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Voter registration deadline extended through Oct. 15
Virginians have until 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 to register to vote because of a 48- hour extension negotiated in court after the state’s online voter registration system went down Tuesday because of an accidentally severed cable.

DeVos, Sessions confirmed
Two of President Trump’s controversial picks for his cabinet have been confirmed by the Senate and are ready to take office.

Serena’s pregnant!
Tennis superstar Serena Williams is pregnant and taking maternity leave through the rest of 2017, with the baby due this fall, her spokeswoman announced last week.

Trump changes course
President-elect Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to step back from running his global business empire to avoid conflicts of interest, as concern over his dual role mounts ahead of the Republican’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Birmingham memorial service remembers 4 little girls
The four girls killed when a bomb placed by Ku Klux Klan members ripped through a Birmingham church in 1963 were remembered in a memorial service last Saturday on the 55th anniversary of the deadly attack.

Collins 1st GOP senator to support Judge Jackson for U.S. Supreme Court
Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced Wednesday that she would vote to seat Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on the U.S. Supreme Court, delivering President Joe Biden a bipartisan vote for his first high court nominee.

Smollett back performing; talks about attack
“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was blunt, emotional and defiantly determined last Saturday night at a Southern California concert some urged him not to play, telling the crowd before singing a note that he had to go on with the show because he couldn’t let his attackers win.

‘War Room,’ with black cast, sleeper Christian hit
The box office underwent a religious conversion last weekend as Christian crowds flocked to see “War Room,” lifting the low-budget salute to prayer above two other more highly publicized debut films — the Zac Efron drama “We’re Your Friends” and the Owen Wilson thriller “No Escape.”

Williams sisters leave Olympics without medals
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil There will be no gold medals for Serena and Venus Williams at the Rio Olympics. Instead, the sisters are leaving the games early.

Anguish of a nation
From memorial services to protests, numerous questions arise after senseless killings
“Can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it, making it horrible …?” The late Rodney King spoke those memorable words as he called for calm in 1992 after the acquittal of four white police officers who were videotaped savagely beating him triggered riots in Los Angeles.

Critically acclaimed filmmaker John Singleton dies at 51
Director John Singleton, who made one of Hollywood’s most memorable debuts with the Oscar-nominated “Boyz N the Hood” and continued over the following decades to probe the lives of African-American communities in his native Los Angeles and beyond, died Monday, April 29, 2019, after suffering several strokes during the last two weeks. He was 51.

Serena loses title, but remains committed to the fight
Tennis star Serena Williams remained tantalizingly one short of a record-equaling 24 Grand Slam singles titles as Simona Halep thrashed the off-key American in a one-sided Wimbledon final last Saturday.

‘They tried to ban one. We’re coming back with a hundred’
Hundreds of pastors both rallied and prayed last week outside the trial of three white men charged in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. They gathered in response to a defense lawyer’s bid to keep Black ministers out of the courtroom.

Student protests bring down Mizzou president, chancellor
The University of Missouri’s president stepped down Monday, and its chancellor moved aside, after protests by the school’s students and football team over alleged inaction against racial abuse on campus.

Cleveland MLB team changes name in move toward enlightenment
After more than 100 years, Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team is getting a new name — the Guardians.

Ella Mai sweeps 2018 Soul Train Awards
British singer Ella Mai won big at the 2018 Soul Train Awards, dominating in three categories during Sunday night’s telecast and taking honors for best R&B/soul female artist, and song of the year and the Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award for “Boo’d Up.”

George Washington professor, who claimed to be Black, comes clean about her racial background
George Washington University is investigating the case of a history professor who allegedly admitted to fraudulently pretending to be a Black woman for her entire career.

Charlottesville roils with protests over Confederate statue
Protests reminiscent of Ku Klux Klan rallies are rattling Charlottesville over the city’s plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a park in downtown.

Straight Outta Compton’ box office hit rakes in $60.2M over weekend debut
“Straight Outta Compton,” the N.W.A. biopic produced by Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, blew away industry expectations over the weekend with a $60.2 million debut.

Chicago Sky wins first WNBA championship
Candace Parker returned home to bring Chicago a championship. She did just that, leading the Chicago Sky to the franchise’s first WNBA title.