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Marijuana justice groups criticize legalization bill passed by General Assembly
Just wait three years. That’s the message the General Assembly sent after finally passing a bill to legalize recreational marijuana use for those 21 and older.
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Panthers lose CIAA tourney to Rams 45-44
VUU awaits NCAA II decision after lowest scoring game in annals
Heading north on I-95, it took Virginia Union University’s bus about two hours and 35 minutes to reach Baltimore, site of the CIAA basketball tournament. It probably felt like a lot longer coming back.
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Unprecedented money flowing in Va. legislative races; latest reports show Dems with edge
Virginia legislative candidates raised $46 million over about four weeks in the month of October, according to newly filed finance disclosures, with Democrats collectively reporting a fundraising edge as this campaign season nears its end.
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Mahomes, Purdy in NFL spotlight
Meet the “odd couple” of Super Bowl quarterbacks. Greatness, from the get-go, was predicted for Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, not so for San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, the longest of the longshots.
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Jack Gravely new NAACP interim executive director
Jack Gravely last led the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP as executive director more than three decades ago. This week, Mr. Gravely began a second stint with the organization, this time as interim executive director. “I know this is a different era, but we still face some of the same issues along with some new ones, and I have the same passion to lead this organization to address them,” Mr. Gravely said Wednesday. He takes over from King Salim Khalfani, who was pushed out by the board in early 2014 after serving in the post for 15 years.
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Giles hopes to boost services to troubled teens
Shunda T. Giles has been preparing for her transition from lawyer for the Richmond Department of Social Services to its top manager. On Monday, the 41-year-old attorney took over the leadership role of the department of more than 400 staffers and a $74.5 million annual budget, all aimed at strengthening families and providing services to meet essential human needs.
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New breed of bigots
Among the many windswept cliffs that stand guard on the shores of the island of Okinawa, one is known for its particularly gruesome history.
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Tall men help John Marshall open season with wins
Surprisingly, the Richmond area’s tallest basketball team might represent a high school rather than a college. John Marshall High School’s front line just may have an inch or two over the likes of Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Richmond and Virginia Union University.
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Powerless over statues?
Who really can remove the Confederate traitors from Monument Avenue? According to the City Charter, it may not be the mayor or City Council
When it comes to the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue, Mayor Levar M. Stoney has been in the spotlight, along with members of Richmond City Council.
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Va. NAACP to be run by Tenn. official
The longtime president of the Tennessee NAACP has been handed control of the Virginia State Conference NAACP. Gloria Jean Sweet-Love, who has earned credit for turning around NAACP operations in her state during her 24-year tenure at the helm, was named administrator for the Virginia operations and given sweeping powers over state NAACP policies, programs and expenditures.
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4th Circuit renders decision in battle over Md. cross
For 92 years, a four-story-tall cross has stood at a major intersection in Prince George’s County, Md., paying silent tribute to members of the American military who died fighting in World War I. Now, in the latest church-state battle over public memorials, a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond has ruled that the massive memorial violates the U.S. Constitution’s ban on the government imposition of a religious faith.
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Love Stories
We formally met in the spring of 1999, introduced by mutual friends at a poetry and live music event. Our paths had crossed a few times the previous year.
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How Jesus became white – and why it’s time to cancel that
The first time the Rev. Lettie Moses Carr saw Jesus depicted as Black, she was in her 20s. It felt “weird,” Rev. Carr said. Until that moment, she’d always thought Jesus was white.
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Love Stories
The Free Press proudly presents its annual Valentine’s Day feature sharing the Love Stories of four Richmond area couples.
Neither of us attended graduate school with the intentions of finding a soulmate, but that’s the thing about love — it doesn’t much care about your plans.
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Brother Biden, please keep another promise or two, by Julianne Malveaux
I do this thing in my head with President Biden. When he gets on my nerves, I often call him President. When I want something from him or want to thank him for something, I call him Brother Biden.
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Operation Bold Blue Line
Youngkin plans to reduce homicides, shootings with more police, higher pay
What’s the solution to the spate of shootings and violence that appears to be on the upswing in Richmond and across the state?
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Changing the trajectory
RRHA ushering in new initiatives for jobs, health and safety
Steven B. Nesmith promised to transform the operation of Richmond’s public housing and the opportunities for residents when he assumed leadership of the authority last fall.
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Detroit’s bankruptcy architect says filing 10 years ago was best fix for broken city
Detroit’s newly hired emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, stood before reporters in March 2013 and issued a warning to city creditors, unions, vendors and others: “Don’t make me go to bankruptcy court. You won’t enjoy it.”
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Gov. Northam proposes $25M to transform Monument Avenue and historical sites
The state would provide nearly $11 million to repopulate Monument Avenue with figures of heroes to replace the Confederate statues that once dominated the street under a proposal from Gov. Ralph S. Northam.
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Biden bats away questions about age, polls; launches 2024 campaign ad
President Biden rolled out the first ad of his 2024 reelection campaign on Wednesday, casting himself as a warrior in defense of freedom, but immediately found himself grappling with questions about his advanced age and droopy poll numbers.
