Officials break ground for new off-track betting parlor in South Side
A vacant, former K-Mart store in South Side is being transformed into a $30 million center for betting on horse racing called Rosie’s.
City Council members not embracing new location for Social Services building
A marketing campaign to sell the public on the $1.4 billion plan to reshape Downtown and develop a new Coliseum is in full swing, even though the legislation to support the plan is still incomplete and has not been sent to Richmond City Council.
Jones gets pushback on renaming South Side center
Ninth District City Councilman Michael J. Jones has put on hold his proposal to rename the Southside Community Center for Richmond area entertainer Lonnie Battle, a.k.a. DJ Lonnie B.
Sen. Tim Kaine glides to big re-election victory
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine declared that Virginia rejected the “the politics of hatred and division … the politics of peddling lies to get ahead” after handily winning re-election to his second six-year term.
CARE van drivers approve new contract
The third time worked. After rejecting two previous offers, union drivers with GRTC’s CARE paratransit service voted to approve the latest offer from the service’s operator, Cincinnati-based First Transit Inc.
Medicaid expansion enrollment continues
Enrollment for Virginia’s Medicaid expansion program, Cover Virginia, is now open and will continue through Saturday, Dec. 15.
Mayor Stoney pushes $1.4B plan to revitalize Downtown
The grand plan to overhaul a big chunk of Downtown — including replacing the Richmond Coliseum with a new, larger arena — with a combination of taxpayer dollars and private investment funds is now headed to Richmond City Council for review.
Newcomer Abigail Spanberger claims narrow win over GOP incumbent
Democratic newcomer Abigail Spanberger of Henrico defied conventional wisdom and upset U.S. Rep. Dave Brat to win Virginia’s 7th Congressional District seat in her first run for public office.
Mayor: COLA for retirees too costly
Too costly. That is Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s explanation for his decision to back away from his March promise that he would seek to use a surplus to pay for a cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for retired city employees.
New delivery service starts in Richmond
For a flat delivery fee of $1.95 and the cost of the goods, Richmonders can get diapers, toilet paper, beverages and snacks delivered to their home between noon and 4 a.m. seven days a week.
RRHA inspection turns up more heating problems
An inspection of heating equipment in the city’s 4,000 public housing units has turned up broken radiators and other problems in 250 units, according to Orlando Artze, interim executive director of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
VCU cuts university-wide commencement ceremony in 2019
Virginia Commonwealth University is the latest customer to be affected by a still largely undisclosed plan to replace the Richmond Coliseum. VCU officials announced Tuesday that the university-wide spring graduation ceremony held in early May at the 13,000-seat Coliseum since 1972 is off for 2019.
RRHA reconsidering plan to demolish Creighton Court
The city’s key public housing agency is rethinking its vision of demolishing the six major public housing communities in Richmond and replacing them with “mixed-income” neighborhoods to end the concentration of poverty.
DJ Lonnie B Center?
Richmond City Councilman Michael J. Jones is getting pushback on his plan to rename Southside Community Center for local music celeb
A brewing battle over an unusual proposal to rename a city recreation center in South Side for a popular area DJ has exposed a largely unnoticed snafu involving the city property.
Virginia attorney general launches clergy abuse hotline
People who have been sexually abused by a priest, minister or other faith leader have new options to tell their story.
North Side church offers healthy food to all in need
At 9 a.m. on any Saturday during the spring, summer and fall, Charles E. Fitzgerald is at his post in the gym at the Atlee Church in North Side, waiting to give away fresh greens, kale, collards, peppers, sweet potatoes and similar items to anyone who walks in.
Feeding programs resume at Monroe Park
An estimated 150 people flowed into Monroe Park last Sunday afternoon for meals that students from a Richmond seminary offered, according to Alice M. Massie, president of the Monroe Park Conservancy, the park’s governing body.
New proposed map for House of Delegates boundaries expected Dec. 7
A proposed map showing revamped House of Delegates districts is expected to be released Friday, Dec. 7, according to the U.S. District Court for Eastern Virginia.
City surplus shrinks
The city’s end-of-year surplus is a little smaller. Richmond City Council has been notified that an initial September projection that $13.5 million was unspent at the close of fiscal year 2018 on June 30 was too generous.
Church Hill North construction to begin
What’s special about Tuesday, Oct. 30? It’s the long-awaited launch date for construction of new housing on the site of the former Armstrong High School in the East End.
Enrollment begins Nov. 1 for Medicaid expansion
Shanté Williams is among tens of thousands of Virginians patiently waiting for Thursday, Nov. 1, to arrive. That’s the start date for enrollment in the state’s expanded Medicaid program.
Virginia playing central role in high-stakes Nov. 6 election
Call it a high-stakes referendum on Donald Trump’s presidency and the Republican agenda that includes proposals to slash spending on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and anti-poverty programs to pay for tax cuts, appoint conservative judges to roll back voting rights and affirmative action, eliminate environmental protections and end abortions.
Kamras calls for tax hike to support schools
More money, please. That’s the call from Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras.
Richmond Circuit Court clears way for ballot initiative on schools vs. Coliseum
The Richmond Circuit Court this week cleared the way for political strategist Paul Goldman to launch a challenge to a brewing $1.2 billion proposal to replace the 47-year-old Richmond Coliseum.
City Council committee delays action on Arthur Ashe Boulevard, other items
City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray, 2nd District, hit the pause button on her proposal to rename the Boulevard for Arthur Ashe to honor the late Richmond-born tennis great and renowned humanitarian. Saying she wanted to “provide more time for dialogue,” Ms. Gray secured a 60-day delay until Tuesday, Dec. 18, before the plan is to be considered by the Richmond City Council’s Land Use, Housing and Transportation Committee.
City lawyers deny allegations in fired employee’s lawsuit
City Hall is asking a federal court to dismiss a terminated employee’s lawsuit that accuses the city of failing to pay overtime and also of violating the federal Family Medical Leave Act in firing her when she was forced to stay home to care for two sick children.
City continues to grow rainy day fund, but no interest earned
City Council is poised to exceed its policy goal for saving taxpayer dollars. The result makes it likely that council will lock up millions of extra dollars in the city’s rainy day fund that could be used for improving services.
Goldman to pursue new City Charter change
Should Richmond’s top priority be modernizing obsolete public school buildings or replacing the 47-year-old Richmond Coliseum? Veteran political strategist Paul Goldman wants to give city voters the opportunity to weigh in on that issue.
PTA president lives in Henrico, but keeps children in RPS
Every school day, Chastity R. Hise or her husband, James R. Hise, drives the 3 miles from their home to drop their two children off at Linwood Holton Elementary School in the city’s North Side. And at the end of the day, one of the Hises is there to drive the children home.
Federal court will redraw House of Delegates boundaries
A federal court will have the task of redrawing the boundaries of 11 state House of Delegates districts that were found to be illegally packed with Democratic-leaning black voters.
CARE van drivers again reject latest contract offer
Unionized CARE van drivers have rejected the latest contract offer from First Transit, the company that operates GRTC’s door-to-door service for the elderly and disabled.
Blackwell gets historic designation
A large swatch of the Blackwell neighborhood in South Side just gained official designation as a historic place.
Public sentiment divided on renaming the Boulevard for Arthur Ashe
Call it a preview of the coming fireworks over a proposal to rename the historic West End street now simply known as the Boulevard in honor of Arthur Ashe Jr., the late great Richmond-born tennis star and humanitarian.
Lost cause
Richmond City Council rejects resolution requesting General Assembly approval for authority over city’s Confederate monuments
The racist Confederate past has maintained its stranglehold on Richmond’s future.
Nonprofit’s effort to buy St. Emma-St. Francis property collapses
A nearly two-year effort to protect the heritage of a sprawling Powhatan County site that was the home of two African-American Catholic boarding schools has collapsed.
$13.5M surplus
That’s what city expects this year after crying money blues
Just like last year and the year before, financial officials at City Hall were singing the hardship blues in May in reporting to Richmond City Council that revenues were barely keeping up with expenses. They warned the council not to expect any big surplus.
New alliance seeks to improve lives of Highland Park residents
Bernice Clack did not have to go to church last Sunday. Church came to her in the form of a volunteer crew from nearby St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Highland Park.
Former city worker’s lawsuit alleges FMLA, overtime violations
For 11 years, Dikiviya Howell was considered a valuable city employee with an unblemished record and a willingness to work extra hours to ensure the job was done.
Gov. Northam vows to veto new Republican redistricting plan
No deal. That’s Democratic Gov. Ralph S. Northam’s response to a new Republican plan to redistrict the Virginia House of Delegates and overcome a court finding that the current plan illegally packs Democratic-leaning African-American voters into 11 districts.
City moves homeless shelter from Downtown
Homeless people in Richmond could face a bigger challenge to survive the coming winter’s bitter cold. Instead of heading to the former Public Safety Building near City Hall to stay warm overnight, homeless people will need to go to the Conrad Center at 1400 Oliver Hill Way in Shockoe Valley.
School improvement grants fail to yield results
Ask Mayor Levar M. Stoney what it will take to fix Richmond’s ailing public schools, and he has a succinct answer: More money from the state. He’s now leading a campaign to boost state educational spending in Richmond and across Virginia.
Final stanza
Larry Bland, director of The Volunteer Choir, is calling it quits as group reaches 50th anniversary
A local gospel music group that has been generating sounds of joy and inspiration for 50 years could soon be no more. Larry Bland & The Volunteer Choir is scheduled to make three appearances this year to mark its golden anniversary milestone, and then Mr. Bland said he will retire as the group’s director and chief organizer.
RRHA finishes heating updates; breaks ground on new development
The heat is finally working in all 411 public housing units where serious problems occurred last winter, according to the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. That includes 78 units in Creighton Court, where new baseboard heat was installed and 333 units where radiators were repaired or replaced.
City Council endorses off-track betting parlor in South Side
Off-track betting on horse races soon could return to Richmond, creating another visitor attraction, dozens of new jobs and a stream of new revenue for the city.
Mayor Stoney proposes free bus service on Election Day
Mayor Levar M. Stoney wants to spend $24,310 to provide Richmond residents with free GRTC bus rides on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6.
VCU master plan highlights major new projects for cityscape
The construction spigot at Virginia Commonwealth University will be flowing for years to come.
Centenary United Methodist Church celebrates 9 years as Reconciling Congregation
For the first time, members of historic Centenary United Methodist Church will have a booth at VA PrideFest 2018 to tell the church’s story and encourage the thousands of festival participants to attend.
Ball now in Gov. Northam’s court on latest GOP redistricting plan
Can Virginia’s Republican House Speaker Kirk Cox cut a deal with Democratic Gov. Ralph S. Northam over a new, constitutional map for the 100 districts in the House of Delegates? That’s the big question that hangs over the release Tuesday of proposed GOP changes to House districts that Republican leaders call “race blind.”
City Council to hear new Confederate statue resolution
The battle over Richmond’s Confederate statues on Monument Avenue is headed back to City Council. The three-member Land Use, Housing and Transportation Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to send a new resolution aimed at giving the city control of the statues to the nine-member council for consideration.
Changes creating upheaval at Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club
The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club in Church Hill is undergoing the biggest upheaval in the nearly 70 years it has offered programming.
