Last week brought good news more than once:
- A fragile ceasefire stopped 12 days of war between Iran and Israel. US airstrikes leading to the ceasefire were carried out by Air Force personnel who all returned safely. Notably, B-2 crews flew for 36 hours straight from a base in Missouri and back.
- Nippon Steel's vice chairman reaffirmed his company's commitment to Pittsburgh and the Mon Valley in an open letter. Nippon is planning a $2 billion upgrade to the Mon Valley Works. The target date for a state-of-the-art hot strip mill is 2028. And the company plans to build a $500 million research and development center in the region.
- And there is the anonymous $10 million gift to the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium, allowing two parts of the Zoo's master plan to move forward: a new giraffe barn and a new exhibit called Expedition Indonesia.
It was a week of reports about peace in a troubled region, a brighter future for the Mon Valley and gratitude for the generosity of a person who doesn’t want credit for making a big difference.