Shining stars
Bernadine Simmons, L. Victor Collins and Andre Braugher remembered
The world had Oprah. Richmond had Bernie. Longtime television journalist Bernadine A. “Bernie” Simmons, who died Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, at age 79, was well known to many in Richmond and surrounding communities as the creator and face of NBC12’s popular “12 About Town” news show.
Lawsuits filed against RPS regarding school shooting report
Multiple lawsuits have been filed against the Richmond School Board for refusing to release the findings of an external investigation into the June 6 mass shooting in Monroe Park after the Huguenot High School graduation ceremony.
State Jails Board creates improvement plan for City Jail
Investigation cites 6 deaths, inconsistent inspections and other unmet standards
Only a small staff of deputies is working in the Richmond City Justice Center on any given day, the Free Press is being told, as the number of sworn officers under the command of Sheriff Antionette V. Irving continues to fall.
Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights voted best in the nation
The Richmond region is now home to the country’s best “Botanical Garden Holiday Lights.” This year, voters helped Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden secure the number one spot in the USA Today 10 Best contest. The win comes after two consecutive years in the No. 2 spot.
It’s time to celebrate
Florida A&M and Howard head to bowl game in ATL
The eighth Celebration Bowl will have a first-time winner this year. Florida A&M and Howard are newbies to the annual event used to crown the de facto Black National Champion.
Retired Richmond educator Shirley E.S. Harris dies at age 89
Shirley Estelle Savage Harris spent four decades seeking to instill a love of learning in local Richmond schoolchildren. Mrs. Harris was best known for the more than 30 years she taught at William Fox Elementary School.
Personality: Darryl A. Stuckey Sr.
Spotlight on Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Beta Gamma Lambda Education Foundation vice chair
When a young boy sought to escape the bullying he routinely endured in school, Darryl A. Stuckey Sr. stepped in to help the youth gain not only a sense of purpose, but a stronger sense of self.
Biden calls ‘surge’ in antisemitism ‘sickening’ during White House Hanukkah reception
President Biden hosted a Hanukkah reception at the White House on Monday night, vowing to continue to stand with Israel in its war with Hamas while saying that a “surge of antisemitism” around the globe “is sickening.”
Eureka!
FDA approves milestone treatments for sickle cell disease
Two breakthrough gene therapies can now be used to treat and possibly cure sickle cell anemia, the genetic blood disorder that afflicts 100,000 mostly Black Americans and 20 million people worldwide. But the announcement from the Food and Drug Administration of approval of the treatments — the first use of medicines to address an inherited disease — drew cheers and caution flags from those in the field.
City School Board approves metal detectors in middle schools
In an effort to reduce weapons coming into in the schools and to ward off increased incidents of violence, Richmond Public Schools will install metal detectors in every middle school early next year.
Former Henrico hoops star transfers to Baylor
Jada Walker has taken her talents to the Lone Star State.
Mayden brothers pitch Black-owned baseball league open to all
Think you can play baseball? Here’s your chance.
JMU’s Bickerstaff no stranger to basketball
If the name Bickerstaff sounds familiar to basketball and/or movie fans, it should.
VUU, VSU women off to races
When they heard “on your mark, get set, go!” both Virginia Union and Virginia State were more than ready to burst out of the starting blocks.
NSU defeats VCU 63-60
Norfolk State probably felt like painting the town green and gold last Friday. In a head-spinning upset, the visitors defeated VCU, 63-60, in front of a partisan, sold out crowd of nearly 8,000 at the Siegel Center.
What if Donald Trump is convicted? Republican convention rules don’t address issue
The Republican National Committee’s rules for next year’s nominating contest and convention were released this week without addressing a question the GOP could well face next summer: Can the party’s delegates vote for a different candidate if the presumptive nominee is convicted of a felony?
Vice President Harris breaks nearly 200-year-old record for Senate tiebreaker votes, casts her 32nd
Vice President Kamala Harris broke a nearly 200-year-old record for casting the most tie-breaking votes in the Senate when she voted Tuesday to confirm a new federal judge in Washington, D.C.
Kissinger’s legacy — it’s complicated, by Clarence Page
Over his century on Earth, Henry Kissinger left a big mark, love him or hate him. And a lot of people sure did hate him.
Election 2024 and LGBTQ+ rights, by Errin Haines
The last year in politics has seen an erosion of rights for LGBTQ+ Americans, who are facing an assault on their very existence, with bans on books that affirm their experience, to hundreds of bills in statehouses targeting the rights of transgender youth.
Black women’s hair and chemicals nothing to relax about
In case you have missed this, a major lawsuit is underway to benefit Black women who used chemical hair relaxers and later developed uterine and ovarian cancer.
