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Police Chief Gerald Smith resigns
20-year-veteran Richard Edwards becomes acting chief
The troubled tenure of Police Chief Gerald M. Smith is over.
Councilman Jones: Anxious residents want the vaccine
Across the country, polls continue to find a share of the population continues to be hesitant or outright opposed to getting a COVID-19 vaccine shot.
Henrico Coliseum?
Navy Hill developers who were rejected in Richmond plan to build a bigger development with a new 17,000-seat arena off Parham Road in Henrico County
Richmond is about to lose its title as the region’s entertainment capital.
Gerald G. Poindexter, a Surry County county attorney and prosecutor, dies at 80
Gerald Glenn Poindexter, a legal institution in Surry County where he served 23 years as county attorney and another 20 years as commonwealth’s attorney, has died.
Public school enrollment down 46,000 statewide since pandemic
Richmond Public Schools has reported that 2,700 fewer students were enrolled Sept. 30 as the new school year began than in 2019 before the start of the pandemic.
American Federation of Government Workers union officials removed
Turmoil in the 2,500-member union representing workers at the Richmond Veterans Administration Medical Center in South Side is offering a cautionary tale for city employees who are now in the process of unionizing.
Fight for $15
Workers to unite in city for living wage national conference
Richmond is about to become the national focal point for advocates of a $15 minimum wage. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of low-wage workers from across the country are expected to pour into the city April 12 and April 13 for the third annual Fight for $15 National Convention.
Full-service grocery store planned for East End
A new full-service grocery store is headed to Church Hill, it was announced Tuesday. Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, City Councilwoman Cynthia I. Newbille, 7th District, and T.K. Somanath, executive director of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, issued a joint statement about the planned market that is expected to bring about 25 full-time and 22 to 30 part-time jobs to this employment-starved area of the city once it opens — likely a year or more from now.
Day of reckoning
The U.S. House of Representatives votes to impeach President Trump for a second time, charging him with “incitement of insurrection” over the deadly mob takeover of the U.S. Capitol
The reckoning has begun. Even as his followers were being arrested and he prepares to leave office in a few days, President Trump was labeled a “clear and present danger” to the nation’s security in becoming the first chief executive in U.S. history to be impeached twice – this time for the failed Jan. 6 insurrection in which he incited followers to carry out the biggest attack on the U.S. Capitol since 1814 when British troops burned it.
William Lomax, longtime barber in Jackson Ward, dies at 87
Longtime Richmond barber and NAACP stalwart William Lomax has died. Mr. Lomax, who was best known for his barbershop in Jackson Ward, succumbed to illness Friday, Dec. 21, in hospice in Henrico County. He was 87.
City Council committee blocks mayor’s dedicated fund plan for affordable housing
A City Council committee has quietly blocked Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s plan to earmark millions of dollars flowing into the general fund to aid development of lower-cost apartments and homes.
Timeline outlined for disposal of city-owned Confederate statues
Richmond City Council could vote to dispose of the city’s collection of Confederate statues at the Monday, June 14, meeting, according to a tentative plan for action.
Council waits to hear if another casino vote is in the cards
Second District City Councilwoman Katherine Jordan remains the only opponent of giving Richmond voters a second chance to decide whether the city should be allowed to host a proposed $560 million casino-resort project in the South Side. She was the lone dissenter on Monday as the City Council moved casino-support legislation to the Monday, June 12, meeting for quick passage.
Petersburg city attorney gets lesson in First Amendment
Citizens no longer will be barred from addressing Petersburg City Council solely because they owe money to the city. City Attorney Brian Telfair notified the ACLU of Virginia that the prohibition would be lifted, the constitutional watchdog group announced Tuesday. Mr. Telfair issued the response after the Richmond-based group demanded an end to the practice that he previously had deemed legal. “This prohibition violates the First Amendment and must be rescinded immediately,” Rebecca K. Glenburg, legal director of the Virginia ACLU, wrote to Mr. Telfair in a letter issued Feb. 5.
Metropolitan Business League sells Jackson Ward headquarters
The Richmond area’s largest African-American business group has waved goodbye to its former home in Jackson Ward. The Metropolitan Business League last month sold its longtime headquarters at 2nd and Marshall streets to a subsidiary of Washington-based Douglas Development, which has been buying up chunks of Downtown for more than 10 years.
Tobacco purchase age likely to be raised to 21
The age for purchasing tobacco products and e-cigarettes is on track to be raised to 21 across the country, just as it is now in Virginia and 11 other states.
City Democratic Committee election overturned
The Richmond City Democratic Committee has been temporarily shut down and its current officers, including its politically connected chairman, James E. “J.J.” Minor III, removed after an arm of the state Democratic Party nullified the recent election, the Free Press has learned.
New $720,000 policy gives RPS employees a week off for spring break
For the first time, principals, maintenance workers and other 12-month public schools employees in Richmond will receive a week of paid leave during the upcoming spring break, even though it will cost more than $720,000.
It’s a deal
City and RVA Diamond Partners finalize $2.44B agreement; council vote comes next
The Diamond District – Richmond’s biggest ever development – is now at the starting gate after seven months of negotiations between the city and RVA Diamond Partners LLC (RVADP), the private developer.
