Longtime RPS educator Eleanor R. Binford remembered
Eleanor Redd Binford influenced hundreds of elementary schoolchildren during the 35 years she taught in Richmond Public Schools.
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:
Afro-Puerto Rican orchestra Kadencia appears on Apple TV+ Series ‘Swagger’
Virginia-based Afro-Puerto Rican orchestra, Kadencia, appears in Season 2, Episode 7 of the Apple TV+ series “Swagger.”
I-95 Express Lanes, Fredericksburg extension open
New road estimated to save drivers 35 minutes when coming from D.C. during rush hour
A new, 10-mile extension of the 95 Express Lanes to Fredericksburg opens to mainline traffic late on Aug. 17, according to the Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin administration.
Arthur Ashe Center agreement reached
A potential roadblock for the projected $2.4 billion Diamond District development appears to have been cleared, the Free Press has learned, though questions remain on other aspects.
Judge suspends order to put casino issue on Nov. ballot
A Richmond judge will decide whether to allow a charitable gaming group to challenge the constitutionality of the city’s selection of a casino operator and potentially prevent a planned vote on whether to have a casino in the Nov. 7 general election.
What’s in a name?
Richmond has gone to considerable expense to get rid of its public display of affection for its Confederate and slavery past.
Defend democracy, demand diversity, defeat poverty, by Marc H. Morial
“For more than 100 years, this organization has worked to bring our country together in coalition in the collective fight for the freedom, rights, and justice of all people. ... We know we have more work to do, being clear-eyed about the moment we are in - a moment when state by state in places like Texas and Florida, extremist so-called leaders attack hard-won rights and freedoms.” — Vice President Kamala Harris, National Urban League 2023 Conference
Vaccines provide hope and care, by Bel-Kelly Russo
Seven years after my father passed, I recently experienced an unexpected emotion: Hope.
Jay-Z’s Made in America fest canceled
Fans spot rapper, producer during wife Beyoncé’s performance at Fedex Field
Jay-Z’s annual Made in America festival, scheduled for next month in Philadelphia, has been canceled.
Hot and unhoused
Councilwoman urges city to open shelter for disabled people, families and children; Efforts to ‘expand the safety net’ for homeless coming early September, says official
Staying outdoors in the summer heat “is no fun,” said Thomas Bateman, a disabled factory worker. The bedraggled 63-year-old Richmonder hasn’t been able to find an affordable place to stay in the city, and his only income, a government disability check, allows him to pay for a motel stay just one night a month.
Charles Ogletree, longtime legal and civil rights scholar at Harvard Law School, dies at 70
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Charles J. Ogletree Jr., a law professor and civil rights scholar with a distinguished career at Harvard Law School, and whose list of clients ranged from Anita Hill to Tupac Shakur, died Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 70.
Millions struggle to pay AC bills in heat waves
Federal aid reaches only a fraction
Bobbie Boyd is in a losing battle against near triple-digit temperatures in Northwest Arkansas.
Personality: Raven Bates
Spotlight on Art on Wheels board president
Raven Bates, the board president of the Richmond-based nonprofit Art on Wheels, says the best thing her parents Robert and Tracey Wilkinson ever taught her was not to fear being different or independent.
City’s Charter Review Commission releases report
After eight months of work, a commission set up to review Richmond’s constitution or City Charter has stopped short of recommending a major overhaul of the city’s form of government.
Harris takes his turn steering Vikings ship
‘I knew all along I’d come back,’ says TJ’s coach
Eric Harris, a familiar face around Richmond for decades, is the new head football coach at Thomas Jefferson High.
Library workshop details new laws about expungement reform
At age 19, John Campbell III, was convicted of highway robbery and sentenced to 25 years in prison with 10 years suspended. After his first release, he was in and out of prison 10 times. Now 74 years old, he has not been back to prison since 2005, he said. Mr.Campbell’sconvictionofhighwayrobbery is the one offense that bars him from opportuni- ties to advance, he said. He receives disability benefits and seeks jobs where he can counsel others in situations similar to his. However, he has been dismissed from these jobs as soon as employers learn about his conviction, he said. Mr. Campbell was among nearly two dozen
Richmond fireman Rodney Jermaine Coles, 49, dies
The Richmond Fire Department has announced the death of a 15-year veteran, Rodney Jermaine “Cup” Coles.
Electoral Board reverses decision after earlier action ruled illegal
The Richmond Electoral Board, as anticipated, voted last Friday at a special meeting to reverse course and open two more sites for in-person early voting that will begin next month 45 days ahead of the Nov. 7 general election for General Assembly seats.
