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Move may force Morrissey to lose House seat
Henrico Delegate Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey might have to give up his current seat in the General Assembly. A provision of the Virginia Constitution would force Delegate Morrissey to resign from the House of Delegates if he proceeds, as anticipated, to challenge freshman Petersburg Sen. Rosalyn R. Dance in the 16th Senate District. It would be a startling outcome after the fight he waged to remain a delegate. He gained pariah status in the legislature because of his criminal conviction for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The conviction left him serving in the last General Assembly session on work release from a Henrico jail.
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VUU hopes for NCAA bid despite takedown
Here is the good news/bad news update on Virginia Union University football. Unsettling news is that by losing 23-19 last Saturday at Bowie State University, VUU is now a long shot to win the CIAA Northern Division title and advance to the CIAA title game.
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Panthers win 28-27 over Trojans; now looking for NCAA bid
Virginia Union University has rested its case — a powerful case for sure — in its effort to win a NCAA football playoff invitation.
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40 years later
Ashe’s shining win at Wimbledon
The late Arthur Ashe Jr.’s iconic tennis career reached a summit 40 years ago on the pristine grass of Centre Court at the All-England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in London. The occasion was the 89th staging of the Wimbledon tennis championships. And on this Fourth of July weekend in 1975, the Richmonder — just a week from his 32nd birthday — stunned tempestuous, heavily favored defending champion Jimmy Connors in a tense final.
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Free Press exposé propelled fight against racist flag
It was mid-summer 1992. A black airman with the Virginia Air National Guard walked into the Richmond Free Press newsroom and asked to see a reporter.
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50th anniversary: Obama to call for restoration of 1965 Voting Rights Act
With the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, congressional Democrats are commemorating the landmark law with events across the country — from the steps of the U.S. Capitol to the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama.
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A small step toward justice
On Tuesday, President Obama did something I thought he should have started in 2010 when he signed the Fair Sentencing Act — he commuted the sentences of 46 people in federal prison on drug offenses.
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Video of police a game changer
Feidin Santana is a hero. He is the young Dominican immigrant who videotaped former North Charleston, S.C., police officer Michael Slager firing his gun eight times, killing an unarmed Walter Scott. Mr. Santana’s quick decision to videotape the unfolding action on his telephone led to the arrest of Mr. Slager for murder.
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Dean of nation’s black preachers dies
Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, widely considered the dean of the nation’s black preachers and “the poet laureate of American Protestantism,” died Sunday, April 5, 2015, after a ministerial career that spanned more than six decades. He was 96. “Dr. Taylor was a theological giant who will be greatly missed,” the Rev. Carroll Baltimore, past president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, said of the minister who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000.
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VUU women’s coach resigns; men’s coach under evaluation
Barvenia Wooten-Cherry has resigned after five seasons as Virginia Union University women’s basketball coach. Her Lady Panthers were 9-18 overall this past season, 4-12 in the CIAA and advanced to the second round of the recent conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C. In accepting Coach Wooten-Cherry’s resignation, VUU Athletic Director Joe Taylor applauded her for her efforts, but noted that college coaching is a bottom-line occupation. “Off the court, Coach Wooten-Cherry did a lot to assure it was a good experience for her players,” said Taylor. “But at this level, it’s about wins and losses.”
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City Council approves 2016 budget, cuts funds for 379 vacant positions
Call it the big shrink at City Hall. Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Richmond City Council have combined to eliminate funding for at least 379 vacant jobs, essentially positions funded by taxes paid into city coffers
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Legalized torture of prisoners
Freddie Gray is neither the first nor will he be the last person to die in police custody. According to a 2011 report from the U.S. Department of Justice, 4,813 people died in police custody between 2003 and 2009 (the most recent data, reported in 2011). However, not every state reports their data, so the number is probably higher. A new report is scheduled to be released this year or next.
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NBA draft procedures changed the luck of the teams
Long before the NBA draft was determined by dancing Ping Pong balls, a.k.a. the weighted lottery, it was based on something less dicey — U.S. geography. Between 1949 and 1966, the “territorial draft” was imposed as a way of ushering elite talent to pro clubs nearest their college fan bases — or in one special case, their hometown.
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Plenty of jobs, not enough workers
Commission recommends aligning training with opportunities
Talk about a huge surprise: Four job openings exist in Richmond for every job seeker in the city, according to government data. In fact, more jobs in the city go begging for qualified workers than anywhere else in the Richmond region, which overall has 1.5 job openings for every job seeker, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated in its December report.
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‘We need to rebuild, renew and refocus,’ Emancipation Day speakers say
One after another, speakers at the 75th Annual Emancipation Proclamation Day Worship Celebration at Fifth Baptist Church in the West End passionately implored listeners to get involved in community betterment. Lynetta Thompson, president of the Richmond Branch NAACP, drew shouts of “Amen” and “Hallelujah” when she said, “Black churches, we need your help. We need for you to be a voice for the voiceless,” she stressed. She urged audience members to step outside the walls of the church to perform community service and become active in groups such as the NAACP that work for social change. The Bible, she said, has more than 300 verses speaking to seeking social justice and helping the poor.
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Chaise Johnson eyeing options after Steward School
Like many star high school guards, Chaise Johnson has speed, court smarts and a keen shooting eye. Unlike most, he also has a former NBA first-round draft choice as his longtime tutor. The Steward School all-time scorer credits Cory Alexander — San Antonio’s first-round draft pick in 1995 — with advancing his development.
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VSU’s new power player: Cannon
The most appreciated gifts are often those you never saw coming. Trenton Cannon has been Virginia State University’s surprise package this football season. A sophomore transfer from Shepherd University in West Virginia, Cannon didn’t create so much as a ripple in the Trojans’ preseason prospective.
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Herring to run for re-election, not for governor
Mark Herring enjoys his job as Virginia’s attorney general. That’s why the state’s top legal officer announced Wednesday that he would seek re-election for a new four-year term in 2017 rather than going after the top job of governor.
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Leroux shines on U.S. women’s soccer team
Talent plus controversy equals Sydney Leroux. The 25-year-old striker figures heavily into the main plot — and subplot — for this year’s Women’s World Cup soccer tournament.
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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.
