Richmond Free Press May 14-16, 2020 edition

Page 1

Richmond Free Press © 2020 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOL. 29 NO. 21

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

ee Fr

Fr ee

Legendary music makers remembered B2

MaY 14-16, 2020

High marks for counselor RPS Teacher of the Year honor goes to Thomas Jefferson High’s Rahmah Johnson By Ronald E. Carrington

Like a Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes commercial, a band of dignitaries from Richmond Public Schools and the City of Richmond carrying bouquets of flowers and balloons followed by cameras and reporters marched down Ladies Mile Road last Friday morning to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime surprise. Wearing masks and socially distancing, they stopped outside a home. RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras walked up to the door and knocked. The door opened and Rahmah T. John-

Personality on B1 son, a counselor at Thomas Jefferson High School, looked out. Shock and awe suddenly swept her face as she recognized the high-powered people on her porch — Mr. Kamras, Mayor Levar M. Stoney; School Board Chairwoman Linda Owen; her school principal, Cherita Sears — and a cheering crowd in her front yard. A beaming Mr. Kamras presented her with a certificate recognizing her as the RPS 2020 Teacher of the Year. She stood breathlessly holding her heart as the cheers continued. “Oh my God!” she said in a jolt of emotion as cameras flashed and local television

stations recorded the jubilant scene. “I love Richmond Public Schools and I love my students,” Ms. Johnson said in an blend of tears and laughter. “Public education is so phenomenal. We need to continue to support our schools. Our students will grow and become leaders in the community,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “What I do is from my heart. This is amazing!” Colleagues who had been clued in about the surprise drove past her home honking horns and shouting congratulations to celebrate her achievement. The 1999 graduate of Virginia State University, who also earned her master’s degree and an educational specialist certification in counseling leadership, has been working with students at Thomas Jefferson High School for the past four years. “Ms. Johnson goes above and beyond her counseling duties every single day. She is more than a counselor,” Ms. Sears said. “She is everything in our school. “Ms. Johnson is adored by faculty as well as students and is deserving of this award,” Ms. Sears continued. For the Richmond school district, as well as school districts around the Commonwealth and nation, the coronavirus crisis has put pressure on students and their Please turn to A4

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Rahmah T. Johnson proudly displays the plaque naming her Richmond’s Teacher of the Year last Friday. A counselor at Thomas Jefferson High School, Ms. Johnson found out about her selection when a delegation including Richmond Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras, Mayor Levar M. Stoney and other officials surprised her at her North Side home.

Ready to re-open Va. businesses, churches and some restaurants are poised to open on Friday under state guidelines despite VLBC’s opposition By George Copeland Jr.

Virginia is on track to re-open businesses on Friday, May 15, despite concerns and criticism from the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and others about the potential risks and about the state’s ability to safely restart the economy everywhere except in Northern Virginia. Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney is among those expressing concern about re-opening with the coronavirus still active, although as of Wednesday, he and other regional officials had not sought

authority to prevent restaurants, barbershops, beauty salons and other businesses to begin welcoming customers again. In a letter to Gov. Ralph S. Northam on Wednesday, the VLBC, led by Henrico Delegate Lamont Bagby, strongly opposed the re-opening, pointing to a lack of “adequate medical, economic and workplace infrastructure” and the outsized impact the virus has had on African-American and Latino communities. The caucus called for “an equity-focused plan” that addresses those problems before moving forward. “While we understand that non-essential business closures and stay-at-home orders have taken a substantial toll on our Commonwealth’s economy,” the VLBC noted in the statement, “these concerns must be weighed against the substantial negative impacts on many Virginians, especially black Virginians” and other non-white communities. “Implementing Phase One (of the state re-opening plan) without properly addressing this issue will lead to chaos and confusion, resulting in Virginians who have already fallen through the cracks of our system to only fall deeper,” the letter stated. “Many Virginians, especially black Virginians and Virginians of color, will be faced with a false choice:

Officials pump up COVID-19 testing, begin mask and hand sanitizer distribution to city’s at-risk residents By Ronald E. Carrington

Efforts to combat COVID19 continue in Richmond’s high-risk communities and underserved neighborhoods. On Tuesday, the City of Richmond launched a pilot program with the state to provide coronavirus safety kits comprised of face masks, hand sanitizer and literature printed in the top five languages spoken in the state to people in the capital city. At a media event held in the parking lot of Armstrong High School in the East End, Mayor Levar M. Stoney was joined by Gov. Ralph S. Northam, Richmond Delegate Delores Please turn to A4

Please turn to A4

City may be facing deficit in current 2019-20 budget By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Three months ago, with the city’s economy booming, Richmond’s government projected an $8.5 million surplus when the current fiscal year ends June 30. But today, the city appears to be facing a $6.2 million deficit, according to the latest data for the 2019-20 fiscal year, after the coronavirus sent the local economy — and that of the state, the nation and the world— into a tailspin. Mayor Levar M. Stoney disclosed the potential for a deficit Monday in submitting a request at the same time to City Council for permission to tap into the city’s savings, Mayor Stoney Dr. Brown if necessary, to cover any red ink that exists after the books close. But it remains unclear at this point, city officials said, whether there will be a deficit or whether it will be larger or smaller. Questions surrounding the city’s financial health only increased Tuesday when the state notified city officials that Richmond would receive $20.1 million by June 1 as its share of federal CARES Act money. The money can be used only to recoup expenses in fighting the pandemic, and not, as the state noted, to replace tax revenue lost to pandemic shutdowns of restaurants, retail stores and other businesses. Still, “this is $20 million we didn’t have before,” Jim Nolan, the mayor’s press secretary, noted on Wednesday. “We aren’t Please turn to A4

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

City firefighters Walter Davis, left, and Kevin Henderson, center, and fire Lt. Mark Chase deliver face masks, hand sanitizer and information to a resident on North 20th Street in Church Hill on Tuesday. The team from Fire Station 11 was taking part in the city’s effort to distribute thousands of protective items to people in the areas regarded as high risk for COVID-19.

Free Press receives Facebook Journalism Project grant

Nearly 80 percent of award recipiThe Richmond Free Press has ents are family or independently been awarded a $100,000 grant owned news outlets and more from the Facebook Journalism than half are published by or for Project to boost local journalism communities of color. during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 2,000 applications The newspaper was one of three were submitted, with awards anVirginia news outlets and 144 local nounced May 7. newsrooms across the United States “As the publisher and keeper to be awarded a collective $10.3 milMrs. Boone of the Richmond Free Press flame, I lion as part of the FJP’s COVID-19 am grateful to Facebook for its recognition of Local News Relief Fund Grant Program. The fund is supporting many publishers who are hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis. Please turn to A4

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Freewheeling Malea Claud, 7, and her mother, Melissa Claud, regularly finish their day with a leisurely bike ride around Byrd Park. Here, they are riding Tuesday near Swan Lake. Ms. Claud reminded her daughter to secure her mask before they took off in the evening breeze.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Richmond Free Press May 14-16, 2020 edition by Richmond Free Press - Issuu