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City Council member raises host of questions on homeless plan
City Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson feels caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to a proposal to create a housing services center for the homeless in a church building in South Side.
City attorney rules $226,000 in severance payments legal
The controversial award of $226,000 in severance packages to four people who worked for former Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones was legal, according to City Attorney Allen L. Jackson.
Wrinkle in process means RPS doesn’t have access to city-managed school construction money
Richmond Public Schools has hit an unexpected roadblock on its way to hiring an architectural team to design a replacement for decaying George Wythe High School.
City seeks court order authorizing 2nd casino referendum
City Hall is rushing to secure a Richmond Circuit Court order to authorize a second casino referendum in November before the General Assembly can block it through budget language, the Free Press has learned.
Highland Park grocery store closed
S&K Supermarket, one of the last grocery stores in North Side, remains closed in Highland Park, with a planned renovation on hold.
High rollers
6 companies roll the dice in hopes of landing Richmond’s sole casino license
A gusher of tax revenue for Richmond and potentially 1,400 or more new jobs for city residents.
The next big thing?
City officials are turning to the planned development of 60 acres of city-owned property in North Side around The Diamond for a big return
What’s the next big thing for Richmond now that the $565 million casino-resort project for South Side and the $1.5 billion Navy Hill project for Downtown are kaput?
Legal or not?
Texas Hold ‘em poker games taking place in South Side at Pop’s Bar & Grill, whose co-founder is chairman of the Virginia Charitable Gaming Board
Casino-style gaming is still going strong in Richmond even after voters turned down an actual casino-resort in the Nov. 2 referendum.
New city high-rise built with commitment to diversity
Gerald “Junior” Burr Jr. likely swells with pride every time he crosses the Manchester Bridge and sees the newest addition to the city’s skyline — the 19-story Gateway Plaza building that formally opened this week His company, Canterbury Enterprises Inc., played an important part in the two-year development of the glass-faced, high-rise structure that sits in the block bounded by 8th, 9th, Cary and Canal streets — the new home of the McGuireWoods law firm, its consulting arm and several other companies.
Councilman says city ‘not equipped’ for safer streets
“Completely miffed.” That is 1st District City Councilman Andreas Addison’s reaction to City Hall’s efforts to reduce speed and the likelihood of more fatal accidents in the wake of highly publicized traffic deaths of two Virginia Commonwealth University students since January.
City election officials called on the carpet
The Virginia Department of Elections has a software upgrade that could have prevented voters in precincts split into two or more election districts from receiving the wrong ballots, the Free Press has learned. The finding comes at the same time the state Board of Elections, which oversees the department, has asked City of Richmond election officials to appear Jan. 8 before the state board to explain a series of problems that cropped up during the Nov. 3 election.
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.
American Federation of Government Workers union officials removed
Turmoil in the 2,500-member union representing workers at the Richmond Veterans Administration Medical Center in South Side is offering a cautionary tale for city employees who are now in the process of unionizing.
Mayor saves tree at planned Walker monument site
Yes, Richmond, that iconic Downtown tree is going to survive. That’s the word from Mayor Dwight C. Jones. He disclosed Wednesday that he is committed to saving the green-leafed live oak tree that dominates the triangular site earmarked for a proposed statue of renowned Richmonder Maggie L. Walker, the first African-American woman in the nation to establish and operate a bank.
Officials break ground for new off-track betting parlor in South Side
A vacant, former K-Mart store in South Side is being transformed into a $30 million center for betting on horse racing called Rosie’s.
Walker statue to be shorter than initial plan
Maggie Walker’s statue in Downtown could wind up at least 6 feet shorter than sculptor Antonio “Toby” Mendez first envisioned. Instead of a 14-foot tall statue standing on a 5-foot pedestal as the sculptor proposed, the bronze figure of the much-admired Richmond businesswoman and civil rights leader would be no more than 10 feet tall and stand on 3-foot,4-inch pedestal in the proposed plaza at Adams and Broad streets.
Confederate chair found in New Orleans; alleged bandits nabbed
The stolen chair dedicated to Confederate President Jefferson Davis has been recovered in New Orleans, and the owners of a tattoo parlor in the “Big Easy” have been arrested on related felony charges, though their attorneys are calling their arrests “a mistake.”
Richmond jail diversion showing results
The figures reflect the stepped-up efforts by the courts, prosecutors, police, government officials and community service providers to use less costly approaches to justice than jail. The impact on the population at the new Richmond Justice Center is evident. On Monday, Jan. 26, Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. reported holding 1,126 inmates, or 240 fewer than the 1,366 people who were being held in the old City Jail on the same day in 2014.
Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club becomes temporary shelter for homeless
The Salvation Army this week turned its recently renovated Boys and Girls Club in Church Hill into a temporary 75-bed shelter for homeless people.
Free school supplies for RPS teachers
Free school supplies will be available to Richmond Public Schools teachers when classes begin, thanks to a nonprofit called HandsOn Greater Richmond (HOGR).
