Morrissey announces Senate bid as G.A. officials close his House office
Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey once again is injecting drama into staid Virginia politics. In a fresh twist to his political career, the combative legislator quit the House of Delegates this week to begin his quest to replace incumbent Rosalyn R. Dance of Petersburg in the state Senate. His move comes barely two months after he defied Democratic and Republican House leaders and won a special election as an independent to keep his seat in the 74th House District after being convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor. That conviction forced him to commute to the legislature from jail on work release, the first Virginia delegate ever to do so.
Urban garden’s reach grows deeper into city’s ‘food deserts’
An urban garden that started out selling fresh produce and fruit at discount to two Richmond convenience stores will grow to serve 13 stores by this summer. But Tricycle Gardens wants to be more than a fresh food provider for Richmond’s food desert pockets. The nonprofit farm wants to be a magnet for grocery stores and farms in those pockets by highlighting the demand for fresh foods. “We want to show there’s a vibrant food community,” said Tricycle Gardens project manager Claire Sadeghzadeh.
Petersburg jail closing April 1
The Petersburg City Jail will be closing April 1. A final attempt by City Council foes to reverse the decision failed on a 4-3 vote Tuesday night.
Candidates lining up for June 9 primary
Three candidates have jumped into the race to replace Delegate Joseph E. Preston in the 63rd House District now that he is running for the state Senate. The Rev. Larry D. Brown Sr. of Dinwiddie County, Petersburg School Board member Atiba Muse and Petersburg businesswoman Gerry Rawlinson all have announced bids.
Hampton takes on No.1 Kentucky in NCAA
Hampton University is in position to make basketball history. After triumphantly clinching the MEAC title and winning its first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, the Pirates will play undefeated and No. 1 overall seed University of Kentucky on Thursday, March 19, in Louisville, Ky. Hampton is the 68th and last seed overall in the NCAA tournament. CBS will televise the game about 9:40 p.m. Thursday, March 19.
‘Living Legends Concert’ brings together decades of gospel talent
Maggie Ingram wore an angelic smile, her hands tightly clasped prayer-style as she sang. She was performing with Maggie Ingram and the Ingramettes, the gospel group she founded more than six decades ago. This was the “Living Legends Concert,” and the engaged audience of about 200 people at Thirty-first Street Baptist Church was most appreciative.
Bedden pushes back
Mayor Jones’ call to close schools met with resistance
Superintendent Dana T. Bedden is politely rebuffing Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ call for closing more schools and squeezing students into the remaining buildings. Instead, Dr. Bedden and his staff are telling the School Board that the only way to close existing buildings is for the city to invest tens of millions of dollars more in new buildings that could accommodate larger numbers of students.
Warriors capture second state crown
Henrico High School has steered into basketball’s fast lane and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Coach Vance Harmon’s heavy-on-the-pedal Warriors sped to their second state title in three years March 14, blitzing Norview High School of Norfolk, 78-64, for the Virginia High School League’s 5A crown. Henrico High has reached three straight state finals and boasts arguably the commonwealth’s top college prospect in junior Monte Buckingham. With the one-sided win over Norview, Henrico finished the season 28-1.
Rams win Atlantic 10; head to NCAA West
The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams regained their rhythm in New York, winning four games in four days for their first Atlantic 10 Tournament title. Now the Rams must hope their “reward,” a cross-country trip to the NCAA, won’t throw them out of sync again. VCU, 26-9, is seeded seventh. They play Big 10 Conference member Ohio State University on Thursday, March 19, in the NCAA West Region game in Portland, Ore. Ohio State, 23-10, is the 10th seed.
Move may force Morrissey to lose House seat
Henrico Delegate Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey might have to give up his current seat in the General Assembly. A provision of the Virginia Constitution would force Delegate Morrissey to resign from the House of Delegates if he proceeds, as anticipated, to challenge freshman Petersburg Sen. Rosalyn R. Dance in the 16th Senate District. It would be a startling outcome after the fight he waged to remain a delegate. He gained pariah status in the legislature because of his criminal conviction for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The conviction left him serving in the last General Assembly session on work release from a Henrico jail.
Public safety on front burner in mayor’s budget plan
Mayor Dwight C. Jones is proposing to pour millions of dollars into wage increases for city employees, most notably police officers and firefighters. He also wants to equip the police with body cameras and modernize the 911 emergency communications system at a cost of more $50 million.
School Board gives green light to charter school
Can Richmond Public Schools afford a pricey new charter school when it already claims to need tens of millions of dollars in additional spending to renovate, maintain and equip its 44 existing schools? Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden doesn’t think so. His leadership team recommended against approving the Metropolitan Preparatory Academy because the charter school’s supporters have not found a building to house it. Nor have they raised substantial funds to pay for a facility.
Controversial call shoots down victory for Lady Justices in semifinals
Seven was indeed a lucky number this winter for John Marshall High School girls’ basketball, and a most unlucky number for the Justices’ foes. Quality trumped quantity for the school on Richmond’s North Side. With a bare bones roster of seven, the Justices came within a referee’s controversial call of reaching the State 3A final. “We were seven strong,” said Coach Travis Richardson, Class of 1998. “Our motto was ‘Seven deep, no sleep.’ “We were determined not to rest until we achieved our goals.”
Former VCU basketball star Lamont ‘Monty’ Knight, 54
Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School and Virginia Commonwealth University basketball fans remember Lamont C. “Monty” Knight as the silky smooth guard who lit up the scoreboard with his high-hanging jump shot. He also could light up a room with his warm smile. Mr. Knight was an All-Metro player under Coach Dave Robbins at Thomas Jefferson High.
VUU’s Ruth C. Harris celebrated among 2015 Virginia Women in History
Dr. Ruth Coles Harris was the first African-American woman in Virginia to be certified as a public accountant. The great-granddaughter of slaves, she passed the two-day CPA examination in 1962, when fewer than 100 African-Americans across the nation were CPAs. Dr. Harris also taught in the Commerce Department at Virginia Union University for nearly 48 years and was the first director of the Sydney Lewis School of Business.
Personality: Coach Willard J. Coker
Spotlight on the Bulldogs’ inspiring championship leader
When people get slapped down, they have two basic options. They can accept their sad fate, throw a pity party, curse at the world and stay on their backsides. Or they can bounce back. George Wythe High School Coach Willard J. Coker is a bouncer.
George Wythe wins championship
Maliek White wore George Wythe High School basketball jersey No. 1 and Brandon Holley wore No. 2. Together, they formed a knockout combination that lifted the South Richmond team to its first state championship in the school’s 55-year history.
True winners
Congratulations to the city’s and region’s scholar-athletes and their coaches who already have made February-into-March Madness a basketball season to remember! Their hours of practice and discipline on the court have translated into victories in state and conference championships that have thrilled basketball fans across Virginia and beyond.
Bedden trouble?
Dr. Dana T. Bedden, Richmond’s public schools superintendent, is probably out of here. No, it’s not because he was a runner-up and not the winner of the Boston public school system’s top job. It’s because of the latest actions by possibly the two biggest burrs under his saddle — Mayor Dwight C. Jones and the Richmond School Board. Last Friday, Mayor Jones announced a $2.8 billion budget plan for the city for the next two years. His plan includes little more for the city’s public school system than it currently receives — roughly $136 million annually for operations.
Lynch confirmation needed now
On Nov. 8, 2014, President Obama nominated an outstanding prosecutor from the Eastern District of New York to be our nation’s next attorney general. It now has been more than four months since Loretta Lynch was nominated to lead the U.S. Department of Justice — a period longer than any attorney general nominee in the last three decades.
