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Lee statue removed in U.S. Capitol; injunction remains keeping Monument Avenue statue
The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was removed with ease Monday from the U.S. Capitol, but the towering statue of the slavery-defending general will remain on Monument Avenue for now, courtesy of a Virginia Supreme Court ruling.
South Side churches merge, with Pastor Alexander ‘Jay’ Patrick as new head
Celebration Church and Outreach Center, formerly the Richmond Outreach Center, ap- pears to have merged with the nearby Liberation Church, with Pastor Alexander “Jay” Patrick of Liberation named the pastor of the newly merged church.
Vacancies continue to rise in Richmond Police Department
The Richmond Police Department is continuing to shrink in size.
State Jails Board creates improvement plan for City Jail
Investigation cites 6 deaths, inconsistent inspections and other unmet standards
Only a small staff of deputies is working in the Richmond City Justice Center on any given day, the Free Press is being told, as the number of sworn officers under the command of Sheriff Antionette V. Irving continues to fall.
Heads up for a head start?
$19M from projected Casino revenue proposed for child care needs
An already short supply of child care operations could soon grow worse in Richmond and across the country, experts say. But the good news is City Hall has a solution, even though it could take three years to fully come to fruition.
City betting millions on brewery
In its California hometown, Stone Brewery is a standout in San Diego’s burgeoning craft beer market, with Stone’s two beer gardens ranking as important tourist lures. The company boasts that only the renowned San Diego Zoo and the LEGOLAND amusement park attract more visitors to the Navy port city with 4 million people in the metropolitan area or four times the population of metro Richmond.
Plenty of jobs, not enough workers
Commission recommends aligning training with opportunities
Talk about a huge surprise: Four job openings exist in Richmond for every job seeker in the city, according to government data. In fact, more jobs in the city go begging for qualified workers than anywhere else in the Richmond region, which overall has 1.5 job openings for every job seeker, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated in its December report.
Petersburg City Council chooses new leader
W. Howard Myers is out and Samuel Parham is in as the mayor of Petersburg. Foiled in his effort to gain a second term, 5th Ward Councilman Myers nominated Mr. Parham to be Petersburg City Council’s presiding officer at a time when the city continues to face severe financial challenges.
Mayor-elect Stoney plans to be ‘hands-on, visible, transparent’
As he looks forward to becoming Richmond’s next mayor, Levar Stoney is planning to be more visible after he takes office. As he puts it, he wants to be a “hands-on, visible and transparent mayor who can be a champion for accountability, measure outputs and inputs and, at the end of the day, say that the buck stops with me.”
What really happened?
New details change initial police report of Mosby Court events surrounding special agent’s death
Travis A. Ball initially was portrayed as a depraved killer who fatally shot Virginia State Police Special Agent Michael T. Walter in the head without provocation.
Petersburg facing service cutoffs from unpaid vendors
Despite paying a monthly fee, Petersburg residents might not get their trash collected or their recycling materials picked up.
A Zika virus cure?
Research at VCU supports claims of new antiviral drug
When he first published a paper 18 months ago detailing a kind of “miracle” drug that could destroy every virus and bacteria that plagues mankind, Virginia Commonwealth University researcher Paul Dent found his work derided as too good to be true.
Sen. Lucas flip-flops in Va. Supreme Court battle
Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. is still one Senate vote short of winning a General Assembly election that would move him from the Virginia Court of Appeals to the state Supreme Court.
Sen. Jennifer McClellan announces her candidacy for governor
After 15 years in the General Assembly, Sen. Jennifer L. Mc- Clellan wants to play a bigger role in shaping state policy.
City prosecutor to review Marcus-David Peters case
The Marcus-David Peters case is getting another look.
New details emerge about Coliseum replacement plan
Richmond City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille, rushing to get the governing body to vote on the $1.5 billion Coliseum replacement plan in late February, authorized a $25,000 increase in the contract for a private consultant to conduct a review of the proposal for City Council without first gaining a council vote, the Free Press has learned.
Lt. Gov. Fairfax announces he will run for governor in 2021
Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax plans to run for governor in 2021, confident that he no longer will be held back by allegations that he sexually assaulted two women in separate incidents nearly two decades ago.
Joy from pain
2 women impacted by gun violence work to bring comfort to others at Thanksgiving and throughout the year
Turning tragedy into something positive for the community — that’s what two Richmond area women are striving to do even as they grieve losses from gun violence.
Rev. Roaf leaving St. Philip’s Episcopal to be ordained bishop of Western Tennessee
The Rev. Phoebe A. Roaf soon will be leaving the pulpit at historic St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in North Side to become bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee in Memphis.

