Most Americans pray for healing
The vast majority of Americans have prayed for the healing of others, and more than one in four have practiced the laying on of hands, a Baylor University expert reports.
Goodnight, sweet Prince
Fans in the Richmond area and around the world are listening to their favorite Prince songs, watching his iconic movie “Purple Rain” and partying like it’s 1999 in memory and honor of the pop icon who died Thursday, April 21, 2016, in his hometown of Minneapolis.
‘Me and Mrs. Jones’ singer Billy Paul dies at 80
Billy Paul, a jazz and soul singer best known for the No. 1 hit ballad and “Philadelphia Soul” classic “Me and Mrs. Jones,” died Sunday, April 24, 2016.
Hoops legend ‘Pearl’ Washington, 52, dies
Basketball legends often leave a personal calling card. For some, it’s soaring dunks. For others, it’s 3-point accuracy, defense, toughness under the boards or floor leadership. Dwayne Washington, known as “Pearl,” is remembered best for his signature cross-over dribble — a quicksilver strike that froze defenders and helped put Syracuse University on the college hoops map.
Rodney Sledge, former standout at George Wythe, dead at 41
Longtime football standout Rodney Alan Sledge, nicknamed “Percy,” died Monday, April 18, 2016, from injuries suffered in a March 29 automobile ac- cident on Interstate 95 in Chesterfield County. He was 41.
Personality: Marilyn H. West
Spotlight on board president of Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia
The doors are about to open at the new Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia in Jackson Ward, and Marilyn H. West can barely contain her excitement.
U.S. Supreme Court hears appeal of convicted former Gov. McDonnell
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday in former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s appeal of his conviction on corruption charges involving $177,000 in gifts and sweetheart loans from a businessman seeking to promote a dietary supplement.
Cleveland to pay $6M in Tamir Rice’s death
Cleveland officials have agreed to pay $6 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old who was shot and killed by a police officer in 2014, according to documents filed in federal court on Monday.
3 team up to find new home for Squirrels in Boulevard area
Public pressure to keep baseball on the Boulevard appears to be having an impact. In a new effort, Mayor Dwight C. Jones is teaming up with the Richmond Flying Squirrels and Virginia Commonwealth University to find a site for a new ballpark near The Diamond, but not on the 60 acres of public property the city wants to redevelop.
City Council continues talks on school funding
Richmond City Council appears to be stuck between a rock and a hard place as it seeks to craft a balanced $709 million operating budget that would become effective July 1. On one side are passionate supporters of Richmond’s public schools who want the council to shift more local tax dollars into public education to avoid the potential shutdown of Armstrong High School and four elementary schools. Find the money, they say.
Fill schools, not jails
More than 200 demonstrators call for more school funding
Kevin Lauray resolutely marched across the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge late Monday afternoon with his 4-year-old daughter, Aiyanna Lauray, on his shoulders as she held high a sign, “Support Our Schools.” His girlfriend, Shaira Maravilla, and their four other children walked the distance — from Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in the East End, across the bridge, to City Hall — with a crowd of about 200 to demand more money for Richmond Public Schools.
Morgan Bullock stands out in Irish dance
Morgan Bullock is starting to make a name for herself in the fast-growing arena of Irish dance. In late March, the Richmond area teen placed 50th for her solo dancing in her first foray into World Irish Dance Championships, becoming the only Virginian to be ranked among the 200 competitors in the age 15-16 category. She qualified to participate in the competition in Glasgow, Scotland, by placing among the top 15 dancers in regional competition in Dallas.
Power to vote
Gov. McAuliffe boldly restores voting rights of 206,000 Virginians, including disenfranchised African-Americans
David Mosby no longer feels like a second-class citizen. After years of being barred from the ballot box because of his criminal record, the 46-year-old home improvement contractor is finally able to vote and fully take part in the life of his community.
Maggie Walker statue project almost ready to roll
It’s official. No tree will overshadow the future Downtown statue of Richmond civic and business leader Maggie L. Walker. The Richmond Planning Commission this week ended the debate over the rare live oak tree that now stands at Broad and Adams streets and Brook Road.
Protesters seek year-round city-run homeless shelter
About 30 members of the city’s homeless community, advocates for homeless people and other concerned residents gathered behind the city’s old Public Safety Building early last Friday evening for a rally and sleep-in protest at the entrance of the emergency overflow shelter.
Metro Richmond air quality improves
Thousands of adults and children in the Richmond metropolitan area are breathing easier because the air is cleaner, although still far from pristine, according to the American Lung Association. The area improved to its best values on key measures of air pollution, the ALA reported in its annual national “State of the Air” report released Wednesday.
HOME wins settlement for disabled
Landlords cannot turn away prospective tenants because their income is from government disability payments, according to the fair housing watchdog agency Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia. Richmond-based HOME brought attention to that restriction attempt after bringing change to a Chesterfield County apartment complex.
Comments cause temperatures to rise at city School Board meeting
The Richmond School Board, like many public bodies in Virginia, has long barred speakers during its public comment period from engaging in “personal attacks of any individual” or expressing criticism of an administrator, a staff member, a principal or a teacher by name.
State Republicans playing politics with the environment
It is unacceptable that Republican leaders in the Virginia House of Delegates are playing dirty politics when it comes to one of the most serious issues facing the commonwealth. Climate change has been declared to be a threat by the military, it’s negatively affecting our community’s public health and worsening current inequality. Sea level rise caused by climate disruption is already impacting our family down in Hampton Roads with worsening flooding and increasing damage from flooding.
‘Put education first’
During the past weeks, I’ve attended community meetings, rallies and a mayoral forum — all of which were dominated by citizens’ concerns about our public schools.
