Pride Month marred by anti-LGBTQ+ bills, by Marc H. Morial
“We are powerful because we have survived, and that is what it is all about—survival and growth.” — Audre Lorde
Summer up
Summer 2023 arrived Wednesday, and although the purported longest day of the year was accompanied by rain, cheer up. The wetness won’t last long! After all, this is Richmond.
No more drama
The collective sigh of relief sweeping through the newly redrawn state 13th Senate District on Tuesday was palpable.
Swansboro Elementary names auditorium for music teacher
For Wallesa Diane Coleman Jones, teaching elementary schoolchildren to appreciate music has been a labor of love.
Dominion, Library of Virginia honor ‘extraordinary people during challenging times’
A Roanoke pastor and civil rights leader, the first Black woman nuclear engineer at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and the first Black NASCAR race winner were among the six African-Americans honored during the 11th annual “Strong Men & Women in Virginia History” awards program June 15 at the Hilton Richmond Hotel and Spa. The annual awards ceremony recognizes the determination and perseverance displayed by extraordinary people during challenging times, according to the event sponsors.
Sacred burial site to be marked by mural
A mural with a message embedded in large red, black and green stripes will soon mark an historic but largely unknown Black cemetery in North Side.
Second gun buyback program for city targeted
City Hall plans to continue to invest in gun buyback programs despite clear evidence that the program has not worked, which studies have shown is the case in virtually every locality offering to pay people to turn in their guns.
New General Assembly building to open later in 2023
Anticipating a possible special session, the Virginia General Assembly announced it won’t be moving into its new building until later this year.
Charles Willis, the ‘first responder to first responders’, continues decades of community advocacy
On Tuesday, June 6, Charles Willis was on Cowardin Avenue going to get dinner when he saw police cars racing across the Lee Bridge toward Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus. He knew something was wrong.
Political newcomer Rae Cousins upsets opponents for House bid
Rae Cousins, a lawyer and fourth-generation Richmonder, handily won Tuesday’s primary in Richmond to become the Democratic nominee for the 79th House of Delegates District. Ms. Cousins, 43, bested 3rd District City Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert, 47, and criminal justice crusader Richard Walker, 65, in the their contest in the L-shaped district that is anchored in the East End and takes in portions of South Side and North Side. The district is one of three that includes portions of the city and the only one in which there was a party nomination contest. Incumbent Delegate Betsy B. Carr is unopposed in her bid for
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:
Approval looms for city’s revamped budget
Plan includes retiree bonuses, overtime pay for firefighters
Thousands of City Hall retirees will receive a one-time 5 percent bonus. And the city is setting up a fund to buy property for development.
‘As a parent, I’m scared’
Kenya Gibson begs RPS Board to act quickly to curtail violence among students
Emotions ran high during Monday’s Richmond School Board meeting, as members discussed and argued over the proper path to improve school safety, following multiple security failures, shootings and deaths this year.
Americans mark Juneteenth with parties, events and quiet reflection on the end of slavery
Americans across the country this weekend celebrated Juneteenth, marking the relatively new national holiday with cookouts, parades and other gatherings as they commemorated the end of slavery after the Civil War.
Dennis Parker Jr.’s ascension to N.C. State fueled by academics, athletics, family ties
John Marshall High School’s Dennis Parker Jr. ranks among the most talented and decorated basketball players in Richmond history.
Fourth Baptist receives historic preservation grant
Fourth Baptist Church in Richmond’s East End has been awarded a $150,000 grant to support preservation of the education wing as the church prepares to mark the 164th anniversary of its founding.
Personality: Larry Williams
Spotlight on 6th Annual Black Pride RVA Weekend planning committee co-chair
An end of college trip in 2014 with a former partner brought Larry Williams to Richmond, but the Black Pride community he found here made him stay.
In affirmative action and student loan cases, some see backlash to racial progress in education
As a Black student who was raised by a single mother, Makia Green believes she benefited from a program that gave preference to students of color from economically disadvantaged backgrounds when she was admitted over a decade ago to the University of Rochester.
Aird defeats Morrissey
Winning 13th Senate District, November’s general election likely a shoo-in
Call it a special birthday present. Just two days before turning 37, Lashrecse D. Aird celebrated in advance Tuesday by putting an election whipping on maverick Democratic state Sen. Joseph D. Morrissey in their head-to-head contest.
Hanover residents hopeful after Virginia Supreme Court’s Wegmans ruling
A recent decision by the Virginia Supreme Court means residents are being given a second chance to make their case against a Wegmans distribution center — even though construction on the 1.7 million-square-foot facility located in Ashland is nearing completion.
