Monroe Park to get a $6M renovation
Monroe Park is about to get a $6 million facelift. The nonprofit Monroe Park Conservancy raised the $3 million in private funds to contribute to the renovation of the 165-year-old park, clearing the way for work to begin in early November, it was announced Wednesday.
Richmond Ambulance Authority marks 25 years of service
For thousands of Richmond residents, the Richmond Ambulance Authority has been a lifesaver. On Wednesday, the ambulance service marked its 25th year of providing emergency medical services.
Free CPR instruction on Monday
Do you know how to give CPR to someone whose heart stops? VCU Health wants to make sure you do because cardiopulmonary resuscitation can double or triple the chance of survival.
Morrissey’s wife speaks her mind
My husband, Joe Morrissey, is seeking to be Richmond’s next mayor. Tired of seeing so many people ignored in parts of our city, Joe wants to fight for those in every ward, doing everything from fixing potholes to overhauling our schools — be they off of Hull or Cary Street.
On ‘deplorables,’ Clinton was right
If you accept television pundit opinions, Hillary Clinton did a very bad thing. She called a portion of Donald J. Trump supporters “deplorables.”
Trump and the birthers
News Flash: Donald Trump now believes that President Obama was born in the country of which he is president.
Scot free
We are glad the sad, sordid saga of former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, is finally over. On Sept. 8, federal prosecutors announced they would not seek a second trial against the pair on corruption charges after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned their convictions in June.
Profiling candidates
When it comes to African-Americans and other people of color in this country, it is going to get worse before it gets better.
Executive Mansion dedicates garden to memory of enslaved
Imagine living and working hundreds of miles away from your family for years, with no smartphone, no internet, no means of transportation and no sense of how far you are from home.
Emmy Awards filled with color, politics
Diversity ruled at Sunday’s Emmy Awards, where a record 21 nominees of color were up for the annual awards for television and cable shows in contrast to this year’s all-white Oscars acting lineup. Several took home Emmys, many for the first time.
Elegba Folklore to hold weekend programs
The Elegba Folklore Society will offer a weekend of dance theater and interactive workshops. On Saturday, Sept. 24, Elegba Folklore dancers will perform an original dance program, “African
Washington Wizards to practice in Richmond
The Washington Wizards, a pro basketball franchise with old ties to Richmond, are coming to Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center.
Coach Lancaster returns home for next chapter in legendary career
George Lancaster says there is one aspect of coaching he’s looking forward to even more than the home court advantage.
VUU beats CIAA defending champ Winston-Salem State
The clouds have parted, as least for now. After two deflating losses, the Virginia Union University Panthers are heading to Fayetteville State University this Saturday, Sept. 24, with a victory under their belts and a smile on their faces. Coach Mark James’ squad is 1-2 after a rousing 37-14 win last Saturday against its longtime nemesis, Winston-Salem State University.
VSU wins Kentucky matchup; meets Winston-Salem State on Saturday
Kavon Bellamy is listed as a running back, but battering ram might better describe his role for the Virginia State University Trojans. He pounds and pounds until he gets where he wants to go. The senior from Hampton leads the CIAA in rushing and, not coincidentally, the Trojans are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 1997.
‘Lovable Losers’ get push this season from black players
The Chicago Cubs — that’s right, the Chicago Cubs! — are baseball’s very best team, at least for now. Nicknamed the “Lovable Losers,” the Cubbies haven’t won a World Series since 1908, which was eight years before they moved into quaint Wrigley Field on Chicago’s North Side.
Study puts monetary value on good works done by U.S. religious organizations
Religion News Service Religion is worth $1.2 trillion a year to the American economy, according to the first comprehensive study of the question. “In perspective, that would make religion the 15th largest national economy in the world, ahead of 180 other countries in terms of value,” according to the study’s author, Brian J. Grim, president of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation and an associate scholar at Georgetown University’s Religious Freedom Project. “That would also make American religion larger than the global revenues of the top 10 tech companies, including Apple, Amazon and Google, or the combined annual revenue of the six largest American oil companies,” Dr. Grim said as he released the study Sept. 14 in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington. Dr. Grim understands why the religious and nonreligious alike might look upon the exercise of valuing religion’s contribution to the economy skeptically. To put a value on the work of the nation’s 344,000 religious congregations representing all faiths, Dr. Grim looked at the schools, the soup kitchens, the addiction recovery programs and other activities they run and the programs’ impacts on local economies. He found that congregations and religiously oriented charity groups are responsible for 130,000 alcohol and drug abuse recovery programs; 94,000 programs to support veterans and their families; 26,000 programs to prevent HIV/AIDS and to support people living with the disease; and 121,000 programs to train and support the unemployed. They also operate more than 50,000 schools. He also determined that churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship employ hundreds of thousands of people and buy everything from flowers to computers to snow removal services. He believes the $1.2 trillion figure he came up with is a “conservative” valuation of the annual work of religious organizations in American society. Why crunch the numbers? Dr. Grim believes it is good to know the impact religion has on the nation. Dr. Grim also wants congregations and clergy — and the society that benefits from the charitable work— to appreciate the size of the contribution. In a country where people often hear much more about the evils committed by religious people — from sex abuse scandals to genocide — it’s time for some “balance,” Dr. Grim said. Even clergy often downplay the value of their work, said Ram Cnaan, director of the Program for Religion and Social Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Cnaan, who attended the National Press Club presentation to help Dr. Grim unveil his work, said the study would allow the religious to take pride in their contributions. “This is a new day for the people who study congregations,” he said of Dr. Grim’s work, “The Socio-economic Contribution of Religion to American Society: An Empirical Analysis.” “This is the beginning of a national debate — not if religion is important but how much it is important,” Dr. Cnaan said. Dr. Grim said that secular organizations like the Red Cross and the Cancer Society and the host of other nonprofits certainly contribute generously to the social health of the nation. Indeed, he said if the work of the religiously motivated did not exist, “I don’t think we would see all the good of society disappearing. However, I think it would be significantly less.” William A. Galston, a Brookings Institution scholar and a former Clinton administration domestic policy adviser who writes on religion and society, called Dr. Grim’s estimate of $1.2 trillion “a sensible number.” Dr. Grim’s paper, Dr. Galston said, can be used by religious organizations as “a credible calling card to get in the door” of policymakers who have too long undervalued their importance to society.
Judge suggests Gov. Pence’s Syrian refugee ban rooted in religious bias
“Wait, wait,” Judge Frank H. Easterbrook said, taking a tone of dry incredulity. “The governor of Indiana knows more about the status of Syrian refugees than the U.S. State Department does?” On Sept. 14, a panel of three judges of the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals lashed into Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s attempted ban of Syrian refugees resettling in the state.
Andrew ‘Bo’ Hobbs, longtime TJ coach, dies at 57
Andrew Nicholas “Bo” Hobbs Jr., former athlete and basketball coach at Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School, died Monday, Sept. 19, 2016.
Winningest HU coach dies at 70
A memorial service for Henry “Hank” Ford, the most successful basketball coach in Hampton University history, will be held Saturday, Sept. 24, at Dickerson A.M.E. Church in Georgetown, S.C. Burial will follow in Santee, S.C.
