“Bright Spots in a Gloomy Year: Heartwarming Stories from 2024”

An MBTA subway carriage features googly eyes beneath its front windshield in Boston.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority/AP

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Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority/AP

To put it mildly, 2024 did not shy away from grim headlines. One might be excused for glancing at the news from this year and contemplating whether to toss their phone into the closest body of water.

However, let’s not let that despair overshadow the happiness that 2024 also brought — for example, when millions were awestruck by a complete solar eclipse! A continuous stream of uplifting news has persisted across the nation, regardless of whether we were tuned in or not. And just in case you weren’t, NPR’s affiliated stations have been maintaining a record.

Here are a few stories from coast to coast that made us smile in 2024:

An Iowa child wished to ride a motorcycle for his 11th birthday. More than 250 motorcyclists attended his celebration to fulfill his dream.
Dallas Grave became fascinated by motorcycles after encountering a group of bikers while managing a lemonade stand, Iowa Public Radio reported in October. So when he requested to take a ride for his birthday, his mother, Ashley Kirkes, decided to issue an open invitation on Facebook to any bikers who might want to swing by and give him a ride. She never envisioned the turnout: legions of them appeared, bringing gifts as well.

A Missouri school district honored its cherished custodian by naming a school building after her.
Claudene Wilson began her journey at the Swedeborg School District in 1992 as a custodian, according to KCUR. However, throughout the years, she took on various roles, such as bus driver, lawn mower, and office phone-answerer. Generations of students grew to know and cherish her as the dependable foundation of their school. Consequently, at the beginning of this academic year, the district chose to name its K-8 elementary school in her honor, recognizing her 30+ years of commitment.

A grizzly bear mother with her cub in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

Karen Bleier/Getty Images

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Karen Bleier/Getty Images

Grizzly bears are being reintroduced to the North Cascades region.
It has been nearly thirty years since grizzlies have been spotted near North Cascades National Park, situated northeast of Seattle, KUOW reports, even though the bears were once dominant in that area. Now, several grizzlies from Montana, Wyoming, and British Columbia will be transported via air to the North Cascades every summer to gradually restore the population.

A group of Boston residents requested the local transit authority to place googly eyes on some of their trains. It was successful!
It’s a classic, albeit unconventional example of effective grassroots activism: Some Boston citizens campaigned for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to apply googly eyes to their trains. And as WBUR reported back in June, the MBTA complied. While only five of the trains are adorning the eyes, a touch of whimsy can have a substantial impact.

The total solar eclipse captivated New Hampshire’s North Country.
Northern New Hampshire was among the areas in the solar eclipse’s path of totality in the U.S. this past April — thus, tourists flocked there. Staff from New Hampshire Public Radio engaged with everyone, from road trippers to small business proprietors, state park employees, and local college students. The conclusion? As one visitor from Maryland expressed: “That was the most incredible experience I’ve ever had in my life.”

Philly’s Kensington Derby once more united the city’s most eccentric human-powered contraptions.
Envision this: 15,000 residents of Philadelphia applauding cyclists, tricyclists, and rollerbladers adorned as Shrek, the Phillie Phanatic, traffic cones, and an enormous nautilus. This was the spectacle at the 16th installment of the Kensington Derby, where contestants navigated a 3-mile route culminating in a mud pit at the finish line. As reported by WHYY, it all serves a noble purpose: the earnings support local community development organizations.

Rays of sunshine reflect off the solar glasses of a man observing the Great North American Eclipse on April 8 in Colebrook, N.H.

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Scott Eisen/Getty Images

For the initial time since the 17th century, the Nansemond Indian Nation celebrated its annual pow wow on land it officially possessed.
In May, the Suffolk, Va. city council decided to return 71 acres of land to the Nansemond, as a result of a prolonged discussion between the city and the tribe, which was forcibly removed from the land in the 1600s. WHRO covered the pow wow, where tribe members rejoiced together with dancing, cuisine, and more.

A duck named Polly captured the hearts of everyone at a Texas animal refuge.
The caretakers at All Things Wild Rehabilitation suspect that Polly, a 1-year-old Pekin duck lacking part of her bill, was abandoned at a pond by her previous owner and attacked by a snapping turtle. However, as reported by KUT, they are certain of one thing: Polly adores everyone at the animal refuge, and everyone adores Polly. Evidence of this is the 3D-printed prosthetic bill they created for her, funded by community donations.

When proprietors of a Seattle music venue stepped back from the business, employees intervened to operate it as a co-op.
Conor Byrne Pub, a cherished music spot frequented by emerging artists, faced permanent closure earlier this year, according to KNKX. Rather than closing down, it is transforming into a co-op, financed and managed by community members through the efforts of former staff.

Scientists unveiled a new species of dinosaur, discovered in Montana.
When a paleontologist from the University of Utah and his students began analyzing small bone fragments for their research in 2022, they were aware only that these belonged to bones excavated in northern Montana a few years earlier, as stated by Yellowstone Public Radio. They were unaware they had come across parts of a previously unknown dinosaur, a model of which was revealed this past June. Its designation: Lokiceratops rangiformis, named in honor of the Norse deity Loki.

Indicators suggest an endangered snake in Indiana is showing signs of recovery.
The Kirtland’s snake, a small reptile characterized by its red underbelly, is classified as endangered in Indiana. Nonetheless, recent sightings imply that the species is on the mend, as reported by Indiana Public Media. While surveying a recently restored wetland near Bloomington, Ind., local officials stumbled upon several snakes in a deserted soybean field nearby — an uncommon spot that has herpetologists hopeful about the snakes’ resurgence in the area.

In search of even more uplifting stories? Explore Iowa Public Radio’s daily newsletter committed to positive news, The Sunnyside Project.

This article contains reports from member station newsrooms across the United States.