Revolutionary opera for masses opens
For many, opera is hard to enjoy. Like ballet and symphony orchestra, opera was crafted centuries ago for European aristocracy and was not intended to appeal to “common folk,” but to impress royalty and visiting dignitaries.
Folk Festival returns this weekend
Louis Armstrong once said, “All music is folk music. I ain’t never heard a horse sing a song.” Music by people and cultures from around the globe will be featured in Richmond this weekend at the three-day 12th Annual Richmond Folk Festival.
Forum Oct. 9 at African Burial Ground
Remembering Gabriel, the leader of Richmond’s largest slave rebellion. That is the purpose of a public forum 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, at the African Burial Ground, 1600 E. Broad St. This is the 14th year for the forum hosted by the activist group Defenders for Freedom, Justice and Equality led Phil Wilayto and Ana Edwards.
Richmond History Makers to be honored October 18
Six people are being added to The Valentine museum’s roll of Richmond History Makers, it has been announced. The Downtown museum, which focuses on the city and its history, cited the honorees for unique and “significant contributions to the Richmond region.”
RVA Fashion Week runway show Oct.15
The observation deck of Richmond City Hall is about to be transformed into a fashion center. The third edition of RVA Fashion Week will take place 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, on the 18th floor of City Hall, 900 E. Broad St., it has been announced.
Richmond post-Civil War is subject of Banner Lecture Oct.12
A lecture exploring how Richmond residents, including newly emancipated African-Americans, coped in the aftermath of the Civil War will be held next week.
VUU heads into homecoming with 50-21 win over St. Aug.’s
Virginia Union University has dominated its CIAA Southern Division football opponents. The question now is how will the Panthers fare against their own Northern Division opponents, beginning Saturday, Oct. 8, in its homecoming game against Lincoln University of Pennsylvania?
VSU trounces Livingstone 47-0
It’s time to add Stephen Mines and Christian Harden to Virginia State University’s emerging cast of football playmakers. Both figure heavily into Coach Reggie Barlow’s second half plans as the Trojans seek to return to the CIAA title game for the third time in four seasons.
CIAA to move most championship games out of NC
The CIAA basketball championships are staying in Charlotte, N.C., but the football title game is moving out of Durham, N.C. Those are answers to the most asked questions following the conference’s announcement last week to transfer eight of its 10 annual championship events out of North Carolina.
Football icon Jim Brown honored with statue
For one more Sunday, Jim Brown felt the kind of emotional surge that made him an NFL legend. The greatest player to wear a Cleveland Browns jersey, and in the conversation as the best in league history, Brown was immortalized Sept. 18 as the team unveiled a bronze statue of the running back’s likeness outside FirstEnergy Stadium.
Serena Williams: ‘I won’t be silent’
Star tennis player Serena Williams says she “won’t be silent” about the killing of African-American men by police officers.
Jackson stumps here for Clinton
Millennials don’t understand the privilege of voting because they weren’t alive during the struggle of the 1950s and 1960s to secure the right to vote, according to the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
Court sets up receivership for Petersburg payments
Petersburg residents don’t have to worry anymore about getting their sewage treated. On Tuesday, a Petersburg Circuit Court judge set up a receivership to ensure that the monthly fee that residents pay for the service through their utility bill flows to the regional authority that treats the city’s household and business waste.
Lt. Col. Linda M. Washington, former chief of medical services for the 113th Air Wing, dies
Lt. Col. Linda Marlene Washington left Richmond to make history as a military doctor. In 1988, the intrepid physician became the first female flight surgeon in the District of Columbia Air National Guard, also known as the 113th Wing.
Personality: Marc Cheatham
Spotlight on The Cheats Movement hip-hop enthusiast
Marc Wesley Cheatham, founder of The Cheats Movement blog and podcast, says Democrat Tim Kaine’s 2009 appointment as chairman of the Democratic National Committee was a catalyst for the evolution of a platform for local hip-hop.
Mayor calls for hiring 70 more police officers within 12 months
Mayor Dwight C. Jones is preparing to throw a curveball into Richmond’s increasingly heated campaigns for city offices.
Richmond’s graduation rate trails the state
Nearly 1,500 new freshmen entered Richmond schools in 2012 to start their quest for a high school diploma. Four years later, nearly one in five did not receive that important credential when graduation ceremonies were held last spring.
Finding her voice
10-year-old wins Library of Congress writing award
The fifth-grader at William Fox Elementary School in Richmond plays the alto saxophone in the school band, initiated her family’s recycling efforts with mother Holly and father Enrique and has grown up attending rallies and meetings with her parents supporting immigration law reform and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Court rules that Christian-only prayers at government meetings are OK
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that governments do not violate the church-state barrier when elected community leaders exclusively deliver Christian prayers to begin meetings.
Carver Elementary recognized, while more Richmond schools lose accreditation
Richmond’s George Washington Carver Elementary School is winning national recognition for its success in student learning at the same time the number of failing schools in the city has increased.
