The Good News Collective is a handful of short, positive news blurbs designed to remind us that there is still a lot of good going on out there in the world amidst the COVID pandemic.
Do 鈥楩inders Keepers鈥� Rules Apply?
A family in Virginia went out for a Saturday afternoon drive to get out of the house for a while and noticed that someone had left some trash in the middle of the road. They stopped and picked up the bag, only to discover another bag about 15 feet away.聽 But it turns out it wasn't garbage at all. They were mail bags holding plastic baggies filled with money. They were enjoying their leisurely afternoon drive with close to a million dollars in their possession.聽 Upon making the discovery they called the authorities and although an investigation is continuing, it is believed the mail bags belonged to the postal service and the money was headed to the bank. How it ended up in the middle of the road is still a mystery.
An Early Start on College
Many young teenagers are finishing up their school year online and wondering what sort of activities they may be able to take part in this summer. But a 13-year old boy from California is also looking ahead to the fall because he should be heading to university, after graduating with four associate's degrees from Fullerton College.聽 A stage was set up in Jack Rico's front yard where friends and family cheered from their vehicles as the College president noted this type of accomplishment has never been achieved in the school's more than 100-year history.聽 At the age of 11, Rico had already completed all his high school courses so he began working on credits from Fullerton College. Jack has thrived under the challenge, never receiving a grade lower than an A.聽 He plans to attend the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Now That鈥檚鈥ifferent
A man in Australia did something in his time during the coronavirus lockdown that sets him apart: he built a massive laughing kookaburra in his front yard.聽 The steel sculpture is 15 feet tall and 28 feet wide, weighing 1,600 pounds. The sculptor even added a laughing track. It isn't the first larger-than-life sculpture he has made but likely the first one to garner so much attention. He said he wanted to make something out of the ordinary to cheer people up, relieve stress, and provide some optimism.
Two Cases, One Cop
A 25-year veteran police officer was acknowledged for saving not one, but two lives, in the same shift.聽 He responded to an emergency call that an adult male was in distress. Officer Lombardo was the first on the scene and found a man on his front porch "actively choking". It took several attempts but the officer was able to dislodge the food that was caught, and although the victim went limp from lack of oxygen, he was soon able to breathe on his own.聽 Later in the day, Lombardo responded to a call where a man's hand had become trapped beneath his vehicle while taking off the tire. The first thought was to call the fire department but Lombardo jumped to action and used the same jack the victim had been using to lift the car high enough to release the man's hand.
Early Arrival, Unique Setting
A Kentucky woman gave birth to a baby in a hospital parking lot in the middle of the night after she and her husband arrived at the hospital only to find the doors locked.聽 After checking three different doors, the couple headed back to their car so they could drive to the emergency room. That's when the baby decided he couldn't wait any longer. With dad on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, baby James was born in their vehicle.聽 Once the baby had arrived, the dispatcher told the father he would need to tie off the baby's umbilical cord. Dad looked around frantically for something to use. He and his wife were both wearing boots that had no shoelaces, and he couldn't find anything resembling ribbon. That's when he spotted the face mask. Dad got creative and used the facemask to tie off the cord鈥攖he handmade face mask his grandmother had made for his wife to wear during the coronavirus pandemic. He said he rolled it up tightly like a tortilla and tied a knot around his son's umbilical cord. The dispatcher was impressed.
