Fan of the British royal family? Same here!

Content Warning: Mention of death and sexual harassment

Happening in the World: Marília Mendonça, a famous Brazilian singer and winner of a 2019 Latin Grammy, tragically passed in a plane accident yesterday evening. She was 26 and on her way to perform an in-person concert in Caratinga. Over the pandemic, she kept busy on YouTube, performing online. She was known for her Sertanejo (Brazilian country) music and for writing about breakups. She will be missed by many, including her fans and two-year-old son (BBC).

Happening in the US: The Duchess of Sussex has been cold calling Senators to express her support for paid family leave. Maine’s Republican Senator Susan Collins got a call from the Duchess on her personal phone. The number came up as blocked, but Senator Collins answered anyway, and was surprised to hear Meghan Markle on the other end. Dropped from President Biden’s spending bill and then added again this past Wednesday, paid family is a contentious issue in the United States, but Meghan is doing more than just calling. This past week, she posted a letter on PaidLeaveforAll.org. advocating for it (BBC).

Happening in NYC: Andrew Cuomo, former Governor of New York, was hit with forcible touching charges, a class A misdemeanor, back in December of 2020. His arraignment has been postponed till early January on the basis of limited sworn declarations from witnesses and negligent mistatement. The case could possibly be closed because Craig Apple, Sheriff for Albany County, submitted a court summons this past month, but did not tell Brittany Commisso’s lawyer. This is not the first time that Cuomo has been accused of sexual harassment, with many women coming forward in December (Gothamist).

Happening in Our Community: The 2021 Visual Arts MFA Thesis Exhibition is still going and is now showing its second exhibition until mid-November. The work of talented sound artists, including Avishag Cohen Rodrigues, Tim Kwasny, and Yixuan Shao, and visual artists will be on display at the Lenfest Center for the Arts. Purchase your tickets here. The exhibition opens at 12 pm.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle via Wikimedia Commons