
Michael Sam makes Canadian football league debut
Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to appear in a Canadian Football League game Friday night, playing sparingly for the Montreal Alouettes in a 26-23 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks.

Former Henrico High player named to MEAC All-Preseason team
Coaches around the MEAC are taking a “wait and see” attitude toward Connell Maynor and Latrell Scott. Coach Maynor is entering his second season as football coach at Hampton University.

Former UR player Justin Rogers hopes to secure Washington’s No. 25 jersey
Justin Rogers wants his face on the nickel. No, not the five-cent piece jingling in your pocket, but the Washington defensive backfield type of nickel. The nickel back — a fifth defensive back — has become almost as popular a term as “hail Mary” and “sack dance” in NFL lingo.

James E. Winston, 80, music promoter
James Edward Winston was a welcoming presence in Richmond for decades as a promoter, entertainer and doorman. As a promoter from the late 1950s through the 1980s, Mr. Winston brought top acts to Richmond, such as Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder and The Stylistics, to perform at the old Sahara Club on North Side. As an entertainer, Mr. Winston wooed audiences with his soulful renditions of love ballads.

Personality: Brenda W. Johnson
Spotlight on president of Top Lady Clubbers
Brenda W. Johnson says the golf bug first bit her when a sorority sister from Delta Sigma Theta invited her to take up the sport when she lived in Michigan. “She says, ‘Let’s learn how to play golf,’ ” Mrs. Johnson recalls. “I looked at her as if she was crazy. But we moved ahead anyway and started lessons. We both had very young families at the time, so we didn’t play often.”

Full appeals court rebuffs McDonnell’s request
Former Gov. Bob McDonnell is a big step closer to reporting to prison. Tuesday, as legal experts anticipated, the 15 judges of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order rejecting the former Virginia governor’s request to reconsider his conviction on 11 corruption charges.

City cleanup for cycling race starts this weekend
Help us make Richmond shine. That’s the message City Hall is pushing as the city prepares to welcome thousands of visitors to the world road racing championships next month.

VUU working to find housing for student overflow
Virginia Union University is overflowing with students ahead of the start of the fall semester on Thursday, Aug. 13 — and has run out of housing on its campus.

Free school supplies for RPS teachers
Free school supplies will be available to Richmond Public Schools teachers when classes begin, thanks to a nonprofit called HandsOn Greater Richmond (HOGR).

City readying community for September bike races
Hundreds of bike riders will pedal at break-neck speeds along Richmond area streets past cheering spectators during the upcoming UCI Road World Championships. Elite bicyclists from around the world are scheduled to compete in 12 races over nine days from Saturday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 27. Courses will range from 14 miles to 160 miles and will wind through Richmond and Henrico and Hanover counties.

Battle over congressional lines starts next week
The battle over the map of Virginia’s congressional districts is about to get underway. Next week, the Republican-dominated General Assembly will return for a special session that Gov. Terry McAuliffe called with the goal of making changes to the 2012-approved map to satisfy a federal court.

Chief Durham: ‘This is not Ferguson’
“This is not Ferguson.” That was the assessment of Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham on Aug. 6, a day after Keshawn D. Hargrove, 20, was shot and killed by a Richmond Police officer in the alley beside DJ Market and Deli at Cary and Meadow streets in the West End.

Tale of the tests
Richmond SOL scores rise, but still below state average
The good news: More students in Richmond Public Schools passed state Standards of Learning tests in reading, history and math in spring 2015 compared with the previous year. That’s in line with the state trend of rising pass rates.

Former School Board member mounts campaign to oust principal
How much influence should parents and the community wield in deciding who should run a public school? That question is at the heart of a dispute over the leadership of Blackwell Elementary School on South Side.

2 top basketball standouts commit to UR
Imagine winning the lottery, then two days later winning it again. That’s about how University of Richmond basketball Coach Chris Mooney felt after landing two highly acclaimed rising seniors from the 804 area code.

Former NBA star Rick Mahorn to be inducted into Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame
Former Hampton University basketball sensation Rick Mahorn has been selected for the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame.

VIA group holds organizing session in Chesapeake
The Virginia Interscholastic Heritage Association will hold its next organizational meeting Saturday, Aug. 15, in Chesapeake.

‘Dialogue’ pages create feedback for School Board
Richmond Public Schools wants to make it easier for parents, students, teachers and the public to ask School Board members questions, make suggestions, express concerns or compliment their work — and get responses in a timely manner.

Double-dipping still a practice in city schools
Double-dipping is still in vogue in Richmond Public Schools, even though the practice of paying retirees extra money to fill vacancies has been loudly criticized.