Jennifer Spangler has struggled with bipolar disorder for years, but she’s never been violent.

Most people with mental illness aren’t, she said.

But anytime there’s a wave of gun violence or a high profile shooting, she braces herself for political conversations to zero in on mental health.

“The effects of those types of prejudices are devastating,” she said.

Amid rising gun violence and a string of high profile shootings in Virginia, some legislators have zeroed in on mental health resources as the primary solution. While mental health advocates agree there’s a need for more support, some argue dialogue linking mental illness to gun violence isn’t backed by research and ultimately harms those who suffer from it.

Read more in the Sunday Main News section

At 6:30 on a recent Monday evening, the guys started strolling into the fellowship hall at Freemason Street Baptist Church. They greeted each other as the longtime friends that they are.

By 6:50, they were in their usual seats: trumpets in a row on one side, saxophones, trombones and the rhythm section. Several began reviewing the music already on their stands.At 7, bandleader Carroll Bailey raised his hand from his seat in the trumpet section.

“OK,” he announced. The chatter and tuning stopped. The 17 musicians turned toward him.

“One, two — one, two, three, four.” And the buoyant strains of Juan Tizol’s “Perdido” swelled and another session of the Monday Night Big Band was in full swing.

A rehearsal for a gig? No, because for this big band, there’s never an audience. Their weekly get-together is the gig. Most Monday evenings from September through May, these professional musicians travel to downtown Norfolk from as far as Williamsburg to play from 7 to 9 for no money, no applause — simply for the joy of making music.

Read more in the Sunday Break section

After writing or editing 13 books, Civil War historian Jonathan White received a call about his most recent work when he was away from his quiet Christopher Newport University office and his mind far from scholarly pursuits. He was at home, trying to get his young daughter to take a bath. And she was being fussy.

His book, the caller said, had just won the 2023 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, sharing it with Jon Meacham, the renowned presidential historian.

The prize, awarded annually to a book about the Civil War or Abraham Lincoln, is widely considered the most prestigious of its kind. Past winners include David Blight, the Sterling Professor of History of African American and American studies at Yale University, and Pulitzer Prize winner James M. McPherson.

Read more in the Sunday Break section

There is no pill, salve, panacea or cure when it comes to the closure of a cherished local business.

For Steve and Abby Buchberg, owners of Colley Discount Pharmacy in Ghent, that day has come.

After nearly 40 years, the couple made the difficult decision to sell their independent pharmacy to Rite Aid. The store’s last day in business was March 23.

All of the customers’ files will electronically transfer to Rite Aid on West 21st Street in Norfolk. The store’s main phone number — more than 60 years old — will roll over to the new store.

Faced with the possibility of closing several times within the past 10 years and their long-term lease renewal on the horizon, the Buchbergs said now is the right time.

Read more in the Sunday Work & Money section

Note To Readers:  A reminder that Parade magazine is now only found along with your e-edition of either The Virginian-Pilot or Daily Press each Sunday morning.  Print copies of Parade magazine ceased after the November 13th issue.