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Virginia attorney general launches clergy abuse hotline
People who have been sexually abused by a priest, minister or other faith leader have new options to tell their story.
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City continues to grow rainy day fund, but no interest earned
City Council is poised to exceed its policy goal for saving taxpayer dollars. The result makes it likely that council will lock up millions of extra dollars in the city’s rainy day fund that could be used for improving services.
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Kamras calls for tax hike to support schools
More money, please. That’s the call from Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras.
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City lawyers deny allegations in fired employee’s lawsuit
City Hall is asking a federal court to dismiss a terminated employee’s lawsuit that accuses the city of failing to pay overtime and also of violating the federal Family Medical Leave Act in firing her when she was forced to stay home to care for two sick children.
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City Council committee delays action on Arthur Ashe Boulevard, other items
City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray, 2nd District, hit the pause button on her proposal to rename the Boulevard for Arthur Ashe to honor the late Richmond-born tennis great and renowned humanitarian. Saying she wanted to “provide more time for dialogue,” Ms. Gray secured a 60-day delay until Tuesday, Dec. 18, before the plan is to be considered by the Richmond City Council’s Land Use, Housing and Transportation Committee.
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Richmond Circuit Court clears way for ballot initiative on schools vs. Coliseum
The Richmond Circuit Court this week cleared the way for political strategist Paul Goldman to launch a challenge to a brewing $1.2 billion proposal to replace the 47-year-old Richmond Coliseum.
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Lost cause
Richmond City Council rejects resolution requesting General Assembly approval for authority over city’s Confederate monuments
The racist Confederate past has maintained its stranglehold on Richmond’s future.
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Goldman to pursue new City Charter change
Should Richmond’s top priority be modernizing obsolete public school buildings or replacing the 47-year-old Richmond Coliseum? Veteran political strategist Paul Goldman wants to give city voters the opportunity to weigh in on that issue.
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Public sentiment divided on renaming the Boulevard for Arthur Ashe
Call it a preview of the coming fireworks over a proposal to rename the historic West End street now simply known as the Boulevard in honor of Arthur Ashe Jr., the late great Richmond-born tennis star and humanitarian.
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Blackwell gets historic designation
A large swatch of the Blackwell neighborhood in South Side just gained official designation as a historic place.
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CARE van drivers again reject latest contract offer
Unionized CARE van drivers have rejected the latest contract offer from First Transit, the company that operates GRTC’s door-to-door service for the elderly and disabled.
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Federal court will redraw House of Delegates boundaries
A federal court will have the task of redrawing the boundaries of 11 state House of Delegates districts that were found to be illegally packed with Democratic-leaning black voters.
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PTA president lives in Henrico, but keeps children in RPS
Every school day, Chastity R. Hise or her husband, James R. Hise, drives the 3 miles from their home to drop their two children off at Linwood Holton Elementary School in the city’s North Side. And at the end of the day, one of the Hises is there to drive the children home.
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Grim: State accreditation and dropout data, recent audits reveal problems that have long plagued Richmond Public Schools
Educating all students remains a tough challenge for Richmond Public Schools. While the data show the majority of students complete 12 years and leave with a diploma to start careers or begin additional study, Richmond seems unable to make classroom education meaningful for a substantial minority who end up dropping out.
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School improvement grants fail to yield results
Ask Mayor Levar M. Stoney what it will take to fix Richmond’s ailing public schools, and he has a succinct answer: More money from the state. He’s now leading a campaign to boost state educational spending in Richmond and across Virginia.
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$13.5M surplus
That’s what city expects this year after crying money blues
Just like last year and the year before, financial officials at City Hall were singing the hardship blues in May in reporting to Richmond City Council that revenues were barely keeping up with expenses. They warned the council not to expect any big surplus.
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City moves homeless shelter from Downtown
Homeless people in Richmond could face a bigger challenge to survive the coming winter’s bitter cold. Instead of heading to the former Public Safety Building near City Hall to stay warm overnight, homeless people will need to go to the Conrad Center at 1400 Oliver Hill Way in Shockoe Valley.
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Gov. Northam vows to veto new Republican redistricting plan
No deal. That’s Democratic Gov. Ralph S. Northam’s response to a new Republican plan to redistrict the Virginia House of Delegates and overcome a court finding that the current plan illegally packs Democratic-leaning African-American voters into 11 districts.
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Former city worker’s lawsuit alleges FMLA, overtime violations
For 11 years, Dikiviya Howell was considered a valuable city employee with an unblemished record and a willingness to work extra hours to ensure the job was done.
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New alliance seeks to improve lives of Highland Park residents
Bernice Clack did not have to go to church last Sunday. Church came to her in the form of a volunteer crew from nearby St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Highland Park.