
Democratic primary for 14th Senate District underway
With early voting ongoing for the June 20 Democratic primary, the candidates each spoke with the Richmond Free Press about some of the issues that are on the minds of voters in the new 14th Senate District.

Four RPS schools in line for new names
Richmond School Board members will vote to confirm new names for four schools — Ginter Park Elementary, John B. Cary Elementary, Binford Middle and George Wythe High — later this month, after a meeting Monday evening at Thomas Jefferson High School.

Tuesday’s bloodletting
The chorus of angry and sorrowful cries continue as yet another mass shooting shocks our nation. This time the once unimaginable struck close to home as Huguenot High School students left the Altria Theater ready to celebrate their newly minted diplomas with family and friends.

Against AI, political punditry can still do the write thing, by Clarence Page
Striking Hollywood writers are nervous about artificial intelligence — also known as AI — and I’m not feeling so good myself.

Farewell, Tina Turner
Like many of her devoted fans, I was both shocked and saddened that the euphonious singer, Tina Turner, passed away on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.

High court diluted Voting Rights Act a decade ago, prompting wave of new voting rules
Within hours of a U.S. Supreme Court decision dismantling a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, Texas lawmakers announced plans to implement a strict voter ID law that had been blocked by a federal court.

U.Va.’s Woolfolk wears one hat and one helmet
Depending on the season, Jay Woolfolk wears either No. 4 or No. 16 for the University of Virginia.

Another O’Neal is the real deal
O’Neal is a famous name in basketball. Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal ranks among the all-time NBA standouts. Now it’s Me’Arah’s turn to put the family name on the marquee.

Squirrels have more fans than wins
The Richmond Flying Squirrels have struggled at times on the field this season, but their fans don’t seem to care.

Bertimon nets A-10’s top honor
Charles Bertimon has aced the tennis test at VCU. He’s all about scoring A’s in the classroom, too.

Baseball’s top team has Spanish accent
Tampa Bay has a thriving Hispanic population, so it makes sense the city’s baseball team has a similar makeup.

Happenings hub
Here’s a look at what’s happening around Richmond this week to help you plan your outings.

The sophisticated soul of Will Downing
Will Downing has been around long enough to be one of the few Grammy-nominated singers left in his lane. After 26 albums, (including his latest, “Pieces”) the R&B singer is fine with where his career, which began in the 1980s, has put him.

Richmond Public Schools must do better, by Mayor Levar M. Stoney
To be a city where everyone has a fair shot to thrive, we must support our youngest residents and those who care for them.

Hamilton Street to house Fire Department
The Richmond Fire Department is moving after 15 years at 201 E. Franklin St.

Servant leader Gregory A. Cummings dies at 67
Former MEGA Mentors president assisted thousands of area youths
Gregory A. Cummings, a role model for Chesterfield County and Petersburg youths, was memorialized Tuesday at Second Baptist Church in South Side Richmond. He died Saturday, May 20, 2023, at age 67.

Plans for fire training center collide with zoning issue
The Richmond Fire Department’s plan to replace 2 acres of park land at the Hickory Hill Community Center with a new fire training center has run into a surprising roadblock – zoning.

Never again? We wish
George Floyd’s murder on May 25, 2020, was supposed to be a wake-up call for America.

New education center won’t ignore James River’s painful past
On May 8, 2023, the James River Association broke ground on a new river education center on Dock Street in Richmond’s East End. The James A. Buzzard River Education Center will be located on Richmond’s riverfront, just steps from the James River, and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2024. Education programs offered at the center will explore the James River, its natural resources, as well as its historical significance.

Is Tim Scott running for president or chaplain in chief?, by Julianne Malveaux
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has joined the throng of Republicans seeking to unseat the former president as the frontrunner of that party. So far, Sen. Scott is polling in the single digits, but he has $22 million left from his last senatorial race that he can use for his presidential race.