VUU’s Hamilton slugs her way to All-CIAA
Taylor Hamilton swings a powerful bat in the middle of Virginia Union University’s softball lineup. The junior infielder/outfielder from Willingboro, N.J., slugged 10 homers, drove in 40 runs and batted .435 this past spring, leading VUU to a 16-11 record. Her slugging percentage was a robust .848. Hamilton made All-CIAA and the All-CIAA Tournament Team.
Personality: Sixto M. Cancel
Spotlight on White House ‘Champion of Change’ honoree
Virginia Commonwealth University senior Sixto Martin Cancel is headed to the White House next week, where he will be recognized for making a difference in the community. He is one of 12 former foster youths from around the nation who will be saluted Tuesday, May 19, as a “Champion of Change.”
No charges filed against Wisconsin police officer in teen’s death
A Wisconsin police officer who fatally shot an unarmed biracial teenager in March, prompting several days of peaceful protests, will not be charged, a prosecutor said Tuesday. Officer Matt Kenny used justified lethal force in the March 6 shooting of Tony Robinson, 19, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said.
Girl Scouts executive stepping down
Viola O. Baskerville is ending her tenure as chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia (GSCV). Mrs. Baskerville, 63, who formerly served as state secretary of administration, a member of the House of Delegates and on Richmond City Council, is retiring Friday from the regional Girl Scouts post after three years.
Dominion plans investment in new building, upgrades in Downtown
Call it good news for construction workers and Richmond. Energy giant Dominion Resources is planning to make what company officials say will be a “significant investment” in modernizing and updating its aging buildings in Downtown. While the amount of the investment has yet to be disclosed, company officials said this week that the spending would result in at least one new building in the heart of Richmond.
Advocacy groups plan housing, services safety net for foster youths
Janeva Smith has seen many of her friends in foster care suddenly become homeless when they turn 18. They have nowhere to go, few life skills and little hope for the future. “I’ve had many friends who tried to commit suicide,” said Ms. Smith, who was 18 months old when she initially was placed in foster care in Plainfield, N.J. She was 14 when she entered foster care in Virginia, moving between foster families, group homes and shelters.
Volunteers build playground in memory of Marty Cobb
Martin “Marty” Cobb, 8, loved to play with his family and other friends in the South Richmond community where he lived. So it’s only fitting that community members teamed up to build a new playground at Elizabeth D. Redd Elementary — the school he attended as a first-grader— in his honor May 7.
Stop the violence
Community leaders, residents march in Mosby Court for peace
Community leaders, residents march in Mosby Court for peace
Mobile home residents allege city’s actions discriminatory in HUD complaint
The City of Richmond is engaging in a discriminatory campaign to force some of its most vulnerable Latino residents from their homes through an aggressive code enforcement campaign in the mobile home parks where they live. That’s what nearly 40 current or former residents at two South Side mobile home parks are alleging.
Giles hopes to boost services to troubled teens
Shunda T. Giles has been preparing for her transition from lawyer for the Richmond Department of Social Services to its top manager. On Monday, the 41-year-old attorney took over the leadership role of the department of more than 400 staffers and a $74.5 million annual budget, all aimed at strengthening families and providing services to meet essential human needs.
Plenty of jobs, not enough workers
Commission recommends aligning training with opportunities
Talk about a huge surprise: Four job openings exist in Richmond for every job seeker in the city, according to government data. In fact, more jobs in the city go begging for qualified workers than anywhere else in the Richmond region, which overall has 1.5 job openings for every job seeker, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated in its December report.
N. Purcelle Brown, 77, president of Chiles’ Funeral Home
When N. Purcelle Brown was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1960, he hoped to find work in air conditioning and refrigeration using the training he received in the military. He also had worked as a mechanic on B-52 bombers.
Flying Squirrels return home Friday
While the Richmond Flying Squirrels promise wholesome, family oriented entertainment on The Boulevard, the team management doesn’t promise victories. That’s a good thing because the local baseball pros, the Class AA Eastern League affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, have been losing like never before.
VSU commencement
Building a better world is more than a motto
Virginia State University ended a tumultuous school year with a victorious exclamation mark at commencement Saturday at the Richmond Coliseum. More than 10,000 proud and beaming parents, friends and university members saluted as a record number of students — 764 — graduated.
School Board votes to merge Elkhardt, Thompson
With full backing from the Richmond School Board, Superintendent Dana T. Bedden pulled a rabbit out of his hat this week with a move that closes one old and decrepit middle school and changes the accreditation status at two academically struggling middle schools.
Free Press deserves kudos
The Richmond Association of Black Social Workers congratulates Bonnie Winston, managing editor, and the Richmond Free Press staff on your recent awards from the Virginia Press Association.
Violence sometimes only voice of the violated
I am confused. Years ago I learned about a large group of people who felt disenfranchised by the people governing them and they started a riot that grew into a revolution. These folks felt their “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” were being taken away by a distant power intent on exploiting them for monetary gains. That’s what I was taught in a small South Carolina classroom many years ago.
‘Who are the thugs?’
Who are the “thugs” in Baltimore and other cities in America? I have watched with deepest regret the aftermath that has followed the death of Freddie Gray, who was in Baltimore police custody at the time of suffering severe spinal cord damage that resulted in his death. Even worse, why did it take so long to get a police report on what took place? It is strange how long it takes to get police reports on certain incidents when black men are killed by police? That alone raises a red flag. Do these people have a conscience that tells them right from wrong?
Police reform needed now
“There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” – Charles de Montesquieu, “The Spirit of the Laws,” 1748 A tragic déjà vu is playing out in communities all across America, particularly in the growingly skeptical streets of black and brown neighborhoods.
No better time to end racial profiling
Freddie Gray, 25, was racially profiled and then chased down by Baltimore police officers. He subsequently died as result of police action taken after what the mayor called an unjust arrest. But the Gray tragedy is not an isolated case. It is symptomatic of a criminal justice system gone mad with racism and bigotry.
