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Madonna, Stevie Wonder pay homage to Prince at Billboard Music Awards
Madonna paid homage to Prince by wearing his signature color and bringing another icon, Stevie Wonder, onstage to sing the classic “Purple Rain” at Sunday’s Billboard Music Awards. Sitting atop a purple throne, Madonna kicked off the tribute with a version of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which Prince wrote and Sinead O’Connor recorded. She was teary-eyed as she sang the song, videos and photos of Prince projected behind her.
’A Strange Loop’ earns a leading 11 Tony Award nominations
“A Strange Loop,” Michael R. Jackson’s critically cheered theater meta-journey earned a leading 11 Tony Award nominations Monday as Broadway joined the national discussion of race by embracing an envelope-pushing Black-written and Black-led musical.
McClellan becomes 1st Black Virginia woman in Congress
Democrat Jennifer L. McClellan was sworn into the U.S. House on Tuesday, becoming the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress.
Catholic dioceses release list of 58 clergy accused of sexually abusing children
Virginia’s two Roman Catholic dioceses on Wednesday published lists of 58 priests credibly accused of sexually abusing minors, joining other dioceses around the country in answering calls to make public the names of abusive clergy.
Minority-owned companies waited months for federal COVID-19 relief loans
Thousands of minority-owned small businesses were at the end of the line in the government’s coronavirus relief program as many struggled to find banks that would accept their applications or were disadvantaged by the terms of the program.
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.
Groups using Super Bowl spotlight to push against Confederate statues
A coalition of civil rights groups in Atlanta is using this year’s Super Bowl to help kick off a renewed “war on the Confederacy,” in a fight to remove Confederate monuments around the nation.
Va. lawmakers again decline to put restrictions on personal use of campaign accounts
Virginia lawmakers on Wednesday defeated for another year campaign finance reform legislation that would have prohibited elected officials from spending political donations on personal expenses such as mortgages, vacations or gym memberships.
New book asks: What if Harry Potter attended an HBCU?
It all began with a post on Twitter. It was 2020 during the height of the pandemic and LaDarrion Williams was thinking about the lack of diversity in the fantasy genre. He proposed: “What if Harry Potter went to an HBCU in the South?”
Autopsy finds cause of death for Irvo Otieno was asphyxia
Irvo Otieno, a 28-year-old Black man whose death last month at a Virginia mental hospital has sparked outrage and led to second degree murder charges against 10 defendants, died of “positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints,”’ a medical examiner’s office said Monday.
Taxes, gambling to lead debate in 2019 General Assembly
Virginia’s 2019 legislative session kicked off Wednesday, with lawmakers set to debate tax policy, gambling and a host of other issues.
Jury indicts Buffalo shooting suspect on terrorism charge
A grand jury on Wednesday charged the white 18-year-old accused of fatally shooting 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket with domestic terrorism motivated by hate and 10 counts of first degree murder.
Unprecedented money flowing in Va. legislative races; latest reports show Dems with edge
Virginia legislative candidates raised $46 million over about four weeks in the month of October, according to newly filed finance disclosures, with Democrats collectively reporting a fundraising edge as this campaign season nears its end.
Review: A different kind of underdog story in ‘Air’
The new movie “Air” is technically about a shoe. There is nothing especially extraordinary about this shoe. As the Q-like Nike designer Peter Moore (Matthew Maher) explains, the last significant change to footwear was made some 600 years ago when the decision was made to differentiate the right and left feet. The Air Jordan is, at the end of the day, just another shoe.
Pinkett Smith talks hair loss ‘shame,’ outcome of Oscars slap
Jada Pinkett Smith turned her husband’s Oscar-night blowup into a teachable moment about alopecia areata, the hair loss disorder affecting her and millions of others that, in some cases, can impact a person’s sense of identity.
No charges for officer who pepper-sprayed Army lieutenant
A former police officer in Virginia should not be criminally charged but should be investigated for potential civil rights violations after he pepper-sprayed, struck and handcuffed a Black U.S. Army lieutenant during a 2020 traffic stop, a special prosecutor has determined.
General Assembly wraps up 2019 session
Virginia lawmakers wrapped up this year’s scandal-marked legislative session Sunday after passing a state budget that includes pay raises for teachers and state employees and significant new spending on public education.
‘We will stand for you’
Remembrances, calls for reform at funeral for Irvo Otieno
Family, friends and other mourners gathered Wednesday at a Virginia church to remember Irvo Otieno at a funeral service, celebrating his life and calling for mental health care and policing reforms after the 28-year-old Black man’s death earlier this month while in custody at a state psychiatric hospital.
Biden administration says colleges must fight ‘alarming rise’ in antisemitism and Islamophobia
The Biden administration is warning U.S. schools and colleges that they must take immediate action to stop antisemitism and Islamophobia on their campuses, citing an “alarming rise” in threats and harassment.
Former political star, who narrowly lost Fla. governor’s race, talks about his public flame out in March
Andrew Gillum, who narrowly lost his bid to become Florida’s first Black governor in 2018, told a television interviewer he is bisexual, responding to rumors swirling since March after he was found intoxicated, naked and unconscious in a hotel room with two men, including one who works as a male escort.
