This Paramedic Saved a Veteran - And Then Saved His Daughter Six Years Later

Paramedic Kristi Hadfield's remarkable journey of saving lives took an even more heartwarming turn as she became a kidney donor for the daughter of a US military veteran whose life she had previously saved. After connecting on Facebook, Hadfield and Molly Cunningham Jones discovered they were a match, the transplant surgery was conducted successfully. Their remarkable journey highlights the power of selflessness, organ donation, and the enduring bonds that can form through acts of kindness.

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Van Gogh Museum is Adding Rare Art by a Woman Artist to Its Collection

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has acquired a 19th-century painting by French artist Virginie Demont-Breton, a work that inspired Vincent van Gogh to make his own copy. The painting, L’homme est en mer, or The man is at sea, is only the third painting by a woman to enter the museum’s collection. The deal was made at the booth of Gallery 19C, from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and the painting had been in a private Dallas collection for the past 20 years. The purchase price was between €500,000 and €1 million, or about $543,000 to $1.1 million, and was paid for with public funds dedicated to acquisitions. The sale did not come together quickly. It had been in the works for months and was only finalized after the museum’s team brought in its own specialists and conservators to examine the work. According to the museum’s curator of paintings, Lisa Smit, the institution had been looking for the painting for a long time. Van Gogh had seen Demont-Breton’s work reproduced in black and white in a magazine about French salon paintings. The original was made between 1887 and 1889, and it made enough of an impression on him that he copied it himself. It is one of the only paintings by a woman artist known to have been emulated by Van Gogh. The museum’s curators contacted Eric Weider, the owner of 19C, to help source the painting. The work was traced to a private collection in Dallas. Weider said the collectors were “receptive to the idea” of selling the painting, but only if it would go to a public institution. The painting is described as a realistic scene of a mother sitting by a fireplace, looking on pensively as her young baby sleeps on her lap. In the corner of the room, fish netting can be seen, which the woman would have been working on making. Smit linked the work to Van Gogh’s admiration for Demont-Breton’s family as well as the subject itself. “Van Gogh was a big fan of the work of Demont-Breton’s father, Jules Breton,” Smit said. “He would have seen a lot of sentiment in this work. It is heartfelt, it is truthful. You can immediately feel for the figure. It is a depiction of motherhood that is not idyllic.” The acquisition adds to a small group of works by women artists in the museum. The Van Gogh Museum has only two other paintings by women, along with several works on paper. The purchase also comes at a time when museums have been trying to address historical gaps in their collections, especially in relation to women artists. Demont-Breton was a celebrated French Realist painter. In 1883, she showed her work outside competition at the Paris salons. She later won gold medals at the Paris World’s Fairs in 1889 and 1900. In 1900, she also served as honorary chair of the Union of Women Painters and Sculptors.

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These 10 Movie Musicals Won Best Picture at the Oscars

Movie musicals have filled cinemas since the first talkies, but the Academy has only handed its top prize to 10 of them. That small list stretches from The Broadway Melody in 1929 to Chicago in 2003. Along the way, the genre had a huge run in the 1960s, when four musicals won Best Picture in one decade. Since Chicago, no movie musical has won the category. The first was The Broadway Melody. The 1929 film was the first talkie to win Best Picture and MGM's first musical. Featuring music by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed, it starred Anita Page, Bessie Love and Charles King as vaudeville performers and songwriters trying to get their big break on Broadway. It won at the Academy's second annual awards, beating dramas including Alibi, In Old Arizona and The Patriot, plus fellow musical The Hollywood Revue. The next musical to win was The Great Ziegfeld in 1936. Based on the life and career of Ziegfeld Follies creator Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld Jr., the film starred William Powell, Myrna Loy and Best Actress winner Luise Rainer. It won Best Picture at the ninth Oscars over nine other nominees, including San Francisco and Three Smart Girls. The film later spawned two sequels, Ziegfeld Girl in 1941 and Ziegfeld Follies in 1945. Going My Way followed at the 17th annual Oscars for films released in 1944. It was the only musical nominated for Best Picture that year and won over Double Indemnity, Gaslight, Since You Went Away and Wilson. The year's highest-grossing film starred Bing Crosby as a priest in a troubled New York City parish. Its success led Paramount Pictures to release a sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's, the next year, and that film also earned a Best Picture nomination. In the 1950s, Gene Kelly was the era's defining musical star, and An American in Paris won Best Picture in 1952. The film, about two friends who fall for the same Parisian woman, featured a George Gershwin score with songs including "Embraceable You," "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "I Got Rhythm" and "'S' Wonderful." It won six Academy Awards after being nominated alongside A Place in the Sun, A Streetcar Named Desire, Decision Before Dawn and Quo Vadis. The film is also known for its 17-minute final ballet sequence, which Entertainment Weekly reported cost half a million dollars to produce. Gigi won next, at the 31st Oscars for 1958. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, the film won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture over Auntie Mame, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Defiant Ones and Separate Tables. The record did not last long, because Ben-Hur won 11 Oscars the following year. Based on Colette's 1944 novella, Gigi starred Leslie Caron as a young girl and Louis Jourdan as a wealthy Parisian playboy in an unlikely courtship. Its songs came from Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Then came the 1960s, when musicals dominated the category. West Side Story won Best Picture for 1961 and took home 10 Oscars, the most Academy Award wins for any movie musical. Adapted from Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's 1957 Broadway musical based on Romeo and Juliet, it starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer and Rita Moreno. Jerome Robbins co-directed with Robert Wise and recreated his choreography from the stage production. The film beat Fanny, The Guns of Navarone, The Hustler and Judgment at Nuremberg, and the official website says it was the year's second-highest-grossing film. My Fair Lady won for 1964. Based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, the film starred Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins and Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle. It won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture over Becket, Dr. Strangelove, Mary Poppins and Zorba the Greek. Harrison also won Best Actor for reprising his Broadway role. Hepburn was not nominated, and the Best Actress Oscar went to Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins. The Sound of Music followed with a Best Picture win for 1965. Julie Andrews starred as Maria, a young Austrian nun-in-training who becomes governess to the seven children of a retired naval officer played by Christopher Plummer. The Rodgers and Hammerstein adaptation was the highest-grossing film of the year and won five Oscars, including Best Picture, despite mixed reviews. It beat Darling, Doctor Zhivago, Ship of Fools and A Thousand Clowns. Oliver! closed out the decade's run. The adaptation of Lionel Bart's stage musical won Best Picture in 1969 and took home six awards. Directed by Carol Reed, it starred Mark Lester as Oliver, Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger and Ron Moody as Fagin. Wild and Moody were nominated for acting Oscars, and choreographer Onna White received an honorary award. The film beat The Lion in Winter, Rachel, Rachel, Romeo and Juliet and Funny Girl. After that, the genre went a long time without another Best Picture winner. The source notes that movie musicals largely disappeared from cinemas after box-office flops in the 1970s and 1980s, though films including Hello, Dolly!, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Beauty and the Beast and Moulin Rouge! still received Best Picture nominations. Chicago finally ended the drought at the 75th Academy Awards in 2003. Directed by Rob Marshall, the adaptation of John Kander and Fred Ebb's 1975 stage musical follows two murderous women in the 1920s whose crimes turn them into celebrities. The film won six Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress for Catherine Zeta-Jones. Renée Zellweger, John C. Reilly and Queen Latifah were also nominated, while Richard Gere was identified in the source as one of the year's biggest snubs. Chicago beat Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Pianist to win Best Picture. The 98th Academy Awards will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on March 15, with Conan O'Brien returning as host.

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These School Dads Surprised a Beloved Crossing Guard With A New Car

The person helping children get to school safely in Richardson needed a lift of her own, and parents at Moss Haven Elementary decided to do something about it. When families at the Texas school learned their crossing guard had been relying on buses and ride-shares after her car broke down, they raised money and surprised her with a replacement vehicle. Trecia Crawford, known around campus as “Ms. Crawford,” helps children cross the street each day at Moss Haven Elementary in Richardson, Texas. For many families, seeing her at the crosswalk has become a familiar part of the daily routine. Parents said she is a steady presence for students and families. They said she greets children with smiles, reminds them not to run through the crosswalk and often knows parents by their first names. “She’s part of the community,” one parent said. A few months ago, getting to work became much harder for Crawford after her car broke down. She was left without reliable transportation, but she kept finding ways to get to the crosswalk. At first, she paid for rides through Lyft. When that became too expensive, she started taking the bus. “I had to do what I had to do,” she said. Members of the school’s Dad’s Club later learned about her situation. The group decided they wanted to help the woman who had spent years helping their children. "We're a group of dads that have all signed up to come together and better the students, teachers, and environment here at Moss Haven Elementary," Luke Wagner, the club's president, told CBS News Texas. The fathers sent out a couple of emails to parents in the community, hoping to raise money for Crawford. The response moved quickly. Within a few days, the group had raised several thousand dollars. Then came the surprise. The dads presented Crawford with a white Jeep. Their help went beyond the vehicle itself. The Dad’s Club also helped cover insurance, handled the title transfer and set up a few oil changes to help her get started. For the parents who organized the effort, it was a way to thank someone who has played a steady role in their children’s daily lives. The Dad’s Club also helped cover insurance, handle the title transfer, and even set up a few oil changes to help her get started. 📸 Richardson ISD

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France Returns Sacred Talking Drum Looted From Côte D’ivoire More Than 100 Years Ago

A drum that once carried messages across villages has come home after 109 years in France. The Djidji Ayôkwé, a sacred talking drum confiscated by French colonial authorities in 1916, landed at 8.45am on Friday at the airport in Port Bouët on the outskirts of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire’s economic capital. Its return is one of the most significant cultural restitutions to a former French colony in recent years. The drum was handed over to Ivorian officials in Paris earlier this month after being removed from the Quai Branly, Jacques Chirac Museum. Aboussou Guy Mobio, chief of the Adjamé-Bingerville community, said the artefact’s return carried deep meaning. “After a long stay away from this land, it is returning to its own people and it is an honour for us and a relief to welcome it,. This is the missing piece of the puzzle that is returning today … Receiving this sacred instrument is a relief, but it is also another form of connection with our ancestors who were very close to this instrument.” Talking drums are hourglass-shaped pressure drums designed to mimic the tone, pitch and rhythm of human speech. The Djidji Ayôkwé is 4 metres long and weighs 430 kilograms. It held cultural and political significance for the Ebrié people, after whom the lagoon in Abidjan is named, and served as a symbol of resistance. Before and during colonial times, it was used to send messages over several miles to announce deaths or celebrations and, in some cases, to alert villages about coming danger. French colonial authorities seized the drum in 1916 after villagers resisted forced labour on a road in one incident that year. It was then taken to France. French President Emmanuel Macron promised to return the drum in 2021, but the move took four years of discussions and lobbying before the French parliament ratified and approved the decision. Françoise Remarck, Côte d’Ivoire’s minister of culture and Francophonie, said the handover marked “a moment of justice and remembrance”. “I feel deep emotion. We are indeed experiencing a moment of justice and remembrance,” she said in a speech on Friday. She thanked President Alassane Ouattara and Macron for what she called “a historic day”. Then she addressed the drum directly. “Djidji Ayôkwé, today your return is a message for our youth who have chosen to reclaim their history, and for the communities … a symbol of social cohesion, peace and dialogue … 13 March is just one step.” As a forklift operator rolled the wooden crate holding the drum from the aircraft, a cultural troupe performed the traditional tchaman dance. Another ceremony is expected to mark the drum’s permanent installation at the Musée des Civilisations de Côte d’Ivoire in the Plateau administrative district. That event is expected at a later date believed to be in April. Unesco has donated $100,000 through its Abidjan office for research and training at the museum as it prepares the exhibition for the public. Sylvie Memel Kassi, former director of the museum and founder of the TAPA Foundation for Arts and Culture, said the return could lead to further restitutions. “We are studying eight other objects,” she said, referring to the Ivorian and French authorities. 📸Philémon Henry/MEAE

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Caps And Gowns Behind Bars: 22 Women Earn Degrees In Prison

Graduation day looked a little different inside the California Institution for Women. But the moment was familiar all the same. Caps, gowns and a group of proud students celebrating years of hard work. 22 incarcerated students recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies through California State University, Los Angeles. They are the first women to complete a degree through a partnership between the university and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The milestone marks a significant expansion of higher education opportunities inside California prisons. “Higher education is key to the transformation and growth that we see today from many of the students graduating,” said Gavin Newsom. “I’m proud to see them taking a step in the right direction to contribute positively to our society.” Officials say the program reflects a broader shift in how correctional systems approach rehabilitation. Jeff Macomber, secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said the graduates demonstrated remarkable dedication while completing their studies. “Today’s milestone reflects the power of education to transform lives,” Macomber said. “These graduates have demonstrated a true commitment to building a better future. By expanding access to higher education inside our institutions, we are not only opening doors for personal growth but also strengthening pathways for safer, healthier communities across California. I congratulate each graduate and extend my gratitude to all who supported them along the way.” The ceremony also featured a keynote address from tennis legend and Cal State LA alumna Billie Jean King, who spoke directly to the graduates about perseverance and opportunity. “Never stop learning, and never stop learning how to learn,” King said. “Be a problem solver and an innovator. Only you graduates understand what it took to earn this degree. This can be a turning point. Use your new platform, live your new future. Today is your day. Keep believing yourself, keep dreaming and keep going for it.” The graduation is part of the Prison Graduation Initiative, a collaboration between the corrections department and Cal State LA that began in 2016 at California State Prison, Los Angeles County. Since then, 73 incarcerated students have earned bachelor’s degrees through the program. Another 21 completed their coursework after being released and continued their studies at the university. California has steadily expanded educational opportunities behind bars in recent years. Officials say thousands of incarcerated people enroll annually in programs designed to help them gain skills and prepare for life after release. Research has shown the impact can be significant. Studies indicate that incarcerated individuals who participate in correctional education are 48 percent less likely to return to prison within three years compared with those who do not have access to such programs. The initiative continues to grow. In May, Cal State LA partnered with the corrections department to establish the first college campus inside a prison at the California Institution for Men. The program currently serves 59 students pursuing degrees through a two-year, 60-unit curriculum designed to connect classroom learning with future career paths. By the 2025–26 academic year, the Prison Graduation Initiative is expected to serve about 180 students across three facilities: California State Prison, Los Angeles County; the California Institution for Women; and the California Institution for Men. More broadly, California’s corrections system now works with public universities across the state to offer associate, bachelor’s and even master’s degree programs through community colleges, the California State University system and the University of California.

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This 100-Year-Old Former World War II Soldier Just Became the Oldest-Known US Organ Donor

At 100, Dale Steele had already lived through war, the Nuremberg trials and decades of ranch work in Nebraska. After his death in February, he is now believed to have become the oldest known organ donor in the United States. Steele, a Second World War veteran from Bassett, Nebraska, died after a head injury led to him being placed on life support. His story, according to Live On Nebraska, shows that a donor’s health matters more than age alone. “Mr Steele … is a powerful reminder that generosity has no age limit,” Live On Nebraska president and chief executive Kyle Herber said in a statement. Live On Nebraska, an organ-procurement organisation in Nebraska, said Steele graduated from high school, was selected in the military draft and served in France, Germany, Belgium and Czechoslovakia toward the end of the Second World War. The organisation said his duties included seeking out remnants of the Nazi army and helping survivors of German concentration camps return home. It said Steele was later promoted to staff sergeant and assigned to guard imprisoned defendants at the Nuremberg trials, including convicted war criminal Hermann Göring, the Nazis’ second-in-command. After the war, Steele returned to Bassett and married his wife, Doris. Live On Nebraska said the couple were married for 72 years and had four children and four grandchildren. It said Steele supported his family by raising cattle at their ranch, managing a farming cooperative and later selling irrigation and grain-handling equipment. His son, Roger Steele, told Nebraska broadcaster KMTV that after his father was placed on life support, Live On Nebraska contacted him with a request. “We’d like your dad to donate his liver.” Roger Steele told KMTV he was stunned by the call. “He’s over 100 years old.” Live On Nebraska chief medical officer Dr Lee Morrow told KMTV that age is not the deciding factor for a liver donor if the organ is healthy. He said the liver’s ability to renew its cells throughout a person’s life means it remains biologically young. “Your liver is about three years old; my liver is about three years old; and that 100-year-old … his liver [is] about three years old,” Morrow said to the station. Roger Steele told KMTV he believed his father’s long life and good health came from the physical work he did over the years. He also said vegetables from Dale Steele’s own garden were a regular part of his diet. Morrow told KMTV that the use of warm blood perfusion on Dale Steele’s liver also helped make the donation possible. Live On Nebraska said that technique contributed to Steele becoming the oldest known organ donor in the US. The organisation said warm blood perfusion has been used for years with donated kidneys and has only more recently been used with livers and other organs, expanding the pool of donors considered viable. Nebraska Medicine, Nebraska Medical Center recovered Steele’s liver. Live On Nebraska said it was successfully transplanted a day later and that the procedure had provided “new life to a grateful recipient”. A statement attributed by Live On Nebraska to Steele’s grandson, Scott, said the donation matched the way Steele lived. “Dale was always very helpful and considerate of everyone around him – friends and strangers alike,” Scott Steele’s statement said. “We believe he would do just about anything he could for someone in need.”

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Jackie Robinson’s First Baseball Park Gets $30 Million Renovation

A baseball field where Jackie Robinson got his first shot at professional play is getting a major rebuild, with Daytona Beach spending $30 million to modernise the site while keeping its historic character. Before Robinson became famous with the Dodgers, he first played on the diamond at City Island Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida. The site, now called Jackie Robinson Ballpark, sits on roughly 100 acres along the Halifax River, several miles from the centre of Daytona Beach. In 1946, the Brooklyn Dodgers came to the park for a spring training game against their minor league affiliate, the Montreal Royals. Robinson was on the Royals roster at a time when baseball still operated in a nationally segregated environment. City Island Ballpark became the place where Robinson could play because, unlike many other teams in Florida at the time, the ballpark, the Royals and local community leaders did not follow segregation rules. “Jackie Robson was told no, he could not play in many places, but the city of Daytona Beach, with the help of local leaders, said yes,” Dru Driscoll, deputy city manager for Daytona Beach, told Engineering News Record. “So, maintaining that there’s only one place he first played professional baseball, it’s our responsibility to rehabilitate the ball field,” Driscoll adds. The renovation comes after Major League Baseball changed its facility requirements in 2020, putting about 160 teams and ballparks on notice that upgrades would be needed. The new standards required visiting teams to have dedicated clubhouses of a certain size, along with pitching and batting tunnels. Parks also had to add modern, climate-controlled weight and fitness rooms, plus facilities for female players and staff. According to Sport Business Journal, that shift helped make 2024 and 2025 the two biggest years in the history of minor league ballpark investment, with total renovations across the country reaching about $2.3 billion. At Jackie Robinson Ballpark, Driscoll said the work came with unusual constraints. The field is known for an irregular layout, and the park takes up almost the full dimensions of the property. A canal runs parallel with the third base line, while Orange Avenue sits along first base. To fit a new 38,000 square-foot player development facility, the city had to take over two derelict tennis courts next to the right field wall. The new building will house the weight and fitness areas required under MLB’s standards. Barton Malow, the lead contractor on the project, began work in 2024. The company had to work around the goal of preserving what the source described as the “sacred” layout of the park. Crews also had to deal with a water table that rises during summer rains, which required dewatering with high-pressure pumps. The project still managed to add all of MLB’s required upgrades, along with several new features. Those include a dining space for the club and management to host events, clubhouse seating, dedicated player parking, and a new grandstand with views over the river to downtown Daytona. The ballpark is also getting new water service lines and fire sprinklers. Another addition is a 1,500 square foot museum dedicated to the life, times and excellence of Robinson, the ballpark’s namesake. The work at the ballpark has also lined up with broader city improvements on City Island. Alongside the stadium project, Daytona Beach moved ahead with civic infrastructure work there, including a new seawall. The ballpark is now home to the Daytona Tortugas, the Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliate. With the renovation, the city is preparing the site for a new era while keeping in place the setting tied to Robinson’s first professional game. “So, maintaining that there’s only one place he first played professional baseball, it’s our responsibility to rehabilitate the ball field,” Driscoll adds. 📸Credit, Barton Malow and MSA Sport, released as a courtesy to ENR Record

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Alberta Rescue Showcases Black Cats To Bust Superstitions And Boost Adoptions

For these cats, the problem is not personality. It is colour. At Tails to Tell Animal Rescue in Crossfield, Alta., north of Calgary, five black-coloured cats with what staff describe as loving personalities are waiting longer than usual to be adopted, in part because old superstitions still follow them. Eight-month-old Lavender loves to cuddle, especially with her boyfriend Bowie, when she is not too busy running around and playing. Knight Rider, who might look big and scary, is independent and a softy who will gently put his paws around those who hold him. Timi and Spooky, a mother-and-daughter duo, are shy but sweet. “Black cats, unfortunately, are always the last to get adopted. We find it’s really unfair,” said Claire Prevost to the Canadian Press, an office manager at the rescue. “Some people just think they’re maybe witches, or just bad luck … I’m really sad about that because all cats are amazing.” The rescue is planning a weekend event to try to change that. It is hosting a Sunday event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pet Valu in Airdrie, in the Calgary region, to encourage the adoption of about a dozen cats. Black domestic shorthairs and longhairs, and about two black and white tuxedos, will be on display in kennels. Lavender, Knight Rider, Timi, Spooky and Bowie will be among them. “Part of why we are doing this event is we do have a lot of black cats at the moment,” said Leanne McManus, an administrator at the shelter. “And unfortunately, they can be a little harder to adopt out. So we’re hoping to raise a little bit more awareness and get them adopted.” McManus said about 75 felines are under the shelter’s care in total, and nearly half are all black or mostly black with white spots. She said all-black cats face the most stigma, but it is also difficult to find forever homes for cats with large portions of black fur. Some clients have told her they do not want black cats because of superstitions. Those beliefs date back centuries. The irrational ideas were common in Europe and the Americas between the 14th and 18th centuries. Black cats were considered low-ranking demons given to witches by the devil and were often killed during witch hunts and trials. Those superstitions have carried into the present, with some people still seeing it as bad luck when a black cat crosses their path. McManus said Tails to Tell Animal Rescue, like many rescues across the country, including in Ontario, continues to ban the adoption of black cats during the month of Halloween because of their association with witches. “We’re just worried that people are going to get them for decoration,” she said. “It’s the season and they want a black cat and then after the season, (they’ll) abandon them or not take care of them which is very sad.” Not every culture has treated black cats that way. All felines were revered by the ancient Egyptian civilization and, in Japan, black cats are a sign of good fortune. This weekend, the rescue is trying to focus attention on the cats in its care and give potential adopters a reason to take another look. Tails to Tell Animal Rescue is offering a $50 discount to people who adopt at the event. It says it has held only one other event like this in its 12-year history. “Hopefully people will come in and they’ll fall in love,” said Prevost. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2026.

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Viral Fundraiser Helps 80-Year-Old Tennessee DoorDash Driver Return To Retirement

A DoorDash delivery in Manchester, Tennessee turned into a fundraiser that has now raised more than $380,000. WZTV reported that Brittany Smith noticed on her Ring doorbell camera that delivering her Starbucks order seemed particularly challenging for the driver, Richard. Concerned, she reached out on social media and learned he had returned to work after his wife lost her job. The couple had been struggling to cover monthly expenses and medications, with little room for savings or retirement. Smith then set up a GoFundMe page to help with their financial burden, and the fundraiser quickly went viral. “My name is Brittany, and I am setting up this GoFundMe for Richard,” she wrote. “With the help of social media, I was able to track him down and learned he’s delivering for DoorDash because his family needs him to, not because he wants to. Let’s help Richard go back into retirement!” The campaign has spread widely across social media, with people sharing the story and donating to help the couple regain financial stability. Smith said the response has been “overwhelming and heartwarming.” She also described Richard as “precious” and said he is working only because he has to. She said she hopes the fundraiser will allow him to step back from delivery work and enjoy retirement.

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New Jersey Teens Cut Screen Time And Say They Feel More Rested And Productive

For a lot of teenagers, the phone comes to bed too. At Clifton High School in Clifton, New Jersey, senior Gianna Colon is a three-sport athlete, sophomore Sebastian Fazio loves math and baseball, and sophomore Hamza Ramach is in band and is a goalie on the school hockey team. The three students also say they struggle with screen time. Colon told CBS News that when she spends too much time scrolling on her phone, it makes her "feel drained." According to students, they can spend anywhere from four to 13 hours per day on their phones, with bedtime being the biggest downfall. "Sometimes, when I'm going to bed, I watch for a little bit, but then I get a little addicted," Fazio said. Ramach admitted that he doesn't believe it is possible for him to cut down on screen time on his own accord. For one week, the three agreed not to take their phones to bed, and to try different tools to reduce screen time during the day. Colon tested out Brick, a square-shaped device, external to your phone, that can be used to block specific apps. The device can be left at home. To unblock the distracting apps, the phone must be tapped against the external device. Ramach tried ScreenZen, a free app that takes a mindful approach to limiting screen time, by asking you to wait before opening distracting apps. Fazio was shown how to use the grayscale mode on his phone, which removes the color, turning the screen to black-and-white. "It does not look good," Fazio said when he saw Instagram in grayscale. "…It takes away all the joy in it." The teens recorded video diaries three days into the experiment. "I've been doing other things like diamond painting," Colon said in her video. Ramach said he had "been focusing more on school work, less distractions, more sleep." Fazio, meanwhile, said that he had "been more energetic waking up," and also feeling like he had "been communicating more with family and friends." A week in, the reviews were still positive. Colon said Brick "definitely" took away the temptation of using certain apps, because there was a physical barrier, so she couldn't unlock them while she was at school. "It was honestly pretty good," Colon said. "It definitely helped me be more productive without my phone." Ramach said ScreenZen "was great." "It was tempting to unblock the apps, but I went through it," Ramach said, adding that his father noticed a positive difference in his behavior. "I wanted to go to practice in the morning," Ramach said. "He was like, 'In the morning, what?'" Fazio described his experience with grayscale as "pretty good," saying his screen use "went down a lot." "I was at three hours before, and I'm at 20 minutes per day," Fazio said, adding that the difference felt "great." The experiment focused on staying off phones at bedtime and using tools during the day to make scrolling less automatic. For Colon, that meant a physical block between her and the apps she wanted to avoid. For Ramach, it meant a delay before opening distracting apps. For Fazio, it meant making the screen less appealing by stripping away the color. The students said the changes affected more than the amount of time they spent on their phones. Colon said she spent time on diamond painting. Ramach said he had more focus on school work and more sleep. Fazio said he felt more energetic in the morning and more connected with family and friends. Asked what she wanted other kids to know after taking on this challenge, Colon said: "You don't need to depend on your phone for everything. Like there's so much more out in the world…besides just sitting on your phone for hours and scrolling through TikTok or Instagram."

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