October 12, 2026

Treating insomnia also eased depression in a new Australian study

Eighty-eight people with both poor sleep and low mood took a four-week course of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. Afterward they slept better, worried less about sleep, dwelt less on negative thoughts and were more active.

A short, structured sleep program may help two problems at once.

Small study with no control group mentioned in the release; treat as encouraging, not conclusive.

A four-year-old and her dad set a record for racing through a spinning hoop

Felicity Rush asked her father, serial record breaker David Rush, for a world record of her own. After weeks of practice at home in Idaho, they got a backspinning hula hoop thrown and run through nine times in 30 seconds.

It is a sweet reminder that the best part of a goal can be the time spent chasing it together.

A lemonade stand started by a hospital patient has now delivered $5 million in help

After receiving a teddy bear during a childhood hospital stay, Payton Obert began selling lemonade to buy toys for sick children. Eight years on, her Ohio nonprofit has passed $5 million in money and donated goods.

One small gift, remembered, grew into years of comfort for other kids.

Ann Arbor's West Side opens Porter's Place to honor its Black history

Neighbors toured the new cultural gathering space at the Dunbar Tower affordable housing complex and heard local historians talk about achievements by Black residents over the decades.

Giving a neighborhood's stories a permanent home helps residents feel seen and keeps local history alive.

A Pennsylvania library opens a community reading garden after years of neighbor planning

Penn Wynne Library cut the ribbon on an outdoor reading garden with an accessible path and seating, designed after conversations with schools, township officials, congregations and residents.

A library's outdoor space can double as a free place for neighbors to read and meet.