Quantcast

Show advanced options

Select all Clear all

Photo
Photo
Story
Tease photo

Bump stocks banned

The Trump administration on Tuesday banned the high-power gun attachments of the type used in last year’s Las Vegas shooting massacre of 58 people, giving the owners of “bump stocks” 90 days to turn in or destroy the devices and blocking owners from being able to register them.

Story
Tease photo

Construction of new city schools didn’t meet deadline, goal for minority participation

Richmond has built three new school buildings, but can teachers and students use them if the School Board decides to restart in-person learning?

Photo
Story
Tease photo

Granderson may play grand role in MLB playoffs

Curtis Granderson provides everything expected of a leadoff man — and much more. “Let’s Get It Started” by the Black Eyed Peas could be his walk-up-to-the-plate music, if it isn’t already. “The Grandy Man” bats first in the lineup for the revitalized New York Mets, who have won the National League East title and likely will face Los Angeles in the divisional series Friday, Oct. 9.

Story
Tease photo

Area churches to celebrate Easter in various, special ways

Area churches are ready to celebrate Easter by welcoming congregants back to services both inside their sanctuaries and some outdoors.

Story
Tease photo

Explanations sought on City Council's consulting contract cost

When a divided Richmond City Council voted 5-4 on Dec. 9 to proceed with hiring C.H. Johnson Consulting to review the $1.5 billion Richmond Coliseum replacement plan, most members had no idea that the company’s bid had come in 13 percent higher than the amount council had approved to pay a consultant.

Story
Tease photo

Former GOP presidential hopeful, Trump ally Herman Cain dies of COVID-19

Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Trump, died Thursday, July 30, 2020, in an Atlanta hospital of complications from the coronavirus. He was 74.

Story
Tease photo

A real sickness

Forget the coronavirus. Would somebody please quarantine President Trump before he makes the nation sicker?

Story
Tease photo

Attention paid to psychological changes, impact of COVID-19

As the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 continues to rise in Virginia and across the nation, more attention is being paid to the mental and psychological impact of both the virus and the measures being taken to stop its spread.

Story
Tease photo

Black contractor braved threats in removing Confederate statues

Devon Henry paced in nervous anticipation because this was a project like nothing he’d ever done. He wore the usual hard hat — and a bulletproof vest.

Story
Tease photo

GRTC announces new rewards program for riders

People who ride the bus now can get discounts on the price of a meal at area restaurants, as well as savings at other merchants and attractions.

Story
Tease photo

Much has changed, much remains in newsrooms

The news business is consumed by constant disrup- tors and interruptions. So much so that non-breaking news often gets tossed aside. I should know. Twice in the past two weeks an announcement about me coming aboard as managing editor for the Richmond Free Press was kicked to the curb in favor of major, breaking news. As it should be. No one wants to read about journalists when mass shootings, gun violence and a deadly pandemic continue to wreak havoc locally and throughout the country. Add to that soaring gas prices, babies lacking basics, and a trip to the grocery store akin to a five-course dinner or luxury hotel stay. When such tragedies occur and wallets are hijacked, journalists should be covering them rather than focusing on themselves. This week the news has been a little less jarring, providing time for me to reflect on my new role in a city that I moved to in 1981. Back then, I accepted an offer to work at Richmond’s afternoon daily newspaper, intrigued that the City Council was predominantly Black, which indicated to me that the city was progressive. While that remains a matter of debate among many, I will say that having left Richmond in 2011 to teach Black college students in my hometown of Greensboro, N.C., I was elated to return here five years later. I missed my favorite haunts, my home in a quiet neighborhood, my fun-loving, quirky friends, my church, my sorority and my museums. Upon returning, I continued to teach at various uni- versities but experienced profound joy as a substitute teacher in Henrico County. I completed a book about Black women journalists. I also started a nonprofit me- dia organization and spent several years as a freelance reporter and editor for publications that included the Richmond Free Press. My first few days as the Free Press managing editor were chaotic to say the least. Having just returned from a restful vacation in Hilton Head, S.C. and Savannah, Ga. — you know, the city that Hyundai just chose over Virginia’s Pittsylvania County to spend $5.5 billion and hire more than 8,000 workers — I was tossed into a sea of local, state and national news that I’d not experienced since ...last February. That was when, for two weeks, I served as the Free Press guest editor in the absence of the newspaper’s former managing editor. That also was when, during Black History Month, Virginia’s newly inaugurated governor caused a furor with his condemnation of critical race theory and had folks fired up about a “tip line” to snitch on classroom teachers who dared to teach the truth about American history and slavery. The furor almost made the Ralph Northam 2019 black face debacle appear quaint. (Note to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin who made his fortune at one of the world’s most influential private equity firms: Don’t you think that time spent dissing teachers could have been better spent helping Pittsylvania County, decimated for more than a decade by furniture industry losses, secure that $5.5 billion Hyundai deal?) Before my recent re-entry into the newsroom, it had been nearly 25 years since I was a full time newspaper employee. Although much has changed since then, many aspects of the industry remain. The decline of daily newspapers began with buyouts and mergers in the early 1990s, around the same time that the Richmond Free Press was born. The dissolution of newsrooms continues today in the form of tight budgets, lean staffs, 24/7 hour news cycles and decreased circulation. Although the Free Press is a weekly newspaper, our mission is similar to that of daily print publications and online outlets. Still in the game, we are deadline driven, truth seekers and zealous about serving Richmond and surrounding communities. We are a Black-owned news- paper and revel in our reputation for providing relevant information for and about Richmond’s Black commu- nity. We also delight in knowing that our newspapers, more often than not, are consumed by many non-Black readers, too. Our staff is small, but mighty. A cadre of talented freelance reporters and photographers stand ready to support us when needed and we are proud of their presence. I remain honored and humbled (and somewhat speech- less) by an invitation from Jean P. Boone, Richmond Free Press president and publisher, to lead the Free Press. In accepting my new role, I am the second editor to do so since the death of Richmond Free Press Founder Raymond H. Boone. Never did I envision being in this position once occupied by a man whose backbone was made of steel, whose mind was sharper than any sword, and whose heart was good as gold. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Boone for allowing me — a woman who penned her first newspaper article for a Black newspaper, The Carolina Peacemaker, as a col- lege student in 1977 — to lead your life’s passion and tireless work in its continuing journey. It is my hope and prayer that you, dear readers and new readers, will continue this journey with us.

Story
Tease photo

No, Donald, you’re not being persecuted like the Scottsboro Boys, by Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan

The Scottsboro Boys were victims of racism; Donald Trump, conversely, has long been known for his racism

“War Is Peace, Freedom Is Slavery, Ignorance Is Strength.” So wrote George Orwell in 1984, his famous dystopian novel about authoritarian- ism. The book gave us the term “Orwellian,” describing situations where facts are ignored, truth is turned on its head, and 2+2=5. Now, almost 75 years after its publication, the United States is confronting its own brush with authoritarianism, by prosecuting former President Trump for his attempt to seize power after losing the 2020 election.

Story
Tease photo

Organizations call for Black people to fight in midterm elections

'Everything we love is on the line’

As the summer vacation season winds down and the fall political season is about to heat up, the nation’s premier national Black voter organization is calling on Black America to start fighting now to elect the candidates that positively impact the Black community during midterm elections Nov. 8.

Story
Tease photo

Beyond T-shirts and hoodies

Recollections of my 1995 article on the business of college athletics danced in my head when I heard the news about the University of Missouri football team’s refusal to play until the president of that university, Tim Wolfe, resigned or was dismissed.

Story
Tease photo

Families of 9 killed in Mother Emanuel AME Church massacre settle lawsuit over faulty gun background check

Families of the nine victims killed in the 2015 racist attack at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., have reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over a faulty background check that allowed convicted shooter Dylann Roof to purchase the gun.

Story
Tease photo

Crowd urged to work for 'Monumental Justice'

More than 100 people gathered at the State Capitol on Wednesday afternoon in support of legislation that would give control of the dozens of Confederate monuments in Virginia to localities.

Photo