Human Race

Retired

Gen. David Petraeus, 58, retired Aug. 31 from the Army after a 37-year career underscored by his effective counterinsurgency strategies commanding U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. His military departure came just days before his installation as the 20th director of the CIA, an appointment resulting from a national security leadership shakeup in June. In his farewell speech, Petraeus warned against budget cuts that could jeopardize the U.S. military's ability "to maintain the full-spectrum capability that we have developed over this last decade."

Kidnapped

Armed men kidnapped Shahbaz Taseer, 27, the son of former Pakistani Gov. Salman Taseer, who was shot to death in January by a bodyguard after he publicly opposed the country's blasphemy statute. Since then, the Taseer family has faced continual threats from extremist groups. No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

Reinstated

A Florida school district reinstated history teacher Jerry Buell after the board had suspended him for comments he made on his personal Facebook page criticizing New York's decision to legalize same-sex marriage. Although school officials initially thought Buell's Facebook post may have violated the district's ethics policy, they now say they are investigating whether the 22-year veteran teacher violated the separation of church and state by making statements about his faith on his school web page and syllabus.

Nominated

President Obama nominated labor specialist Alan Krueger, 50, to head his Council of Economic Advisers. Krueger, a Princeton University economist who previously served in the Treasury Department, helped develop the Cash for Clunkers program.

Sentenced

Jessica Beagley, the Alaska mom who sparked worldwide outrage and a criminal trial after she appeared on Dr. Phil where film clips showed her punishing her son by squirting hot sauce into his mouth and putting him in a cold shower, received three years of probation after a jury convicted her of misdemeanor child abuse. Prosecutors had alleged Beagley, 36, used the punishments as a ploy to get on TV, but defense attorneys countered that she turned to the show for help with the adopted boy, 7, who suffered from Reactive Attachment Disorder.

Died

Dmitri Royster, a Southern Baptist from Texas who became archbishop of the South for the Orthodox Church in America, died Aug. 28 in Dallas at age 87. In World War II Royster served with Gen. Douglas MacArthur interrogating Japanese POWs. In addition to Japanese, he learned Greek, Spanish, and later Russian. After becoming archbishop in 1970 his diocese, which covered 14 states, grew from 12 parishes to 70 in 30 years-mirroring nationwide interest in the Orthodox church.