Richmond Free Press October 5-7, 2023 edition

With passion and purpose Richmond

Nearing retirement, Debra Carlotti has helped empower children and parents for decades

By Debora Timms

Richmond Public Schools educator Debra Carlotti was born in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., a place that is a lot more trendy now than when she grew up there in the 1950s and 1960s, she said.

Her father, Carlo Carlotti, died when she was 2, so it was her mother, Leanora Carlotti and two older brothers who gave her what she calls a “very Italian upbringing.” And she has former New York Mayor John Lindsay to thank for inspiring her future.

“Mayor Lindsay came out with all this money for teens and so I worked in a camp for children with disabilities,” Ms. Carlotti recalled during a recent telephone interview. “That was my first inkling that maybe this might be something fun to do.”

And while Ms. Carlotti’s time spent working with special needs children has been filled with challenges through the years, rarely has she complained about not having fun.

Describing herself as having “bounced around” through jobs in and out of RPS over the years, her purpose, she said, has always been to help others.

At the end of this academic school year, she will retire from the school system and her current job as an instructional compliance coordinator for special education at Mary Munford Elementary School.

Reflecting on her more than four decades career in educa-

RPS taps Sands Anderson to investigate graduation shootings

By George Copeland Jr.

Southside Community Center’s $16M addition

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Construction of a new addition to the Southside Community Center is officially underway.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney and outgoing 9th District City Councilman and Council President Michael J. Jones celebrated the new building Tuesday in leading a groundbreaking at 6255 Old Warwick Road.

The city allocated $16 million from the federal American Rescue Act funds it received for the 27,000-square-foot building and also added $6 million in city capital funds in the 2023-24 budget to make it happen.

The building adds on to the existing gymna-

sium, all that remains after other buildings on the site were cleared away.

One thing that will be missing, as the Free Press previously reported, will bird-safe windows that feature a reduction in glazing and reflectivity.

According to Dr. Kevin J. Vonck, city director of planning, the changes to make the windows bird-safe, such as etching and ceramic fritting, “was cost prohibitive.”

It also would have required removing reflective coating from the windows that “would have degraded the energy efficiency” he stated,

Boston University names Melissa L. Gilliam 11th president

and empowering’

Melissa L. Gilliam, the executive vice president and provost of The Ohio State University and a distinguished educator, scholar, research scientist, and physician, will be Boston University’s 11th president, the Boston trustees announced on Wednesday. She will assume the post July 1, 2024.

A national leader in faculty recruitment and student success and a champion of diversity and inclusion, Dr. Gilliam also is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and of pediatrics whose scholarship focuses on developing interventions to promote adolescent health and well-being.

Beyond her background in science and medicine, Dr. Gilliam, who studied English literature at Yale and got her master’s in philosophy and politics from the University of Oxford, said she was raised to embrace the societal importance of arts and culture.

Her late father, Sam Gilliam, was a pioneering abstract painter who was known for a career of continuous experimentation and innovation. And her mother, Dorothy Butler Gilliam, was a trailblazing journalist and the first Black female

Dr. Gilliam

A new investigation into Richmond school operations before, during and after the June mass shooting that followed the Huguenot High School graduation, is set to begin after the Richmond School Board approved a third-party review by the Sands Anderson law firm.

The vote was 6-2 during an RPS board meeting Monday at River City Middle School.

Sands Anderson’s review will focus on the state of Richmond Public Schools and its graduation operations to determine any procedures that board members may need to change to prevent similar tragedies.

The firm’s work will be

separate from the criminal investigation currently underway by the Richmond Police Department, as well as an investigation of the incident from RPS officials that board members saw as insufficient information to use in response to the shooting. “We cannot use a summary Please turn to A4

Two

‘I lead by listening, collaborating

Regina H. Boone/ Richmond Free Press

Debra Carlotti, center, is an instructional support and compliance coordinator at Mary Munford Elementary School in Richmond. After working more than four decades with students in special education programs and other areas of learning, she will retire at the end of the current school year. Ms. Carlotti is photographed Sept. 12 at the school with colleagues from left, Dr. Sametrian Miller, assistant principal, Greg Muzik, principal and Alezia Mason, instructional assistant.

People’s Tribunal to address injustices experienced by the formerly incarcerated, family members of prisoners

Hundreds are expected to attend a daylong discussion Saturday on how Virginia treats the incarcerated and detained.

The “People’s Tribunal on Virginia’s Prisons, Jails & Detention Centers,” will be co-hosted by the Virginia Prison Justice Network and the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality in the Greater Richmond Convention Center at 403 N. 3rd St. The program is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Testimonies about the injustices of these facilities will be shared by the formerly incarcerated, family members of prisoners and others.

The testimonies will be heard by a panel of seven community judges, including Justice & Reformation co-founder Princess Blanding, Rob Poggenklass, former Legal Aid Justice Center attorney and Rodney Hunter, pastor of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church.

A report on how the incarcerated are treated will be published and presented to each candidate in the Virginia general election. Those candidates also will be asked to take a position on a proposal to create an independent body that would oversee all confinement facilities in Virginia.

The People’s Tribunal is a continuation of the Virginia Prison Justice rallies that have taken place for the last six years, and as of Tuesday, Sept.5, has been endorsed by more than two dozen organizations and individuals.

For more information, please call or text (804) 644-5834 or email the group at DefendersFJE@hotmail.com.

Virginia’s AI directive

Free Press staff report

A newly-issued state directive seeks to ensure the ethical, transparent use and oversight of artificial intelligence technologies in Virginia.

Executive Directive Number Five was announced by Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin last Thursday, and focuses on opportunities and protections related to generative AI and similar technologies in state-level initiatives and programs.

“The increasing use of AI, especially generative AI, offers tremendous opportunities to transform the way we serve all Virginians, from launching innovative personalized education tools to improving customer service and beyond,” Gov. Youngkin said in a statement. “At the same time, we must ensure that these AI products and technologies have appropriate standards and guardrails to protect individual privacy rights in a transparent manner.”

“Our Executive Directive tackles both: seizing the opportunities AI presents while recognizing and mitigating the risks.”

The Executive Directive calls on the Office of Regulatory Management to work with Robert Osmond, chief information officer of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency to begin finding answers to four areas of focus related to AI-legal protections, policy standards, IT safeguards, and implications for K-12 and higher education.

The Executive Directive also calls for the identification of pilot uses of the technology by state agencies to help modernize state government, how it can be used for economic growth, and an examination of its power generation requirements.

Free community testing for COVID-19 continues

The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:

• Thursday, Oct. 5, 1 to 5 p.m. - Henrico Arms Apartments, 1566 Edgelawn Circle.

• Friday, Oct. 6, 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 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. Those interested 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) 2053501 to schedule appointments.

The Pfizer booster is approved for ages 12 and up, while the new Moderna booster is for ages 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 also offer bivalent Pfizer and Moderna boosters to children between the ages of 5 and 11. Children in this age range will be eligible after at least two months since their last vaccine dose.

This fountain, located across the Haxall Canal from Brown’s Island in Downtown Richmond, commemorates the Falls of the James River and its role in the development of the city in its early years. A marker at the site indicates the Falls had an influential effect on trade, energy, community and nourishment.

City to open new temporary shelter

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond will have a far bigger temporary shelter if another tropical storm hits or the weather plunges below freezing in the next two months.

Instead of using a small space in City Hall, Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration now will shelter people without any place to go on the first floor and basement of the city’s building at 730 E. Broad St.

The space will be able to hold 65 single men, 30 single women and five households with children, according to Traci Deshazor, deputy chief administrative officer for human services.

The decision that delighted City Council members followed tart criticism after Ms. Deshazor and her staff only provided room for 40 people at City Hall as Tropical Storm Ophelia dumped three inches of rain on the city over 36 hours beginning

Sept. 22, turning others away.

Ms. Deshazor said the 730 building would be available for use until the 150bed winter shelter that the Salvation Army plans to set up at 1900 Chamberlayne Ave. is ready for use.

The proposal to provide expanded, temporary space was disclosed to City Council on Monday during council’s Organizational Development Committee meeting.

Fifth District Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch, who chairs the council’s Education and Human Services Committee and has been lobbying for a year-round shelter for four years, praised Ms. Deshazor for coming up with a “better way forward” in providing temporary shelter.

Third District Councilwoman AnnFrances Lambert also cheered the administration’s move as did several other council members.

The move came as the city’s chief

administrator, Lincoln Saunders, prepared to provide new funding for an emergency fund the city has established to pay bills that could force families into the street or block them from getting new homes.

The Free Press was told that Mr. Saunders has approved forwarding a proposal to allow $800,000 of the projected surplus from the 2022-23 fiscal year that ended June 30 to be steered toward the fund. The fund, which already has helped hundreds of families, has spent more than $1.2 million of the $2 million that has been provided and could run out by December without new funding.

Separately at the committee meeting, the council offered strong support for administration plans to provide subsidies for new affordable apartment developments in South Side, including a 216-unit complex proposed for Walmsley Boulevard and a 116-unit complex proposed for 8th and Hull streets.

Hickory Hill hopes for historic designation

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Hickory Hill Community Center in South Side is on its way to securing designation as a historic building.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources has given preliminary approval to the application that two Richmond residents, the Rev. Monica Esparza and Eric Hunter, submitted seeking inclusion of the Richmond-owned center in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

The initial approval enables the Department of Historic Resources to work with the applicants to create a more detailed

report and secure final approval.

The current building at 3000 E. Belt Blvd. dates to around 1938 and replaces a Black school complex that was destroyed by fire, the application notes.

Part of Chesterfield County before being annexed to the city in 1970, Hickory Hill was originally built in 1915 as an elementary school and became Chesterfield’s first high school for Black students by 1920, according to the application from Rev. Esparza and Mr. Hunter on behalf of the Hickory Hill Preservation Committee.

The school was known as the Hickory Hill Negro School and the County Training School for Negroes, the application

VCU announces guaranteed university admission program

Free Press staff report

Virginia Commonwealth University has announced a guaranteed university admission program for first-year freshman applicants who are among the top 10% of their high school graduating class or have a high school GPA of 3.5 or above. This is the first university-wide program of its kind among Virginia’s R1 universities and is open to any qualifying student nationwide, according to a university news release.

“The guaranteed university admission program will easily connect top-performing high school graduates with a nationally

ranked major research university that is committed to excellence, access, impact and innovation,” said Hernan Bucheli, Ed.D., interim vice president for Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success. “And this program will have a positive impact on Virginia’s economy because we know that our talented graduates are career ready and a majority stay here in Virginia.”

To participate in the program, a graduating high school student will apply through the Common App and submit their high school transcript. No additional paperwork is necessary to be considered for the program.

Enrollment at VCU requires

Betting on Richmond

Alfred Liggins III, CEO of Urban One Inc. greets attendees during the Richmond Grand Resort and Casino Block Party on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the proposed site for the project on Walmsley Boulevard at Commerce Road in Richmond’s South Side. Urban One is one of the development partners for the casino, and Mr. Liggins discussed the positive impacts the planned casino will have on Richmond, including new jobs. Richmonders will vote for or against the casino project in a Nov. 7 referendum. The Richmond Grand Resort and Casino is a $562 million proposal by Black-owned multimedia conglomerate Urban One and new partner Churchill Downs. Right, a volunteer holds up a “Vote Yes for Richmond Grand Resort and Casino” sign during the event.

states.

After the complex was destroyed, a future principal, James Spencer, and his wife, Evie, donated 2.5 acres to the county to provide space for the brick structure that offers varied youth and adult programs operated by the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. According to information provided to the board, a teacher at the school, Arthur Freeman, became the lead plaintiff in a civil rights suit in the 1940s that overturned the long-standing practice among Virginia school districts of paying Black teachers and principals less than their white counterparts.

students to complete additional requirements.

“The benefit to qualifying students is an admissions process without the stress that comes with uncertainty in the college selection process,” Dr. Bucheli said.

While qualified first-year freshman applicants are eligible for guaranteed university admission, some programs, such as arts and engineering, have major-specific requirements.

Existing guaranteed ad -

mission agreements with the Virginia Community College System and other two-year colleges are already in place to serve transfer students.

Interested first-year freshman applicants may find out more about guaranteed university admission by visiting admissions.vcu.edu/apply-to-vcu/ undergraduate/first-year/guaranteed-university-admission/ or by contacting the Office of Admissions at ugrad@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1222.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Free Press staff report

Butler sworn in as third Black female senator in U.S. history, replaces late California Sen. Feinstein

The Associated Press WASHINGTON

Former union leader and Democratic insider Laphonza Butler was sworn in as the newest member of the Senate on Tuesday, replacing California Sen. Dianne Feinstein after her death and becoming only the third Black female senator in history.

Sen. Butler was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday, just two days after Feinstein died at her home in Washington. Sen. Butler is a longtime fundraiser and strategist in the state’s Democratic circles and was the head of Emily’s List, a national organization that

raises money for women candidates who support abortion rights.

The new senator was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris, who served as the second Black female senator until she resigned in 2021 to join President Biden in the White House. The first was Democratic Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois, who served one term in the 1990s.

With dozens of supporters and family members looking down from the gallery, Sen. Butler smiled broadly as she walked down the center aisle of the Senate alongside Democratic Sen.

Alex Padilla of California and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

After Vice President Harris administered the oath of office, members of the Senate from both parties crowded around her to shake her hand.

Sen. Schumer said Sen. Butler has “dedicated her entire career to fighting for others — fighting for women, fighting for working families and fighting for the cause of justice.”

After she was sworn in, President Biden called her to congratulate her, the White House said. The Congressional Black Caucus also held

a ceremonial swearing-in for Sen. Butler. “Her background and years of experience will bring a much-needed perspective to the Senate, which currently does not have any Black women,” CBC Chairman Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said in a statement after she was appointed.

Sen. Butler also is the first openly LGBTQ+ senator from California.

Though she has never held elective office, Gov. Newsom praised her “deep knowledge” of the legislative process and said she was the kind of candidate he would build “if I had to literally design from my imagination.”

“She’s the only choice,” Gov. Newsom added.

Debra Carlotti has helped empower children and parents for decades

Continued from A1

tion, Ms. Carlotti said that, in addition to her summer camp experience, she further was inspired by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act signed by President Gerald Ford in 1975. The act guaranteed free and appropriate public education to children with disabilities throughout the country.

After graduating from Brooklyn College and taking additional courses at New York University, she eventually started working with children with disabilities for Richmond Public Schools. This was in 1981 after moving to the city with her husband, Ken Kolb, who was enrolled in Virginia Commonwealth University’s pharmacy program.

“I thought this was really innovative,” Ms. Carlotti said. “At the time, Richmond City was looked at nationwide for their services to young children with disabilities. To have a program in a regular day care center then was a big deal. There was collaborative work going on, mixing kids together a little bit - not enough, but I was excited.”

Richmond resident Dr. Patricia Brown is one of the parents she has helped and over the years she said the two became friends. She is even godmother to one of her sons, Chris. But it was her son, Patrick, that brought Ms. Carlotti into their lives.

Patrick was 4 years old when Ms. Carlotti became his teacher at Fairfield Day Care. Today he is 46 and lives in a group home.

“He’s doing well and Debra was instrumental in that. She still sees him to this day for birthdays and such,” Dr. Brown said. “She was just a fabulous, fabulous teacher for him, calm and kind — always his cheerleader.”

This same praise of Ms. Carlotti was expressed by another parent, Lefonya Wallace.

Mrs. Wallace lives in Richmond’s 1st District and her 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter attend Mary Munford Elementary School.

She explained how her son began kindergarten in a COVID

year, so he needed some extra help when he finally got into the classroom. The school’s resource officer connected her with Ms. Carlotti for tutoring.

“She has been instrumental in getting him where he needs to be,” Mrs. Wallace said in a recent telephone call.

This summer, Mrs. Wallace included her daughter who was about to enter kindergarten in the sessions.

“They love it! It definitely gives them more confidence,” Mrs. Wallace said. “She’s basically part of our family now. RPS is lucky to have her.”

Her colleagues at Mary Munford agree.

Dr. Sametrian Miller has been the school’s assistant principal for the past 17 years. During a recent telephone interview she enthused over Ms. Carlotti’s dedication and expertise, noting how she is always willing to share her knowledge and help out “whenever and wherever she is needed.

“I’m very emotional because I’ve been working with her for so long and now she won’t be with us,” Dr. Miller said. “I’m excited for her, but she is definitely going to be missed.”

Instructional assistant Alezia Mason has known Ms. Carlotti for some 20 years. She called her the “guru I reach out to when

I need to know something.”

She also confided that the native New Yorker is a “real softie.”

“She’s Italian through and through — a great cook and a well-loved person,” Ms. Mason said. “Just a great lady.”

When Ms. Carlotti thinks about retiring at the end of the current school year, she says she knows it’s time.

“The leadership I had over my years was fabulous,” she said. “I’m going to miss the kids. I love being around students, but it’s time to move on and get some young blood in here.”

Her retirement plans include spending time with her daughter, Cristina Leoni-Osion, and son-in-law who live in Berlin.

She said that her son, Alexander Kolb, enjoys a nomadic lifestyle while he works remotely.

For herself, she’d like to rent a Winnebago and drive across the country with her husband to visit national parks. She also plans to continue working with children — maybe continuing her tutoring as a volunteer in Richmond schools with a need.

“I love being in Richmond. I never thought I would say that, but here I am,” Ms. Carlotti said. “I always thought I would go back to New York, but I’ve adopted Richmond.”

Southside Community Center’s $16M addition

Continued from A1

based on the standards set by a national rating agency.

However, Charles Woodson, a member of the city’s Urban Design Committee and an advocate for bird-safe windows, said Dr. Vonck has it wrong. None of those changes were needed, Mr. Woodson said.

“The city doesn’t seem to understand,” Mr. Woodson said, “that making new

buildings safe for birds only takes an adjustment to the glazing specification, not adding frittering or decals. It would actually have given the building a higher rating” as the rating agency gives extra points for including bird-safe glass.

The city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities is responsible for the development.

Previous work at the center has included the development of a skate park and

renovations to the gym and multipurpose rooms. Mayor Stoney and City Council separately have agreed to build a $7 million child care center on the site if a proposed $562 million casino-resort complex wins voter approval Nov. 7. The money would come from the $26.5 million that the ownership group would be required to pay to the city if a majority of voters back the project.

RPS taps Sands Anderson to investigate graduation shootings

Continued from A1

to dictate how our operations did or did not fail,” board member Shonda Harris-Muhammed said. “It is our due diligence to ensure that we unpack our operations.”

The board’s selection was the latest step of a months-long effort to find an outside group to investigate the potential gaps and oversights that may have led to the shooting in Monroe Park, resulting in the deaths of Huguenot High graduate Shawn D. Jackson and his stepfather Renzo Smith.

Based in Richmond, Sands Anderson was one of two options presented to board members by RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras. Michie Hamlett Attorneys At Law, which is based in Charlottesville and Roanoke, was the other option.

Sands Anderson’s investigation is estimated to cost around $22,000. It will take approximately 50 hours to complete the investigation, though this could change as the review continues, and all findings will be reported to the School Board.

Statements from staff members present during the ceremony also will be included in the review, along with a breakdown of the process and procedures of the RPS Homebound program, which Mr. Jackson participated before his graduation and death.

The vote did not occur without some pushback. Tameeka Jackson-Smith, Mr. Jackson’s mother and Mr. Smith’s wife, voiced her criti-

cisms of the move during the public comment period of the meeting, accusing board members of using the review as a pretext to remove Mr. Kamras from his position and causing unnecessary grief.

“If we’re going to investigate all who have been killed then that would be something, but why use my son?” said Ms. Jackson-Smith, in a statement read by Charles Willis, executive director of United Communities Against Crime.

“Don’t use my son’s death for someone else that

you’re trying to get out of office. Let my child rest and let us grieve in peace.”

Board members, for their part, stressed the need for an outside overview of their operations to ensure they can identify problems in the RPS system and change or create policy that might have contributed to the shooting, and said that the work already done or in progress can’t meet those goals.

“This would help us implement corrective actions, and that’s something that the police

department cannot do,” board member Mariah White said. “I can understand that mother’s pain, but we as a board should have an incident investigation — state of mind for RPS.”

“We don’t want this to happen again, and we have to start and stop somewhere.”

Sands Anderson lawyers and staff involved in the investigation will meet with School Board members in a closed session during their next meeting on Monday, Oct. 19, to provide a plan of action and outline the next steps forward.

Boston University names Melissa L. Gilliam 11th president

Continued from A1

reporter hired by the Washington Post. Her parents instilled in her an intellectual curiosity and a firm belief in the importance of civic engagement and public service.

Dr. Gilliam will come to Boston from Ohio State, a sprawling midwestern university and one of the largest public institutions in the country, with 15 colleges, more than 7,500 faculty members, and over 60,000 students across six campuses.

“I’m really excited about how engaged Boston University is in the city and how engagement has been a hallmark of BU,” Dr. Gilliam said in an article in BU Today. “I’m looking forward to hearing from people, learning and listening. I lead by listening, collaborating, and empowering other people. That is the best way to run big organizations, to get everyone excited and engaged, and doing more than they think they’re

capable of doing. This philosophy is core to shared governance, an essential component of a thriving university.”

“From the very beginning, I was able to form that connection to Boston University,” says Dr. Gilliam, who also earned a Master of Public Health from University of Illinois Chicago.

“And I always knew it as a place that was going places that other institutions weren’t.” Boston, and Boston University, will be familiar territory for Gilliam. She graduated from Harvard Medical School, and for one of her summer projects there, she collaborated with BU School of Public Health researchers, joining them in Ecuador on a project aimed at understanding the health of elderly people.

Now, more than two decades later, Dr. Gilliam, 58, returns. She succeeds Robert A. Brown, who served as BU’s 10th president from 2005 until stepping down over the summer. His 18-

year tenure saw BU quadruple its endowment, open its doors to a more diverse student body, and establish itself as a leading private urban research institution and a global leader in fighting infectious diseases.

Several BU alumni voiced their excitement regarding Dr. Gilliam’s selection, including Lynn Adrine, an organizational strategist and media and journalism consultant.

“It is inadequate for me to say ‘I never thought I’d see the day,’” Ms. Adrine wrote on LinkedIn and also told the Richmond Free Press. “But Boston University has a long tradition of bold leadership. It is proven here (by Dr. Gilliam’s selection). I am a proud alumna. And it’s a great day to be a Terrier!”

Kenneth Freeman, BU president ad interim since Mr. Brown’s departure, will remain in the post until Dr. Gilliam begins in July and will help her transition into the role during the spring.

Kevin McCarthy was an early architect of the Republican majority that became his downfall

Continued from A1

unable to legislate for the foreseeable future, with grave ramifications for the U.S. experiment in governing.

With no speaker of the House, a constitutional officer second in line to the presidency, the Congress cannot fully function — to pass laws, fund the government and otherwise serve as the branch of government closest to the people — during a time of simmering uncertainty at home and abroad.

“A democracy relies on its legislative branch — it’s the most important branch of any democratic government,” said Matthew Green, an expert on Congress at Catholic University.

For Rep. McCarthy, it’s the end of the arc of his political career, from running a sandwich counter in Bakersfield, California, to the pinnacle of power, only to have his downfall engineered by the hard-right Republican lawmakers he once recruited to Congress but ultimately could not tame.

Democrats compounded the pain, only too happy to help oust him, in a brutal display of partisan politics.

“He had made his bed,” Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., said ahead of the vote.

Rep. McCarthy is no bystander to the turmoil that so often defined

his tenure in Congress, and in fact he was an early architect of the new Republican Party that has almost fully replaced what once was.

In office for nearly 20 years, Rep. McCarthy played a pivotal role in the 2010 election that sent a new generation of “ tea party ” Republicans to take control of the House. He was the campaign chairman who recruited the dozens of conservative newcomers who swept to power.

With fundraising skills and a keen eye for unique candidates, Rep. McCarthy was the party’s winning strategist, adding to Republican ranks even when it meant electing hard-right figures.

Part of the trio of “Young Guns” with Majority Leader Eric Cantor and future Speaker Paul Ryan, Rep. McCarthy and his political operation were crucial for the party as he crisscrossed the country with an extensive base of connections to wealthy donors.

Those years saw the stirrings of a party purge that continues to this day, leaving an open question of who, if anyone, can lead the House Republicans.

Then-Speaker John Boehner tried but failed to corral the newly conservative flank — enduring a U.S. debt default crisis, a prolonged government shutdown and a fiscal cliff that put

the country on edge — before he was ultimately chased to early retirement by the same threat that would befall Rep. McCarthy.

Mr. Boehner’s chief antagonist at the time was Mark Meadows, then a Republican congressman who led the Freedom Caucus and would go on to become President Donald Trump’s chief of staff. Meadows filed a “motion to vacate” — at the time an unheardof procedural move resurrected from political obscurity.

Rather than risk the continued threat of an ouster, Mr. Boehner simply micdropped and left.

A California Republican, Rep. McCarthy was never considered much of an ideologue. Rather, he positioned himself as a Reagan Republican, part of a generation that came of age during Ronald Reagan’s presidency captivated by a more sunny-side telling of the American experience.

That lack of a firm ideological footing in far-right politics cost Rep. McCarthy the speaker’s gavel when he first reached for it, after Boehner’s ouster in 2015, as fellow Republican lawmakers viewed him as insufficiently conservative at best. Others viewed him as operating without a political compass.

He abandoned the speaker’s race to Mr. Ryan, who was chased from

the office a few short years later as he came up against the right flank during the Trump era.

“All three of them were chased out,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday.

“Speaker Boehner, Speaker Ryan and now Speaker McCarthy have all learned the same lesson: You cannot allow the hard right to run the House, or the country.”

As Republicans fell into minority status with Speaker Nancy Pelosi in charge, Rep. McCarthy went on to recruit the class of 2020 Republicans to retake House control — in line for the speaker’s gavel in another historymaking moment.

But it took a brawling 15-vote slugfest over the first week of the new Congress in January for McCarthy to win the votes from his own reluctant Republican Party to become speaker, a prelude of his ouster to come.

With just a slim majority hold, a handful of hard-right holdouts forced him to make concessions for the gavel, including the ability to more easily remove him from office.

Still, finally becoming speaker after so long seemed to have changed Rep. McCarthy, and he quickly grew into the role. His mantra: “I never quit.”

His suits appeared sharper, his sunny demeanor more pronounced,

the flashes of anger subdued as he ambled through the halls.

In his element, Rep. McCarthy would open the House chamber, making a point to stop and chat with visitors along the way — at times even setting up a photo line for those who swarmed to snap pictures.

Underestimated from the start, he surprisingly delivered at two crucial moments, reaching a debt deal with President Biden to avoid default and preventing a government shutdown last weekend at grave risk to his job.

Rep. McCarthy had become the magnanimous “Man in the Arena,” as he liked to think of himself — the portrait of Teddy Roosevelt hanging with that of Ronald Reagan in his suite of speaker’s offices at the Capitol. “I give as good as I get,” he quipped the night he was ousted.

But like the others before him, Rep. McCarthy was no match for the increasingly hard-right flank that has come to dominate the Republican Party.

A handful of hardliners led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., blocked Rep. McCarthy in January from becoming House speaker, and many of them cast the votes Tuesday on the “motion to vacate” to remove the speaker — with the government shutdown deal the latest complaint against him.

Sen. Butler

Magnolia seed pods in Byrd Park

If it’s fall, it must be 2nd Street

Nothing signals fall more in Richmond than the annual 2nd Street Festival in Richmond’s historic Jackson Ward. This year’s festival is particularly special in that Richmonders and visitors alike will celebrate the event’s 35th year.

As we look toward the festival on Saturday and Sunday, we won’t even think about last year’s festival that was canceled.

The shattering news was sudden and swift: “The Richmond Free Press has been informed that the 34th 2nd Street Festival scheduled Oct. 1-2 is canceled. The popular annual event celebrates the history of Jackson Ward and its heyday as the heart and soul of the Black community,” our story read.

“Like you all, I’m sure, we’ve been watching Hurricane Ian for days, hoping against hope that it would not be the massive and potentially deadly weather event that it clearly has become,” said Lisa Sims, in a Sept. 28, 2022, email message to Venture Richmond trustees that was provided to the Richmond Free Press. Venture Richmond is the Downtown booster group that produces the festival.

“While we are extremely lucky to be a few states away from the serious issues Florida is facing, we also know that this weekend promises massive amounts of rainfall and potentially strong wind gusts for our area,” said Mrs. Sims. “After consulting meteorologists, vendors, contractors, security, and other event planners, we’ve concluded to the best of our ability that the event, if held, would not be successful. We also must put the safety of our patrons, artists, vendors, contractors, and staff foremost, and the threat is simply too great.

Fortunately, no hurricanes are forecast this year and only a 40% chance of rain is predicted on Saturday.

During the 35 years of the 2nd Street Festival, dozens of entertainers have taken the stage and this year’s lineup won’t be any different. Topping the list is the Average White Band, a group that formed 16 years before the 2nd Street Festival debuted. The audacity to bring a band to town older than the festival speaks to Venture Richmond’s confidence that the city is open-minded and eclectic enough to handle music that Baby Boomers boogied to.

Some of you may recall the 2nd Street Festival’s first year in 1988. Situated then and now in Jackson Ward, formerly dubbed “The Harlem of the South,” a big white tent and folding chairs were centerpieces that drew crowds from all parts of Richmond. Dancing, food, fun, live music and people, perhaps a tad more sedate back then, were festival highlights. Numerous civic, social and neighborhood groups pitched in to make the event a win.

Over time, Venture Richmond, inarguably one of Richmond’s best cheerleaders, assumed the labor-intensive job of organizing and presenting the festival. Their “work to do” has paid off for what Venture Richmond itself describes as engaging business and community leaders “in partnering with the city to enhance the vitality of the community, particularly downtown, through economic development, marketing, promotion, advocacy and events.”

Yes, that’s a mouthful, but the nearly two dozen event sponsors for this year’s 2nd Street Festival not only talk the talk, but walk the walk by providing sponsorship dollars or in-kind donations to allow free entry to attendees young and old.

Those sponsors, which can be viewed on Venture Richmond’s website, deserve applause.

Enjoy the 2nd Street Festival, Richmond, and don’t forget to “pick up the pieces” of must-have items before you leave.

Amid Congress’ best efforts to keep the government open, it’s also hard at work to re-authorize affordable food, farmers’ ability to insure their crops, and ranchers being able to export their products to foreign markets.

Yet, some in Congress think getting it “right” means restricting certain consumer food items as “wrong” to buy. According to a recently introduced proposal, Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would be prohibited from purchasing snacks, fruit juice and soda – including beverages that are low calorie or zero sugar – with their benefits. It’s the equivalent of putting the federal government in between consumers and the products they enjoy.

Bottom line: Consumers deserve to have choices in the grocery store. SNAP recipients are Americans in

need and are fully capable of making their own food choices. Limiting their options stigmatizes them as incapable of responsible decision-making. This approach undermines the dignity and self-respect of

SNAP participants, and it puts the government in the position of choosing what people can serve their families. This is a slippery slope that would open the door to a government goodfood, bad-food list that could apply to other everyday items on the grocery list.

Nevertheless, lawmakers such as Sen. Marco Rubio and others may be seeking to jam this misguided idea into the farm bill. The legislative process is hard enough as it is, but it becomes significantly more difficult as individual members of Congress and D.C. special interest groups seek to attach pet projects or priorities to what should be bipartisan legislation. And in Congress, it’s easy for a few lawmakers to derail the progress on es-

sential legislation that must be passed.

The basis of the idea is about removing choice, but the authors of the so-called “Healthy SNAP Act” claim it will help reduce spending, but the data doesn’t support it. SNAP recipients will still have the same amount of benefits.

On the SNAP side, lawmakers could look at generating savings by capping benefits, implementing work requirements, or reducing the overall size of the program.

We all want Americans to make good choices that promote healthier eating habits, but restricting the treats parents buy their kids is not the solution. It is a shortsighted and ineffective approach that infringes on individual freedom, further stigmatizing lower-income communities, and won’t yield the savings that Sen. Rubio promises.

Instead, we should focus on real policies that improve access to nutritious foods and empower all individuals, regardless of their income, to make healthier choices.

As Republicans, we are

proud to be the party of individual choice and freedom. These foundational principles are essential to the promise of liberty for all — that we trust our fellow Americans to make their own life choices, even if we don’t agree with them. I’m proud to subscribe to these values, which is why it is important we push back on ideas from within our party that restrict the ability for us to make our own decisions.

These values should apply at the grocery store, so lawmakers should reverse course on their misguided SNAP restriction proposal. The last thing Americans need is more nanny state decrees from politicians who think they know best for them.

The writer is a business and political analyst and an adjunct assistant professor at New York University.

Amid the multitude of tributes that poured out after her death at age 90, one description of California U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Senate’s oldest sitting member, was appropriately prominent. “A true trailblazer,” said President Biden, “a pioneer ing Ameri can,” and “for Jill and me, a cherished friend.”

“Dianne was a trail blazer,” Illi nois’ senior U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin echoed in a statement. He served with Sen. Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee for more than 20 years and called her public service “an inspiring chapter in the history of our nation.”

I won’t argue with any of that. The lavish tributes to her long career help me forget the widespread grumblings in her final weeks about her insistence on staying in office despite her increasing frailty and failing health.

Now, before we become immersed in the speculation over who will replace her, it is illuminating to look back at the woman who became mayor of San Francisco after a horrific double assassination at City Hall in 1978 — and went on to serve more than 30 years in the Senate.

Many of us are old enough to remember her rise to a history-making career and legacy as a pioneer that began with a particularly horrible

tragedy.

She was on the board of supervisors in San Francisco in 1978 and on the verge of quitting political life when she found herself running toward the sound of gunshots in City Hall and found a dying Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk, the city’s first openly

gay supervisor. Both had been killed by Dan White, a disgruntled former supervisor, who was quickly captured and eventually imprisoned.

To the shaken city, she offered reassuring and eloquent leadership that would later help her win two four-year terms as mayor in 1979 and 1983. She advocated for gay rights in jobs and housing and supported developing programs to fight the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s, years before President Reagan’s administration took up the fight against HIV as a public health menace.

In those days, she became a groundbreaker for women by becoming her city’s first female mayor and the first woman to be considered a presidential running mate (by Walter Mondale in 1984, before he later chose Geraldine Ferraro).

She lost a race for governor of California to Republican Pete Wilson in 1990, but won a special election to his old Senate seat in 1992, followed by a full six-year term in 1994. She was re-elected by large margins in 2000, 2006 and 2012.

Through it all, Sen. Feinstein maintained her almost stoic dignity and adherence to centrist principles, even when she sometimes frustrated members of her own party’s progressive wing. She won a major victory when legislation she introduced effectively banned assault weapons for a decade until the law expired in 2004. Since then, the National Rifle Association doubled down on its efforts to prevent a repeat and, so far, has succeeded, despite growth in the threat of gun violence.

Now, the calls for Sen. Feinstein’s departure have been replaced by speculation as to who might be her replacement. Her death brings the Democratic majority in the Senate to 50 votes, against the Republicans’ 49 votes.

Suddenly, the fate of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, takes on new importance with the possibility that the margin could shrink even more.

For a closely divided Senate, Sen. Feinstein offered an important voice of pragmatic liberalism, more interested in reaching agreement between mutual interests rather than driving more wedges between the factions, which has become a growing sport in today’s Congress.

Congress won’t have Sen. Feinstein as senator anymore, but her trailblazing leadership from the center-left offers a valuable model for those who come later.

The writer is a Chicago Tribune syndicated columnist.

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.

Sellars

Regina H. Boone reginaboone@richmondfreepress.com James Haskins, Rudolph Powell and Clinton A. Strane Vice President – Administration Tracey L. Oliver traceyoliver@richmondfreepress.com

Advertising Traffic Coordinator Cynthia Downing advertising@richmondfreepress.com classifieds@richmondfreepress.com

Advertising

(804) 643-5436

Clarence Page

Sen. Dianne Feinstein offered a valuable voice in a divided Senate

Enrollment growing at Virginia HBCUs, but they face historic underfunding

By Nathaniel Cline Virginia Mercury

As enrollment drops at many Virginia higher education institutions, the state’s two public historically Black colleges and universities offer a bright spot, with steady student increases. However, a historical lack of funding for HBCUs and financial resources for their students is causing concern among policymakers and graduates.

“The idea is not to reduce funding and appropriation from other schools. We need that, but I’m talking about the fair share that the law said that was delayed some 90 years [ago],” said Judge Roger L. Gregory, a graduate of HBCU Virginia State University, during a Sept. 28 symposium at Virginia Commonwealth University about addressing the funding shortage.

Between 2009 and 2022, data from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the coordinating body for colleges and universities in the Commonwealth, found HBCUs Norfolk State and Virginia State were among the top five four-year public institutions with the most significant enrollment growth, with at least 5.5% increases in their student populations.

The most recent data from SCHEV shows that in 2020 and 2021, Norfolk State and Virginia State both received the highest amount of state funding on a per in-state student basis.

However, researchers have documented major historical shortfalls in funding for HBCUs. Federal officials this September estimated Virginia

State had been underfunded by more than $277 million between 1987 and 2020.

In 2022, following a General Assembly-mandated study, SCHEV found the state’s higher education funding model is no longer useful and there are “substantial differences” between Virginia’s institutions.

For example, the agency said the proportion of Pell Grant recipients in the undergraduate student body ranged from 68% at Virginia State to just 15% at the University of Virginia in

Nathaniel Cline

2020 and 2021. Additionally, it noted that 97% of students at Norfolk State were non-white compared to 24% at Christopher Newport.

Wayne Frederick, president of Howard University, said during the Sept. 28 symposium that the most beneficial way the state could compensate HBCUs is by providing undesignated funds, or funds not required to be spent on a particular program. He pointed as an example to author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s $40 million gift to Howard in 2020.

“No gift or money granted to any institution of this kind should be designated,” said Dr. Frederick. “When you give designated funds to do this or that, you really hamstring an organization from doing what it is they need to do, and I think that type of giving hopefully will become the mainstream type of giving.”

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares also praised the undesignated fund approach.

“I think that is a great message for people in state government to, where possible, trust those on our campuses, our HBCUs, to know where to best spend it,” Mr. Miyares said.

Institutional funding isn’t the only tool the state has to assist HBCUs, symposium

participants noted. Several including Mr. Miyares said tuition assistance grants could help reduce debt for students attending an HBCU.

“Graduating with an enormous amount of debt, it limits your opportunities,” Mr. Miyares said at the September symposium.

Nakeina Douglas-Glenn, a professor and researcher for the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU, said student debt assistance can help HBCU students “come to school with a different mindset.”

Nationally, the U.S. has struggled to close the support and funding gaps between HBCUs and other higher education institutions.

On Sept. 18, the U.S. departments of Education and Agriculture sent letters to 16 states including Virginia asking them to address underfunding for HBCU land-grant institutions such as Virginia State University.

“The underfunding of our institution is really more of an underfunding of opportunities, and we would like to provide those opportunities,” said Makola Abdullah, president of Virginia State University at the VCU symposium.

In 1862, the Morrill LandGrant Act allowed states to establish public agricultural, mechanical and engineering colleges using proceeds from the development or sale of federal lands, many of which had been seized from native communities. Virginia Tech was one such institution.

However, some colleges barred Black Americans from enrolling, leading to the Second Morrill Act of 1890. That law required states to establish separate land-grant institutions for Black students or demonstrate that admission to an 1862 landgrant school was not restricted by race.

Virginia State University became the state’s second land-grant institution as a result of the act of 1890. However, it never received the level of funding Virginia Tech did: The September letter from the federal government found VSU was owed more than $277 million.

Susan Gooden, the Wilder School’s dean and a professor, pointed to slavery as one cause of the absence of financial support for HBCUs.

“Under the laws of slavery, you could do anything to an enslaved person but one thing, and that was to educate them,” said Dr. Gooden. “And the fear of educating African-Americans in this country is still at the heart of why there is an absence of funding at HBCUs.”

Mr. Miyares said while the average state funding for an in-state student at Virginia State was $12,400 a decade ago, it has since risen to $31,900.

“That’s an extraordinary increase, but it doesn’t make up for the decades and decades of

inequities and improper funding imbalances,” Mr. Miyares said.

Dr. Gooden announced

Thursday that VCU will partner with Virginia Union and Howard universities to offer graduating students scholarships to attend the Wilder School at VCU.

Gov. Wilder said Virginia leaders face a choice to support HBCUs today.

“I’m being somewhat critical, but hopefully gently critical of those who are in positions now to do something,” Gov. Wilder said. “Don’t talk about

it. Do it.”

The writer is an awardwinning journalist who’s been covering news across the country since 2007, including politics at The Loudoun Times-Mirror and The Northern Neck News in Virginia as well as sports for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland. His articles can be found at https:// www.virginiamercury.com

Black Tennis Hall of Fame serves up 2023 inductees

By Debora Timms

Despite a rainy arrival, some 75 to 80 people were in attendance to celebrate the induction of the 2023 class of inductees to the Black Tennis Hall of Fame (BTHOF) at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on Saturday, Sept. 23. The evening’s keynote speaker was 1996 Wimbledon runner-up MaliVai Washington Richmond resident and BTHOF CEO Shelia Curry said the highlight of the evening was the inductees themselves.

“They shared many aspects of their lives that we were nor aware of,” Ms. Curry said by email. “How tennis coaching and educating enabled them to become regional legends that greatly enhanced their communities.”

The late Dr. John A. Watson Jr., a varsity tennis coach at Virginia Union University for 47 years, was honored as both a pioneer of and contributor to the sport of tennis. He also was instrumental in the early development of tennis great Arthur Ashe, and in helping hundreds of other young juniors reach their full potential.

Cecil Hollins was another inductee recognized for his contributions to the game as the first and only African-American chair umpire to be awarded a “Gold Badge,” the highest achievement a chair umpire can receive.

Additionally, there were three “Regional Legends” that completed the 2023 inductions.

The late Edward John Davis was selected for his work as a D.C. Department of Recre-

ation director and as a championship-winning tennis coach. His son, Eddie Davis, was recognized as a coach in D.C. and Boston, and whose many accomplishments include being founder and director of the Boston Wheelchair Tennis

Program.

Also recognized was longtime high school tennis coach and former president of the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association, Ronald Landfair. This was BTHOF’s 15th class of inductees,

but it was the first time the ceremony was held in Richmond. This is especially significant because the organization is in the process of relocating its headquarters to the city, according to Ms. Curry.

“Relocating the Black Tennis Hall of Fame from Bradenton, Fla., to Richmond has already provided a historic connection to the life and career of Arthur Ashe,” Ms. Curry said, adding that Richmond was the birthplace of the tennis great who also was an advocate for civil rights.

“One of the things that the Black Tennis Hall of Fame has done since arriving here is to bring the Metro Richmond Tennis Club (MRTC) inside of the organization,” she continued. “Given a great deal of what MRTC does, it is the desire of BTHOF to expand those works particularly for community youths. We also want to provide education and history for community to be able to visit and learn.”

The MRTC is a nonprofit which was founded by George Banks in 2010 to promote the sport of tennis through eductaion, skill development, competition and fun. They offer lessons at all levels, as well as clinics for adults.

While the date for next year’s event has not yet been set, Ms. Curry said nominations for next year’s class of inductees will open on Oct. 9 and continue through Dec. 29.

For more information about the Black Tennis Hall of Fame or to download a nomination form, please visit www.blacktennishalloffame.com

Damian Lillard joins Bucks on defense, embraces championship expectations

The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE

Damian Lillard understands he has a reputation for being an elite offensive player but not a particularly strong defender.

Now that he’s on a new team, the seven-time All-NBA selection looks forward to changing that perception.

Lillard began training camp with Milwaukee on Tuesday, a week after the Bucks acquired him from the Portland Trail Blazers to team up with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. One of the players the Bucks gave up was Jrue Holiday, a five-time All-Defensive Team selection who landed with the Boston Celtics in a separate trade.

Lillard acknowledges he isn’t as good a defender as the guy he’s replacing.

“I’m not going to come in here and be Jrue Holiday,” Lillard said Monday during the Bucks’ media day. “My personal opinion, I think he’s the best defender on the perimeter.”

But Lillard believes he can help the Bucks continue to play solid defense.

“At the very least, on that end of the floor, I’m going to compete,” he said.

“The people that I play against will tell you, I ain’t a pushover, you know what I’m saying?” Lillard continued. “I’ve also had a lot of responsibility on the offensive end for my entire career. I think playing with the kind of players I’ll be playing with here, it will also give me an opportunity to show myself much better on the defensive end of the floor.”

The Bucks believe Lillard’s extraordinary skills on offense

will make up for whatever they might sacrifice on defense.

Lillard ranks 11th in NBA history in career scoring average (25.2 points per game) and sixth in 3-pointers (2,387). Although he played just 29 games due to an abdominal injury in 2021-22 and was limited to 58 games by a calf strain last season, Lillard has continued to perform at an All-NBA level when healthy.

The Bucks are counting on Lillard to help them bounce back from last season’s stunning first round playoff loss to Miami and win a second title in four years.

“I’m not asking him to be anything except Damian Lillard,” new Bucks Coach Adrian Griffin said. “And that’s plenty.”

Lillard welcomes those expectations.

During his 11 seasons with Portland, Lillard advanced be-

yond the second round of the playoffs just once, when the Blazers reached the Western Conference finals in 2019. He requested a trade to play for a contender.

“In my career, my life, I’ve never been part of any situation that (I) was not an underdog,” Lillard said. “From my AAU program, I played in my neighborhood AAU program. I went to Weber State. I get drafted to Portland. I’ve done a lot more overachieving in my career than like living up to what was expected. So I’m excited about that. I think once again, at my age and at this stage of my career, I think it came at the perfect time as I prepare for a situation like this.”

Lillard says he’s thrilled about the opportunity to play alongside Antetokounmpo, even though he had pushed for a trade to Miami.

The feeling is mutual.

“I feel like we are just the same people, just different size,” Antetokounmpo said. “He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He

plays to win. He’s built from the same cloth. How can I say it, whenever I saw him, I admired his game. I loved how he plays the game.”

Your Primary Care Is

The Associated Press

Miwaukee Bucks players Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton and Coach Adrian Griffin pose for a photo during the NBA basketball team’s media day earlier this week.

Nathan Pace

Eddie Davis, center, is recognized at the Black Tennis Hall of Fame event as a coach in D.C. and Boston and founder and director of the Boston Wheelchair Tennis Program. Congratulating him are D.A. Abrams, left, president of the BTHOF, and Shelia Curry, BTHOF CEO.

PLAY FROM ANYWHERE

Falcons hope to be ‘primetime’ players

Charles Scott is becoming the Deion Sanders of the East.

In a blink, Coach Sanders, aka “Coach Prime,” turned a ragamuffin University of Colorado program into a national talking point with a 3-0 start.

Meanwhile, on the high school level, Scott has awakened the long-slumbering Huguenot High Falcons.

After going 2-16 the previous two seasons and 24-109 since 2009, the Falcons have bolted to a take-notice 4-0 start under Coach Scott.

“We feel great. This is a testament to the kids’ hard work since January,” said Coach Scott, who became the team’s coach last winter.

The takeoff victories (over Clover Hill, Richmond City, Powhatan and James River) were by a combined score of 167-34.

But now the path gets rockier.

Huguenot meets Manchester, ranked No. 2 in the 804, on Friday, Oct. 6. After that comes former

three-time state champ L.C. Bird.

To make the task more challenging, it will be homecoming at Manchester.

“We’re into the meat of the schedule,” Coach Scott said.

If Coach Scott, whose most recent coaching assignment was Life Christian Academy (LCA), is overwhelmed by his practically overnight success, it doesn’t show.

“I won’t lie. The plan was to go into the Manchester game undefeated,” he said.

As Coach Sanders did at Colorado (1-11 a year ago), Coach Scott has benefitted from some gifted transfers, starting with quarterback Jason Wright who came to Forest Hill Avenue as a junior from, of all schools, Manchester.

In Wright’s first game against Clover Hill, he passed for a school and possibly area record seven touchdowns and ran for two more.

There’s plenty of firepower in the Huguenot

VUU: Allen does Byers impersonation

At midseason, it comes as no surprise that a Virginia Union University Panther is leading the CIAA in rushing.

The surprise is that it is Curtis Allen and not Jada Byers. Heading into this week’s 1 p.m. CIAA game at Elizabeth City, N.C., Allen has 437 yards on the ground while averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

Curtis Allen

In VUU’s 47-7 win at St. Augustine’s in Raleigh, Allen carried 19 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound sophomore out of Prince George High can be a battering ram and a long distance highlight reel.

He had scores of 60 and two yards at St. Aug’s as the Panthers improved to 4-1. In the lone loss, Allen gained 155 yards on 30 tries against Fayetteville.

As Byers’ backup a year ago, Allen ran for nine touchdowns, mostly in goal line situations.

There is good news aplenty in the Panthers camp.

Byers, who led all of NCAA Division II in rushing last year, has returned to action after missing two and a half games with an injury.

Byers had 19 yards on 10 tries against the Falcons and hopes to return to full strength for the stretch run.

At St. Augustine’s, Christian Reid alternated with R.J. Rosales at

quarterback. Reid threw for 63 yards and one TD while Rosales, a transfer from Army (West Point), tossed for 74 yards and two TDs.

Isaac Anderson, again, was a difference maker on the defensive line. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound junior from Florida turned a fumble recovery into the Panthers’ first TD in Raleigh. The previous week he was CIAA Defensive Lineman of the Week.

VUU held St. Aug’s to minus24 yards rushing in a dominating defensive effort. Elizabeth City is 1-4 coming off a tough 21-20 loss to Johnson C. Smith.

The Vikings, coached by former VUU assistant Marcus Hilliard, lost to the Panthers 49-0 last autumn in Richmond.

VUU feels like it’s home on the road. The Panthers have won nine straight games outside of Richmond the past two seasons.

The Panthers return to Hovey Field on Oct. 14 against Bowie State and will celebrate homecoming Oct. 21 against Lincoln.

offense.

In the tense win over Powhatan, Michael Dabney rushed for 241 yards on 24 carries and John Washington added 101 yards on six totes.

Dabney, who played under Coach Scott at LCA, added 257 rushing yards in the 26-0 win over James River.

Coach Scott estimates he has “about five transfers,” many of whom are underclassmen.

Also, Coach Scott notes that he has at least three freshmen on his combined starting offensive and defensive units.

“We’re a young team. The future is bright,” he said.

Trying to regain lost glory from the Richard McFee coaching seasons in the 1980s and 1990s, the team has gone back to its original uniform colors – Kelly green and Vegas gold.

The makeover is all a part of the Falcons return as a “Prime Time” program.

VSU has high hopes with Pope

As the dynamic Dinwiddie High quarterback, K’ymon Pope was all about leading his team into the end zone.

Now as the Virginia State University roving safety, he’s all about keeping rival squads out of the end zone.

The script flipped once Pope made the 16.5-mile trek north from Dinwiddie to Rogers Stadium in Ettrick.

“When I got here there were eight other quarterbacks (including incumbent starter Cordelral Cook); I was the ninth,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to play. It was like a business decision to move to defense –best for me and the team.”

The versatile 6-foot-1, 210-pound athlete was redshirted as a freshman in 2019. The entire 2020 season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now a graduate transfer with a degree in accounting and finance, Pope is in his third autumn as a ringleader in the Trojans’ secondary.

Pope wears jersey No. 10 (a QB’s number), the same number he wore at Dinwiddie in four glorious seasons pass-

ing and throwing the pigskin under coach Billy Mills.

As the Generals’ QB, Pope passed for 3,740 yards and 35 touchdowns and ran for 2,396 yards and 41 TDs. His total offense (counting kick returns) of 6,164 ranks among the highest in state annals. He was Class 4, Region B Offensive Player of the Year as a senior and drew recruiting interest from the likes of North Carolina State and Georgia Tech.

“K’ymon is heady. He’s intense. And he’s a team leader,” said second year Coach Henry Frazier III.

“He stops the run and is solid on pass coverage. Whatever we need is what he does.”

Through four games Pope was third on the team with 18 tackles, including 15 solo. A season ago he was third with 41 tackles, including 22 for losses.

Pope’s mother is Leticia Smith and

his older brother, K’Vaughan, was an All-State linebacker at Dinwiddie who went on to play at Ohio State and Tennessee State.

His first cousin on his mother’s side is Harry Dalton, the current quarterback sensation for defending State Class 4 champion Dinwiddie.

Another cousin, Daniel “Marquis” Smith, is a VSU freshman wide receiver after starring for Dinwiddie. With another season of eligibility after this, K’ymon will pursue graduate studies the next two years.

Between classes and football, he’s also working at the Petersburg YMCA in membership and assisting in the weight room. He also is the parliamentarian for VSU’s Student Athletic Committee.

In his four seasons as Dinwiddie QB (three as starter), Pope helped the Generals to a 45-8 overall record featuring a state runner-up finish in 2016.

No. 10 in Dinwiddie Red, White and Navy proved himself an offensive standout. Now No. 10 in Orange & Blue is making an impact as a defender.

Pirates pummel UR 31-14

Coach Frazier

Coach Henry Frazier III will take his undefeated Virginia State University football team to Bowie State this Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

The veteran coach won’t need a road map or GPS to get there.

Coach Frazier was the star quarterback at Bowie from 1986 to 1989 and helped the Bulldogs to CIAA titles as both a head coach and assistant.

In 2014, Coach Frazier was named to the Bowie Athletic Hall of Fame.

Now in his second season as the head whistle blower at VSU, Coach Frazier will try and deal his alma mater, and many old friends, a homecoming defeat.

The Bulldogs have won the last four outings against VSU and six of the last seven, but Bowie is coming off a 31-18 loss at Livingstone.

On that same Saturday, VSU continued its momentum, defeating Shaw in Raleigh, 38-19, for its fifth win.

Quarterback Jordan Davis, filling in for an ailing Romelo Williams, passed for 310 yards

and two touchdowns with Lucas Nunez catching both scoring aerials. Williams’ status for Bowie is unclear.

In taking the CIAA Northern Division lead, VSU has outscored its five opponents by a combined 180-72. In terms of total offense, VSU has 1,980 yards to its’ foes 1,137.

Following the trip to Maryland, the Trojans will return to Rogers Stadium for three straight CIAA games – Oct. 14 against Bluefield State for homecoming, Oct. 21 vs. Elizabeth City and Oct. 28 vs. Lincoln.

The Trojans close their regular season Nov. 4 in Richmond against Virginia Union.

Hampton University has become the second HBCU to make football life difficult for the University of Richmond.

Morgan State University was the first to squash the Spiders at Robins Stadium on Sept. 2. Then on Sept. 30 it was Hampton University’s turn to step on the home team.

Before a partisan crowd of 7,203, Coach Robert Prunty’s Pirates dominated UR, 31-14, after leading 17-0 at halftime.

Elijah Burris, a junior from Gastonia, N.C., rushed for 115 yards and quarterback Chris Zeallous passed for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Hampton had 27 first downs to UR’s 15 and rolled up 497 yards total offense to the Spiders’ 260.

Improving to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Coastal Athletic Conference, Hampton travels to Campbell, N.C., this Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff. HU’s other wins this season were over Grambling and Howard. UR falls to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in CAA. One of UR’s victories did come against an HBCU, Delaware State, 38-6 on Sept. 16. Richmond isn’t through with HBCUs for the season. The Spiders travel to Greensboro on Oct. 21 to face CAA rival North Carolina A&T.

Defeating UR is no small achievement for any school. The Spiders are regulars in the postseason FCS playoffs and won the national title in 2008.

Stories by Fred Jeter

K’ymon Pope

Photos by James Haskins/Richmond Free press

Right, Huguenot Falcons running back Michael Dabney Jr., No. 1, takes the ball down the field. Above, a pass to Dabney is broken up by James River’s Henry Brown, No. 2.

VSU’s Frazier unbowed by Bowie homecoming

ESCALADE IQ

The Museum of International Folk Art describes the medium as art that is decorative or utilitarian, used every day or reserved for high ceremonies, is handmade or includes handmade elements, as well as new, synthetic or recycled components.

Ann Oppenhimer describes folk art as “art made by selftaught, untrained individuals who have not studied art in school. The great debate about folk art is: whether it should be called Outsider Art, Visionary Art or Intuitive Art.”

And for nearly 40 years Mrs. Oppenhimer and her husband, Dr. William Oppenhimer, have championed folk art by promoting it to improve the lives of folk artists through exhibitions, writing and publishing the magazine, the Folk Art Messenger, and through national and global educational folk art conferences.

While the couple co-founded the Folk Art Society of America in 1987, Mrs. Oppenhimer, executive director of the organization, credits her husband as the “idea person” for the society, providing her advice and ideas that continually inspire her, she said.

When asked how she was introduced to folk art, Mrs. Oppenhimer recalled learning about Miles B. Carpenter, an elderly folk artist who lived in Waverly, Va.

A Sussex County peanut farmer who later operated a lumber business, Mr. Carpenter began carving figures in the 1960s. His watermelons, peanut men and whimsical monsters earned him a national reputation as a folk article.

“Two friends and I would go to visit him just to enjoy his company and see what he was working on,” she said. “We started buying the small birds and animals that he made. That’s how I began to collect folk art in the mid-1970s.”

Mr. Carpenter died in 1985 shortly before his 96th birthday. By then his work was widely known. The Miles B. Carpenter

Personality: Ann Oppenhimer

Spotlight on co-founder, executive director of Folk Art Society of America

Museum is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places held by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Folk Art Society of America designated the museum a national folk art site in May 2000, according to the museum’s website.

Meeting men and women such as Mr. Carpenter is one reason the Oppenhimers’ passion for folk art evolved.

“ My husband and I enjoy getting to know the artists, and most of the art in our collection was made by artists we know and regard as friends,” she said. “We started collecting folk art in the mid-seventies and have acquired quite a lot of it. We have donated art to Longwood University and other museums. Friendship with the artists is more important to us than the pieces of art.”

Over the past four decades, the Folk Art Society of America’s collection has been featured in more than 90 exhibitions. Mrs. Oppenhimer says her first curated exhibition remains her favorite show: The weeklong Howard Finster Folk Art Festival in 1984 at the University of Richmond.

During the exhibition, Mr. Finster was the Oppenhimers’ house guest and in his free time he entertained them by singing and playing his banjo, she recalled.

More recently, Mrs. Oppenhimer has won awards from the 2023 Virginia Professional Communicators and National Federation of Press Women’s Professional Communications contests. She also won three first place prizes and one second place award from the Virginia Professional Communicators contest for the Folk Art Society of America’s magazine, the Folk Art Messenger. This includes writing obituaries, editing the publication and public relations

material. She also won prizes for the organization’s social media presence on Facebook. Mrs. Oppenhimer currently is writing a book about her life experiences, which includes recording details about the folk artists she has met and befriended along the way.

Meet an advocate for the work of folk artists and this week’s Personality, Ann Oppenhimer:

Volunteer position: Executive director, Folk Art Society of America.

Occupation: Retired. Taught art history at the University of Richmond for 17 years.

Date and place of birth: November in North Tazewell.

Where I live now: Richmond.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in biology, UR; bachelor’s degree in medical technology, the Medical College of Virginia; master’s degree in art history and photography, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Family: Husband, Dr. William Mayo Oppenhimer; daughter, Mary Helen Frederick Willett; Daughter,Clair Frederick Hamner; son, Philip Frederick III. The Folk Art Society of America is: A nonprofit organization for the study and promotion of folk art and artists. When and why founded: Founded in 1987 in Richmond to promote folk art and folk artists from aroundthe United States and the world, with an emphasis on the contemporary. Mission: To promote the art and improve the lives of folk artists through exhibitions, through writing and publication of the magazine, the Folk Art Messenger. Why I collect folk art and am considered a leading collector: My husband and I enjoy getting to know the artists, and most of the art in our collection was made by artists we know and regard as friends.

My collection consists of: Paintings, sculpture and some pottery. Where folk art collections, including mine, can be viewed in Richmond: We have an exhibition of 25 pieces from our collection at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture called “Visionary Virginians.” African-American folk art can be viewed at Virginia Union University’s Art Gallery. Leading folk art museum/ gallery in the United States: The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., is the most important museum featuring folk art.

Virginia Union University and folk art: The art gallery contains a large selection of

Thornton Dial’s work, which was donated by James and Barbara Sellman. Mr. Dial is probably the most important artist today. It also has a nice collection of African-American folk art and African art.

No. 1 goal or project of The Folk Art Society: To have folk art recognized as equal to mainstream contemporary artworks by museums, universities and the general public.

Strategy for achieving goals: Publishing articles in the Folk Art Messenger.

No. 1 challenge facing The Folk Art Society of America: Increasing membership.

Controversies and folk art collecting: Making sure that artists are not cheated by purchasers or dealers.

The Folk Art Society of America and its relationship to Black artists: Probably at least half or more artists are Black. We are friends with many Black artists, two of whom are members of the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society.

How The Folk Art Society of America ensures the artists have a voice and not just the collectors: We have published many articles about individual artists, and we encourage tha their voices be heard in those articles.

The Folk Art Society of America and diversity: I do not care for the use of the term “diversity.” We have three Black members on our board, but not because they are Black. We have them because they are people who care about the artists and their art.

Richmond and folk art: The VMFA included folk art in its exhibitions of the “Souls Grown Deep” acquisition, “The Dirty South and Storied Strings.”

The VMHC has included our

SERVICE. CONVENIENCE.

TOUCH.

folk art in its current exhibition, “Visionary Virginians”.

The University of Richmond includes occasional pieces of folk art.

Upcoming events and details: The 34th Conference of the Folk Art Society will be in Richmond, Oct. 2629, 2023. The conference brochure containing the details and the schedule of the weekend is available on the FASA website: www.folkart. org/conference.

What I have learned most from folk art artists: Love is the most important thing in the world.

How I start the day: By cooking breakfast for my husband – his favorite meal.

The three words that best describe me: I work hard. If I had 10 extra minutes in the day: I would sleep. Best late-night snack: Brownies and milk.

The music I listen to most is: Jazz and country.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Watch for new birds at my bird feeder.

At the top of my “to-do” list: Finish getting everything lined up for the FASA conference in the next month.

The best thing my parents ever taught me: Never spend money that you don’t have. The person who influenced me the most: My husband, who still influences me. Book that influenced me the most: “Souls Grown Deep, Vols. 1 and 2,” by William Arnett.

What I’m reading now: “Scholarship Boy” by Larry Palmer. I enjoy autobiographies most of all, and Larry so beautifully tells the story of his family and his experiences growing up and going to prep school.

Next goal: To finish the book I am writing about my life and the folk artists I have known personally.

2nd Street Festival returns to Jackson Ward

Free Press staff report

Marking its 35th year, the 2nd Street Festival returns Saturday and Sunday in historic Jackson Ward.

Each year thousands visit historic Jackson Ward to reminisce about the days when 2nd Street was the heart and soul of Richmond’s African-American community and was known as “The Harlem of the South.”

Today, the 2nd Street Festival, is an annual celebration over

Run Richmond 2023

Actor Djimon Hounsou speaks during the finish of Run Richmond 16.19, a cultural running event he hosted on Sept. 30. Also collaborating in the event were the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia and Sports Backers. The unique event takes runners and walkers on a journey through 400 years of black history. The event’s running and walking courses of 16.19K and 6.19K commemorates the sacrifices and achievements of Black men and women since they were brought here as slaves in 1619.

two days that features three stages of live musical entertainment along with a Kidz Zone, popular food vendors, a marketplace and Artists Row to shop, and the Richmond Metropolitan Antique Car Club.

Highlighting this year’s festival is a headline performance by the Average White Band on Saturday on the Main Stage at 5:45 p.m. Regarded as one of the top soul, R&B and jazz-funk groups, and first known for the timeless instrumental hit “Pick

ACTION Film Festival features

3 new works by local artists

By George Copeland Jr.

The sights, stories and histories of the city of Richmond are the focus of a new film festival running from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.

The ACTION Film Festival will showcase three films, “Still Fighting,” “Bleach” and “Break,” written by and featuring local creatives and set at historic locations and landmarks across Richmond.

“It has been a rich learning opportunity to gain experience in arts administration, development, producing, and the art of filmmaking,” said Omiyemi Green, who directed “Bleach.”

The festival is the culmination of three years of work by Sitelines BLM, started in 2020 by the Cadence Theater Company and Ms. Green, who serves on Cadence’s board of directors. The idea came in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement and the need for inclusivity it revealed, she said.

“In devising Sitelines BLM I responded to a need both within Cadence as well as the community at a time when both entities were asking themselves important questions around how to be most impactful and of service,” Ms. Green said. “Sitelines BLM is our response to those questions.”

Margarette Joyner wrote and directed the short film “Still Fighting,” which traces the long struggle against racial injustice across multiple conflicts and generations in a short film set within and around the Virginia War Memorial.

The Richmond Slavery Reconciliation Statue and the Historic Westover Plantation are the sites for a story about multiple perspectives of the same situation, communication and reconciliation in “Break,” written by, directed and starring D.L. Hopkins.

Finally, “Bleach,” written by Brittany Fisher and directed by Ms. Green, dramatizes a group discussion about staying safe amid rising racial tension. The film is set at the Rumors of War statue at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Shockoe Hill District African Burial Ground during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. The festival also will feature a question and answer session with the writers after the films. Options for future festivals are being explored, according to Ms. Greene.

The event is free and open to the public, though visitors will have to pay a fee to park at the VMHC. Parking is available at

Kensington Avenue and across from the VMFA parking garage from North Sheppard Street or Stuart Avenue.

Tickets and a full description

and trailer for each film are available at www.cadencetheatre.org/ sitelines-blm

Darlene M. Johnson contributed to this article.

Celebrating � Wis� Jus� Fo� Yo�!

Wishing you a happy birthday and a year filled with love, adventure and prosperity.

Wishing you many more amazing splendid years ahead! Happy

90th Birthday!

To a lovely lady

Rut� “Nan�” Cosby

You have shared a million reasons, a million seasons and a million sweet memories we will not ever forget! Celebrating the blessing you are and the joy you bring! With Love Always Sheila, Patrice & Family

Up the Pieces,” Average White Band’s appeal lies in its diverse songwriting and unique approach to rhythm and blues. With multiple gold and platinum albums and three Grammy nominations on the legendary Atlantic label, they were the first Brits to top the U.S. Top 100 Singles, Albums and R&B charts. This free event is produced by Venture Richmond Events. For the full schedule for both days, please visit https://venturerichmond.com/our-events/2nd-street-festival/.

Garden Glow illuminates Maymont

The groves and lawn of Maymont Farm will be illuminated by art and good vibes Sunday, Oct. 8, as artist Alfonso Pérez Acosta will present a new community project as the opening preview of this year’s four-week Garden Glow event.

The project, “Positiva,” will see Mr. Pérez Acosta and community members paint positive messages on light bulbs, which will be suspended inside the arborvitae grove on the Carriage House Lawn. The goal is to create and send out positivity into the world through collaborative art.

“Positiva is a public art installation about recognizing, drawing and concentrating positive energy,” Mr. Pérez Acosta said in a statement, “with more than 300 light bulbs individually handcrafted by people of all ages sending positive energy to very special others, connected to the natural glow of the Eastern Arborvitae.”

“Positiva” is just one of many art installations that will be featured during the sixth annual Garden

Glow, which will begin properly on Thursday, Oct. 19 and run Wednesday to Sunday, ending on Sunday, Nov. 12.

Returning displays like the Big Bright Mega Light and the Shadow Wall will be joined by new features, including dedicated hospitality spaces in the Glow Row, the Glow Grove lounge area and more. There also will be expanded seating and food and beverage options from previous events.

The Oct. 8 event is free to the public and will run from 3 to 5 p.m., while general admission for the main event will cost $16 for adults, $12 for children between the ages of 3 to 16, and free for children age 2 and younger.

Those looking to attend the main Garden Glow event are advised to purchase tickets in advance to avoid losing out on certain time slots.

The Maymont Farm entrance and parking lot can be found at 1001 Spottswood Road.

More information on the event itself can be found at www.maymont.org/calendar/gardenglow-2023/.

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Funds available for groups hurt by Enrichmond’s collapse

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A promised $250,000 bailout fund for more than 80 community groups that lost most of their money in the 2022 collapse of the Enrichmond Foundation is finally available.

City Council cleared the way for the release of the money that will go to the Richmond Outdoor and Prosperity Fund that is being administered by The Community Foundation. As previously reported, the money was included in the 202324 budget but needed council approval to be released.

The fund, led by charity consultant Kelly Chopus, has been notifying the affected groups and plans to award grants of $1,000

to $10,000 to the organizations based on their applications, according to information provided to the council.

The money that City Hall is providing is believed to be only a fraction of the losses the organizations that support parks and recreational activities experienced. Some examples of the affected groups include the Friends of East End Cemetery, Friends of Pump House and the Richmond Tree Stewards.

Current estimates suggest that up to $3 million that Enrichmond was holding for those groups disappeared, based on the Enrichmond financial records that the city secured after the collapse.

State and federal investi-

gations also are underway to determine if any laws were broken as a result of the loss, city officials said.

The foundation, which the city created as an independent operation more than 30 years ago, served as an informal bank for organizations that operated like nonprofits but had not secured the IRS designation.

But instead of holding the money, the foundation began spending the money it held to

pay staff wages and bills, according to the records, until the money ran out and it folded.

In other action at the Sept. 25 meeting, the council also agreed to use $2.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds to expand a housing renovation program. The money is to go to the nonprofit project:Homes

St. Peter Baptist Church

supported repair program.

The new funds will allow project:Homes to do renovations for elderly homeowners that cost up to $60,000, or nearly double the current limit of $35,000, according to information presented to the council.

The council also began wrapping up needed approvals to allow Richmond-based Lynx Ventures to move forward with its $55 million plan to replace Oak Grove Elementary School in South Side with 243 income-restricted apartments and 15 townhomes targeted for households with incomes below the area median. The company had already bought the long vacant and decaying building at 2200 Ingram Ave., but needed

the permits to proceed.

The council also authorized the city to accept the U.S. Soccer Association’s gift of a mini-soccer pitch with lighting that is to be installed at the Oak Grove Playground, 2207 Halifax Ave., just a block away from the apartment complex Lynx Ventures plans to develop. The gift is valued at $100,000, the council was told.

The council also accepted a $70,000 donation from the National Recreation and Parks Association that will be used to support a youth mentoring program the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities plans to operate, according to information accompanying the grant.

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

It

iN THE circUiT cOUrT FOr THE cOUNTY OF HANOvEr MicHAEL MccOUrTNEY, Plaintiff v. JEANNiE MccOUrTNEY, Defendant. case No.: cL23002007-00 OrDEr OF PUBLicATiON The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 8th day of November, 2023 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667 virGiNiA: iN THE circUiT cOUrT FOr THE cOUNTY OF HANOvEr MicHAEL ricHArDSON, Plaintiff v. GLENDA ricHArDSON, Defendant. case No.: cL23002573-00 OrDEr OF PUBLicATiON The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 8th day of November, 2023 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667 virGiNiA: iN THE circUiT cOUrT FOr THE cOUNTY OF HANOvEr SiErrA HArriS, Plaintiff v. JAvON HArriS, Defendant. case No.: cL23002988-00 OrDEr OF PUBLicATiON The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts

Devonite Walker (Father) & Unknown Father (Father) of Ayden Winston, child DOB: 03/20/2022. “TPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support.

It is ORDERED that the defendants Alicia Winston (Mother), Devonite Walker (Father) & Unknown Father (Father), to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 12/07/2023, at 9:20

A.M, cOUrTrOOM #3 virGiNiA: iN THE JUvENiLE AND DOMESTic rELATiONS DiSTricT cOUrT OF THE ciTY OF ricHMOND commonwealth of virginia, in re Brian Higgins rDSS v. Natasha Higgins, Unknown Father FiLE NO. JJ-100911-05-00, JJ-100911-06-00 OrDEr OF PUBLicATiON

The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“TPR”) of Natasha Higgins (Mother) & Unknown Father (Father), of Brian Higgins, child, DOB: 4/05/2021. “TPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support. It is ORDERED that the defendants Natasha Higgins (Mother) & Unknown Father (Father), to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 12/01/2023, at 12:00

P.M, cOUrTrOOM #1 PrOPErTY

virGiNiA:

iN THE circUiT cOUrT OF HENricO cOUNTY HAMLET cONDOMiNiUM HOMEOWNEr’S ASSOciATiON, iNc Plaintiff, v. AYDEN MicHAEL SPrOUSE, A MiNOr, BY KATHrYN M. STrEET, NEXT FriEND; ESTATE OF rANDELL J. LONG; and Anyone else who may claim an interest in the Property which is the subject matter of this suit and who is made a party hereto by the caption PArTiES UNKNOWN Defendants. case No.: cL23-6086

OrDEr OF PUBLicATiON The object of this suit is to determine the amount of association fees due to the Hamlet Condominium Homeowner’s Association, Inc. and to order a sale to satisfy the dues of the certain parcel of real property situated in Henrico County, Virginia, being owned by

Ayden Michael Sprouse, more particularly described as follows: ALL that certain lot, piece or parcel of land being described as Condominium Unit No. 20, Building 6, Section IV, of the Hamlet Condominium, known as 20 Stillwater Lane, Henrico County, Virginia, as shown on a plat entitled “Hamlet Condominiums, Brookland District, Henrico Co., VA,”, made by Chas H. Fleet & Assocs, Engineers & Surveyors, dated April 1, 1974, last revised March 20, 1977, and recorded in the Clerk’s Office, Circuit Court of Henrico County, Virginia in Plat Book 66 page 44 together with the undivided interest of .492 percent in the common elements declared in the Declaration of Condominium to be appurtenant to such unit. Ayden Michael Sprouse, Estate of Randell J. Long, and Parties Unknown may have an interest in the property by deed, by inheritance, or by duly recorded liens. Affidavit having been made and filed that due diligence has been used without effect to ascertain the identities and/or locations of certain parties to be served, and that there are or may be persons whose names are unknown, interested in the subject matter of this suit; It is ORDERED that Ayden Michael Sprouse, a minor, by Next Friend Kathryn M. Street and the Estate of Randell J. Long, if then living or if dead, their heirs, devisees, assigns, or successors in title, and any heirs or other unknown heirs or parties who have an interest in the subject matter of this suit, who are proceeded against as PA r T i ES UNKNOWN appear before Court on or before November 17, 2023 to protect their interests, if any, in this suit. I ask for this:

Curtis D. Gordon, Esquire, VSB #25325 Jason L. Shaber, Esquire, VSB #96186 DANKOS, GORDON & TUCKER, P.C. 1360 E. Parham Road, Suite 200 Richmond, Virginia 23228

Telephone: (804) 262-8000

the Defendant, Tacella R. Thornton-Brooks, or any person(s) claiming through her, do appear on or before 3rd day of November, 2023, in the Clerk’s Office of this Court and do what is necessary to protect their interests. I ASK FOR THIS: James A. Evans (VSB #04441) JAMES A. EVANS, ATTORNEY AT LAW, PLC 2101 Parks Avenue, Suite 301 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451 (757) 437-9500 telephone (757) 437-9527 facsimile james.evans@vblawyers.com

TRANSIT SYSTEM

GREATER RICHMOND TRANSIT COMPANY

BUS STOP SIGN

MANUFACTURING

INVITATION FOR BID

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

Supplied Quality Assurance Team Leader – positions offered by ABB Inc. (Richmond, Virginia). Drive supplier qual/re-qual proc & ensure supply base of direct mat’ials & svcs in Richmond, VA. May work from home, but must live within commuting distance of stated

Senior Data Analyst – Capital One, National Association in Richmond, VA; Mult pos avail: Perform quant & qualt analysis of econ data, relating constants & variables, objectives, & their num parameters. To apply, visit https://capitalone.wd1. myworkdayjobs.com/Capital_One and search “Senior Data Analyst” or “R174416”.

ELEPHANT INSURANCE SERVICES LLC SEEKS

ONE JUNIOR TECHNICAL PROJECT MANAGER to develop & oversee project plans, via waterfall or sprint-based, incl. resource load mgmt. Monitor & track other IT projects that are led by the team to ensure they are providing Master’s degree in CompSci, Computer Info.

Angular 8, Go Lang, Web services, REST, Azure, Oracle, JavaScript, Node.js, HTML, CSS, Junit, Karma, SonarQube, Jasmine. Employer will also accept Bachelor’s degree in the above in Richmond, VA. Applicants should apply at

HArUNAH LUTAAYA, Plaintiff v. SHErYL SHAW, Defendant. case No.: cL23002954-00 OrDEr OF PUBLicATiON The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 1st day of November, 2023 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure, Esquire Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804 798-9667 cUSTODY virGiNiA: iN THE JUvENiLE AND DOMESTic rELATiONS DiSTricT cOUrT OF THE ciTY OF ricHMOND commonwealth of virginia, in re AYDEN WiNSTON rDSS v.

The City of Richmond announces the following project(s) available for services relating to: IFB No. 240003619: Forest Hill Avenue Streetscape Design (UPC (UPC No. 113446)

For all information pertaining to this IFB, please logon to the Richmond website (www.RVA.GOV).

Bid Due Date: October 25, 2023/Time: 2:00 PM

Pre-Bid Conference Call Meeting: October 10, 2023 at 1:00PM 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.