Slippery slope
 // Jamon Lewis, 11, makes the snow fly as he slides down a steep slope at Forest Hill Park in South Side last Friday. The snow created fun, but also icy conditions that led school systems in the Richmond area to close through Tuesday. Classes resumed Wednesday. The cold and ice also caused power outages and froze water pipes in untold numbers of homes and businesses. Underground water infrastructure also cracked, shutting off the water supply in Church Hill, parts of Downtown and in nearby suburbs. On Monday and Tuesday, cracked water mains twice caused partial closure of Interstate 95 in Richmond as water flooded the highway.

Cityscape // A family walks on the frozen edge of the James River on Sunday, evidence of the frigid conditions that gripped the city over the past two weeks. The first week in January saw temperatures average 17.8 degrees, the coldest for that week since the National Weather Service began taking measurements in Richmond at least 100 years ago. It also broke the average temperature record for the week of 21.1 degrees set in 1918. Good news: Richmond will enjoy ice-melting temperatures this week, with temperatures climbing into the 60s on Friday. The high is expected to be in the 50s Saturday for Gov.-elect Ralph S. Northam’s inauguration before plunging again to the 30s on Sunday and Monday.

New sheriff in office // Antionette V. Irving is Richmond’s new sheriff. She took office Jan. 1, but was sworn in early in preparing to replace former Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. Judge C.N. Jenkins Jr., chief judge of the Richmond Circuit Court, administers the oath of office to Sheriff Irving on Dec. 8 as her mother, Shirley, holds the Bible. Location: John Marshall Courts Building in Downtown.