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Absence marks Emancipation Proclamation Day service
Jan. 1 marks one of the greatest days in American history — the day when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to abolish slavery amid the raging Civil War.
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New Virginia license plate honoring Dr. King?
Can Delegate Dawn M. Adams find 450 Virginians willing to pay $25 to $35 for a specialty license plate honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Monday, Jan. 7?
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Roadblock: Mayor’s $1.4B Coliseum plan hits a financing snag
The plan to replace the Richmond Coliseum with a new arena in Downtown appears to be running afoul of the Virginia Public Finance Act.
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William C. Smith named interim police chief in Richmond
For now, William C. Smith is in charge of the Richmond Police Department. The 23-year department veteran took over as interim chief on Tuesday, New Year’s Day, following the official retirement of former Chief Alfred Durham.
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City’s hourly ‘living wage’ to rise to $12.07 under mayor’s proposed pay plan
More than 3,800 employees at City Hall, from janitors to executives, will be affected by the long-awaited overhaul of the city’s pay plan that Mayor Levar M. Stoney is expected to introduce Monday, Jan. 7, to Richmond City Council.
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Hasan K. Zarif, longtime re-entry specialist for Goodwill, retires
Minister Hasan K. Zarif has been “Mr. Re-Entry” for untold thousands of people making the transition from prison to civilian life. A former prisoner himself who rebuilt his life, Minister Zarif has been influential in helping others undertake the hard work of doing the same thing.
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Muslim superhero who fought Nazis in comic books making a comeback
In 1944, the world met Kismet, an Algerian superhero who fought against fascists in southern France while wearing a yellow fez. He punched Nazis, foiled Hitler’s plans and came to the aid of civilians in need.
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Crystal Cathedral, former home of ‘Hour of Power’ to become Roman Catholic seat
For nearly 30 years, the Rev. Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral was not only a religious landmark, but an architectural wonder and an embodiment of flush times in Southern California’s Orange County.
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Ravens’ Lamar Jackson defies Heisman history, breaks record
If there is such a thing as a Heisman Trophy jinx, Lamar Jackson seems immune to it — so far. At least among African-American quarterbacks, the Heisman — college football’s ultimate individual award — hasn’t exactly spelled a yellow brick road to NFL stardom.
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Richmonders hoping to take Clemson to victory in College Football Playoff
It may be up to two Richmonders to achieve something no one else has been able to do — stop the University of Alabama. Keep your eyes on orange jerseys No. 99 and No. 12 for Clemson University in the College Football Playoff final on Monday, Jan. 7, in Santa Clara, Calif.
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Alvin Ailey troupe marks 60th anniversary
It was March 1958 when an African-American dancer named Alvin Ailey, then making his living on the Broadway stage, gathered up a group of fellow dancers and presented a one-night show of his own works.
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Dr. Daniels and others must ‘put their money where their mouths are’ to block gentrification
I learned 20 years ago the difference in wealth in the white and black communities. I took a white man home to his brick bungalow in the West End, which he said he had bought for $10,000 after World War II and which at the time was assessed by the city at $90,000.
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Obamacare ruling a ‘political hand grenade’
After two long years of fruitlessly trying to kill Obamacare, the Republican Party and President Trump have been given a political hand grenade by a federal judge in Texas to get the job done.
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Saving Bennett College
Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C., is an oasis where we educate and celebrate women, and develop them into 21st century leaders and global thinkers.
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HBCUs packing power for second half of basketball season
Virginia State University’s recent basketball success can be traced all the way to Chièvres Air Force Base in Belgium. That’s where Armond Griebe, who has given the Trojans a front court boost, grew up tall and strong overseas in a U.S. military family.
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Jubilant John Marshall High School basketball players show off their 3A state championship trophy after their big victory in March over Western Albemarle High School …
Published on December 30, 2018
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Criminal justice reform bill signed into law
The widespread unhappiness across the nation over President Trump’s partial federal government shutdown at Christmas may have all but overshadowed the guarded praise surrounding a bipartisan victory for Congress and the president.
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$ for schools
Mayor Levar M. Stoney announces $800M plan to fully fund school construction over next 20 years
The mayor announced a plan on Dec. 20 to provide the $800 million that Richmond Public Schools wants to improve and modernize schools, a majority of which are 60 or more years old and seven of which are 100 years old.
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National NAACP suspends Frank J. Thornton, Henrico Branch president
In an extraordinary action, national NAACP President Derrick Johnson has suspended for a year the membership of Frank J. Thornton, president of the Henrico Branch NAACP and son of Frank Thornton, chairman of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors.
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Chief Durham reflects on his tenure in Richmond
Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham is done. He wrapped up Dec. 20 by issuing promotions to 12 officers, including naming three deputy chiefs and tapping one, William C. Smith, to serve as acting chief.
