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Coming home, by Jennifer Robinson

A hipper, more vibrant Richmond is sweet surprise for former New Yorker

Byrd Park was the place to be on warm Sunday afternoons in the 1980s. I was in high school and all of young, black Richmond gathered there. Picture the scene from Will Smith’s 1991 hit, “Summertime.”

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Black History Month events

Listing of events celebrating Black History Month:

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Absence of motion?

Center City and Diamond District development proposals show little movement

Slow going. That appears to be the situation for the two largest development projects that involve City Hall.

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Decades of foresight enable Virginia to process cargo diverted from maryland after bridge collapse

The Port of Virginia is taking on additional cargo shipments diverted from Baltimore, Md. after a massive ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month.

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Shock, grief and mourning for 3 Georgia-based U.S. soldiers killed in Middle East drone strike

Described by their parents as bubbly and constantly laughing, Spc. Kennedy Sanders and Spc. Breonna Moffett became close friends soon after enlisting in the Army Reserve five years ago. Sgt. William Jerome Rivers served a tour in Iraq before joining the same company of Army engineers.

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Adjustments in City’s pension plan may take six or more years

City Hall’s 4,200 retirees likely may wait years before seeing another cost-of-living adjustment in their pensions.

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Councilwoman hopes proposed changes to City Charter find support

Under proposed changes to the City Charter or constitution, City Council would gain new authority over housing subsidies and real estate tax relief to residents with low to moderate incomes, in addition to setting its own compensation and modi- fying zoning. Fifth District Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch hopes to gain unanimous support from her eight colleagues at the Monday, Dec. 11, council meeting for the changes she has negotiated with Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration. If passed by the council, the package would be sent to the General Assembly for approval in the upcoming 2024 session. Many of the changes follow recommenda- tions that a council-created Richmond City Charter Review Commission submitted Aug. 2 after a year of study. As the most significant package of charter changes proposed since the 2004 creation of a mayor elected citywide, the amend- ments do not address the current relationship between the council and the mayor ahead of the 2024 elections for the governing body and chief executive. The biggest proposed change could well be the tax and housing initiatives that the charter review commission did not address. The proposed Section 2.09 amendment would allow the city to defer property taxes and tax increases for qualifying low or moderate income property owners, using the definition of such individuals established by the Virginia Housing Development Authority, now known as Virginia Housing. Such a program could allow the taxes to accumulate over time to be paid off from proceeds after the property is sold. In addition, the proposed charter change would authorize the city to create a program that could help such qualifying individu- als buy a home or receive rental subsidies. The city also could use state or federal funds to advance such initiatives. The charter amendment also would declare the creation of programs that could provide funds directly to individuals for housing to be “in the furtherance of a public interest” to get

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City Council votes for tax rebate, other spending

Richmond property owners will receive a 4.2 percent rebate on the real estate taxes they paid earlier this year, equal to $50 for each $100,000 of property value.

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Applause for Encore program

I hope that other surrounding counties and the City of Richmond are taking notice of the new program Henrico County is rolling out titled Encore, which was featured in the Free Press, March 2-4 edition.

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Olympic champion Caster Semenya wins human rights testosterone case

Champion runner Caster Semenya won a potentially landmark legal decision for sports on Tuesday when the European Court of Human Rights decided she was discriminated against by rules in track and field that force her to medically reduce her natural hormone levels to compete in major competitions.

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Schools are trying to get more students therapy. Not all parents are on board

Derry Oliver was in fifth grade when she first talked to her mom about seeing a therapist.

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Standing tall

Try seeing eye-to-eye with W. Kentucky’s Sharp

It is apropos that Jamarion Sharp plays basketball for the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers.

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Dems win Va. House, Senate

Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin went all in on winning Republican majorities in the state House and Senate — and lost. Unofficial results from Tuesday’s elections show Virginia Democrats again will be in charge of both houses of the General Assembly.

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Richmonders want funding for schools, housing, less gas

Fund the full request for Richmond Public Schools. Improve our parks. Fully fund the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and fund repairs for decaying mobile homes. Protect the environment by planning for elimination of the city’s gas utility. Those were among the ways that least 20 speakers urged City Council to amend the 2023-24 budget plan at a public hearing Monday night.

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NFL reviewing Commanders sale agreement

The NFL is now reviewing the sale agreement of the Washington Commanders, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because details of the sales process are not being publicized.

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New agreement appears to move forward Diamond District, stadium

A breakthrough in negotiations has put the $2.4 billion Diamond District deal back on track, the Free Press has learned.

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More students gain eligibility for free school meals under expanded U.S. program

Millions of additional students in schools serving low-income communities will be eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost under a rule change announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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For Emmett Till’s family, national monument proclamation cements his inclusion in the American story

When President Biden signed a proclamation Tuesday establishing a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, it marked the fulfillment of a promise Till’s relatives made after his death 68 years ago. The Black teenager from Chicago, whose abduction, torture and killing in Mississippi in 1955 helped propel the Civil Rights Movement, is now an American story, not just a civil rights story, said Mr. Till’s cousin the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. “It has been quite a journey for me from the darkness to the light,” Mr. Parker said during a proclamation signing ceremony at the White House attended by dozens, including other

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Researchers uncover their tangled roots

Lemon Project symposium to help connect the past

Virginia lawyer and retired public official Viola Baskerville has been intrigued by her family’s roots for more than 35 years.

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More states are teaching financial literacy

Inside a high school classroom, Bryan Martinez jots down several purchases that would require a short-term savings plan: shoes, phone, headphones, clothes, and food. His medium-term financial goals take a little more thought, but he settles on a car — he doesn’t have one yet — and vacations. Peering way into his future, the 18-year-old also imagines saving money to buy a house, start his own business, retire and perhaps provide any children with a college fund.