Weekly News Recap: June 27, 2025

Weekly News Recap: June 27, 2025

Chesterfield County Sheriff Karl Leonard | Photograph by Alyssa Schukar for WSJ

I don't believe the world's a particularly beautiful place, but I do believe in redemption. -- Colum McCann

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • 3-pound puppy left in trash is rescued, now thriving (Detroit News) #Puppies "In late May, a husky puppy arrived at a shelter in Austin weighing just three pounds, about half the weight she should have been. She was fished out of the bottom of a trash can - whimpering, cold and barely clinging to life [...] 'People don’t always understand how to care for young puppies, especially when they’re so small,' Jordana Moerbe, the medical director at Austin Pets Alive, said. “With quick critical care and some time, they bounce back really well.” That was true for this puppy, who stabilized within just two days. Staff named her Kiss - 'because everyone wanted to give her a big kiss' "

  • Bear necessity: lid stuck around US animal’s neck removed after two years (The Guardian) #Resilience "Michigan wildlife experts finally were able to trap a black bear and remove a large lid that was stuck around his neck – after two years. 'It’s pretty incredible that the bear survived and was able to feed itself,' Cody Norton, a state bear specialist, said [...]"

  • One Community Took a Radical Approach to Fighting Addiction. It’s Working. (Wall Street Journal) This! More of this please. I did cry reading this story. "When Officer Chelsea Johnston came across a wanted felon one evening, Johnston jerked her cruiser in front of him, sprinted after him and tackled him to the ground. Still catching her breath, Johnston motioned for someone to step out of the cruiser: Joy Bogese. 'Thank God,' the man said. 'It’s you.' Bogese, who served time for financial crimes that fed a heroin addiction, now spends many of her evenings in a police cruiser as a recovery specialist helping people with addiction get into treatment. The man asked Bogese to help him get into a drug-treatment program at the local jail, where Bogese occasionally facilitates groups. She is part of a growing effort in Chesterfield County’s fight against addiction. In this county of nearly 400,000, overdose deaths have dropped by half in a single year—about double the decline of the rest of the country—to levels seen before the crisis began in 2015."

  • They’re Over 80. You Can Find Them in the Club. (New York Times) #Brilliant "A group of Brussels retirement-home residents grooved to electronic music late one night as part of a program to fight loneliness among seniors."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. VIDEO: Western Canadian glaciers melting twice as fast as they did a decade ago, research shows (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Heat is not the only culprit in climate change. "Researchers say some glaciers in Western Canada and the United States lost 12 per cent of their mass from 2021 to 2024, doubling melt rates compared to the previous decade. The research led by University of Northern British Columbia professor Brian Menounos says low snow accumulation over winter, early-season heat waves, and prolonged warm and dry spells were contributing factors. It says impurities such as ash from severe wildfire seasons have also 'darkened' glaciers, causing them to absorb more heat and triggering a feedback loop that will lead to continued loss unless the ice is covered by fresh snow."

  2. Charitable giving grew to $593B in 2024, propelled by a strengthening US economy and a booming stock market (The Conversation) This is 'great' news however we must remember that a higher fraction of this is from larger gifts (i.e. the donor pool at the foundation of the giving pyramid is shrinking -- some say it is our [the fundraisers'] fault. They might be right). "U.S. charitable giving increased 3.3% to US$593 billion in 2024, lifted by the strength of the economy. The annual report from the Giving USA Foundation, produced in partnership with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, found that this was the second-highest level on record after adjusting for inflation."

  3. VIDEO: Canada is facing a housing crisis. Could it take a page from Europe? (CBC) CANADIAN STORY We need a system like this! #LoveIt "Slavica Salihbegovic's family was growing. So she did what anyone living in Vienna would do: She asked the city for a bigger apartment. 'At that time, I was pregnant with my first kid,' she said. 'I lived in a two-room apartment … it was an OK building, but it was small for us.' Salihbegovic went to an online portal, entered her income and requirements, and was ranked alongside thousands of other residents. Soon, she was assigned a new apartment: a three-bedroom unit in a brand-new building, adjacent to Vienna's Central Station."

  4. 1 found dead, 3 taken to hospital following rockfall near Bow Lake in Banff National Park (CBC) ALBERTA STORY As a sad update, a second hiker died from this. This is a very rare but terrible occurrence. "Numerous hikers were caught in a rockfall north of Lake Louise with at least one dead and three injured, according to the RCMP and Parks Canada [...] Lake Louise RCMP were notified that 'multiple hikers' were caught in a rockfall near Bow Glacier Falls. A joint statement by RCMP and Parks Canada confirmed one person was found deceased at the scene, and three were evacuated to the hospital: one by ground ambulance and two by STARS Air Ambulance."

  5. Bob Steadward honoured with Cree name and headdress in Maskwacis (Ponoka News) EDMONTON STORY Congratulations Bob. So well deserved. "In a deeply emotional ceremony at Maskwacis, Robert Steadward — founder of The Steadward Centre for Personal & Physical Achievement and a pioneering force in inclusive sport and physical activity — was gifted a Cree name and presented with an honorary headdress, recognizing decades of impact supporting Indigenous communities and people living with disabilities."

  6. Saskatoon philanthropist Joe Remai remembered as a 'true community builder' (CBC) SASKATOON STORY A force for good in Saskatoon. RIP Mr. Remai. We will not see your like again. "Joseph Remai, one of Saskatoon's best-known real estate developers and philanthropists, has died at the age of 89, his family confirms. Remai, known as 'Joe,' died on June 12. He grew up on a farm near Carrot River, northeast of Saskatoon, one of 11 children born to Hungarian immigrants. After getting an engineering degree, he co-founded Remai Construction along with his brother Frank in the early 1960s."

  7. Craig Senyk To Receive The 2025 Gary Slaight Music Humanitarian Award (Celebrity Access) CALGARY STORY Woot! Congrats Craig. Well deserved. "The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) has announced that Canadian investment executive Craig Senyk will receive the 2025 Gary Slaight Music Humanitarian Award, recognizing his significant philanthropic contributions to Canada’s country music community. Senyk—along with his wife, Cara, and their firm, Mawer Investment Management—has hosted the Jamboree for Charity since 2013. The annual country music event has raised millions of dollars for charities serving communities in Calgary and Toronto, including Kids Help Phone, Discovery House, and the Radiance Society."

  8. Behind Closed Doors, Harvard Officials Debate a Risky Truce With Trump (New York Times) "Harvard University, battered by a devastating conflict with the Trump administration that has jeopardized its elite standing, is facing a problem as it weighs a possible truce with President Trump: how to strike a deal without compromising its values or appearing to have capitulated. The conundrum has bedeviled law firms, tech and media companies and even one of the school’s Ivy League peers. According to three people familiar with the university’s deliberations, it is now shaping internal debates around the school’s freshly resurrected talks with the government. The three people familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing negotiations that are supposed to be private."

  9. VIDEO: Brothers who gave $50K for palliative care room at nursing home learn tough lesson (CBC) NOVA SCOTIA STORY Nobody wins in this instance. #DonorRelationsFail "The moment brothers Alan and Glenn von Weiler saw the palliative care room at their father's former nursing home — created in his memory — was one for the books, they say. 'I think my dad would have been so happy,' Glenn said. 'My dad believed in giving back to the community. He did that all his life, and now he was able to do it posthumously.' But just over a year after they saw the new palliative care room at the Fundy Nursing Home in Blacks Harbour, the brothers have a sour taste in their mouths. They learned from staff at the home that the room has been taken apart."

  10. This New Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo Exhibit Turns Marine Pollution Into Art (Avenue Calgary) CALGARY STORY #SoCool "This summer, there’s more to see at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo than just real, live animals — you can also see sculptures of fish, penguins, polar bears and more made entirely out of marine debris. Running until September 14, the Washed Ashore exhibition blends art with environmental activism. The Washed Ashore non-profit organization has cleaned over 300 miles of beaches in the Pacific Northwest, processing and repurposing more than 60,000 pounds of human-caused marine debris to create beautiful, larger-than-life sculptures of marine life. Designed to teach environmental sustainability, this exhibit aims to increase awareness of the impacts of plastic pollution on sea life, as well as encourage better recycling habits."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. VIDEO: 10 More Mesmerising Manufacturing Films from the 1960s | 2nd Edition (YouTube) These are charming...and educational. Love the hair and clothing styles.

  2. [How To Get The Best Cut Of Meat At A Butcher Shop (https://www.thetakeout.com/1885013/how-to-buy-best-butcher-meat-cut/) (The Takeout) Basically, ask them for advice (they know what they are talking about).

  3. VIDEO: Fellas, You Should Call Your Friends and Say Goodnight (Inside Hook) This, sadly, is something I need to get better at. I love it when they call me.

  4. The Components Every Homemade BBQ Sauce Needs (The Takeout) Love the 4-4-1-1 ratio.

  5. VIDEO: Debunking 5 myths about when your devices get wet (The Conversation) The longer-term effects are the ones we really need to watch out for.

  6. How To Rapid Steam Hot Dogs On The Stovetop Like A Pro (Tasting Table) Turns out, plunking them into hot water is not always the best solution. #WhoKnew ;-)

  7. VIDEO: One Pan Italian Baked Ribs | Cookin' Somethin' w/ Matty Matheson (YouTube) LANGUAGE WARNING If you love "The Bear", you have to love Matty.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. VIDEO: Pittsburgh Zoo receives mystery $10 million donation, plans new exhibits (ABC) Nice anonymous gift. "The Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium has announced a record-breaking $10 million gift from anonymous donors. This donation marks the largest single gift in the zoo’s history."

  2. Peter Gilgan investing $60 million to build extraordinary at St. Joseph's Health Centre (Globe Newswire) TORONTO STORY #Boom "Peter Gilgan, founder and CEO of Mattamy Asset Management (the parent company of Mattamy Homes), is paying tribute to his deep roots in Toronto’s west end with a record-breaking $60 million donation to St. Joseph's Health Centre. Gilgan, who was born at St. Joseph’s, is making the largest single contribution in the hospital’s history to support the transformation of community care."

  3. Glenbow Receives $5 Million Gift to Support New Theatre (CanTech Letter) CALGARY STORY "Osten has [...] given $5 million in support of Glenbow Reimagined. In honour of his gift, the new theatre space at the museum will be named for Osten and his late partner, Buddy Victor, who passed away in August 2023. The two met while part of The Rover Boys, a doo-wop group who performed and recorded throughout the 1950s; they were together for over 65 years until Victor’s passing."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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