City facing grim budget choices
Parking at a Downtown meter could soon be more expensive. So could the annual city fee to register a vehicle and the cost of trash collection. Those are some of the fee increases Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones is proposing in the $709 million spending plan for fiscal year 2017 that begins July 1. He presented the plan last Friday to Richmond City Council. It would be up to the council to approve the fee increases as part of its work on the budget.
Planned school cuts causing pain
North Side resident Sherri Davis said she is concerned about planned budget cuts that may close schools, crowd classrooms and have parents scrambling to arrange transportation for their children. “It becomes a safety issue when you propose to put more kids in classes,” the mother of two Richmond Public Schools students told the Free Press on Wednesday. “It’s already hard enough for teachers to teach the large numbers of students they have in their classrooms.”
Rudd’s Trailer Park sold; new owner takes over in April
Ronnie Soffee exchanged hugs and accepted well wishes from residents at Rudd’s Trailer Park early Saturday afternoon. He even shed a few tears as several people stopped by the office of the mobile home park at 2911 Jefferson Davis Highway.
GOP surprise
Cuccinelli then McCullough poised for Va. high court
Ending a long-running dispute with the governor, the Republican majority in the General Assembly will cap the legislative session by filling a vacant state Supreme Court seat with their own choice. However, as has been traditional, the choice will be a seasoned jurist — Stephen R. McCullough of the Virginia Court of Appeals, GOP leaders in the House and Senate announced Wednesday.
Lighted VUU tower enhances city skyline
Virginia Union University now has a brighter profile on the city’s skyline. The landmark Vann Memorial Tower at the Belgian Friendship Building on campus is lighted at night and visible across the city and to motorists on Interstate 95.
Richmond sheriff sued for disability violation
Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. has been hit with a federal lawsuit for firing a deputy who became disabled by a heart condition.
Richmond Police plans to curb domestic violence
The Richmond Police Department is stepping up efforts to stem domestic violence in partnership with the YWCA of Richmond and the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Preliminary figures show $4.7M surplus for city in FY2015
City Hall could fill a big chunk of a projected $9.6 million deficit for the current fiscal year once outside auditors sign off on the city’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for fiscal year 2015 that ended June 30. Based on preliminary figures, the city finished fiscal year 2015 with a $4.7 million surplus.
Weldon Hill moves from VSU provost to professor
New Virginia State University President Makola M. Abdullah will soon be putting his stamp on the university’s administration.
What would Maggie Walker want?
The people have spoken. The city Public Art Commission has spoken. The city has decreed that the live oak tree at Broad and Adams streets cannot co-exist with the Maggie Walker statue. But one voice has been surprisingly absent from the discussion: Maggie Walker’s.
Déjá vu
Now that the political pundits of the major media outlets have gulped down the teas that were the South Carolina Democratic primary and Super Tuesday, they are busy trying to read the leaves left in their respective cups. One of the questions they are trying to fathom is: “Why are black voters splitting between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders?”
True winners
Before the thrill of the annual CIAA Tournament wears off, we offer our hearty congratulations to the Lady Panthers of Virginia Union University and the Virginia State University Trojans men’s basketball team for such exciting CIAA championship wins last Saturday in Charlotte, N.C.
Super Tuesday: Just how super?
Super Tuesday is over. And for fans of Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, it was a great night, with multistate victories for both candidates ranging from Massachusetts to Georgia to Arkansas.
Plunky and Oneness wins 2 IMA awards
Plunky and Oneness, a Richmond-based jazz-funk fusion group, is among the winners in the 2016 Independent Music Awards.
Host Chris Rock rocks the Oscars
Comedian Chris Rock launched his return stint as Oscar host Sunday by immediately and unabashedly confronting the racially charged elephant in the room — the furor over the all-white field of performers nominated for Hollywood’s highest honor.
Richmond Symphony to host ‘Celebrate Jackson Ward’ in May
The Richmond Symphony plans to host a spring festival in Jackson Ward to coincide with the grand opening of the new home of the Black History Museum, it has been announced.
CIAA champs head to NCAA
VSU Trojans win crown for first time since 1988; Williams named MVP
There is a saying that the best form of revenge is success. That being the case, color Virginia State University’s Kevin Williams revengeful, successful and, best of all, Most Valuable Player of the CIAA Tournament.
CIAA champs head to NCAA (Pt 2)
Lady Panthers celebrating title; Johnson clinches MVP
Kiana Johnson and Lady Walker may be the best celebration combination since ice cream and cake. They’re the life of a Virginia Union University basketball party that’s just spreading it wings under first-year Coach AnnMarie Gilbert.
VUU enjoying turnaround
Long story short — Coach Jay Butler has turned things around at Virginia Union University. In recent times, VUU’s men’s basketball team would return from the CIAA Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., with no victories and little cause for optimism. The image brightened last week as VUU won its first tournament game since 2009 (over Shaw University), nearly tacked on a second win against two-time defending champ Livingstone College, and did so with a roster oozing with skilled underclassmen.
Jesse Owens had backup
17 other black athletes competed on 1936 U.S. Olympic team
Adolf Hitler’s bigoted theory on “Aryan supremacy” took a terrible beating at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. A talented band of African-American athletes led by Jesse Owens blew up Hitler’s hateful propaganda and kicked the rubble in his face.
