Free flu shots Oct. 25
The Henrico County Health Department is offering free flu vaccinations to the public on Wednesday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Adult Education Center, 7850 Carousel Lane and from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Eastern Henrico Health Clinic, 1400 N. Laburnum Ave.
Obamacare still vital
Signature health care law remains intact despite GOP assaults
Don’t panic if you bought individual or family health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. The ACA, a.k.a. Obamacare, is struggling but still alive and will continue to operate, according to experts in the field, despite President Trump’s decision last week to cut off premium subsidies to insurance companies.
Elephant sets $15 an hour minimum
$15 per hour. That’s now the minimum pay for the employees of Henrico County-based Elephant Insurance, the company has announced. A subsidiary of a British company, Elephant disclosed that it has raised the pay of 370 of its 625 area employees to meet its new minimum, which sets the bar for other employers, including City Hall, that still fall short.
Charges dismissed as Essex Village completes repairs
Promised repairs have been made to Essex Village, a federally subsidized Section 8 housing complex in Henrico County. The disclosure came Wednesday in Henrico General District Court as Judge L. Neil Steverson dismissed 18 criminal charges the county had brought against the owners of the 486-unit complex located along Laburnum Avenue near the Richmond Raceway.
Facebook to boost local economy
For the Richmond area, Facebook is about to become more than a means for people to exchange messages and information.
Gillespie’s biased ads offend voter
Dear Ed Gillespie, You are aiding and abetting in the type of repulsive politics that could make the Republican Party as notorious as the swastika.
Fake math fuels Trump’s lopsided, lousy tax reform
“Rightful taxation is the price of social order. In other words, it is that portion of the citizen’s property which he yields up to the government in order to provide for the protection of all the rest. It is not to be wantonly levied on the citizen, nor levied at all except in return for benefits conferred.” — Journal of the Senate of the State of Ohio, December 6, 1847
When in doubt, blame Obama
“Bump stocks.” Hardly anyone had heard about them before they were found in the late Las Vegas sniper’s arsenal. Association with that massacre has made the devices, which can enable a semiautomatic rifle to fire almost as rapidly as a machine gun, so widely despised that even the National Rifle Association has turned against them in a surprising move — after unsurprisingly blaming Barack Obama.
How do they get away with it?
The New York Times was reporting well-known rumors and accusations when it broke the story Thursday that big-shot movie mogul and Miramax founder Harvey Weinstein allegedly had a long history of sexually harassing, abusing and victimizing countless women. But Mr. Weinstein might have gotten away with the alleged sexual abuse that reportedly spanned three decades for a good reason — several good reasons, in fact.
53 and counting
Lifelong friends with unbreakable links shot to death in gunfire that leaves people scrambling and screaming for help. Cell phones click to record the chaos unfolding in the dark. Family members and others react in stunned disbelief when hearing the news.
Folk Festival to ‘feed your soul’ this weekend
Music and culture from around the globe will highlight the 13th Annual Richmond Folk Festival. The three-day event, from Friday, Oct. 13, through Sunday, Oct. 15, has the theme “Feed Your Soul.” Served up will be 36 performers for every taste — from bluegrass and gospel to Japanese talko drumming and Persian tar and setar, Romanian cimbalom, Peruvian, Irish, Northern Indian Khyal singing, New Orleans brass and zydeco music.
Valentine Museum welcomes jazz visionary
Mercedes Ellington, the legendary dancer, choreographer, author and heir to jazz royalty, will discuss her book, “Duke Ellington: An American Composer and Icon,” Sunday, Oct. 15, at the Valentine Museum.
Petersburg art league’s new exhibit
Mixed media featuring artists Josue Fred and John A. Rooney headlines the Petersburg Area Arts League’s Friday for the Arts exhibit opening Friday, Oct. 13, at 7 E. Old St. in Petersburg.
Eminem slams Trump in profane video, calls him racist
Eminem unleashed a profane lyrical tirade against President Donald Trump — saying he “came to stump” and taking aim at the president’s Twitter habits, policy, appearance and supporters.
VUU’s ground game remains dominant despite losses
Virginia Union University seems to have explosive running backs lined up like jets on the runway awaiting takeoff. Arron Baker is the latest to get the “go” sign from Panthers’ Coach Mark James. “Arron definitely came out of his shell. He had a great game,” Coach James said of Baker following the Panthers’ 45-23 win at Lincoln (Pa.).
‘Un Bowl’ game is on with VSU vs. Bowie
Bowie State features the CIAA’s premier passer, Amir Hall. Virginia State showcases the conference’s most dynamic runner, Trenton Cannon.
Arts activist Lorna Pinckney is mourned at 43
Lorna Pinckney was a driving force in creating Richmond’s vibrant cultural scene. For 15 years, she brought poets, musicians and others together for lively performances of spoken word and new music in programs she dubbed Tuesday Verses and held in restaurant settings.
Basketball’s Connie Hawkins was ahead of his time
Connie Hawkins took a long and winding road to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame — but somehow he made it. The extraordinarily talented Mr. Hawkins died Friday, Oct. 6, 2017, at his home in Phoenix following a long illness at age 75. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.
