CNN Profiles: Sarah Aarthun - Senior Director, National News | CNN

Sarah Aarthun - Senior Director, National News

Sarah Aarthun

Senior Director, National News

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Sarah Aarthun is a senior director on the National News Hub, overseeing breaking news coverage of national events.

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Shoes, hats and other articles of clothing are piled together outside of Ned Peppers bar in Dayton on August 4.

John Minchillo/AP

What we know about the shooting in Dayton, Ohio

When a gunman opened fire on revelers enjoying a night out in Dayton, Ohio, early Sunday, he killed 9 people in less than a minute. It was the second mass shooting in the US in less than 24 hours. Here’s what we know.

A JetBlue Airlines Airbus A321-200 taxis at Los Angeles International Airport on May 24, 2018. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP) (Photo credit should read DANIEL SLIM/AFP/Getty Images)

DANIEL SLIM/AFP/Getty Images

A software outage caused some delays for JetBlue passengers

Lines at JetBlue counters were growing Tuesday morning after an outage of the airline reservation system Sabre, a JetBlue statement said.

PARADISE, CA - NOVEMBER 08: A home burns as the Camp Fire moves through the area on November 8, 2018 in Paradise, California. Fueled by high winds and low humidity, the rapidly spreading Camp Fire has ripped through the town of Paradise and has quickly charred 18,000 acres and has destroyed dozens of homes in a matter of hours. The fire is currently at zero containment. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California wildfire wipes out much of one town, kills 9

One of three major wildfires roaring though California has burned its way into state history as the most destructive blaze on record in terms of structure loss, with more than 6,700 structures gone in two days, according to Cal Fire, the state’s fire-fighting agency.

People comfort each other as they sit near the scene Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. where a gunman opened fire Wednesday inside a country dance bar crowded with hundreds of people on "college night," wounding 11 people including a deputy who rushed to the scene. Ventura County sheriff's spokesman says gunman is dead inside the bar. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Mark J. Terrill/AP

What we know about the shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill

A college country night at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California, turned deadly late Wednesday when a gunman forced his way in and opened fire on the young people gathered inside. At least 12 people were killed. Here’s what we know.

02 Noblesville West Middle School screengrab

Suspect in custody after shooting at Indiana middle school

At least three people were injured after a shooting Friday at a middle school in Noblesville, Indiana, officials said.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - DECEMBER 22: Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont attends a press conference at Brussels press club on December 22, 2017 in Brussels, Belgium. Catalonia's ousted separatist leader declared that the Spanish state has been defeated in the regional snap election. Catalan separatist parties hold a slim parliamentary majority winning a total of 70 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images )

Jasper Juinen/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images

Protests break out after Catalonia ex-leader Carles Puigdemont detained

Protests broke out in Barcelona Sunday after news that Catalonia’s former separatist leader Carles Puigdemont had been detained in Germany.

Mary Conditt, the grandmother of the suspect, said she was shocked to learn from the news that her grandson was being accused of the attacks, and called him a "very kind" and "loving person." While speaking with CNN's David Shortell, Mary said Mark was "very quiet and a deep thinker." He had been homeschooled and was now "looking forward to figuring out what most kids are -- figuring out his life and visiting his family and being close to them," she said.

She said she'd seen no signs in his past the he was violent or wanted to harm people. "Oh my gosh no," she said. "If anything he's low key and peaceful."

"He's from a family that is so tight, that works so hard to raise their children correctly. It's just horrible," she said.

A 17-year neighbor of Mark Conditt's parents, Jeff Reeb says he probably last saw Mark visit maybe a week or two ago. Reeb told CNN's Nick Watt and Bill Kirkos that his grandkids and Mark used to play together, describing him as a normal kid and "a little quiet".

The Austin bomber called himself a ‘psychopath’ in his confession video

A confession video recorded by Austin bomber Mark Anthony Conditt hours before authorities closed in on him has yielded few clues to his motive, but reveals more about his mind. In it, he refers to himself as a “psychopath” and questions why he feels no remorse.

LIVE aerials over Highland Ranch, CO in Douglas County where police are responding to calls of an officer down

Barricaded suspect kills deputy, wounds 6 others in Denver suburb

Five law enforcement officers were shot and one of them died after a barricaded suspect opened fire at an apartment complex in a Denver suburb, the Douglas County Sheriff said Sunday.

Fidel Castro photographed in Havana, Cuba, in 1961.

Live updates: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies at 90

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has died at age 90, his brother Raul Castro announced in a televised statement.

Malia and Sasha Obama arrive prior to their father, President Barack Obama, at the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 2015, in Selma, Alabama. The Obamas were in Alabama to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when voting rights marchers attempting to walk to the Alabama capitol clashed with police.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Michelle Obama just perfectly summed up life with teenagers

Parents of teenagers, Michelle Obama feels you.

A police officer stands guard as people are evacuated from Brussels airport, after explosions rocked the facility Tuesday morning.

Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP

Live blog: Latest on Brussels attacks

View live news and updates from Brussels after terrorist attacks at the Brussels Airport and Brussels Metro.

Samir Kuntar is taken to be processed for release on July 16, 2008, at the Hadarim Prison in central Israel.

Handout/Getty Images

Hezbollah vows revenge on Israel after death of senior militant Samir Kuntar

Hezbollah TV reported that Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese militant who served 30 years in an Israeli prison for murder, has been killed in Syria.

Officers Norris Greenhouse Jr. and Derrick Stafford are charged with second-degree murder.

Louisiana State Police

Grand jury indicts Louisiana city marshals in boy’s fatal shooting

Two Marksville, Louisiana, marshals were indicted on murder charges Thursday in the death of a 6-year-old who was shot in his father’s car after a police chase.

south carolina high school student class video vo tsr_00001203.jpg

Student’s violent arrest caught on video; officer under investigation

A school district is investigating a resource officer at Spring Valley High School in Columbia after video shows him violently removing a student from her desk.

The Kansas City Royals celebrate their second-straight ALCS triumph.

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

The Kansas City Royals to meet the New York Mets in the World Series

The Kansas City Royals are returning to the World Series after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Friday.

The Hunt with John Walsh: Behind the scenes_00002710.jpg

John Walsh: 5 things to know about the fugitive hunter

John Walsh, a man now synonymous with hunting bad guys, had no intention of a career catching fugitives.

Sarah Aarthun is a senior director on the National News Hub, overseeing breaking news coverage of national events. Since coming to CNN from the Charlotte Observer in 2009, she’s helped lead coverage in such stories as the BP oil disaster, the death of Osama bin Laden, the Winder, Georgia, school shooting and the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. She lives for deadlines and her two daughters.