Today is Friday, Aug. 15, the 227th day of 2025. There are 138 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 15, 2003, bouncing back from the largest blackout in U.S. history, cities from the Midwest to Manhattan restored power to tens of millions of people.

Also on this date:

In 1057, Macbeth, King of Scots, was killed in battle by Malcolm, the eldest son of King Duncan, whom Macbeth had slain.

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In 1914, the Panama Canal officially opened as the SS Ancon crossed the just-completed waterway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

In 1935, humorist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post were killed when their airplane crashed near Point Barrow in the Alaska Territory.

In 1947, India gained independence after nearly 200 years of British rule.

In 1961, as workers began constructing a Berlin Wall made of concrete, East German soldier Conrad Schumann leapt to freedom over a tangle of barbed wire.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened in upstate New York; more than 460,000 people attended the three-day festival, which would become a watershed event in American music and culture.

In 1989, F.W. de Klerk was sworn in as acting president of South Africa, one day after P.W. Botha resigned because of a power struggle within the National Party.

In 1998, 29 people were killed by a car bomb that tore apart the center of Omagh (OH’-mah), Northern Ireland; a splinter group calling itself the Real IRA claimed responsibility.

In 2021, the Taliban regained control of the Afghan capital of Kabul after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Jim Dale is 90.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 87.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is 87.
Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 81.
Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 79.
Actor Phyllis Smith is 76.
Britain’s Princess Anne is 75.
Actor Tess Harper is 75.
Actor Zeljko Ivanek (ZEHL’-koh eh-VAHN’-ehk) is 68.
Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio is 63.
Film director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (ihn-YAH’-ee-tu) is 62.
Philanthropist Melinda French Gates is 61.
Actor Debra Messing is 57.
Actor Anthony Anderson is 55.
Actor Ben Affleck is 53.
Olympic gold medal beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings is 47.
Rock singer Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 36.
Actor Jennifer Lawrence is 35.

St. Paul Central High School alumni will host the 10th annual Central Honors Philando event this weekend to honor Philando Castile’s legacy and raise scholarship funds in his name.

The event Sunday at Toni Stone Field will feature community organizations, kids’ activities like face painting and a climbing wall, art projects, ice cream from Sweet Fruci’s Frozen Delights, live performances and messages from Castile’s family and community leaders.

Central Honors Philando began after Castile was shot to death July 6, 2016, by a St. Anthony police officer during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights. Castile, 32, was a nutrition services supervisor for St. Paul Public Schools. Friends and family describe him as ambitious, a role model for hundreds of children and known for his kindness toward students.

Weeks after his death, Central High School classmates teamed with former principal Mary Mackbee to organize the first event in his memory and launch a scholarship, aiming to spark conversations about police violence and structural racism.

Adrian Perryman, a 2003 Central High School graduate, was part of the small group of alumni who came together to start a scholarship honoring Castile, whom he was friends with in high school.

“We decided we wanted to bring people together to celebrate his life, raise money for the scholarship and also provide opportunities for the community to come together while celebrating his name,” Perryman said.

Castile scholarship

The Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship has been awarded annually since 2017 to a Central High School senior.

Because of Castile’s passion for education and working with children, the scholarship prioritizes students pursuing careers in teaching, administration, child development or counseling, though all applicants are considered. Preference goes to those committed to fostering diversity among educators. Recipients must enroll in a regionally accredited two- or four-year college in the fall.

Allan Lankfard Jr., this year’s scholarship recipient, said hearing his name announced at the senior ceremony was a great feeling, knowing he could honor Castile’s positive impact on the community. He said Minnesota has few Black male teachers and hopes to show kids they can look like him and still make an impact.

Allan Lankfard Jr., center, the ninth Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship recipient, holds his award with Allysza Castile, left, and Valerie Castile, right, on May 22, 2025, at Mary Mackbee Auditorium in Central High School in St. Paul. (Courtesy of Adrian Perryman)

“Knowing that I’m personally picked by his family just goes to show I can be a role model for kids and to anybody,” Lankfard said.

Lankfard is the ninth Central graduate to have been awarded the scholarship. He first learned about the Castile scholarship through a list of opportunities matching students’ qualifications. He plans to use the scholarship to attend Concordia University, St. Paul, where he will also play on the basketball team.

Goal to grow

The scholarship is administered by the St. Paul Central High School Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Central principal Cherise Ayers said the foundation promotes a culture of alumni service, with scholarships playing a key role.

“Seeing students light up when their name is called and granted the scholarship and to know that someone believes in them and wants to invest in their future,” Ayers said. “And it’s extra meaningful that it comes from Philando Castile’s family.”

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The Philando Castile scholarship has collected more than $300,000 in the past decade. The $10,000 award, double last year’s amount, is given over two years, with plans to extend it to further offset education costs.

The next goal is to grow the Philando Castile Memorial Scholarship endowment to support a four-year award totaling up to $20,000, starting with the 10th recipient in 2026.

Perryman said Sunday’s event aims to inspire people to connect, make a difference and help others. While a celebration, it also sparks conversations about local and national issues and works to prevent injustice while preserving Philando’s legacy.

“Being 10 years, it’s ongoing, to continue keeping his name alive because since then, so many other things have happened with other names in the Twin Cities and across the country and across the world,” he said. “But just a reminder, that happened in our backyard and can continue if we don’t do something about it.”

Central Honors Philando

What: Community event to honor Philando Castile’s legacy and raise scholarship funds in his name

When: 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17

Where: Toni Stone Field, 1221 Marshall Ave., St. Paul

Attractions: Kids’ activities, art projects, ice cream, live performances and messages from Castile’s family and community leaders

Info: centralhonorsphilando.org

Authorities have located a car potentially connected to a 1967 missing person’s case at the bottom of the Mississippi River in Sartell, Minn.

A dive team did an exploratory dive near County Road 1 in Sartell around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office.

Divers found a car that appeared to be from the 1960s and was half-full of sediment.

On Sept. 25, 1967, Roy George Benn was last seen driving his 1963 Buick Electra, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Benn, 59, of Sauk Rapids, was reported to have been carrying a large sum of money when he was last seen at the King’s Supper Club in Sartell, according to a Sept. 28, 1967, St. Cloud Times report. Benn was the owner of St. Cloud Appliance Repair Service, according to the Times report.

On Sunday, a fisherman saw an anomaly on his sonar fish finder and reported it to law enforcement. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office Water Patrol responded and observed the same anomaly and marked the location for further investigation.

Authorities are working with a local towing company to get the vehicle out of the river.

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Members of the Fort Snelling National Cemetery Memorial Rifle Squad fire a 21-gun salute during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the surrender of the Empire of Japan ending World War II at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Thursday.