Panthers rejoice! Byers is coming back
Spoiler alert: VSU-VUU season finale is renamed
Virginia Union University football fans can take a deep breath. Jada Byers is staying put.
How Black clergy are reframing approach on abortion with congregations
For the Rev. Irene Prince, discussions around reproductive choice start in Bible study.
Personality: Sharon Parham Blount
Spotlight on Shalom Farms board chair
Sharon Parham Blount is bringing a new kind of peace to Richmond’s hungriest residents.
Expelled Black lawmaker Pearson to return to Tennessee House
The second of two Black Democrats expelled from the Republican-led Tennessee House will return to the legislature after a Memphis, Tenn., commission voted to reinstate him Wednesday, nearly a week after his banishment for supporting gun control protesters propelled him into the national spotlight.
Supply and demand
City’s ‘housing crisis’ calls for 23,000 affordable living spaces
Seeking to put fresh emphasis on an issue that has been on the agenda for at least a decade, City Council on Monday followed through and joined Mayor Levar M. Stoney in “declaring a housing crisis in the city of Richmond.”
Restoring votes for returning citizens
Members of the New Virginia Majority, Virginia NAACP, League of Women Voters of Virginia, Virginia Organizing, ACLU of Virginia, and Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, along with Del. Don Scott, House Minority Leader, and Sen. Mamie Locke participated in a press conference at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square to speak against the current rights restoration process of the current administration.
Personality: Ryan Andrew Dickinson
Spotlight on Miss Gay United States challenging perceptions of drag performers
“Shocked, and overwhelmingly crippled.” That was the reaction of Ryan Andrew Dickinson, aka Bianca Blake Starr, to his victory in the 2023 Miss Gay United States Pageant last Sunday. As the 18th drag performer to win the title, Mr. Dickinson’s new role comes with a large platform and several responsibilities.
Nationals’ rebound likely depends on CJ Abrams, Keibert Ruiz, Josiah Gray
Looking to recover from three poor seasons in a row, the Washington Nationals hope to bounce back with an impressive list of young prospects.
Game changer: Attendance, ticket sales surge since Squirrels arrival
The Richmond Flying Squirrels had a good season on the field in 2022 and a great season at the ticket booth.
Rites of passage
Rites of passage ceremonies traditionally mark important transitional periods in a person’s life, such as birth, puberty, marriage, having children, and death. In recent weeks, Richmond and surrounding communities have witnessed far too many rites of passage for young Black men whose lives were cut short by horrific tragedy.
NFL’s John Brockington, 74, dies
John Brockington, among the NFL’s top running backs in the early 1970s, died Friday, March 31, 2023, in San Diego. He was 74.
John Marshall loses to Central Cabarrus 67-65 in ATL
John Marshall High’s magical ride on the basketball court hit a patch of turbulence and fell back to Earth in Atlanta.
Ryan Odom replaces VCU’s Mike Rhoades
VCU’s basketball forecast has gone from sunny and bright to overcast and complicated.
VUU’s Osborne is HBCU Player of the Year
Robert Osborne is going to need to expand his trophy case to handle all of his awards from the most recent season.
City leaders, groups propose housing crisis solutions
Following months of rising rent costs, a high number of evictions and growing housing scarcity, Richmond officials have declared that the city is in an affordable housing crisis.
Hope for healing
7 months after New York Times exposé, healthy equity advocates, Bon Secours report progress
Bon Secours Richmond is starting to receive positive feedback from advocates who had harshly criticized the hospital system for allegedly failing to re-invest income from a federal discount pricing program into low-income communities, most notably Richmond Community Hospital and low-income residents living nearby.
LSU ends season winning 102-85 over Iowa in NCAA finals
Jasmine Carter leads scoring with 22 points
One of the first things Kim Mulkey did upon becoming women’s basketball coach at LSU was to study the available talent in the transfer portal. She obviously made some wise personnel decisions.
President Biden says tech companies must ensure AI products are safe
President Biden said Tuesday it remains to be seen if artifi- cial intelligence is dangerous, but that he believes technology companies must ensure their products are safe before releasing them to the public.
When making exceptions for Ramadan is no longer the exception, by Dilshad D. Ali
Scrolling Twitter on the first evening of Ramadan 2023, I was greeted (well, as all Muslims were) by Elmo. “Ramadan Mubarak to all of Elmo’s friends!” the red toddler Muppet said. “Elmo loves you!”
Why are we ignoring our chidren?, by Julianne Malveaux
The recent massacre of three students and three adults in Nashville, Tenn., is alarming. How and why did a former student invade the school locked and loaded with an automatic weapon and ruthlessly kill innocent students and their caretakers?
