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Payday loan victim joins class action suit
Henrico resident Donald Garrett is joining a class action suit seeking to hold Advance ‘Til Payday loan company accountable for allegedly evading state law and charging up to 960 percent interest on small loans of $100 to $300.
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Lead poisoning endangers Richmond children, too
Amid the public outcry over the lead-contaminated public water supply in Flint, Mich., it is easy to forget that lead poisoning remains a threat to children across the country — even in Richmond. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 500,000 young children nationally suffer from lead poisoning that can affect development of their mental capacity, their bones and their organs.
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Energy savings could yield $18M to fix city schools
Energy savings could generate $18 million to fuel an overhaul of heating and cooling systems, windows, lighting and other systems in as many as 10 Richmond Public Schools buildings.
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Renowned hip-hop artist in city // Hip-hop artist KRS-One, aka “Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everybody,” stops by Virginia Union University’s bookstore Wednesday. He’s in …
Published on January 29, 2016
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School’s out, sledding’s in // Jeramia Thomas, 5, closes his eyes to the action as he and Christina Williams, 12, sled down the slopes Monday …
Published on January 29, 2016
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Palin family hypocrisy
Since former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin erupted on the national scene by telling everyone she could see Russia from her porch in Alaska, she has been lecturing everyone about accepting responsibility. For example, speaking to Tea Party supporters in Nashville in 2010, Ms. Palin said, “My plan is quite simple. To support those who support the foundation of our country when it comes to the economy. It is free-market principles that reward hard work and personal responsibility.”
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History’s change agents
Monday, Feb. 1, marks the start of Black History Month. Schools, churches, civic organizations and businesses of all types, including the media and public television, begin paying special attention to African-Americans and their long history of political, cultural, social and civic contributions to the building of this nation.
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MLB icon Lee Smith almost had basketball career
Before Lee Arthur Smith became one of baseball’s ace relief pitchers, he was affectionately known as “that other guy” back home in tiny Castor, La. Smith, a guest at the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ annual Hot Stove Banquet last Thursday at the Siegel Center, spoke of the day his sporting focus shifted from basketball to baseball.
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VCU eyeing 11th straight win Friday
From mid-December to mid-January, it would be hard finding a more dominant college basketball team than the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams. Since Dec. 15 when the record was 5-5, Coach Will Wade’s squad has won 10 straight games with an average victory margin of 17.2 points.
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Local players help MJBL teams to victory
Richmond coaches and players took on big roles in helping the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League mark its 50th anniversary providing youth baseball during the nonprofit organization’s recent East-West All-Star games in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Savannah, Ga.
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Painter, sculptor Thornton Dial dies
McCALLA, Ala. Self-taught artist Thornton Dial, who transformed discarded junk into sculpture and painted in bright colors and bold lines, has died at his home in Alabama. He was 87.
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TIME features photo by Regina H. Boone
Award-winning photographer Regina H. Boone has pricked the nation’s conscience with her poignant photograph of a rash-covered child affected by the lead-contaminated water in Flint, Mich. The former Richmond Free Press photographer’s image of 2-year-old Sincere Smith is featured on the cover of the Feb. 1 edition of TIME magazine.
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The newly restored bell at historic First Baptist Church of Williamsburg can be rung throughout Black History Month by people who register online at www.letfreedomringchallenge.org.
Published on January 29, 2016
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‘Let Freedom Ring’ initiative aimed at healing America
Descendants of Thomas Jefferson, the nation’s third president, and Sally Hemings, the African-American woman he enslaved and fathered six children with, are scheduled to gather at historic First Baptist Church of Williamsburg at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 1.
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Paydazed in RVA
High-fee payday loan traps Henrico man
Running short of money to pay bills, Donald Garrett did what many people do — he turned to a payday lender. He borrowed $100 from a small loan company called Advance ‘Til Payday on Nine Mile Road near his Henrico County apartment in order to catch up. Four months later, he had wracked up $320 in fees and still was unable to pay off the original $100. Until a friend stepped in and paid off his debt, he faced paying $80 each month. To pay the loan off, $100 had to be added to the $80 payment.
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Violent crime in city down in 2015
Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Police Chief Alfred Durham trumpeted a major decrease in violent crimes committed in the city during 2015 at a news conference last Friday. But the grim reality of crime’s impact on the community was illustrated when Charlene Boone stepped to the podium during the officials’ announcement last Friday at the Richmond Police Training Academy.
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Seniors wage fight against TV cable
I live in a high-rise building along with 200 senior tenants. We are forced to deal with Comcast and the cable company’s high prices.
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The white man’s rage
Have you heard? Apparently large numbers of American adults are “angry” about their own circumstances and about where they think the country is headed. For months, numerous politicians, pollsters and pundits have touted this anger as an important factor in the line-up of who’s supporting who in both the Republican and Democratic presidential primary campaigns.
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Flint: A lesson in callousness
Flint, Mich., is impoverished. The auto plants have closed. Forty percent of the city’s 100,000 residents live below the poverty level. It is majority minority. It has been in fiscal crisis since 2011, with the state taking over budgetary control and a state-appointed “emergency manager” driving policy focused on cutting spending.
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Accountability without games
We lodged our grave concern last week in this space about the uncomfortably close relationship between the city’s director of public works and Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ church.
