Richmond Free Press February 1-3, 2024 Edition

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FEBRUARY 1-3, 2024

2024 State of the City Mayor Levar Stoney points to Richmond’s bright future

By Debora Timms

Mayor Levar M. Stoney used his final State of the City address to reflect on his administration’s accomplishments over the past seven years, while also signaling Richmond’s bright future.

When he came into office in 2017, Mayor Stoney said Richmond was like an “underdog.”

“We were a city that had been overlooked, discounted; a city whose story had allegedly already been written,” he explained. “Well, we refused to accept that ... so we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.”

And he said that work has transformed the city, with progress on many of the issues plaguing Richmond. “[Richmond is] a city that people are moving to, instead of leaving. A city currently ranked the #1 place to live in Please turn to A4

It’s a girl!

A highlight during Tuesday’s State of the City address came when Mayor Stoney and wife, Brandi, announced the pending arrival of their baby girl. Mrs. Stoney, who is eight months pregnant, introduced her husband as “my super funny husband, YouTube line dancing partner and future baby girl’s dad and soon-to-be best friend.”

After taking the stage, Mayor Stoney cautioned

the audience that his exit from the stage would be imminent should his wife go into labor.

“Folks, I want to begin by thanking everyone who came here tonight,” he said. Staring at his wife, the mayor continued, saying “Babe, if tonight is the night and you give me the signal that we have to go, I’m sure everybody in this room will be fine if we left early.”

Meals tax concerns continue

Georgia district attorney prosecuting Trump has been subpoenaed over claims of improper relationship The Associated Press

Free Press staff report

Andreas D. Addison is calling on City Hall to refund all of the money in taxes, penalties and fees that restaurants and other businesses have been forced to pay because of the city’s “bad customer service.”

In a statement provided to the Free Press, the 1st District councilman wrote that the headlines about the city imposing huge tax bills on businesses are

Related column on A9 damaging Richmond’s reputation with entrepreneurs and investors and will prove more expensive to the city in the long run as they go elsewhere to invest their money.

“We need to make whole all the businesses with outstanding tax payments with accruing penalties, fees, and interest,” Mr. Addison wrote. “Whether this is a tax amnesty program or an appeal application process, we need to provide a way forward.

“We do not balance our budget on accruing penalties, fees and interest,” he continued. “While we need tools to enforce compliance and timely payments, this current problem

Photos by Brian Palmer

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney gives his final State of the City address at the Richmond Virginia Science Museum.

The mayor’s wife, Brandi Stoney, is seated next to former Virginia Go. Terry McAuliffe and her mother, JoAnne Washington.

Photos by Clement Britt

The sound of dreams Michael Hawkins, right, performs during the Keep the Dream Alive Concert at Martin Luther King Middle School on Jan. 27. Other performers included Rosalind Christian, below, a member of Michelle Lightfoot and Friends, and Lisa EdwardsBurrs and Naima Burrs, above.

Please turn to A4

ATLANTA Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and a special prosecutor she hired for the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump have been issued subpoenas by a defense attorney who has alleged Ms. Willis and the prosecutor had an inappropriate romantic relationship.

Lawyer Ashleigh Merchant, who represents Trump codefendant Michael Roman, filed a motion Jan. 8 seeking to dismiss the indictment and to remove Ms. Willis and speMs. Willis cial prosecutor Nathan Wade from the case.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who’s presiding over the election case, has ordered Ms. Willis’ team to respond by Friday to the motion and to remove Ms. Willis from the prosecution. He has set a hearing on the matter for Feb. 15.

Ms. Merchant confirmed that

The Associated Press

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Nathan Wade, one of her top prosecutors in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 others, have been subpoenaed to testify at an upcoming hearing to examine allegations that they were involved in an improper relationship while investigating the former president, according to a new lawsuit filed in Georgia this week.

she has subpoenaed both Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade to testify at that hearing.

Ms. Merchant’s law firm also filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Ms. Willis’ office of failing to comply with the Georgia Open Records Act, saying they “appear to be intentionally withholding information” that she has requested. Ms. Merchant had to repeatedly file certain requests after they were prematurely closed and she was incorrectly told certain records did not exist, the

lawsuit says.

“We’ve provided her with the information she’s entitled to,” he said, adding that some of the records are still being compiled. He provided a letter that the office sent to Ms. Merchant last week providing an update on the status of requests she’d made, as well as screenshots showing that Ms. Merchant had accessed some records.

The lawsuit says that despite Please turn to A4

Shock, grief and mourning for 3 Georgia-based U.S. soldiers killed in Middle East drone strike The Associated Press

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Being intentional While William Dunn, 4, helps clean up Evergreen Cemetery, Teacake is only interested in playing during Friends of East End Cemetery’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 17.

SAVANNAH, Ga. Described by their parents as bubbly and constantly laughing, Spc. Kennedy Sanders and Spc. Breonna Moffett became close friends soon after enlisting in the Army Reserve five years ago.

Sgt. William Jerome Rivers served a tour in Iraq before joining the same company of Army engineers.

The three citizen-soldiers from different corners of Georgia all died in a weekend drone strike on a U.S. base in Jordan near the Syrian border that also wounded more than 40 others.

Families of the slain reservists said they were shocked when uniformed military officers came to their doors to deliver the news Sunday.

While President Biden promised the U.S. will respond, Spc. Moffett’s parents said they hope there’s no escalation in violence Please turn to A4

The Associated Press

The Defense Department has released the identities of the three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers who were killed Sunday in an attack at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syrian border. The slain soldiers, all from Georgia, were Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24; Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23.

A2 February 1-3, 2024

Richmond Free Press

Local News

Jane Cooper Johnson (formerly Daisy Jane Cooper) stands in front of Richmond’s newest sculpture “Strides” during its unveiling at the corner of Libbie and Patterson Avenues on Jan. 30.

The statue was commissioned by Bon Secours and Thalhimer Realty Partners, and designed by local artists Matt Lively and Tim Harper to commemorate the racial integration of Westhampton School at the corner of Libbie and Slices of life and scenes Patterson. in Richmond The inscription on the statue behind her reads: “On September 5, 1961 Daisy Jane Cooper was the first African American Student to integrate Richmond City’s Westhampton Junior High School under a U.S. Desegregation Court Order. The following year, September 1962, she was the first African American student to integrate Thomas Jefferson High School.”

Cityscape

Julianne Tripp Hillian

Brian McGill is Chesterfield County’s Teacher of the Year Free Press staff report

Brian McGill, an English teacher at Tomahawk Creek Middle School since 2020, has been selected as the 2024 Teacher of the Year and Middle School Teacher of the Year for Chesterfield County. Mr. McGill has taught in Chesterfield County Public Schools since 2008 and previously taught in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

“I ensure education transcends the classroom by taking the lessons we have learned through literature, both fiction and nonfiction, and apply it to real life situations,” Mr. McGill stated about his impact on students. “One may think that applying it to ‘real life situations’ means societal issues, and that is true, but first Mr. McGill I make the students apply it to themselves.

Why? Because we cannot control society, we can contribute to it on an individual level, so I start with the individual.”

Rebecca Thompson, the principal at Tomahawk Creek Middle School, noted Mr. McGill’s ability to connect with his students and to “ignite the passion for reading” into them.

“Not only does he encourage students to stretch themselves academically, he also gives students the tools to be independent thinkers and researchers,” Ms. Thompson said.

Each Chesterfield County school chooses its Teacher of the Year annually. Of those honorees, Chesterfield County Public Schools selects a Teacher of the Year for elementary, middle and high school. The districtwide Teacher of the Year is then chosen from those three honorees.

For 2024, the Elementary School Teacher of the Year is J.P. Gates, PE teacher at Greenfield Elementary School, and the High School Teacher of the Year is Kathryn “Katy” Clarke, program coordinator for the Governor’s Academy for Engineering Studies and technology education teacher at Bird High School.

Superintendent Mervin Daugherty acknowledged the district’s top three Teachers of the Year as “teaching superstars.”

“These teachers demonstrate care and compassion, stress the importance of rigor and relationships and do the extra things necessary to help move our students toward success. They are committed to being game changers,” Mr. Daugherty stated.

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: • Thursday, Feb. 1 and Feb. 8, 1 to 5 p.m. - Henrico Arms Apartments, 1566 Edgelawn Circle • Friday, Feb. 9, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Southside Women, Infants and Children Office, 509 E. Southside Plaza.

RHHD’s Resource Centers are providing free at-home tests for pick-up at select locations: • Creighton Court at 2150 Creighton Road, call 804-3710433 for more info • Fairfield Court at 2311 N. 25th St., call 804-786-4099 for more info • Gilpin Court at 436 Calhoun St., call 804-786-1960 for more info • Hillside Court at 1615 Glenfield Ave., call 804-230-7740 for more info • Mosby Court at 1536 Coalter St., call 804-786-0204 for more info • Southwood Court at 1754 Clarkson Road. Unit #B, call 804-230-2077 for more info • Whitcomb Court at 2106 Deforrest St., call 804-786-0555 for more info Call the Richmond and Henrico Call Center at (804) 2053501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more information on testing sites, or go online at vax.rchd.com.

The Virginia Department of Health also has a list of COVID19 testing locations around the state at www.vdh.virginia.gov/ coronavirus/covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites.

Want a COVID-19 vaccine?

Those interested can schedule an appointment with RHHD by calling (804) 205-3501. Vaccines.gov also allows people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine, and those interested can also text your ZIP code to 438829 or call 1-800-232-0233.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends that children between the ages of six months to four years old may need multiple doses of the updated vaccines depending on their COVID-19 vaccine status and whether they had previously received Pfizer and Moderna.

Waiting periods for additional vaccines can range from three to eight weeks or four to eight weeks depending on the vaccine dose previously received.

Children between the ages of 5 to 11 years old who are unvaccinated or have received a vaccine before Sept. 12, 2023, should get one updated Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Those age 12 and older who are unvaccinated should get either one updated Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two doses of the updated Novavax vaccine. People in that age range who received a vaccine before Sept. 12, 2023, should get one updated Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax vaccine.

People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated COVID-19 vaccine, and are encouraged to talk with their health care providers about how and when to receive them.

Compiled by George Copeland Jr.

DPU struggling with customer service Free Press staff report

April Bingham is proud of the progress the Richmond Department of Public Utilities has made in clearing a backlog of customer service issues.

Ms. Bingham, director of the department, told City Council earlier this month the addition of temporary workers has enabled the department to clear a backlog of 20,000 complaints since March of 2023.

That progress includes fixing more than 7,000 leaking meter and more than 7,000 billing errors, she said.

Ms. Bingham said the department also has been able to field more people to read meters and dramatically reduced the number of bills based on estimates of water and natural gas use.

An audit last year found that 15% of meters were being estimated.

Now, Ms. Bingham said 98% of water meters and 99.5% of gas meters are being physically read monthly.

However, the flood of calls to the department has continued, overwhelming the call center and billing offices, Ms. Bingham acknowledged. In 2023, she said the department received 261,000 calls – an average of 1200 a day.

Frustrated Richmond residents have turned to social media to report receiving a huge bill and to tell about their difficulties in reaching someone for an explanation.

Brenda Trent reported on Nextdoor.com that she has been fighting since November to get DPU to correct a $1,400 bill she regards as erroneous .

Hilda Braswell in the Bellevue neighborhood also is disputing a $1,000 bill. She wrote a post on the site, “I’ve submitted my claim, and other than a number assigned to the case, I’ve heard nothing from them.”

That’s also the case for Lauren O. O’Leary of the Stratford Hills neighborhood “Well, we just received one of those shocking $2,000 plus water bills for one month,” she wrote. “That’s what our family uses in one year and a half.”

In a complaint familiar to many, she added that she tried to call to find out why the bill was so large, “but no one picks up the phone down there.”

Ms. Bingham told council members that customers on average have to wait 30 minutes or more to get through.

Reports of waits of 90 minutes or more are not unusual, according to 8th District Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell.

Ms. Bingham said that she soon hopes to provide customers with an online tool that would allow them to look up their accounts.

But that may not help those seeking explanations or trying to appeal huge bills that are regarded as inaccurate.

Ms. Trammell recently fought to get utilities restored for two elderly constituents who had received bills for more than $5,000 and had nowhere else to turn.

But almost every day, Ms. Trammell said she receives calls and pleas for help from constituents like Lynwood Jones, who has been confronted with a $4,000 utility bill for one month.

Ms. Bingham said the computer system

is supposed to flag huge bills to people who allegedly have boosted usage 200 percent or more above their previous norms, but the posts suggest that it can take weeks or even longer to hear from DPU. One reason is that DPU is still struggling to collect from delinquent customers. Of the estimated 70,000 customers, 26,000 or 37 percent are delinquent and fewer than 10,000 are on payment plans, Ms. Bingham noted.

That makes it harder for people Robinette D. Winn.

Ms. Winn, a disabled private duty nurse, has lived in the same apartment on Stockton Street for 41 years and has paid her monthly utility bill like clockwork each month, according to her records.

So she was shocked when she received her December 2023 bill that was dated July 18, 2022, and stated that she owed $163.32.

Ms. Winn, 60, said she was upset because she already had paid the July 2022 bill, but still went ahead and paid it.

Then she got her January 2024 bill that showed she had paid the previous balance of $97.26 that was on the December bill she never got, but still owed $109.23.

The DPU bill, which she provided to the Free Press, does not reflect a credit of $66.06 she is due for paying $163.32, the remaining amount after she paid the $97.26 due for December.

“It’s just crazy,” Ms. Mines said. “I called but I couldn’t get through. I got double-billed and now they won’t show that I made a larger payment than I needed to. What did I do to them that they would do this to me?”

In service and remembrance

By Darlene M. Johnson

The Friends of East End and Ancestral Capital collaborated in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 15, to clean up Evergreen Cemetery.

The Friends of East End is a volunteer organization established in 2017 to clean and maintain East End Cemetery, an AfricanAmerican burial ground in Henrico County.

The organization expanded its efforts into Evergreen Cemetery, another AfricanAmerican burial ground in Richmond that borders the East End Cemetery.

Ancestral Capital is a volunteer organization that “has a mission to change or enhance our perception of history by taking ownership of it,” said John Mitchell, a member of the organization who has ancestors buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

The cleanup on Martin Luther King Jr. Day was the Friends of East End’s first volunteer day since March 2020 after being forced out of the cemetery by the Enrichmond Foundation, said Brian Palmer of the Friends of East End. Volunteer events on Martin Luther King Jr. Day are often the largest volunteer days for the organization, he said.

The group had around 70 volunteers focused on the upper hill of Evergreen Cemetery, including families who signed up through the City of Richmond. Ancestral Capital had 85 volunteers working at the bottom of the hill.

“We had our volunteers pulling up invasive weeds by the roots if they could and if they couldn’t, just snipping them fairly low to the ground,” Mr. Palmer said.

A handful of volunteers were guided through the process of unearthing a few headstones due to the risk of destroying or accidentally departing them from the souls they belong to, Mr. Palmer said. The volunteers followed the best practices of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, which involved rinsing and scrubbing repeatedly with plain water and allowing the sun to do the rest of the work.

The groups volunteered between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m, with the Friends of East End braving the snowy and chilly weather, Mr. Palmer said.

Ancestral Capital’s group had the earlier start of the two, but some volunteers, “young and old,” stayed back

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Maria Epps left, and Devonja Mclemore cut down brush during the Friends of East End Cemetery’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at Evergreen Cemetery.

to help, Mr. Mitchell said. Mr. Mitchell, who once worked at Evergreen Cemetery, helped curate volunteer groups as a part of Ancestral Capital in partnership with the Richmond Planet Foundation.

“Ancestral Capital organized the activity and filmed it to promote volunteerism in the Black community,” Mr. Mitchell said.

The goal was to curate a diverse group of volunteers. While all volunteers are welcome and appreciated, it was important to have Black volunteers with hands on the ground, Mr. Mitchell said. It also was important to get volunteers who would likely return to volunteer on a regular schedule in the future, he said.

Outside of cleaning the cemetery, Mr. Mitchell is working with the Mission Continues, a nonprofit veterans empowerment organization, to place memorial veteran markers for Buffalo Soldiers buried in Evergreen Cemetery who do not currently have recognition.

The Friends of East End make sure to tell the stories of those who have been forgotten and neglected by society at large, Mr. Palmer said. They also take photos of headstones and upload them to FindAGrave. com so people can find their deceased loved ones no matter where they are.

“Reclaiming their stories is as important as reclaiming the physical site,” he said.

Richmond Free Press

February 1-3, 2024 A3

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Richmond Free Press

A4 February 1-3, 2024

News

‘Kemba’ trailer and release date announced Free Press staff report

Never losing hope, her parents along with an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund launch a campaign for appeal and later On Thursday, Feb. 22, the MPI Original and BET Original feature clemency, harnessing the power of Black civic organizations, sororities, film “Kemba” will premiere on the BET+ streaming platform and will celebrities, and lawmakers to help free Kemba. air on BET, BETHer, and BET International.

Meanwhile, Kemba Smith, the Richmond woman for whom the Based on the true story of Kemba Smith, “Kemba” follows the movie is based, will make in-person appearances alongside the film’s journey of a sheltered college student who falls in love with a man, cast and crew in the coming weeks. only to find out he isn’t who he seems.

Notable events include a special presentation at the U.S. Capitol in When Kemba learns of her boyfriend Khalif’s true identity as a Washington on Feb. 5 and an evening with MPI Original Films in New Ms. Smith drug kingpin, he turns abusive — grooming straight-laced Kemba to York City on Feb. 15. The movie also is scheduled for the Virginia overlook his illicit dealings. Though she never dealt or handled drugs, in a tragic Black Film Festival in Hampton on Feb. 24. turn of events, Kemba receives an outrageous sentence for her boyfriend’s crimes For more details, please visit KembaMovie.com as we announce additional — placing her in the middle of the government’s “war on drugs.” screening opportunities!

Mayor Levar Stoney points to Richmond’s bright future Continued from A1

Virginia,” Mayor Stoney said. “A city that I will be proud to not only start my family in, but raise my family in.”

He pointed to economic growth, touting more than 6,500 new jobs and over $3.8 billion in capital investment since 2017, and the lessons learned from projects that did not work out such as Navy Hill and the Richmond Grand Resort and Casino.

“Richmond is now top three in the nation for concentration of Black-owned businesses,” he added.

The mayor outlined more than $91 million invested since 2017 in infrastructure, including paving 1,200 lane miles, and going from having over 70% of Richmond’s roads rated as poor to having that same 70% rated good. He added that the city also has added 54 acres of park land since he became mayor.

Looking at housing, the mayor said, “We’re breaking down the barriers so that city residents can actually afford to live here. We all know, your ZIP code should not define your quality of life.”

Since 2017, the City of Richmond created its Equitable Affordable Housing Plan, built 4,000 new affordable housing units, diverted 1,400 evictions and collectively invested $100 million toward affordable housing with Local

Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), the mayor touted.

In education, Mayor Stoney said funding to RPS has increased by 50 percent since 2017.

Teachers’ average pay has increased by $12,000 and three new schools were built in Black and Brown communities.

“But as every parent knows, the day doesn’t end when the school bell rings,” he continued.

To this end, Mayor Stoney listed efforts such as the city’s partnership with NextUp RVA and the creation of the Children’s Fund, We Matter RVA, the Pathways Program and Virginia’s first ever guaranteed income pilot program.

“We wanted our students to be able to dream again,” the mayor said. “I can’t wait to watch what the next generation of Richmonders will bring to our city.”

Mayor Stoney also spoke about the city’s investments in public safety, including the first ever comprehensive Gun Violence Prevention and Intervention Framework, Richmond’s first Real Time Crime Center and a formal Office of Emergency Management.

“These investments are paying off,” he said, noting that violent crime had fallen 22% since 2017 before adding a plea for Richmonders to lock up their guns.

“It is way too easy for our kids to get their hands on a firearm in this city,” the mayor said, adding that common sense gun safety reforms

Brian Palmer

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and his wife, Brandi, greet audience members after his address.

were needed at the state level.”

He added with pride his involvement in the City of Richmond removing Confederate monuments and raising of the progress flag at City Hall for the first time in 2020.

“Richmond has grown culturally over the past seven years — and I believe our future is

brighter because of it,” the mayor said. “This is what progress looks like and it’s critical we keep it up.

“Through grit, hard work and intentionality, we came together to change Richmond’s story — to change Richmond’s future — to give Richmonders the opportunity to dream again.”

Meals tax concerns continue Continued from A1

has gone on for far too long and needs to be fixed.

While legislation is needed, these issues need to be included in our plan to fix this issue once and for all,” he stated.

Mr. Addison, who has indicated he may run for mayor, issued the statement as the nine-member council joined Mayor Levar M. Stoney in rushing to usher in change in the way the Finance Department handles payments going forward.

On Jan. 17, the Government Operations Committee led by 2nd District Councilwoman Katherine Jordan cleared an ordinance that would authorize the Finance Department to apply business payments for meals taxes and other taxes to current bills rather than to the most delinquent amount.

The move is aimed at reducing the penalties that businesses have racked up when they have a delinquency from a previous month.

Under the current practice sanctioned by state law, some or all of a payment for a current bill is used to pay off the oldest past due amount first, which already has had a 10% penalty applied. The result is that the payment for the current amount is short, allowing the city to add a fresh penalty.

The practice of paying off the oldest bills first was begun in 2019 with little notice to businesses, according to Sabrina Joy-Hogg, deputy chief administrative officer for finance and administration.

The change would prevent the application of a 10% penalty each month once the ordinance is officially passed, which is set to happen on Monday, Feb. 12.

But that does not take care of the past application of penalties, Mr. Addison noted.

Others on the council also are pressing Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration to provide retroactive relief, particularly during the period March 2020 to June 2022 when the Finance Department stopped sending out notices to businesses of penalties for late or delinquent payments.

The result: Late payments turned into tax bills of up to $68,000 after penalties and interest were applied.

Lincoln Saunders, the city’s chief administrator, told the Finance Committee last week that he is open to considering retroactive relief.

However, no one on City Council has introduced legislation to direct retroactive relief, even though a state law enables the governing body to provide it. Meanwhile, some of the 1,000 restaurant owners in Richmond are beginning to ratchet up pressure on the council and the administration to refund penalties and interest.

Mr. Addison, who owns a private gym, stated that he learned about the challenges that businesses face when he went through the permitting process and found it “daunting, confusing and complex.”

While updating and modernizing old policies is important, he stated, “The customer experience must be present and our priority. We must make it seamless, easy and predictable to work with City Hall.”

Meanwhile, a group of Richmond restaurant owners demanded their money back from the City of Richmond on Wednesday.

The Virginia Restaurant Association said the City of Richmond has accrued at least $2 million in unfair or incorrect meals tax late fees against at least 30 businesses over the years, according to a report aired by CBS6.

“The owners of Latitude Seafood, Philly Vegan, Beauvine Burger, Richbrau Brewing, Helen’s, ZZQ, and Eat Restaurant Partners, which runs more than a dozen Richmond restaurants like Pizza & Beer of Richmond, Boulevard Burger & Brew, and Osaka Sushi & Steak, gathered at the Tobacco Company on Wednesday for a press conference,” the news station reported.

They shared similar stories about how they’ve been harmed by the way Richmond’s finance department collects the meals tax.

Mike Byrne, with the Virginia Restaurant Association, said the issues stemmed from mismanagement in the finance department, a lack of transparency, and basic accounting failures, according to CBS6.

“We want our money back, the penalties and interest,” Mr. Byrne added. “Everyone here pays the meals tax. That’s a given.

But the penalties and interest are unforgiving.

“The common thread is money,” he continued. “Not the 7.5% current meals tax we collect and pay, but the incorrect and out of control penalties and interest, mismanagement, and lack of transparency process by the city’s understaffed and outdated finance department.”

Ga. district attorney prosecuting Trump has been subpoenaed over claims of improper relationship Continued from A1

sending that letter, the district attorney’s office “failed nonetheless to provide most of the requested documents.”

Neither Ms. Willis nor Mr. Wade has publicly addressed the allegations of an inappropriate relationship. Ms. Willis’ office has repeatedly said a response to Roman’s motion will come in a court filing.

Ms. Willis, an elected Democrat, hired Mr. Wade in November 2021 to help with her investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Since a Fulton County grand jury in August returned an indictment against Mr. Trump and 18 others, Mr. Wade has led the team of lawyers Ms. Willis assembled to prosecute the case.

Mr. Trump has seized on the allegations as he campaigns for the Republican nomination for president, trying to use them to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the case against him. Four co-defendants have already pleaded guilty in the case after reaching plea deals with prosecutors. Mr. Trump and the others who remain have pleaded not guilty.

Mr. Roman is a former Trump campaign staffer and one-time White House aide. Mr. Trump and co-defendant Robert Cheeley, a Georgia lawyer, have joined Mr. Roman’s motion.

Mr. Roman’s filing alleges that Ms. Willis had paid Mr. Wade large sums for his work and then improperly benefited when Mr. Wade paid for the pair to go

on trips, creating a conflict of interest. It also questioned Mr. Wade’s qualifications for the job.

No proof of the alleged relationship was included in the motion. Ms. Willis spoke out during a church service nearly a week later and defended Mr. Wade’s qualifications, but did not address the allegations of a relationship.

In a court filing seeking to avoid sitting for a deposition in Mr. Wade’s divorce case, Ms. Willis accused Mr. Wade’s wife of trying to obstruct the election case. In a filing in response, Mr. Wade’s wife included credit card statements that showed Mr. Wade had bought plane tickets for Ms. Willis to travel with him to San Francisco and Miami.

Shock, grief and mourning for 3 Georgia-based U.S. soldiers killed in Middle East Continued from A1

that kills more American troops. Their daughter celebrated her 23rd birthday overseas just nine days before she was killed.

“I just hope and pray no other family has to go through this,” Francine Moffett, the young soldier’s mother, said Monday through tears at the dining table of her Savannah home. “It takes your heart and your soul.”

Breonna Moffett joined the Army Reserve in 2019 after graduating from high school. In addition to her military service, she worked for a home care provider cooking, cleaning and running errands for people with disabilities, her parents said. When Spc. Moffett left with fellow soldiers from the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion based at Fort Moore in August, it was her first overseas deployment.

She was the oldest of four siblings.

Every morning, Francine Moffett said, her 8-year-old daughter would call her big sister to say hello while riding to school.

Whenever the Moffett family called, they typically would hear from Spc. Sanders too.

“Every time I’d call Breonna, I’d see Sanders just stick her head in and say, ‘Hey! How you doing?’” Francine Mof-

fett said.

A native of Waycross, 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Savannah, 24year-old Spc. Sanders had volunteered for the Middle East deployment, eager to see a new part of the world, her parents said.

At home, she helped coach children’s soccer and basketball teams. She also worked at a pharmacy while taking college courses with the aim of becoming an X-ray technician. Lately, however, she had considered becoming a full-time soldier on active duty once her Army Reserve contract was fulfilled.

“She was loved. She didn’t have any enemies. All the time you saw her smiling,” her father, Shawn Sanders, said in an interview Monday. “This is somebody who was just living life, enjoying life at a young age, working toward a career.”

At age 46, Sgt. Rivers had far more military experience than the two young women. The Defense Department said he joined the Army Reserve in New Jersey in 2011 and served a nine-month tour in Iraq in 2018. He joined the 718th Engineering Company at Fort Moore last year and lived in Carrollton, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) west of Atlanta.

The Associated Press was unsuccessful in attempts to contact Sgt. Rivers’ family on Monday.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a

statement mourning the “inexcusable loss of life” of the three soldiers, saying they “gave the last full measure of devotion in service to this country.” Army Brig. Gen. Todd Lazaroski, commander of the Army Reserve’s 412th Theater Engineer Command, said in a statement: “They represent the best of America.”

In Spc. Sanders’ hometown of Waycross, flags were lowered to half-staff. Her parents said her unit first deployed to Kuwait, then to Jordan where the U.S. operates a logistics support base along the Syrian border.

In her spare time while deployed, Spc. Sanders would practice jiu-jitsu and run to keep in shape. She relaxed by knitting and called home almost daily, her parents said. While she occasionally mentioned drones being shot down nearby, there was no sense of imminent danger, said Oneida Oliver-Sanders, the reservist’s mother.

When they last spoke the day before she was killed, Spc. Sanders said she was thinking about buying a motorcycle — much to her mother’s disapproval. She also had spoken recently of buying a home.

“All of these different things that she had plans for, you know, were just cut short in the blink of an eye,” Ms. Oliver-Sanders said. “I just feel like somebody like her, that’s so full of life, it’s just unfair that she’ll never get to realize those dreams that she had.”

Richmond Free Press

Have you heard?

Rate reform is working.

Last year, Virginia policymakers delivered meaningful rate relief and energy reforms.

• Lower Monthly Bills – $352 million in rate relief, saving the typical residential customer more than $80 a year.

• Fuel Cost Down – An additional $7 a month reduction by managing rising global fuel costs.

• More Oversight – Increased regulatory authority by the State Corporation Commission.

• Largest Offshore Wind Project – Moved forward with the largest offshore wind development in the U.S., which will deliver clean energy to 660,000 KRPHV ZKHQ êQLVKHG And Dominion Energy has undergrounded 2,000 miles of power lines to improve reliability, installed smart meters to help customers manage energy use, and expanded EnergyShare to help more neighbors in need.

February 1-3, 2024 A5

Richmond Free Press

A6 February 1-3, 2024

News

Dr. Shirlene Obuobi prescribes comedy for health and healing

By Jennifer Robinson

Dr. Shirlene Obuobi, a thirdyear general cardiology fellow at the University of Chicago, uses creativity to process what she sees and learns while pursuing a medical career.

Through her comic alter ego and personal experiences, Dr. Obuobi creates narratives promoting change and advocacy in health care, while also tackling complex topics of sexism, racism, microaggressions, and physicians’ frustrations with medical insurance. As such, her work has been featured in academic journals, museum exhibitions, the Washington Post and on “Good Morning America.”

During a recent interview, Dr. Obuobi discussed the emergence of the medical humanities movement and how graphic medicine is the intersection between the medium of comics and the discourse of health care.

On Feb. 6, Dr. Obuobi, who is Ghanaian-American, will share her creativity and insight during VCU Libraries’ Black History Month Lecture at the James Branch Cabell Library Lecture Hall.

Free Press: What motivates you to write, draw, and be a doctor? Why do you do all of this?

Dr. Obuobi: I want to share my experiences as a Black female in cardiology because the field is only 15% women and 5% Black overall. Also, profit drives health care, so health care workers are under a lot of pressure. Biases spring forth, and we normalize a lot of things. Many doctors are unaware of their biases.

The public should have the knowledge to advocate for themselves. I did a comic on how the health care community

views and treats something like cystic fibrosis compared to how sickle cell anemia is treated.

Sickle cell patients are often treated as drug seekers when they are experiencing real pain as a result of their illness. That’s sheer bias.

Free Press: Most people pick one side of their brain and lean into it. You are both

female doctor?

Dr. Obuobi: I am the first Black female in my program in 20 years, so there’s resentment rather than respect. My knowledge and capabilities are constantly questioned. I don’t get the respect my colleagues get from nurses and staff. That means it takes longer for me to do my work because of the

Dr. Obuobi

a scientist and an artist. How is that possible?

Dr. Obuobi: I’ve always done everything. I’ve been writing and drawing since I was a kid. I asked for a book signing for my 10th birthday instead of a birthday party. I sold 10 to 20 copies and made what I thought was good money.

But I also like evidencebased topics like science. My mother is a pediatrician, so I spent a lot of time in hospitals as a kid. Physicians are storytellers. We have to put a patient’s history into a narrative to uncover what’s happening medically. Medicine and storytelling make me a better doctor.

Free Press: How does a medical student-turned resident and fellow have time to write a novel?

Dr. Obuobi: I don’t watch TV. I’m an introvert and a hermit, so when I have downtime, I write and draw. It’s just what I do. It helps me process my feelings and thoughts for perspective. It’s just so much a part of me now.

Free Press: What challenges have you faced as a Black

extra steps I have to take to prove myself.

And it’s not just the medical staff. I’ve had my bottom slapped twice by patients — Black patients! I love taking care of the Black community, but navigating certain situations means I have to make tough choices. Advocating for my patients can sometimes mean jeopardizing my career. I don’t want to carry the label of the angry Black woman.

Most of my patients are wonderful. Black women tell me they’re proud of me, but some tell me that I’m not one of them.

Free Press: Is there something about being GhanaianAmerican that makes being a Black female doctor more or less challenging?

Dr. Obuobi: Yes and no. It doesn’t matter as much with patients. Black is black. I grew up in the U.S., so I don’t have an accent.

Becoming a doctor is where it makes a difference. Medical school is hypercompetitive and out of reach for most people who don’t come from means.

It’s an expensive journey that

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starts before you even get to college, so without means, you’re excluded. You have to have the benefit of good schools and tutors. I had the advantage of having a parent who’s a doctor. That helped me navigate the system.

When you look at people of color in med school, it’s African or West Indian immigrants who are first-generation Americans.

My med school class was diverse, but there weren’t many Black American students. The number of Black Americans in med school is plummeting, which is not good given medical bias and health disparities.

Free Press: What advice do you have for Black and Brown patients when experiencing bias in doctors’ offices and hospitals?

Dr. Obuobi: Doctors are

trained to think about patients as dying or not dying or sick or not sick, so it’s up to you to lead the conversation. It should be a collaborative effort between you and your doctor.

Come to your doctor appointments armed with information. The best thing patients can do is educate themselves through reliable sources. Do not let the doctor dismiss the symptoms you describe. Ask questions if you feel your symptoms aren’t being addressed.

A good question to ask your doctor is: if you aren’t doing anything, what’s your plan if this symptom persists? If the doctor becomes defensive, it’s not the right doctor for you.

Free Press: Can you share a preview of your lecture at VCU Libraries’ 2024 Black History Month Lecture?

Dr. Obuobi: My talk will be about how we can use narratives to discuss health care— clinician narratives. It’s about how we can use our identities to forward change and promote advocacy in health care. I use comics because I want people to think. I want doctors to shift their thoughts and address their biases.

I’m so pleased that I’m doing this talk during Black History Month, and the bonus is that it’s also on Women’s Heart Day. Shirlene Obuobi, M.D., will deliver VCU Libraries” Black History Month Lecture on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. at James Branch Cabell Library. Her topic will be “Narrative Medicine and Identity.” Registration for the free event, both in-person and on Zoom, is open.

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Public Hearing on Community Development Needs and Program Performance and Notice of Availability of Funds Henrico County, Virginia As a participant in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Henrico County will prepare an Annual Action Plan for submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The 2024-25 Annual Action Plan will include the County’s proposed uses of CDBG and HOME funds for the program year beginning October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025.

Henrico County will conduct a public hearing at 6:30 pm, Monday, February 12, 2024, at the Libbie Mill Library, 2100 Libbie Lake East St., Henrico, VA 23230. The public hearing provides the public with an opportunity to express opinions on community development needs in Henrico County and past performance of community development programs as reported in the 2022-23 CAPER. To review the 2022-23 CAPER, please visit our website at henrico.us/revit/public-data.

The County encourages all residents to attend, especially those who are low- and moderate-income or reside in lowand moderate-income communities, to share their opinions about community development needs in the County.

Needs may include housing, enhancement of neighborhoods, expansion of economic opportunities, or any other community needs that residents consider important.

This public hearing will be an in-person meeting. There will be no opportunity to participate virtually.

Comments may be provided in advance of the public hearing by email to revitalization@henrico.us or by phone at (804) 501-7617.

Inclement Weather: In the event of inclement weather, please visit our website, henrico.us/revit the morning of Monday, February 12, 2024, for updated meeting information.

Applications for Funding Agencies and organizations who want to apply for CDBG and HOME funds for Program Year 2024-25 should visit henrico.us/revit for more information. Applications will only be accepted through ZoomGrants, a free, online platform that requires registration. The deadline to apply is March 4, 2024.

If you have comments or need additional information concerning the public hearing or applying for CDBG or HOME funds, please call the Department of Community Revitalization at (804) 501-7617. Assistance for disabled SHUVRQV RU WKRVH ZLWK OLPLWHG (QJOLVK SUR¿FLHQF\ ZLOO EH SURYLGHG XSRQ UHTXHVW ZLWK DW OHDVW WKUHH EXVLQHVV GD\V SULRU QRWL¿FDWLRQ WR WKH 'HSDUWPHQW RI &RPPXQLW\ 5HYLWDOL]DWLRQ

PUBLIC NOTICE RICHMOND 2024 BOARD OF EQUALIZATION

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BALTIMORE.ORG/CIAA

Public notice is hereby given that the Board of Equalization for the City of Richmond is authorized to meet at specified dates and times for the purpose of hearing complaints of inequities for 2024 real estate assessments. Upon hearing such complaints, either oral or written, the Board will give consideration and increase, decrease or affirm such real estate assessments. Before a change can be granted, the taxpayer or his agent must overcome a clear presumption in favor of the assessment. The taxpayer or agent must prove that the property is not uniform with similar property assessments or prove that the property is assessed in excess of its fair market value.

The Board of Equalization has scheduled the following hearings: Each Tuesday & Thursday, beginning at 10:00 am in Room 802 of City Hall. Meetings will commence on February 1, 2024 and continue until such time as all matters before the Board are resolved. Due to COVID-19 all appeals will be via phone calls with social distancing and wearing of masks. For further information, please contact Mrs. Jennifer Cannon, Liaison, for the Richmond Board of Equalization at (804) 646-7910, 900 East Broad Street, Room 802-City Hall, Richmond, VA 23219.

By order of the Richmond Board of Equalization (Va. Code § 58.1-3378) ­ ­

Richmond Free Press

February 1-3, 2024 A7

Richmond Free Press Gold Dust Aucuba in Henrico County Editorial Page

A8

February 1-3, 2024

Mr. Woodson

Black History Month is more important than ever In 1926, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) first conceived “Negro History Week” for the second week of February, the idea was to celebrate and remember the struggles and achievements in the history of the African diaspora.

That notion still holds true as we celebrate the start today — Feb. 1 — of Black History Month, which is celebrated here in the United States and Canada, and in Ireland and the United Kingdom in October.

While our community has a lot to be thankful for since Mr. Woodson’s wonderful proclamation, there still is much work to be done. The political vitriol and party-line divisiveness that are on display in this country today harken back to a time long ago when the rights of African-Americans, in particular, were under assault by the protagonists of Jim Crow.

Even history books are being assailed by some on the far-right as propaganda that’s meant to make white people feel guilty about this country’s racist past. Of course, that’s preposterous. Black history is American history and the stories of our triumphs and struggles need to be told.

Perhaps that’s why it is more important than ever that African-Americans make it a priority to get out and vote. It is critical that we elect serious and fair-minded politicians. In local elections. In state primaries. In the congressional midterms. And, of course, the presidential race.

The tenet of one man, one vote is part of the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement and helped dig black people out from the craters of racism to the open air of fairness and equity in this country.

Virginia voters, in particular, have made their presence felt, as evidenced by the historic racial and gender diversity in the General Assembly. It truly was a significant moment in early January when Portsmouth Democrat Don Scott became the first black person chosen to lead the 405-year-old Virginia House of Delegates.

“Every time I look around this room I see this: I see the ghosts of those people who worked here, those black folks who were enslaved here, whose dignity and humanity was discounted right here in this room,” Delegate Scott said during his swearingin ceremony.

Virginia voters also gave Democrats thin majorities in the Senate and House of Delegates last fall, bringing in leadership changes and other firsts.

Some of those General Assembly milestones: Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears will preside over the state Senate, while Delegate Scott wields the gavel in the House of Delegates.

Many of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus’ record 32 members hold top spots.

Sen. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, is the first transgender lawmaker to serve in the Senate.

And a record 15 women are included among the Senate’s 40 members. The 21-person Senate Democratic Caucus is now majority female with 11 women in its ranks.

Indeed, voters should be proud of the change they’ve brought to Virginia. It is significant.

But never forget how far we’ve come to get to this place. We owe that to the memory of Mr. Woodson and countless others who have engaged in the struggle.

Happy Black History Month!

Parting ways After more than 30 years, the Richmond Free Press and reporter Jeremy Lazarus have permanently parted company.

Mr. Lazarus began reporting for the Free Press when he was brought aboard in 1992 by our founding Editor/Publisher Raymond H. Boone.

Monday, January 29, 2024, was his last day as a full-time Free Press staff reporter.

I wish Mr. Lazarus well as he embarks on his next chapter.

Jean Patterson Boone

Bonnie Newman Davis/Richmond Free Press

When partisan politics leave migrants out in the cold As a long, dreaded January chill made life on the streets unthinkable for waves of migrants bused North from Texas, city, state and federal officials engaged in a new round of fingerpointing and buck-passing.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told reporters Monday he was “deeply concerned” that city officials had no plans to open new shelters.

A couple of days later, Mayor Brandon Johnson insisted that he, too, is concerned and shifted blame to the state, for an alleged failure to hold up its part of the effort. The mayor urged the state to build more shelter space in other municipalities.

Mayor Johnson has the city back to saying it will evict migrants from a shelter after they spend 60 days there.

“What the state committed to doing back in November, that process has not moved as quickly as this (60-day) policy will hold,” Mayor Johnson said. “This policy was really attached to a larger

operation that included ... 2,200 beds. That’s what the state of Illinois committed to doing.”

In our nation’s capital, the urban political unrest over the migrant influx has found its way into congressional gridlock.

Although the border issues have been mostly a Republican issue since Donald Trump launched his first presidential campaign

Clarence Page with promises to build a border wall, recent pressures from polar vortexes, Republican governors torturing Democratic cities, and a looming presidential election have pushed border security to the front burner for Democratic congressional leaders too.

Oh, yes, House Republicans raised temperatures on the immigration issue by tying the package to Ukraine funding, which, sad to say, has turned what traditionally was a bipartisan cause into a mainly Democratic priority, largely thanks to Mr. Trump. As long as President Biden wants to send American aid to Ukraine, it appears, Mr. Trump is against it.

So President Biden and Sen-

ate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, both part of the Cold War generation, try to approve aid Ukraine desperately needs to stave off Vladimir Putin over the bulldog hostility of Mr. Trump.

Bizarrely, Mr. Trump — not even yet the GOP presidential nominee — functions as an opposition force in exile, effectively becoming a gatekeeper without any official position of any kind.

Behind closed doors, Sen. McConnell, as reported by Punchbowl News, was moved to reveal that Mr. Trump’s growing dominance had put Republicans, including him, “in a quandary.”

Throughout his long career, it’s usually been Sen. McConnell putting his adversaries into quandaries. But how to negotiate with a man — Mr. Trump — who seemingly has few principles other than winning?

As a result, we have seen Republican proponents of a border deal toiling as part of a bipartisan group of senators for months to overhaul our nation’s long-broken immigration system in ways Republicans ordinarily would support while Mr. Trump

Biden-Harris administration’s LNG decision means hope James Hiatt lives in an area along the Mississippi River in Louisiana that has been dubbed “Cancer Alley.” Teeming with chemical plants and oil and gas refineries, the air the residents of this area breathe contains more carcinogens than anywhere else in the country.

One of those oil and gas facilities is the Calcasieu Pass liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal, which has further devastated public health, local livelihoods, and marine wildlife. Last week the Biden-Harris administration’s Department of Energy (DOE) paused the permitting of new LNG projects. The decision stops the gas industry’s plans for the even larger CP2 LNG terminal right next door.

This move was perhaps the boldest rebuke ever from a U.S. president against the oil and gas industry. President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary of Energy Granholm — whose support for the move was especially crucial — did the right thing.

Millions of us are celebrating along with James Hiatt, who says, “I’m thankful for this pause in granting gas export licenses; the DOE has finally heard the wakeup call. The gas industry was planning to inundate my hometown with LNG terminals.”

American families’ pocketbooks will be thankful as well.

Any word you hear from the fossil fuel industry or the politicians in

their pockets about how this decision harms American consumers or the economy is a lie.

As Mr. Hiatt points out, “exporting LNG drives up domestic energy costs, affecting everything from home heating to food prices.”

Pausing the LNG boom will keep global energy markets more stable. It will help move economies and electric grids toward using

Ben Jealous less expensive and more resilient renewable energy sources. It will keep 681 coal plants worth — or 548 million gasoline-powered cars worth — of planet-warming greenhouse gasses out of our atmosphere each year.

All of this is critically important. But so is Mr. Hiatt’s point about the “finally heard wake-up call.”

For years, activists, along with scientists and others, have been sounding the alarm to get those in power to wake up. Some of the most powerful voices have been those of young people. And we should all appreciate what it has taken for those young people to maintain their determination.

The American Psychological Association defines “ecoanxiety” as “a chronic fear of environmental doom.” In 2021, Lancet Planetary Health surveyed more than 10,000 young people, ages 16 to 25, in 10 countries. Anxiety about climate change impacted the ability of more than 45% of these young people to function in their daily lives; 75% were “frightened” of the future. And it exposed

a key feature of eco-anxiety: hopelessness.

Half the young people in the study described feeling helpless and powerless. Now, we know that despite the fear, young activists have been among our fiercest leaders in the fight against the climate crisis. They have not given in to the lingering despair.

But, as a piece on eco-anxiety in the Harvard Political Review pointed out, young people have felt like they are alone in the fight. And, “if no one is listening and no change is happening, then pushing forward can feel hopeless.”

That is why, aside from the emissions numbers … aside from the economic and energy security benefits … the Biden-Harris administration’s LNG decision is a win for hope. And hope is a powerful thing.

In his statement about the decision, President Biden said, “We will heed the calls of young people and front line communities who are using their voices to demand action from those with the power to act.”

This victory for climateconcerned people the world over — and the planet itself — is proof that organizing works. Grabbing the bullhorn and telling your story — even if the crowds don’t listen right at first — matters.

This LNG decision is a momentum builder. And a clarion call for even more organized action on the climate crisis – especially from young people.

The writer is the executive director of the Sierra Club and a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Free Press welcomes letters The Richmond Free Press respects the opinions of its readers. We want to hear from you.

We invite you to write the editor. All letters will be considered for publication. Concise, typewritten letters related to public matters are preferred. Also include your telephone number(s). Letters should be addressed to: Letters to the Editor, Richmond Free Press, P.O. Box 27709, 422 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23261, or faxed to: (804) 643-7519 or e-mail: letters@richmondfreepress.com.

makes that task more difficult.

And the reasons for Mr. Trump’s opposition are obviously nakedly political. He wants the issue for his campaign. A solution signed

by President Biden he perceives as threatening to his chances.

All the while, people who need help are kept waiting.

Back in Chicago, the disagreements continue in the absence of federal action. More than a dozen Chicago aldermen on Thursday called on Mayor Johnson to scrap his 60-day shelter limit policy for migrants.

How frustrating it must be for Mayor Johnson, Gov. Pritzker and others working in good faith to humanely cope with this crisis that emanates ultimately from Washington and is tied to the ambitions of a man who doesn’t even hold office.

The writer is a columnist for The Chicago Tribune.

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Richmond Free Press

February 1-3, 2024 A9

Commentary

Recent accounts of Richmond businesses dealing with tax issues must be fixed Richmond is running the risk of losing its charm. But how can our city lose its magic just like that? Richmond is frequently featured on national lists of best cities for food and outdoor activities, like our abundance of festivals.

For a city our size, we boast a wealth of entrepreneurs, creators and founders who have carefully developed an idea or a passion that is part of a vibrant ecosystem across our community. I love bringing friends and family to visit to show off our incredible city. But recurring issues in city government are threatening the resilience of our small business community. And to put it simply, it’s because of bad customer service.

The recent accounts of businesses dealing with tax issues with the City of Richmond need to be fixed once and for all.

These issues are not new. We have all read these headlines before. Stories about permitting delays, lack of responsiveness, and lack of communication about late payments being assessed penalties, fees, and interest damage our title as the best place to live, work, play and visit. Dreamers, entrepreneurs and investors are reading these headlines repeatedly, guiding their decisions on where to invest their time, talent and money.

In response to the current situation, we must show our businesses and entrepreneurs we have heard their issues and complaints. Last week, we introduced legislation to change a long-standing City Code rule about how the City applies penalties, late fees, and interest to tax payments. While this is important, it still doesn’t address the more significant issue: resolving our business owners’ list of grievances about their tax payment situations.

We need to make whole all the businesses with outstanding tax payments with accruing penalties, fees, and interest the path to pay what is owed. Whether this is a tax amnesty program or an appeal application process, we need to provide a way forward. Second, for all the businesses that were fed up with no response or path forward that paid their astronomical penalties, fees, and interest, they also need an appeal process. We do not balance our budget on accruing penalties, fees, and interest.

While we need tools to enforce compliance and timely payments, this current problem has gone on far too long and needs to be fixed. While legislation is needed, these issues need to be included in our strategy and plan to fix this issue once and for all.

As a small business owner, I had to apply for building permits and a business license, and I can attest to the challenges of get-

ting up and running a business in Richmond. I was fortunate enough to have been informed and guided by others’ stories and accounts of navigating City Hall.

But even as a former City employee and current City Council representative, I found this process daunting, confusing and complex.

For example, at several stages of the building permit process, I received a notification of “permit rejected.” The permit was not rejected; it simply could not be approved as currently submitted. Instead of that message, I repeatedly was told, “My permit is rejected.” What does

that tell a new business owner when the permitting webpage is adversarial before they’ve even opened their doors? If we share in the goal of this business opening and succeeding, we must engage and communicate

Andreas Addison in that manner.

Many of the processes and systems within City Hall have been designed to conform with old state codes and outdated bureaucratic processes that govern each step. While we are working to correct, modernize, and update these old policies, it doesn’t fully address the actual cause of the issue today.

The customer experience and perspective must be present and our priority. Each city depart-

ment has a role in supporting the opening and operation of small businesses. We must refrain from telling folks how the city processes work and focus on our customers’ experience.

We must make it seamless, easy, and predictable to deal with City Hall. Both Henrico and Chesterfield operate by the same codes and regulations of the Commonwealth of Virginia, yet their businesses and residents have a completely different customer experience.

They are seen as a partner, helping small business owners not only navigate the process but also explain the next steps, expectations, and status of applications. We must do the same in Richmond.

Three years ago, I championed reducing the financial burden of Business, Professional,

and Occupational License taxes (or BPOL taxes) on our small business owners. Our BPOL tax rate is almost triple that of the surrounding counties. This tax is on the total receipts of a business or revenue made on goods created and sold by a business. In February 2022, I passed legislation to amend the threshold at which the City begins taxing businesses.

Before, a person began paying BPOL taxes when their business earned $100,000 in gross receipts. My legislation raised that threshold to $250,000, providing immediate relief to more than half of the small business owners in Richmond. The tax bills of some of our smallest businesses were eliminated, save for a $30 annual fee.

Just as important as financial relief is relieving our business

owners of time and frustration with City processes. Given the difference in tax rates for businesses across the region, compounded with the challenges businesses have faced recovering from the pandemic, we must change how we approach the vibrant community that makes Richmond so attractive.

To attract and retain businesses, we must reshape our processes to meet them where they are. More importantly, we need to restore trust in City Hall. We can only do that by transforming our relationship with our businesses and our residents as an ally and partner in their success. At a minimum, we should offer small business owners what they offer our residents and visitors: good customer service.

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Richmond Free Press

A10 February 1-3, 2024

Sports Stories by Fred Jeter

Primed for takeoff

Chance discovery at Ohio airport lands King at VUU College athletes frequently transfer, usually for more playing time, a higher profile environment, to be closer to home or even for more Name Image Likeness (NIL) money.

Jonathan King fell into a different category in transferring to Virginia Union University from Alderson Broaddus University in tiny Philippi, W.Va. The springy, 6-foot-7 native of Akron was “homeless,” of sorts, when Alderson Broaddus closed its doors for good last summer.

“It was kinda crazy,” said King, who has junior eligibility for VUU. He averaged about 12 points and seven rebounds last season for Alderson Broaddus, a former member of the Division II Mountain East Conference.

Fate led King to Lombardy Street.

With an uncertain future, King Starting 15 of the Panthers’ first was working in the Akron-Canton 21 games this season, King was Regional Airport last August when averaging 7.1 points (fourth on the the Virginia Union football came team) and 4.9 rebounds (second), through — on the way to the HBCU with 21 steals and 18 assists. He’s Hall of Fame Classic in Canton. hitting 49% from the field and 76% The VUU contingent included forat the foul line. mer Panthers standout Ralph Brown, King has been especially impresnow the school’s assistant athletic sive on defense as VUU held Virginia director for marketing.

State and Bowie State to under 50 “He started looking me up and Jonathan King points. The Panthers, 9-12 entering down,” King said, laughing. “I told the week, extended their winning him I was looking for a school and he got me streak to three games on Jan. 27 with a 76-60 in touch with Coach Butler.” win at Bluefield State.

VUU Coach Jay Butler recalls “getting a “Jonathan does a lot for us on defense,” text” from Brown and following up on the op- Coach Butler said. “And as he learns more portunity, offering King a scholarship. about our system, he’ll become more of a facHe’s glad he did. tor on offense.

vs.

Saturday showdown Virginia Union and Lincoln, Pa., began this week tied for the CIAA Northern Division lead at 3-0. The Panthers will play at Lincoln Feb. 3 at 4 p.m.

This has been a trying season for the usually powerful Panthers. Only two players returned from last year’s NCAA tournament qualifier.

That’s why, while still in late August, Butler was on the lookout — even in an airport — for skilled roster fillers.

He’s glad he found King before he took off for points unknown.

JM girls don’t play second fiddle Some might contend that the John Marshall High girls basketball team plays in the shadow of JM’s frequentstate champion boys squad.

If so, Coach Virgil Burton’s young women are casting some mighty long shadows of their own on the North Side and beyond.

The JM girls have reached the Class 2, state semifinals the past two seasons and Coach Burton suggests the best might be yet to come.

“In some ways, we may be stronger than the last two years,” Coach Burton said. “We have better shooters, are more versatile in what we do … and we play great defense … we think of ourselves as a defensive team. We want to create as much pressure as

we can.”

U-15 and U-17 Team LoadOver the past four seaed outfits that play in spring sons (no season in 2020-21), and summer.

JM is 68-37 under Coach The Justices began this Burton, who doubles as a week 12-5 with all the losses Richmond Police officer. to teams from North CaroMissing from the past lina, Florida and Northern two seasons is All-State Virginia. The team was comJaedyn Cook, now playing off lopsided wins over Coach Burton ing at East Carolina, but Douglas Freeman (67-23) there is still plenty of talent left on and Hermitage (58-19). the roster.

JM was ranked seventh in the Like the JM boys team that is area MaxPreps poll, which includes closely associated with Team Loaded all public and private schools of all Travel (an amateur basketball orga- enrollment classifications. nization), the girls also polish their Here’s what Coach Burton is saying skills with the female version of about his current lineup: Team Loaded.

Yasmin Hall (5-foot-7 junior): “A Coach Burton coaches both the returning starter; the experience she

Major matchup Friday, Feb. 2 – John Marshall at 14-0, No. 1 ranked Thomas Dale, 7:15 p.m. in Chester

gained in summer development league is paying off … had nearly a triple double against Hermitage.”

Janiyaha Pickett (5-foot-7 senior): “Has all the leadership qualities; holds everyone accountable. Other girls look up to her like a mom.”

Kiyah Lewis (6-foot junior): “Kiyah, a tall wing and shooting guard, is a transfer from TPLS Christian … we found out about her through Team Loaded.”

Kayden Jones (6-foot senior): “She packs a heavy punch; creates lots of space as a passer; she attends Franklin Military but is allowed to play for us.”

R’Mia Crutchfield (6-foot-2 senior): “Mia is my post player … she’s Shaq-like, strong and powerful.”

Tiara “TT” Herron (5-foot-7 freshman): “Tiara is our sixth man … a dynamic lefty.”

Other talented players include Jerri Jones, Le’nasia McCants, Rah’Janae Johnson, Geada Echols, Logan Rose and Shaqira Fields.

The Class 2 champions will be determined in March at VCU’s Siegel Center. Don’t be surprised to see two sets of JM players being crowned.

Chiefs, 49ers primed for Super Bowl rematch This year’s Super Bowl long-distance KC fans based on Morgan State; defensive linematchup features franchises the 1969 Super Bowl in which man Buck Buchanan, out of with plenty of experience on the Chiefs, from the upstart Grambling; and defensive back football’s grandest stage.

American Football League Emmitt Thomas from Bishop Super Bowl College.

LVIII will be a The Chiefs rematch of the 2020 also played in game in which the the very first Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl in defeated the San 1966, falling to Francisco 49ers, Green Bay, 3531-20, at Miami’s 10.

Hard Rock StaSan Frandium. cisco’s Super The 49ers have Buck Buchanan Willie Lanier Patrick Mahomes Bowl success been to seven Sucame mostly in per Bowls, winning five; the (AFL), upset the favored Min- the 1980s with quarterback Joe Chiefs have been five times, nesota Vikings, 23-7.

Montana and the NFL’s all-time winning three, including 2019 KC’s 1969 edition came to receiver, Jerry Rice, out of Misand 2022 under Coach Andy be known as “Black America’s sissippi Valley State.

Reid and quarterback Patrick Team,” with some 20 players Mahomes. from HBCUs. Super Bowl LVIII New England and Pittsburgh That list included three Feb. 11, Kansas City Chiefs have the most Super Bowl rings future Hall of Famers, Rich- vs. San Francisco 49ers, Alle— six each. monder Willie Lanier, by way giant Stadium, 6:30 p.m. ET, Many Richmonders became of Maggie Walker High and Las Vegas, CBS

Embiid drops 70, breaks Wilt’s record

Joel Embiid

Erasing Wilt Chamberlain’s name from any the arc and 21 of 23 at the foul line. He also record book is a rare feat, but Joel Embiid snagged 18 rebounds.

Embiid had 34 points at halftime and 59 has done it.

On Jan. 22, Embiid scored 70 points in through three quarters. He slipped past the a win over San Antonio, breaking the Phila- late Chamberlain with No. 69 and 70 with delphia 76ers’ one-game record of 68 set by 1:41 to go.

A native of Cameroon, the the iconic Chamberlain on 7-foot, 280-pound Embiid led Dec. 16, 1967. the NBA in scoring in 2022 It also was the most and 2023 and is averaging a points by any NBA player league-leading 36.1 this season. since Kobe Bryant’s 81 He was league MVP last year for the Los Angeles Lakand runner-up MVP the two ers 18 years ago, also on previous seasons.

Jan. 22.

Embiid starred for the Kansas There is a fairly short Jayhawks two seasons before list of players, led by becoming the third overall draft Chamberlain, to total 70 or pick, by the Sixers, in 2014. more points in a game.

Wilt Chamberlain He was hampered by injuries Chamberlain, a native Philadelphian, did it six times, all with the early in his career.

The Jan. 22 game at the Wells Fargo Philadelphia Warriors and San Francisco Warriors. The franchise moved from Philly to the Center also might be remembered for the first meeting between Embiid and emerging West Coast in 1962.

Chamberlain holds the single-game record star Victor Wembanyama.

The 7-foot-4 Frenchman had 33 points for of 100 points with the Philly Warriors on the Spurs, hitting 10 of 19 from the floor, two March 2, 1962.

In addition to Embiid, others to reach 70 in of five from beyond the arc and 11 of 12 at a game include Elgin Baylor, David Thomp- the charity stripe.

A leading candidate for Rookie of the son, David Robinson, Bryant, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard and Luka Year, “Wemby” is averaging 25 points and nine rebounds while hitting 53% from the Doncic.

In his 70-point outing, Embiid was 24 for floor, 33% beyond the arc and 84% at the 41 from the field, just one of two from outside free throw line.

NFC Final San Francisco 34, Detroit 31 AFC Final Kansas City 17, Baltimore 10

Paul Sakuma / Associated Press

Jerry Rice arrives for his first practice with the Oakland Raiders at their training camp in Alameda on June 5, 2001.

Kansas City Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers

Founded: 1969 (originally known as Dallas Texans) as part of original AFL Coach: Andy Reid, 11th season, 128-51 regular season, 15-7 postseason with Chiefs Super Bowl wins: 1969, 2019, 2022 Record this season: 11-6, first in AFC West; defeated Miami in wild-card game, Buffalo in divisional contest and Baltimore in the conference championship Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, seventh season out of Texas Tech All-Pro picks: QB Mahomes; guard Joe Thuney; defensive tackle Chris Jones; and cornerback Trent McDuffie Leading passer (regular season): Mahomes, 4,183 yards, 27 TDs Leading rusher: Isaiah Pacheco, 935 yards, seven TDs Leading receiver: Travis Kelce, 93 catches, 984 yards, five TDs First Black player: Integrated at inception

Established: 1944 in NFL Coach: Kyle Shanahan, 64-51 in seven seasons; 7-3 in playoffs Record this season: 12-5, first in NFC West; defeated Green Bay in divisional playoffs and Detroit in conference final Super Bowl wins: 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989 and 1994 Quarterback: Brock Purdy, second season out of Washington State All-Pro picks: offensive lineman Trent Williams; running back Christian McCaffrey; linebacker Fred War ner ; fullback Kyle Juszczyk; and tight end George Kittles Leading passer: Purdy, 4,280 yards, 31 TDs Leading rusher: McCaffrey, 1,459 yards and 14 TDs Leading receiver: Brandon Aiyuk, 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven TDs First Black player: Running back Joe “The Jet” Perry in 1948

Curry comes off the bench

ers star LeBron James, Dallas’ Luka Steph Curry will be in an unusual Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander role for this year’s NBAAll-Star Game. of Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant of He’ll be coming off the bench.

Phoenix and Denver’s Nikola Jokic.

The other-worldly Golden State The Eastern starters are Tyrese Warriors’ guard was not among the Haliburton of Indiana, Boston’s Jayson Western Conference starters released Tatum, Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard last week. Curry has been a starter and Giannis Antetokounmpo and nine times in the past. He’s never Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid. come off the bench.

Stephen Curry Antetokounmpo and James are the The game will be played Feb. 18 in Indianapolis with TNT covering the 8 p.m. captains of their teams.

Voting was conducted by players, fans and ET tipoff.

Western starters will be Los Angeles Lak- media.

Beltré set for place in hall of fame Ozzie Virgil opened the gates in 1956. Ever since, there has been a flood of stars who have reached the Major Leagues from the Dominican Republic.

Adrián Beltré surely made his mark on the game. The slugging third baseman has become the fifth Dominican to be selected for the Hall of Fame, following Juan Marichal, Pedro Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero and David Ortiz.

Playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle, Boston and Texas from 1998 to 2018, Beltré was a four-time All-Star, fivetime Gold Glove recipient and

four-time Silver Slugger winner.

He finished with career totals of 477 home Adrián Beltré r u n s , 1,707 runs batted in and a .286 average. Beltré had 3,166 hits and ranked among baseball’s best defenders at third.

Beltré will be inducted into the Hall on July 23 in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with Todd Helton and Joe Mauer.

The small Caribbean Island has produced a disproportionate number of players since Virgil’s arrival with the Giants. Virgil in 1958 also became the Detroit Tigers’ first Black Latino.

To start the 2023 MLB season, there were 100 Dominicans on opening-day rosters — about one sixth of all big leaguers.

The 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros started 2023 with the most Dominicans, eight.

Beltré ranks among baseball’s cheapest signing deals. As a 15-year-old he signed with the Dodgers in 1994 for $23,000.

February 1-3, 2024 B1

Richmond Free Press

Section

Happenings

B

Personality: Darrell Tyler Spotlight on Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union board chairman Darrell Tyler firmly believes that material advancement in society is nearly impossible without a financial institution’s backing or involvement.

That philosophy led Mr. Tyler, a senior research analyst at the University of Richmond, to become active in Richmond’s nonprofit financial community.

Several years ago, he joined the Richmond Urban Financial Services Coalition, the Virginia Credit Union League and the Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union to provide his expertise and knowledge, and also to help the organizations increase their numbers.

The national Urban Financial Services Coalition (formerly the National Association of Urban Bankers), was founded in 1974 by Robert J. Samuels and Nathaniel Carroll Harris Jr. The coalition supports programs that offer practical benefits for minority financial services professionals, banks and financial institutions.

The Virginia Credit Union League, founded 90 years ago, supports credit unions through advocacy, professional development, and business solutions.

On Jan. 5, Mr. Tyler became board chairman of the Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union, “a voluntary, nonprofit, cooperative association of individuals sharing a common employment bond,” according to its website.

Chartered in 1936, RHFCU was established to provide Richmond Virginia School Board and Virginia Union University employees and family members a means to save and borrow money. In later years, the charter was amended to include employees and families of Richmond Community Hospital and Virginia Mutual

Benefit Life Insurance Co., reads its website.

As the only remaining financial institution led by and focused on African-Americans in the city, Mr. Tyler sees RHFCU as being critical for assistance and access to resources that historically are not always available for communities of color and lower-income residents.

RHFCU, as Mr. Tyler puts it, brings a unique view to the process for its more than 2,000 members.

“We take a more holistic look at the loan applicant, versus just a flat-out application and a credit score and their debtto-income ratio and all those other things,” Mr. Tyler said.

We try to look at the person and what they’re trying to do and what they’re trying to succeed at. “We take those things into account where other entities might not.”

Mr. Tyler says that his main objective as board chairman is to restore confidence in Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union’s leadership, operations and reputation.

Some strategies for achieving those goals include: • Growing an asset base of $30 million or more through fair and competitive financial products and services.

• Growing and nurturing productive partnerships that increase awareness of the credit union’s presence and ability to support the financial needs of those we serve.

• Providing revenue-generating opportunities to help us grow and better enhance the services we provide to our current and future members.

• Addressing staffing issues through continued education, training and professional development.

in science and bachelor’s degree, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Also a certified board member.

Family: Wife and two adult children.

Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union is: Minority-founded and operates a federally insured credit union and is designated as a Minority Depository Institution.

Mission: Our mission is to provide our members with an efficient, effective and well-managed financial institution that meets their fiscal needs with financial products and services.

• Positioning the credit union to provide for the financial needs of a new and different generation for the next 100 years.

“I think the credit union is moving in the right direction,” Mr. Tyler said. “The people that you come into the credit union to see, they know you, they’re there to help you. They’re there to do the member right.”

Meet someone who is dedicated to providing fair and equitable lending practices and this week’s Personality, Darrell Tyler: Volunteer position: Chairman, board of directors, Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union.

Occupation: Senior research analyst, University of Richmond; retired Army Reserve sergeant major.

Birthplace: Richmond.

Where I live now: Henrico County.

Education: Master’s degree

Founders: 10 founding members, all of whom were Virginia Union University graduates and Richmond Public Schools employees.

Location: 50 W. Commerce Road, Richmond.

Previous board chairman: Dr. Umar Kenyatta.

No. 1 goal or project as board chairman: Restore confidence in Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union’s leadership, operations and reputation.

No. 1 challenge: Growing assets and revenue generation will allow us to service our members more efficiently and provide a more user-friendly online presence and mobility.

Ways I have witnessed Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union make a difference for its membership and community: As an Asset and Liability Management Committee member, I have witnessed a few productive loans go through approval. I know if this were

a for-profit tier-1 bank, the risk would have been too much for approval. But that is precisely why we exist.

We partner with: Mentorpartner Self-Help Credit Union; Supported by Inclusiv and the Virginia Credit Union League; Sponsorship/partnership Bon Secours Hospital How I start the day: I start my day with coffee, my phone and Bloomberg.

The three words that best describe me: Strategist, conscientious and concerned.

If I had 10 extra minutes in the day: Spend it with my family. My wife and I wanted to raise independent, productive citizens of the Commonwealth, but that comes at a cost. As soon as they become adults and intellectually engaging to talk to, they are off doing their own thing. The best times were when we sat around the dinner table and just talked.

If I could host a dream dinner party, my special guest would be: Robert Smith of Vista Equity. His story of how he rose is worth a listen, especially his philanthropic efforts.

Best late-night snack: Fruit or popcorn.

The music I listen to most: Jazz … Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Gershwin, Miles Davis, the Marsalis family, Charlie Parker and Sade.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Collecting signatures on national bank notes from African-American National Banks that existed during the national bank period.

A quote that inspires me: “If you can change your mind, you can change your life.” ― Wil-

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liam James At the top of my “to-do” list: Make sure I’m OK­— physically and mentally.

The best thing my parents ever taught me: Don’t run from adversity. Face it and learn from it.

The person who influenced me the most: There have been many, but Lt. Col. Lee Vessels of King William County, U.S. Army veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and a commandant of cadets of the John F. Kennedy High School JROTC. Book that influenced me the most: “The Negro as Capitalist: A Study of Banking and Business Among American Negroes” (1936) by Abram Lincoln Harris Jr. (Richmond, Va.) of Howard University. It started as research on a couple of historically Black national bank notes. However, I was quickly awestruck by the accounts of the absolute resilience of the Black entrepreneur man and woman. We come from stock that did not give up —period.

What I’m reading now: I mostly read research socioeconomic research articles. However, right now, I’m reading “White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America” by Nancy Isenberg. I kinda knew this from my experiences in uniform; however, this book records just how much impetus this nation’s founding fathers and grandchildren placed on class.

That echoes to this very day.

Next goal: I enjoy board work and governance, so we’ll see.

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Richmond Free Press

B2 February 1-3, 2024

Black History Month events Dawoud Bey: Elegy Organized by: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Where it takes place: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts at 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.

When it takes place: Through Sunday, Feb. 25 Cost: Tickets cost $12 for adults, $10 for seniors age 65 and older, $8 for those aged 7 to 17 and college students with IDs Theaster Gates: Wonder Working Power Organized by: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Where: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts When: Through Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 Cost: Free More information: vmfa. museum/calendar/black-history-month-2024 First Fridays: Rhythms of West Africa with Ifasola Osunponmile Favemi Organized by: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Where: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts When: Friday, Feb. 2, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Cost: Free More information: vmfa. museum/calendar/black-history-month-2024 34th Annual L. Rita Davis Oratorical Contest - “Shining Stars in the Literary Universe” Organized by: Arts and Letters Committee of the Richmond Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Where: John Marshall High School, 4225 Old Brook Road When: Saturday, Feb. 3, at 9:30 a.m.

More information: artsandletters.dstrichmond@

gmail.com or call (804) 2767053 Black Excellence Exhibition 2024 Presents: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Organized by: Afro Spectrum Where: Petersburg Community Resiliency Hub, 464 Byrne St. When: Saturday, Feb. 3, from 6 to 10 p.m.

Cost: $15 for General Admission More information: w w w. e v e n t b r i t e . c o m / e/502946234727 The Resurrection Mixtape Organized by: Richmond Symphony Where: Carpenter Theatre at the Dominion Energy Center, 600 E. Grace St., Suite 400 When: Saturday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m.

Cost: $22 to $86, depending on the age of the attendee More information: www. r i c h m o n d s y m p h o n y. c o m / event/resurrection-mixtape Racism and Psychiatry: The Central Lunatic Asylum for the Colored Insane Organized by: The James River Valley Chapter of the Links, Inc. Where: Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.

When: Sunday, Feb. 4, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Cost: Free More information: www. jamesrivervalleylinks.org RVA Community Makers Public Art Workshop Organized by: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Where: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts When: Sunday, Feb. 4, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Cost: Free More information: vmfa. museum/calendar/black-history-month-2024 3 in 30 - Predicaments: Africa Organized by: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Where: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts When: Tuesday, Feb. 6, from 11 to 11:30 a.m. in person, Thursday, Feb. 8 from 11 to 11:30 a.m. virtually Cost: Free, though registration is required for the virtual program More information: vmfa. museum/calendar/black-history-month-2024 The Queen of Sugar Hill with ReShonda Tate Organized by: Fountain Bookstore Where: Sam Miller’s Restaurant, 1210 E. Cary St. When: Wednesday, Feb. 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Cost: General admission is free, though the book can be purchased at the event for $21, and registration is required More information: www. fountainbookstore.com/ events/33697

Stolen Lives, Dreamed Lives with Sandrine Plante Organized by: The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia Where: The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia When: Wednesday, Feb. 7, to Thursday, Feb. 29 Cost: $10 for adults for admission into the museum, though discounts for seniors, students and children are available More information: 804780-9093 or info@blackhistorymuseum.org

“Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” Reception at The Branch Museum featuring Ambassador of Forgiveness Rose Simmons Organized by: Coming Together Virginia and The Branch Museum Where it takes place: The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design at 2501 Monument Ave. When it takes place: Wednesday, Feb. 7, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Cost: General tickets cost $30 More information:lp. constantcontactpages.com/ev/ reg/87yap77

VMHC Scholar Series Racial Reconciliation in Modern Richmond Organized by: The Virginia Museum of History & Culture Where: The Virginia Museum of History & Culture When: Thursday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m.

Cost: Admission is free for members and children age 5 and under, $5 for students and $10 for adults. The event also will be streamed online for free.

More information: s e c u r e . v i r g i n i a h i s t o r y. org/2272/2643 Compiled by George Copeland Jr.

February 9 7:30 PM

The Resurrection Mixtape fuses the music of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur with Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. Included are “Hypnotize,” “Dear Mama,” “California Love,” “Juicy,” “Keep Ya Head Up,” “Everyday Struggle,” and more.

TICKETS START AT $15

KLINTON

MOZART MEETS THE BEATLES Thursday, Feb. 8 • 6:30pm Hardywood Park Craft Brewery Chia-Hsuan Lin, conductor

TICKETS START AT $30

Books: “I know why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou “The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar,” by Pa u l L a u r e n c e Dunbar “ T h i n g s Fa l l Apart” by Chinua Achebe Film: “Hidden Figures” “To Sir With Love” “American Fiction” “Origin” “Black Panther” Songs: “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” James Weldon Johnson “The Entertainer,” Scott Joplin “ S i g n o f t h e T i m e s ,” Prince Tracey Oliver Books: “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander “How to Be an Antiracist”

by Ibram X. Kendi “The Third Reconstruction”

by Rev. William J. Barber II Streaming Docuseries: “The 1619 Project” on Hulu “When They See Us” on Netflix Film: “John Lewis: Good Trouble” Venues: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Mar tin Luther King Jr. Memorial along with the nearby Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bookstore Debora Timms Books: “Knocking the Hustle” by Lester K. Spence “Oreo” by Fran Ross “ H o m e g o i n g ” b y Ya a Gyasi George Copeland Jr. Books:

“Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian L e a d e r s h i p C o n fe r e n c e ” b y David Garrow “ T h e Wa r m t h of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson “A Promised Land” by Barack Obama “The Sum of Us” by Heather McGhee “How the Word is Passed”

by Clint Smith “Prince: Life and Times” by Jason Draper “Will” by Will Smith “Working” by Studs Terkel Film: “Imitation of Life” “A Raisin in the Sun” “Waiting to Exhale” “Origin” “4 Little Girls” Venue: The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia The National Museum of African American History and Culture The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts A ny B l a ck c h u r c h i n Richmond Bonnie Newman Davis

Dominion Energy Center

[a FUSE production]

MUSIC AT HARDYWOOD

Books: “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson “Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson Film: “Origin” Regina H. Boone

Belief in freedom breaks the bonds of slavery

THE RESURRECTION MIXTAPE

Steve Hackman, conductor & creator, with Marcus Tenney of Butcher Brown A transformative exploration of life, death, legacy, struggle, and triumph,

For the culture

Black History Month enables many Black Americans to reflect on our history, honor our ancestors and educate ourselves while also celebrating our achievements. We asked our Richmond Free Press team to share the creative, cultural and literary works that quench their thirst for knowledge and purpose during Black History Month and throughout the year.

Their answers follow:

SANCTUARY ROAD

Steve Hackman’s

THIS SATURDAY • 8:00pm Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center

Visions of Progress Organized by: The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia Where: The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia at 122 W. Leigh St. When: Wednesday, Feb. 7, to Thursday, Feb. 29 Cost: $10 for adults for admission into the museum, though discounts for seniors, students and children are available More information: 804780-9093 or info@blackhistorymuseum.org

TCHAIKOVSKY’S FIRST CONCERTO

Saturday, Feb. 24 • 8:00pm Sunday, Feb. 25 • 3:00pm Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center

Valentina Peleggi, conductor � Dinara Klinton, piano � Richmond Symphony Chorus

TICKETS START AT $15

ORDER TODAY! 804.788.1212 x2 | RichmondSymphony.com LEARN & PLAY ONLINE � RICHMOND SYMPHONY SCHOOL OF MUSIC: RichmondSymphonySoM.com

February 11 2:30 PM

VAOPERA.ORG | 866.673.7282

Richmond Free Press

February 1-3, 2024 B3

Faith News/Directory

Friends and loved ones to pay tribute to prominent musician Nathaniel ‘Nat’ Lee Free Press staff report

Nathaniel “Nat” Bess Lee — a multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger who worked with nationally known musicals acts in his career — died Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, after an extended illness. He was 69.

Mr. Lee, who was born May 23, 1954, in Richmond, grew up in the Maymont neighborhood on South Meadow Street and later moved to Norwood Court in North Side as a teenager. When living in Maymont, he and his neighborhood friends — Melvin Glover Jr., Bobby Kirksey and George Black — started their first band together, according to several of his childhood friends.

Mr. Lee attended John Marshall High School and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1972, where he played on the tennis team and performed in local bands.

Born with an innate musical talent like his Oberlin-trained father, the late Dr. Nathaniel Lee, Mr. Lee studied music as a child and graduated from Virginia State University in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in music education. His versatility as a musician ranged from soul, funk, R&B, jazz and reggae to European classical music. He played the keyboard for several local musical groups, including Stacy Henry and the Majestics, Oneness of Juju, the Southern Energy Ensemble and many others.

Mr. Lee showcased his musical talents as a keyboardist, music arranger and producer for nationally known groups and vocalists, including Evelyn “Champagne” King, Teddy Pendergrass, Gloria Estefan, Tony Bennett and Harold Melvin and

the Blue Notes, among others.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Mr. Lee began his career as a music teacher for Richmond Public Schools, and served as the band director for Armstrong High School. In the late 1980s, Mr. Lee expanded his musical career in entertainment arenas from New York to Miami.

By 1996, he began to travel around the globe as the first African-American music director for a major cruise line – the Princess Cruise Line, known as the “Love Boat.” In 2009, Mr. Lee returned to Richmond to provide care for his widowed mother and extended his caring nature to elderly family friends also in need of support. He also assisted the Richmond Jazz Society with outreach programs to children and senior citizens throughout his career.

As the eldest son, Mr. Lee was predeceased by his parents, the late Dr. Nathaniel Lee and Dorothy Bess Lee; paternal grandparents, Nathaniel Lee and Hattie Hooper Lee of Cincinnati; maternal grandparents, Isaiah Winfield “I.W.” Bess and Alice Erwin Bess; and his aunt, Frances Bess Bishop, all of Richmond.

Mr. Lee is survived by his brother, Todd Winfield Lee of Richmond; cousins Nora Jay Miller, Lem Jenkins II, and Gloria Lee, all of Cincinnati; and his godmother, Julia Mae Williams.

He also leaves behind a host of friends that include Winfred Hayes, Diane Hayes and the Hayes family, Ras Mel Glover, Bill McGee, Carmen Foster, Colette Foster Groves and the Foster family, Marsha Meekins, and a special “mother” and family friend, Gloria B. Johnson.

Photo courtesy of family and friends of Nat Lee

Mr. Lee

A memorial service celebration for Mr. Lee will take place 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, 1720 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity will conduct an Omega Service at 10:30 a.m. before the memorial service. The memorial service will be livestreamed on the Facebook page for Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church.

Memorial contributions can be made in Mr. Lee’s name to the Richmond Jazz Society at P.O. Box 25723, Richmond, Va., 23260, who or online at www.vajazz.org.

SAD? There are ways to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder

By Darlene M. Johnson

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a form of depression that occurs during certain seasons of the year, usually fall and winter, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

SAD can create an abundance of issues, especially during the holiday season, said Dennis Parker Sr., Ph.D., a mental health service provider in Richmond.

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, SAD can be exacerbated for some.

Dr. Parker describes SAD as a “dynamic depression model.” This is because even though a person can get out of a depressive state, they can “crawl back into another,” he said. This can occur with any “critical bonding moment,”

such as Valentine’s Day in the winter or even Mother’s Day in the summer.

“The exact cause [of SAD] is not fully known but it is at-

fall-onset and spring-onset, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. People experiencing fall-onset SAD, also known as winter depression, may begin to see symptoms in the late fall to early winter with improvement during the summer. Springonset SAD, also known as summer depression, is much less common and symptoms begin to show in late spring to Ms. Stone Dr. Parker early summer. tributed to reduced sunlight in Although there is no refall and winter that disrupts the search showing that SAD body’s internal biological clock symptoms are worse for (circadian rhythm) and affects Black people, some research neurotransmitters, especially suggests that Black people serotonin and melatonin,” said may experience the disorder Robin Stone, a New York- disproportionately due to a based psychotherapist and greater risk of depression and wellness coach. vitamin D deficiency, Ms. The two types of SAD are Stone said.

The Black community experiences an “inordinate amount of stressors,” added Dr. Parker.

Dealing with SAD and the loss of loved ones can be

challenging.

“People that deal with loss [such as] a death, divorce, children leaving the house, or not spending the time with

Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church

1408 W. Leigh Street · Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 358—6403

Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor

“Your Home In God’s Kingdom”

WE SAVED A SEAT FOR YOU!

Join Us for Worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM!

Riverview Baptist Church Sundays Sunday School - 9:30 A.M. Worship Service - 11 A.M.

The Mount Carmel Baptist Church 3200 East Broad Street | Richmond, Virginia 23223 www.tmcbc.org | (804) 226-1172

Scan the QR Code with your smartphone or tablet for more information!

Via Conference Call (202) 926-1127 Pin 572890# In Person Sunday Service also on FACEBOOK and YouTube

Broad Rock Baptist Church 5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 • 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org

2604 Idlewood Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 • www.riverviewbaptistch.org “BACK IN Minister SERVICE” Rev. Dr. John E. Johnson, Jr., Interim

Our doors are open again every Sunday @ 11:00 am.

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

“The Church With A Welcome”

Live Streaming Every Sunday At: BRBConline.org or YouTube (Broad Rock Baptist Church) 1127 North 28th Street, Richmond, VA 23223-6624 “MAKE IT HAPPEN” • Office: (804) 644-1402

Sharon Baptist Church 500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org (804) 643-3825 Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor

Sundays Morning Worship 10:00 A.M.

“MAKE IT HAPPEN” Pastor Kevin Cook

Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, Pastor

Worship Opportunities

2003 Lamb Avenue Richmond, VA 23222 Dr. Arthur M. Jones, Sr., Pastor (804) 321-7622

Sunday Worship Opportunities: 10 A.M. [In-person and Livestream] Sunday Church School Opportunities: Adults [In-person] at 8:30 A.M. Children [Virtual] online via our website.

OPEN FOR IN PERSON WORSHIP Morning Worship - 11 am Conference Calls are still available at: ( 503) 300-6860 PIN: 273149 Facebook@:triumphantbaptist

Bible Study Opportunities: Noon [In-person] 7 P.M. [Virtual]; Please contact the church office for directives.

Thirty-first Street Baptist Church

2040 Mountain Road • Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 Office 804-262-0230 • Fax 804-262-4651 • www.stpeterbaptist.net

7M\XL &ETXMWX 'LYVGL

1858

The People’s Church

8LIQI 1SFMPM^MRK *SV 1MRMWXV] 6IJVIWLMRK 8LI 3PH ERH )QIVKMRK 8LI 2I[ We Embrace Diversity — Love For All! Come worship with us!

Back Inside Sundays Join us for 10:00 AM Worship Service Live on Facebook @ 4ixth #aptist $IVSDI 37" Live on Youtube @4#$ 37" Or by visiting our website www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

Bible Study online and in person Wednesday 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

St. Peter Baptist Church

Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

Every Sunday @ 11:00 am.

Live Streaming Every Sunday At: BRBConline.org or YouTube(Broad Rock Baptist Church)

Join us at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday for in-person worship service or Live-stream on YouTube (Good Shepherd Baptist Church RVA).

Triumphant

A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone

“Please come and join us”

The Rev. Sylvester T. Smith, Ph.D., Pastor “There’s A Place for You”

Back Inside

the people you’ve wanted to over the past five or 10 years, have to have a process in place to compensate for that,” Dr. Parker suggested.

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

(near Byrd Park)

(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Facebook Fax (804) 359-3798 `VeaUON]aV`aPUb_PU_cN www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

(Zoom)

Sunday Morning Worship • 11am (in-person and livestream on YouTube)

Wednesday Bible Study • 7pm (Zoom)

i

Rev. Dr. Joshua Mitchell, Senior Pastor ❖

The doors of the church are open for worship!

No registration required.

Join us in person or online on Facebook or YouTube

216 W. Leigh St., Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 Fax: 804-643-3367 (PDLO ṘFH#HEHQH]HUUYD RUJ ZHE HEHQH]HUUYD RUJ

Sunday Church School • 9am

C

bin om

e with Reverence elevanc R ng

10:30 a.m. Sundays

Please visit our website Ebenezer Baptist Church Richmond, VA for updates http://www. ebenezerrva.org

Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus

823 North 31st Street Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 226-0150 Office

Richmond Free Press

B4 February 1-3, 2024

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities Continued from previous column

Follow the Free Press on @FreePressRVA

@RichmondFreePressUSA

City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, February 12, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2024-012 To conditionally rezone the properties known as 4400 East Main Street and 4500 Old Main Street from the M-2 Heavy Industrial District to the TOD-1 Transit-Oriented Nodal District, upon certain proffered conditions.

Ordinance No. 2024-013 To rezone the property known as 809 Oliver Hill Way from the M-1 Light Industrial District to the TOD-1 Transit-Oriented Nodal District.

Ordinance No. 2024-014 To authorize the special use of the property known as 2017 2nd Avenue for the purpose of a twofamily detached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2024-015 To authorize the special use of the properties known as 1200, 1202, 1204, 1206, 1208, 1210, 1212, and 1220 North 26th Street for the purpose of ten single-family attached dwellings and ten garages as an accessory use, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2024-016 To a u t h o r i z e t h e conditional use of the property known as 309 East Broad Street for the purpose of authorizing a nightclub, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2024-017 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1912 West Cary Street for the purpose of a mixed-use development, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2024-018 To authorize the special use of the property known as 801 Craigie Avenue for the purpose of a singlefamily detached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2024-019 To authorize the special use of the property known as 12 Granite Avenue for the purpose of a singlefamily detached dwelling, with driveway access to the street, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2024-020 To authorize the special use of the properties known as 1401 Hull Street and 1407 Hull Street for the purpose of a mixeduse building with off-street parking, upon certain terms and conditions.

Continued on next column

Ordinance No. 2024-021 To authorize the special use of the property known as 5114 Salem Street for the purpose of three single-family detached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2024-022 To authorize the special use of the property known as 5101 Stratford Crescent for the purpose of a singlefamily detached dwelling with an accessory building, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2024-023 To authorize the special use of the property known as 3112 Woodcliff for the purpose of two single-family detached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions.

Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the February 12, 2024 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https:// www.rva.gov/office-cityclerk, and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Candice D. Reid City Clerk City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, February 26, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2024-035 To authorize the special use of the property known as 6422 Forest H i l l Av e n u e f o r t h e purpose of ten singlefamily detached dwellings fronting on a private street, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2024-036 To authorize the special use of the properties known as 2900 Rady Street and 2733 5th Avenue for the purpose of up to 83 permanent supportive housing units, upon certain terms and conditions.

Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the February 26, 2024 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https:// www.rva.gov/office-cityclerk, and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Candice D. Reid City Clerk

Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER JENNIFER SPENCE, Plaintiff v.

CARLTON SPENCE, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23003763-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, who is a nonresident, appear here on or before the 20th day of March, 2024 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire VSB# 27724 Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER TIFFANY CARVAN, Plaintiff v.

WAYNE CARVAN, Defendant.

Case No.: CL24000221-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 14th day of March, 2024 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HENRICO PAUL ALLAN AKONG, Plaintiff v.

ROSE ANN AKONG, Defendant.

Case No.: CL22006250-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit, brought by Paul Allan Akong, is a Complaint for divorce on the grounds of living separate and apart for more than (1) one year. It appearing from an affidavit that the Defendant, Rose Ann Akong, cannot be found, and that due diligence has been used without effect to ascertain the location of the Defendant; it is hereby ORDERED that the Defendant appear before this Court on or before March 18, 2024 at 9:00 AM, to protect their interest herein.

A Copy Teste: HEIDI S. BARSHINGER, Clerk I ASK FOR THIS: W. Allan Burns Jr. VSB #68002 Cravens & Noll, P.C. 15871 City View Dr. Ste 300 Midlothian, VA 23113 (804) 330-9220 Telephone (804) 330-9458 Facsimile Counsel for the Plaintiff

Continued from previous column

Continued from previous column

Continued from previous column

Plaintiff v.

CHAQUITA (SIMON) TARRY, Defendant.

Case No.: 23006132-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Obtain a divorce a vincullo matrimonii or from the bonds of matrimony.

It appearing from an affidavit is that diligence has been used without effect, by or on the behalf of the plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city defendant is.

It is ORDERED that Chaquita (Simon) Tarry appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before the18th day of March, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.

ABC License

Edible Education LLC Trading as: 21 Spoons 13568 Wateford Pl Midlothian, Chesterfield, Virginia 23112-3928 The above establishment is applying to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage C ontrol (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Retail Restaurant Wine, Beer, Mixed Beverages On and Off Premise license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia. gov or 800 552-3200.

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER JOAO MORENO DIAS, Plaintiff v.

JAMEISHA DAVIS, Defendant.

Case No.: CL24000179-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 13th day of March, 2024 at 9:00 AM and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER BARBARA MULHI, Plaintiff v.

ABULGHANI MULHI, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23004218-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 28th day of February, 2024 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HENRICO SAMUEL TARRY,

VIRGINIA: RICHMOND CIRCUIT COURT 400 North 9th St., Richmond, VA 23219 Commonwealth of Virginia, in re REGIN M. JOHNSON v.

MIKAIL D. BANKS Case No.: CL23-5602 RBC ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to notify defendant of divorce.

It is ORDERED that Mikail D. Banks appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before February 15, 2024.

An Extract, Teste: EDWARD F. JEWETT, Clerk

Continued on next column

Continued on next column

To advertise in the Richmond Free Press call 644-0496

Aavin Ric LLC Trading as: Crazy Vapor 824 W Broad St Richmond, VA 23220-3807 The above establishment is applying to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage C ontrol (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Retail Off Premise Wine and Beer license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia. gov or 800 552-3200.

REQUEST FOR BIDS For Franchise, Right and Privilege Over, Along, On and Under Streets, Alleys, and Public Places In the City of Richmond The City of Richmond is seeking bids for a franchise right and privilege over, along, on, and under the streets, alleys, and public places of the City, for the purpose of distributing, transmitting, and selling electric current for light, heat, and power at any point within the corporate limits of the city of Richmond as the same now exist or may hereafter be extended or altered, in accordance with a certain Franchise Agreement.

All bids for the easement hereby offered to be granted must be submitted in writing to the City Clerk’s office by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 9, 2024. Bids will be presented to the presiding officer of the Council of the City of Richmond on Monday, February 12, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in open session and then will be presented by the presiding officer to the Council and be dealt with and acted upon in the mode prescribed by law.

The City of Richmond expressly reserves the right to reject any and all bids. The successful bidder shall reimburse the City for all costs incurred in connection with the advertisement of this ordinance in accordance with section 15.2-2101 of the Code of Virginia and shall post the bond required by the ordinance.

A copy of the full text of the ordinance is on file in the City Clerk’s Office, and the full text of the ordinance and Right of Way Agreement to be executed is available at: https://richmondva.legistar.com/LegislationDetail. aspx?ID=6467980&GUID=B08492E9-1054-4107-864C118447ACEDD7&Options=&Search= Please address any questions or bids to: Candice D. Reid, City Clerk City of Richmond 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200 Richmond, Virginia 23219 (804) 646-7955

1-800-Pack-Rat (VA-Richmond-5471) 11511 N. Lakeridge Parkway Ashland, VA 23005 877-774-1537 NOTICE OF SALE Tenant: Unit #

Carner, De

D53197

Dulaney, Cherri

D01642

Carter, James

Edwards, Lucy Edwards, Lucy

Florio, Frances

Goode, Dwanna Johnson, Paul

lascolette, shannon

Maggie Walker Governor School

D06057 D54706 D00382 D59756 D53824 D05234 D66558 D50962

Marshal, Cynthia

D54693

Moyer, Linda

D58544

Martin, Rebecca

Pearsall, Audrey Wilson, Shaka

Elena Docker (LDM)

Melessia Smith (LDM)

TRANSIT SYSTEM

GREATER RICHMOND TRANSIT COMPANY Bus Shelters and Amenities Installation Services & Pulse Station Repairs Invitation for Bid GRTC Transit System is seeking bids for Bus Shelters and Amenities Installation Services & Pulse Station Repairs.

Interested firms may download a copy of IFB 228-24-01 from GRTC’s website www. ridegrtc.com (menu options: About Us, then Procurement) or obtain a copy by calling Antionette Haynes at(804) 358-3871 Ext 375. A Pre-Bid Meeting is scheduled for February 12, 2024. Proposals are due prior to 3:00 pm on February 27, 2024. All inquiries pertaining to the request or any questions in reference to the solicitation documents should be directed to: Antionette Haynes Procurement Specialist (804) 358-3871, extension 375 GRTC’s Supplier Diversity Program – “providing equal opportunities for small businesses”

DPR Construction invites highly qualified firms to prequalify and submit Letters of Interest and Statement of Qualifications along with background information on form HECO-16 for construction services related to the: UVA Fontaine Central Energy Plant and Utilities RFP #22-102 Project Overview This project includes a +/- 18,000 GSF, 2 level, central energy plant building that will provide thermal utilities to the new Institute for Biotechnology building and other additional new and existing buildings at the Fontaine Research Park located near 500 Ray C Hunt Drive in Charlottesville, VA. The building will house mechanical equipment including boilers, chillers, pumps, generator, AHU’s and a cooling tower as well as office space, elevator and interior circulation.

Early phases of work were previously awarded (Sitework, Mechanical, Electrical and Geothermal Wells) and are not part of this solicitation.

Sitework commenced in January 2024 and the balance of work will continue through Fall 2025.

DPR Construction is seeking qualified trade partners to bid the following trade packages: Masonry, Steel, Millwork, Roofing, Sealants, Metal Panels, Glass, Doors & Hardware, Drywall & Metal Framing, Flooring, Painting, Specialties, Window Treatment, Fire Protection, and Aggregate Piers.

Interested applicants should reply to the following address and request a prequalification form: DPR Construction 5500 Cox Rd., Suite M Glenn Allen, VA 23060 Attn: Drew Micco drewm@dpr.com (804) 283-2918

Employment opportunity Sr. Planning/Data Specialist, Richmond, VA. Research, compile, extract, organize, & analyze data. Develop adv spatial algorithms & workflows for processing GIS data. Lead VDOT’s HPMS future traffic forecast, transportation perf. Plan, develop, test, & document oracle tables, MVs, views, procedures, functions, & pkgs. Mail resumes to M. Munden, VA Dept. of Transportation, 1221 E. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219.

D02891 D56157 803366

D64958 D02776

1-800-Pack-Rat (VA-Richmond-5471), 11511 N. Lakeridge Parkway, Ashland, VA 23005, has possessory lien on all of the goods stored in the units above. All these items of personal property are being sold pursuant to the assertion of the lien on 2/7/2024 at 10:00 AM in order to collect the amounts due from you. The sale will take place on www.storagetreasures.com from 2/7/2024 to 2/14/2024 at 12:00 PM

Thank you for your interest in applying for opportunities with The City of Richmond.

To see what opportunities are available, please refer to our website at www.richmondgov.com.

EOE M/F/D/V

Industrial Engineer needed by ADUSA Distribution, LLC in Disputanta, VA, to develop & maintain CAD facility drawings (interior & exterior) for complex, multi-building campuses, translating business requirements to support distribution & transportation needs.

Leverage analysis to make recommendations for aligning core processes with overall campus design, including MHE reqs (racks, forklifts, totes, etc).

Interested candidates should send resumes to Denise McNeely, HRBP & Strategy Lead, at denise.mcneely@adusasc.com, and reference job title & location in subject line.

Staff Accompanist I Mount Olive Baptist Church in Glen Allen, Virginia is seeking a well-rounded, self-motivated parttime musician. The Staff Accompanist I will work collaboratively with the Staff Accompanist II to provide worship experiences in music while fulfilling the vision and mission of the church. This position will report directly to the Pastor.

The Staff Accompanist I will play the piano, organ and/or keyboard for one church service on Sunday as well as other designated church services and events held at the church and outside engagements when needed. The Staff Accompanist I will be responsible for praise and worship during services.

The successful candidate must have training and skills in piano/keyboard/organ and must be able to play a variety of music to support assigned to the Adult Choir and Men’s Choir.

This position will remain opened until filled.

Applicants may pick up an application from the church office or submit a resume in lieu of an application to: Mount Olive Baptist Church, 8775 Mt. Olive Avenue, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060. The email address is mstyles@mobcva.org. and the fax number is (804) 262-2397. For more information, please call (804) 262-9614, et. 227.

A Criminal History Background Check is Required.