Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Tell us what you’ve been reading at info@reasonstobecheerful.world and we just might feature it here. It takes a village In the wake of 2025’s major California fires, more and more builders are looking for ways to make future homes fire-resistant. One key challenge: “You can do your home perfectly, but if your neighbor didn’t, you still have a fire risk.” That’s according to Roy Wright, chief executive officer of the research nonprofit Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. Wright spoke to Bloomberg Citylab for a story shared by RTBC Executive Editor Will Doig about a developer building entire fire-resilient neighborhoods in California. Will says: We’ve written about how urban fire prevention works best when the whole neighborhood gets on board. This California community is taking that theory to heart as it builds from the ground up. A living wage During his election campaign, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called for a $30 minimum wage. That may seem far-fetched considering the current minimum wage is just $17, but as Gothamist reports, in a story that caught Editorial Director (and NYC resident) Rebecca Worby’s attention, a proposal to make it a reality is being introduced this week to the City Council. The proposal calls for a gradual increase, hitting the $30 mark by 2030. Becca says: Despite how expensive it is to live in New York City, the current minimum wage lags behind that of other cities like Denver and Seattle. But this proposal would make it higher than anywhere in the country. What else we’re reading Are microschools a solution to falling public school enrollment? One district thinks so — shared by Rebecca Worby from the Hechinger Report Croatia Declared Landmine-free After More Than 2 Decades of Demining Efforts — shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas from Good News Network ‘One of the most successful wildlife comeback stories’: The Alps lost its vultures – then it got them back — shared by Rebecca Worby from the BBC In other news… Editorial Director Rebecca Worby is back from maternity leave! As a new mom, she was delighted to see that March’s edition of The Spark – RTBC’s monthly newsletter about creating positive change — focuses on parenting, from communal childcare to early nights out. Want The Spark in your inbox? Subscribe to receive our weekly and monthly newsletters here. The post What We’re Reading: Fireproofing Entire California Neighborhoods appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.