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Evergreen Cemetery sold to Enrichmond Foundation
Unkempt, but historic Evergreen Cemetery has a new owner eager to preserve and protect the burial ground for banker Maggie L. Walker, crusading journalist John Mitchell Jr. and as many as 50,000 other African-Americans. After months of talks, Enrichmond Foundation, the nonprofit support arm for city parks and recreation, completed the purchase of the 60-acre cemetery from a private family corporation.
Consumers overtaxed? Receipts show it happened, but now changed
Be aware: Some corporations appear to be collecting more sales tax from customers than the state or local govern- ments require.
City Council approves expansion of real estate tax relief
Elderly and totally disabled homeowners won increased relief from real estate taxes beginning in January 2020.
City Council poised to scrap residency requirement for top officials
For nearly three decades, City Hall executives have been required to move into the city within a year of being hired.
Altria Theater lights up with new acoustics, amenities
Revamped acoustics — including a new sound system and sound-absorbing materials — are among the biggest changes in the grand venue once known as The Mosque and Richmond’s Landmark Theater.
City property values on the rise in many areas
Richmond’s land book of assessed values shows why affordable housing is now a big issue.
House Republicans kill two historic resolutions
Two resolutions expressing profound regret for past wrongs to Black people in Virginia have been killed in the Republican-dominated House of Delegates.
Pilot program to guarantee $500 monthly to families – no strings attached
Eighteen Richmond families each will receive $12,000 over two years in a pilot program testing whether a guaranteed income would make a difference in helping them achieve financial stability.
RPS Chromebooks missing?
A major share of the estimated 20,000 Chromebooks that were distributed to Richmond students last year to help them connect to virtual classes have yet to be recovered or accounted for, the Free Press has been told.
City Council votes to acquire more land for slave memorial
Despite objections from the landowner, Richmond City Council cleared the way for Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration to buy 1.75 acres of private property in Shockoe Bottom to provide extra space for a proposed Enslaved African Heritage Campus.
Richmond schools to get boost from state
Higher than expected enrollment is helping Richmond Public Schools avoid falling into a deficit. Richmond reported 128 more students than expected on March 31, boosting total enrollment to 21,973 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, according to a report to the School Board. The extra students should result in a $1.6 million boost in the state’s contribution, according to the report from Ralph L. Westbay, assistant superintendent for financial services. The state contribution previously had been projected at $121.7 million.
FCC complaint filed over radio station change
Preston T. Brown is hoping that Washington can provide some help in his battle with the new owner of a Richmond AM station formerly known as WCLM 1450 that’s now called WUWN.
Laptop overload
Despite thousands of unused Chromebooks, RPS plans to buy 4,000 more
Three months ago, the Richmond School Board was told that the school system had enough Chromebooks to provide every student with a laptop “for years to come.” Now the board is being advised that Superintendent Jason Kamras’ administration plans to buy at least 4,000 more Chromebooks using a newly awarded federal grant.
Evelyn H. Price, retired teacher and church leader, dies at 85
Evelyn Louise Harris Price, a retired Richmond educator and active churchwoman, has died.
Environmentalist Dr. Charles K. Price dies at 82
Dr. Charles Kemper Price, who led the effort to transform an ignored North Side area long used as a dumping ground into a walking and biking trail and spearheaded efforts to preserve natural areas in Richmond, has died.
City Council gives green light to new $13M apartment development at former funeral home site
The historic home of the A.D. Price Funeral Home at 212 E. Leigh St. in Jackson Ward will soon gain more apartments.
Dr. Reavis to retire as seminary president
Fifteen years ago, Dr. Ralph Reavis Sr. went to Lynchburg to save his alma mater, Virginia University of Lynchburg. Now the former Richmond pastor is preparing to step down as president of the historically black Baptist college and seminary that he believes has been restored to full health — with more than 10 times the enrollment than when he started. “When I got here, there were only 32 students on campus,” Dr. Reavis said. Today, more than 400 students are taking courses on the campus, online or in a satellite program on the Northern Neck in Eastern Virginia.
GSK to add 150 jobs at city research center
Richmond is to gain 150 new jobs and an enlarged role as a hub of consumer product research and development for a joint venture of two pharmaceutical giants, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer.
Judge suspends incorporation efforts at Fourth Baptist Church
A Richmond judge has temporarily blocked historic Fourth Baptist Church from taking any further steps to incorporate and reversed other actions approved during the pandemic.
Natural gas price to rise in Richmond
Cook or heat with natural gas? Beginning with the February bill, Richmond customers will pay a bit extra for the fuel. Richmond Gas Works, the city’s gas utility, has announced customers will be charged an extra penny for every 10 cubic feet of natural gas used. Ten cubic feet is the equivalent of 75 gallons of gasoline.
