Dr. Taleshia L. Chandler, educator and first lady of Cedar Street Baptist Church, dies
Cedar Street Baptist Church of God is mourning the loss of its first lady, educator, author and inspiring church singer, Taleshia Lenshell “Lady C” Chandler.
Hearing set for A.P. Hill statue’s new home
The fate of the statue of Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill that still stands in North Side could be decided on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
Developers want to convert old school into apartments
A $55 million apartment complex is being proposed to transform the long vacant Oak Grove Elementary School in South Side – but that plan is facing competition as well as pushback from the neighborhood civic association.
Uncertain future
Richmond man says he’s being evicted after a lifetime of working and paying his bills
Phillip E. Brown Sr. is packing up his belongings as he faces being homeless.
‘We’re not giving up’
Urban One leadership acknowledges casino vote delay
Forget about a second vote on a casino-resort in November.
Local groups announce back-to-school giveaways
Are you or someone you know struggling to buy school supplies for your children?
When tenants don’t pay, eviction is the price, says one landlord
Landlords are in trouble, too, according to Bobby L. McIntosh, who is in charge of 109 units in Richmond through his company, Bayside Properties and Management.
City to exchange gift cards for rifles, handguns, broken weapons
Richmond’s first gun buyback program — largely regarded by experts as a publicity stunt — is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, at Liberation Church, 5501 Midlothian Turnpike, Mayor Levar M. Stoney announced Tuesday.
Big mistake
Tear gas released on Lee statue protesters was in error
Twenty-five minutes before an 8 p.m. curfew was to go into effect, Richmond Police officers began firing tear gas and other noxious chemical agents to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who had gathered around the now removed Robert E. Lee statue in the city’s West End.
James William Cheagle, who fought discrimination in law enforcement, dies at 79
Retired Richmond Police Capt. James William Cheagle, who was a leader in fighting racial bigotry within the department, has died.
Judge, after slow process, tosses lawsuit seeking new Virginia elections
Members of the Virginia House of Delegates can continue to represent unconstitutional districts that the state Supreme Court abolished in December.
Property owners given more time to apply for tax exemptions
Elderly and totally disabled property owners in Richmond will have the whole year to apply for exemptions from real estate taxes, beginning in January 2023.
City jail inmate charged for attacking deputy
It took three weeks, but a Richmond City Justice Center inmate with a long rap sheet has been charged with the malicious wounding July 7 of a female deputy whose jaw was shattered and who suffered other serious facial injuries in a brutal attack.
City housing director, church leaders discuss shelter options
$3M on the table for homeless
Ninth District City Councilman Michael J. Jones hopes a network of churches can be developed to provide shelter for the homeless during inclement weather, particularly during winter cold.
Helping customers with utility bills during pandemic proves costly for city
More than 6,300 homes and businesses in Richmond — 10 percent of the customer base — are facing disconnection of their utilities for nonpayment of water, sewer and gas bills.
City officials debate how to investigate defunct nonprofit
A criminal probe of the collapsed Enrichmond Foundation is on the way, according to 5th District Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch.
Referendum idea to give voters a say in casino dollars and schools dropped
Not happening. City Council has declined to consider putting an advisory referendum on the November ballot that would allow city voters to decide if tax revenues from a casino should go to modernizing Richmond’s school buildings.
Pregnancy assistance program adding new location, doulas
Richmond-based Birth in Color is expanding again to help even more pregnant Black women avoid complications during and after the birthing process.
Moving forward
Some hope collective bargaining agreement will define Richmond as a ‘workplace of choice’
Waves of applause resounded in the City Council chambers Monday night after, one by one, the nine members of the governing body voted, as anticipated, to allow city workers to organize unions and negotiate contracts on wages, benefits and working conditions.
Training facility for people formerly incarcerated won’t reopen
City Hall has ruled out allowing a nonprofit construction training program for people released from jails and prisons to return to a former North Side school building that it had occupied for five years.
New North Side farmers’ market faces challenge
A new farmers’ market has opened on the grounds of Richmond Community High School, but City Hall’s removal of electricity has limited the operation, organizers said.
How many homeless people will be sheltered this winter remains unclear
Finding adequate space also an issue, city officials say
City Hall is moving forward in trying to find nonprofits or churches and other faith-based groups with available space to house homeless people, at least during the winter.
A more perfect union
City reaches negotiated agreement regarding collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is coming to City Hall for the first time – though it could take a year or more to have an impact.
Construction leader Langston R. Davis Sr. dies
Langston Randolph Davis Sr., president and chief executive officer of Richmond-based Davis Brothers Construction Co. Inc., has died.
City leader to question silent sheriff about jail attacks
Richmond Sheriff Antionette V. Irving has been asked to appear before City Council’s Public Safety Committee next week.
Crusade for Voters supports November referendum for casino revenue use
If a casino is ever built in Richmond, should all the tax dollars generated from the gambling center go to modernizing Richmond’s decrepit school buildings?
City’s plan leaves fewer people with shelter this winter
City Hall is ending its decades-old effort to prevent homeless people from freezing to death when temperatures plunge.
The Rev. Robert W. Oliver Sr. remembered as a ‘force for good’
Faith, family and hard work shaped the Rev. Robert Wade “Bobby” Oliver Sr.’s life.
Still standing:
The battle over who gets A.P. Hill statue remains undecided
A legal fight is slowing City Hall’s efforts to remove the last remaining statue of a slavery-defending Confederate military leader.
RRHA moving downtown by the end of 2022
The city’s housing authority is making plans to shift its headquarters from Gilpin Court to Downtown, the Free Press has been told.
‘The Bible does not speak about abortion’
City councilman and minister says right-wing evangelicals’ religious doctrine lacks biblical foundation
Dr. Michael J. Jones is ready to debate anyone who claims that a ban on abortion is based on the Bible.
Daily dangers, including physical assaults on deputies, allegedly occur at city jail
Seven months after Richmond Sheriff Antionette V. Irving was sworn into her second four-year term, concern is mounting over her control of the still short-staffed Richmond City Justice Center, as the jail located in Shockoe Valley is called.
Richmond Police officer charged in April 7 traffic deaths of 2 teens
A Richmond Police officer, who ran a red light in South Side while racing to respond to a burglary-in-progress call, is now facing the prospect of prison time for killing two teens when he collided with their car.
Monroe Park Conservancy’s status unknown
Has the Monroe Park Conservancy, a private group that manages the city’s oldest park, joined the Enrichmond Foundation in going defunct?
Councilwoman calls for audit of defunct foundation
The chair of City Council’s Education and Human Services Committee plans to seek a financial audit of the collapsed Enrichmond Foundation, which previously played a crucial role in providing support for city parks and recreation.
Pay them, but not her
RPS spends extra to win bill dispute
The Richmond School Board paid a white law firm $31,000 in legal fees to avoid paying a Black professional’s $27,000 bill for doing consulting work in the case of a disabled student, half of which was to be paid by the state.
Henrico County man fighting eviction will soon have his day in court
Donald J. Garrett could find out within a week whether he will keep the Eastern Henrico apartment he has lived in since 2011.
Natural gas price hikes mean higher bills for area customers
Area residents who cook, heat, cool or otherwise rely on natural gas provided by Richmond are starting to see their bills jump – even though cold weather is still months away.
Collective bargaining decision delayed again
The vote to authorize Richmond city employees to unionize is now expected to happen Monday, July 25.
Neglected Highland Park church may soon see new life
It’s taken four years but plans to convert a derelict church in the 1200 block of Brookland Park Blvd. in North Side into 66 affordable apartments are moving closer to reality.
‘No one handed out medals’
Retired Richmond fireman recalls heroic work saving elderly residents in fire 44 years ago
As the firetrucks roared up, an elderly woman was screaming for help out of a half-open window as smoke billowed around her. She would be the first person that firefighter William“Junie” Bullock would rescue that day from the ninth floor of the Boxwood Building at Imperial Plaza, a five-building complex for retirees located on Bellevue Avenue in North Side that had opened 11 years earlier.
Collective bargaining vote delayed again
There will be a City Council vote to settle whether to allow city workers to engage in collective bargaining. The only mystery is when it will happen.
Enrichmond Foundation’s status is unclear
The nonprofit has been an umbrella for some 85 volunteer organizations
A 32-year-old foundation that was created to support the city Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities and that is now the owner of two historic Black cemeteries may have collapsed.
Henrico homeowner disturbed by N.C. firm’s shoddy work on her property
Brenda F. Peters was certain that she owned every bit of the property on which the brick bungalow she bought 10 years ago stands in Eastern Henrico County.
New plaintiff’s in House elections suit unlikely to sway judge
The current and former president of the Loudoun County NAACP are now parties to a suit seeking to force new elections for the 100 House of Delegate seats in November — but the federal judge hearing the case appears determined to ensure that new elections cannot happen.
Richmond plans to hold a second casino vote in November, despite state budget’s language
Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin refused to intervene to help Richmond gain a second chance to secure a casino-resort, which aids those seeking to have the casino go to Petersburg and leaves advocates for a Richmond casino fuming.
Collective bargaining outcome remains unclear
Could City Council vote on authorizing collective bargaining at its upcoming meeting on Monday, June 27?
Vanishing notebooks
RPS officials report 12,100 laptops missing
On the heels of a scathing audit report, Richmond Public Schools is admitting that its own internal check has found that more than 1,600 laptops that were purchased have vanished, and that it does not know the whereabouts of another 10,558 laptops that are listed in the inventory.
RPS summer meals program begins June 29
After school closes June 24, Richmond Public Schools will still serve free breakfast and lunch at six schools to ensure students are not hungry most of the summer, it has been announced.
