
HU’s Godwin and Garvin heading to Harlem’s HBCU classic
Hampton University will be well represented at the HBCU All-Star Dream Classic Aug. 5 at the famed Rucker Park in Harlem.

Throwback
VCU basketball alums to compete for $1M in tournament
An impressive group of former VCU basketball players will be slipping back into black ‘n’ gold uniforms later this month.

Griner to play in WNBA All Star Game
Brittney Griner has picked up right where she left off in 2021.

German goes from zero to hero
The New York Yankees’ Domingo German was a somewhat ordinary big league pitcher until June 28, when ordinary turned into extraordinary.

Grammys CEO: ‘Music that contains AI-created elements is eligible. Period.’
Last month, the Recording Academy announced a series of changes to the Grammy Awards to better reflect an evolving music industry. Of those newly instituted guidelines, protocols involving technological advancements in machine learning sparked headlines: “Only human creators” could win the music industry’s highest honor in a decision aimed at the use of artificial intelligence in popular music.

City Council again honors Richmond Free Press founders
City Council has approved a fresh honor for the founders of the Richmond Free Press.

3 City Hall unions in place
A major share of City Hall’s 4,000 employees have selected their union bargaining agents who will take the lead in contract talks with the city on wages, benefits, health insurance, holiday pay, working conditions and other issues.

A demand for justice
Ben Crump petitions DOJ to investigate Irvo Otieno’s death
Civil rights attorney Benjamin L. Crump and co-counsel Mark J. Krudys are requesting that the United States Department of Justice open a criminal investigation into the circumstances of the death of Irvo N. Otieno.

Supreme Court rejects GOP argument in North Carolina case that could have transformed U.S. elections
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that state courts can curtail the actions of their legislatures when it comes to federal redistricting and elections, rejecting arguments by North Carolina Republicans that could have dramatically altered races for Congress and president in that state and beyond.

Personality: Kristin DuMont
Spotlight on co-leader of Richmond Moms Demand Action
Kristin DuMont became involved with Richmond Moms Demand Action, a local volunteer group committed to ending gun violence in the community, in 2017. She says the work of reaching out to local and state officials did not come naturally to her.

VCU’s Project Gabriel hosts second round of community forums
A Virginia Commonwealth University commission has announced two public forums as it moves to carry out a 2021 state law requiring the school to set up a scholarship program for descendents of enslaved people and to memorialize those enslaved who helped develop the campus.

LA’s Burke remembered in Pride Month
Glenn Burke left his mark in baseball, and not just because he was the Major Leagues’ first openly gay player.

Conducting the future: Burrs holds the baton at UR, Petersburg
Naima Burrs grew up surrounded by music. The Richmond native’s mother is renowned soprano Lisa Edwards-Burrs. Her father, Stacy L. Burrs, is a former CEO of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center, a former director of Venture Richmond and a jazz aficionado.

Lawsuit claims Virginia’s felony disenfranchisement violates Reconstruction-era federal law
People who have been disqualified from voting in Virginia because of their criminal records filed a lawsuit Monday against Gov. Glenn Youngkin and state elections officials challenging the state’s automatic disenfranchisement of people with felony convictions.

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:

Thousands more prisoners across the US will get free college paid for by the government
The graduates lined up, brushing off their gowns and adjusting classmates’ tassels and stoles. As the graduation march played, the 85 men appeared to hoots and cheers from their families. They marched to the stage – one surrounded by barbed wire fence and constructed by fellow prisoners.

July 4 Holiday Closings
In observance of the Fourth of July holiday on Tuesday, July 4, please note the following:

Hampton University to benefit from new philanthropic initiative
Hampton University was awarded $750,000 as part of an inaugural $10 million plus venture capital fund, The Historic Fund. The new fund aims to bolster the endowments of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), as well as highlight their importance and the role they play in promoting equity and inclusion in higher education, according to a news release issued by the university.

Maggie Walker site names new superintendent
Scott Teodorski is the new superintendent for Richmond National Battlefield Park and Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site.

VUU elects new board members
Virginia Union University Board of Trustees announced that it has elected new members to serve as trustees of the University: