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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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Gentrification: The ‘Negro Removal’ program displacing black people, culture
Gentrification has emerged as a major threat to black communities that have been centers for black business and economic development, cultural and civic life for generations.
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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.
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Contractors claim they are left out of city lead removal contracts
Small African-American contractors like Anson Bell and Nathan Beyah claim they are being locked out of work to remove from 150 Richmond homes and apartments toxic lead paint that yearly damages the developing brains of dozens of young children.
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Information blackout in new city ambulance permit case?
The Richmond Ambulance Authority has, for now, avoided competition for non-emergency transports that help financially support its crucial emergency service.
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City tackling polluted water
Richmond’s most heavily polluted watersheds that drain into the James River will get some extra attention, thanks to a $1 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, it has been announced.
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‘Revival!’ brings mostly black cast to movie depiction of Gospel of John
For creator Harry Lennix, the new movie “Revival!” — a retelling of the Gospel of John with a mostly African-American cast — is a film whose time has come.
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Trump and the wall
“Yes, if we don’t get what we want, one way or the other … I will shut down the government,” President Trump said to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi, referring to his demand for $5 billion to build his border wall.
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Top 10 stories of 2018
At the end of each year, people begin writing New Year’s resolutions that they pretty much know they will not be keeping. Yet, it’s a popular ritual.
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Madam C.J. Walker’s New York estate sold
The New York estate built a century ago by Madam C.J. Walker, a daughter of slaves who made her fortune selling hair care products for black women, has been bought by the owner of Essence magazine and his family.
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VUU fans get Christmas gift in Jordan White
Virginia Union University basketball fans received a “White Christmas” in a way they weren’t expecting.
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LA Chargers get new jolt with Coach Anthony Lynn
After a lengthy, listless period, the NFL’s newest Los Angeles franchise is all charged up.
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Actor Michael B. Jordan in spotlight for athletic role in ‘Creed II’
Michael Bakari Jordan has scored a cinematic knockout for his role as a boxer in “Creed II,” a sequel to the original 2015 film “Creed,” a continuation of the “Rocky” movies.
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Members of the North Carolina A&T State University football team are showered with confetti after last Saturday’s 24-22 victory over Alcorn State University in the …
Published on December 21, 2018
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Socks for others: Home-schooled students who take online classes through Virginia Virtual Academy decorate a large Christmas stocking last Friday at the Richmond Public Library …
Published on December 21, 2018
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Navy Hill-Coliseum project: Subsidized gentrification?
I applaud Richmond City Council for approving the creation of a committee to review the Navy Hill-Coliseum proposal. The project has been hailed by the city administration as a game-changing economic empowerment project, one that is immune from the potential, yet familiar, negative consequences of costly development projects. But this is simply too good to be true.
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Rep. Karen Bass new CBC chair
In January, the most ethnically and culturally diverse Congress in United States history will be seated. Among the historic “firsts,” the Congressional Black Caucus will exceed 50 members for the first time in its 47-year history and Rep. Karen Bass of California has been elected its chair.
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Senate passes major criminal justice reform package
The U.S. Senate voted 87-12 Tuesday to usher in the most substantial change to the 1990s tough-on-crime sentencing laws that have ballooned the federal prison population and created a criminal justice system that is seen as costly and unfair.
