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Love Stories
Follow your heart
I was the 28-year-old executive director of the Virginia United Negro College Fund, scouting locations in Richmond for the annual Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon.
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Love Stories
Walks along the waterfront
My husband and I met when we were students at Hampton Institute, now University. I was a freshman and he was a sophomore. We met at the on-campus Grill restaurant one Sunday evening after a Vesper service.
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Love Stories
Finding true love on a summer night
We met in August 1948 at a 10-cent dance. I went to the dance with a girlfriend who was hoping to find her true love. I deceived my parents into thinking I would be visiting my girlfriend for a few hours.
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Serena wins 19th major title
Reuters MELBOURNE An ill Serena Williams gave Maria Sharapova another serving of grand slam heartbreak Saturday, Jan. 31, to win the Australian Open and bolster her claims to be the all-time greatest player with her 19th major title. Though wheezing, coughing and forced off court by illness during a rain break, Serena’s serve stayed in the rudest of health and her athleticism astonished in a nerve-shredding 6-3 7-6(5) victory under the lights of Rod Laver Arena.
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Weber ends VCU career with rough injury
If Virginia Commonwealth University is to persevere and achieve its basketball goals this season, it must do so minus catalyst Briante Weber. The dynamic senior point guard was scheduled to undergo knee surgery following a college career-ending injury during the Rams’ stunning 64-55 home loss last Saturday to the University of Richmond. Weber, once described as the “epitome of Havoc” by VCU coach Shaka Smart, tore the anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and meniscus in his right knee with a little more than 3 minutes left in the game.
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City eyeing sale of parking operations to raise millions
City Hall has been considering using its parking operations as a way to raise $150 million for school construction, street paving, sidewalk development and other unaddressed capital needs. Norman D. Butts, the city’s top financial officer, confirmed that there have been discussions about awarding a long-term conces- sion to an undisclosed private group willing to pay big bucks for a 30- to 40-year concession to operate the city’s 20 parking lots and garages.
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Natural gas getting cheaper in Richmond
Heating and cooking with natural gas just got a little cheaper in Richmond. Effective with February’s bills, the cost of the fuel is being lowered again, saving the average residential customer about $6 a month, the city Department of Public Utilities just announced. It’s more good news for consumers who also are enjoying cheaper gasoline prices to fuel their vehicles.
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RRHA leadership changes under cloak of silence
Adrienne E. Goolsby was described as a “proven leader ... with a remarkable track record” when she was lured from Chicago in 2012 to take over as the chief executive officer of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. But less than three years into her tenure, the 45-year-old Atlanta native is out and a retired Richmond development expert, T.K. Somanath, 69, has been installed temporarily as RRHA’s top official as the search for Ms. Goolsby’s successor begins.
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A new top cop in town
The Richmond Police Department has stayed free of public accusations of police brutality as “Black Lives Matter” demonstrations grow locally and across the nation to protest atrocities by white police officers in the black community. The nearly 740-officer force has garnered mostly praise for its community policing efforts to gain closer ties with neighborhoods in the city it serves.
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Let’s keep making black history
The best way to celebrate Black History Month is to make more black history. Black History Month is now celebrated around the world. We are grateful for the visionary leadership of noted historian and scholar Carter G. Woodson for being the founder of what was known as Negro History Week in 1926 that, 44 years later, evolved into Black His- tory Month. It is also important to note that this year marks
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School success
Carver Elementary teamwork fosters rewards for students
“We take an all-hands-on-deck approach to educating our children.” That’s how George Washington Carver Elementary School Principal Kiwana Yates enthusiastically describes the full community involvement approach she and her staff utilize.
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Your voice, your vote
Next Tuesday is “Cross-over Day” at the Virginia General Assembly. That means it’s halftime for the 2015 legislative session. By the end of the day Tuesday, the Senate and the House of Delegates must finish any action on bills that were introduced by each chamber’s members, with the exception of the budget bill. Then on Wednesday, the chambers swap. The House considers bills that originated in the Senate, while the Senate considers bills that were introduced in the House.
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Bobby Brown maintains constant bedside vigil over Bobbi Kristina
ATLANTA The daughter of late pop star Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown was placed in a coma to stop brain swelling after she was found facedown and unresponsive in a bathtub in her Georgia home last weekend, family friend and gospel singer Kim Burrell told “Access Hollywood.”
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Personality: Rosa A. Jiggetts
Spotlight on mission to proclaim ‘Be Kind Wednesdays’
Rosa Annie Jiggetts is always ready to help. Her idea of a perfect day is one in which she can do at least one good deed. For the past 30 years, the 65-year-old Richmond native has run the Helpline out of her Providence Park home on North Side, with the assistance of her sister, Lydia.
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Butler gives Patriots a super win
Malcolm Butler ranks among the most unlikely heroes in Super Bowl history. In 2010, Butler had been suspended from college and was working part time at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen chicken restaurant in his hometown of Vicksburg, Miss. From that humble point, he has become the toast of New England and Patriots fans everywhere. Butler’s end zone interception of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson’s pass with 20 seconds left enabled the Patriots to defeat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Ariz. Butler’s first NFL interception may become the most talked-about pick in NFL annals, turning what looked like a probable loss for the Patriots into a jaw-dropping victory.
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VSU spring enrollment brings optimism
Enrollment at Virginia State University has dropped less than initially projected — good news for the school and a relief to Dr. Pamela V. Hammond, the interim president. The latest figures indicate nearly 4,500 students are en- rolled and validated as meet- ing their financial obligations. That’s about 130 students fewer than projected for the spring semester in the university’s budget. Earlier this month, Dr. Hammond and VSU’s board of visitors were advised that fewer than 4,250 students might be enrolled this semester. Dr. Hammond told the Free Press last week the higher enrollment means she will not have to consider additional personnel actions to balance the budget. After taking office Jan. 1, she ordered a freeze on hiring and other spending to stabilize finances and those freezes are still in place. She said the freezes should keep spending in line with revenue through the rest of the fiscal year.
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VCU and the SATs
We applaud the move this week by Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao to eliminate SAT scores as a criteria for admission. In a major policy change announced Tuesday, Dr. Rao said applicants with a GPA of 3.3 or higher no longer will be required to submit scores from the test that he called “fundamentally flawed.”
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The real Obama re-emerges
President Barack Obama knocked it out of the park during the State of the Union address. He was strong, progressive, firm and relaxed. He was almost cocky as he offered a few jokes, smugly announced that he would have no more elections, and just generally exuded confidence. Instead of the kumbaya thing, he laid out his priorities to a Republican Congress that likely will block much of what he proposed, especially when it comes to raising taxes on the wealthy to support his free community college program.
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Sign up for affordable health care by Feb. 15
Too many in our city lack health insurance. However, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affords us the opportunity to do something about it. Residents can now take advantage of an open enrollment period for health care plans available under the ACA.
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State legislature oblivious to plight of working poor
On Jan. 19, while the rest of the nation was giving recognition to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Virginia Senate’s Commerce and Labor Committee voted down one of several measures that would have increased the state’s minimum wage.
