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Broken promise?
City seeks bids only for 3 new schools
Earlier this year, Mayor Levar M. Stoney stumped to raise $150 million to help replace obsolete and decaying schools.
General Assembly ousts Jamison, welcomes McClenney
Birdie Hairston Jamison has just a bit more than 10 months to preside over the Richmond Traffic Court.
Hot and unhoused
Councilwoman urges city to open shelter for disabled people, families and children; Efforts to ‘expand the safety net’ for homeless coming early September, says official
Staying outdoors in the summer heat “is no fun,” said Thomas Bateman, a disabled factory worker. The bedraggled 63-year-old Richmonder hasn’t been able to find an affordable place to stay in the city, and his only income, a government disability check, allows him to pay for a motel stay just one night a month.
House blocked for female felons
City Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson has been a champion of affordable housing during her 11 years on City Council. The 6th District representative, who previously led a nonprofit housing group in the Highland Park area, has been a staunch advocate for creation of lower-cost homes and apartments for working people and others.
Council members concerned about latest utility rate hikes
Like a steady drip, drip, drip, the cost of utility services is continuing to rise in Richmond at a double-digit pace, outpacing inflation and raising concerns among some about affordability.
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.
Republicans file suit to rescind rights restoration to 206,000 Virginians
Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is facing a court fight over his April 22 order restoring voting rights to 206,000 felons who have completed their sentences, including about 40,000 people convicted of violent offenses. In a case filed Monday, Republican leaders in the General Assembly and four voters have asked the Virginia Supreme Court to find the governor acted illegally and to order him to rescind the blanket restoration of rights that allowed the affected individuals to vote, serve on juries and run for office.
Adjustments in City’s pension plan may take six or more years
City Hall’s 4,200 retirees likely may wait years before seeing another cost-of-living adjustment in their pensions.
More taxes
Mayor Stoney proposes tax hikes on real estate, cigarettes and utility rates to generate more money for city needs
More money, more money, more money.
City Council votes for tax rebate, other spending
Richmond property owners will receive a 4.2 percent rebate on the real estate taxes they paid earlier this year, equal to $50 for each $100,000 of property value.
City’s Charter Review Commission releases report
After eight months of work, a commission set up to review Richmond’s constitution or City Charter has stopped short of recommending a major overhaul of the city’s form of government.
Enrollment begins Nov. 1 for Medicaid expansion
Shanté Williams is among tens of thousands of Virginians patiently waiting for Thursday, Nov. 1, to arrive. That’s the start date for enrollment in the state’s expanded Medicaid program.
City Council sets fines for driving while talking, texting or holding cell phone
Just holding a cell phone in your hand while driving could soon cost you $125 in the city of Richmond.
Police hiring not on fast track
If Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham thought Mayor Dwight C. Jones was going to rush to Richmond City Council to seek approval for a plan to hire 70 more police officers over the next year to beef up his department, he was mistaken.
Morrissey supports new ‘sin’ tax on cigarettes if elected
If Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham thought Mayor Dwight C. Jones was going to rush to Richmond City Council to seek approval for a plan to hire 70 more police officers over the next year to beef up his department, he was mistaken.
Conservancy buys New Market segment where Black troops attacked Confederates
Another 49-acre parcel of a Civil War battlefield in Eastern Henrico County in which Black troops played a major role is now protected from development.
Scholarship aimed at helping former inmates
A new scholarship has been set up to help former inmates at Richmond’s jail gain work in the building trades, attend community college or secure a high school equivalency degree, or GED. Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. announced the program as part of a partnership with a Richmond area nonprofit that provides re-entry services to released offenders, OAR, which stands for Opportunity, Alliance, Re-Entry.
School Board approves $224.7M for school buildings
The Richmond School Board once again is challenging the mayor and City Council to find money to start replacing or renovating the decrepit public school buildings a majority of students attend.
New $720,000 policy gives RPS employees a week off for spring break
For the first time, principals, maintenance workers and other 12-month public schools employees in Richmond will receive a week of paid leave during the upcoming spring break, even though it will cost more than $720,000.
