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A new top cop in town
The Richmond Police Department has stayed free of public accusations of police brutality as “Black Lives Matter” demonstrations grow locally and across the nation to protest atrocities by white police officers in the black community. The nearly 740-officer force has garnered mostly praise for its community policing efforts to gain closer ties with neighborhoods in the city it serves.
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.
RRHA resident’s chilly 3-year ordeal
For the past three years, Tina Marie Shaw has had to rely on an electric space heater to keep the winter cold out of her public housing unit in Creighton Court. “I worry about the heater starting a fire,” said Ms. Shaw, who looks after her 9-year-old grandson, Xavia, her pride and joy and an honors student at a Richmond elementary school. To avoid risk to herself and the child, “I unplug (the heater) at night when I go upstairs to bed, and turn it on in the morning.”
City Council on board with Bus Rapid Transit
Let’s roll on this project. That’s the message Richmond City Council sent this week on Bus Rapid Transit, also known as “Pulse.” Envisioning BRT as a start to creating a modern regional public transit system, council members voted 7-1, with one abstention, to give the green light to the $49 million project to speed up transit service primarily along the Broad Street corridor.
Paydazed in RVA
High-fee payday loan traps Henrico man
Running short of money to pay bills, Donald Garrett did what many people do — he turned to a payday lender. He borrowed $100 from a small loan company called Advance ‘Til Payday on Nine Mile Road near his Henrico County apartment in order to catch up. Four months later, he had wracked up $320 in fees and still was unable to pay off the original $100. Until a friend stepped in and paid off his debt, he faced paying $80 each month. To pay the loan off, $100 had to be added to the $80 payment.
Lead poisoning endangers Richmond children, too
Amid the public outcry over the lead-contaminated public water supply in Flint, Mich., it is easy to forget that lead poisoning remains a threat to children across the country — even in Richmond. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 500,000 young children nationally suffer from lead poisoning that can affect development of their mental capacity, their bones and their organs.
Dr. Earl McClenney Jr., legendary VSU educator and longtime public administrator, dies at 79
Dr. Earl Hampton McClenney Jr. left his mark on public administration in Virginia as an educator and as a Richmond and state official where he fought entrenched racism and sought to aid the underdog.
Former Mayor Walter T. Kenney Sr., who worked across racial, political and regional lines, dies at 88
Former Richmond Mayor Walter T. Kenney Sr. would have been out of step in today’s polarized politics. Mr. Kenney, a proud Richmond native who died Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, in a local hospital at age 88, is being remembered as the “consummate gentleman” of city politics who would talk with everyone, no matter their political leanings.
Problems prevent lead abatement program from advancing
Daniel Mouer has $2.7 million to spend on removing hazardous lead paint lingering in Richmond residences more than 40 years after it was banned.
Parent’s FOIA request shows more to RPS 2018 toilet paper debacle
Richmond Public Schools expects to finish the current school year with plenty of toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning supplies at each of its buildings, according to Michelle Hudacsko, chief of staff to RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras.
School Board voices support for collective bargaining; opts for committee
Eight members of the Richmond School Board vocally expressed support Monday night for authorizing collective bargaining of a new contract between Superintendent Jason Kamras and his staff and a union that secures majority support from teachers and other employees.
Moving on up or out? Mayor Stoney submits to City Council $1.5B Coliseum replacement and Downtown development plan
Five months ago, Mayor Levar M. Stoney was singing the revenue blues as he introduced his latest budget. He told city residents that revenue was growing too slowly to keep up with the overwhelming demand for resources, and without a major increase in the property tax, the city couldn’t adequately address major challenges ranging from fixing city streets to funding public education and replacing worn-out police cars and fire trucks. Mayor Stoney now has changed his tune as he introduces his long-awaited grand development plan for Downtown.
New names recommended for Fort Lee, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Pickett Army bases
The names of slavery-defending Confederate military leaders who fought to destroy the U.S. government could finally start disappearing from military installations.
Pastor gets the boot
Parson departs amid Richmond Christian Center’s move to survive
More than a year after filing for bankruptcy, the Richmond Christian Center is gaining a fresh shot at survival after seizing financial power from founding pastor Stephen A. Parson Sr. The pastor, who launched RCC in his living room more than 31 years ago, is no longer a member of the church’s ruling Board of Trustees and has been stripped of control of the church’s bank account.
Relief?
Richmond School Board votes 6-0 to open five schools for emergency day care for 500 children of essential workers and low-income families
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras acknowledges that a huge number of parents with children in the school system may need help with child care to avoid financial ruin.
Clarence L. Townes Jr., longtime business, civic leader, dies at 88
Clarence Lee Townes Jr. left his fingerprints on Richmond over the course of six decades of involvement in civic affairs. A bulldog of a man, with a gruff voice and a penchant for straight talk, he was a key player in creating landmarks that people take for granted — from the Greater Richmond Convention Center and Marriott Hotel to the Canal Walk by the riverfront.
Va. loses a freedom fighter
Jack W. Gravely, who led the fight for civil rights as head of the Va. NAACP, dies at 72
Jack W. Gravely was the definition of outspoken. He never hesitated to speak his mind about issues affecting the African-American community. The son of a coal miner, he led the charge for civil rights during two separate stints as executive director of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP, most recently in the past year.
Clinton, Trump win Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday proved super for Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. The two front-runners each won seven of the 11 state primary contests this week, including Virginia — putting each on course to win their party’s presidential nomination and face each other in a general election showdown.
‘I was handed a death sentence’
Advocates help NAACP stalwart Ora Lomax receive life-saving dialysis after a Henrico center moves to terminate her treatment
Getting kicked out of a dialysis clinic is the worst thing that can happen to a patient with failing kidneys. But that is what 86-year-old Ora M. Lomax has been facing.
2020 Vision
Mayor Stoney reflects on his accomplishments of the past 3 years, his goals for the final year of his term and prospects for re-election
Mayor Levar M. Stoney is heading into 2020 confident that Richmond voters will reward him with another four years based on his accomplishments.
