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Proposed new Virginia ‘tech tax’ sparks backlash from business community
Trade associations representing hundreds of companies that do business in Virginia have come out swinging against a proposal to expand the state sales tax to cover digital goods, something Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin proposed and Democrats endorsed in their budget legislation.
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Queen Harrison to host Queen Track Classic in Richmond for girls
Girls will not only be the main attraction, they will be the only attraction for the inaugural Queen Track Classic, named for Queen Harrison, the former Hermitage High School track standout and 2008 Olympic runner.
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Herring launches online program to help teens with police interactions
A new interactive program, “Give It, Get It: Trust and Respect between Teens and Law Enforcement,” is Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring’s latest initiative to help educate teens about their rights and responsibilities when interacting with law enforcement.
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Juneteenth events planned for Friday and Saturday
Talk about timing. Amid the upheaval over racial equity and police brutality, the Juneteenth celebration of freedom arrives Friday, June 19, and the once little-known holiday is suddenly gaining huge recognition in Richmond and Virginia.
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Central State Hospital commemorates 150 years of serving health needs
A key part of African-American health and history in Virginia was celebrated last Thursday, as state health officials and professionals gathered online to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Central State Hospital outside Petersburg.
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Richmond Police Department takes up #LipSyncChallenge
The Richmond Police Department wants to “see how big your brave is,” they say — or rather, sing — in a new video racking up views on social media. The “Richmond Police Lip Sync Challenge” is inspired by an online trend in which police officers, firefighters and ambulance workers dance as they lip sync to popular tunes.
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Forward by faith
COVID-19 survivor Rev. Morris R. Gant Jr. credits faith, prayers and medical care for getting him to the other side of pandemic
Tens of thousands of people across Virginia and millions across the nation have been infected with COVID-19 — and the data show the vast majority recovered without feeling much effect. So how bad can this virus be? Just ask the Rev. Morris R. Gant Jr., 62, who is living proof of the agony that those hit hardest can endure — if they live.
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National NAACP suspends Frank J. Thornton, Henrico Branch president
In an extraordinary action, national NAACP President Derrick Johnson has suspended for a year the membership of Frank J. Thornton, president of the Henrico Branch NAACP and son of Frank Thornton, chairman of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors.
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Showing up and showing out
HBCU football attracted more fans this season
Football attendance was way up this season at Norfolk State University and Hampton University.
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New UR program offers beer brewer certificate
Responding to the explosion of breweries in Central Virginia, the University of Richmond will begin offering this fall a yearlong program to train professional brewers.
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VSU opens football season in Norfolk at Labor Day clasic
Virginia State University hopes to start its 2018 football season the same way it opened the 2017 season — by defeating Norfolk State University in the Labor Day Classic.
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Ambulance charges may dramatically increase
$600 trips to medical centers could more than double
City Hall is pressuring the Richmond Ambulance Authority to nearly triple its charge for transporting patients to hospitals or other treatment centers based on a consulting firm’s recommendation, the Free Press has learned.
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Smoking and public housing
Like many public housing residents, we were surprised to learn that smoking will be prohibited in all public housing apartments in Richmond beginning Aug. 1. The smoking ban was put in place nationally by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and will affect more than 1.2 million households, including 4,000 families living in Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority properties in the city.
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Ready for driverless cars?
Shortly after the first automobile arrived in the small but grandly named village of Ohio City, Ohio, an old story goes, someone brought a second car to town — which soon collided with the first.
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Published on July 31, 2015
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Published on March 29, 2019
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Black Book Expo kicks off Feb. 15
Books and authors will be the focus of a Black History Month expo being held during the next two weeks.
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Church headed by controversial pastor burns
Tampa firefighters battled a blaze at a church led by controversial pastor Dr. Henry J. Lyons, former head of the 7.5 million-member National Baptist Convention.