Heroes, hope can be found amid dark news days

Rays of light still exist, despite rough national happenings

National news over the last week has been painful. But amid the dark events, there have been moments of love, moments of hope, moments of heroism, and moments that simply have the power to brighten the day.

In an incident of heroism and love, a grandmother saved lives when she recognized her grandson was on an incredibly dangerous path and persuaded him to visit a hospital for help. According to CNN, William Patrick Williams, 19, told his grandmother that he had purchased an AK-47 and was planning to target a hotel. The story has grim undertones, but in the end, the actions of one woman saved both her grandchild and potential victims.

In some cases, news can give us hope, such as the report that overdose deaths have stopped rising for the first time in nearly three decades, which may be in part due to a spike in prescriptions of overdose-reversing naloxone, the Associated Press reports. Perhaps our nation is turning a much-needed corner during what the AP referred to as “the deadliest drug overdose epidemic” in U.S. history.

Still looking for hope? There’s the story of the Oregon man who accidentally threw away a shoebox containing $23,000 in a recycling bin. The bin was then emptied into a truck and taken 200 miles away, where a vigilant worker spotted it on the sorting line – and all but $320 was still inside, the AP reports.

It gives us a little faith in humanity to see that honest people stepped up and helped the man reunite with his savings.

And in a moment that just brightens the day, firefighters in South Bend, Ind., rescued a pair of raccoons that had been trapped on the roof of a burning warehouse. Video from the event, posted on Mashable, shows two raccoons making their way down ladders the firefighters propped on the side of the building as children cheer in the background. No life is too small to save.

When the world seems dim, amid the clouds, there are rays of light to be found, if one takes the time to look.

Unsigned editorials represent the viewpoint of this newspaper rather than an individual. Columns and letters to the editor represent the viewpoints of the persons writing them and do not necessarily represent the views of the Yuma Sun.