Mask mandates dropped on all public transportation
GRTC riders no longer have to wear masks when they board a bus. Neither do travelers taking airplanes, trains or any other form of public transit.
Fight to preserve historic New Market Heights Battlefield from development wins white flag
Around 7 a.m., Sept. 29, 1864, five regiments of U.S. Colored Troops charged Confederate defenses under withering fire and dislodged troops dug in at New Market Heights in Eastern Henrico — about a mile east of what is now Interstate 295. Fourteen Black soldiers and two of their white officers ultimately were awarded the Medal of Honor for their valor in the savage fight that cost 161 Union lives and left another 666 soldiers wounded.
Church Hill Academy student selected for weeklong leadership academy in Greece
Scholar-athlete Javon A. Brooks will spend a summer week in Athens, Greece, building his leadership skills.
Remembering Jackie Robinson’s historic play breaking the color line 75 years ago
It has been 75 years since Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line, and the cheers are only getting louder.
Personality: Bianca Stewart Williams
Spotlight on board president of Dress For Success Central Virginia
Whether it’s finding profes- sional attire for a job interview or receiving a guiding hand to stay employed, Bianca Stewart Williams is making sure area women are well-equipped and prepared for the world of work. Ms. Williams has been lead- ing Dress for Success Central Virginia as its board president since 2018, bringing to the community the not-for-profit organization’s mission of em- powering women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of sup- port, professional attire and development tools to help them thrive personally and professionally. “Thousands are disadvan- taged and need resources to gain employment and economic status,” Ms. Williams says. “Our purpose is to offer long- lasting solutions that enable women to break the cycle of poverty.” Ms. Williams joined Dress for Success in November 2015, three years after the Central Virginia affiliate was started. She says she was a client at first. After being displaced from her job, she volunteered helping women with suit fittings and started using the organiza- tion’s Career Services program, which provides help with career coaching, résumé reviews, job searches and interview practice. She landed a new job, and from that point, Ms. Williams says, Dress for Success has been “near and dear to my heart.” Currently, Dress for Success Central Virginia operates from 210 E. Clay St. in Downtown. But Ms. Williams wants to find a building the organization can
End of an era
Hampton University President William R. ‘Bill’ Harvey is stepping down June 30 after 44 years at the helm
Hampton University, one of the nation’s first historically black institutions, was a small struggling four-year college on the banks of the Hampton River near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay when an ambitious, young Dr. William R. “Bill” Harvey Jr. from Tuskegee Institute in Alabama was chosen as president of the institution.
Gigliotti already fan favorite as Flying Squirrels open at The Diamond
Born on Valentine’s Day 1996, it didn’t take Michael Gigliotti long to become a sweetheart to the fans of the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Save Adult Alternative Program to help former convicts
Re “Re-entry training program locked out of former school building,” Free Press April 7-9 edition:
Lynching finally a hate crime, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
I can’t completely or accurately articulate my elation upon witnessing President Biden signing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act into law late last month. With his signature, he affirmed what Congress had acknowledged — that lynching was, indeed, a federal hate crime.
Brother Biden, please keep another promise or two, by Julianne Malveaux
I do this thing in my head with President Biden. When he gets on my nerves, I often call him President. When I want something from him or want to thank him for something, I call him Brother Biden.
Ishmael Reed among Anisfield-Wolf Award winners
Author, playwright and longtime champion of multiculturalism Ishmael Reed is receiving a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to literature.
Personality: Sharon S. Jennings
Spotlight on Virginia State Coach of GirlTrek
For the last six years, Sharon Simmons Jennings has helped put pep in the step of women throughout Richmond.
Will Smith gets 10-year ban over Oscar slap
The motion picture academy has banned Will Smith from attending the Oscars or any other academy event for 10 years following his slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards.
New lease on life
Wize Shahid, aka Robert Henry ‘Wize’ Green, still seeks to help other inmates following his release from the Virginia prison system after more than two decades
It was in early January that the man formerly known as Robert Henry “Wize” Green learned he would be released from prison after serving more than 20 years behind bars.
NFL Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright succumbs at 76
Rayfield Wright, a mainstay on five Dallas Cowboys teams that reached the Super Bowl, died Thursday, April 7, 2022.
Baseball’s Tommy Davis dies at 83
Tommy Davis, among the greatest hitters in Los Angeles Dodgers history, died Sunday, April 3, 2022. He was 83 and residing in Phoenix.
