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Stories for October 2022

Thursday, October 27

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VP Harris celebrates $1B award to schools for electric buses

Nearly 400 school districts spanning all 50 states and Washington, D.C., along with several tribes and U.S. territories, are receiving roughly $1 billion in grants to purchase about 2,500 “clean” school buses under a new federal program.

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Gov. Youngkin blames low NAEP scores on former Va. leaders

The 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, released this week, show that for the first time in 30 years, Virginia’s fourth-grade students have fallen below the national average in reading and are barely above the national average in math.

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Scholar and preacher Walton named next president of Princeton Seminary

The Rev. Jonathan Lee Walton, an academician, preacher and administrator who has served on the faculties of Wake Forest and Harvard divinity schools, has been named the next president of Princeton Theological Seminary.

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Educator Charles L. Walker, 71, dies

Charles Len “Herm” Walker spent more than 35 years involved with the education of Richmond children.

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City football scoreboard

Games to date; next game

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Bethune-Cookman grad Willie Mack III wins APGA

HBCU’s have produced an impres- sive list of pro football, basketball, baseball and track stars. But golf?

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VSU’s comeback story is a page-turner

Men of Troy, 5-3, favored to defeat Lincoln Oct. 29

There are thousands of college football players but probably only one Jordan Davis.

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Hampton football player reveals his sexuality

Hampton University’s Byron Perkins has become the first HBCU football player to announce he is gay.

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Hampton loses homecoming game to Richmond 41-10

Hampton University is finding out, the hard way, why the Colonial Athletic Association ranks with the nation’s toughest FCS conferences.

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VUU’s winning streak continues with rout of Lincoln

Saturday’s Chowan match may decide CIAA Northern title

Jada Byers keeps a rockin.’ The Panthers keep a rollin.’

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Gun violence rips through RPS

Richmond Public Schools students are being shot on the way to the store and on the way to school. It is happening on Northside, Southside, in broad daylight and at night. Elementary school students have had their school day interrupted because of gunfire. The RPS school year has not yet completed two full months. Four students have been shot and hundreds of students have been near gunfire while at their schools.

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Yellen boosts Biden’s agenda in Virginia as midterms near

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is promoting Biden administration policies as the key to advancing the nation’s “long-term economic well-being” in the lead-up to the midterm elections.

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‘When someone shows you who they are, believe them’, by Dr. E. Faye Williams

In this campaign season, I am reminded of the fable of the scorpion and the frog.

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Better wages for low-wage workers at tipping point, by Clarence Page

As our pre-pandemic way of life struggles to make a come- back—which I, for one, am rooting for it to do—one tradition that I greet with mixed emotions is my personal subsidy to low-wage workers. I’m talking about tipping.

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Fade to dark

What a week. From failing test scores to another vigil for a young Black person to yet another police chief’s resignation. So much bad news within just a few days leaves many of us cynical, fearful, speechless and definitely exhausted.

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Therapy for area youths is more than just talk

When Ticeses Teasley separated from her children’s father, her teenage son, Nahkai, started acting out and fighting in school. As a licensed mental health professional and life coach, the mother of four boys recognized the behavior as a result of her son experiencing emotions he did not know how to appropriately handle.

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VCU to host conference dedicated to community partnerships

Preventing youth violence, reducing health disparities and improving academic achievement and maternal health are challenges increasingly faced by communities throughout the country. Organizers of an upcoming community engagement confer- ence hope to explore ways to form new partnerships to address such concerns. During the daylong Nov. 3 “Connect: Community Engagement Conference,” Virginia Commonwealth University faculty will discuss “experiential learning opportunities with VCU students and community-based research to address community identified needs,” according to a news release. The conference is sponsored by the VCU College of Humani- ties and Sciences and the VCU Office of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success. Community members, community organizations and faculty, staff, students and alumni at VCU are invited to come together for a day of learning, networking

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Judge rules City can remove A.P. Hill statue

The last statue of a slavery-defending Confederate still standing in Richmond can be removed after 130 years.

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An eerie tour on Kanawha Canal

Richmonders looking for a spooky seaside treat on Halloween can do so courtesy of Riverfront Canal Cruises, host of a series of tours on Saturday, Oct. 29.

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Community Harvest Festival returns after hiatus

Where can you find a safe place for your children to trick-or-treat on Halloween?

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Virginia NAACP opposes governor’s transgender policies

The public comment period for response to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s transgender policies ended Oct. 26. On the same day, at 9 a.m., Virginia’s NAACP President Robert N. Barnette, Jr. made clear the organization’s stance on the issue. “The “NAACP opposes them all,” he said during a news conference.

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Reunion planned for RPS’ 1972 high school graduates

Fifty years ago, thousands of Richmond students were daily boarding school buses to carry out a federal court order to integrate the city’s public schools.

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Free Covid-19 testing, vaccines

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues.

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High job hopes

Nonprofit offers former convicts free solar training for brighter futures

Criminal convictions can be a real barrier to finding work.

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Intervention group secures funding to address gun violence

A new plan to prevent gun violence is underway in Richmond as well as funding to support the initiative.

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26th Beautillion to recognize area students

Six young men will be recognized for their educational accomplishments, Nov. 5 during the Professionals Reaching Out to the Community Foundation’s 26th Annual Beautillion.This year’s theme is “Unmasking Greatness.”

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Local Series fans may remember Astros’ Dusty Baker and Justin Verlander

If Richmond-area baseball fans are looking for a “hometown hero,” the Houston Astros offer two choices.

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CeCe Winans first Black female to win Dove Artist of the Year

CeCe Winans, already a multi-Grammy-winning gospel singer, added a historic win at the 2022 GMA Dove Awards, the contemporary Christian music honors, becoming the first African-American female solo artist to be named Artist of the Year.

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Businessman and civic activist Anson L. Bell, 69, dies

Anson Lloyd Bell, a Richmond contractor and businessman who was active in community affairs, has died. Mr. Bell, who crusaded for Black inclusion in city contracts and on other issues, died Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022. He was 69.

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Personality: Laura Coleman

Spotlight on board president of the Next Move Program

Laura Coleman knows firsthand the challenges of managing a disability, and the need for a world that fully embraces and empowers those who live with disabilities.

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Police Chief Gerald Smith resigns

20-year-veteran Richard Edwards becomes acting chief

The troubled tenure of Police Chief Gerald M. Smith is over.

Thursday, October 20

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When color struck the World Series

The New York Giants caught the 1954 championship with three Black players

Baseball’s World Series began in 1903 but it wasn’t until 1947 that Black athletes became a part of that so-called “World.”

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John V. Moeser, an advocate of racial equity and justice, dies at 79

Educator and equity advocate John V. Moeser, who spent decades researching and inter- rogating Virginia and the South’s relationship with race, poverty and equality, died Monday, Oct. 17, 2022, following a lengthy illness. He was 79.

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Byron Allen buys $100 million home

Media mogul ByronAllen just became the first African-American to pay $100 million for a home in the United States.

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Shelter in place?

Homeless advocacy group says many unaware of warm housing when temperatures drop

As temperatures plunged into the 30s this week as fore- cast, a reluctant City Hall at the last minute grudgingly opened two overnight shelters – one for 50 single men and one for 50 single women, but none for those with children. Mayor Levar M. Stoney and his administration quietly sent email notices to some home- less groups about opening, but refused to issue any public statement in an apparent bid to reduce demand — follow- ing the script from the Sept. 30 tropical storm when only 12 homeless people managed to find the unannounced city shelter to get out of the heavy downpour. As was the case Sept. 30, most people who needed a warm place never got the word, ac- cording to a homeless advocacy organization, which decried the fact the city waited until 6 p.m. to announce the two shelters had opened an hour earlier. The shelters at United Na- tions Church, 214 Cowardin Ave. in South Side, and at the

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Operation Bold Blue Line

Youngkin plans to reduce homicides, shootings with more police, higher pay

What’s the solution to the spate of shootings and violence that appears to be on the upswing in Richmond and across the state?

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Student loan forgiveness application website goes live

President Biden on Monday officially kicked off the application process for his student debt cancellation program and announced that 8 million borrowers had already applied for loan relief during the federal government’s soft launch period over the weekend.

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Personality: Kimberly M. Jennings

Spotlight on board president of the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation

For the last five years, Kimberly M. Jennings has been a key part in providing life-saving resources and support for tens of thousands of Virginians who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

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‘Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner’ is coming to Richmond Ballet

As a 14-year-old in Toronto, Canada, Jennifer Archibald was determined to get the autograph of Alvin Ailey Artistic Director Judith Jamison after seeing her with the world-famous troupe.

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Anthony J. ‘Tony’ Binga Jr., 60, dies

Richmonder’s talent for building relationships helped broaden health insurer’s reach

Anthony J. “Tony” Binga Jr., a friendly, outgoing man who played a key role in naming and expanding Virginia Premier, a Richmond-based managed health insurance operation, has died.

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Fans, and others, can’t help ignore Jackson State’s winning ways

Jackson State is having perhaps its greatest football season on the field and at the ticket booth, but how good is Coach Deion Sanders’ third edition of the Tigers?

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‘Votercade’ stops in RVA

The #10MillionMoreBlackVoters and the Arc of Voter Justice Bus Tour made its way through Richmond with an initial stop on the campus of Virginia Union University on Oct. 17.

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Study shows Richmond and Petersburg can each support a casino

Richmond and Petersburg could both support casinos.

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What’s in a name?

Efforts to rename the Lee Bridge rise again, bounded by slave-holding ties

Instead of a slavery-defending general, a key bridge over the James River could soon bear the name of a plantation where enslaved people labored.

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Masks now optional for RPS students

Students attending Richmond Public Schools are no longer required to wear masks after the School Board voted to eliminate the mandate at Monday night’s meeting.

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Free COVID-19 testing, vaccines

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues.

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Calls mount for City’s property tax decision

Keep the real estate tax rate the same? Or cut it?

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Gilpin Court community to undergo major change

The city’s housing authority has begun a search for a master developer to transform Gilpin Court.

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Suspension lifted for VSU’s cheerleading squad

The Woo Woos, Virginia State University’s cheerleading squad, was temporarily suspended from Trojans football games as the result of a complaint that veterans were hazing new members, the Free Press has learned. However, the suspension already has been lifted as the Woo Woos are now shown as participating when the Trojans are scheduled to travel to Elizabeth City State University for a game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22.

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How will race impact pardons for marijuana possession?

President Biden has signed an executive order pardoning thousands of Americans who have been federally convicted for a “simple” marijuana possession charge prior to Oct. 6.

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Expansion program designed to attract nurses in senior living industry

A new partnership is opening the doors for students interested in nursing careers in community colleges across Virginia.

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Journalist, educator launches VCU social justice lecture series

When Linda Villarosa’s ground- breaking book, “Body & Soul” was published in 1994, it was the first and only self-help book specifically written to address Black women’s health concerns.

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Missy Elliott gets Portsmouth street named in her honor

Portsmouth native and hip-hop star Missy Elliott returned to her alma mater, Manor High School, Monday afternoon for the dedication ceremony of “Missy Elliott Boulevard.”

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Ye to buy conservative social media platform Parler

The rapper formerly known as Kanye West is offering to buy right-wing friendly social network Parler shortly after getting locked out of Twitter and Instagram for antisemitic posts.

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Halloween, Hype and Herschel

Halloween is just around the corner but many among us have been up to the same old tricks all year long, particularly in terms of politics.

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Alabama’s defense of racially-gerrymandered districts defies logic, by Marc H. Morial

In its zeal to defend the racially discriminatory congressional districts state legislators created to dilute the political participation of their Black constituents, Alabama is making a mockery of the Constitution.

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Calling out global anti-Blackness, by Julianne Malveaux

In Los Angeles, City Council President Nury Martinez resigned both her council presidency and later her seat after someone leaked vile racist sentiments that she shared with members of a Latinx cabal that included other council members, Kevin de Leon and Gil Cedillo.

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Police Chief Gerald Smith issues statement on weekend gun violence

The Richmond Police Department worked throughout the weekend following up on numerous leads and investi-

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Trojans lose to Hawks 43-40

After falling to Chowan, VSU’s recovery won’t be easy

Nurses often ask patients “how much does it hurt on a scale of one to 10?”

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VUU delivers heart-thumping 27-24 win over Bowie

Brady Myers’ skills kick in for Panthers

There’s a new sheriff in town in the CIAA North.

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City football scoreboard

Games to date; next game

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Jermoine Royster defeats opponent, continues winning streak

Richmond boxing phenom Jermoine Royster boosted his pro boxing record to 3-0 with a third round TKO in his most recent bout.

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Family celebrates matriarch’s centennial birthday

‘I was so happy to see family members that I had not seen for years.’

Six generations of Rose Ann Perry Parker’s family celebrated her centennial birthday Oct. 15 at A Touch of Class Event Hall in Henrico County.

Thursday, October 13

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HBCU players’ dwindling NFL numbers

Thanks, especially, to South Carolina State, HBCU athletes still have a presence in the NFL.

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Test of state law on police discrimination to proceed

The Town of Windsor is set to become a test case for a state law that bars localities from engaging in a “pattern of discriminatory policing” affecting Black people and allows the Attorney General’s Office to take action to end such practices.

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Looted and found

VMFA’s new African Art curator will lead efforts to return stolen objects

“I have always had a tremendous interest [in art] however, knowing your strengths and weaknesses is very important. It occurred to me that I wouldn’t be hugely successful as a studio artist and so I concentrated on being an art historian.” — Dr. NDubuisi C. EzEluomba

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Explainer: A huge jump in Social Security payments is coming

Tens of millions of older Americans are about to get what may be the biggest raise of their lifetimes.

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Personality: Lucia Anna ‘Pia’ Trigiani

Spotlight on the Library of Virginia Foundation’s board president

Lucia Anna “Pia” Trigiani is working to tell the story of an institution built around stories and histories.

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VUU – Bowie outcome may determine CIAA and NCAA postseason play

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the main event you’ve been anticipating.

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2 Va. poets awarded the Ruth Lilly Prize

Rita Dove, the Henry Hoyns Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and Nikki Giovanni, recently retired professor of English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, are two of 11 poets who have been awarded the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. The distinction, announced by the Poetry Foundation’s 2022 Pegasus Awards, includes a $100,000 award given to each poet.

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Early childhood educator Joyce R. Cosby dies at 83

For decades, Joyce Randolph Cosby played a key role in helping 3- and 4-year-olds in Richmond prepare for kindergarten.

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Church leaders want public lands to better reflect Black history

Growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, the Rev. Carey A. Grady heard about the history of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and its connection to a slave revolt planned by Denmark Vesey — long before it was the site of a 2015 massacre.

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Delivering help to those in need

Most people are still asleep when Joseph E. “Joey” Matthews starts his collection run Sunday mornings.

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City Council approves creation of Civilian Review Board

Richmond Police officers hit with complaints could soon have a civilian panel reviewing the details. Monday night, City Council capped two years of debate by voting unanimously to approve the creation of a Civilian Review Board, rejecting calls for delay from advocates disappointed at the limited role the eight-member group will have.

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Free COVID-19 testing, vaccines

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues. The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: • Thursday, Oct. 13 & Oct. 20, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Southside Women, Infants and Children Office, 509 E. Southside Plaza; 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. - Fulton Neighborhood Resource Center, 1519 Williamsburg Road. • Wednesday, Oct. 19 & Oct. 26, 8 to 10 a.m. - East Henrico Recreation Center, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave. Call the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through

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Plans to house homeless citizens gain ground pending City funding

City Hall is preparing to shell out $615,000 to Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC) and other nonprofits or churches that have agreed to provide space to shelter the homeless during inclement weather, particularly the cold weather period that runs now through mid-April.

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Policy group’s awards event combines inspiration and celebration

Richmond Delegate Betsy B. Carr will be among the adult and student honorees whom the nonprofit Policy Pathways will salute during its fourth annual virtual Fall Celebration at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20.

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Emergency SNAP benefits extended

Recipients of Virginia’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will continue to get emergency benefits for the month of October.

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Lobs & Lesson youth program offers more than tennis

Tennis instructor Crystal Hernandez eyes 8-year-old Har’Mani Fleming’s technique as the Henry L. Marsh Elementary School third-grader bounces the ball during a tennis drill while her friend Emani Crockett, 8, also a Marsh third-grader prepares to serve. The girls are participants in an eight-

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Saturday parking enforcement

People have always enjoyed free weekend parking in Richmond – but that is about to change in limited areas with metered spaces.

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Columbus Day is now Indigenous People’s Day

Richmond officially wiped out the Columbus Day name from the October holiday and also saluted a Black sorority that is preparing to mark its 100th birthday.

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Sorority and South Side church to host voting information fair

Richmond voters have a new opportunity to learn and prepare for the upcoming general elections in November on Saturday, Oct. 22.

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Profits marginalize Black patients

Good health is our greatest asset.

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Unite to defend Black vote now, by Ben Jealous

Right before our last national elections in 2020, thousands of Black voters in Detroit got a call from someone posing as a woman named “Tamika Taylor.” She warned them that if they voted, the government would collect their personal information and come after them for credit card debt, outstanding warrants, even forced vaccinations.

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DeSantis embraces ‘left-wing stuff’, by Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

As extreme weather caused floods in Kentucky, collapse of the water system in Jackson, Miss., and the savage destruction of Central Florida—to say nothing of fires and drought and a growing water shortage in the West—we ought to agree on two simple realities: America faces a growing challenge from both catastrophic climate change and a growing infrastructure deficit that is putting lives and communities at risk.

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76ers’ Doc Rivers merges Black history lessons into camp

Doc Rivers is at ease using his platform as an NBA coach to fight bigotry and racial injustice, campaign for politicians he believes in and advocate for social change on themes ranging from poverty to police brutality. Sometimes, his speeches sound like they were delivered by someone running for office. Might the 60-year-old Coach Rivers, the son of a Chicago police officer, someday stump for change as an actual politician?

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Verdict: Judge all-time home run slugger

The verdict is in. Aaron Judge is the American League’s all-time, single season home run slugger.

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City football scoreboard

Games to date; next game

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Norfolk State scores a win, finally, over Morgan State

No, it’s not a misprint. Norfolk State University really does sit all alone in first place in the MEAC football standings.

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VSU loses homecoming match against Bowie 41-14

It was supposed to be a great day in Ettrick. But it didn’t turn out that way.

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Tight-knit bond keeps ‘Trojan Explosion’ strong

“To get recognition and respect, we have to work twice as hard, which means getting results that are twice as good’

When you attend a football game at an HBCU, the halftime show is not the time to use the restroom or grab refreshments.

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Jackson Ward tour Oct.15

The Richmond community is invited to take a tour of Jackson Ward this Saturday, Oct. 15, as part of an event to raise public awareness and support for Coming Together Virginia, a nonprofit organization.

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Bright Minds RVA offers chess classes

Enrollment is now open for free Saturday chess classes for Richmond youths ages 13 to 16, it has been announced.

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VCU’s new players include Varina’s Alphonzo Billups

VCU basketball fans can get a sneak peek at this season’s team Oct. 15 when the Black-Gold game tips off 7 p.m. at the Siegel Center.

Thursday, October 6

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RPS rejects Youngkin policy; curricula challenged

Transgender students attending Richmond Public Schools can expect to have their rights protected for now, and all RPS students may be learning under a new curriculum in the next few years.

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New authority to oversee Henrico County’s sports and entertainment venues

Henrico County is being proactive about its plans for sports tourism with its new Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority that will oversee an increasing number of public-private facilities in the county.

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Maymont’s annual Garden Glow promises to shine brighter than before

Dramatic and colorful lighting will once again transform portions of Maymont’s gardens and historic architecture after sunset beginning next Thursday, Oct. 13, and continuing through Saturday, Nov. 6, it has been announced.

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Technical Center sees lack of classes

Teachers have little to do other than monitor halls

For decades, hundreds of Richmond high school students have been bused daily to the Technical Center on Westwood Avenue to learn everything from barbering to vehicle repair and construction trades. After those courses, students then were bused back to their schools to take regular classes.

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Fate of VUU sign, Confederate statue at standstill

On hold. That’s the status of two landmarks — Virginia Union University’s lighted logo signs that sit atop the 165-foot Vann bell tower on the campus, and the last Confederate statue still standing in the city.

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Jefferson Davis Highway lives on with postal service

Jefferson Davis Highway no longer exists in Virginia, but the name of the president of the slavery-defending Confederacy lives on in the database of the U.S. Postal Service.

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Donald ‘Cisco’ Ross, former Armstrong High, VCU star, dies

Donald “Cisco” Ross Jr., a former Armstrong High and VCU basketball standout, died Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. He was 74.

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School opens for students recovering from addiction

High school students in Central Virginia recovering from alcohol and substance abuse now have a school designed to meet their academic, emotional and social support needs as they work toward earning a diploma.

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Virginia’s Center for the Book names new director

Writer, educator and arts collaborator Kalela Williams is returning to Virginia as the new director of the Virginia Center for the Book.

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Art in Literature award recognizes civil rights activist

Erin I. Kelly and Winfred Rembert are the latest winners of the annual Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award, for their book “Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South.”

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Richmond Folk Festival kicks off this weekend

Sunny, cool weather is being forecast for this weekend when one of virginia’s largest free events returns: The Richmond Folk Festival.

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After upsetting Shaw, VSU eyes homecoming win

Virginia State University has momentum and rising star Jordan Davis on its side heading into homecoming weekend.

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City football scoreboard

Games to date; next game

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Losses pile up for NSU

In five setbacks, Spartans outscored by 42-11 average

Norfolk State University’s two-season losing streak has now hit eight games.

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VUU’s winning streak continues; conquers St. Aug 69-0

Lights! Camera! It’s showtime on Lombardy Street!

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‘Modern-day segregationism hypocrisy’

When Thomas C. Williams was shown to be a mid-1800s slaveowner, as well as helping to set up the regulation of faculty at the University of Richmond, Mr. Williams was essentially disavowed after the university rechristened its T.C.Williams Law School building.

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Justices mull latest challenge to landmark voting rights law

The Supreme Court on Tuesday took up an Alabama redistricting case that could have far-reaching effects on minority voting power across the United States and seemed likely to divide the court along ideological lines.

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Supreme Court welcomes the public again, and a new justice

The Supreme Court began its new term Monday with a new justice on the bench, the public back in the courtroom and a spirited debate in a case that pits environmental protections against property rights.

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Black wombs matter: ‘Aftershock’, by Julianne Malveaux

Did you know that Black women are three or four times more likely to die from childbirth complications than white women? Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL), who heads the Congressional Black Caucus Health Brain trust, said the data are more dire depending on where a mother lives.

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A question of justice, by Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

In 1838, in a shameful chapter of American history, U.S. forces under Gen. Winfield Scott forced tens of thousands of Cherokee Indians – one of the “Five Civilized Tribes” that had embraced the customs and language of white settlers – to march 1,200 miles to what was designated “Indian Territory” across the Mississippi (centered in what is now Oklahoma).

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There’s no place like a home that’s affordable

Finding affordable housing in the Richmond market is a real challenge for many. A study of the Richmond market has found housing in 75 percent of the city is too expensive for a majority of families with household incomes below $60,000 a year, with virtually nothing left for any family with an annual income of $25,000 or less except public housing.

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Virginia Museum of History & Culture offers citizenship preparation classes

Beginning this month, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture will of- fer aspiring new citizens free citizenship preparation classes to help them prepare to take the U.S. citizenship test.

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$1.45M grant to assist VSU students with child care costs

Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine have announced that Virginia State University will receive $1.45 million to assist student-parents (students who are also parents) with child care costs. The funds, which will be distributed over the next four years, will be used to offer student-parents access to affordable child care services both on and off campus.

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Diversity Richmond names new executive director

Diversity Richmond announced Lacette Cross will become the organization’s new executive director, effective Oct. 17.

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VCU Libraries lecture will focus on racism in health care

Journalist, author and educator Linda Villarosa will be the inaugural speaker in a new Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries lecture series on social justice. Scheduled for Oct. 27, the talk will be based on Ms. Villarosa’s 2022 book, “Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation.”

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Free COVID-19 testing, vaccines

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues.

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Monkeypox vaccine available to more people

The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts is expanding eligibility for the monkeypox vaccine. Anyone living with HIV or AIDS, and anyone diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection in the last three months are now eligible to apply for the vaccine, official say.

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VSU alumni, faculty and students have much to celebrate this ‘homecoming’

Virginia State University’s first homecoming since 2019 likely will be a landmark in many ways, returning to the campus this year amid a surge in interest and enrollments in historically black colleges and universities locally and nationally.

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New dating apps — and ‘in person’ mixers — target religious and political niches

Dating today can be a bit like ordering at Chipotle. The universe of dating apps makes it easier than ever to custom-order a partner of your choosing — their height, their food preferences, their religion.

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AL’s MVP award: Judge or Ohtani?

Don’t be surprised if both take the prize

Aaron Judge is enjoying one of the greatest and most celebrated seasons in baseball history. But will the New York Yankees slugger be the American League MVP?

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Project Yoga Richmond closes its doors

After 12 years, Project Yoga Richmond is closing its doors. The nonprofit hosted its last classes in September, including the final Saturday Salutations at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on Sep. 24.

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Personality: Janis Allen

Spotlight on the board president of Historic Jackson Ward Association

In a time of increased attention, discussion and potential change for Jackson Ward, Janis Allen is doing her part to make sure its history and legacy are preserved. As the newest board president of the Historic Jackson Ward Association, she is tasked with a mission that is both culturally important and deeply personal.

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Hurricane Ian closes some Florida schools indefinitely

The devastation from Hurricane Ian has left schools shuttered indefinitely in parts of Florida, leaving storm-weary families anxious for word on when and how children can get back to classrooms.

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Training grounds

Former tobacco factory may become teaching site for construction workers

Along with a huge investment to transform the 67-acre Diamond District, the private development team that has been awarded the project also is proposing to invest in a construction training center and in other projects that could benefit the Black community.