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Eruption
Baltimore wracked by outrage as protesters turn violent. City, nation look for answers about race, police brutality.
Just hours after Loretta Lynch’s historic swearing in as the new U.S. attorney general and the first African-American woman to lead the Justice Department, mayhem erupted Monday in the streets of Baltimore following the funeral for Freddie Gray. The 25-year-old Mr. Gray died of severe injuries on April 19, a week after being arrested, handcuffed and tossed into a police van. His spine was nearly severed and his larynx was crushed while in police custody, authorities have reported.
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Jenner’s confession stirs up memories of tennis star Renée Richards
In a highly anticipated TV interview last week, Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner told ABC’s Diane Sawyer that “for all intents and purposes, I am a woman.” Jenner’s revelation he is transitioning from male to female stirs recollections of another sports-related, transgender shocker — the case of Dr. Richard Raskind becoming Renée Richards.
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Tea and testimony draws over 100
Author Casey Curry was the guest speaker at Second Baptist Church’s annual Signature Tea and Testimony event last Saturday at a Downtown hotel. More than 100 people, including many women adorned with colorful hats, attended the event that focused on celebrating women, the roles they play and the challenges they have survived.
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Fight over Richmond Christian Center property on South Side continues
Henrico County-based Mountain of Blessings Christian Center still wants to acquire the property of the bankrupt Richmond Christian Center in South Richmond. In a suit filed this month, Mountain of Blessings is requesting that U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Keith L. Phillips either enforce an order he signed in December authorizing Mountain of Blessing’s purchase of the RCC property in the 200 block of Cowardin Avenue or order RCC to pay Mountain of Blessings at least $2.7 million in damages.
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Samuels to run for mayor?
Is Charles R. Samuels adding his name to the list of City Council members and others eyeing a run for mayor in 2016? While the six-year council representative insists that’s not the case, others are less certain about his intentions as potential candidates begin to line up. That includes council members Jonathan T. Baliles and Chris A. Hilbert, who both have indicated they are making plans to run. There also is talk that Council President Michelle Mosby also is interested. Richmond Delegate Delores L. McQuinn and state Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar M. Stoney also are being mentioned as potential candidates.
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Henrico to replace voting machines
Henrico County is joining Richmond in replacing its voting machines to comply with new state requirements. Ahead of the June 9 primary, the county inked a deal this week to pay $1.2 million to buy new optical scan machines, Voter Registrar Mark J. Coakley announced.
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City Council green lights projects for 2nd Street, North Side, East End
New apartments finally could rise on the site of the former Eggleston Hotel at 2nd and Leigh streets in Jackson Ward. City Council gave a thumbs up Monday by voting 9-0 to allow the long-stalled project to receive a grant of $250,544 over seven years through the city’s Economic Development Authority. Developer Kelvin Hanson, who initially proposed Eggleston Plaza five years ago, said he hopes to have the $5.8 million project underway this summer.
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Lawyer contends no justification for U.Va. student’s arrest
State ABC agents charged University of Virginia honor student Martese Johnson with public intoxication even though the agents did not believe he was drunk, according to their statements. Instead, they believed he might be using a false ID.
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Schools chief calls for $ to change students’ futures
In his first “State of the Schools” address, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden told an audience of about 300 people Tuesday night that education was “my ticket out of poverty.” “Part of my childhood was spent growing up in the low-income housing of Jordan Park in St. Petersburg, Florida,” he said in an address delivered at the Claude G. Perkins Living and Learning Center on the Virginia Union University campus.
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VUU names Gilbert Lady Panthers coach
Throughout her married life, AnnMarie Gilbert has heard stories about basketball success at Virginia Union University. Now she is in position to create fond VUU memories of her own — as VUU’s eighth women’s basketball coach. Coach Gilbert succeeds Barvenia Wooten-Cherry, who resigned following a 48-85 record over five seasons.
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Richmonder Aleem rising up national boxing ranks
Immanuwel Aleem may have been barely old enough to play a hand of poker — his favorite card game — at the Valley Forge Casino Resort in suburban Philadelphia on Saturday night. But the 21-year-old boxer’s fists had enough experience to floor his opponent in an eight-round bout by King’s Promotions.
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Outrage over Dems Party rejection
Re “Morrissey strikes out in court,” April 16-18 edition: I am a single, African-American mother who never has been actively engaged in Democratic politics — until now. I also am an avid reader of the Richmond Free Press and give kudos to Jeremy Lazarus for his well-written story regarding the Democratic Party rejecting Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey’s petitions and not allowing him on the ballot for the June 9 primary. I am highly offended that the Democratic Party that champions inclusivity and expanding voters’ rights would reject Mr. Morrissey’s petitions to get on the ballot.
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Nation of Islam moves mosque to Downtown
The Nation of Islam has quietly settled its Richmond mosque into a new home in Downtown. Forced to give up its large, steepled space on South Side, Muhammad Mosque No. 24 currently is operating out of leased space at 408 E. Main St.
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Help from high court
News this week of the traumatic death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray of Baltimore at the hands of police is both dismal and emotionally bruising. Mr. Gray, whose biggest crime in life was perhaps being a “joker,” as close friends reported, was nabbed by police after he looked them in the eye and ran. Sometime between being wrestled to the sidewalk, handcuffed and dragged into a police van and being taken unconscious by ambulance to a hospital 30 minutes later, his spinal column was nearly severed and his larynx crushed.
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From R&B to gospel, Barky’s has changed with the times
When Barksdale “Barky” Haggins opened Barky’s Record Shop in 1956 in Downtown, some people were determined to see he didn’t stay in business for long. “White record distributors in Richmond wouldn’t sell me records to stock the store,” the affable entrepreneur recalls. Undeterred, Mr. Haggins traveled by car to Washington or New York City once a month with about $400 and purchased as many records as possible to sell in his store, located at the time at 407 N. 1st St. “Records cost about 59 cents back then and albums ranged from $1.98 to $3.98 for the most popular ones,” Mr. Haggins said.
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Free Press wins 21 awards
The Richmond Free Press continues its 23-year tradition of award-winning excellence. The newspaper was recognized with 21 awards — including seven first place awards and a Best in Show Award — at the annual Virginia Press Association competition in writing, photography, news presentation and advertising.
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VCU adjusting after Shaka Smart exit
Virginia Commonwealth University has a new basketball coaching staff and, so far, the roster of returning Rams has remained intact, albeit a scare. Here’s what has transpired since Coach Shaka Smart left VCU to become coach at the University of Texas, and Coach Will Wade, a former Smart assistant, was named his successor. Promising 6-foot-8 freshman Justin Tillman asked to be released for the purpose of transferring to another university, but has since changed his mind and remains a Ram. All three of Coach Smart’s high school recruits to VCU have asked for and been granted releases by VCU Athletic Director Ed McLaughlin.
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Tough problem
What are we going to do about our public school buildings? This is the biggest single infrastructure problem on our plate — the elephant in the room, so to speak. The sad shape of our streets, our sidewalks and even our Coliseum pales in comparison.
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Enough is enough
Freddie Gray’s spine nearly severed, larynx crushed while in police custody
What happened to Freddie Gray? People across the nation are demanding to know after the 25-year-old black man suffered a fatal spinal cord injury under mysterious circumstances after being arrested by Baltimore police and put into the back of a police van.
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School Board weighs options to close schools
Richmond Public Schools is considering a seismic shift in how it attempts to solve overcrowding issues and meet other pressing demands related to its burgeoning student population. For the first time, Superintendent Dana T. Bedden and his leadership team are publicly admitting they could close up to six school buildings and move those students into existing schools even if no new buildings are constructed. Those findings are part of the thick new Richmond Public Schools Facilities Needs Report, which focuses on current and future building needs.
