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Reading in the new year
Former President Barack Obama was in the news on New Year’s Eve with the list of his favorite songs and books of 2017. Posting on his Facebook page, he wrote that he wanted to continue the tradition started during his presidency of sharing his reading list and playlists of the songs “that got me moving.”
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O’Berry named interim chief of VCU Police
Howard “Mike” O’Berry has been named interim police chief at Virginia Commonwealth University.
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Jeffrey Osborne keeps holding on, flying high
Blessed with one of the most distinctive voices in modern R&B, it didn’t take Jeffrey Osborne long to establish a solo career after departing the funk band L.T.D. (Love, Togetherness and Devotion) in the early 1980s. After years of playing drums in the group known for the hits “Holding On (When Love Is Gone)” and “(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again, he stepped out front with his self-titled debut in 1982, produced by George Duke.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview stirs racial introspection among Brits
Explosive allegations by Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex, that she faced racist attitudes from both the royal palace and the media in the United Kingdom have sent ripples of shock around the world. But they came as no surprise to many Black Britons.
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Lawmakers take up ‘skill games,’ minimum wage, marijuana as Assembly hits midpoint deadline
Virginia lawmakers plowed through hundreds of bills Tuesday as they reached a key deadline for this year’s legislative session.
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Washington signs Alabama players in NFL draft
When you need a hammer and nails, you go to the hardware store. When you need milk and bread, you head to the grocery. When you’re an NFL team desperate for defensive help, a wise place to shop is the University of Alabama. Clearly, that was Washington’s plan in last week’s NFL Draft held in Philadelphia.
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Beating Coach John Thompson’s Hoyas remains a sweet memory for former VCU Rams
One of Virginia Commonwealth University’s most memorable basketball victories came at the expense of one of the sport’s iconic coaches — the late Coach John Thompson Jr. of the Georgetown University Hoyas.
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Contentious state NAACP election gives Barnette 2-year term
Robert N. Barnette Jr., who has led the Virginia State Conference NAACP since August when the previous presi- dent was removed, will hold the top post in the civil rights organization for the next two years after emerging victorious in a controversial election.
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New police chief promoted from the ranks
Six police chiefs have come and gone since William C. “Will” Smith joined the Richmond Police Department as a patrolman in 1995.
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Dr. LaKeesha Walrond is breaking glass ceilings as new seminary president
Sitting in her office on Manhattan’s far west side, the new president of New York Theological Seminary, Dr. LaKeesha Walrond, recalled how she was reprimanded as a youth for crossing the pulpit area of her church during a choir rehearsal.
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2nd Street Festival this weekend
Midnight Star is headed to Richmond to headline the 26th edition of the 2nd Street Festival this weekend.
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New stable for police horses
Richmond’s four police horses, Aslan, Samson, Scooter and Toby, are finally getting a new home.
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City council greenlights coliseum’s replacement
The vacant and closed Richmond Coliseum is headed for redevelopment.
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Nadine Domond brings her coaching skills to VSU
For the first time in a long time, Virginia State University will have a new head women’s basketball coach on the sidelines.
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Rev. Marlene E. Forrest to be installed as rector of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church
The Rev. Marlene E. Forrest will be installed as the 23rd rector of historic St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in North Side on Saturday, May 14.
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Hampton’s Najee Garvin stands out at inaugural HBCU All-Star Game
Hampton University’s Najee Garvin was among the brightest stars in the inaugural HBCU All-Star Game held last Sunday at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.
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Dogtown Dance Theatre building in South Side being sold
The home of Dogtown Dance Theatre and the RVA Dance Collective at 109 W. 15th Street in South Side is for sale.
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Research identified 18th-century school for Black children
The College of William & Mary and Colonial Williams- burg are teaming up to preserve the legacy of an 18th century school that was dedicated to the education of enslaved and free Black children in Virginia.
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Calls grow to save site of oldest U.S. Black women’s benevolent society
Social justice and community advocates are calling for no taxes to be levied on a mansion that has served as the headquarters for the oldest Black women’s benevolent society in America for decades.
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VUU defeats Shippensburg 60-56
Power drives Panthers’ ‘Wizard of Os’
Call this Robert Osborne’s encore season.