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Vol. 40 • No. 27 • Thurs., July 15, 2021 - Wed., July 21, 2021 • An NCON Publication Serving The Milwaukee Area • 75¢
First African American to win the National Spelling Bee gets offer of full LSU scholarship
Zaila Avant-garde, the teenager who this week became the first African American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, has earned yet another honor: an offer of a full scholarship to Louisiana State University.
That would be before a career at NASA, or as a coach in the NBA, or a career in neuroscience or gene editing, the champion speller said.
"Your academic performance reflected scholarship first! You modeled intellectual excellence," LSU President William F. Tate IV tweeted. "@LSU_Honors awaits. I write to offer you a full scholarship to attend LSU. Here for you!," Tate wrote. The 14-year-old from Har-
vey, LA, told CNN earlier that she hopes to play basketball at Harvard University.
Avant-garde competed against 208 other contestants from five countries to win the championship. She won the July 8th final by correctly spelling the word murraya, a type of tree. Web Photo
Zaila Avant-garde holds the National Spelling Bee championship trophy.
"Congratulations Zaila! "
Milwaukee Brewers tie for MLB-high with 5 All-Stars The Brewers had three pitchers named to the All-Star team last weekend when the squads were first announced, and that was already enough for a franchise record with (left photo, from left) Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Josh Hader. However, Woodruff bowed out of the All-Star Game and as a replacement teammate Freddy Peralta (top right photo), the smiling 25-year-old from Moca, Dominican Republic, took his place, which made for four members of the Milwaukee Brewers on the All-Star team. But apparently four Brewers were not enough for the All-Stars as Omar Narváez (bottom right photo) was named as a replacement as well, taking the place of Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who elected to opt out in favor of rest. That makes a total of five Brewers in the All-Star Game that took place on Tuesday, July 13, 2021. Let's hope this is a start of a new tradition for the Brewers.
Photo by Yvonne Kemp
County Executive Crowley appoints Amos Morris as the new director of the Milwaukee County Zoo Morris will be the first Black Director to lead the County Zoo Following the retirement of long-time Zoo Director, Chuck Wikenhauser earlier this year, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced the appointment of Amos Morris as the next leader of the Milwaukee County Zoo. If confirmed, Morris will be the first Black zoo director in the history of the county. “After enjoying three decades of the expert leadership of Chuck Wikenhauser, I’m happy to announce a new era for the Milwaukee County Zoo with the appointment of Amos Morris as its new director,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “Amos’ thirty-three years of experience
in zoo operations, organizational management, and animal management will serve the County Zoo well as we seek to maintain one of the top zoos in the nation for enrichment, education, and entertainment.” Morris comes to Milwaukee County after serving for three and a half years as the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer for the Fresno (CA) Chaffee Zoo. “The County Zoo has never had Black leadership in its 126-year history and in the spirit of the first focus area of our strategic plan, intentional inclusion, we’re proud to continue building a county government that is representative of the diverse array of
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talent our area has to offer,” continued Crowley. “It is a pleasure to welcome Amos back to the Midwest region where he grew up. I hope his appointment will serve as inspiration to young people who’ve never seen someone like them in this important
role before.” “The Zoological Society of Milwaukee is pleased to join County Executive David Crowley in welcoming such an accomplished and respected leader to the Zoo,” said Jodi Gibson, President and CEO of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee. “We look forward to partnering with Amos and the staff at the Zoo to advance our shared vision for the Zoo.” In addition to his former roles in Indiana, Morris has held positions at the Pittsburg Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island, and the Dallas Zoo. Amos is no stranger to breaking barriers; he was the first Black member of
the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Board of Directors and the first Black Zoo Director of an AZA accredited zoo. Currently, he serves on the AZA Accreditation Commission. “It is an honor to be appointed as the next Director of the County Zoo and be trusted to take the reins after the retirement of its longest-serving director and a zoo professional I deeply respect,” said Amos Morris. “I’m excited to build on the successes of the last three decades and continue to help the Zoo evolve to meet the needs of the animals in our care and the audiences we serve.” www.milwaukeetimesnews.com