Looking for some news that is not about COVID-19?  Here's a selection of news items from across the tri-state region.

Riverhead couple finds message in a bottle from Connecticut: A North Fork couple made a special discovery while walking on a beach near their home.Sandy Wicklund normally takes home buckets of rocks, shells and driftwood from the beach down from her Riverhead home. But on April 30, she found a different kind of treasure in the sand.

Brooklyn North feeds tenants without gas at Sumner Houses: Police officers from Patrol Borough Brooklyn North stopped by the Sumner Houses Monday to feed dozens of families.

Feds give Monmouth County $800,000 to conduct study on Laurel Avenue Bridge: Monmouth County will now take a closer look at Laurel Avenue Bridge in Holmdel, a problem spot which seems to snag tractor-trailers.The overpass crosses a busy section of Laurel Avenue, connecting the Garden State Parkway to Route 35. The NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line train tracks cross the road. 

Educational project allows children to virtually experience foreign countries: ‘The Red Trunk Project’ enables children to experience different countries without a passport. Although the educational project was thought of a few years ago, Upper Nyack resident Kevin Thomsen founded it this year.Thomsen has two adopted children, one from the Republic of Georgia, the other from Ethiopia. He says the idea came up when he began to think about the importance of learning different cultures.

Nursery delivers flowers to nurses at St. Vincent's Medical Center during National Nurses Week: A Connecticut nursery helped a Bridgeport hospital celebrate the dedication of its nursing staff. Michael's Greenhouses of Cheshire closed out National Nurses Week with a big donation to St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport.Crews brought in hundreds of hanging baskets for the nurses to enjoy at work or take home.