Ignoring call to duty
Failure to sign up for Selective Service hurts thousands
Register for Selective Service. Otherwise, you could ruin your life. Jacquel Parker wishes he could tell that to every young man turning 18.
Maggie Walker Class of 1967 starting cleanup effort at area cemeteries
A renewed effort is being mounted to clean up four long neglected, but historic African-American cemeteries that sit on the eastern border between Richmond and Henrico County.
African-American mayors elected in 3 cities
Voters in Norfolk and Roanoke elected African-American mayors in Tuesday’s municipal elections. And in Hampton, Mayor George Wallace lost his re-election bid to another African-American.
Nuns to sell St. Emma’s-St. Francis property in Powhatan
A religious order founded by an American saint plans to sell the 2,265-acre property in Powhatan County that once housed two Catholic boarding schools for African-American youths.
Contract awarded for Richmond Pulse construction
Richmond’s Bus Rapid Transit project has cleared its final funding hurdle.
3 team up to find new home for Squirrels in Boulevard area
Public pressure to keep baseball on the Boulevard appears to be having an impact. In a new effort, Mayor Dwight C. Jones is teaming up with the Richmond Flying Squirrels and Virginia Commonwealth University to find a site for a new ballpark near The Diamond, but not on the 60 acres of public property the city wants to redevelop.
City Council continues talks on school funding
Richmond City Council appears to be stuck between a rock and a hard place as it seeks to craft a balanced $709 million operating budget that would become effective July 1. On one side are passionate supporters of Richmond’s public schools who want the council to shift more local tax dollars into public education to avoid the potential shutdown of Armstrong High School and four elementary schools. Find the money, they say.
Morgan Bullock stands out in Irish dance
Morgan Bullock is starting to make a name for herself in the fast-growing arena of Irish dance. In late March, the Richmond area teen placed 50th for her solo dancing in her first foray into World Irish Dance Championships, becoming the only Virginian to be ranked among the 200 competitors in the age 15-16 category. She qualified to participate in the competition in Glasgow, Scotland, by placing among the top 15 dancers in regional competition in Dallas.
Power to vote
Gov. McAuliffe boldly restores voting rights of 206,000 Virginians, including disenfranchised African-Americans
David Mosby no longer feels like a second-class citizen. After years of being barred from the ballot box because of his criminal record, the 46-year-old home improvement contractor is finally able to vote and fully take part in the life of his community.
Maggie Walker statue project almost ready to roll
It’s official. No tree will overshadow the future Downtown statue of Richmond civic and business leader Maggie L. Walker. The Richmond Planning Commission this week ended the debate over the rare live oak tree that now stands at Broad and Adams streets and Brook Road.
Metro Richmond air quality improves
Thousands of adults and children in the Richmond metropolitan area are breathing easier because the air is cleaner, although still far from pristine, according to the American Lung Association. The area improved to its best values on key measures of air pollution, the ALA reported in its annual national “State of the Air” report released Wednesday.
HOME wins settlement for disabled
Landlords cannot turn away prospective tenants because their income is from government disability payments, according to the fair housing watchdog agency Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia. Richmond-based HOME brought attention to that restriction attempt after bringing change to a Chesterfield County apartment complex.
Comments cause temperatures to rise at city School Board meeting
The Richmond School Board, like many public bodies in Virginia, has long barred speakers during its public comment period from engaging in “personal attacks of any individual” or expressing criticism of an administrator, a staff member, a principal or a teacher by name.
Price of first class stamp drops by 2¢
A postage stamp now costs 47 cents — a drop of 2 cents for a first class letter.
Faith-based group out to change world for homeless students
More than 1,600 students in Richmond Public Schools are considered homeless because they lack a traditional place to live. They live in shelters with their families, bunk with relatives or on the couches of friends or find space in group homes or motels.
Petersburg shakeup continues
Irvin M. Carter Jr. has been dismissed as director of the Petersburg Finance Department in the latest city government shakeup.
General Assembly backs plan allowing anonymity for suppliers of lethal injection drugs
Death row prisoners will continue to be executed in Virginia. In a blow to death penalty foes, the General Assembly on Wednesday approved Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposal to allow the state to secretly purchase lethal drugs for executions from small drug manufacturers that would remain unidentified.
July 3 riverfront fireworks canceled
Richmond will have two fireworks shows to celebrate In- dependence Day on July 4th — the city’s traditional show in Byrd Park and the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ annual blast at The Diamond baseball stadium.
GRTC’s planned Bus Rapid Transit already $11.5M over projection
Richmond’s Bus Rapid Transit system is going to cost an additional $11.5 million to develop. But the state — and not Richmond — will pick up the extra expense, GRTC spokeswoman Carrie Rose Pace disclosed Tuesday. “Under the project agreement, the Commonwealth of Virginia will cover any costs that exceed the estimated project budget,” she stated in an email to the Free Press.
Four candidates to run in primaries for 4th District congressional seat
The election for the 4th Congressional District seat that now includes Richmond is beginning to shape up. Two Democrats and two Republicans have qualified to run for their respective political party’s nomination in a June 14 primary. The winners of the primaries then will face off for the seat in the November general election.
State NAACP election results upheld
After months of uncertainty, Linda Thomas is officially the president of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP. She replaces Carmen Taylor of Hampton, who lost a close election last fall at the state convention. “I’m feeling pretty good. I’m anxious to get started, and the other members of the executive committee are anxious to get started,” said Ms. Thomas, a Caroline County resident whose husband, Floyd W. Thomas, serves on the Caroline Board of Supervisors
Unsold food is ‘a godsend’
Boxes of tomatoes, peppers and other fruits and vegetables fill four tables in the basement social hall at Zion Baptist Church on South Side, creating the look of a small grocery store. “This is a pretty small load,” said John Thombs, who had brought the cornucopia to the church at 2006 Decatur St., where his wife, Betty, set it up with a few helpers.
Petersburg works to filter water meter debacle
Petersburg failed to upgrade its billing system so it could accept and use the data collected from the new digital water meters, despite Mayor W. Howard Myers and the Petersburg City Council making that a condition in approving the switch to the new meters.
Marching for dollars
City Council takes first steps to give more to RPS
Before dozens of students, parents and teachers began pleading, berating and challenging Richmond City Council to beef up funding for city schools, the nine members of the governing body had already taken the first step. In a 9-0 vote Monday night, in front of a packed council chamber of school supporters, the council approved an ordinance requiring the city administration to give to the schools real estate tax money collected from surplus property previously owned by the school system.
Council to CAO: Create plan to aid businesses impacted by BRT
Restaurants and other businesses along Broad Street could receive financial help to survive the expected 15 months of construction of the GRTC’s Bus Rapid Transit system.
Another Barbara Johns?
Open High students plan citywide walkout to protest lack of funding
Imagine all 5,600 high school students in Richmond walking out to protest the physical conditions of their buildings. Then imagine them overflowing the Richmond City Council chambers a few hours later to bring their concerns to the nine-member governing body.
Governor vetoes bills ahead of April 10 deadline
Richmond and other localities can still, if they choose, require employers with government contracts to pay workers a “living wage” that is well above the current $7.25 an hour federal minimum wage. However, the state will not be creating an experimental, independent school system where students in kindergarten through 12th grade could take all of their classes on a home computer or laptop.
Federal agency investigating local postal union election
The U.S. Labor Department is investigating the conduct of the Dec. 16 election of officers for the Richmond-based Old Dominion Branch Local 496 of the National Association of Letter Carriers.
City’s energy savings plan didn’t pan out
Earlier this year, City Hall rejected a proposal to use energy savings to pay for $13 million in improvements to an array of city buildings, including replacing old boilers, aging windows and outdated lighting.
Fulton streets may change for Bus Rapid Transit
Richmond is moving forward with a proposed $7.9 million overhaul of Dock and East Main streets to improve the road network for the new Stone Brewing plant and the coming Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in the East End. The project appears to expand potential sites for development near the riverfront and the Virginia Capital Trail, the Richmond-to-Williamsburg bike and pedestrian connector.
City changes
Richmond population grows; it’s no longer majority black
After growing up in Richmond, Patti B. Wright joined the wave of people leaving the city for the suburbs when her son, Joshua M. “Josh” Wright, was a toddler. But now that her son is grown, she felt “it no longer made sense to live out in the country at the end of a dirt road.”
Mayoral prospects getting in, out of election race
Richmond School Board Chairman Jeff Bourne this week dropped out of the race for mayor before the contest even began.
City Council OKs new housing developments
Richmond City Council has given the green light to two new developments that will bring new housing to the Carver and Fulton areas.
Croaker’s adds a new spot — Sugar’s Crab Shack
The popular Richmond-based Croaker’s Spot restaurant chain has a new addition — Sugar’s Crab Shack. The drive-in, walk-up eatery quietly opened two weeks ago in the 2200 block of Chamberlayne Avenue and features lake trout, catfish and shrimp, as well as snow crab legs.
Lane named superintendent in Chesterfield
Dr. James F. Lane, head of Goochland County Public Schools, will be the next superintendent of the larger Chesterfield County school system.
Richmond Christian Center to search for new pastor
The Richmond Christian Center is moving to replace its founding pastor, Steve Parson. Two months after emerging from bankruptcy, the fundamentalist South Side church announced Tuesday that it has begun a search for a new full-time pastor to be in place by July.
Computer science to be added to Va. education requirements
The three Rs of education are getting a new addition in Virginia — computer science. As part of education reforms approved in the recent session, the General Assembly unanimously passed legislation making the theory and practice of computer operations and the ability to write software code part of a well-rounded education on par with the traditional subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic.
‘Virtual school’ in Va.?
Advocates say it would boost educational choices; critics say it would strip students and money from public schools
Thousands of public school students in Virginia could have the option of taking all of their classes on a home computer in what is known as a “virtual school” — instead of making the daily trek to a building with bells and defined class times. Gov. Terry McAuliffe is mulling whether to sign House Bill 8, a largely Republican-backed piece of legislation that would allow Virginia to join Florida, Ohio and 28 other states in providing 12 years of public education in what enthusiasts describe as a “classroom without walls.”
Walker statue to be shorter than initial plan
Maggie Walker’s statue in Downtown could wind up at least 6 feet shorter than sculptor Antonio “Toby” Mendez first envisioned. Instead of a 14-foot tall statue standing on a 5-foot pedestal as the sculptor proposed, the bronze figure of the much-admired Richmond businesswoman and civil rights leader would be no more than 10 feet tall and stand on 3-foot,4-inch pedestal in the proposed plaza at Adams and Broad streets.
Rankine named new dean at UR
The University of Richmond School of Arts and Sciences will have a new dean June 1. He is Dr. Patrice Rankine, currently dean for Arts and Humanities at Hope College in Holland, Mich. “Dr. Rankine is an experienced and accomplished scholar and administrator who deeply appreciates the importance we, at Richmond, attach to our deans being student-focused and committed to faculty development,” University of Richmond Provost Jacquelyn S. Fetrow stated Tuesday in announcing the appointment.
Tentative design, sculptor chosen for Emancipation Monument
Plans for a Richmond monument that pays tribute to the Emancipation Proclamation and enslaved Africans are moving forward three years after it was first proposed, according to a state commission that is spearheading the effort. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission has tentatively selected the sculptor and a potential design for the Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument.
City juvenile detention center re-certified
The Richmond Juvenile Detention Center has passed its latest state review with flying colors. Richmond officials said the center was notified last month that it had been recertified to operate for another three years after receiving 100 percent passing grades on all elements of the audit.
Student advocate wins case in Chesterfield
Kandise Lucas, an advocate for disabled students and their parents, did not trespass at a Chesterfield County high school last year despite being banned from the property, a Chesterfield Circuit Court judge ruled Wednesday. Judge Timothy J. Hauler threw out the misdemeanor trespass charge the school system had brought after finding Ms. Lucas did not have the requisite intent.
GRTC driver raises safety concerns after stabbing
GRTC bus drivers have been assaulted by angry and upset passengers at least 16 times during the past five years. They have reported being spit on, punched and hit with water bottles and book bags, according to GRTC records. One driver last year even had a knife briefly held to his throat.
Malveaux moves to Va. Court of Appeals
Henrico County Judge Mary Bennett Malveaux is a beneficiary of the judgeship fight between the governor and the Republican-dominated General Assembly. She is headed to the state’s 11-member Court of Appeals where she will make history as the court’s first African-American female member. She is officially to begin on April 16.
Sweeping changes to impact high school learning, training
High school is headed for an overhaul in Virginia. Under reforms approved by the General Assembly, students who take courses to become computer technicians, mechanics, nurses and plumbers or enter other career and technical fields are to be placed on an equal footing with students seeking to go to college.
Grand jury OKs probe of city connection to mayor’s church
A grand jury Wednesday granted the Virginia State Police permission to investigate whether Mayor Dwight C. Jones blurred his roles as the city’s chief executive and senior pastor of First Baptist Church of South Richmond. Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring called it a “procedural step” that allows the State Police to probe whether the mayor improperly used his city position to benefit the church or any of its members.
Sheriff Woody answers federal ADA lawsuit
Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. plans to vigorously defend his office against a federal lawsuit accusing him of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to find a civilian position for a deputy suffering from a disabling heart condition. Tony Pham, the in-house lawyer for the Sheriff’s Office, stated that the sheriff followed the law and “vehemently denies that the former employee was discriminated against under the ADA” as the U.S. Justice Department alleged in its suit filed March 3 in federal district court in Richmond.
Congressional races shaping up
Largely overshadowed by presidential politics, the races for Virginia’s 11 congressional seats are beginning to take shape. In the 4th Congressional District that now includes Richmond, candidates are starting to make plans to run in the June 14 primary contests that have been called by the district’s Democratic and Republican committees.
VSU working on improvements after state auditor’s findings
That’s the verdict of the state auditor of public accounts after completing Virginia State University’s financial audit for fiscal year 2015 that ended June 30.
