Delegate Loupassi seeks recount in 336-vote defeat
With the GOP clinging to a one-seat majority in the 100-member House of Delegates, Richmond Delegate Manoli Loupassi, a Republican who represents the 68th House District, filed last week for a recount in the district that includes parts of Richmond and Chesterfield and Henrico counties. The recount is to take place Wednesday, Dec. 20, according to a Dec. 6 order.
City employees expected to receive 2.5% bonus
City employees are about to be awarded a 2.5 percent Christmas bonus. Richmond City Council is expected to unanimously vote Monday, Dec. 11, to approve the bonus payments. Mayor Levar M. Stoney and his administration also support the bonuses to be paid Friday, Dec.15.
Dozens of inmates may be released by new interpretation of old policy
Dozens of aging inmates who have served decades in state prisons could become eligible for release as a result of the Virginia Parole Board’s decision to change the interpretation of a now defunct version of the state’s three-strikes law.
GOP holds 51-49 edge over Dems in House after election certification
Democrat Joshua Cole fell just 82 votes short of becoming the first African-American delegate to represent Stafford County and end outright Republican control of the House of Delegates, according to the state Board of Elections.
Larus Park water sale on track for approval
A controversial City Hall plan to sell more water to Chesterfield County appears to be on track to win Richmond City Council approval now that a key member is supportive.
VCU offers chance for jail inmates to ‘write way out’
Instead of spending time behind bars, a few inmates soon could serve their sentence in a college classroom. That’s the idea behind a new program that Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring and Virginia Commonwealth University are creating. It is dubbed “Writing Your Way Out.”
Judge approves RCC sale to UNCI
As anticipated, the Richmond-based United Nations Church International has been approved to purchase the 5-acre Richmond Christian Center property in South Side
Opponents fear Main Street Station plans will run over slave memorial
Hopes of creating a memorial park in Shockoe Bottom recalling Richmond’s role as a center of the slave trade appear to conflict with efforts to make Main Street Station a more significant passenger rail stop.
Lawsuit alleges RRHA overcharged thousands of public housing residents
Has the landlord for Richmond’s public housing residents been ripping off its tenants? Yes, according to the nonprofit Legal Aid Justice Center, the poor people’s law firm with offices in Richmond, Charlottesville and Falls Church.
City welcomes new schools chief
Jason Kamras from D.C. to become next Richmond superintendent
They campaigned on a platform of change for a school system that continues to rank high in dropouts and suspensions and low in student academic achievement.
College student feels new confidence with guide dog
La’Teia Randolph is extra thankful this year. The blind Richmonder now has a guide dog to help her get around — Della, a 2-year-old female Labrador retriever.
Evergreen Restoration Foundation continues work, seeks volunteers
Real estate broker Marvin Harris has spent the past 18 months motivating volunteers to restore a 15-acre section of the historic, but long-neglected Evergreen Cemetery where Richmond businesswoman Maggie L. Walker and crusading newspaper editor John Mitchell Jr. are buried.
Gold tapped to launch new grocery in Church Hill
Steve and Kathie Markel refused to be deterred when they could not find anyone interested in opening a supermarket in the $30 million Church Hill North retail-commercial-apartment complex they are developing at 25th Street, Fairmount Avenue and Nine Mile Road.
Bourne to push schools referendum in Gen. Assembly
A Richmond Democrat has volunteered to promote legislation to approve city voters’ call for Mayor Levar M. Stoney to craft a fully funded school modernization plan.
Rematch underway for leadership of letter carriers local union
Once again, a battle is underway for control of one of the oldest unions in the state, the Old Dominion Branch, Local 496, of the National Association of Letter Carriers.
Highland Park grocery store closed
S&K Supermarket, one of the last grocery stores in North Side, remains closed in Highland Park, with a planned renovation on hold.
New links close family story for Richmond teacher
LaTonia Tandalet Dean was reunited with her birth mother a few weeks ago, and now she finally has made contact with her biological father.
Bankruptcy trustee recommends RCC sale to another church
And the apparent winner is United Nations Church International. Aiming to keep the Richmond Christian Center a place of worship, a court-appointed trustee is recommending a sale of the church’s 5-acre property in South Side to Richmond-based UNCI for $2.9 million.
Troubled Essex Village apartments sold, renamed
Essex Village, once labeled Henrico County’s worst apartment complex, is now in the hands of a successful African-American property investment and development firm based in Baltimore.
Mayor pushes private development of new Coliseum
A pie-in-the-sky fantasy or a realistic prospect for overhauling the Coliseum area of Downtown? That question remains to be answered in the wake of Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s call for companies to provide plans for revitalizing the 10-block area from 5th to 10th streets between Marshall and Leigh streets.
Recount expected in 3 House of Delegates races
Democrats remain two seats short of taking control of the 100-member Virginia House of Delegates based on official local counts completed Tuesday.
Richmond Christian Center decision to be made Nov. 20
The future of the Richmond Christian Center’s 5-acre property in South Side is to be determined on Monday, Nov. 20. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Keith L. Phillips set the new date Tuesday after an attorney for RCC’s court appointed trustee, Bruce H. Matson, said the trustee needed just a day or two more to decide between two potential buyers.
Class action suit filed against BB&T for stop payment request violation
When Ronnie and Christine Gilliam told BB&T bank they were revoking the right of a payday lender to take electronic payments from their checking account, they allege the bank ignored the request.
House of Delegates to become more diverse
The Virginia House of Delegates will be more diverse and more Democratic in January as a result of Tuesday’s elections. Voters in districts across the state produced shocker after shocker as Democrats unexpectedly won at least 15 new seats in the 100-seat House to come close to controlling the General Assembly’s lower chamber.
City voters overwhelmingly approve schools referendum
“The people have spoken. Now we can only hope that City Hall and the Richmond delegation to the General Assembly were listening.”
It’s a sweep!
Virginia elects Democrats to top posts, other offices
In a result seen as a wholesale rejection of a president many see as unfit, and a message to the political party that has backed him, fired up Virginia voters ensured Democrats retained control of the top tiers of state government and replaced at least a dozen seasoned Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly to boot.
Former GRTC CEO, 2 others appointed to GRTC board
Eldridge F. Coles, retired chief executive officer of GRTC, is Richmond’s newest representative on the bus company’s board of directors.
Turnout may prove key in Va. gov. race
Now it’s up to the voters. Tuesday, Nov. 7, is Election Day — when ordinary citizens will troop to polls in Richmond and across Virginia to decide who will become the commonwealth’s 73rd governor and succeed the current chief executive, Democrat Terry McAuliffe. The main choices: Democrat Ralph S. Northam, 58, a pediatrician who specializes in children’s nerve diseases, a military veteran and the current lieutenant governor; and Republican Ed Gillespie, 56, a corporate lobbyist and former Republican Party chairman.
3 of city’s 5 reps in House of Delegates face challengers
Richmond voters will help fill five of the 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates that will be up for grabs on Election Day.
Hilbert critical of city’s handling of St. Luke project in Gilpin Court
Richmond City Council President Chris A. Hilbert is “utterly distressd” at City Hall’s handling of the proposed $3.6 million redevelopment of the historic, but vacant St. Luke Building in Gilpin Court.
City tax amnesty program to reap nearly $2.8M
Richmond expects to collect nearly $2.8 million in delinquent taxes as a result of a tax amnesty program, Mayor Levar M. Stoney announced this week.
4th Circuit renders decision in battle over Md. cross
For 92 years, a four-story-tall cross has stood at a major intersection in Prince George’s County, Md., paying silent tribute to members of the American military who died fighting in World War I. Now, in the latest church-state battle over public memorials, a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond has ruled that the massive memorial violates the U.S. Constitution’s ban on the government imposition of a religious faith.
4 contenders in open sheriff’s race
Four months ago, Antionette V. Irving made the headlines with her stunning upset of longtime Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. in the Democratic primary.
3 vying for city treasurer
City treasurer is an office with a big name, but little to do in Richmond. With City Hall’s finance department in charge of collecting and paying taxes, the treasurer has been left to sell hunting and fishing licenses, pay Richmond jurors, notarize legal papers, help people fill out tax forms and collect overdue state taxes. While it is unclear why the elected position continues to exist, three people are battling to succeed Treasurer Eunice M. Wilder, who is retiring from the office after nearly 25 years.
Richmond Police spent tax $ at Henrico County establishments for rally food
Will Richmond have to shell out another $570,000 if supporters of Confederate statues come back in six weeks to hold another rally in Richmond?
Training camp fails to score finances, developments for city
After five football seasons, the Washington pro football team’s training camp at 2401 W. Leigh St. apparently is failing to generate enough income to pay off the cost of its construction.
St. Luke Building permits still elusive
Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration is blocking the first major development in decades in poverty-stricken Gilpin Court, the Free Press has learned.
Richmond Christian Center to be sold
Will it remain a church, but under a different name? Or will it be sold for development? These questions will soon be answered about the property in the 200 block of Cowardin Avenue in South Side where the Richmond Christian Center has made its home for 32 years.
Virginia’s CHIP funding in jeopardy
Overshadowed by the uproar of President Trump’s attempt to defund government support of the Affordable Care Act for adults, 65,000 children in Virginia and 9 million children across the country are now threatened with the loss of their health insurance.
Confederate rally in Richmond exceeds $500,000 in police spending
“The cost of monitoring First Amendment assemblies is not cheap.” That’s the view of Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham. And that certainly proved true for Richmond, which spent $570,000 on crowd control and other services on the Sept. 16 protest over the city’s Confederate statues, according to figures the city reported last Friday. Chief Durham was the biggest spender.
Statue issue halted – for now
Councilman Michael J. Jones is no longer racing to put a resolution before Richmond’s governing body urging the elimination of Confederate statues from Monument Avenue. Just days before a council committee was to consider his resolution this week, the 9th District councilman asked for the issue to be continued.
Obamacare still vital
Signature health care law remains intact despite GOP assaults
Don’t panic if you bought individual or family health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. The ACA, a.k.a. Obamacare, is struggling but still alive and will continue to operate, according to experts in the field, despite President Trump’s decision last week to cut off premium subsidies to insurance companies.
Facebook to boost local economy
For the Richmond area, Facebook is about to become more than a means for people to exchange messages and information.
McQuinn may be unseated from Slave Trail Commission
For 12 years, Richmond Delegate Delores L. McQuinn has led the city’s Slave Trail Commission to bring attention to the history and legacy of slavery in Richmond.
Richmond Crusade for Voters endorses diverse slate
The Richmond Crusade for Voters this week, as expected, endorsed the statewide Democratic ticket of Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam for governor, Justin Fairfax for lieutenant governor and Mark Herring for re-election to attorney general. But the city’s oldest and largest African-American political group also voted Monday to support the re-election of six-term Republican Delegate G. Manoli Loupassi over his Democratic challenger Dawn Adams in the 69th District.
Carol Adams to run as write-in for sheriff
Richmond Police Sgt. Carol D. Adams is jumping into the race to replace outgoing Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. Fresh from receiving a City Council award for community service, Sgt. Adams announced Wednesday she would compete as a write-in candidate for the sheriff’s position against the three other candidates on the ballot: Democrat Antionette Irving and independents Nicole Jackson and Emmett J. Jafari.
Sen. Kaine visits new vocational school for former felons
When Kenneth Williams got out of prison, he found work in construction and began rebuilding his life. Thirty years later, the veteran 68-year-old contractor strives to help other felons follow in his footsteps by teaching them carpentry, plumbing and other basic skills to help them become employable and perhaps start their own business.
Getting a pass?
Some fully accredited schools don’t always spell success
Are public schools that are labeled fully accredited actually providing a good education for at least the large majority of their students?
Commission selects 10 for Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument on Brown’s Island
Two leaders of slave rebellions and a Union spy will be among the 10 people who will be featured on the planned Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument to go up on Brown’s Island in Downtown.
City denies owing overtime pay to former mayor’s security detail
That is City Hall’s response to a lawsuit that four members of former Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ executive protection detail have filed alleging they were denied overtime pay when they worked more than 40 hours a week. The legal tussle over pay is now underway in federal court in Richmond and pits Richmond Police Officers Charles Battle, Errol Fernandez, Anthony Franklin and Eric Godfrey against the city.
