James Ellars Official

It’s not every day we get to close a chapter that’s been open for almost thirty years, but that’s exactly what happened this week. A jury in Las Vegas convicted Duane Davis of orchestrating the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur — one of the most talked-about unsolved cases in music history. For a lot of us who grew up with his music playing somewhere in the background of our lives, this isn’t just a court case. It’s proof that even the hardest, coldest cases can still find their way to the truth, no matter how long it takes. Justice moved slowly here, but it moved.

Meanwhile, out in Arizona, the Grand Canyon reminded us just how powerful — and unpredictable — nature can be. Flash floods tore through the inner canyon over the weekend, and search-and-rescue crews worked around the clock to reach hikers stranded near Phantom Ranch. At least two people lost their lives. Our hearts go out to their families, and to everyone still waiting on news of loved ones. If there’s a silver lining, it’s watching park rangers, pilots, and volunteers drop everything to go get strangers off a canyon floor. That’s who we are at our best.

And on a gentler note: researchers in Belgium found that the way we sleep — specifically, tiny, almost imperceptible awakenings during the night — might one day help doctors spot Alzheimer’s risk years before any symptoms show up. It’s early research, and nobody should lose sleep over it (pun intended), but it’s a hopeful reminder that science keeps finding new doors into old mysteries, often in the most unassuming places, like the quiet hours we spend with our heads on a pillow.