Saturday's Upbeat News

Editor OGN Daily
10 hours ago
3 min read

Ensuring it's a sunny Saturday with today's collection of upbeat news stories.

Poster for Bugs Bunny at the Symphony — Bugs Bunny at the Symphony

What's Up, Doc?

An early iteration of Bugs Bunny made an appearance in the 1938 animated short Porky’s Hare Hunt, but the bunny we recognize today was officially born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940, when he starred in A Wild Hare and quipped, “What’s up, Doc?” for the first time. Fast-forward to the present, and Eric Bauza, the current voice behind the beloved bunny, will take to the stage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as part of Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, a film-and-live-orchestra touring concert in its 35th year. The wise-cracking bunny has appeared in over 150 movie and even received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - and on 27 July, he’s celebrating his 85th birthday.

Med Marine Reserves

Two marine reserves have been created in the Mediterranean Sea after the Greek prime minister fulfilling a promise he made at a United Nations conference on the oceans in June. The new protected areas - in the Ionian Sea and in the Southern Cyclades in the Aegean Sea - would be "among the largest marine protected areas in the entire Mediterranean."

Opening Monday

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. is in its second-to-last year of a renovation celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026 - and Monday, it’ll open five new exhibitions displaying thousands of artifacts. Among the new galleries are Futures in Space, featuring advances in space exploration technology, and the Allan and Shelley Holt Innovations Gallery, focusing on how aerospace innovations contribute to combating climate change. Also opening Monday are the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater and a revamped entrance on Jefferson Drive. The museum is set to round out its renovation with seven more galleries debuting on 1 July next year, which will complete the redesign of all 20 galleries that began in 2018.

Three cranes in flight — Cranes in flight

Conservation Success

A bird that was eaten to extinction in Scotland is staging a “remarkable” comeback, conservationists said this week. The crane - a mainstay of medieval banquets - was absent from Scotland for around 500 years, but is now re-establishing itself in the country amid ongoing efforts to restore wetland habitats. “The return of this iconic species to Scotland is one of the great modern conservation success stories,” the RSPB’s James Silvey told STV News. “The fact the birds recolonised naturally is a result both of an increasing European population and suitable habitat.”

"Flailing and Failing”

“Fossil fuels are running out of road”, the UN secretary-general António Guterres said this week, as research showed that renewables accounted for 92.5 percent of all new electricity capacity in 2024. “Countries that cling to fossil fuels are not protecting their economies - they are sabotaging them,” said Guterres. “The fossil fuel age is flailing and failing.”

Paul Corcoran holding his $2 million dollar check — Credit: Massachusetts State Lottery

Double Whammy

A Massachusetts resident won two $1 million Powerball prizes in the same drawing after mistakenly buying an extra ticket last week. The lucky lottery player, identified as Paul Corcoran of Fitchburg, had initially purchased a multi-game ticket - which was good for seven upcoming drawings - at a local supermarket. But less than a week later, he purchased another multi-game ticket from a gas station, mistakenly thinking that his initial ticket was outdated. When the Powerball drawing came around, Corcoran was actually holding two valid tickets. And both were winners. $1 million each.

“Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.” Chili Davis

On This Day

26 July 1775: The U.S. Postal Service was established by the Second Continental Congress, and Benjamin Franklin was named the first postmaster general.