Welcome to Optimize, a weekly update to keep you informed on what has happened during the week. Here are five national/international stories (and one local one) that you should know:

Cohen and Manafort convicted

Two close advisors of President Donald Trump, Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen, were found guilty of tax evasion and several other charges Wednesday afternoon. Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chair, and Cohen, Trump’s longtime lawyer, now join a long list of scandals connected to Trump since he took office in 2017.

Catholic Church hears appeal to welcome LGBT members

An American, Jesuit priest called for the inclusion of the LGBT community in the Catholic church at a recent conference. This priest is simply echoing the call for change of anti-homosexuality rhetoric that has recently been present. This issue will be heard by Pope Francis this weekend.

Mollie Tibbets Found

The body of 20-year-old University of Iowa student, Mollie Tibbetts, has been found after having gone missing on July 18. Cristhian Bahena Rivera has been charged with her murder, with cause of death being ruled as “multiple sharp force injuries.”

Student march across Massachusetts for gun legislation

Forty five Massachusetts students are making a 50 mile trek across the state for sensible gun laws. Their march will end in front of the headquarters of Smith & Wesson, a gun manufacturer, in order to encourage the company to do their part in the fight for gun reform.

Indiana priest attacked

A Catholic priest and Indiana native was attacked in his church this past Monday. The victim was allegedly told that “this [was] for all of the little kids,” most likely in response to the recent release of a report detailing the over 300 cases of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests. The victim of this recent attack had no such record of sexual abuse.

Local Bonus:

Members of the community will be able to take a glimpse into the future of public transportation and ride on the new electric bus. The permanent bus will be brought to Bloomington in 2019, along with a charging station.