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Where’s the money?
Last week we asked Mayor Levar M. Stoney to explain what happened to the higher real estate taxes the city received from owners of property with expiring tax abatements, also called roll-off dollars.
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Budget deal better than default
The House and Senate passed a bipartisan budget deal recently that addresses spending caps, the debt limit, Medicare premiums, Social Security Disability Insurance and many other items important to Virginians. This budget addressed issues that Congress desperately needed to tackle, and I’m happy to have voted in favor of the deal.
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Gov. reappoints Justice Roush in latest battle over high court
Can Justice Jane Marum Roush legally serve? That question now hangs over the latest addition to the Virginia Supreme Court. Yes, says Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who just extended Justice Roush’s term on the state’s highest court until at least mid-February.
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VCU sharpshooters are best in Rams record book
The two most accurate shooters in Virginia Commonwealth University basketball history are featured on Coach Will Wade’s current roster, with a season that opened Nov. 11 with an 80-67 win over visiting University of North Carolina-Asheville. Based on records dating to 1968, 6-foot-7, fifth-year senior Mo Alie-Cox and 6-foot-7 junior Justin Tillman rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, among the best shooting Rams of all-time, albeit from close range.
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Highland Park dry cleaners to reopen under new ownership
Good news for Lonnie McLaurin and up to 30 other people. They will soon be able to get their clothes back from a closed dry cleaners in Highland Park. As the Free Press described in the June 9-11 edition, Mr. McLaurin has been trying to get his clothes since the business at 1311 E. Brookland Park Blvd. shut down in late April. He, like others, had been required to pay in advance for the dry cleaning service.
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Louisiana man killed by police
The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it will investigate the killing of a black man pinned to the ground and shot in the chest by two white police of- ficers outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, La. Captured on at least two videos, graphic images of the shooting of Alton Sterling, 37, early Tuesday stirred protests and so- cial media outcry over the latest case of alleged police brutality against an African- American in cities from Ferguson, Mo., to Baltimore and New York.
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Say what?
Donald J. Trump wins Republican nomination after wife steals speech from Michelle Obama
CLEVELAND Donald J. Trump crossed the threshold of history the way he ran the Republican race: Soaked in drama, surrounded by back-stabbing, jeered by well-heeled critics as a no-hope ama- teur, cheered by a die-hard base and embraced at the finish line by his family.
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City’s energy savings plan didn’t pan out
Earlier this year, City Hall rejected a proposal to use energy savings to pay for $13 million in improvements to an array of city buildings, including replacing old boilers, aging windows and outdated lighting.
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Dr. Cannon to be installed at Grayland Baptist Church
Dr. Dexter Cannon will perform a balancing act while building on a long-standing family tradition. The founder and pastor of Good Samaritan Empowerment Church on South Laburnum Avenue in Henrico County will be installed as pastor of Grayland Baptist Church in the city’s Highland Park neighborhood on Sunday, Oct. 30.
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Lady Panthers favored to win 4th crown in 5 years
The Virginia Union University Lady Panthers have barely tapped the brakes in running roughshod over the CIAA women’s basketball tournament during the past five years.
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Priest caught in political fire reinstated as House chaplain
Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan has announced he will reinstate the Rev. Patrick Conroy as chaplain for the House of Representatives after the controversial Jesuit priest challenged the stated rationale for removing him.
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VSU's rushing attack seals victory over UNC-Pembroke; match with St. Augustine's this Saturday
Two seasons ago, Virginia State University featured the CIAA’s premier running back in Trenton Cannon, who is now with the NFL’s New York Jets. Last Saturday, it looked almost like Cannon had returned to Ettrick for a curtain call.
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Racism is taking over the Republican Party
There was a great deal of sympathy by white people for injustices toward Black people after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police.
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Fair and equal representation needed among food vendors at NFL team training camp
Letters to the Editor
Re “Washington Football playing again at Richmond camp in July,” Free Press June 10-12 edition: It was announced that the Washington Football Team will open training camp from July 27 through 31 here in Richmond.
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Coach Jay Butler is Mr. 100
Coach Jay Butler’s 100th coaching victory at Virginia Union University is in his rear-view mirror.
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Armstead wins another four years as city treasurer
Incumbent Richmond Treasurer Nichole Richardson Armstead was triumphant over challenger L. Shirley Harvey to win re-election Tuesday night.
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The Civil War: Cause and effect
Contrary to what H.V. Traywick claimed in his recent letter to the Richmond Free Press, the cause of the Civil War was slavery.
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Investment in students pays dividends
Last fall, the alumni of Virginia Union University kicked off the “Invest in a Student” campaign and raffle, the first of its kind for the alumni of VUU. Tickets were sold to alumni and friends around the state and all over the country. The grand prize was a 2015 Series 3 BMW and the winning ticket was drawn during VUU’s 3rd Annual Scholarship Gala and Masquerade Ball on April 24.
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City offers holiday tree disposal
Christmas is over. But what to do with the holiday tree? Good news: Richmond once again is offering several ways to safely get rid of live Christmas trees.
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Police hiring not on fast track
If Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham thought Mayor Dwight C. Jones was going to rush to Richmond City Council to seek approval for a plan to hire 70 more police officers over the next year to beef up his department, he was mistaken.