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Police Chief Gerald Smith resigns
20-year-veteran Richard Edwards becomes acting chief
The troubled tenure of Police Chief Gerald M. Smith is over.
‘We can no longer remain silent’
Coalition wants Bon Secours to increase investments in area’s poor communities
Sparked by a New York Times expose, a new coalition hopes to rally the East End community to pressure nonprofit Bon Secours Mercy Health to rebuild critical care services at Richmond Community Hospital and better meet the health needs of low-income communities.
City reportedly has a $70M general fund surplus
Richmond’s treasury is bulging with unspent dollars, according to two members of City Council.
General Assembly completes work on budget, criminal justice reform
Fairer sentencing for people convicted of crimes and a Marcus crisis alert system to improve the response to mental health emergencies are among the criminal justice reforms that have emerged from the General Assembly’s special session.
ELECTION 2020: Contests for City Council seats being waged in all but 2 districts
Richmond City Council is guaranteed to have at least two new members sworn in next year, with a potential for additional newcomers depending on the outcome of the five contested races that voters will decide on Election Day.
Skipping school
Data show that 40% to 60% of Richmond area teachers are absent from the classroom 11 or more business days a year
Students always seem to be the focus of concern when the discussion centers on the ill effects of class-cutting, truancy and chronic absenteeism on education.
City facing potential $15M deficit?
Is there a big hole developing in Rich- mond’s budget? And could spending be proposed to shrink in the new 2021-22 budget that Mayor Levar M. Stoney will present in March?
Move toward collective bargaining for city employees on pause
Richmond City Council hit the pause button on collective bargaining Monday in a bid to gain answers to questions about the potential cost.
Bon Secours breaks ground on new $11M medical office building in East End
Coming soon: A new Bon Secours Mercy Health medical office building in the East End that will house up to 100 doctors, nurses and other staff and include space to provide group therapy for mentally ill addicts.
Richmond Electoral Board to reverse course
The Richmond Electoral Board is preparing to retreat from its controversial and evidently illegal plan to eliminate two early voting sites for the upcoming Tuesday, Nov. 7, general election, one at Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side and the other at City Hall. Hit by strong backlash after the vote last month to shutter those sites as well as a stern, official legal opinion stating the action violated state law, the Republican-led board already has scheduled a special meeting for Friday, Aug. 4, to reverse course.
Woody Foundation, Military Retirees at odds over admissions tax
For at least 10 years, Christopher J. Woody Sr. raised money for his charity, The Woody Foundation, by throwing at least 17 parties and events a year at the Military Retirees Club of Richmond in North Side, a large private space that permits alcohol.
Pay them, but not her
RPS spends extra to win bill dispute
The Richmond School Board paid a white law firm $31,000 in legal fees to avoid paying a Black professional’s $27,000 bill for doing consulting work in the case of a disabled student, half of which was to be paid by the state.
Daily dangers, including physical assaults on deputies, allegedly occur at city jail
Seven months after Richmond Sheriff Antionette V. Irving was sworn into her second four-year term, concern is mounting over her control of the still short-staffed Richmond City Justice Center, as the jail located in Shockoe Valley is called.
‘The Bible does not speak about abortion’
City councilman and minister says right-wing evangelicals’ religious doctrine lacks biblical foundation
Dr. Michael J. Jones is ready to debate anyone who claims that a ban on abortion is based on the Bible.
Council finalizing City budget
Ambulance trip costs rise, City Hall offices primed for upgrades
Richmond Public Schools must live with the $21 million increase from city taxpayers, and retired city employees, for now, will not get an anticipated 5 percent bonus. Also, there will be no new funding to aid the city in battling climate change. However, the Richmond Ambulance Author-
Done deal
New $3B City budget signed and sealed
Richmond’s new budget is set to go on July 1 after winning unanimous approval from City Council on Monday night.
Staging the future
Council bets on showbiz
Betting on entertainment as a key element of future job and economic growth, City Council, as expected, put two high-profile projects on the fast track Monday night—a proposed $560 million casino-resort for the South Side and a $30 million amphitheater for the Downtown riverfront.
Victory
Jennifer L. McClellan elected Virginia’s first Black congresswoman
“I’m ready to fight for you in Congress for as long as you’ll have me,” State Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan declared Tuesday night.
City could have saved $8M on 2 new schools
The new vice chairman of the Richmond School Board wants to end what he sees as overspending on new school buildings.
