7 Good News Stories: Bill Murray Feels Pretty Darned Pretty, More

ACROSS AMERICA — This will put a smile on your face, and it certainly did for people in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood when Bill Murray — yes, “Groundhog Day,” “Ghostbusters” and “Saturday Night Live” Bill Murray — offered a surprise concert.

“I Feel Pretty,” Murray sang.

He sang some other songs, too, but it was the Leonard Bernstein song from “West Side Story” that got the buzz.

The impromptu concert in Washington Square Park promoted “New Worlds,” Andrew Muscato’s documentary about Murray’s performance at the Acropolis in Atlanta. » By Gus Saltonstall for West Village, New York, Patch

The Ultimate A

Apurva Mishra got a perfect score, and not just on any test. The 17-year-old from Davis, California, aced the notoriously difficult SAT college entrance test — something accomplished by only a fraction of the 1.5 million students who take the annual test. A perfect score is 1600; the median score is 1083. "I wanted to get there, and I did get there, and that was the most amazing thing to me,” he said. » By Michael Wittner for Davis, California, Patch

She Doesn’t Need Just Any Dog

Jaella DaSuta, a 12-year-old from Dedham, Massachusetts, needs a dog. She doesn’t need a pet, but a service dog to help her live her life to the fullest, despite coping with an intellectual disability and low muscle mass and fatigue that affect her balance. Jaella has been approved for a trained service dog through the 4 Paws for Ability group, but it will cost $17,000, and her mother, Jennifer Kerivan, just needs some help making that happen. » By Mary Ellen Gambon for Dedham, Massachusetts, Patch

Ending Homelessness, 1 Child At A Time

Jennifer Friend knows better than most people what homeless kids need. She’s been there, done that. Now, as the chief executive of the Project Hope Alliance, she’s in a position to help end the cycle of homelessness in Orange County, California — and, ultimately, the nation — one child at a time. » By Ashley Ludwig for Los Alamitos-Seal Beach, California, Patch

Freeing Minds

The NFL awarded a new grant to Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop in Washington, D.C., a group that works with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth and adults, as part of the league’s Inspire Change social justice initiative. The organization uses the literary arts, workforce development and trauma healing to connect D.C. residents who received long prison sentences when they were young with their communities upon return to the city after incarceration. » By Mark Hand for Georgetown, DC, Patch

Bittersweet Farewells

It's always a bittersweet moment for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium sea turtle rehab team members when they release a sea turtle they've spent long hours nursing back to health into the ocean. This week, the team had had nine such moments. That's the number of sea turtles the aquarium staff successfully treated and gave the go-ahead to return to their homes in the wild. » By D’Ann Lawrence White for Clearwater, Florida, Patch

Saving African Penguins

The Florida Aquarium observed Penguin Awareness Day by helping a South African nonprofit to group to treat the imperiled bird. The aquarium helps all kinds of endangered species, but supporting African penguin conservation is at the heart of its mission. The aquarium delivered on its mission with the purchase of two hydraulic veterinary tables for the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds. » By D’Ann Lawrence White for Tampa, Florida, Patch

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