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Visitation policy change for state prison inmates
Inmates in state prisons will be able change a visitation list only twice a year instead of anytime they wish, the Virginia Department of Corrections has announced.
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Personality: Sheri Shannon
Spotlight on Southside ReLeaf cofounder
Sheri Shannon has long believed that focused community-action work can battle climate change head on.
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Hurricanes and public policy
Hurricane Harvey did everything people said it would do and more. It either drowned or swallowed everything it touched in Corpus Christi, Houston and Beaumont, Texas, the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and a bunch of other places. Already, estimates say that Harvey may be our nation’s costliest disaster to date, costing at least $190 billion, or about 1 percent of our gross domestic product.
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Court moves closer to declaring Va. law unconstitutional linking court fines to driver’s license suspensions
For more than two decades, people who cannot pay court fines and costs in Virginia automatically have had their driver’s licenses suspended.
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New boss at VSU
Hampton provost to take reins
Pamela V. Hammond is on track to become the first woman to lead Virginia State University in the school’s 132-year history, the Free Press has learned.
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$2.1M federal grant to help acquire new riverfront parkland
City Hall and a regional conservancy group are on track to receive a $2.1 million grant to support the expansion of park space along the James River.
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Housing group acquires Church Hill property for project
A former church social services center known as Citadel of Hope is to be the centerpiece for a new affordable housing development in Church Hill.
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1 vendor? ‘This is ridiculous!’
Re “Only 1 black-owned food vendor at NFL training camp,” Free Press July 27-29 edition: Only one black food vendor at the NFL training camp in Richmond? This is ridiculous!
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Study: Teachers quicker to label black students as ‘troublemakers’
A new study suggests that racial stereotyping by teachers could be a root cause for harsher discipline imposed on black students. Two Stanford University psychologists, Dr. Jennifer L. Eberhardt and doctoral candidate Jason Okonofua, conducted the study to determine if hidden bias could explain government data showing that misbehaving black students are three times more likely to be suspended or expelled from public schools than their misbehaving white peers. The psychologists’ research found that teachers are quicker to label black students as troublemakers and to consider more severe penalties for them, compared with white students who misbehave.
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Thomas Jefferson H.S. senior wants RPS to get its act together
Treyshaun Bailey believes the way Richmond Public Schools is handling requirements for graduation is harming young Richmonders’ chances at graduating through no fault of their own.
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Lighted boat parade, carriage rides, holiday open houses on tap in Richmond
Boats lighted and decorated for the holidays will cruise down the James River this weekend at the 24th Annual James River Parade of Lights.
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After-school programs now in all RPS middle and elementary schools
Students at Richmond’s Albert H. Hill Middle School now can sign up for free after-school programs, thanks to a partnership with Richmond Public Schools and the nonprofit NextUp RVA.
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City electoral board recruiting 200 new election officers
In anticipation of the November elections, the Richmond Electoral Board is recruiting 200 people to increase the number of sworn officers of election at city polls.
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Hayden is new Librarian of Congress
The U. S. Senate has confirmed Dr. Carla D. Hayden as the 14th Librarian of Congress. The 74-18 vote for the nominee of President Obama for the key position came on July 13. Dr. Hayden is the first African-American and first woman to hold the position. Her appointment at the Library of Congress is for 10 years.
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Byron E. Howlett Sr., former head of Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union, dies at 73
Byron E. Howlett Sr. led the modernization of the Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union during his 19 years as the second president and chief execu- tive officer of the oldest African-American financial institution still in operation in Richmond.
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Personality: Gabrielle E. Wilks
Spotlight on Miss Black Virginia USA 2020
The 2020 Miss Black Virginia crown goes to Gabrielle E. Wilks.
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Museum of the Bible, funded by conservatives, avoids contentious issues
Eight years ago, Hobby Lobby president Steve Green found a new way to express his Christian faith. His family’s $4 billion arts and craft chain was already known for closing stores on Sundays, waging a U.S. Supreme Court fight over birth control and donating tens of millions of dollars to religious groups.
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Turnout expected to be key in race for governor
Virginia is for lovers of close elections, as one wag put it, and one more is just about to happen.
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Personality: Bianca Stewart Williams
Spotlight on board president of Dress For Success Central Virginia
Whether it’s finding profes- sional attire for a job interview or receiving a guiding hand to stay employed, Bianca Stewart Williams is making sure area women are well-equipped and prepared for the world of work. Ms. Williams has been lead- ing Dress for Success Central Virginia as its board president since 2018, bringing to the community the not-for-profit organization’s mission of em- powering women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of sup- port, professional attire and development tools to help them thrive personally and professionally. “Thousands are disadvan- taged and need resources to gain employment and economic status,” Ms. Williams says. “Our purpose is to offer long- lasting solutions that enable women to break the cycle of poverty.” Ms. Williams joined Dress for Success in November 2015, three years after the Central Virginia affiliate was started. She says she was a client at first. After being displaced from her job, she volunteered helping women with suit fittings and started using the organiza- tion’s Career Services program, which provides help with career coaching, résumé reviews, job searches and interview practice. She landed a new job, and from that point, Ms. Williams says, Dress for Success has been “near and dear to my heart.” Currently, Dress for Success Central Virginia operates from 210 E. Clay St. in Downtown. But Ms. Williams wants to find a building the organization can
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Granberry taking it to another level at VSU
If any element was missing from last season’s Virginia State University basketball success, it was a dominant, under-the-basket post player.
