🔥 Over the weekend, emergency crews quickly evacuated Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his family from the governor’s mansion after an alleged arsonist, now in custody, set fire to the residence.
A Tennessee city just became the first “National Park City” in North America
The city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been working since late 2023 to be designated as a “National Park City,” driven by the voices of residents, community leaders, businesses, and nonprofits.
After gathering thousands of signatures of support, it crafted a National Park City charter grounded in seven core commitments to people, place, and nature. And now, it’s official: Chattanooga has been named North America’s first National Park City.
The city’s mayor said they used the movement “to encourage folks to think about Chattanooga as a city in a park, rather than a city with some parks in it.”
Why is this good news? In the 1970s, Chattanooga was one of the most polluted cities in the United States. In the decades since, it's developed its parks, wildlife sanctuaries, urban landscapes, and more to make the city greener, healthier, and wilder. This historic designation is proof that with the will, effort, and investment, we can turn around even the most devastating environmental damage.
My team and I spend our time finding good news that you’re probably not going to read anywhere else.
But I’m also paying attention to the horrible, heartbreaking stuff just like you are (it’s part of the process). And I know it’s a lot.
So I’d love to know...
What are you feeling most hopeless about right now?
I’m going to choose a topic from your replies and spend the rest of the week looking for hope and progress — not perfect solutions, but things that are genuinely going right that we can celebrate together.
I’ll include a roundup of what I find in Friday’s email.
Climate change? Foreign aid? Something else? Just hit “reply” and tell me where you could use some good news this week.
— Megan
Interesting story
In a TED Talk, a chemist debuted a ‘natural peel' that extends the life of produce — from bananas to avocados — without ‘refrigeration, pesticides, waxes, or plastics’
A Minnesota couple transformed a local motel into affordable housing
In 2018, Rick and Kelly Bestul became the owners of King Motel off State Highway 7 on the west side of Hutchinson, Minnesota.
In the 7 years since the Bestuls took over the King Motel, they reported a growing number of guests have taken out extended stays because they didn’t have access to permanent housing.
Estimating that 80% of her guests would be homeless without their services, the Bestuls cap their week-long stays at $300, knowing it’s much closer to what they can afford.
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