Lonnie G. Bunch III, the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, was named the Smithsonian Institution’s secretary on May 28. He is the first African-American leader in its 172-year history. (Washington Post)
All Virginia public colleges are set to freeze in-state tuition for the upcoming school year for the first time in nearly 20 years. A stronger-than-expected state economy allowed legislators to approve a state budget with $57.2 million for public colleges to share. (AP)
A WWI plaque was temporarily removed from the 88-year-old Clarendon War Memorial in Arlington prior to Memorial Day. According to Dan Donohue from American Legion Post 139, the plaque is being updated to fix a name error. It has recently been the subject of controversy due to its use of separation of soldiers labeled as “colored.” (WTOP)
The City of Manassas’ firefighters rescued a 31-pound cat from two branches of a tall tree on Malvern Court on May 27, bringing out Tower 51 to reach the feline friend and get it back to safety. (Inside NoVA)
