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Richmond School Board decides not to publish graduation shooting report
Weeks after an external investigation into operations leading up to the June graduation mass shooting in Monroe Park was provided to Richmond Public Schools leadership, the next steps for the division are still unfolding.
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Special education troubles continue for Virginia
VDOE labeled ‘deficient’ in its efforts to curtail learning loss
The Virginia Department of Education continues to shirk its responsibility to ensure students with mental and emotional disabilities secure a free, appropriate public education, or FAPE in educational jargon, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
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Scooter legislation advances in City Council
Electric scooters are headed to Richmond, but this time legally. After two months of talks and review, Richmond City Council appears poised to approve legislation that would authorize scooter companies such as Bird and Lime to begin offering rental service.
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Coliseum referendum appears doubtful for Nov. 5 ballot
A nonbinding referendum on the $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement plan more than likely will not be on the Nov. 5 ballot despite claims that the city’s voter registrar wrongly disqualified the signatures of hundreds of registered Richmond voters who signed petitions seeking to allow the vote.
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Published on February 22, 2024
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Stoney to be city’s youngest mayor
Levar Stoney will be the next mayor of Richmond. Belying earlier polls that portrayed him as an also-ran in the contest, Mr. Stoney swept to a surprising outright victory in Tuesday’s election by capturing five of the nine City Council districts — the magic number.
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Howard takes on ‘Mission Impossible’ and scores big
Mike London’s University of Virginia football coaching tenure couldn’t have ended much worse. His coaching career at Howard University couldn’t have started much better. In his first game on sidelines for the Washington school, Coach London directed a head-spinning 43-40 upset victory last Saturday at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
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World religious leaders condemn Paris carnage
Pope Francis raised the specter of a World War III “in pieces,” Muslims issued statements of condemnation, while evangelical Christians in America debated whether to speak of a “war with Islam.” These were some of the responses last week by religious leaders around the world to the series of attacks Nov. 13 in Paris that left more than 120 people dead and hundreds of others wounded.
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Covid-19 cases going unreported
Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths in Virginia and nationally, a gap in reported positive cases has continued throughout Virginia, one that has persisted as the approach to monitoring the worst of the virus and testing for infection has changed and expanded, locally and statewide.
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State Jails Board creates improvement plan for City Jail
Investigation cites 6 deaths, inconsistent inspections and other unmet standards
Only a small staff of deputies is working in the Richmond City Justice Center on any given day, the Free Press is being told, as the number of sworn officers under the command of Sheriff Antionette V. Irving continues to fall.
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Grace Street changing to two-way in Downtown
Traffic alert: Expect disruption on East Grace Street from 4th Street to 9th Street in Downtown for two months. The reason: Five blocks of Grace Street are being transformed from a one-way street to two-way, the Department of Public Works announced this week.
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Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club becomes temporary shelter for homeless
The Salvation Army this week turned its recently renovated Boys and Girls Club in Church Hill into a temporary 75-bed shelter for homeless people.
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Richmond comes alive with holiday events
Richmond will turn on the holiday lights this week and welcome Santa to Downtown to officially launch the celebration of the season.
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Create a ‘Social Justice Trail’ in Richmond
Re Column “Reimagining Monument Avenue,” Free Press July 1-3 edition:
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Gov. Youngkin requests to review course syllabi at two Virginia universities
Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently requested syllabi from two state universities, a move some faculty called “unprecedented” and reflective of a national trend to challenge academic freedom. Some appointed Board of Visitors members also have questioned mandates for students to take general education courses on diversity and racial literacy.
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Graduation, with more hurdles to clear
Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther, graduated from Howard University in 2000. His writing partner is also an HU graduate. Mr. Bozeman came back to his alma mater to address the Class of 2018 and to receive an honorary degree. The Howard University graduation on Saturday is one of more than 100 HBCU graduations, and more than 4,000 graduations around the country.
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Police reform needed now
“There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” – Charles de Montesquieu, “The Spirit of the Laws,” 1748 A tragic déjà vu is playing out in communities all across America, particularly in the growingly skeptical streets of black and brown neighborhoods.
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Richmond registrar needs money for Jan.10 special election
Richmond Voter Registrar Kirk Showalter is gearing up for the Richmond special election Tuesday, Jan. 10, when voters will pick a new state senator to replace A. Donald McEachin, who is heading to Washington to represent the 4th Congressional District.
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Runoff election for mayor will require dollars
Richmond might need a runoff election for mayor if none of the eight candidates wins the Nov. 8 election outright. One problem: No money has been set aside to cover the projected cost.
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Published on April 21, 2022