It’s a family affair: When the string didn’t work on Sunday to unveil the honorary North Side street sign for the late Clarence L. Townes Jr., Townes family members and friends lifted Mr. Townes’ great-grandson, 8-year-old Ryland Willis, to remove the sign’s covering. A crowd turned out for the honor to the late Richmond business and civic leader who also was chairman of the Richmond School Board for four years. He died in January 2017. Below, the Townes family stands by the sign located at the intersection of Ladies Mile Road and the 3100 block of Hawthorne Avenue. (Ava Reaves)

It’s a family affair: When the string didn’t work on Sunday to unveil the honorary North Side street sign for the late Clarence L. Townes Jr., Townes family members and friends lifted Mr. Townes’ great-grandson, 8-year-old Ryland Willis, to remove the sign’s covering. A crowd turned out for the honor to the late Richmond business and civic leader who also was chairman of the Richmond School Board for four years. He died in January 2017. Below, the Townes family stands by the sign located at the intersection of Ladies Mile Road and the 3100 block of Hawthorne Avenue. (Ava Reaves)

A front-end loader scoops out the sediment choking the Haxall Canal in Downtown, whose waters once powered an electric plant. The work to dredge the canal from Brown’s Island to 12th Street began Jan. 15 and is expected to take four months, according to the city Department of Public Utilities, which is managing the job. Cost: $1.5 million. (Ava Reaves)

A front-end loader scoops out the sediment choking the Haxall Canal in Downtown, whose waters once powered an electric plant. The work to dredge the canal from Brown’s Island to 12th Street began Jan. 15 and is expected to take four months, according to the city Department of Public Utilities, which is managing the job. Cost: $1.5 million. The water in the canal also is being drained, above, the department said, adding it is working with the state to save the fish that will be affected. The canal, which receives its water and sediment from the James River, was last cleaned in 2008. The work is needed every 10 to 15 years, according to DPU officials, to protect the equipment that controls the level of water in the canal and to improve the flow. The department briefly drained the canal last summer to conduct a survey in preparation for this work. The canal also is drained periodically to remove sediment that accumulates at the head gates, DPU officials stated. (Ava Reaves)

Rain-kissed holly in West End (Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press)