
Game changer: Attendance, ticket sales surge since Squirrels arrival
The Richmond Flying Squirrels had a good season on the field in 2022 and a great season at the ticket booth.

Rites of passage
Rites of passage ceremonies traditionally mark important transitional periods in a person’s life, such as birth, puberty, marriage, having children, and death. In recent weeks, Richmond and surrounding communities have witnessed far too many rites of passage for young Black men whose lives were cut short by horrific tragedy.

Hickory Hill community opposes planned fire training facility
In a retreat from a two-year-old policy of expanding parks and green space in overly hot South Side, Mayor Levar M. Stoney and his administration are quietly pressing to replace 2 acres of lawn at the Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side with a $1 million fire training building.

Bagby wins Va. Senate special election
Henrico Democratic Delegate Lamont Bagby, as anticipated, crushed Republican rival Stephen J. “Steve” Imholt in Tuesday’s voting for a Richmond-area seat in the state Senate.

‘We will stand for you’
Remembrances, calls for reform at funeral for Irvo Otieno
Family, friends and other mourners gathered Wednesday at a Virginia church to remember Irvo Otieno at a funeral service, celebrating his life and calling for mental health care and policing reforms after the 28-year-old Black man’s death earlier this month while in custody at a state psychiatric hospital.

Richmond’s Randall Robinson reshaped American’s foreign policy, forced change in South Africa
Seared by the segregation he grew up with in Richmond, Randall Maurice Robinson championed change in American policies toward African and the Caribbean nations that he considered unjust and undergirded by racial bias.

Personality: Shirley H. Scarborough
Spotlight on Cry Loud, Spare Not, Speak Up founder
For the past two years Shirley H. Scarborough has worked, in her own words, to create “Beauty for Ashe,” through her organization Cry Loud, Spare Not, Speak Up.

Can’t stop dancing
NCAA’s Final Four
Something missing here? For the first time since the NCAA basketball tournament began in 1939, there are zero No. 1 seeds remaining in the Final Four.

Richmonders want funding for schools, housing, less gas
Fund the full request for Richmond Public Schools. Improve our parks. Fully fund the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and fund repairs for decaying mobile homes. Protect the environment by planning for elimination of the city’s gas utility. Those were among the ways that least 20 speakers urged City Council to amend the 2023-24 budget plan at a public hearing Monday night.

Pine Camp theater program enhances students’ confidence, world view
A program at Richmond’s Pine Camp Cultural Arts and Community Center is helping students learn job readiness skills by using theater as a backdrop to encourage creativity and self

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

5 student honorees at VUU gala
Virginia Union University students will take center stage and five honorees will be recognized for their contributions during the upcoming Legacy Awards and Scholarship gala on Friday, March 31.

RRHA seeks additional funds to maintain public housing
The city’s public housing authority needs to invest $42 million to fix the most urgent problems with roofs, boilers, plumbing, wiring and other aging infrastructure in the apartment communities it operates in Richmond, according the chief executive, Steven B. Nesmith.

NSU’s associate coach is one to watch
Jasmine Young is building an impressive résumé as an up- and-coming women’s basketball coach.

University of Richmond has new provost
Joan Saab will become executive vice president for academic affairs and provost for the University of Richmond effective July 1.

Upcoming exhibits seeks Vietnam War stories
March 29 was National Vietnam War Veterans Day, and this year the day marked the 50th anniversary of the withdrawal of the last American troops from South Vietnam. As Americans reflect on the service and sacrifices of Vietnam War veterans, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) is asking Virginians with personal connections to the Vietnam War to share their stories for a new exhibition.

2 Richmond principals recognized for leadership
Richmond Public Schools Principal Ta’Neshia Ford is the recipient of the 2023 R.E.B. Award for Distinguished Educational Leadership.

Local entrepreneurs recognized at awards gala
In a “Roaring ‘20s” themed event, the Metropolitan Business League recognized area entrepreneurs at the 33rd Annual MBL Awards Dinner & Reception. Nearly 500 guests attended the March 10 affair at the Altria Theater.

James Solomon Russell Day celebrated with new documentary
Twenty-three years after the end of the Civil War, the Rev. James Solomon Russell founded Saint Paul Normal and Industrial School in Lawrenceville. He did so knowing how much the town and surrounding areas longed to educate its residents who longed to read and write.