Royal baby is here B2
Simone Biles wins 7th title A10
Richmond Free Press © 2021 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
VOL. 30 NO. 24
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
www.richmondfreepress.com
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Meet Personality baking winner B1
JUNE 10-12, 2021
Safe bets
Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe addresses the crowd Tuesday night in Northern Virginia after clinching 62 percent of the vote in the primary and winning the Democratic nomination to run for governor again in November.
Steve Helber/Associated Press
More than 488,000 voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, choosing former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Delegate Hala S. Ayala and Attorney General Mark R. Herring to carry the banner in November’s elections By Jeremy M. Lazarus
After casting her ballot Tuesday at a North Side precinct, Justine Farmer said she felt she had to go with a familiar Democrat who could win in the fall. That’s why the Richmond office worker said she voted for former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the happy warrior of Virginia politics who appears to draw energy from being on the campaign trail. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m torn,” Ms. Farmer said. “The two women in the race are crackerjack. I think either of them could do the job. But the Republicans are coming, and I think everyone needs to be realistic and go with a proven winner.” She was far from alone in aiding the former governor in his quest for a second term. The safe bet for many Democrats, the former governor claimed 62 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary to best four
Delegate Ayala
Mr. Herring
rivals for the nomination for governor and take on Republican Glenn Youngkin in the November general election. Mr. Youngkin, who has never held elective office, ran a private equity fund in Northern Virginia and is pouring much of his personal fortune into his campaign.
The fall statewide Democratic ticket also will include Prince William Delegate Hala S. Ayala, an Afro-Latina who is the first woman Democrats have nominated to run for lieutenant governor, and Attorney General Mark R. Herring, who is running for a third term. Backed by current Gov. Ralph S. Northam and House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, Delegate Ayala won 37.5 percent of the vote to outdistance five other candidates on the ballot. The runnersup included Roanoke Delegate S. “Sam” Rasoul, Alexandria Delegate Mark H. Levine, Norfolk City Councilwoman Andria P. McClellan, Northern Virginia NAACP activist Sean A. Perryman and lobbyist Xavier J. Warren. Delegate Ayala will face off against the first Black Republican female to be nominated for lieutenant governor, Winsome Sears, a businesswoman and former delegate. Please turn to A4
Kamras: New George Wythe won’t be completed until 2027 By Ronald E. Carrington
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras is insisting that it will take six years to produce a replacement for George Wythe High School, or three years longer than City Hall has insisted it would take if its personnel led the construction. Mr. Kamras already has expressed that view to Richmond City Council and to the School Board, five members of which have voted to retake charge of building schools for the first time in 12 years. The Kamras administration restated its view that the board cannot meet the August
2024 completion date in the “Estimated Phase I Construction Timeline” that was presented to the School Board Monday in response to a request made at a previous meeting. The timeline the board received included the hiring Mr. Kamras three school construction personnel, funded with state dollars, who are to be in place by October to manage the building project. In spelling out the process, the report also takes into account the School Board’s desire
for a larger building that could include a community health clinic and library. The plan assumes the board would take the long route, including hiring a design firm to develop a unique plan that would not rely on a prototype and could take up to two years to complete. A fresh design, the report noted, would cost more than selecting a previously built design, which was the process used in building the three newest schools – Henry L. Marsh Elementary, Cardinal Elementary and River City Middle School. The Kamras administration also based its timeline on its understanding the board would want to have the designs in hand and then bid
them out to a construction company, called design-bid-build, rather than hiring a construction manager at risk or a design-build firm. School Board Chair Cheryl Burke asked Mr. Kamras to provide the timeline so the board would have accurate information. She also opposes the board taking over school construction instead of partnering with the city’s staff. “It has been stated in numerous board meetings that Wythe will be completed by 2027,” the 7th district representative told the Free Press the day after the board meeting. “We needed to Please turn to A4
Police K-9s forced into retirement A shot at some swag with state legalizing marijuana Rewards to get a COVID-19 vaccine By Ronald E. Carrington
What do marijuana-sniffing police dogs do when pot is no longer illegal? They retire, as area police departments are finding out. At last count, a total of 12 pot-sniffing dogs have been forced into retirement or transfer in Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield, while another 13 serving with the Virginia State Police are out to pasture. With a new Virginia law legalizing adult possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use starting July 1, the trained weed-detecting K-9 noses no longer will be used to establish probable cause for a drug search. Area police departments are purchasing and training new narcotics canines to replace the retiring marijuana-sniffing pooches. All five of the Henrico Police Department’s marijuanadetecting dogs have been retired and taken home by their K-9 handlers to be cared for as they await a retirement ceremony to be held at a future date, said Lt. Matt Pecka of the department’s Office of Public Affairs. “They are enjoying retired life,” Lt. Pecka said. In March and April, the police division purchased and trained three new narcotics
K-9s. The dogs, along with their handlers, participated in a narcotics detection school earlier this year, he said. “Both have completed the necessary school and training to receive certification and will provide a supporting role to Henrico County and the community at large.” All of this comes at a cost. According to the Henrico
police administration, the cost of the three new canines — two Belgian Malinois and a Dutch Shepherd — ranged from $6,500 to $7,250 each. Lt. Pecka said most of the dogs are between 1- and 2-years old. There’s no set age or length of service dictating when they retire, he said. In Richmond, four dogs Please turn to A4
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Trying her hand London Monroe, 8, left, of Richmond tries her hand at pottery Saturday as she works clay on a wheel under guidance from ceramics teacher Daniel Kazka of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. Budding and seasoned artists were at the Oakwood Arts Festival in the East End. The street was blocked off in front of the home of Oakwood Arts, allowing community members to enjoy and celebrate the arts, food and music.
By Katherine Hafner The Virginian-Pilot
Want tickets to the Super Bowl? An all-expenses-paid cruise through the Caribbean? A check for thousands of dollars? Get a COVID-19 vaccine, and you may win one of those — or a host of other rewards offered to induce people to get their shots. With about 41 percent of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, officials in public health and the private sector have begun turning in recent weeks to tangible prizes to incentivize remaining Americans to do so. Ohio rolled out a $1 million weekly lottery drawing for vaccinated residents. Companies from Target and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts to the dating app Hinge have pitched in prizes to various vaccine sweepstakes. Last week, President Biden’s administration announced more incentives, including free child care while parents are vaccinated — and a free pint on Independence Day. AnheuserBusch promised free beer on the Fourth of July if 70 percent of the nation’s adults have gotten at least one shot by the holiday, which is President Biden’s goal.
“That’s right, get a shot and have a beer … to celebrate the independence from the virus,” the president said on June 2. But do all these incentives actually work? And what can Virginians expect? The commonwealth “is
certainly considering what resources it wants to put into incentivization,” Dr. Danny Avula, vaccine coordinator for the Virginia Department of Health, told The VirginianPlease turn to A4
Free COVID-19 testing Free community testing for COVID-19 continues. The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following location: • Thursday, June 17, 10 a.m. to noon, Diversity Richmond, 1407 Sherwood Ave., North Side.. Appointments are not necessary, but can be made by calling the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by registering online at https://bit.ly/RHHDCOVID. Testing will be offered while test supplies last. 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/.
Please turn to A4