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Alphonso H. ‘Al’ Bowers Jr., who fought for construction diversity, dies

Alphonso Hugo “Al” Bowers Jr., a veteran Richmond contractor who was outspoken in promoting Black inclusion in government building projects and promoted construction trades training program for unemployed adults, has died.

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To honor Dr. King, demand expanded voting access, by Nick Bates

As a deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the director of Hunger Network Ohio, I believe we all have a moral obligation to make sure more people’s voices are heard in our democracy, not fewer.

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Cicilia Koisenke visits Richmond to nurture her Maasai home

Nearly 14 years ago, Richmonder Suzanne Hall traveled to Southern Sudan as part of a St. James’s Episcopal Church medical mission to administer meningitis vaccinations to children in that region.

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Places To Go, People To See

Places To Go, People To See

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‘Defund the FBI’? Seriously?, by Clarence Page

Yes, I had to polish my eyeglasses and put them back on for a second look before I could believe what the always provocative and occasionally rational Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had just tweeted. In a takeoff on the Black Lives Matter slogan, she tweeted “Defund the FBI.” Cute. Barely a step ahead of other like- minded law- makers, the Georgia Re- publican went on to sell hats and other sou- venir merchan- dise online with the slogan, all in response to the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, the Florida home of her hero, former President Donald Trump. Although more than a dozen other Republicans publicly shared Rep. Greene’s sentiments, others, like Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, were not amused. Although he was “impressed Democrats finally got us to say, ‘Defund the FBI,’” he said sarcastically, the slogan “makes you look unserious, when you start talking like that.” On that, I agree. I have ex- pressed similar criticism of the original “Defund the police” sloganasitemergedamid global protests by the Black Lives Matter movement follow- ing George Floyd’s murder by police in 2020. Although apologists defended the slogan as a call for construc- tively rethinking policies that pile too many social service burdens on police, conservatives easily turned it into a call for softness on crime. Now, in another ironic twist, a disturbing number of Repub- licans are using it to call for softness on Donald Trump. After the FBI search at the Mar-a-Lago estate, many Trump supporters have turned a slogan they hate into one that they love, Clarence Page even at the cost of the GOP calls to “Support the police” and “Back the Blue” going back at least to Richard M. Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign. Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, whom I call Rep.Greene’s brother in shameless grandstand- ing, threatened to give “not one more damn penny” to the FBI and other such agencies. To which BLM tweeted back with “you are corny..... But we’ll work with you to defund and dismantle the FBI. Welcome to #DefundThePolice.” While most of the GOP’s establishment leaders stayed out of the fray, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Cali- fornia tweeted after the search, “The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization.” Thisisthesameleaderwho, during a Police Week speech in May, said “hateful rhetoric” and policies have helped create an “environment of rising crime and put our officers in danger.” The search came after Mr. Trump failed to comply with polite invitations to return clas- sified government documents he had taken to his home. Instead, he claimed to have declared the documents “declassified” without any documentation to back that up. That’s not how declassification is done, especially when you’re no longer president. Now we see some Republi- cans finding virtue in “Defund the FBI” as a rallying cry for Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) base. They’re hungrily looking for some solace amid the pile of scandals threatening their favorite potential candidate. So far, echoing Mr. Trump’s FBI attacks appears remarkably to be working, even in the wake of shocking revelations uncovered by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. After the committee took its summer break, a poll by The New York Times and Siena College showed Trump support had weakened. But after the search at Mar-a- Lago, a new poll by the Trafalgar Group and the Convention of States Action revealed more than 80 percent of Republican respondents said the feds’ action made them more motivated to vote in this November’s midterm elections. Regardless, our justice system is being tested in this case, along withourdemocracy.Let’stake our time and do it right. Our system of justice isn’t perfect but, for now, it’s all we’ve got. The writer is a syndicated columnist and senior member of the Chicago Tribune edito- rial board.

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Fatigue and despair build as Calif. copes with massacres

In the wake of the worst mas- sacre in Los Angeles County history, the California governor was meeting gunshot victims in the hospital when he was pulled away and briefed on a mass shooting at the other end of the state.

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Rispress takes recruiting prowess to Colorado

Devin Rispress helped Florida A&M’s football team win a national championship. Now he hopes to do the same for the University of Colorado.

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VUU, VSU stars heading to New Orleans

The football season isn’t quite over for Virginia State and Virginia Union universities.

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UR awards Paragon Medal to Marcus Weinstein

The Paragon Medal, the University of Richmond’s highest honor, has been awarded to University of Richmond alumnus Marcus Weinstein, a, well-known philanthropist, and chairman of Weinstein Properties. Weinstein is only the second person in history to receive the medal. The first was E. Claiborne Robins in 1986.

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Reid’s reach is real in VUU win over Shaw

Panthers beat Bears 26-13

Virginia Union University began this season with a question mark at quarterback. Christian Reid has turned any questions into resounding answers.

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Richmond Folk Festival announces first artists

The Richmond Folk Festival returns to Brown’s Island September 27-29, celebrating its 20th anniversary. The initial lineup of artists for the 2024 Richmond Folk Festival includes go-go band Trouble Funk, jazz artist Lonnie Holley, bluegrass group Junior Sisk Band, among many others.

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On a roll: VUU lays it on Livingstone

Fayetteville State road trip up next

Virginia Union University is heading South with a full head of steam and the wind at its back.

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Problematic political rhetoric, by Clarence Page

As someone who has appreciated the power of protest and activism on achieving progress in the U.S. and the world, it’s hard for me to watch the current high emotions over the Middle East devolve into arguments about the meanings of slogans.

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Sacrifice for success

Parents of student athletes willingly go, and pay for, the extra mile(s)

Willie Starlings, 50, became a sports parent when his son, Joel Starlings, played flag football as a 4-year-old at Hotchkiss Field Community Center in Richmond.

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UR women to play in ‘Big Dance’

Grace Townsend and the rest of the University of Richmond (UR) women’s basketball team are packing their dancing shoes for what lies ahead.

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Dr. Cora S. Salzberg, a state, national and international champion of education, dies at age 81

Dr. Cora Slade Salzberg, a leader in promoting higher education in Virginia and the leader of The Links’ national program aimed at aiding underachieving K-12 students to become more successful in school, has died.

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No comment unless we know what you’re talking about

Resolution changes how residents address City Council

Council members unanimously passed a resolution Monday night that will mean changes to its meeting rules and procedures — including some related to public comment.

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Personality: Viola Baskerville

Spotlight on co-founder of Save Richmond Community Hospital Work Group

In just over a month, Viola Baskerville has become front and center in an important aspect of Richmond’s Black history.

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Can’t beat it

The Philadelphia Eagles‘tush push’ is becoming the NFL’s most unstoppable play

The most unstoppable play in the NFL was on full display under the bright lights Monday night.

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Haters, you don’t know Black women, by Dr. E. Faye Williams

Like many of our sisters who are doing their very best to do the right thing, I’ve had my fill of threats, too—one as late as the past week.