All results / Stories / Jeremy M. Lazarus
3 Democrats seeking the party’s nod for open Henrico County sheriff’s position
Three Democrats will face off in the Tuesday, June 11, primary. All three are seeking the party’s nomination in the race to succeed Henrico County Sheriff Mike Wade, who announced in February that he will not seek re-election.
‘Tomorrow can be better’
Gov. Ralph S. Northam is sworn in as Virginia’s 73rd chief executive
“Virginians didn’t send us here to be Democrats or Republicans. They sent us here to solve problems.” So said Ralph Sherer Northam on Saturday after he was sworn in as Virginia’s 73rd governor with his wife, Pam, and children beside him.
Henrico commonwealth’s attorney’s race hit with allegation of special treatment
The case of John J. Trak, who has been convicted of two felony drug possession charges and two other felonies since 2011, is roiling the election contest for Henrico County commonwealth’s attorney as the Nov. 5 election approaches.
Gold rush
Urban One wins nod to operate a casino-resort in South Richmond with a contract based on high expectations and promises of payouts
As the Virginia General Assembly considered legislation in winter 2020 to authorize casino gambling in Richmond and four other cities, Alfred C. Liggins III spent time buttonholing House and Senate members.
Wronged
Retired factory worker Leonard Mc Millian had his home invaded by a police squad and spent more than an hour in handcuffs when police responded to calls about crimes at his home that proved bogus. Actor and songwriter Jerome Arrington spent a miserable seven weeks in jail after Richmond police arrested him for a street robbery he did not commit. Both men are African-American. Neither has received an apology for their ordeals, which appear to be relatively rare in a city where officers respond daily to dozens of calls. Still, their stories suggest that things can go dismayingly wrong even when police and prosecutors believe they are going by the book.
Police, others stymied by outside agitators at demonstrations
Are “outside agitators” and white supremacists infiltrating the Black Lives Matter protests against racial injustice and police brutality?
Day care options opening for student virtual instruction
More lower cost day care options are starting to emerge for Richmond Public Schools students to attend virtual classes and relieving parents who must work or who feel ill-equipped to double as teachers.
City Council committee temporarily sidelines citizen review board to investigate complaints against police
A City Council committee hit the pause button Tuesday on a proposal from Mayor Levar M. Stoney to establish a new Richmond civilian review board to investigate complaints against city police.
Low-key efforts waged to remove statue of segregationist Harry F. Byrd Sr. from Capitol Square
In the midst of widespread efforts to remove Confederate memorials, a similar change may be on the way for Richmond’s Capitol Square.
Grassroots effort mounts to keep Bedden
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden interviewed Wednesday for the superintendent’s job in snow-covered Boston and prepared to meet Thursday with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. The Boston School Committee is expected to name its top choice for the job early next week, according to reports. Meanwhile, a growing number of Dr. Bedden’s supporters in Richmond are continuing their efforts to convince him to stay and lead the aggressive RPS turnaround effort he began after becoming the struggling school district’s superintendent in January 2014.
Warner to get new Washington term after nail-biter win
Whew! That’s how many supporters of U.S. Sen Mark Warner are reacting after he narrowly won re-election to six more years of representing Virginia in Washington.
RPS school construction costs, process criticized
Richmond School Board members Kenya Gibson, 3rd District, and Jonathan Young, 4th District, used Monday’s School Board meeting to express concern that the bidding process Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration used to choose contractors to build three new district schools has added tens of millions of dollars to the cost.
Shake-up
10 RPS principals out, 7 others on warning, sources report
Ten Richmond schools will have new principals next fall as part of a leadership shake-up that Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras is undertaking as part of his schools improvement plan, the Free Press has learned.
Head of the class!
Richmond Public Schools teacher Rodney A. Robinson, who mentors and inspires students at the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center, wins 2019 National Teacher of the Year
Rodney A. Robinson, the 40-year-old history and social studies teacher who inspires students each and every day inside the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center, where he has worked at the Virgie Binford Education Center since 2015, has been named 2019 National Teacher of the Year.
School Board adopts budget, changes opening times and snubs City Council
Despite pressure from City Hall and the community, as well as division among members, the Richmond School Board is moving ahead with plans to control devel- opment and construction of a replacement for the decaying, 60-year-old George Wythe High School in South Side.
Va. General Assembly starts on historic note
The General Assembly was gaveled into a potentially history-making session Wednesday with Democrats in control of both houses and eager to usher in changes that will make it easier for Virginians to vote, reduce the barriers they face in renting and increase the minimum pay they receive for working.
Legal efforts continue against use of tear gas on peaceful protesters
From marches to nighttime clashes and courtroom battles, the demand for racial justice and an end to police violence continues in Richmond — now the epicenter of Virginia protests and police actions to control the situation more than a month after they began.
City Council members call for ban on police use of tear gas, pepper spray as demonstrations continue
Ban the tear gas, pepper spray, flash bangs and rubber bullets that Richmond Police and their law enforcement partners have used repeatedly to disperse protesters clamoring against police brutality and racial injustice. That’s the cry from two Richmond City Council members who have witnessed the demonstrations and choked on the tear gas, and believe its use by police needs to end.
Prev Next
