Meet honorary chair of Jazz InsideOut benefit B1
Richmond Free Press © 2018 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
VOL. 27 NO. 21
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
www.richmondfreepress.com
Punked By Jeremy M. Lazarus
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Sky’s the limit for Riverrock B2
MAY 24-26, 2018
City auditor’s report finds Washington NFL team training camp has failed to live up to economic forecasts; City taxpayers now foot the bill
ing rights to the training camp, but that money largely ended up being absorbed by the building rather than being used to repay a portion of the city’s investment. The report found another reason for the repayment shortfall is the more than $1 million that the city’s Economic Development Authority has paid to the football team since 2014 as an inducement to come to Richmond, an expense that was not anticipated in the 2012 financial forecasts. The EDA and the city agreed to the inducement payments
Unrealistic assumptions and overly rosy income forecasts. Those were among the shaky financial footings on which the Leigh Street training camp for the Washington NFL team was built, according a new report from the office of City Auditor Louis G. Lassiter. And six football seasons after the training camp opened, the financial results have unsurprisingly failed to live up to the financial expectations that former Mayor Dwight C. Jones and his staff used to sell the development and associated projects to Richmond City Council and the public, the 23-page report found. According to the report issued May 15, the camp, which includes the building at 2401 W. Leigh St. that is leased most of the year for medical office space, has generated $4 million to $7 million less total income than forecasts anticipated. Among the problems: Major elements of the three-part development have yet to be accomplished, including the renovation of the former Westhampton School building in the West End and the construction of a new medical office building in the East End near Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital. In addition, the second floor of the Leigh Street training camp building has never been fully leased, resulting in far less rental income than originally projected. Those are some of the reasons, the report found, that the training Ben Stansall/Associated Press camp development has generated only $1.5 million to repay the $10 million the city invested to build the camp in a partnership Prince Harry and his bride, Meghan Markle, share their first kiss after exchanging wedding vows at Windsor Castle last Saturday. Now officially granted the royal title with Bon Secours. of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the couple shared the moment as they left St. Bon Secours contributed George’s Chapel en route to a carriage ride through nearby streets lined with throngs of about $3.3 million to gain nam- spectators. Please turn to B3 for additional coverage.
First kiss
after City Council turned the project’s ownership and management over to the EDA as Mayor Jones requested. The report has been released at a time when current Mayor Levar M. Stoney and the team are discussing a possible extension of the team’s use of the camp for summer training. The team’s eight-year agreement is set to expire after the 2020 training camp, and a new agreement is supposed to be in place Please turn to A4
Richmond NAACP’s fight for freedom spans 100 years By Saraya Wintersmith
Modern racial disparities are not a political matter, but an urgent “moral struggle” that must be confronted with a “moral revolution.” That was the message from Bakari T. Sellers, the former South Carolina legislator who provided the keynote speech May 17 at the Richmond Branch NAACP’s 100th Anniversary Freedom Fund Gala. The event, held at the Claude G. Perkins Living and Learning Center at Virginia Union University, drew nearly 350 people for the celebration that included 15 awards presented to people and organizations that have made a difference in the Richmond community. The theme: “Fighting to Uphold Freedom, Justice and Equality.” In a humorous and profound speech based in part on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1967 address to the National Conference for New Politics, Mr. Sellers, a 33-year-old attorney and CNN commentator, compared his personal story to the deferred American dream. As the son of civil rights activist Cleveland Sellers, Mr. Sell-
New city courthouse policy puts phones on hold By Jeremy M. Lazarus
James Williams said he forgot he was carrying his cell phone last week when he went to the Marsh General District Court in South Side to check court records for a friend. But instead of being told to leave when he pulled out his cell phone, he was surprised when a deputy operating the metal detector took his phone, locked it in a cabinet at the front entrance and gave him a claim receipt. “That’s never happened
Looking for a job?
New program for graduating seniors may help By Jeremy M. Lazarus
A new program is working to steer the area high school seniors toward health care careers. Called Pathways to Health Care Workforce, the program is offering an option for students to secure entry-level positions in hospital operations at Virginia Commonwealth University and possibly other facilities. VCU has teamed with City Hall, Richmond Public Schools and the regional Resource Workforce Center on the effort, which provides VCU a way to beef up the pool of applicants for jobs that have become harder to fill as unemployment continues to fall. Other public and private entities that are taking part: J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Church Hill Activities & Tutoring and the RVA Future Centers. Please turn to A4
before,” Mr. Williams said. “I’ve been here plenty of times, and I’ve watched people look for places to hide their phones outside so they wouldn’t miss court. This is really helpful.” Without any fanfare, Richmond Sheriff Antionette Irving has instituted the change at the city’s courthouses to reduce the problems for people going to court. Attorneys and reporters have long been able to take their silenced phones into city courts buildings, but most people cannot. With the change, Richmond joins Henrico and Chesterfield counties that offer similar programs at their courts buildings as a public service.
Ava Reaves
Former South Carolina legislator Bakari T. Sellers, keynote speaker for the Richmond Branch NAACP 100th Anniversary Freedom Fund Gala last week, and branch President James E. “J.J.” Minor III agree that the NAACP is needed now more than ever.
ers said his election to the South Carolina statehouse in 2006 “should’ve been the dream.” But when it came time to implement new policies, he was met with legislative gridlock and became discouraged like Dr. King.
Please turn to A4
Please turn to A4
Medicaid expansion in Va. closer to reality
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Mr. Hayes
In the coming weeks, Virginia is virtually certain to join 32 states and the District of Columbia in expanding Medicaid to provide health insurance for working adults who make Sen. Hanger too little to buy coverage and now must rely on hospital emergency rooms when they become ill. Republicans in the 40-member Virginia Senate appear to have run out of maneuvers to block passage of a new Virginia budget that would include Medicaid expansion. Two members of the 21-member GOP caucus that holds the majority in the state Senate have broken ranks to support Medicaid expansion with Democrats.
Sen. Norment
The final delay attempt came Tuesday when the Republican-dominated Senate Finance Committee adjourned without issuing its own version of the budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year that must be approved and go into effect July 1 to avoid a govern-
ment shutdown. The Finance Committee’s decision to adjourn drew criticism from Gov. Ralph S. Northam and from legislators, particularly Republicans and Democrats in the House of Delegates. The House already has approved a budget plan that includes Medicaid expansion. The Please turn to A4