We survived January and for the most part avoided the bitter, wintry weather that is gripping much of the nation.

Welcome to February and with each passing day we will just keep getting closer to spring. Until then, however, we’ll survive the sometimes blustery, drizzly gray days of winter, such as the one we experienced Monday.

On such days, good news can be as refreshing as sunshine, and we’ve had no shortage of good news lately.

Here is a recap of some of the top good news items from the past week:

*Fourteen students graduated Thursday from the first YouthBuild program offered through the Natchez Housing Authority. YouthBuild is funded through the U.S. Department of Labor and is aimed at helping at-risk youths ages 16 to 24 by offering education, counseling and job skills. Some of the first 14 graduates are already benefitting from participation in the program. “I’m blessed,” graduate Jatarrius Jackson said, adding he was able to enroll and become a fulltime student at Alcorn State University with the help of the staff at YouthBuild.

*Natchez Little Theatre is buzzing with excitement as a youthful cast, under the direction of Devin Klugh, prepares to present “Mary Poppins.” Klugh brings to the role of director a wealth of experience working with children and working in theater, including a master’s degree in theater from New York University.

We look forward to Thursday’s opening of “Mary Poppins,” and we are sure the show will be entertain. In the parlance of the theater, “Break a leg!”

*Madelynn White, who was recently crowned Miss Vidalia, is a senior at Delta Charter School.  White has a bright future ahead of herself and one of the hopes White said she has for the world is for politicians to quit debating the world’s problems and to start solving them.

Hear, hear!

With wisdom such as that from young up-and-comers, society has a bright future, indeed.

Keep your eyes open for more good news this week.