October 27 29, 2016 issue

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VSU brings it home B2

Richmond Free Press © 2016 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOL. 25 NO. 44

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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Tribute to fallen A3

OCtober 27-29, 2016

‘Tiger Tom’ hits 100

Local radio, news icon was voice of community for more than 50 years

For more than 30 years, “Tiger Tom” was When John “Tiger the popular, on-air voice Tom” Mitchell was at WANT-990 AM radio, born in 1916, African spinning records, providAmerican-owned banks, ing the latest news and insurance companies, sports and advertising newspapers, barber and the biggest entertainers beauty shops and retail coming to town. businesses had set a For decades, he also foundation of wealth for was the voice of Friday Jackson Ward. night football games, anThe vibrancy of the nouncing the teams and community, and growtheir plays at City Staing up around his great dium, including the anuncle, crusading Rich- “Tiger Tom” is on nual Armstrong-Walker mond newspaper editor the air in this 1958 Classic on Thanksgiving photo. John Mitchell Jr., fed weekend. Mr. Mitchell’s desire to work in the While the revered radio personality newspaper and radio businesses. and broadcasting icon retired in 1982, By Holly Rodriguez

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Richmond radio personality and sports announcer John “Tiger Tom” Mitchell and his wife of 56 years, Bette Mitchell, at their South Side home.

his clear voice and upbeat style are still remembered. “Tiger Tom” turns 100 on Thursday, Oct. 27. He’s celebrating with family and friends this weekend at his South Side home. “Sometimes he says he can’t believe he’s still here at 100,” his son, John,

told the Free Press in an interview this week. “People stop me on the street and ask me how he’s doing. He was an institution in this city.” Even though he is less mobile now, Mr. Mitchell reads the Free Press and daily newspapers every day. A magnifying glass sits on his bed, along with

the latest edition he’s reading. At times, his voice is as strong as it was when he was on the radio. His family encourages him to talk about the past. His recollections are packed with history. Please turn to A4

27,952 registered in 2 days

Voters flood state online registration system during deadline extension By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Pumpkin run Kamyra Hall, 8, is on the lookout for her next pumpkin pick at the Pumpkin Patch at Gallmeyer Farms in Eastern Henrico. Children of all ages excitedly picked pumpkins last Sunday, ran through a maze of hay bales, took a spooky house tour and went on hay rides at the farm that is open through Halloween.

Petersburg’s interim city manager back on her transit job By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Robert C. Bobb took control of the Petersburg city government Tuesday after being handed an opportunity to turn around the municipality that is drowning in unpaid bills. With his first step, Mr. Bobb installed a member of his team, Tom L. Tyrell to run the city, ousting interim City Manager Dironna Moore Belton, who returned to her former job as manager of the Petersburg Area Transit Co. She left that position in March when she was brought in to replace Petersburg’s fired city manager. Mr. Tyrell is a former chief operating officer for the Chicago public school system. The arrival of Mr. Bobb, a former Richmond city manager,

Tens of thousands of Virginians registered to vote last week after a federal judge ordered the state to reopen the voter rolls for two extra days. The flood of registrations came after U.S. District Court Senior Judge Claude M. Hilton in Alexandria issued the Oct. 20 order as a remedy for those who were shut out when Virginia’s online voter registration system crashed after a deluge of applications overloaded and shut down the state computer system on Monday, Oct. 17, the original deadline. Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring joined the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in seeking the extension — although the judge declined their joint request to keep the rolls open for five additional days. Instead, the judge ordered the Mr. Cortés rolls open through Friday, Oct. 21. As of 11:59 p.m. Oct. 21, 27,952 voter registration applications were received during the extension via the online system, according to Edgardo Cortés, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections. He said that number is likely to be substantially higher once a tally is completed of applications filed in person, submitted through government agencies such as the state Department of

Dead

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lot in e bal l e t n tia bse for a resi de n n: o p i t c e le

ay TU ESd 1 . V NO

Tuesday, Nov. 1, is the deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail to vote in the November presidential and general election. The deadline to request an absentee ballot in person is Saturday, Nov. 5. Local voter registrar offices across the state will be open Saturday, Oct. 29, and Saturday, Nov. 5, for people to cast absentee ballots. Details: Virginia Department of Elections at www.elections.virginia. gov or (800) 552-9745 and select Option 1.

Jerry Ingram, Richmond Voter Registrar’s Office

Ballots to be used by Richmond voters arrive Monday at a city warehouse in Scott’s Addition. The ballots are for the election on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Total delivered: 147,550, officials said. In the days ahead, staff from the Richmond Voter Registrar’s Office will unpack them, count them, bundle them for distribution to the city’s 65 precincts and finally lock them in steel cages until they are to be delivered.

Motor Vehicles or mailed through the U.S. Postal Service. The Richmond Voter Registrar’s Office reported receiving 2,000 online registration applications during the two-day extension, including an estimated 1,400 that were received Friday. It is not clear whether the new filings will dramatically increase the number of eligible voters. Registrars across the state are finding a substantial percentage are duplicates filed by people who wanted to ensure they are registered or who needed Please turn to A4

New firm, CoStar, to bring 732 jobs to Downtown of the top 10 private employers in Richmond. Most people in Richmond probThe company already is recruiting ably never heard of CoStar Group online at its website, CoStar.com/ Inc. before this week. Richmond, where prospective emSoon the 30-year-old company that ployees can learn about the company is the No. 1 provider of information and complete applications. on commercial real estate will be a Andrew C. Florance, who founded local household name. the publicly traded company in 1987 In a coup for the state capital, and propelled it become No. 1 in its the Washington-based firm plans to field as its chief executive, made it Mr. Florance make the city its research hub and a official Monday. center for software innovation to support the Ending a nearly yearlong hunt for space, Mr. collection of information the company needs Florance announced Richmond had won the to serve its clients. competition for the company’s research center To make that happen, CoStar plans to bring that will be moved from Washington. 732 high-paying jobs to Downtown during the He joined a beaming Gov. Terry McAuliffe next two to three years. The planned workPlease turn to A4 force would catapult the company into the list By Jeremy M. Lazarus


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October 27 29, 2016 issue by Richmond Free Press - Issuu