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State backs Dominion Energy plan for electric school buses by 2030
Gov. Ralph S. Northam announced Tuesday that the state would contribute $20 million to help replace diesel-powered school buses with cleaner, but more expensive electric buses in Richmond and across the state.
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System failure
RPS loses thousands of laptops
Richmond Public Schools wasted millions of federal support dollars buying 20,000 extra Chromebook laptop computers it didn’t need after going virtual during the pandemic, an internal audit has found.
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City cuts tax bills on vehicles 20 percent
The value of used vehicles has soared, but the rising prices will have far less impact on the yearly tax that Richmond residents are required to pay on their cars and trucks.
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VUU announces $5,000 tuition cut
Virginia Union University will cut the yearly cost of undergraduate tuition by $5,000 beginning next fall in an apparent bid to attract more students and end a quiet, but dramatic two-year drop in enrollment.
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Biden administration says colleges must fight ‘alarming rise’ in antisemitism and Islamophobia
The Biden administration is warning U.S. schools and colleges that they must take immediate action to stop antisemitism and Islamophobia on their campuses, citing an “alarming rise” in threats and harassment.
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Father’s Day
What wisdom did your father instill in you?
Father’s Day will be celebrated Sunday, June 19, with people across the country grilling, baking cakes and cookies and buying ties for the man who has a special place in the hearts and lives of their family. In honor of fathers everywhere, the Free Press put the following question to several people
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Only $21M to rename military bases?
I’m glad that no one saw my stunned deer-in-headlight face after I recently read an editorial regarding the quoted sticker-price of $21M for renaming our military bases, but believe it or not, I do have a suggestion!
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Council raises percentage of vehicle tax owners must pay
Richmond vehicle owners can expect to see bigger personal property tax bills for their cars and trucks this year.
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Spartans hoping for long shot win over JMU
Norfolk State University’s football role has quickly switched from clear favorite to distant long shot.
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Civil War was about ‘secession, not slavery’, says reader
Marc H. Morial, in excoriating Nikki Haley, parrots the tiresome myth of American history by claiming the Civil War (which it was not, by definition) was “about” slavery, quoting slavery as one among the reasons for the secession of the Southern states.
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Students turn to TikTok to fill gaps in school lessons
Mecca Patterson-Guridy wants to learn, but for some subjects, she isn’t always comfortable asking her teachers. So she has been turning to TikTok.
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Flying Squirrels’ GRASP program seeks VUU, VSU applicants
The application process is underway for the $5,000 Richmond Flying Squirrels “34” Scholarship. .
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Natural gas price hike expected with Oct. bills
Richmonders who cook and heat with natural gas are about to be hit with a sharp jump in the cost of the fuel heading into winter.
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Richmond Police spent tax $ at Henrico County establishments for rally food
Will Richmond have to shell out another $570,000 if supporters of Confederate statues come back in six weeks to hold another rally in Richmond?
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Personality: Bryan Price
Spotlight on the board chairman of Equality Virginia
Part of Bryan Price’s email signature includes his favorite quote. It is from Muhammad Ali, and it speaks to the things we see as impossible to overcome — and to the power of each of us to affect change in the world.
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13th Annual InLight Richmond exhibition starts Nov. 12
The 1708 Gallery is again showcasing local light-based artwork across the city as part of its 13th annual InLight Richmond exhibition.
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Documentary details past and present of AME Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church has released a short film online about its history that includes an interview with the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, the pastor killed in a June 2015 racial attack on his historic Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., church, in which he talks about the historically Black denomination’s significance.
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Confronting racism
There was a time not too long ago when businesses in Richmond and across the South would call the police to arrest black people who sat down at lunch counters because they wanted to order. So we found a sad irony in the April 12 arrest of two black men in Philadelphia because they sat down at a Starbucks and didn’t order anything.
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Jackson Place, Mosby South advance
A proposal to bring a new hotel, apartments and for-sale townhomes to Jackson Ward now has a green light, as does the redevelopment of another portion of public housing, the 106-unit Mosby South in the East End.
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City could have saved $8M on 2 new schools
The new vice chairman of the Richmond School Board wants to end what he sees as overspending on new school buildings.