5 things you need to know this weekend
1. Michigan couple in gay marriage case say their vows
April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, the Michigan couple at the forefront on the battle for marriage equality, will finally say their vows Saturday. The couple came into the public eye as they challenged Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage, arguing that they had a right to marry and legally adopt each other’s children. Their drawn-out efforts came to fruition in June when the Supreme Court struck down the ban on gay marriage, granting DeBoer and Rowse the right to marry and to adopt each other’s children. The wedding ceremony will be performed by U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman, the judge who heard the couple’s case and overturned Michigan’s gay-marriage ban.
2. Nationwide Planned Parenthood protests planned
A coalition of abortion opponents plans a nationwide protest against Planned Parenthood on Saturday in 47 states and more than 300 cities. Protesters will gather at nearly 320 Planned Parenthood locations across the country to call for defunding and, eventually, shutting down the organization. The protest comes after videos purportedly show Planned Parenthood staffers discussing the sale of fetal organs for profit.
3. The most dismal place on Earth opens
British street artist Banksy is opening a darkly humorous theme park in southwest England that spoofs Disneyland, described as a "festival of art, amusements and entry-level anarchism." It opens Saturday for five weeks only. The installation features artwork by Banksy, whose real identity has never been confirmed, and other artists, including British bad boy Damien Hirst (famous for his shark preserved in a tank of formaldehyde). It is housed on the grounds of a disused outdoor swimming pool complex called the Tropicana in Weston-super-Mare, a seaside town near Banksy's native Bristol. It's described as an "alternative to the sugar-coated tedium of the average family day out."
4. NASCAR goes under the lights at Bristol
Saturday night's NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway could be a highlight of the Sprint Cup Series. The always-spectacular Irwin Tools Night Race is 500 laps in the neighborhood of 15 seconds around the high-banked 0.533-mile track. The winner typically has one of the grid’s best cars but also rides with enough luck and/or skill to avoid the multi-car accidents that often litter the circuit. There's a lot riding on the outcome. There are only three Sprint Cup Series races remaining, and Bristol could impact the postseason Chase for the Sprint Cup picture.
5. Memorial set for civil rights leader Julian Bond
A memorial event Saturday in Montgomery, Ala., will honor civil rights leader Julian Bond, who died last weekend at 75. In the '60s, Bond helped establish the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and served in the Georgia Legislature. He later became chairman of the NAACP. The celebration of Bond's life will be held at the civil rights memorial in Montgomery. A memorial service will be held at the Southern Poverty Law Center; Bond served as the first president of the public interest law firm.
The weekend essentials:
Did you pay attention this week? Let our news quiz be the judge of that.
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