Mayor to propose $35M to fix schools
Mayor Dwight C. Jones will propose spending $35 million to pay for major fixes for Richmond’s decaying school buildings when he delivers his two-year budget plan to City Council. While the mayor is keeping mum, Norman Butts, the city’s chief financial officer, disclosed at a City Council committee meeting Mayor Jones’ plan to address school maintenance in the budget he is scheduled to present Friday, March 13. Mr. Butts, who is involved in the budget preparation process, described the impending proposal as “a high priority” for the mayor.
Grassroots effort mounts to keep Bedden
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden interviewed Wednesday for the superintendent’s job in snow-covered Boston and prepared to meet Thursday with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. The Boston School Committee is expected to name its top choice for the job early next week, according to reports. Meanwhile, a growing number of Dr. Bedden’s supporters in Richmond are continuing their efforts to convince him to stay and lead the aggressive RPS turnaround effort he began after becoming the struggling school district’s superintendent in January 2014.
Bon Secours expansion delayed again
Promises. That’s all East End residents have heard from Bon Secours and city officials so far on Bon Secours’ $8.5 million contractual obligation to expand Richmond Community Hospital at 1500 N. 28th St. Bon Secours is required to further the hospital’s reach into the neighboring East Richmond community by adding at least 25,000 square feet of medical space. It’s part of the highly publicized agreement Bon Secours reached with Mayor Dwight C. Jones and the city in 2012 that made Bon Secours a partner in developing the Richmond training facility for Washington’s professional football team.
Mo Alie-Cox: VCU’s big man in paint, on court
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Mo Alie-Cox is a 3-D basketball performer. He stands out for his defense, dunks and dreadlocks. The imposing 6-foot-6, 255-pound sophomore from Northern Virginia is a prime reason the Rams began the week tied for first atop the Atlantic 10 Conference standings. Answering to “Mo-nan the Barbarian,” Alie- Cox sparkled in each VCU win over George Washington University, including the Rams’ 79-66 win Feb. 14 in the nation’s capital.
Elkhardt school to close for good
Elkhardt Middle School may be converted to apartments or offices one day. But the building is finished providing classroom space for public school students. The end came Feb. 12 when the final bell sounded dismissal. With help from 50 volunteers, teachers packed up the next day, beginning the move of students to Clark Springs Elementary School to finish the year. Clark Springs will open as the new Elkhardt as soon as the snow emergency passes. Leaky steam pipes have allowed health-threatening mold to infest the Elkhardt building. But the cost of making the building usable again is too great,space use.
Hicks to be interviewed Monday for judgeship
Also to be interviewed Monday, Judge Hairston has the backing of the Richmond delegation and is expected to have no trouble winning General Assembly votes to gain the seat that Circuit Court Judge Melvin R. Hughes is vacating after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Threatt takes to rim to win NBA slam-dunk contest
Following some career setbacks, Jarvis Threatt is on basketball’s comeback trail. Last Sunday, that travel itinerary led him to Brooklyn, N.Y., site of the NBA’s Developmental League (D- League) Slam-Dunk Contest and All- Star Game. Showing there’s plenty of bounce left in his sneakers, the 6-foot-2 guard from Henrico County’s Highland Springs High School and the University of Delaware won the dunking derby in jaw-dropping fashion.
Power of questions
Sometimes the right questions can be influential. We started asking questions when we learned that Mayor Dwight C. Jones was planning to hold an invitation-only reception to honor the five Richmonders who formed the first African-American majority on City Council.
The evolution of Malcolm X
“You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it.” ~ Malcolm X, Letter from Mecca, April 1964 Perhaps no American civil rights leader has generated as many divergent opinions as Malcolm X. As we near the 50th anniversary of his assassination on Feb. 21, 1965, our nation will scrutinize his life, his work and his lasting impact on our country and our continuous struggle to address racial inequality and its heinous consequences.
Wronged
Retired factory worker Leonard Mc Millian had his home invaded by a police squad and spent more than an hour in handcuffs when police responded to calls about crimes at his home that proved bogus. Actor and songwriter Jerome Arrington spent a miserable seven weeks in jail after Richmond police arrested him for a street robbery he did not commit. Both men are African-American. Neither has received an apology for their ordeals, which appear to be relatively rare in a city where officers respond daily to dozens of calls. Still, their stories suggest that things can go dismayingly wrong even when police and prosecutors believe they are going by the book.
Clean air, but at what price
On the surface, accepting the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan sounds like a great idea — reduced carbon emissions and pollution, ideally leading to cleaner air. Yes, this is a great idea. But at what cost? This is just another example of the federal government get- ting involved in state matters and proposing regulations that create catastrophic consequences. I’ve learned that Virginia is held to a higher clean air/carbon standard than our neighbors (Virginia is required to reduce almost twice as much carbon emission as West Virginia and Kentucky), and it will cost us billions to shut down the power stations that have been operating fine for decades.
Lent offers time to reflect on health
Wednesday, Feb. 18, marked the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter when many Christians abstain from animal foods in remembrance of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert before launching his ministry. But meat-free Lent is much more than a symbol of religious devotion to Christ. It helps reduce the risk of chronic disease, environmental degradation and animal abuse. Dozens of medical reports have linked consumption of animal products with elevated risk of heart failure, stroke, cancer and other killer diseases. A 2007 U.N. report named meat production as the largest source of greenhouse gases and water pollution. Undercover investigations have documented farm animals being beaten, caged, crowded, deprived, mutilated and shocked.
Where do we go from here?
FBI Director James B. Comey took a giant step for law enforcement last week in acknowledging “hard truths” about racial bias infiltrating police agencies across the nation. The bias isn’t new, said Mr. Comey, a descendant of Irish immigrants to America, who talked about how law enforcement’s biased views of the Irish a century ago are part of the lexicon today for the vehicles police use to transport prisoners, “paddy wagons.”
Bagby portrays ‘Godfather of Soul’
James Brown, “The Godfather of Soul,” is coming to Unity of Richmond Church in the West End. Well, at least Joseph Bagby, who impersonates the late iconic performer, will perform 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, at the church at 800 Blanton Ave.
‘Saviours’ Day’ broadcast live this Sunday
Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan is to deliver a keynote address via satellite to a global audience Sunday, Feb. 22. The occasion: Saviours’ Day 2015.
Church to host forum on police-community issues
Third Street Bethel A.M.E. Church in Jackson Ward is host- ing a forum to raise awareness of incidents of police brutality nationwide and to discuss ways the community, Richmond Police and other law enforcement agencies can work together to prevent future incidents, the church’s pastor, the Rev. Reuben J. Boyd Jr., has announced.
Female beauty focus of Pine Camp art exhibit
Above, Darryl Wingo, center, discusses his photograph, “Naturally Free,” with art enthusiasts, from left, Patricia Burrell, Arnetha Carter, Michelle Crump and Fay Logan. Artist Unicia Buster, right, chats about her quilt, “Field of Afros,” with LaTika
Valentine gala benefits scholarships
Alga and Earlene Evans, left, join other couples in dancing to a love song at the 16th Annual Valentine Gala of the Virginia Area Chapter of Pi Lambda Theta. The highlight of the educational honor society’s dinner-dance Saturday night in Downtown: The presentation of college scholarships to future teachers.
2-day conference to raise awareness, uplift community
It’s called “R.I.S.E. Up Weekend 2015, Awakening Your Inner Giant.” And it’s scheduled for Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28, in room 1201 in the Monroe Campus Academic Learning Commons at Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 Floyd Ave. The theme of the two-day conference, designed in conjunction with Black History Month, is based on the African proverb: “If you want to go far, go together. If you want to go fast, go alone.”
Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Randolph, 90, granddaughter of Maggie L. Walker
Elizabeth “Beth” Walker Mickens Randolph loved spending time with her trailblazing grandmother, Maggie L. Walker, the first black female founder and president of a bank in America. Mrs. Walker chartered the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in Jackson Ward in 1903. “My mother grew up one block from her grandmother,” said Mrs. Randolph’s son, Johnny Mickens III, of the family’s neighboring homes in Jackson Ward.
