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President Obama commutes sentences of more than 500 nonviolent federal offenders
President Obama used some of his final hours in the White House making good on his promises to help imprisoned nonviolent federal offenders get a second chance. He commuted the sentences of more than 500 federal prisoners. More than a dozen Virginians, including two from Richmond, were among those covered by one of two commutation packages issued by President Obama last week as he and his White House team were packing their bags after eight years of national leadership.
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More payouts
3 City Council aides receive $97,000 total in severance, vacation pay
Richmond City Council quietly approved severance packages totaling more than $97,000 for three departing council employees even as council members expressed shock and dismay over similar payments to four departing employees of former Mayor Dwight C. Jones.
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Receptions, other events mark Mayor Stoney’s public inauguration
Congratulations and handshakes were the hallmarks of Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s ceremonial public installation into the city’s chief executive post.
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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.
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Personality: LaShara Smith
Spotlight on president of Richmond Professionals Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers
The engineering profession needs more African-Americans, including women. That’s the word from LaShara Smith, president of the Richmond Professionals Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.
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Creative disruption in the age of Trump
When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned the Poor People’s Campaign in 1968, he envisioned all kinds of people descending on our nation’s capital, bringing demands to federal agencies. He envisioned people pushing for affordable housing, for quality education, for better health care, for minority business development programs and more.
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Signs of things to come
GOP senators, conservative bloggers and legal shills have launched a charm campaign to paint U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama as a guy who has been misunderstood.
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Our place in history
On Friday, Jan. 20, a new president will be inaugurated. Donald J. Trump, the billionaire businessman who has never held elective office and is so guided by impulse that he rarely holds his tongue, will become the 45th president. As President Obama, an intelligent, grounded and measured man, turns over the reins of power and leadership during official ceremonies outside the U.S. Capitol, we will watch as the nation’s first African-American president heads off into history.
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The Virginia State University Trojans show off their trophy following their 74-59 win over Virginia Union University in last Sunday’s Freedom Classic at the Richmond …
Published on January 20, 2017
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VSU beats VUU in Freedom Classic
It seems fitting that in the 22nd Annual Freedom Classic, Trey Brown wiggled free from second fiddle status. The 6-foot-3 Virginia State University back-up junior guard began the Sunday, Jan. 15, Freedom Classic as the Trojans’ sixth-leading scorer, just another back-up sound in the orchestra.
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CIAA Hall of Fame taps VUU, VSU standouts for 2017
Virginia Union University’s Terry Davis and Derrick Johnson, and Virginia State University’s Dr. DeWayne Jeter are among those named to the John McLendon Jr. CIAA Hall of Fame.
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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.
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Standout Justin Tillman chose VCU twice
Among the most talented basketball players recruited to Virginia Commonwealth University by former Coach Shaka Smart was Justin Tillman.
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Clarence L. Townes Jr., longtime business, civic leader, dies at 88
Clarence Lee Townes Jr. left his fingerprints on Richmond over the course of six decades of involvement in civic affairs. A bulldog of a man, with a gruff voice and a penchant for straight talk, he was a key player in creating landmarks that people take for granted — from the Greater Richmond Convention Center and Marriott Hotel to the Canal Walk by the riverfront.
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GRTC plans speedier service
Plans for speedier GRTC bus service that would slash 15 to 30 minutes from trips Downtown and other parts of the city were introduced to passengers and the public this week.
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Va. NAACP supports GOP-sponsored student suspension reform
The Virginia State Conference of the NAACP announced its legislative priorities for the 2017 General Assembly session on Tuesday. The list of bills the civil rights group is supporting includes six Republican-sponsored measures that deal with student discipline policies.
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President Obama’s farewell speech
It’s good to be home. My fellow Americans, Michelle and I have been so touched by all the well-wishes we’ve received over the past few weeks. But tonight it’s my turn to say thanks. Whether we’ve seen eye to eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the American people — in living rooms and schools; at farms and on factory floors; at diners and on distant outposts — are what have kept me honest, kept me inspired, and kept me going. Every day, I learned from you. You made me a better president, and you made me a better man.
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Why support the D.C. Women’s March?
“Ain’t I A Woman? I have ploughed and planted and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman! I could work as much and eat as much as a man — when I could get it — and bear the lash as well. And ain’t I a woman? I’ve bourne thirteen children and seen most all sold off and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman.” — Sojourner Truth
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To improve schools, let’s work together
The success of Richmond Public Schools, its students, and its families is critically important to the City of Richmond and will be a top priority in my mayoral administration. Voters in 2016 made it very clear that they want their leaders to prioritize education, and that they want to see public officials collaborate to support schools.
