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The 2024 Virginia General Assembly begins and ends with record number of Black legislators
History was made last November with the election of a record number of Black candidates to the Virginia General Assembly.
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Coming home, by Jennifer Robinson
A hipper, more vibrant Richmond is sweet surprise for former New Yorker
Byrd Park was the place to be on warm Sunday afternoons in the 1980s. I was in high school and all of young, black Richmond gathered there. Picture the scene from Will Smith’s 1991 hit, “Summertime.”
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Wealth disparities by race grew during the pandemic, despite income gains, report shows
A strong performance in financial markets, particularly an outsize gain for the stock market in 2021, helped entrench existing trends of wealth inequality during the pandemic, new data released this week show.
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Tonsils, talent and newborns
Richmond Community Hospital holds a special place in the hearts of many, including Edwina Richmond, a retired college professor with deep family ties to the city. Born at the hospital 76 years ago, Ms. Richmond has fond memories of the care she received there, from getting her tonsils removed to witnessing the hospital’s integral role in the neighborhood’s welfare, Richmond Free Press reporter George Copeland Jr. reports in this week’s edition.
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Fixing our broken drug pricing system, by Dr. Greg Gelburd
As a recently retired physician, I felt relief for patients across the commonwealth when Virginia legislators recently passed bipartisan measures, Senate Bill 274 and House Bill 570, to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. This board would be empowered to finally rein in skyrocketing prescription drug costs that make medicine inaccessible to too many patients. By signing this legislation into law, Gov. Glenn Youngkin can prioritize the health and well-being of Virginians.
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Conversations to repurpose the old Richmond Community Hospital building ‘did not bear fruit’
My name is Mary DePillars and I am an alumna of Virginia Union University concerned about recent comments attributed to VUU personnel regarding the old Richmond Community Hospital building. I shared my Feb, 15, 2024, letter to the Richmond Free Press with VUU’s alumni relations manager that same day. However, for context, I am expanding those comments as follows:
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Richmond Crusade for Voters stands with Community
The Richmond Crusade for Voters stands with the many other organizations and individuals who have spoken up in support of preserving the Richmond Community Hospital on Virginia Union University’s campus.
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Earl Lloyd: A man of many firsts
In discussing the greatest players to ever compete in the CIAA tournament, a nice starting point might be Earl Lloyd.
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Old and new Rams are doing well
This has been a take-notice basketball season for the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams, both past and present versions.
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Community rallies to preserve historic Black hospital
Richmonders will rally for an important symbol of the city’s Black history Sunday afternoon at the former Richmond Community Hospital on Overbrook Road. Virginia Union University, a historically Black university which owns the former hospital, plans to demolish the historic building and replace it with housing.
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Moving the needle
Holland and Nelson energized by Chesterfield, Henrico growth
“We’re on a journey toward excellence, to be the very best we can be, to be a model of what is expected by you, for you.” With those words, James M. “Jim” Holland assumed chairmanship of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday, Jan. 3., following a unanimous vote.
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Biden ‘continues to be fit for duty’ his doctor says after president’s annual exam
President Biden “continues to be fit for duty,” his doctor wrote Wednesday after conducting an annual physical that was closely watched as the president seeks re-election.
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Personality: Utibe O. Bassey
Spotlight on honorary chair of Centennial American Heart Association 2024 Richmond Heart Ball
Nigerian-born Utibe O. Bassey grew up in Connecticut and has family scattered far and wide, but none in Virginia. When she moved to Richmond in the summer of 2020 for a job with Dominion Energy, she was all alone and the pandemic was raging.
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At National Cathedral, leaders of different parties, perspectives call for civility
Sitting under the imposing columns of the Washington National Cathedral, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox turned to longtime political strategist Donna Brazile and shared his change of heart about her.
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Yaegel T. Welch has long carried ‘Mockingbird’ role in his head
It was the power and value of performance that first inspired Yaegel T. Welch to take to the stage. Growing up, he saw the arts as a way to express himself in a world that didn’t always know how to connect or communicate with him.
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Tearful testimony highlights second day of Huguenot High graduation shooting trial
Loved ones and police officers gave jurors a clearer picture on Tuesday of a fatal shooting that occurred after a 2023 Virginia high school graduation ceremony on day two of the shooter’s trial.
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Mitch McConnell stepping down as Senate Republican leader in November
Long before Sen. Mitch McConnell surprised colleagues Wednesday announcing he would step down as the Republican leader this fall, he knew the time had come.
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City officials unveil ‘The Shockoe Project’
10-acre site to tell ‘a more complete story of Richmond’s history’
Mayor Levar M. Stoney, Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, members of the Richmond City Council and representatives from the Shockoe Institute yesterday unveiled “The Shockoe Project,” a 10-acre site in Shockoe Valley that they say is “dedicated to telling the full history of the Richmond slave trade and its national and global significance to the growth of our country.”
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Free community testing for COVID-19 continues
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:
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City to acquire 3 historic Black cemeteries
Richmond City Council voted unanimously to declare East End, Evergreen and Forest View cemeteries a public necessity.
