Who was Patrick Lyoya?

Plus, how one mother became engulfed in COVID conspiracies. [View this email online]( [Best of NPR]( April 24, 2022 This week, we recount family and friends’ memories of Patrick Lyoya and look at the real impact of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ actions toward Disney. Plus, one family presents an urgent warning about conspiracy theories. --------------------------------------------------------------- Scott’s weekly weigh-in Alexey Furman/Getty Images A good weekend to you. The vow “never again” was made following the Holocaust. There was a feeling that much of the world had denounced, but did not try to stop, Nazi policies of extermination and destruction. It was therefore especially poignant to learn of the death of Vanda Semyonovna Obiedkova, [a 91-year-old survivor of the Holocaust]( in Mariupol — the same week that the world saw satellite images of mass graves dug outside of the city. The fortitude of Ukrainians has reminded me of the courage I saw in the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s. Even as bombs fell, people felt it was important to hear music and see theater. Our colleague Tim Mak has been doing superb reporting from Ukraine and bestowed us with [an inspiring story about the Perron Number Seven Jazz Club in Odesa](. The club’s owner told Tim he asked his audience, “'Do we feel fear right now? Are we scared?' And people said, ‘No. We are not.’” I think there is [no better person to hear during these times than Anne Applebaum]( the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and writer, who has warned the world about the rise of authoritarianism. She has written a new and timely introduction to [Hannah Arendt’s classic]( The Origins of Totalitarianism, which has much resonance for our times today. And a video that made me grin this week: Indianapolis police answered a call about a fire at an apartment building. A woman and her two children were trapped in a second-floor apartment. [They coached her]( into carefully throwing her children out of the window and into their arms — and then herself. It’s wonderful to see them safely caught, and [hear giggles]( as officers tell the children, “You looked like Spiderman!” They sure do. [Scott Simon]( Scott Simon is one of NPR's most renowned news anchors. He is the host of [Weekend Edition Saturday]( and one of the hosts of the morning news podcast Up First. Be sure to listen to him every Saturday on your local NPR station, and follow him [on Twitter](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Stories you might have missed Mustafa Hussain/AFP via Getty Images Patrick Lyoya fled Congo to escape persecution. A police killing cut short his hope for a better life. Harrowing video footage showed a Michigan police officer shooting the 26-year-old Black man in the back of the head as he lay facedown on the ground, following a struggle during a traffic stop. The case almost immediately spawned protests, and represented, to many, the wide gulf that remains in achieving racial justice. But to those who knew Lyoya, he is not a symbol. He was a son, brother, father — a person of faith who seemed to have finally found a safe haven in Grand Rapids after a [childhood inextricably shaped by war.]( Ron DeSantis wanted to punish Disney — but repealing its special status may hurt local taxpayers instead. The governor of Florida signed a bill into law on Friday that revokes Disney World’s “independent special district,” an act of retaliation for the company’s public censure of a law critics called “Don’t Say Gay.” There’s one hitch, though: The repeal could put local governments on the hook for about $1 billion in Disney’s bond debts. [And that would mean higher taxes.]( Schools are struggling to hire special ed teachers. Hawaii opened its pocketbook. This school year, 48 states reported shortages of special education teachers — an issue so drastic that some states have been forced to rely on teachers without the appropriate licenses to help the highest-need students. So, Hawaii began offering special educators $10,000 more a year, leading to a drop in vacancies. Some say, however, that higher pay is [only one piece of the puzzle.]( A battle is brewing over the CDC’s powers — and the mask decision may just be the tip of the iceberg. A federal judge’s ruling striking down the transportation mask mandate this past week, which the Justice Department is now appealing, came as a startling rebuke to many. The agency has flexed its regulatory powers to issue sweeping orders affecting travel, housing and migration during the pandemic. But recent challenges to its authority are shortsighted, some law experts say, and could [hamstring the CDC’s efforts to respond to future pandemics.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Your weekend long read Meredith Rizzo/NPR One family watched their mother descend into a dark web of COVID conspiracies. Now, they’re warning others. Stephanie was once practical about her health: She got regular checkups and was a big believer in vaccines. “She made sure I took the flu shots, we took the shingles shot,” her husband recalled. “I mean, I was like a pincushion.” Then something changed. She began sending her family a slew of strange videos with far-fetched conspiracy theories. When the pandemic hit, the grip of COVID misinformation wound tighter. [Her family says it ended up killing her.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- From our member station [STATION]( Katie Anastas/Alaska Public Media This Alaskan spelling bee has a goal beyond just correct spelling: preserving Indigenous language. The Yup’ik and Iñupiaq spelling bees at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage allow students to practice reading and writing a language they might only speak or hear. “I’m a bit shocked,” said seventh-grader Alayna Canoe, who won this year’s Yup’ik bee. There’s one word she found particularly difficult: cuukiiq. It means sock. [“I just forgot one u,” she said.]( — Alaska Public Media, Anchorage. --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? 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