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Bourne to push schools referendum in Gen. Assembly
A Richmond Democrat has volunteered to promote legislation to approve city voters’ call for Mayor Levar M. Stoney to craft a fully funded school modernization plan.
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Presidential dishonesty
Editorials
Presidential dishonesty is going on and, no, it’s not President Trump.
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VUU names new business school dean
Robin Renee Davis has the responsibility of molding a new generation of business leaders studying at Virginia Union University.
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2018: A record year for exonerations by The Innocence Project
The Innocence Project reported that a record nine clients were exonerated and released from prison in 2018 for crimes they didn’t commit.
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Habitat for Humanity accepting applications for home repair assistance
A nonprofit group known for building affordable houses also will repair dwellings for lower-income elderly and disabled homeowners and others in difficult circumstances.
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Personality: Joseph P. Costello
Spotlight on founder of the nonprofit Friends of Pump House
Joseph P. Costello first discovered the Pump House in Byrd Park in the summer of 2013. He was with friends when he visited the Gothic Revival structure situated just north of the James River and Kanawha Canal off Pump House Drive. It was constructed of local granite in 1883, with annex buildings added in 1905. “I was blown away by the beauty of the building,” Mr. Costello says.
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Personality: Dr. Faith B. Harris
Spotlight on chair of Virginia Interfaith Power & Light environmental advocacy organization
Dr. Faith B. Harris is a 21st century example of “hands-on earthly faith.”
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Personality: Lawrence ‘Larry’ Clark
Spotlight on president of the Greater Richmond Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogicial Society
The history of African-Americans remains obscured because of the effects of slavery and white supremacy. It’s this lack of information that Lawrence “Larry” Clark seeks to resolve as president of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society’s Greater Richmond Chapter.
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Personality: Monica L. Darden
Spotlight on honorary chair of the AKA Sorority’s 15th Annual Sauté and Sizzle
Things are getting a bit spicy as Monica L. Darden nears the end of the first year of her term as president of the Rho Eta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
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Personality: G. Sylvia Jackson
Spotlight on Grand Worthy Matron of the Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star of Va.
She’s one week away from the 118th Annual Session of the Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star of Virginia, Prince Hall Affiliation. And Grand Worthy Matron Gertrude Sylvia Jackson is fighting the good fight, leading a group of organizers the public still sees “as old ladies in white who belong to a secret organization,” she says.
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80¢ cigarette tax goes up in smoke at City Council
Richmond smokers will not have to pay an extra 80 cents for a pack of cigarette. After hearing from more than 50 speakers and nearly an hour of debate, Richmond City Council, with a 6-3 vote, killed a proposal to impose a city tax on cigarettes that Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, 5th District, had spearheaded.
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Economic injustice?
Report shows city spending with minority-owned businesses has dropped nearly 48 percent since 2014
From the mayor’s office to key positions at City Hall, African-Americans continue to play big roles in Richmond’s government. But the issue of city spending with black businesses and the promotion of black inclusion, inexplicably, appears to be taking a backseat to other priorities, with Mayor Levar M. Stoney having publicly spoken little about inclusion and economic justice during his 18-month tenure.
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Free Press Endorsements 2018
Tuesday, Nov. 6, is Election Day. And we believe there is no starker contrast or more clear choice for Virginia voters than in the race for U.S. Senate and in contests for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 4th and 7th Districts.
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Again — Rage against police for civilian killing
People in the small predominantly black city near St. Louis began rioting and looting after the Saturday shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr.
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Biden signs historic Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act
In a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, President Biden sat at a small desk and put his signature on the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act that now makes lynching punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
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State lawmakers create the Virginia Black, Indigenous and People of Color Historic Preservation Fund
A new state fund could give the Patawomeck Tribe a chance to reacquire tribal land and help protect battlefield sites throughout the state where Black soldiers fought and died.
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Richmond judge during hearing to remove Lee statue: ‘It’s a very difficult case’
The General Assembly appears to have torn away the foundation of a lawsuit seeking to stop Gov. Ralph S. Northam from removing the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Monument Avenue — the giant symbol of white supremacy that has loomed over the city since 1890.
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General Assembly completes work on budget, criminal justice reform
Fairer sentencing for people convicted of crimes and a Marcus crisis alert system to improve the response to mental health emergencies are among the criminal justice reforms that have emerged from the General Assembly’s special session.
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Local authority’s outreach helps equity fund address health disparities
For the last two months, Jacquetta Gosier has worked to bridge the gap of mental health access for Richmond communities in need.
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Bon Secours breaks ground on new $11M medical office building in East End
Coming soon: A new Bon Secours Mercy Health medical office building in the East End that will house up to 100 doctors, nurses and other staff and include space to provide group therapy for mentally ill addicts.