Our weekly “Good News Friday” roundup has some big wins for animal-lovers, and there’s a doozy of a meteor shower tonight.
The holidays wait for no one. Not even the furry dwellers at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. Which is why we’re leading off this week’s “Good News Friday” with an excellent holiday deal the zoo is running next week.
If you’re looking for past editions of Good News Friday, go here.
Let’s make with the positive.
“Jingle in the Jungle”?
Ok, we don’t really have jungles, per se, in North Carolina. But we do have a top-flight zoo in Randolph County that is offering a really great deal next week for the holidays.
They’re calling it “Jingle in the Jungle.” From Monday, Dec. 16 through Friday, Dec. 20, general admission ticket prices are just $5.
The zoo is one of the best things you can do in North Carolina. The “Africa” exhibit, with elephants, lions, and giraffes, is our favorite. There’s also a new “Asia” exhibit under construction.
Check out a map of the zoo and its exhibits here.
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Space is talking
I recommend keeping your eyes on the skies tonight—at least as much as safely possible.
The Geminid meteor shower is peaking tonight (Dec. 13). Best-case scenario, this colorful celestial celebration could give you about 120 meteors per hour, but there will be a stubbornly bright moon tonight and, depending on where you are, some cloud cover.
That said, expect the show to peak around 2 am. It’ll be cold. Bundle up. Bring a hot drink. Space.com has more on the shower here.
A win for people with medical debt
You don’t often get a positive story about medical debt.
But after recent reporting from NBC News detailed the often aggressive ways that Charlotte-based Atrium Health was pursuing collection efforts, the network of hospitals has released liens on thousands of people’s homes.
Cardinal & Pine reported this year on the ways North Carolina leaders are trying to address state residents’ medical debt, which is among the worst rates in the country. Gov. Roy Cooper launched a program on debt relief in 2023.
