Washington NFL team shot down by federal court
Can the government ban trademark registration of the racist mascot name of Washington’s pro football team? Yes, a federal judge ruled Wednesday in throwing the team for a big loss in its efforts to defend and maintain the name. The decision is the biggest setback for the defiant team since the Richmond Free Press and other media outlets banned the use of the name. The Free Press took the action in October 2013, after deeming the name on a par with the “n” word for black people.
Brush-off in city pays dividends in Norfolk
Training program helps public housing residents get construction jobs
Training program helps public housing residents get construction jobs
Regional computer programming school proposed
Ten school districts, including Richmond, Chesterfield and Henrico, are embarking on a bold educational experiment aimed at overhauling career training for area high school students, particularly those struggling in traditional classes. The first step: Creation of a regional school that would give students the skills to become computer programmers and open doors to careers in engineering, computer science and other technology fields, according to a grant application the alliance of schools submitted to the state Department of Education.
Scott co-leader of bipartisan effort to curb federal prison spending
From Virginia to California, states are pushing change to cut their ballooning prison costs that collectively approach $60 billion. Instead of automatically locking up people, 32 states have put in place reforms during the past five years that have reduced the numbers of people imprisoned without increasing crime rates. The efforts have saved at least $4 billion. That includes reserving prison cells for the most serous offenders and doing more to divert lower-level offenders to supervised support programs outside prison.
Dr. Reavis to retire as seminary president
Fifteen years ago, Dr. Ralph Reavis Sr. went to Lynchburg to save his alma mater, Virginia University of Lynchburg. Now the former Richmond pastor is preparing to step down as president of the historically black Baptist college and seminary that he believes has been restored to full health — with more than 10 times the enrollment than when he started. “When I got here, there were only 32 students on campus,” Dr. Reavis said. Today, more than 400 students are taking courses on the campus, online or in a satellite program on the Northern Neck in Eastern Virginia.
Dr. Marsha Rappley to head VCU health operations
Dr. Marsha D. Rappley will be the new medical leader for Virginia Commonwealth University, a major health center in the state.
VCU Health System may move into Jackson Ward office building
A Jackson Ward office building soon may provide expansion space for the VCU Health System.
VSU working on accreditation issues
Virginia State University is hustling to correct the issues that led the school to be placed on warning by its accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges.
City names North Side park for the late Walter Gaines Jr.
Walter Gaines Jr. was the unofficial “mayor” of the Providence Park community on North Side for nearly 45 years. A gregarious man known for his positive attitude, Mr. Gaines worked to improve public safety and promote neighborliness. Among other things, he helped bring a Boys & Girls Club to the community to improve resources for young people as president of the Providence Park Civic Association. He helped start the association in the late 1960s and led it until his death.
McAuliffe expands rights restoration
Eric Branch still owes the state government more than $9,000 in court costs and fees from a 1988 felony conviction that sent him to prison for nearly five years.
Portrait of civil rights giant in Governor’s Mansion
Oliver W. Hill used the law to battle segregation and to promote justice and equality in Virginia in schools, in the workplace, the courthouse and a host of other areas.
We shall overcome
Charleston church massacre spurs removal of racist symbols
Charleston church massacre spurs removal of racist symbols
4th time the charm?
New city finance chief #4 under mayor’s tenure
As the former Suffolk city manager, Selena Cuffee-Glenn went through five people before she found the right person to serve as chief financial officer.
Company to add 1,173 new employees to Henrico headquarters
Good news for area job seekers: A fast growing, Richmond area insurance company plans to add nearly 1,200 new jobs, Gov. Terry McAuliffe has announced.
David M. Hicks to be sworn in June 30
David M. Hicks will soon don the robes of his new office — a judge of the Richmond General District Court. After nearly seven years as Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ top policy adviser, Mr. Hicks is to be sworn in as a judge on Tuesday, June 30, it has been announced.
Board asks to throw out schools lawsuit
The Richmond School Board is seeking to dispel a legal cloud hanging over the collective heads of its nine members.
Federal appeals court orders Va. congressional district lines redrawn
For the second time, a three-judge panel has found the General Assembly illegally packed black voters into a single congressional district — diminishing their influence and ability to elect a candidate of their choice in adjacent districts. And for the second time, that ruling is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court as the Republican-dominated legislature seeks to maintain GOP control of the state’s congressional delegation.
VSU placed on warning by accrediting agency
Virginia State University, which has been tussling with the state auditor over its financial reporting, now has taken a slap from the regional group that accredits the historic Petersburg area school. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools announced last week that VSU has been placed on warning, a sanction imposed for failing to provide evidence it was in compliance with all of the group’s standards.
Special election July 21 for 74th House District
Voters in the 74th House of Delegates District will be going to the polls twice. First, there will be a special election to fill the district’s vacant House of Delegates seat Tuesday, July 21.
Woman power
Female candidates claim victory in Tuesday’s primary elections
Female political power was on display in Tuesday’s primary elections in the Richmond area. In separate Democratic and Republican party contests, women repeatedly emerged as the candidates of choice among the voters who went to the polls, leaving male rivals in the dust.
Plans shelved to turn Highland Park school into apartments
A $10 million proposal to convert the former St. Elizabeth Catholic School on North Side into 92 affordable apartments for the elderly and disabled has been sidelined, at least for the time being.
Warren found not guilty in document case
Not guilty. That’s the legal status of Deidre Warren, the mother of former Delegate Joseph D. Morrissey’s 19-year-old girlfriend, Myrna Pride.
Samuels’ departure signals City Council change
Charles R. Samuels has served notice he will not seek re-election to City Council in November 2016. His public announcement last week that he will not seek another four-year term representing the 2nd District appears to be a harbinger of change in the city’s governing body.
VSU rejects critical state audit
Virginia State University has politely, but firmly rejected many of the findings in a scathing state audit and ignored others in stoutly defending its financial practices.
State vital records now online
Millions of individual records of births, deaths, marriages and divorces in Virginia in the past 100 years are now available online, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced this week.
Primary elections Tuesday, June 9
Next week, Richmond voters will go to the polls. Primary elections will be held in two area Senate and two area House of Delegates districts on Tuesday, June 9, to determine who will carry the Democratic banner into the general election in November.
VSU hit in state auditor’s draft report
Virginia State University is facing unexpected financial challenges as a result of sloppy management during the tenure of former President Keith T. Miller, according to a draft of a state audit of the school’s spending during the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2014.
City DPW head quits over Harvard dispute
Since he arrived in 2011, James A. Jackson has pushed for change in the Richmond Department of Public Works. Instead of top-down leadership, he has spearheaded a team approach, worked to replaced outdated equipment and sought to address the backlog of citizen complaints about services.
Mountain of Blessings ends bid for Richmond Christian Center property
The fight over ownership of the bankrupt Richmond Christian Center in South Side has ended, at least for the time being. An Eastern Henrico Church, Mountain of Blessings Christian Center (MBCC), led by married co-pastors Dimitri and Nicole Bradley, has dropped its suit asking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to allow MBCC to proceed in purchasing the RCC’s property in the 200 block of Cowardin Avenue.
City to step up efforts against blighted housing
More than 1,000 abandoned, decaying houses blight Richmond neighborhoods. And with the owners no longer paying property taxes, such properties add nothing to city revenue. Instead, such properties pile up delinquent taxes on the city’s books.
Children’s hospital plan evaporates
Richmond will not be gaining an independent, free-standing children’s hospital — at least not in the near future. Two of the area’s largest hospital systems, Bon Secours and VCU, have pulled out of the huge project — just seven months after signing an agreement to participate in creating the projected $600 million children’s health center. The participation of the two systems, which handle about 75 percent of all pediatric hospitalizations in the region, was seen as key.
Baker School building eyed for conversion into apartments
A vacant school building at 100 W. Baker St. in Gilpin Court is being eyed for conversion into 55 one-bedroom apartments for the elderly and disabled.
$1M upgrade at Main Library in Downtown
Every day, dozens of people flood into the Main Library in Downtown to use public computers. They come to check emails, seek employment, do research and handle other activities in the online world, including paying bills and applying for visas.
Richmond NFL Hall of Famer donates $500,000 to Morgan State University
Morgan State University was good to Willie Lanier. Now Mr. Lanier is being good to Morgan State. The historically black university in Baltimore announced that Mr. Lanier has given a $500,000 gift to establish the Willie E. Lanier Sr. Endowed Lectureship in Business Ethics.
Federal appeals court gives workers greater protection against racial harassment
A Maryland waitress who was fired after reporting that a manager twice called her “a porch monkey” has become a key figure in bolstering protections for workers who face racial harassment and abuse on the job. A federal appeals court in Richmond is using the civil rights lawsuit that Reya C. Boyer-Liberto filed against the resort hotel where she worked in 2010 to bolster efforts of workers who seek legal redress for a hostile workplace — even when their complaint involves only one or two incidents.
Henrico hires Petersburg deputies
Henrico County Sheriff Michael L. Wade spotted a personnel opportunity when he learned that Petersburg was closing its jail.
5th Street traffic detour expected through mid-August
A portion of North 5th Street was closed Wednesday to start the second phase of work on the bridges beside the Richmond Coliseum.
New city CAO gets $5,700 raise before job start
Selena Cuffee-Glenn just received a $5,700 salary bump — from $203,000 a year to $208,700 — though she will not start work as the city’s top administrator until Monday, May 18.
No charges filed against Wisconsin police officer in teen’s death
A Wisconsin police officer who fatally shot an unarmed biracial teenager in March, prompting several days of peaceful protests, will not be charged, a prosecutor said Tuesday. Officer Matt Kenny used justified lethal force in the March 6 shooting of Tony Robinson, 19, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said.
Giles hopes to boost services to troubled teens
Shunda T. Giles has been preparing for her transition from lawyer for the Richmond Department of Social Services to its top manager. On Monday, the 41-year-old attorney took over the leadership role of the department of more than 400 staffers and a $74.5 million annual budget, all aimed at strengthening families and providing services to meet essential human needs.
Plenty of jobs, not enough workers
Commission recommends aligning training with opportunities
Talk about a huge surprise: Four job openings exist in Richmond for every job seeker in the city, according to government data. In fact, more jobs in the city go begging for qualified workers than anywhere else in the Richmond region, which overall has 1.5 job openings for every job seeker, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated in its December report.
Slavery memorial to gain in capital budget plan
The battle over the ballpark in Shockoe Bottom apparently is over. At the same time, hopes are fading for Richmond Public Schools to gain funding to develop essential new schools on South Side to relieve overcrowding.
Services sacrificed in council’s $ plan
Richmond Public Schools is on track to gain an extra $9 million to help meet critical needs in the coming year. Police officers and firefighters also are on track to gain bigger raises of roughly 2.5 percent to help reduce turnover in public safety.
$1 City selling home sites for low, moderate income families
Vacant property for $1. That’s the price that City Hall is setting to clear out its inventory of home sites and to help cut the future purchase price of the houses to be built on them. This effort also will help finish partially completed developments that have been on hold since the economic recession began in 2008. In a first step, at least 16 lots are being prepared for sale, primarily in Southern Barton Heights. A few lots in Swansboro on South Side and in Newtowne West near Virginia Union University also are part of the sale. The board of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the properties’ nominal owner, helped clear the way by approving the transfer of the properties to the city at its meeting last week.
Richmond schools to get boost from state
Higher than expected enrollment is helping Richmond Public Schools avoid falling into a deficit. Richmond reported 128 more students than expected on March 31, boosting total enrollment to 21,973 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, according to a report to the School Board. The extra students should result in a $1.6 million boost in the state’s contribution, according to the report from Ralph L. Westbay, assistant superintendent for financial services. The state contribution previously had been projected at $121.7 million.
VSU, NSU still facing cutbacks
Cutbacks. That’s what Norfolk State and Virginia State universities are facing because of surprisingly steep enrollment drops. Enrollment at both of the state-funded, historically black institutions peaked in 2012 and then began a sharp decline. Based on current projections, both schools expect to enroll at least 25 percent fewer students in the fall than in 2012. That means less income and more need to reduce spending on staff and programs.
Spotty CARE van service leaves riders in limbo
Roderyck Bullock has somewhere to go almost every day, but he doesn’t always make it. His ride sometimes arrives late. Occasionally, it doesn’t show up at all.
Fight over Richmond Christian Center property on South Side continues
Henrico County-based Mountain of Blessings Christian Center still wants to acquire the property of the bankrupt Richmond Christian Center in South Richmond. In a suit filed this month, Mountain of Blessings is requesting that U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Keith L. Phillips either enforce an order he signed in December authorizing Mountain of Blessing’s purchase of the RCC property in the 200 block of Cowardin Avenue or order RCC to pay Mountain of Blessings at least $2.7 million in damages.
