
Sisterhood still connects poet Nikki Giovanni
Poet, scholar and activist Nikki Giovanni feels the loss everyday of her best friend Toni Morrison.

'Race in Academia' panel set for Sept. 24 at VCU
Four college presidents will explore racial disparities in higher education at the 2019 Wilder Symposium 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Virginia Commonwealth University’s W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave.

'Take Your Community Back' motorcycle and auto ride Sept. 28
LaTasha S. “Tasha” Kenney is hoping hun- dreds of people will take part in an upcoming anti-violence action aimed at benefiting the families of two children who were victims of gun violence.

Daily Planet marks 50 years of vital service to the community
In 1969, concern about an epidemic of runaway and disaffected teens led to the creation of an organization offering a caring place with shelter, meals, health clinics and counseling without judgment.

Exonerated Five member stresses importance of knowing your rights in face of police questioning
As the credits rolled, the audience of more than 200 people fell silent with astonishment and anger after viewing “The Central Park Five,” a documentary by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon about the 1989 case in which four African-American teens and a Puerto Rican teen were wrongfully convicted in the brutal assault and rape of a white investment banker as she jogged in New York’s Central Park.

Quarterback Aarek Thomas ready to take John Marshall to championships
Phillip Sims left Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake as the most prolific passer in state history. Some of that aerial artistry seems to have rubbed off on his prized passing pupil at Richmond’s John Marshall High School. Coach Sims, who coaches the John Marshall Justices, sees some of himself in senior, third-year starter Aarek “Rico” Thomas.

VUU looking ahead after 28-11 loss to Lenoir-Rhyne
The Virginia Union University Panthers were underdogs the first two weeks of the football season. But they just may be the big dogs for the rest of the season.

VSU's rushing attack seals victory over UNC-Pembroke; match with St. Augustine's this Saturday
Two seasons ago, Virginia State University featured the CIAA’s premier running back in Trenton Cannon, who is now with the NFL’s New York Jets. Last Saturday, it looked almost like Cannon had returned to Ettrick for a curtain call.

Dr. Sheila K. Wilson Elliott
Dr. Sheila K. Wilson Elliott spent her childhood in Suffolk, unaware of the significance of her heritage in the indigenous Nottoway Indian Tribe, learning at a time when “information about Indians was just not available to us in school, and we pretty much felt that we were extinct.”

Officials warn of e-cigarette dangers as vaping illnesses, deaths mount
When cases of lung disease linked to vaping began popping up across the country this summer, the Virginia Poison Center in Downtown began receiving calls from people who thought they might have become ill from using e-cigarettes.

Virginia fined $3.8M for food stamp application errors
The federal government has slapped Virginia with a $3.8 million penalty because of mistakes made processing almost one in 10 food stamp applications last year.

Morrissey has 'no scores to settle' in Senate; lays out policy proposals
When Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey staged a primary challenge against Sen. Rosalyn Dance in June, he also faced off against the state’s top Democratic leadership — Gov. Ralph S. Northam, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe — who supported the incumbent.

Va. Interfaith Center for Public Policy to honor 6
Five people and a local organization will be honored at the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s 29th Annual Celebration and Awards Benefit at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Hippodrome Theater, 528 N. 2nd St. in Jackson Ward.

Collaboration leads to new walk-in legal clinic in East End
A Virginia Commonwealth University community health program is joining with the University of Richmond and the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society to provide free legal advice in the East End.

MJBL members pitch in for hurricane relief
The Metropolitan Junior Baseball League saw a huge turnout from the Richmond community during the group’s efforts to collect hurricane relief items last Saturday at The Diamond.

Hearing on Coliseum referendum petitions set for Sept. 30
The leader of a drive to allow voters to weigh in on the proposed Coliseum-replacement plan will get a chance to prove he submitted enough signatures to get a referendum on the proposal on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Climate actions planned for Friday as part of worldwide strike
Amid growing worries about climate change, Richmond environmental activists are joining the call for a worldwide strike on Friday, Sept. 20, to urge governments at all levels to get more involved in addressing the issue.

RPS bus service for preschool program not in full operation
The free bus service that was supposed to drive more parents to enroll their 4-year-old children in a Richmond Public Schools preschool program has yet to fully materialize despite administrative promises.

Race question muted, but not eliminated on marriage license application
Virginia couples preparing for their wedding day no longer have to identify their race on their application for a marriage license, according to an opinion issued by Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring.