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Officials launch probe into B.B. King’s death
Nevada officials said Monday they would conduct a homicide investigation into the death earlier this month of legendary musician B.B. King, after two of his daughters leveled accusations that the blues great was murdered. The Clark County, Nev., coroner’s office said in a post on Twitter that it had taken jurisdiction over Mr. King’s body, and autopsy results would take a minimum of six to eight weeks.
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Philanthropy steps up during the COVID-19 crisis
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has created a statewide and global health and economic crisis that is testing the fabric of people and communities and area charities as needs expand.
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Affordable, quality day care difficult for families
Families across the United States are facing a child care crisis, but African- American families are especially hard hit by the rising cost of child care and limited options for working families.
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Gun buyback programs are ‘waste of time’
Jeremy Lazarus is correct when he reported that gun buy-back programs do not work; they do nothing to stop gun violence.
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‘Voices from the Garden’ monument in Capitol Square to honor Va. women
A new monument to Virginia women is planned to rise in about two-and-a-half years on the grounds of the State Capitol to celebrate the impact women have had on the commonwealth and the nation.
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Shock, grief and mourning for 3 Georgia-based U.S. soldiers killed in Middle East drone strike
Described by their parents as bubbly and constantly laughing, Spc. Kennedy Sanders and Spc. Breonna Moffett became close friends soon after enlisting in the Army Reserve five years ago. Sgt. William Jerome Rivers served a tour in Iraq before joining the same company of Army engineers.
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Black Americans want vaccine
“They’ve read all this stuff rate is half the white rate. Black people who don’t intend online, from different news sources, which is confusing. But then they meet me, as someone who has had the shot, and I can give them some real answers.”— Armando Mateos of Working Partnerships USA, a Silicon Valley-based community organization working to help dispel misinformation about the pandemic and vaccines.
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As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections
Nearly three years after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the false election conspiracy theories that drove the violent attack remain prevalent on social media and cable news: suitcases filled with ballots, late-night ballot dumps, dead people voting. Experts warn it will likely be worse in the coming presidential election contest. The safeguards that attempted to counter the bogus claims the last time are eroding, while the tools and systems that create and spread them are only getting stronger.
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Jay-Z buys in — sells out
“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Evergreen Cemetery sold to Enrichmond Foundation
Unkempt, but historic Evergreen Cemetery has a new owner eager to preserve and protect the burial ground for banker Maggie L. Walker, crusading journalist John Mitchell Jr. and as many as 50,000 other African-Americans. After months of talks, Enrichmond Foundation, the nonprofit support arm for city parks and recreation, completed the purchase of the 60-acre cemetery from a private family corporation.
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Salvation Arms headquarters move to North Side has clear path from City Council
The Salvation Army appears to have won its nine-month battle to move its Central Virginia headquarters and shelter program from Downtown to North Side after the main opponent, 3rd District Councilman Chris A. Hilbert, dropped his opposition.
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Recommit to rid nuclear weapons
On May 27, President Obama became the first sitting president to visit Hiroshima, Japan, where, at the end of World War II, the United States became the first and only country to drop an atomic bomb. The president used the occasion to revive attention on the need to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
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10,000 consumers to benefit from state deal with loan company
Thousands of desperate Virginia consumers who borrowed money from a supposed Native American company called Western Sky Financial soon will have their loans forgiven or will get a refund of the illegal sky-high interest they paid. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced the refunds and loan forgiveness for borrowers Tuesday in disclosing a settlement with the company, CashCall Inc., that posed as the now defunct Western Sky in what he described as a deceptive and illegal borrowing scheme.
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Science Museum’s space exhibit closing
Richmonders interested in space and how astronauts survive it have just a few days to experience it at the Science Museum of Virginia, as the “Space: An Out-of-Gravity Experience” exhibition will end on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4.
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Proposed city budget includes help for aging mobile homes and examination of real estate taxes
For the first time, Richmond will help pay for fixing up aging trailers and mobile homes.
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Protesters call for tougher gun laws; blame Trump for deaths of 31 in latest mass shootings
Protesters greeted President Trump’s arrival in Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday, blaming his incendiary rhetoric for inflaming political and racial tensions in the country, as he visited survivors of last weekend’s mass shootings and saluted first responders.
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Confederate rally in Richmond exceeds $500,000 in police spending
“The cost of monitoring First Amendment assemblies is not cheap.” That’s the view of Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham. And that certainly proved true for Richmond, which spent $570,000 on crowd control and other services on the Sept. 16 protest over the city’s Confederate statues, according to figures the city reported last Friday. Chief Durham was the biggest spender.
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Poor conditions at George Mason Elementary fire up School Board
After an unusual, tense public exchange between members Monday night, the Richmond School Board voted to hold a public hearing on Monday, July 31, to discuss the condition of George Mason Elementary School and what to do about it. Although George Mason boasts prominent alumni, including former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder and former state Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, several officials said the school building at 813 N. 28th St. is easily among the city school district’s worst facilities.
