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VUU president to retire
After seven years and five months leading Virginia Union University and having a campus building named in his honor, Dr. Claude G. Perkins is ready to retire.
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Settlement reached in South Side mobile home suit
The war over mobile homes in Richmond appears to have ended in a truce. Under a settlement approved Monday in federal court, the City of Richmond has agreed to modify an aggressive code enforcement program that led to the condemnation of dozens of mobile homes in the past three years, displacing mostly Latino families.
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Sisters act to save home
Nuns rally support to block sale of historic St. Emma’s, St. Francis property
Defying their superiors, four nuns are fighting to save the historic 2,265-acre property in Powhatan County that was once home to two Catholic boarding schools for African-American youths.
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City Public Works director revokes alternative work schedules
With rare exceptions, employees in Richmond’s Department of Public Works no longer are permitted to work at home or have flexible work schedules. Effective April 4, the privilege was revoked for employees to telecommute — or work by computer and telephone from another location — or to secure alternative schedules. The action was taken by Emmanuel O. Adediran, the department’s director.
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Lower electric bills expected
Warmer winter weather and cheaper natural gas are fueling plans by Dominion Virginia Power to lower electricity costs for residents.
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$5.5M more found for city schools
Parents and students may hate it. But Armstrong High School and four elementary school buildings — Cary, Overby-Sheppard, Southampton and Swansboro — are moving closer to the chopping block.
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Ignoring call to duty
Failure to sign up for Selective Service hurts thousands
Register for Selective Service. Otherwise, you could ruin your life. Jacquel Parker wishes he could tell that to every young man turning 18.
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Maggie Walker Class of 1967 starting cleanup effort at area cemeteries
A renewed effort is being mounted to clean up four long neglected, but historic African-American cemeteries that sit on the eastern border between Richmond and Henrico County.
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African-American mayors elected in 3 cities
Voters in Norfolk and Roanoke elected African-American mayors in Tuesday’s municipal elections. And in Hampton, Mayor George Wallace lost his re-election bid to another African-American.
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Nuns to sell St. Emma’s-St. Francis property in Powhatan
A religious order founded by an American saint plans to sell the 2,265-acre property in Powhatan County that once housed two Catholic boarding schools for African-American youths.
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Contract awarded for Richmond Pulse construction
Richmond’s Bus Rapid Transit project has cleared its final funding hurdle.
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3 team up to find new home for Squirrels in Boulevard area
Public pressure to keep baseball on the Boulevard appears to be having an impact. In a new effort, Mayor Dwight C. Jones is teaming up with the Richmond Flying Squirrels and Virginia Commonwealth University to find a site for a new ballpark near The Diamond, but not on the 60 acres of public property the city wants to redevelop.
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City Council continues talks on school funding
Richmond City Council appears to be stuck between a rock and a hard place as it seeks to craft a balanced $709 million operating budget that would become effective July 1. On one side are passionate supporters of Richmond’s public schools who want the council to shift more local tax dollars into public education to avoid the potential shutdown of Armstrong High School and four elementary schools. Find the money, they say.
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Morgan Bullock stands out in Irish dance
Morgan Bullock is starting to make a name for herself in the fast-growing arena of Irish dance. In late March, the Richmond area teen placed 50th for her solo dancing in her first foray into World Irish Dance Championships, becoming the only Virginian to be ranked among the 200 competitors in the age 15-16 category. She qualified to participate in the competition in Glasgow, Scotland, by placing among the top 15 dancers in regional competition in Dallas.
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Power to vote
Gov. McAuliffe boldly restores voting rights of 206,000 Virginians, including disenfranchised African-Americans
David Mosby no longer feels like a second-class citizen. After years of being barred from the ballot box because of his criminal record, the 46-year-old home improvement contractor is finally able to vote and fully take part in the life of his community.
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Maggie Walker statue project almost ready to roll
It’s official. No tree will overshadow the future Downtown statue of Richmond civic and business leader Maggie L. Walker. The Richmond Planning Commission this week ended the debate over the rare live oak tree that now stands at Broad and Adams streets and Brook Road.
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Metro Richmond air quality improves
Thousands of adults and children in the Richmond metropolitan area are breathing easier because the air is cleaner, although still far from pristine, according to the American Lung Association. The area improved to its best values on key measures of air pollution, the ALA reported in its annual national “State of the Air” report released Wednesday.
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HOME wins settlement for disabled
Landlords cannot turn away prospective tenants because their income is from government disability payments, according to the fair housing watchdog agency Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia. Richmond-based HOME brought attention to that restriction attempt after bringing change to a Chesterfield County apartment complex.
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Comments cause temperatures to rise at city School Board meeting
The Richmond School Board, like many public bodies in Virginia, has long barred speakers during its public comment period from engaging in “personal attacks of any individual” or expressing criticism of an administrator, a staff member, a principal or a teacher by name.
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Price of first class stamp drops by 2¢
A postage stamp now costs 47 cents — a drop of 2 cents for a first class letter.