Weekly News Recap: May 23, 2025

Weekly News Recap: May 23, 2025

The 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy cover, featuring David Beckham. Photograph by Paola Kudacki for TIME.

Beware the barrenness of a busy life. -- Socrates

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • The kindness of strangers: I was homeless and addicted to heroin. Joanne saved my life (The Guardian) #AngelsAmongUs "She said, ‘Come and stay at my house. I’ll look after you and we’re going to get you into rehab.’"

  • This man will listen to you talk about anything, and he won't charge a dime (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I love this guy. "Talking to your loved ones about your problems can be uncomfortable. Talking to your therapist can be expensive. Paul Jenkinson, however, is neither. He's just a man with some free time, two chairs, a folding table and a sandwich board that reads: 'You are not alone. I will listen.' And he's taking them to public spaces all over Canada for his cross-country listening tour."

  • VIDEO: Baby Is Healed With World’s First Personalized Gene-Editing Treatment (New York Times) Modern medicine is a miracle. "[KJ] has made medical history. The baby, now 9 ½ months old, became the first patient of any age to have a custom gene-editing treatment, according to his doctors. He received an infusion made just for him and designed to fix his precise mutation."

  • VIDEO: Vancouver Island University students make world's largest Nanaimo bar (CBC) NANAIMO STORY I do like a Nanaimo bar but maybe not this much. "A Nanaimo bar whose recipe called for butter equivalent to the weight of a baby elephant has been certified as the world's largest during an event in the British Columbia city that bears the sweet treat's name. Baked by students at Vancouver Island University, the record-setting bar was unveiled to the public [...] is 21.3 metres long, 0.9 metres wide and weighs nearly 500 kilograms."

  • VIDEO: 'Mama Earlette': Canada goose's eggs hatch in Regina Earls restaurant's planter (CBC) REGINA STORY Good on you Earls! "An Earls restaurant in Regina's east end welcomed two egg-citing new guests over the long weekend. Last month, staff found a Canada goose had nestled up in a planter near the entrance of the restaurant and laid seven eggs. 'It was kind of a like, what do I do?' said Sarah Groff, general manager of the Earls location. She immediately reached out to the Wildlife Rescue Society of Saskatchewan (WRSOS) to see what steps she should take — keeping in mind the laws around migratory birds. Earls staff decided to put a fence up around the mother and her seven eggs to protect them until they hatched. Over the last five weeks, the goose calmed down and got used to people coming in and out of the restaurant, Groff said. Groff even handed the mother twigs to help build her nest."

  • Labrador woman walks into raging blizzard to find help for her stranded family (CBC) LABRADOR STORY #Lucky "She didn't know it at the time, but the emergency services app on her smartphone is what would end up saving her life. Sampson had been trying to connect with someone, but didn't think she was getting through. She was. The RCMP in Happy Valley-Goose Bay got a stranded motorist report and sent two officers in two separate vehicles into the storm. They hit the same dangerous road conditions as the Sampson family, and called in a local ground search and rescue team. That team then called Grey Rock Mining to ask for help with a snowplow. The officers — who had also left their vehicles on foot — found Sampson about 45 kilometres from town, covered in snow. Her muscles were freezing up, and she had lost all hope."

  • VIDEO: #TheMoment an Edmonton cat with six legs got life-changing surgery (CBC) EDMONTON STORY This is a lovely story. #GoBitsy "Edmontonian Christine Koltun recounts the moment she rescued Bitsy, a six-legged cat, and the remarkable road to recovery after life-changing surgery."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. China Donates $500M to WHO as U.S. Pulls Back Support (US News and Report) This is good news for the WHO. "China has promised to give $500 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) over the next five years, positioning itself to become the group’s top donor. The pledge comes as the United States plans to leave the international organization, The Washington Post reported."

  2. VIDEO: 'Beyond the crash': TV series on former Humboldt Bronco Ryan Straschnitzki set to air (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I can't wait to watch it. "Ryan Straschnitzki's life has been an open book since he was seriously injured in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, and his story is soon to be shown on TV. The 26-year-old from Airdrie, Alta., was paralyzed from the chest down in 2018, when a semi-trailer ran a stop sign and barrelled into the path of the junior hockey team's bus in rural Saskatchewan. Sixteen people died and 13 were hurt. A film crew with Regina-based Prairie Cat Productions followed Straschnitzki for eight months and created a six-part series called 'We Were Broncos.' It airs on AMI, or Accessible Media Inc., beginning May 26."

  3. VIDEO: Sesame Street will move to Netflix, but keeps its longtime home on PBS (CBC) Best news ever! "Netflix has thrown Sesame Street a safety net with a new streaming deal that offers the popular children's staple a broad reach while keeping it on its long-standing home, PBS, at the same time [...] Starting later this year, new episodes will run on Netflix, PBS and the PBS Kids app on the same day. No specific premiere date was immediately announced. Select past episodes will also be available on Netflix worldwide. The change for the more than 50-year-old show comes after Warner Bros. Discovery — which had aired the show since 2016 — last year decided not to renew its deal for new episodes that air on HBO and Max, though episodes will remain there until 2027."

  4. TIME Reveals the Inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy List of the Most Influential Leaders in Philanthropy (PR Newswire) "TIME reveals the inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list recognizing singular figures who are shaping the future of giving. The TIME100 Philanthropy issue features a worldwide cover highlighting former professional footballer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist David Beckham, accompanied by an in-depth interview."

  5. VIDEO: Ronald McDonald House celebrates major expansion of Calgary facility (CBC) CALGARY STORY Congrats! ViTreo is proud to have worked with Ronald McDonald House on this important project. "Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) celebrated the opening of its expanded Calgary facility at a ceremony [...] almost two years after construction began. Just southeast of the Alberta Children's Hospital, the facility offers a place to stay for families seeking vital medical treatment for sick or injured children. The expansion project has more than tripled the building's capacity — from 27 to 91 private family suites."

  6. Remembering ‘Steve’ (Calgary Zoo) CALGARY STORY RIP Steve. We will miss you. "It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of a beloved member of our peafowl muster, ‘Steve’. Steve (green leg band) hatched here at the zoo in 2006 and, at 18 years old, he was the oldest member of our resident flock. While the median life expectancy for common peafowl in human care is approximately 16 years, Steve surpassed that milestone—an incredible testament to the dedicated, expert care he received from our Animal Care, Health & Welfare team throughout his life."

  7. Bow Valley College lays off 103 employees amid $15.6M budget shortfall (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY "Bow Valley College has cut 103 staffers due to a budget shortfall of $15.6 million triggered by a decline in international student enrolment. The institution also cited federal funding reductions for programs, including the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada and the Foundational Learning Assistance Program. 'The college had to find efficiencies and make difficult decisions,' read a statement from the college, adding that the job cuts included 97 occupied positions and six vacant roles."

  8. VIDEO: 2 killed, others injured after Mexican navy ship sails into Brooklyn Bridge (CBC) #Awful "A Mexican navy sailing ship on a global goodwill tour struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York [...] snapping its three masts, fatally injuring two crew members and leaving some sailors dangling from harnesses high in the air waiting for help. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at least 19 people needed medical treatment after the crash."

  9. WHO cuts management team in half, scales back operations (CBC) "The World Health Organization has reduced its management team by half and will have to scale back operations, its director-general said on Wednesday, four months after the United States announced it was leaving the agency and cutting funding. 'To be blunt, we cannot do everything,' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a budget committee meeting ahead of the body's annual meeting next week. President Donald Trump said the U.S. was leaving the agency on the first day of his return to office in January."

  10. Trump administration revokes Harvard's ability to enrol international students (CBC) "U.S. President Donald Trump's administration revoked Harvard University's ability to enrol international students on Thursday, and is forcing existing students to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status, while also threatening to expand the crackdown to other schools. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the department to terminate the Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification effective for the 2025-26 school year, the department said in a statement. Harvard said the move, which affects thousands of students, was illegal and amounted to retaliation."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Here's How Nasty Grocery Carts Really Are (The Takeout) Eww, ick. Yuck.

  2. VIDEO: Is ‘Hallelujah’ a break-up song or a love song? (Far Out Magazine) I think it's a love song. What about you?

  3. The Summer Reading Guide (The Atlantic) A fun list. Note, this is NOT behind a paywall.

  4. Where does your weather forecast come from? (NPR) This is a question I have especially since I use a few apps and they don't always agree.

  5. Smithsonian Open Access (The Smithsonian) What a gift!

  6. Sort your life out in 30-minute chunks: how to make the most of a Power Half Hour (The Guardian) I have done this many times...it really works.

  7. How to Use a Multimeter (The Art of Manliness) You're welcome.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Royal Ontario Museum announces $30-million gift from Temerty Foundation to boost programming, free-access opportunities (The Globe and Mail) TORONTO STORY "The Royal Ontario Museum will use a new $30-million gift from the Temerty Foundation to endow a new fund for community engagement, hoping to remove barriers to access and to broaden the institution’s visitor base for years to come."

  2. Cenovus Energy invests $1.5 million in Engineering Design Hub at USask (USask) SASKATOON STORY "A generous $1.5 million investment from Cenovus will support the creation of, and programming for, the Cenovus Energy Makerspace in the soon-to-be-constructed Engineering Design Hub at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Engineering."

  3. VIDEO: Windsor’s new acute care hospital receives $1.5M boost from retired health care professionals (Our Windsor) WINDSOR STORY "According to a news release from the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation, Dr. Tony Pattinson, an OB-GYN and former department chief at the hospital; and wife Mary Pattinson, a retired emergency nurse, have donated $1.5 million toward vital equipment and technologies at the new Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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