Pioneers for Peace leader needs public support. One of the nation’s best-known activists against gun violence is up against a new opponent: cancer. Weusi Olusola, president of Pioneers for Peace, has been diagnosed with Stage 4 of the illness and told that he has six months to live. Known throughout the nation among urban peace activists, Olusola has appeared on TV episodes of “Judge Hatchett,” “Maury Povich,” CNN and even in Good Housekeeping magazine. He and the Pioneers for Peace – all survivors of gun attacks – have spoken at hundreds of schools, youth rallies and other functions. Under Olusola’s leadership, the organization even received praise from ex-President George W. Bush, who issued a “Daily Point of Light” award. Olusola’s recent diagnosis left him unable to make public appearances to support his family, and he only recently received medical insurance. The Park West Foundation for youth plans a March event to honor Olusola and collect donations to help him. “This is an opportunity for Weusi to receive back some of the love he’s given,” says program director Saba Gebrai. “After 23 years of working in the community, he deserves it.” A former high school basketball star, Olusola was left wheelchair-bound at 16 after he was shot in Detroit. He has since committed his life to helping end gang and youth violence. For information about how to help Weusi, visit the Web site .

Mummy revealed for public viewing. A mummy dating back to the year 640 B.C. has been revealed to the public after an archaeological dig in Egypt. The find was buried in a chamber 36 feet under ground at Saqqara. While it was discovered three weeks ago, the media only witnessed the mummy this week. Crowbars and picks were used to lift of the lid of a 2,600-year-old limestone sarcophagus. The mummy is said to have been perfectly preserved in canvas.

One in three schools are in “pollution danger zones.” One in three U.S. public schools are in the “air pollution danger zone,” according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC). More than 30 percent of American public schools are within 400 meters, or a quarter mile, of major highways that consistently serve as main truck and traffic routes, the researchers found. And studies have shown that proximity to major highways—and thus environmental pollutants, such as aerosolizing diesel exhaust particles—can leave school-age children more susceptible to respiratory diseases such as asthma later in life. “This is a major public health concern that should be given serious consideration in future urban development, transportation planning and environmental policies,” says Sergey Grinshpun, PhD, principal investigator of the study and professor of environmental health at UC. To protect the health of young children with developing lungs, he says new schools should be built further from major highways. “Health risk can be mitigated through proper urban planning, but that doesn’t erase the immediate risk to school-age children attending schools that are too close to highways right now,” he adds. “Existing schools should be retrofitted with air filtration systems that will reduce students’ exposure to traffic pollutants.”

As we mourn the death of Rep. Tubbs, we learn more about brain aneurysm. Vital Signs: As we morn the death of Rep. Tubbs, we learn more about brain aneurysm. Vital Signs tells why they are more common among women.

Comedian’s family expected that he would pull through from illness

A public memorial is scheduled for this coming weekend at Chicago’s House of Hope after star comedian Bernie Mac’s death due to complications from pneumonia. Funeral arrangements for the popular performer and actor are pending, Mac’s daughter, Je’niece Childress, says. Family members expected that Mac, whose real name was Bernard McCullough, would overcome the illness when he came down with pneumonia three weeks ago. “He had sarcoidosis, but it was in remission,” Mac’s sister-in-law Mary Ann Grossett tells People. “But because he had it, his immune system was compromised.” Of Mac’s wife since 1977, Rhonda McCullough, Grossett adds: “She’s devastated, however, she’s at peace about his transition because of her faith in God. Her faith is what is sustaining her.  Services are scheduled for noon Saturday in the 10,000-seat House of Hope, 752 E. 114th St., Chicago, said Danica Smith, Mac’s publicist. Donations in Mac’s honor may be sent to the Bernie Mac Foundation for Sarcoidosis, 40 E. 9th St., Suite 601, Chicago, IL 60605, Smith said. See more on Bernie Mac at BET.com/News.