Newton joins 5 other black Super Bowl quarterbacks
African-American quarterbacks, long absent on Super Bowl Sunday, have become commonplace on football’s brightest stage.
Maggie Walker among local schools receiving an NFL Golden Football
The former Maggie L. Walker High School has been awarded an NFL Golden Football for being among the high schools that contributed to the first 49 years of Super Bowls. Willie Lanier, a member of the Maggie L. Walker Class of 1963, helped the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV on Jan. 11, 1970, in New Orleans. From Walker, Lanier went on to star at Morgan State University in Baltimore before embarking on a Hall of Fame career with the Chiefs.
Serena gracious even in defeat at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA Serena Williams’ relaxed outlook on life spilled over even in defeat last Saturday when she appeared to be almost as happy that Angelique Kerber had won her first grand slam final as the German herself. The 34-year-old Serena lost the Australian Open final to the seventh-ranked Kerber 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in just more than two hours of scintillating tennis at Rod Laver Arena in which the German negated the American’s power and capitalized on unforced errors.
Area high school basketball standouts racking up points in college
The University of Kansas has won three NCAA basketball tournaments —1952, 1988 and 2008. If the Jayhawks are soon to add No. 4, look for Frank Mason III at center stage.
Former AAU player is NCAA leading scorer
A Howard University junior with Richmond connections is the NCAA’s leading basketball scorer. James Daniel III starred at Phoebus High School in Hampton and played offseason AAU ball for Richmond-based Team Loaded.
Rev. Wright: Faith traditions give hope for life’s journey
His voice didn’t reach the thunderous crescendo for which he is well known. Nor did he use the fiery cadences with which he has stirringly moved worshippers and other audiences for more than four decades.
Dr. Freddie Nicholas, former president of John Tyler Community College
Dr. Freddie W. “Nick” Nicholas Sr. was known as a trailblazing educator, stalwart community servant, committed family man and active church member.
Madeline W. Jones, retired city teacher, dies at 82
Madeline W. Jones had a passion for African-American history and the Pan-African movement. And she eagerly taught both to her students in Richmond Public Schools for 30 years before retiring in 1995. Her passion to teach black history and of the need for people of African descent to unite for progress was first fueled when she attended a Black History Class in the city taught in 1950 by Dr. Joseph Ransome, a history teacher at Armstrong High School.
Personality: Audrey Anderson Britt
Spotlight on sole surviving founder of the Melds Pinochle Club
Audrey Anderson Britt became interested in playing pinochle when she was a student at Virginia Union University. “They needed somebody to play,” she says of some of her classmates, “so I told them I knew how to play, but I really couldn’t.
Former presidential candidate Wilder offers advice to Clinton campaign
Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder — the nation’s first elected African-American governor and one-time Democratic presidential candidate — issued a cautionary warning to Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton’s campaign prior to a talk and book-signing event Tuesday at his alma mater, Virginia Union University.
Probe launched on city-church ties
Did anything illegal take place? Or is there merely a need for stronger policies covering city officials who engage in outside in endeavors on city time?
Police body cameras arrive
“We finally get the chance to tell our story from beginning to end,” Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham said at a news conference Tuesday announcing the initial deployment this week of 20 body cameras for officers. Flanked by Mayor Dwight C. Jones, Richmond NAACP President Lynetta Thompson and others, Chief Durham said 20 more body cameras will be issued when they arrive within the next few weeks.
Mayor to seek referendum on school funding
Raise taxes or cut services. Those, said Mayor Dwight C. Jones, are about the only options Richmond has if it is to boost spending on public education by the tens of millions of dollars Richmond Public Schools is requesting. And he said he would explore with Richmond City Council “the idea of an advisory referendum on the November ballot to determine whether the public wishes to raise its taxes and by how much.”
Register to vote by Feb.8
Monday, Feb. 8, is the deadline to register to vote in Virginia’s presidential primary March 1. Voters will have the opportunity to cast a ballot for either Democratic or Republican candidates vying for their party’s nomination for the November presidential election.
School Board approves $293M budget plan
Even as the Richmond School Board approved its $293 million budget proposal on Monday, some members expressed serious concerns that the school system wouldn’t receive all the money being sought. “I think we’re going to have more discus- sions about what happens if we get one penny less than what we’re asking for,” board Chair Jeffrey M. Bourne told his board colleagues minutes before they approved the budget by a 6-2 vote at their City Hall meeting.
Payday loan victim joins class action suit
Henrico resident Donald Garrett is joining a class action suit seeking to hold Advance ‘Til Payday loan company accountable for allegedly evading state law and charging up to 960 percent interest on small loans of $100 to $300.
Lead poisoning endangers Richmond children, too
Amid the public outcry over the lead-contaminated public water supply in Flint, Mich., it is easy to forget that lead poisoning remains a threat to children across the country — even in Richmond. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 500,000 young children nationally suffer from lead poisoning that can affect development of their mental capacity, their bones and their organs.
Carver Elementary earns title of Highly Distinguished School
About two dozen proud staff members, parents and students from Richmond’s Carver Elementary School stood to be acknowledged at last week’s School Board meeting at City Hall. They were applauded because, for the second consecutive year, the school earned the distinction as a Title I Highly Distinguished School by the Virginia Department of Education.
Energy savings could yield $18M to fix city schools
Energy savings could generate $18 million to fuel an overhaul of heating and cooling systems, windows, lighting and other systems in as many as 10 Richmond Public Schools buildings.
Weather woes delay leaf pickup
Richmond’s big snow means the city’s leaf collection is going to run further behind. Heavy rains during December pushed back the city’s leaf vacuuming program by two weeks or more, the city Department of Public Works has acknowledged.
