GN.W.

  +  One of our biggest highlights was the launch of the inaugural Good News(letter), back in July. Since then we’ve grown to nearly 200 subscribers, and only 12 Debbie Downers have unsubscribed, year-to-date. Keep the love coming and share the Good News(letter) in 2018!

  +  The newsletter with the highest open rate came out October 1, when we broke from the regular news to focus on “Expanding the Menu | How to Eat a Healthy Media Diet”. I’m glad you guys liked that one, it was a personal favorite as well!

  +  Counting this one, we’ll have produced a total of 23 GN.W.s in 2017, covering everything from the semiotics behind emoji to sexual harassment with (hopefully) grace, humor and tact.

  +  Not that anyone asked, but music has been a critical companion when producing the GN.W. Here’s the playlist that gets the job done more often than not.

  +  And finally, as we look towards 2018 and the promise of more good news on the horizon, I’d love to hear from everyone who loves the GN.W. and wants to help make it even better. Let us know how we’re doing, and how I can do better!

Colorado

Our lovely state claimed a number of great titles in 2017, some of which we’ve already mentioned in previous editions while others are still worth mentioning yet. We also had some notable headlines make waves, both in-state and across the states.

  +  We claimed 41 of the 100 best places to work in 2017, according to Outside. Our very own Ska Brewing Company ranked at 80 on the list, so cheers to that!

  +  In a 2017 Annual Report of America’s Health Rankings, Colorado rose three ranks and into the company of the 10 healthiest states, considering factors including population behaviors, environmental involvement and policy. We boast the lowest obesity in the country (though it did climb by 2% since last year), the fewest cardiovascular deaths and the fewest cases of diabetes. We could use some work on high school graduations, excessive drinking and a few other things, though, so we’ve got room to improve in 2018.

  +  Among the top stories to come out of our state was the discovery of a super-rare torosaurus fossil in Thornton. It was originally thought to be a triceratops, which is apparently plebeian compared to the torosaurus it’s since been determined to be.

  +  This year we saw the indictment of Mark Redwine, the first major step in the case in years and many hope to see closure from the yet-to-be-determined trial, which many see as critical to finding much-needed closure. Redwine just made a brief court appearance this past week.

National News

It’s been a turbulent year for our nation, which found itself amid natural disasters, sexual harassment, political controversy, etc. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from this past year.

  +  One way to get a finger on the beat of the year’s top topics is to look back at 2017’s most popular Google searches. Hurricanes, now-infamous Hollywood stars, North Korea, Stranger Things, the Los Vegas shooting, solar eclipse are among the many things that Googlers Googled.

  +  Perhaps one of the biggest ongoing stories of 2017 took shape as the #MeToo movement that has seen senators and movie stars, alike, ousted from their respective circles for sexual harassment. The Time Person of the Year was recently announced to be the “Silence Breakers”, aka the commendable women who have come forward to bring down their abusers, high and low.

  +  The United States and its territories were rocked by a number of violent hurricanes. Despite the devastation, many stepped forward to provide aid. One of the coolest stories to come out of this was, of course, about the Cajun Navy, the ad hoc civilian rescue force that coordinated rescues alongside emergency service providers.

• Ben Sollee, a truly incredible bluegrass musician, wrote a foot-stomping song in their honor.

• When his home country, Puerto Rico, was rocked by Hurricane Maria, Broadway playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda headed a collaboration of musicians in a charity song that you can’t help but dance to.

  +  Football saw two major stories break throughout 2017:

• Taking the spotlight, Colin Kaepernick’s “Take a Knee” protests plagued the NFL with controversy for much of the year. He was honored with the 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award last month for using his status to bring much-needed attention to racial inequality in the U.S. He was also named GQ’s ‘Citizen of the Year’.

• CTE, a degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head injury, was found in 110 of 111 donated brains of deceased NFL football players in a study released this past year. Since then, the first living person who was diagnosed with CTE (while alive) had their diagnosis confirmed post-mortem, meaning that the disease can now be detected proactively before death.

  +  Net Neutrality, a piece of legislation that required internet service providers to treat all websites equally for consumers, was just repealed by the Federal Communications Commission, much to the disappointment of the 83% of Americans thought to oppose that decision. The situation, however, is far from over as the fight moves to Congress.

  +  To wrap on national news, here are “9 heartwarming news stories from 2017 that will restore your faith in humanity.”

Beyond

Some of my favorite stories from 2017 came from outside the US and, indeed, even defy borders altogether in some cases. There is a lot here, so in no particular order, let’s jump in.

  +  Perhaps the best headline from around the world: “The North Korean soldier who defected is getting a lifetime supply of Choco Pie”. They must taste pretty damn good with a side of freedom.

  +  The first time Afghan Girl hit the spotlight was back in 1985 when her portrait and piercing eyes were featured on the cover if National Geographic. 30 years later, she “finally gets a home.”

  +  Also from Nat Geo: the devastating, beautiful and inspiring “Best Photos of 2017”.

  +  “Gene Therapy Creates Replacement Skin to Save a Dying Boy”.

  +  Like I’ve mentioned, music has been critical to the continued creation of the GN.W. As such, it only makes sense to share the “100 Best Songs of 2017”.

• Every year, DJ Earworm produces a pop compilation of the most popular songs from the past year. The 2017 “United States of Pop” is on point!

• Ever wonder how many minutes of music you listen to in a year? How about what your most-played genre is? If you’re a fellow Spotify listener, you’re in luck. Check out your year’s music highlights with “2017 Wrapped”.

  +  How’d your reading list look this year? NRP has released it’s “Guide to 2017’s Great Reads”. I personally just started reading “The Seventh Function of Language” and am hooked on its playful literary nerdiness.

  +  If you’ve been with the GN.W. long enough, you know I’m a sucker for TED Talks. Here’s Business Insider’s list of 2017’s most “Mind Expanding” talks.

  +  And finally, “Five Times the Internet Was Actually Fun in 2017”.

Thanks for all of your support and engagement, we’ll see you in the new year!