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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.
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.
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.
Rev. Nathaniel Morris, gospel singer, playwright, minister, dies at 67
The Rev. Nathaniel “Nat” Morris went from singing in a Richmond church as a child to the Broadway stage as an adult. An ordained minister, playwright, actor and singer, Rev. Morris was 18 when he made his debut in 1968 as a cast member in the rock musical “Hair” when it went to Broadway.
Artist wants money from city for damaged works, studio
S. Ross Browne was painting in his South Side studio at 4 a.m. Nov. 1 when he heard an explosion outside. The hydrant in front of his studio at 1100 Hull St. had burst. Water was gushing down the sidewalk and street as if the James River has suddenly flooded South Side.
Garden at MLK Middle School is part of new city Food Justice Corridor
Richmond’s new Food Justice Corridor is starting to take root. On Saturday, nine new raised garden beds were installed in an interior courtyard at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, building on fledging steps begun last year.
No answers yet on why new Richmond schools costs to be higher than many other locales
Richmond is preparing to spend $140 million to build three new schools financed by an increase in the city’s meals tax — $30 million more than the school system first projected and far in excess of what most school divisions are paying for new buildings.
Armstrong graduation figures better than initial report
Armstrong High School is providing best evidence that more seniors are graduating from Richmond Public Schools this year than the public could have expected given the pessimistic projections released three weeks ago by Superintendent Jason Kamras and his staff.
Regional recycling program at risk with Chesterfield, others pulling out
Chesterfield County is poised to pull out of a regional curbside recycling program, which could require Richmond and Henrico County to boost their subsidies to maintain the program.
Richmond barber helping rebuild lives, homes in Haiti
Kenneth Barney makes his living cutting hair. But in his spare time, the longtime Richmond barber is on a mission to build solid, safe houses in a community in Haiti where thousands make their homes in tiny ramshackle spaces.
Epic fail
At least 280 Richmond Public Schools seniors won’t be graduating in June, RPS officials say
Hundreds of Richmond seniors will not be allowed to graduate in nearly three weeks because they have not met the state standards for a diploma.
Local business owners recognized with inaugural Black Wall Street awards
Craig Watson saw opportunity when he couldn’t find any places in Richmond that offered a public venue for poets like him and best friend Dontronn Goode to share their work.
The end of Easter on Parade?
Sunday might have been the final edition of Easter on Parade — at least as an organized event. Thousands of people turned out to stroll along four blocks of Monument Avenue on Easter afternoon, some in holiday finery and others with costumed pets. It’s a tradition that dates back at least 50 years and has been under the aegis of city-supported groups for at least 30 years.
Councilman Hilbert opposes Salvation Army move to North Side
“I am firmly against this.” That’s the not-in-my-backyard response from 3rd District City Councilman Chris A. Hilbert’s to a Free Press report last week that the Salvation Army is applying for a special use permit to move its combination headquarters and homeless shelter from Downtown to a church building in Mr. Hilbert’s North Side district.
Training camp fails to score finances, developments for city
After five football seasons, the Washington pro football team’s training camp at 2401 W. Leigh St. apparently is failing to generate enough income to pay off the cost of its construction.
Richmond Police spent tax $ at Henrico County establishments for rally food
Will Richmond have to shell out another $570,000 if supporters of Confederate statues come back in six weeks to hold another rally in Richmond?
Virginia NAACP steps up lobbying
Jesse Frierson is ensuring that the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP will have a strong, vocal presence at the General Assembly.
VCU offers chance for jail inmates to ‘write way out’
Instead of spending time behind bars, a few inmates soon could serve their sentence in a college classroom. That’s the idea behind a new program that Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring and Virginia Commonwealth University are creating. It is dubbed “Writing Your Way Out.”
Probe finds Wilder engaged in ‘nonconsensual sexual contact’ with 20-year-old student
Virginia Commonwealth University now finds itself in the embarrassing position of both supporting and attacking one of its highest paid and most prominent faculty members, L. Douglas Wilder, the nation’s first elected black governor.
City Council approves anti-litter, anti-conversion therapy resolutions
It took five months, but Richmond City Council is finally putting its anti-plastic stance on record.
