
VCU receives $4M to address lack of diversity and equity in health sciences
Virginia Commonwealth University’s five health science schools are committing $4 million to enroll and train more minority students in an effort to increase the diversity, equity and inclusivity of health care in Virginia and beyond.

New law hopes to quiet loud music, noise
Artist and composer Paul Rucker long has been frustrated by the loud music that blasts into his Downtown residence from nearby clubs. He is among those thrilled that City Council on Monday unanimously approved a major overhaul of the city’s noise ordinance that will allow police officers armed with sound meters to start issuing costly tickets to businesses and residents that are disturbingly loud.

Some restrictions eased at Lawrenceville prison; concerns remain
Since late August, incarcerated men at Virginia’s privately-owned Lawrenceville Correctional Center experienced increased restrictions and punishments. What started with the end of outdoor activities and the cancellation of visitations from friends and family without warning grew to include stringent cleanliness checks and disproportionate punishments, according to inmates and their loved ones.

Armstrong-Walker legacy group announces events
The Armstrong-Walker Football Classic Legacy Project has several events scheduled the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Walk-up monkeypox vaccines available
The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts are now offering walk-up monkeypox vaccination clinics for residents who qualify.

Artist Paul Rucker awarded $2M from the Mellon Foundation and Art for Justice Fund
The Mellon Foundation and Art for Justice Fund have awarded multimedia visual artist, composer and musician Paul Rucker $2 million to create Cary Forward — a multidisciplinary arts space, interpretive center, artist/re- searcher residency and archival lending library, according to an announcement by Virginia Commonwealth University.

‘Black Panther’ sequel scores 2nd biggest debut of 2022
The Marvel “Black Panther” sequel earned $180 million in ticket sales from more than 4,396 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to estimates from The Walt Disney Co. on Sunday, making it the second biggest opening of the year behind “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Overseas, it brought in an additional $150 million from 50 territories, bringing its worldwide total to $330 million.

City reportedly has a $70M general fund surplus
Richmond’s treasury is bulging with unspent dollars, according to two members of City Council.

Wes Carmack helped launch VCU’s postseason era
When Wes Carmack first took the floor for VCU in January 1977, Rams fans’ initial reaction was “Who’s He?” Second reaction was more like “wow, that new kid can really ball.”

Juliette Stephens Hamilton, retired nurse, dies at age 104
“Live one day at a time and enjoy that one.” Juliette Stephens Hamilton, one of Richmond’s oldest residents, called that the secret to a long and healthy life.

Personality: Haley M. McLaren
Spotlight on board president of 1708 Gallery
By leading one of the oldest artist-run galleries in the nation, Haley M. McLaren is helping to illuminate Richmond’s independent art scene.

GOP wins slim House majority; Trump announces candidacy despite criminal problems
Republicans won control of the U.S. House on Wednesday, returning the party to power in Washington and giving conservatives leverage to blunt President Biden’s agenda and spur a flurry of investigations. But a threadbare majority will pose immediate challenges for GOP leaders and complicate the party’s ability to govern.

2 City-supported shelters temporarily open for homeless
At 80, Gayle Freeland is struggling to keep a roof over her head.

FDA advisers meet on racial disparities in pulse oximeters
The clip-on devices that use light to measure oxygen levels in the blood are getting a closer look from U.S. regulators after recent studies suggest they don’t work as well for patients of color.

Mabel Lighty, gifted math teacher, dies at 83
Mabel Eunice Caster Lighty taught math to two generations of Richmond high school students and then went on to teach math for another 14 years at Reynolds Community College.

Rev. Calvin Butts, influential pillar of Harlem, dies at 73
The Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, who fought poverty and racism and skillfully navigated New York’s power structure as pastor of Harlem’s historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, died Oct. 28 at age 73, the church announced.

Author reaches back to family roots for children’s book
The Great Migration was an exodus of 6 million African-Americans from the rural South to the North and the West between 1910 and 1970. Desiree Cooper’s parents were children of the Great Depression, and her family was among those who relocated to leave the trauma of the Jim Crow South.

VCU plays Morgan State this Saturday
Among all the majority-white colleges playing basketball, VCU has perhaps the longest association with HBCUs.