Richmond Free Press June 20-22, 2019 edition by Richmond Free Press

Meet the man behind renaming the Boulevard B3

VOL. 28 NO. 25

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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Eastern League extravaganza A8

JUNE 20-22, 2019

‘Grand Slam’

Arthur Ashe Boulevard Politics, personalities merge in this historic moment honoring late hometown hero By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond is preparing to pull out all the stops to celebrate native son Arthur Ashe Jr. as it renames one its major streets in his honor. Thousands of people from near and far are expected to participate in the main event 11 a.m. Saturday, June 22 — the unveiling of street signs bearing Mr. Ashe’s name along the 2.5-mile thoroughfare that for generations has been known simply as the Boulevard. However, even this big effort to mark the new Arthur Ashe Boulevard cannot escape the undertow of city and state politics. For most people, that undertow will go unnoticed as they take part in the big salute at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture to an international hero who was forced to leave segregated Richmond to pursue his sport and then went on to extraordinary achievements in tennis, as an author and as a humanitarian before his death in 1993. They will hear speeches about Mr. Ashe’s legacy and the importance of this day from numerous people, including civil rights icon and Georgia Congressman John R. Lewis. But behind the scenes, the undertow is highly visible.

New Coliseum plan to launch Monday?

Most obvious is the role of Dominion Energy as the major sponsor of the celebration and associated activities. It hardly seems coincidental that the company is wrapping itself in this black history moment, given that is under fire for a pipeline development about 90 miles west of Richmond that could disrupt a rural African-American community. Nor can it escape notice that the celebration is taking place as Dominion’s top executive, Thomas F. Farrell II, seeks to get City Hall to move ahead with a $1.4 billion project to replace the Richmond Coliseum that he and business friends are proposing. The event also shines a light on the strained relations between Mayor Levar M. Stoney and some members of City Council. While the city’s program and list of speakers remained under wraps and had not been released by Free Press publication deadline Wednesday night, members of City Council apparently have been excluded from the list of local, state and national officials who are to deliver remarks during the 90-minute unveiling program. That includes Councilwoman Kim B. Gray, Please turn to A4

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Photos of Richmond tennis star Arthur Ashe Jr. during his 1968 victory at the U.S. Open line the front sidewalk of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture at 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. The installation, featuring rarely seen images of Mr. Ashe by LIFE magazine photographer John Zimmerman, is part of the celebration and dedication of Arthur Ashe Boulevard and will be on view until July 7. The installation was produced for the 2018 U.S. Open commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Mr. Ashe’s historic win.

Ambition, urgency at Democrats’ gala By George Copeland Jr.

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Will this be the City Council meeting at which Mayor Levar M. Stoney introduces ordinances on the Richmond Coliseum replacement plan? That has been the question since Mayor Stoney announced in November that he was negotiating a $1.4 billion development deal involving a new arena with a private group led by Dominion Energy’s top executive, Thomas F. Farrell II. Ever since, one of the most important items at council meetings has been the list of introduction papers that the City Attorney’s Office distributes. Please turn to A4

Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg waits in the wings to speak as his Democratic rival, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, addresses the crowd at the Blue Commonwealth Gala in Richmond last Saturday. The annual fundraising event, which drew nearly 1,800 people, is hosted by the Democratic Party of Virginia.

It was a night of big plans and high stakes last Saturday as nearly 1,800 Virginia and national Democrats, including two presidential hopefuls, gathered at Richmond’s Main Street Station for the political party’s annual Blue Commonwealth Gala fundraiser. “We need to take back our country, and we need to make this the country that we have built, that we are so proud of, starting right here in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. She headlined the event with fellow presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind. Sen. Klobuchar and Mr. Buttigieg were among the high-profile speakers at the gala, a pep rally of sorts for Democrats leading into this fall’s General Assembly elections and the 2020 presidential contest. Speakers at the $150-per-person dinner included U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine; Congresspersons A. Donald McEachin of Richmond, Abigail Spanberger Please turn to A4

RPS officials fail to explain faulty, fluctuating graduation figures By Jeremy M. Lazarus

There has been a sudden surge in the number of students graduating from Richmond Public Schools — and not just from Armstrong High School. RPS officials this week are reporting that 963 seniors received their diplomas during recent graduation ceremonies from the city’s nine high schools. That’s a 19 percent jump from the 810 students projected to graduate just a few weeks ago and a far rosier picture than what was released to the public in late May. The new, but still incomplete, data on the Class of 2019 presented Monday night to the Richmond School Board suggests an “epic fail” in the ability of RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras and his cabinet to provide accurate information to the board, parents and the public on a basic yet key indicator of academic performance — earning a diploma. In projections given to the School Board on May 20, RPS officials said only 810 seniors were on track to graduate this year. Officials said 280 seniors had failed to meet the requirements to graduate and were being told they must take one or more courses in summer school or return to class next school year in order to receive their diploma. However, Monday night, RPS Chief Academic Officer Tracy Epp told the board no seniors are required to return to school next fall to complete requirements for graduation

— a huge change from the 118 she initially projected. Dr. Epp did not say so, but essentially acknowledged the original estimates she presented to the School Board were bogus as Dr. Epp she provided updated figures showing that 153 more students graduated than she first projected in May. She also reported that only 92 seniors would need to attend summer school to complete diploma requirements, a drop of 70 students from the 162 students she

originally reported. Some examples of just how faulty the May 20 report was in misrepresenting RPS graduation numbers: Huguenot High awarded diplomas to 265 students, or 34 Mr. Kamras more than Dr. Epp initially projected; John Marshall High awarded 122 diplomas, or 24 more than first reported; and George Wythe awarded 145 diplomas or 18 more than Dr. Epp Please turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

The big reveal Ahkbar Jordan, 6, reacts to seeing how his face was painted by artist Kenita Wooten last Saturday during “Juneteenth: A Freedom Celebration” at Manchester Dock in South Side. The three-day festival featured a bevy of fun and educational events. Please see more photos, B2.

Lawmakers hear the case for reparations Free Press wire report

Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

Actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover speaks during Wednesday’s House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on reparations for slavery on Capitol Hill in Washington.

WASHINGTON The debate over reparations catapulted from the campaign trail to Congress on Wednesday as lawmakers heard impassioned testimony for and against the idea of providing compensation for America’s history of slavery and racial discrimination. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, the sponsor of a resolution to study reparations, put a fine point on the discussion: “I just

simply ask: Why not and why not now?” It was Congress’ first hearing on reparations in more than a decade, and came amid a growing conversation both in the Democratic Party and the country at large about lingering racial disparities in the United States. Once considered a fringe topic mostly pushed aside in Congress, the possibility of reparations was treated with seriousness by the witnesses and lawmakers Please turn to A4

A2 June 20-22, 2019

Richmond Free Press

Local News

Job fairs set for Friday, Saturday Richmond job seekers may find employment with two large, back-to-back job fairs. First up: A hiring event in Henrico County 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, June 21, at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College’s Workforce and Development Conference Center, 1651 E. Parham Road. Second: A job fair in Richmond 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 29, at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, 1000 Mosby St. The Henrico event stems from concern over the sudden closure of a printing plant earlier this month that resulted in the layoff of 240 employees. A variety of companies are expected to be on hand to interview job seekers, including the printing plant employees, according to the event’s sponsor, Virginia Career Works-Capital Region. Participants should bring résumés and references for consideration, VCWCR officials said. VCWCR is a regional, government-supported workforce assistance program with a focus on serving the unemployed and underemployed. Details: (804) 952-6116 or www.VCWCapital.com. The June 29 Richmond event involves City Hall departments and private companies recruiting workers, with organizers expecting some people to get offers on the spot. City Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson, 6th District, is staging the fair with support from the city. At least seven city departments and GRTC, along with 10 private companies, including J & G Consulting, RoadTekTraffic Control, AARP and Treehouse Realty, have signed up to participate. Unity Workforce also will be conducting prescreening for the multiple companies it represents. Information about city programs also will be available. Details: Ellen.Robertson@Richmondgov.com or Kiya Stokes, (804) 646-7964, or Lori.Payne@richmondgov.com, city Office of Community Wealth Building.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Call it a brand new look for the site of the used to clear away the old school building and former Armstrong High School in the 1600 block prepare the site for construction. Expected to be of North 31st Street in the East End, where these ready for occupancy later this year, the project nearly complete apartments now line the street. Slices of life and scenes is the first step toward redeveloping Creighton In all, 105 units are under construction in the Court, just across Nine Mile Road. When the in Richmond first phase of what is called Church Hill North, project is completed, residents of Creighton are including 60 family units and 45 senior apartments. Over time, to fill a large number of the apartments, clearing the way for 256 units, including some single-family homes, are to be part of RRHA to contract with a private partner to eventually demolish the new mixed-income community. The Community Builders, a or renovate the 504-unit public housing community. At this point, Boston-based nonprofit, is the master developer for this latest urban the work in Creighton Court is more of a vision and has yet to renewal effort of City Hall and the Richmond Redevelopment gain full financing. Some Creighton Court residents already have and Housing Authority. The project’s projected total cost: $23 been moved to other privately owned apartment complexes that million to $26 million, not including additional taxpayer-supported have agreed to accept government subsidies under the Section spending, according to the city, of about $9 million that was 8 or Housing Choice Voucher program.

Cityscape

Free summer meals Technical problem thwarts court case sites available to remove Agelasto from office throughout Richmond area By Jeremy M. Lazurus

Free Press staff report

Now that school is out for the summer, where can families find free breakfast and lunch for their students who enjoyed such meals when classes were in session? Good news: Information on locations where morning and noon meals are being provided in the Richmond-Petersburg area is now available by text, website and phone. One simple way to get answers is to text the word “FOOD” to 877-877. That reaches No Kid Hungry, a nonprofit that has information about all the sites and is ready to help people find the nearest one. A Free Press test showed the text message generates a response asking for an address and ZIP code. Once that information is entered, another text arrives providing information on the closest place to the address, along with the times meals are served. Another way is to search “USDA summer food programs” on a computer browser like Yahoo or Google. That will bring up a page created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help people locate summer feeding sites. A box on the website enables households to find locations. By clicking on “Household,” a map will come up. Enter a ZIP code, and the map will present a list of multiple nearby sites and allow families to get specific information on each place such as the address and meal times. A national hotline also can provide information on summer meals programs at (866) 348-6479. In Richmond, families can call (804) 646-5752 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. That reaches a staff member from the city Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities who can assist in finding a nearby location. More than 60 sites throughout Richmond participate in the Summer Meals for Kids program. Youngsters through the age of 18 can get free nutritious breakfasts and lunches. In Henrico County, 30 feeding sites are providing breakfast and lunch on Mondays through Thursdays during the summer. The program is run by the Henrico County Public Schools’ Department of School Nutrition Services and accessible to all children regardless of whether they are enrolled in summer programs. Henrico County details: (804) 652-3600. Chesterfield County is offering meals to youngsters this summer at 23 sites, including several of the county’s public library branches. Chesterfield County details: (804) 748-1405. Two summer meals sites in Petersburg are serving breakfast and lunch to youngsters Mondays through Fridays, while three others will be open Mondays through Thursdays. Additionally, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 228 Halifax St. in Petersburg, is providing bags of groceries for people to take home on most Thursdays through August. The grocery program is in conjunction with the Chesterfield Foodbank and Communities in Schools of Petersburg.

Sterling Glen Apartments

Correction

Sterling Glen Apartments in Chesterfield County has been named in a federal lawsuit filed by Housing Opportunities Made Equal over its blanket ban on renting to anyone convicted of a felony. The name of the apartment complex was incorrect in an article about HOME’s lawsuit published in the June 13-15 edition. The Free Press regrets the error.

Fifth District City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto gained a reprieve Tuesday from an effort to immediately remove him from the city’s governing body. Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant refused on Tuesday to consider a former councilman’s request for a temporary injunction that would have ended Mr. Agelasto’s tenure before his planned departure on Nov. 30. Judge Marchant ruled that the request by Sa’ad El-Amin could not be heard because of a highly technical flaw in the filing. The judge ruled that Mr. El-Amin had not paid a filing fee and obtained a new case number for his requests for the injunction and for a declaratory judgment that Mr. Agelasto had forfeited his seat by moving out of the 5th District last year. Virginia law requires elected state and local officials to live in the district they represent. According to the judge, Mr. El-Amin, who initially brought his action under a statute that allows a court to issue an obscure writ to remove an elected official from office, could not use that case number for his new filings. Mr. El-Amin objected to the decision, saying there was no legal precedent requiring him to file his latest requests under a different case number, particularly when he was dropping his request for the writ and replacing it with his new requests. However, the judge told Mr. El-Amin his ruling would stand unless Mr. ElAmin could produce a positive decision showing that he could use the same case number. “It doesn’t exist,” Mr. El-Amin said after a hearing he called “bewildering.” Mr. El-Amin, who in the past repre-

sented the 6th District on City Council, said he planned to re-file and obtain a new case number later this week for his requests for the injunction and declaratory judgment. He said he would request Mr. Agelasto a quick hearing. Judge Marchant is scheduled to hear a separate request for a declaratory judgment to remove Mr. Agelasto from office that former 5th District Councilman

Henry W. “Chuck” Richardson filed in February. Mr. Richardson, who plans to be among the candidates that district voters will consider Nov. 5 to replace Mr. AgeMr. El-Amin lasto, is scheduled to have his case heard Friday, July 12. There are expectations Judge Marchant could hear Mr. El-Amin’s requests at the same time.

Candidates throwing hats into ring for 5th District seat The first candidates have begun to emerge in the race to succeed Parker C. Agelasto as the 5th District representative on Richmond City Council. The district spans both sides of the James River and includes Carytown, Ms. Lynch Mr. Richardson Mr. Wiliamson Maymont, Oregon Hill and Swansboro. A special election is scheduled for a lobbyist and advocate for the Good Tuesday, Nov. 5, to replace Mr. Agelasto, Neighbor mental health and disability who announced his resignation effective services program and a civic activist from Nov. 30 after he moved out of the district the Woodland Heights neighborhood in last summer. South Side, announced her run. Former 5th District Councilman Henry Dr. Thad Williamson, a University of W. “Chuck” Richardson, who is pursuing Richmond professor and former aide to a lawsuit seeking the immediate ouster Mayor Levar M. Stoney, announced several of Mr. Agelasto that is to be heard next weeks ago that he is seeking the office. month, announced his candidacy Tuesday Five to seven more candidates are night following a meeting of the Richmond weighing runs to fill the remainder of Mr. Crusade for Voters. Agelasto’s term that will end on Dec. 31, Earlier this week, Stephanie Lynch, 2020. — JEREMY M. LAZARUS

RPS officials offer free bus service in bid to boost preschool enrollment By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Free bus transportation. That’s the carrot the Richmond School Board is offering in a bid to boost enrollment in its shrinking preschool program called the Virginia Preschool Initiative, or VPI. RPS Chief Operating Officer Darin Simmons Jr. said work is underway to determine at least six locations for pupil pickups and dropoffs. School Board member Kenya Gibson, 3rd District, noted that the location of the bus hub sites would be critical to parental decisions to sign up their children for VPI and use the transportation. Still, getting more children into the program remains a challenge, according to Dr. Tracy Epp, RPS’ chief academic officer. Similar to Head Start, the VPI program once attracted more than 1,100 students but shrank to 799 4-year-olds this year. That’s well short of the 1,080 children for which RPS had budgeted and staffed 60 classrooms in multiple buildings. Dr. Epp told the board that RPS is making space for 917 children for the 2019-20 school year, including 800 in

the state-funded VPI program and 117 in the federally funded VPI Plus program. Fewer than 600 children have been enrolled to date for the 2019-20 program, Dr. Epp told the board, Ms. Gibson and enrollment will remain open until a waiting list has to be created. She also told the board that a marketing campaign has been organized to promote VPI that will involve teachers and includes participation in summer events, such as the annual East End Reunion. The marketing effort also will include reminders to parents so they actually send their children after enrolling. The shortfall of students required RPS to reimburse $700,000 to the state, which pays Richmond and other localities based on enrollment projections but requires repayment when slots in the program are not filled. The problem has led RPS to cut its projections for the coming year and reduce the number of classrooms from 60 to 53, Dr. Epp said. As a result, seven teachers have been

impacted, she said, although none are losing their jobs. Two of the teachers are retiring and will not be replaced, she said. Three other teachers have been relocated to classrooms in other buildings while two have been reassigned to teach kindergarten. Ms. Gibson and board member J. Scott Barlow, 2nd District, were among board members expressing concern about the short notice to the affected teachers who learned about the changes about the same time classes ended last week. Mr. Barlow said he is disappointed and frustrated to hear complaints from RPS employees that they are not getting information in a timely fashion. Dr. Epp acknowledged that she kept silent until the last minute about the changes that she knew had to take place based on the shrinking enrollment. She said she first asked about vacancies and retirements involving VPI staffers and then considered buildings that were overcrowded in K-5 classes that could use a reduction in VPI classes. “We could always do better with communication,” Dr. Epp told the board, but she defended her actions as an attempt “to create the least disruption possible.”

Richmond Free Press

June 20-22, 2019

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Richmond Free Press

A4 June 20-22, 2019

News

Arthur Ashe Boulevard Continued from A1

2nd District, who played a key role in getting the street renamed in Mr. Ashe’s honor. Ms. Gray, who is known to be miffed, declined comment, except to confirm that she had not been invited to speak. Mayor Stoney, who appears to be gearing up for a re-election run next year, will be the most visible city official on the program even though his main role in the renaming was to support and co-patron the proposal that Ms. Gray introduced. The Free Press confirmed that the mayor initially declined to get directly involved when David O. Harris Jr., a contractor and nephew of Mr. Ashe, met with the mayor about his plan to launch a new effort to change the Boulevard’s name. The mayor, who can introduce legislation, told Mr. Harris to work on the proposal with members of City Council, according to sources and documents.

Since Mr. Ashe’s death, the council had twice rejected renaming the Boulevard for Mr. Ashe. Ms. Gray, who is seen by some as a potential challenger to Mayor Stoney, took up the issue with Mr. Harris. She met with civic groups in the area, as well as with businesses and top officials at the major museums, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, which both were supportive. She arranged for a public meeting to get comments and lobbied members of the council after learning that several had objections or wanted other roads to be considered, including the Downtown Expressway. Ms. Gray persisted, despite a backlash from some residents Ms. Gray said she went into the Feb. 11 City Council meeting unsure if the measure to rename the street would pass. It did, on an 8-1 vote. Now, despite all her work, Ms. Gray appears to be relegated to the audience.

Arthur Ashe celebration schedule Thursday, June 20 • Arthur Ashe Boulevard Social Justice Forum, 7 to 9 p.m., Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 Arthur Ashe Blvd. Program examines Mr. Ashe’s legacy in social justice. Friday, June 21 • Arthur Ashe Boulevard Tennis Under the Lights Event & Movies at the Park, 6 to 9 p.m. Byrd Park Tennis Courts. Doubles tennis play for all on the courts, plus a showing of “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” at 8 p.m. • Arthur Ashe Boulevard Kick-off Celebration & Bowling Party — 7 p.m. to midnight, River City Roll, 939 Myers St. – Family bowling without charge, 7 to 9 p.m., and live music, 9 p.m. to midnight. Saturday, June 22 • Arthur Ashe Boulevard Unveiling Ceremony, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 Arthur Ashe Blvd. • Opening of exhibit “Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality,” 12:30 to 5 p.m., Virginia Museum of History & Culture, free tour of new exhibition on the black experience in Virginia. • Arthur Ashe Boulevard Community Celebration, 1 to 5 p.m., Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center, 3001 Arthur Ashe Blvd., community celebration with tennis clinics for youngsters and adults. • Town Hall Meeting, “State of Black America” discussion hosted by Congressman A. Donald McEachin of Richmond, 2 p.m., Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Keynote speaker: U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia. Panelists: Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including chairwoman Rep. Karen Bass of California, Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott of Newport News, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Rep. Barbara Lee of California and Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada. Topics ranging from environmental justice to health care and housing to be covered. • Battery Park Salute to Mr. Ashe, 1 to 5 p.m., Battery Park, Overbrook Road and Hawthorne Avenue, featuring tennis skill games, music and dedication of park tunnel murals featuring Mr. Ashe. • Arthur Ashe Boulevard After-Party, 8 to11 p.m., The Graduate Richmond, 301 W. Franklin St. No admission charge. All events are free and open to the public.

RPS officials fail to explain faulty figures Continued from A1

projected. Dr. Epp also confirmed the Free Press report in the June 13-15 edition that 155 Armstrong High seniors received diplomas, or 47 more than first projected. Increases in graduation numbers also were reported for Thomas Jefferson High and Richmond Alternative School. The only initial graduation numbers that proved accurate were those for the three specialty high schools — Franklin Military Academy, Open High and Richmond Community High. Dr. Epp offered no explanation to the board for the huge variance between the projections and the actual results. She also didn’t explain a change in the number of RPS seniors. Her May 20 report listed 1,092 seniors in the city’s nine high schools. The new report listed 1,055 seniors. The graduation numbers that Dr. Epp presented still represent an undercount of senior class graduates. The figures did not include graduating students who attended regional high schools, including Governor’s Schools

or other programs, but who received RPS diplomas from their home high school. Just as troubling, the numbers offer a cloudy and imprecise picture of the senior class that actually started out far larger four years ago. A look at state data on Huguenot’s graduation numbers for 2017 and 2018 shows how limited Dr. Epp’s information is. In the 2016-17 school year, 270 Huguenot students completed high school out of the 357 who started ninth grade four years earlier in 2013. In the 2017-18 school year, 281 Huguenot students completed high school out of the 417 who started ninth grade in 2014. Put another way, 87 potential seniors had disappeared by the time the 2017 graduation ceremony was held, according to the state data, while 129 students who started out as ninth-graders in 2014 vanished by the time the 2018 graduation was held, with seven others still enrolled. State data provide a similar picture of dwindling enrollment over the four years of high school in the city’s four other comprehensive high schools as well as Richmond Alternative School. However, RPS officials did not address

the Class of 2019’s enrollment figures and examine what may have happened in the four years since the students were freshmen. When School Board members sought more information Monday night about the Class of 2019, including information on dropouts, Dr. Epp declined to provide it. Mr. Kamras told the board to be patient. He said that a full report on the graduation, completion and dropouts would not be available until the Virginia Department of Education released its on-time graduation report in the fall. The board members did not question Mr. Kamras’ statement, even though RPS, like other school divisions, provides the information to the state that is used to create the graduation report. Based on statements from Dr. Epp, RPS will have virtually complete data once students’ final high school grades are entered into the computer system this month and enrollment for summer school, which started this week, is in hand. The summer school enrollment figures will show whether seniors needing to make up credits to graduate actually are taking classes.

Ambition, urgency at Democrats’ gala Continued from A1

of Henrico County, Robert C. “Bobby” Scott of Newport News and Gerry Connolly of Fairfax County; former Gov. Terry McAuliffe; Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney; state Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan of Richmond; and leaders of the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate Democratic caucuses. Broadcast nationwide on C-SPAN, the gala sold out on June 1, with more than $425,000 raised, according to party officials. The crowd of 1,800 at the gala was nearly double the attendance in 2016, when the sponsoring Democratic Party of Virginia was working to fire up voters for that year’s presidential election. This success comes at a crucial point for the Democratic Party in Virginia, which is hoping to win control from Republicans of the General Assembly in November, when all 140 seats in the House and Senate will be up for grabs in the Nov. 5 general election. It comes during a time of unease following revelations earlier this year that swept the state’s top three office holders — all Democrats — into a backwash of controversy. The imbroglio threatened to destroy the political career of Gov. Ralph S. Northam, whose 1984 medical school yearbook page contained a racist photo of a person in blackface and another in full Ku Klux Klan regalia; Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax, who is battling sexual assault allegations levied by two women from 2000 and 2004; and Attorney General Mark R. Herring’s admission that he wore blackface for a college party in 1980. While all three were noticeably absent from the gala stage, Mr. Herring, who came to the gala as a guest, was an active presence at the event from the start, greeting guests as they entered The promise of Democratic control of the General Assembly and the governor’s office for the first time since 1993 was one of the common themes sounded by speakers Saturday

night. They also talked about the need for “common-sense gun safety legislation,” raising the minimum wage, voting rights, climate change, criminal justice reform, LGBTQ rights and women’s health care rights. Speakers also touched on attempts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, the mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center on May 31 and the recent spate of curbs on abortion passed in states including Georgia, Alabama and Missouri. They also stressed the need to connect more with the public and Democratic voter base, and encouraged audience members to go out and show and build support for the party’s platform for upcoming elections. “You cannot be on the bench. You cannot sit on the sideline. We need all of you in the game, doing what needs to get done, in order for us to take the majority in 2019,” said Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy of Prince William County. While Sen. Klobuchar and Mr. Buttigieg echoed much of what other speakers said, they also outlined broader, more ambitious visions for the nation. Sen. Klobuchar advocated for universal health care, against corporate influence in politics and stressed the need for racial justice and gender equality in America. “Shared prosperity means tearing down barriers to success. These are barriers that this president does not care about. But these are barriers the Democratic Party will break down,” Sen. Klobuchar said. Speaking after Sen. Klobuchar, Mr. Buttigieg linked his support for gun safety and climate science with better protection of information and technology infrastructure and improved security in general. He contrasted his position with the border protection policy of the Trump Administration that has left migrant families separated, in grueling states of confinement and several of the detained dead. He called for a more compassionate mindset towards immigration, marrying it to a viewpoint of

faith and tolerance. “It is worth reflecting that pretty much every faith tradition we know of (tells) us to support the marginalized, to heal the sick, to lift up the poor, to welcome the immigrant and to do it with humility and decency” Mr. Buttigieg said. While Mr. Buttigieg and Sen. Klobuchar earned big cheers, there was an unmistakable undercurrent of urgency in the many speeches warning of the social, economic and ecological costs of allowing Republicans to continue to shape the future of Virginia, America and the world. Many of the speakers

talked about their exhaustion with a status quo that repeatedly sees their legislative bills fail due to gridlock and lack of legislative authority despite greater public support. And they warned against going into future elections assuming their victories are assured because of their opponents’ unpopularity. “The riskiest thing we could do is try to play it safe. We have to show that we understand that there’s no going back to normal, but the chaos of this moment makes us no better off, and our vision is a better vision for the future of America,” Mr. Buttigieg said.

Ashe celebration street closures and parking Richmond Police issued the following traffic advisory for the Arthur Ashe Boulevard dedication ceremony and events: Streets closing 9 a.m. Saturday, June 22, reopening at 2 p.m. · Kensington Avenue between Sheppard and Mulberry streets · North Arthur Ashe Boulevard (both sides) between Patterson and Hanover avenues · Colonial Avenue between Kensington and Patterson avenues · Stuart Avenue between Arthur Ashe Boulevard and Mulberry Street · Hanover Avenue between Arthur Ashe Boulevard and Mulberry Street No Parking zones 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 22 Arthur Ashe Boulevard locations · 400 block of North Arthur Ashe Boulevard (both sides) between Kensington and Stuart avenues · 500 block of North Arthur Ashe Boulevard (west side only) between Patterson and Kensington avenues · 2800-2900 block of Kensington Avenue (both sides) between North Arthur Ashe Boulevard and Sheppard Street No Parking zones 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 22 Battery Park locations · 2500 block of The Terrace (both sides) between Overbrook and Lancaster roads · 2500 block of Montrose Avenue (both sides) between The Terrace and Lancaster Road · 400 block of West Lancaster Road (both sides) between The Terrace and Montrose Avenue Arthur Ashe Monument locations · 900 block of Roseneath Road (west side only) between Monument and Wythe avenues

New Coliseum plan? Continued from A1

And that will be the case Monday, June 24, when City Council is scheduled to meet again, particularly with the mayor remaining mum on the status of the negotiations on the massive proposal. Among other things, the Farrell-led Navy Hill group has outlined plans for a convention hotel, 2,800 apartments and new office buildings and retail shops and restaurants on mostly cityowned land near City Hall along with a new coliseum. However, critics who have reviewed figures released by the developer and the city have publicly questioned whether the city and its taxpayers can afford to strip the general fund of dollars to repay the projected $220 million to be borrowed to build a new coliseum. The Free Press has received mixed signals about whether this will be the meeting. One insider said that final wrinkles have been ironed out between the city and the private group and that the required papers are to be presented Monday night. But another suggested that might not be the case. Stay tuned.

Lawmakers hear the case for reparations Continued from A1

alike, although Republicans made clear their opposition. One of the most striking moments came as writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of a widely read 2014 essay making the case for reparations, challenged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s assertion that no one alive today is responsible for the past treatment of black Americans. “It’s impossible to imagine America without the inheritance of slavery,” Mr. Coates told the House Judiciary panel. “For a century after the Civil War, black people were subjected to a relentless campaign of terror,” Mr. Coates said. “Victims of that plunder are very much alive today. I am sure they’d love a word with the majority leader.” Sen. McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday he doesn’t think “reparations for something that happened 150 years ago, for whom none of us currently living are responsible, is a good idea.” Wednesday’s hearing coincided with Juneteenth, a cultural holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States, and it attracted a crowd. More than a hundred people were lined up to try and get a seat in the hearing room. Those inside frequently reacted to testimony and comments from members of Congress with cheers and boos. At one point, an audience member shouted, “You lie!” at Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert when he urged that Americans know their history and “not punish people today for the sins of their predecessors in the Democratic Party.” Mr. Coates was among eight witnesses who testified for more than three hours on the topic of House Resolution 40, aimed

at creating a commission to study reparations. Actor and activist Danny Glover, a longtime advocate of reparations, urged passage of the resolution. “A national reparations policy is a moral, democratic and economic imperative,” said Mr. Glover, noting that his greatgrandmother was a former slave he met as a young boy. “This hearing is yet another important step in the long and historic struggle of African-Americans to secure reparations for the damage that has been inflicted by slavery and Jim Crow.” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., a presidential contender, testified that the United States has “yet to truly acknowledge and grapple with the racism and white supremacy that tainted this country’s founding and continues to cause persistent and deep racial disparities and inequality.” But another witness, Coleman Hughes, who at times testified over boos from the audience, said black people don’t need “another apology,” but safer neighborhoods, better schools, a less punitive criminal justice system and better health care. “None of these things can be achieved through reparations for slavery,” said Mr. Hughes, a writer and student at Columbia University who said he is the descendant of enslaved people at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. The Democratic legislation, which would set up a bipartisan commission to study the issue, spotlights a national conversation over the legacy of slavery. Several of the political party’s presidential candidates have endorsed looking at the idea, although they have stopped short of endorsing direct payouts for African-Americans. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., on Wednesday called reparations

a “serious issue” and said he expects the resolution will see a vote in the House. While the issue of reparations has been moving toward the mainstream of the Democratic Party, the idea remains far from wide acceptance. And the panelists themselves, mostly black, differed on what reparations should look like and who should benefit from them. In a Point Taken-Marist poll conducted in 2016, 68 percent of Americans said the country should not pay cash reparations to African-American descendants of slaves to make up for the harm caused by slavery and racial discrimination. About 8 in 10 white Americans said they were opposed to reparations, while about 6 in 10 black Americans said they were in favor. Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the top Republican on the panel, said he respects the beliefs of those who support reparations. He called America’s history with slavery “regrettable and shameful.” But he said paying monetary reparations for the “sins of a small subset of Americans from many generations ago” would be unfair, difficult to carry out in practice and, in his view, likely unconstitutional. The Republican witnesses for the hearing were Mr. Hughes and Burgess Owens, a former Oakland Raiders football player and Super Bowl champion, who recently wrote a Wall Street Journal editorial eschewing reparations. The debate over reparations for black Americans began not long after the end of the Civil War. A resolution to study the issue was first proposed in 1989 by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, who put it forward year after year until his retirement in 2017. His portrait hangs in the room where the hearing was held.

Richmond Free Press

June 20-22, 2019

News

U.S. Supreme Court upholds Virginia’s redrawn House of Delegates districts

Justice Ginsburg

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Virginia voters and candidates now can have full confidence in the boundaries of the redrawn House of Delegate districts ahead of the Nov. 5 general election to fill the 100 seats. In a 5-4 decision Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the House district boundary lines that a lower court had redrawn earlier this year to eliminate the illegal packing of African-American voters into 11 districts, reducing their influence in adjacent districts. The revised district map was used in the June 11 primary elections to choose candidates in 17 House districts. The high court’s decision will keep the map intact until district lines are redrawn in 2021 following the U.S. Census next year. The court’s majority included conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, the high court’s lone African-American, in dismissing a challenge to the redrawn map mounted by the Virginia

House’s Republican majority. The GOP appealed the lower court’s decision out of concern Republicans could lose seats in the House if the revised map is used. The high court’s decision drew cheers from Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring, who refused to challenge the court decision. Mr. Herring, along with the federal government and the House Democratic Caucus, had urged the Supreme Court to throw out the Republican lawsuit. “This is a win for voting rights and civil rights in our commonwealth,” Northern Virginia Delegates Eileen Filler-Corn, the House Democratic leader, and Charniele Herring, House Caucus chair, stated in a joint release. Republican House Speaker Kirk Cox of Colonial Heights expressed disappointment that the dismissal would prevent the House’s case from being heard on the merits. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing for the majority, stated that the Virginia House of

Delegates lacked authority to represent the state or the General Assembly’s interest and had not suffered the kind of specific injury needed to mount its own challenge. She stated that a single house of a bicameral legislature that also includes a state senate cannot in general pretend to speak for the state, and even more so in this case. “The House has not identified any legal basis for its claimed authority to litigate on the state’s behalf,” Justice Ginsburg wrote, noting that under Virginia law, “authority and responsibility for representing the state’s interests in civil litigation rest exclusively with the state’s attorney general,” currently Mr. Herring, a Democrat. Justice Ginsburg also stated that the House could not argue that the change in the redistricting map created the kind of harms that would allow a challenge. “The House as an institution has no … interest in the identity of its members,” and thus suffers no injury from the imposition of a redistricting

plan that “may affect the membership of the chamber,” she wrote. “Instead, it is a representative body composed of members chosen by the people. Changes to its membership brought about by the voting public cannot be considered an injury to the body or to the legislation it might enact,” she continued. Also joining Justice Ginsburg in the majority opinion were Justices Neil Gorsuch, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. The four dissenters who found the House had suffered sufficient injury to pursue a challenge were Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr., who wrote the minority opinion, Stephen G. Breyer, and Brett M. Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. In a separate decision, the court also rejected a private company’s effort to overturn Virginia’s ban on mining for uranium, most notably in rural Pittsylvania County.

RPS whistleblower to be moved to another school

Nuns sell St. Emma and St. Frances property By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A historic Powhatan County estate that was once home to two Catholic residential schools for African-Americans, including a military academy for boys, now belongs to a Petersburg area businessman. County deed documents confirm that the Philadelphia-based Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament last week sold the 2,265-acre Belmead on the James property where St. Emma Military Academy and St. Frances de Sales School for Girls operated for decades. The buyer is Jeff Oakley, president of Oakley Tank Lines, a Prince George County-based company that specializes in the transportation of liquid and hazardous chemicals. The company was started by Mr. Oakley’s father nearly 40 years ago. The purchase price: $6 million, according to the county documents,

or about $1.3 million less than the $7.3 million assessed by the county for tax purposes. The sale ends the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament’s 122 years of ownership of the property whose history includes pre-dates the Civil War as a tobacco plantation worked by 150 enslaved Africans. The property was purchased in 1895 by the sister and brother-in-law of the order’s founder, now Saint Katharine Drexel, who donated it to the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1897 to assist St. Katharine’s mission to open schools for African-Americans and Native Americans. Belmead was transformed into an agricultural and industrial training school for African-American boys and became one of more than 50 schools St. Katharine and the order founded and operated during the order’s heyday. The school housed in the for-

THE NEXT

mer plantation house was named St. Emma and transformed into a residential military academy for African-American boys. In 1899, the order opened St. Frances de Sales for African-American girls. About 20,000 youths are estimated to have been educated at the schools that flourished until the civil rights era put an end to government-enforced segregation of schools and public places. Enrollment then declined, and the nuns closed both schools in the early 1970s. However, members of the order continued to live on the property until two years ago. In the years since, St. Frances’ buildings fell into ruin and have largely been removed. The Belmead home that was St. Emma’s remains and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The nuns leased some of the property to farmers and allowed a private group to build stables to

Justice Thomas

board horses and allow members to ride the trails that are a prominent feature on the property that overlooks the James River. More than 1,000 acres also have been put under the protection of a conservation easement. Mr. Oakley bid on the property after the religious order, whose numbers have dwindled, announced in 2016 that it planned to sell the land to raise money to benefit their aging members. The order first sought to sell to a nonprofit that alumni and supporters of St. Emma and St. Frances created in a bid to maintain the property as a cultural and conservation site. But when that deal collapsed last year, the order returned to previous bidders such as Mr. Oakley. According to people involved, Mr. Oakley was the preferred buyer as he expressed interest in keeping the property intact and largely undeveloped.

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A Spanish teacher who blew the whistle on student grade-changing by officials at Lucille Brown Middle School in Richmond will not be fired. The teacher, who asked that her name not be disclosed, was notified June 13 that her teaching contract would be renewed and that she would be placed at another school in the fall. The about-face followed the Free Press’ publication of a story in the June 6-8 edition about the teacher facing termination and evidence the newspaper obtained that supported her allegation that the grades for some students had been changed from Fs to Cs on report cards for the first grading period of the 2018-19 school year. Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras, who apparently took no action on her allegation after it was brought to his attention in January, had notified the teacher in a May 24 letter that she would be terminated. This was her first year teaching for RPS. She previously taught in Miami.

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Richmond Free Press

Cone flowers in North Side

Editorial Page

June 20-22, 2019

A moral demand

The Richmond Free Press salutes a real hero —

Arthur Ashe Jr. — on the occasion of the dedication of the city boulevard named in his honor.

I had the opportunity recently to participate in the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Along with Jerry Paris, general manager o f W P F WFM 89.3, and the Rev. Graylan Hagler, I was invited to co-anchor the program carried by W P F W- F M radio. The campaign is based on fundamental rights that all human beings should enjoy. The Rev. William J. Barber II of North Carolina is the leader with the moral authority to conduct this action. At the meeting and march to the White House, Rev. Barber spoke to a large, enthusiastic and diverse crowd at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington. Prior to the meeting in Washington, the campaign had reached out to more than 30 states, meeting with thousands of people, witnessing the strength of their moral courage. The group collected testimonies from hundreds of poor people and chronicled their demands for a better society. They’ve witnessed the struggles of the poor and dispossessed.

It has been documented how the group came to the current point. Documentation reveals the evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation and the war economy and militarism that are persistent, pervasive and perpetuated by a distorted

Dr. E. Faye Williams moral narrative that must be challenged. It indicates that those who refuse to see these injustices and acknowledge the human and economic costs of inequality must be challenged. The action in Washington was a great step toward challenging these conditions. A moral agenda was issued and I will share just a sampling of the demands the group has adopted: 1. Full restoration and expansion of the Voting Rights Act, an end to racist gerrymandering and redistricting, early voter registration at age 17, automatic voting registration at the age of 18, early voting in every state, same-day registration, enactment of Election Day as a holiday with a verifiable paper record, as well as the right to vote for currently and formerly incarcerated. 2. Statehood, voting rights and representation for the more than 690,000 people in the District of Columbia.

3. Implementation of federal and state living wage laws that are commensurate with the 21st century economy, guaranteed annual incomes, full employment, right for all workers to form and join unions, end to anti-union and anti-workers’ rights laws in states, equal pay wage and relief from wealth inequality. 4. End inequalities for black, brown and poor white people within the criminal justice system. 5. An immigration system that, instead of criminalizing people for trying to raise their families, prioritizes family reunification, keeps families together and allows us all to build thriving communities in the country we call home. 6. Particular attention be paid to data concerning First Nations, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, LGBTQIA and disabled people regarding poverty. 7. Change in the current poverty standards to get an accurate assessment of who is poor — based on access to decent and adequate housing, education, health care, water, sanitation and public utilities, child care, as well as income, savings and debt, and social welfare — and that’s made widely available to all. Fifty years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign de-

Trump and trade For Donald Trump, America First is increasingly translating into America alone. He apparently believes the United States is so dominant that it needs no friends. President Trump prefers to act alone, often on impulse, in conflicts across the globe. He views allies as a burden, international law as an affront. He claims that America is back, more respected than ever. In fact, it is becoming more isolated than ever. The New York Times reports that President Trump was ready to impose tariffs on Australia recently, to counter a surge of aluminum imports to the United States, to all of 6 percent of total U.S. imports. Fierce opposition from the military and State Department led the White House to reconsider. President Trump has launched a long overdue challenge to our trade relationship with China. Our trade deficits with China have been the largest between two countries in recorded history. The Chinese have been masterful mercantilists, manipulating their currency and conditions to capture jobs, expand exports and build their industries. The United States — with our trade policies defined by global corporations and banks — has been willing to allow U.S. companies to ship jobs abroad to take advantage of suppressed labor and lax environmental and consumer standards, and then ship goods back to the United States. Profit margins and CEO

pay soared; workers and communities in the United States took it on the chin. The relationship had to change. Yet instead of enlisting allies in challenging the Chinese practices, President Trump slapped tariffs on Canada and Mexico,

Jesse L. Jackson Sr. on Europe, Japan and South Korea. He’s on the verge of alienating Australia, which has been a staunch ally in relation to China. Instead of isolating China, he’s isolating the United States. Now the Europeans are ignoring U.S. warnings about the Chinese high-tech company Huawei’s 5G system. President Trump trumpeted his NAFTA 2.0 agreement with Mexico and Canada as a great success. Yet, he suddenly threatened to slap escalating tariffs on Mexican imports unless that country cracks down on the people traveling from Central America to seek asylum in the United States. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, and chair of the Senate Finance Committee, warns this could torpedo any possibility of passing the treaty. President Trump isn’t just isolating the United States; he’s isolating himself. He moved to take the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord that includes virtually every country in the world. He has repudiated the Iran Nuclear Deal, spurning the pleas of our allies to respect a treaty that ensures Iran cannot revive a nuclear weapons program. His bellicose bluster

and military maneuvers against Iran have earned the rebuke of European allies warning against the threat of hostilities. Instead of removing us from the endless “stupid wars” that he campaigned against, he’s gone all in with Saudi Arabia, sustaining troops in Afghanistan, Syria, escalating tensions with Iran, and vetoing the bipartisan congressional resolution seeking an end to our shameful complicity in the Saudi assault on Yemen. His solo act on North Korea blew up in his face in the failed summit, leaving South Korea to pick up the pieces, if that’s possible. He has ratcheted up the economic sanctions against Venezuela, adding to the miseries of the people there, while the regimechange efforts orchestrated by his aides violate both decency and international law. The United States is a powerful nation. Our economy represents about one-fourth of the global GDP. Our military is the strongest in the world. Our network of alliances is unrivaled. Our culture — movies, language, currency — spread across the world. But we are not an indispensable nation or all powerful. Acting sensibly with allies, we can have immense influence. Acting erratically alone, we make ourselves weaker, not stronger. Bluster is not strength. Isolation is not freedom. Lawless impulse is not strategy. President Trump’s posturing is making us weaker, not stronger. The writer is founder and president of the national Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

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

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

clared “Silence is betrayal,” the group’s message is “We are coming together to break the silence about the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and our distorted moral narrative … “If silence was betrayal in 1968, revival is necessary today. We’ve come to remind our nation what truths we hold to be self-evident and what values we hold dear. “We draw on the histories of resistance … and the power of the blood that has been shed through generations of struggle. We loudly proclaim that we will move forward together, not one step back!” These declarations are something about which all of us should care about and want to be involved with. See www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/demands for more information. The writer is president of the National Congress of Black Women.

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Richmond Free Press

June 20-22, 2019

Letters to the Editor

More on Ashe celebration Re â&#x20AC;&#x153;Friends of Battery Park to celebrate Mr. Ashe,â&#x20AC;? Free Press June 13-15 edition: Thank you so much for publicizing the event we are planning in celebration of the naming of Arthur Ashe Boulevard on Saturday, June 22. In Battery Park on North Side the tennis courts were named for Mr. Ashe in 2004, and the tunnel under Overbrook Road has been painted by local artists of U.N.I.T.Y Street Project with a colorful, inspiring mural of portraits and highlights of his life. Friends of Battery Park is a partner group with the Enrichmond Foundation and working on the celebration with other community partners, including Metro Richmond Tennis

Club, Battery Park Civic Association and the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities.Â From 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, there will be music, dancing, tennis skill-building for ages 5 to adult and open tennis on the courts.Â At 3 p.m. a plaque will be unveiled on the tunnel by some of the artists and community leaders.Â We hope your readers will join all of us in this fun day in the park honoring our â&#x20AC;&#x153;hometown hero.â&#x20AC;? GINNIE MORROW Richmond The writer is president of Friends of Battery Park.

William J. Egen

The spray-painted letters on this GRTC bench at 23rd and East Franklin streets prompted a readerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complaint (see below) about graffiti marring seating for riders.

Making benches at GRTC bus stops an issue would get results Re Letters to the editor, â&#x20AC;&#x153;All GRTC bus stops need benches,â&#x20AC;? Free Press, June 6-8 edition: Ernest Parker Jr. is absolutely right that every GRTC bus stop should have a bench. Stops should have a shelter as well. Human dignity demands it. But Mr. Parker focuses his frustration in the wrong place. GRTC has a limited amount of money allocated for â&#x20AC;&#x153;amenitiesâ&#x20AC;? at bus stops. It can decide where to put its handful of new benches and shelters, but it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t decide how many to install. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s based on its funding, which each locality decides. Governments spend tens of millions of dollars on road construction. The least they can do is install some benches at bus stops. So if you want better bus stops, call your local elected official and ask for more money for bus stops â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and bus routes while youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at it. I guarantee GRTC would be overjoyed. And remember: Boards

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of Supervisors members in Chesterfield and Henrico counties are all up for election this November. And Richmond City Council is up for election in 2020. If

everyone reading this made benches at bus stops an issue, we could fix it. NICHOLAS SMITH Richmond

Make GRTC bus stops graffiti-free The letter writer of â&#x20AC;&#x153;All GRTC bus stops need benchesâ&#x20AC;? has a great point! I would go one step further and add that bus riders and the citizens of Richmond deserve benches free from graffiti. Currently, there are two bus stop benches with graffiti listed on RVA311. I would encourage the City of Richmond to rectify this issue and do a â&#x20AC;&#x153;graffiti blitzâ&#x20AC;? this summer to tackle the defaced signs, sidewalks and recycling bins across our city.Â WILLIAM J. EGEN Richmond Housing assistance programs available, contact:

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tbrown@fultonmortgagecompany.com

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Richmond Free Press

A8 June 20-22, 2019

Sports Stories by Fred Jeter

Will Kawhi Leonard stay with new NBA champs? The NBA playoffs are over, but the excite- face — an injury resulting in seven stitches under ment continues. his right eye and a chipped tooth. Combining the brilliance of Kawhi Leonard Wearing a facial bandage, the undrafted and his teammates with good fortune, the Toronto guard out of Wichita State University got Raptors are NBA champions, having thwarted even in Game 6, scoring 22 points, hitting five the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty. 3-pointers and hounding Steph Curry with a But now what? box-and-one defense. Canadians hold their collective breath while Lady Luck: For sure, the Raptors’ timing was Leonard, the NBA Finals MVP and arguably right. For the first time since 2006, the road to the sport’s premier the Eastern Conference talent, decides if he finals wasn’t blocked wants to remain north by James, now with of the border or take the Lakers. his talents to a more Then there was that southerly locale. mind-boggling shot A decision likely by Leonard to beat will come this summer Philadelphia 92-90 in as NBA free agency Game 7 of the Eastern commences. Conference semifinals. Here’s the deal. From the deep corner Players can begin necame Leonard’s desgotiating with other peration jumper as Game scores from the NBA Finals teams at 6 p.m. Sunday, time expired. The shot Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State June 30. Players canbounced an oh-myWarriors four games to two. not actually sign until gosh four times on the Game 1: Toronto 118, Golden State 109 July 6. rim before dropping. Game 2: Golden State 109, Toronto 104 Leonard is at or Injuries are part of Game 3: Toronto 123, Golden State 109 near the top of the sports, but the Golden Game 4: Toronto 105, Golden State 92 “most coveted” list. State Warriors had Game 5: Golden State 106, Toronto 105 And consider: No deal more than its share of Game 6: Toronto 114, Golden State 110 is official until it’s miseries in the finals. on paper and signed. Superstar Kevin Durant Verbals don’t count. played only a few minutes in Game 5 before Leonard legacy: The 6-foot-7 forward tearing his Achilles tendon. known as “The Klaw” becomes the third NBA Klay Thompson went down with a torn ACL player to win the finals MVP title with teams in Game 6. Just one more connection from from difference conferences. He joins Kareem Thompson down the stretch may have forced Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks and Los An- an iffy Game 7. geles Lakers) and LeBron James (Cleveland Speculation: Leonard is the man Cavaliers and Miami Heat). Leonard was MVP i n d e m a n d a s f r e e a g e n c y n e a r s . in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs. Options start with staying in Toronto. However, Leonard’s 732 playoff points is the third best a factor in his decision may include a decision of all time, behind Michael Jordan (759 points to be made by Raptors’ President Masai Ujiri, in 1992) and James (748 points in 2018). who lured Leonard from Texas to Canada. There Wounded warrior: In Game 4 of the Finals, are reports Ujiri may be leaving Toronto for a the Raptors’ Fred VanVleet was elbowed in the similar position with the Washington Wizards.

One for the books

Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

Kawhi Leonard leads the celebration as the Toronto Raptors parade through a sea of adoring fans Monday after upsetting the Golden State Warriors to secure their first NBA title.

The Lakers, with James and now All-Star center Anthony Davis, who was acquired in a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, might become the Best of the West with the addition of Leonard. Don’t count out the Los Angeles Clippers either. Leonard is a native of Southern California, went to San Diego State University and has a well-known relationship with Clippers Coach Doc Rivers. The long-suffering New York Knicks figure to make a powerful pitch. Acquisition of Leonard

might rescue perhaps the NBA’s most hapless franchise. Also in the Big Apple, the Brooklyn Nets are close to being a contender and figure Leonard would put them over the top. Options are endless. Meanwhile, Raptors fans from Newfoundland to Manitoba, from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia, are kicking up their heels in celebration with the Raptors as NBA champions. But make no mistake, Leonard is the life of the party, and Canada won’t fully exhale until The Klaw accepts an invitation to return.

Flying Squirrels to host 4-day extravaganza for Eastern League All-Star Game The Eastern League All-Star Game, set for Wednesday, July 10, at The Diamond, is much more than just a baseball game. Actually, it’s a four-day extravaganza with something for everyone planned. Here is the four-day forecast of fun: Sunday, July 7, 5 to 8:30 p.m.: Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s All-Star Weekend Kickoff at Brown’s Island. Plenty of food options, Michael Robinson Aaron Brooks Coach Rhoades Mo Alie-Cox with music by Mighty Joshua and Trongone Band and a performance by Ephesus Drumline. Tuesday, July 9: All-Star Pep Rally Downtown at the James Monday, July 8, 7 p.m.: Big & Rich will be the headliners Center, 10th and Cary streets, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for an All-Star Country Music Jam at Virginia Credit Union At 6 p.m., Celebrity Home Run Derby at The Diamond, with LIVE! at Richmond Raceway, 900 E. Laburnum Ave. such notables as Virginia Commonwealth University basketball

Coach Mike Rhoades, University of Richmond basketball Coach Chris Mooney, former VCU basketball stars Mo Alie-Cox and Eric Maynor, former NFL players Michael Robinson, Aaron Brooks and Tim Hightower, NASCAR driver Elliott Sadler, Rob Ukrop of the Richmond Kickers and former MLB standouts Will Clark and Mike Mordecai taking their swings. The derby will be followed by a concert by Eric Maynor Three Sheets to the Wind. Wednesday, July 10: Squirrels Way All-Star Block Party, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Diamond, 3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. Autograph sessions, 4:15 to 6 p.m. Eastern League All-Star Game, 7:05 p.m.

One of ‘Fab Five’ returns to alma mater as Michigan’s new basketball coach Juwan Howard is a towering man facing a towering task. Minus any head coaching experience, Howard has been handed the keys to one of college basketball’s premier programs — the University of Michigan, his alma mater. “My heart is with Michigan,” the 6-foot-9 Howard said in his May 31 introductory news conference as the Wolverines’ new head basketball coach in Ann Arbor. Coach Howard succeeds Coach John Beilein, who left the Big 10 school to coach the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers. Some retooling is needed. The three leading scorers on last year’s Michigan team have departed and one of the top incoming recruits de-committed following Coach Beilein’s departure. Coach Beilein, who coached the University of Richmond Spiders from 1997 to 2002, was 278-150 at Michigan from 2007 to 2019. In 2018, the Wolverines reached the NCAA Tournament title game. Coach Howard has a tough act to follow. Wolverines fans can only hope Howard, the coach, lives up to Howard the power forward. In Coach Howard’s first chapter of Michigan hoops, he wore jersey No. 25 as a member of the famed “Fab

Five,” along with Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. Under then Coach Steve Fisher, the Wolverines reached two NCAA championship games and were 80-22 from 1991 to 1994. Coach Howard, a Chicago native, went on to become an NBA All-Star with the Washington Bullets, now Wizards, in 1996 and earned championship rings with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. From 2013 to 2019, he served as an assistant coach for the Miami Heat. He has never been the lead man on the sidelines on any level. There is some uplifting news already on the UM recruiting front. Cole Bajema, a touted Coach Beilein signee from Washington, D.C., has re-affirmed his commitment to Ann Arbor. Coach Howard is hoping his personal family ties and Michigan family ties will help him jump-start the Michigan program. Coach Howard’s cousin, 6-foot-10 Jaden McDaniels, has verbally committed to the University of Washington but has not signed. Coach Howard is hopeful on selling McDaniels on the Wolverines. Then there is Franz Wagner, son of former Wolverine Moritz Wagner. Wagner is a blue-chip 6-foot-7 forward living in Ber-

Juwan Howard

lin, Germany. The hiring of former NBA luminaries makes for splashy headlines but isn’t always a winning ticket. Here are some examples where NBA fame didn’t translate to the NCAA. • Chris Mullin: He stepped down at St. John’s University, his alma mater, following the 2019 season. Coach Mullin’s four-year mark was 59-73. • Avery Johnson: The University of Alabama gave

Coach Johnson the gong after a 34-38 record against Southeast Conference opponents in five seasons. • Mark Price: Following a 30-42 record at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte from 2015 to 2018, he was relieved of his duties. • Reggie Theus: The former NBA All-Star and the University of California-Northridge parted ways in 2018 following Theus’ five-season 53-105

worksheet. • Kevin Ollie: After backto-back seasons of 16-17 and 14-18 at the University of Connecticut, Ollie was shown the door. • Mike Dunleavy: He was given a pink slip at Tulane University after going 4-27 overall and 0-18 in the conference this past season. By contrast, Coach Dunleavy was NBA Coach of the Year in 1999 with the Portland Trail Blazers. • Donyell Marshall: He remains coach at Central Connecticut State University despite a three-year mark of 31-61. • Damon Stoudamire: Despite a three-season, 39-58 record, Stoudamire, the 1996 NBA Rookie of the Year, remains coach at University of the Pacific. • Terry Porter: The twotime NBA All-Star is hanging on at the University of Portland despite a three-season, 2869 record. • Danny Manning: Wake Forest University is a disappointing 65-93 under Manning during the past five years, with just one NCAA Tournament bid. • Bobby Hurley: Arizona State University is 73-58 under the former Duke University star, but the Sun Devils are a weak 32-40 within the Pacific 12 Conference.

• Patrick Ewing: Georgetown University’s all-time great has underachieved as coach at his alma mater, going 34-29 with only an NIT appearance in two seasons. Other past horror shows were Isiah Thomas at Florida International University and Clyde Drexler at his alma mater, University of Houston. Thomas was 26-65 at FIU from 2009 to 2012. Drexler was 19-39 at Houston from 1998 to 2000. NCAA Division II coaches also are encountering problems. Ex-NBA guard Doug Overton is struggling at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, where the Lions were 14-15 overall and 7-10 in the CIAA last season. Coaches on the upside: • Tony Bennett, who played with the Charlotte Hornets from 1992 to 1995 is 254-89 at the University of Virginia since 2009, guiding the Cavaliers this year to the NCAA Tournament crown. • Dan Majerle at Grand Canyon University and Penny Hardaway at the University of Memphis would seem to have their programs surging. • Jerry Stackhouse, the new coach at Vanderbilt University, has received commitments from the namesake sons of former NBA stars Kenyon Martin and Scottie Pippin.

Richmond Free Press

weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re game

June 20-22, 2019

Richmond Free Press

B2 June 20-22, 2019

Happenings

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Celebrating Juneteenth

Hundreds of people enjoy activities last Saturday at “Juneteenth: A Freedom Celebration” on the waterfront of the James River in South Side at the Manchester Dock. The three-day event, organized by the Elegba Folklore Society and its founder, Janine Y. Bell, marks the date on June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Texas learned of their freedom after the defeat of the Confederates and Union forces took control of that state. Richmond’s celebration included educational sessions for people of all ages to learn about Africans brought to this nation 400 years ago and their

struggles and contributions. At Saturday’s events, called “Independence Day Our Way,” Iman Bell, left, teaches youngsters African dances with the accompaniment of drummers, while Dr. W. Neal Holmes, an adjunct political science professor at Virginia Union and Virginia State universities, offers lessons in a learning circle. Dr. Holmes facilitates a monthly study group at the Elegba Folklore Society, 101 E. Broad St. in Downtown. Right, Mary Williams sits in reflection at the site, which once served as a landing point for slave ships on the James River.

‘Food Justice, Healthy Eating Fair’ this Saturday A coalition of faith-based groups is hosting “Food Justice, Healthy Eating Fair,” featuring interactive healthy food demonstrations, performances by dancers and drummers, a vendor marketplace and a tour of a community garden 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at Second Baptist Church of South Richmond, 3300 Broad

Pool’s open!

Baptist Church of South Richmond. Alice M. Freeman, a certified nutritional consultant, will do cooking demonstrations. The church’s garden will be open for tours, and festivalgoers will be able to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables. The event is free and open to the public.

Clement Britt

Gianni Harris, 7, jumps into the Battery Park pool Saturday to enjoy the cool water with family and friends. The joyful noise and splashes of youngsters marked the official opening last weekend of the City of Richmond’s seven outdoor swimming pools. The pools are operated by the city Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities and are open 1 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Each location offers swim lessons for children and adults at all levels, beginners to advanced, as well as times for open and lap, adult and family swimming sessions. Two indoor pools, Bellemeade and Swansboro, are open year round. The outdoor pools are Battery Park, 2719 Dupont Circle; Blackwell, 238 E.14th St.; Fairmount, 2000 U St.; Hotchkiss, 701 E. Brookland Park Blvd.; Powhatan, 1000 Apperson St.; Randolph, 1507 Grayland Ave.; and Woodville, 2305 Fairfield Ave. Details and hours, www.richmondgov.com/ parks/AthleticsSwimming.aspx or (804) 646-5733.

‘In The Sun Again’

Rock Blvd. The fair is part of the “Keepin’ It Reel Healthy” series created to increase community knowledge of food justice and health eating practices. The event is sponsored by Faith Leaders Moving Forward, a local interfaith organization, in partnership with Community Unity in Action and Second

“It is widely recognized that Richmond’s historically African-American communities are greatly impacted by food injustice that often results in diet-related illnesses,” Dr. Charles Shannon III, founder of Faith Leaders Moving Forward, stated. “Many of these illnesses are preventable if we provide the community with knowledge and access to healthy fruits and vegetables. Through our involvement with the Keepin’ It Reel Healthy campaign, this event will increase awareness of practical ways of preparing healthy meals at home that honor mind, body and spirit.” Others available to answer questions at the event are the Rev. Ralph Hodge, senior pastor at the church, and Arthur Burton, co-founder of Community Unity in Action. Details: Tasha Chambers, (804) 263-0491.

Dr. Watson to speak Saturday at Black History Museum Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Learning the ropes Many youngsters dream of being firefighters when they grow up. Ralph Lee Harris III got to live out the dream during Richmond Fire Station 21’s Community Day event last Saturday at the station, 2505 Jefferson Davis Highway. Dressed out, the youngster helps Firefighter Brianna Robinson of Engine Co. 11 during a hose drill. Left, Oscar Escobar, field operations supervisor with the Richmond Ambulance Authority, instructs Delisia Johnson on the correct way to do chest compressions during CPR.

Dr. Lance D. Watson, senior pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist Church, will talk about his childhood, mentors, mantras and memories Saturday, June 22, as part of the Inside Out series of conversations with influential people in Virginia at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia. The program begins 10:30 a.m. at the museum, 122 W. Leigh St. in Jackson Ward, and will be preceded with a continental breakfast at 10 a.m. The event is free for museum members; $8 for nonmembers. Details and registration: www.blackhistorymuseum.org or (804) 780-9093.

#AMERON 4YLER "ROWN Photos by Regina Boone/Richmond Free Press

Above left, Me’Kel Williams leads a cardio hip-hop session during the Robinson Theater Community Arts Center’s “In The Sun Again Community Block Party” last Friday at the Church Hill center. Mr. Williams demonstrated the workout he leads weekly at the center, where he is assistant director. Center, Jameer Dickerson, 8, and his dad, Ken Dickerson, enjoy ice cream cones at the party. Above right, Karen Wells, right, introduces children to art activities at the PBS “Ready to Learn” table in her role as East End manager for the PBS program. The block party continues the theater’s efforts to be a place that creates connections between residents and supports diversity and inclusion.

Honorary street sign for Fire Chief Ronald C. Lewis

AMERON 4YLER

ROWN

Ms. Brown received her Associates Degree from J. Sargeant Reynolds and High School Diploma from Highland Springs High School -Advanced College Academy 2019. She is a honors student, MVP Highland Springs Tennis Team and 1st Violinist of Highland Springs Orchestra.

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Leslie A. Lewis, foreground, celebrates the unveiling and dedication of an honorary street sign honoring her late husband, former Richmond Fire Chief Ronald C. Lewis. Dozens of friends, neighbors, firefighters and supporters turned out for the sign’s unveiling last Saturday at the intersection of Birdwood and Bathgate roads in South Side’s Brookbury neighborhood, where the Lewis family lives. The trailblazing Chief Lewis was Richmond’s first African-American fire chief, serving in the top position from 1978 to 1995. He helped establish and support the city’s river dive and rescue team; fire safety education programs; smoke detector giveaways and rebuilding 25 fire stations and department facilities. Chief Lewis also was a founding member of the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters. Chief Lewis died in late February at age 84. The sign was unveiled by Mrs. Lewis, Mayor Levar M. Stoney, current Fire Chief Melvin D. Carter, and 8th District City Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell, who introduced the ordinance in City Council for the street sign tribute.

Ms. Brown will attend Xavier University-New Orleans, LA and major in Chemistry and Pre-Pharmacy. She is the daughter of parents Latasha Heath Brown and the late Ronald M. Brown; granddaughter of Linwood and Patricia Heath and godchild of Sherrie Y. Mintz

Photo Credit Photowattimages

S N O I T A L U T #ONGRA #AMERON

Richmond Free Press

June 20-22, 2019 B3

Happenings

Personality: David O. Harris Jr. Spotlight on advocate who spearheaded effort to honor Arthur Ashe Jr. David O. Harris Jr. is the driving force behind renaming the Boulevard in Richmond for Arthur Ashe Jr., the late Richmond native who made his mark on the tennis court and on the world stage as a civil and human rights advocate and philanthropist. Now the nephew of Mr. Ashe will see his dream come true this weekend. The 2.5-mile roadway that has been known for decades simply as the Boulevard will be dedicated this weekend as Arthur Ashe Jr. Boulevard. Mr. Harris received permission from his aunt, Mr. Ashe’s widow Jeanne MoutoussamyAshe, to undertake the renaming effort. Mr. Harris will offer remarks during the official dedication and unveiling ceremony 11 a.m. Saturday, June 22, at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. The ceremony is the capstone of a three-day, city-sponsored celebration to honor Mr. Ashe. Early efforts to rename the Boulevard in Mr. Ashe’s honor began in 1993, the year he died. But City Council struck down proposals to rename the street in 1993 and 2003. However, advocates remained undaunted. And the 45-year-old Mr. Harris, who spearheaded the latest efforts that started in early 2018, was successful. “I was elated,” Mr. Harris says, adding it was “relief and validation that Richmond was ready to do bigger and better things.” Mr. Ashe was born July 10, 1943, in Richmond and attended Maggie L. Walker High School. He began playing tennis on courts at Brookfield Park on North Side, where his father was the park ranger, and later at Battery Park. Brookfield Park was later razed to make way for Richmond’s current Main Post Office. Richmond’s apartheid system of segregation prevented him from playing on the whites-only courts at Byrd Park, located at the southern end of what is now Arthur Ashe Boulevard. Despite the obstacles, Mr. Ashe went on to become an international tennis champion, winning the men’s single’s title at the U.S. Open in 1968, the Australian Open in 1970 and Wimbledon in 1975. He remains the only black man to win the three titles. He was the first AfricanAmerican to selected to the U.S. Davis Cup Team, which he later coached. Mr. Ashe died at age 49 on Feb. 6, 1993, from AIDS-related pneumonia. He contracted the disease from a blood transfusion during heart-bypass surgery in the 1980s. He held a news conference to announce his illness in 1992 and began working to educate and advocate on behalf of those with HIV and AIDS, setting up the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS to boost research efforts. President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in June

1993 for his achievements on the court, his advocacy for civil and human rights in the United States and abroad, as well as his efforts on behalf of AIDS/HIV education and research. Despite all of Mr. Ashe’s plaudits and celebrity, Mr. Harris says he and his uncle had a normal familial relationship. “It was a genuine relationship and very casual,” Mr. Harris says. “It was like anyone being with their favorite uncle — sitting down to chat or calling to ask a question and getting some guidance. “My uncle and I did traditional things — going to the movies and sending each other gifts,” Mr. Harris says. “He was an extension of my parents. My parents and the older generation taught us to be purposeful, cool and calm, as well as not to act on emotion or feeling,” Mr. Harris says. “The world saw those family values through my uncle as he played on the global sports stage.” Mr. Harris says Mr. Ashe introduced him at age 9 to tennis during a visit to Florida, where Mr. Ashe lived later on. Mr. Harris grew to love the game and honed his skills at Battery Park in Richmond’s North Side. “My uncle sent me to the International Management Group tennis academy and I eventually played on Virginia Union University’s tennis team on a scholarship,” Mr. Harris says. Although Ms. Harris admired his uncle’s athletic accomplishments, he says, “I know him more from his body of work in civil rights, AIDS/HIV research paving the way for untainted blood supplies for transfusions, philanthropy and dedication to eradicate apartheid, which affected Africa as well as the world. He was a true example of an athlete turned global educator. Those things carried more weight than his accomplishments in sports.” As Richmond is poised to honor Mr. Ashe this weekend, Mr. Harris says the city “still has more work to do.” “Get involved and be inclusive,” he says. “Voice your opinions in mindful ways so

they can be recognized and heard.” Meet the man behind renaming Arthur Ashe Boulevard and this week’s Personality, David O. Harris Jr.: Date and place of birth: Sept. 2 in Richmond. Current residence: Henrico County. Education: Hermitage High School, Class of 1992; bachelor’s in banking and finance, Virginia Union University. Family: A stepson, Desmond Claytor, 26; and nephew of the late Arthur Ashe Jr. Why Arthur Ashe Jr. should be honored in Richmond: My uncle is one of our greatest heroes. His legacy and work has stood the test of time. This is the prime opportunity for the Richmond community to permanently acknowledge his attributes, stature and accomplishments. The things he was fighting for and encouraging to change we are still dealing with today. His body of work is still relevant and an example we should look at to move forward and improve our lifestyle. Why is the Boulevard the right road to rename in Mr. Ashe’s honor: From a historical standpoint, the Boulevard starts at Brookland Parkway and ends at Byrd Park, where my uncle was denied the opportunity to play tennis when he was young during segregation. The Boulevard, which has no name, extends through the middle of the city and is a gateway to Downtown. Your role in getting this honor approved: I lobbied, had conversations, researched the cost of changing the name, getting the information to Richmond City Council, the Scott’s Addition community organization and any other group supporting the effort. I made sure people were notified about what we were trying to do, as well as encouraged people to support us. We wanted to show the children of the city that we were able to change things and the right way to do it. Did you have concerns City Council may not approve the name change: This is the third time we have tried to place Arthur Ashe’s name on the boulevard. We knew there would be a slight opportunity that the name change would not happen. We stayed the course and let people know our real purpose was to encourage, collaborate and be inclusive, as well as to show my uncle was a man of the people. How did you feel when City Council approved it: I was elated — relief and validation that Richmond was ready to do bigger and better things. My family and I are extremely proud (of the outcome). We are especially proud of the people helping us along the way to get this renaming off the ground. I am very proud of the people planning the celebration

and appreciate the many talented people in the city. How I will feel when the new street signs officially are unveiled: Elated and jubilant over the joyous occasion. Who do you credit with helping to making it happen: The project’s lobbying team, City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray, Mayor Levar M. Stoney, the Scott’s Addition Boulevard Association, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and the people lobbying on our behalf, verbally and anonymously. What is Arthur Ashe’s legacy: His belief in education and inclusiveness, immediate and extended family, people and growth and working through our differences to make a better world. Is Mr. Ashe still impacting the city: Yes, and I hope naming the Boulevard after my uncle will increase his impact on Richmond. We can take this opportunity to educate the next generation about my uncle’s body of work. Is Mr. Ashe adequately honored with the name change: I hope Arthur Ashe will look down on us with approval as he sees what we have planned. I also hope the people participatingintheceremonywillalso approve. I think residents in Metro Richmond should study his body of work outside of sports — his fight againstapartheidandhisworkforcivil rights and HIV/AIDS research. Outlook at start of the day: Every day I open my eyes I know it is a good day and am completely positive. QualityIadmireinanotherperson: Confidence, sense of purpose, pride without arrogance. The best thing my parents ever taught me: In the face of adversity, you press on and don’t give up. Next goal: Revitalize parts of South Richmond.

The Annual Commemoration of the

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson statue will be held by 5he Astoria Beneficial Club on

June 2 , 201 , 10:00 A.M.

at Adams and Leigh Streets in Richmond, Virginia This ceremony honors entertainer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson for his gift of a traffic light for the safety of the students at Armstrong High School. Mr. Robinson saw a great need in the community. With personal funds purchased the traffic light for $1,400, after he saw two children almost hit by a car while trying to cross the street at Leigh and Adams on their way to Armstrong High School. This traffic light provided safe passage for students, and the community who used this busy intersection. It was the first traffic light north of Broad St. where mostly African-Americans lived. The Astoria Beneficial Club was instrumental in the erection of the statue in 1973, and has held this memorial service annually on the fourth Saturday in June.

PREMIER SPONSOR

The City of Richmond, the Virginia Historical Society, and Dominion Energy SHOW SPONSOR

JUN 21 - AUG 4

NOVEMBER THEATRE/ARENSTEIN STAGE

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY CHARLIE SMALLS BOOK BY WILLIAM F. BROWN

VIRGINIA REPERTORY THEATRE | 804-282-2620 | VIRGINIAREP.ORG

Richmond Free Press

B4 June 20-22, 2019

Faith News/Directory

Hard hats replace bishops’ miters at Notre Dame’s first Mass since fire Religion News Service

PARIS Everyone, it seems, has an idea for how to rebuild Notre Dame. Proposals for its reconstruction include topping it with a modern glass cover, an ecological garden or even a swimming pool on the roof. French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to reopen the 850-year-old Gothic masterpiece in 2024 — conveniently in time for the tourists attending the Paris Olympics — and caused an uproar by proposing to ignore strict preservation laws to get this done on time. Since a dramatic blaze destroyed its roof and spire on April 15, many speeches and articles have highlighted the cathedral’s special meaning for the French as a historic site and a tourist attraction. Most of those speeches and articles have downplayed Notre Dame’s primary identity as a church. Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit has used the occasion of the first Mass there since the April 15 blaze to push back against all these secular plans for what is his home church. During the Mass inside an intact side chapel last Saturday evening, the anniversary of the cathedral’s initial dedication, Archbishop Aupetit told about 30 clerical and lay worshippers that Notre Dame “cannot be reduced to a national heritage monument.” All of the invited participants wore white hard hats during their hour on what is now a chaotic construction site. Archbishop Aupetit, who otherwise would have worn a bishop’s miter, took off his hard hat only at the consecration. “This cathedral is a place of worship. That is its only purpose,” the archbishop said in his sermon. “There are no tourists at Notre Dame because this term is often pejorative and does not do justice to this mystery that prompts humanity to seek something beyond itself.” He also lamented what he called “the abysmal religious ignorance of our contemporaries” who wanted to avoid any mention or sign of spirituality in the public sphere. “Are we ashamed of the faith of our ancestors?” he asked. But Archbishop Aupetit may not have much say in how the cathedral will be rebuilt. Under French law, all churches built before 1905 are national heritage buildings and therefore public property. Local authorities are responsible for the upkeep of churches in their areas, while cathedrals belong to the state, a provision that

Barky’s

Karine Perret, Pool via Associated Press

The Archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, second from left, leads the first Mass in a side chapel on June 15, two months after a devastating fire engulfed the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

gives national politicians a voice on issues such as expenditures for rebuilding Notre Dame. A live broadcast of Saturday’s Mass by the diocesan television channel KTO gave glimpses from inside the cathedral, which has been closed since the fire and is now surrounded by temporary walls to keep onlookers away from the worksite. Nets were hanging over the nave to catch any material falling from above, and a pile of charred timber and other debris filled the area where the front pews for worshipers used to be. Two large holes in the ceiling showed where the falling spire broke through. Some of the fragile glass in the central part of the cathedral has been removed, with the remaining window frames propped up by wooden beams and covered with clear plastic. Notre Dame’s roof has been sealed with plastic sheeting laid down from the outside. The KTO broadcast also gave Archbishop Aupetit a platform to add his voice to a lively debate about the cathedral that has highlighted

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SATURDAY, JUNE 29TH 9:30 - 11 Twitter sixthbaptistrva

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

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

(near Byrd Park)

New Deliverance Evangelistic Church

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

Remember... At New Deliverance, You Are Home! See you there and bring a friend. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Hebrew 12:14 (KJV) www.ndec.net Tune in on Sunday Morning to WTVR - Channel 6 - 8:30 a.m.

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

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (NDCA)

SATURDAY

Accepting applications for children 2 yrs. old to 5th Grade

8:30 a.m. Intercessory Prayer

You can now view Sunday Morning Service “AS IT HAPPENS” online! Also, for your convenience, we now offer “full online giving.” Visit www.ndec.net.

ENROLL NOW!!! Our NDCA curriculum also consists of a Before and After program. Now Enrolling for our Nursery Ages 6 weeks - 2yrs. old. For more information Please call (804) 276-4433 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm

Church School 8:45 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study 7p.m.

 

Transportation Services (804) 859-1985

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“Reclaiming the Lost by Proclaiming the Gospel”

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

7OMEN´S $AY SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2019

June 23, 2019 @ 10:30 A. M. Feel Free to Join Our Family In Worship Anytime You Are Able!

Tuesday

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

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! – Psalm 133:1 Weekly Worship: Sundays @ 10:30 A.M. Church School: Sundays @ 9:00 A.M. Bible Study: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 P.M.

11:00 AM Mid-day Meditation

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

2901 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 648-2472 ~ www.mmbcrva.org Dr. Price London Davis, Senior Pastor

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

Initial Sermon of Bro. Avi Hopkins March 24, 2019 @ 3:00 P.M.

Join Us as We Celebrate this Important Moment in the Life of Our Church Family.

“MAKE IT HAPPEN”

Weekly Worship: Sundays @ 10:30 A.M. Church School: Sundays @ 9:00 A.M. Bible Study: On Summer Break

Pastor Kevin Cook

Triumphant

Baptist Church 2003 Lamb Avenue Richmond, VA 23222 Dr. Arthur M. Jones, Sr., Pastor (804) 321-7622 Church School - 9:30 a.m. Worship Service - 11:15 a.m. Bible Study - Wednesday - 7 p.m. Communion - 1st Sunday

(Redeeming Love Family Church), Fayetteville, NC

Morning Worship

Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You”

6:30 PM Prayer Meeting

8:30 AM - Sunday School | 10 AM - Morning Worship THEME: Order Our Steps: “Women After God’s Own Heart For We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight” Speaker: MINISTER VANESSA HAMILTON

Upcoming Events & Happenings

1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223-6624 s Office: (804) 644-1402

Community Breakfast Chew & Chat for Men

WEDNESDAY SERVICES

Sunday Service 10 a.m.

3HARON "APTIST #HURCH

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

Ages 5 - 12

SUNDAY

Dr. Robert L. Pettis, Sr., Pastor

“The Church With A Welcome”

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Great start to Summer Camp Only 4 slots left — Stop by today!

8:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Worship Service

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

Message by: Pastor Bibbs Instructions For The Battle 1st Timothy 6:11-12

First Lady

2006 Decatur Street Richmond, VA 23224 zbcoffice@verizon.net

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JUNE: MEN'S MONTH

D. Min., Pastor





Sunday, June 23, 2019 11:00 AM Worship Celebration

Mother Marcietia S. Glenn

Zion Baptist Church

 

Theme for 2018-2020: Mobilizing For Ministry Refreshing The Old and Emerging The New We Embrace Diversity — Love For All! A 21st Century Church Come Worship With Us! With Ministry For Everyone

Bishop G. O. Glenn

  

Sixth Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

the many tensions in France between its oncepowerful majority Catholic faith and modern political efforts to enforce a strict separation of church and state. The fire’s embers were hardly put out before this tension emerged. Major companies and large city governments promptly pledged large sums to reconstruct Notre Dame, leading secularists to ask why they were putting up cash for a religious building. President Macron’s promise that “we will rebuild the cathedral even more beautiful than before,” and the announcement of an international competition among architects for ideas about its future brought forth proposals ranging from an exact reproduction of the roof and spire to an array of futuristic touches to add to the medieval building. Architects who favor adding a modern touch to the roof argue that the much-beloved spire destroyed in the fire was only put there in 1859 when the architect Eugène Viollet-leDuc renovated the cathedral to make it look

more medieval. While the government presses ahead, both politicians and heritage experts have argued firmly for a slow approach. The National Assembly has given its initial approval to President Macron’s plan to ignore some preservation laws, but the Senate has rejected his accelerated approach and also insisted the fallen spire should be rebuilt just as before. The two chambers now must work out a compromise text before it can be voted into law. Also up for debate is whether the roof should be rebuilt with wooden supports underneath as before, or whether fireproof concrete or metal beams — which could not be seen from the outside — would be safer. No consensus has emerged on that point either. While he says he supports President Macron’s ambitious goals, France’s Culture Minister Franck Riester, whose ministry is responsible for France’s many monuments, has been stressing how difficult they will be to realize. “We’re still in the phase of securing the building,” he said on Saturday. “The vault is still very fragile,” he said, referring to the cathedral’s stone ceiling that was pierced when the burning spire crashed through it. Architects say the vault still could come crashing down, robbing the cathedral walls of the stabilizing effect it provided. Barbara Schock-Werner, the former chief architect of the massive Gothic cathedral in the western German city of Cologne, said after a visit to Notre Dame that the French building was still “severely injured,” and nobody could yet say how long the work would take. Mr. Riester was more optimistic, saying the experts should know in a few months the exact condition of the building and be able to estimate how much has to be done to reopen it. “In the end, what will count is the quality of the work that’s done,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we’ll have finished all the work in exactly five years. It might mean we can open the inside of Notre Dame earlier for worshippers and tourists while there might be work outside that can be finished afterward.” Because of that uncertainty, Mr. Riester could not say whether the 850 million euros, or $955 million, that benefactors around the world have pledged would be enough to finance the whole reconstruction. About 80 million euros already have been paid, with many benefactors presumably waiting until the restoration projects are agreed upon to transfer their donations.

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” Rev. Dr. Price L. Davis, Pastor

We Pray God’s Ric for You & You in The New

LentenKing, Season —Martin Luther Jr. Mosby joins with the larger Christi in celebrating the Lenten season reflection, fasting & prayerful conse on the journey and follow along w Calendar at www.mmbcr

Richmond Free Press

June 20-22, 2019

Faith News/Directory

Dementia and religion: Inside a churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support group LOUISVILLE, KY. They sat in a circle in a room usually used by high schoolers and talked about the people they loved who no longer recognized them orÂ who had died forgetting the names of family caregivers in their last days. The Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease caregiver support group on a campus of Southeast Christian Church started with a devotional lesson referring to Charlie Brown pal Linusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lack of fear as he told the story of the birth of Jesus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only through our relationship with Christ that we can have the inner peace that can help us just get through the day,â&#x20AC;? said a facilitator before the group of 10 bowed their heads for an opening prayer. Her petition acknowledged the challenges of both caring for someone and coping with the â&#x20AC;&#x153;jobâ&#x20AC;? being done if that someone had recently died. The monthly caregivers gathering at this evangelical megachurch is among the hundreds of support groups held at houses of worship and affiliated with the Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Association. From the nearby University of Louisville to the University of Exeter, researchers have found that people caring for loved ones with dementia benefit from supportive social networks. Church and association leaders say they recognize that people may feel more at ease disclosing their difficult circumstances within a congregational setting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We know that one of the first places many families and individuals may turn is to their faith community, so it is important that faith leaders know about our services and resources,â&#x20AC;? said Ruth Drew, director of the associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s information and support services. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We also strive to have volunteers engaged in these communities to give people a chance to access resources and guidance in a place where they feel safe and comfortable.â&#x20AC;? The Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Association said in its 2018 report that nearly half of all caregivers who provide help to older adults do so for someone with Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or another form of dementia. It is a condition that has afflicted everyone from retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor to Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree, who announced his diagnosis at an African Methodist Episcopal Church bicentennial event. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 5.7 million Americans have Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Experts predict twice as many

Americans 65 and older will have the disease by 2040. At the Southeast Christian gathering, the group met for an hour and a quarter, their sniffles mixed with their sharing. One man passed around an album of photos of his wedding after describing his wife, who is in the late stages of Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Members of the group joked about his hair before it was gray and praised him for standing by his wife as she no longer remembers who he is. The group encouraged him to draft a list of friends he can meet for coffee while his daughters watch his wife. But he said most of his friends are dead. One woman, whose father had died the month before, struggled to figure out what she might do next. Others spoke of family division over a motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dementia. A woman said she fixed her motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hair and then took a photo of her mom. She then shared the photo with her brother, who canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t handle visiting their mom. At least that way he could see how she looks. As one group member told a story, others nodded knowingly and made gentle rejoinders to show they empathized. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to become the parent to your parent,â&#x20AC;? one woman said. Between prayers, they gave one another advice, such as turning on child locks in their cars and putting away bills before loved ones move them and canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember where they are. One person recalled a breakfast outing when a loved one with Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s started piling napkins high and moving other items off the table. Someone had a suggestion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; passing around a card that reads, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Please Be Patient â&#x20AC;Ś The person with me is challenged with Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Thank you for understanding.â&#x20AC;? When they shared how they can be angry or wonder why God gave them this situation, a facilitator reminded the caregivers: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Job also questioned God.â&#x20AC;? An analysis by University of Exeter researchers of 1,283 caregivers of people with mild to moderate dementia found that it was important for them to have resources to aid their own physical and psychological health. Three-quarters of those interviewed said they were Christian and a fifth claimed no religion. University of Louisville professor and geropsychologist Benjamin Mast, author of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Second Forgetting: Remembering the Power of the Gospel during Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Disease,â&#x20AC;? has researched what caregivers say they need from their faith

St. Peter Baptist Church $R +IRKLAND 2 7ALTON 0ASTOR

communities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Number One response that I got over and over again was presence,â&#x20AC;? said Dr. Mast, who has had members of his family affected by Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They would tell me things like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I would just love to have a phone call, either from the pastor or from somebody from the church, to check in on me and to see how I was doing.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; What they were telling me was they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really need some elaborate intervention or something complicated, but they wanted to feel as if they had somebody to go with them on this journey.â&#x20AC;? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why the Rev. Valerie Washington, pastor of Hughlett

Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church â&#x20AC;&#x201D; across town from where the Southeast Christian group meets â&#x20AC;&#x201D; started an Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s caregiver support group last August after a longtime church officer was diagnosed with dementia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He would be the first one to open the door, last one to leave,â&#x20AC;? she said of the man in his 80s who continues to attend the predominantly black church regularly but can no longer run meetings due to his condition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just wanted to be able to not only help him, but help my congregation as well as his family.â&#x20AC;? Rev. Washington, whose

father had Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and who has an aging congregation (a third are older than 70), said the group, which varies from five to a dozen, includes another member whose wife has Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Others are survivors whose loved ones had dementia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re there to help the ones that are going through it to know what to either expect or what they went through,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most of them make the statement, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for God, I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to go through this. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to handle this.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;? Facilitators of caregiver groups, who generally have had their own experiences with

Report urges congregations to support family caregivers By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

Rev. Ziettlow, a former hospice chaplain, said the overall number of unpaid caregivers to the elderly â&#x20AC;&#x201D; about 41.3 million â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is A new report on family caregivers details expected to increase significantly as baby how congregations can play a role in sup- boomers age. Citing the Bureau of Labor porting the increasing number of members Statistics and AARP, she said the average caring for elders. caregiver spends three hours a day aiding an â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether their care journey elder and $7,000 a year on out-offeels like a roller coaster, the deep pocket related costs. end or a long marathon, family The report, which quotes the caregivers are at risk of emotional, biblical commandment to â&#x20AC;&#x153;honor financial and spiritual exhaustion your father and your mother,â&#x20AC;? offers as they balance both work and care examples of how congregations can and are tempted, often by necesstand by those whose loved ones sity, to journey alone,â&#x20AC;? writes the suddenly or gradually can no longer reportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s author, Lutheran pastor live by themselves or handle dayRev. Ziettlow Amy Ziettlow. to-day responsibilities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Called to Care: Honoring ElIt suggests that congregations can provide ders & the Family Care Journey,â&#x20AC;? released paid family leave to clergy and employees, June 11 by the Center for Public Justice, a noting such action is â&#x20AC;&#x153;honoring paid work and nonpartisan Christian organization focused on family work as equally dignified and holy.â&#x20AC;? civic education and policy research, proposes The report recommends that houses of ways houses of worship, employers and the worship provide volunteers to help care government can assist caregivers. recipients navigate their health decisions or â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need congregations, workplaces give respite to caregivers. And it urges conand public policies that honor and support gregations to warmly welcome back elders these superhero caregivers,â&#x20AC;? Rev. Ziettlow who may return to a congregation after being writes. away for a period of time.

Mid-Day Bible Study 12 Noon Prayer & Praise 6:30 P.M. Bible Study 7:00 P.M. (children/Youth/Adults)

Graduate Recognition Sunday Unity Service June 23, 2019 at 10 A.M. The Graduation Message delivered by:

The Honorable Justice John Charles Thomas

Music rendered by Mr. Kai Casey, The Agape Singers & The Sunbeam Choir -OUNTAIN 2OAD s 'LEN !LLEN 6IRGINIA /FlCE s &AX s WWW STPETERBAPTIST NET

Ebenezer Baptist Church 1858

Âą4HE 0EOPLEÂ´S #HURCHÂ˛

216 W. Leigh St. â&#x20AC;˘ Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 â&#x20AC;˘ Fax: 804-643-3367 Email: ebcofďŹ ce1@yahoo.com â&#x20AC;˘ web: www.richmondebenezer.com Sunday Worship Sunday Church School Service of Holy Communion Service of Baptism Life Application Bible Class Mid-Week Senior Adult Fellowship Wednesday Meditation & Bible Study Homework & Tutoring Scouting Program Thursday Bible Study

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

Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. James E. Leary, Interim Pastor

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

SUNDAY SCHOOL - 9:45 A.M. SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 11:00 A.M.

Union Baptist Church 1813 Everett St., Richmond, Va. 23224 804-231-5884 Reverend Robert C. Davis, Pastor

Graduateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sunday

Sunday, June 23, 2019 9:30 AM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sunday School 11:00 AM â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Morning Worship

We Affirm Our 2019 Graduates

/ UI 4USFFU r 3JDINPOE 7" ELDER VIOLA WILLIAMS, Pastor-Elect

Celebrates its

Thursdays:

2IVERVIEW

St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s United Holy Church

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

RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks

Rev. Valerie Washington

loved ones with dementia, are often ready to volunteer to help others. Debbie Buckler, who helps lead a caregiver support group on another Southeast Church campus, lost her husband, Frank, toÂ dementia in Â 2004. She also lost her mother to dementia on Jan. 2. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For people that are going through this, especially a spouse, there is what I call a first widowhood, where I had to realize I had lost my husband,â&#x20AC;? she said in an interview. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And that first widowhood was worse than the second.â&#x20AC;? She said she tries to help people cope with the challenges of being a caregiver, from being up in the middle of the night on watch for a loved one wandering around the house to being a â&#x20AC;&#x153;prisoner in your own homeâ&#x20AC;? who is exhausted and has little social life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every day is a heartbreak,â&#x20AC;? said Mrs. Buckler, whose husband had to retire early as a machine shop teacher at a vocational school as his symptoms became evident. She left her work as a physician recruiter to care for him. Nevertheless, Mrs. Buckler said she tried to note â&#x20AC;&#x153;small miraclesâ&#x20AC;? and celebrate them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The most disturbing thing was that my husband also had Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and they lose the ability to smile and I remember praying â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to God â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that I could really deal with this better if only he could still smile,â&#x20AC;? she recalled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And I went home that day and he was smiling. Now, he was able to smile up to about two weeks before his death.â&#x20AC;?

TH #HURCH !NNIVERSARY

Sunday, July 14, 2019 Morning Worship 11:00 am

Guest Preacher:

Dr. Mary Hunter Young (former pastor of St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s)

Director of Leadership Education The Association of Theological Schools The Commission on Accrediting In the United States and Canada

Serving Richmond since 1887 &BTU #SPBE 4USFFU 3JDINPOE 7JSHJOJB r

SUNDAY 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Worship Service

ALL ARE WELCOME

Antioch Baptist Church

Thirty-first Street Baptist Church

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Redeeming Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s People for Gods Purposeâ&#x20AC;?

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

SERVICES

SUNDAY WORSHIP HOUR â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10:00 A.M. CHILDRENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHURCH & BUS MINISTRY AVAILABLE SUNDAY SCHOOL (FOR ALL AGES) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9:00 A.M. TUESDAY MID-DAY BIBLE STUDY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12 NOON WEDNESDAY MID-WEEK PRAYER & BIBLE STUDY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 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

WEDNESDAY 12:00 p.m. Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Bible Study

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

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

SUNDAYS

Church School 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship 10:30 a.m. â?&#x2013; DR. JAMES L. SAILES PASTOR

WEDNESDAYS Bible Study 7:00 p.m. â?&#x2013;

THIRD SUNDAY 10:30 a.m. Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church Higher Achievement 823 North 31st Street Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 226-0150 Office

Richmond Free Press

B6 June 20-22, 2019

Sports Plus

Armstrong High scholar-athlete taking his talents to U.Va. By Fred Jeter

Hollywood has produced numerous Superman movies over many decades. Should another sequel come to a theater near you, Corvell Poag could be the star. The new Armstrong High School graduate has excelled in so many ways one might suspect he wore a cape and flew to school rather than take the yellow bus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Corvell is pretty much the ultimate student-athlete,â&#x20AC;? said Armstrong Activities Director Glenn Anderson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the kind of young man every coach wants to coach, and who every teacher wants to teach.â&#x20AC;? First the academics: The 18-year-old Poag was Armstrongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senior class president and salutatorian of the Class of 2019 with a 4.06 GPA. Then there was his athletic side: Poag competed in football, track and field, tennis, soccer and, largely, wrestling. On the mats, he was 80-22 for his career with the Wildcats, including 31-7 this season. Twice he earned All-State Class 3 honors. There is more: Poag was a member of the Student Ambassadors, the Leadership Program, the Law Club and Mock Trial Team, among other clubs. So how did he find time? â&#x20AC;&#x153;There really wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t time, so I had to make time,â&#x20AC;? he said. When others were heading home after the final school bell, Poag was just warming up. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Never, never once did I go straight home after the final

class,â&#x20AC;? he said. Nicknamed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mr. Everything,â&#x20AC;? Poag makes it look easy. But it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been easy. His family often was on the move. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve lived in North Side, South Side and Hampton on two occasions,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We pretty much got evicted from every house we ever lived in.â&#x20AC;? Poag attended three middle schools â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Henderson and Martin Luther King Jr. in Richmond and Benjamin Syms in Hampton. Asked about elementary schools, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t begin to tell you how many.â&#x20AC;? Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quick to praise the many mentors in his life and refrains from criticizing others close to him, no matter their imperfections. The best would seem yet to come for this classic high achiever. Poag is enrolling this fall at the University of Virginia, where he will receive essentially a full scholarship from federal, state and university dollars. He has won an $8,000 Access College Foundation scholarship from U.Va., along with a $7,500 grant as the Sports Backers/Richmond Times-Dispatch male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In Charlottesville, he plans to continue wrestling as a walk-on while majoring in aerospace engineering, a field concerning aircraft and spacecraft. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been fascinated with planes,â&#x20AC;? Poag said. Asked about career goals, he quickly offered, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Someday I want to build my own plane.â&#x20AC;? Prepare for takeoff. Superman, meet Corvell Poag.

Corvell Poag

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, July 1, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. in the Fifth Floor Conference Room of City Hall and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, July 22, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2019-159 To authorize the special use of the property known as 2711 East Broad Street for the purpose of a dwelling unit within an accessory building, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential District. The City of Richmondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Master Plan designates a future land use category for the subject property as Singleâ&#x20AC;&#x2018;Family Medium Density. Primary uses for this category include singleâ&#x20AC;&#x2018;family and twoâ&#x20AC;&#x2018;family dwellings, both detached and attached, at densities of 8 to 20 units per acre. The density of the parcel if developed as proposed would be approximately 12 units per acre. Ordinance No. 2019-160 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1515 Hull Street for the purpose of an artist woodwor king studio, upon certain terms and conditions. This property is situated in a B-5 Central Business District.The City of Richmondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Downtown Master Plan designates the subject proper ty as a Downtown Urban Center Area which is characterized by higher d e n s i t y, m i x e d â&#x20AC;&#x2018; u s e development, typically arranged on a fine grained street network, with wide sidewalks, regular tree planting, and minimal setbacks. Ordinance No. 2019-161 To rezone the property known as 1039 West Grace Street from the R-73 Multifamily Residential District to the B-5 Central Business Distr ict. The Master Plan calls for community commercial uses for the property. Primary uses include office, retail, personal service and other commercial and service uses, intended to provide the shopping and service needs of residents of a number of nearby neighborhoods or a section of the City. Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s page on the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Website at; the Main City Library located at 101 East Franklin Street; and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Candice D. Reid City Clerk

Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO MAJORIE REZVYI, Plaintiff, v. VIKTOR REZVYI, Defendant. Case No.: CL19-1108 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from VIKTOR REZVYI on the grounds that the Parties have lived separate and apart continuously and without cohabitation or interruption for a period in excess of one year. An affidavit having been filed that VIKTOR REZVYI, defendant, is not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and that due diligence has been used by or on behalf of MARJORIE REZVYI, plaintiff, to ascertain in what county or city the defendant is without effect; UPON CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, this order of publication is granted and the Defendant, VIKTOR REZVYI is hereby ORDERED to appear before this Court, on the 5th day of August, 2019, at 9 a.m., and protect his interests. A Copy Teste: Heidi S. Barshinger, Clerk Scott D. Cardani, VSB# 39976 Bowen Ten Cardani PC 3957 Westerre Parkway, Suite 105 Richmond, Virginia 23233 Telephone: (804) 755-7599 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER RODNEY LEE, Plaintiff v. MECHETE LEE, Defendant. Case No.: CL19000853-00 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 t h e d e fe n d a n t , w h o s e whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 22nd day of July, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

Continued from previous column

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

ALFREDO RAMIREZ PAZ, is not a resident of the State of Virginia and that his last known address is unknown, it is therefore ORDERED that Defendant, WILLIAM ALFREDO RAMIREZ PAZ, appear before this Court on or before the 8th day of July, 2019, at 9:00 a.m., and do what is necessary to protect his interests in this suit. An Extract Teste: Heidi S. Barshinger, Clerk

in re ETHIE BRENT File No. JJ-095414-08 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (â&#x20AC;&#x153;RPRâ&#x20AC;?) for Unknown (Father) of Ethie Brent, child DOB 01/20/2018, â&#x20AC;&#x153;RPRâ&#x20AC;? 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) to appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his/her interest on or before August 5, 2019, at 2:00 PM, Courtroom #4

C ontrol (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Wine and Beer permits license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Sumita Das, 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 800-5523200.

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER LISA CORBETT, Plaintiff v. CHARLES JONES, JR., Defendant. Case No.: CL19001247-00 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 17th day of July, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. 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 KENYA GAGE, Plaintiff v. TERRANCE ROBINSON, Defendant. Case No.: CL19001062-00 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 17th day of July, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. 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 JAIME MENDOZA LOPEZ, Plaintiff v. CAROLINA SALVADOR REYES, Defendant. Case No.: CL19000743-00 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 t h e d e fe n d a n t , w h o s e whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 22nd day of July, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HENRICO DULCE CELESTE JOLON YAT Plaintiff, v. WILLIAM ALFREDO RAMIREZ PAZ Defendants. Case No.: CL19-2351 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of the abovestyled suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the Defendant on the grounds that the parties have lived separate and apart, without any cohabitation and without any interruption, for a period of more than one year. It appearing by affidavit filed according to law that the Defendant, WILLIAM

Continued on next column

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER KEVIN BROWN, Plaintiff v. NICOLE ROSS, Defendant. Case No.: CL19001651-00 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 t h e d e fe n d a n t , w h o s e whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 17th day of July, 2019 at 9:00 AM, Courtroom #2 and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

CUSTODY NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION: STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SPECIAL PROCEEDINGS DIVISION COUNTY OF DURHAM FILE NO. 19 SP 554, IN RE: I.F.T., A Minor Child. TO: Any Unknown Parent Take notice that an action has been commenced against you in the above referenced court file to adopt a male child born on May 10, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia to Darla Simone Ely. The child was conceived in the vicinity of Richmond, Virginia in approximately July - August 2018. Ms. Ely is a Caucasian female, 23 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 24 years of age, 230 lbs. when not pregnant, 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;9â&#x20AC;? feet tall, green eyes, long brown hair, fair complexion, and medium build. To participate in this proceeding and receive further notice, including the time and place of any hearing in this matter, you must file a written response with the Clerk of Superior Court within forty (40) days after the first publication of this notice on June 20, 2019 on or before July 30, 2019. If you fail to respond, Petitioners will seek an order that your consent is not required to this adoption and a decree of adoption will be entered that will terminate your parental rights. This the 12th day of June 2019. You should provide a copy of any response to the attorney for Petitioner at: Bobby D. Mills, 4600 Marriott Drive, Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27612, Telephone 919-306-2899. VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, Continued on next column

LICENSE Native Selections LLC Trading as: Native Selections LLC, 1206 Dinwiddie Ave. STE D, Richmond, Virginia 23224 The above establishment is applying to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Wholesale Wine (30,000 Gallons or Less Annually), Wine Importer license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Shawn Eubank, Managing Member 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 800-5523200. Sumita Das/Dasbrothers Inc Trading as: Liberty Market 523 S. Washington Hwy Ashland, Hanover 23005 The above establishment is applying to the Virginia D epartment of Alcoholic Beverage Continued on next column

Property TRUSTEEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SALE 3413 2nd Avenue, Richmond 23222 In execution of a Deed of Trust recorded in Clerkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office there having been a default under the Deed of Trust, Trustee will offer for sale at public auction on July 9, 2019 at 11:00 a.m., front entrance of Circuit Court, City of Richmond, John Marshall Cour ts Building, 400 N. 9th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, the property known as 3413 2nd Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23222. For full description of property, see Deed of Trust. Sale made subject to all existing easements, restrictive covenants, liens and/or deeds of trust.TERMS: Cash at settlement within 15 days of sale. Bidderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deposit 10% of bid price cash or certified check. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Ann Rogers, Trustee, Post Office Box 167, Manakin Sabot, Virginia 23103 (804)784-7182.

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REQUEST FOR BIDS For Certain Easements Upon, Over, Under and Across 3502 North Hopkins Road and 3516 North Hopkins Road In the City of Richmond The City of Richmond is seeking bids for certain easements upon, over, under, and across certain properties located at 3502 North Hopkins Road and 3516 North Hopkins Road for the construction, installation, operation, maintenance, inspection, repair, replacement, and removal of communication lines and associated appurtenances in accordance with a certain Deed of Easement, for a duration of 40 years, subject to certain responsibilities to be imposed by the Deed of Easement and subject further to all retained rights of the City of Richmond.

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

Applications are now being accepted for the following positions: PCA or CNA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Licensed Medication Tech Experience working with Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s & Dementia Residents Please bring a current TB report when applying All references will be checked. Good pay â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Good days oďŹ&#x20AC;. Call for appointment (804) 222-5133

Janitorial (PT) Evenings General Cleaners and Floor Techs

Peninsula Cleaning Service is looking to ďŹ ll all positions. Primary responsibilities are cleaning & sanitizing. Must have exp., cleaning medical/ commercial facilities. Valid DL & background check reqĂd. Apply @www.peninsulacleaning.com or call

757-833-1603 EOE AA M/F Vet Disability

EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH 216 West Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23220 The Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church

Opening for the Position of Pastor Ebenezer Baptist Church, of Richmond, Virginia, seeks a Pastor, called by God, who will lead, direct and guide the ministry of this historic church. The applicant must be a trained, licensed and ordained minister, must have served at least three years as a pastor, assistant or associate pastor and must have earned the Master of Divinity Degree. The applicant must also be a biblical scholar, understand church business principles and be of impeccable character. The closing date for submitting application is July 8, 2019. Contact information and detailed application instructions are found at Ebenezerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website, www.richmondebenezer.com

CDA USA seeks Business Manager, Labeling & Filling Machines to direct/coordinate activities of manufacturing facility w/ respect to production, manufacturing, pricing, sales, & distribution of automatic & semi-automatic labeling & ďŹ lling machines. Travel 1 wk/month all over Eastern part of USA to attend trade shows & visit customers. REQ: AssociateĂs or foreign equiv. in Business Admin or closely related & 6 months exp as Technical Engineer or Technician in manufacturing industry w/ 6 months concurrent exp building, designing, & maintaining automatic & semi-automatic labeling &ďŹ lling machines; investigating failures of & repairing automatic & semi-automatic labeling & ďŹ lling machines; & using Omron programmable logic controller (PLC) or Allen Bradley PLC. LOC: Henrico, VA. Send cvr ltr, CV, salary rqmt & refs to: C. Gore, OďŹ&#x192;ce Manager, 4310 Eubank Rd, Henrico, VA 23231.

All bids for the easements hereby offered to be granted must be submitted in writing to the City Clerkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 24, 2019. Bids will be presented to the presiding officer of the Council of the City of Richmond on Monday, June 24, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. in open session and then will be presented by the presiding officer to the Council and be dealt with and acted upon in the mode prescribed by law. The City of Richmond expressly reserves the right to reject any and all bids. The successful bidder shall reimburse the City for all costs incurred in connection with the advertisement of this ordinance in accordance with section 15.2-2101 of the Code of Virginia and shall post the bond required by the ordinance. A copy of the full text of the ordinance is on file in the City Clerkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office, and the full text of the ordinance and Deed of Easement to be executed is available at: https://richmondva.legistar.com/LegislationDetail. aspx?ID=3947219&GUID=FF615E6B-542B-4912-9CD68629D0225F72&Options=ID|Text|&Search=2019-130

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

Bedros Bandazian

Associate Broker, Chairman

Please address any questions or bids to: Candice D. Reid, City Clerk City of Richmond 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200 Richmond, Virginia 23219 (804) 646-7955

804.358.5543

Raffi Bandazian

Principal Broker, GRI

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