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Personality: David Mickens
Spotlight on president of local chapter of Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club
Richmond’s Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club rides for a reason and a cause — to make a difference in Richmond and across the country. David Mickens, the club’s president until 2019, says “their mission is to carry on the legacy and honor of two United States African American regiments known as the Buffalo Soldiers.”
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Selma
Excerpts from President Obama’s speech at the 50th anniversary of the Selma marches
There are places and moments in America where this nation’s destiny has been decided. Selma is such a place. In one afternoon 50 years ago, so much of our turbulent history — the stain of slavery and anguish of civil war; the yoke of segregation and tyranny of Jim Crow; the death of four little girls in Birmingham; and the dream of a Baptist preacher — all that history met on this bridge. It was not a clash of armies, but a clash of wills; a contest to determine the true meaning of America. And because of men and women like John Lewis, Joseph Lowery, Hosea Williams, Amelia Boynton, Diane Nash, Ralph Abernathy, C.T. Vivian, Andrew Young, Fred Shuttlesworth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and so many others, the idea of a just America and a fair America, an inclusive America, and a generous America — that idea ultimately triumphed.
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Personality: Vilma T. Seymour
Spotlight on president of Richmond Region League of United Latin American Citizens
Strength is the key to Vilma Seymour’s life.
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Miller out at VSU
Dr. Keith T. Miller handed in his notice last Friday at the start of a closed-door meeting of the university’s board of visitors. His resignation comes four and a half years after taking the helm of the 132-year-old institution and more than two years before his contract was to expire.
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The next big thing?
City officials are turning to the planned development of 60 acres of city-owned property in North Side around The Diamond for a big return
What’s the next big thing for Richmond now that the $565 million casino-resort project for South Side and the $1.5 billion Navy Hill project for Downtown are kaput?
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Heat, water problems plague residents in new Highland Park apartment building
Ernest L. Fox has stopped showering since moving into the new Highland Park Senior Apartments, a former school building being converted into 77 residential apartments at East Brookland Park Boulevard and Second Avenue.
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City Council vote on meals tax hike set for Feb.12
Proving more adept at corralling a majority of City Council votes on a big issue than former Mayors L. Douglas Wilder and Dwight C. Jones, Mayor Levar M. Stoney is rushing to gain quick approval of his plan to raise the city’s current 6 percent meals tax by 1.5 cents.
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‘America’s Dad’ Bill Cosby now inmate No. NN7687
“America’s Dad” Bill Cosby was marched out of court in shackles Tuesday after a judge branded him a “sexually violent predator” and sentenced him to between three and 10 years in prison for sexual assault.
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Census data show Virginia’s population up by 7.9%
Virginia’s population grew over the past decade, but not enough to gain an additional seat in Congress, according to new figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Monday.
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UR women to play in ‘Big Dance’
Grace Townsend and the rest of the University of Richmond (UR) women’s basketball team are packing their dancing shoes for what lies ahead.
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A new sheriff in town
Move over, C.T. There’s a new sheriff in town.
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Kiana Johnson breaking records for Lady Panthers
Kiana Johnson is rewriting the women’s basketball record book at Virginia Union University. The senior guard from Chicago eclipsed two standards in VUU’s 85-68 win over Lincoln University of Pennsylvania last Saturday at Barco-Stevens Hall.
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Mixed messages
A Richmond Free Press newspaper box on Robinson Street in The Fan was defaced again last week with a sticker of the Confederate battle flag. In the latest graffiti, a photo of President Trump was glued over a Richmond Struggle.com sticker, an organization with a stated mission to reject patriarchy, white supremacy and capitalism.
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School Board swears in new members, selects new leaders
The East End gained another leadership post with Cheryl L. Burke’s election as the new Richmond School Board chair.
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Waiver sought for RPS student-athletes to continue playing sports
Student-athletes in Richmond whose grades suffered when schools went virtual could still play football or participate in other fall sports.
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Rev. William Barber II to preach at inaugural interfaith prayer service
The Washington National Cathedral will host a virtual iteration of its traditional interfaith worship service on Thursday, Jan. 21, the day after the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Activist and pastor the Rev. William Barber II will preach the sermon.
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No comment unless we know what you’re talking about
Resolution changes how residents address City Council
Council members unanimously passed a resolution Monday night that will mean changes to its meeting rules and procedures — including some related to public comment.
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Volunteers to help fix up homes for elderly during Affordable Housing Awareness Week
April is here and that means hundreds of Richmond area volunteers soon will pour into neighborhoods to make home improvements for elderly and low-income residents who cannot afford them.
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Police reform legislation having tough time in General Assembly special session
Police reforms and other legislation are hardly sailing through the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.