If you find good news for democracy, equality, and the planet, share it with us here!
While the headlines focus on what’s breaking down and our values under assault, that’s not the full picture. In reality, people are showing up for what they love and creating the kind of America they want to live in. This week’s good news list reminds us that, with courage and tenacity, the people showing up are protecting libraries and expanding health care access, working together to strengthen communities and support people on the margins. If you need a dose of hope and encouragement, we’ve got you covered!
Check out this week’s list of good news:
- A federal court dismisses a lawsuit against a musician who canceled a Christmas Eve performance at the Kennedy Center.
- CA: Mule deer begin using a wildlife bridge in Siskiyou county even before construction is complete, signaling early success for the habitat connectivity project.
- MA: Raising Multicultural Kids and the Easton YMCA expand a program that teaches preschoolers about empathy, diversity, and inclusion.
- VA: A federal district court approves an agreement protecting eligible college students’ voter registration applications.
- VA passes a “Momnibus” package to improve maternal healthcare and better support parents.
- Rutherford County, TN Library System Director Luanne James refuses an order to relocate 190 children’s books to the adult section, stating it would restrict children’s access to information and violate the community’s First Amendment rights.
- The New York City Council LGBTQIA+ Caucus hosts the first-ever Pride Ball at New York City Hall.
- New York City launches a city-backed insurance program to reduce the costs of property and liability insurance for affordable and rent-stabilized housing.
- The Denver City Council approves a one-year moratorium on new data centers, giving the city time to draft rules addressing noise, energy use, and water consumption.
- Portland takes steps toward more affordable housing by legalizing nontraditional housing structures like fourplexes and tiny homes.
- The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund shares legal rights resources for immigrating people with disabilities who may experience ICE encounters or other difficulties in the immigration system.
- Health insurance companies’ trade association (AHIP) commits to covering Advisory Committee-recommended vaccines with no cost-sharing through the end of 2027.
- Families in northern Kentucky can access culturally familiar foods from a local food pantry run by the FIESTA (Families, Inclusion, Education, Society, Tradition, Access) organization.
- Orthodox rabbis issue a statement against so-called “conversion therapy” and affirm the inherent dignity of LGBTQ+ people through a faith-based lens.
- Las Culturistas podcast hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers donate $10,000 to Equality Kansas after the state revoked transgender people’s valid driver’s licenses and IDs.
- Botswana officially removes from law a ban on same-sex intimacy.
- Medicaid services available in jails and prisons enable smoother transitions for returning citizens.
- Drs. Heidi Moseson and Katelyn Jetelina empower patients by outlining the use of misoprostol without mifepristone as a method of medication abortion.
- Mike Wallace Memorial Scholarship recipient Santiago Campos uses his moment in the spotlight to call out bias and partisanship in CBS News’ current staffing and policy decisions.
- The Huddleston family in Kentucky opt to keep and continue running their family farm rather than accept an anonymous $26M offer to purchase the land for data center construction.
- Scottish soccer fans visiting New England for the World Cup donate $10,000 to Hasbro Children’s Hospital.
- Tiny American kestrel falcons keep Michigan’s cherry crops safe from diseases.
- The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum donates edible plants from their annual nasturtium display to the lemurs and gorillas at the Franklin Park Zoo.
- For patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, an experimental pill nearly doubles survival time in a clinical trial.
- Vermont becomes first state to ban paraquat, a pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease.
- Kenya’s High Court orders the legal recognition of transgender identity documents.
- Most stadiums hosting this year’s FIFA World Cup achieve green building certification.
- Independent bookstores continue to grow nationwide, thanks to strong consumer support and community investment.
Need an extra boost? Pause to read Jen Hofmann’s latest inspiring message, What If This Is What Democracy Looks Like?
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