Waterworks // Promise Clarke, 3, enjoys the crisp spray of water on a hot and humid Wednesday at the Fairmount Pool on U Street in Richmond’s East End. City pools, the James River and other recreation spots are likely to see lots of visitors during the weekend as temperatures are to soar to nearly 100 degrees for the next few days.

Cityscape // A new traffic circle is taking shape at the Six Points intersection in Highland Park in North Side. The $1.2 million project to improve traffic control has been underway since early January. When complete, it will be one of the biggest roundabouts in the city. It will serve motorists heading east and west on Brookland Park Boulevard, and north and south on Meadowbridge Road. The other streets that meet at this central point are Dill Avenue, which runs northeast, and 2nd Avenue, which is south of the intersection. Pedestrian crosswalks, handicap ramps and landscaping also are to be installed. Traffic lights that have long controlled the flow of cars and trucks have been removed from the intersection. City officials believe the new traffic circle could help eliminate crashes. Traffic accidents at the intersection were rare, however, with only five in the previous three years. Weather delays from snow and heavy rain have delayed the project’s completion. The city is using federal and state funds and its own contribution to cover the project’s cost.

Norfolk’s new mayor // Kenneth C. Alexander, a former state senator and member of the House of Delegates who previously served as chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, takes the oath of office as Norfolk’s new mayor during a ceremony last Friday outside Norfolk City Hall. Mr. Alexander’s May 3 election makes him the first African-American mayor of the Hampton Roads city. His wife, Donna Alexander, holds the Bible as he is sworn in by Judge John R. Doyle III, chief judge of Norfolk Circuit Court. The Alexanders were joined by their sons, David, left, and Kenneth II. Mayor Alexander is president of the family-owned Metropolitan Funeral Service.

Giant hibiscus at Oliver Hill Courts Building

Inaugural VIA Hall of Fame class // Numerous athletes and coaches, including several with Richmond area ties, were among those inducted into the Virginia Interscholastic Association (VIA) Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. Under the leadership of VIA Heritage Association Chair- man Jimmy Hollins, the ceremony, held June 20, drew a full house at a Charlottesville hotel. The VIA served as the organizing body for Virginia’s public schools serving black students during segregation, from 1954 to 1969. Pictured here are Hall of Fame inductees or their rep- resentatives. They are, front row, left to right: Thaddeus Madden Jr., Lauren Puryear, Dennis Harvey, Louvenia Johnson, Loucious Edwards, the Rev. Jean R. Casey, Su- zette Quarles, Kim Lennon, Betty Jones, Dr. Vivian Pinn and Fannie Harris. Middle row, left to right: James Hayes, Ernest Shaw, Milton Jacox, Walter Bowser, Donald Ross, Roger Hailstork, George Lancaster and Ian Jefferson. Back row, left to right: Joseph Buggs, Raymond Pollard, Bryant Stith, Arthur Gardener Jr., Earl Lloyd Jr., William Lawson III and Charles Stukes.

Celebration at The Diamond // Overcast evening skies didn’t dampen the color and spectacle of Fourth of July fireworks at The Diamond on Monday, where a sellout crowd of more than 9,500 people enjoyed the sky show following the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ game. All around, it was a night of fun, with the Squirrels beating the Reading Fightin’ Phils 18-1. The Squirrels blasted three home runs, followed by the fireworks display that was a home run with the crowd.