
Virginia’s AI directive
A newly-issued state directive seeks to ensure the ethical, transparent use and oversight of artificial intelligence technologies in Virginia.

City to open new temporary shelter
Richmond will have a far bigger temporary shelter if another tropical storm hits or the weather plunges below freezing in the next two months.

Hickory Hill hopes for historic designation
Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side is on its way to securing designation as a historic building.

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:

VCU announces guaranteed university admission program
Virginia Commonwealth University has announced a guaranteed university admission program for first-year freshman applicants who are among the top 10% of their high school graduat- ing class or have a high school GPA of 3.5 or above. This is the first university-wide program of its kind among Virginia’s R1 universities and is open to any qualifying student nationwide, according to a university news release.

Butler sworn in as third Black female senator in U.S. history, replaces late California Sen. Feinstein
Former union leader and Democratic insider Laphonza Butler was sworn in as the newest member of the Senate on Tuesday, replacing California Sen. Dianne Feinstein after her death and becoming only the third Black female senator in history.

If it’s fall, it must be 2nd Street
Nothing signals fall more in Richmond than the annual 2nd Street Festival in Richmond’s historic Jackson Ward. This year’s festival is particularly special in that Richmonders and visitors alike will celebrate the event’s 35th year.

2nd Street Festival returns to Jackson Ward
Marking its 35th year, the 2nd Street Festival returns Saturday and Sunday in historic Jackson Ward.

VUU: Allen does Byers impersonation
At midseason, it comes as no surprise that a Virginia Union University Panther is leading the CIAA in rushing. The surprise is that it is Curtis Allen and not Jada Byers.

VSU has high hopes with Pope
As the dynamic Dinwiddie High quarterback, K’ymon Pope was all about leading his team into the end zone. Now as the Virginia State University roving safety, he’s all about keeping rival squads out of the end zone.

VSU’s Frazier unbowed by Bowie homecoming
Coach Henry Frazier III will take his undefeated Virginia State University football team to Bowie State this Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff. The veteran coach won’t need a road map or GPS to get there.

Pirates pummel UR 31-14
Spiders face CAA rival North Carolina A&T on Oct. 14
Hampton University has become the second HBCU to make football life difficult for the University of Richmond.

Black Tennis Hall of Fame serves up 2023 inductees
Despite a rainy arrival, some 75 to 80 people were in attendance to celebrate the induction of the 2023 class of inductees to the Black Tennis Hall of Fame (BTHOF) at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on Saturday, Sept. 23. The evening’s keynote speaker was 1996 Wimbledon runner-up MaliVai Washington

Damian Lillard joins Bucks on defense, embraces championship expectations
Damian Lillard understands he has a reputation for being an elite offensive player but not a particularly strong defender. Now that he’s on a new team, the seven-time All-NBA selection looks forward to changing that perception.

Garden Glow illuminates Maymont
The groves and lawn of Maymont Farm will be illuminated by art and good vibes Sunday, Oct. 8, as artist Alfonso Pérez Acosta will present a new community project as the opening preview of this year’s four-week Garden Glow event.

ACTION Film Festival features 3 new works by local artists
The sights, stories and histories of the city of Richmond are the focus of a new film festival running from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. The ACTION Film Festival will showcase three films, “Still Fighting,” “Bleach” and “Break,” written by and featuring local creatives and set at historic locations and landmarks across Richmond.

Rain is a pain for Panthers
On a night when players needed windshield wipers on their face masks, Virginia Union University veered off course and eventually went under.

House Speaker McCarthy is back to square one as Senate pushes ahead to avert federal shutdown
As the Senate marches ahead with a bipartisan approach to prevent a government shutdown, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is back to square one — asking his hard-right Republicans to do what they have said they would never do: Approve their own temporary House measure to keep the government open.

Quincy Jones receives State Department’s first Peace Through Music Award
Quincy Jones, who once embarked on an international diplomatic tour with jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, will receive the U.S. Department of State’s inaugural Peace Through Music Award. A ceremony honoring the 28-time Grammy winning producer, musician and arranger will be held Wednesday night and as part of the launch of the State Department’s new Global Music

Trojans big man Bruno super sizes offense
All capital letters and an exclamation point are needed to describe Virginia State University’s offensive left tackle. Bruno Onwuazor is not just big; he’s BIG!