
Personality: Alexander L. Taylor Jr.
Spotlight on Military Retirees Club fundraising chair
In 2022, retired Army Col. Alexander L. Taylor Jr. committed himself to a different kind of military service. A trial attorney, Mr. Taylor joined Richmond’s Military Retirees Club during its 50th anniversary celebration in June.

McClellan becomes 1st Black Virginia woman in Congress
Democrat Jennifer L. McClellan was sworn into the U.S. House on Tuesday, becoming the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress.

Stoney’s $3B proposal
Funding designed to make Richmond more liveable, despite increased gas, water bills
Record pay increases for Richmond city employees, along with hikes in spending on youth programming, affordable housing, public education and street paving.

Janet Rainey retires after 47 years of keeping records vital
Keeping records of the births, deaths, marriages and divorces that occur in Virginia may seem like dull work. Don’t tell that to Janet M. Rainey.

Losing streak mars NSU’s MEAC entry
In another week or so, Norfolk State will either be kicking up its heels at the NCAA Big Dance, or dejectedly asking, “What if?”

Chicago Mayor Lightfoot ousted; Vallas, Johnson in runoff
Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson will meet in a runoff to be the next mayor of Chicago after voters denied incumbent Lori Lightfoot a second term, issuing a rebuke to a leader who made history as head of the nation’s third largest city.

RPS superintendent’s chief of staff resigns
Michelle Hudacsko, chief of staff for Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras, has resigned.

All adjourned
Lawmakers end session with lean budget and no mention of casino
Richmond casino advocates rejoiced as the General Assembly adjourned without blocking the city’s authority to hold a second referendum in November on whether the state’s capital city should host a casino-resort.

UR’s Philip S. ‘Sam’ Deloria to discuss indigenous views of institutional racism
Sam Deloria, a 2022-23 Jepson Leader-in-Residence at the University of Richmond, is a Yankton Dakota descendant, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of Fort Yates, N.D., and a lifetime advocate for Native American peoples and politics.
Environmental Film Festival multiple showings, venues
The RVA Environmental Festival will feature 21 feature films during its upcoming two-week run, with all films free and open to the public.

UPAL hosts dinner and gala
United Parents Against Lead will host a “Black Excellence Dinner and Gala” at its Peters- burg Community Resiliency Hub on March 4, from 5 to 9 p.m., 464 Byrne St.

Angela Bassett, ‘Wakanda Forever’ top NAACP Image Awards
Angela Bassett won entertainer of the year at Saturday’s NAACP Image Awards on a night that also saw her take home an acting trophy for the television series “9-1-1.”

Greg Foster, world champion Olympic hurdler, dies
Greg Foster, among the greatest hurdlers in track and field history, died Feb. 19, 2023. He was 64 and suffering from amyloidosis, a heart disorder. A native Chicagoan, Mr. Foster was a three-time World Champion at 110-meter hurdles (1983, ’87, ’91) and in 1984 won the silver medal at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Miles Harvey assists on and off lacrosse field
Need someone to score a lacrosse goal for you? Call Miles Harvey. Need an assist for a goal? Call Harvey. Need a warm winter coat? Dial Harvey again.

Baldwin’s skills, stamina, scoring work to VCU’s advantage
Adrian “Ace” Baldwin Jr. is merely the best player on the best team in the Atlantic 10.

Henrico County breaks ground for first large community park since 1982
A ground-breaking ceremony for the 99-acre Taylor Farm Park in Henrico County’s Sandston district took place Feb. 27 at 200 Whiteside Road, off East Williamsburg Road.

DHR to administer preservation easement over Drexel-Morrell Center property
A permanent preservation and open-space easement has been established for the Drexel- Morrell Center, a historic property in Powhatan County that highlights the role of African-Americans in that area, and the life and contributions of American Catholic St. Katharine Drexel, founder of two now defunct African-American academies that were located nearby.

John Marshall High School basketball didn’t just get good; it’s been good for years
There has been a lot of talk about John Marshall High School lately. Some good and some bad. I stayed away because outsiders love opinions and never base things on facts. What lies behind those walls of a poorly unkept building and below that building is a strong foundation.

Courage, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
War is inhumane! War is madness! In a world of ra- tional thinkers, war should be unnecessary! Historically, war has been the exercise of national power, authority and autonomy in the circumstance of irreconcilable difference — or the reaction to it. As with many other past conflicts, the world’s current war is the result of an irreconcilable difference conceived in the mind of an ego-stricken madman — “Fighting to be Heard” Vladimir Putin.