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It takes a village – or a Phoenix suburb – to wrangle a wayward tortoise
Even a tortoise needs a butterfly … or several.
His name was Rex because he looked like a dinosaur.
The giant sulcata tortoise came lumbering down a suburban Phoenix street one recent spring evening. A gaggle of dumbfounded neighbors milled about him. I was among them.
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15 years since a deadly tornado brought Joplin, Mo. together, kindness carries on
Nanda Nunnelly had just come home from a weekend out of town when a massive, multi-vortex tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. The sky, she says, had a sickly green tinge. When the tornado sirens went off, she jumped in a closet with her husband and dog.
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Wildflowers as Butterflies
National Geographic, Can wildflowers heal the toxic mess the L.A. fires left behind? Published May 7, 2026
Last year, when fires scorched Los Angeles and destroyed my family’s home, an ashen cocktail of carcinogens like lead, mercury, and arsenic seeped into the soil. Native plants can help repair the damage—and sowing the seeds can help restore a community’s hope.
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Even cattle need butterflies
CBS Evening News, On the Road, May 1, 2026
After a wildfire torched their Nebraska ranch, anonymous donors came to their rescue: “They don’t want the glory.”
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Braving an unusual bridge
BBC News Videos, accessed April 27, 2026
When Indonesia built a new highway through Sumatra, it split the community of orangutans. For two years, the aerial bridge built to reunite them went unused. Until …
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What happens when a marathoner collapses just before the finish line?
NPR: Special Series, Simon Says (accessed April 25, 2026)
“Almost” doesn’t finish at the Boston Marathon. But who would risk their own finish to help someone else?
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Closing a Church Faithfully
The Presbyterian Outlook, Published July 18, 2023, Updated: August 16, 2023
Doug Basler thought his assignment was to revitalize a congregation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, he faithfully guided them through the inevitable pain of closing of a church with a 174-year history of serving their community.
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Fox News, Game Changers
Fox News, Game Changers, March 22, 2026
Fox News has dedicated an entire section of videos to “Game Changers,” people and organizations that make a difference. “A FOX 28 Game Changer is an individual or group that plays a pivotal role in positively transforming the community through purposeful and impactful actions.”
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This lab that is determined to discover new drugs isn’t where you might expect
NPR, March 22, 2026
The discovery of new medicines often takes place in North America, Europe and Asia. So that’s where the agenda tends to be set for which diseases to treat and who benefits. But Chibale says H3D (the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development) Centre is a rare facility in Africa with everything needed to discover drugs for some of humanity’s most intractable ailments.
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How one Minnesota school is bouncing back after the ICE surge
NPR, March 22, 2026, Heard on Weekend Edition Sunday
Some people may be offended reading this, and I seriously debated about including an article about such a controversial matter. However, I’m a retired teacher (30 years public school, 19 years GED). I care about children. Sometimes butterflies put politics aside and just love their neighbor, regardless of age.
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I’m Dead. Don’t Send Me Any More Mail.
New York Times, March 20, 2026
A tenant shares his story about his casual companionship with his landlady.
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A Lavender Bunny, Not a Yellow Butterfly
NPR, My Unsung Hero, February 2, 2026
Riding a bicycle in a major city is dangerous, but she did not expect to be rescued by a lavender bunny on a unicycle.
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Carter Center Guinea Worm Disease 2025 Totals All Time Low
CBS News, updated January 30, 2026
Former President Jimmy Carter, humanitarian concerned with the whole world, made one of the missions of his Carter Center to eliminate Guinea Worm Disease. While he did not live to see that happen, the end is close.
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Nonprofit care kits for Minnesota families facing uncertainty
CBS News, January 29, 2026
Non-profit volunteers put together a care kit for children hiding at home in Minnesota. The kits are tailored for each child: food deliveries, toys, games, and art supplies for children staying away from school.
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Rising from the ashes, a symbol of hope at the Rose Parade
NPR, January 1, 2026
Volunteers who survived the Palisades and Eatons Fire in early January, 2025, created a phoenix on the “Rising Together” float for the New Year’s Day Rose Parade. In addition to the phoenix, thirty-one sunflowers represent the thirty-one lives lost in the fire.
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‘God walks with us through the ashes.’ A poignant Ash Wednesday after LA wildfires
NPR, All Things Considered, March 5, 2025
The congregation of the Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church lost their building in the Palisades Fire in early January, 2025. For now, they are sharing a nearby church.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church of Altadena is also sharing with a neighboring church.
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