COVID-19 testing to begin in high-risk areas of city
The Richmond City Health District plans to ramp up testing for coronavirus in neighborhoods that appear to be the most at risk — low-income areas of the city that are home to many African-Americans.
Popular Richmond musician Herbert Allen ‘Debo’ Dabney III dies at 68
Herbert Allen “Debo” Dabney III, a popular and beloved Richmond musician, died Thursday, April 9, 2020. He was 68.
UR president to present Facebook Live performance
Move over Andrea Bocelli and John Legend. University of Richmond President Ronald A. Crutcher is sharing his music with the world as well.
Faces of COVID-19
Virginians of all walks of life have been impacted by thecoronavirus,theairbornerespiratoryillnessthathas stricken more than 3,600 people in the Commonwealth and resulted in 75 deaths as of Wednesday. Their passing impacts their families and the larger communities in which they worked, volunteered, worshipped and lived. Here are some of their stories.
COVID-related furloughs push unemployment claims to new highs
Phillip Patterson has worked in various positions at the Mar- riott Hotel in Downtown for the past eight years – housekeeping, bellman, shuttle driver and maintenance engineer. Elton G. Christian Jr., a veteran cook, has been serving up savory barbecue, ribs and brisket at Pig and Brew, a restaurant in South Side, for the past two years. Both never expected to be laid off.
City Council readies for lower revenue projections
Ninth District Councilman Michael J. Jones, chair of City Council’s Finance and Economic Development Committee, esti- mates that projected Richmond revenues in the new fiscal year that will begin July 1 could shrink by $75 million to $100 million as a result of the coronavirus.
Hard hit again
It has been a week of recalculation and assessment, as Virginians collectively and individually continue to work to avoid the spread of COVID-19 amid new evidence that African-Americans and Latinos are being hard hit.
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.
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.
Black people and COVID-19, by Dr. Oliver Brooks
It is oft stated in the black community that “When the country gets a cold, we get pneumonia.”
Happy Easter
May this season of renewal and hope give you strength in the face of change, faith to endure uncertainty and peace everlasting.
