Corrections officers’ union calls for testing of all inmates and staff at Virginia facilities
A union representing state correctional officers is calling on Gov. Ralph S. Northam to immediately begin coronavirus testing for all officers, staff, residents and incarcerated people in facilities run by the Virginia Department of Corrections and the state Department of Juvenile Justice.
Cityscape
Slices of life and scenes in Richmond
Workmen use a bucket truck to install panels at the 154-unit Jackson Ward Apartments in the block bounded by Duval, 1st, 2nd and Jackson streets.
RRHA submits revised annual plan to HUD; details not public
Seven months after getting a rejection letter, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority has submitted changes to its 2020 annual plan in a bid to win approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
City Hall grants parking ticket amnesty until Aug. 31
City Hall is giving a break to people with outstanding parking tickets.
City Council gives OK for Voter Registrar’s Office move
Richmond City Council cleared the way Monday night for the city’s Voter Registrar’s Office to move to 2134 W. Laburnum Ave. to provide needed room for voting and for storage of voting machines.
Witness signature dropped for absentee ballots during pandemic
Absentee voters who receive their ballots by mail likely will not need to have a witness present when they cast their vote at home in Virginia’s June 23 primary election to choose candidates to run for the U.S. Senate or the U.S. House of Representatives. Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced Tuesday that he agrees with a federal lawsuit seeking the temporary suspen- sion of the state’s current requirement that voters casting mail-in ballots have someone present as they open the letter containing
GRTC gets $32 million infusion from federal CARES Act, keeping rides free
Free fares on GRTC buses will continue through June 30 and could be extended at least through Dec. 30, according to information provided April 21 to the transit system’s board.
Oprah to keynote #Graduation 2020
Just when high school and college seniors across the country were starting to think all was lost for their graduation ceremonies canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, one of the richest and most influential women in the nation comes to the rescue: Oprah Winfrey.
Federal unemployment checks ease money worries for newly laid off during pandemic
Just a few weeks ago, journalist-turned-bartender and server Lyndon German was feeling desperate. In the past year, the 26-year-old Mechanicsville native has seen his reporter jobs in Hopewell and Petersburg end as a result of newsroom cutbacks, and now his restaurant job in a popular local café has disappeared as a result of COVID-19.
David C. Driskell, noted artist, art historian, curator and collector, dies at 88
David C. Driskell, one of the nation’s most influential African-American artists and a leading authority on black art, has died. He was 88.
Bobby Mitchell, a trailblazer with the Washington NFL team, dies at 84
Former NFL great Robert Cornelius “Bobby” Mitchell, famous for immense talent and racial trailblazing, died Sunday, April 5, 2020.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Davis dies at 85
When historians reminisce about the Green Bay Packers dynasty of the 1960s, William Delford “Willie” Davis’ name is among the first to come up.
Black clergy memorialize the dead; ask gov’t. to address disparities
The Rev. Frank Williams has been so busy leading two black churches in the New York borough of the Bronx that he hadn’t really considered the full extent of COVID-19’s impact on his congregation, his family and his community.
Rev. Frank Lomax Jr., minister of stewardship at Quioccasin Baptist Church, dies at 89
The Rev. Frank Lomax Jr. spent his working life as an auditor for the Internal Revenue Service. But after retiring, he found his way into the ministry.
Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney dies
Award-winning jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney, who studied under and collaborated with the Miles Davis, Art Blakey and other jazz greats during his 40-year career, died Tuesday, March 31, 2020, of complications from COVID-19.
As Ramadan nears, prisons urged to accommodate faith needs during pandemic
A coalition of 20 faith groups is pressing prison officials across the country to accommodate all prisoners’ religious needs during the outbreak of the coronavirus, particularly with Ramadan beginning this week.
Noted reggae musician Drummie Zeb returns to his Richmond roots
Inspired by the vibrations from the marching bands at the Richmond Christmas Parade, 10-year-old Ernest Myron Williams begged his mother for a set of drums. She scrimped and saved to provide one.
Personality: Shantell J. Chambliss
Spotlight on board president of the nonprofit Oakwood Arts Inc.
At the end of East Broad Street in the Oakwood neighborhood is Oakwood Arts Inc., a nonprofit focused on teaching creative skills to youths, building new career opportunities and increasing diversity across multiple fields. For the children of the neighborhood, Oakwood Arts is an avenue to learn and grow, even during a pandemic.
Weldon Edwards planted seeds as first black football player 50 years ago at UR
“Last August the University of Richmond signed its first Negro football player, Weldon Edwards,” so wrote Mark Holpe of The Collegian, UR’s campus newspaper, in 1970.
Think of groundbreaker George Taliaferro during NFL draft
George Taliaferro was a game changer regarding the NFL draft. He also took versatility to a higher level.
