Good News Headlines 2/8/2023
Photo©grigorybruev/123rf
This City Will Have The World’s First Fully Electric Public Transit System
by Amanda Gabriele, Inside Hook
Cities and countries around the world have been investing in EV charging and emission-free transportation in increasingly greater numbers. But one city is beating out everyone on the electric public transit front. Oslo, Norway has announced plans for its transportation system to be fully electric by the end of 2023. Oslo already has a system of electric trains, ferries and trams, along with some buses. But by the end of next year, the Scandinavian city will replace its remaining diesel buses with shiny new electric ones. According to Reuters, the 450 new buses will cost about $47 million, a hefty price tag that will actually save the city money in the long run.
Yale Honors Black Girl, Nine, Wrongly Reported To Police Over Insect Project
by Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Guardian
A nine-year-old girl whose neighbor called the police on her as she worked to eradicate invasive insects from her home town has earned honors from one of the US’s most prestigious universities. The Yale School of Public Health earlier this month held a ceremony citing Bobbi Wilson’s efforts to rid Caldwell, New Jersey, of the spotted lanternfly, according to university officials. The 20 January gathering also recognized Bobbi for bestowing her personal collection of lanternflies to Yale’s Peabody Museum, which entered the collection into its database and listed the child as the donating scientist.
Make Room, St. Patrick: Ireland Celebrates New ‘Matron Saint’ With Prayers And A Holiday
by Peter Smith, Los Angeles Times
St. Patrick has long received the attention and the big parades, but another patron saint of Ireland is making a 21st century comeback. St. Brigid of Kildare, a younger contemporary of St. Patrick, is quietly and steadily gaining a following in Ireland and abroad. Devotees see Brigid, and the ancient Irish goddess whose name and attributes she shares, as emblematic of feminine spirituality and empowerment. For the first time, Ireland is observing a public holiday this year in honor of St. Brigid’s Day and Imbolc, an ancient pagan holy day associated with the goddess Brigid and heralding the coming of spring.
10 States Have Now Banned The Sale Of Cosmetics Tested On Animals
by Tavleen Tarrant, CNN
New York became the tenth state to ban the sale of cosmetics tested on animals after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a measure into law Thursday evening. The law, known as the New York Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act, prohibits the sale and manufacturing of cosmetics that have been tested on animals. The new legislation in New York follows similar action taken in Virginia, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Maine, Hawaii, Nevada, Illinois and Maryland, according to the Humane Society of the United States. “For decades, helpless animals have been subjected to cruel and painful experiments simply for the creation of cosmetic products,” said New York State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal.
The Incredibly Rare Night Parrot Spotted In Western Australia For The First Time In A Century
by Josh Davis, IFLSCIENCE
The discovery of the rare night parrot follows decades of unverified sightings and rumors that the squat birds have persisted long after they were thought to have disappeared. Until a few years ago, however, there was scant evidence to back this up. Then, news broke four years ago that ornithologists had filmed and tagged one of the elusive birds in spinifex scrub on a remote ranch in Queensland. This explosive news was the birding equivalent of finding a living tylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, stalking the forests of Tasmania. This gave others hope that the holy grail of birding may still be creeping around the bush, unbeknownst to the few people who make a living in the outback.
