Our hearts are with those affected by the devastating storm system that swept across multiple U.S. states over the weekend, claiming dozens of lives. In times like these, Nice News aims to highlight the helpers — like the volunteers in Mississippi who served hundreds of meals for their neighbors in need — and offer tangible ways to support one another. You can do the latter by making a donation to the American Red Cross to benefit the organization's disaster relief efforts.
Must Reads
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day? This comforting recipe for "grandma's Irish soda bread" will transport you to the Emerald Isle
This orange-hued owl, with nicknames like Creamsicle and Rusty, is puzzling scientists
Environment
Meet the First Cougar Cubs Seen in the Michigan Wild in 100 Years
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
To see a cougar in the wild is rare, but to see a cougar cub is another level. In Michigan, for example, there hadn't been a confirmed sighting in more than 100 years. But that changed on March 6, when a resident took photographs of two cubs on the western Upper Peninsula — and didn't even know what an extraordinary moment he was documenting. "[The man] saw the two young kittens running down the road and stopped, and one of them ran under his truck," Brian Roell, a wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, told MLive. "He thought they were bobcat kittens, and so he took some pictures of them, and someone else actually stopped, and they both talked about them, like, 'Oh, neat kittens.' And then they went along their day, not thinking anything of it." Biologists later confirmed the serendipitously photographed "kittens" belong to a different cat species and estimated they were between 7 and 9 weeks old. "It's pretty exciting, considering this could be the first known cougar reproduction in modern times in the western Great Lakes states," Roell shared in a press release, adding: "It's something that should be celebrated, that we have the habitat to support an elusive animal like this." Check out the other two pics the resident took.
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In Hopes of Easing Effects of Extreme Heat, Indian City Gets White-Painted Roofs
Saurabh Sirohiya/NurPhoto via Getty Images
In the Indian city of Ahmedabad, temperatures have been reaching extreme highs, surpassing 115 degrees Fahrenheit in recent summers. In the age of climate change, it's a familiar story for the many parts of the world in which community members — especially those in low socioeconomic areas — are unable to escape the heat, even inside. "Now, we're in this position where people are living in precarious housing conditions, where the thing that was supposed to be protecting them is actually increasing their exposure to heat," Aditi Bunker, an epidemiologist at Germany's University of Heidelberg, told Reuters. Bunker is leading a project to explore a surprisingly simple technique to help cool down homes in Ahmedabad: painting roofs white. The idea is that coating roofs in white paint containing highly reflective pigments can prevent heat absorption. And so far, it seems to be working. Research from other countries shows that temperatures in white painted tin- and mud-roofed homes decreased by 2.16 degrees Fahrenheit over two years — and slightly more in homes with solely tin roofs. Every degree counts, as even that seemingly small temperature dip lowered inhabitants' heart rates. "My refrigerator doesn't heat up anymore and the house feels cooler. I sleep so much better and my electricity bill is down," said Ahmedabad resident Nehal Vijaybhai Bhil, whose roof was painted earlier this year.
Humanity
Wilma Mankiller, First Female Principal Chief of Cherokee Nation, Continues to Inspire Today
Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
This article was written by Julie Reed, an associate professor of history at Penn State, for The Conversation. If you fish in your pocket or purse for a U.S. quarter today, there's a chance you'll see Wilma Mankiller's face. She was the Cherokee Nation's first female principal chief, and she inspired generations of Cherokees and young Native people like me. In 2022, Mankiller was one of the first women honored by appearing on a series of quarters, along with renowned poet and activist Maya Angelou and physicist and astronaut Sally Ride. Mankiller's quarter, issued in the summer of 2022, marks the first time that a Native American woman has been featured on a U.S. coin since Sacagawea appeared on the golden dollar in 2000. As a historian of Native American history, I credit my professional career to Mankiller, whom I heard speak at Salem Women's College when I was an undergraduate student there. I had never seen a non-Native audience listen so intently to a woman who looked like my father's ancestors and grew up in rural Oklahoma, as he did. Like many young Cherokee people, I was raised outside the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation. Following her lecture, I tore through her autobiography, Mankiller: A Chief and Her People. In her book and through her life's work, Mankiller introduced a generation of people not just to Cherokee history but also to a model of Native women's leadership, leading by listening to the voices from her community and supporting the programs they sought. Read more of her story.
In Other News
MLB is back: Tomorrow, the Dodgers and the Cubs will face off in Tokyo — here's how to stream the game (read more)
For the first time, dozens of rarely seen ancient Roman sculptures are going on display in North America (read more)
John Lennon is being celebrated with a special British coin marking what would have been his 85th year (read more)
Astronomers made a 3D map of the cosmic dust in the Milky Way,capturing it in unprecedented detail (read more)
Mediterranean monk seals are rebounding after teetering on the brink of extinction (read more)
Something We Love
Raffia Chinese Mahjong Game Set My mom is really into mahjong these days, so my sister and I went in on this set for her Christmas gift — we liked that the case can be personalized and it comes with everything you need to play (eight dice, 44 tile game pieces, and blank tiles). Spoiler alert: She loved it! – Marika Spitulski, Writer
In 2003, a then-13-year-old Natalie Gilbert got a bit of stage fright while singing the national anthem at a Portland Trail Blazers game. Luckily, Maurice Cheeks, who was the head coach of the NBA team, came to her side to help her finish. Over two decades later, Gilbert came back to sing again at the same stadium last week, and this time Cheeks cheered her on from the sidelines. Watch her second performance.
Photo of the Day
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images
Today may be St. Patrick's Day, but the Windy City has been celebrating since Saturday, when members of the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union Local 130 sprayed nontoxic dye into the Chicago River, turning it a glowing emerald green. The quirky tradition has been in place for over six decades, and immediately precedes the city's downtown St. Patrick's Day parade — check out more pics of the festivities.
Experience the World's Highest Vineyards — From Your Glass of Bonner Wine
Deep in Argentina's remote Calchaquí Valley, at 9,000 feet above sea level, the sun is more intense, the air is thinner, and the vines work harder — creating bold, high-altitude wines unlike anything you'll find in stores. Until now, these rare bottles rarely left Argentina. But thanks to Bonner Wines, you can get five extreme-altitude wines delivered in sleek tasting tubes, right to your front door. No passport. No packing. Just an unforgettable journey through wine.
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