Hope and change
Do you remember how much we looked forward to hope and change when President Obama was running for office? As I talk with people daily, they long for those days and wish the former president and his wife, Michelle Obama, could return to the White House. Some even wish they could return with Mrs. Obama as president.
Where is the white church?
In 2019, we will commemorate 400 years since the first 20 enslaved people were transported by ship from Africa by white slave traders and landed in Jamestown, Va.
Richmond Coliseum redux
The more we learn about the proposed Coliseum development in Downtown, the more we don’t like it. We are skeptical about the figures and arguments trotted out to convince City Council and Richmond residents to support the $1.4 billion plan.
Virginia for sale?
Many elected officials should have “For Sale” signs outside their office doors. They also should make it known that they are discriminatory in who gets to buy them. They are “For Sale” to the white corporate and banking sectors only.
Why Baugh should go to church
Re Letters to the Editor, “Why I don’t go to church,” Free Press Nov. 29-Dec. 1 edition:
Do black lives matter?
On Sunday, Dec. 2, two young men were shot on Raven Street in the East End. One, a juvenile, was found around 9 p.m. with an apparent gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital. About two hours later, police were called back to the same block and another young man, 17, was found. He had been shot and killed.
Gary Steele,Calvin Huey broke color barrier on Army-Navy football teams
The U.S. Military Academy’s football team, Army, is known as the Black Knights, but it wasn’t until 1966 it had its first African-American player. Gary Steele, a military brat whose father was a Buffalo Solider, broke the color barrier in West Point, N.Y., as a star tight end.
Maggie Walker’s Austin Wade stands out in two sports
It’s not so unusual for a high school athlete to play two sports. What is unusual is to be playing both sports at the same time. That’s the rare case with senior Austin Wade at the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School.
CIAA Basketball Tournament eyeing move beginning 2021
The CIAA Basketball Tournament might have a new host city in 2021. Following the athletic conference’s fall board meeting in Charlotte, N.C., it was announced Friday, Dec. 7, that Norfolk and Baltimore are in contention to host the tournaments, from 2021 thorough 2023, along with Charlotte.
Highland Springs wins state football title again
The Highland Springs High School football team members are running out of fingers to display their bling. The Springers captured their fourth consecutive Class 5 state championship title last Saturday with a 37-26 victory over Stone Bridge High School of Ashburn in Northern Virginia.
State NAACP to push ‘Energy from God’ bill
Schools, churches, mosques and synagogues across Virginia could go solar, if the Virginia State Conference NAACP has its way. Under a legislative proposal the civil rights organization is advancing dubbed the “Energy from God” bill, a $1 billion, three-year pilot program would be created to equip buildings devoted to public education and religion with solar panels, particularly in low-income urban and rural areas.
Rev. Dennis E. Thomas, former pastor of First African Baptist Church, dies at 62
The Rev. Dennis Earl Thomas has come to the end of his 41- year career as a church leader, preacher and musician. The former pastor of First African Baptist Church in Richmond died Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, in Philadelphia. He was 62.
Personality: Gilbert W. Wilkerson Sr.
Spotlight on president of Coalition Against Urban Violence
Christmas is a time for faith, family and counting blessings. But for someone who has had a loved one tragically taken from them through violence, the season can be full of pain and sorrow.
Public meetings on city parking improvement postponed
Public meetings on proposals to improve parking in Carytown, Downtown, Manchester and Scott’s Addition are being rescheduled for mid-January as a result of the snowstorm, organizers announced Tuesday.
Steel fabrication company to open in South Side
A York, Pa., company is creating 70 jobs for welders, machine operators, truck drivers and others in Richmond after re-opening a factory and warehouse in South Side that most recently was used to build large bridge components.
Grade snafu flunks ‘A’ student
Michael Donovan was surprised when his son brought home a report card for the first nine weeks at Lucille M. Brown Middle School that showed the sixth-grader had an F in Spanish.
VSU accredited for 10 years by SACS
Virginia State University, despite shrinking enrollment, has secured re-accreditation for a full 10 years, it was announced Tuesday. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reaffirmed VSU’s accreditation at its annual meeting Tuesday in New Orleans after finding the university complied with all of its standards.
New City Council chief of staff?
Richmond City Council soon could be looking for a new chief of staff. Lou Brown Ali, who has held the post since 2011, may be on her way out. Asked Tuesday, she confirmed that she might be resigning, “but I’ll learn more about that later.”
City Council to take up affordable housing and homeless issues at Dec. 17 meeting
Richmond’s governing body is planning to provide a $1 million increase to a City Hall loan pool that assists developers in generating affordable housing and to boost the city’s role in tackling the issue of homelessness.
City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto out of the woods?
Pressure appears to be lifting for Richmond City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto to resign his seat despite moving from the 5th District he represents to the city’s 1st District. Two key city officials, the Richmond voter registrar and the city attorney, have backed away from the issue of whether Mr. Agelasto’s move disqualifies him from remaining on City Council, leaving it uncertain whether any mechanism exists to enforce a requirement in the Virginia Constitution and state code that he, like other state and local officials, must live in the district he serves.
