City Council committee blocks mayor’s dedicated fund plan for affordable housing
A City Council committee has quietly blocked Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s plan to earmark millions of dollars flowing into the general fund to aid development of lower-cost apartments and homes.
50 homeless people aided under city’s new shelter plan during weekend cold snap
City Hall appears to have succeeded in sheltering the homeless in the first test of its new model to assist people when the temperature plunges.
Catholic Diocese of Richmond to pay $6.2M to sexual abuse victims
The Catholic Diocese of Richmond announced last week that it is paying $6.3 million to 51 people who experienced sexual abuse as minors by clergy.
George Wythe High School replacement may get new life with expected announcement
City Hall is poised to move faster to replace George Wythe High School in South Side, the Free Press has learned.
General Assembly completes work on budget, criminal justice reform
Fairer sentencing for people convicted of crimes and a Marcus crisis alert system to improve the response to mental health emergencies are among the criminal justice reforms that have emerged from the General Assembly’s special session.
Confederate Avenue to be renamed
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton, soon will no longer live on Confederate Avenue.
Richmond judge during hearing to remove Lee statue: ‘It’s a very difficult case’
The General Assembly appears to have torn away the foundation of a lawsuit seeking to stop Gov. Ralph S. Northam from removing the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Monument Avenue — the giant symbol of white supremacy that has loomed over the city since 1890.
Absenteeism up in Richmond schools during pandemic
The coronavirus is causing a significant increase in absenteeism among Richmond Public Schools students.
Deadline to request absentee ballot Friday, Oct. 23
Voting information
The presidential election, as well as contests for U.S. Senate, Congress, Richmond City Council and Richmond School Board, will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Get out the vote efforts step up this weekend
Local organizations and advocacy groups are ramping up efforts to energize voters and get people to the polls in the final days before Election Day.
’Relentless racism’: Probe ordered of VMI after news report of racist incidents
State officials have ordered an outside investigation into the Virginia Military Institute following a report in The Washington Post that described Black cadets and alumni as facing “relentless racism.”
Farmers to Families Food Box Program greatly helping area households
Thanks goes out to the many churches, ministries and other nonprofit organiza- tions that distribute food boxes to the needy.
‘Get Richmond Working’ initiative would help eliminate disparities
Seeing construction cranes in Richmond is nothing out of the ordinary, but the ones that appeared in the wake of George Floyd’s death stood out from the rest.
FBI ready to help protect election
America’s elections are the foundation of our democracy and protecting them is a top FBI priority.
Monsters are scary – so are brilliant Black women, by Julianne Malveaux
I was frightened of monsters when I was a child. Not so sure why, but my brother, who loved to plague me, used to tell me they were lurking under my bed. I shook and I shivered, and I cried for fear that one of those dreaded monsters would rise from under the bed to strangle me.
Politicians can stop police killings, by Ben Jealous
Millions of Americans have come out in big cities and small towns to protest the killings of unarmed civilians — often Black people — at the hands of law enforcement. If we want our demands for justice and accountability to lead to real policy change, we need to build on that activism by electing public officials with the commitment to reform law enforcement and the courage to act when police abuse the power of their badge.
Amy Coney Barrett
We have been disgusted, but not surprised by Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s evasive maneuvering during this week’s Senate confirmation hearings.
Petersburg Symphony Orchestra to host two fall ensemble concerts
The Petersburg Symphony Orchestra is hosting two fall ensemble concerts for smaller, in-person audiences that will be livestreamed to the public.
