History makers celebrate Fourth
Judge Damon J. Keith’s annual Independence Day picnic in Hanover County turned into a celebration of history Monday. The senior judge on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who lives in Detroit returns each year to his late wife’s family home in Virginia to celebrate his July 4 birthday.
By invitation only
New members to join Academy after 2nd all-white Oscars draws criticism
After suffering severe criticism for having a second straight year of all-white acting nominees for the Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 683 new members to join the organization. The academy says its invitees are 46 percent female, 41 percent minority and represent 59 countries.
Officials hope President Obama’s ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ program will remain under next administration
President Obama has seven months left in office. One of the leaders of one of his key initiatives is hard at work ensuring the president’s legacy will continue after he leaves the White House.
Richmonder Jackie Bradley selected to MLB All-Star team
Richmond native Jackie Bradley Jr. is officially a Major League Baseball All-Star. The 26-year-old outfielder for the Boston Red Sox will be an American League starter at the 87th annual MLB All-Star Game on July 12 at San Diego’s Petco Park.
VSU’s Pittman receives NCAA Degree Completion Award
Virginia State University scholar-athlete Wynterra Pittman has received the 2016 NCAA Division II Degree Completion Award.
Hanover standout Cayman Richardson to play ball at U.Va.
Cayman Richardson is going from one of the top high school baseball programs in Virginia to one of the top college programs in America.
Rev. Marshall H. Garrett, 73, Christian education minister at Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church
The Rev. Marshall Henderson Garrett, minister of Christian education at Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church, was widely known for his loving and caring spirit.
Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, ‘conscience of the world,’ dies at 87
Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner whose memories of persecution and teachings on tolerance made him one of the world’s most revered moral voices, has died at 87. “My husband was a fighter,” Marion Wiesel said in a statement. “He fought for the memory of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, and he fought for Israel. He waged countless battles for innocent victims regardless of ethnicity or creed.”
Youths learning to turn faith into action
Twenty kids marched around a multipurpose room at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church on a recent Thursday, following the path of a cardboard highway that a day earlier they discovered had divided the city’s neighborhoods and altered their vision for the community.
Personality: Jeree M. Thomas
Spotlight on inaugural winner of the youth justice Emerging Leader Award
Jeree Thomas believes in doing whatever she can to help her clients live more successful lives. The attorney with the JustChildren program of the Legal Aid Justice Center in Richmond provides counsel for children and represents them at special education and public benefits hearings.
Judge Roger Gregory makes history again
The son of humble tobacco factory workers is about to reach a new pinnacle in his legal career. On July 9, Judge Roger L. Gregory will become the chief judge of the powerful 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond.
Free Press wins national award
For the second consecutive year, the Richmond Free Press has been recognized with a national award for editorial writing. The Free Press received the Robert S. Abbott Best Editorial Award at the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual convention in Houston.
58: Number of candidates certified to run for mayor, City Council and School Board
Richmond voters will have plenty of choices for mayor, City Council and the School Board in the November election, when they also will be helping to elect a president, vice president and member of Congress. The three-member Richmond Electoral Board last week certified 58 candidates to run for city offices. The list would have been longer, but 15 potential candidates were disqualified for failure to meet filing requirements, the city Voter Registrar’s Office reported.
Slew of candidates translated into flood of work
The 73 candidates who filed to run for Richmond office submitted 1,835 pages of petitions with 25,060 signatures of purportedly registered voters, according to city Voter Registrar Kirk Showalter. Every one of the signatures had to be checked against the state database of registered voters to ensure they were valid, Ms. Showalter said.
Property values up in city
For the third year in a row, rising property values in Richmond will put Richmond City Council on the spot when it comes to collecting property taxes from owners of real estate.
Louisiana man killed by police
The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it will investigate the killing of a black man pinned to the ground and shot in the chest by two white police of- ficers outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, La. Captured on at least two videos, graphic images of the shooting of Alton Sterling, 37, early Tuesday stirred protests and so- cial media outcry over the latest case of alleged police brutality against an African- American in cities from Ferguson, Mo., to Baltimore and New York.
National commission to commemorate arrival of Africans in America approved by House
A federal commission to recognize the trials, tribulations and contributions of African-Americans since 1619 is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Whew!
FBI finds Hillary Clinton careless, but not criminal in use of private email server
The FBI recommended Tuesday that no criminal charges be filed over Hillary Clinton’s use of private email servers while she was secretary of state, but rebuked the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate for “extremely careless” handling of classified information.
City faces $1M bill from storm damage
Rosie Lee Woods, like dozens of city residents, has a reminder of the powerful storm that roared through the city June 16, knocking out power, felling trees and creating havoc. She can look out at the remains of the giant oak that stood in front of her North Side home, one of hundreds of city-owned trees toppled by the storm. Fortunately, her home didn’t suffer a scratch as the tree fell parallel to the street. After the storm, city workers came to the 3500 block of Hazelhurst Avenue and removed the massive branches that blocked the street, she said.
Highland Park dry cleaners to reopen under new ownership
Good news for Lonnie McLaurin and up to 30 other people. They will soon be able to get their clothes back from a closed dry cleaners in Highland Park. As the Free Press described in the June 9-11 edition, Mr. McLaurin has been trying to get his clothes since the business at 1311 E. Brookland Park Blvd. shut down in late April. He, like others, had been required to pay in advance for the dry cleaning service.
