CIAA women’s competition stirred by problem
Virginia Union University’s women survived the play-in round of the CIAA Tournament’s basketball competition in Charlotte, N.C. Ashle Freeman scored 25 points and Lady Walker added 22 points as the Panthers defeated Saint Augustine’s 74-71. With the victory, the 8-17 Panthers advanced to Wednesday’s quarterfinals against Lincoln University, which Lincoln won 59-51. Women’s semifinals are 1 and 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. The final is at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, with live ASPIRE TV coverage.
Tuesday night’s loss tosses VUU from tourney
Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena has become the house of horrors for Virginia Union University’s basketball team. For the sixth straight year, the Panthers have failed to advance in the CIAA tournament — an event they dominated for decades. A 77-70 loss to Shaw University during Tuesday night’s play-in game ended VUU’s season with a 9-18 record. Shaw University, with a 12-15 record, advanced to meet Winston-Salem State University in Wednesday night’s quarterfinals.
VSU stands tall going into CIAA tournament
Virginia State University’s front line measures 6-foot-10, 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-8. The Trojans stand tall in the CIAA standings as well. Center Alphonso Leary, who is 6-foot-10, and 6-foot-8 forwards Tyrece Little and Elijah Moore complete one of the NCAA Division II’s tallest front courts. Trying to shoot inside against VSU is like trying to score in soccer against a net manned by three goalies. The Trojans led the CIAA in least points allowed (an average 64.6 per game) and lowest shooting percentage defense (38.6). After a long lull, VSU is the second seed in the CIAA Northern Division and has high hopes for this week’s CIAA tournament in Charlotte, N.C.
Eva Brinkley, 83, retired elementary teacher
Eva Burrell Brinkley was an educator and public servant. Whether she was teaching kindergartners during her 39 years with Richmond Public Schools, being involved in a bevy of community organizations or volunteering as an aide at the Virginia General Assembly for 19 years following he retirement, Mrs. Brinkley threw herself into everything headfirst. “She loved helping others,” said her sister, Charlotte B. Brown. “And she most especially loved working with younger children. They were her No. 1 passion.”
Personality: Clarence M. Dunnaville Jr.
Spotlight on Hill-Tucker Public Service Award winner
Clarence M. Dunnaville Jr. loves to converse about his more than six decades as an attorney and change agent involved in civil rights. He has stories about the many icons he has met and worked with during that time. “I was involved in so many things through the years,” the engaging 81-year-old Chester- field County resident says. “I was always moving on, trying to make things better.” Mr. Dunnaville is among a special cadre of African-American attorneys who waged important legal battles against discrimination and forever changed the nation’s landscape.
Political pilgrimage to Selma
Ninety-five members of Congress will make a civil rights pilgrimage to Alabama next week. The delegation of House members and senators will spend Friday, March 6, through Sunday, March 8, in Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma and Marion for the 50th anniversary of the historic voting rights marches in 1965. President Obama will join them March 7 in Selma to commemorate “Bloody Sunday,” when state troopers attacked marchers as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on their way to Montgomery to demand voting rights for African-Americans.
UR chooses Ronald A. Crutcher as next president
For the first time in the 185-year history of the University of Richmond, the new head of the private liberal arts college that borders Richmond and Henrico County will be an African-American. Dr. Ronald Andrew Crutcher has been named as the 10th president of the university. The announcement was made Monday at the institution founded in 1830.
No Justice for Trayvon
WASHINGTON The Justice Department says George Zimmerman will not face federal civil rights charges in the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The department announced its decision Tuesday, saying there was not enough evidence to bring federal civil rights charges, which would have required proof that the killing was motivated by racial animosity. “This young man’s premature death necessitates that we continue the dialogue and be unafraid of confronting the issues and tensions his passing brought to the surface,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. “We, as a nation, must take concrete steps to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.”
Mayor to propose $35M to fix schools
Mayor Dwight C. Jones will propose spending $35 million to pay for major fixes for Richmond’s decaying school buildings when he delivers his two-year budget plan to City Council. While the mayor is keeping mum, Norman Butts, the city’s chief financial officer, disclosed at a City Council committee meeting Mayor Jones’ plan to address school maintenance in the budget he is scheduled to present Friday, March 13. Mr. Butts, who is involved in the budget preparation process, described the impending proposal as “a high priority” for the mayor.
Grassroots effort mounts to keep Bedden
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden interviewed Wednesday for the superintendent’s job in snow-covered Boston and prepared to meet Thursday with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. The Boston School Committee is expected to name its top choice for the job early next week, according to reports. Meanwhile, a growing number of Dr. Bedden’s supporters in Richmond are continuing their efforts to convince him to stay and lead the aggressive RPS turnaround effort he began after becoming the struggling school district’s superintendent in January 2014.
Bon Secours expansion delayed again
Promises. That’s all East End residents have heard from Bon Secours and city officials so far on Bon Secours’ $8.5 million contractual obligation to expand Richmond Community Hospital at 1500 N. 28th St. Bon Secours is required to further the hospital’s reach into the neighboring East Richmond community by adding at least 25,000 square feet of medical space. It’s part of the highly publicized agreement Bon Secours reached with Mayor Dwight C. Jones and the city in 2012 that made Bon Secours a partner in developing the Richmond training facility for Washington’s professional football team.
Mo Alie-Cox: VCU’s big man in paint, on court
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Mo Alie-Cox is a 3-D basketball performer. He stands out for his defense, dunks and dreadlocks. The imposing 6-foot-6, 255-pound sophomore from Northern Virginia is a prime reason the Rams began the week tied for first atop the Atlantic 10 Conference standings. Answering to “Mo-nan the Barbarian,” Alie- Cox sparkled in each VCU win over George Washington University, including the Rams’ 79-66 win Feb. 14 in the nation’s capital.
Elkhardt school to close for good
Elkhardt Middle School may be converted to apartments or offices one day. But the building is finished providing classroom space for public school students. The end came Feb. 12 when the final bell sounded dismissal. With help from 50 volunteers, teachers packed up the next day, beginning the move of students to Clark Springs Elementary School to finish the year. Clark Springs will open as the new Elkhardt as soon as the snow emergency passes. Leaky steam pipes have allowed health-threatening mold to infest the Elkhardt building. But the cost of making the building usable again is too great,space use.
Hicks to be interviewed Monday for judgeship
Also to be interviewed Monday, Judge Hairston has the backing of the Richmond delegation and is expected to have no trouble winning General Assembly votes to gain the seat that Circuit Court Judge Melvin R. Hughes is vacating after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Threatt takes to rim to win NBA slam-dunk contest
Following some career setbacks, Jarvis Threatt is on basketball’s comeback trail. Last Sunday, that travel itinerary led him to Brooklyn, N.Y., site of the NBA’s Developmental League (D- League) Slam-Dunk Contest and All- Star Game. Showing there’s plenty of bounce left in his sneakers, the 6-foot-2 guard from Henrico County’s Highland Springs High School and the University of Delaware won the dunking derby in jaw-dropping fashion.
Power of questions
Sometimes the right questions can be influential. We started asking questions when we learned that Mayor Dwight C. Jones was planning to hold an invitation-only reception to honor the five Richmonders who formed the first African-American majority on City Council.
The evolution of Malcolm X
“You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it.” ~ Malcolm X, Letter from Mecca, April 1964 Perhaps no American civil rights leader has generated as many divergent opinions as Malcolm X. As we near the 50th anniversary of his assassination on Feb. 21, 1965, our nation will scrutinize his life, his work and his lasting impact on our country and our continuous struggle to address racial inequality and its heinous consequences.
Wronged
Retired factory worker Leonard Mc Millian had his home invaded by a police squad and spent more than an hour in handcuffs when police responded to calls about crimes at his home that proved bogus. Actor and songwriter Jerome Arrington spent a miserable seven weeks in jail after Richmond police arrested him for a street robbery he did not commit. Both men are African-American. Neither has received an apology for their ordeals, which appear to be relatively rare in a city where officers respond daily to dozens of calls. Still, their stories suggest that things can go dismayingly wrong even when police and prosecutors believe they are going by the book.
Clean air, but at what price
On the surface, accepting the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan sounds like a great idea — reduced carbon emissions and pollution, ideally leading to cleaner air. Yes, this is a great idea. But at what cost? This is just another example of the federal government get- ting involved in state matters and proposing regulations that create catastrophic consequences. I’ve learned that Virginia is held to a higher clean air/carbon standard than our neighbors (Virginia is required to reduce almost twice as much carbon emission as West Virginia and Kentucky), and it will cost us billions to shut down the power stations that have been operating fine for decades.
Lent offers time to reflect on health
Wednesday, Feb. 18, marked the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter when many Christians abstain from animal foods in remembrance of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert before launching his ministry. But meat-free Lent is much more than a symbol of religious devotion to Christ. It helps reduce the risk of chronic disease, environmental degradation and animal abuse. Dozens of medical reports have linked consumption of animal products with elevated risk of heart failure, stroke, cancer and other killer diseases. A 2007 U.N. report named meat production as the largest source of greenhouse gases and water pollution. Undercover investigations have documented farm animals being beaten, caged, crowded, deprived, mutilated and shocked.
