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Personality: Gracetta Washington-Young
Spotlight on the new president of the Central Virginia Business and Construction Association
Gracetta Washington-Young believes Richmond’s African-American and minority-owned businesses should have a greater voice in their own development.
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Gravely resigns NAACP post
After three weeks of mulling the decision, Jack Gravely is stepping down as interim executive director of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP. He delivered his resignation Monday via email to state NAACP President Linda Thomas and other members of the executive board.
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A Zika virus cure?
Research at VCU supports claims of new antiviral drug
When he first published a paper 18 months ago detailing a kind of “miracle” drug that could destroy every virus and bacteria that plagues mankind, Virginia Commonwealth University researcher Paul Dent found his work derided as too good to be true.
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Sanders gives Clinton the nod
Portsmouth, N.H. Democrat Bernie Sanders endorsed former rival Hillary Clinton for president in a display of party unity Tuesday, describing her as the best candidate to fix the nation’s problems and beat Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 presidential election.
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Saving officers, distrusting police
When officers who’d been shot by a sniper in downtown Dallas started showing up at Parkland Memorial Hospital, trauma surgeon Dr. Brian H. Williams went to work, pushing aside the inner conflict he faces every day as a black man who’s fearful himself when encountering police.
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From Baton Rouge to Minneapolis, why black lives do matter
It is an irrefutable premise that all lives matter, but recent tragedies from Baton Rouge, La., to Minneapolis to Dallas have evinced that some restrictions apply.
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Trump rejects invitation to speak at NAACP convention
The NAACP says Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has declined an invitation to address the group’s upcoming convention, flouting established precedent and highlighting anew the GOP standard-bearer’s struggle to attract support from non-white voters.
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Anguish of a nation
From memorial services to protests, numerous questions arise after senseless killings
“Can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it, making it horrible …?” The late Rodney King spoke those memorable words as he called for calm in 1992 after the acquittal of four white police officers who were videotaped savagely beating him triggered riots in Los Angeles.
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Chavis to lead initiative at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Duron Chavis is leaving Virginia State University to join Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden as its first community engagement coordinato
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Stop the violence
The deadly violence by police against African-Americans and other people of color continues unabated. The latest victim, 37-year-old Alton Sterling, was killed Tuesday outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, La. As the graphic video shows, he had been wrestled to the ground and restrained by one police officer when another shot him five times at point blank range in his chest and back.
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Free oral history workshop at Black History Museum
Historian Lauranett L. Lee has devoted her life to uncovering the lost stories of African-American women and men to help spotlight their contributions both locally and nationally. Now Dr. Lee wants to inspire people to preserve their own family histories to expand appreciation and knowledge of where they come from.
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Officials hope President Obama’s ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ program will remain under next administration
President Obama has seven months left in office. One of the leaders of one of his key initiatives is hard at work ensuring the president’s legacy will continue after he leaves the White House.
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Hanover standout Cayman Richardson to play ball at U.Va.
Cayman Richardson is going from one of the top high school baseball programs in Virginia to one of the top college programs in America.
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Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, ‘conscience of the world,’ dies at 87
Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner whose memories of persecution and teachings on tolerance made him one of the world’s most revered moral voices, has died at 87. “My husband was a fighter,” Marion Wiesel said in a statement. “He fought for the memory of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, and he fought for Israel. He waged countless battles for innocent victims regardless of ethnicity or creed.”
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Personality: Jeree M. Thomas
Spotlight on inaugural winner of the youth justice Emerging Leader Award
Jeree Thomas believes in doing whatever she can to help her clients live more successful lives. The attorney with the JustChildren program of the Legal Aid Justice Center in Richmond provides counsel for children and represents them at special education and public benefits hearings.
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Property values up in city
For the third year in a row, rising property values in Richmond will put Richmond City Council on the spot when it comes to collecting property taxes from owners of real estate.
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Louisiana man killed by police
The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it will investigate the killing of a black man pinned to the ground and shot in the chest by two white police of- ficers outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, La. Captured on at least two videos, graphic images of the shooting of Alton Sterling, 37, early Tuesday stirred protests and so- cial media outcry over the latest case of alleged police brutality against an African- American in cities from Ferguson, Mo., to Baltimore and New York.
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National commission to commemorate arrival of Africans in America approved by House
A federal commission to recognize the trials, tribulations and contributions of African-Americans since 1619 is one step closer to becoming a reality.
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Whew!
FBI finds Hillary Clinton careless, but not criminal in use of private email server
The FBI recommended Tuesday that no criminal charges be filed over Hillary Clinton’s use of private email servers while she was secretary of state, but rebuked the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate for “extremely careless” handling of classified information.
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City faces $1M bill from storm damage
Rosie Lee Woods, like dozens of city residents, has a reminder of the powerful storm that roared through the city June 16, knocking out power, felling trees and creating havoc. She can look out at the remains of the giant oak that stood in front of her North Side home, one of hundreds of city-owned trees toppled by the storm. Fortunately, her home didn’t suffer a scratch as the tree fell parallel to the street. After the storm, city workers came to the 3500 block of Hazelhurst Avenue and removed the massive branches that blocked the street, she said.