UMass Medical School drama therapy mental illness patients

Good News Notes: “In the play “Lost & Found,” there is a king, a queen, a princess and a wise man. The characters are reading the lines on their scripts. But those “actors” are not real actors from a drama series.   They are a group of people struggling with mental illness who are either stuck in the dark or in the process of recovery, going through a…

Local Nonprofit Female Empowerment Organization Expands Mentoring Program

Good News Notes: “What Makes You Feel Beautiful, a Maui-based nonprofit female empowerment organization invites Maui County women ages 18 to 35 to sign up for a free, six-month mentoring program.    “We’re looking for young women interested in receiving support in achieving their personal and professional goals in life,” said Monica Marrow, Executive Director of…

3 Stillwater area sisters create nonprofit to help provide books to area youth

Good News Notes: “Stillwater area children will have free books delivered to their doorsteps every month thanks to three Minnesota sisters.  Laurann Kirschner, Katie Bang and Nickie Ferguson have created Bridge to Books that they hope will boost child literacy. The program has enrolled more than 300 families, and expects thousands more. The idea comes from…

Purdue University develops new way to recycle polyolefin plastics

Good News Notes: “Single-use plastic scrap continues to be a growing problem internationally with only 9 percent of the 8.3 billion tons of plastic produced in the last 65 years being recycled. One of the biggest contributors to this issue is polyolefins, such as polypropylene and polyethylene. Researchers at Purdue University are working to solve that problem…

Magnificent Roman-era building unearthed under Israel’s Western Wall

Good News Notes: “Inside the tunnels beneath the Western Wall in Israel, archaeologists have uncovered the final parts of an elaborate building that may have been used as a reception area for members of Jerusalem’s local council and their guests on their journey to Temple Mount.  The building consists of two hallways that were connected by…

Gaza cafe complex serves up lessons in recycling alongside drinks

Good News Notes: “As a model of creative recycling in one of the most densely populated places on earth, a Gaza Strip cafe is serving up a healthy dose of environmentalism alongside its signature morning coffee. The beachside venue is part of the “Sea is Ours” co-operative, a complex built of reused wooden poles, plastic…