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.
City moves to end regional jail arrangement
The City of Richmond wants to end its participation in a regional jail in Caroline County — a move that could save Richmond taxpayers at least $1.2 million a year.
Attorney general urges court to uphold mass restoration of felons’ voting rights
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is urging the Virginia Supreme Court to reject a Republican legal challenge to Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s use of executive power to restore voting and other political rights to more than 200,000 felons. This state’s highest court is to hear arguments on the issue July 19.
Many people helped make change possible
As we honor, with a well-deserved commemorative marker, the brave Virginia Union University men and women students who broke down Virginia’s Jim Crow policy of segregated lunch counters, let’s not forget the courageous men and women who picketed with the NAACP on the sidewalks, as well as the Presbyterian theology students from Union Theological Seminary who also joined in the cause.
Equal pay a must
I love Virginia. And I love envisioning the New Virginia Economy that enables Virginians to have equitable opportunities for a quality education, quality health care, quality jobs and equal pay for equal work.
Dialogue, criticism must go both ways
Because I’m not a regular viewer of “Grey’s Anatomy,” I didn’t know who actor Jesse Williams was until his eloquent rants about the state of race in America popped up in viral internet videos.
Let freedom ring
As we slide toward the July 4th holiday on Monday, we will be bombarded this weekend with messages of patriotism. From the presidential candidates to mattress firms, many people will seek to wrap themselves in the flag as they offer pitches about liberty, freedom and the values espoused by the Founding Fathers.
