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US walking and biking hot spots, the movie inspiring dog adoptions, and dropping crime rates
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Today’s episode dives into the American counties where people walk and bike the most. Plus, the scoop on the new superhero movie that’s prompting people to consider adopting a dog, dropping crime rates in Baltimore, and the dentist who’s been serving as the tooth fairy via email for two decades. This episode was hosted and produced by Case Kenny. Research and writing by Natalie Stone, Ally Mauch, Rebekah Brandes, and Stephanie Friedman. Music by Ryan Peitzke. For more good news, tune in to Nice News Today on Mondays and Fridays and subscribe to the daily Nice News newsletter at NiceNews.com.
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Case Kenny
Good morning. Welcome to Nice news today, your 10 minute roundup of the week's most positive News. It is July 21st and today I'm diving into the American counties where people are walking and biking the most to get around. I've also got the scoop on the new superhero movie that's prompting people to consider adopting a dog, dropping crime rates in Baltimore, and the dentist who's been serving as the tooth fairy via email for for two decades. I'm your host, Case Kenny. Let's uncover some good together how many people in your neck of the woods are walking or biking rather than getting behind the wheel? In many places? That's easier said than done, but a recent report has rounded up the US Counties with the greatest share of cycling and walking trips over driving, and the Big Apple dominates the list. Transportation data from Streetlight shows that the counties comprising four of New York City's five boroughs Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens have the highest percentages of walking and biking trips, which the report describes as active transportation methods. New Jersey's Hudson county, just across the river from Manhattan, came in fifth. Suffolk County, Massachusetts, where Boston is, was next, followed by San Francisco County, Washington, D.C. tompkins County, New York and Philadelphia County. Overall, the numbers show a strong correlation between population density and walking and biking, but there were also locales that ranked relatively high on the list thanks to strong tourism and outdoorsy cultures like Santa Cruz, California. But even if you don't live in one of these places, choosing to lace up your sneakers or hop on a bike rather than getting in a car is beneficial for both individual well being and the environment. So maybe let this inspire you on your next excursion. No spoilers, but the new Superman movie is dominating at box offices around the country and maybe also at animal shelters. Superman's dog Krypto, who in the new film actually belongs to Supergirl, seems to be inspired, hiring people to consider adopting their own pups. The dog training app Woofs said a Google analysis revealed a 513 increase in searches for Adopt a Dog near me during Superman's opening weekend. There's also a 299 bump in searches for Adopt a Schnauzer, which makes sense given that crypto in the movie is a schnauzer and terrier mutt mix. And to make a sweet story even sweeter, Crypto is a CGI p based on director James Gunn's real life rescue dog named Ozu. Gunn, who affectionately calls his pup the world's worst dog, said he was inspired to base Crypto on Ozu after his chewing shenanigans caused him to think, quote, thank God he doesn't have superpowers. Anyone who's raised a pup can relate to that sentiment, but we love our dogs anyway, with or without superpowers. Usually nice news reports on the news, but for this story are the News. Back in 2022, Nice News Assistant editor Rebecca Brandis interviewed Renee Bruns, a former Fortune 500 exec who at the time had visited 110 countries in her wheelchair. After the article went live, Bruns received an email from a woman named Virginia DeFrancisco who had read the piece. DeFrancisco, a retired teacher who now works part time as a school psychologist and also writes children's books, was amazed when read our article about Bruns and knew she wanted to share her story with young people. The two women worked together for the following three years to bring a children's book to life, focusing on Brun's Guinness World Record for the most countries visited in one year by a person in a wheelchair. And on July 1, the book hit the shelves. It's titled Unlimited. Renee Bruns set a Guinness World Record, so look out for it at your local shop. This year has been a historic one for Baltimore. In 2025, the Maryland city has seen a 22% decrease in homicides and a 19 decrease in non fatal shootings compared to 2024. And in April, there were five homicides, the fewest of any month since Baltimore began keeping records in 1970. So what's the secret to the decline? Mayor Brandon Scott began looking at violent crime as a public health crisis involving the local community and focusing on preventative measures. This approach views crime through a holistic lens, looking at factors like racism, poverty and prior violence in addition to making arrests. According to a recent article from Popular Information, Scott's leadership has provided support for housing, education and career development programs. And in 2022, his office created an initiative that partners with law enforcement, social services and community members to address the underlying causes of gun violence. And moving forward, Scott wants to use the city's successes to reduce crime even further. In a recent statement, he said, quote, there is much more work to do and our success makes me commit even further to doing it. Plastic cups often end up in landfills and oceans, but one day they may be used to make over the counter medications. That's right. Researchers have figured out a way to engineer acetamidefen, the active ingredient in pain medicines like Tylenol and Panadol, from plastic waste. The scientists started by breaking down pet plastic, a material used in food packaging and clothes, and introducing genes from soil bacteria and mushrooms, they were able to transform over 92% of their degraded plastic into acetamytopheny. The innovation goes beyond just recycling waste. The emissions from this method are fractional compared to those currently produced by manufacturing acetamitophen. Today, more than three quarters of common medications are made using fossil carbon. While this may not solve the world's plastic pollution crisis, one of the study's co authors, Stephan Wallis, said it's a step in the right direction. He sees plastic waste as an opportunity to create something useful. Maybe one day plastic cups will be able to both hold your drinks and ease your headaches. If you've been hoping to see some shooting stars, you're in luck. Last week marked the start of the Perseids meteor shower, the first of several showers slated to show up in the night skies this summer. The Perseids, which NASA says is considered the best meteor shower of the year, began on July 17th and will run through August 23rd, but the show will peak around August 12th or 13th. To catch them, you have to be a night owl or an ultra early riser, as the best time to spot the meteors is between midnight and dawn. The Southern Delta Aquarids and the Alpha Capricornids are also coming up, and both are set to peak between July 29 and July 30. So consider setting aside a night at the end of the month to do some quality stargazing. The the experts are saying late July will be an especially good time to look up, as the August full moon could obscure the Perseids peak in August. Today's inspiring human is a fun one. Dr. Purva Merchant is a pediatric dentist in Seattle, and she's also the Tooth Fairy. The story of her fantastical role, detailed in a recent New York Times article, begins more than 20 years ago when her boyfriend, now husband, made her an email to help her organize her applications to dental school. The email included her nickname, the Tooth Fairy. A few years later, Merchant got her first email from a parent. The subject line was Callum's Tooth, and it detailed a situation in which a parent had forgotten to leave Tooth Fairy money for their child. Merchant rose to the occasion and responded, quote, I'm so sorry to have missed Callum's tooth. I have been busy picking up teeth from all of the other little children's homes. It's been a busy season for me. I'll be sure to stop by tonight. Two decades later, the dentist has been responding to three to five emails per day as the Tooth Fairy, keeping the magic alive for kids around the world. And true to form, Merchant always reminds kids to keep their teeth clean and ends her notes with a simple, touching sign off Happy growing up. And that's it for today's episode. If you loved these stories, please consider giving us a follow on Apple, Spotify and YouTube Music and sharing this episode with a friend. If you want more good news, visit nicenews.com to sign up for our free daily newsletter. Until next time, keep spreading your light and remember, there's more than enough good out there to go around. Have a great day.