But first...

🎫 The Biden administration’s ban on so-called “junk fees” just went into effect, and Ticketmaster said it will start displaying the full price of a ticket as soon as people start shopping.

💕 Responding to backlash for her fundraising campaigns for children in Gaza, Ms. Rachel said, “The idea that caring for a group of children in an emergency situation means you don’t care about other children is false.”

Governments doing good

Illinois returned 1,500 acres of stolen land to the Prairie Land Potawatomi Nation

A law signed by the governor of Illinois transferred the 1,500-acre Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area to the Prairie Land Potawatomi Nation, keeping a long-overdue promise to the tribe’s leaders.

The land was promised to the tribe’s leader in 1829, but was then sold to white settlers by the federal government 20 years later, when then-Chief Shab-eh-nay and his people left for several years to visit family in Kansas.

While it’s not the original soil that was stolen, the boundaries of the original 1,280-acre now comprise hundreds of acres of privately owned land, including a golf course. Returning the land would result in an unending legal battle.

Why is this good news? The theft of Native lands, stolen to create the U.S. and generate private wealth for white people, is at the root of countless systemic injustices. Beyond being legally and morally the “right” thing to do, returning stolen land is critical to the health and survival of Native people, the planet, and really, all of us.

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More Good News

​Students at the University of Texas hosted a ‘Day of Drag’ to protest the university system’s newly implemented drag performance ban. The event featured line dancing, a speech by Austin-based drag performer Brigitte Bandit, and a variety of stations where drag performers applied makeup for students to wear in solidarity on their last day of classes.

​Broadening eligibility, Poland launched a free preventative healthcare program for people 20 years and older. With a goal of boosting earlier detection of health problems and promoting preventative health care, the expanded program is now available to be utilized once every five years for people aged 20-49, and every three years for those 50 years and older.

​With rent and teacher shortages on the rise, a Colorado school district built an affordable on-campus tiny home village for teachers. Of the teachers surveyed in Harrison District 2, 75% said they wanted to stay in the district and “wanted to live in this village.” The creators hope it will serve as a blueprint for other school districts facing similar challenges.

​The University of Oxford awarded a posthumous degree to its first female student from an indigenous community. Born in New Zealand in 1873, Mākereti Papakura is believed to be the first Māori woman to enroll at the university, where she explored the customs of her tribe from a female perspective before she died in 1930, weeks before she was due to present her thesis.

Interesting story

‘Shock, disgust, and deep pleasure’: Engineers created espresso using water from the canals of Venice

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People doing good

Note: This story features a woman who struggled with suicidal thoughts. If that’s a difficult topic for you right now, feel free to skip it and take good care.

After struggling for decades with her own mental health, a Wisconsin woman’s ‘little hearts’ are helping others

Kathleen Jensen battled severe depression, anxiety, PTSD, and thoughts of suicide throughout her 40s and 50s. With support from her husband and therapy, she survived and eventually got to a place to help others.

She’d picked up crocheting 15 years ago to help keep her hands and mind busy, and it led to her creating The Little Heart Project in 2022.

Jensen crochets little hearts, attaches encouraging notes, and leaves them around her town. Now, people around the world have followed her example, making and leaving hearts around their towns, too to reach someone in need.

→ Read more​

More Good bits

🪴 The secret to living longer is right in your backyard.​

🧠 Get curious. It’s good for your brain.​

📰 The Pope has yet another very good take.​

🦈 Even the really scary animals deserve to be rescued.​

🔋 Time to get an electricity coach!​

What’s good?

Today is my birthday! Another year of life, celebrating good news, and being the good in the world with all of you. I’m so grateful.

And I haven’t blown out my birthday candles yet, so... what should I wish for?

I’ve got some ideas 😉, but would love to hear your suggestions!

— Megan