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Stories for December 2019

Friday, December 27

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Sky’s the limit’ for RVA Street Singers

The main chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church was filled with the sounds of fellowship on a recent Friday as an audience of about 50 guests joined in the musical holiday cheer provided by the RVA Street Singers.

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Leftist not as beaten down in Sweden

Letters to the editor

Re Column “Calling out the Republicans” Free Press Dec. 19-21 edition: The political right in Sweden was less successful in destroying the political left in Sweden than the political right here in the United States was in destroying the political left.

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Navy Hill project nothing to celebrate

Letter to the editor

Why should black folks be excited about the Navy Hill development project?

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A model for rebuilding Downtown

Letter to the editor

“Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now.” With so much happening in Richmond, across the country and around the world, we’re reminded of these words from the musical “Hamilton,” which just wrapped a 24-show run at the Altria Theater.

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An egregious comparison

Columnists

The hours before the U.S. House of Representatives impeachment vote were a study in contrasts. While Democrats approached the debate leading up to the vote somberly, with all due consideration and with historical references, Republicans seemed to think they were starring in a comedy show.

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Remembering trailblazer Richard G. Hatcher

Columnists

“I thought it was the greatest thing in the world that he was going to be our mayor. He was someone who looked like us and fought for the things we believed in and needed.

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Holiday message

Editorials

Holiday message

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Science Museum to host Noon Year’s Eve celebration for youngsters

At the stroke of noon on Tuesday, Dec. 31, exactly 2,020 balls will be dropped from the top of the rotunda inside the Science Museum of Virginia for its 2019 Noon Year’s Eve celebration for youngsters.

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‘Elegance in Black and White’

The Richmond Chapter of the Continental Societies honored Virginia Union University at its annual “Elegance in Black and White” dinner-dance on last Friday that drew more than 250 people.

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Cherished Holiday Memories

Four Richmond area residents shared with the Richmond Free Press their most cherished holiday memories. We hope their reflections will bring to mind joyful recollections of your own during this special season.

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29th Annual Capital City Kwanzaa Festival Dec. 28

Anthropologist and historian Dr. Runoko Rashidi will be the keynote speaker at the 29th Annual Capital City Kwanzaa Festival on Saturday, Dec. 28.

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VUU’s Terrell Leach is long on talent

If a vote were taken today for CIAA Player of the Year, Virginia Union University basketball player Terrell Leach would be a leading candidate.

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Michael Thomas: No boast, all fact

Michael Thomas’ twitter handle is “Can’t Guard Mike,” and he lives up to the boastful tag.

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VUU 1983 Lady Panthers, A.J. English to be inducted into CIAA Hall of Fame

Virginia Union University will be well represented in the upcoming 2020 John B. McLendon CIAA Hall of Fame Class.

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Aggies win Celebration Bowl

The 5th Annual Celebration Bowl turned out to be a thrilling celebration of offenses.

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Evangelical magazine editorial calls for Trump’s removal from office

A major evangelical Christian magazine founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham has called for President Trump’s removal from office.

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Nativity scene shows Holy Family separated in cages

The Nativity scene at Claremont United Methodist Church is striking. Mannequins of Jesus, Mary and Joseph are separated in individual cages topped with barbed wire. A baby Jesus is wrapped in what resembles a Mylar blanket, similar to the sheets migrants have been given in holding cells.

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Rev. Darran Brandon to speak Jan. 1 at Emancipation Proclamation Day service

The Rev. Darran Brandon, pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church in Norfolk, will speak at the annual Emancipation Proclamation Day service hosted on New Year’s Day by the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity.

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High school coach portrayed in ‘Remember the Titans’ dies

Obituaries

With his health declining, Herman Boone was still mapping out football strategy as if he were about to walk the sidelines one more time.

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Longtime educator, Girl Scout leader Gloria W. Hawkins dies at 92

Obituaries

Gloria Wheeler Hawkins was an unforgettable instructor for many of the students during her 40-year career as a schoolteacher in Richmond and other communities.

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Personality: Shawn A. Cosby

Spotlight on winner of Anthony Award for Best Short Story

It has been almost two months since author Shawn A. Cosby won the prestigious 2019 Anthony Award for Best Short Story during the annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in Dallas.

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As new George Mason Elementary takes shape, questions raised about old building

Cityscape: Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

What should happen to the old George Mason Elementary School building? That’s the big question as a new $38.4 million George Mason Elementary building is being constructed on the grounds in the East End.

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Holiday Schedule

In observance of New Year’s Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, please note the following:

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RRHA under no deadline to submit revised plans to HUD

The rejected annual plan and five-year plan of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority that lays out its vision for renovation or replacement of its nearly 4,000 public housing units is still in limbo.

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Confederate statues in Memphis given to Confederate group, descendants

A Tennessee nonprofit group has handed over statues of Confederate leaders Nathan Bedford Forrest and Jefferson Davis to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, two years after they were removed from public parks in Memphis.

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Advocates for the homeless hail U.S. Supreme Court victory

Homeless people can sleep on public property, including sidewalks and parks in communities that offer no other option. That’s the upshot of the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to hear an appeal from Boise, Idaho, whose ordinance to bar the homeless from camping out in public places was overturned as violating the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

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$3.7B transportation deal to boost rail service from Richmond to D.C.

Richmond would be a major beneficiary of an unprecedented $3.7 billion deal announced by Gov. Ralph S. Northam to boost passenger rail service between Washington and other Virginia cities to avoid an even costlier expansion of Interstate 95.

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RRHA residents starting to relocate into Jackson Ward, East End developments

Public housing residents are beginning to move into new apartment complexes in Church Hill and Jackson Ward that were developed in partnership with the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

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RRHA extends eviction freeze to Jan. 31

The Richmond Redevelopment Housing Authority’s freeze on public housing evictions has been extended through Jan. 31.

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Regina H. Boone photo recognized among ‘100 photos that defined the decade’

A 2016 photograph by Free Press photographer Regina H. Boone of a toddler afflicted by the contaminated water in Flint, Mich., has made CNN’s list of “100 photos that defined the decade.”

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Lt. Gov. Fairfax announces he will run for governor in 2021

Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax plans to run for governor in 2021, confident that he no longer will be held back by allegations that he sexually assaulted two women in separate incidents nearly two decades ago.

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McEachin, Wexton call for replacement of Lee statue in U.S. Capitol

Two Virginia congressional representatives are calling for the statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee to be replaced in the U.S. Capitol by a Virginian of color who has dedicated his or her life to fighting for equality.

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Thumbs down

City Council-appointed advisory commission rejects $1.5B Coliseum and Downtown redevelopment plan after 3-month review

Don’t do it. Don’t invest hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to replace the vacant Richmond Coliseum with a new 17,500-seat arena.

Friday, December 20

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VUU rebuilding men's team in big way

Virginia Union University basketball Coach Jay Butler needed to re-stock his roster this season, and it seems he aced the assignment. The Panthers, now 7-4, have won five straight games and seven of the last eight with a smooth blend of returnees and talented newcomers.

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A wedding gift unexpected

Who says good things don’t happen on Friday the 13th?

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VUU ensemble going places

22 students join gospel music producer J. David Bratton on tour in Hungary and Italy for holiday season

People in Hungary and Italy are getting a helping of good gospel music this holiday as 22 members of Virginia Union University’s Select Ensemble join eight singers and musicians from around the United States — part of gospel music mega producer J. David Bratton’s “Every Praise” gospel group — to tour Europe.

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House votes to impeach President Trump

“Can you believe that I will be impeached today,” President Trump tweeted Wednesday as part of an angry rant that ripped his foes for this “terrible thing.”

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School Board makes no change to North Side attendance zones

The Richmond School Board voted 6-3 Monday to reject a plan to modify school attendance zones in North Side.

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VUU acquires motel property for expansion project

Virginia Union University has purchased a nearby motel property in undertaking its first expansion in more than 40 years.

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Gov. Northam releases progressive 2020-22 budget plan

Smokers might have to shell out an extra 30 cents in tax for a pack of cigarettes to help offset the cost of tobacco-related illnesses that the state must pick up through Medicaid and other health care programs.

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VLBC members to hold 7 committee chairmanships

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus will hold an un- precedented 10 committee leadership posts in the House of Delegates when the new General Assembly session convenes in January.

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Tobacco purchase age likely to be raised to 21

The age for purchasing tobacco products and e-cigarettes is on track to be raised to 21 across the country, just as it is now in Virginia and 11 other states.

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Third man arrested in shooting death of 9-year-old Markiya Dickson

Richmond Police have arrested a third man in connection with the Memorial Day weekend murder of 9-year-old Markiya Dickson.

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Holiday schedule

In observance of Christmas, Wednesday, Dec. 25, please note the following...

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GRTC changes schedule for the holidays

GRTC will operate on Christmas Day and on New Year’s Day, but will cut back some runs in the afternoon and evening given the likelihood of lower ridership, the transit company announced this week.

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Hopkins Road Transfer Station closing for 2 months

The Hopkins Road Transfer Station will be closed for the next two months.

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Personality: John H. Brown III

Spotlight on founder of 5C’s Development Program

“We wanted to give back to the community in memory of my son.” Following the murder of Jomond A. Lightfoot in 2009, John H. Brown III sought to take his 25 years of experience in the building trade industry and 15 years of teaching carpentry and share it with “at-risk youths and adults who have a strong desire to change their lives,” he says. His hope: They would then take their new skills into the trade industry and improve the Metro Richmond area. The next year in February 2010, Mr. Brown established the 5C’s Development Program with his parents.

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Longtime educator and community volunteer Dr. Vasti DeLoatch dies at 87

Dr. Vasti DeLoatch touched the lives of thousands of children and adults through her work as an educator and in her various roles in the community.

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Black church believed to be oldest in U.S. finishes repairs in time for 246th anniversary

A black congregation that began worship services before the American Revolution has restored its historic church to a version of its former glory.

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Who are the Black Hebrew Israelites?

On Dec. 10, two individuals opened fire on a kosher supermarket in Jersey City, N.J. The violent attack — which occurred shortly after the assailants allegedly killed a police officer in a nearby cemetery — ultimately left three bystanders dead and three people wounded, including two police officers.

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Study: 40% of millenials not affiliated with religion

Millennials — those between ages 23 and 48 — are shaking up the workplace, transforming dating and undoing organized religion.

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Chavis graduates from NSU; next goal, NFL

Norfolk State University football opponents can finally exhale. After four years of tormenting the Spartans’ opponents, Nigel Chavis has traded in his helmet and shoulder pads for a cap and gown.

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QB Malcolm X. Perry sets record in Army-Navy game

The 120th renewal of the Army- Navy football game will be most remembered for the brilliance of Malcolm X. Perry.

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Former VCU standout Troy Daniels popping treys for Lakers

A former Virginia Commonwealth University standout has found a home—and a new nickname — with the NBA’s hottest team.

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Tom Joyner, the 'hardest working man in radio,' retires

The “fly jock” and “hardest working man in radio” has hung up his microphone.

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Talk Dec. 28 on Harriet Tubman

Researcher and author Elvatrice Belsches will talk about abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman and the impact of the Underground Railroad in Central Virginia during a presentation from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, at The Market @ 25th, 1330 N. 25th St. in Church Hill.

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11-year-old dancer breaks barrier in 'The Nutcracker'

For the first time, a young black dancer is playing the lead in the New York City Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker.”

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No neutral ground

We commend the thousands of people who turned out Tuesday night in rallies in more than 600 locales around the nation to call for the impeachment of President Trump. We believe that the president must be removed from office before he causes further damage and irreparable harm to our nation’s democracy. This is not a time for neutrality. The gravity of what is being debated in Congress — and on the streets of our nation — is too critical for any American to turn a blind eye or deaf ear.

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Hope during the holidays

During this holiday time, when it is easy to sink into a state of depression or despair because of finances, family, bad weather and bad news, we were buoyed last week when an envelope arrived at the Richmond Free Press office.

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Calling out the Republicans

When you elect a clown, expect a circus. And this month’s impeachment hearings have been precisely that. Yelling, shouting and disrespectful accusing seem more the rule than the exception.

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Non-discrimination protections are critical

“This place isn’t available anymore,” is one of the phrases I’m tired of hearing.

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Impeachment: Just another reality show

Growing up in Spotsylvania County, I was labeled a retard in my adolescence. In my 20s, I was branded a pansy with many other derogatory titles for unmanliness. Now, I have matured into obsolescence. Whatever branding life has bestowed upon me, I know enough to realize that the current impeachment hearings are no more than appeasement, not only to the losing Democrats of four years ago, but also to all the so-called tolerant who’ve disrespected the president.

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New details emerge about Coliseum replacement plan

Richmond City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille, rushing to get the governing body to vote on the $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement plan in late February, authorized a $25,000 increase in the contract for a private consultant to conduct a review of the proposal for City Council without first gaining a council vote, the Free Press has learned.

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Christy Coleman leaves American Civil War Museum

Christy Coleman is leaving Richmond to become executive director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, a state agency that operates museums that focus on the original English colony at Jamestown and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

Friday, December 13

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Thomas Jefferson loses in state semifinal

Thomas Jefferson High School’s finest football season in decades came up short of a state championship.

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America 2.0

Thousands turn out for the unveiling of artist Kehinde Wiley’s ‘Rumors of War,’ which many cited as a turning point from a Confederate past toward a more inclusive city

Kehinde Wiley’s monumental statue, “Rumors of War,” was unveiled Tuesday at its new home at the entrance of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, just steps from the headquarters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and a brisk walk from the controversial Confederate statues on Monument Avenue it was created in response to by the artist.

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Old Moore Street School continues to deteriorate during inaction over future

Jerome Legions is preparing to go on the warpath over the condition of historic Moore Street School.

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Trump 'betrayed the nation'

House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, declaring he “be- trayed the nation” with his actions toward Ukraine as they pushed toward historic proceedings that are certain to help define his presidency and shape the 2020 election.

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HBCU funding finally approved by U.S. Senate

Virginia Union University and four other historically black colleges and universities have moved a step closer to regaining direct federal funding after months of contention.

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Vote on Navy Hill project expected on Feb. 24

Monday, Feb. 24. That’s the date on which City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille wants the governing body to take a vote on the controversial $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement and Downtown development plan.

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Monument Avenue statues to be impacted by 2 proposed resolutions

City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray, 2nd District, wants to add a new monument to Monument Avenue that would honor black soldiers who fought in the Civil War.

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City Council sets fines for driving while talking, texting or holding cell phone

Just holding a cell phone in your hand while driving could soon cost you $125 in the city of Richmond.

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Close vote expected on pairing North Side elementary schools

A close vote is expected on whether to pair elementary schools in North Side with majority-black and majority-white student populations.

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RRHA gets 60 additional housing vouchers for people with disabilities

The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority has been awarded additional federal funding of $491,000 that will pay for 60 new Housing Choice vouchers to subsidize residences for low-income people with disabilities.

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Free flu shots for city residents

Free flu shots are being offered on most weekdays in December at the Richmond City Health District, 400 E. Cary St.

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Concerns raised over NAACP official's close ties to state political party

Has the Virginia State Conference NAACP crossed into partisan territory by naming the No. 2 officer of the state Democratic Party as its chief lobbyist?

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Personality: Robin Ann Brewster

Spotlight on Leadership Metro Richmond’s board chairwoman

A key factor in good leadership is being “a servant leader first and a good listener who seeks to learn and understand and whose actions demonstrate integrity, empathy and inclusion.” That’s the perspective and leading principle of Robin Ann Brewster, board chairwoman of Leadership Metro Richmond.

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Lt. Ashley N. Berry remembered during service at Second Baptist in South Richmond

“She was the best of the best,” Richmond Fire Chief Melvin Carter said.

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Va. inmate wins religious freedom lawsuit

For more than three years, Alfonza H. Greenhill has persisted in battling Virginia prison policies that blocked him from practicing the strict Sufi branch of Islam.

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N.C. A&T Aggies going to 4th Celebration Bowl in 5 years

North Carolina A&T State University is located in Greensboro, N.C., but Atlanta is becoming its football team’s December getaway. For the fourth time in the five year history of the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl, the Aggies will be spending time in the Georgia city.

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Okoye rebounding this season to help Lady Panthers with big wins

Ifunanya Okoye represents both the near and far on the Virginia Union University women’s basketball roster.

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Chesterfield's Charles Williams racking up the points at Howard

Charles Williams is already the top scorer in Howard University hoops history.

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Ravens QB Lamar Jackson set to break rushing record

As quarterbacks go, Lamar Jackson has a great arm — and perhaps even better feet.

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Photographing history: Richmond native Lawrence Jackson returns home with book about his years as President Obama's official White House photographer

Photojournalist Lawrence Jackson had covered national and international news events for the Associated Press for eight years. But he could feel that something was different when he rushed to Washington’s Lafayette Park on Election Night 2008. A spontaneous celebration of hundreds of people had erupted at the park across from the White House when Barack Obama was proclaimed the winner of the presidential election.

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Newest Soulidifly film, 'Hell on the Border,' to open Friday

Born enslaved, Bass Reeves rose to become a legendary U.S. deputy marshal who helped tame the Wild West, giving rise to speculation that he served as the model for the fictional white Lone Ranger.

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Fostering a new spirit

Editorials

We revel in the new energy and spirit that artist Kehinde Wiley’s monumental sculpture, “Rumors of War,” ushers into Richmond.

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AIDS and the black community by Marc H. Morial

Columnists

“The fact that there’s a conversation that occurs on an annual basis on World AIDS Day is significant. The fact that the president of the United States, on an annual basis, now, comments and discusses AIDS, keeps it on the agenda. I think a very, very concrete outcome of that discussion is that President Bush put forward billions of dollars toward the AIDS prevention and education effort for the United Nations. I don’t think that would’ve happened had it not been for World AIDS Day ...” — Jim Block, co-founder of World AIDS Day

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Sen. Kamala Harris 'still a winner' by Julianne Malveaux

Columnists

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California threw her hat in the ring early this year for the Democratic nomination for president before a crowd of more than 20,000 people in Oakland, Calif. She made the announcement on Jan. 21, the official Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. She jumped into the race with enthusiasm, and many people had high hopes for her.

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Proposed Navy Hill project will dilute black voting strength

Letter to the Editor

The 2,500 residential units called for in the Navy Hill District Corp. Downtown re- development project will result in Jackson Ward as we know it disappearing. This is because Jackson Ward will no longer be a predominately black community as it has historically been.

Friday, December 6

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Area teachers win R.E.B. Awards

Six teachers with Richmond Public Schools have been recognized with 2019 R.E.B. Awards for Teaching Excellence totaling more than $64,000.

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Take action, even after Election Day

Letter to the Editor

Election season has come and gone, and while the work of a new legislature begins, many constituents may recede back into the woodwork until their next turn at the polls. After all, voters have completed their responsibility, and it is now the job of lawmakers to care for their well-being, right? Not entirely.

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Open letter to Gov. Northam

Letter to the Editor

To Gov. Ralph S. Northam, As the elected business manager of a labor union that supported you in the 2017 election for governor, I continue to be disappointed in your actions. The comments you made to the revenue advisory council were shameful, but not surprising. The so-called “right-to-work” law does nothing but allow freeloaders on jobs covered by a union contract.

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Our stories are part of history by Dr. E. Faye Williams

Columnists

All of my life I had seen a white woman, fist up, a red bandana around her head, determination on her face and words above her saying “We Can Do It!” I never thought much about it until I attended a program this past summer where there were no women other than white women celebrating Rosie the Riverter, the cultural icon representing women who worked in factories and plants to support the war effort during World War II.

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'Sorry' doesn't always make it right by Julianne Malveaux

Columnists

Billionaire Mike Bloomberg entered the already-crowded Democratic presidential primary with a splash.

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Go Vikings!

Editorials

We send a cheer up for Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School football team as the players head to the state 2A semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 7, against Stuarts Draft High School in Augusta County.

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Eyes on the prize

Editorial

We find it interesting that the Richmond School Board, with all of its talk about the importance of equity and diversity, backed away from a school pairing plan when it approved new school attendance zones at its meeting this week.

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Soul Santa returns Dec. 7 and 14 to Black History Museum

Soul Santa is returning to the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, and again on Saturday, Dec. 14.

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New 'RVA Illuminates' to kick off holiday season Dec. 6 at Kanawha Plaza

It’s the most wonderful and magical time of the year, as dazzling and brightly colored displays and holiday festivities take over the city.

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Wade legacy continues at ODU

A second-generation Wade is helping to fuel Old Dominion University basketball this season.

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Santos-Silva is VCU's latest big man making his mark

VCU’s rich basketball history features a lengthy list of impressive big men. Marcus Santos-Silva is the latest shining example.

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Former Henrico County player wins big ACC football award

A former Highland Springs High School Springer has earned one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s highest football honors.

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South Side Ducks headed to Los Angeles

A Richmond youth team once again is headed to Los Angeles to compete in the Snoop Youth Football League National Tournament.

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Thomas Jefferson High's Shamar Graham warms up for state semifinal

It’s fitting Shamar Graham wears jersey No. 2 for Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School.

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RVA Street Singers host free concert Dec. 13

The RVA Street Singers will perform a free concert, “Unity, Happiness & Light,” at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, at Centenary United Methodist Church, 411 E. Grace St. in Downtown.

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Blessing of the Animals Dec. 13 in Shockoe Slip

The annual pre-Christmas ceremony to bless pets and working animals will take place at noon Friday, Dec. 13, at its traditional site — Morgan Fountain in the Shockoe Slip Plaza at 13th and Cary streets.

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City Planning Commission to take up Salvation Army relocation request in new year

A holiday truce has been declared in the seven-month battle over the Salvation Army’s proposal to move its Central Virginia headquarters and shelter from Downtown to North Side.

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Priest who brought Black Power into the Catholic Church dies at 87

Thanksgiving week began in mourning for the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and many black Catholics as news came that the Rev. George H. Clements died on Monday, Nov. 25, 2019. Only the second black priest ordained by the Chicago archdiocese, Rev. Clements had a profound impact on the American Catholic Church, the city of Chicago and countless lives across the country in his more than 60 years of service.

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City public defenders launch pay parity campaign

Public defenders who represent nearly half of the people facing criminal charges in Richmond’s court system are tired of being underpaid state employees.

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Funeral Dec. 7 for Richmond Fire Lt. Ashley N. Berry, 33

Final tributes will be paid to Richmond Fire Department Lt. Nicole Ashley Berry at noon Saturday, Dec. 7, at Second Baptist Church of South Richmond, 3300 Broad Rock Blvd.

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Personality: Kimberly Pleasants

Spotlight on board president of Richmond Story House

Richmond is rife with historical importance for the state, country and the world, but not all that history is treated with equal care and consideration. For all the lives and legacies that have fallen or risk falling between the cracks of a changing capital, the Richmond Story House seeks to uncover and elevate those stories.

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Dyer named new state fire marshal

Garrett Dyer is the new fire marshal for the state of Virginia. Gov. Ralph S. Northam announced the appointment of Mr. Dyer on Nov. 14.

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Dr. Robert Winn takes helm at VCU's Massey Cancer Center

Dr. Robert Winn, an expert in lung cancer and community- based health care, is the new director of the Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University.

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Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance ceremony to be held Dec. 7

Navy Cmdr. Jean Marie Sul- livan, commanding officer of the USS Whidbey Island, will be the keynote speaker at the Commonwealth’s Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance Ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Virginia War Memorial, 621 S. Belvidere St.

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Area environmental groups to hold march, rally on Friday

A coalition of Richmond area environmental groups will take part in a global climate strike on Friday, Dec. 6, with a 1 p.m. march from Monroe Park to the Capitol followed by a 2 p.m. gathering at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square to call for policy changes.

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RRHA redevelopment plan rejected by HUD

The city’s housing authority has been blocked, at least temporarily, from moving ahead with its sweeping plan for transforming public housing that has raised public concern about the impact on thousands of people if their government-owned rental units are replaced.

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School Board adopts new rezoning plan without pairing schools

After more than five hours and some heated discussions, the Richmond School Board voted 5-4 on Monday to accept a rezoning plan that would redraw school attendance boundaries in all parts of Richmond, along with other recommendations.

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A holiday wedding to remember

While every wedding seeks to be a memorable moment for everyone in attendance, none will have had the experience Donald McWilliams Jr. and Roberta Jennings will share this Saturday.

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Alabama unveils statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks

MONTGOMERY, Ala. A new statue of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks was dedicated in Alabama’s capital city on Sunday, the 64th anniversary of her historic refusal to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man.

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Terror on the road

After 17 years, a Chesapeake man opens up about his encounter with ‘The D.C. Snipers’

After 27 years in the Navy, Harley Peterson couldn’t help but evaluate a passing car as he would an unfamiliar ship cruising past his own off the coast of Vietnam or in the Atlantic.

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Independent, unbiased?

Questions raised by City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray about consulting firm’s ties to backers of the $1.5B Coliseum and Downtown development plan

A Chicago-based real estate development, hospitality, hotel and tourism consulting firm with ties to known advocates of the $1.5 billion Richmond Coliseum replacement plan has been tapped to undertake what was to be an independent and unbiased assessment of the proposal for Richmond City Council.

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Former First Lady Michelle Obama to speak at Richmond Forum

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is slated to speak in March at the Richmond Forum.