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Former employee files lawsuit against City of Richmond
The City of Richmond’s former FOIA officer has filed a $250,000 lawsuit against the city alleging she was fired in retaliation for refusing to violate state law, according to various news reports. The suit, filed by Connie Clay, alleges that city officials attempted to withhold information that should be public by delaying or ignoring requests, and sometimes quoting exorbitant fees to deter the requester.
Trump inaugurated amid hail of protests
Republican Donald J. Trump launched his presidency with a blunt inaugural address, a fist pump and promises to give power to the people and put “America first.”
‘Black Panther’ continues to smash box office records
The box office hit “Black Panther” is now the top grossing superhero film of all time in the United States. The wildly popular Disney and Marvel release achieved the milestone on Saturday after surpassing fellow Marvel title “The Avengers.”
Honorary street signs for Davis, Dennis and Hamilton
Over the coming weeks, three Richmonders will receive posthumous recognition for their contributions to the civic, religious and business life of the city.
Shining stars
Bernadine Simmons, L. Victor Collins and Andre Braugher remembered
The world had Oprah. Richmond had Bernie. Longtime television journalist Bernadine A. “Bernie” Simmons, who died Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, at age 79, was well known to many in Richmond and surrounding communities as the creator and face of NBC12’s popular “12 About Town” news show.
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations increase
COVID-19 hospitalization rates have risen 77% in Virginia so far this month amid signs of a late summer wave sweeping the country, according to Axios. COVID diagnoses in Virginia emergency rooms have risen every week since the end of June, per data released by the Virginia Department of Health yesterday.
7 honored in 2019 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History program
Seven outstanding African-American leaders were celebrated during the seventh annual “Strong Men & Women in Virginia History” awards program Feb. 7 at a Downtown hotel.
City officials unveil ‘The Shockoe Project’
10-acre site to tell ‘a more complete story of Richmond’s history’
Mayor Levar M. Stoney, Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, members of the Richmond City Council and representatives from the Shockoe Institute yesterday unveiled “The Shockoe Project,” a 10-acre site in Shockoe Valley that they say is “dedicated to telling the full history of the Richmond slave trade and its national and global significance to the growth of our country.”
Gov. Northam announces plan to reopen schools in the fall
Richmond Public Schools teachers and students are to return to in-person classes after a long summer break, but with strict new social distancing guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
Salvation Army gains new leadership
A new couple is in charge of Salvation Army Central Virginia, based at 2 W. Grace St.
Desirée Roots, Weldon Hill to perform at VMHC
Desirée Roots and the Weldon Hill Ensemble will headline the 7th Annual National Day of Racial Healing on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture at 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.
Holy Rosary celebrates 50th year for Knights of Columbus 6457
Holy Rosary Catholic Church, the oldest African-American Catholic congregation in Richmond, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Father Charles G. O’Leary Knights of Columbus Council 6457 on Saturday, April 29, beginning at 4 p.m. with a meet and greet, followed by a dinner and program.
Hanover County bans books in schools
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Wicked” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” are among the 75 books Hanover County school administrators directed teachers and librarians to remove from their schools last Friday, according to various news reports.
DPU struggling with customer service
April Bingham is proud of the progress the Richmond Department of Public Utilities has made in clearing a backlog of customer service issues.
Study: Teachers quicker to label black students as ‘troublemakers’
A new study suggests that racial stereotyping by teachers could be a root cause for harsher discipline imposed on black students. Two Stanford University psychologists, Dr. Jennifer L. Eberhardt and doctoral candidate Jason Okonofua, conducted the study to determine if hidden bias could explain government data showing that misbehaving black students are three times more likely to be suspended or expelled from public schools than their misbehaving white peers. The psychologists’ research found that teachers are quicker to label black students as troublemakers and to consider more severe penalties for them, compared with white students who misbehave.
Premier Bank, which traces its history to Maggie L. Walker, sold to Ohio banking company
The bank that history-making business pioneer Maggie L. Walker founded and led in Richmond soon will be under new ownership.
VSU, NSU bands featured in documentary
In honor of Black History Month, the Pepsi National Battle of the Bands (NBOTB) announced the debut of “The Legacy of HBCU Marching Bands,” a documentary film that pays tribute to the heritage and legacy of marching bands at historically black colleges and universities. The film will air on WTVR CBS6 at 9 p.m.,Sunday, Feb. 18.
General Assembly elects 2 to area judgeships
A veteran Richmond General District Court judge has been tapped to fill a seat on the city’s Circuit Court, and the daughter of the late Richmond attorney Leonard W. Lambert Sr. is headed to the bench in Henrico County.
House sit-in
Scores of Democratic lawmakers, led by civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, refuse to leave the U.S. House of Representatives until gun control measures are passed
Democratic lawmakers, using 1960s tactics to press their point, staged an surprise sit-in on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, demanding the chamber remain in session until the Republican leadership agrees to a vote on gun control legislation.
