Telehealth grows during pandemic as safe way to confer with health professionals
Richmonder Melissa Hanson survived a vicious assault, but she still lives with the physical damage, mental scars and post-traumatic stress disorder. Like many people needing mental health therapy, Ms. Hanson found the pandemic disrupted her ability to meet with her caseworker three times a week and to get help with errands such as grocery shopping.
City voter registrar’s office may be moving to North Side
The headquarters for voting in Richmond soon could move out of City Hall.
RRHA shuts down food deliveries from Feed More
The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority has cut off April food deliveries from the area’s largest food bank, Feed More, to needy families in public housing communities. The cutoff started last week after RRHA found that food deliverers were not wearing masks and other protective items or adhering to social distancing guidelines — keeping a 6-foot distance from other people.
City Council raises percentage of vehicle taxes residents must pay
As people struggle to pay their bills amid the pandemic, City Council has quietly approved a 1 percent increase in the tax that owners of vehicles garaged in Richmond must pay by Friday, June 5.
Sweeping changes signed into law by Gov. Northam
Democratic Gov. Ralph S. Northam has signed sweeping changes into state law that will allow people to vote up to 45 days before Election Day, remove jail time for possession of marijuana, impose new controls on gun sales and grant Richmond and other localities authority to remove Confederate statues from public property.
Washington NFL team drops its $500,000 annual fee to train in Richmond
It is still up in the air whether the Washington NFL football team will hold its annual summer training camp in Richmond or whether there will even be a football season, given the coronavirus pandemic.
City budget amendments reflect reduced revenue anticipated from pandemic impact
Richmond residents would not see any hikes in utility rates that would have added $5.56 a month to the average bill beginning July 1.
Nursing homes on front lines battling the coronavirus
Nursing homes are hot spots for the spreading coronavirus pandemic in Virginia, with 60 of the state’s 108 outbreaks occurring in long-term care facilities, state Health Department numbers show.
A bishop till the end
New Deliverance’s Gerald O. Glenn dies of COVID-19
Bishop Gerald Otis Glenn vowed to keep his Chesterfield County church open during the coronavirus pandemic “un- less I am in jail or in the hospital.” Just three weeks later, the respected leader of New Deliverance Evangelistic Church joined the list of people who died from the coronavirus.
Who will get the ventilators?, by Julianne Malveaux
The “big and bad” United States is seeing its world dominance recede. We are being van- quished both by a virus and by the ignorance of the commander in chief.
Earl G. Graves Sr., founder of Black Enterprise magazine and champion for black economic empowerment, dies at 85
Earl G. Graves Sr., who inspired generations of African-Americans to build wealth through stories published in Black Enterprise, the magazine he founded, died Monday, April 6, 2020, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 85.
Robert W. “Bob” Peay, longtime social work educator, dies at 75
Robert W. “Bob” Peay helped train two generations of social workers in the Richmond area and beyond during his 27 years as a faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Social Work.
Jazz pianist, professor and family patriarch Ellis Marsalis Jr. dies at 85 of complications from coronavirus
Ellis Marsalis Jr., the jazz pianist, professor and patriarch of a New Orleans musical clan, died late Wednesday, April 1, 2020, from pneumonia brought on by coronavirus, leaving six sons and a deep legacy. He was 85.
Grammy Award winner Bill Withers dies at 81
Bill Withers, who wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the 1970s that have stood the test of time, including “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean on Me,” “Grandma’s Hands” and “Just the Two of Us,” died Monday, March 30, 2020, from heart complications. He was 81.
Community spirit
The coronavirus pandemic may have slowed or closed some businesses, but it hasn’t dampened the community spirit of merchants in the 300 block of North 2nd Street in Jackson Ward.
Personality: Dr. Kristin E. Reed
Spotlight on chair of the interim governing board of Richmond For All
The first week under Virginia’s stay-at-home order was a time of preparation and isolation for many Richmond residents. For Dr. Kristin E. Reed, it was made up of efforts to educate the public, ensure political transparency and accessibility and build a fairer, more equitable Richmond – and she wasn’t alone in that work.
University of San Francisco broke unwritten ‘two black max’ rule to win NCAA in the 1950s
During NCAA basketball’s early years, there was a “gentleman’s agreement” not to play more than two African-American players at a time. Fortunately, not everyone shared that same bigoted mindset.
With postponement of Olympics, Biles fighting time, age to win gold again
Simone Biles was an overwhelming favorite to repeat as All-Around Artistic Gymnastic champion at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Then, because of the coronavirus, the 2020 Olympics were postponed to 2021, when Biles will be 24 years old.
Virginia native vying for ‘World’s Fastest Human’
Track and field enthusiasts will have to wait another year to see the unveiling of the next “World’s Fastest Human.” The 2020 Olympic Games set for this July and August in Tokyo have been postponed to 2021 because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 must be addressed through the lens of equity, by Rep. Donald McEachin
The last few weeks have been difficult for us all. And in these incredibly challenging and scary times, we all are having to make great sacrifices to ensure that we defeat COVID-19 as quickly as possible.As non-essential workers across Virginia are working remotely, children are distance learning for the remainder of the academic year and families isolate from one another to conquer this viral enemy, we all are discovering new ways to come together.
