All results / Stories / Jeremy M. Lazarus
RPS official says LEED standards haven’t returned big savings
Richmond Public Schools’ chief operating officer confirmed a Free Press finding that building new schools to a national energy standard has failed to pay off in energy savings. Darin Simmons told the Richmond School Board on June 3 that building Huguenot High and three other schools to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED gold standard has not resulted in “significant” savings.
Confederate pedestals out
Grass and landscaping to soon replace dead soldiers
Richmond’s streets and parks will soon lose virtually all vestiges of the white-supremacist Confederate statues and monuments that once loomed so large.
Help for women in addiction to expand with new CARITAS center in South Side
In a bit more than two months, Richmond will have a new shelter and treatment center for women struggling with addiction and homelessness.
HumanKind’s direct cash funds may soon dry up
Concern is growing over the dwindling money in a family crisis fund that Richmond created to provide direct cash payments.
Greening project at South Side church designed to reduce pollution
Nearly 50 trees are now growing in a portion of the parking lot of Branch’s Baptist Church, 3400 Broad rock Blvd. in South Side.
It’s complicated
Beleaguered foundation’s last member determined to maintain Black cemeteries, despite ongoing obstacles
The last board member of the collapsed Enrichmond Foundation is working to turn over to City Hall control of two historic Black cemeteries as well as other properties and assets still in the foundation’s name.
Coffee shop reopens on Brookland Park Blvd.
The Streetcar Café on North Side is back in business under new management. The coffee shop at 10 E. Brookland Park Blvd. turned on the lights and began serving patrons again Dec. 14, two weeks after the previous operators departed.
City launches aid efforts to help businesses damaged in protests
Recovery help is on the way for Richmond businesses damaged by vandals during the local protests over a white Minneapolis police officer’s killing of George Floyd.
Renaming of Jefferson Davis Highway rolls ahead
His statue has already come down from Monument Avenue.
Doris H. Causey among four African-Americans named to Virginia Court of Appeals
In a historic first, the Virginia Court of Appeals will have five Black members reviewing lower court decisions.
State NAACP to push ‘Energy from God’ bill
Schools, churches, mosques and synagogues across Virginia could go solar, if the Virginia State Conference NAACP has its way. Under a legislative proposal the civil rights organization is advancing dubbed the “Energy from God” bill, a $1 billion, three-year pilot program would be created to equip buildings devoted to public education and religion with solar panels, particularly in low-income urban and rural areas.
Rejected casino group threats legal challenge to city selection process
Dennis Cotto has spent much of his adult life fighting legal battles.
Double down
City Council's yes vote is still a gamble for South Side casino
If at first you don’t succeed, ...
Elkhardt’s closing signals harsh reality for mayor, City Council
Elkhardt Middle School is a fresh reminder of the increasingly shabby and dilapidated condition of most of Richmond’s school buildings — a condition that the mayor’s office and City Council have yet to seriously address despite repeated reports and warnings in recent years. Set to be shut down this Thursday night, with students, teachers and staff moving 10 miles north across the James River into the vacant Clark Springs Elementary building, Elkhardt on South Side reflects the stark reality the city is facing — the need to provide big money to keep Richmond’s school buildings usable, a reality that no longer can be papered over with rosy talk about bike races, baseball stadiums and football training camps.
Historic city credit union seeks new growth
Amid the recovery from the Great Depression, 10 African-American Richmond educators organized a new credit union for teachers in the city that would provide the personal touch and financial services then largely unavailable to them at most banks in segregated Richmond.
Free van service helps public housing residents get to work
Myra Griffin has found the biggest problem placing people in jobs is transportation.
Equifax settles in security breach that affected more than 4M Virginians
Consumer credit information giant Equifax has agreed to pay up to $700 million for allowing hackers to breach its computers and grab the personal information of nearly 150 million people.
City moves to end regional jail arrangement
The City of Richmond wants to end its participation in a regional jail in Caroline County — a move that could save Richmond taxpayers at least $1.2 million a year.
Local chef-caterer turns empty church kitchen into a busy business
On weekdays, the kitchen at Faith Community Baptist Church in Richmond’s East End is a beehive of activity six hours a day.
Special VCU council offers plan for human remains from old medical research
A proper burial in a historic African-American cemetery, recognition on the Virginia Commonwealth University medical campus and continued research.
