Richmond Free Press February 3-5, 2022 edition

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Black History Month events A7

Richmond Free Press

VOL. 31 NO. 6

© 2022 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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Meet this week’s Personality B3

FEBRUAry 3-5, 2022

Confederate pedestals out Grass and landscaping to soon replace dead soldiers By Jeremy Lazarus

Regina H. Boone/ Richmond Free Press

Team Henry Enterprises is contracted to dismantle the pedestals throughout the city that once held Confederate monuments. The first pedestal, where Matthew F. Maury stood on Monument Avenue, came down Tuesday.

Richmond’s streets and parks will soon lose virtually all vestiges of the white-supremacist Confederate statues and monuments that once loomed so large. City Hall launched Black History Month by authorizing a Black contractor, Devon Henry, to remove the pedestals that once held the already removed statues. Work began in Monroe Park on Monday on the $1.56 million project and will continue until statue bases are gone, replaced with grass, landscaping or asphalt, it has been announced. The city’s work follows Team Henry’s state-paid removal of the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and the base that held it. The state also turned over the traffic circle at Monument and Allen avenues to the city. The new initiative, though, will not clear away all the Confederate flotsam and jetsam in the city. City Council, for example, has taken no steps to change the name of the Robert E. Lee Bridge or most of street names honoring Confederates, and neither the city nor the courts have sought to remove a Confederate marker from the lawn of the Henry and Harold Marsh General District Courts Building in South Side. Still, the work that has been authorized is extensive. Team Henry workers this week also have removed copies of two Confederate cannons and the bases for previously removed statues of the Richmond Howitzers and of Confederate Gen. Williams C. Wickham. The city’s list includes the pedestals of the former statues that once dominated Monument Avenue: Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Confederate Gens. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart, Confederate Navy Commander Matthew Please turn to A4

President Biden furthers pledge to name a Black woman to the Supreme Court The Associated Press

President Joe Biden met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at the White House on Wednesday to talk about how to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Supreme Court, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. President Biden has promised to nominate the first Black woman to the high court to fill the spot being vacated by Justice Stephen G. Breyer, who is retiring at the end of this term. The president, who

also spoke by phone with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. The court was made up entirely of white men for almost two centuries. Justice Clarence Thomas and the late Thurgood Marshall are the only two Black men who have served on the court. There has never been a Black woman.

Among the candidates under consideration are Ketanji Brown Jackson, who serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. District Court Judge J. Michelle Childs from South Carolina, California Supreme Please turn to A4

Related story on A6 has promised to make a decision by the end of the month, has amassed a list of potential candidates that includes women with a range of professional expertise, from federal defenders to longtime judges and academics. Sen. Schumer, D-N.Y., has promised the Senate will have a fair process that moves quickly to fill the vacancy. His meeting with President Biden was confirmed by a person who was not authorized to speak publicly about private events and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. On Tuesday, President Biden played host to Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and ranking Republican Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. The president

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., right, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking member, to discuss the upcoming Supreme Court vacancy in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday.

Chief Watkins

Former Richmond firefighter is Petersburg’s first woman fire chief

By Ronald E. Carrington

Shortly after being sworn in at Petersburg’s new fire chief on Jan. 31, Tina R. Watkins described the moment as “surreal” and something she has envisioned since childhood. “You know, I’m just living my childhood dream from the age of 8,” Chief Watkins said. Watkins, who is Petersburg’s first woman and first AfricanAmerican woman to lead the Petersburg Fire Department, is understandably excited. “I worked hard to get where I am, and right now, I’m just happy. I’m speechless.” Although the city’s Fire Department has had its share of interim leaders in the past, Chief Watkins’ position is permanent. She was selected

Without federal, state dollars, city residents may pay higher sewer bills By Jeremy Lazarus

likely to increase in the coming decade. The city is currently facing a 2035 deadline to Richmond residents could potentially see their halt the discharge of about 2 billion gallons a year bill for sending wastewater to the city’s treatment into the river of rainwater mixed with waste. plant skyrocket to $170 a month or more in the Absent major federal and state help with coming years, officials with the city’s Department no strings attached, Richmond residents would of Public Utilities are warning. need to provide the money to cover that cost The main reason: Richmond is facing a huge to enable the city to meet that deadline, if that bill — currently pegged at $1.3 billion — to fix remains unchanged. Mr. Regan an old problem: Ending the discharge of raw That would mean huge increases in sewer bills, sewage into the James River during heavy rains. a big problem for many residents who already struggle to The bill includes $800 million in construction costs and pay for gas, water and sewer service. A significant increase $500 million in expenses for design, permits and other Please turn to A4 pre- and post-building costs, and with inflation that cost is

Suicide takes Miss USA 2019 Free Press staff, wire reports

Regina H. Boone/ Richmond Free Press

Slide hustle Kaniya Jones obviously enjoyed a chance to glide and slide at the Hotchkiss Field Community Center’s playground. The 7-year-old who lives on Richmond’s South Side had the day off from school Monday thanks to a teachers’ work day for Richmond Public Schools.

Cheslie Kryst, who won the 2019 Miss USA pageant and worked as a correspondent for the entertainment news television show “Extra,” reportedly committed suicide Jan. 30. Authorities said the beauty queen, 30, jumped to her death from her 29th floor New York apartment. “In devastation and great sorrow, we share the passing of our beloved Please turn to A4

Ms. Kryst

from a pool of 13 candidates to oversee the city’s Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services. During her swearing-in ceremony, Petersburg’s City Manager Stuart Turille applauded her leadership abilities and service to her profession. Before joining Petersburg’s Fire Department, Chief Watkins worked for the Richmond Department of Fire and Emergency Services for three decades, where she was the second Black female firefighter in the city, and served for 11 years as Richmond’s battalion chief. In that role, she supervised five stations and six fire companies. Chief Watkins also is a U.S. Coast Guard Veteran and 1995 Richmond Firefighter of the Year. And as one of Richmond’s first two female firefighters, Chief Watkins also has experience navigating what has traditionally been a male-dominated profession. In Petersburg, the new chief will be responsible for more than 75 Petersburg Fire-Rescue members, as well as a $4 million budget. “I am committed to providing unparalleled leadership and customer service to the citizens of Petersburg,” said Chief Watkins in a published statement. “Developing fire safety community programs and supporting ongoing professional development and training for all Please turn to A4

Free COVID-19 testing, vaccines Free community testing for COVID-19 continues. The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: • Community Testing Center, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday through Wednesday, Richmond Raceway, Gate 7, 4690 Carolina Ave. • Thursday, Feb. 3, 2 to 6 p.m. – Southside Plaza WIC Office, 509 E. Southside Plaza • Friday, Feb. 4, 3 to 6 p.m. – Southwood Pool House, Southwood Parkway and Clarkson Road All events will provide walk-up testing, though appointments can still be set for some by calling (804) 205-3501 or visiting www.rchd.com

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