This week's good news: 🎨 From pothole masterpieces to elephant matchmaking 🐘
June 20, 2025
Bring some good vibes to your news cycle.
If you're tired of all the negativity in the news, you're not alone. As a former news anchor, I created Upbeat to share what's going right in our world. Once a week, I'll deliver a handful of uplifting stories straight to your inbox—because sometimes we all need a reminder that good things are happening every day.
4. Green Light
AESD
More than 1,400 people in California just broke a Guinness World Record playing red light, green light. The group included students, families, firefighters and police officers who all took the sacred art of stopping on command very seriously. Nothing says "community bonding" quite like 1,423 people desperately trying not… to… move… a… muscle.
3. Street Therapy
@ememem.flacking
When was the last time you thought, “That’s a beautiful pothole?” For the people of Lyon, that might actually be today. An anonymous hero is turning the city’s potholes into tiny works of art with colorful mosaics. This sidewalk poet transforms urban wear-and-tear into stunning little masterpieces.
2. Quilt Chaos
Netflix
A Netflix documentary about men quilting in a Missouri prison has sparked such an avalanche of fabric donations that corrections officials are drowning in yarn. If you haven’t seen ‘The Quilters,’ it’s a heartwarming film about inmates creating quilts for foster children. It’s apparently touched so many hearts that the state is now begging people to donate money instead of more craft supplies.
1. Elephant Return
Panthera & Senegal’s National Parks Directorate
Ousmane, Senegal's rare "ghost elephant," just ended his six-year disappearing act by finally posing for a camera trap. He’s the park's lone surviving elephant. But conservationists want to change that. They’re now planning the world's most important elephant blind date by bringing in a whole herd of lady elephants. Thanks to major conservation wins, this park went from UNESCO's danger list to wildlife success story.
Lagniappe (a little something extra)
✈️ Your comprehensive guide to sleeping in airports
🐱 Meow = ? AI cat translations are our future
💊 This "Trojan horse" therapy sneaks toxic drugs inside cancer cells
🎬 ‘How to Train your Dragon’ brings crowds back to the movies
🔴 Is Mars really red?
🤗 Science: Nighttime cuddling is good for your health
🎭 Will the real Pedro Pascal please stand up?
🏠 New paint sweats to keep your house cool
🕵️ MI6 appoints first female chief in agency’s history
🐒 Meet Stumpy, the world’s oldest lemur
And that’s the good news you might have missed this week. Stay curious!
You can stay updated with Upbeat on Instagram @YourUpbeatNews for more good vibes like this every week!