But there is some good news

Hi everybody,
I’m a newcomer here and I’m not sure about the form of the question.
In my lesson “Being Perfect” (from Spotlight) was the frase: But there is some good news…
Why THERE IS, not THERE ARE?

“Is” is singular because “news” is singular. It does have a plural ending but it’s really a mass noun like “water” or “stuff”.

The news is good, the water is cold, the stuff is sticky, the apples are delicious.

Hope this helps!