Michigan State

Many of us spend summers on the beach, creating sand castles with our families as children. But did you know that it could also be a career? For sculptor Janel Hawkins, it’s been a fulfilling way to stay creative and spread joy while teaching skills to others. As the founder of Alabama-based Sand Castle University, she teaches willing students on the Gulf Coast everything they need to know to create stunning sand sculptures. And at the same time, she spends her days on the beach making custom sand art. Whether creating pieces of architecture or animals, Hawkins loves getting lost in the small details. As she painstakingly carves and presses the wet sand, she also needs to remain on her toes. Anything can happen in her open-air art studio, whether it’s bad weather or creative difficulties. But these variables are also what she loves about creating these ephemeral sculptures and is part of the reason she enjoys sharing her knowledge. “There are practical life lessons to sand sculpting,” she tells My Modern Met. “You have to learn the basics, then practice, practice, practice. Don’t be afraid of failure. If you make mistakes, it means you’re trying hard!”

Artist Raises the (Sand) Bar With Her Creative Beach Sculptures

Missouri State

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Fulton, MO

CJ Coombs

Updated on July 17, 2024, concerning two of the missing children listed below. Bringing them home: for 40 years, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has been helping to locate missing children.

Seven teenagers have been missing in Missouri since June 2024

Florida State

Akeena

Wow, that's a tough situation for UKG employees in Florida. Imagine gearing up for a holiday weekend and then getting blindsided with news of massive layoffs. It's not just the number—2,200 employees, which is 14% of their workforce—but also how abruptly it was done, right before the Fourth of July.

Thousands of workers in Florida laid off by a major company

Upworthy

Stephanie Walsh isn't your average hip-hop dancer. At 75, "Ms. Stephanie" is still able to hold her own on the dance floor, popping and locking with people a third her age, and she loves it. When you see her dance—and her enviable muscle tone—you might think she'd been a trained dancer all her life. But she actually didn't take any formal dance lessons until she was almost 30. Walsh told Growing Bolder that she had wanted her daughter to dance when she was little, so she got her ballet lessons, which the daughter hated. Realizing that dancing was her dream and not her daughter's, Walsh took her kiddo out of ballet and started classes herself right away. She had always loved to dance and developing her skills only led to more and more dancing.

75-year-old ‘hip-hop granny’ impresses and inspires with her dance moves

The List

Christi Lukasiak of "Dance Moms" found fame alongside with her daughter Chloe on the hit reality show, but it was a rocky road to get there.

Tragic Life Details About Dance Moms' Christi Lukasiak

Birmingham, AL

Valrico, FL

In a recent announcement, The Fresh Market, a beloved grocery chain in Florida, is bidding farewell to its Valrico location. The store, located in one of the fastest-growing areas of the U.S., has cited uncontrollable inflation as a driving force behind its closure, echoing broader economic challenges impacting even higher-end retailers.

A grocery chain in Florida is unexpectedly closing down

Chicago, IL

Foodie in Chicago

Shortly before 3 AM, people in the Chicago area may have felt their houses shake as a 3.4-magnitude earthquake occurred about 60 miles west of the city. (CHICAGO) The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.4-magnitude earthquake around Somonauk, IL. Somonauk is in DeKalb and LaSalle Counties, 64 miles west of Chicago.

Did You Feel the Earthquake?

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Total Apex Sports & Entertainment

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are two of the biggest celebrities in modern times. While much of the happenings between the two involved their marriage and divorce, there are bigger things for them to focus on. Most notably their children.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s Son Diagnosed With Rare Skin Condition

Claudia Lamascolo

Here is a cookie from my childhood that Mom always had in the cookie jar. Peanut butter cookies were an easy favorite, and we just loved helping her make them they were super easy.

4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Denver, CO

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David Heitz

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

Massachusetts State

Camilo Díaz

(MA) Meet Gary, a small little Dachshund with a big personality! This pup grew up living comfortably in a home with his owner who adored him. Sadly, tragedy struck when Gary's owner passed away unexpectedly, leaving him all on his own.

Little Dachshund Who Lost His Owner Now Looking For A New Family

Virginia State

Cheryl E Preston

Wendy's birthday was spent away from her loved ones. Virginia Wendy Williams fans, the latest update is not encouraging. The former talk show host turned 60 on July 18 without any of her loved ones around. According to Yahoo, family members remain "out of bounds" and have no access to Wendy as she battles dementia and progressive aphasia.

The family of talk show diva Wendy Williams were unable to celebrate her 60th birthday by her side

Sam Westreich, PhD

It’s not humans. How a survivor of a super-extinction repopulated our planet. There are more than 8 billion humans alive at this moment on Earth (unless something has gone horribly wrong). But humans aren’t the only dominant mammals.

For Millions of Years, Earth Was Dominated by a Single Vertebrate Genus

A dangerous drug that is being mixed into fentanyl is causing those who inject it to develop a rash of sores that resembles a case of flesh-eating bacteria. People experiencing homelessness around Denver can sometimes be seen with these bloody, weeping wounds. I recently mentioned this phenomenon to a fentanyl user who told me about the xylazine connection.

Denver homeless people suffer sores as xylazine enters fentanyl supply

InspireMore

What is it about a smiling baby […]
The post Father Plays Piano For His Smiling Baby & The Music Speaks To Her Soul appeared first on InspireMore.

Father Plays Piano For His Smiling Baby & The Music Speaks To Her Soul

Ronkonkoma, NY

The New York Post reveals that two men who died in a plane crash at MacArthur Airport were from Virginia. The men had been visiting friends in Long Island and were returning home when the tragedy occurred.

Life partners from Virginia have been identified as the victims of a New York plane crash

Alameda, CA

Alameda Post

The unthinkable has happened. Again. A gunman has taken multiple lives. The difference this time? It happened here, in Alameda. We are an island, both physically and psychologically. I spend a lot of time explaining to people that our focus is Alameda, and Alameda alone, so our coverage doesn’t usually include stories as horrific as this one.

It Happened Again. Here.

California State

The HD Post

CALIFORNIA – A month after Big Lots released its Quarter 1 results reporting a net loss of $205.0 million, or $6.99 per share, the company website shows 54 stores closing in California with a 20% off sale.

List of 54 Big Lots stores closing in California with 20% off sale

(MA) Get ready to open your heart to a wiry bundle of love named Chunk. This 2-year-old Chihuahua and Yorkshire Terrier mix pup recently came into rescue for heartbreaking reasons. Though he started his life as a cared for and well-loved pup, Chunk's owner sadly passed away, leaving Chunk all by his lonesome.

Meet Chunk: A Little Chihuahua Who Lost her Owner Now Looking For Love

Dianna Carney

Sandy Paws Resuce Inc., a foster-based animal rescue in Massachusetts, recently introduced Miracle, a pit bull terrier who is approximately one year old, and is now looking for her forever home. According to the nonprofit rescue organization, “Miracle was dumped at a lake in Texas and rescued by a good samaritan who has been fostering her since.” This compassionate individual provided Miracle with a temporary home and the love she desperately needed. However, her foster parent recognizes that Miracle deserves even more. “While her foster hates to let her go, she knows there is a better life for Miracle in MA,” Sandy Paws Rescue Inc. noted.

Meet Miracle: The Dog Who Was Dumped At A Lake Now Looking For Love

NewsBreak

Get Inspired with JLN Creative Art Studio

Founder/owner Julie Lawrenz Nitz wears many hatsa mother, wife, artist, and graphic designer. Dropping...

Get Inspired with JLN Creative Art Studio

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