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City moves homeless shelter from Downtown
Homeless people in Richmond could face a bigger challenge to survive the coming winter’s bitter cold. Instead of heading to the former Public Safety Building near City Hall to stay warm overnight, homeless people will need to go to the Conrad Center at 1400 Oliver Hill Way in Shockoe Valley.
City Hall’s most feared man is out
For 11 years, he was considered the most feared man at Richmond City Hall as he led a staff of 14 in ferreting out waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayers’ dollars. But that time is over for City Auditor Umesh Dalal.
City Council takes step to control Confederate statues
The Richmond City Council took its first step toward control over the statues of the slavery-defending Confederate traitors that line Monument Avenue and have long sat on other public property in the city.
New plans in place for 2 Richmond cemeteries
Richmond is getting a thumbs up from the community for its plan to take over the historic Evergreen and East End cemeteries on the city’s East Side, but only if volunteer groups are kept in the loop.
Gov. reappoints Justice Roush in latest battle over high court
Can Justice Jane Marum Roush legally serve? That question now hangs over the latest addition to the Virginia Supreme Court. Yes, says Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who just extended Justice Roush’s term on the state’s highest court until at least mid-February.
Highland Park dry cleaners to reopen under new ownership
Good news for Lonnie McLaurin and up to 30 other people. They will soon be able to get their clothes back from a closed dry cleaners in Highland Park. As the Free Press described in the June 9-11 edition, Mr. McLaurin has been trying to get his clothes since the business at 1311 E. Brookland Park Blvd. shut down in late April. He, like others, had been required to pay in advance for the dry cleaning service.
City’s energy savings plan didn’t pan out
Earlier this year, City Hall rejected a proposal to use energy savings to pay for $13 million in improvements to an array of city buildings, including replacing old boilers, aging windows and outdated lighting.
Police hiring not on fast track
If Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham thought Mayor Dwight C. Jones was going to rush to Richmond City Council to seek approval for a plan to hire 70 more police officers over the next year to beef up his department, he was mistaken.
Morrissey supports new ‘sin’ tax on cigarettes if elected
If Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham thought Mayor Dwight C. Jones was going to rush to Richmond City Council to seek approval for a plan to hire 70 more police officers over the next year to beef up his department, he was mistaken.
Council defeats proposal to change how Richmonders vote in elections
Ranked-choice voting — aimed at ensuring that election winners have majority support — has been booted from Richmond.
School Board to build new Woodville; won’t merge with Fairfield Court
The Richmond School Board plans to keep five elementary schools in operation in the East End in the face of shrinking enrollment that has left at least two schools half empty.
Council members link truancy to increased violence involving city youths
Richmond Public Schools needs to do more to ensure students are in class rather than roaming the streets, according to concerned members of City Council.
City Electoral Board certifies 6 mayoral candidates, 22 for City Council and 19 for School Board
Incumbent Mayor Levar M. Stoney will have five opponents as he seeks a second term.
New study shows disparity in number of city police encounters with African-Americans
African-Americans in Richmond are involved in nearly two out of three civilian encounters with police officers, with lopsided contacts when police are checking out suspicious persons or activities, a new study finds.
City Council approves new tax amnesty programs
Wait until March to pay any overdue taxes on homes and other real estate to avoid paying interest and penalties as well.
Richmond’s banking desert grows
Outside of Downtown, the eastern half of Richmond – which tends to be largely African-American and Latino—has increasingly become a banking desert, bereft of branch banks that are more commonplace in the Downtown and western half of the city.
Newest Soulidifly film, 'Hell on the Border,' to open Friday
Born enslaved, Bass Reeves rose to become a legendary U.S. deputy marshal who helped tame the Wild West, giving rise to speculation that he served as the model for the fictional white Lone Ranger.
COVID-19 testing to begin in high-risk areas of city
The Richmond City Health District plans to ramp up testing for coronavirus in neighborhoods that appear to be the most at risk — low-income areas of the city that are home to many African-Americans.
More left in the cold
Hillside Court residents are plagued by same problem facing Creighton Court — no heat
Kanya N. Nash thinks its fine that some Creighton Court residents have had a chance to stay at a hotel free of charge because the heat failed in their public housing units.
U.S. Postal Service shakeup continues
The U.S. Postal Service is continuing to shake up the management of postal stations in the Richmond area as the fallout continues from a scandal over overtime pay, sources have told the Free Press.
