
Virginia Museum of History & Culture receives national Award of Excellence
The American Association of State and Local History (AASLH) recently awarded the Virginia Museum of History & Culture its highest honor for achievement in the preservation of state and local history — the Award of Excellence. The VMHC was the only museum in Virginia to be given this recognition in 2023.

McClellan announces photo competition
Congresswoman Jennifer L. McClellan is inviting residents of Virginia’s 4th Congressional District to share their vision of the area and its community with her and, potentially, the nation at large.

Free Press announces new hires, summer interns from Stanford, VCU
Managing editor Bonnie Newman Davis recognized during Black journalists convention
The Richmond Free Press continues to expand, with two summer interns helping to cover some of the most important topics for the Richmond community and longtime contributors joining the staff in a full-time or extended capacity.

Changing the trajectory
RRHA ushering in new initiatives for jobs, health and safety
Steven B. Nesmith promised to transform the operation of Richmond’s public housing and the opportunities for residents when he assumed leadership of the authority last fall.

The NBA has been playing to a hip-hop beat for nearly 50 years
From his booth at the corner of the court, Miami Heat disc jockey M Dot has a front-row look at the harmonious fusion of basketball and music.

Gilpin Court residents ancestry project enables them to reclaim their time
Michelle Bryant wants to learn more about herself and her ancestors.

Holmes, Myers are VUU’s foot soldiers
Brady Myers and Marvin Holmes put the “foot” in football at Virginia Union University.

Clarence ‘Chip’ Howard plans JM resurgence
Clarence “Chip” Howard is a big man with a big assignment: To try and return football glory to the North Side.

Slyderz shine in Inner-City Classic
Carl Smith has seen baseball from an up-close-and-personal vantage point few can match. Now he’s passing along that wisdom to area up-and-comers.

Personality: Mitchell Haddon
Spotlight on Richmond SPCA’s outgoing board chairman
About a decade ago, Mitchell Haddon met Robin Robertson Starr, who then was CEO of the Richmond SPCA. Because of Mr. Haddon’s experience in construction, Ms. Starr had questions about a veterinary hospital that the nonprofit SPCA was considering building. Their conversation soon segued into the mission of SPCA and its journey.

School Board demands third-party investigation into June 6 shooting
Richmond Public School leaders have demanded a third-party investigation into the events and RPS actions leading up to the mass shooting in Monroe Park following the Huguenot High School graduation ceremony on June 6 that led to the deaths of graduate Shawn Jackson and his stepfather, Renzo Smith.

Recovery and reflection
Hawaii works to identify wildfire’s 107 dead
Hawaii Hawaii officials worked painstakingly to identify the 107 people confirmed killed in wildfires that ravaged Maui and expected to release the first names Tuesday, even as teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash.

Kim D. Saunders, former president and CEO of Consolidated Bank, dies at age 61
Kim D. Saunders, who ran a financial consulting firm after leading banks in Richmond, Washington and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., has died.

Clarence Avant, ‘Black Godfather’ of entertainment, and benefactor of athletes and politicians, dies
Clarence Avant, the judicious manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and came to be known as the “Black Godfather” of music and beyond, has died. He was 92.

GRTC increasing drivers, ridership
GRTC is starting to fill driver vacancies and could have a full complement of 300 drivers before the end of the year based on current recruitment, according to a report to the regional transit company’s board Tuesday.

Plunky & Oneness at the Kennedy Center
Richmond funk group Plunky & Oneness will offer a free concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, it has been announced.

Glen Lea teacher receives health and physical education award after facing personal health challenges
When diagnosed with heart failure during the 2021-2022 school year, Glen Lea Elementary School educator Dexter Price did not plan to continue teaching.

Robinson’s size and speed commands attention in D.C.
Brian Robinson Jr.’s rookie season in Washington couldn’t have started much worse. Nor could it have ended with much more promise.

Dr. Evora W. Jones, who mentored authors and educators at VUU, dies at age 88
Dr. Evora Williams Jones, a retired English professor at Virginia Union University who focused on Southern women writers, has died.