Bend, Oregon shooting: Victim fought to disarm gunman during ...

CNN —

One of the victims fought to disarm the suspected gunman during Sunday’s fatal shooting at a Safeway grocery store in Bend, Oregon, according to police spokeswoman Sheila Miller.

Two people were killed, police said. They were identified as Glenn Edward Bennett, 84, a customer who was shot in front of the store, and Safeway employee Donald Ray Surrett Jr., 66, who fought the shooter in the produce section, Miller said.

“This is the Safeway employee who engaged with the shooter, which is to say he attempted to disarm the shooter and attacked this person, and we believe he prevented further deaths in addition to the quick police response,” Miller said. “Mr. Surrett acted heroically during this terrible incident.”

Gov. Kate Brown released a statement on Facebook Monday honoring Surrett.

“While we are still gathering the facts about last night’s shooting, it’s clear that far more people could have been killed if not for the heroism of Donald Ray Surrett, Jr., who intervened to help stop the shooter, and the officers who entered while shots were still being fired,” Brown’s statement said. “In the face of senseless violence, they acted with selfless bravery. Their courage saved lives.”

The gunman – identified by police as Ethan Blair Miller, 20 – was found dead at the scene and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the police spokeswoman said.

Police found an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun close to Miller’s body, according to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz.

The shooting unfolded shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday at a shopping center, Krantz said. Police initially received reports there may have been more than one shooter, Sheila Miller said, but there is no evidence of a second shooter. There were reports of at least two other people who had injuries that were not life threatening, as well, she said.

The motive remains unclear, but police are aware of online posts that might be relevant, Sheila Miller said.

“We are aware that the shooter may have posted information online regarding his plan. We are investigating this. We have no evidence of previous threats or prior knowledge of the shooter. We received information about the shooter’s writings after the incident had taken place and the shooter has no criminal history in the area,” Miller said.

Safeway said in a statement the company was saddened by the “senseless violence.”

“Our thoughts and actions now are directed toward supporting our associates, customers, and the community affected by this tragedy. We thank the officers at the Bend Police Department for their response and will continue to support the department’s investigation over the coming days,” the company’s statement said.

Sunday’s shooting follows a spate of other grocery store shootings across the country in the past year and amid an overall surge in “active shooter” incidents, according to an FBI report.

In May, 10 people were killed in what authorities say was a racially motivated attack in Buffalo, New York. A “hero” security guard and a beloved teacher were among those gunned down.

In March, another 10 people were gunned down at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. A veteran police officer with seven children was among those killed.

Last September, a gunman shot 15 people – including one fatally – at a Kroger in Collierville, Tennessee. Some people hid in freezers to survive.

How the shooting unfolded

Miller said police received multiple calls of shots fired around 7 p.m. at the Forum shopping center in northeast Bend.

The gunman entered from an apartment complex behind the shopping center, Miller said. He moved through the parking lot while firing rounds from an AR-15-style rifle before entering the Safeway.

Once inside, he shot a customer – Glenn Edward Bennett – who died while being taken to the hospital, Miller said.

Emergency personnel respond to a shooting at the Forum shopping center in east Bend, Oregon, Sunday, August 28, 2022. Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin/AP

The gunman continued to make his way through the store before having an altercation with and fatally shooting Donald Ray Surrett Jr., Miller said.

“As our officers responded, they entered Safeway while shots were still being fired. They found the apparent shooter dead inside Safeway,” Miller said.

An AR-15 and shotgun were found near the gunman’s body, Miller said. Bend police did not fire any shots, she said.

How the gunman obtained firearms is under investigation. Because of online postings, Bend police also contacted the Oregon State Police Bomb Squad, who cleared the grocery store and the apartment complex, Miller said.

Police said it’s unclear how many people were in the store at the time of the shooting.

Officers were on scene within three minutes of the first 911 call, Miller said. It took four minutes from the time officers were dispatched to the time the shooter’s body was found, police said.

Plans appeared to be posted online

A search warrant was served on the gunman’s vehicle and home, Miller said. Investigators found three Molotov cocktails in his car along with a sawed-off shotgun. Police are working with the ATF to learn if the firearms were legal.

In his apartment, authorities found additional ammunition and digital devices that are currently being reviewed.

CNN has identified several blog entries appearing to belong to Ethan Miller which were published on the blogging site “Wattpad” detailing a plan and reasons for the shooting. The posts were made public on the evening of August 28 by an anonymous account and viewable for 12 hours, according to Wattpad. The posts have since been removed.

The first blog entry was headlined June 29 and signed with the name Ethan. The writer of the post blamed Covid-19 and quarantine for worsening their mental health.

Initially, this person planned a shooting inside a high school on September 8, according to the posts.

More than 35 posts were made by this same account on the blogging site. Most of the posts indicated a desire to commit violence.

One post referenced being “partially inspired” by the Columbine High School shooting.

In other posts signed with the name Ethan, several reasons were cited for the writer turning into a “ticking time bomb,” which included their family and their love life, which was detailed in a post headlined July 8.

The writer mentioned buying a shotgun and an AR-15 for the shooting, and said they hoped to kill over 40 people.

Throughout the posts, other mass shootings were also referenced.

“I immediately turned to my children and said, ‘Run!’”

Customers and employees described a chaotic scene at Safeway, saying they scrambled for safety as bullets flew.

Josh Caba told CNN affiliate KTVZ he and his four children were shopping in the store when the shots broke out.

“We started heading to the front. Then we heard I don’t know how many shots out front – six or seven. I immediately turned to my children and said, ‘Run!’ People were screaming. … it was a horrifying experience,” Caba told KTVZ.

Caba said he was worried about his wife, who stayed in the car because she wasn’t feeling well. But as he and three of his children fled through exit doors by the produce department, he found that his wife had driven to the back of the store and was “sitting in the car, saying ‘Get in the car! Get in the car!’” KTVZ reported.

The father was able to rush back into the store and find their fourth child, he told KTVZ.

An employee who identified himself only as Robert told the Central Oregon Daily News that he and other employees were working a closing shift in the deli when they heard loud gunfire.

“Me and three other employees ran into a walk-in refrigerator and closed the door and stayed there and stayed hidden until authorities arrived,” he said.

A third person was struck and was in good condition at St. Charles Medical Center, spokesperson Lisa Goodman said.

Residents in the central Oregon city were stunned by the shooting.

“I heard anywhere from five to eight shots. I thought it sounded like backfire,” Heather Thompson, who lives across the street, told Central Oregon Daily News.

“Less than a minute later, there were 10 to 20 shots, and then another 10 to 20 shots,” she said. “And by that time, I went inside and told my dad to get away from the window. And people were running out of Safeway.”

Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify when the Wattpad posts were made public.

Amir Vera Tina Burnside Caroll Alvarado Hannah Sarisohn

What it was like inside the Colleyville, Texas, synagogue during the ...

CNN —

It started like most any Saturday for members of Congregation Beth Israel.

Families of the Reform Jewish synagogue just outside Dallas-Fort Worth had gathered – in person and online – to participate in the Sabbath service, even amid the twin perils of a fresh pandemic wave and a swelling tide of attacks on Jewish people in the United States.

By day’s end, the community of faith in Colleyville, Texas, would be at the center of a global drama involving a livestreamed hostage-taking, an imprisoned terrorist icon, an elite FBI rescue team, a rabbi’s quick thinking and a final, frantic sprint to freedom.

More details may yet offer a deeper understanding of why it happened. But already, the tale is one of searing trauma, with the broader American Jewish community now again forced to be resilient as it’s reminded of the ever-present potential for disaster.

A rabbi welcomes a stranger

A stranger arrived that morning at the synagogue.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker welcomed in the man and made him a cup of tea, the rabbi told CBS on Monday.

Cytron-Walker may not have known immediately that Malik Faisal Akram, 44, was a British national. Akram had arrived in the US via New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in late December, a US law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN.

In the two weeks before he met Cytron-Walker, Akram had spent three nights – January 6, 11 and 13 – at a Dallas homeless shelter, according to Union Gospel Mission Dallas CEO Bruce Butler. He was very quiet and wasn’t there long enough to build any relationships, Butler said.

Over their shared tea, Cytron-Walker and Akram talked, the rabbi said.

“Some of his story didn’t quite add up, so I was a little bit curious, but that’s not necessarily an uncommon thing,” said the rabbi, who soon that day would lead a religious service for the 157 membership families of his congregation, established in 1999.

The rabbi pointed Jeffrey Cohen, the vice president on the synagogue’s board of trustees, to their guest that day. Cohen went over and introduced himself, he wrote in a Facebook post describing his experience.

“He was on the phone, but briefly stopped his conversation,” Cohen said. “He said hello, smiled, and after we introduced ourselves, I let him go back to his call. He seemed calm and happy to be in from the frigid 20 degree morning. His eyes weren’t darting around; his hands were open and calm, he said hello, he smiled.”

Because of the recent coronavirus surge, many of Congregation Beth Israel’s members had stayed home on Saturday to watch the weekly prayers via Facebook or Zoom. Services began at 10 a.m.

As the rabbi led the prayers – his back turned as he faced toward Jerusalem – he heard a click. It came from the stranger.

“And it turned out, that it was his gun,” Cytron-Walker said.

Cohen said he heard that same click, the “unmistakable sound of an automatic slide engaging a round.” The mysterious guest then began yelling something. Cohen dialed 911 on his phone, put the screen side down and moved as commanded, he wrote.

Akram took four people hostage, including the rabbi, authorities said.

‘I’m going to die at the end of this’

Police got an emergency call at 10:41 a.m.

They rushed to the synagogue and set up a perimeter, evacuating residents nearby, police said. Soon, nearly 200 members of local, state and federal law enforcement, including the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were on hand, FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno said.

Meanwhile, the livestream – intended for the faithful who’d stayed home to be safe from Covid-19 – appeared to capture some of what Akram was saying.

“I’m gunned up. I’m ammo-ed up,” he told someone he called nephew. “Guess what, I will die.”

The audio can be difficult to understand, and it’s not clear whom Akram is talking to. But it’s clear he planned to die during the standoff, he repeatedly told people.

“OK, are you listening? I don’t want you to cry. Listen! I’m going to release these four guys … but then I’m going to go in the yard, yeah? … And they’re going to take me, alright? I’m going to die at the end of this, alright? Are you listening? I am going to die! OK? So, don’t cry over me,” the man said to someone else.

Congregation member Stacey Silverman watched the livestream for more than an hour. She heard the suspect ranting, sometimes switching between saying, “I’m not a criminal,” to apologies, she said.

The man vacillated among languages and was “screaming hysterically,” she said. He claimed to have a bomb.

Akram also “spoke repeatedly about a convicted terrorist who is serving an 86-year prison sentence in the United States,” the FBI said in a statement. The convict is believed to be Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani with a PhD in neuroscience who is serving a federal prison sentence in Fort Worth after being found guilty of attempted murder and other charges in an assault on US officers in Afghanistan.

She was not involved in the Colleyville attack, her attorney said Saturday.

“He wanted this woman released and he wanted to talk to her and he thought – well, he said point-blank – he chose this synagogue because ‘Jews control the world. Jews control the media. Jews control the banks. I want to talk to chief rabbi of the United States,’” Cohen told CNN, adding there is no chief rabbi in the US.

Inside the synagogue, Cohen resisted following exactly as Akram commanded, he wrote in his Facebook post. Rather than go to the back of the room as ordered, Cohen stayed in line with one of the exits. When a police officer came to the door and the hostage-taker became more agitated, Cohen moved closer to the exit door, he wrote.

Akram let them call their families, and Cohen called his wife, daughter and son and even posted on Facebook. He also slowly moved a few chairs in front of him – “anything to slow or divert a bullet or shrapnel,” he wrote.

At one point – at the suspect’s request – the rabbi being held hostage called a well-known rabbi in New York City so the suspect could say Siddiqi was framed and he wanted her released, two officials briefed on investigation said.

As hours ticked on, law enforcement negotiators had a “high frequency and duration of contact” with the suspect, DeSarno said. The FBI called out its Hostage Rescue Team from Quantico, Virginia, and some 60 to 70 people came to the site, Colleyville Police Chief Michael Miller said.

One hostage – a man – was released unharmed around 5 p.m., Colleyville Police Sgt. Dara Nelson said. The hostage-taker did not harm the hostages, the rabbi told CBS.

But, he added, they were threatened the entire time.

A thrown chair activates a bold escape

Police speak out after synagogue hostages were rescued 02:12 - Source: CNN

With threats and attacks targeting Jewish people growing more common in recent years, Cytron-Walker and his congregation had participated in security courses with law enforcement agencies, he said.

As Saturday afternoon rolled to the night – and the hostage-taker’s demeanor began to change – that training helped the rabbi and the two others who were still held against their will.

“In the last hour of our hostage crisis, the gunman became increasingly belligerent and threatening,” Cytron-Walker said Sunday in a statement. “Without the instruction we received, we would not have been prepared to act and flee when the situation presented itself.”

Cohen helped another hostage move closer to that exit, and whispered to him about the door, he wrote. The third hostage later joined them when they received pizza to eat, putting them all within 20 feet of the exit door.

They spoke with Akram and asked him questions, trying to buy the FBI time to move into position, he wrote.

Yet the situation began to devolve. “At one point, our attacker instructed us to get on our knees. I reared up in my chair, stared at him sternly. I think I slowly moved my head and mouthed NO. He stared at me, then moved back to sit down. It was this moment when Rabbi Charlie yelled run,” he wrote.

Cytron-Walker saw his opening when he got the gunman a drink in a glass, he told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Tuesday.

“As he was drinking, the gun wasn’t in the best position and I thought this was our best chance, I needed to make sure the people who were still with me that they were ready to go,” the rabbi said.

“And so there was a chair that was right in front of me. I told the guys to go, I picked it up and I threw it at him with all the adrenaline,” Cytron-Walker said. “It was absolutely terrifying and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be shot, and I did not hear a shot fired as I made it out the door. I was the last one out.”

The three hostages burst through the exit door and sprinted away from the building, video taken from outside the synagogue by CNN affiliate WFAA shows. Seconds later, a man in black holding what appears to be a gun stepped halfway through the exit to look outside. He then returned inside the building without shooting, the video shows.

A group of heavily armed law enforcement personnel moved toward another part of the building, the video shows. About 30 seconds later, a series of four bangs erupted, followed by a louder explosive boom that set a number of car alarms to begin wailing. Other armed law enforcement personnel moved into a different position by the building, and another three loud bangs then went off, the video shows.

The loud boom, heard by a CNN team near the synagogue at about 9:12 p.m., was the result of entry tools used by the hostage rescue team, an ATF spokesperson said.

The rescue team breached the synagogue, Miller said. The suspect was killed.

None of the four hostages was harmed, DeSarno said.

More booms echoed as the tactical team disposed of leftover entry explosives brought by the rescue team. Crime scene investigators recovered one firearm they believe belonged to the suspect, the ATF spokesperson said. An ATF dog found no more explosives, the spokesperson said.

On Facebook, Cohen credited active shooter training he received for his survival and escape.

“We weren’t released or freed,” he said. “We escaped because we had training from the Secure Community Network on what to do in the event of an active shooter.”

The Secure Community Network describes itself as the “official safety and security organization of the Jewish community in North America.”

“Those courses, that instruction, helped me to understand that you need to act in moments where your life is threatened. I would not have had the courage, I would not have had the knowhow or what to do without that instruction,” Cytron-Walker said. “I want people to understand, it doesn’t matter if you are in a synagogue, if you’re Jewish, if you’re Muslim, if you’re Christian, if you’re religious at all, it can happen in a shopping mall. Unfortunately this is the world that we’re living in.”

‘The time to heal our community has begun’

On Sunday morning, Cytron-Walker took to Facebook, this time to express his gratitude to those who supported him throughout Saturday’s ordeal.

“I am thankful and filled with appreciation for all of the vigils and prayers and love and support, all of the law enforcement and first responders who cared for us, all of the security training that helped save us,” he wrote in the Facebook post.

“I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for the CBI Community, the Jewish Community, the Human Community. I am grateful that we made it out. I am grateful to be alive,” Cytron-Walker said in the post.

Nothing suggests the threat posed by Akram is continuing, officials said. The investigation into the case and its motive is likely to be global, DeSarno added, including contacts with Tel Aviv and London.

Initially, the FBI, based on its exchanges, found the suspect to be “singularly focused on one issue, and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community, but we’ll continue to work to find motive,” DeSarno said.

On Monday, the agency called Saturday’s attack “a terrorism-related matter, in which the Jewish community was targeted,” according to a statement. The case “is being investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.”

Congregation Beth Israel held a special service Monday night at which the rabbi spoke about the need to heal after the incident.

“Thank God, thank God,” Cytron-Walker said. “It could’ve been so much worse, and I am overflowing, truly overflowing, with gratitude.”

5 things to know for August 31: Mar-a-Lago, Flooding, Heat waves ...

CNN —

Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the ‘5 Things’ newsletter.

Two of California’s many wildfires are threatening Sequoia National Park and the massive, iconic trees that grow there. And in Louisiana, Tropical Depression Nicholas could slow down recovery from Hurricane Ida, which just blew through two weeks ago.

Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

(You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. California recall

A flood watch is currently in place for millions of people across the southwestern US after a weekend of rain and thunderstorms drenched the region. In Las Vegas, at least two people have died in flooding since last week in what has become the wettest monsoon season in a decade. In Texas, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring a disturbance that will bring thunderstorms and up to 6 inches of rain over the next few days, leading to potential flash flooding. While the rain has brought relief to some drought-stricken areas, experts say climate change is increasing the likelihood of extreme flooding and catastrophic disasters. Separately, a new study indicates a disastrous megaflood is coming to California in the next four decades – and experts say it would be unlike anything anyone alive today has ever experienced.

2. Coronavirus

CNN meteorologist explains cause of water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi 02:27 - Source: CNN

3. Gen. Mark Milley

5. Haiti

NASA scrubs Artemis I rocket launch due to engine issues. CNN reporter explains why 02:39 - Source: CNN

5. UK deportations

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Man vs. Emu

A woman used her smartwatch to call 911 after getting stuck in an interesting position at the gym. Watch the video here.

NASA releases stunning new image of the Phantom Galaxy

In a galaxy far, far away – 32 million light-years from Earth – there is a remarkable spiral of solar systems. Take a look at the new image here.

How Princess Diana’s style legacy remains relevant

Today marks 25 years since the death of Princess Diana, but her legacy and wardrobe continue to inspire new generations.

DC Comics featured stereotypical Latino foods on Hispanic Heritage Month covers

The publisher attempted to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month by adding Latino foods to its comic covers… but fans found it offensive and cliché.

Kohl’s and Gap have a surprising plan for this season’s unsold clothing

Some retailers are holding onto their unsold inventory in the hope of selling it next summer. And yes, they’re confident these items will stay in style.

IN MEMORIAM

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the former Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, has died at the age of 91 after a long illness, Russian state news agencies reported on Tuesday. Gorbachev is credited with introducing key political and economic reforms to the USSR and helping to end the Cold War. Several world leaders paid tribute to Gorbachev Tuesday, with President Joe Biden calling him “a man of remarkable vision” in a statement.

TODAY’S NUMBER

17

That’s how many people in Pakistan have been recently impacted by devastating floods. Some areas have seen five times their normal levels of rain, largely due to the climate crisis, experts say. Torrential rainfall and extreme flooding have killed more than 1,100 people and injured more than 3,500 others in the country since mid-June.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“This is merely an attempt to stop a man that is leading in every poll, against both Republicans and Democrats by wide margins, from running again for the Presidency.”

– Alberto Flores, a port director for the US Customs and Border Protection, after a large shipment of baby wipes at the US-Mexico border turned out to be $11.8 million worth of cocaine. Officers seized the narcotics Friday at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge just north of Laredo, Texas, according to a news release. An inspection revealed 1,935 baby wipe packages were stuffed with around 1,533 pounds of alleged cocaine.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Heat builds for the west as tropical systems in the Atlantic intensify 02:21 - Source: CNN

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

My Dog Gets Annoyed by New Puppy From Day One

Hear the Otherworldly Sounds of Skating on Thin Ice

Watch this dog’s reaction when an energetic puppy becomes the newest addition to the family. (Click here to view)

Biden administration picks former Chicago, DC transportation leader ...

Washington, DC CNN Business —

Gabe Klein, who has led transportation departments in Washington, DC and Chicago, will head the Biden administration’s $7.5 billion program to build out the country’s electric vehicle charging network.

Klein will serve as executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which was established by the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and coordinates between the US Departments of Energy and Transportation. The departments announced the news Tuesday morning.

“We look forward to working with Gabe to help deliver on President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the American people and ensure that every community—from the largest cities to the most rural areas—can reap the benefits of the electric vehicle revolution,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

Klein was previously a partner at the consulting firm Cityfi, which focuses on urban transportation and planning. He also served on the Biden-Harris transition team for the Department of Transportation. His leadership in DC and Chicago was marked by being among the first transportation departments to embrace emerging transportation trends like car-sharing, bikeshare and bike lanes.

Klein has long been outspoken about climate change and transportation’s role in it. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“I will seize the opportunity to steward a critical shift in our transportation economy from fossil fuels to clean, electric energy systems, as there has never been a more important mission in our recent history than solving the climate crisis,” Klein said in a statement.

Gabe Klein, shown in 2015 in Washington, DC, will lead the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post/Getty Images

US President Joe Biden has called for a network of 500,000 chargers to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and fight the climate crisis. Electric vehicles have much smaller carbon footprints than gas-powered vehicles over the typical lifetime of a vehicle.

Governments are increasingly embracing electric vehicles. Biden has called for the federal government to shift its fleet to electric vehicles, and for half of all new vehicles to be electric by 2030. California has passed regulations that essentially require vehicles sold in the state by 2035 to be electric, hydrogen-fueled or plug-in hybrids. The federal government passed new tax credits for electric vehicles last month.

But many consumers have concerns about if they’ll be able to charge an electric vehicle. The nation’s charging network is nascent compared to the long-established network of gas pumps. Last week the Biden administration announced that it had approved EV charging plans from 35 states. Many stations will be built along highway corridors to facilitate long trips.

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation has already advised states on their EV charging plans and worked with the Federal Highway Administration on minimal standards for chargers.

The Biden administration has called for 40% of its climate change and clean energy investments to flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution.

Klein, who has previously called for the country to reckon with its racial history when it comes to urban planning, owns an electric car and an electric bike, both of which he charges with solar, according to the departments.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have him working for more electric cars and trucks on our roadways,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said in a statement.

Black History 2020: The people making Kentucky and Louisville great

The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage

Editor's note: The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage will provide The Courier Journal with history maker features biweekly for the remainder of the year. The center’s goals are to enhance the public’s knowledge about the history, heritage and cultural contributions of African Americans in Kentucky and in the African Diaspora. The center is also a vital, contemporary institution, providing space for exhibitions and performances of all types.

Merv Aubespin

Merv Aubespin (1937-) was born in Opelousas, Louisiana, and is a graduate of Tuskegee University. He credits a visit to Montgomery, Alabama, during college as the inspiration for his lifelong involvement in the civil rights movement. In 1967 he became the first African American to hold the post of news artist at The Courier Journal newspaper. He joined the newsroom staff during the 1968 civil rights unrest in Louisville and later retired after 35 years with The Courier Journal. He is the co-author of a book, "Two Centuries of Black Louisville: A Photographic History."

A Gold Medal winner in the Best Regional Non-Fiction Category of 2012’s Independent Publisher Book Awards, "Two Centuries of Black Louisville" spotlights Louisville’s 234-year history through the vibrant lens of the black community. With rare photographs spanning Louisville's history, the book highlights the struggles, heritage and culture of the region's African American activists and the evolution of race relations. Aubespin is a past president of the National Association of Black Journalists and also the founder of the Louisville Association of Black Communicators.

He was awarded the Distinguished Service to Journalism Award in 1991, given by the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communications. He received the Ida B. Wells Award for his dedication to bringing minorities into the field of journalism.

Check out:See inside Louisville's newest African American museum

Sadiqa Reynolds

Sadiqa Reynolds (1972- ) was raised in New York City and came to Louisville to earn her bachelor's in psychology from the University of Louisville and her law degree from the University of Kentucky. Reynolds is the president and CEO of the Louisville Urban League. Her appointment made her the first woman to hold this title in the organization's history.

Reynolds has a vision for revitalizing Louisville’s West End through her leadership to develop a $35 million indoor track and sports complex at the corner of 30th Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard. She was the first African American woman to clerk for the Kentucky Supreme Court and served as the chief law clerk for Chief Justice Robert F. Stephens. She previously served as chief for community building under Mayor Greg Fischer.

In January 2008, Reynolds was named inspector general with Louisville Metro Government. In August 2009, Reynolds was sworn in as Jefferson County district judge of the 30th Judicial District, Division 11. Prior to entering the public sector, Reynolds owned and managed a private legal practice. She was a formidable attorney who has argued successfully before the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Reynolds has been recognized by the Louisville Bar Association for work with domestic violence victims and other disadvantaged citizens. She has also been recognized for her advocacy for mental health awareness and restorative justice.

Looking back:Honoring 29 African American history makers from Kentucky

Elmer Lucille Allen

Elmer Lucille Allen (1931- ) was born during the Depression era in a segregated Louisville. Despite facing economic and social barriers, Allen attended Madison Street Junior High School, where she took an interest in the arts. She learned many functional crafts in junior high, such as shoe repair, printing, sewing and carpentry. She graduated from Central High School in 1949 and from Nazareth College (now Spalding University) in 1953.

Allen has broken countless racial and gender barriers. In 1966, she became the first African American chemist at Brown-Forman. After she retired as a chemist in 1997, Allen turned her focus from science to the arts. While working as a chemist, Allen began studying art at the University of Louisville, receiving her Master of Creative Arts with a focus on ceramics and fiber in 2002.

Her talent, hard work and social commitments to equal opportunity are reflected in her work as a chemist and her artwork. Since 2005, Allen has been largely responsible for the art gallery at Wayside Christian Mission, now Hotel Louisville, which offers accessible exhibition space for community artists. In 2019, Detroit artist Brandon Marshall was commissioned by the Imagine 2020 Mural Festival to create a mural celebrating the life of Elmer Lucille Allen. The mural is at South Jackson and Caldwell streets in Louisville’s Smoketown neighborhood, known as one of the first black-founded communities in the city.

Ed Hamilton

Ed Hamilton (1947- ) was born in Cincinnati and raised in Louisville by Amy Jane (Camp) and Edward Norton Hamilton Sr. Hamilton specializes in public art, with his most famous sculpture being "The Spirit of Freedom." Hamilton graduated from Shawnee High School and continued his education at the Louisville School of Art. He also attended the University of Louisville and Spalding College in the early 1970s.

While working on his certification to teach in the public school system, Hamilton met the late sculptor Barney Bright, whom he worked for as an apprentice and built a lasting friendship with while he continued his quest to eventually open his own sculpting studio. Hamilton has created monuments dedicated to Booker T. Washington, Joe Louis, York (Lewis and Clark Expedition) and the La Amistad revolt by enslaved Africans. But his public work “The Spirit of Freedom” is a national memorial that has achieved worldwide acclaim. The statue is a tribute to the colored soldiers and sailors of the Civil War and stands at 10th and U streets NW in Washington, D.C.

Hamilton tells the story about his journey as an artist in his book, “The Birth of an Artist, A Journey of Discovery.” The book outlines his journey from growing up in Louisville and becoming a sculptor.

Beverly Chester-Burton

Beverly Chester-Burton (1963- ), born to Cozy and Linnes Chester Sr., started her journey as a sharecropper’s daughter from Hopkinsville, Kentucky. She attended the University of Louisville, Spalding University and Western Kentucky University. She holds an education specialist degree, a master's in teaching K-12, a master's in counseling and psychology, and a bachelor's in communication.

Chester-Burton was elected as the first African American to serve on the Shively City Council. During her 10 years in the City Council, Chester-Burton was dedicated to changing the past perceptions of Shively after she lost her first mayoral campaign in 2008. In 2018, she broke down a major barrier in a city known for its racist past by being elected as the first African-American to lead Shively in its 80-year history. With Chester-Burton being elected with 97.8% of the vote, her election created a new legacy.

Chester-Burton is also a teacher in Jefferson County Public Schools and an equity and inclusion facilitator for the National Education Association. Chester-Burton is a role model for many people in Shively, including her daughter, Tiffany Burton. Tiffany watched her mom walk through different political positions, which eventually motivated her to follow in her mother’s footsteps by running and winning a position on Shively City Council. Her civic, community involvements, and recognitions are numerous.

Charles 'Bud' Ford Dorsey Jr

Charles “Bud” Ford Dorsey Jr. (1941- ) was born to Charles Sr. and Anna Lewis Dorsey in Louisville. Bud, as he is affectionately called, started following his passion for photography at an early age when he carried around his Kodak Hawkeye Brownie camera taking pictures of friends and events in his neighborhood. Bud volunteered at the studio of Louisville photographer Arthur Evans, in exchange for photographic and film development lessons.

In the 1960s, Bud continued his photography when he joined the Navy, where he shot pictures of far-away places such as Italy, France, Africa and South America. After leaving the Navy, he enrolled at the East Los Angeles College for photography classes. While working full time at the American Synthetic Rubber Company in Louisville, Bud freelanced for the Louisville Defender for 25 years documenting Louisville's African American communities. He also freelanced for Ebony, Jive, JET and Soul Confession magazines.

His 2017 book, “Available Light: Through the Lens of Bud Dorsey,” resulted in lectures and photographic exhibitions at the Muhammad Ali Center and the Louisville public libraries. Photographs he took while in Senegal, West Africa, became a 2019 public library exhibition. Bud’s most recent exhibition, “Women Hold Up Half the Sky: Women of West Africa,” a two-man photo exhibition by Bud Dorsey and Aukram Burton featuring women from Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria, is on display at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage.

Mattie Jones

Mattie Jones (1934- ), a native of Memphis, Tennessee, moved with her family to Louisville as a child. Jones’ public activism began not long after she graduated from Central High School in 1951. She attended Indiana University but says she quickly decided it was not safe or welcoming for African American students, so she transferred to the University of Louisville, which had recently desegregated its main campus. While attending U of L, she was denied a work-study position because white students would not work with her.

Jones left U of L to join the Black Workers Coalition to fight for equality in employment. Jones has worked for over six decades as a formidable advocate for equity and social justice. She has organized countless demonstrations and boycotts focused on anti-racism, women’s and workers' rights, environmental justice, peace and police brutality. In 1973, she was a founding member of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and has helped lead numerous local and national justice operations. In the 1960s she marched against segregation in public schools and for open housing. She worked on a local level with the Kentucky Alliance against Racist and Political Repression, alongside the late Rev. Louis Coleman, Anne Braden and countless others.

She was not only a committed activist, she was a committed wife and mother. Jones and her husband, Turner Harris Jones, had nine children and raised 120 foster children. Jones describes herself as “just another soldier in the army for peace, justice, and equality."

Robert ‘Bob’ Cunningham

Robert "Bob" Cunningham, (1934-), is a native of Cadiz, Kentucky. His aunt raised him in Paducah, Kentucky, where he grew up in a white neighborhood with all white playmates until he started school. He moved to Louisville in the early 1940s, graduated from Central High School in the early '50s, and worked briefly for International Harvester before he was drafted into the United States Army in 1957.

While stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, he experienced racist signs like “whites only,” promoting segregation. Bob returned to Louisville after the Army and was swept into the Black freedom movement for social and political change in the 1960s. He joined a local grassroots organization, the Black Workers Coalition, which launched his lifelong involvement in fighting for justice in the workplace, housing, public accommodations and access to finances for African Americans.

During the 1970s, Bob helped form the Black Workers Coalition to challenge racism in the workplace and access to jobs that were denied to Black people. Later, he became the first chairperson of the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression and he remains a board member today. Some of Cunningham’s accomplishments include receiving the LIFT award from the Community Development Corporation for Youth, being inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame, receiving the Peace and Justice Award from the Archdiocese of Louisville and receiving the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award from the Justice Resource Center.

Clestine 'Clest' Lanier

Clestine "Clest" Lanier (1947- ) is a lifelong resident of Louisville and a longtime community activist. She graduated from Shawnee High School and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville in political science, and received certification in museum management from the Museum Management Institute in Boulder, Colorado. She is a graduate of the Overseas Studies Program in London, the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute in Minneapolis, and Leadership Louisville.

Clest is the founder of the African American Heritage Foundation, or AAHF, established in 1994 to promote the preservation of African American communities, history and culture in Kentucky. Under her leadership, the organization placed 13 historic markers at sites throughout the community, created an Underground Railroad Tour, and promoted African American artists through the Public Art Sculptures project. The initial work of AAHF led to one of the largest preservation projects in the United States, the renovation of the former trolley maintenance complex into the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage in the historic Russell neighborhood.

In 2019, Clest was inducted into the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Civil Rights Hall of Fame for her exemplary contributions to human rights. She was also the recipient of Preservation Kentucky's 2019 Christy and Owsley Brown II Excellence in Public Service to Preservation Award for her outstanding dedication, exceptional contributions and exemplary efforts to preserve Kentucky's African American heritage, culture, stories, historic buildings and achievements.

Sen. Gerald Neal

Sen. Gerald Neal (1945- ) graduated from Shawnee High School in 1963 and Kentucky State University in 1967 with a bachelor's in history and political science. He received a J.D. in 1972 from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. Neal was elected to represent District 33 in Jefferson County, is the second African American to serve and the first African American man elected to the Kentucky Senate.

Neal was first elected in 1989 and has since been reelected consecutively in the last 31 years. He was elected Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman in 2014, becoming the first African American elected to a leadership position in the history of Kentucky. With 31 years and counting under his belt as a state senator, Neal is the longest-serving member of the Kentucky legislature.

Neal is a strong voice for African Americans, senior citizens, youth and the disadvantaged, and is a staunch supporter of education, economic development, health care and criminal justice reform. He is the founder of The African American Community Agenda Initiative, which focuses on policy research, development and community education.

Neal has received many honors and commendations for his distinguished service to the community, the legal profession, and as a Kentucky legislator.

Alice K. Houston

Alice K. Houston (1947- ) graduated from the Louisville public school system in 1964. She attended Baldwin College, where she graduated cum laude, and she holds a master's degree in education from the University of Louisville. In 1969 she married Wade Houston. The two lived in France, where Wade played and coached basketball in Strasbourg. They became a business power couple, launching their first family business as a joint venture that eventually became the largest minority-owned transportation company in North America.

Alice Houston is the president and CEO of Houston-Johnson Inc., a logistics, distribution, material management and order fulfillment company that has been in business since 1994. HJI was nominated by the Ford Motor Company and won the 2011 TriState Minority Supplier Development Council Supplier of the Year Award.

Houston is a tireless supporter of many community initiatives and serves on several boards, including the 55,000 Degrees and 15K Degree Initiative, Simmons College of Kentucky, the James Graham Brown Foundation, the Jefferson County Public Education Foundation, TARC and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. The next installment of Black History Makers will feature Wade Houston.

Wade Houston

Wade Houston (1944- ) was born in Alcoa, Tennessee. In 1962, Houston became the first African American to sign a basketball scholarship at the University of Louisville, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees and was inducted into the Louisville Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.

In 1970-71, Houston played and coached professional basketball in France. In 1975, Houston became head coach of the Louisville Male High School men's basketball team, where he compiled a 90-12 record while guiding the team to a state championship. He returned to the University of Louisville in 1976 to become the first African American assistant men's basketball coach. In 1989, he became the head coach at the University of Tennessee, the first African American head coach in the Southeastern Conference.

In 1994, Houston and his wife, Alice, created Houston-Johnson Inc., a logistic, distribution, material management and order fulfillment company, the largest minority-owned transportation company in North America. The former basketball player and coach became the president of Dry Ice Blasting Technologies, a division of HJI. Wade and Alice Houston have three adult children: Allan, Lynn and Natalie. Allan followed in his father’s footsteps, playing basketball in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks.

Dawne Gee

Dawne Gee (1963- ) is a native of Louisville. She attended Virginia Avenue Elementary School, now the West End School, where Gee serves on the board of directors. She graduated from Pleasure Ridge Park High School in 1984 and went on to study at the University of Louisville, where she earned degrees in communications and biology.

Gee joined WAVE 3 News in 1994, where she now anchors the evening news. When she is not delivering the news, Gee spends most of her time giving back to the community through numerous charitable causes. She operates her own nonprofit, A Recipe to End Hunger, a volunteer organization that provides 100% of its proceeds to feeding children through Backpack Buddies and Blessings in a Backpack.

After she met a boy who said he ate paper when his stomach hurt, she published the book "A Recipe to End Hunger," which was a bestseller on Amazon in 2014. The book features 66 recipes from local and national celebrities. Gee's goal is to raise awareness and funds to benefit the hundreds of children in Louisville and Southern Indiana who go without food on nights and weekends.

John J. Johnson

John J. Johnson (1945- ) grew up in Franklin, Kentucky, where he experienced segregation and racism. While in high school, Johnson was involved in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Youth Council and as a member of the student government. At the age of 17, he became the youngest president of any Kentucky chapter of the NAACP.

Johnson worked in a factory after his high school graduation. He then went on to work in the area of community development, marketing and research, and human relations. In 1984, he became the director of the Louisville and Jefferson County Community Action Agency until he joined the staff of the NAACP in Baltimore. While in Baltimore, Johnson received his bachelor's degree in community development and public administration from Sojourner-Douglass College.

Johnson held the position of chief programs officer for many years while working for the NAACP. He also directed a wide variety of programs, including Armed Services and Veterans Affairs; Voter Empowerment; Economic Outreach; Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics; the Prison Project; and the NAACP library. He returned to Kentucky to continue his life’s work fighting for social justice. After working for 12 years as executive director of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, Johnson retired in 2019.

Renee Campbell

Renee Campbell (1955- ) is from Adairville, Kentucky, where she graduated from Franklin County High School in the Class of 1973. Renee holds a bachelor’s degree from Kentucky State University, a master’s from the University of Louisville, and a doctorate of education from Spalding University.

For over 40 years, Campbell practiced in the areas of education and social work. She has a rich background in community building, working for 20 years as president/CEO of Wesley House Community Services, a 116-year-old social services agency and one of the first transitional programs in the United States. Her life’s work extends beyond our borders to Africa, where in 2005 she was installed as a chief by the Tolon Traditional Council in the village of Tolon, Ghana, West Africa. In Tolon she created, directed and facilitated life-changing programs for women and families. During the summer of 2019, she launched a scholarship program in Tolon that provides 18 educational scholarships for boys and girls, from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Campbell was honored as a ”Woman of Distinction” from the Center for Women and Families, and is a "Muhammad Ali Daughter of Greatness." Also, Campbell has been featured in “100 Fascinating Louisville Women,” and an “Enterprising Women — Making a Difference” by Business First Magazine.

Eric Curtis Williams

Eric Curtis Williams (1950- ) was born in Louisville. He attended Male High School and finished his postsecondary education at the University of Kentucky's School of Architecture. As a licensed architect, Williams has followed in the footsteps of Samuel Plato (1882-1957), an African American architect and building contractor noted for his work on federal housing projects and for building at least 38 post offices across the country.

Williams has 30 years of experience working on architectural design, engineering and on-site construction projects. He has served as a senior project manager, project construction manager, architect of record, general contractor and commercial investment real estate broker. Williams has worked on projects including the development of a prototype KFC store and landscaping, Kentucky International Convention Center, Muhammad Ali Center, and KFC Yum restaurant facilities in 17 states.

As the chief international officer at JC Worldwide Connections, Williams has managed projects in Doha, Qatar; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Kuwait; and Iraq. Williams' affiliations include the American Institute of Architects, National Trust History Preservation, Project Management Institute, Kentucky State Board of Examiners and Registration of Architects, and the City of Louisville Kentucky Building Code Appeals Board.

V. Faye Jones

Dr. V. Faye Jones (1959- ) is a native of Kentucky. She received her bachelor's in biology from Western Kentucky University before graduating from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1985. Jones went on to complete her pediatric residency in the U of L-affiliated Kosair (now Norton) Children’s Hospital.

In 1990, Jones joined the University of Louisville, where she is a tenured professor of pediatrics in the School of Medicine. In 2001, she earned a master's in public health, followed by a doctorate in epidemiology in 2006, both from the University of Louisville. Jones serves as the associate vice president for health affairs/diversity initiatives, vice chair for the Department of Pediatrics and Inclusive Excellence, and the interim senior associate vice president for the U of L Office of Diversity and Equity.

With more than 30 years of medical experience, Jones’ passion lies in creating a community where health equity is a reality. She is responsible for training future pediatric providers as well as overseeing the integration of equitable and diverse health care standards throughout the U of L campus. Her focus is on attempting to infuse an integrative framework for diversity throughout the four fundamental areas of education: research, workforce development, community engagement, and campus climate.

Raoul Cunningham

Raoul Cunningham (1943- ) was born in Louisville and is a graduate of Male High School and Howard University. Since the age of 14, Cunningham has dedicated his life to civil rights activism. While in high school, he led his first direct nonviolent action campaign with the Youth Council on Christmas Day 1959, when the Brown Theatre would not admit African Americans with mail-ordered tickets to see "Porgy and Bess," a movie that had a Black cast.

Cunningham continued his activism along with other students from Male and Central High School when they bravely defied the law to demand full access to the stores and lunch counters along Fourth Street. As a Howard University student, Cunningham continued his activism by organizing a Young Democrats chapter and became the president of the District of Columbia Federation of College Young Democrats.

He returned to Louisville to manage the successful campaign to elect Georgia Davis Powers to the Kentucky Senate, and has been involved in government and politics ever since. Cunningham was elected president of the Louisville Branch NAACP in 2004, president of the Kentucky State Conference NAACP in 2014, and to the NAACP board of directors in 2016. He has been inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame and is the recipient of the Martin Luther King Freedom Award by the city of Louisville.

Nikki R. Lanier

Nikki R. Lanier (1970- ) is the senior vice president and regional executive of the Louisville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, serving Louisville, Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky. Lanier earned a law degree from the University of Miami School of Law and a bachelor's in journalism from Hampton University.

As a Louisville Branch leader, she is responsible for connecting the public, business leaders, community bankers, community development organizations and educators to the Fed. Lanier is committed to supporting marginalized communities in traditionally redlined neighborhoods by providing free resources to learn and teach financial literacy. Lanier is deeply rooted in the Louisville community and serves on many boards, including OneWest, where she is the board's chair. She also serves as executive board vice president for the Louisville-based Global Economic Diversity Development Initiative, whose mission is "to establish a fund that serves as a worldwide giving choice for racial equity and economic justice initiatives to create generational wealth that meets present and future needs through creative and well-thought-out grant-making perpetually."

In 2018, Lanier was on the national list of notable financial executives. In 2019, she received the Robert C. Burks Distinguished Business and Leadership Award, and she has received recognition as a "Woman of Influence" by Louisville Business First, one of "20 People to Know in Banking and Finance," "Forty Under 40," and as one of the "10 Most Influential Women of Louisville."

Nat Irvin II

Nat Irvin II (1951- ) grew up in North Augusta, South Carolina, where he graduated from North Augusta High School in 1969. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a master's degree in media arts. Irvin is an accomplished composer who also holds a doctorate in music composition from the University of North Texas. Irvin is also a graduate of the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education.

He is the Woodrow M. Strickler executive in residence, professor of management practice at the University of Louisville's College of Business, where he has taught change management, leadership, future studies and team dynamics since 2007. Irvin is an author, innovator, futurist, teacher, commentator and founder of "Thrivals @IdeaFestival." His Thrivals programming began in 2010 and continues to develop thought leaders through programming that attracts global innovators to discuss and develop new perspectives and transformational ideas with the next generation.

Irvin has worked with leadership and management teams of Fortune 100 companies and organizations in strategic conversations on future trends. He has been a commentator for National Public Radio's "Weekend Edition" and an adviser to the TED Challenge.

Opinion: Serena Williams is rewriting retirement, just as she has ...

Editor’s Note: Roxanne Jones, a founding editor of ESPN The Magazine and former vice president at ESPN, has been a producer, reporter and editor at the New York Daily News and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Jones is co-author of “Say it Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete.” She talks politics, sports and culture weekly on Philadelphia’s 900AM WURD. The views expressed here are solely hers. Read more opinion on CNN.

CNN —

Grandpop retired from his job as a submarine pipe fitter after 45 years. A generation later, Mom retired as a prison warden after 25 years.

Back then, retirement meant collecting full pensions and full benefits. Their wish was to do little else than rest and recover from decades of body- and soul-crushing work that had zapped their mental and physical strength.

Roxanne Jones CNN

Grandpop, a war veteran, packed his bags and migrated back down South when he retired. And there he sat on his porch, enjoying my grandmom’s peach cobbler and listening to crickets until the day God called him home – just a decade later.

Cancer awaited Mom the day she retired. And she spent a decade battling before she, thankfully, won her body back and took flight. Today, she’s an adventure-seeking globetrotter.

That was retirement life for generations past. Sacrifice all for one job, not out of passion but out of a necessity to provide. Then, retire and pray for enough sunsets left to find joy.

Serena Williams was right to reject the word “retirement” in her recent essay in Vogue that revealed she would be moving on, or “evolving,” from tennis after competition in the US Open.

She called it her evolution and she was right.

In this America, retirement – from pro sports or any other job – is not what it used to be.

Serena Williams is congratulated by Venus Williams after winning the Women's Singles Final match at the Australian Open on January 28, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. Scott Barbour/Getty Images

Williams’ words resonated deeply for many, including myself, a woman and mother who walked away from a highly successful (though hardly Serena-level) corporate career in my early 40s.

“I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,” Williams wrote. “A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family.”

Never one to stick to just tennis, throughout her career Serena (and her sister Venus) were encouraged by their parents to explore their passions outside the game. That lesson has put Serena in a powerful position now as she begins to re-center her life.

Serena Ventures, which the tennis champion launched in 2013, is her one of her passions now. According to Williams, the six-person firm (five women and one recently-hired man) has invested in 16 ventures (including MasterClass, Tonal and Impossible Foods to name a few) that are today valued at more then $1 billion.

“Seventy-eight percent of our portfolio happens to be companies started by women and people of color, because that’s who we are.”

If Williams did all that while chasing tennis trophies, imagine what she will accomplish now.

It would be a mistake to scoff at her rejection of the word retirement. Though immediately after her announcement Monday, many women, and men, debated whether Serena – hands down one of the greatest athletes in the world – was conveniently playing semantics. Some said she was just another woman bowing out to have a baby.

The eye-rolling around Serena’s word choice is no surprise.

Our culture struggles to validate powerful, iconic women like Williams, let alone other women who have excelled in their chosen fields. And society continues to view our ability to bear children as a weakness instead of the amazing superpower, that I’ve always believed it to be.

Serena Williams posted this photo to Instagram of her and her daughter playing tennis, with the message, 'Caption this.' Serena Williams/Instagram

By using the word “evolve,” Serena has done what society has failed to do when it comes to framing talented women who excel early in a chosen career, then leave on their own terms and lean instead into themselves. Embracing our full humanity, many women shift their focus to other goals they can transcend in life, be it motherhood, launching a business or exploring other life passions.

Watching women realize their limitless capacity for greatness is a beautiful thing. Williams’ life has been an inspiration for millions of women with less power and prestige. And her latest evolution is no different.

Many women of all economic backgrounds, including those in my own peer group, are reimagining and expanding, what success looks like in our lives.

It isn’t an easy choice to make. Williams, who calls herself a “savage” competitor, knows her evolution will be painful. Despite breaking numerous records, winning four Olympic gold medals and 23 Grand Slam championships – surpassing tennis greats like Billie Jean King, Martina Hingis, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova – Williams is not yet rejoicing at this new turn in her life.

No, this phenomenal woman still only sees areas where she could have been greater: the wins she didn’t get to surpass Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles. (It should be noted that Court won before the modern-day “open era” that began back in 1968.)

“The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth. I went from a C-section to a second pulmonary embolism to a grand slam final. I played while breastfeeding. I played through postpartum depression. But I didn’t get there. But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine. Actually it’s extraordinary,” Williams said in her essay, adding that she had no regrets about having a family over building her tennis resume.

It is this unabashed pursuit of excellence and warrior spirit – on the court and off – that have endeared Williams to so many.

Her childbirth story is a familiar one among the Black women I know, who often cite inadequate medical care by health care professionals who ignored early warning signs during pregnancy.

The US maternal morbidity rates are among the worst the world among wealthy nations, especially for Black, Native American and rural women. So much so that recently, President Joe Biden launched a federal initiative to examine how racism, housing policy, policing, climate change and pollution affect maternal mortality rates.

Williams opined that were she a man, she would have had a longer career, free to pursue more championships. She could have been a Tom Brady, she said. It is a painful reckoning when women admit their professional goals will be cut short solely because of their gender.

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My dream was to become president of ESPN or run a sports media company. Mid-career after a rapid rise, countless awards and recording a lot of “firsts,” I had to face that my goal was far-fetched. In fact, no woman at the company – no matter her leadership skills, motherhood status or experience – was going to become president at the sports media giant. Not back then, not today.

I remain hopeful for that day, but leaving is a move I’ve never regretted.

Williams and women who dare to step out into the world on their own terms are my superheroes.

She has grown the game of tennis immeasurably. She has redefined the women’s power game, attracted record-breaking TV audiences and revenue growth, won equal pay (along with her sister Venus), a battle that began with King. Williams has ushered in a new generation of fierce power hitters – and made it safer for them to show up as their authentic selves.

Serena Williams came, she saw and she conquered.

And I cannot wait to see what she does next.

Liz Cheney is already looking beyond 2022 | CNN Politics

CNN —

Liz Cheney didn’t come right out and say she expects to lose her primary next month. But in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” on Sunday, it was pretty easy to read between the lines of the Wyoming Republican’s answers.

“I am working hard here in Wyoming to earn every vote,” Cheney said at one point. “But I will also say this. I’m not going to lie. I’m not going to say things that aren’t true about the election. My opponents are doing that, certainly simply for the purpose of getting elected.

“If I have to choose between maintaining a seat in the House of Representatives or protecting the constitutional republic and ensuring the American people know the truth about Donald Trump, I’m going to choose the Constitution and the truth every single day,” she said at another.

Asked by Tapper whether her service as vice chair of the House select committee investigating January 6 will have been worth it even if she loses next month, Cheney responded that it was “the single most important thing I have ever done professionally.”

If it sounds to you like Cheney is framing her August 16 primary for Wyoming’s at-large House seat as a sort of fait accompli, and as not the end of the story but as a part of a broader narrative, well, then, you are right.

The simple fact is that Cheney is very unlikely to beat Harriet Hageman in next month’s primary. Hageman has the support of former President Donald Trump, as well as a number of top Republicans including, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

While Cheney has tried to recruit Democrats to cross party lines and support her – and some undoubtedly will – it’s hard to see that making a real difference in the outcome of the race in such an overwhelmingly Republican state.

Simply put: Cheney looks likely to lose – and she knows it.

What she also knows is that, at least in her mind, this isn’t the end of her political career.

Here’s how Cheney answered a question from Tapper on whether she is interested in running for president in 2024:

“I haven’t really – at this point, I have not made a decision about 2024. …

“… But I do think, as we look towards the next presidential election, as I said, I believe that our nation stands on the edge of an abyss. And I do believe that we all have to really think very seriously about the dangers we face and the threats we face. And we have to elect serious candidates.”

Which tells you everything you need to know about Cheney and 2024. She isn’t an announced candidate. But when you hear a politician talking about the country “standing on the edge of an abyss” and the need to elect “serious candidates,” well, it doesn’t take an astrophysicist to figure out what’s going on there.

The real question seems to be then not whether Cheney runs – she sounded to all the world like that decision is mostly made – but rather whether she would have any sort of impact on the 2024 race.

If Cheney runs as a Republican, it will, undoubtedly, be a very tough road for her.

Trump is the clear frontrunner in all polling conducted on the Republican presidential primary and seems very likely to run. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is widely seen as the only serious alternative to Trump at the moment – and he has positioned himself as a representative of Trumpism without Trump.

There is no potential candidate garnering any serious support in hypothetical 2024 primary polls who is running expressly against Trump and his four years in office. The Republicans, aside from Cheney, who are signaling an interest in running that sort of campaign – Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan being perhaps the most prominent – barely register in polls.

Could Cheney somehow coalesce the anti-Trump vote within the Republican Party? Sure. But even if she was to do so, there’s scant evidence that bloc of voters comprise anything close to a majority of likely Republican primary voters.

The other – and perhaps more plausible – path for Cheney is to run as an independent in 2024. Assuming Trump is the Republican nominee, such a candidacy could skim off enough votes to potentially hamstring the former President’s chances of winning. (Presumably Cheney, who is conservative on most issues, would appeal more to Republicans than Democrats.)

Even under that scenario, however, Cheney would function as a spoiler – trying to keep Trump from the White House – rather than as a viable candidate to be president. Which, given what she told Tapper Sunday, might be enough for her.

“I’m fighting hard, no matter what happens on August 16, I’m going to wake up on August 17 and continue to fight hard to ensure Donald Trump is never anywhere close to the Oval Office ever again,” said Cheney.

Pete Arredondo: Uvalde school police chief's termination may be ...

CNN —

Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District officials have informed district police chief Pete Arredondo that the school board intends to meet Saturday to decide on his fate, according to a source close to the discussions.

The source told CNN Tuesday the board is expected to vote to terminate Arredondo, who was placed on administrative leave last month for his role in the botched response to the Robb Elementary School shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers.

Earlier, two sources close to the process told CNN Uvalde officials were in discussions on the process to remove Arredondo over his role in the response to the shooting.

The discussions follow a heated school board meeting Monday night where parents demanded the board fire Arredondo by Tuesday.

CNN has reached out to Arredondo’s attorney and has not received a response.

Arredondo, who has been the school district police chief since March 2020, was one of the nearly 400 law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting in which a gunman entered adjoining classrooms inside the Texas school on May 24.

Officers began arriving at the school within minutes but allowed the gunman to remain in the classrooms for 77 minutes until they entered and killed him, according to a timeline from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). By the time police forced their way inside, 19 children and two teachers were dead.

In a hearing before the Texas Senate last month, DPS Director Col. Steven McCraw called the police response an “abject failure.” He placed sole blame for the failure on Arredondo, who officials have identified as the on-scene commander, saying he “decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children.”

But Arredondo did not consider himself incident commander, according to a Texas House investigative committee’s preliminary report. “My approach and thought was responding as a police officer. And so I didn’t title myself,” Arredondo said in the investigative report.

The report instead placed blame more broadly, saying, “The entirety of law enforcement and its training, preparation, and response shares systemic responsibility for many missed opportunities.”

It also noted others could have assumed command.

Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training “teaches that any law enforcement officer can assume command, that somebody must assume command, and that an incident commander can transfer responsibility as an incident develops,” the report said. “That did not happen at Robb Elementary, and the lack of effective incident command is a major factor that caused other vital measures to be left undone.”

In the wake of sharp criticism, Uvalde school district Superintendent Hal Harrell placed Arredondo on leave from his position as school police chief on June 22.

“Because of the lack of clarity that remains and the unknown timing of when I will receive the results of the investigations, I have made the decision to place Chief Arredondo on administrative leave effective on this date,” Harrell wrote in the announcement.

Arredondo, who has worked in law enforcement for nearly 30 years, has not spoken substantively to the public about his decision-making the day of the massacre, but he told the Texas Tribune and the House Committee he did not consider himself the on-scene commander.

However, at least one of the responding officers expressed the belief that Arredondo was leading the law enforcement response inside the school, telling others, “the chief is in charge,” according to the DPS timeline.

Arredondo also told the Tribune he did not instruct officers to refrain from breaching the classrooms.

Separately, Arredondo resigned his position on the Uvalde City Council in early July, according to a resignation letter he sent to the city.

“After much consideration, it is in the best interest of the community to step down as a member of the City Council for District 3 to minimize further distractions,” Arredondo said in the letter. “The Mayor, the City Council, and the City Staff must continue to move forward to unite our community, once again.”

Shimon Prokupecz Eric Levenson
Shimon Prokupecz
Eric Levenson

Liz Cheney sent a very clear warning to Donald Trump on Thursday ...

CNN —

It was often said during the Trump administration that Cabinet officials and Republican allies were playing to an audience of one: The president of the United States.

While Donald Trump may no longer be the president, it was clear on Thursday night that Rep. Liz Cheney, the vice chair of the House select committee investigating January 6, was speaking to that same audience of one.

“Doors have opened,” Cheney said. “New subpoenas have been issued and the dam has begun to break.”

The message to Trump was simple: We’re coming for you.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether a) the January 6 committee will make a criminal referral to the Department of Justice about Trump, or b) the Department of Justice decides to criminally charge Trump (or anyone else) in connection with the riot at the US Capitol.

While that is, quite clearly, an open question, Cheney seemed intent on ratcheting up the pressure on Trump (and his innermost circle) as the hearings are set to take a hiatus while the committee continues to gather evidence and talk to witnesses.

We’ve seen this tactic from Cheney work before. Following a committee hearing in late June, Cheney publicly urged former White House counsel Pat Cipollone to come forward and testify on the record.

“Any concerns he has about the institutional interests of his prior office are outweighed by the need for his testimony,” she tweeted at the time.

Less than two weeks later, Cipollone testified in a closed-door meeting with the committee. His video testimony has been used extensively by the committee in its two most recent hearings.

Cheney used that same bully pulpit to get Trump’s attention on Thursday night. And again, it worked.

“Liz Cheney is a sanctimonious loser,” the former President posted on his Truth Social site. “The Great State of Wyoming is wise to her.” (That was one of more than 10 posts by Trump last night.)

Cheney’s hope here is that Trump, feeling the pressure of the committee’s ongoing investigation, slips up in some way that further exposes him – either criminally or otherwise.

We already know, thanks to CNN reporting, that Trump tried to call a member of the White House support staff who was talking to the January 6 committee. According to CNN, the staffer was in a position to corroborate part of what Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, had testified before the committee. The staffer did not answer the call and instead alerted their lawyer.

We also know that Trump is getting antsy to declare his 2024 presidential candidacy as the drip-drip-drip of the committee’s findings take their toll, and as other would-be Republican contenders – namely Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – move up in polling.

The more cornered Trump feels, the more likely he is to make a mistake. That’s what Cheney is banking on.

For the first time, monkeypox has been reported in a minor in New ...

CNN —

A minor in New York state has reportedly contracted monkeypox – a first among children in the state and at least the third reported case of the disease among children in the US.

The child lives in New York but not in New York City, according to state health department data released last week. The data does not list the child’s gender, city of residence nor how the minor became infected.

New York Department of Health spokesperson Monica Pomeroy said she was not able to disclose the minor’s age.

“In instances where the number of cases is small, patient confidentiality prohibits the Department from disclosing this information,” Pomeroy said.

Previously, at least two other children in the US have had cases of monkeypox, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One case involved a California toddler, and the other involved an infant who is not a US resident.

The two cases are unrelated and probably the result of household transmission, the CDC said. Public health officials are investigating how the children got infected.

Since the monkeypox outbreak began in May, most cases have occurred among men who have sex with men. But anyone can catch the virus through close skin-to-skin contact.

In the case of children, the CDC said, this could include “holding, cuddling, feeding, as well as through shared items such as towels, bedding, cups, and utensils.”

The CDC said the Jynneos vaccine is being made available for children through special expanded use protocols.

The agency has also developed new guidance for health care providers about identifying, treating and preventing monkeypox in children and teens.

Samantha Beech Isa Kaufman Geballe
Samantha Beech
Isa Kaufman Geballe