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We’re on hatch watch! Exactly one month ago, we introduced you to Jackie and Shadow, the famous bald eagle couple living in California’s Big Bear Valley. At the time, Jackie had recently laid a “full three-egg clutch,” a first for her. And now it’s looking like the eggs could hatch at any moment. Early Sunday morning, the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley reported that Jackie was showing “hilarious, determined dedication” in protecting her eggs during a storm. “And we will remain dedicated about watching for what might happen next,” the organization said. Tune in to the live cam to keep tabs on the nest.
Environment
“There Was a Lot of Screaming”: Massive Helium Concentration Discovered in Minnesota
You might associate helium with birthday balloons and blimps, but the versatile element is essential across various industries, from space exploration to cryogenics, medical technology, welding, and more. The U.S. used to be a top exporter of helium, but most reserves have been depleted — sending researchers like Thomas Abraham-James on the hunt for more.
Last week, he hit the jackpot. Abraham-James is the CEO of Pulsar Helium, a company that recently discovered a 12.4% concentration of helium buried within northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. That percentage is about 30 times the industry standard, CBS News reports.
“There was a lot of screaming, a lot of hugging and high fives. It’s nice to know the efforts all worked out and we pulled it off,” Abraham-James told the outlet, adding, “12.4% is just a dream. It’s perfect.”
Next, Pulsar Helium will commission an independent third party to conduct a feasibility study to determine whether the site is conducive to a helium plant. “It’s not just about drilling one hole, but now proving up the geological models, being able to get some really good data that wasn’t captured in the original discovery,” said Abraham-James. “It has the potential to really contribute to local society.”
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Together With RYSE
Why You Should Invest in This Smart Home Startup
We’ve all heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder,” right? That’s doubly applicable to RYSE, which can benefit both your home and investment portfolio. The tech startup has patented the only mass market shade automation device, and its public $1.50/share round is open to investors like you for a limited time.
RYSE is poised to dominate the smart shades space, which is growing at an astonishing 55% annually. The company has an exclusive deal with Best Buy resembling those that led Ring and Nest to their buyouts — which totaled $1.2 billion and $3.2 billion, respectively. If you missed out on those spectacular early investments in the smart home space, though, RYSE is your chance to grab hold of the next one.
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Culture
Here’s What Happened When a New Jersey City Limited Street Parking
In 2015, 89-year-old Agnes Accera died crossing the street in Hoboken, New Jersey. Mayor Ravi Bhalla, then a city council member, now cites her death as the “trigger that we needed to take action,” he told the Associated Press. That action has worked: Hoboken, a popular commuter hub with a population around 60,000, hasn’t had a traffic-related death in seven years.
When Bhalla took office as mayor in 2018, he began instituting Vision Zero, a set of traffic safety guidelines that originated in Sweden in the 1990s. Following those guidelines, Hoboken has integrated lower speed limits, staggered traffic lights, and, most impactfully, daylighting.
Daylighting involves removing car parking near intersections to improve visibility and pedestrian safety, and it’s credited as one of the primary reasons for Hoboken’s success. As aspects of Vision Zero reach other areas around the U.S., the New Jersey city is proof that it’s possible to achieve zero traffic fatalities.
“That goal is obviously bold,” Leah Shahum, founder and director of the Vision Zero Network, told the AP. “It’s also meant to help us kind of shake off the complacency that we’ve had for too long that traffic deaths are inevitable, that what we’re experiencing today is just an unfortunate and unavailable byproduct of modern society. That’s not the case.”
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Humanity
These California High Schoolers Help Community Members File Taxes for Free
Would you let a teenager file your taxes? That’s not a riddle, but a reality at Rancho Cucamonga High School in the Southern California city of the same name. There, a group of students trained in tax filing and led by accounting teacher Chris Van Duin help run a free clinic for community members.
The clinic exists thanks to an Internal Revenue Service program called VITA, or Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. As a result, the students get to assist people in need and learn valuable life skills (and they get breakfast burritos brought by Van Duin). Many of them are thinking about finance careers in the future — Calob Chavez, 17, told The New York Times he wants to be an investment banker, while Destiny Linda, 17, plans to get her doctorate in business.
For now, though, they’re focused on figuring out tax returns for others, and sometimes themselves. “I work at Taco Bell,” said Nicholas Rosales, a 16-year-old who serves as Van Duin’s teaching assistant. “I got an $8 refund. Which is $8 I can buy more candy with.”
Since we’re in the thick of tax season, check out these 2024 filing tips from the IRS.
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Something We Love
BRONAX Pillow Slippers
Even comfier than they look, these pillow slippers are the perfect inside shoes for wearing all day long — and they couldn’t be easier to pop on for grabbing the mail or taking out the trash. Sturdy yet lightweight, they’re made with a thick sole that provides support (multiple reviewers write: “like walking on clouds”) and broad single straps for a snug fit. They also come in 16 colors, so there’s really something for everyone.
Recommendations are independently selected by our team but may result in a commission to Nice News which helps keep our content free.
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Photo of the Day
In case you missed it, college basketball star Caitlin Clark set the all-time NCAA scoring record on Sunday, just days after announcing her plans to enter the WNBA draft following this season with the Iowa Hawkeyes. And Clark’s wasn’t the only basketball record set over the weekend: On Saturday, LeBron James became the first NBA player to reach 40,000 career points.
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Invest Smarter With RYSE
It’s rare that everyday investors get access to a tech startup poised to take over an entire market, but RYSE is offering just that. The smart shade company recently launched in over 100 Best Buy stores, and early investors have seen their shares grow over 20 times. RYSE’s public $1.50/share round is open for a limited time — learn how you can get in on the action below.
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Odds & Ends
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Quote of the Day
“Find things beautiful as much as you can, most people find too little beautiful.”
– VINCENT VAN GOGH
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