Severe thunderstorms bombarded the Phoenix area Thursday night, knocking out power for more than 30,000 homes and businesses in Arizona while threatening flash flooding and dust storm conditions.

The northwestern portion of Maricopa County – home to the state’s most populous city of Phoenix – was under a dust storm warning late Thursday. The Phoenix area is also under severe thunderstorm warnings.

9:30 PM MST Radar Update: Strong thunderstorms will continue to track north-northwestward. Expect gusty winds, blowing dust, heavy rainfall, and frequent lightning along their path. A Flood Advisory is now in effect for N Pinal into central Maricopa County. #azwx pic.twitter.com/VHFubrc4Mr

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) September 1, 2023

“Thunderstorm activity has dispersed over much of Maricopa County. Additional development remains possible at this time,” the National Weather Service in Phoenix said in a social media post late Thursday.

The storms led to the delay of the second half of the Sun Devil Football game at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, the team said on social media.

“Lightning strikes continue within 8 miles. Currently at least 45 minutes before we can get players on the field or allow fans back in the stands,” the team posted on social media Thursday evening.

But it wasn’t until about two hours later when the team said players were warming up and would resume the game shortly.

Videos on social media show dust spinning in the sky and causing an orange-tinted haze in the air.

Earlier, forecasters warned that strong thunderstorms would bring gusty winds, blowing dust, heavy rainfall and frequent lightning.

In addition to the dust storm conditions, a flash flood warning has also been issued for Maricopa County, where dangerous flooding is possible in cities, highways and streets.

Maricopa County accounted for more than 27,000 power outages, PowerOutage.us data showed early Friday morning.

Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix reported winds of 47 mph, with gusts up to 71 mph. Winds of this level can produce dense, blowing dust, which can plummet visibility down to as low as a quarter of a mile and create life-threatening travel conditions.

As many communities along Florida’s west coast face oppressive heat Friday without air conditioning or electricity, crews are racing to restore power to tens of thousands in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia.

Idalia inflicted record storm surge and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands after making landfall Wednesday morning as a powerful Category 3 storm, the strongest to touch down in Florida’s coastal Big Bend region in more than a century.

As of around 6 a.m. Friday, nearly 95,000 homes and businesses across several counties reported power outages, according to PowerOutages.us. But officials say turning the lights back on is the top priority after the hurricane damaged thousands of homes, and made many roads impassable due to severe flooding and debris as well as downed trees and power lines.

“The bulk of the outages at this point are in that Big Bend region – a lot of the rural counties that bore the brunt of the storm,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday during a news conference. “And so that is priority number one to start getting those reconnected.”

The pressing need for power restoration comes as temperatures across the Big Bend region – the area between the panhandle and peninsula – are expected to continue seeing heat that can feel as high as 95 degrees Friday. Some areas also don’t have clean running water.

Additionally, parts of the Big Bend region could see up to 3 inches of rain Friday into Saturday, which could impede recovery efforts as those areas are already waterlogged from Idalia.

Shonteria Hills found herself with few options when she tried to cool off at her local library in Monticello – a small city roughly 30 miles east of Tallahassee – but couldn’t because it was also in the dark.

Deanne Criswell, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Thursday the biggest concern currently is power restoration, noting that mutual aid resources have been deployed and the US Army Corps of Engineers is on standby to assist.

Making matters even more challenging is that the rain and humidity that arrived after Idalia barreled through caused temperatures to feel like they were well above 100 degrees Thursday.

The destruction Idalia left behind in Florida was not as severe as it could have been. Still, the ferocious storm flooded thousands of homes while ripping off roofs and dumping waist-deep water amounts onto many roads. As it weakened to a tropical storm, it also lashed the Carolinas with intense flooding and whipped up fierce winds in southern Georgia.

Residents express relief as cleanup begins

As of late Thursday, the exact death toll from Idalia and the full extent of damage in Florida were unclear.

After DeSantis and Criswell toured the hard-hit communities of Cedar Key, Horseshoe Beach and Steinhatchee along the west coast in the Big Bend region on Thursday, they said they’d witnessed significant flood damage.

Anthony Altman, the businesses owner of EXPLORIDA, an ecotourism company that offers manatee and scalloping tours, said the impact to his property could have been worse had he not prepared to evacuate ahead of the storm.

Altman said he rented a truck and moved his merchandise out of his business in Crystal River before Idalia made landfall, which he said helped minimize damage. Altman and his employees have begun the cleanup, and they’re hoping to reopen soon.

“We got about 22 employees that are with us and that’s 22 families and all local, so we want to get open for them,” Altman said.

“Look at what is positive about it all. I mean, our house is still standing. Some are not,” Greenwood said, noting there was no loss of life in her community.

But deaths have been reported elsewhere. Two men were killed in separate, weather-related crashes Wednesday morning as Idalia barreled across Florida, Sgt. Steve Gaskins of the state’s highway patrol said.

Officials praise residents obeying evacuation warnings

The human impact could have been much worse, according to some experts who credited both the accurate forecast and people’s decisions to follow evacuation warnings.

“It seems that people have heeded that call, and we’re grateful for that,” said Kevin Guthrie, who heads the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

The governor echoed Guthrie’s stance: “I think those officials in those really hard-hit counties … did a good job. I think citizens responded very appropriately,” DeSantis said Thursday.

DeSantis also credited the accuracy of Idalia’s forecast.

The National Hurricane Center issued its first Idalia forecast last Saturday – back when the storm was near Cozumel, Mexico – and projected a US landfall within 10 miles of where it actually struck five days later, near Keaton Beach, Florida. And by then, at least 28 Florida counties had issued evacuation orders.

“These forecasts were pretty doggone accurate, particularly compared to what happened with Hurricane Ian – where we went in a matter of 48 hours to potentially having a Big Bend impact, then all of a sudden migrating all the way down to southwest Florida,” DeSantis said Thursday.

The low death toll was “probably something that most people would not have bet on, four or five days ago, knowing how strong the storm was going to get,” DeSantis said. “So, my hat’s off to the people on the ground there who did a good job.”

With untouched and natural rugged scenery, forested with pristine bays on both sides, the Datça peninsula feels a world away from the touristy towns of this popular corner of the Med.

The long and narrow headland, stretching between the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas in southwestern Turkey, is mostly uninhabited and wild, very different from nearby Marmaris and Bodrum.

Strict laws about construction have protected Datça from large-scale tourism projects, leaving its eponymous small port town, located around midway on the peninsula, rooted in the past.

Datça port is the epicenter of local life. Fish restaurants with simple wooden tables and chairs line the waterfront, while little shops selling local goods and modern cafes fill the backstreets that run up and down the hilly residential landscape.

On the slopes, flashes of Aegean blue can be seen from between the orange-roofed white houses overlooking the harbor. The carefree rhythm of daily life is undisturbed by mass tourism.

Beyond the port, nine small villages lie scattered around the peninsula. Routes through their narrow streets lead to one of the main local attractions: the ruins of Knidos, once a Greek city in what was the ancient region of Caria.

Located on Datça’s westernmost tip, the historic site lies at the end of a road that snakes past fragrant pine forests, towering mountains and orchards where the famous prized local almonds are harvested.

In the summer, Turkish tourists flock to the major bays, such as Palamutbükü, with its long pebbly beach, aquamarine sea and rows of small family-owned restaurants.

Locals prefer to spend their days at one of many untouched coves, some of which only they know about.

A 10-minute drive south from downtown, the narrow streets of Datça’s old town, with its historic stone houses, cafes and shops, are almost always crowded. The former summer home of revered Turkish poet, Can Yücel, attracts visitors.

Where to stay

After a stroll down Datça town’s waterfront boardwalk, known as the Sevgi Yolu (Love Path), one of the peninsula’s newest accommodations comes into view, bordered by the ancient ruins of a bathhouse, which was discovered during construction.

A collection of two-storied houses with local stone masonry facades, airy minimal rooms and a restaurant serving contemporary Aegean dishes, Palaia Hotel bills itself as a modern and sustainable interpretation of traditional Datça architecture and culture.

“I’ve been in love with this peninsula since 2000, and when I stumbled on this property, I knew I wanted to create a peaceful place, harmonious with its surroundings,” says Ismet Tekinalp, the owner of Palaia.

“One of the most precious things in Datça is the quality of its air, I wake up every day just breathing in this pure oxygen.

“I think people who come here need to see the ancient ruins of Knidos, explore beautiful coves such as Hayıtbükü, taste the fantastic local Datça almonds and pine honey, and take part in the annual Almond Blossom Festival in February.”

In the middle of Datça’s old town, a collection of traditional stone houses set in a garden serves as a modern boutique hotel. The Ultava Houses have four rooms with high ceilings, small stylish touches and terraces overlooking the lush garden.

Further away from Datça town, in the small village of Cumalı, Gocakapı’s visitors seeking an even quieter escape can stay in traditional stone houses offering the feeling of being at home in the middle of Datça’s mountainous scenery, surrounded by olive groves and almond trees swaying in the breeze

Local flavors

In downtown Datça, shops such as Pehlivan and Datça Köy Ürünleri sell local almonds in every form imaginable. Shelves upon shelves are stocked with packaged nuts, which are sold raw, roasted, blanched, in their shell or as almond butter, flour, marzipan, halva and oil.

At Meşhur Datça Badem Kurabeyicisi, the smell of freshly baked almond cookies fills the street. The glass display has everything from plain almonds to cookies filled with chocolate, green apple and walnuts or topped with raspberries or blackcurrants.

The popular local specialty bal badem, almond brittle with honey, is sold at Kaya Balları, which specializes in local honey, including ones made from pine and almond blossom. Bal badem is a heavenly ingredient in local thick ice cream made from goat’s milk. Tekin Usta, a small shop in Datça’s old town, serves the best.

Located in one of the world’s oldest wine-producing regions, Datça also has a small wine scene worth exploring. Founded in 2011 by the Isleyici family, the Datça Vineyard and Winery offers wine tastings as well as a menu of Italian dishes that pair perfectly with their vintages such as cheese tortellini with sage sauce or pizza with braised lamb.

In the small village of Yaka, about a 30-minute drive west of town, many visitors drive past Yakamengen without a second glance. However, inside this restored small olive mill, locals have created a unique restaurant where dishes are composed mainly of endemic plants, vegetables and seafood.

Just a few steps away and right across the UKKSA (International Knidos Culture and Art Academy) and its sculpture garden, Hestia focuses on dumplings from all around the world. Close by, its sister branch, Hestia Mey, also serves dumplings as well as classic meyhane (Turkish tavern) fare such as stuffed zucchini blossoms and fried and diced liver.

Tango and tranquility

On the western tip of the peninsula and down an undeveloped road that cuts through the peaceful backwoods, Knidia Eco Farm is one of Datça’s best-kept secrets – a place to really delve into nature’s tranquility.

Founded in 2000 by Ali Somer, who left Istanbul’s urban chaos to become a farmer, the 12 acres of farm, vineyard and orchards began hosting guests in its four wooden huts and four stone houses in 2007. Meals are made almost entirely from ingredients grown in the Knidia garden and prepared on a wood fire. The nearby beach at Değirmenbükü is a haven of serenity.

“I think one of the most precious things here is its peacefulness,” says Somer. “The night sky is unadulterated, there are no artificial sounds or lights here, just the sounds of nature and the wind.

“Datça is one of the rare places in Turkey where you can encounter an Aegean landscape that hasn’t been disturbed for centuries.

“The protective laws have worked well here for years, and the rugged landscape has also prevented progression in terms of construction. I hope it will continue like this, that it will continue to be protected, that people will abide by these laws, that things will remain untouched.”

Ayça Boylu who runs the tango school Tango Kairos with her German dancing partner Axel Korf has also sought a more sedate way of life in Datça.

“A lot of people who moved to Datça share the same story,” she says. “They worked very hard and came to a point in their careers where they needed to change things, to slow down.”

With years of national and international experience, Boylu and Korf host classes and events, as well as take part in performances.

“Datça is a peninsula, but it’s more like an island, we’re very isolated and have our own way of life,” says Boylu. “They say, if you’re in a hurry, you shouldn’t be in Datça, because people here are relaxed. You’ll often find shops that are closed because the owner is at the beach, and that’s completely acceptable.”

Feride Yalav-Heckeroth is a freelance writer based between Istanbul and Lake Constance and the author of her own guidebook, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Istanbul. Her writing has been published in Kinfolk, Brownbook, The Travel Almanac, Wallpaper*, Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler.

The National Transportation Safety Board said that it is opening an investigation into a Delta Air Lines flight rocked by turbulence on Tuesday that sent passengers and crew to the hospital.

“The Airbus A350 was en route from Milan, Italy, when flight encountered severe turbulence on approach to its planned destination of Atlanta,” the agency said in a tweet on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday evening.

The NTSB tweet said that a preliminary report on Delta flight 175 would be expected in two to three weeks.

The Federal Aviation Administration says a total of 12 people, one more than initially reported, were hurt in the incident. That agency’s initial report says one member of the flight crew sustained serious injuries. Also, three cabin crew members and eight passengers had minor injuries, it said.

The flight was about 40 miles northeast of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport when the turbulence occurred, and it eventually landed safely, according to the FAA.

In a 2021 report, the NTSB found that “turbulence-related accidents are the most common type of accident involving air carriers.”

Passenger describes Delta flight

Passenger Ayọ Suber described what happened on the plane earlier this week.

The first 10 hours of the flight were fine, she said, but when they got close to Atlanta, the turbulence struck.

A woman sitting in the middle aisle flew out of her seat and the top of her head hit the overhead storage bins, said Suber.

“There was a woman who kept crying and saying she’s scared,” she added.

Suber said passengers were informed by the cockpit that medics would be standing by once the plane landed.

In a video taken by Suber, a crack can be seen on the bottom of a storage bin where a woman hit her head. After the plane landed, medics could be seen taking some passengers off the aircraft on stretchers.

“I felt like this was such a freak incident that I’m not scared to fly,” she said.

Isis Woods had only known Michael Bradford for a few hours when she texted her mother, overcome with excitement.

“Mom, I met my husband,” she typed, phone in one hand and cocktail in another.

“Are you drunk?” Isis’ mother replied.

“Yes,” said Isis. “And I met my husband.”

It was the fall of 2018 and Isis, then 23, was on vacation in Puerto Rico, enjoying what she calls her “first adult trip.”

She was traveling with her best friend, who’d just graduated college. Isis, a student teacher, was almost finished with her studies too, and the two friends decided they deserved a moment to celebrate and explore somewhere new.

They settled on Puerto Rico as a vacation destination because it was easy to fly there from their home in Atlanta, Georgia – but also promised lots to see and do.

The pair arrived on the Caribbean archipelago ready to soak up sunshine at the beach, bar hop and eat good food. The trip got off to a rocky start when their Airbnb turned out to be nothing like the posting, but Isis’ friend saved the day, using her hotel points to book them a last minute stay at the swanky beachfront La Concha Renaissance San Juan Resort.

As Isis surveyed the sandy stretch of Condado Beach in front of the hotel, she felt herself relax into vacation mode.

After unpacking at La Concha, she called her sister to update her on the trip so far, telling her about the accommodation upgrade and filling her in on her first impressions of Puerto Rico.

Her sister mentioned a guy she knew from college was also in San Juan on vacation.

“Is there a festival or something going on there right now?” she asked Isis – it seemed like a coincidence that two people she knew were vacationing in the same place at the same time.

“No, I don’t think so,” said Isis. “I guess we’re just there at the same time.”

Later, getting ready for the evening, Isis started feeling a little nervous about going out in a new place with just her friend for company. She remembered her sister mentioning the guy she knew, and started wondering if maybe they could tag along with him and his friends, at least for the beginning of the evening.

Isis dropped her sister a message, asking if she could pass on the friend’s number “just so we can meet up, feel safe, go out with a group.”

“And so she, quote unquote, slid in his DMs,” recalls Isis. “I don’t know exactly what she said. But she keeps telling me that she’s going to print it on a shirt – just to prove that she’s the one that got us together.”

That college friend of Isis’ sister was, of course, Michael Bradford.

‘Like a movie’

When Michael got the message from Isis’ sister, his attitude was simply, “the more the merrier.” He was on his annual vacation with his best friend and some other close pals.

Michael and Isis’ sister were part of the same extended friend group at college, so he was intrigued to meet Isis. But as numbers were exchanged and plans discussed, nobody considered the idea that a romantic spark could be about to be lit.

Isis quickly glanced over Michael’s Instagram out of curiosity, but she was left less than impressed.

“I was like, ‘This guy looks like a douche – one of those guys who just want to wear short shorts and a tank top and get girls,’” she recalls.

But when Isis phoned Michael to confirm plans, her impression of him shifted.

“When we got on the phone, he seemed like a kind young man,” she says.

On the phone, there was also an “instant” ease between them, as Michael puts it.

“We were both just very, very comfortable with each other,” he says.

They arranged to meet at a San Juan restaurant and have dinner that evening.

The moment Isis walked into the restaurant and Michael saw her for the first time was, he says, “like a movie.” She was wearing a bright blue dress and stood out against her surroundings. He was immediately drawn to her.

“Oh man,” he thought.

Isis and her friend sat down and introductions were made. Isis liked Michael right away, but something about his friends felt off – it turned out that some of them had been doing edibles earlier that evening.

“And so I walk in and I was like, ‘This was a strange group of people that we chose to hang out with.’ I had no idea that they were high, I just thought that they were weird people,” says Isis.

For the first part of the evening, she and her friend were surreptitiously texting back and forth across the table: “These people are weird.”

“Eventually they started to warm up and I guess the high wore off,” says Isis. “But at that point, me and Michael were just really talking.”

Isis and Michael had ended up sitting next to one another and after a while, Isis had stopped paying attention to his friends and their behavior. She was just focused on Michael, and he only had eyes for her.

They bonded over a shared interest of trading, discovering they were both into tracking stocks and shares.

“I remember that was the first really interesting conversation that we had,” says Michael. “And then we started talking about entrepreneurship – and started talking about everything.”

Isis talked about how she loved teaching, but also wanted to inspire people in other ways, and maybe start her own business one day.

“What that told me was, ‘You’re adaptable, you’re accepting of change, you’re accepting of a growth mindset,’” says Michael.

Isis and Michael didn’t stop talking for the rest of the evening. Later that night, Isis fired off her starry-eyed text to her mother. She was swept off her feet, and Michael was equally as smitten.

The two hung out over the rest of their time in Puerto Rico, bringing their friendship groups together each day.

“We ended up going to the Bacardi factory, which is out there, and sightseeing and doing stuff together,” recalls Isis.

Their friends were keenly aware of their growing connection. As the group explored Puerto Rico, Michael’s friends kept offering to take photos of the pair.

“These are for the memories,” they said.

On the last day the group went out to breakfast together and Isis’ friend was direct about it:

“So, how does it feel to have met your husband and wife on a trip?,” she asked, eyebrow raised.

“We’re like, ‘Whoa, please. We’re just having a good time,’” recalls Isis.

Even though Isis was convinced Michael would be part of her future, she was also trying to manage her own expectations. She was heading back to Atlanta, while Michael was flying back to Washington D.C.. They’d have to try and stay in touch across several hundred miles.

As she climbed into her airport taxi, Michael promised to call her as soon as they were both home.

“I remember thinking, ‘Well, you don’t have to, let’s not set an expectation,’” she recalls. “That totally went out the window, in my head, by the time we started talking when we got back home.”

Coming together

Within a month Isis was calling Michael and asking, “Are you going to officially ask me to be your girlfriend?”

Michael wanted that commitment too. Their vacation meeting felt meant to be.

But Isis’ sister was, at first, less convinced.

“She was like, ‘I cannot believe that you would go to Puerto Rico and fall in love with my friend.’ And I was like, ‘Why are you so mad?’” recalls Isis.

“She said that she thought that I was a man eater, which she has no evidence of. But she thought that I was going to hurt him.”

Isis was frustrated by her sister’s reaction at the time, but today, she’s more magnanimous.

“Looking back – again, she’s my sister, so she knows all my relationship history. She knows that I cut people off easily. I didn’t trust men a lot, before Michael.”

Meanwhile Isis’ mother, once she’d confirmed the vacation text wasn’t just a drunken message, was delighted for her daughter.

“It was so funny, I expected my mom to be more worried and my sister to be the one that was over the moon,” says Isis. “My mom was the one over the moon.”

“Just keep going. She’ll come around,” She advised her daughter. And eventually, after a couple of months at loggerheads, the sisters sat down and had a proper conversation about Isis’ relationship.

Isis made clear she was serious about Michael, and her sister gave the relationship her blessing. From then on, she was nothing but supportive.

During all this, Isis and Michael were navigating a long distance relationship. They tried to meet once a month, but it wasn’t easy.

“We were both very much wanting to see each other more than we could,” says Isis.

The couple started talking about moving somewhere new together and settled on Dallas, Texas, where they moved in 2019. The two were excited for this step, but they decided to live separately at first – Isis and Michael wanted to test the waters of being in a new city together before they signed a joint lease.

In March 2020, they were supposed to embark on a return vacation to Puerto Rico. Instead, the pandemic hit, their flights were canceled and the two hunkered down together in Michael’s apartment.

Suddenly living together was a “learning experience” for them both, but overwhelmingly it was “a good thing,” as Michael puts it. As the pandemic receded, the couple were closer than ever.

A surprise engagement

Even before they met, both Isis and Michael knew they wanted to get married one day. And as their relationship developed over the next couple of years, they both knew it was the next step.

But all the same, when Michael proposed, it was the last thing Isis expected.

It was April 2022 and the couple were supposed to be heading to a brunch hosted by one of Michael’s childhood friends.

Isis had just returned from a work trip and wasn’t feeling great. She’d woken up tired, suffering from a migraine and looking to get out of the social commitment.

“I don’t want to go,” she told Michael.

“We can’t cancel,” he said, adamantly.

“You’re ignoring the fact that I have a headache,” said Isis, upset. “You’re choosing this party over my wellbeing.”

Michael, looking panicked, wouldn’t budge, simply saying he’d promised his friend they’d be there.

“And so I walk away. And in my head, I’m like, ‘I don’t know why this is so important to him, but if it’s so important, I’m going to shut up. I’m going to take my Tylenol, and I’m going to go,’” recalls Isis today.

When they arrived she was still none the wiser. She only started to question what was happening when they stepped out of the car to silence.

“This is a very quiet party,” Isis thought.

When the door opened, the house was crowded with the familiar faces of Isis’ loved ones.

“There was a second where I was shocked, and I’m like, ‘Oh, why is my sister here? Why is my mom here?’ And then I break down crying, because then I realized,” says Isis.

Michael had gathered all of Isis’ friends and family there to witness the moment he asked her to spend the rest of their lives together.

“It was a beautiful day,” Isis says.

Isis and Michael were married five months later in October, in Las Vegas. She took his name, becoming Isis Bradford.

The couple started with plans to keep the celebrations small, but in the end over 100 of their friends and family joined them to celebrate.

Their wedding reception was held at the Skyline Terrace Suite at the MGM Grand Hotel.

“It was nice, because we were all dancing with the Vegas skyline behind us,” says Isis.

The destination wedding felt appropriate for the couple who’d met on vacation. Plus, Isis and Michael liked the idea of inspiring other people to take a trip.

“I really enjoy the fact that people came in for us, but stayed for a family vacation, or they stayed for a friend’s get together,” says Isis.

“That was pretty cool,” agrees Michael.

For their honeymoon, Isis and Michael chose a cruise trip that started and ended in Puerto Rico, “where the beginning started for us,” as Michael puts it.

“It was just a little nostalgic,” he says.

Living life as a team

Walking around San Juan, hand-in-hand with Michael, Isis says she felt “very grateful” – especially for the fact that she found “someone doing something that I loved and that he loved.”

“Our common interest is traveling, we love traveling, we love experiencing other cultures,” agrees Michael. “And this is my forever travel buddy now.”

The couple are also united in their commitment to their careers. Today, Isis is an entrepreneur and digital marketing strategist with her own business, while Michael does financial planning and analysis for a technology company.

“Having a wife so creative and innovative generates thought-provoking conversations that allow me to add some color to my black and white view of financial planning,” says Michael.

“I second Michael,” says Isis. “I’m a dreamer and he makes my big ideas become doable.”

The couple believe in “making your own destiny,” both in work, relationships and life more broadly.

“I think that us getting married is kind of just manifesting those dreams and goals,” says Michael.

Isis says she always holds on to the idea, first and foremost, that she and Michael are “on the same team” in whatever they do.

Before they got married, the pair decided to go to premarital counseling, which they describe less as a “why” and more of  a “‘why not’ decision.

Their biggest takeaway from these sessions was that love is a “choice.”

“I choose to love you, you choose to love me,” says Michael. “And each day, we have to reup.”

“Choose each other again and again,” adds Isis.

“I think that just having that mindset was very important. Because that’s how we’re going to continue to grow and learn and love each other,” says Michael.

The mother of beleaguered Spanish soccer chief Luis Rubiales, who was admitted to a hospital in the Spanish town of Motril after a hunger strike, has been discharged, according to various Spanish media outlets.

Ángeles Béjar locked herself in the Divina Pastora church in her hometown of Motril, in southern Spain, on Monday to protest the treatment of her son after he was suspended by FIFA for forcibly kissing Women’s World Cup winner Jennifer Hermoso at the final.

A priest at the church, who identified himself as Father Antonio, told reporters that Béjar had been taken to the hospital on Wednesday after becoming “anguished and dizzy” and complaining about irregularities with her heartbeat.

“I need to tell you that she has had a crisis, she has worsened and they needed to take her urgently to the hospital,” said Father Antonio from outside the church.

“So she’s not here anymore, she had to leave for the hospital because the woman was already tired and had lots of issues already, even some anemic issues so she had to leave.”

He said Luis Rubiales had spoken with his mother before she was taken to the hospital.

“Her son [Luis Rubiales] called her, yes, he has called her and they have been in touch. And among all of them [the family], they decided she needed to go to hospital,” Father Antonio said.

Béjar has previously said her goal was to protest what she called an “inhumane, bloodthirsty hunt” against her son, according to Spanish media reports.

“I don’t think that this man committed a sexual assault like they’re saying. That seems too strong to me,” the friend said.

Mounting pressure

Spain defeated England at the World Cup final earlier this month but the team’s triumph has been overshadowed by the row surrounding Rubiales and significant anger from the women’s team against his leadership.

Rubiales has admitted that he made a mistake kissing Hermoso but has claimed the act was consensual. Hermoso has insisted that she did not give her permission to be kissed and felt violated by Rubiales’ actions.

Rubiales was suspended by FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, over the weekend. Under the terms of the suspension, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) has appointed an interim president to replace Rubiales during the 90 days he’s banned from participating in all football-related activities.

On Monday, all 19 regional presidents of the soccer federation called for Rubiales to resign while offering unanimous support for interim president Pedro Rocha.

The pressure on Rubiales to step down from his position as RFEF president has only intensified since he dramatically refused to do so during a speech at the federation’s Extraordinary General Assembly on Friday, vowing to “fight to the end.”

Spanish prosecutors are considering whether to press sexual aggression charges against Rubiales.

He also faces continued criticism from players, politicians, union officials and even the United Nations, with protesters taking to the streets in Madrid on Monday to escalate calls for his resignation.

Perched on a hill, surrounded by tall razor wire fences, the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility is the only maximum-security women’s prison in the state of New York. Recently, more than 100 inmates gathered in person and online at four other facilities to hear from Susan Burton, an author who had done time behind bars herself.

“For 20 years, I cycled in and out of prison just hoping and wishing to find my way,” Burton told the women. “I hope my story will help you realize there are no throw-away people – that your life matters.”

Life had never been easy for Burton, but the accidental death of her 5-year-old son nearly crushed her. She fell into addiction and ended up going to prison; without support, when she was released, she fell into her old ways and ended up going back.

Six times.

“It was like I was in a revolving door of incarceration. I would walk out the gates and I would end up going back to prison. Over and over again,” she said. “Finally, I found help. And that led me to a different path.”

For 25 years, Burton has dedicated herself to helping formerly incarcerated women in south Los Angeles avoid that revolving door. Through her nonprofit, A New Way of Life Reentry Project, she provides them with housing and a host of resources. Since 1998, she has helped more than 1,000 women rebuild their lives.

Sharing her story

“It added this level of legitimacy and integrity that I had been working so hard to accomplish,” she said. “And all of a sudden, I was able to get real support to expand the work. And we went from four homes to 12 homes.”

In 2017, she published her autobiography, Becoming Ms. Burton, which became a bestseller. But as she did book signings in bookstores around the country, Burton realized that she wasn’t reaching an important population.

“I thought about all the women in prison that needed to have hope, so I wanted to get the book to them,” she said. “I set out on a trail to go to as many prisons as I could go – and I went to 64 prisons in a year.”

She gave away more than 8,000 books, hoping to encourage incarcerated women and show that it was possible to rebuild their lives after prison. Instead, Burton saw how desperate many of them were because they didn’t have anywhere to go after they were released.

“I did book signings, and those women stood up with tears in their eyes,” she said. “I would lay in my bed at night thinking, ‘What could I possibly do? I know I can’t be everywhere – all across the nation.’”

A network to keep women safe after prison

In 2018, she launched the Sisterhood Alliance for Freedom and Equality, known as SAFE – a housing network that trains women to replicate Burton’s model in their communities. To date, she’s trained 31 people who have started their own programs; 90% of them are formerly incarcerated women.

Pamela Zimba is one of them. After she was released from prison, she’d ended up living in a homeless shelter. Having earned a college degree while incarcerated, she managed to get on her feet and ended up working at the Ford Foundation. But while she’d achieved success in many ways, she wanted to do more.

“I wanted to open a house for women coming home so that they don’t have to go through the struggles that I went through,” Zimba said.

She attended one of the SAFE trainings in Los Angeles and found that with Burton’s help, she could realize her dream.

“She literally gives you all the tools you need to start your house,” she said. “Also, she gives everybody a $50,000 grant. She helps you hit the ground running.”

Zimba ended up leaving her job to dedicate herself to this work full time. Last July, she opened Lilac House in Mt. Vernon, New York – a home that can accommodate up to seven women. At the opening ceremony, she made a point to thank Burton, who’d come in from California to show her support.

“I’m grateful to Susan. I pray to one day help as many women as she’s been able to help,” she said. “She made my dreams come true!”

Helping people like Zimba has been hugely rewarding for Burton, and it’s greatly expanded the reach of her work. The SAFE network now has 38 homes around the US as well as three in Africa and has provided housing to more than 700 women and nonbinary individuals since it began. Now, when Burton visits women in prison, she feels that she’s offering them more than her story.

‘I go back with something tangible,” she said. “I’m coming back saying, ‘Here’s someplace for you to go.’”

Jazmin Flowers, an inmate at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility who attended Burton’s talk and book signing, agreed.

“I thought the event was great. There’s a lot of options out there for people,” she said. “Susan definitely made me feel more inspired about my future.”

Enabling women like Flowers to build better futures is what keeps Burton motivated. It’s also why she wants to cultivate the next generation of leaders, like Zimba, to continue her work.

“There are 60,000 people coming home every year, so we have just touched a fraction of the people that need a second chance at life,” she said. “But I feel so pleased with what’s been done so far. You plant the seed, and it gets watered – and it grows.”

It’s time for Europe’s biggest soccer clubs to go head-to-head again and the draw for this season’s Champions League group stages didn’t disappoint in producing some mouthwatering fixtures.

Every year there is a so-called ‘group of death’ and this season it appears to be Group F that will be given the title.

Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Newcastle all feature in this group and will play each other home and away to decide who advances to the next round of Europe’s elite competition.

This represents a difficult test for all teams involved, particularly Newcastle on its long-awaited return to European football, but fans of the four teams can find some solace in the fact that they will have the opportunity to visit some of European soccer’s great stadiums.

Elsewhere, Harry Kane will return to England for the first time since leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern Munich in the summer after being drawn alongside Manchester United in Group A, as well as Copenhagen and Galatasaray.

Bayern Munich taking on Manchester United is also a repeat of one of the Champions League’s most iconic encounters.

United fans will have strong memories of the team’s famous comeback win against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final.

Last year’s winner Manchester City has avoided some of the toughest sides in Europe and will be confident of its chances to progress in the tournament from Group G.

Arsenal fans have been waiting a while to see their team in the Champions League and will be pleased that the Gunners have also managed to avoid Europe’s best teams in Group B.

The European Cup’s most successful team, Real Madrid, has been drawn alongside Napoli, Braga and Union Berlin in Group C as it looks to add to its record 14 trophies in the competition.

The fixtures for the competition are yet to be confirmed.

Individual awards

Following the Champions League draw, individual awards were handed out for the 2022-23 season.

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola was awarded the 2022-23 UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year. The Spaniard led Manchester City to a historic treble as the club picked up silverware in the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

Guardiola’s star striker Erling Haaland picked up the 2022-23 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year trophy. Haaland scored goals at an unprecedented rate during the 2022-23 season and was the top scorer in the Premier League during Manchester City’s incredible campaign.

England head coach Sarina Wiegman was announced as the 2022-23 UEFA Women’s Coach of the Year. Wiegman won the European Championship with England in 2022 and also led England to the final of the Women’s World Cup in 2023 where the Lionesses lost to Spain.

One of the Spain players who helped defeat Wiegman and England was Aitana Bonmatí, who was awarded the 2022-23 UEFA Women’s Player of the Year trophy. Bonmatí also had a brilliant season for club team Barcelona, where she was influential as it won a league and Champions League double.

Champions League draw in full

Group A – Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Copenhagen, Galatasaray

Group B – Sevilla, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Lens

Group C – Napoli, Real Madrid, Braga, Union Berlin

Group D – Benfica, Inter Milan, RB Salzburg, Real Sociedad

Group E – Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, Lazio, Celtic

Group F – Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Newcastle

Group G – Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Crvena zvezda (Red Star), Young Boys

Group H – Barcelona, Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Royal Antwerp

John Isner waved farewell to singles tennis in a way fitting of the 38-year-old’s long career on the court.

In another tennis marathon, the giant was felled by fellow American Michael Mmoh in a five-set thriller, bowing out of his singles career with a 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-4 7-6 defeat in the US Open second round.

“Yeah, it’s tough,” an emotional Isner said on-court following his loss.

The 6’10” American was in control of proceedings after racing to a 2-0 lead after two sets and, as it has throughout his career, Isner’s serve was proving too much for his opponent, but Mmoh found a way to battle back.

Mmoh won the third set following a comfortable 7-3 win in the tiebreak and then took the fourth set 6-4.

At two sets apiece, a winner-takes-all fifth set would decide the winner and who would progress to the third round.

In a set full of tension and twists and turns, Isner had the opportunity to continue his singles career but couldn’t convert a match point at 5-4. The match then headed to a tiebreak where Mmoh’s energy proved too much for the towering Isner, taking the tiebreak 10-7.

“This is why I worked as hard as I have my whole life to play in atmospheres like this and of course I may not win them all as we know, just like today,” Isner added holding back the tears.

“But to play in front of this crowd and have the support I had is pretty special so thank you.”

An almost four-hour long marathon match seems an appropriate way for Isner to end his singles career. The 16-time winner on the ATP Tour will be most remembered for taking part in the longest singles match of all time.

Squaring off against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010, Isner took a 6-4 3-6 6-7 7-6 70-68 win after a staggering 11 hours and five minutes of play, breaking numerous records in the process.

While Isner’s singles career is now over, he will have to pick himself up to feature alongside fellow American Jack Sock in the first round of the men’s doubles.

Mmoh will now face British player Jack Draper in round three of the US Open.

Aitana Bonmatí, Spain’s World Cup-winning midfielder, used her UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award speech to call out “abuses of power” following Luis Rubiales’ unwanted kiss.

Rubiales, the president of the Spanish football federation, was provisionally suspended by FIFA, global soccer’s governing body, on Saturday after he forcibly kissed Hermoso during Spain’s victory celebrations at the World Cup on August 20.

Bonmatí was influential for Barcelona in the team’s league and Champions League double last season, before going on to play a leading role in Spain’s victorious Women’s World Cup campaign.

“We just won the World Cup but nobody is talking about that much because things have happened I wished hadn’t,” Bonmatí said after collecting the award.

“I would like to speak a bit about what has happened. I think as a society we shouldn’t allow abuses of power in a work relationship, as well as a lack of respect. So from my teammate Jenni to all the women who suffer the same, we are with you.

“I hope we keep working to improve society.”

After collecting the prize for UEFA Women’s Coach of the Year, England women’s head coach Sarina Wiegman dedicated her award to the Spanish national team, which beat England 1-0 in the World Cup final.

After thanking everyone involved with England’s Lionesses, Wiegman said the award “feels a little different.”

“We all know the issues around the Spanish team and it really hurts me as a coach, as a mother of two daughters, as a wife and as a human being,” Wigman added.

“The game has grown so much but there’s also still a long way to go in women’s football and in society. I would like to dedicate this award to the Spanish team. The team that played in the World Cup such great football that everyone enjoyed.

“This team deserves to be celebrated and deserves to be listened to and I’m going to give them again a big applause and I hope you will join me.

Bonmatí began her speech by saying she was “very thankful” for Wiegman’s words.

Along with the mounting pressure to resign, Rubiales also faces an investigation that could end in sexual aggression charges from Spanish prosecutors.

Earlier this week, all 19 of the Spanish federation’s regional presidents called for Rubiales to resign while also offering unanimous support for interim president Pedro Rocha, who stepped into the role following Rubiales’ suspension by FIFA.