Judge Onzlee Ware dies at age 70
Roanoke Judge Onzlee Ware, who rose from drug charges and a gunshot wound that cost him a leg to become a Virginia legislator and the first Black judge in the city’s Circuit Court, died Saturday, Feb.10, 2024, the Roanoke Bar Association reported.
Missy Elliott gets Portsmouth street named in her honor
Portsmouth native and hip-hop star Missy Elliott returned to her alma mater, Manor High School, Monday afternoon for the dedication ceremony of “Missy Elliott Boulevard.”
Motown songwriter, producer Lamont Dozier dead at 81
Lamont Dozier, the middle name of the celebrated Holland-Dozier-Holland team that wrote and produced “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Heat Wave” and dozens of other hits and helped make Motown an essential record company of the 1960s and beyond, has died at age 81.
Richmond among 10 localities piloting Marcus Alert system
Virginia is launching a new system to improve the response to mental health emergencies.
9/11 artifacts share ‘pieces of truth’ in victims’ stories
For nearly six years, Andrea Haberman’s ashen and damaged wallet lay mostly untouched in a drawer at her parents’ Wisconsin home, along with a partly melted cell phone, her driver’s license, credit cards, checkbook and house keys. Flecks of rust had formed on the rims of her eyeglasses, their lenses shattered and gone.
Dr. Irving P. McPhail, president of St. Augustine’s University, dies from COVID-19 complications
Dr. Irving P. McPhail, president of St. Augustine’s University, died Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, of complications from COVID-19, just three months after taking the helm of the historically Black university in Raleigh, N.C.
Washington NFL team drops racist name
The most polarizing name in North American professional sports is gone.
Dr. Patricia Bath, whose patents advanced cataract treatment, dies at 76
Dr. Patricia Bath, a pioneering ophthalmologist who became the first African-American female doctor to receive a medical patent after she invented a more precise treatment of cataracts, has died. She was 76.
Mueller report may be available in April
U.S. Attorney General William Barr is combing through special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, removing classified and other information in hopes of releasing the report to Congress in April.
Breakdancing an Olympic sport?
Breakdancing, an art form started by African-American teenagers that has spread all over the world, may break into the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris as a new sport.
United Methodist Church keeps ban on gay clergy, same-sex marriage
“We’re in this to the end,” sang LGBTQ United Methodists and their allies.
Former Congressman Ron Dellums, who pushed U.S. sanctions against apartheid South Africa, dies at 82
Ronald Vernie “Ron” Dellums was a fiery anti-war activist who championed social justice in his community and in Congress. The first African-American Democratic congressman from Northern California and a former mayor of his native Oakland, Calif., died from cancer at his Washington residence on Monday, July 30, 2018, according to his family. He was 82.
James Meredith on mission from God
James Meredith is a civil rights legend who resists neatly defined narratives.
Morman Church teams up with NAACP
The Mormon Church is teaming up with the national NAACP on a new education and employment program on the East Coast, an outgrowth from the first official meeting between the groups in May.
Dr. William E. ‘Bill’ Ward, former mayor of Chesapeake, NSU professor dies at 84
Dr. William E. “Bill” Ward, the first African-American mayor of Chesapeake and the only official to serve the longest in that role, has died.
Congressional Black Caucus calls for decriminalizing marijuana use
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are calling for decriminalizing marijuana use. The group wants the federal government to get out of the prohibition business when it comes to the drug, a position it says is supported by an overwhelming majority of the 48-member caucus.
President Obama says world should resist cynicism over rise of power politics
In his highest profile speech since leaving office, former President Obama on Tuesday denounced the policies of President Trump without mentioning his name, taking aim at the “politics of fear, resentment, retrenchment,” and decrying leaders who are caught lying and “just double down and lie some more.”
Expanded Medicaid, more time for recess among new state laws
Hundreds of new Virginia laws went into effect Sunday, July 1.
Former First Lady Barbara Bush dies
A private funeral for former First Lady Barbara Bush, the only American woman to see her husband and son both sworn in as president, will be held on Saturday, April 21, at a Houston church where her family has been members since the 1950s, officials said.
Bridal designer Amsale Aberra dies at 64
Bridal Fashion Week this time around will include a tribute to couture designer Amsale Aberra, who died of cancer just days before her scheduled show.
Gospel music stars shine at 33rd Stellar Awards ceremony
Gospel singer, composer and choir director James “JJ” Hairston was the top winner last weekend at the 33rd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, winning six awards.
Lerone Bennett Jr., noted historian of black America, dies at 89
Perhaps no other voice — or pen — captured the real life of Africans and African-Americans like Lerone Bennett Jr., the former editor of Ebony and JET magazines.
Symbolism fills official portraits of Obamas
They have been called “stunning,” “compelling,” “powerful” and “unexpected.” And now, the official portraits of former President Obama and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, will be on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.
8.7M people signed up for Obamacare
More than 8.7 million people nationally signed up for coverage for 2018 under the Affordable Care Act, the health care law that was a hallmark of the Obama administration, the government reported last week.
Warren ‘Pete’ Moore, original vocalist, songwriter with The Miracles, dies at 79
Warren “Pete” Moore, a vocalist and songwriter with Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, died Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, in Las Vegas on his 79th birthday.
Chadwick Boseman in ‘Marshall’ is bulletproof
Thurgood Marshall, a titan of 20th century law and a civil rights pioneer, has until now largely eluded Hollywood’s notice. Despite its title, “Marshall,’’ too, is wary of taking on the Supreme Court justice in full, sticking to a minor case from Mr. Marshall’s early career as counsel for the NAACP. That makes, for better and worse, a sometimes slight, sometimes serious courtroom drama, shot through with bright certainty in the coming triumphs for Mr. Marshall and the civil rights movement. It’s a superhero-style origin story: Thurgood, pre- “Brown v. Board of Education,’’ pre-black robe.
Johnson named interim president of national NAACP
The national NAACP announced a new interim leader, along with a nationwide listening tour that will allow the organization’s leaders to talk to local members and figure out the future direction of the nation’s oldest civil rights organization.
Virginians to be impacted by new laws now in effect
New state laws went into effect Saturday, July 1, that could impact how Virginians drive, what kind of alcohol they buy and what they wear when they go hunting.
Pivotal church versus state legal battle urged to proceed in high court
Missouri officials and a church embroiled in a closely watched dispute over public money going to religious entities urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to decide the case despite a pivotal policy change by the state’s Republican governor.
Calls mount for independent investigation of Russia’s ties to Trump administration
President Trump is finding its easy to play golf, but harder to get his way as the nation’s chief executive.
Gorsuch sidesteps tough questions in Supreme Court confirmation hearings
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch said on Wednesday presidents must obey court orders and expressed uncertainty about language in the U.S. Constitution barring government officials from taking payments from a foreign country as Democrats grilled him on issues involving President Trump.
Dying with debt: Advice from experts
You’re probably going to die with some debt. A majority of people do. In fact, 73 percent of Americans had outstanding debt when they died, according to December 2016 data reported by Credit.com.
Horror-satire film ‘Get Out’ makes box office history
Jordan Peele’s hugely popular debut horror-satire film “Get Out” has made box office history. It is the first film by an African-American writer-director to earn more than $100 million.
Faith leaders, politicians: New immigration order still anti-Muslim
Federal judges may find President Trump’s new executive order on immigration more acceptable than the last. But many religious groups and faith leaders see no meaningful difference in the new measure, which President Trump signed privately last Monday.
Trump decries anti-Semitism, racism after D.C. museum visit
President Trump called anti-Semitic violence “horrible” and vowed on Tuesday to take steps to counter extremism.
Grammy Award-winning singer Al Jarreau dies
LOS ANGELES Alwin Lopez “Al” Jarreau delighted music fans for nearly 50 years with his eclectic soulful, genre-blending style.
Athletes may be impacted by Muslim travel ban
President Trump’s ban on visitors from seven predominantly Muslim nations could have a wide impact on international sports if the ban is ultimately upheld by the courts, according to Jere Longman, a sports writer for The New York Times.
DeVos, Sessions confirmed
Two of President Trump’s controversial picks for his cabinet have been confirmed by the Senate and are ready to take office.
‘Hidden Figures,’ ‘Fences’ win big at SAG Awards
Free Press wire reports HOLLYWOOD, Calif. The cast of “Hidden Figures” rocketed to the Screen Actors Guild top award at a fiery, protest-laden ceremony last Sunday that was dominated by words of defiance and dismay about President Trump’s sweeping immigration ban.
Oscars not so white at least in this year’s nominations
This year’s Oscar nominations honor the largest ever group of actors of color, along with a diverse range of stories, a year after Hollywood was slammed for excluding diverse talent.
Controversial Bishop Eddie L. Long dies at 63
During a 30-year tenure, Bishop Eddie Lee Long transformed the once tiny New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta into a megachurch that peaked at 25,000 members before he became embroiled in a sex scandal. A controversial figure who lived a lavish lifestyle and earned millions of dollars from real estate investments and book royalties while pastor, Bishop Long died Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017. His church attributed his death to an aggressive form of cancer.
Jury sentences white supremacist to death in S.C. church massacre
Unrepentant white supremacist Dylann Roof was sentenced to death Tuesday for fatally shooting nine African-American church members during Bible study at a landmark Charleston, S.C., church, becoming the first person ordered executed for a federal hate crime.
Prosperity preachers to pray at Trump inaugural
Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, who hosted President-elect Donald Trump with his Detroit congregation in September, is among the religious leaders chosen to offer prayers at the new president’s swearing-in next week in Washington. The inaugural committee announced that prosperity gospel preachers Bishop Jackson, who leads Great Faith Ministries International, and Pastor Paula White, a friend of the president-elect, will join four others selected to participate in the inauguration on Friday, Jan. 20.
Trump denounces intel reports of damaging info from Russian hacking
A defiant President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday adamantly denied reports that Russia had compromising personal and financial information about him, calling it a “tremendous blot” on the record of the intelligence community if material with any such allegations had been released.
It’s a boy for 50-year-old Janet Jackson
Pop singer Janet Jackson has had her first child at the age of 50, Billboard magazine reported Tuesday, citing the pop singer’s publicist.
Simone Biles, LeBron James named AP Athletes of the Year
She won a record-tying four gold medals to go along with a bronze during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Plans advance to build memorial, museum to U.S. lynching victims
The Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to indigent defendants and prisoners denied fair and just treatment in the legal system, plans to open the first national memorial to African-American victims of lynching.
Prosecutor vows to retry S.C. ex-officer after mistrial in death of motorist
A South Carolina prosecutor said she would retry the former South Carolina police officer, a white man, who shot and killed a black motorist as he ran during an April 2015 traffic stop.
Trump changes course
President-elect Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to step back from running his global business empire to avoid conflicts of interest, as concern over his dual role mounts ahead of the Republican’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Newest Rhodes Scholars are Richmonder at Howard, U.Va. students
A Howard University senior who lives in Richmond and a University of Virginia senior from Maryland are among 32 Americans chosen as 2017 Rhodes Scholars.
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