Getting his wheels //
Anthony Bullock, 12, works on his balance and gets comfortable riding a bicycle during a practice session last week at Great Shiplock Park. The student at Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School in the East End was with Jim Cramer, a retired pilot who has been Anthony’s mentor for three years. The pair met when Anthony was a student at Richmond’s Woodville Elementary School through the public school’s relationship with the Micah Ministry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
Raindrops transform pedestrians into artful abstract figures from a modern painting. The photographer captured the image of Virginia Commonwealth University students crossing Main Street at Laurel Street on Tuesday. It was the fourth straight day of rain and chilly temperatures. Ahead, the fickle weather is about to turn warm, with the temperature forecast to soar into the 90s on Saturday before retreating into the mid-80s on Sunday. More rain and thunderstorms are forecast for Monday as temperatures return to the 70s.
Men at work // Trainees in Dominion Energy’s lineman program work on power lines at the company’s Safety and Training Center in Chester. The photo opportunity on April 20 was part of the National Lineman Appreciation Day observance to raise public awareness about what it takes to keep the lights on for customers, no matter the weather. The lineman training process is seven steps over five years that combine classroom and field work. At the center, trainees learn to climb, make repairs from bucket trucks and troubleshoot equipment.
An iris in South Side
North Side spruces up //
Volunteers Erica Greene, left, and Sherita Sin brush stain on the ramp leading to a Highland Park home during Rebuilding Together Richmond’s blitz last Saturday to help repair and upgrade homes for elderly and low-income residents. Formerly known as Christmas in April, the daylong effort by the nonprofit organization drew nearly 1,000 volunteers to work on 39 homes in North Side as part of National Rebuilding Day and Affordable Housing Awareness Week. In its 25 years of helping to upgrade housing, Rebuilding Together Richmond has mobilized more than 25,000 volunteers who donated more than 200,000 hours to improve 1,300 homes. The organization values the work at $12 million.
Deconstructing O.J //
Ezra Edelman, director of the five-part, documentary miniseries “O.J.: Made in America,” talks about the project last Saturday during a showing and discussion at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Grace Street Theater. About 75 people were in the audience for the question- and-answer session with the director.
Executive congratulations //
Gov. Terry McAuliffe chats about the Virginia Union University Lady Panthers’ winning formula during the Elite Eight team’s visit last week to the State Capitol. The governor invited the basketball standouts to the Capitol to congratulate them on a winning season. The team went all the way to this year’s NCAA Division II Tournament final, where the Lady Panthers were defeated by Ashland University of Ohio. Coach AnnMarie Gilbert, far right, and the Lady Panthers also toured the Executive Mansion during the April 20 outing.