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Hicks to become city judge July 1
It’s official. David M. Hicks, Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ senior policy adviser, is going to be a judge in Richmond. The General Assembly elected him Feb. 25 to the Richmond General District Court bench, effective July 1, for a six-year term.
City betting millions on brewery
In its California hometown, Stone Brewery is a standout in San Diego’s burgeoning craft beer market, with Stone’s two beer gardens ranking as important tourist lures. The company boasts that only the renowned San Diego Zoo and the LEGOLAND amusement park attract more visitors to the Navy port city with 4 million people in the metropolitan area or four times the population of metro Richmond.
Crutcher hailed as new UR president
The historic nature of the appointment of Dr.Ronald A. Crutcher as the next president of the University of Richmond was not lost on people attending last Friday’s public ceremony at the Robins Center to welcome him to campus. Dr. Crutcher, accompanied by his wife, Dr. Betty Neal Crutcher, and their adult daughter, Sara, received a standing ovation from the audience of about 1,500. The Cincinnati native, renowned classical cellist and president emeritus of Wheaton College in Massachusetts is the 10th president and the first African-American selected to lead the private, liberal arts university, which was founded in 1830. He will succeed current President Edward L. Ayers on July 1.
NSU has hometown advantage
If any team seems capable of derailing the rumbling freight train that is North Carolina Central University, it might be Norfolk State University. At least the NSU Spartans will have the hometown advantage March 9 through 14 for the MEAC Tournament at the Norfolk Scope. NSU (18-11, 11-3 starting the week) has confidence from hold- ing juggernaut NCCU to a nervous 60-56 on Jan. 17 at NSU’s Echols Hall. The Eagles from Durham, N.C., started this week 21-6 overall and 13-0 in MEAC. During the last three seasons, North Carolina Central is a commanding 43-2 against its league foes.
Federal appeals court upholds ban on prison ‘religion’
Freedom of religion goes only so far in prison — particularly when safety and security are involved. That’s why a Virginia prison inmate has lost a federal court battle to force prison officials to recognize Nation of Gods and Earths as a religion rather than as a gang. In a decision released Feb. 27, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond rejected Infinite Allah’s suit to overturn prison barriers to NGE as a violation of the federal religious freedom law covering prisoners. Instead, the appeals court upheld a lower court decision that the Virginia prison ban on NGE represents the “least restrictive means of furthering” the compelling government interest in preventing the prison disruption that NGE could cause.
Churchgoers have little love for Love Rox runs
Once again, Richmond Multisports staged its Love Rox half-marathon, 10K and 5K runs through Downtown at the same time that churches were seeking to hold services. And once again, the event created friction and upset for worshippers, though apparently a bit less disruption than last year. Fewer streets seem to have been closed this year to make way for the hundreds of participants who turned out to run in the chill.
General Assembly needs to come into the light
Re “Wronged: Richmond police interactions pack sting, costs for 2 local men,” Feb. 19-21 edition: Having read Free Press staff writer Jeremy Lazarus’s articles, I found it necessary to respond and praise them.
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.
Mayor to propose $35M to fix schools
Mayor Dwight C. Jones will propose spending $35 million to pay for major fixes for Richmond’s decaying school buildings when he delivers his two-year budget plan to City Council. While the mayor is keeping mum, Norman Butts, the city’s chief financial officer, disclosed at a City Council committee meeting Mayor Jones’ plan to address school maintenance in the budget he is scheduled to present Friday, March 13. Mr. Butts, who is involved in the budget preparation process, described the impending proposal as “a high priority” for the mayor.
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.
Elkhardt school to close for good
Elkhardt Middle School may be converted to apartments or offices one day. But the building is finished providing classroom space for public school students. The end came Feb. 12 when the final bell sounded dismissal. With help from 50 volunteers, teachers packed up the next day, beginning the move of students to Clark Springs Elementary School to finish the year. Clark Springs will open as the new Elkhardt as soon as the snow emergency passes. Leaky steam pipes have allowed health-threatening mold to infest the Elkhardt building. But the cost of making the building usable again is too great,space use.
Hicks to be interviewed Monday for judgeship
Also to be interviewed Monday, Judge Hairston has the backing of the Richmond delegation and is expected to have no trouble winning General Assembly votes to gain the seat that Circuit Court Judge Melvin R. Hughes is vacating after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
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.
Historic City Council celebration at Hippodrome
African-Americans took control of the levers of city political power almost 38 years ago and changed Richmond. It was 1977, and for the first time in the city’s history, five of the nine members of City Council were African-Americans. And as a result, the new majority was able to elect one member, Henry L. Marsh III, as Richmond’s first African-American mayor since the city’s founding in 1782.
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.
Richmond jail diversion showing results
The figures reflect the stepped-up efforts by the courts, prosecutors, police, government officials and community service providers to use less costly approaches to justice than jail. The impact on the population at the new Richmond Justice Center is evident. On Monday, Jan. 26, Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. reported holding 1,126 inmates, or 240 fewer than the 1,366 people who were being held in the old City Jail on the same day in 2014.
Fundraising growing at VSU
A $200,000 check shows Dr. Pamela V. Hammond is keeping her promise to rev up fundraising at Virginia State University. The university’s interim president received the contribution from the foundation of Thompson Hospitality Inc., which offers food service and catering at VSU’s Gateway Center.
Petersburg council to revisit jail closure plan
Will the Petersburg City Jail close as Mayor W. Howard Myers has announced? Stay tuned. Mayor Myers is facing a Petersburg City Council revolt over his announcement last week that the jail closing is a done deal and that arrestees would be housed outside the city at Riverside Regional Jail beginning March 1.
City Council seeks regional efforts on new ballpark
Mayor Dwight C. Jones keeps saying that he might one day return with a revamped proposal to build a new ballpark in Shockoe Bottom. However, his prospects of gaining the six City Council votes he would need to move such a proposal forward — particularly after his initial plan to build a ballpark in Shockoe Bottom went nowhere — are growing increasingly dim.
Morrissey trial set for April 28
Delegate Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey hoped for a speedier trial. Now he must wait two months to fight new grand jury indictments — including a charge that he forged a document that he presented as evidence in the case that landed him in jail.
