Monday, October 19, 2026
America's Good News: Monday, October 19, 2026
From American history
At 3 a.m. on August 18, 1899, surfman Rasmus Midgett set out on his beach patrol from the Gull Shoal Life-Saving Station on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. A hurricane was still pushing surf across the sand when he heard shouting: the barkentine Priscilla had broken apart offshore, and ten men were clinging to the wreck. Riding back for help would take three hours, so he didn’t. He waited for each wave to pull back, yelled for one sailor at a time to jump, and dragged seven of them up the beach. The last three were too battered to jump, so he waded in and carried each one out himself. Ten men saved, one surfman, no backup. He earned the Gold Lifesaving Medal. In America, sometimes the whole rescue squad is one guy on a horse.
1. Two brothers, one splash, three lives: Indiana teens pull a grandmother and two little kids from a pond
Hearing a splash on Oct. 12, Carmel brothers Maddox, 15, and Grant Larger, 14, pulled a grandmother and a 4-year-old from a pond, then freed a 2-year-old from a sunken stroller and got the child breathing. Officials say they saved a life.
Original title: “'Heroic': Carmel teens rescue grandmother, 2 children from retention pond”
Source: Read the full story: 'Heroic': Carmel teens rescue grandmother, 2 children from retention pond →
2. Built to bring them home: NASA confirms Orion's heat shield protected the Artemis II crew through a 4,000-degree return
NASA's post-flight review found Orion's heat shield did its job at 39 times the speed of sound, with just nine char-loss spots versus 103 on Artemis I, thanks to a shorter reentry path. The crew cabin stayed in the mid-70s.
Original title: “Rigorous Analysis Confirms NASA’s Artemis II Heat Shield Performance”
Source: Read the full story: Rigorous Analysis Confirms NASA’s Artemis II Heat Shield Performance →
3. Chips need tools, and Georgia builds them: a semiconductor-equipment maker adds 120 jobs in Hall County
VDL Groep will invest about $77 million to buy and expand its Oakwood, Ga., plant, adding large-scale milling and a bigger cleanroom for semiconductor equipment plus about 120 jobs. Hiring starts this quarter; construction wraps in 2028.
Original title: “This Oakwood manufacturer plans to add 120 jobs through $77M expansion”
Source: Read the full story: This Oakwood manufacturer plans to add 120 jobs through $77M expansion →
4. Seven strangers, one car: Pennsylvania neighbors honored for lifting a Beetle off a trapped woman
On Aug. 31 in Prospect Park, Pa., seven bystanders lifted a Volkswagen Beetle off a woman pinned after her e-bike collided with it. She needed surgery and was expected to recover. The borough honored the rescuers Oct. 13.
Original title: “Delaware County honors good Samaritans who lifted Volkswagen to save trapped woman”
5. Provo's day to remember: a student's $3 million kick on College GameDay, then BYU topples No. 2 Notre Dame
On Oct. 17, BYU student Carter Smith, dressed as Spider-Man, made a 33-yard kick on ESPN's College GameDay to win $3 million. That night No. 8 BYU beat No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 on a late touchdown pass to move to 6-0.
Original title: “Kalani Sitake, 'a BYU fan first,' emotional after Cougars' upset of Notre Dame”