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Meet Olivia Shekou, the California student who turned one pickleball fundraiser for St. Jude into a sports platform that grew to 17 states and raised more than $90,000

Olivia Shekou, a senior at The Branson School in Marin County, California, has raised more than $90,000 through a sports-based philanthropy platform. Now, she is preparing for her latest fundraiser, this time benefiting women and children in Uganda. She is partnering with San Rafael resident and longtime Marin philanthropist Melissa Prandi to host Paddles for…

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A Florida couple bought a 45-acre swamp to protect it from development; 15 years later, 275 wood storks were nesting there in a thriving ecosystem filled with wildlife

Jim Stevenson (left) and Tara Tanaka (right) at their wildlife sanctuary in Florida. A Florida couple made an unusual decision more than a decade ago when they bought a 45-acre cypress swamp beside their home in Tallahassee, Florida, rather than allowing the land to be cleared or developed. Jim Stevenson and Tara Tanaka purchased the…

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In the 1930s, Florida introduced rhesus macaques to boost tourism; today the invasive monkeys carry a potentially fatal virus and are considered a public-health concern

Nonhuman primates (NHPs) can harbour multiple zoonotic pathogens owing to their close phylogenetic relationship and frequent interactions with humans. They can also be extremely successful ecological invaders. Within the United States, fewer than or equal to NHP species have been introduced and of them, the rhesus macaque has successfully established populations in Florida and Puerto…

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Ferrari’s first all-electric car sells for $40 million at charity auction, nearly 40 times initial estimate of $1.1 million; buyer won’t receive it until 2027

Ferrari’s Luce “Chassis 0” sets a new auction record after selling for $40 million at charity auction. Ferrari’s first all-electric vehicle has made history even before reaching its buyer. A bespoke 2026 Ferrari Luce, identified as “Chassis 0” and described as the first production chassis from the Luce programme, sold for exactly $40 million at…

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In 1953, Emma Gatewood tried hiking the Appalachian Trail, got lost and was rescued; two years later, at 67, she walked all 2,190 miles alone and made history

In 1953, Emma Gatewood tried hiking the Appalachian Trail, got lost and was rescued When park rangers found 65-year-old Emma Gatewood lost and confused in Maine in 1953 after she broke her glasses on the Appalachian Trail, they advised her to give up and return home. Two years later, at age 67, Gatewood returned to…

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US cleaning business owner faces scrutiny over racial profiling

North Carolina cleaning business owner faces scrutiny after saying his team did not count Indian callers as potential leads/Image: Getty Images A North Carolina cleaning business owner has come under scrutiny after saying he instructed his team not to count Indian callers as potential customers, raising concerns about possible discrimination based on ethnicity.Robert Nolen wrote…

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Virginia installed 46 water-control structures across 150 miles of old drainage ditches to re-wet a swamp; restored peat now traps 200,000 metric tons of carbon a year

The Fish and Wildlife Service restored peat wetlands at Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge North Carolina’s coastal peatlands are being restored to protect wetlands, reduce wildfire risks and keep carbon stored in the soil. The work is focused on bringing water back to areas that were once drained and altered for farming, timber harvesting…

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In 1905, a 13-year-old crawled through a tiny Tennessee cave passage and found a hidden underground lake

In 1905, a 13-year-old boy exploring Tennessee’s Craighead Caverns squeezed through a narrow, muddy passage and stumbled upon something far larger than he could have imagined: a vast chamber containing an underground lake. His name was Ben Sands, and his discovery would eventually become known as the Lost Sea, today recognised as the largest underground…

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