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VSU’s Darrington ignites lineup with precision hitting
Bringing attitude and energy
Hailey Darrington proves an athlete doesn’t have to be a high school star to become one in college. After skipping varsity softball at Manchester High, she’s blossomed into one of the CIAA’s top performers for Virginia State University.
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Earth Day: A sense of wonder, by Bobby Whitescarver
My wife and I are cattle farmers in Virginia’s legendary Shenandoah Valley. Early in our marriage, Jeanne gave me a nickname: “Walk Slow, Stand Around.” Yep, that’s me. Sure, it’s funny. And it’s true. But I’m not lazy; I just wonder a lot.
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Mayor Stoney drops Va. governor bid, will run for lieutenant governor
Mayor Levar Stoney announced Tuesday he is dropping his bid for Virginia governor in 2025, avoiding a nomination contest with U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, and will run for lieutenant governor instead.
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Personality: Rhonda Keyes Pleasants
Spotlight on chair of Family Representative Council of East Marshall Street Well Project
Rhonda Keyes Pleasants entered the funeral industry in 1996 and became a fully licensed funeral director and embalmer in December 2000.
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Hospital Chaplain J.S. Park’s new book explores grief
“The biggest myth I see is that grief is a poison to get past”
“Everything happens for a reason” might be one of the least helpful things you can say to someone who just lost a loved one, according to veteran hospital Chaplain J.S. Park.
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Mandisa, Grammy-winning singer and ‘American Idol’ alum, dies at 47
Mandisa, a contemporary Christian singer who appeared on “American Idol” and won a Grammy for her 2013 album “Overcomer,” has died. She was 47.
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Jackson Ward preservationist steeled by cultural bearings and designs
By tackling design and restoration projects no one else would touch, Zarina Fazaldin brings her love of art and historic preservation to the arts community in Richmond.
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Embiid raises Uncle Sam’s hopes
Joel Embiid sports the colors red, white and blue for his NBA team, the Philadelphia 76ers. So it’s fitting he’ll wear red, white and blue for the United States for the upcoming Olympics in Paris.
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Dale Farino appointed CEO of state ABC
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has appointed Dale Farino as the new CEO of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC), effective April 29.
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Palpable relief doesn’t ease the pain
For anyone who owns a home or land, it has become common to receive a text or letter from a persistent real estate agent or investor offering to purchase their property. In most Black communities, where homeowners have labored long and hard to acquire a home for themselves or family members, the response to such predators is a polite — or not so polite — “no.”
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Jonathan Young resigns from RPS School Board
Jonathan Young resigned from the Richmond Public School Board April 12 after it was revealed that a December 2023 incident between him and a 15-year-old female student resulted in the student filing a harassment complaint against him.
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Personality: Sheri Shannon
Spotlight on Southside ReLeaf cofounder
Sheri Shannon has long believed that focused community-action work can battle climate change head on.
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Faith Ringgold, pioneering Black quilt artist and author, dies at 93
Faith Ringgold, an award-winning author and artist who broke down barriers for Black female artists and became famous for her richly colored and detailed quilts combining painting, textiles and storytelling, has died at 93.
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Fashion forward
Former banker now balances her life as a business owner and new mom
Chanel Nelson-Green is the owner of Liznel, a Richmond-based fashion boutique that has showcased designs in Hampton, New York and Washington, D.C.
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O.J. Simpson has been cremated, estate attorney in Las Vegas says
No public memorial planned
Former football star and celebrity criminal defendant O.J. Simpson was cremated Wednesday, the lawyer handling his estate said following his death last week at home in Las Vegas at age 76.
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To close racial gap in maternal health, Virginia, other states target implicit bias
Black, Hispanic and Indigenous pregnant patients often report facing unfair treatment at hospitals and clinics
Countless times, Kenda Sutton-El, a Virginia doula, has witnessed her Black pregnant clients being dismissed or ignored by clinicians.
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The White House and Black Maternal Health Week
Black Maternal Health Week was recognized this year from April 11-17 throughout the United States and by the White House.
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Better public understanding of domestic violence was the one silver lining from O.J. Simpson’s fall, by Clarence Page
Has the search for Nicole Simpson’s “real killer” officially ended? Not that I expected to find out more than we already know. The leading suspect in the slaying of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman continued to be nobody else but O.J., up to his dying day.
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Convenience stores shut down Virginia Lottery sales in protest for skill games
Organizers say hundreds of stores participate
At Krunal Patel’s convenience store outside Richmond, a row of Queen of Virginia skill games has been powered off and turned around against a wall.
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Personality: Earl Reid
Spotlight on the Military Retirees Club president
Earl Reid always knew he wanted to serve in the military, prompted in part by walking past the Military Retirees Club, which was not far from the Gilpin Court neighborhood in which he grew up.
