Virginia School To Discuss Name Change

A high school in Virginia could be renamed to honor Mildred and Richard Loving and their landmark Supreme Court case striking down state bans on interracial marriage. The Washington-Lee High School, located in Arlington, Virginia, could soon be named “Washington-Loving.” The Arlington school board voted unanimously to change the school’s name, which was named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee, back in June. The proposal to name the school “Washington-Loving” was made by a 21-member committee consisting of community members, students, staff and faculty. The decision was reached to change the name because Lee was the main military commander for the Confederacy, which fought to preserve slavery during the Civil War. The Loving couple, who legally married in Washington, D.C., in 1958, were later arrested and convicted for violating a state law banning interracial marriages after returning home to Virginia. On June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in the couple’s favor in Loving v. Virginia, striking down state laws banning interracial marriage. The Arlington School Board is set to meet on Dec. 20 to discuss the name change. The board is then scheduled to vote on the final name Jan. 10.

In Other News Former President George H.W. Bush will be honored with a state funeral on Wednesday, an official gathering that will include current and former presidents and world leaders to mark the life of the 41st President. The White House said both President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will attend Wednesday's service at Washington National Cathedral. In addition to the Trumps and the Bush family, those attending will also include: former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama , former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter as well as many leaders from around the world. Trump has proclaimed Wednesday a national day of mourning. Much of the government will treat it as a holiday in reverence to Bush, and his Washington memorial will take place midday before his return to Texas. The skeleton of a man, dating back around 500 years, has been discovered face down in the mud under London's River Thames, with his thigh-high leather footwear remaining virtually intact. The find was made in south London, by archaeologists working on London's new "super sewer," a $5.4 billion tunnel that will capture, store and transfer raw sewage and rainwater that currently overflows into the river. YouTube's highest-earning star made $22 million in 12 months – and is only seven years old. According to a Forbes estimate published Monday, Ryan — the child star behind YouTube channel Ryan ToysReview — earned $22 million in the year to June 2018, and is one of the platform's top "influencers" with 17.3 million followers.

American History Trivia Stephen Moylan was an Irish American patriot leader during the American Revolutionary War. He had several positions in the Continental Army including Muster-Master General as well as Secretary and Aide to General George Washington. At the beginning of 1776, Stephen Moylan thought that the new nation needed an ambassador to Spain and that he could fulfill that role. On January 2, 1776, he wrote to Joseph Reed, Washington’s military secretary at the time, to seek such a position. In the letter he included the sentence: “I should like vastly to go with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain.” During this period it was common to refer to the rebelling states as the “united colonies” or “united provinces,” making Moylan’s reference important because this is probably the first time the words United States of America were written. Common Sense by Thomas Paine, that urged independence, would not be published until January 10 and the Declaration of Independence would not be presented to Congress until June 28. Because of this, the little known Stephen Moylan deserves credit as the first to use our country’s name.