Good morning, Charlottesville.

Tony and Emmy award-winning actor Nathan Lane will attend the Virginia Film Festival from Oct.

21 to 25 — he will receive the Visionary Award and join a 30th Anniversary screening of The Birdcage followed by a conversation with host Ben Mankiewicz.

Tourism brought over $1B in visitor spending in Charlottesville and Albemarle County in 2025, driven by food and beverage sales ($375.9M) and lodging ($223.1M).

The spending boosted local small businesses and created over 7,200 jobs, officials said.

At the English department, some professors ban AI in writing assignments (others allow limited use) so students build stronger skills through in-person, timed essays, while others promote tech-free classes to encourage writing by hand.

Faculty and students agree that these measures help preserve the traditional value of handwritten work.

Thirteen candidates were interviewed Thursday in a 12-minute format to fill the vacant Albemarle County School Board at-large seat after the former vice chair stepped down.

A public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 17 and the board will vote on Sept. 24 (application details are available online).

The Piedmont Environmental Council is calling for a moratorium on new data centers after local residents showed concern about environmental impacts—urging a closer look at the pace of expansion.

UVA School of Medicine researchers tested AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude to examine how heart cells communicate.

The study found the models correctly identified 65% of known cell reactions but only predicted disease responses accurately 6% of the time — underscoring the need for careful human oversight.

The Revive and Thrive wellness event returns for two days, offering adults and students sessions on mental, physical, emotional (and financial) well-being in Charlottesville with details to be shared soon.

Revive and Thrive returns to Jefferson School City Center to offer sessions on fitness, meditation, journaling, stress management, and financial wellness.

Adults attend on Tuesday, Sept. 15 (12-4 p.m.) and 11th and 12th graders meet Wednesday, Sept. 16 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

For tonight's football game at Scott Stadium, the University said parking lots must be cleared at 1 a.m. (Health Commuter), 2 p.m., and 3 p.m., with shuttles starting at 4 p.m. Readers should plan extra travel time as more fans are expected.

Virginia Cavaliers will face FCS-level Norfolk State today at 7 p.m. at Scott Stadium under Friday night lights, and coach Tony Elliott expects his team to continue their winning record against a familiar early-season opponent while Norfolk State, led by Michael Vick, aims to build momentum.