
Free pediatric dental clinic Friday, Feb. 2, at VCU School of Dentistry
“Give Kids a Smile” is the theme of an annual one-day program in Richmond and across the country to provide no-cost dental services to children.

Book about civil rights attorneys Oliver Hill, Spottswood Robinson launches Feb. 8
“We Face the Dawn,” a book about intrepid Richmond-based civil rights attorneys Oliver W. Hill Sr. and Spottswood W. Robinson III, will be launched at an event 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at the Library of Virginia, 800 E. Broad St. in Downtown.

‘I was handed a death sentence’
Advocates help NAACP stalwart Ora Lomax receive life-saving dialysis after a Henrico center moves to terminate her treatment
Getting kicked out of a dialysis clinic is the worst thing that can happen to a patient with failing kidneys. But that is what 86-year-old Ora M. Lomax has been facing.

Church Hill North project among city’s costliest new apartments
Some of the costliest apartments in Richmond are being built on the former site of Armstrong High School in the 1600 block of North 31st Street in the East End — miles away from the hot development centers of Manchester, Scott’s Addition and Downtown.

Richmond lawmakers submit bills to help high school students, businesses
Juniors and seniors in Richmond Public Schools would receive paid apprenticeships and training with local businesses, and participating employers would get tax credits from the state, under legislation filed by Richmond lawmakers.

While governor decries gun violence, state Senate OKs guns in church
Lamenting the fact that more than 900 Virginians were killed by guns last year, Gov. Ralph S. Northam said Tuesday that the state should do more to restrict the proliferation of firearms.

City receives top fire protection rating
Richmond is now rated as one of the best communities for fire protection in the country, it has been announced. City Hall received notice Monday of the rating from New Jersey-based Insurance Services Office Inc., which rates nearly 45,000 communities and whose information property insurance companies use to set insurance rates on homes and businesses.
Richmond Continentals grateful to sponsors
Re “Holiday elegance” photo and caption, Free Press Jan. 4-6 edition: I would like to make a correction in your coverage of the Richmond Chapter of the Continentals Societies Inc.
Mayor Stoney brought ‘sunshine of optimism’ to Richmond
Re “ Jury still out: Mayor Levar M. Stoney finishes first year amid ambivalence despite human touch,” Free Press Jan. 4-6 edition:
‘Trump does not have a clue’ about immigrants’ contributions to U.S.
Haiti was the first black-run country in the Western World. Beginning in the early 20th century, Middle Eastern immigrants began taking control of the country. Those few families now control the economics and politics of Haiti, along with the Catholic Church.
Don’t wait for Petersburg, Hanover to change Confederate school names
Re “Petersburg School Board to hold sessions on renaming Confederate schools,” Free Press Jan. 4-6 edition: Why hasn’t the city of Richmond changed the names of schools named for Confederates?

Trump and unemployment
When the unemployment rate dropped and economic conditions improved under the leadership of President Obama, 45 derided the gains as “fake news.”

Infidelity at its worst
Not surprisingly, one of the latest revelations about 45 is the report that, in 2016, his lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid adult film star Stephanie Clifford (aka “Stormy Daniels”) $130,000 to secure an agreement preventing her from disclosing the details of a 2006 sexual liaison with the reality star now politician.
Get busy or get out of the way
The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority has taken a giant step toward accountability this week with the resignation Sunday of its chief executive, T.K. Somanath.
The death of a giant
We have lost a giant with the death this week of Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker. The 88-year-old Dr. Walker, who was in an assisted living facility in Chester, served as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s chief of staff, strategizing and organizing some of Dr. King’s most successful civil rights demonstrations.

Thousands turn out for Women’s March RVA
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Carytown last Saturday for the second annual Women’s March, recalling demonstrations a year ago when hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Washington and cities around the nation and the world to protest President Trump’s inauguration and the GOP’s stance on issues such as women’s rights and immigration. Some called the 2017 event the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.

‘Get Out’ surprises at Oscar nominations
This year’s Oscar surprises include four nominations — including best picture and best actor for Daniel Kaluuya — for Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” in which an African-American man finds himself trapped at his white girlfriend’s house with her strange family.

Petersburg’s Ron Bolton, 10 others to be inducted into VIA Hall of Fame
The VIA Heritage Association wants to make sure the historical achievements of stellar athletes such as Ron Bolton don’t fade into oblivion.

Williams takes charge on UNC’s defense
Kenny Williams III is the Richmond area’s most recent link to arguably the nation’s premier college basketball program.