While most of the country was holding its collective breath this week over the prospect of a government shutdown, not all news was so stressful. We've compiled a collection of stories from this past week more likely to make you smile than frown:
- Five-year-old Jesse Koczon was inconsolable after learning he was "too small" to be governor of New Jersey. Koczon became a viral star after video of the episode hit the Internet, and now Gov. Chris Christie has made the boy honorary governor for a day. (CBS News)
- A 10-year-old from Maine born without hands was honored with a special award for penmanship, named after him. (AP)
- More and more parents are making the life-changing decision to adopt children who test positive for HIV. (AOL News)
- Men in cities from Georgia to Alaska on Friday donned high heels for a mile-long charity walk to raise awareness about sexual assault against women. (AP, Albany Herald)
- A team of mountaineers have set off on an expedition to clean trash that's accumulated over the years on the slopes of Mt. Everest. (AP)
- NBA player Darko Milicic is raffling off the championship ring he won with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 in order to raise money for children with life-threatening diseases. (USA Today)
- An Ohio man nearing the end of his unemployment benefits purchased a winning lottery ticket worth $150,000. (AOL News)
- An 11-year-old girl who's helped raise more than $150,000 for oil-spill relief in the Gulf has now released her first book, which received glowing praise in Publisher's Weekly. (AOL News)
- Conservationists in Vietnam have nabbed a legendary, 100-year-old turtle for medical treatment, and with the hopes of finding it a mate. (Reuters)
- An endangered Bornean orangutan baby was rejected by her mother in the wild, but has 50 surrogates at a Houston Zoo to help her reach adulthood. (ABC News)
Shares