In March, Laura Ellis stood in a cobbled street in Nepal, staring at the clouds capping the Himalayan mountains. She was considering hiking Mount Everest, the rangeâs highest peak. It was her first time at the Himalayas and she commented that they were huge. Pinco, her guide, laughed. She was looking at the spurs, the lower rim of the mountains. It would be a three-day hike to get to the base, he told her. Ellis wasnât daunted when she looked up the face of Everest. She decided to come back and conquer it. Ellis, who lives in Virginia Beach, has worked as an elementary and middle school teacher, firefighter and art restorer, and now rents vacation homes and cleans swimming pools half the year so that she can âgo adventuringâ the rest. Her latest goal is to climb the âSeven Summits,â the highest mountain on each continent, during the next 18 months. First, in September, she scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Sheâll tackle Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest peak in the Western hemisphere, before the end of the year. She will save Everest for last. Read more in the Sunday Main News section 
Solomon always seems to know which people need him most. At the University of Virginia after the Nov. 13 shooting deaths of three football players, the 70-pound Golden Retriever walked straight toward a student who turned out to be grieving - for the campus tragedy and the recent loss of his own dog. Solomon rested his furry head on the young manâs shoulder, wagged his tail and relaxed for a long hug. âHe gives people a release for their stress and grief,â said Terri Scungio, who traveled with him to Charlottesville for a night. âHeâs nothing but pure love.â Solomon, 3½, is a specially-trained comfort animal who joined King of Glory Lutheran Church in James City County in 2021. Since then, he has traveled to nursing homes, hospitals, fire stations, veteransâ programs, schools, a police funeral and the sites of major tragedies, including Novemberâs mass shootings at the University of Virginia and the Wal-mart in Chesapeake. Read more in the Sunday Main News section Dreaming of a French patisserie but canât travel to Paris? Café Genevieve, a Paris-inspired shop specializing in macarons and artisan coffees, offers the taste and experience without the nine-hour flight. Genevieve Malarkeyâs love for French culture inspired her to open the café in June. She wanted to re-create an environment reminiscent of the European city inside Selden Market. She succeeded. Read more in the Sunday Break section A seasoned Virginia Beach brewer plans to open a combined craft brewery and cidery in the Bridgeport area of North Suffolk in the spring of 2023. Sojourn Fermentoryâs 9,200-square-foot building will include a tasting and dining room, full kitchen and outdoor biergarten, co-owner and head brewer Michael Pawley said. Focused on consumer education, the spot will host special events, beer and cider tastings, food pairings, charity fundraisers, community festivals and private parties, he said. Armed with a chemistry degree and a strong love of beer, Pawley relocated to Hampton Roads when he âthrew his name into a hatâ for a brewery job five years ago. Backed by his experience at two Virginia Beach breweries â Commonwealth Brewing Co. and Back Bay Brew House Farmhouse â Pawley and two business partners, Scott Osborne and Jinson Chan, decided to launch their own venture. Read more in the Work & Money section
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