Goodable

Meet the Pizza King of New York City! Hakki arrived in the US in 2001 from Turkey with just $250 in his pocket. He didn't speak English and he didn't know anyone. He slept on park benches until he got help from a homeless shelter and eventually found a job as a dishwasher at a pizzeria.
He saved enough money to buy his own pizza store, but times were still tough. so he gave up his apartment and slept under his oven to stay warm. Then, his luck began to change...

Meet the Pizza King of New YorkHakki arrived in the US in 2001 from Turkey with only $250 in his pocket. He didn't speak the language and he didn't know anyone. He slept on park benches until he got help from a homeless shelter and found a job as a dishwasher at a pizzeria.He saved enough money to buy his own pizza store, but times were still tough. so he gave up his apartment and slept under his oven to stay warm.Then, his luck began to change. He won an international pizza championship for his remarkable spinning of pizza dough. He owns restaurants all over New York.&nbsp; And now, he's giving back.&nbsp;

From Homeless to Hero: How This 3-Time World Pizza Champion is Giving Back

The UK government has confirmed it will issue no new oil and gas exploration licences in the North Sea, a decision environmental groups are calling historic.

In response to the government’s North Sea Future Plan, Greenpeace UK said the move signals a turning point for the country’s energy future and its climate commitments.

“Britain has just made history,” said Areeba Hamid, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK. “Closing the door to new exploration marks the beginning of the end of oil and gas in this country. By standing firm on its manifesto promise, the government has shown genuine global climate leadership, making the UK the world’s largest economy to call time on new fossil fuel exploration.”

The announcement puts the UK at the forefront of a growing international push to phase out fossil fuels. It comes amid mounting pressure to meet emissions targets and shift to renewable energy, especially as the impacts of the climate crisis become more visible and costly.

But while the move to halt new exploration has been praised, Greenpeace also raised concerns about the government’s support for workers currently in the oil and gas industry.

“The current plan – and the cash – to support North Sea workers doesn’t go far enough,” Hamid said. “It’s vital they are at the heart of Britain’s transition to a clean-energy superpower, not left behind by it – but a £20 million jobs package doesn’t cut the mustard.”

According to Greenpeace, oil and gas production has contributed significantly to both climate breakdown and the UK’s ongoing energy price crisis. The group argues that continued reliance on fossil fuels leaves households vulnerable to volatile prices, while enriching oil giants.

“The future of Britain’s energy is and needs to be clean, stable, home-grown renewables – not expensive, volatile, climate-wrecking fossil fuels,” Hamid said.

She called on the government to back up its announcement with stronger investment in renewable infrastructure and job training for workers currently in fossil fuel industries.

“A fair transition will create thousands of new jobs, strengthen communities, and prove that climate leadership and economic security can go hand in hand.”

UK Becomes First Major Economy to Halt New Oil and Gas Licences in North Sea

Boston Magazine

Every Monday at dawn, 76-year-old Janai Mestrovich is already in the kitchen. By 5 a.m., she’s finishing up scrambled egg and beef burritos, laying out fresh fruit, and adding pastries and sausage to 30 colorful plates — breakfasts made not just to nourish, but to feel like home.

For nearly two years, Mestrovich has followed the same early-morning routine, bringing hot meals to people experiencing homelessness in Ashland, Oregon. What began with just a dozen plates has more than doubled as the need has grown.

“Homeless people don’t have a lot of choices,” she said. “I do this like I do it for my family. What would I want my family to be receiving?”

She makes every plate herself, often staying up the night before to prep ingredients. She shops, cooks, and delivers — all as a one-woman operation, though friends and strangers pitch in by donating food and money. Her goal isn’t just to fill stomachs, but to provide dignity through food that looks and tastes like care.

“I want it to be appetizing,” she said. “It’s colorful. It’s something you’d want to eat.”

Before she leaves, Mestrovich sings a blessing. “I love my heart and soul. I love all humanity. Join hearts and souls together. Love, peace, and harmony,” she sings, quietly but purposefully, over the trays.

Then she heads out to the night lawn — a patch of public space where dozens of people now live in tents, despite the cold and rain. Some come to her car as soon as she pulls up. Others she visits directly, walking from tent to tent, handing out meals, coats, and even toys. She brings a gift for one resident’s child and checks if others have what they need to stay warm.

Her colorful hats — a signature accessory — make her easy to spot. But it’s the love in the food and her presence that people remember.

“She always brings breakfast made with love,” said one resident.

The Monday breakfasts are just one piece of Mestrovich’s volunteer work. She also runs Superkid Power, Inc., a nonprofit that helps children learn compassion and emotional resilience. Each year, she also transforms into the “Christmas Fairy,” giving out toys and clothes during the holidays.

Her drive to help others goes back to early childhood. “When I was between two and three years old, I remember hearing a voice — it wasn’t my parents or anything — that said, ‘You were born to help.’ I trust that,” she said.

Despite ongoing efforts from volunteers like Mestrovich, homelessness in Ashland remains dire. Many residents, including former healthcare workers like Denise Gerkey, have been living without housing for months or longer.

“It’s the most difficult experience of my life,” said Gerkey, who was a radiology technician before becoming homeless. She believes the crisis is being normalized — and ignored.

“It’s really not a political issue. It’s not a financial issue. It’s a humanitarian issue,” she said. “And it’s getting out of control.”

Ashland is preparing to open a new winter shelter on December 5, operated by Opportunities for Housing, Resources, and Assistance (OHRA). But even with that addition, the city’s year-round 72-bed facility remains full. For many, the night lawn remains their only option.

Still, Mestrovich is there, rain or shine, every Monday — showing up, bringing breakfast, and reminding people they haven’t been forgotten.

“I have unlimited compassion,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to help. And I always will.”

She Delivers Homemade Breakfasts to the Homeless, One Loving Plate at a Time

BBC News

When Hannah Cooke woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of her dog barking, she thought it was just a disturbance. But that bark may have saved her husband’s life.

Hannah and her husband Adam, from Ballinamallard in County Fermanagh, are convinced their four-year-old golden retriever Polly sensed something was wrong before anyone else did. Moments after Polly’s bark, Hannah turned to find Adam breathing abnormally. Then he stopped breathing altogether.

“I used to be a carer and I’ve been with people at the end of their life, so I know what that end-of-life breathing is like,” she said. “If anyone has heard it, you’ll never hear anything like it.”

Despite believing she might be losing him, Hannah acted fast. She began performing CPR until the ambulance arrived. Paramedics shocked Adam with a defibrillator seven times en route to the hospital.

He woke up six days later.

Adam was just 37 years old and a keen runner. Doctors later diagnosed him with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that affects the heart’s ability to pump blood. He now has an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) fitted to help manage his heart rhythm.

He credits Hannah’s quick action — and Polly’s warning bark — with saving his life. “Polly is a part of the family, so I just wasn’t shocked when I heard she had such a big role to play,” Adam said. “I cried, I was in tears. I think she was too.”

The reunion between Adam and Polly after his time in hospital was, in his words, emotional. “She was whimpering because I think she was thinking, ‘Wow, you’re back home. I didn’t think you’d be back here.’”

Hannah believes Polly sensed the cardiac arrest before it was even underway. “She is so in tune with Adam. After she barked, she was silent. I would say Polly knew before it was even happening,” she said. “I love her to bits. She is the best dog in the world.”

This week, Polly was honoured with a “CPR Hero” medal as part of the British Heart Foundation’s annual Heart Hero Awards. While she didn’t travel to the ceremony in London, her medal was presented at her favourite walking spot near home.

“Neither of us did anything special,” said Hannah, “but we did it together.”

The British Heart Foundation hopes stories like Polly’s will encourage more people to learn CPR. “In the UK every year there are 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Fewer than one in ten will survive,” said Fearghal McKinney from the charity. “For every minute that passes after a cardiac arrest, the chances of survival decrease by up to 10 per cent. That’s a vital window, so more people having confidence to intervene will save lives.”

Adam nominated both Hannah and Polly for the award. “They are heroes,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”

According to dog behaviourist Louise Glazebrook, the instincts Polly showed aren’t entirely surprising. “Dogs are constantly picking up signals from us that we as humans either don’t understand or we don’t see them do it,” she explained. “Dogs have something like 220 million scent receptors and we have around five million.”

She added that dogs are already being trained in disease detection — but Polly’s natural reaction was extraordinary. “This is incredible. Polly managed to save a life and change the trajectory of that life forever.”

So how is the canine hero handling the fame?

“She loves attention, she always has since day one,” Adam said. “In her mind she’s number one — even though we have a son, and another child on the way.”

And at home, there’s no doubt who’s in charge. As Hannah puts it, “Polly rules the house.”

Polly the Golden Retriever Honoured After Her Barking Saved Her Owner’s Life

It’s been 40 years since The Goonies first hit theaters, but Ke Huy Quan says the magic of the film hasn’t faded — and neither has the demand for more.

Quan, who played the gadget-loving Data in the beloved 1985 adventure film, says the chemistry between the young cast and the freedom given to them by director Richard Donner were key to the movie’s staying power. “We were just a bunch of kids, and he allowed us to have that and carry [it] over onto the screen,” Quan told GamesRadar+ during a recent press stop in London for Zootropolis 2 (titled Zootopia 2 in the US). “It’s a great movie. When we were making it, we didn’t expect much. We didn’t know it was going to become this classic that it is today.”

The Goonies, written by Chris Columbus and produced by Steven Spielberg, followed a ragtag group of kids who discover a treasure map and set off on a quest to save their neighborhood. The ensemble cast included Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Jeff Cohen, Martha Plimpton, and Kerri Green — all of whom, like Quan, were relatively unknown at the time.

The film has gone on to become one of the most enduring cult classics of the 1980s, with its iconic lines, underground booby traps, and larger-than-life villains forever etched into pop culture. And while there have been whispers of a sequel for years, Quan now says there’s real movement behind the scenes.

“Everywhere I go, that’s all people want to know,” he said. “One, ‘What was it like to make the movie?’ Second is, ‘Would there ever be a sequel?’ It’s one of the most asked questions. And, yeah, we’re working on it. So, hopefully we’ll get to make one soon.”

A sequel was officially revealed to be in development earlier this year, with Spielberg and Columbus returning as producers. The script is being written by Potsy Ponciroli. No casting or release details have been announced yet.

As for Quan, he’s been enjoying a major career resurgence since winning an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2023. His next project is voice acting in Zootropolis 2, where he plays a new character named Gary De’Snake. The animated sequel hits cinemas on November 28 (November 26 in the US).

Asked why The Goonies still connects with audiences after four decades, Quan puts it simply: “It’s an incredible story, and it was just this perfect casting of this group of actors that came together. We got along so well.”

And with a sequel finally in the works, it looks like the adventure might not be over just yet.

Ke Huy Quan Reflects on 40 Years of The Goonies—And Hints a Sequel Might Be Coming

Space

In the rocky canyons of southwestern Texas and northern Mexico, ancient murals painted on cliff walls are telling a story that spans millennia. According to a new study published in Science, these murals — part of what’s known today as the Pecos River style — suggest that hunter-gatherers in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands shared a consistent worldview that endured for roughly 4,000 years.

That kind of cultural continuity is almost unheard of.

Researchers analyzed murals at 12 archaeological sites in the region and found that the artworks share distinct patterns, symbols, and compositional rules — despite being created across a span of 175 generations. The findings point to a deeply rooted “cosmovision,” or conception of the universe, that was passed down and preserved through this vivid rock art tradition.

“We propose that Pecos River style paintings […] faithfully transmitted a sophisticated metaphysics that later informed the beliefs and symbolic expression of Mesoamerican agriculturalists,” the authors wrote.

The Pecos River style, or PRS, is a well-known artistic tradition characterized by complex, colorful murals painted in natural rock shelters and overhangs. These pictographs often include stylized human and animal figures, geometric shapes, and abstract designs that may have held religious or ceremonial meaning.

To determine just how long this tradition endured, the researchers used two dating techniques: radiocarbon dating and oxalate dating. Radiocarbon dating measured the breakdown of organic materials in the paint — such as deer bone marrow fat and plant-based binders — while oxalate dating measured mineral deposits that formed before and after the paintings were applied.

Together, these methods provided a robust timeline. Across the 12 sites, the team gathered 57 radiocarbon dates and 25 oxalate dates, allowing them to construct a chronological model showing the murals were created over thousands of years — and remained stylistically and symbolically consistent throughout.

In fact, 8 of the 12 murals analyzed followed the same compositional guidelines, including the sequential layering of colors and the use of a shared iconographic “vocabulary.”

These similarities suggest more than just a shared artistic tradition — they hint at a system for transmitting knowledge across time.

“Eight of the 12 murals, created at different times, all adhered to the same compositional guidelines,” the authors wrote. “These eight also all contained the same iconographic vocabulary, representing a continuity in cultural cosmovision.”

Rock art is one of the oldest forms of human expression, but interpreting its meaning is notoriously tricky. Scholars have long speculated that petroglyphs and pictographs may depict celestial events, myths, or cosmological ideas. This new study adds weight to the theory that some of these murals were used not just for artistic or ritual purposes, but to encode and preserve culturally significant ideas — a kind of visual language spanning millennia.

The study’s findings may also contribute to broader discussions about the existence of a shared pan-Mesoamerican — or even pan-New World — worldview among early Indigenous societies in the Americas.

While the true meanings behind the images may never be fully understood, what’s clear is that the murals in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands weren’t random. They were deliberate, patterned, and remarkably enduring.

Through droughts, migrations, and countless generational shifts, the artists of the Pecos River style kept painting — and in doing so, kept their universe alive on stone.

4,000 Years of Rock Art Reveal Ancient Cultural Continuity in Texas and Mexico

People

While most people were sitting down to turkey and stuffing with family on Thanksgiving, a group of rescue animals in San Diego were treated to a feast of their own — complete with tail wags and second helpings.

On November 27, the San Diego Humane Society marked the holiday by serving 400 homemade “Barks-giving” meals to dogs and cats in their care. With roughly 1,400 animals on site over the weekend, it was a massive undertaking, but staff and volunteers made it happen with help from Lionel’s Legacy and their partner program, Lionel’s Lunchbox.

The menu? A surprisingly pet-friendly twist on the traditional Thanksgiving plate: turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes, rice, and even beets for the dogs. The shelter said each meal was carefully crafted to be safe and nutritious for the animals, using fresh greens and protein to give the dishes both flavor and health benefits.

The team prepared 350 meals for dogs and 50 for cats, who were understandably cautious at first — but most warmed up to the idea pretty quickly. “The dogs devoured the food, and most ate it within seconds,” one shelter staffer said. “While some cats hesitated, most eventually agreed that Thanksgiving meals are tasty.”

The gesture was more than just a fun holiday activity. For pets still waiting for permanent homes, it was a reminder that they’re not forgotten.

“On a day when it would be so easy to step away, San Diego Humane Society’s team and Lionel’s Legacy chose to show up with compassion,” a spokesperson said. “These Thanksgiving meals remind every pet in our care that they are valued, and they remind all of us what true generosity looks like.”

Lionel’s Legacy is a nonprofit that specializes in rescuing senior dogs across Southern California. Through Lionel’s Lunchbox, they help deliver nutritious meals to pets in need — and on Thanksgiving, that generosity went a long way.

“We are grateful to Lionel’s Legacy for their generosity and continued dedication to helping senior dogs and shelter pets throughout our region,” the shelter said in a statement.

With full bellies and plenty of love, the rescue animals got a holiday to remember — one that felt a little bit more like home.

San Diego Shelter Serves Thanksgiving Meals to 400 Rescue Pets in ‘Barks-Giving’ Celebration

GoodGoodGood

Each winter for the past 12 years, teams of volunteers have bundled up and braved the freezing winds of Finland’s Lake Saimaa — not for sport or adventure, but to help one of the rarest seal species on Earth survive.

The Saimaa ringed seal, found only in this icy lake system in southeastern Finland, is critically endangered. For thousands of years, the seals survived harsh winters by burrowing birth dens into the deep, powdery snowdrifts that formed naturally along the shoreline. But in recent decades, climate change has thrown that survival strategy into question.

“The seal gives birth in a lair it digs into a snowbank,” said Joonas Fritze, a project officer with WWF Finland. “If there aren’t any snow banks, the pups are born on open ice and don’t have any protection against predators, cold, and human disturbance. Up to half of the pups could die.”

To prevent that, volunteers and scientists are stepping in to do what nature no longer reliably can: build snowbanks by hand.

Armed with shovels and small snowplows, the teams spend long hours sculpting artificial snowdrifts in secluded areas of the frozen lake. It’s labor-intensive work — but it’s working. Roughly half the Saimaa seal population born since 2014 has come from these man-made shelters, according to MIT Technology Review. That’s around 320 pups that might not have survived otherwise.

The Saimaa ringed seal population has rebounded to an estimated 400 individuals, up from a low of just 100 in the 1980s. The recovery has been bolstered not just by snowbank construction, but by strict protections: bans on gill net fishing, an end to hunting, and efforts to reduce pollution in the lake.

The artificial snow lairs are part of what researchers are calling “interspecies co-design” — a collaborative strategy between humans and wildlife to adapt to a changing climate. The project involves researchers at the University of Eastern Finland, Metsähallitus (the country’s national parks agency), and WWF, among others.

It’s a win for now. But no one is pretending this is a permanent solution.

“It’s great that we can help an endangered species like this,” Fritze said. “But at the same time, we need a long-term plan, which includes taking quick action on climate change.”

As winters grow shorter and snow becomes less reliable, efforts like this one on Lake Saimaa may become increasingly common — urgent attempts to buy time for species at risk, until larger climate action can catch up.

For the Saimaa seal, that time — and those snowbanks — might be the difference between survival and extinction.

Volunteers are Creating Artificial Snow Drifts To Save Endangered Seals In Finland

Sunny Skyz

At Louisiana’s Angola Prison, the Seminary Lecture Room looked nothing like it usually does. Draped in flowers and filled with music, it had been transformed into a ballroom — and for 29 incarcerated fathers and 37 daughters, it became the setting for something they’d never experienced before: a father-daughter dance.

Organized by the nonprofit God Behind Bars, the event brought together families who in many cases hadn’t hugged, danced, or even shared a meal in years. Some fathers hadn’t seen their daughters outside of a visitation room. Others hadn’t embraced them in more than a decade.

“For one night,” said Jake Bodine, founder of God Behind Bars, “they were not inmates. They were Dad.”

The daughters, ranging in age from five to twenty, were treated to full princess treatment. Makeup artist Jessica Haynes and a team of volunteers curled their hair, painted their nails, and helped them step into gowns worthy of the occasion. The fathers, meanwhile, had been fitted months earlier in custom tuxedos donated by Amor Suits.

The first glimpse of the girls entering the room left many of the men in tears.

“When I turned around and saw my baby in that dress and she busted out crying... I sobbed, man, and I ain’t no crier,” said Leslie, one of the fathers. “She said, ‘Dad, I finally get a chance to dance with you for the first time.’”

Another father, who’s been incarcerated for 15 years, reunited with his teenage daughter that night. “She motivates me so much,” he said. “At this dance, I’ll tell her how much I love her… I hope she forgives me, and I’ll make it up to her with this dance.”

It wasn’t just about the dance. The night included a Thanksgiving meal, a choreographed routine prepared by the dads, and personalized moments: every father gave his daughter a handwritten letter and a Bible. Each girl left with a beauty gift bag from T3 Micro and a Bible donated by Hosanna Revival.

Angola’s Assistant Warden Anne-Marie Easley said the event was about more than celebration. It was about healing. “It is so important for fathers to be involved in their daughters’ lives, no matter where they are, in order to break the cycle of incarceration,” she said.

God Behind Bars called it a night of restoration — one that gave families a new beginning.

“Children with incarcerated parents are among the most vulnerable in America,” the organization said. “Events like this matter deeply.”

On this night, they did more than matter. They made memories that many of these families had never had before — and might never forget.

These Louisiana Inmates Became 'Dad' Again at a Prison Father-Daughter Dance

Mongabay

Off the coast of Isla el Pardito in Mexico’s Gulf of California, local fishers and U.S. researchers are using the sun to solve a deadly problem — and it’s working.

New solar-powered LED buoys designed to attach to gill nets have cut accidental sea turtle bycatch by 63 percent, according to a study published in Conservation Letters. The flashing green lights help turtles spot the nets in the dark, giving them time to swim away.

All 67 turtles captured during the experiments — all green turtles (Chelonia mydas) — were released alive.

“It’s a win-win,” said Jesse Senko, the study’s lead author and an assistant research professor at Arizona State University’s School of Ocean Futures. “You get a light that lasts significantly longer without the need for disposable batteries, and you also get a proven reduction in bycatch, one of the greatest threats to sea turtles worldwide.”

The innovation didn’t just come from a lab. It started in 2018 with a series of workshops that brought marine biologists and veteran fishers together to rethink the way gill nets are used. For decades, efforts to reduce sea turtle bycatch have relied on battery-powered LED lights or chemical glow sticks — solutions that are short-lived, wasteful, and expensive.

These new devices use flexible solar panels and rechargeable batteries sealed inside durable polycarbonate casings. Once fully charged, the lights can flash continuously for more than five days — up to 132 hours — without any additional sunlight. The buoys are easy to use, threading directly onto the float lines of gill nets like standard fishing gear.

Researchers tested the lights by deploying 28 pairs of 85-meter gill nets overnight for 11 to 12 hours at depths of 7 to 12 meters. Each pair consisted of a regular net and one equipped with solar-powered lights. The illuminated nets caught just 17 turtles, compared to 50 in the unlit control nets.

Juan Pablo Cuevas Amador, a fisher from El Pardito who participated in the workshops and co-authored the study, said the project stood out because it centered the knowledge and lived experience of the fishing community.

“They took us into account and gave us the freedom to give our opinions and make modifications,” he said. “For us, it’s important that it be done in collaboration because with what they know and what we know, we can do quite interesting things.”

The team believes the green flashing lights work because sea turtles are highly sensitive to green wavelengths, and the lights may serve as warning signals in otherwise dark coastal waters. Importantly, the lights didn’t scare away target species like yellowtail amberjack, which continue to swim into the nets.

Gill nets are one of the most common tools in small-scale fishing, responsible for nearly half of the global seafood supply. But they pose a serious risk to marine animals like sea turtles, dolphins, and sharks — especially in areas where critical habitats overlap with fishing grounds. The waters off Baja California Sur have some of the highest recorded rates of sea turtle bycatch in the world, especially for green and loggerhead turtles.

“Sea turtles play an irreplaceable role in marine ecosystems,” said Senko. “They help maintain the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs. Protecting them isn’t just about saving an iconic species. It’s about ensuring the long-term resilience of our oceans.”

Now, the team is working with UK-based fishing gear manufacturer Fishtek Marine to scale up commercial production of the devices, with hopes of having them widely available in the next two to three years.

For the fishing communities of the Gulf of California, the technology represents more than just a scientific breakthrough — it’s a symbol of what can happen when knowledge is shared and solutions are built together.

As Cuevas put it, “With what they know and what we know, we can do quite interesting things.”

These Solar-Lit Fishing Nets are Reducing Sea Turtle Bycatch by 63% in Mexico Trials

In an era when local papers are folding and media outlets are ditching print for digital, a small newsroom in coastal Maine is trying something different: pancakes.
After being forced to sell off most of his newspaper holdings in 2024, longtime publisher Reade Brower was left with just four local weeklies. Rather than shutter them, he combined them into a single title — The Midcoast Villager — and launched a bold experiment to keep it afloat: open a cafe.
Located in Camden, Maine, the Villager Cafe serves as a newsroom hangout, a community hub, and, crucially, a revenue stream for the paper. Since opening in April, profits have jumped 40 percent, according to CBS News.
“From the business standpoint, it achieves a sustainability,” Brower said. “The accountability issues and local sports and all that stuff is important to a lot of people. I don’t think that’s enough to sell and keep newspapers alive right now. I think it has to revolve around community.”
That idea — that journalism can thrive by serving as a community gathering space — is baked into every part of the cafe. Locals can grab huevos rancheros or blueberry pancakes and chat directly with reporters. There are “editor office hours” where visitors can pitch story ideas. And every Friday morning, regulars gather for “fresh brewed news,” an open discussion about what’s happening around town.
Deputy editor Alex Seitz-Wald says the paper and the food have a similar spirit. “It’s good, classic diner food, but a little bit elevated, which is I think kind of like our paper,” he said.
He’s at the cafe most Friday mornings, catching up with readers face to face. “Having a place where people can vent, or can say something, and have it be heard, I think is really valuable,” he added.
For many of the staff, the dream was never just to run a paper — it was to deepen civic life.
“We’ve always imagined the Villager as a vehicle for creating deeper community engagement,” publisher Aaron Britt wrote in a welcome letter. “If we’re doing our jobs, you have the information you need to vote your conscience, you know what’s going on Friday night, you see your neighbor’s kid’s sports feats in print, and you meet someone doing something you didn’t even know you were interested in.”
And now, instead of just reading about those neighbors, you might end up sharing a table with them.
The cafe is designed to host more than just journalists. Community members are encouraged to use the space to hold their own events. Some come for the coffee and conversation, others just to read the paper — in print, right off the rack.
Columnist Glenn Billington summed up the sentiment among the staff: “I’m quite glad that I still have a newspaper to work for.”
The Villager Cafe is located at 25 Mechanic Street in Camden, Maine. It’s open to anyone who wants to eat, talk, and maybe put down their phone for a while.
“Everyone’s welcome at the Villager Cafe,” Britt said. “So invite an old friend, talk to a stranger, maybe put down your phone, pick up the paper, and dig into our community.”

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