Good News Thursday: UPS workers build ramp for veteran, ‘Moana’ to return as live-action film, NASA announces next moon crew

UPS workers build ramp for veteran

After 76-year-old veteran David Wray fell on the stairs a week ago in his Kentucky home, Operation Ramp It Up, an organization dedicated to providing ramps to those in need, decided to lend a hand. The UPS Foundation teamed up with the non-profit organization to build him a brand new ramp for easy access in and out of the house. 

“You got in your car today, got your keys and you left. Well, some people can’t do that if they are amputees or can’t get out of their houses, so they need ramps like this. You know, that’s why I say the three things this is all about freedom, independence and accessibility. We provide them with that,” Greg Schneider from Ramp It Up said. 

Twenty UPS workers volunteered to work on the project for Wray and finished in just four hours. They are the 208th family nationwide to receive a ramp from the organization.  

‘Moana’ to return as live-action film

The Disney fan favorite movie “Moana” is coming back to the big screen, this time as a live-action film. Bob Iger, Disney’s executive chief, announced the production remake on Monday. Dwayne Johnson, who voiced Maui in the 2016 film is set to retake his role as the demigod in the live-action. 

“This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength,” Johnson said. “I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me.”

A director has not yet been announced, but it is confirmed that Auli’i Cravalho, the original voice of Moana, will be an executive producer on the remake. The original motion picture was a great success for Disney, grossing $643.3 million worldwide.

NASA announces next moon crew

This week NASA announced the four astronauts that make up the crew assigned to a lunar mission set to leave late next year. The first moon crew in 50 years includes the first woman and first African American assigned to fly around the moon, as well as a Canadian and another American. 

The mission “will inspire the next generation of explorers, and show every child — in America, in Canada, and across the world — that if they can dream it, they can be it,” President Joe Biden said in a tweet. 

The four astronauts, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen, will be the first to fly NASA’s Orion capsule. They will fly around the moon and return to Earth in 10 days, hopefully preceding a moon landing by 2025.