Trump to speak at Lynchburg school’s commencement
President Trump will give the commencement address this spring at Liberty University in Lynchburg. “I look forward to speaking to this amazing group of students on such a momentous occasion,” the president said in breaking the news on March 22 to CBN News, the Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach founded by televangelist Pat Robertson.
Trump lays out tough agenda in address before Congress
Heralding a “new chapter of American greatness,” President Trump issued a broad call for America first, investing in the nation’s infrastructure, slashing taxes and revamping health insurance in his first address to Congress.
Backlash supreme
Demonstrations around the country continue as President Trump names U.S. Supreme Court nominee, bans Muslims from U.S.
Just two weeks have passed since his inauguration, and despite a torrent of action, disruption, protests and lawsuits, President Trump has been on a tear to keep campaign promises, uplifting his legions of supporters and dismaying his legions of opponents.
Farewell, President Obama
Commander in chief returns to Chicago for his final speech where it all began
President Obama bid farewell to the nation Tuesday in an emotional speech that sought to comfort a country on edge over rapid economic changes, persistent security threats and the election of Republican Donald Trump.
National NAACP head arrested in sit-in over AG nomination
Several African-American civil rights activists staged a sit-in at the Alabama office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions on Tuesday.
Attorney general: Hate crimes tear at the fabric of our communities
Hate crimes tear at the fabric of American communities and represent a stain on the country’s soul, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said at a mosque and Muslim community center on Monday.
Varner wins big
Harold Varner III won the Australian PGA Championship on Sunday, becoming the first African-American to win a professional golf tournament since Tiger Woods.
Football icon Jim Brown honored with statue
For one more Sunday, Jim Brown felt the kind of emotional surge that made him an NFL legend. The greatest player to wear a Cleveland Browns jersey, and in the conversation as the best in league history, Brown was immortalized Sept. 18 as the team unveiled a bronze statue of the running back’s likeness outside FirstEnergy Stadium.
Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-Adha
Muslims around the world — and in Metro Richmond — are celebrating the holiday Eid al-Adha this week. It is one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar. It began Monday and lasts until Thursday, Sept. 15.
Tappahannock’s Chris Brown in trouble with the law — again
Grammy-winning singer and Virginia native Chris Brown and the Los Angeles Police Department spent much of Tuesday morning and afternoon locked in a surreal standoff at the R&B performer’s Tarzana, Calif., home. According to LAPD officials, the incident began early Tuesday when they received a 911 call about a woman claiming she had been threatened with a gun.
Good preaching attracts congregants
Top-notch preaching most attracts people looking for a new place to pray. That’s the conclusion of a new Pew Research Center study released Tuesday that asked 5,000 people about their search for a new church or other house of worship.
‘The Final Five’ are golden
Team dominates competition, wins Olympic gold in Rio
There were a few wobbles here and there, even for Simone Biles, but those imperfections could not stop the United States from blowing away the opposition to capture the Olympic women’s team title with a record margin Tuesday.
Baton Rouge works to heal after shootings
BATON ROUGE, LA. On the affluent south side of Baton Rouge, a clutch of plastic balloons bobs in front of the gas station where a former Marine shot and killed three police officers last Sunday. On the impoverished north
‘We are The Wilsons!’
Singer Ciara has one-two stepped down the aisle with NFL player Russell Wilson. The couple both posted the same photo Wednesday on Twitter and Instagram showing Ciara in a wedding gown and the Richmond native in a tuxedo with the caption, “We are The Wilsons!”
U.S. Supreme Court upholds newly redrawn congressional boundaries
The U.S. Supreme Court blocked Virginia Republican efforts to overturn redrawn congressional district lines Monday, completing a sweep of this year’s major high court redistricting cases by Democrats and minorities. The justices ruled unanimously that three GOP House members challenging lines drawn by a federal district court lacked standing to bring the case because they could not show they were directly affected.
Student protests bring down Mizzou president, chancellor
The University of Missouri’s president stepped down Monday, and its chancellor moved aside, after protests by the school’s students and football team over alleged inaction against racial abuse on campus.
Injuries plague S.C. student hurt by school officer
The 16-year-old African-American female student who was violently slammed, tossed and dragged across a classroom floor by a white school resource officer suffered multiple injuries during the incident, her attorney said.
Deputy fired for slamming S.C. student
A white deputy who violently slammed a black female high school student to the floor and dragged her during a classroom arrest was fired Wednesday. Officer Ben Fields, 34, a senior deputy with the Richland County, S.C., Sheriff’s Department is also the focus of a federal civil rights probe.
U.S. greets pope
Pope Francis urged the United States to help tackle climate change and touched on other divisive U.S. political issues such as immigration and economic inequality on his first visit to the world’s richest nation. In a speech Wednesday on the White House South Lawn, the Argentine pontiff — known as “The People’s Pope” — lauded President Obama’s efforts to reduce air pollution, months after Pope Francis made the environment one of his top issues by issuing a landmark encyclical letter to the church.
Serena beats Venus to move to semifinals
Serena Williams is now two wins away from completing an historic calendar year Grand Slam. She kept her bid alive by outslugging older sister Venus 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in a power-packed, 98-minute quarterfinal at the U.S. Open on Tuesday.
$6.4M to Freddie Gray’s family
Baltimore agrees to pay before trials of police officers
Baltimore city officials on Wednesday approved a $6.4 million civil settlement to the family of Freddie Gray, whose death from an injury in police custody triggered protests and rioting.
‘Straight’ No.1 for second week
“Straight Outta Compton” continues to connect with movie audiences. It is the No. 1 movie in North America for the second week.
50th anniversary: Obama to call for restoration of 1965 Voting Rights Act
With the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, congressional Democrats are commemorating the landmark law with events across the country — from the steps of the U.S. Capitol to the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama.
Joe Jackson suffers stroke
Joe Jackson, patriarch of the Jackson family of musical performers, suffered a stroke in Brazil on Sunday and is being treated in a Sao Paulo hospital.
Family of woman found hanged in Texas jail calls for federal probe
Was Sandra Bland murdered? That’s what distraught family and friends of the 28-year-old woman are asking after she was discovered hanging by a plastic garbage bag in a Texas jail cell three days after she was arrested during a routine traffic stop that turned confrontational.
Serena beats Venus, continues streak
The heavy hitting shook the ground and the volume would have raised the Centre Court roof had it been closed, as Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka traded blows like a couple of prizefighters at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
‘New America’ prevails in U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decisions
Old America largely conceded to New America in the latest round of major U.S. Supreme Court decisions. New America is the coalition that came to power with President Obama in 2008 and gave him the winning majority. It’s a coalition of groups marginalized for most of U.S. history: African-Americans, Latinos, religious minorities, young people, gays, single mothers, working women and Americans who claim no religious affiliation.
Williams sisters advance at Wimbledon
LONDON Superstar sisters Serena and Venus Williams are one win away from facing off against each other in the Wimbledon tennis tournament in London.
BET Awards brings out top stars
Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs took a tumble, Janet Jackson made an emotional appearance and the BET TV network paid tribute Sunday to campaigners across the United States demanding better police accountability after a troubled year. Combs fell through a hole in the stage at the BET Awards show during a 20th anniversary celebration of his Bad Boy record label that reunited hip-hop artists including Lil’ Kim, Faith Evans and 112 in a celebration joined by Pharrell Williams. Diddy quickly got up and carried on with the performance, appearing unhurt.
Go further
‘I don’t think God wants us to stop’ at removing the Confederate flag, President Obama tells mourners at Rev. Pinckney’s funeral in S.C.
‘I don’t think God wants us to stop’ at removing the Confederate flag, President Obama tells mourners at Rev. Pinckney’s funeral in S.C.
Handling Ramadan and diabetes
Muslims around the world marked the start of Ramadan last week. The month of intense prayer includes dawn until sunset fasting and nightly feasts.
Pope weighs in on weapons, climate
People who manufacture weapons or invest in weapons industries are hypocrites if they call themselves Christians, Pope Francis said earlier this week.
Jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman, 85, dies
Ornette Coleman, a self-taught alto saxophone player who polarized the jazz world with his unconventional “free jazz” before coming to be regarded as an avant garde genius, died Thursday, June 11, 2015, in New York, according to his publicist. He was 85.
Texas cop resigns over pool party debacle
A white policeman seen in a cellphone video tossing a 14-year-old, bathing suit-clad black girl to the ground and burying his knees in her back resigned Tuesday from the McKinney police force.
Former Globetrotter Marques Haynes dies at 89
Marques Haynes’ dribbling skills wowed fans in more than 100 countries. He was a showstopper, a player who helped make the Harlem Globetrotters beloved ambassadors of basketball around the world.
Officials launch probe into B.B. King’s death
Nevada officials said Monday they would conduct a homicide investigation into the death earlier this month of legendary musician B.B. King, after two of his daughters leveled accusations that the blues great was murdered. The Clark County, Nev., coroner’s office said in a post on Twitter that it had taken jurisdiction over Mr. King’s body, and autopsy results would take a minimum of six to eight weeks.
Justice Dept. forces Cleveland police reform
Can a police officer fire 15 shots into a car with two unarmed people inside and then be acquitted of criminal charges after their deaths? The answer is yes. Can another police officer get out of his vehicle and, two seconds later, fatally shoot a 12-year-old boy who has a pellet gun in his waistband — and not face swift arrest and prosecution? The answer again is yes.
Black people have stronger ties to religion than white people
Several studies and surveys reveal black Americans retain remarkably strong levels of religious beliefs and practices. And that spiritual core has an impact on community life in areas from health to economic empowerment. That’s according to a study measuring racial differences on moral behaviors.
Lewis Hamilton has right formula to win
Lewis Hamilton stands out among the ranks of Formula One drivers. He’s the lone black driver in the sport, and his talent and success have propelled him into the ranks of the greats of F1 — the top class of world single-seat auto racing.
Mayweather seals legacy; rematch possible
Floyd Mayweather Jr. cemented his place among the pantheon of boxing greats, improving to 48-0 with a unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao last Saturday in a fight some believed didn’t live up to its immense hype and price tag.
History-making golfers die days apart
Two of professional golf’s successful African-American golfers have died — Calvin Peete and Pete Brown. Mr. Peete, the most successful African-American professional golfer on the PGA Tour prior to Tiger Woods, died Wednesday, April 29, 2015, in Atlanta.
Protests in Israel over police brutality against Ethiopian Jews
At a protest on April 30, demonstrators blocked one of the city’s main traffic arteries and the light rails service. They marched toward the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before being stopped by police with water cannons.
Reparations OK’d for Chicago’s police torture victims
For decades, a police unit in Chicago used torture to induce confessions from black suspects. This week, the Chicago City Council approved a unique $5.5 million reparation fund to benefit dozens of surviving victims who were shocked, burned and beaten into admitting — often falsely — to crimes by the unit led by Jon Burge, a former police commander.
Justice Dept. opens investigation into Gray’s death; officers charged
There’s an uneasy quiet in Baltimore after six police officers were charged last week in the mysterious death of Freddie Gray while he was in their custody. Underneath the calm simmers apprehension and anger in the African-American community — ready to erupt again at any moment — if there’s another incident of police brutality against a black man in the town known as “Charm City.” That grim reality was clear Monday afternoon when angry community members and officers in riot gear quickly converged in West Baltimore after an erroneous TV report stated police had shot and perhaps fatally injured a young African-American man who was seen running away from pursuing officers.
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.
Enough is enough
Freddie Gray’s spine nearly severed, larynx crushed while in police custody
What happened to Freddie Gray? People across the nation are demanding to know after the 25-year-old black man suffered a fatal spinal cord injury under mysterious circumstances after being arrested by Baltimore police and put into the back of a police van.
Evangelist Creflo Dollar drops pitch for jet
The ministry of a prominent Georgia megachurch pastor and evangelist who teaches that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches has dropped a pitch for donations to buy a luxury jet valued at more than $65 million. The website of Creflo Dollar Ministries no longer features a message asking followers to “Sow your love gift of any amount” to help buy a Gulfstream G650 airplane. That message has disappeared.
Everett Ward named president of St. Augustine’s
Everett B. Ward has been named the 11th president of St. Augustine’s University. “The lifeblood of St. Augustine’s runs through my every vein,” said Dr. Ward, 56, an alumnus of the historically black institution in Raleigh, N.C. “I have a long affiliation here, having been born on the campus. My father attended St. Aug’s. We have been part of this institution for generations.”
Oklahoma deputy charged with manslaughter
A white reserve sheriff’s deputy in Oklahoma was charged with manslaughter Monday in the death of a black man who he fatally shot as he lay on the ground. Tulsa County, Okla., prosecutors filed a second-degree manslaughter charge against 73-year-old Robert Bates, a reserve deputy with the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.
Black men still targets of police
Walter L. Scott shot 4 times in the back; cop charged with murder
Four bullets to the back and one in the ear. That’s the unimaginable pain an unarmed Walter L. Scott suffered as he was fatally gunned down by white police officer Michael T. Slager as he ran away following a routine traffic stop. The gruesome slaying was graphically recorded on the cellphone of a bystander Saturday morning in North Charleston, S.C. It is the latest in a string of highly publicized incidents across the nation — including Ferguson, Mo., New York City and Cleveland, Ohio — in which white police officers have killed unarmed black men. Each instance raises questions — and public consciousness — about disparate treatment by people of color by police and racial injustice in the United States. Mr. Slager was charged with murder Tuesday and fired from the police department after the video surfaced. He is being held without bond. If convicted, he could receive the death penalty or life in prison.
