July 16 18, 2015 issue by Richmond Free Press

VOL. 24 NO. 29

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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Serena wins Wimbledon

JULY 16-18, 2015

A mother’s grief

Catherine Uwasomba seeks clues, answers to her daughter’s disappearance, death

Body cameras coming

By Joey Matthews

Richmond police officers could be wearing body cameras as early as this fall. Chief Alfred Durham said Tuesday the nearly 740-officer force should have about 200 body cameras purchased and ready for use by officers “by October or November.” He made his remarks during a news conference at police headquarters on Grace Street at which he and Mayor Dwight C. Jones touted mostly declining rates in maChief Durham jor crimes across the city through the first six months of 2015. Tammy D. Hawley, a spokesperson for the mayor, told the Free Press the body cameras and related technologies are to be purchased with an appropriation of about $400,000 from the City Council for fiscal year 2016. Chief Durham said he also wants to bring the NAACP and ACLU “to the table” to make sure the department gets it right in utilizing the body cameras to Please turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Catherine Uwasomba of Chesterfield County has had little rest or peace since her missing daughter, Ogechi, was found dead March 11 in a Richmond alley.

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

By Joey Matthews

Please turn to A4

John Bazemore/Associated Press

A South Carolina Highway Patrol honor guard removes the Confederate flag from the Columbia statehouse grounds during a ceremony witnessed by thousands.

Jason Miczek/Reuters

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley signs legislation July 9 permanently removing the Confederate flag from the State Capitol grounds in Columbia. She used nine pens that later were given to the families of the nine people killed by a white supremacist at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.

When will former Gov. Bob McDonnell go to prison? That appears to be the only unanswered question in the case of the once powerful and now disgraced Virginia Republican. His future behind bars appears almost certain now that the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld his conviction on public corruption charges. “Appellant received a fair trial and was duly convicted by a jury of his fellow Virginians. We have no cause to undo what has been done,” Judge Stephanie D. Thacker wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel. A federal jury convicted Mr. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen McDonnell, in September 2014 on multiple counts of corruption for accepting $177,000 in unreported gifts and loans from businessman Jonnie Williams Sr. for using their influence to aid his dietary supplement company. U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer sentenced Mr. McDonnell in January to a twoyear term, but he has been free on bond during his appeal. Mrs. McDonnell was sentenced in February to one year and a day in prison. Her appeal has yet to be heard, and she also remains free on bond. Ruling July 10 on Mr. McDonnell’s appeal, Judge Thacker and her colleagues, Judges Diane Gribbon Motz and Robert King, found that government prosecutors presented sufficient evidence for a jury to conclude that Mr. McDonnell had “corrupt intent.” In the 89-page opinion, Judge Thacker ticked off a series of examples of how Mr. McDonnell acted to benefit Mr. Williams after receiving gifts and loans from him. Mr. McDonnell has maintained that although

New school to be named Elkhardt-Thompson By Joey Matthews

And the winner is … Elkhardt-Thompson Middle School. The Richmond School Board unanimously voted Monday to give

Please turn to A4

Federal appeals court upholds former governor’s conviction

Movement grows to eradicate Confederate symbols A growing number of Virginians are enlisting in a grassroots movement spreading across the nation to remove from the public square the vestiges of the traitors who fought against the nation during the Civil War to preserve slavery. Less than a week after South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a bipartisan group of lawmakers and thousands of people of all ethnicities assembled July 10 to cheer the removal of the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds in Columbia, many Virginians are signaling they are fed up as well with Confederate symbols of hate and are saying “enough is enough.” Illustrating the point, Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones ordered a huge American flag to be flown in front of City

What happened to my daughter? That’s the question a grieving mother is asking after Richmond police officers found the remains of her 28-year-old daughter — Ogechi Sarah Uwasomba — more than nine months after she was reported missing. DNA analysis confirmed the decomposed body found March 11 in an alley behind homes in the 00 block of Rodman Road on South Side to be that of Ms. Uwasomba, who lived in Chesterfield County. Her mother, Catherine Uwasomba, reported her missing to the Chesterfield Police Department on June 7, 2014. Since then, Mrs. Uwasomba repeatedly has sought answers from the Richmond and Chesterfield police departments about her daughter’s disappearance and death. She believes her daughter was a victim of foul play. She said she’s frustrated because officials from both departments have told her no evidence so far suggests foul play in her death. “Chesterfield police ruled out foul play” when it was still a missing person’s case, Mrs. Uwasomba said. Richmond police indicated they don’t believe foul play was involved even though the autopsy report has yet to be completed. “I just want justice,” Mrs. Uwasomba told the Free Press. At 5-foot-6 and about 200 pounds, Ogechi was the youngest of three daughters in the Uwasomba family — the happy-go-lucky child who always made her mother laugh. She called her daughter “my best friend,” and described her as “a warm, loving person.” A 2004 graduate of Midlothian High School, Ogechi earned an associate degree in accounting from J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in 2006. But she failed to thrive in that field, and was job hunting and planning to return to community college to pursue nursing when she disappeared. Court records show Ogechi had convictions on traffic charges, petit larceny and controlled substance possession during the past few years. Her mother attributed that to the periods when Ogechi, who she said suffered from bipolar disorder, wasn’t taking her medication. Adding to the tragedy, Mrs. Uwasomba’s husband — Onyebuchi E. Uwasomba — died of cancer six months before their daughter disappeared. Numb from the unbearable pain she has suffered, Mrs. Uwasomba recently moved from the family’s home in Chesterfield to another one in the county. “My heart will know no peace until I have an answer to the cause of my daughter’s mysterious death,” Mrs. Uwasomba said. “How did she die? Who was there with her or responsible for her death?” Mrs. Uwasomba, a native of Nigeria, said a witness reported seeing

that name to a “new” middle school on South Side. The school will open in September in the building that housed Thompson Middle School at 7825 Forest Hill Ave. Its student body will be comprised of students already at

Thompson and those from Elkhardt Middle School, which closed in February because of mold. Elkhardt students were sent across town to the old Clark Springs Elementary School in the Randolph community, where they finished the

school year. In choosing the hyphenated name, the board passed over 16 other suggestions, including Oliver W. Hill Sr. Middle School. Please turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Mr. McDonnell

he made mistakes, he never took any “official” action to aid Mr. Williams. Judge Thacker dismissed that argument, writing that the “solicitation or acceptance of the bribe completes the crime, regardless of whether the recipient completes, or even commences, the ‘official act’ the bribe payer sought to influence.” So far, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Marshal’s Office have remained mum on when Mr. McDonnell must report to prison. Mr. McDonnell could ask the full appeals court to hear the case or appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The chances of his case being heard, according to legal experts, are considered slim to none.

Election Tuesday for 74th District seat By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Next week, voters in the House of Delegates 74th District will decide whether Lamont Bagby or David M. Lambert will represent them in the General Assembly. Decision day is Tuesday, July 21. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for registered voters in the district that includes a big chunk of Eastern Henrico County, all of Charles City County and a precinct on Richmond’s North Side. Registrars are predicting a tiny turnout in this unusual midsummer election. Gov. Terry McAuliffe called the special election to fill the seat vacated by former Please turn to A4

Richmond Free Press

July 16-18, 2015

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Correction Pastor Michael D. McClary, left, leads Good Samaritan Ministries in South Richmond and its new summer camp in Rockbridge County. An article published in the July 9-11 edition of the Free Press included a photograph of someone mistakenly identiﬁed as Pastor McClary. The Free Press regrets the error.

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GRTC fuel savings may reduce push to raise fares Diesel fuel is a lot cheaper these days — and that’s good news for public transit companies such as GRTC. Richmond’s public transit company expects to save $1 million a year through 2018 as the result of a $1 per gallon decline in the fuel’s price. The lower price for diesel will ease the stress on the company that relies heavily on nearly static city and state subsidies to maintain service. The result may be less pressure to raise fares for riders. GRTC, which purchases about 1 million gallons of diesel fuel annually, currently pays $2.88 a gallon for it. The company locked in that price in early 2014, months before the price drop. Under the current contract that lasts through March 2016, GRTC expects to spend $2.9 million for diesel, based on the $2.88 price. The company’s savings will begin in April 2016 under a new contract the GRTC board approved last Friday. Then GRTC will start paying about $1.88 a gallon for diesel. The price will be in place through March 2018. The result: GRTC expects to pay about $1.9 million a year for the fuel — at least $1 million less each year. The company is among many now benefiting from the fuel price decline, including truckers and residential customers who rely on heating oil. The fall in diesel prices has tracked the drop in crude oil prices that began in September 2014, aided by the boom in U.S. production and an overseas glut. GRTC’s staff has been keeping an eye on diesel prices and is now seeking to take advantage of the decline. In addition to personnel costs, fuel is one of the biggest expenses for GRTC. In recent years, GRTC has been ordering vehicles that use cheaper compressed natural gas in a bid to save fuel dollars, but much of its fleet still relies on diesel. GRTC agreed to the new deal with its current supplier, James River Solutions, an arm of Ashland-based James River Petroleum. James River was the low bidder on the contract, according to GRTC. Only two companies submitted bids. Tracy Little, James River vice president, said the lower diesel price reflects “the new normal” in the oil industry. Instead of shortages boosting oil prices above $100 a barrel — and spiking the cost of gasoline and other petroleum-based fuels — the forecast is for crude oil prices to average $55 a barrel or less for the foreseeable future based on the outlook for supply, Ms. Little said. “That’s good news for our customers,” she said, “and it means oil will be more competitive with natural gas.” — JEREMY M. LAZARUS

Antonio Hill, president of A&T Striping Co., puts the ﬁnishing touches on new roadway markings at a Richmond crosswalk. Location: Semmes Avenue and 34th Street on South Side. He and other companies have been called on to repaint markings on numerous streets. The city has been repaving many streets this year in preparation to host the international cycling championship in September.

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The City of Richmond provides cooling shelters on days when the heat index is anticipated to reach 95 degrees or higher. Shelter locations: • Marshall Plaza, 900 E. Marshall St. in Downtown, and • Southside Community Service Center, 4100 Hull St. Road. The shelters are open noon to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends. In addition, to help prevent heat-related illnesses, the Ofﬁce of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests: Spending time in locations with air conditioning; drinking plenty of water and diluted sports drinks, unless told otherwise by your doctor; wearing lightweight, light-colored, loose-ﬁtting clothing; and protecting yourself from the sun by wearing hats with brims and using sunscreen. — JOEY MATTHEWS

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The League of Women Voters of Metro Richmond is sponsoring its third annual voter registration training class 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1. Location: Tuckahoe Library, 1901 Starling Drive, in Henrico County. The training is designed for community organizations and individuals seeking to conduct voter registration drives, according to organizers. Garry Ellis with the state Board of Elections will teach the class, which meets the board’s certiﬁcation requirement for people who will register 25 or more potential voters. The training will cover best practices for Mr. Ellis completion of the voter registration application, maintaining the integrity of the voter registration process, prohibited activities, important deadlines for submission of completed applications, laws protecting the privacy of applicants and information about restoration of felon voting rights. Local voter registrars will be on a panel to address questions about new voting machines and ballots. The event is free and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Registration is recommended by July 25. For more information and registration: www.richmond. va.lwvnet.org or text Jacquelin Wade at (804) 399-6955 or email lwvrichmond@gmail.com. — JOEY MATTHEWS

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July 16-18, 2015

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Richmond Free Press

A4 July 16-18, 2015

News

$5.9M settlement for Garner family in chokehold death Reuters

New York The family of Eric Garner, who died after a white police officer put him in a chokehold a year ago, renewed calls this week to criminally charge the police officer, a day after the family reached a $5.9 million settlement with New York City. A grand jury in December declined to indict the officer, Daniel Pantaleo, who placed Mr. Garner, 43, in the chokehold, a maneuver banned by the New York City Police Department. A video that a bystander took of the incident sparked protests across the country over police treatment of African-Americans. After a New York grand jury declined to indict the officer, then-U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in December promised a full investigation into Mr. Garner’s death. Nearly one year after Mr. Garner’s death on New York’s Staten Island borough, Mr. Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner, his mother, Gwen Carr, and

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Eric Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, center, is joined by his daughter, Emerald Snipes, left, and widow, Esaw Garner, at a news conference Tuesday in New York. The family spoke after reaching a $5.9 million settlement with the city in the wrongful death case of Mr. Garner, who died after being placed in a chokehold by a white police officer.

Election Tuesday Continued from A1

Delegate Joseph D. Morrissey, who moved out of the district and into Richmond several months ago to run against Democratic state Sen. Rosalyn R. Dance in the 16th Senate District. Mr. Bagby is considered the front-runner in next week’s election. His only concern is whether people will remember to vote. Now serving his second term on the Henrico School Board, Mr. Bagby is the Democratic nominee in this election. He also will carry the party banner into the Nov. 4 general election in which he will be competing for a full two-year term. Mr. Bagby, who works full Mr. Bagby Mr. Lambert time as director of operations for the nonprofit Peter Paul Development Center that serves youths and elderly people in Church Hill, has spent time in recent weeks reminding supporters to turn out at the polls on Tuesday. “I think I’ll be alright,” he said. Mr. Lambert, son of the late former state Sen. Benjamin J. Lambert III, is counting on name recognition to boost his chances. Mr. Lambert, who owns a specialty eyeglass and sunglass sales operation, is running as an independent. He also is challenging Mr. Bagby in the general election. No Republican candidate is running. The outcome Tuesday will test the relative strength of both candidates and give the winner a big advantage for the next contest. That’s because the victor will take the seat immediately and serve until the November winner is sworn into office when the General Assembly reconvenes for the next session in mid-January.

New school to be named Elkhardt-Thompson Continued from A1

After about a half hour of discussion, the board voted 8-0 to go with the Elkhardt-Thompson name. The new name was proposed by board member Shonda Harris-Muhammed, 6th District, who said students she met with from both schools expressed no trepidation about combining the two schools in one name. She suggested, “We keep the two names (for now), then open up the discussion again” later for a new name. RPS officials said moving the former Elkhardt students to the new school is only a temporary fix. They hope to build a new middle school building at the site of the former Elkhardt school at 6300 Hull St. by July 2018 to meet the needs of the burgeoning student population on South Side. Because Elkhardt-Thompson Middle School is deemed to be new by the Virginia Department of Education, the school will receive conditional state accreditation in its first year. Previously, Thompson was denied accreditation by the state and used a state-approved turnaround partner to boost student achievement to try to regain accreditation. Elkhardt was accredited with warning, which is one step from being denied accreditation.

three of his children held a press conference on Tuesday in New York alongside civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton. They called for charges in connection with his July 17, 2014, death. “We are losing our family members and they are not losing anything,” said Mrs. Garner, who more than once broke down in tears. “Now I am alone to deal with this my whole life.” Mr. Garner, a father of six, was accused of illegally selling cigarettes on a sidewalk when Officer Pantaleo put him in the chokehold from behind and brought him down with the help of other officers. Mr. Garner complained repeatedly that he could not breathe. His last words, “I can’t breathe,” have been used in many of the Black Lives Matter rallies across the country protesting the number of deaths of black men at the hands of white police officers. The city medical examiner ruled Mr. Garner’s death a homicide, with

asthma and obesity as contributing factors. New York City agreed to pay Mr. Garner’s family $5.9 million to resolve the claim over his death, officials said Monday. The settlement is among a series of large settlements during the past two years by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Comptroller Scott Stringer to resolve cases of alleged police brutality. A separate settlement was reached with the hospital that employed emergency medical technicians who responded to the scene and did not aid Mr. Garner. Terms of that agreement have not been released. Mr. Garner’s family had filed a claim in October seeking $75 million in damages. “The settlement that we got isn’t a victory,” said Mr. Garner’s mother, Mrs. Carr. “The victory will come when we get justice. Where is the justice?” A rally is planned for Saturday outside a Brooklyn federal courthouse.

A mother’s grief over daughter’s death Continued from A1

her daughter leave the family’s home in Chesterfield on May 30, 2014, and get into a green Pontiac driven by a man. She said someone later reported seeing a woman matching her daughter’s description being chased from a green vehicle near the man’s home off Midlothian Turnpike. Mrs. Uwasomba said her daughter’s remains were found about 100 yards from that home. She said the police told her that they had talked by phone with the man, who has since moved to the Southwest. Police told her there is no evidence to charge him. “They are treating my daughter’s death as irrelevant and do not want to spend time and resources to dig out the truth,” Mrs. Uwasomba said. She said police told her they found two cell phones and a bottle of vodka by Ogechi’s body. “My daughter didn’t just go out there and pass out,” she said. Osita Iroegbu, a founding member of the nonprofit African Community Network of Greater Richmond that advocates for the local African community, has helped Mrs. Uwasomba in her quest for answers. “The family is afraid that — especially with the narrative that two cell phones and vodka were found near the body —

their daughter’s death is being framed to fit the initial narrative of no foul play involved, so that the case can be simply closed with no questions asked,” Ms. Iroegbu said. She added that Mrs. Uwasomba’s family believes the case “is being swept under the rug as unimportant and insignificant.” Lynetta Thompson, president of the Richmond Branch NAACP, said she has spoken with Mrs. Uwasomba and has concerns about how both police departments are handling the case. “It’s as if they’re just pushing it off because they feel like she doesn’t have a lot of support to challenge the system, as if her daughter just doesn’t matter,” Ms. Thompson told the Free Press. She said the NAACP would seek to meet with representatives from the Richmond Police Department to further discuss the investigation. In response to Free Press queries, Chesterfield police declined to discuss who they interviewed during the investigation, neighborhoods they canvassed or information they shared with Mrs. Uwasomba’s family related to the case. “Chesterfield County police continue to collaborate with the City of Richmond Police Department,” said Elizabeth Carron, a department spokesperson. Richmond police, responding to Free

Press queries through spokesperson Gene Lepley, stated, “The investigation remains active. “While at this time, they have no evidence to believe foul play was involved in Ms. Uwasomba’s death, detectives are prepared to follow any leads the autopsy results may provide or ones they may yet develop in this case,” Mr. Lepley added. He said the “extreme decomposition” of Ms. Uwasomba’s body presented a challenge to the Medical Examiner’s Office, but they were confident they would be able to “determine the cause and manner of her death.” Frank Battle, an administrator in the Richmond office of the chief medical examiner, told the Free Press last week, “The cause and manner of death for Ogechi Uwasomba are pending.” He told the Free Press previously it could take up to 12 weeks for the full findings to be completed. Reached at her home Tuesday, Mrs. Uwasomba said she has been diagnosed with depression and has been prescribed medication since her daughter’s death. “I’m so tired,” she said. “All I want is to know the truth about what happened to my daughter.” Anyone with information related to the case can call Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.

Body cameras coming to Richmond police Continued from A1

ensure transparency in interactions between “police officers and citizens.” Mayor Jones has been a proponent of procuring body cameras and sought funding from City Council to make them a reality in Richmond. “Black Lives Matters” demonstrators in Richmond also have demanded police officers be equipped with body cameras to record citizen interactions with police. Groups across the country have sought to curtail incidents of police brutality against unarmed black men and boys in the wake of the killings of Walter Scott in Charleston, S.C., Eric Garner in New York City and 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, among others. “As police shootings are coming under more scrutiny, the more factual evidence we have, the more photographic evidence we have could cut down on the ambiguity of

accusations of police brutality or whether individuals are involved in provoking the kind of incidents that we’ve seen,” Mayor Jones told the Free Press after the news conference. “I think it’s a huge step in bringing clarity to that situation,” he added. At the news conference, Chief Durham noted that the rates of major crimes had declined in six of seven categories measured by the department through June 30, compared to the same time last year. For the first six months of the year, there have been: • 17 homicides, compared with 23 in 2014, a 26 percent decline. • Eight reported rapes, compared with 10 in 2014, a 20 percent drop. • 236 robberies, compared with 265 in 2014, an 11 percent downturn. • 265 aggravated assaults, compared with 306 in 2014, a 13 percent decline.

• 682 burglaries, compared with 852 in 2014, a 20 percent drop. • 321 auto thefts, compared with 333 in 2014, a 4 percent fall. The only uptick was in arsons, with 31, compared with 22 in 2014, a 41 percent increase. “Crime is continuing to trend downward,” Chief Durham said. He attributed the declines to solid police work, successes by the police in gaining the trust of the community, media coverage of the Richmond Police Department’s efforts and the backing of Mayor Jones and other city officials. The chief also reported that 96 illegal firearms have been taken off the streets since the department’s Fugitives and Firearms Initiative started June 3. He said officers also had taken a plethora of illegal drugs off the streets and had made a number of arrests of people wanted on warrants.

Movement grows to eradicate Confederate symbols Continued from A1

Hall on Wednesday, only a few blocks from where the Sons of Confederates Veterans group was celebrating its national convention with an event at the Museum of the Confederacy. The national cry to get rid of Confederate symbols at taxpayersupported venues kicked into high gear after the heinous murders of nine African-American worshippers inside a Charleston church by a white supremacist last month. In Virginia, so far, most of those efforts to remove white supremacist symbols have been concentrated in Northern Virginia. Democratic state Sen. Adam Ebbin of Alexandria told the Free Press on Wednesday he is considering introducing a bill during the 2016 General Assembly session to rename Jefferson Davis Highway. Portions of U.S. 1 — including about a six-mile stretch in Richmond that extends just south of Downtown into Chesterfield County — are named for the former president of the Confederate States of America, whose capital was Richmond. Locally, the highway starts just south of the Downtown bridge named

for another Confederate principal — Robert E. Lee. “A lot of my constituents, including me, would like to see his name removed from that highway,” Sen. Ebbin said. “Jefferson Davis was not from Virginia, and I am not excited that the state memorializes the leader of the treasonous uprising against the Union.” He said he expects an uphill battle if he takes on the fight to have the highway renamed, especially in the Republican-dominated House of Delegates, “but I would like to see it changed nonetheless.” Separately, Vienna lawyer Daniel Zim had gathered nearly 4,000 signatures as of Wednesday on a www. Change.org petition addressed to Gov. Terry McAuliffe to support renaming Jefferson Davis Highway. “Davis was an unrepentant white supremacist who fervently believed the Southern cause, slavery and segregation were right and just,” Mr. Zim wrote on the petition page. “It is therefore outrageous that a major Virginia thoroughfare continues to bear the name of a morally depraved, non-Virginian who rejected the very idea of a United States,” he added. The Arlington County Board also

indicated it plans to ask its legislative delegation to sponsor a bill to change the name of the highway, according to The Washington Post. Naming U.S. 1 for Jefferson Davis was the idea of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The UDC also owns the statue of a Confederate soldier in Alexandria and the flags that are raised near the statue on Confederate holidays each year. Members of the Alexandria City Council have indicated they want to end that practice. The same zeal for taking proactive steps to remove the names of Confederate traitors from public schools, parks, highways and state holidays does not appear to have taken root in Richmond and surrounding areas. One such affront is the state’s Lee-Jackson Day holiday that honors Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. More than 127,000 state workers commemorate the vanquished traitors with a day off each January. It’s on the Friday before the federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. It costs taxpayers about $26 million per day to compensate state employees, according to Daniel Timberlake, director of the state Department of Planning and Budget.

To eliminate the Lee-Jackson Day holiday would reclaim thousands of hours in lost worker productivity. “I would be fine with getting rid of it,” said Henrico Sen. A. Donald McEachin, chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus. “I don’t consider them heroes worthy of a holiday.” Hampton Sen. Mamie E. Locke, chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, agreed. “I would support such action,” she stated. Richmond Delegate Jennifer L. McClellan concurred. “I think the time to celebrate the Confederacy is gone,” she said. Trailblazer L. Douglas Wilder, the nation’s first elected African-American governor, also was asked about eliminating Lee-Jackson Day. “I think the history of America has never been (accurately) told,” he said. “I think it’s important for the fullest showing and telling of that history to be made. Let everything relative to Jackson and Lee (be told), then let the chips fall where they may.” Meanwhile, school superintendents in Richmond and Henrico and Hanover counties, where several schools are named after Confederates, largely ducked the question of whether they would seek to make their schools

more inclusive by getting rid of the offensive names. “We want to make sure whatever we’re doing as a school district is inclusive, is accepting and is not offending others,” said Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dana T. Bedden, whose district includes J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School on North Side that was named after Confederate Gen. James Ewell Brown Stuart. “I think it’s a worthy conversation that needs to be considered just like the conversation in regards to the (Confederate) flag,” Dr. Bedden added. The Free Press sought responses from Henrico County Schools Superintendent Patrick Kinlaw, whose district includes the Douglas Freeman High School Rebels, and Hanover interim Superintendent Robert F. “Rick” Richardson Jr., whose district includes the Lee-Davis High School Confederates and their feeder school, the Stonewall Jackson Middle School Rebels. Both superintendents declined interview requests. Dr. Kinlaw, through spokesperson Andy Jenks, said there have been no calls in recent years from the “school community” to “move away from the Rebels’ nickname.”

Richmond Free Press

July 16-18, 2015

News

City real estate reassessments swing wildly By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Homeowners in the Museum District west of the Boulevard should be bracing for big increases in their real estate tax bills. The reason: The value of their homes leaped 63 percent in the past 12 months, according to City Real Estate Assessor James D. Hester, collectively adding $218 million in value compared with a year earlier. Meanwhile, residents of the Riverview-Maymont Terrace neighborhood more than two miles south can expect to receive smaller tax bills. The value of their homes near Maymont Park and the James River fell by 51.2 percent, Mr. Hester reported, collectively shedding $81.9 million in value compared with a year ago. Values also fell a steep 34.2 percent for properties that hug Virginia Commonwealth University, according to Mr. Hester’s report on the reassessment of property in Richmond. Such big value corrections are rare birds, however, according to his report. Overall, property values in Richmond rose a more modest 3.31 percent from last year, Mr. Hester reported after he and his staff completed the reassessment of existing properties last month. It’s still the biggest increase since 2010. Last year, values rose by less than 2 percent. In 28 areas, the increase in property values topped the 3.3 percent average, ranging from Carver-Newtowne West to Scott’s Addition to eastern Downtown to Manchester. Still, big chunks of the city, particularly less affluent sections, have yet to see much change. According to the report, values were flat or dropped in 31 areas, ranging from the Bellmeade and Oak Grove neighborhoods on South Side to portions of Highland Park and Barton Heights on North Side. Mr. Hester said that most of the neighborhoods where values have yet to increase are on South Side. Meanwhile, the value of condominiums across the city continues to be soft. The value of the apartment-style homes was either flat or down from last year, Mr. Hester stated. However, the value of multifamily rental units generally rose across the city, most notably in Downtown. Based on his report, existing Richmond property collectively is worth $20.7 billion, up $664 million from a year ago. After Mr. Hester adds in new construction in the coming months, he projects the total value could reach $814 million when he closes the land book this winter. At the current tax rate of $1.20 per $100 of assessed value, the $814 million increase in property value would yield $9.8 million in new tax income for the city. While positive, that increase still trails the city’s rosy projection for revenue from real estate taxes it expects to collect in 2016 — the biggest source of income the city relies on to pay the bills. The current budget is based on the city collecting an additional $11.6 million in real estate taxes in 2016, boosting total collections to $230.6 million. That’s nearly $2 million more in real estate tax revenue than Mr. Hester’s report suggests is likely. PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT

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President calls for criminal justice reforms at NAACP convention

Free Press staff, wire reports

PHILADELPHIA “Mass incarceration makes our country worse off, and we need to do something about it,” President Obama told 3,000 cheering people at the 106th annual NAACP National Convention in Philadelphia this week. Greeted with a standing ovation Tuesday by a delegation that included 161 adults and youths from the Virginia State Conference NAACP, the president called for Congress and others to work with him to put an end to harsh court sentences for nonviolent crimes, improve conditions in the nation’s jails and allow ex-offenders to vote. He was critical of the mass incarceration that is tilted disproportionately against African-Americans and Latinos. “Any system that allows us to turn a blind eye to hopelessness and despair — that’s not a justice system,” the president declared Tuesday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. “That’s an injustice system.” In his half-hour speech, President Obama said incarceration costs had surged to $80 billion a year as drug offenders were sentenced to harsher sentences. He said 2.2 million people are in prison, up from 500,000 in 1980. “That is the real reason our prison population is so high. In far too many cases, the punishment simply does not fit the crime,” he said. The Virginia NAACP contingent — including President Carmen Taylor, interim state Executive Director Jack Gravely and Richmond President Lynetta Thompson — attended the speech and applauded President Obama’s impassioned plea. “I was ecstatic,” Ms. Thompson told the Free Press. “The president was very personal in his address and was right on point. “He talked about not only what the government could do to address (the disparities in the criminal justice system), but what we in the community need to do,” she added. “He said we need to invest more in our young people,” Ms. Thompson continued, “and families need to work together more closely to direct our children. He said we need to focus on our education system more than we do our criminal justice system.” In late June, Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, a Democrat

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Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer/Associated Press

President Obama addresses the 106th annual NAACP convention last Tuesday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.

who represents Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District that includes Richmond, announced his effort with Republican Rep. F. James “Jim” Sensenbrenner Jr. of Wisconsin to introduce the Safe, Accountable, Fair and Effective Justice Act that would rein in federal spending on prisons and reform a system that is clogged by nonviolent offenders receiving long sentences. The president, who on Monday commuted the sentences for 46 nonviolent drug offenders in federal prisons, has made criminal justice reform among his top priorities for his remaining 18 months as president. His speech was filled with statistics and references to policy changes as he fastidiously made a case for why reform is necessary:

• An African-American man born 25 years ago has just a one in two chance of being employed today. • One-third of the U.S. Justice Department budget is spent on incarceration costs. He was cheered when he gave the crowd his definition of justice. “Justice is living up to the common creed that says, ‘I am my brother’s keeper and my sister’s keeper,’” President Obama said. “Justice is making sure every young person knows they are special and they are important and that their lives matter — not because they heard it in a hashtag, but because of the love they feel every single day — not just love from their parents, not just love from their neighborhood, but love from police,

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love from politicians.” The president cited Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, running for his party’s 2016 presidential nomination, and Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, as two lawmakers who agreed on the need for reforms. The president — who planned to make history by becoming the first sitting president to visit a federal prison in Oklahoma on Thursday, July 16 — said the United States should reduce long mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes, or “get rid of them entirely.” Prison conditions should be addressed to reduce overcrowding, gang activity and rape, he said. He added he had directed Attorney General Loretta Lynch to review the overuse of solitary confinement. He also threw his support behind efforts to “ban the box” — a campaign to remove questions about criminal records from job applications. But he stopped short of pledging he would order federal agencies or contractors to take that step. “The real question is whether this is the launch of a very serious effort to build redemption into our criminal justice system, or is this a campaign to burnish the president’s legacy,” said ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero. PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT

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GRTC PULSE PUBLIC MEETING: JULY 27 & 28, 2015 The GRTC Pulse (Bus Rapid Transit) Project team will present a status update, ongoing activities and long-range timeline for the Project at Public Meetings, conducted on an informal basis. Members of the public are encouraged to share their feedback and discuss their ideas with Project team members. Members of the Media are invited to attend. GRTC Pulse will serve a 7.6 mile route through the high-density and high-ridership areas along Broad Street, on 14th Street to Main Street in the City of Richmond, with two Henrico County terminus points at Rocketts Landing in the east and Willow Lawn in the west. This route will have 14 stop locations within the public right-of-way selected based on activity centers, population density and expected growth, existing and future transit ridership, below-ground utilities, and access to employment, healthcare, retail, dining, food and education centers. This high quality, high capacity rapid transit system will offer service at each stop every 10 minutes during peak and every 15 minutes off-peak. Transit trips are more frequent, efficient and reliable than fixed route and express service, and will ultimately save travel time for riders. This convenient service will meet the needs of many types of travelers, including serving as a companion transit option to other modes of transportation. For example, all GRTC Pulse buses will have bike racks on the front. GRTC Pulse will improve transit service, increase quality of life, enhance economic opportunity, revitalize commercial properties, improve environmental sustainability and stimulate economic development in Richmond, Henrico County and the greater region. Overall cost of the Project will be supported by a $24.9M TIGER grant from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) with matching funds from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), the City of Richmond and Henrico County. Phase I engineering and conceptual design activities are nearing completion in July 2015. Phase II engineering and design activities are scheduled to occur from August 2015 through April 2016. During Phase II, there are a wide variety of topics on which detailed public and project partner input is both welcomed and encouraged. Construction is expected to occur in sections between June 2016 and August 2017. On-the-street operation of GRTC Pulse service is scheduled to start in October 2017. Learn more about this project online at www.ridegrtc.com/brt/ and through the GRTC Pulse Blog http://grtcpulse.blogspot.com/ The informal public meetings are identical in content and location. Please plan to attend the one convenient for your schedule. Monday, July 27, 2015 at 12:00 – 1:30 pm and Tuesday, July 28, 2015 at 6:00 – 7:30 pm University of Richmond Downtown 626 E. Broad Street, Suite 100 (Please use the Broad Street entrance at the corner of 7th and Broad Streets) This location is conveniently accessible via the GRTC Bus System and is near the Downtown Transfer Plaza. There is also nearby street parking and meteredparking available. Several parking decks are located nearby, including a deck adjacent to the UR Downtown building on 7th and Marshall Streets. These meeting times were selected based on public requests to offer a mid-day and an early-evening meeting Downtown where many people work and live, and also be conveniently near the Transfer Plaza for bus riders. Based on positive feedback received from the April Public Meetings, GRTC will follow a similar meeting format to include a presentation and topical breakout sessions followed by a meeting summary. Meeting topics will include, but are not limited to, how the new spine of GRTC Pulse service will interface with the local fixed route service and also a preview of construction. If you require an American Sign Language interpreter, please contact Carrie Rose Pace at least 3 days prior to the meeting you wish to attend, either by phone 804-358-3871 EXT. 354 or by e-mail: crosepace@ridegrtc.com. If you require Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit services, please schedule a reservation with GRTC’s CARE or CARE Plus. You may contact us by phone (804) 782-CARE (2273), email grtc.cvan@ mvtransit.com, or fax (804) 474-9993. Please note that all GRTC buses are ADA-compliant with kneeling capability, wheelchair ramps and mobility device space.

Anyone unable to attend one of these meetings may submit comments to: e-mail: brt@ridegrtc.com Mail: Stephen McNally Director, Engineering and Construction GRTC Transit System 301 East Belt Boulevard Richmond, VA 23224 804-358-3871

Richmond Free Press

Black-eyed Susans in South Side

Editorial Page

July 16-18, 2015

Eye opening There is no question that the Confederate battle flag stands for white supremacy, intolerance and oppression. The Stars and Bars, as the flag is known, was birthed in the days when Virginia and other Southern states separated from the United States and created a country built on the perpetual right to buy and sell human beings into slavery. Our bloody Civil War secured our union and abolished human bondage while uplifting millions of people to the rights of citizenship. The Confederate flag then was reborn as the symbol of the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups whose missions are to ensure black people forever submit to third class status. Jim Crow segregation and the rejection of the nation’s credo that all people are created equal is the real “Southern heritage” such flag wavers cherish and defend. This is the flag that a murderer waved before he went to a Charleston, S.C., church to gun down black worshippers in a bid to rally other white haters to rise up and join the slaughter of African-Americans. He failed. Instead, his heinous act finally opened many people’s eyes to the reality of what this banner stands for. That includes South Carolina legislators, who had fought attempts by the NAACP and other groups to have the flag removed from the Capitol grounds. Last week, they overwhelmingly voted at the governor’s behest to remove it. The symbol of hate had flown over the seat of the state government since 1961 to demonstrate South Carolina’s defiance to federal efforts to end segregation in schools, in employment and in commerce. How astonishing then, that hundreds of miles to the north, on July 9, the same day South Carolina voted to take the flag down, 100 members of Congress — all Republicans — were pushing to prevent the federal government from removing it from our national parks and cemeteries. How sad that members of the party of Abraham Lincoln, the Republican who led the nation in a war to save the union and emancipate slaves, are now rising up to defend the banner of the traitors who sought to dismantle our nation and the people who later imposed apartheid in our country. We watched in utter dismay as these modern defenders of the symbol of racial hatred sought to use their muscle against a bill to fund the Department of the Interior, including the National Park Service. The bill included provisions that would have required the Park Service to ban the use of the Confederate flag on federal property, including national cemeteries. It also would have barred the agency from doing business with gift shops that sell items bearing the flag. The provisions would have ended a longstanding policy under which the Park Service has allowed the Sons of Confederate Veterans to maintain Confederate graves in federal cemeteries and post the Confederate flag on the graves. The House approved the inclusion of the provisions by voice vote. But then a California Republican put in an amendment to eliminate those provisions and restore the use of the Confederate flag on federal property. He later said he did it at the request of the Republican leadership who were acting on behalf of Southern colleagues. Fierce debate broke out; Republican leaders had to pull the bill because so many of the party’s members wanted to keep the Confederate flag flying and refused to vote for the bill without a provision assuring that would happen. The lesson: The Klan doesn’t have to wear robes and hoods anymore. Its members, now dressed in suits and ties, hold seats of power in all levels of government. On this vote and on many other important matters, we see a wing of the Republican Party that is enjoying a revival — the Know Nothings. That faction was the creation of people frightened in the 1850s about the influx of immigrants from Ireland and Germany and the accompanying growth of the Catholic Church. While the name has disappeared, the faction’s modern adherents, such as Donald Trump, are the antiimmigration advocates who want to stamp out progressive moves that expand our freedom and liberty. They are influential. Notice how other Republicans have kept silent, saying nothing about their party members’ defense of a symbol whose meaning no one can mistake. Perhaps it was said best by Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus: “I think they (the Republican leadership) have not a clue as to what they should do now, now that they have shown the entire United States that they have yielded to a few racist Southern Republicans.” Let us be clear. We are talking about eliminating this symbol of hate from public property. Despite our distaste, this racist banner still can be displayed on private property or carried on a private car. No one is stopping anyone parading with it, wearing it on their clothes or from tattooing it on their bodies along with hate symbols such as the Nazi swastika. For us, the effort to keep the Confederate flag flying in spaces to which all taxpayers contribute speaks volumes about what the Republican Party really stands for. We again call on public officials and people of conscience in Virginia to initiate and strongly support all efforts to remove the offensive banner and other racist symbols from all public buildings, streets and highways. That includes removing the names of defectors to the Confederate States of America from Richmond area school buildings, a Downtown bridge and from U.S. 1, a major north-south roadway that runs through the city and the Commonwealth. We also challenge the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus to put away their fear of rocking the cradle of the Confederacy and act to eliminate the state’s Lee-Jackson holiday for two of Virginia’s biggest traitors against the American government and its promise of equality for all people. It’s like having a holiday for Benedict Arnold. We cannot change the course of history, but we can change today the path that will become history tomorrow. We need to honor the real heroes — both men and women — whom we want our children and grandchildren to believe are worth honoring.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

A small step toward justice On Tuesday, President Obama did something I thought he should have started in 2010 when he signed the Fair Sentencing Act — he commuted the sentences of 46 people in federal prison on drug offenses. The act he signed five years ago limits the harsh mandatory minimum sentences associated with low-level crack cocaine offenses. While progress has been made since then, President Obama’s actions Tuesday made a statement in a big way. I have been working with several criminal justice organizations, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Clemency Project 2014, The Sentencing Project, FAMM, the ACLU, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, in this clemency effort since President Obama has been in office. We’ve had monthly conference calls, panel discussions at Congressional Black Caucus events and lobby days and briefings on Capitol Hill. Today, I finally have a renewed sense of hope. Early in 2014, Deputy Attorney General James Cole asked attorneys around the country to help the U.S. Department of Justice find men and women serving time for nonviolent, low-level offenses because there was a possibility that President Obama would grant mass sentence commutations

before leaving office. I admit, I was skeptical because of his track record with commutations and because no other president has exercised his power commuting drug sentences. But as I stared at the CNN headline on the television screen, “President Barack Obama commutes sentences of

Kemba Smith-Pradia 46 drug offenders,” my response was, “Thank you, Jesus! They are getting a second chance, too!” I wondered if Michelle West, Danielle Metz, Santra Rucker or Ramona Bryant were among the 46. These are women I was incarcerated with, all of whom have nonviolent offenses, all of whom are mothers, all of whom have served over 15 years, all of whom were originally sentenced to life in prison! Sadly, they did not make the commutation list. Since the Obama administration announced last year that it would grant clemency to nonviolent offenders, more than 35,000 incarcerated people — about 16 percent of the federal prison population — have applied to have their sentences shortened. Granted, I am not so liberal to believe that all those people should go home, but I know that President Obama won’t be able to free all of those who deserve a second chance at life. Although attention has been focused on the incarceration rate for African-American men in the United States, the female prison

population continues to grow at an alarming rate. The number of women in prison — a third of whom are incarcerated for drug offenses — is increasing at nearly double the rate for men. These women often have significant histories of physical and sexual abuse. Large-scale women’s imprisonment has resulted in an increasing number of children who suffer. Their mothers’ incarceration is tearing families and communities apart. Out of the 46 people whose sentences were commuted, only five are women. In the next series of commutations, the majority needs to be women — women who can be reunited with their children and families. Of all of the women whose sentences have been commuted by Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama, none of them have gone back to prison. Like my friend Michelle West stated in a letter to Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California, clemency is supposed to be an act of mercy. Now it has been turned into a competition or an effort to win the lottery. Congress needs to create and approve legislation to handle this situation, perhaps establish a committee that can take the time to look at all the statistics and individual stories in an effort to provide relief to those who they determine would not be a risk to society and deserve a second chance. The overall objective of this overhaul of the nation’s criminal justice system with the early release of federal inmates is to reduce the enormous costs

Vanquishing the Confederate flag A flag of any sort represents a country or a cause. Displaying the Confederate flag in the United States of America — whether it is the battle flag or another — is an issue of symbolism and statutory law. Last week, 150 years after using it within the Confederate States of America (a country) in armed rebellion against the United States for the cause of a Southern economy based on the forced labor of Africans, the government of South Carolina lowered the Confederate flag from its Capitol grounds. On April 9, 1865, under the terms of surrender by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee to U.S. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant just 80 miles from Richmond at Appomattox, the flag never should have been flown again in America by Gen. Lee’s promise that, “…arms, artillery, and public property [flags] be turned over. …” The flag of the

vanquished Confederacy should have been furled forever. Yet, for at least 67 years the battle flag of the Confederacy has been

Gary L. Flowers used as a symbol of domestic terrorism by white hate groups against black people and people of color. Furling the Confederate flag was the American thing to do by the South Carolina legislature and Gov. Nikki Haley, even if it was done to shield Republican Party presidential candidates from answering questions throughout the election cycle involving the un-American symbolism it represents. While the kinetic energy of lowering Confederate flags is in motion across the nation, there are arguably more important issues to be addressed by state legislatures and Congress. Among them are: • Elimination of assault weapons. • A ban on sales of components for private assembly of assault weapons. • Enhanced background

checks for all gun purchases. • Inclusion of a “compulsion to retreat” section in all Stand Your Ground laws. • Stricter and more uniform definitions of what constitutes legitimate use of force by police. • Requirement for body cameras to be worn by police officers. • Civilian review boards with subpoena powers overseeing use of force complaints against local law enforcement agencies. • Closer monitoring of hate speech on the Internet. Ultimately, displaying the Confederate flag symbolizes a deeper sickness — the false notion of white supremacy. At the very least, good-hearted white people must admit their color-based privilege and act in meaningful ways to redress the historical inequities in America based on skin color, religious conviction and economic class. To paraphrase President Obama, people of privilege must grant “a second interview, not only to Johnny, but also to Jamal.” Not to do so is as egregious and un-American as acts of domestic terrorism.

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.

of overcrowded prisons and address drug sentences handed down under old guidelines that federal officials now view as too harsh. Maybe one day politicians can come to a consensus that there should be sensible drug policy and resources should be appropriated to identify and address the systemic problems in underserved communities that cause people to go to prison in the first place. Until then, our fight continues. Ms. Smith-Pradia, who grew up in Henrico County, was sentenced to nearly 25 years in prison on a drug conspiracy conviction involving her boyfriend’s crack cocaine ring. She served nearly seven years in federal prison until President Clinton granted her clemency in December 2000. Her case drew national attention. She now works on justice issues through the nonprofit Kemba Smith Foundation.

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Richmond Free Press

July 16-18, 2015

Letters to the Editor

Like the swastika, Confederate flag stands for hate I am getting sick and tired of hearing people complaining about taking down the Confederate flag at the South Carolina statehouse. What is it with these people always crying the blues over that flag and the fact the South lost the war 150 years ago? My husband and I took a world trip about 20 years ago. When we visited Germany, we didn’t find a single Nazi flag or its emblem, the swastika. The Nazi flag and swastika mean the same thing to the Jewish people that the Confederate flag means to black Americans. Both flags and emblems mean hate,

racism and killing. They both are filled with bitterness and torture. They both represent evil. Why are so many Southern people proud of that? Indeed, the Confederate flag should be in a museum only to remember the role the Confederacy played in our history — an unfortunate one at that. As a nation, we can only be united under one flag — the Stars and Stripes. The past is the past. It cannot be undone. There are many more important things to think about, including where our country is

converting the old Armstrong High School into a university of crafts where city adults could receive training in construction trades. Mr. Chapman was Richmond’s deputy chief administrative officer for economic and community development. The discussion with Mr. Chapman, who has since taken a similar post in Norfolk, went totally south. Again, great article but the above needed to be corrected. A. HUGO BOWERS Richmond The writer is CEO of BFE Strategies Inc.

We must stop being brainwashed

The African-American community in this country is never going to be free until we stopped being brainwashed. Dark brown and brown complexioned women are the best looking women in the world. But they don’t get credit for being the best looking in their own race. This honor goes to the bronzed and ultralight complexioned. Most of the people in this country who are light complexioned are a direct result of the tragic rapes that occurred in antebellum days. Instead of seeking an apology for slavery on this one account, most African-Americans seem to think that the obnoxious

slaveholders did us a favor in this regard. Look at the high profile African-Americans who marry anybody but a dark complexioned mate. Black females, brainwashed, spend millions every year to make their hair look closer to the their former “betters,” a subliminal compliment which should never be played out. The ones with natural hairstyles look better and are not slaves to their hair. In the highly recommended must-read for African-Americans, “Brainwashed” by Tom Burrell, he wrote how Thomas Jefferson had written that everybody knew white people were better looking, even the slaves.

In Bible, there is ‘no gray area’ Re “God alone has the power to bind couples,” July 9-11 edition: The writer asked “any Christian to cite from New Testament Scripture any condemnation made by Jesus about same-sex anything.” Read Matthew 19:1-8. Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ question by condemning all and any sexual relationships outside of the male/female establishment, by specifically citing Genesis 1:27. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female, created he them.” (KJV) Yes, God understands loneliness, for which cause God said that it is not good for man to be alone — I (God) will make a help meet for him (Adam). The definition for the phrase “help meet,” ezer kenegodo, (Hebrew), is opposite as to him. The New Testament teaches on man having sexual relationships and a woman having sexual relationships outside of God’s mandate is an abomination. There is no gray area. ANTHONY RICKELLE FORD Richmond

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I wholeheartedly disagree. Every year, Jasmine Guy and Halle Berry are picked along with eight white Americans as the top 10 most beautiful women in the United States. Ms. Guy and Ms. Berry have one thing in common. They both had white mothers. What kind of message does this send to African-Americans? Unfortunately, that says “Keep on being brainwashed. We like it.” BERNARD A. GORDON Hanover County

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KAREN KARVELIS Richmond

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF THE APPLICATION OF VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY FOR APPROVAL OF A RATE ADJUSTMENT CLAUSE: RIDER R, BEAR GARDEN GENERATING STATION CASE NO. PUE-2015-00059

Clarification on article Re “Brush-off in Richmond pays dividends in Norfolk,” July 9-11 edition: The article about training public housing residents in Norfolk for construction jobs was correct except for the suggestion that I had talked to Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones or his predecessor, L. Douglas Wilder, about the program. To clarify: I have not discussed the university of crafts that I proposed for Richmond with the current mayor or the previous mayor. However, I did discuss with members of City Council and with Peter Chapman, a key member of Mayor Jones’ administration,

headed. There are many issues all of us in this nation should be concerned about. Get a life, people in the South. Stop living in the past and start living in the present. You can do more good this way than crying the blues over an issue that is long dead and buried in the bins of history.

On June 1, 2015, Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a Dominion Virginia Power ("Dominion Virginia Power" or "Company"), pursuant to § 56-585.1 A 6 of the Code of Virginia ("Code"), filed with the State Corporation Commission ("Commission") an annual update with respect to the Company's rate adjustment clause, Rider R ("Application"). Through its Application, the Company seeks to recover costs associated with the Bear Garden Generating Station ("Bear Garden"), a 580-megawatt (nominal) natural gas- and oil-fired combinedcycle generating facility and associated transmission interconnection facilities in Buckingham County, Virginia. In Case No. PUE-2008-00014, the Commission approved the development of Bear Garden. In Case No. PUE-2009-00017, the Commission subsequently approved a rate adjustment clause, designated Rider R, which allowed Dominion Virginia Power to recover its costs associated with the development of Bear Garden, including projected construction work in progress and associated allowance for funds used during construction. According to Dominion Virginia Power, Bear Garden became fully operational on May 23, 2011. In this proceeding, Dominion Virginia Power has asked the Commission to approve Rider R for the rate year beginning April 1, 2016, and ending March 31, 2017 ("2016 Rate Year"). The Company is requesting a total revenue requirement of approximately $74,334,000 for service rendered during the 2016 Rate Year. The two key components of the proposed total revenue requirement are the Projected Cost Recovery Factor and the Actual Cost True-Up Factor. The Company is requesting a Projected Cost Recovery Factor revenue requirement of $68,476,000 and an Actual Cost True-Up Factor revenue requirement of $5,858,000. Dominion Virginia Power utilized a rate of return on common equity ("ROE") of 11.00% for purposes of calculating the revenue requirement in this case. This ROE is comprised of a general ROE of 10.00% approved by the Commission in its Final Order in Case No. PUE2013-00020, plus a 100 basis point enhanced return applicable to a combined-cycle generating station as described in § 56-585.1 A 6 of the Code. If the proposed Rider R for the 2016 Rate Year is approved, the impact on customer bills would depend on the customer's rate schedule and usage. According to Dominion Virginia Power, implementation of its proposed Rider R on April 1, 2016, would decrease the monthly bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month by approximately $0.08. The Company has calculated the proposed Rider R rates in accordance with the same methodology as used for the rate approved by the Commission in the most recent Rider R proceeding, Case No. PUE-2014-00052. Interested persons are encouraged to review the Application and supporting documents for the details of these and other proposals. TAKE NOTICE that the Commission may apportion revenues among customer classes and/or design rates in a manner differing from that shown in the Application and supporting documents and thus may adopt rates that differ from those appearing in the Company's Application and supporting documents. The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing in this proceeding that, among other things, scheduled a public hearing on November 12, 2015, at 10 a.m., in the Commission's second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, to receive testimony from members of the public and evidence related to the Application from the Company, any respondents, and the Commission's Staff. Any person desiring to testify as a public witness at this hearing should appear fifteen (15) minutes prior to the starting time of the hearing and contact the Commission's Bailiff. The public version of the Company's Application and the Commission's Order for Notice and Hearing are available for public inspection during regular business hours at each of the Company's business offices in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Copies also may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company, Lisa S. Booth, Dominion Resources Services, Inc., 120 Tredegar Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. If acceptable to the requesting party, the Company may provide the documents by electronic means. Copies of the public version of the Application and documents filed in this case also are available for interested persons to review in the Commission's Document Control Center, located on the first floor of the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, between the hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Interested persons also may download unofficial copies from the Commission's website: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case. On or before August 26, 2015, any person or entity may participate as a respondent in this proceeding by filing a notice of participation. If not filed electronically, an original and fifteen (15) copies of the notice of participation shall be submitted to Joel H. Peck, Clerk, State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. A copy of the notice of participation as a respondent also shall be sent to counsel for the Company at the address set forth above. Pursuant to Rule 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUE-2015-00059. For additional information about participation as a respondent, any person or entity should obtain a copy of the Commission's Order for Notice and Hearing. On or before September 29, 2015, each respondent may file with the Clerk of the Commission, and serve on the Commission's Staff, the Company, and all other respondents, any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case, and each witness's testimony shall include a summary not to exceed one page. If not filed electronically, an original and fifteen (15) copies of such testimony and exhibits shall be submitted to the Clerk of the Commission at the address above. Respondents also shall comply with the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, including: 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service; 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format; and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUE-2015-00059. On or before November 5, 2015, any interested person wishing to comment on the Application shall file written comments on the Application with the Clerk of the Commission at the address set forth above. Any interested person desiring to file comments electronically may do so on or before November 5, 2015, by following the instructions on the Commission's website: http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case. Compact discs or any other form of electronic storage medium may not be filed with the comments. All such comments shall refer to Case No. PUE-2015-00059. The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure may be viewed at http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case. A printed copy of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure and an official copy of the Commission's Order for Notice and Hearing in this proceeding may be obtained from the Clerk of the Commission at the address set forth above. VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY

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Corporate Counsel assistant Counsel – Full time. The Virginia Housing Development Authority seeks a full time attorney in connection with its multi-family lending programs. The opening is in the Authority’s Richmond headquarters. Prior in-house or law firm experience in drafting multi-family loan closing documents and conducting multi-family loan closings is desired. Counsel’s primary responsibilities will be documenting and closing multi-family loan transactions, addressing post-closing legal issues (approval of easements, transfers of ownership, loan increases, workouts, foreclosures, owned-project disposition, etc.) and preparing any required amendments to multi-family loan documents. Counsel will also advise the Authority on legal issues involving its multi-family lending programs and assist with general corporate matters. Opening is for an entry-level position (minimum 3 years of experience preferred) working 40 hours per week. JD from accredited law school and Virginia State Bar license required.

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RecoRds supeRvisoR VHDA is looking for an experienced Records Supervisor to oversee the operation of its record room in the Homeownership Division. The position requires a broad range of knowledge and skills. The ideal candidate will have experience in managing paper and electronic documents, the ability to collaborate with a variety of individuals, a strong commitment to customer service, and the ability to work with multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Preferred qualifications include experience with Virginia mortgage loan documents, experience with the electronic records management system eDOCS, experience in maintaining document retention schedules, and related experience with loan sales to GSEs and Ginnie Mae.

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Richmond Free Press

A8 July 16-18, 2015

Sports

Serena wins Wimbledon Reuters

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Wimbledon champion Serena Williams holds high the Venus Rosewater Dish trophy she was awarded after clinching the women’s singles final last Saturday. She also received a $2.9 million prize.

time I step out there,” she said. “It’s just overcoming LONDON those feelings.” Serena Williams, up 5-1 after already winning a set But her anxiety was apparent when she began the during the finals at Wimbledon on Saturday, duly completed game with an eighth double-fault, gesticulating to her the job against Garbine Muguruza 6-4, 6-4 to claim her players’ box where her family and friends, including sixth Wimbledon title and her first since 2012. rapper Drake, watched. The accomplished athlete’s victory completed the “There was definitely pressure toward the end. Garbine “Serena Slam” — winning four straight majors — for really stepped up to the plate today,” Serena said of her the second time. All eyes will be trained on Serena to see if she makes more history at the season’s final grand slam — the U.S. Open. If she wins the U.S. Open, which starts Aug. 31 at Flushing Meadows in New York, she would become only the third woman to win the Grand Slam in the professional era of tennis. “I honestly wouldn’t have thought last year, after winning the U.S. Open, that I would win the Serena Slam at all,” the 34-yearold champion said of emulating her feat of 2002-2003. “It’s super exciting.” Despite Serena’s vast experience and vice-like grip on women’s tennis, crossing the finish line for a 21st grand slam title made her heart pound just as fast as when she made her first breakthrough at the 1999 U.S. Open. Thomas Lovelock/Pool AELTC/Associated Press “I just learned that all the people are nervous, even Serena, in a final, because I saw Wimbledon singles champions Serena Williams and Novak it,” Muguruza told reporters. She’s the first Djokovic of Serbia dance to music from “Saturday Night Spaniard to contest a Wimbledon women’s Fever” at the Wimbledon Champions’ dinner Sunday night at Guildhall in London. singles showpiece match since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in 1996. young opponent, who shed tears when receiving a long Muguruza, the clean-hitting 21-year-old born in the ovation as she collected her runners-up trophy. Venezuelan capital of Caracas, played magnificently in On Sunday night, Serena and Novak Djokovic, the the first set, leading 3-1 and 4-2 before Serena raised tournament’s men’s singles champion, revived a bygone the intensity level after a slow start. Wimbledon tradition at the annual champions’ dinner. The enormity of the occasion, and the sheer presence They danced together to “Night Fever,” the Bee Gees’ of Serena, then seemed to hit home and the Spaniard disco hit from the 1977 movie “Saturday Night Fever.” crumbled, losing 14 out of 15 points to trail 5-1 as her “I was very pleased,” Djokovic said at a news experienced American opponent closed in for the kill. conference at the All England Club on Monday, a day Then Serena got a bad attack of the jitters before after beating Roger Federer in the final to collect his regaining her poise in the nick of time. third Wimbledon title and ninth at a major. “Serena “You’d be surprised — I feel vulnerable every is a great dancer.”

Stories by Fred Jeter

Players of color star 16-year old from Georgia sets world record in MLB All-Star game Baseball, theAmerican pastime, is becoming more and more international, with a growing concentration of players of color. The 86th Major League All-Star Baseball Game, held Tuesday in Cincinnati, featured 21 athletes with roots in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Eight African-Americans also were selected, four each on the American League and National League rosters. They were AL outfielders Adam Jones (Baltimore) and Lorenzo Cain (Kansas City), first baseman Prince Fielder (Texas) and pitcher David Price (Detroit). African-Americans on the NL roster were outfielders Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh), Justin Upton (San Diego) and Giancarlo Stanton and infielder Dee Gordon. Stanton and Gordon, both of Miami, were selected as starters but were unable to play because of injuries. Afro-Canadian AL catcher Russell Martin (Toronto) also was selected. All-Stars with family trees south of the border were all over the field on one of baseball’s grandest occasions at Cincin-

nati’s stadium, called The Great American Ballpark. Here’s a list of American League “Stars from Afar.” From Venezuela: Pitcher Felix Hernandez (Seattle), catcher Salvador Perez and shortstop Alcides Escobar (Kansas City), infielder Miguel Cabrera (Detroit) and second baseman Jose Altuve (Houston). Dominican Republic: Designated hitter Nelson Cruz (Seattle), first baseman Albert Pujols (California), outfielder Jose Bautista (Toronto), pitchers Dellin Betances (Yankees) and Kelvin Herrera (Kansas City) and infielder Manny Machado (Baltimore). Cuba: Outfielder J.D. Martinez and shortstop Jose Iglesias (both Detroit). Puerto Rico: Pitcher Hector Santiago (California). And representing the National League: Venezuela: Pitcher Francisco Rodriguez (Brewers) Dominican: Shortstop Jhon-

Former NSU hoopster headed to N.Y. Knicks Former Norfolk State University basketball star Kyle O’Quinn is heading to his hometown of New York to continue his NBA career. After three seasons with the Orlando Magic, the 6-foot-10 O’Quinn has signed a four-year, $16 million free agent deal with the New York Knicks. O’Quinn was selected by the Florida team in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft. During the last season, he averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds, while logging 16.2 minutes per contest. As compensation for O’Quinn’s departure, the Magic will receive cash and the right to swap a future second round pick Kyle O’Quinn with the Knicks. O’Quinn knows his way around the Big Apple. Before arriving at NSU, he played ball at Campus Magnet High School in Queens. In 2012, O’Quinn led NSU to its first MEAC tournament title and a stunning NCAA upset of Missouri. O’Quinn was NSU’s first NBA draftee since Lee Johnson in 1988. O’Quinn is the fifth Spartan to play in the NBA, following Al Beard, Bobby Dandridge, Ray Epps and David Pope.

ny Peralta and pitcher Carlos Martinez (both St. Louis) Cuba: Catcher Yasmani Grandal (Los Angeles) and pitcher Aroldis Chapman (Cincinnati) Puerto Rico: Catcher Yadier Molina (St. Louis) Mexico: First baseman Adrian Gonzalez (LA). There were no Asian players on either roster, although several have been selected previously, most notably 10-time pick Ichiro Suzuki from Japan. Baseball, American style, has become as popular in San Juan and Santo Domingo as in St. Louis and San Diego. In 1980, there were five Hispanic All-Stars (Rod Carew and Ben Oglivie of Panama, Jorse Orta of Mexico, Dave Concepcion of Venezuela and Jose Cruz from Puerto Rico. So what does a baseball fan gather from this? Are American youngsters growing less enthused with the sport, particularly with basketball and football gaining ground? Are Latinos from developing countries “hungrier” to snatch a slice of the American pie? It’s probably some of both. Clearly, a premium is being placed on scouting outside the 50 states. The annual Major League Amateur Draft is for U.S. and Puerto Rican players only. Basically, foreign prospects — many as young as 16 — sign with the highest bidder as free agents. It’s a policy that seems archaic and may need to be addressed. Asian ballplayers also bypass the draft and sign as free agents. However, most already are established in their native lands. Suzuki was 28 when he signed with Seattle in 2001. Hideo Nomo was 27 before signing with Los Angeles in 1995. Caribbean free agents are mere teenagers with little more on their resumes than a lively arm, fast feet and giant-sized dreams, and precious little know-how in the art of financial negotiation. You don’t see their names appear on draft day. But, as time passes, you can’t miss them on All-Star night.

Candace Hill has grabbed world attention with her breathtaking speed. The 16-year-old Georgian set the world youth record (age 17 and under) for the 100-meter dash last month with a historic 10.98 seconds. That makes her the fastest high school sprinter of all time and also the fastest female in history worldwide under age 18. The 11 second barrier had never been broken. A rising junior at Rockdale, Ga., Magnet School, Hill ran her jaw-dropping foot race at the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle. Next up for the 5-foot-8 Hill is the IAAF World Championships July 15-19 in Cali, Colombia, where she will be favored in both the 100- and 200-meter races. The previous world youth 100-meter record was 11.1, set by Floridian Kaylin Whitney last year. Prior to Whitney, the record was 11.13, held by Jacksonville, Fla., native Chandra Cheeseborough since 1976. Whitney, now 18, has since turned pro, forfeiting her final year of eligibility at East Ridge High School in Clermont, Fla. Hill’s 10.98 time makes her the fourth fastest female of any age in the United States this year, and the ninth fastest in the world. The fastest 100-meter clocking this year by any woman was 10.79 seconds by Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce last month in Kingston, Jamaica. Fraser-Pryce won the Olympic gold medal for the event in London in 2012. The women’s world record of 10.49 seconds in the 100-meter event was set by the late Florence “Flo-Jo” Griffith Joyner at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Hill, a straight-A student, set the Georgia 6A high school record for both 100 meters and 200 meters as a freshman, then broke her own marks in May 2014 as a sophomore.

Candace Hill

By comparison, Milestat.com lists the fastest Virginia schoolgirl on record as Keilah Tyson of Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, who ran the 100-meter dash in 11.39 seconds in 2011. The fastest Virginia schoolgirl in spring 2015 was Lauryn Ghee of Grassfield High School in Chesapeake, who won the 6A title in 11.62.

Raiders lose to Columbus in PIFL championship

History keeps repeating itself, which is unfortunate for the Richmond Raiders. For the third time in four seasons, the Raiders came up one game short of a championship in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL). The local pros won seven straight games this season to reach the title game, but lost 64-38 to the Columbus Lions in the finals July 6 in Ohio. Coach It’s an old story. Richmond lost to Albany, Ga., in the 2012 finals and to Alabama/ Huntsville in the 2013 championship game. Under Coach James Fuller, Richmond started the season with a whimper, dropping its first two games and four of the first six matches. Then all the pieces began to fit for the Richmond Coliseum-based franchise. Sparked by All-PIFL quarterback Jonathan Bane from Dakota Wesleyan University in

Mitchell, S.D., the Raiders won their last six regular season games and then trounced Nashville 54-25 in the playoff semifinals. Bane passed for a club record 60 touchdowns, including five at Columbus. Earning second-team All-PIFL was defensive back Kevin Allen from Virginia State University. Allen led the squad with seven interceptions and was second in tackles. Fuller Another local standout was veteran receiver Herb Jones from Virginia Union University. In his sixth season with the Raiders, Jones had 10 receptions for 157 yards and three touchdowns at Columbus. The Raiders just completed their sixth season. The team was established in 2010 as a member of the American Indoor Football Association and played in the Southern Indoor Football League in 2011 before joining PIFL in 2012.

July 16-18, 2015 B1

Richmond Free Press

Section

DiamonDs • Watches JeWelry • repairs 19 East Broad strEEt richmond, Va 23219 (804) 648-1044

Happenings

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Personality: Michael R. Pearson Sr. Spotlight on creator of nonprofit Friends Helping Friends Michael Ray Pearson Sr. is on speed dial to help others in need. For the past eight years, his Richmond-based nonprofit — Friends Helping Friends — has put on a free summer basketball camp at Armstrong High School in the East End for underprivileged children. His group also has hosted a similar camp in Petersburg that is directed by former Virginia State University women’s basketball Coach Leon Bey. The group also provides holiday meals for needy families and has raised money for other people-helping causes. Mr. Pearson, a bail bondsman and owner of two adult group homes, simply sees giving to others as paying forward what was given to him. “I reflect on the assistance my family received when I was growing up,” he says. “It’s necessary because there are a lot of people in need, some of whom may not receive any assistance because there is not enough to go around.” The camp at Armstrong High, called Champions Youth Developmental Basketball Camp, is for boys and girls ages 9 to 13. It is scheduled for 8 a.m. to noon Monday, July 27, through Thursday, July 30. A free breakfast and lunch are included, as well as a free basketball, T-shirt and trophy for each camper. More than 30 slots still were available Monday. The Petersburg camp, with Petersburg Parks and Leisure Services, is slated for noon to 4 p.m. Monday, July 27, through Wednesday, July 29. To register, call Mr. Pearson (804) 405-4472 or Bridget Thompson (804) 366-6373. Friends Helping Friends looks to help others around the nation as well.

Dating Easy

R. Pearson; and 3-yearold grandsons, Amir Layton and Christopher Johnson Jr. What Friends Helping Friends means to me: Friends Helping Friends excites me because we are able to extend helping hands to others. Our financial support comes from: Friends, organizations and churches, namely, my church, Sixth Baptist. Activities planned: Stage play, Christmas gifts for the homeless who frequent Monroe Park in Richmond and annual basketball camp. After Hurricane Katrina’s devastation in 2005, the group partnered with Hunton & Williams law firm to send clothing, supplies and volunteers to assist victims in Alabama and Mississippi. It also hosted a golf tournament to purchase school supplies for an elementary school in New Orleans. And last year, Mr. Pearson’s son, Jordan Randolph Pearson, wrote a play titled “Choices,” the proceeds of which were used to provide a Thanksgiving dinner and gifts to 250 people suffering from homelessness, mental illness or mental disabilities. Here’s a look at this week’s Personality, Michael Ray Pearson Sr.: Education: George Wythe High School and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. Family: Wife, Denise W. Pearson; daughter, LaTrellé J. Layton; three sons, Raymond L. Layton Jr., Michael Ray Pearson Jr. and Jordan

We could do more if: We had more volunteers. Definition of a friend: A person who does not judge — who is by your side through the thick and the thin. I’m driven by: Providing support to my family and friends. Best late-night snack: York Peppermint Pattie. Prized possession: Mercedes charm. Outlook at start of day: How to maintain order and cohesiveness within my businesses. What makes me tick: Money. When people first meet me they think: I am the nicest guy in the world. Persons who influenced me the most: Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, pastor of Sixth Baptist Church; Michael Snavely, former supervisor at Hunton & Williams law firm and friend; and Dr. Leon Wright Bey, brother-in-law and friend.

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A Henrico School Board member since 2008, former teacher, coach and administrator. Bagby has an accomplished record of supporting and promoting issues that are important to our community. As our delegate he will work to: Increase funding for public schools Reform SOL tests Support Medicaid expansion and more aﬀordable healthcare Raise the minimum wage Reduce college tuition Ensure equal pay for equal work Protect our elderly citizens from scammers

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BUILD ON A PROUD TRADITION F.D. Patterson

Jerome H. Holland

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Frances R.E. Davis

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VIRGINIA UNION

COBURN HALL

Charles R. Drew

Mary McLeod Bethune

2:00 P.M.

William H. Dabney

RICHMOND, VA 23220

Dr. Susan Love RENOWNED BREAST HEALTH ADVOCATE

and AUTHOR

THIS EVENT IS

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC A Long Standing History African-Americans have played a critical role in the history of the American Red Cross, and in just a few short minutes, a blood donor can help change the course of history for a sickle cell patient in need, right here in our community. You can help by hosting a blood drive at your place of work or worship. Contact the Red Cross to learn how. www.redcrossblood.org/interest

1-800-RED CROSS

Sisters Network Central Virginia Inc. Post Ofﬁce Box 26442 | Richmond, Virginia 23261 | (804) 447-4027 http://www.sistersnetworkcentralva.org or centralvirginia@sistersnetworkinc.org

Richmond Free Press

B2 July 16-18, 2015

Happenings

Case against Bill Cosby continues to escalate Free Press wire reports

The latest in the Bill Cosby case has drawn attention to an unusual condition. A lawyer for one of the women who accused the comedian of sexual assault raised the possibility that he might have the little-known condition called somnophilia. What exactly is it? The simple explanation: “Being aroused by the idea of having sex with someone sleeping,” whether actual sexual contact occurs or not, said Dr. Michael First, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center. As far as is known, Mr. Cosby has not been diagnosed with this or any other psychological disorder. The term came up in a motion ﬁled July 8 by a lawyer for Andrea Constand, the ﬁrst woman to accuse the actor-comedian of sexual assault. Ms. Constand was seeking to force disclosure of more records in her previously settled case. Mr. Cosby acknowledged in a 2005 deposition in the case that was unsealed last week that he obtained quaaludes to sedate women he wanted to have sex with. “Although some of the women engaged in consensual relations with Cosby, their accounts substantiated defendant’s alleged predilection for somnophilia,” Ms. Constand’s lawyer, Do-

lores Troiani, wrote in the motion. So why might someone be turned on by the thought of sex with someone who is out of it? “The research on this is very, very limited,” Dr. First said. “It’s possibly that what the person might ﬁnd Mr. Cosby arousing is the idea you have full control over this person,” or it could be the lack of consent, the sense of getting away with something, or even just the attraction of seeing the person asleep, he said. The career of the once beloved star of “The Cosby Show” has been wrecked by allegations from more than 40 women who say Mr. Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted them. Mr. Cosby, 77, has not been criminally charged and his attorneys have denied the allegations. President Obama, asked during a news conference Wednesday about revoking Mr. Cosby’s Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian honor, said there is no mechanism for doing so, but added no civilized country should tolerate rape. A national sexual assault prevention group, PAVE, has gathered more than 3,000 signatures asking the White House to revoke Mr. Cosby’s

medal, awarded in 2002. “With respect to the Medal of Freedom, there’s no precedent for revoking a medal. We don’t have that mechanism,” President Obama told reporters. He declined to comment on the

speciﬁc allegations against Mr. Cosby. “I’ll say this: If you give a woman, or a man for that matter, without his or her knowledge a drug and then have sex with that person without consent, that’s rape,” the president said.

50 Cent out of dollars? Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. Rapper and actor 50 Cent filed for federal bankruptcy protection Monday, days after a jury ordered him to pay $5 million in an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit. 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson III, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Hartford. He owns a 50,000-square-foot mansion in nearby Farmington, Conn. The filing lists both the assets and liabilities for the “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” artist as between $10 million and $50 million and indicates his debts are primarily consumer and not business related. The filing comes after a New York jury on July 10 ordered Mr. Jackson to pay $5 million to a woman who said he acquired

a video she made with her boyfriend, added himself as a crude commentator and posted it online without her permission. The jury this week was scheduled to deliberate on possible further, punitive damages in 50 Cent Lastonia Leviston’s invasion of privacy lawsuit against him. But the bankruptcy ﬁling may put the trial on hold. 50 Cent has built an empire beyond entertainment. He invested early in Vitamin Water and has expanded his business interests into clothing and audio equipment. He also was named by Forbes in May as one of hip-hop’s ﬁve wealthiest artists for 2015.

Metropolitan Business League sells Jackson Ward headquarters By Jeremy M. Lazarus

The Richmond area’s largest AfricanAmerican business group has waved goodbye to its former home in Jackson Ward. The Metropolitan Business League last month sold its longtime headquarters at 2nd and Marshall streets to a subsidiary of Washingtonbased Douglas Development, which has been buying up chunks of Downtown for more than 10 years. Oliver R. Singleton, MBL’s president, conﬁrmed the sale of the 11,000-square-foot building that fronts Marshall Street for a bargainbasement price. City records show that MBL received $250,000, or less than half the $572,000 value the city assigned the property for tax purposes. Mr. Singleton said the MBL had no other serious takers and needed to shed the responsibilities

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Metropolitan Business League headquarters at 2nd and Marshall streets.

of maintenance, insurance and city taxes. “It was the best we could do,” he said, though

City Hall wants Crusade meeting to feature ambassadors state cabinet secretary

The city is seeking City Hall Ambassadors, it has announced. The volunteers will welcome visitors to City Hall; answer basic questions about the city, its departments and services; and provide directions, according to a city news release. The city’s Neighbor-toNeighbor Initiative is administering the program. Ambassadors will be stationed at City Hall, 900 E. Broad St. in Downtown. They will work one of two shifts, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or from 12:30 to 5 p.m. The city is seeking candidates over the age of 18 who will commit to work at least one shift per week for one year. Applications are online at www.surveymonkey.com/ s/8BQFWRV or at the City Hall customer service desk, the Main Library, the Southside Community Service Center, the East District Center and the Bellemeade, Hickory Hill, Humphrey Calder, Randolph and Pine Camp Cultural Arts community centers.

Housing workshop set for July 25 The Better Housing Coalition is offering a free workshop on renovation lending and historic tax credits from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25. Location: The Main Library, 101 E. Franklin St., in Downtown. At the workshop, participants can learn the basics of home mortgage financing, including loan programs, credit, cash required and cash sources, organizers stated. They also can learn the benefits of renovation lending and how to buy a home in disrepair and renovate it using those loan programs. Other topics to be covered include: Tax benefits, energy efficiency and market equity. The Richmond-based, nonprofit Better Housing Coalition is committed to creating highquality, affordable housing. For more information: David Herring, (804) 644-0546, ext. 110 or d.herring@betterhousingcoalition.org.

Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney is scheduled to speak at the Richmond Crusade for Voters meeting Tuesday, July 21. The 7 p.m. meeting will be held at the Baptist General Convention ofﬁce, 1214 W. Graham Road, next to Virginia Union University on North Side. Mr. Stoney is to discuss Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s initiatives to restore rights to felons, including the recent executive order allowing offenders to have their rights restored without having outstanding court costs and fees as an impediment.

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he expressed disappointment that the sale would not add any money to the group’s treasury. “We basically broke even,” he said. The MBL now is scrambling to ﬁnd new

ofﬁce space. The trade group has been housed in the SunTrust Bank branch at 3022 W. Broad St. for more than three years, but the branch is scheduled to close by October. For Douglas Development, the MBL purchase through its Jemals Standard Drug Store LLC arm adds to its holdings in the block bounded by Broad, 1st, 2nd and Marshall streets. The company already owns much of the block, including the former Standard Drug Store building, in furthering long-range plans for a retail-apartment development. It also owns other nearby properties. Douglas also owns the headquarters of the city Fire Department, which is housed at 2nd and Franklin streets in the former home of the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, Douglas is spending $20 million to redevelop the old 23-story Central National Bank building at 3rd and Broad streets into 200 apartments — its biggest Downtown project to date.

Save the Date

Upcoming Free Health Seminars VCU Medical Center will be offering the following free seminars about heart health at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s Education and Library Complex, located at 1800 Lakeside Avenue. Registration is recommended. Free parking available.

Register online at vcuhealth.org/seminars or call (804) 828-0123 for more information. Thursday, July 16, 2015 | 5:30 p.m.

New Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation Despite the fact that atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, is the most common heart rhythm disorder, it remains complicated to treat. Join Drs. Kenneth Ellenbogen and Vigneshwar Kasirajan who will talk about the benefits of a new procedure called hybrid ablation, that combines a surgical procedure and catheter ablation to treat a-fib.

Thursday, July 23, 2015 | 5:30 p.m.

Treating Liver Fibrosis: No More Biopsies Anything that damages the liver over many years can lead the liver to form scar tissue. Fibrosis is the first stage of liver scarring, and may lead to cirrhosis. Join Dr. Richard Sterling to learn more about the causes and treatment options for liver fibrosis — including a new noninvasive technology, FibroScan, which makes the assessment of liver disease simpler without a biopsy.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015 | 5:30 p.m.

Ouch! My Aching Back! If you have lower back pain, you are not alone. About 80 percent of adults experience low back pain at some point in their lifetimes. Join Dr. William Carter to learn what causes lower back pain and how to adequately treat it.

150709-FreePress.indd 1

6/15/15 2:32 PM

Richmond Free Press

July 16-18, 2015

Happenings

Rhythm of the beat The rhythmic sounds of Latin jazz filled the air last Saturday at Dogwood Dell in Byrd Park as dancers twirled and twisted at the 8th Annual Latin Jazz and Salsa Festival. A slew of performers, dancers and jazz musicians inspired the dancers — young and old — to show off their fancy footwork. Among those who enjoyed dancing were, from left, Michael Douglas and Giuliana Roggiero, Yvette Ramirez and Kevin Bingham, and 6-year-old Amilia Anderson and her 9-year-old sister, Vivien.

Photos by James Haskins/Richmond Free Press

You’ve never been this close to expert pediatric heart care. The Children’s Hospital Foundation Heart Center is the region’s most comprehensive pediatric cardiac care provider. And it’s right here in Richmond. So children with heart disease, and their families, can turn to Virginia’s most experienced cardiac team, led by chief surgeon Dr. Thomas Yeh—and never be far from home.

Learn more at chrichmond.org/heart

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville 64

Richmond Williamsburg

Durham 95

Children’s Hospital Foundation Heart Center

Richmond Free Press

B4 July 16-18, 2015

Faith News/Obituary/Directory

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Jesus has left the building This mural of Jesus on the side of the former Richmond Outreach Center at 6255 Old Warwick Road was photographed in 2005. Today, the building has been whitewashed, awaiting a new mural as workers transform the former South Side church property into a city park and community center. The city purchased the 17.7-acre property in August 2014 for $1.7 million.

Mildred Fountain Weekes, 93, former teacher

Richmond native Mildred Elizabeth Fountain Weekes was a renaissance woman. She grew up in the Navy Hill neighborhood in Downtown, graduated from Armstrong High School in 1938 and later Virginia State College, and traveled the world with her husband, George Weekes, a Virginia State basketball star and her college sweetheart. True to her adventurous nature, she skied at age 60, ate snake meat from a vendor in Panama and rode a camel in Egypt. “She was regal, very outgoing,” said her sister, Ellalee Flowers of Richmond. “She commanded attention in a room. When she walked in, she was very majestic. She just had a great spirit.” Mrs. Weekes is being remembered following her death June 29, 2015, in Washington after a brief illness. She was 93. She played basketball at Virginia State, where she pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and graduated with honors in 1942

with a degree in art. She taught art in Charlotte Courthouse, Va., and later Richmond Public Schools. She married Mr. Weekes in 1944, and assisted him in bookkeeping for his taxicab business in Atlantic City, N.J. It was the first African-American owned business on Atlantic Avenue, according to Mrs. Flowers. Mr. Weekes died in 1991. The couple had five children, and Mrs. Weekes Mrs. Weekes served as a Cub Scout den mother, Little League baseball mom and PTA worker, and was a constant fixture at her children’s athletic events.

As an artist, she created works to interpret the people and things around her. She designed sets for theater productions and volunteered as an art teacher at Vacation Bible School. Mrs. Weekes also served in the community and was active in the NAACP, Concerned Parents of AC and 101 Women Plus. She also worked on several political campaigns. Survivors include her sisters, Mrs. Flowers, LaVerne Fountain, Arlette F. Hill, Eulalia F. Morris, all of Richmond, and Marie Fountain of Alexandria; her brother, Woodson “Woody” Fountain of Edina, Minn.; three sons, Judge Bruce Weekes of Atlantic City, N.J., Guy Weekes of Washington, and George C. Weeks of South Orange, N.J.; two daughters, Ursulla W. McLeod of Montgomery Village, Md., and Sala Damali of Washington; eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and a host of other family members.

Good Shepherd Baptist Church 1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223-6624 • Office: (804) 644-1402

Triumphant

Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You”

Baptist Church

Tuesday Sunday 10:30 AM Bible Study 9:30 AM Church School 6:30 PM Church-wide Bible Study 11:00 AM Worship Service 6:30 PM Men's Bible Study (Each 2nd and 4th) (Holy Communion Thursday each 2nd Sunday) Wednesday (Following 2nd Sunday)

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

6:30 PM Prayer Meeting

11:00 AM Mid-day Meditation

Bible Study: Tuesday - 9 a.m. Wednesday - 7 p.m. Prayer Services: Wednesday (1st & 3rd ) 7 a.m. Every Wednesday 8 p.m. Communion - 1st Sunday

New Deliverance Evangelistic Church

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

Remember... At New Deliverance, You Are Home! See you there and bring a friend.

Bishop G. O. Glenn D. Min., Founder Mother Marcietia S. Glenn First Lady

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

Wednesday Services Senior Citizens Noonday Bible Study Every Wed. 12noon -1 p.m. Bible Study Count: noonday Wednesday night 7 p.m. Prayer 7:15 p.m. Bible Teaching Sanctuary - All Are Welcome!

Saturday

8:30 a.m. Intercessory Prayer

You can now view Sunday Morning Service “AS IT HAPPENS” online! Also, for your convenience, we now offer “full online giving.” Visit www.ndec.net.

� �

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Hebrew 12:14 (KJV)

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

Tune in on Sunday Morning to WTVR - Channel 6 - 8:30 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.

Sunday TV Broadcast WTVZ 9 a.m. Norfolk/Tidewater

Thursday & Friday Radio Broadcast WREJ 1540 AM Radio - 8:15 a.m.- 8:30 a.m.

THE NEW DELIVERANCE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (NDCA)

ENROLL NOW!!! Accepting applications for children 2 yrs. old to 3rd Grade

Our NDCA curriculum also consists of a Before and After program. Now Enrolling for our Nursery Ages 6 weeks - 2yrs. old. For more information Please call (804) 276-4433 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm

Come Join Us!

Reverend Dr. Lester D. Frye

Pastor and Founder

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

Funerals & Cremations

Over time, some things change. But, our tradition of providing service of the highest caliber has remained the same for over 100 years while serving Richmond and surrounding areas with dignity and excellence. 115 E. Brookland Park Blvd., Richmond, Virginia 23222 Toll-Free: 1-888-603-3862 | Phone: 804-321-9095 Fax: 804-321-1033 | www.scottsfuneralhome.com

Richard A. Lambert, Sr., President/CEO

… and Listen to our Radio Broadcast Sundays at 10:15 a.m. on WCLM 1450 AM

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

Thirty-first Street Baptist Church

everence e with elevanc R g in Dr. Morris Henderson, Senior Pastor bin om ❖

SUNDAYS Church School 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship 10:30 a.m. ❖

WEDNESDAYS Bible Study 12:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. ❖

MONDAY-FRIDAY Nutrition Center and Clothes Closet 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. 823 North 31st Street Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 226-0150 Office www.31sbc.org

Richmond Free Press

July 16-18, 2015

Faith News/Directory

Getting praise, worship on at Gospel Music Fest By Joey Matthews

At age 80, gospel music icon Dorothy Norwood still can spiritually move an audience. Known as “Gospel’s greatest storyteller,” she demonstrated her star power again Sunday

evening as the headliner before an overflow audience at Dogwood Dell at the 6th Annual Gospel Music Fest. She and about a dozen other gospel performers, including Richmond legend Larry Bland and the Volunteer Choir and his quartet, Promise, repeatedly brought the audience to its feet in

Photos by Clement Britt

Audience members feel the spirit as the Virginia Aires sing.

praise and worship on a resplendent summer evening. Radio personality Sheilah Belle of Praise 104.7 FM organized and emceed the event. “I need some people who’ve been through some real stuff, some survivors, some overcomers!” Ms. Norwood said to the applauding audience. “I’m going to have church in here in a few minutes.” She began her 20-minute set wearing a big smile. “I’m going to sing a song that got me a big ol’ check,” Ms. Norwood said. She then delivered a stirring rendition of the classic hymn she wrote, “Victory is Mine,” that was featured in the 2011 Academy Award-winning movie “The Left, Petula Beckles performs her unique blend of gospel Help.” that combines jazz and soul. Minister Earl Bynum ignites Ms. Norwood, who has the crowd during his group’s performance. released more than 50 albums and won numerous awards, then testified about cated the performance to Maggie Ingram, the being misdiagnosed with cancer in 2014. She Richmond gospel music icon who died June 23, then belted out her hit, “Oh Jesus,” backed and four deceased members of the Volunteer by a choir comprised of about a dozen young Choir that Mr. Bland has directed for more people. than four decades. She saved her best for last, transitioning Mr. Bland and the choir wowed the audiinto the classic “Down Old School Boulevard,” ence with songs such as “Total Praise,” “The comprised of a medley of hits, including “Shine Last Mile of the Way” and “I’ve Got to Keep on Me,” “Amazing Grace” and “I Will Trust Moving.” in the Lord.” Promise joined them onstage to perform “Lord, At one point, several people assisted Ms. You Surely Been Good to Me,” “I’ll Walk With Norwood as she walked from the stage, down Him Always” and “Nobody Greater.” stairs and into the audience as she sang. She was A show highlight came when Ms. Ingram’s surrounded by about 50 people, who were using daughter, the Rev. Almeta Ingram-Miller, joined cell phones to photograph and record her. the choir to perform “My Help Cometh from After her performance, Mr. Bland, dapperly the Lord.” attired in a black tuxedo, took a seat at his Others who performed at the event included keyboard after being accompanied onstage by Minister Earl Bynum, The Virginia Aires and 31 members of the Volunteer Choir. He dedi- Petula Beckles.

Gospel Explosion Aug.1 at South Side church Vacation Bible School The Rev. Luther Barnes is headlining the “Gospel Explosion” concert at Second Baptist Church on South Side at 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, the church has announced. Others scheduled to perform at the church at 3300 Broad Rock Blvd. include The Christian Travelers, The Soldiers of Vision and The Richmond Spirituals. Dr. Johnny Branch will be the master of ceremonies.

Rev. Barnes and the Redd Budd Choir, comprised of several members of the Barnes family, are known for hits such as “You Keep on Blessing Me,” “I’m Still Holding On” and “Spirit, Fall Fresh.” As an executive producer of gospel music, Rev. Barnes has released nearly 30 CDs. He has performed with numerous gospel artists, including Shirley Caesar, Deborah Barnes, Kirk Franklin, Dorothy

Norwood and the Mighty Clouds of Joy. Rev. Barnes currently is senior pastor at Restoration Worship Center that he founded in 2014 in his hometown of Rocky Mount, N.C. A donation of $25 is requested to attend the concert. Tickets are available at Barky’s Spiritual Store, 18 E. Broad St., in Downtown. Information: (804) 833-1787.

Kind acts commemorate pastor’s 10th anniversary “Don’t Go to Church, Be the Church.” That was the theme of a day of community service by members at Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church in Jackson Ward on July 5. In lieu of holding worship services at the church at 14 W. Duval St., the Rev. Tyrone Nelson and about 300 church members fanned out throughout the community to perform “random acts of kindness.”

Riverview

Baptist Church 2604 Idlewood Avenue Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 www.riverviewbaptistch.org Rev. Dr. Stephen L. Hewlett, Pastor Rev. Dr. Ralph Reavis, Sr. Pastor Emeritus

SUNDAY SCHOOL - 9:45 A.M. SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 11:00 A.M.

Moore Street Missionary

Baptist Church

1408 W. Leigh Street • 358-6403

Dr. Alonza Lawrence Pastor

Sundays

Church School 8:30 A.M. Morning Worship 10:00 A.M.

“We came and prayed, got our assignments and went into the community,” Rev. Nelson said. Among the acts of kindness: Church members painted houses and performed Rev. Nelson yard work. They visited seven nursing homes. They went to area restaurants and paid for strangers’

meals. They provided between $100 and $200 each to 20 families from public housing communities for shopping trips to grocery stores. They hopped on GRTC buses and paid fares for riders. They picked up trash in Gilpin Court and Woodlawn Cemetery. The church allocated $12,000 for the project, Rev. Nelson said. The efforts were in commemoration of Rev. Nelson’s 10th anniversary this month as the pastor of Sixth Mount Zion.

Sharon Baptist Church

Union Baptist Church 1813 Everett Street Richmond, Virginia 23224 804-231-5884 Reverend Robert C. Davis, Pastor

July 19, 2015

11:00 a.m. Worship Service Speaker: Rev. Cheryl Spencer James, Pastor New Covenant AME Zion Theme: “Aging…Generations of Experience” Psalm 78:6-7

Union Baptist Church

Celebrates

Reverend Robert C. 39 th Davis



Anniversary

Early Morning Worship ~ 8 a.m. Sunday School ~ 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship ~ 11 a.m. 4th Sunday Uniﬁed Worship Service ~ 9:30 a.m. Bible Study: Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m. & 7 p.m. Radio Ministry: Sunday: 9:30 a.m. {1540 AM}

Annual Seniors’ Recognition Weekend Worship Leader: Rodney L. Greene (Trinity Baptist Church)

Featuring: Cheryl Maroney-Beaver

(Granddaughter of Late Evangelist Maggie Ingram) Ticket Donation ($10.00) Deadline for purchase July 19, 2015 For More Information, Please No Tickets Sold At Door. Contact Dot Johnson at (804) 240-0892

July 25, 2015 - 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

9:30 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Morning Worship Speaker: Reverend Dr. Thomas Simmons Associate Minister Quioccasin Baptist Church Theme: “Appreciating Our Pastor, Who Emulates God’s Greatest Gift- Love”

“MAKE IT HAPPEN” Pastor Kevin Cook

Mount Olive Baptist Church Rev. Darryl G. Thompson, Pastor

2015 Theme: The Year of Moving Forward



8775 Mount Olive Avenue Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 (804) 262-9614 Phone (804) 262-2397 Fax www.mobcva.org

Tuesdays

Summer Worship Schedule

Sunday, June 7, 2015 Sunday, September 13, 2015

Worship Service 10:00 AM Sunday School and New Members Class 8:30 AM

FirstM iBaptist Church dlothian

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

13800 Westfield Dr., Midlothian,VA 23113 804-794-5583 • www.fbcm1846.com

Homecoming and Revival

Colors: White and Shades of Purple Music: Union Baptist Church Mass Choir Ushers: Ushers’ Ministry of Union Baptist Church “Reception”

Sunday, July 19, 2015 - Thursday, July 23, 2015 Theme: “Standing Firm in Christ in Perilous Times” Homecoming Service - 11:00 A.M. Lunch Following Service

Revival Nightly - 7:00 P.M.

Monday - Pastor Vincent Williams,

(Mt. Nebo Baptist Church)

Tuesday - Pastor Marlon Haskell,

Bible Study 12 noon

fÑÜxtw à{x jÉÜw

(Chicago Avenue Baptist Church)

Wednesdays

Wednesday - Pastor Samuel Barnes, Jr. (St. James Baptist Church)

New Mercies Ministry 6:00 A.M. Youth Bible Study 6:00 P.M. Adult Bible Study 6:30 P.M.

Thursday - Pastor Paul Coles (Sharon Baptist Church)

Van Transportation Available, Call 804-794-5583

St. Peter Baptist Church Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, Pastor

Sixth Baptist 2x3 sixth Church bapt

Theme for 2015: Becoming a Five-Star Church of Excellence

Rev. Pernell J. Johnson, Pastor

Worship Opportunities

We Are Growing In The Kingdom As We Grow The Kingdom with Word, Worship and Witness

8 A.M. 9:30 A.M. 11 A.M.

SUNDAY, July 19, 2015 9AM The Family Altar (A time for meditation, healing, and deliverance)

10:40AM Worship & Praise

Unity Sundays (2nd Sundays) Church School 8:30 A.M. Morning Worship 10 A.M.

11AM Divine Worship Message by: Rev. Wade Richmond

Thursdays: Bible Study is in summer recess and will resume October 1st.

Vacation Bible School: July 13 - 17, 6 p.m. With Fifth and Mount Vernon Churches Twitter sixthbaptistrva

Daily Bible Readings can be found on our website. 2040 Mountain Road • Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 Office 804-262-0230 • Fax 804-262-4651 • www.stpeterbaptist.net

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

To advertise your church events in the Richmond Free Press call 804-644-0496

Ebenezer Baptist Church 1858

“The People’s Church”

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13

Sundays: Morning Worship Church School Morning Worship

rosalindhall91@yahoo.com or Darlene King, (804) 244-7403 or email darleneking902@ yahoo.com.

5106 Walmsley Blvd., Richmond, VA 23224 804-276-2740 • 804-276-6535 (fax) www.BRBCONLINE.org

22 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23219 • 643-3825 thesharonbaptistchurch.com • Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles

Saturday

New Life Deliverance Tabernacle on South Side is holding its Vacation Bible School from Tuesday, July 21, through Friday, July 24, the church has announced. The theme: “Loving God by Loving God’s People, While Getting our Financial House in Order.” The vacation Bible school is open to anyone age 5 and older. It will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. July 21 through 23 at the church, 900 Decatur St., led by the Rev. Robert A. Winfree. It will conclude with a daylong trip July 24 to Washington and the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. For registration and information: The Rev. Rosalind Criss, (804) 244-6113 or email

Broad Rock Baptist Church

“The Church With A Welcome”

ConCert and dinner

to go to Washington

216 W. Leigh St. • Richmond, Va. 23220 • Tel: 804-643-3366 Fax: 804-643-3367 • Email: ebcofﬁce1@comcast.net • web: ebcrichmond.org Sunday Worship Sunday Church School Service of Holy Communion Service of Baptism Life Application Bible Class Mid-Week Senior Adult Fellowship Wednesday Meditation & Bible Study Homework & Tutoring Scouting Program Thursday Bible Study

11:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Every 3rd Sunday 2nd Sunday, 11 a.m. Mon. 6:30 p.m. Tues. 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Wed. 7:45 p.m. Wed. 4:30 p.m. Wed. 6:00 p.m. Thurs., 11:45 a.m.

(near Byrd Park)

(804) 359-1691 or 359-3498 Facebook Fax (804) 359-3798 sixthbaptistrva www.sixthbaptistchurch.org



Dr. Levy M. Armwood, Pastor  Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus

Richmond Free Press

B6 July 16-18, 2015

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, July 27, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2015-149 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept funds in the amount of $5,000,000 from the Governor’s Development Opportunity Fund and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 2015-2016 General Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to a new line item in the Non-Departmental agency called the Stone Brewery – Governor’s Development Opportunity Fund line item for the purpose of providing funds to the Economic Development Authority to provide a grant to KoochenVagner’s Brewing Co., doing business as Stone Brewing Co., pursuant to a Governor’s Development Opportunity Fund Performance Agreement between the City of Richmond, Virginia, KoochenVagner’s Brewing Co., and the Economic Development Authority of Richmond, Virginia, dated Jan. 6, 2015. (Committee: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, July 16, 2015, 3:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2015-150 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Land License Agreement between the City of Richmond and CSX Transportation, Inc. for the purpose of allowing the City access to railroad property and right-of-way from Great Shiplock Park to 21 st Street in order to maintain the portion of Dock Street located over CSX Transportation, Inc.’s railroad tracks and right-of-way. (Committee: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, July 21, 2015, 3:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at www.Richmondgov. com and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Jean V. Capel City Clerk

Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HENRICO COREY M. CROUCH, Plaintiff v. SHERRI L. COLLINS, Defendant. Case No.: CL15-372 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce in the Henrico Circuit Court from the defendant on the grounds of a one year separation. It is ORDERED that Sherri L. Collins appear at the above named Court and protect her interest she may have in this matter on or before September 14, 2015. A Copy, Teste: YVONNE G. SMITH, Clerk I ASK FOR THIS: Wes B. Witmeyer (VSB#88115) THE WITMEYER LAW FIRM, LLC 10035 Sliding Hill Road, Suite 102 Ashland, VA 23005 804-752-0130 (phone) 804-752-0133 (fax) Counsel for Plaintiff

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(VSB#19419) Bowen Ten Cardani, PC 3957 Westerre Parkway, Suite 105 Richmond, Virginia 23233 804-755-7599 804-755-7550 (facsimile) sbowen@betclawva.com Counsel for Plaintiff VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ANTONIO PITTMAN, Plaintiff v. LISA PITTMAN, Defendant. Case No.: CL14002388-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, who has been served with the Complaint by posted service appear here on or before the 14th day of August, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER THOMAS KYLE, Plaintiff v. MONIQUE KYLE, Defendant. Case No.: CL15001514-00 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 26th day of August, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER SHANDRA ROBINSON, Plaintiff v. RUDOLPH ROBINSON, SR., Defendant. Case No.: CL15001376-00 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 14th day of August, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER PATINA SHARPE, Plaintiff v. ROBERT GRAVES, Defendant. Case No.: CL15001377-00 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 14th day of August, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO LOUAY ABDULJABBAR, Plaintiff v. SHAYMAA MOHSIN KHALEEL AL-BAYATI, Defendant. Case No.: CL15001493-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from SHAYMAA MOHSIN KHALEEL AL BAYATI on the grounds that the Parties have lived separate and apart continuously and without cohabitation or interruption for a period in excess of one year. It appearing by affidavit that the Defendant’s present whereabouts are unknown and due diligence has been used by or on behalf of LOUAY ABDULJABBAR, Plaintiff, to ascertain in what county or city the defendant is without effect; it is ORDERED that the Defendant appear before this Court, on the 24th day of August, 2015, at 9:30 a.m., and protect her interests herein. A Copy, Teste: YVONNE G. SMITH, Clerk The undersigned respectfully requests this: Alexandra D. Bowen, Esquire

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER JENNIFER MCGARVEY, Plaintiff v. ZACHARY MCGARVEY, Defendant. Case No.: CL15000952-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months. It is ORDERED that the defendant, who has been served with the Complaint by posted service appear here on or before the 19th day of August, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests.

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A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

Case No. JJ085932-01-00; JJ085932-02-00 OrDEr Of puBLicatiON The object of this suit is to: Determine custody and visitation of Amelia Lynn Roberson (DOB: 12/12/06), whose mother is Tracy Lynn Roberson, pursuant to Va. Code 16.1-241 (A3). It is ordered that the defendant Unknown Father AKA “Mario” appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before September 23, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. Stephen Bloomquest, Esq. 5913 Harbour Park Drive Midlothian, Virginia 23112 804-396-3329

who are not residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia, have not filed a response to this matter; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that CLAYTON INVESTMENT GROUP, L. L. C., A Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company, JUNIOUS TAYLOR, Who May Be Deceased, and the Heirs, Devisees, Assignees or Successors in Interest of JUNIOUS TAYLOR, As to part of a ½ Interest, who may be the holder/s of part of a ½ Interest in interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated November 26, 2002, with respect to said property, recorded December 4, 2002, in Instrument Number 02-038136, HERBERT CHUTTER, as to part of a ½ Interest and DOROTHY CHUTTER, as to part of a ½ Interest, who may be the holders of a ½ Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated November 26, 2002, with respect to said property, recorded December 4, 2002, in Instrument Number 02-038136, or their heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, ADA ALLEN, As to $81,000.000 Interest, who may be the holder of $81,000.00 Interest in interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated July 21, 2004, with respect to said property, recorded July 29, 2004, in Instrument Number 04-025341, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, HERBERT CHUTTER, as to part of a $23,000.00 Interest and DOROTHY CHUTTER, as to part of a $23,000.00 Interest, who may be the holders of a $23,000.00 Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated July 21, 2004, with respect to said property, recorded July 29, 2004, in Instrument Number 04-025341, or their heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, DAVID COHEN, As to $10,000.00 Interest, who may be the holder of a $10,000.00 Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated August 23, 2006, with respect to said property, recorded August 26, 2006, in Instrument Number 06-29282, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, JONATHAN COHEN, As to $10,000.00 Interest, who may be the holder of a $10,000.00 Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated August 23, 2006, with respect to said property, recorded August 26, 2006, in Instrument Number 06-29282, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, ALAN KATZ, LYNN KATZ, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Agent for BERNICE SCHWARTZ, RICHARD D. KRIDER, SHERRIE BECKER, PATRICK BECKER, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Trustee for the JAY SCHWARTZ TRUST U/A 11/6/1992, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Trustee for the EDWARD J. BECKER MARITAL TRUST, THEODORE SELLMAN, Who May Be Deceased, and the Heirs, Devisees, Assignees or Successors in Interest of THEODORE SELLMAN, DAVID F. KATZ, SHELLY A. KATZ, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before AUGUST 14, 2015, and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

Route 1 and for all other purposes incidental thereto, all of which is described more particularly in the Petition for Condemnation and exhibits attached thereto on file in the office of the Clerk of this Court, to which reference is hereby made for a full and accurate description thereof; and for the appointment of commissioners or the empanelment of a jury to ascertain just compensation to the owners of any estate or interest in the property to be taken or affected as a result of the taking and use thereof by the Petitioner. For such purposes, the Petitioner will apply to the court, sitting at Chesterfield County, Virginia, on the 24th day of July, 2015, at 8:30 a.m., or as soon thereafter as Petitioner may be heard, for the appointment of commissioners or the empanelment of a jury to ascertain just compensation as aforesaid. And it appearing by affidavit filed according to law that the following persons are record owners or otherwise may have interest in the property disclosed in the Petition for Condemnation and that they are not residents of the Commonwealth and/or their names and/or addresses are not known and that diligence has been used by and on behalf of the Petitioner to ascertain such names and addresses without effect: THE ESTATE OF RAYMOND L. LAWLESS STEVEN LAWLESS THE UNKNOWN HEIRS AT LAW OF THE ESTATE OF RAYMOND L. LAWLESS UNKNOWN OWNERS It is ORDERED that the aforesaid owners appear within ten (10) days after due publication of this Order in the clerk’s office of the Circuit Court of Chesterfield County, Virginia and do what is necessary to protect their interests; and it is further ordered that if the above named owners desire to assert any objection or defense to the taking or damaging of their property or to the jurisdiction of the Court to hear the case and to proceed with the appointment of commissioners or the empanelment of a jury, they shall file their answer and grounds of defense designating the property in which they claim to be interested, the grounds of any objection or defense to the taking or damaging of their property or to the jurisdiction of the Court to hear the case and to proceed with the appointment of commissioners or the empanelment of a jury for the determination of just compensation. Should an owner fail to file their answer and grounds of defense as hereinabove provided, such failure shall not preclude the owner from appearing on the date set for the appointment of commissioners or the empanelment of a jury nor from presenting evidence as to valuation and damage nor from sharing in the award of just compensation according to their interest therein or otherwise protecting their rights, but such failure shall preclude such owner from any other defense by way of pleas in bar, abatement or otherwise. Dated: June 19, 2015 An Extract, Teste: Wendy S. Hughes I ask for this: Godfrey T. Pinn, Jr. VSB No.: 43106 Harrell & Chambliss LLP Eighth and Main Building 707 East Main Street, Suite 1000 Richmond, Virginia 23219 (804) 915-3220 (direct dial) (804) 915-3240 (direct fax) gpinn@hclawfirm.com Counsel for Petitioner Commissioner of Highways

CUSTODY virgiNia: iN thE JuvENiLE aND DOmEstic rELatiONs District cOurt Of thE city Of richmOND iN rE: Ed’Tonia Baskerville and MALLORY SHEARER OrDEr Of puBLicatiON The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) of Latonya Shearer (Mother) of Ed’tonia Baskerville, child, DOB 9/5/2003 and Mallory Shearer, child, DOB 12/31/2009 and Edward Bailey (Father) of Ed’tonia Baskerville, child, DOB 9/5/2003 and Malory T. Shearer, Jr. (Father), Kenneth Garland (Father) and Unknown Father of Mallory Shearer, child, DOB 12/31/2009 “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support. It is ORDERED that the defendants Latonya Shearer, Edward Bailey, Malory T. Shearer Jr., Kenneth Garland and Unknown Father, appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before September, 3, 2015 at 10:20 a.m. Kate D. O’Leary, Esq. 730 E. Broad St., 8th Floor Richmond, Virginia 23219 804-646-3493

PROPERTY

virgiNia: iN thE JuvENiLE aND DOmEstic rELatiONs District cOurt Of Chesterfield Commonwealth of Virginia, in re AMELIA LYNN Roberson; CHRISTY LEE WILSON v. TRACY LYNN ROBERSON UNKNOWN FATHER AKA “MARIO”

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. Case No.: CL14-3285-1 CLAYTON INVESTMENT GROUP, L.L.C., A Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company, et al., Defendants. ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as “1207 North 24TH Street”, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map/GPIN# E000-0560/022, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, CLAYTON INVESTMENT GROUP, L. L. C., An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, CLAYTON INVESTMENT GROUP, L. L. C., A Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that JUNIOUS TAYLOR, Who May Be Deceased, and the Heirs, Devisees, Assignees or Successors in Interest of JUNIOUS TAYLOR, As to part of a ½ Interest, who may be the holder/s of part of a ½ Interest in interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated November 26, 2002, with respect to said property, recorded December 4, 2002, in Instrument Number 02-038136, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that HERBERT CHUTTER, as to part of a ½ Interest and DOROTHY CHUTTER, as to part of a ½ Interest, who may be the holders of a ½ Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated November 26, 2002, with respect to said property, recorded December 4, 2002, in Instrument Number 02-038136, who are not residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia, have not filed a response to this action, or their heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, whose names are unknown; that ADA ALLEN, As to $81,000.000 Interest, who may be the holder of $81,000.00 Interest in interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated July 21, 2004, with respect to said property, recorded July 29, 2004, in Instrument Number 04-025341, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title; that HERBERT CHUTTER, as to part of a $23,000.00 Interest and DOROTHY CHUTTER, as to part of a $23,000.00 Interest, who may be the holders of a $23,000.00 Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated July 21, 2004, with respect to said property, recorded July 29, 2004, in Instrument Number 04-025341, who are not residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia, have not filed a response to this action, or their heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, whose names are unknown; that DAVID COHEN, As to $10,000.00 Interest, who may be the holder of a $10,000.00 Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated August 23, 2006, with respect to said property, recorded August 26, 2006, in Instrument Number 06-29282, who is not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, has not filed a response to this action, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title; that JONATHAN COHEN, As to $10,000.00 Interest, who may be the holder of a $10,000.00 Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated August 23, 2006, with respect to said property, recorded August 26, 2006, in Instrument Number 06-29282, who is not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, has not filed a response to this action, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title; that ALAN KATZ, LYNN KATZ, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Agent for BERNICE SCHWARTZ, RICHARD D. KRIDER, SHERRIE BECKER, PATRICK BECKER, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Trustee for the JAY SCHWARTZ TRUST U/A 11/6/1992, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Trustee for the EDWARD J. BECKER MARITAL TRUST, who may be creditors with an interest in said property, have not been personally located and have not filed a response to this action; that THEODORE SELLMAN, Who May Be Deceased, and the Heirs, Devisees, Assignees or Successors in Interest of THEODORE SELLMAN, who may be creditor/s with an interest in said property, have not been located and have not filed a response to this matter; that DAVID F. KATZ and SHELLY A. KATZ, who may be creditors with an interest in said property,

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virgiNia: iN thE JuvENiLE aND DOmEstic rELatiONs District cOurt Of thE city Of richmOND iN rE: SHAIAYGNE D. WILLIAMS-SMITH OrDEr Of puBLicatiON The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) of Unknown Father (Father) of Shaiaygne D. WilliamsSmith, child, DOB 5/22/1998, “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support. It is ORDERED that the defendant Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his interest on or before September, 24, 2015 at 9:40 a.m. Kate D. O’Leary, Esq. 730 E. Broad St., 8th Floor Richmond, Virginia 23219 804-646-3493 virgiNia: iN thE JuvENiLE aND DOmEstic rELatiONs District cOurt Of thE city Of richmOND iN rE: Baby Boy Barrett a/k/a Jackson barrett Children’s home society of virginia v. unknown birth father OrDEr Of puBLicatiON The object of this suit is to: Pursuant to VA Code § 16.1277.01, the Children’s Home Society of Virginia is requesting that the Court terminate the parental rights of the unknown birth father, whose identity and whereabouts are unknown and transfer custody of the infant. Baby Boy Barrett a/k/a Jackson Barrett, d/o/b 04/13/15 to the Children’s Home Society of Virginia with the right to place the infant for adoption. It is ORDERED that the defendant Unknown Birth Father appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his/ or her interests on or before September 8, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. Sherry A. Fox, Esq. Thompson McMullan, PC 100 Shockoe Slip Richmond, Virginia 23219 804-698-6231 virgiNia: iN thE JuvENiLE aND DOmEstic rELatiONs District cOurt Of thE city Of richmOND iN rE: destini monique parker OrDEr Of puBLicatiON The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) of Tiffany Lorraine Parker (Mother), Robert Turner (Father), and Unknown Father (Father) of Destini Monique Parker, child, DOB 5/15/2014, “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support. It is ORDERED that the defendant Tiffany Lorraine Parker, Robert Turner, and Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before August, 17, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. Kate D. O’Leary, Esq. 730 E. Broad St., 8th Floor Richmond, Virginia 23219 804-646-3493

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF CHESTERFIELD COMMISSIONER OF HIGHWAYS, Petitioner, v. Case No.: CL15001509-00 THE ESTATE OF RAYMOND L. LAWLESS, Deceased, BETTY SUSAN PRON, GLORIA WARD LOWERY, BRENDA JESSIE, STEVEN LAWLESS, THE UNKNOWN HEIRS AT LAW OF THE ESTATE OF RAYMOND L. LAWLESS, Deceased, UNKNOWN OWNERS, and a permanent utility easement and two temporary construction easements comprising 11,284 square feet, more or less, situated on those two certain lots, pieces or parcels of land, lying and being in Bermuda District, C h e s t e r f i e l d C o u n t y, Virginia, and designated as Lots Nos. Three (3) and Four (4) in Block “A” on the plan of Mid-City Farms, a plat of which is of record in the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court of Chesterfield County, Virginia in Plat Book 3, pages 242 and 243. Defendants. ORDER OF PUBLICATION In this proceeding Petitioner, Commissioner of Highways, seeks to acquire by condemnation easement rights to certain pieces or parcels of land situated in the County of Chesterfield, Virginia, for the uses and purposes of the Petitioner, namely for the construction, reconstruction, alteration, maintenance and repair of Continued on next column

Attending Physician

in Richmond, VA. Provide medical care for elderly home bound & nursing home patients. Mail resume to: D. Slayden, VCU Health System Authority, 701 East Franklin Street, 9th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219.

Cardiologist

in Richmond, VA. Examine, diagnose & treat patients w/ diseases, disorders & conditions of the human heart. Mail resume to: D. Slayden, VCU Health System Authority, 701 East Franklin Street, 9th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219.

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PULPIT VACANCY: FULL-TIME PASTOR Opening Date: June 20, 2015 Closing Date: August 20, 2015

An application can be obtained from www.graylandbaptist.org

The Richmond City Sheriff’s Office is in possession of firearms, related paraphernalia and abandoned property have gone unclaimed by the owner(s). Reasonable attempt to notify the owner(s) have been taken. These weapons shall be destroyed per tenants of 15.2-1719, 15.2-1720, 15.2-1721 and 19.2-386.29. Anyone making claim to any of the items may do so by contacting Major J. D. Jenkins 804-646-0068. Proof of legal ownership will be required to make a claim.

WUPV–CW Richmond

Medical Laboratory Technology Instructor/ Clinical Coordinator (Position #FO337) (J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Richmond, VA) Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology/Clinical Laboratory Science or related field; American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) certification as a Medical Technologist/Clinical Laboratory Scientist. Two (2) years related occupational experience in a medical laboratory technology setting. Preemployment security screening is also required. TYPE OF APPOINTMENT: Full-time, ninemonth faculty-ranked appointment, beginning January 1, 2016. Salary commensurate with the education and experience of the applicant. Salary range $42,501-$71,595. Approximate maximum hiring salary: $60,197. Additional information is available at the College's website: www.reynolds.edu. APPLICATION PROCESS: Review of applications will begin SEPTEMBER 17, 2015, and will be accepted until the position is filled. AA/EOE/ADA/Veterans are encouraged to apply.

Notice PLUSH, LLC Trading as: PLUSH Restaurant and Lounge 1708 E. Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23223 The above establishment is applying to the Virginia D epartment of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) for a Mix Beverage, Wine and Beer license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Juan Wilson, Co-owner NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

Bid County of Henrico, Virginia Construction ITB # 15-9815-6CE – Pumping Station Upgrades Gambles Mill SPS, White Oak SPS, and Three Chopt WPS AFD Replacement - This project consists of replacement of nine existing AFD units with nine 480-volt AFD units. Due 3:00 pm, August 18, 2015. Additional information available at: http://henrico.us/purchasing/.

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The City of Richmond is seeking to fill the following positions: Assistant Communications Officer Supervisor 87M00000087 Department of Emergency Communications Apply by 7/26/2015 Human Resources Consultant 12M00000054 Department of Human Resources Apply by 07/26/2015 Maintenance Technician II 30M00000042 Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Apply by 7/26/2015 Maintenance Worker I 30M00000492 Department of Parks & Recreation Apply by 7/26/2015 Marketing Specialist 35M00000577 Department of Public Utilities Apply by 7/26/2015 Planner II 05M00000040 Department of Planning Development & Review Apply by 7/26/2015 Recreation Program Coordinator (Cultural Arts) 30M00000292 Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Apply by 7/26/2015 Recreation Program Coordinator Food Program Coordinator 30M00000444 Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Apply by 7/26/2015 ****************** For an exciting career with the City of Richmond, visit our website for additional information and apply today! www.richmondgov.com EOE M/F/D/V