Olympic dream remembered
When the 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed because of the pandemic, few understood the athletes’ heartache more than John Christian.
Documentary details past and present of AME Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church has released a short film online about its history that includes an interview with the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, the pastor killed in a June 2015 racial attack on his historic Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., church, in which he talks about the historically Black denomination’s significance.
Hanover Branch NAACP, others file legal challenge to planned Wegmans distribution center
The battle over a proposed $175 million distribution center that Wegmans Food Markets Inc. wants to build in Hanover County is headed to court.
Former Judge Pamela O’Berry joins attorney general’s staff
Just a month after she was forced off the bench in Chesterfield County, former General District Court Judge Pamela O’Berry has landed softly in the office of state Attorney General Mark R. Herring.
City Council to vote on new $772M budget plan May 10
The first ever city pay supplement for public defenders who represent most Richmond residents charged with crimes.
New George Wythe may not happen until 2027, Kamras says
The Richmond School Board voted to establish a community advisory board for the construction of a new George Wythe High School in South Side.
Overlooked:
Confederate marker at South Richmond courthouse
Even as City Council starts to move ahead on disposing of most of the city’s collection of Confederate statues, another Confederate monument remains undisturbed at the South Richmond courthouse.
New city voter registrar brings experience, passion to the job
Keith Balmer will make history Monday, May 10, when he is sworn into a four-year term as Richmond’s new voter registrar amid the surge of work for the June 8 Democratic primary.
Black professionals make significant donations to VMFA
The generosity of Black professionals is making a big impact on the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Collegiate’s Krystian Williams is breaking records
Krystian Williams runs and jumps like he has rockets in his sneakers and coils in his knees.
Funeral traditions changed – maybe permanently – by COVID-19
John E. Thomasson was a hero in his hometown. As a member of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors, he was the first African-American elected to public office in the county. Across 98 years, he built a successful realty company, helped to save mortgages, paid for college scholarships and owned the local funeral home for 53 years, where he oversaw the burials of thousands of Virginians. When he died of an age-related illness on July 22, there was hardly anyone in Louisa County who had not been touched by his life. Other than his wife of more than 65 years, the Rev. Christine Thomasson, there is likely no one who knows his impact better than his successor, D.D. Watson Jr., who was handpicked by Mr. Thomasson to purchase and take over his funeral home business in 2004. And yet upon the death of Mr. Thomasson—a businessman, philanthropist, politician and public servant whose life and work was recognized this year in a proclamation from the Virginia Senate—the largest single gathering in his honor held barely 12 people. That’s because of government-imposed safety restrictions on public gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shirley Rasberry, local seamstress, dies at 80
Shirley Mae Rasberry was a popular Richmond seamstress, her family said.
Personality: Navi Johnson
Spotlight on founder of RVA Black Farmers Market
For many, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to difficult times. For Navi Johnson, it was the impetus for a new public space for African-Americans.
Rejected casino group threats legal challenge to city selection process
Dennis Cotto has spent much of his adult life fighting legal battles.
President Biden promotes education spending at Virginia stops
President Joe Biden traveled Monday to Yorktown and Portsmouth to promote his plans to increase spending on education and children, part of his $1.8 trillion families proposal announced last week.
On the battlefield:
City schools, agencies and government work to find strategies to combat gun violence
South Richmond residents are preparing to bury a mother and her infant daughter, two of the latest victims of a spate of indiscriminate violence that has left families devastated and in tears over the unnecessary loss life.
Free Press wins big at VPA awards
The Richmond Free Press received top honors in the 2020 Virginia Press Association News and Advertising Contest, capturing Best in Show awards for both writing and photography among all non-daily newspapers across the state for coverage of the social justice demonstrations that swept the city last summer and the resulting removal of Confederate statues.
Jackpot?
Councilman Michael Jones defends $5,000 campaign contribution from potential casino operator
A key figure in the competition to develop a Richmond casino was an early contributor to 9th District City Councilman Michael J. Jones’ now ended campaign for the House of Delegates.
Holding police officers accountable, by Dr. Ronald Fraser
Since 1871, the Civil Rights Act has held state and local officials, including police officers, legally liable for damages if their actions violated a citizen’s constitutional rights.
