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Trial starts June 15 for former ROC pastor
Google the name Geronimo Aguilar and you’ll find articles that chronicle the rise and fall of the former Richmond Outreach Center pastor once affectionately known as “Pastor G.” An article in late 2001 asked if he was the “next great hope for Richmond’s inner city.” By May 2013, the picture turned bleak with his arrest in Texas on charges that he sexually abused an 11-year-old girl and her 13-year-old sister in the mid-1990s in Tarrant County.
VUU police chief: Report the ‘bad apples’
As news spread across the nation of white South Carolina police officer Michael T. Slager killing unarmed African-American Walter L. Scott in cold blood, Virginia Union University Police Chief Carlton Edwards was leading a public safety forum Tuesday between Richmond area law enforcement officials and about 40 students on the VUU campus.
Snafu temporarily halts Dance
Rosalyn R. Dance is still waiting to pop the champagne.
3 VUU legends to be inducted into CIAA Hall of Fame
Three Virginia Union University luminaries will be inducted into the CIAA John B. McLen- don Jr. Hall of Fame. They are Dr. Allix B. James, president emeritus of VUU; James Battle, former VUU athletic director; and former Panthers basketball star Ben Wallace. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with six others during the CIAA Tournament in Charlotte during a ceremony 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 27, at the Charlotte Convention Center.
Bedden to stay in Richmond
“Everyone should check your emails,” Richmond School Board member Jeffrey M. Bourne eagerly alerted his colleagues late Tuesday afternoon prior to a hastily called board budget meeting. The six other board members in attendance then quickly turned to their hand-held electronic devices and scrolled to an email sent to them by Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden at 5:07 p.m.
Richmond celebrates 150 years of emancipation
In the midst of the city that once served as a merciless marketplace for hundreds of thousands of enslaved black people, a diverse audience of thousands gathered Saturday at the State Capitol to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the liberation of Richmond from the slave-holding Confederacy. The ceremony was marked by re-enactors in period dress and uniforms, uplifting music and speeches looking toward the future.
Heartwarming return for Albert Hill coach
Coach Michele Drayton walked into the Albert H. Hill Middle School gym for the first time since suffering a stroke last month. The players on her girls’ basketball team excitedly ran over, showering her with hugs.
Geronimo Aguilar gets 40 years
Forty years. That’s how much time former Richmond Outreach Center Pastor Geronimo “Pastor G” Aguilar will serve in a Texas prison for sexually assaulting two sisters — ages 11 and 13 — while he lived in their family’s home in Fort Worth and served as a youth pastor at their church in the mid-1990s.
Meal program expanded
Schools’ decision to participate in a federal program that provides nutritious free breakfasts and lunches to the entire student body at Carver and the city’s 43 other public schools.
Washington training camp is a business flop
If success means attracting people, then the Washington NFL franchise’s training camp is a winner. But if success is measured by economic activity, the camp does not appear to make the cut.
Richmonders show unity, seek healing at area vigils
More than 200 people from Richmond and beyond packed the sanctuary floor and balcony last Friday evening at Third Street Bethel AME Church in Downtown at a unity rally to honor the South Carolina shooting victims.
City’s anti-poverty office losing director
The city is looking for a new director to lead its anti-poverty effort through the city Office of Community Wealth Building. Thad Williamson announced he is resigning as the director to return to his position as associate professor of leadership studies at the University of Richmond.
What’s in a name?
School Board entertains names for new middle school
Southside Middle School. Benjamin Banneker Middle School. Barack Obama Middle School. Those are just a few of the suggested names for a “new” middle school in Richmond.
Education battle cry: Put kids first!
“Put kids first!” A diverse gathering of educators, parents and students made that impassioned plea at a rally Saturday organized by the Virginia Education Association and the Virginia PTA.
Attention deficit?
Busy school superintendent wants to teach college course
Busy school superintendent wants to teach college course
Rare book, diary related to ‘12 Years’ author on display
When officials at the Earl Gregg Swem Library at The College of William & Mary purchased a 1902 diary from an unknown author in 2009 for their special collections unit, they had no idea they had made an historical connection. William & Mary student Lauren Wallace was assigned to research the diary in 2012 and her work eventually led to the discovery that the diary was written by Florence Barber.
$3M civil suit filed against ABC agents
How much is Martese Johnson’s pain, suffering and bleeding worth? Mr. Johnson, now a fourth-year honors student at the University of Virginia, was slammed onto the pavement outside a Charlottesville pub last March by three agents from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control who suspected him of trying to use a fake ID to enter.
Rayvon to sing in city this weekend
Spread the word: American Idol heartthrob Rayvon Owen is coming to Richmond this weekend.
Ebola: Is Richmond prepared?
Fears and concerns about the deadly Ebola virus are spreading in Texas and across the nation after a second health care worker in Dallas has been quarantined with the disease. The big question here: Is Richmond ready should an incident occur?
