This Clever Dog Flagged Down the Police to Find a New Furever Home

Lola, an intelligent and purposeful dog in Wisconsin's Moundview Park, flagged down the police to ask for help. She jumped energetically into the squad car, carrying a handwritten note on her collar that read, "Please help. Take me to a shelter. My name is Lola." While authorities investigate her background and search for her original owners, Lola is available for adoption through the Platteville Vet Clinic, showcasing both her resourcefulness and her desire to find a loving forever home.

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Here's Some Good News to Kick Off Your Week

Let’s kick off the week with a roundup of progress, breakthroughs, and reasons to feel hopeful. The EU is putting climate education on the school curriculum, a move praised by campaigners as a “watershed moment” for global climate literacy. As part of its national commitment under the Paris Agreement, the bloc said climate education is “essential for fostering an informed understanding of the climate crisis, building resilience to disinformation, and creating a sustainability-skilled workforce.” The shift means 152 countries now include climate education in their national climate pledges. Earthday.org, one of the groups that’s long pushed for such reforms, called it a “critical foundation” for the next generation. “Climate education is not just about combating the climate crisis,” said its president Kathleen Rogers. “It’s a critical foundation for training the global workforce… and empowering businesses to grow sustainably in a rapidly changing world.” Another campaigner, Max Falcone, compared the move to a historical turning point. “Just as literacy paved the way for the first Industrial Revolution, climate education will ignite the next revolution,” he said. In Egypt, another victory—this time against a disease that’s plagued the country for 3,000 years. The World Health Organization confirmed that Egypt has eliminated trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. The disease, spread by contaminated hands or flies, had long been endemic in Egypt. The breakthrough was made possible by a combination of improved water sanitation, stronger monitoring, and community health education. “This achievement is a collective triumph for Egypt’s health workers, communities, and partners,” said Health Minister Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar. Meanwhile in the US, California has taken aim at one of the digital age’s biggest pain points: privacy. A new law, the California Opt Me Out Act, will force web browsers to include a prominent opt-out setting that tells websites not to share or sell users’ personal data. It’s designed to replace the current, burdensome system, where consumers must opt out site by site. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse called it a “groundbreaking” law that marks a “significant step forward” for digital privacy. “Instead of visiting individual websites to opt out of data sales and sharing, consumers will be able to set their preference once in their browser settings,” the group said. The law takes effect in 2027 and could become a model for other states. On the climate front, scientists issued a mixed bag of warnings and progress reports. While emissions are still climbing, renewable energy capacity is growing faster than expected. According to a report from energy think tank Ember, global renewables are expanding at an average annual pace of 29 percent, ahead of the 21 percent needed to meet the Cop28 target of tripling capacity by 2030. Still, Ember warned that increased electricity demand could blunt those gains. Separately, the Global Carbon Project projected that emissions will hit historic highs by 2025, and Climate Action Tracker said current policy paths still put the world on track for 2.6C of warming—well beyond the 1.5C limit set by the Paris Agreement. One of the more ambitious ideas to curb climate change came out of Brazil. A new fund called the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, unveiled ahead of the Cop30 summit, will reward countries for preserving rainforests. Brazil, Indonesia, and Norway have already committed a combined $5 billion, and the fund hopes to raise much more by courting both governments and private investors. The model, however, isn’t without critics. Some worry it prioritizes profits for investors over impact. But others say it’s a promising financial tool. “The design of the programme has real promise,” wrote environmental law scholar Jason Gray. “But to truly succeed, it will need to be coordinated with state and provincial governments, communities and others doing the work on the ground.” The UK also announced plans to phase out certain forms of animal testing, with a goal to end some safety testing by 2025 and reduce the use of dogs and primates in medicine testing by 35 percent by 2030. The approach hinges on next-gen tools like organ-on-a-chip technology, which replicates human biology without harming animals. “Huge momentum has been building in recent years,” said Barney Reed of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “These [technologies] can enable better science to be done, without using and harming animals.” In dental science, UK researchers have developed a protein-based gel that may be able to regrow enamel—the first innovation of its kind. “We tested the mechanical properties of these regenerated tissues under conditions simulating real-life situations,” said Dr Abshar Hasan from the University of Nottingham. “The regenerated enamel behaves just like healthy enamel.” His team hopes to release a commercial product as soon as next year. And finally, a week-long retreat showed just how powerful the human brain can be. Scientists at the University of California San Diego observed that intensive meditation retreats produced sweeping biological changes, including boosts to immunity, metabolism, and even pain relief. “This is about fundamentally changing how the brain engages with reality,” said study author Hemal Patel. While the findings still need more research, they point to meditation’s potential as a transformative health tool—comparable, the researchers said, to psychedelics in how deeply it impacts the brain. In a world full of challenges, these big and small wins show that progress is still possible.

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How This Musician is Championing Small Music Venues Amid Rising Challenges

On a warm summer night in north London, Frank Turner is doing what he does best — pouring his heart out on stage. But this time, instead of a sold-out arena, he’s playing the upstairs room of a pub. There are maybe 30 people in the crowd, but the intensity is the same. It’s not a warm-up. It’s a reminder. Turner has played more than 3,000 shows in his career, from pubs to palaces. But the small ones still matter to him — because that’s where everything started. “I didn’t like Brit pop and I didn’t like football,” he says. “I liked bands like Black Flag and Sonic Youth, and didn’t really know anybody else who did.” As a teenager in Hampshire, Turner didn’t feel like he fit in — until he discovered grassroots venues like The Joiners Arms in Southampton and The Railway Inn in Winchester. “You could see bands, but more than that, you could meet other people who shared your outlook. I made friends and I felt less alienated. I found my people.” That sense of belonging stuck with him. In his early days in London, Turner sought out the tiny rooms where bands played shoulder-to-shoulder with their fans. “It was a forum to connect with others,” he says. “I watched a lot of bands there and learned how to put on a show — not just the practicalities of sound checking, but how to talk to a crowd, how to figure out what I wanted to say.” Now one of Britain’s most prolific touring artists, Turner is using his platform to speak up for the venues that shaped him — many of which are in crisis. In 2023 alone, 125 grassroots music venues across the UK closed their doors. Rising rents, soaring business rates, noise complaints from new residential developments, and the general cost of staying afloat have all taken their toll. “From my conversations with people who run venues, business rates are crushingly expensive,” Turner says. “Just existing as a small business in a city location is insanely costly before you’ve even sold a ticket.” He’s not just venting. He’s doing something about it. On his last tour, Turner donated £1 from every ticket sold to struggling venues. “It was more of a symbol than a solution,” he admits. “But it’s something.” He’s also backing a proposal from the Music Venue Trust — a nonprofit advocating for small venues — that would introduce a levy on arena and stadium tickets. A small slice of each big-ticket show would funnel back into the grassroots. “It’s like how Premier League football supports lower-league clubs,” Turner says. For now, the idea is voluntary. Turner worries about what’s lost when these venues disappear. “In a world with no independent venues, it’s not that no one will play the O2,” he says. “It’s just that who plays the O2 will be entirely dictated by Simon Cowell and the like. There’s a place for that, sure, but if that was the entirety of the menu, it would be boring.” He’s just as concerned about what it means for audiences — especially young ones raised on TikTok and £400 arena shows. “People should know there’s a venue five minutes away where you can pay a tenner, see a band who’ll sweat on you, and then talk to them afterwards. That’s how you make friends. That’s how you find community.” That community ethic runs through his work. His song Be More Kind has become a sort of mission statement, and his gigs often feel less like concerts and more like communal gatherings. During lockdown, when venues had no revenue and artists had no stage, Turner raised more than £200,000 by livestreaming shows from his living room. The money helped keep 26 venues alive, each receiving around £15,000. “Some of those venues later told me: ‘It kept the wolf from the door, it covered us for a couple of months,’” he says. “That mattered.” He credits the Music Venue Trust, led by Mark Davyd, with shining a light on the crisis. And while he welcomes signs that the new Labour government is paying attention, he’s skeptical of government funding in general — especially when it comes to how it’s currently distributed. “It’s a national scandal, the millions that gets given to opera,” he says. “If they spent 10% of that on grassroots music, all our problems would be solved.” Turner’s ambivalence stems from his punk roots. “The independent live music sector was proudly non-subsidised, which I thought was cool,” he says. “If you’re making anti-establishment art, it doesn’t make much sense to do that with a government grant.” But something has to give. Without these spaces, he says, the entire pipeline breaks — not just for musicians, but for the culture that forms around them. “I’ll keep fighting for them,” Turner says. “Because they’re not just where music lives. They’re where community lives. And without them, we all lose.”

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This 80-Year-Old Retired Teacher Just Became the Oldest Female Hiker on the Appalachian Trail

At 80 years old, most people are slowing down. Betty Kellenberger was speeding up. The retired schoolteacher from Carson City, Michigan, became the oldest woman ever to hike the entire Appalachian Trail this past September—breaking the previous record by six years. It was a dream more than seven decades in the making, sparked by a story in a school reader when she was just a child. “I remember thinking, ‘How long do you think you have to think about it? You know, I’m pushing 80,’” she told AARP. “Am I going to wait until I’m pushing 90?” The Appalachian Trail stretches 3,500 kilometres from Georgia to Maine, a grueling test of stamina that takes months to complete. Even for fit hikers in their 20s and 30s, it’s a brutal journey across 14 states and terrain so steep and rocky it’s often compared to climbing Mount Everest—16 times over, in elevation gain alone. It’s estimated that three-quarters of those who attempt a full through-hike don’t make it. Betty wanted to be one of the ones who did. Her first attempt came in 2022 with her hiking partner Joe Cox, but both were forced to quit early. Cox fell while descending Mount Katahdin in Maine, and Betty left the trail days later after suffering from dehydration, Lyme disease, and a concussion. She tried again the next year, this time beginning in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and heading north. She made it to Massachusetts before another fall ended her hike. Then came knee replacement surgery, and devastating news—Cox had passed away. That was when Betty decided she would finish the trail in his honour. In 2024, she returned to Harpers Ferry and set off south. But nature had other plans. Hurricane Helene swept through the southern section of the trail, knocking over trees and rendering large parts impassable. Trail officials offered a rare concession: any hikers who left then would be allowed to resume their trek the following year and still count their mileage toward a completed hike. So Betty went home to train. With no hills nearby, she climbed the stairs at her local hospital in Michigan every day. By the time she returned to the trail in March 2025, she had two sections left: the south, from Virginia to Georgia, and the north, from Massachusetts to Maine. She finished the southern section first. The final stretch, in the steep, slippery mountains of New Hampshire and Maine, loomed largest. “I was hiking alone, and I just thought, if I have to do this alone, I’m not sure I can do it,” she told AARP. That’s when she met another hiker, a stranger who gave her a piece of advice she never forgot: “You can quit, and nobody will point fingers at you and blame you or anything. But you’ll never know whether you could have done it or not. If you go and you take it on and you try it, then you’ll at least know.” So she kept going. Betty faced sore feet, heavy packs, flooded trails, mud bogs, roots, and what felt like an endless field of rocks. “Early on I decided the Lord must love rocks because He made so many of them,” she joked to The Trek, a hiking website. On September 12, 2025, she reached the summit of Mount Katahdin and completed the trail. “I’ve had a ‘series of unfortunate events’, I call them. But each one, I learned something,” she said. “Each one, I got a little stronger. Each one, I got a better story. And so then, this year, I was able to do it.” She says she’s proudest not of the record, but of what the trail taught her—and what she hopes others can take from her journey. “Get out, move, set a goal and work toward it. The bigger the goal, the greater the reward,” she said. “Don’t let society or friends and family set your limitations.”

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Heroic Police Officer Saves Dog From Frozen Lake In New Jersey

A New Jersey police officer was lauded as a “hero” after jumping into a frozen lake to save a dog on Wednesday, December 17. Footage from the Sparta Township Police Department shows Patrolman Michael Poon entering the frigid waters of Lake Mohawk and pushing the dog back onto the ice. The police department said Poon had shown “outstanding bravery and professionalism” during the rescue, calling him a “hero on the ice,” and also thanked the “concerned citizens” who called the police after spotting the dog in distress. “This incident serves as an important reminder about the dangers of ice,” the department said. “Ice conditions can change rapidly and are often unpredictable. Please use caution around frozen bodies of water and help us keep everyone safe—people and animals alike.”

Peacocks, Plays, and Precise Gardens: New Frescoes Uncovered in Lavish Roman Villa Near Pompeii

Archaeologists working to preserve a grand Roman villa near Pompeii have uncovered dazzling new frescoes—including a lifelike peacock and a comically tragic character from ancient theater—along with the precise layout of a tree-lined garden that hasn’t been seen in nearly 2,000 years. The finds come from ongoing conservation efforts at the Villa di Poppea, a luxury residence believed to have belonged to Poppaea Sabina, the second wife of Emperor Nero. The villa was buried in ash during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, along with the nearby town of Oplontis, located just south of Naples. Work is currently focused on the villa’s western wing, where archaeologists have documented an astonishing 103 rooms so far. The latest discoveries come from one of the most elaborately decorated spaces yet—a room now being called the “Hall of the Peacock.” There, workers uncovered two vibrantly colored male peacocks on the south wall, preserved in remarkably vivid pigment. One nearby fresco shows a figure from Roman popular comedy: Pappus, a recurring character in Atellan Farce, a type of improvised theater. Known as a foolish old man easily manipulated by younger women, Pappus was often portrayed trying to recapture his youth in increasingly ridiculous ways. His appearance on the villa wall adds a rare layer of humor to the otherwise refined surroundings. “These first results offer new and promising research perspectives for our understanding of the plan of the villa and for the study of the interactions between human settlement and the natural environment in the long term,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. Researchers also revealed several newly documented spaces—small rooms called cubicula, which may have served as bedrooms or private studies. The name might sound familiar: it’s the origin of the modern “cubicle.” These rooms were decorated with floor mosaics, painted vaults, and intricate stucco and fresco artwork. Beyond the rooms themselves, archaeologists are learning more about the landscape that surrounded them. Using cast molds to capture the negative space left behind by ancient roots, they’ve now confirmed the exact positions of trees that once stood in the villa’s southern garden. The layout shows a carefully designed ornamental scheme, with the trees mirroring the pattern of a nearby colonnade. Delicate pigments found throughout the site—including Egyptian blue—are undergoing careful conservation to preserve their original luster. Despite the devastation caused by the eruption nearly two millennia ago, the ongoing work at the Villa di Poppea continues to reveal its former grandeur, and offer new insights into Roman life, luxury, and design. The discoveries are the latest in a series of breakthroughs in the so-called Greater Pompeii area. Just last month, archaeologists unearthed a lavish private spa in a different part of the ancient city, suggesting a culture of extravagant leisure among the Roman elite.

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Ron Howard Reveals His Dream Collaboration With a Hollywood Legend

Ron Howard has had a remarkable journey in Hollywood—from child actor on The Andy Griffith Show to iconic sitcom star on Happy Days, and eventually, one of the most respected directors in the industry. But one collaboration from early in his directing career still stands out to him: working with Michael Keaton. Howard directed Keaton’s breakout performance in Night Shift (1982), a sharp-witted comedy that launched a working relationship between the two. The pair teamed up again on later projects including Clean and Sober and The Paper, creating a dynamic that many fans still talk about. More than three decades later, Howard says he’s eager to work with Keaton again. “I’ve been so lucky in this business, I’ve worked with so many great people,” he said in 2015, while accepting his second star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “I have so few regrets, practically none, and one of them is just only that it’s been far too long since Michael [Keaton] and I made a movie together, so I’m hoping to rectify that sooner rather than later.” That wasn’t a one-off comment either. Howard brought up Keaton again in 2013 at the British Academy Film Awards. “Michael Keaton is great, and I’m dying to work with Michael again,” he said. “If I find the right role, he’ll be my first call. I’d love to.” The admiration seems to go both ways. Keaton has often spoken fondly of Howard’s creativity and collaborative style. While both men have stayed busy—Howard with award-winning directorial projects and Keaton with critically acclaimed performances in films like Birdman and Dopesick—fans haven’t given up hope that the two will reunite on screen. As Howard put it, he’s just waiting for the right story to bring them back together. For many moviegoers, that moment can’t come soon enough.

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Will Ferrell Suits Up as NHL Referee at LA Kings Game Against Tampa Bay Lightning

Actor and comedian Will Ferrell dressed up as an NHL referee as he watched the Los Angeles Kings take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, January 1. LA Kings arena host Mikey Alexander, @mikeydelorean on X, posted this footage of the Anchorman actor attempting to make calls from behind the glass. “You never know if one of these guys go down, I may have to put on the skates and get out there,” Ferrell said during a mid-game interview. Unfortunately for Ferrell, his team, the Kings, were defeated 5-3.

Air Crew Rescues Chamois in Distress

Video from Italy’s national fire service shows you can be as sure-footed as a mountain goat and still occasionally need some help from the experts. The Vigili del Fuoco said a team was called in on December 28 to Tessari, in the hills north of Verona, where a chamois had become tangled in ropes on a disused climbing wall. The area was described as “inaccessible from above due to dense vegetation, and even less so from nearby areas due to the lack of passable roads and trails.” A Drago 149 helicopter spotted the chamois from above and lowered two rescuers who reached the animal, the fire service said.

Charity Café Turns First-Month Profit, Plans Expansion to Help More Homeless

A community café in Rushden, Northamptonshire, that opened just six months ago is already eyeing expansion after turning a profit in its very first month. Café 16:15, launched in July by Stan Robertson—a former rough sleeper—is part of Project 16:15, a local initiative aimed at helping homeless people in Northampton. The café is entirely volunteer-run, and all profits are reinvested directly into the charity's outreach work. “We were in profit in our first month and we haven’t looked back really,” Robertson said. “It’s grown steadily. We’ve become well-established in such a short space of time. We’ve really become part of the community.” That early success has already funded two new welfare and outreach volunteers and is now fueling Robertson’s broader plan: a new café in Wellingborough, followed by a drop-in centre in Northampton. The café, located in Hamblin Court, serves homemade food sourced from local suppliers. The popular sausage rolls, in particular, have developed a following. Linda Nightingale, who came to Rushden on a pensioners’ trip from Raunds, said she made a point of stopping by. “It’s a fantastic idea,” she said. “It’s word of mouth that has spread the news that it is such a lovely, welcoming, bright, wonderful facility... and the prices are so good.” Regulars like Shirley Heard, from nearby Irchester, now stop in for soup and a chat. “I like the company, the food is good, and it’s a bonus helping others,” she said. She recently donated a sleeping bag to the charity. “I like to give him [Stan] a bit extra so he can put it into the charity.” Lorna, a volunteer from Northampton, said she helps out a few days a week to give back and connect with others. “It’s a chance to meet new people and work within the community,” she said. David Gillings, a local from Rushden, was already familiar with Robertson’s work through his job and said he was quick to support when the café opened. “It’s brought an empty unit back into use, Stan’s great, the volunteers are great, and it’s great quality food,” he said. “Nice quality, and good-sized portions.” Robertson emphasized that this is just the beginning. “This is only phase one of a three-year plan,” he said. “The cafés are being established to help fund the future plans as well.” Café 16:15 is set to reopen on Saturday, January 3 after a short festive break—ready to keep serving meals, community, and a mission with real impact.

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Virginia Beach Man Paralyzed by Rare Syndrome Walks Again After Near-Death Ordeal

Ra-Jon James wasn’t sure he would survive—let alone walk again. The Virginia Beach man was left paralyzed in July 2025 after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune condition that causes the body’s immune system to attack its own nerves. Now, after months in the hospital and intensive rehab, he’s defied the odds and is sharing his story to raise awareness. “I told myself when all of this stuff happened, when I was fully recovered, I said this could happen to anyone,” James told WTKR 3. His ordeal began on July 28, when he started feeling weak and others noticed his eyes were unusually red. He went to urgent care, but test results came back normal. Hours later, his condition worsened dramatically. He collapsed on the floor at home and couldn’t get up. His father tried to take him to the hospital, but James couldn’t walk. He remembers hearing a voice that told him, “You’re gonna be okay.” Once admitted, he was rushed to intensive care. “I was on the trach, I was on the ventilator. I was actually paralyzed,” he said. “Am I going to live? That was my thought.” GBS typically appears after an infection and can quickly escalate. “For some reason, your body creates antibodies that attack your own nerve cells,” explained Dr. Jennifer Quilter of Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. “This is a nerve problem. It’s not a muscle problem.” James was treated with plasma exchange therapy and spent nearly three months hospitalized. Doctors told him he had been “close to death.” But thanks to intense rehab, he slowly regained movement. When he returned to visit the hospital team, Dr. Quilter and her colleagues were stunned. “We were like, ‘Holy smokes—we can’t believe it.’ He looked great,” she said. “We don’t often see it that severe.” Now fully mobile, James wants to use his experience to help others recognize the early signs of GBS and seek help quickly. Symptoms can include tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, and loss of coordination. His message is simple: this could happen to anyone. But with fast action and the right care, recovery is possible—even from the most frightening of circumstances.

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