Thursday, September 30
Families plead for more information on missing loved ones
Richmonder Toni Jacobs wishes that her missing daughter could have gained the kind of national and social media exposure that the family of 22-year-old blonde Gabby Petito experienced.
RRHA transfers 204 apartment units to private company
The city’s housing authority is launching a new phase of its plan to turn over all of its public housing to private ownership.
RRHA extends eviction moratorium through end of the year
A month after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national eviction moratorium, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority has extended its moratorium on evictions through the end of the year.
Amtrak expands rail service from Main Street Station in Downtown
It took two years, but Richmond’s Main Street Station is now able to offer additional service to Washington, New York and Boston.
2021 Wilder symposium slated for Sept. 30
A panel of experts in public health, justice and economics will speak Thursday, Sept. 30, at the virtual 2021 Wilder Symposium hosted by former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder and the School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth Univer- sity that bears his name.
Positive COVID-19 cases climb among area students
Richmond Public Schools reported this week 241 positive cases of COVID-19, while Henrico County Public Schools reported 570 positive cases.
McAuliffe, Youngkin spar over vaccinations, taxes in final debate
Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin clashed Tuesday evening over vaccinations, tax policy, education and their respective records in the second and final debate in Virginia’s closely watched gubernatorial election.
RPS Chromebooks missing?
A major share of the estimated 20,000 Chromebooks that were distributed to Richmond students last year to help them connect to virtual classes have yet to be recovered or accounted for, the Free Press has been told.
COVID-19 booster shots available
The Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield health districts have opened appointments for area residents to get the Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot.
VSU hopes bad news will fall to good in Saturday’s match against St. Aug’s
Bad and good news are sprinkled together for Virginia State University’s beleaguered football team.
VUU on a roll; taking on Shaw this Saturday
Virginia Union University football has gone from famine to feast—and the Panthers are hungry for more.
Melvin Van Peebles, ‘godfather’ of modern Black cinema, dies at 89
Melvin Van Peebles, the groundbreaking filmmaker, playwright and musician whose work ushered in the “blaxploitation” wave of the 1970s and influenced filmmakers long after, has died. He was 89.
Singer Sarah Dash, co-founder of Labelle, dies at 76
Singer Sarah Dash, who co-founded the all-female group Labelle—best known for the rau- cous 1974 hit “Lady Marmalade”—has died. She was 76.
David N. Smith, former banking executive and state official, dies at 66
David Nathaniel Smith wanted to be a journal- ist but found his road to success in commercial sales and banking.
Teen gun ban remains intact
A federal ban on gun sales to young people who are old enough to vote but have not reached the drinking age of 21 is still the law—for now.
Natural gas price hike expected with Oct. bills
Richmonders who cook and heat with natural gas are about to be hit with a sharp jump in the cost of the fuel heading into winter.
K’Vaughan Pope gets the boot from Ohio State
Former Dinwiddie High School football standout K’Vaughan Pope has been dismissed from the team at Ohio State University.
Hickory Hill and City Hall now open for early voting
In-person early voting is now being offered at City Hall in Downtown and at the Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side, as well as the city Voter Registrar’s Office in North Side.
School Board, administration thwarted own tenets set up for RPS food service
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras appeared to have undermined a key tenet of the School Board’s approved three-year-old school improvement plan, Dreams4RPS, with decisions about the cafeteria operation and the delivery of food that were made before schools reopened earlier this month.
Hopewell’s TreVeyon Henderson sets freshman rushing record
TreVeyon Henderson hardly broke stride in moving from Hopewell High School to football’s national spotlight at Ohio State University.
Explanation, please
Please explain to me why swarms of Haitian refugees from the first Black republic in the Western Hemisphere are choking the border of the United States trying to get into this incorrigibly racist, white supremacist country?
The brotherhood of male bullying
Now that 11 people have been indicted and arrested recently in connection with the hazing death of Virginia Commonwealth University student Adam Oakes, universities have to become more involved to establish bylaws that would abandon fraternity hazing and dismantle its humiliating and restraining tyrannical unmanning posturing.
Another lost cause loser
The self-declared “very stable genius” and former social media influencer Donald Trump loves slavery and the lost cause of Robert E. Lee’s defeated Confederacy so much, he just can’t keep his ignorant mouth shut.
‘I don’t like where things are headed’ with U.S. Supreme Court
Former President Trump added three conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court during his tenure in office.
Learning Black history to build upon it, by A. Peter Bailey
One of the main reasons for knowing Black history is so important.
Flexibility for whom?, by Julianne Malveaux
I had not planned to have a policy conversation when I boarded my connecting flight from Detroit to D.C.
Playing politics
Another U.S. government shutdown is imminent this week if Senate Republicans don’t end their blockade of an agree- ment to fund government operations beyond the last day of the federal fiscal year on Sept. 30.
Metropolitan Opera makes history with first work by a Black composer
“We bend, we don’t break. We sway!” sings the chorus in the second act of Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up in My Bones.”
33rd Annual 2nd Street Festival returns Oct. 2 and 3 in Jackson Ward
The annual 2nd Street Festival, Richmond’s free fall music and cultural festival celebrating Jackson Ward, returns this weekend after going virtual last year because of COVID-19.
Thomas Jefferson High shuts out rival John Marshall 37-0
It’s like Thomas Jefferson High School has planted a “Do Not Enter” sign on its defensive goal line.
Personality: Mollie S. Reinhart
Spotlight on founder of Befriend
With COVID-19 still a clear and present danger, building and maintaining human connection can be difficult. It’s a need that Mollie S. Reinhart and the orga- nization she founded, Befriend, seek to address.
Obamas break ground for $830M presidential library
After five years of legal battles, gentrification concerns and a federal review, Barack and Michelle Obama dug shovels into the ground Tuesday during a celebratory groundbreaking on their legacy project in a lakefront Chicago park.
Convicting R. Kelly
R&B superstar R. Kelly faces up to life in prison after being convicted Monday on the testimony and strength of Black women who would not let the justice system forget what happened
For years, decades even, allegations swirled that R&B superstar R. Kelly was abusing young women and girls, with seeming impunity.
Thursday, September 23
School Board rejects terminating contract for school food vendor
The Richmond School Board and schools administration debated the future of who will be contracted to provide meals to the city’s 24,000 students and what they will eat after last week’s public outrage over the condition, quality and nutritional value of the “Grab and Go” meals delivered to schools daily by provider Preferred Meals.
New ‘Emancipation and Freedom Monument’ unveiling draws crowds, tears
“Overwhelming!” “Excited!” “Proud!” Those were some of the comments from onlookers as they viewed the state’s new “Emancipation and Freedom Monument” that was unveiled Wednesday on Brown’s Island on the James River in Richmond’s Downtown.
Denied their chance
Racism and segregation wouldn’t allow young African-Americans in Richmond to use whites-only pool for life-saving swimming merit badge in quest to become Eagle Scouts
J. Maurice Hopkins never wanted this story written.
Personality: Kisha Beaner Howcott
Spotlight on founder and CEO of Clothed by Love Mentoring
The new school year brings all kinds of concerns for students, even without the threat of an ongoing pandemic. And while some concerns require specific solutions, the need for clothing is being met thanks to a mobile boutique, courtesy of Kisha Beaner How- cott and her group, Clothed by Love Mentoring.
Va native, NFL Pro-Bowler Roger Brown dies at 84
Roger Brown was a big man with talent and ambition to match.
BlackTop youth program loses gym space
A private South Side youth program that won plaudits and a $500,000 city grant for its virtual school operation that served more than 80 students daily during the 2020-21 school year has been evicted from its home in a church gymnasium and is scrambling to find a new location for its operations.
VUU’s Jada Byers turns on the speed
Expectations were sky high for Jada Byers and, so far, he has lived up to them.
Local screenwriter hopes next stop will be Academy Awards
Henry K. Myers is realizing the dream of every amateur screenwriter – to see his words turned into a film.
City registrar takes heat for delay in opening satellite voting locations
Keith G. Balmer, Richmond’s new voter registrar, was rushing to start early in-person voting next week at two satellite locations—City Hall in Downtown and the Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side.
Why Virginia Republicans will lose in November
One needs to look no further than last year’s presidential election results in Virginia to understand why Republican Glenn Youngkin will lose the gubernatorial race this No- vember.
Global warming is real, by Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
Record fires in Oregon and California. Floods in Houston and New York. Deadly winter storms in Texas. Droughts across much of the west. Flash floods in England and Germany. Blinding dust storms in China. One hundred year cyclones devastate Fiji and Indonesia. Deadly droughts across sub-Saharan Africa. Wildfires in Greece and Italy.
Pass the Freedom to Vote Act, by Ben Jealous
Republican-controlled state legislatures have imposed new voting restrictions. They are getting ready to create more safe congressional seats for Republicans through abusive partisan redistricting. They are undermining faith in elections with false claims about election fraud and demands for fake “audits.”
Haitians and a history of U.S. mistreatment
The inhumane treatment of thousands of Haitian migrants encamped and stuck at the U.S.-Mexico border on the Rio Grande near Del Rio, Texas, is just the latest example of the double standard employed by this country regarding Black immigrants.
Beyonce and Jay-Z give $2M to NSU, 4 other HBCUs
The music industry’s power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé have pledged $2 million in scholarship funds for art and creative students at five HBCUs, including Norfolk State University.
’Coming Out of the Corona Crab & Q’ event slated for Sept. 16
Free crabs and barbeque will be served Sunday, Sept. 26, at “Coming Out of the Corona Crab & Q,” an event sponsored by several community organizations aimed at getting out the vote, stopping violence in the community, calling for new city schools to be built and getting people vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Kattz Angelz to host anti-violence car and motorcycle parade Sept. 25
Motorcycles and cars will parade through the city on Saturday, Sept. 25, to promote an end to violence in low-income areas and to raise money for families of victims of shootings, it has been announced.
Roundball legends Neblett and Dark host bookbag giveaway in Danville
A couple of Richmond roundball legends, Ray Neblett and Jesse “Bodine” Dark, are teaming up to serve Danville area youths.
Washington’s Fuller is last of 4 brothers to make it to the NFL
Kendall Fuller, the fourth of four brothers to reach the NFL, is making the most so far of his second stint with the Washington Football Team.
Flying Squirrels wrap up season with big crowds and a record number of homers
The Richmond Flying Squirrels 2021 season may be best remembered for home crowds and home runs.
VSU Trojans hoping for a win against Fayetteville State
Virginia State University’s football team is hoping a bus ride down Interstate 95 will lead to its first football victory of the season.
Hampton beats Howard in the ‘Battle for the Real HU’
Even the moral support of Vice President Kamala Harris couldn’t save her alma mater, Howard University, last Saturday in Washington, D.C.
Students to face new ‘growth assessment’ tests this fall
Richmond Public School students will be required to take a statewide growth assessment test starting this fall.
City Addresses problems in three new school buildings
City Hall is blaming manufacturing defects for flaws in three new school buildings that opened for in-person classes on Sept. 8.
Commonwealth Catholic Charities to lead city’s winter overflow shelter efforts
Homeless people needing shelter in Richmond beginning Friday, Oct. 1, through mid-April will have a place to stay if the private shelters are full during cold weather.
Golden Nugget donates $1M to Virginia’s HBCUs
A $1 million donation to the five historically Black universities in Virginia.
Driver, mechanic shortages could lead to GRTC service cuts
Offering bonuses of $5,000 to $8,500, GRTC is seeking to lure more drivers to its ranks and avoid cutting service.
30 city employees face possible firing over COVID-19 vaccination mandate
With the City of Richmond just days away from the Oct. 1 deadline for all employees to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, all but 30 workers have gotten the vaccine or filed religious or medical exemptions to the city mandate.
Thursday, September 16
VSU heads into CIAA play with 0-2 record
Virginia State University has shown it can drive nearly the length of the field for a touchdown.
Time capsule with items from a new Virginia buried at former Lee site
The streets of Monument Avenue were filled with sounds of construction equipment last Thursday as more than a dozen workers searched from sunrise to sunset, and through sporadic rainfall, for a 134-year-old time capsule believed to be hidden in the base of the pedestal that until Sept. 8 held the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Tough love
Task force recommends subpoena powers for police oversight board
A recommendation for creating a powerful new city office to police the police has been sent to Richmond City Council for review.
Trial in ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ college admissions scandal gets underway
The first full trial in the college admissions bribery scandal opened Monday with defense attorneys seeking to portray the two parents accused of buying their childrens’ way into school as victims of a con man who believed their payments were legitimate donations.
Personality: Lawrence E. West Jr.
Spotlight on founder of Black Lives Matter RVA
For many, the removal of the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the pedestal where it stood for more than a century was a symbolic moment that could herald further progress and change. For Lawrence E. West Jr., founder of Black Lives Matter RVA, the removal was something more substantial and critical.
Funeral service Sept. 21 for Dr. Clifton Whitaker Jr., pastor emeritus of Grayland Baptist Church
Dr. Clifton Whitaker Jr. set out to be a career Richmond police officer, but injury after 17 years on the force opened the door to a new career in ministry.
Trial set for Oct. 12 in Fourth Baptist Church dispute
A Richmond Circuit Court judge on Tuesday refused to throw out a case in which some members of historic Fourth Baptist Church have sought protection for their voting rights in church affairs, clearing the way for a trial scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 12.
VUU to play VUL Sept. 18 in Willard Bailey Classic
Who is Coach Bailey rooting for?
Virginia Union University’s long-awaited first football game on its beautifully renovated field left much to be desired. The game this Saturday, Sept. 18, against beleaguered Virginia University of Lynchburg figures to produce far happier results.
Inside Met Gala, where there’s always someone more famous
U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe had just gotten her beverage at the bar at the edge of the room. She looked back at the throbbing crowd of celebrities packed into the center of the airy Petrie Court, where the Met Gala was holding its cocktail reception.
Confederate A.P. Hill statue may be headed to Culpeper
The last city-owned Confederate statue is on its way out of Richmond, though the process will not be swift because a grave is involved, according to Mayor Levar M. Stoney.
’Monumental Conversations:’ RPS launches new, free app offering insight into community feelings about Confederate statues that lined Monument Avenue
A new mobile app gives people the ability to hear the stories of the generational resistance of Black Richmonders to the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue that once stood as symbols of the white “Lost Cause” narrative.
Early voting begins Sept. 17 for Virginia’s top posts
The future direction of Virginia’s government is now in the hands of voters, with early voting cranking up on Friday, Sept. 17 – 45 days ahead of the official Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
RPS opens with problems with lunches, new buildings
Richmond Public Schools reopened last week and school trash cans are overflowing with rejected prepackaged lunches that students would rather throw away than eat. And parents don’t blame them.
Mayor Stoney details plans for using $155M in American Rescue Plan funds
Mayor Levar M. Stoney on Monday called for using the $155 million inAmerican Rescue Plan funds pouring into City Hall coffers to increase the inventory of homes and apartments that are more affordable for lower-income residents; beef up recreation facilities and improve access to the James River; invest in child care programs and in health programs; improve public safety; and provide $3,000 bonuses for first re- sponders.
Kamras offers plan to change role of public safety in schools
Richmond schools Superintendent Jason Kamras presented to the School Board a list of recommendations designed to re- imagine the day-to-day roles of those charged with security in schools.
Pandemic forcing Black morticians to bury their own in profession
When the last mourners departed and funeral director Shawn Troy was left among the headstones, he wept alone.
Armstrong High, wearing throwback jerseys for Armstrong-Kennedy, blitzes John Marshall
A change of nickname and change of uniforms may have helped change the luck of Armstrong High School’s football team—at least for one night.
HBCU teams banking on more memorable – and winning – football weekend
It was a weekend to forget for state HBCU and MEAC football teams.
Washington NFL team likely looking to Heinicke in current pinch
The revolving door continues to spin in the Washington Football Team huddle.
Sanders makes coach’s job easy
Shedeur Sanders is making his father, Coach Deion Sanders, look good.
Lessons taught at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Nine teams passed on Paul Pierce in the 1998 NBA draft, and if you think he doesn’t remember each and every one of them, then you don’t know Paul Pierce.
‘Forgotten First:’ A look at four – and more – NFL trailblazers
In this era of racial reckoning, it’s not only appropriate but significant that the stories of NFL trailblazers be told.
Where is the love?
“Reopen With Love 2.0” was the mantra being espoused by Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras as thousands of students returned to the classroom last week for in-person learning for the first time since March 2020 and the onset of the pandemic.
Va. voters’ choice: Moving forward or going back, by Ben Jealous
Virginia voters will pick the state’s next governor in November. The choice couldn’t be clearer, and neither could the national implications of this race in a bellwether state. Not only is the Virginia election a curtain-raiser for the midterm elections of 2022, it’s also the biggest test so far of whether the Trumpified GOP can win major races.
‘Antiracist public health approach’ needed to substance abuse, by Marc H. Morial
“He was a Hollywood star with an off-Broadway paycheck that mostly went up his nose. He was a pacifist with a barroom- brawl, razor scar down the middle of his face. He played a sneering killer but started his career in dance tights. On set, he was Omar Little, the Robin Hood of the hood feared by fictional street thugs who feared nothing else. Off it, he was an aimless soul begging for someone — anyone — to love and accept him for who he was, not who he played.” — Kevin Manahan, Newark Star-Ledger
Talk about the real issues
On Thursday, Sept. 9, I was interviewed by two white people – a man with a camera and a woman reporter from a local television station – in front of the U.S. Post Office on Main Street in Downtown regarding President Biden’s mandate about COVID-19 vaccines. The purpose of the interview was to get me to say something negative about President Biden. I did not take the bait.
Thursday, September 9
Thomas Jefferson High is going for third win Friday
The Thomas Jefferson High School football program has picked up in 2021 where it left off in 2019.
Field at N.C. stadium named to honor legendary Coach Bill Hayes
Bill Hayes first made his football coaching mark at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. Now that mark will become permanent.
Honoring Tony Cosby
Re “Actor Tony D. Cosby, who portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in area productions for decades, dies at 66,” Free Press Sept. 2-4 edition:
Playing politics with students’ health
Across the country, students are embarking on what is certain to be a third consecutive academic year that is compromised or disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A return to the regrettable past, by E. Faye Williams
Unquestionably, Maya Angelou’s most famous quote is: “If someone tells you who they are, believe them the first time.”
A new day
It’s gone. The six-story statue of Confeder- ate Gen. Robert E. Lee, which stood as a towering symbol of white supremacy over Richmond and the South since 1890, is down.
Ruth Coles Harris Leadership Institute’s Leadership Awards Luncheon slated for Sept.18
Six people who have made lasting impacts within their com- munities and on Virginia Union University will be honored at the 2021 Ruth Coles Harris Leadership Institute’s Leadership Awards Luncheon.
30th Annual Down Home Family Reunion slated for Sept. 12 at Kanawha Plaza
The Legendary Blue Notes will headline a revived Down Home Family Reunion that returns this week- end, but at a new location in Downtown, it has been announced.
Friends throw fundraiser for singer Carlton Blount
Carlton V. Blount’s voice has taken him to New York, Los Angeles and a host of other places he could only dream about when he was growing up in Richmond.
Basketball star Hansel Emmanuel to play for Tennessee State
Tennessee State University is sold on Hansel Emmanuel Donato Dominguez, even though the high school hoops standout has only one arm.
Naomi Osaka announces hiatus after U.S. Open defeat
Retired athletes voiced their support for four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka last Saturday after she said she would take a break from tennis, having lost her enthusiasm for competition.
Washington Football Team’s ticket to success: ‘The Roadblock’
In searching for a nickname for the Washington Football Team’s vaunted defense, “The Roadblock” seems to fit.
NSU to take on Wake Forest Sept. 11
Norfolk State University will need to work on its punting game before venturing to Wake Forest University this Saturday, Sept. 11, in Winston-Salem, N.C. Kickoff is at noon.
Howard University gets beat by UR; heading to Maryland
It’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for Howard University’s Bison.
VSU falls to Lenoir-Rhyne; now headed to Ohio for Saturday matchup
In search of an offensive spark, Virginia State University is headed to Columbus, Ohio, with a 0-1 record and many questions to be answered.
Alan G. Reese Sr., accountant, dies at 64
Alan Gerard Reese, a veteran accountant who also was involved in the revival of Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood, has died.
Project Restore Community Outreach Day at Chesterfield flea market
Project Restore and E.Y.P.C., Empowering Youth for Positive Change, are holding a Community Outreach Day 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Jefferson Davis Flea Market, 5700 Jefferson Davis Hwy. in Chesterfield County.
Community health fair Sept. 11 at Hillside Court
A group of churches, community and religious organizations are hosting the Mind, Body & Soul Health Fair in Hillside Court from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, in the Hillside Court public housing community, 1500 Harwood St.
Three Virginia HBCUs join Apple initiative
Three historically Black universities in Virginia are part of an Apple-inspired initiative to get more people of color involved in computer coding and computer science.
RAA earns re-accreditation
The Richmond Ambulance Authority still ranks among the top ambulance companies in the country despite personnel shortages that have slowed its responses to emergency calls.
Ex-prosecutor charged in Ahmaud Arbery case booked at jail
The former prosecutor charged with misconduct for her handling of the Ahmaud Arbery case was booked at a Georgia jail on Wednesday and released.
After bowing to Hampton, VUU to play home opener Saturday against Valdosta State
Virginia Union University will play its first game on Willie Lanier Field at Hovey Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 11, and it might help if Lanier himself could play for the Panthers.
Dr. Walton M. Belle, longtime Richmond surgeon and team doctor for VUU Panthers, dies at 91
Dr. Walton McNeil Belle Sr. combined surgery with a flair for business.
Personality: Melanie K. Frank
Spotlight on board chair of the Full Circle Grief Center
During COVID-19, grief has become a greater presence in the lives of many people with the large numbers of people stricken with, hospitalized by or who succumbed to the virus. For Richmonders struggling with this part of life, Melanie K. Frank and the Full Circle Grief Center have been working to be a helping hand.
9/11 artifacts share ‘pieces of truth’ in victims’ stories
For nearly six years, Andrea Haberman’s ashen and damaged wallet lay mostly untouched in a drawer at her parents’ Wisconsin home, along with a partly melted cell phone, her driver’s license, credit cards, checkbook and house keys. Flecks of rust had formed on the rims of her eyeglasses, their lenses shattered and gone.
From hatred to hope
The 131-year old, 12-ton bronze symbol of white supremacy honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue is taken down as scores watch in person and online
An empty pedestal covered with colorful anti-racist slogans. That’s all that remains of the state’s greatest symbol of white supremacy – the statue of the traitorous Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee riding his horse, Traveller.
City may wind up with surplus from 2020-21 budget year
City Hall appears to have weathered the financial storm caused by the pandemic and could wind up reporting a surplus for the 2020-21 fiscal year that ended June 30 after the final numbers are in.
Thursday, September 2
Martinsville Seven pardoned
Gov. Ralph S. Northam uses his power to help right a decades-old wrong in which seven Black men from Martinsville were executed in 1951 without due process
It took 70 years, but the Martinsville Seven have finally been pardoned.
In praise of GOP candidate for governor
Re Letter to the editor ‘GOP candidate a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” ’ Free Press Aug. 12-14 edition:
‘Don’t believe everything you read ... in the Richmond Free Press’
Re “Jury still out: After a year on the job, Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith has not won over many officers or residents either through style or substance,” Free Press Aug. 12-14 edition, and “Vacancies hurting Richmond’s emergency operations,” Free Press Aug. 26-28 edition:
The party of Lincoln no longer exists, by David W. Marshall
When I hear today’s Republicans refer to themselves as the party of Lincoln, I have to stop and shake my head. Do Republicans really know what the party of Abraham Lincoln actually stood for?
On this Labor Day 2021
We honor all those whose talents and hard work make our own lives possible each day.
Rev. Jackson in rehab; wife out of ICU
The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s wife has been moved from intensive care back into a regular room at the Chicago hospital where she is being treated for COVID-19, her family said in a statement on Monday.
450 goal reached in campaign for new Richmond Planet license plate
Coming soon: A new license plate bearing the Black power logo of a historic newspaper that fought lynching and other forms of oppression in Richmond and Virginia.
N.C. Central beats Alcorn State in Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge
HBCUs got a rare crack at primetime, national television coverage on Aug. 28, and North Carolina Central University wasn’t blinded by the lights.
Clyde the Glide’ Austin’s grandson signs with Oakland school
Alii Bledsoe, the 6-foot-5 grandson of Clyde Austin, has accepted a basketball scholarship to Lincoln University of Oakland, Calif.
VCU gets the jump and signs Varina High standout Alphonzo Billups
After whiffing at some of the area’s top local hoops prospects in recent years, Virginia Commonwealth University has hit what may be a home run with Alphonzo Billups.
Former NBA star J.R. Smith OKed by NCAA for collegiate golf
J.R. Smith is trading in his sneakers for a pair of golf spikes.
VSU Trojans looking for a winning opener Sept. 4 against Lenoir-Rhyne
Virginia State University has chosen a most challenging opponent to shake off the thick rust and dust and open the football season.
Henry L. Marsh III Elementary School: A building worthy of kings and queens
Henry L. Marsh III grew up across the street from the handsome new elementary school in Church Hill that is named in his honor.
Perry L. Briggs Sr., member of the Walker Sports Hall of Fame, dies at 92
Perry Lee Briggs Sr., a former football star at Maggie Walker High School and Virginia Union University, has died.
Promises by Bon Secours for new medical office buildings go unfulfilled
Bon Secours is still struggling to build long-awaited medical office buildings that collectively would create at least 175 new jobs in Church Hill and at the Westhampton School property the health care organization controls in the West End.
Congressman Scott’s annual Labor Day political event canceled
Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott’s Annual Labor Day Picnic has been canceled because of the resurgence of COVID-19.
Eviction protections still in place for Va. renters
Eviction protections are still in place for struggling Virginia renters despite last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that appears to open the floodgates for landlords to go to court to remove tenants who have fallen far behind.
Richmond Public Schools issues request for design proposals for new George Wythe building
Richmond Public Schools took a big step this week in its goal to open a new George Wythe High School in August 2024.
School reopening a push-pull for some parents and educators
After a year of virtual learning because of the coronavirus and new concerns about the highly contagious delta variant, Richmond Public Schools students, teachers, staff and contractors must mask up as schools open next Wednesday, Sept. 8.
Labor Day 2021
In observance of the Labor Day holiday on Monday, Sept. 6, please note the following:
Snafu puts warehouse donated to RPS on path for auction
In a surprise move, City Hall appears to be pushing to sell at auction for unpaid taxes a tobacco factory that was donated to Richmond Public Schools, which plans to convert it into a career and technical education high school, but is now owned by a for-profit entity.
Richmond ice cream queen gives the scoop on Food Network competition
You scream. I scream. Everybody screams for Rabia Kamara, who has won the first two rounds in “Ben & Jerry’s: Clash of the Cones,” a competition to create a new ice cream flavor broadcast on the Food Network.
VUU-Hampton football matchup this weekend has history dating to 1906
Virginia Union University is hopeful its 2021 football opener is a carbon copy of the 2019 lid lifter.
Actor Tony D. Cosby, who portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in area productions for decades, dies at 66
For more than 35 years, Tony Darnell Cosby portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for audiences in the Richmond area and beyond.
Personality: Allison Kay Coles-Johnson
Spotlight on co-chair of F.A.C.T.S., Finding a Cure Together 4 Sickle Cell
Allison Kay Coles-Johnson is half a million dollars away from bringing new hope and opportunity to thousands of Virginians and millions of others across the world.
Small signs of recovery starting after Ida’s devastation
Lights came back on for a fortunate few, some corner stores opened their doors and crews cleared fallen trees and debris from a growing number of roadways Wednesday — small signs of progress amid the monumental task of repairing the damage inflicted by Hurricane Ida.
