Washington Post • 26th November 2022

20 years after ‘Drumline,’ HBCU bands credit film for boosting visibility

Janae McCloud didn’t always know how to read music perfectly, or the technicalities of playing the alto saxophone. She just did whatever she needed to keep going with the music. But in her sophomore year of high school, she watched the film “Drumline” and felt seen in the fictional story of talented band member Devon Miles, who couldn’t read music. It inspired her to keep performing. “I’m a biology major, and I want to become a doctor,” McCloud said. But “I’m still using things that I’m learnin

Washington Post • 10th November 2022

George Mason University launches College of Public Health

George Mason University has officially renamed the former College of Health and Human Services to the College of Public Health, refocusing its efforts on public health education, research and practice. Fast, informative and written just for locals. Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It will be the first college of public health in Virginia, the university said. The college will implement new programs at the undergraduate master’s and doctoral levels that include a focu

Washington Post • 9th November 2022

Muriel Bowser projected to win third term as D.C. mayor

Bowser, 50, will be the only leader since “mayor for life” Marion Barry to serve a third term. She easily coasted to reelection Tuesday, after beating two challengers to her left in the spring’s Democratic primary, on promises that she will focus her third term on guiding the city’s economic recovery from pandemic shutdowns and on increasing the size of the police force to combat crime. While Bowser’s victory was never in much doubt, other races remained uncalled Tuesday night, including one of

Washington Post • 2nd November 2022

American University boosts patrols after report of sexual assault in dorm

American University increased patrols around its residence halls after a sexual assault was reported in a dorm earlier this week. The university’s police department is working with D.C. police to investigate the incident that took place at about 2 a.m. Monday in Leonard Hall on the campus in Northwest Washington, according to the university. No arrest was announced as of Wednesday. “The safety of our community is a top priority, and any incident that affects students in the residence halls that

Washington Post • 29th October 2022

In Montgomery Co., bus driver shortages anger parents, strand students

A previous version of this story misstated the timeline of events when Montgomery County parent Shannon Ingram begins waiting with her daughter at the bus stop. It also said incorrectly that Ingram’s daughter once was dropped off at the wrong school. She was nearly dropped off at the wrong stop. The story has been corrected. In Montgomery County, a bus driver shortage has led to some schools having to excuse students from classes when their buses do not show up in the morning. At others, parent

Washington Post • 24th October 2022

U-Md. expands tuition aid for state residents from low-income families

The University of Maryland pledged Monday to expand aid for students from within the state who have significant financial need, a $20 million annual program to be known in College Park as the Terrapin Commitment. Fast, informative and written just for locals. Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. Starting in January, the program at the state flagship university will provide funds to help ensure tuition and fees are covered for Maryland residents who receive federal Pell G

Washington Post • 14th October 2022

Transgender students fear being ‘deadnamed’ at college

Howard officials said students can update their preferred name on university systems but need to contact its enrollment management team to make the change. The university also is working to create more policies that support the LGBTQ+ community, said Jose Cadiz, director of the intercultural and LGBTQ+ center at Howard. Universities across the country have varying policies on how they identify students by name or pronouns, and some have begun to review their rules in recent years. For some stud

Washington Post • 30th September 2022

Shared Voices program aims to help HBCU student performers grow

Opera star Denyce Graves was in her first year of teaching at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University when she says she met a graduate student with a beautiful voice. The student was a hard worker, Graves said, but wasn’t getting the opportunities to perform that she felt she should have. She didn’t get into the opera program and was upset and disillusioned. Graves says she sat with the student and cried and hugged her. It led her to want to do more to help other students. “How are w

Washington Post • 29th September 2022

U-Md. to dedicate dorm named for Black students who broke barriers on campus

In the fall of 1955, Elaine Johnson Coates became one of seven African American students allowed to live on the University of Maryland campus. She graduated four years later, the first African American woman to do so. She overcame struggles of prejudice and loneliness to get her education. “I thought when I walked away in 1959 with my diploma in hand that no one would ever speak my name again,” Coates said. “I was surprised but really honored when they contacted me and started asking about my ti

Washington Post • 18th September 2022

Maryland women’s college to go fully coed starting in fall 2023

Notre Dame of Maryland University, a private institution in Baltimore, said it will begin admitting male students to its traditional women-only undergraduate program starting in fall 2023, a shift that has surprised some students and faculty members. Once NDMU makes the shift to coed, there will be 29 colleges in the United States and one in Canada with women-only programs, according to the Women’s College Coalition. Many others have closed or decided to admit men in recent decades, the organiza

WSJ • 6th September 2022

The New Fashion Brand that Wants Women to Claim Space

The double f in Fforme, a new clothing label offering a capsule-like collection of structured classics, stands for “fundamental and foundational,” highlighting the brand’s core ideas. Co-founders Nina Khosla, a product designer for startups, and Laura Vazquez, who has worked in womenswear for more than 25 years, sought to create a new line that would allow women to dress boldly and confidently—or, as Fforme creative director Paul Helbers puts it, claim “the space around them with architectural v

WSJ • 26th August 2022

Mother Nature

Photographer Ethan James Green returned home to Michigan to shoot this fashion portfolio, which stars two of his earliest muses. Green photographed his mother, Melinda Green, and aunt, Brendolyn Van Zomeren, at the farm where the two women grew up and among Lake Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes. “It’s a very surreal, beautiful place that not many people know about,” says Green. The shoot, styled by Tonne Goodman, was an emotional one for Green, as family and friends joined the set alongside his cr

WSJ • 23rd August 2022

Dress Up Denim in This Season’s Most Adventurous Shapes

Reimagine your wardrobe this fall with a fresh take on oversize designs. From denim looks to nipped waists, unexpected volume takes the starring role in this London-based shoot. “I wanted to choose sculpted clothing that engulfed the model and to then layer it with denim,” says stylist Chloe Grace Press, who worked with photographer Jesse Jenkins.

WSJ • 25th June 2022

Can Elvis Survive Gen Z?

Elvis Presley has TikTok all shook up. Not so much over the singer who died 45 years ago, but the actor who’s embodying him in the new film “Elvis”: Austin Butler.

CNN • 9th March 2022

EPA officially reinstates California's authority to craft its own vehicle emissions standards

"Today we proudly reaffirm California's longstanding authority to lead in addressing pollution from cars and trucks," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. "Our partnership with states to confront the climate crisis has never been more important. With today's action, we reinstate an approach that for years has helped advance clean technologies and cut air pollution for people not just in California, but for the U.S. as a whole." In 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive or

CNN • 16th February 2022

Trump-era interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated ethics rules while in office, watchdog report finds

The new report from the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General focuses on Zinke's involvement with the Great Northern Veterans Peace Park Foundation, which Zinke resigned from upon his confirmation as interior secretary in 2017. The foundation, based in Zinke's hometown of Whitefish, Montana, was in negotiations with developers for a commercial development project called 95 Karrow, which sought to establish businesses in the area including a hotel, restaurant and microbrewery, accordi

CNN • 7th February 2022

Buttigieg says 'we need to take a look at' a no-fly list for unruly passengers

"I think we need to take a look at it. Look, the airlines are often doing their own internal no-fly list. Some of them have spoken about maybe coordinating on that, and we're looking at these policy recommendations as well," Buttigieg told CNN's Kate Bolduan in an interview. Buttigieg has previously expressed openness to a federal no-fly list for violent airplane passengers, telling CNN in late October that it "should be on the table." The existing federal no-fly list is used to prevent terrori

TODAY.com • 7th December 2021

Nicole Kidman looks regal on the red carpet in gown fit for a queen

Nicole Kidman wore a dress fit for a queen at the Los Angeles premiere of her new movie, “Being the Ricardos.” The Oscar winner shared a post on Instagram Monday of her red carpet look as well as photos with her fellow co-stars with the caption “So happy to be here xx.” Kidman, 54, dazzled in a strapless tulle and sequined ballgown from Armani Privé, which she paired with a vibrant red lip color. She completed her outfit with shoes from Jimmy Choo and a watch from Omega. In “Being the Ricardo

TODAY.com • 3rd December 2021

Doja Cat crowns Teyana Taylor the queen of 'Planet Her' in her latest interstellar video

Fresh from her Grammy-nominated album, Doja Cat has released the music video of her hit single “Woman.” The intergalactic video features the 26-year-old singer-songwriter with Teyana Taylor as the queen of Planet Her. Under the creative direction of Janelle Monáe and H.E.R.’s creative brand childartiste, the video has already reached over one million views on YouTube and also features model Guetcha. The cosmic video offers a mix of vocals, visuals and choreography as Doja Cat’s viewers are tak

TODAY.com • 29th November 2021

Brené Brown explains the difference between 'belonging and fitting in'

Brené Brown is doing what she does best: Helping us understand our emotions and making us feel less alone. The bestselling author appeared on Hoda & Jenna on TODAY Monday to discuss her latest book, "Atlas of the Heart," which delves into the importance of understanding our emotions, what it means to be human and and how to have meaningful connections. During the interview, Jenna Bush Hager asked Brown for deeper insight on “belonging and fitting in,” one of the topics discussed in “Atlas of t