Cooper wins in squeaker
48 votes propel minister to Henrico School Board seat
48 votes propel minister to Henrico School Board seat
Republicans retain control of Va. Senate
For more than two hours after the polls closed Tuesday, Democrat Daniel H. Gecker held a commanding 3,000-vote lead and appeared to be headed for victory in the 10th Senate District that includes a chunk of Richmond’s West End and South Side.
Graying NAACP rallying to recover from obstacles
A session dedicated to the hot-button topic of police community relations at the 80th Annual Convention of the Virginia State Conference NAACP starkly illustrates the dilemma that confronts Linda Thomas, the newly elected president of the venerable civil rights organization.
Initiative to combat disproportionate school discipline
Elijah Coles-Brown, a diminutive but prodigiously precocious fifth-grader, was one of the stars at the Virginia NAACP convention last weekend in Richmond. At the tender age of 11, he already has embarked on a high-profile career as a motivational speaker.
Program aims to dismantle school-to-prison pipeline
One hundred and forty-nine students were arrested in Richmond Public Schools during the 2014-15 school year, according to Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham. Of those, 59 were arrested for disorderly conduct, offenses that included not sitting down in class or using profanity toward a teacher, he said.
Injuries plague S.C. student hurt by school officer
The 16-year-old African-American female student who was violently slammed, tossed and dragged across a classroom floor by a white school resource officer suffered multiple injuries during the incident, her attorney said.
Pilot program to provide free dinner for students
Beginning in March, Richmond Public Schools will provide free dinners to students at eights of its schools in underserved communities. Those students also will be given backpacks containing free meals to take home for the weekend and extended school breaks such as holidays and inclement weather closings.
City schools’ All-City Jazz concert Nov. 5
Richmond Public Schools is hosting its second annual All-City Jazz Concert at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at Richmond CenterStage, 600 E. Grace St. in Downtown.
From gridiron to president
Willard Bailey shaping minds at new college
Willard Bailey, the CIAA legendary college football coach, has a new role in higher education. He has jumped from the gridiron to college president.
Richmond NAACP sets Freedom Fund banquet Nov.
North Carolina NAACP President William Barber II was a chief architect of the recent “Journey for Justice” march to Washington that called for renewal of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, sustainable jobs with living wages, criminal justice reforms, education equity and access to health care for all.
RRHA eyes Jackson Place for Fay Towers residents
The city’s housing authority is promising a fresh attempt to redevelop a chunk of Jackson Ward that was cleared for urban renewal nearly 25 years ago, but continues to be vacant.
Challenge to House districts dismissed
A three-judge federal court panel has dismissed a constitutional challenge to 12 majority-black districts in the Virginia House of Delegates.
VUU hopes for NCAA bid despite takedown
Here is the good news/bad news update on Virginia Union University football. Unsettling news is that by losing 23-19 last Saturday at Bowie State University, VUU is now a long shot to win the CIAA Northern Division title and advance to the CIAA title game.
City is canvas for Arts in the Alley
Chris and Jeanine Guidry are changing the face of Richmond’s alleys and streets one mural at a time. During the past two weekends, the husband-and-wife team completed their 100th project through Arts in the Alley, a nonprofit Ms. Guidry co-founded eight years ago to clean and decorate neglected alleys as a way to better the city. Aided by a dozen volunteers, they added three colorful murals to building walls in the retail corridor of Barton Heights at North Avenue and Brookland Park Boulevard. The largest, a mural about hope, now fills a wall outside Dream Academy, a nonprofit high school at 2 E. Brookland Park Blvd.
Election Tuesday
Candidates in final swing
Now it’s time for the voters to speak. Tuesday, Nov. 3, is Election Day.
CBS 6 shows ‘callous attitude’ toward President Obama
WTVR-TV, CBS 6 in Richmond continuously refuses to broadcast speeches when President Obama is on air. This, I feel, is disrespectful and should be brought to the attention of our community.
Armstrong music teacher ‘one of the brightest stars’
Re “Armstrong High music teacher fired,” Oct. 22-24 edition: Armstrong teacher Willie D. “Will” Griffin seems to have separated himself from the box that teachers are expected to live in
Free Press endorsements for 2015 Virginia elections
Tuesday, Nov. 3, is Election Day. All 140 seats in the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates are up for election, along with important local contests for board of supervisors and school board, among others, in Henrico and Chesterfield counties. The city of Richmond has no local elections.
A conversation with Joy-Ann Reid
Clinton has work to do to win black voters
As a national correspondent for MSNBC, Joy-Ann Reid has a commanding front row seat from which to observe the battle for the White House. Her savvy insights into the twists and turns of the campaign are on display in “Fracture: Barack Obama, the Clintons and the Racial Divide,” Ms. Reid’s newly published book.
VUU lecture on interracial cooperation in HBCU origins
What role did interracial cooperation play in the founding of historically black colleges and universities following the Civil War?
