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Eviction protections still in place for Va. renters
Eviction protections are still in place for struggling Virginia renters despite last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that appears to open the floodgates for landlords to go to court to remove tenants who have fallen far behind.

Herring seeks third term, battles challenger Miyares in attorney general race
Do Virginia voters want an activist attorney general who is ready to use the office’s legal firepower to battle housing discrimination, protect workers’ rights, defend abortion rights for women and pursue criminal justice reform?

‘Tear those statues down’
Richmonders decry mayor’s plan to put Confederate statues ‘in context’
Ora Lomax is still fuming over Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s plans for dealing with the stone and bronze figures that have been defining symbols of Richmond for generations — the statues of Confederate defenders of slavery that punctuate Monument Avenue.

New single-family homes, townhouses to be developed in Highland Grove
It has taken seven years, but a long-awaited mixed-income subdivision is being launched in the Highland Grove community in North Side.

City Council Oks plan for $155M in federal American Rescue Plan funds
Richmond is preparing to pour $64 million into the develop- ment of new and improved community recreation centers in the East End, South Side and Gilpin Court.

GRTC’s planned Bus Rapid Transit already $11.5M over projection
Richmond’s Bus Rapid Transit system is going to cost an additional $11.5 million to develop. But the state — and not Richmond — will pick up the extra expense, GRTC spokeswoman Carrie Rose Pace disclosed Tuesday. “Under the project agreement, the Commonwealth of Virginia will cover any costs that exceed the estimated project budget,” she stated in an email to the Free Press.

Crusade for Voters supports November referendum for casino revenue use
If a casino is ever built in Richmond, should all the tax dollars generated from the gambling center go to modernizing Richmond’s decrepit school buildings?

Plans proceed to put federal money toward homeless services, affordable housing
City Council is recommending that the administration pour $5.6 million in new federal dollars into homeless services and pump $7.1 million into a city fund to boost assistance to developers creating apartments and homes with reduced rents and price tags.

Costs for new schools continue to rise
The price tag for the three new schools Richmond is building is continuing to rise.

Arthur Ashe Center agreement reached
A potential roadblock for the projected $2.4 billion Diamond District development appears to have been cleared, the Free Press has learned, though questions remain on other aspects.

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.

Capital of compassion
Mayor Stoney’s upbeat agenda: Increased home ownership, public safety, enhanced learning
As he launched his seventh year in office, Mayor Levar M. Stoney painted a rosy picture of a thriving city “filled with promise and hope ... and purpose” Tuesday in delivering his State of the City address.

Soaring property taxes renew calls for cuts
Two members of City Council are proposing to cut the real estate property tax rate as the value of property surged by 13 percent — but it is unclear whether Mayor Levar M. Stoney or the majority the nine-member council will go along.

Justice Center brings technology to inmates
Computer tablets are making it easier for families and inmates at the Richmond Justice Center to stay connected.

Virginia House-Senate disagreement threatens proposed minimum wage hike
One of the biggest fights in the waning days of the General Assembly involves raising the minimum wage from the current federal $7.25 an hour.

Enrichmond Foundation now owns East End Cemetery
Twenty months after buying historic Evergreen Cemetery with state assistance, a city-created charity has taken ownership of a second neighboring African-American burial ground, East End Cemetery.

City demands East End church pay delinquent taxes
Nearly 30 years ago, Mount Olivet Church went on a buying spree and acquired 12 properties adjacent to the church in the 1200 block of North 25th Street in the East End.

City to pay $350,000 settlement in employee overtime lawsuit
City Hall has agreed to collectively pay $57,371 to 11 mostly former city Finance Department employees who alleged they were forced to work overtime without being paid.

Governor vetoes bills ahead of April 10 deadline
Richmond and other localities can still, if they choose, require employers with government contracts to pay workers a “living wage” that is well above the current $7.25 an hour federal minimum wage. However, the state will not be creating an experimental, independent school system where students in kindergarten through 12th grade could take all of their classes on a home computer or laptop.