Good News Headlines 6/10/2024

Photo courtesy Wikipedia, Creative Commons

Mexico Elects Its First Female President

by Emily Green and Eyder Peralta, NPR

Claudia Sheinbaum, an environmental scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, was overwhelmingly elected Mexico’s first female president on Sunday, a historic milestone in a country rife with gender-based violence and misogyny. With most of the votes counted, Mexico’s electoral agency estimates that Sheinbaum is on track to win the race with nearly 59% of the vote. Her closest rival, Xóchitl Gálvez is projected to get 28% of the vote, with the other opposition candidate, Jorge Álvarez Máynez, taking just over 10% of the vote. In her victory speech to supporters, Sheinbaum said both rivals had conceded and had called to congratulate her on her victory. “I will become the first woman president of Mexico,” she told the crowd.

One Of America’s Most Visited Park Became More Accessible: ‘This Is Everyone’s Park’

by Nathan Diller, USA Today

On a recent afternoon in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Carly Pearson’s hiking gear had three wheels. Pearson, who is paralyzed below the waist following an injury she sustained as a wildland firefighter, used an all-terrain wheelchair to maneuver around tree roots, mud and other hikers on her way to a nearby waterfall. Just two years ago, that wouldn’t have been possible. The National Park Service – along with several partners – launched adaptive programming to make the county’s most-visited national park more accessible for visitors with disabilities. “Today I can hike on up to Cataract Falls with my daughter and say, ‘Look at this. Look at this waterfall right now,’ and give her the opportunity to be immersed in nature,” said Pearson.

What $500 A Month Freed Up For Families

by Darreonna Davis, YES! Magazine

Participants in a guaranteed-income program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were able to save more money, cover emergencies, and had more time and space for parenting, which in turn positively impacted their children’s educational outcomes, according to a program assessment from the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania. Cambridge Recurring Income for Success (RISE) was an 18-month guaranteed-income program that offered 130 single caregivers $500 cash payments from September 2021 to February 2023. Participants—96% of whom were women and 62% of whom were African American—had to have an income below 80% of the area’s median income to be eligible.

‘You Can Do Anything Here!’ Why Lithuania Is The Best Place In The World To Be Young

by Kate McCusker, The Guardian

In the shade of a tree on a warm day in Vilnius, Lithuania, I’m having coffee with the happiest twentysomethings in the world. Given the weather (perfect) and the beverage (cheap), it is hard to feel anything but happy. It is harder still if, like 23-year-old Simona Jurkuvenaite, you have just been handed €21,000 from the Lithuanian government to direct your debut short film about the country’s teenagers. “This is a great place,” she says, gesturing around the manicured square where we’re sitting, on the edge of the city’s new town. “It’s pretty awesome that you can get these kinds of opportunities here.” So good are the opportunities and so high is the level of optimism that Lithuania topped this year’s World Happiness Report rankings for the under-30s.

Canada’s First Grocery Store Where Food Is FREE Opens In Saskatchewan

by Andy Corbley, Good News Network

In Saskatchewan, Canada’s first free grocery store is set to open as a flourishing food bank continues to look for ways to support the community. Located at 1881 Broad St. in Regina, the Food Hub will be stocked like any old grocery store, and unlike similar projects that operate out of churches or community centers, it will feature a produce section, floor-to-ceiling display fridges, and be open all week. The Regina Food Bank believes that allowing people who rely on the food bank for food security to fill out a cart just like a normal grocery store gives back agency, and may actually help feed more people by reducing waste.  “None of us fit in a box, but that’s what we give our clients today,” Regina Food Bank vice-president David Froh told CBC News.