Confederate Avenue to be renamed
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton, soon will no longer live on Confederate Avenue.
General Assembly completes work on budget, criminal justice reform
Fairer sentencing for people convicted of crimes and a Marcus crisis alert system to improve the response to mental health emergencies are among the criminal justice reforms that have emerged from the General Assembly’s special session.
City Council authorizes use of $500,000 of $18.9M surplus for COVID-19 relief
Richmond City Council on Wednesday informally agreed to steer $500,000 from a ballooning surplus into a COVID-19 relief fund, with a potential for the money to provide emergency aid for city residents in desperate circumstances.
Henrico pulls funding for prosecutor dedicated to probing police misconduct
Shannon Taylor, Henrico County’s top prosecutor, has dropped her plan to hire the first deputy prosecutor in Virginia who would specialize in investigating police misconduct after Henrico County pulled its share of the funding.
Nasal flush possibly remedy to fight off coronavirus?
Photographer and home builder Robert Liverman has become an unlikely crusader for a method he believes people can use to help protect themselves from COVID-19 — daily rins- ing their noses.
City moves to reacquire portion of unmarked Black cemetery at Shockoe Hill
The city’s leadership is moving to reverse a nearly 130-year effort to eliminate a major Black cemetery.
Gov. Northam alleged target of anti-government militia group
Gov. Ralph S. Northam is calling on President Trump to stop encouraging extremists after an FBI agent disclosed in a Grand Rapids, Mich., courtroom Tuesday that Virginia’s chief executive had been mentioned as a potential target for abduction by a paramilitary group under arrest for conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Rev. Delores R. Seay, associate minister at Triumphant Baptist Church, dies at 86
The Rev. Delores McFadden Robinson Seay, an associate minister at Triumphant Baptist Church who devoted herself to volunteer service at the church and in the community for decades, has died.
Mellon Foundation to provide $250M to help communities create new monuments
Suddenly there is a new source of funding that might help Richmond create replacement monuments for the white supremacist Confederates that have been taken down from Monument Avenue and other city sites.
South Side pastor withstands termination vote
Dr. Michael A. Sanders remains the pastor of historic Mt. Olive Baptist Church in South Side.
Another case of inequity?
2 people rob the same SunTrust Bank but sentences different as black and white
Two people robbed the same SunTrust Bank branch in Hanover County four years apart.
Judge rules against Sa’ad El-Amin entering Lee statue lawsuit
“Black lives still don’t matter,” former Richmond City Councilman Sa’ad El-Amin said as he left a Richmond courtroom last Friday.
Walter E. Baker Sr., partner in the former Baker & Dyson painting and contracting company, dies at 92
For more than 40 years, Walter Edward Baker Sr. partnered with his friend Lynwood M. Dyson Sr. on home improvement projects in Richmond.
Plans in the works to create several 24-hour homeless shelters
Frizzell Stephens wishes he had a roof over his head.
Richmond Police detectives indicted on misdemeanor charges
The Richmond Police Department appears to have largely dodged a legal bullet from the actions of its officers during the spate of protests over police brutality and racial injustice during late spring.
Bottom of the pack
Richmond Public Schools’ on-time graduation rate still lowest in state
Richmond Public Schools continues to generate more dropouts and produce fewer graduates in four years than virtually any other school division in Virginia, according to the latest yearly report from the state Department Education.
City property values on the rise in many areas
Richmond’s land book of assessed values shows why affordable housing is now a big issue.
Deadline extended to Oct. 30 for elderly, disabled tax relief program
The deadline for applying for or re-certifying for the City of Richmond’s property tax relief program has been extended to Friday, Oct. 30 — seven months past the original deadline because of the pandemic.
Ready for sale: City wants to dispose of high-value property
The vacant Richmond Coliseum in Downtown. The aging Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center in North Side. The historic but long-closed Fulton Gasworks in the East End. These are among 13 pieces of city property described as high-value that Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administra- tion wants permission to sell.
City joining preservation effort for historic African-American cemetery
City Hall is finally joining an effort to recognize, preserve and protect a historic African-American cemetery that city government spent more than 120 years trying to erase.
New poll shows Mayor Stoney ahead in re-election bid
Less than 40 percent of Richmond’s voters support the re-election of Mayor Levar M. Stoney, but with just a month to go, he appears to be on track to win at least five council districts in again facing a splintered opposition, a new poll of Richmond voters indicates.
Mayor introduces plan to boost affordable housing
For at least 25 years, City Hall has offered a tax abatement program that has spurred improvements and upgrades to at least 7,500 aging homes and apartment buildings in exchange for seven years of reduced real estate taxes.
Adoption advocate and political campaign volunteer Annette ‘Nettie’ Gordon dies at 82
Annette White “Nettie” Gordon, who helped build an adoption program focused on Black children and volunteered in campaigns of Democratic candidates, has died.
Gov. Northam announces $300M plan to help colleges through COVID-19
Gov. Ralph S. Northam announced Tuesday a two-year $300 million plan to help Virginia’s public colleges and universities weather the financial crisis the COVID-19 pandemic has created — without taxpayers having to foot the bill.
Mayor Stoney proposes 5 new city parks for South Side
Thirteen years ago, City Hall spent about $400,000 to tear down the decrepit Madison Arms apartments at Lynhaven Avenue and Drake Street in South Side.
Richmond Free Press founders win prestigious George Mason Award
The founders of the Richmond Free Press are being honored with one of Virginia journalism’s top awards.
James Cooper Jr., RPS computer pro, dies at 85
James Cooper Jr., who trained Richmond Public Schools teachers and staff to use computers as they came into common use in the 1980s, has died.
GRTC running free shuttle service to city’s new Voter Registrar’s Office
GRTC is operating free hourly shuttles to help people who want to vote early to reach the new Richmond Voter Registrar’s Office at 2134 W. Laburnum Ave.
Special prosecutor assigned in Confederate statue removal probe
A special grand jury soon will be convened in Richmond.
VSU may lose $10M to $12M with decision to go virtual
The decision to keep students off campus for the first semester may cost Virginia State University $10 million to $12 million — just one example of the impact COVID-19 is having on higher education.
City expecting $13.75M surplus from 2019-20 fiscal year
Worries that the pandemic would leave Richmond financially crippled are evaporating.
Federal appeals court decision may impact police immunity from lawsuits
When the Virginia Senate sidelined a bill last week that would have stripped police officers in the state of immunity from lawsuits alleging brutality and violations of constitutional rights, the result was to leave families to face arduous and expensive court fights to hold officers accountable.
Photographer Richard L. Swann dies at 85
Richard Leon Swann turned his youthful passion for taking photos into a photography career that spanned nearly 60 years and provided lasting memories for untold numbers of Richmond residents.
City spurns cold weather shelter for ‘non-congregant’ housing for homeless
For the first time in at least 19 years, City Hall will not be opening a cold weather shelter on Oct. 1 as a warm place for homeless adults when temperatures fall to 40 degrees and below.
Police reform legislation having tough time in General Assembly special session
Police reforms and other legislation are hardly sailing through the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.
Consumers overtaxed? Receipts show it happened, but now changed
Be aware: Some corporations appear to be collecting more sales tax from customers than the state or local govern- ments require.
Challenge to wording on November ballot dismissed
The Virginia Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an attempt to block the state Board of Elections from printing ballots, including proposed amendments to the state Constitution involving the drawing of lines for political districts.
City Council approves ban of guns at protests, gatherings
Richmond Police gained a new tool to crack down on people carrying rifles, handguns or shotguns at protests or other gatherings, including during continuing racial justice and police brutality protests.
Dr. Diane Harris Marsh, trailblazing dentist and wife of former state Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, dies at 84
Dr. Diane Elaine Harris Marsh was a “super mom” before the term was coined, according to her family.
Man’s gift of life to be highlighted during NASCAR race Saturday
When a 14-year-old cousin’s kidneys failed, Christopher J. Woody stepped up after testing found him genetically compatible. He donated one of his kidneys to save Tyshawn Morris’ life.
City day care program rolls out with waiting list
The new school year launched Tuesday with all classes online in Richmond, but the promise of a robust, city-supported day care program for children of working parents and for parents with weak links to the internet has yet to be fulfilled — and it is unclear when it will be.
Nearly 15 percent of city inmates under COVID-19 quarantine
The number of COVID-19 cases has risen sharply at the Richmond City Justice Center, Sheriff Antionette V. Irving has reported.
Families of federal inmates to show support on Sept. 5
Relatives of prisoners at the federal prison complex near Petersburg plan to make some noise to let the inmates know they are not forgotten at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5.
Charles L. Conyers, consummate educator and retired state education administrator, dies at 92
Charles Lee Conyers believed that a good education was the ticket out of poverty.
Mayor Stoney officially kicks off re-election campaign
Mayor Levar M. Stoney officially launched his bid for a second four-year term with a show of support from the state’s top elected Democrat, Gov. Ralph S. Northam.
Hospital Street burial ground gets support as new historic district
Lenora C. McQueen’s three-year crusade to gain recognition for the long forgotten and largely destroyed Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground at 5th and Hospital streets in Richmond is starting to secure results.
$4M grant enables Legal Aid to hire new attorneys to help curb evictions
Legal Services Corp. of Virginia, also known as Legal Aid, has received a $4 million grant from the state that could allow the organization to hire an additional 20 attorneys to support tenants facing court action from landlords seeking to evict them for nonpayment.
State high court criticizes Judge Cavedo in throwing out Confederate statue injunction
Complaints that Richmond Circuit Court Judge Bradley B. Cavedo made up the law in a bid to halt Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s removal of racist Confederate statues just gained support from the Virginia Supreme Court.
Former city councilman pushing African-American perspective missing in Lee statue lawsuit
New drama is about to be injected into the already charged legal fight over removing the last and largest offensive Confederate statue from Monument Avenue — the one to slavery’s top military defender, Gen. Robert E. Lee.
