Free press february 8 10, 2018 issue

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Richmond Free Press c e l e b rat ing o u r 2 6 t h A nniv e r s ar y

© 2018 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOL. 27 NO. 6

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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Fr ee

Love stories

Eyeing opportunity with Oprah A3

February 8-10, 2018

Ready to work

City Council vote on meals tax hike set New RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras rolls out ambitious for Feb.12

100-day plan just days after being sworn into office

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Public Schools; hold town hall meetings in each district to meet parents and community members; hold five citywide meetings for members of the faith, civil

Proving more adept at corralling a majority of City Council votes on a big issue than former Mayors L. Douglas Wilder and Dwight C. Jones, Mayor Levar M. Stoney is rushing to gain quick approval of his plan to raise the city’s current 6 percent meals tax by 1.5 cents. His promise: That the tax increase will raise $9 million a year, a revenue stream allowing the city to borrow $150 million for the construction and renovation of several new public schools over the next five years. Even though Mayor Stoney lacks a fleshed-out and fully vetted plan on how the money would be spent — something he promised in September — and the funds to be raised would fall far short of the $225 million that the School Board needs for the first phase of its schools improvement plan, Mayor Stoney and his five City Council allies are rejecting any delay on the vote for the tax. The tax would go into effect July 1. The push to get the tax increase on the books was in

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By Ronald E. Carrington

The new Richmond Public Schools chief wasted no time getting to work. Just four days after being sworn in, Superintendent Jason Kamras on Monday night rolled out his plan to get RPS moving. At a Richmond School Board meeting crowded with schools staff and interested residents, Mr. Kamras presented an ambitious 100-day plan that will center on what he called three core education values — engagement, equity and excellence. The 43-year-old Mr. Kamras, who has served as an administrator in the Washington, D.C. public school system, an education adviser to former President Obama and was the 2005 National Teacher of the Year, takes the helm in Richmond as the school system faces major accreditation issues, poor student performance and a city government grappling with how to fund renovation or replacement for dilapidated, crumbling school buildings. Mr. Kamras said he is committed to launching a strategic planning process for a new five-year vision for the school system, establishing a philanthropic effort to support the new strategic plan and charting a path with the state Department of Education to have all 44 Richmond schools accredited by 2023. Currently, only 19 of the city’s schools are fully accredited. Additionally, he said he will establish a task force to ensure all schools are fully staffed for the 2018-19 school year. RPS has been operating with dozens of teacher vacancies. He said his first three months will focus on engaging families and the community by listening to and

James Haskins/Richmond Free Press

Jason Kamras, left, is sworn in as Richmond’s new schools superintendent as his wife, Miwa, holds his late grandfather’s Torah. Performing the ceremony on Feb. 1 is Edward F. Jewett, clerk of the Richmond Circuit Court.

learning from them. The plan, which has been posted on the school system’s website, details 10 action points for each of the three core values. According to the plan, he will visit all Richmond

RRHA tenants to get refunds in lawsuit settlement By Jeremy M. Lazarus

The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, which is the landlord for Richmond’s public housing, has agreed to refund nearly $1 million to current and former tenants who were overcharged for electricity over four years. In addition, the RRHA plans to return nearly $80,000 to tenants as it implements new utility allowances that will increase the amount of power tenants can use before they must pay. The payments are part of a proposed settlement RRHA has reached with the Legal Aid Justice Center to end a federal class action lawsuit challenging the RRHA’s determination of tenant

utility allowances between Nov. 1, 2012, and Oct. 31, 2016. Orlando C. Artze, RRHA’s interim chief executive officer, announced the settlement terms in a joint news release with the tenants’ lawyer, Sylvia Cosby Jones, managing attorney for the nonprofit LAJC. Along with the monetary payments, the release stated that RRHA also has agreed: • To keep higher allowances for electricity usage in place for at least three years for regular tenants; • To create new notices, policies and procedure to benefit elderly and disabled tenants who use extra electricity because of their health conditions;

• To change billing statements to give tenants more information about their electricity usage, their allowance and any surcharge; and • To train staff regarding billing procedures and handling tenant requests for relief and the method for filing grievances overcharges. The settlement is to take effect once it is approved by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. He has scheduled a final hearing on Thursday, Feb. 15, in the federal district court in Richmond. The statement did not indicate how many people are to rePlease turn to A4

Ora Lomax to be treated at North Side dialysis center By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Kings Dominion

Formerly known as the “Rebel Yell,” the racer-style wooden roller coaster at Kings Dominion opened with the park in 1975. It’s new name: “Racer 75.”

Kings Dominion changes name of roller coaster Free Press wire, staff report

Kings Dominion amusement park is changing the name of a roller coaster named after the war whoop of a Confederate soldier. The park located in Doswell, about 20 miles north of Richmond, will rebrand its “Rebel Yell” roller coaster as “Racer 75.” The wooden coaster opened with the park in 1975. Confederate symbols have been widely debated since self-avowed white supremacist Dylann Roof killed the pastor and eight African-American parishioners at a historic African-American church in Charleston, S.C., in 2015. Since then, numerous cities, including Richmond, have been reviewing Confederate symbols. More

than a dozen cities, including Baltimore; New Orleans; Dallas; Durham, N.C.; Lexington, Ky.; Memphis, Tenn.; San Diego; San Antonio; and Rockville, Md., have removed statues and memorials to Confederates from public spaces. A post on the Kings Dominion blog describes the name change as part of a “revitalization.” It stated the new name is “reflective of the design, a racer-style coaster.” The blog said the park also will continue replacing sections of the wooden coaster’s track “as a commitment to maintaining the iconic ride.” The park received some criticism on its Facebook page following the news, with some people vowing they won’t return or will spend their money at

Busch Gardens in Williamsburg instead: “Caving into PC mentality is not a way to keep your long term customers. I’ve rode the Rebel Yell for 25+ years and can say I never once gave any thought to the name. What’s next, are you going to rename “Kings Dominion” because the word “King” has an over bearing male tone sexist characteristic? Just waiting on the feminist to comment! Another stated: (sic) “I’m giving you one star because of the fact you are changing the name of the Rebel yell That Has been the name of that rollercoaster since I was little and now you’re changing it that is heart sickening and disappointing you should be Please turn to A4

After weeks of stress, Ora M. Lomax has learned a new clinic has accepted her for the life-saving dialysis treatments she needs. Mrs. Lomax was notified Jan. 3 that she was being barred from treatment at the West End Dialysis Center in Henrico County where she received treatment for 12 years. On Tuesday, she accepted an offer from center officials allowing her to transfer to DaVita Dialysis Henrico at 5270 Chamberlayne Road in the Brookhill Azalea Shopping Center. “I’m happy and relieved,” Mrs. Lomax told the Free Press on Wednesday. “I wanted to live, and this means I can.” Please turn to A4

Mrs. Lomax

Clement Britt

Working for smiles Kate Norbo, a Virginia Commonwealth University dental student, uses a portable X-ray machine to take images of Taylor Deane’s teeth during the youngster’s Feb. 2 dental exam. “Give Kids a Smile” was the theme of the one-day event launched by the American Dental Association. The VCU School of Dentistry participated, providing nocost dental services to area children.


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