
Convenience stores shut down Virginia Lottery sales in protest for skill games
Organizers say hundreds of stores participate
At Krunal Patel’s convenience store outside Richmond, a row of Queen of Virginia skill games has been powered off and turned around against a wall.

Discriminatory laws have driven Black voters from the polls, by Marc H. Morial
“If the United States wants to make good on its foundational claims of a democratic system of governance open to all citizens, it must find ways to close the racial turnout gap. Wider now than at any point in at least the past 16 years, the gap costs millions of votes from Americans of color all around the country. Perhaps most worrisome of all, the gap is growing most quickly in parts of the country that were previously covered under the pre-clearance regime of the 1965 Voting Rights Act until the disastrous Shelby County ruling.” – Brennan Center For Justice

Better public understanding of domestic violence was the one silver lining from O.J. Simpson’s fall, by Clarence Page
Has the search for Nicole Simpson’s “real killer” officially ended? Not that I expected to find out more than we already know. The leading suspect in the slaying of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman continued to be nobody else but O.J., up to his dying day.

VUU works to retain accreditation status
Virginia Union University is continuing to address financial issues months after receiving probation that, if not resolved, could lead to the loss of its accreditation.

Jonathan Young resigns from RPS School Board
Jonathan Young resigned from the Richmond Public School Board April 12 after it was revealed that a December 2023 incident between him and a 15-year-old female student resulted in the student filing a harassment complaint against him.

Uber helps investigate Ohio driver’s shooting death
Uber is helping investigators look into the account that sent a driver to the Ohio home where an 81-year-old man allegedly shot a woman to death because he erroneously believed she was part of a scam, the ride-hailing company said Wednesday.

Personality: Sheri Shannon
Spotlight on Southside ReLeaf cofounder
Sheri Shannon has long believed that focused community-action work can battle climate change head on.

Faith Ringgold, pioneering Black quilt artist and author, dies at 93
Faith Ringgold, an award-winning author and artist who broke down barriers for Black female artists and became famous for her richly colored and detailed quilts combining painting, textiles and storytelling, has died at 93.

Fashion forward
Former banker now balances her life as a business owner and new mom
Chanel Nelson-Green is the owner of Liznel, a Richmond-based fashion boutique that has showcased designs in Hampton, New York and Washington, D.C.

Robinson Day means so much to many
Jackie Robinson Day honors the courageous and wondrously talented man who broke baseball’s color barrier.

Virginia lawmakers agree to extend timeline of budget negotiations
Leaders of the Democratic-controlled Virginia General Assembly said Wednesday that they reached an 11th-hour compromise with Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to extend negotiations over the state budget in an attempt to avert gridlock.

O.J. Simpson has been cremated, estate attorney in Las Vegas says
No public memorial planned
Former football star and celebrity criminal defendant O.J. Simpson was cremated Wednesday, the lawyer handling his estate said following his death last week at home in Las Vegas at age 76.

Students to compete in History Day at VMHC
Virginia students in grades 4-12 are preparing to compete at the 50th annual Virginia History Day competition at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture April 27-28.

Curfew
City leaders respond to recent violence
The City of Richmond has instituted an 11 p.m. curfew for all juveniles as part of an early start to its Operation Safe Summer initiative.

More baseball players are foreign-born, says Forbes
Baseball, “The National Pastime,” is getting more and more international.

Virginia NAACP files lawsuit against governor
The NAACP Virginia State Conference filed a lawsuit with the Circuit Court for the City of Richmond on Monday against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Office for violating the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

VUU updates plan for historic Richmond Community Hospital
New plans appear to be underway for the former Richmond Community Hospital, following weeks of questions and changes over recent decisions surrounding the site and its place in the city. The hospital is owned by Virginia Union University.

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:

Hampton University’s sailing team boasts winning record
The Hampton University sailing team won its third straight regatta, capturing the Grant Trophy on April 13-14 at Strawberry Banks in Hampton.

To close racial gap in maternal health, Virginia, other states target implicit bias
Black, Hispanic and Indigenous pregnant patients often report facing unfair treatment at hospitals and clinics
Countless times, Kenda Sutton-El, a Virginia doula, has witnessed her Black pregnant clients being dismissed or ignored by clinicians.