State watchdog agency examining special education system
First came a scathing federal report on the failure of the Virginia Department of Education to effectively monitor the special education programs that local public school divisions provide to children with learning disabilities and mental challenges.
Former city councilman pushing African-American perspective missing in Lee statue lawsuit
New drama is about to be injected into the already charged legal fight over removing the last and largest offensive Confederate statue from Monument Avenue — the one to slavery’s top military defender, Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Trump uses Black people to defend him at RNC
President Trump has aggressively asserted control over the Republican National Convention, a four-day event that started Monday and featured African-Americans defending the president’s history of racist rhetoric and actions. Former NFL star Herschel Walker, speaking on the opening night, defended President Trump, whom he called a “personal friend,” and said he isn’t a racist.
Not again
Wisconsin man, 29, paralyzed after being shot in the back Sunday by police as his children watched
Suddenly there is a new name and a new face to remind people that the lesson of George Floyd has not sunk in among many in the police rank and file.
Eric English to become Henrico’s first Black police chief
For the first time in its history, Henrico County will have an African-American police chief.
The 19th Amendment
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” — 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
Annual Southeast Community Day Parade to go on with or without permit, organizer says
Newport News has ordered the cancellation of the annual Southeast Community Day Parade that an area chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference has staged since 1991 — but the SCLC plans to defy the city and stage it anyway.
New book revisits shameful transplant practice of past
For centuries, medical doctors have been guided by ethical standards, pledging no intentional harm to patients. But lapses or disturbing, questionable, on-the-spot decisions and errors in judgment by physicians occur, undermining public confidence in health care providers and prodding the nation’s medical academy to reassess its standards.
Third generation MLB player keeping tradition going
Baseball is said to be a “daddy’s game” and, not surprisingly, there have been numerous father-son combinations in professional baseball. Grandfather-father-grandson combinations are much more rare.
Softball home run slugger Johnny Bailey shows them who’s king
Softball slugger extraordinaire Johnny Bailey came to the Rich- mond area with a national reputation, and he didn’t disappoint.
Former NFL player Jason Wright named president of Washington pro football team
The Washington NFL team hired Jason Wright as team president on Monday, making him the first Black person to hold that position in NFL history.
Petersburg’s Frank Mason III poised for NBA playoffs with Bucks
If nothing else, Frank Mason III may have made the Milwaukee Bucks’ unofficial “All Bubble” team.
MLB honors 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues
Professional baseball gave a much deserved tip of the cap to the Negro Leagues last Sunday, honoring the league’s 100th anniversary.
New liberal Christian groups working to dump Trump from office
Liberal-leaning Christian groups and faith leaders have formed a slate of new political action committees and initiatives in recent weeks, most of which criticize President Trump in ways that could help Democrats with religious voters in November.
‘Silence is violence’
Pastor and author Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil talks about racial justice and faith
Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil has been on stages, in classrooms and pulpits, preaching for decades about bridging racial divides. In her new book, “Becoming Brave — Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now,” the associate professor of reconciliation at Seattle Pacific University said there is no more time to wait.
Push for evangelical Christian colleges to address racial justice
After the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25, George Fox University, a Quaker-founded evangelical Christian school in Oregon, announced plans to change its campus culture, improve police engagement and diversify its board of trustees.
Tennis trailblazer Robert Ryland dies at 100
Robert Ryland, a trailblazing tennis player and coach, died Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020, at age 100. He was living in Provinc- etown, Mass., on Cape Cod.
Personality: Ollie Harvey
Spotlight on founder of The H.O.P.E. Organization
It has been more than 20 years since Ollie Harvey began her work to ensure no one in Virginia goes hungry, and the experience has been extensive, occasionally challenging and life-affirming.
