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Conceptual ink illustration of a tiny river-bottom insect cutting a ribbon while skeptical fish reporters look on. — Original editorial illustration

The comeback

A river gets its last red flag taken down.

After decades of work, Ohio’s Black River has cleared all nine measures of environmental damage assigned to it.

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The least glamorous residents of a river have delivered some very good news. On June 30, the EPA and Ohio partners removed the Black River’s final designated impairment, degradation of benthos: the small creatures living in the riverbed.

It was the last of nine impairments attached to this northeast Ohio waterway. Removing it recognizes measured recovery after years of restoration. It does not mean the river has already been formally removed from the Area of Concern list; that separate process is underway.

A comeback this slow rarely wins a news cycle. It still deserves a front page.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative ↗

Source published August 31, 2026

Conceptual ink illustration of Hubble and Webb as detectives inspecting tiny icy jewel thieves. — Original editorial illustration

Room for wonder

Even our solar system still has secrets.

Hubble and Webb teamed up to spot previously unknown icy worlds beyond Neptune.

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Two space telescopes make a useful detective team. NASA reports that combining Hubble and James Webb observations revealed previously unknown trans-Neptunian objects in the deepest search yet conducted for these distant bodies.

These frozen survivors preserve clues to the early solar system. More observations can help researchers understand how the ingredients of planets came together.

They are not newly discovered Earth-like planets, and this is not evidence of life. The good news is simpler: there is still plenty left to find in our own neighborhood.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ↗

Source published September 8, 2026

Original editorial illustration of a bespectacled ghost giving books to a child in a cardboard dragon costume and a teenager outside a library. — Original editorial illustration

A good thing you can do

The best Halloween loot has chapters.

San José’s libraries are giving young readers a book to keep, October 24–31.

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San José Public Library’s Halloween Booktacular Giveaway runs October 24–31. Young people ages 0–18 can choose one free book at a library location, while supplies last.

No library card, registration or costume is required. The young reader must come in person; a parent or caregiver cannot collect the book on their behalf. Check your branch’s open hours before making the trip.

Candy disappears. A good book has rather better staying power.

San José Public Library ↗

Source published September 8, 2026

A river gets its last red flag taken down.

Even our solar system still has secrets.

The best Halloween loot has chapters.

Small steps count. So do the people taking them.