Died

Patrick Kavanaugh, conductor, composer, author, and co-founder of a Christian performing arts organization, died on April 2 after suffering a heart attack. He was 63. Kavanaugh, a longtime advocate for Christian outreach in the world of classical arts, co-founded the Christian Performing Artists’ Fellowship (CPAF), a group that has performed concerts around the world and fostered relationships among Christians working in the realms of classical music, dance, opera, and theater. CPAF runs the annual MasterWorks Festival, a four-week summer gathering where students learn from dozens of Christian professionals working in classical arts. Kavanaugh retired as director of the festival in 2016 but remained active in music. In March, he conducted the New Mexico Philharmonic in performances of Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven.

Attacked

Nasim Najafi Aghdam shot and wounded three people at YouTube headquarters before killing herself, police report. Aghdam’s brother said he warned the police she might do something after she left home for YouTube headquarters, refusing to answer his phone calls. Aghdam had posted a video on her website earlier accusing the company of unfairly restricting her content. These restrictions, she said, kept viewers from her channels and cost her money. But when Mountain View, Calif., police found and interviewed her, she seemed calm and they let her go. She attacked soon after. Police are continuing the investigation into the content of her videos and her motives.

Arrested

Authorities have arrested John Schooley, the designer of the Kansas waterslide where a 10-year-old boy died. Schooley will face charges including second-degree murder and aggravated endangerment of a child in the death of Caleb Schwab, who was decapitated in 2016 while riding the Verruckt slide at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark. Authorities say the Schlitterbahn park withheld and altered evidence and ignored safety regulations. The indictment states that Verruckt’s design “violated nearly all aspects of the long-standing industry safety standards.”

Upheld

An Air Force colonel who was disciplined after his refusal to sign a “certificate of appreciation” for a same-sex spouse has been granted his appeal. A retiring master sergeant in his unit asked Col. Leland Bohannon to sign the certificate. Bohannon thought signing would constitute an endorsement of the marriage, violating his religious beliefs, so he said no. The sergeant filed an Equal Opportunity complaint, and Bohannon lost command of the Air Force Inspection Agency and was dropped from consideration for a promotion. However, after members of Congress intervened, the secretary of the Air Force wrote a letter affirming Bohannon’s right to refuse to sign the certificate due to religious considerations. Instead, a major general signed the paper.

Died

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the second wife of Nelson Mandela and a leader in the South African anti-apartheid movement, died on April 2 at age 81. She married Nelson Mandela in 1958 and became a “banned” person after he was jailed in 1964. Five years later, during a crackdown, she was imprisoned for 17 months, tortured, and confined in solitary. This experience, she wrote, taught her hate. After a riot in her township, Madikizela-Mandela was banished and spent years away from Johannesburg. When she returned, Madikizela-Mandela became an anti-apartheid leader and a radical. She was convicted of ordering the kidnapping and murder of four teenagers and called for the deaths of traitors. When Nelson Mandela was freed and elected president, he separated from her.