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New teen career, college center planned by Boys & Girls Clubs
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond is moving forward to develop a new $5 million teen center in the East End with a focus on providing career and college guidance for 15- to 18-year-olds.
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No more money for school maintenance
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras is alarmed. He just found out that, as of March 31, RPS has only $881,143 left through June 30 to spend on school maintenance needs.
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Pulse to start service June 24
That’s the day GRTC will launch the biggest overhaul of bus service in generations, one the company hopes that regular riders will cheer and that will bring new people to use public transit.
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City developing policy, procedure for admissions tax
The director of the Richmond Finance Department will not seek legislation to reform the assessment and collection of admissions taxes.
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Warning: Smoking may cause eviction
New smoke-free policy takes effect Aug.1 for all RRHA properties, including 4,000 public housing units in city
Residents of public housing in Richmond are facing a ban on smoking in three months.
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City doesn’t publicize exemption from trash fees for elderly, disabled renters
City Hall is quietly blocking elderly and disabled renters from receiving free trash and recycling services, the Free Press has learned — a benefit the city has offered for nearly 14 years and which currently is worth $23.79 a month or $285.48 a year.
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Herring’s new policy seeks to eliminate cash bond system
Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring is stepping up his efforts to eliminate the cash bond system that forces people to stay in jail while awaiting trial because they cannot afford to put up the money or property for bail or to pay the fee of a bail bonding company willing to do it.
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Ballard, Rodriguez leaving VCU
Jeremy Ballard, having served two stints as Virginia Commonwealth University’s basketball assistant coach, is leaving Richmond to become head coach at Florida International University in Miami.
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City eliminates $240,000 admissions tax debt of Richmond Jazz Festival
Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration has quietly eliminated the estimated $240,000 in admissions taxes that the popular Richmond Jazz Festival owed the city, three highly placed sources have told the Free Press.
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80¢ cigarette tax goes up in smoke at City Council
Richmond smokers will not have to pay an extra 80 cents for a pack of cigarette. After hearing from more than 50 speakers and nearly an hour of debate, Richmond City Council, with a 6-3 vote, killed a proposal to impose a city tax on cigarettes that Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, 5th District, had spearheaded.
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Tree problems go unanswered by city
Editor’s note: Just before the Free Press Wednesday deadline, Spencer Turner sent a text message to a Free Press reporter stating: “Thanks for help. They are cutting tree down Friday. The power of a free press.” As of deadline, the Free Press had not been able to confirm Mr. Turner’s statement with city officials. By Jeremy M. Lazarus
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Pulse driving businesses down
Transit construction has hurt Downtown establishments
By Jeremy M. Lazarus Richmond City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray has been getting an earful from restaurants and businesses along Broad Street that have seen customer numbers fall and revenues shrink during the 20-month construction of Pulse, GRTC’s new bus rapid transit system
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Henrico hotel pays workers with free lodging
An aging hotel in Henrico County has found a way to virtually eliminate wages. Instead of money, employees get a room in exchange for working 40 hours a week checking in guests, doing maintenance work, cleaning rooms or filling other needed roles.
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Can Richmond afford 4 planned new schools?
One unanswered question hovers as the Richmond School Board and schools Superintendent Jason Kamras push the city to seek bids for new buildings to replace four aging schools: Can the city afford them?
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Free Press wins 11 state journalism awards
The Richmond Free Press continues its 26-year tradition of award-winning excellence. The newspaper was recognized with 11 awards, including four first place awards, at the annual Virginia Press Association competition in writing, photography, news presentation and advertising.
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Health systems securing naming rights to GRTC’s Pulse
Richmond area taxpayers apparently will not have to spend as much to subsidize rides on GRTC’s new bus rapid transit service, also known as Pulse, thanks to two area health care giants, VCU Health System and Bon Secours Richmond Health System.
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RRHA still fixing heating systems
The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority has restored heat to 318 apartments, but still has 93 units in various public housing communities to complete, according to an update released last week.
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Liberty president censors student newspaper over critics
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. stifled an effort by the school’s newspaper to report on an event last weekend organized by his critics, said a student editor.
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Mayor on hook for school modernization plan with charter change signing
Backed by a unanimous legislature, Gov. Ralph S. Northam has signed a new charter measure for Richmond that will require Mayor Levar M. Stoney to come up with a fully funded plan for modernizing every city school without a tax increase or explain why he cannot.
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Confederate flag replaced at Riverview Cemetery
A Confederate flag flying in Riverview Cemetery in Richmond’s West End has been replaced with a new banner — the Christian flag, a white banner with a red cross centered in a small, blue square in the flag’s top left corner.
