Good News Headlines 7/10/2023
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The Blackfeet Are Freeing Wild Bison Back Onto Native Lands After Centuries Of Devastation
by , HuffPost
The Blackfeet Nation set dozens of wild bison loose on tribal land last week, in a historic move to restore a free-ranging herd at a time when the last remaining American buffalo are typically kept enclosed. The release was the culmination of a decade-long effort championed by the four tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy, which includes the Blackfeet Nation, and supported by wildlife conservationists. It appears to mark the first case in which a tribe released wild bison that will almost certainly make their way onto large neighboring chunks of federal public land. The bison release signifies more than just ecological restoration following the national mammal’s near extermination. Watch a video clip here.
Brazil: Amazon Deforestation Drops 34% In First Six Months Under Lula
by Associated Press
After four years of rising destruction in Brazil’s Amazon, deforestation dropped by 33.6% during the first six months of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s term, according to new government satellite data. From January to June the rainforest had alerts covering 2,650 sq km (1,023 sq miles), down from 4,000 sq km –during the same period last year under former president Jair Bolsonaro. This year’s data includes a 41% plunge in alerts for June, which marks the start of the dry season when deforestation tends to jump. “The effort of reversing the curve of growth has been reached. That is a fact: we reversed the curve; deforestation isn’t increasing,” said João Paulo Capobianco.
New York Delivery Workers React To Their New Minimum Pay
by Aaliyah Fisher, Reasons to be Cheerful
Across New York City, delivery drivers are a ubiquitous sight: congregating outside big restaurant chains waiting to collect orders, zooming through the city streets with orders in tow. “The most chaotic time for deliveries is easily during lunch time,” says Elijah Williams, who delivers food for both Uber and DoorDash. “I’ve had up to four orders at one time.” Mayor Eric Adams recently announced a major change that will deeply impact busy workers like Williams: app-based delivery workers will be paid $17.96 an hour starting July 12th — and nearly $20 an hour by 2025 — marking the nation’s first minimum pay for such workers.
Beautiful Homeless Shelters Get Radical Redesign To Impact Residents
by Andy Corbley, Good News Network
Attempting to get a grip on the homeless epidemic, homeless shelters are making conscious choices to employ trauma-informed designs to make those who are sheltering feel calm, more autonomous, and safe. For example, at Path Home Family Village in Portland, Oregon, natural bamboo wood roofs sit above a naturally lit area painted in seafoam green, turquoise, and grey. Windows open out onto a garden with flowers and vegetables, and there are privacy walls between beds with soft personal reading lamps. This is all part of the trauma-informed design; one that uses science and close relations with the homeless to establish a set of best practices for shelter construction.
Wisconsin Gov. Uses Line-Item Veto To Boost Education Funding For 400+ Years
by Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams
Among the dozens of Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ line-item vetoes for state Republicans’ two-year budget was a move to boost funding for public education for the next four centuries. The budget approved by lawmakers hiked the revenue limit for school districts—or how much they can raise from state aid and local property taxes—by $325 per student “for the 2023-24 school year and the 2024-25 school year.” Evers, a former public school teacher and administrator, turned that into “for 2023-2425.” Evers said that while he has been able to increase aid by over $300 per student in recent years, “we know that we will still have a lot of work [to] ensure that state investments can keep up with inflation.”
