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City alleys now to receive maintenance on regular schedule
The roar of heavy equipment over a backyard fence signals the start of work on another alley. Suddenly, with little publicity, city alleys are starting to get regular attention and care.
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Toxicology report rules out drugs in Marcus-David Peters’ death, family says
A local activist coalition and a victim’s family continue to question the details of the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Marcus-David Peters by a Richmond Police officer in May. Mr. Peters’ sister, Princess Blanding, and the Justice and Reform for Marcus Peters Coalition challenged the accuracy and transparency of the Richmond Police Department’s report on the fatal shooting by Officer Michael Nyantakyi at Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s Third District community meeting July 31.
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Teachers learn about slavery at Lee’s birthplace
At Stratford Hall in Virginia, birthplace of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, a group of K-12 teachers gathered recently to talk about slavery and how to teach it.
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Charlottesville confronts identity, braces itself, one year after clashes
For many residents of Charlottesville, last year’s white nationalist rally shattered the city’s carefully curated reputation as a progressive, idyllic place to live.
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Download Full Carver Elementary VDOE 34-page Report Here
As a result of the concerns shared by the RPS Superintendent, VDOE staff initiated a review of previous SOL test results from George Washington Carver Elementary School. VDOE staff noted that pass rates at George Washington Carver Elementary School over the past several years had been high but had declined from 2015-2016 to the 2016-2017 school year. As a result of the information gathered by VDOE and RPS staff through June 1, 2018, the on-site SOL test administration audit transitioned to an SOL test irregularity investigation led by VDOE staff at the request of RPS. This report outlines details from the investigation, conclusions, and the future actions to be taken.
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Use tax dollars for ‘a just cause, not to aid in injustice’
Re “Evicted,” Free Press April 12-14 edition The many evil aspects of having to be tenants of greedy landlords come out daily. The Free Press article showed the extent to which landlords are willing to go to make life a living hell for their tenants while profiting greatly from doing so.
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Russia’s sabotage of U.S. elections
We don’t yet know — and perhaps may never fully know — to what extent Russian efforts to sabotage American elections succeeded. What we do know is that, in addition to waging a massive disinformation campaign on social media, Kremlin-backed hackers:
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French president promises quick return of stolen African relics
French President Emmanuel Macron has called the return of African relics to their origin “a top priority” of his administration.
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Hair straightening products contain potentially toxic mix
Hair products used primarily by African-American women and children contain a host of hazardous chemicals, a new study shows.
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Rare Bible that went to moon up for sale
For the collector who has almost everything, there’s still a chance to own a Bible that literally was out of this world.
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Partisanship drives religious attitudes and not the other way around
Which comes first — religion or politics? On the one hand, political scientists have long held that people’s political choices are formed by their childhood faith, which, for the most part, sticks with them. On the other, 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump, a thrice-married adulterer who rarely attends church.
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Former Congressman Ron Dellums, who pushed U.S. sanctions against apartheid South Africa, dies at 82
Ronald Vernie “Ron” Dellums was a fiery anti-war activist who championed social justice in his community and in Congress. The first African-American Democratic congressman from Northern California and a former mayor of his native Oakland, Calif., died from cancer at his Washington residence on Monday, July 30, 2018, according to his family. He was 82.
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Personality: Bunny Sumner Young
Bunny Sumner Young’s journey with service animals started when she was a teenager. “I was 14 years old when I was diagnosed with a heart condition. And at 17, I had a doctor that recommended that I get a service animal because I was on eight to 11 medications for my heart,” she recalls.
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Lone African-American food vendor at Washington training camp
Richmond businessman Herman Baskerville, owner of Big Herm’s Kitchen on 2nd Street in Jackson Ward, again is on hand, offering a tasty Richmond welcome to NFL fans as they gather for the Washington team’s training days at the Bon Secours facility on West Leigh Street.
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New city shelter for the homeless?
For the past four winters, men and women who lack shelter have streamed into the shabby and increasingly vacant Public Safety Building near City Hall to spend the night when temperatures fall below 40 degrees.
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Richmond Police Department takes up #LipSyncChallenge
The Richmond Police Department wants to “see how big your brave is,” they say — or rather, sing — in a new video racking up views on social media. The “Richmond Police Lip Sync Challenge” is inspired by an online trend in which police officers, firefighters and ambulance workers dance as they lip sync to popular tunes.
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Jamie Nolan wins city Democratic Committee leadership post
The rising political influence of women is being felt in Richmond. In an unprecedented move, the reorganized Richmond City Democratic Committee elected five women to the top six leadership positions Saturday in undergoing a major shakeup.
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Washington NFL team hopes Da’Ron Payne will stop defense leak
The Washington professional football team was dead last in the NFL in 2017 at defending the run. Nose guard Da’Ron Payne was specifically drafted to change that.
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Star Barbershop winning games at a steady clip
Star Barbershop is winning softball games at a steady clip in Chesterfield County.
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Trump and chaos
In trying to understand President Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy on immigration, one has to know the president’s background for his past 72 years.
