The week's good news: August 13, 2020
It wasn't all bad!
- 1. Firefighter now fostering dog he rescued from a blaze
- 2. Treasure hunter discovers significant collection of ancient bronze artifacts in Scotland
- 3. From mowing lawns to handing out gift cards, this 4th grader goes out of his way to help others
- 4. Texas doctor delivers baby boy of woman he delivered 25 years ago
- 5. College students launch free online tutoring service to help stressed parents during pandemic
1. Firefighter now fostering dog he rescued from a blaze
Millie, a Jack Russell Terrier, has a second chance at life, thanks to the firefighter who saved her last month. On July 28, a crew was called to an apartment fire in Newham, a London borough. Paramedics were already outside the building treating a woman, who told the firefighters her dog, Millie, was still somewhere inside. Lead firefighter Jamie Trew spotted Millie under a bed. She looked lifeless, and he quickly administered oxygen. After 10 minutes, Millie "showed signs of life and she eventually regained consciousness enough to start walking and was taken to a local emergency vet," station officer Dean Ivil told BBC News. Millie's owner is still recovering, and for now, the dog is "happily" being fostered by Trew. "It's a lovely ending for what could have been a tragic story," Ivil said. "If her owner decides it's best, Millie has a forever home with Jamie and his family."
2. Treasure hunter discovers significant collection of ancient bronze artifacts in Scotland
Using a metal detector, amateur treasure hunter Mariusz Stepien made an incredible discovery in a Scottish field. Stepien was searching for objects near the village of Peebles, south of Edinburgh, when he found jewelry and a sword that ended up dating back to the Bronze Age. He alerted the Scottish government's Treasure Trove Unit to his discovery, and archaeologists spent 22 days digging up artifacts from the field. On Monday, they announced that this was only the second Bronze Age hoard ever excavated in the country, and rings, buckles, the axle caps from a chariot, and a horse harness were uncovered. Emily Freeman, head of the Treasure Trove Unit, told The Associated Press "it was an amazing opportunity for us to not only recover bronze artifacts, but organic material as well." The items, as well as some dirt from the field, are now at the National Museums Collection Center in Edinburgh.
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3. From mowing lawns to handing out gift cards, this 4th grader goes out of his way to help others
Greyson Winfield aims to help every single person in his community who needs some assistance, whether it's a first responder who is too busy to mow their lawn or someone who can't afford groceries this month. The 8-year-old fourth-grader from Conway, South Carolina, said he admires President John F. Kennedy, and that's one reason why he wants to help his neighbors. At the beginning of the pandemic, he worried about how people would take care of their families if they weren't able to work, and this inspired him to launch an organization called Helping Footprint, which raises money to buy gift cards for food or assist with bills. "I want to help people," Winfield told CNN. "There are other people who have nobody to help them and it's the right thing to do." So far, Helping Footprint has distributed gift cards to six families, and Winfield, his brother, and his foster brother have mowed nine lawns.
4. Texas doctor delivers baby boy of woman he delivered 25 years ago
When Lauren Cortez found out she was pregnant, there was one person she wanted to deliver her baby: Dr. Bryan Cox, the same OB/GYN who helped welcome her to the world 25 years ago. Cox has been an OB/GYN at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio for 33 years, and Cortez's mother, Isabel Luna, has been one of his patients for decades. Luna spoke highly of him, and when Cortez arrived at her first appointment, she was "excited, because her mom loves me, so it was a great situation," Cox told Good Morning America. "It was fun the whole pregnancy." Cortez's son, Logan James, was born on July 26, weighing six pounds, one ounce. Cox had a special greeting for Logan — the same one he gave Cortez in 1995. "Dr. Cox, right when the baby is born, he sings 'Happy Birthday,'" Cortez said. "The fact that he takes that little time to personalize the birth experience meant a lot to me."
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5. College students launch free online tutoring service to help stressed parents during pandemic
Friends Angela Sun, Madeleine Zheng, and Mae Zhang want to make things easier on parents who are trying to juggle work and helping their kids with school, so they launched a free virtual tutoring service that provides assistance with everything from biology to economics. Sun, Zheng, and Zhang are graduates of University High School in Tucson. They started Cov Tutors in July, and when they opened registration, five students signed up; the next day, their numbers doubled. They offer one-on-one Zoom sessions, with each student receiving one to two hours of tutoring, up to three times a week. Zheng, a student at Arizona State University, told KOLD that by offering free tutoring, it "takes that burden away from the parent, especially because they have to work and right now it's kind of a financially stressful time as well."
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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.
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