Brotherly love A8
Richmond Free Press © 2023 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
VOL. 32 NO. 18
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
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Moving on up
MAY 4-6, 2023
Fort Gregg-Adams
New name for Army base honors 2 Black officers
Creighton Court developer’s $300M plan may cost $410,400 per unit
Free Press staff report
Fort Gregg-Adams replaces Fort Lee as the official name for the U.S. Army Base during a Redesignation Ceremony on April 27. Located in Prince George County, Fort GreggAdams recognizes two Black officers, Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams. Lt. Gen. Gregg, 94, was born in Florence, S.C., but, as a teen, moved to Newport News to live with an older brother following the death of their mother. In Newport News, he admired the area’s Black military soldiers and officers in crisp, well-maintained uniforms, and their professional and personal conduct. His plans to work as a medical technician became sidetracked by discrimination experienced
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
The most expensive housing development in Richmond is headed to a neighborhood in the East End that has ranked high in poverty. That neighborhood is Creighton Court, which fronts Nine Mile Road near the border with Henrico County. The Community Builders (TCB) plans to spend $300 million to create 731 new apartments and homes over the next five years to replace the mostly razed 504-unit public housing complex that dates to 1953, according to a detailed financial report TCB provided to City Council. That means the Boston-based nonprofit projects spending, on average, a record $410,400 per unit as it moves to create what is described as a vibrant mixed-income community where Creighton residents and others, including community newcomers, can live in subsidized and market-rate apartments and singlefamily townhomes That average cost of each unit does not include the nearly $37 million TCB projects will be spent to install new underground piping, streets and other infrastructure. That separate infrastructure cost will add nearly $50,615 to
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Meet this week’s Personality B1
Please turn to A4 Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg speaks to the audience at the Redesignation Ceremony. Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg joins Lt. Col. Charity Adams’ children, Judith Earley and Stanley Earley III and actor Blair Underwood for a photograph.
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Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Teen shootings raise questions about school attendance By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Another shooting involving Richmond students has once again focused attention on the high level of truancy the city schools experience. The latest gunfire incident around noontime April 27 involved two truant George Wythe High school students, both left injured. An 18-year-old has been arrested in the case. Acting Police Chief Richard “Rick” Edwards suggested at a vigil for the students organized by the Police Department that the shooting followed an argument among the three individuals who
apparently were hanging out in a wooded area on the edge of the Wythe campus, about a football field west of the building. Had the two students been in class rather than skipping school as thousands of students do every day, a shooting likely would have been avoided, city and school leaders noted. This incident follows an incident in March involving three students being wounded in off-campus shootings, while another student was accidentally shot to death outside school while filming a video for social media about having a weapon. The truancy issue might have helped expose more students to situations that would allow them to be victims or cause trouble
outside schools, in the view of some. In a January report, Richmond Public Schools notified the School Board that one in four students or about 5,000, are chronically absent, meaning they miss 10 or more days of school, or just about the same rate as a year earlier. The report highlighted the situation for each school. Among high schools, George Wythe was listed as having 29 percent of its students chronically absent. Three other high schools, Armstrong, Huguenot and John Marshall, also listed 25 percent or Please turn to A4
Boushall teacher on leave after confrontation with student By George Copeland Jr.
A photo shows damage from the storm in Mississippi.
Courtesy Renada Harris
Virginians lend helping hand after Mississippi storms
A Richmond Public Schools teacher identified as a female is currently on administrative leave after a video of a confrontation with a student over speaking Spanish sparked criticism from the community and calls to deal with long-standing issues for Latino students in the city. RPS officials made the decision Monday, after a video recording was publicly shared last week of a
teacher at Boushall Middle School allegedly berating a sixth-grade Latino student, who wished to not be identified at this time, for speaking Spanish. In the video, the teacher allegedly ordered the student to stop speaking Spanish in the class because they didn’t understand it, called on them to appreciate “the benefit of English-speaking language” as an American resident and told the student to “go wherever that is - that Spanish-speaking
images from Rolling Fork on the news compelled him to help — When storms tore through especially one 86-year-old man Mississippi and the surrounding who wept as he was interviewed states of Texas and Alabama in the aftermath. last month, the devastation He spoke to his three daughmade national news. At least 25 ters — Bonnica Cotman, Renada people were killed, and hundreds Harris and Kimberlyn Washingof homes and businesses were ton — about the newscast. Mr. Harris destroyed. “When I told them about it Thirteen of those who lost their lives and how it made me feel, they said they were from Sharkey County, Miss. Gov. hadn’t heard about it,” Mr. Harris said. Tate Reeves described Rolling Fork, a “When they looked up what happened, small town in the county, as “ground zero” they immediately agreed with me that we for the storm which began around 8 p.m. gotta do something.” on March 24. The powerful tornado and The sisters got the local nonprofit they winds that reached speeds up to 170 miles founded involved. Through the Brown per hour tore the roof off the city hall and Grove Preservation Group’s social media toppled the town’s water tower. accounts, they sought donations for RollBack in Virginia, Ashland retiree McKinPlease turn to A4 ley Harris said in a recent interview that the By Debora Timms
McKinley Harris’ friends and family who contributed to the needed supplies for tornado victims of Rolling Fork in Sharkey County, included Lowell Sanders, Gloria Glover, Myrtle Wright, Elizabeth Harris, who is the wife of McKinley Harris, Brenda Johnson, Perleta Sanders and Earnest Johnson.
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Kamala Harris Richmond visit scheduled Free Press staff report
On Thursday, May 4, Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Richmond in honor of Small Business Week and to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to uplifting small businesses. In Richmond, the vice president will deliver remarks, and she will tour a local small business to hear directly from the owner and employees on how they have benefitted from the administration’s investments.
Bonnie Newman Davis/Richmond Free Press
Little helpers
April Coleman/Richmond Free Press
country is - and speak it” instead of in the class. The teacher also claimed that the Richmond School Board would support her efforts and actions for the student to speak English in class. “You’re not going to run my class like that, period,” the teacher said, “and the School Board will back me up.” However, school officials appar-
Flower girl Sidney Drew, 5, and ring bearer Shomari Kearney, 4, brought smiles before and after they walked down the aisle at Richmond’s Second Baptist Church, 1400 Idlewood Ave. on April 23. The two youngsters, whose fathers are Alvin Drew and Nathaniel Kearney, participated in the wedding of Joseph W. and Apryl (Pecht) Wimbush.
Ms. Harris
Free community testing for COVID-19 continues The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: Thursday, May 4, 1 to 5 p.m. - Henrico Arms Apartments, 1664 Henrico Arms Place. Friday, May 5, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Southside Women, Infant and Children Office, 509 E. Southside Plaza. Call the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for more information on testing sites, or go online at vax.rchd.com. The Virginia Department of Health also has a list of COVID-19
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Richmond Free Press
A2 May 4-6, 2023
Local News
Fire training center topic returns By Jeremy M. Lazarus
A controversial plan to have the Richmond Fire Department build a training facility on a two-acre section of the lawn at the Hickory Community Center that the Planning Commission rejected has returned to City Council’s agenda. The council’s Public Safety Committee last week recommended that the governing body override the Planning Commission and authorize development of the new training center at the South Side site to replace an outdated and essentially condemned facility in Sandston in Henrico County. Committee Chair Reva M. Trammell, 8th District, who has been a staunch supporter, was joined by council Vice President Kristen Nye in advancing the proposal, which came to the committee less than 24 hours after being introduced at the Monday council meeting. The action belied a previous Free Press report that the council apparently had accepted the Planning Commission’s verdict. The report was based on information from the council. The committee’s action sends it to the full council for action at the Monday, May 8, meeting. The council would need six votes to override the Planning Commission. First District Councilman Andreas D. Addison, a member of the Planning Commission who led the opposition on that body, is expected to urge council to reject the proposal when the matter comes up for debate. While there has been significant opposition, none of the residents who previously had spoken against the proposal turned out to the committee meeting or called in by phone to register disapproval. Residents who support the proposal also did not participate. Fire Chief Melvin D. Carter told the committee that he and his predecessors have sought to have a city training facility since 1980. He noted that the facility would benefit the department to meeting training standards for recruits and veterans and help the city maintain its top fire rating for insurance purposes. He said the facility would only have burning inside four to six times a year and would not impact the area with loud noise or other disruptions. He said the department would offer community education classes to help people be more equipped to respond to health emergencies and would improve the computer equipment at the center. However, opponents have pointed to the loss of green space that would result, flouting the policy that Mayor Levar M. Stoney and the council put in place that calls for expanding green space in South Richmond. The arrival of the facility would eliminate a field where children and youths play soccer, disrupt plans to develop a community garden and halt additional tree plantings that Richmond Releaf has undertaken. The green space at Hickory Hill is described as the largest park in that section of the city. The residential areas around the park are ranked at or near the top of the state’s list for asthma and other chronic diseases and is recognized as an area of above normal air pollution due to releases from nearby factories.
Police union up for a vote By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Hundreds of officers in the Richmond Police Department are voting on whether to make the Richmond Coalition of Police their union bargaining agent, the Free Press has learned. The balloting is to be completed on Monday, May 15, with the results released that day before the close of business at City Hall. The election is expected to show overwhelming support for RCOP to gain the authority to negotiate over pay and working conditions on behalf of the more than 500 officers eligible to participate. The officers, up to the rank of lieutenant, appear to be the first to vote on approving a bargaining agent since City Council first authorized the more than 4,000 city employees to unionize. The legislation which allows the unions was passed in late July 2022. It provides for five bargaining units, including one for police officers, one for Fire Department employees, one for professional workers, one for administrative and technical employees and another for labor and trades workers. While three other organizations have filed for elections to represent one or more of those groups of employees, there has been no announcement or indication that they have moved forward with worker elections, based on their websites. For example, Richmond Local 995 of the International Association of Fire Fighters’ Facebook page reports on recent fires and department responses, but there is no mention of a vote going on to select the local as the bargaining agent. In February, two unions, the Service Employees International Union and the Teamsters, announced they had filed the paperwork for an election for various city employees, but there also is no mention of any balloting on their websites. Based on a negotiated agreement, SEIU Virginia Local 512 is seeking to be the bargaining agent for two of the five groups, the professionals and the administrative and technical employees, while Teamsters Local 322 is seeking to represent the labor and trades workers, primarily with the departments of Public Works and Public Utilities. Another union, Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), also filed to represent labor and trades workers, though it is not yet clear whether LIUNA filed sufficient signatures of current employees to be eligible to contest the Teamsters.
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Cityscape
Health System, said: The Children’s Hospital of Richmond “The purpose of goodnight lights was to at VCU’s new Children’s Tower officially show the children and their families that opened April 30. The event featured VCU Police to help the patients settle in their new Slices of life and scenes there is a whole community surrounding and in Richmond supporting them. First responder units from rooms and approximately 50 first responders throughout the region came out and the reaction that flashed their vehicle lights while patients’ from inside the hospital was overwhelmingly positive. One flashlights beamed from their hospital windows. However, many observers found the sudden, unexpected 15- mom described it as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience they’ll minutes wail of sirens from emergency responders disturbing remember forever.” Perhaps. However, we hope that future displays intended and even triggering given Richmond’s recent propensity for gun to reflect a space where children can find comfort and healing violence with young people among many of its victims. When asked about the alarms, Kate Marino, manager for are less about sounds associated with trauma and more about strategy, marketing and enterprise marketing for the VCU sensitivity and tranquility.
Construction to begin on North Side apartments at site of former church By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Enterprise Community Development was scheduled to formally launch construction on a four-story complex of 66 affordable apartment units in North Side, on Thursday, May 4. Site work began in January on the $21 million project being developed at 1224 E. Brookland Park Blvd. in Highland Park, according to the Maryland-based nonprofit. Nearly 10 years in the making, the 66 apartments are going up on a 1 acre property where the Nehemiah House Community Center and Mizpah Presbyterian Church once stood. Only a frontal fraction of the church remains, which will be incorporated into the new complex to be known as the Brookland
Park Apartments. The property sits across the street from a former public school Enterprise previously renovated and that contains 77 apartments primarily for seniors. The project is one of two long-awaited developments that housing nonprofits have launched in Highland Park. Farther south, the Richmond-based Better Housing Coalition (BHC) has begun site work for a 122-unit subdivision on a 40-acre property on Dove Street where the headquarters of the Virginia National Guard once stood. The $35 million subdivision of singlefamily homes and townhouses will sit next to Highland Grove’s 128 mixed-income apartments that replaced public housing and dilapidated private apartments a decade ago.
BHC was selected as the master developer in 2020, and is partnering with project:Homes, the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust and the Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity on the construction, according to Greta Harris, BHC president and CEO. The city is contributing about $4 million to pay for installation of infrastructure, including underground utilities and internal streets. Ms. Harris said it could take seven years to complete the proposed 122 new houses. Based on the projected cost, the homes would be built for $287,000 per unit. At least half, or 61, she said are to be designated as affordable and sold to first-time homebuyers with subsidies to bring down the cost. The remainder will be sold at market rates, she said.
Massey vans drive cancer awareness message Free Press staff report
The VCU Massey Cancer Center recently announced its collaboration with two Richmond area street artists whose colorful works will wrap two mobile health vans. The customized vehicles will soon bring cancer education, prevention, screening and care coordination directly to underserved communities in central and southern Virginia. Vanessa B. Sheppard, Ph.D., associate director for Community Outreach Engagement and Health Disparities within Massey’s Office of Health Equity and Disparities Research is leading the initiative. While cancer can impact anyone, Dr. Sheppard noted “certain groups face a greater risk of developing or dying from cancer due to social, environmental and economic disadvantages.” Despite progress, cancer mortality rates among Black Virginians remain 14 percent
Mr. Glass
Mr. Thornhill
higher than white people. Fifty-seven percent of Virginia’s Black population lives within Massey’s service area, which includes Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Portsmouth, Martinsville and Brunswick County. “Part of our work to change this dynamic is to focus on cancer hotspots – localities with higher-than-average cancer incidence and mortality rates – within our catchment area,” Dr. Sheppard said. “The vans will help us better reach and serve those communities.” Each of the artists created their individual
works with a shared hope – a future without cancer– by depicting everyday people with movement and bright colors. “As a native of Jackson Ward, movement from my neighborhood includes dance and motion,” Sir James Thornhill said of his creation, which uses dance in different styles. “They represent all of us. And the key is that they all – that WE all – embrace the power of information and get screened, and stay educated, and do what we all can and must do to help put cancer at bay.” “I see this van as driving us toward a place where the story is about survivorship, not cancer,” said Philadelphia-born, Richmond-based graphic artist, Hamilton Glass. “It is about raising awareness, sharing information and, I hope, building trust.” The “Massey on the Move” vans are funded through a $300,000 grant from The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation’s Social Justice Grants Initiative and will roll out in late spring.
Early voting to begin for General Assembly seats By Jeremy M. Lazarus
The battle for General Assembly seats is about to begin. Early voting will launch this Friday, May 5, in contested primaries in Richmond and 65 other localities to allow voters to choose the party candidate to run in the general election in November for a seat in the state Senate or Sen. Bagby Ms. Cousins Ms. Lambert Ms. Aird House of Delegates. The battles for voter support will culminate with in-person voting on Tuesday, June 20, to decide who tion to gain a seat in the upper chamber, is seeking to win a will represent the Democratic or Republican Party in the fall full term in the new district, which, in the city, includes the general election. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th council districts as well as a In Richmond, there are two Democratic primaries that will significant share of the 4th and 8th council districts. be open for early voting this week either by mail-in ballot or A businessman, Sen. Bagby is facing off against challenger in-person balloting at the Richmond City Office of Elections, Katie Gooch, director of the Pace Center student ministry on 2134 W. Laburnum Ave. This will be the only city site for the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. early voting. Separately, a three-way race is taking place for the nominaMost city voters will be able to participate in the nomination tion in the 79th House District, which runs from the North Side contest for the state 14th Senate District seat, which covers through the East End and into a portion of South Side. most of the city and part of Eastern Henrico County Attorney Rae Cousins, City Councilwoman Ann-Frances State Sen. Lamont Bagby, who recently won a special elec- Lambert and community advocate Richard Walker are vying
for voter support in seeking the Democratic nomination. Both primaries are winner-take-all, meaning whoever wins the primary is virtually guaranteed to win the seat in November as no Republican or independent candidates have filed to run in the general election in those districts. There are other significant primary battles Mr. Morrissey of interest that will be watched closely. For example, former Richmond Delegate Delores L. McQuinn is facing a tough challenge from Terrance L. Walker, who is vying for the Democratic nomination in the 81st House District in Eastern Henrico. In the Petersburg area, state Sen. Joseph D. Morrissey and former Delegate Lashrecse Aird are battling each other for the Democratic nomination in the 13th Senate District. Another top Democratic contest is in the Hampton Roads area where Sen. Louise Lucas and Sen. Lionell Spruill Jr. are facing off in the 18th Senate District that covers Portsmouth and Chesapeake. To request mail-in ballots: City Office of Elections, www. rva.gov, or vote.elections.virginia.gov.
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May 4-6, 2023 A3
Richmond Free Press
A4 May 4-6, 2023
News
Creighton Court developer’s $300M plan may cost $410,400 per unit Continued from A1
the average cost for each of the 731 units, rocketing the total average cost to a stratospheric $461,000 per unit. No other housing development, whether being done by another nonprofit or by a private housing developer, comes close to that kind of cost, a review of recent reports on developments planned or underway shows. TCB’s estimates of cost for the multi-phase redevelopment were attached to an ordinance that the council approved last month. The vote cleared the way for City Hall to contribute $21 million to pay for new infrastructure in the first phases of the development. Infrastructure work is expected to start later this month on the first phase of 68 units. No one on City Council questioned the amount of money being poured into this redevelopment in rubber-stamping the infrastructure funding. The redo of Creighton was first envisioned more than 10 years ago during the tenure of Mayor Dwight C. Jones. The Creighton redevelopment began in 2016 with TCB’s construction of new apartments and homes on land where a former Armstrong High School building once stood on 28th Street, almost across the street from Creighton. That TCB development also set records at the time for the cost of development, which Creighton’s redo will eclipse. “Our proposal includes townhome-style buildings that are more costly to build than elevator buildings,” TCB spokeswoman Allison Marino-McDonough stated in response to a Free Press query about the high cost. The oversized cost for Creighton is best explained, she continued, by the “historic increases in the cost of labor and materials” that the construction industry as a whole is experiencing. “Despite these challenges,” she stated, “we are committed to continuing our 59-year track record of building and sustaining quality affordable housing,” she stated. The Free Press consulted three developers, who spoke on condition of anonymity about TCB’s financials. All are facing the same cost increases, and none could fathom why the redo of Creighton Court is so expensive. “The numbers are too high – the question is why,” one developer stated, expressing the common view. Another developer said that TCB has no incentive to prune costs. “I’d be out of business if I had to spend that kind of money,” he said. He projects spending less than $210,000 per unit for his next
project, including infrastructure expenses and land costs and other expenses that TCB does not have to pick up. The high cost of the Creighton redo could slow the plans of City Hall and Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s plans to replace the five other big public housing complexes in Richmond with new mixed-income communities. Already a private developer has secured approval to redo a portion of the Mosby Court complex, Mosby South, but there is no indication that the spending will reach TCB levels when that work is undertaken. RRHA Spokeswoman Angela Fountain stated that TCB’s projected costs run from $332,000 to $483,000 per unit over the five-year life of the unit. She noted the highest per unit cost is expected to occur five years from now. She said that higher cost is based on a projected construction inflation rate of 8.5 percent a year, which is “far lower than the recent history where costs escalated nationally between 30 and 50 percent in the last two years.” However, it is easy to find additional evidence that TCB is spending more than anyone in the Richmond housing field has ever contemplated.
Richmond-based Better Housing Coalition reported to supporters that it is building the 67-unit Cameo Street Apartments in Jackson Ward at a total development cost of $15.3 million, or $229,000 a unit. BHC also is building 160-unit addition to its Winchester Green community in Chesterfield County for $45 million or $281,250 a unit. Maryland-based Enterprise Community Development, another nonprofit, is investing $21 million to build 66 apartment units in Highland Park. Cost per unit: $318,000. Meanwhile, according to published reports, Historic Housing, a private Richmond-based developer, is creating a 12-story complex of market-rate apartments in Shockoe Bottom at a construction cost of around $200,000 a unit. TCB, which plans to redo Creighton in 12 phases, estimated that the construction cost for the first 68 units will run nearly $260,000 a unit, not including design and engineering expenses or other pre-construction costs, or well above the cost for the privately developed complex. Free Press requests for TCB’s development agreement and other explanatory documents from the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority have gone unanswered.
New name for Army base honors 2 Black officers Continued from A1
in Chicago’s Michael Reese Hospital where he was told to assist Black patients only. He left and later enlisted in the Army in 1946. He returned to the states in 1949 and completed officer candidate school when he was 22. “A year later, Gregg became an instructor at Fort Lee’s Quartermaster Leadership School, forerunner of today’s noncommissioned officer academy. In 1966, he commanded one of the largest battalions in Vietnam and earned the Meritorious Unit Citation as a result,” according to a Feb. 14 article written by T. Anthony Bell, USAG Fort Lee Public Affairs office. “Lt. Gen. Gregg reached the general officer ranks in 1972 and earned a second star in 1976. Pinning his third star in 1977,
Lt. Gen. Gregg was subsequently named director of logistics, Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the first African-American to reach lieutenant general in the U.S. Army.” Lt. Gen. Gregg retired in 1981 after serving as the Army’s deputy chief of staff, logistics. The second name is in honor of Lt. Col. Charity Adams, a native of Kittrell, N.C. who died Jan. 13, 2002, in Dayton, Ohio. Lt. Col. Adams joined the Army when a Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was created in 1942. Two years later, she was commanding the first unit of Black women to serve overseas. The 6888th Central Postal Directory in England, Lt. Col. Adams’ unit was “tasked with delivering mail to and from almost 7 million soldiers fighting in Europe.” She was the highestranking Black woman of World War II, according to Task & Purpose, a military
news and culture publication. In remarks during the renaming ceremony, Lt. Gen. Gregg said, “I hope that this community will look with pride on the name Fort Gregg-Adams and that the name will instill pride in every soldier entering our mighty gates.” Fort Gregg-Adams is among nine Army installations redesignated in accordance with Defense Department-endorsed recommendations from the congressional Naming Commission to remove the names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that commemorate the Confederate States of America or those who voluntarily served under the C.S.A. The previous Fort Lee was named after Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general. Congress directed the formation of the Naming Commission in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.
Teen shootings raise questions about school attendance Continued from A1
more of students who were regularly missing classes. Fifth District City Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch has sought to highlight the issue as chair of the Education and Human Services Committee, calling it “a crisis that is not being addressed. Since October, Ms. Lynch, has urged the School Board and City Hall to start collaborating on solutions to increase school attendance. And she also has advocated that schools revisit having truancy officers to track down and check on missing students four years after the board at the request of Superintendent Jason Kamras eliminated that operation in 2019. In an email, to Stephanie Rizzi, School Board chair and the representative for the 5th District, Ms. Lynch noted that during a recent visit to an apartment complex across from the school, she saw at least 30 children of elementary- and middle-school age running around the complex.
Free COVID-19 vaccines Continued from A1
19 testing locations around the state at www.vdh.virginia.gov/ coronavirus/covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-sites. Want a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot? The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free vaccines for COVID-19 and more at the following locations: Thursday, May 4 and May 11, 2 to 4 p.m. - Cary Street, 400 E. Cary St., Bivalent Moderna boosters for age 6 years and older, Bivalent Pfizer boosters for age 5 years and older, Novavax primary shots for age 12 and older, JYNNEOS shots and Moderna/Pfizer baby bivalent boosters. Walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged. Wednesday, May 10, 2 to 4 p.m. - Henrico West, 8600 Dixon Powers Dr., Bivalent Moderna boosters for age 6 years and older, Bivalent Pfizer boosters for age 5 years and older, Novavax primary shots for age 12 and older, JYNNEOS shots and Moderna/Pfizer baby bivalent boosters. Walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged. People can schedule an appointment online at vase.vdh. virginia.gov, vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd.com, or by calling (804) 205-3501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682). VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. Those who are getting a booster shot should bring their vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine received. RHHD also offers at-home vaccinations by calling (804) 205-3501 to schedule appointments. New COVID-19 boosters, updated to better protect against the latest variants of the virus, are now available. The new Pfizer booster is approved for those aged 12 and up, while the new Moderna booster is for those aged 18 and older. As with previous COVID-19 boosters, the new doses can only be received after an initial two vaccine shots, and those who qualify are instructed to wait at least two months after their second COVID-19 vaccine. The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts are now offering bivalent Pfizer and Moderna boosters to children between the ages of 5 and 11 in clinics in the near future. Children in this age range will be eligible after at least two months since their last vaccine dose. Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico County are at low levels of community COVID-19. No localities in Virginia are ranked at high community COVID levels, and none were ranked at medium as of last week. A total of 106 new cases of COVID-19 were reported statewide Wednesday for the 24-hour period, contributing to an overall state total of 2,305,251 cases in Virginia since the pandemic’s outbreak. As of Wednesday, there have been 459,760 hospitalizations and 23,747 deaths reported statewide. State data available at the time also shows that AfricanAmericans comprised 21.8 percent of cases statewide and 21.3 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 9.82 percent of cases and 3.7 percent of deaths. As of Tuesday, Richmond reported a total of 60,798 cases, 1,319 hospitalizations and 548 deaths; Henrico County, 93,267 cases, 1,792 hospitalizations and 1,089 deaths; Chesterfield County, 100,827 cases, 1,786 hospitalizations and 875 deaths; and Hanover County, 29,306 cases, 953 hospitalizations and 348 deaths. Compiled by George Copeland Jr.
“While there may be other systems in place to address absenteeism but we’re not seeing results on the ground after multiple years, then I question whether we’ve got the right system in place,” Ms. Lynch stated. She added that Henrico has adopted the same model that Richmond had, and it seems to be working. However, the idea of reviving truancy officers in Richmond has gone nowhere. The School Board did not make improving attendance a top priority in the current budget now under review, nor did the superintendent recommend that it do so. School Board member Jonathan Young, 4th District, also has expressed concern about truancy of students from Huguenot. He said that about 125 students leave the high school each day to avoid classes. In the wake of the shootings, he presented to the School
Board his proposed 10-part plan to improve school safety and security. His ideas range from barring students from using cell phones during class to extending the school day 30 minutes to provide a “play period” for students. Noting that 43 weapons have been confiscated from students, he also called for expulsion of students discovered to be armed and wants to see an increase in random drug and weapons sweeps in buildings. Yet, none of his ideas focused on the attendance problem. Meanwhile, Mayor Levar M. Stoney has won council support to boost spending on after-school programming for city children as part of a youth violence prevention package. However, neither the mayor nor anyone on council sought to create a link between the initiatives the city is paying to the school attendance situation.
Boushall teacher on leave after confrontation Continued from A1
ently do not agree with the teacher. “Racism, bigotry, and intolerance of any kind will not be tolerated at Richmond Public Schools,” said Renesha Parks, chief wellness officer for RPS in a statement. “While we cannot comment further on personnel matters, please know that RPS happily serves a diverse group of students across many races and nationalities. We will continue to support and advocate for them all.” The decision came hours before a Richmond School Board meeting Monday night at Thomas Jefferson High School that saw Latino RPS students and graduates, community members and more decry the teacher’s actions and call for measures to address language barriers and other issues in schools. “What I want is for the Hispanics, don’t be afraid to speak out,” said one woman who identified herself as the mother of the student. “As parents we have to be willing
to defend our children.” A common point made by public speakers at the meeting was that the incident was a symptom of larger problems facing Latino students in the Richmond school system, from a lack of resources to teachers not properly trained to educate these students, leading to academic problems that have persisted for years. According to RPS reports, Latino students have continued to lag behind other student demographics when it comes to on-time graduation, with 2022 seeing 44.2 percent of Latinos graduating on time, a 13 percent drop from 2021. Data from the Virginia Department of Education showed that this was the lowest on-time graduation rate in the state for Latino students last year. Concerned groups have been pressing RPS to address these and other problems for years, according to Rachel F. Gomez, president of the Richmond Region League of United Latin American Citizens. Months earlier, Richmond LULAC ap-
proached the School Board with a proposal for a commission that would investigate the academic and non-academic issues facing Latino RPS students, after hearing several anonymous testimonies from teachers on their poor treatment. That proposal eventually became the Task Force on Latino and English Learner Students. However, Ms. Gomez said that no real progress has been made, and this incident and the testimonies of those with similar experiences, for her, only underscores the need for immediate action to address these problems. “We can’t wait for a task force to get engaged,” Ms. Gomez said. “Our families are suffering.” An investigation into the teacher’s conduct is underway within RPS. Richmond LULAC, meanwhile, met with the family of the student in the video Wednesday evening to discuss their next potential steps, including potentially filing complaints with RPS, the Richmond ACLU and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
Virginians lend helping hand after Mississippi storms Continued from A1
ing Fork. Brown Grove Baptist, the family’s home church, contacted parishioners through an email blast. Daughters Renada and Kimberlyn also received donations from patrons of the salon they own near downtown Richmond — Silk Hair Studios. “Each day for five days straight my dad had to go pick up the donations that were dropped off at the salon from clients and their churches,” Mrs. Cotman said. “It truly was a Hanover County/RVA joint effort.” In less than two weeks, Mr. Harris said they had a 28-foot trailer “packed to the max” with donations of water, nonperishable food, clothes, shoes, toys, cleaning supplies, diapers, books, strollers, car seats and more. Cash donations were used to purchase gift cards and other items. “We even had some gowns in case some young ladies were going to prom, and some nice dresses they could wear for graduation,” Mrs. Cotman added. On April 13, a group that included Mr. Harris, his wife, Elizabeth, and their daughters started the thousand-mile drive to Mississippi in an RV towing the trailer and a conversion van. They planned to give the conversion van to someone in need.
“That was donated by my dad — his cherished conversion van,” Mrs. Cotman said. When they arrived in Rolling Fork, they were shocked by what they saw. “The whole community was devastated,” Mr. Harris said. “You could see right into people’s houses,” Mrs. Cotman added. “Trees were down everywhere, there were cars that looked twisted — it was bad.” The group began distributing items and meeting residents, including Rolling Fork couple Bria Duckings and her partner, Andrew Dennard. The couple met in high school and share three children, ages 3 to 12. The work-at-home mom said by telephone that the local community is small and close knit. “Everyone knows everyone. We see each other every day.” The couple say they feel blessed to have only suffered minor damage when homes down the street had been “totaled.” Two trees fell on the house right next door. “A lot of families are displaced and living in hotels,” Ms. Duckings said. “We only had about seven stores and restaurants combined. The furniture store is gone, the
gas station, two restaurants, the Family Dollar — like, everything’s gone.” Mr. Dennard, who worked as a part-time forklift operator for Staplcotn, a cottonmarketing cooperative, was laid off. “They have seven warehouses, but two of them got blown away,” he said. “With me being part-time, I was the first let go after the devastation.” When the couple met the Harris family, they felt an immediate connection and spent hours talking with them. “Everyone is a blessing,” Mr. Dennard said. “But their family was our biggest blessing since the storm.” “Just knowing that people who had never heard of Rolling Fork — for them to come here and show so much love and fit right into the community, that was very much appreciated.” When the group left for home on Sunday, they shared the same feeling. “I felt like I was leaving family behind,” Mrs. Cotman said of those they met. They’ve been keeping in contact and are planning to make another trip to the Mississippi town in November. “It was a blessed trip,” Mr. Harris said. “We traveled over 2,000 miles without any problems. God was with us.”
Richmond Free Press
When you need a hand, we’ll bring several. We know there are families in our community who can use a helping hand, especially in tough times. That’s why we created our EnergyShare program. For those who qualify, we provide free home energy assessments and weatherization to help save energy and money. And we also offer bill pay assistance, a little help when it’s needed most. Because we’re more than a reliable energy company. We’re also a reliable neighbor. Find out more at DominionEnergy.com/EnergyShare.
May 4-6, 2023 A5
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May 4-6, 2023
Fantasy and facts
Here are your policy choices: You can spend $265 million building a paved, 10- to 12-foot-wide walking-cycling trail that would extend 43 miles and link Ashland, Richmond and Petersburg. Or you can spend the same money beefing up public transit in the Richmond area, enabling buses to run every 10 to 15 minutes on existing routes, adding new routes, extending the current Pulse system to Short Pump and adding a new north-south line along U.S. 1. Guess where the elected leaders of every locality in the Richmond area have decided to put the money. Of course, the Fall Line Trail. Much of the money for the trail is coming from the Central Virginia Transportation Authority. You are paying a higher sales tax and tax on gasoline for car fuel to provide the stream of revenue the CVTA is earmarking for road and transit improvements. Yes, GRTC is getting some money from that source. But the biggest single appropriation so far from the CVTA is the commitment to provide $108 million to develop the Fall Line Trail. Today there is a fantasy among our elected officials that there is a pent up demand from the public for more places to get their exercise by walking and riding bikes. The federal government has led the way with support from Congress. You can see the result in the network of bike lanes City Hall has been developing, following the dictum, “If you build it, they will come.” Alas, when it comes to cycling, that dictum has not worked out. Ask yourself, how many cyclists do you see using the bike lanes? It is almost a surprise to see anyone using them. In the Netherlands, 25 percent of the adults commute to work on bikes. No matter how many ways, policymakers in Richmond spin it, commuters on bikes remain few and far between. That’s also the case with the trails that already exist. A beautiful trail now runs along the Richmond-Henrico Turnpike. It was supposed to inspire walking. It hasn’t. It remains little used and most people in the region are unaware of its existence just as many lack knowledge of the proposed Fall Line Trail. Still this fantasy persists and results in development of a trail that is unlikely to be heavily used in our car-crazed society rather than shoring up regional transit that would benefit lower-income workers and others. Meanwhile, the regional transit system, which serves thousands of area residents, lacks the money to move ahead with major improvements. Of course, the policy choice could be challenged. Elected leaders can be replaced by people who campaign for using the money to do the most good for the most people. Alas, that likely is a fantasy, too.
Hold on casino?
Will there be a second Richmond vote on having a gambling casino? Supposedly. City Hall has become silent on the issue. At a meeting this week, 8th District Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell said she’s been told to keep quiet rather than publicly campaign. Apparently, city officials as well as the city’s choice for casino developer – Urban One-Churchill Downs – have also made that strategy choice. The reason is the budget negotiations now going on at the state level. The Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled state Senate are at loggerheads over whether to amend the current state budget to allocate more money to tax cuts or to increase spending on public education and mental health services. The goal for Richmond is to keep the small group of legislators involved in the budget talks from including language that would bar a second referendum this year. The city has decided the best way is not to rock the boat. After all, there might not be a deal, and the current budget, approved in 2022, would stay in force. That budget does not include any restriction on a second referendum. Veteran political strategist Paul Goldman calls silence the wrong way to go, and we find his view highly persuasive. He supports the people’s right to vote and is backing the second referendum for that reason, even though he led the opposition to the casino the first time. That’s why he has enlisted the Richmond Crusade for Voters, the state’s oldest and largest Black political group, to sound off in defense of the right to vote, particularly after the key House negotiator, Virginia Beach Republican Delegate Barry D. Knight, publicly stated that he hopes to stop a Richmond referendum. In Mr. Goldman’s view, this is not about whether the casino would be good or bad for Richmond. For him, this is about the public’s right to vote, and he firmly believes that elected officials should be out front demanding that right. He notes that in a Democratic city with a huge Black presence, there is no excuse for being quiet on voting rights, ever. Well known for his successful campaign management that helped L. Douglas Wilder become the state and nation’s first Black elected lieutenant governor and governor, Mr. Goldman believes Delegate Knight has made this a partisan issue. In his view, Mayor Levar M. Stoney, by his silence, is booting a clear opportunity to benefit the city and make a name for himself as a defender of voting rights, if he is, indeed, preparing to run for governor in 2025. That makes sense. In our view, silence is not always golden.
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Where are the parents, aunties and uncles? The shooting of Ralph Yarl is a story that is still relatively fresh in today’s news cycle. While the shooting of the Black 16-year-old in Kansas City, Mo., was senseless and avoidable, it represents how much of a violent nation the United States has become. Far too many people feel emboldened to shoot first, ask questions later, and then claim self-defense. When we add the component of racism into the mix due to the shooter’s racial beliefs, it results in a high school junior being shot twice in the head and arm for simply ringing the doorbell at the wrong house. A family spokesperson called him a “walking miracle” who is improving daily. Despite experiencing intense headaches, which can sometimes be debilitating, Ralph has the prognosis of a full recovery, and can still pursue his dream of pursuing a chemical engineering degree from Texas A&M University. Over time, Ralph’s story will fade, but every day Black teens like him will either be killed or become a living victim of senseless gun violence.
Where do we draw the line when it comes to politics and keeping communities safe from violence? A big part of civic leadership is telling people the truth—stating what they need to be told rather than what they want to hear. During the 2022 midterm election cycle, crime and the Americans’ fear were popular talking points for Republican candidates running for office.
David Marshall The law-and-order message may resonate with voters when used by U.S. Senate and congressional candidates, but we are seeing a changing narrative from local Black leaders. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat who lost her primary re-election bid, said that other liberal mayors have to be honest about violent crime that is terrifying residents. “As Democrats, if we do not speak the truth about violent crime in our cities, we will be worse for it,” Ms. Lightfoot said. Speaking at the African-American Mayors Association Conference, she appeared to urge harsher punishment to deter crime, a common topic among Republicans rather than Democrats. New York City’s Democratic Mayor Eric Adams also is issu-
ing a Republican-type message. Mayor Adams, who is Christian, has spoken extensively about how important faith is in civic life. When Mayor Adams delivered his remarks at his administration’s annual interfaith breakfast in Manhattan, his speech became a sermon on how the faith-based community can help with some of the city’s crises like migrants, homelessness, and mental health. At one point, the mayor suggested that the uptick in youth violence was due to a lack of faith. “Don’t tell me about no separation of church and state. State is the body. Church is the heart. You take the heart out of the body, it dies,” said Mayor Adams. Mayors Lightfoot and Adams are not alone in taking a Republican-type narrative against crime. Prince George’s County, Md., is a suburban county with over 900,000 residents and a growing epidemic of gun violence. After a rash of senseless shootings where the families of at least nine people were left grieving, county leaders could not stay silent: Calling for harsher penalties on repeat offenders, parental involvement and accountability for youth crime. “Somebody has to take responsibility for these armed and dangerous children, and it’s not just the police, and it’s not just
Republicans offer posturing, not policy America pays its debts. It is a basic pledge. Millions of Americans who hold savings bonds or put their hard-earned money into federal treasury bonds need not worry. The bonds are good; the interest will be paid. The reason the dollar is the currency used by countries across the world is that America pays its debts. Now Republicans are holding that pledge hostage, demanding savage cuts in spending or they will default on America’s debts by refusing to raise the debt ceiling. The threat is nuclear: Failing to pay our debts will sink the value of the dollar, shake the global financial system, drive interest rates higher, and blow up the economy here and most likely across the world. Millions will be thrown out of work. The threat is also stunningly irresponsible. The tantrum of a child or a mad person. Give us what we demand or we will blow up the economy. The threat is about paying debts that the Congress has already accumulated. Over one-third of this debt – a staggering $8.3 trillion of it – was racked up in the four years under Republican President Trump – largely from massive top-end tax cuts and for massive emergency spending in the pandemic. Now Republicans are saying that they will renege on the debts that they helped accumulate if they don’t get their way.
So what do they want? Amazingly, they refuse to say. They have said what they won’t do: They won’t raise taxes, even on billionaires and corporations that pay literally nothing. They claim they won’t cut Social Security and Medicare. They insist on deep cuts – freezing spending at 2022 levels for a
Jesse L. Jackson Sr. decade – but they won’t say what will get cut. It is unlikely that they will cut the military budget or support for veterans. If they decided simply to freeze spending on the military and veterans, that would require cutting all domestic spending by nearly a fourth. That would mean slashing investment in public health, in roads and bridges, in air traffic control, in food safety, in education and job training, in science and technology programs, in affordable housing, in food and income support for impoverished mothers and children. Traveling would be more dangerous. Our food and water would be less safe. We would lose the competition for the jobs of the future. Housing would become more expensive. Our schools would be poorer. Fewer would be able to afford training or college. More children would go hungry. No one likes to admit these things – but they are simply true. In their 320-page bill, Republicans do identify some things that they want. They want to cut spending on Medicaid and
food stamps by raising work requirements – although that doesn’t save much money. They want to erase investment in renewable energy while opening more subsidies to big oil and coal. They want to cut the money that would enable the IRS to audit corporations and the wealthy who are not paying the taxes they owe. That according to the Congress’s own budget office will end up costing a net of more than $100 billion in tax avoidance. The Republican “plan” is not a serious proposal. They won’t even admit what it requires. They are offering a posture, not a policy. But our politics have become so partisan and so poisonous that few if any Republican moderates will offer a voice of reason. President Biden has called on the Congress to honor our past debts and lift the debt ceiling – and then to negotiate seriously about our nation’s priorities and how we pay for them. He has refused to pay ransom to those who threaten to blow up the economy. The question now is what happens if Republicans carry out their threat and refuse? In that case, the president will have no choice. He should use his authority under the laws and Constitution of the United States to honor our commitments and pay our debts. The politicians may rage and posture, but the full faith and credit of the United States must be honored. The writer is the founder of Rainbow/PUSH, a nonprofit organization that pursues social justice, civil rights, and political activism.
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.
the government,“ County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said at a press conference. “I know this isn’t the popular thing to say, but the truth of the matter is, it’s a fair question: Where are their parents? Where are the aunties? Where are the uncles and other family members who are responsible for them?” Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz appealed to the faith community to partner with the police in dealing with our youth. “Arresting our way out” isn’t the solution, the chief said. Ralph’s shooting rightfully should generate public outrage nationally, but the community should be outraged daily for the victims who may be a simple footnote in the news cycle. The writer is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America.
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Richmond Free Press
Letter to the Editor
Systemic inequities hinder kinship foster care In the most recent 2023 General Assembly session, Senate Bill 1219 was tabled in the House and left with the Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee for further analysis. The purpose of this bill is to reduce the limitations set for formerly incarcerated individuals with penalties related to drug crimes to act as kinship foster caregivers for children within the child welfare system. Kinship care is the care of children by relatives or fictive kin after removal from birth parents. The benefits for children to be placed with family include but are not limited to familial connection, increased stability, and minimal traumatic impact of being removed from the home. As written, this bill aims to reduce the time elapsed since release from drug-related incarceration from 10 years to five years for individuals to be eligible to qualify as kinship foster parents. This legislation is relevant
to the Black/African-American community because this population is largely over-represented in both the criminal justice and child welfare systems. As of August 2022, the Virginia Department of Social Services reported that Black/AfricanAmerican children comprise over one-fourth of Virginia’s foster care system. In addition, Virginia is one of the strict states when it comes to barrier crimes, especially those related to child welfare, employment, housing and many other aspects of human rights. According to the Justice Policy Institute (JPI), “Virginia is ranked 13th nationally by the rate incarcerated per 100,000 of the overpopulation.” JPI also reports that Virginia offenses related to drug sales and drug possession also make up quite a bit of the committed offenses throughout the state with Black people sentenced at higher rates than other racial groups. This letter aims to inform
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readers and provide awareness of the systemic inequities that are hindering children and families from engaging in kinship foster care. This also is a call to action for those passionate about social justice, child welfare, and decarceration to engage with legislation especially as they relate directly to racial oppression and the hindrance of Black and African-American people from childhood into adulthood. Some organizations in which readers can learn more and get involved are Voices for Virginia’s Youth, Foster VA, OAR of Richmond and Marijuana Justice. JERICA N. THOMPSON Richmond
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May 4-6, 2023 A7
Richmond Free Press
A8 May 4-6, 2023
Local News
NORTH-SOUTH BRT STUDY
Here’s to herbs and your health
Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Hundreds of people attended this year’s Herbs Galore and More at the Carriage House Lawn at Maymont on April 29. The event featured more than 4,000 herbs ready to plant or grow indoors, along with ginger-related merchandise. Nearly 80 vendors were on hand, along with specialty plant growers, garden accessories, home décor and artisanal food folks. The Rho Eta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Sarah Garland Jones Center for Healthy Living on 2600 Nine Mile Road came together for “Passport to Wellness,” a day of health-centered information and nutrition on April 29. The event featured yoga, food, information on health for men and women, financial literacy and more.
We ’d like your input! We are exploring options to add a new north-south bus rapid transit route for the greater Richmond region. Learn more and share your thoughts.
Open Houses (5:30 – 7:30 pm, presentation at 6 pm) Monday, May 8 John Marshall High School 4225 Old Brook Road, Richmond, VA 23227 Bus Stop: Chamberlayne & Westminster, Route 1
Tuesday, May 9 River City Middle School 6300 Hull Street Road, Richmond, VA 23224 Bus Stop: Hull & Elkhardt School, Route 1C
Scan the QR code or visit bit.ly/Pulse-North-South to learn more.
UPAL’s garden Free Press staff report
A new community garden shaped as a labyrinth with circular walking paths will be dedicated at noon Saturday, May 6, on the grounds of 4809 Warwick Road in South Side, it has been announced. Richmond-based United Parents Against
Lead, which operates a community training center on the property, created the labyrinth with support from a state grant, said Zakia Shabazz, the group’s founder and leader. The event is open to all and is to include a walk through the new labyrinth, Ms. Shabazz said, noting the dedication is taking place on World Labyrinth Day.
GRTC strives to provide reasonable accommodations and services for persons who require special assistance to participate in this public involvement opportunity. Contact GRTC’s ADA Coordinator at (804) 358-3871 x434 or adacoordinator@ridegrtc.com for more information. Para información en español, llame al (804) 358-3871 x434.
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May 4-6, 2023 A9
Sports Stories by Fred Jeter
Curry sets NBA record Just when you think you’ve seen the best of Steph Curry, the Golden State Warrior takes his game to an even higher level. On April 30, Curry set an NBA Game 7 Playoffs record with 50 points in the Warriors’ 120-100 rout of host Sacramento. Curry’s “half a hundred” broke the old Game 7 mark of 48 set by Kevin Durant in the Nets 2021 win over Milwaukee. Curry was 20-for-38 from the field against the Kings including seven of 18 from behind the arc. Next up for the Warriors is a best-of-seven series with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jordan tops the list
On April 30, Steph Curry set an NBA Game 7 Playoffs record with 50 points in the Warriors’ 120-100 rout with host Sacramento.
VCU’s Mathis is a marquee attraction A.J. Mathis is both the leadoff man and the leading man for VCU baseball. If the Rams are to make a run at another Atlantic 10 title and NCAA bid, expect the 5-foot-8 left-handed hitting centerfielder to lead the way. Heading into this week’s games, here’s how the native Floridian ranks among the leaders in the 14-school conference. • Runs scored: 59, first • On-base percentage: .526, first • Walks: 38, second • Stolen bases: 15 out of 17, sixth • Doubles: 13, eighth • Batting average: .358, eighth • Fielding percentage: 1.000, tied for first VCU is Mathis’ third college address. He began his career at Florida State and played one season at Eastern Florida State College before transferring to VCU. From Tampa, as a senior he led Jefferson High (alma mater of Hall of Famer Fred McGriff) to the Florida state title while hitting .444 and stealing 47 bases. VCU started this week 23-22 overall and 8-7 in the A-10. With Mathis at the top of Coach Bradley LeCroy’s lineup, the Rams will have the homefield advantage for the A-10 tournament May 23-27 at the Diamond. Mathis had a strong junior season but operated in the shadow of A-10 Player of the Year Tyler Locklear (with Seattle Mariners). This season, Mathis takes a back seat to no one.
VSU’s Hagans becomes free agent for Indianapolis Colts Darius Hagans hopes to wear a white helmet with a blue horseshoe on the sides this coming football season. Following an outstanding senior season at Virginia State University, the 6-foot, 210-pound running back has signed a free agent contract with the NFL Indianapolis Colts. From Chesapeake, Hagans earned AllCIAA honors this past fall after rushing Darius Hagans for 1,012 yards and six touchdowns and catching 17 passes for another 135 yards. Hagans gained added exposure in the HBCU Legacy Classic in New Orleans. The Colts need help. Indy lost its last seven games in 2022 and finished 4-12-1. The Colts train at Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Ind. The last VSU player drafted was running back Trent Cannon in 2018 by the New York Jets. Cannon is currently a free agent.
NFL honors fallen Cavaliers Prior to the NFL Draft, a tribute was paid to the University of Virginia football players who were killed last November. The families of D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler were on stage with Commissioner Roger Goodell for an emotional ceremony. Speaking about the lives of the deceased were U.Va. alumni Melissa Stark (now with NFL Network) and former Cavaliers player D’Brickashaw Ferguson. The three deceased players were made honorary first round draft choices with the NFL teams they grew up closest to — Mr. Perry with Miami, Mr. Davis with Baltimore and Mr. Chandler with Jacksonville. The families were presented No. 23 jerseys (representing 2023) of those teams with their names scripted on the back.
Former Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan holds the NBA record for most points in any playoff game with 63. That came in 1986. Next on the list of former Los Angeles Laker Elgin Baylor with 61 points in 1962 Jordan scored at least 55 points in a playoff game five times. Earlier this season Miami’s Jimmy Butler had 56. Others with at least 55 in a playoff game are Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain, Damian Lillard, Allen Iverson and Rick Barry.
VUU has reinforcements in the house
There were two groups of basketball players at Virginia Union University this past season – the ones you saw and the ones you didn’t see. Behind the scenes, four different players were sitting out on game nights but regularly practicing with the Panthers. Coach Jay Butler has high hopes for this group who will join the roster for 2023-24. Ashton Pratt, 6-foot, from State Class 6 state champion Hayfield High in 2021-22; will have freshman eligibility. Kaylen Vines, 6-foot-3, from Douglass High in Clinton, Md., played briefly with VUU in 2021-22; will have sophomore eligibility. Tyrice Fowlkes, 6-foot-6, from Nottoway High in Crewe; will have freshman eligibility. Joe Allen, 6-foot-4, Douglass High, Md.; will have freshman eligibility. VUU also sponsored a developmental, J.V. type team this past season that showed much promise.
“We’d like to turn that into a feeder system,” said Coach Butler. Panthers’ fans also are looking forward to the arrival of point guard O’Maundre Harris from State Kaylen Vines Class 4 runner-up E.C. Glass of Lynchburg. Harris, only 5-foot-10, scored more than 30 points each in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of the state tournament. Recruiting is an ongoing task on Lombardy Street. “It’s day to day,” said Coach Butler. “We’re working on it all the time and we’ll probably bring in a transfer or two through the portal.” VUU went 24-8 overall this past season, including 12-4 in the CIAA. The Panthers defeated Fairmont State, W.Va., in the first round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region before falling to host
Indiana State, Pa, in the second round. VUU expects to lose six seniors off the 2023-24 squad, mostly notable CIAA Player of Year Robert Osborne, conference rebounding leader Raemaad Wright and twoseason starting point guard Keleaf Tate. While a long shot, Osborne’s eligibility for 2023-’24 remains a possibility. The 6-foot-5 forward attended classes for three years at Hampton University, but never suited up for the Pirates. He has played the past two seasons for VUU, including this past season when he averaged 20 points and nine rebounds. Many players nowadays are being given a “free year” of eligibility due to the 2020-21 season that was disrupted by COVID. “We’re trying to figure it out,” said Coach Butler. “If Robbie’s eligible to come back, I’m pretty sure he would.” If Osborne is granted extended eligibility by the NCAA, VUU would almost immediately be considered a CIAA favorite for next season.
New uniform fails to rattle Bones Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland changed wardrobes this season with no malfunction to his shooting touch. The former VCU standout was a serious threat wearing a Denver Nuggets uniform. Then nothing changed when he switched to a Los Angeles Clippers jersey. In his second NBA season, Hyland, 22, averaged 12 points in 42 games for Denver and 11 points in 14 games for the Clippers following a February trade. Hyland hit 37 percent of his threepointers in Denver and 35 percent in L.A. with a smaller sample size under Coach Tyronn Lue. In a league that has become more and more dependent on the 3-pointer, the slender 6-foot-2 Hyland is a classic three-ball
artist. Of the 1,142 shots Hyland has attempted, 673 have come from beyond the arc. His career 3-point percentage is a solid 37. League wise, out Nah Shon of an average of 88 ‘Bones’ Hyland shots taken a game, 34 are behind the 23-foot, nine-inch arch. The Wilmington, Del. native is also a career 85-percent shooter at the foul line. In Los Angeles, Hyland shares the spotlight at Crypto.com Arena with three of the biggest names in the game: Kawhi
Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook. Hyland left VCU after his sophomore year to enter the draft. He is the third former Ram to become a first round selection following Eric Maynor in 2009 (20th overall by Utah) and Larry Sanders in 2010 (15th overall by Milwaukee). The Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 2021, Hyland was selected 26th overall by Denver. Hyland wasn’t the only ex-Ram to play in the NBA this season. Vince Williams, drafted 47th overall by Memphis in 2022, split time between the Memphis Grizzlies and Memphis Hustle G-League team. In 15 outings for the NBA Grizz, Williams had 30 points as a rookie forward.
Commanders choose all-time ‘pick-six’ leader Emmanuel Forbes will be among the NFL’s lightest players. Washington hopes he’ll be among the most exciting. The Commanders were looking for a lockdown cornerback and believe they found one in Forbes, who stands 6 feet tall. Selected 16th overall, Forbes comes to the nation’s capital with a glowing résumé out of Mississippi State. Earning AllSoutheastern Conference and consensus Emmanuel All-American honors, Forbes Forbes had 14 career interceptions, including an NCAA record six that he returned for touchdowns. The Commanders (8-8-1) had the NFL’s third stingiest defense (based on yards allowed) in 2022 but settled for just nine interceptions in 17 games. Darrick Forrest led with four. The youngest of 10 siblings, Forbes weighed just 166 pounds at the NFL Combine, but his overall athleticism won over the scouts, especially Washington’s. In front of the NFL evaluators, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 while showing off a 38-inch vertical leap and 10 feet 8 inches standing broad jump.
Welcome to Washington (Commanders Class of 2023)
Round One: Emmanuel Forbes, cornerback, Mississippi State Round Two: Jartavius Martin, safety, Illinois Round Three: Ricky Stromberg, offensive line, Arkansas Round Four: Braeden Daniels, offensive line, Utah Round Five: K.J. Henry, defensive end, Clemson Round Six: Chris Rodriguez, running back, Kentucky Round Seven: Andre Jones, linebacker, LouisianaLafayette
Washington has a history of smallish cornerbacks. Two of the franchise’s best were Pat Fischer (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) and Darrell Green (5-foot-9, 184 pounds). Currently the lightest NFL player may be New York Jets cornerback Brandin Echols, listed at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds.
Washington keeps close tabs on Mississippi State. In 2019 defensive end Montez Sweat was taken first out of the same SEC program. As expected, Black quarterbacks were the first to be selected. Alabama QB Bryce Young was taken first overall by Carolina and C.J. Stroud of Ohio State went second to Houston. Florida’s Anthony Richardson went to Indianapolis as the fourth pick. Hendon Hooker, who played at Virginia Tech and Tennessee, was taken in the third round by Detroit. u The annual draft continues to be dominated by athletes from the Power 5 conferences. The Southeastern Conference led the way this year with 62 selections followed by the Big 10 (54), ACC (30) and Big 12 (29). Alabama and Georgia had 10 draftees each. Then came Texas Christian (8), Michigan (7) and Clemson (6). Only one HBCU player heard his name called. Defensive back/kick returner Isaiah Bolden, from Jackson State, was picked in the seventh round and 245th overall. Bolden played at Jackson State under former Coach Deion Sanders. He becomes the 101st player drafted out of Jackson State.
T:11" Richmond Free Press
A10 May 4-6, 2023
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May 4-6, 2023 B1
Richmond Free Press
Section
Happenings
B
Personality: Coleman Wortham III Spotlight on Children’s Hospital Foundation board chairman Through decades of change and evolution, Coleman Wortham III has been a steadfast part of Richmond’s child care community. As the board chairman of the Children’s Hospital Foundation, Mr. Wortham has served in the role since 2012. But his involvement in the organization and the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU started in the 1980s. Back then Mr. Wortham was a Children’s Hospital board member when it was mostly known as a free clinic. He was encouraged by other board members to get involved, but ultimately it was his strong desire to help and support children that kept him involved. For years, Mr. Wortham helped maintain and improve the hospital long before it merged with VCU Children’s Medical Center in 2010 to become a full-service hospital. When that merger occurred, the Children’s Hospital Foundation was quickly founded as an independent support and fundraising group, with Mr. Wortham still a core part of their efforts. His work with CHF is just one of many roles for Mr. Wortham. Over the past five decades, he also has had multiple roles at Davenport & Company, a wealth management and financial adviser services firm where he now serves as chairman. The position has a personal significance, as the company was co-founded by his great-great-uncle, Charles E. Wortham in 1863, and many members of his family have worked as part of the company. While Davenport has had many leaders since its incep-
tion, Mr. Wortham’s mark can’t be ignored. As president and CEO from 1992 to 2012, the company grew from 99 employees to more than 400, with offices throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Over the last several years, Mr. Wortham has brought his leadership skills and philanthropic interests to bear in the Children’s Hospital Foundations, as the hospital constructed an in-patient tower to better serve the medical needs of children. His mission during this period was direct and simple: To “get this hospital opened…nothing else is at the top of the list right now.” Mr. Wortham’s focus on philanthropy, fundraising and improving the public good has earned him acclaim and recognition throughout the years, including being named the 2020 Enduring Philanthropic Partner by the Central Virginia Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. With the completion of the in-patient tower, Mr. Wortham now is now focused on other ways to improve the hospital’s services and quality of care. Meet a decades-long leader in Richmond pediatric care, Coleman Wortham III: Volunteer position: Board chairman, Children’s Hospital Foundation. Occupation: Chairman, Davenport & Company LLC. Place of birth: Richmond. Where I live now: Richmond. Education: Economics degree, The University of Virginia. Family: Wife, Lindsay; daughter and son-in-law, Virginia
When and why founded: CHF has its fundraising roots back in the establishment of the original children’s hospital on Brook Road. In 1917, Dr. William Tate Graham, Virginia’s first orthopaedic surgeon, opened a free clinic in the basement of his office on East Franklin Street. Many children, most of whom were victims of the polio epidemic, were brought to the clinic for care. By 1928, the clinic had grown into a new hospital, operating under the name Crippled Children’s Hospital, that was funded by a generous bequest of $500,000 from Sallie May Dooley. “Ginny” and David Kehlenbeck; son & daughter-in-law, Coleman and Cameron Wortham; grandchildren, Mary Vernon, Cole and Elizabeth. Children’s Hospital Foundation is: Children’s Hospital Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) that works to maximize philanthropic impact in children’s health at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, driving excellence in patient care, education, and research. We are dedicated to raising and stewarding philanthropic resources that will enable CHoR to become a top, nationally-ranked children’s hospital. With roots going back 100 years to the incorporation of the original children’s hospital on Brook Road in 1920, we are proud to work with generous members of our community who believe there is no greater cause than providing for the health care needs of children.
Brief History of Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR): On June 30, 2010 Children’s Hospital and VCU Children’s Medical Center combined operations to become a full-service hospital under the name Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU or CHoR. At the same time, Children’s Hospital Foundation became an independent foundation dedicated to raising funds to support and advocate for pediatric initiatives at CHoR. Today, that work continues with the opening of our new inpatient Children’s Tower that will create an entire city block dedicated to the care of children. CHoR founder: Dr. William Tate Graham founded the original Crippled Children’s Hospital. Current president: Elias Neujahr. CHoR previous locations: CHoR is a multicampus hospital
and the original Brook Road hospital is still operational. CHoR new location: The Children’s Tower, which opened April 30, is attached to the existing outpatient Children’s Pavilion at 1000 E. Broad St. How CHoR improves health care for children: At Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, we nurture the champion in every child. We combine award-wining clinical care, research and education with an uncanny understanding of what makes kids unique. From casts to cancer – from simple to complex – we do everything in our power to give kids the best shot at a healthy future. Last year, we cared for more than 72,000 children across the state and country. What makes the new facility extra special for children: The new Children’s Tower is home to more than the region’s best pediatric emergency, trauma and inpatient care. In partnership with patient families and our community, we’ve designed this building with special features that make the hospital experience more comfortable for patients and families. Amenities include a cafeteria with child-friendly food options, including brickoven pizza; playrooms, teen spaces and family lounges on every inpatient floor, and an indoor children’s garden. CHoR improves the vitality of Richmond by: CHoR provides life-saving and life-changing health care to children in the Commonwealth, ensuring that they can receive the care they need close to home. As an academic medical center, CHoR also trains the next generation
Mending Walls: The Documentary Thirty artists create a groundbreaking public art project about empathy and racial justice in the documentary “Mending Walls,” presented on public television by VPM. Courtesy of Katrina Ta�art-Hecksher
CONNECTED TO WHAT SPARKS CONVERSATION. CONNECTED TO WHAT MATTERS. As Virginia’s home for public media, we bring you relevant news and local storytelling to foster a greater understanding of our state, our neighbors and our world. VPM.org
of caregivers and is dedicated to advancing children’s health care through research. CHoR is unique: It is a Level 1 pediatric trauma center as designated by the American College of Surgeons and the Virginia Department of Health (first in Virginia), and a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program. Upcoming events: Words & Wisdom supporting the new Children’s Tower on May 18. How I start the day: I get out of bed every morning and get a glass of iced tea, sit down and read emails, and catch up on the stock market. Best late-night snack: Sugarfree popsicles. How I unwind: Playing golf and going bird hunting. Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Movie night is something special. When something is out that I’m interested in seeing, I enjoy taking a bunch of people to dinner and the movies. The best thing my parents ever taught me: Get out of bed and go to work. The person who influenced me the most: Henry Valentine II through his work and personally. What I’m reading now: “Hot Springs” by Stephen Hunter. Next goal: Continuing to improve the services and care available at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.
Richmond Free Press
B2 May 4-6, 2023
Happenings
Brotherhood, sisterhood and service Free Press staff report
In his 2001 book, “The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities,” author Lawrence C. Ross Jr. explains “the vital role of America’s Black fraternities and sororities,” which includes providing young black achievers with opportunities to support each other while they serve their communities and the nation. “From pioneering work in the suffragette movement to extraordinary strides during the Civil Rights Movement to lifechanging inner-city mentoring programs, members of these organizations share a proud and vital history of brotherhood, sisterhood, and service, Mr. Ross, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, writes. Many well-known Black leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall and Dick Gregory (Alpha Phi Alpha), and Vice President Kamala Harris (Alpha Kappa Alpha) are members of the Divine Nine. “Today, America’s nine
black fraternities and sororities are almost 3 million members strong with chapters at major universities and colleges, including Stanford University, Howard University, and University of Chicago,” Mr. Ross wrote some 22 years ago. Add several Virginia colleges and universities to that list, including Virginia Commonwealth University, which, on April 30, paid homage to two of its Black fraternities and sororities – the Theta Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Eta Tau Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. Along with Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and Jay Davenport, VCU’s vice president for Development and Alumni Affairs, dozens of family members, friends and colleagues attended Alpha Phi Alpha’s 50th-year Bench Memorial Project ceremony at VCU’s Shafer Court. The program celebrated the unveiling of the Theta Rho Memorial Bench on Shafer Court at Virginia Commonwealth University, the first such memorial dedicated
Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity members attending the bench dedication ceremony on April 30 at Virginia Commonwealth University included, from left, Dennis Kemp, of Laurel, Md., Tarlton King of Richmond, Dr. Ronald J. Peters Jr., a primary organizer of the event who lives in Pearland, Texas, and Earl Johnson of Chesterfield. Virginia Commonwealth Universities Libraries hosted a reception honoring various class members of the Eta Tau Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta at VCU, the first Greek organization established on VCU’s campus in the spring of 1970.
to Black Americans on VCU’s campus, said Dr. Ronald J. Peters Jr., a primary organizer of the event who joined his fraternity in 1987 and graduate from VCU in 1991. Dr. Peters did not mince words in describing what many of VCU’s Black students endured in the university’s early days of desegregation. “Richmond City School District was not desegregated until 1972, and many of our white student counterparts at the time were disinclined to amalgamate with us, their student peers, on campus,” he said in a press release announcing the bench ceremony. “As Black students, our racially stratified social experience, as well as our daily ingestion of high dosages of
public tributes to sociopolitical concepts of the Confederacy, had major effects on our mental health. This historical memorial dedicated to the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. will serve as a vicarious catalyst for promoting the construct of equality among our fellow alumni and students on campus
for decades to come.” Shortly before the Alpha’s ceremony, Virginia Commonwealth Universities Libraries hosted a reception honoring the Eta Tau Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta at VCU, the first Greek organization established on VCU’s campus in the spring of 1970. Several “lines” or
member classes were honored and represented, including VCU’s fall and spring lines from 1977, and the 1973 fall line. The three member classes collectively donated to the VCU’s “Make It Real Campaign” and two study rooms in the James Branch Cabell Library have been renamed “The Deltas.”
Wit� Grati�u�� an� A����ciati��
I am deeply honored and appreciative for the myriad of support that I received from the Richmond Fellowship of Ministers Wives and Ministers Widows for my successful participation in the MWMW Queen’s Rally. This event raises funds to support scholarships for students desiring to attend college this coming school year. I am indebted to various pastors throughout the city of Richmond and vicinity; former Queens; friends and loved ones who made it possible for me to exceed my goal, and as a result, I was crowned Queen during the Virginia State Convention held in Fredericksburg, Va. earlier this month.
Sunday May 7
I will represent the state of Virginia at the International Queen’s Contest in Pittsburgh, Pa. in June 2023. Great is Thy Faithfulness! With love,
Dr. Dolores Whitaker IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
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Thursday, May 11 | 6:00–7:30 p.m. Library of Virginia Lecture Hall | Free A book signing will follow the talk.
KATHRYN MILES Join the Library of Virginia at this year’s first Carole Weinstein Author Series talk, featuring award-winning journalist and science writer Kathryn Miles discussing her latest book, Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders.
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Registration required: lva-virginia.libcal.com/event/10540559
Richmond Free Press
May 4-6, 2023 B3
Obituary/Faith News/Directory
John Fitzhugh Jones Jr., educator and child advocate, remembered
By Jeremy M. Lazarus
resident of Chesterfield County, on Saturday, April 29, at Third Retired Army Reserve Lt. Baptist Church in Petersburg. Col. John Fitzhugh Jones Jr., A Richmond native, he who spent three decades sched- began his counseling career uling classes and after graduating from counseling students Maggie L. Walker in Richmond Public High, serving three Schools, has died. years in the Army Lt. Col. Jones, and graduating from whom his family Virginia State Unisaid wanted to be versity, later adding a known as an “educamaster’s degree. tor, lifelong learner He initially started Lt. Col. Jones and child advocate,” as a student adviser, died Sunday, April 23, 2023, dormitory director and guidance at age 82. coordinator at Virginia State, his Family and friends paid fi- family said. nal tributes to Lt. Col. Jones, a He then worked in guidance
for the New Kent County and Sussex County school systems before joining RPS as a middle school guidance counselor. Along with working for the school system, he also served as a recreation coordinator for Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation. He was called back to active duty for nine years at one point, then returned to his positions with RPS and the county recreation program. After retiring, he returned to RPS as a substitute counselor and also volunteer at the Richmond Veterans Administration Hospital.
Moon family establishes scholarships By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Sisters Enjoli and Sesha Moon are already making an impact on Richmond. Enjoli Moon is the founder and creative force behind the annual Afrikana Independent Film Festival RVA. She and her sister also teamed to create the JXN project to raise awareness and focus attention on Jackson Ward. Now they and their family are seeking to reach back and help others succeed. The family has donated a total of nearly $100,000 to endow scholarships at three area universities. That includes a $50,000 donation to Virginia Commonwealth University to establish the Dr. Sesha Joi Moon Endowed Scholarship for student pursuing degrees in government, public affairs or African-American studies, the family stated. The family also has donated
$25,000 to endow a scholarship in the name of the late Inez Orzene Jaudon Johnson at Virginia Union University for students pursuing degrees in education, social work or sociology. An alumnus of the school, she was a longtime teacher in Richmond Public Schools. The family also gave $20,000 to endow a scholarship in the name of the late George Ernest Johnson at Virginia State University for students pursuing a degree in music or playing in the school’s marching band. Mr. Johnson attended VSU and played in the marching band. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were the grandparents of the two sisters. Dr. Moon earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at VCU. She currently serves as director of the U.S. House of Representatives’Office of Diversity and Inclusion and executive director of the JXN Project. Enjoli Moon serves as as-
sistant director of the JXN Project and also as assistant curator for film and special programs at VCU’s Institute of Contemporary Art. The donations were made in the name of the family, including the two sisters’ father August Moon, Dr. Michon Jaudon Johnson Moon, Jonah Ali Hodari and Janice Sherri Pritchett-Moon, the family said.
J��� A. P��������, 83, of New Kent, VA, entered into eternal rest on April 25, 2023.
Lt. Col. Jones always made time to attend the CIAA and MEAC basketball tournaments. He was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the VSU Greater Petersburg Alumni Association. Survivors include his daughters, Andrea M. Jones and Tandrea J. “Toni” Mayfield; sister Marva J. Williams; four grandchildren; and four greatgrandchildren.
Funeral will be held 11AM, Saturday, May 6, 2023 at Second Liberty Baptist Church, 8140 George W Watkins Road, Quinton, Virginia 23141.
Viewing 2 hours prior to services, at the church. Tributes may be posted at www.vincentfh.com
Riverview Baptist Church
Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church
1408 W. Leigh Street · Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 358—6403
Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor
We welcome our Interim Minister Rev. Dr. John E. Johnson, Jr. Sunday, May 7, 2023
Sunday School - 9:30 A.M. Morning Services - 11 A.M. Via Conference Call (202) 926-1127 Pin 572890# In Person Sunday Service also on FACEBOOK and YouTube 2604 Idlewood Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 • www.riverviewbaptistch.org
“Your Home In God’s Kingdom”
Good Shepherd Baptist Church
1127 North 28th Street, Richmond, VA 23223-6624 • Office: (804) 644-1402
The Rev. Sylvester T. Smith, Ph.D., Pastor “There’s A Place for You” Join us at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday for in-person worship service or Live-stream on YouTube (Good Shepherd Baptist Church RVA).
Sunday Morning Worship 10:00 AM SBC Event Center
Broad Rock Baptist Church
Sunday, June 4, 2023 • 12 pm – 4 pm
New & Secondhand Items, Homemade Baked Goods
5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 • 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org
Vendor’s Table Rental - $40 and (1) Rack allowed
Contact: Faye Franklin (804) 201-1160 Maxine Watkins (267) 258-3943 • Clarissa Poindexter (804)754-5892
“BACK IN SERVICE” Our doors are open again every Sunday @ 11:00 am.
Triumphant
Baptist Church
“BACK IN SERVICE” Our doors are open again
Live Streaming Every Sunday At: BRBConline.org or YouTube (Broad Rock Baptist Church)
“MAKE IT HAPPEN”
2003 Lamb Avenue Richmond, VA 23222 Dr. Arthur M. Jones, Sr., Pastor (804) 321-7622
Pastor Kevin Cook
Worship With Us This Week!
Conference Calls are still available at: ( 503) 300-6860 PIN: 273149 Facebook@:triumphantbaptist
1858
Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, Pastor
Worship Opportunities
216 W. Leigh St., Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 Fax: 804-643-3367 (PDLO ṘFH#HEHQH]HUUYD RUJ ZHE HEHQH]HUUYD RUJ
(Zoom)
Sunday Morning Worship • 11am (in-person and livestream on YouTube)
Wednesday Bible Study • 7pm (Zoom)
Please visit our website Ebenezer Baptist Church Richmond, VA for updates http://www. ebenezerrva.org
Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Adam L. Bond, Pastor
7M\XL &ETXMWX 'LYVGL 8LIQI 1SFMPM^MRK *SV 1MRMWXV] 6IJVIWLMRK 8LI 3PH ERH )QIVKMRK 8LI 2I[ We Embrace Diversity — Love For All! Come worship with us! Back Inside Sundays Join us for 10:00 AM Worship Service Live on Facebook @ 4ixth #aptist $IVSDI 37" Live on Youtube @4#$ 37" Or by visiting our website www.sixthbaptistchurch.org 400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220
(near Byrd Park)
(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Facebook Fax (804) 359-3798 `VeaUON]aV`aPUb_PU_cN www.sixthbaptistchurch.org
Moms with Sons Prayer Call (Tues. @ 6:00 AM) (302) 202-1106 Pin: 618746 Early Morning & Noonday Corporate Prayer Call Wednesdays @ 6:00 AM & 12:00 Noon (415) 200-1362 Pin: 9841218 Bible Study (Wed. @ 7:00 PM) Zoom Meeting ID: 854 8862 2296 Faith Formation/ Church School (Sat. @ 9:00 AM) Zoom Meeting ID: 952 9164 9805 /Passcode: 2901
*Worship Through Giving
Via: http://mmbcrva.org/give Or through Givelify 2901 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 648-2472 ~ www.mmbcrva.org Dr. Price London Davis, Senior Pastor
Church Formation/ Church Antioch School (Sat. @ 9:00Baptist AM) Thirty-first Street *Faith Zoom Meeting ID: 952 9164“Redeeming 9805 /Passcode:God’s 2901 People for Gods Purpose” *Bible Study (Wed. @ 7:00 PM) Baptist Church 1384 New Market Road, Richmond, Virginia 23231 | 804-222-8835 Zoom Meeting ID: 854 8862 2296
Bible Study Opportunities: Noon [In-person] 7 P.M. [Virtual]; Please contact the church office for directives. 2040 Mountain Road • Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 Office 804-262-0230 • Fax 804-262-4651 • www.stpeterbaptist.net
Join us on: mmbcrva.org or Facebook.com/mmbcrva or youtube.com/MosbyMemorialBaptist
Additional Weekly Worship Opportunities
Sunday Church School • 9am
Sunday Worship Opportunities: 10 A.M. [In-person and Livestream] Sunday Church School Opportunities: Adults [In-person] at 8:30 A.M. Children [Virtual] online via our website.
Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor
Communion Sunday Worship In Person & Online May 7, 2023 @ 10:00 A.M.
The People’s Church
St. Peter Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor
Live Streaming Every Sunday At: BRBConline.org or YouTube(Broad Rock Baptist Church)
“MAKE IT HAPPEN”
OPEN FOR IN PERSON WORSHIP Morning Worship - 11 am
A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone
Mask required • Must provide vaccination card Every Sunday @ 11:00 am.
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renVia: ce http://mmbcrva.org/give Or through Givelify e with Reve*Give elevanc R g SERVICES in Rev. Dr. Joshua Mitchell, Senior Pastor bin SUNDAY ❖ om
Worship With U
WORSHIP HOUR – 10:00 A.M. CHILDREN’S CHURCH & BUS MINISTRY AVAILABLE SUNDAY SCHOOL (FOR ALL AGES) – 9:00 A.M. No registration required. Join us in person or online on TUESDAY Facebook or YouTube MID-DAY BIBLE STUDY – 12 NOON DR. JAMES L. SAILES 10:30 a.m. Sundays PASTOR WEDNESDAY MID-WEEK PRAYER & B IBLE STUDY – 7:00 P.M. Additional Opportunities to Engage with Us: *FaithCFormation/ Church School (Sat. @ 9:00 AM) A MISSION BASED HURCH FAMILY Zoom Meeting ID: 952 9164 9805 /Passcode: 2901 EXCITING MINISTRIES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, *Give Via: http://mmbcrva.org/give Or through Givelify YOUNG ADULTS & SENIOR ADULTS BIBLE REVELATION TEACHING DIVERSE MUSIC MINISTRY Additional Weekly Worship Opportunities LOVING , CARING ENVIRONMENT 823 North 31st Street
The doors of Inditement the church are open for worship!
Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 226-0150 Office
Moms with Sons Prayer Call (Tues. @ 6:00 AM) (302) 202-1106 Pin: 618746 Early Morning & Noonday Corporate Prayer Call Wednesdays @ 6:00 AM & 12:00 Noon (415) 200-1362 Pin: 9841218 Bible Study (Wed. @ 7:00 PM) Zoom Meeting ID: 854 8862 2296 Faith Formation/ Church School (Sat. @ 9:00 AM)
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Richmond Free Press
B4 May 4-6, 2023
Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, May 15, 2023 at 1:30 p.m in the Fifth Floor Conference Room of City Hall and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, May 22, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2023-135 To authorize the special use of the properties known as 601 West 19th Street and 603 West 19th Street for the purpose of two single-family detached dwellings and two dwelling units within accessory buildings to single-family detached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions. The current zoning for the subject property is R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates this property as Residential. Primary Uses: 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. The density of the proposed development is 4 units upon 0.17 acres, or approximately 23.5 units per acre. Ordinance No. 2023-136 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1700 North 21st Street for the purpose of a single-family detached dwelling and two singlefamily attached dwellings, with off-street parking, upon certain terms and conditions. The current zoning for the subject property is R-5 SingleFamily Residential. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates this property as Neighborhood MixedU s e. P r i m a r y U s e s : 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. The density of the proposed development is 3 units upon 0.25 acres, or approximately 12 units per acre. Ordinance No. 2023-137 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1700 West Cary Street for the purpose of one t wo - fa m i l y d e t a c h e d dwelling and three twofamily attached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is located in the R-7 Single- and Two-Family Urban Residential D i s t r i c t . T h e C i t y ’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Community Mixed Use, which is defined as a cluster o f “ m e d i u m - d e n s i t y, walkable commercial and residential uses that provide neighborhood ser vices to nearby residential communities and sometimes feature regional attractions.” The density of the proposed is 8 units upon .15 acres or 53 units per acre. Ordinance No. 2023-138 To authorize the special use of the property known as 6 Dundee Avenue for the purpose of one t wo - fa m i l y d e t a c h e d dwelling and one singlefamily detached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-5 – Single-Family Residential D i s t r i c t . T h e C i t y ’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Residential. Primary Uses: Singlefamily houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space. Secondary Uses: Duplexes and small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units), institutional, and cultural. Secondary uses may be found along major streets. The density of the proposed development is 3 units upon 0.17 acres, or approximately 17 units per acre. Ordinance No. 2023-139 To rezone the properties known as 1100 Semmes Avenue and 411 West 12th Street from the B-6 MixedUse Business District to the TOD-1 TransitOriented Nodal District, the property known as 1100 McDonough Street from the R-63 Multifamily Urban Residential District to the TOD-1 TransitOriented Nodal District, and the property known as 1000 Semmes Avenue from the RF-2 Riverfront District to the Continued on next column
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TOD-1 Transit-Oriented Nodal District. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for 1000 and 1100 Semmes Avenue, and 411 West 12th Street, as Destination MixedUse. This designation is defined key gateways “…featuring prominent destinations, such as retail, spor ts venues, and large employers, as well as housing and open space, located at the convergence of several modes of transportation, including Pulse BRT or other planned transit improvements.” Intensity: Buildings typically a minimum height of five stories. Primary Uses: Retail/office/personal ser vice, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Secondary Uses: Institutional and government. (p. 64) The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for 1100 McDonough Street as Neighborhood MixedUse. This designation is defined as “Existing or new highly-walkable urban neighborhoods that are predominantly residential with a small, but critical, percentage of parcels providing retail, office, personal service, and institutional uses.” Intensity: Building heights are generally two to four stories. Buildings taller than four stories may be found along major streets. Parcels are generally between 1,500 and 5,000 sq. ft.. 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. (p. 56) Ordinance No. 2023-140 To rezone the property known as 1011 Commerce Road from the M-2 Heavy Industrial District to the TOD-1 Transit-Oriented Nodal District. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the property as Industrial Mixed Use. This designation is defined as “Formerly traditional industrial areas that are transitioning to mixed-use because of their proximity to growing neighborhoods and changes in market conditions. These areas may still retain some light industrial uses.” Ordinance No. 2023-141 To close, to public use and travel, a por tion of Jessamine Street located on the east side of Jessamine Street at the intersection of Jessamine Street with Cedar Street, consisting of 357± square feet, upon certain terms and conditions. Ordinance No. 2023-142 To close, to public use and travel, an alley in the block bounded by West Commerce Road, McDonough Street, West 7 th Street, and Perry Street, consisting of 3,299± square feet, upon certain terms and conditions. Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the May 22, 2023 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https:// www.rva.gov/office-cityclerk, and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Candice D. Reid City Clerk
Divorce
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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER EMMA MORALES GONZALEZ, Plaintiff v. GERARDO LUNA HERNANDEZ, Defendant. Case No.: CL23000281-00 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 20th day of June, 2023 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 CITY OF Richmond Willie Leroy Anthony Jr, Plaintiff v. Felicia (thomas anthony, Defendant. Case No.: 22004661-1 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Obtain a divorce a vincullo matrimonii or from the bonds of matrimony. It appearing from an affidavit that diligence has been used without effect, by or on the behalf of the plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city defendant is. It is ORDERED that Felicia (Thomas Anthony appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before June 5, 2023.. An Extract Teste: EDWARD F. JEWETT, Clerk VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER BROOKE JIMENEZ, Plaintiff v. MANUEL JIMENEZ, Defendant. Case No.: CL23001419-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that t h e d e fe n d a n t , w h o s e whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 14th day of June, 2023 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 HENRICO NICOLE DANIELLE NUTT, Plaintiff v. HERBERT LEE HOWARD JR, Defendant. Case No.: CL23-2733 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Obtain a divorce a vincullo matrimonii or from the bonds of matrimony. It appearing from an affidavit that diligence has been used including inquiring with friends and family, whitepages, and social media searches without effect, by or on the behalf of the plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city defendant is and the last known address of the Defendant is as follows: L/K/A 1311 Villiage Views Dr. Glen Allen, VA 23059. It is ORDERED that Herber t Lee Howard Jr. appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before June 12, 2023 at 9 a.m.
VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER KEONDA PORTIER, Plaintiff v. JAQUAN PORTIER, Defendant. Case No.: CL23001538-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that t h e d e fe n d a n t , w h o s e whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 20th day of June, 2023 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 RUSSELL VAN WROTEN, Plaintiff v. PATRICIA VAN WROTEN, Defendant. Case No.: CL23001377-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that t h e d e fe n d a n t , w h o s e whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 5th day of June, 2023 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk
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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: CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO Juan Pablo Garcia Delgado, Plaintiff Angela Marie Tyler, Defendant, Case No. CL23001391-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is for the Plaintiff to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the grounds that the parties have lived separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption, and with Plaintiff’s intent to terminate the marriage, for a period exceeding twelve (12) months, namely since October 3rd, 2019. It apearing by affidavit that Plaintiff has no knowledge of the Defendant’s current address and Defendant’s present whereabouts are unknown and diligence has been used by or on behalf of the Plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city the Defendant is without effect. It is accordingly ORDERED that Marie Tyler whose whereabouts are unknown, appear before this court on or before June 12, 2023 at 9 a.m. And do what is necessary to protect his interests herein. Elizabeth F. Egan, Esq. VSB #44849 America Law Group, Inc 8501 Mayland Drive #106 Henrico VA 23294 (804) 308-0051 Fax: (804) 308-0053 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER CARRIE JACKSON, Plaintiff v. MACK JACKSON, Defendant. Case No.: CL22003632-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that t h e d e fe n d a n t , w h o s e whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 25th day of May, 2023 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
PROPERTIES VIRGINIA: CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HANOVER BRENDA L. TREXLER, Plaintiff, v. GRIGORE GITMAN a/k/a NICK GITMAN, “Address Unknown,” if he be living or if he be dead, his heirs, devisees, creditors, and successors-in-title as “Parties Unknown” and ALEXIS WRENN a/k/a ALEXANDRA L. GITMAN, “Address Unknown,” if she be living or if she be dead, her heirs, devisees, creditors, and successors-in-title as “Parties Unknown,” Defendants. Case No. CL23001342-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to approve the partition and/ or sale of real proper ty situated in Hanover County, Virginia, with the parcel and the improvements being commonly known as 10410 Old Ridge Road, Ashland, Virginia 23005, Parcel ID No. 7882-23-4865 (the “Property”). It appearing that there is an owner with an unknown address and may be additional heirs of the Property who are now unknown parties with unknown addresses, it is hereby ORDERED that: 1. The owner with the unknown address and those unknown heirs with unknown addresses appear before this Court on or before, June 2, 2023 after due publication of this Order of Publication (this “Order”) in the Clerk’s Office, Circuit Court, Hanover County, Virginra and do what it is necessary to protect their interest herein. 2. This Order shall be published once each week for four (4) successive weeks in the Richmond Free Press newspaper. It appearing that by the affidavit filed according to the law that there is an owner with an unknown address and are parties unknown with unknown addresses, it is hereby ORDERED that: 1. The unknown parties of interest with unknown addresses appear before this Court on or before June 2, 2023 after due publication of this Order in the Clerk’s Office, Circuit Court, County of Hanover, Virginia and do what is necessary to protect their interest. Should any such person with an interest fail to file a response as provided above, Continued on next column
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such failure shall not preclude the person of that interest from appearing on the date set for presenting evidence as to such person’s interest in the Property. A COPY TESTE FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR. CLERK I ask for this: HARRELL & CHAMBLISS LLP Eighth & Main Building 707 East Main Street Suite 1000 Richmond, Virginia 23219 804.915.3224 (direct dial) 804.915.3244 (direct fax) Email: gcarter@hclawfirm. com Counsel for Brenda L. Trexler
against the payment and delivery of the Estate of Mary Catherine West Jones, deceased, to the distributees entitled thereto, with or without requiring refunding bonds as this Court may determine. Entered: 4/13/2023 An Extract Teste: Heidi S. Barshinger, Clerk
VIRGINIA: IN THE ClRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HENRICO IN RE: ESTATE OF MARY CATHERINE WEST JONES SHOW CAUSE ORDER AGAINST DISTRIBUTION IT IS ORDERED that the creditors of, and all others interested in, the aforesaid Estate do show cause, if any they can, on the 15th day of May, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. before this Court in its courtroom, Continued on next column
TRANSIT SYSTEM
GREATER RICHMOND TRANSIT COMPANY ADA PARATRANSIT CLIENT CERTIFICATION SERVICES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
BID COUNTY OF HENRICO, VIRGINIA CONSTRUCTION BID
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ITB No. 23-2524-4JL Annual Contract for Asphalt-in-place Due: May 8, 2023 at 2:00 P.M. For additional information visit: https://henrico.us/ finance/divisions/purchasing/ solicitations REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL The University of Virginia VHHNV D ¿UP WR SURYLGH Brand Strategy & Creative Services for Darden School of BusinessUVA-00079-DS042023 KWWSV ELGV VFLTXHVW FRP DSSV 5RXWHU 3XEOLF(YHQW" &XVWRPHU2UJ 89D RU HPDLO SXU UIS#HVHUYLFHV YLUJLQLD HGX
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The City of Richmond announces the following project(s) available for services relating to: IFB No. 230010928: Privatization of Delinquent Cuts & Meter Service Orders Pre-Bid Conference Call Meeting: May 25, 2023 10:30 A.M. For all information pertaining to this IFB conference call, please logon to the Richmond website (www.RVA.GOV).
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Proposal Due Date: Thursday, June 8, 2023 /Time: 11:00 A.M.
Information or copies of the above solicitations are available by contacting Procurement Services, at the City of Richmond website (www.RVA. GOV), or faxed (804) 646-5989. The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to participate in the procurement process.
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