Wednesday, June 29
Creighton Court area transformation moving forward
Gov. Terry McAuliffe is pitching in $2.5 million to assist Richmond in transforming the impoverished Creighton Court area of the East End into a model, mixed-income community. The governor went to the East End on Wednesday to announce Richmond as a winner of a Vibrant Community Initiative grant.
In clear: VSU accreditation
Virginia State University is back in the good graces of its accrediting agency. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) voted June 16 to remove VSU from “warning” status and restore the Petersburg area university to unblemished accreditation.
Student advocate arrested again
In the face of a federal probe, Chesterfield Public Schools is doubling down on its efforts to keep an advocate for disabled students from taking part in meetings to help develop individualized education programs (IEPs) for students. For the third time in the past 14 months, Kandise N. Lucas has been arrested at a Chesterfield school for trespassing. The latest arrest, on June 10 at Ecoff Elementary School in Chester, occurred when she went to the school for an IEP meeting a parent had invited her attend.
E-book purchasers may be due refund
Electronics giant Apple Inc. has begun coughing up refunds to e-book buyers in a price-fixing settlement. According to Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring, the company began distributing $11 million to $15 million in account credits and checks Tuesday to state residents who purchased e-books, or electronic books, through the company’s site.
Friday, June 24
SOLD
Iconic Ebony, JET magazines no longer owned by Johnson Publishing Co.
Johnson Publishing Co. of Chicago has sold Ebony and JET magazines for an undisclosed price to Clear View Group LLC, an Austin, Texas-based private equity firm, to pay down debt and to concentrate on Fashion Fair Cosmetics.
First Amendment trampled by Trump
A free press has been the foundation of our democracy since the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1791. Yet, after 225 years, Americans may be taking it for granted. Donald Trump’s recent action “revoking” the Washington Post’s access to his campaign should remind us that the First Amendment is often under threat.
Morrissey wedding coverage gets thumbs up, down
Re “Meet the Morrisseys,” June 16-18 edition:
Kudos to committed Dominion workers
During the latest episode of storms, we had plenty of lightning, high winds and rain that caused power outages in many areas. Many of the trees and power lines had fallen, which caused a dangerous situation. Many of the Dominion workers worked double shifts around the clock until this situation was resolved. You could see Dominion employees working morning, noon and night.
Do black lives really matter?
In 1991, Latasha Harlins was shot in the back of her head and killed by Soon Ja Du, a Korean storeowner in Los Angeles. Ms. Du received a $500 fine, 400 hours of community service and five years’ probation from Judge Joyce Karlin, who ignored the penalty of 16 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter. Ms. Du received no prison time for her callous act of murder — execution style — of a 15-year-old African-American girl over a $1.79 container of orange juice. This case, and the outrage it brought, foreshadowed the Los Angeles civil unrest now known as the Rodney King Riot in 1992.
Terrorist’s act a hate crime
The shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando was horrific. Nobody would argue that.
Trump and the First Amendment
Donald J. Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee for president, has given us one more reason to call into question his judgment.
Blues revue at Unity Richmond
“Blues Gal,” a musical revue and showcase highlighting the private and public lives of women blues legends, will take place Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25.
Local radio station holds fundraiser
Local radio station holds fundraiser Preston Brown is hoping that listeners will help him raise $25,000 for improvements to the WCLM-AM 1450 station he has owned since 1996.
Jefferson descendant to tell ‘complete story’ in new job at Monticello
A descendant of President Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings, plans to help more people learn the “complete story” of Monticello as its new community engagement officer.
Obamas find their post-White House home
After President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pack up in January and move out of the White House, they will settle into another mansion in Washington’s wealthy Kalorama neighborhood in Northwest, near Rock Creek Park and Embassy Row.
Cosby due in court in July
PHILADELPHIA Bill Cosby will return to a Pennsylvania courtroom next month as he tries again to question his accuser in a sexual assault case before it is sent to trial.
Coach Lancaster starts new chapter
George Lancaster says he has retired. Officially he has after 37 seasons and two Virginia championships at Highland Springs High School in Henrico County. But the more the 71-year-old coaching legend talks, the more you learn another chapter may yet unfold. Coach Lancaster is in the process of moving back to his hometown of Chase City in Mecklenburg County, where he just may pop up with a whistle around his neck at Bluestone High School.
LeBron delivers promise, leads Cavs to NBA title
LeBron James powered the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 93-89 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday in an electrifying Game 7 to complete an improbable comeback unlike any seen before and capture their first NBA championship.
Dry spell broken for Cleveland’s pro teams
It has been a long time between sips of champagne in Northeast Ohio. Led by LeBron James’ MVP performance, the Cleveland Cavaliers scored a heroic Game 7 win Sunday night over the favored Golden State Warriors to clinch the NBA title and end decades of sports frustration in the Midwest city. The Cleveland Cavaliers were an NBA expansion squad in 1970. They reached the playoff finals in 2007, losing 4-0 to the San Antonio Spurs and falling 4-2 to Golden State in the 2015 finals.
Henrico senior wins state title in 2 events
The term “country comes to the city” could be the title of Craig McElroy’s athletic fortunes. McElroy spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at rural Charles City High School, enrollment 285. As a junior, he transferred to suburban Henrico High School, enrollment 1,780.
Squirrels, others commit to sports field upgrade
The neglected baseball field at Charlie D. Sydnor Playground at the J.H. Blackwell Community Center in South Richmond is overgrown with weeds and unsafe for organized games.
VSU names new defensive coordinator
Dwone Sanders may be a newcomer at Virginia State University but he is a familiar face to VSU football Coach Reggie Barlow.
Statue of Josh Gibson greets visitors at the Washington Nationals Stadium
The greatest baseball player in Washington history never played for the old Washington Senators or current Major League Baseball team Washington Nationals. That is Josh Gibson, the super slugging catcher credited with a career total of nearly 800 home runs.
Personality: Maureen S. Patterson
Spotlight on the new president of the Midlothian Rotary Club
When Maureen S. Patterson is installed next Wednesday as president of the Midlothian Rotary Club, she will be become the club’s first African-American woman president. She will preside over a club that has only one other African-American member.
Rose Brown Adams, entrepreneur, dies at 68
Rose Brown Adams embraced and lived life to the fullest. Friends and loved ones remember her as being energetic, entrepreneurial and always willing to help others. Still shaken by her recent death, her husband, Dr. Randy Adams, a Richmond pediatric dentist, said he has lost his best friend.
AFL All-Star Earl Faison, Virginia native, dies at 77
Native Virginian Earl Faison, a five-time American Football League All-Star with the San Diego Chargers, died Sunday, June 12, 2016, at his home in Prescott, Ariz. He was 77.
Trump calls profiling Muslims ‘common sense’
Republican Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States should consider more racial profiling in response to a question about whether he supported greater law enforcement scrutiny of Muslim Americans after the Orlando mass shooting.
Gravely out at state NAACP?
Jack W. Gravely appears poised to resign as executive director of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP, the Free Press has learned. Mr. Gravely, a radio talk show host and former state NAACP executive director who returned to the leadership position in April 2015, was not immediately available for comment.
Siblings win ‘Teacher of the Year’
As teachers for Richmond Public Schools, siblings Gilbert Carter Jr. and Ridgely Carter-Minter took different paths to the classroom. Yet, their recent recognition as Teacher of the Year at their respective schools is singularly rooted in a Richmond family legacy known for teaching excellence.
City Council to deal with budget deficit
Mayor Dwight C. Jones wants Richmond City Council to allow him to tap the city’s piggy bank to keep red ink from staining the city’s books.
Pinkney Eppes fails to qualify for Nov. School Board election
The Richmond School Board is losing another incumbent member. Tichi Pinkney Eppes, who represents the 9th District, was notified this week by the city Electoral Board that she had too few signatures on her candidate petitions to qualify for the November School Board election.
Orlando victim to be buried in Amelia
The last time Marie Morton Hart of Richmond saw her grandnephew, Darryl Roman “DJ” Burt II, it was a joyous time. “We had a family reunion last July at Andrews Air Force Base, and DJ flew in from his home in Jacksonville to surprise his mother,” the 79-year-old South Side resident said.
Justice’s scathing dissent slams high court ruling on illegal police stops
In a powerful dissent to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that took an expansive view of the limits the Constitution places on police misconduct, Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Monday seemed to address the people most affected by unfortunate encounters with the police — black and brown Americans.
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.
Wednesday, June 22
Petersburg police chief ousted
Dironna Moore Belton may carry the title of interim Petersburg city manager, but she’s using her authority to shake up the city government.
Former Petersburg city manager hired by debt collection company
William E. Johnson III has found a new position three months after being fired as Petersburg’s city manager. Mr. Johnson was named senior vice president for governmental affairs for the Credit Adjustment Board Inc., a Henrico County-based debt collection company.
VSU names new provost
Virginia State University President Makola M. Abdullah has found the person he wants to lead academic affairs at the Ettrick campus.
VUU hosts ‘Taking Care of Business’ session
Virginia Union University is working to prevent the kind of last-minute snafus that disrupted enrollment and housing for dozens of students at the start of classes last August.
Fans, shelters available to beat the heat
Senior Connections, the Capital Area Agency on Aging, is helping older adults combat summer heat and prevent possible health hazards.
Website launched to help people without attorneys
Thinking of representing yourself in court? The Supreme Court of Virginia wants to help.
Friday, June 17
Lest we forget
The American tragedy of gun violence that President Obama has futilely tried to address during his tenure in office has once again reared its ugly head in Florida. It is repeatedly being described as either the worst mass shooting on American soil or in the history of the United States.
World Sickle Cell Day June 19
June 19 is World Sickle Cell Day. Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. The disease causes red blood cells to function abnormally. The cells become rigid and curve into sickle shapes. The red blood cells become hard and sticky and they die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells.
Obstacles to mental health care
In 2015, Jamycheal Mitchell died in the Hampton Roads Regional Jail after being arrested for stealing $5 worth of snacks from a convenience store. According to Mr. Mitchell’s family, he had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia but had stopped taking his schizophrenia medication.
Literacy warriors needed
The Dictionary defines warrior as “a person who fights in battle and is known for having courage and skill.” In “Roots,” reimagined Kizzy Kinte tells her dad, “Reading is my way of being a warrior, my way of feeling free inside.” Teaching enslaved people to read and write was illegal in most Southern states, so reading was an act of resistance, an act of rebellion, a warrior act that could get you sold or worse. Reading material described as “subversive,” such as David Walker’s “Appeal,” could get you killed.
Another case for action
For the umpteenth time, the nation has been plunged into the horrific details of another bloodbath at the hands of a gun-toting madman. No sooner than we can catch our breath from the workplace holiday party-turned-mass shooting in San Bernadino, Calif., that left 14 dead and 22 injured comes the tragedy early Sunday at an Orlando, Fla., gay club, where 49 people were gunned down and 53 people were wounded.
Father’s Day
What wisdom did your father instill in you?
Father’s Day will be celebrated Sunday, June 19, with people across the country grilling, baking cakes and cookies and buying ties for the man who has a special place in the hearts and lives of their family. In honor of fathers everywhere, the Free Press put the following question to several people
Meet the Morrisseys
Attorney Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey took a break last weekend from his campaign to be Richmond’s next mayor to wed Myrna Warren, the young woman he went to jail for 17 months ago.
Dick Gregory to open Juneteenth celebration
Dick Gregory will be in Richmond this week to help launch the annual two-day Juneteenth celebration to mark African-American liberation from slavery.
Richmonder debuts his film June 22
While growing up in Richmond, Jai Jamison knew that he wanted to be a film director. Next week, the 30-year-old’s award-winning feature film, “Tri,” will premiere in Richmond. The film, chronicling the efforts of two female triathletes, will be shown 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, at Bow Tie Cinemas, 1310 N. Boulevard.
Lanier exhibit at Historical Society
Football great Willie Lanier is getting renewed attention. The Virginia Historical Society is hosting a special display of items related to the life of the Richmond area resident, including his Maggie L. Walker High School diploma and the Super Bowl ring he was awarded for playing on the Kansas City Chiefs’ 1970 championship team in Super Bowl IV.
Top Tony Awards won by people of color
People of color snagged the top Tony Awards for performances on Broadway stages during the past year— a sharp contrast to Hollywood’s all-white Academy Awards for movies.
Injury cleared way for championship in high jump
Before Kequan Henley ever took off as a high-flying state champion in the high jump, the tall and springy Armstrong High School student was in love with basketball. Then during his sophomore year in 2014, he suffered a significant injury. “First game of the year, I went up for a rebound and came down on my head. Knocked me out. I woke up in the hospital with a bad concussion,” he recalled.
Old-fashioned baseball reigns in the country
Baseball is losing ground in urban areas but remains a premier attraction down dusty country roads, far removed from the city’s hustle and bustle. On diamonds carved out of the woods in places like Prince George and Dinwiddie counties, old-fashioned country hardball, spiced with ample music, food and socializing, still takes center stage on warm weekends.
VCU heading South
Virginia Commonwealth University will be taking its basketball talents South during the upcoming season. Coach Will Wade’s Rams will play the University of Illinois on Dec. 3 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, home of the NBA’s Miami Heat.
VUU signs 4
Virginia Union University basketball coach Jay Butler has announced signings of four new players and suggests more may be on the way.
Former VUU football center now Roanoke’s new mayor
Sherman Lea has gone from the center of the football action at Virginia Union University to the center of the political arena in Roanoke, where he is now the mayor elect.
Willard Bailey to keynote VIAHA Hall of Fame banquet
Former Virginia Union University football Coach Willard Bailey will be the keynote speaker for the Virginia Interscholastic Association Heritage Association’s inaugural Hall of Fame Banquet.
Personality: Dr. Ram Bhagat
Spotlight on 2016 Peacemaker of the Year
Dr. Ram Bhagat is all too familiar with gun violence. After losing his younger brother at the hands of a gun in 1981, Dr. Bhagat vowed to fight gun violence through his love for drumming.
Christians respond to Orlando attack
Christians responded quickly to the shooting rampage at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Fla. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association immediately sent trained chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team to Orlando to offer emotional and spiritual care to victims of the attack that took place early Sunday at Pulse.
Readers recall stories, memories of ‘The Greatest’
Free Press readers have offered a host of stories and memories of the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali in the days since his death and memorial services. Clearly, many in the Richmond community have been touched by The Champ. We share a few of those stories here:
Trump rally sinks under weights
Donald Trump was expected to pack the Richmond Coliseum when he visited the city last week. After all, he has packed arenas in other cities.
Combating summer slide
‘The Books Brothers’ mobilize for book giveaway at Holton
Linwood Holton Elementary School students Jace and Jazz Miles enjoy reading so much that they wanted to spread their passion throughout the school.
Ali laid to rest in send-off ‘fit for a king’
The world watched as the life of boxing champion Muhammad Ali was celebrated last week in his hometown of Louisville, Ky.
Grief unifies nation
Richmond mourns in solidarity following Orlando massacre
In what has become all too common, several Richmond churches and community groups gathered this week to hold vigils and pray for victims of gun violence. This time, the songs of solace and tears of despair were for the slaughter unleashed Sunday morning when 29-year-old gunman Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 others at an Orlando, Fla., nightclub frequented by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patrons.
McEachin, Wade on Nov. ballot
Richmond’s next congressman will either be Democrat A. Donald McEachin or Republican Michael L. “Mike” Wade. As expected, both men easily overcame rivals to win their respective party’s primary election Tuesday. They gain the right to carry their party’s banner into the November general election to represent the refashioned 4th Congressional District in Washington.
Friday, June 10
Area residents tell their brush with ‘The Greatest’
Jesse Vaughan, the Richmond native and creative genius behind Virginia State University’s recent “Building a Better World” campaign, has won 27 Emmy Awards during the course of his career.
Ramadan observed amid hardships
Muslims around the world began observing Ramadan on Monday, Islam’s holy month during which believers abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours.
Retired judge should be honored
As we honor Henry L. Marsh III and his brother Harold M. Marsh Sr. with the renaming of the Manchester Courthouse, there is one among us who led the charge in the justice system in Richmond whom everyone seems to have forgotten. He is retired Richmond Judge Willard H. Douglas Jr.
A clear and present danger
The danger that Donald Trump, practitioner of questionable business practices, inveterate bully, racist, sexist, demagogue and the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for president of the United States, presents to American society was never more evident than last week amid a flurry of negative news stories.
The people’s champion
Ditch the memories of Muhammad Ali showing up uninvited at Sonny Liston’s training camp, announcing that he was going bear hunting. Put aside his boasts of being the greatest of alllll-timmmme. Scratch the images of the “Ali Shuffle” and his patented rope-a-dope.
4th Congressional District primaries
On Tuesday, voters in Richmond and portions of several nearby cities and counties will go to the polls to make their choices for Democratic and Republican nominees to run for the 4th Congressional District seat.
‘Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic’ opens Saturday at VMFA
Special to the Free Press Asked what “A New Republic” means, visual artist Kehinde Wiley replies rapid-fire. “It’s a space-clearing gesture.”
Richmond’s Plunky Branch releases autobiography at June 23 event
James “Plunky” Branch’s music consistently contains elements of jazz, funk and soul linked with African concepts of “Juju” and “oneness.”
Prince autopsy report hints at puzzling painkiller mystery
The report from the medical examiner who conducted Prince’s autopsy is tantalizing for what it doesn’t say. The single-page document released last week lists a fentanyl overdose as the cause of death, but it offers few clues to indicate whether the musician was a chronic pain patient desperately seeking relief, a longtime opioid user whose habit became an addiction or a combination of both.
Ali was golden starting in 1960 Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome were held during the height of the bitter Cold War. Helping to ease world tension was 18-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., just two months after his graduation from Central High School in Louisville, Ky., where he was a bit of a class clown.
Highland Springs junior vaulting toward championship
As a younger athlete, Chris St. Helen tried his luck at basketball, football and long-distance running, and he was average. Then he discovered the pole vault and he was average no more. From then on, it has been up, up and away.
VUU coach, player on ballot for College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame has taken notice of Virginia Union University’s rich football history. Former Panthers Coach Joe Taylor and defensive stalwart William Dillon are on the ballot as candidates for the Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
VSU extends Blow’s contract
Virginia State University officials like what they see in basketball Coach Lonnie Blow Jr. so much so they have extended his contract through 2021.
Brothers awaiting Olympic trials after injuries
Noah Lyles has bigger fish to fry than Virginia’s 6A Track and Field Championships.
Serena screams to a halt in French Open
The real Serena Williams finally turned up at the French Open last Saturday in pursuit of a 22nd grand slam singles title. But it was to no avail.
Ali remembered in Muslim world as a voice of change
Of all Muhammad Ali’s travels in the Muslim world, his 1964 trip to Egypt was perhaps the most symbolic, a visit remembered mostly by an iconic photo of the boxing great happily shaking hands with a smiling Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Egypt’s nationalist and popular president.
President Carter pushes for interracial Baptist cooperation
Pastors Frederick Haynes and George Mason both lead Baptist churches in Dallas, but they had never met until the not-guilty verdict in the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin brought them together in 2013.
Personality: Dr. Addie J. Briggs
Spotlight on honorary chair of ‘Jazz Inside Out’ Virginia Higher Education Fund benefit
Dr. Addie J. Briggs is accustomed to raising funds for educational causes that benefit Richmond area youth. Patients at Dr. Briggs’ Eastern Henrico pediatric practice are familiar with her passion for promoting reading among her patients. She is known as the doctor who gives each patient a book during checkups. She also has lobbied congressional representatives to provide federal funding to purchase books for thousands of Virginia children up to age 5.
VSU grad crowned Miss USA
Deshauna Barber has brains and beauty, and she’s a commander in the Army Reserve to boot. The 2011 Virginia State University graduate now adds another title: Miss USA 2016. Miss Barber, 26, who represented the District of Columbia in Sunday’s pageant at the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas strip, beat contestants from 50 states to win the crown.
Polls open Tuesday for 4th District primaries
Who will represent Richmond in Congress? Next week, voters will take the first step toward choosing a new representative to Washington. They will do so by selecting standard-bearers for the Democratic and Republican parties in a state-run primary election. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 14.
Dr. Jones drops out
Dr. Derik E. Jones is not going to seek four more years on the Richmond School Board — opening the door to other candidates.
Customers left hanging after dry cleaner shuts down
Lonnie McLaurin took two jackets, two shirts and two pair of pants to a dry cleaner in Highland Park at the end of April. When he returned a week later to pay his bill and pick up his clothes, he hit a surprising roadblock — a padlock on the front door of the shop. He could see his clothes covered by plastic hanging on a rack in the front of the store, but no one was there to let him in.
VCU receives recommendations for remains in well
Bury them with an appropriate West African ceremony in the African Burial Ground in Downtown. That’s one of the major recommendations on what to do with the bones of 53 adults, teens and children — apparently slaves — found discarded in a capped well on the medical campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. The recommendation, along with a host of other ideas, was presented to VCU representatives Saturday during the latest session of the East Marshall Street Well Project.
Clinton primary wins assure Dem nomination
Eight years after conceding the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination to then-rival Barack Obama, the first African-American to be the standard-bearer for a major political party, Hillary Clinton is poised to make history of her own. Tuesday night, the former U.S. senator and secretary of state took her place as the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee after claiming victory over persistent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Verizon strike ends
Nearly 40,000 striking Verizon employees in Virginia and eight other states returned to work June 1 after reaching a tentative contract agreement.
Farewell to the champ
Muhammad Ali fought for justice, equality and title
More than 62 years ago, an anonymous bicycle thief in Louisville, Ky., unknowingly set in motion the amazing career of a boxing legend and remarkable world figure who would live up to his self-billing as “The Greatest.”
Wednesday, June 8
Washington Nats manager Dusty Baker recalls his ‘heckuva good time’ in Richmond
It has been 45 years since he last swung a bat at the former Parker Field, but Dusty Baker remembers Richmond. Graciously, Baker, the current Washington Nationals manager, granted an interview to the Free Press on May 28, prior to the Nats’ home game with St. Louis.
Winfree Cottage to get TLC, finally
The bedraggled, but historic Winfree Cottage — which now sits beside the Lumpkin’s Slave Jail site on the Richmond Slave Trail in Shockoe Bottom — is finally receiving some tender loving care in a bid to halt its decay. In the past two weeks, rotten wood has been replaced and the City of Richmond has approved a permit to allow the cottage to receive a fresh coat of whitewash and have its metal roof repainted.
City Hall cracking down on false burglar, fire alarms
City Hall is about to crack down on false alarms at homes and businesses, including halting police responses to locations that have multiple false alarms. After years of balking, Richmond City Council has given Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ administration the green light to overhaul the city’s program for dealing with false alarms — with surprising little notice to the public. Among the big changes effective July 1, private property owners with burglar and/or fire alarms will be required to obtain a permit to operate their alarms.
Inmates to mow 4 public parks
City Hall is getting some help to mow down the high grass in its parks, street medians and an array of other public property.
City budget deficit pegged at $4.1M
The City of Richmond is facing a $4.1 million deficit and likely will have to dip into savings to avoid being in the red when the books close June 30 on the current 2015-16 fiscal year. That’s according to Lenora Reid, the city’s chief financial officer.
Va. Supreme Court to hear voting rights restoration challenge July 19
The Virginia Supreme Court will not rush to hear a Republican challenge to Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s April 22 order restoring voting rights to 206,000 felons. In an order issued Wednesday, the seven-member court announced it would sit in special session on Tuesday, July 19, to hear arguments in the case aimed at deciding the governor’s authority to issue a blanket restoration of rights rather than acting on a case-by-case basis.
Friday, June 3
Va.’s fastest sprinter, Noah Lyles, running in Newport News this weekend
Track fans have one last chance to see in person the fastest sprinter in Virginia High School League history. Noah Lyles, a 5-foot-9 senior at Alexandria’s T.C. Williams High School, is the favorite to win 100-meter dash at this weekend’s state Division 6A meet at Todd Stadium in Newport News.
GOP ‘needs to cease their tireless efforts to deny and restrict folks’ from voting
I must take umbrage with the Republican majority of the General Assembly and its leadership. Once again, this partisan body of legislators has shown that it is more concerned with wasting taxpayers’ dollars in a frivolous lawsuit against Gov. Terry McAuliffe over restoration of voting rights for more than 200,000 individuals rather than providing for the medical care of 400,000 families in the Commonwealth.
Death penalty too good for Roof
Dylann Roof, the unrepentant racist who killed nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., is — no question — a monster. He prayed with people before reciting racist cants and annihilating people. After his heinous acts, it was discovered that he was a rabid racist who had wrapped himself in the Confederate flag. Does he deserve the death penalty? No.
Recommit to rid nuclear weapons
On May 27, President Obama became the first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, Japan, where, at the end of World War II, the United States became the first and only country to drop an atomic bomb. The president used the occasion to revive attention on the need to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
Lesson from ‘Roots’
The bond of family runs deep in the African-American community. Forty years and a remake have not depreciated that lesson from “Roots,” the television miniseries now playing on cable’s A&E, History and Lifetime channels.
7th Annual Richmond Jazz Festival set for Aug. 11-14
An eclectic mix of Grammy Award winners, world-class singers and musicians and local talent will highlight this year’s Richmond Jazz Festival, sceduled for Aug. 11 through 14.
New ‘Roots’ relevant to new generation
In the history of American television, there has never been anything like the original version of “Roots.” Broadcast in 1977, the miniseries based on Alex Haley’s account of tracing his enslaved ancestor Kunta Kinte back to Africa was watched by 100 million people and triggered a cultural explosion.
Mobile Justice Tour in Richmond June 7
Two local grassroots organizations are sponsoring the 5th Annual Mobile Justice Tour from 1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, at the East End Public Library, 1200 N. 25th St.
60th Annual Festival of Arts starts Friday at Dogwood Dell
Some of the area’s best musical groups will be featured this summer at the 60th Annual Festival of Arts at Dogwood Dell. The festival, sponsored by the City of Richmond, gets underway this weekend and will feature free dance, music and theater performances and festivals.
Local area softball stars gearing up for championships
The Cooke’s-Allen softball team, long known as Cooke’s Lawn Service, has been mowing down its softball competitors for decades.
Donations allow Armstrong High to ‘play ball’
The enthusiastic words “Play ball!” were heard on Armstrong High School’s campus this spring for the first time in many baseball seasons.
Fayetteville State names new basketball coach
Ken Spencer is the new basketball coach at Fayetteville State University. Coach Spencer succeeds Alphonza Kee, who posted an overall 91-107 record in seven seasons at the CIAA Southern Division university.
Cavaliers coach seeking title, record
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Tyronn Lue is seeking to become just the sixth African-American coach to win an NBA title. The Cavaliers commence their best-of-seven championship battle Thursday, June 2, against the defending champs, the Golden State Warriors. Game 1 of the finals will be played in Oakland, Ca.
Dr. Roscoe D. Cooper Jr. celebrates his 70th birthday, 50 years in ministry, 24 years as South Side church founder
Growing up in North Philadelphia, church was both family and community for Dr. Roscoe D. Cooper Jr. Life, love, community and support are interchangeable and reflective not only within the walls of a church but in the hearts of the congregation, expressed in the way they value and treat each other.
Organization of ministers’ wives, widows hosts conference
The Virginia Association of Ministers’ Wives and Ministers’ Widows will host a conference to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the organization’s international association.
Church fashion show to benefit victims of domestic violence
The Saved Anointed and God Appointed (SAGA) Ministry of Worship and Praise Deliverance Church will host Slay 4 A Purpose Fashion, a fashion show to highlight the issue of domestic violence.
Personality: Christopher Tate Gabbert
Spotlight on Richmond Public Schools’ highest achieving student
Chris Gabbert doesn’t consider himself a bookworm. “I need to read more on my own,” explains Chris, an 18-year-old senior at Richmond Community High School. But Chris has been hitting the books — and hard.
MLK Middle not living up to his name
Richmond School Board member Shonda Harris-Muhammed is calling on her colleagues and Superintendent Dana T. Bedden to stem a tide of alleged violence and assaults at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in the East End. In a recent Free Press interview, Ms. Harris-Muhammed, who represents the 6th District where the school is located, said more than 10 teachers and staff members from the school contact her regularly about their fears for their safety and that of others.
Groups unite for slavery memorial in Shockoe Bottom
The push to create a memorial to slavery in Shockoe Bottom took another step forward this week as national groups joined with local activists.
City goes dim on solar streetlights
Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones has boasted many times during the last seven years about the solar streetlights that were installed in a West End neighborhood with taxpayers’ dollars.
Study shows some children don’t visit doctors despite having insurance
A majority of Richmond children from low-income families apparently are not getting annual checkups from doctors, even though the children have health insurance through Medicaid or other programs that would cover the cost. The result: Many youngsters are dogged by obesity or other treatable physical and mental health problems that are never dealt with, disrupting their education and well-being.
More than 1,200 students in Richmond schools graduation ceremonies
Break out the caps and gowns. Graduation time has arrived in Richmond.
Voices for the Vote Rally slated for Saturday in Petersburg
The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, along with several partner organizations, is hosting rallies across the state this weekend to speak out against voter suppression and to assist people to register to vote. The Central Virginia Voices for the Vote Rally will be held 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 4, on Pocahontas Island in Petersburg.
No $ to fix schools
The same rundown buildings that many Richmond students attend are likely to be the same buildings where a new crop of students will be attending class 10 years from now.
Wednesday, June 1
Hundreds to benefit from payday loan settlement
Hundreds of low-income Richmond area residents will benefit from the settlement of a lawsuit challenging the lending practices of Advance ‘Til Payday, a company that charges up to 960 percent interest on loans of $100 to $300. The settlement will result in the dismissal of at least 50 garnishment actions and 800 judgments that Advance ‘Til Payday had obtained in court against borrowers who defaulted on the loans, according to Jay Speer of the Virginia Poverty Law Center, which brought the suit.
Parking, trash collection fees to increase under new city budget
Beginning July 1, Richmond residents will be charged an extra $3.55 a month for trash collection and recycling services, largely to help fund the city’s leaf collection program. That’s an 18 percent bump that will raise the monthly cost from $19.44 to $22.99.
Richmond School Board adopts budget; cuts funds for academic improvement plan
The Richmond School Board adopted a $280 million operating budget that eliminates $4 million in numerous programs and services, but includes money for a plan to increase salaries to attract and retain teachers.
Virginia’s voter ID law upheld by federal judge
A federal judge has upheld a 2013 Virginia law requiring prospective voters to show approved photo identification before being allowed to cast ballots.
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.
