
Randolph-Macon to host 2027 NCAA DIII Women’s Volleyball Championship
Randolph-Macon College recently snagged the honor of hosting the 2027 NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball National Championship. Set for the Henrico Sports & Events Center, just 8 miles from the Ashland campus, the event promises to shine a national spotlight on Central Virginia.

As MLK holiday nears, Bernice King urges people to focus on his teachings
As the holiday honoring slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. approaches, his daughter is urging people to really focus on his teachings and work throughout the coming year, rather than just quoting him or celebrating for a day.

McDonald’s is the latest company to roll back diversity goals
Four years after launching a push for more diversity in its ranks, McDonald’s is ending some of its diversity practices, citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions.

Biden administration delivers big for coastal communities, by Ben Jealous
It may be the dead of winter, but when we think of our beaches, none of us want to picture them covered in oil.

MAGA takes on Elon Musk’s ‘tech bros’, by Clarence Page
Just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump was scheduled to return to the White House, the coterie of American tech oligarchs who played a decisive role in re-electing him was busy exerting their own power in ways that suggest the MAGA coalition may be heading for a crack-up.

Jimmy Carter remembered as a man of faith, humility, by Julianne Malveaux
Tens of thousands of words will be published in tribute to Jimmy Carter, our beloved 37th president. A renaissance man, diplomat, philanthropist, civil rights icon and so much more, he is most aptly described, in my opinion, as a man of faith.

Countdown on for TikTok, by Cullen Seltzer
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up TikTok’s plea for a stay of its own partial execution. The first round of briefs were due just before Christmas. The second and final round was due Jan. 3.

Coach Tierra Terry celebrates 50th career win as Virginia Union dominates
Virginia Union University’s women’s basketball team started the new year with style, delivering an 82-53 thrashing of Virginia University of Lynchburg on Sunday at Barco-Stevens Hall.

Tennessee State’s foray into ice hockey could break barriers for Black youths, by Marc H. Morial
Detroit radio icon and hockey fan Gerald McBride was inspired to write the screenplay for his film “Black Ice: The Rhythm” when he attended a sold-out University of Michigan hockey game and realized he was the only Black fan among 10,000.

Patriots fire Coach Jerod Mayo after 4-13 season
The New England Patriots fired Coach Jerod Mayo on Sunday after one season, beginning another reboot for the franchise just a year after it parted with longtime Coach Bill Belichick.

Virginia Holocaust Museum completes major renovation, adds new theater
The Virginia Holocaust Museum recently completed a significant renovation, marking its most extensive update since the museum’s inception. The renovated space, located in a 1896 tobacco warehouse in the Shockoe Bottom district, enhances the museum’s ability to educate visitors on the history of the Holocaust.

T.D. Jakes labels himself ‘Bishop Lazarus’ in return to pulpit
Saying, “I’m standing here as a testimony,” Bishop T.D. Jakes returned to his Dallas megachurch on New Year’s Eve for his first in-person appearance since suffering an unspecified medical incident in November.

Sharpton to lead King Day events in D.C. to honor Dr. King’s legacy
The Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, will lead a series of events in Washington, D.C., and New York during the week of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ‘s birthday. These events will serve aim to rally support for civil rights issues, including voting rights, diversity, equity and inclusion and criminal justice reform, as a second Trump administration nears.

Exhibit explores Virginia’s Vietnam War experiences
Medals, letters, protest banners and personal keepsakes tell the stories of Virginians whose lives were shaped by the Vietnam War in a new exhibition at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Lawmakers, activists demand reform at Red Onion prison protest
Nearly 40 people, including residents, prison justice advocates and lawmakers, gathered Wednesday at the Bell Tower at the Virginia State Capitol to denounce conditions at Red Onion State Prison and demand accountability and reform.

Maternal health and racial equity top Virginia NAACP’s legislative agenda
Days before the planned start of the 2025 General Assembly, the Virginia NAACP outlined its legislative priorities for the session during a virtual press conference Monday afternoon.

Ex-deputies in Virginia charged with murder over inmate’s death while restrained
Three former sheriff’s deputies in Virginia have been charged with second degree murder over the death of a man they restrained at a local jail last year, prosecutors announced Friday.

McEachin announces re-election bid for Richmond commonwealth’s attorney
Colette McEachin, Richmond’s commonwealth’s attorney, officially launched her campaign for re-election this week, seeking the Democratic nomination in the June 17 primary.

Volunteers needed for free health care clinic in Cumberland
Remote Area Medical, a nonprofit organization providing free dental, vision and medical care through pop-up clinics, is seeking volunteers for its two-day health care clinic in Cumberland. The clinic will be held March 29-30 at Cumberland High School, located at 15 School Road in Cumberland.

Harris unveils rule to erase $49B in medical debt from credit reports
Vice President Kamala Harris has announced a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule to eliminate medical debt from consumer credit reports. The White House explained in a release that the action would remove $49 billion in unpaid medical bills, benefiting 15 million Americans by raising credit scores and improving access to home loans, cars, and small businesses.