
Mayor strikes conciliatory tone on design funds for new George Wythe High
A speedy resolution? That may be on the way for a funding roadblock that could disrupt the Richmond School Board’s plan to hire an architectural firm in mid-November to begin the design for a replacement George Wythe High School.

New program will award 25 Henrico students full-tuition scholarships to VUU
Virginia Union University and Henrico County Public Schools have partnered to establish “VUU Henrico Scholars,” a new program that will award full, four-year tuition scholarships to 25 eighth- graders to attend the university when they graduate in 2026.

Congressional redistricting also heads to Va. Supreme Court
The Virginia Supreme Court just got a new assignment: Draw new boundaries for Virginia’s 11 congressional districts based on results of the 2020 Census.

City employees will pay more for health insurance in 2022
City Hall employees will face an average increase of 17 percent in the cost of health insurance effective Jan. 1, with significant new limits on coverage for retiring workers, according to a report to City Council.

City Council Oks plan for $155M in federal American Rescue Plan funds
Richmond is preparing to pour $64 million into the develop- ment of new and improved community recreation centers in the East End, South Side and Gilpin Court.

Artist vows to restore vandalized Ashe mural in Battery Park
“We’re planning to make it bigger and better,” vowed Sir James Thornhill, the lead artist in creating a mural honoring to the late tennis great, humanitarian and Richmond native Arthur Ashe Jr. in Battery Park in North Side.

Vacancies continue to rise in Richmond Police Department
The Richmond Police Department is continuing to shrink in size.

Saturday, Oct. 30 is deadline to vote early in person
Voters in the Metro Richmond area will be able to vote early in person through this weekend, with polling places in Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover open on Saturday, Oct. 30. After Saturday, voters will have to cast their ballots at the polls on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2. Polls across Virginia will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. next Tuesday.

Herring seeks third term, battles challenger Miyares in attorney general race
Do Virginia voters want an activist attorney general who is ready to use the office’s legal firepower to battle housing discrimination, protect workers’ rights, defend abortion rights for women and pursue criminal justice reform?

2 women of color battling it out to become next lieutenant governor
History will be made on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2, when the race for lieutenant governor is decided.

Murder trial of three white men in the death of jogger Ahmaud Abery refocuses national spotlight
The glare of the national spotlight is focused on this small city of 16,000 on the Georgia coast that is the now epicenter of the sensational racial profiling trial of three white men accused of murder in the slaying of an unarmed Black jogger, Ahmaud M. Arbery, who was running in their neighborhood.

Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute offers sense of empowerment to program participants
Richmonder Karla Almendarez-Ramos says her professional and personal life have been enhanced by the empowerment of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute.

VUU gets crushed by Bowie State, but still has chance for 2nd place in CIAA
Virginia Union University so needed its “A” game to upset Bowie State University. Instead, it settled for a “D”—short for disappointment.

Historic Mount Olivet Cemetery in South Side to receive state funds for maintenance
A historic city-owned Black cemetery in South Side has received a state grant to assist with maintenance of 4,617 graves.

Rev. Herbert R. Plummer Sr., retired pastor of Swansboro Baptist Church, dies at 86
The Rev. Herbert Ralph Plummer Sr., who led Swansboro Baptist Church in South Side for 47 years, has died.

Personality: Tonie Stevens
Spotlight on co-founder and board president of FETCH a Cure
Pets are just as vulnerable to illness and cancer as any living creature, and Tonie Stevens is working to further public awareness about pet cancer and treatment.

Jury selection begins in federal lawsuit against white supremacist organizers of deadly Charlottesville ‘Unite the Right’ rally
The violence at the white nationalists “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017 shocked the nation, with people beaten to the ground, lighted torches thrown at counterdemonstrators and a self- proclaimed Hitler admirer ramming his car into a crowd, killing a woman and injuring dozens more.

Nearing finish line: Former President Obama brings last minute boost to Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s gubernatorial campaign
Former President Obama brought a welcome gift to Democrat Terry McAuliffe in his campaign for governor – a surge of energy ahead of Election Day next Tuesday, Nov. 2.