Thomas’ star shines at NSU
It’s very early. But if votes were cast today for MEAC Player of Year, Jamarii Thomas might be the top candidate.
R-MC’s Nixon wins top honors
Nehemiah Nixon didn’t get the headlines, but he caused plenty of headaches for the opposition.
Salazar’s glad his travels landed him at VUU
If you’re living in Richmond with a cellphone area code of 562, you are likely far from home. Meet Jonathan Salazar, whose basketball road trip has taken him from his native Panama to Nevada to California to New Mexico, back to California, and now to Virginia Union University. His 562 Area Code stems from when he was in high school (St. John Bosco Technical Institute) in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Janette Lewis Allen, 80, remembered for her work with Carver Elementary students
Whenever one or more Carver Elementary School students needed refuge from a troubled home, guidance counselor Janette Lewis Allen allowed them to spend the night at her house. “She had a passion for education and community service, particularly when it came to children,” said members of her family. The retired educator, who died at age 80 on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, is being remembered for the caring role she played in the lives of the Richmond children with whom she interacted.
Dr. Linwood Jacobs who opened doors for Black Greek organizations at UVA, dies at age 90
Additional roles included community college dean and Gilpin Court mental health provider
Dr. Linwood Jacobs is credited with spearheading the establishment of Black fraternities and sororities at the University of Virginia. And later he focused on student development as the dean of students at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and helped start a mental health services company based in Gilpin Court.
America’s anti-immigrant past never died, by David W. Marshall
The Statue of Liberty stands proudly in Upper New York Bay as a symbol of freedom and a welcoming beacon to the “huddled masses” and “those yearning to be free.” Originally conceived as an emblem of the friendship between the people of France and the United States, it is a sign of their mutual desire for freedom. It also was meant to celebrate the abolition of slavery.
As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections
Nearly three years after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the false election conspiracy theories that drove the violent attack remain prevalent on social media and cable news: suitcases filled with ballots, late-night ballot dumps, dead people voting. Experts warn it will likely be worse in the coming presidential election contest. The safeguards that attempted to counter the bogus claims the last time are eroding, while the tools and systems that create and spread them are only getting stronger.
Musician and mail carrier Harold Lighty Sr. dies at age 90
Harold Ronald “Van” Lighty Sr., who often received standing ovations after making his drums speak, was a fixture on the Richmond jazz scene for more than 60 years.
A whale of an ecosystem issue, by Ben Jealous
Thanks to 20th century aquariums and marine theme parks, orcas – also known as killer whales – are the most iconic whales in America. When the public learned their captivity involved torture, orca shows disappeared from those parks, as they should have. Now there are signs that certain groups of orcas could disappear entirely.
Hanover case tests parental rights
The case of a Hanover County mother is providing a test of the proposition that parents matter — a currently popular Virginia political slogan.
VCU’s rat de-bait
State senator sounds alarm over Monroe Park rodents
Virginia Commonwealth University claims that rats in Monroe Park can rip open metal trash cans to get to discarded food—even though an inspection of the metal cans show that the bottoms are undamaged. The university, which handles maintenance of the park, issued that claim in response to a query from Richmond state Sen. Ghazal Hashmi about VCU’s expenditure of $2,400 a month to spread poison-bait rat traps throughout the city’s oldest park.
Building on a dream
Despite the nearly 1,000 signatures and letters of support Shiree Monterio obtained for a proposed Essex Point at Mt. Clement, the Essex County Board of Supervisors denied her efforts to have her family’s land rezoned for a housing development property.
Wildcats’ Byrd is the word
Armstrong’s standout athlete feels ‘capable of doing anything’
There was only one No. 5 on the Armstrong High football roster, but it must have seemed like four to the Wildcats’ opponents.
Millner’s next mission
Pastor’s retirement will not stop his service to the community
The Rev. Tyler C. Millner Sr., pastor of Martinsville’s Morning Star Holy Church for the past 33 years, will deliver his final sermon on Sunday, Dec. 31.
VUU’s Parker to coach in New Orleans
Dr. Alvin Parker’s football coaching excellence at Virginia Union University hasn’t gone unnoticed. Coach Parker has been named as a co-coach for Team Gaither in the HBCU Legacy Bowl Feb. 24 at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Kwanzaa celebration
The seven-day Kwanzaa holiday is in full swing, with the largest community event in Virginia set to take place from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, at the Greater Richmond Conven- tion Center in Downtown.
Personality: Chris R. Hairston-White
Spotlight on ART 180 Board of Trustees president
Growing up, Chris Hairston-White had limited exposure to art instruction or education. Thus, she honed her natural skills and creativity without much help or outside influences, resulting in what she describes as “a creative who often creates in isolation.”
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority presents 2023 debutantes
“A Royal Holiday Affair” was the theme for this year’s Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Debutante Presentation and Ball on Dec. 16 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Seventeen young women participated in this year’s ball sponsored by the AKA’s Upsilon Omega Chapter in collaboration with Zenobia’s Promise Foundation.
Attorney Derrick Thomas dies at age 61
Protecting the injured was a calling for Attorney Derrick Thomas.
Ruins of ancient Nero’s Theater discovered near Vatican
Rome’s next luxury hotel has some very good bones: Archaeologists said Wednesday that the ruins of Nero’s Theater, an imperial theater referred to in ancient Roman texts but never found, have been discovered under the garden of a future Four Seasons Hotel steps from the Vatican.
