Moriah Ratner

Chet Bennett and I first crossed paths back in December of 2023. I was struck not only by what he’s built throughout his career, but by the warmth, generosity, and charm he carries into every room, and what started as a conversation with someone incredibly inspiring turned into a story that, turns out, hadn’t been reported on before. This story follows the unique vocational cosmetology training program Chet launched in 1998 inside the Correctional Treatment Facility at the DC Department of Corrections — a program that’s helped thousands of residents, both men and women, begin their journey toward licensure in hairdressing and barbering, and ultimately, toward employment and reentry. The program offers both theoretical and practical training, enabling residents to begin accruing hours, with many completing a significant portion of their requirements before release. Most participants leave the facility with about 400-500 hours, about a third of what’s needed, and can apply for federal financial aid to continue their training, where residents have the option to transition into Chet’s beauty school, Bennett Career Institute, to complete the remaining credit hours and receive job placement assistance. Spending time with the residents has been a meaningful part of this experience, and I’ve been touched by the moments of connection we’ve shared. It’s been an honor to document this chapter of Chet’s work, and I’m excited to see where his journey takes him next. Huge thanks to @mayanmvalentine and the @washingtonpost Features team for taking on this story. I’m grateful to Maya for her trust and collaboration, and for championing this piece to fruition. Many thanks to reporter Samantha Chery for her care on the coverage, and to Chet, Jauan Clark, and Dr. Acia Williams for their time. Deepest gratitude to Jacqueline Williams and Setareh Yelle for all of your instrumental coordination and support throughout each visit, and to all the current and former residents who shared your stories with us, thank you. Out in print TODAY !!!

The Dart family for @wsj From “A Lawyer Whose Struggle With Psychosis Captivated WSJ Readers Returns Home” Words by Julie Wernau Rob Dart always hoped a story he wrote would reach people all over the country. He never thought the story would be about him.  The Wall Street Journal last year wrote about Dart’s descent from a full life as a lawyer, writer and father through his break from family, home and career to follow voices in his head. He stopped treatment for schizoaffective and bipolar disorder during the pandemic and started wandering the streets of greater Los Angeles. His family desperately tried to help him, but Dart refused.  Then, in January, Dart went home.  He wrote in an email to his mother, Sherry Dart, that month that he was ready for her help. She flew to meet him in Los Angeles and bring him back to stay in his childhood bedroom in this town outside Washington, D.C. He is taking a long-acting medication to quiet his delusions. He talks to his 12-year-old son every week on FaceTime. He is taking continuing education courses to reactivate his law license.  “It’s very nice to not be homeless,” said Dart, 45. Dart’s two years on the streets show how swiftly mental illness and homelessness can spiral into isolation and violence. He was shot. His few belongings were stolen. He wandered the streets while Los Angeles was on fire. Dart’s turn toward his old life and recovery started with the kindness of strangers who read his story.

For @wsj from “A Lawyer Abandoned Family and Career to Follow the Voices in His Head” Words by Julie Wernau Rob Dart took a fast track to the American dream until mental illness turned his brilliant mind against him As a teenager, Robert Dart fancied himself a Renaissance man, and he was indeed exceptional by nearly every measure: co-captain of his high-school football and track teams, co-president of the academic club, science-fair prize winner, literary awards. “He was an easy child,” said his mother, Sherry Dart. “He always found a way.” Dart, who everybody called Rob, married a classmate at the University of Chicago Law School in 2007. He had a son and lived as a successful lawyer and family man in Southern California. Rob was 35 years old when the voices started. His marriage had unraveled, and he looked to his family for help. He returned home to Vienna, Va., convalescing from psychosis in his childhood room, among his trophies, in the care of doctors and his mother. He visited his young son regularly. After two years of medication and therapy, Rob returned to California as an award-winning lawyer with an apartment in South Pasadena, Calif. In 2022, working from home in the pandemic, he stopped therapy and quit his medicines. The voices returned. Within a year, he was homeless, drifting in and out of reason. He ranted gibberish one moment and spoke with a lawyer’s clarity the next. On library computers, he posted online messages, by turns indecipherable, ominous and poetic. “When I used to see homeless people, I thought, ‘Where’s their family? Why won’t their family come and help them?’” said Rob’s sister, Jennifer Dart.

The Muñozes on 120 🎞️

The Muñoz siblings pose for a portrait at their home in Niles, Ill., on September 25, 2024. From left, Magnus, nine months, Soren, 21, Ellis, 12, Alma Marie, 3, Izel, 10, holding a photograph of Lola, 12, and Selma, 6.

Gift link in bio – Please spend some time with this follow-up piece I wrote (!!) and photographed about what life has been like for Lola’s family since she died. Photo captions below: (1) Melissa Muñoz holds sunflowers to bring on a visit to Lola’s grave site at Mount Emblem Cemetery in Elmhurst, Ill., on September 24, 2024, on what would have been Lola’s 20th birthday. (2, 3) The Muñoz family visits Lola’s grave site at Mount Emblem Cemetery in Elmhurst, Ill. (4) Agustin Muñoz, holding 9-month-old Magnus, wipes off Lola’s tombstone name plate. (5) The Muñoz family sings to Lola during a visit to her grave site. (6) Izel, 10, comforts her mother, Melissa, during a visit to Lola’s grave site. (7) Agustin hugs his wife, Melissa, while Izel, 10, stands nearby during a visit to Lola’s grave site. (8) Selma, 6, opens the windows after coming home from a visit to Lola’s grave site. In the background, Lola’s photo is kept on display in the living room. Some of Lola’s belongings have been integrated into the Muñoz household, such as the pictured blanket she frequently used. (9) Izel, 10, shares a family tree project she made for her Spanish class while wearing a hand-me-down quarter-zip sweater that used to belong to Lola. (10) Izel, who was three years old when Lola died and is now 10, shares a locket she received as a Christmas gift in 2023. After receiving it, Izel asked her mother, Melissa, if she could place photos of Lola inside. (11) Agustin Muñoz poses for a portrait with his 9-month-old son, Magnus. (12) A week-at-a-glance calendar is seen in the Muñoz household. (13, 15) The Muñoz family has a tradition of celebrating Lola’s birthday by eating her favorite foods—hamburgers and chocolate cake. (14) Izel, center, plays a dance game on a Nintendo Wii with her siblings.

As we approach the 8th anniversary of Lola’s death this coming Thursday, April 2, I’m sharing images from her story here for the first time in honor of the follow-up piece publishing online today in the Washington Post — Lola Muñoz was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, on August 26, 2016, at the age of 11. It is an inoperable tumor located in the pons, a part of the brain stem. The average life expectancy is nine to 12 months; fewer than 10 percent of children with DIPG survive two years after diagnosis. While most childhood cancers have seen significant advances in treatment over the past 40 years, none of the over 250 clinical trials for DIPG have improved survival rates. Lola’s treatment included radiation and an experimental trial combining two adult chemotherapy drugs. The goal was to determine whether a child could tolerate the highest possible dose. Lola qualified and chose to participate, saying, “I’d rather help find something for the other kids that will get DIPG than to not help at all.” On April 24, 2017, Lola ended the trial, prioritizing quality of life and choosing to live each day to its fullest with the unwavering support of her family. By December, her disease had progressed and she entered hospice. Lola died on April 2, 2018, 19 months after her diagnosis. 1 of 4

Michele Jawando for @apnews . She will take over as CEO of Omidyar Network, the philanthropic firm founded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, next month, according to a Wednesday announcement.

Pt. 2 of a little backlog reveal, some previously published work for various news orgs over the past few months making its instagram debut  1. Wendy Auen, who served as a Montgomery County District Court commissioner for 18 years, in Rockville, Md. 2. Madeleine Aggeler talks to her Friend, a wearable AI device, at a park in Washington. 3. Dr. James Taylor, MD, Director of the Center for Sickle Cell Disease at Howard University, in Washington. 4-7. From a story about funding cuts to Howard University Hospital in Washington. 8-10. From a story about those who leave white-collar jobs and switch to trade work, profiling Benjamin Neville, who is training to become a pilot. Neville works at the Pentagon by day and has been training with his instructor for the past year.

a little backlog reveal, some previously published portraits for various news orgs mostly over the past few months making its instagram debut  1. Benjamin Neville, who is training to become a pilot, poses for a portrait in a Beechcraft Duchess, the plane he has been training to fly, at Shannon Airport in Fredericksburg, Va. 2. Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., MD, the president of Howard University Hospital, in Washington. 3. Dr. Rick Pazdur, an oncologist who served as the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration, at his home in Bethesda, Md.  4. Dr. James Taylor, MD, Director of the Center for Sickle Cell Disease at Howard University, in Washington. 5. Pastor Doug Wilson during the National Conservatism Conference in Washington. 6. Benjamin Neville, who is training to become a pilot, poses for a portrait at Shannon Airport in Fredericksburg, Va. 7. Sasha Gallant, cofounder of the DIV Fund, left, Michael Kremer, the DIV Fund’s scientific director and a Nobel prize winning economist, center, and Otis Reid, executive director of Global Health & Wellbeing at Coefficient Giving, at an event in Washington. 8. Rebecca Slaughter, a former FTC Commissioner who was fired by President Trump over email, at her home in Bethesda, Md. 9. Madeleine Aggeler wearing the Friend, a wearable AI device, at her home in Washington. 10. Robert Johnson III with his wife, Rainey, at their home in Waldorf, Md. Robert Johnson III fought to clear his name after receiving a court summons meant for a different man, and a stranger’s accusations sent the wrong Robert Johnson to court. 11. Jamie Fortin, owner of “Friends to Lovers” bookstore, poses for a portrait at the store’s former location in Alexandria, Va. “Friends to Lovers” is the DC area’s first romance-focused bookstore. Jamie aims to build a community space for romance genre enthusiasts, featuring a diverse collection of romance books for adults.  12. Rochanda Mitchell, DO, RD, in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Howard University in Washington. 13. & 14. Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta, a 2025 MacArthur Fellow and “genius grant” recipient.

For @apnews —Anam Petit, a former Justice Department employee, poses for a portrait in the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. Petit, an immigration judge, learned she was fired via email this past September.

For @wsj –Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) poses for a portrait at his office in Washington on Friday, December 12, 2025. Questions have arisen over how he secured a pardon from President Trump despite allegations of corruption and a federal bribery case.