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Croaker’s adds a new spot — Sugar’s Crab Shack
The popular Richmond-based Croaker’s Spot restaurant chain has a new addition — Sugar’s Crab Shack. The drive-in, walk-up eatery quietly opened two weeks ago in the 2200 block of Chamberlayne Avenue and features lake trout, catfish and shrimp, as well as snow crab legs.
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Lane named superintendent in Chesterfield
Dr. James F. Lane, head of Goochland County Public Schools, will be the next superintendent of the larger Chesterfield County school system.
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Richmond Christian Center to search for new pastor
The Richmond Christian Center is moving to replace its founding pastor, Steve Parson. Two months after emerging from bankruptcy, the fundamentalist South Side church announced Tuesday that it has begun a search for a new full-time pastor to be in place by July.
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Computer science to be added to Va. education requirements
The three Rs of education are getting a new addition in Virginia — computer science. As part of education reforms approved in the recent session, the General Assembly unanimously passed legislation making the theory and practice of computer operations and the ability to write software code part of a well-rounded education on par with the traditional subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic.
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‘Virtual school’ in Va.?
Advocates say it would boost educational choices; critics say it would strip students and money from public schools
Thousands of public school students in Virginia could have the option of taking all of their classes on a home computer in what is known as a “virtual school” — instead of making the daily trek to a building with bells and defined class times. Gov. Terry McAuliffe is mulling whether to sign House Bill 8, a largely Republican-backed piece of legislation that would allow Virginia to join Florida, Ohio and 28 other states in providing 12 years of public education in what enthusiasts describe as a “classroom without walls.”
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Walker statue to be shorter than initial plan
Maggie Walker’s statue in Downtown could wind up at least 6 feet shorter than sculptor Antonio “Toby” Mendez first envisioned. Instead of a 14-foot tall statue standing on a 5-foot pedestal as the sculptor proposed, the bronze figure of the much-admired Richmond businesswoman and civil rights leader would be no more than 10 feet tall and stand on 3-foot,4-inch pedestal in the proposed plaza at Adams and Broad streets.
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Rankine named new dean at UR
The University of Richmond School of Arts and Sciences will have a new dean June 1. He is Dr. Patrice Rankine, currently dean for Arts and Humanities at Hope College in Holland, Mich. “Dr. Rankine is an experienced and accomplished scholar and administrator who deeply appreciates the importance we, at Richmond, attach to our deans being student-focused and committed to faculty development,” University of Richmond Provost Jacquelyn S. Fetrow stated Tuesday in announcing the appointment.
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Tentative design, sculptor chosen for Emancipation Monument
Plans for a Richmond monument that pays tribute to the Emancipation Proclamation and enslaved Africans are moving forward three years after it was first proposed, according to a state commission that is spearheading the effort. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission has tentatively selected the sculptor and a potential design for the Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument.
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State senator launches bid for Congress
State Sen. A. Donald McEachin formally announced his candidacy for the open seat in the 4th Congressional District. Richmond and Eastern Henrico are now part of the 4th District, which has been represented by Republican Congressman J. Randy Forbes. However, Rep. Forbes announced he will give up the seat and run in the 2nd Congressional District. Sen. McEachin, a 54-year-old Democrat and personal injury attorney, was re-elected last year to a third term in the state Senate. He will not have to give up his General Assembly seat to run for Congress.
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City juvenile detention center re-certified
The Richmond Juvenile Detention Center has passed its latest state review with flying colors. Richmond officials said the center was notified last month that it had been recertified to operate for another three years after receiving 100 percent passing grades on all elements of the audit.
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Student advocate wins case in Chesterfield
Kandise Lucas, an advocate for disabled students and their parents, did not trespass at a Chesterfield County high school last year despite being banned from the property, a Chesterfield Circuit Court judge ruled Wednesday. Judge Timothy J. Hauler threw out the misdemeanor trespass charge the school system had brought after finding Ms. Lucas did not have the requisite intent.
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GRTC driver raises safety concerns after stabbing
GRTC bus drivers have been assaulted by angry and upset passengers at least 16 times during the past five years. They have reported being spit on, punched and hit with water bottles and book bags, according to GRTC records. One driver last year even had a knife briefly held to his throat.
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John Marshall bows to I.C. Norcom in state semifinal
Some people worried that when all-time scorer Travis McKie left Richmond’s John Marshall High School, the Justices’ basketball fortunes might dip. It didn’t happen.
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Malveaux moves to Va. Court of Appeals
Henrico County Judge Mary Bennett Malveaux is a beneficiary of the judgeship fight between the governor and the Republican-dominated General Assembly. She is headed to the state’s 11-member Court of Appeals where she will make history as the court’s first African-American female member. She is officially to begin on April 16.
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Sweeping changes to impact high school learning, training
High school is headed for an overhaul in Virginia. Under reforms approved by the General Assembly, students who take courses to become computer technicians, mechanics, nurses and plumbers or enter other career and technical fields are to be placed on an equal footing with students seeking to go to college.
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Grand jury OKs probe of city connection to mayor’s church
A grand jury Wednesday granted the Virginia State Police permission to investigate whether Mayor Dwight C. Jones blurred his roles as the city’s chief executive and senior pastor of First Baptist Church of South Richmond. Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring called it a “procedural step” that allows the State Police to probe whether the mayor improperly used his city position to benefit the church or any of its members.
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Sheriff Woody answers federal ADA lawsuit
Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. plans to vigorously defend his office against a federal lawsuit accusing him of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to find a civilian position for a deputy suffering from a disabling heart condition. Tony Pham, the in-house lawyer for the Sheriff’s Office, stated that the sheriff followed the law and “vehemently denies that the former employee was discriminated against under the ADA” as the U.S. Justice Department alleged in its suit filed March 3 in federal district court in Richmond.
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Congressional races shaping up
Largely overshadowed by presidential politics, the races for Virginia’s 11 congressional seats are beginning to take shape. In the 4th Congressional District that now includes Richmond, candidates are starting to make plans to run in the June 14 primary contests that have been called by the district’s Democratic and Republican committees.
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VSU working on improvements after state auditor’s findings
That’s the verdict of the state auditor of public accounts after completing Virginia State University’s financial audit for fiscal year 2015 that ended June 30.
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Justices take on I.C. Norcom Friday in state tournament
John Marshall High School is among the smallest schools in the Virginia High School League’s 3A classification. It also ranks with the state’s 3A elite, at least basketball-wise. Relying on multitasking athletes such as Xavier Trent and Isaiah Anderson, Coach Ty White’s Justices are hopeful of a second state basketball title in three years.
