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Fade to dark
What a week. From failing test scores to another vigil for a young Black person to yet another police chief’s resignation. So much bad news within just a few days leaves many of us cynical, fearful, speechless and definitely exhausted.
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Dr. Tinina Cade retires after 35 years at University of Richmond
Longtime educator praised for building an infrastructure of support for students
As a new semester begins at the University of Richmond, there is one familiar face that students, faculty and staff will not see on campus this year.
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Meade clears Byers for takeoff
If Jada Byers is the leading man at Virginia Union University, then Justin Meade represents the powerful supporting cast.
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A survivor of the migrant trailer: ‘They couldn’t breathe’
Simple advice from a friend to stay near the door may have saved Yenifer Yulisa Cardona Tomás from the deadly fate that befell 53 other migrants when they were abandoned trapped in a sweltering semi-trailer last week on the edge of San Antonio.
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1955 warrant in Emmett Till case found, family seeks arrest
A team searching a Mississippi courthouse basement for evidence about the lynching of Emmett Till has found the unserved warrant charging a white woman in his 1955 kidnapping, and relatives of the victim want authorities to finally arrest her nearly 70 years later.
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Passion, purpose drive Diversity Richmond’s new CEO
When Diversity Richmond, parent of the city’s popular Diversity Thrift, was searching for a new executive director, the Rev. Lacette Cross wasn’t sure about throwing her hat in the ring. But, being “a good Baptist,” she looked to a higher power for answers. She also got some nudging from friends and colleagues. In the end, she decided to apply.
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‘Best gift ever’
Henrico mother receives the gift of life – a liver transplant – from 21-year-old son
Thanks to receiving from her oldest son what she calls “the best gift ever,” Tashawn D. Jones, 41, is enjoying an especially bright holiday season.
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Chesterfield’s Megan Walker has WNBA, international playing career
The offseason for women’s elite basketball talent isn’t much different than the regular season. In the NBA, the average salary is $7.7 million. By sharp contrast, the average WNBA salary is about $101,000. That’s ample reason why many WNBA athletes — like local star Megan Walker — supplement their paychecks with far-away gigs across oceans, mountains and multiple time zones.
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Richmond ice cream queen gives the scoop on Food Network competition
You scream. I scream. Everybody screams for Rabia Kamara, who has won the first two rounds in “Ben & Jerry’s: Clash of the Cones,” a competition to create a new ice cream flavor broadcast on the Food Network.
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Parents weigh COVID-19 vaccination for their children
Kiara Gresham has been busy with the demands of her new small business, Cookie Jar Honeypot, and the need to ensure the education, health and well-being of her children during the pandemic and a virtual school year. With summer getting closer and the new school year months away, Ms. Gresham is taking on a new task: Learning all she can about vaccinating her two older children, Queron, 14, and Kaeoni, 12, against COVID-19.
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As death penalty opponent celebrates, vigilance continues
For Dale Brumfield, the likely abolition of the death penalty in Virginia is “a revolution in criminal justice reform.”
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COVID-19 gives urgency to understanding sickle cell disease, by Glenn Ellis
COVID-19 has made the need for awareness about sickle cell disease more urgent than ever.
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2021 Year in Photos
The year 2021 was a tug of war between the life changes precipitated by the COVID-19-related shutdowns of 2020 and efforts to return to a pre-COVID way of life.
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Mobilize for voting rights, by Marc H. Morial
“After decades of struggle and a year of our leaders choosing the Jim Crow filibuster over our voting rights, our time is now. On this day of action, I call on Congress and the White House to eliminate the filibuster and pass voting rights to protect millions of Black and Brown voters. The arc of the moral universe is long. Join me on January 17 to demand that it bends toward justice.” — Martin Luther King III
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VUU freshman running back Jada Byers gives seniors a day to remember
Wouldn’t you know it. On Senior Day at Virginia Union University, a freshman stole the show.
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USATF National Cross Country Championships return to Richmond Region
Hanover County’s Pole Green Park play host to nation’s top runners
The excitement is building for the 2024 USA Track & Field National Cross Country Championships to take place in Hanover County’s Pole Green Park Jan. 20.
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Rest well, Congressman McEachin
In reading Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott’s description of A. Donald McEachin, as a “gentle giant” I firmly believe that truer words, perhaps, have never been spoken for Rep. McEachin who died on Monday at age 61.
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Newly empowered Virginia Democrats nominate the state’s first Black House speaker, Don Scott
Virginia’s state House will soon have its first Black speaker in its more than 400-year history after the chamber’s incoming Democratic majority on Saturday chose Del. Don Scott to serve in the post.
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The breakthrough
A long-awaited treatment for sickle cell anemia is highlighted in this week’s Free Press.
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Miller and son are dynamic duo at VSU
Toddler steals hearts of basketball team and fans
Amesha Miller is more than just a student-athlete at Virginia State University. She’s that rare student-athlete and mother.
