June 21-23, 2018 issue by Richmond Free Press

VOL. 27 NO. 25

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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U.S. senator fires up Dems in city A3

Meet president-elect of Urban League’s ‘younger’ group B1

June 21-23, 2018

Obama Elementary! Richmond School Board votes to dump Confederate name at North Side school to honor nation’s first African-American president By Ronald E. Carrington

Broken promise?

City seeks bids only for 3 new schools By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Earlier this year, Mayor Levar M. Stoney stumped to raise $150 million to help replace obsolete and decaying schools. His sole condition: That Richmond City Council approve a 1.5 percent increase in the city sales tax on restaurant meals and other prepared food so that the borrowed money could be repaid. City Council quickly w e n t along on a 7-2 vote in February, and a Mayor Stoney delighted Mayor Stoney stated: “We are moving full-steam ahead with our plan to generate $150 million in new school construction and renovation of facilities that have been neglected for far too long.” But in a little noticed policy shift, City Hall and the Richmond School Board have agreed to cut back that investment ahead of Sunday, July 1, when Richmond diners will start to see the government’s take from meals rise from 11.3 percent to 12.8 percent, including Please turn to A6

Photos by Ava Reaves

Summer send-off Last Friday, students at Richmond’s Overby-Sheppard Elementary School in Highland Park get a rousing send-off for the summer by school staff on the last day of school.

Barack Obama in. J.E.B. Stuart out. The Richmond School Board voted 6-1 Monday night to change the name of J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School to Barack Obama Elementary School. The new name for the school at 3101 Fendall Ave. in North Side should be in place by August for the new school year, officials said. “Students will now have the opportunity to attend a school President that honObama ors a leader who represents the great promise of America,” said Superintendent Jason Kamras. “In the former capital of the Confederacy, we decided to stop honoring an individual who fought to preserve slavery and to begin honoring our first African-American president instead.” Roughly 18 schools in 14 states have either been named Please turn to A6

$1.3B Coliseum area development plan advancing By Jeremy M. Lazarus

An investment group led by Dominion Energy’s top executive is proposing to bring a mix of 2,800 affordable and market rate apartments to mostly public land north of Richmond City Hall. The massive housing development is to accompany the construction of a modern 17,500-seat arena to replace

Ms. Swanson

Ms. Turner

the 46-year-old Richmond Coliseum, a 500-room convention hotel that would be attached to the vacant, but historic Blues Armory and an enclosed GRTC bus transfer station. Three people with knowledge of the potential $1.3 billion project that is being spearheaded by Thomas F. “Tom” Farrell II, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Dominion Energy,

Ms. Braxton

Ms. Murray

separately provided an outline of the plans to the Free Press on the condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to comment. The high-rise apartments to be built atop parking decks would be a key feature of the project that would require substantial city support in the form of donated land and tax contributions. The entire project is targeted

for a portion of the 10 acres between Leigh and Marshall streets Downtown between 5th and 10th streets that has been set aside for the development. If approved, it would be the largest investment ever for Richmond and four times larger than anything yet envisioned for the city’s 60-acre Boulevard property where The Diamond stands. None of the details were released when Mayor Levar M. Stoney announced June 13 that his administration is starting negotiations with the NH District Corp. led by Mr. Farrell. According to NH

District, the project will create “a world-class housing, retail, hospitality, office and entertainment destination in Virginia’s capital city.” City Hall officials have been reviewing the plan since NH District submitted it in February following at least two years of planning. It was the only response to a city request for proposals. By then, it was well known that Mr. Farrell; Martin J. “Marty” Barrington, the retired chief executive officer of Altria; and retired SunTrust Bank executive C.T. Hill were Please turn to A6

Ms. Medina

Talent and beauty competing in Miss Virginia Pageant this weekend By Ronald E. Carrington

A record five African-American women will be among the 30 contestants vying to be crowned the next Miss Virginia this weekend. The pageant will be held Saturday, June 23, at Liberty University in Lynchburg, with preliminary competition, including contestants showcasing their

talent, starting on Thursday, June 21. The winner moves on to compete in the Miss America contest Sept. 9 in Atlantic City, N.J. Kyle Grinnage, executive director of the Miss Chesterfield competition, said having five African-American women compete for the state title is a record. Among them is a Henrico resident Carlehr Swanson, a 21-year-old senior

at George Mason University, who was crowned Miss State Fair of Virginia in October. Ms. Swanson is a jazz pianist and vocalist whose platform for the state pageant is “Music is UNITY.” The others are Breana Turner, Miss Greater Charlottesville, a pianist whose Please turn to A6

Google maps

This map shows the boundaries of the development area where a new arena and 2,800 apartments would rise — bounded by 5th and 10th streets between Leigh and Marshall streets. Virtually all of the buildings along East Marshall Street would remain under the proposal.

Pluses, minuses expected with June 24 start of Pulse By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Church Hill residents who have long taken GRTC buses to their jobs at the University of Richmond and other places in the far West End no longer will be able to get to work by 7 a.m. after this week. Residents of the Maymont area who are used to catching a bus until midnight to get home will have service cut off after 7 p.m. next week. And untold numbers of riders will be forced to catch three buses instead of two to get to and from other parts of the city, possibly paying an extra fare to reach their destination. The regular one-way fare is $1.50 and 25 cents for a transfer.

GRTC is promising better service, but not everyone believes that will happen when the company launches its long-awaited Pulse bus rapid transit service and ushers in big changes on its regular routes that are being dubbed “the Great Richmond Reroute.” The changes do not affect the door-to-door CARE van service. The changes will go into effect this Sunday, June 24, when the Pulse service begins running on its 7.6-mile route between Rocketts Landing and The Shops at Willow Lawn. All of the new route changes go into effect Monday, June 25. The transit company is billing June 24 as a “milestone day” on a new website, www.theGreatRichmondReroute.com, noting it will begin the biggest change in service since motorized buses

replaced electric trolleys in 1948. The company describes the changes as the creation of “a new public transit system, one that will connect more people to more places with more frequent service. … And we’ll have a positive effect on the lives of the more 20,000 people who currently ride the bus, bringing them the frequency and reliability they need.” To help people get used to the change, GRTC is allowing passengers to ride free Sunday, June 24, through Saturday, June 30. But GRTC spokeswoman Carrie Rose Pace confirmed that Please turn to A6

A2 June 21-23, 2018

Richmond Free Press

Local News

City starts new RVA311 website to handle requests Want potholes patched? Need a sidewalk fixed or a city tree trimmed? Seeking help to obtain a business license? Richmond residents now have a new online system to make service requests — RVA 311. City Hall shut down the old “See, Click, Fix” program and is now receiving requests through www.RVA311.com. The change was made June 15 and officially unveiled Monday. Software developer AvePoint donated services worth an estimated $1 million to City Hall to create the new website that officials believe will make it easier for residents to submit and track their requests and deal with city agencies without physically having to go to Downtown to City Hall. Officials said the new system will handle a greater variety of requests, including connecting users with zoning and finance information. People still may call in service requests by dialing 311, (804) 646-5600 or (804) 646-7000. But the customer service center, which fields 2,000 to 5,000 calls a week, is open only on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., officials noted. City officials hope more people will use www.RVA311.com, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. RVA311 will be available as a mobile application next month. Robert Steidel, deputy chief administrative officer for operations, said the new system will better ensure a request gets to the right office. City employees also will face tighter deadlines to respond and provide information on when the request can be addressed, he said. Five city departments — Public Works, Public Utilities, Finance, Planning and Police — have been linked to the new system, with additional departments to be added in the coming months. AvePoint’s donation allows Richmond to use the system for three years and three months without charge. After that, the city would need to pay an annual fee to AvePoint to continuing using it. — JEREMY M. LAZARUS

Groundbreaking Friday for new 16-story VCU outpatient center A 16-story outpatient center is to be added to the medical campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU Health officials announced Tuesday. VCU President Michael Rao will lead the official groundbreaking ceremony Friday, June 22, to launch construction of the 630,000-square-foot facility at 10th and Leigh streets, just north of the 18-story City Hall. Set to be a hub for outpatient care, the building is expected to take two years to complete at a projected cost of $349 million, making it the most expensive single development in the history of VCU and ranking at the top for the city. The project is part of a fresh wave of construction on the medical campus and will include a massive new parking deck Dr. Rao with 1,000 spaces. VCU Health stated that the new building is to consolidate outpatient care for the Massey Cancer Center, provide on-site laboratory services and medical imaging and also provide space for specialty services for women and people needing rehabilitation services. The site is the former home of the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, which was cleared after the center moved to Sherwood Avenue in North Side, next door to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

Morrissey shutting down law practice By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Callers are being told that Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey cannot take their case because his law license has been revoked. Staff of his law firm began advising potential clients last Friday of Mr. Morrissey’s status, a day after the Virginia Supreme Court rejected Mr. Morrissey’s request to put a hold on the revocation while he appeals the decision of a three-judge panel to strip him of his license. The state high court’s action appears to extinguish Mr. Morrissey’s last hope that the judicial panel’s March 30 decision might be overturned. While the sign outside his Highland Springs law office still advertises the firm, staff said no other attorneys are on the premises and added that the focus is on notifying clients and shutting down the practice. The three-judge panel ruled that evidence in three of the 21 charges the Mr. Morrissey Virginia State Bar brought against Mr. Morrissey was sufficient to remove his license to practice law, effective June 15. The revocation was largely based on Mr. Morrissey’s December 2014 misdemeanor conviction in Henrico Circuit Court of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The conviction stemmed from his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old receptionist at his office whom he later married and with whom he now has three children. This is the second time Mr. Morrissey’s law license has been revoked. The former Richmond commonwealth’s attorney and former member of the House of Delegates who unsuccessfully ran for Richmond mayor in 2016 first lost his law license in 2003. But a split state Supreme Court restored it in 2012 over the State Bar’s objections. His license to practice in federal court was never restored. While there are areas of the law he can still participate in, including representing people in state and federal administrative proceedings, Mr. Morrissey no longer can appear in a state courtroom on behalf of a client.

Cityscape

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Mayor Levar M. Stoney celebrates the stretch of East Main, the relocation of Dock completion of the $13 million East Riverfront Street, the installation of a roundabout on East Improvement Project on Wednesday that provided Slices of life and scenes Main and the addition of parking, bike lanes, improvements to a stretch of East Main Street landscaping and lighting. The work also will in Richmond near Stone Brewing Co. and the new Pulse transit result in the expansion of the public green space station. The mayor and other city officials said the investment adjacent to the Virginia Capital Trail that sits beside the James of state and city road funds will boost economic development River and parallels East Main Street. City officials said such a in this riverfront section of the East End while also improving project normally takes at least four years, but this project moved cycling and pedestrian options. Upgrades between Nicholson from design to completion in what was called a record two-andStreet and the CSX rail line included widening quarter-mile a-half years. The construction phase took 16 months.

GRTC bus drivers, mechanics to get raise under new contract By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Pay is to increase an additional 30 cents an hour four more times during the contract’s term. Bus drivers, mechanics and support staff will get a $1.70 By the end of the contract, the top wage will be $23.84 an increase in hourly pay over three years and warded off paying hour, up $1.70 from the current top pay of $22.14 an hour, Mr. a bigger share of their health insurance costs in the new GRTC Tunstall said. contract that union members ratified last week GRTC also settled one of the major sticking points to an Among other things, the 340 employees represented by the agreement by dropping its demand for employees to pay a bigger Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1220 gained about share of their health care costs. Mr. Tunstall said the a 2.5 percent wage increase in each of the three years new contract leaves the current split in place under of the contract that will expire Sept. 30, 2020, acwhich the company pays 80 percent and employees cording to Frank Tunstall III, the union’s president 20 percent. and business agent. Also, GRTC, which has paid a night differential “I think everyone is pretty satisfied with the final to mechanics, agreed for the first time to expand the contract,” Mr. Tunstall said. differential to drivers. The company will pay an adThe union represents GRTC’s 260 bus drivers, as ditional 30 cents an hour to drivers who start work well as its 80 mechanics and support staff. after 3 p.m. and are scheduled to work past 8 p.m. Mr. Tunstall praised GRTC board member Eldridge The company also agreed to pay overtime of F. Coles, the transit company’s former chief executive time-and-a-half to drivers who work more than 40 Mr. Tunstall officer, for ending a seven-month impasse in contract hours a week. Previously, drivers who took routes talks by negotiating the deal June 11 that GRTC’s management that required driving more than 40 hours a week did not reand board and union members ultimately approved. ceive overtime. The union ratified the contract June 15, and GRTC’s board The company also agreed to raise contributions to the pension voted its approval on Tuesday. fund to 2 percent, Mr. Tunstall said. Under the contract, union-represented employees immediately He also noted that language regarding the use of video will receive a 50-cent per hour pay increase, with 25 cents recordings in discipline hearings now covers video from any retroactive to Oct. 1, when the last contract expired, and an GRTC-placed cameras. Previously, the language only covered additional 25 cents retroactive to April 1. videos from buses.

‘Respect Richmond’ campaign reboots with new messages

A social media campaign to reduce violence in Richmond is back with new messages on Facebook, Twitter, gaming sites and other online outlets. Dubbed “Respect Richmond,” the campaign was revived by state Attorney General Mark R. Herring and Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham. Mr. Herring and Chief Durham announced the return of “Respect Richmond” last week, citing a drop in violent crime during the Mr. Herring campaign’s initial six-month run last year and expressing hope the new campaign will have a similar impact. During 2017 while the campaign’s high-impact messaging and sophisticated marketing was taking place, data show fewer people were victimized, particularly in troubled public housing communities that were a priority, they said, offering these statistics: • Creighton Court saw the number of shooting victims fall by 71 percent and there were no homicides in the neighborhood during the final three months of the campaign. • Mosby Court saw a 75 percent decrease in homicides and a 43 percent decrease in shooting victims. • Gilpin Court saw a 47 percent decrease in aggravated as-

saults. Chief Durham noted that citywide, homicides fell 21 percent during the campaign and total violent crimes fell 12 percent when those numbers are compared with the same six-month period in 2016. The campaign’s website, RespectRichmond.com, features videos, news updates, statistics and other information on violent crimes in the city. The campaign also plans to attract attenChief Durham tion with digital ads on YouTube, Facebook, gaming networks and other outlets for people who live in areas where the risk of a violent confrontation is high. Signs promoting ”Respect Richmond” also will be placed on billboards and in stores, movie theaters, barbershops and other places. The campaign proved popular in its initial run, according to the Attorney General’s Office, with the website garnering more than 8 million impressions. Tens of thousands of Richmond residents were referred to the Crime Solvers website through Respect Richmond, increasing the number of tips and the amount of information that city police received, the data show. – JEREMY M. LAZARUS

Vote on Blackwell designation as historic district postponed until Sept. 20

Residents of Blackwell have more time to learn about Ms. Langan said the Department of Historic Rethe effects of having their South Side neighborhood sources would send new notification letters to property included in the Virginia Landmarks Register and on owners in Blackwell in mid-July and would work with the National Register of Historic Places. the community to spread the word via social media. Julie Langan, director of the state Department of Amy Wentz, a Blackwell supporter who has lobbied Historic Resources, has postponed a vote on Blackfor the state agency to postpone a decision, expressed well’s historic designation until the Sept. 20 meeting delight. of the agency’s board in Petersburg. “I am not opposed to the designation,” she said. “I Ms. Langan made the decision last week after just want to make sure residents are educated about holding two meetings with community residents, what this designation would mean for them.” where she heard multiple requests for “additional Ms. Wentz said the delay provides three months Ms. Langan time” to review the proposal that Michael and Laura to look into the impact that such designations have Hild have pushed. had on other neighborhoods, particularly other low-income The Hilds purchased between 30 and 60 properties in Black- areas. well and have gone after the historic designation as a way to Richmond has 52 neighborhoods designated as historic. The support their efforts to build, restore and renovate homes and designation opens the door for property owners to secure state open new businesses in the area and to attract others to invest and federal tax credits for renovating residential and commercial in the community. properties. — JEREMY M. LAZARUS

Richmond Free Press

June 21-23, 2018

Local News

“I am going to work my tuchus off between now and November so that my friend will come back to the U.S. Senate.” — U.S. Sen. Cory A. Booker

Photos by Ava Reaves

U.S. Sen. Cory A. Booker fires up the crowd at Saturday’s Blue Commonwealth Gala sponsored by the Democratic Party of Virginia. Below left, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, who is up for reelection in November, pauses for photos with his wife, Anne Holton, while Henry L. Marsh III, right, former state senator and Richmond mayor, is greeted by Maggi Luca.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker energizes Dems in Richmond for upcoming election By Thomas Kidd

U.S. Sen. Cory A. Booker said the Democratic Party must continue being the party for all people, especially in today’s political climate where American values and virtues are under assault. “We are the party of civil rights, the party of workers’ rights, the party of public education, Social Security and the environment,” he told a crowd of more than 1,200 people last Saturday in Richmond. “We are the party that cares as much about the people sitting down with the nice tablecloths eating the food as we do the folk who will be here after we are gone, cleaning the bathrooms and the floors. This is all of our America!” he said to applause. The New Jersey senator was the keynote speaker at the annual Blue Commonwealth Gala sponsored by the Democratic Party of Virginia at Richmond’s Main Street Station. The event was a combination fundraiser and booster to inspire the party faithful as they gear up for November’s contests in Virginia for U.S. Senate and all 11 congressional seats. Sen. Booker helped paint the town blue Saturday night, with the event providing face and microphone time for current and former elected Democratic officials, including U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, Congressmen A. Donald McEachin and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, Gov. Ralph S. Northam, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, Attorney General Mark Herring and others. Many talked about the party’s recent victories, most notably expansion of the Medicaid health insurance program that is expected to help nearly 400,000 Virginians beginning Jan. 1. After years of being blocked by state Republicans, Medicaid expansion was approved earlier this month by the General Assembly through

the state budget bill. The 19 Democrats in the state Senate were joined by four Republicans to approve the measure, while the vote was 68-30 in the House of Delegates. “I told my husband, ‘If you get health care expansion, I’ll call you His Excellency,’ ” joked Virginia First Lady Pam Northam, who made good on her word during her time on the dais. While the tone of the evening was celebratory, the main message was directed at party supporters, who were told to remain unified and to ride the blue wave of momentum to more Democratic victories in November. Much of the focus was on the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. Kaine and Corey Stewart, the Republican Party nominee. Mr.

Stewart, who is currently serving his fourth term on the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, has gained a wide reputation for his divisive views, even among fellow Republicans. He has appeared with white nationalists speaking against the removal of Confederate statues in Virginia and has made harsh remarks against immigrants. Sen. Kaine, who gave the introduction for Sen. Booker, seized the opportunity to take a jab at his opponent. “I won’t even mention his name,” joked Sen. Kaine. “I don’t want you to confuse him with the good Cory.” In his address, Sen. Booker offered high praise for Virginia’s current leadership. “You guys blow me away with the statewide leaders you elect. You put people in office that I look up to,” said the 49-year-old who has been mentioned as a possible presidential contender in 2020. He went on to describe former Gov. McAuliffe as one of the most gifted leaders he has ever witnessed; referred to Sen. Warner as his big brother; and said he considers Sen. Kaine to be a man of grace, kindness, decency and love. “I am going to work my tuchus off between now and November so that my friend will come back to the U.S. Senate.” He also praised Virginians for standing behind their pledge of inclusiveness, specifically noting the five women — all Democrats — vying for congressional seats in November: Vangie Williams, 1st District; Elaine Lauria, 2nd District; Jennifer Lewis, 6th District; Abigail Spanberger, 7th District; and Jennifer Wexton,10th District. “When women rise, the nation rises,” Sen. Booker said. “When women rise, the planet rises. When women rise, we rise.” Four of Virginia’s 11 congressional seats are

State Democratic Party orders new election of Richmond party officers By Jeremy M. Lazarus

In a rare move, the state Democratic Party has upheld the dismissal of officers from the Richmond Democratic Committee and ordered new elections to be held by July 20. The party’s state steering committee issued the decision Friday in a virtually unanimous show of support for the March 15 order of the Fourth Congressional District Committee led by Petersburg Delegate Lashrecse D. Aird. The vote by the ruling body of the state party was a blow to James E. “J.J.” Minor III, who had been re-elected in January to his fifth, two-year term as chair of the city committee that has become a big player in local politics in the largely Democratic state capital. Son of Richmond Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, Mr. Minor is a city employee and president of the Richmond Branch NAACP. He expressed dismay at a decision that he believes ignored the evidence and reflected tinges of racial bias. The steering committee has “disenfranchised a lot of voters” who supported him, Mr. Minor said, while others on the committee seem to be “intimidated by the skin I’m in.”

“We need a committee that is going to be a reflection of what Richmond looks like,” he said, including strong representation of African-Americans, still the city’s largest population group and the most loyal Democratic votMr. Minor ing bloc. He said he is considering whether he will run again for the city committee chairmanship. Others see his ouster as a fresh chance to rebuild the committee that his critics say has become stagnant under his leadership. To some, he is perceived as doing too little to attract and welcome younger people or enable them to take on a bigger role. Susan Swecker, state Democratic Party chair, called the split among “good Democrats” troubling and the ouster of officers “rare” in the annals of the party. She could not remember another instance, nor could others. Ms. Swecker said the state party would oversee the new election with help from the district committee. Until the reorganization is completed,

the vote held and the new officers installed, the committee is on suspension. The committee’s main job involves organizing voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives. It also issues endorsements that can have an impact in the city’s elections. The Fourth District Committee threw out the Jan. 28 officer elections based on an appeal from 10 supporters of Jamie Nolan, the city committee’s former secretary who had challenged Mr. Minor for the post. The district’s appeals committee agreed with the complainants that the Richmond Democratic Committee violated party rules in advertising the election of officers and in the operation of the process and also held the vote in the CAP-UP building on Oliver Hill Way that was deemed too small and inaccessible. The committee also found that voters were not properly checked in, even though Ms. Nolan was put in charge. She left the building after she was accused of authorizing to vote 10 supporters who allegedly were not on the list of about 204 eligible voters. Ms. Nolan denied the allegation. Mr. Minor, however, allowed the 10 people to vote to end the controversy at the meeting. Mr. Minor won the chairmanship by a 2-1 margin over Ms. Nolan, officials said.

held by Democrats. Party officials are hoping to win more in November. While Sen. Booker has acknowledged that a run for the White House has crossed his mind, he said his primary focus is to make sure he is re-elected to the Senate and to help states like Virginia remain blue. Democrat Hillary Clinton and her vice presidential running mate, Sen. Kaine, won Virginia in the 2016 presidential election. In keeping with the spirit of diversity and

inclusiveness, the Democratic Party of Virginia renamed its annual event this year to the Blue Commonwealth Gala. It was previously called the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, named for presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, both of whom were slaveholders. DPVA Chairwoman Susan Swecker released a statement back in March citing the name change represents the party’s dedication to expanding opportunities for all Virginians. “We are excited to rename our signature event as we work to make Virginia a stronger, fairer, and a more prosperous Commonwealth,” she said at the time.

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Richmond Free Press

A6 June 21-23, 2018

News

SOLs for Carver Elementary students slated for June 22, 25 By Ronald E. Carrington

School may be out for the summer, but third- and fourth-graders at Richmond’s Carver Elementary School will be taking Standards of Learning tests Friday, June 22, and Monday, June 25. Officials from the state Department of Education ordered the SOL tests be retaken after finding irregularities in the school’s earlier results following a preliminary investigation. The school’s original test results will be voided, according to Richmond Public Schools officials. No details about the irregularities have been publicly disclosed, but officials said the state investigation will continue, and disciplinary action will be taken if necessary. Superintendent Jason Kamras said during Monday’s School Board meeting that “it is clear that, in some instances, standardized procedures

for testing were not followed” at Carver. “In alignment with the (state Department of Education’s) conclusions, we believe it is in the best interest of our students for them to re-test under proper protocols,” Mr. Kamras told the board and concerned parents who attended the meeting. He did not outline what constitutes proper protocols. Dr. Tracy Epp, RPS’ chief academic officer, said tutoring would be available to students before the new tests. School Board member James “Scott” Barlow, who represents the 2nd District in which Carver Elementary is located, questioned the retesting requirement. “I would not want to be in the shoes of a family that had to send their children back to take more testing. But I also would not want to be part of a family whose child may not be assessed appropriately because of test result

Obama Elementary Continued from A1

for former President Obama or are proposed to be named for him. Among them is Barack and Michelle Obama Elementary in St. Paul, Minn., and Barack and Michelle Obama Academy in Atlanta, both of which are public schools. The change ends six months of debate in the region about changing the names of schools named for Confederates. In February, the Petersburg School Board voted to rename three elementary schools, while the Hanover County School Board in April voted to retain the names of a high school and middle school named for Confederates. In Richmond, the only school named for a Confederate was J.E.B. Stuart, which was opened in 1922. It serves nearly 500 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. About 95 percent of the students are African-American. Board member Kenya Gibson, 3rd District, voted against the name change, saying she wanted the vote delayed so the board could consider other names. “There’s no local person on the finalist list,” Ms. Gibson said. “This is Richmond. We are about history and we have so many great local stories to tell. Our local stories are so important to cherish.” Absent from the meeting were board members Jonathan Young, 4th District, and Dr. Patrick Sapini, 5th District. After signaling its desire to rename the North Side school, the School Board held several community meetings to get recommendations. The list of 38 recommendations was narrowed to seven names, which were presented to students at the school for a vote earlier this month. They were Barbara Johns Elementary for the 16-year-old who led a student strike at her Farmville high school in 1951 that led to the desegregation of public schools; Oliver W. Hill Sr. Elementary for the late Richmond civil rights attorney who led Ms. Johns’ legal case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court; Albert V. Norrell Elementary for the longtime Richmond educator; Henry L. Marsh III Elementary for Richmond’s first African-American mayor, former state senator and noted civil rights attorney; Northside Elementary for the school’s location; Wishtree Elementary for the children’s book that celebrates different cultures in a diverse neighborhood; and Barack Obama Elementary. Among students, Northside Elementary was the leading votegetter with 190 votes, while Obama Elementary won 166 votes and Wishtree, 127 votes. The three top names then were sent to the School Board for the final selection. Mr. Kamras told the board he recommended the school be named after former President Obama. Mr. Kamras, who was named the 2005 National Teacher of the Year, served as an adviser on education issues to the former president’s 2008 campaign. RPS officials estimated that the renaming will cost $26,000, which includes $10,000 for the new name to be put on the school’s stone façade; $4,000 for a bronze plaque; $5,000 for a new sign outside the school and a new marquee; $4,500 for new mats, stationery and office supplies; $2,000 for Tshirts with the new name for students and staff; and $500 for a banner.

irregularities,” Mr. Barlow said. He said he hopes the investigation shows the problem is “more of a procedural issue and not a personnel one.” Earlier in the meeting, Mariah White, 52, a Carver PTA member who has two children at the school, voiced concern that parents were blindsided by a June 5 letter from RPS administrators saying their children had to retake the SOLs. She said she was agitated by the inconsistencies in the procedures for students, especially for special education students with Individual Education Programs, in preparing for SOL testing. “RPS and VDOE should get together in regards to the stated inconsistencies and do a real audit and let our students know that they are not cheaters — because they are not,” she told the board. Dr. Epp said the school administration will

City seeks bids only for 3 new schools Continued from A1

the 1.5 percent earmarked for schools construction. Instead of spending $150 million — a level of expenditure even the mayor acknowledges falls far short of the need — City Hall and the Richmond School Board plan to invest $100 million to $110 million, leaving $40 million to $50 million unused. Instead of four schools, requests for proposals to build just three new schools — two elementary schools and a new Mr. Kamras middle school — were issued last month by City Hall, which is handling procurement. School Board member Jonathan Young, 4th District, confirmed that the city failed to issue a request for bids for a new high school, despite the School Board’s vote in April to use the construction dollars to build four new schools. “The truth is most of us knew at least as far back as when the meals tax was being considered” that fewer schools would end up being built, Mr. Young told the Free Press, or “at least anyone who did their homework and had an understanding of what the average cost per student is to build new bricks-and-mortar is in

Central Virginia. That is why I opposed said tax. “We have to make sure we stretch every dollar,” he continued. “It’s why I did not support construction of a new George Wythe. I believe we can instead achieve more of a return on investment if we use the money at the elementary school level and consolidate one high school. “We also could augment our career and technical education offerings by using the remaining money to renovate and prepare the South Side building that Altria donated to RPS for Mr. Young that purpose,” Mr. Young added. Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras, School Board Chairwoman Dawn Page, Mayor Stoney and members of City Council have not responded to Free Press requests for comment on the decision to cut back use of the money. The bid requests show the city has put development of the three schools on a fast track so they can be opened in September 2020. Mayor Stoney, City Council and School Board members will be up for election in November 2020. The city and Richmond Public Schools officials are reviewing bids that arrived by June 5.

platform is “Raise: Mentoring the Next Generation of Women;” Julia Braxton, Miss Greater Albemarle, a vocalist whose platform is “Don’t Hate - Educate! Open Minds, Open Hearts;” Dominga Murray, Miss Crooked Road, a vocalist whose platform is “Hunger Has a Cure;” and Andolyn Medina, Miss Piedmont Region, an opera singer whose platform is “Demand an End: Stop Childhood Exploitation and Human Trafficking.” In 2012, Ms. Swanson was invited to participate in a teen pageant after a friend of the family and pageant director heard

According to the requests for proposals issued on May 15, the school buildings to be constructed are a new George Mason Elementary in Church Hill to serve 650 students; a new Greene Elementary on South Side for 1,000 students; and a new Elkhardt-Thompson Middle in South Side to serve 1,500 students. The School Board, which met Monday night, has not publicly mentioned that fewer schools are to be built. Earlier this month, the School Board and Mr. Kamras bemoaned the joint decision of the mayor and City Council to slash money for school maintenance by 80 percent in the city’s new budget, but no mention was made then of the potential $40 million in unused construction dollars. The Free Press reported in mid-April that it was unlikely the $150 million could be stretched far enough to cover the estimated $85 million cost of constructing a new George Wythe High School. More surprising is that the School Board has not sought to use the money for other priority projects, including shifting the money to build a replacement for Woodville Elementary in Church Hill. Woodville Elementary was fifth on the School Board’s priority list for replacement. The board also has not sought to use the money for renovation of three other schools that also were listed as priorities, all of which could be done with the remaining $40 million.

$1.3B Coliseum area plan advancing Continued from A1

involved, along with other still unnamed investors. “Though many questions remain and there are important points to negotiate,” Mayor Stoney stated, “based upon the results of this review process, I believe there is potential in this proposal to provide transformational change in an underutilized portion of Downtown without negatively impacting the City finances or debt capacity.” In his statement, the mayor disclosed that City Council members were briefed last week before he directed his staff to begin talks with the company with the provision that any final agreement be in “the best interests of the community.” Council members did not respond to Free Press requests

for comment. Mr. Farrell and other members of his group also have not been available for comment. In its only public statement, NH District stated that it is committed to working with the city and in engaging the public in refining the plan. Mayor Stoney stated that if the talks during the next two months are fruitful, the goal would be to introduce a package of ordinances this fall to City Council. The City Planning Commission also would play a role because city-owned land is involved. Despite the mayor’s cautious wording, sources said the project is now on a fast track, with the city and NH District hoping to secure approvals by December, and to start initial work by the spring. According to the sources,

Talent, beauty competing this weekend Continued from A1

share any recommendations made by state officials after the retesting. In other matters, RPS is one of 118 school districts around the country taking part in the Sprint 1Million Project, which provides hardware and wireless service to high school students. The initiative, launched in October 2017, gives 1 million free computer tablets and wireless access to students who don’t have wireless internet at home and, consequently, can’t complete their schoolwork. RPS received 1,050 tablets for ninth- through 11th-grade students, but only gave 120, or 11 percent, to students. George Wythe High School received 35; Thomas Jefferson, 32; Armstrong, 31; Huguenot, 17; Community High, 4; Open High, 1; and none at John Marshall. RPS officials said they plan on distributing 280 during the coming school year and keeping 30 for replacements or breakage.

her sing. After making it through her initial stage fright, she said in a Free Press interview, she was bitten by the pageant bug and continued into the teen program of the Miss America organization. Ms. Swanson won the Miss Virginia Dogwood Teen Pageant 2014 and 2015, the Miss Piedmont Region title and Miss Virginia State Fair in 2017. Her interest in music began when she was in the eighth grade. Her grandmother, Gladys Chapman, had fractured her back and was in a rehabilitation facility in Henrico. “I would visit her every day,” Ms. Swanson recalled. “I noticed that other people didn’t have visitors so I played the piano

for them and it just stayed with me.” That launched her competition platform of performing at schools and nursing homes to make audiences happy. She is pursuing a music degree in jazz studies and hopes to earn a doctorate in music therapy and possibly teach on the college level in the future. One of the major benefits of the competition is the scholarship awards to winners. “The Miss America competition is the largest provider of scholarships for women in the entire world,” Mrs. Grinnage said. “On an annual basis, more than $45 million is given in scholarship money.”

the proposal would leave the John Marshall Courts Building, the Federal Building, the Marriott Hotel parking deck, the Blues Armory and The Doorways hospital hospitality house in place. It is still uncertain, they said, whether the project would require the use of the city’s Public Safety and Social Services buildings. If those buildings become part of the project, city agencies and programs in the buildings would have to be relocated, requiring city spending. Under the proposal being advanced, the city would help with financing by issuing $300 million in revenue bonds to be repaid from the increase in taxes that the project would generate. To do that, the city would create a tax-increment financing district, or TIF District, that would allow the city to use taxes created by the increased values the project would create to help with financing. To help support the development, Mr. Farrell is requesting that the TIF District also include the property on East Cary Street where Dominion is building a new office tower next door to its Dominion Virginia Energy headquarters and is committing to building a second tower to replace the headquarters. The result: More than $3 million in new property taxes that are expected to be generated from the Dominion development could end up paying for the Coliseum area development rather than going to the

city’s general fund to help pay for public education, public safety and other government programs. Whether that proves to be a sticking point for the council remains to be seen. The city’s contribution also would provide $10 million to $20 million in federal grants and city road funds to bring Leigh Street level with grade, eliminating the steep dip in the street between 5th and 7th streets, the sources said. According to the sources, there are other questions, including whether the investors plan to put up any cash. As yet, there is no information on how the total project is to be financed. The only portion that has assured funding involves the two highrise office buildings on East Cary that Dominion is constructing from its own funds. While NH District’s proposal includes a promise of including apartments with reduced rents as part of the development, no specifics, such as the number of such affordable units, has been made available. Another question surrounds the new arena. The sources could provide no information on the role the city would play in operating and maintaining a new coliseum. The city now employs SMG/ Johnson to operate the 13,000seat Coliseum. The company has struggled in recent years with acts and annual attractions to fill the Coliseum. A new Coliseum would cost an average of $200 million.

Pluses, minuses expected with June 24 start of Pulse Continued from A1

the changes could be problematic for some. She acknowledged that workers who have taken an East End bus to Downtown and been able to catch a 6 a.m. ride on the Three Chopt line to get to the UR campus will no longer be able to do so. She confirmed that, after the change, they must take a bus to a Pulse station, ride to Willow Lawn, then catch the 7 a.m. Three Chopt bus to the campus. The Three Chopt bus will no longer come Downtown but, instead, will start and stop at Willow Lawn. “GRTC conducted several employee sessions at UR in 2017 and remains in contact with UR transportation about the schedules and potential impacts to their staff, faculty or students,”

Ms. Pace stated. She stated GRTC also conducted public and neighborhood meetings with the Maymont Civic Association about the planned reduction in service to that area. She said the community has been aware of the service reduction since at least May 2017. However, 5th District City Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, who represents the area, texted the Free Press on Tuesday that he was not aware that service to Maymont would shut down so early. “It was my understanding (service along Colorado Avenue) would run until 11 p.m.,” he wrote. Ms. Pace also confirmed that the route changes mean on some routes, such as those serving Fulton, that buses will connect with a Pulse station. Riders will then have to take Pulse into the city and then transfer to another bus to get to other

parts of the city. Passengers who don’t buy an unlimited daily, weekly or monthly pass would have to pay an extra fare to catch the third bus. More than $64 million, mostly in federal and state contributions, has been poured into the development of Pulse, including the 14 stations and the changes in traffic patterns. GRTC has spent additional funds to overhaul bus routes in a bid to create connections to Pulse. On weekdays and Saturdays, the changes mean that instead of requiring all buses to stop at an outdoor transit center near City Hall, many of the routes will link to Pulse and then continue without stopping at the transit center. All buses will use the transit center after dark daily and on Sundays and holidays, Ms. Pace said.

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Richmond Free Press

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Editorial Page

June 21-23, 2018

Governmentinduced trauma Shameful. That’s the best word to describe President Trump’s inhumane policy of separating thousands of immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. Since April more than 2,300 children — from infants to teenagers — have been taken from their parents by federal border patrol officials. That’s when U.S. Attorney General Jeff Beauregard Sessions of Alabama announced the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy of treating all people who cross the border illegally as criminals, including families fleeing violence and seeking asylum in the United States. Treating the parents as criminals and jailing them allowed officials to take their children. We were relieved on Wednesday when President Trump and administration officials bowed to public pressure to stop this abhorrent practice. What lessons did we, as a nation, learn from the government-sanctioned cruelty inflicted on families during slavery when children were separated from their parents and sold into bondage, many of them never reunited? Other comparisons have been made to the Nazis separating children from their parents as they locked Jews in death camps during World War II and Native American children being separated by authorities from their families in the 1890s and sent off to government- or church-sponsored boarding schools to be Americanized. These episodes in our shared history are despicable, just as the Trump administration’s practice today. In view of President Trump’s reversal, we call on lawmakers and other officials to remain vigilant and to verify that children are no longer being separated from their parents in a practice condemned by people around the globe, including scores of religious leaders and denominations, elected officials and others. We also hope that families that have been separated can be reunited speedily and successfully. Government officials noted previously that they are unsure where many of the children have been placed. The question now becomes how and where migrant families will be reunited and live if parents are still considered criminals and under arrest. The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics called family separation “government sanctioned child abuse” that may cause children irreparable harm with lifelong consequences. The United Nations’ top human rights official called it “unconscionable,” and called for the Trump administration to end the practice. Clearly, this policy shows Americans and others that President Trump lacks any type of moral compass. Even now, he continues to lie, blaming others for this inhumanity, first saying it was the fault of Democrats who allowed “crippling loopholes” in the immigration law. Then he blamed Mexico for failing to stop migrants leaving or passing through that country. Then he blamed Congress for not acting to fix the flow of illegal immigrants who, he said, “pour into and infest our Country (sic).” In truth, there is no law requiring migrant children to be separated from their families. Mr. Trump could have ended this disaster weeks ago by signing an executive order. But make no mistake, this was a deliberate act on his part. Last year, former Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly talked about splitting up families at the border as a way to deter Central American migrants seeking asylum in the United States. Breaking up families was part of the Trump strategy to deter immigrants from crossing the border. We also were incensed when Mr. Sessions last week used Bible scripture to defend separating immigrant families. It was the same scripture, Romans 13, used by white people in the 1800s to defend slavery. The nation will feel the effect of the trauma inflicted on these children for years to come. Earlier this week, Kenneth Wolfe, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, said 11,786 children are being held as part of the “unaccompanied alien children program.” He said the agency currently operates 100 shelters across 17 states. We are uncertain if the children separated from their parents under the Trump zero-tolerance policy are counted in those numbers. In 2014 when the Obama administration was dealing with youths who crossed the border alone without their parents, they sought to turn the former St. Paul’s College in Lawrenceville into housing for about 500 undocumented and unaccompanied children. That plan died when officials in the area raised concerns. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner earlier this month introduced legislation prohibiting the federal Department of Homeland Security from separating children from their parents except in extraordinary circumstances. We believe such a measure still needs to be approved by Congress to prevent President Trump — or future leaders — from reinstituting such a barbaric policy. This nation has a history of inducing trauma on people it deems as unwanted. This latest chapter with immigrants of color is no different. We must stop it before we continue to repeat the sins of the past.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

This November will be different All of our lives we’ve been told how important our vote is. Well, that’s not enough in 2018. The real importance of our vote is how we use it. We must now vote in our own best interest. That’s when our vote really matters. B l a c k women definitely get that. Testament to that can be seen clearly in Louisiana by way of 19 black women mayors and in San Francisco with a new black female mayor.And the same in several other cities. It can be seen in Alabama electing Doug Jones to the U.S. Senate, in New Jersey electing a lieutenant governor and in Georgia by playing a pivotal role in the nomination of Stacey Abrams for governor. There are other cases, but these are the more notable ones. Black women are fired up and ready to go for the 2018 midterm elections. Democrats have no choice but to seriously

support black women this year if the party is going to win. There’s little doubt about the Democratic Party needing the unified vote of black women in order to win. We’ve so often voted just for the party, which often is for the lesser of two evils. That has been true especially in

Dr. E. Faye Williams the South. This time is different because there are so many well-qualified black women running for office where they’re capable of making a difference not just for others, but also for the black community. Those of us who will be casting ballots in November will be voting for things that matter to us. If candidates understand that, they will know what our issues are. It won’t matter whether the candidate we support is a black person, a white person or other so long as their records show they’ll support our causes and work in the best interest of our families and our communities. What can candidates do this

year to energize more voters than usual? They can’t just expect us to show up, vote, go home, complain about what’s not happening and wait for the next election to go through the same motions. We’ll be engaged, checking voting records, attending town halls, making whatever campaign donations we can and demanding justice. We’re studying the issues and we’ll be remembering the promises. No neighborhood bosses will determine how we vote because our voters will be educated. No. 45 has forced us to analyze promises and what they mean. We want more, expect more and will demand more for our vote. We want and will demand accountability. We know our vote is worth much more than paying off a few people who sell our vote to the highest bidder with no expectation of anything more than a hotdog and a soda! I’ve run for office before and I know how we get sold out by some of our own so-called leaders. That must stop and this is the perfect time to stop it. Black women work too hard

Family separation is inhumane “The new policy is the latest example of harmful actions by the Department of Homeland Security against immigrant families, hindering their right to seek asylum in our country and denying parents the right to remain with their children. We can and must do better for these families. We can and must remember that immigrant children are still children; they need our protection, not prosecution.” — American Academy of Pediatrics I am the lucky father of three beautiful children. It has been my life’s work and great pleasure to play a part in their development into keen, compassionate and successful individuals. And but for the “right” documents and legal status, Marco Antonio Muñoz and his wife could have experienced that same, singular joy of parenthood. Instead, Mr. Muñoz, a Honduran who came here seeking asylum as he crossed the Rio Grande with his wife and 3-year-old son, was taken into custody and separated from his family. According to news reports, “they had to use physical force to take the child out of his hands.” After a night in the Starr County, Texas, Jail, guards found Mr. Muñoz lying on the floor of his jail cell, unresponsive. The deputy’s office reported his death as a “suicide in custody.” The inhumane separation of desperate families risking their lives to reach and cross our southwest border is neither arbitrary nor aligned with our nation’s

core, espoused values on the sanctity of family. Yet, this is a formal American policy enforced by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, also known as the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy. Previously, adults appre-

Marc H. Morial hended at the border would be charged in civil court, detained in immigration facilities and potentially face deportation back to their country of origin unless they qualified for asylum. The new policy prosecutes adults caught crossing the border as felons in criminal court, including those who qualify for asylum. Felony criminal charges send these adults to prison, and for those who crossed with their children, it triggers the tragically commonplace forced family separations. This new, vicious twist in the Trump administration’s immigration policy is abysmal and abhorrent. Staying true to his campaign promises, President Trump has doubled down on immigration in all of its forms, particularly from origin countries of color. The zero-tolerance strategy follows a litany of actions and policies — such as the decision to end DACA and protect DREAMERS from deportation, reducing the numbers of refugees accepted into the country, and ending temporary protected status for Haitians and Hondurans — intended to punish those deemed unfit or undesirable, purge our communities and narrow legitimate avenues of settlement and entry into the United States. But the last time I checked,

our nation was in the business of welcoming those seeking to better their lives, not weaponizing their children as deterrents to economic opportunity (that benefits all) and an escape from violence, chaos or natural disaster. It is no small irony that the party that has traditionally monopolized the “family values” moniker is the very same one orchestrating this now daily trauma at our U.S.-Mexico border. Heartbreaking stories, like the story of Mr. Muñoz, are not accidental. They are the byproduct of an inhumane, anti-family, value-deficient policy. And there are many more stories in the vein of Mr. Muñoz’s story to tell. As many of us celebrated Father’s Day last weekend, we should recognize the privilege of being able to do so when our government is engaging in the forced separation of families and the traumatizing of innocent children torn from their loved ones, penned into camps or sent to live with strangers. Children belong in the loving arms of their parents, not locked behind the cold bars of cells. The National Urban League has joined forces with sister civil rights organizations to call for an end to family separation. If you agree that destroying families should not be a priority of the government that represents you, get angry and get engaged. Track the votes of your representatives on the issue of family separation and comprehensive immigration reform, and be sure to hug your loved ones a little tighter. The writer is president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League.

The Free Press welcomes letters The Richmond Free Press respects the opinions of its readers. We want to hear from you. We invite you to write the editor. All letters will be considered for publication. Concise, typewritten letters related to public matters are preferred. Also include your telephone number(s). Letters should be addressed to: Letters to the Editor, Richmond Free Press, P.O. Box 27709, 422 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23261, or faxed to: (804) 643-7519 or e-mail: letters@richmondfreepress.com.

to elect candidates who are serious about truth and justice to stand by while this goes on. We want and will demand more than empty promises. To name a few expectations — secure health insurance for all, fair wages for all, racial justice in all government services, demolition of old dilapidated buildings, clean water, grocery stores nearby, good schools that offer our children a useable education, decent housing — nothing special — just the basics of life! I’m a Democrat, and I pray that Democrats are listening. Just being better than Republicans won’t be enough to attract the votes needed to take our country back to some semblance of sanity. The writer is national president of the National Congress of Black Women.

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June 21-23, 2018

Letters to the Editor

Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blackwell residents â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;destructive need unbiased facts behaviorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Even though many of us are not mind doctors, it is apparent that some type of disconnect exists in President Trump. I would assume many Democrats, independents and some Republicans view Trump the same â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as being unstable. It is very disturbing to many of us that President Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s base is blind to his destructive behavior. Republican leaders in the old days had the courage to compromise in Congress and do what was right for America. During a Watergate hearing concerning former President Nixon, GOP Sen. Howard Baker asked, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What did he know and when did he know it?â&#x20AC;? Now, Republicans in Congress are afraid of Trump voters and lack the courage to speak out against a president who is dangerous to the country, our values, our allies and democracy itself. ALFRED WADDELL Marstons Mills, Mass.

Re â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blackwell community poised for historic designation,â&#x20AC;? Free Press June 14-16 edition: I am very disappointed in the coverage of the proposed historic district designation in Blackwell. Your readership deserves better than cheap attempts to attack Mayor Levar M. Stoney and others. People need unbiased, thoroughly researched facts that could help educate and empower Richmond residents. Rather than investigate how these historic districts have affected traditionally black neighborhoods or areas with homeowners and renters of lower median incomes, your writer took the opportunity to highlight criticism by Richmond City Council members toward the city administration, which was unwarranted.

The public hearing on the nomination of Blackwell for a historic district occurred at 4:30 p.m. May 21, 2018, at the Hull Street Library. And on that day, I personally called my City Council representative, Reva Trammell, to let her know about the proposal. I told your writer this. There also had been correspondence between City Council member Ellen Robertson and a Blackwell resident who received the letter from the state Department of Historic Resources via email about the nomination prior to that meeting. So how is it being reported, four weeks after the public hearing, that City Council members are frustrated about a lack of communication with an office that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even responsible for notifications to begin with? How do they think the community

Concerns of poor, elderly black people seem to be ignored Poor, elderly black people seem to be taken for granted.Â I saw evidence of this at two meetings I attended on Monday, June 18. Â Without going into detail, I will say that both meetings were led by young, powerful black men whose mothers may not be poor but are now possibly elderly. During the first meeting, I listened as seniors passionately pleaded for solutions to serious safety issues at their residences.Â The young man leading the meeting listened to their concerns intently and addressed the concerns as best he could. But the question remained among the elderly people attending: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Does anyone have a solution for us other than telling us to call the police if we encounter a safety issue?â&#x20AC;? In many cases, if an elderly person encounters a safety issue, it may be too late to call the police. The second meeting was called by GRTC for input on public transportation changes. There was only one black senior in attendance, probably due to the fact that many black bus riders were unaware of this very important meeting. Again, I listened as a senior pleaded for answers to issues regarding proper public transportation solutions for the elderly. There are many elderly citizens who depend on public transportation to get to

the doctor, grocery stores, the pharmacy, etc.Â The young man leading the meeting listened to the black senior and indicated that he would address her question after the meeting.Â At the meetingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conclusion, he waved his finger to his assistant, indicating he wanted her to speak to the elderly black woman while he talked with the rest of the attendees. His assistant was wonderful, but the young man never addressed the elderly black woman personally, not even to say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank you for attending the meeting.â&#x20AC;? I attended the meetings because both directly affect my mother. She lives in the apartment building in which the first meeting was held and she was the lone black elderly person at the public transportation meeting. She is poor, elderly and black and, along with her peers, she appears to be part of those being forgotten and ignored.Â Yes, people listen to them at these meetings, but no one seems to care enough to find solutions or personally address these people. I am not only talking about issues of housing safety and public transportation, but also health, nutrition, alcoholism, drug addiction and the list goes on. I wrote this letter because I am tired of poor, elderly black people and other disenfranchised groups being listened

to but not actually heard or helped. I would love it if the people possessing the power to help our seniors would treat them with respect and find a solution to their issues.Â Â I love the city of Richmond. I was born here, grew up here and decided to continue to

live here with my family as an adult. But I believe the city is intentionally moving forward without even considering the concerns of our beautiful, poor, elderly black residents.

feels? How does a developer get to purchase around 65 buildings in your area, lobby for zoning changes, request special use permits for new businesses, and the City Council representative still gets to act like she knew nothing about it? Your story perpetuated that narrative. Black-owned and operated media have a historic responsibility to serve as watchdogs for the people. If we arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to get the facts from our leaders, we should be able to rely on the press. It is important that homeowners in Blackwell understand all aspects of this historic district proposal â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the good and the bad â&#x20AC;&#x201D; so they can make the decision that is best for their community. AMY WENTZ Richmond

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Willingness to Hold a Public Hearing Find out about the proposed improvements on I-95 and I-64 in the City of Richmond. The project will provide six emergency pull-off locations to allow responders to rapidly remove disabled or damaged vehicles from the main lines of traffic to a safe location. Review the project information and National Environmental Policy Act documentation Forest Drive in South Chesterfield, 23834-9002 804-524-6000, 1-800-3677623,TTY/TDD 711. Please call ahead to ensure the availability of appropriate personnel to answer your questions. If your concerns cannot be satisfied, VDOT is willing to hold a public hearing. You may request that a public hearing be held by sending a written request to Anthony Haverly, PE, PMP, project manager, Virginia Department of Transportation, 2430 Pine Forest Drive, South Chesterfield, VA 23834-9002 or by email to Anthony.Haverly@VDOT.Virginia.gov on or prior to July 5, 2018. If a request for a public hearing is received, notice of date, time and place of the hearing will be posted. VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact the project manager listed above.

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The City of Richmond announces the following project available for services relating to: IFB# D180029439 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Snow Removal Services Receipt Date: Monday, July 2, 2018 at 11:00 A.M. Receipt Location: 900 East Broad Street, Room 1104, 11th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219 Information or copies of the above solicitations are available by contacting Procurement Services, at the City of Richmond website (www.RichmondGov.com), or at 11th Floor of City Hall, 900 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. Phone (804) 646-5716 or faxed (804) 646-5989. The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to participate in the procurement process. For reference purposes, documents may be examined at the above location.

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Richmond Free Press

A10 June 21-23, 2018

Sports Stories by Fred Jeter

A star is born NBA draft expected to pick talent from U.S. and abroad

The NBA’s reward for a team having a miserable season is a high draft pick and hopes of a brighter future. Thus, the Phoenix Suns vault from having the worst standings to first in the 2018 draft of incoming talent. The draft will be held Thursday, June 21, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Coming off a 21-61 season, the Suns are expected to stay instate by selecting 7-foot De’Andre Ayton out of the University of Arizona. As a freshman, Ayton averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds and led the Pac-12 Conference in blocked shots (66) while being named conference Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year. Ayton was born in the Bahamas and went to high school in San Diego. Freshman fever: Ayton figures to be the first of many talented players to be chosen in the draft following just one season of college hoops. Other freshmen expected to hear their names called in the top 15 picks are Marvin Bagley and Wendell Carter of Duke University; Trae Young of the University of Oklahoma; Jaren Jackson of Michigan State University; Mohamed Bamba of the University of Texas; Michael Porter of the University of Missouri; Collin Sexton of the University of Alabama; and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the University of Kentucky. There could be more. According to NBADraft.net, 16 freshmen are listed as likely selections in the 30-player Round One. Introducing: And that doesn’t count 7-foot-1 Mitchell Robinson, 20, who never played collegiately. Robinson was among the nation’s top prospects in 2017 at Chalmette High School in St. Bernard Parish, La. He signed with Western Kentucky University but never played for the Hilltoppers. Instead, he sat out the 2017-18 season to hone his skills without any academic commitment. And then there is 6-foot-3 Anfernee Simons, 19, of Orlando, Fla. Simons graduated from Edgewater High School in 2017 and spent the past season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, June 21 Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. Televised: ESPN

De’Andre Ayton

Marvin Bagley

Wendell Carter

The NBA requires American athletes to be one year removed from traditional high school before gaining draft eligibility. Old guys: Among the top “upperclassmen” expected to be picked high in the draft are Mikal Bridges of Villanova University and Miles Bridges of Michigan State. Both were sophomores this past season. Another player leaving the NCAA champion Villanova following his sophomore season is 6-foot-5 Donte DiVincenzo. NBAdraft.net suggests 6-foot-7 Chandler Hutchinson from Boise State University may be the only senior taken among the first 30 picks. Virginia Commonwealth University’s Justin Tillman has worked out with numerous NBA teams, including the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, but is a long shot to be drafted. Drafted or not, Tillman, an All Atlantic-10 Conference as a senior, will try and make his mark in the NBA Summer League starting July 6 in Las Vegas. Former Rams players Troy Daniels, Treveon Graham and Briante Weber have reached the NBA despite not being drafted. Stars from afar: International players expected to be called early in the draft are 6-foot-8 Luka Doncic from Slovenia and 6-foot-2 Ellie Okobo of France. The NBA is becoming more and more global. Starting in

2017-18, there were 108 players from 42 different countries or territories. History: The NBA draft has been two rounds since 1989. It went from 21 rounds in the 1960s to 10 rounds in 1974 to the current format. By limiting the rounds, athletes can better pick and choose the team they feel they have the best chance of making in a tryout. Here is a list of area players drafted in either the first or second rounds and the team that picked them: VCU: Eric Maynor (2009, first round, Utah), Larry Sanders (2010, first round, Milwaukee), Sherron Mills (1993, second round, Minnesota), Calvin Duncan (1985, second round, Cleveland) and Jesse Dark (1974, second round, New York Knicks). Virginia Union University: Mike Davis (1969, first round, Washington), Charles Oakley (1985, first round, Cleveland) and A.J. English (1990, second round, Washington). University of Richmond: Johnny Newman (1986, second round, Cleveland), Curtis Blair (1992, second round, Houston) and Justin Harper (2011, second round, Cleveland). Others: Paul Pressey of George Wythe High School was Milwaukee’s first round pick in 1982 out of Tulsa. Allan Bristow of Henrico High School and Virginia Tech was the second round pick of Philadelphia in 1973. Surprisingly, the late, great Moses Malone, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, was a third round pick in 1974 by the ABA Utah Stars. Malone leapt straight to the pros from Petersburg High School.

VUU softball player Shontel Linnette named All-American

John Shippen Jr.

Shippen made history as first African-American player in U.S. Open in 1896 A full century before Tiger Woods emerged on the pro golf scene, another black golfer was making headlines. John Matthew Shippen Jr. was just 17 in 1896 when he entered — and almost won — the second U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, N.Y. That’s the same Shinnecock that hosted this year’s U.S. Open won Sunday, June 17, by Brooks Koepka for the second straight year. Born in Washington, Shippen was the son of the Rev. John Shippen Sr., a black Presbyterian minister, and Eliza Spotswood Shippen, a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation. Rev. Shippen was a minister at the tribe’s reservation. John Jr. quickly developed a passion for golf at the nearby private club that took its name from the Indian nation. He got started caddying, then was taken under the wing of club pro Willie Dunn, a Scot. Before long, he was assisting Dunn with all facets of running the club, including instruction, course maintenance and club repair. When the U.S. Open (combining pros with amateurs) came to Shippen’s home links in 1896, he signed up as a pro,

along with friend and Native American off the lead. Oscar Bunn, a member of the Shinnecock If not for a disastrous 11 on the par 4, tribe. 13th hole the second day, Shippen might Trying to dodge expected controversy, have scored an historic upset. As it was, Shippen registered as a Native American, he finished fifth, winning $25. feeling that was more permissible than James Foulis’ first place prize was registering as African-American. $150. Once the other pro Shippen went on to entries, mostly English play in six U.S. Opens, and Scottish, discovfinishing fifth again in ered Shippen’s Afri1902. can bloodlines, they He continued workthreatened to boycott. ing at Shinnecock until That’s when U.S. Golf 1924, when he became Association President the teaching golf pro Theodore Havemeyer at Garden City Golf offered an ultimatum. Club in New Jersey. Havemeyer announced He remained at Garthe Open would proden City Golf Club ceed even if Shippen until 1960. His pupils and Bunn were the only included Althea GibTeddy Rhodes golfers competing. son, the first AfricanA few defiant pros dropped out, but American woman on the LPGA circuit, most bit their tongues and showed up and Lee Elder, the first African-American for their starting times in what was then to play in Masters. a 36-hole event. He also designed his own clubs, stamped Standing just 5-foot-6, Shippen matched “J.M. Shippen.” power and accuracy with the sport’s elite. Shippen died in 1968 at age 88 at a After the first day, he was just two strokes nursing home in Newark, N.J. Although he was never granted a PGA card because of his race, he was awarded a PGA membership posthumously in 2009. No other black man would play in the U.S. Open until Teddy Rhodes in 1948 at the same time he was suing the PGA for its “Caucasians only” clause. City filed a 66 in round three at Men of color are few and Although the PGA prevailed in an outShinnecock and tied for the lead of-court settlement, it changed its tournafar between on the Professional heading into the final 18 holes ments to “invitationals” and invited only Golfers Association circuit. last Sunday. That’s one of two reasons white players. Finau (pronounced Fee-nall) why Tony Finau of Samoan and Rhodes squeezed into the 1948 U.S. is the first golfer with Samoan/ Open, but that ended his efforts on the Tongan ancestry stands out. Tongan roots to reach the PGA. official PGA circuit. The PGA did not drop The other reason is that he is He is a cousin of Jabari Parker of its whites-only rule until 1961. an extremely gifted player who the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. just finished fifth at the PGA As barriers tumbled, Tiger Woods took the Finau, who turned pro at age PGA by storm in 1996 and went on to win Tour’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock 17, has won twice on the PGA the U.S. Open in 2000, 2002 and 2008. Hills on New York’s Long Island, Tony Finau tour, taking the Stonebrae Claswinning $474,659. But Tiger would be the first to tip Earlier this year, he finished 10th at the sic (now called the Ellie Mae Classic in his cap to a bold teenager who got the California) in 2014 and the Puerto Rico dimpled ball rolling in the right direction Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga. The 28-year-old native of Salt Lake Open in 2016. a century before.

Tony Finau places 5th in golf’s U.S. Open

Shontel Linnette has become Virginia Union University’s first softball All-American. The senior from Norfolk was chosen first-team, NCAA Division II All-American by Fast Pitch News. Linnette stood out for the Panthers as a batter and a pitcher. She hit .551 (43 for 78), with nine doubles, eight home runs and 42 runs batted in. She also stole nine bases. Shontel Linnette As a wind-milling pitcher, she was 10-8, with a 3.63 earned run averaged and 153 strikeouts in 131 innings. There were no days off. When not pitching, Linnette put on the catcher’s gear and went behind the plate.

Juan Miguel Echevarria

19-year-old Cuban lands in record book with long jump Juan Miguel Echevarria has stunned the track and field world. The 19-year-old Cuban long-jumped 29 feet, 1½ inches on June 10, winning the International Association of Athletics Federations’ Diamond League meet in Stockholm. It was the top long jump under any conditions since 1995 and the fifth best jump of all time. Only Americans Mike Powell (world record holder at 29 feet, 4¼ inches), Bob Beamon (Olympic record at 29 feet, 2¼ inches) and Carl Lewis and Robert Emmiyan of the former Soviet Union have flown further into the sand. Echevarria’s jump is not official because of a tailwind during the jump. The wind speed was measured at 2.1 meters per second in Stockholm, or 4.7 mph. That’s a smidgen faster than the 2.0 mph limit. Earlier this year, Echevarria won the 17th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England, with a jump of 27 feet, 9 inches.

A4 June 21-23, 2018

Richmond Free Press

June 21-23, 2018 A5

June 21-23, 2018 B1

Richmond Free Press

Section

Happenings

Personality: Jer’Mykeal D. McCoy Spotlight on president-elect of the Urban League of Greater Richmond Young Professionals The Urban League of Greater Richmond Young Professionals has helped its members become entrepreneurs and homeowners, engage in the community’s civic affairs and enhance their careers and leadership abilities. Jer’Mykeal D. McCoy, the organization’s incoming president plans to continue that work and increase the number of members. Currently, 89 young professionals between the ages of 21 and 45 hold membership in the organization that views its mission as empowering its communities and changing lives. The 27-year-old Mr. McCoy will take office on July 1, and serve a two-year term. He’s excited about taking the helm of the organization he joined in 2016 after being recruited by outgoing president Antione M. Green. “I’m in a position to lead an amazing group of young people who want to make Richmond a better place,” he says. The Urban League Young Professionals is a part of the National Urban League, a New York City-based, nonpartisan organization that is dedicated to helping AfricanAmericans secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. While the Richmond Young

Professionals group was founded in 1999, it has been under the umbrella of the Hampton Roads Urban League group for the past three years. With Richmond’s membership bouncing back from a low of 20 members just a few years ago, Mr. McCoy hopes to have the Young Professionals chapter back under the auspices of the Richmond Urban League during his tenure. Re-affiliation with Richmond will allow the organization to receive financial and administrative support from the National Urban League, with the ability to apply for grants for community programming, Mr. McCoy says. The organization has counted on volunteer efforts, philanthropy and its members to be effective. It has held forums, discussions and “meet and greets” for members and the Richmond community with business leaders, community advocates, politicians and other city and state leaders. During the 2017 statewide election, the Young Professionals hosted events for members and the community to meet the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. “If our members don’t know who our representatives

Why I am excited about the YP: Because I’m in a position to lead an amazing group of young people who want to make Richmond a better place.

He firmly believes the organization is not about personal success, but about helping people open doors for others. Meet community advocate and president-elect of the Urban League of Greater Richmond Young Professionals, Jer’Mykeal D. McCoy:

Vision for YP: To empower our members to better Richmond by growing membership, community engagement and returning the Urban League affiliate. How to become a YP member: Submit application and $60 membership fee. Membership requirements: • Age 21 to 45 • Be in good financial standing • Volunteer at community service events • Serve on a committee • Support YP social and fundraising events

Occupation: Business development manager at Schutt Sports.

or elected officials are, how can we effectively communicate to our community?” he asks. He says members questioned the candidates on how their platforms would affect “the community economically and socially and the mobility of African-Americans in the commonwealth, especially Richmond, and the country.” Plans are in the works for the Young Professionals to host forums for candidates running for election in November, chiefly candidates for U.S. Senate and for the congressional races in the 4th and 7th Districts.

No. 1 volunteer position: President-elect, Urban League of Greater Richmond Young Professionals. Date and place of birth: Nov. 9 in East Knoxville, Tenn. Current residence: Richmond’s Swansboro West neighborhood.

YP’s No. 1 challenge: Bringing back the Urban League affiliate to Richmond.

Alma maters: Bachelor’s in mass communications, Tennessee State University, magna cum laude; and master’s in professional studies, Georgetown University.

How I plan to meet it: By working with the steering committee to draft a plan of action to re-establish the affiliate. How I start the day: With gratitude for another day of life, read scripture and recite daily affirmations.

Mission of Urban League of Greater Richmond Young Professionals: A volunteer auxiliary of the National Urban League that targets young professionals to empower their communities and change lives through the Urban League Movement.

Quality I most admire in another person: Their ability to love and serve others. Definition of a leader: Someone who inspires others to

act based on their character and actions. Three words that best describe me: Adaptable, compassionate and diligent. Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Salsa dancing. A quote I am inspired by: “But I will say it betrays a poverty of ambition if all you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what good you can do.” — former President Barack Obama. A perfect day for me is: A tailgate for a Tennessee State University football game. Best late-night snack: Cereal. How I unwind: With good friends, music and food. The top of my “to do” list is: The latest issue at my new home. Person who influenced me the most: Francis Calloway Parks, my late great-aunt. Book that influenced me the most: “The Mis-Education of the Negro” by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. What I’m reading now: “The Color of Money: Black Banking and the Racial Wealth Gap” by Mehrsa Baradaran. Next goal: To set YP meetings to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.

WHEN TRANSIT MOVES FASTER, OUR CITY GETS STRONGER.

S • FOR

C I R

A successful city is a city that’s in constant motion, with a transit system that gets people where they need to be. And that’s what’s coming to Richmond on June 24th. With the Great Richmond Reroute, our city’s bus routes will be streamlined, with faster service, easier connections and the new Pulse bus rapid transit system. That’s going to move our whole city forward. TheGreatRichmondReroute.com

Richmond Free Press

B2 June 21-23, 2018

Happenings Cannonball! School’s out and teens wasted no time making a splash last Saturday when the City of Richmond opened its outdoor swimming pools for the summer. From left, Shawn Reed, 18, Taequan Smith, 17, and Deondre Morgan, 18, do cannonballs as they enjoy the cool water at Blackwell Pool, 16th and Everett streets in the South Side. Hours for the city’s seven outdoor pools and two indoor pools, along with a schedule of swimming lessons, are available by contacting the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities at (804) 646-5733 or (804) 646-1174. James Haskins/Richmond Free Press

and Keiynan Lonsdale. While Mr. Robinson wasn’t SANTA MONICA, Calif. The MTV Movie & TV there to accept the award, Mr. Awards gave “Black Panther” Lonsdale gave some encouragits first taste of awards glory, ing words to LGBTQ youths. “I just want to say to every with Marvel’s blockbuster film taking home four honors kid,” he said. “You can live your including two awards for its dreams and kiss the one that you love no matter what gender.” star, Chadwick Boseman. In addition to winning Mr. Boseman quickly handed off his best hero award to best show, kids of “Stranger James Shaw Jr., who wrestled Things” also won awards for an assault-style rifle away from most frightened performance, a gunman in a Tennessee Waffle best musical moment and best performance for MilHouse in April. lie Bobby Brown. Larry McCormack/The Tennessean/AP “This is going to Other winners In this April photo, James Shaw Jr., 29, waves to people at live at your house,” included Madelaine the Tennessee State House in Nashville as he is honored for Mr. Boseman told Petsch as Cheryl disarming a shooter inside a Waffle House restaurant. Mr. Shaw, giving him Blossom in “Riv- award for her activism, writing you don’t, you’ll suffocate.” the show’s golden erdale” for scene and “deeply honest art.” He also urged fans to “learn popcorn award. stealer, Gal Gadot During her acceptance to pray” and accept that they The actor said for best fight as Won- speech, Ms. Waithe paid tribute are imperfect. while it was an honor Mr. Boseman der Woman and the to “Paris is Burning,” the 1990 The show also featured musito be recognized for playing a superhero, it was more young cast of “It” for best documentary released about the cal performances by Nick Jonas drag scene in New York during and Mustard, as well as rising important to “acknowledge the on-screen team. “Gaga: Fight Foot Two” won the late 1980s. She called those stars and Beyoncé protégés heroes we have in real life.” Mr. Boseman, who starred the award for best documentary. documented, many who aren’t Chloe x Halle. as T’Challa in “Black Pan- The Netflix feature followed alive anymore, “the bravest huther,” also won the award for Lady Gaga during the produc- man beings that ever lived.” Chris Pratt mixed humor and best performance in a movie. tion of her fifth studio album religious messages while acceptMichael B. Jordan, who played “Joanne.” Common presented Lena ing the show’s generation award, villain Erik Killmonger in the Waithe with the trailblazer telling the crowd to “breathe. If film, won best villain. “Stranger Things” was the top television honoree, winning four awards, including a repeat win for best show. The awards were handed out last Saturday and were broadcast Monday night. Host Tiffany Haddish donned a variety of costumes throughout the ceremony, including nods to classic film and TV “Despicable Me 3” will kick off the summer season roles such as Holly Golightly of Movies in the Park this weekend, sponsored by the from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Comand Starlet from “The Carol munity Facilities. Burnett Show.” The free movies will be shown 8:30 p.m. each Friday at a She kicked off the show with different city park, preceded by family activities at 8 p.m. a “Black Panther” skit, foreshadPeople are asked to bring chairs or blankets and refreshowing the film’s big night, noting ments; vendors also will have refreshments for sale. in her opening monologue that “Despicable Me 3” will be shown at Byrd Park on it is the first African-American Friday, June 22. film to earn more than $1 billion Here is the rest of the summer schedule of Friday night at the box office. Throughout movies through August 17: the night, Ms. Haddish also • June 29 — “The LEGO Ninjago Movie” at Summer parodied other hit films such as Hill Park, Lamberts and Castlewood avenues. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and • July 6 — “Wonder Woman” at Hotchkiss Field, 701 “A Quiet Place.” E. Brookland Park Blvd. “Black Panther,” about a • July 13 — “Cars 3” at Jefferson Park, 1921 Princess king and virtuous superhero of Anne Ave. the technologically advanced • July 20 — “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” at nation of Wakanda, broke Southside Community Center, 6255 Old Warwick Road. barriers earlier this year as the • July 27 — “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” at Abner Clay first Marvel film to feature an Park, 200 W. Clay St. African-American lead. • Aug. 3 — “Black Panther” at Battery Park, 2405 Ms. Haddish, who also won Hawthorne Ave. an award for her breakthrough • Aug. 10 — “Spider-Man: Homecoming” at Humphrey role in “Girls Trip,” noted that Calder, 414 N. Thompson St. she is the first black woman to • Aug. 17 — “Beauty and the Beast” at Forest Hill host the awards show, which is Park, 41st Street and Forest Hill Ave. in its 27th year. Details: Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation The gay teen comedy “Love, and Community Facilities, (804) 646-5733. Simon” won for best kiss for a scene between Nick Robinson

Presented by: Ephesus Junior Academy and The BND Institute of Media and Culture, Inc.

City kicks off ‘Movies in the Park’ summer series June 22 in Byrd Park

Indie Urban Lit Fest June 23 at Downtown Library

More than 50 independently published authors of urban fiction, romance, poetry, memoir, and motivational writing will be featured this weekend at the 3rd Annual Indie Urban Lit Fest sponsored by the Richmond Public Library. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 23, at the library’s Main Branch, 101 E. Franklin St. Panel discussions, workshops on writing and publishing, meeting the authors and book

sales will be held throughout the day. Special guests for the event include best-selling authors Nikki Turner of Richmond, Harlem’s Silk White and New Jersey resident K’wan Foye. Music by Tiara & Andrew and poetry performances by

local artists will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. in the library park. Details: www. f a c e b o o k . c o m / events/1259241830843105/ or https://rvalibrary.libcal.com/ event/4122062 or call Richmond Public Library’s Main Branch at (804) 646-7223. DiamonDs • Watches JeWelry • repairs 19 East Broad strEEt richmond, Va 23219 (804) 648-1044

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Richmond Free Press

June 21-23, 2018 B3

Happenings Food festivals for vegetarians and bacon lovers on Saturday Vegetables and bacon will compete for attention at two food festivals this weekend in Richmond. At Bryan Park, spinach, peas, squash and other garden specialties will be in the spotlight at the Richmond Veg Fest. The 16th annual festival celebrating health and eating well on a diet that eliminates meat, fish, dairy and eggs will take place noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 23, in the Azalea Gardens of the park in the 4300 block of Hermitage Road in North Side, it has been announced.

The menu of activities includes cooking demonstrations, music, children’s activities, speakers and displays. The festival is free and open to the public. Details: www.veggiefest.org Foodies also will be salivating over everything bacon at the 6th Annual Richmond Bacon Festival 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market in Shockoe Bottom. While the area between Main and Franklin streets remains fenced off as the market’s makeover continues, the Enrichmond

Foundation, which stages the festival, stated it will take place on 17th Street between Franklin and Grace streets. There will be music, but the big focus will be on the appetizers, entrees and desserts featuring bacon created and served by chefs. Festival participants will help decide the winner of the People’s Choice Award that comes with a $250 prize. The event is open without charge, but the foundation requests a $1 donation to help support future events. Details: www.enrichmond.org or (804) 234-3905.

Allie, first place winner of 4th Congressional District Art competition, and her work, “Miles.”

Photos by Ava Reaves

VMFA Family Day

Colonial Heights student wins 4th Congressional District Art competition

Youngsters from the Fenote Hiwot Beata LeMarian Ethopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Choir, above and left, perform during Family Day last Saturday at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The free event focused on Ethiopian culture through art, music, dancing and storytelling. Activities for children and families were held in various parts of the museum. Titus Broomé, below, offers his own artistic vision in Anike Robinson’s Books to Brushes workshop.

Allie Sarinana, a student at Colonial Heights High School, has won the annual 4th Congressional District Art Competition. Her work, “Miles,” will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year. The winners of the competition were announced Tuesday by Congressman A. Donald McEachin. “I am honored to see Allie’s work every time I walk through the Capitol,” Rep. McEachin stated. “Her work represents our congressional district well.” Second place went to Krystle Brown of Surry County High School for her mixed-media “Parisian Beauty,” while third place was awarded to Raven Pierce, also of Surry County High, for her watercolor “Still-life with Flowers.” All pieces submitted for the congressional district competition, as well as the winning art, will be displayed at an exhibit and reception 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 23, at Browne Studio, 1100 Hull St. in South Side. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

SEE THE BEST OF RICHMOND FOR FREE JUNE 24-30 FREE RIDE WEEK It’s Your New GRTC – and you can try it, for free! Free Ride Week is June 24-30, and it’s your chance to explore the city with our new streamlined bus service! Free Ride Week means you can hop on any GRTC bus in Richmond, and no fare is required. So head to a bus stop – or ride your bike to one, and use our bike racks for a daylong adventure.

Find out more about GRTC’s new routes. Go to ridegrtc.com for maps and details on Free Ride Week.

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Richmond Free Press

B4 June 21-23, 2018

Obituaries/Faith Directory

Louis Farrakhan Jr., 60, oldest son of Nation of Islam leader, dies A Janazah service, a Muslim burial service, was held Friday, June 8, at Mosque Maryam in Chicago for Louis Farrakhan Jr., the eldest son of Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, and Mother Khadijah Farrakhan. Mr. Farrakhan died in his sleep Friday, June 1, 2018, at a family home in Phoenix. He was 60 and suffered from a heart condition, the Nation of Islam stated in a news release. He was one of nine children of Minister Farrakhan, 85. “We thank Allah (God) for the life of Louis Jr.,

Mr. Farrakhan

his contribution to the rise of black and oppressed people and for touching so many of us in a deep and very personal way,” the statement said. “He worked alongside his father and family in fulfilling the mission of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam and his dedication and sacrifice to our cause will never be forgotten.” When Mr. Farrakhan was not helping with his father’s cause, he enjoyed designing clothing and creating art, said Richard B. Muhammad, editor of the Nation of Islam’s newspaper.

“Louis Farrakhan Jr. was a very lively, warm person with a great sense of humor,” Mr. Muhammad said. “It was really a joy to be with him.” A spokeswoman for the Phoenix Police Department said officers responded to the Farrakhan residence about 9:30 p.m. June 1. “There were no indications of foul play,” Sgt. Mercedes Fortune stated in an email. Police said the Maricopa County, Ariz., medical examiner will determine the cause of death. The Nation of Islam is headquartered in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood.

One of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers dies Free Press wire report

ST. GEORGE, Utah Samuel Tom Holiday, one of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers, died in Southern Utah on Monday, June 11, 2018, surrounded by family members who raised money through a crowdfunding campaign to be by his side. He was 94. Mr. Holiday was among hundreds of Navajos who used a code based on their native language to transmit messages during World War II. The Japanese never broke it.

He was 19 when he joined the Marine Corps and became part of operations in several locations across the Pacific during the war, according to The Spectrum. A mortar explosion left him with hearing loss, but he would later tell family that he always felt safe during battle because of a pouch around his neck holding sacred stones and yellow corn pollen. Mr. Holiday received a Congressional Silver Medal, a Purple Heart and other recognition for his action during the conflict. After the war, he returned to the Navajo reservation and worked as a police officer, a ranger and later

th Annivers 159 g n i t a le ebr C Sunday, June 24, 2018 ar 10:00 am

The speaker for Fourth Baptist Church service will be

The Honorable Roger L. Gregory Chief Judge United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Court

Fourth Baptist Church

2800 P Street, Richmond, Virginia 23223 Email: info@fourthbaptist.com Website: www.fourthbaptist.com Church office: (804) 644-1013

Good Shepherd Baptist Church 1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223-6624 • Office: (804) 644-1402 Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor “There’s A Place for You” Tuesday Sunday 10:30 AM Bible Study 9:30 AM Church School 6:30 PM Church-wide Bible Study 11:00 AM Worship Service 6:30 PM Men's Bible Study (Each 2nd and 4th) (Holy Communion Thursday each 2nd Sunday) Wednesday (Following 2nd Sunday) 6:30 PM Prayer Meeting

11:00 AM Mid-day Meditation

started his own equipment company. He married Lupita Mae Isaac and had eight children. In 2013, Mr. Holiday co-wrote a book about his experience as a Code Talker called “Under the Eagle.” Fewer than 10 Code Talkers are believed to be alive today. The exact number is unknown because the program remained classified for several years following the war. Mr. Holiday spent his later days living at the Southern Utah Veterans Home in Ivins, Utah. Shortly before his death, family members turned to the crowdfund-

Mr. Holiday

Ebenezer Baptist Church 1858

“The People’s Church”

Sixth Baptist Church Theme for 2018-2020: Mobilizing For Ministry Refreshing The Old and Emerging The New We Embrace Diversity — Love For All!

A 21st Century Church With Ministry For Everyone

216 W. Leigh St. • Richmond, Va. 23220 Tel: 804-643-3366 • Fax: 804-643-3367 Email: ebcoffice1@yahoo.com • web: www.richmondebenezer.com 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

ing site GoFundMe to raise $4,000 to be able to visit him in hospice care. The Navajo Nation said he was surrounded by friends and family when he died. A funeral service was held Friday, June 15, in Monument Valley, according to the Navajo Nation Council, with burial at a veterans’ cemetery in the Navajo community of Kayenta, Ariz., next to his wife. The library at the Kayenta Middle School is named for Mr. Holiday. He is survived by six children, 35 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

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. 6:45 p.m. Wed. 4:30 p.m. Wed. 6:00 p.m. Thurs., 11:45 a.m.

Come Worship With Us!

Sunday, June 24, 2018 11:00 AM Worship Celebration Message by Pastor New Sermon Series See you Sunday and wear your shouting shoes! Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

Dr. Wallace J. Cook, Pastor Emeritus  Rev. Dr. James E. Leary, Interim Pastor

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

Antioch Baptist Church “Redeeming God’s People for Gods Purpose”

1384 New Market Road, Richmond, Virginia 23231 | 804-222-8835

SERVICES

8:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:00 a.m. Worship Service

Wednesday Services

DR. JAMES L. SAILES PASTOR

Sunday Service 10 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study 7p.m. Transportation Services (804) 859-1985 “Reclaiming the Lost by Proclaiming the Gospel”

Spread the Word To advertise your church: Worship Service • Gospel Concert Vacation Bible School Homecoming • Revival

call 804-644-0496

Richmond Free Press

Noonday Bible Study 12noon-1:00 p.m. Sanctuary - All Are Welcome! Wednesday Evening Bible Study 7 p.m. Prayer

Saturday

A MISSION BASED CHURCH FAMILY EXCITING MINISTRIES FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, YOUNG ADULTS & SENIOR ADULTS BIBLE REVELATION TEACHING DIVERSE MUSIC MINISTRY LOVING, CARING ENVIRONMENT

Church School 8:45 a.m.

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

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

Sunday

SUNDAY WORSHIP HOUR – 10:00 A.M. CHILDREN’S CHURCH & BUS MINISTRY AVAILABLE SUNDAY SCHOOL (FOR ALL AGES) – 9:00 A.M. TUESDAY MID-DAY BIBLE STUDY – 12 NOON WEDNESDAY MID-WEEK PRAYER & BIBLE STUDY – 7:00 P.M.

(near Byrd Park)

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

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

Pastor Kevin Cook

Dr. Robert L. Pettis, Sr., Pastor

Facebook sixthbaptistrva

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

New Deliverance Evangelistic Church

“MAKE IT HAPPEN”

2006 Decatur Street Richmond, VA 23224 zbcoffice@verizon.net

Twitter sixthbaptistrva

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

Early Morning Worship ~ 8 a.m. Sunday School ~ 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship ~ 11 a.m. 4th Sunday Uniﬁed Worship Service ~ 9:30 a.m. Bible Study: Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m. & 7 p.m. Sermons Available at BRBCONLINE.org

Zion Baptist Church

GRADUATE SUNDAY AND BAPTISM

8:30 a.m. Intercessory Prayer

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

Tune in on sunday morning to wTvr - channel 6 - 8:30 a.m. THE NEw DElivEraNcE cHrisTiaN acaDEmy (NDca)

ENROLL NOW!!! Accepting applications for children 2 yrs. old to 4th Grade Our NDCA curriculum also consists of a Before and After program. Now Enrolling for our Nursery Ages 6 weeks - 2yrs. old. For more information Please call (804) 276-4433 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm

Wilson & Associates’ Funeral Service, Inc.

Monthly Obituary Column • May 2018

Brian V. Wilson Owner

Thank you to the following bereaved families for allowing us to serve you during the month of May 2018. You are still in our prayers and thoughts. View full obituaries online at www.wilsonafs.com Harold Douglas Baylor Rose Ellen Davis Tony V. Jones Algenie Burchette Freddie Mashore, Sr. Catherine B. Baskerville Beulah B. Stukes James Leroy Harris, Sr. Lucy M. Turner-Brown Pearlene Best Barbara Louise Marsh

Brenda R. Creer Bernard Earl Patillo Christopher S. Bolling Soon Sam Kim James J. Holliday Persley Alvin Neville Flora J. Johnson Solomon Darryl E. Johnson Elizabeth B. Wooden Haywood L. Percy Vernon L. Lightfoot

Coley E. “Sonny” Wiggins, Jr. Debra M. Winston Kevin D. Crawford William A. Baughan, Jr. Joseph E. Smith, Jr. Patricia A. Thurman Brenda W. Alston Sandra M. Coleman Gary C. Bradby Marie A. Tyler Marcus Avery Massenburg

5008 Nine Mile Road, Richmond, VA 23223 • 804-222-1720, Fax 804-222-1745 Remembering those we love ... Remembering those we serve.

Richmond Free Press

June 21-23, 2018

Faith News/Directory

Second Baptist Church to host Christian hip-hop concert June 29 The Rev. Ralph S. Hodge wants to present positive, upbeat Christian messages in a musical form that is attractive to Richmond youths. So the minister is joining Richmond rapper, writer and producer Corey Goss to present a Christian hip-hop concert next week at the church that Rev. Hodge has led for 16 years, Second Baptist Church of South Richmond. Dubbed Domination 18, the concert will feature national recording artists Bizzle, Young Noah and V. Rose and Virginia performers Aaron Cole of Bristol and Jered Sanders of Fredericksburg. Mr. Goss also is to perform. The concert will be held 7 p.m. Friday, June 29, in the Second Baptist sanctuary, 3300 Broad Rock Blvd. Rev. Hodge said the church can hold about 700 people. He’s keeping the ticket price low at $5 per person to attract as many people as possible. “This is not about making money, but about spreading the word,” said Rev. Hodge, a Howard University graduate who earned his master’s of divinity at Virginia Union University and accepted the call to pastor Second Baptist in 2002. “This is something I have wanted to do at church for some time,” he said, “and with Corey Goss’ help, it’s going to happen.” He said this is a first of what he hopes will be a continuing series of Christian hip-hop concerts at the church. He said the church is using funds from its mission program to support the event. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.eventbrite.com or at the door. Details: Second Baptist Church, (804) 232-5124 or info@2sbcsouthside.org.

GraDuaTe’S SunDay

 

duates. 018 gra our 2 r o n ho Sunday, We



June 24, 2018

1408 W. eih Sree  ichmo a. 0 804 5840

9:30 AM Sunday School 11:00 AM Morning Worship



 Church School Worship Service

Deacon, DeaconeSS & TruSTee Day

8:45 a.m. 10 a.m.

Speaker: Rev. Dr. Stanley Bennett Cornerstone Baptist Church 4:00 PM “The Spirit of Servanthood”

 ile Su

1 p.m.

 e ercies iisr  a.m. ul ile Su :0 p.m.

Scripture: Isaiah 42:1

Union Baptist Church 1813 Everett Street Richmond, Virginia 23224 804-231-5884

ie oore Sree o 

Rev. Robert C. Davis, Pastor

“The Church With A Welcome”

Sharon Baptist Church

500 E. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222 www.sharonbaptistchurchrichmond.org • (804) 643-3825 Rev. Dr. Paul A. Coles, Pastor

Women’s Day sunday, June 24, 2018

Scripture: Galatians 5:1 8:30 a.m. ....Sunday School • 10:00 a.m. ...Morning Worship Speaker: Rev. Hattie Wiggins

Wednesdays/Thursdays Bible Study resumes in September

Matthew Brown/Hearst Connecticut Newspapers

Seward Johnson’s “Forever Marilyn” sculpture stands in Latham Park in Stamford, Conn. The 26-foot statue is scandalizing some because her rear end is facing the entrance of the First Congregational Church.

Churchgoers, others offended by Marilyn Monroe statue in Connecticut park Free Press wire report

HARTFORD, Conn. Marilyn Monroe’s rear is getting some leers in Connecticut. A 26-foot statue of the actress has been placed in a Stamford, Conn., park across the street from a church, which is getting a full view of her behind. It depicts the famous scene from the 1955 film, “The Seven Year Itch,” where Ms. Monroe holds down her white dress as air blows up from a subway grate. The back of the statue showing her underwear is clearly visible from the front of the First Congregational Church of Stamford. Some passersby said it was disrespectful to the church. The statue was put up Monday, June 4, as part of a citywide art display. Since then, it has sparked conversation among church members visiting for Sunday worship. “I think some people will be offended,” said church member Maureen Matthews, who is not bothered by the statue. “It is silly. There are bigger issues to worry

3200 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23223• (804) 226-1176

WedneSday 12:00 p.m. Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Bible Study



Sunday 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Worship Service

All ARe Welcome

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

Worship Opportunities Sundays:

Morning Worship Church School Morning Worship

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

Thursdays:

Mid-Day Bible Study 12 Noon Prayer & Praise 6:30 P.M. Bible Study 7:00 P.M. (children/Youth/Adults)

Unity Sundays (2nd Sundays): Church School Morning Worship

8:30 A.M. 10 A.M.

Graduate Recognition Sunday June 24, 2018 at 10 A.M.

The Graduation Message delivered by:

Dr. Katina Otey

Deacon of St. Peter Baptist Church 2040 Mountain Road • Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 Office 804-262-0230 • Fax 804-262-4651 • www.stpeterbaptist.net

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

2018 Theme: The Year of Transition (Romans 8:28-29)



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

Sundays

8:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship

Tuesdays

Noon Day Bible Study

Wednesdays

6:30 p.m. Prayer and Praise 7:00 p.m. Bible Study

with sponsors, including real estate finance firm UC Funds. Ms. Goldstein noted there are many nude statues outdoors in Europe — and near churches — that are accepted by the public. “It is art and we don’t believe it is offensive,” she said. “We absolutely mean no disrespect to the church.” The Rev. Todd Grant Yonkman, pastor of the First Congregational Church, has a sense of humor about the statue, but said it was an odd artistic choice. “The issue is, Why that statue,” he said in an email to The Associated Press. “Marilyn Monroe was an artist deserving our respect. Why appropriate her image in this way. Is this the best we can do?” He said he heard baseball star Joe DiMaggio, Ms. Monroe’s husband at the time of “The Seven Year Itch,” was uncomfortable with her shooting the subway vent scene. “Maybe the city would let us give her some pants?” Rev. Yonkman said.

Austin Channing Brown: ‘White people can be exhausting’ Religion News Service

Serving Richmond since 1887

about. But I’ll be interested to see how people talk about it.” “Forever Marilyn” is one of 36 statues by artist Seward Johnson that are on loan and on display in the downtown area through the summer. They’re part of the city’s annual “Art in Public Spaces” program. All the statues except Ms. Monroe are life-size and depict people doing everyday activities. City resident Lorri Tamburro told The Advocate newspaper that she found it disturbing to see children climbing on the statue’s leg and looking up the skirt. “I just find the position to be offensive,” Ms. Tamburro said. “It was, in my eyes, very disrespectful. I looked at it and I think because of what I saw with all these little kids looking up, the height is ruining it. It’s ruining beautiful Marilyn.” The response to the statue of Ms. Monroe and others has been overwhelmingly positive, said Sandy Goldstein, president of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District, which is hosting the exhibit along

“White people can be exhausting.” That’s the first line in Austin Channing Brown’s new book, “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness.” Ms. Brown, who writes and speaks about justice and racial reconciliation, said she chose those words carefully. “Exhausting” was truer than “frustrating” or any other adjective she tried, and, she said, “In the whole book, I’m trying to be as honest as I can about what it’s like to be a black woman who navigates whiteness on a very regular basis.” Plus, she said, she didn’t intend to write an introduction to racial justice. She wanted to move the conversation forward by sharing her experiences that showed how hard and sometimes dangerous it can be for a black woman navigating white Christian spaces, while also celebrating blackness. If that means some people put down her book, she said, then it’s not for them. But, she said, “When I’m in multiracial spaces with folks who are already committed to the work of racial justice and I read that line out loud, white people laugh, too.”

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.

Ms. Brown talked to Religion News Service about how the church is missing out when it doesn’t listen to black voices, how awkward even progressive spaces can be and how white people can be less exhausting.

supposed to inspire changes that you could make — what are the changes you can make right where you are? I don’t want to make this so big and so unattainable. I want to talk about the small things that impact that one person. My hope would be for the church You write, “For only by be- to be inspired to take the next step, whatever the next step is, to not ing truthful about how we got be comfortable, to not think we’ve here can we begin to imagine arrived, to think, “What’s the next another way.” Is that what you step? What’s the next brave thing hope people will take away from to do?” And to choose at least one your book? systemic issue to really Absolutely. As I read be passionate about. Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “BeYou give the extween the World and ample in your book Me,” even though his of white teachers you story is extraordinarily had and the white girl different than mine, I you met who realized, was really impacted “Doing nothing is no by his ability to take longer an option for the small incidents that me.” How can readers many, many black folks learn to investigate have experienced and Ms. Brown what they think of bring them to life. what’s “normal” and what’s I wanted to make a book that white? How can they be less (says), “This is how it feels, here is how it’s dangerous for me to talk exhausting? I hope people can be honest about race and be a black woman enough to be like, “Ooh, that’s in an organization that thinks it’s me. I need to change this or remade it, but it still has work to think this.” do.” I hope by naming those things Oftentimes, we say you gotta and making those things real, it be in proximity with each other. You would open up the eyes of white folks and (give) people of color an gotta be friends. You gotta sit at a table together. White folks need to opportunity to say, “This is real.” I take a step back instead of seeking want to make it easier for people out that friend, that person who’s of color to express what it’s like in going to teach them. They should their own organization or their own seek out education, seek out books, church or their own ministry. I still seek out spaces where people of believe in the multiracial beloved color are willing to talk, seek out community, but we’ve got to talk the lecture, seek out the class, seek about what’s wrong. out the book studies. Seek out the What do you imagine “another spaces where people of color have way” looks like? You know, it’s not super com- already agreed to share their stories plicated. On a small scale, I think with you. That way, when you come into proximity with people of color, (it looks like) diverse curriculums, people of color in actual leadership you will have a larger foundation positions with leadership authority, in- to build a relationship as opposed to using me as your teacher. The fluence beyond what I can contribute goal of our friendship shouldn’t be monetarily, making brave decisions in the face of those who hold the for me to be your teacher. It should pennies. I really think sometimes be me as your friend. You write about how you’re there’s a desire to make it more drawn to the church “even when complicated than it is. All we really that means critiquing the instituneed is a little bit of courage. That’s why I didn’t include a tion I love for its commitment to “Here’s what white people can do.” whiteness.” How is the church, knowingly or unknowingly, comThe whole book is supposed to be mitted to whiteness? about what you can do. The whole I think it shows up in what probbook is, you can be like this teacher ably feels like small ways to white or you could be like this teacher. It’s

folks that, to people of color, are massive: The all-white leadership team, the all-white teachers, the book studies that are always another white person, white conferences, the white music at white conferences, the white publishing world. I wish the church would make an investment in people of color the same way they invest in one another. I wish they would take the chance. I wish they would do the big contract, give them the big marketing budget, make them the keynote speaker. I just wish that the same level of investment, trust, excitement would be given to people of color. You write,“Rare is the ministry praying that they would be worthy of the giftedness of Black minds and hearts. So we must remind ourselves. … We are not perfect, but we are here, able to contribute something special, beautiful, lasting to the companies and ministries to which we belong.” Can you talk about how ministries are made better by the contributions of black people? I think that when we are all children learning about racial differences, it’s not uncommon for folks to collapse the nuances of race and culture and ethnicity to, “Oh, but we’re all the same,” “Oh, but we’re all human,” and erase differences. On some level, that’s true — we’re all human — but in some really significant ways, we are not all the same. Our world views are different. Our experiences in the world are different. Our theology can be very different. The books we’re reading, the films we’re creating, the music we’re listening to and creating — there are vast differences in how we experience the world and how we interpret the world. I think what a lot of white Christian institutions do is they try to collapse that diversity for the sake of unity. There are very unique ways of reading the Bible, of teaching the Bible, of discussing the books, of making some different decisions that people of color can bring to the table that white folks wouldn’t think about because they have different experiences. There’s so much value in it — in hearing a different voice, a different perspective. I don’t think white churches often realize what they’re missing when they don’t seek out those voices.

Richmond Free Press

B6 June 21-23, 2018

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, July 2, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. in the Fifth Floor Conference Room of City Hall and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, July 23, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the Second Floor of City Hall, located at 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, to consider the following ordinances: Ordinance No. 2018-180 To close, to public use and travel, a portion of Railroad Avenue located between West 13th Street and West 14th Street, a portion of the west side of West 13th Street located between Riverview Parkway and Railroad Avenue, and a portion of the south side of Riverview Parkway near West 14th Street Extended, together consisting of 13,198± square feet, upon certain terms and conditions, and to authorize the Chief Administrative O ff i c e r t o a c c e p t a dedication of right-ofway improvements and property, consisting of 11,510± square feet, in connection with the closing of such portion of Railroad Avenue. Ordinance No. 2018-181 To amend and reordain City Code § 30-930.5 to modify the White House of the Confederacy Old and Historic District (1201 East Clay Street). Both parcels are currently located in the White House of the Confederacy Old and Historic District, created in 1970. Ordinance No. 70-111 created eleven (11) single structure historic districts all of which were considered to be of “historical or architectural interest.” Per City Code section 30-930.2, “the purpose of creating old and historic districts is to provide a means by which the city council may recognize and protect the historic, architectural, cultural, and artistic heritage of the city.” The property is zoned B-4 - Central Business District. The City’s Master Plan recommends institutional land use for the subject property and surrounding properties. Ordinance No. 2018-182 To rezone the properties known as 4910, 4920, and 4930 Forest Hill Avenue from the B-2 Community Business District and the POD-1 Plan of Development Overlay District to the UB-2 Urban Business District. The City of Richmond’s current Master Plan designates a future land use category for the subject properties as Community Commercial. Primary uses for this category include office, retail, personal service and other commercial and service uses, intended to provide the shopping and service needs of residents of a number of nearby neighborhoods or a section of the City. Typical zoning classifications that may accommodate this land use category: B-2, UB, and UB-2. Ordinance No. 2018-183 To amend and reordain Ord. No. 84-77-67, adopted Apr. 24, 1984, which authorized the use of the property known as 5901 Patterson Avenue and 804 Maple Avenue for the purpose of medical office use, to authorize the use of the property for office and personal service uses, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is located in the R-4 Single-Family Residential Zoning District. The City of Richmond’s current Land Use Plan designates a future land use category for the subject property as Office Transitional. Primary uses for this category include lowto-medium intensity professional, business and administrative offices, and medical and dental clinics that are compatible with adjacent residential uses and serve as separation between residential areas and nearby commercial or other higher intensity land uses or features. Ordinance No. 2018-184 To a u t h o r i z e t h e conditional use of the property known as 939 Myers Street for the purpose of authorizing a nightclub, upon certain terms and conditions. The current zoning designation for this property is TOD-1 - Transit-Oriented Nodal District. The subject property is designated by the City’s Pulse Corridor Plan for Nodal MixedUse land uses. This designation is a transit oriented district located immediately adjacent to the Pulse BRT or other frequent transit service at key gateways and prominent places in the city in order to Continued on next column

Continued from previous column

provide for significant, urban form development in appropriate locations. 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; the Main City Library located at 101 East Franklin Street; and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Candice D. Reid City Clerk

Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING JERRY WILLIS, Plaintiff v. CHASTITY ANTOINETTE WILLIS, Defendant. Civil Law No.: CL18-2494-2 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this abovestyled suit is to obtain a divorce from the bonds of matrimony from the defendant on the grounds that the parties have lived separate and apart without interruption and without cohabitation for a period of more than one year, since February 15, 2017. And it appearing by Affidavit filed according to law that Chastity Antoinette Willis, the above-named defendant, is not a resident of this state and that due diligence has been used by or in behalf of plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city the defendant is, without effect. It is therefore ordered that the said Chastity Antoinette Willis do appear in the Clerk’s Office of the Law Division of the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond, John Marshall Courts Building, 400 North 9th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, on or before July 22, 2018 and do whatever necessary to protect her interest in this suit. An Extract, Teste: EDWARD F. JEWETT, Clerk McCollum At Law, P.C. 422 East Franklin Street, Suite 301 Richmond, Virginia 23219 Telephone (804) 523-3900 Virginia: in the circuit court OF the county of chesterfield ashley-ann mary miller Plaintiff v. corey michael miller Defendant. Case No. 041CL16001912 order of publication May 2, 2018 That the object of this suit is to obtain a divorce a vinculo martrimonii from the defendant on the grounds of more than one year of continuous separation; An Affidavit having been filed that the Plaintiff has been unable to locate the Defendant, it is ordered that Corey Michael Miller appear before this Court on or before July 17, 2018 at 8:30 a.m. and do what is necessary to protect his interests in this matter. An Extract Teste: WENDY S. HUGHES, Clerk Virginia: in the circuit court for the county of hanover tyquan lewis, Plaintiff, v. Rachelle Price, Defendant. Case N. CL17002814-00 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 16th day of July, 2018 and protect her interests. A Copy Teste Frank D. Hargrove, J. Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure VSB #27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 Virginia: in the circuit court for the county of hanover israel velazquez, jr., Plaintiff, v. eveling lopez velazquez, Defendant. Case N. CL18001798-00 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 20th day of July, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. and protect her interests. A Copy Teste Frank D. Hargrove, J. Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure VSB #27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Continued on next column

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Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ericka bradley, Plaintiff v. melvin bradley, Defendant. Case No.: CL18001886-00 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 31st day of July, 2018 at 9:00 AM and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667

custody Virginia: In the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Richmond Commonwealth of Virginia, in re ashley nicole rivera, Case No.: JJ095510-01-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to: Grant sole and legal custody of Ashley Cabrera Rivera pursuant to Virginia Code 16.1-241A3 It is ordered that the defendant mario cabrera martinez appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before September 20, 2018, 10:45 AM.

PROPERTY VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. EDWIN TYRONE DAVIS, SR, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL18-2052 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 323 North 34th Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number E0000959/001, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Edwin Tyrone Davis, Sr. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, EDWIN TYRONE DAVIS, SR, upon information and belief deceased, last owner of record of said property, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that ELSIE D. BELL, upon information and belief deceased, prior owner in chain-of-title, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that HARRIETT B. DAVIS, upon information and belief deceased, prior owner in chain-of-title, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that EDWIN TYRONE DAVIS, SR, upon information and belief deceased, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, ELSIE D. BELL, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, HARRIETT B. DAVIS, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before JULY 29, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. DAVID RILEY, et al. Defendants. Case No. : CL18-2238 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1111 North 32nd Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number E0000803/026, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Continued on next column

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DAVID RILEY. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, DAVID RILEY, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that DAVID RILEY and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before JULY 29, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

Whitehead Road, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number C007-0553/040, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, RUBY TAYLOR. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, RUBY TAYLOR, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that RUBY TAYLOR and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before July 29, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

described as 2407 Marion Mashore Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number S000-0566/019, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Ruby J. Parham and Rose M. Ferguson. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, RUBY J. PARHAM, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that said owner, ROSE M. FERGUSON, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to her last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; 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 RUBY J. PARHAM, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, ROSE M. FERGUSON, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before JULY 29, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

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 ROSENA O’SULLIVAN, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, ANDREW J. GUERPILLON, upon information and belief deceased, prior owner in chain-of-title, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, KATIE GUERPILLON, upon information and belief deceased, prior owner in chain-of-title, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before JULY 29, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. MARVIN A. DOUGHTIE, et al. Defendants. Case No.: CL18-2126 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1208 Carlisle Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number E0002295/011, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, MARVIN A. DOUGHTIE and RICHARD T. FULLER. An Affidavit having been filed that said owners, MARVIN A. DOUGHTIE and RICHARD T. FULLER, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to their last known address, have not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action, that ANNA E. JEFFERSON, upon information and belief deceased, who may have an ownership interest in said property, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that MARVIN A. DOUGHTIE, R I C H A R D T. F U L L E R , ANNA E. JEFFERSON, upon information and belief deceased, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before JULY 29, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. NEXT CALL INC, et al. Defendants. Case No.: CL18-2221 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1314 West Clay Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number N0000572029, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, NEXT CALL INC. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, NEXT CALL, INC, an entity purged from the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that NEXT CALL INC and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before JULY 29, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. RICHARD J. JORDAN, et al. Defendants. Case No.: CL18-2350 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2100 Newbourne Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number E0120286/032, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, RICHARD J. JORDAN. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, RICHARD J. JORDAN, upon information and belief deceased, per a deed filed in the records of the Henrico Circuit Court at Deed Book 158B page 17 on October 25, 1899, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that RICHARD J. JORDAN and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before July 29, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond,Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. RICHARD J. JORDAN, et al. Defendants. Case No. : CL18-2351 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2102 Newbourne Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number E0120286/031, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, RICHARD J. JORDAN. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, RICHARD J. JORDAN, upon information and belief deceased, per a deed filed in the records of the Henrico Circuit Court at Deed Book 139B page 166 on April 2, 1892, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that RICHARD J. JORDAN and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before July 29, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. RUBY TAYLOR, et al. Defendants. Case No.: CL18-2660 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1410

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. RUBY J. PARHAM, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL18-2010 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. ANDREW J. GUERPILLON, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL18-2048 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2616 Whitcomb Street Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number E0120171/006, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, Andrew J. Guerpillon and Katie Guerpillon. An Affidavit having been filed that said owners, ANDREW J. GUERPILLON, upon information and belief deceased, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, and KATIE GUERPILLON, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action, 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 ANDREW J. GUERPILLON, upon information and belief deceased, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, KATIE GUERPILLON, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before JULY 29, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. ROSENA O’SULLIVAN, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL18-2049 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 2620 Whitcomb Street, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number E0120171/008, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Rosena O’Sullivan. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, ROSENA O’SULLIVAN, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that ANDREW J. GUERPILLON, upon information and belief deceased, prior owner in chain-of-title, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that KATIE GUERPILLON, upon information and belief deceased, prior owner in chain-of-title, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; Continued on next column

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. WILBERT M. HOBSON, JR, et al, Defendants. Case No.: CL18-1844 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 3818 North Avenue,, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number N0160083/015, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Wilbert M. Hobson, Jr. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, WILBERT M. HOBSON, JR, who has been served by posting and by mailing a copy of the complaint to his last known address, has not been personally located and has not filed a response to this action; that ARTHUR F. SAMUEL, upon information and belief deceased, Trustee of a deed of trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Deed Book 54 page 1040 on September 24 1985, or his successor/s in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that COMMONWEALTH H E AT I N G A N D CONTRACTORS, INC, a t e r m i n a t e d Vi r g i n i a corporation, which may be a creditor with an interest in said property, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that WILBERT M. HOBSON, JR, ARTHUR F. SAMUEL, upon information and belief deceased, Trustee of a deed of trust filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Deed Book 54 page 1040 on September 24 1985, or his successor/s in title, COMMONWEALTH H E AT I N G A N D CONTRACTORS, INC, a t e r m i n a t e d Vi r g i n i a corporation, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before JULY 29, Continued on next column

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. S.L. SHEFFIELD, et al. Defendants. Case No.: CL18-2182 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 5817 Orcutt Lane, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number C0080530/014, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owners of record, S.L. SHEFFIELD AND DORA E. SHEFFIELD. An Affidavit having been filed that said owners, S. L. SHEFFIELD, upon information and belief deceased, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, and DORA E. SHEFFIELD, upon information and belief deceased, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action, and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.” IT IS ORDERED that S.L. SHEFFIELD, DORA E. SHEFFIELD and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before JULY 29, 2018 and do what is necessary to protect their interests in this matter. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk Gregory A. Lukanuski, Esq. City of Richmond, Office of the City Attorney 900 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 804-646-7940

AUCTION Notice of Public Auction AJ’s Auto Care Center 2706 Chamberlayne Ave Richmond, VA 23222 Public Auction Notice 6/13/2018 A public auction will be held on 6/29/2018 at 8:30 AM. For disposal of a 2007 Dodge Calber. Details of the items and terms and conditions of the auction can be had on request from Motleys Auction at 3600 Deepwater terminal rd Richmond, VA 23234 on any working day before the sale/auction day.

LICENSE Soul N Vinegar LLC Trading as: Soul N Vinegar 2832 R St, Richmond, Virginia 23223 The above establishment is applying to the Virginia D epartment of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) for a Wine and Beer Off Premises license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Michelle Parrish, 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 800-5523200.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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

TransiT sysTem

FINANCIAL ANALYST Salary: $50,000 - $60,000 Closes: June 29, 2018 Exempt

GRTC Transit System in Richmond, Virginia is currently seeking a qualified candidate for a Financial Analyst. The primary duties include: budgeting, pension accounting, and financial reporting. Responsible for assisting with operating and capital budgets, financial reports, comprehensive worksheets and schedules. Assists with accounting activities within the Finance Department. Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or related field required. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and/or master’s degree from an accredited college or university in business, finance, accounting or related field preferred. Application process available at www.ridegrtc. com. Resumes must accompany the application but cannot be substituted. The selected candidate must pass a pre-employment drug test and criminal background check and Civil background check. GRTC Transit System is an equal opportunity employer with a drug-free work environment that values diversity in the workplace.