The VPM Daily Newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Episodes are recorded the night before.
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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of May 21, 2025:
Richmond-area students create cancer detection app
Reported by VPM News’ Adrienne Hoar McGibbon
Saket Sambaraju, 16, and Abhinav Gitta, 17 — longtime friends and high school juniors from Glen Allen — were selected as winners in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge, which challenges middle and high school students interested in science, technology, engineering and math to create an original app that could be used on a phone, PC, tablet, web browser or robot.
Sambaraju and Gitta, who have known each other since second grade, decided to experiment with ways to use artificial intelligence to make a positive impact on their community. Sambaraju, who attends Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in Richmond, was inspired by the death of his grandfather, who lived in a rural community in India and died from melanoma.
“We wanted to create an application that helped people in these rural areas that didn’t have access to doctors to check on melanoma and make sure that it’s not malignant,” Sambaraju said.
The teens trained their app, MelanomAI, to recognize malignant melanoma by uploading over 17,000 images of moles that were diagnosed as either malignant or non-cancerous. The app was able to identify malignant melanoma at just over 92% accuracy.
“What really stood out to me about them is how they took tragedy and turned it into helping other people,” US Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D–4th) said. “I am always really touched by people who get rooted in ‘I want to help people,’ especially when they’re turning that personal tragedy into something positive.”
Curious Commonwealth asks: Who was Humphrey Calder?
Reported by VPM News’ Whittney Evans
If you’ve ever driven north on Thompson Street in Richmond’s Museum District and wondered who Humphrey Calder was, you’re not alone.
Marlon Christian, who supervises the community center that bears Calder’s name, said that even as a 28-year employee of the City of Richmond, he didn’t know much about Calder.
“When I researched, there wasn’t a lot of information,” he said. “It was just a small article.”
As part of the VPM News series Curious Commonwealth, editor Whittney Evans explored the history of the man whose name is attached to the community center and neighboring playground nestled between Thompson Street and Interstate 195.
The story dates back to the turn of the 20th century — a time when many Southern cities were beginning to think differently about how they used their green space.
News you might have missed from around the commonwealth:
- Youngkin signs executive order to combat antisemitism in Va. schools (Virginia Mercury)
- Charlottesville names new city attorney — a year after the last one was put on leave (The Daily Progress)*
- Decline to opine: Virginia attorney general will not weigh in on Hopewell firings issue (The Progress-Index)*
- Carilion Roanoke Memorial opens expanded emergency department (Cardinal News)
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.