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Two people, one crying, the other holding a coffee cup looking solemn
Nora Link, 15, comforts her mother Melissa (right), during a 9/11 Memorial Ceremony at the Athens County Court House commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the attack on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Melissa, who was in her early 20s and teaching school at the time, told the Independent that the event continues to be emotional for her. “The shock of just waking up and then people are scrambling. Because you didn’t know what’s going on. Was it a terrorist? Was it just an airplane malfunction? Were we actually under attack?,” Melissa said, “And we didn’t know for the longest time what was going on.” Photo taken by Leah Nairn, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026.

Photo of the Week: Friday, Sept. 11, 2026

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With a half-century under her belt, Leah Nairn decided to pivot from a 12-year career in law enforcement to pursue a master’s degree in visual communications and photojournalism through Ohio University. This is not her first trip to Athens, having obtained a bachelors in theater in 1999.

Photography has been a present through her life. In recent years, she combined her work in the criminal justice system with photography, creating “Redemption Through the Lens,” a book highlighting the accomplishments of folks in recovery from addiction.

Leah is also an accomplished musician and avid gardner with a focus on food preservation.