1. Body-cam footage released regarding unarmed man shot by police

On Thursday, Sept. 1, the Columbus, Ohio police department released body-cam footage from the failed attempted arrest of 20-year-old Donovan Lewis. 

Columbus PD officers were at Lewis’s house during the early hours of Tuesday, August 30. Lewis had multiple warrants for his arrest, including domestic violence, assault, and felony improper handling of a firearm. After 8-10 minutes of officers standing outside the door, requesting he come out, they sent in a K9 unit followed by additional officers.

The body-cam footage shows Lewis was found in his bedroom. Officers fired into the room immediately after opening the door, discovering Lewis holding an item that turned out to be a vape pen. Later in the day, Lewis died in the hospital. 

In the wake of this shooting, the third in eight days involving a Columbus police officer, a local group is holding a public forum on Saturday, Sept. 3. 

“Yesterday’s shooting evokes painful, conflicting responses. We understand that serving a felony warrant creates a highly volatile and dangerous situation. And yet, the body camera video is as gut-wrenching as is the fact that another Black man lost his life,” said Stephanie Hightower, president of the Columbus Urban League.

For more information, click here.

2. Mikhail Gorbachev, last leader of the USSR, has died

On Tuesday, Aug. 30, the last ruler of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Mikhail Gorbachev, died at 91 in a Russian hospital. The cause has not yet been announced.

Gorbachev took power of the USSR in 1985, introducing many reforms, as well as inviting tourism to the country. He was unable to stop the slow collapse of the Union, and was later blamed for the subsequent chaos once the USSR did collapse. However, outside of the USSR, Gorbachev was widely respected on the world stage. 

“Mikhail Gorbachev was a one-of-a kind statesman. The world has lost a towering global leader, committed multilateralist, and tireless advocate for peace,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

President Biden released a statement saying Gorbachev was a “rare leader” and a unique example of a world leader whose “imagination to see that a different future was possible” even in the middle of the Cold War.

For more information, click here.

Ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, one of the most influential politicians of the 20th Century, has died aged 91 https://t.co/P2A0aMJQEz

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) August 30, 2022

3. Ukrainian schools building bomb shelters

On Thursday, Sept. 1, Ukrainian schools are scheduled to be brought back into session, with many local areas are trying to build bomb shelters so students will be protected against possible attacks as war continues to rage in the country. 

On Monday, Aug. 29, the southern port city of Mykolaiv was hit with heavy Russian shelling. The mayor of Mykolaiv says many homes were destroyed in the attack and at least two people had been killed.

Even with schools set to reopen this week, roughly only 41% of public schools and universities will have completed bomb shelters. Roughly 2300 schools have been bombed throughout the course of the war, with 286 of those being completely destroyed. In Mykolaiv, roughly only 16% of public schools have completed bomb shelters.

“The Russian aggression will have huge consequences for the Ukrainian educational system,” said Ivan Prymachenko, co-founder of Prometheus, the largest Ukrainian online learning platform.

Many educators are concerned about how this environment will impact the learning environment. Some cities in Ukraine are even looking at going fully online, rather than meeting in person.

For more information, click here.