‘Green Book’ wins B2
Richmond Free Press © 2019 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
VOL. 28 NO. 2
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
www.richmondfreepress.com
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Meet winner of MRWBA’s 2018 Women of Achievement Award B1
January 10-12, 2019
Agelasto responds City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto addresses latest effort to remove him from office through his lawyer, former Va. Attorney General Anthony Troy
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Last-ditch efforts to remove Parker C. Agelasto from Richmond City Council appear to be failing — virtually ensuring the 5th District representative will be able to serve out the final two years of his term despite moving his family to a home in the 1st District. Among those efforts is a petition former City Councilman Henry W. “Chuck” Richardson filed last week in Richmond Circuit Court, which quickly attracted substantial media attention. According to the petition, Mr. Richardson, who lives in the 5th District, wants the court to order Mr. Agelasto’s removal from office because he now lives in the 4200 block of West Franklin Street in the 1st District. Mr. Richardson filed the petition as most of City Council abandoned any further involvement in the issue. The city Democratic Committee also has declined to intervene and Richmond representatives to the
New General Assembly session Petersburg Delegate Lashrecse D. Aird and her seatmate, Newport News Delegate Marcia S. Price, look up as a person in the upstairs gallery takes their photo. Looking on is Delegate Luke E. Torian of Prince William County. Scenes like this were commonplace Wednesday as the General Assembly opened its 2019 session, which is expected to run about 46 days. Legislators, whose seats will be up for election in November, will be rushing during the short session to get through a sea of bills and amend the current two-year budget before adjourning in late February. Please see coverage and more photos, on A4 and A5.
Please turn to A4 Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
CIAA fans — get ready for Baltimore By Fred Jeter
The CIAA Basketball Tournament is moving to Baltimore. The CIAA board of directors announced Tuesday that the men’s and women’s games will be held in 2021, 2022 and 2023 at Royal Farms Arena, an 11,100-seat facility in downtown Baltimore, about a block away from the Baltimore Convention Center and a short distance from the popular Inner Harbor. The arena was formerly known as the Baltimore Civic Center. “This is an exciting time for the CIAA as we have an opportunity to bring the tournament to a new market,” said Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams. “We’re moving it closer to many of the northern institutions who have traveled to Charlotte for more than a decade.” The annual CIAA Tournament has been held in Charlotte, N.C., since 2005 and will remain in Charlotte this season and next. This year’s tournament is scheduled Feb. 25 through March 5 at the 20,200-seat Spectrum Center, the home of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. It also is adjacent to the smaller Bojangles Coliseum. T h e tournaMs. McWilliams ment has become a lucrative event for any host city. Estimates show the basketball games, plus a nearly weeklong lineup of satellite events, pump some $50 million into the Queen City’s economy. Charlotte and Norfolk were Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press finalists with Baltimore to host the tournament, beginning in 2021. Baltimore last hosted the Chelsea Garba, 5, gets carried away with a spray can tournament in 1951, when only of Goofy String while playing with her dad, Makka men’s teams competed. Garba, by Fountain Lake in Byrd Park last Saturday, Baltimore Mayor Catherine when the day was sunny and temperatures hovered E. Pugh said the city is “hon- near 60 degrees. What a change this weekend will
Warming up to winter
Please turn to A4
bring, when high temperatures will be in the 30s, with snow forecast for Sunday.
VUU’s Joe Taylor named to College Football Hall of Fame By Fred Jeter
Joe Taylor, director of athletics for Virginia Union University, has been selected for the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame. As college football honors go, they don’t get any higher than this. “What this says is that I’ve been around a lot of great people — my fellow coaches, players, school supporters … and the media, too, for telling the story,” Mr. Taylor said earlier this week from a coaching function in San Antonio. He will be part of a national 2019 Hall of Fame Class that includes another coach and 13 former players who will be inducted during a ceremony on Dec. 10, at the National Football Foundation’s Annual Awards Banquet in New York City. Soon after, Mr. Taylor’s bust will be placed on display at the College Please turn to A4
Confusion, communication gaps adding to Henrico Branch NAACP problems “I am aware of the membership card issue, but at this point I have no comment,” said Mr. Thornton, Even as it imposed sanctions on the president an adjunct professor at Virginia Union University of the Henrico Branch NAACP, the national office and the son of Frank Thornton, a member of the of the civil rights group has allowed other officers Henrico County Board of Supervisors. who complained about Frank J. Thornton to flout It turns out the registration of the 21 people at its rules, the Free Press has learned. the national level has been held up because the One result is that at least 21 people who joined branch secretary, Tracey Johnston, violated a bylaw the Henrico Branch in October have not by failing to file a required membership received national membership cards, even report listing the new members, accordthough they paid their dues and are listed ing to the national office. as members of the branch. Under an NAACP bylaw, the branch The situation has created confusion secretary has a duty to submit that report among the dues payers about whether and the national office’s share of the dues their membership is recognized by the payments within 15 days of receipt. national office and points out procedural Emails show that Ms. Johnston reand communication gaps within the ceived notice of the memberships and Henrico Branch. dues payments on Oct. 12, along with Mr. Thornton “Any member who paid for membercopies of receipts provided to people ship in the branch and has a receipt is eligible to who paid. participate fully in the branch, whether or not they Other emails obtained by the Free Press show that have yet to receive their actual membership cards,” Jonathan McKinney, the national NAACP’s regional said Malik Russell, national NAACP spokesman. field officer whose area includes Henrico County, Mr. Russell did not respond to questions on was notified about the problem on Oct. 31. why the branch members have not received their However, according to the emails, he blamed membership cards. Mr. Thornton for the secretary’s inaction. The snafu has emerged as Mr. Thornton appeals The paperwork also shows that Mr. Thornton his yearlong suspension as an NAACP member that deposited the dues payments into the Henrico was imposed in late December by NAACP National Branch’s bank account. President Derrick Johnson for Mr. Thornton’s alleged violations of national bylaws. Please turn to A4 By Jeremy M. Lazarus
5 of 7 African-American NFL coaches sacked B6