Schools have become places of trauma for students of color and help reinforce centuries of systemic racism by driving students into the criminal justice system, according to speakers at a recent University of Richmond symposium. The UR School of Law hosted a six-hour event via Zoom with four presentations, nine panelists and over 200 attendees. The event featured UR law students, educators, social justice advocates and activists. Suspension and expulsion are used disproportionately against Black students, other students of color and those with disabilities, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Those punishments, along with arrests at school, often lead...Article Link

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Richmond Raceway and Virginia Beef Council have announced a new running race event, the Beef Up Your Health 10k, which will serve as the official kickoff to the fall NASCAR Race Weekend on Sept. 10-11.  Participants will have the option to run in the 10k or 5k, and children ages 14 and under are invited to race in the one-mile Kids Run. The 10k will take place Aug. 28 beginning at 8:45 a.m. The 5k will begin at 9 a.m., and the one-mile Kids Run will begin at 8:30 a.m. The race will start and finish on the  Richmond Start/Finish...Article Link

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Draper Aden Associates, an engineering firm based in Henrico County, recently announced that Robert Barclay has joined the firm as chief human resources officer. Based in the Richmond office, he will provide strategic and day-to-day operational leadership to the Human Resources and Corporate Health and Safety teams. Barclay also will serve on the firm’s Executive Team. Prior to joining Draper Aden, Barclay served as the vice president of administrative services and HR with Discovery Natural Resources in Denver, Colo. In this position, he was responsible for leading the Human Resources, IT, Corporate Security, and Office Administration teams. He also has...Article Link

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The University of Richmond, in partnership with the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg, is offering free tax preparation for qualified individuals for the 10th consecutive tax season. This year’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program will offer virtual tax services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 30 UR students, most of whom are studying in the Robins School of Business, have joined other community volunteers to receive training to become IRS-certified so they can help prepare tax returns for those in the Richmond community who need assistance filing their 2020 taxes. “Students are providing a critical service...Article Link

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Henrico County Court Appointed Special Advocates welcomed six new CASA volunteers March 10 to advocate for children who are before the court because of allegations of abuse or neglect. The Honorable Sharon G. Jacobs of the Henrico Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court administered the CASA Volunteer Oath of Appointment, during which the volunteers pledged that they are willing and ready to be advocates for children. The volunteers are: Jennifer Anthony, Valerie Coley, Shanna Crawford, Tyler Holder, Robert Oaster and Donna Silver. Jacobs distributed certificates and congratulated the new advocates on taking the oath, the culmination of 38 hours of training during...Article Link

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U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger is inviting Central Virginia high school to participate in the annual Congressional Art Competition, in which the winner’s piece will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year alongside student-submitted artwork from all 50 states. Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Student entries may include paintings, drawings, collages, prints, mixed media, computer-generated art, and photography. Any high school student who lives in Virginia’s Seventh District may submit one piece for consideration. Full details are...Article Link

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Seventeen new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Henrico County’s public schools Friday, prompting 150 people to enter quarantine, according to data provided by the school system. In total since schools began reopening on a staggered basis Feb. 22 for in-person learning, 55 COVID cases have been reported at 31 schools during in-school, extracurricular, or sports activities, forcing 548 people into quarantine. The new cases (none of which were related to extracurricular or sports activities) included: • two at Tuckahoe Middle School, leading to 40 people entering quarantine; • one at Tucker High School, sending 24 people to quarantine; •...Article Link

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New York Times-bestselling author Robin Sloan will discuss his novel “Sourdough” at the first virtual All Henrico Reads at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 1. Held each spring, All Henrico Reads promotes literacy and community by featuring the work of a prominent author. The free event is presented by Henrico County Public Library, Henrico County Public Schools and the Friends of Henrico County Public Library. To participate via WebEx and for more information, visit http://henricolibrary.org/ahr. Set in San Francisco, “Sourdough” follows Lois, a computer programmer who is thrust into a delightful and complex foodie culture after being gifted a sourdough starter. The...Article Link

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Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam recently restored the civil rights of more than 69,000 Virginians, using new eligibility criteria that mirror a proposed change to the Constitution of Virginia that would automatically restore voting rights to individuals upon completion of their sentence of incarceration. Northam announced that going forward, any Virginian released from incarceration will qualify to have their rights restored, even if they remain on community supervision. This change builds on a number of bipartisan reforms that have been made to the restoration of rights process over the last decade, including streamlining the application and eliminating the waiting period and the...Article Link

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Henrico’s Board of Supervisors Thursday added new funding for nine local nonprofit organizations and adjusted funding for one other as part of its Fiscal Year 2021-22 budget proposal. Supervisors made the changes during the final day of their four-day budget review, during which they heard from each agency head and discussed other topics. They had first discussed the planned allocation for nonprofits as part of Monday’s discussion. In total, the revised proposal would allocate about [post_excerpt].54 million to 39 nonprofits. A total of ,400 in available funds remain in the non-departmental budget proposal, should supervisors decide to allocate that money....Article Link

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