Help for health care sign-ups on Dec. 8
Celebrate Healthcare is teaming up with First Baptist Church of South Richmond to help people enroll in health insurance plans under the federal Affordable Care Act and the state’s Medicaid expansion program.
On separate TEDx stages, a local mother and daughter share their perspectives on education and identity
They were already close, but Dr. Hollee Freeman said her bond with her daughter is even stronger after they were invited to speak at separate local TEDx events within weeks of each other.
State NAACP president muddies group’s stance against Dominion Energy pipeline project
The Virginia State NAACP is reaffirming its opposition to Dominion Energy’s $6.5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline because it believes a key element of the pipeline — a natural gas compressor station —poses a pollution risk to a historically African-American community in Buckingham County, 75 miles west of Richmond.
Dr. Corey Walker leaving VUU School of Theology
Virginia Union University will soon start looking for a new dean for the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology. In a surprise move, Dr. Corey D.B. Walker announced in a letter to the students and faculty that he is leaving what he called his “dream” job as a VUU vice president, theology school dean and professor of religion and society on Dec. 31.
In limbo: City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto casts decisive vote in latest poll on Coliseum project despite looming questions over his qualifications to hold 5th District seat
Richmond City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, 5th District, is continuing to play a prominent role on the nine-member governing board despite ongoing concerns about the legality of his seat on council since his move last summer to another council district.
Trump endorses bipartisan federal sentencing reform effort
President Trump’s boisterous and often denigrating political rhetoric during most of the 2018 midterm campaign season and his post-election assault on the federal court in California may have overshadowed his positive take on federal prison sentencing.
Nation bids farewell to former President George H. W. Bush
Former President George H.W. Bush was celebrated with high praise and loving humor Wednesday at a farewell to the man who was America’s 41st president and the last president to serve on active duty in wartime.
Prejudice also strikes ‘scruffy-looking’ white people
You do not have to be African-American to receive prejudicial treatment from Virginia Commonwealth University Police. You can be a scruffy-looking white person and receive roughly comparable treatment.
Churches, payday loans and the Bible
I think it is a positive concept that a church is dispensing micro loans to community members. It is obvious that payday lenders target the minority community, and black people in particular. Most of the customers I have seen are African-American.
Kudos Free Press on City Hall coverage
Re “Council committee blocks entry of medical transport company into Richmond market” and “Coliseum’s success raises new questions about need to replace it,” Free Press Nov. 29-Dec. 1 edition:
The Bush legacy
We believe that one’s life is like a scorecard or balance sheet — filled with both positives and negatives. And when one dies, others (perhaps even God) will look at the ledger and add up both sides.
Bush 41: ‘The closer’
Could former President George H.W. Bush have defeated current President Donald Trump? In a way, it already happened — in 1992, although nobody would have known it at the time.
The new voter suppression
“Georgia elections officials deployed a known strategy of voter suppression: closing and relocating polling places. Despite projections of record turnout, elections officials closed or moved approximately 305 locations, many in neighborhoods with numerous voters of color.
Nationwide talent bring boost to VCU Rams
Virginia Commonwealth University searches near and far for basketball talent, but lately the emphasis has been on far. Of Coach Mike Rhoades’ 14 players, just two are Virginians and only one has Richmond ties.
Freshman Pitts making big splash at VUU
Demarius Pitts saw no need to meekly dip his toes in the water to get a feel for college basketball. Boldly, he dove in head first instead.
Legend of NFL’s ‘Fearsome Foursome’ remains
The Los Angeles Rams, 10-1, are riding high these days with one of the NFL’s most historically explosive offenses — 36 points and 449 yards per game. It was much different in the 1960s, when the Los Angeles team rose to prominence with an intimidating defense featuring its famed “Fearsome Foursome.”
Some ‘Legacy Vendors’ to have spot at renovated 17th Street Farmers’ Market
Evelyn “Luceal” Allen and Rosa Fleming will be coming back to the 17th Street Farmers’ Market, while Timothy “Tim” Christian likely will not. For now, he will remain by Main Street Station.
Mayor uses ‘fake news’ moniker for media reports on Coliseum project
Is Richmond’s mayor adopting President Trump’s habit of labeling media reports he dislikes as “fake news”?
Pressure mounts for councilman to resign
Richmond City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto could soon face fresh pressure to resign from his 5th District seat following his admission last week that he and his family now live in a West Franklin Street house located in the 1st District.
Carver Elementary loses national Blue Ribbon award
Richmond’s George W. Carver Elementary School is no longer a national Blue Ribbon school. The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that it was stripping the school of the national award given to the school in 2016 for academic achievement.
