Fourth Baptist’s pastor leads by faith activism
Dr. Emory Berry Jr. calls himself a “walking miracle.” The 38-year-old is celebrating his fifth anniversary as pastor at Fourth Baptist Church in Richmond. When his mother was pregnant with him, doctors at a Miami hospital urged her to terminate her pregnancy because of health complications, he said. Instead, he said, his mother had faith that God would allow her to deliver the child safely and that he would make a difference in the world.
Public safety forum for churches on Oct. 30
The Richmond Police Department is hosting a safety and awareness forum for congregation leaders from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
City Park Church to hold first service Nov. 1
The Rev. Joe Ellison is returning to his ministerial roots. For 16 years, he drew praise and won community honors for ministering to people in the Essex Village Apartments and surrounding neighborhoods in Eastern Henrico County through his church and day care.
VSU beats Lincoln, but loses out on title
Kavon Bellamy is aiming toward a fast finish this football season at Virginia State University. Slowed by a nagging ankle injury much of the fall, the junior from Hampton High School is finally at full speed, which means, “Tacklers beware!”
Ram fever starts with 2K Classic
If dunks were donuts, Justin Tillman would be rich in sweet treats today. The 6-foot-7 Virginia Commonwealth University sophomore displayed his expertise with basketball’s high percentage shot before 5,223 fans during VCU’s Black & Gold Game Oct. 24 at the Siegel Center.
Few black coaches at top tier teams
On NCAA football’s top tier — Bowl Championship Subdivision (BCS) — statistics show a dramatic disparity. African-Americans comprise 53 percent of athletes but only 11 percent of head coaches, according to a 2014 report of The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sport.
Personality: Dr. Kenneth S. Kendler
Spotlight on winner of National Academy of Medicine prize
Dr. Kenneth S. Kendler says three things “get me up in the morning to come in to work.” “The first is my intense curiosity about how the mind and brain of human beings work,” says the director at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics.
Deputy fired for slamming S.C. student
A white deputy who violently slammed a black female high school student to the floor and dragged her during a classroom arrest was fired Wednesday. Officer Ben Fields, 34, a senior deputy with the Richland County, S.C., Sheriff’s Department is also the focus of a federal civil rights probe.
Crusade co-founder to be honored Nov. 1
The Richmond Crusade for Voters is teaming up with two other groups to host a celebration of Dr. William Ferguson Reid, one of the area’s legendary political activists.
Former Richmond city manager being considered for VSU interim president
Robert C. Bobb, a Washington-based consultant who once ran Richmond’s government as city manager, is being considered for a new post — interim president of Virginia State University. Mr. Bobb, 70, is the choice of Harry Black, rector of the VSU Board of Visitors, to replace Dr. Pamela V. Hammond, who will step down as interim president at the end of December.
Better, but still bad
Only 17 of 45 city schools get full accreditation
Only 17 of 45 city schools get full accreditation
Student apologizes for playing racist song
The neatly attired African-American teenager somberly stepped to the podium at the Henrico County School Board meeting last week at New Bridge School in East Henrico.
One year after saying ‘I do,’ couple enjoys wedded bliss
“It’s like we’re experiencing love all over again,” said Shamika Fauntleroy.
Causey to lead Virginia State Bar
Doris Henderson Causey is about to make Virginia legal history. Ms. Causey, 45, will become president-elect in June of the Virginia State Bar’s Executive Council. She will be the first African-American and first legal aid lawyer to fill the top elective post for the VSB, the arm of the state Supreme Court that regulates lawyers.
NSU scores with SACS, state audit
Norfolk State University is finally getting some good news. Interim President Eddie N. Moore Jr. this week indicated that NSU is on its way to having its accrediting agency remove the school from probation and restore it to unqualified accreditation.
Marsh courthouse dedication on hold
Nine months ago, Mayor Dwight C. Jones won City Council approval to officially rename the Manchester Courthouse for Richmond’s first African-American mayor, Henry L. Marsh III, and his late brother, Harold M. Marsh Sr. However, a date for the ceremony to officially rename the building has yet to be announced.
City Council approves zoning change to spur North Side development
Richmond is rolling out the welcome mat for developers, investors and businesses willing to consider projects in centerpiece commercial districts in majority African-American areas of North Side.
City opens emergency cold weather shelter
Men and women again will be able to spend cold nights inside the city’s former Public Safety Building in coming months. For the third consecutive year, the City of Richmond will use a portion of the building at 501 N. 9th St. as its emergency overflow shelter, according to Tammy D. Hawley, a spokesperson for Mayor Dwight C. Jones.
Richmond Ambulance Authority wins top U.S. award
The Richmond Ambulance Authority has earned national recognition for its innovations in pre-hospital care and community outreach.
Preaching for better bus service
Dr. John W. Kinney leads the call from 200 Richmond area pastors for expanding public bus service to increase access to jobs and services for low-income residents. “Metropolitan Richmond must be linked together with a comprehensive public transportation system,” Dr. Kinney, dean of Virginia Union University’s school of theology, tells members of the Metro Richmond Clergy Convocation. The group pledged at the Oct. 15 event to carry that message to officials in Richmond and adjacent counties. Location: The Downtown overlook at Taylors Hill Park, 22nd and Grace streets, in the East End.
