All results / Stories / Jeremy M. Lazarus

Drug court graduation Oct. 21
The Richmond Adult Drug Court will celebrate 11 new graduates 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at a public ceremony at the Richmond Police Training Academy, 1202 Graham Road, it has been announced.

RPS Chromebooks missing?
A major share of the estimated 20,000 Chromebooks that were distributed to Richmond students last year to help them connect to virtual classes have yet to be recovered or accounted for, the Free Press has been told.

Aspire Academy hopes to inspire student interest
They’re lost in the classroom and repeatedly act out — leading to repeated suspensions, expulsion and, sometimes, criminal charges.

New children's library to open Feb. 20 at Whitcomb Court
Whitcomb Court is getting a new children’s library from the Fountain of Youth Foundation.

William U. Booker Sr., entrepreneur, civic and spiritual leader, dies at age 95
Hard-working, honest, wise, industrious, caring’ were his trademarks
William Ulysses Booker Sr. sought to seize the opportunities that came his way.

Bus Rapid Transit would cost $3.6M annually to operate
GRTC would need a larger city subsidy to keep the proposed Bus Rapid Transit service called Pulse in operation, but perhaps not as big as some critics have suggested, according to the company. In a report released Sunday, Greater Richmond Transit Co. estimates that Richmond taxpayers would need to provide between $345,000 to $775,000 a year to cover the city’s share of BRT operations. The actual amount depends on whether BRT is a hit with commuters and attracts additional daily riders.

Hospital Street burial ground gets support as new historic district
Lenora C. McQueen’s three-year crusade to gain recognition for the long forgotten and largely destroyed Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground at 5th and Hospital streets in Richmond is starting to secure results.

Small North Side congregation works hard to keep doors open
John S. “Johnny” Walker is on a mission to save All Souls Presbyterian Church as a center of faith and tolerance in North Side. Despite a shrinking congregation that has fallen to 40 contributing congregants, the 64-year-old Richmond native still sees a future.

Sheriff Irving continues to lose deputies amid reports of recent inmate stabbing
‘We don’t know what else we can do,’ says councilwoman
The issue of inmate and staff safety inside the Richmond City Justice Center continues to bubble as Sheriff Antionette V. Irving’s roster of deputies keeps shrinking.

New state NAACP president chastises Democrats for selecting Scott Surovell instead of Mamie Locke for leadership role
The Rev. Cozy E. Bailey Sr. used his first public statement as the new state NAACP president to tongue-lash the Democratic Caucus in the state Senate for failing to elect Hampton Democratic Sen. Mamie E. Locke as the next majority leader.

Music week features folk, hip-hop, jazz, metal, pop, rock, R&B and more
Entertainment will be in the spotlight during the first ever Richmond Music Week.

Judge approves settlement dropping witness requirement in June 23 primary
As anticipated, a federal judge has approved a settlement that will allow voters to cast mail-in ballots without a witness signature for the June 23 primary elections. The ruling doesn’t apply to local elections taking place on Tuesday, May 19.

New boss at VSU
Hampton provost to take reins
Pamela V. Hammond is on track to become the first woman to lead Virginia State University in the school’s 132-year history, the Free Press has learned.

‘Virtual school’ in Va.?
Advocates say it would boost educational choices; critics say it would strip students and money from public schools
Thousands of public school students in Virginia could have the option of taking all of their classes on a home computer in what is known as a “virtual school” — instead of making the daily trek to a building with bells and defined class times. Gov. Terry McAuliffe is mulling whether to sign House Bill 8, a largely Republican-backed piece of legislation that would allow Virginia to join Florida, Ohio and 28 other states in providing 12 years of public education in what enthusiasts describe as a “classroom without walls.”

VCU enrolls record freshman class
A record 4,050 freshmen started classes this week at Virginia Commonwealth University, with a remarkable 51 percent being African-American, Asian, Latino and other minority students, the school has reported.

More time?
Civil rights group files lawsuit seeking extension of Va. voter registration deadline due to statewide computer crash
Virginia could become the latest state under federal court order to extend voter registration because of a disaster. The disaster in Virginia, however, is no hurricane, but a computer system.

Child care a major issue as RPS officials grapple with reopening plan
A 3-foot change could help working parents — most notably single mothers — keep their jobs or avoid the cost of expensive day care.

History marker to be placed at Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground
A historic but forgotten Black cemetery in Richmond will soon be recognized with a state history marker.

Campaign mounts to purchase Woodland Cemetery
Neglected Woodland Cemetery — the final resting place of Richmond-born tennis great and humanitarian Arthur Ashe Jr. and thousands of other African-Americans — soon could have new ownership if money can be raised.