RPS School Board meeting, Superintendent Jason Kamras attempted to soften that narra tive with data claiming students have made strides in learning, despite recent test results.
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Jubilant jumps
Members of the armed forces move the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, adorned with a Royal Standard and the Imperial State Crown, during a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in London on Wednesday. Below, Kikuyu people arrive at a reception camp outside Nairobi, Kenya, on April 28, 1954, after 5,000 British troops and 1,000 armed police rounded up 30,000 to 40,000 men for screening, launched by the authorities after the capture of Mau Mau’s “General China.”
Upon taking the throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II in herited millions of subjects around the world, many of them unwilling.Beyond official condolences praising the queen’s longevity and service, there is some bitterness about the past in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and elsewhere. Talk has turned to the legacies of colonialism, from slavery to corporal punishment in African schools to looted artifacts held in British institutions. For many, the queen came to represent all of that during her seven decades on the throne.
The Associated Press
Mr. Grove said the pro ficiency rate measures the percentage of students who passed or scored 400 or higher on SOLs. The combined rate measures the percentage of
In a 67-page presentation, John Grove, manager of data
Courtesy City of Richmond
Long after the queen’s funeral, her death, as did her life on the throne, likely will continue to bring complicated feel ings, included anger.
• Wednesday, Sept. 21, 8 to 10 a.m. - East Henrico Recreation Center, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave.
Call the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more information on testing sites, or go online at vax.rchd.com.
Former President Obama and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, are shown at the unveiling of their official White House portraits during a ceremony Sept. 7 in the East Room of the White House.
Shine bright like a Diamond
winnerEmmy B3
Soaring property taxes renew calls for community for COVID-19
NAIROBI, Kenya
While her husband cracked a few jokes about his gray hair, big ears and clothes in his portrait, Mrs. Obama, a descendant of slaves, said the occasion for her was more about the promise of America for people like herself.
cuts Richmond Free Press © 2022 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.FRee FRee Please turn to A4 VOL. 31 NO. 38 RICHMOND, VIRGINIA www.richmondfreepress.com SEPTEMBER 15-17, 2022 RDP developers win $2.4B, 15-year, mixed-use project in baseball district Please turn to A4 Free COVID-19 testing, vaccines Please turn to A4 Free
analytics for RPS, explained the school division’s measures for accountability, which include a proficiency rate and combined rate, both used in the state ac creditation system, and a growth rate, only calculated and used by RPS.
Grove said, are poor measures of school quality, and growth measures are truer indicators of school quality. The presentation noted “Proficiency is important but shouldn’t be the only mea sure to drive accountability.”
As laid out in a support resolution headed to City Council, the winning team essentially envisions creating the equivalent of a small town over 15 to 20 years on the property that is bounded by Interstate 95, Arthur Ashe Bou
offering
Kristen Nye, 4th District, and Reva M. Trammell, 8th District, introduced an ordinance Monday night that would roll back the property tax from the current rate of $1.20 per $100 of assessed value to $1.16 per $100.
Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press
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One caveat: The city is likely to receive rela tively little revenue for its general fund from the development for years to come, despite Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s claim that the project would generate $156 million in taxes over 30 years, or $5.2 million a year.
RPS data suggests student improvement despite SOL scores
In Kenya, where decades ago a young Elizabeth learned of
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
levard, Robin Hood and Hermitage roads and railroad tracks to the south.
To be undertaken in four phases, the massive project is envisioned to involve $2.4 billion in new construction over time, create thousands of construction and permanent jobs and a host of other benefits, including a new minor league baseball stadium and a major construction train ing center in South Side.
B4 Meet this Personalityweek’s B1
• Thursday, Sept. 15 & Sept. 22, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. - Fulton Neighborhood Resource Center, 1519 Williamsburg Road.
the cost of installing streets and underground utilities. Until the bonds are paid off, and that could take 20 years or more, those tax dollars cannot be use for any other purpose. Even so, seven members of the council have
students, grades three through eight, who have shown growth or passed the SOLs. And the growth rate measures the per centage of students who have shown growth “regardless of pass/failWhenstatus.”RPS calculated school-level growth and pro ficiency in math for the divi sion’s elementary schools, for
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, who died Sept. 8, left Buckingham Palace for the last time Wednesday, borne on a horse-drawn carriage and saluted by cannons and the tolling of Big Ben, in a solemn procession through the flag-draped, crowd-lined streets of London to Westminster Hall. There, Britain’s longest-serving monarch will lie in state for the world to mourn.
testing
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
On a $100,000 property, the savings would amount to $40 a year, but reduce overall city collections of tax by an estimated $13.6 million. Each penny of tax raises about $3.4 million for the city’s general fund, which covers most city operations, rang
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are testing at the following locations:
The Obamas’ official portraits unveiled at the White House
RamseyRemembering
By Darlene Superville
The Associated Press
“Barack and Michelle, welcome home,” declared President Biden as the gathering cheered.
Cousins Neyia Hamilton, Joseph McDonough, and Keilani Jones took to the dance floor with their grandmother, Ayo Dowl, during Afro Fest RVA on Sept. 10 in Dogwood Dell. The theme “One Voice, One People, Many Cultures” included performing artists, a colorful “Parade of Nations” featuring 54 countries and nations, food, vendors, health screenings, a history tent, and children’s play area. More photos on B2.
Two members of City Council are proposing to cut the real estate property tax rate as the value of property surged by 13 percent — but it is unclear whether Mayor Levar M. Stoney or the majority the nine-member council will go along.
President Biden, who was Mr. Obama’s vice presi dent, praised his former boss’ leadership on health care, the economy and immigration and said nothing could have prepared him any better for being president than serving with Mr. Obama for those eight years.
Richmond Public Schools student Standard of Learning (SOL) scores are among the lowest in the state of Virginia thisButyear.during Monday night’s
The queen will lie in state for four days until her funeral Monday, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to file past. Eight pallbearers carried the oak and lead-lined coffin into Westminster Hall, placing it on a raised platform known as a catafalque.
‘I cannot mourn’ Former colonies conflicted over the queen
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Rendering of Richmond’s future Diamond District.
By Holly Rodriguez
He said evaluating students this way is a paradigm shift in evaluating RPS students, and the purpose of the met rics is to dig deeper into their performance beyond just SOL scores.Proficiency scores, Mr.
After years of talk, Richmond is ready to launch the huge Diamond District redevelop ment of 68 acres of mostly city-owned property in North MondaySidenight, City Hall announced the winner of a nine-month competition that drew 15 development teams eager to undertake the work.The winner is RVA Diamond Partners (RDP), 45 percent of whose members are Black-owned busi nesses, including the nation’s largest Black-owned investment bank, Loop Capital of Chicago.
endorsed the project and are prepared to vote Monday, Sept. 26, to approve the resolution to move the project forward.
Former President Obama and his wife, Michelle, returned to the White House on Sept. 7, for the un veiling of their official portraits with a modern vibe in an event that set humor and nostalgia over his presidency against the current harsh political talk about the survival of democracy.
continues.
The Associated Press WASHINGTON
The reason: Virtually all of the new tax revenue the giant development is projected to create is to be devoted to paying off the debt for the projected $85 million stadium and to cover
“It was always about doing what was right,” he said.The portrait of Mr. Obama, America’s 44th and first Black president, doesn’t look like any of his predecessors, nor does Michelle Obama’s look like
may
Adoption of that would have disal lowed nearly 70 people who had made only nominal donations since 2021, at torneys for Dr. Jackson and the trustees told the Judgejudge.Marchant said that the conditions Dr. Jackson wanted upheld, for the most part, were too subjective to be measured and could not be supported. He said that recorded donations were an objective measure that the court could
After spending two years at Chimborazo Park, the Soul Vegan Block Party kicked off its third year Saturday, Sept. 10, at Richmond’s Abner Clay Park, where thousands of attendees came out to enjoy 100 vendors and listen to music, practice yoga, sample vegan delights or simply enjoy time with family and friends. Organizers and event founder Adriea Clarke noted that the free event “promotes a healthy and ethnically conscious plant-based lifestyle in a positive environ ment to all people regardless of race, gender, age, or sexual orientation, focusing on uplifting communities of color.”
Local News A2 September 15-17, 2022 Richmond Free Press
Henrico County Board Supervisor Tyrone E. Nelson, who represents the Varina District, will host several “Community Conversations” to address issues involving speeding, gun violence, an upcoming bond referendum and more.
and entering the access code for the meeting. WebEx links and meeting access codes for all three discussions can be found at www.henrico.us/supervi sors/varina-districtFormoreinformation, call the Henrico Board of Supervisors at
that payment would remain suspended as long as he does not violate the state’s Consumer Protection Act.
501-4208.
Members to decide fate of Fourth Baptist Church’s funds, trustees
According to the settlement, Dr. Vaughan can continue to sublease, but only if he fully informs those who agree to rent from him how his business operates.
The public parking lot, which also served city employees, filled the block bounded by 8th, 9th, Clay and Leigh streets. It closed Monday as work began.
and his companies “misrepresented that they provided service programs to tenant consumers.”According to the document, renters were falsely told that they were being offered something more than a traditional lease, with Dr. Vaughan providing sham, meaning less documents indicating the clients were entering a “housing initiative.”
Organizers say that any plastic bags used to carry the items should be put in a trash can.
Also, McDonough Community Garden, 3300 McDonough St.; Westover Hills School Garden, 1211 Jahnke Road; Broad Rock Community Garden, 404 E. Broad Rock Road; Broad Rock Branch Library, 4820 Old Warwick Road; Alice Fitz Community Garden, 1301 Perry St.; Living Water Community Center, 1000 Westover Hills Blvd.; and Stratford Hills Shopping Center, 6780 Forest Hill Ave.
A Richmond Circuit Court judge on Sept. 8 cleared the way for the meeting with a decision on who would constitute an active member with the right to par ticipate in the vote.
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
In 2020, RRHA wanted $4.1 million for the property, or about $1.2 million an acre, which Mr. Hopkins declined to pay. He said the price was about double what land was selling for in the area and would interfere with his ability to develop successfully.
meetings will take place 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 26 in the Henrico Theatre, 305 E. Nine Mile Road; 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at Seven Pines Elementary School, 301 Beulah Road, and 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, John
Rolfe Middle School, 6901 Messer Road.
The RRHA sources said the authority is prepared to reduce the price substantially to get another piece of Jackson Place moving more than 30 years after the property was purchased
The judge has played a major role in the affairs of Fourth Baptist ever since this conflict resulted in a rush to the courthouse.
Waste not, want not Federal money fuels city’s new compost service
through WebEx or
Dr. Jackson urged the judge to overturn Mr. Ebel’s decision. He argued that the church’s constitution and bylaws limit ac tive members with voting rights to those who tithe, attend services regularly and are involved in the church in other ways.
In 2021, Judge Marchant reinstated the ousted trustees and the finance com mittee after finding that Dr. Jackson had not properly scheduled or conducted two congregational meetings in which the congregation voted to remove them.
City Hall has a new way to deal with those items by allow ing anyone to dump those items into purple specialty bins at 20 locations, with the contents later to be hauled away to be turned into garden dirt.
The compost-focused companies, some of which have been around for at least eight years, provide a bin and regular pickups for customers who pay a monthly fee, according to an internet search.Forthose seeking to participate in the city’s operation, drop-off bins for food and paper products are located at: Boaz and Ruth, 3030 Meadowbridge Road; Chimborazo Playground Community Garden, 3000 E. Grace St.; and Powhatan Hill Community Garden, 801 Godden St.
phone
Slices of life and scenes in Richmond
In agreeing to the settlement, one of the first of its kind involving this kind of business, Dr. Vaughan “did not admit to any violation, or liability arising from, any state or federal law, rule or regulation.”
Local landlord agrees to reimburse tenants to settle complaintsRegina
The main parking lot outside the courthouse has been shut down to make way for development of GRTC’s new $2.2 mil lion temporary transfer station that will have 12 bays when completed next spring.
Also, Studio Two Three, 3300 W. Clay St.; Uptown Commu nity Garden, 2201 Parkwood Ave.; VCU Learning Garden, 1218 Parkwood Ave.; MCV Community Garden, 900 Turpin St.; Main Library, 101 E. Franklin St.; West End Branch Library, 5420 Pat terson Ave.; Ginter Park Branch Library, 1200 Westbrook Ave.; Parker Field Annex Recycling Center, 1700 Robin Hood Road; Charles S. Gilpin Community Farm, 1420 St. Peter St.; and Big Market at Bryan Park, Bellevue and Lakeside Avenues.
Mr. Hopkins did not respond to a request for comment on the information that RRHA could clear the way for the project next week, according to sources at the authority, who declined to be identified as they are not authorized to speak with a reporter.
A WIN FOR to Virginia’s K-12 public schools since 1999 $11 BILLION
A former principal of Armstrong High School 15 years ago, Dr. Vaughan also agreed to dismiss all lawsuits, vacate any judgments and cease collection efforts against any tenant who sublet from him between Jan. 1, 2016, and Jan. 13, 2022.
The shrunken congregation of the historic Church Hill sanctuary will vote whether to support a proposal spearheaded by the pastor, Dr. William E. Jackson Sr., to oust virtually all the trustees and the church’s finance committee or to block that action.
Dr. Carl S. Vaughn agreed to pay $10,000 to reimburse renters who were charged fees for educational services that the complaint alleged he never provided, according to the settlement the Richmond Circuit Court approved last month.
Gun violence, speeding and other Varina District issues to be discussed
Judge W. Reilly Marchant upheld the position of the special commissioner who will oversee the meeting, Attorney C. Thomas Ebel.
What the Free Press has been told is that Mr. Hopkins has submitted an unsolicited proposal that RRHA’s board is expected to advance.
Food waste, paper towels and used Kleenex can now be recycled for compost at no charge.
He declined to comment on whether he is continuing his business.
The settlement alleged Dr. Vaughan
Cityscape
Details: Richmondgrowsgardens.org/composting.
After two-year derailment, Jackson Place apparently back on track
The fight has been underway since 2020 at Fourth Baptist, which was founded before the Civil War and now occupies a building at 2800 P St. that dates to 1884.
David B. Irvin and James E. Scott, two assistant attorneys general, spearheaded the case that resulted from numerous complaints about Dr. Vaughan’s opera tion to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section.
Parking may cost $5 to $20 for courthouse visits
The city’s housing authority is poised to revive a potential $35 million development project for Jackson Place at 2nd and Duval streets in Jackson Ward.
During that time, he provided relief to an estimated 175 families, and predominantly worked with Black women with children needed a place to live.
The case was filed in August 2021 while Democrat Mark R. Herring was attorney general and concluded a year later under Republican Jason S. Miyares, who is now the state’s top lawyer.
It is not clear whether the new Jackson Place proposal would still include a hotel. Nor has the number of apartments or homes that might be included been released.
However, the Free Press has been told that the key issue is the price of 3.4 acres of long vacant land that adjoins Club 533, a Black social club, and borders 3rd Street and Interstates 64 and 95.
He also agreed to pay $20,000 to the Attorney General’s Office to cover legal expenses and a fine, but the settlement states
The Public Works and Parks and Recreation departments have used a $90,000 federal grant to fuel this compost initiative —a first for the city in hopes that greater use will reduce the flow of trash to landfills. Much of the current trash is made of food waste and Compostingpaper.food waste has become increasingly popular across the country, and at least five private companies now offer the service to homeowners and apartment dwellers in the Richmond area, as well as to restaurants and other food-heavy businesses.
The tenants also were never told they were subleasing apartments that Dr. Vaughan and his companies had leased from the actual owner, nor advised them who the real landlord was, the document noted.He also installed tenants in “as is” apart ments that did not meet minimal housing standards under the state Landlord Tenant Act and did not make essential repairs, the document stated.
support. Judge Marchant also noted that the church documents do not spell out a minimum amount that must be contributed for a congregant to be considered an ac tive member, and, thus, found that Mr. Ebel had set a reasonable standard for deciding the issue.
To fill the gap, City Hall is encouraging those going to the courthouse to park in the Coliseum Parking Garage, which sits just west of the former lot at 501 N. 7th St. Cost: $5 an hour or $20 for all day.
Mr. Ebel had concluded that anyone who had contributed in 2021 or 2022 or
The
Last fall, Judge Marchant ordered a special commissioner to conduct any fu ture meetings at which such a significant change in church leadership was to be votedMr.on.Ebel began work in February. While he said some agreements were reached, the issue of which congregants should be considered active members with voting rights had kept a meeting from previously being held.
H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
That is more expensive than the metered spaces that were in the lot that cost $2 an hour. Some metered street parking still exists, but the daily traffic to the courthouse means those spaces mostly stay filled.
The battle for control of Fourth Baptist Church will come down to an in-person congregational meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19.
In court, Mr. Ebel said the agreedupon-list of active members included 298 people, well below the more than 500 people listed as active just 16 years ago. Another 25 people were eligible to have their voting rights restored if they made a contribution of any amount prior to the meeting, he said.
A Richmond businessman who sublet apartments to desperate people with bad credit has agreed to a settlement with the Attorney General’s Office to end a com plaint that he defrauded his clients.
Parking for anyone going to the John Marshall Courts Build ing just became more difficult—and expensive.
in both years would be considered an ac tive member – even if the donated amount was $5 or less.
According to the settlement, Dr. Vaughan operated several companies, JumpStart U2 Inc., Jump Start University Inc. and Vasilios Education Center Inc., doing business as Vasilios Supportive Housing Initiative.
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Residents participate in person, virtually via by calling 1-415-6550002 (804)
Nearly two years after killing a Black-led development that was to include a hotel and 63 apartments, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority is poised to approve a proposal from the same lead developer, Michael A. “Mike” Hopkins, who also is a member of a team competing for the Diamond District project.
Mr. Nelson
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He noted the 13 percent rise represents a 3.8 percent increase from his projection last spring and does not include the increase he is expecting as he and his staff turn to assess new construction and add those values to the total.
Andreas D. Addison, 1st District, said the driving force for the
The $1.20 tax rate on real estate is
As with previous COVID-19 boosters, the new doses can only be received after an initial two vaccine shots, and those who qualify are instructed to wait at least two months after their second COVID-19 vaccine.
“This commonwealth of nations, that wealth belongs to England. That wealth
Obama stands expressionless against a white background, wearing a black suit and gray tie in the portrait by Robert McCurdy that looks more like a large photograph than an oil-on-canvas portrait.
Scores of former members of President Obama’s administration were on hand for the big Presidentreveal.Obama noted that some of them in the East Room audience had started families in the intervening years and feigned disappointment “that I haven’t heard of anyone naming a kid Barack or Michelle.”
That money would largely enable the city to recover the cost of clearing and relocating city and school system shops and other operations and cleaning the land.
A total of 1,683 new cases of COVID-19 were reported statewide Wednesday for the 24-hour period, contributing to an overall state total of 2,066,675 cases in Virginia since the pandemic’s outbreak. As of Wednesday, there have been 454,714 hospitalizations and 21,646 deaths statewide. The state’s seven-day positivity rate dropped to 17.7 percent on Wednesday. Last week, the positivity rate was 19.5 percent.
Only Kristen Nye, 4th District, and Reva M. Trammell, 8th Dis trict, have not signed on to the next big thing for Richmond.
employed, that construction workers are paid union-level wages and to give priority in hiring to Richmond residents team or subcontractors add people.
Along with Loop Capital, the major players on the team include Washington, D.C.-based Republic Properties Corp. and Henrico County-based Thalhimer Realty Partners. Thalhimer has already snapped up much of the available private property next door to this site and is making plans for other projects to complement the RPD work.
Also, Michael A. “Mike” Hopkins will play a significant role. Both of his companies, M Companies and Emerge Construction Group, will be involved in the project and he and will develop the for-sale housing, including the first 92 units of duplex-style units.
ing from police to parks.
Ms. Trammell, who pushed for a tax cut last year, really wants the tax rate rolled back 10 “Peoplecents.need relief. Everyone is say ing, ‘We can’t afford these assessments that keep skyrocketing year after year’” she told her colleagues Monday. “I am hearing from people who are worried they will lose their homes because they can’t pay the taxes.”
‘I cannot mourn’ Former colonies conflicted over the queen
However,education.theincrease in property values means that owners must pay more to the city each year.
In 2017, City Hall built its budget on collecting $252.5 million in real estate taxes. In this current budget year, 2022-23, the Stoney administration projected collecting $387 million in real estate taxes. That represents an increase of $134.5 million or 53 percent during his first six years.
Last year, the Stoney administration successfully fought a Trammell proposal to reduce the tax rate, citing such unfunded needs as the $105 million needed to main tain bridges, the $142 million needed to replace aging vehicles such as fire trucks and the $265 million needed to shore up the city’s retirement system.
“For me, this day is not just about what has happened,” she said. “It’s also about what could happen, because a girl like me, she was never supposed to be up there next to Jacqueline Kennedy and Dolley Madison. She was never supposed to live in this house, and she definitely wasn’t supposed to serve as first lady.”
example, it identified J.L. Francis (76 percent), Barack Obama (74 percent), John B. Cary (73 percent), Elizabeth Redd (73 percent) and Mary Munford (72 percent) as schools with the highest rates of growth in reading. The metric compared scores from the 2018-2019 school year (pre-pandemic scores) and the 2021-2022 school year.
Anger came from ordinary people. Some called for apologies for past abuses like slav ery, others for something more tangible.
The Virginia Department of Health also has a list of COVID19 testing locations around the state at coronavirus/covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites.www.vdh.virginia.gov/
“Movement permit,” the document says. While over 100,000 Kenyans were rounded up in camps under grim conditions, others, like Ms. Mugo’s grandmother, were forced to request British permission to go from place to “Mostplace.ofour grandparents were op
He thanked Mr. McCurdy for his work, joking that the artist, who is known for his paintings of public figures from Nelson Mandela to the Dalai Lama, had ignored his pleas for fewer gray hairs and smaller ears.
Still efforts to cut the tax rate have been defeated in the past, and no other council members have signed on in support of a reduction. Behind the scenes, some mem bers are already expressing opposition.
The former first lady, her lips pursed, is seated on a sofa in the Red Room in a strapless, light blue dress. She chose artist Sharon Sprung for her portrait.
The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free walk-up COVID-19 vaccines at the following locations:
For example, Washington Park in North Side, a predominantly Black residential community, registered a 33 percent in crease in property values. In the South Side neighborhoods of Swansboro and Newtown South, also places where Black homeownership has been strong, values leaped 25 percent or more.
And the impact is falling heavily on homeowners, who constitute just 43 percent of the residential households, he noted.
The Diamond District was first envisioned in 2005 by then City Council President William J. Pantele. During the admin istration of Mayor Dwight C. Jones, the city reported spending $19 million to clear buildings, relocate public operations and prepare the land for future construction.
RDP also is to pay $500,000 to reimburse the city for its costs of running the competition.
The Free Press has been told the stadium is projected to cost $85 million, though no figures have been made public. The new stadium is to be home to the minor league Richmond Squirrels and Virginia Commonwealth University baseball teams and also become a year-round concert and event venue.
• Thursday, Sept. 15 & Sept. 22, 1 to 4 p.m. - Richmond Henrico Health District, 400 E. Cary St., Pfizer for ages 6 months and older, Moderna for ages 6 months to 5 years old and ages 18 years and older, appointments encouraged.
On Wednesday, state health officials reported that 72.5 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated, while 82.6 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine.Statedata also showed that over 3.7 million people in Virginia have received booster shots or third doses of the vaccine.
Cases Hospitalizations Deaths Richmond 56,264 1,196 535 Henrico County 81,058 1,605 1,006 Chesterfield County 90,226 1,644 809 Hanover County 25,888 781 316
“There has been a deliberate effort at inclusion,” he said.
Some historians see her as a monarch who helped oversee the mostly peaceful transition from empire to the Common wealth, a voluntary association of 56 nations with historic and linguistic ties. But she was also the symbol of a nation that often rode roughshod over people it subjugated.
While wealthier sections of the city have continued to see value increases, some of the more significant gains in value can be found in less well-heeled areas.
“Growth matters . . . but I am con cerned that something is lost in moving the goalpost; and in recognizing that our students are competing against students around the world, my concern is we’ll lose something if we focus too much on the paradigm shift,” he said.
Using a sports team metaphor, School Board member Jonathan Young, 4th Dis trict, said while he appreciated the fact that RPS students are showing progress, they are still far behind. And in order to compete on the world stage, the focus must be on getting SOL test scores up.
“He also talked me out of wearing a tan suit, by the way,” President Obama quipped, referring to a widely panned appearance as president in the unflattering suit.
New COVID-19 boosters, updated to better protect against the latest variants of the virus, are now being shipped across the United States following approval on the federal level weeks earlier. The new Pfizer booster is approved for those age 12 and up, while the new Moderna booster is for those aged 18 and older.
Continued from
Then the former first lady turned serious, drawing a connection between unveiling
assessment increases is the prices being paid for the small fraction of properties being sold each year.
A1
Mr. Kamras countered, “Our goal is pro ficiency and beyond. Let me be absolutely clear. We want to make sure we are being thoughtful and strategic about figuring out where we are getting the ball down the field, further, faster,” he said. “What do we learn from that, how do we celebrate that, and where are we not?”
Mrs. Obama said the portraits are a “reminder that there’s a place for everyone in this Traditioncountry.”holds that the sitting president invites his immediate predecessor back to the White House to unveil his portrait, but Donald Trump broke with that custom and did not host President Obama. So, President Biden scheduled a ceremony for his former boss.
The company also has agreed to pay over time a total of $51 million for the remaining 47 acres, but only as RDP begins ad ditional phases, according to the resolution.
Advocatesside. note that an achievable 4 percent reduction in expenditures in the current $836 million budget would save $33 million or enough to allow for at least a 9 cent cut in the tax rate. As one put it, “The city can afford it, and we need it.”
RPS data suggests student improvement
experience, Shemicia Bowen, Kelli Lemon and Amy Wentz. Kenneth Jones’ Prestige Construction Co. also will be part of the construction team for the stadium and other portions of the project.
The Obamas’ official portraits unveiled at the White House
Having suffered rejection on previous big projects, including the Navy Hill development for Downtown and the casino in South Side, Mayor Levar M. Stoney now has a legacy project.
SOL pass rates for each of these schools were: J.L. Francis (46 percent), Barack Obama (54 percent), John B. Cary (51 percent) Elizabeth Redd (42 percent), and Mary Munford (84 percent).
pressed,” Ms. Mugo tweeted in the hours after the queen’s death Thursday. “I can notButmourn.”Kenya’s outgoing president, Uhuru Kenyatta, whose father, Jomo Kenyatta, was imprisoned during the queen’s rule before becoming the country’s first president in 1964, overlooked past troubles, as did other African heads of state. “The most iconic figure of the 20th and 21st centuries,” Uhuru Kenyatta called her.
Queen Elizabeth’s reign saw the hardwon independence of African countries from Ghana to Zimbabwe, along with a string of Caribbean islands and nations along the edge of the Arabian Peninsula.
Other elements include 1,134 apartments, 20 percent of which are to be for lower-income people, with 20 for public housing residents with Housing Choice vouchers, and 92 for-sale homes, 18 of which are to be affordable for lower-income residents, the resolution notes.
her father’s death and her enormous new role as queen, a lawyer named Alice Mugo shared online a photograph of a fading document from 1956. It was issued four years into the queen’s reign, and well into Britain’s harsh response to the Mau Mau rebellion against colonial rule.
Reported COVID-19 data as of Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022
Those opposing a tax cut point to the impact that a reduction in revenue would have on a city that has major unmet challenges, including the need to replace bedraggled school and public buildings and provide adequate pay for municipal and public education employees.
Free COVID-19 vaccines
is something never shared in,” said Bert Samuels, a member of the National Council on Reparations in Jamaica.
The renewed fight over the tax rate was launched after City Assessor Richie McKeithen issued the latest valuations of the 70,000 or so parcels that will determine the tax bill that will be issued in 2023.
Revived after being stalled for several years, the development is now seen as building on the existing boom in Scott’s Addition.
Since 2017, when Mayor Stoney took of fice, the value of property in Richmond has soared by $14.4 billion or 66 percent.
Among ages 5 to 11 in Virginia, 335,862 have received their first shots as of Wednesday, accounting for 46.4 percent of the age group in the state, while 292,596 children, or 40.4 percent, are fully vaccinated and 49,724 children have received a third vaccine dose or booster, making up 6.9 percent of that ageOngroup.Wednesday, 44,726 children from the ages of zero to four have received the first doses, making up 9.8 percent of the population in Virginia, while 29,119 are fully vaccinated, or 6.4 percent of the population. As of Wednesday, fewer than 172,980 cases, 1,032 hospitalizations and 15 deaths have been recorded among children in the state.
Among the first elements is the replacement stadium that is to nestle the railroad tracks and Arthur Ashe Boulevard. The stadium is to accommodate 10,000 fans, and RDP must have it ready for play in 2025.
Tax reduction advocates claim the problem is the Stoney administration and most of the current council have shown little appetite for making any cuts on the spending
Continued from A1
The Diamond District will not be done in isolation. A variety of projects are already in the works for private property surrounding the Diamond District, ensuring increased energy and activity.
As he noted, assessments are generally based on what buyers pay sellers for homes or other property. So even though only about 4 percent of city properties changes hands in a given year, the rising purchase price those properties command, he said, “is affecting everyone else around them.”
State data also shows that African-Americans comprised 22.1 percent of cases statewide and 22.9 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 11.2 percent of cases and 4.9 percent of deaths.
RDP developers win $2.4B, 15-year, mixed-use project in baseball district
“J.L. Francis and Mary Munford, abso lutely different populations [in terms of their scores], one with a 46 percent pass rate and the other with an 84 percent pass rate [on the SOLs],” Mr. Grove said. “Drastically different, however using the growth rate, you can see these schools are on par and absolutely exceeding in the division in
Those who are getting a booster shot should bring their vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine received.RHHD also offers at-home vaccinations by calling (804) 205-3501 to schedule appointments.
Black team members include Robert C. Bobb, a former Rich mond city manager who runs a Washington-based consulting firm; artist Sir James Thornhill, a well-known muralist in Richmond; and the three co-founders of the Richmond Black Restaurant
People can schedule an appointment online at vase. vdh.virginia.gov, vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd.com, or by calling (804) 205-3501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877-8294682).VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.
According to his findings, the total value of existing property in the city, from homes and apartments to commercial property and billboards, rose to a record $35.9 billion, a $4.2 billion or 13 percent increase from last year’s $31.7 billion record.
Continued
RDP also must make efforts to ensure unionized workers are
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• Wednesday, Sept. 21, 1 to 4 p.m. - Henrico Health District West Headquarters, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, Pfizer for ages 6 months and older, Moderna for ages 6 months to 5 years old and ages 18 years and older, appointments encouraged.
from A1
Along with the stadium, the developers are planning an 11-acre park and a 180-room hotel, according to the resolution.
And private property in and around three public housing communities in the East End, Creighton, Fairfield and Whitcomb courts, jumped an average of 25 percent in value, according to Mr. McKeithen’s report.
As the resolution noted, ahead is the first phase, which the city stated is to result in nearly $630 million in development. The first phase involves 21 acres on the south side of the property for which the RDP is to pay $16 million.
the portraits and America’s promise for people with backgrounds like her own, a daughter of working-class parents from the South Side of Chicago.
currently the highest in the Richmond Metropolitan Area, although it is also the lowest on record for the city since the tax was first imposed in 1870 to pay for public
Overall, the average value of a home in the city has leaped from $189,000 in 2012 to around $320,000 this year, ac cording to real estate data bases, a 70 percentCouncilmanjump.
Continued from A1
In addition, the Free Press has been told the developers plan to work with the city and Richmond Public Schools to jumpstart a plan to turn a former Altria tobacco factory on Maury Street into a new technical center were students could learn construction skills. RDP is prepared to invest $40 million to get the overhaul of the factory moving, the Free Press has been told.
Soaring property taxes renew calls for cuts
Mr. Hopkins said the list of Black participants is long and includes participants in virtually every aspect, from the surveyor team to an interior designer. Black architects and attorneys also will be part of this development.
President Obama went on to say his wife was the “best thing about living in the White House,” and he thanked Ms. Sprung for “capturing everything I love about Michelle, her grace, her intelligence — and the fact that she’s fine.”
Continued from A1
Compiled by George Copeland Jr.
Michelle Obama, when it was her turn, laughingly opened by saying she had to thank her husband for “such spicy remarks.” To which he retorted, by way of explana tion, “I’m not running again.”
Continued from A1
Mr. Kamras distributed a survey to teachers and instruction specialists in the division on Monday asking for feedback on three curricula used in RPS classrooms — Eureka for Virginia (math), EL for Education (English Language Arts) and Amplify (science). Earlier in the evening, the public comment period lasted more than two hours as mostly RPS teachers and principals spoke in favor of the current curriculum for the division. But in prior School Board meetings, teachers such as Kieasha King have expressed frustration with implementing the curriculum in their classrooms.“Scripted curricula take away from teacher autonomy,” she said at Monday’s meeting. “I did not become a teacher to be a robot.” A few others faulted the cur ricula as a core reason for the division’s inability to retain teachers, saying teachers leave the division due to frustration when attempting to implement the curricula.
terms of growing our students.”
any of the women who filled the role beforePresidenther.
New COVID-19 cases in Virginia dropped by 22 percent during the last week, according to the Virginia Department of Health, and data from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association showed hospitalizations statewide fell by five percent.Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover are still at medium levels of community COVID-19.
Commission’s scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-InformationVIRGINIAELECTRIC
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
the property of the city Depart ment of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities.
deposited with Enrichmond can be Therecovered.board recently named Andrew P. Sherrod, a partner in the Hirschler Fleischer law firm, to handle its dissolution.
Eastcerninglarlyparticusolving,itmentnounceJunedation’sFounanthatwasdisconEnd
Rep. McEachin offers platitudes for East End and Evergreen cemeteries
AND POWER COMPANY d/b/a DOMINION ENERGY VIRGINIA
are meant to be celebrated. Share accomplishments in a special person’s life by announcing it in the Richmond Free Press. Contact Cynthia Downing, advertising coordinator, today to find out more about affordable celebratory advertising rates to celebrate a special achievement or a special occasion. Richmond Free Press The People’s Paper 422 East Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219 www.richmondfreepress.com advertising@richmondfreepress.com (804)644-0496 | FAX (804)643-5436 Milestones BIRTH.B IRTHDAY. AWARD. GRADUATION. HONOR. ENGAGEMENT. WEDDING. ANNIVERSARY. LIFE.
Local News Richmond Free Press September 15-17, 2022 A5 NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF THE APPLICATION OF VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY FOR REVISION OF RATE ADJUSTMENT CLAUSE: RIDER US-3, COLONIAL TRAIL WEST AND SPRING GROVE 1 SOLAR PROJECTS, FOR THE RATE YEAR COMMENCING JUNE 1, 2023 CASE NO. PUR-2022-00120 •Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion”) has applied for approval to revise its rate adjustment clause, Rider US-3. •In this case, Dominion has asked the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) to approve Rider US-3 for the rate year beginning June 1, 2023, and ending May 31, 2024 (“2023 Rate Year”) •For the 2023 Rate Year, Dominion requests a revenue requirement of $40,414,839, which would decrease the bill of a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month by •A$0.21.Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will hold a telephonic hearing in this case on February 22, 2023, at 10 a.m., for the receipt of public witness testimony. •Further information about this case is available on the SCC website at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information located in Surry County, Virginia, and the Spring Grove 1 Solar Facility (“Spring Grove 1”), an approximately 98 MW solar facility located in Surry County, Virginia (collectively, “US-3 Solar Projects” or On“Projects”).January 24, 2019, the Commission approved Dominion’s construction and operation of the US-3 Solar Projects. On April 15, 2019, Dominion also received approval of a rate adjustment clause, designated Rider US-3, for the Company to recover costs associated with the construction of the Projects. The Commission’s approval was subject to certain conditions and requirements, including a performance guarantee for the Projects, which were accepted by the Company.
U.S. Rep. A. Donald McEachin has joined the worry brigade about the future of two historic Black cemeteries that a collapsed Richmond nonprofit owns.Ina statement issued Sept. 8, the 4th District congressio nal representative expressed dismay at the lack of informa tion and transparency that has followed Enrichmond
“As the dissolution process continues,” Rep. McEachin stated, “plans must be put in place for the continued preser vation and restoration of (those cemeteries).“Theseproperties, which host memorials for many of Richmond’s notable historical residents and that unfortunately were neglected for too long, are among the most significant cultural assets associated with Richmond,” he continued.
In response to a Free Press query, Mr. Sherrod stated, “ Our firm has recently been engaged by the board of Enrichmond Foundation to advise and represent the board in regard to certain limited matters re lated to the dissolution. As our work is ongoing, I am not in
website at:
Rep. McEachin
They neighbor each other on the eastern border of Richmond and Henrico County, two of the localities Rep. McEachin represents in Congress.
For purposes of calculating the revenue requirement, Dominion utilized a rate of return on VAC 5-20-240,
and Evergreen cemeteries.
tion’s internal bylaws and docu ments, when dissolution occurs, the cemeteries are to become
Mr. Sherrod has not issued any public comments or state ments.
The council presented its community service award to Facts and Faith Fridays and its founders, Dr. Robert Winn, a specialist at VCU’s Massey Cancer Center, attorney Rudene M. Haynes and the Rev. F. Todd Gray, pastor of Fifth Street BaptistAccordingChurch.to the citation, Facts and Faith Fridays, which links medical professionals and ministers, has proven to be “a tremendously successful forum for sharing important healthcare information, dispelling false hoods and strengthening the resolve and outcomes … as it has reached many thousands of people.”Asaresult, the citation continues, the program has helped make Richmond a bet ter place.
Prepared testimony and exhibits Copies and format, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice.
According to the Application, the US-3 Solar Projects are generally proceeding on budget. The Company states that Colonial Trail West began commercial operations on December 26, 2019. Spring Grove
common equity (“ROE”) of 9.35%, consistent with the Commission’s Final Order in Case No. PUR-2021-00058 (“Triennial Final Order”), for the time period after the date of the Triennial Final Order. The Company utilized an ROE of 9.2%, approved by the Commission in Case No. PUR-2019-00050 for the time period prior to the Triennial Final Order. If the proposed Rider US-3 for the 2023 Rate Year is approved, the impact on customer bills would depend on the customer’s rate schedule and usage. According to Dominion, implementation of its proposed Rider US-3 on June 1, 2023, would decrease the bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month by approximately $0.21. The Company indicates that it has calculated the proposed Rider US-3 rates in accordance with the same methodology as used for rates previously approved by the Commission in the most recent Rider US-3 proceeding, Case No. PUR-2021-00118. Interested persons are encouraged to review Dominion’s Application and supporting documents in full for details about these and other proposals. The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing that, among other things, scheduled public hearings on Dominion’s Application. On February 22, 2023, at 10 a.m., a Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will hold a telephonic hearing for the purpose of receiving the testimony of public witnesses, with no public witness present in the Commission’s courtroom. On or before February 16, scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting; (ii) by completing and emailing the PDF version of this form to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting Beginning at 10 a.m. on February 22, 2023, the Hearing Examiner will telephone sequentially each person who has signed up to testify as provided above. The Commission has taken judicial notice of the ongoing public health issues related to the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID 19. The Commission has taken certain actions, and may take additional actions going forward, that could impact the procedures in this proceeding. Consistent with these actions, in regard to the terms of the procedural framework established below, the Commission will, among Pursuant to 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (“Rules of Practice”), the Commission has directed that service on parties and the Commission’s AnInformation.electronic copy of the public version of the Company’s Application may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company, Elaine S. Ryan, Esquire, McGuireWoods LLP, Gateway Plaza, 800 East Canal Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or eryan@mcguirewoods.com sionscc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Commentsc/oDocumentControlCenter,P.O.Box2118,Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2022-00120. participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel. The respondent simultaneously shall serve a copy of the notice of participation on counsel to the Company. Pursuant to Rule 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice, any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of by counsel as required by Rule 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel , any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its Filing and service; and 5
Dozens of local groups that support area parks, community gardens, recreation and other activities are still waiting to learn if any of the money they
a position to provide further comment.”According to the founda
the revenue requirement for the 2022 Annual Update. The Company states that as part of this 2022 Annual Update, it is requesting that the Commission approve the updated expenditures for the Projects, The Company states that the collective capacity factor of the US-3 Solar Projects for calendar year 2021 was 23.1%, which represents a weighted average and does not include any force majeure events as the performance guarantee for the Projects. Employing the same methodology used in Case No. PUR-2021-00118 to calculate the applicable performance guarantee credits, the Company states that the
Ministers,medicalexpertshonored
Rep. McEachin noted that Enrichmond committed to a vision “to inspire present and future generations to honor the nation’s African-American cultural, historical and spiritual inheritance,” and he urged that plans are made “to ensure that this vision is followed through and that these historic areas are protected.”Thefoundation’s board has remained mum about the status of its property and its finances.
A group that was launched two years ago to provide Black pastors with information on Covid-19 and other health issues to share with their con gregants received recognition from City Council Monday.
In this proceeding, Dominion has asked the Commission to approve Rider US-3 for the rate year beginning June 1, 2023, and ending May 31, 2024 (“2023 Rate Year”). The two components of the pro posed total revenue requirement for the 2023 Rate Year are the Projected Cost Recovery Factor and the Actual Cost True-Up Factor. The Company is requesting a Projected Cost Recovery Factor revenue 2023 Rate Year.
The chief has pretty much publicly acknowledged that there was little truth to what he said and that he had no evidence that the celebration at Dogwood Dell was a target. He has apologized for creating stress and anxiety in the public.Heneeds to be more direct. He needs to come clean and seek public forgiveness for going off the rails, instead of al lowing this to fester. He could do so during the community conversations in which he is now engaged.
Described by her family as a “sweet girl with a contagious smile,” the 15-year-old Armstrong High School freshman was killed Monday evening in a drive-by shooting as she walked to a nearby store with friends.
Vice President – Administration Tracey L. traceyoliver@richmondfreepress.comOliver
‘Quiet quitting’ is not just for ‘silly season’
The reality is it’s not, and your worth as a person is not defined by your labor.”
the measure of all things.” Alas, that’s the sort of dilemma that many of my fel low African-Americans would dismiss as “white people’s problems.”“Blackpeople aren’t talking about this because, for most people of color, ‘quiet quit ting’ is simply not a choice,” writes Angela Johnson in The Root, pointing out that African- Americans still have an unemployment rate that’s twice as high as for white Americans.Butwhile everyone has a different reaction, positively or negatively, to the sound of quiet quitting, it is important to remember what the idea of such passive resistance is all about. As Kathy Caprino, a women’s career coach, told CNN, “It’s about stopping doing work that people think is beyond what they were hired to do and not getting compensated for it.”
As TikTok user Zaid Khan described it in a widely read and retweeted post in early August, “You’re not outright quitting your job but you’re quitting the idea of going above and”You’rebeyond.”still performing your duties,” he continued, “but you’re no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life.
And employers aren’t happy with recently higher levels of employee disengagement, meaning discontent, in Amer ica’s Generation Z, also known as “zoomers” (now entering
Follow the Free Press on @FreePressRVA @RichmondFreePressUSA Late summer
being used to intimidate voters and keep us from exercising our constitutional rights. It is erasing us from Congress and state legislatures. We need to call it out and challenge it where we see Callingit. out and challeng ing means organizing, litigat ing, and legislating. It means supporting national and local organizations that unite com munities against racist ger rymandering and seek justice in the courts. They might not win every case, but advocacy and activism are essential to righting this wrong.
I know that a lot of media coverage of this summer’s primaries has focused on one big question: Will Trump-style, MAGA candidates win or lose?
have less representation in the state legislature. Knowing what the impact could be, voters have spoken out forcefully against the new redistricting maps from pulpits to street corners to the state capitol and even before the state courts.
We have no explanation for why anyone would engage in such a terrible act.
He simply needs to man up and tell people he made up the story that the two Guatemalans living and working here were plotting a massacre at the Fourth of July celebration at Dogwood Dell.
If all goes well, we will see $2.4 billion in new develop ment over time, creating jobs and opportunity for so many in this city and adding vitality to our economy.
We’re seriously impressed that the RVA Diamond Partners wants to work with the city and Richmond Public Schools to create a construction training center in a vacant South Side tobacco factory Altria donated. It was supposed to become RPS’ new career and technical education high school, but that initiative remains stalled.
For now, it seems. How great would it be if this new career-focused high school is built due to this project, en abling more of our young people an entry to successful, achieving lives?
LLC Richmond Free Press is published weekly by Paradigm Communications, Inc.Copies
That is why it is so dismaying that our chief of police has been engaged in fantasizing about terrorist attacks.
Of course, a major element of this project is a new sta dium for our minor league baseball team. We just wish that virtually every dime of new tax revenue would not have to be used to pay for it.
DismayingAbigdeal
The Gilpin Court resident is a poster girl for the all-toofamiliar violence that plagues portions of our city and so many other cities and wastes so much potential.
The writer is a syndicated columnist and senior member of the Chicago Tribune Edito rial Board.
What we will get in just the first phase, if everything works out, are a new hotel, new homes, new retail and a new park at the same time Virginia Commonwealth University is involved in creating a sports village across Hermitage Road from this district.
The Richmond Squirrels are great. But this baseball team is not an economic driver for the city. It would be nice if just half of the new tax dollars could go pay for other city needs.
Vice President – New Business Development Raymond H. Boone jrboone@richmondfreepress.comJr.
He does not build confidence about the role the police can play when he presents fantasy as reality.
And the city has selected a team that that includes a large number of Black-owned businesses, most notably Chicagobased Loop, the largest Black-owned investment bank in theThatcountry.isa real plus. So is the prospect that some of the housing will be for those with lower incomes.
Ben Jealous
No wonder that much of “quiet quitting” is motivated by stresses, often from an imbal ance between the employee’s work and their life outside of work. For those who feel that sort of stress, which can be particularly worrisome in one’s early career-building years, it’s important to set boundaries and not feel exploited by suddenly having more duties than your job description requires.
Perhaps that leaves too many ready to take up arms to avoid dealing with their learning challenges.
FAX (804) 643-7519
Vice President – Production April A. aprilcoleman@richmondfreepress.comColeman
Redistricting is robbing Black candidates and voters of years of hard-fought-for opportunities. In Detroit, new districts merged Black areas of the city with white neigh borhoods across 8 Mile Road. The city stands to lose Black representation in Congress and
Staff Writers
Fred Jeter, Frances Crutchfield Hazel Trice Edney
the pandemic, they’ve had to face economic pressures from rising costs of living, college loan paybacks and an uncertain economy, among other chal lenges. They have plenty to complain about.
What is known inside the department that everyone with any connection to the case is dumbfounded at the story Chief Smith told reporters July 6 about thwarting a terrorist plot.
As stated by RVA Diamond Partners in its winning pitch, Richmond’s “incredible upbeat personality and (as) one of the East Coast’s most compelling cities” lets it be known that RVA is not to be ignored by others who want to play ball in our town.
Street
Sadly, Michigan is not alone. The New York Times reported in August that this year, “judges in Alabama, Georgia, Louisi ana and Ohio have found that Republican legislators illegally
The writer is president of People for the American Way and Professor of Practice in the Afri cana Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania.
West End
We must also keep voting, running for office, and educat ing. My organization, People For the American Way, houses an African-American Religious Affairs network that has reaf firmed for more than a decade that “every election matters and every vote counts” — and that includes primaries.
There’s nothing really new about that. Think of it as a recent twist to some very old logic. As Kahn put it, the “hustle culture” isn’t for everybody or every workplace. People want to be paid what they’re worth and they want to feel appreciated.
NationalRepresentativeAdvertising GouffyStyle of the Richmond (one copy East Franklin Richmond, VA 23219 Telephone (804) 644-0496 blooms in the
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Put simply, it refers to the act of taking your job seri ously but not too workplaceaonlionseratedItseriously.hasgenmilofviewsTikTokattimewhenstudies
Managing Editor Bonnie Newman bonniedavis@richmondfreepress.comDavis
For two consecutive years, employee engagement—a mea sure of worker contentment or disgruntlement—has fallen in the U.S. workforce, according to Gallup. But Generation Z individuals reported the lowest engagement of all—only 31 percent during the first quarter of this “Moreyear.than half of these people were quantified as not engaged, 54 percent, which meant showing up pretty pas sively, doing their work and not much else,” said Wall Street Journal reporter Lindsay Ellis, in a podcast on her report about quietThisquitting.discontent is not limited to America. In China, increas ingly our global competitor, the term “tang ping,” literally meaning “lying flat,” has gone viral, as reportedly exhausted young workers call for “lying flat” as an antidote to society’s pressures.
Clarence Page
Along with many in this city, we are upset that Tynashia Humphrey’s life was cut short.
the professional workforce), and their next elders in Gen eration X.
Right now, young people have virtually unlimited opportu nities for success. Jobs in every field imaginable – and most that do not require a college degree – are going begging.
The investigative report filed in the case confirms that the Richmond Police Department received a tip about two people living in the country illegally, at least one of whom possessed weapons.
Neither has any connection to a Mexican gang, neither had any criminal record, other than flouting immigration law.
Richmond Free Press Editorial Page September 15-17, 2022 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.
But there’s another question that needs to be asked: How harmful are the impacts of redistricting on our communities in this year’s elections and those to come?
Telephone (804) 644-0496
No, as I have advised my own millennial son, your work does not have to be your life. But it comes in very handy when you need to take care of such nontrivial matters as eating and keeping a roof over yourStill,head.I sympathize with what young workers are up against these days. Besides
drew those states’ congressional maps along racial or partisan lines, or that a trial very likely would conclude that they did.” But elections are moving for wardWe’veanyway.all heard about the restrictive voter suppression laws that far-right state legisla tures are passing. We’ve heard about the crackdowns on voting hours and mail-in voting, and even on giving food and water to voters in long lines. But we don’t hear enough about redistricting as another weapon
Maybe it is how we handle the education of our young. In this city, half of our kids cannot proficiently read, write or add, subtract, multiply and divide.
Gerald M. Smith has real work to do. He now heads a department that is severely shorthanded as it tries to deal with the violence, to prevent it or find the culprit or culprits in the case of Tynashia and so many others.
President – Publisher Jean P. jeanboone@richmondfreepress.comBoone
The Free Press welcomes letters
Photographers Sandra sandrasellars@richmondfreepress.comSellarsReginaH.Boonereginaboone@richmondfreepress.comJamesHaskins,RudolphPowellandClintonA.Strane
That means the city is likely to lack Black representation in Congress for the first time in decades.
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But whatever is happening, we realize there are serious problems to be dealt with honestly. Clearly, the much-touted city gun buyback program had no impact. But there are probably other ideas that can be tried.
Vice President –News Enhancement Jeremy M. jeremylazarus@richmondfreepress.comLazarus
But the report contradicts virtually everything else the chief said at the July 6 press conference announcing the arrests of two potential terrorists. Instead, both men were working as Accordingelectricians.tothereport, Julio Alvarado-Dubon, 52, one of those arrested, welcomed the investigators from the city and even showed them the weapons belonging to his room mate, Rolman Balcarcel-Bavargas, 38, who was away in Charlottesville.Thereportshows Mr. Alvarado-Dubon had no idea about any mass shooting or any interest in doing something that would cost him his construction job where he was making goodTheremoney.was no FBI surveillance. Homeland Security did not have the two men on a watch list, although they were listed as having records of past deportation for overstaying visas.
For Black ministers in our network, voting and civic participation are acts of faith and so much more. As Rev. Dr. Steve Bland, Jr., pastor of Liberty Temple Baptist Church
It’s called “quiet quitting.”
Join us in congratulating Mayor Levar M. Stoney and the City Hall team for the Diamond District deal.
in Detroit said, “It’s not about left or right. Splitting Detroit into two districts was an insult. But we have faith and must “deal with our self-interest by voting in every election!”
Advertising Traffic Coordinator Cynthia classifieds@richmondfreepress.comadvertising@richmondfreepress.comDowningAdvertisingFax:(804)643-5436
Founder Raymond H. Boone
Just as I was wondering whether various crises were coming too fast to allow our usual “silly season” of odd ball late summer news, an appropriately weird-sounding social trend popped up on so cial networks and intriguingly struck a nerve.
We have too much real work that demands our attention. Like making sure that another teenager like Tynashia Humphrey does not become a victim of gun violence.
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 27709 Richmond, VA 23261
After reading the resolution that has been sent to City Council for approval, there is much to be excited about.
Redistricting is voter suppression too
Richmond Free Press 422 East Franklin Street Richmond, VA 23219
are showing a surge in young professionals who feel disengaged from jobs that, among other problems, have turned out to demand more than they expected.
A6
Free Press
When Charles Diggs, Jr. won election to Congress in Michi gan’s 13th District in 1954, he launched nearly seven decades in which the city of Detroit had at least one Black member of Congress.That’s likely to change this year. Because of redistricting, Detroit no longer has majorityBlack congressional districts. And in the first Democraticinocraticwindidateadistrictnewlyelectionprimarywithdrawnlines,BlackcandidnottheDemcontesttheheavily13th.
The current reality dictates that we do not sit out any election. We need to resolutely register, educate, motivate and turn out voters. In every elec tion. Every time.
Still, this is a big deal for the city. And it will stimulate other projects in the Diamond District and elsewhere.
NNPA Distribution
“Lying flat is my wise move ment,” a user wrote in a sincedeleted post on a discussion forum, BBC reported. “Only by lying down can humans become
To amend and reordain Ord. No. 2022-195, adopted Jul. 25, 2022, which authorized the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Friends Association Grant Contract between the City of Richmond and Friends Association for Children Endowment Fund, Inc., for the purpose of stabilizing the Friends Association for Children Endowment Fund, Inc.’s child care and preschool programs, to modify the agreement to reflect the grant recipient’s legal name as “The FRIENDS’ Association for Children.”
Ordinance No. 2022-256 To vacate the full width utility easement and full width square1997,97-183,BunchepublicretainedeasementmaintenancepreviouslyintheclosingtouseandtravelofPlacebyOrd.No.adoptedJun.23,consistingof1,980±feet,uponcertain
Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the September 26, 2022 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at CityCandiceFriday.5:0023219,Suite900theclerwww.rva.gov/office-city-https://k,andintheOfficeofCityClerk,CityHall,EastBroadStreet,200,Richmond,VAfrom8:00a.m.top.m.MondaythroughD.ReidClerk
Anciently, monarchs were so self-important they celebrated their accession to power every year on the anniversary of their coronation with a lovely forced holiday memorial to themselves.
Ordinance No. 2022-266 To authorize the special use of the property known as 4000 Government Road for the purpose of a mixed-use building containing (i) up to 31 dwelling units and (ii) commercial uses on the ground floor, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in a B-3 General Business District.
To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project safety.tocommunicationtoofprojectSignalfundingTransportationVirginiaCityAgreementAdministrationbetweentheofRichmondandtheDepartmentoftoprovidefortheRichmondSystem-PhaseIVforthepurposecompletingupgradestheCity’strafficsignalnetworkimprovetrafficflowand
Richmond Free Press September 15-17, 2022 A7
To authorize the special use of the property known as 309 West Hooper Street for the purpose of a single-family detached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions.
To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on
To amend Ord. No. 2022060, adopted May 9, 2022, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Internal Service Fund Budgets, by replacementnecessaryServiceTechnologyDepartmentfundInformationFiscal$6,700,000.00re-appropriatingfromtheYear2021-2022TechnologybalancetotheofInformationInternalFundtofundequipmentexpenses.
terms and conditions.
According to this view, the monarch’s life is the most im portant life in the nation, as is the monarch’s death. No matter that a given country hosts religious saints, Pulitzer-prize winning authors, incredible humanists, scientists, or teachers, all of these rate little compared to the stoic, glammed-out sovereign of the nation. Everyone else is reduced to a “subject.”
Queen Elizabeth’s death rituals reflect ‘dynasties of inbred’ rich people
To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a YMCA of Greater Richmond grant contract between the City of Richmond and the Young Men’s Christian Association of Greater Richmond, for the purpose of operating after-school childcare programs at two preschool centers administered by the School Board of the City of Richmond during the 2022-2023 school year.
(COMMITTEE: Finance and 1:00SeptemberDevelopment,EconomicThursday,15,2022,p.m.)OrdinanceNo.2022-252
Ordinance No. 2022-258
If you are like me and con cerned with online hate speech and misinformation, this legislation could impede the ability to control and/or remove this inflammatory and derisive content.
City’s proposed associatedemploymenttransportationresidentsHousingRedevelopmenteligibleShareHousingRedevelopmentRichmondandAuthorityVan-projecttoprovideRichmondandAuthoritywithflexibleforandchildcare.
leading Democratic senators to the bill’s chief sponsor, Sen. Amy Klobuchar where, per The Washington Post’s reporting, the senators wrote that the bill language could: “imperil current content moderation practices by putting competition policy in direct conflict with the ability of companies to take down hate speech, disinformation and mis information.”Iamanactive Virginia Demo crat and I strongly believe that those Democratic senators’ con cerns cannot be swept under
from NextFifty Initiative, to amend the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Special Fund Budget by creating a new special fund for the Office of the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services called the Next Fifty Special Fund, and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Office of the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services’ Next Fifty Special Fund by $74,000.00 for the purpose of funding a community assessment for older adults to be conducted by the City Ordinance No. 2022-251 To authorize the issuance of general obligation public improvement bonds of the City of Richmond in the maximum principal amount of $4,000,000 to finance the cost of school projects and general capital improvement projects of the City for the following purposes and uses:
(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and p.m.)SeptemberTransportation,Tuesday,20,2022,1:30
21 units per acre.
museums, amusement centers, lodges and clubs, meeting facilities, auditoriums and assembly halls; (vii) retail stores and shops; and (viii) accessory uses and structures customarily incidental and clearly subordinate to such uses, upon certain terms and conditions, and to repeal Ord. No. 2007009-48, adopted Mar. 12, 2007. The property is situated in an R-63 –Residential (Multi-Family Urban) zone. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Neighborhood Mixed Use. Primary Uses: Single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multifamily buildings (typically 3-10 units), and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multifamily buildings (10+units), retail/ office/personal service, institutional, cultural, and government. The property is currently approved for use as a community theater.
consisting primarily of single-family houses on large- or medium-sized lots more homogeneous in nature.” (p. 54)
To authorize the special use of the property known as 401South Stafford Avenue for the purpose of a mixed-use building containing up to one second floor dwelling unit and a ground floor restaurant use, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Neighborhood MixedUse. Primary Uses: Single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multifamily buildings (typically 3 10 units), and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multifamily buildings (10+units), retail/ office/personal service, institutional, cultural, and
Ordinance No. 2022-269 To close, to public use and travel, an unimproved portion of Tate Street located between a public alley and its terminus with Nine Mile Road, consisting of 11,613± square feet, upon certain terms and conditions.
service, institutional, cultural, and government.
other Control.ofanimalssurgicalnon-emergencyproceduresforbytheOfficeAnimalCareand (COMMITTEE: Finance and 1:00SeptemberDevelopment,EconomicThursday,15,2022,p.m.)OrdinanceNo.2022-253
To authorize the special use of the property known as 109 West 15th Street for the purpose of (i) art galleries; (ii) offices, including includingentertainment(vi)establishments;and(v)similarjewelryrentalandandshoestudios,studios,fitnesssalons,barberpersonaltoprovideservicesgraphicartistsofandmedicaladministrativeprofessionalbusiness,andoffices,anddentalofficesclinics;(iii)studioswriters,designersandengageinthearts;(iv)personalbusinessesthatservicesdirectlypersonsorservicesforitems,includingshops,beautyhealthspas,centers,dancephotographytravelagencies,repairshops,tailorgarmentalterationrepairshops,clothingstores,watchandrepairshopsandestablishments;printing,publishingengravingrecreationanduses,theaters,
CityCandiceFriday.5:0023219,Suite900theclerwww.rva.gov/office-city-https://k,andintheOfficeofCityClerk,CityHall,EastBroadStreet,200,Richmond,VAfrom8:00a.m.top.m.MondaythroughD.ReidClerk
sent dynasties of inbred hyperwealthy individuals.
SICKLE CELL ASSOCIATION OF RICHMOND - OSCAR would like to ask you to donate BLOOD to help sickle cell patients who need regular transfusions.
Ordinance No. 2022-259
Ordinance No. 2022-263
the subject property as Neighborhood MixedUse. Primary Uses: Single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multifamily buildings (typically 3 10 units), and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multifamily buildings (10+units), retail/ office/personal service, institutional, cultural, and government. The maximum density of the proposed development is approximately 65 units per acre.
To authorize the Chief providingforWelfarethe$140,300.00approximatelyfromRichmondAnimalFoundationthepurposeofsterilizationand
City of PUBLICCITYVirginiaRichmond,COUNCILNOTICE
(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing 20,Tuesday,Transportation,andSeptember2022,1:30p.m.)OrdinanceNo.2022-260
behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute the deeds and other documents necessary
includedpublicequipmentimprovementreconstruction,theprograms,communityconservationinfacilities;refuseandstormpublicsidewalksfacilities,includinginfrastructureequipmentimprovementreconstruction,schools;equipmentimprovementsreconstruction,construction,andforpublicconstruction,andforvariousneeds,trafficcontrolstreets,andotherways,bridges,sewers,drainsculverts,anddisposalparticipationredevelopment,anddevelopmentincludingconstruction,andfortargetedfacilitiesinthese
Ordinance No. 2022-267
To amend Ord. No. 2022057, adopted May 9, 2022, which (i) accepted a program of proposed Capital Improvement Projects for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 and the four fiscal years thereafter, (ii) adopted a Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 20222023, and (iii) determined a means of financing the same, by increasing anticipated revenue from general obligation bonds by $4,000,000.00 and by forreplacementtheadditionalthePublicStationReplacementEmergencyDepartment$4,000,000.00appropriatingtotheofFireandServices’ofFire12projectintheSafetycategoryforpurposeofprovidingfundingforconstructionofafirestationFireStation12.
the Isrug.sensible technology regula tionShouldYes.needed?we
Ordinance No. 2022-214
To authorize the special use of the properties known as 3215 Stuart Avenue, 3215 Rear Stuart Avenue, 311 Tilden Street, 311 Rear Tilden Street, and 396 Rear Cleveland Street for the purpose of (i) a multifamily dwelling containing up to 39 dwelling units and (ii) two single-family attached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-6 - Residential (Single Family Attached) zone.
The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Residential. This designation is defined as a “Neighborhood
Ordinance No. 2022-247
Ordinance No. 2022-262 To amend and reordain Ord. No. 95-152-151, adopted Jun. 26, 1995, as amended by Ord. No. 97 222 236, adopted Jul. 28, 1997, and Ord. No. 98-335-99-20, adopted Jan. 25, 1999, which authorized a special use
The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Institutional. Primary Uses: Institutional, cultural, government, and open space. Secondary Uses: projectmulti-family.personalRetail/office/serviceandTheproposeddensitywouldbe
KIMBAll ShINKOSKEY Woods Cross, Utah
The property is situated in an R-5 Single-Family Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Neighborhood MixedUse. Primary Uses: Single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multifamily buildings (typically 3 10 units), and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multifamily buildings retail/office/personal(10+units),
The density of the proposed development is approximately 36 units per acre.
(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and 20,Tuesday,Transportation,September2022,1:30p.m.)
Ordinance No. 2022-257 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept funds in the total amount of $2,358,999.00 from the Virginia Department of Transportation, to amend Ord. No. 2022055, adopted May 9, 2022, which accepted a program of proposed Capital Improvement Projects for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 and the four fiscal years thereafter, adopted a Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 20222023, and determined a means of financing the same, to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal year 2022-2023 Capital Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to certain Department of Public Works’ Highway Safety Improvement Program projects in the Transportation Category by $2,358,999.00 for the purpose of funding the implementation of various pedestrian safety improvements throughout the city of Richmond.
programs;
Legislation involving hate speech, misinformation not to be taken lightly
To designate and establish certain City-owned properties along Idlewood Avenue, South Belvidere Street, Albemarle Avenue, Spring Street, and China Street as an official City park named “Samuel Pleasants Parsons Linear Park,” and to repeal Res. No. 2003R37-32, adopted Feb. 24, 2003, which named a portion of the property known as Linear Park as “Samuel P. Parsons Park.”
bonds.publicsuchoveramountsamepurposesbonds,thebonds;ofthethesuchdetailstoimprovementbondsofOfficer,ofFinance,toeconomicthecapitalloansexpendituresthe(“EDA”)Developmenttomakingasofmuseums;cemeteries,parks,notandentertainmentcultural,institutional,equipmentimprovementsreconstruction,construction,andforpublicoperational,educationalandbuildingsfacilities,includingbutlimitedtothetheaters,playgrounds,librariesandacquisitionrealpropertythereforappropriate;andtheofappropriationstheCity’sEconomicAuthoritytobeusedbyEDAtofinancecapitalortomakeorgrantstofinanceexpendituresforpurposesofpromotingdevelopment;authorizetheDirectorofwiththeapprovaltheChiefAdministrativeforandonbehalftheCity,tosellsuchforsuchcapitalprojects,providefortheform,andpaymentofbonds;toauthorizeissuanceofnotesofCityinanticipationtheissuanceofsuchandtoauthorizeissuanceoftaxableforthesameanduses,inthemaximumprincipalandpayablethesameperiodasgeneralobligationimprovement
To authorize the special use of the property known as 4704 Grove Avenue for the purpose of a single-family dwelling with off-street parking, upon certain terms and conditions.The property is situated in an R-5 SingleFamily Residential District.
Contrast this with the tradition of democracy, where we annu ally celebrate freedom (Fourth of July) or constitutional law (Sept. 17) rather than heaven-
to effect the vacation of certain permanent easements approved by Ord. No. 2015-93-76, adopted May 11, 2015, on the parcel of real property located at 5005 Riverside Drive, for the purpose of establishing a portion of the parcel of real property located at 5005 Riverside Drive as a permanent part of the James River Park System. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and 20,Tuesday,Transportation,September2022,1:30p.m.)OrdinanceNo.2022-240
Ordinance No. 2022-265 To authorize the special use of the property known as 6228 Forest Hill Avenue for the purpose of a wall, upon certain terms and conditions.The property is situated in an R-2 – SingleFamily Residential zone.
The Brits go through a 10day ritual involving incredible pomp along with exaggerated orations about the importance of the monarchy to the British people. The fact that England celebrates a national holiday on the day of her funeral reflects a very ancient and very primi tive tradition about kingship.
1:00SeptemberDevelopment,Finance(COMMITTEE:andEconomicThursday,15,2022,p.m.)OrdinanceNo.2022-239
Ordinance No. 2022-249
Ordinance No. 2022-268
A letter sent in June by four
The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Institutional. Primary Uses: Institutional, cultural, government, and open space. Secondary Uses: multi-family.personalRetail/office/serviceand
government.
of the property known as 815 North 35th Street to increase the number of permitted dwelling units and to reduce the required common area for the existing multifamily dwelling for the elderly, to further increase the number of multifamily dwelling units, to permit single-family attached dwelling units and single family detached dwelling units, and to incorporate the property known as 823 North 36th Street, upon certain terms and conditions.
Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the October 10, 2022 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at
Letters to the Editor
Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, September 26, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances:
To name the baseball field associated with the Calhoun Community Center and located at 300 Calhoun Street in the city of Richmond as “William ‘Bo’ Jiggetts Field.” (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and 20,Tuesday,Transportation,September2022,1:30p.m.)OrdinanceNo.2022-241
barrel forward with a vote for a bill that could exacerbate online misinformation and hate speech that threatens our veryINo.democracy?askourVirginia representa tives to consider this when making their decision.
YOU CAN STILL FILE Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Get rid of debts that you can’t pay. “Get A Fresh Start” Keep paying on your house and car as long as you owe what they are worth. Also Chapter 13 “Debt Adjustment” STOPS OTHERHARASSINGGARNISHMENTSFORECLOSURES,ANDPHONECALLSLEGALSERVICESPROVIDED:Divorce,Separation,Custody,Support,HomeBuyorSell Start with as little as $100 Rudolph C. McCollum, Jr., Esq. McCollum At Law, P.C. Mail to: P.O. Box 4595, Richmond, VA 23220 422 E. Franklin St., Suite 301, Richmond, VA 23219 (Franklin & 5th Sts.) We are a federally designated Debt Relief Agency under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and we help people file for bankruptcy. Web Address: McCollumatLaw.com E-mail: rudy@mccollumatlaw.com 24-7. Talk to an attorney for free and get legal restrictions, fees, costs and payment terms. Call Rudy McCollum at (804)218-3614 Richmond Free Press e People’s Paper We stand for FreedomOpportunityJusticeEquality and we fearlessly ght for FreedomOpportunityJusticeEquality Have a Story Idea? WRITE Richmond Free Press socialFollownews@richmondfreepress.comusonmedia. Follow the Free Press @FreePressRVA @RichmondFreePressUSA 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.EOEM/F/D/V Manager, Data Engineering – Capital One Services, LLC in Richmond, VA; Mult pos avail: Lead overall tech design,
Ordinance No. 2022-248
Ordinance No. 2022-250 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept funds in the amount of $74,000.00
Ordinance No. 2022-254 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept funds in the amount of $1,765,000.00 from the Virginia Department of Transportation, to amend Ord. No. 2022057, adopted May 9, 2022, which accepted a program of proposed Capital Improvement Projects for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 and the four fiscal years thereafter, adopted a Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, and determined a means of financing the same, by establishing a new project for the Department of Public Works in the Transportation Category called the Richmond
To direct the sale of the City-owned real estate located at 2200 Ingram Avenue, consisting of 5.108 ± acres, for $500,000.00 to Oak Grove Partners, LLC for the purpose of facilitating the construction of an affordable multifamily residential development.
To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Virginia Transit thetheTransitbetweenCooperationAssociationAgreementtheVirginiaAssociationandCityofRichmond,forpurposeoffundingthe
This fall, the United States Sen ate plans to vote on the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. While everyone agrees regulation is needed in regard to the tech industry, we, however, should not downplay some very legitimate concerns about prob lematic aspects in the Act.
JAMES MINOr richmond
Ordinance No. 2022-264
The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for
Please call the RED CROSS at 800-733-2767 or go to www.redcrossblood.org and make an appointment to donate.
To designate the 1100 block of Front Street in honor of Kirby David Carmichael. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing 20,Tuesday,Transportation,andSeptember2022,1:30p.m.)OrdinanceNo.2022-242
They need specific blood types that match their own to minimize the risks of repeated transfusions. African American blood donations are best for these patients.
Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities
City of PUBLICCITYVirginiaRichmond,COUNCILNOTICE
Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept a donation of a spay and neuter trailer valued at
Ordinance No. 2022-255 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept funds in the total amount of $1,357,809.00 from the Virginia Department of Transportation, and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 20222023 Capital Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amounts appropriated to the Department of Public Works’ Complete Streets Project line item in the Transportation category by $1,357,809.00, for the purpose of appropriating funding received from the Virginia Department of RockBoulevardprojectsforPavingofPrimaryTransportation’sExtension/StateGoodRepair(SGR)FundingprogramvariousresurfacingalongBeltandBroadBoulevard.
Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, October 3, 2022 at 1:30 p.m in the Fifth Floor Conference Room of City Hall and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, October 10, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances:
As Amended
Mourning of Queen Eliza beth in England betrays a singular lack of understanding of monarchy’s regressive effect on world history.
Ordinance No. 2022-238
To amend City Code §§ 26-601, years.fromrealtotoorrehabilitatedestateeligibleresidentialpurposestructures,orrehabilitatedamount26-605,otherorrehabilitatedforconcerningdefinitions,concerning26-604,applicationpartialexemptionofcommercialindustrialstructures,orimprovements,andconcerningtheofexemptionforcommercialindustrialqualifiedfortheofclarifyingthatpropertyisnotforthepartialrealtaxexemptionforcommercialindustrialstructuresandincreasethetimeperiodqualifyforthepartialestatetaxexemptiontwotothree
Signal System Retiming Improvements project, and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal year 2022-2023 Capital Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Department of Public Works’ Richmond Signal System Retiming Improvements project in the citylocationsprojectRetimingRichmondimplementationpurpose$1,765,000.00CategoryTransportationbyfortheoffundingtheoftheSignalSystemImprovementsatvariousthroughouttheofRichmond.
Letterman asked Foreman about Mr. Shavers.
“Our big guys played big,” said Coach Parker.
Hampton University’s Pirates couldn’t feel muchNorfolkhigher.State’s Spartans couldn’t feel much lower.The highs and lows will collide Saturday when the HBCU across-the-pond rivals kickoff at 2 p.m. at NSU’s Dick Price Stadium. The classic billed as “The Battle of the Bay” will be televised on ESPN+.
To start this season, Valdosta was ranked No. 2 nationally by d2Football.com and No. 3 by American Football Coaches Association.Bycontrast the Panthers
were coming off an ordinary 6-4 season and picked to fin ish fourth in the CIAA this go-round.VUU has won numerous CIAA titles and been to nine NCAA playoffs, but this marks the highest ranked team to fall to the Panthers.
That’s not a knock on pre vious teams. There have been few chances for an HBCU to schedule big-name national programs. Coach Parker rolled the dice and scheduled Lenoir-
The trip to Georgia reads like a “believe it or not” script out of Hollywood.Ayearago,Valdosta humili ated VUU in Richmond, 51-7. The Blazers went on to finish second in the NCAA playoffs to Ferris State, Mich.
Rhyne and Carson Newman in recent years to see how his Panthers stacked up on the highestNow,level.the Panthers believe that if they can beat Valdosta, on the road, they can beat anyone.“This changes a lot,” said Coach Parker.
In routing Tuskegee before 6,512 fans at Armstrong Stadium, Burris ran 14 times for 104 yards and a touchdown. Bonds caught five passes for 122 yards and two TDs, including a 49-yarder.
CIAA foe Livingstone comes to Hovey Stadium/Lanier Field Saturday for a 6 p.m. kickoff. The Bears are coached by Sean Gilbert, a former NFL first round draft choice out of Pittsburgh.Thevisitors from Salisbury,
Mr. Shavers left an indelible impression on Ali. “Earnie hit me so hard, it shocked my kinfolk back in Africa,” Ali said. Along the way, Mr. Shavers scored ring victories over three former world champs, Jimmy Ellis, Ken Norton and Vincente Rondon.
N.C., are 1-1 with a loss to Catawba and a 19-0 victory last week over Elizabeth City. Among the best teams VUU has played in recent years is CIAA juggernaut Bowie State. The Bulldogs showed a chink in their armor last week, los ing 40-12 at Saginaw Valley, Mich.Must make the Panthers feel like “why not us, why not now”?
Hampton
Could it be the Panthers’ No. 1 all-time triumph?
Much to NSU’s credit, both of its early losses were to FBS foes, a peg higher than the Spartans’ FCS. Saturday marks NSU’s first shot at an opponent “in the same weight class.”The trip to Harrisonburg wasn’t a total loss for Da’QuanNSU. Felton beat the JMU secondary for three catches worth 141 yards and there was a dynamic 90-yard reception from Otto Kuhns, a transfer from Eastern Illinois.
Sports A8 September 15-17, 2022 Richmond Free Press
Felton is a sophomore from Portsmouth’s Churchland High. Felton is coming off a solid freshman season in which he caught 28 passes for 492 yards and two TDs.
Since starting a football pro gram in 1900, Virginia Union University has won hundreds of games.Perhaps none were ever more impressive than its lat est victory, a stunning 45-40 upset at Division II powerhouse Valdosta State on Sept. 10 in Southern Georgia.
the CIAA and then the MEAC until Hampton broke away, first to the Big South Conference and now to the CAA.
Despite the different conference affilia tions, the schools are still just 26 minutes apart across the Hampton Roads BridgeTunnel.IfNSU wants to break into the win column, it must contend with Hampton’s “Killer B’s,” Elijah Burris and Jadakis Bonds.
“If it’s not No. 1 it might be No. 2 … definitely somewhere along those lines.”
The Panthers went straight from the field to the bus, ate their bagged Chick-Fil-A din ners enroute and smiled all the way home. The bus returned to Lombardy Street at 9 a.m.
“Jada wanted the ball, and we keep feeding him.”
His worksheet included 68 knockouts with 23 coming in the first round. The Alabama native won 44 of his first 47 bouts via knockout.
Mr. Shavers’ immense power came up in the 1980s when late-night TV host David Letterman interviewed boxing champ George Foreman.
Boxing
“Right away, we were back on Sunday schedule; I didn’t even watch any NFL,” said Coach Parker. “We’re getting ready to play Livingstone.”
legend Earnie Shavers dies at 78 Hall of Fame, Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez and Edgar Martinez. Sure to be added to the list once he retires is current St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina. Machin is the 14th VCU player to reach the major leagues. The first was Dinwiddie native James Austin in 1991. VCU’s Vimael Machin is a hit with Oakland A’s Odds of winning top prize in each game: 2X The Money: 1 in 1,762,560; 5X The Money: 1 in 1,762,560; 10X The Money: 1 in 1,713,600; 20X The Money: 1 in 1,958,400; 100X The Money: 1 in 2,652,000. $1,000,000 prizes in 20X The Money will be paid in annual installments for 30 years. Cash value = $625,000. $5,000,000 prizes in 100X The Money will be paid in annual installments for 30 years. Cash value = $3,125,000. Odds of winning a prize in the eXTRA EXTRA! Promotion depend on the total number of entries received. Odds of winning any prize in the eXTRA Chances promotion depend on the total number of entries received. PLAY RESPONSIBLY. Virginia Problem Gambling Helpline 1.888.532.3500. Must be 18 or older to play. © 2022 Virginia Lottery. MULTIPLE MULTIPLIERS! TRY ALL FIVE. Five NEW X The Money Scratchers$1, $2, $5, $10 and $30 Top prizes* ranging from $4,000 to $5,000,000** Non-winning tickets eligible for new eXTRA EXTRA! Promotion
Elijah Burris Jadakis Bonds
Known as the “Black Destroyer,” Mr. Shavers posted a career record of 74-14-1 between 1969 and 1995.
Stories by Fred Jeter
Photo by Ethan Lowe
VCU has a stake in the action as Major League Baseball rolls into Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 15.
Undefeated meets
There are five native Puerto Ricans in MLB’s
winless Norfolk in Bay Battle NSU’s Spartans won four of the last five games against HU’s Pirates City football scoreboard Games played; next game Thomas Jefferson TJ 28, Armstrong 22 TJ 21, Meadowbrook 6 TJ 53, Amelia 14 Next: Saturday, Sept 17; Greenville at TJ; 1 p.m. John Marshall Greenville 18, JM 0 Brunswick 2, JM 0 Armstrong 58, JM 6 Next: Friday, Sept. 16, at Petersburg; 7 p.m. George Wythe Caroline 61, GW 0 Manchester 63, GW 0 Next: Friday, Sept. 16, at Monacan, 7 p.m. Huguenot Louisa 61, Huguenot 6 Powhatan 36, Huguenot 12 Next: Friday, Sept. 16, at James River at Huguenot, 7 p.m. Armstrong TJ 28, Armstrong 22 Petersburg 50, Armstrong 12 Armstrong 58, JM 6
In a series dating to 1963, NSU holds a 2926-1 all-time lead. The Spartans have won four of the last five, including a 47-44 thriller last season at Hampton.
Hampton, in its first season in the Colonial Athletic Association, is 2-0 with victories over Howard and Tuskegee.
The schools were longtime combatants in
He entered the pro ranks in 2015 as the Chicago Cubs’ 10th round draft pick. As a VCU senior in 2015, Machin hit .339 with 86 hits in 65 games, earning All-Atlantic 10 honors, third team AllAmerican status and guiding VCU to the NCAA SuperMachinRegional.made his big league debut in 2020 with the HispanicA’s.players in general and Puerto Rican players in particular have had an overwhelming influence on big league ball.
Earnie Shavers, among the hardest punch ers in heavyweight boxing history, died Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, at the home of one of his daughters in Virginia. He was 78.
Foreman replied: “I never fought Earnie Shavers. Thank goodness.”
If there was ever a more head-spinning VUU win, it might have been a 46-37 triumph over the iconic HBCU program, Grambling, on Sept. 14, 1991, at TheGramblingMeadowlands.wascoached by the legendary Eddie Robinson while VUU’s coach was Joe Taylor, now the Panthers’ ath leticVUUdirector.has been to nine NCAAs under Willard Bailey (0-5), Taylor (0-3) and Mark James (0-1) but has never de feated a true national caliber Division II opponent.
Norfolk State of the MEAC is 0-2 with a 55-3 loss at Marshall and a 63-7 loss Sept. 10 at James Madison.
Defensively, cornerback Ephraim Moore was in on 14 tackles.“Itwas all business bussing down,” said Coach Parker. “On the way back we kind of kicked up our heels.”
“It’s up there,” said Panthers Coach Alvin Parker, a former VUU player and assistant coach.
The formula for upsetting Valdosta included huge doses of running back Jada Byers and a dominating performance by the offensive line known as “The Moving Van.”
Byers, an elusive sophomore from New Jersey, carried 29 times for 319 yards and three touchdowns.Thatbroke the Panthers’ single-game rushing record of 260 yards set by Judge Thomas in 1976 against St. Paul’s.
Jada Byers takes it up the field in Virginia Union University’s huge upset win against Division II powerhouse Valdosta State on Sept. 10 in Southern Georgia.
Former Rams star Vimael Machin is enjoy ing a solid season as a versatile infielder for the OaklandWearingA’s.jersey No. 31 in green and gold, the left-handed hitting native of Humacao, Puerto Rico, was hitting .220 (36 for 164) in 55 games entering this week’s games.
The 28-year-old fills in regularly at second and third base, and at shortstop for the American LeagueMachinfranchise.wasrecruited to VCU in 2012 fol lowing an outstanding high school career at the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy.
VUU upsets high-ranking Valdosta in 45-40 win
“It’s really something to get the record because Union’s had a lot of great running backs here,” said Coach Parker.
Twice he fought for the world title, los ing to Muhammad Ali in 1977 and Larry Holmes in 1979.
At the top of my “to-do” list is: To complete my next recording.
When and why started: The RVA East End Festival was conceived in the East End community in 2015 by com munity leaders who believed that there are “God’s blessings in community.” The first fes tival in May 2016 served “to inspire our students to prioritize excellence in education, music and the arts as a foundation for their future.”
The person who influenced me the most: My parents in fluenced me the most, without a doubt!
Why I accepted co-chair position: I accepted the cochair position because I am passionate about helping our
Number one goal as co-chair: My goal as co-chair is to be a positive role model for ev erybody, not just children, but everybody! If I can be a blessing to someone and inspire them through music to be the best person (they can be) I will have achieved a goal that makes me feel good.
A quote that inspires me: “Per fection is Not Optional.”
“Together we can make it!”For James B. “Saxsmo” Gates Jr., this phrase, which originated with one of his songs, is a distillation of the universality and practicality he believes is key to jazz music and the genre’s communities. An accomplished musician and director of jazz studies for Virginia State University, he is putting his skills and philosophy to work as co-chair of the RVA East End Festival.
Personality: James B. ‘Saxsmo’ Gates Jr.
The best thing my parents ever taught me: To be consistent, persistent and patient!
Family: Father, James B. Gates Sr., mother Della M. Gates, three brothers, Walter James Martin Jr., Edward Gates Sr., Toney M. Gates Sr.
Why music and arts are vital for our entire community: Music and the arts are vital for our entire community because it is the driving force that brings people together. It is a univer sal language that have many emotional attributes (i.e., joy, love, happiness, peace, calm and tranquility, excitement, hope).
• I am the founder and direc tor of the Dr. Billy Taylor Jazz
someone in whatever capacity is needed.
Why it is important that the festival returns: It is important that the festival continues since it was postponed the last two years from 2020 to 2022 due to COVID-19.
Date and place of birth: Sept. 21 in Richmond.
children grow, learn and develop into successful adults. This is especially near, dear to my heart, and personal to me since this is the neighborhood where I was born, grew up and had my start in music. To be able to provide some of the opportunities I had and experienced as a child is a powerful… having incredible par ents, supporting family, neighborhood mentors, spectacular giants of jazz who happened to be many of my teachers through elementary, middle and high school.
Richmond Public Schools and the RVA East End Festival: The RVA East End Festival will be celebrating its fifth annual event at Henry Marsh Elementary School, 818 N. 28th St. Henry Marsh Elementary is a beauti ful new school with innovative technology, to provide a neces sary environment for creative, challenging, productive learning. The festival will be Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 from 12 noon to 9 p.m.
“It is the driving force that brings people together,” said Mr. Gates when asked about the importance of the arts for the Richmond community. “It provides a connection with one’s culture as well as uniting different cultures.”
Since 2016, the festival has been a vehicle for arts appre ciation and has raised more than $400,000 to support arts programs in Richmond Public Schools’ East End.
Spotlight on the co-chair of the RVA East End Festival
Co-chair’s name: Rev. Marilyn Heckstall.
Where I live now: North Ches terfield County.
Happenings Richmond Free Press September 15-17, 2022 B1
Another quote: “If you can visualize what you see entirely and hold it in your hand, then it will become a reality.”
Mr. Gates’ own life is a testa ment to his love of music. As a performer since sixth grade, he gained the nickname “Saxsmo,” a spin on Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, in 1970. His com mitment to his craft continued when he enrolled as a VSU freshman, while working with music legends such as Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Dizzy Gillespie, and today where he routinely performs on local, national and world stages.
Carolina Central University.
Studies Program at Virginia State University, where I have worked for 11 years.
• One special teacher, Mr. Ethan Pitts Sr., who helped me on my path to receive a full scholarship to Virginia State University. He was my science teacher and my head baseball coach at John F. Kennedy High School.
What I’m reading now: “The Music of Black Americans” by Eileen Southern; “Jazz: From Its Origins to the Present” by Lewis Porter, Michael Ullman with Edward Hazell; “Miles: The Autobiography” by Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe.
Arva-east-end-festivrvaeastendfest.wixsite.com/https://alperfectdayformeis:
Best late-night snack: Pop corn.
Mr. Gates was approached about serving in the role last May by Marilyn Heckstall, chair woman of the East End Festival. His musical background and per sonal connection with the East End as a result of growing up in Fairfield Court, convinced Rev. Heckstall that Mr. Gates would have a “monumental impact” on the event’s success.
At the same time, Mr. Gates was eager to help Richmond area children grow and learn to appreciate music, and believed that serving as the festival’s co-chair was one way to meet his “Wegoal.need to bring back a cohesiveness to the community in order to move forward and continue to grow in the arts and instrumental music for our students and their community,” Mr. Gates said.
My friends describe me as: A live wire.
Something about me that people may not know: I do slow down sometimes!
RVA East End Festival is: An RVA community-based music festival to help raise money to purchase musical instruments for Richmond Public Schools.
Last time the RVA East End Festival took place: June 2019.
Next goal: Win my first Grammy award.
SEP 17 | KANAWHA RUNRICHMOND1619.ORGPLAZAWALK OR RUN. REGISTER TODAY! +400
Working to make sure this year’s festival is the best ever, Mr. Gates, who always draws crowds with his saxophone skills, will perform during the festival. His desire to bring attention to the arts won’t end with this year’s festival. In the future, he hopes to appear before the Virginia General Assembly to make the case for more state investment in the arts. While that may be a tall order given the competition from other or ganizations that also seek state funding, but Mr. Gates’ belief in the power of music and the arts is resolute.
BLACK
LETS EXPERIENCE YEARS OF TOGETHER!HISTORY
• My parents’ background in music;
Occupation: Director of the Dr. Billy Taylor Jazz Studies Program, Virginia State Uni versity.
Meet a musical master, arts advocate and this week’s Personality, James “Saxsmo” Gates Jr.:
When and how I became involved with the RVA East End Festival: I became involved when Rev. Marilyn Heckstall contacted me shortly after Virginia State University’s Commencement in May 2022. We had a conversation about my being co-chair for the East End Festival. She said that I would be a monumental impact on the board and the community because:
Book that influenced me the most: “Celebrating BIRD: The Triumph of Charlie Parker” by Gary Giddins.
SectionB
Education: Undergraduate degree in professional music, Berklee College of Music; master’s in jazz studies, North
How volunteers can get in volved: Volunteers can get involved by registering and others can donate on RVA East End Festival website:
How music and visual arts inspire me: Music is me! I am always moved by visualizing what I’m hearing in my head.
to have accomplished it.”
“If I can be a blessing to some one and inspire them through music to be the best person they can be by studying hard, getting good grades, and applying what they have learned,” Mr. Gates said, “I will have achieved a goal that makes me feel good
Volunteer position: Co-chair of the RVA East End Festival.
• I have recorded five major recordings that are available to the public. Three of these recordings received Grammy nominations.
As co-chair, Mr. Gates helps brainstorm ideas for the event and provide his perspective for board members who have limited experience in the arts. He also is a role model for everyone involved in the festivities, es pecially young people.
• Caring and loving teachers, such as John Peyton, Joe Ken nedy, Tuscan Jasper, Dave Hog gard, James “Plunky” Branch, members of The Richmond Jazz Society, Gregory McCal lum and others who were the backbone of my development as a young artist.
What I am continuing to learn about myself during the pandemic: Life is too short to not give110 percent each day. Tomorrow is not given; therefore, there is a quote by the late great Paul Chambers (bassist) “To Play Like There’s No Tomorrow.” Those who know me, know that each day, each opportunity that God blesses me with being able to play the saxophone, I take it literally and play like there is no tomorrow.
A perfect day for me is first thank ing God for all of His blessings. There is no way, I could even imagine making it from sun up to sundown without God’s blessings. He is the only reason why I am existing today! Now for a bonus, a perfect day would be for me to shed (practice for those who do not know what that means) for at least four hours or longer a day, to play tennis as long as I can stand, and to be able to exercise period. I have to also include to always be willing to give back and help
Mr. McNally spent his first season dancing with RBII and has already been able to do something he’s always wanted
“I’m not in it for the money, I’m do ing it for me. I need to dance.”
Richmond Ballet’s Studio One series will run from Sept. 20-25. The Studio Theatre at Richmond Ballet is at 407 E. Canal St. For details, please visit https://richmondballet. com/ or call (804) 344-0906.
—dance in “Romeo and Juliet.”
A professor of clinical psychology at Virginia Com monwealth University, the 60-year-old academic said this is a project that friends urged him to do when he left Howard University to join VCU’s faculty 18 years ago.
Bl�singsofYe�s99God’s
also seeks to record, as he has done in previous work, how those at the center of operations have worked to bring change.
HOST: Adriana Trigiani
Mr. Utsey
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
By Debora Timms
How Richmond Ballet’s Garret McNally found
VCU professor’s documentary sheds light on Central State’s darkness
AUTHOR
To tell the story, Shawn O. Utsey has focused his camera eye on the Central Lunatic Asylum for the Colored Insane, now known as Central State Hospital, the first mental hospital for Black people in the nation.
With All My Love, Alfreda!
For more information, please visit toryFunVirginiaHistory.org/Hisd
A new Richmond-made documentary will premiere this week end with a view of the good, the bad and the ugly of mental health treatment for Black people in Virginia.
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
He started out on a competitive tap team in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he lived with his parents and older brother. When the family moved to Charleston, S.C., Mr. McNally con tinued needed“Inique,”neededdancing.competitive“IwastoldImoretechherecalls.neededform,Ilines,soI
A former chair of African-American Studies at VCU, Dr. Utsey said the project became feasible as a result of Dr. King Davis, a professor at the University of Texas – Austin and a former com missioner of Virginia’s mental health operations.
Dr. Utsey said the archive exposed the conditions and treat ment of Black patients at the hospital that relocated to Petersburg in 1885.Hesaid until this hospital opened, Black patients were either housed in private asylums or in the basement of Eastern State Hospital, Virginia’s first mental hospital. Before the Civil War, many of those sent for treatment were considered mentally ill for trying to escape their captivity.
Literary Awards Celebration Honoring Virginia writers and their contributions to literature Oct. 15, 2022 | 6 p.m. 25 TH ANNIVERSARY
Amid state planning for a $315 million replacement hospital, Dr. Utsey said he hopes the film provides insight to viewers about the past, present and future of an institution that has often been terrible to those it served but also sought to be a place of hope and recovery.
Before drugs were readily available to treat mental illness, Central State often was a place where experiments with new treat ments, including electric shock and lobotomies, were conducted, said Dr. Utsey. Black women also were sent to the hospital for state-enforced sterilization for allegedly being “feeble-minded.”
His parents, while supportive, wanted to make sure his career would support him financially. So, after graduating, Mr. McNally headed to the University of New Orleans to pursue a degree in naval architecture and marine engineering.
started taking ballet classes at the Robert Ivey Ballet. I remember telling my family that I wanted to do ballet instead.”
SPEAKER: Michael W. Twitty & CULINARY HISTORIAN
Well known for past documentaries exposing medical school’s grave-robbing practices, oral histories of Black residents and an African burial ground in Richmond’s Downtown, Dr. Utsey’s latest work will be shown at noon Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Ada Gallery, 228 W. Broad St., as part of the Afrikana Film Festival.
Dr. Davis led a 10-year effort to digitize 800,000 pages of paper records the hospital had accumulated after its founding in Richmond in 1870 in a former Confederate hospital in the
Mr. McNally transferred from the Charleston County School of the Arts to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2014 to further his dance. When he graduated three years later, “it was a moment where I was like ... this could be what I want to do with my life.”
The film also includes interviews with elderly Black women who once ran the food service operations and worked to upgrade the menu and patient nutrition.
Garret McNally (background, second from right) switched his major to history and performed with New Orleans Ballet Theatre until he graduated in 2021. He then auditioned for Richmond Ballet and is now with its main company.
“It just didn’t feel right. I would stay up all night thinking about ballet,” Mr. McNally said. “There was a gym on campus with a mirror that had a barre and I would go in there to dance.”
AUTHOR PRESENTING DOMINIONAMAZONSPONSORSENERGY To purchase tickets, buy online at BIT.LY/SPONSORSHIPANDTICKETS22
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture will begin accepting applications Oct. 1 from state historical organi zations for its second annual Commonwealth History Fund grant cycle. VMHC will again award approximately $400,000 to meet its pledge to distribute some $2 million over five years from the fund.
The projects selected were spread throughout the Com monwealth and included The Historic First Baptist Church (Williamsburg); the Chicka hominy Tribe (Providence Forge); the Rappahannock Tribe (Indian Neck); Calfee Community & Cultural Center (Pulaski); Richmond Public Li brary Foundation (Richmond); Richmond Hill (Richmond); The Manassas Museum (Manassas); The Fairfield Foundation (White Marsh); Jewish Museum & Cultural Center (Portsmouth); Louisa County Historical So ciety (Louisa); Prince Wil liam Historic Preservation
his footing
Mr. McNally switched his major to his tory and performed with the New Orleans Ballet Theatre until he graduated in 2021. He then auditioned for Richmond Ballet.
The audition was virtual, which led to a mix-up on his part. Forgetting there was a time difference between New Orleans and Richmond, Mr. McNally reserved studio space for the wrong time. He moved to that campus gym—the one that had a mirror with a barre—where he propped up his laptop and auditioned.
A gift was given to our family on September 20, 1923.
About 54 African countries were represented during Afro Fest RVA’s “One Voice, One People, Many Cultures” at Dogwood Dell on Sept. 10. Above, dancer Kima Hawk was among the performers. Below, representatives from the African nation of Togo participate in the parade of countries.
“I was so rushed,” Mr. McNally said. “I remember thinking, ‘I’m not getting this.’ I waited and waited. Then finally I got the email saying I’d made it.”
Foundation (Prince William); and Clarke County Historical SocietySubmissions(Berryville).willbe accepted Oct. 1-31, 2022 for the second round of funding. Awards will be announced in February 2023.
Happenings B2 September 15-17, 2022 Richmond Free Press
Garret McNally
His work includes interviews with some Black staff members who worked to change the white suprema cist culture that was endemic in the white leadership, including the late Dr. Florence Farley, the first Black director of clinical psychology who later quit in protest over the treatment of patients.
Garret McNally has been dancing since age 3 when his mother put him into dance as an outlet for his energy.
Florence Barrett Johnson Ford is a woman of integrity, determination and love. As her daughter, I have been blessed to have her here as a mentor, guide and friend. Our family extends their warm heartfelt wishes for a very happy 99th birthday.
VMHC announces second grant cycle for history projects were announced in July 2022.
“There is this part, the Dance of the Knights, that always gives the audience chills,” Mr. McNally said. “It has so much power and so much character. It sent chills down my spine, too.”
After being promoted to Richmond Ballet’s main company this summer, Mr. McNally’s days are all about dance. It can be hard on the body and on the bank account, but Mr. McNally said he finds ways to make it work.
He also documents the severe overcrowding, with more than 4,000 people crowded into space for 400 during the 1950s, but
Howard’s Grove neighborhood in the city’s East End, now known for the Mosby Court public housing community.
The Commonwealth His tory Fund was established with Dominion Energy and others to provide grants to history proj ects across Virginia. The fund is administered in partnership with Virginia’s Department of HistoricSelectionResources.criteria for grant recipients will include the significance of the project or resource, its impact on its com munity and the Commonwealth, the emphasis of the project on historically underrepresented topics and communities, as well as the urgency of the project and its need for funding. Twelve inaugural recipients
A world away, yet close to home
James Beard award-winning author and cu linary historian Michael W. Twitty will be the featured speaker during the Library of Virginia’s 25th Annual Literary Awards Celebration on Oct.
Oct. 12 - Host of “The Stacks” podcast Traci Thomas will moderate a discussion with nonfiction award finalists John Woodrow Cox and Carolyn Eastman.
Mr. Twitty is the cre ator of “Afroculunaria,” the first blog devoted to African-American historic foodways and their lega cies. He was named one of the 20 greatest food bloggers of all time by the online food-culture maga zine and YouTube channel, FirstWeFeast.com.
The celebration also will honor Katie Cou ric for outstanding contributions to literature and journalism. An award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author of her memoir, “Going There,” Ms. Couric also is the author of two children’s books and “The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives.” She is a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer, which has raised more than $700 million
Oct. 6 - Virginia author and executive director of the James Madison Uni versity’s Furious Flower Poetry Center Lauren Alleyne will moderate a discussion with poetry award finalists Sandra Beasley, Rita Dove and Tina Parker.
For information on tickets, past winners and finalists, or ways to support the 25th Annual Library of Virginia Awards Celebration, sponsorship.htmhttps://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/litawards/visitorcall(804)692-3592.
Culinary historian Michael W. Twitty is LVA’s literary awards speaker
Each panel will take place from 6 -7:30 p.m.
Ms. Couric IMAGINE ALL THE MEMORIES Contact Us to Speak to a Loan Officer or to Download your Free Homebuying Guide IMAGINE YOUR FIRST HOME 1 (800) 864-6859 www.HomeWithGMM.com George Mason Mortgage | NMLS ID: 153400 | Equal Housing Lender | Advertising Notice - Not a Commitment to Lend - Subject to Program Availability. All loan applications subject to credit approval. Annual Percentage Rate (APR), programs, rates, fees, closing costs, terms and conditions are subject to change without any notice and may vary depending upon credit history and transactions specifics. Other closing costs may be necessary. Flood and/or property hazard insurance may be required. To be eligible, buyer must meet minimum down payments, underwriting and program guidelines.
The15.event, to be hosted by best-selling Virginia author Adriana Trigiani, will be preceded by three free virtual author conversations leading up to the Oct. 15 celebration.
In August, the author of the critically acclaimed “The Cooking Gene” released his latest book, “KosherSoul,” which explores foods and tradi tions of Black and Jewish culture.
Mark Terrill/The Associated Press
After more than 40 years in the industry, Sheryl Lee Ralph sings as she accepts the Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for “Abbott Elementary” at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
to support cutting-edge collaborative science and its research has contributed to nine new FDAapproved therapies.
And the winner is!
Sept. 28 - Virginia au thor Brian Castleberry will moderate a discussion with fiction award finalists Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, Joanna Pearson and Sheri Reynolds.
In the weeks before the event, the library will offer free virtual conversations featuring literary award finalists in three different genres. These conversations will be accessible through the Library of Virginia’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Happenings Richmond Free Press September 15-17, 2022 B3
Mr. Twitty
than 80 albums to his credit — three dozen of them with Chicago-based Chess Records. He toured around the world and performed at the 1995 state
“In all of the years of preparing to be an anchor, one of the things I strove for was to be able to control my emotions in the midst of hell breaking out,” Mr. Shaw said in a 2014 interview with NPR. “And I personally feel that I passed my stringent test for that in Baghdad.”
The Chicago native began composing large-scale musical works later in his career. His first was an eight-movement piece for Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet. He also completed a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln — “Proclamation of Hope: A Symphonic Poem by Ramsey Lewis.”
Our doors are open again every Sunday @ 11:00 am. Live Streaming Every Sunday At: BRBConline.org or YouTube (Broad Rock Baptist Church) “MAKE IT HAPPEN” “MAKE IT HAPPEN” Pastor Kevin Cook Broad Rock Baptist Church 5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 • 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org “BACK IN SERVICE” Our doors are open again Mask required • Must provide vaccination card Every Sunday @ 11:00 am. Live Streaming Every Sunday At: BRBConline.org or YouTube(Broad Rock Baptist Church)Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You” Good Shepherd Baptist Church 1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223 Office: (804) 644-1402 https://youtu.be/qqzhnIEQyQc for inspirational messages from Pastor Smith Moore BaptistMissionaryStreetChurch 1408 W. Leigh Street · Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 358 6403 Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor “Your Home In God’s Kingdom” 400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220 (near Byrd Park) (804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Fax (804) www.sixthbaptistchurch.org359-3798 We Embrace Diversity — Love For All!A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone Come worship with us! Facebook sixthbaptistrva Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs Pastor Back Inside Sundays Join us for 10:00 AM Worship Service Live on Facebook @sixthbaptistrva Live on Youtube @sixthbaptistrva Or by visiting our www.sixthbaptistchurch.orgwebsite BaptistTriumphantChurch 2003 Lamb Avenue Richmond, VA 23222 Dr. Arthur M. Jones, Sr., Pastor (804) 321-7622 OPEN FOR IN PERSON WORSHIP Morning Worship - 11 am Conference Calls are still available at: ( 503) 300-6860 PIN: Facebook@:triumphantbaptist273149 823 North 31st Street Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 226-0150 Office Combining Relevance with Reverence Thirty-first Street Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Joshua Mitchell, Senior Pastor ❖ The doors of the church are open for worship! No registration required. Join us in person or online on Facebook or YouTube 10:30 a.m. Sundays Riverview Baptist Church Via Conference Call (202) 926-1127 Pin 572890# In Person Sunday Service also on FACEBOOK and YouTube Sunday, September 18, 2022 Sunday School - 9:30 A.M. Morning Services - 11 A.M. 2604 Idlewood Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 • www.riverviewbaptistch.org Sermon by: Rev. Dr. Kanisha Adkins American Baptist Women’s Ministries Sunday 500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org(804)643-3825 Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor Sharon Baptist Church “ e Church With A Welcome” Inside!BackSUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2022 10 A.M. ....................Morning Worship Theme: "Men Keep Stepping… For GOD Is With You" Message: Rev. John Lewis St. Peter Baptist Church Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, Pastor Worship Opportunities Monday, Sept. 19th Dr. Adam L. Bond Ebenezer Baptist Church, Richmond, VA Tuesday, Sept. 20th Dr. Walter L. Smith, Jr. Chicago Avenue Baptist Church, Richmond, VA Wednesday, Sept. 21st Dr. Joshua Mitchell 31st Street Baptist Church, Richmond, VA 2040 Mountain Road • Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 Office 804-262-0230 • Fax 804-262-4651 • www.stpeterbaptist.net Worship 7:00 p.m. Nightly“Faith Will See Us Through” H������ ��:� SeptemberSunday,18, 2022 10:00 a.m. Church Homecoming Dr. Kirkland R. Walton Come and Join us in Worship as we Celebrate Homecoming & Fall Revival *Faith Formation/ Church School (Sat. @ 9:00 AM) Zoom Meeting ID: 952 9164 9805 /Passcode: 2901 *Bible Study (Wed. @ 7:00 PM) On Site & Virtual 10:00 A.M. 2901 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23223 (804)648 2472 ~ www.mmbcrva.org Dr. Price London Davis, Senior Pastor Worship With Us Each Week! You Can Find Us Live Weekly At: http://mmbcrva.org https://www.youtube.com/MosbyMemorialBaptisthttps://Facebook.com/mmbcrva *Faith Formation/ Church School (Sat. @ 9:00 AM) Zoom Meeting ID: 952 9164 9805 /Passcode: 2901 *Bible Study (Wed. @ 7:00 PM) Zoom Meeting ID: 854 8862 2296 *Give Via: http://mmbcrva.org/give Or through Givelify
“Since when did a question hurt a politi
He got a radio job in Chicago, where an early assignment was covering an appearance by Martin Luther King Jr. Mr. Shaw recalled for CNN Dr. King telling him, “One day you’re going to make it. Just do some good.”
As moderator of a 1988 presidential debate between George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis, he asked the Democrat — a death penalty opponent — whether he would support that penalty for someone found guilty of raping and murdering Dukakis’ wife, Kitty.
“He was just at peace,” Bobby Lewis told The Associated Press on Monday night. “Most people say when they met dad that he was a class act. He was that way even through his last breath.”
CNN anchorman Bernard Shaw appears on set at the network’s Atlanta headquarters in November 2000. He was CNN’s original chief anchor when the network started in 1980.
Mr. Dukakis’ coolly technocratic response was widely seen as damaging to his campaign, and Mr. Shaw said later he got a flood of hate mail for asking it.
television news. “He put CNN on the map,” said Frank Sesno, a former CNN Washington bureau chief and now a professor at George Washington University.
Erik S. Lesser/Associated Press File Photo
The reports were crucial in establishing CNN when it was the only cable news network and broadcasters ABC, CBS and NBC dominated
Obituaries/Faith Directory B4 September 15-17, 2022 Richmond Free Press
He retired at age 61 in 2001. In retiring at a relatively young age, Mr. Shaw acknowledged the toll on his personal life that went with being a successful journalist. Because of all the things he missed with his family while working, he told NPR that “I don’t think it was worth it.”
In addition to his wife Janet, and son, Mr. Lewis also is
survived by daughters Denise Jeffries and Dawn Allain; two other sons Kendall Kelly Lewis and Frayne Lewis; and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Bernard Shaw, CNN’s 1st chief anchor, dies at 82
His funeral will be private, with a public me morial planned for later, Mr. Johnson said. He is survived by his wife, Linda, and two children.
So guarded against any appearance of bias that he didn’t vote, Mr. Shaw asked tough questions of several politicians. He asked George H.W. Bush’s pick for vice president, Dan Quayle, if “fear of being killed in Vietnam” led to Mr. Quayle joining the National Guard in 1969.
Renowned jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis dies at 87
as last year to provide commentary.
Mr. Lewis died Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, in his sleep at his Chicago home, according to his son, Bobby Lewis.
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
By David Bauder The Associated Press
“Bernard Shaw exemplified excellence in his life,” Mr. Johnson said. “He will be re membered as a fierce advocate of responsible journalism.”CNN’scurrent chief executive, Chris Licht, paid tribute to Mr. Shaw as a CNN original who made appearances on the network as recently
Mr. Lewis is revered in jazz circles for 1960s hits like “The “In” Crowd,” “Hang on Sloopy” and “Wade in the Water.” He earned three Grammy awards and seven gold records. The trio’s first record in 1956 was “Ramsey Lewis and the Gentle men of Swing.”
A former CBS and ABC newsman, Mr. Shaw took a chance and accepted an offer to become CNN’s chief anchor at its launch in 1980. He later reported before a camera hurriedly set up in a newsroom after the 1981 assassination at tempt on President Ronald Reagan.
Mr. Shaw covered the demonstrations in China’s Tiananmen Square in 1989, signing off as authorities told CNN to stop its telecast. While at ABC, he was one of the first reporters on the scene of the 1978 Jonestown massacre.
Mr. Shaw, who grew up in Chicago want ing to be a journalist and admiring legendary CBS newsmen Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, recognized it as a key moment.
On Twitter, CNN’s John King paid tribute to Mr. Shaw’s “soft-spoken yet booming voice” and said he was a mentor and role model to many.
As a member of the U.S. Marines, Mr. Shaw angled for a meeting with one of his heroes, Mr. Cronkite, in Hawaii in 1961.
CHICAGO
cian?” Mr. Shaw said in an interview aired by CSPAN in 2001. “It wasn’t the question. It was the“I’veanswer.never been there,” he said that night, “but this feels like we’re in the center of hell.”
Renowned jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, whose music entertained fans over a more than 60-year career that began with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and made him one of the country’s most successful jazz musicians, has died. He was 87.
Bernard Shaw, former CNN anchor and a pioneering Black journalist remembered for his blunt question at a presidential debate and calmly reporting the beginning of the Gulf War in 1991 from Baghdad as it was under attack, has died. He was 82.
He died of pneumonia, unrelated to COVID19, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, at a hospital in Washington, according to Tom Johnson, CNN’s former chief executive officer.
Mr. Lewis described his approach to composing and performing in a 2011 interview with the AP.
dinner that then-President Bill Clinton hosted for President Fernando Henrique of Brazil.
Mr. Lewis also hosted ra dio shows in the 1990s and 2000, including “The Ramsey Lewis Morning Show,” on WNUA-FM and the syndicated “Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis.” In 2007, he hosted “Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis,” a weekly program that aired on public television sta tions nationwide.
Renowned jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis shown here performing at “Fridays At Sunset” in May 2003.
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“He was the most persistent guy I’ve ever met in my life,” the late Mr. Cronkite told the Washington Post in 1991. “I was going to give him five begrudging minutes and ended up talking to him for a half hour. He was just determined to be a journalist.”
“Life is a solo, and it con tinues,” Mr. Lewis said, sitting at the dining room table in his downtown Chicago home. “I just know that when I put my hands on the piano it’s going to flow.”Mr.Lewis first took piano lessons at age 4. He spent his early days in Chicago using his gospel and classical roots to create his own jazz style in the many neighborhood venues that hired young jazz musicians.“Itgave us a lot of op portunity to try our ideas and learn what it means to perform in front of an audience,” Mr. Lewis said as he was named National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2007. He accepted the award from his mentor and fellow Jazz Master, pianist Billy Taylor.
During his career, Mr. Lewis performed with musical stars such as Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Al Jarreau and Pat Metheney. Mr. Lewis had more
The Associated Press
