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Richmond Unitarian church starts pledge to end racism
The Birmingham Pledge to end racism is painted on the wall of the city’s police headquarters in Birmingham, Ala. “I will discourage racial prejudice by others at every opportunity ...” the pledge on the wall reads. A painting of four white and black boys with their arms around each other accompanies the pledge, which first circulated around Birmingham about two decades ago.
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Sophomore Taya Robinson drawing collegiate interest
Now there are two good reasons to visit Huguenot High School — to eyeball the sparkling new school and to observe the Falcons’ sophomore basketball star. Few glow brighter with a basketball in her hands than Taya Robinson, a 5-foot-10 tower of talent who has drawn nationwide recruiting attention.
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Love Stories
Walks along the waterfront
My husband and I met when we were students at Hampton Institute, now University. I was a freshman and he was a sophomore. We met at the on-campus Grill restaurant one Sunday evening after a Vesper service.
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Love Stories
Finding true love on a summer night
We met in August 1948 at a 10-cent dance. I went to the dance with a girlfriend who was hoping to find her true love. I deceived my parents into thinking I would be visiting my girlfriend for a few hours.
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Natural gas getting cheaper in Richmond
Heating and cooking with natural gas just got a little cheaper in Richmond. Effective with February’s bills, the cost of the fuel is being lowered again, saving the average residential customer about $6 a month, the city Department of Public Utilities just announced. It’s more good news for consumers who also are enjoying cheaper gasoline prices to fuel their vehicles.
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Let’s keep making black history
The best way to celebrate Black History Month is to make more black history. Black History Month is now celebrated around the world. We are grateful for the visionary leadership of noted historian and scholar Carter G. Woodson for being the founder of what was known as Negro History Week in 1926 that, 44 years later, evolved into Black His- tory Month. It is also important to note that this year marks
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A true winner
One of the closest things we have to a hero is Russell Wilson. The 26-year-old Seattle Seahawks quarterback, who grew up in Richmond and learned well the lessons of his athletic attorney father and educator grandfather, has been a source of pride and inspiration for people well beyond his hometown. In the exciting AFC championship game Jan. 18, as well as last Sunday’s heart-stopping Super Bowl XLIX, his team was down several points in the fourth quarter with barely enough time left on the clock to breathe, and what did Wilson do?
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School success
Carver Elementary teamwork fosters rewards for students
“We take an all-hands-on-deck approach to educating our children.” That’s how George Washington Carver Elementary School Principal Kiwana Yates enthusiastically describes the full community involvement approach she and her staff utilize.
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Personality: Rosa A. Jiggetts
Spotlight on mission to proclaim ‘Be Kind Wednesdays’
Rosa Annie Jiggetts is always ready to help. Her idea of a perfect day is one in which she can do at least one good deed. For the past 30 years, the 65-year-old Richmond native has run the Helpline out of her Providence Park home on North Side, with the assistance of her sister, Lydia.
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Wilson resilient after heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl
Less than 36 inches separated former Richmonder Russell Wilson and his Seattle Seahawks teammates from their second consecutiveSuper Bowl title and talk of a dynasty. Anticipation was high that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll would call on bulldozing running back Marshawn Lynch to plow the ball into the end zone on second-and-goal with 26 seconds to play and one timeout left in Super Bowl XLIX. Already, in this game against the New England Patriots, Lynch had logged a total of 102 yards for the game, including an earlier touchdown.
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VCU and the SATs
We applaud the move this week by Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao to eliminate SAT scores as a criteria for admission. In a major policy change announced Tuesday, Dr. Rao said applicants with a GPA of 3.3 or higher no longer will be required to submit scores from the test that he called “fundamentally flawed.”
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Sign up for affordable health care by Feb. 15
Too many in our city lack health insurance. However, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affords us the opportunity to do something about it. Residents can now take advantage of an open enrollment period for health care plans available under the ACA.
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Evelyn S. Fraser succumbs at 97
Evelyn Swann Fraser was known for her kind, loving, generous spirit and her devotion to her family and friends. When her sister, Lillian, fell ill at an early age, she cared for her until her death at age 38.
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James L. Hawkins, 95, retired educator
James L. Hawkins had a treasured saying he loved to pass along to his stu- dents during more than two decades as an educator. “Use your mind, but use your hands as well,” his son, Darryl Hawkins, recalled of his father’s adherence to a strong work ethic in and outside of the classroom.
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Gloria Cephas Venter, 79, retired teacher
Whether she was teaching a classroom of students or spending time with her four grandchildren, Gloria Cephas Venter loved to dote on youngsters. “What really stood out was Mom’s dedication to young minds,” said her daughter, Julie V. Edmonds. “Mom had a way of making every child feel important and worthy. She really made a difference in a lot of lives.”
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Richmond’s Russell Wilson heads to Super Bowl
The Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson is listed at 5-foot-11, quite short by NFL quarterback standards. But Richmond’s link to Sunday’s Super Bowl may be up to 6-foot now, maybe even 6-foot-1, if you don’t press the measuring stick too hard atop his noggin.
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U.S. surgeon general checks health, pulse of Richmond
The surgeon general of the United States learned Tuesday that affording health care is as much of a struggle as maintaining good health for some Richmond residents. Dr. Vivek Murthy, who at 37 is one of the youngest surgeon generals in the nation’s history and the first of Indian- American descent, met with community leaders, health care workers and residents in Richmond at The Daily Planet, a health center on West Grace Street that serves the homeless and low-income people and families.
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#BlackLivesMatter: It’s not your parents’ revolution
Black lives matter to Evandra Catherine. And that means more than fixing a broken criminal justice system. “Black Lives Matter doesn’t only focus on police brutality. Black lives also matter in systematic things like housing, education, looking for jobs, wages,” said Ms. Catherine, referring to the Black Lives Matter movement, a grassroots network of organizations and community leaders working to improve the lives of black people on all fronts.
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Senior Daniel Saunders, Hopewell High’s top scorer, leaps for two more points in leading the Blue Devils to a 61-55 victory over visiting Prince George …
Published on January 29, 2015