Good news Thursday: Kayakers rescue family, racehorse named for Dr. Fauci

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Kayaker shares experience helping rescue a family from Logan River accident

Marc Nelson, right, and two other kayakers have a conversation after helping save a family from Logan River. They happened to be nearby with their gear when the family drove into the river. (Annette Andersen)

Kayaking is the most fun when the river is high and the water is dangerous, according to Marc Nelson. That’s why Nelson and his friends went kayaking down Logan river on May 30, the same day that a van was accidentally driven into the river, putting a mother and her young children in danger.

Nelson’s group had finished their run down the river and were on their way back up to where they’d parked their car when they reached the traffic pileup caused by the accident. Nelson said they got there just a few minutes before the firefighters did, and they were ready to jump in and help where they were needed.

Top spellers prepare to crown national champion, from home

In this screenshot provided by SpellPundit, spellers and organizers of the SpellPundit Online National Spelling Bee participate in semifinals Tuesday night, May 26, 2020. The bee was launched after the Scripps National Spelling Bee was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. (SpellPundit via AP)

Prospective national spelling bee competitors were disappointed this year when the 2020 Scripps National Spelling Bee was canceled. The Scripps National Spelling Bee is only open to kids in elementary and middle school, so for many students this was their last year of eligibility.

Luckily, two previous contestants stepped up to host a virtual version of the event, the SpellPundit National Online Spelling Bee. According to the spelling bee’s website, Navneeth Murali from New Jersey won on May 28.

Punching through turmoil: Pro boxer helps medical staff cope

In this Wednesday, May 27, 2020 photo, medical worker Kenza, left, boxes during a training session with French boxer Hassan N’Dam at the Villeneuve-Saint-Georges hospital, outside Paris. A world champion French boxer is taking his skills to hospitals, coaching staff to thank the medical profession for saving his father-in-law from the virus, and giving them new confidence and relief from their stressful jobs. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

After Hassan N’Dam’s father was treated for COVID-19 in a French hospital, N’Dam decided to give back in a unique way — he gave the hospital staff boxing lessons. N’Dam is a professional boxer and represented Cameroon at the 2016 Olympics.

“In the ICU we see things that are not easy,” nurse Marina De Carli told the AP. “So it feels good to let the pressure drop a bit.”

Horse named for Dr. Anthony Fauci finishes second in debut

In this photo provided by the New York Racing Association, Fauci, jockey Tyler Gaffalione up, is led from the paddock to the track for a horse race at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., Wednesday, June 3, 2020. The racehorse named for Dr. Anthony Fauci finished second in his debut. The 2-year-old colt was beaten by a horse named Prisoner in the third race. (Adam Coglianese/NYRA via AP)

Dr. Anthony Fauci might be most known for his involvement in the national response to COVID-19, but now he also has a racehorse named after him. The horse’s trainer, Wesley Ward, told the AP the horse is a good horse who lives up to his namesake. “He’s a beautiful colt, done everything right on the track in the mornings, got a beautiful mind on him to where he’s not fractious or anxious and seems very, very intelligent,” Ward told the Associated Press.

The horse finished second in the first live horse racing event in New York since the pandemic shut down events in March.

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