Retraction: On March 6, 2025, the Goodnewsletter included a story about Travis Kelce purchasing a $3.3 million mansion to transform into transitional housing for homeless foster youth.

That story was originally published based on what we now know to be false information.

Good Good Good prioritizes accuracy and integrity in our reporting and transparency with our readers. When we do make a mistake, we will always correct it and clearly let you know.

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✈️ Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to press for the release of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident mistakenly deported by the Trump administration. (Gifted link)

🧗‍♀️ One day before her 24th birthday, U.S. Olympic rock climber Brooke Raboutou made history by becoming the first woman (and third person *ever*) to complete one of the hardest climbing routes in the world, Excalibur. Jaw-dropping impressive doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Human rights

A land bank is protecting Altadena community members from displacement by private investors

Mere months after it was devastated by wildfires, the neighborhood of Altadena has become the target of private developers and corporations that are offering cash for burned, vacant land — which happened in Lahaina, Maui, too.

But members of the community are fighting back to protect this historically Black neighborhood and keep its strong community-oriented roots intact — the Greenline Housing Foundation, founded by a nearby Pasadena resident, just purchased its first lot in Altadena with a grant.

The foundation acts as a “land bank” to hold the property until it’s eventually transferred for community use. It offers property owners who need to sell, but want the land to stay in the community, an alternative to the big corporations.

Why is this good news? Greenline’s founder says residents of Altadena are particularly vulnerable to “disaster capitalism” due to its high concentration of Black and Brown residents, as well as seniors, who aren’t able to access resources to protect themselves.

While the tragedy has displaced and isolated residents, Greenline’s efforts will help restore the vibrant community spirit of Altadena.

→ Read more​

More Good News

​The Afghanistan women’s cricket team is rejoining international competition with support from the sport’s governing body. The team has been seeking support since 2021, when dozens of its players relocated to Australia after the Taliban retook control of the country and enforced bans on women’s sports.

​A West Point graduate became the first woman to compete in the Army Rangers’ grueling “Best Ranger Competition.” First Lt. Gabrielle White and her teammate Capt. Seth Deltenre were among the 16 teams that made it through the three-day competition, where Ranger teams compete for accolades as the best of the elite military force.

​Portugal ended child marriage, raising the minimum legal age for marriage to 18 years old without exceptions. Previously, individuals aged 16 and 17 could marry with parental consent, but this legislative change aims to eliminate child, early, and forced marriages, ensuring that all individuals enter marriage as consenting adults.

​Ahead of a country-wide ban, the use of disposable vapes is already falling in the U.K. The percentage of people aged 16-24 who mainly use disposable vapes has dropped by nearly half in the last year, from 63% to 35%, and while it’s helping reduce litter, researchers believe people are just switching to refillable and rechargeable vapes, rather than quitting altogether.

Animals

In “an unlikely comeback,” one of the rarest parrot species in Brazil doubled in population — here’s how it happened

→ Read more​

People doing good

A man with terminal cancer is on a “Dying to Serve” tour — traveling to all 50 states to volunteer

When 55-year-old Texas man Doug Ruch was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021, he was ready to fight, spending his life savings on treatment. Then, in January, he got the news that his cancer had metastasized and reached stage 4.

Faced with two options — undergoing chemotherapy to potentially extend his life for another two years, or face a life expectancy of 12-18 months — Ruch chose to “go out and live.”

On GoFundMe, Ruch said his “dying wish is to help as many people going through tough times as I can before I go,” and launched his “Dying To Serve” tour across North America, with a goal of visiting and volunteering in all 50 states.

→ Read more​

More Good bits

🐝 The bees need power bars (perhaps more than we do tbh).

📚 The oldest Black bookstore in the U.S. is a “living museum.”

🌎 Oh look, women are right again.​

🇮🇸 Nature, gender equality, resilience … these are a few of Iceland’s favorite things.​

💸 Low on cash? (Aren’t we all.) Take up this skill.​

What’s good?

We were collectively so bummed to see that Travis Kelce story wasn’t true after all — but even news that might be good can be a victim of misinformation. And good on him for correcting it, too.

We all agree that he should now do it anyway though, right? 😉

Come onnnnn Trav!

— Megan