U.Va. ARTS PREVOST TO STEP DOWN

CHARLOTTESVILLE (AP)

--The University of Virginia's first vice provost for the arts will step down in January.

Elizabeth Hutton Turner has served in the position since 2007 when it was created. Her five-year term ends in January.

The university said Thursday that a search for Turner's successor began this week.

Turner also is a professor of modern art at U.Va. The university says she will take a two-year leave in January to work with the Terra Foundation for American Art, where she will serve as vice president for collections and curatorial affairs.

city in national health survey

DANVILLE (AP)

--Residents in the Dan River region are participating in a national health and nutrition survey.

The Danville Register and Bee says doctors, nurses and other medical personnel began testing residents Wednesday at a mobile clinic in Danville.

The tests include hearing, lung function and blood. Medical personnel measure residents' height and weight. Residents also are questioned about nutrition.

The survey is a part of an annual study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. The study looks at 15 communities across the U.S.

9 sentenced for drug trafficking

ABINGDON (AP)

--Nine people have been sentenced in a drug trafficking case in southwest Virginia.

Seven defendants are from southwest Virginia and two are from Detroit. All nine were convicted of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone.

U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said Thursday that the convictions and sentences stem from a two-year investigation by local, state and federal authorities.

According to court records, the defendants brought oxycodone from Detroit to distribute in the Big Stone Gap area.

virginia science exhibit sets record

RICHMOND (AP)

--An exhibit focusing on the brain has ended a record-breaking run at the Science Museum of Virginia.

"Body Worlds and the Brain" drew more than 100,000 visitors before it closed on Sunday. That broke the previous record of 62,000 visitors set by a Titanic exhibit.

Museum leader Richard C. Conti told The Richmond Times-Dispatch that the average summer visitation is about 53,000.