Henrico sports center emerges as powerhouse in rookie season
The motto of the Henrico Sports & Events Center at Virginia Center Commons in Glen Allen is “Showtime, all the time.” Since the center’s grand opening in December 2023, over 375,000 people have attended events there. The center is the heart of Henrico’s sports tourism industry — which generated nearly $72.5 million in local economic activity in 2023 from “nonlocal tournaments,” according to county officials.
Richmond fire chief retires
Richmond Chief of Fire and Emergency Services Melvin Carter announced his retirement Friday, Dec. 27, after nearly four decades of service to the city. Carter was the third African-American chief in the department’s history.
Applications open for HBCU Scholars Fellowship
Virginia Humanities is now accepting applications for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Scholars Fellowship, a program designed to support humanities scholars affiliated with HBCUs.
Adinkra Alliance Institute announces honorees from Virginia
The Adinkra Alliance Institute recently announced the 2024 recipients of the Adinkra Distinguished Black Achievers Honors, recognizing Black leaders around the country whose significant contributions have positively impacted their communities.
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
The Richmond and Henrico health districts are set to begin COVID-19 testing in 2025 on Thursday, Jan. 8. New data from the Virginia Department of Health on COVID-19’s impact on emergency department visits, respiratory illness levels, or deaths related to the virus were not available at press time. COVID-19 wastewater levels for Richmond and Henrico County also were unavailable.
Sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78
Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster who broke barriers during his career calling some of the biggest sporting events, has died from cancer, according to a statement from his family released by the network on Friday. He was 78.
Virginia State commits to Henry Frazier III with long-term contract
Virginia State University Head Football Coach Henry Frazier III has signed a five-year contract, extending his tenure as he enters his third season with the Trojans in 2024. Frazier, named the team’s 26th head coach in May 2022, has led the program to 21 total wins and a share of the CIAA regular season championship in 2023.
Netflix’s ‘Missing You’ lands in time for New Year’s binge watch
It’s Netflix’s resolution every new year to give viewers a head scratcher in January.
Mayor’s orders: Avula prescribes day of service
More than a dozen new community service projects will begin Saturday, Jan. 11, as part of Mayor Danny Avula’s “Inaugural Day of Service.”
The case for a presidential pardon for Marilyn Mosby by Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
The political weaponization of the justice system has become a dangerous norm.
For enslaved people, the holiday season was a time for revelry – and a brief window to fight back by Ana Lucia Araujo
During the era of slavery in the Americas, enslaved men, women and children also enjoyed the holidays.
Personality: Rebecca McCray
Spotlight on Richmond Public Schools Teacher of the Year
Rebecca McCray remembers settling in with a good book on her grandmother’s plaid couch as a child.
Giving Machine offers unique way to support local, global causes
Holiday shoppers at Short Pump Town Center were serenaded last Friday with a rendition of “Joy to the World” by a quartet from the Richmond Concert Chorale followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the return of a vending machine that works in reverse.
Biden commutes federal death sentences, spares 37 lives
President Biden on Monday announced that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.
Musk takes on Washington, but can he take over? by Clarence Page
Watching the year-end budget fights in Congress as we await the second term of President-elect Donald Trump, I find myself wondering: Will this era be remembered as the time when Trump was president and Elon Musk ran the country?
Christmas Memories
Holiday memories are shaped by the families we hold dear — whether they are the families we are born into or the ones we build through the bonds formed at church, work, or through social connections.
Richmond Symphony teams up with Butcher Brown to celebrate Black film scores
The classically trained musicians of the Richmond Symphony are preparing to share the stage with hometown heroes Butcher Brown, weaving together two musical worlds to breathe new life into some of Black cinema’s most memorable soundtracks.
The Liberty in Laundry Act sounds like a joke – it’s not by Ben Jealous
The incoming Trump administration is supposedly interested in “efficiency.”
