Richmond Free Press March 12-14, 2020 edition by Richmond Free Press

Lady Panthers on the prowl Friday A8

Richmond Free Press

VOL. 29 NO. 12

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

COVID-19

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Spotlight on Oscar-winning screenwriter B2

MARCH 12-14, 2020

Coronavirus hits Virginia, impacting people, events

By Reginald Stuart

With the coronavirus sweeping the globe, efforts to mitigate its surge and impact are being felt across the state. From elected officials to private company executives, small business operators, schools and universities, hospitals and clinics and individuals, people are bracing for what the World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic on Wednesday. Richmond Public Schools, which serves more than 24,000 students from pre-K through 12th grade, announced that all school and division-sponsored field trips, athletic events and conferences have been canceled, beginning Wednesday. “We will lift this ban once we feel confident that the potential threat to students and staff has abated,” stated RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras in his message. He also asked families to “prepare now for the possibility of canceling school” if any students or staff members are confirmed with coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. University of Virginia officials also announced Wednesday that on-campus classes have been suspended “for the foreseeable future,” with students who are now on spring break to resume classes online beginning March 19. Officials said the university will reassess the situation on April 5, allowing any students returning from spring break to have passed the twoweek incubation period for coronavirus. Please turn to A4

Questions on coronavirus answered How is coronavirus spread? Similar to other cold viruses, including the flu, coronavirus is spread through droplets that spray out from sneezes, coughs and runny noses. When someone coughs, you can inhale them, you can get them on your hands and then touch your mouth, your nose, your eyes. It is transmitted that way. It also may be able to live on surfaces for a certain amount of time, such as doorknobs, cell phones, desks and kitchen counters. You should clean those surfaces, as well as your hands. What are the symptoms? Similar to a cold or the flu, the symptoms can be mild. During the first two- to 14-day incubation period, you may see common things such as a fever, coughing or shortness of breath. If the symptoms worsen, such as a higher fever or trouble breathing, it could be a sign of something worse. Call your doctor or the local health department. How is it diagnosed? Diagnosis is made through a test using a sample of sputum or secretion, like a throat or nose swab. The test is sent to a lab where genetic material in the sample is analyzed to see if it matches this strain of coronavirus. Who is at risk? Anyone can get the coronavirus. Children don’t seem to be getting a severe illness. At most risk are people age 60 and older and those with underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart, kidney or lung disease. Is there a vaccine? Not yet. Officials estimate there may be vaccine trials by mid-year, and perhaps a fully licensed and widely distributed vaccine by the end of the year or later. How can I protect myself? Wash hands with soap and water at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer that’s at least 60 percent alcohol. Avoid touching your face and eyes. Cough into a tissue or your elbow. Wipe down all surfaces. Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Gov. Ralph S. Northam offers the latest information on the coronavirus and its impact in the state during a news conference Wednesday at the Patrick Henry Building. At the briefing, the governor’s second in a week, he was surrounded by a bevy of state health, hospital and other officials, including Mayor Levar M. Stoney.

How should I prepare? You may have to postpone travel plans and prepare to work or study from home. So have a two-week supply of things you need on hand at home, including food and any prescription medications.

Cathy’s Camp to be shut down by March 31, displacing homeless By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Complete closure and removal. That’s what’s ahead for Cathy’s Camp, the tent community that sprang up in recent months adjacent to the city’s winter overflow shelter and across the street from the Richmond Justice Center. Despite failing to identify new resources or shelter space, a homeless task force of public and private service providers rolled

out a plan to shut down the camp by the end of March. The camp, which at one time housed more than 100 people, has become a visible symbol of the area’s affordable housing crisis that makes an outdoor field the only option for some. The closure is aimed at forcing current camp residents — and newcomers who are Please turn to A4

Coach Watts

Mr. Anderson

Ms. Burke

Foul

Racial epithets aimed at Armstrong basketball team spark investigations By Ronald E. Carrington

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Between 50 to 80 people still live in Cathy’s Camp, a tent city for the homeless that sprang up last August adjacent to city’s winter overflow shelter and across the street from the Richmond Justice Center on Oliver Hill Way. Local nonprofits have found housing for only about seven of the camp residents in the last two weeks.

Officials from Richmond Public Schools and the Richmond Branch NAACP are investigating allegations that the Armstrong High School boys basketball team, cheerleaders and fans were taunted with racial epithets during the state playoffs in Northern Virginia in late February. “The team, cheerleaders and Armstrong fans were called … the N-word by Central High School’s teams and fans,” said James E. “J.J.” Minor III, president of the Richmond Branch NAACP and an Armstrong alumnus who talked with the coaches following the Feb. 29 incidents. “Students in the stands wore T-shirts with the Confederate Please turn to A4

General Assembly green-lights preference for Pamunkey tribe in local casino By Jeremy M. Lazarus

The General Assembly, eager for a flood of green from casino gambling, gave a Virginia Indian tribe with a well-documented history and continuing practice of racial bigotry, a leg up in two cities — Richmond and Norfolk. Chief A majority of legislators, both African-American and Caucasian, pushed for the Pamunkey Indian Tribe to have preference

General Assembly wrap-up, A2 in two of the five Virginia cities that were given the green light for casino gambling. The legislation, approved in both the House of Delegates and state Senate, clears the way for casinos to be built in Richmond, Norfolk,

Bubbles at Byrd

Portsmouth, Danville and Bristol. The compromise bill that was approved grants the tribe preference in its bid to open a $700 million hotelcasino resort in Norfolk. While Richmond can undertake competition, the tribe’s plan for a $350 million hotel-casino in the capital city also would receive preference Gray as a minority-controlled operation, which other potential Richmond competitors, such as the Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, would need to match. The Free Press reported on the tribe’s adoption of white supremacist policies as a survival mechanism in the Feb. 27-29 edition. The story noted that the tribe in the 19th century banished members with relationships with AfricanPlease turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Shaun Yerby lifts his year-old son, Christian Moultrie, to catch bubbles blown by the youngster’s mother, Catrina Moultrie, and 7-year-old aunt, Ja’niyah Jackson during an outing Wednesday at Fountain Lake in Byrd Park. The sunny, 68-degree day was a draw for people who headed outdoors. Temperatures are expected to be in the low 60s by the weekend.

March 12-14, 2020

Richmond Free Press

Local News

Va. senator to launch re-election campaign U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner will launch his campaign for re-election next week with five days of events culminating in Richmond. The 65-year-old Democrat, who is expected to face limited Republican opposition, will kick off his campaign Tuesday, March 17, in Abingdon in Southwest Virginia and wrap up with an event in Sen. Warner Richmond’s Jackson Ward at noon Saturday, March 21, at the Hippodrome Theater, 528 N. 2nd St. After serving as Virginia’s governor from 2002 to 2006, Sen. Warner was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008. The Harvard Law School graduate and businessman is seeking election to his third six-year term. Rated as a centrist and advocate for bipartisan solutions, he has served on the banking, finance and intelligence committees and has been a champion for health care.

Robins Foundation grant aimed at helping homeless students Every year, between 1,300 and 1,500 students attending Richmond Public Schools are listed as homeless. These are students who stay on friends’ couches, live temporarily with relatives or wind up in shelters, with stable housing just a dream for themselves and their families. That could change under a new program to assist those students and their families. The Robins Foundation announced March 5 that it has awarded its annual $500,000 Community Innovation Grant to the nonprofit Housing Families First to support a program called “Bringing Families Home.” The one-time award would enable HFF to assist families of RPS students enrolled in a special program with identifying places to live and with rental applications, lease negotiations and move-in funds. The goal is to improve the students’ attendance and outcomes in school, according to the foundation. The students must be registered in RPS’ McKinney-Vento Program, a federally funded effort to provide educational and support services to those who are homeless. The grant would not solve the problem, given the costs and the number of students and families who are homeless. But HFF, a leading provider of crisis housing, described it as a strong step in raising awareness and opening the door to raise more money to support the work. Though based in Henrico County, HFF is targeting Richmond through the grant because the city has the largest population of homeless students in the region. But the need is substantial in Henrico and Chesterfield counties. Henrico reports nearly 1,000 homeless students, while Chesterfield reports nearly 800. Along with Bringing Families Home, HFF is known for the Hilliard House, a short-term shelter that assists single parents with children. — JEREMY M. LAZARUS

Dr. Fania Davis to speak on education and justice March 12 Dr. Fania Davis, co-founder of the Restorative Justice of Oakland Youth in California, will be the keynote speaker at a community forum on equity in education 6 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, 1000 Mosby St. The free public event, “Urban Trauma & Restorative Practices: A Community Dialogue on Equity & Justice in Education,” is sponsored by the Richmond Peace Education Center and will focus on the school-to-prison pipeline, discriminatory discipline practices and trauma and how it is handled in urban education. Ms. Davis, an author and sister of noted political activist Angela Davis, will be joined at the event by Dr. Maysa Akbar, author of “Urban Trauma: A Legacy of Racism,” and Dr. Ram Bhagat, manager of school climate and culture strategy for Richmond Public Schools. Details and information: Iman Shabazz at the Richmond Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, (804) 646-3542 or iman. shabazz@richmondgov.com.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Cityscape Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

Signs of spring abound, from robins to daffodils to baseball. Here, Nutzy, the mascot of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, climbs the steps of The Diamond baseball stadium to kick off the team’s first event of its 11th season — a block party last Saturday at the stadium on Arthur Ashe Boulevard. Nutzy’s Block Party included live music, dancing, local vendors and ballpark tours. It was the first opportunity for fans to buy game tickets before the season home opener on Thursday, April 16, against the Bowie Baysox of Maryland. The Richmond Flying Squirrels are the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

Mayor Stoney unveils a $1.92 billion budget plan for 2020-21 By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Mayor Levar M. Stoney wants to increase total city spending an additional $135 million — or nearly $600 per resident — to beef up investments in street paving, public education, city worker pay, affordable housing and other priorities. M ay o r S t o n e y laid out his plans in presenting to City Council last Friday his proposed $1.92 billion budget package for the 2020-21 fiscal year Mayor Stoney that starts July 1. The proposal is a 7.6 percent increase over the city’s current $1.78 billion budget. With a heated city real estate market continuing to pump more revenue into city coffers, and with the city set to benefit from regional increases in taxes on purchases and gas, Mayor Stoney, who is heading for re-election, did not include a request for any increase in property taxes. However, the budget proposal calls for additional increases in utility rates, which has concerned several City Council members worried that water and sewer service is becoming too expensive. Top items in the mayor’s proposal include: • Doubling spending on street paving to an unprecedented $30 million as part of a five-year plan to resurface most city streets and $2 million to replace or install sidewalks — a top issue for many. The city is benefiting from a General Assembly-approved plan to increase sales and gas taxes in the Richmond area to boost funding for roads and public transit. The city is projected to gain $25 million,

with the mayor seeking to use $15 million on paving, adding to $15 million the city would spend from its resources. • Increasing spending on public school operations by $17 million to enable Richmond Public Schools to undertake the second phase of its five-year improvement plan called Dreams4RPS. That amount would be on top of the $18.5 million provided this year. • Providing a 2 percent pay increase for most city employees, while increasing starting pay for police and firefighters by $1,000 and funding a step increase for veterans. Mayor Stoney also is proposing to spend $330,000 as part of a three-year effort to improve pay for public defenders, who represent most of the criminal defendants in city courts. He also is proposing to invest an additional $2.1 million in the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund to help expand the number of units, and to spend $667,000 to beef up Richmond’s pioneering eviction diversion partnership with Housing Opportunities Made Equal. HOME has aided 121 families to avoid losing their homes. Mayor Stoney’s plan also calls for hiring additional city employees to maintain trees, install sidewalks and handle service requests. The Richmond Voter Registrar’s Office would be another big winner, with the mayor proposing to boost spending by $1.7 million to enable the office to relocate its operations from City Hall. There are losers in the budget plan, too. That includes GRTC, whose city subsidy would be slashed by 50 percent to $7.9 million. While a new regional transit authority is to replace the money, bus company officials have said the mayor’s decision would likely prevent GRTC from cutting fares or

boosting service on its regular routes. While hailing his proposal to increase spending on RPS operations, the mayor did not mention that his budget package would slash spending on maintenance of existing school buildings from the $19 million provided this year to $4 million, a retreat that would leave a majority of existing building needs unmet. City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray, 2nd District, who is challenging the mayor in the November election, expressed concern about the mayor’s proposal to provide another significant increase for RPS “without any evidence that the money we are spending is generating the promised improvements.” She also expressed concern the mayor’s proposal does not include any efficiencies to reduce spending in any area and noted Mayor Stoney’s plan would add employees to the Department of Public Works when the department has a considerable number of vacant positions. However, with a tax increase off the table, the proposal to raise utility rates garnered the most attention. The proposed rate increases dismayed 8th District Councilwoman Reva Trammell. She said that residents on a fixed income can only pay so much, and the price of service is starting to hit their ceiling. Questions about the need for the increase were fueled by the mayor’s budget summary for the Department of Public Utilities. That summary shows the cost of utility operations has jumped $700 per person since he took office, rising from $1,760 per city resident in 2018 to a proposed $2,476 per resident in fiscal 2021. Council Vice President Chris A. Hilbert noted that even if the cost of utilities goes up only a modest 2 percent a year, that still means a significant increase after 20 years.

General Assembly wraps up with extraordinary changes By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Tens of thousands of the lowest paid workers in Virginia are headed for a raise of at least $2.25 an hour next year — their first in 12 years. Symbolizing the sea change in Virginia policies and laws that resulted from the Democratic takeover of the legislature, the General Assembly majority overcame an impasse between the House and Senate as well as the traditional Republican blockade to make it happen. Democratic majorities approved increasing the state minimum wage to $9.50 an hour effective Jan. 1, 2021, with additional increases in the following years to raise the wage to $12 an hour by 2023. The vote came Saturday as the General Assembly moved to close out a session that lived up to its historic billing — although the 40 senators and 100 delegates were to return Thursday to complete work on the state budget and other matters before adjourning. Following in the footsteps of at least 28 other states, the Virginia increase would be the first hike in the minimum wage since 2009, when the federal minimum was raised to $7.25 an hour. The bill, however, falls short of advocates’ hopes of gaining a $15 an hour minimum wage and eliminates farm laborers as beneficiaries. The passage of the increase, along with other changes, reflects the influence of the 23 members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, whose four senators and 19 House members were at the forefront on many of the session’s issues. Seven members played key roles as chairs of powerful committees. Hampton Delegate Jeion A. Ward, a VLBC member and chair of the House Commerce and Labor Committee, led the House drive for the minimum wage increase. Nonetheless, in ways large and small — including an increase in the state gas tax to pay for road improvements and support public transit — Virginia residents will begin to feel the impact of the slew of legislation that Gov. Ralph S. Northam is expected

to sign and that largely will become effective on July 1. For example, under VLBC-led legislation from Richmond Delegate Delores L. McQuinn that Gov. Northam has signed into law, people no longer can be fired, demoted or suspended from jobs or from school for wearing braids, dreadlocks, Afros or other hairdstyles that employers and authority figures deem unacceptable. The assembly also passed legislation giving the LGBTQ community protections against discrimination on the job, in schools and in public policy for the first time. The legislature pushed to beef up hate crime laws, granted the attorney general new authority to prosecute hate crimes and, for the first time, gave individuals a right to sue under state law for racial or gender discrimination. Also, applicants for apartments or other rentals no longer will face automatic rejection from landlords and owners if a portion of the rent is to be paid through a government voucher. Richmond Delegate Jeff M. Bourne, a VLBC member, spearheaded the bill that will bar discrimination against people receiving rental subsidies. For marijuana users, the legislature voted to end arrests for possession of small amounts, replacing the criminal charge with a $25 civil fine. A VLBC member, Richmond Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan, a potential gubernatorial candidate, also gained approval of a study that could lead to legalization, which advocates had hoped for this session. Also, the legislature gave women a boost with the approval of the Equal Rights Amendment that would give females equal standing in the U.S. Constitution. The Democratic majority also eliminated Republican-established barriers for women seeking abortions. Under bills pushed by House Majority Leader Charniele Herring of Alexandria, a VLBC member, local governments gained authority to take down Confederate statues that they own. Also, voters no longer will need to show a photo ID to cast a ballot and also will be able to vote up to 45 days ahead of Election

Day without providing any excuse under legislation that cleared both houses. The wave of change included passage of a consumer protection bill from Henrico Delegate Lamont Bagby, chairman of the VLBC. That legislation would end the practice of payday and vehicle title lenders being able to charge interest rates rate of 200 to 400 percent on such short-term loans in Virginia, creating a debt-trap for borrowers. Also, the legislature, with bipartisan support, eliminated a law that required suspension of a driver’s license for people who do not or cannot pay court costs and fines. On climate-change, the General Assembly passed the sweeping Clean Economy Act, which creates a general mandate to eliminate coal and other carbon-emitting fuels to generate electricity by 2045 in Dominion Energy’s territory and by 2050 in Appalachian Power’s western territory. Approved legislation also clears the way for more people, schools and businesses to install rooftop solar panels and slightly opens the door to competition from third parties to provide electricity from renewable sources. The General Assembly, for the first time, also made environmental justice a state policy to protect African-American and other minority communities from being the preferred locations for landfills, power plants and environmentally hazardous factories and developments. In criminal justice reform, the legislature pushed the threshold for a felony theft charge to $1,000, passed bills that would allow more state prisoners to apply for parole and required a state agency to begin collecting data on bail. Sen. McClellan also gained approval for her bill to generally require police to record interrogations of suspects in a bid to reduce false confessions. “This session has been historic in the extraordinary progress that was made for people in every corner of the Commonwealth,” House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn of Northern Virginia said. Voters who awarded Democratic majorities wanted “swift, impactful action,” she said, “and we have delivered.”

Richmond Free Press

March 12-14, 2020

Local News

The Market@25th working to build success By Ronald E. Carrington

Steve Markel told the media at the time that he is committed to the store’s success. The opening of The Market @ 25th last April was marked As The Market @ 25th gradually grows, Mr. Gold said in with great fanfare, Armstrong High School’s marching band, a recent Free Press interview, it will get easier going head-toa balloon release and high hopes for a community known for head with competitors, especially the Walmart Supercenter in being a food desert. the Eastgate Town Center in Eastern Henrico, whose prices, he Now, nearly a year later, the sound of band music has faded said, are hard to undercut. and the balloons are gone. The fanfare has given way to the “Our service is certainly much better than Walmart, and our hard work of building a brand and serving the Church Hill sales are going up,” Mr. Gold said. “People come in for our service. community. There is enough business in the area to satisfy everybody.” The 25,000-square-foot grocery store at 25th Street and As a longtime businessman, he knows habits are hard to Fairmount Avenue — part of a complex that includes The break. If customers are accustomed to shopping at Walmart or Flats @ 25th, a 42-unit apartment complex; the VCU Health other stores, it takes time to get people to change and give The Hub @ 25th, a community resource center; and the nearby Market @ 25th a try. The Kitchens at Reynolds, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community Mr. Gold emphasized the importance of partnerships with College’s culinary school opening this spring — launched with local vendors and food growers, whose numbers have increased the mission of providing jobs for people from the community from 60 last April to about 75 currently. and boosting healthy food options and health services to area He also talked about partnerships with Richmond Public residents. Schools, community organizations and churches. Those partThe store has had ups and downs since opening, with layoffs nerships include a new Virginia Fresh Match grant, a nutrition and fluctuating prices to be more competitive with chain grocerincentive program that matches funds to allow shoppers using ies as it works to meet the needs of low-income residents and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to buy more senior citizens while attracting more affluent residents gentrifyfresh local fruits and vegetables. ing the area. SNAP cardholders, who presently receive a 50 percent disThe Market @ 25th had 92 employees at the grand opencount on the price of fresh produce, now can receive the same ing. In October, the number had dropped to 77. The present discount on frozen vegetables, Mr. Gold said. Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press workforce is 64. The store also is offering a new home delivery feature, Market Norm Gold, right, developer and operator of The Market@25th, Norm Gold, the store’s developer and operator, said last fall stands outside the grocery in Church Hill with store director @ 25th Delivers. Residents within an 8-mile radius can order that the store was losing more money than planned. But investor Jae Scott before last April’s grand opening. online or use the mobile app Rosie or Grubhub to have their groceries delivered. Giving back to the community is an important part of the market’s mission. Curtis Lee, the store’s outreach manager who has spent his whole life in the East End, said he wants By George Copeland Jr. A trial is set for May 11 if Judge and the associated Confederate sym- to speak a message with which the people to understand the store’s Payne does not dismiss the case. bols create a hostile environment for student disagrees, the student’s rights benefit to the community. U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne The hearing was the latest develop- African-American students through are violated, and therefore the stat“Ninety percent of the emis maintaining the suspense about the ment in the lawsuit filed Aug. 16 with the unconstitutional imposition of ute of limitations does not bar that ployees are from Church Hill,” future of a federal lawsuit launched by the goal of removing “the vestiges of a government enforced speech. claim,” attorneys wrote in a brief to Mr. Lee said. “These are people the Hanover County Branch shameful, racist educational Judge Payne noted during the hear- the judge seeking to prevent the case’s who may have made a mistake NAACP seeking to change system in Hanover County ing that the suit appears to have been dismissal. in their lives that deemed them the names of two schools that forces African-Ameri- filed long past the two-year time limit Cyril Djoukeng, a member of the unemployable. They went named for Confederate leadcan students to champion a for challenges, as the School Board’s legal team from the firm Covington through our extensive training ers who fought to maintain legacy of segregation and attorneys have argued, given that both & Burling representing the branch, and learned skills to make them slavery. oppression.” schools have had their names for indicated that the firm would appeal good employees.” He hinted that he might The suit asks that the about 50 years any dismissal. The store also is offering kill the suit after listening court require the Hanover “I believe that on the face of the “We have confidence in our claims a new loyalty card that gives to arguments at the latest School Board to change the complaint, it is time-barred,” Judge and in the facts that the School Board’s holders discounts, as well Judge Payne pretrial hearing on Monday, name of Lee-Davis High Payne said, though he also said there actions are wrong and discriminatory,” as an opportunity to donate but did not issue a ruling, leaving School, named for Confederate military could be exceptions, leaving an open- Mr. Djoukeng stated in a news release rewards to the city school all parties, including lawyers for the leader Robert E. Lee and Confederate ing for the NAACP. issued after the hearing. system or to a church or NAACP branch and attorneys for President Jefferson Davis, and StoneThe branch’s lawyers argued that The Hanover School Board has community organization, Mr. the Hanover County School Board, wall Jackson Middle School, named the time limit should not apply in refused to compromise and so far has Lee said. on tenterhooks awaiting his written for another Confederate general. this case. committed to spending $175,000 to “This is part of (the store’s) decision. The suit alleges that the names “Every time a student is compelled keep the Confederate names. mission of giving back as well as a win-win for everyone.”

U.S. District Judge to rule on whether NAACP lawsuit against Hanover School Board will proceed

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Richmond Free Press

A4 March 12-14, 2020

News

COVID-19

Coronavirus hits Virginia, impacting people, events Continued from A1

Similar on-campus class closures have been reported at Virginia Commonwealth University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Tech, James Madison University and The College of William & Mary as well as schools across the nation, from Howard University in Washington to Harvard University in Massachusetts. Organizations everywhere are examining whether to continue with planned conferences, concerts and other events. The daylong symposium marking the 30th anniversary of former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder’s inauguration, which was planned for March 26 at Virginia Union University, also has been postponed. “Together we can get through this and we will,” Gov. Ralph S. Northam, a physician, said at a news conference Wednesday, where he was surrounded by state health experts. He also announced Virginia’s ninth confirmed case of coronavirus; there have been no fatalities. Most of the cases, officials said, involve people who have recently returned from international travel. The cases have been reported in Northern Virginia, Spotsylvania and Virginia Beach, with the latest reported Wednesday in Ashland, just north of Richmond. Nationally, officials on Wednesday reported more than 1,050 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 35 deaths. The rapid spread of the virus across the globe has resulted in more than 121,500 reported cases and 4,373 deaths. Gov. Northam said the state has received 300 to 400 medical kits for testing, and is expected to receive many more in the coming days. Each kit can test 50 to 60 people, officials said. Gov. Northam said the state is making plans for state employees to work remotely and officials have asked public school systems to report attendance data to the state health department as a means of monitoring children’s health in local communities. Health officials urged people, including students, to stay home if they feel sick to stem the possible spread of COVID-19. Gov. Northam and other officials said they are following guidance from the Atlanta-based federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization for

Racial epithets aimed at Armstrong basketball team spark investigations Continued from A1

Stars and Bars, waved the (Confederate) flag and made shooting gestures with their hands,” he said. “Racism is real.” The Armstrong team, composed of African-American players, was taking on Central High School of Woodstock, an all-white team, during the state 3B semifinals held at the Shenandoah County school’s gymnasium. According to reports, Armstrong Coach Darryl Watts and Athletic Director Glenn Anderson made a game official aware of a racial slur used against one of the players, sophomore Taemon Doswell. However, the official didn’t immediately stop the game. The officials eventually paused the game, benching both teams before conferring with coaches from Armstrong and Central high schools. The officials then issued a warning to the Central High Falcons before restarting the game. Despite being rattled by the incidents, the Armstrong Wildcats took the high road and continued playing, although they lost the game to Central 47-37. Calls by the Free Press to Coach Watts and Mr. Anderson have not been returned. The incidents have drawn media attention locally and in Northern Virginia, with RPS officials and the civil rights organization now stepping in. Central High Principal Lori Swortzel confirmed to a Shenandoah County newspaper that she saw the Confederate flag in that school’s student section before the game. She said she and Central’s athletic director, Justin Broughman, confiscated it, citing a school policy that doesn’t allow anything deemed “disruptive” to a school day or event. She also told the newspaper that school administrators were made aware of what she described as a “gesture” made by a Central High student that had been directed at the Armstrong cheerleaders during the game. “We’ve talked to the referees, the Shenandoah Referee Association and the VHSL (Virginia High School League) in order to conduct our own investigation,” she told the newspaper. The VHSL is looking into

the complaints and issued a statement last week that said, in part, “We have had ongoing talks with both schools as we gather facts. As you can guess, we take very seriously player and fan safety at all our regular season and post-season games. We are still in the process of reviewing all the information gathered from the game.” Mr. Minor said Tuesday that he called the VHSL and “advised them” that the league’s sportsmanship committee investigating the incidents “should include diversity among its members.” In a statement released March 5, RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras said his office is taking the matter seriously and has been in communication with Shenandoah County Public Schools officials “to ensure that we have a complete and accurate account of the events so that it can be addressed through the appropriate venues.” Richmond School Board Vice Chair Cheryl L. Burke, who represents the 7th District in which Armstrong is located, met on March 4 with the basketball team, cheerleaders and coaches. “Armstrong’s team is upset and they want to know what are we going to do about it as adults,” said Ms. Burke, a retired Richmond elementary school principal. She noted the Armstrong students had been respectful and followed all the rules and expectations when confronted with the situation. “It’s time for the team to get some tender loving care by the community,” Ms. Burke said. She also expressed a need to pray for the Falcons.

big picture assessments of the spread of the disease and advice and guidance on steps to take. The governor said the state is in touch almost hourly with local health authorities as testing expands and health reporting improves. The virus, which is airborne, strikes people regardless of race, creed, national origin, income level or religious belief. By midweek, about eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Congressman Don Beyer of Northern Virginia, reported they had gone into voluntary isolation, or quarantine, based on their exposure to someone who has contracted the virus. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo placed a one-mile radius around New Rochelle, N.Y., in suburban Westchester County on

a health alert, limiting access to the area based on fear some residents were suffering COVID-19 symptoms. “People are being cautious about this virus because we don’t know how much it’s going to spread,” said Pam Cox, director around strategic communications at Virginia Union University. She, along with spokespersons for other area colleges and universities, said the institution has set up a coronavirus task force to keep track of its students’ health and send out frequent medical alerts. She said the university consults with the Capital Area Health Network for medical guidance. “You have to be vigilant and stay informed,” Ms. Cox said, noting that about 100 VUU students are in study abroad programs. She did not say whether they have been recalled to campus.

Cathy’s Camp to be shut down by March 31, displacing homeless Continued from A1

still showing up daily — to find a less visible space if they cannot be placed in a shelter or find housing elsewhere, as most cannot. Nonprofits have found temporary or permanent space for only seven people at Cathy’s Camp in the past two weeks. That’s only a fraction of the 50 to 80 people currently staying there. Expected to be to be finalized Friday, the plan already is being implemented, with notices posted on tents requesting that those living there be gone by Monday, March 30, and tents to come down Tuesday, March 31. By Wednesday, April 1, Virginia Commonwealth University is expected to post one or more police officers at the site to prevent any new tents from being set up on the land, which is owned by the university and considered environmentally contaminated and listed as a brownfield. It is not clear if people will be arrested if they refuse to leave the camp. The decision to shut down the camp complies with the demands of 6th District City Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson, who regards the camp as a blight on her district and wants other council members to find shelter space in their sections of the city. The camp’s removal — along with dozens of residents who currently have no other place to go — would take place two weeks before the city officially ends the use of the Annie Giles Community Resource Center, the former Conrad Center, as the winter overflow shelter. Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration has rebuffed a request from nonprofits in the task force to allow the camp to remain open until the Giles Center closes on Monday, April 15. Ms. Robertson has criticized the city for opening the shelter at the Giles Center this season, preventing it from being used as a job training and resource center for residents who live in the communities overlooking the jail and city Juvenile Detention Center. As a shelter, it has provided a bare sur-

vival space on frigid nights. People sleep on thin mats on the floor with the lights kept on in the women’s area. The lights and the noise make getting rest difficult, several people have said. When the center is not open because the temperature isn’t forecast to dip below 40 degrees, people sleep on the sidewalk at the front door. Still, there is a prospect for a federal lawsuit if Cathy’s Camp residents relocate to public property, such as the grassy area outside the city Social Services building. A 2018 federal court ruling from Boise, Idaho, upheld in December by the U.S. Supreme Court, barred authorities in western states from arresting homeless people who sleep on public property if no alternative housing is provided. The city’s top human services official, Reginald E. Gordon, signaled his goal of shutting down the camp in late December, when he ordered Blessing Warriors RVA to dismantle it. He did not enforce the order. But as a member of the task force, he now is making it clear that getting rid of the camp remains a top priority. “I don’t know what will happen when the end of the month comes,” said Rhonda Sneed, the co-founder and volunteer leader of the 3,500-member Blessing Warriors RVA that started the camp last August after she found people sleeping in the field without blankets — and with no sign of city or private social workers to assist. “I am in no way in support of taking the tents down,” said Ms. Sneed, “unless they have housing for everyone who is here now and all the new people who keep coming.” While some people have left, “we still have people arriving. I can’t stop them. They just want a place to sleep,” said Ms. Sneed, a retired U.S. Postal Service employee and Air Force veteran who has fed the homeless for at least four years. Blessing Warriors RVA has provided sleeping bags, blankets, food, clothing, rides to doctors’ appointments, laundry help and other aid to the residents to help them get through the cold. Ms. Sneed said that includes a preg-

nant woman and people who have been discharged from hospitals and health care facilities. She noted the arrival Monday night of man on a walker who is still recovering from surgery. She also pointed to another person whom MCV discharged and had transported to the camp as the only option for a place to stay. “We’re still working on the housing issue,” said Kelly King Horne, executive director of Homeward, a nonprofit that coordinates the regional public and private response to homelessness through the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care. According to the city and Homeward, Richmond nonprofits house about 1,000 people, but still need 150 new shelter beds and a way to create 300 more units of transitional housing for longer-term stays, for which there is no funding. The biggest problem, Ms. Horne said, is that there are no housing resources in the area for the most vulnerable, elderly poor people who are ill or disabled and need constant care. She and the partners in homeless services are at a loss as to how to house such individuals who cannot work and require the help of others. Ms. Sneed and others call short-term shelter beds a Band-aid solution because, after a few days, the people are back on the street looking for somewhere to sleep. Fifth District Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch, a former social worker who is now engaged in housing issues for people with mental illnesses, said Monday night more camps will be popping up around the city if the city doesn’t put up more resources for housing. She noted there are few federal or state resources. One of the biggest pools of money, Medicaid, cannot be used for housing, she said. Ms. Lynch said area hospitals could consider getting involved as several have done in Pittsburgh and other communities. The hospitals in those communities, she said, have found it is cheaper to move people into apartments and pay their rent than having them take up beds at the hospital because there is nowhere to discharge them.

General Assembly green-lights preference for Pamunkey tribe in local casino Continued from A1

Americans and has refused to re-admit families who were banished. The Free Press has since learned that Chief Robert Gray and the tribal council have ordered a longtime resident on the tribe’s reservation in King William County to undergo psychiatric evaluation or face banishment. The resident and tribe member, John M. Collins, has been assaulted for advocating a change in tribal policy to include Indian families with AfricanAmerican ties. Richmond’s legislative delegation was split over the casino bill, which passed 60-35

in the House and 27-12 in the Senate. Richmond Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan, a member of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, voted for the bill, while Democratic Sen. Ghazala Hashmi opposed the bill. Democratic Sen. Joseph D. Morrissey did not vote. Richmond Delegates Dawn M. Adams joined two members of the VLBC, Jeff M. Bourne and Delores L. McQuinn, in supporting the measure. Richmond Delegate Betsy Carr, who had opposed an earlier House version of the bill, was among five delegates who did not vote on the bill. Also among that group was the chairman of the VLBC

Vote

Delegate Lamont Bagby of Henrico, who said before the vote, “I am not in support of (the tribe’s) efforts.” Petersburg Delegate Lashrecse Aird was among the 35 House members who opposed the final casino bill. Under the bill, residents of each of the five cities would have to approve any proposed casino in a referendum. It is unclear at this point when Richmond would hold such a vote. Separately, while embracing casinos, the legislature also approved outlawing the thousands of gambling machines that have sprung up in convenience stores, truck stops and other outlets.

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March 12-14, 2020

Local News

Cooking up skills, dollars for RPS culinary program By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Call it an eye-opening experience for Nicholas Pollard, Jaquan Washington, TéAnna Warren and six other high school seniors in Richmond Public Schools’ culinary program at the Richmond Technical Center. For more than three hours last Sunday, the students shadowed and worked with several chefs preparing dishes to be featured at a benefit dinner for the culinary program held Monday night at Perch restaurant in the West End. The benefit, put on by the nonprofit Building a Better RPS, raised about $8,000 that will help give culinary students first-hand experience and aid in replacing outdated, malfunctioning or missing equipment that hampers the entry-level culinary program. For the students who came to Hatch Kitchen RVA in South Side to participate in the Sunday prep work, it was a chance to watch masters in action, including two top French chefs, JeanMarc Tachet and Bernard Leveau. Both traveled to the area to coach the French team in the annual Military Culinary Arts Competition at Fort Lee and, with corporate support, arrived early to participate in the preparation of the five-course meal that was offered at $100 a plate. “This has been great,” Nicholas said, who, like the other students, kept a careful watch on the skilled hands of Chef Tachet as he created a classic soup with truffles and other dishes. Chef Tachet drew the most attention. He is a winner of France’s top chef honors and is renowned for his role in promoting the sous-vide or low-heat method of cooking. Also taking part was Chef Mike Ledesma, owner-operator of Perch. He volunteered his restaurant and staff for the French-Filipino-inspired meal experience billed as “Lyon Meets Luzon.” He also worked with the students in creating an entrée featuring pork adobo, an unofficial national dish of the Philippines. The students assisted with creating the peppercorn marinade, participated in preparing the meat and were involved in preparing some of the other courses.

in 2016. She also helped orchestrate the benefit after being approached by Benjamin Pasternak, chief executive officer of the Richmond-based Defiant Food Group. Mr. Pasternak told her in January about the opportunity to have the two French chefs come to Richmond with support from his company and Sugar Creek, a Cincinnati-based meatpacker that employs her husband, MarkAuernheimer, as an executive and food engineer. Ms. Marshall-Auernheimer, who is known for her event-organizing skills, jumped at the opportunity to get the nonprofit involved. When Chef Ledesma agreed to volunteer his restaurant, she said the benefit was on. Ms. Marshall-Auernheimer said Mr. Pasternak and Sugar Creek contributed

the ingredients, while Mr. Pasternak also made two staff members available to work on marketing, travel arrangements and other aspects. During Sunday’s preparatory work, Brandon Burrows, a chef and food science director for Defiant, also assisted in giving the students lessons in butchering and preparing the pork. Other volunteers supporting the benefit and the students included chefs Ted and Kirsten Perkinson, owners of the local Kitchenette eatery; Garrett Eagleton, a New York chef and recent transplant; and Richmond City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray. “We hope this will be the first of many culinary events we organize to benefit this wonderful program,” Ms. Marshall-Auernheimer said.

Jeremy Lazarus/Richmond Free Press

Chef Jean-Marc Tachet of Lyon, France, slices goose liver Sunday as students in Richmond Public Schools’ culinary program watch closely. The students are, from left, Nicholas Pollard, Jaquan Washington, Jadyn Colden and Jameisha Rush. Location: Hatch Kitchen RVA in South Side. The side counter features the makings for truffle soup, one of five courses served at Monday evening’s benefit for the culinary program at the Richmond Technical Center.

The dinner was the first community event to support the RPS culinary program that serves about 80 students and needs new appliances and other upgrades. “We need a new walk-in refrigerator and ovens,” among other things, said Sean Monts, a professional cook who, as a teacher in the culinary program, has morphed into an educator of the next generation of restaurant owners and kitchen operators. He also wishes there was enough money to supply students with proper outfits, including chef-style white jackets and pants. “It costs about $40, but some of our students can’t afford that,” Mr.

Monts said. Mr. Monts said the price tag for the equipment upgrades alone could top $100,000. Enter Building a Better RPS, which began working four years ago to provide some of the unmet needs in the city school system. The group previously focused on school landscaping and planting flowers, creating murals, fixing bathrooms, replacing ceiling tiles and undertaking other improvements. Alyse Marshall-Auernheimer, a Realtor and property manager, joined with Scott Garnett, co-owner of Lift coffee shop in Downtown, and several other parents who have children in RPS to get the nonprofit off the ground

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Celebrate! 38

Last Sunday hundreds of women and their supporters, including First Lady Pam Northam, center, celebrate Virginia being the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. The event, Celebrate! 38, included a rally, speakers and a march from Monroe Park to the State Capitol on March 8, International Women’s Day. Thanks to a Democratic majority in the General Assembly for the first time in more than two decades, the ERA was approved in January. Thirty-eight states are needed to ratify any amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But the ERA’s future is uncertain, in part, because the 1982 deadline for ratification enacted by Congress was not met. Attorneys general from Virginia and other states have filed a lawsuit arguing that the deadline was not binding and seek to force federal officials to adopt the measure that would guarantee women equal rights under the law. Speakers at last Sunday’s rally included Kate Kelly, a human rights attorney at Equality Now; Kamala Lopez, founder and co-director of Equal Means Equal; Liza Mickens, the great-great-granddaughter of the renowned banker and women’s empowerment advocate Maggie L. Walker; and Andrea Miller, executive director of the Poor People’s Campaign of Virginia.

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Camelia in the West End

Editorial Page

March 12-14, 2020

Coronavirus Coronavirus is nothing to sneeze at. While people should not panic as the number of infections and deaths rise globally and in the United States, we should take the proper precautions. Many of those precautions are simple things, such as hand washing with soap and water, covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough and wiping down surfaces with disinfectants. We also must prepare individually for possible disruptions in our work, school or worship schedules or travel plans if businesses, schools and universities and places of worship are closed temporarily, and conferences or events are postponed or canceled, to avoid contact with or transmission of coronavirus. What drives people’s fears and anxieties is that the virus is new, mysterious and potentially fatal, with a higher death rate than that of the flu. Coronavirus grabs people suddenly, and its symptoms can accelerate rapidly, causing death largely among the older population and those whose immune systems may be compromised with underlying conditions. And while some people with the virus may be asymptomatic, they can potentially spread it to family members, co-workers or fellow church members who may wind up sick and/or suddenly placed under a 14-day quarantine. Nationally, the climate surrounding coronavirus has been made more alarming by President Trump, whose lack of understanding, denial and outright misinformation about testing, preparation, containment and vaccines — there are none yet — have slowed the nation’s response, hindered the public’s knowledge and understanding of the situation and reinforced his narrative that America must shut down the borders to keep out the dangerous “other.” Sadly, this pandemic is another instance in which we must point to the president and say, “Nevermind him. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” We must ignore the commander in chief and, instead, turn to the scientists, physicians and health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and in our state and local health departments to get a true and clear understanding of the scale of the coronavirus problem and to learn how we, the people, can respond in the most effective way to prevent contracting it and transmitting it to others. We give high marks to Gov. Ralph S. Northam, a physician, who has shown leadership in bringing together health and other officials early on to discuss and plan Virginia’s response to this crisis. Testing is being handled in the state lab in Richmond, cutting down on the time in getting results because the test samples won’t have to be sent to the CDC in Atlanta for analysis. As of Wednesday afternoon, there are nine confirmed cases of coronavirus in Virginia and more than 1,050 across the nation, with 35 confirmed deaths. As testing ramps up, officials expect more cases to be uncovered. G l o b a l l y, a c c o r d i n g t o d a t a c o m piled by Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 121,500 cases, with 4,373 deaths. We also give kudos to Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras, who has canceled all school-sponsored and division-sponsored travel outside of Richmond for students and staff. He also has asked families of the 24,000 students in city schools to prepare now for the possibility of schools being closed if a student or staff member is diagnosed with coronavirus. And he is asking the School Board for authority to reallocate $500,000 for supplies and services to deal with the coronavirus response. We urge our readers to prepare as well, and to stay informed with credible science-based information. Here are some helpful websites that answer a variety of questions, provide tips for preparing for and dealing with the virus and how to prevent its spread: • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html • World Health Organization — www.who.int/ emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 • Virginia Department of Health — www.vdh. virginia.gov/surveillance-and-investigation/novelcoronavirus/ Health professionals advise us that the best things to do right now are simple: • Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds each time. • Wash your hands frequently. • Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. • Avoid touching your face. • Avoid large crowds. • If you feel sick, stay home. • Consider stocking up on medicine and food for family and pets for a two-week stay at home. We hope everyone stays healthy and safe.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Honor mothers during Women’s History Month Just like Black History Month, Women’s History Month started out only as a week. Along the way, we were ultimately honored with an International Women’s Day. Women around the world are celebrated that day. T h e r e ’s an African proverb that tells us, “It is the women who hold the sky up.” I can vouch for that in the black community. So many black women grew up without the benefit of fathers in our homes, but rarely do we use that as an excuse for not doing things that should be done to protect our families and communities. Some of the greatest female activists in the black community take on monumental roles. My mother is just a few months away from being 98 years old. She’s fine in most ways, but just a bit hard of

hearing and having a bit of a challenge remembering things. Though she has lost a bit of her ability to live in her home alone, she wants to live there, and as a family we are making that possible. When my brother passed away a few months ago, my

Dr. E. Faye Williams sisters and I decided to take her to live with one of our sisters who is about three and a half hours from where our mother has lived alone all of her life since her nine children left home to strike out on our own. A few weeks ago, she informed us she wanted to return to her home. We reluctantly took her back, and I spent a week with her there. Another sister spent a week. Another sister spent two weeks with her to this point. A niece is on her way to spend a few days with her grandmother. Another sister is coming from Los Angeles to spend a month with her. We’ll then start the

cycle all over again. Some might think the scheduling is a bit of a challenge since we are all many miles away, but my sisters and I thought about all the sacrifices our mother has made for us, and if she wants to live in her home, we’re going to make it possible. While you have indulged me with a personal story, that is the history of so many black women with their families. I salute all of the black women who’ve done, and would do the same, for their mothers. Every year, women in this country get a presidential proclamation honoring women. The women mentioned are generally women who’ve made the history books and have had public honors. But so often, the women never get any special recognition, who like my mother and their caretakers, are just ordinary women who’ve often done extraordinary things to nurture their families and the families of many in their areas. I know that we have Kather-

Women in STEM fields continue to make history Few in these United States had heard of Katherine G. Johnson, the gifted mathematician who finished high school and college at 18. How could we know when scientists are often stereotyped as old white men wearing white lab coats, with glasses sliding down their noses? You might not have known about Mrs. Johnson unless you’d picked up Margot Lee Shetterly’s book “Hidden Figures: The Story of the AfricanAmerican Women Who Helped Win the Space Race,” or saw the movie by the same name. President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Two major NASA facilities are named in her honor. Hopefully, thousands of young black girls who aspire to careers in science are inspired and motivated by her. Mrs. Johnson graduated from an HBCU at 18. She was mentored by William S. Claytor, reportedly only the third African-American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics. She and Dr. Claytor may not have crossed paths had segregation not limited Dr. Claytor’s choices. Most African-Americans who earned doctorates taught at HBCUs because others would not hire them, or if they were hired, they were treated differently and often disrespectfully. If black girls and the rest of us are excited by the legacy of the late Mrs. Johnson, they

will be further inspired by a new book by Tonya Bolden. “Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM” highlights black women scientists in an array of fields, including medicine. It is being marketed as a children’s book, but anyone can pick up this

improved. In 2016 when Dr. Tamika Cross attempted to assist a patient in distress on a flight, flight attendants asked her if she was “an actual physician.” Two years later in a similar situation, Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford attempted to offer medical assistance on a flight and had requests for ID. Julianne Malveaux several Ms. Bolden showcases women who have made their book and learn more about the mark in history, as well as othwomen who forged a career path ers who will continue to make that few women and even fewer history. Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson black women have attempted. was the first black woman to “Changing the Equation” was earn a Ph.D. from Massachumeticulously researched and setts Institute of Technology in includes a glossary of terms and 1973. She is the inventor of call career descriptions. Not only waiting and caller ID. Today is it a perfect gift for aspiring she serves as president of the scientists, it is also a necessary Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute resource for librarians and sci- in New York. She served on ence teachers. the Nuclear Regulatory ComMost of the women in this mission during the Clinton book are not widely known, administration and was awarded which makes it all the more the National Medal of Science valuable. by President Obama. Dr. Rebecca Lee Davis The women Ms. Bolden Crumpler was the first black highlights include engineers, woman to earn a medical biologists, robotics specialists degree. She attended the New and others, amazing women England Female Medical Col- who, while “hidden” from the lege and graduated in 1864. public eye, make significant She worked for a time at the contributions in medicine and Freedmen’s Bureau, the organi- the other STEM fields. zation charged with addressing All too often, Women’s the needs of people who were History Month tends to focus formerly enslaved. on women in the humanities Also in the medical field, or politics, sending the signal Dr. Myra Adele Logan was the to our young women that the first woman and only the ninth sciences do not deserve attenperson to perform open heart tion. “Changing the Equation” surgery in 1943. reminds us that there are trailToday, just 2 percent of our blazing women in the sciences nation’s physicians are black that can serve as inspiration and women. And despite the need role models for all of us. for more medical professionThe writer is an economist, als, that low number has not author and educator.

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

ine Goble Johnson of “Hidden Figures” fame; Ida B. WellsBarnett, our anti-lynching crusader; Sojourner Truth, who first sued a white man successfully to get her son back; Rosa Parks, who sat on a bus for our rights; Harriet Tubman, who brought a lot of our people from slavery to freedom; Fannie Lou Hamer, who took beatings to gain our right to vote; and others too numerous to name. But for this Women’s History Month, let us vow to honor our own mothers, who may not be in a history book, but their greatness comes from what they’ve done for their families and their communities without fanfare. They deserve to have their own children honor them. The writer is national president of the National Congress of Black Women.

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Richmond Free Press

March 12-14, 2020 A7

Letters to the Editor

Confederate monuments are â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;artifacts of collective painâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Re Letter to the Editor â&#x20AC;&#x153;Confederate monuments speak truth to power,â&#x20AC;? Free Press Feb. 27-29 edition: In response to the Free Press Letter to the Editor, might I remind the writer that the era of slavery is long gone and everything that celebrates it should be removed from our city streets and public squares. The writer claimed that Confederate monuments speak truth to power but quite the converse is true.Â Facts are not truth. Facts change. Truth doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Confederate monuments actually speak power to lies:Â 1) white people are better because of skin color; and, 2) the South deserves the privilege of touting its defeat as though it was victorious. Truth has deeper roots. The writer said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The truth cannot be killed.â&#x20AC;?Â He is absolutely right because truth has the power to outlast and eventually supplant lies.Â Truth owns a far deeper reality within human existence than a few facts of bygone eras. Truth can be mishandled, distorted, ignored, lied about, buried and even ignored, but its rootedness within human history will always force it to rise again and again and again. Confederate monuments simply speak a factoid or two of a bygone era, but virtually every power decided slavery was wrong, sinful or immoral.Â Most have discovered the truth about our humanity.Â They have acted out that realization by removing the statues whose presence lend voice to the lies about humans, which truth has now overtaken. Confederate â&#x20AC;&#x153;factsâ&#x20AC;? are no match for the deeper roots of truth about our collective humanity. The writer asked us to â&#x20AC;&#x153;drop the racist progressive identity politics concerning confederate monuments . . .â&#x20AC;?Â I would humbly ask that the writer drop the racist regressive identity politics because most of us have already embraced the truth about our humanity that wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t accept the lies of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bygone era. In past years, I have met Do you know what Wednesday, March for hours with some Sons of 18, is? Confederate Veterans memNational Bus Driver Appreciation Day. bers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even had them to my It is also known as Transit Driver Apchurch. I met as well with an preciation Day. officer of the United Daughters I think about our bus operators and the of the Confederacy in her home. sacrifices they make on a daily basis to get In her lengthy exposition, I us to our destinations: realized that the subsequent â&#x20AC;˘ The mandatory overtime they endure, monuments were artifacts of working days that they should be off. their collective pain. â&#x20AC;˘ Some operators are driving around with It is my hope that the writer back pain, colds and other ailments. soon will cease needing to â&#x20AC;˘ The conflict they endure on a regular basis inflict his historic pain upon with patrons who are difficult to accommodate. others who have suffered atroâ&#x20AC;˘ The lack of thanks that they receive from ciously at the hands of fellow their superiors and the patrons who depend Americans. on them every day. The fact that President â&#x20AC;˘ The many near-accidents they avoid to Lincoln signaled â&#x20AC;&#x153;a new nakeep us safe. tion, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all (humans) are created equalâ&#x20AC;? is not â&#x20AC;&#x153;Orwellian doublespeakâ&#x20AC;? but truth refusing to remain buried in the coffins of hatred beneath the soil of history in the United States of America.

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Think about bus operators on Transit Driver Appreciation Day â&#x20AC;˘ The many last-minute detours they have to abide by at the spur of the moment, which disrupts their schedule. Of the more than 20 drivers I recently talked to about National Bus Driver Appreciation Day, only two knew there was such a day.Â Can we do something for these drivers on that day? A thank you would be more than appropriate.Â Our bus operators deserve this and I want to do my part to encourage them. If there is anything that I can do, I will be happy to contribute to the cause. I love our bus operators!Â DAVID GREEN Norfolk The writer is a customer service representative for Hampton Roads Transit.

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Richmond Free Press

A8 March 12-14, 2020

Sports Stories by Fred Jeter

VUU Lady Panthers past and present in the spotlight

VUU Lady Panthers 1983 team inducted into CIAA Hall of Fame

Some stories are so compelling that they need be told and re-told, over and over, so as not to be forgotten. The 1983 Virginia Union University women’s basketball team made news that still prompts goose bumps on Lombardy Street. Defying all odds, the 1983 Lady Panthers won the NCAA Division II national title, beating defending champion and undefeated California State Polytechnic University Pomona 73-60 in the final in Springfield, Mass. Those memories won’t be lost in some dusty closet. The entire team was inducted into the 2020 John B. McLendon CIAA Hall of Fame on Feb. 28 in Charlotte, N.C. Coach Harris Among the standouts in 1983 were Paris McWhirter, who was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA title game and to the All-Tournament team; AllTournament Barvenia “Beanie” Wooten; Vita Williams; Maria Nicholson; Sylvia Walker; and Denise Kizzie. The 1983 Lady Panthers were little more than an extension of the 1982 squad, with virtually everyone returning.

1983 team at 2020 CIAA

The 1982 season had ended in the ultimate heartbreak when venerable Coach Thomas “Tricky Tom” Harris collapsed on the sidelines during the CIAA final at the Norfolk Scope when

Randy Singleton

the VUU Lady Panthers were playing Norfolk State University. Coach Harris, who had previously coached both the men’s basketball and football teams at

Lady Panthers to play CIAA nemesis in NCAA 1st round Virginia Union and Bowie State universities continue on a collision course. The CIAA women’s basketball rivals will meet for the fourth time this season Friday, March, 13, in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regionals at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. The Lady Panthers are 23-4 overall, but 1-2 against Bowie State this season. The teams split two regular season games. Then Bowie State topped VUU 53-41 in the CIAA semifinals Feb. 28 in Charlotte, N.C. The Lady Panthers are seeded fifth and

VS.

Bowie State (25-5) four th in the NCAA regional. Bowie State is a longtime nemesis of the Lady Panthers. In March 2018, Bowie State upset VUU 63-56 in NCAA action at BarcoStevens Hall on the VUU campus. Other first round matchups at the regional:

• No. 1 seed Indiana University of Pennsylvania versus No. 8 Fayetteville State University • No. 2 Gannon University of Pennsylvania versus No. 7 Califor nia University of Pennsylvania. • No. 3 Glenville State College of West Virginia versus No. 6 Notre Dame College of Ohio. The semifinals will be Saturday, March 14, and the final on Monday, March 16. The regional champion advances to the Elite Eight in Birmingham, Ala.

VUU, was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died. After a lengthy delay, the game was completed, with VUU winning under the direction of Assistant Coach Louis Hearn. The next season, Coach Hearn became head coach and guided the Lady Panthers to a 27-2 record and the NCAA title. The lovable Coach Harris, who was like a grandfather to his players, was never far from the team members’ minds. He had recruited all the players himself, relying on his decades-old high school coaching contacts, many of them VUU alumni. VUU became the first HBCU to win an NCAA women’s title. And to prove A.J. English it was no fluke, the Lady Panthers returned to the championship game in 1984, falling to Central Missouri State in the final. Coach Hearn, who died in 2013, dedicated the 1983 championship to the beloved deceased former coach. Throughout the glorious playoff run, Coach Harris was referred to as “our sixth man.” VUU’s Thomas Harris Fitness Center bears his name. Also inducted last month into the CIAA Hall of Fame was former Panthers basketball standout A.J. English. Playing for Coach Dave Robbins, English was All-CIAA in 1988, 1989 and 1990, and CIAA and NCAA Player of the Year in 1990. From Wilmington, Del., English scored 2,396 points, leading the NCAA Division II in scoring as a senior with 31 points per game. English was selected by the Washington Bullets, now the Washington Wizards, in the second round of the 1990 NBA draft. He played two seasons for the Bullets, averaging 9.9 points per game, and signed a contract with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1993 before spending time playing professionally overseas.

MEAC Tournament starts at Norfolk Scope Since switching from the CIAA to MEAC in • Daryl Anderson, 6-foot-6, 185 pounds, was the same season NSU, as a No. 15 seed, 1997, Norfolk State University’s basketball team freshman, from Millwood School in Midloth- upset No. 2 Missouri in the NCAA Tournament doesn’t come to the Richmond area anymore. ian and The Miller School of Albemarle. The opening round. But that doesn’t stop Richmond area fans newcomer is 14-for-29 beyond the arc and The MEAC Tournament champion receives from going to NSU. was a recent MEAC Rookie of the Week. He an automatic invite to the NCAAs. The likely Coach Robert Jones’ Spartans will be relying paced The Miller School to the 2019 Virginia destination will be Dayton, Ohio, for the NCAA on three athletes from the 804 “First Four.” this weekend when his team Should NSU fall short at the plays in the MEAC Tournament Scope, the Spartans still may at the Norfolk Scope. qualify for the National InvitaNSU is 16-15 overall, 12-4 tion Tournament, or NIT, or for in MEAC and the tournament’s the Collegeinsider.com TournaNo. 3 seed. The Spartans will ment, known as the CIT. play Coppin State University of Since becoming part of the Baltimore in the quarterfinals at NCAA Division I, NSU has Daryl Anderson Jermaine Bishop Chris Ford Tyrese Jenkins 8 p.m. Thursday, March 12. been to one NCAA Tournament Here’s a look at NSU’s Richmond connec- Independent Schools state final. (2012), two NIT tournaments (2013 and 2019) tion. All hail from outstanding high school Marquee attraction: While Ford, Jenkins and four CIT tournaments (2014, 2015, 2016 programs. and Anderson form part of the supporting cast, and 2017). • Chris Ford, 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, sopho- NSU’s leading man is clearly Jermaine Bishop, A downside to leaving the CIAA is losing more, from Chesterfield’s L.C. Bird High School: a first team, All-MEAC pick. longtime CIAA rivals Virginia Union and VirHe leads the team with 28 blocked shots. He The senior transfer from St. Louis University ginia State universities. helped L.C. Bird to the 2017 state 5A title. averages 15.6 points — fourth in MEAC. He is For decades, the NSU “Green and the Gold” • Tyrese Jenkins, 6-foot-6, 205 pounds, fresh- first in the conference in 3-pointers per game was a top attraction on annual trips to the 804. man, from Henrico’s Varina High School: He (3.2) and second in free throws (84 percent). Also, the Spartans played in CIAA tournaments made the MEAC All-Rookie team. He also led Spartans overdue: NSU’s first and only at the Richmond Coliseum in 1986 and 1987 Varina to the state 5A championship in 2018. MEAC Tournament title came in 2012. That and 1991, 1992 and 1993.

VCU heads to A-10 Tournament; NCAAs a distant dream VCU frequently had made the NCAAs in Virginia Commonwealth University’s basketball team has arrived in The Big Apple the past as an at-large selection. That is not an with big upsets on its mind. option this season. The Rams must win four Seeded ninth, the Rams will play No. 8 seed games — all against higher seeds — in four University of Massachusetts at noon Thursday, days in Brooklyn to return to the NCAAs. If March 12, in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tour- that doesn’t happen, VCU might be a candidate for the National Invitational Tournament or the nament at the Barclays Center. If successful on Thursday, VCU would College Basketball Invitational. Despite recent disappointments, play nationally ranked University there are some uplifting indicators in of Dayton on Friday, March 13, in the Rams’ camp. the quarterfinals. The Dayton Flyers Junior center Marcus Santosare 29-2 with 17 straight victories, Silva averages 13 points and nine including two against VCU. rebounds, while leading the team Dayton showcases National Player with 39 blocked shots. of the Year candidate Obi Topping. Freshman Nah’shon “Bones” HyCoach Mike Rhoades’ Rams are land averages nine points, while hitting 18-13 overall and 8-10 in the A-10. Coach Rhoades 43 percent from behind the arc. The team has been on a free fall of VCU also is excited about a 2020-21 incoming late, losing seven of its last eight games. As freshman class that is rated tops in the A-10. recently as Jan. 28, the Rams were 16-5. Freshmen-to-be are 6-foot Ace Baldwin Medical issues involving starters Marcus Evans, De’Riante Jenkins and Vince Williams, from Baltimore; 6-foot-8 Mikeal Brown-Jones and backup Corey Douglas, have been atop of Bradenton, Fla.,; 6-foot-5 Josh Banks of Charlotte, N.C.; and 6-foot-7 Jamir Watkins the worries list. Evans, who hadn’t played since Feb. 21, of Trenton, N.J. The early season 2020-21 schedule will feature returned to the mix in the regular season finale a Dec. 3 visit from the University of Nevada-Las at Davidson College, scoring seven points. Evans was an All A-10 first team pick a season Vegas, a trip to play Louisiana State University and ago, but the talented guard has struggled much former VCU Coach Will Wade and an appearance in November at the Charleston Classic. of this season with illness and injuries. Other entries in the South Carolina classic A year ago, VCU went to the tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y., as the top seed but was are host College of Charleston, Florida State, upset in the quarterfinals by the University Houston, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Seton Hall and Tennessee. of Rhode Island.

Weekend in Brooklyn The Atlantic 10 Conference Basketball Tournament will be at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Second round: Thursday, March 12, Noon, 2:30, 6 and 8:30 p.m. Virginia Commonwealth University to play the University of Massachusetts at noon. Games to be broadcast on the NBC Sports Network. Quarterfinals: Friday, March 13, Noon, 2:30, 6 and 8:30 p.m.; NBC Sports Network. Semifinals: Saturday, March 14, 1 and 3:30 p.m.; CBS Sports Network. Final: Sunday, March 15, 1 p.m.; CBS.

Keep your hands to yourself If you don’t see players shaking hands in Brooklyn, it’s not because of poor sportsmanship. Due to fears of spreading coronavirus, the A-10 has asked teams to exchange traditional greetings and partings with “forearm bumps.”

MEAC at the Scope Men’s teams Quarterfinals Thursday, March 12, at 6 and 8 p.m. Semifinals Friday, March 13, at 6 and 8 p.m. Final Saturday, March 14, at 1 p.m. Game to be televised on ESPN2.

Women’s teams Quarterfinals Thursday, March 12, at noon and 2 p.m. (Quarterfinals began on Wednesday, March 11.) Semifinals Friday, March 13, at noon and 2 p.m. Final Saturday, March 14, 3:30 p.m. Game to be televised on ESPNU.

2013 Little League phenom now helping Hampton U. to victory Mo’ne Davis, who became famous pitching a baseball, is now making her mark on the college softball diamond. The Hampton University freshman, hitting .316 (12-for-38), has helped the Pirates to a 14-3 start. Wearing the No. 3 jersey, the 5-foot-4 Davis plays second base and hits ninth in the batting order. Swift afoot, she has stolen five bases in eight attempts. Mo’ne Davis In 2013, Davis became a national celebrity in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. She became the first girl in the history of event to throw a complete game shutout. Davis went on to play basketball, soccer and softball at Springfield Chestnut Hill Academy, a private all-girls school in suburban Philadelphia before enrolling at Hampton.

Armstrong High players make All-Region The Armstrong High Wildcats are well represented on the 3B All-Region boys basketball team. Senior Kevon Johnson and junior Jawaun Williams made the first team, while sophomore Ra’Quan Lee-Bryson is a second team pick. The Wildcats advanced to the state quarterfinals before losing March 6 to Lakeland High School of Suffolk.

March 12-14, 2020 B1

Richmond Free Press

Section

Happenings

Personality: Patrice A. Beard Spotlight on board chair of the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Central Virginia There are millions of people managing mental illness in America, with 25 percent of adults and 20 percent of children diagnosed with a mental health condition. For the thousands in Central Virginia currently living with a condition, they have a helping hand in the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Central Virginia and Patrice A. Beard. Ms. Beard leads the area nonprofit’s board of directors, helping to direct its operations in Richmond and seven other localities since her election as chair in January 2019. It has been a time of transition for the organization, Ms. Beard says, with the exit of the executive director leaving the position vacant for the first time in 13 years. “It’s been busy, I’ll tell you that,” Ms. Beard says. “I’m proud that the board stayed strong because it’s been a very stressful time.” Originally organized in 1980, the group initially was known as the Richmond Area Schizophrenia Foundation before changes and a renaming in September 1998 to NAMI-CVA. Through the reinventions, the organization’s mission has remained constant — to improve the lives and futures of Virginians with mental illness through family support, public education, advocacy, housing and research. Partnering with groups such the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, UMFS and the Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Psychological Services and Development, NAMI-CVA offers support groups and free educational programs and presentations for caregivers, families and people in the community. Ms. Beard first joined NAMICVA in 2015 when she was looking for support and education when it came to her loved ones living with mental health conditions. Since then, she has served as a state trainer, a program facilitator and a member of the board. Ms. Beard cites her knowledge and experience gained through NAMI-CVA as key to her role as a mental health community liaison with the Center for Family Involvement at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Partnership for People with Disabilities. “For me, the most exciting thing about NAMI-Central Virginia is the hope it provides people living with mental health conditions as well as their family members,” Ms. Beard says. Among NAMI’s latest

achievements are establishing a support group for parents in Richmond’s East End and bringing NAMI’s “In Our Own Voice” program to the Richmond Justice Center, where personal stories of recovery are showcased. Looking ahead, Ms. Beard sees the continuing stigma surrounding mental illness in underserved areas as the biggest issue NAMI has to face. She plans to meet it through anti-stigma campaigns and support groups and educational programs offered for free in areas that lack mental health services. Efforts already are underway in Petersburg and Dinwiddie County. “Stigma holds us back from so much,” Ms. Beard says. “We have to make (mental illness and mental health) easy to talk about.” While Ms. Beard recognizes that the lack of connection NAMI-CVA has to overcome isn’t just geographical but also cultural, the potential benefits for someone like Ms. Beard —concern for themselves or their loved ones and open to lend a helping hand — are too great to do anything less than their best. “What I want to do is reach as many people and help as many people and give as many people possible hope and the tools for this journey,” Ms. Beard says. “It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon.” Meet mental health advocate and this week’s Personality, Patrice A. Beard: Occupation: Mental health and data integration specialist No. 1 community involvement: Chair of the board of directors of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Central Virginia. When NAMI-CVA was established: It was organized in 1980 as the Richmond Area Schizophrenia Foundation. It was renamed the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Central Virginia in November 1987. In September 1998, it was renamed NAMI-CVA, Central Virginia’s voice on mental illness. NAMI-CVA’s mission: To promote recovery and improve the quality of life of Virginians with mental illness through support, education and advocacy. Latest achievement: We recently started a parent support group in Richmond’s East End. In addition, we have brought NAMI’s “In Our Own Voice” program to the Richmond Justice Center. The program features personal stories of recovery, hope and insight into the recovery that is possible

for people with severe mental illness. Date and place of birth: April 25 in Baltimore. Current residence: Mechanicsville. Education: I graduated from Lee-Davis High School in 1987, Braxton Business College in 1989 as a legal assistant and have taken multiple mental health certification courses. Family: Married to Dave for almost 27 years and two adult children. When and why I got involved with NAMI-CVA: About five years ago, I was looking for support and education so that

I could have a better understanding of my loved ones living with mental health conditions. Why I am excited about this organization: The most exciting thing about NAMI-CVA is the hope it provides people living with mental health conditions as well as their family members. Communities in which NAMI-CVA operates: NAMI-CVA operates in communities across Region 4, including Richmond, Henrico County, Chesterfield County, Petersburg, Hopewell, Prince George County, Chester and Dinwiddie County. Our services are needed because: About 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 5 children lives with a mental health diagnosis. Services we provide include: We provide free education programs and support for individuals, families, and the Central Virginia community. For those with lived experience, we offer Connections Support Group, Peer-to-Peer and Creative Meetup-An Art Group for Peers. For families and caregivers, we offer educational classes (NAMI Basics, Children’s Challenging Behaviors Workshop and Family-to-Family) as well as family support groups. In addition, we provide community presentations of “In Our Own

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and smarter than you think.” – Christopher Robin. How I unwind: I intentionally make time to unwind whenever my schedule allows. Most times, it means putting on my pajamas, sitting on the couch and watching TV and/or playing mind-numbing games on my iPad. I also love the beach. It is my favorite place to spend time and unwind. Best late-night snack: Anything sweet. Biggest chance I ever took: Having children! It’s also the best decision I ever made. At the top of my “to-do” list: Consolidating my “todo” lists. The best thing my parents ever taught me: You have to work hard for the things you want in life. The person who influenced me the most: My daughter. She is, hands down, the strongest person I know. The book that influenced me the most: “The Complete Tales of Winnie-The-Pooh” by A.A. Milne. What I’m reading now: “The Outsider” by Stephen King. If I’ve learned one thing in life, it is: Never take anyone or anything for granted. My next goal: Making self-care a priority.

Hosted by The Honorable Mayor Levar Stoney, Mayor of Richmond, VA 2020 Legacy Award Honorees: BEACON OF LIGHT AWARD

DIAMONDS • WATCHES JEWELRY • REPAIRS 19 EAST BROAD STREET RICHMOND, VA 23219 (804) 648-1044

Voice.” Our financial support comes from: NAMI-CVA receives financial support from public and private foundations, corporations and individual donors. Number of people served by NAMI-CVA: We served more than 1,290 people in 2019. Foremost challenge facing NAMI-CVA in underserved areas: Our No. 1 challenge in underserved areas is stigma. How we plan to address it: By developing anti-stigma campaigns and offering support groups and educational programs in underserved areas. We could do more if: More funding was available to expand programs and services to underserved communities. How I start the day: As positively as I can, though I admit some days I do a better job than others. Qualities I most admire in another person: Honesty, integrity and transparency. Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Binge watch “Forensic Files” and investigative crime shows. A quote that I am inspired by: I have two quotes: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein, and “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem

Presented to Michel Zajur

I AM UNION AWARD

ONE RICHMOND AWARD

Presented to David Harris ‘10

Presented to Randolph N. Reynolds

STEVE AND DORIS BULLOCK PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF HONOR

Presented to William Royall

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

She’s back. APRIL 10 MAY 3 BY LUCAS HNATH

VUU Experience Reception – 6:00 p.m. An interactive walkthrough of 155 years of VUU and beyond, from Lumpkin’s Slave Jail to Lombardy Street. Enjoy entertainment from VUU’s First Thursday Jazz Band, the sounds of Richmond’s own Desirée Roots. Legacy Awards Dinner – 7:00 p.m. Celebrate the honorees and support VUU with an opportunity to walk away with a luxurious vacation and other prize packages. Music and Dancing featuring Plunky and Oneness. Main Street Station ~The Shed~ 1500 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA For Sponsorship Opportunities and to Purchase Tickets, go to www.vuu.edu/Gala or call 804.342.3938

Starring Katrinah Carol Lewis as Nora NOVEMBER THEATRE - DOWNTOWN | 804-282-2620 | VIRGINIAREP.ORG

Richmond Free Press

B2 March 12-14, 2020

Happenings Award-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott to show films at James River Film Festival mount College in Salina, just outside Kansas City, however, Mr. Willmott was intrigued with acting and theater and sharpened his focus on earning a degree in drama. Combining his own questions about history with his growing appreciation for the values teachings by the college’s nuns, he found himself propelled into the field of his dreams. Today, the 60-year-old father of five is enjoying his career of more than 20 years as a film professor at the University of Kansas and savoring his achievements. In addition to his 2019 Oscar, he won the best director award at the American Indian Film Festival for his 2009 film “The Only Good Indian.” And he enjoys a history of collaboration with Mr. Lee. He was the screenwriter with Mr. Lee on “Chi-Raq” in 2015 and worked with Mr. Lee on the new film “Da 5 Bloods,” an epic war drama starring

By Reginald Stuart

Kevin Willmott has a great story to share with Richmonders when he arrives next week for the James River Film Festival RVA. Not only will the screenwriter and director be celebrated for winning an Academy Award last year with Spike Lee for his adapted screenplay “BlacKkKlansman,” Mr. Willmott’s independent feature film “C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America,” is likely to be touted also as it was during a recent successful showing at the Sundance Film Festival. Growing up in tiny Junction City, Kan., Mr. Willmott recalls he often thought of becoming a cowboy or soldier as an adult. It wasn’t an unrealistic idea. Living near Fort Riley, home of the legendary Buffalo Soldiers military unit, gave Mr. Willmott added food for thought. By the time he reached Mary-

Chadwick Boseman of “Black Panther” acclaim. He arrives in Richmond for the 27th James River Film Festival March 18 through 22 anxious to have a dialogue on issues that have been his focus for decades. “The idea is to kind of talk about those issues that surround memories of the Confederacy” Mr. Willmott said in a Free Press telephone interview, ticking off a short list of symbolic reminders in Virginia, including Confederate monuments and the deadly 2017 rally by neoConfederates and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. “These things are open wounds,” Mr. Willmott said. “That’s the bad thing. They can heal if you talk about them.” “The C.S.A. (film, also called a ‘mockumentary’) is all about what we’re trying to fight,” Mr. Willmott said. “The USA is about trying to expand freedom. The C.S.A. is just the

opposite,” he said. “We live in the C.S.A. now,” he said, referring to current unchecked political declarations and conduct that rekindle the ideals and behavior prevalent during the Confederacy, including legalized racial segregation and outright bigotry. America lives in the C.S.A. today, Mr. Willmott said. “It’s about limiting freedom, keeping out, building walls,” he said. “It’s a lot of those issues to deal with.”

15th Annual Richmond History Makers recognized The Valentine, the museum of Richmond history, presented its 15th Annual Richmond History Makers awards to individuals and organizations that are making a difference in the capital city Tuesday during a ceremony at Virginia Union University. The 2020 honorees: • Jeannette Erving-Cordor, for promoting community health through her 14-year-old nonprofit, Faces of HOPE that fights childhood obesity by working with families to promote healthier diets and lifestyles. • Tanya Gonzalez, for championing social justice as executive director of the Sacred Heart Center and in her private life E HOURS FO

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$80,000

on behalf of Latino residents. • Charles Rasnick, for improving regional transportation by creating and leading a program that provides rides for seniors in Hanover County. • ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation,

for creating quality educational opportunities through its 45 years of supporting ill children and their families and providing information about cancer in the Richmond area. • Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, for advancing the quality of life by showcasing the history of African-Americans and their contributions for 39 years to “preserve stories that inspire.” • Black RVA Action Team, for demonstrating innovative economic solutions by promoting tourism focused on African-American history, heritage, culture and business for nearly three years in concert with Richmond Region Tourism.

Beautiful Two Bedroom Starter Home 1713 Ingram Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23224

Courtesy of Kevin Willmott

Kevin Willmott

Mr. Willmott attributes much of the nation’s social uneasiness to President Trump and his raw tone of leadership. “If he’s not defeated, I don’t know where America’s going,” said Mr. Willmott, who was inspired by the civil rights efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “You’ll worry that another four years of Trump will create permanent damage to our values.” In Richmond, Mr. Willmott plans to offer tips and advice to aspiring screenwriters and directors on how to reach their goals. Among his top sugges-

tions: “Find your voice” and “Make your own movies.” He gives high marks to Mr. Lee, whom he characterized as “a great filmmaker, really hard worker (who is) really genuine about his beliefs.” “BlacKkKlansman” and “C.S.A.: Confederate States of America” will be shown Sunday, March 22, at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m., respectively at the Byrd Theatre, with Mr. Willmott answering audience questions following each screening. Details, schedule and tickets: www.jamesriverfilm.org.

RPS Fine Arts Festival March 14 at Huguenot High

The artistic creativity of Richmond Public Schools students will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at Huguenot High School, host of the annual RPS Fine Arts Festival of visual arts, music, dance and theater. Open to the public without charge, the show will feature a display of 1,000 drawings, paintings, photos and other artwork from K-12 students and performances by the All-City Elementary Band, the All-City Elementary Orchestra, the All-City Elementary Chorus and the All-City Harp Ensemble. The music menu also will include a midday performance of the All-City Marching Band. High school and middle school dance and theater programs also will be showcased during the program. The school is located at 7945 Forest Hill Ave. Details: www.facebook.com or email Dr. Shadae Harris, sharris1@rvaschools.net.

EVENT POSTPONED COMING IN FALL 2020

Call For More Details

(804) 253-4721

L. Douglas Wilder: Continuing 30 Years of History, Then & Now

Will Griffin

In recital Richmond native Rachel R. Filmore sings an aria at her senior recital March 3 at Norfolk State University. The 24-year-old Armstrong High School graduate and soprano, who aspires to a career in opera, sings in French, German, Italian, Latin and English. She also is a member of the chorus of the Virginia Opera. Ms. Filmore is the daughter of Robinette and Alfonzia Filmore, owner-operator of the Richmondbased HGFB Bus Charters Inc.

3rd Annual Central International College

,EADERSHIP !WARDS ,UNCHEON Saturday, March 21, 2020 • 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Holiday Inn | 4303 Commerce Road, Richmond, Va 23234

Honoring Community Leaders … Attorney James Bullard Rev. Dr. Edward D. McCreary, Jr.

Thirty years ago Virginians elected the first black Governor in the nation. Join us for a day-long event as we explore the significance of Governor Wilder’s historic election. Invited guests include Governor Deval Patrick, Chief Judge Roger Gregory, and political commentator, Larry Sabato.

“There will be those who will tell you that you can’t make it because of how you look, because of the way you talk. We all have heard that. I almost listened.” - L. Douglas Wilder, 66th Governor of Virginia

Mrs. Edwina Richmond Attorney Aisha Bullard Dr. Clara S. McCreary Rev. Dr. A. Lincoln James

Rev. Dr. James Leary

Reverend Winfred Thomas

“CIC Damon Dreher Grant Award”

The CIC Damon Dreher Integrity and Leadership Grant will be awarded during this year’s luncheon. The grant is a ﬁnancial award to continue the education of deserving students. The award is named after Damon Dreher coach, mentor, community servant and family man.

For More Information contact:

Dr. Williard Bailey (804) 304-6679 Website: www.goﬂycic.org (844) 344-2633, Ext. 1

This event will be open to the public.

Richmond Free Press

March 12-14, 2020

Faith News/Directory

Beyoncé Mass draws crowd, criticism By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service

WASHINGTON The worship service began with the voice of Beyoncé singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black National Anthem. Over the next hour, a choirbacked quintet of AfricanAmerican women singers belted out other songs in the pop star’s repertoire. Beyoncé’s music filled the air between prayers, a sermon and a Communion-like time when congregants dropped rocks labeled “homophobia,” “body shaming” and “racism” into white plastic buckets that were placed before an onstage altar. Last Sunday, on International Women’s Day, a theater in the Kennedy Center in the nation’s capital was turned into the latest sacred space for Beyoncé Mass. After the singers in the Black Girl Magic Ensemble sang “Survivor” — a song from Beyoncé’s days as a member of Destiny’s Child — the Rev. Yolanda Norton greeted the crowd of more than 500 people. “We don’t do frozen chosen here; this is not your grandma’s church,” she said, wearing a purple “Won’t SHE do it?!” T-shirt on the Eisenhower Theater stage. “Sing as loud as you can, dance, clap, love, live, understand this worship: You are welcome here.” Rev. Norton, 37, created the womanist worship service after she gave her Hebrew Bible students at San Francisco Theological Seminary an assignment to tell black women’s stories using Beyoncé’s music in a worship setting. She then developed a full liturgy that was presented at her seminary’s

chapel, and later at an event that drew about 1,000 people to San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral in 2018. “We are not worshipping Beyoncé,” Rev. Norton said, twice repeating her answer to an oft-asked question. “It is a Christian worship service and we are focused on the mission movement of Christ in the world and we are trying to promote a gospel message of love, inclusion and justice.”

Portugal and in early March as the kickoff to “Women’s Herstory Month” at the chapel of Spelman College in Atlanta. In Washington, as elsewhere, it attracted a predominantly black female crowd but included people of a variety of ages, races and gender identities. Rev. Norton said Beyoncé’s music is fitting for a service that focuses on womanist theology, the intersection of gender, class and race and the empowerment

male and female worship leaders took turns reading names of black women, including Sandra Bland and Atatiana Jefferson, who had died as a result of police actions. Later, after the singing of “I Was Here,” a video played featuring women telling their stories of being among the first in their career fields and desiring to improve society for others. Through a song like “Flaws and All,” a staple of Beyoncé

Photo by Cheriss May, Ndemay Media Group

Attendees at the Beyoncé Mass in the Eisenhower Theater of the Kennedy Center last Sunday in Washington, D.C.

Rev. Norton discovered that people beyond her seminary were interested in the service that combines worship and women’s rights. “Because of the response that we got in San Francisco, we have accepted invitations to go various places across the world to do the Mass,” she said in an interview. Beyoncé Mass has been presented, in partnership with churches and religious educational institutions, 10 times, including in New York, in

of the marginalized across the African diaspora. “It represents something about the kind of stories that black women encounter in the world all the time,” Rev. Norton said. “In her music, we see her as mother, we see her as mourner, we see her as wife, we see her as activist, a person struggling with their own body image and identity.” After the ensemble sang a portion of Beyoncé’s “Heaven,”

Mass wherever it has been held, Rev. Norton said, the singer’s music can be sung as a prayer by women facing a range of emotions as they encounter God. “The chorus of the song is, ‘I don’t know why you love me and that’s why I love you,’” said the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister. “I don’t know about anybody else, but that tends to be my refrain with God. I’m not quite

WOMEN’S DAY 2020

CELEBRATION SUNDAY

Theme: “The Empowered View”

Sunday, March 15th 11:00 AM

Guest Speaker: Rev. Lisa Janes

2IVERVIEW "APTIST #HURCH 2IVERVIEW "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

“Ave Maria” on her 2008 “I Am … Sasha Fierce” album. She evoked Divine Mother imagery from various religious traditions during her 2017 Grammys performance. And in February, she was backed by a choir dressed in white as she sang “XO” and “Halo” at the memorial service for basketball star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. Every Beyoncé Mass is a little different. The one in Washington did not have its usual Communion service because of coronavirus concerns. Rev. Norton concluded by asking the Kennedy Center congregation, rich or poor, churchgoer or not, to keep lifting themselves up along with others. “We have broken enough in this world. We have done enough harm and damage. But I believe through Christ Jesus, we can start over,” she said. “Go into the world and do the good thing that God is calling us to. Go in peace and go with God.”

Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church

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

Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor

10 a.m. Sunday, March 15, 2020 Guest Speaker The Rev. Jacqueline Tucker Parrish Hill Bap�st Charles City, Va. Noon Bible Study 12 p.m. Tuesday New Mercies Ministry 6 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

EL GOSP FREE CERT CON

V LO

Women’s Day Talk Show Saturday, March 14th 10:00 AM

Theme: “God’s Empowered Women Empowering Women”

sure why God loves me, but I really do love God.” Dean Emilie Townes of Vanderbilt University Divinity School said Rev. Norton has used Beyoncé’s music to create a service that empowers the spiritual journeys of black women but also “is stirring, it is thoughtful, it is liberating. It is a holy Mass that can free us all.” Others have been less affirming of the liturgical use of Beyoncé’s music in a service that includes a “Womanist Lord’s Prayer” that begins with the words “Our Mother, who is in heaven and within us, We call upon your names.” After the event at the Episcopal cathedral in San Francisco, author David Fiorazo wrote that “doing this at a church was both confusing and controversial.” Juicy Ecumenism blogger Jeffrey Walton called that same service “predictably over-the-top.” The Rev. Wil Gafney of Brite Divinity School, who noted that the secular and the sacred have always coexisted in church settings, said Beyoncé Mass seems to have raised more eyebrows than did the U2charist services that were popular among young Episcopalians in the early 2000s. “I didn’t see or hear the accusation that people were worshipping U2 or quite the volume of ‘is this appropriate’ questions,” said Rev. Gafney, a professor of Hebrew Bible. Beyoncé, who has described St. John’s United Methodist Church in Houston as her “home,” has been known to represent a wide array of religious experiences. She sang

ring: Featu of oices The V ment it Comm d an ion, nerat en Ge t Church z o h C aptis live B Mt. O

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2300 Cool Lane, Richmond, Virginia 23223 804-795-5784 (Armstrong High School Auditorium)

Upcoming Events

New Deliverance Evangelistic Church

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

omen With Mission and Purpose (WWMP) Conference May 29 - 30, 2020

In His Presence: Restored, ReNewed, and Ready for Warfare “No Fear, No Limits and No Excuses”

Bishop G. O. Glenn D. Min., Pastor

Mother Marcietia S. Glenn First Lady

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

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

Holiday Inn Newport News - Hampton (757) 223-2110 Code – NDW

Weekly Worship: Sundays @ 10:30 A.M. Church School: Sundays @ 9:00 A.M. Bible Study: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 P.M.

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

Thirty-first Street Baptist Church

Weekly Worship: Sundays @ 10:30 A.M. Church School: Sundays @ 9:00 A.M. Bible Study: Wednesdays @ Noon & 6:30 P.M.

h Reverence ittragically wso ance is “I refuse to accept the view that elevmankind R g • Hotel cut/oﬀ and Room block will end on April bound to the starless in racismCampbell, and war that the Pastor Dr.ofAlvin Interim 28, 2020 and Conference Registration price will bin midnight m bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never ❖ o increase after midnight on April 28, 2020. C a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and become Visit our website at www.ndec.net SUNDAYS Looking for a welcoming for costs, registration and other unconditional love will place have Church the finalSchool word.”9:30 a.m. information —Martin LutherMorning King, Jr. Worship 10:30 a.m. to worship this week? Cutoﬀ date for hotel reservations - April 28, 2020 King Room $125 | Double Room $142

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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.

Women’s Day Celebration Sunday, March 22, 2020 Women’s Day Preacher will be our very own Min. Laura A. Davis.

Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.

Come Join Us! Reverend Dr. Lester D. Frye Pastor and Founder

… and Listen to our Radio Broadcast Sundays at 10:15 a.m. on WQCN 105.3 FM

Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people. - Matthew 4:23

To empower people of God spiritually, mentally and emotionally for successful living.

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

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

SERVICES

SUNDAY WORSHIP HOUR – 10:00 A.M. CHILDREN’S CHURCH & BUS MINISTRY AVAILABLE SUNDAY SCHOOL (FOR ALL AGES) – 9:00 A.M. TUESDAY ❖ MID-DAY BIBLE STUDY – 12 NOON WEDNESDAYS MMBC Creative Arts Ministry WEDNESDAY Bible Study Presents MID-WEEK PRAYER & BIBLE STUDY – 7:00 P.M. 7:00 p.m.

That Christmas A MISSION BASED CHURCH FAMILY THIRD SUNDAY DessertETheater XCITING MINISTRIES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, 10:30 a.m. Y OUNG ADULTS 4:00P.M. & SENIOR ADULTS Saturday, December 21, 2019@ 6 weeks to 4th grade Children’s Church Lenten Season B IBLE R EVELATION TEACHING Before and After Care Higher Achievement Mosby joins with the larger Christian Community DIVERSE MUSIC MINISTRY For more information in celebrating the Lenten season as a time of LOVING, CARING ENVIRONMENT 823 North 31st Street ❖

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Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 276-4433reflection, fasting & prayerful consecration. Join us

on the journey and follow along with our Lenten(804) 226-0150 Office Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm Calendar at www.mmbcrva.org

DR. JAMES L. SAILES PASTOR

Richmond Free Press

B4 March 12-14, 2020

Obituaries/Faith Directory

NASA pioneer Katherine Johnson takes her place among the stars Free Press wire, staff report

as a faithful church leader and loving mother and grandmother who was humble and never boasted about her groundbreaking work at NASA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grandma, because of you, our world will forever be unlimited,â&#x20AC;? grandson Michael Moore said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And because of you, I have no bounds.â&#x20AC;? Her family received an outpouring of tributes, some of which were read during the service, including from former President Obama, who awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, First Lady Melania Trump, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner and the international president Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which Mrs. Johnson joined as a student at West Virginia State College in 1935. Clayton Turner, director of NASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Langley Research Center, spoke at the service and preKaitlin McKeown/The Virginian-Pilot via AP Family members say final goodbyes to Katherine Johnson at the start of sented Mrs. Johnsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family with the flag that was flying over the center the day she died. her funeral last Saturday at the Hampton University Convocation Center. Third District Congressman Robert C. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bobbyâ&#x20AC;? get to heaven.â&#x20AC;? Scott, said during the service that he knew Mrs. Johnson and Mr. Melvin was joined by fellow astronauts Dr. Yvonne her second husband, retired Lt. Col. James â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jimâ&#x20AC;? Johnson, for D. Cagle and Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the first African-American years before he ever read Margot Lee Shetterlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hidden woman in space. Figuresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? about Mrs. Johnson and her colleaguesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; work as â&#x20AC;&#x153;huMrs. Johnson was remembered not just as a brilliant mathemati- man computers.â&#x20AC;? cian whose calculations helped put astronauts on the Moon, but â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are few people who fought as good a fight, finished as difficult a course and all along kept the faith as Katherine Johnson,â&#x20AC;? Rep. Scott said. In his eulogy, Dr. Brian K. Blount, president of Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, said he was a young minister starting out at Carver Memorial Presbyterian Church in Newport News when he met Mrs. Johnson, a member of the church who sang with the choir, mentored young people and served as chair By Jeremy M. Lazarus law school in 1958, was highlighted in the degree from the school. The scholarship of the church finance committee. He said he knew nothing about her role and accomplishments book â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Key to the Door: Experiences program assists African-American students at NASA and for the nation, but she treated him, a nervous 24NEWTOWN, Conn. of Early African American Students at the at U.Va. John F. Merchant broke racial barriers University of Virginia,â&#x20AC;? published by UVA His daughter later graduated from U.Va. year-old, like he had been preaching for decades. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She honored me the way she should have been honored in the legal profession and in the game Press in 2017. School of Law in 1994. He gave the comwhen she was first starting out,â&#x20AC;? Dr. Blount said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Her genius of golf. Mr. Merchant also wrote mencement address at her graduation. More than 60 years ago, an autobiography, â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Journey In golf, Mr. Merchant could play public and legend may have been hidden from me, but not her abiding Mr. Merchant made history as Worth Taking: An Unpredict- courses in Connecticut, but could not enter faith, not her genuine love.â&#x20AC;? the first black graduate of the able Adventure,â&#x20AC;? published in area tournaments controlled at the time by University of Virginia School 2014. whites-only menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s associations. of Law, paving the way for He went on to serve in the He was outspoken about the need to inothers. Navy before spending more crease diversity in the sport and became the And during his 50-year career than 50 years serving clients first choice in 1992 when the USGA made as an attorney, the golf devotee in Connecticut courts, earning an initial effort to diversify its executive March 12, 1913 numbered Tiger Woods among a reputation for patient, but committee by adding a black member. You made us all feel favored and loved. his clients and became the first unrelenting persistence in adMr. Merchant helped spearhead annual Mr. Merchant You walked by faith and lived in a way African-American to serve on the vancing the cause of those he symposiums on minorities in golf that brought that could only come through Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love. United States Golf Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s executive represented. him in contact with Earl Woods and his We miss you and your loving spirit committee, the sportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s governing body. Racial bigotry dogged his climb in his golfing phenom son, Tiger. Mr. Merchant Your LOVE remains and grows Mr. Merchant, whose legacy includes a profession and in golf, which he learned represented the rising star in his transition with and through us all. U.Va. scholarship fund and a program that to play in the Navy. When he returned to from amateur status to professional at age Love Always Your Loving Family makes golf more accessible to children of Greenwich in 1962 after his military service, 19, including securing an agent for him color, succumbed to cancer Thursday, March law firms in his hometown refused to hire and negotiating Tiger Woodsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first contract 5, 2020, in Newtown, Conn., his family and him as an associate because of the color with Nike. friends said. He was 87. of his skin. Before he stepped down from the USGA 1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223-6624 s Office: (804) 644-1402 Born in 1933 into a poor family in He moved to Bridgeport, Conn., soon executive committee in 1998, Mr. Merchant Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor Greenwich, Conn., Mr. Merchant made after and set up a successful firm with two advocated for ensuring more access to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A Place for Youâ&#x20AC;? education his way up. After graduating other African-American attorneys, L. Scott game for black children. He is credited with Tuesday Sunday from Virginia Union University, he applied Melville and E. Eugene Spear, who would playing a role in bringing together golf equip10:30 AM Bible Study 9:30 AM Church School to and was accepted to U.Va.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s law school. go on to become judges in Connecticut as ment manufacturers and others to create the 6:30 PM Church-wide Bible Study 11:00 AM Worship Service Gregory Swanson, who had sued for admis- racial barriers fell. nonprofit First Tee program. 6:30 PM Men's Bible Study (Each 2nd and 4th) (Holy Communion sion several years earlier, was the first black In 1987, during the first reunion of black Since the launch in 1997, First Tee Thursday each 2nd Sunday) student admitted to the law school, but left graduates of U.Va., Mr. Merchant gained programs in the Richmond area and across Wednesday (Following 2nd Sunday) 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting 11:00 AM Mid-day Meditation after one year in 1950-51 following death support for his plan to create the Walter N. the country have introduced the game and threats and other racial shunning. Ridley Scholarship Fund, named for the its character-building aspects to more than Mr. Merchant, who graduated from the first black student to earn an undergraduate 15 million young people. HAMPTON Three African-American astronauts joined hundreds of other mourners Saturday, March 7, at a funeral service for trailblazing mathematician and NASA pioneer Katherine G. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson, who calculated rocket trajectories and Earth orbits for NASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early space missions and was later the subject of a book and portrayed in the 2016 movie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hidden Figures,â&#x20AC;? about pioneering black female aerospace workers, died Feb. 24, 2020, at the age of 101. More than 700 people attended the service at the Hampton University Convocation Center. Astronaut Leland D. Melvin, a Lynchburg native who earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond and a masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from the University of Virginia, said he first met Mrs. Johnson through the National Technical Association, an organization of minority technical professionals who encourage youngsters to enter STEM fields and mentor young professionals in those areas. He was a young engineer at NASA-Langley in Hampton in the late 1980s and Mrs. Johnson had retired just a few years earlier. She became like a mother to me,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Melvin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She stood in the gap between the known and the unknown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think about the journey that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on now,â&#x20AC;? he continued. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t calculate the speed that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traveling to

John Merchant, who broke barriers at U.Va. law school and in golf, dies at 87

ppy Birthday a H

Willie Mae Lawson

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

Jazz master pianist â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;McCoyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Tyner dies at 81 Free Press wire report

NEW YORK â&#x20AC;&#x153;McCoyâ&#x20AC;? Tyner, the groundbreaking and influential jazz pianist and the last surviving member of the John Coltrane Quartet, has died. He was 81. Mr. Tynerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family confirmed his death in a statement released on social media Friday, March 6. No details were provided. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of jazz legend, Alfred â&#x20AC;&#x153;McCoyâ&#x20AC;?

Mr. Tyner

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

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Tyner. McCoy was an inspired musician who devoted his life to his art, his family and his spirituality,â&#x20AC;? the statement read. â&#x20AC;&#x153;McCoy Tynerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music and legacy will continue to inspire fans and future talent for generations to come.â&#x20AC;? Mr. Tyner was born in Philadelphia on Dec. 11, 1938. He eventually met Mr. Coltrane and joined him for the 1961 album â&#x20AC;&#x153;My Favorite Things,â&#x20AC;? a major commercial success that highlighted the remarkable chemistry of the John

Coltrane Quartet. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. The quartet would go on to release more revered projects, becoming an international renowned group and one of the seminal acts in jazz history. Mr. Tyner eventually found success apart from the John Coltrane Quartet, releasing more than 70 albums. He also won five Grammy Awards. In 2002, he was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Triumphant

$R +IRKLAND 2 7ALTON 0ASTOR

Worship Opportunities Sundays: Church School Morning Worship

Baptist Church

2003 Lamb Avenue Dr. Arthur M. Jones, Sr., Pastor (804) 321-7622 Church School - 9:30 a.m. Worship Service - 11:15 a.m.

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

1 ting 15 ebra l e C â&#x20AC;&#x153;MAKE

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IT HAPPENâ&#x20AC;?

Pastor Kevin Cook

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 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.

Bible Study: Tuesday - 9 a.m. Wednesday - 7 p.m.

Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Adam L. Bond, Pastor-Elect

Prayer Services: Wednesday (1st & 3rd ) 7 a.m. Every Wednesday 8 p.m.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Working For You In This Difficult Hourâ&#x20AC;?

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7M\XL &ETXMWX 'LYVGL 8LIQI JSV 1SFMPM^MRK *SV 1MRMWXV] 6IJVIWLMRK 8LI 3PH ERH )QIVKMRK 8LI 2I[ A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone

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Message by: Rev. Rachel Sattlefield

Thursdays: Mid-Day Bible Study 12 Noon Prayer & Praise 6:30 P.M. Bible Study 7 P.M.

Campaign 50 Going On Now Community Sunday â&#x20AC;&#x153;Live and Love Bible School Classes: 9:30 AM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10:30 AM 9:00 AM Breakfast For Youth

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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

Honoring God ... and serving people THANKS TO YOU for over 64 years and looking for 64 more years

St. Peter Baptist Church

Broad Rock Baptist Church

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Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

(near Byrd Park)

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Joseph Jenkins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. 2011-2049 Grayland Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23220 (804) 358-9177

Joseph Jenkins, Jr., Founder (Dec. 19, 1938 - Dec. 9, 2006) Joseph Jenkins, III. â&#x20AC;˘ Jason K. Jenkins â&#x20AC;˘ Maxine T. Jenkins

Richmond Free Press

March 12-14, 2020

Legal Notices City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, April 13, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2020-049 To adopt the General Fund Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021, and to appropriate the estimated revenues for such fiscal year for the objects and purposes stated in the said budget. Ordinance No. 2020-050 To adopt the Special Fund Budgets for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021, and to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Special Revenue funds for the said fiscal year. Ordinance No. 2020-051 To accept a program of proposed Capital Improvement Projects for the fiscal year beginning Jul. 1, 2020, and for the four fiscal years thereafter; to adopt a Capital Budget for the fiscal year beginning Jul. 1, 2020; and to determine the means of financing the same. Ordinance No. 2020-052 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding Between the City of Richmond, Virginia and the Public Defender for the City of Richmond, Virginia for the purpose of providing funds to supplement the salaries of employees in the Public Defender’s Office for the City of Richmond. Ordinance No. 2020-053 To appropriate and to provide funds for financing the school budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021. Ordinance No. 2020-054 To adopt the Debt Service Fund Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021, and to appropriate the estimated expenditures from the Debt Service Fund for the said fiscal year. Ordinance No. 2020-055 To adopt the Internal Service Fund Budgets for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021, and to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Internal Service funds for the said fiscal year. Ordinance No. 2020-056 To adopt the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities’ Richmond Cemeteries Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021, and to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Richmond Cemeteries for the said fiscal year for the operation and management of the facilities. Ordinance No. 2020-057 To adopt the Department of Public Works’ Parking Enterprise Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 20202021, and to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Department of Public Works’ Parking Enterprise Fund for the said fiscal year for the operation and management of parking facilities. Ordinance No. 2020-058 To adopt the Electric Utility Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021; to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Electric Utility for the said fiscal year; and to make appropriations from the Electric Utility Renewal Fund or Operating Fund for renewing, rebuilding or extending the plant and distribution system of the Electric Utility and for the purchase of vehicles. Ordinance No. 2020-059 To adopt the Gas Utility Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021; to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Gas Utility for the said fiscal year; and to make appropriations from the Gas Utility Renewal Fund or Operating Fund for renewing, rebuilding or extending the plant and distribution system of the Gas Utility and for the purchase of vehicles. Ordinance No. 2020-060 To adopt the Department of Public Utilities’ Stores Internal Service Fund Budgets for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021, and to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Department of Public Utilities’ Stores Internal Service Funds for the said fiscal year. Ordinance No. 2020-061 To adopt the Stormwater Utility Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, Continued on next column

Continued from previous column

2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021; to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Stormwater Utility for the said fiscal year; and to make appropriations from the Stormwater Utility Renewal Fund or Operating Fund for renewing, rebuilding or extending the stormwater utility and for the purchase of vehicles. Ordinance No. 2020-062 To adopt the Wastewater Utility Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021; to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Wastewater Utility for the said fiscal year; and to make appropriations from the Wastewater Utility Renewal Fund or Operating Fund for renewing, rebuilding or extending the plant and distribution system of the Wastewater Utility and for the purchase of vehicles. Ordinance No. 2020-063 To amend and reordain the fees set forth in Appendix A of City Code § 8-274(a)(2), (concerning the issuance of permits and conditions for concessions) for the purpose of providing for permit fees for the issuance of permits for concessions in public parks and playgrounds of the City. Ordinance No. 2020-064 To amend City Code §§ 28-191, 28-192, 28194, 28-195, 28-196, 28-198, 28-199, 28-200, 28-201, 28-202, 28-203, and 28-204, concerning gas service, for the purpose of changing the measurement of natural gas from quantities per thousand cubic feet to quantities per hundred cubic feet, and to amend and reordain the fees set forth in Appendix A of the City Code for sections 28-191(2) and 28-191(3) (concerning fees for residential gas service), 28-192(2) (concerning fees for residential gas peaking service), 28193(2) (concerning fees for general gas service), 28-193(3) (concerning fees for small commercial gas sales), 28-194(2) (concerning fees for large volume gas service), 28-195(f) and 28-196(f) (concerning fees for transportation service), 28-198(2) and 28-198(3) (concerning fees for municipal gas service), 28-199(c), 28-100(d), and 28-199(g)(2), (concerning flexibly priced interruptible gas service), 28-200(2), 28-200(3) and 28-200(4) (concerning unmetered gaslight service), 28201(c) (concerning gas air conditioning service), 28-202(c) (concerning fees for large volume gas sales service), 28203(c) (concerning fees for large volume, high load factor, gas sales service), and 28-204(b) and 28204(c) (concerning fees for natural gas vehicle gas service) of the City Code, effective as of the date of rendering bills for Cycle I in July 2020, to establish revised charges for such services. Ordinance No. 2020-065 To amend the fees set forth in Appendix A of the City Code for sections 28-923 (concerning fees for residential stormwater service) and 28-924 (concerning fees for developed residential properties stormwater service) of the City Code, effective as of the date of rendering bills for Cycle I in July, 2020, to establish revised charges for the stormwater utility’s services. Ordinance No. 2020-066 To amend and reordain certain fees set forth in Appendix A of the City Code for sections 28-650 (concerning fees for residential wastewater service), 28-651 (concerning fees for commercial wastewater service), 28-652 (concerning fees for industrial wastewater service), 28653 (concerning fees for state and federal wastewater service), and 28-654 (concerning fees for municipal wastewater service) of the City Code, effective as of the date of rendering bills for Cycle I in July, 2020, to establish revised charges for such services. Ordinance No. 2020-067 To amend and reordain the fees set forth in Appendix A of the City Code for sections 28326 (concerning fees for residential water service), 28-327 (concerning fees for commercial water service), 28-328 (concerning fees for industrial water service), 28-329 (concerning fees for municipal water service), 28-330 (concerning fees for state and federal water service), 28-458 (concerning fees for water for fire protection) and 28-549 (concerning fees for water use during conservation periods) of the City Code, effective as of the date of rendering bills for Cycle I in July, 2020, to establish revised charges for such Continued on next column

Continued from previous column

services. Ordinance No. 2020-068 To authorize the issuance of general obligation public improvement bonds of the City of Richmond in the maximum principal amount of $33,000,000 to finance the cost of school projects and general capital improvement projects of the City for the following purposes and uses: construction, reconstruction, improvements and equipment for public schools; construction, reconstruction, improvement and equipment for various infrastructure needs, including traffic control facilities, streets, sidewalks and other public ways, bridges, storm sewers, drains and culverts, and refuse disposal facilities; participation in redevelopment, conservation and community development programs, including the construction, reconstruction, improvement and equipment for targeted public facilities included in these programs; construction, reconstruction, improvements and equipment for public institutional, operational, cultural, educational and entertainment buildings and facilities, including but not limited to the theaters, parks, playgrounds, cemeteries, libraries and museums; acquisition of real property therefor as appropriate; and the making of appropriations to the City’s Economic Development Authority (“EDA”) to be used by the EDA to finance capital expenditures or to make loans or grants to finance capital expenditures for the purposes of promoting economic development; to authorize the Director of Finance, with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City, to sell such bonds for such capital improvement projects, to provide for the form, details and payment of such bonds; to authorize the issuance of notes of the City in anticipation of the issuance of such bonds; and to authorize the issuance of taxable bonds, for the same purposes and uses, in the same maximum principal amount and payable over the same period as such general obligation public improvement bonds. Ordinance No. 2020-069 To authorize the issuance of general obligation public improvement bonds of the City of Richmond in the maximum principal amount of $9,976,000 to finance the cost of capital improvement projects of the stormwater utility of the City for the following purposes and uses: replacement of and upgrades to the stormwater facilities, including but not limited to, construction, reconstruction, improvements, r e h a b i l i t a t i o n and upgrades of stormwater sewers and associated facilities; new and replacement infrastructure of the storm sewer system, drainage structures, catch basins, ditches, storm sewer pipes, culverts, green infrastructure; acquisition of real property therefor as appropriate; and equipment for various infrastructure needs; and authorizes the Director of Finance, with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City, to sell such bonds for such capital improvement projects, to provide for the form, details and payment of such bonds and to authorize the issuance of notes of the City in anticipation of the issuance of such bonds, and to authorize the issuance of taxable bonds, for the same purposes and uses, in the same maximum principal amount and payable over the same period as such general obligation public improvement bonds. Ordinance No. 2020-070 To cancel all authorized but unissued notes authorized by the City of Richmond in Fiscal Years 20162017 and 2017-2018, to authorize the issuance of general obligation equipment notes of the City of Richmond in the maximum principal amount of $4,867,332 to finance the cost of equipment for the following purposes and uses: acquisition of computer, radio, office, solid waste collection, o ff i c e f u r n i t u r e a n d miscellaneous equipment and vehicles for the various departments, bureaus and agencies of the City, and equipment for City schools; and to authorize the Director of Finance, with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City, to sell equipment notes to finance the acquisition of such equipment, and to authorize the issuance of taxable notes, for the same purposes and uses, in the same maximum principal Continued on next column

Continued from previous column

amount and payable over the same period as such general obligation equipment notes. Ordinance No. 2020-071 To cancel all authorized but unissued bonds authorized by the City of Richmond in Fiscal Years 2016-2017, to authorize the issuance of public utility revenue bonds of the City of Richmond in the maximum principal amount of $103,007,500 to finance the cost of capital improvement projects of the gas, water and wastewater utilities and public utilities buildings and facilities for the following purposes and uses: enlargement, extension, repair, replacement, improvement and equipping of the gas plant and transmission lines; enlargement, extension, repair, replacement, improvement and equipping of the waterworks plant and transmission lines; enlargement, extension, repair, replacement, improvement and equipping of the wastewater plant and intercepting lines; construction, reconstruction, repair, replacement, and improvement of sanitary and storm water sewers, pumping stations, drains and culverts; construction, reconstruction, repair, replacement, improvement and equipping of public utility buildings and facilities therefor, including but not limited to the stores division; and acquisition of real property and real property rights (including without limitation easements and rightsof-way) therefor as appropriate; to authorize the Director of Finance, with the approval of the Chief Administrative O ff i c e r, f o r a n d o n behalf of the City, to sell such bonds for such capital improvement projects; to provide for the form, details and payment of such bonds; to approve the form of supplemental indenture of trust; to authorize the issuance of notes of the City in anticipation of the issuance of such bonds; and to authorize the issuance of taxable bonds, for the same purposes and uses, in the same maximum principal amount and payable over the same period as such public utility revenue bonds. Ordinance No. 2020-072 To amend Appendix A of the City Code by increasing the fee for section 4-307, concerning the annual fee for a breeding permit, per dog or cat. Ordinance No. 2020-073 To amend Appendix A of the City Code for section 4-275 (concerning impoundment and violation notice and fee for board and care) for the purpose of establishing a separate adoption fee for puppies. Ordinance No. 2020-074 To amend City Code § 1295, (concerning athletic activities, adult leagues, tennis tournaments, tennis camps, and softball tournaments) for the purpose of removing the separate fees for softball tournaments and for the recreation centers known as Pine Camp Art and Recreation Center and portions of Hickory Hill Community Center, and to amend Appendix A of the City Code for section 12-95 (concerning athletic activities, adult leagues, tennis tournaments, tennis camps, and softball tournaments) for the purpose of establishing revised charges for such activities. Ordinance No. 2020-075 To amend City Code § 12-108, concerning a nonresident fee for nonresidents of the City renting facilities or enrolling in Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities athletic activities or classes, for the purpose of increasing the nonresident fee for the rental of any facility, park or equipment from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. Ordinance No. 2020-076 To amend and reordain City Code § 1294, (concerning the reservation of picnic shelters and the rental fee for picnic packs), for the purpose of including the fee for reservation of picnic shelters and removing the fee for picnic packs, and to amend the fees set forth in Appendix A of the City Code for City Code §§ 8-281, (concerning the permit processing fee for the use of public grounds, parks, playfields and playgrounds) to increase the cost of the permit processing fee, and 1294, (concerning picnic shelter fees), for the purpose of removing the fee for rental of picnic packs. Ordinance No. 2020-077 Continued on next column

Continued from previous column

To amend ch. 13, art. V, div. 3 of the City Code by adding therein new §§ 13-203 and 13-204, con cerni ng fees f o r employees of the City’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services who conduct Fire Prevention Code inspections on commercial and institutional properties in the City, and to amend Appendix A of the City Code by adding therein new fees for City Code § 13-203, for the purpose of establishing the fees to be charged for employees of the City’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services who conduct Fire Prevention Code inspections on commercial and institutional properties in the City. Ordinance No. 2020-078 To amend City Code § 13-190, concerning the removal and closure of underground storage tanks, for the purpose of including aboveground storage tanks as subject to removal and closure, and to amend the fees set forth in Appendix A of the City Code for City Code § 13-190, for the purpose of establishing a new fee for the removal of aboveground storage tanks. Ordinance No. 2020-079 To amend § 30-930.6 of the City Code, concerning certificates of appropriateness, for the purpose of establishing a fee for filing an application for a certificate of appropriateness, and to amend Appendix A of the City Code by adding therein new fees for City Code §§ 30-930.6, concerning certificates of appropriateness, and 30-1020.4(a), concerning fees for filing an application for a certificate of zoning compliance, of the City Code, to establish new charges for such services. Ordinance No. 2020-080 To amend and reordain City Code §§ 8-279 (concerning fees for use of public parks) for the purpose of revising the fees for weddings and to establish fees for rafting in the James River Park Systems, and to amend and reordain the fees set forth in Appendix A of the City Code for sections 8-277 (concerning fees for the use of the Dogwood Dell Amphitheater and Carillon in Byrd Park), 8-278 (concerning fees for the use of Cityowned equipment), 8-279 (concerning fees for use of public parks), and 8-284(b) and (c) (concerning meeting fees) of the City Code. Ordinance No. 2020-081 To adopt the Water Utility Budget for the fiscal year commencing Jul. 1, 2020, and ending Jun. 30, 2021; to appropriate the estimated receipts of the Water Utility for the said fiscal year; and to make appropriations from the Water Utility Renewal Fund or Operating Fund for renewing, rebuilding or extending the plant and distribution system of the Water Utility and for the purchase of vehicles. Ordinance No. 2020-082 To amend the schedule of classifications and assigned ranges incorporated into section I of the Pay Plan for the purpose of revising the wording of certain classification titles and changing the pay ranges of certain classification titles; to amend section II(B) of the Pay Plan to provide a 2% pay increase for classified and unclassified permanent City employees who are not in the step based pay system for police and fire employees; and to amend sections III(B)(11), III(B) (12), III(B)(25)(e), III(B) (36), and III(B)(40), of the Pay Plan to (i) provide the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office with $884,474 for salary supplements and $202,138 for Virginia Retirement System contributions and the Commonwealth Attorney with a $51,074 salary supplement and a $10,306 Virginia Retirement System contribution, (ii) provide the Sheriff’s Office with $2,236,106 for salary supplements and the Sheriff with a $41,301.20 supplement, (iii) to suspend the education incentive for police and fire program until Jun. 30, 2021, (iv) to change the living wage, and (v) to add the new “Driver Pump Operator” classification to the step-based pay system for sworn fire and police officers. 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 Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at www.Richmondgov. com and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Candice D. Reid City Clerk

Continued from previous column

City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, March 23, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2019-302 As Amended To authorize the special use of the property known as 1620 Park Avenue for the purpose of a multifamily dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions. Ordinance No. 2020-025 To erect all-way stop signs at the intersections of Bainbridge Street and West 10th Street; Bainbridge Street and West 12th Street; Bainbridge Street and West 14th Street; Porter Street and West 10th Street; Porter Street and West 12th Street; Porter Street and West 14th Street; Perry Street and West 10th Street; Perry Street and West 12th Street; McDonough Street and West 10th Street; McDonough Street and West 12th Street; and McDonough Street and West 14th Street. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 1:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2020-083 To amend Ord. No. 2019041, adopted May 13, 2020, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 General Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, by re-appropriating a $1,352,558.00 portion of the Fiscal Year 2018-2019 fund balance excess, assigned by Res. No. 2019-R016, adopted Jun. 24, 2019, to the General Fund Cash Transfer for Capital Projects program, and to appropriate these transferred funds to the Fiscal Year 20192020 Capital Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amounts appropriated to the Universal Access, Community Center Enhancements, Tredegar/ Brown’s Island Accessible Walk Improvements, and RAA Building and Property Improvements projects by a total of $1,352,558.00 for the purpose of providing additional funding for those projects. Ordinance No. 2020-084 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute an Urban Project Construction Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the design, construction, and maintenance of safety improvements to Laburnum Avenue at the southbound and northbound ramps of Vi r g i n i a R o u t e 1 9 5 . (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 1:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2020-085 To designate the 3100 block of Decatur Street in honor of Johnny R. Battle. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 1:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2020-086 To d e s i g n a t e a n d incorporate certain City-owned properties located along Riverside Drive and West 22nd Street into Canoe Run Park. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 1:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2020-087 To d e s i g n a t e a n d incorporate certain Cityowned properties along West 42nd Street, West, 43rd Street, West 44th Street, West 46th Street, Rear West 42nd Street, Dunston Avenue, Rear Dunston Avenue, and Reedy Avenue Rear into Crooked Branch Ravine Park. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 1:00 p.m., Council Chamber)

D e v e l o p m e n t , Thursday, March 19, 2020, 1:00 p.m., Council Chamber) 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 Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at www.Richmondgov. com and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Candice D. Reid City Clerk

Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HANOVER PAMELA SHAWNAY FLOYD, Plaintiff, v. HERBERT LAMONT FLOYD, Defendant. Case No.: CL19002232-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION TO: Herbert Lamont Floyd 241 W. Hansberry Street Philadelphia, PA 19144 The object of this suit is for Plaintiff to obtain a divorce a vinculo matrimonii from the Defendant, Herbert Lamont Floyd, on the grounds of parties having lived separate and apart, continuously and without interruption for more than one (1) year, and the parties having two (2) children born of this marriage, namely Octavia Shawnay Floyd, born November 14, 2006, and Elijah Lamont Floyd, born April 28, 2008; and an affidavit having been made and signed that due diligence has been used to ascertain the Defendant’s location and residence without success; and that his last known address is as indicated above; and accordingly, it is therefore Adjudged, Ordered and Decreed that Defendant shall appear and protect his interests as he deems necessary within fifty (50) days from the date of entry of this Order, April 22, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. A Copy Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, Clerk I ASK FOR THIS: William D. Hamner, Esq. (VSB# 17836) LANE & HAMNER, P.C. 3520-A Courthouse Road Richmond, Virginia 23236 804-745-2144 804-745-7880 Fax VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HENRICO REBECCA NGUYEN, Plaintiff v. HAI THANH LA, Defendant. Case No.: CL20-869 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Put defendant on notice of the plaintiff’s complaint for divorce. It is ordered that Hai Thanh La appear at the abovenamed court and protect his/ her interests on or before April 27, 2020 at 9 a.m. An Extract Teste: Heidi S. Barshinger, Clerk Sherri A. Thaxton, Esq., 4124 E. Parham Road Henrico, Virginia 23228 (804) 647-1199 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER AMY DISNEY, Plaintiff v. TYREL DISNEY, Defendant. Case No.: CL20000792-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 20th day of April, 2020 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Counsel VSB# 27724 The Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

Ordinance No. 2020-088 To repeal City Code § 26-902, concerning erroneous assessments and refunds and exoneration from payment of local taxes, and to amend ch. 26, art. II, div. 1, by adding therein a new § 26-48, for the purpose of authorizing the Director of Finance to refund and exonerate taxpayers from any local tax and requiring approval of any such refund or exoneration by the City Attorney. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER JOHNELL HARRIS Plaintiff v. CLIFTON HARRIS, Defendant. Case No.: CL120000689-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 8th day of April, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests.

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A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER LARRY POLITE Plaintiff v. CAROLYN POLITE, Defendant. Case No.: CL120000690-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 8th day of April, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

PROPERTY Notice Judicial Sale of Real Property Owner/s of the below listed properties are hereby given notice that thirty (30) days from the date of this notice, proceedings will be commenced under the authority of Section 58.13965 et seq. of the Code of Virginia to sell the following parcels located in the City of Richmond, Virginia for payment of delinquent taxes: 1434 Carlisle Avenue E0002812002 3312 Chapel Drive C0090096016 2700 Clearfield Street C0080772032 3107 Columbia Street S0080631011 1430 Decatur Street S0000151002 3518 Delaware Avenue N0001266002 1317 Enfield Avenue S0071177022 1355 Evergreen Avenue C0060300026 2014 Fairfield Avenue E0001237014 2706 Fendall Avenue N0000697007 6922 Forest Hill Avenue C0040662028 7026 Forest Hill Avenue C0040660048 3019 Garland Avenue N0000974034 5909 Glenway Drive C0050685056 3716 Grandel Drive C0090635062 1712 Greenville Avenue W0000785016 2503 Haden Avenue S0080706020 2325 Halifax Avenue S0000645025 2404 Halifax Avenue S0000767006 1101 Haxall Point U711 E0000001092 1507 Helen Lane S0071384002 2610 Hopkins Road C0090528064 2016 Ingram Avenue S0000861002 2101 Ingram Avenue S0000763011 3228 Jeter Avenue N0001453005 323 East Ladies Mile Road N0001553017 3807 Larchmont Lane S0042914035 3407 Lawson Street S0002455011 3410 Lawson Street S0002454001 507 Lincoln Avenue N0180455004 120 Lipscomb Street S0000150017 2510 North Lombardy Street N0000690019 1407 Lynhaven Avenue S0071228014 1418 Lynhaven Avenue S0071229021 2317 M Street E0000293004 1904 Maddox Street E0120225003 2313 Maplewood Avenue W0001029009 3205 Maury Street S0071012014 4038 McKay Avenue C0090398100 1706 South Meadow Street W0000875013 The owner/s of any property listed may redeem it at any time before the date of the sale by paying all accumulated taxes, penalties, interest and cost thereon, including the pro rata costs of publication hereunder. Gregory A. Lukanuski, Deputy City Attorney Office of the City Attorney for the City of Richmond 900 East Broad Street, Room 400 Richmond, Virginia (804) 646-7949 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. Continued on next page

Richmond Free Press

March 12-14, 2020

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities Continued from previous page

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JEFFREY NTOW, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL19-5801 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 911 North 31st Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number E0000724/001, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner/s of record, Jeffrey Ntow aka Jefflean Ntow. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, JEFFREY NTOW aka JEFFLEAN NTOW, JEFFREY NTOW aka JEFFLEAN NTOW, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to his last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that CDS TRACTOR TRAILER TRAINING, LLC, an entity purged from the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/ or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;? IT IS ORDERED that JEFFREY NTOW aka JEFFLEAN NTOW, CDS TRACTOR TRAILER TRAINING, LLC, an entity purged from the records o f t h e Vi r g i n i a S t a t e Corporation Commission, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before APRIL 16, 2020 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk

Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. TRUE REVELATION CHURCH OF GOD, A VIRGINIA CORPORATION, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL19-5944 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1745 North 28th Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number E0000951/072, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, True Revelation Church of God, a Virginia Corporation. An Affidavit having been filed that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;? IT IS ORDERED that Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before APRIL 16, 2020 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. BARRY Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;NEILL, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL19-5932 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 3113 Dill Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number N0000997/022, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Barry Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, BARRY Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;NEILL, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to his last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parties Unknown.â&#x20AC;? IT IS ORDERED that BARRY Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;NEILL, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before APRIL 16, 2020 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7949

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LICENSE Guapollon LLC Trading as: Guapollon LLC 7235 Hull St Rd North Chesterfield Chesterfield County, Virginia 23235-5803 The above establishment is applying to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage C o n trol (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Beer On Premises license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. 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.

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The Richmond Land Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main decisionmaking body, the Citizens Advisory Panel (CAP), has two openings. The CAP is a group of volunteer representatives from Richmondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s communities. They hold quarterly public meetings where they make decisions about the use and distribution of land bank properties. If you are interested in serving on the CAP, please go to www.RichmondLandBank.com/ CAP, or call (804) 915-9425. Applications must be submitted by March 22nd.

Director Sales & Business Development, Richmond, VA. Manage Sales team, coaching & training for North American market. Implement Hauni group processes for Sales in Richmond & control data quality in SAP, values, dates, payment terms, pricediscount level & authorization. Mail resume to: J. Klele, Manager, Human Resources, Hauni Richmond, Inc., 2800 Charles City Rd., Richmond, VA 23231.

COORDINATOR, LIBRARY SERVICES (FA310)

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

Public Notice

CONTACT: Lucinda Shannon 434-979-0654 Ishannon@tjpdc.org

Hearings will be held at the: â&#x20AC;˘ MPO Policy Board Meeting on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. The Charlottesville-Albemarle MPO will host a public hearing on: Adopting the FY 2021-2024 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) The TIP document outlines the project schedule and funding breakdown for regional transportation projects that are currently underway. Information for the Draft FY21FY24 TIP and the Annual Obligation Report can be found at (http://campo.tjpdc.org/ process-documents/tip/). The hearings will be held at the Water Street Center, 407 East Water Street, Charlottesville. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Comments may also be submitted via telephone, email or letter to the MPO: POB 1505, Charlottesville, VA 22902; phone (434) 979-7310; email: info@tjpdc.org. Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) uses the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) development process of the TJPDC Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to satisfy the public hearing requirements of 49 U.S.C. Section 5307(c). The TIP public notice of public involvement activities and time established for public review and comment on the TIP satisďŹ es the program-of-projects requirements of the Urbanized Area Formula Program.

(Reynolds Community College, Richmond, VA) Under the general guidance and direction of the Director of Library, Information Services, and Academic Support, the Coordinator of Library Services is responsible for managing the day-today operations of the Library and the Tutoring Services on both the Parham Road and Goochland Campuses. The Coordinator will provide circulation, reference and technical library services as well as assist the Library Director in the planning and development of long-range strategic goals and annual unit work plan. This position will also be responsible for marketing and promoting library and academic support services; developing and supporting library initiatives and special projects; and participating in college and community activities, and professional development activities as necessary. Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in Information and Library Science from an American Library Association accredited school is required. TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: Full-time, twelvemonth professional faculty-ranked appointment. Salary range: $62,270-$126,288. Approximate maximum hiring salary: $71,000. Salary commensurate with the education and experience of the applicant. Application reviews will begin April 9, 2020. Additional information is available at the Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website: www.reynolds.edu. AA/EOE/ADA/Veterans/ AmeriCorps/Peace Corps/Other National Service Alumni are encouraged to apply.

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