Education battle cry: Put kids first!
“Put kids first!” A diverse gathering of educators, parents and students made that impassioned plea at a rally Saturday organized by the Virginia Education Association and the Virginia PTA.
Enough is enough
Freddie Gray’s spine nearly severed, larynx crushed while in police custody
What happened to Freddie Gray? People across the nation are demanding to know after the 25-year-old black man suffered a fatal spinal cord injury under mysterious circumstances after being arrested by Baltimore police and put into the back of a police van.
School Board weighs options to close schools
Richmond Public Schools is considering a seismic shift in how it attempts to solve overcrowding issues and meet other pressing demands related to its burgeoning student population. For the first time, Superintendent Dana T. Bedden and his leadership team are publicly admitting they could close up to six school buildings and move those students into existing schools even if no new buildings are constructed. Those findings are part of the thick new Richmond Public Schools Facilities Needs Report, which focuses on current and future building needs.
Huguenot senior hurdles to state champion
Huguenot High School senior Shaunté Harris has a passion for fashion. But if there’s one thing she relishes more than a sporty, chic look, it’s running the high hurdles — an event famous for its thrills — and also its spills. Therefore, don’t be surprised to see Harris wearing distressed denims to school, rather than a trendy shirtdress. “My legs aren’t the nicest,” she says with a wide smile. “I’ve taken plenty of spills, lots of hard falls. My legs have cuts and scratches. It kind of never stops.”
Lawsuit over disabled access to apartments ruled premature
A federal judge has thrown out a high-profile lawsuit seeking to force a new apartment complex going up in Church Hill to be altered to accommodate persons with disabilities. Senior U.S. Judge James R. Spencer ruled the suit was premature because the 151-unit Shockoe Valley View Apartments is still under construction in the 1900 block of Cedar Street.
Prison officials can be held liable for prisoner safety
Prison officials can be liable for damages if they ignore obvious risks to the health and safety of a prisoner who ends up being harmed, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled. On a 2-1 split, a panel of the court issued that decision in a Virginia case that could shake up the monitoring of prisoners in state facilities.
Armstrong alumnus returns as football coach
If at first you don’t succeed, McDaniel Anderson will be quick to tell you to “try, try again.” The 64-year-old native Richmonder never gave up in his quest to become a head football coach for a city high school. His perseverance finally has been rewarded.
Anniversary events at Riverview, Moore Street
Two Richmond churches — Riverview Baptist Church and Moore Street Mission- ary Baptist Church — are celebrating big anniversaries this weekend.
‘Created Equal’ film series begins April 23
A new edition of “Created Equal,” a documentary movie series focusing on civil rights and social justice, is ready to launch at the Virginia Historical Society, it has been announced.
City’s new CAO
In her seven years of managing the City of Suffolk, Selena Cuffee-Glenn has garnered serious attention for turning the once nearly bankrupt city into a job magnet with a triple A bond rating. Mayor Dwight C. Jones hopes that she will be equally successful in Richmond.
Bessie Jones, 86, political organizer
For more than 40 years, candidates for public office called on Bessie Mae Peyton Jones to seek her support. A fixture in the Randolph community with a long record of community service, Mrs. Jones was regarded as a key figure in organizing and mobilizing voters in the West End community.
A war hero comes home
After 64 years, Cpl. Lindsey C. Lockett laid to rest with full military honors
Sixty-four years after Army Cpl. Lindsey Clayton Lockett died from insufferable conditions in a prisoner of war camp in North Korea, his remains were brought home and laid to rest in an emotional ceremony Saturday in Richmond, surrounded by tearful but proud family members.
Stop senseless police violence
In North Charleston, S.C., a video showed a police officer firing repeated shots at a fleeing unarmed black man, Walter Scott, who died from the incident. This is just the latest in a series of incidents where some police officers have taken their authority too far.
Praise for ‘When Freedom Came’
Thank you so very much for the three-part series by Elvatrice Belsches, “When Freedom Came.”
Binding up the nation’s wounds 150 years later
Good morning. I am honored to be here with you today, joined by two congressional colleagues – Congressman Hurt and Congressman Goodlatte. As governor and senator, I have worked with these colleagues and others to preserve our nation’s Civil War battlefields so that future generations can learn the great lessons of the War and how it shaped our nation. And there is no more sacred Civil War battlefield than the spot where we now meet. Other places were the sites of more momentous battles. But it is here, at Appomattox Court House, where the battles ended and a divided nation chose a path of unity, a choice that would profoundly change not only our own history, but the history of the world. We come to honor that choice and to acknowledge that the same choice lies before us now.
Video of police a game changer
Feidin Santana is a hero. He is the young Dominican immigrant who videotaped former North Charleston, S.C., police officer Michael Slager firing his gun eight times, killing an unarmed Walter Scott. Mr. Santana’s quick decision to videotape the unfolding action on his telephone led to the arrest of Mr. Slager for murder.
Keeping Congress’ promise to children
On April 11, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), providing schools with targeted federal dollars in order to offer equitable educational opportunities to all American children.
Presidential politics
The political horse race known as the presidential election started in earnest this week with the announcements that Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Marco Rubio had entered the track. Mrs. Clinton, a former U.S. senator and secretary of state, so far is the only Democrat to formally announce for her party’s nomination. A few others may be making their way to the starting gate.
We can do better
Tag as many schoolchildren as possible with criminal records. That appears to be Virginia’s new method to ensure that it can keep its expensive prisons full in the years to come. Across the state, schools are bringing police officers on their grounds and giving them license to arrest students for childish behavior that principals and teachers used to deal with.
Eddie Murphy to receive top humor prize
Eddie Murphy, famous for his standup routines, films and his early breakout on television’s “Saturday Night Live,” will be awarded the top U.S. prize for humor this year by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, officials announced last week.
