Virginia Organizing challenges Youngkin’s voting rights move
The Charlottesville-based grassroots group Virginia Organizing plans to lead a public march and protest in Richmond at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, to protest Republican Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin’s rollback of the virtually automatic restoration of voting rights for released felons, it has been announced
Control of the state legislature, a casino in Richmond top ballots in coming elections
Abortion, clean energy, public education funding and state tax policy will all be on the ballot in the upcoming election for the General Assembly.
Metropolitan Business League founder Neverett Alexander Eggleston Jr. dies at age 90
Neverett Alexander Eggleston Jr., a well-known Jackson Ward entrepreneur and a founder of a Richmond trade association for Black businesses, has died.
Average value of Richmond homes hits new record
Homeowners in Richmond can expect to pay bigger real estate tax bills in 2024 as the value of their property continues to rise, though at a more modest pace than the blistering double digit growth rates of the past two years.
RPS mechanics appeal to School Board
Bus mechanics who service Richmond Public School buses are appealing to the Richmond School Board for help.
Shattered wings
City cuts bird-safe glass from new community centers
As plans for three new community centers in Richmond took shape, an internal City Hall review committee recommended that the windows and glazing on the buildings be designed in a way that would reduce the risk of birds being killed by smashing into them. However, without any explanation, Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration rejected the modest change that the Urban Design Committee (UDC) sought.
Key Awareness publisher Robert W. Evans Sr. dies at 77
Robert Wright Evans Sr. described life as “a never-ending journey” that is best done with the aim of using God-given gifts and talents “as uplifting blessings with the many souls and spirits encountered along the way.”
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 Council weighs employee pension proposal
City Hall is proposing that new employees be enrolled in the state’s pension system effective Jan. 1, according to a lengthy report City Council received Tuesday.
City acts to secure local cemeteries
City Hall has quietly signed a letter of intent to take over abandoned, but historic Black cemeteries in the East End and a far smaller and less well known burial ground on Forest View Drive in South Side, the Free Press has learned.
City’s new homeless services plan includes opening North Side shelter, working with Salvation Army
City Hall has rolled out a revamped plan for helping people who have no shelter. The plan includes opening a housing resource center to better connect the homeless with housing options, expanding year-round shelter beds and providing a temporary space for people to sleep during winter, summer and heavy rains.
Former MCV researcher LaVerne Wingo Cooper dies at age 92
LaVerne Amelia Wingo Cooper devoted her life to trying to find cures for diseases as a clinical researcher at the Medical College of Virginia – most notably sickle cell anemia, a genetic blood disorder that is most prevalent among African-Americans.
Tenants rally against poor maintenance
‘Housing is a human right! That is why we stand and fight’
Patrick Saddon is supposed to have central air conditioning in his Chamberlayne Avenue apartment. But for the past two years, Mr. Saddon said his air conditioning unit hasn’t worked. He said that he has received visits from maintenance staff, but nothing changes.
Help for elderly homeowners who are delinquent in paying taxes
City Hall has come up with a new way to help elderly homeowners who have fallen far behind in paying real estate taxes that have overwhelmed their fixed- income budgets.
Census shows city’s Black population declining
The Black community’s share of Richmond’s population is continuing to fall, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Coming full faith circle
New pastor at Greater Mt. Moriah Baptist
The Rev. Donté McCutchen has taken the pulpit at Greater Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, adding to an already busy schedule.
Changes in Youngkin administration
Kay Coles James has stepped down as Secretary of the Commonwealth, and Harold W. Clarke is retiring as director of the state’s prison system. The departure of the two senior Black state officials will usher in new leadership at several agencies in Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin’s administration.
Labor Day holiday prompts no public celebrations for City workers now represented by unions
Cookouts, parties at breweries and restaurants and free admission to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. Those are among the events planned for Labor Day in Richmond on Monday, Sept. 4, according to websites listing events. Missing from the list are parades, celebrations or other activities related to working people and labor unions — even though this holiday was created to celebrate workers.
Richmond man seeks parole after nearly four decades in prison
Since 2002, the Virginia Parole Board has approved the release of 69 people who were convicted of murder, including some serving two life sentences. Marvin M. Mundy, who already has served 36 years for his role in the 1988 murder of the night manager and a guest at a Henrico County hotel, is keeping his fingers crossed that he will be next.
Woody Foundation, Military Retirees at odds over admissions tax
For at least 10 years, Christopher J. Woody Sr. raised money for his charity, The Woody Foundation, by throwing at least 17 parties and events a year at the Military Retirees Club of Richmond in North Side, a large private space that permits alcohol.
Richmond judge clears way for casino vote
Richmond voters will have a second chance to vote on hosting a $560 million casino in South Side. Judge W. Reilly Marchant cleared the way Wednesday by blocking a Richmond charity bingo group’s attempt to challenge the constitutionality of the order he signed July 25 to put the issue on the Nov. 7 general election ballot.
Judge suspends order to put casino issue on Nov. ballot
A Richmond judge will decide whether to allow a charitable gaming group to challenge the constitutionality of the city’s selection of a casino operator and potentially prevent a planned vote on whether to have a casino in the Nov. 7 general election.
Dr. Evora W. Jones, who mentored authors and educators at VUU, dies at age 88
Dr. Evora Williams Jones, a retired English professor at Virginia Union University who focused on Southern women writers, has died.
Longtime RPS educator Eleanor R. Binford remembered
Eleanor Redd Binford influenced hundreds of elementary schoolchildren during the 35 years she taught in Richmond Public Schools.
Changing the trajectory
RRHA ushering in new initiatives for jobs, health and safety
Steven B. Nesmith promised to transform the operation of Richmond’s public housing and the opportunities for residents when he assumed leadership of the authority last fall.
Kim D. Saunders, former president and CEO of Consolidated Bank, dies at age 61
Kim D. Saunders, who ran a financial consulting firm after leading banks in Richmond, Washington and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., has died.
Arthur Ashe Center agreement reached
A potential roadblock for the projected $2.4 billion Diamond District development appears to have been cleared, the Free Press has learned, though questions remain on other aspects.
Hot and unhoused
Councilwoman urges city to open shelter for disabled people, families and children; Efforts to ‘expand the safety net’ for homeless coming early September, says official
Staying outdoors in the summer heat “is no fun,” said Thomas Bateman, a disabled factory worker. The bedraggled 63-year-old Richmonder hasn’t been able to find an affordable place to stay in the city, and his only income, a government disability check, allows him to pay for a motel stay just one night a month.
Electoral Board reverses decision after earlier action ruled illegal
The Richmond Electoral Board, as anticipated, voted last Friday at a special meeting to reverse course and open two more sites for in-person early voting that will begin next month 45 days ahead of the Nov. 7 general election for General Assembly seats.
New law addresses temporary detention orders during mental health crises
‘A law like this was needed’ says woman who faced hospital stay
A new state law might have prevented Jamisha L. Seward’s ordeal nearly a year ago when she was handcuffed and shackled by her leg to a hospital bed for more than 80 hours while a rotating shift of Henrico County police officers kept an eye on her.
City’s Charter Review Commission releases report
After eight months of work, a commission set up to review Richmond’s constitution or City Charter has stopped short of recommending a major overhaul of the city’s form of government.
Services scheduled for Dr. Adelaide Winfree Simpson
Dr. Adelaide Winfree Simpson loved helping people learn to cope with challenges, deal with traumas and handle the troubles in their life. For more 36 years, she worked with a wide array of individuals as a practicing clinical psychologist in the Richmond area.
Dr. Cora S. Salzberg, a state, national and international champion of education, dies at age 81
Dr. Cora Slade Salzberg, a leader in promoting higher education in Virginia and the leader of The Links’ national program aimed at aiding underachieving K-12 students to become more successful in school, has died.
Roxanne W. Brinson, former RRHA manager, remembered
Roxanne White Brinson wore multiple hats in seeking to benefit others.
Music week features folk, hip-hop, jazz, metal, pop, rock, R&B and more
Entertainment will be in the spotlight during the first ever Richmond Music Week.
Goldman prepares to sue over casino
In mid-June, Richmond City Council voted 8-1 to select RVA Entertainment Holdings LLC as its preferred choice to operate a resort casino in the city — setting the stage for a second attempt to win city voter support for a gambling operation that was defeated two years ago. However, political strategist Paul Goldman believes the no-bid award to the company could violate a provision of the state constitution as well as the Virginia Public Procurement Act. He said he is preparing a lawsuit to test whether the city was required to go through a bidding process before making what amounts to a perpetual right for that company to operate the casino.
City reverses course on Hickory Hill
In a surprise reversal, City Hall has dropped its plan to build a new training building for the city Fire Department on 2 acres of lawn at the Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side after a two-year effort to make it happen.
Richmond Electoral Board to reverse course
The Richmond Electoral Board is preparing to retreat from its controversial and evidently illegal plan to eliminate two early voting sites for the upcoming Tuesday, Nov. 7, general election, one at Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side and the other at City Hall. Hit by strong backlash after the vote last month to shutter those sites as well as a stern, official legal opinion stating the action violated state law, the Republican-led board already has scheduled a special meeting for Friday, Aug. 4, to reverse course.
Former city educator memorialized at Fifth Baptist Church
Emma Darlene Nunery, a veteran Richmond educator whose career spanned more than 40 years, has died.
Thumbs up: Circuit court OKs casino referendum for Nov. 7 ballot
Voters have the power to change South Side’s ‘economic trajectory,’ says Mayor
Richmond voters are all but certain to have a second chance to decide whether the city should host a casino resort.
Albert Ruffin assumes lead Eastern Star post
A Richmond area man has been elected to a top state post in the women’s auxiliary of the Prince Hall Masons.
Council approves Highland Park housing units, ban on wild animals, and more honorary street signs
Rushing to get to their August recess, City Council spent less than 90 minutes passing more than 40 pieces of mostly routine legislation that largely involved approvals of special use permits for development and authorizations for future transportation projects.
City Councilwoman says rumors of eminent domain in North Side ‘not true’
A hoax that created a small uproar over the Richmond leg of the $266 million regional Fall Line Trail is being dispelled.
RRHA prepares to launch home-buying initiative
Richmond is preparing to become the first place in the country to test a revamped federal regulation aimed toward making it easier for people who hold housing vouchers or live in public housing to buy homes. Describing it as a “groundbreaking and historic ini- tiative” that would build wealth for those who qualify, Steven B. Nesmith, the chief executive officer for the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority,
Ezibu Muntu marks 50th year at Dogwood Dell program
Ezibu Muntu, the oldest African dance company in the Richmond area, will mark its 50th year with a “golden” dance program at Dogwood Dell at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5.
Richmond area feeling impact from visitors
More visitors are coming to the Richmond area to participate in conventions and sporting events, giving a boost to the regional economy, generating jobs and filling hotels.
Changing of the guard
Roger Gregory no longer a chief judge; Reggie Gordon, Damon Jiggetts now head foundations
Judge Roger L. Gregory is now the former chief judge of the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
City OKs plan for toothless commission to keep tabs on utilities
Also, owning big cats, reptiles, bears and wolves is a ‘no’
City Council is on track to create the city’s first Public Utilities & Services Commission to review issues involving public utilities and pass a modified ban on lions, tigers, alligators and other “exotic or wild animals.”
City names Edwards as police chief
Richmond's top cop will be paid a record $216,000
Richard “Rick” Edwards is now the city’s 21st chief of police.
