VSU’s Blair on fast track to Olympics
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Richmond Free Press
VOL. 27 NO. 20
© 2018 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
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That time Rihanna dressed like the Pope
MAY 17-19, 2018
Cool in the hot seat Christy Coleman, co-chair of the Monument Avenue Commission, is no stranger to controversy or leadership, even on issues of slavery and the Civil War By Johnnie L. Roberts
Mr. Kamras
100 days New schools chief still energetic, optimistic By Ronald E. Carrington
Richmond Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras has spent the last 100 days engaging with school community while trying to calm the storms from previous administrations. Since his arrival Feb. 1, the 44-year-old former Washington public schools administrator and 2005 National Teacher of the Year has spent two to three hours at each of Richmond’s 44 public schools, talking with students, teachers, staff and principals. He has read books to students and taught a couple of math classes. It is part of his plan for engagement, equity and excellence, core values he espoused in his 100-day plan. “I have probably spent 80 percent of my time connecting with people — at schools, in the community, in homes and at different events all across the city,” Mr. Kamras said in a recent Free Press interview. He wants RPS teachers and staff to follow his example by going out in the community and making home visits. “I hope that they see that engagement is not just a word for me,” Mr. Kamras said. “I hope folks are seeing and feeling that they know that I am trying very, very hard to be fully engaged with the community. It is not just me, but the entire Please turn to A4
The Clarks, who were slaves rooted in Tennessee, outlasted brutal bondage, fled the wrath of white supremacy shortly after Emancipation and became founding settlers of Eatonville, Fla., one of the country’s earliest self-governing black municipalities. The Clarks’ experience, like that of many enslaved individuals, shows “their incredible resilience, resolve and a certain dignity” in the face of unspeakable inhumanity, says Christy Coleman, chief executive officer of the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, one of the most authoritative museums on the nation’s ugliest chapter. Had the Clarks been able to look into the future as Ms. Coleman is able to see the past, they likely would have considered Ms. Coleman, a Clark descendant, to be incredible, too. Ensconced in the cradle of the former Confederacy, Ms. Coleman, 54, presides over a Downtown cultural institution and the Monument Avenue Commission civic panel seeking to advance a broadened and inclusive meaning of the war and its aftermath. Quietly marking her 10-year anniversary at the museum, the public historian has been asserting the perspective of, among others, slaves and their immediate descendants into or alongside whitewashed narratives of the Confederacy, Civil War, Emancipation and Reconstruction. As a result, the history of that anguished era is gaining new dimensions that now increasingly incorporate the arc of not only the Clarks’ experience but of every slave. Aside from her duties at the museum, Ms. Coleman also presides in the shadow of an imminent and momentous decision on the fate of Richmond’s monuments to the Confederacy. Please turn to A4
Christopher Smith
Christy Coleman and her colleagues on the Monument Avenue Commission expect to send recommendations about the future of the Confederate statues to Mayor Levar M. Stoney by the end of May.
Historic city credit union seeks new growth By Jeremy M. Lazarus
James Haskins/Richmond Free Press
Randy N. Cooper, president and chief executive officer of Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union, proudly shows off to his wife, Shirley G. Cooper, a wall display at the credit union’s Commerce Road branch celebrating its founders. Mrs. Cooper is president and chief executive officer of the Credit Union of Richmond.
$3.4B: By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Courtney Jones
Yes! A Virginia Union University student expresses pure elation as his name is called to receive his degree at Saturday’s commencement. Please see coverage of area commencements, B2 and B3.
Richmond high school students will be able to take unlimited free rides on GRTC buses beginning July 1. Organized activities for city youths also will be beefed up starting in July, with city recreation centers operating longer hours and after-school programs at elementary and middle schools being upgraded. More streets are to be paved and more sidewalks are to be fixed, while residents who conserve water will pay slightly smaller monthly bills. However, on July 1, vehicle owners also will starting paying an extra $7 a year to register their cars and trucks in the city, and diners at restaurant will pay an extra 1.5 percent in tax to help finance construction of up to four new schools. In addition, the cost of parking at street meters will be going up at least 25 cents an hour, and those who fail to feed the meter will see the cost of the fine rise by $5. Those are among the highlights of the new two-year, $3.4 billion spending plan that Richmond City Council passed Monday
Amid the recovery from the Great Depression, 10 African-American Richmond educators organized a new credit union for teachers in the city that would provide the personal touch and financial services then largely unavailable to them at most banks in segregated Richmond. But since 1936, the financial environment has vastly changed. Now the Richmond Heritage Federal Credit Union, among the last black-organized and operated financial institutions in the area, is struggling to recapture vitality as it prepares to mark its 82nd year at its annual membership meeting 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, at Links Apartments Manchester, 901 McDonough St. in South Side. The choice of the apartment complex as the meeting location is no accident, said Randy N. Cooper, the energetic and outgoing president and chief executive officer that RHFCU is counting on to generate new growth. Mr. Cooper wants people who live in the complex to see and ask about the event. It is part of his strategy of reaching out to newcomers to South Side who are filling the apartment buildings that have sprung up in the Manchester area in recent years, a pool of younger people for whom the credit union could be a neighborhood bank. His goal is to attract them to do their saving, checking and borrowing online and at the credit union’s office at Bainbridge Street and Commerce Road. After all, despite the surge in new apartments and homes, RHFCU is among the few financial institutions still operating in this fast-growing section of the city. Mr. Cooper, who took over the leadership post from Angela Outing Please turn to A4
City Council approves 2018-2020 spending plan
without controversy and debate. Of that total, about $1.4 billion is earmarked for general fund operations, essentially city government operations, in the 2018-2019 fiscal year that begins July 1 and the 2019-2020 fiscal year that will begin July 1, 2019. About $720 million is to be spent on general fund operations in the first year of the biennium, or about $3,228 per Richmond resident, a 4 percent increase from current spending. The rest of the funding is split among the capital program that Mayor Stoney pays for improvements to city infrastructure such as buildings, parks and roadways, public utilities, federal and state grants, internal programs like the radio shop and fleet operations and other elements of the government. Mayor Levar M. Stoney was upbeat about the passage of the plan, particularly after the council approved a spending blueprint that virtually kept intact the proposal he provided
in March. “This is a values-based, fiscally responsible plan that invests in and improves upon our targeted priorities, including core services, public safety, poverty mitigation and education,” he said in a statement issued after the 9-0 vote. “I am particularly proud of the roughly $40 million we have dedicated in this spending plan toward meeting the needs of our children,” he continued. He also praised the council for delivering a plan that “sets us on a sound fiscal path for continued growth.” During discussions, several council members, including Kristen N. Larson, 4th District, and Ellen F. Robertson, 6th District, said the budget falls short of seriously addressing infrastructure needs, such as obsolete school buildings, potholed streets and broken sidewalks. “We’re going to have to do better,” Ms. Larson said. City employees are among the big winners in the spending plan. Effective July 1, they will be eligible for a new benefit — four weeks of paid leave Please turn to A4
Richmond Free Press
A2 May 17-19, 2018
Local News
Council backs off eliminating residency rule
A pop of color A field of colorful printed poppies decorates the front steps of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Location: 428 N. Boulevard. The red flowers, known as remembrance poppies, are designed to call attention to the World War I America exhibition on display at the museum through July 29. Poppies have long been a memorial symbol for those who died in that war. Described as the largest traveling exhibition of its kind, the display Slices of life and scenes includes items ranging from President in Richmond Woodrow Wilson’s hat and cane to escape artist Harry Houdini’s handcuffs along with photos, helmets, gas masks and other items. The Richmond museum is the only East Coast venue hosting the exhibition this year. The museum plans to keep the poppy field, printed on “brick vinyl” material, on its steps until Nov. 11, 2018, when the nation and the world will mark the 100th anniversary of the conflict’s end.
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
A split Richmond City Council is backing away from almost completely dismantling the long-standing requirement that city agency and department directors, as well as full-time council appointees, live within the city’s limits. Last week, a 5-4 City Council majority advanced a proposal to drop the residency rule for 177 of the 180 city officials now covered, leaving only the chief administrative officer, police chief and fire chief under the requirement to live in Richmond. But the majority collapsed after Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, 5th District, changed his mind a few days later and decided that other top officials also needed to live in the city. “It occurred to me that emergency management could be an issue with city leadership living elsewhere,” Mr. Agelasto said. He now is proposing that the residency rule continue to apply to the directors of public utilities and public works and other managers who are required to respond during hurricanes, floods or other major natural or man-made disasters. Councilwoman Kim B. Gray, 2nd District, introduced an amended policy after Mr. Agelasto notified her that he had dropped his support for dismantling the proposal that Councilmen Andreas Addison, 1st District, and Michael J. Jones, 9th District, were spearheading. She said Mr. Agelasto initially agreed to the list she presented. However, on Monday, just before the formal meeting, Mr. Agelasto called for further modification of the positions that would be covered. His move led council to put off consideration. An amendment to the current residency rule embodying Mr. Agelasto’s views is to be prepared and introduced at the council’s next meeting, Tuesday, May 29. If a council majority supports the proposal, it would be put on the agenda for a vote in June. Mr. Agelasto also plans to ensure that the city administration as well as the council can continue to grant waivers to the policy. At least half of those currently covered apparently have received waivers because they don’t live within the city, according to Korita N. Jones, director of Human Resources. At this point, the current policy remains intact. It requires full-time council appointees, executives and managers to have their primary residence in Richmond within 12 months of being hired, unless they are granted a waiver.
Rep. McEachin to host annual parents education forum May 19 Congressman A. Donald McEachin will host his annual “Know Your Rights: Parent Power Forum” 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at Petersburg High School, 3101 Johnson Road, in Petersburg. The forum’s goal is to provide parents and caregivers with information about their student’s rights in the classroom and to focus on ways to better support students with special needs and different learning abilities. Speakers and panelists include Petersburg Mayor Samuel Parham; Kenneth Pritchett, chairman of the Petersburg School Board; Dr. William Wynn, principal of Petersburg High School; and Congressman McEachin. Rep. McEachin represents the 4th Congressional District that includes all or parts of Richmond, Petersburg, Hopewell, Colonial Heights, Emporia, Suffolk and Chesapeake and the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, Charles City, Prince George, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Southampton, Surry and Sussex. Details: Tara Adams at tara.adams@mail.house.gov or (804) 486-1840.
Richmond Technical Center open house Saturday Want to see what the Richmond Technical Center offers? Everyone is invited to find out this Saturday, May 19. The Richmond Public Schools’ career and technical center will host an open house 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to show off its curriculum. Location: 2020 Westwood Ave. The event will feature car washes, hand waxes of vehicles and diagnoses of vehicle problems by automotive and mechanics students, the center has announced. The event also will include entertainment and items for purchase such as picnic tables, garden plants, perfumes and skin care products. Interested persons also will be able to register for classes. Details: (804) 780-237 or RTCCommunityDay@gmail.com
Cityscape
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Plans advance to move GRTC stop away from senior apartments By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Richmond City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray has been assured that GRTC is taking steps to move the new bus stop at 800 N. Davis Ave. that has come under fire from residents and businesses. The 2nd District council representative said Monday that David Green, GRTC’s chief executive officer, called her to discuss a change of location for the stop that is set to be the final stop for three bus routes — 50, 76 and 77 — before they start their new routes. Sixty to 70 buses a day are to begin using the stop each weekday beginning June 25, a day after the new bus rapid transit Pulse starts service on West Broad Street, if GRTC is unable to craft a change before then. Ms. Gray said Mr. Green told her that GRTC does not want to operate a stop that people do not want. She said Mr. Green promised the transit company would act as quickly as possible to relocate the Davis Avenue stop, possibly before June 25.
In a statement Wednesday, GRTC confirmed the discussion between Ms. Gray and Mr. Green. “GRTC is exploring both public and private property options” in seeking to relocate the end-of-the-line stop for the three routes, GRTC spokeswoman Carrie Rose Pace stated. GRTC is “still in the process of working with … property owners (to secure) permission for routing alternatives. We will provide an update on this to our board, seeking their approval of a temporary alternative and the subsequent public engagement for a longer-term resolution. We are still checking on specifics about timing of the various required steps, including public engagement, but we should have those details soon,” Ms. Pace added. Ms. Gray said Mr. Green indicated the best temporary alternative would be to have the buses turn left off Broad Street onto DMV Drive and turn around at a vacant state building to be in position to start their next runs. Ms. Gray said she hopes GRTC can act more quickly than she can. She introduced
on Monday an ordinance to bar GRTC from using the bus stop, but she cannot get it before the full council before late July. Ms. Gray said the city traffic engineer must first review the proposal and has 60 days to provide a report before council can act. At least 102 of the 107 residents of the William Byrd Senior Apartments that sits next to the planned new Davis Avenue stop want it removed. At a news conference last week, the apartment manager and residents expressed concern that the constant flow of buses would subject them to noise and fumes, disrupting their lives. The owner of a longtime barber shop on the building’s first floor also was concerned about buses blocking parking for customers. Residents of West Grace Street between Davis Avenue and Robinson Street also objected to having buses departing Davis Avenue use their block to proceed on their routes, noting that the GRTC vehicles are wider than the 9-foot travel lanes and are heavier than the maximum weight the cobblestones on the street can handle.
Former employees of Henrico County hotel file lawsuit over payment arrangements By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Three former employees of the Akaza Hotel in Henrico County are going to court to seek unpaid wages from the hotel owner who provided lodging rather than paying the employees. Backed by the Legal Aid Justice Center, Laio Morris, Shantell Pili and Joshua Vaughan filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court in Richmond seeking pay based on claims the hotel violated federal and state laws governing payment of minimum wages. Attorney Brent A. Jackson represents the hotel, variously named the Akaza Hotel of Richmond, Seco Hotels of Richmond and Hotel I-64, and other corporate entities associated with it. He could not immediately be reached for comment. The Free Press reported on the hotel’s policy of exchanging lodging for work in the April 19-21 edition.
Mary Frances Charleton, a Legal Aid Justice Center attorney involved with the suit, said the suit applies only to the three individuals, but noted that the complaint could be amended if other current or former employees sought to join the litigation. The gist of the complaint is that “the defendants never paid plaintiffs for their work,” she stated. The suit alleges that the hotel did not meet rules set out in federal law allowing an employer to provide lodging in place of wages. Among other things, the hotel’s owners and managers failed to maintain required records and provided housing that benefited them and not the employees, according to the suit. According to the suit, Ms. Pili worked as a front desk clerk from October 2016 to January 2017, and was on call at all hours, but was only provided a room “that had a broken heating system.”
Mr. Vaughan worked approximately five weeks between December 2016 and January 2017. He worked on maintenance, but was provided a room that had “a constant smell of mold and mildew,” according to the filing. “Mr. Vaughan observed that other employees’ rooms were unlivable. One such room had such back water damage that every wall had become rotten from floor to ceiling, and the metal studs underneath the sheetrock were rusted.” Ms. Morris worked for only two days at the hotel and did not receive any pay or lodging as she was still in a trial period when she quit, according to the documents. The suit does not specify the amount the three are seeking, except an award of all wages and overtime that was unpaid, plus any penalties provided under state and federal law.
Richmonders offer names to replace J.E.B. Stuart Elementary By Ronald E. Carrington
Barack Obama. Henry L. Marsh III. Spottswood W. Robinson III. Mary Elizabeth Bowser and Elizabeth Van Lew. Arthur Ashe Jr. Those are just a few of the names suggested at a public meeting last week for the renaming of Richmond’s J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School. The school, opened in 1922 at 3101 Fendall Ave. in North Side, is named after a Confederate cavalry leader and slave holder. A majority of the 20 people at the May 9 meeting held in the school’s gymnasium spoke in support of renaming the school. Their suggestions for a new name ranged from the former U.S. president to prominent and unsung figures from the past. “Children should have a positive look on the school building that they are going to,” said Rhonda Dickerson, a former student at J.E.B. Stuart Elementary who wants the name changed. The hearing was the first in a series before the School Board is scheduled to vote on the name change at its meeting on Monday, June 18. At least two speakers suggested the school be
named Brookland Park, Fendall Elementary or North Side Elementary to strengthen the sense of neighborhood and community pride. Only one speaker, also a former student at the school, spoke in opposition. He said his concern is for the mind and body of students. “If a name change could change the conditions of the school and the students, I would be all for it,” he told the Principal Jennifer K. Moore and six members of the renaming committee. Also attending the meeting were Superintendent Jason Kamras, School Board Chair Dawn Page and board member Kenya Gibson, who represents the 3rd District where the school is located. Here are the suggestions from the meeting: Albert V. Norrell: A former slave who taught in Richmond for 66 years. The North Side school named for him is now used as an administration building, while the Norrell Annex has closed. Elizabeth Van Lew: An abolitionist, philanthropist and spy for the Union during the Civil War who smuggled Northern prisoners out of Libby Prison in Richmond and freed her slaves.
Mary Elizabeth Bowser: A former slave noted for being a spy in the Confederate White House in Richmond, she went on to become a missionary and teacher. She has been inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. Jonathan Gibbs: An African-American political activist who aided the Underground Railroad, fought segregation in New York and supported black enlistment in the Union army. Gilbert Hunt: A blacksmith who was enslaved in King William County in 1780. He was a member of the Richmond Volunteer Fire Brigade and assisted in rescuing people from a theater fire in December 1811 in which Gov. George William Smith and his wife were among the 72 who died. Arthur Ashe Jr.: Tennis star and human rights activist who grew up in the North Side neighborhood and supported educational rights for children. Barbara Johns: At 16 she led a strike at Moton High School in Prince Edward County for equal educational resources and facilities for African-American students. Her actions led to a lawsuit that became part of the historic
Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954. George Washington: The nation’s first president. Barack Obama: The nation’s first AfricanAmerican president. Henry L. Marsh III: A noted civil rights attorney who served as a state senator and the city’s first African-American mayor. Spottswood W. Robinson III: A noted Richmond civil rights attorney who later was named a federal judge in the District of Columbia. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson: A noted entertainer and tap dancer from Richmond. Madame C.J. Walker: A noted businesswoman and philanthropist who became one of the wealthiest African-American women in the nation through developing and marketing a line of hair care products. The next hearing will be 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 19, at J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School, 3101 Fendall Ave. People also may post comments about changing the schools name on a survey at www. rvaschools.net.
Richmond Free Press
May 17-19, 2018
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Richmond Free Press
A4 May 17-19, 2018
Local News
Christy Coleman is no stranger to controversy or leadership, even on issues of slavery and the Civil War Continued from A1
Despite its tragic overshadowing by a racist murder during a rally of neo-Confederates and white supremacists last August in Charlottesville, Richmond, the capital of the former Confederacy, is where America’s most far-reaching fault line over race, history and heritage runs. It runs deepest along iconic Monument Avenue, home to five imposing statues of Confederates, including its military mastermind Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, the Confederacy’s president. Ms. Coleman is guiding the Monument Avenue Commission with a co-chairman. Mayor Levar M. Stoney, who appointed the 10-person commission last summer, charged it to gather public comment to boil down into recommendations for the monuments’ disposition. Ms. Coleman and her colleagues will be culling options for possibly exiling the monuments or letting them stay put, but depicting their darkest sides, including the misery of chattel slavery. The commission expects to report to Mayor Stoney before the end of May, which would nearly overlap with Virginia’s Confederate Memorial Day — May 28 — honoring the war dead. The coincidence is said to have some civic leaders, Richmond officials and others worried that Monument Avenue could become a holiday gathering point for extremists.
A decision on the statues by Mayor Stoney and Richmond City Council is likely to come during the summer. Legal showdowns, the Virginia General Assembly and even the federal government could have a decisive say, ultimately. “Christy is independently minded, factoriented and direct,” says Ma0yor Stoney, who introduced himself after she impressed him with a public speech a few years ago. “She has the ability to also listen without any sort of partisan color and just take it all in.” Those traits are evident in Ms. Coleman’s mother, Liz Montgomery. In the early 1970s after a brief stay in Washington, the young and growing family of Florida transplants settled in Williamsburg, the only African-American household on their street. The next-door neighbor proudly flew a Confederate flag. “I remember very well,” says Ms. Coleman, who was 7 or 8 at the time. “I knew what it meant.” Yet, Ms. Coleman’s mother and the woman of the home next-door became good friends. “She had the right to put the flag in her yard,” Mrs. Montgomery says. The women “talked about her history and my history,” Mrs. Montgomery recalls. “Her interpretation and mine were a little different. But the loyalty lines were very much the same for what we stood for.” Drawn to theater arts while attending the
College of William & Mary before earning degrees in museum management at Hampton University, Ms. Coleman was propelled to worldwide public notice because of a provocative interpretation in 1994. She cast herself to be sold in a re-enactment of a public slave auction, which she produced at Colonial Williamsburg. So fierce was on-scene protest by the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and others that plainclothes police or security mixed in with the crowds. Undaunted, Ms. Coleman, waded into the crowd. An eyewitness that day was Gregg Kimball, now Ms. Coleman’s Monument Avenue Commission co-chairman and a top official at the Library of Virginia. “ ‘This (the auction re-enactment) is exactly what would have happened; why shouldn’t we show this part of the legacy?’ ” Dr. Kimball remembers Ms. Coleman explaining to the protesters. The explosive passions around the monuments issue is reminiscent of the slave auction, but more intense. Because of that experience and others since, Ms. Coleman “has always got a clear head, and is wonderful at managing the public conversation,” Dr. Kimball says. Before Ms. Coleman became the most visible face of public historians proselytizing for updated Civil War history, the fan base for
and study of the field was the domain largely of white men. “Very few women have leadership role in big museums with annual budgets of $10 million to $15 million,” Ms. Coleman notes. By her account, Ms. Coleman encounters too many sexist microaggressions to swat them all — for example, men interrupting her, the CEO, when she has the floor. Occasionally, a man must be put in “check” robustly, she says. Once, while advising “a major museum” out of “an ugly mess,” she recalls, the troubled CEO began pressing her to quit the American Civil War Museum and come work as his underling. The overture was insulting, coming from a man who had had to enlist her help from the outside. “The thing is, I would be coming for your job,” Ms. Coleman says she replied. “Women aren’t invited to the table. They’ll bring us in to fix their stuff. But give us the reins? No.” Besides, Ms. Coleman, who is a wife and mother of two daughters, is happy with her conscious lifestyle choice of heading the small, groundbreaking American Civil War Museum. She has the honor of being the rare woman at not just one table in her field, but two counting the Monument Avenue Commission. Occupying the lead seat in both, she is determined to continue broadening the voices and vantage points on history.
Schools chief still energetic, optimistic after 100 days on job Continued from A1
school system.” Since 2002, RPS has had five superintendents, leading teachers to express concern over what they view as a revolving door of leadership that has caused chaos, confusion, a lack of vision and little concern for deteriorating school facilities. A Broad Rock Elementary School teacher with 24 years of experience informed Mr. Kamras during his meeting at the school, “With all that (turnover), the students are not going anywhere.” Standing before that group in South Side, Mr. Kamras responded that he is committed to staying through the term of his contract, which runs through June 30, 2021. “One of the things I have tried very hard to do is to be exceedingly clear about what the reality is,” Mr. Kamras said regarding ongoing school system issues and decisions. “When I feel that the reality is distorted, I call that out.” Even with his initial steps reaching out to teachers and others, Mr. Kamras faces a laundry list of issues and seemingly insurmountable challenges left over from previous administrations, as well as major financial hurdles to get the system back to a finely tuned educational machine. Mr. Kamras has spoken often and loudly about equity and making sure that the students needing the most get the most while also helping them confront the barriers they face, whether that is poverty or institutional racism or trauma in their lives. One of RPS’ formidable goals is to offer a world-class education to all 24,000 public school students. The Richmond School Board defines that, in part, as meaning all schools are accredited and students are in modern, properly maintained facilities free from unhealthy conditions. Mr. Kamras has vowed, without giving full details of the plan, to have all 44 schools accredited by 2023. Currently, 19 schools are fully accredited. He has been active identifying and supporting other funding sources to increase dollars for school construction and maintenance, whether it is through the city meals tax hike that goes into effect July 1 or a City Council member’s proposal, although unsuccessful, to levy a cigarette tax in the city. He gives City Council credit for passing the 1.5 percent meals tax hike and applauds them because “that took some political courage and it is a significant amount of funding that will help RPS begin to address the process of remediating facilities’ issues.” At the May 7 School Board meeting during a budget review, Mr. Kamras noted that RPS has only $850,000 left in the current budget for school repairs and maintenance, while $30 million
Photos by Christopher Smith
Above, Superintendent Jason Kamras leads an early morning discussion with teachers and staff at Broad Rock Elementary School on Feb. 9, assuring the group that he will stay in the job until his contract ends in 2021. Later that morning, Mr. Kamras kneels to hug a student at the start of the school day.
is needed. “I have publicly advocated the need to look at property taxes and other broader based taxing sources to ensure that RPS has the funds necessary to provide all of our students in every part of our city with a beautiful, clean, healthy, modern facility to learn in,” Mr. Kamras said during the interview. “That’s basic. That’s the foundation. “The reality right now is that we do not have the money we need to either rebuild our schools or to do the routine maintenance that needs to be done,” he continued. “I don’t know how much more clearly I can say that.” During the May 7 meeting, the School Board approved Mr. Kamras’ plan for collaboration between RPS and the city to construct four new schools buildings to replace aged and decrepit George Mason and Greene Elementary schools, ElkhardtThompson Middle School and George Wythe High School. The four projects are to be financed through the meals tax increase. The $9 million the tax hike is expected to generate annually would be used to repay the construction debt on the
estimated $150 million project over the next five years. Mr. Kamras is eager to work with Mayor Levar M. Stoney and the City Council to find resources to put pending facilities issues to bed once and for all “so we can stop talking about bricks and start talking about books,” he said. “It is my responsibility to paint the RPS vision, and that vision will be in the form the strategic plan,” he noted. Despite the school system’s array of problems, Mr. Kamras is optimistic about turning things around. “Once we have the RPS strategic plan in place, I will be out selling the plan, first and foremost to the city and the state, but also to the business community, the nonprofit community, to our partners,” he said with confidence. “This will show the city and the entire Richmond community how they can be a part of the RPS vision for the future. “We should be proud of all of the greatness in RPS, be honest in all the work we still have to do, be hopeful about our ability even more and realize all of the greatness in all of our children.”
City Council approves 2018-2020 spending plan Continued from A1
for birth mothers and four weeks of parental bonding leave for fathers, with the benefit also applying to employees who adopt. City employees also will receive up to two weeks of paid leave to care for a sick parent. The council also approved a 1 percent, acrossthe-board wage increase for employees who are not police officers or firefighters and who do not work for the sheriff or other constitutional officers. However, the council saved money by delaying the raise until January. With help from the mayor, the council also provided funding for its top priority, salary improvements for sworn police and firefighters that were initiated during the current fiscal year and will continue in the 2019-20 fiscal year. Council previously estimated that the three-year program would shift $27 million into salary upgrades for police and firefighters. The council also granted Police Chief Alfred Durham additional funds to assign officers to patrol public housing communities in a bid to reduce crime. Despite the mayor’s claim that the spending plan focuses on education, Richmond Public Schools clearly was one of the big losers. In the capital budget, council approved the mayor’s plan to borrow $150 million for replacement schools, still far short of the $224 million the School Board initially sought. The $150 million, to be repaid from the 1.5 percent meals tax hike, also appears to fall $45 million short of the projected cost to replace four schools — George Wythe High, ElkardtThompson Middle and Greene and George
Mason Elementary schools. The School Board previously projected the four buildings would cost $195 million to build. Meanwhile, council went along with the mayor and limited maintenance funding for existing schools to $1.6 million in the 2018-19 fiscal year and to $3.5 million in the 2019-20 fiscal. The School Board had requested $31 million for fiscal 2018-19. Superintendent Jason Kamras sought to show
that he has less than $1 million left to spend for school maintenance for the current fiscal year, but he could not convince council that the money was depleted. The School Board also was shot down on its request for an additional $11 million to beef up its academic offerings and make other improvements to its operations. Like the mayor, the council also rejected any increase. Instead, the council returned to the
School Board about $12.5 million that schools failed to spend in the 2016-17 school year, telling the board and Mr. Kamras to use that money first before asking for more. The School Board’s effort to stockpile that money as an emergency fund undermined arguments that the city is not providing sufficient funds and also may have left the council skeptical about Mr. Kamras’ claims about school maintenance.
Historic city credit union seeks new growth Continued from A1
about 15 months ago, has other arrows in his bow. He also is working to strengthen ties with the credit union’s traditional partners such as Virginia Union University and the Metropolitan Business League. The youngest of 11 children who grew up picking cucumbers and tending tobacco with his siblings on the family farm in Enfield, N.C., Mr. Cooper is reaching out to schools and other nonprofits seeking to get the credit union more involved in working with young people to become more financially savvy. He’s also marketing the credit union’s heritage and history as another lure for potential customers, while seeking to help potential customers understand his membershipdriven operation can help them
avoid the monthly fees that big banks charge, provide cheaper loan rates on auto purchases and offer a lower-cost alternative to payday lenders for personal loans. “That’s what we do,” said Mr. Cooper, who enjoys pitching the virtues of the credit union to anyone who will listen. A former branch manager in Richmond for some of the major banks, Mr. Cooper, 47, said RHFCU has no choice but to aggressively seek growth. Founded as the Richmond Teachers Federal Credit Union, the base of the nonprofit, member-owned institution has eroded, he said. Only about 700 of the more than 2,000 Richmond schoolteachers are members. He also notes that a majority of the RHFCU’s 1,800 members are
in the 50 to 80 age range. “When you drop below 40, there just are not many people,” he said. That has impacted the amount of deposits and loans, leading to the shrinkage of the credit union’s assets in the past 15 years from a high of $11 million to around $7 million today. Mr. Cooper hopes to provide the kind of turnaround for RHFCU that a friendly competitor, his wife, Shirley Cooper, has helped spur at the former Richmond Postal Credit Union, which dates to 1923 and is listed as the oldest credit union in Richmond. As president and CEO, she led the 2017 rebranding and repositioning of the state-chartered RPCU into the Credit Union of Richmond, enabling it to grow beyond its postal employee roots and serve anyone who lives, works, worships, volunteers or at-
tends school in Richmond. Far larger than RHFCU, the Credit Union of Richmond, located on Ownby Lane in North Side, currently reports having about 7,000 members and $75 million in assets. Change also has happened for other credit unions in Richmond that were founded to serve government employees. For example, the once separate credit unions for Richmond firefighters and police officers merged in 2015 to form the Richmond Virginia Fire Police Credit Union to create a financially strong operation. Mr. Cooper’s goal is to keep RHFCU independent and avoid being forced into a merger with a larger credit union that would eliminate its identity. “We’re facing a challenge, but we’re up to it,” he said.
Richmond Free Press
May 17-19, 2018
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Richmond Free Press
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Local News
Arrests mark first day of re-ignited Poor People’s Campaign Associated Press
Activists converged on state capitals around the United States on Monday to begin six weeks of nonviolent protests calling for new programs to help millions of Americans who live in poverty, an overhaul of voting rights laws and other social change. Reports by police from seven state capitols and Washington, D.C., showed more than 200 people had been arrested or cited during the first day of the socalled Poor People’s Campaign. In many instances, police said protesters were cited for blocking traffic. In Washington, the two leaders of the campaign were among the protesters arrested outside the U.S. Capitol. Campaign leaders said the protests would cover 35 states. A statement from the campaign said the Rev. William Barber and the Rev. Liz Theoharis, its two co-chairmen, were among those arrested outside the U.S. Capitol for standing in the middle of a street. Police had no immediate confirmation of arrests there or a specific number of those stopped. Rev. Barber is the founder of the Moral Monday movement, a coalition of faith leaders and activists who routinely protested poverty and discrimination in Raleigh, N.C. The Poor People’s movement list of demands includes addressing poverty, voting rights, environmental stewardship, racism and more. Each week, protesters will focus on a different topic and hold nonviolent protests; the first week primarily focuses on children, women and people with disabilities living in poverty. “We’re living in an impoverished democracy,” Rev. Barber said. “People across the country are standing up against the lie of scarcity. We know that in the richest country in the world, there is no reason for children to go hungry, for the sick to be denied health care and for citizens to have their votes suppressed. Both parties have to be challenged — one for what it does and one for what it doesn’t do.” “Our research revealed that the states with the highest overall poverty rates also had the worst voter suppression and the highest number of women and children in need,” Rev. Theoharis said in a March interview with AlterNet. Rev. Barber is a minister and former president of the state NAACP in North Carolina. Rev. Theoharis is co-director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice in New York. In total, hundreds of people were arrested across seven states and Washington. According to the Associated Press, most of the arrests were for blocking traffic. But protesters in the nation’s capital were unconcerned with being ar-
rested. “Somebody’s hurting our people and it’s gone on far too long,” they sang while police officers ordered them to disperse. “We won’t be silent anymore!” In Missouri, 88 people were issued summonses in Jefferson City for obstructing a lawful police order to move after they blocked a downtown street. Police in Raleigh, N.C., led off 49 people after they walked out into the street in front of the legislative building, held hands and refused to depart until each was taken away and cited. Officers cited 10 protesters at the Iowa Capitol who gathered in and around the staff offices of
Gov. Kim Reynolds and refused to leave the building at the close of business hours. The campaign casts the protests as a “re-ignition” of the Poor People’s Campaign, the 1968 movement started by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others to challenge racism, poverty and militarism. According to the campaign, protesters will spend the next 40 days engaged in nonviolent action, including the mobilization of voters and holding teach-ins. The first teach-in on May 15 in Washington featured Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund and a part of the 1968 campaign.
Christopher Smith
Singleton honored Rose Singleton, right, unveils the honorary street sign renaming the 2700 block of East Grace Street after her late husband, Oliver R.H. Singleton, president and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Business League. Richmond City Council voted in February to authorize the sign to honor Mr. Singleton’s role as an advocate for minority-owned and small business development. Dozens of family members and friends were on hand for the ceremony Tuesday. Helping to remove the sign are the Singletons’ daughter, Christine, and son, Oliver.
I’d do anything for
you
made me hit you
Traumatic events, like intimate partner violence, can happen in a second, which is why violence prevention is so important. At VCU Medical Center, the only Level I Trauma Center in the region, we treat victims of violence and guide them to the support they need to find a safer situation. With our commitment to breaking the cycle of trauma, we help more people avoid surprise endings to their day.
Drewry’s Bluff commemoration May 19-20 Artillery drills, guided tours and Civil War re-enactor camps will be part of the National Park Service’s commemoration of the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff this weekend. Drewry’s Bluff, which overlooks the James River at 7600 Fort Darling Road, was the site of the Union Navy’s attempt to capture Richmond by water on May 15, 1862. The commemoration will take place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 19, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 20. Historic weapons, tools and equipment used by sailors and Marines at the time will be on display. The event is free and open to the public. Details: Richmond National Battlefield Park, www.nps.gov/ rich or (804) 226-5028.
vcuhealth.org/preventtrauma
Richmond Free Press
May 17-19, 2018
African Americans are nearly twice as likely to have a stroke as other ethnic groups. Every 40 seconds, someone in America suffers from a stroke — and that someone is far more likely to be African American. That same group is also more likely to die from that first stroke. If you or a loved one is showing symptoms of a stroke, call 911 right away.
Health factors that cause stroke Stroke A stroke occurs when blood to the brain is blocked or a blood vessel in the brain bursts Types of stroke: • ISCHEMIC: Blockage in blood flow to the brain; nearly 90% of all strokes are ischemic • HEMORRHAGIC: Caused by bleeding in the brain
• • • •
High blood pressure High cholesterol Obesity Diabetes
Reduce your risk • • • • • •
Stop smoking Limit alcohol intake Maintain a healthy diet Be active Maintain a healthy blood pressure and lower your cholesterol Control your diabetes
Warning signs If you have one or more of these symptoms, call 911 • You have sudden weakness or loss of balance or can’t walk • You suddenly can’t see out of one or both of your eyes
• You get sudden face and/or arm weakness or numbness • You suddenly can’t speak, or you can’t understand others
For an appointment, call 804-828-9350. © 2018 VCU Health. All rights reserved. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; American Heart Association, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office Minority Health; Virginia Department of Health.
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Richmond Free Press
Pigeon at Fountain Lake in Byrd Park
Editorial Page
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May 17-19, 2018
Smoking and public housing Like many public housing residents, we were surprised to learn that smoking will be prohibited in all public housing apartments in Richmond beginning Aug. 1. The smoking ban was put in place nationally by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and will affect more than 1.2 million households, including 4,000 families living in Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority properties in the city. Residents in public housing communities no longer will be able to smoke within their units, including on patios or balconies, in stairwells or other common areas, in management offices or within 25 feet of housing and office buildings. In instituting the ban, HUD officials have noted the high health-related and other costs of smoking, as well as the negative impact secondhand smoke has on children, including causing or aggravating asthma and other diseases such as cancer. Federal housing officials also have said that while the government will not help to pay for enforcement, local housing authorities stand to save money under a smoke-free policy through fewer losses from fires and lower costs for cleaning and painting smokedamaged units. While we strongly agree that a smoke-free environment is optimal for individuals’ health, what troubles us most is that violators of the new smoking ban may be subject to eviction from their homes — a truly Draconian punishment for an addiction that studies show is extremely difficult to break. Changing the policy on such short notice raises misgivings about whether this is a pretense to push people from their homes as part of the city’s continuing efforts to shut down public housing communities and make way for mixed-use, higher-income developments like the one planned for Creighton Court. Orlando Artze, the RRHA’s interim chief executive officer, told the Free Press earlier this month that the RRHA has been trying to prepare residents for this policy change. We would like to know, however, just what efforts RRHA officials have undertaken, other than to notify residents just a few months before the smoking ban is to take place. Published reports show that housing authorities have known such a ban has been in the works since 2009 — nearly a decade. And many agencies have used that valuable time to provide smoking cessation programs for residents. Anyone who has been a smoker or lived around a smoker knows the challenges of ending the stranglehold of a tobacco addiction. Despite all the public service messages and graphic advertisements showing people emaciated by cancer and COPD, their voice boxes removed or their breathing raspy after a tracheotomy, people continue to smoke. Now HUD and the RRHA are turning up the heat by threatening to boot people out of their homes and apartments if they violate the new smoking ban. Our question is what is the RRHA doing — what is the Richmond Health Department doing — to help public housing residents quit smoking now that they risk losing their homes? What targeted non-smoking efforts with proven results can be offered to help Richmonders in the 12 weeks or so leading up to the Aug. 1 ban? We understand the Virginia Department of Health offers Quit Now Virginia, that reportedly has helped more than 40,000 people quit smoking. It uses telephone coaching sessions to help people stop smoking, including a 24-hour, toll-free helpline for support — (800) QUIT-NOW. Given the high stakes now facing public housing residents, we believe that more targeted programs should be made available to the more than 10,000 people living in RRHA housing. Resource centers within the city’s public housing communities already may have their hands full providing services ranging from employment assistance to youth programs. But collaborations with other local, state, federal and private programs and resources battling smoking addiction should be added. Today, we view opioid addiction as a public health issue. The state offers to anyone free Narcan, the lifesaving drug that reverses opioid overdose. What’s the difference between opioid addicts, who state statistics show are largely Caucasian, and the tobacco users in Richmond public housing who are largely AfricanAmerican and poor? We believe the city has a moral obligation now to offer free nicotine patches, gum or tablets such as Chantix to help RRHA residents quit smoking. While HUD officials say they don’t want the new policy to end in wholesale evictions, we will see whether Richmond officials step up to the plate to help residents avoid such a disaster.
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Graduation, with more hurdles to clear Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther, graduated from Howard University in 2000. His writing partner is also an HU graduate. Mr. Bozeman came back to his alma mater to address the Class of 2018 and to receive an honorary degree. The Howard University graduation on Saturday is one of more than 100 HBCU graduations, and more than 4,000 graduations around the country. April Ryan brought down the house at Bennett College on May 5. Sophia Nelson spoke at the Philander Smith College graduation in Arkansas. All over the country, families are gathering, people are celebrating and graduations are an occasion of joy. If you are African-American and graduated from the University of Florida, however, your achievement might be marred by the horrible memory of a faculty graduation marshal physically pushing you off the stage simply because you stopped to flash a frat sign or to execute a couple of steps. More than 20 students were assaulted by the unidentified faculty member — although some say he is a chemistry lecturer — who is now on paid leave. Why would the university continue to pay someone who seems to have differentially attacked black students? This lecturer is a menace to society and college students who should not
be exposed to his racism, either on a stage or in a classroom. University of Florida President W. Kent Fuchs has apologized to the affected students and reached out to at least some of them. The New York Times reported that Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity member Oliver Telusma, 21, got a call from President Fuchs, but as of May
Julianne Malveaux 8, had not called him back. From where I sit, Mr. Telusma should not call President Fuchs. Instead the president needs to track that student down along with others and visit them personally. The University of Florida incident reminds black students that graduation is but one of the hurdles they must clear. Every day, every single day, they face the possibility of pernicious racism, differential treatment and the threat of law enforcement to compel compliance with the most foolish of laws and norms, spoken or unspoken. That’s why Holly Hylton, the white woman who managed a Philadelphia Starbucks, felt free to call the police on two black men after they had been seated for a scant 2 minutes without ordering anything. That’s why a hysterical white female bigot called the police on a black man who was barbequing in a public park in Oakland, Calif., where barbequing is customary. That’s why the police were called on three black women and a white man because they failed to wave or smile when they exited
an Airbnb in Rialto, Calif., and detained for 45 minutes even though they had proof that they had reserved the Airbnb. That’s why the police wrestled a black woman to the ground, exposing her bare breasts, in an Alabama Waffle House after she asked for plastic cutlery, and an ignorant employee reportedly said she did not know her place. And the beat goes on and on and on. Law enforcement officers, whose mission is to serve and protect, frequently question black people and have now become the tools of racist white people who want black people to “know their place.” The police are too often called to put black people in their place, to force them to comply, to reinforce the tenet of white supremacy, the notion that when we see a white person we must shuck and jive and smile. Socalled law enforcement officers become servants of racists who want us in our place. I want the graduates to know that their place is every place. Class of 2018, your place is in that Starbucks at the table, order or not. Your place is in that Waffle House, getting the utensils you requested. Your place is on that stage at the University of Florida. As a matter of fact, your place is every place! Resistance, though, now has a high price. Who wants to go to jail and end up, maybe, like Sandra Bland, whose mysterious death in Texas still has not been solved. Who wants to be handcuffed, humiliated, exposed and maligned just because you asked a simple question. Starbucks will close
Jobs and Justice Act new urban Marshall Plan
The Main Street Marshall Plan, the National Urban League’s comprehensive blueprint for addressing lack of opportunity and economic inequality in America’s urban communities, has been introduced as federal legis lation by members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The National Urban League long has advocated for a major national commitment to alleviate poverty and expand economic opportunities in America’s most neglected communities, modeled on the Marshall Plan that eliminated widespread poverty in Western Europe following World War II. Then-Executive Director Whitney M. Young first proposed a “Domestic Marshall Plan” in the 1960s. Elements of that proposal were incorporated into President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. In 1990, National Urban League President John E. Jacob urged Congress to shift $50 billion in defense spending — part of the so-called “peace dividend” resulting from the end of the Cold War —into an “Urban Marshall Plan.” The Congressional Black Caucus’Jobs and Justice Act, unveiled last week at a news conference at
the U.S. Capitol, represents the most inclusive legislation of the Main Street Marshall Plan, first proposed as part of the 2016 State of Black America and finalized in detailed form last year. Among the provisions of the bill based on the Main Street
Marc H. Morial Marshall Plan, the Jobs and Justice Act: • Increases funding for programs that promote minorityowned businesses (MBDA and SBA). • Creates incentives for infrastructure spending bills to include development programs that recruit and train individuals from communities with high unemployment rates. • Authorizes states to establish local hiring bid specifications or consider the hiring of local workers in the evaluation of bids and proposals for federal aid highway projects. • Invests in transportation infrastructure through the successful “TIGER” program, which provides competitive grants to local governments and transit agencies to fund innovative highway, bridge and transit projects. • Funds the creation of more than 1.9 million jobs by addressing critical physical and digital infrastructure needs in schools. • Establishes new programs or amends existing programs for job
skills training for older individuals and for workers in highly skilled industries; and scholarships for students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) and teaching certifications. • Makes the work opportunity tax credit permanent. • Allows states to assist, through Title XX Block Grants, low-income and long-term unemployed individuals with developing their own businesses and self-employment opportunities. • Incentivizes businesses to create apprenticeship programs. • Creates a grant program to subsidize summer jobs for in- and out-of-school youths ages 14 to 24 and year-round jobs for youths ages 16 to 24 who are out of school and work. • Raises the federal minimum wage to $15. • Urges businesses contracted to rebuild infrastructure to actively recruit, hire and provide on-the-job training to African-American men ages 18 to 39 through existing jobs, apprenticeships and “earn while you learn” programs. It is time for the nation to treat its urban communities and cities as the jewels that they are. This comprehensive plan to rebuild and accelerate the growth of America’s urban communities will accelerate the growth and progress of the nation as a whole. The writer is president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League.
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.
thousands of stores to the tune of millions of dollars for unconscious bias training. But who will train these biased police officers and the racists who call them because their feelings are bruised because no one waved at them? The Class of 2018 will learn, as have millions of other AfricanAmericans, that racism is alive and well. They’ve cleared a hurdle with graduation. But even as some cross the stage, they are being reminded that there are many more hurdles to clear to survive in our unfortunately racist nation. Perhaps, though, the Class of 2018 will be among those to dismantle the racist hurdles. Perhaps in the process of clearing other hurdles — graduate and professional school, marriage and children, artificial intelligence and gentrification — they will also find the wherewithal to eliminate racial barriers to success. The writer is an author, economist and former president of Bennett College.
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May 17-19, 2018
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Commentary
When Rihanna dressed as the pope Rihanna came as a burlesque pope. Cardi B was a vaguely medieval madonna. Madonna, meanwhile, as a queen draped in black, was strikingly sedate. At the Met Gala on May 7, Catholicism was beyond chic. The Met Gala — the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual fundraiser to benefit its Costume Institute — has become the New York fashion world’s high holiday, a contest of sorts in which movie stars, music idols, professional athletes and all manner of undefined celebrities try to outdo one another for the most over-the-top or dazzlingly elegant formal wear. This year, the ball’s theme was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” For practicing Roman Catholics, watching the red carpet coverage was at once thrilling and troubling. On the one hand, a proud Catholic could see the festivities and the accompanying exhibit, which had the cooperation of the Vatican’s Department of Culture, as a welcome way for the church to engage with one of the most intensively followed and creative sectors of popular culture. This would hardly be a breakthrough. As the haute couture worn at the event seemed to recognize, Catholicism has a deep design history that is all but inseparable from Western material culture. It’s easily forgotten today that Catholicism once reached into every sphere of life, including fashion, architecture and music. For one sequin-studded night (and for the duration of the exhibit), the general public had occasion to ponder the church’s long cultural treasury. It may even have led some to wonder, “Perhaps, there’s something for me in the church.” The eruption of enthusiasm on Twitter and Instagram the
night of the gala testifies to this possibility. It’s hard to imagine that those commenters, even those more interested in Versace than the Vatican, could fail to ponder the meaning of the processional crosses, reliquaries and vestments on display. Those who attend the exhibit may find their way down Fifth Avenue to the door of St. Patrick’s Cathedral some Sunday to see if this liturgical finery is still in use. (Spoiler alert: It’s Timothy P. O’Malley no small part of what brings us Catholics back each week.) Another view would caution, however, that the Met Gala linked the church to a cult radically different from the one honored in the daily Mass — the cult of celebrity. Yes, for a hot second, everyone was focused on the church’s sartorial and perhaps even its spiritual legacy. But they were more likely thrilling to the sight of Rihanna strutting under a papal-white miter. For those disposed to object to the Met’s Catholic moment, the primary critique is sacrilege. The gala and exhibit align the church’s treasury of beauty too closely with a trend-obsessed culture. For Catholics, images of the Blessed Virgin Mary are not merely objets d’art, and the sight of rosary beads adorning a bondage mask has a spiritual cost. In reality, there is truth in both takeaways. No, this was not the most sacrilegious event in the church — there is a long history of carnival in the church. In the Middle Ages, a boy dressed up as bishop would lead the crowds in nonsense prayers on the feast of St. Nicholas. Such playful role reversals, besides being entertaining, were a healthy reminder that the church’s authority and power comes not from human leaders but from Christ alone.
Not long ago, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI offered a better definition of sacrilege than playing dress-up. On a trip to Portugal in 2010, he stated that the greatest danger to the church was not outside enemies but the sin of her members. Every time a Catholic receives the Eucharist and then enacts violence against God or neighbor, sacrilege unfolds. At the same time, the church needs to take care not to affiliate too closely with celebrity in a world where what people crave most is an authentic encounter with other people. Celebrities cavorting in inordinately expensive gowns that riff on ecclesiastical dress has nothing to do with the margins, where Pope Francis has called disciples to go. As immigrants fearing deportation look to the church for help, we can’t be distracted by who wore it better — the pope or Rihanna. My undergraduates, especially those suspicious of ecclesial power and authority, are not the kind of people who find such cultural excess attractive. They want an authentic encounter with truth, goodness and beauty. Cultivating an interest in the Catholic imagination among an elite group of human beings residing in one of the most expensive cities in the world may well cause some to remember their faith or seek out the church for the first time. Then, the real work begins for those of us they find there — to show why these images are a source of meaning, a source of beauty, a source of love. Without this work, the church’s experiment with evangelization through high fashion may be chic. But it also will be forgotten. The writer is director of education for the McGrath Institute for Church Life and a professor in the department of theology at the University of Notre Dame.
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Road Diet – Improve Bicycle Accommodations Project The City of Richmond Project: U000-127-S89, P101, C501 UPC 108888 Find out about the proposed improvements to the City’s bicycle network using pavement markings and signage for Brook Road (from Charity Street to Azalea Avenue), Malvern Avenue (from Cary Street to Cutshaw Avenue) and Patterson Avenue (from Thompson Street to Commonwealth Avenue) in the City of Richmond. Review the project information concerning design and environmental documentation at the Department of Public Works office located on the 7th floor of City Hall, 900 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. To review the above material, or for additional information, please call the Department of Public Works at (804) 646-7141 / (804) 646-5402. If your concerns cannot be satisfied, City of Richmond is willing to hold a public hearing. You may request that a public hearing be held by sending a written request to Jian Xu, Transportation Operations Engineer, Department of Public Works, 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 707, Richmond, Virginia 23219 on or before June 5, 2018. If a request for a public hearing is received, notice of the date, time and place of the hearing will be posted.
PUBLIC NOTICE Effective May 21, 2018 Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (“RRHA”) will be accepting preliminary applications for its one (1) bedroom public housing units. The one (1) bedroom waitlist will be OPEN. Please go to www.rrha.com to apply.
City of Richmond Department of Public Works
If you are already on our one (1) bedroom waitlist, please go to www.rrha.com to make any changes in income, family composition and/or change of address. Changes cannot be processed over the phone. NOTE: The Waitlist for the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP, formerly Section 8) is currently CLOSED. We are unable to accept HCVP applications until further notice.
Deepwater Terminal Road Extension to Goods Street Willingness to Hold Public Hearing
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Left, Rihanna sets off cameras with her glittering outfit and matching miter at the Met Gala benefit on May 7 in New York City celebrating the opening of the exhibition, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. Right, a pregnant Cardi B shows off her baby bump as she enters the benefit gala dressed as a madonna.
HENRICO COUNTY TAXPAYERS THE 2018 FIRST INSTALLMENT PERSONAL PROPERTY AND REAL ESTATE TAX PAYMENT DUE DATE IS JUNE 5, 2018 The Cashier’s Office of the Department of Finance, County of Henrico, Virginia, located in the Administration Building at the Henrico County Government Center, 4301 E. Parham Road and at the Eastern Government Center, 3820 Nine Mile Road, Henrico, Virginia will be open daily Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. to receive payments for the 2018 Personal Property and Real Estate Tax Bills. • Bills are available online at https://ipn.paymentus.com/cp/hnro using your account number and billing zip code. Paperless billing is also an option at this website. • Use the envelope provided with the bill for check payments. Payments must be postmarked on or before June 5, 2018. • Payments may be made by credit card, debit card and e-check by logging on to henrico.us/finance/payments or by telephone at 1.855.748.6015. A nominal fee is charged for this service. • Cash payments can be made at any 7-ELEVEN nationwide. Obtain a PayCode at henrico.us/paynearme. A nominal fee is charged for this service. • Citizens making payments through a bill pay service should allow sufficient business days for their payment to reach the County’s bank account on or before June 5, 2018. • Deposit boxes are located at the entrance of both Government Centers for use twenty-four hours a day. • Cash, checks, debit cards (pin-based) and credit cards (for a nominal fee) are accepted for payments at the Eastern and Western Cashier’s offices.
Tax bills have been mailed and payments must be received on or before Tuesday, June 5, 2018 to avoid a late payment penalty of 10% of the tax due.
In accordance with the Personal Property Tax Relief Act, personal use vehicles eligible for tax relief have been identified as qualified on the bill, and the specific dollar amount of tax relief provided is shown. For assistance please email TaxHelp@henrico.us or call 804.501.4729. General tax information can be found on the Department of Finance web site at henrico.us/finance/payments DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE COUNTY OF HENRICO, VIRGINIA
Find out about the proposed roadway extension of Deepwater Terminal Road. It will be approximately 0.7 miles north and will connect to Goods Street. The proposed two lane roadway will facilitate and provide a better access road for taller, wider trucks and equipment to enter/exit via the Port of Richmond and other nearby businesses in the area along I-95 northbound and south of the City of Richmond. Review the project information and the National Environmental Policy Act documentation at the Department of Public Works, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond Virginia 23219; (804) 646-6584, or call Chris Kiefer at Timmons Group (804) 200-6425, TTY/TDD 711. Please call ahead to ensure the availability of appropriate staff to answer your questions. If your concerns cannot be satisfied, the City of Richmond is willing to hold a public hearing. You may send your written request to Adel Edward, projects manager supervisor at the Department of Public Works, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 603, Richmond, Virginia 23219 on or prior to May 31, 2018. If a request for a public hearing is received, notice of date, time and place of the hearing will be posted. The City of Richmond ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you have questions or concerns about your civil rights in regard to this project or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact the Capital Projects Administrator noted above. State Project: U000-127-R52 UPC# 104281
Richmond Free Press
A10 May 17-19, 2018
Sports Stories by Fred Jeter
VSU’s Blair has eye on Olympic trials It will take a Herculean effort for anyone to upset the apple cart in the long-established, track and field events in the CIAA. Virginia State University’s Allen Blair appears up for the challenge. The Trojans freshman, known as “Pace 99,” has the speed, power and the chiseled physique to elevate Coach Wilbert Johnson’s program to the next level. “To excel in so many events is very unusual,” Coach Johnson said. “Allen is a phenom,” Quizzed about Blair’s potential, Coach Johnson didn’t hesitate, saying, “He can be an Olympian.” With his sculpted body and flying feet, Blair would qualify for the cover of Track & Field News or Muscle & Fitness magazine. Not lacking for talent or confidence, Blair offered this about his goals: “By this time next year, I hope to have Olympic trials qualifying times. A couple years after that, I hope to sign pro.” From a team standpoint, few schools have ever dominated like St. Augustine’s University, which has overpowered CIAA track and field. The Falcons from Raleigh, N.C., have won 21 straight men’s CIAA outdoor track
Allen Blair executes a long jump last spring for Tabb High.
and field championship titles and 38 of the last 40. But the most recent didn’t come eas-
ily, largely because of Blair’s brilliance in spikes. VSU led by 26 points enter-
Toronto Raptors can Coach Dwane Casey Dwane Casey is NBA Coach of the Year. He’s also out of work. After guiding the Toronto Raptors to an NBA best 59-23 record, the 61-yearold was abruptly fired after his team was swept in theplayoffs by Cleveland, led by LeBron James. Clearly, the Toronto brass was upset with a second-straight playoff Coach Casey elimination to the Cavs. The Raptors were 320-238 in seven regular seasons under Coach Casey, with five straight playoff berths, but 21-30 in the postseason. A Kentucky native, Coach Casey was captain of the University of Kentucky’s 1978 NCAA championship team. Prior to coaching at Toronto, Coach Casey was an assistant at NBA teams in Minnesota, Seattle and Dallas. There are now NBA coaching vacancies in Atlanta, Detroit and Orlando, along with Toronto.
NBA black coach fraternity Here are the current African-American head coaches in the 32-team NBA: • Tyronn Lue, Cleveland • Nate McMillan, Indiana • Doc Rivers, Los Angeles Clippers • J.B. Bickerstaff, Memphis* • Alvin Gentry, New Orleans • David Fizdale, New York Knicks* * Hired after the 2018 regular season
Note: Bill Russell became the first black NBA coach in 1966, succeeding Red Auerbach in Boston. Russell was a player-coach at the time.
be held May 24 through 26 in Charlotte, N.C. From a historical perspective, the fastest Trojan ever was John Christian, the 1977 and 1978 NCAA Division II 100 meter champ in 10.62 seconds and 10.30 seconds, respectively. Christian also anchored the 1977 NCAA championship 4x100 relay, eventually qualifying for the Olympic trials in the 100.
competed at Christopher Newport University. Coach Johnson, now in his second year coaching VSU men’s and women’s track programs, first spotted Blair as a Tabb junior at the William & Mary Colonial Relays. “My first thought was, ‘Who’s that guy?’ ” Coach Johnson recalled. He was coaching at the time at Virginia Union University. “Then I said to myself, ‘We’ve
Five-prong attack Here is how Virginia State University’s Allen Blair helped collect 38 points in five different events at the CIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships: • 200 meters: Second place, 21.06 seconds, 8 points • Long jump: Second place, 23-41/2, 8 points • 4x100 relay: Second place, 41.0, 8 points • 4x400 relay: Second place, 3:12, 8 points (46.6 second leg) • 100-meters: Third place, 10.81 seconds, 6 points
Blair is chasing Christian’s VSU 100-meter school record of 10.30. Blair already has set the Trojans’ 200-meter standard at the CIAA meet. Breaking records isn’t uncommon for Blair, the son ofAir Force officers Andrew and Valerye Blair. His father originally is from Texas, while his mother is a New York state native. At Tabb High School, Blair erased all the spring and jump records held there by his older brother, William, who later
got to have him.’ ” Blair first committed to Delaware State University before opting for VSU, where he is majoring in health sciences. Coach Johnson said he has changed his recruiting strategy since moving from VUU to VSU. At VUU, a private institution, he concentrated primarily on Floridians in his home state. At state-supported VSU, he’s looking more in state for talent. With nearby athletes the likes of Blair, why not?
Trinity Episcopal senior to train for U.S. U-18 National Basketball Team
Michael Gilmore returning to the VCU Rams
What comes around goes around — or something like that. Michael Gilmore started his college basketball career at Virginia Commonwealth University. And now it appears he’ll conclude it wearing the Rams’ black and gold. The Jacksonville, Fla., native and nephew of NBA legend Artis Gilmore is returning to VCU after spending the past two seasons at Florida schools, one as a redshirt. Gilmore, a 6-foot-10 forward known for his 3-point range, averaged seven points and six rebounds this past season for Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla., logging about 19 minutes per game. In what will be his third college switch, Gilmore is immediately eligible at VCU as a graduate transfer. Gilmore played during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons at VCU before transferring, first to the University of Miami, where he was in residence one semester but never played, and then to Florida Gulf Coast. Michael Gilmore He sat out the fall of 2016 as a redshirt while at Miami, and the fall term of 2017-18 at Florida Gulf Coast. In leaving Florida Gulf Coast, Gilmore first announced he was becoming eligible for the NBA draft. But he never hired an agent, allowing him to return to the college ranks. VCU cleared a scholarship opening for Gilmore when freshman Lewis Djonkman announced he was transferring. The 6-foot-9 Djonkman from Springfield played in 20 games as a freshman, but only for a total of 69 minutes. Earlier, freshman guard Tyler Maye announced he was leaving VCU. Gilmore isn’t the first Ram to leave and then come back. Johnnie Story played the 2000-01 season at VCU, earning All-Colonial Athletic Association freshman honors. He then transferred to Northern Idaho Junior College for the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons before returning to VCU in 2003-04. However, the Hampton native dropped off the team in the fall of 2003 before playing.
ing the final day of the two-day event May 5 and 6 in Bowie, Md., and finished a strong second in the tournament. The final scores: St. Augustine’s 202, VSU 189. Certainly Blair isn’t intimidated by anyone. The 6-foot-2, 197-pound military brat from Yorktown’s Tabb High School excels in about anything he tries, including a sport VSU doesn’t offer — soccer. In addition to track and field — he was the state high school 3A long jump champion last spring — Blair sparkled at Tabb as a soccer striker, collecting 15 goals as a senior. Blair always doubled in spring, with track and soccer — never concentrating on either. “This is the first time I’ve been able to focus on just track, and my times have really come down,” Blair said. He never played football, despite being the fastest kid in the school. “My father was against it,” Blair recalled. “He said, ‘Why takes a chance on getting hurt and messing up something you know you can do?’ ” In the 200 meters and the long jump, Blair and others on the Trojans team have qualified for the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships to
Armando Bacot
Armando Bacot soon will be packing his sneakers for Colorado Springs, Colo., site of the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Listed at 6-foot-9 and 227 pounds, the rising Trinity Episcopal School senior has been selected to train May 31 through June 2 with the 32-man U.S. U-18 National Basketball Team.
Bacot then will represent the United States at the FIBA AmeriCup, previously known as the FIBA America’s Championship, June 10 through 16 in St. Catharines, Canada. The head coach for the U.S. team is Bill Self of the University of Kansas. Dayton University Coach Anthony Grant is an assistant for the U.S. team.
TJ’s Trey Fleming swings with a bat and drumsticks Trey Fleming believes in baseball with a beat. Two of the Thomas Jefferson High School senior’s prized possessions are his bat and his drumsticks. He’s right on time with both. “Trey can really hit now,” said Vikings Coach Harold Henry. “He made AllConference as a sophomore and junior and he should be honored again.” This season, Fleming has produced video game-type numbers.At last look, the 5-foot-9, 160-pound left-hander was hitting an eyepopping .615 (16-for-26), with 16 runs batted in for an up-trending 9-4 TJ team. Wearing red and white jersey No. 1, Fleming also ranks No. 1 on the list of hardest Vikings to strike out. “Trey’s only struck out once all year, which is amazing,” Coach Henry said, noting Fleming hit .440 a year ago as a junior. The lean lefty also splits pitching duties with fellow senior Dylan Graham on a squad headed to next week’s Region 3B playoffs. Relying on a crisp fastball and what he calls a “natural curve,” Fleming started the week 2-2, with 30 strikeouts in 21 innings on the mound. Fleming is that rare individual who can
Honors roll Thomas Jefferson High School baseball Coach Harold Henry feels he has at least three candidates for post-season honors. Coach Henry is hopeful senior Trey Fleming (All-Conference as a sophomore and junior) will be joined by senior pitcher Dylan Graham (.419 batting average, 5-1 pitching record) and sophomore shortstop/catcher Davionne Anderson (hitting .609).
Trey Fleming winds up on the pitchers mound.
be the star of the game and the life of the postgame celebration as well. An established jazz drummer, he boasts a musical résumé as long as his ball-yard ledger. The son of local actor-storyteller J. Ron Fleming and Tracey West, his biggest fan, Fleming traces his formative days of making music – he plays both saxophone and drums—at the Richmond Youth Jazz Guild in Shockoe Bottom under the direction of Ashley Anderson. He quickly began performing in public at events such as the 2nd Street Festival, Earth Day Richmond and “a lot of other different gigs,” he said.
Free baseball coaching clinic May 19 at The Diamond The Richmond Flying Squirrels will host a free baseball coaching clinic Saturday, May 19, at The Diamond, 3001 N. Boulevard. Squirrels coaches and representatives from the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League will oversee the event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The clinic is open to coaches on all levels and to any parent enthusiasts. Topics will include hitting, pitching, fielding, throwing, practice planning, drills and
keeping the game fun. The ACE Community Clinic is put on in conjunction with USA Baseball, the American Baseball Coaches Association and the Virginia Baseball Coaches Association. Clinic participants will receive $2 off the admission for the Flying Squirrels’ game that evening at 6:05 p.m. against the Harrisburg Senators. Fireworks will follow the game.
James Haskins/Richmond Free Press
“Trey isn’t in our matching band but he’s performed at our pep rallies, and he is outstanding,” said Dr. Bill Holt, the TJ activities director. He further polished his percussion craft with a visit last year to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, a mecca for aspiring jazz musicians worldwide. Since kindergarten, he has juggled baseball and music. His baseball background includes playing with the Chamberlayne Association/Babe Ruth League, Richmond Little League/Byrd Park, SCORE and the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League. He has always worn jersey No. 1 because it’s usually the smallest. “I got No. 1 because it was the smallest one in the box,” he recalled. “By the time I got to TJ as an eighth-grade JV (player), I was about 5-foot-2 and 110 pounds, if that.” Again, No. 1 came in size small. “It was the same deal. I kept No. 1,” he recalled. Fleming attends Open High School but is allowed to play baseball for Thomas Jefferson High, his zone school. He plans to continue his education at Old Dominion University, where he hopes to take a swing at the school’s club baseball team. And as for his well-worn set of drums? That’s never going into the closet. The beat will go on wherever he travels.
May 17-19, 2018 B1
Richmond Free Press
Section
Happenings
B
Personality: Jenny M. High Spotlight on founder and president of nonprofit Go High Center for the Arts Jenny M. High, founder and president of Go High Center for the Arts, is a visionary and mentor to Richmond area youths. She dreamed of providing a permanent organization located in the city for youths to participate in the urban arts that would be managed by the young people themselves. The idea for the organization had a unique beginning sparked by her son, William. He asked her to help one of his buddies going to a prom who didn’t have the proper clothes for the formal event. Ms. High recalls how she researched everything and “couldn’t find an organization to help. So I approached the PTSA and asked them to help me put something together for the young man at Hermitage High.” But the Parent-Teacher-Student Association was not receptive to the idea, she said. Seeing the challenge and being persistent, she organized Prom Bring It, a nonprofit. With the support of some parents, she solicited tuxedoes, shirts and other accessories from different businesses. “Parents and I got together and we started to gather tuxedo packages for the boys,” Ms. High says. “We were the only organization helping our male youths inclusively — LGBT, transgender youths and special needs children.” When her children grew older, so did the community’s needs, which expanded to several police departments, the Marines and cancer survivors needing Prom Bring It for formal attire.
“I dressed the women for the Ms. Veteran beauty pageant,” said the bighearted mother of two. Her heart for giving landed Prom Bring It on television, in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazines in 2012. The organization was one of five nationally awarded Seventeen’s Purple Dress Award and $1,000. Prom Bring It has dressed more than 7,500 kids since 2012 in Central Virginia, Northern Virginia and Washington and beyond by shipping clothes to people needing them. The money for running the prom project came out of Ms. High’s pocket. As fundraising became a priority, she transitioned to organize Go High Corp. and the Go High Center for the Arts, which is designed to accomplish much more. GHCTA provides opportunities for local young artists and musicians to perform and showcase their work in a healthy environment. The organization is an alternative youth community, putting on fashion shows with clothing designed by the youths, creating videos and music produced in the organization’s production studios, hosting community events and social media and marketing workshops. It offers recreational options resulting in healthy decision-making and habits, she says. “My goal and dream is to get my young people fired up enough for them to take over
the Arts youth organization centered around providing leadership skills, job readiness, training and development utilizing social media, music production, fashion and video as the catalyst, and founder of Prom Bring It. Date and place of birth: April 12 in New York City. Born to a Dominican father and Lebanese mother. Current residence: Glen Allen. Education: Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, Penn State University; bachelor’s in system administration, Syracuse University.
and just run all of the projects and I would oversee the operation,” says Ms. High. “I just want someone with the same passion that I could trust. I want to keep adding components to it.” She constantly advises young members with very simple statements: “Challenge yourself. Don’t be afraid of a challenge. Take it on. Just do things. You are the only one that can make a difference in your life. Start saving. Start taking care of yourself because you are the only one that can take care of you.” Meet youth advocate and this week’s Personality, Jenny M. High: Occupation: Systems engineerbusiness systems consultant. Community involvement: Founder, owner and president Go High Corp. Center for
Family: Husband, Greg High; son, William, and daughter, Gianna. Reason for founding Go High Center for the Arts: It was developed as a result of my daughter excelling with the violin and my son producing music. I saw that my son’s group of friends coming to the house was getting larger. They were very talented and were staying out of trouble, but they had to get out of my house. I couldn’t find a donated space for them so I had a studio built in the back of the house. Why I am excited about this organization: Because I see the youths evolving. I see in them what they don’t see in themselves. I teach young people to use whatever gift or strength they have as a tool to work with for growth, development and leadership. I try to ignite a fire and confidence in them that has not existed before. I educate
OUR BUS ROUTES ARE CHANGING SUMMER 2018. No worries. We’ll help you through this.
young people in a way they have never been before.
cared about me. That is a rare ingredient these days.
Services GHCTA provides: An alternative community for youths managed by the youths themselves, Go High Corp Center for the Arts provides opportunities for local youths to perform and showcase their own work in a healthy environment. The venue will host concerts, video and music produced in our own studios, community events and social media and marketing workshops in collaboration with local artists and musicians. Providing this alternative youth community will give youths another recreational option, resulting in healthy decision-making and habits. As GHCTA programs develop, the organization hopes to form additional community partnerships that will provide job internship opportunities for the youths each year.
How I start the day: Strong coffee and my dogs, and then I log into work — sometimes vice versa.
How to become a volunteer: We are listed on Volunteermatch. Go to our website www.gohighcorp.org, Facebook GoHighCorp, Twitter @Gohighcorp, Instagram @ Gohighcorp. What motivated me to get involved in community service: It is in my blood. You should always give back. If it weren’t for people like my fourth-grade teacher who I still keep in touch with and is my Facebook friend, and others like her who motivated me and inspired me, I would have ended up like many of the young people today. I was blessed to be surrounded by people who inspired me and
Perfect day for me: When my interns are productive and complete everything that is assigned to them, especially because it benefits them. If I had more time, I would: Play the lottery every day, travel more, apply for my own grants, watch more TV, etc. A quote that I am inspired by: If you want to soar like an eagle you can’t hang around pigeons. How I unwind: Reality TV and wine. Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Fast and pray every Wednesday. It was customary for me and my dad. I go to Our Lady of Lourdes for my dad’s birthday and the anniversary of his death to pray for him. Three words that best describe me: Confident, honest, resilient. Best late-night snack: Morcilla (Blood sausage). Person who influenced me the most: My father. The book that influenced me the most: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. What I’m reading now: The web — everything regarding everything. My next goal: Creating educational webinars in Spanish and monetizing them.
GRTC has teamed up with the City of Richmond to rework our area’s transit system – so soon, you’ll see faster, more consistent service throughout the city. Buses will come more frequently on many routes. Connections will be easier. Bus route names will be simplified. And at the same time, we’re launching the new Pulse route, with service from Willow Lawn to Rocketts Landing (and many places in between.)
We’re here to help you through the changes. We can give you a practice ride of your new city route with a GRTC Travel Buddy. Call 804-358-GRTC to schedule your free practice session. And watch for GRTC’s Outreach Ambassadors – they’ll be on many GRTC buses and at major bus stops and the Temporary Transfer Plaza. These specially trained friends in the field can answer any of your questions. Get ready for Your New GRTC. Go to ridegrtc.com to check out the new routes, route names and numbers, and route maps – because your new route is on its way. Connect with us on Social Media!
Go to ridegrtc.com for more info.
Richmond Free Press
B2 May 17-19, 2018
Happenings
‘There’s no success without failure,’ actor and alum Boris Kodjoe tells VCU grads By Leah Hobbs
Actor Boris Kodjoe inspired Virginia Commonwealth University graduates to find the courage to see failure as a friend, instead of something to be feared along the road to success. There’s no success without failure because there’s no triumph without adversity, no diploma without a lesson learned,” the VCU alumnus said during his address Saturday at the commencement ceremony at the Richmond Coliseum. “Have faith that when you fall and get up again, you will win.” Mr. Kodjoe, whose hopes to play tennis on the professional circuit were dashed when he was diagnosed with a rare spinal deficiency, attended VCU on a tennis scholarship. “I thought I was a failure and that I had disappointed every single person who believed in me,” he said. “The truth is, more than being frustrated, I was afraid of the future. My plan had been destroyed and I was scared to make a new one.” He talked about growing up in Germany. His mother, a German psychologist, and his father, a Ghanaian physician, divorced when he was 5. Raised by a single mother who took classes every day and worked night shifts, he was teased by other kids because he was different, he said. He subconsciously chose tennis as a way to externalize the post-traumatic stress of his parents’ divorce, he told the audience. “The hitting of the tennis balls helped me release some of that frustration that I had built up inside and gave me a feeling of normalcy and security that I was yearning for,” he said. “The rhythmic sounds of the ball hitting cement drowned out some of the chatter that was circulating in my head.” Tennis gave him confidence. “Back then, the confidence I felt was a very basic level of comfort that gave me the ability to just barely consider the possibility that a tall, skinny Afro-German boy — who could hit a tennis ball better than most grown men, but who was told daily by other children at school or on the playground that he looked weird, had ugly hair and must never be touched because your black skin is contagious — that a boy like me would find his place in the world without feeling the need to apologize for it.”
Nursing school graduates throw handfuls of confetti and glitter in celebration after Virginia Commonwealth University announces their degrees are conferred during Saturday’s ceremony at the Richmond Coliseum.
recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to society through scholarship, public service, humanitarianism, science and the arts. Last year, he was inducted into the VCU Athletics Hall of Fame. VCU President Michael Rao commended the more than 5,000 students who received undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees on their impact at the university. He described how students came to his office a few years ago and asked for a more diverse faculty that looks more like VCU’s students. “By coming to VCU, you have shaped this university and you have, in a large way, made it what it is today,” Dr. Rao said. “You collaborated with people from backgrounds different from your own so that you could discover better ways to do old things. You’ve been challenged within and outside of the classroom. And many of you have challenged us, and we have changed … You have helped to raise our standards. You have helped VCU to become a stronger university that continues to evolve every day,” he said.
Terry Everett, a junior majoring in biology and a participant in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation and Ram Camp leadership programs, was presented with the VCU Board of Visitors Award. The award recognizes an undergraduate student for outstanding academic achievement, leadership and service. Mr. Everett and his family started B the Movement, a company that does motivational speaking at events in impoverished and underrepresented communities. Also at the ceremony, Charles F. and M. Virginia “Ginny” Crone were awarded the Edward A. Wayne Medal, which honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions or provided exemplary services to the VCU. Mr. Crone is retired president of MC Wholesale Club and former vice president of the Williamsburg Pottery, while Mrs. Crone is retired from BASF Corp. Their 30 years of philanthropy at VCU has benefited the Massey Cancer Center, the MCV Foundation, the VCU College of Health Professions and the schools of medicine and nursing.
‘Black Panther’ star returns to alma mater to inspire Howard students at graduation Free Press wire reports
Photos by Ava Reaves
Actor Boris Kodjoe, a Virginia Commonwealth University alumnus and athletics hall of famer, receives an honorary degree after delivering the commencement speech during Saturday’s ceremony.
After graduating from VCU with a degree in marketing, Mr. Kodjoe was discovered by a modeling agency in New York and started getting paid for the same reason that he was bullied years earlier — his looks. In 2000, Mr. Kodjoe landed a role on the television series, “Soul Food: The Series,” where he met his wife, actress Nicole Ari Parker. He currently stars in the CBS drama, “Code Black,” as Dr. Will Campbell and co-stars on BET’s “Real Husbands of Hollywood.” In 2008, he and his wife launched Sophie’s Voice Foundation to raise awareness about and research funding into spina bifida, a congenital birth defect involving the incomplete development of a baby’s spinal cord that can affect a child’s ability to walk and other functions. Their daughter, Sophie, was born with spina bifida. The Atlanta-based foundation supports global health and wellness initiatives in multicultural communities. Mr. Kodjoe told the graduates that the choice he made to come to VCU produced a chain of events that shaped his life. He said that choice was a turning point, a moment that seemed ordinary at the time, but gained in significance because of one, single choice. “The element of a turning point in my life came because I faced my fear of failure and stepped out on faith,” he said. Mr. Kodjoe was presented with an honorary degree during the ceremony. It is the university’s highest form of recognition, which
Actor Chadwick Boseman, a Howard University alumnus who starred in the blockbuster film, “Black Panther,” lauded Howard University students for their recent successful campus protests, saying their efforts to spark change will help them as they enter the workforce. “Everything that you fought for was not for yourself. It was for those who came after you,” he told an audience of 8,000 Saturday during an outdoor commencement ceremony in the Upper Quad on the main campus in Washington. The Class of 2018 is Howard University’s 150th graduating class. “Students, your protests are also promising because many of you will leave Howard and enter systems and institutions that have a history of discrimination and marginalization. The fact that you have struggled with this university that you love is a sign that you can use your education to improve the world you are entering,” he said. “I was on a roll when I entered the system of entertainment, theater, television and film,” he continued. “I stand here today knowing my Howard University education prepared me to play Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall and T’Challa.” Howard students staged a nine-day takeover of the uni-
Cheriss May/Sipa USA via Associated Press
Actor and alumnus Chadwick Boseman, star of the hugely popular film “Black Panther,” delivers the commencement address at Howard University on Saturday. He garnered cheers from the audience when he gave the “Wakanda Forever.”
versity administration building in late March and early April, protesting the misuse of funds meant for low-income students. Ultimately, the university board agreed to several demands, including freezing undergraduate tuition, re-examining oncampus housing policies and setting up a task force to address sexual assault and harassment issues. Six employees were fired in connection with problems with university funds. Mr. Boseman also applauded the administration’s willingness to make changes.
Hampton University alumna, Hollywood costume designer urges students to be innovators, leaders Free Press staff report
Ruth E. Carter challenged Hampton University students to be brave, to be innovators, to be bridge builders and leaders. At the university’s 148th commencement on Sunday, the Hampton alumna and acclaimed Hollywood costume designer for the box office hit “Black Panther” told graduates, “When King T’Challa said, ‘Let’s build bridges not barriers,’ I say good thing Hampton’s got good engineering and architectural programs so they can build bridges that need building once all y’all break barriers in the world with your education.” Ms. Carter, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University in 1982, has spent more than three decades in Hollywood as a costume designer. She was nominated for Academy Awards for her costume design work on Spike Lee’s film, “Malcolm X,” and the film “Amis-
Randy Singleton
Hollywood costume designer Ruth E. Carter, a Hampton University alumna, accepts from university President William R. Harvey the diploma she never officially received in 1982. Ms. Carter, who designed the costumes for the blockbuster movie, “Black Panther,” was the university’s commencement speaker on Sunday and also was awarded an honorary degree.
tad” by director Steven Spielberg. Hampton University President William R. Harvey said he believes Ms. Carter will win next year when she’s certain to be nominated for an Academy Award for the costumes in “Black Panther.” Dr. Harvey, who is celebrating his 40th anniversary as president at the university now celebrating its 150th birthday, presented Ms. Carter with her diploma, which she never officially received 36 years ago. He also presented Ms. Carter, school counselor Mawiyah Husbands and Charles S. Harris, executive vice president ofAverett University, with the Outstanding Alumnus-at-Large Awards. Over their commencement robes, graduates wore white stoles commemorating the university’s two major anniversaries and bearing a seal honoring Dr. Harvey and Union Gen. Samuel C. Armstrong, who founded the university in 1868.
He also talked about being fired from a soap opera after questioning the way his character, a gang member, was written. He said he felt “conflicted” because the role, which he previously described as stereotypical, was “wrapped up in assumptions about us as black folk.” While Mr. Boseman didn’t specify the soap opera, published reports indicate it was on “All My Children,” in which he briefly played gang member Reggie Porter Montgomery. The role later was played by Michael B. Jordan, who starred with Mr. Boseman in “Black Panther.” “What do you do when the principles that were instilled at you at Howard close the door?” he asked in his commencement address. “Sometimes you need to get knocked down before you realize what you’re really fighting against.” Mr. Boseman encouraged graduates to not only exceed in their next steps, but also strive to achieve their life’s purpose. “When you have reached the Hilltop and you are deciding on next steps, you would rather find purpose than a career. Purpose is an essential element of you that crosses disciplines,” he said. He called Howard a “magical place, where the dynamics of positive and negative seem to exist in extremes. … Almost anything can happen here.” “I remember walking across this yard when Muhammad Ali was walking toward me with his hands raised in a quintessential guard. I was game to play along with him,” Mr. Boseman said. “What an honor to be challenged by the G.O.A.T. I walked away floating like a butterfly…
walked away light and ready to take on the world.” A native of South Carolina, Mr. Boseman graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 2000. He then attended the British American Dramatic Academy at Oxford University. Thereafter, he began his career as an actor, director and writer, gaining rave reviews for his portrayal of the legendary Jackie Robinson in the Warner Bros.’ film “42,” and the title role in the film “Marshall,” about the first African-American U.S. Supreme Court justice who graduated as valedictorian from Howard University School of Law in 1933. His most recent renown has come with his roles as T’Challa in “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War.” Several times during the ceremony, he crossed his arms over his chest, giving the “Wakanda Forever” salute from the movie to a cheering audience. University President Wayne A.I. Frederick talked in his remarks how Mr. Boseman and his classmates advocated and participated in a three-day protest against the university to dismiss an initiative to change the College of Fine Arts into a Department of Fine Arts. The protest was unsuccessful in stopping the transition. However, at the ceremony, Dr. Frederick, alongside Mr. Boseman, announced a campaign to re-establish the College of Fine Arts and launch an Endowed College of Fine Arts Award. Howard University awarded 2,217 degrees, including 343 master’s degrees, and 90 Ph.Ds. More than 382 students received professional degrees in law, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. Howard University has the only dental and pharmacy colleges in the District of Columbia. The 2018 graduates represent 39 states and 32 countries; 117 graduates are from the District of Columbia. In addition to Mr. Boseman, other honorary degree recipients were Dr. Vivian W. Pinn, a former professor and pathology department chair at the Howard University College of Medicine who became the first full-time director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health; Washington Post columnist Colbert I. King, an HU alumnus; and his wife, Gwendolyn Stewart King, a former U.S. commissioner of Social Security who is now president of Podium Prose, a speaker’s bureau and speechwriting service in Washington, and a HU alumna.
Richmond Free Press
May 17-19, 2018 B3
Happenings
‘Integrity is what you do when no one is watching,’ actress tells VUU grads
Photos by Courtney Jones
Actress Keshia Knight Pulliam offers words of encouragement, along with life lessons, in her address Saturday to Virginia Union University graduates. Left, graduates are ready to “turn up” at Virginia Union University’s commencement at Hovey Field.
By Thomas Kidd
Virginia Union University graduates were encouraged to focus on a life of substance, and not one of superficiality, during the school’s 119th commencement last Saturday at Hovey Field on the campus. Actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, best known for her role as Rudy Huxtable on the popular, long-running television sitcom “The Cosby Show,” gave a heartfelt talk to the more than 300 graduates and their families and friends in what she acknowledged was her first-ever commencement address. “This is very special and dear to my heart. I am proud that you would put this trust in me,” said the 39-year old Ms. Pulliam, who graduated in 2001 with honors from Spelman College with a bachelor’s in sociology and a concentration in film. She confessed that she had no recollection of who spoke at her graduation but promised that she would make every effort to be relevant, memorable and brief. “I know you want to ‘turn up’ and celebrate with family and friends. And I don’t know how long this pressed hair is going to hold up,” she joked with the audience, many of whom had begun seeking shade under the bleachers at the outdoor stadium to escape the hot morning sun. Ms. Pulliam urged graduates to avoid social media culture, which she feels promotes an unrealistic representation of success. “Everyone wants to show their highlight reel, but no one wants to show the work,” she told the graduates. “Embrace adversity. Lean into it, because you only grow when you are not in your comfort zone.” Ms. Pulliam, an NAACP ImageAward winner whose recent acting projects include “Madea Goes to Jail” and “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,” went on to identify the personal qualities she said she has adopted to further her development and success. Among them: To be authentic, to practice humility and to operate with integrity. “Integrity is what you do when no one is watching,” she said. The Atlanta resident did not talk about her personal life – she was divorced recently from former NFL player Ed Hartwell and awarded custody of their year-old daughter. Nor did she talk
about her TV dad and mentor, Bill Cosby, 80, who was convicted April 26 in a Pennsylvania court of drugging and raping Andrea Constand, then a 30-year-old director of operations for the women’s basketball team at Temple University, in 2004. Ms. Pulliam accompanied Mr. Cosby to court last June during his first trial, which ended in a hung jury. But she did not go to court to support him during the recent retrial, which was considered the first big trial since the #MeToo movement’s national spotlight on sexual assault and harassment. Mr. Cosby,
Raymond H. Boone Jr., left, Free Press vice president for new business development, accepts an honorary degree granted posthumously by Virginia Union University to his father, Raymond H. Boone Sr., the founder and late publisher of the Free Press. Presenting the degree are, center, Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, chair of the VUU Board of Trustees, and VUU President Hakim Lucas.
who remains free on bond until his sentencing this summer, faces up to 30 years in prison. Ms. Pulliam, however, praised the #MeToo movement in her talk, along with other advocacy and activist movements including Black Lives Matter. “All lives matter, but as African-Americans, we are excluded from the list.”
She concluded her address by driving home the point that real success is not solely measured in dollars and cents. “Decide now how you will pay it forward in the work you choose,” she said. “Follow your passions and the money will come.” VUU recognized two outstanding students, valedictorian Sheontay S. Edgeston of Glen Allen, who graduated with a 3.96 GPA in earning a bachelor’s in criminology-criminal justice, and salutatorian Joshua Alexander Wooldridge of Richmond, who had a 3.94 GPA in earning a bachelor’s in history and political science. In addition, VUU conferred three honorary degrees during the ceremony. Dr. Sedgwick V. Easley, a VUU alumnus and pastor of Union Baptist Church in Hempstead, N.Y., was awarded an honorary degree for his dedicated service and commitment to pastoral and community leadership. Edward B. Titmus, president of the Titmus Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in Dinwiddie County that focuses on Christian higher education, was awarded an honorary degree for his commitment and dedication in contributing resources to improve and make a difference in the lives of those in the community. The university also awarded an honorary degree posthumously to Raymond H. Boone Sr., the founder and late publisher and editor of the Richmond Free Press. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, chairman of the VUU Board of Trustees, said Mr. Boone changed the journalistic landscape of Richmond when the inaugural edition of the Free Press hit the streets on Jan. 16, 1992. He described Mr. Boone as a “bold leader and crusader for justice” who used his journalistic voice to promote equality with justice and opportunity for all people. Dr. Richardson went on to recognize Mr. Boone’s excellence in leading the Richmond Free Press for 22 years until his death in 2014, and praised his widow, Jean Patterson Boone, the current president and publisher of the Free Press, for keeping the newspaper as a weekly fixture in the community with a growing circulation and a readership of more than 135,000. Accepting the honorary degree on Mr. Boone’s behalf was his son, Raymond H. Boone Jr., Free Press vice president for new business development.
Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax and U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner encourage VSU graduates at dual commencement ceremonies By Thomas Kidd and Leah Hobbs
Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax urged Virginia State University graduates to use the strengths of the past to build a brighter future. “Simply wishing you congratulations is not enough. I want to call your attention to a greater spirit at work today. You are not merely the sum total of your accomplishments. But, rather, you are — we all are — our ancestors’ wildest dreams,” the 39-year-old former federal prosecutor told the Class of 2018. Lt. Gov. Fairfax, who was sworn into office in January, is the second African-American to win statewide elective office in Virginia. With 670 degrees to confer on Mother’s Day, VSU officials held a morning and an afternoon ceremony to accommodate the large numbers of graduates, their families and friends at the VSU Multi-Purpose Center. Lt. Gov. Fairfax spoke at the morning exercise and U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner gave the afternoon address. Lt. Gov. Fairfax talked about VSU’s history dating to 1882 as Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute. He told the audience that VSU’s first president, John Mercer Langston, was the great uncle of poet and writer Langston Hughes and also the first African-American to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia. He shared how President Langston was tireless in his efforts, fought against seemingly insurmountable odds and established what is being realized today in by the Class of 2018. “This is further evidence that you walk in the footsteps of giants,” he said. The lieutenant governor then shared a more personal story about Simon, a Virginia slave, who on June 5, 1798, was handed a manumission document — a formal act freeing him from slavery. “This document freed Simon and naturally changed the entire trajectory of his life,” Lt. Gov. Fairfax said before revealing that Simon was, in fact, Simon Fairfax, his great-greatgreat-grandfather. Even more poignant was that moment before his swearing in as Virginia’s 41st lieutenant governor — and only the second African-American to be elected to the position since former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder’s tenure in the No. 2 position more than 30 years earlier — Mr. Fairfax’s father handed him a copy of Simon’s manumission paper. The 220-year-old document had been found in the Fairfax County Courthouse a week prior to the inauguration. “I had lived my whole life not knowing about him,” Lt. Gov. Fairfax told the audience. “But in that moment, I felt the awesome weight of history and the power that love, hope and opportunity can give.”
He challenged graduates to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors — to have the determination, grit and courage to face and overcome obstacles and let their accomplishments mark a path toward greater successes for generations to follow. “It’s not enough to succeed on your own. You have to lift other people as you climb,” he said. “I know how important this philosophy is because I, like you, have been so blessed to benefit from it.” During his afternoon address, Sen. Warner talked about his experience as the first in his family to graduate from college. He said he knew that his education would take him places where he would be able to do things and go places that his parents could only dream of. Lt. Gov. Fairfax “Today, you have that same promise, but with it comes a responsibility. I believe your obligation is to strive, to reach and to not be afraid to fail,” he said. The George Washington University and Harvard Law School graduate told the audience how he invested his life savings of $5,000 in an energy startup company that failed within six weeks. He then tried real estate and failed at that within six months, he said. His third try was investing in a new technology — cellular phone service. He co-founded a company that later became Nextel Communications, which merged with Sprint in 2005. “Only in America could I have had not one, not two, but three chances,” Sen. Warner said. “Truth is, I’m not sure if I had not been a white guy with the right education that I would have got three chances, or two chances, or even one
chance. If we are going to realize the potential of this country, one of the things we need to make sure of is that when you go out, we can’t guarantee you success, but we must guarantee that everyone in America gets their fair shot.” Sen. Warner served as Virginia’s governor from 2002 to 2006 before taking office as a U.S. senator in January 2009. He is vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee that is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and connections to the Trump campaign. Sen. Warner and Lt. Gov. Fairfax were awarded honorary degrees during their respective ceremonies. Also recognized were Ashley Marie Shanfelter of North Dinwiddie County, the highest ranking senior in the Class of 2018, who had a perfect 4.0 GPA in Sen. Warner earning a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies with a minor in special education, and Sharon Evangeline Crenshaw, who received the VSU Alumnus of the Year Award for her support of the university. Dr. Alma Cobb Hobbs received the Presidential Award of Distinction from VSU President Makola M. Abdullah for her contributions to the community and as a member of the VSU Board of Visitors from 2004 to 2008. The Reginald F. Lewis Prize, which is awarded to a graduating senior from the VSU Reginald F. Lewis College of Business who has made the most progress from their sophomore year to senior year, was presented to Mabertine Pierre of Portsmouth, who will pursue graduate studies in film at New York University. Brittany McCoy, senior class president, and Cody Mitchell, president of the Student Govern-
ment Association, also offered remarks during the afternoon ceremony. Ms. McCoy reminded her classmates to be themselves when they go out into the world. “Don’t walk through life trying to be exactly like someone else that you look up to. The world doesn’t need another Beyoncé, or Malcolm X or Barack Obama,” she said. “What the world needs is for you to bring your personality, transformative ideas and individual touch to ensure that the world is a better place to live because of us. “Although we may be frightened, right now is an integral part of our lives where we can either choose to walk with fear or walk with faith,” she said. “The two cannot coexist, nor can they collaborate,” Ms. McCoy continued. “The decisions you make every single day will determine how you conquer your opportunities, your obstacles and your life.” Mr. Mitchell encouraged the graduates to dream. “There are many who dream of becoming doctors, lawyers, educators and engineers,” he said. “It is us, the dreamers, who have the ambition to see past our goals and go to discover the next cure, to solve the next big case, and in turn, enrich future generations.”
Photos by Rudolph Powell
New graduates of Virginia State University help place each others’ hoods signifying their new degrees during commencement ceremonies Sunday at the VSU Multi-Purpose Center. Shaquille Robinson, right, shows off his new bachelor’s degree and his young son, Shaquille Jr., during the afternoon commencement on Mother’s Day.
Richmond Free Press
B4 May 17-19, 2018
Happenings Dirty clothes become golden opportunity for local businessman By Ronald E. Carrington
For many, washing clothes is a chore. But what many people may view as drudgery is Devon Chester’s doorway to opportunity. The 41-year-old Midwest transplant has struck up a lucrative business doing laundry in Richmond. Brook’s Stitch & Fold, his company started in 2016, now has two locations — at 711 N. Sheppard St. in the Museum District and at 3 E. Roberts St. in Barton Heights. The boutique service, as it is called, offers washing, drying and neatly folding laundry, dry cleaning, alterations and, for those who opt to do their own, self-service washers and dryers. In Mr. Chester’s hometown in Michigan, wash and fold laundry services — where customers drop off their dirty clothes and return the next day to pick them up fresh and ready — are pretty common. But in Richmond, that niche
Ronald E. Carrington/Richmond Free Press
Devon Chester says his leap of faith into a new laundry business was scary, but has had numerous rewards, including giving back to the community.
wasn’t being filled, he said. “I saw an opportunity to capitalize on that niche of the market.” Mr. Chester was working at the time as a government
contractor, overseeing federal construction contracts. He also was buying and rehabbing rental properties in his hometown of Lansing, Mich.
Richmond Power to End Stroke Jazz Night May 31
May is American Stroke Month. And theAmerican StrokeAssociation’s Power to End Stroke campaign and Bon Secours Richmond Neurosciences Services are hosting the 5th Annual Richmond Power to End Stroke Jazz Night. The free event will be held 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 31, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 N. 3rd St., and will offer stroke education along with a heart-healthy dinner, live jazz and dancing and raffles. Music will be performed by J. “Plunky” Branch, while Kemel Patton will lead line dancing. Participants can sit in on workshops about
treatment and prevention of strokes and will have one-on-one access to medical professionals. Stroke is the No. 2 cause of death in the world and a leading cause of serious disability, according to the American Stroke Association. Organizers stated that 80 percent of strokes are preventable if people control their risk factors, including high blood pressure. To learn more about strokes and their treatment and prevention, go to www.strokeassociation. org or call (888) 4STROKE. Details and registration for the jazz event: www. heart.org/RVAJazzNight or (804) 965-6529.
Fun for a cause Ava Miller flies high on a bungee bouncer at last Saturday’s Strawberry Street Festival in The Fan. It was the 39th year for the event sponsored by the William H. Fox Elementary School PTA to benefit the public school in Richmond. The festival features games, rides, strawberries and other foods, crafts and a book sale. Below, Bray Sumler, 8, takes a dive onto the leaps and bounds apparatus at the festival. Photos by Sandra Sellars
The Richmond Free Press family extends its sincere gratitude to the Virginia Union University board, its chairman, Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, and university president Dr. Hakim J. Lucas for conferring the distinguished honor of doctor of humane letters posthumously to Raymond H. Boone, founder of the Richmond Free Press. Your recognition of his pursuit of excellence on behalf of the voiceless strengthens our resolve to continue his legacy.
Jean Patterson Boone Publisher
Richmond Free Press
He was getting the itch to leave his job and go out on his own, he said. He researched business opportunities on the internet and found a laundromat in Richmond for sale. He reached out to the owner. A 5-minute conversation turned into “like we had known each other for years,” Mr. Chester recalled. “The owner was trying to get out from under this business. He wanted to divest and it seemed to be a good opportunity for what I wanted to do.” But the leap of faith had risks. “It was scary. You talk about walking away from the security of a six-figure job and walking out on your own,” said Mr. Chester, a husband and father of three. “Everything stops with you, especially when you have a family depending on you. But if it is something that you are passionate about and you really want to do, take that leap of faith and go for it,” he said. So far, things have been going well with his business. In addition to walk-in customers, Mr. Chester serves corporate and government clients with alterations and cleaning. He also has a contract to provide bed linens and towels for Virginia Commonwealth University for summer student orientation. “We are collecting the items at 10 a.m. one day, washing through the night and delivering the items by 10 a.m. the following day,” Mr. Chester said. “For a contract like that, we bring in an additional five-person, dedicated staff to handle that in addition to the three people running the Sheppard Street facility.” The summer orientation contract opened the door to the VCU Police Department contract, for which Mr. Chester submitted a bid. “VCU knew what we were capable of and the quality of work we do,” he said. The company also does dry cleaning, alterations and laundry for JROTC programs in Richmond and Washington. “Basically, we go to the schools, collect all the uniforms and we bring them back here and process them” to see if they are to be dry cleaned, altered or washed and folded. Once the needed work is done, “we return everything to the schools,” he said. Mr. Chester said he finds success not in dollars and cents, but in servicing the community. “I understand that you have to make money in order to sustain operations. But for me, it’s about kingdom building and building community,” he said. “I’m not going to be an establishment that comes in, provides a service and takes from the community and not give back to the people who support my business.” During his two years in business, Mr. Chester has sponsored back-to-school backpack drives, Christmas giveaways and a gift card giveaway through a local church to help people in financial distress. “It’s just a way to show our appreciation for their support for us. “I love Richmond,” he said. “I’m rooted. I am here to stay.”
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Racing for a cure Thousands of people donned sneakers and pink T-shirts for last Saturday’s 21st Annual Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure to raise money for breast cancer. The event featured a competitive run and a recreational run - walk across the James River at the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge, along with a cancer survivors’ parade and an awards ceremony. Here, participants walk on Brown’s Island along the canal. DiamonDs • Watches JeWelry • repairs 19 East Broad strEEt richmond, Va 23219 (804) 648-1044
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Every 40 seconds someone in the US has a stroke, yet 80% are preventable. Learn more about prevention, warning signs and coping with life after stroke at our 5th Annual Power to End Stroke Jazz Night. Join us for a healthy dinner, workshops and line dancing with Kemel Patton. Hosted by Miss Community Clovia.
Richmond Free Press
May 17-19, 2018
B5
Faith News/Directory
Bishop Curry to speak at royal wedding Free Press wire, staff report
LONDON The Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, will speak at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Kensington Palace has announced. Bishop Curry will give the address — a sermon — at the nuptials on Saturday, May 19, in Windsor. He will join the dean of Windsor, the Rt. Rev. David Conner, and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who will officiate at the service. Archbishop Welby baptized Ms. Markle, a biracial American actress and divorcee, ahead of her marriage to Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England. Bishop Curry is the first African-American to have Bishop Curry served as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, an offshoot of the Church of England in the United States. It is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. He was elected in June 2015 and installed in November 2015 after serving as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina for 15 years. He has been a popular speaker in Richmond in recent years at the Community Lenten Series at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Downtown, speaking at least eight times since 1994. He spoke in March at “Bending Toward Truth: A Forum on Race and Religion in Richmond,” a two-day event at the church. Bishop Curry has long supported LGBTQ rights and was among the first group of bishops to allow same-sex marriages to be performed in the North Carolina diocese.
Thirty-first Street Baptist calls May 21 congregation meeting After five months of requests from members, Thirty-first Street Baptist Church has scheduled a congregational meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, May 21, at the sanctuary, 823 N. 31st St. in Church Hill. The church is searching for a new pastor, while also facing concerns from members about church finances. The church’s former pastor, Dr. Morris G. Henderson III, retired in January.
Clement Britt
Eighty-seven percent of African-Americans responding to the LifeWay research survey said they believe tithing should continue today, compared to 80 percent of white people.
Gifts to charity, needy count as tithing, study finds By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service
tithing is a current requirement, 72 percent of pastors agree. Pastors who affirm that tithing is a biblical command don’t agree on how to define it. More than half (56 percent) said it should be one-tenth of an individual’s gross income. Seventeen percent said it should be one-tenth of net income. Eleven percent said it is “whatever amount a person regularly sets aside to give” and 7 percent said it is “whatever amount a person actually gives.” Among churchgoers, large majorities in different regions and of different races said tithing should continue today: 85 percent of Southerners, 74 percent of Northerners, 87 percent of African-Americans and 80 percent of white people. Those with evangelical beliefs were more likely (86 percent) to view tithing as a current biblical demand than those without them (79 percent). Those attending church services at least weekly were more likely (85 percent) to have that view than those attending once or twice monthly (71 percent). More than half of churchgoers (54 percent) give a tenth or more of their income
Most Protestant churchgoers believe that giving 10 percent of their income is a biblical requirement they should follow, but they define the practice of tithing in a variety of ways, a new survey shows. About half said they can give their tithes to a Christian ministry instead of a church. One in three said tithes can go to help a person who is in need. And more than one in six said their funds can go to a secular charity. “For many churchgoers, tithing is just another term for generosity,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research in Nashville, Tenn., of the findings released May 10. The evangelical research firm surveyed 1,010 Americans who attend a Protestant or nondenominational church at least monthly. It also queried 1,000 Protestant senior pastors. Pastors are less likely than people in the pews to view tithing as a continuing biblical command. While 83 percent of churchgoers say
Ebenezer Baptist Church
St. Peter Baptist Church
Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, Pastor
1858
Come and Join us in Worship as we Celebrate
Spring Revival 2018
“The People’s Church”
PILGRIM JOURNEY BAPTIST CHURCH Rev. Angelo V. Chatmon, Pastor 7204 Bethlehem Road
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Henrico, VA 23228
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(804) 672-9319
2018 WOMEN’S DAY
“Trust God and Do Good” • Proverbs 3:5-6 Monday, May 21, 2018 • Rev. Dr. Jerome C. Ross
ChuRCh
Sunday, May 20, 2018: 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 • Rev. Rudolph V. Sykes, Jr. Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church, New Kent, VA
Guest Speaker:
Wednesday, May 23, 2018 • Rev. Ellsworth Tait
Rev. Cora Harvey Armstrong First Mount Olive Baptist Church Newtown, King & Queen County, VA
St. John’s Baptist Church, Charles City, VA
Sunday, May 27, 2018 11 AM - Worship Service Speaker: Rev. Earl Bledsoe, D. Min.
http://www.facebook.com/PilgrimJourney
www.pjbcrichmond.org
Rev. Darryl G. Thompson, Pastor
2018 Theme: The Year of Transition (Romans 8:28-29)
8775 Mount Olive Avenue Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 (804) 262-9614 Phone (804) 262-2397 Fax www.mobcva.org
Theme:
Growing Our Future, Building on Our Past Scripture: Psalm 126:3 (NIV)
2040 Mountain Road • Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 Office 804-262-0230 • Fax 804-262-4651 • www.stpeterbaptist.net
Mount Olive Baptist Church
216 W. Leigh St. • Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 • Fax: 804-643-3367 Email: ebcoffice1@yahoo.com • web: www.richmondebenezer.com
Anniversary
“Celebrating Women Builders” Proverbs 14:1
Providence Baptist Church, Richmond, VA
Worship at 7:00 p.m. Nightly
to their church, while 1 in 5 said they give regularly but less than 10 percent. A similar number say they try to give but are not always consistent. Eight percent say their finances make it difficult to donate and 2 percent reported not giving to their church. “Even those who can’t tithe believe that giving matters,” said Mr. McConnell. “Most churchgoers say they give — even if it’s a struggle.” Of those who do give, most often do so in a personal way — contributing cash or a check at church. Eleven percent use their church website for giving, and smaller percentages use automatic payments or a church app, although some give using more than one method. “Giving is considered an act of worship — and clicking on a mouse may not feel as holy as putting your offering in the collection plate,” Mr. McConnell said. The overall sample of churchgoers, surveyed Aug. 22-30, 2017, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The overall sample of clergy, surveyed Aug. 30-Sept. 18, 2017, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. James E. Leary, Interim Pastor
Sundays
Triumphant
8:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship
Baptist Church
Tuesdays
2003 Lamb Avenue Richmond, VA 23222 Dr. Arthur M. Jones, Sr., Pastor (804) 321-7622
Noon Day Bible Study
Wednesdays
6:30 p.m. Prayer and Praise 7:00 p.m. Bible Study
Church School - 9:30 a.m. Worship Service - 11:15 a.m. Bible Study - Wednesday - 7 p.m. Communion - 1st Sunday
Star Fellowship Baptist Church h
h
h
h
2223 Keswick Ave., Richmond, Virginia 23224 • 804-233-0059 Rev. Larry D. Barham, Sr., Pastor
Spring Revival
Annual
May 22nd thru May 24th 2018 Service starts 7 p.m. Nightly
Theme: “Be renewed in the Spirit of your mind; and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness”
(Ephesians 4:23-24)
Tuesday: Guest Evangelist Rev. Ricardo Brown, Pastor Fifth Baptist Church, VA
Wednesday & Thursday: Guest Evangelist Rev. Tyrone Nelson, Pastor
Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, VA
Zion Baptist Church 2006 Decatur Street, Richmond, VA 23224 ZBCOFFICE@VERIZON.NET Dr. Robert L. Pettis, Sr., Pastor (804) 859-1985 Church Office
Spring Revival “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – We Live by Faith” Psalm 125
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Evening Communion Service, 3:00 PM Dr. Robert L. Pettis, Sr. Saturday, October 21, 2017 3:00 21, PM2018 thru Wednesday, May 23, 2018 Monday, May Guests: Rev.7:30 John Barham PM Nightly and the Allen Grove Baptist Church Family Prayer and Praise - 7 PM Halifax, NortH CaroliNa Monday Tuesday Wednesday May 21st May 22nd May 23rd
Pastor’s Appreciation Day, Rev. Dr. Adam L. Bond Rev.Dr.NorwoodG.Carson Rev. Dr. Michael A. Sanders Diaconate, Deaconess & Trustee Day
Pastor Pastor Pastor Providence Baptist Church Friendship Baptist Church Mt. Olive Baptist Church Ashland Hopewell South Richmond For Transportation, call the Church Office
Sunday, October 22, 2017
11:00 a.m. Worship Service Guest Speaker: Elder Maricia D. Hayes, Pastor GraCe evaNGeliStiC MiNiStrieS CHurCH, iNC.
Richmond Free Press
B6 May 17-19, 2018
Faith News/Directory Remembering the fallen Police Chief Alfred Durham, right, speaks at a memorial service Wednesday for Richmond Police officers killed in the line of duty. Location: The Richmond Police Training Academy on Graham Road in North Side. Below, Richmond police, sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officers salute family members of the fallen officers. A wreath was placed in front of the monument to the Richmond officers who have been killed in the line of duty since 1889. Ceremonies of remembrance have been held across the country this week, which is designated as National Police Week.
Photos by Ava Reaves
Stories of jail and prison life will be shared at a public hearing on prison justice 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at Second Baptist Church, 1400 Idlewood Ave., it has been announced. Former prisoners, relatives of prisoners and supporters and advocates for prisoners will speak about their experiences at the event titled “Confronting Justice: One Story at a Time,” organizers stated. The purpose: “To inform the public about the realities of life in Virginia prisons,” according to the host organization, the Richmond Committee of the Virginia Prison Justice Network. One of the key issues to be discussed at the event will be the use of solitary confinement. The committee is following up on a recent
report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia calling for limits on the use of solitary confinement as punishment. Among those scheduled to speak is David Smith, who spent more than 16 months in solitary confinement at the Norfolk City Jail. The event will be dedicated to Askan Danso, who has led prisoner efforts to expose injustices in state prisons and currently is being held in solitary confinement at the Sussex I maximum security prison as a result, the committee stated. Other organizations supporting the event include the ACLU of Virginia, Community Unity in Action, House of Dreams Outreach & Re-Entry of Hampton, Interfaith Action for Human Rights, the Mary G.
Brown Transitional Center, RISE and the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality. The event is to be streamed live on Facebook. The public hearing is one of a series that various chapters of the Virginia Prison Justice Network are hosting. The network grew out of a prison reform rally that drew 300 people to the State Capitol on Jan. 20 and was cohosted by the Virginia Defenders and the Coalition for Justice of Blacksburg. Details on the hearing: Lynetta Thompson (804) 982-8072 or lthompsonvasa@yahoo.com; Phil Wilayto, (804) 247-3731 or philwilayto@gmail. com; or https://www.facebook.com/ events/630839550585150/
Pope Francis thinks about leaving Free Press wire report
VATICAN CITY Pope Francis said he has thought about when it might be time to “take leave” of his flock. The pope made the comment during his morning homily on Tuesday. The Vatican didn’t release the full text. Pope Francis was reflecting on St. Paul discerning when to leave his flock in the care of others, a decision the pope said
all bishops must make. He said, “When I read this, I think about myself, because I’m a bishop and I’ll have to take my leave.” Pope Francis has said retired Pope Benedict XVI “opened a door” to future popes by resigning. While the 81-year-old pope has said he didn’t envisage a long papacy, he hasn’t said explicitly if he would retire. Pope Francis also may have been referring to Chilean bishops implicated in a sex abuse cover-up scandal.
Good Shepherd Baptist Church 1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223-6624 • Office: (804) 644-1402 Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You” Tuesday Sunday 10:30 AM Bible Study 9:30 AM Church School 6:30 PM Church-wide Bible Study 11:00 AM Worship Service 6:30 PM Men's Bible Study (Each 2nd and 4th) (Holy Communion Thursday each 2nd Sunday) Wednesday (Following 2nd Sunday) 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting
Sharon Baptist Church 500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org (804) 643-3825 Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor
y mil & Friends Day
Sunday, May 20, 2018 Theme: “Faith, Family, & Friends” 8:30 AM – Sunday School 10:00 AM - Morning Worship Speaker: Rev. Andreania Tolliver
Serving Richmond since 1887 3200 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23223• (804) 226-1176
WedneSday 12:00 p.m. Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Bible Study
Sunday 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Worship Service
All ARe Welcome
0 W. ei Street icmnd a. 30 0 3603
a.m. uay ay
Rev. Bobby Holmes Pastor Emeritus airel Bast Church
Mens ay Breaast a.m. urc Scl :30 a.m. New Mercies Ministry 6 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
Print and Brunch Fellowship Saturday, May 26, 2018 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Women’s Day 2018
Sunday, May 27th - 11:00 AM Theme: “Women Stepping High, Walking In Heels for The God We Serve” Galatians 5:22-25
Morning Worship and Fellowship Speaker: Rev. Melissa Mason
Emmaus Baptist Church, Mathews, VA Music: Women of Union Refreshments will be served following morning worship.
Union Baptist Church 1813 Everett Street Richmond, Virginia 23224 804-231-5884 Reverend Robert C. Davis, Pastor
Write: I’ll Listen Ministry “Enthusiasm” P.O. Box 16113 Richmond, Virginia 23222
Early Morning Worship ~ 8 a.m. Sunday School ~ 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship ~ 11 a.m. 4th Sunday Unified Worship Service ~ 9:30 a.m. Bible Study: Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m. & 7 p.m. Sermons Available at BRBCONLINE.org
1701 Turner Road, North Chesterfield, Virginia 23225 (804) 276-0791 office (804)276-5272 fax www.ndec.net
Remember... At New Deliverance, You Are Home! See you there and bring a friend.
Sixth Baptist Church Theme for 2018-2020: Mobilizing For Ministry Refreshing The Old and Emerging The New We Embrace Diversity — Love For All!
Riverview
Sunday, May 20, 2018 10:45 AM - Worship Service
Baptist Church
Message By:
2604 Idlewood Avenue Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 www.riverviewbaptistch.org Rev. Dr. Stephen L. Hewlett, Pastor Rev. Dr. Ralph Reavis, Sr. Pastor Emeritus
SUNDAY SCHOOL - 9:45 A.M. SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 11:00 A.M.
Come Worship With Us!
Pastor Bibbs
Now Accepting Applications For Summer Camp Counselors Email resume to: rwest@sixthbaptistchurch.org Or call (804) 514- 3145
Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor
Twitter sixthbaptistrva Facebook sixthbaptistrva
400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220
(near Byrd Park)
(804) 359- 1691 or 359- 3498 Fax (804) 359- 3798 www.sixthbaptistchurch.org
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Hebrew 12:14 (KJV)
Sunday 8:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:00 a.m. Worship Service
Noonday Bible Study 12noon-1:00 p.m. Sanctuary - All Are Welcome! Wednesday Evening Bible Study 7 p.m. Prayer
Pastor Kevin Cook
A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone
Bishop G. O. Glenn D. Min., Pastor Mother Marcietia S. Glenn First Lady
Wednesday Services
“MAKE IT HAPPEN”
County Line Baptist Church, Louisa, VA
New Deliverance Evangelistic Church
Broad Rock Baptist Church 5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 • 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org
11:00 AM Mid-day Meditation
“The Church With A Welcome”
Fa
Prison justice hearing May 19 at Second Baptist Church
Saturday 8:30 a.m. Intercessory Prayer
You can now view Sunday Morning Service “AS IT HAPPENS” online! Also, for your convenience, we now offer “full online giving.” Visit www.ndec.net.
Tune in on sunday morning to wTvr - channel 6 - 8:30 a.m. THE NEw DElivEraNcE cHrisTiaN acaDEmy (NDca)
ENROLL NOW!!! Accepting applications for children 2 yrs. old to 4th Grade Our NDCA curriculum also consists of a Before and After program. Now Enrolling for our Nursery Ages 6 weeks - 2yrs. old. For more information Please call (804) 276-4433 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
Richmond Free Press
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PUBLIC NOTICE CITY OF RICHMOND 2016-2020 CONSOLIDATED PLAN & 2018 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN In accordance with HUD citizen participation requirements, a 30-day public comment period for the 2016-2020 Consolidated Plan and the proposed 2018 Annual Action Plan (City FY 2019) will begin on May 17, 2018, and will expire on June 25, 2018. By this notice the City of Richmond announces the availability of the third year of the five year 2016-2020 Consolidated Plan also known as the proposed 2018 Annual Action Plan Budget is ready for public review and comment. Notice is also hereby given that the Department of Economic and Community Development will hold a public hearing, as provided by the federal regulations and the citizen participation requirements of the Five Year Consolidated Plan, will be held on Wednesday June 6, 2018, 5:30 P.M. at 900 E. Broad Street, 5th floor of City Hall, for the purpose of considering the proposed Five Year Consolidated and Annual Action Plans. Further notice is also given that on Monday, June 25, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers, the Richmond City Council will hold a public hearing on the Mayor’s 2016-2020 Consolidated Plan and proposed 2018 Annual Action Plan budget for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership (HOME), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) programs. The HOPWA funds are allocated to the City to administer for the Richmond-Petersburg MSA. The Plan will serve as a comprehensive planning document discussing Richmond’s community development and housing needs with particular emphasis on the provision of decent housing, a suitable living environment, assisting and preventing homelessness, assisting special needs community, and the expansion of economic opportunities, particularly for low and moderate income persons. The funds below are federal entitlement dollars allocated to the City through the U. S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) to implement the housing and community development priorities and activities identified in the five year Consolidated Plan, which is consistent with City’s Focus Area Priorities. CDBG Entitlement Grant (includes prior year surplus) HOME Entitlement Grant: ESG Entitlement Grant: HOPWA Regional Entitlement Grant Total Funds Available:
$ 4,562,476 $1,500,301 $366,794 $1,050,009 $ 7,479,580
The following projects have been recommended for CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA allocations to undertake the following activities to preserve and revitalize the City’s neighborhoods and further the City’s economic growth for the 2018 Annual Action Plan: CDBG Projects
Project Description
Amount
Housing & Neighborhood Preservation Citywide Critical Home Repair
PH
Homeowner Repair
$ 420,500
Citywide Owner Occupied Home Repair
Homeowner Repair
$ 240,000
Multifamily Development
$ 190,000
Keystone Program City-wide DPA
PH CPDC/ RRHA HOME Inc
Homeowner Assistance
$ 200,000
Lead Grant Reduction Activities
DECD/PH
Lead Paint Reduction
$ 130,000
Jackson Ward Senior Apts.
Matthews At Chestnut Hill
SCDHC
Single Family Construction
$ 230,000
NIB Area Housing Code Enforcement
DPDR
Code Enforcement
$ 125,000
Pathways to Independence - DPA
SCDHC Rebuilding Together Finance
Homeowner Assistance
$
Homeowner Repair
$ 115,000
Loan Repayment
$ 786,000
SCDHC NWTII/ SCDHC
Single Family Construction Multifamily/New Construction
$ 200,000
Metropolitan Business League Program
MBL
Economic Development
$
Neighborhood Economic Development
DECD
ED Technical Assistance
$ 300,000
Rebuilding Together Year Round Section 108 Loan Repayment The Hollands Townhomes at Warwick Phase II Sub-Total - Housing & Neigh Pres.
60,000
$ 150,000 $ 2,846,500
Economic Development
Sub-Total - Economic Dev.
27,976
$ 327,976
Public Facility ARC
Camp Baker
Public Facility
Sub-Total – Public Facility
$
71,000
$
71,000
Planning & Administration Block Grant & Finance Administration
DECD
Administration
$ 375,000
Fair Housing Support and Outreach
HOME Inc
Administration
$
40,000
Historic Review
DPDR
Administration
$
52,000
Neighborhood Planning
DECD
Administration
$ 260,000
Sub-Total - Planning & Admin.
$ 727,000
Public Services Housing Code Enforcement Counseling
RDSS
Code Counseling
$
Housing Counseling & Information Lead Safe and Healthy Homes Outreach Support Pathways to Independence-PS
HOME Inc
Housing Counseling
$ 200,000
RCHD
Health Services
$ 110,000
SCDHC
Housing Counseling
$
20,000
Residential Support for Homeless Families
RBHA
Homeless Services
$
90,000
Job Training
$
30,000
Job Training
$
50,000
River City Roots: Urban Horticulture Youth Build in Community
SCDHC
90,000
Sub-Total - Public Services
$ 590,000
TOTAL CDBG BUDGET
$4,562,476
HOME Projects Blackwell NIB -BHC
BHC
Project Description Single Family Construction
Amount $ 250,000
Community Housing Empowerment NiB DPA
HOME Inc
Homeowner Assistance
$ 300,000
HOME Program Administration
DECD
Administration
$
Matthews at Chestnut Hill
SCDHC
Single Family Construction
$ 200,000
Revitalizing Blighted Properties
Habitat
Single Family Const./Rehab
$ 150,000
80,000
Southern Barton Heights NIB -PH
PH
Single Family Construction
$ 200,000
SBH Gateway Revitalization
PH
Single Family Construction
$ 135,000
The Hollands
SCDHC
Single Family Construction
TOTAL HOME BUDGET
$ 185,301 $ 1,500,301
Emergency Solutions Grant Building Neighbors Rapid Re-Housing Program ESG Program & Finance Administration
Project Description HFF
Homeless Services
$
39,294
DECD
Administration
$
15,000
Emergency Shelter Program
CARITAS
Homeless Services
$
55,000
Building Neighbors Rapid Re-Housing Program
HFF
Homeless Services
$
40,000
Homeward Community Information System
Homeward
Data Collection
$
7,500
Rapid Re-housing
YWCA
Homeless Services
$
60,000
Homeless Services
$ 190,000
Short Term Shelter and Rapid Re-housing TOTAL ESG BUDGET
Amount
$ 366,794
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
HOPWA Greater Richmond
CCC
HOPWA Program & Finance Admin
DECD
Project Description Short Term Financial Assistance Data Management Short/Long Term Financial Assistance Administration
Stratford House
VSH
Residential Facility
Housing Assistance Program
Serenity
HOPWA CIS
Homeward
TOTAL HOPWA BUDGET
Amount $ 153,009 $
20,000
$ 605,000 $
$ 250,000
22,000
$1,050,009
Copies of the 2016-2020 Consolidated Plan and proposed 2018 Annual Action Plan are available for public review in the City Department of Economic & Community Development, 1500 E Main ST, Suite 400, or at the Main Richmond Public Library at 101 E. Franklin Street, and at www.yesrichmondva.com. The City of Richmond does not discriminate on the basis of disability status in the admission of, or access to, or treatment in its federally assisted programs or activities. Virginia Relay Center - TDD Users - 1-800-828-1120. Citizens and interested persons are invited to attend the public hearing and give their views regarding the use of CDBG, HOME, ESG and HOPWA funds for the Five-Year Consolidated Plan and proposed Annual Action Plan. The City will arrange for reasonable accommodations for non-English speaking persons or those persons with visual, hearing, or mobility impairments when notified within five (5) business days of a meeting. Those unable to attend the meetings may send their comments and views in writing to: Mr. Yong Guo, Project Development Manager of Economic and Community Development, 1500 E. Main Street, Suite 400, Richmond, VA 23219 or by e-mail to Yong.Guo@richmondgov.com. Comments may also be sent by facsimile (804) 646-6358. Continued on next column
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May 17-19, 2018 B7
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 Tuesday, May 29, 2018 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. 2018-127 As Amended To amend ch. 2, art. VII, div. 4.1 of the City Code by adding therein a new § 2-1366.10, concerning requirements for reports made to the City Council, for the purpose of requiring that datasets used to prepare reports made to the City Council and its standing committees be published to the open data portal. Ordinance No. 2018-132 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to enter into the TwentySecond Commercial Area Revitalization Effort Program Cooperation Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Economic Development Authority of the City of Richmond for the purpose of providing for the operation of the Commercial Area R e v i t a l i z a t i o n E ff o r t ( “ CARE ” ) P r o g r a m . ( CO M M I T T EE : Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, May 17, 2018, 5:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2018-133 To amend and reordain City Code § 2-1128, concerning applications for equalization of real estate assessments, for the purpose of reflecting amendments to Va. Code § 58.13378. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, May 17, 2018, 5:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2018-134 To amend and reordain City Code § 26-366, concerning the real estate tax exemption for qualified veterans, for the purpose of reflecting amendments to the Constitution of Virginia. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, May 17, 2018, 5:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2018-144 To amend Ord. No. 2017136, adopted Jul. 24, 2017, which authorized the Chief Administrative Officer to accept $1,982,866.40 from the Virginia Department of Social Services, to transfer matching funds in the total amount of $671,857.01 from Fiscal Year 20172018 General Fund Budget appropriations to the Office of Community Wealth Building, created a new special fund for the Office of Community Wealth Building in the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Special Fund Budget entitled “TANF RVA GPS,” and appropriated funds in the total amount of $2,654,723.41 to the new TANF RVA GPS special fund, for the purpose of hiring program personnel for and providing training, work experiences, structured workshops, and supportive services to participants in the RVA Guiding People to Success program, to modify the amount appropriated from $2,654,723.41 to $1,982,866.40 by eliminating the transfer of matching funds in the amount of $671,857.01. Ordinance No. 2018-145 To amend Ord. No. 2017037, adopted May 15, 2017, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Special Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, by increasing estimated revenues from the dog and cat annual license program and the amount appropriated to the Office of Animal Care and Control’s Pet License Collections special fund by $60,000.00 to support expenditures pursuant to Va. Code § 3.2-6534.
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to various agencies and non-departmental programs. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, May 17, 2018, 5:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2018-148 To amend Ord. No. 2017036, adopted May 15, 2017, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 General Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, by re-appropriating a $1,000,000.00 portion of the Fiscal Year 2016-2017 fund balance excess, assigned by Res. No. 2017-R080, adopted Nov. 6, 2017, to the General Fund Cash Transfer for Capital Projects program, and appropriated these transferred funds t o t h e F i s c a l Ye a r 2017-2018 Capital Budget by increasing estimated revenues by $1,000,000.00 and the amount appropriated to the School Capital Maintenance project in the Education category by $1,000,000.00, all for the purpose of abating lead in the water supply first and then other issues related to health and safety in public schools administered by the School Board of the City of Richmond, Virginia. Ordinance No. 2018-149 To name the basketball courts at the Pine Camp Cultural Arts and Community Center located at 4901 Old Brook Road as “The Tom Folliard Basketball Courts at Pine Camp.” (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, May 22, 2018, 1:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2018-150 To amend and reordain ch. 14, art. V of the City Code by adding therein a new § 14-338, concerning notice of termination, for the purpose of terminating construction general permits from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality upon completion of construction projects, requiring notice to developers for insufficient notice of completion of construction projects, and conforming the section to the requirements of Va. Code § 62.1-44.15:26.1. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, May 22, 2018, 1:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2018-151 To amend City Code § 29-189, concerning bus fares, for the purpose of authorizing a one-week period of free fares following the commencement of operations of the new Richmond Transit Network Plan and “Pulse” Bus Rapid Transit system. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, May 22, 2018, 1:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2018-152 To a m e n d s e c t i o n 21-5 of the City Code, concerning the public inspection of certain records, for the purpose of conforming the section to the requirements of Va. Code § 2.2-4343(A) ( 1 2 ) . ( CO M M I T T EE : Governmental Operations, Thursday, May 24, 2018, 12:00 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
Ordinance No. 2018-147 To amend Ord. No. 2017036, adopted May 15, 2017, which adopted the Fiscal Year 20172018 General Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, by reducing total appropriations by $3,715,802.00, transferring funds from various agencies and nondepartmental programs in the City’s accounting system, and appropriating the transferred funds
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO MALAYEE MAC CHEYARD, Plaintiff v. NELLIE LARGHA, Defendant. Case No.: CL18-2130 ORDER The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony on the ground that the parties have lived of living separate and apart for a period of one year. AN AFFIDAVIT having been filed that due diligence has been used by the Plaintiff to ascertain in what county, city or country Defendant resides, without effect, it is HEREBY ORDERED that the Defendant appear before this Court on the 25th day of June, 2018 at 10:00 AM, at Henrico Circuit Court 4301 East Parham Rd., Henrico, VA 23273. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Rodney L. Jefferson, Esq. P.O. Box 1259 Richmond, VA 23218 Tel: (804) 672-2003 Fax: (804) 672-2009 VSB#: 40652
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Ordinance No. 2018-146 To approve the Work Plan and Budget for the fiscal year ending Jun. 30, 2019, for the provision of services in the Downtown Richmond Special Service and Assessment Districts. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, May 17, 2018, 5:00 p.m., Council Chamber)
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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ERNEST HARRIS, Plaintiff v. IZETTA HARRIS, Defendant. Case No.: CL17002590-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, who is a nonresident, appear here on or before the 9th day of July, 2018 at 9:00 AM in Circuit Court #1 and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667
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 YAMILIA BRITTINGHAM, Plaintiff v. JOSEPH BRITTINGHAM, SR., Defendant. Case No.: CL18001658-00 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 9th day of July, 2018 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests in Circuit Court #1. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND SHAKEER TALIB EL-SHABAZZ Plaintiff, v. DARCUS RAHMAN, Defendant. Case No.: CL18-001796-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce. It appearing from an affidavit diligence has been used by or on behalf of the plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city the defendant is, without effect, it is Ordered that the defendant appear before this Court on June 22, 2018, at 9:00 a.m., and protect her interests herein. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Janet E. Brown, P.C. 3108 N. Parham Road, Suite 600A Richmond, Virginia 23294 (804) 747-8200 (Tel.) (804) 747-3259 (Fax.) VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER IRMA DAVENPORT, Plaintiff v. HENRY DAVENPORT, Defendant. Case No.: CL18001511-00 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 19th day of June, 2018 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER KAREN BROWN, Plaintiff v. LOUIS BROWN, JR., Defendant. Case No.: CL18001513-00 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 19th day of June, 2018 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests. Continued on next column
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER VANESSA GARCIA-BROWN, Plaintiff v. KENNETH BROWN, Defendant. Case No.: CL18001438-00 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 11th day of June, 2018 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667
Custody VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re ZaniyaH perkins Case No. J-080506-16-17 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) Deonte Williams (Father) and Unknown (Father) of Zaniyah Perkins, child DOB 04/02/2008. “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support. It is ORDERED that the defendants Deonte Williams and Unknown (Father) appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his/her interest on or before 06/14/2018, at 9:00 AM, Courtroom #3 VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re DEREoNA SHAMEKA WILLIAMS & DONALD ALFONSO WILLIAMS Case No. J-087846-15-00, J-087847-16-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) Unknown (Father) of Dereona Shameka Williams, child DOB 10/30/2011 and Donald Alfonso Williams, C h i l d D O B 1 0 / 3 0 / 11 . “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support. It is ORDERED that the defendant Unknown (Father) to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 07/31/2018, at 9:00 AM, Courtroom #2 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HANOVER In the matter of the adoption of a child to be known as Lucas Bernardes O’Brien by Paul Bradley O’Brien CA18000005 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is for entry of a Final Decree of a minor child to be known as, Lucas Bernardes O’Brien by his step-parent, Paul Bradley O’Brien, and to enter such orders as necessary and appropriate during the course of this suit. An affidavit having been filed that the whereabouts and/or residence of the putative birth father has been unknown to the petitioners since on or before December 31, 2011, it is ORDERED that the putative birth father, Luiz do Prado Sousa appear before this Court on the 21st day of May 2018, at 9:00AM and protect his interests. A Copy Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, Clerk Eileen McNeil Newkirk, Esq. (VSB # 40187) The McNeil Law Group 2315 East Broad Street Richmond, Virginia 23223 Telephone (804) 648-5580 Facsimile (804) 648-5583 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO IN RE: The Step-Parent Adoption of Bradon Maddox Edwards to be known as Bradon Maddox Davenport a Minor, by Nathan and Jennifer Continued on next page
Richmond Free Press
B8 May 17-19, 2018
Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities Continued from previous page
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Davenport Case No.: CA16-7 ORDER OF PUBLICATION After review of the Affidavit and Petition for Order of Publication filed by counsel for Petitioners, Nathan and Jennifer Davenport, which object of such Affidavit and Petition is to effectuate an adoption and terminate the legal father’s parental rights, and pursuant to Virginia Code § 8.01-316, the Court finds that there exists sufficient grounds for causing service of process by publication. Therefore, it is ORDERED that the legal father, Steven Edwards, appear at the above-named Court to protect his interests at 9:30am on June 8, 2018. Should the legal father not appear or otherwise make known his position, then he is hereby notified that any and all of his parental rights will be terminated. A Copy Teste: HEIDI S. BARSHINGER, Clerk We ask for this: Colleen Marea Quinn, Esq. (VSB # 29282) Locke & Quinn 4928 West Broad Street P.O. Box 11708 Richmond, VA 23230 Telephone: (804) 285-6253 Fax: (804) 545-9400 Email: quinn@lockequinn.com Counsel for Petitioners
W0000399032 1009 Nelson Street E0100072006 2004 Newbourne Street E0120285027 2014 Newbourne Street E0120285020 817 Norton Street N0000517030 1505 Perry Street S0000202010 2101 Redd Street E0000604025 2411 Royall Avenue S0071528004 642 Shelby Drive C0060493001 5511 Simpson Avenue E0100196028 3300 Utah Place N0001075038 2109 Whitcomb Street E0001056005 2617 Wise Street S0000793021 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 cost of publication hereunder. Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. Office of the City Attorney City of Richmond 900 East Broad Street, Room 400 Richmond, Virginia (804) 646-7940
03-16848 on May 12, 2003, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that THE HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK, Successor to REPUBLIC BANK, beneficiary per a notice of corporate assignment of deed of trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 02-17205 on June 4, 2002, 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 “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that CURTIS M. JOHNSON, upon information and belief deceased, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, EDNA W. JOHNSON, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, CECIL G. MOORE, TRUSTEE per substitution of trustees filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 03-16848 on May 12, 2003, or his successor/s in title, LESLIE P. SMITH and JO ANN HUTCHINSON, TRUSTEES per substitution of trustees filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 0316848 on May 12, 2003, THE HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK, Successor to REPUBLIC BANK, beneficiary per a notice of corporate assignment of deed of trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 02-17205 on June 4, 2002, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before JUNE 28, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940
Flossie L. Blair and Flossie H. Laidler. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, JOYCE B. LAIDLER, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that said owner, FLOSSIE L. BLAIR, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to her last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that said owner, FLOSSIE H. LAIDLER, upon information and belief is deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, have not been located and have 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 “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that JOYCE B. LAIDLER, FLOSSIE L. BLAIR, FLOSSIE H. LAIDLER, upon information and belief is deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before JUNE 28, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940
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: 10 East 30th Street S0001345009 12 East 30th Street S0001345010 1311 North 32nd Street E0000801017 1220 North 35th Street E0001273030 1312 North 36th Street E0001544029 1502 North 36th Street E0001544025 605 East Brookland Park Boulevard N0000906003 3424 Carolina Avenue N0001161001 2523 Coles Street S0090104020 1913 Decatur Street S0000294023 2005 Decatur Street S0000354015 2601 Edgewood Avenue N0000637023 712 West Fells Street N0000441009 1009 Garber Street E0100071007 2206 West Grace Street W0001010031 1512 West Leigh Street N0000676032 23 South Morris Street
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. CURTIS M. JOHNSON, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL18-190 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2122 Royall Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number S0071582/001, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Curtis M. Johnson and Edna W. Johnson. An Affidavit having been filed that said owners, CURTIS M. JOHNSON, upon information and belief deceased, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title and EDNA W. JOHNSON, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that CECIL G. MOORE, TRUSTEE per substitution of trustees filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 0316848 on May 12, 2003, or his successor/s in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that LESLIE P. SMITH and JO ANN HUTCHINSON, TRUSTEES per substitution of trustees filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number
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PROPERTY
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. JOYCE B. LAIDLER, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL18-1288 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 3100 Barton Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number N0001040/012, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Joyce B. Laidler,
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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
Field Service Technician in Richmond, VA & up to 70% travel to client sites. Perform troubleshooting, repair service, conversions & installation of mult. tobacco machines. Assist in support of control systems, utilizing manuals, schematics, & test equipment. Prepare service reports. Mail resume to J. Klele, Manager, Human Resources, Hauni Richmond, Inc., 2800 Charles City Rd., Richmond, VA 23231. Part-time custodian/Sexton. New Light Baptist Church in Richmond Virginia is seeking a part-time custodian. Janitorial experience preferred. Applicants can request an application from the church office or submit a resumé to the churches email address. New Light Baptist Church 2000 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23223, Attention Trustees A criminal background check is required. Email: info@newlightbaptistchurch.org. 804-788-9027
Business Intelligence Analyst
in Richmond, VA. Design, develop & implement scalable business intelligence & report solutions, incl. interactive web reports, dashboards, & other tools to support readily available institutional data & information for informed decision-making. Interested candidates may apply online w/Virginia Commonwealth University at https://www.vcujobs.com.
Assisted Living Facility has following position open. Experience Licensed Medication Aide, please provide a current TB report when applying. Please provide a copy of your Medication license. All references will be checked. Good pay – Good days off. Call (804) 222-5133 for appointment.
OPTICIANRY INSTRUCTOR PROGRAM HEAD (#GO217)
(J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Richmond, VA) Bachelor’s in Opticianry or Associate’s in Opticianry with demonstrated competency in opticianry is required. Minimum of two (2) years of occupational experience in the field of ophthalmic optics. Current or eligible for Virginia state optician license. American Board of Opticianry and/or National Contact Lens Examiners certification(s). The selected candidate must be able to successfully pass the College’s pre-employment security screening. TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: Restricted full-time twelve-month teaching faculty ranked appointment. Salary commensurate with the education and experience of the applicant. Salary range: $43,776$144,678. Approximate maximum hiring salary: $73,130. Position is needed for the Fall 2018 semester. Additional information is available at the College’s website: www.reynolds.edu. APPLICATION PROCESS: Application reviews will begin JUNE 8, 2018, and will be accepted until the position is filled. AA/EOE/ADA/Veterans/ AmeriCorps/Peace Corps/ Other National Service Alumni are encouraged to apply.
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TransiT sysTem @RichmondFreePressUSA
Freelance Writers: Richmond Free Press has immediate opportunities for freelance writers. Newspaper experience is a requirement. To be considered, please send 5 samples of your writing, along with a cover letter to news@ richmond freepress. com or mail to: Richmond Free Press, P. O. Box 27709, Richmond, VA 23261. No phone calls.
TransiT sysTem
RideRship suRveyoR/ TRansiT CheCkeR Part-Time Temporary: 20 – 29 hours 15 positions Starting Wage: $10.00 per hour Closes: May 28, 2018
GRTC Transit System in Richmond, Virginia seeks motivated individuals, at least 21 years of age, for a part-time temporary Ridership Surveyor position to assist in route development and service delivery enhancements. This position is responsible for conducting bus surveys and the recording and reporting of ridership activity. The ideal candidate must have the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. The successful candidate will have excellent customer service skills and the ability to communicate with the public. Candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent. The ability to perform basic math computations is required. Candidates may apply online at www.ridegrtc.com. A pre-employment drug screening will be required. GRTC is an equal opportunity employer with a drug-free work environment.
Purchasing agent Salary Range: $45,000-$50,000 Closes: May 23, 2018
GRTC Transit System in Richmond, Virginia seeks a skilled candidate to oversee the purchasing function and storeroom operations of GRTC. A college degree is highly preferred, with a high school diploma or equivalent required. 3+ years of experience in material procurement with CPM, CPPO, or CPPB certification is required. In lieu of certification, 3-5 years of experience in material procurement may be substituted. The successful candidate will have knowledge of public procurement procedures along with bid request and award contract processes. Working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel necessary, as is previous experience working with a computerized purchasing and inventory system. Knowledge of automotive parts and associated components required. This position will require the ability to conduct physical inventories of stock items. A valid Virginia driver’s license required. Candidates may apply online at www.ridegrtc.com. GRTC is an equal opportunity employer with a drug-free work environment.
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