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Bold beginnings
RPS pilots new program at 2 schools
It was bright and sunny Monday morning when Angela Swafford brought her sons, Zarkarin and Zionyah, back to school. While other Richmond students and parents are still in the middle of the summer break, Ms. Swafford was one of the first of many parents escorting their children to Fairfield Court Elementary School this week as part of a pilot program extending the school’s semester from 180 to 200 days.
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City Council backs year-round homeless shelter, approves master plan
Rhonda Sneed has gained City Council support after a year of pleading for City Hall to create a year-round shelter for the homeless.
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It’s a deal
City and RVA Diamond Partners finalize $2.44B agreement; council vote comes next
The Diamond District – Richmond’s biggest ever development – is now at the starting gate after seven months of negotiations between the city and RVA Diamond Partners LLC (RVADP), the private developer.
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Virginians lend helping hand after Mississippi storms
When storms tore through Mississippi and the surrounding states of Texas and Alabama last month, the devastation made national news. At least 25 people were killed, and hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed.
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The sophisticated soul of Will Downing
Will Downing has been around long enough to be one of the few Grammy-nominated singers left in his lane. After 26 albums, (including his latest, “Pieces”) the R&B singer is fine with where his career, which began in the 1980s, has put him.
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Hanover residents hopeful after Virginia Supreme Court’s Wegmans ruling
A recent decision by the Virginia Supreme Court means residents are being given a second chance to make their case against a Wegmans distribution center — even though construction on the 1.7 million-square-foot facility located in Ashland is nearing completion.
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Faith and fate of affirmative action
It’s a different colorblindness than the one envisioned in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reject the race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina comes in a year of 60th anniversaries in American civil rights history.
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Parents, teachers question Holton elementary’s leadership, environment
When Richmond’s Linwood Holton Elementary School opened in 1999, it did so with the intention of reflecting the philosophy of its namesake, former Gov. A. Linwood Holton, who supported civil rights and school integration.
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Candidates chip away at Mayor Stoney’s record during Chamber RVA forum
Candidates vying to unseat Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney in November’s general election tried to chip away at his record during a candidates forum Tuesday night sponsored by Chamber RVA.
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School Board insists on going it alone on Wythe
Construction of a new George Wythe High School is still in limbo as the Richmond School Board needs to work out some design decisions for the request for proposal, or RFP, in order to move the construction process forward.
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RPS offers plan to boost student literacy
Nearly half of all Richmond students cannot read proficiently when they enter high school, leading to high dropout rates and a host of other ills, Richmond Public Schools acknowledges.
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State mandates COVID-19 vaccinations for state workers; Richmond School Board to follow suit
First came the universities. Then came the City of Richmond. Then Gov. Ralph S. Northam followed their lead in imposing a mandate on most state employees to get vaccinated against coronavirus.
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City Council gives greenlight to casino project
Richmond easily leaped the first hurdle in its quest to become a casino city — City Council approval.
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Virginia is poised to eliminate the death penalty
The death penalty has been a staple of Virginia law since the first English settlers arrived in Jamestown.
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Joye B. Moore hits the area’s sweet spot with Joyebells Sweet Potato Pies
Joye B. Moore is a sixth-generation baker whose sweet potato pies based on an old family recipe may be making their way into countless homes throughout Metro Richmond.
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2nd District surprise
Katherine L. Jordan declared winner of City Council seat after election night miscount
Katherine L. Jordan is in, and Tavarris J. Spinks is out.
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Price of new Wythe High School skyrockets to $140M
The price tag to replace aging George Wythe High School has jumped to $140 million, a 40 percent hike from the previous estimate of $100 million.
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City registrar takes heat for delay in opening satellite voting locations
Keith G. Balmer, Richmond’s new voter registrar, was rushing to start early in-person voting next week at two satellite locations—City Hall in Downtown and the Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side.
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Almanac, coin found in Lee monument time capsule
A rust-colored 1875 almanac, a cloth envelope and a silver coin were found Wednesday in a time capsule that had been buried beneath a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue for more than 130 years.
