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City Council members call for ban on police use of tear gas, pepper spray as demonstrations continue
Ban the tear gas, pepper spray, flash bangs and rubber bullets that Richmond Police and their law enforcement partners have used repeatedly to disperse protesters clamoring against police brutality and racial injustice. That’s the cry from two Richmond City Council members who have witnessed the demonstrations and choked on the tear gas, and believe its use by police needs to end.
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Under fire
Calls grow for Interim Chief Blackwell to resign after word of his fatal 2002 officer-involved shooting
Interim Richmond Police Chief William V. “Jody” Blackwell is supposed to be the right person to focus on “necessary public safety reform, healing and trust building within the community.”
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Home health workers often overlooked in state COVID-19 protection efforts
Ever since the COVID-19 emergency was declared in March, the state has pushed a well-publicized effort to get masks, gowns and other protective gear for doctors, nurses and other health care workers in hospitals and nursing homes.
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Sen. Jennifer McClellan announces her candidacy for governor
After 15 years in the General Assembly, Sen. Jennifer L. Mc- Clellan wants to play a bigger role in shaping state policy.
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Rep. McEachin handily wins Democratic primary contest
Richmond voters joined others in the 4th Congressional District in supporting Rep. A. Donald McEachin for a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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City sets up $6M eviction assistance plan to aid during COVID-19
Janice Lacy had a job she loved transporting elderly and disabled people. But then COVID-19 hit and she was laid off in mid-March after the state of emergency was declared.
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City attorney cautions officials against any emergency order to remove Confederate statues
Calls for City Hall to remove the last three city-owned Confederate statues on Monument Avenue before people are injured or killed trying to pull them down appeared to die this week after Interim City Attorney Haskell C. Brown III cautioned that city officials and any contractors hired to do the work could face felony charges.
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City Council starts process to rename Lee Bridge and other Confederate memorials
Legal tangles continue to block removal of state-owned statues honoring Confederate Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue and in the State Capitol.
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Music educator and band director John H. Scott Jr. dies at 59
As a young man, John Henry Scott Jr. loved playing the trumpet in marching bands in high school and college.
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Booted out
After days of protests and videos of police tear-gassing and pepper-spraying peaceful crowds, Richmond Police Chief Will Smith was asked to resign Tuesday by Mayor Levar M. Stoney
A year ago, new Richmond Police Chief Will Smith was extolled as the best thing since sliced bread when it came to leading 754 sworn officers in the fight against crime.
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Court hearing Thursday on Confederate statue removal
Can Gov. Ralph S. Northam use his authority to remove the huge, state-owned statue of traitorous and slavery-defending Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Monument Avenue?
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VSU facing possible $26M deficit, enrollment drop
Virginia State University has become a prime example of the financial hits historically black colleges and universities are taking because of the coronavirus.
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City voter registrar to host June 22 ‘Drive Up, Drop Off!’
Early voting in Richmond is jumping in popularity ahead of the Tuesday, June 23, party primary, and city Voter Registrar Kirk Showalter is taking an extra step to ensure mail-in ballots get counted.
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40 candidates throwing hat in ring for City Council, School Board seats
Contests are shaping up in Richmond for seven City Council seats and six School Board seats.
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SCC bans most utility cutoffs until Aug. 31
Virginians who have fallen far behind in paying their electric bills have gained a two-month reprieve from disconnections.
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GRTC to offer free rides through June 2021
GRTC, which eliminated fares in March, will continue free rides on the Pulse bus rapid transit system, regular buses and CARE vans through at least June 30, 2021. For now, riders still will be required to wear face coverings.
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Washington NFL team to skip training in Richmond
Following a decision from the National Football League, the Washington pro football team will not be traveling to Richmond to train in late July and early August.
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City Charter language may stymie efforts to remove Confederate statues
As demonstrations in Richmond for racial justice and against police brutality continued for the 12th day on Wednesday, all nine members of City Council already are on board for one monumental change — removal of the statues of Confederate traitors that litter Monument Avenue and other parts of the city.
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Police Chief Will Smith orders policy review after tear-gassing of protesters
Restraint. That appears to the watchword for the Richmond Police Department that is still smarting from a June 1 incident in which officers fired tear gas and pepper-sprayed a crowd of hundreds protesting police brutality and racial injustice about 30 minutes before a city-imposed 8 p.m. curfew.
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State Supreme Court halts evictions through June 29
At least 1,349 households in Richmond and hundreds more around the state have a three-week reprieve from eviction proceedings as the state prepares to roll out a rent relief program.
