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Fade to dark
What a week. From failing test scores to another vigil for a young Black person to yet another police chief’s resignation. So much bad news within just a few days leaves many of us cynical, fearful, speechless and definitely exhausted.
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Jury decides 2014 document found in Aretha Franklin’s couch is a valid will
A document handwritten by singer Aretha Franklin and found in her couch after her 2018 death is a valid Michigan will, a jury said Tuesday, a critical turn in a dispute that has turned her sons against each other.
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In wake of terror attacks
Kaine: Will you hold on to your principles, faithfulness?
Religious leaders and community members of various faiths exchanged smiles, hugs and well wishes as they made new acquaintances Sunday at Congregation Beth Ahabah near Virginia Commonwealth University. Several hundred people gathered at an event designed to promote religious tolerance and nonviolence. Many wore the head coverings of their religions — Muslim women wearing hijabs, Sikh men in turbans and some Jewish men wearing kippahs. The occasion was the first “Standing Together” faith unity gathering organized by the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.
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Remembering Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King died on Jan. 30, 2006. Yet her legacy is very much alive as a coalition builder, a strategist and a moral voice that confronted detractors but insisted upon nonviolent approaches, such as dialogue, protests and economic boycotts, with the end goal of peaceful reconciliation.
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Rudolfo Anaya, ‘godfather’ of Chicano literature, dies at 82
Rudolfo Anaya, a writer who helped launch the 1970s Chicano Literature Movement with his novel, “Bless Me, Ultima,” a book celebrated by Latinos, has died at 82.
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City to pay $350,000 settlement in employee overtime lawsuit
City Hall has agreed to collectively pay $57,371 to 11 mostly former city Finance Department employees who alleged they were forced to work overtime without being paid.
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School Board deadlocked over Kamras’ contract
The Richmond School Board apparently is deadlocked on how long to extend Superintendent Jason Kamras’ contract that ends June 30.
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School Board approves $301.6M budget request
After weeks of public input and discussion about the needs of the city’s schools, the Richmond School Board approved a $301.6 million operating budget for 2017-18 Tuesday night that would include $172.7 million from the city.
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Missing from church on Mother’s Day: Women wishing to be moms
Religion News Service For years, Mother’s Day worship services were simply too much for Candace Wohl.
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Report shows solutions to end child poverty
It is a national moral disgrace that there are 14.7 million poor children, including 6.5 million extremely poor children, in the United States of America — one of the world’s richest nations. It also is unnecessary, costly and the greatest threat to our future national, economic and military security. Ending Child Poverty Now, a new report released by The Children’s Defense Fund, calls for an end to child poverty with a 60 percent reduction immediately. It shows solutions to end child poverty in our nation already exist.
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VSU Coach Lonnie Blow scores 100th CIAA victory
Basketball Coach Lonnie Blow Jr. arrived at Virginia State University with a reputation for success, and he hasn’t disappointed. The veteran coach picked up his 100th CIAA victory Dec. 15 when the Trojans defeated his former school, St. Augustine’s University, 86-63, in Raleigh, N.C.
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GRTC eliminates fares; asks riders to take only essential trips
GRTC is no longer charging to ride. In a bid to protect its drivers and other employees from the spread of coronavirus, the transit company announced that it will stop collecting fares from passengers using Pulse, regular and express buses and CARE van service, effective Thursday, March 19.
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Eye opening
There is no question that the Confederate battle flag stands for white supremacy, intolerance and oppression. The Stars and Bars, as the flag is known, was birthed in the days when Virginia and other Southern states separated from the United States and created a country built on the perpetual right to buy and sell human beings into slavery. Our bloody Civil War secured our union and abolished human bondage while uplifting millions of people to the rights of citizenship. The Confederate flag then was reborn as the symbol of the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups whose missions are to ensure black people forever submit to third class status.
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Richmond’s evolving restaurant scene sprawls out to the suburbs
The owner of Tarrant’s Cafe in Downtown Richmond is a 20-year veteran of the city’s food scene. She started out waiting tables – now she owns four Richmond area restaurants and is the CEO of RVA Hospitality.
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Drive-in homecoming worship brings church members together
For the past 27 Sundays, the Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church congregation has held worship service over Zoom and Bible study via conference calls.