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Petersburg roils with turmoil
There’s trouble in Petersburg. Petitions are being circulated to remove Petersburg Mayor W. Howard Myers. Separately, a majority of the Petersburg City Council has voted to begin talks to remove Petersburg City Manager William E. Johnson III and City Attorney Brian K. Telfair, although some are questioning whether the action came at a legal meeting. All of this comes as residents are venting over the way the city is being managed, over sky-high water bills and about property tax bills that are arriving close to the deadline for payment.
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Super Tuesday
Virginians to vote in presidential primaries March 1
Now it is up to the voters. Next week, Virginians will help pick the Democratic and Republican nominees for president. The presidential primary elections for both parties are scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, in the Old Dominion, with polls open from 6 a.m to 7 p.m. in Richmond and across the state.
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Woman raises concern over fees charged by court
In the world of local courts that seems to have an endless list of fees and costs, one thing has always been free: Subpoenas and summonses for witnesses in a criminal case. However, a recent incident has left a Richmond woman concerned that the policy has changed in Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
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Rewriting history
It starts small. But changing the facts to rewrite history is an insidious problem, one that has long-plagued this nation and detrimentally impacted the African-American community. Rewriting history can steal credit from those to whom credit is due. It can allow perpetrators to shirk responsibility and criminal or civil penalty for misdeeds. It can turn villains in life into heroes at death, all of which lead to the mis-education of the public.
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Kendrick Lamar wins big at Grammy Awards
Hip-hop ruled the stage Monday night at the Grammy Awards in performances that put racial tension back in the national spotlight and where some of music’s biggest stars failed to deliver, or in the case of Rihanna, failed to show up at all. Rapper Kendrick Lamar went into the awards with 11 nominations and looked to be on course to win album of the year for his critically acclaimed “To Pimp a Butterfly.” While he led Grammy winners with five wins, he lost album of the year to country-turned-pop artist Taylor Swift, who won with “1989,” the best selling album of 2014.
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Personality: Enjoli Moon
Spotlight on founder of Richmond’s Afrikana Independent Film Festival
Enjoli Moon first contemplated the idea of starting the Afrikana Independent Film Festival in 2014. “I was planning to attend black film festivals in other areas and began to wonder why Richmond didn’t have one,” the Richmond native recalls.
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Kory Cooley is VUU’s secret weapon
Art and arcs are two of Kory Cooley’s favorite things. The Virginia Union University sophomore concentrates academically on art. He also is the Panthers’ leading marksman behind the basketball court’s bonus arc. Known as “Cools,” he is VUU’s most effective long-distance weapon and the ideal outside complement to All-CIAA player Ray Anderson, who excels attacking the rim.
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Kiana Johnson breaking records for Lady Panthers
Kiana Johnson is rewriting the women’s basketball record book at Virginia Union University. The senior guard from Chicago eclipsed two standards in VUU’s 85-68 win over Lincoln University of Pennsylvania last Saturday at Barco-Stevens Hall.
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Former Springer wins NBA D-League shootout
Andre Ingram is like fine wine. He seems to keep improving with age. At 30, the former Highland Springs High School guard rang the victory bell last Saturday at the NBA Development League’s All-Star festivities in Toronto.
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Video ban raises concern
The African-American members of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors voiced frustration this week after Henrico school leaders apologized for showing a 4-minute video to students Feb. 4 at Glen Allen High School that portrayed the oppression and systematic racism in the United States that African-Americans have endured for centuries.
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Scalia’s death sets up showdown over high court
Conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has died, setting up a major political showdown between President Obama and the Republican-controlled Senate over who will replace him just months before a presidential election.
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Family seeks criminal charges in Taser death by police
Gwendolyn Smalls said not a day goes by that she and her family don’t feel anguish over the inhumane and unnecessary death of her 46-year-old brother, Linwood R. Lambert Jr. The former Richmond resident died nearly three years ago while he was in the custody of three South Boston police officers who fired 20 Taser shots at him while his hands and legs were shackled.
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Reaching toward justice
Bryan Stevenson’s inspiring and best-selling book “Just Mercy” shares some of the fruits of his lifelong fight to push our nation closer to true justice. In January, our nation took two more steps forward in the ongoing struggle to treat children like children and ensure a fairer justice system for all, especially for our poor and those of color.
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Love Stories
We formally met in the spring of 1999, introduced by mutual friends at a poetry and live music event. Our paths had crossed a few times the previous year.
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‘Jesus is a good cure for fear’
WASHINGTON In his last National Prayer Breakfast speech while in office, President Obama gave an introspective talk about how his faith overcomes his fears. “For me, and I know for so many of you, faith is the great cure for fear,” President Obama said at the event Feb. 4 at a Washington hotel. “Jesus is a good cure for fear.”
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Cam Newton wins league MVP, but loses Super Bowl
From Super Bowl 50, we learned the “D” in Denver stands for “defense,” and Cam Newton remains a work in progress. In a game sandwiched between endless commercials and a marathon halftime show, the Denver Broncos defeated the upstart Carolina Panthers 24-10.
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VCU’s Melvin Johnson mirroring former Rams star Calvin Duncan
Melvin Johnson grew up in New York, first signed a scholarship offer with a Florida program and then changed his mind and came to Virginia Commonwealth University. Sound familiar?
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Chemistry clicking among George Wythe players
There appear to be three basic categories of George Wythe High School basketball Bulldogs. There’s the obvious leading man, senior do-it-all guard Maliek White, the Providence College-bound 2015 State 3A Player of the Year.
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Breakfast with Bernie
Bernie Sanders had breakfast in New York with the Rev. Al Sharpton just hours after trouncing Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential nominating contest Tuesday. His meeting with the iconic civil rights leader marked the recognition by Mr. Sanders that his campaign must swiftly broaden its base of support if he has any chance of mounting a long-term challenge to Mrs. Clinton, who consistently polls better among African-American voters.
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City Council on board with Bus Rapid Transit
Let’s roll on this project. That’s the message Richmond City Council sent this week on Bus Rapid Transit, also known as “Pulse.” Envisioning BRT as a start to creating a modern regional public transit system, council members voted 7-1, with one abstention, to give the green light to the $49 million project to speed up transit service primarily along the Broad Street corridor.
