Is visiting a corn maze on your fall bucket list? You may want to plan a trip to Northern California if so. Cool Patch Pumpkins, which has twice earned the distinction of the world’s largest corn maze from the Guinness Book of World Records, boasts a 40-acre labyrinth for visitors to find their way through. “It is confusing. It’s exciting, and in a world of GPS and constant signage, you always know where you are, where you’re going,” Tayler Cooley, whose family owns the farm, told the Associated Press. “When you’re in the corn, everything looks the same until you pop up on a bridge and you’re like, ‘Oh wait, I’m all the way over here. I thought I was over there.’” See the design the family went with this year.
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Environment
UNESCO Is Now Protecting 5% of the Planet Through Biosphere Programs
Justin Jay/ UNESCO
Major milestones are taking place in the conservation arena: UNESCO announced it has designated 26 new biosphere reserves in 21 countries, the highest number in two decades. These “living laboratories” include terrestrial, marine, and coastal ecosystems that hold a “significant share” of global biodiversity, per a news release, and support scientific research, sustainable practices, and community initiatives. Six countries — Angola, Djibouti, Iceland, Oman, Tajikistan, and Equatorial Guinea (pictured) — welcomed their first reserve, while 14 received newly designated reserves, and São Tomé and Príncipe became the first nation to have its entire territory recognized as a reserve. Last weekend, 2,000 international representatives convened in Hangzhou, China, for UNESCO’s 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, which honored the agency’s accomplishment of now protecting 5% of the planet. Also at the Congress, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay challenged every United Nations Member State to establish at least one reserve in the next 10 years. “Within these reserves, new ways of balancing nature conservation with sustainable livelihoods are being forged every day,” she said in the release. “UNESCO will continue to mobilize States, scientists, civil society, and local and Indigenous communities to continue this positive momentum.”
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Meet the Ovarian Cancer Survivor Advocating for Earlier Diagnoses
Rachel Sackett-Putman
When Rachel Sackett-Putman was diagnosed with a rare type of ovarian cancer at age 38, she didn’t have time to preserve her fertility, and the disease took away her ability to have biological children. Low-grade serous ovarian cancer has a high recurrence rate and minimal treatment options. That’s why Sackett-Putman has spent the past four-plus years spreading awareness and advocating for earlier diagnoses for others. And she’s accomplished quite a bit in that timeframe: This year alone, she’s secured 78 state and local proclamations designating September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. The Scottsdale, Arizona, resident, who shows no symptoms of the disease today, has also raised more than $10,000 through the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s Together in Teal Run/Walk to help fund research and honor survivors, and has worked to light up buildings (including two New Jersey city halls) in teal, the color used for ovarian cancer awareness. Along with her own experience, Sackett-Putman is driven by the memory of her friend and mentee, Jordan, who died last year, a day after her 33rd birthday. “Her final words to me were, ‘I’m glad you’re fighting for awareness of this disease. I just don’t have it in me right now. Thank you. I love you,’” Sackett-Putman said in a statement shared with Nice News. “I promised her I would never stop. Her loss fuels my advocacy every day.” Learn how to support Sackett-Putman’s efforts.
Culture
How the Denver Airport’s Award-Winning Snow Removal Team Preps for Winter
Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Fall has barely begun, but the Denver International Airport is already preparing for winter. Ranked the world’s sixth-busiest airport in 2024, the 53-square-mile Colorado hub is the largest commercial airport in the U.S. by land mass — and it’s only shut down its airfield six times in three decadesdue to snowy conditions. Preparations take place year-round, but amp up June through September. Along with more than 250 pieces of snow removal equipment, nearly 500 contractors and 196 city and county workers are deployed to manage safety operations for six runways, around 300 lane miles of roads, and 30 acres of parking lots. On ramp areas, the team uses two types of snow-melters: one that can melt 600 tons per hour, and one that melts 150 tons per hour. Those efforts have paid off — in May, the airport announced it earned the national Balchen/Post Award, which recognizes airports with outstanding snow and ice removal programs, for the fourth time. Last winter, the team cleared runways in 17 minutes on average, managing 47.7 inches of show. Airport CEO Phil Washington said in a news release: “As we continue [to] maintain our facility to the highest standards and prepare for 100 million passengers, our snow team maintains its reputation as one of the most efficient snow operations in the nation.” See the snow removal machines.
In Other News
Solar will likely blow past wind to become the U.S.’ third-largest source of electricity by the end of 2025 (read more)
Boeing is developing a higher-quality, more fuel-efficient aircraft that would succeed the 737 Max (read more)
Two rescued mountain lion cubs were released into the wild after months of rehabilitation in California (read more)
The FDA approved a chronic inflammatory skin disease treatment that will soon be available to patients (read more)
Students can access mental health care via a free text hotline in this Atlanta school district (read more)
Inspiring Story
New grocery store = new hope
Over the last few decades, Venice, Illinois, has lost two-thirds of its population and its sole grocery store due to a decline in steel and manufacturing jobs — but a retired school superintendent is helping to breathe new life into the small town. Along with a $2.4 million state grant, Ed Hightower is investing $3.5 million of his own money into a new grocery store that he’ll manage once built. A medical clinic and affordable housing are also in the works. “This starts at the root of people who want to change their community, when you have that level of investment that we see here in Venice, that’s the bedrock for success,” said Deputy Gov. Andy Manar.
Photo of the Day
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Works from the four British artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2025 are on display in Bradford, England — including this installation from Zadie Xa and co-creator Benito Mayor Vallejo. Titled “Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes: Your Ancestors Are Whales, and Earth Remembers Everything,” the piece uses four mediums to explore connections between Korean shamanism, generational grief, ghostly spirits, and ocean life.
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