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Black lives, dollars matter, by Julianne Malveaux
I would always smile when I saw Black Lives Matter T-shirts, until I saw one gracing the grubby back of a white man who had on both a BLM T-shirt and a MAGA — Make America Great Again — hat. I started to either take a photo or start a conversation because I knew somebody would accuse me of making the combination up.
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City Council votes to acquire more land for slave memorial
Despite objections from the landowner, Richmond City Council cleared the way for Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration to buy 1.75 acres of private property in Shockoe Bottom to provide extra space for a proposed Enslaved African Heritage Campus.
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City Council approves 2019-20 spending plan, but with flaws
“We made it,” City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille said after the council approved the 2019-20 budget Monday night without discussion.
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City loses last independent, black-owned radio station
WCLM-1450 AM, the last independent, African-American-owned radio station in Richmond, is off the air after 21 years.
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RPS school construction costs, process criticized
Richmond School Board members Kenya Gibson, 3rd District, and Jonathan Young, 4th District, used Monday’s School Board meeting to express concern that the bidding process Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration used to choose contractors to build three new district schools has added tens of millions of dollars to the cost.
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VUU announces $5,000 tuition cut
Virginia Union University will cut the yearly cost of undergraduate tuition by $5,000 beginning next fall in an apparent bid to attract more students and end a quiet, but dramatic two-year drop in enrollment.
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State ABC seeking new headquarters, warehouse space
The state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is beginning its hunt for a new headquarters and warehouse site to replace its current space in North Side.
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Budget dispute may slow plans to redevelop Boulevard
A little noticed budget dispute in the General Assembly could slow Richmond’s rush to transform 61 acres of largely vacant city property on North Boulevard into retail stores, a hotel, offices and apartments. The House of Delegates and the Senate appear to be split over approving Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposal to authorize the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to spend up to $105 million to buy land and develop a new headquarters and warehouse complex.
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Church Hill North project among city’s costliest new apartments
Some of the costliest apartments in Richmond are being built on the former site of Armstrong High School in the 1600 block of North 31st Street in the East End — miles away from the hot development centers of Manchester, Scott’s Addition and Downtown.
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CBC head backs America’s College Promise Act
“Some people believe HBCUs are no longer needed and are irrelevant. They are under assault.” That was the sobering message U.S. Rep. George Kenneth “G. K.” Butterfield, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, delivered on the state of historically black colleges and universities.
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Pushback: Individuals, coalitions raising questions, opposition to mayor’s $1.4B Coliseum development plan
As Mayor Levar M. Stoney and representatives of the Navy Hill District Corp. stump throughout the city to marshal support for the $1.4 billion plan to replace the Richmond Coliseum, resistance is beginning to appear.
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GRTC updates
GRTC updates: Students’ free rides delayed until September and few riders buy money-saving passes
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GRTC’s planned Bus Rapid Transit already $11.5M over projection
Richmond’s Bus Rapid Transit system is going to cost an additional $11.5 million to develop. But the state — and not Richmond — will pick up the extra expense, GRTC spokeswoman Carrie Rose Pace disclosed Tuesday. “Under the project agreement, the Commonwealth of Virginia will cover any costs that exceed the estimated project budget,” she stated in an email to the Free Press.
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Hope for healing
7 months after New York Times exposé, healthy equity advocates, Bon Secours report progress
Bon Secours Richmond is starting to receive positive feedback from advocates who had harshly criticized the hospital system for allegedly failing to re-invest income from a federal discount pricing program into low-income communities, most notably Richmond Community Hospital and low-income residents living nearby.
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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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Questions raised as council shifts money to help departments get through June 30
Richmond Sheriff Antionette V. Irving has gained the $2.13 million she needs this month to issue paychecks every two weeks to her deputies.
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Why is the church silent on Confederate statues?
For months, a discussion has gone on about Confederate statues in Richmond, while in some cities, a few even in the South, those statues have been taken down.
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Investing in people and communities, by Ben Jealous
President Biden and the Democratic Congress have come through with a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package — something the previous president repeatedly promised but never delivered.
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Lower electric bills expected
Warmer winter weather and cheaper natural gas are fueling plans by Dominion Virginia Power to lower electricity costs for residents.
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Local designer ties down sneaker line
Sneakers have gone from the basketball court to the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Forget paying $75 to $130 for a pair bearing Michael Jordan’s name. Think, instead, of shelling out $500 to $1,200 for a pair of sneakers from Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace or other renowned fashion houses.
