Remembering a trailblazer
Bernadine A. ‘Bernie’ Simmons, the late television news anchor and creator of Richmond’s popular “12 About Town” segment for WWBT-NBC12, was remembered by friends and colleagues on Saturday, Jan. 13, at Joseph Jenkins Jr. Funeral Home in Richmond.
Retired Armstrong High School teacher Conrad L. Dandridge, 87, remembered
Conrad Lewis “Mr. D” Dandridge spent more than 35 years teaching and mentoring countless students at Armstrong High School from which he graduated.
Richmond church burns
A devastating fire Jan. 9 appears to have dashed the hopes of the congregation of Seventh Street Memorial Baptist Church of returning to their long vacant “home location” in the Highland Park neighborhood in North Side.
Anita G. Lester, former lawyer with Hill, Tucker & Marsh, dies at 64
Anita Gene Lester,65, is being remembered as a caring lawyer who spent part of her career defending those accused of crimes and part of her career prosecuting them.
Victoria S. Oakley, former RPS educator, dies at age 63
Victoria Stender “Vickie” Oakley, a former principal and instructional leader for Richmond Public Schools, has died.
Biden calls out ‘poison’ of white supremacy in address at Mother Emanuel in S.C.
President Biden, taking his 2024 re-election campaign to South Carolina, denounced the white supremacy that he said led to deadly violence at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church almost nine years ago.
Dr. Linwood Jacobs who opened doors for Black Greek organizations at UVA, dies at age 90
Dr. Linwood Jacobs is credited with spearheading the establishment of Black fraternities and sororities at the University of Virginia. And later he focused on student development as the dean of students at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and helped start …
From liberated to liberators
“March forward,” the Rev. A. Lincoln James Jr. told about 125 people at the New Year’s Day program celebrating the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, the great Civil War document that took the first big step toward abolishing slavery in …
Janette Lewis Allen, 80, remembered for her work with Carver Elementary students
Whenever one or more Carver Elementary School students needed refuge from a troubled home, guidance counselor Janette Lewis Allen allowed them to spend the night at her house. “She had a passion for education and community service, particularly when it …
Musician and mail carrier Harold Lighty Sr. dies at age 90
Harold Ronald “Van” Lighty Sr., who often received standing ovations after making his drums speak, was a fixture on the Richmond jazz scene for more than 60 years.
Ruins of ancient Nero’s Theater discovered near Vatican
Rome’s next luxury hotel has some very good bones: Archaeologists said Wednesday that the ruins of Nero’s Theater, an imperial theater referred to in ancient Roman texts but never found, have been discovered under the garden of a future Four …
Attorney Derrick Thomas dies at age 61
Protecting the injured was a calling for Attorney Derrick Thomas.
Black American solidarity with Palestinians is rising and testing long-standing ties to Jewish allies
Cydney Wallace, a Black Jewish community activist, never felt compelled to travel to Israel, though “next year in Jerusalem” was a constant refrain at her Chicago synagogue.
Retired educator Eva W. Hicks remembered
Eva Mae Wilkins Hicks, whose career as a teacher and guidance counselor for Richmond Public Schools spanned nearly 45 years, has died.
Richmond church gains $1.25M mental health program grant
A historic East End church has been awarded $1.25 million from the Lilly Endowment to promote mental health and hire psychologists and other professionals to serve congregants and the community.
