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Most U.S. students are recovering from pandemic-era setbacks, but millions are making up little ground
On one side of the classroom, students circled teacher Maria Fletcher and practiced vowel sounds. In another corner, children read together from a book. Scattered elsewhere, students sat at laptop computers and got reading help from online tutors. For the third graders at Mount Vernon Community School in Virginia, it was an ordinary school day. But educators were racing to get students learning more, faster, and to overcome setbacks that have persisted since schools closed for the COVID-19 pandemic four years ago.
Understand the scope of region’s gun violence to pursue effective action
Ten-year-old Keontre “Tre” Thornhill loved action movies and was preparing to spend the summer doing lawn care services with his stepfather. James R. Carter, 84, owned the Triple C Convenience store and was called the “grandfather of Norfolk.” Ty’jonte Terry was a 14-year-old who loved basketball and was well liked among the other kids who frequented the Aqueduct Boys and Girls Club in Newport News. These are a few of the lives, along with so many others, taken from Hampton Roads by gun violence in recent months.
34 felony counts and one big loser: us
Four years ago last week, George Floyd was lying on a street corner in Minneapolis taking his last gasps of breath with a white cop’s left knee dug deep into his neck. Despite pleas from Floyd and bystanders, who recorded the brutality in real time with their cellphones, the police officer, Derek Chauvin, defiantly continued suffocating his helpless, handcuffed victim — for nine minutes. Videos of Floyd’s murder went viral, literally setting the streets on fire as an untreatable coronavirus spread and shuttered much of the country. Meanwhile, our political leaders were using the protests and the pandemic — which would claim 1.1 million American lives — to sow division and fear. Four years and an insurrection attempt later, the country is somehow even more divided, more angry and more volatile.
Richmond intends to take control of former Redskins facility
The city of Richmond intends to take control of the former Washington Redskins training camp facility on Leigh Street and make it the home of the city’s department of Parks & Recreation, a city official said. Health system Bon Secours intends to vacate the 15-acre parcel, which contains a two-story building and two football fields, by the end of the year. The city’s Economic Development Authority leases the ground from the state but intends to transfer the lease to the city. It has not been determined how much the city will pay for the parcel.
Otieno’s mother criticizes decision to downgrade charges in son’s death
An attorney for the family of Irvo Otieno is questioning the decision of Dinwiddie County authorities to downgrade the charges against three remaining defendants in Otieno’s death from second-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter. In a statement on behalf of Otieno’s mother, Caroline Ouko, high-profile attorney Ben Crump argued the “circumstances indeed support murder charges” and said Ouko fears that Otieno’s death will “become one of many instances where justice was denied for Black men whose lives are stolen through law enforcement actions.”
UVa. to pay $9 million after shooting that killed 3 football players in 2022
The University of Virginia will pay $9 million in a settlement related to a 2022 campus shooting that killed three football players and wounded two students, a lawyer representing some of the victims and their families said Friday. But some of the families are calling for more: The immediate release of an independent probe into the shooting that was completed last year. Its focus included efforts by the university to assess the potential threat of the student who was eventually charged with murder as well as recommendations from what was learned.
5 years after Virginia Beach mass shooting, the scars haven’t healed
Survivors and family members of the victims who died in a mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center five years ago are still trying to heal. They’ve found some solace in connecting with others who have had a similar experience. And they’re hopeful financial support for their ongoing mental health care will soon come from a new state fund. But the pain of that horrid day has stayed with them. Many sons, daughters, siblings, spouses of the victims suffer from endless grief, confusion and isolation. They long for closure that may never come, but have not entirely given up hope.
U-Va., state to pay $9 million after deadly 2022 shooting on campus
The University of Virginia and the state will pay $9 million in settlements after a deadly 2022 shooting on campus, as the families of victims continue to call on the university to release findings of an investigation into the incident. On Friday, Albemarle County Circuit Judge Claude V. Worrell II approved $2 million settlements for each of the families of slain students D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler — the amounts are the maximum allowed under the state’s risk management plan.
Schapiro: A clue to a soon-past governor’s future
Maybe it’s a throwaway, but there’s a line in an email invitation to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s forthcoming, high-dollar fundraisers that suggests — his steady descent into lame duck-dom, notwithstanding — he intends to stay in politics after his term ends in 14 months. “Movements aren’t bound by any term of office or time frame, and the work to make Virginia the best place to live, work and raise a family continues to this day,” read the email from Lili Gonzalez, deputy finance director of the Youngkin political action committee, Spirit of Virginia.
Richmond raises Progress flag for Pride month, faces backlash from protesters
Mayor Levar Stoney, City Council members and queer community leaders met at City Hall on Friday morning to officially recognize June as Pride month and raise the Progress flag alongside the Richmond city and American flags. The flag-raising event began under the Stoney administration five years ago as an effort to highlight the importance of LGBTQ history. It also serves as a symbol for current and future queer residents that the city is a welcoming place to reside, Stoney said. ... Dozens of supporters attended the event, as well as some protesters. They raised concerns not with the city’s position on LGBTQ issues, but with the ongoing conflict in Gaza.