Minister Abdul Rahman Aquil Muhammad, former Southern Regional Representative for the Nation of Islam, dies at 87
A janazah prayer service for Minister Abdul Rahman Aquil Muhammad, a teacher, organizer and confidante of the late Nation of Islam leader Minister Elijah Muhammad and a longtime aide to his successor, Minister Louis Farrakhan, was held Saturday, April 27, 2019, at the late Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy’s historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church in Atlanta.
City needs 5- to 7-year budgeting plan
Letters to the Editor
Richmond City Council was presented with a bold, aggressive budget proposal with the top priorities put up front. We, the council members, all agreed to the priorities, even though we differed in the sources of funding.
Nation’s wealth gap worsens
If you’re like me, every time you hear a news reporter or anchor talk about how great the nation’s economy is, you wonder what world they are living in. Certainly these journalists are not referring to the ongoing struggle to make ends meet that so much of Black America faces. For every daily report of Wall Street trading or rising corporate profits, you’re reminded that somebody else is doing just fine financially.
Democracy and voter suppression
We all have heard about WikiLeaks and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The report of special counsel Robert Mueller has once more put that on the front pages. Too often lost in the furor, however, is the far more damaging TrikiLeaks — the tricks and laws used to suppress the vote by partisans, largely Republicans, here at home.
National Urban League and ‘State of Black America’
Columnists
The U.S. intelligence community announced it was “confident” that it happened. A Senate Intelligence Committee report confirmed it. And now the Mueller Report has documented its scope in breathtaking detail.
Commencement 2019
It’s graduation season and the commencement ceremonies are starting, first with area colleges and universities and next, with local high schools. Anxious graduates, along with their excited families, will sit through the formal functions, with the only thing separating them from their degrees and diplomas being the commencement speaker.
Gino Marchetti, NFL Hall of Fame defensive end, dies at 93
Gino Marchetti was a strong man on the football field. He also cast a powerful vote against social injustice. Mr. Marchetti, who was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1972, died Monday, April 29, 2019, in Paoli, Pa., at age 93.
VUU’s Shamdu Nalls trying out for Buffalo Bills
Virginia Union University’s Shamdu Nalls has signed a free agent contract to try out for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
Local players have helped NBA teams make it to the finals
If someone dusted the NBA playoff archives for fingerprints, they would discover ample evidence of Richmond area talent. Local players have played — and even been leading attractions — on NBA championship teams at least seven times. Make that nine times if you fudge the boundaries a tad. Here are a few highlights:
VUU’s Jackie Jackson of Harlem Globetrotters fame dies at 79
Jackie Jackson of the Harlem Globetrotters was a legendary fan favorite. It didn’t matter whether the basketball game was inside or out, serious or more for fun. Mr. Jackson, known to most as “Jumpin’ Jackie Jackson,” died Sunday, May 5, 2019, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was 79.
VSU women track and field competitors win top individual honors
Virginia State University women earned top individual honors at the CIAA Track and Field Championships on May 4 and 5 in Bowie, Md.
Richmond emergency communications earns accreditation
Richmond’s 911 emergency call center has secured national accreditation for the first time. The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies awarded the Richmond Department of Emergency Communications the accreditation on May 4 in Huntsville, Ala.
Mayor announces free CPR classes for RPS teachers
Mayor Levar M. Stoney marked the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week on Monday by announcing a new partnership between Richmond Public Schools and Richmond Fire and Emergency Services.
VCU to replace old Franklin Street gym with new STEM building
The old gymnasium at Virginia Commonwealth University will be replaced with a $121 million, six-story building dedicated to science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM subjects, it has been announced.
Richmond Crusade for Voters hosting candidates’ luncheon and voter registration drive
The Richmond Crusade for Voters is hosting a candidates’ luncheon and a major voter registration drive this month to help voters get ready for the June primary and November general elections. The candidates’ luncheon will be held noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the Cedar Street Baptist Church Banquet Hall, 700 N. 23rd St.
USPS to collect food to help ‘Stamp Out Hunger’
Mail carriers in Richmond and across the country will be picking up paper bags with donations of boxed, canned and bottled food and beverages and cooking oils on Saturday, May 11, it has been announced.
Fulton bus service to improve with several changes planned by GRTC
Beginning Sunday, GRTC will usher in faster rush hour service in the Fulton area of the East End, the company has announced. The bus company also will tweak service to the Randolph community, extend nighttime service on the Bellemeade/Hopkins route serving McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center and make it easier for West End passengers to access the coming Whole Foods grocery store near Broad and Meadow streets.
Councilman Hilbert opposes Salvation Army move to North Side
“I am firmly against this.” That’s the not-in-my-backyard response from 3rd District City Councilman Chris A. Hilbert’s to a Free Press report last week that the Salvation Army is applying for a special use permit to move its combination headquarters and homeless shelter from Downtown to a church building in Mr. Hilbert’s North Side district.
Maternal mortality: Black women far more likely to die giving birth than Caucasians
Last fall, Tanca McCargo, a Chesterfield native, found out she was expecting her second child. Ms. McCargo, who already had a 3-year-old son, discovered early on that her second pregnancy would be different. Her complications began when she experienced light bleeding. “The morning after scheduling an appointment with my OB-GYN, I passed an actual blood clot,” Ms. McCargo said.
Council members concerned about latest utility rate hikes
Like a steady drip, drip, drip, the cost of utility services is continuing to rise in Richmond at a double-digit pace, outpacing inflation and raising concerns among some about affordability.
