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Richmond fireman Rodney Jermaine Coles, 49, dies
The Richmond Fire Department has announced the death of a 15-year veteran, Rodney Jermaine “Cup” Coles.
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16th Annual Richmond Folk Festival comes alive virtually Oct. 9 through 11
The 16th Annual Richmond Folk Festival, a celebration of music and culture from around the globe, will take place virtually Oct. 9 through 11.
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Secure health info profiles can help first responders in emergencies
Richmond residents can create a digital health profile that paramedics and other emergency personnel can access after a health emergency strikes, the city Department of Emergency Communications has announced.
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Capital City Kwanzaa festival to go virtual beginning Dec. 26
Like many other holiday events, the Richmond area’s largest Kwanzaa festival is going virtual and also will provide evening shows online during the full seven days of the holiday that begins Saturday, Dec. 26, it has been announced.
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$2.1M federal grant to help acquire new riverfront parkland
City Hall and a regional conservancy group are on track to receive a $2.1 million grant to support the expansion of park space along the James River.
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Housing group acquires Church Hill property for project
A former church social services center known as Citadel of Hope is to be the centerpiece for a new affordable housing development in Church Hill.
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1 vendor? ‘This is ridiculous!’
Re “Only 1 black-owned food vendor at NFL training camp,” Free Press July 27-29 edition: Only one black food vendor at the NFL training camp in Richmond? This is ridiculous!
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FDA finalizes rule expanding availability of abortion pills
The Food and DrugAdministration on Tuesday finalized a rule change that broadens availability of abortion pills to many more pharmacies, companies.
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City electoral board recruiting 200 new election officers
In anticipation of the November elections, the Richmond Electoral Board is recruiting 200 people to increase the number of sworn officers of election at city polls.
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Hayden is new Librarian of Congress
The U. S. Senate has confirmed Dr. Carla D. Hayden as the 14th Librarian of Congress. The 74-18 vote for the nominee of President Obama for the key position came on July 13. Dr. Hayden is the first African-American and first woman to hold the position. Her appointment at the Library of Congress is for 10 years.
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Byron E. Howlett Sr., former head of Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union, dies at 73
Byron E. Howlett Sr. led the modernization of the Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union during his 19 years as the second president and chief execu- tive officer of the oldest African-American financial institution still in operation in Richmond.
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VLBC sees progress
The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus announced progress in its legislative agenda in terms of voter rights, criminal justice, education, arrest and confinement, and more.
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No answers yet on why new Richmond schools costs to be higher than many other locales
Richmond is preparing to spend $140 million to build three new schools financed by an increase in the city’s meals tax — $30 million more than the school system first projected and far in excess of what most school divisions are paying for new buildings.
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Nitika and Joshua Achalam may be staying home, but they are staying busy. They are outside their home in Fulton with their chickens, Octavia Butler …
Published on April 16, 2020
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We must invest in ourselves
Let’s get one thing straight: Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s 2020 budget proposal to invest in public education and to improve basic services is an effort to remedy racism. It’s effectively universal affirmative action with a price tag. Simply put, the mayor asks us city dwellers to invest in ourselves.
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Surviving — and thriving — through the pandemic, by Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack
Before the unimaginable disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Claflin University was teeming with unbridled optimism, buoyed by the recognition the university and the men’s basketball program had received during the 2020 CIAA Basketball Tournament in Charlotte, N.C.
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Free COVID-19 testing and vaccines
COVID-19 testing is available at various drug stores, clinics and urgent care centers throughout the area for people with and without health insurance. Several offer tests with no out-of-pocket costs.
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Dominion Energy offers energy saving tips and bill payment assistance options as winter approaches
The fall and winter months typically bring higher energy bills as customers use more electricity to heat their homes. Dominion Energy Virginia is reminding customers of energy-saving tips to help save money. The utility also offers bill payment assistance options for customers in need.
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Dr. Reavis to retire as seminary president
Fifteen years ago, Dr. Ralph Reavis Sr. went to Lynchburg to save his alma mater, Virginia University of Lynchburg. Now the former Richmond pastor is preparing to step down as president of the historically black Baptist college and seminary that he believes has been restored to full health — with more than 10 times the enrollment than when he started. “When I got here, there were only 32 students on campus,” Dr. Reavis said. Today, more than 400 students are taking courses on the campus, online or in a satellite program on the Northern Neck in Eastern Virginia.
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7-foot senior at The Steward School sees his basketball prospects growing
Efton Reid has grown out of all his old clothes while growing into being one of the nation’s top college basketball prospects.