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Grassroots effort mounts to keep Bedden
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden interviewed Wednesday for the superintendent’s job in snow-covered Boston and prepared to meet Thursday with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. The Boston School Committee is expected to name its top choice for the job early next week, according to reports. Meanwhile, a growing number of Dr. Bedden’s supporters in Richmond are continuing their efforts to convince him to stay and lead the aggressive RPS turnaround effort he began after becoming the struggling school district’s superintendent in January 2014.
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Bedden to stay in Richmond
“Everyone should check your emails,” Richmond School Board member Jeffrey M. Bourne eagerly alerted his colleagues late Tuesday afternoon prior to a hastily called board budget meeting. The six other board members in attendance then quickly turned to their hand-held electronic devices and scrolled to an email sent to them by Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden at 5:07 p.m.
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Faith groups mobilize against opposition to Syrian refugees
Religious groups are pushing back against a wave of opposition toward Syrian refugees and are working to preserve the United States as a haven for those fleeing their war-torn nation.
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Richmond Unitarian church starts pledge to end racism
The Birmingham Pledge to end racism is painted on the wall of the city’s police headquarters in Birmingham, Ala. “I will discourage racial prejudice by others at every opportunity ...” the pledge on the wall reads. A painting of four white and black boys with their arms around each other accompanies the pledge, which first circulated around Birmingham about two decades ago.
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Legal freedom fighters
At 75, ODBA’s struggle for justice continues
When black lawyers from across Virginia gathered in Richmond last week to mark the 75th anniversary of the Old Dominion Bar Association, far more than nostalgia was on their minds.
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Powered by faith and family, gospel queen Sheilah Belle triumphs over illnesses
Richmond gospel queen Sheilah Belle is “pressing forward” through the health challenges that have dogged her for six months.
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RRHA steps up efforts to help residents find jobs
A Creighton Court community room packed with people seeking to learn about employment opportunities.
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Frank Mason III of Petersburg is semifinalist for coveted Naismith Award
The University of Kansas’ Frank Mason III is flirting with college basketball’s highest individual honor — and his fans can have a voice in the final decision. Mason, who graduated from Petersburg High School in 2012, is one of 10 semifinalists for the coveted James A. Naismith Trophy awarded to college basketball’s most outstanding player. Four finalists will be announced Sunday, March 19.
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‘Voices from the Garden’ monument in Capitol Square to honor Va. women
A new monument to Virginia women is planned to rise in about two-and-a-half years on the grounds of the State Capitol to celebrate the impact women have had on the commonwealth and the nation.
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Another Barbara Johns?
Open High students plan citywide walkout to protest lack of funding
Imagine all 5,600 high school students in Richmond walking out to protest the physical conditions of their buildings. Then imagine them overflowing the Richmond City Council chambers a few hours later to bring their concerns to the nine-member governing body.
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Parents anxious about virtual learning as new school year starts
As Richmond Public Schools launches a new school year Tuesday, Sept. 8, with all virtual learning, parents and students are grappling with the reality of not having face-to-face instruction.
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Rev. C.T. Vivian, Freedom Rides organizer and key adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., dies at 95
The Rev. C.T. Vivian, an early and key adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who organized pivotal civil rights campaigns and spent decades advocating for justice and equality, died Friday, July 17, 2020, the same day as fellow civil rights leader Congressman John Lewis of Georgia.
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Washington NFL team drops racist name
The most polarizing name in North American professional sports is gone.
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Salvation Arms headquarters move to North Side has clear path from City Council
The Salvation Army appears to have won its nine-month battle to move its Central Virginia headquarters and shelter program from Downtown to North Side after the main opponent, 3rd District Councilman Chris A. Hilbert, dropped his opposition.
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Ensuring democracy by securing elections
by Sen. Mark R. Warner
For the past two years, I have served as vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, helping lead the only bipartisan investigation into Russia’s attack on the 2016 election. Our goal in this investigation is not to re-litigate the 2016 election or question its validity. Instead, we are focused on how we can protect the integrity of future elections so that every American heads to the polls confident that his or her vote will count.
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Tree problems go unanswered by city
Editor’s note: Just before the Free Press Wednesday deadline, Spencer Turner sent a text message to a Free Press reporter stating: “Thanks for help. They are cutting tree down Friday. The power of a free press.” As of deadline, the Free Press had not been able to confirm Mr. Turner’s statement with city officials. By Jeremy M. Lazarus
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Virginia expresses ‘profound regret’ for history of lynchings
Outlining a “dark and shameful chapter of American history,” state legislators unanimously passed resolutions to “acknowledge with profound regret the existence and acceptance of lynching” in Virginia, where more than 80 people — mostly African-American men — were killed by mobs in the decades after the Civil War.
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Special VCU council offers plan for human remains from old medical research
A proper burial in a historic African-American cemetery, recognition on the Virginia Commonwealth University medical campus and continued research.
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President Obama inspires Class of 2020, adroitly criticizes current leaders for mishandling pandemic crisis
Hours after former President Obama delivered two measured and inspiring na- tional commencement speeches to the Class of 2020 college and high school graduates last Saturday, social media lit up with comments of “Great speech, Mr. Obama. We miss you!” and “That’s what a president should be like. November 2020 can’t get here soon enough.”
