Hey, where did that island come from?

0:03 Hey there, I'm Johnny Mac with five good news stories. Some came to sprint, some came to sniff. It was a race. Yeah, but not a regular race. It was an international corgi celebration, bringing 150 corgis from nine countries to Lithuania for a day of racing and, you know, athletic competition. It's the fifth annual Corgi Race of Linus. 94 dogs entered the main race with American Corgi GG, short for Gustav the Girl Dog, winning the 25-meter final. Fellow American Mr. Corgington, love that name, finished a close second, followed by Lithuania's Mocha, the two-time former champion and hometown hero. Mr.

0:47 Corgington didn't leave without a title, though. He won loudest bark. Are you sure he's not upstairs when I'm recording my podcast? I just had a shout at the dogs. Never mind. You'll think I'm a jerk. 38 corgis dressed for a costume parade featuring everything from dinosaur outfits to sportswear. A knight-inspired look earned Amigo top honors from both the judges and the public. Tora and Rusty from Latvia shared victory in the hidden treat search. Britain had their first entrant. Duke, he's 12. He didn't do the sprint, but he entered the barking contest. His owner joked he spent his whole life practicing for it. Sounds like a lot of fun. An ice cream class at age 53 gave Amira an idea.

1:27 First of all, what's an ice cream class? Can I take this? Anyway, Amira wanted to know, could one of her country's most treasured fruits provide the sweetness for soft serve? The answer, of course, is yes, after several years of experiments and several broken ice cream machines. But she now has her answer at Ice Station in Abu Dhabi. Amira makes date-based soft serve using naturally sweet cola states instead of added sugar. Getting the recipe right took persistence. You see, sugar gives soft serve its smooth texture as well as its sweetness, so replacing it required more than simply mixing more fruit into the ice cream. She had to find a way to process the dates that would deliver creamy consistency. She's now working on her 448th flavor. John, did you say 448? John did say 448th. If you're in Abu Dhabi, check out the ice station and try all 448 flavors.

2:19 Good news for lions in India. The lion population has grown by roughly 70% in a decade. A May 2025 survey counted 800 lions in one particular area. That was up from 523 in 2015. The range of the lions has expanded to reaching nearly 35,000 square kilometers across 11 districts. Nice job by the Barta Wildlife Sanctuary, where lions returned naturally in 2023 after disappearing from the area in the 19th century. There are now 17 lions living there year-round. Here's a mystery for the X-Files or maybe for the show Lost. A tree-covered island gave residents of British Columbia an unusual mystery. Where did the island come from and where did it go? All of a sudden, there was an island in the middle of Williston Reservoir. BC Hydro spokesperson Bob initially questioned the reports and was like, what are you talking about? There's no island. But satellite imagery from July 20th confirmed the island was real, but by August 5th, it was gone. Bob suggests it may have drifted into a sheltered spot along the shoreline, making it harder to locate. Also, where did an island come from?

3:25 The theory is driftwood can collect near shore over several years, gradually decomposing into material where plants and trees take root. Rising reservoir levels may then have lifted the mass away from the shore and sent it floating, hence an island. If you see a guy named Ben, be very careful. All right, John, this bit's getting a little old. Why were you late for work this time? Well, you see, boss, I was there on the 105 in California, and there was a cheeseball spill. That's right. Rush hour traffic got a helping of cheeseballs when a pickup truck lost a pallet of cheeseballs. On the westbound lanes of the 105, video showed Utz cheese balls scattered across the roadway. But it wasn't just the cheese balls because, you know, just drive through them and squash them. But the highway patrol says some motorists stopped to retrieve undamaged containers, adding to the delays. And those are your five good news stories for today. Don't forget, I host a podcast called Daily Comedy News seven days a week. And if you would like this program or Daily Comedy News or Palace Intrigue about the royal family, if you'd like any of those without commercial interruption, use Apple Podcasts. And there's a banner there that says Uninterrupted Listening. Click that. It'll tell you what to do. Short version, five bucks a month. Have a great day.