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Petersburg shake-up nets new chief operating officer
Amid crumbling finances, the City of Petersburg has shaken up its government leadership. After firing City Manager William E. Johnson III last week, the seven-member Petersburg City Council handed executive authority to three of its members, including Mayor W. Howard Myers, Ward 5, the city’s titular leader. The shuffle is the City Council’s latest effort to deal with millions of dollars in unpaid bills, a multimillion-dollar revenue shortfall and a malfunctioning water billing system.
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City facing grim budget choices
Parking at a Downtown meter could soon be more expensive. So could the annual city fee to register a vehicle and the cost of trash collection. Those are some of the fee increases Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones is proposing in the $709 million spending plan for fiscal year 2017 that begins July 1. He presented the plan last Friday to Richmond City Council. It would be up to the council to approve the fee increases as part of its work on the budget.
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GOP surprise
Cuccinelli then McCullough poised for Va. high court
Ending a long-running dispute with the governor, the Republican majority in the General Assembly will cap the legislative session by filling a vacant state Supreme Court seat with their own choice. However, as has been traditional, the choice will be a seasoned jurist — Stephen R. McCullough of the Virginia Court of Appeals, GOP leaders in the House and Senate announced Wednesday.
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Richmond sheriff sued for disability violation
Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. has been hit with a federal lawsuit for firing a deputy who became disabled by a heart condition.
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Preliminary figures show $4.7M surplus for city in FY2015
City Hall could fill a big chunk of a projected $9.6 million deficit for the current fiscal year once outside auditors sign off on the city’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for fiscal year 2015 that ended June 30. Based on preliminary figures, the city finished fiscal year 2015 with a $4.7 million surplus.
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Weldon Hill moves from VSU provost to professor
New Virginia State University President Makola M. Abdullah will soon be putting his stamp on the university’s administration.
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Worker fired for doing mayor’s church work on the job
The Richmond Ambulance Authority quietly has terminated a high-ranking employee who was doing volunteer work for Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ church during business hours, the Free Press has learned. Pamela J. Branch, the authority’s chief human resources and legal officer for several years, was fired Feb. 24 after officials determined she spent time at the RAA doing work as clerk of First Baptist Church of South Richmond, where the mayor is senior pastor.
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Henrico cop indicted
Kimberly McNeil made that plea to a Henrico County police officer who was firing into a car in which she was a passenger. Her plea went unanswered, a cousin recounted, as Officer Joel D. Greenway, continued shooting at her as her fiancé, Robert Davis, tried to drive away from the Exxon station where they had just purchased gas Dec. 15.
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Telfair: I was never consulted on Petersburg water contract
Two years ago, cash-strapped Petersburg jumped at a deal that Johnson Controls Inc. was offering. As it has done across the country, the energy and industrial giant offered to pay for installing automated water meters to replace Petersburg’s 11,500 old and outdated meters. The new meters would transmit water usage data to a passing truck and eliminate the need to send staff to physically check meters every two months.
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Pro-Confederate legislators make run to save symbols
Veto that bill, governor. That’s the cry from members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus after the Republican-dominated General Assembly approved a bill that would bar localities from removing Confederate hate symbols from public property. “I voted against it, but now we can only hope that that the governor will use his veto pen,” said Delegate Jennifer L. McClellan.
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Clinton, Trump win Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday proved super for Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. The two front-runners each won seven of the 11 state primary contests this week, including Virginia — putting each on course to win their party’s presidential nomination and face each other in a general election showdown.
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Walker statue to rise above Downtown plaza
The bronze statue of Richmond businesswoman Maggie L. Walker is to be the centerpiece of a 3,000-square-foot circular plaza made of granite. The preliminary design was unveiled last Saturday to an audience of about 100 people at the Richmond Public Library’s Main Branch in Downtown.
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Petersburg roils with turmoil
There’s trouble in Petersburg. Petitions are being circulated to remove Petersburg Mayor W. Howard Myers. Separately, a majority of the Petersburg City Council has voted to begin talks to remove Petersburg City Manager William E. Johnson III and City Attorney Brian K. Telfair, although some are questioning whether the action came at a legal meeting. All of this comes as residents are venting over the way the city is being managed, over sky-high water bills and about property tax bills that are arriving close to the deadline for payment.
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Super Tuesday
Virginians to vote in presidential primaries March 1
Now it is up to the voters. Next week, Virginians will help pick the Democratic and Republican nominees for president. The presidential primary elections for both parties are scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, in the Old Dominion, with polls open from 6 a.m to 7 p.m. in Richmond and across the state.
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Creighton Court residents still dealing with heating issues
Tina Shaw and residents of four other apartments in Creighton Court have sufficient heat, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority reports. RRHA conducted heat tests of the apartment Ms. Shaw occupies and those of other residents in response to complaints Ms. Shaw lodged with the Free Press about radiators in her apartment not functioning.
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Bond blocks eviction appeal
Janice Wiggins was eager to appeal to Richmond Circuit Court when a General District Court judge sided with her landlord and approved her eviction for nonpayment of December’s rent. Ms. Wiggins believed she could win her case if another judge heard it. She said she had presented a receipt, acknowledged by the landlord, that showed she had paid the rent and late fees before the Jan. 21 court hearing. She wanted a chance to prove Judge Barbara J. Gaden was in error when she ruled the payment was for January’s rent, rather than for the missing December rent.
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Woman raises concern over fees charged by court
In the world of local courts that seems to have an endless list of fees and costs, one thing has always been free: Subpoenas and summonses for witnesses in a criminal case. However, a recent incident has left a Richmond woman concerned that the policy has changed in Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
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Va. Tech scientist to Richmonders: use water filters for protection
Attach a $20 filter to each of the water taps you use for drinking or cooking. And regularly change the filter cartridges. That’s the only to way to ensure you aren’t getting poisonous lead in your water, according to Dr. Marc Edwards, the Virginia Tech environmental scientist who has won hero status for proving people in Flint, Mich., were being poisoned by their drinking water.
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A tale of two campaign offices:
Hillary and Bernie in Richmond
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton each have opened campaign offices in Richmond ahead of the upcoming Virginia presidential primary Tuesday, March 1.
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Tree axed
Committee votes to remove oak from Walker statue site
The live oak tree will be axed from the site where the Maggie L. Walker statue will stand in Downtown. The tree’s fate was sealed Saturday when sculptor Antonio T. “Toby” Mendez met with the Richmond Public Art Commission’s Site Selection Team, led by architect Sarah Driggs.
