College Students are Transforming Red Solo Cups Into Sweaters to Combat Campus Litter

At any college party, plastic cups pile up fast. For most students, they’re just trash. For Lauren Choi, they became the foundation of a business. As an engineering student at Johns Hopkins University, Choi noticed how hard it was to recycle the familiar Solo and Hefty cups. Instead of treating them as waste, she asked if they could be repurposed into something useful. In 2019, during her senior year, she built an extruder machine that spun the plastic into textile filaments. With help from fraternities on campus, Choi and her team gathered thousands of discarded cups to refine the process. “College students use a lot of party cups. We probably knew that already, but to prove it, we launched a pilot collection program on the Johns Hopkins campus during my senior year,” she told Brené Brown. “We onboarded six student clubs and were collecting 5,000-plus cups a month.” That experiment grew into The New Norm, Choi’s textile company that now makes 3D-knitted sweaters and beanies out of old party cups. The brand’s first consumer collection, released in 2023, used 5,000 upcycled cups and sold out in two months. Choi, who is now pursuing an MBA at MIT, has kept refining the technology with the help of textile experts in North Carolina. Early versions of the fabric weren’t soft enough, but collaborations with the Gaston College Textile Technology Center and the Polymers Center led to a custom formula that produces comfortable, wearable yarn. “If you’re going to produce a knit garment, it needs to be comfortable. It can’t feel like a plastic cup,” said Jasmine Cox of the Textile Technology Center. Today, The New Norm works with textile facilities in North Carolina and Virginia to extrude plastic-based yarn. The yarn is then shipped to Brooklyn, where 3D knitting machines produce garments on demand. This method reduces fabric waste and eliminates the need for dyes since the party cups already come in bright colors. The company has also focused on tackling the issue of microplastics. By using filament yarns made from continuous strands rather than short fibers, the garments shed little to nothing in the wash. Support has come from grants provided by Johns Hopkins, Garnier, and even Reynolds Consumer Products, the parent company of Hefty. Products now sell online for $45 to $85, with sweaters and beanies available in a variety of colors. Choi says the aim has always been to scale up and work with bigger brands. Production has grown from tens of pounds of plastic per run to thousands, and she dreams of adding other types of plastics like food containers to the process. She knows the plastics crisis won’t be solved overnight, but she hopes The New Norm can at least help. “Addressing challenges like climate change is overwhelming. These are global issues caused by numerous interconnected industries,” she told Brown. “I’d say to anyone thinking about making a positive impact that you’re not alone — you’re just joining the team.”

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Brandon Hammond Returns to Hollywood Spotlight with Soul Food Reunion Documentary

By the late 1990s, Brandon Hammond was one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars. At just 13, he had already appeared in Space Jam, Menace II Society, and Waiting to Exhale. But it was his role as Ahmad in the 1997 hit Soul Food that earned him the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Actor — and cemented his place in film history. “I read the script and I mean, immediately, I just loved it. I could visualize it,” Hammond told PEOPLE. “It just gave the full gamut of who we are and it was just so relatable.” The film, starring Vivica A. Fox, Vanessa Williams, Nia Long, Mekhi Phifer, and Irma P. Hall, became an instant success, grossing $43.7 million against a $7.5 million budget. Told through Ahmad’s eyes, the story of a Black family navigating love, loss, and tradition resonated deeply with audiences. But just months after his breakout role, Hammond’s life took a devastating turn. In 1998, at the height of his career, he was diagnosed with Castleman disease, a rare autoimmune condition. “Three or four months later, I am fighting for my life, basically,” he said. The illness forced him to step back from acting, a decision he largely kept hidden. “A lot of people don’t know that because people have asked, ‘Hey, what happened? Why’d you stop acting?’ And I used to give these really kind of vague answers,” Hammond said. “I was kind of told not to talk about it. My agents told me to keep it under wraps.” For years, only close friends and colleagues knew the truth. Hammond shifted his focus behind the camera and built a quieter life outside Hollywood. But a visit earlier this year to celebrate Irma P. Hall’s 90th birthday went viral online, reuniting “Big Mama and Ahmad” and sparking calls for a Soul Food reunion. Now 41, Hammond is ready to reclaim his story. He’s producing a new documentary, Sunday Dinner: The Soul Food Reunion, slated for release in 2027 to mark the film’s 30th anniversary. The project will feature the full cast, archival footage, and behind-the-scenes moments while reflecting on the film’s cultural impact. “Initially, the idea to do a reunion was born out of, honestly, seeing the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air one. Martin also did one, Friends, etc.,” Hammond explained. “Soul Food deserves that type of recognition for what it means to the culture. It deserves to be given its flowers.” Working with producers Vivica A. Fox, George Tillman Jr., Marcia Tillman, and others, Hammond envisions the film as both a celebration and a personal statement. “This documentary, the feelings that you got while watching the film, and I’m talking about happy, joy, sad, angry, laughter, all of that, I want to encapsulate all that,” he said. For Hammond, the project is also a chance to finally speak openly about his own journey. “This is definitely me taking my power back,” he said. “It’s like my love letter to a film that has meant so much to me, both personally and professionally.” Fans, he added, are the reason Soul Food has endured. “They’ve kept it relevant, they’ve kept it in the zeitgeist, right, and I appreciate them so much for that. And finally, also being able to tell my story with it is really important to me.”

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Surgeons Successfully Separate Rare Conjoined Turtle Twins Hours After Birth

Two eastern box turtles made a rare entrance into the world this month, hatching as conjoined twins at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke. Staff at the center were monitoring three eggs laid by rescue turtles when they noticed one looked different from the rest. When it finally hatched, the team realized the egg contained not one but two babies, connected by vascular tissue at the bottom of their shells. “For the first day, we separated them from their larger siblings so they could have space and peace to hatch on their own for 24 hours,” the center wrote in a Facebook post. When the twins didn’t emerge on their own, the vet team carefully removed them from the shell. Inside, they found two fully formed hatchlings, each weighing just three grams, but with yolk sacs that were fused together. The twins underwent surgery within hours of birth. Veterinarians cut the connecting tissue and stitched the yolk sacs closed, allowing each turtle to keep its own yolk supply. “This is the best possible outcome for the twin turtles,” the center said. Since then, the hatchlings have been recovering alongside their siblings. In a September 18 update, the rescue shared that all four baby turtles are “doing what tiny turtles do best. They hide in their substrate, they grow, and they try to stay out of sight to avoid predators.” Executive director Chester Leonard told The Washington Post that the event was unlike anything the center had seen before. “We’re thrilled,” he said. “We’ve never had this before.” The birth is especially significant because eastern box turtles are a threatened species in Virginia, facing pressure from habitat destruction and the pet trade. Baby turtles are particularly vulnerable, with survival rates in the wild estimated at less than 0.1 percent. The center, which usually cares for 30 to 50 eastern box turtles at any given time, hopes these tiny twins will beat the odds. If they survive the next few weeks and begin eating on their own, staff say their chances of one day returning to the wild will be high.

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This Couple Just Reunited With the Heroes Who Saved Them From Hurricane Flooding

A year after nearly losing their lives in the floodwaters of Hurricane Helene, Lois and Kenneth Hawkins are back home — in a brand-new house built on the same spot where they once said their goodbyes. The couple, now 80 and 89, had braced themselves for death last September as water swallowed their Marion, North Carolina home. “We had decided we weren’t going to make it and we were talking to God like he was sitting there with us,” Lois told PEOPLE. Helene made landfall in Florida on September 26, 2024, before cutting a devastating path across the South. In Marion, an hour from Asheville, the Hawkins ignored evacuation warnings. Kenneth was in fragile health, and their 19-year-old cat Lulu was sick. Fearing a shelter wouldn’t take their pet, they stayed. By the next morning, the rains had turned the nearby river into a torrent. The couple scrambled to higher ground inside their home — Kenneth perched on top of a dresser, Lois climbing a ladder rung by rung as the water rose within half a meter of the ceiling. Their cat was placed on a closet shelf. “The water was coming in through the vents and the floor, there was sewage coming in and debris floating everywhere,” Kenneth recalled. “There was only that much air space to survive in at that point.” For hours they clung to survival, their refrigerator and furniture floating around them. “The thing that bothered me the most was I didn’t want him to die and me watch, and I did not want to die and leave him in that position where he couldn’t get down and get help,” Lois said. Then, in the fading light, orange rescue vests appeared outside their window. Sgt. Tim Godwin and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Swift Water Team were making one final sweep of the area when they heard Lois banging on the glass. “We jumped in the water and swam across the front yard to get to the front door and had to pry it open,” Godwin said. Lois remembers wrapping her arms around his neck as he pulled her to safety. “He said, ‘Put your arms around my neck and hold as tight as you can.’ ” The couple survived, but their home was destroyed. Over the past year, volunteers from the Christian nonprofit Baptists on Mission rebuilt it as part of a broader reconstruction effort. In July, Lois and Kenneth were handed the keys to their new house during a ceremony that reunited them with their rescuers. “It’s just a proud moment to see it come full circle. It gives me goosebumps. There were a lot of hugs,” Godwin said. Kenneth said, “It was exceptional. My wife was hugging every one of them.”

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Britain Celebrates 200th Anniversary Of Historic Rail Journey

Two centuries after a puffing locomotive rattled across the English countryside for the first time, Britain is celebrating the journey that helped launch the modern age. On September 27, 1825, George Stephenson’s Locomotion No. 1 made history when it chugged 26 miles (42 kilometers) along the Stockton & Darlington Railway in northeast England. It was not the first railway, but it was the first to combine the steam engine, standard gauge track, and public service that defined railways worldwide. What seemed like a modest experiment at the time soon reshaped how people lived, worked, and traveled. Coal, iron ore, and industrial goods could suddenly move faster than ever, while workers and families found themselves with more time and freedom to explore. Railways powered Britain’s urban boom, helped fuel its empire, and created a model that spread across the globe. This weekend, thousands lined the historic route to watch a newly restored replica of Locomotion No. 1 retrace that first journey. The commemorative ride, which began Friday and continues through the weekend, is the centerpiece of nationwide events marking the bicentenary. Prince Edward, the youngest brother of King Charles III, joined passengers on board one of the replica’s carriages Friday during a short trip into Shildon. For enthusiasts, it was more than ceremony — it was a chance to step back into history. Doug Haynes, 81, a retired aircraft engineer, traveled 160 kilometers from his home to see the re-enactment. “It was tremendous,” he said. “The work that they have put in to make this happen has been well worthwhile. It was well worth the trip over for me.” Spectators shared similar excitement. Louise Jones, 39, stood along the route with her family as the replica pulled out. “It was amazing to see it moving,” she said. “My dad used to work on the railways. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see what it would have looked like 200 years ago.” The original run in 1825 drew crowds from across Britain, including reporters who filed dispatches for a fascinated public. Darlington even declared a holiday to mark the event. Few at the time could have guessed how deeply the new technology would transform their communities. The railway soon became the backbone of Britain’s industrial revolution, accelerating the transport of raw materials and goods, and knitting towns and cities closer together. It also reshaped social life by making tourism and leisure trips possible for ordinary people, once confined to their villages. As the bicentenary unfolds, the replica’s steam and smoke echo the cheers of those first onlookers. In the words of those watching today, the legacy of Locomotion No. 1 is not just mechanical, but human — a story of invention that still resonates two hundred years later.

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This Tattoo Artist is Transforming Scars Into Art, Helping Thousands Over the Past Decade

Ten years ago, tattoo artist Brian Finn decided to use his craft for more than art. On his day off each week, he began offering free or reduced-cost tattoos to people with scars from trauma. "It just kind of hit me one day that I had the tools to do something to help people. So, I kind of rolled with it," Finn said. When NPR first interviewed him in 2015, word spread quickly. Requests poured in, and since then Finn has completed thousands of tattoos for survivors of domestic abuse, human trafficking, self-harm, and other experiences that left physical marks. For Finn, who has been tattooing for more than 30 years, the meaning behind each piece is deeply personal. "Some people, you know, they want to cover up a scar with a tattoo so they can't see it. But there's a lot of people, too, that came in … they wanted to kind of highlight it," he said. "Everybody's different. And I think both are great ideas and just a different approach depending on what you want to do." The impact of his work extended beyond his own shop. After his 2015 interview, Finn began receiving messages not only from potential clients but also from tattoo artists around the world. "There's people that reached out from all across the world, different tattoo shops, different tattooers saying: 'Hey, I heard that on NPR. I'm kind of following suit and I'm doing the same thing.'" Still, the work has not been without its challenges. Finn admits he underestimated how difficult it would be to hear people’s stories day after day. "Emotionally, it was … there was a lot of pain to hear on a daily basis," he said. Over time, he’s found ways to manage the weight of it. "The only thing that's really changed is that I think it's less overwhelming … hearing everybody's story all at once was more than I expected." A decade in, Finn says he has no plans to stop. "I don't see any reason to stop," he said. "It's nice to help people out." What began as a small idea has now become part of a global ripple effect, inspiring others to turn tattoos into tools for healing.

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How Lowrider Culture is Transforming Custom Cars Into Vibrant Artworks

On weekends in California, Sandy Avila steers her 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass lowrider through the streets, its hydraulics hissing as the car rises and dips at her command. For Avila, the cars are more than machines. “Lowriding for me isn’t just a pastime,” she says. “It’s a part of my culture—it’s something that I grew up around my whole life.” Her father once owned lowriders, and she remembers climbing onto them before she could even walk. Nine years ago, inspired by her husband’s car, she decided to get her own. Now 42, she owns two: the customized Cutlass and a 1966 Chevrolet Impala convertible she is still turning into a lowrider. “I’ve literally changed everything,” she says of the Cutlass. “It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of money, it’s a lot of dedication—there’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that people put into their cars.” That passion is at the center of “Corazón y Vida: Lowrider Culture,” opening September 26 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. The bilingual exhibition, which runs until October 2027, tells an 80-year story of Mexican American ingenuity, family tradition and mechanical artistry through the lens of lowriders. The show pairs photographs, posters and objects from the Smithsonian’s collection with two iconic cars: El Rey, a candy-red 1963 Chevrolet Impala built by three generations of one family, and Gypsy Rose, a 1964 Impala hand-painted with roses. Gypsy Rose, designed by Jesse Valadez of the Imperials Car Club in East Los Angeles, became famous after appearing on the 1970s TV comedy Chico and the Man and was added to the National Historic Vehicle Register in 2017. A sister version of the exhibition, “Corazón y Vida: Lowrider Culture in the United States,” launched this month in Anaheim, California. Created with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, it will tour through 2029, focusing on photographs and digital prints so that communities nationwide can connect with the culture. “We decided to do something that’s a bit more national in scope,” says curator L. Stephen Velasquez. “Something that was mainly more on the community, the heart and soul of what lowriding is.” Lowriding emerged in the 1940s, as Mexican American veterans returned from World War II with mechanical skills and modest savings. Cars became canvases. With limited means, young mechanics bought used vehicles and transformed them into mobile works of art. “Owning a car was kind of a symbol of the American dream,” Velasquez says. “They could only afford the used ones, so they started to do whatever they could to make that car their own.” For Maria del Carmen Cossu, project director for the traveling exhibition, the cars embody history and resilience. “Lowriding is a very important tradition that was started in the 1940s by Mexican Americans in the southwest of the United States after they came [home] from World War II,” she says. But lowriders also faced hostility. “Mexican Americans were kind of villainized as being not completely American,” Velasquez explains. Police routinely stopped drivers for cruising too slowly or lowering their cars too close to the ground. In 1958, California made it illegal to drive any car “lower than the bottom of the wheel rim.” Hydraulics became a workaround, allowing cars to ride low, then lift up when police approached. Discrimination persisted into the 1970s, when San Francisco police issued mass citations and arrests. In 1979, car clubs sued the city and Mayor Dianne Feinstein for civil rights violations. “It wasn’t about money,” Roberto Hernandez, who led the suit, told NPR years later. “It was about the whole discrimination and blatant selective racism and use of excessive force by the police department.” San Francisco eventually settled, but restrictions lingered until last year, when California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law ending local bans on lowrider cruising. Despite decades of stigma, lowriders became central to community celebrations, appearing at quinceañeras, weddings, funerals and club anniversaries. Paint jobs often tell stories with religious icons, portraits of family members, or symbolic designs. The exhibition’s name, “Corazón y Vida” (Heart and Life), reflects that spirit. “It’s all about the heart,” Velasquez says. “It’s not something that you can go out and buy.” Avila has worked to expand that tradition through the Lady Lowriders Car Club, which she founded in 2021. The group of about 25 women now includes members in the US, Canada, Mexico and Japan. “We want to encourage younger women that they can also build these beautiful cars and that these beautiful cars are not just for men,” she says. For her and others, it’s also therapy: “It’s definitely like a therapy for us to be able to go out and cruise in our cars and just kind of have our own time together.” Lowriding has spread well beyond its roots. Nick Muros, a lowrider builder in Washington state with German, Puerto Rican and Spanish ancestry, remembers falling in love with the culture in second grade after seeing a bluish-purple 1974 Impala bounce on three wheels. “That was the coolest thing I’d ever seen in my life,” he says. At 11, he was sanding and priming his first car, a 1963 Bel-Air station wagon. Today he runs a shop specializing in chassis reinforcement and hydraulics. For curators, that wide reach is part of the story. “It’s gone beyond the United States to influence places in Asia, Latin America and Europe,” says Cossu. Yet at its core, lowriding remains tied to the Mexican American experience. Avila sees the culture gaining new respect. “For so long, it wasn’t looked at as a positive thing,” she says. “I feel like now it’s really gotten a good name, and people can really understand and accept it for what it is, which is a passion to build cars and a part of a culture that I know a lot of people didn’t understand.” Whether rolling slowly down a boulevard or displayed under museum lights, lowriders remain what they have always been: expressions of identity, artistry and community, kept alive by people who see their cars as family.

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A British Charity is Hosting a Sleepout at Stonehenge to Support Homeless Veterans

Alabaré, a British charity dedicated to fighting homelessness, has been making waves by providing critical support to "rough sleepers" across the UK. One of their notable programs is Homes for Veterans, which assists former service members like Bryn, who found himself homeless after serving 14 years in the Royal Air Force Regiment. He ended up sleeping under a bridge during winter after exhausting all other options. “You don’t really sleep,” Bryn shared with the Salisbury Journal. “You’re constantly watching if anybody is going to try and steal your stuff.” Fortunately, Alabaré's intervention through their Homes for Veterans program gave him a fresh start. “That day changed my life,” he said about finding secure housing. In its 2024-2025 impact report, Alabaré revealed it supported 3,272 people during that period, marking a 12.3 percent increase from the previous year. However, this growth in assistance could not entirely meet the rising demand within communities. The report highlighted that there are over 3,500 homeless veterans across England and Wales alone. “Last year, we received 350 referrals for our veteran services,” Alabaré noted in their report; this reflects an increase of 122 percent in demand for their services for veterans specifically. Despite the surge in need, Alabaré managed to provide housing services to 158 veterans over the past year. Looking ahead to 2026, Alabaré plans to expand its reach through The Big Sleep event. For 15 years running, this initiative has encouraged participants to give up their beds for one night and sleep outside while raising funds for those experiencing homelessness. This year's Big Sleep will take place at Stonehenge on Friday, November 14. The event invites participants to get sponsored to sleep outdoors and raise money for homeless veterans in Wiltshire and the South West of England. “We are asking you to get sponsored to sleep out for one night,” Alabaré stated on their event page. To add an extra layer of intrigue, they’ve partnered with Cranborne Chase National Landscape team to explore the night sky with attendees after walking down to the stones. Registration is open but limited to 200 participants; interested individuals are encouraged to sign up soon. As described in their impact report, Homes for Veterans aims at providing tailored support pathways that address physical health, mental health, financial wellbeing, and employment readiness among veterans. By working closely with each veteran client, the program helps them secure stable housing and transition successfully into independent living situations while minimizing future risks of homelessness. “Together we can break the cycle,” pledges Alabaré in their ongoing mission statement aimed at supporting vulnerable veterans throughout England and Wales.

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This Breast Cancer Survivor is Strutting the Catwalk to Raise Awareness and Support Research

Sarah Wheldon, a 35-year-old from Dorset, is taking to the catwalk in Dorchester to raise awareness for breast cancer. Her participation in the Charity Angels fashion show is personal, as she knows firsthand how critical it is to recognize and address symptoms early. Living in Lyon, France, a few years back, Sarah noticed a lump and red patch on her breast. Despite these concerning signs, she found herself dismissed time and time again by healthcare professionals who thought she was "too young" at 33 to have breast cancer. "I left in floods of tears and was feeling very alone," she shared about her frustrating experience after being denied a mammogram by a radiologist. Eventually, persistence paid off. On her 34th birthday, Sarah received the diagnosis she'd been dreading: breast cancer. What followed were months of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. But it wasn't just the treatment that weighed heavily on her; it was the initial struggle to be taken seriously. "That was the time I struggled to talk about," she said. "I start to feel angry." The emotional toll didn't end with treatment. Returning to Dorchester after her ordeal in France marked another low point in Sarah's life. It became a time for processing everything she'd been through while living with her parents Julie and John, who had supported her throughout. Now managing preventative drugs and hormone therapy side effects more effectively, Sarah has found solace in swimming and community support groups like the Purbeck Workshop. This group offers craft activities for those affected by cancer and has become an outlet for healing. It was through this workshop that Sarah got involved with the upcoming fashion show set for October 16 at Dorchester's Corn Exchange. The event will feature 14 women who have experienced breast cancer themselves, modeling clothes from six independent boutiques. All proceeds go toward Against Breast Cancer's research efforts into secondary breast cancer. Reflecting on what got her through such trying times, Sarah credits her parents—her "best friends"—and emphasizes not facing challenges alone: "Don't do it on your own," she advises others going through similar situations. Funds raised from the Charity Angels fashion show will support Against Breast Cancer’s junior research fellowship headed by Dr. Simon Lord at Oxford University’s Department of Oncology.

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How This New Yorker Found a New Life and Love in a Rural Italian Village

Sometimes moving abroad feels like a gamble, a leap into the unknown. For Caroline Chirichella, a 36-year-old New Yorker, relocating to a quiet Italian town became the best decision of her life. Tired of the pace and expense of New York City, Chirichella first visited Guardia Sanframondi, a village of about 5,000 people northeast of Naples, in 2014. The trip wasn’t planned. Her mother had suggested adding the destination after seeing it featured on the television show House Hunters International. “When we came here the first time in October of 2014, everything just clicked and I knew this was where I wanted to live,” she told CNN. What started as curiosity turned into permanence. Two years later, she made the move for good, swapping the stress of running her catering business in New York for a slower life in Campania. “I was living my life, but I didn’t feel like I was experiencing it,” she said. “I wanted a place where I could live life to the fullest and become a part of a community.” On her first visit, she fell in love not only with the cobbled streets and sweeping views, but also with the sense of belonging she said New York lacked. “I felt it in my heart. It was like I was coming home,” she said. She bought a three-story home with a terrace for just over $50,000, paid in full without a mortgage. Later, as her family grew, she and her husband upgraded to a larger four-bedroom house for about $80,000. Her move also changed her personal life. At an art exhibition in Guardia, she met Vito Pace, a local artist. The chance encounter turned into a long-distance relationship, then marriage in 2016. Today they have two children, Lucia, 7, and Nicola, 2. “Living in Guardia was the best decision I ever made because it gave me my future — my husband, my children and my own business,” she said. Life in the village has meant embracing “la dolce vita” and letting go of New York’s relentless rush. Chirichella now runs a public relations company with the flexibility she long craved. Her days include long walks, time in the park with her children, and frequent dinners with her parents, who have since moved from New York to join her in Guardia. Costs are manageable. The family spends about $3,500 a month, which covers utilities, groceries, car insurance, and regular meals out. “If we were to live in NYC with two children, what we live with here wouldn’t even cover our rent,” she said. The slower rhythm hasn’t always been easy to adjust to. Deliveries and appointments often run late. Utilities sometimes cut out without notice. But she says small-town quirks come with rewards too. Running into neighbors for coffee or an aperitivo has become one of her favorite parts of the day. “Working with Italians is very different than working with Americans, and that’s OK,” she said. “If I wanted things to operate the same as they do in America, then I should have stayed there.” As a dual Italian-American citizen with roots in the region, the move has also reconnected her to her family’s past. Her great-grandfather came from a town south of Naples. Nearly a decade later, she says she cannot imagine going back to New York. “When I was younger, I would ride the subway to school and see so many people who looked miserable and I told myself, I never wanted that to be me,” she said. “I have found a way to create my own version of happiness.”

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Preschooler Surprises Beloved Custodian By Dressing Up Like Him On Career Day

In Clinton, Mississippi, a four-year-old preschooler’s hero is not a superhero or a cartoon character. Instead, he looks up to Mr. Bubba, the custodian at Weekday Preschool of the First Baptist Church. On career day, while his classmates dressed as firefighters and athletes, this young boy donned a bald cap and fake mustache to embody Mr. Bubba perfectly. The sweet moment was captured on video by the preschool and quickly gained attention after being reshared on Reddit's r/MadeMeSmile community. The clip shows Mr. Bubba bursting into laughter when he sees his mini-me for the first time. "Ask any of our Weekday Preschool Children who their favorite person is and the answer is easily 'Mr. Bubba!'" read the caption accompanying the video. Bubba Cable, affectionately known as Mr. Bubba, expressed surprise at being chosen as a role model during an interview with Baptist Press. "It’s just a surprise that anyone would even look up to me like that," Cable said. Despite seeing himself as an "average Joe," he has earned admiration from students who greet him enthusiastically whenever he passes by. Kim Evrard, Weekday Preschool Director, describes Mr. Bubba as indispensable to both the preschool and church community. “Mr. Bubba does everything for us,” Evrard told Baptist Press, highlighting how quick he is to respond to their needs. Reddit users were deeply touched by this heartwarming interaction between the student and Mr. Bubba. Comments poured in from custodians who empathized with Mr. Bubba’s joy and parents who appreciated the dedication involved in creating such an accurate costume. Evrard hopes that sharing this video brings joy to others during challenging times. She believes moments like these are essential in uplifting spirits and spreading positivity.

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