
Parole-to-prison merry-go-round, by Dr. Donald Fraser
State-run parole and probation programs are designed to keep persons convicted of crimes, including a very large number of nonviolent crimes, out of prison.

Mourning Kobe by Arthur Cribbs
When I heard of the passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, along with seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., I had an initial feeling of shock, disbelief and numbness. And in the hours since hearing the news, that feeling has not gone away. For a lot of us in this world, this feeling isn’t going away anytime soon. It truly felt like losing someone close. In this time of mourning, I just want to say, “Thank you, Kobe.”

Promises, promises
We congratulate Richmond City Council members Kim B. Gray, Chris A. Hilbert, Kristen N. Larson, Stephanie A. Lynch and Reva M. Trammell who — like we — are neither bought nor bound to Dominion Energy CEO Tom Farrell’s and Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s vision of a $1.5 billion new Coliseum and accompanying development in Downtown.

Mayor eschews status quo, urges city to think bigger in State of City address
Stop being afraid to do something great. That’s Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s response to the opposition to the $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement plan that so far has failed to gain widespread public support.

Slavery museum in Liverpool aims to confront painful legacy
carlet shackles sit peacefully on display in front of a sad, gray backdrop. The now rusted leg irons once locked human ankles during 18th century voyages from Africa to some European port, then to the Americas. Who the shackles held remains a mystery. But as a citizen of the United States, I’ve likely broken bread with a descendant of the woman forced to wear this instrument. Maybe my uncle fought alongside her kin in a war. Or it’s possible one of her distant relatives is now my relative. These are the thoughts I entertain while recently walking through the reflective International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, England.

Grammys not just about the music
The Grammy Awards wasn’t just about the music Sunday night. The show opened with a dedication to basketball icon Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident earlier in the day and whose Los Angeles Lakers team has its home at the city’s Staples Center and Grammy venue.

Louis Draper exhibition, 'Working Together,' opens Feb. 1 at VMFA
A new exhibit focusing on the photography of late Henrico County native Louis Draper and other photographers he worked with in New York will open Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.

Jackson Ward resident starting Wall of Love to help those in need
Richmond is about to join the Walls of Love movement that seeks to provide basic necessities to the homeless and needy without any questions or judgments.

A month of events celebrating Black History
The vision for Black History Month 2020 will be a plethora of events including films, speakers and panel workshops at area venues, churches, schools and museums.

N.Y. Mets name Luis Rojas as general manager
Luis Rojas grew up watching his father, Felipe Rojas Alou, manage big league baseball teams. Now it’s Luis’ turn.

Richard Bland student is a hoops legacy
One family has treated the Tri-Cities area to three scoops of hoops. Antonio Pua’auli-Pelham represents three generations of basketball excellence in the Tri-Cities area.

VSU and NSU to open football season Sept. 5
Virginia State and Norfolk State universities will open their 2020 football seasons against each other on Sept. 5 at Dick Price Stadium in Norfolk. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

VCU's Nah'Shon Hyland: A freshman with impact
The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams opened this season with a vacancy for a shooter. Nah’Shon Hyland was quick to apply for and be awarded the position. Answering to “Bones,” the 6-foot-3, 165-pound freshman from Wilmington, Del., has become an added attraction the Rams needed on the perimeter.

Bevy of scorers keeps VSU on top
The Virginia State University basketball team keeps opponents guessing. They never know which Trojan will ruin their day. Starting this week, six VSU Trojans were averaging between 12.1 and 7.4 points per game.

Patrick Mahomes' time has come in Super Bowl LIV
For far too long, there was a bigoted suspicion that African-Americans “didn’t have what it takes” to play quarterback on the brightest NFL stage. Doug Williams broke that bigoted myth in 1988. The Kansas City Chiefs’Patrick Mahomes II plans to continue shattering such notions Sunday, Feb. 2, in Miami.

Delta Air Lines fined $50,000 for booting off 3 Muslim passengers
Delta Air Lines is being fined $50,000 for ordering three Muslim passengers off planes even after the airline’s own security officials cleared them to travel.

Auschwitz survivors warn of rising anti-Semitism 75 years after camp's liberation
Survivors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp prayed and wept as they marked the 75th anniversary of its liberation, returning Monday to the place where they lost entire families and warning about the ominous growth of anti-Semitism and hatred in the world.

Jazz saxophonist and composer Jimmy Heath dies at 93
Jimmy Heath, a Grammy-nominated jazz saxophonist and composer who performed with such greats as Miles Davis and John Coltrane before forming the popular family group The Heath Brothers in middle age, has died. He was 93.

Personality: Dr. Kelli Williams Gary
Spotlight on president-elect of the Brain Injury Association of Virginia
Dr. Kelli Williams Gary knows how important and precious the human brain is. She is a survivor of brain injury, a researcher of the condition and is president-elect of the board of the Brain Injury Association of Virginia, the commonwealth’s only state- wide brain injury support and advocacy group.

Work resumes on new boutique hotel in Downtown
Work to create a boutique hotel in a former eight-story office building at 501 E. Franklin St. has resumed.