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Bank branch to close in Highland Park
The last Bank of America branch located in a majority African-American neighborhood of Richmond is scheduled to close in two months, according to the bank’s website.
Another Barbara Johns?
Open High students plan citywide walkout to protest lack of funding
Imagine all 5,600 high school students in Richmond walking out to protest the physical conditions of their buildings. Then imagine them overflowing the Richmond City Council chambers a few hours later to bring their concerns to the nine-member governing body.
Second gun buyback program for city targeted
City Hall plans to continue to invest in gun buyback programs despite clear evidence that the program has not worked, which studies have shown is the case in virtually every locality offering to pay people to turn in their guns.
Richmond Ambulance Authority sounds funding alarm
A sea of red ink. That is what the Richmond Ambulance Authority warns it is facing.
RRHA residents in ‘buy or move’ spot
Charlene C. Harris hoped to live out her years at 1600 Colorado Ave., the single-family brick cottage that she and her family have called home for 47 years. But now the retired 68-year-old state employee is being told she must either purchase the two-bedroom home from her landlord, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, or face moving. “It’s a terrible situation,” she said. “RRHA has told me I have to put up $500 to begin the process and to get a mortgage by December. Otherwise, I would have to accept relocation.”
Green light shines on Diamond District
The huge plan to redevelop 67 acres of publicly owned land around The Diamond baseball stadium has a green light — despite questions about the soundness of its financial structure.
Strange fruit?
Critic: Oak evokes lynching image at Walker statue site
The fight over the tree in the planned Maggie L. Walker plaza isn’t over. Gary L. Flowers, a Richmond native and national political and civil rights operative living in Jackson Ward, has jumped into the fray with a petition drive opposing the live oak that now dominates the gateway into Jackson Ward where the monument to the great lady is to stand.
Plans shape up for developments in Gilpin Court area
The Stallings family is preparing to go even bigger on developing its property in Gilpin Court, which lies north of Interstate 95 in Downtown and is best known for the public housing community.
Free school supplies for RPS teachers
Free school supplies will be available to Richmond Public Schools teachers when classes begin, thanks to a nonprofit called HandsOn Greater Richmond (HOGR).
Speaking Spirit Ministries says praise the Lord, pass the popcorn
Go to church and stay for a movie. That’s now possible at a satellite sanctuary of the independent Speaking Spirit Ministries.
Natural gas getting cheaper in Richmond
Heating and cooking with natural gas just got a little cheaper in Richmond. Effective with February’s bills, the cost of the fuel is being lowered again, saving the average residential customer about $6 a month, the city Department of Public Utilities just announced. It’s more good news for consumers who also are enjoying cheaper gasoline prices to fuel their vehicles.
GRTC’s planned Bus Rapid Transit already $11.5M over projection
Richmond’s Bus Rapid Transit system is going to cost an additional $11.5 million to develop. But the state — and not Richmond — will pick up the extra expense, GRTC spokeswoman Carrie Rose Pace disclosed Tuesday. “Under the project agreement, the Commonwealth of Virginia will cover any costs that exceed the estimated project budget,” she stated in an email to the Free Press.
Small nonprofit makes big impact on lives, health of people
Josselyn Aguirre-Cabrera went to see a doctor about her nagging headaches and learned she had diabetes.
Mayor’s $836M proposed budget includes major pay hikes for public safety workers
Soaring property values and a continuing boom in new development in Richmond have given City Hall the money to propose major pay increases for police officers, firefighters and other city employees.
Buyer beware
Consumers may flip wig over falsely labeled hair
Unsuspecting women are being ripped off when it comes to buying wigs. They are being induced to pay higher prices for cheaper wigs that are falsely labeled as being a more expensive product. So says Mary J. Harris, a retired Richmond factory worker.
Foundation poised with cash to purchase Woodland Cemetery
The Evergreen Restoration Foundation has raised the $50,000 needed to purchase Woodland Cemetery, a historic African-American cemetery in Henrico County that is the burial ground of Arthur Ashe Jr., the Richmond-born tennis great and humanitarian.
Supplies surprise: $200 shopping spree helps teachers get ready for school
Wednesday was a big day for about 200 teachers from the three city public schools that sit along Forest Hill Avenue in the 4th Council District.
City rejects South Side church bid for abandoned school
A church that has competed to buy the long vacant Oak Grove Elementary School property in South Side has been eliminated from contention — leaving an apartment developer as the only bidder with an offer still under review.
Prospect of home ownership escapes 70-year-old Randolph resident
Charlene C. Harris hoped to buy the home in Randolph that she and her family have rented for nearly 50 years from the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
‘Voices from the Garden’ monument in Capitol Square to honor Va. women
A new monument to Virginia women is planned to rise in about two-and-a-half years on the grounds of the State Capitol to celebrate the impact women have had on the commonwealth and the nation.
