The week's good news: June 6, 2019

1. World War II veteran marks D-Day anniversary by parachuting into Normandy

His jump in 2019 was nothing like the one he experienced in 1944. During World War II, Tom Rice served as a paratrooper with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division. He was one of thousands to parachute into Normandy on D-Day, which launched the liberation of occupied France and was a turning point for Allied forces. Now 97, the San Diego resident returned to Normandy this week to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Rice decided he wanted to honor the occasion by recreating his jump from a C-47 military transport plane, landing in the same zone as in 1944. He spent about six months preparing, and on Wednesday, jumped with a trainer, unfurling an American flag as he made his way down. "Woo-hoo!" he said upon landing. "I represent a whole generation." The jump, he told The Associated Press, "went perfect. I feel great. I'd go up and do it all again."

People

2. Entrepreneurial teen launches baking business to take his family on vacation

Isaiah Tuckett has started a baking empire in Madison, Minnesota. The 14-year-old launched his cupcake business two years ago to fulfill a lifelong dream of going on a vacation to Disney World. His parents said they couldn't afford the trip, so Tuckett decided to fund it on his own, selling cupcakes to pay their way. Just one month after Tuckett started, the only bakery in Madison closed down, and he started taking orders for everything from birthdays to weddings, and even made 750 cupcakes one weekend for prom. After one year, Tuckett raised enough money to take his mom, dad, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew to Florida, covering their plane tickets, hotel rooms, and park tickets. "I felt like it should be a family event," he told KARE 11. Tuckett now has new goals: to attend culinary school and earn enough money by the time he's 16 to buy a truck.

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KARE 11

3. Algeria and Argentina are both officially free of malaria

The World Health Organization is commending Algeria and Argentina for becoming the latest countries to eliminate malaria. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this achievement "serves as a model for other countries working to end this disease once and for all." Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease, and can be prevented through a vaccine. In 2017, there were 219 million cases worldwide, with 400,000 malaria-related deaths, WHO reports. Argentina and Algeria were able to eliminate malaria through improved health care, including free diagnosis and treatments, and fast responses to outbreaks. Now, 38 countries and territories are free of malaria, and experts say with more funding, it's entirely possible to end the disease on a global scale.

The Guardian

4. Elementary school kids learn sign language to welcome deaf classmate

The students and staff at Dayton Consolidated School wanted to greet Morey Belanger on her first day of kindergarten, and to do so, they all started learning sign language. Belanger is the first deaf student to attend the school in Dayton, Maine. Before her arrival, the students learned how to say hello to her, and since then, they've been taught more than 20 words, including colors and school-related terms. "Morey, without even knowing it, has taught us so much," principal Kimberly Sampietro told CNN. "She has brought a culture to our building that we didn't have before." Belanger is also taking an active role in educating her peers, helping her fellow kindergartners learn the alphabet. "I absolutely feel like it makes her feel welcomed," her mom, Shannon Belanger, said.

CNN

5. Graduates in the Philippines will soon make their country greener

It's already a tradition for graduates in the Philippines to plant trees, and a new law formalizing this custom could result in 175 million new trees being planted annually. The country's House of Representatives recently approved a bill requiring all graduating elementary, high school, and college students to plant 10 trees. Gary Alejano of the Magdalo Party wrote the measure, and estimates that "over the course of one generation, no less than 525 billion [trees] can be planted under this initiative. Even with a survival rate of only 10 percent, this would mean an additional 525 million trees would be available for the youth to enjoy, when they assume the mantle of leadership in the future." During the 20th century, total forest cover in the Philippines plummeted from 70 percent to just 20 percent. The new trees will be planted in existing forests, abandoned mining sites, and urban areas.

The Independent