
Mayor withdraws proposal to name city park plaza for Dominion Energy
A new plaza proposed for the city-owned Low Line Green that runs along the Capital Trail on the riverfront will not bear the name of Dominion Energy.

Delegate Luke E. Torian of Northern Virginia to speak Friday at VUU's Founders Day
Delegate Luke E. Torian of Prince William County will be the keynote speaker at Virginia Union University’s Founders Day Convocation at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at the Allix B. James Chapel in Coburn Hall on campus.

After-school programs now in all RPS middle and elementary schools
Students at Richmond’s Albert H. Hill Middle School now can sign up for free after-school programs, thanks to a partnership with Richmond Public Schools and the nonprofit NextUp RVA.

School Board starts process for VCU to take over historic Moore Street School
Virginia Commonwealth University has gained a boost for its plan to take over the historic and vacant Moore Street School to expand the day care operation that its School of Education operates on the Monroe Park Campus. The Richmond School Board voted 8-1 Monday night to start the process of enabling VCU to obtain the building.

Richmond's housing issues have long history
Richmond must do a lot of work to solve its eviction problem that gives it the second highest eviction rate per capita in the nation.

Vigil Saturday for toddler fatally shot in Hillside Court
A candlelight vigil in memory of 3-year-old Sharmar L. Hill Jr., who was fatally shot while playing last Saturday afternoon outside his family’s home in the Hillside Court public housing community, will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, in the 1700 block of Southlawn Avenue.

Register to vote in Democratic primary
Want to vote in the Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, March 3?

Meeting on homeless issue turns tense
A discussion meant to address and ease concerns for Richmond’s homeless residents quickly turned tense Wednesday afternoon.

N.C. woman files $15M lawsuit against the national NAACP
A woman who said she repeatedly told the national NAACP that her supervisor in the North Carolina conference had sexually harassed her is suing the national group and her former boss.

Senate fails to remove Trump from office
President Trump won acquittal Wednesday in the U.S. Senate, bringing to a close only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history. The votes split the country, tested civic norms and fed the tumultuous 2020 race for the White House.

More bad news
As consultant points out flaws, City Council majority gives Mayor Stoney a choice to withdraw the $1.5B Coliseum and Downtown development plan or have it stricken
The bad news just keeps coming for the doomed $1.5 billion proposal to replace the Richmond Coliseum and develop an area of Downtown around it.

RPS launches program to help dropouts get diploma or GED
Battling one of the highest dropout rates in Virginia, Richmond Public Schools is launching a Secondary Success Center to help students who have dropped out return to earn their high school diploma or a GED.

Kobe Bryant's legacy felt in Richmond, around the world
Purple and gold-themed tributes of praise have sprung up as Richmond and communities in Virginia and around the world recognize the life and accomplishments of the late basketball star Kobe Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won five NBA championships during his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The United States needs no traitors or dictators in charge
Those Republicans who support Donald Trump are like Donald Trump himself — traitors to America. Does America have to be totally destroyed before Donald Trump is deposed?

Parole-to-prison merry-go-round, by Dr. Donald Fraser
State-run parole and probation programs are designed to keep persons convicted of crimes, including a very large number of nonviolent crimes, out of prison.

Mourning Kobe by Arthur Cribbs
When I heard of the passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, along with seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., I had an initial feeling of shock, disbelief and numbness. And in the hours since hearing the news, that feeling has not gone away. For a lot of us in this world, this feeling isn’t going away anytime soon. It truly felt like losing someone close. In this time of mourning, I just want to say, “Thank you, Kobe.”

Promises, promises
We congratulate Richmond City Council members Kim B. Gray, Chris A. Hilbert, Kristen N. Larson, Stephanie A. Lynch and Reva M. Trammell who — like we — are neither bought nor bound to Dominion Energy CEO Tom Farrell’s and Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s vision of a $1.5 billion new Coliseum and accompanying development in Downtown.

Mayor eschews status quo, urges city to think bigger in State of City address
Stop being afraid to do something great. That’s Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s response to the opposition to the $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement plan that so far has failed to gain widespread public support.

Slavery museum in Liverpool aims to confront painful legacy
carlet shackles sit peacefully on display in front of a sad, gray backdrop. The now rusted leg irons once locked human ankles during 18th century voyages from Africa to some European port, then to the Americas. Who the shackles held remains a mystery. But as a citizen of the United States, I’ve likely broken bread with a descendant of the woman forced to wear this instrument. Maybe my uncle fought alongside her kin in a war. Or it’s possible one of her distant relatives is now my relative. These are the thoughts I entertain while recently walking through the reflective International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, England.

Grammys not just about the music
The Grammy Awards wasn’t just about the music Sunday night. The show opened with a dedication to basketball icon Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident earlier in the day and whose Los Angeles Lakers team has its home at the city’s Staples Center and Grammy venue.