Newport News House race still up in the air
Control of the Virginia House of Delegates remains unsettled. At the last minute, the state Board of Elections postponed Wednesday’s drawing to decide the winner of a Newport News House seat.
Funding extended for CHIP
Nine million American children — including 68,000 in Virginia — will continue to have government-supported health insurance for three more months.
GRTC rolling out new fare passes
GRTC is changing its tickets as it upgrades to new fare boxes on buses and prepares for the start of the Bus Rapid Transit system whose completion date is still uncertain.
Tax law change to affect city utility customers
In an unexpected twist, Richmond’s utility customers could gain a few dollars of savings on their water, sewer and natural gas bills as the result of the tax overhaul bill that Congress passed last week and President Trump signed into law.
Fired or resigned?
Omarosa out at White House
Omarosa Manigault Newman, who has resigned under duress from her public liaison job at the White House, is leaving true to form — amidst a cloud of controversy and with sparks flying.
Civil rights groups decry tax bill impact
President Trump and Republicans are heralding their new tax legislation as a major help to middle class Americans and as a certain way of boosting the economy by cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent
One down
Trump’s first year in office marked by controversy and protests
Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump took office, his presidency started generating controversy. Photographs showing that the crowd at President Trump’s swearing-in was smaller than at Barack Obama’s first presidential inauguration in 2009 caused the first ruckus in his administration — but not the last.
‘The civil rights struggle has not survived on fear nor superficiality’
Re Letter to the editor, “Absence from Mississippi museum dedication hurt us,” Free Press Dec. 14-16 edition: It is an unimaginable claim that Rep. John Lewis’ absence from the dedication of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Dec. 9 hurt the African-American community. For Rep. Lewis to have stood on such hallowed ground with President Trump at the dedication would have been a travesty of historic proportions.
Businesses, nonprofits and Jesus
A business has to make a profit to stay in business. The nonprofit idea was a way to induce people to give money to avoid taxes.
Kudos to The Comfort Movement
Re “Collecting comfort items for children separated from parents,” Free Press Nov. 22-25 edition: I saw the article posted recently about The Comfort Movement project led by the Free Press’ Cynthia Downing, who is collecting stuffed animals and donations to give to families who have a loved one who is incarcerated through the Assisting Families of Inmates program.
Trump’s race-based view of monuments
Not long after the violence over Robert E. Lee’s statue in Charlottesville, President Trump went to great lengths to declare the beauty and importance of Confederate monuments strewn across the former slave-holding states.
Thanks are OK, but hook a sistah up
U.S. Sen.-elect Doug Jones, a Democrat from Alabama, did not have to win his battle against accused sexual molester and Republican candidate Roy Moore in the epic battle in Alabama on Dec. 12.
Christmas message
May the blessings of the season encircle you with peace and joy.
27th Annual Capital City Kwanzaa Festival set for Dec. 30
Professor Griff, a member of the award-winning hip-hop group Public Enemy, will be the main speaker at the 2017 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival on Saturday, Dec. 30.
Tribute unveiled to women’s advocate, international AKA president
While the nation debates the preservation or removal of Confederate monuments, the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority are erecting monuments to honor the selfless contributions of their sisters.
VUU alum, former player Alvin Parker to coach Panthers
Alvin Parker didn’t need much in the way of a formal introduction Monday as Virginia Union University’s new football coach.
Hampton picks Prunty to lead Pirates
Hampton University will be moving into a new conference, the Big South, with a new football coach, Robert Prunty. “I’m up for the challenge,” Coach Prunty said during a introductory news conference Dec. 9 at the HU Student Center. “I didn’t come here to lose, make no mistake about that,” he said. “You’ve got a winner now.”
N.C. A&T wins Celebration Bowl
On a football scale of 1 to 12, North Carolina A&T State University is a 12. The Aggies finished the season 12-0 with a 21-14 victory over Grambling State University of Louisiana last Saturday in the third annual Celebration Bowl at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Kermit Blount to be inducted into CIAA Hall of Fame
Native Richmonder Kermit Blount has been selected for induction into the John B. McLendon Jr. CIAA Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be 9 a.m. March 2, at the Charlotte Convention Center, coinciding with the 2018 CIAA Basketball Tournament.
