Richmond Free Press December 1-3, 2022 edition

A. Donald McEachin, hailed as trailblazing figure in Virginia politics, dies

By Holly Rodriguez

A few weeks before Rep. A. (Aston) Donald McEachin’s Nov. 8 suc cessful bid to maintain his seat in U.S. Congress, he contacted Rev. Ralph Hodge, senior pastor at Richmond’s Second Baptist Church-Southside.

“He told me he wanted us to meet for lunch a week after the election was over,” Rev. Hodge said. The two men had been collaborating to obtain funding for a Group Violence Intervention framework to reduce gun violence in Richmond.

Although Rep. McEachin was recovering from a recent procedure, and his physical strength was compromised, his determination was not, Rev. Hodge said. The two spoke for about 40 minutes.

“He was extremely concerned about making sure whatever resources were needed to move forward on this were in place, and that there was nothing in the way at federal level,” Rev. Hodge said. “He wanted the community to know he was behind us.”

Rep. McEachin secured $1 million in funding for the project last year. He spoke about the imminent need to end gun violence in the city when he visited Second Baptist Church on Oct. 25. The visit perhaps was one of Rep. McEachin’s last public appearances.

Jeffries wins historic bid to lead House Dems after Pelosi

House Democrats ushered in a new generation of leaders on Wednesday with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries elected to be the first Black American to head a major political party in Congress at a pivotal time as long-serving Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her team step aside next year.

Showing rare party unity after their midterm election losses, the House Democrats moved seamlessly from one history-making leader to another, choosing the 52-year-old New Yorker, who vowed to “get things done” in the new Congress, even after Republicans won control of the chamber. The closed-door vote was unanimous, by acclamation.

Victory celebration

“We stand on their collective broad shoulders,” Rep. Jeffries said afterward of Ms. Pelosi and her team.

“The best thing that we can do as a result of the seriousness and solemnity of the moment,” he had said earlier, “is lean in hard and do the best damn job that we can for the people.”

It’s rare that a party that lost the midterm elections would

RPS employee faces firing for incident she, others deny

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Robin Spears previously had a spotless record during her 14 years as a teacher and social worker with Richmond Public Schools.

Suddenly, her world is topsy-turvy because she disciplined a second-grader who was knocking over chairs in her office at Fox Elementary School, where her exemplary record had led to her assignment in running an RPS after-school program.

The official RPS finding is that she hit the child with a pointer in trying to bring the defiant and unruly youngster under control — a finding Ms. Spears has sharply denied as have two RPS staff members who were in the room and witnessed her dealings with the child.

Even so, RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras has recommended that Ms. Spears be fired. The School Board, which has sole authority to hire and fire, is scheduled to consider the recommendation in a closed-door session on Monday, Dec. 5.

Separately, Ms. Spears is facing a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery that has grown out of this case, with her trial

Virginia Walmart mass shooting survivor files $50M lawsuit

By Ben Finley

The Associated Press

NORFOLK

A Walmart employee who survived last week’s mass shooting at a store in Virginia has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the company for alleg edly continuing to employ the shooter — a store supervisor — “who had known propensities for violence, threats and strange behavior.”

The lawsuit, which appears to be the first to stem from the shooting, was filed Tuesday in Chesapeake Circuit Court by Donya Prioleau.

City council members Jones, Lambert eye House seats

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Two members of City Council will be seeking Richmond seats in the House of Delegates in the upcoming 2023 election cycle in which the 100 seats in the lower chamber as well as the 40 seats in the state Senate will be in play.

Third District Coun cilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert has confirmed she will run in the new 79th House District that runs from Bryan Park in North Side through Church Hill-Fulton and into the Manchester-Blackwell area of South Side in seeking to follow in the political footsteps of her late father, Benjamin J. Lambert III, who served in the House and Senate.

As the Free Press previously reported, Dr. Michael J. Jones, 9th Council District, already has declared his bid for the 77th House District, which includes parts of South Side and of Ches terfield County. He had planned but failed to make the ballot in 2021 to challenge incumbent Betsy B. Carr and has a chance to win what is now an open seat.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

The RVA Trojans 10u football players representing Maggie Walker, celebrate their 6-0 win over the RVA Wildcats and Falcons, representing Armstrong in the Armstrong-Walker Legacy Classic Project football game. Please see more photos on B2.

Associated Press photo

Community members, including Walmart employees, gather for a candlelight vigil at Chesapeake City Park in Chesapeake on Monday for the six people killed at a Walmart in the city, when a manager opened fire with a handgun before an employee meeting last week.

RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras has recommended that Fox Elementary School employee Robin Spears be fired for an incident that she denies happened. The School Board is scheduled to consider the recommendation in a closed-door session on Monday, Dec. 5. Please turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Virginia Sen. Jennifer McClellan and Congressman A. Donald McEachin joined about 3,000 people during a

May 14 rally in support of abortion access in Monroe Park.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON

so easily regroup and stands in stark contrast with the upheaval among Republicans, who are struggling to unite around GOP leader Kevin McCarthy as the new House speaker as they prepare

The Associated Press photo

House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., arrives for leadership elections at the Capitol in Washington. Jeffries has been elected House Democratic leader and will become in the new year the first Black American to lead a major political party in Congress.

Dr. Jones Ms. Lambert

Ms. Spears

Ransom is VSU’s fall commencement speaker

Virginia State University’s fall com mencement speaker is by Thomas L. Ransom, president of the Virginia Region at Truist Financial.

A 20 plus-year veteran of Truist, Mr. Ran som’s career with the bank has been defined in large part by addressing issues in Black-owned businesses. He previously led the Truist HBCU strategy, which worked to ensure the success of students enrolled at historically Black col leges and universities. He also has served as the inaugural chair of Truist’s resource group for Black teammates and allies.

Mr. Ransom’s other roles have included Truist’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, chariman of the Corporate Advisory Council for the U.S. Black Chambers, and serving on the national board of INROADS.

VSU’s fall 2022 Commencement ceremonies is at 10 a.m. on Dec. 10, in the VSU Multipurpose Center.

Curriculum revision sessions scheduled

Free Press staff report

After several delays, Virginia citizens may now share their thoughts about the future of the state’s standards for teaching history and social sciences.

The first community engagement sessions began Monday, Nov. 28 and will run until Friday, Dec. 16. Public hearings with the Board of Education will run between Monday, Jan. 9 and Friday, Jan. 13.

These public input options were shared weeks earlier, as con troversy and revisions have continued to surround the proposed revisions for history and social standards in the state, including the alteration or removal of guidelines focused on the history and culture of Native Americans in the state, slavery as the root cause of the Civil War, and other changes.

No response from City officials about shelter on North Side

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Has City Hall shelved plans to open to additional shelters in North Side for homeless people that would add 90 additional beds for the winter?

It appears that way, though Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administra tion is keeping mum on the issue of providing additional beds.

Administration officials, including Sherrill Hampton, city direc tor of housing and community development, did not respond to a request for comment, nor did 5th District City Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch, chair of the Education and Human Services Committee.

Commonwealth Catholic Charities reported Monday that it has yet to receive a city contract to proceed with its plans to open a 60-bed shelter in the Salvation Army’s space at 1900 Chamberlayne Ave.

And Fifth Street Baptist Church’s offer to provide space for 30 people a night appears to be a nonstarter. Several council members have said the church would need a special use permit to get around a city ordinance limiting most churches to provid ing temporary shelter for one week.

At this point, the city supports two shelters in South Side. That includes a 60-bed shelter for men at the United Nations Church, 214 Cowardin Ave., which the Free Press has been told is unaffected special use permit requirement.

The other is a 40-bed shelter for women and women with children that the nonprofit RVA Sister’s Keeper has opened at 2807 Hull St.

Board votes to change school names

The Richmond Public School board voted during its Nov. 21 meeting to change three elementary schools’ names: John B. Cary and Ginter Park Elementary schools and Binford Middle schools. Cary, Lewis W. Ginter and James H. Binford the schools’ namesakes all were Confederate soldiers in the Civil War.

Superintendent Jason Kamras said he will set a timeline and get back to the school board regarding next steps of the name change. A public comment period will be set, giving the public an opportunity to suggest new names for the schools.

UR receives $625K grant to study barriers to student inclusivity

Free Press staff report

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has awarded the University of Richmond a $625K grant to support efforts to create an inclusive experience for students and enhance student belonging, according to a UR news release.

The HHMI Inclusive Excellence 3 grant is a six-year program and will be led by biology professor Angie Hilliker, who will work with 10 additional UR faculty from across STEM disciplines to implement the project.

The program team has three priorities:

• Discover barriers to student belonging that exist at UR;

• Test interventions to best address these barriers; and

• Support faculty with resources and programs to promote inclusivity.

“By listening to and learning from our own students, we aim to drive change from within our classrooms, research groups, and student-faculty organizations, while contributing to the national conversation about inclusive teaching,” said Dr. Hilliker.

Part of the grant will fund a study, led by faculty in UR’s psychology department, who have related expertise in belong ing, prejudice and status-related disparities, culture/identity, and psychosocial adjustment among college students.

The UR team will collaborate within a learning community with 14 other universities. The grant allocates $475,000 to fund programs on campus and $150,000 to fund activities in collabo ration with the other universities.

Cameras designed to catch people who run red lights or exceeding speed limits are be coming more visible at various Richmond intersections, includ ing this one at the corners of Lombardy Avenue and Brook Road. However, speed cameras are not at every intersection. A ticket given due to a

Cityscape

photo-enforced red light mov ing violation is $50.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are 337 communities nationally using cameras at various intersections, and Richmond is one of 11 cities in Virginia that has adopted the program. So smile, say cheese and slow down.

The holidays are here

Highlights include RVA Illuminates, Christmas Parade, Soul Santa

Free Press staff report

Richmond will officially kick off the holiday season this weekend with several popular events.

Topping the list: The 39th annual Christmas Parade, sponsored by Dominion Energy, which typically exceeds 50,000 in fair weather.

The regional parade is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 3, moving east along 32 blocks of Broad Street between the Science Museum of Virginia and 7th Street.

Organizers have signed up 92 units – including bands, dance troupes, floats, oversized balloons and even people cos tumed as Star Wars characters—to escort Legendary Santa, with the Richmond Fly ing Squirrels’ mascots Nutzy and Nutsha serving as grand marshals.

The holiday weekend will launch with RVA Illuminates on Friday, Dec. 2, the traditional ceremony to light up

Downtown.

Gates will open at 4 p.m. at Kanawha Plaza, a city park bounded 7th, 9th, Cary and Canal streets, with the switch-on of the lights at 6 p.m. and a free showing at the park of the movie “Elf” set for 7 p.m. Main Street Station also will host the 3rd Annual Christmas Under the Clock Tower with an open house at 7 p.m. Friday to showcase fir trees decorated by nonprofit organizations. The display of creativity will remain on view at the station, 1500 E. Main St., through New Year’s Day.

Meanwhile, Shockoe Slip and Shockoe Bottom also will light up Friday, with carolers, food trucks and other activities at the 17th Street Farmers’ market from 6 to 10 p.m.

In addition, RVA First Fridays will showcase art galleries and shops located between 2nd and Henry streets from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday.

Following the parade, Soul Santa will make his first appearance at the Black

History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, 122 W. Leigh St., from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Soul Santa also will be at the museum from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17.

People interested in having their children visit Santa can sign up online at Blackh istorymuseum.org.

Listings of holiday activities in Rich mond and surrounds can be found at venturerichmond.com or at allevents.in/ Richmond/Christmas#.

Sing a song

Virginia Union University will hold its annual Christmas concert at Virginia Union University concert on Thursday Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. The concert will feature performances from the VUU Choir and the First Thursday Jazz Band. The event will be in the Allix B. James Chapel of Coburn Hall on VUU’s campus. It is open to the public.

RPS scores in lower grades show decline

By Holly Rodriguez

The latest student test scores reported at the Richmond Public School Board meeting last week contained more bad news.

This time, data shows the district’s youngest students in kindergarten through second grade are struggling with aca demically.

Standards of Learning tests are ad ministered to students in grades three through five, then through middle and high school, to determine student reten tion of subjects taught. PALS is an early literacy assessment developed by the state and given in the fall and spring of each school year for students in kindergarten through second grade.

While student gains were emphasized during last week’s school board presenta tion, as of this past spring, RPS student scores in grades K-2 are 8-15 percentage points below where they were in the fall of the 2017-2018 school year.

Grade-to-grade, the percentage of stu dents meeting the standards gets worse as students advance to the next grade. Test score results this fall show 64 per cent of kindergartners meet assessment standards, while just 54 percent of first graders and 39 percent of second graders

meet those standards.

Fall scores from the 2019-2020 school year compared with this past fall’s scores show:

• When student literacy percentages are broken down by groups — Black, White, Laitnx, economically disadvan taged, English learners, and students with disabilities, almost every group shows declines with two exceptions: Students with disabilities, who have improved by one percentage point, and White students whose scores remain unchanged.

• The biggest decline is in scores rests with economically disadvantaged students, who dropped from 59 percent in 2019-2020 to 41 percent this past fall.

Superintendent Jason Kamras’ team attributes the results to “the myriad direct impacts of COVID on students’ physical and mental health,” causing “a devastat ing impact on student learning.”

Several ideas were discussed to ad dress the problem and help students improve.

Cheryl Burke, 7th District, said know ing where student literacy stands before they get to kindergarten is a necessary step. “A pre-K assessment is necessary or we are always chasing failure, trying to make up,” she said.

Several other board members men

tioned adding 20 more school days to the school year for the elementary schools with students who are struggling the most.

“There’s no substitute for time [in the classroom],” Jonathan Young, 4th District, said in an interview with the Richmond Free Press. “It’s a real opportunity to move the needle forward by providing four additional weeks of instruction for elementary schools that opt in.”

He was adamant that the additional school days cannot mirror the typical school day, however, and could serve as a pilot to a change in how RPS classrooms are run during the regular school year.

“What that looks like,” he said, “is small groups that are literacy-focused; a classroom that provides sensory op portunities, time out of the classroom in the form of field trips and such.”

He said he already has seen this kind of classroom environment at RPS’ River City Middle School, which participates in the NextUp RVA after school program.

“One classroom was making pizzas, another was playing Laser Tag, another building robots, and the students were enthused, engaged,” he said. “I asked four students why they enjoyed NextUp and they said ‘because it is not like a regular school day’.”

VSU announces new center for biotechnology and other sciences

Free Press staff report

Virginia State University has an nounced the establishment of the VSU Center for Biotechnology, Genomics, and Bioinformatics, which is believed to be unique among HBCUs nationwide.

The center will be a hub for inter disciplinary education and research on the VSU campus, according to the university.

The VSU CeBiGeBi will also pro vide VSU students with state-of-the-art and interdisciplinary training in biotech nology, biopharmaceutical manufactur ing, and bioinformatics by integrating

“We are excited to

exten

fields. We look forward to prepar ing VSU graduates for a variety of high-quality career opportunities and opportunities to become leaders in fields with the potential to have a global impact,” said Dr. Xianfa Xie, associate

professor in the VSU Department of Biology and the founding director of the VSU CeBiGeBi.

As an interdisciplinary education and research center, the VSU CeBiGeBi will develop B.S. degree programs in Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences; certificate programs in Genomics and Bioinformatics; accelerated M.S. Pro grams in Health Informatics, Public Health Data Science, and Bioinformatics. It also will facilitate the creation of a new cross-college and interdepartmental doctoral program and help VSU students enroll in doctoral/professional programs in related areas or find job opportunities, the university stated.

Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Mr. Ransom

biology, engineering, chemistry, math ematics, computer science, and other related disciplines. Such knowledge and skills are also essential in biomedical sci ences, agriculture, forensics, paternity/ maternity testing, ancestry studies, envi ronmental protection, and fundamental biological research, it was announced in a VSU news release.

provide

sive training in these high-in-demand

Ms. Hilliker

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McEachin, hailed as trailblazing figure in Virginia politics, dies

Continued from A1

After battling colorectal cancer and its complications for several years, Rep. McEachin died on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. He was 61 years old.

Upon notice of his death, tributes poured in from govern ment and political officials throughout Virginia and the United States. Several major news organizations delivered announce ments as well.

“He will be deeply missed by his colleagues, and he leaves behind a legacy that will improve the lives of all of our children for generations to come,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine called Rep. McEachin “a gentle gi ant, a compassionate champion for underdogs, a climate warrior, a Christian example, an understanding dad, a proud husband, a loyal brother.”

Rep. Bobby Scott said: “Donald was a thoughtful and prin cipled legislator and respected by people on both sides of the aisle. He was also a trailblazing figure in Virginia politics — being the first African-American nominee of a major party for Virginia Attorney General and only the third African-American elected to Congress from Virginia.”

Flags were flown at half-staff at the U.S. Capitol, the Virginia governor’s mansion and the White House on Tuesday.

In a Twitter post, Gov. Glenn Youngkin praised McEachin as “a valiant fighter to the end” who “worked tirelessly to improve the lives of his constituents….”

“I have been proud to call Congressman McEachin, his wife Colette and their children my friends for over 20 years,” Eileen Filler-Corn said in an email to the Richmond Free Press. “This is a tremendous loss for the residents of the Fourth Congressional District and the Commonwealth as a whole.”

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus expressed its condo lences as well.

“The members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC)

Jeffries wins historic bid to lead House Dems

mourn the passing of Congressman A. Donald McEachin and extend their deepest sympathies and condolences to his family, staff, friends, and colleagues.

“Congressman McEachin leaves behind a long legacy of public service and success in fighting for justice, civil rights, equity, and for the protection of the environment. He was a trailblazer and a tireless leader who fought hard and paved the path for so many. Our hearts go out to all who loved and knew the beloved Congressman A. Donald McEachin.”

Rev. Hodge first met Rep. McEachin in the early 2000s when visiting Capitol Hill to push for environmental justice and preservation of the Chesapeake Bay.

“You want this kind of congressman,” Rev. Hodge said. “He was accessible and he would actually listen.”

Rep. McEachin served two terms in the Virginia House of Delegates and nine years in the state Senate. On Nov. 8 he de feated Republican opponent Leon Benjamin for a second time, and would have started his fourth term in Congress in January.

He represented the 4th District, which now includes all or part of 15 cities and counties, stretching from Richmond to Brunswick, Greensville and Southampton counties. The district gets about three-fourths of its votes from Richmond and from Eastern Henrico and Eastern Chesterfield.

Rep. McEachin’s environmental advocacy work led the the

Virginia Interfaith Power & Light to induct him as the first recipient of the organization’s Environmental Justice Hall of Fame last spring.

The congressman served on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and the House Committee on Natural Resources. He also served on several subcommittees and 15 caucuses. In his first term in Congress, Rep. McEachin co-founded the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Congressional Task Force and served as co-chair until he died.

The son of an Army veteran and a public schoolteacher, Mr. McEachin graduated from St. Christopher’s School in Richmond. He earned a bachelor’s in political science at American University and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. He also earned a master’s of divinity from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.

A member of the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Rep. McEachin was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and the NAACP.

He is survived by his wife, Colette McEachin, who is Rich mond Commonwealth’s Attorney, and their three children, Mac, Briana and Alexandra. Funeral services for Rep. McEachin are scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7 at The Saint Paul’s Baptist, 4247 Creighton Road in Henrico County.

RPS employee faces firing for incident she, others deny

scheduled for a week later on Monday, Dec. 12, in Richmond Circuit Court.

Her case is raising questions and concerns about whether Mr. Kamras has rushed to judgment on a complaint involving a Black employee’s dealings with a white child and whether the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office piles on without evidence.

Besides the two supportive witnesses, Ms. Spears has already been cleared by Child Protective Services, which dismissed the claim.

two homes for people with developmental disabilities.

Her trouble began Nov. 22, 2021, when a staff member brought to her a youngster who was regularly involved in incidents and told her the child had been disrupting an academic program by walking on tables and chairs in the cafeteria where the class was being held.

The staff member stayed with the child, and another staff member was in the office waiting to talk with Ms. Spears.

on Dec. 3, 2021.

She included a statement from Ms. Spears denying she made physical contact with the student and statements from the two adult witnesses.

According to the report, the child, too, told Ms. Switzer-Ellis that only Ms. Spears and two other adults were in the room.

to take control when the new Congress convenes in January. Wednesday’s internal Democratic caucus votes of Rep. Jef fries and the other top leaders came without challengers. Cheers broke out in the private meeting, where typically contested party elections unfolded instead like church service, a call-and-response affirming Democrats’ confidence in their choices, some in the room said.

The trio led by Jeffries, who will become the Democratic minority leader in the new Congress, includes 59-year-old Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts as the Democratic whip and 43-year-old Rep. Pete Aguilar of California as caucus chairman. The new team of Democratic leaders is expected to slide into the slots held by Pelosi and her top lieutenants — Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Democratic Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina — as the 80-something leaders make way for the next generation.

But in many ways, the trio has been transitioning in plain sight, as one aide put it — Reps. Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar working with Pelosi’s nod these past several years in lower-rung leadership roles as the first woman to have the speaker’s gavel prepared to step down. Pelosi, of California, has led the House Democrats for the past 20 years, and colleagues late Tuesday granted her the honorific title of “speaker emerita.”

“It an important moment for the caucus — that there’s a new generation of leadership,” said Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., ahead of voting.

Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri called the leadership election “historic” and a “time for change.”

While Democrats will be relegated to the House minority in the new year for the 118th Congress, they will have a certain amount of leverage because the Republican majority is expected to be so slim and McCarthy’s hold on his party fragile.

The House’s two new potential leaders, Reps. Jeffries and McCarthy, are of the same generation but have almost no real relationship to speak of — in fact, the Democrat is known for leveling political barbs at the Republican from afar, particularly over the GOP’s embrace of former President Donald Trump.

Rep.Jeffries served as a House manager during Trump’s first impeachment.

Rep. Jeffries said Wednesday he will work with Republicans “whenever possible but we will also push back against extrem ism whenever necessary.”

On the other side of the Capitol, Rep. Jeffries will have a partner in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as two New Yorkers are poised to helm the Democratic leadership in Congress. They live about a mile (1.6 kilometers) apart in Brooklyn.

“There are going to be a group, in my judgment, of main stream Republicans who are not going to want to go in the MAGA direction, and Hakeem’s the ideal type guy to work with them,” Schumer said in an interview, referencing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

Rep. Clark, elected for the No. 2 spot, extended the invitation to Republicans to work with Democrats on bipartisan projects.

“Our door is open for any member from across the aisle who wants to get to work for the American people,” she said.

At the same time Aguilar, the third-ranking member, said Democrats emerged from the narrow midterm election with a mandate: “What we’re fighting against is this MAGA extremism” that has captured the right flank of Trump’s party.

Continued from A1 Continued from A1

Free COVID-19 vaccines on testing sites, or go online at vax.rchd.com.

The Virginia Department of Health also has a list of COVID19 testing locations around the state at www.vdh.virginia.gov/ coronavirus/covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites.

Want a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot?

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free walk-up COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the following locations:

• Thursday, Dec. 1, 10 a.m. to noon - RRHA Elderly Building, 700 S Lombardy St.; 2 to 4 p.m. - RRHA Fox Manor Building, Pfizer for ages 6 months and older, Moderna for ages 6 months to 5 years old and ages 18 years and older, appointments encouraged, Novavax and Flu shots, walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged.

• Tuesday, Dec. 6, 9 to 11 a.m. - Richmond Henrico Health District, 400 E. Cary St., JYNNEOS shots, walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged.

• Wednesday, Dec. 7, 4 to 7 p.m. - Sacred Heart, 1400 Perry St., Moderna for ages 6 months to 5 years old, Moderna for ages 18 and older, Pfizer for ages 6 months and older, Novavax and Flu shots, walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged.

People can schedule an appointment online at vase.vdh.virginia. gov, vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd.com, or by calling (804) 2053501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682).

VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.

Those who are getting a booster shot should bring their vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine received.

In addition, the case against Ms. Spears was dismissed in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court after Commonwealth’s Attorney Elisabeth Linka was unable to present any substantive evidence.

Ms. Linka obtained a grand jury indict ment to take it to Circuit Court, but, ac cording to Ms. Spears, has yet to subpoena any witnesses to testify against her. The two RPS staff members, Valerie Evans and Georgette Williams, who support her version that nothing happened, are prepared to testify on her behalf, she said.

“It’s been a lot of craziness,” said Ms. Spears, a state-licensed clinical social worker who is not a novice in working with children.

A Richmond native, Ms. Spears has gained substantial experience since graduating from Howard University and adding a master’s degree from Virginia State University.

Before joining the RPS staff in 2008, she worked for the Department of So cial Services and the Virginia Treatment Center. Initially, she taught elementary school before switching to a social work position in 2011.

Outside of RPS, she also operates a day care center and is preparing to open

Ms. Spears said that after the child was seated, she called his mother to come and get him, saying, “He’s having a day.”

When she told the child his mother was coming, he got upset, she recounted. He toppled two chairs, and then tried to throw one.

Speaking sternly as she had been trained, she told him 11 times to pick up the chairs and put them in place before he would comply. She said she also tapped the bottom of one chair to indicate that was one to be picked up.

“At no time did I hit the student,” Ms. Spears has repeatedly stated.

The case took off when Derrick Bates, an RPS out-of-school time specialist who was not present, filed a complaint that accused Ms. Spears of “hitting a student during an extended day with a broom.” Daniela Jacobs, the Fox principal, also filed a complaint after hearing a student was hit in the after-school program.

Ms. Spears was sent the next day to what RPS staff call the “warehouse” to await a resolution. The warehouse is an office where employees on paid leave are sent while a complaint is investigated.

Employee Relations assigned Regina Switzer-Ellis to do the internal investiga tion.

Her two-page finding was completed

Despite those statements, Ms. SwitzerEllis claimed to have confirmed the hit ting based on statements that two people whom the child stated were not in the room provided to her, even those witnesses provided inconsistent statements on where the child was hit.

Charles Costigan, a YMCA employee who was providing enrichment activities for the program, claimed to have seen Ms. Spears hit the child on the butt with the pointer.

Jadius Murchison, a special education assistant, alleged Ms. Spears tapped the child on the leg with the pointer.

The child later claimed that Ms. Spears hit him in the head, on his back and on the top of his knee.

During an appeal hearing, Ms. SwitzerEllis testified that a child walking on tables and chairs or toppling chairs could not be described as “being out of control.” She claimed the child was in a “state of calm.”

Ms. Switzer-Ellis, though, recom mended a letter of reprimand. She was overruled by Mr. Kamras.

Sa’ad El-Amin, who served as Ms. Spears’ advocate during the administrative proceedings, finds it incredible that RPS is preparing to fire a veteran employee over this incident and hopes like Ms. Spears that the School Board will reverse the decision.

“What is an employee to do,” he said, “when they’re accused of something which they say they didn’t do and two other people say they didn’t do.”

City council members Jones, Lambert eye House seats

Continued from A1

Both can run while holding their current posts as the next council elections will not take place until 2024.

The new districts they will seek to represent reflect the wholesale revamp of House and Senate districts that the state Supreme Court put in place last year to reflect population changes reported in the 2020 Census.

Use of the new maps with renumbered districts has been on hold until the upcoming elections after a lawsuit seeking to force leg islative elections this year was dismissed.

Richmond is among the most affected by the new maps. Currently part of eight House districts, Virginia’s capital city will have only three representatives in the House in 2024, two of whom are virtually guaranteed to be new faces.

Richmond also will only have two state senators, rather than the current three.

At this point, according to the Vir ginia Public Access Project, Dr. Jones, a Democrat, is unopposed in the 77th District, though that could well change in the coming weeks and months.

Ms. Lambert, also a Democrat, saw an opportunity in the 79th after the current delegate, Delores L. McQuinn, decided that she would seek to represent the new 81st District, which includes Eastern Henrico,

Charles City County and a small slice of Chesterfield County.

However, Ms. Lambert will face stiff competition for the coveted Democratic nomination that could be tantamount to election in the party-friendly 79th.

Rae Cousins, an attorney, already has announced her bid for the seat, while a third candidate, Richard W. Walker, founding chair and executive director for the felon support group Bridging the Gap in Virginia, said he plans to announce in January.

Delegate McQuinn said she decided to run in the 81st, which includes the Henrico portion of her current house district, as it encompasses the area where she grew up. If elected, she would no longer represent the city.

Democrat Terrence L. Walker, a Virginia Commonwealth University administrative assistant, already has announced plans to run for the seat, with voters likely to decide in next June’s Democratic primary who will represent them.

Meanwhile, three current Richmond Democratic incumbents, Delegate Dawn M. Adams, Delegate Jeffrey M. Bourne and Delegate Carr, are preparing to battle each other for the 78th House District seat, which largely includes the western half of the city stretching from North Side through South Side. The winner also is expected to be decided in next June’s Democratic primary.

At this point, two incumbent Richmond state senators, Ghazala Hashmi and Jen nifer L. McClellan, are unchallenged, according to VPAP.

Sen. Hashmi is running in the new 15th Senate District, which includes a small part of western Richmond and a big chunk of Chesterfield County, while Sen. McClel lan is running in the 15th Senate District, which covers most of Richmond.

Separately, state Sen. Joe Morrissey, whose current district includes a chunk of Richmond, has announced plans to run in the 13th Senate District, which does not have any city precincts.

Former Delegate Lashrecse Aird also has announced a bid for the seat. The district includes Eastern Henrico, Charles City County, Petersburg and Hopewell as well as Prince George, Surry and Sussex counties and part of Dinwiddie County.

Both are Democrats, and their contest is another that would be decided in next June’s party primary.

Outside of Richmond, one of the most watched contests involves two veteran mem bers of the Legislative Black Caucus, Sen. L. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth and Sen. Lionell Spruill Sr. of Chesapeake. Both have been forced to compete against each other for the 18th Senate District seat, with a decision to come as well in the party primary.

Walmart mass shooting survivor files $50M lawsuit

Continued from A1

Walmart, which is headquartered in Bentonville, Ark., said in a statement that it was reviewing the complaint and will respond “as appropriate with the court.”

“The entire Walmart family is heartbro ken by the loss of the valued members of our team,” the company said. “Our deepest sympathies go out to our associates and everyone impacted, including those who were injured. We are focused on supporting all our associates with significant resources, including counseling.”

Ms. Prioleau’s suit alleges that she has experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, including physical and emotional distress, from witnessing the rampage in the store’s

breakroom on Nov. 22. Her lawsuit offers fresh details of the terrifying attack and provides a long list of troubling signs displayed by the shooter that she claims managers failed to address.

“Bullets whizzed by Plaintiff Donya Prioleau’s face and left side, barely missing her,” the lawsuit states. “She witnessed several of her coworkers being brutally murdered on either side of her.”

The lawsuit adds: “Ms. Prioleau looked at one of her coworkers in the eyes right after she had been shot in the neck. Ms. Prioleau saw the bullet wound in her co worker’s neck, the blood rushing out of it, and the shocked look on her co-worker’s helpless face.”

Store supervisor Andre Bing, 31, fatally

shot six employees and wounded several others before he died of an apparent selfinflicted gunshot, police said.

The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Bing “had a personal vendetta against several Walmart employees and kept a ‘kill list’ of potential targets prior to the shooting.”

The list is in reference to a “death note” found on Mr. Bing’s phone and released Friday by authorities. The note appeared to contain specific references to people he worked with, but authorities redacted their names.

Mr. Bing was a Walmart team leader who had worked for the company since 2010. He was responsible for managing the overnight stocking crew, including Ms. Prioleau, who started her job in May 2021.

‘Truth Tellers’ chronicles careers of 24 Black women journalists since 1960

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A new book calls atten tion to the Black women editors, columnists and reporters who have brought change since the Civil Rights Movement to the previously mostly male and mostly white newsrooms of mainstream news outlets.

Bonnie Newman Davis, a career journalist and cur rent managing editor of the Richmond Free Press, is turning the spotlight on 24 women who have made a difference – women such as Dorothy Butler Gilliam, retired Washington Post reporter and Diane Walker, who retired last year from Richmond’s NBC 12 after 40 years as a news anchor and “12 On Your Side” investigative reporter.

Ms. Davis formally released her new book, “Truth Tellers, The Power and Presence of Black Women Journalists Since 1960,” on Nov. 27, at The Common House in Downtown.

“I hope to help people realize how much Black women have brought to journalism. I want to open the eyes of readers, expose them to the strength that women have shown and to help them see the importance of our stories,” said Ms. Davis, who self-published the 256page book.

She said she also hopes the work “will pro vide guidance and inspiration” to young women considering journalism careers so they will

understand what those who came before them “went through and the challenges and struggles they faced.”

In her foreword, Ms. Davis describes the book as “truly a labor of love.” She wrote that the two dozen women she pres ents “may or may not be familiar,” but she noted that “their stories are en gaging, endearing and … full of surprises” about the roles they have played in delivering the news.

Now 65, Ms. Davis is a North Carolina native who grew up in Greensboro and gradu ated from North Carolina A&T State University, the historically Black school based in the city.

After interning at newspapers in Wilmington, N.C., Ann Arbor, Mich., and Louisville, Ky., and completing graduate school at the University of Michigan, she began her full-time career at the Richmond News Leader in 1981, becoming one of the Richmond daily’s first Black women reporters.

She was involved in the coverage of the notorious Briley brothers after their escape from prison in 1984, and wrote about two young sisters who were diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and ultimately died from the disease. As a busi ness reporter, she wrote about the workplace and Richmond’s growing health care industry. As an

arts

After

After leaving the newspaper in 1999, she briefly handled Virginia Union University’s public relations and then went on to teach journalism at Hampton University, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also was an endowed professor of journalism at her alma mater, N.C. A&T.

The mother of licensed clinical social worker Erin D. Stanley, Ms. Davis, who is the widow of Richmond Public Schools educator Wil liam H. Davis, has spent much of her time in recent years as an adjunct professor, freelance writer, writing “Truth Tellers” and running her nonprofit media institute. She was named Free Press managing editor in late May.

Finishing the book and getting it published “is a relief,” Ms. Davis said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to have started something and brought it to the finish line.”

“Truth Tellers: The Power and Presence of Black Women Journalists Since 1960” is avail able by visiting http://www.bonnienewmandavis. com/the-book/

reporter, she interviewed Nikki Giovanni, Paule Marshall, Cornel West and Henry Louis Gates Jr. When covering New York fashion shows, she sat among Anna Wintour, Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Spike Lee and even Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

the News Leader and the Times-Dispatch merged, Ms. Davis rose to editor of the Arts and Entertainment section.

Ms. Davis was joined by her two sisters, right, Christopher Noelle Boozer and Sally L. Newman of Greensboro, N.C., and her daughter, Erin D. Stanley of Richmond.

Photo by Rick DeBerry

Photo by Rick DeBerry

Below, during a panel discussion of “Truth Tellers,” Deborah Little-Bowser of Richmond, center, commends Ms. Davis and other Black women journalists who are featured in the book, which includes Denise Bridges, formerly of The Virginian-Pilot, above left, and Diane Walker, formerly of NBC 12. Mikki Spencer, above standing, was moderator for the panel discussion.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Rest well, Congressman McEachin

In reading Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott’s description of A. Donald McEachin, as a “gentle giant” I firmly believe that truer words, perhaps, have never been spoken for Rep. McEachin who died on Monday at age 61.

Rarely did one see the tall, bespectacled Virginia congressman showing anger even when upset with journalists or others who’d struck a nerve or two with him.

Shortly after we ran a Free Press article in the Nov. 3-5 edition about Rep. McEachin just before what unknowingly would be his last election, I received an email from him.

I was immediately concerned, especially since I’d not spoken to the congressman since 2016 when I spotted him walking his dog, Cheyenne, in our Henrico County neighborhood.

On the day I saw Rep. McEachin, I recall ask ing him about Cheyenne’s menacing bark.

“She’s very protective,” he said, smiling and probably wondering “who is this woman talking to me?”

So when Rep. McEachin emailed me exactly one month ago, I knew he would be polite, and even cordial. I also knew that this would be no “Great job on that story/editorial” that ran in the Free Press the day before his call.

The message sent from his iPhone was swift and to the point.

“Would you kindly give me a call?” Donald McEachin.

I immediately responded as instructed and he immediately answered his phone.

It didn’t take long for me to understand why Rep. McEachin has served and been re-elected to his 4th District seat since 2016.

On the phone was a man who was selected by his colleagues to serve as co-chair of the House Demo cratic Environmental Message Team, co-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus’ Transportation, Infrastructure, Environment and Energy Policy Council, and vice chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC). During his first term in Congress, Rep. McEachin co-founded the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Congressional Task Force and continues to lead the task force as a co-chair.

Rep. McEachin’s other committees included the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C), the House Committee on Natural Resources (Natural Resources), and the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

Before Congress, Rep. McEachin served as a legislator in both chambers of Virginia’s General Assembly. His website biography further reads: “Throughout that time, he fought to protect our most vulnerable citizens — and to defend the rights of all Virginians. Rep. McEachin is a dedi cated public servant who leads efforts that will promote equality, curb gun violence, protect our environment, and preserve access to affordable health care.”

When I spoke with Rep. McEachin, rather than chastise me or the Free Press for what he perceived as unfair coverage about what our newspaper referred to as his lack of campaign ing for his Nov. 8 re-election, he instead started talking about my alma mater and congratulating me on being named to the university’s journalism Hall of Fame.

And when Rep. McEachin uttered “Aggie Pride” the catchphrase known by any bona fide North Carolina A&T State University graduate, I assured him that he was in good company because even former President Obama embraced the phrase on his visits to the Greensboro, N.C. campus.

Once past conversation ice breakers, Rep. McEachin gently noted the reason for his call. He believed that the Free Press had unfairly char acterized his campaign and pointed out that no one from the Free Press interviewed him during the election cycle.

Gulp. Curveball.

Guilty.

I assured the congressman that no harm was intended and asked how I might make things right.

Even though I could not see him through my iPhone, I sensed that he was smiling when he replied that he would send a letter to the editor (me), let his concerns be known and leave it at that.

I said that would be wonderful, I looked for ward to receiving the letter, and thanked him for speaking with me.

I never received Rep. McEachin’s letter. Rest in peace, Congressman.

Bonnie Newman Davis Richmond Free Press Managing Editor

Pelosi’s legacy is ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’

“History will note she is the most consequential Speaker of the House of Representatives in our history. There are countless examples of how she embod ies the obligation of elected officials to uphold their oath to God and country to ensure our democ racy delivers and remains a beacon to the world. In everything she does, she re flects a dignity in her actions and a dignity she sees in the lives of the people of this nation.”—President Biden

When the National Urban League convened our first in-person conference in three years, in July, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi joined us for the opening rally at the Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial.

“There’s an assault on our democracy,” she said. “That’s why we have to fight for vot ing rights, and we will not stop until we achieve voting rights: removing obstacles of participation and the voter sup pression laws, doing away with their nullification of elections, removing big special interest money from suffocating our political system, so that every one’s voices are heard.”

As her historic fourth term as speaker of the house draws to a close, it is nearly impos

sible to express the full impact of her decades of leadership and the profound legacy she leaves behind

It has been my privilege to know and collaborate with Speaker Pelosi since her earli est days in Congress, when I was a Louisiana State Senator, throughout my two terms as Mayor of New Orleans and

the last two decades with the National Urban League. One of my most treasured mementos is a pen she gave to me that President Obama used to sign the Affordable Care Act.

Of all the legislative and policy initiatives on which she and I have worked together, it was the passage of the ACA that demonstrated her unmatched mastery of the legislative process and the power of her determination. When her party’s loss in a Senate special election cost them a filibuster-proof majority, many — including President Obama’s own chief of staff — publicly declared the ACA dead and advocated for a watered-down, piecemeal approach. Speaker Pelosi de rided the proposal as “eensy weensy bill,” telling President Obama, “I know there are some on your staff who want to take the namby-pamby approach. That’s unacceptable.”

The vote-wrangling that Speaker Pelosi employed to

bring the bill to meet the pen I now treasure will be the sub ject of graduate seminars on public policy for generations to come.

But as large as her speaker ship may loom in the history books, she was no less bold or impressive as minority leader.

In 2018, she broke the re cord for longest House speech, spending eight hours and seven minutes reading the emotional letters of young DREAMers, undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children who aspire to become U.S. citizens. Characteristi cally, she wore her four-inch heels the entire time. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy bested her record by four minutes last year, “but if he wanted to outdo her, he should’ve done it in stilettos,” Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez said.

Whether leading the major ity or minority, she has long been a target of misogynistic attacks, false accusations and conspiracy theories, and threats of violence led by members of the opposing party. Tragically, this campaign of demonization culminated in a brutal attack on her husband, Paul Pelosi, by a right-wing conspiracy theorist intent on abducting her. Yet she herself has never resorted to personal attacks. She has risen above the rancor and insults leveled at her without responding in kind. She con tinues to exude grace and is the personification of the iron

Before the fall

I remember my mother and other accountable adults in our community teaching other children and me many important lessons of responsible citizenship. We learned those lessons in Sunday school and in the sermons we heard each Sunday. Not all lessons were spoken.

Central to their common sense lessons was the idea that a commu nity or society could not thrive or flourish without order. That order was based upon a general pattern of mutual respect for each other. We learned and expected the “Golden Rule” as minimally acceptable in our general deal ings with others in our com munity.

With the exception of those few whose frustrations or inner demons would not allow them to accept respectful interaction with others, ours was a peaceful community. We respected the rights and privilege of oth ers to live their lives without injury or interruption. I can only speculate, but life was the most tangible commodity available to us – from which all blessings flowed – and we respected and valued the lives of others as much as we valued

our own.

Times have certainly changed! If there is any ques tion of that, the events in the past three weeks of this column prove my point. Three University of Virginia students were slain on a bus after a field trip to D.C. Six patrons of a Colorado Springs, Colo., night club were killed under circumstances still not

any other nation in the world experiences the same, similar, or unique stressors that could serve as justification for the same slaughter we experience in our country. The only clear difference in higher rates of murder in this country is the availability and proliferation of firearms. Placing firearms into the hands of hate-filled or mentally ill antagonists with relative ease can only result in the personal and societal dam age inflicted upon us.

fist in a velvet glove. When she was sworn in as the first woman speaker of the house in 2007, she noted that women had waited more than 200 years to shatter the “marble ceiling” of Congress. As she said, “Women weren’t just waiting, women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America, that all men and women are created equal.”

Her commitment to that promise never has wavered throughout her illustrious ca reer. She has been steadfast in her support for civil rights and civil liberties. I’m proud to call her my friend. On behalf of the National Urban League and our nationwide network of affiliates, I thank Speaker Pelosi for her years of dedicated service and her friendship to the League.

The writer is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

Richmond Free Press 422 East Franklin Street Richmond, VA 23219 Telephone (804) 644-0496 FAX (804) 643-7519

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clear. In what appears to be an eruption of workplace animus, six people were killed in a Chesapeake, Virginia Walmart. Rather than being unusual, these events have become no more than additions to a seemingly endless series of unnecessary and heinous homicides.

American excess and overindulgence are singular factors in the violence that appears to be self-generating. We continue to struggle with our original sin of racism. The other “isms” and increasing levels of intolerance plague us. Poverty and wage stagnation are constant irritants. Along with other health issues, the remediation of mental illness is underfunded. In reality, the cause for each murderous event is as individual as the shooter.

There are some who would solely justify our national vio lence for these reasons. I would tell them that the citizenry of

Gun violence has claimed 39,000 Americans this year.

Additionally, more than 600 mass shootings have been reported in the U.S. for three consecutive years. In any so ciety, this level of carnage is unacceptable. In the richest and most technologically advanced society/nation in the history of humankind, this slaughter cannot be justified.

Rome, which is declared by Eurocentric historians as the greatest empire in history, fell from internal discord and disrup tion. The corruption, division, and humanitarian disregard that grew without limits festered and ultimately led to its downfall. Before the fall, Rome ignored its internal challenges.

The writer is president of The Dick Gregory Society and president emeritus of the National Congress of Black Women.

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Dr. E. Faye Williams

Justice Department intervenes for struggling water system

The Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss.

The Justice Department made a rare intervention Tues day to try to bring improve ments in the beleaguered water system in Mississippi’s capital city, which nearly collapsed in late summer and continues to struggle.

The department filed a pro posal to appoint a third-party manager for the Jackson water system. That is meant to be an interim step while the federal government, the city of Jackson and the Mississippi State Depart ment of Health try to negotiate a court-enforced consent decree, the department said in a news release. The goal is to achieve long-term sustainability of the system and the city’s compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and other laws.

The city and the state health department have signed the proposal, which needs approval of a federal judge.

The Justice Department on Tuesday also filed a complaint on behalf of the U.S. Envi ronmental Protection Agency against Jackson, alleging that the city has failed to provide drinking water that is reliably compliant with the Safe Drink

ing Water Act. According to the agreement, that litigation will be put on hold six months while all parties try to improve the water system.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in the news release that the Justice Department is

Landmark same-sex marriage bill wins Senate passage

By Mary Clare Jalonick The Associated Press

WASHINGTON

The Senate passed bipar tisan legislation Tuesday to protect same-sex marriages, an extraordinary sign of shifting national politics on the issue and a measure of relief for the hundreds of thousands of samesex couples who have married since the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision that legalized gay mar riage nationwide.

The bill, which would ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are enshrined in federal law, was approved 61-36 on Tuesday, including support from 12 Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the legislation was “a long time coming” and part of America’s “difficult but inexorable march toward greater equality.”

Democrats are moving quickly, while the party still holds the majority in both chambers of Congress. The legislation now moves to the House for a final vote.

President Biden praised the bipartisan vote and said he will sign the bill “promptly and proudly” if it is passed by the House. He said it will ensure that LGBTQ youths “will grow up knowing that they, too, can lead full, happy lives and build families of their own.”

The bill has gained steady momentum since the Supreme Court’s June decision that over turned the federal right to an abortion, a ruling that included a concurring opinion from Justice Clarence Thomas that suggested same-sex marriage could also come under threat. Bipartisan Senate negotiations got a kickstart this summer when 47 Republicans unexpectedly voted for a House bill and gave sup porters new optimism.

The legislation would not force any state to allow same-

le gal where they were performed,

“taking action in federal court to address long-standing failures in the city of Jackson’s public drinking water system.”

“The Department of Justice takes seriously its responsibility to keep the American people safe and to protect their civil rights,” Mr. Garland said. “Together with our partners at EPA, we will continue to seek justice for the residents of Jackson, Mississippi. And we will con tinue to prioritize cases in the communities most burdened by environmental harm.”

In a federal complaint Sept. 27, the NAACP said Missis sippi officials “all but assured” a drinking water calamity by depriving Jackson of badly needed funds to upgrade its

infrastructure.

The EPA announced in late October that it was investigat ing whether Mississippi state agencies have discriminated against Jackson by refusing to fund water system improve ments in the city of 150,000, where more than 80 percent of residents are Black and about a quarter of the population lives in poverty.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, said Tuesday that the Jackson water problems were caused by a “crisis of incompetence” in the Democratic-led city.

“It is excellent news for anyone who cares about the people of Jackson that the mayor will no longer be overseeing

the city’s water system,” Gov. Reeves said.

Like many American cities, Jackson struggles with aging infrastructure with water lines that crack or collapse. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, a Democrat in the Republicanled state, said the city’s water problems come from decades of deferred maintenance.

Jackson frequently has boilwater notices because of loss of pressure or other problems that can contaminate the water. Some of the mandates are in place for only a few days, while others last weeks. Some only affect specific neighborhoods, usually because of broken pipes in the area. Others affect all customers on the water system.

Intent to Abandon Frontage Road F301 (Adjacent to Greenwood Road north of Interstate 295) Henrico County

Pursuant to the provisions of §33.2 902 of the Code of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will consider abandonment of Frontage Road F301 (adjacent to Greenwood Road north of I-295) in Henrico County. The total length of the abandonment is 0.06 miles

Additional information about the proposed abandonment is available at the VDOT Ashland Residency office located at 523 N. Washington Highway, Ashland VA 23005 1316. Please call ahead at 804 481 0906, TTY/TTD 711 to make an appointment with the appropriate personnel.

VDOT is willing to hold a public hearing. You may request that a public hearing be held by sending a written request to Mr. Adam Moore, Virginia Department of Transportation, 523 N. Washington Highway, Ashland VA 23005 1316 or by email to adam.moore@vdot.virginia.gov on or prior to December 12, 2022. If a request for a public hearing is received, notice of date, time and place of the hearing will be posted.

VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact the project manager at the phone numbers listed above.

The Associated Press

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan, right, on Tuesday addresses a roundtable of Jackson-area business people, community leaders, residents and educators, about the efforts underway to deliver a sustainable water system for residents as Jackson, Miss. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, left, listens.

The Associated Press

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., joined from left by Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., speaks to reporters Tuesday before a vote on legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriages, at the Capitol. sex couples to marry. But it would require states to recog nize all marriages that were

and protect current same-sex unions, if the court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision were to be overturned.

Stories by Fred Jeter

VUU, 6-1, prepares for Augusta University

Two of NCAA Division II basketball’s hottest teams will go head to head 2 p.m. Saturday at Virginia Union’s Barco-Stevens Hall.

Visiting Augusta, Ga., University was 6-0 starting this week and features arguably the premier big man in all of Division II, 7-foot-1 Tyshaun Crawford.

A transfer from Georgia Southern, Craw ford averages 23 points and 10 rebounds.

A year ago, the Griffin, Ga., native helped the Jaguars to a 33-4 record and the NCAA tournament finals (losing to Northwest Missouri State).

Augusta plays out of the Peach Belt Conference. Crawford was PBC co-Player of Year in ’22.

VUU, now 6-1 following a 66-61 win at 2021 CIAA champ Fayetteville State on Sunday, has a powerful low post threat of its own in 6-foot-5, 230-pound Robert Osborne, a senior from Hermitage High.

The burly and versatile Panther had 24 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two assists at Fayetteville, and is a preseason All-CIAA pick.

VUU is coming off a 23-7 season in which it advanced to the CIAA finals in Baltimore, losing to Fayetteville.

A victory over Augusta would go a long way in vaulting the Panthers high into the upcoming Division II poll. Following Saturday’s game, VUU is off until Dec. 10 when it will play host to Salem, W.Va.

HU’s Bonds heads to East-West Shrine game in Las Vegas

Jadakis Bonds was a shining star in a cloudy sky this past football season for Hampton University.

The senior wide receiver made first team All-Colonial Athletic Association on the strength of 49 receptions for 855 yards and 10 touchdowns.

In their first CAA season, the Pirates finished 4-7 overall and 1-7 in the conference, while ending the campaign with five straight losses.

On the plus side, HU battled CAA champion

William & Mary to the final horn before falling 20-14.

The 6-foot-4 Bonds finished his brilliant four-year career at Hampton with 146 catches for 2,191 yards and 28 TDs.

He has been selected to compete in the Feb. 2 East-West Shrine game in Las Vegas. It is among the most prestigious postseason all-star games. The NFL Network will provide TV coverage.

Celebration Bowl arrives Dec. 17 in Atlanta

The matchup is set for the SWAC football championship.

Southern University, La., will play Jackson State, Miss., for the title Dec. 3 in Jackson. ESPN2 will televise the 3 p.m. contest.

Southern, now 7-4, won the SWAC’s Western Division on Nov. 26 by defeating Gram

bling, 34-17, before 62,337 Bayou Classic fans at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Coach Deion Sanders’ Jack son State Tigers, 11-0, long ago won the Eastern Division.

The SWAC champ will advance to play MEAC winner North Carolina Central on Dec.

17 in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta. ABC will provide TV coverage.

Since 2015, the SWAC and MEAC — the nation’s two historically Black Division I conferences — have chosen to play in the Celebration Bowl rather than the FCS playoffs.

Long’s leading tackles recognized

Tyler Long specializes in making tackles, and few do it better than Norfolk State University’s redshirt junior linebacker from Cincinnati.

Long was named first team, All-MEAC after leading the conference in tackles with 106. That total ranked 13th nation ally in the Football Champion ship Subdivision.

Earning second team, AllMEAC for the Spartans was junior defensive back R.J. Coles from Varina High School.

VCU’s first ‘Big Man’ earns Hall of Fame induction

The 6-foot-10 Harris has lived much of his adult life in Finland, first as a professional player but more recently as a coach and clinician. At one time he was the coach of the Finnish National Team.

Harris is currently director of a grassroots program called “Get in the Game.”

Out of Northside High near Roanoke, Harris played under VCU coach Chuck Noe from 1970-74. In 81 games, he scored 1,379 points, grabbed 839 rebounds while shooting 53 percent from the field and 77 percent at the foul line.

Long and lean, he was essentially VCU’s first bona fide “Big Man” and was called “Supernard” by friends.

Harris was selected by Buffalo in the fourth round (63rd overall) in the 1974 NBA draft and played one full season with the Braves.

The former Ram has dual U.S./Finnish citizenship and lives in the city of Espoo on Finland’s southern coastline.

William & Mary grows roster of diverse coaches, players

Black athletes and coaches are making a strong football statement at William & Mary.

When the Tribe hosts Gardner-Webb, N.C., 2 p.m. Saturday at Zable Stadium, there will be 43 Black players on Coach Mike London’s roster.

To name a few, that includes CAA Defen sive Player of the Year John Pius, dynamic dual-threat quarterback Darius Wilson, and receiver/punt returner Caylin Newton, younger brother of ex-NFL star Cam Newton.

Also, six of the assistant coaches are Black, including London’s son, Mike Jr., who tutors the wide receivers and coordinates video.

Near perfection: Following a bye, the Tribe enters the playoffs with a 10-1 record, the CAA championship, a seven-game winning streak, and No. 5 national ranking.

The only loss was 35-31 at Elon on Sept. 24. W&M wrapped up the CAA crown Nov. 19 with a 37-26 win over the University of Richmond at sold out Robins Stadium.

Russia and the United States have re peatedly been on the verge of agreement on a prisoner exchange, a senior Russian diplomat said Tuesday, adding that a deal is still possible before the year’s end.

The Biden administration has been trying for months to negotiate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American jailed in Russia, Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan, including through a possible prisoner swap with Moscow.

Asked by reporters whether a swap is possible before the year’s end, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, responded: “There always is a chance.”

“Regrettably, there have been a few occasions when it seemed that a decision in favor of it was about to be made, but it never happened,” Mr. Ryabkov said without elaborating.

He added that the Russian Foreign Ministry was not currently engaged in any dialogue on the subject with the U.S., “so

RVA

Coach London coached UR to the 2008 national FCS title. He then was head coach at University of Virginia and Howard University before coming to W&M in 2019.

Sack attack: Few get to the QB better than John Pius, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanon award (for the nation’s best defensive player).

we aren’t feeling full dynamics.”

Mr. Ryabkov noted that a prisoner swap “would undoubtedly send a positive signal that not everything is so utterly hopeless in Russian-U.S. relations.”

The Russian diplomat reiterated Mos cow’s call for the U.S. to discuss the issue discreetly and refrain from making public statements. He lamented that “Washington has been abusing ‘loudspeaker diplomacy’ instead of a quiet one, which didn’t help us to do business.”

Earlier this month, Griner began serving a nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony in Mordovia, about 350 kilometers (210 miles) east of Moscow, after a Russian court had rejected her appeal of her August conviction.

The all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and two-time Olympic gold medal winner was detained in February when customs agents said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her lug gage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

At her trial, Griner admitted to having

the canisters in her luggage but testified she packed them inadvertently in her haste to make her flight and had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements saying she had been prescribed cannabis to treat chronic pain.

Mr. Whelan is serving a 16-year sen tence in Russia after being convicted on espionage charges that he denied.

His brother, David, said Tuesday that officials at the prison colony where Mr. Whelan is held said he was moved to the prison hospital on Nov. 17. David Whelan questioned the reason for the transfer, say ing his brother had not complained of any health conditions that required hospitaliza tion and appeared healthy and well to the U.S. Embassy staff who visited him.

The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washing ton has offered to exchange Griner and Mr. Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the “merchant of death.”

The 230-pound Pius, who is from Arlington, has posted 11.5 sacks this season with 19 tackles for losses. He had 10 solo tackles, including two for losses at UR.

Lil’ Brother: Out of Atlanta, Newton was W&M’s top receiver and CAA Special Teams Player of the Year.

The fleet 6-footer has caught 31 passes for a 16-yard average with 13 TDS, while also returning 18 punts for 137 yards.

Newton first signed with London at Howard. He played a season at Auburn in between Howard and W&M.

Bronx Bomber: From New York, Darius Wilson has been among the nation’s top pass-run weapons.

The 6-foot-3 Wilson has passed for 1,950 yards and 13 touch downs, while running for another 433 yards and four TDs.

Track record: It’s not like W&M football has come out of nowhere. The Tribe has made 10 previous playoff appearances, with 2015 the most recent.

The program has gone 5-7, 1-2, 6-5 and now 10-1 under London.

Blazing a trail: In 1968, Richmonder Warren Winston, a de fensive back who came out of John Marshall High School, became W&M’s first Black football player and scholarship athlete.

Bernard Harris

Hot ticket court game Saturday, Dec. 3 Virginia Union University plays Augusta, Ga. University. Tipoff: 2 p.m. at Barco-Stevens Hall.

Former Virginia Commonwealth University basketball star Bernard Harris has been inducted into the Finnish Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jadakis Bonds

Tyshaun Crawford

Caylin Newton John Pius Darius Wilson

Coach London

Tyler Long

Robert Osborne

connection: Coach London, 62, was a star defensive back at UR from 1979 to 1982, and later played with the Dallas Cowboys. Before entering coaching, he was a detective in the street-crime unit of the Richmond Police Department.

Associated

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted from a courtroom Aug. 4 after a hearing in Khimki just outside Moscow.

The Associated Press MOSCOW

Personality: Renee Gaines

Spotlight on board president of Richmond Chapter of Executive Women International

Across multiple roles and several years, Renee Gaines has worked to help bring transformative growth to the city of Richmond.

She was named board presi dent of the Richmond Chapter of Executive Women Inter national six weeks ago. And while being “out front” isn’t something she’s accustomed to, she already has big plans for her one-year term.

“Taking on this role was at first intimidating,” Ms. Gaines says, noting that she’s used to being more of a “behind-thescenes” worker. “But as I’ve grown into this position, I have learned it truly takes a team, and the members of our chapter are always there to support and guide each other.”

She joined EWI Richmond in 2019, and cites the group’s core tenets – connections, careers, and community – as her reasons for getting involved with the organization, which focuses on personal, professional and community development, and improvement.

The word “MORE” defines her major goals for EWI. This includes increased contribu tions, recruiting members from a wider range of local companies, and greater com mitment to the mission of the organization itself.

As a proud graduate of John Marshall High School, Ms. Gaines has a specific interest in ensuring the improvement of Richmond as it continues to grow. She has applied this inter est already in places outside of EWI Richmond, including her work as an office administrator at Venture Richmond, which has a partnership with Richmond Public Schools and runs several events that bring attention and money to the city annually.

With EWI Richmond’s own focus on academic aid, includ

ing multiple scholarship pro grams, Ms. Gaines is hopeful the group and her new role can be a force for good in helping shape and improve the city’s future, particularly in its Downtown area, which she sees as on “an upward track.”

“I definitely see it being positive,” says Ms. Gaines when asked if she sees her new role as a continuation of her previous efforts in Richmond. “Being able to connect with other companies that are down town that can have a positive impact on growth.”

Ms. Gaines sees some po tential challenges ahead. The COVID-19 pandemic’s ef fects on their work poses its own problem, with the local economy still recovering from the past two years, making awarding full scholarships more difficult.

She also wants to ensure EWI Richmond’s literacy initiative can continue with the same level of support from previous years, alongside growing chap ter membership amid a shift to work-from-home operations for many businesses.

Nevertheless, Ms. Gaines is hopeful EWI Richmond will overcome any obstacles that could arise in 2023, and is intent on seeing that her goals for the group, their partners in education, and Richmond as a whole come to fruition.

“I hope to grow the chap ter, to definitely make it more diverse,” Ms. Gaines says. “I hope that we’re able to give out the maximum number of scholarships … and to have a great and positive impact on the kids.”

Meet a Richmonder helping to better her city and this week’s Personality, Renee Gaines: Volunteer position: President –Executive Women International

(EWI) – Richmond Chapter.

Date and place of birth: June 11 in Richmond.

Education: John Marshall High School graduate and attended the University of Maryland.

Family: Daughter Morgan, granddaughter Amaya.

Executive Women Interna tional (EWI) is: A professional women’s organization with 34 chapters across the United States and Canada.

When and where founded: San Francisco in 1938.

Founder: Lucille Johnson Perkins.

When was the Richmond chapter established: EWI Richmond was founded June 6, 1967. This year is our 55th anniversary.

How to become a member: Membership in EWI is by in vitation. EWI is unique among the many women’s organiza tions in that the company,

not the individual, holds the membership in most cases.

How EWI Richmond supports education en deavors: EWI Scholar ship Program (EWISP) and Adult Students in Scholastic Transition (ASIST). EWISP is an annual, competitionbased program which awards college scholar ship money to qualifying high school seniors each year. EWISP grants three $2,500 scholarships. The ASIST award is a flexible scholarship program that addresses the needs of adults who are working to improve their situation in life through education. The applicants are either single parents, individuals just entering the workforce or dis placed workers.

We proudly awarded scholar ships to seven adult students. The chapter also is committed to promoting literacy. And EWI Richmond partnered with a member firm, Towne Bank, and Communities in Schools of North Chesterfield to support Virginia Reads One Book at Bellwood Elementary School in March of this year.

Why I stepped up: I was ap proached by a good friend and colleague who has been an EWI member for many years to take on the role of vice president to prepare to serve as president of the chapter. She saw me as a person who could bring new ideas and help grow diversity in our chapter.

Goals as chapter president include: Recruiting more young women seeking to sharpen their professional skills through our free webinars and connect with peers in a myriad

of organizations across the country and traveling to our annual conference in the U.S. or Canada.

How EWI Richmond sup ports women of color: EWI serves and cultivates Black and Brown women executives and leaders by giving them a platform that provides the exposure needed to build on their careers. EWI Richmond will be providing additional programming and workshops around diversity, equity and inclusion.

How to get involved with EWI Richmond: Visit www. ewirichmond.org and submit your contact information or contact any member of the chapter.

A perfect day for me is: Spend ing time with my family, friends and a group of six sister-friends, the Coterie. Most of the Coterie members have been friends since elementary school.

Something about me that people may not know: I have become a “gym rat.” I am at Gridiron Gym with my

trainer Justin most mornings by 6:30.

A quote that inspires me: Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.

My friends describe me as: Loyal, caring and a good listener.

Best late-night snack: Ice cream or popcorn.

The best thing my parents ever taught me: To put God first in my life and stay as close and connected to family as possible.

The person who influenced me the most: My grandmother, Ethel Purnell, was probably the person who had the most influence on me. She was steadfast, loving and always had time to listen.

Book that influenced me the most: “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry.

What I’m reading now: “More than Enough, Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say),” by Elaine Welteroth.

Let the fun shine

A blast from the past ignited Richmond’s East End last weekend during the ArmstrongWalker Football Classic Legacy Project festivities. Featuring a parade, pee wee football, alumnae cheerleaders and former football players and tailgating, of course, there was something for everyone.

Smiles and laughs were abundant as parade watchers, neighbors and friends gathered to show their love for Richmond’s two formerly all Black high schools –Arm strong and Maggie L. Walker.

The party started with an early morn ing parade on Mosby Street. Parade floats included artifacts and memorabilia from both schools, providing a history lesson about the schools’ 40-year historic rivalry from 1938-1978. Once the parade ended at Armstrong High School on Cool Lane, alumni and friends caught up on old times by greeting one another or sharing the

latest news.

Participants also took in a custom and antique car show in Armstrong’s parking lot, along with grilling, eating and more. 10u football players went all out in the 2nd Annual Armstrong-Walker Football Clas sic. Walker was represented by the RVA Trojans and Armstrong was represented by the RVA Wildcats and Falcons. Walker won the 10u game 6-0.

Founded by the late Cary Mitchell, the Armstrong-Walker Football ClassicLegacy Project began in 2021. The project’s current president is Greta J. Randolph.

Donations to support future annual events celebrating The Armstrong-Walker Football Classic Legacy Project may be made at the website: www.awfootballclassic.com/

A special exhibition about both schools runs until tomorrow at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press Dr. Leonard L. Edloe, right, grand marshal of the Armstrong-Walker Football Classic Legacy Project Parade, waves to parade-goers along Mechanicsville Turnpike last Saturday. Dr. Edloe is the 2022 president of the Virginia Pharmacists Association.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Former homecoming queens are introduced during halftime of the 10U Armstrong-Walker Legacy football game.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Armstrong High School alumnae cheerleaders, including retired NBC-12 anchor and Richmond native Diane Walker, center, wave to parade attendees as they make their way along Mechanicsville Turnpike during the second Armstrong-Walker Football Classic Legacy Project Parade last Saturday.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Michelle Johnson Fischer, a Maggie Walker High School Class of 1977 cheerleader, joined other alumnae cheerleaders, during The Armstrong-Walker Football Classic Legacy Project parade along Mechanicsville Turnpike last Saturday.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Maggie Walker alumni greet former Maggie Walker homecoming queens near Armstrong High School during the Armstrong-Walker Class Legacy Parade last Saturday.

football players went all out in the 2nd Annual Armstrong-Walker Football Classic Legacy game. Walker was represented by the RVA Trojans and Armstrong was represented by the RVA Wildcats and Falcons. Walker won the 10u game 6-0.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Gilbert Carter, left, whose father attended Maggie Walker and mother attended Armstrong, is on grill duty at the tailgating event.

Clarence Gilyard, ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ and ‘Die Hard’ actor, dies at 66

Associated Press NEW YORK

Clarence Gilyard Jr., a popular supporting actor whose credits include the blockbuster films “Die Hard” and “Top Gun” and the hit television series “Matlock” and “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died at age 66. His death was announced this week by the Univer sity of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he taught stage and screen acting. Additional details were not immediately available Tuesday.

“Professor Gilyard was a beacon of light and strength for everyone around him at UNLV,” the school’s film chair, Heather Addison, said in a statement. “Whenever we asked him how he was, he would cheerfully declare that he was ‘Blessed!’ But we are truly the ones who were blessed to be his colleagues and students for so many years.”

Mr. Gilyard was a Moses Lake, Wash., native. He had a prolific career as an actor, starting in the 1980s with appearances in “Diff’rent Strokes,” “The Facts of Life” and other shows. He then appeared in two of the biggest movies of the decade: “Top Gun,” in which he played Sundown, a radar intercept officer, and “Die Hard,” when he was featured as a villainous computer maven whose one liners included, “You didn’t bring me along for my charming personality.”

In the 1990s, he was on the side of law enforce ment in “Matlock,” playing opposite Andy Griffith, and “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which starred Chuck Norris. His other credits include “The Karate Kid: Part II,” a stage production of “Driv ing Miss Daisy” and an appearance alongside “Die Hard” star Bruce Willis in a commercial for DieHard batteries.

No, Stacey Abrams is not Moses

When I moved to Atlanta in September of 2020, the first thing I did was register to vote.

I was excited to support the campaign of U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and cast my vote for the Rev. Raphael Warnock, a man I know and admire. It was a slight consolation for not having been able to vote for Stacey Abrams in the 2018 gubernatorial election and, while I was always in support of Sen. Kamala Harris and her pursuit of the White House, I — like most Abrams sup porters — felt some kind of way when it became clear it would not be a Biden-Abrams

2020 ticket.

Fast forward to 2022. At an early voting station housed at Berean Christian Church in Stone Mountain, I found my self voting for Sen. Warnock again, along with a slew of other candidates and referen dum questions. But this time, I was able to do what I’ve wanted to do since I became a Georgia resident: Vote Stacey Abrams for governor. Given the voter suppression during Ms. Abrams’ previous run against Brian Kemp and his retribu tive politics during a moment where all the progress of recent decades is disappearing, I was sure Georgians would make the right choice.

Breaking news: They didn’t. As results continued to pour in, I asked myself what it would take for Ms. Abrams to win. How can someone be so ac complished and equipped for the moment at hand and be denied? Unfortunately, that is

the nature of politics — it is a game, after all. You will win some elections and you will lose others. Most politicians will tell you that you can’t take it personally, even if they don’t believe that themselves.

Just as we were accepting the results, something weird hap pened. Instead of an analysis of every aspect of that race, the conversation shifted toward

heralding Ms. Abrams as our “Moses.” It was first put forth by MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and the Rev. Al Sharpton. We then heard New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow say that he fears the plight of Moses is Ms. Abrams’ story, too.

Blessing of the Animals’ is Dec. 9

Free Press staff report

The traditional Richmond Blessing of the Animals is scheduled for noon Friday, Dec. 9, at the Morgan Fountain in Shockoe Slip in Downtown.

The Rev. Karen Thompson, a breeder of Border Col lies, will perform the ceremony that celebrates animals and their varied roles in people’s lives.

The horses of the Richmond Mounted Squad and dogs with the Richmond K9 Unit will be among the participants, organizers stated, with anyone else with a service animal or pet of any kind invited to bring them to the brief program.

The Friends of the Richmond Mounted Squad and Fountain Bookstore are sponsoring the event that is open to the public. The event is scheduled to take place rain or shine.

Abrams lost. God didn’t tell her to do one thing and she did another, resulting in the consequence of being barred from the governor’s mansion. Ms. Abrams didn’t enter the promised land for one reason: She’s a Black woman.

“BACK IN SERVICE” Our doors are open again every Sunday @ 11:00 am. Live Streaming Every Sunday At: BRBConline.org or YouTube (Broad Rock Baptist Church) “MAKE IT HAPPEN”

The issues with such an analysis are legion. As we rightly call out the dangers of Christian nationalism on the right, we must be willing to acknowledge when Christi anity is also weaponized by the left.

Not to mention, it’s totally inaccurate. When you actually read the story of Moses, you know that Moses was forbidden to enter into the Promised Land because of his disobedience. Watching the children enter without him was a consequence of his willful disregard of divine instruction. That’s not why Ms.

Having all of this converge to experience defeat again does not make Ms. Abrams our Moses. She is not a man who squandered the opportunity of a lifetime simply because he couldn’t control his frustrations or handle his emotions. She is a Black woman who tried to bring revolutionary change to a deeply red state.

Candice Marie Benbow is a public theologian and the author of “Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Con sidered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough.”

Mr. Gilyard

The

Ben Gray/The Associated Press

Stacey Abrams, Democratic candidate for Georgia gov ernor, gives her concession speech in Atlanta on Nov. 8.

Candice Marie Benbow

city of Richmond, virginia cITY

cOUNcIL PUBLIc NOTIcE

Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, December 12, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinance: Ordinance No. 2022-310

To amend City Code § 26-1065, concerning Downtown General Special Service and Assessment District boundaries, for the purpose of expanding the Downtown General Special Service Assessment District to include the Manchester area of the city.

Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the December 12, 2022 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https:// www.rva.gov/office-cityclerk, and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Candice D. Reid City Clerk

city of Richmond, virginia cITY cOUNcIL PUBLIc NOTIcE

Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, December 12, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances:

Ordinance No. 2022-232

As Amended To authorize the special use of the properties known as 3301 Park Avenue and 3303 Park Avenue for the purpose of four single-family attached dwellings, with off-street parking, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2022-295

As Amended To authorize the special use of the property known as 316 South Linden Street for the purpose of a fence with signs, upon certain terms and conditions, and to repeal Ord. No. 2006-191-198, adopted Jul. 24, 2006.

Ordinance No. 2022-299 To install one speed table along Seminary Avenue between Overbrook Road and Edgehill Road, specifically located between 2604 Seminary Avenue and 2606 Seminary Avenue.

Ordinance No. 2022-303 To create a new reservation of fund balance called the 2022 Real Estate Tax Relief Reserve, intended to be categorized as an assigned fund balance and used to return surplus real property tax revenues to taxpayers through a one-time, fivecent rebate.

Ordinance No. 2022-304 To return surplus real estate tax revenues to taxpayers pursuant to Va. Code § 15.2-2511.1.

Ordinance No. 2022-305 To amend Ord. No. 2022055, adopted May 9, 2022, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2022-2023

General Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, to (i) re-appropriate $18,000,000.00 of the Fiscal Year 2021-2022

fund balance excess assigned to the 2022 Real Estate Tax Relief Reserve established by Ord. No. 2022-______, adopted ______. ____, 202__, (ii) create a new line item entitled “Real Estate Tax Relief - Department of Finance” in the NonDepartmental Agency, and (iii) appropriate such $18,000,000.00 to such new line item in the NonDepartmental agency, for the purpose of returning surplus real property tax revenue to real estate taxpayers in the city of Richmond pursuant to Va. Code § 15.2-2511.1 through a one-time, fivecent rebate.

Ordinance No. 2022-306 To amend Ord. No. 2022055, adopted May 9, 2022, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 General Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, to transfer $204,199.00 from the Non-Departmental agency, Reserve for Civilian Review Board line item, and to appropriate such transferred funds in the amount of $204,199.00 to the City

Council agency, for the purpose of providing funds to establish a Civilian Review Board.

Ordinance No. 2022-307

To amend Ord. No. 2022055, adopted May 9, 2022, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 General Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, to transfer $15,659.00 from the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, and to amend Ord. No. 2022-056, adopted May 9, 2022, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Special Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, to appropriate such $15,659.00 to the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Restorative Justice Special Fund by $15,659.00, all for the purpose of providing funds to meet the local match requirement for a grant award from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Public Safety program.

Ordinance No. 2022-308 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept funds in the amount of $100,000.00 from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, to amend the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Special Fund Budget by creating a new special fund for the Department of Police called the BJA BodyWorn Camera Policy and Implementation Program Special Fund, and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 20222023 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Department of Police’s BJA Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program Special Fund by $100,000.00 for the purpose of funding the purchase of bodyworn cameras for the Department of Police.

Ordinance No. 2022-309 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept funds from the U. S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, in the total amount of $1,966,278.00; to amend Ord. No. 2022056, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Special Fund Budget, by (i) creating one new special fund for the Department of Justice Services and two new special funds for the Office of the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services called the CVIPI Justice Services Special Fund, the CVIPI Steering Committee Special Fund, and the We Matter CVIPI Special Fund, respectively, and (ii) increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the new CVIPI Justice Services Special Fund by $1,094,716.00, the new CVIPI Steering Committee Special Fund by $95,740.00, and the new We Matter CVIPI Special Fund by $551,040.00; and to amend Ord. No. 2022055, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 General Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, by creating a new line item in the Non-Departmental agency to be called the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Survey and Evaluation Research Lab grant for evaluation of gun violence prevention initiatives line item and to increase estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to such new line item by $225,052.00, all for the purpose of funding City of Richmond gun violence prevention initiatives.

Ordinance No. 2022-311

To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Contract between the City of Richmond and the Italian-American Cultural Association of Virginia for the purpose of providing for the transfer of ownership of the statue portion of the City-owned monument to Christopher Columbus to the Italian-American Cultural Association of Virginia for nominal consideration.

Ordinance No. 2022-312

To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the implementation of the James River Branch Trail project from its intersection with West 49th Street to its intersection with Hopkins Road; and to repeal Ord. No. 2022-034, adopted Feb. 28, 2022.

Ordinance No. 2022-313

To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Commonwealth of Virginia Voluntary Remediation Program Certification of

Satisfactory Completion of Remediation between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for the purpose of providing for the remediation of environmental hazards on the properties located at 3110 East Main Street and 3200 East Main Street to facilitate redevelopment of those properties.

Ordinance No. 2022-314

To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the resurfacing of Belt Boulevard North.

Ordinance No. 2022-315

To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the resurfacing of Broad Rock Boulevard South.

Ordinance No. 2022-316

To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the resurfacing of Broad Rock Boulevard North between its intersection with Snead Road and a point 100 feet past its intersection with Cranford Avenue.

Ordinance No. 2022-317

To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the resurfacing of Broad Rock Boulevard North between its intersection with Snead Road and a point 100 feet before its intersection with Plainfield Road.

Ordinance No. 2022-318

To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the Leigh Street Streetscape Improvements project.

Ordinance No. 2022-319

To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a VDOT Administered – Locally Funded Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the implementation of the Mayo Bridge Replacement Project.

Ordinance No. 2022-320

To designate the 900 and 1000 blocks of Overbrook Road in honor of Langston R. Davis, Sr. Ordinance No. 2022-321

To designate that portion of East Charity Street located between its intersection with North 1st Street and its intersection with North 2nd Street in honor of Dr. Kenneth E. Dennis, Sr.

Ordinance No. 2022-322

To designate the 600 block of Edgehill Road in honor of Willard H. Douglas, Jr.

Ordinance No. 2022-323

To designate that portion of R Street located between its intersection with North 36th Street and its intersection with North 38th Street in honor of Harold Harris.

Ordinance No. 2022-324

To designate the 1100 block of Eggleston Street in honor of Richard Jones and Bessie Jones.

Ordinance No. 2022-325

To designate that portion of P Street located between its intersection with North 28th Street and its intersection with North 29th Street in honor of Dr. Paul Nichols as “Paul Nichols Way.”

Ordinance No. 2022-326

To rename the park in the city of Richmond known as Carter Jones Park as “Fonticello Park.”

Ordinance No. 2022-327

To amend City Code § 13-221, concerning inspection reports, for the purpose of requiring that such reports be submitted to the Fire Marshal through a webbased reporting system provided by a contractor of the Fire Code Official.

Ordinance No. 2022-329

To amend Ord. No. 2022057, adopted May 9, 2022, which accepted a program of proposed Capital Improvement Projects for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 and the four

fiscal years thereafter, adopted a Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 20222023, and determined a means of financing the same, by transferring $52,000.00 from the Percent for Arts project; and to amend Ord. No. 2022-055, adopted May 9, 2022, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 General Fund Budget and made appropriations thereto, by (i) creating a new line item in the NonDepartmental agency entitled “RRHA for Hillside Court Playground,” (ii) increasing estimated revenues by $52,000.00, and (iii) appropriating $52,000.00 to the new RRHA for Hillside Court Playground in the NonDepartmental agency, all for the purpose of providing funds for improvements to the Hillside Court community playground located at 1500 Harwood Street in the city of Richmond.

Ordinance No. 2022-344

To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a We Matter RVA Grant Contract between the City of Richmond and ChildSavers – Memorial Child Guidance Clinic, for the purpose of providing social and emotional wellness services as part of the We Matter RVA youth gun violence prevention program. (cOMMITTEE: Education and Human Services, Thursday, December 8, 2022, 2:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2022-345

To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a We Matter RVA Grant Contract between the City of Richmond and Challenge Discovery Projects, Inc., for the purpose of providing social and emotional wellness services as part of the We Matter RVA youth gun violence prevention program. (cOMMITTEE: Education and Human Services, Thursday, December 8, 2022, 2:00 p.m.)

Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the December 12, 2022 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https:// www.rva.gov/office-cityclerk, and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Candice D. Reid City Clerk

DIvORcE

vIRGINIA: IN THE cIRcUIT cOURT FOR THE cOUNTY OF HANOvER MELITO McWILLIAMS, Plaintiff v. cATHERINE McWILLIAMS,

12th day of January, 2023 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

vIRGINIA: IN THE cIRcUIT cOURT FOR THE cOUNTY OF HANOvER MARIA MARROQUIN, Plaintiff v. JAIME ALvARADO, Defendant. case No.: cL22003497-00 ORDER OF PUBLIcATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown appear here on or before the 12th day of January, 2023 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

vIRGINIA: IN THE cIRcUIT cOURT OF THE cOUNTY OF HENRIcO EBIKABORE WINIFRED ODIBO, Plaintiff v. KINGSLEY ERUTE ODIBO, Defendant. case No.: cL22-7195 ORDER OF PUBLIcATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce.

It appearing from an affidavit that diligence has been used by or on behalf of the plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city the defendant is, without effect, it is ORDERED that the defendant appear before this Court on the 23rd day of January, 2023 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests herein.

A Copy, Teste: HEIDI S. BARSHINGER, Clerk

vIRGINIA: IN THE cIRcUIT cOURT FOR THE cOUNTY OF HANOvER KIMBERLY cOSTA, Plaintiff v. DANIEL cOSTA, Defendant. case No.: cL22002745-00 ORDER OF PUBLIcATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown appear here on or before the 3rd day of January, 2023 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste:

LATISHA SIMPSON-ROSS, Plaintiff v. SHAWN ROSS, Defendant. case No.: cL22002152-00 ORDER OF PUBLIcATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown appear here on or before the 21st day of December, 2022 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

cUSTODY

vIRGINIA: IN THE JUvENILE AND DOMESTIc RELATIONS DISTRIcT cOURT OF THE cITY OF RIcHMOND commonwealth of virginia, in re MELISSA MONAE SALGADO MORENO, RDSS v. BRITTANY O’BANNON & UNKNOWN FATHER File No. J-100777-04-05

ORDER OF PUBLIcATION

The object of this suit is to: terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) of Unknown Father (Father), & Brittany O’Bannon (Mother) of Melissa Monae Salgado Moreno, child DOB: 12/28/2021, “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with Parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: Visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support and that; It is ORDERED that the defendants Unknown Father (Father), & Brittany O’Bannon (Mother) to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 2/7/2023, at 9:30 A.M., cOURTROOM #2 (McG)

vIRGINIA: IN THE JUvENILE AND DOMESTIc RELATIONS DISTRIcT cOURT OF THE cITY OF RIcHMOND commonwealth of virginia, in re DEDRIcK J. PLEASANTS, III RDSS v. FELIcIA D. BRASWELL & UNKNOWN FATHER File No. J-85790-15, 16

ORDER OF PUBLIcATION

The object of this suit is to: terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) of Unknown Father (Father), & Felicia D. Braswell (Mother) of Dedrick J. Pleasants, III, child DOB: 2/13/2008, “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with Parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: Visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support and that; It is ORDERED that the defendants Unknown Father (Father), & Felicia D.

GALLAGHER, et al., Defendants. case No. cL22-6813

ORDER OF PUBLIcATION

The object of this suit is to compel the sale of certain real property briefly described as 8000 Neuson Court, Henrico County, Virginia, GPIN 758-743-4527, being the same property conveyed to Dane Terry Hilbert by deed dated August 10, 2011, recorded in the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court of Henrico County, Virginia, on August 17, 2011, in Deed Book 4901, at page 2382 (as more particularly described in the Complaint and in said deed, the “Property”).

It appearing unto the Court, by affidavit filed according to law by the plaintiffs, that (A) diligence has been used, without effect, to ascertain the location of defendant Andre Stolar, and his last address is unknown; and (B) there may be persons, whose names are unknown (collectively, the “Parties Unknown”), interested in the Property, who are made parties defendant herein by the following descriptions:

All unknown heirs, devisees, and successors in interest of William Salaneck, Sr., Edward Salaneck, Sr., Ivan Hodich, Julia Hodich, and Dane Terry Hilbert; and All other persons claiming any interest in the real property briefly described as 8000 Neuson Court, Henrico County, Virginia, GPIN 758743-4527.

It is, therefore, ORDERED that defendant Andre Stolar, and the said Parties Unknown, appear in this Court on January 9, 2023 and do what is necessary to protect their interests.

Enter: 11/9/22 Hon. L.A. Harris, Jr. Circuit Court Judge I ASK FOR THIS: Trevor B. Reid (VSB #77233)

PARKER, POLLARD, WILTON & PEADEN, P.C.

6802 Paragon Place, Suite 205 Richmond Virginia 23230-1655 (804) 262-3600 telephone (804) 262-3284- facsimile treid@parkerpollard.com Counsel or the Plaintiffs

ABc LIcENSE

Joy Nails LLc Trading as: Joy Nails & Spa 5454 W Broad St Richmond, Henrico, virginia 23230-2630

The above establishment is applying to the V IRGINIA A LCOHOLIC B EVERAGE C ONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Marketplace LicenseDay Spa license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Nancy Wong, owner NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www. abc.virginia.gov or (800) 552-3200.

Sumita Das Trading as: Louisa BP 450 Main Street Louisa, vA 23093 The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA A LCOHOLIC B EVERAGE C ONTROL (ABC)

AUTHORITY for a Retail On and Off Premises Wine and Beer license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Sumita Das Date notice posted at establishment: 11/15/2022 NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www. abc.virginia.gov or (800) 552-3200.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Request For Proposal

GRTC Transit System is seeking bids for “Purchase and Installation of E-Papers”. Interested suppliers may download a website www.ridegrtc.com > About Us > Procurement, or obtain a copy by calling Jamel Harper at (804) 358-3871, Ext 345. Bids are due prior to 3:00 pm on December 29, 2022. All inquiries pertaining to the request or any questions in reference to the solicitation documents should be directed to: Jamel Harper Procurement Specialist (804) 358-3871, extension 345

St. John Baptist Church in Richmond, Va. Is looking for an experienced Minister of Music to coordinate the Music Ministry. Please send resume highlighting qualifications to: Chairman Claude Coleman, Trustee Ministry Rev. Dr.