Meet In CommonNews

Local news in and around Hopewell, VA

VC Reporter · Hopewell, VA

Radio Vietnam: Veteran Michael Papale recalls wartime DJ days at Phuoc Vinh Base Camp

Michael Papale (left) at the mic in the radio station at Phuoc Vinh Base Camp in Vietnam. (Image from “Radio Phuoc Vinh”) Radio Phuoc Vinh started broadcasting during 1967 on a growing U.S. Army base in southern Vietnam. Phuoc Vinh Base Camp commandeered a rubber plantation with stately but dilapidated French colonial-era buildings 12 miles from the Cambodian border.The famed 1st Infantry Division, also known as the Big Red One, brought about 2,500 soldiers. The 1st Cavalry Division moved in with a fleet of helicopters and the 506th Infantry Regiment arrived with more troops, bringing the total to nearly 5,000.Ventura resident Michael Papale was an 18-year-old working his dream job as a radio DJ at a Top 40 music station in Virginia in 1966 when he was drafted into the 1st Infantry Division.

The Buckeye Flame · Richmond, VA

Nearby: Richmond, VA

Cleveland’s Shawnda Moye is creating a recipe for community, one biscuit at a time

Shawnda Moye, Cincinnati-born chef and Cleveland entrepreneur, believes food is beyond what is placed on a plate – that food is about memory, fellowship and making room for others to find their place at the table. Moye, a Black lesbian and the owner of The Roaming Biscuit, a bakery and breakfast spot in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, grew up surrounded by home cooking. Her mother and grandmothers made food from scratch, a legacy she happily inherited. She fondly remembers her mother’s light, fluffy homemade biscuits and the breakfast sandwiches she would prepare for her. Moye eventually began selling those same sandwiches for $5 each at the bus stop, turning her mother’s homemade breakfasts into a childhood side hustle she didn’t confess to until she was in her 30s. That $5 bus stop hustle was an early glimpse of what would eventually become a business. For Moye, cooking and entrepreneurship were intertwined long before she received her business degree from Miami University.

The 74 · Richmond, VA

Nearby: Richmond, VA

A Virginia ‘School-Wide Read’ Has Sparked Engagement in Classes and Literacy

At one Virginia middle school, an annual school-wide book club has sparked student engagement, connection and increased interest in reading. While the “school read” may sound like just another assignment, it has evolved into a tradition at Salem Church Middle School near Richmond, Virginia, and has become a way to change the culture around reading at a time when fewer teens are reading for pleasure and fewer parents are reading to younger children. “For some students, it is incredibly engaging,” said school librarian Danielle Schafer, who helped create the program in 2021 and continues to lead it. “They get to make these connections and see other people’s lives [through books],” she said, adding the read also offers a “common ground” for students to talk to peers they may not otherwise and develop more friendships. More than 800 students, from sixth through eighth grade, are assigned the same novel at the beginning of the year.

AIStockWire · Richmond, VA

Nearby: Richmond, VA

Virginia Democrats seek local votes on data centers over 25 MW as JLARC estimates tax break returns 22 cents per dollar

Key points Virginia Democrats want local votes on every data center over 25 megawatts Virginia's plan would also ban data center NDAs with local officials JLARC estimated Virginia's data center tax break returned 22 cents per dollar Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and the state's Democratic legislative leaders on Nov. 10 proposed requiring a local vote on every data center that uses more than 25 megawatts of power. The proposal is part of the 2027 legislative agenda they unveiled at the state Capitol in Richmond. Under the plan, those data centers could no longer be approved "by right," and local approval would be required regardless of prior project approvals. Democrats also want to bar data center companies from signing nondisclosure agreements with local officials. Bills for the agenda measures haven't been filed yet, the Virginia Mercury reported.

Tribune Courier · Richmond, VA

Nearby: Richmond, VA

Poock pours in 33 as Racers open season with win over Southern Indiana

Subscribe to Continue The Murray State women’s basketball team defeated Southern Indiana 82-67 Monday night with Halli Poock dropping 33 points in their season-opener. /MSU Athletics Halli Poock picked up right where she left off, leading Murray State women’s basketball to an 82-67 season-opening win over Southern Indiana on Monday night.The Racers got a career-high-tying performance from their point guard, who finished with 33 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Poock knocked down seven of her 10 attempts from beyond the arc, tying her career high for three-pointers made in a game. She also added six assists.Murray State found another gear in the third quarter, outscoring the Screaming Eagles 28-19 to create some separation and help secure the 15-point victory.Haven Ford added 10 points for the Racers, while Claire Johnson made an impressive debut in her first game with Murray State.