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Council approves new shelters for homeless
Proposals for two new city-supported homeless shelters – including one at 1900 Chamberlayne Ave. that drew fire from area businesses — cleared City Council Monday.
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Audit report dings Finance Department
More than a quarter of registered vehicle owners wrongly assessed penalties, late fees
The Richmond Finance Department wrongly hit owners of 66,057 vehicles with late payment fees and interest in 2022 even though the owners paid by the deadline, a new audit has found.
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Chesterfield students to benefit from new outdoor classroom
Salem Church Middle School and Communities In Schools of Chesterfield (CIS) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 29 to launch the school’s new outdoor classroom. Initial funding for the collaborative project came from U.S. Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant which aims to address post-pandemic impacts on students — something especially important in a school where the majority of the students are low-income and Black and Brown, the same populations disproportionately negatively impacted by COVID and its long-term effects.
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VCU’s rat de-bait
State senator sounds alarm over Monroe Park rodents
Virginia Commonwealth University claims that rats in Monroe Park can rip open metal trash cans to get to discarded food—even though an inspection of the metal cans show that the bottoms are undamaged. The university, which handles maintenance of the park, issued that claim in response to a query from Richmond state Sen. Ghazal Hashmi about VCU’s expenditure of $2,400 a month to spread poison-bait rat traps throughout the city’s oldest park.
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Changes in Youngkin administration
Kay Coles James has stepped down as Secretary of the Commonwealth, and Harold W. Clarke is retiring as director of the state’s prison system. The departure of the two senior Black state officials will usher in new leadership at several agencies in Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin’s administration.
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Enigma of high-stakes testing, by Ashley Clerge
Hello again, folks. Let us continue to go down the rabbit hole of understanding standardized testing and why it has become the cornerstone of the American education system.
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Willard Bailey Classic
Panthers return for first home game of season
Bye bye cramped bus seat. Hello Hovey Field. Finally, the road-weary, yet road-conquering Virginia Union University Panthers will merely have to stroll across Lombardy Street to play a football game. Now 3-0 after three long bus rides, Coach Alvin Parker’s squad will play host to Fayetteville State 6 p.m. Saturday under the Hovey lights. It also will serve as the Willard Bailey Classic, honoring the former (and still avid supporter) who posted a 157-73-6 record in two stints of duty, 1971-1983 and 1995-03.
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Black support for Deion Sanders and Colorado is just as much about representation as it is wins
One of Trevon Hamlet’s core memories from attending the University of Colorado is living on campus his freshman year and being able to count on one hand how many Black people he’d see in a day.
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Yes or no?
The announcement that former Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn will not run for governor in 2025 comes amid continuing rumors that Virginia’s current governor may make a late entry into the 2024 presidential race.
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Battle for I-95 comes to VUU on Saturday
And now, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the main event. Nine weeks of preliminaries have passed. Saturday at 1 p.m., Virginia Union will play host to Virginia State for the CIAA Northern Division title, a trip to Salem for the CIAA title game, and perhaps a shot at the NCAA Division II playoffs.
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Burn notice: Council approves Fire training in park
The Richmond Fire Department won its fight to replace 2 acres of lawn at the Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side with a concrete pad and a fire training facility where recruits can get experience dousing blazes.
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John Marshall High School basketball didn’t just get good; it’s been good for years
There has been a lot of talk about John Marshall High School lately. Some good and some bad. I stayed away because outsiders love opinions and never base things on facts. What lies behind those walls of a poorly unkept building and below that building is a strong foundation.
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‘Dilbert’ artist downfall, triggered by a reckless commentary, by Clarence Page
Scott Adams, creator of the popular “Dilbert” comic strip, has faced a backlash of cancellations after a tirade on his YouTube livestream in which he described Black people as members of “a hate group” from which white people should “get away.”
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Va. court says lease agreements can’t override landlord’s duty to keep property ‘habitable’
In a case involving a flea infestation of an Alexandria rental, the Virginia Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday, March 12, that lease agreements can’t override state law requiring that landlords keep their properties “in a fit and habitable condition.”
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Pac-12’s final chapter not over yet; conference has 5 teams in women’s Sweet 16
In a women’s NCAA Tournament where Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, LSU Coach Kim Mulkey and undefeated South Carolina have dominated the headlines, the Pac-12 Conference is making sure it doesn’t go away quietly in its final season.
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Transfer portal complicates next season for Rams
With the calendar spinning toward the 2024-25 season, what now for VCU hoops?
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A new deal
City pitches special bonds for stadium project
The Richmond city government is pushing the idea of using special revenue bonds to finance the new Diamond Stadium and the first phase of infrastructure work in the Diamond District.
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Wake up, Black voters! Don’t let Trump’s lies fool you, by Donald M. Suggs
The fact that exit polls showed that Donald Trump received 9% of the Black vote in 2016, the highest number since George Bush in 2000, and then won 12% in the presidential race in 2020 should be a cause for concern.
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VUU, VSU left mark on NFL
HBCU grads sidelined at NFL Draft
Nowadays, the NFL seems to have overlooked HBCU athletes. None were selected in the most recent draft and just one was called in the past three years. Current NFL rosters only average about one HBCU player per team.
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Historic hospital tops endangered sites list
Preservation group deems Richmond Community Hospital at risk
A key part of Richmond’s African-American history. A criticalvresource at a time of medical segregation. A place where many who worked, were born, or said goodbye to loved ones. And now, one of Virginia’s many endangered historical sites.
