Richmond Free Press March 11-13, 2021 edition

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VOL. 30 NO. 11

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MARCH 11-13, 2021

Take them down The UR Black Student Coalition is demanding the University of Richmond remove names of racists from two buildings on West End campus

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Freeman Hall

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

The University of Richmond is facing accusations of supporting white supremacy as the result of its plan to keep a building named for its slave-holding first president and another named for a newspaperman who championed segregation and Black oppression.

A newly formed coalition of Black students is spreading the charge in demanding the university remove the names of the Rev. Robert Ryland, a slave-owning minister and UR president, and writer Douglas Southall Freeman, an alumnus and former rector at the private institution, from campus buildings.

The uproar follows the recent announcement from Dr. Ronald A. Crutcher, the university’s first African-American president, that the names of both men will remain on the two buildings, with modifications to honor Black people.

For example, Freeman Hall, a dormitory, has been renamed Mitchell-Freeman Hall to honor John Mitchell Jr., the crusading Black editor of the Richmond Planet. Mr. Mitchell fought lynching and sought to uphold Black dignity that Mr. Freeman sought to eliminate in his opinion pieces for a white Richmond daily newspaper.

Mr. Mitchell’s descendants approve of adding his name to the building.

Also, instead of removing Rev. Ryland’s name from an undergraduate academic hall, Dr. Crutcher said the university plans to rename a new terrace at the building for one or more of the enslaved people whom Rev. Ryland owned and leased to the school to perform work.

In an Instagram statement issued March 4, the UR Black Student Coalition blasted the Please turn to A4

Mayor Stoney unveils $770.23M proposed city budget for 2021-22

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Full funding for Richmond Public Schools.

Enhanced pay for City Hall employees, including police officers and firefighters.

No new taxes but an average hike of $5.70 month in the cost of utility services.

Those are among the highlights of the $770.23

million general fund budget that Mayor Levar M. Stoney presented to City Council last Friday for fiscal 2021-22 that is now under review. After the council completes its work, the new budget would go into effect July 1.

The funding works out to about $3,349 for each of the estimated 230,000 city residents. In all, the proposal represents an increase of $114

per resident over the current $744 million budget for 2020-21 that will end June 30.

The proposal does not include the flood of money the city and Richmond Public Schools are projected to receive from President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, which Please turn to A4

Newly approved $1.9 trillion stimulus package to give boost to families, local economy Mr. Wheeler

Mr. Kamras

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Low enrollment putting RPS tech programs in jeopardy

By Ronald E. Carrington

Richmond Public Schools’ traditional technical programs are on the verge of extinction due to low enrollment.

The school district’s horticulture, small engine repair and brick mason programs at the Richmond Technical Center are close to closing.

The situation was brought to light Tuesday morning by Harris Wheeler, a former horticulture worker with the City of Richmond and RPS instructor, during The Gary Flowers Show on WREJ-990 AM radio.

RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras was a guest on the show, and Mr. Wheeler said that he learned during a conversation with the Tech Center’s principal, Jonathan Mitchum, that the horticulture program will close at the end of the spring semester. Mr. Wheeler said the closure of trade programs needs to be addressed by RPS officials as well as the public.

Mr. Kamras, who provides regular weekly updates on the radio show, was surprised by Mr. Wheeler’s claim, and used a commercial break to contact the principal himself.

Mr. Kamras’ subsequent response on-air: “Horticulture has not been offered when there are only two of three students selecting the class.

RPS cannot afford to have full-time teachers for two or three students. This has been the challenge for the Tech Center.

“At this point, horticulture classes are on hiatus this year due to COVID-19. We do plan to have

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

President Biden delivers remarks on the state of the U.S. economy and the need to pass COVID-19 aid legislation during a speech last month in the State Dining Room at the White House.

Percy Bell jumped for joy after learning Wednesday the U.S. House of Representatives passed the new stimulus package that provides a new round of direct payments to individuals and families.

“I hoped and hoped, and now $1,400 is coming. I could sure use it,” said the Richmond fast food restaurant employee, who is among millions expected to receive the payments.

“I’m broke, and this is really going to help.”

Mr. Bell is among the many — from school officials and restaurant owners and a host of Please 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 locations: • Thursday, March 11, 9 to 11 a.m., Regency Square rear parking deck, 1420 N. Parham Road, in Western Henrico. Drive-thru testing.

• Thursday, March 18, 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern Henrico Health Department, 1400 N. Laburnum Ave. in Eastern Henrico. Drive-thru testing.

Appointments are encouraged 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 COVID-19 testing locations around the state at www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites/.

Want a COVID-19 vaccine?

Contact the statewide COVID-19 Vaccination Pre-Registration System at vaccinate.virginia. gov or by calling 877-VAX-IN-VA. The call center is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week to help people pre-register by phone or to answer questions about the vaccine. The call center has English- and Spanish-speaking agents and a call-back service to help people in

Please turn to A4

Family first Getting a COVID-19 vaccine was a family affair last Saturday as Danielle Brice, right, her daughter, Keyera Rogers, and 7-year-old granddaughter, Janiah Quarles, waited patiently—masked and in line—at the Virginia State University Multi-Purpose Center. The Crater Health District sponsored the mass vaccination clinic for residents of Petersburg, Hopewell and Emporia and the counties of Prince George, Dinwiddie, Surry and Sussex. Officials expected to inoculate 500 people at the campus facility. VSU officials said they were happy to assist in the “invaluable health service” for the community.

Please turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Richmond casino to create jobs, bring $ to city, consultants say

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Two thousand new jobs and at least $31 million in new revenue for City Hall coffers.

That is the minimum the development of a casino-hotel complex should yield for Richmond, according to Scott Fisher and Suzanne

P. Leckert of New Orleans-based Convergence Strategy Group.

Mr. Fisher and Ms. Leckert, who have consulted on more than 400 gaming projects worldwide, offered their projections during a briefing for City Council on Monday afternoon.

The city is employing them to assist in the

selection of the company that would build and operate a gambling resort.

Six companies have responded to the city’s request for proposals, with five seeking to develop on South Side and one on North Side. Blackowned media company Urban One is among the bidders for a South Side location.

The casino briefing came just before a short, regular meeting during which the council voted 9-0 to: • Overhaul the city’s zoning regulations to allow homeless shelters and other types of Please turn to A4

A2

March 11-13, 2021

Richmond Free Press

Local News

Gonzalez hired as new RPS COO

By Ronald E. Carrington

Alana Gonzalez has as a tough road ahead as a new member of Richmond Public Schools’ executive team.

As the new chief operating officer, Ms. Gonzalez is second in command and responsible for the day-to-day operations of the school system as it prepares to reopen.

She started her new job March 1.

RPS officials have not provided information on her annual salary.

Ms. Gonzalez comes to RPS from New York, where she was executive director of community reconstruction and infrastructure for the New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, helping communities affected by Superstorm Sandy and hurricanes Irene and Lee. She held various executive leadership roles, including chief of staff to the general manager of the New York City Housing Authority.

A lifelong New Yorker, Ms. Gonzalez earned a bachelor’s in sociology from the State University of New York at Albany and a master’s in public administration from the University of Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs &Policy.

Ms. Gonzalez is no stranger to Richmond. She has family that relocated to the area and she and her husband, Alan, and their 2-year-old son, Benjamin, have visited them here during the last 15 years.

“I have always loved Richmond,” she said. “And over the years, we have talked about where we want to raise our son as well as the kind of family life we want.”

She says the timing was right with her son turning 2 and Richmond was the right opportunity to transfer her skills to the education field. She said she believes the COO position will provide an opportunity to impact Richmond children.

“There was nothing more important after becoming a parent as I saw Richmond’s opportunities for our family,” she told the Free Press. “The position was more enticing to me with a bonus of being closer to my family.”

She succeeds Darrin Simmons, who left RPS eight months ago, to devote more time to his family.

Superintendent Jason Kamras said he is impressed with Ms. Gonzalez. “She has cut her teeth on the rough and tumble world of New York and believes she can handle the district’s myriad of and sometimes overwhelming issues.”

Calls for investigation into historic Black cemeteries’ operation

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Halt the transfer of public money to the Richmond-based Enrichmond Foundation until an investigation can be conducted into the foundation’s ownership and operation of two historic Black cemeteries on the city’s eastern border with Henrico County.

That’s the request that was issued Wednesday to Gov. Ralph S. Northam.

The request was made in a three-page letter issued by a new 40-member coalition that includes relatives and descendants of people buried in the historic Evergreen and East End cemeteries that were established in the 1890s.

Both cemeteries nestle Stoney Run Parkway off Nine Mile Road and straddle the border between the city and the county across the road from the city-owned Oakwood Cemetery.

Enrichmond Foundation has acquired both in recent years and described the allegations the letter raises as “unfounded.”

The coalition’s letter expresses concern about the foundation’s methods and about its willingness to include descendants in planning and decision-making. It urges Gov. Northam to stop providing public money to Enrichmond Foundation until: •A proper cultural landscape report can be developed for Evergreen, East End and two largely abandoned sections of Oakwood Cemetery that were reserved for Black people and that abut the two private cemeteries.

•The state provides the coalition with documents and materials to explain the decision to support and subsidize the foundation’s acquisition of Evergreen and East End; and •Public meetings are convened to allow descendants and supporters in the community to deliberate “on the future of these sacred sites.”

The coalition also urged the governor to help ensure descendants are “integrated into ongoing discussions, planning and activities” related to the historic cemeteries, noting the National Trust for Historic Preservation and other groups call it a best practice to allow descendants to participate.

John Sydnor, executive director of the Enrichmond Foundation, described the foundation as dedicated to preserving, restoring and rehabilitating the long neglected burial grounds.

He said it has been honored for its work, and he noted that Enrichmond has sought to work with members of the coalition, many of whom were associated with a volunteer group called Friends of East End. He said he wished they would bring their concerns to the foundation so they can be addressed.

Instead, “they continue to criticize our efforts and not communicate with us,” he stated. “We attempted mediation with Friends of East End in 2020, but they were not receptive. This is troubling.”

The letter is an outgrowth of an apparently growing rift between the descendants’ coalition and the foundation and stems in large part from the handling of skeletal remains that were found exposed in the East End cemetery last summer and the treatment coalition members received in discussing the remains.

Mr. Sydnor stated in his response that Enrichmond followed the state-mandated procedures in dealing with such remains, including working with the state DHR. Signers of the letter also stated that the foundation’s stewardship of Evergreen and East End cemeteries has been haphazard and has included forcing out volunteers who have been working at the cemeteries since 2013.

According to the letter, after forcing out the volunteers, Enrichmond last year contracted with commercial landscapers whom the coalition alleges damaged and destroyed fragile grave markers.

In the coalition’s view, “the situation of those cemeteries is critical. Now is the time to pause, reflect and reset. Many mistakes have been made,” the coalition wrote in their appeal, adding that “we now have an opportunity to correct them – and give descendants the voice they deserve.”

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Cityscape Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

Ms. Johnson

This walk-in clinic that Bon Secours opened is one of the many places across the Richmond area where COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed. Location: 2401 W. Leigh St. on the grounds of the Bon Secours Training Center. As of Tuesday, the various sites across the state were averaging a total of 51,000 inoculations a day. At this point, the Virginia Department of Health reported that 18 percent of the state’s population, or about 1.54 million people, had received at least one shot, with 851,000 people or about 10 percent being fully vaccinated. To boost delivery among minority populations, VDH has been working with faith leaders to help spread the word about the vaccination effort and to provide locations. In South Richmond, for example, Second Baptist Church on Broad Rock Road is now hosting weekly vaccination events for VDH.

Lt. Gov. Fairfax

Sen. McClellan

Ms. Carroll Foy

Ms. Blanding

Record number of Black candidates enter statewide races

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A record 11 Black candidates are competing for the Democratic or Republican nomination for statewide office.

Five are running for governor, four for lieutenant governor and three for attorney general from the major parties.

Whether any of the Black candidates in the race are nominated or will win will be determined in the coming months. But the influx of candidates speaks to how far the state has come since 1985 when L. Douglas Wilder ran and won election as the state’s first elected Black lieutenant governor.

Though all face what appear to be uphill climbs to join Mr. Wilder and current Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax as statewide winners, one candidate already has gotten an unexpected boost to his prospects.

In a surprise move, Democratic Gov. Ralph S. Northam last week endorsed Norfolk Delegate Jay Jones for attorney general. Delegate Jones is going head-tohead in the June 8 Democratic primary against incumbent Mark R. Herring, who is seeking a third term as the state’s lawyer.

The governor’s action last week raised Delegate Jones’ profile as a serious and substantial challenger.

Mr. Herring countered quickly with an endorsement from House Majority Leader Charniele Herring of Alexandria, who, like Delegate Jones, is a member of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.

The attorney general previously has been endorsed by other members of the

VLBC, including Sen. L. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, the president pro tempore of the Senate.

In the contest for governor, the number of Black candidates rose to five after former Roanoke Sheriff Octavia Johnson entered the race for the Republican nomination last week.

Though the state GOP is still wrestling with how to hold its planned May 8 nominating convention, Ms. Johnson is now part of a crowded field that includes Chesterfield state Sen. Amanda F. Chase; former House Speaker M. Kirkland “Kirk” Cox of Colonial Heights; retired Army Col. Sergio de la Pena of Fairfax County; and three businessmen, Peter Doran of Arlington, Pete Snyder of Charlottesville and Glenn Youngkin of Falls Church.

On the Democratic side, three of the candidates are Black, including Lt. Gov. Fairfax, Richmond state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, former Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy of Prince William County.

To gain victory in the June 8 Democratic primary and the right to carry the party’s banner into the November general election, though, each faces the task of getting past the acknowledged front-runner, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Northern Virginia, who has outstripped them all in fundraising and endorsements. The field also includes Manassas Delegate Lee Carter.

Activist Princess Blanding of Middlesex County, sister of the late MarcusDavid Peters, who was shot to death by a Richmond Police officer in 2018 while

experiencing what has been described as a mental health crisis, is running under the Liberation Party.

Among the eight Democrats vying to replace Lt. Gov. Fairfax, two are Black candidates from Northern Virginia, Samuel Perryman, counsel to a technology lobbying group, and Xavier Warren, a lobbyist for nonprofits and an agent for NFL players.

Also in the mix are Delegate Sam Rasoul of Roanoke, the son of Palestinian immigrants who joined the VLBC; two Latinas from Northern Virginia, Delegates Hala Ayala and Elizabeth Guzman; Fairfax County Delegate Mark Levine; former state Democratic Party Chairman Paul Goldman of Richmond and Norfolk City Councilwoman Adrian McClellan, no relation to the Richmond state senator.

On the Republican side, the lieutenant governor candidates include one Black person, former Delegate Winsome E. Sears of Norfolk. Her competition includes businessman and former Delegate Tim Hugo of Fairfax County, Virginia Beach Delegate Glenn R. Davis Jr. and two Northern Virginia businessmen, Puneet Ahluwalia and Lance Allen.

For attorney general, the GOP features two Black candidates, Chuck Smith of Virginia Beach, a retired Navy attorney with the Judge Advocate General Corps, and Northern Virginia attorney Jack White.

Also seeking the GOP nomination are Virginia Beach Delegate Jason Miyares and attorney and Chesterfield County Supervisor Leslie Haley.

Electronic system allows voters to sign petitions for candidates to get on Democratic primary ballot Free Press staff report

Signing a statewide candidate’s petition to get on the June 8 Democratic primary ballot just got extremely easy for registered voters.

No need to leave home.

Thanks to the Democratic committees in Fairfax County and Williamsburg, any voter can sign a petition in about 30 seconds via computer or cell phone for one or more statewide candidates seeking to run for the primary.

Voters can go to www.vadempetitions.org or to www. wjccdems.com to find valid petition forms they can fill out and transmit to candidates to submit.

The instructions are simple: Just fill in your name and address on the electronic form,

check the boxes for the candidates whose petitions you are signing, print your name in the signature box, include the last four digits of your Social Security number to enable verification and hit send.

The program generates emails with completed petitions that go to the candidates you selected.

To be on the ballot, candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general must file 2,000 valid signatures by the deadline, 5 p.m.

Thursday, March 25. At least 50 signatures must come from each of the 11 congressional districts.

Two candidates, Manassas Delegate Lee J. Carter, who is running for governor, and Paul Goldman of Richmond, who is running for lieutenant

governor, made it possible through a lawsuit.

Under a court-approved settlement with the state attorney general’s office, their suit allowed the use of electronic petitions and cut the number of petition signatures needed from 10,000 to 2,000.

However, the state Department of Elections has not posted a way for voters to sign petitions electronically.

Enter the two political committees.

In Fairfax, Bryan Graham, chair of the Fairfax committee, is credited with fixing that problem by creating an online website that meets state requirements and prevents candidates from having to go door-to-door or hold in-person events amid the pandemic.

“I just always want people to

VOTE have access to the democratic process, and I saw this as an opportunity,” Mr. Graham said.

The Williamsburg-James City County Democratic Committee has done the same.

In the wake of this effort, Democratic officials are encouraging voters who use this system to check all the candidate boxes so that all of the declared candidates can meet the petition requirements.

Richmond Free Press

March 11-13, 2021

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Richmond Free Press

A4 March 11-13, 2021

News

Coalition demands that UR remove names of racists from buildings Continued from A1

decision by Dr. Crutcher and the UR Board of Trustees as an example of the “institutional culture of justifying and upholding white supremacy” at the university.

“The choice to continue to uplift these violent racists implicitly devalues the lives of Black people and is further evidence of just how deeply ingrained white supremacy still is at UR,” the statement read.

Dr. Crutcher was aware that there might be pushback from retaining the Ryland and Freeman names. Students since 2019 have called on the university to remove the names. But Dr. Crutcher said keeping the names and linking them with Black people could help “spark conversations” about race.

The student group’s statement on an Instagram page called “Protect Our Web” also had a petition that has been gathering

support from others, including faculty and administrators, calling for the names to be removed.

The Collegian, the campus student newspaper, helped spread the word in a story on Monday, noting that 495 people had signed the petition. By Tuesday, the number of signatures reportedly had grown to more than 550 people.

Echoing the theme of the Feb. 25-27 Richmond Free Press editorial condemning the UR approach, the group’s statement notes the university’s decision creates “a false equivalency” that suggests that those named are “all worthy of honor and respect when that is simply not the case concerning Ryland and Freeman.”

Students Shira Greer, an editor at The Collegian, and Simone Greer are credited with writing the statement as founding members. Other founders include Jesse Amankwaah, Kayla Corbin, Katiana Isaac, Jordyn Lofton and Kristen Starks.

The statement describes UR as a school that disregards the

interests of Black students and concludes by stating that the university has until Thursday, April 1, to “release a plan to meet our demands in a reasonable timeframe.”

Along with removing the Ryland and Freeman names, the demands include having UR provide increased academic accommodation for students due to the pandemic and for having UR provide subsidies for off-campus mental health services to redress what the statement claims is disproportionate service to white students in the on-campus mental health operation.

If a plan is not issued by the deadline, the statement warns that Black seniors and other supportive seniors would “cease involvement with any university task forces, student organizations and fundraisers” and would not interact with the school after graduating.

The group also warned that undergraduates would follow suit if there was no plan released as of Thursday, April 15.

The university has not responded to the statement.

Mayor unveils $770.23M proposed city budget for 2021-22 Continued from A1

cleared Congress on Wednesday.

Along with direct $1,400 payments to city residents that are anticipated to collectively total more than $100 million, the new federal stimulus package is projected to deliver at least $145 million to Richmond and at least $30 million to $50 million more to RPS. That’s on top of the combined $93 million the city and public school system received from previous COVID-19 relief packages Congress approved last year. Much of that city money was poured into eviction diversion programs.

As it stands now, the city will have an extra $26 million to spend in the proposed budget, compared to the spending level approved for this year.

In his budget message, Mayor Stoney proposed spending $6.5 million for improvements to pay for city workers, though there will not be a general salary increase.

“It’s easy to forget, but behind every trash bin collected, every park that’s mowed, every open library, and every drink of clean water we take from a city tap, there is a City of Richmond employee we depend on to do their jobs.”

To reward their service, particularly during the pandemic, the mayor is proposing $2.5 million to provide a two-step increase for police officers and firefighters.

He also is proposing to spend $4 million to allow departments to increase pay for workers closer to what private companies pay.

Mayor Stoney cited examples of the impact the pay boosts would have if the budget is approved by the council. He said a social services casework coordinator’s pay would jump by $10,000 a year; a code enforcement inspector’s salary would go up about $12,000 a year; an emergency communications officer would get a $12,000 bump in pay; and a public utilities plant operator would get a $14,000 increase in salary.

The administration in a background briefing

noted that much of the money for this effort will come from savings achieved by not filling 150 vacant positions. While the mayor’s budget noted that the city general fund includes money for about 3,700 employees, only about 3,100 positions are filled currently due to a hiring freeze.

The administration, according to the information, kept 400 positions unfilled in the current budget and is proposing to boost that number to 600 in the new budget.

Other budget winners would include RPS, which is to gain an additional $4.6 million in city tax dollars.

Mayor Stoney noted that his proposed budget also keeps promises to provide $2.9 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and $1.1 million to beef up the city’s response in situations where someone is experiencing a mental health crisis. That response is now dubbed a Marcus Alert after Marcus-David Peters, a 24year-old high school biology teacher who was shot and killed by a Richmond Police officer

Stimulus package to give boost to families, economy Continued from A1

others — who are gleeful that President Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill has cleared Congress and is on its way to his desk to be signed into law.

In Richmond, City Hall officials expect to receive between $145 million and $160 million in federal aid from the bill that provides funding for state and local governments, particularly for housing programs.

Richmond Public Schools is anticipating receiving $30 million to $70 million in new funding from the bill to assist with reopening and will ensure solvency for an array of union pension plans.

The bill also contains $30 billion to support beleaguered restaurants and concert halls in Richmond and across the country — a major infusion for an economic sector that has been hammered by the pandemic.

The massive bill aimed at boosting the economy is the first big victory for the new Biden administration. It cleared the U.S. Sen-

ate on Saturday, which like the House, passed it only with Democratic votes.

Progressive Democrats, who wanted an even larger package, accepted the final agreement as a win, despite the Senate shearing off language that would have boosted the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour.

While a bit smaller than President Biden first sought, the package includes: • $1,400 for every adult, including students and others left out previously, who earn $75,000 or less per year and married couples making $150,000 or less. The benefits are capped for people making up to $80,000 a year or couples with joint income of $160,000 a year.

The stimulus checks are expected to start going out within seven to 10 days of President Biden signing the bill.

• An extension of the $300 a week in unemployment benefits through Sept. 6, preventing a cutoff for people who laid off or are struggling to find jobs.

• An expansion of the child tax credit, which will be increased to $3,600 for children under

age 6 and provide $3,000 for those between ages 6 and 17. Some people who have already filed their taxes may need to file amended returns to take advantage of the more generous credit.

• Money to provide 15 percent more in food stamp benefits through September and to increase subsidies for health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act. • $25 billion in rental and utility assistance and another $10 billion in support for those struggling to pay mortgages.

• $20 billion for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing and distribution, and $50 billion to enable state and local health departments to beef up testing and contact tracing.

• $350 billion to state, local and tribal governments and $120 billion for K-12 public schools.

• Language to provide a bigger tax credit for companies that retain workers rather than laying them off.

• Provides $86 billion to bailout failing union pension plans and to support veterans’ health care.

Low enrollment putting RPS tech programs in jeopardy Continued from A1

it back next year,” he assured the listeners.

Mr. Kamras later told the Free Press that 20 students are needed to have a full-time teacher in the Tech Center’s day program, and 10 students are required for the evening classes for adults.

During the radio program, Mr. Kamras consulted his administrative team and said, according to his knowledge, the brick masonry and small engine repair classes have not been offered for at least three years because of low student enrollment.

“The challenge may also be informing students of the options these hands-on courses would provide,” Mr. Flowers said. “They can

then understand what awaits them in terms of future employment.”

Mr. Wheeler also emphasized the need to inform students of employment opportunities after finishing a horticulture program, including professional groundskeeping for sports teams, employment in botanical gardens and municipal and residential landscaping.

“Landscapers working on massive projects across the country are making more than $100,000,” Mr. Flowers told his guests and audience. “Students should have an opportunity to meet professionals — groundskeepers from the Washington Football Team — to tell them about opportunities to make good salaries and the fact that they started in high school.”

He said RPS could be a pipeline for those opportunities once students have a different view of horticulture.

Mr. Kamras agreed that RPS has not done a good job at making those connections. He said he will meet with Mr. Mitchum to discuss options for the RPS’ future direction.

“I am absolutely committed to expanding access at the Tech Center and its programs,” Mr. Kamras said.

He also promised to meet with Mr. Mitchum and Mr. Wheeler before he returns to Mr. Flowers’ radio show next week.

“This is about community,” Mr. Wheeler said. “The community should come together to address and fix this educational problem.”

while experiencing what has been described as a mental health crisis.

The mayor also talked up new offices he is creating to serve families and children, ensure equity and promote community engagement.

For example, Jim Nolan, the mayor’s press secretary, has been moved to the mayor’s suite, with the rest of the staff now dedicated to ensuring the city has a robust outreach program that allows residents to be engaged and voice their opinions on proposed city policies and plans.

The mayor also used the budget message to announced that his staff is working on establishing a one-stop community resource center for residents who are homeless or facing eviction or another type of housing crisis.

Fifth District City Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch, who has been advocating for such a center, called the plan a first step in creating a year-round shelter similar to the one in Virginia Beach that also provides housing as well as case management.

Free COVID-19 testing Continued from A1 more than 100 other languages.

Additionally, TTY service is available to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

About 18.5 percent of Virginia’s residents have been inoculated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, state health officials reported on Wednesday. That is more than 2.4 million doses of the vaccine that have been administered in the state, with 882,082 people fully vaccinated.

In Richmond and Henrico, officials have expanded vaccine eligibility to include restaurant workers, other front line essential workers and people age 16 to 64 with underlying medical conditions.

In Chesterfield County, eligibility also has expanded to grocery store workers, those in manufacturing and food and agriculture and adults age 65 and older.

Efforts also are underway to expand vaccine distribution through pharmacies, including stores such as Walmart that have pharmacies.

In Richmond, Walmart will be administering the vaccine through appointment-only clinics, including one on Thursday, March 11, at St. Paul’s Baptist Church on Creighton Road in Henrico County.

The Virginia Department of Health also reported last week the first case of the COVID19 variant found in South Africa. The case was reported to be in Central Virginia.

State officials reported 589,375 cases of COVID-19 statewide on Wednesday, along with 24,925 hospitalizations and 9,849 deaths.

Virginia’s seven-day positivity rate continues to drop, and is now at 5.7 percent statewide. Last week, it was 6.6 percent.

According to state data, African-Americans comprised 21.9 percent of cases statewide and 24.1 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 16.9 percent of cases and 6.6 percent of deaths.

As of Wednesday, Richmond reported a total of 15,110 positive cases, 708 hospitalizations and 220 deaths; Henrico County, 21,884 cases, 906 hospitalizations and 549 deaths; Chesterfield County, 24,137 cases, 817 hospitalizations and 366 deaths; and Hanover County, 6,854 cases, 255 hospitalizations and 144 deaths.

Richmond casino to create jobs, bring $ to city, consultants say Continued from A1

temporary and permanent housing for low-income people to be built in virtually every part of the city.

• Allow Commonwealth Catholic Charities Housing Corp. to invest $9 million to create 56 affordable housing units on the site of the long-vacant and now demolished St. Elizabeth’s School in North Side.

On the casino front, the consultants projected a casino should draw about 2.8 million visitors a year and pull in between $320 million and $389 million in annual gaming revenue, depending on the location and the level of competition from existing gambling operations, such as the Rosie’s operation in Richmond and the four other approved casinos to be located in cities along the North Carolina border.

The findings could be conservative as the Rosie’s Gaming Emporium on Midlothian Turnpike in South Side already is taking in about $800 million in bets a year. One element of competition is to be made illegal on July 1 — the so-called “skill game” slot machines now set up at convenience stores, gas stations and other

retail outlets.

Mr. Fisher and Ms. Leckert sought to reassure City Council that the casinos would be good community partners and would not generate any substantial increases in social ills, including gambling addiction and crime.

According to the consultants, any ills would be relatively negligible based on a review of repeated studies conducted in Las Vegas, Massachusetts and other cities and their own discussions with law enforcement in cities with casinos.

Mr. Fisher noted that the information indicates that about 1 percent of those who play are gambling addicts needing help. He reminded the council that the state will use a share of the tax revenue from casinos to provide programs to assist problem gamblers.

As for crime, Mr. Fisher said police officials in Virginia believe there would be no surge with the arrival of a casino.

He said law enforcement officials said the level of crime “would be no different than occurs at big-box stores, like Walmart, and would mainly be the kind of opportunistic crime that occurs at any other retail establishment.” He said the casinos are used to providing

security for customers in cooperation with local police departments.

Ms. Leckert and Ms. Fisher said the casino would provide a financial shot in the arm for the city. They estimated that the city’s share of the state’s casino tax should yield $19 million to $21 million a year in new revenue for the city’s general fund, with local real estate, personal property, meals, admission and lodging taxes adding $10 million to $12 million more annually.

And if Richmond negotiates as well as Danville, the capital city could get an upfront $15 million to $20 million from the winning bidder and potentially gain another fractional share of the gross revenue that is bet in addition to the state tax in which the city would share.

By eliciting competition, “Richmond is in a great position” to extract concessions, Ms. Leckert said. Among other things, the city could ensure that Black-owned and minority-owned businesses participate in construction and secure opportunities as vendors and that city residents get considered first for jobs, And there would be plenty of job

opportunities, the consultants said.

The casino-resort hotel would be a pipeline for skilled and unskilled jobs in a host of fields, ranging from management, computer technology and finance to custodial services, customer service, security and operation of gaming tables.

Along with a casino offering concerts, restaurants and hotel services that could spur visitation, the consultants said virtually every casino now operating donates $15 million to $30 million annually to benefit nonprofits and other organizations.

Mr. Fisher said that casinos want to be “good community partners” and dispel any concerns about the impact they would cause.

According to Leonard Sledge, director of economic development for the City of Richmond, the city is posting information on its websites, including RVA.gov, and is holding a series of virtual meetings that began this week to hear from residents.

On the rezoning front, 6th District Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson joined with Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration to remove the language that restricted the location of home-

less shelters to a few areas of the city, including her district.

The overhaul that grew out of the city’s homeless housing strategy secured unanimous support despite warnings from two city residents that the push to spread out housing for the homeless and others in need of stable shelter could tank residential property values.

The council also voted 9-0 for the Commonwealth Catholic Charities plan to develop 14 three-story buildings on 3.5 acres in the 1000 and 1100 blocks of Fourqurean Lane where a school once stood in Highland Park.

The project also is to include a community center, outdoor recreational space and a park garden.

The site is adjacent to St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church and close to two other community landmarks, Fifth Street Baptist Church and Hotchkiss Field.

This was the third or fourth attempt to redevelop the site for housing.

Others had tried and failed to gain community and City Council support to create new apartments and other housing on the site in the more than three decades since the Catholic elementary school closed.

Richmond Free Press

Actions

Speak

Louder Words have value, especially when they are used to make a promise. But the most important thing about a promise is the action you take afterward. At Dominion Energy, we believe in taking action – to deliver on our commitment to help people, communities, and the environment.

COVID-19 Response and Support In response to the pandemic’s economic impact, Dominion Energy has stepped up to meet the needs of our customers. We suspended all service disconnections for non-payment to provide uninterrupted, reliable service 24/7. We have given more than $1 million to support coronavirus relief efforts by the American Red Cross and other nonprofits, to help our communities in need.

Social Justice and Higher Education At Dominion Energy, we believe higher education is critical to addressing centuries of institutional racism. That is why we have committed $35 million to our initiative supporting historically Black colleges and universities, and to minority student scholarships. In addition, we have allocated another $5 million to promote social justice and community building.

Solar and Wind Energy To build a cleaner energy future, we have added more than 3.5 million solar panels throughout Virginia, helping to make us America’s third largest in solar. In addition, we are developing the largest offshore wind project in the U.S., which will produce enough energy to power 660,000 homes by 2026.

EnergyShare® For years, our EnergyShare® program has helped our neighbors across Virginia, assisting individuals and their families with bill payment and energy saving upgrades. As of today, the program has helped more than 858,000 people. In 2020, we expanded the EnergyShare® program to assist those impacted by the coronavirus with an additional $500,000 to help provide energy bill relief for small businesses, nonprofits, and houses of worship throughout Virginia.

Lower Rates And to help residential customers, we have kept our rates more than 10%* below the national average.

Turning promises into reality is what defines us. That is why we are proud to invest in what we believe in, and what we know is important to you.

*Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, as of 1/26/2021

March 11-13, 2021 A5

Richmond Free Press

Camellia in South Side

Editorial Page

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March 11-13, 2021

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Joe Pugliese / Harpo Productions

The prince and the duchess If anyone is unclear about the damage racism causes, one had only to watch media mogul Oprah Winfrey’s sad and sickening interview with Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex, and her husband, Prince Harry.

The 39-year-old pregnant Ms. Markle, a strong and independent woman brought up by her Black mother and white father in California, told without flinching how the isolation and lack of support from the British royal family after her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry drove her to thoughts of suicide.

What so many believed to be a fairy-tale life took her to the sunken place, where, like a butterfly captured in a jar, she was slowly being suffocated with the continual unchecked criticism and abuse from racist British media.

What made it even more cruel is that when Ms. Markle, pregnant with the couple’s son, Archie, sought help from senior royals and the royal institution, she was rebuffed by the very people who have the power and position to aid and protect her.

Further, her new family showed their racist colors by expressing their “concerns” to Prince Harry about how dark the baby’s complexion would be and what it “would mean and look like” for the royal family, according to Ms. Markle.

Ms. Winfrey was astonished.

Even before Archie was born, the royal institution denied the couple’s baby a royal title and, with it, his eligibility for protection. Her husband also was denied protection, even as death threats continued to pour in.

No one can survive such a perpetual volume of racism and abuse. We applaud Prince Harry for taking the drastic, but heroic action of leaving Britain with his wife and child and stepping down as a senior royal to protect their lives, health and well-being.

We also applaud Tyler Perry, an unsung hero in this saga, for giving the couple a temporary home and providing security people in California for several months last year before they got on their feet.

Here in Virginia, we know too well that the British Empire was built on colonialism and white supremacy.

The British brought that evil to Virginia and the American shores in 1619 in the form of enslavement of Africans and domination of indigenous people.

And the story was the same wherever the British colonized — from Africa and the Caribbean to India and Hong Kong.

The lesson revealed by the couple’s interview is that money and title can’t shield people from racism and the crushing notions of white supremacy. Racism is a health crisis that can drive even a strong woman like Ms. Markle to possible suicide.

Warped by racism, the royal family couldn’t embrace the biracial wife and baby of the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. They refused to use their power and influence to help the couple when Ms. Markle was suffering from severe mental health issues. Their image was more important than her life.

We find it even more jarring — and hypocritical — because Prince Harry was joined in May 2016 by his brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate, in launching an organization to promote mental health awareness. The organization, Heads Together, was started “to ensure that personnel feel comfortable with their everyday mental well being, feel able to support their friends and families through difficult times, and that stigma no longer prevents people getting the help they need.”

Ms. Markle didn’t get that support in Britain from the royal family. We hope she, Prince Harry, Archie and their daughter, whose birth is expected this summer, will find the support they need and the love they deserve in California.

Raising the minimum wage is about racial justice It is time for a maximum push for a new minimum wage.

The federal minimum wage has not budged for more than a decade. But the cost of living keeps rising. So, low-income people fall further and further behind.

Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would lift millions of working people out of poverty. This is especially true for families headed by women, especially Black women, who are disproportionately clustered in minimum-wage jobs.

It would make a big dent in the income and wealth gaps that make Black Americans poorer and their families more vulnerable. And it would help right something that is seriously wrong with our economy, which keeps pushing a greater share of the country’s overall wealth to the tiny percentage of the most ridiculously rich people at the very top.

Raising the minimum wage

is a moral question as well as an economic one.

If the minimum wage had kept up with the rise in workers’ productivity over the years, it would now be closer to $25 an hour. But it didn’t.

In other words, as a society, we have been effectively stealing from the people who already

Ben Jealous have the least.

So this is about justice. And it is specifically about racial justice.

According to congressional testimony from the Economic Policy Institute last month, “Due to the impacts of structural racism and sexism, women and Black and Hispanic men are concentrated in low-wage jobs” and would greatly benefit from a higher minimum wage.

A higher percentage of Black women are full-time minimum wage workers than any other racial group. More than one-third of Black women have been in front line jobs during the pandemic where they are still paid less than white men.

This is about the health of our children and families.

About 80 percent of Black women are sole, primary, or co-breadwinners for their households. Bringing home a few thousand more dollars per year could be transformative for lowincome families.

When he was campaigning, President Biden told voters that he supported a $15 minimum wage. House Democrats included it in their most recent COVID-19 relief bill. But because of an interpretation of U.S. Senate rules, the minimum wage may not be included in the final bill.

That cannot be the final word. The administration must put its weight behind the Raise the Wage Act of 2021, which would get us to a $15 minimum by 2025.

For congressional Democrats and the Biden-Harris administration, fighting for a $15 minimum wage is a place where moral obligation and political interests intersect.

President Biden and Democrats campaigned on a $15 minimum. And they are in the White House with a Senate majority

Step in the right direction Exhale.

Relief is on the way.

President Biden’s COVID19 relief bill has cleared the U.S. Senate with the narrowest of margins. It was a grueling process. As a delaying tactic, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin demanded that the entire 600-plus-page bill be read aloud. It took more than 10 hours for Senate clerks to read.

The ridiculous demand imposed no hardship on any senator. Most, including Sen. Johnson, drifted in and out of the reading, which lasted until 2 a.m. on Friday, March 5. The senators were not inconvenienced. They were under no obligation to be seated as the legislation was read. The inconvenience, instead, was on the clerks who read for several hours, and to what end?

No matter. The delay did not prevent the legislation from passing, although it passed on strictly party lines.

Still, essential components of the legislation remained.The amended bill was expected to pass in Congress this week. It retained help to cities and states, supports COVID-19 vaccinations and a child credit that will put money in people’s pockets. The legislation is, in some ways, disappointing. In many other ways, it is a step in the right direction.

At moments like this, I think of folks like Elder Betty Shabazz,

who always said, “Find the good and praise it.” So we must praise the legislation that has passed and what it will mean to those struggling in the face of this pandemic. We must praise the money that poor people with children will get. And we must praise the relief that will come to small businesses, which have a two-week window to get ahead of the capitalist exploiters who have manipulated the system.

Julianne Malveaux We also must embrace our disappointment as motivation to move forward. Thanks, Sen. Bernie Sanders for continuing your passionate fight for a $15 minimum wage. Why have so many settled at $11 per hour or raised the issue of differential minimum wages based on the cost of living? No matter where you go, a McDonald’s or Burger King sandwich costs about the same unless there are sales. So does food. Housing costs may differ, and that’s worth consideration.

Here’s the other question: How much poverty are we prepared to accept? Are we prepared to accept its consequences?

We also are disappointed that President Biden has backed off student loan forgiveness, suggesting that it might be limited to $10,000 per borrower. The backbone of Biden support, Black women, carry the most enormous student loan debt. President Biden and his team need to target student loan relief and ensure that those who shouldered the most debt get the most help.

While there are certainly flaws to the Biden/Warren plan for total student loan debt forgiveness, the Biden proposal does not deal with the racial wealth gap and how Black students often pay more to get less in higher education.

I am not complaining. It would be unseemly in the face of this victory. I am merely saying there is so much work to do. If we are tempted to take a victory lap around the passage of COVID-19 relief, we also must be ready for the next steps.

The House of Representatives passed HR1, which is an election protection measure that guarantees voting rights. Already, more than 200 voter suppression bills have been proposed in legislatures in more than 40 states. In Georgia, the state legislature has crafted a bill that directly attacks the efforts of voter organizers. It limits Sunday voting, negating the efforts of “All Souls to the Polls.” It forbids the distribution of food and water to those who have been standing in line for hours.

Georgia legislators know the power of the Black vote. They want to diminish it.

Since the mid-1990s, the Black church has called for “All souls to the polls.” Some folks don’t want our souls there. They want to continue their autocratic nonsense. And unless we vote, despite obstacles, they’ll have their way.

Passing COVID-19 relief is a step in the right direction. But it must be the first step, not the last.

The writer is an economist and author.

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.

because Black women organized and turned out the vote.

Rev. William J. Barber II, cochair of the Poor People’s Campaign, recently reminded us that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called for a $2 an hour minimum wage almost 60 years ago. That would be more than $15 today if it kept up with inflation.

Dr. King talked about racial equality as an unfulfilled promise from the nation’s Founding Fathers. Democrats cannot let a living wage remain an unfulfilled promise to Black Americans.

The writer, a former president and CEO of the NAACP, is president of People for the American Way and the People for the American Way Foundation.

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March 11-13, 2021 A7

Letters to the Editor

More study of free Black people who owned slaves needed It recently was announced that four statesupported institutions of higher learning in Virginia have inaugurated an exploratory group, tentatively named The Center for the Study of Free Black Men and Women in Virginia, in hopes of telling some untold stories of our Commonwealth and to add to an accurate understanding of Virginia’s history. One such “untold story” is that of free Black owners of slaves, documented in part by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who was known as “the father of Black history.”

Dr. Woodson was born in Buckingham County, the son of former slaves. He received his doctorate from Harvard University, rose to prominence as a writer and historian and was the editor of The Journal of Negro History.

He is best known for establishing Black History Week, which evolved into Black History Month.

In 1924, Dr. Woodson compiled from the U.S. Census records of 1830 the names and numbers of free Black owners of slaves, listed by state, along with the number of slaves owned by each.

The statistics were copied by three assistants under his supervision and published in “Free Negro Owners of Slaves in the United States in 1830, Together with Absentee Ownership of Slaves in the United States in 1830.”

Most of the listings are in the South, but there

also are listings of free Black owners of slaves in the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

In the North, Pennsylvania had the most free Black owners of slaves, numbering 23, with New York and New Jersey next.

In the South, the majority of free Black owners of slaves were found in Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina and Louisiana.

In many of these cases, Dr. Woodson wrote, the ownership was philanthropic, with a free husband purchasing his wife, or a free wife purchasing her husband.

In many other cases, the land and slave holdings of these free Black people rivaled those of white planters.

In Virginia, more than 900 free Black owners of slaves were listed in 1830, with one who owned 71. More than 230 of these owners were residents of the city of Richmond.

In all, more than 9,600 slaves in Virginia in 1830 were owned by free Black people, including more than 1,150 in the city of Richmond.

It is hoped that any study of free Black men and women in Virginia will not neglect to mention this unique component of Virginia history.

H.V. TRAYWICK JR. Richmond

Spanberger demonstrates leadership on climate issues The past year saw us battling several crises at once: An unprecedented pandemic and the economic fallout that came with it, systemic racism and disparity and the effects of a changing climate, which made itself known in a season of record wildfires and hurricanes.

These are serious problems that demand serious leadership, which is why I’m proud of my congressional representative, Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Henrico, for working toward concrete solutions in Congress.

The League of Conservation Voters released its 2020 National Environmental Scorecard, which ranks members of Congress based on their votes on a wide swath of issues, everything from public lands preservation to acting to address the climate crisis and secure a more just and equitable society.

Rep. Spanberger’s near perfect score of 96 percent demonstrates her clear support for clean air, clean water and public lands, as well as a commitment to helping Virginians through one of the most difficult times in our lives.

I’m grateful for her leader-

ship in 2020, and look forward to her continuing commitment on these issues under a Biden administration that’s prioritizing climate action and environ-

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Bessie Lane (East River Road to South Street) Reconstruction Project Chesterfield County Virtual Citizen Information Meeting Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Find out about plans to improve Bessie Lane. The project involves the realignment and reconstruction of Bessie Lane from East River Road to South Street. The project adds streetscape enhancements to Bessie Lane including a sidewalk, shared-use path, landscaping, streetlights and a bus stop on East River Road. In addition, the project includes expansion and improvements to the train station parking lot. This notice is intended to inform you of the virtual/online resources available at this time for you to review and provide feedback. The Bessie Lane Citizen Information Meeting website, which can be found at www.chesterfield.gov/roadprojects, has been established to share details, exhibits and other project information, as well as to collect comments.

The citizen information meeting will be held as a virtual event, via a Zoom meeting, on March 23 from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm. The meeting is being held to offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions about the project. Attendees will be required to register in advance for the Zoom meeting by providing their name and email address at the Bessie Lane Citizen Information Meeting website which can be found at www.chesterfield.gov/roadprojects. Attendees will be able to submit questions via the “chat” feature of the Zoom meeting.

All materials that would typically be provided at an in-person meeting will be posted on the project website noted above and remain on the website through April 8, 2021. Review project information on the website listed above or contact Chesterfield County Transportation Department to schedule a time to review the information at 9800 Government Center Parkway, Chesterfield, VA 23832. The project team is available to discuss the project with you in detail at your request. Please call ahead to ensure the availability of personnel to answer your questions (804) 748-1037.

Written comments from the public regarding the proposed project are requested and may be submitted by visiting the website above and clicking on the “Provide Input” tab. Written comments may also be submitted by email to transportation@chesterfield.gov or by mail to Barb Smith, P.E., Chesterfield County Transportation Department, P.O. Box 40, Chesterfield, VA 23832-0040. Please submit comments on or before April 8, 2021 and reference “Bessie Lane CIM Comments” in the email subject line.

Chesterfield 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 special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact the project manager above or TDD/TTY 711.

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF A PETITION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY FOR REVISION OF RATE ADJUSTMENT CLAUSE: RIDER E, FOR RECOVERY OF COSTS INCURRED TO COMPLY WITH STATE AND FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS CASE NO. PUR-2021-00013 •Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a Dominion Energy Virginia (“Dominion”) has applied for revision of a rate adjustment clause, designated Rider E, for recovery of costs incurred to comply with state and federal environmental regulations.

•Dominion requests approval of a total revenue requirement of approximately $67,451,000 for its 2021 Rider E. According to Dominion, this amount would decrease the bill of a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month by $0.42.

•Due to the ongoing public health emergency related to the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, a Hearing Examiner appointed by the State Corporation Commission will hold a telephonic hearing in this case on June 9, 2021, at 10 a.m., for the receipt of public witness testimony.

•A Hearing Examiner will hold an evidentiary hearing in this case on June 9, 2021, after the receipt of public witness testimony.

•Further information about this case is available on the SCC website at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information.

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Richmond Free Press

A8 March 11-13, 2021

Sports Stories by Fred Jeter

A-10 Tournament win would send VCU Rams to NCAAs Virginia Commonwealth University’s basketball Rams aren’t dancing yet. But they can hear the band warming up.

Atlantic-10 Conference Coach of the Year Mike Rhoades and the Rams, 19-6, is one win shy of the NCAA’s Big Dance as it travels to the University of Dayton for the A-10 Tournament final against St. Bonaventure on Sunday, March 14.

A victory over the Bonnies will send VCU straight into the NCAA draw. Even with a loss, the Rams are contenders for an at-large berth to college basketball’s liveliest party.

No Ph.D. required: One doesn’t need a “Dr.” in front of their name to see Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland forms the backbone of this year’s team.

The scintillating 6-foot-3 sophomore from Wilmington, Del., averages 20 points per game and put on an oh-my-gosh show to remember in the A-10 quarterfinals against the University of Dayton.

After missing two games with a sprained foot, Hyland dramatically returned with arguably the best individual performance in more than 50 years and 1,500 games of black and gold history.

Foiling former VCU and now

Dayton Coach Anthony Grant, Hyland dazzled with 30 points — 22 in the first half — 10 rebounds and three assists. The Flyers had no answer as Hyland did what he wanted when he wanted.

Even such Rams backcourt legends as Jesse Dark, Gerald Henderson, Ed Sherod, Calvin Duncan and Eric Maynor would be hard pressed to top that.

A-10 rubber match: VCU defeated St. Bonaventure 67-64 in Richmond on Feb. 12 after losing at the school in New York State 70-54 on Jan. 20.

Bench bunch: As usual, the Rams’ substitutes made a significant difference, outscoring Davidson College reserves 25-10.

Freshman Jamir Watkins, wearing jersey No. 0, has been anything but a nobody. The 6-foot-7 Trenton, N.J., native had 10 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes. On the season, Watkins is third in scoring behind Hyland and Vince Williams.

VCU’s backups are operating without Tre Clark, who left the team in early February, and KeShawn Curry, who is still attending to personal matters in his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla. Also, ultratalented Jarren McAl-

Down to the nitty-gritty Atlantic-10 Conference final Sunday, March 14 Virginia Commonwealth University versus St. Bonaventure, University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, 1 p.m., CBS-TV. Setting the stage At the Siegel Center, VCU defeated Dayton 73-68 in the quarterfinals and defeated Davidson College 64-52 in semifinals.

St. Bonaventure topped Duquesne University 75-59 and St. Louis University 71-53.

Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland

lister, the dunk contest winner in the black and gold scrimmage, was lost for the season in November with a knee injury.

Dayton again: On March 16, 2011, VCU opened its famous Final Four run with a 59-46 win over Southern Cal in the NCAA First Four at Dayton.

From there, the Rams defeated

NSU in MEAC Tournament this weekend

Photo courtesy of Rodney Hall

From left, Richmond promoter Cecil Miller, Yoel Judah, Don King and boxer Alonzo “Big Zo” Butler at Don King Productions headquarters in Deerfield Beach, Fla., in February during contract negotiations.

Local promoter helps boxer make comeback Alonzo Butler, at 41, is neither down nor out as a professional boxer.

South Richmonder Cecil Miller, 43, is firmly in Butler’s corner as manager-agent in an attempt to extend the veteran heavyweight’s fortune in the ring.

Joining Miller in assisting Butler’s march down the comeback trail is famous promoter Don King and veteran trainer Yoel Judah.

King, 89, operates Don King Promotions based in Florida.

Judah is a veteran trainer out of Brooklyn, N.Y., who conditions fighters.

“Legendary names in the sport,” said Miller, a native of North Carolina who moved to Richmond several years ago.

Miller reports he signed a contract with King on Feb. 16.

“It’s a partnership,” said Miller.

Miller’s diverse background includes fashion modeling, dancing and music production. He’s a relative newcomer to the fight game.

“I’m the rookie of the year,” Miller said.

Under the umbrella of BYD-Sports, a spinoff of his BYDMusic, Miller has made Butler, aka “Big Zo,” the main focus of his sports management efforts.

Butler, a native Tennessean, essentially retired in 2016 following a win Dec. 3, 2016, over Fred Latham in Jonesboro, Ga. Butler chose not to fight for four years, but was always eager to get back into the ring.

Opportunity came knocking in the form of Miller.

Miller drew national attention to Butler with three episodes of his “Stars & Champions” reality show last winter on The Impact Network.

That’s how Miller connected with King and Judah.

Given a reprieve by Miller, Butler made his return Feb. 1, 2020, with a technical knockout of Jesus Torres in New Mexico.

He followed that up Dec. 12, 2020, with a split decision win over Ron Guerrero in Jonesboro.

With the two recent wins, Butler improved his pro mark to 32-3, with 21 knockouts. The 6-foot-3 fighter has gone from 340 pounds down to about 280 since returning to a strict training regimen.

The next fight is tentatively scheduled for April 10 in Vero Beach, Fla., against a yet-to-be-named opponent.

“We’re looking at that as another tune-up,” said Miller.

If the April event goes as planned, Miller said the follow-up bout would be “before June,” likely at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Although details remain sketchy, Miller has tossed out names of high-ranking Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua as possible opponents.

Tyson and Joshua, both from England, are currently ranked one and two in the world, respectively.

At 41, elderly by boxing standards, how much power does Butler have left in his gloves? How much bounce remains in his step?

The oldest heavyweight champ in history was George Foreman at 45, when he defeated Michael Moorer for the WBA title in 1994 in Las Vegas.

“That’s the type of boxer Big Zo is—like Foreman,” Miller said. “If he’s going to defeat ranked fighters, he’ll need to knock ’em out.”

Butler is the centerpiece but not the entirety of Miller’s boxing aspirations. Miller is encouraged by recent reports that a casino could be on the drawing board for Richmond.

In recent decades, the casinos have hosted more and more headline boxing cards.

“Eventually, I want to bring boxing back to Richmond,” Miller said.

Norfolk State University was a dominant force in CIAA basketball but hasn’t yet found similar fortunes in the MEAC. The Spartans won the CIAA tournament 12 times between 1965 and 1996, but have just one title — in 2012 — since joining the MEAC in 1997.

The good news is that it’s not too late to regain lost glory. There are ample reasons pointing to why NSU Coach Robert Jones’ Spartans are this year’s favorite to prevail and advance to the NCAAs. Heading into this weekend’s tournament, NSU has the MEAC’s top foul shooter, top 3-point shooter, arguably best all-round performer and, not to be overlooked, the hometown advantage.

The event will be held at the Norfolk Scope Arena, just 1.2 miles from the NSU campus. There will be very limited seating, however, due to pandemic regulations.

Some history: Under Coaches Ernie Fears, Robert Smith, Mike Bernard and Richmond-native Charles Christian, NSU won 12 CIAA titles and went to 15 NCAA Division II tournaments, reaching the Final Four in 1995.

Since making the move to the NCAA Division I MEAC in 1997, NSU has been to only one NCAA — in 2012 — when the Spartans famously upset the University of Missouri in a No. 2 versus No. 15 match behind sensation Kyle O’Quinn.

Today’s team: NSU heads to the Scope with a 14-7 overall mark and 8-4 in the MEAC, including four straight wins. The Spartans will be the top seed from the

Georgetown and Purdue universities in Chicago and Florida State University and University of Kansas in San Antonio before falling to Butler University in the semifinals in Houston.

Famous “feets:” St. Bonaventure, too, lists a NCAA Final Four on its résumé. In 1970, the Bonnies, led by Bob Lanier, reached the semifinals in

Daryl Anderson

Joe Bryant

Scoping the action Air Force Reserve MEAC Tournament, Norfolk Scope Arena Thursday, March 11: Women’s quarterfinals at noon and 2 p.m.; men’s quarterfinals at 6 and 8 p.m.

Friday, March 12: Women’s semifinals at noon and 2 p.m.; men’s semifinals at 6 and 8 p.m. As the top seed in the Northern Division, Norfolk State University will play in the 6 p.m. contest.

S a t u r d a y, M a r c h 1 3 : M e n ’s championship, 1 p.m., ESPN2 (live); women’s championship, 3:30 p.m., ESPN3 and ESPNU (rebroadcast).

Moving on: Champions advance automatically to the NCAA Division I tournament to be held this year in the Indianapolis area.

Northern Division.

Sophomore Daryl Anderson leads the MEAC from 3-point range (46 percent) and junior Joe Bryant tops the conference in foul shooting (86 percent).

The 6-foot-1 Bryant, averaging 10 points and four rebounds, ranks among NSU’s most versatile athletes.

At Norfolk’s Lake Taylor High School, Bryant helped the team to both the State 4A football and basketball state titles.

In the 2018 state high school basketball semifinals, Bryant scored 33 points against Richmond’s Huguenot High School.

A powerful MEAC Player of the Year candidate is 6-foot-3 senior guard Devante

College Park, Md., before losing to star Artis Gilmore and the Jacksonville Dolphins.

Lanier, who wore size 22 Converse, later drew laughs for his role in the Miller Lite commercial with his “Famous Feets” line.

Packing the bags: As the Rams and the Bonnies make preparations for Dayton, they’re sure to pack their squeaky sneakers — and their dancing shoes, too. The fancy footin’ starts for real March 18 in Indianapolis.

Devante Carter

J.J. Matthews

Carter, averaging 16 points and five rebounds. The former standout at Woodside High School in Newport News also leads the team with 79 assists and 23 steals.

804 connection: The Spartans’ starting center is 6-foot-8, 240-pound J.J. Matthews from Millwood School in Midlothian. Matthews averages nine points, leads the team with 5.2 rebounds per outing and shoots 53 percent from floor, mostly from close range.

Providing valuable minutes coming off Coach Jones’ bench are Anderson, also from the Millwood School, Tyrese Jenkins from Varina High School in Henrico County and Chris Ford from L.C. Bird High School in Chesterfield County. Ford leads the team with 18 blocked shots.

The greatest player in NSU history is unquestionably Bobby Dandridge out of Richmond’s Maggie L. Walker High School. The 6-foot-6 forward known as “Greyhound” was brilliant at NSU under Coach Fears before winning two NBA titles with Milwaukee in 1971 and Washington in 1978.

Dandridge, who averaged 32.3 points as a NSU senior in 1968-69, ranks with the top HBCU performers in the annals.

Old-timers recall the glory years when Norfolk State averaged more than 100 points and enjoyed one of the strongest fan bases on the East Coast. Tickets were hard to find when the Spartans came to town.

During the decades, the Spartans have lost some of that swagger. This might be the season the green and gold snatches it back.

Coach Latrell Scott leaves NSU for East Carolina The last time Norfolk State University had an opening for a new head football coach, it went the Division II route for the new man.

Might it happen again?

Following last week’s resignation of Coach Latrell Scott after five seasons, the MEAC school is in search of a new sideline supervisor.

Serving as interim head coach is Cincinnati native William “B.T.” Sherman, who has been Coach Scott’s assistant for the past four years.

Coach Scott, 45, posted a 2135 overall record that included a 17-22 mark in MEAC play.

The Richmond native starred

Latrell Scott file Head coaching record School University of Richmond Virginia State University Norfolk State University Coach Scott

Years Record 2010 6-5 2013-14 19-3 2017-21 21-35

Note: Coach Scott has served as an assistant at Fork Union Military Academy, Western Carolina, Virginia Military Institute, University of Richmond, University of Tennessee and the University of Virginia.

as a receiver at the former Lee-Davis High School in Mechanicsvillle and Hampton University before embarking on a coaching career.

Coach Scott announced he was leaving NSU to become

passing game coordinator under Head Coach Mike Houston at East Carolina University.

“It was truly a family decision,” said Coach Scott in a prepared statement from NSU. “I’m leaving Norfolk State to accept

NSU alumna becomes NFL’s first Black female referee Development Program in 2014.

Norfolk State University alumna She graduated from the program Maia Chaka has become the NFL’s with Sarah Thomas, who became first Black female referee. the first female referee in the She will begin working regular NFL in 2015. This year, Thomas season NFL games during the became the first woman to referee 2021 season. She worked some the Super Bowl. preseason games in 2020.

Later in 2014, Chaka became A 2006 graduate of NSU who the first woman to referee a NCAA now teaches at-risk students at Maia Chaka Division I bowl game, Washington Renaissance Academy in Virginia Beach, Chaka previously served as a referee versus Brigham Young. for high school games in Hampton Roads and The first Black NFL referee was Burl more recently as a college ref for Conference Toler in 1965. At the start of the 2020 NFL USA and the Pac-12, where she was spotted by season, 40 of the 121 officials were Africanscouts and recruited into the NFL’s Officiating American men.

another career opportunity.”

MEAC teams did not play the fall 2020 season due to the pandemic.

ECU plays on the highest level of the NCAA, the FBS Division. Norfolk State competes one level lower in the FCS. Coach Scott went to NSU following an outstanding 19-3 mark at Virginia State University. The Trojans were 14-0 against CIAA competition under Coach Scott.

At NSU, Coach Scott succeeded Coach Pete Adrian who was 32-60 in 10 seasons.

So now, NSU is shopping for Coach Scott’s successor.

With no official statement, two candidates might be CIAA Coaches Damon Wilson at Bowie State University and VSU’s Reggie Barlow.

Wilson is 46-13 the last five years at Bowie State and produced two-time, Black College National Player of the Year Amir Hall. The Bulldogs are 29-4 in the CIAA since 2015.

Coach Wilson was previously an assistant at Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University of the SWAC. Coach Barlow is 31-10 at VSU, including 22-6 in the CIAA. Previously, Coach Barlow was 49-42 at Alabama State University of the SWAC. The CIAA season also was canceled last fall due to the pandemic.

March 11-13, 2021 B1

Richmond Free Press

Section

Happenings

B

For the last four months, Taylor RaShon Scott has been working to help meet the Richmond community’s need for food during the pandemic.

As the founder of RVA Community Fridge, Ms. Scott established the first community fridge in Virginia that provides free food to anyone who needs it. The community fridge — now there are two, with a third about to come online — also is open for people to place donations of fresh and prepared foods.

Ms. Scott, who started the organization with a small group of Black, Indigenous and People of Color in November, also is busy working as a COVID-19 registrar with GENETWORx laboratory and pursuing a graduate degree.

But her volunteer efforts have been paying off so far, she says, with enthusiastic responses and support from the community.

“Honestly, getting the first one up was actually a little bit more time consuming than these new ones since now we have so much help,” says Ms. Scott.

RVA Community Fridge now has about 100 volunteers who are organized into subgroups to handle various tasks.

The importance of this kind of community aid was a lesson Ms. Scott learned early in life in her native New Orleans, where she first saw and felt the sense of community giving. It became even more prominent following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Now living in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom, Ms. Scott sees how this type of community aid and activism is being embraced

by Richmonders. Community fridges, she explains, first started in Germany and Spain in 2012 before being adopted by groups throughout the United States.

“Since COVID-19 started, more and more community fridges have been popping up within the United States,” Ms. Scott says. “People are facing new and more hardships and are realizing that with cooperation,

Personality: Taylor R. Scott Spotlight on founder of RVA Community Fridge collaboration and communication, we, the community, can provide for each other.”

Currently, two community fridges exist in Richmond, at Pomona Plants on Venable Street and behind the Bearded Kitchen on Hull Street in South Side. A third, at New Kingdom Christian Ministries on Dill Avenue in Highland Park, will be opening soon.

A wide variety of food, including fruits and vegetables, juice, milk and other items, is available 24/7 for anyone to take. RVA Community Fridge members regularly check the refrigerators throughout the day to replenish the stock and ensure a safe and sanitary resource for those who need it.

Partnerships with a variety of farms, gardens and organizations also helps to supply food.

RVA Community Fridge also is working with local artists to add color to the refrigerators.

With community support and donations, Ms. Scott said the organization plans to add at least one new community fridge each month around Richmond.

It also is establishing a location with the JJD Foundation in Ettrick near Virginia State University.

Ms. Scott says the group is planning ahead to ensure their food supply and fridges can adapt to the seasons and the needs of the community.

“I am just head over heels, so excited that it has taken off like this,” Ms. Scott says. “I can’t thank everyone enough for supporting the fridge.”

Meet a community aid provider and pioneer and this week’s Personality, Taylor R. Scott:

No. 1 volunteer position: Founder, RVA Community Fridge Date and place of birth: Nov. 28 in New Orleans.

Current residence: Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom.

Occupation: COVID-19 registrar at GENETWORx laboratory.

Education: Bachelor’s in criminal justice, with a concentration in forensic crime scene investigation and a minor in homeland security and emergency preparedness, Virginia Commonwealth University; currently working on my master’s in forensic psychology at Liberty University.

Family: Mother, Tiffany Scott; father, Sterling Scott; and brother, Sterling Scott.

RVA Community Fridge is: A small group of BIPOC com-

munity organizers putting together our efforts to start the first community fridges in Virginia right here in Richmond.

When and why founded: Founded in November 2020 to provide free food to the community. It is based on donations from within the community, including individuals and businesses.

Mission: RVA Community Fridge’s mission is to promote equal access to healthy food options, including fresh produce, as well as to reduce food waste, insecurity and foster a sense of mutual aid amongst our community.

Food insecurity is: HealthyPeople.gov defines food insecurity as the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources.

History of the community fridge concept: First established in Germany and Spain in 2012 and later making their way to the United States, community fridges have become part of a national movement within the past year stemming from economic difficulties associated with the pandemic, greater scrutiny of social injustice and an increase in citizen-led grassroots efforts.

How many fridges are in Richmond and where: There are two within Richmond: At 2025 Venable St. at Pomona Plants, and behind the Bearded Kitchen, 2414 Hull St. in South Side. A third location, at New Kingdom Christian Ministries, 3200 Dill Ave. in Highland Park, is a work in progress.

Art and RVA Community Fridge: The community fridges are painted by local artists to foster local support, cooperation and showcase their work.

What is typically inside the fridges: The fridges are normally stocked with fresh produce, fruits, vegetables, condiments, juice, milk, bread and prepared meals. And pantry goods may be stored in the bins on the side.

Who is eligible to open the fridge: The fridge may be accessed by anyone in need or who wants to donate 24/7.

No. 1 goal of RVA Community Fridge: To provide fresh produce and goods to the community while fostering a sense of mutual aid.

Strategy for achieving goals: Raise donations via the community and grants to stock the fridge for the community.

COVID-19 and RVA Community Fridge: Since COVID-19 started, more and more community fridges have been popping up within the United States.

People are facing new and more hardships and are realizing that with cooperation, collaboration and communication, we, the community, can provide for each other.

Partnerships: We currently are partnered with Virginia Free Farms, Pomona Plants, Intergalactic Taco, Stockton Community Garden and Apotecha Farms.

How to get involved: Volunteers are always needed to help stock, check on and clean the fridges. People can sign up to get involved via our linktr.ee in our bios.

How to donate: Anyone can bring donations to the fridge

24/7, or they can provide a monetary donation via our gofund me, cash app or grant.

How I start the day: I start my day with the mentality that it will be better than yesterday and that my mood is based on how I interpret things.

Three words that best describe me: Outgoing, loud and loving.

Best late-night snack: Peanut butter and jelly.

What is typically inside my fridge: Since I am plant based, my fridge is usually stocked with an array of fresh fruit and produce, (v) butter, homemade juices and milk.

How I unwind: A good meditation and yoga session.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I am obsessed with collecting sea turtle figurines and buying house plants.

Quote that most inspires me: “Nisi Credideritis, Non Intelligetis” translation “Unless you believe, you will not understand.”

At the top of my “to-do” list: To create a seasonal vegan cook e-book by 2022.

Best thing my parents ever taught me: Speak my mind and never give up on what you believe in.

Person who influenced me the most: My parents. They’re both dedicated, hard-working and loving people and have taught me to be the person I am today!

Book that influenced me the most: “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey.

What I’m reading now: “Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind and Spirit” by Queen Afua.

Next goal: We hope to put up at least one new fridge per month for the next year.

Virginia Flood Awareness Week | March 14-20

The Impacts of Place, Space, Climate Change and Race March 18 | 6-9 p.m. EST

Register at www.dcr.virginia.gov/FloodAwarenessWeek

Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali

Dr. Robert K. Nelson

Rudene Haynes

Mary C. Lauderdale

Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization, National Wildlife Federation

Director, Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond

Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

Visitor Services Manager, Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia

Dr. Janice Underwood

Desiré Branch-Ellis

Rob Jones

Angela Davis

Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Commonwealth of Virginia

Policy Advisor, Virginia Department of Emergency Management

Executive Director, Groundwork RVA

Floodplain Program Planner, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Division of Dam Safety and Floodplain Management in partnership with the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia

A virtual discussion on the disparate impacts of flooding in minority communities, barriers to recovery and why Virginia must be a leader for change.

This panel brings together community and policy leaders to discuss the impacts of historic and systemic racism and the impacts to minority communities grappling with flooding and climate change.

Richmond Free Press

B2 March 11-13, 2021

Happenings Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview stirs racial introspection among Brits Free Press wire report

LONDON Explosive allegations by Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex, that she faced racist attitudes from both the royal palace and the media in the United Kingdom have sent ripples of shock around the world. But they came as no surprise to many Black Britons.

Whether it’s the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color or the lack of non-white faces at the top of British media and politics, ethnic minorities in the U.K. say racist attitudes and structures of discrimination are pervasive — and all too often denied by society at large.

“This is a country that doesn’t want to have an honest conversation about race,” historian David Olusoga, who presented the TV series “Black and British: A Forgotten History,” said Tuesday.

In a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey that drew nearly 50 million people worldwide when it was broadcast Sunday night in the United States and Monday night in the U.K., Ms. Markle said isolation and a lack of support from the royal household after her marriage to Prince Harry drove her to thoughts of suicide. Yet when she asked for mental health assistance from the palace’s human resources staff, she said she was told they couldn’t help because she wasn’t a paid employee.

She also said an unnamed member of the royal family expressed “concerns” to Prince Harry about how dark her child’s skin color would be when she was pregnant with the couple’s son, Archie — a statement that drew an astonished “What?” from Ms. Winfrey.

Prince Harry also revealed that the stresses the couple endured had ruptured relations with his father, Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and his brother, Prince William, illuminating the depth of the family divisions that led the couple to step away from royal duties and move to California last year.

The revelations have drawn worldwide attention, contention in some circles and a short, official response from Prince Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s monarch.

“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” according to the statement issued on behalf of Queen Elizabeth. “The issues raised, particularly that of

VUU to host virtual symposium March 12 The Virginia Union University Office of Government and Community Relations is hosting a virtual symposium, “Our America: The Reality Check 2021,” at 6 p.m.

Friday, March 12.

Organizers said the event will give a new generation of activists, influencers and policymakers an opportunity to explore and offer ideas for addressing and ending the racial and social inequities that African-Americans face.

Panelists are to include state NAACP Executive Director Da’Quan M. Love, Richmond 381 Movement co-founder Corey Stuckey, Richmond Human Rights Commission member Riqia Taylor, Richmond LGBTQ Chamber President Natasha Crosby and VUU alumnus Kadeem Roberts, who is a member of the Norwalk, Conn., City Council.

Additional panelists include Natalie Andre, VUU community engagement coordinator and activist, and Bronxlyn, a musical artist and promoter.

Registration: tinyurl. com/VUUourAmerica.

Details: neandre@vuu. edu.

DIAMONDS • WATCHES JEWELRY • REPAIRS 19 EAST BROAD STREET RICHMOND, VA 23219 (804) 648-1044

WWW.WALLERJEWELRY.COM

Photo courtesy of Harpo Productions

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex, during tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”

On Tuesday in Britain, former CNN personality Piers Morgan quit the popular “Good Morning, Britain” program following a furor over comments he made criticizing Ms. Markle, including remarks saying he didn’t believe anything she said during the bombshell interview.

Mr. Morgan, who had tangled verbally with at least one guest over the interview, was dressed down by the show’s weather forecaster and stormed off the set.

The U.K.’s media watchdog said earlier Tuesday that it was launching an investigation into the show under its harm and offense rules after receiving more than 41,000 complaints over Mr. Morgan’s comments about the duchess of Sussex.

Tiwa Adebayo, a communications consultant and journalist, said the couple’s revelations in the interview bore out her worst fears.

“When Meghan joined the royal family, every person of color in the U.K. was worried,” she said. “This is an institution that is rooted in colonialism. It’s based on white supremacy.

I mean, for me, it kind of seemed like ‘How

could this possibly end well?’

“I expected there to always be that undercurrent of racism,” Ms. Adebayo added. “But to hear it so outright, it’s really scary. It’s very shocking. And it’s hard to see how the royal family is going to come back from this.”

It’s a long way from the optimism that surrounded Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s royal wedding in 2018. The relationship between a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and a biracial American actress was hailed as evidence that, in modern Britain, skin color and background no longer mattered.

Harold Wilson, a 57-year-old local authority worker in Brixton, a district at the heart of London’s Afro-Caribbean community, said Ms. Markle joining the royal family “should have been an opportunity for them to move forward — but the royal family are not like that.”

“Even before the child has been brought into the world, they are worried about the actual tone of the skin of the baby,” he said. “That tells you everything about them.”

The fairy tale image surrounding the wedding at Windsor Castle faded quickly. Ms. Markle faced tabloid stories about her allegedly demanding behavior and was even criticized for eating

avocados, which the Daily Mail claimed fuel “human rights abuses, drought and murder.”

Even before the wedding, Prince Harry had complained in 2017 about the “racial undertones” in British media coverage of his then-girlfriend.

One tabloid columnist referred to Ms. Markle’s “exotic” DNA. A Daily Mail headline described her Los Angeles roots as ”(almost) straight outta Compton” and claimed she came from a “gangscarred” neighborhood. A TV host described her as “uppity.”

The couple cited the intrusive, racist scrutiny of Britain’s tabloid press as a reason for their decision a year ago to give up their jobs as senior royals and move to North America.

Like other countries, Britain has faced an uncomfortable reckoning with race since the death of George Floyd, an African-American, at the knee of a white Minneapolis policeman in May 2020 sparked anti-racism protests around the world.

Large Black Lives Matter protests in cities across the U.K. called on the government and institutions to face up to the legacy of the British Empire and the country’s extensive profits from the slave trade.

The toppling of a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston in the city of Bristol in June prompted a pointed debate about how to deal with that history. Many felt such statues extol racism and are an affront to Black Britons.

Others argued that removing them was erasing a piece of history.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has criticized the removal of statues, saying, “We cannot edit our past.” Opponents accuse him of trying to sweep the negative aspects of British history under the carpet.

Mr. Olusoga said many Britons like to believe that racism is an American problem, something that takes place elsewhere. He said the U.K. had failed to live up to the story it told itself at the time of Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s wedding: “That we were this modern multicultural country, a country with a Black princess, a country that was at ease with itself, with its history, with its multiculturalism.”

“We need to look at ourselves more honestly,” he told the BBC. “Now is a moment for self-reflection, not just for the palace, but for the country.”

CBS stated the interview will air again from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 12.

Don’t expect side-splitting comedy in ‘Coming 2 America’

By Dwight Brown NNPA Newswire film critic

Nothing wrong with a little nostalgia.

But if you’re looking for a comedy revelation, “Coming 2 America” isn’t it. It’s an ’80s throwback with a comic superstar, his merrymen/women and a tinge of Wakanda fever. Grab a seat and be prepared to yawn before you laugh hysterically.

If 1988 feels ancient to you, you’re young, go sit in a corner.

If that era brings back pleasant memories, step up.

Things have happened since back in the day. The larger public has learned what the African-American community has known all along: Being Black is cool and being Black in Africa is mythically awesome. That’s what made the original “Coming to America” iconic.

A long, long time ago, Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy) was the young prince of Zamunda, a fictional country over in the motherland. Rather than taking part in an arranged marriage, as expected by his father the king (James Earl Jones), Akeem eschewed tradition. He and his wingman/coatholder Semmi (Arsenio Hall) went Leslie to Queens, N.Y., Jones looking for a wife.

He found Lisa (Shari Headley), a commoner, the daughter of Cleo (John Amos), a man who owned a fast-food restaurant named McDowell’s. The two lovebirds married and lived happily ever after — until …

That’s the old plot, the step off point for screenwriters Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield. It’s like they cheated off an old term paper to write the new formulaic one. Innovation, wild imagination, uncanny scenes or profound dialogue — nope. With Mr. Barris at the helm, expect inside culture jokes, bawdiness (an attempted male adult circumcision. Ouch!) and “blackish” humor.

Prepare for a few surprises and a welcomed touch of female empowerment. There are plenty of laughs, oneliners, sight gags, rivalries and problems to solve. None add up to much more than an excuse to give Eddie Murphy one more run at Akeem before we all

Arsenio Hall, left, and Eddie Murphy are back in Coming 2 America, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

go to the elephant burial (Akiley Love and Mr. nicely. ground.

Murphy’s real offspring The commissary at Tyler Director Craig Brewer, Bella Murphy).

Perry’s studios must have who guided Mr. Murphy to Marrying Meeka off been packed during the a career-redefining perforto General Izzi’s (Wesley shoot. Hefty main cast. mance in “Dolemite Is My Snipes) useless son Idi Lots of supporting roles.

Name,” leads the project.

Izzi (Rotimi Akinsosho) Extras in abundance. Mr. Comedy is his stomping could have two benefits: Murphy plays a prince, but ground, but not much A future male prince he is truly the king of Black John James Earl else. He works in a “Black and uniting the two, comedy — and luminous.

Amos Jones Panther” angle with a few potentially warring naThe Nigerian-sounding martial arts warrior fight scenes — none tions of Zamunda and Izzi’s country, accent, wicked smiles, dramatic acting particularly convincing. Romantic mo- Nexdoria. and horsey laughs. ments are shallow at best.

It’s a plan, until Akeem discovers He plays a host of other characters, Settings in Africa and New York’s that, due to an old indiscretion, he has too, the most frenetic is rock/soul musilargest and most diverse borough pro- a son back in Queens. When Lavelle cian Randy Watson, a Rick James knock vided opportunities for stunning exteriors (Jermaine Fowler), his mom (Leslie off in a powder blue outfit warbling of African plains or bustling streets, but Jones) and Uncle Reem (Tracy Mor- “We Are Family.” Equally disarming is few exist. That’s because the production gan) show up at the palace, things get Wesley Snipes as the duplicitous snake was largely shot at Tyler Perry Studios. complicated.

Izzi. He’s wonderfully evil.

Pageantry, elaborate processions, fancy The slow, tedious buildup may make Arsenio Hall in drag could give kids royal bedrooms, neighborhood barber- viewers doze off before any signs of nightmares. Whoever hit him with the shops, it all looks fake. What isn’t bogus action appear, like Lavelle being tasked ugly stick should be properly credited. are the comic performances, which Mr. with outsmarting a lion or a women Also begging for laughs and attention are Brewer nurtures perfectly. versus men crucial action scene.

Ms. Jones and Mr. Morgan with more These days, King Jaffe Joffer is Otherwise, the rhythm is slow (edi- nuanced performances by Ms. Layne, ailing, old, contemplating succession tors David S. Clark, Billy Fox, Debra Ms. Headley and Nomzamo Mbatha as and mortality. He turns to Semmi with Neil-Fisher) and the cinematography (Joe Lavelle’s love interest. certain derision: “I will be dead soon. “Jody” Williams, TV’s “Empire”) unreTune in looking for the old days, Why couldn’t it be you?” markable. Campy, garish costumes (Ruth Afrocentric culture and silly comedy Old laws dictate that Prince Akeem’s E. Carter, “Black Panther”), extravagant and you’ll be satiated. Expect something successor must be a male heir. That sets (Douglas A. Mowat, “Inception”), earth-shatteringly new, and you won’t. displeases the prince’s eldest daughter a funky musical score (Jermaine Ste- Remember how two African interlopers Meeka (Kiki Layne, “If Beale Street gall) and a host of cameos (En Vogue once changed audiences’ perception of Could Talk”) and his two other offspring and Gladys Knight) fill in the cracks Queens, N.Y.? Zamunda forever!

Richmond Free Press

March 11-13, 2021 B3

Faith News/Directory

Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Remembering COVID-19 victims Pastor Chris Moore of New Kingdom Christian Ministries lights the candle of church member Frances Morris during a vigil last Saturday in remembrance of the more than 200 people in Richmond who have died of COVID-19. About a dozen people attended the vigil held outside the church on Dill Avenue in Highland Park, while others watched online. Several people spoke about the impact of the coronavirus on their lives and their loved ones. The church also placed white flags on the lawn in honor of those lost during the pandemic.

Willie Mae Lawson Dr. Cornel West returns to Union Theological Seminary after 2nd Harvard rift March 12, 1913

Religion News Service

Love,

Your children, grand children, great-grands and all who love you

“The Church With A Welcome”

3HARON "APTIST #HURCH 500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org (804) 643-3825 Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor

SUNDAYS Morning Worship 10:00 AM Drive-In Service in our Parking Lot

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Dr. Cornel West is rejoining the faculty of Union Theological Seminary in New York, where he started his teaching career more than 40 years ago, the seminary said Monday.

The move comes after Dr. West threatened to leave Harvard University, which he said denied his request to be considered for tenure, according to media reports.

This is Dr. West’s second departure from Harvard, where he taught in the law school, divinity school and department of African and African-American studies, The Boston Globe reported.

“I am honored to return back home to Union, to a place with brilliant faculty and moral tenacity and that provides an opportunity to continue to work with students who are eager to put their faith into practice while striving for justice and seeking of truth,” Dr. West said in the seminary’s announcement.

The Rev. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary, said in the statement that Dr. West “breathes theAN values NIVER Photo by Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons HURCH’Sscholars, that Union aims to instill in all of the future Cleaders, SA Cornel West appears for a speech in January 2018 at ministers and activists we educate.”

Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., “His esteemed legacy of engaging the most pressing problems facing our world — including racism, poverty, sexism, and so th much more — is an inspiration to all, and illustrates the power of faith to create profound change,” Rev. Jones said.

44th Pastoral Anniversary Dr. West was granted the Dietrich Bonhoeffer chair, named Sunday, March 14, 2021 Z ò͘ ZÊ Ùã ͘ ò®Ý in honor of the German theologian who attended the seminary Morning Worship - 11:00 a.m. in 1930, Union officials said. &ĂĐĞŬ ĞůĞďƌĂƟŽŶ͊ Speaker: Rev. Michael Jones “Bonhoeffer’s time in New York had a significant impact Join us On Facebook at WĂƐƚŽƌ 'ƵŝůĮĞůĚ ĂƉŝƐƚ ŚƵƌĐŚ h ^Khd,Z/ ,DKE on his faith, leading him to dedicate his life to theology and to ŚĂƌůĞƐ ŝƚLJ͕ s THEME: dŚĞŵĞ͗ resisting the threat of Christian nationalism,” Union said. dŚĞŵĞ͗ ĞůĞďƌĂƟŶŐ ϵϵ LJĞĂƌƐ “Honoring Our Pastor, Dr. West previously held the status of “University Professor,” Remembering Our Past — African Americans A ĞůĞďƌĂƟŶŐ KƵƌ WƌĞƐĞŶƚ Ͷ Laborer For The Lord” which was considered Harvard’s highest faculty rank, before he and The Vote!

1 Timothy Approaching Our 5:17 Centennial left for Princeton in 2002 after a “high-profile spat” with then(100 Years) Colors: Red, White and Blue February 22, 2020 university President Lawrence H. “Larry” Summers.

Joshua: 4: 5-8 Sunday, July 26, 2020 11:00 am — 1:00 pm Dr. West returned as a “Professor of the Practice” in 2017, Colors: yellow, white, purple, blue Morning Worship - 11:00 a.m. a position that does not carry tenure, according to The Harvard :ŽŝŶ ƵƐ ŽŶ &ĂĐĞŬ h Speaker: Crimson.

Rev.^Khd,Z/ ,DKE Robert L. Dortch, Jr. for this Harvard’s Undergraduate Council in late February voted to ĞůĞďƌĂƟŽŶ͊ support a petition to “reopen pathways for Professor West’s tenure and further commit to advancing racial justice in substantive ways,” The Harvard Crimson reported.

In a recent interview with Truthout, Dr. West said he hopes his situation with Harvard will serve as a reminder that “ … f ChristBaptist years oUnion you have to be willing to speak the truth — totithe ian S Church ng powerful a erStreet r 1813 Everett b vice e and the powerless. l e C Richmond, Virginia 23224 “When Harvard treats me in this way, that’s a sign of its 804-231-5884 spiritual and intellectual bankruptcy,” Dr. West added.

Reverend Robert C. Davis, Pastor

In Loving Memory on Your Birthday.

We cherish our memories of the love and spirit of giving that you shared with everyone.

See you there!

Church 99Anniversary

151

Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church

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

Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor

All church ac�vi�es are canceled un�l further no�ce.

Follow us on Facebook for “A Word from Moore Street’s Pastor” and weekly Zoom worship info.

Drive-thru giving will be available the 1st and 3rd Saturday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the church. (Bowe Street side) You also may give through Givelify.

Ebenezer Baptist Church 1858

±4HE 0EOPLE´S #HURCH²

216 W. Leigh St. • Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 • Fax: 804-643-3367 Email: ebcoffice1@yahoo.com • web: www.richmondebenezer.com

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

(Jeremiah 29:11, NRSV) Please visit our website Ebenezer Baptist Church Richmond, VA for updates http://www.richmondebenezer.com

Be safe. Be blessed.

Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus

Rev. Dr. Adam L. Bond, Pastor

“Working For You In This Difficult Hour”

k Joseph Jenkins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. 2011-2049 Grayland Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23220 (804) 358-9177

k

Joseph Jenkins, Jr., Founder (Dec. 19, 1938 - Dec. 9, 2006) Joseph Jenkins, III. • Jason K. Jenkins • Maxine T. Jenkins

Antioch Baptist Church

Thirty-first Street Baptist Church

“Redeeming God’s People for Gods Purpose”

1384 New Market Road, Richmond, Virginia 23231 | 804-222-8835

SERVICES

SUNDAY WORSHIP HOUR – 10:00 A.M. CHILDREN’S CHURCH & BUS MINISTRY AVAILABLE SUNDAY SCHOOL (FOR ALL AGES) – 9:00 A.M. TUESDAY MID-DAY BIBLE STUDY – 12 NOON WEDNESDAY MID-WEEK PRAYER & BIBLE STUDY – 7:00 P.M. A MISSION BASED CHURCH FAMILY EXCITING MINISTRIES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, YOUNG ADULTS & SENIOR ADULTS BIBLE REVELATION TEACHING DIVERSE MUSIC MINISTRY LOVING, CARING ENVIRONMENT

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e with Reverence elevanc R g in Rev. Dr. Joshua Mitchell, Senior Pastor bin ❖ om Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic All regular activities have been suspended until further notice.

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DR. JAMES L. SAILES PASTOR

10:30 a.m. Sundays 7:00 p.m. Wednesdays-Bible Study

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Richmond Free Press

B4 March 11-13, 2021

Faith News/Directory

Virtual Metro Revival and social justice rally slated for next week The Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity is hosting a virtual Metro Revival next week featuring two out-of-town pastors, followed by a social justice rally.

Dr. Wayne Croft Sr. of St. Paul’s Baptist Church in West Chester, Penn., will speak 7 p.m. Monday, March 15.

Bishop Donald Washington of Mount Herman Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 16.

And the virtual social justice rally, “Century of Mass Clemency Starts Now,” will be held 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 17. It will be co-hosted by the Exodus Foundation.

The revival will be held via Zoom at bit.ly/MetroRevival21 and on Facebook Live at Facebook.com/MinistersConf.

Registration for the social justice rally: bit.ly/ MetroSJR21.

Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Below, Catherine Hinton, 65, of Richmond receives the new, single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination event Monday at Richmond Raceway sponsored by the Richmond and Henrico health districts. It was the first time the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine was administered locally in vaccine clinics. The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines require two doses for full vaccination.

Forget Black Protestants; white evangelicals least likely to get COVID-19 vaccine Religion News Service

Since before the COVID-19 vaccines hit the market, it has been predicted that Black Americans would choose to be vaccinated at dramatically lower rates than white Americans due to a historic mistrust of the health system. Media stories defined the causes for “vaccine hesitancy” while physicians worried about how to overcome it.

Scores of health systems, churches and religious coalitions responded by offering up houses of worship as sites for vaccine distribution.

But a new Pew Research survey suggests that either the campaigns were effective or the worry was misplaced: 64 percent of Black Protestants, the researchers found, “definitely or probably” plan to get vaccinated — up sharply from November when a little more than 40 percent said they planned to get vaccinated.

It’s not that vaccine hesitancy is a myth.

It’s merely strongest among another group — white evangelical Christians.

A religious breakdown of a survey conducted in February of 10,121 U.S. adults shows that only 54 percent of white evangelicals “definitely or probably” plan to get vaccinated.

As troubling, white evangelicals are the least likely to say they should consider the health effects on their community when making a decision to be vaccinated. Only 48 percent of white evangelicals said they would consider the community health effects “a lot” when deciding to be vaccinated.

That compares with 70 percent of Black Protestants, 65 percent of Catholics and 68 percent of unaffiliated Americans.

Dr. John Fea, a U.S. historian at Messiah University who studies evangelicals, said he wasn’t surprised that white evangelicals seemed least likely to want to take advantage of the vaccine.

“There’s a long history of anti-science within American evangelicalism,” Dr. Fea said. “It goes back to the Scopes trial and evolution in the 1920s,” in which

Photo by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

evangelicals debated Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Dr. Fea said the distrust of science is related to their belief that God will protect them. “Getting a vaccine is a lack of faith,” as some evangelicals see it, Dr. Fea said.

As a group, 58 percent of Protestants — including mainline Protestants, evangelicals and Black Protestants — said they would consider community health effects “a lot.”

(The religious breakdowns did not include Jews or Muslims, who each constitute less than 2 percent of the American public.)

Dr. Cary Funk, director of Science and Society Research at Pew, said white evangelicals generally express lower levels of trust in the vaccine research and development process and are also less likely to report getting a seasonal flu vaccine every year.

The larger survey also showed that partisan differences play a big role in assessing the likelihood of getting vaccinated. Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say they plan to get, or have already received, a coronavirus vaccine — 83 percent to 56 percent.

White evangelicals, who are overwhelmingly Republican, are less likely to want

Broad Rock Baptist Church 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” Pastor Kevin Cook

8LIQI JSV 1SFMPM^MRK *SV 1MRMWXV] 6IJVIWLMRK 8LI 3PH ERH )QIVKMRK 8LI 2I[ We Embrace Diversity — Love For All! Come worship with us!

Sunday Service will not be held in our sanctuary.

Join us for 11:00 AM Worship by going to our website www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

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Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

Leaders of the General Baptist Council of Associations have recommended an investigation of a minister who preached that “weight control” by wives is the solution for marital problems.

The Rev. Stewart-Allen Clark, pastor of the First General Baptist Church in Malden, Mo., is seen in video clips of a Feb. 21 sermon questioning the appearance of women after they marry.

“Why is it so many times that women, after they get married, let themselves go?” he asks, standing on a stage with what appears to be a large open Bible in his left hand. “Why do they do that?”

Links to sermons from the church’s website are no longer available, but the FriendlyAtheist blog featured a series of clips from the mid-February sermon.

The General Baptist officials stated in a March 1 Facebook post that Rev. Clark had been scheduled to be the moderator of the General Association of General Baptists meeting in July 2022.

“He has resigned from that position,” the post reads.

Rev. Clark could not be reached for comment. His church website’s contact form is “currently not available.”

At one point during his sermon, Rev. Clark makes a comparison to former First Lady Melania Trump, showing a picture of her in a long, sleeveless blue dress.

“Now look, I’m not saying every woman can be the epic, the epic trophy wife of all time like Melania Trump,” he said.

“All I can say is not everybody looks like that, amen? … But you don’t need to look like a butch either.”

Rev. Clark, who noted he no longer does marriage counseling, cited a friend who had “a divorce weight on his wife.

That’s how important this is.”

He also referenced a joke about a boy’s discussion on why females wear makeup and perfume before saying, “You don’t

want to be ugly and stink.”

He added another joke that prompted his laughter and that of others: “Scientists have discovered, by the way, a food that diminishes a woman’s sex drive.

It’s called wedding cake.”

General Baptist Ministries said in its Facebook post it has recommended its Council of Associations and a local presbytery “take appropriate action” about the statements in the sermon.

“The sermon included comments that are not consistent with the positions and values of General Baptists,” it said.

“General Baptists believe that every woman was created in the image of God, and they should be valued for that reason.

Furthermore, we believe that all individuals regardless of any other factors are so loved by God that Christ died for them.”

Rev. Clark

2IVERVIEW

"APTIST #HURCH Sunday School – 9:45 AM Sunday Services – 11:00 AM Via Conference Call (515) 606-5187 Pin 572890# Also Visit Us On Facebook Sunday Service – 11:00 AM 2604 Idlewood Avenue Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 www.riverviewbaptistch.org Rev. Dr. Stephen L. Hewlett, Pastor Rev. Dr. Ralph Reavis, Sr. Pastor Emeritus

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

Due to the COVID-19 Corona Virus All regular activities have been suspended until further notice.

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

St. Peter Baptist Church

7M\XL &ETXMWX 'LYVGL A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone

to get the vaccine for partisan reasons as well, Dr. Fea said.

Former President Trump received the vaccine before leaving office and has claimed credit for their quick development, most recently during an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 28.

But he did relatively little to encourage their use while in office and faced criticism for his reluctance to abide by COVID-19 regulations, including casting doubt on the efficacy of mask use. During his address at CPAC, he did encourage his supporters to get vaccinated.

The survey also showed that atheists and agnostics scored highest of all the religious groups in their willingness to get vaccinated. But a subgroup of the religiously unaffiliated, popularly known as “nones,” scored much like other Protestants. Among the nones, 64 percent said they would “definitely or probably” get a vaccine — an identical number to Black Protestants.

Nones are generally disconnected from not only religion but civic life generally, as opposed to atheists and agnostics who have well-formed ideological commitments.

Pastor resigns moderator position after criticizing women’s weight

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

(near Byrd Park)

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

$R +IRKLAND 2 7ALTON 0ASTOR

Worship Opportunities Join us for online streaming this Sunday at 10 AM. Visit our WEBSITE, look under “/NLINE 3ERVICES,” and access the “0ASTOR S -ESSAGE.” Bible Study Opportunities Thursdays: Virtual Bible Study session via Zoom, every Thursday at 7 PM. Email request to spbcoffice@stpeterbaptist.net; A new Meeting ID and password will be emailed weekly.

Tithing Opportunities Download the Tithe.ly giving app for Apple and Android devices.

Your gift is safe/secure and goes directly to our church.

-OUNTAIN 2OAD s 'LEN !LLEN 6IRGINIA /FlCE s &AX s WWW STPETERBAPTIST NET

Richmond Free Press

March 11-13, 2021 B5

Legal Notices City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, April 12, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2021-040 To adopt the General Fund Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022, and to appropriate the estimated revenues for such fiscal year for the objects and purposes stated in such budget.

Ordinance No. 2021-041 To adopt the Special Fund Budgets for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022, and to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Special Revenue funds for the said fiscal year.

Ordinance No. 2021-042 To accept a program of proposed Capital Improvement Projects for the fiscal year beginning Jul. 1, 2021, and for the four fiscal years thereafter; to adopt a Capital Budget for the fiscal year beginning Jul. 1, 2021; and to determine the means of financing the same.

Ordinance No. 2021-043 To appropriate and to provide funds for financing the school budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022.

Ordinance No. 2021-044 To adopt the Debt Service Fund Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022, and to appropriate the estimated expenditures from the Debt Service Fund for the said fiscal year.

Ordinance No. 2021-045 To adopt the Internal Service Fund Budgets for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022, and to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Internal Service funds for the said fiscal year.

Ordinance No. 2021-046 To adopt the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities’ Richmond Cemeteries Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022, and to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Richmond Cemeteries for the said fiscal year for the operation and management of the facilities.

Ordinance No. 2021-047 To adopt the Department of Public Works’ Parking Enterprise Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 20212022, and to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Department of Public Works’ Parking Enterprise Fund for the said fiscal year for the operation and management of parking facilities.

Ordinance No. 2021-048 To adopt the Electric Utility Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022; to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Electric Utility for the said fiscal year; and to make appropriations from the Electric Utility Renewal Fund or Operating Fund for renewing, rebuilding or extending the plant and distribution system of the Electric Utility and for the purchase of vehicles.

Ordinance No. 2021-049 To adopt the Gas Utility Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022; to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Gas Utility for the said fiscal year; and to make appropriations from the Gas Utility Renewal Fund or Operating Fund for renewing, rebuilding or extending the plant and distribution system of the Gas Utility and for the purchase of vehicles.

Ordinance No. 2021-050 To adopt the Department of Public Utilities’ Stores Internal Service Fund Budgets for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022, and to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Department of Public Utilities’ Stores Internal Service Funds for the said fiscal year.

Ordinance No. 2021-051 To adopt the Stormwater Utility Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022; to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Stormwater Utility for the said fiscal year; and to make appropriations from the Stormwater Utility Renewal Fund or Operating Fund for renewing, rebuilding or extending the stormwater utility and for the purchase of vehicles.

Ordinance No. 2021-052 To adopt the Wastewater Utility Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022; to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Wastewater Utility for the said fiscal year; and Continued on next column

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to make appropriations from the Wastewater Utility Renewal Fund or Operating Fund for renewing, rebuilding or extending the plant and distribution system of the Wastewater Utility and for the purchase of vehicles.

Ordinance No. 2021-053 To adopt the Water Utility Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2021, and ending Jun. 30, 2022; to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Water Utility for the said fiscal year; and to make appropriations from the Water Utility Renewal Fund or Operating Fund for renewing, rebuilding or extending the plant and distribution system of the Water Utility and for the purchase of vehicles.

Ordinance No. 2021-054 To amend the schedule of classifications and assigned ranges incorporated into section I of the Pay Plan for the purpose of revising the wording of certain classification titles and changing the pay ranges of certain classification titles; to amend section II of the Pay Plan by adding therein a new subsection (C) for the purpose of implementing the recommendations of a study completed in 2018 that found significant compression in the lower end of the pay ranges and pay bands for non-sworn employees and recommended pay increases to move those employees toward the midpoint of their pay ranges or pay bands; and to amend sections III(B) (11), providing for salary supplements for the Office of the Commonwealth’s A t t o r n e y, I I I ( B ) ( 1 2 ) , providing for salary supplements for the Office of the Sheriff, III(B)(25)(e), suspending the education incentive for sworn fire and police employees, III(B)(36), to increase the hourly living wage for City employees from $12.07 to $13.00, and III(B)(40), to provide for the full implementation of the step-based pay plan for sworn fire and police employees, of the Pay Plan.

Ordinance No. 2021-055 To a m e n d t h e f e e s set forth in the City Code for sections 7-6 (concerning fees for interments, disinterments, reinterments and entombments), 7-15 (concerning fees for installation of foundation for monuments or grave markers), and 7-92 (concerning fees for burial spaces and lots) of the City Code, to establish revised charges for certain cemeteries services.

Ordinance No. 2021-056 To amend City Code §§ 28-191, 28-192, 28194, 28-195, 28-196, 28-198, 28-199, 28-200, 28-201, 28-202, 28-203, and 28-204, concerning gas service, for the purpose of changing the measurement of natural gas from quantities per thousand cubic feet to quantities per hundred cubic feet, and to amend and reordain City Code §§ 28-191(2) and 28191(3) (concerning fees for residential gas service), 28-192(2) (concerning fees for residential gas peaking service), 28193(2) (concerning fees for general gas service), 28-193(3) (concerning fees for small commercial gas sales), 28-194(2) (concerning fees for large volume gas service), 28-195(f) and 28-196(f) (concerning fees for transportation service), 28-198(2) and 28-198(3) (concerning fees for municipal gas service), 28-199(c), 28-199(d), and 28-199(g)(2), (concerning flexibly priced interruptible gas service), 28-200(2), 28-200(3) and 28-200(4) (concerning unmetered gaslight service), 28201(c) (concerning gas air conditioning service), 28-202(c) (concerning fees for large volume gas sales service), 28203(c) (concerning fees for large volume, high load factor, gas sales service), and 28-204(b) and 28204(c) (concerning fees for natural gas vehicle gas service) of the City Code, effective as of the date of rendering bills for Cycle I in July 2021, to establish revised charges for such services.

Ordinance No. 2021-057 To amend the fees set forth in the City Code fo r sect ions 28-9 23 (concerning fees for residential stormwater service) and 28-924 (concerning fees for developed residential properties stormwater service) of the City Code, effective as of the date of rendering bills for Cycle I in July, 2021, to establish revised charges for the stormwater utility’s services.

Ordinance No. 2021-058 To a m e n d t h e f e e s set forth in sections 28-650 (concerning fees for residential wastewater service), Continued on next column

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28-651 (concerning fees for commercial wastewater service), 28652 (concerning fees for disposal of industrial sewage and wastewater), 28-653 (concerning fees for disposal of state and federal sewage and wastewater), and 28654 (concerning fees for disposal of municipal sewage and wastewater) of the City Code, effective as of the date of rendering bills for Cycle I in July, 2021, to establish revised charges for the wastewater utility’s services.

Ordinance No. 2021-059 To amend and reordain City Code §§ 28-326 (concerning fees for residential water service), 28-327 (concerning fees for commercial water service), 28-328 (concerning fees for industrial water service), 28-329 (concerning fees for municipal water service), 28-330 (concerning fees for state and federal water service), 28-458 (concerning fees for water for fire protection) and 28-549 (concerning fees for water use during conservation periods) of the City Code, effective as of the date of rendering bills for Cycle I in July, 2021, to establish revised charges for such services.

Ordinance No. 2021-060 To authorize the issuance of general obligation public improvement bonds of the City of Richmond in the maximum principal amount of $27,500,000 to finance the cost of school projects and general capital improvement projects of the City for the following purposes and uses: construction, reconstruction, improvements and equipment for public schools; construction, reconstruction, improvement and equipment for various infrastructure needs, including traffic control facilities, streets, sidewalks and other public ways, bridges, storm sewers, drains and culverts, and refuse disposal facilities; participation in redevelopment, conservation and community development programs, including the construction, reconstruction, improvement and equipment for targeted public facilities included in these programs; construction, reconstruction, improvements and equipment for public institutional, operational, cultural, educational and entertainment buildings and facilities, including but not limited to the theaters, parks, playgrounds, cemeteries, libraries and museums; acquisition of real property therefor as appropriate; and the making of appropriations to the City’s Economic Development Authority (“EDA”) to be used by the EDA to finance capital expenditures or to make loans or grants to finance capital expenditures for the purposes of promoting economic development; to authorize the Director of Finance, with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City, to sell such bonds for such capital improvement projects, to provide for the form, details and payment of such bonds; to authorize the issuance of notes of the City in anticipation of the issuance of such bonds; and to authorize the issuance of taxable bonds, for the same purposes and uses, in the same maximum principal amount and payable over the same period as such general obligation public improvement bonds.

Ordinance No. 2021-061 To authorize the issuance of general obligation public improvement bonds of the City of Richmond in the maximum principal amount of $7,987,280 to finance the cost of capital improvement projects of the stormwater utility of the City for the following purposes and uses: replacement of and upgrades to the stormwater facilities, including but not limited to, construction, reconstruction, improvements, r e h a b i l i t a t i o n and upgrades of stormwater sewers and associated facilities; new and replacement infrastructure of the storm sewer system, drainage structures, catch basins, ditches, storm sewer pipes, culverts, green infrastructure; acquisition of real property therefor as appropriate; and equipment for various infrastructure needs; and authorizes the Director of Finance, with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City, to sell such bonds for such capital improvement projects, to provide for the form, details and payment of such bonds and to authorize the issuance of notes of the City in anticipation Continued on next column

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of the issuance of such bonds, and to authorize the issuance of taxable bonds, for the same purposes and uses, in the same maximum principal amount and payable over the same period as such general obligation public improvement bonds.

Ordinance No. 2021-062 To a u t h o r i z e t h e issuance of public utility revenue bonds of the City of Richmond in the maximum principal amount of $60,185,560 to finance the cost of capital improvement projects of the gas, water and wastewater utilities and public utilities buildings and facilities for the following purposes and uses: enlargement, extension, repair, replacement, improvement and equipping of the gas plant and transmission lines; enlargement, extension, repair, replacement, improvement and equipping of the waterworks plant and transmission lines; enlargement, extension, repair, replacement, improvement and equipping of the wastewater plant and intercepting lines; construction, reconstruction, repair, replacement, and improvement of sanitary and storm water sewers, pumping stations, drains and culverts; construction, reconstruction, repair, replacement, improvement and equipping of public utility buildings and facilities therefor, including but not limited to the stores division; and acquisition of real property and real property rights (including without limitation easements and rightsof-way) therefor as appropriate; to authorize the Director of Finance, with the approval of the Chief Administrative O ff i c e r, f o r a n d o n behalf of the City, to sell such bonds for such capital improvement projects; to provide for the form, details and payment of such bonds; to approve the form of supplemental indenture of trust; to authorize the issuance of notes of the City in anticipation of the issuance of such bonds; and to authorize the issuance of taxable bonds, for the same purposes and uses, in the same maximum principal amount and payable over the same period as such public utility revenue bonds.

Ordinance No. 2021-063 To authorize the issuance of general obligation equipment notes of the City of Richmond in the maximum principal amount of $7,100,000 to finance the cost of equipment for the following purposes and uses: acquisition of computer, radio, office, solid waste collection, o ff i c e f u r n i t u r e a n d miscellaneous equipment and vehicles for the various departments, bureaus and agencies of the City, and equipment for City schools; and to authorize the Director of Finance, with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City, to sell equipment notes to finance the acquisition of such equipment, and to authorize the issuance of taxable notes, for the same purposes and uses, in the same maximum principal amount and payable over the same period as such general obligation equipment notes.

This meeting will be held through electronic communication means pursuant to and in compliance with Ordinance No. 2020-093, adopted April 9, 2020, as most recently amended by Ordinance No. 2020-232, adopted December 14, 2020. This meeting will be open to participation through electronic communication means by the public and closed to in-person participation by the public. Less than a quorum of Richmond City Council will assemble in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, and most Council members and other staff will participate by teleconference/ videoconference via Microsoft Teams.

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https://richmondva. legistar.com/Calendar. aspx. To view the agenda at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “Agenda” associated with the April 12, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting listed in the calendar.

Interested citizens who wish to speak at the Richmond City Council meeting will be given an opportunity to do so by following the “Formal Meeting Access and Public Participation Instructions” attached to the April 12, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda.

Citizens are encouraged to provide their comments in writing to CityClerksOffice@ richmondgov.com in lieu of calling in. The person responsible for receiving comments in writing is Candice D. Reid, City Clerk. All comments received prior to 10:00 a.m. on Monday, April 12, 2021, will be provided to Council members prior to the meeting and will be included in the record of the meeting.

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-city-clerk.

Candice D. Reid City Clerk City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2020-257 As Amended To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute appropriate documents releasing the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority and its successors in interest from the reversionary right of the City contained in a certain special warranty deed concerning the property known as 30 West Jackson Street for the purpose of allowing the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority to sell the property for the development of [a rental housing project for low-income residents] affordable housing.

Ordinance No. 2021-039 To amend City Code § 21-40, concerning cooperative procurement, for the purpose of modifying the procedures for joint and cooperative procurement.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-064 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept funds in the amount of $1,362,346.00 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and to appropriate the grant funds received to the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Department of Housing and Community Development’s Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) Special Fund by $1,362,346.00 for the purpose of funding prevention, preparation, and response activities intended to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Richmond.

Ordinance No. 2021-065 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept funds in the total amount of $761,422.00 from the Virginia Department of Transportation, and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 20202021 Capital Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amounts appropriated to the Department of Public Works’ Transportation Projects project in the Transportation category by $761,422.00 for the purpose of funding resurfacing projects along Bells Road and Belt Boulevard.

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the Commonwealth of Virginia, and to repeal certain sections of Ord. No. 2019-277, adopted Nov. 12, 2019.

Ordinance No. 2021-067 To g r a n t t o t h e Commonwealth of Virginia a nonexclusive, permanent easement over and across an approximately 22,449.31-square-foot portion of City-owned real estate located on Brown’s Island for the purposes of installing, accessing, and maintaining the Virginia Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument, and to repeal certain sections of Ord. No. 2019-279, adopted Nov. 12, 2019.

Ordinance No. 2021-068 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Fourth Amendment to Controlled Public Access Lease Agreement between the City of Richmond and Venture Richmond, Inc. for the purpose of excluding from the “Demised Premises” certain real property, and to repeal section 1 of Ord. No. 2019-278, adopted Nov. 12, 2019. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-069 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for resurfacing the eastbound lanes of Bells Road from their intersection with East Belt Boulevard proceeding west to 300 feet past the first set of railroad tracks. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-070 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for resurfacing and installation of Americans with Disabilities Act improvements on the northbound lanes of Belt Boulevard from their intersection with Twyman Road to their intersection with Angela Drive. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-071 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for resurfacing and installation of Americans with Disabilities Act improvements on the westbound lanes of Bells Road from their intersection with Twyman Road to their intersection with CSX Transportation, Inc.’s railroad tracks.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-072 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for resurfacing and Americans with Disabilities Act improvements on the westbound lanes of Bells Road from their intersection with Lynhaven Avenue proceeding east to 100 feet past the first set of railroad tracks. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

The agenda for the Richmond City Council meeting is accessible through the City’s legislative website at the following web address:

Ordinance No. 2021-066 To declare surplus and direct the conveyance of a portion of City-owned real estate on Brown’s Island, located at the south end of the South 5th Street footbridge and consisting of 2,036.32± square feet, for nominal consideration to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose of facilitating the installation and maintenance of the Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument by

Ordinance No. 2021-073 To d e s i g n a t e t h e 2700 block of Berry Road in honor of the late Lt. Ashley Nicole Berry (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

This meeting will be held through electronic communication means pursuant to and in compliance with Ordinance No. 2020-093, adopted April 9, 2020, as most recently amended by Ordinance No. 2020-232, adopted December 14, 2020. This meeting will be open to participation through electronic communication means by the public and closed to in-person participation by the public. Less than a

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Video of the meeting will be streamed live online at the following web address: https:// r i c h m o n d v a . l e g i s t a r. com/Calendar.aspx. To watch the meeting’s live stream at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “In Progress” in the farthest right hand column entitled, “Video”.

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quorum of Richmond City Council will assemble in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, and most Council members and other staff will participate by teleconference/ videoconference via Microsoft Teams.

Video of the meeting will be streamed live online at the following web address: https:// r i c h m o n d v a . l e g i s t a r. com/Calendar.aspx. To watch the meeting’s live stream at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “In Progress” in the farthest right hand column entitled, “Video”.

The agenda for the Richmond City Council meeting is accessible through the City’s legislative website at the following web address: https://richmondva. legistar.com/Calendar. aspx. To view the agenda at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “Agenda” associated with the March 22, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting listed in the calendar.

Interested citizens who wish to speak at the Richmond City Council meeting will be given an opportunity to do so by following the “Formal Meeting Access and Public Participation Instructions” attached to the March 22, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda.

Citizens are encouraged to provide their comments in writing to CityClerksOffice@ richmondgov.com in lieu of calling in. The person responsible for receiving comments in writing is Candice D. Reid, City Clerk. All comments received prior to 10:00 a.m. on Monday, March 22, 2021, will be provided to Council members prior to the meeting and will be included in the record of the meeting.

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-city-clerk.

Candice D. Reid City Clerk

Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE HENRICO COUNTY GENERAL DISTRICT COURT RUTH ANN MEEKINS BROWN, Plaintiff v.

T. LEE BROWN, Defendant.

Case No.: GV21001849-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION February 5, 2021

On this day the Petitioner appeared by counsel upon an Affidavit and Petition for Order of Publication, pursuant to section 8.01-317 of the Virginia Code.

It is hereby ORDERED that T. Lee Brown appear at the above named court and protect his interests on or before April 9, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.

An Extract, Teste: Barbara C. Shaw, Clerk Shereka A. Banks, Esq. VSB #94317 FRIEDMAN, FRAMME & THRUSH, P.A. 6800 Paragon Place, Suite 233 Richmond, VA 23230 (804) 649-1334 (phone) Counsel for Petitioner VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING STUART DAVIS JEFFRIES, Plaintiff v.

MARITTA ANN ELLIS, Defendant.

Case No.: 760CL20002423-00-4 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce.

It is ORDERED that Maritta Ann Ellis appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before April 16, 2021.

An Exract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER WALLACE PRYOR, SR., Plaintiff v.

BEREATHA SHARPEPRYOR, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21000715-00 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 21st day of April, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk Continued on next column

Continued from previous column

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 ADEKUNLE ONALAJA, Plaintiff v.

DEBORAH ONALAJA, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21000690-00 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 21st day of April, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. and protect her interests.

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

KEVIN MALLORY, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21000689-00 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 21st day of April, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests.

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

ANGELA WALKER, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21000180-00 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 5th day of April, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. and protect her 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 ,

Custody

VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Jacob MATTHEWS & JOSHUA MATTHEWS RDSS v.

TYRONE MATTHEWS, HASANA MATTHEWSSPENCER File No. J-98227-04, 05-00 J-98229-04-05-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) Tyrone Matthews, (Father) & Hasana Matthews-Spencer (Mother), of Jacob Matthews child, DOB 11/3/2013 & Joshua Matthews child, DOB 9/20/2012. “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support.

It is ORDERED that the defendants Tyrone Matthews, (Father) & Hasana Matthews-Spencer (Mother), to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 4/28/2021, at 2:30 PM, Courtroom #5 VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Jaedin MATTHEWS & Continued on next page

Richmond Free Press

B6 March 11-13, 2021

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities Continued from previous page

Continued from previous column

Jinger MATTHEWS RDSS v.

TYRONE MATTHEWS, HASANA MATTHEWSSPENCER File No. J-85136-06, 07-00 J-85137-07-08-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) Tyrone Matthews, (Father) & Hasana MatthewsSpencer (Mother), of Jaedin Matthews child, DOB 3/21/2009 & Jinger Matthews child, DOB 7/31/2010. “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support.

It is ORDERED that the defendants Tyrone Matthews, (Father) & Hasana Matthews-Spencer (Mother), to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 4/28/2021, at 2:30 PM, Courtroom #5

Notice Judicial Sale of Real Estate Notice is hereby given that at least thirty days from the date of this notice the City of Richmond will commence judicial proceedings under the authority of Virginia Code Section 58.1-3965 et seq. to sell the following real estate for payment of delinquent taxes: 3024 3rd Avenue N0000920003

1003 North 4th Street N0000071040 1911 4th Avenue N0000506014 2405 4th Avenue N0000660011 2606 4th Avenue N0000717004 1012 North 5th Street N0000071015 1704 North 19th Street E0120282033 19 Rear North Belmont Avenue W0001359050 1011 Blandy Avenue C0050615018 907 Bradley Lane C0050688004 1001 Bradley Lane C0050688022 501 Boroughbridge Road C0050869026 619 Boroughbridge Road C0050869012 409 East Broad Rock Road S0002000010 3200 East Broad Rock Road S0070962012 2005 Chamberlayne Parkway N0000532009 2916 Cherokee Road C0040660038 5029 Clarence Street S0060343005 2400 Coles Street S0090145006 2900 Decatur Street S0001341008 3056 Decatur Street S0001580004 3422 Delaware Avenue N0001265003 2832 Dunn Avenue N0000906012 3111 Ellwood Avenue W0001406022 1311 Enfield Avenue S0071177019 816 Faye Street C0050760018 6419 Glenway Drive C0050749069 3008 Hanes Avenue N0000972007 3821 Rear Hawthorne Avenue N0002047010 3408 Hazelhurst Avenue N0001351008 2212 Hull Street S0000570007 2214 Hull Street S0000570006 5607 Jarvis Road C0060760018 3906 Lynhaven Avenue S0090065011 2912 Midlothian Turnpike S0001226004 4330 North Avenue N0002047009 4400 North Avenue N0002047008 4416 Pusey Lane C0080831022 1907 Redwood Avenue E0120250015 3630 Rosanell Lane C0090692040 3914 Rosedale Avenue N0170442031 2122 Royall Avenue S0071582001 6201 Warwick Road C0070133032 2119 Wright Avenue S0071582015 3404 Wellington Street N0001460012 The owners may redeem this real estate before the date of a sale by paying all accumulated taxes, penalties, interest and costs.

Gregory A. Lukanuski,

Continued on next column

Continued on next column

VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Emerald MATTHEWS RDSS v. unknown father, HASANA MATTHEWSSPENCER File No. J-98228-04, 05-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) Unknown Father (Father) & Hasana Matthews-Spencer (Mother), of Emerald Matthews child, DOB 5/21/2018. “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support.

It is ORDERED that the defendants Unknown Father, (Father) & Hasana Matthews-Spencer (Mother), to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 4/28/2021, at 2:30 PM, Courtroom #5

PROPERTY

Continued from previous column

Deputy City Attorney Office of the City Attorney for the City of Richmond 900 East Broad Street, Room 400 Richmond, Virginia (804) 646-7949

Notice Jungle, Kay-Edo, agent Secured Party/Creditor, Aboriginal: Private American National: Private Citizen of the united states of America privately residing/ domiciling within a nonmilitary occupied private estate, not subject to the jurisdiction of the “United States.” I Jungle, Kay-Edo the affiant affirms that the following recipients are put into default from lawful document, Injunction. Notices was sent December 31st, 2020 to the Governor of Virginia RA760502057US, Chief of the Supreme Court RA760502074US, VA State Comptroller RA760502065US, and Head County Sheriff of Henrico RA760502088US. Opportunity to cure was sent January 13th, 2021 to the Governor of Virginia RA760501958US, Chief of the Supreme Court RA760501927US, VA State Comptroller RA760501935US, and Head County Sheriff of Henrico RA760501944US. Notice of Default was sent February 9th, 2021 to the Governor of Virginia RA760501975US, Chief of the Supreme Court RA760501992US, VA State Comptroller RA760501989US, and Head County Sheriff of Henrico. Under the laws of Commerce, Truth is Sovereign. An un-rebutted Affidavit in Admiralty now stands as truth in commerce and judgement in commerce. I, Jungle, Kay-Edo am on the DO NOT STOP, SEARCH, OR DETAIN list. Without prejudice. UCC1-308.

LICENSE NOTICE Stop & Go RVA, Inc. Trading as: Stop And Go 1600 Mechanicsville Tpke Richmond, VA 23223-3902 The above establishment is applying to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage C ontrol (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Wine and Beer Off Premises license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Mandeep Singh, President 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 800-5523200.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE RICHMOND REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AUTHORITY ON PROPOSED PRIVATE ACTIVITY BOND FINANCING FOR SHOCKOE HILL I APARTMENTS MULTIFAMILY HOUSING FACILITY Notice is hereby given that the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (the “Authority”) will hold a public hearing on the request of Shockoe I Apartments VA LP, a Virginia limited partnership (the “Borrower”), whose address is 86 Route 59, Spring Valley, New York 10977, for the issuance by the Authority of a maximum stated principal amount of $16,000,000 of its revenue bonds (the ³%RQGV´ WR ¿QDQFH RU UH¿QDQFH D SRUWLRQ RI D WKH FRVW RI DFTXLULQJ FRQVWUXFWLQJ renovating, rehabilitating and equipping a multifamily residential rental housing project consisting of two buildings containing approximately 125 units representing approximately 83,598 rentable square feet and one building to be used as a leasing RI¿FH DQG FRPPXQLW\ FHQWHU WR EH NQRZQ DV 6KRFNRH +LOO , $SDUWPHQWV WKH ³3URMHFW´

located at 200 and 212 Hospital Street in the City of Richmond, Virginia, (b) the funding of reserve funds as permitted by applicable law and (c) the costs incurred in connection with the issuance of the Bonds (collectively, the “Plan of Finance”). The 3URMHFW ZLOO PHHW WKH UHTXLUHPHQWV RI D TXDOL¿HG UHVLGHQWLDO UHQWDO SURMHFW ZLWKLQ WKH meaning of Section 142(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The Project is expected to be owned and used by the Borrower or a party related to the Borrower. The public hearing, which may be continued or adjourned, will be held at 10:00 a.m. on March 15, 2021 before representatives of the Authority. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with applicable federal and Virginia law, the public hearing will be conducted via toll-free teleconference call. Members of the public may witness and participate in the public hearing by using the following dial-in number and conference code: 1 (866) 292-2994; 9562118259.

The Bonds will not pledge the credit or the taxing power of the Authority or the City of Richmond, Virginia but will be payable solely from the revenues derived from the Borrower and pledged therefor.

The public hearing will provide an opportunity for interested persons to be heard and communications and writings to be received and considered. Interested persons wishing to express their views on the Plan of Finance may also submit written comments prior to the time of the hearing to the Authority’s co-bond counsel, Michael W. Graff, Jr., Esq., 1750 Tysons Boulevard, Suite 1800, Tysons, Virginia 22102 and 1DQF\ *ULI¿Q &KDPEOLVV (VT (DVW 0DLQ 6WUHHW 6XLWH 5LFKPRQG 9LUJLQLD 23219. The hearing shall provide the fullest opportunity for the expression of opinion, for argument on the merits, and for the introduction of documentary evidence pertinent to the issuance of the Bonds.

RICHMOND REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AUTHORITY

Janitorial Peninsula Cleaning Service is recruiting for part-time General Cleaners in Richmond 1RUWK &KHVWHUÀHOG 3ULRU H[SHULHQFH SUHIHUUHG LQ FRPPHUFLDO PHGLFDO FOHDQLQJ $SSO\ # ZZZ SHQLQVXODFOHDQLQJ FRP RU FDOO

757-833-1603 EOE AA M/F Vet Disability

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

/ƚĞŬ ^ŽŌǁĂƌĞ͕ >> is seeking 6 professionals for &ƵůůƟŵĞ ĞŵƉůŽLJŵĞŶƚ ;ϰϬ ŚŽƵƌƐ Ă ǁĞĞŬͿ ĨŽƌ Ϯ ^ŽŌǁĂƌĞ ŶŐŝŶĞĞƌ ĂŶĚ ϰ ƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ ĞǀĞůŽƉĞƌ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶƐ Ăƚ ϱϰϬϮ 'ůĞŶƐŝĚĞ ƌ͕ ^ƵŝƚĞ ͕ ZŝĐŚŵŽŶĚ͕ s ϮϯϮϮϴ Ăƚ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟǀĞ ƐĂůĂƌLJ͘ ^ŽŌǁĂƌĞ ŶŐŝŶĞĞƌ ;Ϯ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶƐͿ͗ ŶĂůLJnjĞ͕ ĞƐŝŐŶ͕ ĞǀĞůŽƉ Θ dĞƐƚ ŐĞŶĞƌĂů ĐŽŵƉƵƚĞƌ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ ƐŽŌǁĂƌĞ ƵƐŝŶŐ ^ W W͕ нн͕ njƵƌĞ͕ t^͕ ĞǀŽƉƐ͘ dƌĂǀĞů ǁŝƚŚ ŝŶ h^ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ͘ ĚƵĐĂƟŽŶĂů Θ džƉ ZĞƋƵŝƌĞŵĞŶƚƐ͗ ĂĐŚĞůŽƌƐ ŝŶ ŽŵƉ^Đŝ Žƌ ŶŐŐ ; ŶLJͿ н ϱ LJƌƐ ŽĨ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ĂƐ ŽŵƉ ^ŽŌǁĂƌĞ WƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů͘ ƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ ĞǀĞůŽƉĞƌ ;ϰ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶƐͿ͗ ŶĂůLJnjĞ͕ ĞƐŝŐŶ͕ ĞǀĞůŽƉ Θ dĞƐƚ ŐĞŶĞƌĂů ĐŽŵƉƵƚĞƌ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ ƐŽŌǁĂƌĞ ƵƐŝŶŐ DŝĐƌŽƐŽŌ LJŶĂŵŝĐƐ y͕ ^ W͕ d>͕ /ŶĨŽƌŵĂƟĐĂ͕ :ĂǀĂ͕ D^ /͕ WŽǁĞƌ /͘ dƌĂǀĞů ǁŝƚŚ ŝŶ h^ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ͘ ĚƵĐĂƟŽŶĂů ZĞƋƵŝƌĞŵĞŶƚƐ͗ DĂƐƚĞƌƐ ŝŶ ŽŵƉ^Đŝ Žƌ ŶŐŐ ; ŶLJͿ͘ tĞ ŽīĞƌ ĐŽŵƉƌĞŚĞŶƐŝǀĞ ďĞŶĞĮƚƐ͘ dƌĂǀĞů ǁŝƚŚ ŝŶ h^ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ ĨŽƌ Ăůů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶƐ͘ dŽ ĂƉƉůLJ ƐĞŶĚ LJŽƵƌ ƌĞƐƵŵĞ ƚŽ ƩŶ͗ ,Z͕ /ƚĞŬ ^ŽŌǁĂƌĞ͕ >> ͕ ϱϰϬϮ 'ůĞŶƐŝĚĞ ƌ͕ ^ƵŝƚĞ ͕ ZŝĐŚŵŽŶĚ͕ s ϮϯϮϮϴ͘

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The City of Richmond announces the following project(s) available for services relating to: IFB No. 210008429 Systematic Sight Distance Improvements at 7UDIÀF 6LJQDOV 3URMHFW Due Date: Thursday, April 1, 2021 @ 2:30 P.M. Receipt Location: 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219 Questions regarding the IFB shall be submitted no later than Monday, March 22, 2021 @ 3:00 P.M. Information or copies of the above solicitations are available by contacting Procurement Services, at the City of Richmond website (www.RichmondGov.com). Phone (804) 646-2670 or faxed (804) 646-5989. The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to participate in the procurement process.

NOTE: Bidders choosing to submit bids through hand-delivery should allow extra time for delivery of bids. Due to COVID-19, hand-delivered bids will be accepted only during the hours of 9:00 A.M to 4:00 P.M. Monday through Friday at the 9th Street entrance to City Hall at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. Bidders choosing to hand-deliver bids must call Charles Garascia at 804-489-2670 when arriving at City Hall, and Charles Garascia will meet the bidder at the 9th Street entrance of City Hall to collect the submittal. Bids will not be accepted after the Due Date and Time listed above.

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E. Parham Pedestrian and Transit Stop Improvements Project - Henrico County Virginia Notice of Willingness The County of Henrico is proposing improvements to E. Parham Road between Shrader Road and Hungary Spring Road. The work will include sidewalk, curb and gutter, transit stop improvements and drainage improvements along the north side of E. Parham Road from the existing sidewalk at the Henrico Doctors Hospital complex to the intersection of Hungary Spring Road. Construction is currently planned to begin in March 2023.

The project information includes the proposed road intersection improvements, project schedule, National Environmental Policy Act documentation in the form of a Programmatic Categorical Exclusion (PCE), National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 and 36 CFR Part 800 information, and funding information which can be reviewed at the Department of Public Works, County Administration Annex Building, 4305 E. Parham Road, Henrico, Virginia. Telephone: (804) 501-4244.

If your concerns cannot be satisfied, the County is willing to hold a public hearing.

You may request a public hearing by sending a written request to Conner Barnes, P. O. Box 90775, Henrico, VA 23273-0775, on or before March 19, 2021. 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 limited English proficiency, contact Conner Barnes at the above address or phone number or atbar136@henrico.us.

UPC: 110910 Project: VDOT # 9999-043-908 Federal Aid Project #NHPP-5A27(604)

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804.358.5543

AVAILABLE

Bedros Bandazian

Downtown Richmond first floor office suite 5th and Franklin Streets 422 East Franklin Street Richmond, Virginia 23219

Associate Broker, Chairman

Raffi Bandazian

Principal Broker, GRI

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