“I wish they would put themselves — the White House and Congress and everybody else making these decisions — in the shoes of us, the normal working people, who need help due to no fault of our own. I’m asking …

I remember the commonly accepted phrase describing politics as, “All politics is lo- cal.” The obvious understanding is that the individual politician and his/her constituents are best served when the interests of the “local” constituents, not partisan interests, are paramount …

Re: “Statue of teen civil rights advocate set to represent Virginia in U.S. Capitol,” Free Press Dec. 17-19 edition:

The Virginia General Assembly has the final decision on the statue that will forever be a reflection of Virginia in our U.S. Capitol.

Re “Work at historic cemeteries continues during pandemic,” Free Press Dec. 24-26 edition:

Thank you, Richmond Free Press, for delivering a quality newspaper on a weekly basis.

May the spirit of this season bring you peace, hope and joy during these times

Electing a new president and vice president was a gift that 81 million Americans gave to ourselves and to one another.

After almost eight months of quarantine, face masks and hand sanitizer, we are now in the middle of two unprecedented events: The COVID-19 pandemic and the first holiday season under measures that have changed how we carry out our family …

On Dec. 4, Richmond lost a good, decent and caring citizen, Dr. Willie Woodson, longtime pastor of First United Presbyterian Church in North Side who came out of retirement to pastor Trinity Ghanaian Presbyterian Church.

We are awestruck by Tuesday’s announcements of the latest largesse by billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, including gifts of $30 million to Virginia State University and $40 million to Norfolk State University.

We have waited for this moment — the arrival of a vaccine for COVID-19, the dreadful virus that has taken the lives of more than 304,000 people across the country, including more than 4,500 Virginians, and impacted the lives of …

I expected neither sparks nor extreme surprises as President-elect Joe Biden began to announce his Cabinet. I did expect diversity, and we’ve seen it. But I didn’t expect the number of Obama-era retreads to be included in this Cabinet.

A new president takes office with the sense of possibility that comes with a new dawn. This is particularly true for President-elect Joe Biden, who will be taking office after the divisive turmoil of Donald Trump’s years in office.

With the 2020 election cycle coming to an end and a new year on the horizon, I should feel hopeful for the state of this nation and for the state of politics. However, I do not.