GRTC slowdown ends; drivers get back pay
GRTC bus drivers have received the back pay they were due and have ended an informal work action that slowed service dramatically on various routes last week. The drivers received the anticipated back pay last Friday, according to Frank Tunstall III, president and business agent for Local 1220 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents bus operators and mechanics for the Greater Richmond Transit Co.
Herring to run for re-election, not for governor
Mark Herring enjoys his job as Virginia’s attorney general. That’s why the state’s top legal officer announced Wednesday that he would seek re-election for a new four-year term in 2017 rather than going after the top job of governor.
U.S. Supreme Court allows McDonnell to remain free
Bob McDonnell once again has had his date with a federal prison cell postponed. This time, the former Virginia governor got help from the U.S. Supreme Court.
A resurrection story
Richmond Christian Center climbing back from bankruptcy with entrepreneurial efforts
Richmond Christian Center climbing back from bankruptcy with entrepreneurial efforts
Dance-Morrissey race opens with rift over death penalty
Petersburg Sen. Rosalyn R. Dance is promising to propose a moratorium on executions of death row prisoners if she is re-elected.
New United Way head faces fundraising challenge
Giving to United Way is continuing to shrink. Ten years ago, the umbrella charity could raise at least $20 million between Labor Day and Thanksgiving through its workplace campaign to benefit nonprofit partners.
‘Why is this happening?’
Newborn baby taken from mother in hospital
Newborn baby taken from mother in hospital
VUU housing problems resolved
Virginia Union University has resolved the housing problems that troubled the private institution last week just before classes started.
VSU ending dual-enrollment program
Virginia State University is junking most of its dual-enrollment program that allowed hundreds of high school students to gain college credits from the four-year institution near Petersburg. Beginning this fall, VSU no longer will partner with high schools to offer college algebra, biology, technology and other science courses.
Alston out
Surprise move blocks African-American judge from Va. Supreme Court
Surprise move blocks African-American judge from Va. Supreme Court
Vision to return Gilpin Court to beacon of black enterprise
The decrepit four-story building at 900 St. James St. has been vacant for decades. However, plans are afoot to transform this former beacon of black enterprise into a centerpiece of new development in Gilpin Court, an underserved, untapped section of the city that lies just north of Downtown, split off by the interstate highways that carve their way through the city.
VCU enrolls record freshman class
A record 4,050 freshmen started classes this week at Virginia Commonwealth University, with a remarkable 51 percent being African-American, Asian, Latino and other minority students, the school has reported.
Tabloid-style drama grips Richmond school officials
David Hudson has long been considered one of the best elementary school principals in Richmond. He has received praise from parents and plaudits from teachers and enjoyed the regard of students during his 11-year career at Linwood Holton Elementary School.
Sharon Baptist back on the market
Sharon Baptist Church in Jackson Ward once again is looking for a buyer. The church’s historic sanctuary at 22 E. Leigh St. is listed for sale for $850,000, according Keller Williams Realty, which is marketing the property.
Full appeals court rebuffs McDonnell’s request
Former Gov. Bob McDonnell is a big step closer to reporting to prison. Tuesday, as legal experts anticipated, the 15 judges of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order rejecting the former Virginia governor’s request to reconsider his conviction on 11 corruption charges.
City cleanup for cycling race starts this weekend
Help us make Richmond shine. That’s the message City Hall is pushing as the city prepares to welcome thousands of visitors to the world road racing championships next month.
VUU working to find housing for student overflow
Virginia Union University is overflowing with students ahead of the start of the fall semester on Thursday, Aug. 13 — and has run out of housing on its campus.
Free school supplies for RPS teachers
Free school supplies will be available to Richmond Public Schools teachers when classes begin, thanks to a nonprofit called HandsOn Greater Richmond (HOGR).
Battle over congressional lines starts next week
The battle over the map of Virginia’s congressional districts is about to get underway. Next week, the Republican-dominated General Assembly will return for a special session that Gov. Terry McAuliffe called with the goal of making changes to the 2012-approved map to satisfy a federal court.
Tale of the tests
Richmond SOL scores rise, but still below state average
The good news: More students in Richmond Public Schools passed state Standards of Learning tests in reading, history and math in spring 2015 compared with the previous year. That’s in line with the state trend of rising pass rates.
Former School Board member mounts campaign to oust principal
How much influence should parents and the community wield in deciding who should run a public school? That question is at the heart of a dispute over the leadership of Blackwell Elementary School on South Side.
Double-dipping still a practice in city schools
Double-dipping is still in vogue in Richmond Public Schools, even though the practice of paying retirees extra money to fill vacancies has been loudly criticized.
Another black justice?
Political power play may lead to third African-American on Va. Supreme Court
Virginia is on its way to having a record three African-American judges on the state’s highest court — courtesy of the frayed relationship between Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Republican leaders who control the General Assembly. In a slap at Gov. McAuliffe for apparently ignoring them, top GOP legislators announced this week that House and Senate Republicans would take the virtually unprecedented step of rejecting the person the governor had appointed to the Virginia Supreme Court, in this case an experienced white female judge.
Church Hill roundabout opens
The $1.1 million Church Hill traffic circle is now open at 25th Street, Nine Mile Road, Fairmount Avenue and S Street. The landscaped circle or roundabout opened Wednesday after several months of construction.
GRTC workers strike deal on new contract
GRTC bus drivers and mechanics have approved a new contract that will boost their pay $1.10 an hour over the three-year life of the agreement, or an average of 2.2 percent. Both the transit company’s management and the union representing about 285 hourly workers are hailing the agreement that followed 10 months of quiet, but tough negotiations.
Ticket in N.C. leads to license suspension in Va.
Horace G. Dodd has a warning for Richmond motorists heading South: Do not get a traffic ticket in North Carolina. The 68-year-old South Side resident found out the hard way that North Carolina has turned traffic tickets into a major source of revenue.
Confederate flag removed from Va. license plates
Virginia no longer has to issue license plates that bear the Confederate battle flag, a federal judge has ruled.
City cop shot, man killed in gunfight Wednesday
A Richmond Police officer was wounded and an armed man was killed during a gunfight Wednesday evening near South Meadow and West Cary streets in the West End, police reported.
Confidentiality breach: Teacher’s file contains personal info on others
If you teach or have taught for Richmond Public Schools, your colleagues may have access to your personal information. The disclosure that the RPS Human Resources Department is failing to guard confidential records came from a former teacher who found her personnel file contained information it should not have, including Social Security numbers of other teachers.
Plans moving ahead for Church Hill North
Richmond is moving ahead with plans to raze the former Armstrong High School building and fill the 22-acre site in the East End with 300 apartments and new homes.
Former governor appeals conviction to full 4th Circuit
Former Gov. Bob McDonnell remains free on bond after filing a request for the entire 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond to review and throw out his conviction. At least eight of the court’s 15 judges must agree to hear his case. Such a review by the full court is considered rare.
Center awaits end of bankruptcy
The 300-member Richmond Christian Center is poised to leave bankruptcy after nearly two years, with the finances of the South Side church restored.
Baseball on the Boulevard? Mayor says ‘No’
Should baseball remain on the Boulevard? For Mayor Dwight C. Jones, the answer is a ringing “No,” not if Richmond wants a bigger return from the prime property that The Diamond baseball stadium occupies. It needs to go, he believes.
Building for children
Independent group pushes hospital plan despite skeptics
Independent group pushes hospital plan despite skeptics
Drive-thru order comes with $4,500
The surprising story of Richmonder James “J.J.” Minor and the Bojangles’ fried chicken chain now is circulating everywhere the English language is read, thanks to the Internet and social media.
Communion wine ban in prisons rejected
Can prisons ban inmates from drinking communion wine at religious services behind bars? The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says no.
Bagby handily wins 74th House District seat
Lamont Bagby just jumped from the Henrico School Board into the General Assembly. The 38-year-old Democrat was sworn in this week to the House of Delegates after winning a smashing victory over challenger David M. Lambert, an independent candidate, in Tuesday’s special election for the 74th House District seat.
3 dead in 3 days
City inmate deaths raise questions about medical care
City inmate deaths raise questions about medical care
Election Tuesday for 74th District seat
Next week, voters in the House of Delegates 74th District will decide whether Lamont Bagby or David M. Lambert will represent them in the General Assembly.
GRTC fuel savings may reduce push to raise fares
Diesel fuel is a lot cheaper these days — and that’s good news for public transit companies such as GRTC. Richmond’s public transit company expects to save $1 million a year through 2018 as the result of a $1 per gallon decline in the fuel’s price.
Metropolitan Business League sells Jackson Ward headquarters
The Richmond area’s largest African-American business group has waved goodbye to its former home in Jackson Ward. The Metropolitan Business League last month sold its longtime headquarters at 2nd and Marshall streets to a subsidiary of Washington-based Douglas Development, which has been buying up chunks of Downtown for more than 10 years.
City real estate reassessments swing wildly
Homeowners in the Museum District west of the Boulevard should be bracing for big increases in their real estate tax bills.
Federal appeals court upholds former governor’s conviction
When will former Gov. Bob McDonnell go to prison? That appears to be the only unanswered question in the case of the once powerful and now disgraced Virginia Republican.
40 rooms added to veterans care center
A state-supported nursing home for veterans opened 40 new private rooms Wednesday at its location in South Side.
View online how tax dollars are spent
Want to know how the city is spending your tax dollars? Jump on your computer and go to this website — www.data.richmondgov.com.
City distributing new recycling cans
The big recycling push is on in Richmond. On Monday, the city Department of Public Works began distributing 95-gallon recycling cans. The new cans are bright green with blue tops.
Federal recognition for Pamunkeys brings tribe closer to nationhood
Defeated in battles with the English invaders who took their land, the Pamunkey Indians have been on a reservation and under the thumb of Virginia’s government for more than 350 years — long before there was a state. Now the dwindling descendants of Pocahontas, Powhatan and other members of the tribe that met the first English settlers to Jamestown in 1607 are one step closer to gaining their independence — and separation from Virginia.
City refuse collectors halt work, forcing talks on better pay
Richmond’s refuse collectors once again proved they can be a powerful force when they stand up for themselves. For about five hours Tuesday, the city’s 25 trash trucks stood still at the South Side depot as 70 refuse collectors pushed for better pay and aired other grievances — forcing city officials to scramble to soothe their concerns as calls began pouring in from residents whose trash was not picked up.
