All results / Stories / Jeremy M. Lazarus
Developer interest in Coliseum and Downtown persists despite claims
Developer interest in the vacant Richmond Coliseum and Downtown real estate near it appears to be alive and well.
City Council votes to expand bulk and brush pickup
Richmond residents can now dispose of used mattresses, old sofas, broken chairs and worn-out kitchen tables, along with brush and tree limbs from their yards, at no additional charge. A divided Richmond City Council voted 5-4 Monday night to expand the bulk and brush program to include items that previously were banned.
Tale of the tests
Richmond SOL scores rise, but still below state average
The good news: More students in Richmond Public Schools passed state Standards of Learning tests in reading, history and math in spring 2015 compared with the previous year. That’s in line with the state trend of rising pass rates.
RPS attendance officers’ jobs on chopping block despite crucial need, service
With little public attention, the Richmond delegation to the General Assembly joined most Democrats and Republicans last year in voting to dismantle most of the 20-year-old requirements imposed on Virginia public schools to prevent truancy.
Hampton U cancer treatment center may get boost from General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is poised to hand Hampton University a major victory in its bid to boost the use of its seven-year-old, $225 million cancer treatment center that uses proton beam radiation therapy to help eradicate the disease in its patients.
Creighton Court residents left in the cold
Florence Washington knows how to deal with the bitter cold when she goes outdoors. On a walk to the store, she was bundled up with a hat, earmuffs, heavy coat and several layers of clothing.
Nuns sell St. Emma and St. Frances property
A historic Powhatan County estate that was once home to two Catholic residential schools for African-Americans, including a military academy for boys, now belongs to a Petersburg area businessman.
CARE van service eyed by City Council due to complaints
GRTC is acknowledging that its CARE van operation is providing “unacceptable” service to the hundreds of elderly and disabled people who rely on the specialty door-to-door transportation to get to dialysis or to work, see doctors, go shopping or handle other business.
Miller out at VSU
Dr. Keith T. Miller handed in his notice last Friday at the start of a closed-door meeting of the university’s board of visitors. His resignation comes four and a half years after taking the helm of the 132-year-old institution and more than two years before his contract was to expire.
Navy Hill ship sinking?
Scrutiny of Coliseum replacement plan reveals major gaps
The grand plan Mayor Levar M. Stoney is pushing to replace the Richmond Coliseum with $1.5 billion in new Downtown development does not appear to include enough affordable housing to meet a City Council requirement.
‘Deeply disappointing’
RPS superintendent reacts to city SOL scores showing 2 of every 5 students unable to pass one or more tests
The good news: More than half of Richmond’s public school students passed one or more state Standards of Learning tests in 2018 and are meeting state objectives in the core subjects of reading, writing, math, science and history/social studies.
Richmond casino gets boost
Richmond advocates for a casino gained a boost when talks between house and senate negotiators over an amended state budget collapsed last week, although public school and mental health advocates were left disappointed.
City eyeing sale of parking operations to raise millions
City Hall has been considering using its parking operations as a way to raise $150 million for school construction, street paving, sidewalk development and other unaddressed capital needs. Norman D. Butts, the city’s top financial officer, confirmed that there have been discussions about awarding a long-term conces- sion to an undisclosed private group willing to pay big bucks for a 30- to 40-year concession to operate the city’s 20 parking lots and garages.
Housing units’ new CEO
Steven Bernard Nesmith, former HUD official, has known poverty and prosperity, but considers RRHA role his dream job
Steven Bernard Nesmith is returning to public housing more than 40 years after leaving the Philadelphia projects where he grew up.
Not so fast
Richmond City Council informed that planned ONE Casino + Resort opening will be delayed 9 months or more, with casino opening in late 2024 and hotel not opening until late 2025
The 2024 campaign for Richmond’s next mayor will be in full swing before the planned ONE Casino + Resort will welcome the first players to try their luck at the slot machines, roll the dice on a craps table or play blackjack.
3 area churches up for sale, auction block
The prominent Richmond Christian Center at 214 Cowardin Ave. is one of several sanctuaries that are on the market, including the former home of Second Baptist Church of South Richmond a few blocks away and Sharon Baptist Church in Jackson Ward.
Free van service helps public housing residents get to work
Myra Griffin has found the biggest problem placing people in jobs is transportation.
Scholarship aimed at helping former inmates
A new scholarship has been set up to help former inmates at Richmond’s jail gain work in the building trades, attend community college or secure a high school equivalency degree, or GED. Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. announced the program as part of a partnership with a Richmond area nonprofit that provides re-entry services to released offenders, OAR, which stands for Opportunity, Alliance, Re-Entry.
GRTC plans speedier service
Plans for speedier GRTC bus service that would slash 15 to 30 minutes from trips Downtown and other parts of the city were introduced to passengers and the public this week.
Free oral history workshop at Black History Museum
Historian Lauranett L. Lee has devoted her life to uncovering the lost stories of African-American women and men to help spotlight their contributions both locally and nationally. Now Dr. Lee wants to inspire people to preserve their own family histories to expand appreciation and knowledge of where they come from.
