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Sacred Ground project wins $75,000 national grant for slavery memorial park
A group supporting development of a memorial park in Shockoe Bottom to recall the crucial role this area of Richmond played in the slave trade has won a $75,000 grant from a national trust to support its work.
Anderson new City Council chief of staff
Lawrence Rashad Anderson, a former urban research fellow at American University in Washington, is the Richmond City Council’s new chief of staff.
Shake-up at City Hall leads to 4 dismissals
Six weeks after taking office, Mayor Levar M. Stoney has begun shaking up the administration at City Hall.
Primed for November
Primary winners Northam, Gillespie will carry Dem and GOP banners into gov. election
Virginia’s next governor will either be Democrat Ralph S. Northam or Republican Edward W. “Ed” Gillespie. The choice of the competitors was made by 900,000 voters who trooped to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in the primary elections for both political parties.
Vacancies continue to rise in Richmond Police Department
The Richmond Police Department is continuing to shrink in size.
Booted out
After days of protests and videos of police tear-gassing and pepper-spraying peaceful crowds, Richmond Police Chief Will Smith was asked to resign Tuesday by Mayor Levar M. Stoney
A year ago, new Richmond Police Chief Will Smith was extolled as the best thing since sliced bread when it came to leading 754 sworn officers in the fight against crime.
Woodland Restoration Foundation hopes descendants will help with continuing cemetery upkeep, plans
Call him the headstone hunter.
Overall crime down in Richmond during pandemic
One silver lining during this pandemic is a reduction in crime, according to Richmond Police Chief Will Smith.
Big mistake
Tear gas released on Lee statue protesters was in error
Twenty-five minutes before an 8 p.m. curfew was to go into effect, Richmond Police officers began firing tear gas and other noxious chemical agents to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who had gathered around the now removed Robert E. Lee statue in the city’s West End.
Chief Smith embraces police reform, but wants to control it from the catbird seat
New Richmond Police Chief Gerald M. Smith is raising a yellow caution flag for those pushing to reform the department and support budget cuts to “defund the police.”
Dr. James Edward Leary, who pastored churches for more than 60 years, dies at 86
Dr. James Edward Leary, who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in civil rights protests in the 1960s and provided pastoral services for 60 years to at least 12 churches in Richmond and other states, died Friday, July 23, 2021.
Council approves $1.7M for new police hires
During the next eight months, Richmond expects to add 75 new police officers to beef up its declining force. That includes two classes of recruits at the Training Academy and two additional classes of recruits to begin the six to seven months of training within two months, according to Police Chief Alfred Durham.
City Council committee again closes door on private ambulance service
Richmond City Council’s Public Safety Committee voted to kill legislation that would give Fire Chief Melvin Carter greater decision-making authority over permits for the operation of private ambulance service within the city.
Collective bargaining effect
Collective bargaining is becoming a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the wages that the city pays its employees.
Duncan chosen to lead RRHA
The board of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority on Wednesday tapped Damon E. Duncan as the new chief executive officer as the agency continues to struggle to keep the heat on in a small portion of its nearly 4,000 public housing units.
Mayor-elect Stoney appoints 2 to key positions
On the campaign trail, Levar Stoney promised to be a “visionary, forward-thinking” leader who would restore confidence in Richmond City Hall.
Chief: Crime up, but not out of control
There’s bad news and good news in Richmond’s crime story. First the bad news: Richmond is suffering its first spike in violent and property crimes after years of decline, according to Police Chief Alfred Durham.
Petersburg police chief ousted
Dironna Moore Belton may carry the title of interim Petersburg city manager, but she’s using her authority to shake up the city government.
Confederate rally in Richmond exceeds $500,000 in police spending
“The cost of monitoring First Amendment assemblies is not cheap.” That’s the view of Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham. And that certainly proved true for Richmond, which spent $570,000 on crowd control and other services on the Sept. 16 protest over the city’s Confederate statues, according to figures the city reported last Friday. Chief Durham was the biggest spender.

