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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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National Urban League issues annual State of Black America report
Declaring that the state of black America is “locked out” of economic, social and educational equality, National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial said in his State of Black America Address last week that at least $1 trillion must be invested in America’s urban communities in order to bring a semblance of justice.
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Investing in black men
Mayors and community leaders in cities across the country are working every day to create vibrant and healthy communities where all of our youth, families and neighbors can thrive. All too often, though, the promise of safe, healthy and hopeful communities for all is not being realized for African-American men. Indeed, while they represent significant populations in many of our cities, these men face a disproportionate impact from violence.
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‘Something bigger than myself’
“We’ve got a justice gap when too many black boys and girls pass through a pipeline from underfunded schools to overcrowded jails … Black men are about six times likelier to be in prison right now than white men.” Those words rang in my ears and lingered in the air like a heavy, heavy fog that morning. As I stared at President Obama, I kept repeating to myself, “Right now?”
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60 years back, 60 years ahead
Education is the great equalizer, so it has been said. Take for example Irving L. Peddrew III. He was a teenage honors student at his all-black high school in Hampton whose future seemed limitless. He received offers to attend numerous schools across the nation. Yet he chose Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
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First African-American student to attend Va. Tech finally gets degree
More than 60 years after Irving Linwood Peddrew III of Hampton broke the color barrier to become the first African-American student to attend Virginia Tech in rural Blacksburg, he finally received his degree. Mr. Peddrew, now 80, was awarded an honorary bachelor’s of science degree in electrical engineering during the university’s commencement Friday, May 13, at Lane Stadium.
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Armstrong tennis players honing their game
At Richmond’s Armstrong High School, the only girls sport involving a net has been basketball. After Armstrong High School merged with and moved into the former John F. Kennedy High School building on Cool Lane in 2004, girls tennis practically vanished. The sport had little traction previously at either school.
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For Toronto Raptors fans: Fast facts
Maybe it’s time for the National Basketball Association to shift its name to the International Basketball Association. With the slogan “We the North,” the Toronto Raptors have reached the NBA Eastern Conference finals for the first time in franchise history.
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3 of 9 quarterbacks chosen in NFL draft are black
A wave of talented African-American quarterbacks has emerged as NFL headliners in recent years. But what are the prospects for the next wave?
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BeBe Winans’ life story on stage
BeBe Winans, the seventh son of the famous gospel singing Winans family, owes much of his fame to 1980s televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.
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Future of food
VSU Harding Street Urban Agriculture Center uses cutting-edge technology to grow fish, vegetables
A former recreation building in historic downtown Petersburg has been transformed by Virginia State University into an innovative center for urban food production.
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Full-service grocery store planned for East End
A new full-service grocery store is headed to Church Hill, it was announced Tuesday. Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, City Councilwoman Cynthia I. Newbille, 7th District, and T.K. Somanath, executive director of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, issued a joint statement about the planned market that is expected to bring about 25 full-time and 22 to 30 part-time jobs to this employment-starved area of the city once it opens — likely a year or more from now.
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Manchester Courthouse to be renamed for Marsh brothers on May 20
It took 16 months, but the long-awaited public ceremony to rename the Manchester Courthouse for Richmond’s first African-American mayor, Henry L. Marsh III, and his late brother, Harold M. Marsh Sr., will take place Friday, May 20. Mayor Dwight C. Jones, who proposed the renaming, will lead the 4 p.m. rededication of the building at 920 Hull St. in South Side.
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Gun used to kill Trayvon Martin auctioned; is bid real?
Online bidding for the gun used by George Zimmerman to kill unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., in 2012 ended on Wednesday, although it was not clear whether the final offer of $138,900 was legitimate.
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Richmond School Board shelves school closings
Armstrong High School will not be closed. Nor will four Richmond elementary schools — Cary, Overby-Sheppard, Southampton and Swansboro. And there will be no merger of two alternative schools.
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Barlow ready to lead VSU Trojans
You don’t have to examine his résumé to be convinced of Reggie Barlow’s success in football. Just look at his hand. With a Super Bowl ring glistening on one finger, Barlow was introduced, May 5 as Virginia State University’s third football coach in three years, and the fourth in five seasons.
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City Council to strip Mayor Jones’ detail
Will Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones have to handle his own commute to and from City Hall rather than being chauffeured by a police officer when the new budget year begins July 1?
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African-American cemetery in Charlottesville to be restored
The Daughters of Zion Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, but there are no markers telling of the Charlottesville cemetery’s cultural and historical significance. Instead, there’s trash and sinking and broken gravestones.
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Police host safety forum
The Richmond Police Department is hosting a safety awareness forum for places of worship from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, May 14, at the Richmond Police Training Academy, 1202 W. Graham Road.
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VUU president to retire
After seven years and five months leading Virginia Union University and having a campus building named in his honor, Dr. Claude G. Perkins is ready to retire.
