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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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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.
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State NAACP, others lodge criticism of proposed redistricting lines
Flawed data and too little assurance of fair representation for Black voters in Richmond, Hampton Roads and other sectors of the state.
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Top Dems energize Va. voters to turn out for McAuliffe
With the clock winding down to Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2, Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe is calling in the national heavy-hitters to get voters to turn out to the polls.
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School Board voices support for collective bargaining; opts for committee
Eight members of the Richmond School Board vocally expressed support Monday night for authorizing collective bargaining of a new contract between Superintendent Jason Kamras and his staff and a union that secures majority support from teachers and other employees.
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School, city spirit merged at Armstrong-Walker Classic Legacy
“I’m the last Dragon.” Ashley Singleton is many things — a Richmond resident with deep family ties to Church Hill and an educator with the nonprofit Blue Sky Fund.
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First 2 years revealed President Biden’s generational ambition
WASHINGTON When he ran for the White House, Joe Biden told voters his presidency would be a bridge to the next generation. His first two years on the job have revealed it to be a much more ambitious venture. As he nears the halfway mark on his first term, President Biden is pointing to legacy-defining achievements on climate change, domestic manufacturing and prog- ress on the COVID-19 pandemic — all accomplished with razor-thin majorities on Capitol Hill and rather dim views from the public. President Biden’s legislative accom- plishments extend to nearly every aspect of American life — although their impact may take years to be felt in some cases — and his marshaling of a global coalition to back Ukraine’s defenses and of democra- cies against China’s growing influence will echo for decades. He defied history in the
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Rev. Clifford B. Chambliss Jr. dies at 81
The Rev. Clifford Boss Chambliss Jr. was just 25 when he was tapped to lead a new job training initiative that more senior Black min- isters were organizing to help people find work and escape poverty.
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Gov. Youngkin amends Virginia ‘skill games’ legislation, acts on other final bills
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has proposed a rewrite of legislation intended to legalize and tax skill games, adding stiff new restrictions that industry supporters argued would still amount to a de facto ban of the slots-like gambling machines hosted by small businesses.
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Asian-American and Pacific Islander Month centers revelry and racial justice
It has been almost 50 years since the U.S. government established that Asian-Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and their accomplishments should be recognized annually across the nation.
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At least 8 children among 22 hit by gunfire at end of Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade; 1 person killed
Eight children were among 22 people hit by gunfire in a shooting at the end of Wednesday’s parade to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win, authorities said, as terrified fans ran for cover and yet another high-profile public event was marred by gun violence. One person was killed, a motherof two identified by her radio station as a DJ.
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Coming home, by Jennifer Robinson
A hipper, more vibrant Richmond is sweet surprise for former New Yorker
Byrd Park was the place to be on warm Sunday afternoons in the 1980s. I was in high school and all of young, black Richmond gathered there. Picture the scene from Will Smith’s 1991 hit, “Summertime.”
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Mayor to propose $35M to fix schools
Mayor Dwight C. Jones will propose spending $35 million to pay for major fixes for Richmond’s decaying school buildings when he delivers his two-year budget plan to City Council. While the mayor is keeping mum, Norman Butts, the city’s chief financial officer, disclosed at a City Council committee meeting Mayor Jones’ plan to address school maintenance in the budget he is scheduled to present Friday, March 13. Mr. Butts, who is involved in the budget preparation process, described the impending proposal as “a high priority” for the mayor.