Karlee Burdette straightened her many chords and sashes as she approached the lectern to speak at Thursday s Crescent High School graduation ceremony in Iva. The valedictorian looked to her left, to spy more than 30 Anderson County Sheriff’s Deputies monitoring her every move.“To know they’re here to support me and watch me give this ridiculous speech on stage? It means a lot,” she told WYFF News Four.The men and women in blue have stood by her side since she was 1 year old. That’s the year her father, Deputy Alex Burdette, died in the line of duty while directing traffic.“There’s nowhere else I’d want to be today,” Lt. Rusty Scogins, one of Burdette’s co-workers and closest friends, said. “She’s very humble. Her dad was a great police officer and he was very humble. He took everything so seriously. Everything, every day.” His baby girl takes things seriously, too. Karlee was so determined to be named valedictorian of Crescent High’s Class of 2021, sh
United Way of Southeastern Michigan aims to sign 20,000 people up for the 21-day Equity Challenge
The 21-day Equity Challenge aims to expand knowledge, understanding of the historic and persistent inequities
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REDFORD, Mich. – United Way is working toward building a better tomorrow and we can all be involved.
The 21-day challenge aims to raise awareness about diversity, equity and inclusion. They can be difficult conversations, but educating yourself on the topics is crucial for a better world. That’s why the United Way of Southeastern Michigan is giving and opportunity to do that for free.
“The time commitment is only about 15 minutes a day,” said Tonya Adair. “If you sign up, you’ll receive an email every day that’s focused on a different topic. It may be on racial inequities, it may be on social identity.”
A lawsuit has been filed against the Cherokee County Sheriff s Office claiming excessive use of force and police brutality. Yet in a show of solidarity, church and community leaders, including the Cherokee County NAACP, came out Monday in support of the sheriff s office. The case involves a traffic stop that took place on April 10. The report shows a deputy tried to pull over Shaquita Holmes after noticing her headlight was out. The deputy stated she led him on a chase that ended when she ran into a utility pole, and she got out of her car and ran away.Those who have seen the body camera videotape of the incident say it shows the officer giving multiple warnings, before releasing his K-9 officer, a Belgian Malinois named Tuco, to stop Holmes, who had also dropped a suspicious package. They say the video shows the dog held onto her for five seconds and then released, when she then ran away again. The dog stopped her a second time, holding her for four seconds when she was then ta