Richmond Free Press Dec. 28-30, 2023 edition

A Year in photos A5

Richmond Free Press © 2023 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOL. 32 NO. 52

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

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Meet this week’s Personality B1

DECEMBER 28-30, 2023

Millner’s next mission

Pastor’s retirement will not stop his service to the community

By Debora Timms

The Rev. Tyler C. Millner Sr., pastor of Martinsville’s Morning Star Holy Church for the past 33 years, will deliver his final sermon on Sunday, Dec. 31.

Planning for this retirement began in 2018, the same year he was awarded the Virginia Union University Lifetime of Service Award for his leadership in honoring the legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as his service to the community.

He was ordained in 1971 and believed his role should be one of service.

“The Black pastor has to serve the community,” Rev. Millner said in a recent telephone interview. “Dr. King was a sterling example of that. He worked to empower folks.”

Rev. Millner did as well. After earning his master’s in divinity from Chicago’s McCormick Theological Seminary, he became director of minority affairs with Virginia Power.

“There was no script and no program to follow,” he recalled.

“The role grew as I grew with the company.”

One of the things he worked to do was involve the utility in efforts to interact and connect with minority communities. Rev. Millner said his greatest success there was helping to develop the corporate connection with VUU. He co-founded Community Learning Week in 1978 with the late Dr. Grace M. Pleasants, combining speeches and other events, along with a Community Leaders Breakfast, to better recognize and honor the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Please turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

The Rev. Tyler C. Millner Sr., shown here at the Allix B. James Chapel in Coburn Hall at Virginia Union University, cofounded Community Learning Week in 1978 with the late Dr. Grace M. Pleasants. He is retiring as a Martinsville church pastor after 33 years.

Hanover case tests parental rights

VCU’s rat de-bait

State senator sounds alarm over Monroe Park rodents

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Trash receptacles at Monroe Park, which is maintained by Virginia Commonwealth University, routinely attract rats, leading Sen. Ghazal Hashmi to question the university’s $2,400 a month spending on poison-bait rat traps.

Virginia Commonwealth University claims that rats in Monroe Park can rip open metal trash cans to get to discarded food—even though an inspection of the metal cans show that the bottoms are undamaged.

The university, which handles maintenance of the park, issued that claim in response to a query from Richmond state Sen. Ghazal Hashmi about VCU’s expenditure of $2,400 a month to spread poison-bait rat traps throughout the city’s oldest park.

According to VCU, “in most cases the rats are accessing discarded food in city-provided waste receptacles by tunneling underneath them and not via the open area at the top.”

The Free Press was provided a copy of the response. In a follow-up to a newspaper query, Please turn to A4

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Jeremy M. Lazarus/Richmond Free Press

“I have been prevented from being in my children’s lives,” said Tina D. Woodson of Hanover County.

Ms. Woodson holds her youngest child, whom the Hanover County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court allowed to remain with her, but not her other three children. “It’s unbelievable.”

The case of a Hanover County mother is providing a test of the proposition that parents matter — a currently popular Virginia political slogan.

Four years ago, Tina D. Woodson had four children living with her and her truckdriving husband Jonathan Woodson in Ashland.

Today, only the youngest Please turn to A4

City Council enters new year eyeing new leadership

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Ms. Nye

Dr. Jones

Ms. Lynch

Fourth District City Councilwoman Kristen M. Nye is anticipated to be the new president of Richmond’s governing body.

Next Tuesday, Jan. 2, City Council will hold its organizational meeting to vote on new officers following the departure of Dr. Michael J. Jones.

He will officially step down Sunday,

Dec. 31, as council president and as the 9th District representative, as he prepares to take the 77th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates that he won in the November election.

Ms. Nye has served as council vice president during the past year, and a majority of her colleagues have signaled that she will have their support.

The key question is who will serve in the

No. 2 council post. Fifth District Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch had appeared to be the favorite.

Her election would mark the first time in decades that a Black member would not hold a leadership post on the council, in part a reflection that the city has flipped in the past 13 years from majority Black to majority Please turn to A4

VUU’s Parker to coach in New Orleans

By Fred Jeter

James Haskins/Richmond Free Press

Virginia Union University’s running back Jada Byers dodges Virginia State University’s Quedrion Miles on Nov. 4. VUU, under the watchful eyes of Coach Alvin Parker and staff, won 30-20.

Dr. Alvin Parker’s football coaching excellence at Virginia Union University hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Coach Parker has been named as a cocoach for Team Coach Parker Gaither in the HBCU Legacy Bowl Feb. 24 at Tulane University in New Orleans.

He’ll coordinate coaching activities with Howard’s Larry Please turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Guarded crossing Pedestrians hurry through a crosswalk at 1st and Leigh streets in Jackson Ward. Marked crosswalks indicate locations for pedestrians to cross and signify to motorists to yield to them.

Richmond Free Press

A2 December 28-30, 2023

Local News

New Year closing schedule In observance of New Year’s Day, Monday, Jan. 1, please note the following: Government State and federal offices: Closed.

City of Richmond and Henrico and Chesterfield County offices: Closed.

Hanover County offices: Closed Friday, Dec. 29, and Monday, Jan. 1.

and post offices closed Sunday, Dec. 31, and Monday, Jan. 1.

Public schools Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover public schools will reopen Monday, Jan. 8.

GRTC Buses operate on a Sunday schedule on Monday, Jan. 1, with no express service.

Public libraries Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield public libraries are closed Monday, Jan. 1, while Hanover public libraries will close from Saturday, Dec. 30, to Monday, Jan. 1.

Banks and financial institutions Closed.

Garbage and recycling collection No trash or recycling collection Monday, Jan. 1. All collections will be delayed by one day.

U.S. Postal Service No regular mail delivery

DMV customer service centers DMV offices will be closed.

ABC stores Retail stores closing at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Sunday, Dec. 31 and New Year’s Day, Monday, Jan. 1.

Malls, major retailers, movie theaters Varies. Inquire at specific locations.

Richmond Free Press office: Closed.

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: • Thursday, Dec. 28, 1 to 5 p.m. - Henrico Arms Apartments, 1566 Edgelawn Circle.

• Friday, Dec. 29, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Southside Women, Infants and Children Office, 509 E. Southside Plaza.

Call the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more information on testing sites, or go online at vax.rchd. com.

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

Want a COVID-19 vaccine?

Those interested can schedule an appointment with RHHD by calling (804) 205-3501. Vaccines.gov also allows people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine, and those interested can also text your ZIP code to 438829 or call 1-800-232-0233.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends that children between the ages of 6 months to 4 years old may need multiple doses of the updated vaccines depending on their COVID-19 vaccine status and whether they previously received Pfizer or Moderna.

Waiting periods for additional vaccines can range from three to eight weeks or four to eight weeks depending on the vaccine dose previously received.

Children between the ages of 5 to 11 years old who are unvaccinated or received a vaccine before Sept. 12, 2023, should get one updated Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Those age 12 and older who are unvaccinated should get either one updated Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two doses of the updated Novavax vaccine. People in that age range who received a vaccine before Sept. 12, 2023, should get one updated Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax vaccine.

People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated COVID-19 vaccine, and are encouraged to talk with their health care providers about how and when to receive them.

Cityscape Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

By now, the drudgery of leaf blowing should be a thing of the past for many in the Richmond area. Yet errant clusters of leaves continue to fall such as the ones to recently covering the ground at 5th and Hospital streets.

Sharon Baptist Church hosts New Year’s Emancipation Day Service

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

One Jan. 1, 1863, as the Civil War raged, President Abraham Lincoln took the momentous step of abolishing slavery in Virginia and other Southern states that were fighting to break away from the United States.

That watershed moment in American history once again will be celebrated in Richmond on New Year’s Day at a service sponsored by the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity at a new location.

The 84th Annual Emancipation Day Service will take place 11 a.m. at Sharon Baptist Church, 500 E. Laburnum Ave., across the street from the Richmond Raceway, according to Dr. Lester D. Frye, conference president.

The venue changed after Fifth Baptist Church, the service’s longtime home, declined to host the event due to concerns about risks from COVID-19, Dr. Frye said.

The keynote speaker this year will be the Rev. A. Lincoln James Jr., veteran

Mr. Lincoln

Dr. Frye

pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in the city’s North Side.

The worship program, which also raises funds for area branches of the NAACP, caps the services that are annually held in Black churches to remember the beginning of the end of slavery in this country.

On New Year’s Eve, many churches will host Watch Night services that date back to Dec. 31, 1862, when prayer vigils were held in hopes that President Lincoln would keep his word that he would issue the slavery ban the next day.

President Lincoln’s action is highlighted nationally in the Juneteenth holiday that recalls Union forces taking control of Texas in June 1865 and finally issuing the proc-

lamation freeing slaves in that state.

He understood his proclamation freeing slaves and paving the way for Black men to serve as soldiers was a wartime measure and was effective only where Union troops held sway against the rebels seeking to form a country where slavery would always be allowed.

To make it permanent, he successfully pushed for passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to actually abolish slavery, although the text did allow slavery for those convicted of and imprisoned for felonies.

Congress passed the amendment in early 1865, and it became law in December 1865, seven months after President Lincoln’s assassination. The new amendment was officially proclaimed on Dec. 18 after Congress certified that more than twothirds of the states – 27 of the 36 states then existing – had approved it.

The Richmond event was launched on Jan. 1, 1940, by the late Rev. W.L. Ransome of First Baptist Church of South Richmond, who wanted to ensure that future generations learned about this milestone.

Community Leaders event recognizes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King

VUU will host the 46th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Leaders Celebration at the Downtown Richmond Marriott Friday, Jan. 12, at 7:30 a.m.

The event will be centered around the theme of “In All Things, Excellence.” Event sponsors include

Dominion Energy, CBS 6, Living the Dream Inc. and other community partners.

Ticket information is available at vuu.edu/mlk or by contacting Deborah Alston, assistant vice president for stewardship at dalston@vuu.edu or (804) 342-3938.

Prayers, encouragement at City Jail The 7th Annual Day of Grace, Faith & Hope will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 1, at the Richmond City Justice Center, 1701 Fairfield Way, it has been announced.

Open to the public, the outdoor program will offer prayers and words of encouragement for inmates, the jail staff and government officials and include a walk around

the building, according to Sheriff Antionette V. Irving.

“This event is an opportunity for us to come together as one community to usher in the new year and to offer support for one other,” Sheriff Irving stated.

Due to the increase in coronavirus cases, the sheriff added that participants are encouraged to wear masks.

Sheriff Irving

AMC Theatres issues apology, talks with Barber, will meet next week in Greenville after he was forced to leave over chair issue Free Press wire reports

AMC Theatres has issued a statement of apology and will meet with Bishop William J. Barber II after he was escorted out of its Greenville theater when he was not allowed to use his own chair to watch a movie, according to WNCT 9 television in Greenville, N.C. The statement was sent to WNCT Wednesday afternoon from AMC Theatres Vice President of Corporate Communications Ryan Noonan. It reads: “We sincerely apologize to Bishop Barber for how he was treated, and for the frustration and inconvenience brought to him, his family, and his guests. AMC’s Chairman and CEO Adam Aron has already telephoned him, and plans to meet with him in person in Greenville, N.C. next week to discuss both this situation and the good works Bishop Barber is engaged in throughout the years.

“AMC welcomes guests with disabilities,” the statement added.

“We have a number of accommodations in place at our theatres at all times, and our theatre teams work hard to accommodate guests who have needs that fall outside of the normal course of business. We encourage guests who require special seating to

speak with a manager in advance to see what can best be accommodated at the theater to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for the guest and those around them. We are also reviewing our policies with our theater teams to help ensure that situations like this do not occur again.”

Bishop Barber is the minister of Greenleaf Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in Bishop Barber Goldsboro and a social activist, once serving as the chair of the North Carolina NAACP. He was at the theatre with his 90-year-old mother to see “The Color Purple.”

Management told him that he would not be allowed to use his own chair to sit and watch the movie in the marked handicapped section of the theater.

Management then had two Greenville police officers come to the location, and Bishop Barber was escorted from the building.

Bishop Barber said he cannot sit in chairs that require him to be close to the floor due to a bad hip. He walks with two canes and carries a chair with him to accommodate himself. He said that he had never been anywhere that did not allow him to use his own chair.

“I have a disability myself. I have serious Ankylosing (kind of arthritis),” Bishop Barber said Tuesday. “I have bad hips and I can’t sit low.

“So whether I’m on Broadway, the White House, the State House, United States Congress, they always let me bring this chair. Never been a problem. In fact, other movie theaters, never been a problem,” Bishop Barber said.

According to Bishop Barber, there were no signs or rules posted by the theater that suggested he would be prohibited from using his chair.

Exactly 10 years ago Bishop Barber was propelled onto the national stage when he led a series of weekly civil disobedience protests in North Carolina against the Republicans’ extreme voter suppression bills and benefits cuts. Within a year, the “Moral Mondays” snowballed from 50 people to more than 100,000, generating a nationwide movement called the Poor People’s Campaign, a conscious echo of the movement of the same name that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led and which was cut short when he was assassinated in 1968, according to The Guardian.

Earlier this year, Bishop Barber became director and a professor of practice at the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at the divinity school of Yale University.

Richmond Free Press

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News

Pastor’s retirement will not stop his service to the community Continued from A1

Richmond. Virginia Power, now Dominion Energy, became a corporate sponsor and it continues in that capacity today.

The program also became a national model for observing the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan, it was first observed as a federal holiday on Jan. 20, 1986.

“We’d been doing it here in Richmond for six years by then,” Rev. Millner said proudly of the program he served as project director of for 20 years before stepping down in 1998.

In January 1999, the late Dr. Willie Woodson replaced him and Community Learning Week became Living the Dream Inc. Dr. Ricardo L. Brown, pastor of Fifth Baptist Church in Richmond, has been the nonprofit’s executive director since 2009.

“The ideals and principles of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and others who fought for equality were constantly advocated for under [Rev. Millner’s] leadership,” Pastor Brown wrote in an email.

He added that nearly 46 years later the organization continues to make a difference in the community.

Community Learning Week events were

even featured in the inaugural issue of the Richmond Free Press on Jan. 16, 1992.

But Rev. Millner’s impact extends beyond Richmond. He introduced the Blue Ribbon Campaign, a citizen’s awareness program modeled on Community Learning Week, in Martinsville after becoming pastor at Morning Star.

It was his mother, the Rev. Almeda F. Millner, who founded the church in 1950 and pastored it for 39 years until her death.

“In a day and time when women were to be quiet and had no upfront role in the church, she defied all of that,” Rev. Millner said. “She really practiced what she preached.”

That example stayed with him, and now it is Rev. Millner’s genuineness and commitment to his principles that stands out to those who know him.

Delegate Delores L. McQuinn first met Rev. Millner in the 1990s. She said in a recent interview that she has always admired his faith and his willingness to advocate on social justice issues.

“He’s very genuine. What you see is what you get,” Delegate McQuinn said.

“T.C.’s footprints should forever be etched in the history of the Richmond region as one who conscientiously helped to define the legacy of Dr. King.”

Cynthia Downs-Taylor also has known Rev. Millner for many years.

The senior adviser to U.S. Sen. Mark Warner said the pastor’s passion for social justice led him to “not only take an interest, but to take the initiative.”

She also called him a committed friend.

“You can always depend on him to reach out and to show up,” Ms. DownsTaylor said.

“Even though he’s retiring from the church, I hope he’s not retiring from his passion to serve his beloved community,” she added. “I hope he continues to pick up the phone and nudge those of us still out there in the struggle.”

Rev. Millner said retirement will allow him to spend more time with his wife, Rosa M. Millner, and their children and grandchildren. But he also will continue to help out at Morning Star until a new pastor is installed.

As to what else is in store, time will tell.

“I’m excited, but I don’t know what I may take advantage of or do differently,” Rev. Millner said. “I don’t think you’ll get me away from being an advocate — it’s too ingrained. It’ll be part of whatever I do, I suspect.”

Living the Dream Inc. will host the following events in January 2024 Friday, Jan. 12 In partnership with VUU, the 46th Annual Community Leaders Breakfast will take place at the Downtown Richmond Marriott.

Monday, Jan. 15 On this National Day of Service, meals will be provided for guests of The Doorways in Downtown Richmond.

Tuesday, Jan. 16 Board members will assist in activities and meal preparation for the senior citizens of Goochland County at Jerusalem Baptist Church.

Wednesday, Jan. 17 A read aloud will happen at the Leave it To Beaver Childcare Center in Richmond.

Thursday, Jan. 18 There will be a dinner service at Liberation Veterans Services on Richmond’s South Side, and a community talk on Zoom with the Metropolitan African American Baptist Church on Richmond’s South Side, with guest speaker William McGee, president of the Richmond Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and board members of Living the Dream Inc.

State senator sounds alarm over Monroe Park rodents Continued from A1

VCU stated that the baited stations reflect the university’s effort to “protect the health and safety of the VCU community and the public as rats are known to spread disease, trigger allergic reactions, harm trees and plants, and cause property damage.”

VCU did not indicate whether the traps were working to reduce the rat population or explain the claim of rats being able to get through the metal bottoms of the trash receptacles.

Monroe Park, located on Belvidere Street, dates to the early 1850s and serves as the gateway to VCU’s academic campus.

Charles Woodson, an advocate for the park, calls VCU’s response fiction and charges that the school has violated its own code of ethics with an “explanation that is easily disproved.

Lying to a state senator is a big deal.”

VCU’s ethics code states the university is committed to creating “an environment of uncompromising integrity and

ethical conduct” and includes, among other things, a pledge to “act and communicate honestly and candidly. We will not mislead others,” Mr. Woodson, who sparked Sen. Hashmi’s query, said he believes VCU made up the story about metal-biting rats in trying to fend off critics like him who object to the use of poison pellets that he said can kill birds, dogs, squirrels and other animals.

A member of the city’s Urban Design Committee, Mr. Woodson said he has inspected every one of the trash receptacles. All “have metal bottoms that are completely intact,” he said, and sit on paved surfaces.

The city-owned green space was given a $7 million facelift and reopened in 2018 under the management of the Monroe Park Conservancy, a nonprofit whose board includes city executives and private individuals.

VCU informed Sen Hashmi that the school has an agreement

with the city and the conservancy to provide police patrols and handle park maintenance, such as mowing and clearing snow as well as tackling the rat problem.

According to the school, the park was found in the fall to have a growing rat population that appeared to stem from people failing to properly dispose of uneaten food.

VCU responded by hiring an exterminator to place 24 plastic rock-shaped bait traps around the park with the company being paid $100 per trap to keep them full of bait and to replace any that are broken. VCU stated the traps have a design that only allows rats or mice to crawl into them to get to the poison bait.

VCU advised Sen. Hashmi the traps are discreet, tamper-proof and weather resistant. VCU did not include any information as to whether the bait traps have reduced the rat population.

Mr. Woodson is still campaigning to get rid of the bait traps as a threat to other wildlife.

Hanover case tests parental rights Continued from A1

child lives with the couple, and Mrs. Woodson said she has found herself repeatedly blocked by the Hanover County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court from reunifying with the other children, teenage twins and an 8-year-old boy.

Essentially, she has been legally stripped of her parental rights when it comes to the three children, who no longer live with her even though no court has ever terminated those rights.

For nearly four years, the 38-year-old Black Army veteran has not been able to communicate with or been allowed to visit her children.

She said she has had only two calls from her son who snuck away briefly to appeal to her to allow him to come home.

“I have been prevented from being in my children’s lives,” Mrs. Woodson said. “It’s unbelievable.”

Despite the couple spending more than $35,000 in legal fees, she said the legal system has “worked against my Black family and brought shame to me.”

While Hanover County Social Services as well as the judges involved have not responded to Free Press queries, this enforced separation of the Woodson children from their parents appears to fly in the face of a long-standing state policy.

“Return home shall be the primary goal for all children in foster care … regardless of the circumstances at the time of removal,” the Virginia Department of Social Services states in its Child and Family Services Manual.

According to the manual, social workers should make every effort to create a “reunification process … to safely reconnect children to their families.

The service worker shall make reasonable efforts to return the child to his parents or custodians within the shortest practicable time.”

Mrs. Woodson still has hopes that could happen for her younger son.

She appealed the latest order from the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court that bars her from regaining custody. She now waits to learn whether the Circuit Court will overturn the lower court after evidence at a hearing now scheduled for next month.

She said the two older children are so estranged she sees no prospect of their coming back.

The disruption of the family began March 3, 2020, as the older children prepared for school, which were still open as the pandemic had not yet begun.

That morning, Mrs. Woodson discovered by accident that her two oldest children had been ignoring the cell phone policy and briefly swatted each of them with the soft end of a belt in seeking to re-establish discipline.

Her strikes with the belt left marks, and at school, the twins were questioned about what happened. The alleged abuse was reported and the results was the Hanover Child Protective Services swooped in and removed the twins and later, the son.

The older children were placed with her parents and her son was placed with his biological father in North Carolina. Free Press queries to them have gone unanswered.

Mrs. Woodson said she sought to meet the requirements that CPS workers laid down for her to get her children back. She had a mental evaluation, attended a 20-week parenting class, took a separate six-week parent coaching class and underwent a parental assessment.

But the reunification never happened after the commonwealth’s attorney stepped in and charged Mrs. Woodson with assault and battery of a family member.

While a parent is authorized to use corporal punishment, judges in the juvenile court and then the Circuit Court convicted Mrs. Woodson after finding that the belting was excessive due to the marks left on the children.

The convictions were eventually thrown out, though it took nearly two years.

The Virginia Court of Appeals reversed those con-

City Council enters new year eyeing new leadership Continued from A1

white in the wake of the significant population growth.

In addition to her council seat, Ms. Lynch is a wife, mother and full-time lobbyist at the state level. She gave birth to her third child on Dec. 13. Grace Eloise Jane Dunbar was born a healthy 7.1 pounds, it was announced.

Ms. Lynch’s interest in serving as a council officer will become clearer when the meeting takes place.

Following the election, the council will meet in committee and consider taking the first step toward extending city employee health and family leave policies to domestic partners, whether same sex or opposite sex.

Ms. Nye has introduced a resolution that calls on the administration to develop a plan that would allow the partner of a city employee to be added to that employee’s health insurance and allow city employees to take family leave for matters involving their domestic partner on the same basis as spouses now can.

victions. Writing for the court, Judge Lisa M. Lorish stated Mrs. Woodson’s actions fit with the parental exception to battery as the evidence did not show that the children were significantly harmed.

Judge Lorish found the record showed the conviction was based on the lower court’s impermissible second-guessing of Mrs. Woodson’s decision to use corporal punishment.

That, coupled with the fact that the children had only transient marks from the soft end of a belt means the evidence “falls short of what a reasonable fact-finder could conclude is excessive,” Judge Lorish concluded.

But that ruling did not change anything, Mrs. Woodson said. “I was exonerated and the children were supposed to come back. But that never happened.”

Instead, Mrs. Woodson said she faced fresh opposition from Virginia F. Podboy, the attorney named guardian ad litem to represent the interests of the three children. Ms. Podboy, who has not responded a to a Free Press query, refused to agree to the children’s return to the Woodsons, Mrs. Woodson said.

Mrs. Woodson said the Juvenile Court judge adopted Ms. Podboy’s requirement that she get reunification counseling.

The requirement was verbal and not included in a court order, Mrs. Woodson said.

She said every therapist she consulted told her they without such an order, that could not share their confidential report with the court. And some told her, she said, the counseling would be a waste of time and the Woodson’s money because the child already had expressed interest in returning home.

Mrs. Woodson said the court rejected her explanation and refused to alter the current arrangements for any of the children. “I have tried to do everything I have been told to do to get my children back,” Mrs. Woodson said, “but I keep being told I have been noncompliant. All I can do is hope and pray that this nightmare will end.”

VUU’s Parker to coach in New Orleans Continued from A1

Scott, who led the Bison to the MEAC title and a berth in Celebration Bowl.

Team Gaither (named after former Florida A&M coach Jake Gaither) will consist of players from the MEAC and CIAA. VUU went 10-2 this past season with a CIAA title and a second straight trip to the Division II playoffs. Parker’s Panthers are 19-4 over two seasons.

Team Gaither (made up of players from SWAC and SIAC) will be facing Team Robinson, coached by Florida A&M coach Willie Simmons and Benedict’s Chennis Berry.

Team Robinson is named after former Grambling coach Eddie Robinson.

A native of Washington D.C., Coach Parker was a former player and assistant coach at VUU prior to getting the head job in 2018.

If five seasons as coach at his alma mater, Coach Parker’s Panthers are 41-13 overall and 28-6 versus CIAA competition. This year VUU won its first CIAA championship since 2001.

Legacy Bowl players will be named later.

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Richmond Free Press

December 28-30, 2023 A5

Photo Feature

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Mayor Levar Stoney enters Main Street Station to deliver the State of the City Address on Jan. 31.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Danny Hodges, left, and U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, center, shared their very personal and often horrific experiences from Jan. 6, 2021 on Jan. 19 at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Virginia State University won the recognition of being named an All-Steinway School designation, making it the ninth college and the first historically Black college in Virginia. Photo taken February 2023.

A Year in Photos Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, left, joins the ceremonial swearing-in of Rep. Jennifer L. McClellan on Capitol Hill on March 7.

Communities are defined as a unified body of individuals, people with common interests living in a particular area, a body of persons of common and professional interests scattered through a larger society, or a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic and political interest.

Throughout the year, Richmond Free Press photojournalists’diligently pursue and capture such images that are reflective of our communities.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Acting Police Chief Rick Edwards walks with Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and other city officials to brief news media following a shooting that left two people dead outside of the Altria Theater. The shooting occurred after Huguenot High School’s graduation on June 6.

Sandra Selllars/Richmond Free Press

Delegate Don Scott celebrates the Democrats’ win after the November 2023 elections.

James Haskins/Richmond Free Press

James Haskins/Richmond Free Press

Miss Virginia Union University and Mr. Virginia Union University, Raina Haynes and Larry Hackey, celebrated the school’s homecoming on Oct. 24.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Zambian singer-songwriter, rapper and poet Sampa Tembo aka Sampa the Great performed for thousands June 2, on Brown’s Island during the Friday Cheers concert series.

Josue Fred’s determination and perspiration were clear as he soared like a superhero during this year’s Ukrops Monument Ave 10K presented by Kroger race on April 22.

Regina H. Boone/ Richmond Free Press

Various officials including Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Mayor Levar Stoney, interim police chief Rick Edwards came together at Jackson Ward’s Abner Clay Park Monday, Jan. 30 to honor the life of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols of Memphis, Tenn., a FedEx worker who was murdered by at least five Memphis City Police officers earlier in the month during an alleged traffic stop.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

A group gathered at Moore Street Baptist Church in Newtown to unveil the Gordon B. Hancock Commonwealth of Virginia Historical Highway Marker on the grounds of the church.

Rev. Hancock was the co-founder of the Richmond Chapter of the Urban League and pastor of Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church in 1925.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Sharon Herman, 66, left, is secretary of the Creighton Court Tenant Council’s secretary; Marilyn Olds, 73, center, has lived in Creighton Court since age 4, and is president of the Richmond Tenant Organization and the Creighton Court Tenant Council. Jayne Harris, 66, has lived in Creighton Court since fifth grade and on and off since then.

Personal documents, artifacts and other archival material belonging to the late Del. Roland J. “Duke” Ealey were discovered several years ago by James and Sasha Vigeant as they were restoring Mr. Ealey’s office to be their permanent residence in Jackson Ward.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Melody Angel performs as thousands came out for three days of music during the 19th Richmond Folk Festival on Brown’s Island in October.

Richmond Free Press East End holiday leaves Editorial Page

A6

December 28-30, 2023

Building on a dream Despite the nearly 1,000 signatures and letters of support Shiree Monterio obtained for a proposed Essex Point at Mt. Clement, the Essex County Board of Supervisors denied her efforts to have her family’s land rezoned for a housing development property.

“We are disappointed, but we are not giving up,” Shiree Monterio, the owner of 7andM Development, told Richmond Free press reporter Debora Timms after the board’s Dec. 12 vote.

Ms. Monterio’s company, along with her mother, June C. Monterio, first brought the $80 million proposal to the Essex County Economic Development Authority in October 2022.

Essex Point at Mt. Clement was designed as a way to bring housing suitable for teachers, nurses and others who work in the community and 55+ active living for seniors to age in place with some resources and amenities around them. The need for affordable housing such as this was noted by those in support and those in opposition to the proposed development.

It is also a priority for Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who announced his Make Virginia Home Plan initiative last year. The governor called access to housing “not only a fundamental need, but also a strategic component for the prosperity of our state.”

Ms. Monterio reiterated during the meeting that the development, which also included retail, commercial and community spaces, would have contributed to the economic growth of the county by providing jobs, subcontracting opportunities and additional tax revenue.

North District Supervisor Sidney Johnson seemed to agree that the project was meeting an identified need when he moved to approve both the rezoning from B1 to PUD and the preliminary site plan with the proffers offered and the exceptions requested.

It was the exceptions that were the sticking point for Central District Supervisor John C. Magruder. He spoke about his concern in granting an exception to the 15-acre minimum the zoning requires, as well ones that would allow for the development’s second access point to be an emergency access only and for its roads to be privately owned and maintained.

His motion to deny the application was passed by the board in a 2-1 vote as South District Supervisor Ronnie G. Gill had previously recused himself from the matter on legal advice because any decision could potentially lead to a direct or indirect benefit for his employer, Colonial Farm Credit.

Despite the setback, Ms. Monterio remains hopeful and committed.

“We are really confident and very proud of the work our team has done, and of the plan and the vision that was set forth,” she said. “We are working on the next steps going forward.”

When we hear of women such as Ms. Monterio, who face barriers as they seek to fulfill their dreams, we’re reminded of other Black women who have endured similar obstacles.

Maggie Walker, the daughter of a former slave, rose from her humble beginnings doing laundry to become the first Black woman to establish and lead a bank in the United States. As a community leader in Richmond and throughout Virginia in the early 1900s, her determination to create success for others led to her role as a principal leader in the Independent Order of St. Luke, a major African-American mutual aid social service organization. Hundreds of articles, texts and books detail Mrs. Walker’s story, although many people in this country still have never heard of her. Yet her words spoken to the Harlem Business Men’s Club circa 1931 bear repeating.

“We did not know much about banking, but we had confidence in ourselves, and we gradually overcame the many obstacles that faced us.”

Today there are many modern-day Maggie L. Walkers with Virginia connections, including Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET, CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, and the first billionaire African-American woman. Her accomplishments are numerous. If, like many, you’ve never heard of her, Google her.

In short, Ms. Johnson didn’t become a billionaire without struggle. If you read her new book “Walk Through Fire: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph,” you will learn how, as a teenager, she had to support herself, her mom and brother when her father, a prominent neurosurgeon, walked out on the family.

Later, after marrying Robert “Bob” Johnson, building BET meant depending on her keen accounting, entrepreneurial and musical skills as a violinist.

After splitting with Mr. Johnson, Ms. Johnson overcame depression to become the first Black woman to be an owner or partner in three professional sports franchises. And, in addition to Salamander Resort in Middleburg, Va., a town that did not care about her money or even want her there in the first place, her portfolio includes resorts in Florida, Charleston, S.C, Jamaica, the British West Indies and Washington, D.C. “Don’t ever lose sight of who you are and your own power,” Ms. Johnson tells women everywhere.

We urge Ms. Monterio and her mother to continue pressing forward in their quest to build community housing on land that has been in their family for generations. If Maggie L. Walker could do what she did in the early 1900s, followed by Shelia Crump Johnson several strife-filled decades later, there is no limit to what women such as Ms. Monterio can achieve today.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

America’s anti-immigrant past never died The Statue of Liberty stands proudly in Upper New York Bay as a symbol of freedom and a welcoming beacon to the “huddled masses” and “those yearning to be free.” Originally conceived as an emblem of the friendship between the people of France and the United States, it is a sign of their mutual desire for freedom. It also was meant to celebrate the abolition of slavery.

People enthusiastically embrace the Statue of Liberty as an iconic symbol of America. Unfortunately, many of the same individuals will refuse to hold the symbol’s deep meaning of compassion, humanity, and inclusion.

The U.S. has always maintained a deep anti-immigration sentiment. We want the benefits of the immigrant’s cheap labor, but white supremacy doesn’t always allow the immigrant worker to be accepted as a true American or even as a person with basic human rights.

Chinese immigrants struggled with this double standard during the 1860s. They were able to escape the famine and political

turmoil within their homeland to settle on the West Coast of the U.S. After arrival, many were recruited to build the transcontinental railroad system since American laborers showed an unwillingness to do the work.

Chinese laborers were eager to work on the multistate transportation project and did it for lower wages.

Overall, the issue of wage

David W. Marshall reduction and the competition for jobs became a sticking point between anti-Chinese groups and labor unions on one side pitted against the Chinese workers on the other.

The increasing hostility and resentment white people developed toward the Chinese ultimately resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which became the first immigration policy based on race. The law banned skilled and unskilled Chinese workers from entering the United States for 10 years.

It was renewed for an additional 10 years and later extended indefinitely.

With the flow of cheap Chinese labor slowing to a halt, American labor recruiters turned their attention to the Japanese.

The Japanese eventually faced the same fate as the Chinese.

Throughout different eras, the degree of hostility and resentment toward immigrants would often fluctuate. At times, it became aggressive and intense. During other periods, the level died down almost unnoticed. Former President Obama remarked that racial advancement doesn’t proceed in a straightforward-moving line.

Instead, moments of progress give way to regressions.

Today, the U.S. Border Patrol and several states have found themselves overwhelmed by the thousands of migrants coming from Mexico every day. As the U.S. is amid a major immigration crisis, Donald Trump has given the American voters a lot to think about.

During a speech at a recent campaign rally in New Hampshire, it was not the first time the Republican frontrunner echoed rhetoric from Adolf Hitler.

“When they let — I think the real number is 15, 16 million people into our country — when they do that, we got a lot of work to do. They’re poisoning the blood of our country,” he said of immigrants coming into the United States. “That’s what they’ve done. They’ve poisoned mental institutions and prisons all over the world –not just in South

America, not just the three or four countries that we think about, but all over the world. They’re coming into our country, from Africa, from Asia – all over the world. They’re pouring into our country.” Hitler often referenced the words “poison and blood” as he wrote about the Jews in his book Mein Kampf.

In 1988, former President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, which formally apologized for the internment of Japanese Americans. Later, in 2011, after 129 years, the U.S. Senate apologized for the Chinese Exclusion Act. While advancements have been made in the past by rescinding previous discriminatory laws, Donald Trump fully understands what he is doing by following the Mein Kampf playbook and stoking fear and hatred toward foreigners.

The writer is founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body.

Richmond Free Press 422 East Franklin Street Richmond, VA 23219 Telephone (804) 644-0496 FAX (804) 643-7519 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 27709 Richmond, VA 23261 ______________

A whale of an ecosystem issue Thanks to 20th century aquariums and marine theme parks, orcas – also known as killer whales – are the most iconic whales in America. When the public learned their captivity involved torture, orca shows disappeared from those parks, as they should have. Now there are signs that certain groups of orcas could disappear entirely.

Significantly, many of the orcas captured – including the famed Shamu – came from a small population of orcas whose trusting nature made them easy to catch.

Southern Resident orcas, which historically spent the summer and fall months in Washington’s Puget Sound, are down to only 75 left in existence. Designated as “endangered” as of 2005, the Southern Residents remain one of the most critically endangered marine mammals in the United States.

But it’s a different human activity that is now making it hard for these creatures to survive.

Dams that were constructed decades ago along the Columbia and Snake Rivers have greatly disrupted the populations of sockeye salmon – also now listed as an endangered species – that the Southern Residents depend on as a primary food source.

The impact of the loss of salmon has been devastating not only to the orcas, but to the Indigenous peoples of the Columbia River Basin whose culture and livelihoods were closely tied to the fish, and to ecosystems from Idaho to the

Pacific Ocean.

Four of the dams on the Lower Snake River are among the most harmful to the salmon. The removal – or breaching – of the Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite dams could bring back the fish and, in turn, give the Southern Resident orcas their best shot at

Ben Jealous a thriving future and growing numbers.

One of the fiercest leaders on Capitol Hill in the fight to get rid of these dams is Republican Representative Mike Simpson of Idaho. For nearly three years, Simpson has been pushing his Columbia Basin Initiative as a framework for salmon recovery and the restoration of the Lower Snake River to a natural, freeflowing river.

In today’s hyper-partisan political environment, people might be surprised that a Republican is leading the charge to protect endangered wildlife. But 50 years ago this month, it was a Republican president, Richard Nixon, who signed the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Both Rep. Simpson’s tenacity and the ESA’s 50th anniversary serve as reminders that environmental stewardship and conservation wasn’t always assumed to be a partisan issue. In 1973, the U.S. Senate passed the ESA unanimously; the House passed it by a vote of 355-4. Can you imagine any piece of legislation getting near-universal bipartisan support in Congress today?

When he signed the bill into law, President Nixon said the law would preserve an “irreplaceable part of our national heritage

– threatened wildlife.” Those words have proven prescient.

It’s estimated that, in its first 50 years, the Endangered Species Act has saved 99 percent of all the species listed as endangered under the Act from permanent extinction. These include the bald eagle – our national symbol – as well as the humpback whale, the grizzly bear, and the American alligator.

And it’s likely a testament to the effectiveness of the ESA that the Southern Resident orcas are still with us too. But it’s going to take both the strength of the ESA and shutting down the dams to save these whales.

Many of us might recall that in 2018 a female member of the Southern Resident clan made national news after her newborn calf died. The orca, known as J35, spent 17 days pushing the body of her baby through the water along a 1,000-mile stretch off the coast of British Columbia. It was a clear act of mourning – known behavior of orcas. But the length of time the mother pushed her calf and the dramatic nature of the display almost seemed intentionally aimed at getting the attention of humans – which it did.

The story of the orcas and the salmon shows the interconnectivity of species in our natural ecosystems. It further illustrates the dire need to combat the extinction crisis and protect endangered species. And it shows the importance of protecting laws like the Endangered Species Act and passing more of them – as well as shutting down the damn dams.

The writer is executive director of the Sierra Club and a Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Richmond Free Press

December 28-30, 2023 A7

News

As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections The Associated Press

NEW YORK Nearly three years after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the false election conspiracy theories that drove the violent attack remain prevalent on social media and cable news: suitcases filled with ballots, late-night ballot dumps, dead people voting.

Experts warn it will likely be worse in the coming presidential election contest. The safeguards that attempted to counter the bogus claims the last time are eroding, while the tools and systems that create and spread them are only getting stronger.

Many Americans, egged on by former President Donald Trump, have continued to push the unsupported idea that elections throughout the U.S. can’t be trusted. A majority of Republicans (57%) believe Democrat Joe Biden was not legitimately elected president.

Meanwhile, generative artificial intelligence tools have made it far cheaper and easier to spread the kind of misinformation that can mislead voters and potentially influence elections.

And social media companies that once invested heavily in correcting the record have shifted their priorities.

“I expect a tsunami of misinformation,” said Oren Etzioni, an artificial intelligence expert and professor emeritus at the

University of Washington.

“I can’t prove that. I hope to be proven wrong. But the ingredients are there, and I am completely terrified.”

AI deepfakes go mainstream Manipulated images and videos surrounding elections are nothing new, but 2024 will be the first U.S. presidential election in which sophisticated AI tools that can produce convincing fakes in seconds are just a few clicks away.

The fabricated images, videos and audio clips known as deepfakes have started making their way into experimental presidential campaign ads.

More sinister versions could easily spread without labels on social media and fool people days before an election, Mr. Etzioni said.

“You could see a political candidate like President Biden being rushed to a hospital,” he said. “You could see a candidate saying things that he or she never actually said. You could see a run on the banks. You could see bombings and violence that never occurred.”

High-tech fakes already have affected elections around the globe, said Larry Norden, senior director of the elections and government program at the Brennan Center for Justice.

Just days before Slovakia’s recent elections, AI-generated audio recordings impersonated a liberal candidate discussing

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon speaks Dec. 1 with members of Voterama, a student group focused on voter advocacy and awareness at Breck School in Golden Valley, Minn.

plans to raise beer prices and rig the election. Fact-checkers scrambled to identify them as false, but they were shared as real across social media regardless.

These tools might also be used to target specific communities and hone misleading messages about voting. That could look like persuasive text messages, false announcements about voting processes shared in different languages on WhatsApp, or bogus websites mocked up to look like official government ones in your area, experts said.

Faced with content that is made to look and sound real, “everything that we’ve been wired to do through evolution is going to come into play to have us believe in the fabrication rather than the actual reality,” said misinformation scholar

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the Federal Election Commission are exploring steps to regulate the technology, but they haven’t finalized any rules or legislation. That’s left states to enact the only restrictions so far on political AI deepfakes.

A handful of states have passed laws requiring deepfakes

to be labeled or banning those that misrepresent candidates.

Some social media companies, including YouTube and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, have introduced AI labeling policies. It remains to be seen whether they will be able to consistently catch violators.

In the run-up to 2024, X, Meta and YouTube have together removed 17 policies that protected against hate and misinformation, according to a report from Free Press, a nonprofit that advocates for civil rights in tech and media.

In June, YouTube announced that while it would still regulate content that misleads about current or upcoming elections, it would stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 election or other previous U.S. elections were marred by “widespread fraud, errors or glitches.” The platform said the policy was an attempt to protect the ability to “openly debate political ideas, even those that are controversial or based on disproven assumptions.”

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NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY NOTICE OF FUNDING FOR THEAVAILABILITY NEW

FOR THE NEW PROGRAM (EAHP) EQUITABLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING EQUITABLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAM (EAHP)

The City of Richmond in collaboration with its Affordable Housing Trust Fund (“AHTF”) is Notice ofinFunding Availability (NOFA) whichHousing includes:Trust the allocation of 1st Round Theissuing City ofthis Richmond collaboration with its Affordable Fund (“AHTF”) is funding new Equitable Affordable Housing (“EAHP”), funding from the issuing this under Noticethe of Funding Availability (NOFA) which Program includes: the allocation of 1st Round American Plan Act (ARPA), and remaining funds from the Affordable Housing Trust funding underRescue the new Equitable Affordable Housing Program (“EAHP”), funding from the Fund. Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and remaining funds from the Affordable Housing Trust American Fund.

On April 10, 2023, Mayor Levar Stoney and the Richmond City Council declared an affordable housing the City.

Mayand 8, the 2023, the CityCity Council approved Capital On April 10,crisis 2023,inMayor LevarOn Stoney Richmond Council declaredaan5-year affordable Improvement Program (CIP) budget that includes funding of $50,000,000 ($10,000,000 annually housing crisis in the City. On May 8, 2023, the City Council approved a 5-year Capital over the next five years) the production and/or preservation of a minimum of 5,000 units of Improvement Program (CIP)for budget that includes funding of $50,000,000 ($10,000,000 annually affordable housing for the benefit of lowand moderate-income persons.

Under the FY24 over the next five years) for the production and/or preservation of a minimum of 5,000 units of 1st Round of the new funding, up toand $7,000,000 will be available the development affordable housing forEAHP the benefit of lowmoderate-income persons.for Under the FY24 1stand preservation of multifamily housing The Affordable Housingfor Trust will administer Round of the new EAHP funding, up tounits. $7,000,000 will be available the Fund development and the new program in FY24.housing units. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund will administer preservation of multifamily

the new program in FY24.

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law and established the State the Fiscal Recovery Fund Plan and Coronavirus Local Fiscal Fund, the which On Coronavirus March 11, 2021, American Rescue Act was signed into law Recovery and established together make up the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (“SLFRF”) program.

Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, which This program intended to provide to State, and Tribal governments together make upisthe Coronavirus Statesupport and Local Fiscalterritorial, Recoverylocal, Funds (“SLFRF”) program. in responding to the economic and public health impacts of COVID-19 and in their efforts to contain This program is intended to provide support to State, territorial, local, and Tribal governments in impacts on their communities, residents, and businesses.

The City of Richmond’s ARPA responding to the economic and public health impacts of COVID-19 and in their efforts to contain Spending Plan was approved by the City and Council on October 2021. funds are to be used impacts on their communities, residents, businesses.

The25,City ofThe Richmond’s ARPA in response to the disease itself or the harmful consequences of the economic disruptions resulting Spending Plan was approved by the City Council on October 25, 2021. The funds are to be used from or toexacerbated by the COVID-19 public health emergency cannot resulting be grossly in response the disease itself or the harmful consequences of the economicand disruptions disproportionate to the harm experienced.

This funding is intended for projects that will align with from or exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health emergency and cannot be grossly “Building Stronger Communities Through Investments in Housing and Neighborhoods”. disproportionate to the harm experienced.

This funding is intended for projects that will align withThe $2,495,175 in ARPA funds available this NOFA may be and usedNeighborhoods”. for the development “Building Stronger Communities Throughunder Investments in Housing The of affordableinsingle-family for homeownership. $2,495,175 ARPA fundsunits available under this NOFA may be used for the development of affordable single-family units for homeownership.

In addition to the EAHP and ARPA funding, AHTF is providing $300,000 in funding for the development affordable housing In addition to theofEAHP and single-family ARPA funding, AHTFunits. is providing $300,000 in funding for the development ofbe affordable Priority will given to single-family those projects housing that helpunits. to advance the City’s housing strategic goals as listed below: x

2,000 new low- and moderate-income (LMI) homeowners (50%-80% AMI), by January 1, 2033, with 200 new LMI homebuyers by January 1, 2025.

x

10,000 new affordable rental units by January 1, 2033, with 2,000 new rental units built by January 1, 2025.

x

350 new Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units by January 1, 2026, with 200 new PSH units developed by January 1, 2025.

x

The transformation of the six properties owned by the Richmond Redevelopment Housing Authority (“RRHA”) referred to as the “Big Six” into “Communities of Choice” development sites and the de-concentration of poverty in Council Districts 3, 6, and 7 by January 1, 2037.

Application packages will be available beginning December 18, 2023, on the City of Richmond’s website: https://www.rva.gov/. To request an application by email or for a paper copy, please contact Ms. Dominique McKenzie via email at Dominique.McKenzie@rva.gov or by telephone at (804) 646-0714. Applicants must submit their applications electronically to Ms. Sherrill Hampton via email at Sherrill.Hampton@rva.gov. Please submit all applications and attachments in a single compressed file according to the instructions provided at the workshops.

All proposals and applications must be received no later than 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 26, 2024. Faxed applications and late submissions will not be accepted.

The City will host two (2) mandatory virtual workshops for existing grantees, local developers, and other interested entities on Thursday, December 14, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and on January 4, 2024, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. All entities that will apply must attend one of the virtual workshops. Please contact Dominique McKenzie at Dominique.McKenzie@rva.gov or via telephone at (804) 646-0714 to register for either workshop. The workshop link and materials will be sent to persons registered on the evening before the workshop.

All programmatic design questions must be in writing and emailed to Sherrill Hampton, Director of the Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) at Sherrill.Hampton@rva.gov.

Note that questions regarding programmatic design must be submitted by January 13, 2024. Any questions regarding the application submission process will continue to be accepted after this date.

The City of Richmond does not discriminate on the basis of disability status in the admission or access to its programs. Virginia Relay Center - TDD users dial 711.

Disclaimer/Disclosure: The City of Richmond reserves the right to award funding other than what has been requested by an applicant, at its discretion, based on funding availability and/or for projects that meet an immediate need, priority, or goal of the City, and is an eligible activity as permitted by the City’s general provisions for EAHP, ARPA and/or AHTF funding.

Richmond Free Press

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Stories by Fred Jeter

Wildcats’ Byrd is the word

Armstrong’s standout athlete feels ‘capable of doing anything’ There was only one No. 5 on the Armstrong High football roster, but it must have seemed like four to the Wildcats’ opponents.

Ajenavi “AJ” Byrd was here, there and everywhere for Coach Jeremy Pruitt’s East Enders.

The 6-foot, 168-pound whirlwind in blue and orange togs earned first team, Class 3 All-State honors as a wide receiver, defensive back, punt returner and kick returner.

“Well deserved honors. I would have expected nothing less,” Coach Pruitt said. “AJ never missed a practice … he put in all the work … he wants to be great.”’

The statewide coaches’voting was coordinated by the Virginia High School League.

The 18-year-old senior also was a fourposition, All-Star pick in Region 3B. His individual accolades translated to team success as the ’Cats finished 8-4, advancing to the

region finals.

It was the furthest Armstrong has ever gone in the playoffs.

“I feel blessed to have those titles,” Byrd said. “Both individually and as a team, I reached my expectations … it was our brotherly bond that made the difference.”

A four-position All-Stater? It is certainly rarer than a round football field and may be unprecedented.

While records are fuzzy on this kind of thing, Byrd may be the first in Virginia and almost surely the first at a Richmond school to be All-State four times over.

The best word to describe his statistics is “Wow!” Byrd had 54 receptions for 1,291 yards and 20 touchdowns. Defensively he had 12 tackles,

10 passes broken up and four interceptions, two of which he returned for TDs. Opportunities were limited on defense. With his glowing reputation, few rival quarterbacks challenged him in the Armstrong secondary.

On special teams, he ran back two kickoffs for TDs and two more on punts.

“AJ is an explosive athlete with a 40-inch vertical leap,” Coach Pruitt said.

This Wildcat shines in the classroom, too, with a 3.1 GPA while taking such courses as advance placement government and chemistry.

Byrd grew up in Fredericksburg and Colonial Beach. His family moved to Church Hill when he was about 10 years old.

Football wasn’t always at the top of his sporting wish list.

“I had hoop dreams – wanted to play basketball,” he recalled. “I switched my main focus to football in 10th grade when I came out for the team and Coach Pruitt took me in as his own.”

College recruitment is a work in progress. Byrd says he has “five offers,” including interest from James Madison. He ran a 4.52 for the 40-yard dash at JMU’s prospects camp last summer.

“We’re being patient,” Coach Pruitt said.

“He’s a Division I player, no doubt.”

In the meantime, Byrd is keeping his taut muscles loose, playing Armstrong basketball and serving as a sprinter (mostly 55 meters) on the indoor track team.

“As an athlete, I feel capable of doing anything,” he said.

Considering the results, who could dispute that?

Virginia Tech’s Brooks is halfway to 1,000 wins Coach and women’s team think like champions, play like champions “We can put ourselves into a position to win another ACC championship. When you challenge for the ACC championship, you put yourself into position to win a national championship.”

Coach Brooks, who played at JMU under Lefty Driesell and is the cousin of former NBAplayer Cory Alexander, is well compensated for his talents.

Kenny Brooks has lifted Virginia Tech women’s basketball to new heights, and he’s far from finished.

The 54-year-old Waynesboro native picked up his 500th career coaching victory Dec. 17 with a win over Rutgers. No. 501 soon followed against William & Mary.

This is Coach Brooks’ eighth season in Blacksburg after 14 years at his alma mater, James Madison, where he was 337-121.

Coach Brooks’ overall record is 501-197, including 9-2 this season. The losses were to last year’s NCAA finalists, LSU and Iowa.

This is an encore season for the Hokies, which won their first ACC title and advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 2022-23 before falling to eventual champ LSU. “I like where we are. It’s kind of crazy,” Coach Brooks told the media after his 500th win. “Control what we can control. Focus on us.”

Think like champions and play like champions can well be Coach Brooks’ mantra.

CFP has a Southern drawl

Coach Brooks

Bam the Ram comes to the rescue Hear the bugles. The calvary has arrived.

VCU had a humdrum (5-5) start this basketball season, but there was something missing.

Joe “Bam” Bamisile, from nearby Chesterfield, offers promise of filling in any blanks.

And so does Sean Bairstow, from Australia.

After sitting out the first 10 games due to NCAA transfer rules, the 6-foot-4 guard Bamisile made an instant impact Dec. 16 against visiting Temple.

No rustiness was evident as “Bam the Ram” scored 11 points (with three 3-pointers) and had two rebounds in just 19 minutes of an 87-78 win over the Owls.

His efforts were wildly

B’s mean business Call them the “Broad Street Killer B’s.”

VCU Coach Ryan Odom can now make a lineup including: Joe Bamisile (senior, Chesterfield), Sean Bairstow (senior, Australia), Alphonso Billups (freshman, Varina) and Michael Belle (freshman, Great Britain).

cheered by a near sellout crowd of 7,189 who view him as a martyr. No one would be too surprised if he winds up being VCU’s leading scorer and a top producer in many other areas.

Bamisile’s belated eligibility stemmed from a ruling by U.S. District Judge John Preston

His six-year contract is worth $6.4 million, including $925,000 for this season.

His older daughters, Kendyl and Chloe, played for him at Tech and his youngest daughter, Gabby, is now a Hokie freshman.

Tech’s next game is 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31, against visiting ACC foe Pittsburgh.

Joe Bamisile

Bailey in Charleston, W. Va. At first he was set to miss the whole season.

Judge Bailey’s decision offered immediate eligibility to multiple transfers such as Bamisile, who had previously played at Virginia Tech, George Washington and Oklahoma.

A September 2023 Free Press report noted that Bamisile’s appeal for immediate eligibility at VCU was based on a desire to address his father’s health issues and mental health concerns of his own. John Bamisile, Joe’s dad, underwent open-heart surgery in recent years.

The Monacan High alumnus was just warming up against Temple. He added 13 points

(three 3’s) in 20 minutes in a 75-51 rout of Maryland-Eastern Shore on Dec. 22 before 7,098 partisan fans.

Bamisile isn’t the only late addition to Coach Ryan Odom’s roster.

Bairstow’s absence had nothing to do with NCAA regulations. After recovering from a broken foot, the 6-foot-8 forward is back in action. Bairstow transferred to VCU from Utah State along with Max Shulga and Coach Odom.

In his black and gold debut, Bairstow scored 11 points in 22 minutes with three treys.

VCU will close its nonconference schedule 2 p.m. Dec. 30, at the Siegel Center against visiting Gardner-Webb, N.C.

O f f i c i a l l y, defensive tackle it’s the College T’Vondre Sweat, Football Playoff. the Outland TroUnofficially it’s phy winner as nabeen the “Southtion’s top lineman; ern Showdown.” he’s hard to miss at Now in its 10th 6-foot-4 and 362 season, the playpounds. off to determine First Black Jalen Milroe Michel Penix Tvondre Sweat college football’s player: Offensive ultimate champ has been a ’17 and ’20; runnerups in ’16, tackle Julius Withers, 1970 “ya’ll come ‘n’ get it” gig ’18 and ‘20 Washington Huskies Coach: Nick Saban, 17th with cornbread and sweet tea Location: Seattle season, 201-28 on the menu.

Conference: Pac 12 Keep your eyes on: No. Eight of the nine former Record: 13-0; defeated Orchamps are from the Deep South 4, quarterback Jalen Milroe egon for Pac 12 title and 15 of the previous 18 finalists (2,718 yards passing with 23 CFP history: Lost to AlaTDs; 468 yards rushing with bama in 2016 semifinals are linked to the region.

This year could be different 12 TDs), a likely Heisman Coach: Kalen DeBoer, secwith only Alabama and south/ favorite for 2024 Former Heisman winners: southwest Texas in the final History book four. Michigan and Washington Mark Ingram ’09, Derrick Since the inception of the will represent the Midwest and Henry ’15 four-school College Football First Black players: runWest Coast.

Playoff, here are the results.

A high percentage of the ning back Wilbur Jackson and The format will expand to include 12 schools next headline players in the CFP defensive end John Mitchell season. in 1970 have been Black.

2014 – Ohio State d. Oregon, Michigan Wolverines It may be a factor that Loui42-20, Arlington, Texas Conference: Big 10 siana, Georgia, Alabama and 2015 – Alabama d. Clemson, Location: Ann Arbor South Carolina are among the 45-40, Glendale, Ariz.

Record: 13-0; defeated Iowa six states with the highest per2016 – Clemson d. Alabama, for Big 10 crown centage of Black population.

35-31, Tampa, Fla. CFP history: Never made That makes recruiting a 2017 – Alabama d. Georgia, bit easier. There are 81 Black finals; lost to TCU in last year’s 26-23, Atlanta 2018 – Clemson d. Alabama, players on the ’Bama roster, semifinals 44-16, Santa Clara, Calif.

Coach: Jim Harbaugh, ninth mostly in-state and from nearby 2019 – LSU d. Clemson, season, 84-25 states.

42-25, New Orleans Keep your eyes on: No. 2, Of the 133 schools in the 2020 – Alabama d. Ohio running back Blake Corum, from State, 52-24, Miami New Year’s cheers Marshall, Va. (Fauquier CounGardens College Football Playoff ty); the 5-foot-8, 213-pound 2021 – Georgia d. Alabama, schedule powerhouse has rushed for 1,463 33-18, Indianapolis Jan. 1, 2024; Semifinals yards and 18 TDs. 2022 – Georgia d. Texas No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Heisman winners: Tom HarChristian, 65-7, Inglewood, Alabama; 5 p.m.; Rose Bowl mon in 1940; Desmond Howard, Calif. in Pasadena, Calif. ’91; Charles Woodson, ’97.

No. 3 Texas vs. No. 2 First Black player: Ann Washington; 8:45 p.m.; Arbor native George Henry ond season, 24-2 Caesars Superdome, New Jewett II, running back, 1890; Keep your eyes on: No. Orleans Jan. 8 was named team captain 9, QB Michael Penix Jr.; the Championship game at Texas Longhorns senior transfer from Indiana NRG Stadium, Houston Location: Austin has thrown for 4,218 yards Record: 12-1; defeated and 33 TDS Football Bowl Subdivision, Oklahoma State for Big 12 Heisman winners: None. championship here are the survivors: Penix was second this year CFP history: First trip Alabama Crimson Tide and eighth a year ago; another Coach: Steve Sarkisian, third famous Huskie is Warren Moon, Conference: Southeastern season, 25-13 Location: Tuscaloosa Class of ’77, among all-time Heisman winners: Earl top Black QBs Record: 12-1; defeated Campbell in ’77; Ricky WilGeorgia for SEC title First Black player: Halfback CFP history: The regular liams in ’98 Hamilton “Ham” Greene in Keep your eyes on: No. 93, 1923 attendees won titles in 2015,

December 28-30, 2023 B1

Richmond Free Press

Section

Happenings

B

Growing up, Chris HairstonWhite had limited exposure to art instruction or education.

Thus, she honed her natural skills and creativity without much help or outside influences, resulting in what she describes as “a creative who often creates in isolation.”

It wasn’t until after Ms. Hairston-White joined the board of ART 180 several years ago that her creativity more fully evolved.

“ART 180 is what I needed in my childhood,” Ms. HairstonWhite says of the youth-focused arts organization. “I believe if I had an ART 180 during my childhood, I would have sharpened my natural art skills earlier and may have pursued an education and career in the arts.”

These days, as president of ART 180’s board of trustees, Ms. Hairston-White helps lead an organization that “trains teaching artists to maximize their time with young people through quality experiences and projects.”

Workshops, weekly programs, residencies in schools and at ART 180’s youth art center in Jackson Ward are among the organization’s projects.

“They model and nurture holistic health, entrepreneurship, leadership, and our staff supports them in developing artistic skills as well as social and emotional skills … which could be animation, beat making, mural painting, or most anything our artists propose, and the young people want,” she says.

With her selection as board president last September, Ms. Hairston-White became the first Black woman to lead the 25-year-old organization that was founded by Marlene Paul and Kathleen Lane.

In recent years, board discussions have focused on strategic goals for fundraising, along with its mission, values, and programs grounded in racial and economic justice, she says.

Personality: Chris R. Hairston-White Spotlight on ART 180 Board of Trustees president “It was the most healthy, open, and challenging conversation I’ve had as a volunteer,” adds Ms. Hairston-White, whose professional career includes banking and finance.

“The outcomes of those conversations were a refreshed mission and our guiding principles. We desire to shift from a transactional relationship with our donors to inviting them to be a part of the collective who understands how we all benefit from engaging in the work of social justice transformation.”

With a one-year term as board president, Ms. HairstonWhite is tasked with ensuring the financial and organizational stability of ART 180 as the group progresses through its own journey of reflection and improvement.

“ART 180 has spent the last three years looking at itself in the mirror post the pandemic and social unrest experienced globally in 2020,” Ms. Hairston-White says. “I want to empower the ART 180 collective to have a mindset of abundance so we can show up ready to serve today and beyond.”

Inspired to become board president in part by her daughters, Ms. Hairston-White sees her role as the culmination of a decade of work with ART 180 and its work with young people.

She recalls the “What Do You Stand For?” project in 2012 as a strong example of ART 180s outreach. The project, a series of 8-foot-tall mural art, paintings and writing displays created by 25 fifth- and sixth-grade students in Richmond, depicted their beliefs, inspirations and how they saw themselves.

The displays on Monument Avenue became a contentious subject for some residents, and

the Richmond city government eventually revoked ART 180’s permit for the project. For Ms. Hairston-White, however, it was a welcome spotlight and reminder of why her work with this group is so important.

“One of the young artists expressed how great it was to be seen and heard in that moment,” Ms. Hairston-White says. “They were also proud that people would travel to see and support what they created.

“This magical moment demonstrated how art can galvanize the collective community to stand for what is right and beautiful.”

Meet a dedicated supporter of Richmond art and youths, and this week’s Personality: Chris R. Hairston-White: Volunteer position: President, ART 180 Board of Trustees.

Occupation: Community development financial services executive.

Date and place of birth: June 20 in Charles City County.

Residence: Henrico County.

Education: Virginia Commonwealth University, bachelor’s degree, business marketing. Virginia Bankers Association Bank Management School (completion date summer 2024).

Family: Dwayne White, daughters Kameron, Kirsten.

ART 180 is: Love. It is kind, patient and nurturing.

ART 180 is a collective of people and partners that recognizes that a young person’s ability to flourish is a communal effort. ART 180 is nonjudgmental and meets the community it serves with open arms. In the spaces where programs are delivered, ART 180 creates opportunities to amplify the voices of the unheard around issues that address social injustices and determinants of health. We strive to exemplify the community we want to see across the world.

Mission: We are a collective of creative people cultivating the tools and strengths of spirit to meet every moment, every trauma, and every triumph head on.

ART 180 is funded: Primarily with monetary donations from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government.

ART 180 also builds capacity with in-kind gifts and volunteers.

How ART 180 works in a nutshell: ART 180’s staff, teaching artists, and partners use art as a vehicle for youths to have access to high-quality, creative, holistic experiences.

The desired outcomes are building relationships (including to self), leadership, and healthy lifestyle skills and economic stability.

No. 1 goal or project as board president: Develop a digestible, useful strategic plan that considers ART 180’s Guiding Principles: Holistic Health, Connection to Self and Others, Creative Development, Social Entrepreneurship, and SelfActualization.

No. 1 challenge: Capacity to do more. ART 180 gets it done with eight staff members plus contracted teaching artists.

Racial equity and ART 180: Racial equity is baked into everything ART 180 offers. A holistic view of what is needed to level the playing field to allow Black and Brown people to improve their economics, health, and education is considered. ART 180 believes that young people can create art that communicates the change needed to make their dreams come true.

ART 180 is especially important for Black and Brown children and their families because: I believe ART 180 provides nonjudgmental space and resources for people to just be their authentic selves.

Imagine what can be created, invented, improved and such if people were able to leap beyond social norms, systemic barriers, and fear.

Get involved with ART 180: ART 180 welcomes volunteers to provide in-kind services and supplies like printing, photography, design, and event planning and organizing. Visit our website at https://www. art180.org/volunteer to express interest.

Upcoming events: Our next event is February First Fridays.

Visit our website at https:// www.art180.org and follow us on social media. We can’t wait to see you!

How I start the day: I start

early, slow and quiet ahead of my typically loaded calendar of meetings, events and action items.

The three words that best describe me: Witty, creative, industrious.

The music I listen to most is: Depends on the moment.

If I’m headed to a dreadful meeting, I’m blasting late 90s/ early 2000s gangsta rap to get hyped. neo-soul, gospel, eclectic orchestra, or motown hits are playing in my chill moments.

It’s a whole vibe with candles and wine.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I enjoy restoration and repair of furniture. I get great satisfaction from taking a salvaged item and turning it into a treasured conversation piece.

A quote that inspires me: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou At the top of my “to-do” list: What’s for dinner?

The best thing my parents ever taught me: I belong everywhere.

The person who influenced me the most: An early influencer was my father, Charles Hairston Jr. Today, it’s my mother, Gwendolyn Hairston.

Book that influenced me the most: “The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White” by Henry Wiencek. It quenched my desire to understand one side of my history and the healing that took place which provided strength to move forward.

What I’m reading now: “The Sum of Us” by Heather McGhee. There’s enough of everything to meet the needs of the humans who call the United States of America home. We all can thrive if we all spread our blessings, talents, and gifts equitably.

Next goal: Travel abroad.

A NATIONAL OVATION TO

L. DOUGLAS WILDER

Honoring 70 Years of Leadership & Public Service NATIONAL OVATION BLACK TIE GALA

WILDER DOCUMENTARY FILM PREMIERE

January 20, 2024 5:00-7:30 p.m.

Washington, D.C.

Wednesday, January 17 5:00-7:30 p.m.

Richmond, VA

With a revered public service career spanning seventy years, including becoming the nation’s first elected African-American governor, L. Douglas Wilder lives a legacy of dedication to civil rights, visionary education, and people-first governance.

Join as we recognize his historic achievements with these two distinctive events. Proceeds will support scholarship opportunities to help launch a new generation of public servants.

bit.ly/nationalovation

Richmond Free Press

B2 December 28-30, 2023

Happenings Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority presents 2023 debutantes Free Press staff report

“A Royal Holiday Affair” was the theme for this year’s Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Debutante Presentation and Ball on Dec. 16 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Seventeen young women participated in this year’s ball sponsored by the AKA’s Upsilon Omega Chapter in collaboration with Zenobia’s Promise Foundation.

Throughout the year, several activities preceded the ball, including college preparation, a souvenir journal workshop, financial literary workshop, social graces dinner and a mother-daughter brunch.

The AKA Upsilon Omega Debutante project raises funds for the organization’s shoe bank and scholarship program.

This year’s debutantes are: Adelina Naa-Daakua Aryeh Junior, Saint Gertrude High School Career goal: Dentist Parents: Mrs. Sylvia Korkor Aryeh and Mr. Chris Aryeh Escort: Isaac Samuel Amoako Jr. Demi Symone Greene Senior: The Collegiate School Career goal: Anesthesiologist Parents: Mrs. Dawn Howlett Greene and Mr. JeRoyd Wiley Greene III, Esq. Escort: Brent Keith Thompson, II Parker Gabrielle Hamlin Junior, Glen Allen High School Career goal: Music artist and actress Parents: Mrs. Toni Danielle Hamlin and Mr. Ancell Shaw Hamlin Escort: Eric Michael Brown, II

Davion La’Chelle Shamari Washington Junior, Richmond Community High School Career goal: Criminologist Parents: Mrs. LaTisha Renee’ Washington and Mr. David Lamont Washington Escort: Moses Kigwe Moriah Danielle Williams Junior, Henrico High School Career goal: Psychologist Parents: Dr. Joi Young Williams and Mr. Jakuta King Williams Escort: Hunter Everett Ford Kayla Darlene Hill Senior, Saint Gertrude High School Career goal: Cinematography and photography Parents: Ms. KiAundra C. Hurt Escort: Cortland S. Cummings Kaci Leigh Johnson Junior, Maggie L Walker Governor’s School Career goal: Engineer Parents: Mrs. Crystal Johnson and Mr. Thomas L. Johnson Jr., Esq. Escort: Donovan Anthony Johnson Rayn Ellen Owens Senior, Matoaca High School Career goal: Biomedical Engineer Parents: Mrs. Sheila Owens and Mr. Benjamin Jerome Owens Escort: Darold Omarion Taylor Elise Jean Parker Senior, St. Catherine’s School Career goal: Dentist Parents: Mrs. Michele Tarmara Parker and Mr. Harold Dubois Parker III Escort: Benjamin Pierre Street Ramiya Louise Payne Junior, Richmond Community High School Career goal: Business owner/ entrepreneur Parents: Mrs. Tramaine Carroll-Payne

Scott Johnson photo

The 2023 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority debutantes are: Top row from left, Davion La’0Chelle Shamari Washington, Makayla Samaura Stewart, Ramiya Louise Payne, Elise Jean Parker, Rayn Ellen Owens, Adelina Naa-Daakua Aryeh, Ava Marie Riddick, Brooke Reynolds and Alexi Shirell Waddy. Bottom row from left, Moriah Danielle Williams, Heaven Iyanna Smith, Kayla Darlene Hill, Kennedy Lynn Tucker, Demi Symone Greene, Julia Marguerite Pointer, Parker Gabrielle Hamlin and Kaci Leigh Johnson. and Mr. Romeo Miguel Payne Escort: Darius Alexander Thomas Julia Marguerite Pointer Senior, Richmond Christian High School Career goal: Biomedical Engineer Parents: Mrs. Celestine Pointer and Mr. Jeffrey Lynn Pointer Sr. Escort: Russell Atkin Bascomb III Brooke Reynolds Senior, Prince George High School Career goal: Lawyer Parents: Mrs. Sasha Reynolds and Mr. Reginald Reynolds Escort: John Winfield Griffin III Heaven Iyanna Smith Junior, Richmond Community High School

Career goal: Real estate firm partner Parents: Ms. Chenise Antionette Simmons and Mr. James Reginald Smith Jr. Escort: Deon Langston Wright Jr Makayla Samaura Stewart Senior, Douglas Freeman High School Career goal: Psychiatrist Parents: Dr. Shandra Stewart and Mr. Quinton Stewart Escort: Christopher Dante Carlisle Kennedy Lynn Tucker Junior, Cosby High School Career goal: Forensic psychologist Parents: Mrs. Tracy Crawley Tucker

and Mr. Garry Donnell Tucker Escort: Brandon Allen Anderson Ava Marie Riddick Junior, St. Gertrude High School Career goal: Sports trainer for an NFL Team Parents: Mrs. Kathy Annette Davis Riddick and Mr. Thomas Earl Riddick Escort: Kai Rodney Perry Alexi Shirell Waddy Junior, Patrick Henry High School Career goal: Lawyer or news reporter Parents: Ms. Tara Shirell Pope and Mr. Robert Jermaine Waddy

Escort: Tyreek Thomas Bradshaw

Members of the 2023 Debutante Committee include: Kimya Conway Fitz, chairman, Debutante Committee; Kwanza S. Downs, president, Upsilon Omega Chapter; Lisa F. Townes, vice president, Upsilon Omega Chapter; Andrea D. Coleman, chairman, Zenobia’s Promise Foundation; and Josefa Bethea-Wall, vice-chairman, Zenobia’s Promise Foundation.

This year’s mistress of ceremonies was Patricia C. Janes.

Kwanzaa celebration The seven-day Kwanzaa holiday is in full swing, with the largest community event in Virginia set to take place from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Downtown.

The Capital City Kwanzaa Festival is a yearly production of the Richmond-based Elegba Folklore Society, an African dance and educational organization that describes itself as the city’s cultural ambassador.

T h e keynote Mr. Kamene speaker this year will be veteran educator Kaba H. Kamene, a best-selling author and founding principal and CEO of the African-centered science academy Per Ankh in the Bronx and Boston, Janine Y. Bell, founding president and artistic director of Elegba, has announced.

“Legacy Is Balance” is the theme of the event that also will feature music, dance, workshops, activities for children and a marketplace, Ms. Bell stated.

Launched 57 years ago, Kwanzaa is a holiday that encourages people to focus on personal, family and community values. It’s name comes from a Swahili phrase that translates loosely to “first fruit of the harvest.”

The festival begins the day after Christmas and continues through Dec. 31, with families lighting a candle nightly in the Kwanzaa candle holder or kinara, according to the holiday’s description.

Each day is devoted to a different value, beginning with Umoja or unity, followed by Kujichagulia or self-determination, Ujima or collective responsibility, Ujamaa or cooperative economics, Nia or purpose, Kuumba or creativity and Imani or faith.

DIAMONDS WATCHES JEWELRY REPAIRS 19 East Broad Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 (804) 648-1044 www.wallerjewelry.com

KE KEYNOTE YNOTE SPE SPEAKE AKER: R:

Delegate Don Scott Virginia House of Delegates 80th District

Please join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and recognize the Virginia Women in Legislature

JANUARY 12, 2024

DOWNTOWN RICHMOND MARRIOTT•7:30 A.M.

W W W . V U U . E D U/M L K

Richmond Free Press

December 28-30, 2023 B3

Obituaries/Faith Directory

Musician and mail carrier Harold Lighty Sr. dies at age 90

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Harold Ronald “Van” Lighty Sr., who often received standing ovations after making his drums speak, was a fixture on the Richmond jazz scene for more than 60 years.

“He was the drummer of choice for a number of combos,” said B.J. Brown, executive director and co-founder of the Richmond Jazz Society.

“As a leader of his own combos, he introduced jazz to such places as Bogart’s Back Room and Sam Miller’s,” Ms. Brown stated.

Along with his talent, he also was known for his “his cool demeanor and hip-talking cadence,” she said.

The mark he left on the local music community is being remembered following his death on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023.

He was 90.

Family and friends gathered at March Funeral Home on Wednesday, Dec. 20, to provide a fitting sendoff for the man that fans described as a dynamite performer. He was buried in the Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Amelia County.

Born in Richmond during the Great Depression, Mr. Lighty became enamored with jazz as he grew up and started playing the drums.

After graduating from Armstrong High School, he served in the Naval Air Force, where he earned a Presidential Unit Citation and then returned to earn his degree in music at Virginia State College, now university, and also met his wife, Mabel Victoria Lighty, who survives him.

Mr. Lighty At the school, he perfected his talent in performing in the marching band as well as the concert and jazz bands before securing his degree.

During the 1950s and and 1960s, Mr. Lighty was a regular at the Market Inn in Richmond’s Washington Park that, at the time, attracted touring notables such as Redd Foxx, Della Reese and Ruth Brown. The venue no longer exists.

Likened to jazz drumming great Max Roach, Mr. Lighty went on to play at various performance spaces with other top

Attorney Derrick Thomas dies at age 61

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Protecting the injured was a calling for aAttorney Derrick Thomas.

Based in Chesterfield County, he earned a reputation for being a personable and wellprepared trial lawyer who looked out for the clients he represented in personal injury and workers’ compensation cases, estate litigation and business and civil disputes.

His motto was “Excellence in advocacy, one case at a time.”

“He went all in for his clients,” said Linda Thomas, his wife of 34 years.

A Philadelphia native, Mr. Thomas practiced law for 33 years, including 10 years as a solo practitioner before his death on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. His family said the 61year-old attorney succumbed to complications from the autoimmune disease scleroderma.

His life is to be celebrated 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 28, at Fifth Street Baptist, 2800

Third Ave. in Richmond’s the service.

North Side, where he was an After leaving the JAG active member.

Corps, he and his wife moved Born in South Philadelphia, to Richmond. he began his legal career after Mr. Thomas burnished graduating from Inhis skills at several diana University of law firms, including Pennsylvania, where Cowan and Owen, he also met his wife.

Troutman Sanders He later earned his and Setliff & Hollaw degree at the land, before startUniversity of Pittsing The Thomas burgh.

Law Firm PLLC in But he also flirt2013. ed with having a He was a member military career like of the Virginia State, Mr. Thomas his brother and an Hill Tucker, Old Douncle. minion Virginia, and American Mrs. Thomas said he took Bar Associations. a year off from Indiana UniOutside the office, he sought versity to enlist in the Army to live out his Christian faith Reserves. He returned to school by giving back and seeking to to enroll in the Reserve Offi- make a difference for others, cers Training Corps and after his wife said. graduation served two years He served as a deacon at in the Pennsylvania National Fifth Street Baptist and chaired Guard. the board of the church’s scholAfter completing his law arship arm, the Jennie M. Shaw degree in 1989, he enlisted Community Development in the U.S. Marines and be- Foundation that is named for came a member of the Judge a highly regarded congregant Advocate General Corps for who is now deceased.

Ruins of ancient Nero’s Theater discovered near Vatican

He also served as legal adviser to MEGA Mentors and as counsel and as chair of the Benevolence and Election committees of the Richmond Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

“He never sought credit.

He focused on getting the job done the right way and with a smile,” Mrs. Thomas said.

Mr. Thomas also was a member of the Prince Hall Masons. He belonged to Social Lodge No. 6 F&AM. He also was a Shriner who belonged to Mocha Temple No. 7 in Jackson Ward.

He also was an active member of the Big Dawg Golf Group.

Survivors also include his daughter, Gianna Thomas; two sons, Evian Thomas and Corbin Thomas; his mother, Elise Fisher; stepfather, Ronald Fisher; sister Michelle Drummond; brother, Darryl Thomas; stepbrother Douglas Fisher; stepsisters Karen Stokes, Tammy Fisher and Theresa Fisher; and two grandchildren.

Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church

1408 W. Leigh Street · Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 358—6403

Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor

The Associated Press

ROME Rome’s next luxury hotel has some very good bones: Archaeologists said Wednesday that the ruins of Nero’s Theater, an imperial theater referred to in ancient Roman texts but never found, have been discovered under the garden of a future Four Seasons Hotel steps from the Vatican.

Archaeologists have excavated deep under the walled garden of the Palazzo della Rovere since 2020 as part of planned renovations on the frescoed Renaissance building.

The palazzo, which takes up a city block along the broad Via della Conciliazione leading to St. Peter’s Square, is home to an ancient Vatican chivalric order that leases the space to a hotel to raise money for Christians in the Holy Land.

The governor general of the

Sharon Baptist Church 500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org (804) 643-3825

Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor

Joint Watch Night Service Sunday, December 31, 2023

SHARON BAPTIST CHURCH, GREATER MT. MORIAH BAPTIST CHURCH and LOVE CATHEDRAL PRAISE 10:00 PM Prayer and Praise 10:30 PM Speaker: Rev. Joseph Jones

Back Inside!

Riverview Baptist Church VIRTUAL WATCH NIGHT WORSHIP SERVICE Sunday, December 31, 2023 • 7:00 PM

Please join the service via Facebook or YouTube only

“Praising God for Jesus; Remembering to Watch and Pray!!”

Speaker: Rev. Dr. John E. Johnson, Jr.

2604 Idlewood Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 • www.riverviewbaptistch.org

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

1127 North 28th Street, Richmond, VA 23223-6624 • Office: (804) 644-1402

“Your Home In God’s Kingdom” The Associated Press

The ruins of Nero’s Theater, an imperial theater referred to ancient Roman texts but never found, have been discovered under the garden of the future Four Season’s Hotel, steps from the Vatican.

Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, Leonardo Visconti di Modrone, confirmed during a news conference announcing the archaeological discovery that the incoming hotel chain was the Four Seasons. News reports have said the hotel is expected to be open in time for the Vatican’s 2025

Spread theWord To advertise your church: Worship Service Gospel Concert Vacation Bible School Homecoming Revival

Jubilee, when an estimated 30 million people and pilgrims are expected to flock to Rome.

call 804-644-0496 Richmond Free Press The People's Newspaper

St. Peter Baptist Church

Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, Pastor

“BACK IN SERVICE” Worship Opportunities Our doors are open again every Sunday @ 11:00 am.

Sunday Worship Opportunities: Live Streaming Every Sunday At:

Bible Study Opportunities: Noon [In-person] 7 P.M. [Virtual]; Please contact the church office for directives.

7M\XL &ETXMWX 'LYVGL

1858

The People’s Church

8LIQI 1SFMPM^MRK *SV 1MRMWXV] 6IJVIWLMRK 8LI 3PH ERH )QIVKMRK 8LI 2I[ We Embrace Diversity — Love For All! Come worship with us!

Back Inside Sundays Join us for 10:00 AM Worship Service Live on Facebook @ 4ixth #aptist $IVSDI 37" Live on Youtube @4#$ 37" Or by visiting our website www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

(near Byrd Park)

(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Facebook Fax (804) 359-3798 `VeaUON]aV`aPUb_PU_cN www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

216 W. Leigh St., Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 Fax: 804-643-3367 (PDLO ṘFH#HEHQH]HUUYD RUJ ZHE HEHQH]HUUYD RUJ

Sunday Church School • 9am (Zoom)

Sunday Morning Worship • 11am (in-person and livestream on YouTube)

Wednesday Bible Study • 7pm (Zoom)

The Rev. Sylvester T. Smith, Ph.D., Pastor “There’s A Place for You” Join us at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday for in-person worship service or Live-stream on YouTube (Good Shepherd Baptist Church RVA).

Broad Rock Baptist Church 5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 • 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org

“Please come and join us” Every Sunday @ 11:00 am.

Live Streaming Every Sunday At: BRBConline.org or YouTube(Broad Rock Baptist Church)

Bible Study online and in person Wednesday 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

“MAKE IT HAPPEN” Pastor Kevin Cook

Antioch Baptist Church “Redeeming God’s People for Gods Purpose”

2040 Mountain Road • Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 Office 804-262-0230 • Fax 804-262-4651 • www.stpeterbaptist.net

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

“The Church With A Welcome”

Via Conference Call (202) 926-1127 Pin 572890# In Person Sunday Service also on FACEBOOK, YouTube

10 A.M.BRBConline.org [In-person and Livestream] or YouTube (Broad Rock Baptist Church) Sunday Church School “MAKE IT HAPPEN” Opportunities: Adults [In-person] at 8:30 A.M. Children [Virtual] online via our website.

A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone

Richmond musicians such as Joe Kennedy Jr., J. Plunky Branch, Dave Williams, Nathaniel Lee, Dr. Joseph Liberti, Skip Gailes and Herbert “Debo” Dabney III, Ms. Brown said.

Like many of the area’s top musicians, he worked full time to support his family and mostly played on the weekends.

Mr. Lighty was a mail carrier and so well liked on his route that the West End residents he served threw him a party when he retired after more than 30 years.

He went on to serve as a substitute teacher in Henrico County Public Schools, mostly becoming the temporary teacher in exceptional education classes.

Maria Luzzi, a teacher at Tuckahoe Middle School, wrote, “My kids loved having him. He had such a rapport with the students. All of the kids respected him, and that’s quite a feat, both as a substitute, and with middle schoolers. He brought light wherever he was.”

Later, he taught youths the art of drumming as a mentor for the Richmond Youth Jazz Guild that jazz performer Ashby Anderson founded and heads.

In 1994, Mr. Lighty appeared in a movie, “The Foreign Student” that was partly filmed in Richmond. The film featured Robin Givens and Charles Dutton and Mr. Lighty performed the juke box scene with three other area musicians, Bobby Poindexter, Phillip “Muzi” Branch and Clemente Burnette.

Mr. Lighty joined the Richmond Jazz Society soon after it was organized in 1979 and remained a supporter until his death.

“He challenged us to continue preserving Richmond’s jazz history and highlighting the area musicians who dedicated their lives to the music,” Ms. Brown said.

Along with his wife, survivors include his daughter, Shan Lighty.

Please visit our website Ebenezer Baptist Church Richmond, VA for updates http://www. ebenezerrva.org

Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus

1384 New Market Road, Richmond, Virginia 23231 | 804-222-8835

SERVICES

SUNDAY WORSHIP HOUR – 10:00 A.M. CHILDREN’S CHURCH & BUS MINISTRY AVAILABLE SUNDAY SCHOOL (FOR ALL AGES) – 9:00 A.M. TUESDAY MID-DAY BIBLE STUDY – 12 NOON DR. JAMES L. SAILES PASTOR WEDNESDAY MID-WEEK PRAYER & BIBLE STUDY – 7:00 P.M. A MISSION BASED CHURCH FAMILY EXCITING MINISTRIES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, YOUNG ADULTS & SENIOR ADULTS BIBLE REVELATION TEACHING DIVERSE MUSIC MINISTRY LOVING, CARING ENVIRONMENT

Richmond Free Press

B4 December 28-30, 2023

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 Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at 6:00 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 8, 2024 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. 2023-369 To amend and reordain City Code §§ 30-457.2, concerning permitted principal and accessory uses, 30-457.5, concerning yards, 30457.6, concerning usable open space, 30-457.8, concerning requirements for areas devoted to parking or circulation of vehicles, 30-457.9, concerning height, 30457.10, concerning building façade fenestration, 30-503, concerning prohibited signs, and 30-518.4, concerning TOD-1 district sign regulations; and to amend ch. 30, art. IV, div. 31 of the City Code by adding therein a new § 30-457.11, concerning orientation to street, exterior entrances, and façades.

Ordinance No. 2023-370 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1420 Spotsylvania Street for the purpose of two single-family attached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions.

Candice D. Reid City Clerk

Divorce

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER MALCOLM DODSON, Plaintiff v.

CLAUDIA MALDONADO MARTELO, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23004057-00 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 6th day of February, 2024 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, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER KEEN TRINH, Plaintiff v.

MINH LE, Defendant.

Continued on next column

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ANTONIA SMITH, Plaintiff v.

RIGOBERTO PENA LORA, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23003961-00 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 31st day of January, 2024 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, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ALEXISE LOAIZA, Plaintiff v.

RICHARD LOAIZA, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23003169-00 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 is a nonresident, appear here on or before the 29th day of January, 2024 and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire VSB# 27724 Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ARLINGTON SCOTT III, Plaintiff v.

ELLEN SCOTT, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23003916-00 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 24th day of January, 2024 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER MAURICE WORTHY, Plaintiff v.

CLEOPATRA WORTHY, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23003909-00 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 23rd day of January, 2024 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk Continued on next column

I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667

Custody VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re TRUST SMITH RDSS v.

Unknown Father FILE NO. JJ102076-09-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“TPR”) of the Unknown Father (Father) of Trust Smith, child DOB 12/08/2023. “TPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support.

It is ORDERED that the defendant Unknown Father (Father), to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 02/01/2024, at 2:00 P.M, COURTROOM #3 VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Mirna nicolle morales reyes File No. JJ112183-01-00/02 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Determine custody and special immigrant juvenile status of Mirna Nicolle Morales Reyes.

It is ORDERED that t h e d e f e n d a n t P edro morales fajardo appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before 02/22/2024, at 10:00 AM

PROPERTy Notice of Intent to Acquire Property: The Valentine Museum hereby notifies intent to acquire title to the objects listed below.

There is no last known owner on record & this object will become the property of the museum after 65 days if no person can prove ownership of the property, pursuant to Code of VA § 55.1-2606.

FIC.004425; FIC.015590; Library3406 Books FIC.030580; FIC.033313327, 329-340, 346-382, 384-391, 393-423; V.84.111; V.84.151.01, .04-.05, .08-.12, .14, .16-.20 Carte-de-visites Library6400 Catalog FIC.007105-.007107; FIC.009910; OM.38; X.62.10.05 Engravings FIC.015598 Journal X.52.20.09 Letter X.62.10.26 Lithograph X.48.90.15-.16, .22 Cabinet photographs Library4652; V.86.142; X.62.10.13, .37 Prints FIC.033443; FIC.037520; V.64.01.04; V.84.151.07, .15; X.48.90.14, .20, .23, .41, .45, .70; X.50.01.469.471; X.52.01.67; L.68.61 Photographic prints P.73.37.01-.44 Photographic prints & negatives Library5820 Report X.61.27.20cc Slide transparency FIC.037504 Fashion publications X.2019.22 Abacus OM.503.01-02 Andirons OM.42.01; V.68.1357 Animal artifacts FIC.007763 Banner OM.528.02; V.68.284.1 Basins FIC.002606a-h Bed rails V.88.250.37-.38; V.91.24.06 Belts OM.64.17a,b; V.72.525.12.01-.02; V.72.525.20; V.75.169.05; V.88.161 Bracelets V.72.525.07-.09, .14; V.75.169.04; V.88.166.01; V.89.89.02a-b, .04; V.94.34.01 Brooches X.49.59a,b Buckles V.75.169.6.01-.02 Buttons V.88.250.72-.73 Caps FIC.002851 Cart FIC.012490-.012503a-i; V.88.149a-k Cigarette cartons FIC.001090-1091 Case type V.92.59.25; V.2001.03.01 Card cases V.90.07 Chain X.49.17 Chatelaine FIC.010901 Cigar cutter FIC.009445 Commemorative Medal V.52.135.01 Corset cover V.52.135.03a-c, .04a-c Costume ensembles V.89.89.03a,b Cuff links V.92.57.16a-s, .19a-i Curlers V.68.2097 Desk FIC.027097-98 Dishes X.49.61 Drawers FIC.015087; V.72.525.03, .10, .15a-b; V.88.166.02a,b Earrings X.44.30; X.47.50 Fans FIC.020425, .020427, .020431 Figurines V.88.250.36 Garters FIC.015090-91 Glass Fragments FIC.012562 Gourd OM.528.01 Hip Bath V.54.23.03-.05; V.88.250.78 Jabots FIC.002168; FIC.029018; V.90.108.1a,b Jewelry Boxes V.94.34.03 Jewelry Set FIC.007900; FIC.028050 Labels FIC.027110 Lamp cover FIC.012543; FIC.027036 Lids V.72.293a,b Lighter Continued on next column

Continued from previous column

Continued from previous column

Continued from previous column

FIC.015006 Lithograph stone V.88.157 Locket FIC.007630; FIC.012270a-d Matchbooks & matches FIC.008298; V.90.53.01a-c, .02 Matchboxes FIC.012559 Meerschaum FIC.012259; FIC.010934 Metal fragments FIC.001322 Moulding fragment V.72.525.04-.06, .11, .19; FIC.015171; FIC.015086; FIC.015088; FIC.006308 Necklaces X.44.09-.10 Neckties V.90.123 Oil Can X.45.06 Patches T587 Pedestal FIC.007756; V.72.525.13 Pendants V.53.17.02 Petticoat V.88.156.1-.5; V.88.163; FIC.002157; FIC.004910; FIC.010931; X.2019.28.06; V.90.108.2a,b,c-.6 Pins FIC.012539; FIC.012551.012556; FIC.012561; V.71.684.02; V.90.62 Pipes & fragments V.68.284.2 Pitcher FIC.006307 Plaster fragment OM.82.01-.02 Portrait miniatures V.71.636 Pot X.2022.45 Printing type & blocks FIC.012557.01-.02a,b; FIC.012558 Resin fragments FIC.007631; FIC.008336.008337; FIC.028037.028042 Rolling papers FIC.020440 Portrait bust V.90.24 Sculpture fragment FIC.002304a-c; V.88.158.01a-c; V.88.159.01a-c; V.88.160.01a-c Shirt studs V.92.57.21a,b-.22 Shoes FIC.006309-10; X.44.59; X.49.51.05; X.61.33.01, .04; X.62.12; X.2019.30.01-.03 Textile fragments FIC.002308 Tie Clip FIC.007649; FIC.007688.007700; FIC.007708; FIC.008319a-b; FIC.008330a,b-.008334a,b; FIC.008339a,b-.008353; FIC.008355a,b-.008359a,b; FIC.008361a,b-.008373a,b; FIC.008375-.008400; FIC.012225a,b-.012231a,b; FIC.012255; FIC.012506; FIC.012517; FIC.012542; FIC.028001-.028031; FIC.028033-.028034; FIC.028036a-b; FIC.028051.028056; FIC.032298; V.86.223.01a-t, .11a-b; V.88.153.03, .09, .11 Tobacco Boxes FIC.012260; FIC.008291; FIC.008294; FIC.008300.008318; FIC.08320.008328; FIC.008338; FIC.012237-.012254; FIC.012256; FIC.012262.012267; FIC.012488; FIC.028032; FIC.028035; FIC.028048; FIC.028057; FIC.028060; V.88.153.02, .12 Tobacco packs FIC.007562-.007621; FIC.007632-.007639; FIC.028047; FIC.028058 Tobacco pouches V.88.150.04-.07; V.88.151a,b; V.88.178.01.19; V.88.180.01-.09; FIC.012505a-b; FIC.012507.012516a-b; FIC.012518.012519; FIC.012531, FIC.012533a,b-.012535a-c Tobacco tins V.88.250.26 Undershirt V.72.525.01.01-.02 Vases V.72.525.02 Watch chain FIC.015159; FIC.002076; FIC.003422a,b Wooden fragments Please visit website or contact museum for information on how to make a claim: The Valentine Museum Rachel Asbury Cole, Collections Project Manager/ Registrar 804-649-0711 ext. 329 rasburycole@thevalentine.org https://thevalentine.org/learnand-research/collections/ undocumented-property/

v.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 1250 Maryland Ave, SW Suite 200 Washington, D.C. 20024 Defendant.

Parties Unknown: Any individual claiming an interest in the real property at 1426 N. 30th St Richmond, VA 23223 and/ or claiming to be Michael I. Massenburg Defendant.

Case No.: CL23005059-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION Whereas, the object of the above-styled suit is to quiet title to that certain real property lying and being in the City of Richmond, Virginia, commonly known as commonly known as 1426 North 30th Street, and being further identified as Tax Parcel Number E0000717001 (the “Property”). That there are parties set out in the pleading as a person or persons, as defendants by the general description of “parties unknown;” are deemed interested in the subject to be divided or disposed of; described as: Any individual claiming an interest in the real property at 1426 N. 30th St Richmond, VA 23223 and/or claiming to be Michael I. Massenburg.

It is therefore ORDERED that Any individual claiming an interest in the real property at

1426 N. 30th St Richmond, VA 23223 and/or claiming to be Michael I. Massenburg, appear on or before the 8th day of January, 2024, in the Clerk’s Office of this Court and do what is necessary to protect its interests.

Keith Harvey, Esquire (VSB# 82199) Harvey & Driggs PLC 9464 Chamberlayne Road, Suite 200 Mechanicsville, Virginia 23116 Phone: (804) 396-3580 Facsimile: (804) 200-5646 Email: kharvey@harveydriggs.com Counsel for Plaintiff

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HANOVER BARBARA MINES and MICHELLE HERNANDEZ Plaintiffs v.

UNKNOWN HEIRS, DEVISEES, AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST OF HILL CARTER GRIMES, et al. and ANY INTERESTED PARTIES Defendants Case no.: CL2300-3569 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to find that Barbara Mines is the rightful owner of the Real Estate, having acquired ownership by adverse possession such that Michelle Hernandez may purchase the Real Estate subject to the purchase and sale agreement attached as Exhibit A to the petition, and grant such other relief as may be proper.

It is ordered that the fact of such petition be advertised, and notice is now given that on January 12, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. in the Hanover County Circuit Court located at 7530 County Complex Road, Hanover, VA 23069 the Court will hear evidence on this matter from any interested individual.

A Copy Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Hugh T. Antrim, Esq. VSB#14721 Adam R. Nelson, Esq. VSB#39137 Sean Breit-Rupe, Esq. VSB#92125 ThompsonMcMullan, P.C. 100 Shockoe Slip Richmond, Virginia 23219 (804) 649-7545 (804) 649-0654 Counsel for Plaintiffs VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CITY OF RICHMOND Herman Massenburg, Plaintiff, Continued on next column

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.

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ABC License Fantastic Four Restaurant Group LLC Trading as: Brookland Park Kitchen 305 W Brookland Park BLVD Richmond, VA 23222-2603 The above establishment is applying to the V irginia A lcoholic B everage C ontrol (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Mixed Beverage Restaurant license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

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

Continued on next column

Freelance Writers: Richmond Free Press has immediate opportunities for freelance writers.

Newspaper experience is a requirement. To be considered, please send 5 samples of your writing, along with a cover letter to news@ richmond freepress.com or mail to: Richmond Free Press, P. O. Box 27709, Richmond, VA 23261.

No phone calls.

To advertise in the Richmond Free Press call 644-0496.

Meet this week’s Personality B1 Coming tog ether

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Above, Deleg ate Don Minority L. Scott Leader is congratulat poised to Jr., center, celebr and Easte ed at the Omni be the first Black ates wins by the Hotel Tuesd Demo Speaker rn Henric of the House crats. The Virgin o County ay night for with 58% of the vote her win against . Right, Democrat ia House of Deleg Repub ates Lashrecse in the race Aird is for the new lican challenger Eric Ditri 13th Senat n Petersburg e District.

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER DARNESHA HENDERSON, Plaintiff v.

PEDRO HENDERSON, Defendant.

Case No.: CL23004035-00 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 is a nonresident, appear here on or before the 6th day of February, 2024 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, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667

Case No.: CL23003504-00 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 6th day of February, 2024 and protect her interests.

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

Continued from previous column

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Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the January 8, 2024 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https:// www.rva.gov/office-cityclerk, and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Continued from previous column

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NOVEMBER 9-11,

By Jerem

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For the NAACP andfirst time, the Virgin view of what its attorneys have ia State gained a they consid Above, Delegate Glenn A. Youngkin’s er Republican Gov. Don L. Scott Minority Leader is restoring the arbitrary proces congratu poised to Jr., center, celebrate lated s wins and Eastern at the Omni be the first Black s for from prison rights of individuals Hotel Speaker by the Democrats.

Henrico of the House.

The Virginia County withTuesday night for . released her win Right, House 58% of the The gover vote in the against Republic Democrat Lashrecs of Delegates nor’s race for the new an challenger Eric e Aird is of internal documoffice released 680 13th Senate Ditri n Petersbu District. pages rg ents in respon Virginia NAAC se to the P’s Freedom Gov. Young a scheduled of Information kin court hearin lawsuit just The hearin g Nov. 3 before state NAAC g was continued untilon the issue.

By Darlene P and its lawye M. Johns later on The docum rs time to this month to allow A life that spans review the state’s positio ent dump came a century few are privile as an “abrup the information. papers and n that virtually all ged to celebris a milestone

By Jeremy Willia of the docum t reversal” of the ms M. ate. Welfo of Lazarus Glen Allen Freedom of could be withheld Gov. Glenn ents were rd central theme becom A. as was Youngkin worki Inform an exception ning Republic of the campaign e a centen “bless went all in showed an majoritie that ed” Deputy Attorn ation Act. and the outcome to on winremains to the Virginng and Senate Forme on Oct. s in the arian rations25.

— state constitut for the 2024a potent message amid ey General ia Unofficial and lost.rly one of theHouse prepa- pro-abor ion and Kentucky presidential Steph of his results young election. en from show Virginia voters familyTuesday’ tion governor est memb Popps descri re-elected , the s elections More electioers . a potential According of both houses bed the releas ts again will World nowDemocra n covera War II vetera to unofficia presidential Please the oldest be in charge Democra ge on A5, e contender turn to A4 Democrats of the General person A6 House ts won 51 seats l Virginia results, Republicans who had The Virginian is and his fellow made protectio Assembl in y.

“I’m in his win to spent the victories 49 both houses family kind n abortion as voters heavily in for Democra . of the 40 seatsfor Republicans and100-member a ban and in increasin a bid to it,” Mr. Willia ofoflucky on abortion move his agenda, including came Democra toa be secured to enshrine in the able abortion gly Republican Ohiots voted after 15 weeks. tic control state Senate, maintain 21 Instead of putting in celebrating ms said several days to do protection in their The outcome of the upper chamber. ing how Republic place a new state’s Youngkin his 100th birthd was before to work more ans can win, he now model for in his push a huge loss for at Virginia ay on Oct. faces having Gov. closely with to raise his Cross Democrats profile as 21 celebrated the opposition. a Along with ings. at a watch party at a dozens of Please turn well wishe greetings to A4 s from family and

By Jeremy No way. friend M. Lazarus No how. members s were That was Richmon After rebu words and Ph.D., comm tion of whether d voters’ resoundi from Danie ffing repe l Gade, a $562 million ission ng in South Depar erresponse casino-resort to the quesSide. of the ated requ should be Virgin ests Of the 65,000 tment of Vetera developed ia , Gov. You Richmonders ns Servic Day on Tuesday, “Our best wishe who voted es. ngkin accordin the unofficia early or on provides g to the state s to eran Welfo Election DepartmU.S. Army while about l results showed rd nearly Welford William ent of Elections Willia vet25,000 or 40,000 ms orupon birthd The vote 62% his , ay,”38% ahead of documents voted yes.

100th birthd s recently celebr was a crushing Comm 100th no, has statewide issioner Gadevoted loss for Mayor Willia court hea ated his ambition mss,isandone Right, Mr. ay with family Levar M. Stoney, said. “Mr. the eight the members

By Jeremy and friend ring few remai who War II vetera M. Lazarus of City days as a Williams is show ning Pleasens Council World turnwho For the n during s. private first to A4 answe serve our his NAACP andfirst time, the Virginia red the call class in the Nation. Men State to view of what its attorneys have Army. and wome gained a they consider Glenn A. n such Republican Youngkin Please Gov.

WWII vete ran reflect on a cent D s ury e ofm lifes win V a

. enate

House, S

Voters reje bid a sec ct casino ond time

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II veturn terto A4 Exonerated She’s No on centuan reflects ‘Ce .1 Jasmine Voters elect ntral Park a Norre Five’ mery of life Dance Theat ll looks conte nt after auditi re on Nov. Democrat 4. Please oning for The Assoc Cherelle Par mber Yusef Salaa see more the iated Press photos on City m B2.

Exonerated ker as Phi The “Cent victor ral Park Five” Salaam won ladelphia’s wins New York Cit decades after y comes more than two City Counc a seat Tuesday on member Yusef to DNA eviden 100 overturn the the il, ce was used th ma fortune decad completing a stunni New York and convictions yor — and y Council seat didacy was in an infam es after he was wrong ng reversal of in four other Black and of Salaam the 1st wo war on crimea reminder of what the 1989 rape ous rape case. ly imprisoned Latino men the can took man look and beatin Mr. Salaam goes out like jogger

’s arbitrary restoring the process for from prison. rights of individua ls released The governor ’s office of internal documents released 680 pages Virginia NAACP’ in response to the s Freedom Gov. Youngki a schedule d court hearing of Information n lawsuit just The hearing Nov. 3 before state NAACP was continued untilon the issue.

By Darlene M. Johnson later this month and The documen its lawyers time to allow the A life that spans to review state’s position t dump came a century is few are privilege as an “abrupt the information. that virtually papers and d to celebratea milestone all of the documen reversal” of Williams of could . the be Welford Freedom of withheld as become a Glen Allen was “blessed” Informat an exception ts were working centenarian Deputy Attorney ion Act. to to the Virginia on Oct. 25.

Formerly General Stephen of his family,one of the youngest Popps described members the now the oldest World War II veteran the release Please turn to A4 “I’m kind person in his family. is of lucky to it,” Mr. Williams be able to do said celebrating several too far. large ads in his 100th birthdaydays before when it of a white in Central Park. atgVirginia central Harlem, a Democrat, will newsp New York on Oct. 21 Crossings.

Mr. Salaam arreste Mr. Salaam to bring back apers that implo Along with represent district on dozens of having run red a almos d at age 15 and impris well wishes was The Antron McCr was arrested along the death the City Counc from family greetings and t seven years. penalty. with betwe teens convicted oned friends ay, Kevin many local unopposed for the were for il, Raymond in words from members and Ph.D., seat “For Daniel Gade, Santana and Richardson, case en five and 12 years the attack served ioner state Tuesd elections held across in one of really me, this means Departmcommiss and accuse was re-exa in prison before Korey Wise ent of Veterans of the Virginia ay. He won that d “Ourwe Services. a landslide. bestcan the his primary New York dream become our ancesteran A serial rapistmined. running in of attacking a woma wishes to U.S. Army ors’Welford election in Central Park. wildes Welford Williams s,” Mr. Salaam n linked and Williams vetMr. Salaa t birthday,” The crime recently saidWilliams to the crime murderer was eventu the electio 100th birthday Commissioner upon his 100th m in an interv celebrate dominated Gade said. with n. d his Right, Mr. and a ally is one the throug iew the and friends. few before War II veterans remainin “Mr. In isfamily days as a Williams police round city, inflaming racial headlines in tral confession. The convich DNA evidence shown during city who answered g World privatethe serve our first class meanw hishile, Park ed the tensio Nation. tions up call Five in the Army. to Black and Men and women boys ns of the CenMr. Salaam were vacate Latino men as received a ’s can- such for interrogation d in Please

2002

combined turn to A4 . then just a and from and they $41 millio Exonerated brash real Former Presid the city.

Trump, She’ent n settlement estate execu s No.1 ‘Central Park tive in Jasmine the city, Voters elect Norrell Five’ mem Dance Theatre looks content after audition Democrat on Nov. 4. Please Please turn The Associate Cherelle Park ber Yusef Sala see more ing for the City to A4 d Press photos on am wins er as Phila delphia’s 100t New York City Cou h mayor — and the 1st ncil seat woman

B2.

Exonerat The victory Salaam woned “Central Park Five” decades after comes more than two DNA evidence City Council, a seat Tuesday on member Yusef to overturn the the fortune decadescompleting a stunning New York and convictions was used didacy was in an infamous after he was wrongly reversal of in four other Black and of Salaam war on crimea reminder of what the 1989 rape Latino men imprisoned Mr. Salaam, rape case. goes too far. can look like whenthe took out large jogger in Central and beating of a ads in newspap it New York central Harlem a Democrat, will Park. Mr. Salaamwhite Mr. Salaam arrested at ers that to bring back represent district on was arrested age 15 and was having run The teens Antron McCray, the death implored the City Council,a almost seven along with imprisoned penalty. for many local unopposed for the Kevin between five convicted in the years.

Raymond seat “For attack served and Santana and Richardson, case state Tuesday.elections held across in one of really me, this means and accused was re-exami12 years in prison Korey Wise that we can New York become He won his before the a landslide A serial rapist ned. running in of attacking a woman primary election dreams,” Mr. our ancestors’ wildest .

Central Park. and murderer Mr. Salaam Salaam said linked in the The crime to the was election. in an interview dominated and a confessiocrime through DNA eventually the city, before police headlines In the city evidence rounded up inflaming racial tensions in tral Park Five n. The convictio meanwhile, ns of the CenBlack and Mr. Salaam’s boys were vacated Latino men as received a combine can- then for interrogation. Former in 2002 and from just a brash d $41 million and they Presiden the city. real estate settlement executive t Trump, in the city,

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