Calling all U.S. readers: It may be time to do your civic duty! While today’s Election Day is off-year, meaning there are no presidential or midterm elections, it’s still worth checking if there are any local races or propositions on your ballot — voting is an important opportunity to make your voice heard on every level of government. Click here to learn who and what will be on your ballot (and if you forgot to register, see if you’re in one of the 23 states that offer same-day registration).
A Carpenter Helped Rebuild Notre Dame, Then Got Married There
HENRIQUE CAMPOS/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
When a carpenter named Martin Lorentz joined the team restoring Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral after the fire in 2019, he probably didn’t imagine he’d be tying the knot there one day. But that’s exactly what happened on Saturday, Oct. 25. After dedicating three years to rebuilding the legendary cathedral’s roof using medieval techniques, Lorentz asked Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris for permission to marry his partner, Jade, underneath the very structure he helped piece back together — and as a one-time exception, Ulrich said yes. It’s a rare honor, as Notre Dame is not a parish church but rather a national monument primarily used for religious and state ceremonies. This wedding was the first held there in three decades. The nuptials were as grand as you’d imagine. Five hundred guests filled the cathedral, including many of the groom’s fellow carpenters, to celebrate the happy couple. “I want to share my love, our love, with the whole world, with everyone who needs it,” Lorentz told reporters on the big day, per AFP. “It’s the happiest day of my life.” Get a peek at the epic wedding, including the “guard of honor” the carpenters created with their axes.
Together With Hypha Labs
This Breakthrough Takes on the Entire Pharmaceutical Industry
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Health
Growing Model Offers Affordable, Patient-Centered Health Care — No Insurance Required
Jacob Wackerhausen/ iStock
It’s not often you see “health care” and “affordable” in the same headline in the U.S. — but a growing movement called direct primary care is changing that. The concept is simple: Patients typically pay a flat monthly, quarterly, or annual fee for essential medical services while bypassing co-pays and insurance intermediaries. (Think concierge services, but at a lower price point.) Many direct primary care practices rely on nurse practitioners and other non-physician providers to deliver care. The goal is to cut costs, improve access, and create a more personalized experience for patients. In return, the providers benefit from a more sustainable work-life balance and greater professional autonomy. “[It’s] kind of going back to the family doctor feel, where you go in, you’re not rushed, really develop that relationship,” Brad Tuttle, a registered nurse who runs Apotheosis Health in Maine alongside wife Alley, a nurse practitioner, told CBS News. For less than $100 a month, patients at their practice get physicals, blood tests, and discounted prescriptions, as well as 24/7 access to providers via call, text, or email. In the last 10 years, the number of direct primary care clinics nationwide has surged from around 140 to nearly 3,000 — making many patients, like Dani Cotou, feel more in control of their health care. “I feel that I’m the driver and they’re my co-pilots,” she said of the Tuttles. Learn more about how it works.
Humanity
Dyslexia Test Places 10-Year-Old Girl in Top 1% of IQs
James Linsell Clark / SWNS
Learning disabilities don’t equate to lower intelligence — and no one is proving that point more than a 10-year-old girl from Kent, England. After Poppy O’Malley-Flack took a test for dyslexia because she’d been having trouble with spelling, she discovered she has an IQ of 136, and has since been invited to join high-IQ society Mensa International. According to BBC Test the Nation data from 2014, the average IQ in Britain is around 100, and any number above 135 puts you in the top 1%. Poppy was invited to take the three-hour exam, which also determined that she has exceptional reasoning and problem-solving skills, ahead of her 11+, a British test many students take in their last year of elementary school. The news came as a surprise to Poppy’s mom, 44-year-old Lucy O’Malley-Flack, who told SWNS that her daughter had always excelled at creative subjects like art. “We never expected to come out of a dyslexic test and the lady say her reasoning skills and intelligence were exceptionally high. We were as shocked I think as Poppy was,” O’Malley-Flack said, adding: “She had never been the type of child you thought was gifted or very academic who goes up to their room and studies and loves learning. She is creative and she is very good at art. However, she is very logical and has good reasoning skills and is very good at problem-solving. We have always known that.” But to her mom, Poppy is “just a normal kid” when it comes down to it: “She is the most humble child you will ever meet, but she is really enjoying this prestige.” The youngster now has plenty of Mensa merchandise, including a hoodie, mug, and certificate, which O’Malley-Flack said she is very proud of.
In Other News
A breath test could “revolutionize” pancreaticcancer care by detecting the hard-to-diagnose disease earlier (read more)
The world’s largest plane, roughly the length of an NFL football field, is in development in Boulder, Colorado (read more)
Righting wrongs: The Netherlands announced it will return a stolen 3,500-year-old sculpture to Egypt (read more)
Thousands of cyclists rode along Dubai’s busiest highway for the city’s annual fitness challenge (read more)
Penny the Chihuahua was reunited with her owners after five years missing, thanks to her microchip (read more)
Organization We Love
Runnin’ for Rhett Created by the family of my best friend’s husband, Runnin’ for Rhett was founded in memory of Rhett Seevers, who lived with severe cerebral palsy before dying at age 7 in 2004. Through events ranging from the “Run Because You Can” 5K to pickleball tournaments, this Sacramento-based nonprofit empowers individuals of all ages to do what Rhett longed for but couldn’t — get up and get moving. – Marika Spitulski, Writer
Last month, wildlife photographer Rod Young spotted a bull elk in Canada’s Prince Albert National Park with its antlers severely entangled in a net. That’s when Young put his camera down and alerted a team from Parks Canada, who removed the netting and set the elk free to roam as it was before, just with a little less weighing it down.
Photo of the Day
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Los Angeles was a sea of blue caps and Dodger jerseys yesterday — and likely will be for the foreseeable future. Thousands of fans came together for a parade celebrating the team’s Saturday victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and their second straight World Series title. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the final showdown was “one of the greatest games I’ve ever been a part of” (and many of us who watched from the couch agree). See pics from the championship parade.
Money: From Kitchen Fixes to College Costs, See What a HELOC Can Do
Cover tuition, consolidate debt, or finally tackle those home upgrades you’ve been putting off with a home equity line of credit, or HELOC. With lower rates than most credit cards, a HELOC is a smart, flexible way to handle big expenses — planned or unexpected. Check out Money’s list of top lenders below.
