, Officer Roger Gemoules gave him a ride, and that made all the difference. Baldwin, 22, of East St. Louis, Illinois, borrowed a friend's car last week so he could get to a job interview. Gemoules, an officer with the Cahokia Police Department, spotted the car and noticed it had expired tags. He pulled Baldwin over, and discovered he didn't have a valid license. Baldwin explained he was trying to get to a job interview, and driving his friend's car was the only way he could get there. Baldwin was stunned when Gemoules agreed to give him a ride to the interview. "He was polite when I pulled him over and he seemed like a good young man, so I wanted to give him a chance," Gemoules told KSDK. His kindness paid off: Baldwin got the job as a package handler at FedEx, and started on Tuesday.

KSDK

4. Teen discovers ancient megalodon shark tooth on North Carolina beach

Every time Avery Fauth and her family visit North Topsail Beach in North Carolina, they scan the ground, hoping to spot an ancient shark tooth. They kept up their tradition while at the beach over spring break, and as they walked along, Fauth, a middle school student from Raleigh, spotted something buried in the sand. "I uncovered it and it keeps coming, and it's this big tooth," Fauth told WECT. It was a megalodon shark tooth, and her father was stunned. "I was really shocked and excited for her that she found something that big," he said. The megalodon, the largest shark ever documented, went extinct millions of years ago. Fauth said she's keeping the tooth in a "special box" at home.

WECT

5. Welding instructors make Game of Thrones throne for student's wedding

After creating a replica of the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones, welding student Michael Hayes can tackle anything. The Louisville, Kentucky, resident attends the Knight School of Welding. Ahead of his wedding, the Game of Thrones fan thought making the throne for his soon-to-be wife would be the ultimate gift. He enlisted some of his instructors to help him, and over the course of two months, they cut out 400 aluminum swords for the 200-pound throne. It took nearly 110 hours to complete the project, which became the centerpiece of Hayes' wedding. His wife, Kacie, was impressed not only by the throne itself, but by how much work Hayes put into it. "The show is one of the first things my wife and I bonded over," he told WLKY. "It's a really important thing for us." The Knight School of Welding funded the $7,000 project, and is now renting the throne out to fans.

WLKY