The broader view, by Dr. E. Faye Williams
I remember the commonly accepted phrase describing politics as, “All politics is lo- cal.” The obvious understanding is that the individual politician and his/her constituents are best served when the interests of the “local” constituents, not partisan interests, are paramount in policy decisions.
COVID-19 relief measure inadequate, by Marc H. Morial
“I wish they would put themselves — the White House and Congress and everybody else making these decisions — in the shoes of us, the normal working people, who need help due to no fault of our own. I’m asking to be able to keep my apartment. To be able to live, and not live on the street. I’m not asking to be put in a golden apartment or anything. I just want to be able to live.” — Unemployed teacher Stephanie Lott, quoted in The Washington Post
A New Year’s message
"For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice." - T.S. Eliot
Tiger Woods and son don’t quite break from the pack
Team Woods attracted most of the cameras but fell short of winning the title at the PNC Championships in Orlando.
He breaks stereotypes at Arizona State
Jackson He is big, fast and strong, about what you’d expect of a football player at Arizona State University. But what makes him really special is his nationality. He is Chinese.
Jerry Rice’s son running in his dad’s footsteps
Here’s great news for University of Colorado football fans: Brenden Rice is starting to look a lot like his famous dad.
Punter Pressley Harvin III named first team All-American
It is common nowadays to see Black athletes excel at every position on the football field—every position, that is, except kicker.
Deion Sanders now to have 2 sons at Jackson State
Jackson State University football Coach Deion Sanders will now have two sons playing for him next season.
K.C. Jones, who won Olympic, NCAA and NBA championships, dies at 88
K.C. Jones and the word “winner” were always synonymous.
Principal Joe Clark, who inspired film ‘Lean on me,’ dies
Joe Louis Clark, the baseball bat and bullhorn-wielding principal whose unwavering commitment to his students and uncompromising disciplinary methods inspired the 1989 film “Lean on Me,” died at his Florida home on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, after a long battle with an unspecified illness, his family said. He was 82.
Holiday closing schedule
In observance of New Year’s Day, Friday, Jan. 1, please note the following:
Applications now open for Parker Family Scholarship
Applications are being accepted for the new Parker Family Scholarship, a $1,000 award to be given to a high school senior enrolled in Richmond Public Schools who plans to continue his or her education at a four-year college or university.
Sister of man killed by police enters governor’s race
The sister of Marcus-David Peters, who was shot and killed by a Richmond Police officer in 2018 during what has been described as a mental health crisis, has formally announced her candidacy for Virginia’s gubernatorial race.
City expands plans for enslaved African memorial site in Shockoe Bottom
City Hall is moving to expand the space designated for a long talked about memorial to slavery in Shockoe Bottom well before development begins on what the city has dubbed the Enslaved African Heritage Campus.
Richmond solicits casino plans
City Hall took its biggest step this week toward bringing a state-approved gambling casino and resort hotel to Richmond.
Coalition pushes Black inclusion in marijuana legalization
Five years ago, after the General Assembly legalized the growing of marijuana’s cousin, industrial hemp, veteran grower Leroy Hardy Jr. sought to be among the people chosen to plant the first test plots to help interested farmers get the most from the crop.
Foremost wishes for 2021
With the start of 2021, the Richmond Free Press invited select city and state officials and leaders to share their foremost wishes for the new year. Following are their responses.
Chesterfield’s Megan Walker has WNBA, international playing career
The offseason for women’s elite basketball talent isn’t much different than the regular season. In the NBA, the average salary is $7.7 million. By sharp contrast, the average WNBA salary is about $101,000. That’s ample reason why many WNBA athletes — like local star Megan Walker — supplement their paychecks with far-away gigs across oceans, mountains and multiple time zones.
Emancipation Proclamation Day service to take place online
With a stroke of a pen, President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in the warring South 158 years ago.
Ruby H. Walden, a force for community betterment in Suffolk, dies at 99
“I cannot do everything, but I can do some things. What I can do, I ought to do. What I ought to do, with the help of God, I will do.” Those are the words Ruby Holland Walden lived by until her death at age 99 in her native Suffolk on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, her family said.
