Meet this week’s Personality B1
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VOL. 30 NO. 21
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Joye hits the sweet spot B2
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MAY 20-22, 2021
Long road to glory City’s own basketball legends Ben Wallace and Bobby Dandridge to be enshrined in Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame By Fred Jeter
Richmond and the CIAA will be in the house Sept. 11 when basketball legends Ben Wallace and Bobby Dandridge are inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “Ben has reached the top of the top,” said Dave Robbins, who was Wallace’s coach at Virginia Union University before Wallace, now 46, signed on with the NBA in 1996. “It’s great to see someone rise to that level.” Native Richmonder Bobby Dandridge, now 73, starred at Maggie L. Walker High School under Coach Stretch Gardner and at Norfolk State University before launching his distinguished NBA career in 1969. Wallace and Dandridge will share the stage with 14 other Hall of Fame inductees this fall at formal ceremonies in
Springfield, Mass. They also will join an elite handful of former CIAA players who have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame — Earl Lloyd (West Virginia State University), Sam Jones (North Carolina Central University), Al Attles (North Carolina A&T State University) and Earl Monroe (Winston-Salem State University). According to the CIAA, Wallace is the first undrafted player and first VUU player to be selected for the Naismith Hall of Fame. Both Wallace and Dandridge are in the CIAA Hall of Fame, with Wallace inducted in 2015 and Dandridge in 1984. Dandridge grew up in Richmond’s West End. His oldest friends called him “Bismarck” because of his long feet. He later earned the tag “Greyhound” for his swift, fluid stride. Playing at NSU from 1965 to 1969, he won All-Conference, All-Tournament and Tournament MVP honors during his senior
season while averaging 32.8 points per game. During his junior season, he helped lead the Spartans to the CIAA championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. He is among the CIAA’s all-time leading scorers with 1,740 points. The 45th overall pick in the 1969 NBA draft, Dandridge averaged 18 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists during his 12-year career and was considered an excellent defender. He played on two NBA championship teams – the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 and the Washington Bullets in 1978. Dandridge was a four-time NBA All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1970 and the NBA All-Defensive Team in 1979. Dandridge’s selection to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame came a day later than Wallace’s and was made Please turn to A4
School Board adopts budget, changes school opening times and snubs City Council By Ronald E. Carrington and Jeremy M. Lazarus
Despite pressure from City Hall and the community, as well as division among members, the Richmond School Board is moving ahead with plans to control development and construction of a replacement for the decaying, 60-year-old George Wythe High School in South Side. The board made that plain Monday in unanimously approving a record general fund budget for 2021-22 of $347.5 million — the equivalent of $14,479 for each of the 24,000 students, or about $700 more per student than the current $331.16 million budget provides.
Mayor Stoney
Mr. Kamras
The total $16 million in new funds includes an unexpected $5 million increase in state funds, but apparently does not include any of the potential $122 million RPS is projected to receive this year from the federal American Rescue Plan.
Parents weigh COVID-19 vaccination for their children By George Copeland Jr.
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Mommy and me time Emmie Aslan, 3, sits with her mother, Joli Aslan, while they enjoy the music of the Desiree Roots Jazz Trio at last Saturday’s outdoor concert at The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen. Please see more photos, B2.
Kiara Gresham has been busy with the demands of her new small business, Cookie Jar Honeypot, and the need to ensure the education, health and well-being of her children during the pandemic and a virtual school year With summer getting closer and the new school year months away, Ms. Gresham is taking on a new task: Learning all she can about vaccinating her two older children, Queron, 14, and Kaeoni, 12, against
COVID-19. “It’s one of those things where it’s like, I know it has to be done, but it’s still kind of scary,” said Ms. Gresham, a single mother, as she sat in a booth among other vendors last Saturday at Ms. Girlee’s Kitchen in the East End. The event was held by Richmond Public Schools to talk with parents about school reopening and the resources they need. The discussion with a reporter turned to
The statue of Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill appears to be on its way to removal, along with his gravesite over which the statue towers at Laburnum Avenue and Hermitage Road in North Side. Next Tuesday, May 25, the city’s Commission of Architectural Review, or CAR, will take a first look at City Hall’s plans to remove the last city-
owned statue of a slavery defender. The cost to take down the statue and disassemble the gravesite is estimated at $34,000, according to the information to be presented to CAR. The plan is to take the statue down and remove the 45 connected stones that form the pedestal base. Also to be removed is the sarcophagus containing Gen. Hill’s remains, which will be done in coordination with the state Department
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Free COVID-19 testing
of Historic Resources. The work could take three days, the report to CAR indicates. CAR also is to consider proposals for the removal of the pedestals on Monument Avenue, atop Libbie Hill and in Monroe Park where statues honoring Confederates previously stood. The detailed information includes proposals for
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues. The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: • Thursday, May 20, 2 to 4 p.m., Eastern Henrico Health Department, 1400 N. Laburnum Ave., Eastern Henrico. Drive-thru testing. • Thursday, May 27, 10 a.m. to noon, Diversity Thrift, 1407 Sherwood Ave. in North Side. • Thursday, May 27, 2 to 4 p.m., Eastern Henrico Health Department, 1400 N. Laburnum Ave., Eastern Henrico. Drive-thru testing. Appointments are encouraged by calling the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by registering online at https:// bit.ly/RHHDCOVID. Testing will be offered while test supplies last. The Virginia Department of Health also has a list of COVID-19 testing
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Plans move forward to remove Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill monument and tomb By Jeremy M. Lazarus
It provides a 3 percent pay increase for teachers and staff, authorizes the hiring of 18 teachers to beef up remedial services in math and reading and expands the corps of teachers serving Spanishspeaking students. Dr. Newbille The approved budget plan also gives the green light to restarting the school system’s construction division, with $500,000 to hire three new staff to take on school building, including a new 2,000-seat George Wythe. The plan rebuffs pleas from the mayor and City Council members to leave construction up to City Hall. The budget vote came during a meeting that went six hours and included a 5-4 vote to authorize Superintendent Jason Kamras’ controversial plan to essentially flip the start times of preschool and el-
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Richmond Free Press
May 20-22, 2021
Local News
Mayor, City Council step up effort to help families in trauma By Jeremy M. Lazarus
For the past eight years, City Hall has left it to volunteers to organize vigils and comfort grieving families after the slaying of a relative, an all-too-common occurrence in Richmond. That is about to change as the result of the April 27 shooting deaths of a young mother and her 3-month-old daughter at a South Side apartment complex. Mayor Levar M. Stoney and Richmond City Council are moving to revive professional support to assist traumatized families and communities. As a first step, the mayor plans to introduce and seek immediate passage of a resolution at the Monday, May 24, City Council meeting to put on the record a declaration that gun violence is a public health crisis in the wake of the killing of Sharnez Hill and her baby, Neziah, who were caught in a crossfire of bullets at the Belt Atlantic Apartments. Neziah was the youngest of five children under 18 killed in city shootings this year. The mayor, who organized a work group last fall to prepare recMayor Stoney Ms. Lynch ommendations on ways to reduce or halt gun violence, said the resolution reflects the city’s “commitment to double-down on efforts to address the social, economic and health inequities that often lead to gun violence.” City Council also agreed to include $133,000 in the new 2021-22 budget to be adopted Monday to enable the mayor’s administration to hire social workers or community staff whose job would be to assist families of the slain. An additional $367,000 in unspent funds is to be made available at the July 1 start of the new budget year to fund support services and to pay stipends to mentors and volunteer groups that are involved. The moves represent a modest revival of the award-winning Second Responder Program that previously enabled police officers to call in social workers to provide support and comfort. The program was disbanded in 2013. The program essentially was a professional version of the longrunning volunteer service provided by the late Alicia Rasin for more than 20 years to families of homicide victims to help them cope, hold prayer events and make funeral arrangements. Others, such as Charles D. Willis, executive director of United Communities Against Crime, have sought to continue Ms. Rasin’s efforts. Fifth District Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch, who has led the effort to provide funding as chair of the council’s Education and Human Services Committee, said the horrific killings of Ms. Hill and her infant created the “enough is enough” moment that made it possible to secure council support for the money. “We have trauma-impacted communities, but until now, we have had nothing to fund some of the community-based grassroots work” that is so critical or to provide other services that a family or community might need to begin healing, said Ms. Lynch, a social worker. The goal of the envisioned program is to generate the kind of response to future events that emerged after the Hill slayings. There was an outpouring of support from residents and community members, service organizations, area churches and businesses. At least 10 families with children most affected by the slayings received expense-paid stays at a Short Pump hotel during the final days of April and then returned to find services, counseling and mentors waiting to assist in their recovery. “I’ve never seen a response like that,” said Keisha Cummings, founder and chief executive officer of the nonprofit 2Love LLC, in testifying before Ms. Lynch’s committee in early May. “The community saw that they could heal themselves.” Ms. Cummings, whose organization seeks to link poor residents to jobs and other services, welcomed the idea of having city staff involved in the effort to galvanize such a community response after other tragic incidents. “I think Richmond has a responsibility to do what they did,” she said.
Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
City Hall has not been able to remove this stone highway marker noting that a stretch of U.S. 1 in South Side, now known as Richmond Highway, was once called Jefferson Davis Highway to honor the traitorous Confederate president. Location: A grassy strip in front of the city Department of Public Utilities’ Field Operations and Maintenance Facility at Maury Street and Richmond Highway. A Richmond chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy placed the 4-foot-tall marker on the site in 1935. City Council voted last December to change the name of the roadway. Robert Steidel, the city’s chief operating officer, stated Tuesday Slices of life and scenes that this is one of a series of markers placed by the UDC along U.S. 1 in the city and other locations. in Richmond He said all are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which complicates their removal. He stated that city staff is working with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to come up with a plan to remove the marker. The plan will be presented first to the City Planning Commission. Meanwhile, the Virginia General Assembly, which nearly 100 years ago designated U.S. 1 as Jefferson Davis Highway, this year approved replacing the Davis name with Emancipation Highway as of Jan. 1, 2022, in localities such as Chesterfield County that have not renamed the roadway.
Cityscape
Answers to COVID-19 questions Compiled by George Copeland Jr. With eligibility for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine expanded to children ages 12 to 15, and updates to mask mandates nationally and statewide, the Free Press has gathered answers from experts to common questions about these new developments: How do the new mask mandates work for people in Virginia? Those fully vaccinated don’t need to wear a mask outdoors or indoors unless they’re in health care settings, on public transportation, in correctional facilities or homeless shelters. How do the national and state mask changes affect the businesses I use or rely on? Businesses can require masks for employees and can refuse service to customers who refuse to wear a mask. Retail stores such as Walgreens, Home Depot and Kroger still require face coverings when entering their stores, while others such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, Best Buy and Target are lifting their mask requirements for customers. Will those not fully vaccinated or unvaccinated be required to wear masks? Vi r g i n i a o ff i c i a l s h a v e s t r o n g l y recommended, but have not required, unvaccinated people to continue to wear a mask in public.
Can I still wear a mask after the mask mandate is fully lifted? While not in place yet, a likely executive order for Virginia will allow people who want to wear a mask to do so after the state of emergency ends June 30; current Virginia law bars the wearing of masks except during a state of emergency. Will there be any requirement to prove I’ve been fully vaccinated? Businesses can ask for proof of vaccination or require masks. Will mask wearing be required for school settings? Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised masks remain in use for K-12 schools. Many schools are requiring and providing masks for students, teachers and staff. How safe and effective is the Pfizer vaccine for children 12 and older? A Pfizer clinical trial of about 2,000 participants ages 12 to 15 found the vaccine was 100 percent effective in preventing infections at least a full week after the second dose. The results were key to securing approval of the vaccine’s use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Are there possible side effects of the vaccine on younger populations? Potential side effects are the same among youths as they are in older people — some soreness at the injection site, fatigue
Remembering her brother Princess Blanding hosts a community remembrance of her brother, Marcus-David Peters, last Saturday on the third anniversary of his death. Mr. Peters, a 24-year-old Virginia Commonwealth University honors graduate and biology teacher, was shot and killed May 14, 2018, by a Richmond Police officer as he was experiencing what some have described as a mental health crisis just off Interstate 95. Ms. Blanding held the anniversary gathering on Monument Avenue, near the Lee monument circle that some renamed Marcus-David Peters Circle. She and other family and friends honored Mr. Peters’ life and called for a federal investigation into his death. Ms. Blanding is running as a Liberation Party candidate for governor. Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Richmonders react to new CDC mask guidelines Interviews and photographs by Ronald E. Carrington
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its COVID-19 guidance May 13 saying its safe for fully vaccinated people to remove their masks in most settings, both outside and indoors. Masks are still required on planes, buses, trains and all public transportation. But the guidelines are
and headache. Less common are muscle aches, chills, joint pain, vomiting or fevers. Side effects are more common in younger people than among older adults, and most pass after a day or two. Are the number of doses or timing for the vaccine different for younger people? No. Like adults, young people ages 12 to 15 need two shots of the Pfizer vaccine for full vaccination, with the shots scheduled about three weeks apart. Should I or my child get the COVID-19 vaccine if we recently had a different, non-COVID-19 vaccine? COVID-19 and other vaccines can now be administered without regard to timing. This includes simultaneous administration of COVID-19 and other vaccines on the same day, as well as co-administration within 14 days. Any concerns about closely spacing vaccines should be discussed with your doctor or other health care provider. Can a child get vaccinated at their school? M a n y c o m m u n i t i e s a r e o ff e r i n g vaccination at school. Information may be coming from the school. Check the school district’s website for more information. Where can my child get vaccinated? The Richmond and Henrico health districts are holding vaccination events 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 20, at Richmond Raceway and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 22, at George Wythe High School in South Side. Chesterfield County residents are encouraged to schedule appointments through vaccinefinder.org or vaccinate. virginia.gov websites. The county health department continues to hold events 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Virginia State University’s Multi-Purpose Center. In Hanover County, vaccination events will be held 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, May 24, at Bell Creek Middle School and Oak Knoll Middle School. When will those under age 12 become eligible for COVID-19 vaccination? Currently unknown. Manufacturers are testing both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in youngsters under age 12.
different in some states and localities and among private businesses. People also are concerned about health and safety if the unvaccinated don’t wear a mask. The Free Press took to the streets to ask people what they think about the new CDC guidelines. Here is what they said:
Mr. Eddings
Mr. Kaylan
Ms. Woelk
Ms. Vaughan
Mr. Baldwin
Ms. Pileda
Ms. Taylor
David Eddings, 50, South Side resident and building contractor. Not vaccinated: “I don’t trust the system. I don’t believe people should wear masks. I don’t think COVID-19 is spreading so much among us because it didn’t get here from us (Americans) in the first place.”
Rohan Kaylan, 33, Jackson Ward resident and Virginia Commonwealth University employee. Fully vaccinated: “I wish the CDC had not lifted the ban on wearing masks indoors and outdoors. There are still a lot of people who are not vaccinated so the virus is still out there and is still mutating. Even if you do get vaccinated, you could still get sick. As long as COVID-19 is out here, we should wear a mask.”
Rylee Woelk, 19, Richmond resident and student at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla. Plans to get vaccinated. “Removing the mask mandate is premature. Not everyone is vaccinated. It’s better to be safe than sorry. If the COVID-19 cases pick up again, then we are back to where we started.”
Nina Vaughan, 33, Jackson Ward resident and entrepreneur. Not vaccinated: “It is ridiculous to take off masks because the numbers are still fluctuating in states and the country. People can move from state to state as easy as they want. If there is a different mask mandate in another state, you never know if you are safe from catching COVID. So why not keep the mask on to keep people safe?”
Che Baldwin, 48, Jackson Ward resident and entrepreneur. Not vaccinated: “I don’t think the mandate should be lifted. Everyone has their choice to do what they want to do, but we are all still at risk. There are a lot of people walking around who have the virus but don’t know they have it.”
Aisa Pileda, 27, West End resident and business owner. Not vaccinated; said she does not plan to get vaccinated: “There will always be sicknesses around. Now I hope we can go back to normal. I am ready to take (my mask) off. Hopefully, the pandemic is gone. Everything is slowly getting back to normal.”
Diamonikue Taylor, 20, North Side resident and licensed health agent. Not vaccinated; said she wants to but afraid of having a bad reaction to the shot: “People can say they are full vaccinated, but they may not be telling the truth. I think everyone should continue to wear a mask.”
Richmond Free Press
May 20-22, 2021 A3
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Richmond Free Press
A4 May 20-22, 2021
News
City’s own basketball legends Ben Wallace and Bobby Dandridge to be enshrined in Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Continued from A1
by the Hall’s Veteran’s Committee. Dandridge becomes the third Maggie L. Walker Green Dragon from the 1960s to reach the pinnacle of his sport. Willie Lanier was named to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1986, and Arthur Ashe Jr. was selected for the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985. Meanwhile, Wallace was originally from rural Alabama. Robbins coached Wallace at VUU for two seasons — 1994 to 1996. In 1996, the Panthers went 28-3 and advanced to the NCAA Division II semifinals. Wallace’s teammates included Jay Butler, VUU’s current head basketball coach. Wallace was a first-team All-American for VUU while setting records for blocked shots. He rejected more than 100 shots as both a junior and senior. In an interview Sunday from the Hall of Fame, Wallace said, “To have that type of journey, to have it end the way it’s ending, it’s an awesome feeling.” The second youngest of 11 children, Wallace starred in basketball and football at Central High School in Hayneville, Ala. Prior to his senior season, he attended a summer camp hosted by VUU 1985 All-American Charles Oakley. “Charles called and told me about Ben after that camp,” Coach Robbins recalled. “I asked if he was a ‘big man.’ Charles said, ‘He’s not that big (in height) but he is a MAN.’ That was the exact quote.” Listed at 6-foot-9 and a sculpted 240 pounds, Wallace always admitted he was “closer to 6-7.” His boulder shoulders were
wide enough to park a motorcycle on. Wallace spent two seasons at Cuyahoga Community College near Cleveland before joining Coach Robbins’ program at VUU. “I’d never seen him before he got here in September, but we offered him a full scholarship,” Coach Robbins said. “I never doubted what he could do. If Charles said he could play, I knew he could play.” Still, the bridge to the NBA was a winding one. Coming out of college, he was not drafted by any NBA team, but began his pro career in Italy, playing for Viola Reggio Calabria. Prior to going abroad, he was cut in an open tryout with the Boston Celtics. From Italy, Wallace played for the Washington Bullets, now the Washington Wizards, from 1996 to 1999, and the Orlando Magic from 1999 to 2000, before finding his niche with the Detroit Pistons. He quickly emerged as a crowd favorite at the Palace in Auburn Hills with his energy and stifling defense on the low post. And you couldn’t miss his thick Afro. “Fear the Fro” T-shirts became a bestseller in the Pistons’ gift shop. Wallace was never a skilled offensive player. He averaged a modest 5.7 points for his career over 1,088 NBA games. His career 42 percent foul-shot accuracy is among the worst in NBA history. But his fearless defense and rebounding more than made up for any offensive flaws. Wallace, or “Big Ben” to his legion of fans, was a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year – in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. Only Dikembe Mutombo has received that accolade as many times. And for the coup de grace in 2004, Wallace helped the Pistons
muscle their way to the NBA title. With the nickname, “Goin’ to Work,” the Pistons defeated the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers in the finals. Whenever Wallace made a play in Detroit, the public address system played a deep chime, an allusion to the original Big Ben in London. That chime was heard often in the 2004 NBA Finals. Going head to head in the paint against 7-foot-1 Shaquille O’Neal, Wallace never backed down. In the championshipclinching Game Five, Wallace had 18 points and 22 rebounds, while holding O’Neal to 20 points and eight rebounds. It goes back to that day in Hayneville, Ala., where his life changed with a chance meeting with Oakley. “He picked me to go one-on-one with,” Wallace said in an interview with Bill Dow of the Detroit Free Press. “He (Oakley) was having his way and split my lip. He wasn’t holding back. But I stayed with it. It taught me you don’t back down from nobody.” Oakley was impressed and began making phone calls. Wallace and Oakley became close friends. Oakley, who grew up in Cleveland, first directed Wallace to Cuyahoga Community College and then to his former coach at VUU. In retirement, Wallace hasn’t ventured far from the sport. He is president of operations and a minority owner of the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA Gatorade League. He also is the proprietor of Big Ben’s Home Court on Westwood Avenue in Richmond’s North Side. Wallace and his wife, Chanda, have two sons, Ben Jr., and Bryce, and a daughter, Bailey.
School Board adopts budget, changes opening times and snubs City Council Continued from A1
ementary schools and high schools. Classes for preschool and elementary students will start at 7:45 a.m. in the fall, with high schools to start at 8:45 a.m. Most middle schools would start at 8:15 a.m. Mr. Kamras and RPS’ Chief Academic Officer Tracy Epp promised the board there would be robust after-school offerings for elementary children who will be out of school at 2:45 p.m. That time is at least an hour earlier than previously, creating potential problems for working parents and for older siblings who often look after younger siblings but with the change will still be in class. School Board member Kenya Gibson, 3rd District, urged her colleagues to put off the bell change for another year to give families time to adjust. But the
majority backed Mr. Kamras, who said the changes align with guidance from the American Pediatric Association to allow high school students to sleep longer and matches changes already made by other nearby school districts. Separately, the board was told that 85 percent of seniors are expected to graduate — a 14-point jump from last year’s 71 percent, which was the worst in the state. The hike in graduation rate appears to be due to a pandemic year in which the state generally waived requirements that students pass a certain number of state Standards of Learning tests to receive a diploma. Ms. Epp noted that the biggest increases in graduation will be among Latino students, whose graduation rate last year was just 33 percent, but will jump dramatically.
For the board, though, the meatiest issue continued to be the development of a new George Wythe High School. The issue has dominated education conversation in the city since April 12, when a majority of the School Board voted for the board to take control of building any new schools rather than leaving it to the city. Last week, Mayor Levar M. Stoney and members of City Council urged the School Board to reconsider its vote to resume construction control and offered new proposals. Those proposals, according to the city letter, would ensure that the School Board would be a full partner, rather than a tag-along in building a replacement high school next to the George Wythe building on Crutchfield Street. The offer included a promise to add a consultant to ensure the School Board is fully briefed and to set up three additional joint construction teams. According to the letter, development of a new high
school that could be built and ready for use in September 2024 would be set back unless the city’s request for bids from architectural firms is issued by June 1. The city has estimated the new school could cost at least $140 million and possibly more. By a 5-4 vote, the board declined to amend Monday’s agenda and allow a discussion of the letter, despite claims from the city and assertions from Mr. Kamras that School Board control of construction could delay completion of a new George Wythe until 2027. However, board members Liz Doerr, 1st District, and Nicole Jones, 9th District, could only muster the votes of Chairwoman Cheryl Burke, 7th District, and Dawn Page, 8th District. The same five members who support RPS building schools declined to spend the time discussing the letter. The five are Vice Chair Jonathan Young, 4th District; Mariah White, 2nd District; Kenya Gibson, 3rd
District; Stephanie Rizzi, 5th District; and Shonda HarrisMuhammed, 6th District. Both Ms. Page and Ms. Doerr sharply criticized their colleagues for not discussing the mayor’s proposal. “I want the public to be aware,” Ms. Doerr said, “this means we are transparently not discussing George Wythe and a major decision that needs to be made by June 1st.” Ms. Gibson rejected the criticism. In her view, the mayor and his team overspent to build two new elementary schools and a new middle school, leaving other projects unfunded. She said the School Board can do better in ensuring George Wythe gets done by the fall of 2024 without inflating the cost. Before the vote, city residents weighed in, offering mixed views, with some urging the board to return construction control to the city and others backing School Board control. On Wednesday, Mayor
Stoney issued a joint statement of criticism of the School Board majority. He was joined in the statement by City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille, 7th District, council Vice President Ellen F. Robertson, 6th District, and Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch, whose 5th District includes George Wythe. The statement called out the five School Board members for declining “to consider or even discuss the city’s proposal to collaborate on school construction.” Their statement warned that “this refusal jeopardizes our collective ability to open (the new high school) in August 2024. Our children and families deserve better.” The statement praised the four School Board members who wanted “to discuss compromise and consider the city’s proposal” and concluded with a promise that “as elected leaders, we will continue to stay focused on our children and consider all options that get them into the facilities they deserve, as soon as possible.”
Parents weigh vaccination for their children Continued from A1
Plans move forward to remove Confederate monument and tomb Continued from A1
landscaping and plantings. The cost of removing the pedestals for the Jefferson Davis, J.E.B. Stuart, Stonewall Jackson and Matthew Fontaine Maury monuments, as well as the pedestal for the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument on Libby Hill, are projected at nearly $200,000, according to estimates the North Carolina Department of Transportation provided to the city. The Urban Design Committee, which is a separate arm of the City Planning Commission, will consider the proposals on Thursday, June 10. If there are no postponements, the Planning Commission could consider the plans for removal on Monday, June 21. The only other Confederate statue — that of Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue — is the largest and owned by the state. The state has been trying to take down the statue for nearly a year. The state Supreme Court has halted its removal because of a pending lawsuit from three nearby property owners contesting the authority of Gov. Ralph S. Northam to remove the statue. A hearing is scheduled for June 8 before the court.
COVID-19 and the approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children ages 12 through 15. The Virginia Department of Health announced that health officials could begin vaccinations for youngsters last week. Ms. Gresham, one of many parents pondering this new decision, was circumspect. “I just want (my children) protected through anything,” she said. The Richmond and Henrico health districts announced a number of walkup vaccination events targeting at the younger population that started earlier this week. Others will follow, officials said. “Vaccinating adolescents, along with the rest of Virginia’s eligible population, will help stop the spread of COVID-19 and make our communities safer,” Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s vaccine coordinator, said in a statement. “Getting this safe, effective vaccine means that these adolescents won’t have
to miss school, sporting events or other activities if they are exposed to someone with COVID-19, taking another step toward getting their lives back to normal.” For Ms. Gresham, the choice of whether to vaccinate her children is motivated by her desire to ensure they can live their lives safely. She sees the decision as a family matter that involves all affected. Queron, she said, is the most interested in getting vaccinated. Ms. Gresham said she plans to talk it over with their pediatrician, as she and her children continue their research. “Their life is their life, so it’s a whole family decision,” Ms. Gresham said. Some parents aren’t as assured. Monique A., an outpatient scheduler with Virginia Commonwealth University who declined to give her last name, said she is wary of her 13-year old son, Korey, a student at John Rolfe Middle School, being inoculated. She pointed to possible complications from the vaccine, as well as cases of COVID-19 infections after people are fully vaccinated, as reasons for her reluctance.
Free COVID-19 testing Continued from A1 locations around the state at www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/ covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites/.
Want a COVID-19 vaccine? The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering walk-up COVID-19 vaccines to any vaccine-eligible person at a vaccination event. Appointments are not required, but individuals can schedule an appointment online at vax.rchd. com or by calling (804) 205-3501. VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine. Upcoming clinics: • Thursday, May 20, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Richmond Raceway, 600 E. Laburnum Ave., Pfizer • Friday, May 21, 11a.m. to 3 p.m., Virginia Union University, 1359 W. Graham Road, Pfizer • Saturday, May 22, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., George Wythe High School, 4314 Crutchfield St., Pfizer
Marquita Stewart, an employee with Ms. Girlee’s Kitchen and the mother of Khy, 16, has been eager to get her son vaccinated before he returns to Armstrong High School. She said the family plans to do a lot of traveling, largely to visit her finacé’s elderly mother. She said it has been a challenge to find vaccination providers with available doses. “I want to make sure that we’re protected and covered before we go back into the traveling world,” Ms. Stewart said. Ms. Gresham acknowledged that she’s worried about the temporary side effects that could come with vaccination, given some of the pre-existing health conditions of her younger son. However, she still sees the expansion of the vaccine to adolescents as an opportunity, and encourages any parent with similar concerns to become properly informed and prepared to ensure their child’s health. “There’s a vaccine for chickenpox. So if you actually do your own research, it makes a difference,” Ms. Gresham said. “Just do your research and make sure you’re making the best decision for your child.”
The United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg announced this week the launch of their Ride United Vaccine Access Campaign, which provides free and discounted rides to vaccine sites for people in the Richmond region. Details: www.unitedway.org. According to state health data, 3.2 million people have been fully vaccinated in Virginia as of Wednesday, or about 38 percent of the population, while 48.7 percent of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. State officials reported 671,325 cases of COVID-19 statewide on Wednesday, along with 29,339 hospitalizations and 11,048 deaths. Virginia’s seven-day positivity rate is 3.2 percent. Last week, it was 3.9 percent. According to state data, African-Americans comprised 22.3 percent of cases statewide and 25 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 16.4 percent of cases and 6.5 percent of deaths. As of Wednesday, Richmond reported a total of 17,016 positive cases, 803 hospitalizations and 265 deaths; Henrico County, 25,394 cases, 1,063 hospitalizations and 612 deaths; Chesterfield County, 27,851 cases, 972 hospitalizations and 434 deaths; and Hanover County, 8,153 cases, 284 hospitalizations and 158 deaths.
Richmond Free Press
May 20-22, 2021 A5
Local News
Northam orders speed up of unemployment cases Associated Press
Following months of complaints from laid-off workers, Gov. Ralph S. Northam said Tuesday he is taking steps to expand the Virginia Employment Commission’s ability to process complex unemployment claims. While data show Virginia has done quite well in quickly processing simple unemployment benefits for eligible individuals as applications surged amid the pandemic, the state recently has been last for timely processing of certain claims that require additional adjudication. In a directive signed Tuesday, Gov. Northam wrote that “we must do more to ensure that Virginians’ unemployment benefit claims are resolved in a timely manner and that those who are eligible for benefits receive them quickly. VEC must have access to and mobilize additional staff and funding to carry out this critical role.” The order directs the commission to increase the number of adjudications being processed per week from 5,700 to 10,000 by June 30, and to 20,000 by July 31.
In a news release, Gov. Northam’s office said that would be done in part by finalizing a $5 million contract for more than 300 additional adjudication officers. The directive also tells the commission to work with the state’s human resources agency to identify non-VEC state workers who can temporarily assist. It further orders the commission, which Gov. Northam uses a 41-year-old benefits system, to complete a modernization project to launch a new system by October. And it directs the agency to hire staff and upgrade and enhance technology to improve call wait times. Complaints from Virginians unable to get through to customer service call centers in a timely way — or at all — have been widespread during the past year. The governor’s announcement came on the same day a judge was holding mediation talks in a federal lawsuit filed last month over the processing delays.
The lawsuit alleges the commission violated the rights of Virginians who had either applied for benefits and gotten no response or who had their benefits abruptly halted and faced lengthy delays in having their case adjudicated. Jeff Jones, a spokesman for the Legal Aid Justice Center, one of the firms representing the plaintiffs, said the parties reached an agreement Tuesday, which the judge still must approve. If approved, he said the judge is expected to enter an order later in the week that would put the lawsuit on hold while the commission works to meet the order’s terms. “This is a really good step in the right direction,” he said. Megan Healy, Gov. Northam’s chief workforce development adviser, said that while the legal process remained underway, the administration was hopeful for a positive outcome. Asked if the changes Tuesday’s directive will implement had come quickly enough, Ms. Healy emphasized the enormous challenge the past year had presented, with both a surge in applications for benefits and a slew of new federal programs to implement. She said the directive had been in the works for a couple of weeks.
N.C. prosecutor claims deputies justified in Elizabeth City fatal shooting Free Press wire report
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. A North Carolina prosecutor said Tuesday that sheriff’s deputies were justified in fatally shooting Andrew Brown Jr. because Mr. Brown struck a deputy with his car and nearly ran him over while ignoring commands to show his hands and get out of the vehicle. District Attorney Andrew Womble said at a news conference that Mr. Brown used his car as a “deadly weapon,” causing Pasquotank County deputies to believe it was necessary to use deadly force. Mr. Womble acknowledged that Mr. Brown wasn’t armed with guns or other weapons. He said the deputies will face no criminal charges after he reviewed a state investigation of the shooting, which sparked weeks of protests. Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II said in a video statement Tuesday afternoon that the deputies will keep their jobs but will be “disciplined and retrained.” Mr. Brown’s family released a statement calling Mr. Womble’s decision “both an insult and a slap in the face.” Attorneys for the family who watched body camera footage have said repeatedly that Mr. Brown was trying to drive away from deputies
who were trying to serve him with drug-related warrants and posed no threat. The prosecutor declined to directly release copies of bodycam video of the April 21 fatal shooting, but he played portions of the video during the news conference that media outlets broadcast live. The multiple angles of the footage, projected onto a screen behind Mr. Womble, depicted a chaotic scene of about 44 seconds. After six deputies approach Mr. Brown’s car with guns drawn, the video shows one of them putting his hand on the driver’s side door, then yelling and recoiling as Mr. Brown’s car backs up. Seconds later, the same deputy appears to be in the path of the car as Mr. Brown moves forward, though it’s not clear how fast the car is moving. The deputy appears to avoid a direct hit after pushing his hand onto the moving car’s hood and quickly moving aside. Gunshots are then heard, and officers appear to continue firing as the car moves away from them. The quality of the projected video, even replayed later on news websites that filmed it, made it hard for a viewer to glean the level of detail described by either the Brown family or the prosecutor when they watched the footage in person. During his news conference, Mr.
Travis Long/The News & Observer, via Associated Press
Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble shows still images from police body camera footage of the fatal shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. on Tuesday.
Womble said the deputy who tried to open Mr. Brown’s car door was jerked over the hood when the car backed up, and the deputy’s body was struck by the vehicle. The deputy then had to push off the hood with his hand “to avoid being run over” when Mr. Brown drove forward, Mr. Womble said. He said that was when the first shot was fired by a fellow deputy. “I find that the facts of this case clearly illustrate the officers who used
deadly force on Andrew Brown Jr. did so reasonably and only when a violent felon used a deadly weapon to put their lives in danger,” Mr. Womble said, referring to Mr. Brown’s car. Attorneys for the Brown family decried Mr. Womble’s conclusion. “To say this shooting was justified, despite the known facts, is both an insult and a slap in the face to Andrew’s family, the Elizabeth City community and to rational people
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everywhere,” the attorneys’ statement read. “Not only was the car moving away from officers, but four of them did not fire their weapons — clearly they did not feel that their lives were endangered. And the bottom line is that Andrew was killed by a shot to the back of the head.” The FBI is pursuing a separate investigation. A spokeswoman declined to comment on its progress. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, urged federal officials to thoroughly investigate. In a statement Tuesday afternoon, he reiterated past comments that Mr. Womble should have stepped aside for an independent prosecutor to take over. “Public confidence would have been better served with a special prosecutor and by quickly making public the incident footage,” Gov. Cooper said. Some two dozen people gathered outside the municipal building where Mr. Womble spoke, and many expressed disappointment with his decision. “Andrew Brown Jr. is the victim,” said Keith Rivers, president of Pasquotank County Branch NAACP. “It’s not a district attorney’s job to defend sheriff’s deputies. It is his job to get justice for the victim. It is the court’s job to decide whether or not it was reasonable or unreasonable.” Paid Political Advertisement
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Richmond Free Press
Elections
Diverse slate of candidates vie for lieutenant governor and attorney general in Democratic primary 6 in the running for No. 2 state post
Delegate Ayala
Hala S. Ayala, 47, has represented Prince William County in the House of Delegates since January 2018. A widow who lost her husband to gun violence, she is raising two children and worked for more than 20 years as a cybersecurity specialist with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. A native of Alexandria, she earned an associate degree in psychology from the University of Phoenix. Her father was an immigrant from El Salvador. Delegate Ayala worked with the PTA and statewide women’s advocacy groups. She was a founder of the Prince William chapter of the National Organization for Women and helped organize the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, which inspired her to run for elective office. She is a member of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and pushed for the expansion of Medicaid health insurance in Virginia, which she said she relied on when her son was born and she had no health insurance through her job. She also has advocated for raising teachers’ pay, tougher gun control measures, the abolition of the death penalty in Virginia and same-day voter registration. If elected, Delegate Ayala said she would push for a program to allow Virginians to buy into the Medicaid program on the health care exchange and advocate for state financial support for families struggling with health care premiums. Delegate Ayala reports raising more than $572,000 for her campaign.
Mr. Perryman
Sean A. Perryman, 35, is the first in his immediate family to go to college. His father was an immigrant from Barbados and his mother grew up in segregated South Carolina. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mr. Perryman moved with his family to Northern Virginia when he was in elementary school. He worked his way through college, earning a bachelor’s degree from Baruch College in New York. After internships at the United Nations, the U.S. State Department and the New York mayor’s office, he went on to earn a law degree from Vanderbilt University in 2011. After law school, he went to work on Capitol Hill in Washington, noting in one interview that he quit his job with a law firm because he didn’t want to work with the firm’s client, former President Trump. He then joined the staff of the House Oversight Committee, working with the committee’s chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland until the congressman’s death in 2018. Mr. Perryman helped manage the committee’s technology portfolio. Since 2018, Mr. Perryman has served as director of social impact and diversity and inclusion policy for the Internet Association. He also served as president of the Fairfax County Branch NAACP and helped lead the effort to rename Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield to John R. Lewis High School. If elected lieutenant governor, Mr. Perryman said he will work to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences, cash bail and qualified immunity so that police and other officials can be held accountable. Mr. Perryman reports raising more than $311,000 for his campaign.
Delegate Levine
Mark H. Levine, 55, has represented Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax in the House of Delegates since January 2016. A native of Nashville, Tenn., Delegate Levine earned a bachelor’s in economics from Harvard University and received a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Switzerland. He later earned a law degree from Yale Law School. He worked briefly as a teacher before becoming a trial attorney in Los Angeles. In 1999, he was one of the four original founders of Marriage Equality California and he drafted the first law introduced in the United States to give gay couples equal rights at the state and federal levels. When his sister was murdered in 1996, Delegate Levine drafted a measure in Tennessee to protect victims of domestic violence and their children. The measure was passed. He said he has had four goals: To fight injustice, solve problems, increase transparency and improve people’s lives. He said his passion to fight injustice stems from the loss of his sister and his life as a gay man. He served as assistant counsel to Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts before the congressman’s retirement in 2013. In the House of Delegates, he started the Virginia Transparency Caucus, pushing for more transparency and livestreaming of committee proceedings. If elected, Delegate Levine said he would work full time at the job of lieutenant governor working to bring people together and to solve problems. Delegate Levine reports raising more than $705,000 for his campaign.
Delegate Rasoul
S. “Sam” Rasoul, 39, is a native of Warren, Ohio. He grew up in the Roanoke Valley, where his family finally settled after fleeing war-torn Palestine and coming to America. His family had three rules, he said: “Always tell the truth. Always be kind. Never give up.” He has represented a largely Black Roanoke district in the House of Delegates since January 2014. Delegate Rasoul worked two jobs to earn a bachelor’s in business administration from Roanoke College and a MBA from Hawaii Pacific University, an experience that he said opened his mind to how diverse the world is. He works in health care, consulting with companies and nonprofit groups on health care issues. Delegate Rasoul is one of two Muslims in the Virginia General Assembly and is a member of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and the Rural Caucus. He has risen to become vice chairman of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions. Delegate Rasoul touts that he does not accept corporate PAC donations, and is running on a platform to create a Marshall Plan for Moms in Virginia that would help women, the group most affected by the pandemic, with universal childcare and expanded pre-kindergarten programs, a new caregiver tax credit and paid family and medical leave. Delegate Rasoul reports raising more than $1.2 million for his campaign, the highest amount of any of the Democrats seeking the nomination.
Ms. McClellan
Andria P. McClellan, who has served on the Norfolk City Council since 2016, is the only person from Hampton Roads running for lieutenant governor. Ms. McClellan, whose career in sales and marketing includes playing a leading role in two start-up ventures, has served on the Virginia Small Business Advisory Board, the Hampton Roads Technology Council and the Virginia Family & Children’s Trust Fund. She was raised in Virginia Beach by a single mom and worked her way through college with a combination of PELL grants and workstudy. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1991. She began a career in sales and marketing, working for two Fortune 500 companies. She then attended a two-year Wharton Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania in 1996 before returning to Hampton Roads where she ran two small businesses. She has lived in Norfolk since 2002 and serves on several boards and commissions. She is vice chair of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission. Ms. McClellan plans to use her platform if elected lieutenant governor to help support access to capital for small, women- and minority-owned businesses; boost funding for early childhood and K-12 education and workforce development training and bridge the digital divide. Ms. McClellan reports raising more than $625,000 for her campaign.
Mr. Warren
Xavier JaMar Warren, 32, is a partner in Congressional Partners, a Washington group that helps nonprofit organizations such as colleges, hospitals and local governments secure federal funding for a variety of services, including helping people in underserved communities. A native of Danville, Mr. Warren earned a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University, serving as a fellow at the U.S. State Department during the Obama administration. He earned a master’s in sports management from Georgetown University, where he worked on player contracts for the Washington Football Team. Mr. Warren, a resident of Northern Virginia, became a sports agent in 2011 and serves as a contract adviser for the NFL Players Association. If elected, Mr. Warren said he would focus as lieutenant governor on creating jobs in the Commonwealth that pay a living wage. He would work on attracting new development while helping existing companies remain in the state and thrive. He also said he would focus on addressing health disparities and how to better equip schools with state-of-the-art technology. Mr. Warren reports raising more than $159,000 for his campaign.
By Reginald Stuart
Virginia government relies on an effective leadership team at the top — governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. The lieutenant governor, while a part-time official, serves the important function presiding over the state Senate and breaking any tie votes. The lieutenant governor also would ascend to the role of governor should the governor become unable to serve. The attorney general represents the state in all legal matters. With more than 300 staffers, the Office of the Attorney General gets involved in a range of legal issues, from clarifying child support rules, sorting out hurricane, tornado and flood damage disputes, getting law enforcement agencies to do their jobs correctly and fairly to resolving wage and workers’ compensation differences. The office also represents the state’s posture in dealing with federal issues ranging from health care to education aid to voting rights and equal rights to undocumented immigrants. Six candidates are running for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, while two are running for the attorney general nomination. They reflect a breadth of experience, age, gender and ethnic diversity. The winners of the June 8 Democratic primary contests will face Republican Party challengers Winsome Sears of Winchester, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, for lieutenant governor and Delegate Jason Miyares, a Virginia Beach attorney, for attorney general in the November general election. Here are brief looks at the Democratic primary candidates based on official campaign literature, official public statements and interviews.
Richmond Free Press
May 20-22, 2021 A7
Elections
Mr. Herring
Mark R. Herring, 59, is no stranger to tough challenges. In his nearly eight years as the state’s top lawyer, the native of Johnson City, Tenn., has grown a reputation as an activist attorney general taking on issues ranging from marriage equality and the opioid crisis to consumer protection. Mr. Herring’s persistence is rooted in advice from his late mother, flight attendant Jane Waddell, who he says, in a biographical sketch, told him, “When you see a problem in your community, you have an obligation to try and fix it.” Mr. Herring grew up in Loudoun County, on the rural outskirts of the nation’s capital. After getting a high school diploma from Loudoun Valley High School in 1979, he helped pay his way through college with part-time jobs. He earned a bachelor’s in foreign affairs and economics and a master’s degree from the University of Virginia and a law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law. After completing his studies, Mr. Herring established a law practice in Leesburg and then blended his mother’s advice about public service by working as town attorney in tiny Lovettsville in Loudoun County from 1992 to 1999. Later, he was elected to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and then the state Senate, where he represented parts of Loudoun and Fairfax counties from 2006 to 2014, when he first became Virginia attorney general. In his first bid for attorney general in 2013, he won a narrow Democratic primary victory over challenger Justin E. Fairfax, who is now Virginia’s lieutenant governor. Mr. Herring went on to win the general election in November 2013, and re-election to a second, four-year
2 faceoff for attorney general
term in 2017. In February 2019, after calling on Gov. Ralph S. Northam to resign during a blackface scandal, Mr. Herring was caught up in his own blackface scandal. He publicly acknowledged that he had dressed as rapper Kurtis Blow and wore blackface in 1980 to attend a party when he was a 19-year-old freshman at U.Va. He apologized publicly and in meetings with members of the legislature and others. Mr. Herring had considered a run for governor this year, but announced that he would seek a third term as attorney general. If he wins the primary and the November election, he would be the longest serving attorney general in the state since Abram Penn Staples, who held the job from 1934 to late 1947. Playing an active part in the state’s emerging progressive turns, Mr. Herring has championed diversity and social equity values as attorney general — from refusing to defend the state’s ban on same-sex-marriage to promoting and defending the state’s expansion of the Medicaid program. Mr. Herring has won numerous endorsements during this primary contest, including from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Brady PAC, both gun violence prevention groups; several labor unions; and several members of the House of Delegates, including House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, House Majority Leader Charniele Herring; Delegate Betsy Carr of Richmond and Delegate Dawn Adams, who represents parts of Chesterfield, Henrico and Richmond. Mr. Herring’s campaign reported raising $650,000 during the first quarter of this year and having more than $1.3 million cash on hand by March 31.
Delegate Jones
Jerrauld C. “Jay” Jones, 32, has emerged as an eloquent and thoughtful speaker in the House of Delegates, where he has represented Norfolk since January 2018. An attorney in private practice, he represents the same district his father did in the legislature from 1988 to 2002. His parents, Norfolk Circuit Court Judge Jerrauld C. Jones and Norfolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judge Lyn M. Simmons, had a profound impact on his growing up and his understanding about the law and equal rights. His grandfather, Hilary H. Jones, an attorney and advocate for civil rights and public education, was the first African-American member of the Norfolk School Board in 1963 and the first to serve on the state Board of Education in 1969. That background helps explain Delegate Jones’ roots in the continuing fight to end racial segregation and to promote racial equity and economic progress. He campaigns for women’s rights, says he wants to fix a “broken justice system,” pledges to work to protect the state’s environment and waterways and overhaul the state’s code of ethics. Born and raised in Norfolk, Delegate Jones graduated from Norfolk Collegiate School and earned a bachelor’s in government and history from the College of William & Mary. He worked for two years as an associate with Goldman Sachs in New York before returning to Virginia to earn a law degree from the University of Virginia in 2015. He followed in his father’s footsteps, winning election to the House of Delegates in November 2017, and reelection unopposed in 2019. He serves on the influential House Appropriations
Committee. He pushed for expansion of the Medicaid health insurance program in Virginia, to increase minimum wage and championed a bill known as the “Ashanti Alert” that sends out alerts for missing adults like the Amber Alert does for children. He also worked for the removal of the statue of arch segregationist Harry F. Byrd from the State Capitol grounds and backs ending qualified immunity that protects police officers from being held responsibility for wrongdoing. During two recent debates, he has criticized his Democratic primary opponent Attorney General Mark R. Herring for his support of the death penalty before recently changing his position; for only recently adding an Office of Civil Rights to the Attorney General’s Office; and for lacking empathy and compassion in his apology for wearing blackface as a college student in 1980. Delegate Jones has seamlessly taken on community service leadership challenges, serving on several boards and commissions, including the Commission on Youth, the Criminal Justice Services Board and the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. If he wins the Democratic primary and the November general election, Delegate Jones would become Virginia’s first Black attorney general. Delegate Jones has been endorsed in the primary by Gov. Ralph S. Northam and more than 30 members of the General Assembly. Other backers include former Virginia Attorney General Mary Sue Terry, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott and Congresswoman Elaine Luria. Delegate Jones has reported raising $1.2 million for his campaign as of the end of March.
Free rides to the polls for Democratic primary Need a ride to the polls to vote in the June 8 Democratic primary? Rideshare2Vote, an organization dedicated to boosting the turnout of voters supporting Democratic and progressive candidates in various statewide and local elections in places across the country, is helping voters in Richmond and Hampton Roads get to the polls at no cost. Early voting started last month for Virginia’s primary election in which voters will choose the Democratic nominees to
run for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in the November general election, as well as for some House of Delegates and local constitutional offices. According to its website, Rideshare2Vote has been operating in North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. Organizers said the group aims to reach voters who traditionally are disenfranchised. Voters can request a ride by calling (888) 977-2250, go to the website at https://rideshare2vote.com/upgrade/request-a-
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Standing with Palestine More than 1,000 people gather Wednesday evening in Monroe Park for a rally and march calling for Israel to stop the bombing in Gaza. Since May 10, more than 227 people have been killed, including 64 children, and another 1,600 have been injured in the latest violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Untold numbers have been left homeless. The Israeli government has defended its airstrikes as a way to take out Hamas’ military infrastructure. In return, Hamas militants have answered the airstrikes with rocket attacks. The Richmond demonstration called for a ceasefire in Gaza, for selfdetermination for the Palestinian people and for an end to U.S. funding for Israel as it puts Palestinians living in Gaza under tight control and restrictions. The rally was sponsored by the Arab American Association of Central Virginia, Richmonders for Peace in Israel-Palestine and the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality.
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May 20-22, 2021
Criminal probe or probing a criminal New York Attorney General Letitia James has turned up the heat on former President Trump, announcing Tuesday that her office has opened a criminal investigation into the Trump Organization. Ms. James has been investigating whether the former president, a known liar, falsely reported his property values to obtain loans and gain tax breaks and other economic benefits. Ms. James’ office had been looking into the Trump family-owned businesses for any civil violations after Mr. Trump’s former lawyer, fixer and flunky, Michael Cohen, testified before Congress that the former president’s financial statements were manipulated to reduce his real estate taxes and secure loans. Her new criminal probe is being conducted with some overlap of a similar criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office of Mr. Trump’s business dealings before his presidency, including tax and insurance fraud and falsification of business records. This bigger investigation by Ms. James’ office escalates Mr. Trump’s possible legal jeopardy, in which prison time — and not simply a civil fine — is part of the picture. Earlier this year, prosecutors in Fulton County, Ga., opened a criminal investigation into Mr. Trump’s attempt to influence that state’s presidential election results. The former president was recorded in a phone call on Jan. 2 badgering Georgia’s secretary of state to overturn that state’s presidential election victory for Democrat Joe Biden by finding 11,000 more votes for Mr. Trump. We believe the only thing upsetting Mr. Trump more than the announcement of this new criminal probe is that a Black woman is in charge of it. A Black woman also is in charge of the criminal probe in Fulton County, Ga. We have only one comment for Ms. James and the New York and Georgia prosecutors: Go get ’em.
Unexpected consequences The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned some very harsh consequences for people and communities across the United States. One such consequence was spotlighted earlier this month in an eye-opening report by ProPublica and several other publications. It seems in the midst of the pandemic, people stopped going to their doctors and put off annual health screenings, including tests for breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancer. Some cancer clinics and hospitals also suspended biopsies and chemotherapy and radiation treatments during the pandemic, according to the ProPublica report. As a result, the National Cancer Institute has forecast almost 10,000 more deaths during the next decade from breast and colorectal cancer alone because of pandemicrelated delays in diagnosis and treatment. “Unfortunately, by causing cancellations of appointments and cancer screenings, COVID will indirectly cause an increase in cancer deaths — another negative consequence of COVID that has not yet received much public attention,” Dr. Ronald Chen, associate director of health equity at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, stated in one report. According to the ProPublica report, preventive cancer screenings for breast, colon and cervical cancer dropped by as much as 94 percent during the first four months of 2020 compared with averages from 2017 to 2019. A separate study, published in late April in JAMA Oncology, found that 9.4 million screenings for breast, colon and prostate cancer did not occur in the United States last year because of COVID-19. The data suggest that many cancers could go undiagnosed, or be diagnosed at a later stage, which reduces a patient’s chances for survival. The ProPublica report also provided anecdotal information about how delays during the pandemic have affected the health and life of a Chicago woman and her family. We know from the American Cancer Society’s prepandemic statistics that cancer, like COVID-19, has a disparate impact on the African-American community. Black people have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial and ethnic group in the nation for most cancers. Cancer also is the leading cause of death among Latinos. We agree with the experts who now urge all Americans, particularly people of color, to get back on track with regular health screenings and doctors’ visits. Health officials are concerned that the aftermath of one public health crisis may morph into many others. While telehealth visits helped during the pandemic, health officials emphasize the need for people to reschedule canceled or missed screenings from the past year. We concur. Our health and our lives depend on it.
No justice, no peace
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As of this writing, more than 200 Palestinians and 10 Israelis have been killed in the conflict in Gaza. A few days before the conflict began, the Biden administration approved a $735 million weapons sale to Israel. With his power waning, Israel’s scandal-plagued prime minister is likely to say that Israel needs weapons to defend itself against Hamas. But the imbalance in the casualties suggests that Israel is more likely to have been the aggressor than the victim. Israeli people will say that Hamas started the conflict, but the conflict has its roots in the establishment of Israel in 1948 and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. There will be no peace in the Middle East until the land question is settled, with Palestinians getting justice and respect. But Israel has a lock on U.S. foreign policy, and too many Jewish people say that criticism of Israel makes you anti-Semitic. There is no antiSemitism in wanting justice for Palestinian people, but some people, fearful of being called
anti-Semitic, are silent in the face of injustice. Of course, there should be a cease-fire, and of course, the United Nations, President Biden and the U.S. State Department should call for a cease-fire. That’s just a short-term solution, though. There has been conflict
Julianne Malveaux in the Middle East since Israel was established and there likely will be conflict until Palestinians feel they have justice. There seems no interest in justice for Palestinians, no interest, even in peaceful coexistence. The discrimination against Palestinian people in Israel is extreme, and even though Israeli Arabs are a significant portion of Israel’s medical workers, saving Israeli lives, they still face discrimination. According to the New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, “Israeli Arab medical workers were essential for enabling Israel’s Jewish citizens to survive the coronavirus. According to official figures, 17 percent of Israel’s physicians, 24 percent of its nurses and 47 percent of its pharmacists are Arabs.” But they can’t get justice. Of course, the last U.S. president didn’t help matters at all,
sending his rookie son-in-law to “negotiate” peace and unilaterally deciding the disposition of Jerusalem. The two-state solution, which many embrace, also has been rejected. The previous administration was so blatantly pro-Israel that they were adding fuel to any burning fire in the Middle East. The arms sale to Israel is the least of the matter. Israel gets more U.S. foreign aid than almost any other country in the world. What could be done with that money to address domestic ills? And are human rights violations in the Middle East egregious enough that President Biden might be tempted to get the U.S. involved in some military action? Will we be trading our presence in Afghanistan for that in the Middle East? And what do voters think about this? The good news is that while the political establishment, including President Biden, has tended to embrace Israel, younger Democrats are questioning how our country is so indifferent to Palestinian rights. On May 13, for example, Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, a member of “The Squad,” said, “We can’t stand idly by when the United States government sends $3.8 billion of military aid to Israel that is used to demolish Palestinian homes, imprison
Dishonest defense of voter suppression
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is a shameless liar. And he isn’t even a very good one. Witness his latest dishonest defense of Georgia’s new voter suppression law. Sen. Cruz, a Republican from Texas, published a column in the Wall Street Journal attacking business leaders who have criticized the anti-voting law. He claimed that critics were hurting the reputations of “patriotic leaders protecting our elections and expanding the right to vote.” Expanding the right to vote? As I said, he is shameless. First, let’s remember where this new law came from. Georgia Republicans pushed it through after President Biden and U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won their elections. The law has one purpose: To prevent future victories by Democrats by making it harder for particular groups of people — Black people, working people, women, people with disabilities, and younger and older people — to vote. The first draft of the law made this racist intention clear by banning early voting on Sundays, when many Black churches encourage people to vote through Souls to the Polls events. The racism behind that piece of the law was so obvious that even Republicans had to water it down in the final bill. But we will not forget what motivated it or that the rest of the law is designed to achieve the same purpose.
In his column, Sen. Cruz mentioned a few pieces of the law to try to make it sound reasonable. But it isn’t. It includes new limits on early voting hours, big reductions in the amount of time people have to request an absentee ballot and sharp decreases in the availability of drop boxes that make it easier for voters to turn in their ballots. Stacey Abrams, the voting rights activist who knows the system in Georgia better than
Ben Jealous anyone else, schooled Sen. Cruz and his GOP colleague, Sen. John N. Kennedy of Louisiana, when they tried to challenge her criticism of the law. She identified such a long list of problems with the law that Sen. Kennedy finally asked her to stop. The problem goes way beyond Georgia. Similar laws have been passed in Florida and Arizona and other states controlled by Republicans are getting ready to pass laws that purge eligible voters off registration lists and put up other roadblocks to the ballot box. In his op-ed, Sen. Cruz issued a threat to business leaders who have dared to speak out in defense of voting rights. He suggested that Republicans would stop helping them out on taxes or regulations. But that was just more distraction. In fact, the Center for Media and Democracy recently exposed the real truth. The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a group that helps big business and right wing groups get their policies passed into laws at the state level, has
been pushing legislators to pass voter suppression bills so they can keep corporation-friendly Republicans in power. These laws are attacks on voting rights and democracy just like the Jim Crow laws that some states used to keep Black people from registering and voting. And they are designed to prevent passage of progressive policies such as raising the minimum wage and expanding access to health care. We must respond as a nation to protect the right to vote. The U.S. House of Representatives already has passed the For the People Act, which includes voting rights protections that would overrule the states’new attacks on voting. Sen. Cruz also is telling shameless lies about the For the People Act. He claimed that Democrats “want illegal aliens and non-citizens to be automatically registered to vote.” Not true. He even said this voting rights law would be “Jim Crow 2.0.” Really, Ted? That’s a stretch even for you. Sen. Cruz is not the only Republican calling good evil and evil good when it comes to voter suppression. Other members of Congress, state Republican leaders and right wing media all are trying to hang onto political power by denying other people the right to earn it at the ballot box. Democrats can’t let them get away with it. We can’t let them get away with it. The writer, a former president and CEO of the national NAACP, is president of People for the American Way and the People for the American Way Foundation.
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.
Palestinian children and displace Palestinian families.” Too bad more members of Congress don’t share her views. Instead, while Congress can object to the proposed weapons sale, they won’t. They’d rather sit idly by and implicitly approve the killing of Palestinian people and Israel’s gradual annexation of Palestinian lands. The United States was founded by the annexation of Native American lands and built with the exploitation of enslaved people’s labor. No wonder we have not objected forcefully to what is happening in the Middle East. In some ways, Israel has taken a page from the U.S. playbook in exploiting Palestinians. No wonder so many are silent in the face of these most recent indignities. There will be no peace in the Middle East until there is justice for Palestinians. The writer is an economist and author.
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Commentary
Why I’m investing in Live! Casino & Hotel Richmond Growing up, I remember my father telling me about when he was a little boy living in Jackson Ward. He spoke about sitting on my grandmother’s lap on the porch of their home at 1164 St. Paul St. as they watched the bulldozers come through to build the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike. He still remembers the destruction of homes and businesses in what was then a sprawling Jackson Ward, killing a generation of wealth from what we know was the Black Wall Street of the South. I can only imagine what that did to my Pops — an entire community lost because we had no voice, no representation, no equity in making the decision in our own community. Another solution, another answer was there but not heard. This decision changed lives for the worse for generations to come. I am one of the lives who were more fortunate. Even though my family roots are in
that house in Gilpin Court, my father and mother worked hard to get us in a better position. I went from attending Carver Elementary in Richmond to eventually playing football for Henrico High School. It led me to a scholarship at the University of Virginia and all the way to the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. Following a career in the
Billy McMullen NFL, I came back to Richmond to have a positive impact on my hometown. My daily mission is to empower people and the community. That is why I chose to partner with The Cordish Companies and invest in the Live! Casino & Hotel Richmond project proposed to be built on Arthur Ashe Boulevard in Scott’s Addition. The Cordish team shares my passion for the community and people empowerment. They have a proven track record of delivering on their promises in all the cities across the country where they do business. Being active in the community takes leadership and a
desire and commitment to make a difference, but it also takes resources. The Live! team has committed to a community fund for Richmond, with $200 million in the first 15 years alone to support a variety of causes that we need right now. This is significant funding that can have a meaningful impact on a number of areas, for example in education and affordable housing. The team already has reached out to Carver Elementary School to see how they can help. What gets me excited is that this fund is run by active community members. Who better to answer the needs of the community than the community itself? I’m all about individual and community empowerment and I know the community has its own answers. The Cordish team shares my philosophy and they are committed to supporting that in every way. I got involved with the Live! Casino & Hotel Richmond project to benefit this and the next generation of Richmonders who are looking for a voice and resources to support their own communities and for a
better life—not just a job, but a career that leads them on the path to financial security and stability. Richmond has a big decision to make. I have confidence in our city, and that is why I remain excited for what the future holds. The writer played five years in the NFL, winning the 2005 NFC Championship with the Philadelphia Eagles and earning a trip to Super Bowl XXXIX. Through his Billy Mac Foundation, he provides coaching and mentoring to youths and adults with his message Made Free 2 Be.
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Important Tax Notice
City of Richmond Business and Personal Property Tax payments are due by Monday, June 7, 2021 Payment(s) for Individual Personal Property, Business Personal Property, and Machinery and Tools Taxes are due on June 7, 2021. Payment(s) must be received and/or postmarked on or before June 7th. Payments postmarked or received after the June 7th due date will be assessed a 10% late penalty and will accrue interest charges at a rate of 10% per annum. Please mail your notice and payment in the envelope provided with your bill. Failure to receive a billing notice will not relieve the penalty and interest added if your payment is not made on time. If you require a billing notice please call 646-7000 or visit us online at https://www.rva.gov/ For your convenience, you may pay online at https://www.rva.gov/ or pay via telephone at 1-866-890-5269. A convenience fee may be charged for use of these payment options. You may also pay in person at City Hall, 900 E. Broad Street Room 102 M-F 8-5; at our 6RXWKVLGH RIÀFH, 4100 Hull Street M-F 8 – 5; or at our (DVW 'LVWULFW RIÀFH at 701 N. 25th Street, M-F 8-5. You may also deposit your check payment in the payment drop box at each location.
Mail to: P.O. Box 4595, Richmond, VA 23220 422 E. Franklin St., Suite 301, Richmond, VA 23219 (Franklin & 5th Sts.) We are a federally designated Debt Relief Agency under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and we help people file for bankruptcy.
AMENDED PUBLIC NOTICE CITY OF RICHMOND 2021-2025 CONSOLIDATED PLAN & 2021-22 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN In accordance with HUD citizen participation requirements, a 30-day public comment period for the 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan and the proposed 2021-22 Annual Action Plan (City FY 2022) will begin on April 22, 2021, and will expire on May 31, 2021. By this notice the City RI 5LFKPRQG DQQRXQFHV WKH DYDLODELOLW\ RI WKH VW \HDU RI WKH ¿YH \HDU 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan, also known as the proposed 2021-22 Annual Action Plan, is ready for public review and comment. Richmond City Council will hold a virtual public hearing on Monday, June 14, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. on the City’s 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan and proposed 2021-22 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. This is a correction of the previous ad published on April 22, 2021, which stated that City Council would hold the public hearing in person in City Council Chambers. Citizens and interested persons are invited to give their views regarding the use of CDBG, HOMES, ESG and HOPWA funds for the proposed Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan. The City will arrange for reasonable accommodations for non-English speaking persons or those persons with visual, hearing, or mobility LPSDLUPHQWV ZKHQ QRWL¿HG $Q\RQH ZLVKLQJ WR VSHDN DW WKH SXEOLF KHDULQJ SOHDVH FRQWDFW WKH 2I¿FH RI WKH &LW\ &OHUN E\ DP -XQH 14, 2021 at 804-646-7955. The Plan will serve as a comprehensive planning document discussing Richmond’s community development and housing needs. The needs emphasize the provision of decent affordable 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. Copies of the 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan and proposed 2021-22 Annual Action Plan are available for public review online on the HCD’s website located at www.rva.gov. Citizens can also request a hard copy or electronic copy via e-mail or US Mail. To request a copy, contact Emily DeHoog at Emily.DeHoog@richmondgov.com or by mail at the City Department of Housing & Community Development, 1500 E Main Street, Suite 300, Richmond VA 23219-3571. 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 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 LPSDLUPHQWV ZKHQ QRWL¿HG ZLWKLQ ¿YH EXVLQHVV GD\V RI WKH FORVH of the public comment period. Submit written or oral comments and views to: Emily DeHoog, Project Development Manager, Housing and Community Development, 1500 E. Main Street, Suite 300, Richmond, VA 23219-3571 or by e-mail to Emily.Dehoog@richmondgov.com. Comments may also be submitted by voicemail (804) 646-4078.
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Richmond Free Press
A10 May 20-22, 2021
Sports Stories by Fred Jeter
New NBA award named after Abdul-Jabbar The NBA’s newest award titles from 1967 to 1969. is named after the league’s Playing with the Milwaukee all-time scorer — Kareem Bucks and the Los Angeles LakAbdul-Jabbar. ers from 1969 to 1989, he scored But the honor is based as a record 38,387 points while much on what the 7-foot-2 leading his teams to six NBA athlete did off the court as titles. He was a six-time league on it. MVP and 19-time All-Star. The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar His patented go-to shot Social Justice Award will go to was the “skyhook,” which was the player “who pursues social considered unblockable. For justice and upholds the league’s years, he has been involved with values of equality, respect and the Skyhook Foundation, an Kareem Abdul-Jabbar inclusion.” academic program he founded The inaugural winner will be announced for the underprivileged designed “to give kids later this year. a shot (in life) that can’t be blocked.” Abdul-Jabbar, now 74, was an outspoken His birth name was Ferdinand Lewis activist throughout his college and pro playing Alcindor Jr. He converted from Catholicism careers and has remained so in retirement. to Islam while at UCLA, but did not publicly Each of the 30 NBA teams will nominate a change his name until 1971 when he was with player for the award. The winner will receive Milwaukee Bucks. $100,000 to contribute to a worthy cause of This is at least the second award to carry his his choice. name. The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the The four finalists will receive $25,000 each. Year Award goes to the NCAA’s top big man From the Manhattan borough of New York, each season. The University of Iowa’s Luka Abdul-Jabbar led UCLA to three straight NCAA Garza has won it the past two years.
Cheyenne Woods headed to U.S. Women’s Open Championship Golf fans will be seeing a lot of Cheyenne Woods in coming months, both as an athlete and TV commentator. The 30-year-old niece of Tiger Woods has qualified to play in the 76th annual U.S. Women’s Open Championship June 3 through 6 at The Olympic Club Lake Course in San Francisco. Woods punched her ticket to the Open by winning a Sectional Qualifier May 8 in Spring Lake, N.J. She shot rounds of 73 and 69, prevailing by five strokes. She also is a regular broadcaster-analyst on the Golf Channel. Among her upcoming assignments are covering the NCAA Division I Women’s Championships, the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior Golf Championship. Woods spends a lot of time in New York and is a regular at New York Yankees games. She is
Will Henderson
Mike Green
Antwane Wells Jr.
A spring to remember for Highland Springs football
the longtime girlfriend of Yankees centerfielder Aaron Hicks. A former Wake Forest University standout, Woods is the daughter of Susan Woods and Earl Dennison Woods, who is Tiger Woods’ half-brother. She is just the sixth African-American to compete on the LPGA circuit. She also competes in some events on the European Women’s tour.
Pinky Wiley
Rio Haskett
Hampton University basketball to get key players from Richmond area Hampton University basketball will have a distinct Richmond area look in the upcoming season. “The 804 has been good to us this recruiting cycle,” said Pirates Coach Buck Joyner. HU’s incoming talent also features state championship résumés. Rising freshman Will Henderson starred on Life Christian Academy’s Virginia Independent Schools Division III state championship team in 2020. LCA is a private school in Chester. This past season, the 6-foot-10 Henderson played at Scotland Campus Sports in Pennsylvania, averaging 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots per game. “Will can play inside and out and we’ll mix it up,” Coach Joyner said. “He should present matchup problems for our opponents and pay dividends for us as soon as possible.” Henderson played a few exhibition games this past winter for Coach Ty White’s Blue Magic, a spinoff of the John Marshall High basketball team. “Will’s a long, versatile wing. His best basketball is ahead of him,” Coach White said. Pinky Wiley, a 5-foot-11 point guard, and 6-foot-3 Rio Haskett will arrive at HU as transfers. Wiley comes from Delaware State while Haskett is moving to Hampton University from Harvard University. Wiley averaged 10.2 points, 3.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds this past season for Delaware State University, earning third-team All-MEAC honors. Haskett hasn’t played since the 2019-20
Kevin Gilliam
season. Harvard University, along with the rest of the Ivy League, opted out this past season because of the pandemic. Both Wiley and Haskett were key factors in L.C. Bird High School’s 2017 State 5A championship. They also were a major part of the Chesterfield County school’s 2016 state runner-up squad. Also signing to play for HU are 6-foot-5 DeAngelo Epps, a transfer from the College of Charleston, and 6-foot-10 Luc Therrien from Bull City Prep Academy in North Carolina. A Canadian, Therrien is originally from Vancouver, British Columbia. Among the returning Pirates is Elijah Seward, a 6-foot guard who was part of John Marshall High School’s 2020 State 3A championship team. Seward played sparingly as a freshman but is a fine outside shooter and all-round athlete. All the news is not so good at Hampton. Davion Warren, who averaged 21.3 points this past season, is transferring to Texas Tech, and Chris Shelton, among the nation’s top 3-point shooters, is moving on to Youngstown State University in Ohio. An All-Big South selection, Warren will be playing what amounts to a second senior season at the Big 12 school. The NCAA is giving all athletes a “free year” because of the pandemic. Shelton, a guard from Louisa County, averaged 10 points while hitting 49 percent of his shots from behind the arc as a sophomore. HU was 11-14 overall last season and 9-9 in the Big South Conference. The Pirates advanced to the second round of the Big South Tournament before falling at Radford University.
This has been a spring to remember for the Highland Springs High School Springers. Last week, senior Kelvin Gilliam was named Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year. The award recognizes a student with high athletic and academic achievement along with exemplary character. The 6-foot-4, 260pound Springer lineman will continue popping pads at the University of Oklahoma in the fall. Gilliam will report for summer practice in Norman, Okla., in late summer. There is much to celebrate in Eastern Henrico County. This spring, Highland Springs posted a 9-1 record en route to the State 5A finals. The only setback was a 13-10 loss in overtime to Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn in the state final. Gilliam recorded 48 tackles on the season with 16 for losses, 11 sacks and two safeties. Highland Springs posted five shutouts while allowing a scant 4.4 points per game. Gilliam has excelled in the classroom with a 4.16 GPA while serving as a peer tutor. He also volunteered in various
charity events. If all goes well in summer camp, Gilliam could be wearing the Sooners’ crimson and cream colors soon. Oklahoma opens Sept. 4 against Tulane in New Orleans. Gilliam becomes the second consecutive player from the area to win the Gatorade title. Last year’s winner was Hopewell High School running back TreVeyon Henderson, who is now enrolled at Ohio State University. u Former Springers enjoyed a memorable spring as well. Senior defensive lineman Mike Green and redshirt freshman Antwane Wells Jr., both former Springers, were outstanding in helping James Madison University to a 7-1 record and to the semifinals of the NCAA FCS playoffs. Green had 25 tackles, including 10.5 for losses. Wells was sensational throughout the season, recording 33 receptions for 603 yards and six touchdowns. Wells did his best work in the playoffs. In the 38-35 loss against Sam Houston State University in the semifinals in
Texas, he had seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. Against the University of North Dakota in the quarterfinals, Wells made seven grabs for 143 yards and two touchdowns. In round one against Virginia Military Institute, Wells had four receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown. Warming up for playoffs, Wells had four catches for 92 yards in the regular season finale against the University of Richmond. There will be a short turnaround for the fall 2021 season in Harrisonburg. The JMU Dukes open Sept. 4 against Morehead State University in Kentucky. None of this is surprising for Springers fans. Highland Springs ranks with the most dominant programs in state gridiron history. Highland Springs won the Virginia 5A titles in football in 2015 and 2016, and followed with State Class 5 crowns in 2017 and 2018. The Springers lost in the region finals in 2019 to next-door neighbor Varina High School. The 2020 fall season was postponed because of the pandemic and moved to spring. The same happened with JMU on the college level.
Associated Press/Ashely Landis
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, center, competes May 9 in the second heat of the men’s 100-meter dash prelim during the USATF Golden Games at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif. At left is Felipe Bardi Dos Santos and at right is Abdullah Mohammed.
DK Metcalf is fast, but not enough Football star DK Metcalf was fast, but not fast enough at the USATF Golden Games track meet May 8 in Walnut, Calf. The Seattle Seahawks’ wide receiver covered the 100 meters in 10.37 seconds but finished ninth out of nine in a world-class field. Cravon Gillespie won the semifinal heat
in 10.12 seconds and then won the finals in 9.96. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Metcalf earned AllPro honors this past season for Seattle, catching passes from quarterback Russell Wilson. Prior to entering the NFL, Metcalf ran 40 yards in 4.33 at the NFL Pre-Draft Combine.
May 20-22, 2021 B1
Richmond Free Press
Section
Happenings
B
Personality: Tina Slaughter Spotlight on president of the LPGA Amateur Golf Association Richmond Chapter From a young age, Tina Slaughter has been an avid golfer. The Detroit native was introduced to the sport by her father, and she’s seeking to bring even more women to the sport during her tenure as president of the Richmond, Va., Chapter of the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s Amateur Golf Association. “I want women of color to know there is space in golf as well as this organization for us,” says Ms. Slaughter when asked why she accepted the role as president. The group was first founded as the Executive Women’s Golf Association in 1991 as a way for women to play golf, connect and network with other women. The Richmond chapter was started in 2004. Then in 2018, the EWGA was absorbed into the LPGA and renamed as the LPGA Amateur Golf Association. And while the shift from being part of the largest women’s golf organization in the United States to being part of the recreational arm of the largest golf association in the world is a major one, the Richmond chapter’s mission remains the same: “We want our members to be able to learn something new, connect with other women, play for health and wellness, to compete, for business or just plain fun,” Ms. Slaughter says. “Whether the member is a beginner taking her first lesson, returning to the game after some time or a lifelong golfer, she will find a welcoming community in RVA.” Ms. Slaughter joined the Richmond chapter in 2016 after attending some of its events. The women she met were supportive and caring, she says. She became chapter president in November 2019, and now is in the middle of her second consecutive term in a sport whose meaning goes beyond entertainment, she says. “Golf is more than just a game to me,” says Ms. Slaughter, who talked about the many skills playing golf can hone, including strategic thinking and networking skills. The Richmond chapter hosts a variety of events enabling women to play when and where they’re most comfortable. These include weekend games, afternoon and evening leagues, charity events and skills events. The LPGA Amateur Golf Association also holds national competitions where women from across the country can play and connect. During a pandemic, golf is one of the few sports that can be played safely, Ms. Slaughter notes. The Richmond chapter’s efforts, however, extend beyond in-person games. The chapter also hosts online events that allow members to network and connect with each other and with professional players. Ms. Slaughter says her goal as chapter president is simply to get more women in the game. “I want our organization to provide an environment where all women can connect, learn, play and belong around a shared passion for golf,” she says. Ultimately, Ms. Slaughter sees sharing her own experience with golf as her best tool to bring new women into the sport. “I know what it is like to
buy clubs as a woman. I know what it is like to play in a tournament and not know anyone or be the only girl or both,” Ms. Slaughter says. “Sharing stories is a powerful way to connect people. “Hopefully the stories I share will not only inspire people to join but to continue to stay.” Meet a leader committed to expanding golf’s reach to women and women of color and this week’s Personality, Tina Slaughter:
is still a significant way to go. There is a narrative that women are not as proficient or interested in the game as men. The truth is the number of female golfers is quickly growing. In order for us as women to gain equity, we need to better wield our purchasing power, encourage male allyship, invest in programs that get girls involved in the game early and continue to reach out and truly welcome more women to the game.
No. 1 volunteer position: Richmond, Va., chapter president, Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Amateur Golf Association. Date and place of birth: Sept. 1 in Detroit during the time of bell bottoms and 8 tracks. Where I live now: Richmond. Education: Bachelor’s in general science, Penn State University; MBA, Virginia Commonwealth University. Occupation: Passionate IT leader with more than 20 years of experience. Family: I have a wonderful “village.” My mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, aunts, uncles, cousins and a great group of friends all provide love, encouragement and support. Mission of LPGA Amateur Golf Association Richmond Chapter: First, a little about the LPGA Amateur Golf Association. We are the recreational amateur arm of the LPGA family. As the largest women’s golf amateur community in the world, we provide organized playing and learning opportunities for members of all ages and abilities through a variety of local and national events. Members are connected to thousands of other members globally. The mission of our chapter is to provide a welcoming golf community for all women in the Richmond area. We bring together and connect a diverse group of women who share a common passion for golf. We host many golf, social and networking events annually. We want our members to be able to learn something new, connect with other women, play for health and wellness, to compete, for business or just plain fun. Whether the member is a beginner taking her first lesson, returning to the game after some time or a lifelong golfer, she will find a welcoming community in RVA. When and why LPGA Amateur Golf Association and the Richmond Chapter were founded: The Executive Women’s Golf Association was founded by Nancy Oliver in 1991 and was one of the largest women’s amateur golf associations in the United States. It was founded to provide women an opportunity to connect and network with other women, play the game they loved and belong to a community of supporting, nurturing women both on and off the course. In 2018, it was acquired by the LPGA and later rebranded as the LPGA Amateur Golf Association. The Richmond Chapter was started in 2004. Why I became a member: After attending a couple of events, I found the women in the group to be supportive and caring. I wanted to join an organization where I could relax and have fun playing golf. Although I can
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be competitive if necessary, I am more of a social golfer. I also like the benefits, connecting with fellow members and the opportunity to play many different courses. When elected chapter president: November 2019. Why I accepted position: I want women of color to know there is space in golf, as well as this organization, for us. No. 1 goal or project for Richmond chapter: To simply get more women to play the game. Strategy for achieving goal: I want our organization to provide an environment where all women can connect, learn, play and belong around a shared passion of golf. We have a wide variety of events to enable women to play when and where they feel most comfortable. Our events include weekend play, afternoon and evening leagues, morning play and skills events. In addition, there are fun national competitive events that bring women from chapters across the country to play together. We also have online virtual events that allow members to network and connect with each other and with professionals and organizations that support the needs of women in golf, or with LPGA legends like Renee Powell and Nancy Lopez. What golf means to me: Golf is more than just a game to me. I have learned so many transferable skills on the course. For example, golf has taught me the value of strategic thinking. The truly great players don’t just whack the ball and hope for the best. They have a plan. Every shot is strategically placed to advance their goal. Golf also has given me the occasion to practice and build my networking and conversational skills. Often, I have found myself in a cart with someone I did not know for hours. I saw that time as an opportunity to hone those skills. Another great thing golf has taught me is to stop and smell the roses, sometimes literally. I can’t tell you the number of times I have stopped in awe of a view or to enjoy a wonder of nature. How I got into the sport: I started playing when I was fairly young. My dad introduced me to the game. It has become a great family bonding activity seeing that my brother plays as well. Racial equity and golf: It is no secret that golf is still a predominantly white male game, at least from the media’s and sponsors’ perspective. That being said, there are far more women, especially women of color, playing the game now than when I started and that is exciting to see. Key golf organizations recognize the importance of diversity and now are working to better understand the barriers to golf for people of color and how to address, fix or eliminate those barriers. Gender equity and golf: Women have seen more equity as it pertains to golf during the past few years, however, there
COVID-19 and golf: Golf is one of the few sports you can play during COVID. It’s outside. To keep the chance low of getting infected, you can either play alone or you can play with your trusted group. Because golf allows you to get some fresh air, sunshine and the opportunity to commune with nature, it helps break the monotony of COVID-19 quarantine. How I use my role to introduce more people to golf: The best way I can introduce more people to golf is to share my stories. By sharing them, they can see that I have experienced many of the same things they are experiencing now. I know what it is like to buy clubs as a woman. I know what it is like to play in a tournament and not know anyone or be the only girl or both. Sharing stories is a powerful way to connect with people. Hopefully the stories I share will not only inspire people to join but to continue to stay.
Person I would most like to play golf with: There are so many great players out there, but the player I would most like to play with is Renee Powell. I am sure she has some great stories and life lessons around perseverance, adversity and leadership. I can’t even begin to understand some of the things she probably witnessed and experienced playing golf in an era where women’s golf was not valued and African-Americans were not openly welcomed to the game. How I start the day: On a positive note. I see each day as an opportunity to learn and experience something new. Besides, I am up and moving and to me that is half the battle. Three words that best describe me: Wise, independent and straightforward. Best late-night snack: A Krispy Kreme donut if, and only if, the “Hot” light is on. How I unwind: Golf is a great way for me to unwind. When I play golf, I can unplug and forget about the world for a little while. What I have learned about myself during the pandemic: The pandemic has helped me to understand what truly is important to me at this stage in my life. Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I love to bake. Quote that I am most inspired by: “Live, laugh and love.” If more people did this on a regular basis, just think how much nicer the world could be. At the top of my “to-do” list:
One of my bucket list trips is to do a Northwest tour. I would love to start in Portland or Seattle and then head to Vancouver, British Columbia, and finally make my way to Alaska. I have always wanted to go salmon fishing, see the glaciers while I still can and observe whales in their natural habitat. Best thing my parents ever taught me: Have faith and be true to yourself. Persons who influenced me the most: My parents, Raymond and June Slaughter. They are loving and encouraging of both me and my brother. They have taught me faith, values, the power of laughter and the importance of family. They always have been in my corner quietly or loudly cheering me on and providing little pearls of wisdom to keep me pushing forward even sometimes when I wobbled. Book that influenced me the most: “Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgments in our Lives” by Howard Ross and “The One Minute Manager” by Dr. Ken Blanchard and Dr. Spencer Johnson. They have helped me better understand and manage people. What I’m reading now: “Becoming” by Michelle Obama. Next goal: To just really enjoy the people most important to me. COVID-19 took something I can never get back and that is time with my family and friends. Now that everyone is mostly fully vaccinated, my plan is to personally reconnect and really enjoy my time with them.
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Richmond Free Press
B2 May 20-27, 2021
Happenings Joye B. Moore hits the area’s sweet spot with Joyebells Sweet Potato Pies By George Copeland Jr.
Joye B. Moore is a sixth-generation baker whose sweet potato pies based on an old family recipe may be making their way into countless homes throughout Metro Richmond. Roughly 18 months after launching her dessert business in 2019, Ms. Moore’s Joyebells Sweet Potato Pies is expanding from five independent grocery locations to 45 Food Lion stores in the Richmond area. “It’s just been awesome,” Ms. Moore said of the experience. It’s a new path for Ms. Moore, a native of South Dallas who was homeless from age 14 to 17 and grew up to build a stable family, become an author, mental health advocate and now successful businesswoman. Living and working in Richmond for the last 32 years, Ms. Moore was laid off during a restructuring at the nonprofit where she worked. Leaving with severance pay and a lot more free time, she turned her attention to leveraging her baking skills passed down through her family, and a sweet potato pie recipe passed down from her third great-grandmother, into a business of her own. Starting such a business had been a dream of Ms. Moore’s for more than 20 years, but one she expected to pursue after retirement. However, leaving the nonprofit and needing flexibility as a primary caregiver for an adult son with mental health challenges inspired Ms. Moore to follow her long-held dream. “I didn’t want to go and start all over to prove my worth,” Ms. Moore said. “Once I lost my position, that was just the passion and the fuel that I needed to go ahead and take a chance on myself.” It has paid off.
As of April 30, her Joyebells Sweet Potato Pies will be more widely available. Previously, Ms. Moore said she baked anywhere from 60 to 100 pies annually as requested gifts for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But since launching Joyebells, she has scaled up her efforts significantly, with 1,000 pies delivered in a two-and-a-half week span for a single store last year. Her business started with selling pie slices at The Dairy Bar Diner in September 2019 to gauge interest before formally launching Joyebells in The Market @ 25th to what she called an “amazing” response a month later. Strong community support has been key to Joyebells’ success, Ms. Moore said. It also led to an invitation to appear on NBC’s “TODAY” for the show’s annual Holiday Pie-Off featuring creative and delicious homemade pies. That, in turn, led to even more buzz, even stronger sales and the expansion of Joyebells into five locations throughout the area. When COVID-19 hit, all of her distribution locations except for The Market @ 25th were shut down under state pandemic restrictions. Ms. Moore said that was something of a gift, as it forced her to scale down her products to the signature sweet potato pie and refocus her priorities and vision for Joyebells’ future success. “I was able to realize that we were manufacturers, that I was not a baker … and I wholesale for retail,” Ms. Moore said. “I would have never gotten to that conclusion, especially not as soon as I did, if we had not been forced to stop and reassess. And once we figured that out, it’s like we found our sweet spot.” She said Food Lion officials first contacted her in March 2020 before the pandemic really struck Virginia. Ms. Moore and her team of five family
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Joye B. Moore shows off one of her Joyebells Sweet Potato Pies at her production facility at Hatch Kitchen RVA in South Side. Working behind her are her sister, left, Cassandra Wheeler, director of production, and Kanesha Johnson, lead production team member.
members and one intern currently work tirelessly through weekends and holidays to meet contracts. Family members provide key roles—from her husband, as chief operating officer, handling logistics, distribution and vendor management to her sister, also a sixth-generation baker, working as director of production. Ms. Moore also said she has received helpful advice from other similar local businesses, funding and aid from organizations such as the Metropolitan Business League, and professional expertise Ms. Moore gained through her years working in the nonprofit sector. “I’m still not sure how it’s getting done, but it’s getting done,” Ms. Moore said with a laugh. “I’m just fortunate enough and blessed to have had enough experiences and jobs that have prepared us for this.”
While Food Lion is the first major partner Joyebells has found so far, Ms. Moore said it’s far from the last. Other partnerships are in the works, she said, with plans to reach the rest of the state in 2022. Ms. Moore said she also is looking to expand the number of employees, as well as the company’s resource and material suppliers. She also is looking at expanding the product line into peach cobbler, gluten-free and vegan pie options. Ms. Moore hopes her path and progress can encourage other entrepreneurs considering going out on their own. “No matter what things look like or how they feel, keep moving,” Ms. Moore said. “Just do it and the rest will catch up, because I promise you, that’s what I did.”
Fidelity launches teen accounts Free Press wire report
Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Back in the groove Singer Desiree Roots gets concert-goers back in the groove during one of three outdoor performances Saturday by Ms. Roots and her Jazz Trio on the lawn of The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen. For many, the socially distant, 60-minute concerts were their first outings since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. The concerts were sold out, with ticketholders spread out in marked 10-foot pods that could accommodate groups of up to four people. The music was so good that Claiborne Watkins had to stand up and dance.
NEW YORK Looking to draw in the next generation of investors, Fidelity Investments is launching a new type of account for teenagers to save, spend and invest their money. The account is for 13- to 17-year-olds, and it will allow them to deposit cash, have a debit card and trade stocks and funds. The teens can make their own trades through a simplified experience on Fidelity’s mobile app, with zero account fees or minimum balances, though the youth account requires a parent or guardian to have their own Fidelity account as well. Fidelity says it’s the first such account designed for teenagers, but it’s only the latest step in a broad push by the industry to draw more first-time investors into the market. Over the years, brokerages have slashed trading commissions to zero and offered easy-to-use apps in hopes of boosting the percentage of U.S. households that are in the stock market, which has climbed back above half. Holding stocks is one of the best ways to build wealth over the long term, but with that also comes risk. Younger investors in their 20s and 30s
have been taking the market by storm, with trading volumes rising across brokerages. But they sometimes get criticized for trading too quickly and rashly. Earlier this year, a loosely organized band of investors sent GameStop’s stock soaring suddenly, while communicating with each other on Reddit and other social media, in the highest-profile example. Much of the gains evaporated almost as quickly, though, before the stock began yo-yoing. Fidelity’s youth account will not put limits on how much or how often a teen can trade, though it won’t let them buy or sell cryptocurrencies, stock options or ETFs that use borrowed money to supercharge gains and losses. Fidelity’s hope is that parents and guardians will use the new youth account as a way to have conversations with their kids about how to safely invest for the long term. “There is a lack of financial literacy,” said David Dintenfass, Fidelity’s chief marketing officer and head of experience design. “People who are already Fidelity customers, they want to pass on their knowledge to their children. When we talked to them, they said they would love to have a product to develop better conversations with their
Disney Junior series aims to give kid’s-eye view of race Free Press wire report
LOS ANGELES “Rise Up, Sing Out,” an animated shorts series presenting the concepts of race, racism and social justice to young viewers, is coming to Disney Junior. Designed for children ages 2 to 7 and their families, the series will include music by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter of The Roots, who are executive producers with Latoya Raveneau. “We hope these shorts will encourage the young audience to recognize and celebrate our differences as human beings while learning the tools to navigate real-world issues of racial injustice,” Mr. Thompson
and Mr. Trotter said in a joint statement Tuesday. They said their hope is to “empower and uplift the future generations in the way we know best, through music.” “Rise Up, Sing Out,” produced in collaboration with Oscar-winning studio Lion Forge Animation (“Hair Love”), will debut this year on Disney Junior platforms, including the channel and app. A date wasn’t announced. Disney Junior recognizes that children are “experiencing a multitude of feelings around what’s happening in our world today” and that families are struggling to discuss “sensitive issues around race,” said Joe D’Ambrosia, its
Supermodel Naomi Campbell becomes mother at 50 Free Press wire report
LONDON Supermodel Naomi Campbell has become the mother of a baby girl. The 50-year-old British icon announced the news Tuesday on Instagram, posting a picture of her hand holding the baby’s feet. She wrote: “A beautiful little blessing has chosen me to be her mother, so honoured to have this gentle soul in my life there are no
children as soon as possible.” Fidelity began a pilot of the youth account program in the middle of 2020. While the sample size is admittedly small, only about a third of the pilot participants actually made trades. More of the teenagers in the pilot used their debit cards, 40 percent, said Jenn Samalis, senior vice president of customer acquisition and loyalty at Fidelity. The youth accounts offer educational materials for teenagers about finances, and they will transition into a standard brokerage account after the child turns 18. Nearly half of the money in the pilot accounts came from the teens themselves. Parents can monitor the teen’s trading and spending activities with the youth account, but they cannot block transactions. That separates it from custodial accounts, which are widely available, where parents and guardians control the account until turning it over to the beneficiary. “This is positioned as a way for parents to have good conversations with their children,” Mr. Dintenfass said of the new youth account. “That, I think, has led to the ideas about responsibility, and that has led to responsible behavior.”
words to describe the lifelong bond that I now share with you my angel. There is no greater love.” Ms. Campbell’s spokesperson declined to provide more information. Congratulations poured in from other fashion industry figures. Designer Marc Jacobs posted: “Oh my God!!!!! Today is the day?? How absolutely incredible. How lucky she is and how lucky you are! What a wonderful Mother you will
be. Blessings all around.” British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful wrote: “Seeing the two of you together made my year. You will bring each other so much joy.” In 2017, Ms. Campbell spoke about her desire to be a mother. “I think about having children all the time,” she told the Evening Standard, a British newspaper. “But now with the way science is, I think I can do it when I want.”
Associsted Press
Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, left, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots are executive producers with Latoya Raveneau of “Rise Up, Sing Out,” an animated shorts series presenting the concepts of race, racism and social justice to young viewers.
general manager and a senior vice president. The shorts are intended to give families “the tools and knowledge to address these important topics with their preschoolers in an age-appropriate manner through music and relatable kid experiences,” he
said in a statement. A viewing guide for parents is being developed by The Conscious Kid, described on its website as an organization “dedicated to equity and promoting healthy racial identity development in youth.”
Richmond Free Press
May 20-22, 2021 B3
Faith News/Obituaries
Youngster who interviewed President Obama at White House dies at 23 Free Press wire report
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. The student reporter who gained national acclaim when he interviewed former President Obama at the White House in 2009 has died of natural causes, his family said. Damon Weaver was 23 when he died Saturday, May 1, his sister, Candace Hardy, told the Palm Beach Post. Further details were not released. He had been studying communications at Albany State University in Georgia. Mr. Weaver was 11 when he interviewed President Obama for 10 minutes in the Diplomatic Room on Aug. 13, 2009, asking
questions that focused primarily on education. He covered school lunches, bullying, conflict resolution and how to succeed. Mr. Weaver Mr. Weaver then asked President Obama to be his “homeboy,” saying then-Vice President Joe Biden had already accepted. “Absolutely,” a smiling President Obama said, shaking the boy’s hand. He used that meeting to later interview Oprah Winfrey and athletes such as
Dwyane Wade. “He was just a nice person, genuine, very intelligent,” Ms. Hardy said. “Very outspoken, outgoing. He never said no to anybody.” Mr. Weaver got his start in fifth grade when he volunteered for the school newscast at K.E. Cunningham/Canal Point Elementary in a farm community on the shores of Lake Okeechobee, Fla. “Damon was the kid who ran after me in the hall to tell me he was interested,” his teacher, Brian Zimmerman, told the Post in 2016. “And right away, I just saw the potential for the way he was on camera. You could see his personality come through. He wasn’t nervous being on camera.”
Pervis Staples, member of famed Staple Singers, dies at 85 Free Press wire, staff report
CHICAGO Pervis Staples, whose tenor voice complimented his father’s and sisters’ in the legendary gospel group The Staple Singers, was remembered during a funeral service Monday, May 17, as a great singer and a great brother. Mr. Staples died Thursday, May 6, 2021, at his home in Dolton, Ill. He was 85. The cause of death wasn’t given. Family and friends remembered him as generous, kind, loving person who was a wonderful musician and protector of his sisters as they traveled and performed in the Jim Crow South. “He was a giving and generous man,” said his daughter, Perleta S. Sanders of Richmond. “He would always greet everyone with a smile, and the ladies loved him.” “He influenced so many people,” said his godson Jun Mhoon. “Gladys Knight and The Pips, he grew up with Sam Cooke, he grew up with Lou Rawls, literally they grew up together. He was just a great, genuine gentleman.” Mr. Staples was born Nov. 18, 1935, in Drew, Miss. He and his family moved to Chicago for economic opportunities. That is where their guitar-playing father, Roebuck “Pops” Staples, started teaching his children gospel songs to entertain them and occupy their time. Mr. Staples sang gospel songs with his father and sisters Mavis, Yvonne and Cleotha in Chicago churches before gaining a national following. They began recording songs such as “So Soon,”
Happy
“If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again,” “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “Uncloudy Day” for Vee Jay records in the 1950s. The group gained fame in the 1960s by singing music that urged change on a variety of social and Mr. Staples religious issues. The Staple Singers gained a huge audience with their first No. 1 hit, “I’ll Take You There” in 1972, followed with top 40 hits “Respect Yourself,” “Heavy Makes You Happy” and “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me).” Mr. Staples’ last album with The Staple Singers was their first for Stax Records, “Soul Folks in Action” in 1968. The album featured new songs such as “The Ghetto” and their interpretations of tunes like Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” and The Band’s “The Weight.” Mr. Staples went on to manage the group The Emotions and operated for a few years a popular Chicago nightclub, Perv’s House, in the 1970s, which many ranked as the Cadillac of the clubs for blues, funk and early disco. Mr. Staples was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his family in 1999 and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2018. The
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group also received a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys in 2005. Mavis Staples, the lone survivor of the group, said in a statement that her brother’s childhood was filled with wonderful experiences. “He liked to think of this period of his life as setting the stage for all that he wanted to do in life,” she said. “Some of Pervis’ best friends as a youngster included Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls and Jerry Butler. Pervis and the guys would stand under the lamp posts in the summertime singing doo-wop songs.” His family said that he also loved playing pool and tennis. Despite the success of Mr. Rawls and Mr.
Cooke, Roebuck Staples routinely rejected offers to the group to record rhythm and blues, saying it was in conflict with his faith. However, it was with the nudging of Pervis Staples that the group compromised by performing message music in the 1960s, performing at music festivals around the country. Mr. Staples was preceded in death by his parents, Roebuck and Oceola, and three sisters, Cynthia, Cleotha and Yvonne. Survivors also include his son, Pervis R. Staples; and four other daughters, Gwen Staples, Reverly Staples, Paris Staples and Eala Yvonne Sams; seven grandchildren; and seven greatgrandchildren.
Report disputes N.C. pastor’s claim of ties to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee By Jack Jenkins Religion News Service
WASHINGTON The Washington Post Fact Checker is challenging claims that the Rev. Robert W. “Rob” Lee IV, a North Carolina pastor and social justice activist, is a descendent of Robert E. Lee, arguing they could not find evidence to support his repeated assertion that he is related to the Confederate army general. The Post Fact Checker on May 14 cited genealogical research to argue the pastor, who came to the media’s attention over the past five years for advocating for the removal of Confederate statues in Richmond, Va., and elsewhere, is likely not related to Gen. Robert E. Lee but rather Robert S. Lee — a different person who also served with the Confederacy. “(W)hen we traced the genealogy, the trail quickly ran cold,” wrote Glenn Kessler, the editor of Fact Checker. “None of the direct descendants of these Virginians led us to Rob Lee.” In a statement provided to Religion News Service, Rev. Lee, who pastors Unifour Church in Newton, N.C., took issue with the Post’s reporting
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without providing proof of his kinship to the general, implying instead that relevant records do not belong to him. “Rev. Lee vehemently disputes the reporting on his lineage, recognizing that family dynamics are at play when reporters ask to ‘furnish records’ that do not belong to Rev. Lee directly,” the statement read. “The South is a complicated place as are its relationships, and Rev. Lee stands by his lineage while questioning the reasoning for this story at this juncture.” Asked about Rev. Lee’s statement to RNS, a Post spokesperson said the paper had nothing more to add that wasn’t in their original story. Rev. Lee, an outspoken racial justice activist, has claimed to be or been introduced as the great-great-great-great nephew of Gen. Robert E. Lee
on MTV and ABC’s morning talk show “The View,” as well as while meeting with a congressional committee and in Washington Post editorials. He also made the claim in a North Carolina lawsuit seeking the removal of a Confederate statue and when he appeared at a campaign event for Joe Biden in October 2020, where he helped introduce future First Lady Jill Biden to a crowd. He also has appeared with several Virginia officials, including Gov. Ralph S. Northam and Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax, and at the Lee statue on Monument Avenue saying it needs to be removed. Rev. Lee said on Twitter last Friday that he has removed his name from the lawsuit so “as not to detract from the community of Statesville that I love,” but accused the Post of mixing up “even the most basic facts.”
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Richmond Free Press
B4 May 20-22, 2021
Faith News/Directory
Dr. Victor L. Davis Sr., who led Bethlehem Baptist Church for more than 3 decades, dies at 69 By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Dr. Victor Lee Davis Sr. had twin careers as a teacher in Richmond Public Schools and as the pastor for nearly 32 years of Bethlehem Baptist Church in the city’s East End. The veteran educator and Bethlehem’s sixth pastor succumbed to illness Monday, May 10, 2021, his family said. He was 69. His life was celebrated Saturday, May 15, during a service at the church on Fairmount Avenue that he had led since June 25, 1989, when he succeeded the Rev. John Bishop Gordon. Dr. Davis taught health and physical education classes at various city elementary schools, including Fairfield Court Elementary, the former George Mason Elementary, Whitcomb Court Elementary and Clark Springs Elementary. Meanwhile, the Virginia Beach native was an active minister at Bethlehem Baptist and
served as president of the church’s munity and overseas, revitalizing nonprofit arm, the Canaan Housing the youth program and launching Foundation. The foundation owns programs for young adults. and manages two senior housing Well known for his singing complexes that were installed in ability, he also helped create a former city schools, the Bowler and new sanctuary choir that was Bacon retirement communities. The named for him. foundation gained them from the Dr. Davis graduated from Nordeveloper, H. Louis Salomonsky, folk State University in 1975. He after 20-year tax credits expired. started his career in the ministry According to the church, Dr. Dain 1977 as an associate minister at Dr. Davis vis also led development of a fully New Rising Star Baptist Church equipped playground on the church grounds in Fort Worth, Texas, while earning his masand established two building funds with the ter’s of divinity from Southwestern Baptist goal of expanding the current space. Theological Seminary. “It was Dr. Davis’ dream that Bethlehem He later earned his doctorate of ministry would eventually be able to offer educational from Union Theological Seminary in New aid and opportunities for children and adults,” York. his obituary noted. After three years at the church in Fort Worth, Dr. Davis also is credited with expanding he moved back to Virginia and spent the next the church’s mission activities in the com- six years as associate pastor and pastor of East
End Baptist Church in Suffolk. In 1986, he came to Richmond to serve as the director of Black church relations for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Foreign Mission Board and was called to the Bethlehem Baptist pulpit three years later. He also maintained his employment with the board until 1991, then turned to teaching. He served on the board of the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School. Dr. Davis led the effort to revamp church ushering and was considered the father of the modern usher’s program after his 1999 book, “Ushering with a Mission: A Training Manual for the Development of the Ushers Ministry,” became a staple for churches across the country. Survivors include his wife, Rosa B. Davis; two children, Victor L. Davis Jr. and Kristin Davis; and a granddaughter.
Linwood D. Ross, scoutmaster and deacon, dies at 91 By Jeremy M. Lazarus
firm’s Richmond office and one of at least 20 troop members who earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest achievement Linwood Dixon Ross taught hundreds of Richmond boys in scouting, during Mr. Ross’ tenure. to be prepared while building their confidence and helping to Along with his leadership of the troop, Mr. Ross also held shaping their character. leadership posts in the Frederick Douglass District before it was He did so during his extraordinary 70-year tenure as scout- dissolved in 1968 and served on the staff of four National Boy master of Boy Scout Troop 478 based at Ebenezer Scout Jamborees. Baptist Church in Jackson Ward, setting the apparHis legacy and the lessons he taught live on in ent record for the longest service ever for an adult the troop members he mentored, Mr. Martin said. leader in the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. For him and others, Mr. Ross sought to embody Mr. Ross, who was inducted into the Boy Scouts and instill in them the tenets of the Scout pledge to National Hall of Leadership 10 years ago, still held be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, the title of scoutmaster of Troop 478 when he died kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and at age 91 on Sunday, May 9, 2021. reverent. Family and friends celebrated his life and his “He taught us to value excellence, to lead by exinfluence on city youth development at a service ample and to never give up,” said John B. Harris Jr., Friday, May 14, at Joseph Jenkins Jr. Funeral Home. a retired international banker, another troop member Mr. Ross He was buried in Riverview Cemetery. who attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Never a scout himself because his family could not afford Mr. Harris said Mr. Ross set high expectations for troop the uniform, Mr. Ross, a lifelong member of Ebenezer, started members, while motivating with encouragement rather than out as an assistant scoutmaster of the troop in 1950 and became criticism. At camporee competitions with other troops in the scoutmaster a year later. He did not expect to have such a long Richmond area, “we understood that we were expected to come tenure. He had decided to retire after more than 36 years, but home with blue ribbons,” Mr. Harris said. “Nothing less would relented when the church pastor pleaded with him to stay on. In do. We always strove to be the best.” recent years, he retained the title but handed most of the scout When Mr. Harris was doubtful he could make Eagle during duties to another church member, Forrest White Jr. his final year of eligibility, he said Mr. Ross would not allow In recognition of his work, Mr. Ross received every honor him to quit. Mr. Harris said he had particular difficulty earning the Boy Scouts of America awards an adult, including the Silver the life-saving merit badge because of a requirement to create Beaver Award for distinguished service to young people, said flotation devices out of his shirt and pants while in the water. George K. Martin, managing partner of McGuireWoods law He said Mr. Ross would get into the YMCA pool with him and patiently show him over and over again how to inflate and tie off the clothes until he got it. Mr. Martin said Mr. Ross also taught troop members about teamwork, collaboration and leadership in pushing them to be the area’s top troop. “In order to win, you had to learn to work as a team,” Mr. Martin said.
Memorial service for Adele C. Johnson on May 25
A virtual memorial service celebrating the life of Adele C. Johnson, executive director of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, will be held 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 25, on the BHMVA Facebook Live and YouTube channel. Ms. Johnson, 70, succumbed Sunday, April 25, 2021, to pancreatic cancer. She served as executive director of Ms. Johnson the museum at 122 W. Leigh St. in Jackson Ward from 2017 until her death.
Broad Rock Baptist Church 5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 • 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org
“Due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, Services Are Cancelled, until further notice; but, please join us, by visiting BRBCOnline.org or YouTube (Broad Rock Baptist Church).”
Good Shepherd Baptist Church 1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223 s Office: (804) 644-1402 Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You”
Due to the COVID-19 Corona Virus All regular activities have been suspended until further notice. Visit https://youtu.be/qqzhnIEQyQc for inspirational messages from Pastor Smith
He said Mr. Ross’ dedication to the troop was inspiring. He said Mr. Ross took the troop camping at least once a month “even when there was snow on the ground.” Mr. Ross also would arrange his vacations from work so he could take the troop to camporee competitions or to spend a summer week at Camp Brady T. Saunders, the regional Boy Scout camp in Goochland County. Mr. Martin said one year, Mr. Ross took him and other troop members to the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M., to camp and hike in the Rocky Mountains. Born in Jackson Ward, Mr. Ross grew up during the hard times of the Great Depression. For his first 17 years, his family lived in a ramshackle home on Henry Street that lacked electric wiring but rented for just $10 a month, which they could afford. “We were on welfare. I was lucky to have a pair of shoes on my feet,” Mr. Ross recalled in a 2011 interview as a Richmond Free Press Personality. He noted that he often had to stuff his shoes with cardboard when they began to wear out. He graduated from Armstrong High School and found work at the Port of Richmond in South Side, where he rose from laborer to supervisor. Mr. Martin said Mr. Ross “never missed a day of work” before he retired after 50 years. In addition to his scouting role, Mr. Ross also was elected a deacon at Ebenezer in 1963. He was so admired that the congregation kept waiving the rule that members of the Deacon Ministry could only serve one five-year term. Eighteen years later, he was elected chair of that ministry for a term that was supposed to last just two years but kept being extended. He also was a member of the Maymont Civic League and of the NAACP. Mr. Ross was predeceased by his wife of 53 years, Marie B. Ross, and their two sons, Linwood and Michael Ross. Survivors include his sister, Barbara Ann Ross Lowery, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. “The Church With A Welcome”
3HARON "APTIST #HURCH 500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org (804) 643-3825 Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor
SUNDAYS Morning Worship 10:00 AM Drive-In Service in our Parking Lot
See you there!
7M\XL &ETXMWX 'LYVGL 8LIQI JSV 1SFMPM^MRK *SV 1MRMWXV] 6IJVIWLMRK 8LI 3PH ERH )QIVKMRK 8LI 2I[ A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone
We Embrace Diversity — Love For All! Come worship with us! Sunday Service will not be held in our sanctuary. Join us for 11:00 AM Worship by going to our website www.sixthbaptistchurch.org
“MAKE IT HAPPEN” Pastor Kevin Cook
400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220
Twitter sixthbaptistrva
Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor
(near Byrd Park)
(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Facebook Fax (804) 359-3798 sixthbaptistrva www.sixthbaptistchurch.org
Thirty-first Street Baptist Church C
bin om
in g
ance with Reverence Relev
Rev. Dr. Joshua Mitchell, Senior Pastor ❖
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic All regular activities have been suspended until further notice. Please join us on
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10:30 a.m. Sundays 7:00 p.m. Wednesdays-Bible Study
823 North 31st Street Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 226-0150 Office
Antioch Baptist Church “Redeeming God’s People for Gods Purpose”
1384 New Market Road, Richmond, Virginia 23231 | 804-222-8835
SERVICES
SUNDAY WORSHIP HOUR – 10:00 A.M. CHILDREN’S CHURCH & BUS MINISTRY AVAILABLE SUNDAY SCHOOL (FOR ALL AGES) – 9:00 A.M. TUESDAY MID-DAY BIBLE STUDY – 12 NOON WEDNESDAY MID-WEEK PRAYER & BIBLE STUDY – 7:00 P.M. A MISSION BASED CHURCH FAMILY EXCITING MINISTRIES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, YOUNG ADULTS & SENIOR ADULTS BIBLE REVELATION TEACHING DIVERSE MUSIC MINISTRY LOVING, CARING ENVIRONMENT
DR. JAMES L. SAILES PASTOR
Richmond Free Press
May 20-22, 2021 B5
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City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, June 7, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, June 14, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2021-129 To amend Ord. No. 9430-133, adopted Jun. 13, 1994, which authorized the special use of the properties known as 205 and 207 North Shields Avenue for the purpose of a restaurant and two dwelling units, together with accessory parking, to allow outdoor dining, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in a R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for neighborhood MixedUses. Primary uses are single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multifamily buildings and open space. Secondary uses include retail, office, and personal services. Ordinance No. 2021-130 To amend Ord. No. 2011-009-23, adopted Feb. 28, 2011, which authorized the special use of the property known as 405 Brook Road as a restaurant on a portion of the ground level of the building with a waiver of parking requirements, to allow a brewery, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in a R-02 Residential Office District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for neighborhood MixedUses. Primary uses are single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multi-family buildings and open space. Secondary uses include retail, office, and personal services. Secondary Uses: Large multifamily buildings, retail/office/ personal service, institutional, cultural, and government. Ordinance No. 2021-131 To authorize the special use of the property known as 212 East Clay Street for the purpose of a mixeduse building, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in a B-2 Community Business Zoning District. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Neighborhood Mixed Use. Primary Uses: Single family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multifamily buildings (typically 3-10 units), and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multi-family buildings (10+units), retail/ office/personal service, institutional, cultural, and government. Ordinance No. 2021-132 To authorize the special use of the property known as 501 Oliver Hill Way for the purpose of warehouse, brewery, and food and beverage manufacturing uses, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in a B-5C Central Business Conditional District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Destination MixedUse. Primary Uses: r e t a i l / o ff i c e / p e r s o n a l service, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Secondary Uses: Institutional and government. Ordinance No. 2021-133 To authorize the special use of the properties known as 1705 Chamberlayne Parkway, 1705 ½ Chamberlayne P a r k w a y, 1707 Chamberlayne Parkway, 1716 Roane Street, 1718 Roane Street, 710 West Fells Street, and 712 West Fells Street for the purpose of a multifamily dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in a B-6 Mixed-Use Business District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for Industrial Mixed-Use. Primary uses are retail/ office/personal service, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Ordinance No. 2021-134 To authorize the special use of the property known as 2015 North Continued on next column
Avenue for the purpose of a two-family detached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in a R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use for Residential Use. Primary uses are singlefamily houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space. Secondary Uses: Duplexes and small multifamily buildings (typically 3-10 units), institutional, and cultural. Secondary uses may be found along major streets. Ordinance No. 2021-135 To authorize the special use of the property known as 3511 P Street, for the purpose of a community center, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-5 Single-Family Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use for Neighborhood Mixed-Use. Primary uses are single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multifamily buildings, and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multifamily buildings, retail/office/ personal service, institutional, cultural, and government. Ordinance No. 2021-136 To authorize the special use of the properties known as 3700 Monument Avenue and 1301A North Hamilton Street for the purpose of a multi-family building containing up to 263 units, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-73 Multi Family Residential Zoning District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Corridor Mixed Use. Primary Uses: Retail/ office/personal service, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Secondary Uses: Single family houses, institutional, and government. The density of the proposed development is approximately 105 units per acre. The meetings will be held through electronic communication means pursuant to and in compliance with Ordinance No. 2020-093, adopted April 9, 2020, as most recently amended by Ordinance No. 2020-232, adopted December 14, 2020. The meetings will be open to participation through electronic communication means by the public and closed to in-person participation by the public. Less than a quorum of Richmond City Planning Commission members and Richmond City Council will assemble in City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, and most members and other staff will participate by teleconference/ videoconference via Microsoft Teams. The meetings will be streamed live online at the following web address: https://richmondva. legistar.com/Calendar. a s p x . To w a t c h a meeting’s live stream at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “In Progress” in the farthest right hand column entitled, “Video”. The agenda for the Richmond City Council meeting is accessible through the City’s legislative website at the following web address: https://richmondva. legistar.com/Calendar. aspx. To view the agenda at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “Agenda” associated with the June 14, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting listed in the calendar. Interested citizens who wish to speak at the Richmond City Council meeting will be given an opportunity to do so by following the “Formal Meeting Citizen Participation Instructions” attached to the June 14, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Citizens are encouraged to provide their comments in writing to CityClerksOffice@ richmondgov.com in lieu of calling in. The person responsible for receiving comments in writing is Candice D. Reid, City Clerk. All comments received prior to 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 14, 2021, will be provided to Council members prior to the meeting and will be included in the record of the meeting. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https://www.rva.gov/ office-city-clerk. Candice D. Reid City Clerk
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City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, June 14, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following ordinance: Ordinance No. 2021-128 To repeal City Code § 2-3, concerning the City logo, and to amend ch. 2, art. I of the City Code by adding therein a new section 2-3, concerning the City logo, for the purpose of abandoning the former City logo and establishing a new City logo. (COMMITTEE: Governmental Operations, Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 2:00 p.m.) This meeting will be held through electronic communication means pursuant to and in compliance with Ordinance No. 2020-093, adopted April 9, 2020, as most recently amended by Ordinance No. 2020-232, adopted December 14, 2020. This meeting will be open to participation through electronic communication means by the public and closed to in-person participation by the public. Less than a quorum of Richmond City Council will assemble in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, and most Council members and other staff will participate by teleconference/ videoconference via Microsoft Teams. Video of the meeting will be streamed live online at the following web address: https:// r i c h m o n d v a . l e g i s t a r. com/Calendar.aspx. To watch the meeting’s live stream at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “In Progress” in the farthest right hand column entitled, “Video”. The agenda for the Richmond City Council meeting is accessible through the City’s legislative website at the following web address: https://richmondva. legistar.com/Calendar. aspx. To view the agenda at the web address provided, find and click the link that reads, “Agenda” associated with the June 14, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting listed in the calendar. Interested citizens who wish to speak at the Richmond City Council meeting will be given an opportunity to do so by following the “Formal Meeting Citizen Participation Instructions” attached to the June 14, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Citizens are encouraged to provide their comments in writing to CityClerksOffice@ richmondgov.com in lieu of calling in. The person responsible for receiving comments in writing is Candice D. Reid, City Clerk. All comments received prior to 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 14, 2021, will be provided to Council members prior to the meeting and will be included in the record of the meeting. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https://www.rva.gov/ office-city-clerk. Candice D. Reid City Clerk
Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER BRITTANY STAGG, Plaintiff v. CHRISTOPHER STAGG, Defendant. Case No.: CL21001232-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, who has been served with the Complaint by posted service appear here on or before the 6th day of July, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Counsel VSB# 27724 The Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667
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FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER VERA VENABLE, Plaintiff v. EDWARD JONES, Defendant. Case No.: CL21001282-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 6th day of July, 2021 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667
Plaintiff v. PURCELL JEFFERSON, III, Defendant. Case No.: CL21001573-00 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 17th day of June, 2021 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
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
Richmond, Virginia 23234 GREGORY CUNNINGHAM, Serve: 1108 E 17th Street Richmond, Virginia 23224 JON CUNNINGHAM, Serve: 804 Brook Hill Road, Apt 532 Richmond, Virginia 23227 TRACEY CUNNINGHAM, Serve: 3448 Chapel Dr. Richmond, Virginia 23224 PAUL CUNNINGHAM, Serve: 2017 Fairfield Ave, Apt A Richmond, Virginia 23223 ACQUILLA COLEMAN PERKINS, Serve: 4901 Laudeen Drive North Chesterfield, Virginia 23234 ROCHELLE EDMONICA COLEMAN, Serve: 2510 Gravel Hill Road Richmond, Virginia 23225 MARGEURITE ANN TURNER, Serve: 2510 Gravel Hill Road Richmond, Virginia 23225 JAMES M. COLEMAN, JR., Serve: 5634 Hogan Bridge Drive Providence Forge, Virginia 23140 SARAH L. SMITH, EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE OF HERBERT W. SMITH, Serve: 3110 Lees Landing Road Powhatan, Virginia 23139 ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS OF SAM GREEN, ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS OF BEVERLY GREEN, ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS OF EDMONIA GREEN SMITH, ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS OF ELIZBETH BEATRICE CUNNINGHAM MOON, ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS OF ROSEZIER MAVIS COLEMAN, ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS OF CLARENCE EDWARD FRYE, ALL UNKNOWN HEIRS OF CLARENCE EDWARD FRYE, JR., and PA R T I E S U N K N O W N , including but not limited to all unknown heirs, devisees, and successors in interest to those named herein or anyone claiming an interest in this action Defendants. Case No. 211375-8 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is for an order of partition sale concerning that certain real property, located in the City of Richmond, Virginia located on Gravel Hill Road, City of Richmond, Virginia 23225, Tax Map Number C0040826002, and more particularly described as follows, to wit: ALL that certain lot, piece or parcel of land lying and being in the City of Richmond, Virginia, known as 2580 Gravel Hill Road, containing 2.00 acres and more particularly described as: BEGINNING at a point in the southern boundary of State Route 689 and at its intersection with the western line of Gravel Hill Road; thence from such point of beginning S. 32 dg. 11’57” E. 55.00 feet to a point; thence N. 28 dg. 25’ 35” W. 653.08 feet to a point; thence N. 61 deg. 33’ N. 105.00 feet to a point; thence N. 28 deg. 27’ E 682.50 feet to the point and place of beginning. Being that same property conveyed unto Plaintiff, Gravel Hill Baptist Church, by deed dated January 31, 2017 from Sarah L. Smith, executor of the estate of Herbert W. Smith and recorded in the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond, Virginia as instrument no. 17-2182. And further being that same property claimed to have been conveyed unto Herbert W. Smith from Edmonia Smith, maiden name Edmonia Green, by operation of law. Based upon information and belief Edmonia Smith was married to Herbert W. Smith on October 29, 1956, and remained married to him until the time of her death; however, Herbert W. Smith was not the biological father of her children. Based on information and belief, Edmonia Smith had three children from her marriage to Monroe James Frye; and those three children were Elizabeth Beatrice Cunningham Moon, Rosezier Mavis Coleman, and Clarence Edward Frye. Based on information and belief, Elizabeth Beatrice Cunningham Moon departed this life on May 19, 2019, leaving behind her spouse, Roy Moon, and her children from her first marriage to McKenly Cunningham. Such children are Vaughan Cunningham, Theresa Bailey, Faith Goodall, Sterling Cunningham, Lisa Shelton, Gregory Cunningham, Jon Cunningham, Tracey Cunningham, and Paul Cunningham; she was predeceased by three children: Ethel Cunningham, Herbert Cunningham, and Maurice Cunningham. Based on information and belief, Rosezier Mavis Coleman departed this life on February 15, 2015, leaving behind her children Acquilla Coleman Perkins, Rochelle Edmonica Coleman, Margeurite Ann Turner, and James M. Coleman, Jr. Based on information and belief, Clarence Edward Frye departed this life on February 25, 1994, leaving behind his son, Clarence Edward Frye, Jr., who departed this life on March 27, 2020. It is unclear what heirs Clarence Edward Frye, Jr. may have left, if any. An affidavit having been made and filed in this Court that due diligence has been
used on behalf of the Plaintiff to ascertain the location of many of the Defendants, but without effect, and that the last known address of many of the Defendants is unknown or not located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is hereby ORDERED that his Order be published at least once a week for four successive weeks in the Richmond Free Press, a newspaper of general circulation within The City of Richmond, Virginia, and that the parties named herein appear on or before June 21, 2021 in the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court for the City of Richmond, Virginia, and do what may be necessary to protect their respective interests in this suit. Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk I ASK FOR THIS: Danielle J. Wang VSB# 85964 Howard Bullock VSB# 86760 SHAHEEN LAW FIRM, PC 8890 Three Chopt Road Richmond, Virginia 23229 Phone: (804) 474-9423; Fax: (888) 641-3611 dwang@shaheenlaw.com hbullock@shaheenlaw.com Counsel for Plaintiff
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER FAITH MALLORYSTINNET, Plaintiff BILLY STINNETT, Defendant. Case No.: CL20001903-00 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 17th day of July, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 Virginia: IN THE HANOVER CIRCUIT COURT Commonwealth of Virginia, in re BRIAN LAMONT GREEN v SALA EL Case No.: CL20004183-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Divorce. It is ordered that Sala El appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before June 21, 2021 at 9:00 AM. VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER MAURICE SMITH, Plaintiff v. CASSANDRA SMITH, Defendant. Case No.: CL21001061-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, who has been served with the Complaint by posted service appear here on or before the 1st day of July, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Counsel VSB# 27724 The Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER MAURICE BLAND, Plaintiff v. AKILAH AR-RAHEEM, Defendant. Case No.: CL21001642-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 23rd day of June, 2021 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
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER KIMBERLY JEFFERSON,
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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER GEORGE MINNICKS, Plaintiff LETITIA MINNICKS, Defendant. Case No.: CL21001626-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 6th day of June, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER LADINA NORFLEET, Plaintiff v. FREZELL BROWN, Defendant. Case No.: CL21001672-00 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 17th day of June, 2021 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 JULIKZA ESTEVEZ, Plaintiff v. GODFREY PARKINSON, JR., Defendant. Case No.: CL21001594-00 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 17th day of June, 2021 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 LEILIANA LYNNAE FELIX RDSS v. UNKNOWN FATHER, JENNIFER LYNN WARNER Case No. J-97950-06, 07-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) Unknown Father (Father) & Jennifer Lynn Warner (Mother), o f L e i l i ana Lynna e Felix, child, DOB 9/22/2019, “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, Unknown Father, (Father) & Jennifer Lynn Warner (Mother), to appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his/her interest on or before 6/11/2021, at 10:20 AM, Courtroom #1. VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re ISAIAH ANTHONY GILCHRIST RDSS v. SAMUEL BLY, Unknown father, & andrea renee gilchrist File No. J-98407-8, 9, 10 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) of Samuel Bly, (Father), Unknown (Father), & Andrea Renee Gilchrist (Mother), of Isaiah Anthony Gilchrist, child DOB: 7/27/2011. “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 and that: It is ORDERED that the defendants Samuel Bly, (Father), Unknown Father (Father), Andrea Renee Gilchrist (Mother) to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 7/20/2021, at 9:40 AM, Courtroom #2. VIRGINIA: IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re DESTINI RENEE GILCHRIST RDSS v. DEVIN RONALD WILLIAMS, SR., Unknown father, & andrea renee gilchrist File No. J-98757-4, 5, 6 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) of Devin Ronald Williams, Sr., (Father), Unknown (Father), & Andrea Renee Gilchrist (Mother), of Destini Renee Gilchrist, child DOB: 6/17/2016. “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 and that: It is ORDERED that the defendants Devin Ronald Williams, Sr., (Father), Unknown Father (Father), Andrea Renee Gilchrist (Mother) to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 7/20/2021, at 9:40 AM, Courtroom #2.
PROPERTY
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER DEMOND SCOTT, Plaintiff v. TAMIKA WATKINS, Defendant. Case No.: CL21001663-00 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 21st day of June, 2021 at 9:00 AM and protect her interests.
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CITY OF RICHMOND GRAVEL HILL BAPTIST CHURCH, an unincorporated non-stock, non-profit entity Plaintiff v. ROY MOON, Serve: 467 Westover Hill Blvd, Apt 106 Richmond, Virginia 23225 VAUGHAN CUNNINGHAM, Serve: 8509 Spring Hollow Drive Richmond, Virginia 23227 THERESA BAILEY, Serve: 5108 Downy Lane, Apt 204 Henrico, Virginia 23228 FAITH GOODALL, Unknown address Serve by Publication STERLING CUNNINGHAM, Unknown address Serve by Publication LISA SHELTON, Serve: 3315 Dorset Road
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NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE OF INTENT TO RELOCATE INTERMENTS WITHIN THE MOUNT ETNA BAPTIST CHURCH CEMETERY, CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, VIRGINIA 1. APPLICANT: COSBY VILLAGE, LLC, A VIRGINIA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY 15871 CITY VIEW DRIVE, STE. 100 MIDLOTHIAN, VIRGINIA 23113 2. PROPOSED WORK FOR RELOCATION: The Applicant proposes to excavate all human remains from an abandoned cemetery of about 6,322.5 square feet of what was the MOUNT ETNA BAPTIST CHURCH C E M E T E RY l o c a t e d i n Chesterfield County, Virginia. The only remains of the church are several foundation pilings. The current site is unattended and difficult to locate and has lack of parking. The remains will be disinterred and relocated at a new site about 255 feet from the current location on a parcel of land containing 10,640 square feet. The Applicant is developing the subject property and surrounding area as a planned development and will provide in the new location a dignified area for the new cemetery which will be maintained by the Applicant and/or successor, which will provide easy access to and from the reinterred remains and will allow adequate parking for heirs and visitors to the new cemetery site. The current cemetery location is located at 15901 Cosby Road, Chesterfield County, Virginia 23832. The new site location is Parcel # 713671840700000, 15451 Village Square Parkway, Chesterfield County, Virginia 23832. The current cemetery contains nine (9) headstone markers with the following inscriptions: #1. “Grover M. Turner” (b. December 1, 1888, d. December 17,1975), #2. “Martha L. Owens” (b. July 7, 1905, d. May 16, 1996), #3. “Jemima Cheatham Owens” (d. June 8, 1961), #4. “Rev. George Lee Owens” (d. February 27, 1960), #5. “Mary D. Owens”, (b. March 15, 1920, d. January 5, 1981), #6. “Samuel Owens”, (b. September 8, 1914, d. October 17, 1995), #7. “Sylvia R. Turner”, (b. June 5, 1888, d. April 9, 1924), #8. “Helen T. Mason”, (b. June 5, 1905, d. December 13, 1937), #9. “John T. Jones”, (b. January 15, 1920, d. May 8, 1981). The current cemetery contains an unknown number of unmarked graves within the cemetery. Documentary research indicates the cemetery contains or could contain the following; Lizzie R. Archer, Elsie Briggs, Arthur Cheatham, Alex Cheatham, Catherine Cheatham, Eliza K. Cheatham, Elwood Cheatham, Frances Cheatham, James Cheatham, Linwood Cheatham, Minnie S. Cheatham, Sarah Cheatham, Susie Cheatham, Dolly Caroline Page Cousins, Mathew Cousins, Kate C. Early, Amelia Haskins, Calvin Haskins, Corah Haskins, Creed Haskins, Hattie Haskins, Florence Haskins, Richard Haskins, Richard Haskins, Jr., Sarah E . H a s k i n s , S i d n e y F. Haskins, Luther Henderson, James Henderson, Howard Henderson, Irene Henderson, Constance Delores Howell, Mamie Hudson, Emma R. Jefferson, Robert H. Jefferson, William H. Jefferson, Beulah Jones, Dara Jones, David Jones, Essex Jones, Jemima Jones, Jerald Jones, Lizzie M. Jones, Samuel Jones, William Jones, Virginia Jones, Ruth Lee, Emma Ross, Emily C. Ross, George Ross, Junie Ross, Lizzie Stokes, Amanda Sturdevant, Cornelius Sturdevant, Eliza Sturdevant, Patrick Wooldridge, Rebecca Wooldridge. Cosby Village, LLC, has determined that disturbance of the cemetery cannot be avoided due to the mixed use development of the surrounding area which would Continued on next page
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Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities Continued from previous page
make access to the existing abandoned cemetery more difficult and the existing cemetery site would continue to deteriorate and become unrecognizable. Pursuant to the requirements of Virginia Code § 10.1-2305, the applicant intends to apply for a burial permit through the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) to allow the archaeological excavation and relocation of the aforementioned cemetery. A copy of the Application may be requested from DHA. The exhumed human remains and funeral objects will be excavated by Bliley’s Funeral Home, 3801 Augusta Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23230, and will be respectfully reburied at 15491 Village Square Parkway, Chesterfield County, Virginia 23832, about 255 feet from the now existing cemetery, unless otherwise requested by interested parties. The excavation and reinterment will occur on the same day. 3. COMMENT PERIOD: Comments on the project should be made in writing and addressed to the following: Bruce P. Ganey, Esquire 11159 Air Park Road, Suite 1, Ashland, Virginia 23005 Telephone: (804) 550-2106 Facsimile: (804) 550-1015 Cell Phone: (804) 516-8020 Email: tc@hanoverlaw.net and Joanna Wilson Green Virginia Department of Historic Resources 2801 Kensington Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23221 Email: burialpermits@dhr. virginia.gov Written comment should be received by the close of business on May 20, 2021. A public Hearing may be requested by any Respondent to this Notice. 4. CONTACT INFOMATION: If you have any questions about this project, please contact: Bruce P. Ganey, Esquire 11159 Air Park Road, Suite 1, Ashland, Virginia 23005 Telephone: (804) 550-2106 Facsimile: (804) 550-1015 Cell Phone: (804) 516-8020 Email: tc@hanoverlaw.net
Bethlehem Road Improvement Project - Henrico County Virginia Notice of Willingness The County of Henrico is proposing improvements to Bethlehem Road between Libbie Avenue and Staples Mill Road. The proposed roadway will consist of two lanes, one in each direction with a center turn lane to provide left turn access throughout the corridor. New curb and gutter and improved drainage will be provided. In addition, a shared use path, providing access to pedestrians and bicyclists, will be constructed on the south side of the improved roadway and a sidewalk will be added along the north side. Proposed intersection improvements at Libbie Avenue include a single lane roundabout. Construction is currently planned to begin in December 2022. The project information includes the proposed roadway intersection improvements, project schedule, and funding which can be reviewed at the County of Henrico, Department of Public Works, Administration Annex Building, 4305 E. Parham Road, Henrico, Virginia. Telephone: (804) 501-4244. ,I \RXU FRQFHUQV FDQQRW EH VDWLV¿HG WKH &RXQW\ LV ZLOOLQJ WR KROG D public hearing. You may request a public hearing by sending a written request to Conner Barnes, P. O. Box 90775, Henrico, VA 23273-0775, on or before June 4, 2021. If a request for a public hearing is received, notice of the date, time, and place of the public hearing will be provided. The County 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 need more information or assistance for persons ZLWK VSHFLDO QHHGV RU OLPLWHG (QJOLVK SUR¿FLHQF\ FRQWDFW &RQQHU %DUQHV at the above address or phone number or at bar136@henrico.us. UPC: 113260 Project: VDOT # 9999-043-R36
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