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President Joe Biden celebrates a new phase of his administration’s efforts to lower medical costs on Tuesday, saying “we’re going to keep standing up to …
Published on August 31, 2023
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Police union up for a vote
Hundreds of officers in the Richmond Police Department are voting on whether to make the Richmond Coalition of Police their union bargaining agent, the Free Press has learned.
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VSU falls to Lenoir-Rhyne; now headed to Ohio for Saturday matchup
In search of an offensive spark, Virginia State University is headed to Columbus, Ohio, with a 0-1 record and many questions to be answered.
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Bourne to push schools referendum in Gen. Assembly
A Richmond Democrat has volunteered to promote legislation to approve city voters’ call for Mayor Levar M. Stoney to craft a fully funded school modernization plan.
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Deadline May 30 for city storm drain art competition
The City of Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities is seeking five artists who can paint a picture of the importance of keeping the James River, the city’s source of drinking water, clean.
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According to the regional Girl Scouts organization, the cookie program teaches youth members key life skills as they raise money to support the operation and …
Published on February 21, 2020
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First African Baptist grew out of First Baptist, which was established in 1780 and included African-Americans among its members. In 1841, white members built a …
Published on April 6, 2023
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Dr. Cora S. Salzberg, a state, national and international champion of education, dies at age 81
Dr. Cora Slade Salzberg, a leader in promoting higher education in Virginia and the leader of The Links’ national program aimed at aiding underachieving K-12 students to become more successful in school, has died.
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Virginia State University running back Trenton Cannon carries the ball into Norfolk State University territory during Saturday’s Labor Day Classic at Dick Price Stadium in …
Published on September 7, 2017
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Falwell urges students to pack pistols
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. has urged students to carry concealed weapons on campus to counter any possible armed attack, saying that “we could end those Muslims before they walk in.” “Let’s teach them a lesson if they ever show up here,” Mr. Falwell told students at the private Christian school Dec. 4. His remarks make him the first president of a Virginia college or university to urge students to arm themselves and put him among the first in the country to do so.
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School Board member seeks to protect school funding in costly Coliseum plan
The Richmond School Board could weigh in on the debate over the controversial $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement and Downtown redevelopment plan.
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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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Rematch underway for leadership of letter carriers local union
Once again, a battle is underway for control of one of the oldest unions in the state, the Old Dominion Branch, Local 496, of the National Association of Letter Carriers.
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Councilwoman hopes proposed changes to City Charter find support
Under proposed changes to the City Charter or constitution, City Council would gain new authority over housing subsidies and real estate tax relief to residents with low to moderate incomes, in addition to setting its own compensation and modi- fying zoning. Fifth District Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch hopes to gain unanimous support from her eight colleagues at the Monday, Dec. 11, council meeting for the changes she has negotiated with Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration. If passed by the council, the package would be sent to the General Assembly for approval in the upcoming 2024 session. Many of the changes follow recommenda- tions that a council-created Richmond City Charter Review Commission submitted Aug. 2 after a year of study. As the most significant package of charter changes proposed since the 2004 creation of a mayor elected citywide, the amend- ments do not address the current relationship between the council and the mayor ahead of the 2024 elections for the governing body and chief executive. The biggest proposed change could well be the tax and housing initiatives that the charter review commission did not address. The proposed Section 2.09 amendment would allow the city to defer property taxes and tax increases for qualifying low or moderate income property owners, using the definition of such individuals established by the Virginia Housing Development Authority, now known as Virginia Housing. Such a program could allow the taxes to accumulate over time to be paid off from proceeds after the property is sold. In addition, the proposed charter change would authorize the city to create a program that could help such qualifying individu- als buy a home or receive rental subsidies. The city also could use state or federal funds to advance such initiatives. The charter amendment also would declare the creation of programs that could provide funds directly to individuals for housing to be “in the furtherance of a public interest” to get
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Events slated for Living the Dream commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Richmond’s 40th commemoration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will include a number of mostly free activities that are open to the community.
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GOP candidate a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’
I was disgusted when I saw the Republican candidate for governor, Glenn Youngkin, surrounded by Black folks at a recent news conference at Virginia Union University.
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Construction continues on the new General Assembly Building going up at Capitol Square at 9th and Broad streets in Downtown. The 15-story building that will …
Published on March 26, 2020
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41st Annual Community Leaders Breakfast Jan. 18
Gov. Ralph S. Northam will be the keynote speaker at the 41st Annual Community Leaders Breakfast sponsored by Virginia Union University.
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Playwright aims to open hearts and minds with premiere production
Brittany Fisher left her native Virginia for New York in 2021 to attend Juilliard’s Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program. Now graduated, she is still based in New York, but she never stays away for long. Her family won’t let her.
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Strange fruit?
Critic: Oak evokes lynching image at Walker statue site
The fight over the tree in the planned Maggie L. Walker plaza isn’t over. Gary L. Flowers, a Richmond native and national political and civil rights operative living in Jackson Ward, has jumped into the fray with a petition drive opposing the live oak that now dominates the gateway into Jackson Ward where the monument to the great lady is to stand.
