Crisis averted after woman finds thousands of plastic balls in Lake Tahoe

Good News Notes: “An environmental crisis was narrowly averted after a woman found thousands of tiny polystyrene balls covering a beach on Tahoe’s north shore. Alison Toy, the education program manager for UC Davis’ Tahoe Environmental Research Center, was on a walk on Moon Dune beach when she came across the little white balls coating…

Wildlife Rescue Center In Ballwin Sees Recent Surge In Creaturely Patients

Good News Notes: “Last year, the Wildlife Rescue Center located in Ballwin, Missouri, saw a significant uptick in the number of patients it cared for: Some 3,500 creatures got assistance from the center’s small staff and army of volunteers over the course of 2020. The increase didn’t come as a total surprise to executive director Kim Rutledge,…

A look inside Harry Chapin Food Bank as food insecurity continues

Good News Notes: “Cameras were allowed inside of Harry Chapin Food Bank for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Visitors have been banned from going inside for quite some time yet the volunteers never left. That’s because the need for food never stopped. Juanita Alicea is one of those volunteers. “People that…

Fond du Lac groups aim to end “sleep poverty” for kids

Good News Notes: “Where are the children sleeping? Most parents don’t give it a thought when they tuck their children into their beds at night, snuggled into pillows and soft blankets. But, there are children in the community — more than you might think — who sleep on piles of clothing on the floor, on couches or huddled together in beds meant…

Making Rounds With New York’s Bird EMTs

Good News Notes: “Just after 6 a.m. on a recent Monday, Calista McRae is in downtown Manhattan, walking a digressive loop through the morning mist from 4 World Trade Center to 1 World Trade Center to Brookfield Place and back around. McRae is 34, with a springy and fast step, and she will repeat this journey until…