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New city CAO gets $5,700 raise before job start
Selena Cuffee-Glenn just received a $5,700 salary bump — from $203,000 a year to $208,700 — though she will not start work as the city’s top administrator until Monday, May 18.
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No charges filed against Wisconsin police officer in teen’s death
A Wisconsin police officer who fatally shot an unarmed biracial teenager in March, prompting several days of peaceful protests, will not be charged, a prosecutor said Tuesday. Officer Matt Kenny used justified lethal force in the March 6 shooting of Tony Robinson, 19, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said.
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Giles hopes to boost services to troubled teens
Shunda T. Giles has been preparing for her transition from lawyer for the Richmond Department of Social Services to its top manager. On Monday, the 41-year-old attorney took over the leadership role of the department of more than 400 staffers and a $74.5 million annual budget, all aimed at strengthening families and providing services to meet essential human needs.
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Plenty of jobs, not enough workers
Commission recommends aligning training with opportunities
Talk about a huge surprise: Four job openings exist in Richmond for every job seeker in the city, according to government data. In fact, more jobs in the city go begging for qualified workers than anywhere else in the Richmond region, which overall has 1.5 job openings for every job seeker, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated in its December report.
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Slavery memorial to gain in capital budget plan
The battle over the ballpark in Shockoe Bottom apparently is over. At the same time, hopes are fading for Richmond Public Schools to gain funding to develop essential new schools on South Side to relieve overcrowding.
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Services sacrificed in council’s $ plan
Richmond Public Schools is on track to gain an extra $9 million to help meet critical needs in the coming year. Police officers and firefighters also are on track to gain bigger raises of roughly 2.5 percent to help reduce turnover in public safety.
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$1 City selling home sites for low, moderate income families
Vacant property for $1. That’s the price that City Hall is setting to clear out its inventory of home sites and to help cut the future purchase price of the houses to be built on them. This effort also will help finish partially completed developments that have been on hold since the economic recession began in 2008. In a first step, at least 16 lots are being prepared for sale, primarily in Southern Barton Heights. A few lots in Swansboro on South Side and in Newtowne West near Virginia Union University also are part of the sale. The board of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the properties’ nominal owner, helped clear the way by approving the transfer of the properties to the city at its meeting last week.
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Richmond schools to get boost from state
Higher than expected enrollment is helping Richmond Public Schools avoid falling into a deficit. Richmond reported 128 more students than expected on March 31, boosting total enrollment to 21,973 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, according to a report to the School Board. The extra students should result in a $1.6 million boost in the state’s contribution, according to the report from Ralph L. Westbay, assistant superintendent for financial services. The state contribution previously had been projected at $121.7 million.
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VSU, NSU still facing cutbacks
Cutbacks. That’s what Norfolk State and Virginia State universities are facing because of surprisingly steep enrollment drops. Enrollment at both of the state-funded, historically black institutions peaked in 2012 and then began a sharp decline. Based on current projections, both schools expect to enroll at least 25 percent fewer students in the fall than in 2012. That means less income and more need to reduce spending on staff and programs.
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Spotty CARE van service leaves riders in limbo
Roderyck Bullock has somewhere to go almost every day, but he doesn’t always make it. His ride sometimes arrives late. Occasionally, it doesn’t show up at all.
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Fight over Richmond Christian Center property on South Side continues
Henrico County-based Mountain of Blessings Christian Center still wants to acquire the property of the bankrupt Richmond Christian Center in South Richmond. In a suit filed this month, Mountain of Blessings is requesting that U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Keith L. Phillips either enforce an order he signed in December authorizing Mountain of Blessing’s purchase of the RCC property in the 200 block of Cowardin Avenue or order RCC to pay Mountain of Blessings at least $2.7 million in damages.
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Samuels to run for mayor?
Is Charles R. Samuels adding his name to the list of City Council members and others eyeing a run for mayor in 2016? While the six-year council representative insists that’s not the case, others are less certain about his intentions as potential candidates begin to line up. That includes council members Jonathan T. Baliles and Chris A. Hilbert, who both have indicated they are making plans to run. There also is talk that Council President Michelle Mosby also is interested. Richmond Delegate Delores L. McQuinn and state Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar M. Stoney also are being mentioned as potential candidates.
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Henrico to replace voting machines
Henrico County is joining Richmond in replacing its voting machines to comply with new state requirements. Ahead of the June 9 primary, the county inked a deal this week to pay $1.2 million to buy new optical scan machines, Voter Registrar Mark J. Coakley announced.
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City Council green lights projects for 2nd Street, North Side, East End
New apartments finally could rise on the site of the former Eggleston Hotel at 2nd and Leigh streets in Jackson Ward. City Council gave a thumbs up Monday by voting 9-0 to allow the long-stalled project to receive a grant of $250,544 over seven years through the city’s Economic Development Authority. Developer Kelvin Hanson, who initially proposed Eggleston Plaza five years ago, said he hopes to have the $5.8 million project underway this summer.
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Grace Street changing to two-way in Downtown
Traffic alert: Expect disruption on East Grace Street from 4th Street to 9th Street in Downtown for two months. The reason: Five blocks of Grace Street are being transformed from a one-way street to two-way, the Department of Public Works announced this week.
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City registrar to seek $1.2M for new voting machines
Richmond is close to resolving its voting machine problem. Less than two weeks after the state banned the touch-screen machines Richmond and 29 other localities have used for 10 years, the city’s Electoral Board has selected replacement equipment.
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Outrage over Dems Party rejection
Re “Morrissey strikes out in court,” April 16-18 edition: I am a single, African-American mother who never has been actively engaged in Democratic politics — until now. I also am an avid reader of the Richmond Free Press and give kudos to Jeremy Lazarus for his well-written story regarding the Democratic Party rejecting Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey’s petitions and not allowing him on the ballot for the June 9 primary. I am highly offended that the Democratic Party that champions inclusivity and expanding voters’ rights would reject Mr. Morrissey’s petitions to get on the ballot.
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Nation of Islam moves mosque to Downtown
The Nation of Islam has quietly settled its Richmond mosque into a new home in Downtown. Forced to give up its large, steepled space on South Side, Muhammad Mosque No. 24 currently is operating out of leased space at 408 E. Main St.
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VCU adjusting after Shaka Smart exit
Virginia Commonwealth University has a new basketball coaching staff and, so far, the roster of returning Rams has remained intact, albeit a scare. Here’s what has transpired since Coach Shaka Smart left VCU to become coach at the University of Texas, and Coach Will Wade, a former Smart assistant, was named his successor. Promising 6-foot-8 freshman Justin Tillman asked to be released for the purpose of transferring to another university, but has since changed his mind and remains a Ram. All three of Coach Smart’s high school recruits to VCU have asked for and been granted releases by VCU Athletic Director Ed McLaughlin.
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Short-term fix restores power to Fay Towers residents
Elderly and disabled residents of Fay Towers can once again turn on the lights and enjoy a hot shower in their units. A big generator is temporarily providing electricity to the 200 units in the 11-story high rise in Gilpin Court while permanent repairs are made. Squirrels are being blamed for knocking out power to most of the building Sunday. The pesky rodents chewed up a main line into the building, according to Carol Jones-Gilbert, acting chief operating officer for the building’s landlord, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
