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Professional tennis player and Rancho Mirage native Desirae Krawczyk won her third Grand Slam title of the year Saturdayat the U.S. Open in New York, making her just the secondwoman to win three majors in mixed doubles since 1985.

Krawczyk and mixed doubles partner Joe Salisbury, of Great Britain, defeatedGiuliana Olmos of Mexico and Marceo Arvalo of El Salvador, 7-5, 6-2, in the mixed doubles final in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Krawczyk, 27, and Salisbury, won the French Open together in June, and then Krawczyk and Neal Skupski, also of Great Britain, won the Wimbledon mixed doubles event a few weeks later.

Martina Hingis was the last to win three mixed doubles Grand Slamsin the same season when she did so in 2015. Prior to Hingis, Martina Navratilova won three of four in 1985.

Krawczykis now in rare company.In addition to Hingis and now Krawczyk, just four other women have won three slams in the same season over the last 20 years: Serena and Venus Williams, Paola Suarez and Virginia Ruano Pascual.

The title also makes Krawczyk the seventh player, male or female, to have won three of the four mixed doubles titles in a season in the Open Era. The others are Hingis and Leander Paes (2015), Navratilova ('85), Bob Hewitt ('79) and Marty Riessen and Margaret Court ('69).

"Honestly, just to think about that is just crazy to me," Krawczyk told reporters afterward. "I'm just happy with how well I've done. It hasn't really sunk in yet. Just happy to be able to play with so many friends and family and to play with Joe and have our whole team with us. It's been a good two weeks."

Salisbury won the men's doubles title,with American Rajeev Ram, on Friday at the U.S. Open, making him the first man to win men's doubles and mixed doubles at the event since Bob Bryan in 2010.

More: BNP Paribas Open: Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka in, Federer and Nadal out of Indian Wells tournament

More: What you need to know about BNP Paribas Open in October 2021: Tickets, field, weather

Krawczyk began playing tennis at Palm Valley Country Club. At Palm Desert High School, shebecamethe top singles player underhead coachGlenn Erickson, and graduatedin 2012.

She then played at Arizona State, andbeat the nation's top-ranked player on two occasions. Krawczyk wasnt certaina pro career was sustainable, though sheplayed in 17 International Tennis Federation tournaments and playedher way onto the WTA Tour as a doubles player.

In 2018, Krawczykwon her first tournament, with Alexa Guarachi, of Chile,in women's doubles in Gstaad, Switzerland. A year later, following a series of strong performances, Krawczyk and Olmos won a women;s doubles WTA 250 event in Nottingham, England, and won a doubles title with Olmos in Acapulco before the ongoing pandemic forced much of the 2020 season to be canceled.

Krawczyk and Guarachi won a WTA 250 event in Istanbul last September and the two reached the final at Roland Garros, inOctober. The pair lost in a tight two-setter.

Together, Krawczyk and Salisbury reached the semifinals in mixed doubles at the Australian Open earlier this year. Krawczyk has been on a tear ever since.

Krawczyk and Olmosreached the final of a WTA 250 event in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Krawczyk also reached the final of a WTA 500 in Stuttgart, Germany with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

WithGuarachi, she won doubles titles in Adelaide, Australia, and Strasbourg, France, and now has three Grand Slam titles to her name in mixed doubles.

"She's now won three in a row," Salisbury said of Krawczyk on Saturday. "We won French together, she won Wimbledon and now here. Just incredible."

Now, Krawczyk will enjoy a homecoming of sorts as she prepares to return to Indian Wells to play at her home tournament, the BNP Paribas Open, which starts Oct. 4.

Andrew John covers sports for The Desert Sun and the USA Today Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com and find him on Twitter at @Andrew_L_John.

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Anyone in New York on the morning of September 11th, 2001 will tell you just how perfect the weather was that day. Brilliant sunshine, a deep blue sky, and mild temperatures with low humidity, and a light north breeze.

However, with a category 1 hurricane nearby, the weather and subsequent events of that day could have been drastically different.

In the days leading up to that fateful morning, a hurricane was tracking through the Atlantic, moving northwest towards the East Coast.

Hurricane Erin had formed a week prior across the tropical Atlantic and began to strengthen on approach to Bermuda.

The storm reached major category 3 status as it passed just to the east of the island on September 9th.

Meanwhile, a cold front was driving south from the Great Lakes and pushing into the Northeast.

This front would move through New York City on September10th, bringing cloudyandrainy weather to the area.

Once offshore, the front would then act to push Erin out to sea and away from land. In its wake, deep blue skieswould dominate the Northeast as high pressure moved in from the west.

In a stunning satellite image from September 11th, 2001, both Hurricane Erin and the smoke plume from Lower Manhattan are visible.

The haunting image underscores just how close that storm was to potentially altering the course of history that day.

Tracks like the one Erin took are not unheard of this time of year.

In fact, on the 10-year anniversary of the attacks in 2011, Hurricane Katia passed just offshore, similar to Erin. And in an eerie coincidence, Hurricane Larry this past week also took a similar track for the 20-year anniversary.

These tracks, curving along the coastline, are a result of cold fronts pushing them out to sea something that becomes more common in the late summer months.

All of the hijacked flights on September 11, 2001, took off from airports in the Northeast.

It is safe to assume that if Erin made landfall in the Northeast, or tracked close enough, air travel would have been disrupted. However, whether an East Coast Erin track would have ruined or delayed the worst terrorist attack in U.S.history is something we will never know.

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The storm that could have changed history - NBC2 News

CLEVELAND (AP) Milwaukee ace Corbin Burnes combined with reliever Josh Hader to pitch baseballs record ninth no-hitter this season, breaking a mark set when pitchers began throwing overhand in 1884 as the Brewers beat the Cleveland Indians 3-0 on Saturday night.

Burnes (10-4) struck out 14 with 115 pitches over eight innings, taking a perfect game into the seventh while overpowering the Indians, who were no-hit for the third time in 2021. This time is was by Burnes who has become a Cy Young contender as the Brewers run away with the NL Central and Hader, one of the games top closers.

Cleveland is the first team to be no-hit three times in the same year all of them with starter Zach Plesac (10-5) on the mound.

The right-handed Burnes was in control from the start, striking out 11 of his first 14 hitters and retiring the first 18 in order. After walking Myles Straw to start the seventh, the 26-year-old got through the eighth thanks to a diving catch by center fielder Lorenzo Cain on Owen Millers liner.

The Progressive Field crowd booed as Hader came on in the ninth. He overpowered Oscar Mercado, striking him out to start the inning. Then, first baseman Jace Peterson went into foul territory to making a lunging catch for the second out.

Hader ended the no-hitter by getting Straw to flail at a pitch in the dirt. The Brewers stormed the field to share hugs and high-fives with a signature victory in their runaway season.

Juan Nieves pitched the Brewers previous no-hitter on April 15, 1987, at Baltimore.

Arizona rookie Tyler Gilbert had thrown the majors most recent no-hitter on Aug. 14, and the Chicago Cubs threw the only previous combined effort on June 24. The other no-hitters this season were thrown by San Diegos Joe Musgrove (April 9), Carlos Rodn of the Chicago White Sox (April 14), Cincinnatis Wade Miley (May 7), Detroits Spencer Turnbull (May 18) and the Yankees Corey Kluber (May 19).

Most of those gems were thrown before MLB cracked down on the use of sticky foreign substances by pitchers in late June.

The no-hitters by Miley and Rodn both came against the Indians, as did a seven-inning no-hitter by Tampa Bay on July 7 that didnt officially count in the Major League Baseball record book. Arizonas Madison Bumgarner also had a seven-inning no-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader at Atlanta on April 25.

The Brewers completed this bit of history three days after Minnesota rookie Joe Ryan retired the first 19 Indians batters in a 3-0 win at Progressive Field.

Plesac couldnt get his head around being on the wrong side of three no-hitters. Prior to Saturday, Jim Perry was the only starter in baseball history to have his opponent throw a no-hitter three times in a career prior to Saturday

I dont even know if that makes sense to me, Plesac said. Thats insane. I dont know if its me or what.

Plesac allowed three runs, two earned, over six innings.

The Brewers scored twice in the first inning on an RBI double by Christian Yelich and a sacrifice fly from Omar Narvez. Milwaukee made it 3-0 in the second when Rowdy Tellez doubled home Daniel Vogelbach.

Tellez experienced right knee pain while running the bases and left the game.

DUGOUT DANGER

Peterson returned to action after being struck by a foul ball on his left arm Wednesday in the home dugout against Philadelphia. Manager Craig Counsell said Peterson was hit squarely by a line drive off the bat of a Phillies player, but the ball narrowly missed hitting his elbow.

TRAINERS ROOM

Brewers: RHP Brandon Woodruff (flu-like symptoms) will not make his scheduled start Sunday after becoming ill in the team hotel. Counsell said Woodruff has lost some weight from the bug, pushing his next outing to Wednesday at Detroit.

Indians: RHP Shane Bieber (right shoulder strain) threw a bullpen session before the game and will be evaluated Sunday. Acting manager DeMarlo Hale said the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner could begin a rehab assignment as early as Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Brewers: LHP Eric Lauer (5-5, 3.18 ERA) will start on regular rest in the three-game series finale, moving up one spot in the rotation to replace Woodruff. The Northeast Ohio native and Kent State product has never pitched against the Indians.

Indians: RHP Aaron Civale (10-3, 3.25 ERA) makes his second start since spending 77 days on the injured list with a sprained third finger on his right hand. Civale allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings in his return, losing to the Twins on Sept. 7.

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Few periods in history have had a greater impact on humankind than that of ancient Rome. While its influence on western civilization, in particular, has been ubiquitous, its remnants can be found virtually everywhere, from our calendar and political systems to our alphabet. The more-than-1,000-year span of influence that began with the founding of Rome in 753 B.C. has left an indelible mark on the world.

So who exactly left an indelible mark on ancient Rome?

From its inception to its collapse in 476 A.D., ancient Rome had three distinct periods: Regal Rome, (753509 B.C.), when monarchs ruled; Republican Rome (50927 B.C.), when Roman elected its governors; and Imperial Rome (27 B.C.476 A.D.), when a supreme ruler oversaw the empire, and in early years did so alongside the elected senate. Over that time, Rome was ruled by scores of kings, dictators and emperors who expanded it from a small city to an empire spanning nearly 2 million square miles and consisting of, historians estimate, anywhere from 50 to 90 million inhabitants.

These rulers, often as innovative and ingenious as they were brutal and corrupt, spanned the gamutfrom teenagers and impotent leaders barely able to hold court for months to era-defining emperors responsible for molding at least part of the world today as we know it. Here are a few of the most influential.

READ MORE: How Ancient Rome Thrived During Pax Romana

The death of Julius Caesar.

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Technically, as the last ruler of Romes Republican era, Gaius Julius Caesar was never recognized as an emperor. But its impossible to tell the story of Rome (or its eventual transition from a republic to an empire, without mentioning Julius Caesar. Aside from being a successful general, conquering Spain and Gaulfeats that greatly expanded the size, power and wealth of RomeCaesar enacted a number of foundational reforms that would set up the oncoming Roman Empire. As leader of the Roman Republic, Caesar increased the size of the senate to represent more Roman citizens, established the Julian calendar (the 365-day, 12-month calendar still in use worldwide), granted Roman citizenship to all those living under Roman rule and redistributed wealth among the poor. These reforms made Caesar increasingly popular with Romes commoners while alienating him from its elite (and leading to his eventual infamous assassination). After his murder at the hands of dozens of members of the senate, Rome officially transitioned from a democracy to an imperial society.

READ MORE: How Julius Caesar's Assassination Triggered the Fall of the Roman Republic

Gaius Octavius Thurinus

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Gaius Octavius Thurinus,also known as Octavian or Augustus, served as the first official emperor of the Roman Empire, and is often seen by historians as the greatest. The emperor (for whom the month of August is named) introduced the period of peace known as the Pax Romana, which saw the Roman economy, agriculture and arts flourish. During that period of relative peace, Augustus also established a number of reformsincluding tax incentives for families with more than three children and penalties for childless marriagesthat helped the Roman population grow. An aggressive builder, he also oversaw the construction and rehabilitation of many of Romes great temples and the strengthening of its legendary aqueduct system.

READ MORE: 8 Things You May Not Know About Augustus

Tiberius Caesar Augustus

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In ancient Rome, few emperors were better at acquiring land for the empire than Tiberius Caesar Augustus. Romes second emperor owes his place on this list solely due to his military conquests. As an emperor and politician, Tiberius is largely considered to have been uninterested in the job and not shy in showing that disinterest. (Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder called him the gloomiest of men.) When it came to conquering neighboring lands and expanding Romes territory, however, few were better. During his reign, he oversaw one of the greatest military expansions in ancient Romes history, widening the empires boundaries deep into present-day Croatia and Germany.

READ MORE: 8 Ways Roads Helped Rome Rule the Ancient World

Titus Flavius Vespasianus

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After the tyrannical reign of Emperor Nero, Rome found itself in a crisis of instability. So much so that during the 12-month span following Neros death, the empire had four different rulers (known as the Year of the Four Emperors). It wasnt until Titus Flavius Vespasianus ascended the throne that stability and prosperity returned to Rome, setting the nation back on track. During his reign, Vespasian helped reform the financial system and began many ambitious construction projects, most notably the Colosseum. Vespasian was also the first Roman emperor ever to be succeeded by his son. That father-son handoff would lay the groundwork for the Flavian Dynasty, a near three-decade period of fiscal and cultural prosperity.

Emperor Trajan among the soldiers.

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Often in the conversation for greatest Roman emperor by historians, Marcus Ulpius Traianus was the second Roman emperor in the Nerva-Antonine dynasty commonly referred to as Romes Golden Age. Bolstered by one of the greatest military expansions in Roman history, Trajans reign marked the peak of Romes geographic expansion, as it covered nearly 1.7 million kilometers of territory in Europe, Africa and Asia and boasted nearly 57 million people. In addition to his military successes, Trajan also oversaw many ambitious building projects, including the still-standing architectural marvel, Trajans Column. He also expanded Augustus financial aid programs for poor Roman citizens, in turn providing one of the earliest examples in history of a federal welfare program.

READ MORE: How Far Did Ancient Rome Spread

A defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britannia, begun in 122 AD in the reign of the emperor Hadrian, known as Hadrian's Wall.

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Publius Aelius Hadrianus claims a spot as one of Romes most influential emperors for his ability to secure Rome and its borders and the unprecedented engineering prowess he displayed while doing so. He oversaw construction of Hadrians Wall, a 73-mile-long defensive fortmuch of which still stands today and is recognized as a British cultural icon. He also leaves the Pantheon, which revolutionized architecture with its innovative construction of shapes built with concrete.

READ MORE: 10 Innovations That Built Ancient Rome

Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius presided over Rome during one of the civilizations most peaceful periods. That lack of turmoil afforded Pius the opportunity to focus on advancing on the infrastructure successes and civic reforms of his predecessor Hadrian. His greatest contribution to Roman civilization, however, came through the legal system. As the first Roman emperor to adhere to the concept of natural law, Pius instituted a legal system that would serve later as the reference point for many nations developing their own legal systems, including Britain, France and Germany.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

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Known as the emperor-philosopher, emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus produced writings now considered philosophical canon. A fervent adherent of Stoicisma Hellenistic school of philosophy that claimed that becoming a clear and unbiased thinker was key to gaining universal reasonthe emperor (who was famously portrayed in the Oscar-winning Gladiator) is widely regarded as one of historys most essential philosophers. His book Meditationsis largely regarded as a literary masterpiece.

Publius Licinius Valerianus makes the influential list less for what he did than what was done to him. In 260 A.D., after the Battle of Edessa against the Persians, Valerian (a notorious persecutor of Christians) became the first Roman emperor to be taken as a prisoner of war. The unprecedented capture sent shockwaves through the Roman Empire, only to be exacerbated by the fact Valerian was never rescued. The emperor went on to die in captivity under unknown circumstances. Romes inability to rescue its own sovereign would deal a seismic blow to the mystique of power the Romans held over the world. And, many historians believe, it would plant the seed in the minds of foreign nations that the previously unconquerable nation of Rome could indeed be toppled.

Map of Roman empire under Emperor Diocletian rule (AD 284-305).

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On one hand, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus deserves to be remembered for saving Rome from the Crisis of the Third Century, a near 50-year periodmarked by civil war, political instability rebellions and invasionsduring which the empire nearly collapsed. On the other, some historians believe it was his installation of the tetrarchy form of government that might prove his most valuable contribution. Under the tetrarchy, Diocletian mandated that Rome would be ruled by four leaders: an emperor in the west, one in the east (the Augustus emperor) and two junior co-emperors (the Caesars). The tetrarchy didnt last, but it did provide the groundwork for the practice of splitting the Roman empire into eastern and western halves, a move that would prove crucial in extending its lifespan.

READ MORE: 6 Civil Wars That Transformed Ancient Rome

Considered by many to be the last western Roman emperor, Constantine I brought many changes that would irrevocably alter the Roman empire. He was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity and make it the religion of the empire with his Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. Constantine also built Byzantium (later renamed Constantinople), which would become the empires epicenter for the next thousand years and mark the transition into the new epoch known as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine Empire.

READ MORE: 8 Reasons Why Rome Fell

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College football has been a staple of American culture for more than a half-century longer than the NFL. The professional game owes much of its success to the foundation built by the college sport.

A range of college coaches transformed the game on and off the field.From Yale's Walter Camp to Alabama's Nick Saban, here are eight whose innovations or achievements have significantly impacted the sport over the past 15 decades.

INNOVATION: The rulebook

Walter Camp, "The Father of American Football," won three national titles at Yale.

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While still on Yales football team in 1880, Camp submitted a revolutionary series of proposals that took football from chaotic scrum to the countrys signature sport. Camps seminal submissions included a line of scrimmage, a center-quarterback exchange, the concept of downs and the scoring system itself. Pre-Camp, the sports rulesincluding the number of players per sidevaried based on location.

At age 29, Camp took over as Yales coach. His prescient mind for the sport helped the Bulldogs win three national championships in five years. One of them came in 1888, the season Yale outscored its opposition, 694-0, in 13 games. Although Camps coaching career did not last long, the Yale and Stanford leader became known as "The Father of American Football."

READ MORE: Who Invented Football?

INNOVATION: Strategy

Camps rules still left the on-field product light on creativity during the 11-on-11 eras initial decades. Operating with undersized teams at Carlisle (Pennsylvania), Warner unveiled a host of tactics that injected deception into football. The single-wing formation, footballs primary set during the 20th centurys first half, came from Warners Carlisle years.

Using shifts, fakes and the newly legalized forward pass, the agricultural schools football team compiled four one-loss seasons during Warners tenure. He also debuted the three-point stance and shoulder pads, which impacted the game much longer than his formations.

At Carlisle, Warner had a 113-43-8 record, boosted, in part, by multi-sport legend Jim Thorpe. He played for Warner during the coach's second stint at the school. Warner's tenure at Carlisle included upset wins over national powers Army and Harvard.

INNOVATION:Platooning

Before World War II, college football featured strict substitution limits. Once a team subbed a player, he could not return until the ensuing quarter. With the war draining football talent nationwide, an emergency rule allowing unlimited substitutions took effect in 1941. A belated Crisler capitalization on this front eventually reshaped the construction of football depth charts for generations.

Against the Doc Blanchard- and Glenn Davis-powered Army team that won the 1945 national championship, Crislers Michigan team was forced to use several freshman. To maximize his depleted teams chances, Crisler subbed out his linemen and linebackers for fresh bodies on offense and broke with ironman football tradition.

Coaches were asking me, 'What's it all about? What are you up to?' Crisler said in 1964. A few coaches tried platooning that very season, next year Army went to it and practically everybody else followed suit.

Army still won, 28-7, and the college game reverted to substitution restrictions until the 1960s. But Crislers emergency tactics ultimately led to the demise of players playing on both offense and defense during a game.

INNOVATION:No-huddle offense

Bud Wilkinson's Oklahoma teams won 47 games in a row from October 1953 to November 1957.

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The longest win streak in college football's top division belongs to Oklahoma, which had a 47-game run from October 1953 to November 1957. Wilkinsons Sooners established one of the games great dynasties, dominating with a rushing attack and becoming the first team to regularly deploy a 3-4 defense. To wrap up Year 3 of the streak, Oklahoma sprung a midgame surprise that would impact offenses for decades.

Down 6-0 to Maryland at halftime of the Orange Bowl, Oklahoma quickly erased the deficit with two second-half drives. Sooners players sprinted to the line after plays, catching the Terrapins off guard. Wilkinson waited all season to unleash the Sooners Go-Go package, and it made the difference in securing his second national championship.

Oklahoma beat Maryland, 20-6, and claimed its third national title the following season. The no-huddle remains a staple for offenses at all levels, particularly in college, more than 60 years later.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT:Integration trailblazer

In the mid-1960s, Michigan State's Duffy Daugherty recruited Black players and won two national titles.

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Long before other major powers did, Daugherty recruited dozens of Black prospects from southern states and assembled a mid-1960s national powerhouse.Future No. 1 NFL draft pick Bubba Smith, a 6-foot-7 defensive end, and eventual Pro Bowl wide receiver Gene Washington signed with Michigan State out of Texas and became part of the Spartans mini-dynasty.

After Daughertys 1965 squad won a national title, his 1966 team became the first predominantly Black starting lineup to win a championship in college football's top division.Featuring a Black quarterback out of North Carolina, future NFL assistant coach Jimmy Raye, the 1966 Spartans had 12 Black starters and 20 overall. After a season-ending 10-all tie with Notre Dame, Michigan State shared that years championship.

Michigan States success preceded an integrated Southern California team's rout of an all-white Alabama team in 1970, awakening the remaining southern holdouts and launching full integration of the sport during the 1970s.

READ MORE: 10 African American Pioneers in Sports

INNOVATION: Air Raid

LaVell Edwards' passing attacks fueled Brigham Young.

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During a run-heavy football period, BYU provided a reprieve. The Cougars pivot to a high-octane passing attack ignited a dormant program and gradually led to the college games metamorphosis.

Building on Don Coryells concepts from his San Diego State stay, Edwards and his offensive coordinators built a brand that churned out passing titles. Edwards' teams included five first-team All-American quarterbacksincluding Jim McMahon and Steve Young. His teams combined to lead the nation in passing yards nine times from 1976-1994.BYU became the most recent non-major-conference team to win a national title; the Western Athletic Conference-based outfit went 13-0 in 1984.

BYU won in the late '70s and early '80s because nobody could figure out what was going on, Young said in 2012.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: Recruiting speed

University of Miami coach Jimmy Johnson went on to have great success with the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL.

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Taking over a burgeoning Miami dynasty after Howard Schnellenbergers 1984 exit, Johnson prioritized speed even at the expense of the size teams coveted at that point.

Among Johnsons speed-based accomplishments: three straight seasons with a top-five defense nationally (1986-88) and converted linebackers Danny Stubbs and Greg Mark remaining 1-2 in sacks in Hurricanes history.

Johnsons speed merchants were especially adept at stopping teams that used the Wishbone offense, a run-based attack. Miami beat Oklahoma, a Wishbone team, in three straight seasons; the third conquest secured the 1987 national title.

A speed boom ensued, with Florida State following Miamis lead and cranking up the states premier rivalry. Johnson helped transport this blueprint to the NFL, where fast pass rushers are mandatory and speedy linebackers, adept at pass defense, have displaced bulkier run-stoppers.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: Sustained supremacy

Alabama coach Nick Saban's Crimson Tide won the 2020 national title, further burnishing an impressive resume.

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Six national championships in 12 years place Saban-led Alabama on its own tier among modern programs. LSU is the only other team to have won three national titles in the 21st century; Saban is responsible for the first of those (2003).

Saban, an assistant coach under Bill Belichick when he was with the Cleveland Browns, helped the Southeastern Conference maintain its perch as college football's premier football league.

Initially anchored by menacing defenses, four of which led the nation, the Saban-era Crimson Tide have produced dozens of players for the NFL, including many drafted in the first round.

READ MORE: When College Football Stars Played NFL Champs

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8 College Football Coaches Who Changed the Game - History

Seventeen years passed between the dayPastor Paul Johnson was outed to his Lutheran congregation and his first sermon as an openly gay man.

Since age 13, Johnson who would later become the first gay minister in Ames felt a calling to ministry.

Despite being forced to resign from that Lutheran congregation, being outed turned out to be a relief. After years spent living in fear and experiencing suicidal thoughts, Johnson could be his authentic self.By 2008, Johnson stood in front of a congregation again, but this time it was different.

"The biggest difference was that I was able to be honest about who I was and not have that be an impediment and to be accepted," Johnson said. "And that was not possible in (1991)."

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Nearly two decades after he was outed, he married his late husband, David, in May 2009 in front of the same Ames pews and people who'd accepted him at the city's United Church of Christ.

Today, thechuch's third gay minister, the Rev. Eileen Gebbie, serves the congregation.

Discrimination continues for people in the LGBTQ+ community, and religious institutions can posechallenges for the queer people of faith.But in Ames, a rainbow flag on the historic United Church of Christ lets the LGBTQ+ community know that a space for them exists in Ames.

The Ames United Church of Christ is the city's oldest church, Gebbie boasts, getting its start in1865, and 135 years later, it was the first in town to welcome all sexualities.

The UCC denomination has a history of progressiveness in religion, starting in 1972 whenthefirst openly gay minister in a protestant denominationwas ordained inCalifornia.

The church soon founded the UCC Gay Caucuslater called the Open and Affirming Coalition. UCC bodies that welcome all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions are considered open and affirming.

The 1,700 open and affirming churchesrepresent33% of UCC's congregations;29 are in Iowa, according to the coalition.

The Iowa caucus of the United Church of Christvoted to become open and affirming a year ago, Gebbie said.

Divisionover a separate vote in 1985 the "just peace" pronouncement delayed the Ames congregation's joining the coalition.

More: Meet the 4 women who will be inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame this fall

"That vote was so divisive that they did not consider the open and affirming element until 2000," Gebbie said. "So it took 15 years to get to the point where they were going to consider another one of these identity votes."

A unanimous vote in 2000, with some abstentions, madeAmes UCC an open and affirming church, eight years before itsfirst openly gay minister, Johnson, led thecongregation albeit on an interim basis.

"I'm not sure they would've felt comfortable in calling a regular pastor who was gay at that point," Johnson said. "But I think theywere willing to take a chance on an interim minister.

But Johnson's tenure of three years, three months and three weekssurpassed that of a typical interim minister,his enthusiasm bringing a struggling congregation back to life, Gebbiesaid.

The Ames United Church of Christ's congregation looks like others in town, at first glance.The classic brick building with vibrant stained glass windows is exactly what one would expect from the oldest church in Ames.

Nine-year congregant Amy Erica Smith said she hadn't been to a church in a long time before moving to Ames but wanted the church to be a part of her children's lives.

After three months in Ames, she found the United Church of Christ.

"I attended a few churches by thenand hadn't found one that I really liked," Smith said. "The values of the churchwere very much in line with my own valuesintellectual inquiry, honesty, justice, while also having a religious experience that seemed real and important."

Since before Gebbie became the church'sministerin 2015, the building maintained a rotation ofthree different identity signs to complement the seasons, one of which was a pride flag.By2018, Gebbie'd made thedecision to keepthepride flag up full-time.

"The longer I was here, the more I realized the rainbow banner was the one that drew people in and ... it saved their lives," Gebbie said.

A brief absence came after a manstole and burnedit in 2019. Adolfo Martinez, 30, was found guilty of ahate crime, the first to be prosecuted in Story County, and sentenced to more than 16 years in prison.

The news led many to send an influx of vitriol to the church, despite it having no part in the sentencing. Despite theevents, Gebbie said she holds no hate toward Martinez.

Gebbie said at the time that the decision to forgive wasn't hard, and that she wanted to focus instead on"How can we help him in his sufferingand how can we maybe find a bridge between our two understandings of God?"

More from December 2019:Ames pastor chooses forgiveness after LGBTQ flag-burning sentencing and the hate that followed

For Gebbie, it was harder to "come out as Christian" than it was to come out as gay, she said.

Like Johnson, her sexuality and conflicting beliefs with the religion she had experiencedled to a long gap of absence from the church in her adulthood.

Raised in Portland, Gebbie said she was one of few to attend a Christian school in the unchurched belt. Still, she became disillusioned with religion watching the treatment of gay peopleand the handling of the AIDS epidemic.

A dozen years passed and Gebbie found herself failing out of a doctoral program. Speaking with her mother about what shed do next, she said, Well, Ill become a nurse or a pastor. Gebbie said the words came from somewhere other than herself.

(Coming out as Christian) was really embarrassing because its, like, Yes, I am going to side with people who hate me the most. Let me sign up for more of that', she said.

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Gebbie eventually found peace in the conflict between her sexuality and her faith.

There is a difference between the Christian institution and the holiness we have faith in, she said. Soits the human institution that is problematic, as a wholeas all human institutions areand theres the holiness we are gathering around, which is as generous, expansive, loving, merciful as we can imagine.

After realizing ministry was her path and graduating from the Chicago Theological Seminary, Gebbie struggled to find a position, as pastoral positions for both women and members of the LGBTQ+ community can be hard to find.

But once you do, it is likely to be a church that is vivacious, diverse and wide open to becoming what it needs to be for God and for the community, she said.

Johnson has felt that increasing acceptance in his own career in small-town congregations.

More: Pride crosswalks, an effort to 'make all people feel welcome in Ames' get a touch-up

The last congregation he served was the Bethany UCC congregation in Baxter, a town of 1,000, which became an open and affirming congregation just a few months before welcoming Johnson to serve as their minister in August 2018.

Another small-town Iowa congregation refused to interview him in 2011 because of his sexuality but recently changed their stance to acceptance, he said.

I think thats increasing the acceptance in our culture even in small towns in Iowa, Johnson said. I think thats a development thats fairly recent.

All those small changes are really big. They seem small, but to happen in small-town Iowa, for families to be much more accepting of gay people in their families ... they certainly add up to a big distance.

Along with the usual topics, sermons at Ames' United Church of Christ have tackled issues like racial justice, too. And while the church preaches social change, many congregants are part of that change.

The church is one of 35, along with a handful of social service agencies, that participate inAMOS,A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy. Thealliance responds to community needs, from mental health to housing.

The group helped to form the Story County Housing Trust Fund, a source to fundhome rehabilitation, affordable housing projects and rent assistance.

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The church also formed a Social Justice and Outreach Committee, in which Smith serves as chair. The committee aimsto "promote justice in the Ames community," she said.

Last year, the committee decided to raise a Black Lives Matter flag outside the church, which caused a stir inside and outside the church, but Gebbie said signs like these hold the church accountable.

"Pushing for justice when the community isn't ready for it, it's hard; it takes courage," Smithsaid."Sometimes, it seems like it can lead to backlash, and sometimes it seems like maybe the smart thing to do is to wait."

Danielle Gehr is a politics and government reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached by email at dgehr@gannett.com, phone at (515) 663-6925or on Twitter at @Dani_Gehr.

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From the city's first gay minister to flying pride, BLM flags, Ames' oldest church has a history of open-mindedness - Ames Tribune

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum opened in May of 2014, to remember, reflect and honor those lost in the attacks on both September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993 the first attack on the World Trade Center.

Today, the museum and eight acre memorial acts as a beacon of sorts, welcoming visitors from across the globe with a mission to commemorate, educate and inspire. And now, 20 years after the destruction of the Twin Towers, the museum is also looking to the next generation.

"We're in the middle of a transition from memory to history," Alice Greenwald, National September 11 Memorial and Museum President and CEO told Yahoo Finance in an interview.

"There's an entire generation of people, 25 years and younger, kids, who were maybe too young to remember the events or born after 9/11, for whom this is history, history to be learned," she explained. "So while our mission remains the same, our focus is evolving to be more responsive to this next generation."

One of those people is Amanda Carithers of San Diego, who was in her 9th grade English class on 9/11/2001. She felt it was crucial to visit the memorial and museum on her first visit to New York.

"We thought this was pertinent and it's a part of our nation's history, to actually come to see it," she told Yahoo Finance. "It's indescribable."

Dayna Hias of Santa Rosa California also felt compelled to visit the site. She was 11 years old on that fateful day.

"I remember sitting in class watching it, and it's just always been something that's really stuck out to me...my first thing in history that I've actually experienced, so this has been something on my bucket list that I've wanted to do...coming here was really important to me," she added.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum launches the Never Forget Ticket for the 20th anniversary. (Courtesy: 9/11 Memorial & Museum)

For those who cannot travel to New York, the museum aims to reach the younger generation through its webinar Anniversary in The Schools each year. It runs 30 minutes, and includes individuals who lived through 9/11.

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That includes family members of victims, people who evacuated the buildings and survived, first responders, people who worked on the recovery, and people who were rescued that day.

"The power of the first person narrative of people sharing their personal story resonates with children," Greenwald said. However, this year the museum is hoping to reach an even younger level as those individuals becomes older.

"The number of the people featured in this year's webinar were kids themselves on 9/11, so they're now in their late 20s, early 30s, but the stories they tell are the stories of their own experience of that day," Greenwald added.

This includes a young man's account of September 11th, 2001, who was in fifth grade at the Emma Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, where President George W. Bush was reading a book to the students when he first received word of the attacks.

To honor the 20th anniversary and this new additional focus to reach young people, the museum launched the Never Forget Fund, including the Never Forget ticket, which is being sold for a $50 donation.

The ticket itself is a permanent metal keepsake handcrafted by Pennsylvania-based Wendell August Forge. The company, known for its made in America producers, aims to employ former first responders.

"It's literally is a memento that you can buy. It's this lovely, beautifully designed piece of metal that has been hand wrought, hand pounded. It's something you can place on your desk, or your mantel, or your bookshelf as a remembrance of the 20th anniversary," Greenwald explained.

The ticket itself comes with a QR Code, but also serves a year-long ticket to the museum with the hope it'll be passed along.

"We're encouraging people, give it to that teenager in your house, give it to that college student," she added.

A regular ticket costs $26. And despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which slashing daily visits from 8,000 people per a day to just 4,000 Greenwald is determined to keep prices the same.

"We also have free hours every week. So that people who can't otherwise afford to come, they can come during those hours...we do try to make ourselves as available as possible," Greenwald added.

The eight-acre memorial remains free to the public all-year old, along with the twin reflecting pools that list the 2,977 people lost on that day.

Brooke DiPalma is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com.

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As 9/11 moves from 'memory to history,' memorial acts as beacon for future generations - Yahoo Finance

Sleepypod makes products that help furry family members travel comfortably. When the company decided to start testing its safety harnesses, there were no animal crash-test dummies, so it designed its own, starting with Max 1, a terrier-sized stand-in. The vinyl and foam dummies are weighted with pennies or lead and can house load sensors and cameras. Sleepypod now has seven crash pets, including big Duke, Max, a cat named Cleo, and Scout, a reclining mid-size dog. A new and improved Scout will soon join the pack.

Max Mini

Little six-pound Max was designed to test safety for small dogs in pet carriers, although here we have him in a harness to keep Duke company.

Duke 1.0

Weighing in at 75 pounds, big dog Duke bravely takes hits to protect his real-dog brothers and sisters. His crash-test-inspired design is purposeful. "Not only can we weight him realistically and place sensors," says Sleepypod designer Michael Leung, "but when tests are done with fluffy stuffed animals, it looks too real, and people get upset watching the videos."

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A Brief History of Keeping Dogs Safe in Cars - Car and Driver

Bagpipes playing America the Beautiful signaled the start of the Bakersfield Fire Departments morning ceremony at BFD Station 15 honoring and remembering the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

People arrived Saturday to a more than 100-foot flag hanging from a fire truck and several law enforcement vehicles blocking some lanes along Buena Vista Road in front of the fire station.

About 50 law enforcement officials, clad in dark uniforms, marched down the aisle.

After raising the flag at half-staff, police service technician Alejandra Balandran sang the national anthem. As she belted out the last note, two F-15 planes flew overhead. Cheers filled the air.

Aaron Rothkopf, a teacher and professor at Bakersfield College, arrived at Saturdays ceremony to honor the anniversary of his friends death: Lisa Frost was aboard Flight 175, which hit the World Trade Centers south tower; flight attendant Betty Ong on Flight 11, which crashed in Pennsylvania; and Jill Maurer-Campbell, an administrative assistant in the south tower.

Rothkopf said the presence of the large crowd leaves a powerful impact. Many people there were too young to recall 9/11, he said.

It means a lot of their memory is always remembered, Rothkopf said.

Bakersfield Fire Battalion Chief Jim Cherry preceded the remarks with an invocation. Codi Adams, captain with the Bakersfield Fire Department, asked the audience for a moment of silence to remember California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Merrik, who died from COVID-19 complications Friday.

Speaker Steve Gage, an incident commander who was sent to serve at the Pentagon, said his team was called upon to travel to the Pentagon for recovery and debris removal. He experienced three emotions that day; he felt humbled to serve, prideful no team member shirked their duty, and fearful Americans would forget that day.

Retired BFD firefighter Pat Caproli recalled the uncertainty plaguing everyone on that trip to the Pentagon. Was an attack on the West Coast next, he wondered? Smoke greeted Caproli at the Pentagon on Sept. 13, the building on fire two days after the attack.

Caproli said tight bonds among the firefighters draw a connection between all fire personnel, regardless of their assignment in the country. The attacks felt personal to him, he added. Saturdays ceremony provides him healing.

Speakers Kern County Undersheriff Doug Jauch and Kern County Fire Chief Aaron Duncan advised the younger generation in the audience to always honor the memory of 9/11.

Bakersfield Assistant Police Chief Mike Hale said residents can learn from first responders, whose occupation revolves around making the right decisions. He wondered how the attacks impact would change law enforcement agencies in Bakersfield.

The last speaker, Bakersfield Fire Chief Anthony Galagaza, said all first responders make a promise to protect the innocent. He wanted everyone to make a promise to never forget the significance of the terrorist attacks.

No one here in uniform views himself as a hero, Galagaza said. Firefighters will continue to run into burning buildings, and they continue to risk their lives if need be to save a life. Its their job.

Community members must shed their political affiliations and simply remember 9/11 because the date will unequivocally be remembered by history, he added.

(It is) a history that lives inside us and reminds us that the community and country ... should be united, Galagaza said. Not just in times of crisis, but at all times.

Bakersfield Fire Capt. Tim Ortiz played the bagpipes at the ceremony and recalls waking up Galagaza when he heard about the attacks. They watched the tower fall together and Ortiz immediately sought his wife's comfort.

Ortiz also helped organize Saturdays ceremony and started the process one year ago, after the 19th anniversary of 9/11. Ortiz said it struck his heart to see a large turnout of children and teens all gathered.

We really wanted to make sure that we did something special here in Bakersfield, Ortiz said. We want to make sure the city of Bakersfield and Kern County did not forget.

A bell tolled three times at the ceremonys conclusion, significant in firefighter history. The instrument warns firefighters of an emergency or signals the beginning of a shift, Adams said. When the bell rang for 343 firefighters, at 8:26 a.m. Sept. 11, that call to service was their last, he added.

Silence followed. Everyone remained still, remembering.

Pastor Jim Ranger sang God Bless America to the crowd. To pay their respects afterward, people placed carnations and touched the 6-ton I-beam from the underground parking structure at the World Trade Center.

Former Bakersfield City Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan said she remembers her daughter telling her to turn on the television and seeing the wall-to-wall coverage Sept. 11. She urges residents to remember days post-9/11 and the surging unity. Sullivan served on the City Council for 25 years, the longest such tenure in Bakersfield's history and beamed with pride over efforts to create Saturdays ceremony.

"We are one country," Sullivan said. "Just be proud to be American."

You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. Follow her on Twitter: @idesai98.

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'A history that lives inside us': Speakers urge 9/11 remembrance on 20th anniversary of attacks - The Bakersfield Californian

The trouble with water, Giulio Boccaletti reminds us in his sweeping Water: A Biography, is that it moves. Rivers flood; rain clouds drift away; oceans rise. When human beings lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers, we adapted by migrating toward dry ground or fresh sources of water. But once we settled into permanent farming communities some 10,000 years ago, our options narrowed and our relationship with water became more fraught.

Since we could no longer sidestep floods and droughts, we compensated with technology, building canals and dams to channel water toward where it was needed and away from where it could do harm. But marshaling such infrastructure entailed considerable labor, which had to be apportioned and coordinated. And so even as we remade the landscape, water helped shape civilization. The central argument of this book, Mr. Boccaletti writes, is that humanitys attempts to organize society while surrounded by moving water led people to create institutions, which tied individuals together in mutual dependence. Despite all the infrastructure, he maintains, the essence of our relationship with water has always been not technological, but political.

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Water Review: The Ebb and Flow of History - The Wall Street Journal