Richmond Free Press December 26-28, 2019 edition by Richmond Free Press

VOL. 28 NO. 52

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

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Happy Holidays DECEMBER 26-28, 2019

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City Council-appointed advisory commission rejects $1.5B Coliseum and Downtown redevelopment plan after 3-month review By Jeremy M. Lazarus make a new Coliseum the city’s No. 1 priority, but also Don’t do it. would generate about $1 billion in private development Don’t invest hundreds of millions of taxpayer dolDowntown on city-owned property near City Hall. lars to replace the vacant Richmond Coliseum with a The commission, by a 4-2 vote, found that the new 17,500-seat arena. project as presented requires “an up-front commitment That’s the bottom line recommendation from the to the arena.” Navy Hill Development Advisory Commission, a nineBut by a 5-2 vote, with two abstentions, “a majority member panel appointed by Richmond City Council of commissioners did not find the proposed, publicly to review the project. financed $300 million arena a sound and reasonable Mr. Homer That recommendation is headed to City Council folpublic investment in the redevelopment of Downtown,” lowing the commission’s three-month review of the massive $1.5 stated the final report, which was issued late Monday. billion proposal pushed by Mayor Levar M. Stoney that would The finding is a clear repudiation of the viewpoint of Navy

Hill District Corp. advocates that the investment would yield huge returns in jobs and tax revenues with little risk to the city. By a 5-3 vote, the commission also rejected the city’s assertion that the project would not impact funding of the city’s public schools. Instead, the commission found the Navy Hill project, as the Coliseum replacement plan has been dubbed, “poses a risk to the city’s general fund and school funding,” with a portion of the commission concerned that the project also “poses a risk to other city businesses or programs.” The commission members were appointed by City Council Please turn to A4

McEachin, Wexton call for replacement of Lee statue in U.S. Capitol By Ronald E. Carrington

Two Virginia congressional representatives are calling for the statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee to be replaced in the U.S. Capitol by a Virginian of color who has dedicated his or her life to fighting for equality. The statue of Gen. Lee, who is dressed in a Confederate uniform, is viewed by almost every tour group to the U.S. Capitol and serves “as a prevalent reminder of Virginia’s disturbing racial legacy,” Rep. A. Donald McEachin of Richmond and Rep. Jennifer Wexton of Northern Virginia wrote in a letter this week to Gov. Ralph S. Northam. “There are countless commendable VirginRelated story on A7

Architect of the Capitol

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

ians who would better represent our ComRep. Wexton monwealth in the U.S. Rep. McEachin Capitol than a Confederate general,” they wrote. They asked Gov. Northam to start the replacement process during the Virginia General Assembly session that starts next month. According to the official guidelines for replacing statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the Capitol, legislation authorizing the change must be approved by a state’s legislature and signed into law by the governor. The request then would be sent to the U.S. Capitol architect. Each state has two statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol that honor notable people in the state’s history. Virginia currently is represented by statues of George Washington, a Virginia native and the first U.S. president, and Gen.

Statue of Robert E. Lee

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Lt. Gov. Fairfax announces he will run for governor in 2021 By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax plans to run for governor in 2021, confident that he no longer will be held back by allegations that he sexually assaulted two women in separate incidents nearly two decades ago. Lt. Gov. Fairfax, now suing CBS News for $400 million for televising what he describes as “false, fabricated and politically motivated claims that have been debunked,” made clear in the past week that he will be jumping into a potentially crowded Democratic field. While Lt. Gov. Fairfax plans a more formal announcement later, the Lt. Gov. 40-year-old attorney confirmed he would be running for the state’s top elected post when asked during visits to Petersburg and Norfolk last week. He repeated his ambition to seek a promotion on Friday when he appeared on Kojo Nnamdi’s “Politics Hour” that is broadcast on

Vernice Breadon practices her solo in the Christmas hymn “O Holy Night” in preparation for the RVA Street Singers’ recent concert at Centenary United Methodist Church. She is accompanied by Sherri Matthews on the piano.

‘Sky’s the limit’ for RVA Street Singers By George Copeland Jr.

The main chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church was filled with the sounds of fellowship on a recent Friday as an audience of about 50 guests joined in the musical holiday cheer provided by the RVA Street Singers. The “Unity, Happiness and Light” concert was the first of its kind for the group, and the latest showing for the community choir made up largely of Richmond residents affected by homelessness or working through addiction recovery. “What we are experiencing today in this sanctuary, and what I have experienced in

WAMU 88.5, a National Public Radio outlet in Washington. “I do plan to run for governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Lt. Gov. Fairfax told the host on air, “and we’ve seen tremendous excitement around that announcement. The response has been really tremendous and positive and overwhelming. Everywhere we go, there are crowds of people who are just energized by the positive message, the more hopeful politics that we represent.” Lt. Gov. Fairfax is likely to face two-term Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring in a Democratic primary. Mr. Herring, 58, has been Fairfax seeking to put his own blackface scandal behind him. Mr. Herring said more than a year ago that he planned to make a bid for governor in 2021. The list of those considered to be eyeing a run also includes former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Please turn to A4

the choir rehearsals and my time with these wonderful people, have helped me to satisfy my heart’s desire,” said the Rev. Miles M. Siler, pastor of Smokey Row Baptist Church in Staunton, as he addressed the crowd during the program. Rev. Siler joined choir members, Virginia Commonwealth University students and volunteers from a variety of churches as part of the concert. “It is a joy and and a privilege for me to be here to share with this wonderful group of people,” Rev. Siler said. The RVA Street Singers is a project crePlease turn to A4

Regina H. Boone photo recognized among ‘100 photos that defined the decade’ Free Press staff report

A 2016 photograph by Free Press photographer Regina H. Boone of a toddler afflicted by the contaminated water in Flint, Mich., has made CNN’s list of “100 photos that defined the decade.” The photo, first published in the Detroit Free Press where Ms. Boone worked at the time, drew national and international attention to the plight of Flint residents living with a toxic water supply. Time magazine then used it as the cover photo for its Feb. 5, 2016, edition. The photo is of 2-year-old Sincere Smith who suffers Cover courtesy of TIME magazine

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Richmond Free Press

A2 December 26-28, 2019

Local News

As new George Mason Elementary takes shape, questions raised about old building By Ronald E. Carrington

School Board’s Jan. 6 meeting, which will be held at George Mason Elementary, 813 N. 28th St. What should happen to the old George Mason The new school, which is to open next fall, is Elementary School building? being built on a park adjacent to the older building That’s the big question as a new $38.4 mil- and is part of a package construction deal that lion George Mason Elementary building is being would create a new recreation area in the space constructed on the grounds in the East End. once the old school building is torn down. The Richmond Public Schools’ administraSources said any alternative should fit within tion has filed an appeal challenging the city the construction project budget. Commission of Architectural Review’s rejection The oldest section of the school was among the in November of the plan to demolish the old first schools built for African-American students school building. dating to the late 1800s. But in an interesting turn of An RPS administration email events, the Richmond School dated in early December stated Board is considering possible the importance of the plan alternatives for the building’s Slices of life and scenes includes “providing students in Richmond future that may pump the brakes with necessary green space, on demolition. while trying to meet Virginia According to sources, discussions have Department of Education recommendations for centered on whether demolishing the building play areas that best serve the community and and saving the façade built in 1922 at a cost of the students. This means, as the new building is $600,000 is the best choice. Suggestions include constructed, new tennis and basketball courts, forming a collaboration between the city and RPS a multi-use sport field and a playground will to turn the building over to private interests for be built in the old George Mason footprint,” renovation and conversion into another use. according to the email. Another possibility being considered is turnSchool Board member Jonathan Young, 4th ing the old building over to the city Department District, wants the board to review all options of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities before the school administration takes any for a community recreation center for East End further steps. children in collaboration with a nonprofit or “We have to have playgrounds and ball for-profit organization. fields, not just for the more than 700 George Each alternative, sources said, has a significant Mason students, but also for the community,” price tag and is expected to be discussed at the he said.

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Construction workers are busy with the new George Mason Elementary School that is going up in the East End on the site of a park adjacent to the current school building. Below, building supplies are stacked and ready for use in the $38.4 million project. George Mason is one of three new schools under construction that are expected to be ready for the 2020-21 academic year.

Cityscape

Holiday schedule In observance of New Year’s Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, please note the following: Government offices Federal offices: Closed Wednesday, Jan. 1. State offices: Closed Tuesday, Dec. 31, and Wednesday, Jan. 1. City of Richmond offices: Closed Wednesday, Jan. 1. Henrico County offices: Closed Wednesday, Jan. 1. Chesterfield County offices: Closed Wednesday, Jan. 1; Chesterfield County District Courts also closed Tuesday, Dec. 31. Hanover County offices: Closed Wednesday, Jan. 1 Public schools Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover public schools are closed for the holidays and will reopen on Monday, Jan. 6. Public Libraries Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover public libraries closed Wednesday, Jan. 1, with many branches closing early on Tuesday, Dec. 31. Garbage and recycling collection No trash or recycling collection on Wednesday, Jan. 1. The collection schedule will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week.

U.S. Postal Service No regular mail delivery Wednesday, Jan. 1. DMV customer service centers Closed Wednesday, Jan. 1. GRTC Buses to operate on a regular schedule Tuesday, Dec. 31, and a Sunday schedule on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Staff answering calls at the customer service center — (804) 358-4782 — from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on New Year ’s Eve and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on New Year’s Day. Banks and financial institutions Closed Wednesday, Jan. 1. ABC stores Retail stores closing at 6 p.m. Dec. 31; stores to reopen Thursday, Jan. 2. Malls, major retailers, movie theaters Varies. Inquire at specific locations. Richmond Free Press office Closed Wednesday, Jan. 1.

RRHA extends eviction freeze to Jan. 31 By George Copeland Jr.

Virginia Legal Aid and the Legal Aid Justice Center to re-evaluate its debt collection The Richmond Redevelopment Housing and lease enforcement policies. Authority’s freeze on public housing evicBy the end of the eviction freeze, tions has been extended through Jan. 31. RRHA and the consortium of legal aid The extension, authorized by RRHA organizations, called the Virginia Housing Chief Executive Officer Damon Justice Project, will announce “a E. Duncan, was announced final plan to remediate tenant during the agency’s Board of debt so that every RRHA family Commissioners meeting on is returned to as close to good Dec. 16. standing as possible,” according A news release issued later to the news release. offered some details on how The freeze on evictions iniofficials are approaching the tially was announced on Nov. 8 extension and how they plan after months of increased public to use the extra time. outcry from housing advocates, Mr. Duncan “We see this as a win-win for Richmond citizens and public all involved — our residents, the agency officials over the numbers of families and our community stakeholders,” Mr. living in public housing who were set to Duncan stated. “The housing authority be evicted from their homes. aims to prevent residents from losing their Before the freeze, which initially was housing at all costs.” to end Dec. 31, RRHA was on tract to The news release stated RRHA has held serve 266 notices to residents in the six regular meetings with representatives of major public housing communities that the Virginia Poverty Law Center, Central they could face eviction for failure to

RRHA residents starting to relocate into Jackson Ward, East End developments By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Public housing residents are beginning to move into new apartment complexes in Church Hill and Jackson Ward that were developed in partnership with the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Already, 13 residents have moved into units in Armstrong Renaissance, the new name for the Church Hill North complex

of apartments created by The Community Builders of Boston on the site of the old Armstrong High School on North 31st Street, RRHA spokeswoman Angela Fountain noted. She stated 13 residents have moved in since Nov. 18 and “another 14 are scheduled to move in.” A large majority of new residents are supposed to be coming from the Creighton Court public housing units located

plan of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority that lays out its vision for renovation or replacement of its nearly 4,000 public housing units is still in limbo. According to RRHA spokeswoman Angela Fountain, “RRHA is in an ongoing conversation with HUD representatives” about the changes that would be needed, the timeframe by which those plans would need to be submitted “and the legal necessity of holding additional public hearings on the plans.” “RRHA is currently under no prescribed deadline” to prepare and submit changes

Ms. Fountain also stated that RRHA “continues to maintain that the deficiencies HUD identified in RRHA’s agency plans fall in the category of being technical in nature, rather than substantive.” She noted, “HUD has not made any legally binding determination on this issue. “That being said,” she added that RRHA remains committed “to doing what is in the best interest of our families and the communities we serve. We will hold additional hearings if determined to be helpful to further our cooperative planning efforts.” — JEREMY M. LAZARUS

Rev. Darran Brandon to speak Jan. 1 RRHA under no deadline at Emancipation submit revised plans to HUD Proclamation Day service to The rejected annual plan and five-year to the rejected plans, she stated.

The Rev. Darran Brandon, pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church in Norfolk, will speak at the annual Emancipation Proclamation Day service hosted on New Year’s Day by the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity. The service will be held 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1, at Fifth Baptist Church, 1415 W. Cary St. The host organization asks that attendees bring donations of gift cards for the Armstrong High School Food Pantry. The 81st annual event recognizes the historic emancipation of enslaved people through the proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War that abolished slavery in Virginia and nine other Confederate states on Jan. 1, 1863. The proclamation would lead to the adoption in December 1865 of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that abolished slavery throughout the nation.

pay their rent. RRHA annually files about 1,900 eviction cases in Richmond General District Court involving public housing residents, according to data from the Virginia Poverty Law Center. Daryl F. Hayott, an attorney with the VPLC, expressed satisfaction with the efforts made by the RRHA so far. “We have enjoyed the level of cooperation that we have found at RRHA, and are heartened by the changes that the housing authority has proposed thus far related to this issue,” he stated. “We look forward to continuing this relationship for the betterment of the residents and the community as a whole.” Omari Al-Qadaffi, an organizer with the Legal Aid Justice Center, also expressed his support for the collaboration between RRHA and housing advocacy groups, adding that he hopes the vacancies in the Creighton Court public housing community would be one of the problems resolved by the moratorium’s end.

about a block away across Nine Mile Road, RRHA officials previously said. Armstrong Renaissance was designed to take on Creighton residents so the existing public housing units could be renovated or replaced. “Residents have first priority until the units are filled,” Ms. Fountain stated. Meanwhile, a few miles away, residents from Fay Towers in Gilpin Court are starting to fill new units in the Rosa, the new name of the Jackson Ward apartments being built in the block between 1st, 2nd, Duval and Jackson streets, Ms. Fountain said. She said residents began moving in Dec. 2. They are the first of 72 households that will move into the complex that also will feature an additional 72 units that are available to the public. RRHA is seeking to empty the 200-unit Fay Towers, and the Community Preservation and Development Corp. of Washington has undertaken this development. Another 77 residents from Fay Towers previously moved into apartments CPDC developed in a former school building in Highland Park. The final 51 units to replace Fay Towers are to be developed in the former Baker Elementary School building in Gilpin Court that Richmond Public Schools closed several years ago. That development has not started.

‘Raise the wage’ rally Naomi Isaac, right, of the People’s Justice Alliance addresses a crowd seeking an increase in the state’s minimum wage during a rally Dec. 18 on the grounds of the State Capitol. She said the current hourly minimum wage, $7.25, “does not exist without intention. Raise the minimum wage to a living wage now.” Legislation to raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour over several years is expected to be considered when the General Assembly convenes in January. With Democrats in control of the legislature, prospects for passage are regarded as virtually certain. Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Richmond Free Press

December 26-28, 2019

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A4 December 26-28, 2019

Richmond Free Press

News

Thumbs down to $1.5B Coliseum redevelopment plan Continued from A1

and led by former state Secretary of Transportation Pierce R. Homer. Its report will be formally presented to City Council on Monday, Jan 6. The council also is awaiting the report of C.H. Johnson Consulting Inc., a Chicago firm hired by City Council to review the project. The consulting firm’s report would offer another view before the planned Feb. 24 vote to approve or kill the development that would be undertaken by the private Navy Hill District Corp. headed by Thomas F. Farrell II, the top executive at Dominion Energy. The commission report is of little help to Mayor Stoney in his efforts to gain the required seven votes needed on City Council to sell city property for the $1.5 billion, mixed-use project. Along with a new Coliseum, the project would include a convention hotel, at least two new office buildings, more than 2,100 new apartments and multiple retail and restaurant operations in the area between 5th, 10th, Leigh and Marshall streets and in two city-owned blocks south of Broad Street. As best as can be determined, four City Council members might vote for the project, with Council President Cynthia I. Newbille, 7th District, as the leading advocate. Council members who have signaled they might vote against the project include Kim B. Gray, 2nd District; Council Vice President Chris A. Hilbert, 3rd District; Kristen N. Larson, 4th District; Stephanie A. Lynch, 5th District; and Reva M. Trammell, 8th District. While he did not immediately issue a comment on the re-

port, Mayor Stoney told the Free Press ahead of the report that the plan for “Navy Hill stands on its own merits” and that he remains optimistic that it will be approved. “This project is now in the hands of City Council. My hope, my wish for 2020 is for my friends on council to articulate and verbalize ways we can strengthen this project. If they have concerns or issues, we need to hear about them because I do believe we can get to a yes, and we can create a compromise that can benefit an enormous number of people. At the end of the day, this is not about an arena. This project is not about buildings. This is about economic empowerment, this is about people. No is not a plan for success.” Jeff Kelley, spokesman for the Navy Hill District Corp., stated that “we are not surprised that the commission has produced an inconclusive, fragmented … report.” He noted the report repeatedly cited “insufficient information” in much of its analysis, “yet NH District Corp. has more than made itself available to provide as much information as needed, only to be seemingly disregarded. “Further, the commission received factual, credible information from city staff, outside counsel and NH District Corp.,” Mr. Kelley continued. “It is contradictory to cite insufficient information yet find a concrete conclusion about ‘risks’ in the report.” Going forward, Mr. Kelley said the corporation would work with City Council on any specific concerns. “Our goal remains to be collaborative and to work with residents, council members and business leaders to create economic opportunity for all Richmonders” through this development, he

McEachin, Wexton call for replacement of Lee statue Continued from A1

Lee, a slave owner who, after Virginia’s secession from the United States, served as commander of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The Lee statue, which depicts him in a Confederate uniform, was donated by the state for the Capitol collection sometime between 1900 and the 1930s, according to the letter, when dozens of Confederate monuments were erected across the country. “These statues aimed to rewrite Lee’s reputation from that of a cruel slave owner and Confederate general to portraying him as a kind man and reluctant war hero who selflessly served his home state of Virginia,” Reps. McEachin and Wexton stated. “As Virginians, we have a responsibility to not only learn from but also confront our history,” they wrote to the governor. “As part of this responsibility, we must strive for a more complete telling of history by raising up the voices, stories and memories of minorities and people of color. In doing so, we should consider what monuments we can add to acknowledge the horrors of slavery, expose the injustices of institutional racism and honor those who dedicated their lives to fighting for equality.” In a brief interview with the Free Press, Rep. McEachin said the Virginia General Assembly decided on what statues would represent the Commonwealth in the National Statuary Hall Collection. “I think it is appropriate in a multiethnic state like Virginia that we have some African-Americans representing the Commonwealth,” he said. In their letter, Reps. McEachin and Wexton mentioned the names of several well-known African-Americans in Virginia history “who bravely chose to fight for justice and equality” and would be possibilities to replace Lee in the Capitol. Among them: Nat Turner, who led a slave rebellion in Southampton County in 1831; Booker T. Washington, who was born enslaved in Franklin County, Va., and later founded Tuskegee

Fairfax announces he will run for governor Continued from A1

Richmond state Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan and Prince William County Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy. Mayor Levar M. Stoney, who has been considered a possible candidate for governor or lieutenant governor, told the Free Press on Dec. 19 that he is gearing up to run for re-election to his current post. “I think I have the best job in government,” Mayor Stoney said. The allegations against Lt. Gov. Fairfax surfaced in February 2019 as Gov. Ralph S. Northam came under severe pressure to resign after a photo published on his 1984 medical school yearbook page went viral. The photo showed a person in blackface and another wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood. After apologizing initially, Gov. Northam later denied being either of the people in the photo and he rejected calls to step down. Mr. Herring, who initially called for the governor to resign, acknowledged during that time that he had worn blackface in 1980 as a 19-year-old college student at the University of Virginia. Meanwhile, a California university professor, Dr. Vanessa Tyson, came forward with claims that Lt. Gov. Fairfax forced her to have oral sex in a Boston hotel room while the two were attending the Democratic National Convention in 2004. The lieutenant governor was a law student at Columbia University at the time. A second woman, Meredith Watson of Maryland, who was studying at Duke University while Mr. Fairfax was an undergraduate student there, then came forward with an allegation that he raped her in 2000 at a fraternity house. In the months since, Lt. Gov. Fairfax has worked to rebut the allegations. He has claimed that his relationships with the two women were consensual and repeatedly called their allegations “fabricated and defamatory. He has taken two polygraphs exams that he said support his denials and filed the defamation suit against CBS News. He also asked prosecutors in Massachusetts and North Carolina to investigate the women’s allegations. Neither woman has filed a formal complaint with authorities. “I think what people have gotten to see over the last 10 months is that these allegations were false, fabricated and politically motivated,” the lieutenant governor said last week on Mr. Nnamdi’s radio show. “I’ve taken and passed two lie detector tests” to rebut the charges. He said that anyone who questions the two women will find that their accounts do not stand up to scrutiny. Instead, the questions would “reveal that Meredith Watson fabricated the story. Dr. Vanessa Tyson as well; we’ve shown many fabrications in her account, including that she claims to have met me on a day when I wasn’t even in the city.” “What Virginians are doing is they’re rejecting smear tactics,” Lt. Gov. Fairfax continued. “They are really exhausted … of people in politics … orchestrating smear campaigns and doing hit pieces and not wanting to get to the truth … People are going to be really surprised at the reaction they’re seeing … The backlash has been tremendous.”

Institute, now University, and served as an adviser to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft; renowned businesswoman and civil rights advocate Maggie L. Walker of Richmond, the first African-American woman to charter a bank in the United States; Barbara Johns, who as a 16-year-old, led a student walk-out at the all-black school in Prince Edward County to protest unequal and deplorable conditions; and Oliver W. Hill Sr., the renowned civil rights attorney in Richmond who filed suit against the Prince Edward County schools in a case that would become part of the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the “separate but equal” doctrine that kept schools segregated. Asked about Gov. Northam’s response to the letter, the governor’s office said via email that he and his team have been working on the issue for several months and have requested that legislation be drafted to address it. Several Southern states have voted to replace their state’s statues in the Capitol. In March 2018, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation replacing a statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith with that of noted educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. In April 2019, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed legislation putting statues of civil rights icon and newspaperwoman Daisy G. Bates, who helped organize the Little Rock Nine in the famed Central High School integration effort in Arkansas in 1957, and musician Johnny Cash in the Statuary Hall collection, replacing attorney Uriah Milton Rose and statesman James Paul Clarke, political figures in Arkansas during secession and the Civil War.

stated. Ms. Gray said the report’s conclusions lend support to her concern that the project would create a “doughnut hole” in the general fund by taking future growth in real estate taxes from an 80-block area of Downtown to pay for a new Coliseum and the borrowing associated with it. Ms. Lynch found the conclusion of the report unsurprising based on her own research into the development. She said she could not vote to put major funding into a new Coliseum at a time when the city first needs to work on improving basic government operations, including its personnel and human resources operation, and its permits operation. “We have to do better,” she said. Compiled by Mr. Homer, the commission report expressed several concerns in giving a thumbs-down on a new Coliseum, including that “as a regional facility, the region should provide financial support” rather than leaving the full cost to city taxpayers. The report also stated that the “need for a 17,500-seat arena has not been established or verified.” The minority on the commission believe the proposed $8 million investment from Spectra, the company hired to manage a new Coliseum if it is built, “is a measure of the likely success of the arena” and that the risks associated with the arena “could be mitigated by the success of the residential, retail, restaurant and lodging elements.” In the report, the commission makes clear that despite the huge amount of information that was received and posted on its website, the members did not receive all the information needed. For example, the commission stated members did not have enough information to determine if the project’s revenue projections were “appropriate and accurate” and listed 12 other points in which they did not have enough information. In a separate section, individual commission members posted their own ideas about ways to improve the proposal, although the members recommending the improvements were not identified. One post stated that the “the Navy Hill project is a bold and aspirational proposal hampered by the exclusion of key stakeholders in the planning. The result is a proposal supported by mediocre study and analysis.” The city also was urged “to take a more incremental approach to ensure successful residential and commercial development first,” while another comment called for “the city to change the scope of the arena project so that its costs could be financed by a tax increment financing district the size of the 10-block project.” The city also was urged to divide its property in the Navy Hill project area into parcels that could be offered to the highest bidder for individual development. Along with Mr. Homer, commission members included Vice Chair John Gerner, Mark M. Gordon, Grindley R. Johnson, Suzanne S. Long, Dr. Hakim J. Lucas, Mary Harding Sadler, Michael J. Schewel and Dr. Corey D.B. Walker. “In total, it results in a very interesting set of recommendations and findings that I think may be beneficial to the city,” Mr. Homer said at the commission’s final hearing Sunday. The report found that the Navy Hill proposal includes positive elements, such as promoting a mixed-use project of residential and business activities and in laying out a minority business procurement initiative that would give African-American contractors a share of the work. Mr. Homer said that every commissioner supports the redevelopment of this portion of Downtown. “We’re all just trying to get there in a fair and equitable way,” he said.

‘Sky’s the limit’ for RVA Street Singers Continued from A1

ated in January 2018 by the late Rebecca Tyree, who was an assistant professor of choral music education at VCU, and Cameron Carter, an associate professor at VCU’s School of Social Work. It was started as a way to reach out to and provide a safe, welcoming organization for the city’s most marginalized groups and as an interdisciplinary elective for VCU’s social work and music students. The group largely operates at Second Presbyterian Church in Downtown, its venue for rehearsals and recruitment. The church, like Centenary United Methodist, also in Downtown, regularly serves lunch to the city’s homeless. “Here, we’re all just one group of people,” said choir member Angela Thompson, who has been a part of RVA Street Singers from the beginning and now serves as one of the choir’s ambassadors, among other volunteer work. She cites her time with RVA Street Singers as expanding her spiritual and social perspective. She now works with other homeless outreach groups while still making the time to contribute to the choir’s efforts. Ms. Thompson said all are able “to learn from one another and enjoy each other. “Our voices are not the same,” she said, “but we are all equals.” Because of renovations at Second Presbyterian Church, rehearsals recently have moved to Centenary United Methodist Church. The change seemingly hasn’t slowed down the choir at all. A recent rehearsal before the Dec. 13 concert was full of warmth with an easy rapport among choir members. “Inclusion and community building — that was always our tagline,” explained Ms. Carter. She said RVA Street Singers maintains a core membership

and methodology that allows it to be flexible and accommodating to those who need to step away for a period, and to those who join out of the blue. ”We’ve had new people show up the day of a concert, and they get a shirt and they come on board.” Thomas Perry is both a singer and a cajon box drummer in the choir. “I look forward to coming here every Monday to practice,” he said. “I look forward to coming here to see my people and I love them to death.” Just months after the group started, it was shaken by a sudden tragedy in May 2018, when Ms. Tyree died from a biking accident. Music therapist Robin Rio, an adjunct VCU music professor who had been in talks with Ms. Tyree for a role in the group, was brought on as the RVA Street Singers’ musical director in August 2018, with assistance from Ms. Carter. Ms. Rio has become an im-

portant part of the group, using her skills in music therapy to ensure an inclusive environment for those involved. “Robin’s really good about empowering them,” said volunteer Sherri Matthews, who serves as the choir’s pianist. “When (choir members) come in here, they know they’re valued as a human being.” The two years of the RVA Street Singer’s existence have taken them to perform at multiple places across the city and to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington last September as part of a 16-day arts and music festival. The group also has given its skill and harmony to the creation of “Unity,” an original song, with lyrics, instrumentation and arrangement developed entirely by choir members. The song debuted earlier this month during the concert at Centenary United Methodist Church.

“It has been really meaningful to me,” Ms. Rio said of her time with RVA Street Singers. “Each person has their own path. And yet when we’re doing music together, it does feel like we’re on the same path, even if it’s just for the time we’re singing.” With their third year ahead, the RVA Street Singers already have new performances, ideas and expectations for 2020. Ms. Rio said the group intends to again participate in Second Presbyterian’s Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration in January. She also expressed interest in seeing the group become “a platform to speak for people who have been oppressed and systematically disadvantaged.” “I have no idea where we’ll go,” Ms. Carter said when asked about the group’s future. “Starting this semester, I didn’t even imagine we’d be at the Kennedy Center. I think, really, the sky’s the limit.”

Regina H. Boone photo recognized among ‘100 photos that defined the decade’ Continued from A1

had been selected to be the cover photo for the magazine’s coverage of the tragedy that would from a full-body rash. The caption states that be published the first week of February. his mother blames the rash on the municipal The crisis in Flint began in 2014 when state, water he bathed in and notes that cost-cutting federal and local officials made decisions to shift measures exposed Flint residents to tap water the water supply and spend less on treating the containing lead and other toxins. water, allowing lead and other toxins Ms. Boone said the photo was to enter the municipality’s drinking among an array she took when she water. Ms. Boone’s photo is credited accompanied a reporter to Flint to find with helping bring the situation to out what it was like “to live daily life national attention. with poisonous water.” Ms. Boone, 48, worked for the She said Flint residents were Detroit Free Press for nearly 14 years using bottled water to take care of and returned to Richmond in 2016. everyday needs, including cooking, She was awarded a Knight-Wallace bathing, watering plants and feeding Ms. Boone Fellowship in 2017 for a year of study and washing pets. Every aspect of at the University of Michigan. their lives was impacted, she said. The daughter of Raymond H. Boone, the late “The story and the photos were published founder of the Richmond Free Press, and current in January 2016 as part of a Sunday spotlight publisher Jean P. Boone, Ms. Boone has been a news feature” on the conditions people in Flint full-time photographer with the Richmond Free were living under, she said. The photo of the Press since June 2018. She also has produced a child was part of the package. documentary on the search for her grandfather, She said an editor from Time magazine called a Japanese immigrant who died after internment her a week later and told her the photo of Sincere by federal authorities during World War II.

Richmond Free Press

December 26-28, 2019

Richmond Free Press

A6 December 26-28, 2019

Local News

$3.7B transportation deal to boost rail service from Richmond to D.C. By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond would be a major beneficiary of an unprecedented $3.7 billion deal announced by Gov. Ralph S. Northam to boost passenger rail service between Washington and other Virginia cities to avoid an even costlier expansion of Interstate 95. The Dec. 19 agreement announced with railroad giant CSX to improve passenger service across the state could help restore the landmark Main Street Station to its glory days as a bustling passenger hub. Within 10 years and possibly sooner, trains connecting Richmond and Washington could be arriving and departing from the historic, 118-year-old Downtown station almost every hour — a big increase from the current daily service of two northbound trains and two trains returning southeast to Newport News. The deal is aimed at boosting the number of people commuting by rail between Richmond and Washington through the creation of dedicated passenger rail lines, resulting in more reliable service for passengers and more room for the growth of freight service on CSX’s lines with passenger trains removed. The deal would, among other things, end the practice of sidelining passenger trains to make way for freight trains. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make our rail system work better for everyone, both in Virginia and along the entire East Coast,” Gov. Northam stated. Gov. Northam “This agreement,” he continued, “will change the future of transportation in Virginia, improving our ability to move people and goods across the state.” Mayor Levar M. Stoney welcomed the proposal. In a statement to the Free Press, Jim Nolan, the mayor’s press secretary, stated that Mayor Stoney believes “Richmond can and should be a transportation hub for the region, connecting people to opportunity.” “The governor’s announcement,” he said, “recognizes the importance of investing in mass transit and transit infrastructure as essential to the continued growth and success of Richmond and its residents. We look forward to reviewing the details of this plan with our government and transportation and community partners.” Richmond already is the main Amtrak hub in Virginia, although the bulk of the service goes through the Amtrak station on Staples Mill Road in Henrico County that handles 18 trains a day. Of the 450,000 people who yearly take the train to and from Richmond, only about 50,000 passengers use the restored Main Street Station. More than $90 million in mostly federal and state funds has been invested in the restoration of the 1901 station in Shockoe Bottom that reopened in 2003 after a 28-year closure. But the station is empty most of the time because of the lack of passenger trains stopping there.

Even a state investment to remove slowdowns at the CSXowned Acca freight yard that was completed earlier this year has not aided Main Street Station’s service. The agreement is expected to generate far more trains a day arriving at Main Street Station as well as the Staples Mill station, while also saving Virginia billions of dollars in the cost to expand the congested Interstate 95 corridor. While rail advocates have long hoped for federal investment in high-speed rail, the agreement shows the state is no longer willing to wait for that investment to materialize and, instead,

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Main Street Station

is moving ahead on its own. One reason is the expense of building more highway miles. Adding one lane in both directions of Interstate 95 for 50 miles in Northern Virginia is projected to cost $12.5 billion without relieving the congestion, Gov. Northam stated. The state Department of Rail and Public Transportation estimates that the expanded rail service could remove 5 million cars and 1 million trucks from Virginia’s highways each year. “Passenger rail already moves the equivalent of one lane of traffic off I-95 and I-395 each day,” said Jennifer Mitchell, state DRPT director. “This agreement will allow Virginia to move double the number of people at a fraction of the cost of highway building.” T:11” The agreement between the state and CSX is expected to be

finalized in the fall of 2020. To make the deal work, Virginia is partnering with the government’s passenger rail provider, Amtrak, and hopes to secure financial support from Maryland and Washington, D.C. The governor said that Virginia would use existing funds to pay for its share. The main elements of the deal would allow Virginia: • To build a new $1.9 billion state-owned Long Bridge by 2027 across the Potomac River, with tracks dedicated exclusively to passenger and commuter rail. • To buy more than 350 miles of railroad right-of-way and 225 miles of track from CSX for $525 million. Much of this is the old Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad that the state once owned and sold to CSX decades ago. • To install 37 miles of new track, including a bypass of the Franconia-Springfield area that also is a major blockade to smooth passenger service, along with track improvements between Richmond and Petersburg. The new Long Bridge is the biggest element. For more than 20 years, officials in Virginia, Washington and Maryland involved with rail have focused on trying to end the bottleneck that the 115-year-old Long Bridge across the Potomac River creates. Built in 1904 and owned by CSX, the bridge daily carries 76 passenger, commuter and freight trains across the river to and from the nation’s capital. But it has only two tracks and is at 98 percent capacity at peak times, according to DRPT, slowing passenger and freight service. The new bridge would provide two tracks for passenger and commuter trains, leaving freight trains to use the existing Long Bridge. CSX views the agreement as advancing its “goals for increased safety, efficiency, and volume growth while meeting the public’s desire for more passenger rail service to relieve traffic congestion in the I-95 corridor,” according to James M. “Jim” Foote, president and chief executive officer of CSX. Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s chief operating and commercial officer, said the railroad company would contribute $944 million to support “this game-changing rail investment program that will be a model for the nation on how to grow passenger and freight service.” The investment would result in doubling the total number of Amtrak trains operating in Virginia as well as increasing service between Richmond and Washington to nearly hourly service, he said. In addition, the Virginia Railway Express service between Fredericksburg and Washington would grow by 75 percent, with 15-minute service during peak hours, the governor said. Amtrak also plans to increase service between Richmond, Newport News and Norfolk, according to the announcement. Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine, who has been involved in the negotiations with CSX, stated, “This also provides the critical infrastructure needed to explore rail expansion to other parts of the commonwealth.”

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Richmond Free Press

December 26-28, 2019

News

Advocates for the homeless hail U.S. Supreme Court victory By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Homeless people can sleep on public property, including sidewalks and parks in communities that offer no other option. That’s the upshot of the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to hear an appeal from Boise, Idaho, whose ordinance to bar the homeless from camping out in public places was overturned as violating the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The high court’s decision essentially keeps in place the 2018 ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that homeless advocates hailed as a victory in a long-running fight between the homeless and communities seeking to protect public property from use as sleeping quarters and bathrooms. Agreeing with lawyers for the homeless, the appeals court found that prosecuting

people for sleeping on the sidewalk violates the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment if a community fails “when no alternative shelter is available to them.” While the appeals court’s decision only affects nine Western states, including California where an estimated half of all homeless Americans live, it sets a precedent that will reverberate in other cities, including Richmond, until there is a contradictory decision from another appellate court. The City of Richmond offers a public shelter only during the winter, which is open only on nights when the temperature is forecast to remain at or below 40 degrees. During the summer, Richmond offers cooling stations that generally are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. when temperatures or the heat index is expected to reach or exceed 95

degrees. But unlike the winter shelter, there is no ordinance requiring the city to open the cooling stations. Officials from Los Angeles and other cities joined with Boise in asking the nation’s highest court to hear the case. The ruling went further than the 9th Circuit’s decision in 2006 that rejected a Los Angeles ordinance barring people from sleeping in public places. In their argument, municipal officials stated that the Boise law was “never an attempt to criminalize the homeless; rather, it was a pursuit of a legal framework that is clear — in comparison to a status quo that is ambiguous and confusing. “Letting the current law stand handicaps cities and counties from acting nimbly to aid those perishing on the streets, exacerbating unsafe and unhealthy conditions that negatively affect our most vulnerable residents,” officials for the

cities claimed. Lawyers for the homeless noted that Boise began enforcing its anti-camping ban on sidewalks in 2009, but stopped enforcing it five years ago in a bid to end the lawsuit. Advocates sued Boise 10 years ago after a number of homeless people were given misdemeanor citations of $25 to $75 for camping out. The “creation of a de facto constitutional right to live on sidewalks and in parks will cripple the ability of municipalities to maintain the health and safety of their communities,” lawyers for Boise wrote. “Nothing in the Constitution,” the attorneys insisted, “requires cities to surrender their streets, sidewalks, parks, riverbeds and other public areas to vast encampments.” But the U.S. Supreme Court’s action means that the encampments are now legal.

Confederate statues in Memphis given to Confederate group, descendants Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. A Tennessee nonprofit group has handed over statues of Confederate leaders Nathan Bedford Forrest and Jefferson Davis to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, two years after they were removed from public parks in Memphis. The statues of the Confederates have been given to descendants of Gen. Forrest and the Sons of Confederate Veterans “to display them as they wish,” Bruce McMullen, legal officer for the City of Memphis, said Dec. 17. Mr. Davis, a U.S. senator from Mississippi, lived in Richmond during his time as president of the Confederate states. Gen. Forrest was a slave trader in Memphis before leading a cavalry in the Confederate army. He is reviled in part because of his role in the massacre of African-American Union soldiers and white officers at Fort Pillow in Tennessee in April 1864. After the Civil War, he became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The statues’ locations were not disclosed, but they could be re-erected at some point. However, as part of the agreement to hand over the monuments, the veterans’ group is not allowed to put the statues back up in Memphis or Shelby County, said Van Turner, president of Greenspace Inc., the private nonprofit that helped bring down the statues. Private donations helped pay for transfer of the heavy statues on large trucks at a remote location, Mr. Turner said. “We’re talking several tons,” Mr. Turner said. “So, it was an operation.” Memphis and the Confederate veterans’ group have battled in court over the statues’ removal from two city parks. The

Adrian Sainz, Associated Press

Statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest in Memphis, Tenn.

equestrian statue of Gen. Forrest, which stood over the grave of the Confederate general and his wife, and the monument of Mr. Davis were taken down under the cover of night on Dec. 20, 2017. At the time, Tennessee law limited the removal or changing of historical memorials on public property. Memphis used a

loophole in the historical preservation law by selling the public parks to Greenspace, the private nonprofit. Greenspace removed the monuments, which were then stored at an undisclosed location. However, the remains of Gen. Forrest and his wife are still buried at the park where his statue stood for decades. Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle has ruled that the removals did not violate state law because the statues were on private property when removed. The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in October that it would not hear an appeal by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The Tennessee General Assembly has passed a bill making it harder for cities to get around the law. They approved a measure barring cities from selling or transferring property that has historic memorials without permission from the Tennessee Historical Society or a court. H. Edward Phillips, a lawyer for Gen. Forrest’s descendants and the Confederate veterans’ group, said the relatives were glad to have closure on the statues. The descendants have sued the city over the buried remains, which could be moved. Mr. Turner said that issue currently is being addressed. Mr. Turner also acknowledged that the Forrest statue’s removal helped ease concerns from potential investors in Memphis’ growing medical district, where Forrest Park had been located. It is now named Health Sciences Park. “We are a Southern city, but it does not mean we have to live in the past,” said Mr. Turner, a former county commissioner and current head of the Memphis NAACP. “But for those things which are not as appealing to everyone, we need to move beyond those things,” Mr. Turner said. “I think this was the right time to do it.”

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Richmond Free Press

Holiday reindeer at James Center Downtown

Editorial Page

December 26-28, 2019

May the joy, peace and love of the season surround you! Happy holidays from the Richmond Free Press

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Remembering trailblazer Richard G. Hatcher “I thought it was the greatest thing in the world that he was going to be our mayor. He was someone who looked like us and fought for the things we believed in and needed. But the thing that struck me the most about Hatcher was his accessibility. In his 20 years at City Hall, Hatcher was always accessible to everyone. He was a rock star then, but he made sure that he met everyone.” — Karen Freeman Wilson, mayor of Gary, Ind. “He literally opened the door to black political empowerment on the local level, state level and federal level. He sent a message across the country and he gave rise to other black mayors in small and big cities.” When Richard G. Hatcher was inaugurated as mayor of Gary, Ind., in 1968, he was one of the nation’s first black mayors of a big city. He insisted upon inviting a littleknown “youth group” to perform alongside the major stars. “Nobody wanted to hear the youth group,” the Rev. Jesse Jackson told radio station WBZE. “They wanted to see the stars.”

The “youth group” was Gary’s own Jackson 5, who went on that year to sign with Motown Records. Mr. Hatcher, who died Dec. 13, 2019, at the age of 86, was a visionary in more ways than one. A graduate of Indiana University and Valparaiso University School of Law, he served as deputy county prosecutor in the early 1960s until his election to Gary City Council in 1963. In 1967, he defeated the incumbent mayor in a primary and overcame resistance from the local Democratic machine to win with the support

Marc H. Morial of national political figures like Sen. Robert Kennedy and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. During his swearing-in ceremony, Mr. Hatcher promised that, “together, we shall beat a way; together we shall turn darkness into light, despair into hope and promise into progress. For God’s sake, for Gary’s sake, let’s get ourselves together.” Mr. Hatcher’s election was the first in a historic string of victories for black mayors across the nation and the beginning of a trend that would put Gary at the center of black political power. Four years later, Mr. Hatcher

would bring the historic National Black Political Convention to Gary. More than 10,000 delegates and attendees gathered to formulate a political strategy for Black America, including Rev. Jackson, Coretta Scott King, Shirley Chisholm, Amiri Baraka, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Bobby Seale and Betty Shabazz. In his speech at the convention, Mr. Hatcher warned that if the two major political parties continued to neglect their concerns, black Americans would create a third party, and “we shall take with us the best of white America … many a white youth nauseated by the corrupt values rotting the innards of this society… many of the white poor … many a white G.I. ... and many of the white working class, too.” Mr. Hatcher was instrumental in founding Operation PUSH, People United to Save Humanity, with Rev. Jackson, and later served as chairman of Rev. Jackson’s presidential campaign in 1984. He also served as vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1981 to 1985 and as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. In 1978, he co-founded TransAfrica, an advocacy group aimed at changing United States

An egregious comparison The hours before the U.S. House of Representatives impeachment vote were a study in contrasts. While Democrats approached the debate leading up to the vote somberly, with all due consideration and with historical references, Republicans seemed to think they were starring in a comedy show. The now-impeached President Trump added to the comedy with an unhinged and delusional letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that clearly illustrated the break he has taken from reality. He compared himself to the people who were executed during the Salem witch trials in 1692-1693. Yes, the fool had to go back more than 300 years to find a parallel for his “poor” treatment. More egregiously, Mr. Trump was compared to Jesus the Christ, an abomination especially during this holiday season. We who are Christian celebrate the birth of the Christ child each year. It renews our faith. It provides us with hope. It should not be marred or besmirched by a paranoid charlatan who has the temerity to think he is anything like Jesus the Christ. Who was Christ, anyway? The Jesus that the Bible celebrates was full of love for the least and the left out. In the Bible, Matthew 25:40, Jesus said, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.” Yet our 45th president has had nothing but contempt for the least of these, cutting food programs, caging innocent children, sputtering hate and nonsense at every opportunity.

There was no Christ in the way that 45 attacked deceased Democratic Congressman John Dingell of Michigan, deliberately mocking his widow, now-Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. She was painfully transparent in her reaction to Mr. Trump’s ignorance. She lost her husband less than a year ago, and our “commander in chief” is spinelessly attacking her and her husband. Where is the compassion of Christ in that? Beyond utter hubris, the Christ comparison is pure delusional arrogance, but this is what

Julianne Malveaux we have come to expect from this putrid and paranoid president and his pitiful minions. While partisan discord is the name of the game, too many Republicans who know better have decided that their oath of allegiance is not to the Constitution but to a morally flawed, constitutionally indifferent president. The fact that Republicans, many who know better, many who acknowledge it off the record, march in lockstep behind someone who has abused his power is disturbing. Even more disturbing is the fact that too many Republicans think it’s OK. Meanwhile, a mix-tape of Christmas songs runs through my mind as I think of the temerity of Donald the Fool comparing himself to Jesus the Christ. “O Come Let Us Adore Him:” That’s what Donald the Fool wants — adoration. There is no sane Christian who will adore him because he is not the Christ, but a terribly flawed man who lies and steals with impunity. Or the refrain from “Silent Night,” “Sleep in heavenly peace.”

But this divider-in-chief has brought us absolutely no peace, no quiet, no calm. As many of us spend these days around Christmas caroling and worshiping, it is repugnant that this charlatan compares himself to the virtuous Christ. Where are his virtues? This comparison is also indicative of how conservative Christians (words that should not be used in the same sentence) have fractured faith by describing 45 as “the chosen one.” Chosen by whom and to what end? It is the height of hubris that one would pick such a venal man as chosen. God did not choose this lying, genital-grabbing crook for anything but to force us to organize, mobilize and tap into the power we all have within. It would take days to unpack the several lies that Republicans used in their “defense” of their president. They said Democrats were out to get him from day one. It is true that a few were, but the fact is that Speaker Pelosi was always measured in her approach to impeachment. She resisted it for the longest time, only capitulating when the Ukraine matter was too egregious to be ignored. They spoke of Democrats “hating” Mr. Trump, but disdain is not hate. They mangled the Constitution to their own end. But in this Christmas season, the worst thing any of them did was to compare Donald the Fool with Jesus the Christ. My mix-tape of hymns exalting the virtues of our savior is in sharp contrast to the reality of Mr. Trump. To compare that horrid, venal man to anything resembling Christ is to slap every Christian in the face. Love is patient, love is kind. Mr. Trump is none of the above. The writer is an economist, author and educator.

The Free Press welcomes letters The Richmond Free Press respects the opinions of its readers. We want to hear from you. We invite you to write the editor. All letters will be considered for publication. Concise, typewritten letters related to public matters are preferred. Also include your telephone number(s). Letters should be addressed to: Letters to the Editor, Richmond Free Press, P.O. Box 27709, 422 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23261, or faxed to: (804) 643-7519 or e-mail: letters@richmondfreepress.com.

policy toward Africa and the Caribbean. Mr. Hatcher paved the way for the many black mayors who would follow, including my own father, Ernest N. “Dutch” Morial, who was elected the first black mayor of New Orleans in 1977, and for the later generation of mayors that I joined when I was elected in 1994. I was proud that the National Urban League was able to honor Mr. Hatcher on the 50th anniversary of his election during our 2017 conference in St. Louis. As I noted at the time, Mr. Hatcher aspired to political office at a time that was not so far removed from lynchings, segregated schools and anti-miscegenation laws. Every step, every vote and every position attained was marred and marked by transparently racial barriers, and every victory was made all the more sweet by overcoming them. The writer is president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League.

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Richmond Free Press

December 26-28, 2019

Letters to the Editor

Navy Hill project A model for rebuilding nothing to celebrate Downtown “Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now.” With so much happening in Richmond, across the country and around the world, we’re reminded of these words from the musical “Hamilton,” which just wrapped a 24-show run at the Altria Theater. How fortunate we are — and how challenging it is — to experience and participate in the transformation of American cities and witness the progress that urban redevelopment can bring. But we have to work for it. From better schools, inclusive housing and entertainment options fit for the 21st century, we have at our fingertips the ability to shape future generations and create cities where we are proud to live, work and play. Lucky for us, the award-winning “Hamilton” came to Richmond when not that long ago, the very same venue was on the demise. At the time, the 85-year-old building, then called the Landmark Theater, was in desperate need of renovations to the tune of more than $65 million. The city — perennially caught between fiscal priorities — could not dedicate those resources on its own, and so the theater languished. But through an established partnership, the Landmark Theater was able to receive muchneeded funding thanks to a generous influx of capital from both the city and locally based Altria, as well as other private donations and the use of historic tax credits. The renamed Altria Theater is now a thriving performance center that Richmonders enjoy year-round. Since its grand re-opening, the surrounding area also has benefited from the economic growth that came with the new, modern theater — restaurants, cafés, hotels and other businesses able to capitalize on increased foot traffic and city residents looking for employment opportunities. Beyond these traditional benefits, the cultural experience and exposure to the arts for our youths is priceless. From ticket donations to Richmond Public Schools to internships leading to careers, the revitalization of the theater has both helped propel youth interest in the arts and allowed for them to dream big. This is just a small-scale example of how investment in our community can have an overwhelmingly positive ripple effect beyond a development site. But let’s think even bigger. The story of the Altria Theater doesn’t need to be an anomaly for Richmond. The 80,000-plus tickets sold to two dozen performances of “Hamilton”

generated more than $775,000 in tax revenue for the City of Richmond — and that’s just from admissions, meals and sales taxes from within the theater itself. It doesn’t account for the influx of business and additional tax revenue from surrounding hotels, restaurants or other stops that visitors made while in Richmond. We know that audiences came from near and far to see “Hamilton,” with nearly 6,000 tickets sold out-of-state to those traveling from California, New York and Ohio. In fact, more than half of overall ticket sales in Virginia were from outside of Richmond. Let’s not stop there and, instead, continue to attract tourism through the arts. Take the aging Richmond Coliseum. Before it closed, the Coliseum could house crowds of up to 13,500, but its outdated infrastructure and technology is not fit for the shows, sporting events, and A-list performers who tour the East Coast. With help from the philanthropic and business communities, we can partner with the city to revitalize Downtown, just like we did with the Altria Theater. The Altria Theater model worked because a public-private partnership backed by the weight of the Mayor’s Office and Richmond City Council was formed to help take another step toward making Richmond a destination city on the East Coast. The partnership was fully focused on advancing the needs of the city and it has done that. To complete our Downtown, we need the Navy Hill project, which will create thousands of jobs, hundreds of affordable housing units, job training opportunities and surplus tax revenue for the city — without raising taxes. The new arena is key to the re-development, and without it, the city will be challenged to realize surplus revenues to support education and fund other city services. Because retaining valuable assets is a key priority of the city, the new arena will be owned by the city, and the financing is structured in a way that protects and invests in the city at the same time. Can it be successful? Just look to the Altria Theater, made new thanks to public-private agreements and now a venue that brings top performances to our capital city. We believe Navy Hill can do that and more. Dr. Monroe E. Harris Jr. C.T. Hill Goochland Richmond The writers are members of the Navy Hill Foundation Board of Directors and the board of the Richmond Performing Arts Corp.

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Why should black folks be excited about the Navy Hill development project? More than 50 years ago, the Navy Hill community was destroyed. It was done by the same city that now lifts that neighborhood’s name in praise. Economic opportunities, the social development and all of the fabric of the community were torn to the ground. Yet we are now asked to celebrate. Celebrate what? The destruction of our history? The taking of our land? Becoming yet another example of setback for black people economically? What will new housing, a new Coliseum and

new businesses do to atone for the destruction of this once proud community? Why should we be on this bandwagon, and why should we allow them to pimp the name of Navy Hill? To do this continuously sends the message that in order to save a black community, you must destroy it either physically or spiritually — either the bulldozer or gentrification. Excuse me, but I take no joy in either. PREDDY RAY SR. Richmond

Leftist not as beaten down in Sweden Re Column “Calling out the Republicans” Free Press Dec. 19-21 edition: The political right in Sweden was less successful in destroying the political left in Sweden than the political right here in the United States was in destroying the political left. Think: J. Edgar Hoover, U.S. Sens. Joseph McCarthy and James Eastland, Rep. Martin Dies Jr., Whittaker Chambers, David Greenglass, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge

Irving R. Kaufman and President Nixon. Is this one reason why it fell to a girl in Sweden, and not to a girl in the United States, to prick the conscience of the world on our inaction on carbon emissions? Let us also remember that, in July 2018, it was a Swedish college student who bought an airplane ticket for the sole purpose of saving the life of an Afghan man seeking asylum in Sweden who was going to be

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deported to a probable death. She did this by refusing to sit down until the man was taken off the plane, knowing the plane legally could not take off while she was standing in the aisle. Be that as it may, we do know that Swedish teen and environmental activist Greta Thunberg have remarkably supportive parents. Where in the states would we find parents that supportive?

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Richmond Free Press

A10 December 26-28, 2019

Sports

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Stories by Fred Jeter

Aggies win Celebration Bowl The 5th Annual Celebration Bowl turned out to be Jah-Maine Martin took care of the ground attack a thrilling celebration of offenses. with 110 yards and two touchdowns, including a North Carolina A&T State University of the MEAC 75-yarder. defeated SWAC affiliate Alcorn State University of This marks the third straight year North Carolina Mississippi 64-44 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium A&T has prevailed and the fourth time in five years. last Saturday before a crowd of 32,968 and a national The contest has become the de facto Black Colleges audience on ABC television. National Football Championship. The combined 108 points and 1,034 yards total North Carolina A&T finishes the season 9-3, offense shattered all records. with earlier road losses at Duke, Florida A&M and Aggies quarterback Kylil Carter passed for 364 Morgan State universities. Florida A&M University Kylil Carter yards and six touchdowns. Two of his TD tosses — had the MEAC’s top record but was ineligible for including a 53-yarder — went to senior receiver Elijah Bell, postseason play. who is considered a strong NFL prospect. Alcorn State finishes the season 9-4.

Michael Thomas: No boast, all fact

Michael Thomas’ twitter handle is “Can’t Guard Mike,” and he lives up to the boastful tag. The New Orleans Saints’ prolific receiver threatens to not only re-write the NFL record book, but to tear out the pages and crumble them up. The 26-year-old, fourth-year All-Pro out of Ohio State University has surpassed Marvin Harrison’s record for the most receptions in a season. Thomas had 12 Michael catches — for 136 yards and a touchdown — in the Saints’ 38-28 win over the Tennessee Titans last Sunday to break a record Harrison had held since 2002. It marked the ninth time this season Thomas has had double-digit receptions, another NFL record. And down the road, with good health, even the iconic Jerry Rice’s seemingly untouchable career numbers may be challenged. In his first three seasons teaming up with Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Thomas caught 321 passes, by far the most ever for three years. Tied for second (threeseason totals) are Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry with 288 each. Despite his emergence as clearly the NFL’s top receiver, Thomas’ name wasn’t called in the 2015 draft until the second round. He was the 47th overall pick. Wide receivers drafted ahead of him were Corey Coleman (15th), Will Fuller (21st), Laquon Treadwell (23rd) and Sterling Shepard (40th). At the NFL combine, Thomas was timed at 4.57 seconds for the 40-yard dash, with a 35-inch vertical leap, 10-6

standing broad jump and 18 repetitions at 225 pounds for the bench press. Those are impressive figures, but only about average for an NFL wideout. It’s Thomas’ rare talent to figure out the defense and find the open spot — often dodging double coverage — that makes him so special. The Southern California native enjoyed three standout season at OSU before opting for the NFL a season early before graduating. At OSU, he was Thomas the roommate of quarterback Cardell Jones, the MVP on the Buckeyes’ 2014 National Playoff Championship. Thomas had four receptions for 53 yards in the title matchup. That OSU squad, also showcasing running back Ezekiel Elliott, who is now with the Dallas Cowboys, defeated the University of Oregon 42-20 for the title. Thomas’ jump from OSU to the New Orleans Saints was seamless. He had 92 catches for 1,137 yards as a rookie. In an interview with Steve Serba of the New York Post, Thomas pointed to three factors for his dazzling success: “My hands … the way I know how to create separation (from defenders) ... and probably my competitiveness for sure; and not caring about who’s in front of me.” For the most part, Thomas’ receptions are in the short to medium range, although he is an effective runner after the catch. He averages about 12 yards per catch. Working with Hall of Fame bound Brees is a huge help, but Thomas’ performance didn’t drop off earlier this year when Brees was sidelined with a broken hand.

NFL’s All-Time Receivers (Most catches in a single season) 145 catches: Michael Thomas, 2019, New Orleans 143 catches: Marvin Harrison, 2002, Indianapolis 136 catches: Antonio Brown, 2015, Pittsburgh 136 catches: Julio Jones, 2015, Atlanta 129 catches: Antonio Brown, 2014, Pittsburgh 123 catches: Herman Moore, 1995, Detroit 123 catches: Wes Welker, 2009, New England 122 catches: Cris Carter, 1994, Minnesota 122 catches: Cris Carter, 1995, Minnesota 122 catches: Calvin Johnson, 2012, Detroit 122 catches: Jerry Rice, 1995, San Francisco 122 catches: Wes Welker, 2011, new England Note: Jerry Rice is the all-time leader in receptions (1,549) and yardage (22,895) in a career (1985-2004) with San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle and Denver. Source: NFL.com

With Teddy Bridgewater filling in for Brees in Games 2 through 8, Thomas’ totals never dipped. In a 26-9 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 10, Bridgewater targeted Thomas 14 times, resulting in 13 grabs for 152 yards. Wearing jersey No. 13, Thomas was at his all-time best in the Saints’ 34-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 16, with Brees back in business. Brees threw 12 times to Thomas. All 12 resulted in completions, good for 128 yards and eight first downs. Catching passes runs in his family. Thomas is the nephew of Keyshawn Johnson, a threetime, All-Pro NFL receiver from 1996 to 2006. Opposing defenses know what the Saints are going to do, but they can’t seem to stop it. Thomas’“Open” sign is never taken out of the window. “Can’t guard Mike” isn’t just a boast; it’s a reality.

Carter is a graduate student from Austin, Ga. Martin is a junior transfer from Coastal Carolina University. Bell, a senior from Wheeling, W.Va., may loom as top pro prospect. North Carolina A&T’s achievements haven’t gone unnoticed. The institution in Greensboro, N.C., has had a player drafted by the NFL each of the last three seasons —defensive end Darryl Johnson by the Buffalo Bills in 2019; tackle Brandon Parker by the Oakland Raiders in 2018; and scat-back Tarik Cohen by the Chicago Bears in 2017. Both the MEAC and SWAC receive $1 million for their participation in the Celebration Bowl. The conferences do not send their champions to the NCAA FCS playoffs.

VUU 1983 Lady Panthers, A.J. English to be inducted into CIAA Hall of Fame

Virginia Union University will be well Panthers posted a 27-2 mark en route to the represented in the upcoming 2020 John B. national title in Springfield, Mass. McLendon CIAA Hall of Fame Class. VUU defeated previously undefeated CaliThe induction ceremony will be Feb. 28 fornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona at the Charlotte Convention 73-60 in the title game. Center in conjunction with Paris McWhirter and the annual CIAA Basketball Barvenia Wooten were both Tournament. named to the All-TournaInductees will include ment Team, with McWhirter former Panthers basketball receiving MVP honors. standout Albert “A.J.” EngAlso to be inducted in lish and also the 1983 NCAA 2020 are former Livingstone Division II champion VUU College basketball standout Lady Panthers squad. Antonio Davis, former CIAA English led the NCAA football and basketball offiDivision II in scoring as cial Leslie Speight and fora senior and accumulated mer North Carolina Central 2,396 points under Coach University basketball star Dave Robbins from 1986 LeVelle Moton. to 1990. The CIAA Hall of Fame The Wilmington, Del., draws its name from the late native was named CIAA John B. McLendon, a former A.J. English Player of the Year and also coach at North Carolina NCAA Division II Player of the Year in 1990. Central (then North Carolina College) and English was a second round draft pick by the Hampton University (then Hampton Institute) NBA Washington Wizards. and founding father of the CIAA Basketball Under Coach Lewis Hearn, the 1983 Lady Tournament in 1946.

VUU’s Terrell Leach is long on talent If a vote were taken today for CIAA Player of the Year, Vir- Granberry, who was All-CIAA in 2017 and 2018, and Jahmere ginia Union University basketball player Terrell Leach would Howze who was All-CIAA last season. be a leading candidate. While Granberry and Howze were transfers, Corum signed The Panthers senior guard has been a catalyst in VUU’s six- with Coach Blow out of high school after leading Middleburg game winning streak. The Panthers were 8-4 overall and 2-0 in to the State Independent Schools’ title at VSU’s Daniel Gymthe CIAA entering the holidays. nasium. The 6-foot Leach from High Point, N.C., leads the Middleburg is famous for its big men. Another CIAA in scoring with 257 points and a 21.4 average per alumnus is former Virginia Commonwealth University game. He is also first in 3-pointers per game (3.3). center Mo Alie-Cox, who is now playing tight end for Wearing jersey No. 0, Leach can give as well as the NFL Indianapolis Colts. receive. He’s fifth in assists (2.8 per game). He also The Trojans are making history as they defend their excels defensively with 1.8 steals per game, while CIAA title of a year ago. averaging 2.8 rebounds. VSU’s 99-60 home victory over Johnson C. Smith He’s long on talent and also long on breath. Leach University on Dec. 21 was the 2,000th all-time victory is fourth in the CIAA in minutes played (33.9). for the Trojans. Leach, 25, was rated among North Carolina’s top *** Terrell Leach high school players when he first signed with WinstonHampton University is hoping for a quick return Salem State University in 2013. of All-Big South guard Jermaine Marrow. After a season and a half at Winston-Salem (averaging The senior was fourth in the NCAA Division I in 13.5 points for 48 games), he dropped out of college to scoring (24.9 points) when he broke the thumb on his take a job assembling bus seats in Thomasville, N.C. right hand Nov. 23 at Illinois. He has missed the last Leach was lured out of hoops “retirement” last seven games and Hampton is now 4-8. winter by VUU Coach Jay Butler. Leach led the team Marrow, who is challenging Rick Mahorn’s career with 21-point average in 18 games a year ago. scoring record with the Pirates, actually played two Despite an early-season ankle injury, he has been games with the broken thumb before it was diagnosed. VUU’s top scorer nine times, with highs of 31 points He scored 21 points at the University of Californiaagainst East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania Bakersfield and 23 points at the University of San and 30 points against Shepherd University in West Andrew Corum Francisco on a grueling road trip. Virginia. The Pirates are hoping Marrow will be back Sat*** urday, Jan. 4, for the Pirates’ Big South home opener against Virginia State University has benefited from having an All- Charleston Southern University. CIAA center the past three years, and don’t be surprised if it *** happens again. These are hard times at Norfolk State University, but 6-foot-7 The names change but not the production. sophomore Chris Ford is making a difference coming off the Now it’s Andrew Corum’s turn to be the “big man in the Spartans’ bench. middle” for Coach Lonnie Blow’s invigorated Trojans (9-4 The former L.C. Bird High School standout averages four points overall, five straight wins). and four rebounds and leads NSU in blocked shots with 20. From Middleburg Academy in Northern Virginia, the broadNSU (4-10) has lost nine of its last 10 games after a 3-1 start. shouldered, 6-foot-7 Corum averages 12 points and nine rebounds Now 0-7 on the road, the Spartans lost in overtime to Bowling while hitting 57 percent from the field. Green State University 72-67 and to Drexel University 53-49 on Those figures stack up well with previous post players Richard Dec. 20 and 21 at the Boardwalk Battle in Atlantic City, N.J.

Richmond Free Press

December 26-28, 2019

Blessed Christmas honor

Cherished Holiday Memories T

he special sights and sounds of Christmas often bring laughter and joy and can evoke memories of holidays past, spent with loved ones and friends. Four Richmond area residents shared with the Richmond Free Press their most cherished holiday memories. We hope their reflections will bring to mind joyful recollections of your own during this special season.

Christmas has always had a very special place in my heart. As a child, growing up in RVA, my family always celebrated the holiday traditions with all the trimmings, literally. We were all so excited to decorate a live Christmas tree, with the smell of pine filling the house. Christmas morning was magical for us kids, with the toys and other gifts, as well as the stocking stuffers. Food was an important part of the celebration, with a special breakfast and a dinner with, again, all the trimmings. When we are young, we are exposed to, and influenced by, the commercial side of Christmas. We Ulysses visit with Santa, do a lot of shopping and pick out what we want for Christmas. As I got older, I started to become more in touch with the spiritual side and was reminded of why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. It is the birth of our Savior, the Christ. I was raised Catholic, and when I reached middle school age, I became an altar boy. I was

so honored to process into the sanctuary of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and serve in the celebration of Mass. Each year culminated with a celebration of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. The altar boys were assigned specific roles for the High Mass. I have fond memories of being chosen to serve as the thurifer. The thurifer carries a censer, which is the vessel used to burn incense. The thurifer also leads the procession, followed by the cross bearer and two acolytes. I felt so humbled, yet empowered at the same time. This experience cast me in a leadership role for the first time in my life. After having served as music director and conductor of the Kirksey Petersburg Symphony Orchestra for the past 30 years, I feel that my experience as an altar boy has shaped and inspired my role as a leader, like a good shepherd keeping watch over his flock. Blessings to all! Mr. Kirksey is music director and conductor of the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra.

Santa tricks

Another year, my parents Growing up, my parents meticulously planted glitter would go to great lengths after a snowfall and convinced to preserve my unwavering me that the reindeer had left it belief in the big man himself behind after taking off. — Santa. Eventually, I caught on, but I There is something sincerely was probably a believer longer innocent and precious about a than most of my peers. child’s belief in the magic of I didn’t want to bust my Christmas, and I think my parents parents’ bubble, so for a couple took it as a competitive challenge of subsequent years, I played amongst themselves to see how right along with them. long they could push it. Stephanie Lynch I will always cherish and One year, they flashed red and green lights from the backyard. I recall appreciate the effort they put into their homeseeing the lights bouncing back and forth on made Christmas tricks that made the season my cinderblock walls, half scared to death that that much more magical and special. Ms. Lynch represents the 5th District on Santa was actually outside and half thrilled Richmond City Council. that presents were on their way. Faithe Norrell

Christmas Eve with Granny, family

A Christmas surprise Holiday traditions in our family have been followed for decades — eggnog and my mother’s famous lemon squares, pound cake or cookies set out for Santa; the reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” from a book bought in the 1950s for 5 cents and the Cajun version added after living in New Orleans; stockings with coins wrapped in waxed paper in the toe of my daddy’s socks when I was little, and now gold brocade stockings that contain gift cards; huge Christmas breakfasts with the once-a-year treat of “pull apart” cinnamon rolls; to an equally huge Christmas dinner with the Robinson family’s secret sweet potato pie recipe that my daughter, Liza, now makes. Having my first child at 40 returned the joy children bring. My son, Mick, received so many toys one year that we established another tradition of sharing new toys with children at St. Joseph’s Villa and setting a toy limit on grandparents and Auntie. However, Christmas 1996 is the most

memorable. That year began on the saddest note with the passing of my mother in February and my father in October. Somehow, we were trying to keep the joy alive in spite of the huge hole in our hearts. That morning, I struggled to get breakfast prepared and forced a smile as 5-year-old Mick declared that he was the “luckiest boy in the world” because Santa had brought both Buzz Lightyear and the batteries to make him work! My sister said that I had to pep up because, after all, she too had lost our parents but was staying positive. What she didn’t know was that I wasn’t moving slowly because of grief. After the last toy had been opened, I slipped upstairs and took a home pregnancy test. Much to my surprise and joy, it was positive! God had blessed us: Our second miracle, Liza, was on the way. Ms. Norrell, a retired teacher-librarian with Richmond Public Schools, is office manager and greeter at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.

My most cherished holiday memory is spend- course, blessing the hands that prepared it, which ing Christmas Eve at my Granny’s house, the happened to be her very own hands. I distinctly remember feeling complete joy and abundance matriarch of our family, in Hopewell. The family house is located on a street that from the expression of her love language — the my grandparents, great-uncles and aunts and act of feeding and quality time. After eating, we would gather cousins all grew up on. around the Christmas tree and On Christmas Eve, it was a extravagantly decorated living tradition for my Granny to host a room to exchange gifts. My dinner for her children’s family, Granny always had a gift for each and next door, my great-aunt and of her eight grandkids — a set of uncle hosted a dinner for their pajamas. children’s family. The best part As time passes and our famabout the proximity is that we ily expands, our Christmas Eve would trot from house to house tradition has shifted to each family in the crisp winter air to enjoy the spending it in various locations. The warm fellowship taking place in fond memory of time spent together both. The spaces were filled with Ashley Williams stays in my heart and reminds me three generations, the smell of home-cooked food that took days of preparation to cherish the memory, and furthermore, to be and the sounds of laughter, along with holiday intentional about spending time with loved ones during the holiday season and beyond. music and movies that played. Ms. Williams is the owner of Bare SOUL As the head of the family, my Granny would bless the food, giving thanks to God and, of Yoga in Richmond.

29th Annual Capital City Kwanzaa Festival Dec. 28 Anthropologist and historian Dr. Runoko Rashidi will be the keynote speaker at the 29th Annual Capital City Kwanzaa Festival on Saturday, Dec. 28. The festival, organized by the Elegba Folklore Society, will be held 1 to 8 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, 1000 Mosby St. in the East End. This year’s theme: “Ascension,” which is meant to “mark the crossing from the 400th year of the recorded arrival of African people into the clear vision and promise of 2020,” according to festival information. Dr. Rashidi, who is internationally

legend Bill “Bojangles” recognized for his research Robinson by the Hapinto the global African piness Dance Studio at presence before and after 2:30 p.m. enslavement, will speak at At 3:15 p.m., Elegba 4:30 p.m. Folklore Society dancThe festival will feature ers, musicians, singers a variety of events explorand masquerade will ing and elevating Pan-Afpresent the musical trarican history. The African Dr. Rashidi ditions of West Africa’s Market will open at 1 p.m. with a variety of food, clothing, art Manding people during a “African Dance, Music and the Oral Tradiand other items for purchase. At 2 p.m. is the pouring of the tion” concert. Workshops known as the Nia ancestral libation and Kwanzaa candle lighting ceremony, followed Sessions and Watoto Kwanzaa will by musical performances, includ- begin at 4 p.m., with topics ranging ing a tap-dancing tribute to local from health maintenance to inter-

Science Museum to host Noon Year’s Eve celebration for youngsters

‘Elegance in Black and White’ The Richmond Chapter of the Continental Societies honored Virginia Union University at its annual “Elegance in Black and White” dinner-dance on last Friday that drew more than 250 people. The university was recognized for its new “VUU is RVA” program that awarded full four-year scholarships to 50 ninthgraders at Richmond high schools. The awards are valued at $108,000 per student, VUU has said. The award presentation to VUU President Hakim J. Lucas was among the highlights of the Continental’s annual affair that raises money for the chapter’s educational programs. Corey Stuckey, a scholar-athlete and band musician at George Wythe High School, was the keynote speaker, while Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney and 7th District Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger brought greetings. The Richmond chapter, led by President Nkechi George-Winkler, was chartered in

national trade, numerology and art creation. Workshop leaders include Reiki Master Richard C. Yates and members of Birth in Color RVA and RVA Beautiful. Closing out the festival will be performances by the Tunji Reggae Band at 5:30 p.m. and the hip-hop and soul stylings of OSHUN at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $6 for general admission in advance and $7 at the door; students ages 12 to 18 and seniors 65 and older, $5 in advance and $6 at the door; free for children under 12. Details: www.efsinc.org or (804) 644-3900.

Clement Britt

Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger of Henrico, center, talks with, from left, Dr. D. Pulane Lucas, Fredericka Lucas and Beverly Davis at a reception preceding the benefit “Elegance in Black and White” gala hosted by the Richmond Chapter of the Continental Societies last Friday at a Downtown hotel.

1976 and focuses on serving schoolchildren. The chapter provides new winter coats to students in need, mentors and tutors students at various schools and promotes environmental education, among

its activities. “We’re involved in so many programs,” said Beverly Davis, chair of the chapter’s Ways and Means Committee, which staged the holiday affair.

At the stroke of noon on Tuesday, Dec. 31, exactly 2,020 balls will be dropped from the top of the rotunda inside the Science Museum of Virginia for its 2019 Noon Year’s Eve celebration for youngsters. And if the balls don’t drop, guests will receive a full refund on their ticket purchases. This money-back guarantee is a showy display of confidence on the part of the museum after a technical malfunction at last year’s Noon Year’s Eve celebration. “We know guests have come to expect the unexpected with us, but not releasing the balls last year wasn’t what we had in mind,” Richard Conti, the museum’s chief wonder officer, stated in a news release about the celebration. The celebration attracts a crowd that may not be able to stay awake for the traditional midnight countdown on New Year’s Eve.

In addition to the ball drop, the Noon Year’s Eve celebration will feature craft areas where participants can make masks, decorations and noisemakers. Interactive activities also will be available, along with a a Ping Pong Grand Finale to close the event at 1 p.m. Afterward, participants may visit the museum’s exhibits, including “Bionic Me,” a touring exhibit featured through Sunday, Jan. 5. Because of the event’s popularity, only 2,500 tickets will be sold for Noon Year’s Eve, museum officials said. The museum will open at 9 a.m. Dec. 31, 30 minutes earlier than normal. Tickets are $15.50 for adults, $13.50 for youths and seniors; $10 for preschoolers; and free for museum members and children ages 2 and under. Details: www.smv.org or (804) 864-1400.

Richmond Free Press

B2 December 26-28, 2019

Happenings

Personality: Shawn A. Cosby

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Spotlight on winner of Anthony Award for Best Short Story It has been almost two months since author Shawn A. Cosby won the prestigious 2019 Anthony Award for Best Short Story during the annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in Dallas. The Gloucester County resident still can’t believe his good fortune. “It’s still pretty, pretty amazing,” Mr. Cosby says. His short story, “The Grass Beneath My Feet,” published by the online crime-fiction journal TOUGH, was voted on by convention attendees and beat out four other finalists. Mr. Cosby was honored during the awards ceremony Nov. 2. “It makes me feel like, ‘Man, I think I found what I’m good at.’ Maybe I do belong in the room with the James Pattersons and the Walter Mosleys of the world,” Mr. Cosby says. While the award was a surprise all the way up to the moment conference officials called his name, a look over Mr. Cosby’s résumé points to a clear reason why he was chosen. Mr. Cosby occupies a unique place in the modern literary world, as he taps into his history and experiences as an AfricanAmerican man born and raised in poverty in the rural South to create crime and mystery fiction that comes from a perspective seldom seen in the genre. That perspective is getting a big boost very soon, as Mr. Cosby is set to publish “Blacktop Wasteland” in July, the first of two books to be published as part of a deal with Flatiron Books. A native of Mathews County, Mr. Cosby cites the influence of his teachers Lolita Payton and Jeff Bohn, as well as educator and community advocate Beatrice Bobo, as critical parts of his development as a writer. Mr. Cosby began his writing career in the horror genre, but found himself gravitating toward crime and mystery work thanks to a lifelong appreciation for the crime genre and its stories that “spoke to me.” He sees the genre has potential as an avenue for stories unique to the African-American experience, while telling “our stories in a way that resonates with people.” After years of writing, publishing and networking that didn’t seem to produce much progress, Mr. Cosby recently has garnered attention and accolades in rapid succession. A particularly impactful moment came during a panel at last year’s Bouchercon in Florida, where his response to the prejudiced comments of an audience member critical of the growing diversity in books caught the attention of a literary agent. Now with an award under his belt, Mr. Cosby is enthusiastic about the road ahead. He is eager to see his work connect with young African-American men whose lives mirror his own. And he has high hopes for the path that lies ahead of him. “I’m a college dropout from a poor, poor town, grew up poor in a 12-by-60-foot trailer, and I’m having a book published by one of the top five publishing companies in New York,” Mr. Cosby says. “If I can do it, anybody can do it.” Meet this week’s Personality and a writer who is telling his own story, Shawn A. Cosby: Top honor: Anthony Award winner for best short story Date and place of birth: Aug. 4 in Mathews County. Current residence: Gloucester County. Occupation: Writer, although I also serve as a mortuary assistant at J.K. Redmond Funeral Home in Shacklefords. Education: Graduate, Matthews High School in 1992; I attended Christopher Newport University as an English major, but didn’t finish.

heritance. One tried to kill the other and it sparked my interest. Why crime or mystery writing: I think crime just spoke to me as as an adult who was a child of poverty. I can speak to a lot of different issues that affect not just the black community, but the rural community in the South. And it’s a way to tell our stories in a way that resonates with people. Who do you hope to inspire with your creative works: I really hope that my writing and my books will speak to young African-American men in the South. Family: Wife, Kimberly R. Cosby; and parents, Roy Cosby, a retired commercial fisherman, and mother, Joyce Cosby, a retired teacher’s assistant. How I got news about this outstanding award: My friend, Kelly Garrett, sent me a Facebook message the day the award nominations came out. Reaction: It was surreal. It was breathtaking. It’s probably the most exciting thing that’s happened in my writing career so far. Meaning of award to me: It makes me feel like, “Man, I think I found what I’m good at. Maybe I do belong in the room with the James Pattersons and the Walter Mosleys of the world.” When and where award was presented: Nov. 2 at Bouchercon, the Anthony Boucher Memorial World Mystery Convention in Dallas. Story that won: “The Grass Beneath My Feet.” First piece and why: “The Rat and The Cobra,” because I had read an article in the paper about two brothers that had been fighting over an in-

How I start the day: I’m thankful I’m alive, and I usually try to think of five things I want to accomplish that day. I try to get at least three of them done. A perfect day for me is: Getting two uninterrupted hours to write, two uninterrupted hours to read and sitting down and watching either an old crime movie or English mysteries on BBC America.

who built his career on his own terms; Dennis Lehane, because he elevates the crime and mystery story to art; and Stephen King, whose hard work and dedication to the craft I try to emulate. The best thing my parents ever taught me: That doing the right thing is never easy, but it’s always worth it. The person who influenced me the most: My grandmother, Helen Smith. Books that influenced me the most: “Native Son” by Richard Wright, “The Hellbound Heart” by Clive Barker, “Provinces of Night” by William Gay, “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, “Darkness, Take My Hand” by Dennis Lehane and “Devil in a Blue Dress” by Walter Mosley. What I’m reading now: “They All Fall Down: A Thriller” by Rachel Howzell Hall and “Joe” by Larry Brown. Next goal: To finish this book I’m working on right now.

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A quote that I am inspired by: “Lions don’t concern themselves with the thoughts of sheep” — from “Game of Thrones.” My friends describe me as: Crazy, sarcastic and sometimes recklessly fearless. At the top of my “to-do” list: To finish my current book by February, lose some weight over the holiday and learn to live in the moment. Best late-night snack: Any type of heavy-duty thick nachos.

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Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I love to garden.

Favorite authors and why: Walter Mosley, because he’s an African-American writer

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Keynote Speaker: Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41) Speaker-Elect, Virginia House of Delegates Friday, January 17th, 2020 Richmond Marriott Hotel 500 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23220 For more information, contact 804.342.3938 or visit www.vuu.edu

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Longtime educator, Girl Scout leader High school coach portrayed Gloria W. Hawkins dies at 92 Gloria Wheeler Hawkins was an unforMrs. Hawkinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; service to education, her gettable instructor for many of the students church and her family are being rememduring her 40-year career as a schoolteacher bered following her death Wednesday, Dec. in Richmond and other communities. 11, 2019, in Fort Washington, Md., where Outside the classroom, Mrs. Hawkins she had moved in 2011 to be closer to her served as a Girl Scout leader, children. She was 92. attracting African-American Family and friends celgirls from across the city ebrated her life on Friday, and from all Christian deDec. 20, at the Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nominations to All Souls Funeral Home Chapel in Presbyterian Church in North Side. The Rev. Willie North Side to take part in Woodson, retired pastor of the program. nearby First United PresHer kindness drew peobyterian Church, delivered ple to her, said her daughter, the eulogy. Fredricka H. Charity. Mrs. Hawkins grew â&#x20AC;&#x153;She was a loving and up in Wilmington, N.C., giving person who mothand Brooklyn, N.Y., and Mrs. Hawkins ered everyone,â&#x20AC;? Mrs. Charbegan her teaching career ity said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She was always looking out for after graduating in 1948 from what is now others, whether they were in the family Fayetteville State University. In 1954, she or not. earned a masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree from New York â&#x20AC;&#x153;To cite just one example,â&#x20AC;? Mrs. Charity University. continued, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I remember she would prepare As a college student, she often worked and take food on Sunday nights to a retired during the summers in Atlantic City, N.J., cafeteria worker whom she knew from a where she met Fredrick T. Hawkins, also school where she worked and who was a schoolteacher, whom she married in not doing well. It was just something my 1949. mother had to do. Growing up, she comMrs. Hawkins taught a year in Geormitted herself to helping others, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gia then moved with her new husband to what she did.â&#x20AC;? Culpeper, Va., where the couple taught for

eight years before taking teaching positions with Richmond Public Schools. Mrs. Hawkins began teaching in 1959 at Fairmount Elementary in Church Hill, before it was closed and converted into apartments for the elderly, and at George Mason Elementary School. Before retiring in 1989, she also taught social studies at Mosby Middle School, now Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. Mrs. Hawkins also was active at All Souls Presbyterian Church, where, in addition to serving as a Girl Scout leader, she also served as an elder and taught Sunday School. She was active in Presbyterian Women and often represented Richmond at the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regional and national meetings. Mrs. Hawkins was a longtime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sororityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Upsilon Omega Chapter in Richmond and served on the chapterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Global Concerns Committee. She and her husband also traveled extensively overseas and in the United States until his death in 2013. In addition to Mrs. Charity, survivors include another daughter, Lynette R. Hawkins, also of Fort Washington, Md., and a granddaughter.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Church With A Welcomeâ&#x20AC;?

3HARON "APTIST #HURCH 500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org (804) 643-3825 Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019

8:30 a.m. ....Sunday School | 10:00 a.m. ...Morning Worship

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2019

Joint Watch Night Service at Greater Mt. Moriah 10:00 p.m. ... Speaker: Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

Mount Olive Baptist Church

1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223-6624 s Office: (804) 644-1402 Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A Place for Youâ&#x20AC;?

2019 Theme: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Year of Participationâ&#x20AC;?

11:00 AM Mid-day Meditation

Broad Rock Baptist Church

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5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 â&#x20AC;˘ 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org

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216 W. Leigh St. â&#x20AC;˘ Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 â&#x20AC;˘ Fax: 804-643-3367 Email: ebcofďŹ ce1@yahoo.com â&#x20AC;˘ web: www.richmondebenezer.com

Early Morning Worship ~ 8 a.m. Sunday School ~ 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship ~ 11 a.m. 4th Sunday UniďŹ ed Worship Service ~ 9:30 a.m. Bible Study: Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m. & 7 p.m. Sermons Available at BRBCONLINE.org

11:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Every 3rd Sunday 2nd Sunday, 11 a.m. Mon. 6:30 p.m. Tues. 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Wed. 6:45 p.m. Wed. 4:30 p.m. Wed. 6:00 p.m. Thurs., 11:45 a.m.

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St. Peter Baptist Church

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During the month of December, all Sunday Worship Services will be held at 10 a.m. Church School will be held at 8:30 a.m.

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ALEXANDRIA With his health declining, Herman Boone was still mapping out football strategy as if he were about to walk the sidelines one more time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;His daughter said the other night he asked for a clipboard. He started drawing plays,â&#x20AC;? said Aly Khan Johnson, an assistant on Mr. Coach Boone Booneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff in 1972. Mr. Boone, the Virginia high school football coach who inspired the movie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Remember the Titans,â&#x20AC;? died Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019, at his home in Alexandria after battling cancer. He was 84. Mr. Boone guided T.C. Williams High School to a state championship while navigating the early days of desegregation. In the hit movie, he was portrayed by actor Denzel Washington. Mr. Johnson said he visited the coach regularly and had planned to see him last week when he learned of his death. He recalled Mr. Boone as being one of the influential coaches in his career and a person after whom he tried to model his own style. Their association went back to the 1960s when Mr. Boone coached at a black high school in Williamston, N.C., and Mr. Johnson lived several doors down. He said they would sometimes run plays that Mr. Boone had drawn up. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What I picked up from Coach Boone all those years was his dedication to young people, being organized and being persistent in doing what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing, planning ahead,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Johnson said. Mr. Johnson said he lived with Mr. Boone for a month after he graduated from college and recalls how the two would analyze the team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d watch him take the projector out, point it at the bathroom wall, review plays and so forth, until late at night,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You saw that dedication.â&#x20AC;? A native of Rocky Mount, N.C., Mr. Boone led undefeated Williams High School to the state championship in 1971. His team and its initial success also was recognized as a galvanizing factor in helping bring the city through school consolidation. Much of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Remember the Titansâ&#x20AC;? covers the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uphill battle to win the state championship over 15 all-white teams. They had to overcome vindictive opponents, racist coaches and crooked referees. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I got there, you saw kids work together, hang out together,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Johnson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a brotherhood that you would see. As you know, athletics does something for a community, and it happened at the right time for that community.â&#x20AC;?

2IVERVIEW

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2604 Idlewood Avenue Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 www.riverviewbaptistch.org Rev. Dr. Stephen L. Hewlett, Pastor Rev. Dr. Ralph Reavis, Sr. Pastor Emeritus

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WatchNight 2019

SUNDAYS

8:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:00 a.m. Worship Service

Church School 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship 10:30 a.m.

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Tuesday, December 31, 2019 @ 10:00 P.M.

WEDNESDAYS Bible Study 7:00 p.m.

Ring in the New Year with Gospel Baptist Church & MMBC this year! 2317 Harvie Rd. Richmond, VA 23223 Weekly Worship: Sundays @ 10:30 A.M. Church School: Sundays @ 9:00 A.M. Bible Study: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 P.M.

2901 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 648-2472 ~ www.mmbcrva.org Dr. Price London Davis, Senior Pastor Weekly Worship: Sundays @ 10:30 A.M. Church School: Sundays @ 9:00 A.M. Bible Study: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 P.M.

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All About Celebrating Jesus!

ď&#x20AC; ď&#x20AC;&#x201A;ď&#x20AC;&#x192;ď&#x20AC;&#x201E;ď&#x20AC;&#x2026;ď&#x20AC;&#x201A;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2021;ď&#x20AC;&#x2026;ď&#x20AC;&#x201A;ď&#x20AC;&#x2C6;ď&#x20AC;&#x2C6;ď&#x20AC;&#x2030;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x160;ď&#x20AC;&#x2039;ď&#x20AC;&#x152;ď&#x20AC;?ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x17D;ď&#x20AC;?ď&#x20AC;?ď&#x20AC;?ď&#x20AC;&#x2020; ď&#x20AC;&#x2018;ď&#x20AC;&#x2C6;ď&#x20AC;&#x201E;ď&#x20AC;&#x2019;ď&#x20AC;&#x201A;ď&#x20AC;&#x201C;ď&#x20AC;&#x201D;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2021;ď&#x20AC;&#x2022;ď&#x20AC;&#x201E;ď&#x20AC;&#x2013;ď&#x20AC;&#x201C;ď&#x20AC;&#x2026;ď&#x20AC;&#x2022;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2014;ď&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x17D;ď&#x20AC;?ď&#x20AC;?ď&#x20AC;?ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;

Tuesday, December 31, 2019 at 9:00 p.m.

(near Byrd Park)

e with Reverence elevanc R g in Dr. Alvin Campbell, Interim Pastor bin â?&#x2013; om

ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;ď&#x20AC;&#x2018;ď&#x20AC;&#x160;ď&#x20AC;&#x153;ď&#x20AC;&#x2039;ď&#x20AC;&#x152;ď&#x20AC;&#x2030;ď&#x20AC;&#x2020;

Watch Night Service

-OUNTAIN 2OAD s 'LEN !LLEN 6IRGINIA /FlCE s &AX s WWW STPETERBAPTIST NET

Thirty-first Street Baptist If you want to celebrate the LordChurch info us

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1701 Turner Road, North Chesterfield, Virginia 23225 (804) 276-0791 office (804)276-5272 fax www.ndec.net

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Fax (804) 359-3798 www.sixthbaptistchurch.org drbibbs@sixthbaptistchurch.org

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New Deliverance Evangelistic Church

s )NSTALLATION OF /FlCERS ,EADERS s -USIC RENDERED BY 4HE !GAPE 3INGERS s 9OUTH -INISTRY %ND OF THE 9EAR 7ORSHIP #ELEBRATION

10:30 PM Concert By: Chiquita L. Cross

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

Thursdays:

Missions Emphasis Unity Sunday

Final Message For 2019

Free Press wire report

the word

Worship Opportunities:

Sixth Baptist Church With Ministry For Everyone

Watch Night at 10:00 p.m.

8775 Mount Olive Avenue Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 (804) 262-9614 Phone (804) 262-2397 Fax www.mobcva.org

Ebenezer Baptist Church Sunday Worship Sunday Church School Service of Holy Communion Service of Baptism Life Application Bible Class Mid-Week Senior Adult Fellowship Wednesday Meditation & Bible Study Homework & Tutoring Scouting Program Thursday Bible Study

December 31, 2019 Unity Worship Service at 12:00 Noon

Rev. Darryl G. Thompson, Pastor

Tuesday Sunday 10:30 AM Bible Study 9:30 AM Church School 6:30 PM Church-wide Bible Study 11:00 AM Worship Service 6:30 PM Men's Bible Study (Each 2nd and 4th) (Holy Communion Thursday each 2nd Sunday) Wednesday (Following 2nd Sunday) 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting

New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve

in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Remember the Titansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dies

2020 24th Foundersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Church Anniversary Friday, January 24 7:30 P.M.

Sunday, January 26 9:00 A.M

Tune in on Sunday Morning to WTVR - Channel 6 - 8:30 a.m.

Noonday Bible Study 12:00 p.m. (Noon) Sanctuary - All Are Welcome! Wednesday Evening Bible Study 7:00 p.m. (Bible Study)

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (NDCA)

â?&#x2013;

SATURDAY

THIRD SUNDAY 10:30 a.m. Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church Higher Achievement

8:30 a.m. Intercessory Prayer

6 weeks to 4th grade Before and After Care

â?&#x2013;

823 North 31st Street Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 226-0150 Office

You can now view Sunday Morning Service â&#x20AC;&#x153;AS IT HAPPENSâ&#x20AC;? online! Also, for your convenience, we now offer â&#x20AC;&#x153;full online giving.â&#x20AC;? Visit www.ndec.net.

NOW ENROLLING!!!

For more information Please call

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Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm

Richmond Free Press

December 26-28, 2019

Faith News/Directory

Evangelical magazine editorial calls for Trump’s removal from office Christianity Today “represents what I would call the leftist elite within the evangelical community. They certainly don’t represent the Bible-believing segment of the evangelical community,” Rev. Graham told The Associated Press in an interview. He wrote on Facebook: “Is President Trump guilty of sin? Of course he is, as were all past presidents and as each one of us are, including myself.” The magazine’s circulation is estimated at 130,000. The schism among Christians about whether and how strongly to support President Trump dates back to before his election. Prominent Southern Baptist Russell Moore warned that President Trump “incites division” in a 2015 op-ed that cited the Bible in asking fellow Christians to “count the cost of following” him, later earning a tweeted lashing from then-candidate Trump. After President Trump defended the organizJames Haskins/Richmond Free Press ers of a 2017 white nationalist rally that turned President Trump violent in Charlottesville, one member of his years,” some of his strongest evangelical supporters — including evangelical advisory board stepped down, citing “a deepening Rev. Graham’s son — rallied to his side. conflict in values between myself and the administration.” Their pushback underscored the political value of President But no such break has occurred between the president and the Trump’s hold on the evangelical Christian voting bloc that helped core of his evangelical base during his impeachment. President propel him into office and suggested the editorial would likely Trump is deeply popular among self-described evangelical Chrisdo little to shake that group’s loyalty. tians, with roughly 8 in 10 white evangelical Protestants saying The Rev. Franklin Graham, who now leads the Billy Graham they approve of the way he is handling his job as president, Evangelistic Association and prayed at President Trump’s inau- according to a December poll from The AP-NORC Center. guration, tweeted that his late father would be “disappointed” in Many prominent evangelicals have only intensified their the magazine, adding that he “felt it necessary” following the support for President Trump as Democrats moved to impeach editorial to share that his father, who died last year after counsel- him despite his colored personal history, multiple allegations of ing several past presidents, had voted for President Trump. sexual misconduct, deeply divisive policies and profanity-laced comments. At the heart of that stalwart backing is what pro-Trump evangelicals view as the president’s significant record of achievement on their highest priorities, such as his successful installation of more than 150 conservative federal judges and his support for anti-abortion policies. Indeed, President Trump said in his tweets that, “No President has done more for the Evangelical community, and it’s not even close.” And he declared that he “won’t be reading ET again!” using the wrong initials to describe the Christian publication. Another Trump evangelical adviser, Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, tweeted that the magazine is “dying” and “going against 99% of evangelical Republicans who oppose impeachment.” Asked in a CNN interview last week about President Trump’s response, Mr. Galli said the president’s characterization of the magazine as far left was “far from accurate.” But Mr. Galli, who is set to retire from his post in January, also said he is realistic about the impact of his words. “I don’t have any imagination that my editorial is going to shift their views on this matter,” Mr. Galli said of those who support the president. “The fact of the matter is Christianity Today is not read by the people, Christians on the far right, by evangelicals on the far right, so they’re going to be as dismissive RNS photo by Alejandra Molina of the magazine as President Trump has shown to be.” An individual reads a plaque in front of a life-size Nativity scene Dec. 11 displaying

Free Press wire report

NEW YORK A major evangelical Christian magazine founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham has called for President Trump’s removal from office. An editorial published Dec. 19 in Christianity Today — coming one day after the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives made President Trump the third president in American history to be impeached — raised fresh questions about the durability of his support among the conservative evangelicals who have proven to be a critical component of his political base. The magazine’s editorial, written by editor-in-chief Mark Galli, envisions a message to those evangelical Christians who have remained stalwart Trump backers “in spite of his blackened moral record.” “Remember who you are and whom you serve,” Mr. Galli’s editorial stated. “Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency.” At the core of its indictment of President Trump is what Mr. Galli described as the “profoundly immoral” act of seeking the assistance of the Ukrainian government in a bid “to harass and discredit” a Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. Despite the criticism, some evangelicals are circling the wagons around President Trump, who blasted the magazine in a response on social media. President Trump tweeted Dec. 20 that Christianity Today “would rather have a Radical Left nonbeliever, who wants to take your religion & your guns, than Donald Trump as your President.” While he wrote that the magazine “has been doing poorly and hasn’t been involved with the Billy Graham family for many

Nativity scene shows Holy Family separated in cages Religion News Service

CLAREMONT, Calif. The Nativity scene at Claremont United Methodist Church is striking. Mannequins of Jesus, Mary and Joseph are separated in individual cages topped with barbed wire. A baby Jesus is wrapped in what resembles a Mylar blanket, similar to the sheets migrants have been given in holding cells. On a podium, a message reads: “What if this family sought refuge in our country today?” The Rev. Martha Morales said the church’s intention was not to be controversial or political. Instead, she said, the church is trying to be faithful to its calling to do God’s work. “Our purpose is to say, ‘This is what we believe that God is calling us to do.’ You’ve got to call out evil and lift up justice,” said Rev. Morales, associate pastor at Claremont United Methodist. A stream of people has been visiting the church since the congregation set up the life-size Nativity scene on Dec. 7. People have either commended or lambasted the church for its display, which does not mention President Trump but sheds light on family separation at the border. It has garnered widespread attention from progressive Christians and Conservative commentators like Tomi Lahren. The church has received a slew of negative emails, and for safety purposes, a local police car has been stationed outside the church as visitors take photos of the Nativity scene and reflect at the site. Some of the visitors have talked with one another at the site and pondered the role of Christianity in the immigration crisis at the border. One woman teared up, saying the display reminded her of the 16-year-old Guatemalan migrant who died in Border Patrol custody after being diagnosed with the flu. Another described the grounds of the Nativity scene as “holy,” given the international recognition of it. In Canada, a similar Nativity emerged in Toronto, showing a baby Jesus wrapped in a solar blanket in a cage. Erecting Nativity scenes to declare public statements on social issues is nothing new. They’ve been used to highlight the immigrant struggle, take a stand on LGBTQ issues and to show non-religious figures like Charles Darwin and Albert

Jesus, Mary and Joseph as refugees in separate cages at Claremont United Methodist Church, in Claremont, Calif. The Nativity protests family separation at the border and has received widespread attention.

Einstein. Earlier in December, the Vatican showcased its Nativity that depicted the plight of immigrants and refugees with the statue of a man carrying his belongings as he approaches the manger. The pope’s environmental message also was underlined by the fact that the creche is entirely plastic-free. In Boston, a church in Dedham, Mass., set up a Nativity scene that is meant to remind viewers about the impact of climate change. Inside the glass manger, plastic bottles and other trash float past Jesus, Mary and Joseph as they are swept away in waves of blue. Beneath the water, the shepherds’ flock and the wise men’s camels are drowning. Some, though not all, of the animals already are beneath the surface of the rising tide and camels are drowning. “God so loved the world,” a sign above the manger says, drawing from John 3:16, and asks: “Will we?” Father Stephen Josoma, pastor at St. Susanna Parish, said the church’s Nativity scene was designed to make a splash. “We’re quite pleased that we’re drawing people’s attention to the principle issue of our generation,” Father Josoma said. “If they are churchgoers, they need to be hearing about all this in church, and if not then, they need to ask their pastor to think about it.” For Claremont United Methodist, it’s an annual tradition to display bold Nativity scenes. The church is located in a college town and is next to the Claremont School of Theology, an institution that author and theologian Diana Butler Bass described as one of the most liberal seminary schools. Dr. Butler Bass imagined that the congregation members, who lean a little bit older, thought “they were speaking to their local neighborhood,”

which includes residents, students and visiting professors. “Their neighborhood has known them for generations,” said Dr. Butler Bass, who shared the Nativity photo on her Twitter profile. Certain sections of the internet, however, are unfamiliar with the church and saw it very differently. “The right wing saw it as a political attack on the Holy Family and on Christmas,” she added. The Claremont Nativity includes a statement that references the Trump administration’s family separation policy. It notes the more than 5,400 children estimated to have been separated at the border since July 2017. “Imagine Joseph and Mary separated at the border and Jesus, no older than 2, taken from his mother and placed behind the fences of a Border Patrol detention center,” it reads. This is not the first time Claremont United Methodist has made headlines for its Nativity scene. In 2013, the church displayed a Nativity that portrayed a slumped Trayvon Martin in a black hoodie with blood pouring down his chest. The scene was titled, “A Child Is Born, a Son Is Given.” “There is no better time to reflect on gun violence than advent, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus,” a message on the display read. “Jesus was born into a state of total vulnerability as an innocent, unarmed child during a time of great violence much like Trayvon Martin.” Rev. Morales believes news of this new installation took off after prominent theologians like Dr. Butler Bass shared the Nativity photo that their new lead pastor, the Rev. Karen Clark Ristine, posted on Facebook. In that post, Rev. Ristine said she was moved to tears by the Nativity and shared its theologi-

cal statement. The post has been shared more than 24,000 times. Many people online have expressed anger and have been critical of the church’s Nativity. “Whoever built this lie will burn in hell for blasphemy,” one Facebook commenter said. “So wrong in every sense to politicize the birth of Christ!” another wrote. Rev. Morales said Christians need to stand up and speak against injustices. She said the church also is working on translating the Nativity message into Spanish, adding that many Spanish-speakers have stopped by the church to see the display. “It means something to feel that everybody doesn’t hate you,” she said.

The Baptist Ministers Conference of Richmond & Vicinity Rev. Dr. Emanuel C. Harris, Conference President Celebrates

CIPA EMALNAMATIOTNION

PROC

2020

DAY

Wednesday, JANUARY 1 11:30 A.M. FIFTH BAPTIST CHURCH 1415 West Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23220

Guest Speaker: Rev. Darran Brandon, Pastor First Calvary Baptist Church, Norfolk, Va.

Asking all in attendance to bring gift cards for the Armstrong High School Food Pantry.

Richmond Free Press

B6 December 26-28, 2019

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, January 6, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Fifth Floor Conference Room of City Hall and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, January 13, 2020 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. 2019-343 To amend City Code Â§Â§ 30-402.2, 30-411.3, 30-412.2, 30-413.3, 30-413.13, 30-414.2, 30-416.2, 30-418.2, 30-419.4, 30-420.1, 30-426.1, 30-428.1, 30-430.1, 30-433.2, 30-433.11, 30-434.1, 30-436.1, 30-438.1, 30-440.1, 30-442.1, 30-444.2, 30-446.2, 30-447.2, 30-447.11, 30-448.1, 30-450.1, 30-457.1, concerning permitted principal uses, and 30-1220, concerning definitions related to zoning, and to amend ch. 30, art. VI of the City Code by adding therein a new div. 14 (Â§Â§ 30-697â&#x20AC;&#x201D;30697.3), concerning shortterm rentals. Ordinance No. 2019-344 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1000 West Franklin Street for the purpose of multifamily dwellings containing an aggregate of up to 18 dwelling units, upon certain terms and conditions. The Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Master Plan recommends the property to be developed as Single Family Medium Density. Primary uses are singlefamily and two-family dwellings, both detached and attached, at densities of 8 to 20 units per acre. The density of the proposed development would be approximately 60 units per acre. Ordinance No. 2019-345 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1512 North 27th Street for the purpose of a twofamily detached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in a R-5 SingleFamily Residential District. The City of Richmondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Master Plan designates the subject property for Single-Family (Medium Density) uses. Primary uses are single-family and two-family dwellings, both detached and attached, at densities of 8 to 20 units per acre. The proposed development would create an overall density of approximately 11 units per acre. Ordinance No. 2019-346 To authorize the special use of the property known as 18 West Franklin Street for the purpose of a tourist home with up to five rooms or groups of rooms, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in a RO-3 ResidentialOffice District. The City of Richmondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pulse Corridor Plan designates a future land use category for the subject property as Downtown Mixed Use. Specifically, the plan notes that the Central business district of the Richmond region features highâ&#x20AC;&#x2018;density development with office buildings, apartments, and a mix of complementary uses, including regional destinations. Ordinance No. 2019-347 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1817 Floyd Avenue for the purpose of limited special events, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential District. The City of Richmondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current Master Plan designates a future land use category for the subject property as Single Family Residential at Medium densities. Primary uses for this category are single-family and two-family dwellings, both detached and attached, at densities of 8 to 20 units per acre. Ordinance No. 2019-348 To amend and reordain Ord. No. 92-169-108, adopted May 26, 1992, which authorized the special use of the property known as 2820 West Cary Street for the purpose of operating a proposed 5,086 square foot shopping center within an existing building, waiving the off-street parking requirement, to modify the permitted uses, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is zoned in the UB Urban Business District. The City of Richmondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Master Plan designates the subject property for Community Commercial uses. Primary uses include office, retail, personal service and other commercial and service uses, intended to provide the shopping Continued on next column

Continued from previous column

and service needs of residents of a number of nearby neighborhoods or a section of the City. Ordinance No. 2019-349 To amend and reordain Ord. No. 84-309-31, adopted Feb. 25, 1985, as previously amended by Ord. No. 2001-310283, adopted Oct. 8, 2001, and Ord. No. 2019087, adopted Apr. 22, 2019, which authorized the special use of the property known as 5612 Grove Avenue for the purpose of non-medical office use, to authorize a freestanding sign, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is located in the R-4 Singlefamily Residential District. The City of Richmondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Master Plan designates a future land use category for the subject property as Office Transitional (OF-TR) Primary uses for this category include low-to-medium intensity professional, business and administrative offices, and medical and dental clinics that are compatible with adjacent residential uses and serve as separation between residential areas and nearby commercial or other higher intensity land uses or features. Ordinance No. 2019-350 To authorize the special use of the property known as 806 West Clay Street for the purpose of the construction of an addition to an existing singlefamily attached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-7 Single- and Two-Family Urban Residential District. The City of Richmondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pulse Corridor Plan designates a land use category for the subject property as Neighborhood Mixed Use. Neighborhood Mixed use areas are cohesive districts that provide a mix of uses, but with a larger amount of residential uses than other mixed-use districts. A low to medium residential density is specified for this land use designation. The density of the property is 25 units per acre. Ordinance No. 2019-351 To amend Ord. No. 20155-30, adopted Feb. 9, 2015, which authorized a Preliminary Community Unit Plan known as the Old Armstrong High School Community Unit Plan (Church Hill North), permitting the development of a residential community of up to 300 dwelling units on approximately 21.76 acres of land, to modify the phasing requirements. The underlying zoning of the subject property is R-5 Single-Family Residential. The Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Master Plan recommends Public & Open Space land use for the subject property. No residential density is specified for this land use designation. Ordinance No. 2019-352 To amend section 30800.3 of the City Code, concerning changes in nonconforming uses, for the purpose of requiring a minimum lot area of 750 square feet per dwelling unit when a nonconforming use is changed to a multifamily dwelling within certain residential zoning districts. Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s page on the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Website at www.Richmondgov. com 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 MIKHAIL KURYLENAK Plaintiff v. DINA VALEEVA, Defendant. Case No.: CL19003747-00 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 5th day of February, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. 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, Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT Continued on next column

Continued from previous column

FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ALAN MICHAEL CASH Plaintiff v. NATASHA CASH, Defendant. Case No.: CL19001840-00 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, who has been served with the Complaint by posted service appear here on or before the 16th day of January, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Counsel VSB# 27724 The Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

Complaint for divorce in the above-styled case. It appearing from Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Affidavit that due diligence has been used without effect to ascertain the location of the Defendant and that the Defendantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s whereabouts are unknown, it is ORDERED that the Defendant is required to appear before this Court on or before January 20, 2020 at 9 a.m. to protect his interests. I ask for this: Benjamin R. Rand, Esquire (VSB# 78956) Blackburn, Conte, Schilling & Click, P.C. 300 W. Main Street Richmond, Virginia 23220 Telephone: (804) 782-1111 ext. 212 Facsimile: (804) 648-3914 brand@blackburnconte.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;? IT IS ORDERED that Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before FEBRUARY 13, 2020 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;? IT IS ORDERED that E A R L W. T RI M M E R , SHIRLENE B. TRIMMER, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before FEBRUARY 13, 2020 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER SHAUNITA WYATT Plaintiff v. BRANDEN WYATT, Defendant. Case No.: CL19003523-00 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 16th day of January, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. 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, Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER BRENDA FRANQUI Plaintiff v. JIOELIS FRANQUI, Defendant. Case No.: CL19003509-00 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 16th day of January, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. 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, Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ANDRA BARRETT, Plaintiff v. COHANE BARRETT, Defendant. Case No.: CL19003393-00 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 16th day of January, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. 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, Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO WANDA DAVID SANTANA, Plaintiff v. FREDDY A. SANTANA OSARIO, Defendant. Case No.: CL19-5462-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION Came this day the Plaintiff, upon her Complaint for divorce filed in the abovestyled case and her Affidavit for Order of Publication for service of the Complaint on the Defendant. The object of this suit is to put the Defendant on notice of the Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Continued on next column

PROPERTY VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. WILLIAM B. MITCHELL, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL19-3797 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1612 North 28th Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number E0000864/023, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, William B. Mitchell. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, WILLIAM B. MITCHELL, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to his last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;? IT IS ORDERED that WILLIAM B. MITCHELL, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before FEBRUARY 13, 2020 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. PATRICIA MACK, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL19-4528 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2317 Warwick Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number S0071629/012, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Patricia Mack. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, PATRICIA MACK, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to her last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;? IT IS ORDERED that PATRICIA MACK and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before FEBRUARY 13, 2020 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. GLENN BROWN, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL19-4298 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1809 Stegge Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number S0071133/017, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Glenn Brown. An Affidavit having been filed that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of Continued on next column

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. EARL W. TRIMMER, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL19-3923 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1705 Magnolia Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number N0000663/019, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Earl W. Trimmer and Shirlene B. Trimmer. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, EARL W. TRIMMER, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that said owner, SHIRLENE B. TRIMMER, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to her last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest Continued on next column

BID COUNTY OF HENRICO, VIRGINIA CONSTRUCTION BID Â ITB #19-1960-12EAR DOUGLAS S. FREEMAN HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM TICKET BOOTH & FIELD ENTRANCE IMPROVEMENTS Due:Â January 22, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. For additional information visit: https://henrico.us/ finance/divisions/purchasing/ solicitations/

COUNTY OF HENRICO, VIRGINIA CONSTRUCTION BID

ITB #19-1948-11PEW Replace Dry Pipe Sprinkler System at Arthur Ashe Elementary School and Longdale Elementary School Due: January 22, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. For additional information visit: https://henrico. us/finance/divisions/ purchasing/solicitations/

Thank you for your interest in applying for opportunities with The City of Richmond. To see what opportunities are available, please refer to our website at www.richmondgov.com. EOE M/F/D/V

PART-TIME ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT TO PASTOR/CHURCH

Administrative Assistant at Great Hope Baptist Church provides administrative support to ensure eďŹ&#x192;cient operation of the Church oďŹ&#x192;ce, 20 hours per week. Position will support Pastor and church members through a variety of tasks related to the church and community. Responsibility includes: Oversee conďŹ dential and time sensitive material. Compose letters and correspondence to churches and other civic organizations. ProďŹ cient in Microsoft OďŹ&#x192;ce: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Excel. The ability to eďŹ&#x20AC;ectively communicate via phone, email, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, ensuring all duties are completed accurately and delivered with high quality in a timely manner. Interested applicants please submit resume to: ghbcsec@comcast.net by January 9, 2020.

FULL-TIME SENIOR PASTOR Thirty-first Street Baptist Church of Richmond VA, located in historic Church Hill, seeks a full-time senior pastor. The pastorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education, training, and experience should include seminary degree(s) and a minimum of three years in a ministerial leadership role serving in a Baptist church. The pastor will be responsible for church leadership, both spiritual and biblical, through preaching, teaching, training, counseling and evangelism. Demonstrating godly leadership and keen administrative skill, the pastor will minister to the current needs of the church, while preparing and equipping the fellowship with the tools to assist membership sustainability for the next generation church. The pastor will work collaboratively with the Trustees, Deacons, Deacons Auxiliary Ministry, staff and congregation to uphold and cultivate the church mission and vision while developing disciples. The deadline for accepting applications is January 17, 2020. Candidate should include easily accessible links to videos of two recent sermons. Mail resumes to: THIRTY-FIRST STREET BAPTIST CHURCH 823 N. Thirty-first Street Richmond, Virginia 23223 ATTN: Pastor Search Committee Email resumes to: info@31sbc.org

To advertise in the

Richmond Free Press

TRANSIT SYSTEM

DATA ANALYST

call

644-0496

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Closes: Open until filled Non-Exempt

GRTC Transit System is seeking a skilled candidate to maintain and analyze system data, such as ridership, route performance and demographics. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in information and data systems, data manipulation and databases. Strong quantitative skills, excellent oral & written communication and interpersonal skills are required. A bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree is required. Experience with Geographic Information systems highly desirable. Must be able to pass a background check and pre-employment drug test. Those interested in the position should apply online at www.ridegrtc.com. Only online applications are accepted. GRTC is an equal opportunity employer with a drug-free work environment.

AVAILABLE Downtown Richmond first floor office suite 5th and Franklin Streets 422 East Franklin Street Richmond, Virginia 23219

804.358.5543 Bedros Bandazian

Associate Broker, Chairman

Raffi Bandazian

Principal Broker, GRI

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