LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- Too often we report the negative news, but great things are happening in your community each day.
Here's a look at a few stories that are on The Brighter Side...
Preserving Arkansas history
Gov. Mike Beebe says the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program has awarded $1.6 million in grants for projects in 35 Arkansas counties.
The grants were awarded through the County Courthouse Restoration Subgrant, Historic Preservation Restoration Grant, Certified Local Government Subgrant and Main Street Downtown Restoration Grant programs.
Officials say 20 counties shared $1.1 million County Courthouse Restoration Subgrants, which are financed through Real Estate Transfer Tax funds. Garland County received $100,000, the highest award in the program.
Eleven projects shared $307,564 in Historic Preservation Restoration Grants, which distribute funds raised through the Real Estate Transfer Tax to rehabilitate buildings listed on the Arkansas or National Registers of Historic Places and owned by local governments.
Among them was the Visitor's Chapel A.M.E. Church in Hot Springs, which received $40,666 for roof restoration.
Pancake breakfast raising money for homeless
Woodlawn Heights Baptist Church held a community-wide pancake breakfast and silent auction on June 23. Proceeds went to Bethlehem House, which is raising funds to finance a new home for Conway's homeless.
The breakfast and auction raised nearly $22,000.
Lyon College student wins piping championship
Lyon College Piper Major James "Jimmy" Bell won the overall professional title at the 26th annual United States Piping Foundation Amateur and Professional Piping Championships held June 16 at the University of Delaware in Newark, N.J.
Lyon student bagpiper Avens Ridgeway of Union, Maine, won second place honors in both the amateur piobaireachd competition and the Amateur March, Strathspey, and Reel Competition.
Bell took the overall title by winning the Professional Piobaireachd Competition and finishing second in the Professional March, Strathspey, and Reel Competition.
The professional competitor with the highest point accumulation from the Piobaireachd and MSR competitions receives the USPF Silver Buckle. In addition to prize money, the overall winner will also receive trans-Atlantic airfare from the East Coast to Glasgow or Edinburgh Scotland if he is eligible to compete in the Northern Meeting Clasp or the Argyllshire Gathering Senior Piobaireachd.
Bell is pipe major of the Lyon College Pipe Band and director of the Scottish Heritage Program at Lyon.
There were 11 pipers from throughout North America in the amateur events, and 12 in the professional events.