Story
City DPW head quits over Harvard dispute
Since he arrived in 2011, James A. Jackson has pushed for change in the Richmond Department of Public Works. Instead of top-down leadership, he has spearheaded a team approach, worked to replaced outdated equipment and sought to address the backlog of citizen complaints about services.
Story
An American lament, by Dwight Cunningham
t’s tough being an American. It’s hard to know your worth when you’re Black, or Latino, Native American or Asian, Muslim, gay or whatever. Seems today’s patriotic ideal American isn’t any of “those people,” as the powerful spend considerable time and nefarious energy to exert dominance by any means possible.
Story
Police chief: We can’t do it alone
Crime is on the rise in Richmond, according to 2016 figures. And city Police Chief Alfred Durham reiterated his call for more citizen involvement to reverse that trend. “We are doing everything we can as your police department, but we can’t do it alone,” Chief Durham said during a year-end presentation last week at police headquarters in Downtown.
Story
Court rules that Christian-only prayers at government meetings are OK
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that governments do not violate the church-state barrier when elected community leaders exclusively deliver Christian prayers to begin meetings.
Story
George Wythe Bulldogs lining up for repeat championship
The George Wythe High School Bulldogs might be nicknamed “The Quintuplets” this season. All five starters on the Richmond school’s basketball team are nearly the same height — not too short, not too tall — with similar skill sets.
Story
Bedden staying put; ‘It’s an exciting time for RPS’
When Dr. Dana T. Bedden took over as superintendent of Richmond Public Schools in January 2014, the St. Petersburg, Fla., native faced faltering academic achievement, school buildings in severe disrepair and low staff morale.
Story
School Board wants City Council to release $8.3M surplus
The Richmond School Board is requesting that City Council hand over the $8.3 million budget surplus that became a source of contention last month when Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden disclosed existence of the funds at a City Council meeting.
Story
Fight for $15
Workers to unite in city for living wage national conference
Richmond is about to become the national focal point for advocates of a $15 minimum wage. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of low-wage workers from across the country are expected to pour into the city April 12 and April 13 for the third annual Fight for $15 National Convention.
Story
Trump’s leaked 2005 taxes show $153M in earnings
President Trump earned $153 million and paid $36.5 million in income taxes in 2005, paying a roughly 25 percent effective tax rate thanks to a tax he has since sought to eliminate, according to newly disclosed tax documents.
Story
Monacan’s Megan Walker ends high school career as nation’s top player
In her final Monacan High School game, Megan Walker showed she was human — but more importantly that she was great.
Story
Chesterfield’s Devin Robinson is standout on Florida NCAA team
If you missed seeing Chesterfield County native Devin Robinson playing basketball as a youngster, here’s your chance to observe the more grown up version.
Story
Family seeks criminal charges in Taser death by police
Gwendolyn Smalls said not a day goes by that she and her family don’t feel anguish over the inhumane and unnecessary death of her 46-year-old brother, Linwood R. Lambert Jr. The former Richmond resident died nearly three years ago while he was in the custody of three South Boston police officers who fired 20 Taser shots at him while his hands and legs were shackled.
Story
Do black lives really matter?
In 1991, Latasha Harlins was shot in the back of her head and killed by Soon Ja Du, a Korean storeowner in Los Angeles. Ms. Du received a $500 fine, 400 hours of community service and five years’ probation from Judge Joyce Karlin, who ignored the penalty of 16 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter. Ms. Du received no prison time for her callous act of murder — execution style — of a 15-year-old African-American girl over a $1.79 container of orange juice. This case, and the outrage it brought, foreshadowed the Los Angeles civil unrest now known as the Rodney King Riot in 1992.
Story
Clinton primary wins assure Dem nomination
Eight years after conceding the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination to then-rival Barack Obama, the first African-American to be the standard-bearer for a major political party, Hillary Clinton is poised to make history of her own. Tuesday night, the former U.S. senator and secretary of state took her place as the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee after claiming victory over persistent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Story
President Carter pushes for interracial Baptist cooperation
Pastors Frederick Haynes and George Mason both lead Baptist churches in Dallas, but they had never met until the not-guilty verdict in the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin brought them together in 2013.
Story
Republicans file suit to rescind rights restoration to 206,000 Virginians
Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is facing a court fight over his April 22 order restoring voting rights to 206,000 felons who have completed their sentences, including about 40,000 people convicted of violent offenses. In a case filed Monday, Republican leaders in the General Assembly and four voters have asked the Virginia Supreme Court to find the governor acted illegally and to order him to rescind the blanket restoration of rights that allowed the affected individuals to vote, serve on juries and run for office.
Story
Old-fashioned baseball reigns in the country
Baseball is losing ground in urban areas but remains a premier attraction down dusty country roads, far removed from the city’s hustle and bustle. On diamonds carved out of the woods in places like Prince George and Dinwiddie counties, old-fashioned country hardball, spiced with ample music, food and socializing, still takes center stage on warm weekends.
Story
Judge Cavedo
Events and new information arising during the past few days give us grave concerns about the continued involvement of Richmond Circuit Court Judge Bradley B. Cavedo in the legal cases regarding the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue.
Story
Jada Boyd packs a wallop in VHSL record book
You don’t judge a book by its cover. Nor is it wise to judge an athlete by the size of their school. As it turns out, one of Virginia’s elite basketball prospects attends one of Virginia’s smallest public high schools. Meet Jada Boyd, a junior technology major at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School in Petersburg, enrollment 359 for grades 9 through 12.
Story
Richmond Police fine-tuning new crime data system to help public
Local police departments have long kept a tight grip on their information, only grudgingly releasing crime statistics and usually keeping data on officer activity off limits to taxpayers. But the Richmond Police Department is taking a different tack.
