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Desirée Roots, Weldon Hill to perform at VMHC
Desirée Roots and the Weldon Hill Ensemble will headline the 7th Annual National Day of Racial Healing on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture at 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.
New tool to help Chesterfield residents locate voting precincts
With the June 20 primary one week away, the Chesterfield County Registrar’s Office is making it easy for county residents to locate their respective representatives and voting precinct with the click of button.
Celebrating ‘200 Years, 200 stories’ at Library of Virginia
Ethel Bailey Furman, one of the first Black female architects in Virginia; David Martin, founder of the Martin Agency and creator of the famed tagline “Virginia is for Lovers”; and Chinese immigrant Ow Chuck Sam, who became a naturalized citizen and served in the armed forces during World War II.
Holy Rosary celebrates 50th year for Knights of Columbus 6457
Holy Rosary Catholic Church, the oldest African-American Catholic congregation in Richmond, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Father Charles G. O’Leary Knights of Columbus Council 6457 on Saturday, April 29, beginning at 4 p.m. with a meet and greet, followed by a dinner and program.
Hanover County bans books in schools
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Wicked” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” are among the 75 books Hanover County school administrators directed teachers and librarians to remove from their schools last Friday, according to various news reports.
DPU struggling with customer service
April Bingham is proud of the progress the Richmond Department of Public Utilities has made in clearing a backlog of customer service issues.
Virginia Department of Veterans Services to host Memorial Day ceremonies
Memorial Day will be commemorated at four special ceremonies hosted by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) on Monday, May 29. The events are free and open to the public.
Premier Bank, which traces its history to Maggie L. Walker, sold to Ohio banking company
The bank that history-making business pioneer Maggie L. Walker founded and led in Richmond soon will be under new ownership.
General Assembly elects 2 to area judgeships
A veteran Richmond General District Court judge has been tapped to fill a seat on the city’s Circuit Court, and the daughter of the late Richmond attorney Leonard W. Lambert Sr. is headed to the bench in Henrico County.
House sit-in
Scores of Democratic lawmakers, led by civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, refuse to leave the U.S. House of Representatives until gun control measures are passed
Democratic lawmakers, using 1960s tactics to press their point, staged an surprise sit-in on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, demanding the chamber remain in session until the Republican leadership agrees to a vote on gun control legislation.
7 honored in 2019 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History program
Seven outstanding African-American leaders were celebrated during the seventh annual “Strong Men & Women in Virginia History” awards program Feb. 7 at a Downtown hotel.
Oprah for president?
That’s the buzz since the 63-year-old media mogul stole the show at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night with her speech accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.
Scathing DOJ report finds discriminatory, unconstitutional police practices in Baltimore
African-American residents in Baltimore are routinely subjected to unconstitutional stops, arrests and excessive force by the Baltimore Police Department, a scathing federal report released on Wednesday states. The 163-page U.S. Justice Department report details an investigation launched after the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray last year that found the Baltimore Police Department engages in a pattern of conduct that violates the Constitution and federal law.
Arts funding to support opera about Loving court case
The Virginia Commission for the Arts has announced a special recognition grant of $15,000 per year for three consecutive years that will support Virginia Opera and Richmond Symphony’s newly commissioned opera, “Loving v. Virginia.”
Pioneering Harvard entrepreneur to be honored by Howard University
Lillian L. Lambert is being recognized by Howard University with its Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement.
Sister of man killed by police enters governor’s race
The sister of Marcus-David Peters, who was shot and killed by a Richmond Police officer in 2018 during what has been described as a mental health crisis, has formally announced her candidacy for Virginia’s gubernatorial race.
Boston University names Melissa L. Gilliam 11th president
‘I lead by listening, collaborating and empowering’
Melissa L. Gilliam, the executive vice president and provost of The Ohio State University and a distinguished educator, scholar, research scientist, and physician, will be Boston University’s 11th president, the Boston trustees announced on Wednesday. She will assume the post July 1, 2024.
YWCA Richmond announces 2024 Class of Outstanding Women Awards honorees
Free Press Managing Editor Bonnie Newman Davis among this year’s recipients
For more than 40 years, YWCA Richmond has recognized accomplished women leaders in the Richmond community who one LinkedIn article described as “modeling resilience, empowering their teams to embrace change, learning from failures and persisting in the face of adversity.”
Charlottesville police chief retires in wake of damaging report
The first African-American police chief of Charlottesville abruptly retired Monday, about two weeks after a scathing independent review criticized his “slow-footed response” to violence at a white nationalist rally this summer.
Teenage shooter involved in infamous D.C. Sniper Case to get new sentencing hearing
A federal judge tossed out two life sentences for one of Virginia’s most notorious criminals, sniper Lee Boyd Malvo, and ordered Virginia courts to hold new sentencing hearings.