Children at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center, from left, Carisa Folck, 10, Letticia Perea, 10, and L.T. Fisher, 6, watch as Pat Mahoney works to remove white paint from the MLK mural Wednesday. The act of vandalism is being investigated as a hate crime.

Donald Schmitt, 13. of Boy Scout troop 94, carries the American flag in the Dubuque Labor Day parade.

Mark Franco, headman of the Winnemem's Kerekmet Village, receives help putting on his headpiece from Randy Yonemura in preparation for the Winnemem war dance ceremony at Shasta Dam on Sunday. The Winnemem band of Wintu Indians is fasting and praying against the proposed raising of Shasta Dam, which tribe members say would retain water for California but flood their sacred sites. The Winnemem have not held a war dance since 1887.

One of eight dancers, all of whom are fasting during the four-day ceremony, makes his way around the fire as a drummer beats a foot drum with a long pole and women sing in the Winnemem language. The ceremony, last performed more than a centruy ago, is in protest of the potential raising of Shasta Dam.

Cheerleaders for the Hawkeyes rally the crowd at a home game in Iowa City.

Josh Scheckel of J.J. Scheckel Corp. outside Bellevue, Iowa. Technology allows the sale of Scheckel's refurbished equipment all over the country.

Shasta Lake boaters watch as the Bear Fire burns near the reservoir Wednesday. Officials said the fire was moving north toward the lake, unlike the October 1999 blaze that was driven by south winds and destroyed 174 homes

Joe Vultaggio erects a hand-made memorial along Interstate 5 for his daughter, Angella, who was killed in February when she was struck by a motorist.

In January 2003, a car accident left 39-year-old Rob Rose mostly paralyzed with a spinal cord injury. A physical therapist, athlete, and father of two, Rob's life was drastically changed in an instant. Despite a near-constant message of defeat from doctors, Rob has gained the ability to walk for limited distances with a walker, coaches his kids' soccer teams, and manages formerly impossible living tasks. Rob and his wife, Lisa, describe a life of extreme hardship, yet live a life full of hope and grace.

Pricilla Johnson moved her family from Chicago to avoid violence after her brother was shot and killed. She holds a photo of her sister April, age 17, who was murdered September 1, 2005, in Dubuque.

Frances Waggoner, 15, begins her morning combined driving training with Arne, a Fjord pony owned by Dave and Pat Schumaker, at the Trinity Driving Center on the outskirts of Hayfork. Waggoner is an up-and-comer in the world of carriage driving.

Hand prints marking the 9:01 wall of the Oklahoma City Federal Building Memorial become visible at dusk. A reflecting pool sits where the building once stood, and is flanked by two walls bearing times: 9:01, the minute before the building fell, and 9:03, the minute after.

Valanna McGee spars with Josh Wilson, her husband’s cousin, Monday, July 5th, 2004, in preparation for her bout Thursday night at ARCO Arena.

Jack Prochaska waves to his neighbors while and his Shitzu, Tootsie, are spending Labor Day weekend at the Grant River Use Area. "I don't know how often we'll be able to make it anymore, with the cost of gasoline," commented Prochaska, who comes to Grant River three or four times per year. "It's going to be tough on vacationers." The seventy mile trip from Mount Horeb, WI, cost Prochaska $35 in gasoline.