Hey, y’all. It’s Amie.

It dawned on me this morning that my son is going to have core memories of our family loading up in the car in our pajamas and driving out to the country late at night to watch the Northern Lights.

When we walked outside on Tuesday night and saw a faint pink glow to the north, Colton immediately asked, “Are we going to our spot?” In perfect union, my husband and I answered—“Yes!” (me) and “No!” (him). Granted, it was 9 p.m. on a work night.

Kody and I laughed, and he went inside to grab the keys. We drove to the field beside our country church and watched the celestial show with colors so vibrant, we could see them with our own eyes. There’s something so freeing about running, playing in an open field under those nighttime lights.

It really was the perfect ending to a perfect day. Whether you saw them in person or get to enjoy the aurora borealis from our photo below, I’m so glad you’re here.

Are you ready to take the plunge? (Diana Light/Unsplash)

By Aila Boyd

Here’s what you need to know: Cold plunging, also called cold water immersion, is now being seen as a unique yet reliable way to boost one’s mental and physical health. Improved mood and pain relief are often cited as benefits of cold plunging.

Our top picks: 

• Frostfire Sauna and Cold Plunge has two cold plunge tanks that can help reduce inflammation and sharpen one’s focus in mere minutes. The cold plunges are part of the one-hour quick trip package, which includes both the sauna and the cold plunge.

• Still Water Floatation offers cold plunges as part of its Fire and Ice package. The 60-minute session starts with time in an infrared sauna, then moves to a cold plunge, and ends with red light therapy.

• Riversong Saunas, which launched its first sauna in 2022, opens for the season every November. Offering both saunas and cold plunges, it uses the Rivanna River as its primary cold plunge.

Want more options to explore? We’ve got additional info about our featured picks, as well as other plunges throughout the commonwealth.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin promised to fight outrageous prescription drug costs. Instead of delivering on that promise, he decided to cater to Big Pharma. 

He vetoed a bill that could’ve reined in prices, accepted tens of thousands in Big Pharma contributions, and now expects public universities to contribute tax dollars to the Big Pharma talent pipeline.

Watch as Dogwood correspondent Carly Seward Maher delves into the issue.

Katie Couric graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

By Dorothy Scott

Popular television anchor Katie Couric graduated from the University of Virginia with an English degree in 1979, and boy howdy, did she put that degree to work. Couric has been on TV for countless years, whether on “Nightly News” on CBS or “Today Show” on NBC, and her work in the media is so well-established that it led her to found her own company, Katie Couric Media.

You may also know Couric for her books. The early 2000s saw Couric mastering the art of children’s books. In 2000, she released “The Brand New Kid,” and she released a second kids’ book, “The Blue Ribbon Day,” in 2004. In 2021, she published the memoir “Going There,” and we were glad to be along for the ride.

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