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More shelters in place
Ask Mayor Levar M. Stoney about the unsheltered people in the city, and he’ll tell you the city is doing a bang-up job of addressing the need.
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Secrecy over defense secretary’s hospitalization has White House defensive
President Biden’s administration pledged from day one to restore truth and transparency to the federal government — but now it’s facing a maelstrom of criticism and credibility questions after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization was kept secret for days, even from the White House.
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General Assembly ends with stronger ethics law
Virginia’s 2015 legislative session is over. Lawmakers adjourned last Friday after passing legislation at the last minute aimed at tightening the state’s ethics rules for public officials and curbing sexual assaults on Virginia’s college campuses. The ethics reform proposal puts a $100 cap on gifts lawmakers can accept — including meals, entertainment and travel — from lobbyists and their clients, or others seeking to do business with the state. Lawmakers were spurred to reform the state’s ethics rules following the conviction last year of former Gov. Bob McDonnell on federal corruption charges.
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Post-election download
The voters have spoken, and we congratulate the winners of Tuesday’s General Assembly elections and local contests in Metro Richmond.
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Spring football shows off offenses at VUU and VSU
Offense and optimism are the key words following Virginia Union and Virginia State universities’ spring football games. Under second-year Coach Mark James, VUU’s offense routed the defense 80-36 in the annual Maroon and White intrasquad game April 11 at Hovey Field. VUU’s Shawheem Dowdy, a 6-foot-4 sophomore transfer from Grambling State University, tossed six touchdowns passes. Kenneth Graham, VUU’s quarterback most of last season, is still rehabilitating from knee surgery and was held out of the game.
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VCU opens March 12 in Atlantic 10 Tournament
The chase is on as Virginia Commonwealth University heads to Brooklyn, N.Y. VCU is trying to run down its first Atlantic 10 basketball title, while Rams senior Treveon Graham remains in pursuit of the university’s all-time scoring record. The more the Rams win, the greater Graham’s chances. VCU, 22-9, opens A-10 tournament play 2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, against the play-in survivor between George Mason and Fordham universities.
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Residents spar over views on local policing
Richmond residents clashed Tuesday at a community forum on whether they believe the city has a policing problem. Several older residents viewed the Richmond Police Department as a benevolent force. They questioned whether a local discussion about police misconduct and brutality is necessary, even as young people have taken to the streets to protest discriminatory police practices across the country. “This is 2015,” said longtime Richmond resident Carrie Cox at the community gathering dubbed the “Peeps and Police Community Conversations,” held at the Richmond Police Training Academy. “We have the best department in the world.”
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CAO scraps plan to use energy savings for upgrades
Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ administration has killed a plan to use energy savings to finance critical improvements to more than 30 aging city buildings, the Free Press has learned. The city’s chief administrative officer, Selena Cuffee-Glenn, quietly made the decision in the past few weeks. She did so after Siemens, the company the city hired to provide a detailed proposal, offered to undertake $13 million in improvements to city buildings that would be repaid over time from savings the city achieved from cutbacks in electricity and natural gas use.
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‘Meadowlark’ Lemon
Harlem Globetrotters star dies at 83
In winter 1960, an advertisement appeared in the Waynesboro News-Virginian announcing the Harlem Globetrotters were coming to town.
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Springers bring home the crown
Instead of Highland Springs High School, perhaps it should be Highlight Springs. Forget the slow but sure approach. Coach Loren Johnson’s Springers were fast and sure in sprinting to the State Division 5 football title last Saturday at the University of Virginia’s Scott Stadium in Charlottesville.
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City readying community for September bike races
Hundreds of bike riders will pedal at break-neck speeds along Richmond area streets past cheering spectators during the upcoming UCI Road World Championships. Elite bicyclists from around the world are scheduled to compete in 12 races over nine days from Saturday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 27. Courses will range from 14 miles to 160 miles and will wind through Richmond and Henrico and Hanover counties.
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Blake vows to use police takedown as ‘catalyst for change’
The New York City Police Department on Friday released a security camera video showing former tennis star James Blake being tackled, thrown to the ground and handcuffed by an undercover officer in a case of mistaken identity. The incident occurred as Mr. Blake, formerly the world’s fourth-ranked player, was calmly standing by the entrance of a midtown Manhattan hotel, waiting for a car to take him to the U.S. Open.
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VUU Panthers on the prowl for second victory
Freshmen Hakeem Holland and Lamar Webster are the dual dynamos that fueled Virginia Union University’s maroon and steel football engine last Saturday. Perhaps benefitting from the surprise factor, the fledgling Panthers’ running backs contributed mightily to a 35-21 opening victory over Brevard College of North Carolina before a crowd of 7,245 fans at Hovey Field.
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Mis-education of the South
Regarding recent events in Morehead, Ky., and court clerk Kim Davis who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a New York Times article mentions “the old politesse and grace,” which supposedly helped people in that town get along in spite of ideological differences. But in the former slave states, what passes for “grace” is often syrup poured over venom.
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First 100 days
Police chief reflects on good, bad, ugly
Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham marked his 100th day in office last Sunday. It was not the kind of day he had hoped for or envisioned.
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Federal appeals court orders Va. congressional district lines redrawn
For the second time, a three-judge panel has found the General Assembly illegally packed black voters into a single congressional district — diminishing their influence and ability to elect a candidate of their choice in adjacent districts. And for the second time, that ruling is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court as the Republican-dominated legislature seeks to maintain GOP control of the state’s congressional delegation.
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Scott co-leader of bipartisan effort to curb federal prison spending
From Virginia to California, states are pushing change to cut their ballooning prison costs that collectively approach $60 billion. Instead of automatically locking up people, 32 states have put in place reforms during the past five years that have reduced the numbers of people imprisoned without increasing crime rates. The efforts have saved at least $4 billion. That includes reserving prison cells for the most serous offenders and doing more to divert lower-level offenders to supervised support programs outside prison.
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VUU heads into homecoming with 50-21 win over St. Aug.’s
Virginia Union University has dominated its CIAA Southern Division football opponents. The question now is how will the Panthers fare against their own Northern Division opponents, beginning Saturday, Oct. 8, in its homecoming game against Lincoln University of Pennsylvania?
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Dump Trump
Every four years, the pinnacle of American democracy is reached with the presidential election. That’s when every eligible voter age 18 and older, from every town, city and hamlet across the nation, can listen to the candidates, examine their differing positions, go to the polls and cast his or her ballot for the next U.S. president. It’s a significant time for our nation, and for the world, because of the pivotal role of our country — and our nation’s leader — in all manner of global affairs, from humanitarian assistance and trade deals, to war and peace and the deployment of troops.
