Died

Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust center announced the July 2 death of Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel at age 87. Born in Romania in 1928, the Jewish Wiesel was a teenager when the Nazis sent him to Auschwitz-Birkenau and Buchenwald until liberated by U.S. forces in April of 1945. Wiesel went on to work for newspapers in France, Israel, and the United States; write 57 books; and become an activist. Night, based on his experiences at the death camps, has sold more than 6 million copies and been translated into 30 languages.

Killed

A 23-year-old Baltimore rapper died in an ambush June 25, an hour after hosting a charity basketball game to “pray for peace in the streets.” In what police say was likely a targeted killing, an unidentified man gunned down Tyriece “Lor Scoota” Watson at a busy intersection in broad daylight. Watson rapped about the streets and drugs, but he engaged the inner city and its kids, advocating nonviolence after the death of Freddie Gray. His family said he was likely targeted because he was making something of himself and trying to escape Baltimore streets.

Proposed

The Russian legislature on June 29 passed a bill to ban evangelizing. If signed by President Vladimir Putin, the law would prohibit people from sharing their faith inside their own homes. With a permit, people could evangelize at religious sites like churches—but not online or anywhere else. Since 2012, the Russian government has quietly driven out many foreign missionaries and organizations.

Lost

Trinity Western University promised to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada June 29 after the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that an accrediting body can refuse to recognize its graduates. The Law Society of Upper Canada in 2014 refused to recognize Trinity’s proposed law school, the nation’s first Christian law school, because of its marriage views and conduct standards. Trinity also has appeals pending in Nova Scotia and British Columbia. The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of Trinity in 2001 in a similar battle over its teacher education program.

Opening

Ark Encounter, a theme park in Grant County, Ky., that features a life-size replica of Noah’s Ark, was scheduled to open to the public on July 7. In addition to the 200,000-square-foot ark, the $100 million park includes a 4,000-car parking lot, a 2,100-seat restaurant, a gift shop, and a petting zoo.

Died

Legendary women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt died June 28. She was 64. Summitt began coaching in 1974 at age 22 and never left the University of Tennessee. When early-onset Alzheimer’s disease forced her to retire in 2012, Summitt had won 1,098 college games, with eight NCAA titles and an Olympic gold medal. Summitt is a member of the Women’s and Naismith basketball halls of fame.