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Dominion announces $10M scholarship program for minority students
Richmond-based Dominion Energy Inc. announced Wednesday a six-year, $10 million initiative to provide scholarships to minority students who reside in the company’s service area, which includes Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina. This year, Dominion will award $500,000 in scholarships among 60 recipients through its Educational Equity Scholarship Program. “As we witness[...]
Interim VMI superintendent named
As an independent investigation into allegations of racism at Virginia Military Institute moves forward, the state-supported military college announced a new interim superintendent on Friday. Following a vote by the VMI Board of Visitors’ Executive Committee, retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins will serve as interim superintendent at the school. A 1985 VMI […]
SW Va. sees COVID increase; governor urges caution
Although Virginia’s overall COVID-19 infection rate is much lower than other states that are currently experiencing spikes, the number of new cases in Southwest Virginia has been steadily increasing over the past two weeks, Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday in a COVID-19 update. According to health directors in the region, the percent of positive cases […]
Kaine introduces legislation to establish HBCU business centers
U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) announced Tuesday they have introduced the Reaching America’s Rural Minority Businesses Act, which would establish up to 10 minority business centers at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to serve rural and underserved communities. The legislation would authorize the Minority Business Development Agency (MBD[...]
State wins Lee monument suit; removal of statue is delayed
Updated Oct. 29: Five plaintiffs seeking to keep the monument in place have filed a notice of appeal with the Richmond Circuit Court, according to the attorney general’s office, which provided the document. The notice was signed by Helen Marie Taylor, Evan Morgan Massey, Janet Heltzel, George D. Hostetler and John-Lawrence Smith, all of whom live […]
VMI superintendent resigns amid racism probe
Following Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s announcement of a probe into allegations of racism at Virginia Military Institute, the school’s superintendent, retired U.S. Army Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III, has resigned. In a letter dated Oct. 26, Peay said that the probe announced by Gov. Ralph Northam and other top state legislators into allegations of racism […]
Northam calls for VMI racism probe
Before the academic semester begins, new cadets at Virginia Military Institute must endure Hell Week, a punishing 10-day rite of passage that introduces students to the military discipline, drill and physical fitness expectations required of them. For one Black freshman in 2018, it meant a white sophomore telling him he’d “lynch” his body and use […]
National Assoc. of Corporate Directors names chief people officer
The National Association of Corporate Directors, based in Arlington, announced Thursday that it has tapped Tracy Gee as it first chief people officer. With more than 25 years of experience, Gee most recently served as vice president of human resources for global development business functions at Raytheon Co. In her new role, she will oversee […]
More than 10% of Va. students don’t have broadband access at home
While Virginia school districts and higher education institutions are finalizing fall plans in light of the pandemic, an analysis released Wednesday by the State Council on Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) shows that more than 200,000 K-12 students and more than 60,000 college students in Virginia lack broadband access at home. These numbers reflect 14% […]
Richmond mayor proposes $500K for businesses affected by protests
Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney is proposing that City Council adopt a $500,000 Business Recovery Grant Program to compensate for damages to businesses from recent protests. Through the program, eligible businesses can be awarded a one-time grant of up to $10,000 to cover costs from damage that happened as the result of recent demonstrations within […]
Washington Redskins will retire name, logo
After nearly 88 years, the Ashburn-based Washington Redskins announced Monday morning that it will retire the Redskins name and logo after weeks of discussion over what many see as a discriminatory and derogatory name against Native Americans. A new team name has not been announced. Monday’s announcement comes after a July 3 statement saying it […]
Falwell voices support for renaming Lynchburg
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. said he supports changing the name of the city of Lynchburg, calling it an “embarrassment to Liberty University ever since we started” because of perceived racist connotations. He also said in an interview Sunday that the university plans to reopen with “business as usual” for the fall semester and […]
