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Time to fall back Remember to set your clocks back one hour before retiring Saturday, Oct. 31. Daylight Saving Time ends 2 a.m. Sunday. Also, check your batteries in all smoke detectors.
Richmond Free Press © 2015 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
VOL. 24 NO. 44
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
www.richmondfreepress.com
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Free Press election endorsements
OCTOBER 29-31, 2015
Better, but still bad Only 17 of 45 city schools get full accreditation
Election Tuesday Candidates in final swing
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Now it’s time for the voters to speak. Tuesday, Nov. 3, is Election Day. That’s when ordinary people will use the power of their ballot to choose representatives to the 40-member state Senate and 100-member House of Delegates. They also will fill offices in some localities, including Henrico and Chesterfield counties. The General Assembly choices could impact legislative decision making on such issues as the expansion of Medicaid for
Election Day Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3 Poll hours: Open at 6 a.m.; close at 7 p.m. in Richmond and around the state. At stake: Seats in the General Assembly’s state Senate and House of Delegates, and many local races. What’s new: The ballots. Touch screens are out; voters mostly will fill out paper ballots and have them read by an optical scanner. Alert: Bring a driver’s license or other photo ID; otherwise you’ll have to cast a provisional ballot that may not count. Further information: Contact the voter registrar in your locality or the state Board of Elections. You can check your voter status at www.sbe. virginia.gov.
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Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Shamika, left, and Kristea Fauntleroy affectionately embrace last week outside their Tappahannock home one year after Virginia legalized same-sex marriage, allowing the couple to exchange vows.
One year after saying ‘I do,’ couple enjoys wedded bliss By Joey Matthews
“It’s like we’re experiencing love all over again,” said Shamika Fauntleroy. “There’s a joy and freedom like I’ve never felt before,” added Kristea Fauntleroy. The Tappahannock residents were the first African-American couple and 12th overall to purchase a marriage license in Richmond after same-sex marriage became legal in Virginia on Oct. 6, 2014. The women, who exchanged vows shortly
after, talked with the Free Press about their first year as a married couple. “We had gone through so much,” Kristea said. “Everything has finally fallen right into place.” Since saying, “I do,” Kristea and Shamika said they have been able to move ahead with their lives as one. Kristea changed her last name from Thompson to take the last name of her spouse. Please turn to A6
From gridiron to president
Willard Bailey shaping minds at new college By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Willard Bailey, the CIAA legendary college football coach, has a new role in higher education. He has jumped from the gridiron to college president. At 76, Mr. Bailey is leading the newly opened Central International College, a private, Baptist-oriented school that offers programs in Christian education and biblical studies at its home base in Lynchburg and in satellite centers in Richmond. Virginia is a hotbed for such schools. CIC is one of 20 faithbased colleges and universities that have opened in the state since 2012, according to the State Council of Higher Education. Such schools are generally exempt from SCHEV oversight because they focus on religious programs and do not seek to grant regular degrees. According to Mr. Bailey, CIC started with 70 students when it opened its doors two months ago. About 50 students are on the Lynchburg campus and another 20 are taking courses at satellite sites that include the Robins Foundation’s Northside Family Learning Center and Trinity Baptist Church’s Family Life Center, both in North Side. Along with studies, the school plans to field sports teams, according to André Moore, CIC’s athletic director. Like most of the new faith-based schools, CIC is not accredited, and so its students are not eligible for federal student loans and financial aid. In order to qualify for such loans, as well as to take standard college courses needed for a degree, CIC’s students also must enroll in an online school that is accredited, Mr. Bailey said. He said he recommends New Mexico State Junior College. One day, he hopes CIC will make the accreditation grade. “It’s a step-by-step process,” said Mr. Bailey. “That’s our goal. But you don’t become accredited out of the gate. It takes time,” said Mr. Bailey, best known as the winningest coach in the history of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference,
Richmond now has 17 fully accredited public schools — its best showing in three years. That’s an increase of six schools from last year when only 11 city schools met state standards for accreditation, and up by four from 2013 when 13 schools met the mark. Full accreditation means 75 percent of students passed state Standards of Learning tests in English and reading, and at least 70 percent passed in other subjects. Despite the improvement, the accreditation results that the Virginia Department of Education released Tuesday mean that only 38 percent of the city’s 45 schools rated a full thumbs-up from the state and 62 percent did not. Among those that did not make full accreditation were 18 elementary schools and six of Richmond’s seven middle schools. Two of the elementary schools, Bellevue and John B. Cary, received partial accreditation for coming close to meeting state standards, as did one of the middle schools, Albert H. Hill. The seventh middle school, Elkhardt-Thompson, was conditionally accredited as it is considered a new school in which students were not tested. Richmond is not alone in having troubled schools. Henrico had 20 schools out of 68 that failed to make full accreditation, most notably L. Douglas Wilder Middle, which again was denied accreditation. Chesterfield also had nine schools that fell short of full accreditation out of its 62 schools. Nonetheless, Richmond’s percentage of accredited schools still ranks near the bottom among school districts in the metropolitan Please turn to A6
Student apologizes for playing racist song By Joey Matthews
The neatly attired African-American teenager somberly stepped to the podium at the Henrico County School Board meeting last week at New Bridge School in East Henrico. Facing the board’s five members, Najee Lawrence said, “I’m deeply sorry for those I have offended, especially the John Marshall community.” The Glen Allen High School senior and football team member apologized to the board Oct. 22, six nights after he downloaded and played over the school’s public address system a profanity-laced, racist song that repeatedly uses the n-word. The song was broadcast as the predominately white — Najee Lawrence school’s football team was warming up with the team from predominately black John Marshall High School of Richmond just before the Oct. 16 homecoming game. The incident made national headlines, with many people concerned it might be a racist act by a white student. However, an African-American student played the demeaning song, as the Free Press was the first to report. “I would like to sincerely apologize,” the student said in his statement to the School Board. “It was never my intention to hurt or offend anybody. I have humbly accepted my punishment and have learned from my mistakes.”
‘It was never my intention to hurt or offend anybody.’
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Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Willard Bailey prepares to teach a health class for students at the Lynchburg-based Central International College he now heads. Location: Northside Family Learning Center, a Richmond satellite location for the college.
the nation’s oldest historically black sports conference. Inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame in 2003, Mr. Bailey amassed 211 conference wins during his 42-year coaching career, which included stints at Virginia Union and Norfolk State universities, Saint Paul’s College and the Virginia University of Lynchburg. All during his coaching career, he said he sought to make character development as important as success on the field. Please turn to A6
James Haskins/Richmond Free Press
Cute little pumpkin Year-old David Al-Amin is fascinated by the pumpkins and activities at the Scott’s Addition Pumpkin Festival last Saturday. Hundreds of people enjoyed entertainment, tasty food, magicians and socializing at the street festival. The Boulevard was open only to pedestrians from Broad Street to Leigh Street for the early Halloween event.