Richmond Free Press Jan. 4-6, 2024 edition

Foremost Wishes A5

Richmond Free Press © 2024 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOL. 33 NO. 1

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

richmondfreepress.com

ee Fr

Fr ee

Meet this week’s Personality B1

JANUARY 4-6, 2024

$38M

Freedom songs

City surplus is nearly 5 times larger than city previously disclosed

The Rev. A. Lincoln James Jr. delivers the keynote address during the Emancipation Day Service on New Year’s Day at Sharon Baptist Church in Henrico County. The program included songs performed by a 48-voice choir drawn from various churches in Richmond and surrounding areas, directed here

by L.T. Ray. Please see more photos on B3.

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond’s 2022-23 surplus is nearly five times larger than Mayor Levar M. Stoney and his administration previously disclosed, according to the city’s annual audit report.

Instead of $8.6 million as the administration projected in September and in December, the audit released Tuesday found $38 million had gone unspent in the fiscal year that ended June 30, all of which is earmarked for city savings rather than addressing unmet needs, such as a shortage of space for homeless children and their parents.

A year ago, facing a $36 million surplus Mayor Stoney for the 2021-22 fiscal year, Mayor Stoney won City Council backing to rebate $18 million to property while keeping the tax rate on real estate unchanged.

At the time, the mayor argued successfully to the council that a permanent cut in the tax rate “would impact the city’s ability to provide core service to our residents and our community, and hamper the city’s ability to keep up with the increasing maintenance needs of roadways, parks, libraries and schools.”

He and his financial team made the same argument this fall when the council again voted to maintain the real estate tax rate

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Please turn to A4

City demands $37,000 from takeout restaurant

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

City Hall is demanding that a Blackowned Richmond sandwich shop pay $37,000 in uncollected meals tax along with penalties and interest after telling the owners not collect the tax when they applied for a business license in June 2021.

Sheila White, director of finance, has virtually unfettered discretion to eliminate the bill, but has rejected the appeal from Philly Vegan to do so even though the license application shows that the city was responsible for the mistake.

Problems with the meals tax are not unusual and appeals are rarely granted.

According to a city report, Ms. White

relies on an attorney general’s opinion that “taxpayers have a duty to investigate the amount of tax and to pay it,” and a locality’s failure to provide notice “does not relieve the taxpayer of fault.”

One restaurant owner reported being forced to pay $68,000 to settle a bill for a missed payment from 2020 while another who owns 16 restaurants and markets reported spending three years getting a business license due to a mistake in a meals tax payment the Finance Department never disclosed.

First District City Councilman Andreas D. Addison said he and other members are fully aware of the city’s shortcomings based on complaints they have received,

Plagiarism charges down Harvard’s president; a conservative attack helped to fan the outrage The Associated Press

WASHINGTON American higher education has long viewed plagiarism as a cardinal sin. Accusations of academic dishonesty have ruined the careers of faculty and undergraduates alike.

The latest target is Harvard President Claudine Gay, who resigned Tuesday. In her case, the outrage came not from her academic peers but her political foes, led by conservatives who put her career under intense scrutiny.

Reviews by Harvard found multiple shortcomings in Dr. Gay’s academic citations, including several instances of “duplicative Dr. Gay language.” The university concluded the errors “were not considered intentional or reckless” and didn’t rise to misconduct. But the allegations continued, with new ones as recently as Monday.

Conservatives zeroed in on Dr. Gay amid backlash over her congressional testimony about antisemitism on campus. Her detractors charged that Dr. Gay — who has a Ph.D. in government, was a professor at Harvard and Stanford and headed Harvard’s Please turn to A4

Heads up Charles Haden, 4, joins his father, Kuchumbi Hayden, as his mother (not shown) Chenequa Hayden (not shown) participates in the Candle Lighting Ceremony during the 33rd Annual Capital City Kwanzaa Festival at Greater Richmond Convention Center on Dec. 30. Please see more photos on B2.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

but he acknowledged that the council has never sought to require the Finance Department to issue notices of late payments or of the assessment of penalties to prevent initially small tax problems from becoming large ones.

In some cases, tax bills have been wiped out for those with the right connections.

In 2018, as the Free Press reported, thenFinance Director John Wack wiped out a $240,000 admissions tax bill owed by the nonprofit Richmond Jazz Festival that is run by a political associate of Mayor Levar M. Stoney, Kenneth S. Johnson.

But Philly Vegan has no such connecPlease turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Samuel Veney

Policy issues involving machine games, guns and minors to greet General Assembly

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Will Virginia continue to raise the minimum wage?

Will the sale of marijuana through retail outlets gain approval?

Will a ban on “skill” games be replaced by a taxing regime that would allow the machines to be turned on once more in bars and retail stores?

Will gun owners be held criminally responsible if a minor takes their weapon and shoots someone?

Those are among the wide range of policy issues that will be addressed at the upcoming 60-day General Assembly session that will open next Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the State Capitol Delegate Scott in Downtown.

The November elections ushered in big changes in the membership and leadership.

The 100-member House will have 31 new members while the 40-member Senate will have 17 new people.

Democrats also will be more prominent.

The party’s candidates won 51 seats in the House to secure a majority and enable the historic elevation of Portsmouth Delegate Don Scott to the top post of speaker and be the first Black person to reach that leadership pinnacle.

Please turn to A4

Dr. Linwood Jacobs who opened doors for Black Greek organizations at UVA, dies at age 90 Additional roles included community college dean and Gilpin Court mental health provider

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Dr. Linwood Jacobs is credited with spearheading the establishment of Black fraternities and sororities at the University of Virginia.

And later he focused on student development as the dean of students at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and helped start a mental health services company based in Gilpin Court.

“He was an active and energetic man with multiple interests,” said his cousin, Karen K. Brown-Taylor. “He spoke directly and could be blunt and gruff, but his speech masked a warm, humble man who would

do anything he could for you.”

E. Rick Copeland, who knew Dr. Jacobs as a Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity brother, said, “He embodied the values of integrity, trustworthiness, courage and honesty.”

Dr. Jacobs died at age 90 from complications of cancer he had battled for several years on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023.

His life will be celebrated at 11 a.m.

Monday, Jan. 15, at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church, 3601 Seminary Ave., his family said.

Just a few weeks before his death, the University of Virginia honored him as “the silent disrupter” who had helped make the school more hospitable for Black students, faculty and staff during his tenure as an assistant dean of students with oversight of fraternities Please turn to A4

Richmond Free Press

A2 January 4-6, 2024

Local News

3 Richmond Symphony concerts highlight MLK Free Press staff report

The Richmond Symphony has scheduled three concerts leading up to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, which is Jan. 15. Symphony performances include: Friday, Jan. 12 and Sunday, Jan. 13, the Richmond Symphony will present “A Tribute to Gospel Legend Richard Smallwood” at 8 p.m at the Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre. For 40 years, the energy of Grammy Award-winning arranger, Richard Smallwood, has brought gospel and pop together and megastars such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Destiny’s Child have performed his music.

Dr. Henry Panion III, conductor with local community choirs, is Dr. Panion Mr. Smallwood conducting. The concerts will feature guest vocalists along with Richmond’s finest gospel choirs performing with the Richmond Symphony.

Websites for info and tickets: Jan. 12 concert: https://www.richmondsymphony.com/event/atribute-to-richard-smallwood/2024-01-12/ Jan. 13 concert: https://www.richmondsymphony.com/event/atribute-to-richard-smallwood/2024-01-13/ On Sunday, Jan. 14, the Richmond Symphony presents the “Celebrate MLK” concert at 3 p.m. at the Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre. The concert for all ages will honor Dr. King and celebrate his global message to “end racism in the pursuit of world peace, dignity for labor and equality for all mankind.”

Dr. Panion will conduct the performance. Website for info and tickets: https://www.richmondsymphony.com/event/celebrate-mlk-2/

Tens of thousands hospitalized for COVID-19, respiratory illnesses Free Press, wire report

As seasonal virus activity surges across the United States, experts stress the importance of preventive measures – such as masking and vaccination – and the value of treatment for those who do get sick, according to CNN News.

Tens of thousands of people have been admitted to hospitals for respiratory illness each week this season. During the week ending Dec. 23, there were more than 29,000 patients admitted with COVID-19, about 15,000 admitted with the flu and thousands more with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nationally, COVID-19 levels in wastewater, a leading measure of viral transmission, are very high – higher than they were at this time last year in every region, CDC data show. Weekly emergency department visits rose 12%, and hospitalizations jumped about 17% in the most recent week.

Meanwhile, free community testing for COVID-19 continues in the Richmond area.

RHHD’s Resource Centers are providing free at-home tests for pick-up at select locations: •Creighton Court at 2150 Creighton Road, call 804-371-0433 for more information •Fairfield Court at 2311 N. 25th St., call 804-786-4099 for more information •Gilpin Court at 436 Calhoun St., call 804-786-1960 for more information •Hillside Court at 1615 Glenfield Ave., call 804-230-7740 for more information •Mosby Court at 1536 Coalter St., call 804-786-0204 for more information •Southwood Court at 1754 Clarkson Rd. Unit #B, call 804-2302077 for more information •Whitcomb Court at 2106 Deforrest St., call 804-786-0555 for more information

Call the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more information on testing sites or visit 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 their ZIP code to 438829 or call 1-800-232-0233.

Cityscape Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

The site of an African burial ground at 5th and Hospital streets is shown from Interstate 64 going westbound. The name of the burial ground was added to the front side of a repainted gas station building constructed in 1959 at 1305 N. 5th St. Also known as the Shockoe Hill Burial Ground, the 1.2 acre plat on which this building stands is part of the original 1816 “Burying Ground for Free People of Colour” and the “Burying Ground for Negroes” (enslaved).

Nye, Lambert are new council officers

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Kristen M. Nye thanked her City Council colleagues “for your vote of confidence” after being elected the new City Council president.

The 4th District councilwoman Tuesday succeeded Michael J. Jones, who resigned as the 9th District councilman as he readies to fill the 77th District seat next week in the state House of Delegates.

As the Free Press reported, Ms. Nye, who had served as vice president for the past year and was first elected to the council in 2016, was anticipated to move up.

The surprise came in the vote for her successor as vice president.

Third District Councilwoman AnnFrances Lambert ensured racial balance after winning the post in a head-to-head race with 5th District Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch, who are both in their first terms.

In the first vote, Ms. Lynch was unable to secure a majority when the newly appointed 9th District member, Nicole Jones, voted against her. Ms. Lambert became the unanimous choice on the

Courtesy Richmond City Council

Kristen M. Nye is Richmond City Council’s new president and AnnFrances Lambert is council’s vice president.

second ballot.

“You will not be disappointed,” Ms. Lambert told her colleagues.

Ms. Nye said that as president she will continue to support the goals that were laid out last year when Dr. Jones and she were elected as the council’s officers.

Those included ensuring “shorter, more effective meetings, putting more reliance on the expertise of individual council members, providing stronger support for

council appointees and improving budget procedures,” she said.

She ticked off a list of council accomplishments in the past year such as approval for the projected $2.4 billion Diamond development deal, the collaboration with the administration and community partners to expand winter shelter and the increase in funding for public school operations.

In the coming year, she said the council will face more work increasing multimodal transportation options, attracting more affordable housing, completing the purchase of Mayo Island and helping the administration make the city a workplace of choice.

The council also will be dealing with the impact of the first collective bargaining agreements in city history, helping employees as their pensions transition to the Virginia Retirement System and seeking to ensure “smart economic development takes place in our city, with a focus on South Side,” said Ms. Nye, who will turn 50 this year.

“As we start the new year,” she concluded, “we need to lean in and embrace our opportunities together.”

Husband and wife retire as credit union leaders

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A husband and wife who each ran Richmond-based credit unions have stepped down.

The unique couple is Shirley Cooper and Randy N. Cooper.

Mrs. Cooper retired as the president and chief executive officer of the Credit Union of Richmond during the summer, while Mr. Cooper recently ended his tenure as president and CEO of the Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union.

“It’s been a great adventure,” Mr. Cooper said, “but now it’s time to let someone else take the reins.”

Rising through the ranks, Mrs. Cooper became the first African-American woman to lead the member-owned financial institution that was launched 100 years ago as the state-chartered Richmond Postal Credit

Union and ranks as the first credit union in the Richmond area.

During her tenure, Mrs. Cooper led the rebranding to the Credit Union of Richmond and also secured state approval to expand the Mr. Cooper service area from the city to the entire metropolitan area, allowing anyone who works in the city or adjoining counties to become a member.

She apparently still serves on the credit union’s board and was listed as treasurer in December by the State Corporation Commission, which regulates the Credit Union of Richmond.

Mr. Cooper had held the top executive posts at member-owned Richmond Heritage since late 2016 after holding leadership

posts at other banks.

During his tenure, Mr. Cooper added home mortgages to the loan offerings and used parades and trolley rides to call attention to the last Black-organized and managed financial institution in the Richmond area and the oldest continuously operated Black financial institution in the state.

A group of Black teachers secured a federal charter for the Richmond Teachers Federal Credit Union in April 1936 to serve public school educators and Virginia Union University professors.

Long based in Jackson Ward, the credit union was rebranded under its current name in 1992 after it expanded to include employees of Richmond Community Hospital.

The credit union temporarily relocated to Willow Lawn in 1992 and moved several years later to its current location at 50 W. Commerce Road in South Side.

Severely injured man waits 90 minutes for ambulance

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

J. Maurice Hopkins found out the hard way that the Richmond Ambulance Authority and the emergency dispatch system does not always respond quickly.

After severely damaging his knees in a fall on Dec. 26, Mr. Hopkins, who was writhing in pain on the ground, had to wait 78 minutes for an ambulance.

In addition, Mr. Hopkins’ family had to make a personal appeal to get Richmond firefighters trained in emergency medicine to respond because the 911 dispatch center apparently never notified them of Mr. Hopkins’ situation.

Stephen Willoughby, city director of emergency communications, could not be reached for comment on the response.

Chip Decker, chief executive officer of the ambulance authority, declined to comment on the response in an individual case.

He did state 10 ambulances were on duty that night, a full complement, and virtually all were handling calls.

Both the Department of Emergency Communications and the Ambulance Authority prioritize calls, and the Free Press has learned that the slow response was due to Mr. Hopkins’ emergency being rated as Priority 3 or non-life-

threatening.

He said he screamed as the fall ripped According to the authority’s the tendons and ligaments in both knees information, the authority seeks to and created horrific pain. “It was the respond with 9 minutes to a Priority worst pain I ever felt,” he said.

1 or 2 call and within 60 minutes to His sister, Felicia L. Manns, a retired a Priority 3 call.

Fairfax fire captain and emergency Given the severity of the injury, services supervisor, and her boyfriend, Yvonne Hopkins, Mr. Hopkins’ wife of retired Fairfax Battalion Chief Eric D. 54 years, considers the long response Walker, helped keep him warm and Mr. Hopkins time “totally ridiculous.” called 911 reporting a severe injury Mr. Hopkins and his family are speaking to an elderly man with other significant health out to shine a spotlight on what they regard conditions. as shortcomings in Richmond’s emergency But each time they called, the response was response. the same: All of the available ambulances were Mr. Hopkins, 76, is well known in the out on calls and none could be identified “to Richmond area. respond to my location” in the 700 block of The Henrico resident owned and operated North 32nd Street, Mr. Hopkins said. a merchandising sales company for more than The family could not know what the Free 40 years, is a leader in Maggie L. Walker High Press also has learned, that ambulances were School Alumni affairs and serves as president twice been dispatched to the location, but had of the Oliver White Hill Foundation that was been diverted to higher priority calls involving created to honor the famed Richmond civil life-threatening situations. rights attorney.

“All of us were appalled at what was hapHis nightmare began as he and his wife pening,” Ms. Manns said. left a family gathering in Church Hill around After 45 minutes, Mr. Hopkins said his wife 8 p.m. reached out to a former neighbor, fire Capt.

In the darkness, he lost his footing on the Adam McCain, who works at nearby Engine uneven stairs leading to the front sidewalk and Truck Co. No. 1. After getting permission from crashed into the uneven concrete that tree roots the emergency dispatch to provide assistance, had made treacherous. the company responded to the scene and helped

tend to him.

But the firefighters were only trained as basic emergency medical technicians and could do little more than Ms. Manns and her boyfriend, who both are trained paramedics.

As the wait continued, Mrs. Hopkins appealed for help to 7th District City Councilwoman Cynthia I. Newbille, who contacted the night supervisor at the ambulance authority. The profusely apologetic supervisor arrived, followed within a few minutes by an ambulance that had completed its previous call.

Ms. Manns said that once the help arrived, it took about 20 minutes for ambulance personnel to assess the situation, get Mr. Hopkins loaded into the ambulance and moved to VCU Hospital.

The damage was so severe he said that he underwent surgery on Dec. 27.

Mr. Hopkins said he remains bedridden with both legs immobilized awaiting transfer to a rehabilitation facility. He hopes to be there by Friday so he can begin physical therapy that would allow him to walk again.

Still, he and his family remain angry and upset about the unbelievable ordeal he endured before he got to the hospital.

“This definitely is not right,” Mr. Hopkins said.

“Something needs to be done to make sure that nothing like this happens to anyone else.”

Richmond Free Press

Reliability rests on his shoulders.

There’s a source of energy in Virginia as reliable as any in the world: our employees.

It’s their hard work – braving storms, servicing power lines, and building a smarter and more secure power grid – that brings you the dependable electricity you’ve come to expect.

Our employees’ dedication to every community they serve is at the heart of everything we do.

January 4-6, 2024 A3

Richmond Free Press

A4 January 4-6, 2024

News

Al Sharpton’s organizes picket outside offices of Claudine Gay’s attacker ‘We’ll make ourselves at home outside his office’ says NAN leader

Nationalactionnetwork.net

NEW YORK Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), who last month stood by former Harvard President Claudine Gay as she came under relentless attacks from hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, will add another layer to his support of her on Thursday.

Rev. Sharpton’s NAN will picket outside of

Mr. Ackman’s Manhattan office over his pressure campaign that forced Dr. Gay’s resignation on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

“President Gay’s resignation is about more than a person or a single incident,” Mr. Sharpton said in a news release. “This is an attack on every Black woman in this country who’s put a crack in the glass ceiling. It’s

Mr. Ackman

an assault on the health, strength, and future of diversity, equity, and inclusion – at a time when corporate America is trying to back out of billions of dollars in commitments. Most of all, this was the result of Bill Ackman’s relentless campaign against President Gay, not because of her leadership or credentials but because he felt she was a DEI hire.

“The National Action Network will show Ackman that his attacks on DEI, President Gay, and Black Americans have consequences,” Rev. Sharpton added. “This Thursday, our team will picket outside of his office so New Yorkers, his investors, and corporate America can see Bill Ackman for who he is. If he doesn’t think Black Americans belong in the C-Suite, the Ivy League, or any other hallowed halls, we’ll make ourselves at home outside his office.”

Plagiarism charges down Harvard’s president; a conservative attack helped to fan the outrage Continued from A1

largest division before being promoted — got the top job in large part because she is a Black woman.

Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist who helped orchestrate the effort against Dr. Gay, celebrated her departure as a win in his campaign against elite institutions of higher education. On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote “SCALPED,” as if Dr. Gay was a trophy of violence, invoking a gruesome practice taken up by white colonists who sought to eradicate Native Americans and also used by some tribes against their enemies.

“Tomorrow, we get back to the fight,” he said on X, describing a “playbook” against institutions deemed too liberal by conservatives. His latest target: efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in education and business.

“We must not stop until we

have abolished DEI ideology from every institution in America,” he said. In another post, he announced a new “plagiarism hunting fund,” vowing to “expose the rot in the Ivy League and restore truth, rather than racialist ideology, as the highest principle in academic life.”

Dr. Gay didn’t directly address the plagiarism accusations in a campus letter announcing her resignation, but she noted she was troubled to see doubt cast on her commitment “to upholding scholarly rigor.” She also indirectly nodded to the December congressional hearing that started the onslaught of criticism, where she did not say unequivocally that calls for the genocide of Jews would violate Harvard policy.

Her departure comes just six months after becoming Harvard’s first Black president.

As the figureheads of their universities, presidents often face heightened scrutiny, and

numerous leaders have been felled by plagiarism scandals.

Stanford University’s president resigned last year amid findings that he manipulated scientific data in his research. A president of the University of South Carolina resigned in 2021 after he lifted parts of his speech at a graduation ceremony.

In Dr. Gay’s case, many academics were troubled with how the plagiarism came to light: as part of a coordinated campaign to discredit Dr. Gay and force her from office, in part because of her involvement in efforts for racial justice on campus. Her resignation came after calls for her ouster from prominent conservatives including Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Harvard alumna, and Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager who has donated millions to Harvard.

The campaign against Dr. Gay and other Ivy League presidents has become part of

a broader right-wing effort to remake higher education, which has often been seen as a bastion of liberalism. Republican detractors have sought to gut funding for public universities, roll back tenure and banish initiatives that make colleges more welcoming to students of color, disabled students and the LGBTQ+ community. They also have aimed to limit how race and gender are discussed in classrooms.

Walter M. Kimbrough, the former president of the historically Black Dillard University, said what unfolded at Harvard reminded him of an adage from his mother, a Black graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, in the 1950s.

As a Black person in academia, “you always have to be twice, three times as good,” he said.

“There are going to be people, particularly if they have any inkling that the person of

City demands $37,000 from takeout restaurant Continued from A1

tions. What it does have is evidence of the city’s responsibility, which the shop provided to the Free Press and published on social media.

The approved application for the shop at 1126 Hull St. shows a city employee did not check the meals tax box. Instead, the employee circled the box and put the word takeout next to it to explain why the tax would not be collected.

“We were told not to collect the tax,” said Samuel Veney, one of the three coowners of the shop that offers plant-based alternatives to standard offerings that rely on meat, eggs and cheese and that has gained a following for its meatless version of a Philly-style cheesesteak. “We followed the city’s direction.”

But the employee, who represented Mayor Stoney’s administration, was completely wrong.

Seven months after opening in June 2021, Mr. Veney said a city tax auditor stopped by to find out why the shop was not paying meals tax, the additional sales tax the city imposes on prepared meals.

In Richmond, the state and local sales tax totals 6 percent; the meals tax adds 7.5 percent, putting the total tax at 13.5 percent. That includes a portion that goes to fund new city school buildings.

The auditor verified that the approved application provided notice the shop should not collect the tax, but still sought payment because no such exemption exists for takeout food.

Mr. Veney said the employee who had filled out the application reached out and told him that she was wrong. He declined to identify her.

In response to a Free Press query, city spokeswoman Petula C. Burks declined comment, noting the “city cannot legally speak to an individual’s tax information.”

Based on the shop’s sales receipts for the first eight months, the city first demanded $27,000, but the total has grown by $10,000 with penalties and interest – a potentially damaging amount for a low-margin small business, Mr. Veney said.

“This is a huge amount for us,” he said.

“And we’re being told to pay up even though this was the city’s mistake, and we

did nothing wrong. It’s just not right.”

He said the shop started collecting the tax in April 2022 and has paid on time each month.

The outstanding debt has had other consequences for the shop whose owners include Celicia Partridge and Ratcha Chhay.

The shop has not been able to get a new business license, he said, which leaves its operation at risk. And the fact the shop has unpaid taxes on its financial record also has cost the shop a $25,000 grant from a private group that seeks to support small businesses, he said.

The dispute has added stress to a shop that has enjoyed growth since it opened.

“We have had people from Richmond and other parts of the world come by,” said Mr. Veney. “We’ve had people from Japan and Ireland and other places who want to taste what we offer.”

He said the shop once a month offers its sandwiches for whatever people can pay and gives them away for free for people who have no money.

Since opening, he said the shop has served 7,500 people through that program.

Policy issues to greet General Assembly Continued from A1

In the Senate, Democrats retained their 21-19 edge over Republicans.

Black legislators also will be more prominent, with a record 31 having won seats.

The Senate will have seven Black members for the first time, including five women and two men.

The House will have 23 Black members, including 13 women and 10 men. Twentytwo will be Democrats, with Delegate A.C.

Cordoza being the lone Republican.

Given the narrow Democratic margin in both houses and with Republican Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin holding the veto pen, commentators are suggesting that the only legislation that will pass will be items on which have bipartisan support.

Gov. Youngkin is considered likely to win on his proposals to boosting spending on child care and mental health, but is also rated as likely to lose on his plan to cut income taxes and raise the sales tax.

Democratic leaders have already called the plan a non-starter it would boost the taxes low-income people pay on purchases while reducing the income tax payments for the well-heeled.

Another issue that could be settle is the location of the state’s fifth casino, given Richmond voters’ rejection of a plan to build one in the city. Petersburg is hoping to win out, but the Cockade City will face competition from Northern Virginia, according to introduced legislation.

Dr. Linwood Jacobs dies at age 90 Continued from A1

and sororities.

Hired in 1971 as the first Black administrator in the student affairs office, Dr. Jacobs is credited with founding the Eta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi on the campus and also assisting and encouraging five other Black fraternities and sororities to start campus chapters.

The recognition event was held on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of those chapters.

He also is credited with ensuring Black students were considered for resident adviser positions in undergraduate dorms.

Still Black life was not easy, and he took part in a march to the president’s house in 1975 to protest the continuing harassment and mistreatment of Black educators, staff and students at the school still struggling with integration.

The new president, Dr. Frank L. Hereford Jr., and the

Board of Visitors responded by building the Luther P. Jackson House as the home for the Office of Afro-American Affairs, for which Dr. Jacobs authored the initial charter.

A South Carolina native who had made his home in Mechanicsville, Dr. Jacobs came to Richmond as a child and grew up in the Newtown neighborhood in South Side. There, as a youth, he made extra money by delivering prescriptions for a Hull Street pharmacy.

After graduating from Armstrong High School, he finished Virginia State University with a degree in social work while also running track, serving as a football trainer and participating in theater and the school newspaper. In recent years, he was added to the university’s athletic Wall of Fame.

Dr. Jacobs started his career working at a state juvenile corrections facility and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He later served 20 years in the Navy Reserves, retiring as a captain.

After his active service, he enrolled in the University of Virginia where he earned his master’s degree.

Ms. Brown-Taylor said her uncle once told her that it was not easy, recalling that in 1962 that he was barred from buying books from the campus bookstore and had to enlist the help of a white student to make the purchases for him.

After graduating, Dr. Jacobs returned to Richmond where he served as a social worker in the public schools for eight years. He returned to U.Va., to secure his doctorate, while also gaining a position in the student affairs office.

Four years later, he returned to Richmond to serve as assistant principal of Woodville Elementary and then served as dean of student development at J. Sargeant Reynolds until his retirement in the late 1990s.

Projects such as renovating and renting houses in Richmond kept Dr. Jacobs busy after he retired.

He also operated a group home, Frontier Family Services, and was clinical director for more than 10 years for the Alliant Consortium, a mental health program based at the Calhoun Center that he launched with family members around 2004.

Boating, fishing and restoring vintage cars rounded out his many activities.

Maintaining a social-justice conscience stayed with Dr. Jacobs long after he retired. He was a member of the Richmond Branch NAACP, the Richmond Crusade for Voters, and volunteered with Tots and Teens of Richmond and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Richmond.

And he never forgot Charlottesville, where he often traveled to serve on U.Va. committees that distributed scholarships to students and to lend his expertise to other communityoriented programs.

Survivors include his wife, Dr. Margaret Lucas Jacobs; daughter Jocelynn E. Jacobs; and a granddaughter.

color is not the most qualified, who will label them a ‘DEI hire,’ like they tried to label her,” Dr. Kimbrough said. “If you want to lead an institution like (Harvard) … there are going to be people who are looking to disqualify you.”

The allegations against Dr. Gay initially came from conservative activists, some who stayed anonymous. They looked for the kinds of duplicated sentences undergraduate students are trained to avoid, even with citation.

In dozens of instances first published by The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website, Dr. Gay’s work includes long stretches of prose that mirror language from other published works. A review ordered

by Harvard acknowledged she duplicated the language without using quotation marks.

Harvard previously said Dr. Gay updated her dissertation and requested corrections from journals.

Among her critics in conservative circles and academia, the findings are clear evidence that Dr. Gay, as the top academic at the pinnacle of U.S. higher education, is unfit to serve. Her defenders say it isn’t so clear-cut.

In highly specialized fields, scholars often use similar language to describe the same concepts, said Davarian Baldwin, a historian at Trinity College who writes about race and higher education. Dr. Gay clearly made mistakes, he said, but with the spread of software designed to detect plagiarism, it wouldn’t be hard to find similar overlap in works by other presidents and professors.

The tool becomes dangerous, he added, when it “falls into

the hands of those who argue that academia in general is a cesspool of incompetence and bad actors.”

John Pelissero, a former interim college president who now works for the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, said instances of plagiarism deserve to be evaluated individually and that it’s not always so cut and dried.

“You’re looking for whether there was intentionality to mislead or inappropriately borrow other people’s ideas in your work,” Dr. Pelissero said. “Or was there an honest mistake?”

Without commenting on the merits of the allegations against Dr. Gay, President Irene Mulvey of the American Association of University Professors said she fears plagiarism investigations could be “weaponized” to pursue a political agenda.

“There is a right-wing political attack on higher education right now, which feels like an existential threat to the academic freedom that has made American higher education the envy of the world,” Dr. Mulvey said.

She worries that Dr. Gay’s departure will put a new strain on college presidents. In addition to their work courting donors, policymakers and alumni, presidents are supposed to protect faculty from interference so they can research unimpeded.

“For presidents to be taken down like this, it does not bode well for academic freedom,” she said. “I think it’ll chill the climate for academic freedom.

And it may make university presidents less likely to speak out against this inappropriate interference for fear of losing their jobs or being targeted.”

City surplus is nearly 5 times larger than city previously disclosed Continued from A1

at $1.20 per $100 of value, with rising values assuring the city would increase its revenue from the tax.

The tax on real estate is the largest single source of city revenue, producing $400 million a year, or more than one-third of the city’s operating revenue, the audit found.

One year later, the mayor adopted a new strategy as he heads into his final year: His administration produced a low projection of the surplus and then kept mum about the total after the audit was completed.

The size of the surplus was not mentioned Tuesday when the city’s chief administrative officer, Lincoln Saunders, and Finance Director Sheila White announced the completion of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and made a brief presentation.

And no one on the council asked about the size of the surplus.

However, a review of the 2022-23 ACFR that also was posted online Tuesday shows the larger surplus, with $36.5 million earmarked for the virtually untouchable “rainy day fund” and about $1.5 million used to beef up a maintenance reserve fund for city buildings to $19 million.

The biggest surge flowed into the two accounts that comprise the rainy fund. That boosted the fund’s total to a record $169.7 million or about $733 for each of the city’s 232,000 residents, figures in the ACFR show.

That’s well above the council policy, which would only require the fund to have $154 million – meaning the city could have spent additional $15.7 million during the 2022-23 fiscal year and still met the policy requirements of saving 16.67% of the budget.

The biggest account in the rainy day fund is the unassigned fund balance. The ACFR reported that fund gained $32.1 million in unspent funds from the 2022-23 fiscal year and now stands at $139.9 million — a nearly 30% jump from the $107 million last year’s audit reported in that fund.

As a result of an ordinance passed before Christmas, Mayor Stoney is required to take 10% of the surplus and used it to beef up a people-helping emergency fund that the faith-based Humankind administers for the city.

Based on the administration’s projection of an $8.6 million surplus, the fund was only expected to receive $860,000, but the larger surplus should boost that total to at least $3.2 million.

The second account, titled the Budget and Revenue Stabilization Fund, has reached $29.8 million, up $4.5 million from the previous year’s $25.3 million, according to the ACFR — or a 17.7% increase.

Mayor Stoney set a goal early in his administration to secure a triple A bond rating for the city from Wall Street and the city has been told that a large pool of savings is one required element, even if it means shortchanging services.

Richmond Free Press

January 4-6, 2024 A5

Special Feature

Foremost Wishes for 2024 Delegate Don Scott

GRTC CEO Sheryl Adams

My foremost wish for 2023 is to have a smooth and successful legislative session. It is my goal to pick up the mantle and serve as speaker of the House with the dignity and grace that the office deserves. I know that I stand on the shoulders of giants who, for generations, were prevented from the opportunities that I now hold and I take their legacy with me every step of the way.

I hope to lead the House – the People’s House – in a direction that keeps moving Virginia forward. It will take all of us to secure and protect the future for the next generation. Through smart and effective policy, which will require true bipartisan collaboration, we can ensure that our Commonwealth remains the best place to live, work and raise a family.

Our legislative priorities remain the same as they always have been: To protect the rights and freedoms of all Virginians, support our public schools and our teachers, protect our communities, ensure every person has the right to make their own decisions, and create a Commonwealth that is more affordable for hard-working Virginia families.

By the end of the next legislative session, I want every Virginian to know that they have legislators who work for them and their interests in the House of Delegates. That is how I will know that we have achieved my foremost goal for the new year.

Our No.1 wish for the new year: Fund fare-free transit.

Fare-free transit has been an unquestionable success for the Richmond region, providing critical transportation solutions for our region’s most vulnerable riders.

GRTC’s fare-free service is a feature of the system. It has played a key role in helping the Richmond region buck national trends and grow transit ridership, ensures access to health Care, jobs, and education for transit-dependent individuals, and makes service quicker and smoother.

Fare-free transit means more than our buses – CARE paratransit service and LINK microtransit are also fare-free, removing barriers to entry for riders with disabilities and helping bring new communities on to public transit, a shift that is crucial for lowering regional emissions and meeting our climate goals.

As we reach the end of the state grant that has funded the fare-free pilot, our No.1 goal is finding a sustainable, community-based funding solution for farefree. This is why we’re excited to debut the Transit Access Partnership a brand-new public/ private joint venture that provides an opportunity for local organizations and businesses to demonstrate their commitment to the Richmond region through a tax-deductible donation to fare-free transit.

GRTC is continuing to invest in more service, more places, including eight new miles in Chesterfield County along the Midlothian Turnpike, which launches this month, and four new LINK Microtransit zones throughout the region, which launch later this spring.

We’re also proud to announce the full restoration of the entire network to pre-pandemic frequencies, thanks to a historic operator hiring and training program — and to thank our riders for helping us lead the nation in ridership growth.

As we continue to invest in the region, we’re also asking the region to come together to invest in our riders. Together, we can ensure that fare-free service continues to make transit accessible to everyone.

Delegate-elect Rae Cousins My wish for 2024 is that we build a just and fair Virginia where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to speak with Richmonders all over the city about their hopes for our collective future. I heard many of the same messages — people want stronger schools, better economic opportunities, and safer communities.

This winter, I will be introducing legislation in the General Assembly to increase school funding for our students. Earlier this year, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission released a report that our schools are underfunded by close to $4 billion across the Commonwealth. This is no surprise to us in Richmond, where we know that our students are too often learning in outdated buildings and our teachers are stretched thin because of lack of support staff and low pay. We know that a strong education system is the foundation of a strong economy, and I am committed to supporting our students in my role as delegate.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve the community that raised me in the Virginia General Assembly. I hope that my office can be a resource to you in the coming year. Please do not hesitate to contact me at delrcousins@house.virginia.gov.

Delegate-elect Michael Jones As we enter the promising year of 2024, my foremost wish is for every person in our community to experience prosperity and gainful employment. It is my sincere hope that each individual finds work that not only fulfills their professional aspirations, but also meets the needs of them and their families.

Employment plays a vital role in shaping one’s life and overall well-being. When individuals are gainfully employed, they not only contribute to the growth and stability of our society, but also experience a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Meaningful work provides a platform for personal growth, fosters creativity and enhances self-esteem.

In an ideal world, every person would have access to opportunities that align with their skills, passions and interests. It is my wish that individuals can pursue careers that ignite their enthusiasm, where they can utilize their unique talents to make a positive impact. Whether it be in the arts, sciences, trades or any other field, I envision a society where everyone can thrive in their chosen profession.

Financial security is a fundamental pillar of well-being, providing individuals with the means to meet their basic needs, support their loved ones, and invest in their future. I wish for every person to have access to employment opportunities that offer fair wages, benefits, and opportunities for growth and advancement.

To achieve this vision, our community must come together and create an environment that fosters economic growth, entrepreneurship and innovation. We must prioritize investment in education and vocational training, ensuring that individuals have the necessary skills to secure meaningful employment in a rapidly evolving job market. Collaboration between public and private sectors, as well as community organizations, is essential for creating a robust ecosystem that supports job creation and economic prosperity.

Let us strive to create a society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, contribute, and lead fulfilling lives through meaningful work.

Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney Over the past seven years as mayor, I’ve gotten to know a lot of Richmonders from every corner of our great city. While we all come from different backgrounds and have different life experiences, we ALL call this amazing city home.

My aspiration for the new year is to foster unity, setting aside differences, as we collectively strive to enhance Richmond’s status as the “Best Place to Live in Virginia.” Embracing our identity as the Capital of Compassion, I challenge you to explore new aspects of our city, embrace and engage with neighbors, discover local eateries, join a community sports league, visit our museums, or volunteer with nonprofits.

In my final year as mayor, I commit to continue to work toward our shared goals, run through the tape, and leave our beloved city in the best possible position for the next generation of Richmond leaders and the families they will serve.

Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards My foremost wish for Richmond for 2024: Safety in our city.

We will finish 2023 with a significant reduction in violent crime, particularly with non-fatal shootings. These gains, however, are not enough. Too many in our city experience the scourge of gun violence. It is critically important that we keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

The best way to do that is for members of our community to properly store and secure their legally-owned firearms. In 2023, 632 firearms were stolen from cars. Most of those cars were unlocked. That is only a few shy of our total from 2022. These guns are used in drive-by shootings, robberies and other violent crimes.

Two children this year were accidentally shot with guns stolen out of unlocked cars. In March, a 13-year-old young man was killed in South Richmond. In November, a 3-year-old boy was seriously wounded in the East End. These were completely preventable tragedies.

In many cities around the country, privately manufactured firearms, better known as “Ghost Guns,” make up a large percentage of firearms recovered by police. That is not the case in Richmond. Criminals in our city do not need to buy a 3D printer to create a gun to use in crimes. They simply have to pull on the handles of enough car doors and they are likely to find all the guns they need.

We are trying to do our part as a police department. We are arresting armed criminals every day. We are even providing gun safes, free of charge, to those who need them. For 2024, I am begging our community to understand that while the 2nd Amendment is a constitutional right, it also carries with it a profound responsibility. Firearms need to be properly secured for the safety of everyone, including our children.

Richmond Free Press Setting sun over the James in Charles City Editorial Page

A6

January 4-6, 2024

More shelters in place Ask Mayor Levar M. Stoney about the unsheltered people in the city, and he’ll tell you the city is doing a bang-up job of addressing the need.

The wanna-be Virginia governor points to the winter shelters the city has just established, including the 150-bed overnight shelter for single men and women the Salvation Army is operating at 1900 Chamberlayne Ave. and the 50-bed family shelter that HomeAgain is operating at 7 N. 2nd St. He also notes the city’s investment in a Family Emergency Fund that the nonprofit Humankind is administering to provide emergency grants to help families deal with financial issues and avoid eviction.

“My heart breaks for the unhoused in the community,” he stated this week in response to a Free Press query. “It has always been my administration’s priority to help as many people as we can – to strive to be the Capital of Compassion and give everyone a fair shot.

“The City of Richmond has come a long way in terms of the quality of the services and critical regional partnerships formed to help our unhoused,” he continued. “We recognize the continued importance of supporting families in crisis and are proud of the city’s historic investment to provide shelter and support.”

Sounds great until you hear from a homeless advocate like Rhonda Sneed, who spends 12 to 14 hours a day rallying support from like-minded volunteers and delivering food, shoes, gloves, coats and other cold-weather gear to the homeless.

The co-founder and unpaid leader of Blessing Warriors RVA, Ms. Sneed sees too many left out and left behind to offer praise for anything the mayor has done. She makes a powerful case that the city is not doing enough.

Every adult does not go to the shelter as we found when we went to a Downtown food distribution site and talked with some people who told us they were staying in the woods.

The day after Christmas, Ms. Sneed reported that city officials working for Mayor Stoney threw away the tents, blankets and belongings of three people and left them to sleep on the cold sidewalk. So far as we can tell, they would not conduct such cleanups without having his blessing and approval.

“Now that Christmas is over,” she wrote in a Facebook post, “the foolishness returns” in citing the city’s action. “When the shelters are full, people must have some place to sleep. Last night was very difficult knowing these people had no shelter at all and slept on the cold ground in just their coats. How often can you kick a person when they’re already down?”

She also has been highly critical of the mayor and his administration in not doing enough for families with babies and young children. Her group raised enough money to provide about five days of hotel stays for six families during Christmas. After the holidays, the families were back on the street.

Ms. Sneed distributed a photograph of a young child huddling under blankets in front of an abandoned building in the city in calling on the city to provide additional space.

The mayor encouraged families with children to call the Homeless Connection Line at (804) 972-0813 for shelter options. The Free Press has done so and confirmed reports from Ms. Sneed that all the beds are filled and that there are no options.

It is unknown how many families now are trying to survive without shelter, but there is no question that the city has the money to care for another 50 families if necessary.

The city’s latest comprehensive audit indicates that the mayor is more interested in gaining a more favorable credit rating from Wall Street that ensuring that no child in this city goes to bed without a roof over their head.

The audit revealed the Stoney administration has generated savings accounts that grew dramatically this year and now hold nearly $170 million in unspent taxpayer dollars – at least $15 million more than a policy established by City Council requires.

But this mayor believes the city has done enough for the homeless, and so apparently does City Council, which has not weighed in to open additional space to ensure that children who cannot fit into the current family shelters do not freeze to death.

Council members have talked about how they care, just like Mayor Stoney, but doing something about these children seems beyond their abilities.

In our view, Ms. Sneed is right. The city ought to be about saving the children, not creating a storehouse of dollars if it truly wants to be a Capital of Compassion.

Right now, the city is falling far short.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Making America laugh, look at itself For many of us old enough to remember Archie Bunker’s living room chair before it became a Smithsonian Museum exhibit, Norman Lear helped television comedy get over its fear of real life.

Mr. Lear, who died Dec. 5 at the ripe young age of 101, wrote and produced “All in the Family” and many other shows that dared to mix political and social commentary with laughs and get away with it, scoring big ratings and armloads of awards along the way.

They also gave us a lifetime of memorable TV moments that still have old-timers declaring, “You had to be there.”

If you were there, as I was, you may well remember how the 1950s-style monoculture of “Ozzie and Harriet,” “Father Knows Best” and “Leave it to Beaver” was disrupted by the appearance of “All in the Family” in 1971 — the early days of a decade that had yet to define itself culturally in the wake of the socially and politically turbulent 1960s.

The pilot signaled we were about to see something very different. Almost all the “action” takes place in the Queens home of Archie and Edith Bunker (played magnificently by Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton), who share their working-class bungalow with their thoroughly

’60s-style daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) and her husband, Mike (Rob Reiner), whom Archie uncharitably dubs “Meathead.”

Despite Gloria’s pleas to Mike before a Sunday brunch after church, “Promise no fighting with Daddy, OK?,” within moments, Mike and Archie get into it.

“You’re going to tell me that the Black man has had the same opportunity as you?” Mike declares

Clarence Page incredulously to Archie.

“More, he’s had more!” Archie barks back. “I didn’t have no million people marching out there to get me my job.”

“No,” Edith helpfully interjects. “His uncle got it for him!”

Rewatching it on YouTube, I still guffaw over the scene. It was the sort of humor that comes directly from slices of real life that would later be labeled “politically incorrect.”

“All in the Family” soon won renown as the program unafraid to laugh at the sort of remarks that in the real world might bring a curtain of uncomfortable silence down over the room, especially in mixed company.

In those bygone days of dominance by only three networks, “All in the Family” sparked the sort of water-cooler conversation that, in my experience, brought more than laughs.

It also spawned refreshing discussions, including between me and my mostly white colleagues, about how we really felt

about issues — the touchier the better — from which “All in the Family” drew its material.

The show, I thought, helped the country loosen up about sensitive topics. I always felt Mr. Lear helped us better live peacefully and, one hopes, productively with each other at a time when the nation was becoming more racially, religiously and politically heterogeneous.

It worked because it looked and sounded “authentic,” a word that seems to take on more meaning with each new generation.

Archie Bunker wasn’t Mr. Lear’s only contribution to our national conversation. “Good Times” would flip Archie’s script by focusing on a Black family in a high-rise Chicago public housing development that admittedly looked more pleasant than the gritty reality many real-life residents experienced.

In “Maude,” BeaArthur played an opinionated suburban woman who was sort of a feminist version of Archie. And of course, almost inevitably came “The Jeffersons,” with Sherman Helmsley playing George Jefferson, a self-made Black businessman whose endlessly patient wife, Louise (Isabel Sanford), and sharp-tongued maid, Florence (Marla Gibbs), put an upwardly mobile spin on the Bunker-style scenario.

Mr. Lear said in interviews that he based Archie partly on his own father, a salesman and second-generation Russian Jew. “I grew up in a family very much like those of my characters,” he said, according to a tribute from

Black women and pay inequality Taraji P. Henson is speaking out, and people are listening. It remains to be seen if the awardwinning actor will become a catalyst for major changes within the entertainment industry, but her message is much needed.

Ms. Henson made her film debut in the 1998 movie “Streetwise” and later received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Queenie in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” starring Brad Pitt.

In 2016, she starred with Janelle Monáe and Octavia Spencer in the film “Hidden Figures,” which received three Oscar nominations. Ms. Henson perhaps is best known for her role as Cookie Lyon on the television show “Empire.”

During the show’s six seasons, Ms. Henson won two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe for her performance.

Despite the depth of talent and the success throughout the careers of Black female actors, Hollywood is not immune from the issue of pay inequality for Black women. It is easy for fans to automatically assume television and movie celebrities have “rich and famous” lifestyles free from financial struggles. Ms. Henson has returned the spotlight to one of Hollywood’s many dark sides.

In a recent conversation on SiriusXM, Ms. Henson spoke

about how she is still treated as a novice regarding negotiating contracts for film and TV roles. “It seems every time I do something, and I break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate, I’m at the bottom again, like I never did what I just did,” Ms. Henson said.

“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, being paid a fraction of the cost,” Ms. Henson added. “I’m tired of hearing my sisters say

David W. Marshall the same thing over and over.

You get tired.”

In 2019, she told Variety that she asked for “half a million” to perform in the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” only to receive $150,000. The film was a box office hit, grossing approximately $335 million worldwide against a $150 million budget. Published reports state that Mr. Pitt was paid $10 million for “Benjamin Button.”

Emily Martin, vice president of Education and Workplace Justice at the National Women’s Law Center, noted, “If you look at workers who don’t have a high school diploma, that is the education level at which the wage gap is smallest for Black women, who make a whole 75 cents for every dollar white men because there is more of a cap on lowerwage earners.” The Equal Pay Act requires “that men and women in the same workplace be given equal

pay for equal work. The jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially equal.”

That is the law that is often contradicted by reality. One way companies ultimately get around the pay disparity is to encourage employees to keep their salaries private. As a result, the discrimination is not easily discovered.

In addition to Taraji P. Henson’s recent remarks, Octavia Spencer has spoken out many times concerning pay inequality in Hollywood. In 2019, she highlighted the importance of men advocating for fair pay for Black actresses. During Ms. Spencer’s salary negotiations for the Netflix series “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker,” Executive Producer LeBron James was forced to intervene on her behalf. Mo’Nique, an Oscar winner for her Best Supporting Actress role in the movie “Precious,” sued Netflix for alleged gender and racial bias regarding negotiating her salary. The lawsuit was eventually settled.

Beyoncé, the former Dreamgirls actress, said it best, “But unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change. Men have to demand that their wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters earn more—commensurate with their qualifications and not their gender…” Her words are true in addressing the issue of pay disparity everywhere, not just in Hollywood.

The writer is founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body.

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.

the Television Academy when he was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1984, “a family that lived at the top of its lungs and the end of its nerves.”

He joined the TV industry in the 1950s after serving as a radio operator on B-17 bombers during World War II, on which he flew 52 European missions.

In his later days, he became a full-fledged activist, establishing People for the American Way in 1981 as a nonprofit devoted to democratic ideals, and stayed active well into his 90s.

Unfortunately, our politics today are more polarized than they were even then as too many of us would rather argue and fight each other than do what Mr. Lear’s sitcoms portrayed — avoid letting the few things about us that are different overshadow the many things we share in common.

The writer is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

Richmond Free Press 422 East Franklin Street Richmond, VA 23219 Telephone (804) 644-0496 FAX (804) 643-7519 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 27709 Richmond, VA 23261 ______________

Founder Raymond H. Boone President – Publisher Jean P. Boone

jeanboone@richmondfreepress.com

Managing Editor Bonnie Newman Davis bonniedavis@richmondfreepress.com

Vice President – New Business Development Raymond H. Boone Jr.

jrboone@richmondfreepress.com

Vice President – News Enhancement Jeremy M. Lazarus

jeremylazarus@richmondfreepress.com

Vice President – Production April A. Coleman

aprilcoleman@richmondfreepress.com

Staff Writers Fred Jeter, Frances Crutchfield Hazel Trice Edney Photographers Sandra Sellars

sandrasellars@richmondfreepress.com

Regina H. Boone

reginaboone@richmondfreepress.com

James Haskins, Rudolph Powell and Clinton A. Strane ______________

Vice President – Administration Tracey L. Oliver traceyoliver@richmondfreepress.com

Advertising Traffic Coordinator Cynthia Downing advertising@richmondfreepress.com classifieds@richmondfreepress.com

Advertising Fax: (804) 643-5436 National Advertising Representative NNPA ______________

Distribution GouffyStyle LLC ______________

Richmond Free Press is published weekly by Paradigm Communications, Inc. Copies of the Richmond Free Press (one copy per person) are free of charge at outlets in the Richmond area. Back copies are available at the Free Press office at $3 per copy. Bulk orders can be made prior to any upcoming edition at special rates.

A Publication of PARADIGM COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

422 East Franklin Street Richmond, VA 23219 Telephone (804) 644-0496

Follow the Free Press on @FreePressRVA

@RichmondFreePressUSA

Richmond Free Press

January 4-6, 2024 A7

News

Biden and Trump poised for a potential rematch that could shake American politics The Associated Press

LACONIA, N.H. U.S. presidential elections have been rocked in recent years by economic disaster, stunning gaffes, secret video and a pandemic. But for all the tumult that defined those campaigns, the volatility surrounding this year’s presidential contest has few modern parallels, posing profound challenges to the future of American democracy.

Not since the Supreme Court effectively decided the 2000 campaign in favor of Republican George W. Bush has the judiciary been so intertwined with presidential politics.

In the coming weeks, the high court is expected to weigh whether states can ban former President Donald Trump from the ballot for his role in leading the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court is weighing Mr. Trump’s argument that he’s immune from prosecution.

The maneuvers are unfolding as prosecutors from New York to Washington and Atlanta move forward with 91 indictments across four criminal cases involving everything from Mr. Trump’s part in the insurrection to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his hush money paid to a porn actress.

Depending on how Mr. Trump’s appeals play out, he could be due in court as early as March 4, the day before Super Tuesday, raising the unprecedented prospect that he could close in on the GOP nomination from a courtroom.

On the Democratic side, President Biden is seeking re-election as the high inflation that defined much of his first term appears to be easing.

But that has done little to assuage restless voters or ease widespread concerns in both parties that, at 81, he’s simply too old for the job.

And at least three serious candidates who have launched outsider presidential

bids threaten to scramble the campaign and eat into the support from independent voters who were critical to President Biden’s success in 2020.

Facing such uncertainty, few expect the traditional rules of politics to apply in 2024. Jim Messina, who managed former President Obama’s re-election, said Mr. Trump could very well defeat President Biden in the fall, even if the former president is in prison.

“We just don’t know,” Mr. Messina said. “Everyone in the world knows, especially me, that this election is going to be really, really close.”

The results will have longterm implications on everything from the future of abortion rights and immigration policy to the role of the U.S. in the world. A Trump victory would raise the possibility of the U.S. largely abandoning Ukraine as it seeks to repel Russia’s invasion. Domestic politics could also test President Biden’s commitment to Israel, a policy that threatens to erode his standing with young voters and people of color who are critical elements of his coalition.

One of the few certainties at this point is that President Biden is a virtual lock to be the Democratic nominee again, facing only token opposition in this year’s primary despite overwhelming concerns within his own party about his physical and mental fitness. And though a few rivals are fighting furiously to stop Mr. Trump, he is well positioned to win the GOP nomination for the third consecutive election.

The strength of the GOP opposition to Mr. Trump will become more clear on Jan. 15 when the Iowa caucuses launch the nomination process. Mr. Trump holds a commanding lead in most national polls, although former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are fighting

President Biden

Mr. Trump

The Associated Press

Republican presidential candidates from left, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy stand on stage before a Republican presidential primary debate, Nov. 8, 2023, in Miami.

to stop him.

That hasn’t been easy, however, as Gov. DeSantis has struggled to connect with voters and has embraced culture war topics that often left him competing for the same base of support as Mr. Trump. And Ms. Haley’s pitch as a more sensible, moderate candidate was threatened last week when she was pressed on the cause of the Civil War and didn’t mention slavery.

Allies of Gov. DeSantis and Ms. Haley privately concede that their best chance to wrestle the nomination away from Mr. Trump would come in a long-shot push for a contested convention in Wisconsin in July.

Many leaders in both parties are already convinced that Mr. Trump will be the GOP

nominee. More than 90 House Republicans, 18 senators and seven governors have endorsed Mr. Trump. Ms. Haley and Gov. DeSantis have secured the endorsements of just six House Republicans, no senators and two governors combined.

“This will be one of the earliest primaries wrapped up in my lifetime,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who endorsed Trump back in November 2022, said in an interview. “I’m already focused on the general election. ... There is going to be a political earthquake next November.”

Public polling strongly suggests that voters do not want a rematch between Mr. Trump and President Biden.

Most U.S. adults overall (56%) would be “very” or “somewhat” dissatisfied with

President Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024, according to a poll conducted last month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

A similar majority (58%) said they would be very or somewhat dissatisfied with Mr. Trump as the GOP’s pick.

Perhaps because of such apathy, some voters simply don’t believe President Biden and Mr. Trump will be on the general election ballot, despite strong evidence to the contrary.

That’s an idea that conservative strategist Sarah Longwell, who founded the Republican Accountability Project, says she hears regularly during weekly focus groups with voters across the political spectrum.

“Voters really aren’t thinking about it, so they don’t see the thing that’s coming right at us — the most likely scenario, which is Trump vs. Biden,” Ms. Longwell said. “But Trump is so dangerous. ... I wish the level of urgency from everybody matched the reality of where we are headed.”

While concerns about President Biden are centered on his age, Mr. Trump has increasingly embraced authoritarian messages that serve as clear warnings of his plans to dismantle democratic norms if he returns to the White House.

Echoing strongmen leaders throughout history, Mr. Trump has framed his campaign as one of retribution and has spoken openly about using the power of government to pursue his political enemies.

He has repeatedly harnessed rhetoric once used by Adolf Hitler to argue that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country.” He said on Fox News last month that he would not be a dictator “except for day one. ” And he shared a word cloud last week to his social media account highlighting words

like, “revenge,” “power” and “dictatorship.”

President Biden, like his party more broadly, has leaned into concerns about the future of democracy should Mr. Trump return to the White House, but that has done little to improve his standing. Early polls reveal weakness among core segments of his coalition, including voters of color and young people.

People on President Biden’s team do not fear that his base will defect to Mr. Trump in the general election, but they privately worry some of the Democratic president’s supporters may not vote at all.

Ultimately, however, President Biden’s campaign believes that voters will rally behind the president once they fully understand that Mr. Trump could realistically return to the White House.

YOU CAN STILL FILE

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Get rid of debts that you can’t pay.

“Get A Fresh Start” Keep paying on your house and car as long as you owe what they are worth.

Also Chapter 13 “Debt Adjustment” STOPS FORECLOSURES, GARNISHMENTS AND HARASSING PHONE CALLS

OTHER LEGAL SERVICES PROVIDED: Divorce, Separation, Custody, Support, Home Buy or Sell

Start with as little as $100

Call Rudy McCollum at (804)218-3614 24-7. Talk to an attorney for free

and get legal restrictions, fees, costs and payment terms.

Rudolph C. McCollum, Jr., Esq. McCollum At Law, P.C.

Mail to: P.O. Box 4595, Richmond, VA 23220 422 E. Franklin St., Suite 301, Richmond, VA 23219 (Franklin & 5th Sts.) We are a federally designated Debt Relief Agency under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and we help people file for bankruptcy.

Web Address: McCollumatLaw.com E-mail: rudy@mccollumatlaw.com

Richmond Free Press

A8 January 4-6, 2024

Sports Stories by Fred Jeter

Moses, The NFL’s upper echelon has a Richmond look.

A pair of Richmond natives went head-tohead Christmas night in what was among the season’s most viewed games with 27.2 million TV viewers.

Don’t be surprised if there’s a Super Bowl rematch with an 804 sidebar.

Offensive tackle Morgan Moses of the Baltimore Ravens and Clelin Ferrell, a San Francisco 49ers defensive end, both played in the Ravens’ 33-19 victory.

Moses is the son of Marion and Morris Moses with Morris being a former John Marshall High football lineman.

Ferrell is the son of the late Cleavester and Faye Ferrell. Cleavester was a master sergeant in the U.S. Army and died in 2012.

Moses, 32, played at Meadowbrook High, Fork Union Military, and the University of Virginia.

He was Washington’s third-round selection in the 2013 NFL draft.

Ferrell in NFL spotlight

Ferrell, 26, starred at Benedictine College Prep and Clemson University, where he was a consensus All-American while helping the Tigers to two College Football Playoff titles.

Ferrell was the first- Morgan Moses round pick (fourth overall) by the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders in 2019.

Football finesse Both Ferrell and Moses are products of the Chesterfield Quarterback League. Each athlete is an NFL journeymen.

Moses played with Washington from 2014 to 2020 and the New York Jets in 2021 before signing a three-year contract with Baltimore in 2022 for $15 million.

Ferrell suited up for the Raiders from 2019 to 2022 before inking a 49ers one-year contract.

Clelin Ferrell

Moses plays right tackle for the Ravens and is a primary bodyguard for quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is a strong MVP candidate. He’s in on almost every play.

Moses has been ranked as high as the 18th best offensive tackle by Pro

Football Focus.

Ferrell’s career didn’t take off like many hoped with the Raiders. Still, he has 129 career tackles with 12.5 sacks, including 14 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble this season.

In the showdown against Baltimore, Ferrell had one tackle, but several times put some heat on Jackson. Ferrell rotates at end with All-Pro Nick Bosa, former Commander Chase Young and Drake Jackson.

Moses and Ferrell didn’t line up straight across from each other on Christmas night, but

they certainly bumped pads a few times.

Standing tall These men need to get all their clothes at the Big & Tall stores.

At the NFL Combine following his senior season at U.Va., Moses’ measurements were 6-foot-6 and 314 pounds. He did an 8-foot-11 standing broad jump and ran a 5.2 40-yard dash, not bad for a man toting three bills plus.

Ferrell, listed at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, passed up his senior season at Clemson to enter the NFL. Ferrell wears red and gold jersey No. 94 for Frisco while Moses dons purple, black and gold No. 78 for the Ravens.

The Ravens and 49ers compete in the NFL’s super heavyweight division. Baltimore’s 12-3 mark is tops in the AFC. San Francisco, at 11-4, is among the NFC leaders.

The Super Bowl will be Feb. 11 in Las Vegas. That’s far away, but Richmonders might be in the mix.

R-MC’s Nixon Thomas’ star shines at NSU wins top honors

Nehemiah Nixon

Nehemiah Nixon didn’t get the headlines, but he caused plenty of headaches for the opposition.

The Randolph-Macon College senior offensive lineman was a front and center reason why the Yellow Jackets enjoyed their best season ever.

Offensive linemen, often overlooked by the fans and media, are always essential as with the 6-foot-2, 280-pound Nixon out of

Garner, N.C. Nixon was key to the Jackets posting a 13-1 record with 6,727 yards total offense and a whopping 88 touchdowns.

For his effort, Nixon was named to the Associated Press NCAA Division III All-American Second Team, as well as AllODAC for a second time.

RMC won the ODAC and defeated Christopher Newport (Ithaca, N.Y.), and Johns Hopkins (Maryland) before losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Cortland (N.Y.).

Rams’ ‘Odometer’ clicking upward Virginia Commonwealth University’s eight-game homestand – among the longest in school history – ends Saturday with a 4 p.m. tipoff against Atlantic 10 rival George Washington University.

First-year Coach Ryan Odom’s Rams, after a skittish start, seem up for any challenge now with late arriving transfers Joe Bamisile and Sean Bairstow in the mix.

Bairstow had 22 points and Bamisile 21 in the Rams’ 87-73 victory over Gardner-Webb, N.C., Dec. 30 before a Siegel Center crowd of 7,188. It was a rare game in Rams’ lore in which there were multiple 20-plus scorers.

The upcoming George Washington game will send Bamisile against one of his three former college teams.

He averaged 16 points for the D.C. school in the 2020-21 season.

Gardner-Webb became VCU’s fourth straight win, all at home. The Rams (8-5 entering this week) were Tobi Lowal to play A10 rival St. Bonaventure Wednesday at home to open conference play before an anticipated sellout crowd.

Max Shulga, who transferred to VCU along with Bairstow from Utah State, added 17 points versus George Washington and high-hopping Tobi Lawal, a 6-foot-9 sophomore from England, had 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

The crowd-pleasing Lawal averages nine points and seven rebounds while ranking among the nation’s leaders with 73% shooting (49-for-67) from the floor and 32 for 32 on dunks this season.

Much improved, Lawal averaged just one point and one rebound as a freshman, getting about six minutes per outing.

The Rams’ first true road game is Jan. 9 at George Mason.

That will be the teams 16th game of the season.

Hitting the road isn’t usually a major problem for the Rams, who are 85-47 on opposing campuses since the 2011-12 season.

VCU went 22-9 in road games during Mike Rhoades’ final three coaching seasons.

It’s very early. But if votes were cast today for MEAC Player of Year, Jamarii Thomas might be the top candidate.

The Norfolk State University junior, by way of the NCAA transfer portal, has made an emphatic impact in his short career wearing the green and gold.

Heading into conference play, the 6-foot guard is all over the top rung of the MEAC statistics.

Scoring: 18.0 point per game, first as of Dec. 28 Steals: 2.4 per, first.

Free throws attempted: 113, first, 83%.

Assists: 4.1 average, second.

Assists-turnover ratio: Plus 2.0, third.

Also, 3.7-rebounding per game is strong for a guard.

It helps that Thomas’ heroics have led to Spartans victories. NSU, at 9-6 with a memo-

Jamarii Thomas

rable road win at VCU, is the lone MEAC team with an above .500 record. Thomas scored 17 in the Dec. 1 upset at VCU. From Burlington, N.C., Thomas played his first two college seasons at UNCWilmington. As a sophomore a year ago, he averaged 7.1 points, starting 23 of 34

games for the CAA affiliate.

Despite some success, the NCAA Portal beckoned. Thomas felt he was equipped to handle a larger role and transferred to NSU where he had immediate eligibility.

Thomas says his increased productivity is a product of greater opportunity.

“My team puts me in the right position, and coach (Robert Jones) runs stuff off me. I’ve never had that before,” he told the Virginian-Pilot.

“Always before, I had to go get my points – go get ’em. I’ve never had stuff run through me.”

NSU’s NET power ranking of 170 (out of about 350) is tops among all HBCU Division I schools.

The Spartans face a stiff challenge Jan. 2 at University of Tennessee before opening MEAC play Jan. 6 at South Carolina State.

Salazar’s glad his travels landed him at VUU If you’re living in Richmond with a cellphone area code of 562, you are likely far from home.

Meet Jonathan Salazar, whose basketball road trip has taken him from his native Panama to Nevada to California to New Mexico, back to California, and now to Virginia Union University.

His 562 Area Code stems from when he was in high school (St. John Bosco Technical Institute) in the Greater Los Angeles area.

“I like Richmond and want to learn more about it. This is where I want to finish my college career,” said the 6-foot-6, 240-pound post player.

He’s starting to feel the rhythm of the Richmond beat.

“I’m feeling very healthy … light on my feet … the best I’ve felt in years,” he said.

Salazar, as well as VUU loyalists, are hopeful his travels, and his injuries, are behind him. Two Achilles tears (one to each foot) plus knee surgery have veered him off course at times.

“Jonathan was a three-star prospect (solid Division I) coming out of high school, but the injuries got in the way,” said Panthers Coach Jay Butler.

With full medical clearance, he’s been increasingly effective of late, scoring 15 points and grabbing six rebounds in a loss to Livingstone and adding 13 points and eight boards in another setback to Johnson C. Smith.

BIRTH.BIRTHDAY.AWARD.GRADUATION.HONOR.ENGAGEMENT.WEDDING.ANNIVERSARY.LIFE.

Milestones are meant to be celebrated.

Share accomplishments in a special person’s life by announcing it in the Richmond Free Press.

Contact Cynthia Downing, advertising coordinator, today to find out more about affordable celebration advertising rates to celebrate a special achievement or a special occasion.

Richmond Free Press The People’s Paper

422 East Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219 www.richmondfreepress.com PHONE (804)644-0496 | advertising@richmondfreepress.com | FAX (804)643-5436

His epic game ognized as a teenager wearing the maroon (making the Panamaand steel was Dec. 30 nian National Team with 21 points and 12 in 2017) and the rebounds in 35 mintravel wheels began utes in a 68-66 loss at spinning.

Fairmont, W.Va. There was a prep The Panthers have school in Nevada foldropped their last lowed by a season at Jonathan Salazar four by a combined Bosco. From there he 14 points. signed with NCAA Division I On the season, the Panama- University of Pacific, playing nian averages nine points (third one injury-plagued season. on the team) and a Panthers’ best Sidetracked by medical seven rebounds, with 17 steals woes, he spent time at junior and seven blocked shots. colleges in New Mexico and “It’s like he’s turned the California before connecting corner,” Coach Butler said. with Coach Butler and VUU. “We see Jonathan as a potential “We have an overseas condouble-double man (scoring tact that helped us get in touch,” and rebound norms).

Coach Butler said.

“He’s a skilled kid with a Salazar added that his “old high basketball IQ.” AAU coach” put in a good From Colon, Panama, Sala- word for VUU, highlighting zar’s size and talent was rec- its three NCAA Division II

crowns and impressive list of NBA players.

An area Salazar needs to polish is staying out of foul trouble. He’s collected a teamhigh 46 fouls while playing 24.3 minutes per contest.

The mass communications major fouled out in the Livingstone game and had four fouls against Johnson C. Smith.

“We need to keep Jonathan on the floor more,” Coach Butler said. “We’d like to get him up to about 30 minutes.”

One area Salazar hasn’t struggled is with the language.

His mother, Etania, is an English teacher in Panama and prepared her son for travels that have taken him to both sides of the U.S. VUU is optimistic the basketball vagabond is feeling like a Richmonder – even with his 562 area code.

January 4-6, 2024 B1

Richmond Free Press

Section

Happenings

B

After his father died in 2015, Milton Vice, in the midst of his grief, wanted to contribute to his community. A few months later, he joined the board of the South Richmond Adult Day Care Center.

Today, as board president, he’s working to more than triple the center’s capacity.

The goal: To find a new location large enough to accommodate 75 additional spots for participants since there is a long waiting list.

The center serves adults who need daytime care, supervision, socialization, exercise and meals. It once provided care and a safe space for Mr. Vice’s mother and mother-inlaw. A new location will allow the center to handle even more activities and services.

Mr. Vice adds that the new space will include personal gardens, serve participants with dementia and partner with providers to offer physical therapy and other onsite services.

“If there has been a consistent challenge throughout the years, the size of our current 3,000-square-foot space is insufficient to enable us to serve all in need,” Mr. Vice says. “We could not be more excited at the idea of moving forward and what it can mean for the communities we serve.

Mr. Vice, a veteran of the financial and housing sectors, built his own real estate business, Richmond Mid-Atlantic Properties LLC, in Richmond’s South Side. He was recruited by the South Richmond Adult Day Care Center’s leadership to join its board of directors.

“I thought this would be a great opportunity to be more involved in the community and also helping the seniors in the Richmond Metropolitan area,” says Mr. Vice, who also is president of the Hull Street Merchants Association.

The center provides health

Personality: Milton Vice Spotlight on South Richmond Adult Day Care Center board president checkups, activities, music and art therapy, discussions and special celebrations, all within the modest walls of its Hull Street headquarters.

Soon after he stepped into the role of president, COVID-19 emerged. Visits to the Center were limited to protect the health of participants. The Center paused donations and collaboration with partners including AARP, Virginia Career Works, Blackwell Elementary School and the Honey Hive Daycare & Preschool.

Mr. Vice and the board closed the center from March 2020 to August 2020 to prevent spreading the virus to vulnerable participants. While the Center’s doors were closed, the community’s needs grew.

“During that time, our waiting list grew substantially,” says Mr. Vice, noting that the choices made during the pandemic’s beginning kept participants safe but eager to return.

“We began to dream even more fervently of the ability to grow that would enable us to provide our excellent, affordable services to all who could benefit,” he recalls.

In the years since the Center’s reopened, Mr. Vice has been driven to expand the center’s size, reach and goals.

In nearing the end of his four-year term as board president, Mr. Vice’s desire to serve the community is stronger than ever. Reflecting on his time leading the Center’s board, he remains passionate about its benefits to Richmond’s older citizens.

“It was challenging and it was very fulfilling,” Mr. Vice says. “It’s been very interesting and a little hectic, but it’s

all good.”

Meet an active and caring and person interested in the well-being of Richmond’s elderly population and this week’s Personality, Milton Vice: Volunteer positions: Board president, South Richmond Adult Day Care Center, and board president, Hull Street Merchants Association.

Occupation: Owner, Richmond Mid-Atlantic Properties LLC. Birthday: Oct. 8 in Richmond.

Where I live now: Henrico County.

Education: Varina High School. Virginia Commonwealth University.

Family: Wife Valerie, son Travis, and daughter Ashley.

South Richmond Adult Day Care Center is: A community-based, structured, super-

vised program serving older adults who are cognitively and physically impaired and no longer can remain at home alone. South Richmond Adult Day Care Center offers care and services to reduce isolation and promote mobility, wellness and socialization.

Participants benefit from regular health assessments and monitoring, music, arts and crafts, exercise, games, discussion groups, special celebrations, mid-day meals and nutritious snacks to improve functioning, memory and strength.

Mission: To enhance the health and quality of life of older adults and adults with disabilities by providing a structured, supportive, supervised, enriching and peer-interactive environment which can support wellness and promote socialization and emotional well-being. We aim to do the same for their families as well.

When and why founded: South Richmond Adult Day Care Center was established in 1975 by the joint efforts of the First Baptist Church of South Richmond and St. Stephens Episcopal Church. The vision was to create a program for older adults who had retired and would benefit from recreation and socialization.

The churches invite other organizations such as local communities and companies to support adult day health care ​in meeting the needs of this special population and their families. ​ Location: 1500 Hull Street.

South Richmond Adult Day

Care Center is funded: Funding comes from various organizations through grants, federal programs and participant fees.

No. 1 goal or project as board president: My goal is to continue to have continuity between the board of directors and the community we serve to make sure that this organization thrives.

Strategy for achieving goals: Hiring a realtor to search for a space to accommodate the growing needs of South Richmond Adult Day Care Center.

Visiting spaces with the director of South Richmond Adult Day Care Center, Mrs. Carnell Lewis. Reviewing the benefits of space and cost to find an option that fits the finances available to move South Richmond Adult Day Care Center into the new space.

No. 1 challenge: Finding a space with square footage and open space with office space, a kitchen, and large bathrooms.

South Richmond Adult Day Care Center is especially important for Black and Brown adults and their families because: African-Americans have not had the opportunities other races have. Jobs were not plentiful for the attendees we serve. Medical care was not available as it is today.

Low income can isolate seniors and the proportion of low income Black or Brown seniors is higher than other races. South Richmond Adult Day Care Center serves many attendees who earn nothing or are living below the poverty line.

Ways to get involved with South Richmond Adult Day Care Center as a volunteer

or as an attendee: South Richmond Adult Day Care Center is on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. South Richmond Adult Day Care Center’s website is www. southrichmondadcc.org You can call South Richmond Adult Day Care Center at (804) 231-9306.

How I start the day: I start my day with meditation. I then head to the gym for exercise for my morning workout.

After that, I am now ready to seize the day.

The three words that best describe me: Attentive, caring and supportive.

If I had 10 extra minutes in the day: I would continue to serve others, which is a blessing to me.

Best late-night snack: Cashews and almonds.

The music I listen to most is: Smooth jazz and Motown sounds.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I am a DIY (do it yourself) type of person, renovating home projects.

A quote that inspires me: We cannot change the direction of the wind. However, we can adjust the sail.

The best thing my parents ever taught me: Never give up and continue to put one foot in front of the other.

The person who influenced me the most: My father, Earl Vice, and mother, Reba Vice, were my biggest influencers.

Book that influenced me the most: “Protect Your Peace”

by Trent Shelton. This book provided me with strategies for setting my vision and focus.

What I’m reading now: “Buffalo Soldiers” by Charles River.

Next goal: Travel to Egypt.

A NATIONAL OVATION TO

L. DOUGLAS WILDER

Honoring 70 Years of Leadership & Public Service NATIONAL OVATION BLACK TIE GALA

WILDER DOCUMENTARY FILM PREMIERE

January 20, 2024 5:00-7:30 p.m.

Washington, D.C.

Wednesday, January 17 5:00-7:30 p.m.

Richmond, VA

With a revered public service career spanning seventy years, including becoming the nation’s first elected African-American governor, L. Douglas Wilder lives a legacy of dedication to civil rights, visionary education, and people-first governance.

Join as we recognize his historic achievements with these two distinctive events. Proceeds will support scholarship opportunities to help launch a new generation of public servants.

bit.ly/nationalovation

Richmond Free Press

B2 January 4-6, 2024

Happenings ‘Matunda ya kwanza’

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Cheick Hamala Diabate (bottom left photo) performs with the Elegba Folklore Drummers on Saturday, Dec. 30, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center where thousands attended the 33rd Annual Capital City Kwanzaa Festival presented

by The Elegba Folklore Society.

Created in 1966 by Maulana Ron Karenga, Kwanzaa is an African-American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates history, values, family, community and culture. The ideas and concepts of Kwanzaa are expressed in the Swahili language, one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa. The seven principles that form its core were drawn from communitarian values found throughout the African continent. These principles are: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). Kwanzaa gets its name from the Swahili phrase, “matunda ya kwanza” and is rooted in first fruit celebrations that are found in cultures throughout Africa both in ancient and modern times.

Throughout the daylong event in Richmond, the festival featured music, dance, discussions and wares of the African diaspora under the theme of “Legacy of Balance.”

An African market provided food, books and handcrafted or imported items. The pouring of Ancestral Libation and a Kwanzaa Candle Lighting Ceremony also was part of the ceremonies and festivities.

Love to Sing?

Want to Make a Difference in the Richmond Community?

ONE VOICE CHORUS is a non-profit, intentionally integrated chorus bringing a musically diverse range of excellent choral performances to Central Virginia audiences. We are dedicated to the idea that bringing people together of different backgrounds promotes not only kindness and respect, but an embrace of those differences. All are welcome to sing the beauty and power of diversity in an atmosphere of openness, inclusiveness, mutual respect, and fun. Those who join us experience friendships, and collaboration with people they may not have met otherwise, and these opportunities open minds and hearts, one person and one voice to another. We sing a mix of musical styles, including spirituals, jazz, classical, and popular songs. We rehearse on Monday evenings, 7:00-9:15 pm, at Epiphany Lutheran Church, 1400 Horsepen Rd. No auditions required! While we do sing from sheet music, you do not need to be able to read music to sing with us.

Rehearsals for our Winter concert on March 9 begin on Monday, January 8, at 7:00 pm.

For more information, visit www.onevoicechorus.org.

A Tribute To Gospel Legend

RICHARD SMALLWOOD Dr. Henry Panion III, conductor with local community choirs For 40 years, the energy of GRAMMY®award-winning arranger Richard Smallwood has brought gospel and pop together. Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Destiny’s Child have performed his music. The Richmond Symphony presents this tribute to Richard Smallwood, with Dr. Henry Panion III conducting and featuring guest vocalists and Richmond’s finest gospel choirs. Be inspired by their sound!

TICKETS START AT $15

SMALLWOOD

JUST ADDED!

PANION III

Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 • 8:00pm Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024 • 8:00pm Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center

KE YNOTE SPE AKE R:

Delegate Don Scott Virginia House of Delegates

TICKETS START AT $15 DEGO

88th District

Please join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and recognize the Virginia Women in Legislature

JANUARY 12, 2024

DOWNTOWN RICHMOND MARRIOTT•7:30 A.M.

W W W . V U U . E D U/M L K

CELEBRATE MLK

Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024 • 3:00pm Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center

Dr. Henry Panion III, conductor A concert for all ages honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrating his inspiring message.

FREE FOR 18 AND UNDER

BUSONI CENTENNIAL, PLUS

BRAHMS, THE ROMANTIC

Saturday, Jan. 20 • 8:00pm Sunday, Jan. 21 • 3:00pm Carpenter Theatre Valentina Peleggi, conductor Francesca Dego, violin

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

Church)

Richmond Free Press

January 4-6, 2024 B3

Faith News/Obituary/Directory From liberated to liberators

‘March forward in God’s name,’ Rev. A. Lincoln James Jr. proclaims on Emancipation Day

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

“March forward,” the Rev. A. Lincoln James Jr. told about 125 people at the New Year’s Day program celebrating the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, the great Civil War document that took the first big step toward abolishing slavery in this country.

Rev. James said there are those who want to “go back to the good old days. But I have a question: Where and when were the good old days,” particularly for members of the Black community whose forebears came through slavery and harsh segregation.

And he said there are those who are so comfortable they want to keep things the way they are, even though change is a constant.

“Don’t be the kind who wants to go back,” said Rev. James, who has pastored Trinity Baptist Church for 43 years. “Don’t try to stand still, but march forward in God’s name, and if you march forward, God will make a way somehow.”

Rev. James, who delivered the keynote address at the program hosted by Sharon Baptist Church at its Henrico County

sanctuary, used verses from the Second Book of Kings to make his point.

The verses tell the story of four starving lepers who marched toward the Syrian Army that was besieging the capital of Israel and with God’s help, sent the enemy fleeing in panic in the belief a major army was going to attack them.

His speech was a highlight of the yearly event that is sponsored by the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity. The program also included vibrant musical selections of a 48-voice choir drawn from area churches.

But the audience, primarily composed of elderly people, was far smaller than in the past.

Despite the name on the program, the service included virtually no mention of President Lincoln’s famous 1863 proclamation freeing slaves in the rebel South and did not include a reading of the document.

Just as significant was the dearth of elected officials. Once a required stop for local and state office-holders, the 84th annual program that is a fundraiser for local NAACP branches appeared to draw only one, Henrico Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, who also is a minister.

Janette Lewis Allen, 80, remembered for her work with Carver Elementary students

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Whenever one or more Carver Elementary School students needed refuge from a troubled home, guidance counselor Janette Lewis Allen allowed them to spend the night at her house.

“She had a passion for education and community service, particularly when it came to children,” said members of her family.

The retired educator, who died at age 80 on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, is being remembered for the caring role she played in the lives of the Richmond children with whom she interacted.

Family and friends celebrated Mrs. Allen’s life Saturday, Dec. 30, at Cedar Street Baptist Church of God, where she had been a member more than 70 years. Her family joined the church when they moved to Richmond from Mullins, S.C. A graduate of Armstrong High School, Mrs. Allen began her 45-year career in education after earning her degree at Winston-Salem State University

in North Carolina guidance counselor. in 1965.

Mrs. Allen spent 35 She taught for years with RPS before 10 years in New retiring and was best Kent County’s known for her service public schools to the children who atbefore earning a tended Carver. master’s degree at The Mechanicsville Virginia Commonresident was a member Mrs. Allen wealth University. of Delta Sigma Theta She later joined the faculty of Sorority for nearly 50 years Richmond Public Schools, first and also took part in informal as a teacher before becoming a groups that she and friends

created, including the DJEMS and Wednesday’s Girls.

She also was active at Cedar Street, where she taught Sunday School, served on internal committees and was a member of the church’s Usher Board.

Survivors include her husband of 57 years, Leroy W. Allen Sr.; two sons, Leroy W. Allen Jr. and Brandon G. Allen; a brother, James “Jimmy” Lowery; and four grandchildren.

Rev. A. Lincoln James Jr. talks with Dr. Lester Frye during the Emancipation Day Service at Sharon Baptist Church. Dr. Frye is president of the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity, which sponsers the annual event.

Riverview Baptist Church Sundays Sunday School - 9:30 A.M. Worship Service - 11 A.M. Via Conference Call (202) 926-1127 Pin 572890# In Person Sunday Service also on FACEBOOK and YouTube 2604 Idlewood Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 • www.riverviewbaptistch.org Rev. Dr. John E. Johnson, Jr., Interim Minister

WE SAVED A SEAT FOR YOU!

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

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!

Moore Street Missionary

Thirty-first Street Baptist Church

Baptist Church

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

Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor

C

e with Reverence elevanc R g in Rev. Dr. Joshua Mitchell, Senior Pastor bin ❖ om

The doors of the church are open for worship!

No registration required.

Join us in person or online on Facebook or YouTube

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

10:30 a.m. Sundays

1127 North 28th Street, Richmond, VA 23223-6624 • Office: (804) 644-1402

“Your Home In God’s Kingdom”

“The Church With A Welcome”

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.

Back Inside

Broad Rock Baptist Church

The Rev. Sylvester T. Smith, Ph.D., Pastor “There’s A Place for You” Join us at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday for in-person worship service or Live-stream on YouTube (Good Shepherd Baptist Church RVA).

7M\XL &ETXMWX 'LYVGL 8LIQI 1SFMPM^MRK *SV 1MRMWXV] 6IJVIWLMRK 8LI 3PH ERH )QIVKMRK 8LI 2I[ A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone

Come worship with us!

Live on Facebook @ 4ixth #aptist $IVSDI 37" Live on Youtube @4#$ 37" Or by visiting our website www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

“Please come and join us” Every Sunday @ 11:00 am.

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

“MAKE IT HAPPEN”

We Embrace Diversity — Love For All! Back Inside Sundays Join us for 10:00 AM Worship Service

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

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

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

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

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

St. Peter Baptist Church

Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, Pastor

Worship Opportunities 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.

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

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

Pastor Kevin Cook

1858

Triumphant

The People’s Church

Baptist Church 2003 Lamb Avenue Richmond, VA 23222 Dr. Arthur M. Jones, Sr., Pastor (804) 321-7622 OPEN FOR IN PERSON WORSHIP Morning Worship - 11 am Conference Calls are still available at: ( 503) 300-6860 PIN: 273149 Facebook@:triumphantbaptist

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 (Zoom)

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

Wednesday Bible Study • 7pm (Zoom)

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

Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus

Richmond Free Press

B4 January 4-6, 2024

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER MICHELLE NALUMU, Plaintiff v.

ARNOLD SEGAWA, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23004180-00 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 of the Commonwealth of Virginia, appear here on or before the 21st day of February, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. 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

Continued from previous column

Continued from previous column

Continued from previous column

Continued from previous column

a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, who is a nonresident, appear here on or before the 6th day of February, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. 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

(804 798-9667

a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 31st day of January, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. 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

Custody

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER MALCOLM DODSON, Plaintiff v.

CLAUDIA MALDONADO MARTELO, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23004057-00 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 6th day of February, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. 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

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER KEEN TRINH, Plaintiff v.

MINH LE, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23003504-00 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 has been served with the Complaint by posted service appear here on or before the 6th day of February, 2024 and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Counsel VSB# 27724 The 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 ALEXISE LOAIZA, Plaintiff v.

RICHARD LOAIZA, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23003169-00 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 29th day of January, 2024 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 JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re TRUST SMITH RDSS v.

Unknown Father FILE NO. JJ102076-09-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“TPR”) of the Unknown Father (Father) of Trust Smith, child DOB 12/08/2023. “TPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support.

It is ORDERED that the defendant Unknown Father (Father), to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 02/01/2024, at 2:00 P.M, COURTROOM #3 VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Mirna nicolle morales reyes File No. JJ112183-01-00/02 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Determine custody and special immigrant juvenile status of Mirna Nicolle Morales Reyes.

It is ORDERED that t h e d e f e n d a n t P edro morales fajardo appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before 02/22/2024, at 10:00 AM

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to 24 CFR 903.17, that Virginia Housing will hold a public hearing on the 5-Year Public Housing Agency (PHA) Plan for FYs 2025-2029 and Annual Plan for FY 2025.

The hearing will be conducted virtually and in-person on Thursday, February 15, 2024, at 11 am. The address to attend in-person is Virginia Housing, 4224 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060.To obtain the weblink to the public hearing, please send an email to Diana.Crosswhite@ VirginiaHousing.com by 5 pm on February 13, 2024.

The proposed PHA Plan documents and information relevant to the hearing are available for review by the public by emailing Diana.Crosswhite@VirginiaHousing.com, visiting our website at 9LUJLQLD+RXVLQJ FRP RU \RX PD\ YLHZ WKH GRFXPHQWV DW RXU RI¿FH located at 4224 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060, between the hours of 9 am – 4 pm.

Written comments may be submitted prior to the public hearing by PDLO WR WKH DWWHQWLRQ RI +&93 6U 3ROLF\ 7UDLQLQJ 2I¿FHU 9LUJLQLD Housing, PO Box 4545, Richmond, VA 23220. Written comments not presented at the public hearing must be received by Tuesday, February 13, 2024.

If you require an accommodation to participate in the public hearing or DUH OLPLWHG (QJOLVK SUR¿FLHQW DQG UHTXLUH WUDQVODWLRQ VHUYLFHV SOHDVH contact Diana Crosswhite at Diana.Crosswhite@VirginiaHousing. com or via phone at (804) 343-5858 by Tuesday, February 13, 2024.

Virginia Housing does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), age, national origin, familial status, or disability.

Don't Miss One Word Don't Miss Don’t Miss One Word

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER DARNESHA HENDERSON, Plaintiff v.

PEDRO HENDERSON, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23004035-00 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 Continued on next column

Continued on next column

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ANTONIA SMITH, Plaintiff v.

RIGOBERTO PENA LORA, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23003961-00 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 Continued on next column

Continued on next column

The University of Virginia VHHNV D ¿UP WR SURYLGH Real-Time Transit Tracking and Prediction Mobile Application RFP# UVA-00086, KWWSV ELGV VFLTXHVW FRP DSSV 5RXWHU 3XEOLF(YHQW" &XVWRPHU2UJ 89D RU HPDLO SXU UIS#HVHUYLFHV YLUJLQLD HGX

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

Freelance Writers: Richmond Free Press has immediate opportunities for freelance writers. Newspaper experience is a requirement. To be considered, please send 5 samples of your writing, along with a cover letter to news@ richmond freepress.com or mail to: Richmond Free Press, P. O. Box 27709, Richmond, VA 23261. No phone calls.

One Word

End the inconvenience of empty newspaper boxes, fighting the weather and hunting down back copies.

N Also, support the Free Press. We’re always working for you.

N

End the inconvenience of empty newspaper boxes, fighting the weather and hunting down back copies.

N Also, support the Free Press. We’re always working for you.

N

VOLUNTEER SUBSCRIPTION SUBSCRIBE

For your convenience, For your convenience, the Richmond Free Press offers you the ss one word. the Richmond Free Press offers opportunity to receive the Richmond Free Press in the mail. you the opportunity to receive

VOLUNTEER SUBSCRIPTION

Subscribe

the Richmond FreeFree Press For your convenience, the Richmond Press offers you the Endopportunity the inconvenience of empty newspaper boxes, Justtotake a minute out the coupon receive theinand Richmond Free Pressbelow: in the mail. thefill mail.

fighting the weather and hunting down back copies. support the Richmond $99.00 for a Also 12-month subscription (First class mail) Just take a minute and fill out the coupon Free Press. are always working for you. (Third $50.00 for aWe12-month subscription class below: mail)

Check or money order enclosed. $99.00 for a 12-month subscription (First class mail) BillPlease my: take a minute to fill out your Volunteer Subscription form below. $50.00 for a 12-month subscription (Third class mail) money12-month order enclosed.

P Check $99 fororWeekly subscription Card12-month numbersubscription (please record all digits) my: P Bill $50 for Bi-weekly

Expiration date

P Check or money order enclosed.

Cardholder's (please print) numbername Expiration date (please record all digits) P Bill my: T Visa Card T Mastercard T American Express T Discover Cardholder'ssignature name (please print) for credit card purchase) Cardholder's (required Card number (please record all digits)

Expiration Date

Cardholder's signature (required for credit card purchase)

Cardholder’s name (please print)

Name ______________________________________________________ Cardholder’s signature (required for credit card purchase) Name_____________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Address Address _____________________________________________________ City Name ____________________________ State _________ Zip _________ City ____________________________ State _________ Zip _________ Address

Send to: Richmond Free Press, P.O. Box 27709, Richmond, VA 23261 Send to: Richmond Free Press, P.O. Box 27709, City State Richmond, Zip VA 23261 Mail to: Richmond Free Press, P.O. Box 27709, Richmond, VA 23261 or Email: Subscriptions@richmondfreepress.com