Prosecutor vows to retry S.C. ex-officer after mistrial in death of motorist
A South Carolina prosecutor said she would retry the former South Carolina police officer, a white man, who shot and killed a black motorist as he ran during an April 2015 traffic stop.
Civil rights coalition to hold pre-inaugural march in D.C. on MLK weekend
The Rev. Al Sharpton, head of the National Action Network, has announced that a coalition of civil rights and advocacy organizations will lead a march and rally at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington on Saturday, Jan. 14 — less than a week before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
La. congressman new CBC chair
Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond has been elected chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 115th Congress, which begins Jan. 3.
Race central issue in Virginia-Maryland redistricting arguments before high court
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy appears to hold the decisive vote in two cases involving challenges from African-American voters to electoral districts in Virginia and North Carolina.
Mayor Jones’ final bow
Richmond’s chief executive reflects on his 8 years in office
Mayor Dwight C. Jones entered City Hall in 2009 amid the worst recession in 75 years. He sought to be “a unifier” who would end the turmoil between the Mayor’s Office, City Council and the School Board and would create a Richmond people were proud of.
Plans could transform Grace St. block into retail-residential mix
Nearly a block of city-owned parking space near the Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Arts Center in Downtown could be transformed into a mix of residences, offices and retail shops, accompanied by an 800-car parking deck.
Police funding decision before City Council Dec. 12
Richmond City Council has dropped its plan to hold a special meeting to shift $1.7 million to the city Police Department to cover the cost of hiring and training 20 recruits.
Councilman-elect Jones not interested in leadership post
The Rev. Michael J. Jones says he is not campaigning to become vice president of Richmond City Council when the governing body begins a new term and selects new officers at its organizational meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The incoming 9th District City Council member said Monday that he is not interested in a leadership post in response to a Free Press report last week.
Trump’s choices portend disaster
Jane Elliott is not commonly known in American households. She holds no fame among the elites, nor does she command any known political clout. She doesn’t boast of great wealth. Seeing her, one probably would think of her as being non-threatening, even grandmotherly.
Broader view needed on Castro
Fidel Castro, Cuba’s leader for almost six decades, has died at 90 in Havana. USAToday’s headline on Monday read, “No Mourning in Miami,” noting the continued bitterness of those who left Cuba. The Washington Post featured testimonies condemning Mr. Castro’s authoritarian government. A revolutionary, a brutal dictator who sided with the U.S.S.R. in the Cold War, a sponsor of guerilla wars, leader of a failed economy — Mr. Castro’s death has unleashed the full indictment against him.
On health
As the talk grows in Washington about dismantling and/or privatizing nationally supported health care programs, including Obamacare, or the federal Affordable Care Act, and Medicare, we remind our readers that the health and lives of countless individuals and families have been made better because of such programs. Destroying these programs will have a deleterious impact within Richmond, the state and the nation.
Keeping it real
We are trying very hard to keep an open mind — and a thimble of optimism — about what lies ahead under the new administration of soon-to-be President Donald Trump.
Downtown comes alive with holiday events, parade
Love Christmas lights, holiday cheer and the thought of a white Christmas? What about tree lightings and holiday movie binge watching?
Soul Santa returns to Black History Museum
Soul Santa is returning to Richmond at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.
Area events to commemorate 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor
Dec. 7 marks the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, when Japanese forces bombed the U.S. Pacific Fleet and Army airfield at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 2,400 Americans were killed and more than 1,100 were wounded during the early morning attack that resulted in the United States entering World War II.
Coretta Scott King memoir slated for release Jan. 17
Toward the end of her life, Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., founder of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and American civil and human rights hero, commissioned Dr. Barbara Reynolds to write her memoir.
VCU shines in The Bahamas; plays next in Miami
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Jonathan Williams entered this basketball season with a well-deserved reputation as a playmaker.
N.C. A&T bows to UR in NCAA football playoff
North Carolina A&T State University’s 2015 football season ended with a party as victors of the inaugural Celebration Bowl. This football season’s conclusion was more like a dreaded visit to the dentist.
Richmond’s Malcolm Bell hoping to lead N.C. Central to Celebration Bowl victory
North Carolina Central University features one of the top passers in HBCU football, along with one of the most dangerous runners in HBCU football.
Va. Tech takes on Clemson for ACC championship
If Clemson University is to win the Atlantic Coast Conference and/or the National College football titles, the championship trophies are likely to reveal Richmond area fingerprints.
