The week's good news: June 27, 2019

1. Dog steals the show as the 'best man' at his owner's wedding

When it came time to choose a best man for his wedding, Chris McCarron decided to go with man's best friend. McCarron rescued Jack, a Rottweiler, from a Scottish shelter, following the death of his son. McCarron actually met his new wife, Margaret Allison, while walking Jack, and knew he wanted the dog by his side on their big day. Video of the nuptials show he stole the show, sneezing during the vows, staring intently at McCarron throughout the event, and even pawing at him as he signed the marriage license. "He was a star, he posed for all the pictures," Allison told SWNS. McCarron, Allison, and Jack are all adjusting well to married life, and McCarron is grateful to Jack for the role he played in it all. "I don't believe that I rescued Jack," he said. "I think he rescued me."

KTVU Inside Edition

2. Tennessee man using metal detector finds long-lost wedding ring

Wesley White and his metal detector are up for any challenge, including finding a wedding ring lost in the Tennessee dirt almost 50 years ago. White was visiting his mother last week, when he overheard another nursing home resident say her ring fell off in the 1970s while she was gardening, and was lost somewhere in the dirt. White is retired, and enjoys looking for treasures with his metal detector. He decided to try to find the woman's ring, and introduced himself to 94-year-old Florene Bush. White and his friend, Jeff Howell, went to the spot where the band was last seen, and after 90 minutes, Howell found it under five inches of dirt. The ring was in good condition, with no scratches. After cleaning it, they returned the band to Bush, who was "thrilled." Bush told WTVF she's glad the ring can now be a family heirloom.

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WTVF

3. In Ohio, butterfly and bee habitats are springing up next to freeways

The Ohio Department of Transportation's Pollinator Habitat Program is changing the landscape of the state's busy freeways. Launched in 2011, the program has several benefits, including increasing monarch butterfly and honey bee populations, cutting down on maintenance costs, and beautifying roadsides. The state saved $2.2 million last year because workers didn't have to mow as much, administrator Joel Hunt told WOSU, and he expects that number will grow as more flowers are planted. The habitats are filled with milkweed — a monarch butterfly favorite — and sunflowers and Ohio spiderworts, covering 800 acres in 45 counties. This is only the beginning, as Hunt said the plan is to add 125 acres every year.

WOSU

4. Creatures believed to be extinct discovered alive and well in Honduras' 'Lost City'

Explorers searched for the "Lost City of the Monkey God" for decades, and once a team of conservationists had the opportunity to traverse the area, they were thrilled with what they discovered. Deep inside Honduras' Mosquitia rainforest, the team found 246 species of butterflies and moths, 30 species of bats, and 57 species of amphibians and reptiles. They located 22 species never before recorded in Honduras and some previously thought to be extinct, including the tiger beetle. The ancient settlement is "one of the few areas remaining in Central America where ecological and evolutionary processes remain intact," Trond Larsen, director of Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Program (RAP), told The Independent. RAP's John Polisar is hopeful Honduras' government will make sure it's safeguarded. "Because of its presently intact forests and fauna, the area is of exceptionally high conservation value," he said. "It merits energetic and vigilant protection so its beauty and wildlife persist into the future."

The Independent

5. 103-year-old runner becomes oldest person to compete and win at the National Senior Games

Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins, 103, is a force to be reckoned with on the track. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, resident has always been active, but preferred riding her bicycle to other activities. After she fell off her bike and dislocated her elbow, Hawkins switched to running a few years ago, telling Today, "I always came running in to answer the phone, so I thought maybe I could run." Last week, she became the oldest woman to compete — and win — in the National Senior Games, taking home the gold in the 50- and 100-meter races. Hawkins, a former elementary school teacher, doesn't train for her runs, and said she gets her exercise from gardening. Inspiring older people to stay active is "a good thing," she told Today, and she wants everyone to remember "you can still do things when you get older. Just keep moving and be interested in things."

Today