Rapper Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest dies at 45 Associated Press
Tuesday from complications resulting from diabetes, his family said in a statement on Wednesday. He was 45. Born Malik Isaac Taylor, he was known as the “Five Foot Assassin” because he was 5
feet 3 inches tall. “Malik was our loving husband, father, brother and friend. We love him dearly. How Please turn to A4
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VOL. 25 NO. 13
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
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ee Fr
Fr ee
NEW YORK Phife Dawg, a masterful lyricist whose witty wordplay was a linchpin of the groundbreaking hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, died
MARCH 24-26, 2016
‘Virtual school’ in Va.?
Advocates say it would boost educational choices; critics say it would strip students and money from public schools By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Thousands of public school students in Virginia could have the option of taking all of their classes on a home computer in what is known as a “virtual school” — instead of making the daily trek to a building with bells and defined class times. Gov. Terry McAuliffe is mulling whether to sign House Bill 8, a largely Republican-backed piece of legislation that would allow Virginia to join Florida, Ohio and 28 other states in providing 12 years of public education in what enthusiasts describe as a “classroom without walls.” In the face of cautionary research suggesting students in virtual schools fall behind their peers in traditional schools, the General Assembly is pushing to make a statewide virtual K-12 school a reality. The House of Delegates approved the bill on a 58-40 vote and the Senate passed it 23-17 before sending it to the governor. If the governor signs it, the legislation would create a separate state board that would be required to open a separate, tuition-free, K-12 virtual public school beginning in the 2018-19 school year. While advocates see it as a move boosting educational choices for parents and their children,
National ‘Player of the Year’ By Fred Jeter
Kiana Johnson and “Player of the Year” are now officially synonymous. The Virginia Union University senior guard was named NCAA Division II National Player of the Year Monday by Kiana Johnson the Women’s Association of Basketball Coaches (WABC). In recent days, the impressive Chicago native already has been named CIAA Player of the Year and the NCAA Atlantic Region Most Valuable Player. She also was selected to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region All-Tournament team. Johnson was lauded by WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew, who made the announcement. “Kiana has played an integral role in guiding her team to an extraordinary season and is very deserving of this distinguished honor,” Donehew said. “The WBCA applauds Kiana for her hard work, dedication and contributions to the game during the 2015-16 season.” Johnson led Division II in scoring (29.3 points per game) and was second in assists Please turn to A4
critics view the measure as possibly stripping state support and students from traditional public education. Of the 1.2 million students who attend public schools across Virginia, only a small fraction could participate. The legislation essentially sets up a pilot project that would limit enrollment to 5,000 students at a total cost of around $25 million a year. All the virtual classes would have to meet Standards of Quality and Standards of Learning requirements. To fund the virtual school, the legislation would shift state money that typically would go to the students’ local school districts to private vendors the board would hire and pay to provide online classes. Shifting state funds now going to public school to pay private vendors for a virtual school is a sore point for critics who fear such operators would put profits ahead of the welfare of students. So far, Gov. McAuliffe, an advocate of school reform, has been mum about his intentions ahead of the April 10 deadline to sign or veto the bill. Based on the relatively close majorities by which the bill was approved by the General Assembly, the legislature unlikely will have the votes needed to override the governor’s veto should he decided to kill the legislation. Delegate Richard P. “Dickie” Bell, R-Staunton, the bill’s author and the leading proponent, is optimistic. He told reporters following a March10 meeting with the governor that Gov. McAuliffe “supports virtual education.” However, the governor is facing calls for a veto from many of his Democratic allies at the State Capitol, including the 18-member Legislative Black Caucus, and from associations representing public school boards, superintendents and teachers. Robley Jones, director of governmental relations for the Virginia Education Association, is among those urging the governor to kill the bill. Along with siphoning off needed public school funds, Mr. Jones notes that the students who enroll could suffer. He points to the problems that have plagued virtual schools in other states, including “low graduation rates, poor academic performance and high dropout rates.” “Most students do not have the time management skills and discipline” needed to be successful in a virtual school, he said. He also is concerned virtual school could limit development of social skills, including learning to work with others. Mr. Jones noted that a September 2015 report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, a state government watchdog agency, urged caution about a quick expansion of virtual education, calling instead for the state to continue its go-slow approach. “Because there is limited research on the Please turn to A4
Pete Souza/Official White House photo
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hold hands Sunday as they walk through the rain to the motorcade after touring Old Havana, Cuba. President Obama, who met with Cuban President Raul Castro and other officials, is the first sitting U.S. president in 88 years to visit the island nation after diplomatic relations were restored on July 20, 2015.
Obama promotes democracy during historic visit to Cuba Associated Press
HAVANA Capping his remarkable visit to Cuba, President Obama on Tuesday declared an end to the “last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas” and openly urged the Cuban people to pursue a more democratic future for this communist nation 90 miles from the Florida coast. With Cuban President Raul Castro watching from a balcony, President Obama said the government should not fear citizens who speak
freely and vote for their own leaders. And with Cubans watching on tightly controlled state television, President Obama said they would be the ones to determine their country’s future, not the United States. “Many suggested that I come here and ask the people of Cuba to tear something down,” President Obama said. “But I’m appealing to the young people of Cuba who will lift something Please turn to A4
Richmond Christian Center to search for new pastor By Jeremy M. Lazarus
The Richmond Christian Center is moving to replace its founding pastor, Steve Parson. Two months after emerging from bankruptcy, the fundamentalist South
Side church announced Tuesday that it has begun a search for a new full-time pastor to be in place by July. Rhonda Hickman, chair of the RCC trustee board, indicated the church would be looking for a minister who would fit with the RCC mission to
“teach and preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Reached by phone, Pastor Parson said, “No comment” when asked for his response to the church’s decision. Earlier this year, Pastor Parson reportedly began holding an 8 a.m.
Sunday service at a Henrico County location for former church members who still want him to be their pastor. Pastor Parson founded the RCC in 1983 in his living room, with the church growing and attracting more
than 3,000 members at one point after relocating to the 200 block of Cowardin Ave. The membership later declined, and RCC filed for bankruptcy in November Please turn to A4
Movement afoot to remove Lee statue in Charlottesville By Chris Suarez The Daily Progress
Sabrina Schaeffer/The Daily Progress
Charlottesville City Council members are weighing the future of this statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in the city’s Lee Park, as well as whether to remove a monument in downtown Charlottesville honoring Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.
CHARLOTTESVILLE Charlottesville residents who are uncomfortable with a local park could affect a monumental change if renewed protest over a nearly 100-year-old statue gains enough support. On Tuesday, local community leaders called on the city’s elected officials to rename Lee Park and remove the statue of the park’s namesake, Gen. Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The news conference was spurred by a number of recent local and state developments regarding Confederate monuments and the legacy of Gen. Lee and Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Several months after the Charlottesville City Council unanimously decided City Hall would no longer observe Lee-Jackson Day, a state holiday that honors the Confederate generals, the phrase “Black Please turn to A4
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Here, try this Harmony Cree, 6, feeds a hungry goat Wednesday at Maymont as Briel Johnson, 2, and Disten Epps, 3, follow behind with their animal feed. Children and their families are enjoying the park in the West End as the weather warms. Maymont is expected to be filled this weekend when it will host the annual Dominion Family Easter. Story, B4.