RRHA under no deadline to submit revised plans to HUD
The rejected annual plan and five-year plan of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority that lays out its vision for renovation or replacement of its nearly 4,000 public housing units is still in limbo.
Confederate statues in Memphis given to Confederate group, descendants
A Tennessee nonprofit group has handed over statues of Confederate leaders Nathan Bedford Forrest and Jefferson Davis to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, two years after they were removed from public parks in Memphis.
Advocates for the homeless hail U.S. Supreme Court victory
Homeless people can sleep on public property, including sidewalks and parks in communities that offer no other option. That’s the upshot of the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to hear an appeal from Boise, Idaho, whose ordinance to bar the homeless from camping out in public places was overturned as violating the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
$3.7B transportation deal to boost rail service from Richmond to D.C.
Richmond would be a major beneficiary of an unprecedented $3.7 billion deal announced by Gov. Ralph S. Northam to boost passenger rail service between Washington and other Virginia cities to avoid an even costlier expansion of Interstate 95.
RRHA extends eviction freeze to Jan. 31
The Richmond Redevelopment Housing Authority’s freeze on public housing evictions has been extended through Jan. 31.
Regina H. Boone photo recognized among ‘100 photos that defined the decade’
A 2016 photograph by Free Press photographer Regina H. Boone of a toddler afflicted by the contaminated water in Flint, Mich., has made CNN’s list of “100 photos that defined the decade.”
Lt. Gov. Fairfax announces he will run for governor in 2021
Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax plans to run for governor in 2021, confident that he no longer will be held back by allegations that he sexually assaulted two women in separate incidents nearly two decades ago.
McEachin, Wexton call for replacement of Lee statue in U.S. Capitol
Two Virginia congressional representatives are calling for the statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee to be replaced in the U.S. Capitol by a Virginian of color who has dedicated his or her life to fighting for equality.
Thumbs down
City Council-appointed advisory commission rejects $1.5B Coliseum and Downtown redevelopment plan after 3-month review
Don’t do it. Don’t invest hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to replace the vacant Richmond Coliseum with a new 17,500-seat arena.
Sky’s the limit’ for RVA Street Singers
The main chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church was filled with the sounds of fellowship on a recent Friday as an audience of about 50 guests joined in the musical holiday cheer provided by the RVA Street Singers.
Chavis graduates from NSU; next goal, NFL
Norfolk State University football opponents can finally exhale. After four years of tormenting the Spartans’ opponents, Nigel Chavis has traded in his helmet and shoulder pads for a cap and gown.
Christy Coleman leaves American Civil War Museum
Christy Coleman is leaving Richmond to become executive director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, a state agency that operates museums that focus on the original English colony at Jamestown and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
New details emerge about Coliseum replacement plan
Richmond City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille, rushing to get the governing body to vote on the $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement plan in late February, authorized a $25,000 increase in the contract for a private consultant to conduct a review of the proposal for City Council without first gaining a council vote, the Free Press has learned.
Impeachment: Just another reality show
Growing up in Spotsylvania County, I was labeled a retard in my adolescence. In my 20s, I was branded a pansy with many other derogatory titles for unmanliness. Now, I have matured into obsolescence. Whatever branding life has bestowed upon me, I know enough to realize that the current impeachment hearings are no more than appeasement, not only to the losing Democrats of four years ago, but also to all the so-called tolerant who’ve disrespected the president.
Non-discrimination protections are critical
“This place isn’t available anymore,” is one of the phrases I’m tired of hearing.
Calling out the Republicans
When you elect a clown, expect a circus. And this month’s impeachment hearings have been precisely that. Yelling, shouting and disrespectful accusing seem more the rule than the exception.
Hope during the holidays
During this holiday time, when it is easy to sink into a state of depression or despair because of finances, family, bad weather and bad news, we were buoyed last week when an envelope arrived at the Richmond Free Press office.
No neutral ground
We commend the thousands of people who turned out Tuesday night in rallies in more than 600 locales around the nation to call for the impeachment of President Trump. We believe that the president must be removed from office before he causes further damage and irreparable harm to our nation’s democracy. This is not a time for neutrality. The gravity of what is being debated in Congress — and on the streets of our nation — is too critical for any American to turn a blind eye or deaf ear.
11-year-old dancer breaks barrier in 'The Nutcracker'
For the first time, a young black dancer is playing the lead in the New York City Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker.”
