A Year in Photos
For many of us, 2022 has come and gone with lightning speed. Certainly, were it not for the Richmond Free Press’ hard-working photographers and our photo archives, we would be hard-pressed to recall all that has taken place in Richmond since Jan. 1.
Coaches bowl
Legacy Bowl highlights Jake Gaither and Eddie Robinson
Four football coaches who combined for 37 victories this past season will supervise the sidelines at the second annual Legacy Bowl.
Bittersweet moment celebrates Franco Harris
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickens added something extra to his signal calling Dec. 24 at Three Rivers Stadium. Even the TV viewers could hear him bark “Franco! Fran- co!” prior to the center’s snap.
Mutual attraction
The NBA’s continuing courtship with players from abroad
The United States is a big place, but the world is much bigger. So, it’s no surprise the National Basketball Association began this season with a record 120 international players representing 40 countries and six continents.
Four games, four players net VCU wins
VCU’s sophomores are a class with a lot of class, and upside as well.
We will always be proud ‘Wildcats’
I always enjoy reading the “Personality” profile each week in the Richmond Free Press. I was shocked to see the Armstrong High School mascot referred to as a “Spartan” in the Richmond Free Press Nov. 24-26 edition.
‘Good trouble’
Civil rights leader John Lewis to be featured on postage stamp
Civil rights giant and former U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who spent decades fighting for racial justice, will be honored with a postage stamp in 2023. The U.S. Postal Service recently announced that the John Lewis stamp “celebrates the life and legacy” of the leader from Georgia, who risked his life protesting against segregation and other injustices in the violent Jim Crow-era South.
Jan. 6 Report: Trump ‘lit that fire’ of Capitol insurrection
The House Jan. 6 committee’s final report asserts Donald Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the U.S. Capitol, concluding an extraordinary 18-month investigation into the former president and the violent insurrection two years ago. Mr. Trump “lit that fire,” the committee’s chairman, Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson, writes.
A season to celebrate, by Ben Jealous
I’ve written about the importance of judges a few times over the last year. And every time I do, I realize that many people have never met a judge. Or they have, but it was at a time when they’d rather have been anywhere else.
Bennie Thompson’s fight to save voting rights, racial justice, by Marc H. Morial
“This committee is nearing the end of its work. But as a country, we remain in strange and uncharted waters. We’ve never had a president of the United States stir up a violent attempt to block the transfer of power. If we are to survive as a nation of laws and democracy, this can never happen again.” — U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, Chairman, House January 6 Committee.
Why?
Here’s the good news: So far, there have been no reports of unsheltered people freezing to death in the Arctic blast that hit the Richmond area just before Christmas.
Richmond Alumnae Delta House Foundation awards scholarships
The Richmond Alumnae Delta House Foundation has announced its 2022 RVA Infinite Scholars scholarship recipients.
AKA Upsilon Omega Chapter presents 26 debutantes
The Upsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Soror- ity recently presented 26 debutantes from area high schools, colleges and universities at the organization’s 2022 Debutante Presentation and Ball.
Preservation Act provides research funding for burial grounds
A. Donald McEachin’s legacy as a Richmond congressman will live on in the African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Act that he sponsored in February with others in the U.S. House and Senate.
Hanover County announces water assistance program
Hanover residents who have customer accounts with the county’s Department of Public Utilities can now apply for water and wastewater bill assistance through Virginia’s Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program.
RPS makes history in collective bargaining negotiations
Richmond Public Schools recently negotiated agreements with four collective bargaining “units” that will result in increased salaries, compensation and benefits for those employees. The RPS school board was the first in the state to pass a collective bargaining resolution last December since the Virginia Supreme Court banned such agreements for public sector employees 45 years ago.
Minimum wage going up; sales tax cut on groceries
Most of Virginia’s lowest paid workers will ring in the New Year with a $1-an-hour pay hike, while grocery shoppers will see a smaller tax bite on their purchases.
Writing competition open to RPS students
The Game Changer Citywide Writing Competition, exclusively for Richmond Public Schools students, is open through Feb. 1, 2023. Contestants have the opportunity for students to win up to $500.
New Year’s 2023 Closings
In observance of New Year’s Day, Sunday, Jan. 1, please note the following:
