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After tornadoes ripped through several Midwestern states last week, a country star and his band pitched in to help with cleanup between tour shows. Per ABC affiliate KETV, Zach Bryan was spotted among other volunteers in Elkhorn, Nebraska, ahead of his performances in nearby Omaha. Bryan, who grew up in Oklahoma and spent some time living in Omaha, also shared an Instagram post about the natural disaster, writing, “Without taking credit from the thousands of people lending a hand who have roots here, we love you so much and we’ll do all we can to help.” Click here to see how you can help those affected by the tornadoes, too.
Culture
National Trust Lists This Year’s Most Endangered Historic Places
The National Trust released its annual list of the most endangered historic places in the United States, spotlighting 11 sites in the hopes of saving them. They include Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo, a century-old Baptist church in West Virginia, and the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse (pictured), which is one of only two “middle-of-the-river” lighthouses left standing in the Hudson River.
Eatonville, Florida, among the first self-governing all-Black municipalities in the country and the setting for Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, is also featured. The goal of the annual list is to protect the sites and turn them into destinations, so future generations can enjoy and learn from them. Carol Quillen, the National Trust’s president and CEO, told NPR they “invite us in the present to connect our stories to the ones these places hold.”
“We don’t want to spray these sites with Scotchgard, you know, and roll them off,” she explained. “We really want to reinvigorate them so that they’re active, exciting places for people to go so that they can continue to bring people together now and long into the future.”
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Together With Bombas
Gifts for Every Kind of Mom
Mother’s Day is just over a week away, and we’ve got you covered on a last-minute gift idea for the mom who loves to be comfortable: Bombas. The company makes socks that provide a level of comfort you have to feel to believe, and the gift boxes are the perfect no-wrap present.
The socks are also ideal for moms who like to give back, because Bombas has donated over 100 million (and counting!) essential clothing items to people in need. As a Nice News reader, get 20% off your first purchase with code NICE20.
Please support our sponsors! They help us keep Nice News free. ♡
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Sports
Minnesota High School Pep Band Steps Up at College Hockey Championship
The University of Denver men’s hockey team had all the ingredients to score another national championship victory last month, except for one: a band to cheer them on. So Vice Chancellor for Athletics Josh Berlo turned to the Edina Hornets, a high school pep band near St. Paul, Minnesota, where the game was held.
About two dozen teenage musicians stepped up to learn the Denver fight song in just a couple of weeks. Luckily, the students picked up the tune pretty quickly and were able to deliver on playing the team to victory, the Hornets’ band director told NBC News. “They brought so much energy and really inspired our entire team,” Berlo added. “They were part of an incredible moment.”
“Sports and music came together here,” he continued, adding that the collaboration between the university and high school “brought folks together and generated a ton of smiles — and smiles are important.” Watch them play.
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Environment
Trapped Baby Whale Named “Brave Little Hunter” Escapes Lagoon on Her Own
A baby orca nicknamed kʷiisaḥiʔis (meaning “Brave Little Hunter” in the language of the Ehattesaht First Nation) lived up to her moniker when she escaped the lagoon she had been trapped in without help.
After her mother died on a beach in March, the 2-year-old calf got stuck in a tidal lagoon on Vancouver Island, near the village of Zeballos. The local Indigenous tribe and fisheries officials made multiple attempts to rescue her — using slings, boats, whale vocalizations, and even a violin serenade — but she thwarted them all.
Then, on Friday morning, Brave Little Hunter swam over a sandbar and into the Esperanza Inlet, seen above, all on her own. “Today the community of Zeballos and people everywhere are waking up to some incredible news and what can only be described as pride for the strength this little orca has shown,” Chief Simon John said in a statement last week, per CBC.
Now that she’s free, officials are hoping the young mammal’s calls will help her reunite with her pod. “Every opportunity needs to be afforded to have her back with her family with as little human interaction as possible,” John noted.
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In Other News
- To save more lives and catch cancer earlier, a task force is recommending that all women get biennial mammograms starting at age 40.
- Battery costs have declined by 90% in less than 15 years, a downward trajectory that’s expected to continue through 2030, per a new International Energy Agency report.
- A letter written by Mary Todd Lincoln is up for sale. In the note, believed to date back to 1864, the first lady is seeking a Treasury Department job for another woman.
- Colombia celebrates the humble donkey at its annual Festival del Burro. See photos from this year’s event.
- Night skywatchers, here’s everything you can expect to see up above this month, from a meteor shower to the Flower Moon.
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Something We Love
Jade Leaf Matcha
Calling all green tea lovers: Today is National Matcha Day, and Jade Leaf is offering 20% off its bestselling items to celebrate. The brand’s lightly sweetened cafe-style blend is perfect for making matcha lattes at home. And for those less versed in the joys of the bright green beverage, the traditional matcha starter set — which includes a whisk, scoop, sifter, and guide — is a great choice.
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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Inspiring Story
“If you just start looking, you may find something”
After being adopted as a baby and going through most of her life without knowing any biological family members, Teresa Scharf finally found her sister, Angie, in her 60s. “I saw her, and I knew who she was, and all I could do was walk up to her, wrap my arms around her, and just hug her,” she said of their recent meeting.
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Photo of the Day
Following a six-month restoration process that involved removing eight layers of varnish, Eugène Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People” has been returned to its former glory. Paris’ Louvre unveiled the restored 1830 painting to the public today, just in time for the upcoming Olympics-related tourism boom. See what it looked like before the restoration.
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Bombas Is Your One-Stop Shop for Mother’s Day
If you’ve ever thought that socks are a boring gift, you haven’t tried Bombas. The company makes high-quality socks that are so comfortable, we bet you won’t go back to the dollar store brand again. The gift boxes are the perfect choice for Mother’s Day, which, as a reminder, is coming up next Sunday.
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Quote of the Day
“You only get one life. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.”
– JOJO MOYES, ME BEFORE YOU
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