Richmond Free Press July 7-9, 2022 edition

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VOL. 31 NO. 28

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Mike Grier becomes first Black GM for NHL

Meet this week’s Personality B3

JULY 7-9, 2022

Pay them, but not her RPS spends extra to win bill dispute

By Jeremy Lazarus

The Richmond School Board paid a white law firm $31,000 in legal fees to avoid paying a Black professional’s $27,000 bill for doing consulting work in the case of a disabled student, half of which was to be paid by the state.

The board won an outright but expensive victory when state courts, in little noticed decisions, threw out Dr. Marla F. Crawford’s suit to collect for the assess-

ment and observation work she was hired to perform, ruling that the school division did not have to pay.

In a final decision in early June, the state Supreme Court upheld retired Richmond Circuit Court Judge Melvin R. Hughes Jr.’s 2019 ruling that the board was protected from suit by the doctrine of sovereign immunity that bars legal action against governmental entities in their own courts if they have not consented to be sued.

The bottom line: School divisions and

the state government can reject bills they do not want to pay in cases involving the federally mandated education of physically or mentally challenged students.

In Dr. Crawford’s view, the decision overturns state regulations requiring the state and schools to equally share the cost when a third-party hearing officer hires a consultant such as her to conduct an independent evaluation of a student challenging Please turn to A4

Dr. Crawford

Fire destroys RPS property twice in less than 6 months Fox Elementary fire cause is ‘undetermined’

By Holly Rodriguez

Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States/Handout via Reuters

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson takes her constitutional oath of office as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court administered by Chief Justice John Roberts as Judge Jackson’s husband Patrick Jackson holds the Bible in a handout image provided by the U.S. Supreme Court from ceremonies held June 30 at the Supreme Court building in Washington.

Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in, becomes 1st Black woman on Supreme Court The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in to the Supreme Court on Thursday, June 30, shattering a glass ceiling as the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court.

The 51-year-old Justice Jackson is the court’s 116th justice, and she took the place of the justice she once worked for. Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement was effective at noon.

Moments later, joined by her family, Justice Jackson recited the two oaths required of Supreme Court justices, one

Nearly five months after a fire ripped through and destroyed William Fox Elementary School, a report released by the Richmond Fire Department on July 1 offers little insight as to its cause. Property damage as a result of the fire is estimated to be $2.5 million for Fox. Meanwhile an investigation is underway for another blaze that struck on June 29, the first day of summer school for the district. In that fire, five buses awaiting repair at a bus depot on Chamberlayne Avenue were destroyed.

The Richmond Fire Department last week announced that its investigation of the Feb. 11 fire at Fox Elementary in the city’s Fan District is complete, and that the “fire is classified as accidental and the cause is undetermined.”

According to a fire department news release, its 911 call center had no record of being notified by the school’s alarm system about the three-alarm fire. Rather, a witness called and Please turn to A4

administered by Justice Breyer and the other by Chief Justice John Roberts.

“With a full heart, I accept the solemn responsibility of supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States and administering justice without fear or favor, so help me God,” Justice Jackson said in a statement issued by the court. “I am truly grateful to be part of the promise of our great Nation.

I extend my sincerest thanks to all of my new colleagues for Please turn to A4

Henrico County man fighting eviction will soon have his day in court

By Jeremy Lazarus

Donald J. Garrett could find out within a week whether he will keep the Eastern Henrico apartment he has lived in since 2011.

The disabled 69-year-old is being sued by his landlord, the Pointe at River City apartments, which claims he owes more than $1,300 that remains unpaid, which he denies.

The company has gone to Henrico General District Court seeking to evict

him, and a hearing is now set in his case for Friday, July 15.

Mr. Garrett is not alone. According to the Virginia Poverty Law Center, the Pointe, a complex of more than 700 units Mr. Garrett located on Laburnum Avenue near Nine Mile Road, is seeking to evict 237 households or about one-third of the occupied units.

At a time when much of the attention involving evictions has focused on the public housing units that Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority manages, private complexes are starting to rev up their ouster of tenants who are behind on rent now that a state rental relief program has run out of money.

Also expired are laws that for the past two years have put more limitations on landlords. Now, the eviction process can Please turn to A4

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Stately onlooker At just 4 months, Zachariah Fakondor eagerly accompanied his father, Philip Fakondor, to a citizenship ceremony at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on Monday. Mee-Kema Fakondor, Zachariah’s mom and Mr. Fakondor’s wife, was among 46 people from 29 countries who were sworn in as American citizens. Please see story and more photos on B2

Jill Biden visits Henrico clinic to promote vaccine for children

By George Copeland Jr.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

First Lady Jill Biden, right, waves to families waiting for their young children to be vaccinated at the Henrico County Health Department East Clinic on July 1. She is escorted

by Dr. Melissa A. Viray, acting director of Richmond and Henrico health districts.

First Lady Jill Biden joined state and local leaders at a Henrico County health clinic on July 1, where they encouraged parents to vaccinate children between the ages of six months to 5 years old.

Dr. Biden toured the Henrico County Health Department East Clinic, where she met and spoke with parents seeking to protect their young children from COVID-19.

“I know it’s been hard,” said Dr. Biden, acknowledging the toll the pandemic has had on the parents of very young children. “But you’ve done an amazing job. You’ve protected

your baby and carried your family through this.”

“And now, that relief is finally here: a vaccine for our youngest children.”

Dr. Biden’s visit came a

few weeks after the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved COVIDPlease turn to A4

Free COVID-19 testing, vaccines Free community testing for COVID-19 continues.

The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following location: • Thursday, July 7, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. — Fulton Neighborhood Resource Center, 1519 Williamsburg Road.

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 go online at vax.rchd.com.

Please turn to A4

Richmond Free Press

A2 July 7-9, 2022

Local News

Postal rates increasing Effective Sunday, July 10, the price of a stamp to mail a letter will increase to 60 cents, up 2 cents from the current price of 58 cents.

The 3.8 percent increase in first class postage is part of a series of increases the U.S. Postal Service will put in place after receiving approval in June.

Among other changes, the cost to mail a postcard will increase to 44 cents, up four cents from the current 40 cents, and the price to mail a magazine, newspapers and similar media will increase 40 cents to $3.49.

Collective bargaining decision delayed again

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

The vote to authorize Richmond city employees to unionize is now expected to happen Monday, July 25.

Though some uncertainty remains, City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille has set that as the date for a public hearing and a vote on an issue on which discussions began 17 months ago.

In preparation for a vote, Dr. Newbille set a special meeting for Monday, July 18, for council members to consider amendments to the proposed ordinance that two members, 4th District Councilwoman Kristen M. Nye and 8th District Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell, have advanced.

Once the fate of the amendments is decided, there would be a finished product that would be ready to be dealt with at the last regular council meeting before the August recess, Dr. Newbille said.

Four other members have already signed on as patrons of the legislation.

Neglected Highland Park church may soon see new life

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

It’s taken four years but plans to convert a derelict church in the 1200 block of Brookland Park Blvd. in North Side into 66 affordable apartments are moving closer to reality.

City Council cleared the way for the development at a special meeting Monday with the passage of a resolution authorizing the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority to provide $15 million in bonds to support the development.

The new apartments will replace the former Mizpah Presbyterian Church and the Nehemiah House Community Center near the Six Points intersection in Highland Park.

The nonprofit Enterprise Community Development company, based in Silver Spring, Md., was approved to develop the project. In the past, the company developed more than 220 apartments in Highland Park, Jackson Ward and Gilpin Court to replace units in the now vacant Fay Towers senior high-rise complex in Gilpin.

Enterprise projects the total project will top $16 million, with an average investment of more than $243,000 per unit.

Enterprise previously invested $11.4 million to renovate and restore 77 apartments in the former Highland Park Elementary School.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Cityscape Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

The Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) unveiled a Pride-themed bus June 5 in front of Richmond City Hall. The first of its kind in the region, the “Love Connects” bus is intended to symbolize Richmond being a welcoming and inclusive place for the LGBTQ+ community. GRTC partnered with Virginia Pride for the design of the Pride bus, which will be in service for at least a year.

Natural gas price hikes mean higher bills for area customers

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Area residents who cook, heat, cool or otherwise rely on natural gas provided

by Richmond are starting to see their bills jump – even though cold weather is still months away.

The key reason: The charge for the fuel that customers use has just nearly doubled in price.

While there might have been some anticipation given the surge in price for gas, diesel and other fuels, the city Department of Public Utilities kept mum and did not provide any advance notice.

Instead, on July 1, the department imposed an immediate 95 percent increase in the charge for buying and bringing natural gas to the city.

Natural gas is measured in cubic feet.

Before the increase, DPU charged customers 5.7 cents per cubic foot to cover the cost of the fuel. The new price customers must pay is 11.136 cents per cubic foot, or almost 6 cents more.

That might not seem like a lot, but it

translates into a much bigger bill.

Based on DPU’s estimate that the average residential customer uses 7,000 cubic feet of gas a month over the course of a year, the total bill is rising from around $100 a month to about $140 a month, a total 40 percent increase.

Along with the fuel cost, the bill also includes a fixed charge for service, a distribution fee for the pipes needed to carry it around the city to homes and businesses and taxes.

The only consolation: Natural gas will still be much cheaper than the cost of gas and diesel to power vehicles.

Currently, a gallon of gas costs about $4.80.

If natural gas was measured in gallons, the cost of natural gas would be $2.28 a gallon, even with the increase DPU is imposing.

But that doesn’t help families already struggling to pay rent and keep food on the table who must now absorb a big jump in their utility bill.

DPU officials said they had no choice, given the spike in wholesale prices in Louisiana and other states that are home to the

main production areas.

The fuel charge, also known as the purchase gas charge, is designed to cover the cost that the gas utility is facing to acquire the fuel without providing any profit, officials said.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency, natural gas has risen sharply due to a reduction in supply, higher demand from power companies that have switched from coal to natural gas to generate electricity, and relocation of more of the available supply to exports to Europe to replace Russian natural gas in response to the war in Ukraine.

The EIA projects that it could take a year for supply to grow to match demand and start easing prices.

DPU indicated that it would switch from setting the charge for gas from quarterly to monthly in a bid to take advantage of any price declines and reduce the amount customers must pay.

That change could mean, though, that any additional increase in the cost of the fuel would be more quickly reflected on customer bills.

Title IX evolves with the times Holly Rodriguez

On June 23, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 turned 50 years old. Before Title IX, there was no law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in programs or activities in federally funded educational institutions. If a conflict arises that violates the law, there is a formal conflict resolution protocol that is often followed. But some local universities are offering an alternative as long as the parties involved agree to it.

At Virginia Commonwealth University, Cleo Magwaro, associate vice president of institutional equity and interim Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, describes using an alternative to the investigation model as a “human-centered” approach to meet student needs.

During the formal process, an investigator talks with the parties involved and witnesses while conducting an investigation. The information is turned over to a hearing panel - at VCU, this panel

includes trained faculty and staff - who render a decision. If any party is dissatisfied with the panel’s decision, they have the right to appeal.

This formal, investigation model is standard at federally funded educational institutions. But locally, Virginia State University and University of Richmond also offer an informal, mediation-based alternative to the formal process as well.

At VCU, the informal process is reserved for nonviolent Title IX conflicts. Methods of informal resolution may include conflict resolution, mediation, restorative justice, facilitated conversations, counseling, training and/or educational conversations or projects.

For example, the school’s Title IX office, Equity and Access Services, can provide a trained mediator who listens to each party share what they believe is the best way to resolve the conflict. The goal is for all parties to be heard in a way that feels more restorative, rather than punitive. From there, the mediator works with all parties to agree on solving the issue.

Jackson Ward residents continue to hear plans, explore ideas for historic neighborhood’s future

By George Copeland Jr.

The latest proposal to reunite the former “Harlem of the South” was unveiled to Jackson Ward residents and government stakeholders at the Hippodrome Theater on June 29. All were eager to hear and discuss updates for the Reconnect Jackson Ward Project.

The current framework, developed through multiple community workshops, is to build a structure over a four-block section of Interstate 95, connecting Gilpin Court and Jackson Ward.

Interstate 95 separated the Black-majority community when it and Interstate 64 were constructed in 1958 and 1957, respectively, displacing many families in the process.

Greenery, new buildings and more would be added over this structure, with the intent of creating a space that celebrates and sustains the Black culture and history present in this community. The framework is part of a larger feasibility study still in progress, and planners stressed that the project is still in its early phases, with more community planning and revisions likely in coming months.

“This project right now is just figuring out what could be built, but what will be built, we’re still working on that,” said Maritza M. Pechin, deputy director for Richmond’s Office of Equitable Development and project director. “We want this to be a connection that is beneficial and uplifts Jackson Ward residents and businesses.”

Maintaining a physical, financial and cultural stake in the reshaping of Jackson Ward remains a major priority for Jackson Ward residents, some of whom voiced concern over the potential for gentrification and a major shift in the district’s demographics.

For other community members, there is still

George Copeland Jr.

Maritza M. Pechin, deputy director for Richmond’s Office of Equitable Development, and C.B. Chambliss discuss the latest framework for the Reconnect Jackson Ward Project last Wednesday at the Hippodrome Theater.

much to do in addressing the long-term issues still facing Jackson Ward. C.B. Chambliss, whose family has been in Jackson Ward for 40 years, called for an approach that treated the reconnection as a chance for reparations that would address how the district has been neglected.

Earlier on June 29, Mr. Chambliss pointed to the return of the former Bruce’s Beach property in California, originally a resort for AfricanAmericans in the 1920s until the land was

seized by the local government, to the family that first owned it.

He said that is an example of the kind of ownership and investment that should be considered for Jackson Ward residents.

During the meeting, Mr. Chambliss’ remarks earned him praise and criticism from Jackson Ward residents. Yet his words led to a more detailed discussion in terms of where the Reconnect Project stands, what other residents want

to see and what are the possibilities.

“Let’s put something in the hands of those that lost it or their descendants,” Mr. Chambliss said. “A conversation solely focused on equity would be awesome.”

“Land and money, a whole (conversation) solely focused on that, not parks, not all this other stuff. I think something like that would be very beneficial.”

Ms. Pechin noted that a community plan for all of Jackson Ward, in partnership with the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, is in its early stages and would seek to address these kinds of concerns. Black homeownership, business growth and entrepreneurial opportunities are being incorporated into this community planning process, and the solutions developed could potentially be applied beyond Jackson Ward to other parts of the city, she added.

“We’ve definitely heard loud and clear that the future of this reconnection in the community needs to be one that uplifts and upholds and adds more ownership for black people in Richmond,” Ms. Pechin said.

Reconnect Jackson Ward is part of the larger Richmond 300 master plan recently approved by city officials to revitalize the city and set government priorities for years to come. The proposed framework is currently estimated to cost potentially $100 million or more to complete, and will have to compete with similar projects nationwide for funding from the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program.

With grant applications for the Pilot Program due by Oct. 13 and more community meetings scheduled throughout 2022, there is still more work and discussion ahead, for both planners and residents, to see the potential future of Jackson Ward finalized and eventually realized.

Richmond Free Press

July 7-9, 2022 A3

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Richmond Free Press

A4 July 7-9, 2022

News

RPS spends extra to win bill dispute Continued from A1

the provision of educational services as inadequate.

“That shouldn’t be right,” said Dr. Crawford, 54, a Virginia Union University graduate who has three master’s degrees and a doctorate in special education leadership. “I was called in to do the work at public expense, and now I am not going to get paid.”

To add insult to injury, she said she has been ordered to pay $1,250 of the School Board’s legal fees to the Henrico Countybased firm, Harmon Claytor Corrigan & Wellman P.C. The law firm has not commented on the case. Richmond Public Schools’ spokesperson Sarah Abubaker stated that “this case has been settled by multiple courts, which found RPS the prevailing party. We do not have any further comment.”

The case grew out of a dispute over the education being provided to a Richmond high school student who suffered from multiple physical ailments that made it difficult for her to come to school on time and focus on her work.

When the school system and the student’s guardian could not reach agreement on accommodations and services to ensure the student received an appropriate education as federal law requires, the case, as provided under federal law and federal and state regulations, was heard before a due process hearing officer to

make a determination on the course forward.

In December 2017, the hearing officer engaged Dr. Crawford, a veteran teacher who also owns and operates Elite Educational Consulting, to observe the student in the classroom and perform a functional behavioral analysis, according to court documents.

Dr. Crawford, who has taught math and science for 32 years in Virginia and Maryland high schools, said she has done one or two similar reports a year since launching her consulting firm in 2011 as a side business to her full-time work as a classroom teacher.

Dr. Crawford stated in court filings that between December and March, she spent 116 hours on the case, including spending 27 hours in classroom observation, reviewing the student’s records on attendance and performing multiple interviews.

The result, she stated, was a 104-page report with recommendations that went to the hearing officer and Richmond Public Schools and was incorporated into the proceedings involving the student along with three other evaluations assessing her vocational ability, her medical condition and her psychological state.

“No one raised any objections to my report,” Dr. Crawford said, “until I presented my bill.”

Despite repeated efforts, RPS continued to ignore her requests for payment. At one point, a school official offered to settle for $11,500, but that offer was dropped after the board hired the

law firm to handle the matter.

After Dr. Crawford, who represented herself, sued to collect, she was met with stout resistance. Among other claims, Melissa Y. York, the attorney from the firm who handled the case for the school board, alleged the report contained grammatical and spelling errors and did not meet what it said were the standards for such reports.

Dr. Crawford noted that she had provided similar assessment reports to Richmond and other school divisions before and after this case and had not received such criticism or faced a struggle to get paid. “This was a first,” she said. “It was all about the money.”

While the case against Richmond is over, Dr. Crawford is not giving up. She said plans to pursue an effort to receive a portion of her fee from the State Department of Education, which was to pay half of the bill from that case, according to state regulations.

Meanwhile, she continues to work on behalf of other disabled students through her consulting firm.

“Right now, I’m working with the family of a special education student in Chesterfield County who was punched in the stomach by a teacher,” she said. “There are still plenty of children who need my help to ensure they get the education they deserve.” .

Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in, becomes 1st Black woman on Supreme Court Continued from A1

their warm and gracious welcome.”

Chief Justice Roberts welcomed Justice Jackson “to the court and our common calling.” The ceremony was streamed live on the court’s website. All the justices except for Neil Gorsuch attended the swearing-in, the court said. There was no immediate explanation for Gorsuch’s absence.

Justice Jackson, a federal judge since 2013, is joining three other women — Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett. It’s the first time four women will serve together on the nine-member court.

“Her historic swearing in today represents a profound step forward for our nation, for all the young, Black girls who now see themselves reflected on our highest court, and for all of us as Americans,” President Joe Biden said in a statement after he returned from a trip to Europe.

He also thanked Justice Breyer “for his many years of exemplary service.”

President Biden nominated Justice Jackson in February, a month after Justice

Breyer, 83, announced he would retire at the end of the court’s term, assuming his successor had been confirmed. Justice Breyer’s earlier-than-usual announcement and the condition he attached was a recognition of the Democrats’ tenuous hold on the Senate in an era of hyper-partisanship, especially surrounding federal judgeships.

The Senate confirmed Justice Jackson’s nomination in early April, by a 53-47 mostly party-line vote that included support from three Republicans.

Justice Jackson had been in a sort of judicial limbo since, remaining a judge on the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., but not hearing any cases. President Biden elevated her to that court from the district judgeship to which she was appointed by President Obama.

Glynda Carr, president of Higher Heights for America, an organization that advocates for the growth of Black women’s political power, said the timing of Jackson’s swearing-in was bittersweet.

“Although we celebrate her today, one Black woman or a cohort of Black women can’t save this democracy alone. We are

Free COVID-19 vaccines Continued from A1

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 or booster shot?

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free walk-up COVID-19 vaccines at the following locations: • Thursday, July 7 & July 14, noon to 4 p.m. - Richmond Henrico Health District, 400 E. Cary St., Pfizer for ages six months and older, Moderna for ages six months to five years old and ages 12 years and older, appointment only.

• Tuesday, July 12, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Henrico East Health Department, 1400 N. Laburnum Ave., Pfizer for ages six months and older, Moderna for ages six months to five years old and ages 12 years and older, appointment only.

• Wednesday, July 13, 9 a.m. to noon - Henrico West Headquarters, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, Pfizer for ages six months and older, Moderna for ages six months to five years old and ages 12 years and older, appointment only.

Vaccinations and booster shots are available for all eligible on a walk-in basis. People still may schedule an appointment online at vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd.com, or by calling (804) 205-3501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682).

VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.

Those who are getting a booster shot should bring their vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine received.

RHHD also offers at-home vaccinations by calling (804) 205-3501 to schedule appointments.

New COVID-19 cases in Virginia increased by 13 percent last week, according to the Virginia Department of Health, while hospitalization data from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association increased by 11 percent.

Community COVID-19 levels in the city of Richmond and counties of Chesterfield and Hanover had again risen to high levels, while Henrico County remained at a high level of community COVID-19.

A total of 2,721 new cases of COVID-19 were reported statewide Wednesday for the 24-hour period, contributing to an overall state total of 1,884,246 cases in Virginia since the pandemic’s outbreak. As of Wednesday, there have been 452,612 hospitalizations and 20,691 deaths statewide.

The state’s seven-day positivity rate rose to 21.8 percent on Wednesday. Last week, the positivity rate was 19.9 percent.

On Tuesday, state health officials reported that 73.3 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated, while 81.9 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

State data also showed that over 3.1 million people in Virginia have received booster shots or third doses of the vaccine.

Among those ages 5 to 11 in Virginia, 325,375 have received their first shots as of Monday, accounting for 44.9 percent of the age group in the state, while 278,449 children, or 38.4 percent, are fully vaccinated and 26,354 children have received a third vaccine dose or booster, making up 3.6 percent of that age group. As of Wednesday, fewer than 157,800 cases, 933 hospitalizations and 12 deaths have been recorded among children in the state.

State data also shows that African-Americans comprised 22 percent of cases statewide and 23.1 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 11.5 percent of cases and 5.1 percent of deaths.

Reported COVID-19 data as of Tuesday, July 5, 2022 Cases Hospitalizations Deaths 50,608 1,131 516 Richmond Henrico County 74,137 1,518 957 Chesterfield County 82,325 1,521 776 Hanover County 24,112 727 293

a piece of it and we are doing our work, our part. She’s going to forever reshape and shape that court. But she’s just a piece of the work that needs to happen moving forward,” Ms. Carr said.

Justice Jackson will be able to begin work immediately, but the court will have just finished the bulk of its work until the fall, apart from emergency appeals that occasionally arise. That will give her time to settle in and familiarize herself with the roughly two dozen cases the court already has agreed to hear starting in October as well as hundreds of appeals that will pile up over the summer.

She helps form the most diverse court in its 232-year history and is the first former public defender to be a justice.

The court that Justice Jackson is joining is the most conservative that it has been since the 1930s. She is likely to be on the losing end of important cases, which could include examinations of the role of race in college admissions, congressional redistricting and voting rights that the court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, will take up next term.

Henrico County man fighting eviction will soon have his day in court Continued from A1

be started if rent is more than five days overdue, and apartment owners and managers also no longer have to help tenants find resources to cover rent.

Martin Weigbreit, director of litigation for the Richmond office of the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, estimates that 2,400 eviction cases will be heard in courts in Central Virginia through mid-July with more to come.

Mr. Garrett can’t understand why he is a target.

“I’ve always paid my rent on time,” he insists.

He even signed a new one-year lease in April to continue living in his two-bedroom unit at 623 N. Laburnum Ave. Based on income, his lease sets his rent at $863 a month, or more than $300 a month less than the market rent that the Pointe complex advertises on its web pages.

However, the court summons obtained by AP 11 North LLC, the listed owner of the complex, seeks to terminate that lease.

The summons Mr. Garrett received recites the company’s claim for $1,347.86 in back rent, costs and attorney’s fees.

Mr. Garrett said he is ready to battle in court on July 15.

With help from the Virginia Poverty Law Center, he has secured pro bono representation from Lonnie D. “Chip” Nunley III, a partner in Hunton Andrews Kurth, one of the state’s largest law firms.

Mr. Garrett said that representation supports his belief that he may avoid being ousted.

At this moment, the Pointe is far surpassing RRHA in its eviction efforts.

According to Mr. Wegbreit, RRHA, which has reported hundreds of tenants behind in rent, has only filed nine eviction cases, all in Hillside Court, since mid-May. Mr. Wegbreit suggested that a requirement that RRHA provide 30-day notices to tenants in arrears “probably accounts for the small number of eviction cases thus far.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Wegbreit and his legal team are battling owners’ efforts to shutter Grace Place Apartments at 4th and Grace streets in Downtown, an affordable complex with dozens of tenants.

Grace Place began in May trying to shut down the four-story apartment house because of losing money, only to back off after Legal Aid got involved and advised tenants their leases were still valid.

The owners tried again, issuing new notices that leases would terminate Friday, but Mr. Wegbreit said Legal Aid also has attacked that effort.

“There is no legal authority which says that (operating at a loss) is good cause for lease termination or eviction,” which was financed with low-income housing tax credits, he said.

Mr. Wegbreit said his office secured a court order last week to prevent the apartment owners from continuing an extra-judicial campaign to “coerce, intimidate and pressure tenants to leave” before their lease expires.

He said his agency is prepared to continue to defend the rights of tenants who are paying as agreed to continue to occupy their apartments.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Fire destroys RPS property twice in less than 6 months Continued from A1

reported hearing the school’s interior alarm and seeing strobe lights flashing. In a witness statement taken from Fox Principal Daniela Jacobs, she said the school’s fire alarm panel had not been functioning for months, and that she had repeatedly informed RPS about the issue.

A 31-page report by the fire department, some of it redacted, states the fire started in the school’s attic, where there is a classroom and an auditorium.

In the report, Mrs. Jacobs said she had been informed that the building was infested with mice, and that “mice had previously chewed through wires in the attic area.”

The attic itself could not be accessed due to safety concerns for investigators. The report states that further investigation will not be conducted until the City of Richmond and VAcorp., the school system’s insurance company, completes its investigations.

“This includes the shoring up of the building, and removal of asbestos and the building engineer determines this area of the building is safe for investigators to enter,” the report said.

The report also stated the lack of a “fire extinguishment system” contributed to the spread of the fire.

Looking beyond the devastation of the incident to the future of the school, 4th District RPS school board member Jonathan Young said Fox will be renovated. He said due to the extensive damage to the building, however, a large portion will have to be removed to accommodate construction. “Our timeline would allow for students and teachers to return [for] the 2024-2025 academic year,” Mr. Young stated in an email Tuesday night.

As RPS continues to grapple with the Fox Elementary fire and how to best educate its students, the news of five destroyed buses, including a Lit Limo (a mobile library for RPS students), are a total loss, Mr. Young said.

There is another Lit Limo bus, however, and he said the loss of the buses will not hinder transporting summer school students.

“RPS insured the vehicles and regrettably they are, as I understand it, totaled,” he stated in an email. “A cause is . . . unknown.”

RPS owns a bus depot on Belt Boulevard in Richmond’s south side and recently renewed a lease with the facility, which also is used to repair buses.

“We have discussed, in the past, if it makes sense to instead use our capital portfolio to erect a garage facility,” Mr. Young stated, adding that a 2014 audit recommended as much.

While finding a permanent location for RPS buses has been discussed in the past, Mr. Young stated the immediate concern will be finding another facility that can house buses in need of repair, at least for now.

Jill Biden visits Henrico clinic to promote vaccine for children Continued from A1

19 vaccine doses for what is currently the youngest age group able to be vaccinated.

A day before Dr. Biden’s tour, CDC data ranked Henrico County, and several Metro Richmond localities, with a high level of community COVID-19, a reminder of the still-present threat of infection for many and the critical value of vaccination and other safety measures during this time.

“This is such an important milestone in our continued fight against the pandemic and a testament to the leadership of the Biden administration,” said Congressman A. Donald McEachin, who joined several elected officials in welcoming Dr. Biden to the Richmond area.

Dr. Biden urged parents uncertain about vaccinating their children to consult with their child’s pediatrician to get the answers and assurances they may need. She also encouraged them to use the resources available nationally and locally to find nearby sites once they’ve decided to seek vaccination.

“Make the decision to protect your children with the same vaccine that has already saved millions of lives,” Dr. Biden said.

“Because nothing is more important than our children’s health.

“It’s up to us to keep them safe — and with this vaccine, we can.”

Richmond Free Press

July 7-9, 2022 A5

Local News

Councilwoman calls for audit of defunct foundation

By Jeremy M. Lazerus

The chair of City Council’s Education and Human Services Committee plans to seek a financial audit of the collapsed Enrichmond Foundation, which previously played a crucial role in providing support for city parks and recreation.

Fifth District Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch issued the statement in the wake of a Free Press article last week reporting on the sudden and unexpected demise of the independent foundation after 32 years.

Ms. Lynch said the closure has left in the lurch dozens of civic associations, parks and other recreation-related organizations that relied on the nonprofit to be their fiscal agent. “None of my neighborhood associations or nonprofits can access their money,” she stated.

Such groups “are the backbone of this city,” Ms. Lynch continued. “The trust between these groups and Enrichmond has been broken.

“We need to do everything in our power to protect these group’s

civic assets as well as hold Enrichmond accountable,” she said. “We need to conduct a thorough audit and get a handle on how these groups can be made whole” financially.

As reported last week, the foundation’s board has resigned, its staff has been laid off and its bank account apparently has been depleted. The foundation’s website also has been shut down, although the Facebook page Ms. Lynch is still accessible.

On Tuesday an attorney for the foundation, Kerry B. Hutcherson, confirmed in an email distributed to representatives of its partner organization, that the organization is taking legal steps to dissolve.

The foundation’s collapse also is raising concern about the operation and maintenance of two historic Black cemeteries it owns, Evergreen and East End, located adjacent to Oakwood Cemetery.

Those cemeteries are to become the property of the Richmond

Monroe Park Conservancy’s status unknown

VSU renews president’s contract for five more years

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Has the Monroe Park Conservancy, a private group that manages the city’s oldest park, joined the Enrichmond Foundation in going defunct?

Questions are being raised by Todd Woodson, founder and leader of the support group Friends of Monroe Park that has advocated for dissolution of the conservancy since it took over management in 2018.

“The website for the Monroe Park Conservancy has been removed as has their Facebook page,” he stated.

Mr. Woodson also questioned the activity of the board of the conservancy since the departure of Alice M. Massie, the former chair and executive director.

“I believe they have not been active in managing the park for sometime, especially since Ms. Massie left at the first of the year,” he added.

The most recent financial reports the conservancy filed indicated that it was operating at a deficit with a shrinking amount of money available for operations.

Mr. Woodson is urging 2nd District City Councilwoman Katherine Jordan to delve into the situation. She was on vacation and was not immediately available to comment.

Christopher Frelke, city director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Dawnie Walton wins VCU Cabell First Novelist Award

Dawnie Walton, a Jacksonville, Fla. native and former managing editor of Essence Magazine and Entertainment Weekly, is the 2022 Virginia Commonwealth University Cabell First Novelist Award recipient for her debut novel “The Final Revival of Opal & Nev.” “Very honored by this, knowing how much thought and care goes into it!” Ms. Walton said on social media. “Thank you to the community members and VCU students who read, the Cabell committee and the 2021 winner, Raven Leilani.”

Simon & Schuster, publisher of the novel, describes it as the “meteoric rise of an iconic interracial rock duo in the 1970’s, their sensational breakup, and the dark secrets unearthed when they try to reunite decades later for one last tour.”

Ms. Walton’s novel was selected from nearly 200 submissions and was one of three finalists. The final round of judging was Ms. Walton done by VCU’s M.F. A. Creative Writing students, the VCU Cabell First Novelist Committee and the winner of last year’s award, Raven Leilani. The other two finalists were Kirstin Valdez Quade for “The Five Wounds,” and Daniel Loedel for “Hades, Argentina.”

“The Final Revival of Opal & Nev” also received the 2022 Aspen Words Literary Prize, and was named one of the best books of 2021 by The Washington Post, National Public Radio, Esquire Magazine and President Obama. The audiobook version of the novel won the 2022 Audie Award for Fiction. Author Ta-Nehisi Coates said the book is “one of the most immersive novels I’ve ever read . . . a first novel that reads like the work of an old hand.”

Ms. Walton will receive $5,000 and be presented with the award Nov. 10 at VCU. During the event, she will read from her work and answer moderated questions.

Rita Dove

Rita Dove to speak at Library of Virginia

Pulitzer Prize winner Rita Dove will discuss her 2021 volume of poems, “Playlist for the Apocalyse,” at 6 p.m. on July 28 at the Library of Virginia’s Lecture Hall.

Ms. Dove received the Pulitzer Prize in poetry in 1987 and was the youngest person and the first African-American to be named the U.S. Poet Laureate and Consultant in Poetry at the Library of Congress from 1993 to 1995.

The author of essays, a novel, a book of short stories, and works for theater, in addition to numerous volumes of poetry, Ms. Dove is the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Art. In “Playlist for the Apocalyse,” Ms. Dove investigates the vacillating moral compass guiding America’s, and the world’s, experiments in democracy. Whether depicting the first Jewish ghetto in 16th century Venice or the contemporary efforts of Black Lives Matter, a girls’ night clubbing in the shadow of World War II or the doomed nobility of Muhammad Ali’s conscious objector stance, Ms. Dove never fails to connect history’s grand exploits to the triumphs and tragedies of individual lives.

The program, part of the 2022 Library of Virginia’s Carole Weinstein Author Series, will be livestreamed.

The Carole Weinstein Author Series supports the literary arts in Virginia by bringing new and veteran authors to the Library of Virginia. The library is located at 800 E. Broad St. Registration is required and is available on the Library of Virginia’s website: www.lva. virginia.gov/public/weinstein

Dr. Makola M. Abdullah will lead Dr. Abdullah became VSU’s Virginia State University for the rest president in 2016. Since then, VSU of the decade, the university has anhas had several major achievements, nounced. including the largest year-to-year On Tuesday, the VSU Board of increase in enrollment in more than Visitors voted to extend his contract as 10 years, the highest student retention VSU’s president through 2029, adding rate in more than 20 years, and an an additional five years to the current increase in four-year graduations, agreement for his tenure. the highest recorded rate in VSU Dr. Abdullah “President Abdullah has demonhistory. strated an extraordinary ability to lead and has “Serving in this capacity at Virginia State provided an exceptional and clear vision for University has been the highlight of my acaVirginia State University,” Board Rector Valerie demic career,” Dr. Abdullah said. “I extend my K. Brown said in a statement. “The University gratitude to the VSU Board of Visitors for has experienced significant academic growth and their vote of confidence and for giving me the prestige under his leadership. We are confident opportunity to continue the greater work at that he will continue to lead Virginia State Virginia State University through the remainder University on a path to greater.” of this decade.”

Gov. Youngkin appoints new VSU board members A bank manager, a Midlothian physician and an adviser for historically black colleges and universities are among the six newest additions to Virginia State University’s Board of Visitors.

The latest selections were announced July1 by Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin.

The new board members include Victor Branch, senior vice president and market manager of corporate affairs for Bank of America; Robert Denton Jr., founding director of the School of Communications at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Harold Green Jr., a Bon Secours physician; Thomas Cosgrove, senior manager of External Affairs, Newport News Shipbuilding; and Leonard L. Hayes III, a senior vice president and special adviser for HBCU Initiatives at Strategic Education Inc. Dr. Valerie Brown, executive pastor for the Mount Global Fellowship of Churches, was

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Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities after the foundation is dissolved, according to the foundation’s charter.

Ms. Lynch stated that she hopes to get more information from Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration at the next meeting of her committee scheduled for Thursday, July 14.

In addition, she plans to request that the full council authorize the city’s auditor to undertake the financial investigation.

The foundation appears to have no direct ties to the city, which apparently did not have a role in appointing board members or hiring staff.

The Stoney administration, including the mayor’s office and Christopher Frelke, director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, has not responded to Free Press requests for information on Enrichmond.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette W. McEachin, responding to a Free Press query Tuesday, stated that her office has not been asked to investigate as there has “been no specific allegation of criminal conduct by or against any person.” She stated that makes it a civil matter.

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Richmond Free Press

Bees and blooms on Arthur Ashe Boulevard

Editorial Page

A6

July 7-9, 2022

Indoor basketball courts or outdoor courts?

Why not both?

The advantages of indoor and outdoor basketball courts are fairly obvious.

Indoor basketball courts, which generally are more expensive to build and maintain than outdoor courts, assure that the game will be played rain or shine.

There are no pests to worry about—except perhaps an overzealous fan or inept referee.

Good indoor lighting allows players to deliver more accurately when blocking, passing, stealing and shooting.

Best of all, the likelihood of destroying fancy, high-dollar sneakers is lessened by indoor courts that typically are made of hardwood or resilient flooring.

(Although some of us remain puzzled by former Duke player Zion Williamson’s exploding shoe during the Duke - North Carolina game February 2019.)

When comparing outdoor courts, the overwhelming advantage once upon a time was just that — being outdoors. Added benefits included fresh air, more space, being less costly to install and maintain, free for fans and passersby, and memories meant to last.

Of course the main difference between indoor and outdoor basketball courts is the weather and, in Richmond, trying to play a quick game of pickup on the neighborhood park or school court is rapidly becoming a game of chance.

Climate change that now hands us torrid summers and bitter-to-mild winters, mixed with unexpected thunderstorms, demands that planned outdoor activities of any sort have “due to inclement weather” backup dates.

We were led to consider all of the above when reading about plans for the new George Wythe High School in Richmond’s South Side. On June 28, about 60 people attended what was the first of four meetings to gather public input and suggestions on the new school, which will be designed by RRMM Architects.

Construction of the school itself hovers over $140 million, according to previous Richmond Free Press reports. Completion is projected by 2024 or 2025.

During the meeting, Duane Harver, RRMM”S president and CEO, walked the audience through each room of the draft rendering, wrote Richmond Free Press reporter Holly Rodriguez. A circular administration building, secure entrances and one cafeteria rather than the two existing ones were in Mr. Harver’s draft.

Audience members inquired about sustainability, storage, parking and green spaces. Overall, the article paints a solid account of the meeting with few surprises given the time it has taken the new high school’s plans to unfold.

However, one comment made by Jimmy Hart, football and track and field coach, gave us pause.

In noting that conversations should take place with teachers, staff and others who work directly with students, Mr. Hart inquired whether a track and field area will be included. He also said that installing an outdoor basketball court is not a good idea.

“People in the community had used the outdoor basketball court before, left trash and destroyed the property,” he is quoted as saying in the article.

If Mr. Hart’s words about the basketball courts are true and compel school leadership to act on his advice, it is a sad reality for a school district and neighborhood already located in a food desert where there is low wealth and often no hope. And let’s not overlook the reality of how neighborhood school basketball courts and other facilities often are havens for quick games of pickup and fast friendships that last a lifetime.

A wise choice is to install both indoor and outdoor basketball courts, and adding a fifth public meeting to discuss our suggestion may be needed.

An indoor court will allow student athletes to practice and perfect their games in a state-of-the art facility with controlled climate settings, proper flooring, lighting and seating.

Installing an outdoor basketball court (or courts— yes, plural), in addition to the aforementioned advantages, informs the community that, despite the actual or perceived behaviors of some who may or may not live in the Wythe school district, there is trust.

That trust will be accompanied by accountability, and THEY—as gatekeepers, residents, staff, students and taxpayers—must ensure that trash, vandalism and other misguided acts do not destroy what has taken so long to build.

A salute to Justice Jackson We at the Richmond Free Press extend our warmest congratulations to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson for being recently sworn in as the first Black woman to sit on the high court. We wish Justice Brown Jackson all the best as she embarks on her historic journey, and we are so honored, proud and filled with joy as we type her full name and title on the pages of this newspaper.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Taking our Supreme Court back Did you ever wonder whether elections really matter? Well, the Donald Trump Supreme Court majority has answered that question for good.

Or, more accurately, they have answered it for bad.

In the term that has just ended, the new far right wing majority on the Supreme Court went on a rampage.

They have torn up decades of legal precedent to diminish Americans’ rights and legal protections.

To justify the results they wanted, they lied in their rulings the way some of them lied to get on the court.

It has been a shameful display of power politics disguised as judging.

Not surprisingly, the most attention has been paid to the Court majority overturning the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision. A constitutional right that has made a huge difference in the lives of generations of women was wiped away. The impact will be devastating and deadly.

Millions of individuals and couples dealing with unwanted pregnancies, the trauma of rape or incest, life-threatening pregnancy complications, or even a miscarriage that some intrusive government official decides is

suspicious, will have their options severely limited or eliminated entirely.

We know that those restrictions and their consequences will fall most harshly on already vulnerable people, including Black people, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and low-income people. Already in Missouri, a major health care system will no longer treat rape victims with emergency contraception

Ben Jealous because the state abortion ban puts medical care providers at legal risk.

Unfortunately, overturning Roe is just one of the harmful decisions handed down by the Trump Court.

The Court intervened in voting rights cases to protect gerrymandering designed to limit Black voters’ access to political power. This comes on top of other rulings gutting the Voting Rights Act. The Trump Court went after sensible regulation of guns. The far right justices overturned a New York law more than 100 years old that required people to show a good cause to get a permit to carry concealed firearms.

Communities that are already suffering from the effects of gun crime are likely to experience even greater violence now

that the court has robbed public officials of options and given the extremist pro-gun political agenda the power of law.

The court also further dismantled the separation of church and state, which protects religious freedom and preserves equality under law for people regardless of their religious beliefs. The Trump Court took a wrecking ball to this pillar of American society.

It is forcing states to divert tax dollars to religious schools, like some southern states did when they funded white evangelical segregationist academies that emerged in resistance to the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision outlawing racially segregated public schools.

This court has made it easier for public officials, like teachers, to coerce students into prayer or other religious practices. This is a very clear threat to anyone whose faith is different from the one dominant in their community or state.

In other words, the U.S. Supreme Court, which we counted on for generations to uphold civil rights and tear down obstacles to equality, is now acting as an arm of the increasingly aggressive far right political movement.

How did we get here? Simple.

Thanks to the anti-democratic Electoral College, Donald Trump was elected in 2016 even though almost 3 million more Ameri-

What would Washington say?

As America’s birthday approached during the House select committee’s investigation of the Jan. 6 attack last year on the Capitol, I was reminded of George Washington’s warning about political parties—and why he thought they were a terrible idea.

Political parties had begun to emerge in the former colonies. But President Wa s h i n g t o n feared that when Americans voted according to party loyalty, rather than common interests, it would foster a “spirit of revenge,” and enable the rise of “cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men” who would “usurp for themselves the reins of government; destroying afterwards the very engines, which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

With that, George Washington became not only the nation’s first president, but also the first to leave in a peaceful transfer of power, a tradition that Americans have proudly upheld ever since—until the mob violence by unhappy Trump supporters on Jan. 6 last year.

The bipartisan committee’s new revelations defy attempts

by Donald Trump’s cheerleaders to laugh off the Jan. 6 uprising as some sort of “legitimate political discourse,” as the Republican National Committee described it in February.

Instead, the hearings have

offered disturbing evidence that the insurrection was part of a much larger plot by Donald Trump and his cronies to overturn the election by any means possible.

The apparent plot included violence, fake electors, discussions about declaring martial law, the seizing of voting machines, groundless lawsuits, intimidation of state officials

Clarence Page and local election workers and a possible overthrow of the Justice Department that would have made Richard Nixon’s “Saturday night massacre” look like amateur night.

The House select committee has only two Republicans, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, both of whom have been censured by the GOP for their participation.

But the hearings have come up with so much damning evidence against Mr. Trump and his cronies that the former president reportedly is upset that House GOP leader McCarthy didn’t fight to put more Republicans on the committee instead of fighting to keep them off.

Heading into the July 4 recess, the most dramatic testimony came from Cassidy Hutchinson, 26, a former aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. She will probably be most remembered for breaking the White House code of silence on the alleged ketchup caper.

She recounted how she had walked into the Oval Office dining room after Mr. Trump heard that Attorney General Bill Barr said he had not seen enough fraud in the 2020 election to have changed the outcome. Mr. Trump was not happy.

After she noticed “there was ketchup, dripping down the wall,” and a shattered porcelain plate on the floor, she said the valet explained that the president had “thrown his lunch against the wall.”

She also recounted hearing that Mr. Trump lunged for the steering wheel when his Secret Service detail refused to take him to the Capitol during the riot. Parts of the story have been disputed by Mr. Trump and others, but I, for one, am waiting for them to say that, as Hutchinson did, under oath.

The ketchup and Secret Service episode are only tantalizing sidelights to the main story, which is Mr. Trump’s refusal to leave office peacefully, his apparent attempts to cheat his way back into power and apparent efforts by his fellow partisans to help him do it and try to cover it up.

A parade of Mr. Trump’s associates and congressional allies reportedly have sought blanket pardons, making us all wonder, what did they hope to be pardoned for?

And what, I wonder, would President Washington say?

Probably, “I tried to warn you.”

The writer is a syndicated columnist and senior member of the Chicago Tribune editorial board.

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.

cans voted for Hillary Clinton.

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell prevented the Senate from even considering President Obama’s Supreme Court nomination so that Mr. Trump could fill it instead—and then rushed Mr. Trump’s third justice onto the court even as voters were casting ballots to remove Mr. Trump from office. Behind Mr. Trump and Sen. McConnell was a massively funded, decades-long campaign to build the political power to take control of the judiciary.

In other words, winning the presidency and controlling the Senate gave the far right the power to force its harmful agenda on the American public long after voters rejected Mr. Trump. Taking the Court back from the extremists who now control it will be a long-term project. It starts with this year’s elections.

The writer is president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the

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Richmond Free Press

July 7-9, 2022 A7

News

A survivor of the migrant trailer: ‘They couldn’t breathe’

By Sonia Perez D. The Associated Press

GUATEMALA CITY Simple advice from a friend to stay near the door may have saved Yenifer Yulisa Cardona Tomás from the deadly fate that befell 53 other migrants when they were abandoned trapped in a sweltering semi-trailer last week on the edge of San Antonio.

Speaking by phone from her hospital bed Monday, the 20-year-old from Guatemala’s capital said it was already hot on June 27 when she stepped out of the warehouse on the Texas side of the Mexico border where she had been waiting and climbed into the back of the trailer.

She said the smugglers confiscated their cellphones and covered the trailer’s floor with what she believes was powdered chicken bouillon, apparently to throw off any dogs at checkpoints. As she sat stuffed inside the stifling trailer with dozens of others, the powder stung her skin.

Remembering her friend’s caution to stay near the door where it would be cooler, Ms.

Cardona Tomás shared the advice with another friend she had made during the journey.

“I told a friend that we shouldn’t go to the back and should stay near (the entrance), in the same place without moving,” said Ms. Cardona Tomás, who is being treated at Methodist Hospital Metropolitan in San Antonio. That

friend survived, too.

As the truck moved on, making additional stops to pick up more migrants, people began to cluster near the door like Ms. Cardona Tomás. She had no way to track the time.

“The people were yelling, some cried. Mostly women were calling for it to stop and to open the doors because it was hot, that they couldn’t breathe,” she said, still laboring a bit to speak after being intubated at the hospital.

was moving slowly. She woke up in the hospital.

The driver and three others were arrested and charged by U.S. prosecutors.

Guatemala’s Foreign Ministry has said that 20 Guatemalans died in the incident, 16 of whom have been positively identified. Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro said he hoped the first bodies would be repatriated this week.

Ms. Cardona Tomás said the truck’s destination that day

children who just left without telling their families and ended up disappearing or dying so he decided to back her.

He paid $4,000 for a smuggler — less than half the total cost — to take her to the U.S. She left Guatemala on May 30, traveling in cars, buses and finally the semi-trailer in Texas.

“I didn’t know that she would travel in a trailer,” he said. “She told us it would be by foot. It

seems like at the last moment the smugglers decided to put (her) in the trailer, along with two more friends, who survived.

One of them is still in critical condition.”

Mr. Cardona had stayed in touch with his daughter up until the morning of June 27.

Her last message to him that Monday was at 10:28 a.m. in Guatemala, or 11:28 a.m. in Texas. “We’re going to go in

an hour,” she wrote.

It was not until late that night that Ms. Cardona Tomás’ family learned of the abandoned trailer. It was two more days before relatives in the United States confirmed that she was alive and hospitalized.

“We cried so much,” Mr. Cardona said. “I even was thinking where we were going to have the wake and bury her.

She is a miracle.”

Traffic Signal Upgrades Chesterfield County Find out about the proposed improvements to traffic signals along various routes in Chesterfield County. The project will install Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) improvements, communications and advanced traffic signal control equipment at multiple intersections throughout the county, including:    Photos by Oliver de Ros/The Associated Press

She said the driver or someone else in the cab yelled back that “we were about to arrive, that there were 20 minutes left, six minutes.”

“People asked for water, some had run out, others carried some,” she said.

The truck would continue stopping occasionally, but just before she lost consciousness it

Mynor Cardona shows a photo on his cellphone of her daughter, Yenifer Yulisa Cardona Tomás, at the hospital while receiving a visit, in Guatemala City on July 4. Yenifer Yulisa Cardona Tomás is one of the survivors of the more than 50 migrants who were found dead inside a tractortrailer near San Antonio, Texas. Left, Mynor Cardona and Ufemia Tomas, parents of Yenifer Yulisa Cardona Tomás, smile as they talk with her.

was Houston, though she was ultimately headed to North Carolina.

“She didn’t have a job and asked me if I would support her” in migrating to the U.S., her father, Mynor Cardona, said Monday in Guatemala City, where the family lives. He said he knew of other cases of

Route 10 (Ironbridge Road) from Route 150 (Chippenham Parkway) to I-295 Route 60 (Midlothian Turnpike) from Route 150 (Chippenham Parkway) to Route 652 (Old Hundred Road) Route 360 (Hull Street Road) from Route 150 (Chippenham Parkway) to Route 7692 (Magnolia Green Parkway)

Improvements will include new advanced traffic signal controllers, signal cabinets, wireless radio installation, uninterruptible power supply modifications to junction boxes and signal wiring, new communications and service drops, and installation of CCTV cameras. These improvements will provide better traffic management capabilities along these critical corridors.

Drivers may experience intermittent lane closures during construction.

Review the project information and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation in the form of a Categorical Exclusion at VDOT’s Richmond District Office located at 2430 Pine Forest Dr. in South Chesterfield, 804-524-6000, 800-663-4188, TTY/TTD 711. Please call ahead to ensure the availability of appropriate personnel to answer your questions.

If your concerns cannot be satisfied, VDOT is willing to hold a public hearing. You may request that a public hearing be held by sending a written request to Mr. Adam Brooks, Virginia Department of Transportation, 2430 Pine Forest Dr., South Chesterfield, VA 23834-9002 on or prior to July 22, 2022. If a request for a public hearing is received, notice of date, time and place of the hearing will be posted.

In compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 and 36 CFR Part 800, information concerning the potential effects of the proposed improvements on properties listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places will be available at the hearing.

VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact the project manager listed above.

State Project: 0060-020-853, P101, R201, C501 Federal Project: NHPP-5A27(685) UPC: 115404

Richmond Free Press

A8 July 7-9, 2022

Sports Stories by Fred Jeter

Virginia-born Jimmy Walker named to college hall of fame

Jimmy Walker

Native Virginian Jimmy Walker is among those selected for the College Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022. Formal induction ceremonies will be Nov. 21-22 in Kansas City, Mo. Born in Amherst (near Lynchburg), the 6-foot-3 do-it-all Walker went on to greatness at Providence College and in the NBA. When asked where he was from, Walker loved to say, “I’m twice Virginia (Amherst). I was born in Virginia and came from a great woman named Virginia.”

At Providence, Walker averaged 25.2 points for his

Friars career and in 1967 led the nation with a 30.4 average. He became the first overall NBA draftee in ’67 when the Detroit Pistons called his name, He was selected above the likes of Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier.

Walker played nine NBA seasons, averaging 16.7 points for 698 games and twice being named an All-Star.

Walker, who died in 2007, is the father of former NBA standout Jalen Rose, now a television commentator. There was little father-son relationship, however, until the end of Mr. Walker’s life. According to published reports, the father and son never met, although Mr. Rose attended

his father’s funeral in 2007.

Others named to the Hall: Players: Richard Hamilton (Connecticut); Larry Miller (North Carolina); Frank Selvy (Furman).

Coaches: John Beilein, Jim Calhoun, Roy Williams and Jerry Krause. Beilein posted 829 career victories, including 100 wins at the University of Richmond between 1997 and 2002.

Beilein isn’t the only coach with local connections to reach the Hall of Fame. Former Virginia Union University coach Dave Robbins was inducted in 2012.

Brown makes sure Titans don’t sink The Cosby High School softball team sent an SOS for a pitcher this past spring and a freshman answered the call.

In her varsity debut, Kam Brown helped lead the Titans to the State Class 6 finals before bowing June 11 to James Madison of Vienna.

The right-handed newcomer posted a 16-7 record with 125 strikeouts and 2.20 ERA while earning first team All-State honors.

Brown was no slouch with the bat, either, hitting .315 with five doubles, two triples and home run and 19 RBIs. Brown was joined on the All-State team by Titans’ junior outfielder, Blayne Talley and sophomore Mia Woolfolk from Manchester.

Woolfolk is the daughter of former Jefferson-Huguenot-Wythe and University of Richmond basketball star Pete Woolfolk and sister of current University of Virginia athlete Jay Woolfolk.

Cosby, located in Chesterfield County, was undefeated in winning the Class 6 crown in 2021, but lost State Player of the Year Taylor Norton when she graduated. Norton now pitches for Villanova.

Wahoo McDaniel

“The Big Cat” Ernie Ladd

From touchdowns to take-downs Kam Brown

Hampton University on the play list Many new schools are popping up on Hampton University’s football schedule.

The Pirates have changed conferences three times since 1995, resulting in a significantly different list of opponents.

HU begins this season as a fullfledged member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), which is headquartered in Richmond’s West End. Previously, HU competed in the CIAA from 1912 to 1995, in the MEAC from 1995 to 2018 and in the Big South from 2018 to this season.

CAA opponents this go-round are Delaware, Maine, Albany, N.Y., Richmond, Villanova, William & Mary, Elon and Towson.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

The CAA is a member of NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), the same as Big South and MEAC. The Pirates, coming off a 5-6 record in 2021, will open against traditional opponent Howard on Sept. 3 at Armstrong Stadium. Next comes a home date Sept.

10 vs. Division II Tuskegee (of Alabama), then a trip across the Bay to longtime rival Norfolk State on Sept. 17.

After that, it’s mostly opponents that may be unfamiliar to older HU fans.

However, starting in 2023, a sense of the past may return when HBCU North Carolina A&T will join the CAA for football.

Hampton University’s 2022 Football Schedule Sept. 3 Howard Sept 10 Tuskegee, Ala. Sept. 17 at Norfolk State Sept. 24 at Delaware Oct. 8 Maine Oct. 15 at Albany, N.Y. Oct. 22 Richmond Oct. 29 at Villanova, Pa. Nov. 5 William & Mary Nov. 12 Elon, N.C. Nov. 19 at Towson, Md. CAA opponent

Going from the gridiron to the ring isn’t as unusual as some may think. Here are a few athletes who made the transition: Wahoo McDaniel; Steve “Stone Cold” Austin; Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; “The Big Cat,” Ernie Ladd; Brock Lesnar; John Cena; and Paul “Mr. Wonderful” Orndorff. u KeShaun Moore is a rough, tough man on the football field who someday could possibly take his aggressive nature to the pro wrestling ring.

As a red-shirt senior at Hampton University, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker from Suffolk is the first HBCU athlete selected for the WWE-NIL “next in line” program.

Moore is one of 15 men and women KeShaun Moore selected from 14 schools. A similar number was selected a year ago with at least six signing a WWE contract or agreeing to pursue wrestling.

WWE stands for World Wrestling Entertainment. NIL is short for the NCAA’s Name, Image & Likeness opportunity “designed for college athletes to monetize their name, image and likeness.”

The NCAA inaugurated NIL on July 1, 2021.

“Next In Line” is the WWE’s specific program sharing similar initials.

As a perk, selected athletes are permitted to use the WWE’s state-of-the-art Performance Center in Orlando.

Moore earned All-Big South accolades last fall with 48 tackles, including 13 for losses and 7.5 quarterback sacks.

The WWE describes its NIL as “serving to recruit and develop future superstars and further enhance WWE’s talent development program.”

By no means is Moore committed to wrestling following his days at HU. He still has high hopes for a pro football career. As for wrestling? Never say never.

“WWE is a nationally renowned brand,” said Moore. “This can lead to other opportunities that support my future dreams of gaining exposure for the NFL and pursuing my goals for life after college.”

Photo by Ralph Dixon

A legacy of sports and scholarship Seven honorees were inducted into the Virginia Interscholastic Association Heritage Association’s Hall of Fame on June 24 in Charlottesville. They are, from left, Claudius “CB” Claiborne (Langston High, Danville, ’65; basketball, baseball); Bridgitte McGee (accepting for Jacob Wyche, Carter Woodson High, Hopewell, ’58; basketball); Paulette Walker Johnson (Peabody High, Petersburg, ’69; softball and cheerleading); Thelma Jefferson (Peabody High, Petersburg, ’67; community activist); James Hollins (Jackson Burley High, Charlottesville, ’65; community activist); and Carlton Earl Anderson (Dunbar High, Lynchburg, ’65; performing arts). Not shown: Dr. Gladys “B” West (Dinwiddie Training School, ’48; distinguished mathematician). The Hall of Fame awards helps preserve the legacy of African-American students and adults who participated in the Virginia Interscholastic Association from 1954 to 1970, and its predecessor, the Virginia Interscholastic Athletic League.

Like father and a lot like son

Druw Jones’ baseball skills echo those of his dad

Richmond baseball fans may recall Andruw Jones as arguably the most talented player to ever suit up at The Diamond.

Now Jones’ son, Druw Jones, has emerged as perhaps the hottest prospect heading into the Major League draft to be held July 17 in Los Angeles.

A recent graduate of Wesleyan High School in Norcross, Ga., Jones is a 6-foot-4, 180-pound right-handed centerfielder (like his dad) who combines extraordinary speed and power (like his dad).

Druw is not a junior (Jr.). His full name is Druw Jones while his father is Andruw Rudolf Jones.

The younger Jones hit .455 this past spring while slugging 16 homers and spurring Wesleyan to a 35-5 record.

He was named 2021 Perfect Game National Defensive Player of the Year and to the MaxPreps.com All-America team.

He was timed in the 60-yard dash at a breathtaking 6.31 by Perfect Game. His exit velocity throwing from the outfield was clocked at 93 miles per hour.

Jones has committed to Vanderbilt but will almost surely opt for a pro contract.

Baltimore, Arizona and Texas will have the first three picks in the draft.

The older Andruw Jones played 31 memorable games in 1996 for the Richmond Braves while traveling the fast lane to the parent Atlanta Braves lineup. He was just 19 when he debuted at The Diamond.

In that brief showing, Jones hit .378 with five homers and 12 runs batted in while putting on a dazzling display of defense in center. Atlanta quickly beckoned and Jones helped the Braves get to the 1996 World Series that was won by the New York Yankees.

In six World Series games at age 19, he was eight for 20 with two homers against the Yanks.

The elder Jones went on to become a five-time National League All-Star and 10-times Golden Glove winner. He finished his career with 434 homers, 1,289 RBI and 152 stolen bases.

The younger Jones, 18, differs from his dad in regard to draft status. Undrafted, the elder Jones, who grew up in the Dutch Caribbean island Curaçao (where he was considered the best player on the island), signed as a free agent at age 16.

Marlin Briscoe

NFL’s first black quarterback dies at age 76 Marlin Briscoe, the NFL’s first Black starting quarterback, died of pneumonia June 27 at his home in Norwalk, Calif. He was 76.

Nicknamed “Marlin the Magician,” he started five games as quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 1968 after being drafted as a cornerback out of Omaha University.

Mr. Briscoe was the AFC runner-up Rookie of the Year in 1968 after passing for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns, and rushing for 308 yards and three TDs. Mr. Briscoe later signed with Miami where he helped the Marlins (coincidentally) win two Super Bowls as a wide receiver. He was part of the 1972 Dolphins that are the last NFL team to complete an undefeated season.

For his career, Mr. Briscoe caught 224 passes for 3,537 yards and 30 TDs.

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, maintaining solar and wind farms, 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.

July 7-9, 2022 B1

Richmond Free Press

B2 July 7-9, 2022

Happenings

Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

They, too, are Americans Raising their right hand, 46 people from 29 countries stand before U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit Chief Judge Roger L. Gregory as he administers the Oath of Allegiance on July 4 during a naturalization ceremony at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Left, Judge Gregory poses for a photo with Naila Lalani of Glen Allen, who is originally from India and now is an American citizen.

Carlos Bernate/Richmond Free Press

Fourth of July fireworks at Dogwood Dell Families gathered from near and far for Richmond’s annual free fireworks show July 4 at Dogwood Dell.

VHEF lends helping hand to students heading to college More than 300 guests stepped up for “Jazz Inside Out” at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on July 2 for the Virginia Higher Education Fund’s annual gala to raise funds to help underserved college students.

In addition to honoring 12 scholarship winners, the evening featured jazz music by Phillip “Doc” Martin and Kia Bennett and line dancing led by “Line Dance King” Kemel Patton. VHEF’s executive director Rose Giles said that, in addition to the 12 Momentum Scholarships students will receive, VHEF’s partnership with Saint Paul’s Baptist Church College Connect and Ross Stores will enable the nonprofit to provide luggage, dorm kits and gift cards to 11 students who have limited financial resources.

VHEF’s 2022 Scholarship winners and their college plans include: • Nonso Akunwafer, Virginia Commonwealth University, urban and regional studies.

• Tiera Beale, Virginia State University, business management.

• Guillermo Flores, Old Dominion University, electrical engineering.

• Shamari Garnett, Virginia Commonwealth University, nursing.

• Madison Kelly, Virginia Tech, dairy science.

• Demario Lonzer, Hampden-Sydney College, biology.

• Pray Meh, Virginia Commonwealth University, biology.

• Jamain Rattery, Shenandoah University, business and esports (electronic sports.)

• Anthony Rodriguez, Old Dominion University, computer science.

• Janae Thompson, Norfolk State University, nursing.

• Denise Tyler, Reynolds Community College, health sciences.

• Zion Wiley, Reynolds Community College, cyber security.

Mycah Richardson

VHEF Momentum Scholars: above, right to left, Shamari Garnett, Madison Kelly, Tiera Beale, Pray Meh and Janae Thompson. Second row: left to right: Anthony Rodriguez, Zion Wiley, Demario Lonzer, Guillermo Flores, Nonso Akunwafer.

Left, VHEF board member and architect Terry Fauntleroy of the JLL corporation congratulates Tiera Beale, winner of the Young Entrepreneur Award and a John Marshall High School graduate.

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Richmond Free Press

July 7-9, 2022 B3

Happenings

Personality: Dr. Hollee Freeman Spotlight on co-founder and co-curator of City Bees RVA Dr. Hollee Freeman is helping to keep a vital community of workers buzzing — all 90,000 of them.

As an admirer of nature, she’s long been fascinated by honeybees and their world.

As an educator, however, she is concerned by the lack of understanding students have for bees, their importance to human life as pollinators, and their complex societies.

In 2019, Dr. Freeman’s interest in bees further developed after a meeting with beekeeper Nikiya Ellis Chavis. Seeing Mrs. Chavis’ farm led Dr. Freeman to take up beekeeping in earnest.

After three years of training and managing beehives, she and Ms. Chavis cofounded City Bees RVA, and they now manage their own apiary, with an estimated 90,000 bees, to bring greater understanding to the critical role of bees in everyday living.

“Nikiya and I started City Bees RVA through a yearning to introduce the sacred art of beekeeping to the community,” says Dr. Freeman, “and thus provide a direct line from the honeybee population to crop sustainability and the overall health of the community.”

Since City Bees RVA started in April 2022, Dr. Freeman and Ms. Chavis have brought about 40 people of all ages to get a close view of the bees and apiary they manage through tours at the farm. The goal of the program is that guests will better understand the labor involved in beekeeping, honeybee history and biology and more.

In addition to the City Bees tours, Dr. Freeman has published a book about honeybees and apiaries, and is developing a film that documents the public’s response to City Bees.

Judging by the responses so far, Dr. Freeman is convinced their work is having a positive impact by creating greater awareness about the importance of honeybees.

“People email us, text us and send us messages all the time — ‘Oh, I saw a bee on my chair and I didn’t squish it, I shooed it away’,” Dr. Freeman says. “When people are sending us those messages just out of interest, we can then have a conversation that opens up the door for them to have a deeper conversation.”

Dr. Freeman plans to expand City Bees by establishing it as a nonprofit organization, which will enable it to apply for grants and create partnerships with local school systems for afterschool programs and similar initiatives.

Dr. Freeman knows that the obstacles facing honeybees aren’t confined to an underinformed public. With the impact of climate change growing every year, many beekeepers, including Mrs. Chavis, have lost multiple hives over the winter.

Nevertheless, Dr. Freeman is optimistic about City Bees’ future, as the program resonates with those who experience it firsthand and inspires others to learn how to become beekeepers themselves. Those who do catch the bug for the profession seek Dr. Freeman’s advice about how to get started, which she believes is a sign of better things to come — for City Bees and the honeybees themselves.

“Folks are thinking about the relationship of bees to their own survival,” says Dr. Freeman, recounting her experience at a recent honeybee festival. “I was happily surprised that so many people were asking me ‘how do I get started beekeeping? Is there something I can read? Will your book help me understand how to be a beekeeper?’”

For Dr. Freeman, such questions are akin to the sound of bees humming.

“That gave me even more optimism that City Bees is on the right path.”

Meet the teacher and beekeeper everyone’s buzzing about, Dr. Hollee Freeman: Volunteer position: Co-curator for City Bees RVA. Occupation: Educator.

Date and place of birth: Nov. 1 in Richmond.

Where I live now: Chesterfield County.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, psychology and elementary education, Columbia University; master’s degree, special education, Bank Street College of Education; Ph.D., educational leadership, Boston College.

Family: Daughter, Danielle Freeman-Jefferson.

City Bees RVA is: City Bees RVA is an engaging, ecological, educational program that allows community members to work alongside two local beekeepers as they inspect and manage their colonies.

Co-founder: Nikiya Ellis Chavis.

Mission: The mission of City Bees RVA is to demystify our collective understanding of honeybees and educate the community on the importance of bees in our ecosystem, crop production and our lives.

When and how I got into bees: I have always been “knee-deep” in nature and interested in the complex world of bees. As an educator, I have always been disconcerted by the sound bites that students usually learn in school related to discrete facts such as the waggle dance that bees use to communicate the direction and distance of nectar and pollen—this is often taught to the exclusion of the importance bees (and other pollinators) bring to our lives and the complex colonies in which they live.

It wasn’t until I visited Nikiya at a farm in 2019 and noticed that she was a beekeeper. This hit me like a lightning bolt and I realized that with Nikiya’s support, that I too, could be a beekeeper and help the community understand the critical need of bees in our lives.

My beekeeping mentor is: Rick McCormick, master gardener and apprentice master beekeeper.

Why there is more to bees than just honey and avoiding being stung: Honeybees are one of the most efficient crop pollinators in our ecosystem. Over 250,000 species of flowering plants depend on the transfer of pollen, which honeybees do well.

The environmental importance of bees cannot be understated.

In addition to crop pollination, honeybees produce honey, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis and venom, which are all used for various nutritional and medical purposes.

Being Black and beekeeping: The cultural significance of beekeeping is one in which I am particularly interested. I have reached out and I am in contact with several Black beekeepers locally and around the world.

The explicit through-line of each of these Black beekeepers is the solid connection to the land. There is also a gentleness, a reverence, if you will, to the art of beekeeping and interacting with bees. Perhaps it is the vibrational energy that bees emit that reaches into our soul and activates this symbiotic relationship. When we are beekeeping, a homage being offered to our ancestors in Africa, as well as those enslaved Africans dispersed throughout the Caribbean and the Americas who also participated in this sacred task.

Black women and beekeeping: We know that there are Black women beekeepers out there but Nikiya and I are not connected with any of them at the moment.

Black women are caretakers, protectors, and sustainers—in my experience. Nikiya and I bring these ways of being to our work as beekeepers.

Beekeeping scene in Richmond: I am a member of the Rockwood Park Backyard Beekeepers Association. It is through this bee club that I have learned from hands-on experiences in the bee yards of other beekeepers in the Metro Richmond region.

Brief origin of beekeeping: Beekeeping has its origins in ancient Egypt, as early as 3500 B.C., where hives were maintained for crop pollination and honey extraction. Ancient Egyptians fashioned cylindrical hives out of mud and clay and stacked them for use by honeybees. Egyptians then put the hives on barges and sailed up and down the Nile River. When they found a field that needed pollination, they would place the hives in that location. They would then move the hives as needed to pollinate other areas along the Nile.

Historical symbolism of bees: There are important cultural, religious, and spiritual significance to honeybees dating back to the ancient Egyptians. Egyptians used honey as medicine, food sweetener, and as currency to pay fees. On hieroglyphics, you can see images of bees and beekeeping. The hieroglyphs also show that honey was placed in the mouths of statues and used in sacred ceremonies.

The honeybee was the sacred symbol of the King of Lower Egypt and thought to the tears of the Sun God Ra. When Ra wept, the story goes, the tears fell to Earth as honeybees and pollinated the flowering crops that were found here.

Environmental advocacy and beekeeping: Bees are an important part of our ecosystem.

Scientists suspect that bees are dying from many factors including, pesticides, habitat destruction, climate change, air pollution, nutrition deficit, proliferation of pests, and more.

According to a nationwide study conducted by the nonprofit, Bee Informed Partnership, it is estimated that between April 2020 and April 2021, beekeepers lost nearly half of their managed honeybee colonies. Without bees, the availability of food and food-related products will drastically decline, and humans will undoubtedly suffer. Lower floral and fruit yields also mean less biodiversity which will impact the entire food chain down to the lowest, most minute levels.

Importance of teaching beekeeping to children: Children may be our greatest hope in mitigating the issue of climate change, use of pesticides and designating protected spaces for pollinators. Nikiya and I started City Bees RVA to bring the importance of beekeeping right to the doorstep (or the nearest garden) of children and their families. To date, we have provided hands-on experiences for a Girl Scout troop, school districts, afterschool programs, and community members interested in learning more about honeybees and beekeeping. To reach children in a different manner, I wrote “Beekeeping Besties: An Apiary Adventure” to share the experience from my first season of beekeeping with Nikiya. The book is full of mystery, particularly around finding the queen! Along with our beekeeping season in narrative form, “Beekeeping Besties,” provides readers a history of beekeeping, a glossary and other bee-related information. The book is on my website https:// www.holleefreeman.com/.

Where would our world be without bees: Nikiya and I repeat this often: No bees, no food. No food, no us (collective us).

What it takes to be a beekeeper: To be a beekeeper you need to know why you are engaging in this activity. Beekeeping seems cool, and it is BUT it is also A LOT of work. One can easily spend hours inspecting and managing hives in the hot sun while friends are at a festival or the beach. If you decide to engage in beekeeping you must commit to provide the best possible experience for bees and for yourself. This includes being present, consistent, organized and most importantly, you must

be always in a learning mode.

Bees will teach you a lot about themselves and about yourself.

Equipment needed: To work as a beekeeper you need to have access to one or more hives of honeybees. Hives consist of bees, frames, foundations and boxes. You don’t necessarily need a beehive in your own backyard. Beehives can be in a community garden, a neighbor’s yard, rooftop, etc. You will need a hive tool to remove propolis which will allow you to examine the frames in the colony.

It is strongly encouraged that you have a smoker (to mask the pheromones of the guard bees), and a full bee suit with veil and gloves.

Money and beekeeping:City Bees RVA does not prioritize extracting honey from our hives for commerce. Our goal is to increase the honeybee population, first and foremost.

However, beekeeping is a lucrative industry. Regionally, local honey can be purchased from local beekeepers for $12 per pound depending on the type of honey and location. Estimates differ, however a recent study from the University of California Agricultural Issues Center estimates that the U.S. honey industry’s total economic output is $4.74 billion.

Biggest takeaway since I started beekeeping: When beekeeping, I must be calm, focused, organized and in a posture of gratitude. I must be completely focused on what I am doing, alert to what is happening in the hive, in much the same way as when reading a book. In many ways, beekeeping is exactly like reading a book where the bee boxes are the covers, the frames are the chapters and the bees are the characters in the books.

How to get involved with City Bees RVA: To get involved with City Bees RVA, contact Nikiya Ellis Chavis or myself through social media (Instagram: City_ Bees_RVA) or send a message through my website.

Upcoming events: The honey flow season is coming to a close and we will be preparing for winter. There are two more opportunities to have a City Bees RVA experience on July 16 and Aug. 20.

A perfect day for me is: Riding my bicycle on the Capital Trail while witnessing the beauty of the landscape and the breeze that I experience when cycling.

What I am learning about myself during the pandemic: I have learned that even as a highly social and outgoing person, I also love and NEED to be still and quiet.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I absolutely love NASCAR. The math and science of motor sports is amazing!

A quote that inspires me: “It’s not the critic that counts not the woman who points out how the strong she stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the woman who is actually in the arena…if she fails, at least she fails daring greatly, so that her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory or defeat” (adapted from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech: “Citizenship of the Republic.”

My friends describe me as: Empathic and outgoing.

At the top of my “to-do” list is: What needs to be at the top of my to do list is to swim more regularly.

Best late-night snack: Popcorn.

The best thing my parents ever taught me: It’s not the load that breaks you, it’s how you carry the load.

The person who influenced me the most: My maternal grandmother was such a loving, kind-hearted person. She laughed often and a lot. Always quick to tell a joke and make folks feel comfortable and seen. She was the hit of the doctor’s office. I would like to be that old lady.

Book that influenced me the most: “Island of the Blue Dolphins” by Scott O’Dell.

What I’m reading now: “Across Many Mountains” by Yangzom Brauen.

Next goal: My next goal is to publish my book about sea turtles based on an experience I had as part of a science delegation to Mexico more than 30 years ago.

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Richmond Free Press

B4 July 7-9, 2022

Faith News/Directory

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church elects second woman and African bishops

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church has elected its second woman bishop and received its first episcopal address from a woman during its quadrennial General Conference.

“I think when you elect the first you have to be really careful that they just don’t become a token and so I was really excited,” said Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton, who was the first woman elected in 2010 and serves as the secretary on the College of Bishops.

The Rev. Denise Anders-Modest, pastor of Trinity CME Church in Memphis, Tenn., and coordinator of the CME Commission on Women in Ministry, will serve the 2nd Episcopal District, which includes Kentucky, Ohio and Central Indiana.

Her forerunner was particularly pleased that voting delegates chose Rev. Anders-Modest as the second to win election to the role of bishop, not waiting until the last opportunity to add another woman to the CME episcopacy. “That’s also quite commendable that people were able to see her qualifications and not just, ‘oh, we need a woman bishop.’”

Bishop Jefferson-Snorton achieved another first this year, becoming the first woman to give the episcopal address — the message given on behalf of the bishops to the denomination — on June 25, the first official day of the gathering at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati. The meeting, which was attended by about 2,500 people, ended July 1.

She also was elected as the denomination’s new ecumenical and development officer, a role that no longer requires her to also lead a district of churches. Part of her role will be to seek resources to create and work on ministry and outreach programs at both the denominational and local levels.

“I see lots of our churches that are in communities that have such need but the local church itself doesn’t really have the capacity to go out and look for funds or even manage the program,” Bishop Jefferson-Snorton said.

The delegates, who attended in person, also elected the second African bishop in the history of the denomination, which was founded in 1870 and claims 1.2 million U.S. members. It has sister churches and missions in 14 African countries, Haiti and Jamaica.

The Rev. Kwame L. Adjei, a member of the CME Church’s

Jay Reeves/Associated Press

Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is shown at Moody Temple CME Church in Fairfield, Ala., in November 2021. Bishop Jefferson-Snorton was the CME Church’s first woman bishop.

Judicial Council and a former associate pastor and high school chaplain in his native Ghana, will serve the 11th District, which is in East Africa.

After Roe’s fall, Black churches support some or all reproductive health options Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

For Evangelist Lesley W. Monet, the weeks since the fall of Roe v. Wade has been a time of praise and preparation.

For Dr. Miriam Burnett, it has been a time of protest and preparation.

Evangelist Monet, international director of the Church of God in Christ’s Family Life Campaign, recently moved to Tennessee, where the predominantly Black Pentecostal denomination plans to turn a former Catholic monastery into a facility that, among other things, will offer pre-natal and post-natal care in a state where maternal and infant mortality for Black women is high.

The Kingdom World Missions Center, imagined well before the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, will continue the denomination’s yearslong commitment to urging women not to choose abortion by providing financial help for food and housing, along with baby showers and encouragement after the births of unexpected children.

“It helps us to help women from this court case,” Evangelist Monet said. “It’s going to be fantastic.”

The center, which is being renovated over the next few months, has only become more urgent, she said. “I’m just praying that we get this off of the ground … because women need our help, as they have been in the 49 years since this has been

going on.”

Other sources’ data varies Dr. Burnett, medical direc- widely and there is much divitor of the African Methodist sion on this hot-button issue, Episcopal Church International but there is nevertheless broad Health Commission, whose agreement that Black women denominational leaders con- disproportionately seek abordemned the Dobbs decision, tions in the United States, often said AME leaders’ due to economic and focus is to foster social reasons. women’s “education This has affected around what their the immediate rechoices are and what sponse of many faith their options are, leaders of color to but not to become a the Supreme Court’s transportation hub or overturning of Roe to actually advocate v. Wade. No matter Dr. Burnett abortions.” where they are on Most immediately she is con- the spectrum of opinion about cerned that with clinics closing, abortion, prominent pastors and women will be deprived of ancil- institutional leaders have said lary services, such as physicals holistic solutions for women of and breast and cervical cancer color are crucial. screenings. She hopes more Tony Evans, an influential churches in her denomination Dallas pastor, called for compaswill serve as locations for com- sion on the part of Christians, munity health services. speaking of “humbly” celebrat“We are working to try to in- ing Justice Samuel Alito’s stitute community health centers opinion in the Dobbs case: “(M) in many of our churches that ost importantly, women should have expressed interest,” she never have to bear the challenges said, along with approaching of an unplanned pregnancy others who have the space for on their own,” he said. “We, such centers. as the body of Christ, should According to the Centers for come alongside those in need Disease Control and Preven- through spiritual and tangible tion, a plurality (38 percent) support.” of reported abortions in 29 The AND Campaign, a states and the District of Co- nonpartisan Christian think tank lumbia in 2019 were obtained with predominantly Black leadby Black women, despite a ership, used similar language, smaller population size. A third referring to “Whole Life,” in a (33 percent) of the reported statement. The group declared abortions were obtained by its opposition to criminally white women, amounting to prosecuting women who seek 6.6 abortions per 1,000 white or have an abortion. women, compared to 23.8 per “God loves women who’ve 1,000 Black women. had or considered abortions

and so do we,” it said. “Christianity is more than just a list of prohibitions; our faith also affirmatively commands us to love others with compassion and self-sacrifice. Our conviction to help suffering women and children should match our convictions regarding the unborn.”

But despite their caring approaches to women with unexpected pregnancies, Black clergy in states such as Tennessee will pursue their different strategies as new restrictions come into force.

Bishop Vincent Mathews Jr., COGIC world missions president, predicts that if the number of abortions decrease and pregnancies increase, “our work will intensify,” through operations like the Kingdom World Missions Center.

The Rev. Earle J. Fisher, pastor of Abyssinian Baptist

Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church

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

Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor

Church in Memphis who sits on Planned Parenthood’s Clergy Advisory Board, described his city as being on “the precipice’’ of three southern states — Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi, all of which have or likely soon will ban most abortions. He plans to continue supporting women’s access to reproductive health care, including abortion.

Many Black Christian leaders also say the Dobbs decision demands that their constituents vote to give their communities a voice on the issue.

“We remain in solidarity with the Black, Brown, and poor people who this decision will disproportionately impact,” said AME officials, including bishops and social justice leaders. “We ask each member to recommit to vote in every upcoming election to ensure that human beings are

“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.

“Your Home In God’s Kingdom”

1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223 s Office: (804) 644-1402 Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You”

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

“Due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, Services Are Cancelled, until further notice; but, please join us, by visiting BRBCOnline.org or YouTube (Broad Rock Baptist Church).”

“MAKE IT HAPPEN”

+PJO VT BU ". FBDI TU BOE SE 4VOEBZ GPS JO QFSTPO XPSTIJQ TFSWJDF <RX PD\ FRQWLQXH WR OLYH VWUHDP RQ <RX7XEH *RRG 6KHSKHUG %DSWLVW &KXUFK 59$

Pastor Kevin Cook

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https://youtu.be/qqzhnIEQyQc for inspirational messages from Pastor Smith

Riverview Baptist Church Sunday, July 10, 2022 Sunday School - 9:30 A.M. Morning Services - 11 A.M.

8LIQI 1SFMPM^MRK *SV 1MRMWXV] 6IJVIWLMRK 8LI 3PH ERH )QIVKMRK 8LI 2I[ A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone

Sermon by: Rev. Dr. Audrey Fleming-Hawkins

We Embrace Diversity — Love For All! Come worship with us!

Back Inside Sundays Join us for 10:00 AM Worship Service Live on Facebook @sixthbaptistrva Live on Youtube @sixthbaptistrva Or by visiting our website www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

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

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

(near Byrd Park)

(Zoom)

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

Wednesday Bible Study • 7pm (Zoom)

ance with Reverence Relev

Rev. Dr. Joshua Mitchell, Senior Pastor ❖

The doors of the church are open for worship!

No registration required.

Join us in person or online on Facebook or YouTube

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

Sunday Church School • 9am

C

in g bin m o

10:30 a.m. Sundays

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

Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Adam L. Bond, Pastor

(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Facebook Fax (804) 359-3798 sixthbaptistrva www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

Thirty-first Street Baptist Church

The People’s Church

Back Inside

Broad Rock Baptist Church

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

1858

treated with equal dignity and respect and given equal access to resources.”

In early May, when Alito’s draft opinion appeared, the Rev. W. Franklyn Richardson, chairman of the Conference of National Black Churches, said that any push for congressional legislation to codify Roe would prompt the “awakening” strongly needed in the African American community ahead of the midterm elections.

After the release of the actual opinion, Rev. Richardson added that he plans to support churches in the states where the right of abortion has been removed.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling did not simply empower states to ban abortions — it gave them a license to put the lives of millions of Black and poor women at severe risk,” he said.

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

Worship With Us This Week!

Morning Worship On Site & Virtual July 10, 2022 @ 10:00 A.M.

Looking for a welcoming place to worship this week?

Stop by & see what God is up to at MMBC.

Additional Opportunities to Engage with Us: *Faith Formation/ Church School (Sat. @ 9:00 AM) Zoom Meeting ID: 952 9164 9805 /Passcode: 2901 *Give Via: http://mmbcrva.org/give Or through Givelify

2901 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 648-2472 ~ www.mmbcrva.org Dr. Price London Davis, Senior Pastor

*Faith Formation/ Church School (Sat. @ 9:00 AM) Zoom Meeting ID: 952 9164 9805 /Passcode: 2901 *Bible Study (Wed. @ 7:00 PM) Zoom Meeting ID: 854 8862 2296 *Give Via: http://mmbcrva.org/give Or through Givelify

Richmond Free Press

July 7-9, 2022 B5

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, July 18, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, July 25, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2022-203 To close, to public use and travel, an alley in the block bounded by Maury Street, East 4 th Street, Everett Street, and East 3rd Street, consisting of 1,980± square feet, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2022-204 To close, to public use and travel, Anderson Street and an east-west alley that bisects Anderson Street located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Government Road and Glenwood Avenue consisting of 18,660± square feet, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2022-205 To amend Ord. No. 2000410-2001-10, adopted Jan. 8, 2001, as previously amended by Ord. No. 2001-220-231, adopted Jul. 23, 2001, and Ord. No. 2017-242, adopted May 29, 2019, which approved the “Shops at Stratford Hills Community Unit Plan,” for the purpose of increasing the area subject to the community unit plan by 2.85 acres to 67.4± acres and modifying the development standards, under certain terms and conditions. Richmond 300 recommends a future land use of “Corridor MixedUse” for the front portion of the property, where the new commercial building is proposed. Primary uses recommended for this land use category include commercial (retail/office/personal service), multi-family residential, cultural and open space. Secondary uses include singlefamily, institutional and government. Richmond 300 recommends a future land use of “Neighborhood Mixed-Use” for the rear portion of the property, where the new singlefamily attached dwellings are proposed. The primary uses recommended for Neighborhood Mixed-Use are single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multifamily buildings (typically 3-10 units) and open space. Secondary uses include large multi-family buildings (10+ units), retail/ office/personal service, institutional, cultural and government.

Ordinance No. 2022-206 To amend Ord. No. 2020269, adopted January 11, 2021, which authorized the special use of the properties known as 502, 504, 506, 508, 512, and 514 Westview Avenue for the purpose of up to 12 single-family detached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions, to authorize the special use of the properties now known as 502, 502 ½, 504, 504 ½, 506, 506 ½, 508, 512, 512 ½, 514, and 514 ½ Westview Avenue for the purpose of up to ten single-family detached dwellings. The properties are situated in a R-4 Single Family Residential zoning district. The City of Richmond’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates these parcels as Residential, which is defined as neighborhoods consisting primarily of single-family houses on large- or medium-sized lots more homogeneous in nature. The density of the proposed development is approximately 7.7 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2022-207 To amend and reordain Ord. No. 2022-097, adopted Apr. 25, 2022, which conditionally rezoned the properties known as 3329 Hopkins Road and 3425 Hopkins Road from the R-4 SingleFamily Residential District to the R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential District, to include the property known as 3511 Hopkins Road in the conditional rezoning from the R-4 SingleFamily Residential District to the R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential District, upon certain proffered conditions. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates these parcels as Neighborhood Mixed Use. Primary Uses: Single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multifamily buildings (typically 3-10 units), and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multifamily buildings (10+units), retail/ office/personal service, Continued on next column

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institutional, cultural, and government. (p. 56)

Road and 217 Roseneath Road for the purpose of two two-family attached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions.

The property is situated within R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Neighborhood Mixed Use. Primary Uses: Singlefamily houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units), and open space.

Secondary Uses: Large multi-family buildings (10+units), retail/office/ personal service, institutional, cultural, and government.

FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER LATRICIA KNIGHT, Plaintiff v.

ANTOINE KNIGHT, Defendant.

Case No.: CL22001723-00 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 1st day of August, 2022 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

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

months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown appear here on or before the 26th day of July, 2022 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests.

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

a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that CARROLL H. ELLIS, JR, BOYD PATRICK ELLIS, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before AUGUST 11, 2022 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949

Ordinance No. 2022-210 To authorize the special use of the property known as 421 North 33rd Street for the purpose of a mixeduse building with office use on the ground floor and one dwelling unit on the second floor, upon certain terms and conditions. The Richmond 300 Master Plan recommends a future land use of “Neighborhood Mixed-Use” for the property. The primary uses recommended for Neighborhood Mixed-Use are single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multifamily buildings (typically 3-10 units) and open space. Secondary uses include large multi-family buildings (10+ units), retail/ office/personal service, institutional, cultural and government.

Ordinance No. 2022-211 To authorize the special use of the property known as 615 Albemarle Street for the purpose of a dwelling unit within an accessory building to a single-family attached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions.

The property is situated within a R-7 Singleand Two-Family Urban Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Neighborhood Mixed Use. Primary Uses: Singlefamily houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units), and open space.

Secondary Uses: Large multi-family buildings (10+units), retail/office/ personal service, institutional, cultural, and government.

Ordinance No. 2022-212 To authorize the special use of the properties known as 1117 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard, 1119 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard, and 1201 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard for the purpose of a mixeduse building containing dwelling units, amenity space, commercial space, and structured parking spaces, upon certain terms and conditions.

The property is located in the TOD-1 TransitOriented Nodal District.

The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as The Richmond 300 master plan recommends Destination Mixed‑Use Land Use for the subject property, which is described as key gateways featuring prominent destinations, such as retail, sports venues, and large employers, as well as housing and open space.

Ordinance No. 2022-213 To authorize the special use of the property known as 2320 Burton Street for the purpose of two single-family attached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions.

The property is situated in a R-63 Multifamily Urban Residential D i s t r i c t . T h e C i t y ’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the property as Neighborhood Mixed‑Use. The proposed single‑family attached dwellings are a primary use under this designation.

Ordinance No. 2022-214 To authorize the special use of the property known as 309 West Hooper Street for the purpose of a single-family detached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-5 - Residential (Single Family) zone. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Residential.

Primary Uses: Singlefamily houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space. Secondary Uses: Duplexes and small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units), institutional, and cultural.

Secondary uses may be found along major streets. The density of the proposed development is approximately 30 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2022-215 To authorize the special use of the property known as 2301 Old Dominion Street for the purpose of an industrial use within an addition to an existing building, upon certain terms and conditions.

The property is split between the M-1 Light Industrial zone and the R-6 Residential (SingleFamily Attached) zone.

The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Community Mixed Use. Primary Uses: Retail/office/ personal service, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Secondary Uses: Single-family houses, institutional, and government.

Ordinance No. 2022-216 To authorize the special use of the properties known as 215 Roseneath Continued on next column

Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the July 25, 2022 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https:// www.rva.gov/office-cityclerk, and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Candice D. Reid City Clerk

Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CITY OF RICHMOND TADESHA LATRICE (BALL) WILLIAMS, Plaintiff v.

AVRON NATHANIEL WILLIAMS, Defendant.

Case No.: CL22-1959-4 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Obtain a Divorce A VINCULLO MATRIMONII OR FROM THE BONDS OF MATRIMONY. It appearing from an affidavit that the defendant is: that diligence has been used without effect, by or on the behalf of the plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city defendant is and the last known address of the Defendant is as follows: L/K/A 6847 Carnation St. Apt A Richmond, VA 23225 It is ORDERED that Avron Nathaniel Williams appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before July 18, 2022, 9 AM. An Extract, Teste: EDWARD F. JEWETT, Clerk VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER DENISE DAVIS, Plaintiff v.

ULYSSES ALSTON, Defendant.

Case No.: CL22001680-00 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 1st day of August, 2022 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

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

DANNY GUARASCIO, Defendant.

Case No.: CL22-2970-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of the abovestyled suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the Defendant on the grounds that the parties have lived separate and apart, without any cohabitation and without any interruption, for a period of more than one year.

It appearing by affidavit filed according to law that the Defendant, Danny Guarascio, is not a resident of the State of Virginia and that his last known address is unknown, it is therefore ORDERED that Defendant, Danny Guarascio, appear before this Court on or before the 8th day of August 2022, and do what is necessary to protect his interests in this suit.

A Copy Teste: HEIDI S. BARSHINGER, Clerk I ask for this: Jesse Baez, Esq. (VSB #85986) Brooks & Baez 9100 Arboretum Pkwy., Suite 190 Richmond, VA 23236 T: (804) 570-7473 F: (804) 548-4215 Counsel for Plaintiff

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER WANDA VARGAS DIAZ, Plaintiff v.

RONALD SOTO PERDOMO, Defendant.

Case No.: CL22001652-00 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 26th day of July, 2022 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

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

LARRY BOXLEY, JR., Defendant.

Case No.: CL22001650-00 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 26th day of July, 2022 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

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

JOHN OKAAH, Defendant.

Case No.: CL22001651-00 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 26th day of July, 2022 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

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

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ARLENE GUZMAN RODRIGUEZ, Plaintiff v.

RONALD PERDOMO, Defendant.

Case No.: CL22001653-00 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 26th day of July, 2022 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

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

PROPERTY VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

CLAUDE D. HAMILTON, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL22-1276 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1812 Texas Avenue, Tax Map Number W000-0701/015, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Claude D. Hamilton.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, CLAUDE D. HAMILTON, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to his last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that PLATINUM FINANCIAL SERVICES CORP, an entity not appearing in the records o f t h e Vi r g i n i a S t a t e Corporation Commission, which may be a creditor with an interest in said property, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/ or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that CLAUDE D. HAMILTON, PLATINUM FINANCIAL S E RVIC E S C O R P, a n entity not appearing in the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before AUGUST 11, 2022 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER CREASY MCQUEEN, Plaintiff v.

CAROLYN MCQUEEN-KENNEY, Defendant.

Case No.: CL22001293-00 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

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

CARROLL H. ELLIS, JR, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL22-1898 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2800 Fendall Avenue, Tax Map Number N000-0777/012, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Carroll H. Ellis, Jr. and Boyd Patrick Ellis.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owners, B CARROLL H. ELLIS, JR and BOYD PATRICK ELLIS, who have been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to their last known address, have not been personally located and have not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

JUDY B. HARRIS, et al, Defendants.

Case No.: CL22-2207 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2907 Seminary Avenue, Tax Map Number N000-0864/018, Richmond, Virginia, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Judy B. Harris.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, JUDY B. HARRIS, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to her last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that ACORN SALES COMPANY, INC, JOHN AMES, Registered Agent, which may be a creditor with an interest in said property, which has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to the registered agent’s last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that BETTY BAUGH’S ANIMAL CENTER, LLC, ELIZABETH BAUGH HARRISON, Registered Agent, which may be a creditor with an interest in said property, which has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to the registered agent’s last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that JUDY B. HARRIS, ACORN SALES COMPANY, INC, JOHN AMES, Registered Agent, BETTY BAUGH’S ANIMAL CENTER, LLC, ELIZABETH BAUGH HARRISON, Registered Agent, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter.

An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949

ABC LICENSE Midway Express VA Inc Trading as: Carolina Express 3100 Carolina Ave. Richmond, Virginia 23222 The above establishment is applying to the Virginia Department of A lcoholic B everage C ontrol (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Convenience Store license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Amar Singh, President Date notice posted at establishment: June 17, 2022 NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www. abc.virginia.gov or (800) 552-3200.

Jonette Danielle Meade Barley Trading as: Read Between The Vines 2917 Monteith Road Richmond, Virginia 23235-2150 The above establishment is applying to the Virginia D epartment of Alcoholic Beverage C ontrol (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Wine and Beer In-State Internet Retailer license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Jonette Danielle Meade Barley, owner Date notice posted at establishment: June 22, 2022 NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www. abc.virginia.gov or (800) 552-3200.

BID Continued on next column

Continued from previous column

COUNTY OF HENRICO, VIRGINIA CONSTRUCTION BID ITB #22-2377-6JL Replacing Dual Temp Pipe Insulation at Three Elementary Schools Due: August 4, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.

For additional information visit: https://henrico.us/ finance/divisions/purchasing/

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Richmond Free Press call 644-0496

Follow the Free Press on @FreePressRVA @RichmondFreePressUSA

REQUEST FOR BIDS For Easement, Franchise, Privilege, Lease or Right Over, Under, Through, Upon and Across 4430 Deepwater Terminal Road In the City of Richmond The City of Richmond is seeking bids for an exclusive easement over, under, through, upon, and across certain portions of the property located at 4430 Deepwater Terminal Road for the laying, construction, operation, and maintenance of one or more lines of underground conduits and cables and all equipment, accessories, and appurtenances necessary in connection therewith to provide electrical service to a Cite site at 4430 Deepwater Terminal Road pursuant to a certain Right of Way Agreement and subject further to all retained rights of the City of Richmond.

All bids for the easement hereby offered to be granted PXVW EH VXEPLWWHG LQ ZULWLQJ WR WKH &LW\ &OHUN·V RIÀFH by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 22, 2022. Bids will be SUHVHQWHG WR WKH SUHVLGLQJ RIÀFHU RI WKH &RXQFLO RI WKH City of Richmond on Monday, July 25, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. in open session and then will be presented by the SUHVLGLQJ RIÀFHU WR WKH &RXQFLO DQG EH GHDOW ZLWK DQG acted upon in the mode prescribed by law.

The City of Richmond expressly reserves the right to reject any and all bids. The successful bidder shall reimburse the City for all costs incurred in connection with the advertisement of this ordinance in accordance with section 15.2-2101 of the Code of Virginia and shall post the bond required by the ordinance. $ FRS\ RI WKH IXOO WH[W RI WKH RUGLQDQFH LV RQ ÀOH LQ WKH &LW\ &OHUN·V 2IÀFH DQG WKH IXOO WH[W RI WKH RUGLQDQFH DQG 5LJKW of Way Agreement to be executed is available at: https://richmondva.legistar.com/LegislationDetail. aspx?ID=5711111&GUID=4162E754-7A33-4D8D-8168& % '$ 2SWLRQV ,'_7H[W_ 6HDUFK Please address any questions or bids to: Candice D. Reid, City Clerk City of Richmond (DVW %URDG 6WUHHW 6XLWH Richmond, Virginia 23219 (804) 646-7955

Virginia Commonwealth University is soliciting proposals for: Employee Service Recognition (Award) Program Pre-proposal Conference: July 14, 2022 – 11:00 AM Proposals for this project will be received via submission instructions on the RFP cover page until: July 26, 2022, 2:00 PM Copies of RFP # 158161175CK may be downloaded from eVA at www.eva.virginia.gov/

Fall Line Trail – Pedestrian Accommodations at Spring Park Project - Henrico County, Virginia Notice of Willingness The County of Henrico is proposing to construct approximately 825 feet of 12-foot-wide paved multi-use trail along the south side of Park Street and east side of Lakeside Avenue from Spring Park to Bryan Park Avenue. This work will be a part of the Fall Line Trail, a 43-mile northsouth paved trail that will connect Ashland to Petersburg. Construction is anticipated to begin in December of 2022.

Information relative to this project includes the proposed trail addition, project schedule, and funding information which can be reviewed at the County of Henrico, Department of Public Works, 4305 E. Parham Road, Administration Annex Building, 3rd Floor, Henrico, Virginia 23228. Telephone: (804) 501-5414. ,I \RXU FRQFHUQV FDQQRW EH VDWLVÀHG WKH County is willing to hold a public hearing.

You may request a public hearing by sending a written request to Kristen Burton, P. O. Box 90775, Henrico, VA 23273-0775, on or before July 15, 2022. If a request for a public hearing is received, notice of the date, time and place of the public hearing will be provided.

The County ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or OLPLWHG (QJOLVK SURÀFLHQF\ FRQWDFW .ULVWHQ Burton at the above address or phone number or at bur146@henrico.us.

UPC #: 117047 Henrico Project #: 09015 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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.

Richmond Free Press

B6 July 7-9, 2022

Sports Plus

Sharks hire Mike Grier as NHL’s first Black GM

By Josh Dubow The Associated Press

San Jose, Calif.

The San Jose Sharks’ three-month search for a general manager ended with a barrier-breaking hire as the team made longtime NHL forward Mike Grier the first Black GM in league history.

“It means a lot to me,” Grier said at his introductory news conference Tuesday. “It’s not something I take lightly. I realize there’s a responsibility that comes with the territory. But I’m up for it. How I carry myself and how this organization carries itself, I think we’ll do well and hopefully we’ll leave a footprint and open some doors for people to follow.”

Grier fills the spot that opened when Doug Wilson stepped away for health reasons on April 7. Wilson had taken a leave of absence in November with Joe Will serving in the interim role since then.

Team President Jonathan Becher said Grier emerged from a pool of dozens of candidates because of his experience as a player, scout, coach and executive over the last few decades and his commitment to building a winning culture in San Jose.

But he acknowledged the historymaking nature of the hire as well.

“I hope you do serve as an inspiration to lots of people and that I hope you’re the first and certainly not the last,” Becher told Grier. Grier spent three of his 14 seasons in the NHL with the Sharks from 2006 to 2009.

He retired in 2011 after playing 1,060 career games, and has spent time as a scout in Chicago, an assistant coach in New Jersey and most recently the hockey operations adviser for the New York Rangers, where he was given many of the responsibilities of an assistant general manager.

The hire comes less than a week after Will announced that head coach Bob Boughner and three of his assistants wouldn’t return next season. Will said he made the move two months after the season ended to give the new general manager a clean slate.

Grier has a tough task in San Jose in trying to rebuild a team that has missed the playoffs three straight seasons for the first time in franchise history.

Grier will have to get to work quickly, dealing with the draft Thursday and Friday, the start of free agency next week and the need to hire a coaching staff and build up the front office.

Grier said the draft and free agency are the immediate priorities as well as trying to create more salary cap flexibility if possible before he turns to the coaching search.

“I just think that’s a challenge to try to get everything in order as quickly as possible, but still doing it the right way and being thorough,” he said.

“It’s all a challenge but everything I’m looking forward to.”

Grier said he’s not interested in tearing the team down and doing a complete rebuild but acknowledged

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Mike Grier, middle, poses for photos Tuesday as he is introduced as the new general manager of the San Jose Sharks between assistant general manager Joe Will, left, and president Jonathan Becher at a news conference in San Jose, Calif.

taking one step back to move forward may be necessary.

San Jose has many high-priced veterans on the roster and could look to either trade defensemen Brent Burns or Erik Karlsson or buy out defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic to create more flexibility.

“It’s definitely a balance,” Grier said. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself and be the kid in a candy store and be like ‘I can go get this.

I can go get that.’ We’ve got to stay patient and stick with the vision that we believe in and not rush things. I think we’ll set a path and stay the course and not rush anything and

get ahead of ourselves and end up digging a hole that we can’t get out of in the future.”

Grier comes from a family of successful sports executives. His brother, Chris, serves as general manager of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, and his father, Bobby, served as a longtime coach and front office executive for the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.

Grier said he’s been preparing for this new role since he was about 10 years old in discussions he had with his brother and father.

“Growing up we talked about the challenges of building rosters and

things like that at dinner,” he said.

“I would want to talk football, they would want to talk hockey. I lean on them a lot. They get a different perspective because of the sports, but I definitely lean on them a lot and trust their input.”

The NHL has been stressing diversity with several women also getting opportunities in front office positions and on coaching staffs.

The Arizona Coyotes announced Tuesday that Kelsey Koelzer and Kori Cheverie will serve as coaches under head coach André Tourigny during the team’s development program next week.

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