Reporting The Good News
Because it never leads the news and because war, scandal and planet melting always make for catchier headlines - it's easy to forget all the good stories that happen every year.
Nice simple stories, like the one about Nola Ochs, who graduated college this year at age 95.
"I lived on a farm, am a mother, a grandmother, great-grandmother," she told CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman in May. "I had plenty to do but the yearning didn't go away."
Or the story about Nick Graham who bought the neighborhood grocery store when no one else would.
"This community has been struggling for the past few years," he said last December. "It's kind of been in a downward spiral and I didn't want to see that continue."
There is also the uplifting story of actuary John Ninomiya who decided to do something no one else in this country had ever done.
There are so many good news stories out there and if you look hard, there are even a few great news stories. So for this holiday weekend we've decided to highlight three of those - three of the best news stories Hartman could find, starting in Louisiana.
Last August, Hartman visited a teenager who mowed the lawn at New Orleans City park and helped grow the community's optimism.
In May he found a brain surgeon who, years ago, crossed the border from Mexico illegally, is now removing tumors and preconceived notions about illegal immigrants.Story: Weeding By Example
In October, Hartman met a man whose very first car not only wins at antique car shows but also keeps the memory of his first and only love alive to him and to all who come see the show.
True love that really is best in show; striving to cure brain cancer and be forgiven a trespass; and restoring a city park and a community's spirit.
Good news is about our neighbors, our country and our loved ones. Hopefully hearing it helps us all feel a little better about ourselves, which may be the best news of all.