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Plans could transform Grace St. block into retail-residential mix
Nearly a block of city-owned parking space near the Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Arts Center in Downtown could be transformed into a mix of residences, offices and retail shops, accompanied by an 800-car parking deck.
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Police funding decision before City Council Dec. 12
Richmond City Council has dropped its plan to hold a special meeting to shift $1.7 million to the city Police Department to cover the cost of hiring and training 20 recruits.
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Councilman-elect Jones not interested in leadership post
The Rev. Michael J. Jones says he is not campaigning to become vice president of Richmond City Council when the governing body begins a new term and selects new officers at its organizational meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The incoming 9th District City Council member said Monday that he is not interested in a leadership post in response to a Free Press report last week.
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Stoney draws transition team from various sectors
Mayor-elect Levar Stoney is drawing on people from business, education, government and other backgrounds to help him make the transition to Richmond’s chief executive post.
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Petersburg official involved in water meter problems put on leave
A Petersburg official who played a key role in the city’s water meter snafu has been placed on administrative leave, the Free Press has learned.
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McEachin endorses McClellan to replace him in state Senate
Richmond Delegate Jennifer L. McClellan appears to be on a glide path to the state Senate to succeed A. Donald McEachin, who is headed to Washington to represent the 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Cleared
Allegations dismissed that Mayor Dwight C. Jones used city resources to benefit his church
Mayor Dwight C. Jones is off the hook. Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring announced Wednesday that Mayor Jones has been cleared of allegations that he used city resources to benefit the South Side church where he also is senior pastor.
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Consultants find Petersburg is nearly broke
For interim Petersburg City Manager Tom Tyrell, Christmas and New Year’s cannot come too soon. That’s when property owners are supposed to pay their next quarterly bill for real estate taxes — and steer fresh revenue into the depleted Petersburg coffers.
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Mayor Jones proposes less than half initially planned for city police
Police Chief Alfred Durham is likely to get only half the money he had been promised to hire and train new recruits to help beef up staff at the Richmond Police Department.
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Former RPS warehouse to become furniture building center
Call it a $1.6 million windfall for Richmond Public Schools to use to upgrade some of its schools. The money is to come from the sale of the school system’s former warehouse on Arlington Road near The Diamond to Richmond-based McKinnon and Harris, an outdoor furniture manufacturer.
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10 groups interested in leading Boulevard redevelopment project
At least 10 groups have responded to Richmond’s call for companies to redevelop the 60 acres of mostly cleared city property that includes The Diamond baseball stadium and the Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center on North Boulevard. “This is the kind of response that we wanted,” Lee Downey, the city’s chief development officer, said as the city begins the process of selecting a master developer to transform the area into a potential $300 million complex of offices, retail stores and residential units.
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Giving Heart’s Community Thanksgiving Feast warms community for 11 years
A festive Thanksgiving meal that everyone can enjoy — that’s what a community-spirited group will be offering in Richmond on “Turkey Day.”
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Neck injury leads to time card investigation, shake-up at Richmond post office
Shekeera Greene injured her neck while delivering mail in late August. Now the letter carrier’s injury has led to a shake-up of the U.S. Postal Service in Richmond.
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GRTC to pilot on-demand service for elderly, disabled
Taxicab, Uber and Lyft drivers soon could be taking elderly and disabled people shopping, to the doctor and to other places in Richmond and Henrico County.
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Race beginning for new City Council president
A three-way race appears to be shaping up to replace outgoing City Council President Michelle R. Mosby, 9th District, who gave up her seat in an unsuccessful run for mayor.
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Documents show letter carriers’ pay reduced
At least three supervisors in Richmond’s Main Post Office appear to routinely change the time cards of letter carriers — without the carriers’ knowledge or permission — in order to reduce their pay.
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Delegate McClellan to run for McEachin’s state Senate seat
Richmond Delegate Jennifer L. McClellan is going to run for the 9th District Senate seat in a still-to-be-announced special election.
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Plan introduced to lease City Stadium to Richmond Kickers
City Stadium — the aging city-owned sports facility in the near West End that hosts soccer and football games — could soon become the permanent home of the Richmond Kickers soccer team.
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Gov. McAuliffe announces cyber security training program for vets
Military veterans are being offered a new opportunity to protect and serve. But this time, they won’t need to carry weapons. On Veterans Day last week, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the launch of Cyber Vets Virginia, which aims to enlist former service members in positions to protect computer systems.
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Proposals to build 2 schools, redo George Wythe under review
Richmond Public Schools might provide incoming Mayor Levar Stoney with a potential blueprint for addressing the problem of outdated and increasingly worn-out school buildings.