All results / Stories / Jeremy M. Lazarus
VCU enrolls record freshman class
A record 4,050 freshmen started classes this week at Virginia Commonwealth University, with a remarkable 51 percent being African-American, Asian, Latino and other minority students, the school has reported.
Mayor Stoney proposes meals tax hike to support schools
Declaring that Richmond “is strong,” Mayor Levar M. Stoney called for “bold and courageous” action to deal with some of the city’s unmet challenges such as decaying schools and public housing.
Virginia General Assembly
Republicans still in charge
The General Assembly opened a new session Wednesday with Republican M. Kirkland “Kirk” Cox of Colonial Heights in the speaker’s chair in the 100-member House of Delegates.
Hot and unhoused
Councilwoman urges city to open shelter for disabled people, families and children; Efforts to ‘expand the safety net’ for homeless coming early September, says official
Staying outdoors in the summer heat “is no fun,” said Thomas Bateman, a disabled factory worker. The bedraggled 63-year-old Richmonder hasn’t been able to find an affordable place to stay in the city, and his only income, a government disability check, allows him to pay for a motel stay just one night a month.
Sisters act to save home
Nuns rally support to block sale of historic St. Emma’s, St. Francis property
Defying their superiors, four nuns are fighting to save the historic 2,265-acre property in Powhatan County that was once home to two Catholic boarding schools for African-American youths.
More time?
Civil rights group files lawsuit seeking extension of Va. voter registration deadline due to statewide computer crash
Virginia could become the latest state under federal court order to extend voter registration because of a disaster. The disaster in Virginia, however, is no hurricane, but a computer system.
CVWMA expands recycling materials
Richmond residents can now recycle a greater range of bottles and food containers, the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority has announced.
Stay or go?
The Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments next Tuesday on whether Gov. Ralp S. Northam has the authority to remove the Monument Avenue statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee
The fate of the giant statue of slavery-defending Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has loomed over Monument Avenue for more than 130 years now rests with the seven justices of the Virginia Supreme Court.
Proposals to build 2 schools, redo George Wythe under review
Richmond Public Schools might provide incoming Mayor Levar Stoney with a potential blueprint for addressing the problem of outdated and increasingly worn-out school buildings.
Settlement reached in South Side mobile home suit
The war over mobile homes in Richmond appears to have ended in a truce. Under a settlement approved Monday in federal court, the City of Richmond has agreed to modify an aggressive code enforcement program that led to the condemnation of dozens of mobile homes in the past three years, displacing mostly Latino families.
BlackTop youth program reopens in new location
The BlackTop Kings and Queens Sports Academy, a private youth basketball program, is back in action, though in a much reduced capacity.
3 City Hall unions in place
A major share of City Hall’s 4,000 employees have selected their union bargaining agents who will take the lead in contract talks with the city on wages, benefits, health insurance, holiday pay, working conditions and other issues.
City’s switch to VRS approved
Richmond city employees could soon have the option of becoming members of the Virginia Retirement System.
3 candidates vying for House seat in Feb. 7 special election
Jeff M. Bourne appeared to be on a glide path to win the Tuesday, Feb. 7, special election for the Richmond seat in the House of Delegates that became vacant when Jennifer L. McClellan won a special election and moved up to the state Senate earlier this month.
City resident awaits word on trash fees
That has been City Hall’s response to Free Press reports about its failure to relieve qualifying Richmond residents of the $23.79 a month cost for trash collection and recycling service.
Blackwell gets historic designation
A large swatch of the Blackwell neighborhood in South Side just gained official designation as a historic place.
City surplus shrinks
The city’s end-of-year surplus is a little smaller. Richmond City Council has been notified that an initial September projection that $13.5 million was unspent at the close of fiscal year 2018 on June 30 was too generous.
Mayor Stoney outlines new plan for city in State of City address
The Pulse lanes on Broad Street and in other parts of Richmond will be painted red thanks to a state grant to improve safety for drivers and pedestrians.
Ambulance Authority struggling to keep up with calls
The Richmond Ambulance Authority has long boasted of being a role model in emergency response.
High job hopes
Nonprofit offers former convicts free solar training for brighter futures
Criminal convictions can be a real barrier to finding work.
