Free Press wire report
Joseph “Joe” Jackson, the patriarch who launched the musical Jackson family dynasty, died Wednesday morning, June 27, 2018, in a Las Vegas hospital. His wife, Katherine, was at his bedside, along with some of his children and grandchildren. He was 89. Recent media reports indicated that Mr. Jackson
had been battling pancreatic cancer and was “not doing well.” Mr. Jackson rose to fame as the father and manager of the hugely popular Jackson 5 group out of Gary, Ind., comprised of the Jackson children and their breakout star brother, Michael Jackson. He also managed Janet Jackson early in her career. The death of his son, Michael, by propofolinduced cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009, shook
the Jackson family and the world. The couple also had a son, Brandon, who died on March 13, 1957, a day after his birth. In addition to his wife, Mr. Jackson is survived by the couple’s children, Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Randy and Janet. He also is survived by another daughter, Joh’Vonnie, by Cheryl Terrell.
Richmond Free Press © 2018 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
VOL. 27 NO. 26
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
Pulse of the city Ridership, confusion up as GRTC’s new bus rapid transit line starts By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Mayor Levar M. Stoney calls it “progress” and “one of the most exciting and progressive public transportation projects in Richmond history.” But patient care specialist Yveatrice Burno calls it “a huge inconvenience that has made it more difficult to get to work,” while retiree Kathy Hanes calls it “a big problem that forces me to walk more blocks on my bad knee to catch a bus.” No matter how it is described, the new $65 million Pulse bus rapid transit line, and the huge overhaul in regular bus routes, are now a fact of life for the 20,000 city residents whose connection to jobs, doctors, grocery stores and the rest of Richmond revolve around public transportation. The 7.6-mile, east-west Pulse service and bus route changes in Richmond and Henrico County launched Sunday, and GRTC has reported huge demand the first two days. Rides are free on every line through Saturday, June 30. People like John and Mary Davis, who always take a car, spent part of Sunday trying out the system, a hopeful sign that Pulse could attract new riders. “I told my husband we had heard so much about Pulse, we just had to see it in action,” Mrs. Davis said with a smile. “Not bad. I might leave my car and take this when I have to go Downtown.”
www.richmondfreepress.com
African-American voters were illegally packed into 12 House of Delegate districts in Richmond and Hampton Roads, a panel of federal judges ruled Tuesday. “Overwhelming evidence in this case shows that the state sorted voters into (those) districts based on the color of their skin,” Judge Barbara Milano Keenan of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in the 2-1 majority opinion that struck down Virginia’s 2011 House redistricting plan as unconstitutional. Judge Keenan was joined by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen in ordering the Virginia House to draw new district lines by Oct. 30, a year before the next round of elections for the House and state Senate will take place. The new lines also would be subject to change in the 2021 General Assembly session that will follow the 2020 Census.
June 28-30, 2018
Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Eager passengers board a Pulse bus Sunday at the Rocketts Landing station, the first of 14 stations on the 7.6-mile line that ends at The Shops at Willow Lawn on West Broad Street. Below, passengers on Pulse respond to a boarding passenger’s greeting. GRTC reported that 6,240 people rode the Pulse on June 24, the first day of service. On Monday, Pulse carried 8,669 passengers.
on Monday — far above conservative, pre-service projections of 3,500 riders a day. GRTC expected to use six Pulse buses on opening day but added two more because so many people turned out to test the system. Riders swamped the stations, particularly those in Downtown, said GRTC spokeswoman Carrie Rose Pace. It’s too early to tell whether such demand will continue, but there is some indication Pulse, which replaced the old Broad Street Route 6, will stay busy. Please turn to A4
On Monday, Naomi Graves spent several hours riding the Pulse and connecting buses. “My boss told me to take the day off to make sure I knew how get to work,” the East End resident said. The company reported more than 6,200 people packed the Pulse buses on opening day, with nearly 8,700 people using Pulse
Federal court orders redrawing of state House districts by Oct. 30 By Jeremy M. Lazarus
ee Fr
Fr ee
Jackson family patriarch dies
Eleven of the 12 districts challenged are represented by members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, most of whom ended up voting for the redistricting plan after their protests about the changes Republicans imposed were rebuffed. The illegal districts include five in the Richmond-Petersburg metropolitan area: The 63rd represented by Delegate Lashrecse D. Aird; the 69th represented by Delegate Betsy B. Carr; the 70th represented by Delegate Delores L. McQuinn; the 71st represented by Delegate Jeff M. Bourne; and the 74th represented by Delegate Lamont Bagby. All are Democrats. The dissent came from senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne, who previously led a 2-1 majority that upheld the House redistricting plan and then had that ruling rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. He wrote he would have upheld the plan again. Ironically, Judge Keenan was the dissenting judge the last time.
Marc Elias, a Democratic lawyer representing the voters challenging the districts celebrated the ruling on Twitter, calling it a “big win” for voting rights in the state. The decision is the latest twist in the four-year-old case returned by the U.S. Supreme Court for further review after vacating Judge Payne’s decision. It is not a complete surprise. Federal courts previously overturned state Republican-drawn congressional districts after finding that the Virginia GOP packed African-American voters into the 3rd District that Rep. Robert. C. “Bobby” Scott has long represented to reduce their influence on neighboring districts. The upshot from that legal battle was
Black Business Alliance calls for inclusion in city-supported projects By Jeremy M. Lazarus
A. Hugo “Al” Bowers Sr. is leading a fresh charge to ensure that black-owned businesses gain a significant share of work on construction projects that the city pays for or infuses with taxpayer support. The president and chief executive of the 180-member Black Business Alliance of Virginia he founded several years ago, Mr. Bowers is revving up the effort as Mayor Levar M. Stoney and his staff prepare to promote a $1.3 billion development that would bring a new coliseum, hotel and 2,800 apartments to Downtown. The Free Press reported last week on the development plans spearheaded by Thomas F. “Tom” Farrell, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Dominion Energy, but which have not included a single mention of Mr. Bowers African-American inclusion. “We want to make sure we are not left out of the economic boom that is going on,” Mr. Bowers said. “From now on, we want a seat at the table on every development project to discuss how we are going to included. “For the moment, we’re taking a diplomatic approach,” he said, noting that organization members recently met with P. Lee Downey, the city’s chief development officer, and Pat Foster, director of the city’s Office of Minority Business Development, to discuss inclusion.
Please turn to A4
School funding questions remain as City Charter change takes effect July 1 By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Regina Boone/Richmond Free Press
Reading is magical Shontrae Crowley, 10, reads a book in the “Magic Tree House” series with Heather Montgomery, community service manager at Richmond Public Library’s Broad Rock Branch, during their “Reading Buddies” hour earlier this week. Volunteers and library staff members work with anyone who wants to read with a buddy from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Please turn to A4
“I believe we have six months from July 1 to respond to the charge embedded in the charter change. Rest assured, we will do so. When we have something definitive to say, we will say it.” That was the official administration response to a Free Press query as to how Mayor Mayor Levar M. Stoney would respond to a change to the City Charter regarding school improvement that goes into effect Sunday, July 1. The change was approved by voters in a referendum last November and approved earlier this year by the General Assembly. The change requires the mayor to create a fully funded plan to modernize every city school without raising taxes, or to tell the public why he cannot.
Paul Goldman, a political strategist who spearheaded the drive to change the charter, believes more should be done to carry out the legislation. “This is the first ever Virginia charter law regarding school facilities,” Mr. Goldman said, adding it “has the potential to greatly improve the lives of the city’s students, 90 percent minority and overwhelmingly Stoney living in poverty. “But right now, I’m not sure this historic opportunity, 63 years in the making since the Brown case outlawed government-enforced school segregation and called for improved school facilities, will be seized. I have to be honest, as much as it pains me,” he said. Mr. Goldman said he would be keeping an eye on Please turn to A4