If you're planning on spending time in the American wilderness soon, it'd be wise to brush up on your knowledge of the animals that live there — specifically, your knowledge of how to keep yourself (and the creatures) safe. Take The New York Times' new wildlife quiz to learn the answers to questions like "How fast can bison run?" and "What should you do if you encounter an alligator?"
Nice News Today
Have you noticed that some days you're able to hop out of bed with vigor, but other mornings you have to battle to not hit snooze for the fifth time? Well, a new study shows that the reason for your grogginess might have nothing to do with when you went to sleep or how much screentime you had the evening before. Dive into that story and more in today's podcast episode.
Coming soon to select U.S. cities: a new Uber feature that matches women riders and drivers
This 101-year-old is the "last original client" of Frank Lloyd Wright — go inside his stunning New York home
Health
Arlington, Virginia, Ranked the Fittest US City for 8th Consecutive Year
Nate Hovee/ iStock
It's easier to feel motivated about working out when you're surrounded by a community of exercise enthusiasts — and a new report from the American College of Sports Medicine and Elevance Health Foundation narrows down where exactly those might be. Taking more than 30 indicators into consideration, including bikeability, park proximity, and vegetable consumption rate, this year's American Fitness Index ranked the 100 largest cities to identify the fittest locations in the U.S. Arlington, Virginia, was the overall winner for the eighth year in a row, claiming the highest rankings for personal health, percentage of residents sleeping more than seven hours a night, and percentage of residents in excellent or very good health, among others. Neighboring Washington, D.C., slid into second place overall, with a high number of residents consuming at least two fruits a day, and Seattle and San Francisco nabbed third and fourth. The Index also made some key updates to its methodology this year, adding the number of trail miles and splashpads per 100,000 residents as indicators (D.C. and Boston, respectively, are the top cities in those categories), and including pickleball courts under the tennis court indicator (Richmond, Virginia, is No. 1 there). Click here to view the full ranking, and use the comparison tool to see how your city stacks up against the others.
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Humanity
Veteran's "Carousel of Happiness" Spreads Smiles Round and Round in Colorado Town
Carousel of Happiness/ Facebook
Active duty service members often carry sentimental items to help combat the challenges of war — perhaps a picture of a loved one, a handwritten letter, or a good luck charm. For Marine Cpl. Scott Harrison, that item was a music box from his sister, which he would hold close to his ear during breaks in the fighting during the Vietnam War. "I would close my eyes, and I would think of a carousel in a mountain meadow," Harrison told CBS News. "… An image totally opposite of where people are trying to kill each other." Harrison left the war in 1968, but his carousel daydream continued to help him through a different battle: post-traumatic stress disorder. He eventually decided to buy a broken-down carousel and bring his fantasy to life, spending 26 years handcarving the animals himself. In 2010, Harrison opened the carousel to the public in Nederland, Colorado, and launched a nonprofit called Carousel of Happiness to spread smiles round and round for all. "Just to go to that carousel and see everybody having such a great time, is good medicine for me," Harrison said. "Because I started out trying to treat myself, and then it just changed into something that I could do for others."
Science
The Air and Space Museum Is About to Open 5 New Galleries
Kevin Carter/Getty Images
The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is in its second-to-last year of a renovation celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026 — and Monday, it'll open five new exhibitions displaying thousands of artifacts. Among the new galleries are Futures in Space, featuring advances in space exploration technology, and the Allan and Shelley Holt Innovations Gallery, focusing on how aerospace innovations contribute to combating climate change. Visitors will also have the chance to learn about the origins of military aviation in an exhibit spotlighting World War I, and view some of the museum's most iconic items — including the first aircraft to break the sound barrier and John Glenn's Mercury Friendship 7 — in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall. "Everything in this museum, with the exception of our lunar rock, is a consequence of human ingenuity," Museum Director Chris Browne told CBS Evening News. Also opening Monday are the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater and a revamped entrance on Jefferson Drive. The museum is set to round out its renovation with seven more galleries debuting July 1, 2026, which will complete the redesign of all 20 galleries that began in 2018.
Global Good
🏴 The remains of an 18th-century warship were found by a schoolboy going for a run on a Scottish beach (read more) 🇧🇧 Spotted in Barbados: the world's smallest-known snake, considered "lost to science" for nearly 20 years (read more) 🇬🇪 A tea industry revival is brewing in Georgia as locals rehabilitate plantations with help from the government (read more) 🇨🇴 Kids and rescue dogs educate each other at a Colombia school that doubles as an animal shelter (read more) 🇵🇱 A striking, 600-year-old amethyst that may have adorned a crown was pulled from a castle moat in Poland (read more)
Inspiring Story
AI gave a voice to the voiceless
After being diagnosed with oral cancer, 51-year-old Sonya Sotinsky learned that doctors would have to remove her tongue and voice box to save her life. So the mother of two began recording herself saying phrases — everything from "I'm proud of you" to a plethora of curse words she felt were essential to her self-expression. Then, she found an AI company that used those recordings to produce an exact copy of her voice, and today, she uses an app to broadcast her AI voice based on the text she types into it. "She got her sass back," said Ela Fuentevilla, Sotinsky's daughter.
Photo of the Day
Mark Pressler/ Safari West
Ozzy Osbourne's legacy lives on in myriad ways — and one of those is a baby southern white rhinoceros named Ozzy. The calf was born Tuesday morning, the same day Osbourne died, at Safari West Wildlife Preserve and Tent Camp in Santa Rosa, California. The preserve said in a press release: "The timing of the birth offers a quiet reminder of the circle of life that unfolds across generations and species." See more shots of Ozzy.
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Up This Weekend
Newport Folk Festival: The iconic music fest (and major focus of the recent Bob Dylan biopic) runs today through Sunday — see the acts rumored to appear as surprise guests
Tour de France: Learn how to tune in to the final stage of the annual cycling race, beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday
Gilroy Garlic Festival: California's sold-out Gilroy Garlic Festival has historically featured treats like garlic ice cream and garlic pineapple upside-down cake
The Nice News merch collaboration with Because Weekend is all about celebrating optimism and making every day feel like the weekend. To help us spread that ethos beyond the inbox, shop our collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts here.
Odds & Ends
🗽 Surprise encounter with the Piano Man = a true New York moment 👮 Two sheriff's deputies moonlighted as emu whisperers 💰 Make these money moves after you've saved $1K* 🚣 Inside one of the country's biggest boat museums *Indicates a Nice News brand partnership or affiliate
Quote of the Day
"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."
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