All results / Stories / Jeremy M. Lazarus
City budget deficit pegged at $4.1M
The City of Richmond is facing a $4.1 million deficit and likely will have to dip into savings to avoid being in the red when the books close June 30 on the current 2015-16 fiscal year. That’s according to Lenora Reid, the city’s chief financial officer.
City Council committee again closes door on private ambulance service
Richmond City Council’s Public Safety Committee voted to kill legislation that would give Fire Chief Melvin Carter greater decision-making authority over permits for the operation of private ambulance service within the city.
Richmond Police detectives indicted on misdemeanor charges
The Richmond Police Department appears to have largely dodged a legal bullet from the actions of its officers during the spate of protests over police brutality and racial injustice during late spring.
$5M payday?
Tentative agreement said to be reached in Arthur Ashe controversy
City Hall and the Richmond School Board appear to be on the verge of settling a 17-month dispute over control of the aging Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center, a basketball arena and convocation center that the school system managed since it opened in 1982. As the Free Press previously reported, both sides claimed ownership of the 4.1-acre property that occupies a key corner of the planned 67-acre, $2.44 billion Diamond District redevelopment initiative — and until now, an ugly and embarrassing court battle appeared to be looming to settle which entity holds title to the building.
Petersburg group petitions court to boot mayor, councilman
Furious over the financial crisis that grips Petersburg, a faction of city voters has taken the rare step of asking a judge to remove two members of Petersburg City Council they blame for the city’s condition, Mayor Samuel Parham, 3rd Ward, and his predecessor, Councilman and former Mayor W. Howard Myers, 5th Ward.
Support builds for more fiscal controls over Mayor Stoney
Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney is doing all he can to avoid the fiscal handcuffs that City Council is poised to slap on him.
Richmond Christian Center gets 4-month reprieve from sale
The Richmond Christian Center has been given a four-month reprieve from the forced sale of its South Side sanctuary in the 200 block of Cowardin Avenue and other holdings.
Sen. Tim Kaine glides to big re-election victory
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine declared that Virginia rejected the “the politics of hatred and division … the politics of peddling lies to get ahead” after handily winning re-election to his second six-year term.
Training camp fails to score finances, developments for city
After five football seasons, the Washington pro football team’s training camp at 2401 W. Leigh St. apparently is failing to generate enough income to pay off the cost of its construction.
Problems with paths, grass persist at Monroe Park
Add Monroe Park to the list of troubled projects for the city Department Public Works.
Shine bright like a Diamond
RDP developers win $2.4B, 15-year, mixed-use project in baseball district
After years of talk, Richmond is ready to launch the huge Diamond District redevelopment of 68 acres of mostly city-owned property in North Side
Mayor Stoney outlines new plan for city in State of City address
The Pulse lanes on Broad Street and in other parts of Richmond will be painted red thanks to a state grant to improve safety for drivers and pedestrians.
On probation
VUU has a year to meet financial accreditation standards
Virginia Union University remains optimistic of lifting the dark cloud that hangs over its accreditation – a key requirement for its students to access federal student loans – despite record enrollment, a strengthened academic program and increased donations.
Petersburg roils with turmoil
There’s trouble in Petersburg. Petitions are being circulated to remove Petersburg Mayor W. Howard Myers. Separately, a majority of the Petersburg City Council has voted to begin talks to remove Petersburg City Manager William E. Johnson III and City Attorney Brian K. Telfair, although some are questioning whether the action came at a legal meeting. All of this comes as residents are venting over the way the city is being managed, over sky-high water bills and about property tax bills that are arriving close to the deadline for payment.
Remnants of the Confederacy
The statue of Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, the last of the four city-owned Confederate statues on Monument Avenue, was taken down and moved to storage Tuesday
The former capital of the Confederacy has largely been wiped clean of the racist statuary that has long dominated the landscape.
House of Delegates to become more diverse
The Virginia House of Delegates will be more diverse and more Democratic in January as a result of Tuesday’s elections. Voters in districts across the state produced shocker after shocker as Democrats unexpectedly won at least 15 new seats in the 100-seat House to come close to controlling the General Assembly’s lower chamber.
State of the City
Mayor Levar M. Stoney outlines plans to boost public safety, health, affordable housing, job creation, violence prevention to improve the quality of life for Richmonders
Bigger investments in public safety – including the creation of a gun buyback program as part of a strategic effort to quell the surge in gunfire and violence.
City bonuses may cause future budget problems
Just days before leaving office, Mayor Dwight C. Jones quietly awarded nearly $2 million in bonuses to most of the city’s 4,000 employees in seeking to brighten their holidays and thank them for their “dedication and commitment” during his tenure.
City Council readies for lower revenue projections
Ninth District Councilman Michael J. Jones, chair of City Council’s Finance and Economic Development Committee, esti- mates that projected Richmond revenues in the new fiscal year that will begin July 1 could shrink by $75 million to $100 million as a result of the coronavirus.
Unsheltered
Plans to house the homeless in Shockoe Valley disappear
Plans for a year-round shelter open around the clock for the homeless have suddenly evaporated seven months after being announced.
