VUU’s tower sign stays; scooter rentals advance
Virginia Union University can keep its logo shining at night from the top of a historic 60- foot tower on its campus.
What is Black History Month in a white Christian nation?
Just in time for Black History Month, the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution have released a fascinating new survey about Christian nationalism that points to the ways that stories about race in American history get told and why these stories matter.
From Henrico to Kentucky
Born to compete, Jada Walker’s unafraid to take the ball
Jada Walker is an honest, law-abiding young woman until she gets on the basketball court. She then turns into a woman of steal.
Personality: Teresa Cole
Spotlight on Fonticello Park Friends board president
As a child growing up in the 1980s, Teresa Cole was a “latchkey kid” who played outside a lot.
William L. Prentiss Jr., local and regional band director, musician and educator, dies at 58
William Leon “BB” Prentiss Jr., who molded thousands of student musicians as the director of high school marching bands in Richmond, Chesterfield County, Norfolk and four other localities, has died.
White supremacist gets life in prison for Buffalo massacre
A white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday after relatives of his victims confronted him with pain and rage caused by his racist attack.
A race to the finish
4th Congressional District voters will choose McClellan or Benjamin on Feb. 21
Jennifer L. McClellan’s campaign to become the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress will culminate next week in a special election she is heavily favored to win — and most aptly during Black History Month.
Reapply
Most of City’s HR employees’ jobs no longer guaranteed - ‘We’ve been told our department is the heartbeat of City Hall, but we’ve been left in the dark’
Richmond continues to struggle to fill vacant positions in multiple City Hall departments, ranging from police to finance. The situation could soon be more difficult as the city’s key recruiting and employee services department, Human Resources, undergoes upheaval.
Passion, purpose drive Diversity Richmond’s new CEO
When Diversity Richmond, parent of the city’s popular Diversity Thrift, was searching for a new executive director, the Rev. Lacette Cross wasn’t sure about throwing her hat in the ring. But, being “a good Baptist,” she looked to a higher power for answers. She also got some nudging from friends and colleagues. In the end, she decided to apply.
Biden in State of the Union: ‘Finish the job’
President Biden exhorted Congress on Tuesday night to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address aimed at reassuring a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions.
Black History Museum launches event management arm
The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia is expanding from curating exhibits to curating and hosting events.
Ma Cong’s ‘Firebird’ mixes storytelling and dance
The Richmond Symphony will accompany ballet’s East Coast premiere
The storyline of the ballet “Firebird with Serenade” is set in a fairytale. It involves princesses, spells and castles. However, the foundational theme of the piece is based on the realities of reunion and love.
Grammys rebound from COVID years, reach 12.4 million viewers
An estimated 12.4 million people tuned in to watch stars Harry Styles, Lizzo and Bad Bunny perform at the Grammy Awards, along with a tribute to 50 years of hip-hop.
Grammy moments: Hip-hop tribute for the ages, Beyoncé triumphs
Beyoncé sits alone atop the Grammy throne as the ceremony’s most decorated artist in history, but at the end of Sunday’s show it was Harry Styles who walked away with the album of the year honor.
JM’s Lady Justices go all in this season
Richmond has two state champion basketball contenders, and both have the same address: 4225 Old Brook Road on the North Side.
The secret is out about Trinity’s football dominance
It all started about four years ago. First one standout football player enrolled at Trinity Episcopal School. Then another ... and another ...
VUU defeats Elizabeth City 87-71 on live TV
Harding, Osborne score 17 points each
Tahj Harding looks good on camera.
Love Stories
The Free Press proudly presents its annual Valentine’s Day feature. It shares the Love Stories of five Richmond-area couples.
Senate committee’s ‘no’ vote for Morrissey casino bill may mean ‘yes’ for Richmond
With two weeks to go in the 2023 General Assembly session, Richmond appears to be on track to retain the right to hold a second vote on hosting a casino in November. While it could all change, Richmond gained much needed help from a slim majority of the Senate Finance Committee. Last week, the committee voted 8-7 to kill Petersburg Democratic state Sen. Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey’s bill to add the Cockade City to the list of cities allowed to have a casino and authorize that city to host a referendum before Richmond made a second attempt to get voters to approve after a majority rejected a casino plan in 2021. If the majority holds in the Senate Finance Committee, the same fate would await an identical bill that Petersburg Repub- lican Delegate Kim Taylor successfully pushed through the House on Tuesday. Petersburg believed it had a good chance to win after sign- ing an agreement with The Cordish Companies of Baltimore to deliver a casino and related developments worth $1.4 bil- lion. Despite the setback, that city is still is likely to hold a November referendum seeking approval from its voters for the Cordish proposal. Richmond is not guaranteed to retain the right to hold a referendum. With Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin seeking to lift up Petersburg, the Free Press has been told that some of those who opposed Sen. Morrissey’s bill in the committee could use the Petersburg casino measure as a bargaining chip when the House and Senate conferees meet to finalize the budget. A year ago, after Sen. Morrissey’s bill appeared to be dead after losing 9-7 in the Finance Committee, budget language re- vived it. The legislature followed Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan’s
Is our gun-crazed society reflection of entertainment biz?
The prop gun killing on the “Rust” movie set by Alec Baldwin reminds me of other reckless gun-violence disasters on movie sets. Specifically, when the actor Jon-Erik Hexum died after shoot- ing himself in the head with a prop gun blank while pretending to play Russian roulette with a .44 Magnum on the set of the 1984 CBS television series “Cover Up.” As well as when actor Brandon Lee, 28, son of the late martial arts star Bruce Lee, died after being hit by a .44-caliber slug while filming a death scene for the 1993 movie “The Crow.”
