Five feelgood news stories you missed this week as rowers restart Pacific challenge
Hull Live reported how Miriam Payne, from East Yorkshire, and Jess Rowe, from Hampshire, are attempting to row unsupported from Peru to Australia, and are back out on the water after a broken rudder forced them to shore.
Elsewhere, a 100-year-old veteran from Liverpool has recalled how he enjoyed celebrating the end of the Second World War on VE Day 80 years ago, while a teenage Army Cadet used his training to save his little brother's life.
You can read the full version of each of our selected articles through the links under each story – or read more top headlines from around the UK's regions on the Yahoo UK local news page.
An East Yorkshire woman who is part of a rowing duo attempting to cross the Pacific Ocean unsupported was forced back to shore after a rudder breakage - but they're now heading back out again for another try.
Miriam Payne, 25, from Market Weighton, and 28-year-old Jess Rowe, from Hampshire, set off from Peru on 8 April with an ambitious goal of reaching Australia, but their 8,000-mile journey was short-lived after the rudder on their rowing boat broke days into the voyage.
Read the full story from Hull Live
A 100-year-old Second World War veteran has recalled 'getting a bit squiffy' as he turned 21 amid VE Day celebrations on a navy ship in 1945.
Tom Berry, born and raised in Liverpool, was a teenager when he joined the Royal Navy as a radio operator on the Tribal-class destroyer HMS Tartar.
She became known as the Lucky Tartar for her many narrow escapes from danger during the war.
Read the full story from Cheshire Live
A Derbyshire Army Cadet has saved his two-year-old brother's life using skills he gained at Army Cadets.
Cadet Lance Corporal Lewis Butler, 15, who lives in Spondon, was enjoying dinner with his family when his brother Lyndon became silent, red-faced and started shaking due to a piece of food lodged in his throat.
Whilst the parents were panicked and unsure how to best help their son, Lewis had been trained by the Army Cadet Force to remain calm and take control of an emergency such as this.
Read the full story from Derbyshire Live
A Lincolnshire couple have sold almost everything they own to travel the world after deciding they "can't take a single moment for granted."
Husband and wife, Lucy Barton and Lee Mandzij, had always planned on travelling when they retired, but as the retirement age kept increasing they found their dream was "becoming increasingly unfeasible".
Lucy, 44, also developed several chronic illnesses in 2018, which she says left her unable to hike or have a social life for some time.
Read the full story from Lincolnshire Live
A family from Princetown had a shock when its three rabbits bred to more than 21 bunnies in a matter of weeks - after confusion over their gender.
The owner told the shelter that the bunnies were all supposed to be female when they were purchased - but one turned out to be a male.
The family has now given 10 of its pet bunnies to Woodside Animal Welfare Trust, while another litter remains with the family until they are old enough to leave their mother.
Read the full story from Plymouth Live
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Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Last Second World War veteran from Hamilton's Rileys dies at 100
The last soldier known to have served in the Second World War fighting for the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry regiment has died. Gerald (Gerry) Wagner, who turned 100 in the spring, died July 19. He had been living in a retirement home in Lively, a small town near Sudbury. Wagner, who grew up in the Ottawa Valley and Sudbury, enlisted in 1944 at 18 to serve in the war against Hitler's Nazi Germany. At 19, overseas, Private Wagner joined the RHLI — known as the 'Rileys' — as the regiment engaged in heavy fighting to liberate the Netherlands in the final months of the war. In a 2021 article in The Sudbury Star, Wagner recalled his unit coming under fire at nighttime, hearing the 'whistling' of enemy shells overhead, waiting for the silence that preceded an explosion. Gerald Wagner enlisted to serve in the Second World War at 18. Believed to be the last surviving veteran from the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry to serve in the war, he died July 19 at 100. 'All of a sudden you'd hear that stop. Well, as soon as it stopped, you hit the ground and put your hands over your head … We had our days.' Among the medals he received was the King Charles III Coronation Medal, presented to him by a Sudbury-area MPP in April, shortly after his 100th birthday. As was the case with many Second World War veterans, Wagner rarely spoke of his combat experiences. His daughter, Kathy O'Neill, told The Spectator that only recently, while listening to him give an interview, did she learn of an incident that long haunted him. Her father was recalling the time his unit came under fire in a village from a German sniper positioned high in a bell tower. Wagner's commanding officer called for a marksman. 'And my dad said, 'so I stepped up.' He said he had to eliminate the sniper. I looked at my father — I was in shock. I had never heard that he was a marksman, or I guess people would call him a sniper. But he was trained for it.' O'Neill learned her father, a man of faith, had feared he would not make it to heaven for having killed, and that a few years ago, he met with his church minister to share his feelings. Gerald Wagner on his wedding day in June 1944, having married Ivy Hodgins. They were together 65 years, before she died in 2009. Wagner rarely talked about his wartime experiences. Wagner's obituary notes that he had long been active, volunteering at Trinity United Church in Lively. The RHLI has a long and storied history dating back 163 years, but is perhaps most known for bravery and sacrifice in the ill-fated raid on the French coastal town of Dieppe in August 1942. The raid was a precursor to the successful D-Day landings two years later. Nearly 200 Rileys were killed in the Dieppe operation. A striking memorial to their sacrifice stands in Hamilton's Beach Strip community . RHLI Honorary Colonel Glenna Swing offered a comment about Wagner's passing, saying that 'when a veteran dies, grief can be felt by an entire country. Private Wagner's service made a difference to his unit and Canada and for that he will always be remembered.' She concluded her statement with ' Semper Paratus,' the RHLI motto that means 'Always Ready.' Wagner's daughter said her father had hoped to continue living until at least August, so he could meet his soon-to-be-born fifth great-grandchild, expected by her son, Ryan, who lives in Waterdown. Wagner had been close to all of his great-grandchildren, she noted, among them Ryan's seven-year-old, Kadence. During his final days in hospital up north, Kadence asked her dad to give Wagner one of her stuffed toys, an elf, to keep him company. 'Kadence hugged it really tight, and said 'give this to great grandpa and tell him I put all my love into it.' When we walked into his hospital room, there he was, snuggling with that elf.' Jon Wells is a reporter at The Hamilton Spectator. jwells@ A letter home from Private Gerald (Gerry) Wagner to his brother, Douglas, dated April 27, 1945, just over a week before Nazi Germany surrendered in the Second World War. He writes that he is typing the letter on a 'jerry machine' that he found in a German house. 'Jerry' was a nickname given to German soldiers by the Allies. Page two of Private Gerry Wagner's letter home. Wagner references his wife, Ivy, and adds that he hopes to be home soon and that his unit is about to launch perhaps their 'last attack' of the war. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Boston Globe
A pilot made sharp turn to avoid a B-52 bomber over North Dakota
Advertisement An Air Force spokesperson confirmed Monday that a B-52 bomber assigned to nearby Minot Air Force Base conducted a flyover Friday of the North Dakota State Fair, which is held in Minot. The Air Force is 'looking into' the incident, the spokesman said. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The North Dakota incident comes nearly six months after a midair collision between an Army helicopter and a jetliner over Washington, D.C., that killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft. That collision and subsequent close calls with Army helicopters over the nation's capital put the spotlight on the interaction between military and civilian flights. Officials have focused on improving communications between the two and making sure that air traffic controllers know where military aircraft are at all times because the Army helicopters around Washington were flying with a key locating device turned off. Advertisement SkyWest, a regional carrier for Delta and other large airlines, said the Friday flight had departed from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and landed safely in Minot after performing a 'go-around' maneuver when another aircraft became visible in the SkyWest plane's flight path. Minot is 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Bismarck, North Dakota's capital city, and about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Canadian border. Minot Air Force Base is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Minot, North Dakota's fourth-largest city. The base is home to 26 B-52 bombers, intercontinental ballistic missile operations, and more than 5,400 military personnel. In the video, the pilot noted that Minot's small airport does not operate radar and directs flights visually. When the airport tower instructed the SkyWest flight to make a right turn upon approach, the pilot said he looked in that direction and saw the bomber in his flight path. He informed the tower and made a hard turn to avoid the bomber, he said. 'I don't know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us,' the pilot said of the bomber. Passengers can be heard applauding as the pilot wrapped up his explanation. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement Monday morning simply saying it's investigating the incident. By midafternoon, it had issued a second statement to note that air traffic services were provided by a private company that services the Minot air traffic control tower. 'These controllers are not FAA employees,' the agency said. Some small airports like Minot's don't have their radar systems on site. The vast majority of the nation's airports don't even have towers. But regional FAA radar facilities do oversee traffic all across the country and help direct planes in and out of airports like Minot. The Minot airport typically handles between 18 and 24 flights a day. Advertisement The pilot's frustration is evident in the video. 'The Air Force base does have radar, and nobody said, 'Hey, there's a B-52 in the pattern,'' the pilot told passengers. SkyWest said it is also investigating.
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Business Insider
I gave up my US passport and changed my name — all for my love of basketball and Korea
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lee Seung-jun, a 47-year-old retired professional basketball player who represented South Korea internationally. His words have been edited for length and clarity. A mix of my American dad's height and my Korean mom's identity took me places — literally. I was born in the US and grew up as Eric Lee Sandrin, but after moving to Korea and giving up my US passport, I became Lee Seung-jun. I went on to play professional basketball and on the Korean national team. Both sides of my family shaped me in different ways. Settling down in Seattle My dad is 6-foot-7 and played basketball through college, then later for the Army team. He met my mom while stationed in Korea. After completing his service, they moved to Washington state to settle down. My dad loved the mountains, and my mom liked being closer to Korea. My younger brother and I were raised in the suburbs of Seattle, although we often spent summers in Korea. Over the years, we started bringing other members of the family to the US, my grandmother, uncles, and aunts. Little by little, almost all of them ended up moving to the Seattle area, opening up small businesses like grocery stores and karaoke bars, similar to other Korean immigrants in the area. In between cultures At school, we were usually the only Asian kids in class. At home, everyone looked like us. It created a constant push-pull: Korean at home, American outside. At school, kids would say, "Are you guys Chinese?" And we'd say, "No, it's a different country." And they would say, "Oh, Japanese?" When we visited my dad's family in Michigan, our cousins didn't know what we were; they hadn't seen people like us in the Midwest. My mom worried about prejudice, so we didn't grow up speaking Korean. She wanted us to be American first, even as she struggled to learn English herself. Court vs. classroom I started shooting hoops when I was around six. In our early teens, we'd just head to the park and play. It wasn't until high school, when coaches started sending letters and offering scholarships, that I thought, "Wow, I might actually get to play basketball in school." I ended up enrolling at the University of Portland, and later, after a knee injury, transferring to Seattle Pacific University — I played for both of the schools' teams. After graduating, I got a teaching certificate and lined up a job teaching at a high school. Change of plans Then I chose basketball instead. My mom thought I was throwing it all away. My brother was planning to be a lawyer, and she had dreams of bragging about us to her coffee group. But by then, basketball had become my life, my brother's too. When I didn't make it to the NBA, I started building an international career, including a brief stint with the Harlem Globetrotters. I was still chasing the NBA dream when a Korean agent suggested I try out for teams in Korea. I suggested that my brother go first. He loved it and told me, "You have to come." So I did. To play for the South Korean team, I had to give up my US citizenship. My dad, a military vet, wasn't happy. He reminded me that family members had died fighting for the US. He thought it was rash. But after we talked it through, he understood. For me, it was about finding a better opportunity, just like his grandparents had done when they came from Italy. Restarting in Korea When I arrived in Seoul, I had just turned 30. At first, Korea felt familiar. The faces and food reminded me of my mom. But once I got deeper into the culture, I realized how different I was. I didn't speak the language and hadn't done military service. Basketball practice in Korea felt like military training. We practiced four times a day: 6 a.m., 10 a.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. That's also when I started realizing just how many unspoken rules there are in the Korean language and culture. I remember one of my first practices, I walked in, sat down, and started lacing up my shoes. I was sitting in the head coach's chair, but I had no idea that was a big faux pas. So I was sitting there when the coach walked in. I went, "Oh, what's up?" I didn't even greet him properly. I didn't know any of this stuff. The whole team was like: "How can he be so rude? How does he not know this?" That moment really pushed me to start learning the unspoken rules and study the language. I eventually changed my name to Seung-jun, a name crafted with my mom's help. It means "beautiful victory," and links to my brother's name Dong‑jun — he grew up as Daniel. When I was growing up in the States, my grandma used to talk to us for hours, but we could hardly understand her. After learning to speak Korean, it was like meeting my grandma for the first time. I could actually talk to her and understand what she was saying. Off the court, still in the game In 2017, I retired, although I knew I wanted to stay in Korea. It felt like home. The healthcare system is amazing. My wife, who's half-Korean, half-Romanian, is also a basketball player and is still playing. A year after retiring from basketball, before my brother eventually got a green card and moved back to the States, we started Prism Hoops Academy. The youth sports company is focused on making sports fun for kids. In Korea, education is intense and regimented. Our goal was to create a space where kids could just play. I'm now running the school with Im Won‑jun, another Korean American who, funnily enough, also grew up in Seattle. We offer basketball, soccer, and chess. It's not about drills or perfection; our goal is just helping kids build positive memories. Coaching young kids has become a real passion of mine, and my plan is to go back to school for a higher degree in education or administration. So it looks like my mom will get her teacher after all.
