It’s time to enjoy some more Feel Good Friday stories as we head into the weekend.
1. Some NYPD cops saved an emotionally disturbed guy who was about to jump off a Staten Island Ferry this week. The boat was in the middle of New York Harbor when he climbed out a window onto the side of it. Two cops on the boat saw it happen and started trying to talk him down. They also called for backup, and police boats showed up in case he jumped in. One of the cops ended up grabbing him before he could though, and they got him some help.
2. An 80-year-old guy in Idaho fell 60 feet while hiking this month, and got pretty banged up. He broke his ankle and cracked a few vertebrae. But he survived and is now recovering after a group of nearby Boy Scouts showed up to save him. Here’s a interesting coincidence too: He actually used to be a Scoutmaster.
3. A new poll found women feel more empowered than they used to. 93% said they’re “proud” to be a woman, and 77% said they feel more confident than they did ten years ago.
4. A teacher in Saginaw, Michigan named Brendan Harrison just finished his last round of chemo after he was diagnosed with colon cancer last year. And when he walked out of the hospital, a huge group of friends, family, and students were all there cheering for him. (Here’s the video.)
5. Remember in the ’90s, when “Unsolved Mysteries” would have updates if they actually helped solve a crime? Well, Netflix rebooted it in 2020, and it just happened again. A nine-year-old girl was abducted in Illinois six years ago. Her dad had custody, and her mom took off with her. But after her photo was featured on a recent episode for just FOUR SECONDS, someone spotted her in North Carolina. She’s now back home with her dad. The mom’s facing charges.
6. A retired Army vet named Kevin Bittenbender ran the Pittsburgh marathon last week, less than a year-and-a-half after his left leg had to be amputated. And how’s this for supportive? His surgeon also trained for it and ran the whole thing with him.
7. An older couple in Colorado were just honored for National Foster Care Month. After the last of their three kids left home in 1989, they decided to start fostering. In 34 years, they’ve raised more than 130 foster kids.
8. A team of 13 volunteers rescued a dog that climbed England’s highest mountain. He hiked up 3,200 feet with his owners, and then decided he was done and wouldn’t budge. Fair enough, since he’s a fairly big dog . . . a 73-pound Akita named Rocky. They had to carry him on a stretcher, but he’s okay.
9. A 65-year-old woman from California founded a nonprofit in 1997 called Roots of Peace. They go to war-torn countries and remove landmines, then replace them with grape vines, fruit trees, and vegetable gardens. They’re heading to Ukraine next, and she just got a big award last week called the World Food Prize.
10. Starlux Airlines is based in Taiwan and had some major delays at the Tokyo airport this month. A bunch of people were stranded overnight, and then got delayed again the next day. But check this out: The airline’s CEO felt so bad about it, he flew to Tokyo himself and apologized to everyone in person.
11. Here’s a weird Make-a-Wish: A 12-year-old kid in Utah always wanted to know what it was like to be ARRESTED. So cops made it happen for him last week. They cuffed him and took fingerprints. He says it was a fun experience, but jail definitely seems kinda scary in real life.
12. Here’s an equally weird bucket list story: A 99-year-old woman in England named Annie Duplock always wanted to be part of a KNIFE-THROWING act. So the owner of a circus made it happen for her last week. Here’s a video of a circus performer throwing ten knives at her.
13. Not all Olympic champions wind up with their pictures on the Wheaties box. Two past Olympic champion divers from Mexico were forced to auction off their swim suits and towels after the Mexican government eliminated funding for their air fare to the Aquatics World Championships in Japan this July. Alejandra Orozco and Gabriela Agundez even considered auctioning off their Olympic medals to pay for the trip. Luckily, the airline Aeromexico came through with an offer to fly the entire Mexican diving team to the competition.
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