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In deep: IRS filings show Dominion Energy committed $20M over 20 years for naming rights for a new Coliseum
Dominion Energy is more entwined in the $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement and Downtown redevelopment proposal than previously disclosed.
Stand by your plan
Mayor Levar M. Stoney pushes his proposed tax hikes despite opposition and criticism
Mayor Levar M. Stoney plans to take his case for tax hikes to Richmond residents in coming weeks, even as his plan draws resistance and foes express gratitude to one of his outspoken opponents, 8th District City Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell, by showering her with bouquets of flowers.
Armstrong coach, educator, counselor Moses Norrell dies at 83
Moses Alphonso “Sporty” Norrell III, a football coach, educator and guidance counselor for 42 years at his alma mater Armstrong High School, has died.
RPS students testing positive for COVID-19 told to quarantine for 21 days
Richmond students who have tested positive for COVID-19 are being kept away from in-person learning for up to 21 days – at least a week longer than the 14 days that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends, the Free Press has been told.
State watchdog agency examining special education system
First came a scathing federal report on the failure of the Virginia Department of Education to effectively monitor the special education programs that local public school divisions provide to children with learning disabilities and mental challenges.
Big trouble for schools
Immediate need: $29M to keep buildings usable
Worn-out equipment needs to be replaced, but Richmond Public Schools has no funds to pay for as opening day for the new school year looms.
79th House District candidates cite school funding, gun legislation and criminal justice reform as key issues
Three candidates have been knocking on thousands of doors and sending out mailers in pitching to represent the House of Delegates 7th District. Next Tuesday, June 20, voters will choose from Rae Cousins, Ann-Frances Lambert and Richard W. Walker as the Democratic nominee and the odds-on favorite to win in the November general election.
From gridiron to president
Willard Bailey shaping minds at new college
Willard Bailey, the CIAA legendary college football coach, has a new role in higher education. He has jumped from the gridiron to college president.
New program helps youths with jobs
Billie Brown knows about youth unemployment. As the founder and owner of a temporary staffing agency that she began almost 16 years ago, she regularly sees young adults who cannot get work because they lack skills, have a felony record or never earned a high school diploma. Dismayed at how little was being done to help them, Ms. Brown and her company, Excel Management Services, have teamed with Saint Paul’s Baptist Church to try to make a dent in the problem.
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.
Money moved to restore alley blitz
The alley blitz is back on track. Bobby Vincent, director of the Richmond Department of Public Works, received the $700,000 his department needs to begin hiring up to 20 temporary workers and to rent front loaders and rollers.
Initiative to get schools on Nov. ballot collects 6,619 signatures in one day
During the June 13 primary election, more than 6,600 Richmond voters signed petitions to put the issue of Richmond’s deteriorating schools on the city ballot in November, the Free Press has learned.
Kamras explains granting RPS employees vacation days with $1M price tag
The loss of one word from the official Richmond Public Schools calendar apparently will cost the city’s school system up to $1 million in extra vacation pay. The word: Designated.
School Board mounts effort to contain school construction costs
The Richmond School Board is taking a series of steps in seeking to get a handle on the soaring cost of school construction. The ballooning cost is undermining any hope of modernizing city schools for $800 million over 20 years — the amount the city has promised to provide.
County official chosen as new city auditor
Richmond City Council this week tapped a veteran of Chesterfield County government to make City Hall operations more efficient and track down waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Louis G. “Lou” Lassiter, deputy Chesterfield County administrator, was approved to be the new city auditor at a special council meeting at Free Press deadline Wednesday night.
Juliette Stephens Hamilton, retired nurse, dies at age 104
“Live one day at a time and enjoy that one.” Juliette Stephens Hamilton, one of Richmond’s oldest residents, called that the secret to a long and healthy life.
NBA takes bite out of Big Apple Classic
Virginia Union University’s basketball team will be staying in Richmond this year to take on CIAA rival Virginia State University, rather than heading to New York.
Police chief to hold town hall meetings
Police chief to hold town hall meetings Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham is making a greater effort to hear from the public.
Councilman takes new job
Fifth District City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto has a new day job. He is now the executive director of the Capital Region Land Conservancy, a 10-year-old nonprofit that seeks to protect natural and historic resources in Metropolitan 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.