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The U.S. flag flies once again over the city of Richmond on April 3, 1865, proclaiming Union victory over Confederate forces in the city and …
Published on April 1, 2015
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Racism is stupidity
There has been a lot in the news this past year about racism and hate crimes. But to me, racism is the stupidest kind of stupidity there is. I just cannot fathom hating someone because of the color of their skin.
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Missed opportunity
Talk about a missed opportunity to put Richmond in the spotlight. We are talking about the celebration next week of the liberation of our city from the grip of slave power and the human oppression that was taken for granted since the nation’s founding. This should be a huge event. After all, Richmond was at the epicenter of a dramatic struggle for the soul of America. For four terrible years, the question of whether a flawed democratic nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal was debated in blood and cannon fire.
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U.S. Colored Troops re-enactors to march into Richmond for 150th anniversary events
A four-day commemoration in Richmond organized by a coalition of organizations called The Future of Richmond’s Past will mark the 150th anniversary of the liberation of Richmond, ending its role as the epicenter of the slave trade. A major highlight will be the “Blue Coats Parade,” starting 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 4. It is a commemorative procession along East Main and Bank streets from Rockett’s Landing to the State Capitol to follow the route of the United States Colored Troops who led the Union Army in liberating Confederate-held Richmond. Re-enactors will march west along East Main Street, follow 14th Street to Bank Street and enter Capitol Square along 9th Street between 10:30 and 11 a.m. Contemporary military units will join the procession.
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Personality: Coach R. Vance Harmon
Spotlight on the Henrico High Warriors’ winning coach
As a basketball player at Virginia Union University, R. Vance Harmon drew attention for his shooting, his passing, his passion for the sport … and, oh yes, for the color of his skin. One of only two Caucasians ever to suit up for the historically black university, Coach Harmon played for the Panthers from 1990 to 1993, and was a member of VUU’s 1992 NCAA Division II national championship team.
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University of Kentucky forward Karl-Anthony Towns shoots over a trio of Hampton University defenders last Thursday in the No. 1 seed Wildcats’ 79-56 rout of …
Published on March 26, 2015
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Hampton Pirates defeated in NCAA second round
Confronted by superior forces, Hampton University refused to surrender. The MEAC champions put forth a valiant effort — albeit in defeat — against intimidating, undefeated, top-ranked University of Kentucky March 19 in the NCAA Tournament’s second round. The HU Pirates actually led briefly in the early going, and played the Wildcats nearly even following intermission before bowing 79-56. The Pirates faced long odds and long players.
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Urban garden’s reach grows deeper into city’s ‘food deserts’
An urban garden that started out selling fresh produce and fruit at discount to two Richmond convenience stores will grow to serve 13 stores by this summer. But Tricycle Gardens wants to be more than a fresh food provider for Richmond’s food desert pockets. The nonprofit farm wants to be a magnet for grocery stores and farms in those pockets by highlighting the demand for fresh foods. “We want to show there’s a vibrant food community,” said Tricycle Gardens project manager Claire Sadeghzadeh.
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Hampton takes on No.1 Kentucky in NCAA
Hampton University is in position to make basketball history. After triumphantly clinching the MEAC title and winning its first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, the Pirates will play undefeated and No. 1 overall seed University of Kentucky on Thursday, March 19, in Louisville, Ky. Hampton is the 68th and last seed overall in the NCAA tournament. CBS will televise the game about 9:40 p.m. Thursday, March 19.
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Bedden pushes back
Mayor Jones’ call to close schools met with resistance
Superintendent Dana T. Bedden is politely rebuffing Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ call for closing more schools and squeezing students into the remaining buildings. Instead, Dr. Bedden and his staff are telling the School Board that the only way to close existing buildings is for the city to invest tens of millions of dollars more in new buildings that could accommodate larger numbers of students.
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John Marshall High School’s Lady Justices are jubilant over clinching the region’s 3A East title in early March. But they lost a heartbreaker in the …
Published on March 19, 2015
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Henrico High School junior Monte Buckingham flies high to the basket in the Warriors’ 78-64 win over Norfolk’s Norview High School in the 5A state …
Published on March 19, 2015
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Warriors capture second state crown
Henrico High School has steered into basketball’s fast lane and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Coach Vance Harmon’s heavy-on-the-pedal Warriors sped to their second state title in three years March 14, blitzing Norview High School of Norfolk, 78-64, for the Virginia High School League’s 5A crown. Henrico High has reached three straight state finals and boasts arguably the commonwealth’s top college prospect in junior Monte Buckingham. With the one-sided win over Norview, Henrico finished the season 28-1.
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Virginia Commonwealth University basketball star Briante Weber, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in January, cuts down the net as the Rams celebrate their Atlantic …
Published on March 19, 2015
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Rams win Atlantic 10; head to NCAA West
The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams regained their rhythm in New York, winning four games in four days for their first Atlantic 10 Tournament title. Now the Rams must hope their “reward,” a cross-country trip to the NCAA, won’t throw them out of sync again. VCU, 26-9, is seeded seventh. They play Big 10 Conference member Ohio State University on Thursday, March 19, in the NCAA West Region game in Portland, Ore. Ohio State, 23-10, is the 10th seed.
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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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Public safety on front burner in mayor’s budget plan
Mayor Dwight C. Jones is proposing to pour millions of dollars into wage increases for city employees, most notably police officers and firefighters. He also wants to equip the police with body cameras and modernize the 911 emergency communications system at a cost of more $50 million.
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School Board gives green light to charter school
Can Richmond Public Schools afford a pricey new charter school when it already claims to need tens of millions of dollars in additional spending to renovate, maintain and equip its 44 existing schools? Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden doesn’t think so. His leadership team recommended against approving the Metropolitan Preparatory Academy because the charter school’s supporters have not found a building to house it. Nor have they raised substantial funds to pay for a facility.
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Controversial call shoots down victory for Lady Justices in semifinals
Seven was indeed a lucky number this winter for John Marshall High School girls’ basketball, and a most unlucky number for the Justices’ foes. Quality trumped quantity for the school on Richmond’s North Side. With a bare bones roster of seven, the Justices came within a referee’s controversial call of reaching the State 3A final. “We were seven strong,” said Coach Travis Richardson, Class of 1998. “Our motto was ‘Seven deep, no sleep.’ “We were determined not to rest until we achieved our goals.”
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VUU’s Ruth C. Harris celebrated among 2015 Virginia Women in History
Dr. Ruth Coles Harris was the first African-American woman in Virginia to be certified as a public accountant. The great-granddaughter of slaves, she passed the two-day CPA examination in 1962, when fewer than 100 African-Americans across the nation were CPAs. Dr. Harris also taught in the Commerce Department at Virginia Union University for nearly 48 years and was the first director of the Sydney Lewis School of Business.
