Quantcast

Show advanced options

All results / Stories

Tease photo

Gun violence demands action

As the Republican Party holds its national convention in Cleveland, Americans remain shaken by the shootings of police in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La., following the police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge and Falcon Heights, Minn. I spoke at the funeral of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, weeping with his family and friends as they remembered and mourned their loved one who was slain on July 5 by police officers.

Tease photo

After 26 years, Judge Roberts retiring from juvenile court

For 26 years, Judge Angela Edwards Roberts has been a presence in the Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Along with her colleagues, she has dealt with all the sad, messy issues involving individuals and families — ranging from cutody battles to stalking and domestic abuse to teens involved in bad behavior and criminal activity. She also has experienced the joy of helping create families through adoption. “The work we do is emotionally draining,” Judge Roberts said. “We see everything that goes wrong with society. People come to us when they

Tease photo

Baton Rouge works to heal after shootings

BATON ROUGE, LA. On the affluent south side of Baton Rouge, a clutch of plastic balloons bobs in front of the gas station where a former Marine shot and killed three police officers last Sunday. On the impoverished north

Tease photo

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.

Tease photo

City seeking developers for the Boulevard project

City Hall finally is ready to seek developers for its biggest economic development project — the redo of the 60-acre city property on North Boulevard where The Diamond baseball stadium and Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center now stand. Two months behind schedule, Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ administration expects to issue its request for qualifications (RFQ) this week seeking deep-pocket bidders interested in transforming the property over 20 years into apartments, condos, retail outlets and office space.

Tease photo

Gooden new state secretary of agriculture and forestry

Dr. Basil I. Gooden is well suited for his new job as Virginia’s secretary of agriculture and forestry. Dr. Gooden grew up raising beef cattle on his family’s farm in Buckingham County. He also was appointed by President Obama as Virginia director of rural development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in May 2014. In announcing Dr. Gooden’s appointment to the state cabinet position July 7, Gov. Terry McAuliffe praised him for his leadership and vision.

Tease photo

Williams a rising activist

“The burden of the brutalized is not to comfort the bystander. That’s not our job, alright, stop with all that. If you have a critique for the resistance, for our resistance, then you better have an established record of critique of our oppression. If you have no interest in equal rights for black people then do not make suggestions to those who do. Sit down.” — Jesse Williams

One recipe for change

Last week, we called in this space for an end to the epidemic of deadly violence by police against African-Americans and people of color in this nation.

Tease photo

Students learn leadership through Maggie L. Walker summer institute

Eight area high school students participating in the Maggie L. Walker Summer Youth Leadership Institute spent a recent morning learning about Richmond’s slave-trading past in Shockoe Bottom.

Tease photo

Chief Brown no stranger to tragedy

Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown, a familiar face following last week’s shooting deaths of five police officers in Dallas, is no stranger to tragedy.

Tease photo

Anguish of a nation

From memorial services to protests, numerous questions arise after senseless killings

“Can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it, making it horrible …?” The late Rodney King spoke those memorable words as he called for calm in 1992 after the acquittal of four white police officers who were videotaped savagely beating him triggered riots in Los Angeles.

Tease photo

Affirmative action upheld

In many instances, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent affirmative action ruling upholding the University of Texas’ affirmative action program was overshadowed by a same-day order overturning President Obama’s executive order to ease illegal immigrants’ path to U.S. citizenship.

Stop the violence

The deadly violence by police against African-Americans and other people of color continues unabated.  The latest victim, 37-year-old Alton Sterling, was killed Tuesday outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, La. As the graphic video shows, he had been wrestled to the ground and restrained by one police officer when another shot him five times at point blank range in his chest and back.

Tease photo

History makers celebrate Fourth

Judge Damon J. Keith’s annual Independence Day picnic in Hanover County turned into a celebration of history Monday. The senior judge on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who lives in Detroit returns each year to his late wife’s family home in Virginia to celebrate his July 4 birthday.

Tease photo

Judge Roger Gregory makes history again

The son of humble tobacco factory workers is about to reach a new pinnacle in his legal career. On July 9, Judge Roger L. Gregory will become the chief judge of the powerful 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond.

Tease photo

58: Number of candidates certified to run for mayor, City Council and School Board

Richmond voters will have plenty of choices for mayor, City Council and the School Board in the November election, when they also will be helping to elect a president, vice president and member of Congress. The three-member Richmond Electoral Board last week certified 58 candidates to run for city offices. The list would have been longer, but 15 potential candidates were disqualified for failure to meet filing requirements, the city Voter Registrar’s Office reported.

Tease photo

Louisiana man killed by police

The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it will investigate the killing of a black man pinned to the ground and shot in the chest by two white police of- ficers outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, La. Captured on at least two videos, graphic images of the shooting of Alton Sterling, 37, early Tuesday stirred protests and so- cial media outcry over the latest case of alleged police brutality against an African- American in cities from Ferguson, Mo., to Baltimore and New York.

Tease photo

Presbyterians, Southern Baptists vote to end racism and racist symbols

Religion News Service The nation’s second largest Presbyterian denomination has passed legislation repenting for “past failures to love brothers and sisters from minority cultures” and committing its members to work toward racial reconciliation. The “overture,” or legislation, was approved overwhelmingly Thursday, June 23, at the national meeting of the Presbyterian Church in America. The issue had been deferred from the previous year’s meeting, where there was a lengthy debate on similar legislation.

Tease photo

Personality: Virginia ‘Ginger’ Workman Stanley

Spotlight on Virginia Press Association’s retiring executive director

For 32 years, Ginger Stanley has been an advocate for Virginia’s newspapers, so much so that her name is practically synonymous with the Virginia Press Association. That’s the organization that promotes the common interests of its member newspapers.

Tease photo

City’s 2015 audit may be completed this week

Richmond City Hall, though months late, soon could be finished with an audit of its books for the 2015 fiscal year that ended a year ago.