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Murder of Emmett Till based on lies
The woman at the center of the trial of Emmett Till’s alleged killers has acknowledged that she falsely testified he made physical and verbal threats, according to a new book.
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Charlottesville votes to remove Lee statue
A divided Charlottesville City Council voted this week to move a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the city’s Downtown and to rename Lee Square where it stands.
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Giving sanctuary?
Mayor Stoney stops short of designating Richmond a ‘sanctuary city’
Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney is taking a cautious centrist approach in addressing the uproar over national immigration policy.
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Immigration ban no profile in courage
President Trump’s most recent provocation — suddenly issuing an order banning the admission into the United States of refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries — created chaos and fury that had to be expected. Airports across the world were engulfed with demonstrators. Judges issued emergency orders staying enforcement of parts of the order. Families found their children studying abroad unable to return home, or their loved ones attending a funeral stranded in an airport. Translators who had risked their lives for American soldiers in Iraq suddenly found their green cards useless and their lives at great risk. Both intelligence professionals and State Department diplomats have protested the order.
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Remembering Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King died on Jan. 30, 2006. Yet her legacy is very much alive as a coalition builder, a strategist and a moral voice that confronted detractors but insisted upon nonviolent approaches, such as dialogue, protests and economic boycotts, with the end goal of peaceful reconciliation.
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Resistance is power
Since taking office two weeks ago, President Donald Trump has proven day in and day out why he is unfit to hold office. Since Jan. 20, he has thrown America into a state of chaos with half-baked executive orders and other actions that: • Trapped permanent U.S. residents, including students, researchers and workers, in airports across the nation, denying them entry into the United States, and barring people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — all largely Muslim nations — for 90 days;
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VUU plays VSU at Barco-Stevens Hall Saturday
Virginia Union University men’s basketball isn’t for the faint of heart. Coach Jay Butler’s Panthers have b
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TJ basketball makes case for new gym
Just about everything regarding Thomas Jefferson High School basketball seems beyond the ordinary. The Vikings have the city’s tallest coach, shortest team, oldest gym, arguably the richest history … and a discount replacement scoreboard that will have to do for the time being.
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Manu Moss fights off a defender and powers to the basket in leading Thomas Jefferson to a 68-63 victory over Petersburg last week.
Published on February 4, 2017
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733-foot art print unveiling Saturday on Brown’s Island for World Cancer Day
Art on Wheels will unveil “Impressions of Courage,” a 733-foot long art print honoring 207 people whose lives have been altered by cancer.
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‘Hidden Figures,’ ‘Fences’ win big at SAG Awards
Free Press wire reports HOLLYWOOD, Calif. The cast of “Hidden Figures” rocketed to the Screen Actors Guild top award at a fiery, protest-laden ceremony last Sunday that was dominated by words of defiance and dismay about President Trump’s sweeping immigration ban.
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10,000 consumers to benefit from state deal with loan company
Thousands of desperate Virginia consumers who borrowed money from a supposed Native American company called Western Sky Financial soon will have their loans forgiven or will get a refund of the illegal sky-high interest they paid. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced the refunds and loan forgiveness for borrowers Tuesday in disclosing a settlement with the company, CashCall Inc., that posed as the now defunct Western Sky in what he described as a deceptive and illegal borrowing scheme.
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Debate over treatment of autistic student to be battled out in court
Stephanie Priddy, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School, was taken out of the West End school in police handcuffs. Her crime: Going to class.
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Dr. Frank S. Royal steps down as chair of Meharry Medical College
For decades, Dr. Frank S. Royal regularly flew to Nashville to lead board meetings at historic Meharry Medical College. But at 77, the retired Richmond physician has decided “it is time to let someone else take over.”
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Personality: Ginna Cullen
Spotlight on VAEA 2016-17 Art Educator of the Year
When Ginna Cullen was an art teacher in Louisa County Public Schools, she noticed one student’s ability to beautifully cornrow hair and challenged her student’s skill for a final exam.
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Petersburg recall case to be heard Feb. 6
The battle over the removal of two Petersburg City Council members will feature two veteran attorneys. Chesterfield County Commonwealth’s Attorney William Davenport has been named to represent the voters seeking to recall Mayor Samuel Parham, 3rd Ward, and Councilman W. Howard Myers, 5th Ward, the former mayor.
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Budget dispute may slow plans to redevelop Boulevard
A little noticed budget dispute in the General Assembly could slow Richmond’s rush to transform 61 acres of largely vacant city property on North Boulevard into retail stores, a hotel, offices and apartments. The House of Delegates and the Senate appear to be split over approving Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposal to authorize the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to spend up to $105 million to buy land and develop a new headquarters and warehouse complex.
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Sheriff sanctioned over loss of videotape in jail inmate’s death
Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. describes the 500 video cameras that record inside the Richmond Justice Center “as a sort of a truth serum,” a way to show “what really happened” when inmates complain or there is a disagreement about events. Those words have come back to haunt him as he seeks to defend himself and the jail against a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the death of Erin Jenkins, 29, just five days after the new jail opened in 2014.
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Serena, 35, wins title 23, pursuing 24
Serena Williams reigned supreme in tennis’ great sibling rivalry, edging an emotion-charged clash with sister Venus to claim her seventh Australian Open last Saturday.
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Game time!
Super Bowl 51 is Sunday
Get out the wings and chips and dip. It’s Super Bowl 51 on Sunday. Here’s a preview of the big football game that is known as much for the halftime show and creative commercials as the action on the field.