
Panthers lose CIAA tourney to Rams 45-44
VUU awaits NCAA II decision after lowest scoring game in annals
Heading north on I-95, it took Virginia Union University’s bus about two hours and 35 minutes to reach Baltimore, site of the CIAA basketball tournament. It probably felt like a lot longer coming back.

Karl E. Bren, housing advocate, dies at 78
Tennessee transplant Karl Ellis Bren is being remembered for his influence and impact on affordable housing, environmental policy and homelessness during his 38 years in Richmond.

Personality: Scottessa A. Hurte
Spotlight on Metropolitan Business League board chair
Scottessa A. Hurte has been a source of aid and guidance for Virginia’s small, women and minority-owned businesses during years of struggle.

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.

One less Confederate symbol
Richmond resident Michael Sarahan is celebrating success for his two-year campaign to rid the city of one of its last two monuments to the slavery-defending Confederacy.

Lucille A.B. Roane, voting proponent, former detective, dies
Richmond voter advocate and former city police detective Lucille Aurelia Brown Roane has died. Mrs. Roane, who was the first Black president of the Richmond Metropolitan Area Chapter of the League of Women Voters and the third Black woman to serve on Richmond’s police force, succumbed to illness Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. She was 94.

‘We’ve got to show up every year’
More than a dozen Black men gathered at TruFades Haircuts & Beards, 2010 E. Main St. in Shockoe Bottom on Feb. 18 to discuss to civic participation, voting, education and other issues crucial to them and their communities.

YWCA’s 2023 Outstanding Women Awards
Since 1980, YWCA Richmond has honored more than 300 women leaders for their achievements and contributions in the Greater Richmond area.

Ceremony honoring former VCU player Charles ‘Jabo’ Wilkins is Feb. 28
There is lot of Richmond basketball history hanging from the Siegel Center rafters ... and more is coming soon.

Commanders’ new assistant head coach arrives with Super Bowl success
Eric Bieniemy Jr. built a sparkling reputation as an offensive coordinator in Kansas City with superstar Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback.

All rise
Lawmakers applaud Justices stellar season; custom suits further accent team’s success
John Marshall High, named after the former Supreme Court Chief Justice, has been laying down the law this season on the basketball court. Virginia’s lawmakers have taken notice.

House Republicans kill two historic resolutions
Two resolutions expressing profound regret for past wrongs to Black people in Virginia have been killed in the Republican-dominated House of Delegates.

Railroad safety extends beyond rails, by Ben Jealous
People around East Palestine, Ohio, have been warned not to run their vacuum cleaners.

‘Lift every voice’ is for every voice, by Clarence Page
Some people suspect that Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” camp is barely a step away from “Make America White Again.” They found a lot of food for that thought in the MAGA world’s reaction to this year’s Super Bowl pregame show.

A moment in time
The Richmond Free Press extends its sincere congratulations to State Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan on her historic election as the first Black woman to represent Virginia in the U.S. Congress.

North Side health hub planned
A nonprofit pharmacy and offices for medical specialists and behavioral health and job development services could be coming to a former Bank of America building in North Side.

Trailblazing dentists to be honored
Dr. James Avery Booker Jr. and Dr. Randy Adams will be honored for their work as dentists and medical trailblazers in Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Dentistry on Saturday, Feb. 25, during the school’s 2023 Trailblazers Awards event.

VSU’s new homeowner program designed to make employees, community HAPI
Virginia State University’s new program that will invest thousands of dollars to help its employees become homeowners also is designed to assist the economies of Petersburg and the village of Ettrick, where the university is based, according to the university.