November 13-15 edition by Richmond Free Press

‘Texas Tornado’ goes and goes

Richmond Free Press

VOL. 23 NO. 46

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

President Obama has set yet another precedent with his choice to succeed U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Loretta Lynch, a 55-yearold Greensboro, N.C., native and Harvard educated lawyer, would be the nation’s first African-American female attorney general if confirmed by the U.S. Senate. As the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York since 2010, Ms. Lynch has worked on numerous high-profile cases involving Ms. Lynch police brutality, bank fraud and money laundering. Sources close to the Obama administration said they expected Ms. Lynch would generate little controversy, making for a smooth Senate confirmation process. The Senate twice previously has confirmed her nomination to federal prosecutor jobs, most recently in 2010. But senior Senate Democrats and White House aides said Ms. Lynch’s confirmation likely would be delayed until the new session of Congress starts in January. Her nomination then will rest in the hands of Republicans, who will control the upper chamber as a result of the Nov. 4 elections. Known for her low-key personality, Ms. Lynch has stirred little controversy during two tenures as U.S. attorney. She served in the position under President Bill Clinton from 1999 to 2001, before leaving for private practice. President Obama appointed her to the post once again in 2010. A Republican-majority Senate confirmed her 1999 appointment, while a Democraticmajority Senate confirmed her in 2010. Mr. Holder is the only attorney general to serve under President Obama, holding the job since 2009. He is the first African-American to hold the Please turn to A4

NOVEMBER 13-15, 2014

New boss at VSU

Lynch confirmation delayed until 2015? Free Press staff, wire reports

www.richmondfreepress.com

Dr. Hammond

Hampton provost to take reins By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Coach Michele Drayton enjoys being back with her players and assistant coach Wade Ellegood in the Albert H. Hill Middle School gymnasium Tuesday.

Heartwarming return for Albert Hill coach By Joey Matthews

Coach Michele Drayton walked into the Albert H. Hill Middle School gym for the first time since suffering a stroke last month. The players on her girls’ basketball team excitedly ran over, showering her with hugs. Surrounding her, they applauded and yelled, “Let’s win this one for Coach Drayton!” Putting their hands together in a team huddle, they yelled, “Do it for Coach Drayton! One! Two! Three!” It was a heartwarming homecoming for the longtime Albert Hill hoops coach, who returned to the team Nov. 4. She suffered a stroke Oct. 2 at her North Side home.

“I felt loved and appreciated,” Coach Drayton told the Free Press Wednesday. “It was a special feeling for me to be back and get such a welcome. “It was like coming home,” she added. Parents of the players, along with her Albert Hill colleagues, walked over and welcomed her back with more hugs and well wishes. Although still weak from the stroke, Coach Drayton sat on the gymnasium bench and watched as her assistant, Wade Ellegood, coached Albert Hill to a win over Elkhardt in the Richmond Public Schools middle school playoff opener. “I felt like taking over, but he did a good job,” a happy Coach Drayton said afterward of her anxiety of having to watch,

instead of coach. Albert Hill lost its next game to the team from Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School last Thursday in the playoff semifinals. But the Albert Hill players and Coach Drayton have much to be proud of. The team completed an 11-1 season, which included a 10-0 regular season. Under Coach Drayton, Albert Hill has recorded four consecutive unbeaten regular seasons and won the middle school league championship in 2011, finishing 13-0. Coach Drayton, 46, said she knew something was seriously amiss just prior to suffering the stroke. She had been experiencing a series of headaches and felt

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Young foodie Adilrah Johnson, 8, enjoys fresh-cut fries held by her mother, Shoshana. Mother and daughter tasted their way through Sunday’s GRAZE on Grace, a foodie’s delight. The first-time event featured nearly 30 restaurants and specialty food providers celebrating local and seasonal cuisine — from oysters on the half shell to banana tacos. Location: East Grace Street, between North 4th and North 7th streets.

Montague D. Phipps had big dreams three years ago when he bought a derelict duplex from the City of Petersburg for the rock-bottom price of $5,000. But when his dreams fell apart, he still came out ahead. He recently sold the still-ramshackle building for $50,000 — a far different outcome than he and the Petersburg government envisioned when Mr. Phipps was approved to buy the property in 2011. His case is attracting attention in part because he was able to flip the property for a profit and because of his ties to Petersburg City Councilman W. Howard Myers, who defeated a challenger Nov. 4 to win a second term as the Ward 5 representative.

James Haskins/Richmond Free Press

This is a view of the decaying property Montoya D. Phipps bought from the City of Petersburg for $5,000 and recently sold for $50,000. Location: 530-32 Fleet St., just across the Appomattox River from Virginia State University.

Mr. Phipps, an adjunct design instructor at Virginia State University, also makes his home and operates his interior design

business out of an apartment he leases from Mr. Myers. The apartment is in a five-unit building that Mr. Myers owns and

Pamela V. Hammond is on track to become the first woman to lead Virginia State University in the school’s 132-year history, the Free Press has learned. School sources said Dr. Hammond, the current provost or chief academic officer at Hampton University, has emerged as the board of visitors’ choice to become interim president to replace Dr. Keith T. Miller, who submitted his resignation Oct. 31. The sources said Dr. Hammond is scheduled to meet with the board this Thursday, Nov. 13 — the date the board set for choosing an interim leader for the university in Ettrick. If all goes well, the board is expected to vote approval and introduce her as the choice for interim chief executive during the session, the sources said. The sources said Dr. Hammond is expected to serve while the board conducts a national search for the school’s 14th president. She would be regarded as a potential candidate, sources said, depending on her work as interim. Her start date could not be learned, but it could be soon after Jan. 1. Dr. Miller is to officially leave the post Dec. 31. A former nurse educator, Dr. Hammond will take over a public university grappling with major budget troubles as a result of an enrollment drop of more than 1,000 students. The problems led to cuts in student services and could force faculty and staff layoffs. She will arrive as VSU experiments with a new schedule Please turn to A4

Quarterback sacked by DUI charge By Fred Jeter

where he, too, resides. There is no evidence that Mr. Myers pushed the sale of the property in the 500 block of Fleet Street to Mr. Phipps. Petersburg council records also support Mr. Myers’ assertion that “I had no involvement” in the vote approving the sale. Mr. Myers is listed as abstaining from the otherwise unanimous vote of support for the recommendation from City Manager William Johnson III to sell the Fleet Street property to Mr. Phipps without any strings attached. But even if there was no connection to Mr. Myers, this sale exemplifies the shortcomings of the program whose goal is to rev up development and job creation in a city that

Virginia State University is heading into its biggest game of the season minus a key component — quarterback Tarian Ayres. Mr. Ayres, a 20-year-old sophomore from Dillwyn, has been suspended from playing in the CIAA championship game Saturday against Winston-Salem State University, school officials announced. The school-mandated suspension stems from Mr. Ayres’ arrest Sunday, Nov. 9, on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, underage possession of alcohol and speeding. He was arrested 2:05 a.m. Sunday about 25 miles southeast of Ettrick in Waverly, where he was stopped on U.S. 460. Mr. Ayres was clocked driving 52 mph in a 35 mph zone, and was spotted crossing the highway’s double solid line near Main Street. Waverly Police Officer C.M. Washington said he determined Mr. Ayres was intoxicated after administering sobriety checks, including a breathalyzer test. There were two passengers in Mr. Ayres’ car at the time of the arrest. He is scheduled to appear Nov. 18 in Sussex County General District Court.

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Petersburg man lost dream, but made $45,000 profit Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

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Dr. McCreary mourned

Richmond Free Press

A2 November 13-15, 2014

Local News

Blackwell community to get new senior apartments By Jeremy M. Lazarus

The Blackwell community apparently is nearing the end of its redevelopment — 17 years after the work began. The city’s housing authority announced the end of the revitalization of the South Side community in breaking ground for 18 cottage-style apartments for the elderly last week in the 400 block of East 15th Street. “We are excited about this venture as we finalize the revitalization of the Blackwell community,” Adrienne Goolsby, chief executive officer of Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, announced Slices of life and scenes in Richmond in a statement her agency released about the project. The new project is a $1.85 million development called Blackwell Terrace Senior Cottages, which Ms. Goolsby announced will be built by a black-owned company from Newport News, Fastbreak General Contractors LLC owned by Ray Miles. Ms. Goolsby stated that the new units are to be completed by mid-April, with the first occupants to move in soon after. The apartments will be compliant with federal disability laws, will offer 800 square feet of living space and will be equipped with an array of amenities, from appliances to walk-in showers and porches, she stated. This project, she stated, will cap the HOPE VI effort to transform Blackwell that dates to 1997 during the tenure of Mayor Larry E. Chavis. That’s when RRHA was awarded a nearly $27 million grant from Ms. Goolsby the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to replace the community’s public housing for the poor with mixed-income apartments and homes. The project was touted as a model for reducing the concentration of poverty in a traditionally black neighborhood — similar to current proposals to remake the Creighton Court and Whitcomb Court public housing communities that Mayor Dwight C. Jones and allies on City Council currently are pushing. Hundreds of families were relocated from Blackwell as RRHA tore down 440 publicly owned apartments in a 12-block area of the community. Fewer than half of those families ever returned, according to RRHA. The redevelopment seemed to take forever. More than three years passed before the first apartments, the Townes at River South, were underway, and nearly seven years before a major share of new homes began going up. Despite the slow pace, the HOPE VI development ultimately has resulted in more than 220 new apartments. That does not include 68 units developed on Hull Street by a community development corporation associated with Mayor Jones’ church, First Baptist of South Richmond. RRHA long claimed Imani Mews as part of HOPE VI, but ultimately, it is not. The Hope VI grant also enabled RRHA to fuel the development of dozens of new homes in the Blackwell community and in Church Hill, Fulton and Randolph. Some of the planned 188 single-family residences earmarked for Blackwell remain to be built, though, as evidenced by the still-vacant lots fronting 10th and 11th streets near Stockton Street. Still, RRHA was able to use the HOPE VI money to generate improvements to existing homes and apartments, though dilapidated units along Maury Street show plenty of work remains to be done. Along with new units, the HOPE VI program stimulated additional taxpayer investment to replace the aging Blackwell Elementary School with a modern school building and community recreation center and provide a facelift to and expansion of the old Manchester Courthouse. Overall, HOPE VI resulted in more than $80 million in new investment to Blackwell and became a catalyst for an additional wave of new residential and retail development in nearby areas along Hull Street and Commerce Road and in the Manchester community north of Hull Street.

Cityscape

Free health services for homeless Nov. 20 Free dental care, health checkups, haircuts and vision screenings are among the services that will be offered at the 2014 Project Homeless Connect gathering. The annual community event is designed to provide essential services to homeless people in one setting. It is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20. Location: Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 N. 3rd St. in Downtown. More than 40 service providers are volunteering to provide on-site services. Organizers will match individuals with a volunteer who will assist them with accessing as many services as possible in one day. Other services being offered include mental health interviews, case management, Social Security applications, identification services and shelter and housing assessments. The event is organized by Homeward, the planning and coordinating organization for services for homeless people in the Greater Richmond Region. More than 700 people were assisted at last year’s event, said Erika Schmale, community engagement coordinator for Homeward. The group estimates nearly 1,000 people are homeless in Richmond, living on the streets, in emergency shelters or in transitional housing. Details on the event: (804) 343-2045 or www.homeward va.org. — JOEY MATTHEWS

James Haskins/Richmond Free Press

City Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell speaks glowingly about the 18 senior cottages planned for this site in the 400 block of East 15th Street in Blackwell. Among the dignitaries waiting to don hard hats and ceremoniously break ground are, from left, Richmond development chief Lee Downey, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, RRHA Chairman Samuel Young, RRHA CEO Adrienne Goolsby, Richmond HUD office director Carrie Schmidt and building contractor Ray Miles.

Richmond Free Press

November 13-15, 2014 A3

News

Dance joins Va. Senate By Joey Matthews

Photo courtesy of Sen. Rosalyn R. Dance

Rosalyn R. Dance is sworn in as Virginia’s 16th Senate District representative Sunday by Susan Clarke Schaar, clerk of the Virginia Senate, with family members, close friends and constituents in attendance.

Rosalyn R. Dance of Petersburg was sworn in as the state’s 16th Senate District representative in a ceremony held Sunday in the Senate chambers at the State Capitol. Surrounded by family and friends, Sen. Dance was sworn in at 3 p.m. by Susan Clarke Schaar, clerk of the Virginia Senate. “Doing it on Sunday was all about saying, ‘Thank you, God, for getting me here,’ ” Sen. Dance told the Free Press. She won the position in a special election Nov. 4 to fill the seat vacated by former state Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, who resigned in July shortly before being appointed a commissioner on the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

Brat sworn in

Report finds new photo ID law had little impact on election By Jeremy M. Lazarus

How much impact did Virginia’s new law requiring voters to show a photo ID have on the Nov. 4 election? Far less than critics of the law had predicted. And that also was the case in the close race between Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner and his Republican challenger Edward W. “Ed” Gillespie. Sen. Warner ultimately won by about 17,600 votes of the nearly 2.2 million votes that were cast. According to the state Board of Elections, only 773 voters in Virginia were forced to cast a provisional ballot for lack of a photo ID. Such ballots were trashed if the voter failed to present a valid photo ID to the voter registrar by Nov. 7, or three days after the polls closed. In Richmond, just 28 voters received provisional ballots for failure to show a photo ID, the report shows.

In fact, the report noted that more than 2,800 other Virginians were forced to cast provisional ballots. The reason: They were not listed as registered or their name was not on the voting precinct’s poll book. In all, 3,622 provisional votes were cast statewide, or too few to affect the outcome, the board reported. Indications the voter ID requirement would have little impact could be seen before the election. Local registrar offices across the state created only 1,381 IDs for would-be voters who needed the required form of ID. The state has spent at least $2 million providing cameras and training to staff to make photo IDs. Still, critics of the law noted that just 41 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in last week’s election. Most foes of the ID law expect bigger problems during the presidential election in 2016. Turnout is always at its highest when presidential candidates are on the ballot.

It was a proud moment for Sen. Dance, who will move to her new post from the House of Delegates, where she has served since 2005. She previously was Petersburg’s mayor for 10 years. State Sen. A. Donald McEachin of Henrico County presided over the ceremony. Gov. Terry McAuliffe delivered remarks afterward. Sen. Dance was accompanied by her husband, Nathaniel A. Dance Jr., and about 20 other family members, some of whom had come from California, Illinois and Ohio. Three busloads of her supporters also traveled from Petersburg to attend the ceremony that filled the Senate floor, gallery and overflow rooms. “I wanted them to be with me here to thank them for their support,” Sen. Dance said.

Republican Dave Brat was sworn in as Virginia’s new 7th Congressional District Mr. Brat representative Wednesday night at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The Tea Party-backed legislator shocked the political world with his June primary defeat of then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. He then handily defeated Democrat and fellow RandolphMacon College professor Jack Trammell in the Nov. 4 special and general elections, which ran concurrently, to replace former Rep. Cantor. Rep. Brat stressed the need for congressional term limits during his campaign, and has pledged to serve no more than 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. — CHRISTIAN FINKBEINER

President Obama to award nation’s highest honor to 19 Free Press staff and wire reports

Three civil rights activists whose murders helped push Congress into passing the 1965 Voting Rights Act. A groundbreaking choreographer who creatively brought the African-American experience to modern dance. A legendary blind R&B musician and the pioneering professional golfer who broke through the color barrier in that sport. These are among the 19 American heroes President Obama will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. He will present the medals during a ceremony Monday, Nov. 24, at the White House. Posthumous awards will be made to James Earl “J.E.” Chaney, Andrew Goodman and

Michael H. “Mickey” Schwerner, the three “Freedom Summer” volunteers the Ku Klux Klan killed in Mississippi in 1964 for trying to help African-Americans overcome barriers to register to vote. Their slayings galvanized the nation and aroused support for the landmark federal law that Mr. Ailey was created to protect the rights of African-Americans and other minorities to vote. Dance maestro Alvin Ailey also will be honored posthumously for his influential role in the arts as the founder, dance creator and leader of the internationally renowned Alvin

Heartwarming return Continued from A1

weakness in her right leg. Then she fell to the ground while trying to get out of bed that fateful Sunday in October. She was rushed to the critical care unit at the VCU Medical Center after ambulance medics found her with slurred speech. Doctors determined she had suffered a stroke and had blood clots in her brain and in her legs. They cleared the clots with medicine and blood thinners, Coach Drayton said. The good news is she could still move, walk and talk and never had to use a wheelchair or walker. “They told me the fact that I was an athlete and was in pretty good shape was probably the reason I didn’t suffer more damage,” she said. The doctors attributed the stroke, in part, to the fact that she carries the trait for sickle cell anemia. Even as she was hospitalized, her thoughts were on her team. “The players called me almost every day and came to the hospital,” she said. “That meant a lot to me. “I was concerned for them the whole time I was out — that they were going to class and keeping their grades up,” she added. Coach Drayton has enriched the lives of students from her post for the past 15 years at Albert Hill at 3400 Patterson Ave. in the city’s West End.

She’s hoping doctors soon will OK her return to coaching. When Albert Hill’s season ends, she coaches the girls’ team at nearby Thomas Jefferson High School. It will be her second season at Thomas Jefferson when she starts. Many of her students from Albert Hill go on to play at Thomas Jefferson. She also has coached the Drayton Dream Team Amateur Athletic Union boys’ basketball team for the past two years. Her son, Brian Stamper, who plays at Thomas Jefferson, is a member of her AAU team. Before coming to Albert Hill, she coached the boys’ basketball team at Amelia High School from 1994 to 1998 and was voted into the Coaches Hall of Fame there. She also coached girls’ basketball from 2000 to 2005 at George Wythe High School. A Brooklyn, N.Y., native, Coach Drayton played basketball at Virginia Union University from 1987 through 1991 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education. She is an icon in Richmond coaching circles and has a long history of providing tutelage and discipline to players — many from disadvantaged communities — just beginning their basketballplaying journeys. “She always demanded you play hard. If you lost and gave up, to her that was like, ‘Where is your pride? Where is your killer instinct?’ ” said Camry Green, a former Albert Hill player who now is the starting center on the Christopher Newport University women’s bas-

ketball team. “She demanded excellence on and off the court from her players. “She taught me basketball when I started playing in the sixth grade,” Ms. Green added. “She always stressed the fundamentals to all her players. And she really cared about us as people. She really helped me after my grandmother died my freshman year in high school.” King Salim Khalfani, a former state NAACP executive director who now has a consulting business, kept statistics at Virginia Union University basketball games when Coach Drayton played there as a student. He said he has seen her touch the lives of countless young people on and off the court. “She has had a positive impact on hundreds, if not thousands, of young people already,” Mr. Khalfani said. When news of her stroke circulated, several of her former players stepped up to help. Former Albert Hill players Takiyah Carter and Bianca Cox-Perkinson, former George Wythe player Janee Stephens and Coach Drayton’s son all assisted Coach Ellegood in her absence. She may learn from her neurologist next week if she can return right away to coaching. “I miss it a lot. I really do,” the coach said. “But, I’ve learned to listen to what my body tells me, get more rest and maybe slow down a little bit. I also talk a little more softly than I used to.”

Mr. Sifford

Mr. Wonder

Ailey American Dance Theater. Performing great Stevie Wonder also will be celebrated at the ceremony for his influence on music. A household name, Mr. Wonder, 64, is noted for fusing R&B, rock and other genres into a unique sound. He has won 25 Grammys and an Oscar and been a Kennedy Center honoree, earning induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also receiving a medal will be Charles Sifford, 92, considered the Jackie Robinson of professional golf. Just as Mr. Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, Mr. Sifford did so in

golf in 1952 when he became the first AfricanAmerican player in a PGA tournament. Paving the way for Tiger Woods, he endured death threats and other harassment, and later became the first African-American player inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame. The other medals will go to author Isabel Allende; journalist Tom Brokaw; scientist Mildred Dresselhaus; retired 30-term U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell Jr., D-Mich.; and environmental and social justice activist Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy. Other recipients will include Native American advocate Suzan Harjo; retired five-term U.S. Rep. Abner Mikva, D-Ill., who has been a law professor, federal judge and White House counsel; economist Robert Solow; composer Stephen Sondheim; and actors Meryl Streep and Marlo Thomas, both of whom have advocated for human rights around the world. Two others will be honored posthumously: Former U.S. Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink, DHawaii, who served 12 terms, and former U.S. Rep. Edward Roybal, D-Calif., who served 15 terms and founded the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

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Richmond Free Press

A4 November 13-15, 2014

Obituary/News

Dr. E.D. McCreary Jr., 95, mourned By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Dr. E.D. — for Edward Daniel — McCreary Jr. was known as a “pastor’s pastor.” During a long career in the ministry, he influenced thousands of Richmonders. He also helped mold new generations of ministers as a professor at Virginia Union University’s seminary. Dr. McCreary died Monday, Nov. 10, 2014, at a local hospital. He was 95. His death came two weeks after Mount Carmel Baptist, the East End church he had led for 34 years, honored him while marking its 127th anniversary. At the program, City Councilwoman Cynthia I. Newbille presented him with a council recognition award for his contributions to the ministry and Christian education. Dr. McCreary’s life will be celebrated noon Monday, Nov. 17, at the 1,000-seat St. Peter Baptist Church, 2040 Mountain Road in Henrico County. St. Peter’s pastor, Dr. Kirkland R. Walton, will officiate. The eulogist: Dr. Stephen Greene Howard, current pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist. Dr. McCreary’s wake will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, at St. Peter. Described as a wonderful orator with self-deprecating humor and a kind word for all he met, Dr. McCreary was born in Williamsburg in January 1919. The son and brother of ministers began his career after being licensed to preach at age 20 by his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Charlottesville. Dr. McCreary prepared himself by earning his bachelor’s degree in history from VUU in 1940 and a separate bachelor’s in divinity from Andover Newton Theological School in Massachusetts. He later earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond.

Proud to bear the title of reverend, he pastored four churches before he retired in 1988 after 46 years in the pulpit. He served two years as pastor of Saint John’s Baptist Church in Woburn, Mass., followed by three years at Trinity Baptist Church in Newport News. In 1947, he was called to lead Westwood Baptist Church in Richmond and then moved on to Mount Carmel in Church Hill when the church called Dr. E.D. McCreary Jr. him in 1954, the same year the U.S. Supreme Court struck down separate and unequal segregated public schools in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kan. After retiring, Dr. McCreary would go on to serve as interim pastor of 10 churches, ranging from First Baptist in Hampton to Saint Mark Baptist in Louisa County. Along with preaching, he spent 39 years as a faculty member at Virginia Union University, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and setting high standards for his students. He served for years as chairman of the Department of Philosophy and Religion and the Division of Humanities. He also taught at VUU’s Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology

before he retired in 1984. He continued to influence education in Virginia during his service on the State Council of Higher Education. Dr. McCreary often was called to lecture and present workshops at colleges and universities across the country. He added to his education with post-doctoral studies at the University of Chicago, Union Theological Seminary in New York, Princeton University in New Jersey, as well as schools in England and Germany. He also supported the founding of Richmond Hill ecumenical retreat in Church Hill. He served on the Richmond Commission on Aging and was a board member of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and of the city’s now-defunct Seven Hills Hospital Authority. He also served on the board of Virginia Power. Dr. McCreary also was a former patron of the Fannie Lewis Chapter No. 4 of the Order of Eastern Star, a former trustee of the Independent Order of St. Luke and a former president and chaplain of the Maggie L. Walker Historical Foundation. He also was a former moderator of the Shiloh Baptist Association and a longtime member of the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity. He also was a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and a longtime member of the Prince Hall Masons. Survivors include his wife of 68 years, Dr. Clara Sutton McCreary, a retired VUU math professor. The couple met while both were students and married in 1946. He also is survived by a daughter, Edwina C. Richmond of Henrico County, wife of Dr. Wade Richmond, a minister who mostly recent served as interim pastor of Star Fellowship Baptist Church. The family requests memorial donations be made in Dr. McCreary’s name to Virginia Union University.

Hampton provost to take reins at VSU Continued from A1

that has lengthened regular classes times and purposefully slashed two weeks off the fall and spring semesters. The change provides a longer winter break during which the school, according to spokesman Tom Reed, will offer low-cost courses to enable “students to get ahead.” As best as could be determined, none of the vice presidents serving under Dr. Miller was considered for the interim post, an indication of the board’s lack of confidence in the ability of members of Dr. Miller’s administrative team to turn the school around. According to the sources, board member Terone B. Green put Dr. Hammond’s name forward. Mr. Green is known to have worked with Dr. Hammond in his capacity as director of state development for the Sullivan Alliance, a group that seeks to steer undergraduates at historically black colleges and universities into medical and health careers. Dr. Hammond fits the criteria the board set — significant connections with an HBCU, along with broad and deep experience in management and administration. Dr. Hammond has spent much of her career at Hampton University, a private institution. She rose from teaching nursing students to becoming dean of the School of Nursing to provost, the post she has held since 2009. As provost, she has been responsible for academic policies and educational programs for Hampton’s 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students and 370 faculty members. In that capacity, she has overseen all of Hampton’s academic units, ranging from its seven schools to such elements as the College of Virginia Beach, the Davy Honors College, the College

of Education and Continuing Studies, a leadership institute, the campus library and archives, a technology mall and the Hampton Center for Teaching Excellence. Hampton President William R. Harvey credits Dr. Hammond with increasing faculty applications for research grants, creating a mentorship program for new faculty and guiding development of the university’s computer-based Hampton U Online. As provost, she also has implemented 11 new graduate and undergraduate programs and an associate degree in aviation. Dr. Hammond also chairs the National Institute of Aerospace, a nonprofit research institute based near NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton that seeks to encourage university students to become scientists and engineers. She also serves on a variety of other boards. During her previous tenure as dean of the Hampton School of Nursing, Dr. Hammond helped raise more than $12 million to support and create the first doctoral program in nursing at an HBCU, according to her biography posted on the institution’s website. The biography notes she also boosted enrollment in the school, began new programs for registered nurses and nurse practitioners and began initiatives to boost student retention. Dr. Hammond also served as the administrator for the Hampton University Nursing Center, where she directed health care services for indigent and homeless clients provided in a clinic and from a mobile van. Earlier, she chaired a department and served as an assistant dean and as a research associate in the School of Nursing. Dr. Hammond formerly has been an adjunct faculty member at Norfolk State University and Christopher Newport University in Virginia and Coppin State University in Maryland and served

Quarterback sacked by DUI charge Continued from A1 VSU Coach Latrell Scott announced Mr. Ayres’ suspension from the championship game on Monday, saying only that it was for “violation of team rules.” “Our players understand our expectations and also the consequences for not abiding by these expectations, regardless of the importance of a game,” added Coach Scott. VSU, 8-2 with eight straight wins, plays Tarian Ayres Winston-Salem State on Saturday in Durham, N.C., for the CIAA championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Coach Scott would not say whether Mr. Ayres would be reinstated should VSU reach the NCAA Division II playoffs that begin Nov. 22. In guiding VSU to the Northern Division title, Mr. Ayres passed for 1,827 yards and 14 touchdowns, and ran for another 260 yards and five touchdowns. He had three touchdown passes and rushed 12 times

for 61 yards in VSU clinching the CIAA Northern Division title with a 33-12 win at Virginia Union University on Nov. 8 — a nationally televised game that ended about 4:30 p.m. at Hovey Field. From rural Buckingham County, Mr. Ayres signed with Virginia Military Institute out of high school, but was red-shirted his first year in Lexington. Mr. Ayres transferred last year to VSU, where he served as Justin Thorpe’s backup. He started two games late in the Niko Johnson season when Mr. Thorpe was injured. Mr. Ayres’ likely replacement at Saturday’s game in Durham is 6-foot-1, 190-pound freshman Niko Johnson from Hermitage High School in Henrico County. Mr. Johnson was All-Colonial District and second-team All-Metro in 2012. Mr. Johnson was red-shirted last year. As Mr. Ayres’ backup this season, Mr. Johnson has thrown just three passes, completing two, for 13 yards. The only other quarterback on VSU’s roster is freshman Walter Harold of Virginia Beach, who has not played at all.

as consultant for nursing programs at 10 HBCUs in Virginia and other states. She is a frequent speaker at academic programs and has published research on such topics as health disparities, doctoral education, recruitment and retention of minority students and child abuse and neglect. In 1996, she took a leave of absence from Hampton to serve as the executive director of the National League for Nursing’s Center for Nursing Education and Practice in New York City. She was directly responsible for serving approximately 2,000 schools of nursing, developed and distributed more than 70 standardized examinations and served as a curriculum consultant to educators in the United States, Spain, China, Japan, Africa and Australia. Dr. Hammond earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Tuskegee University. She later earned her master’s in maternalchild health and nursing education from the University of Maryland. She holds a doctorate in urban services and educational leadership from Old Dominion University. She is married to Gary John Hammond. They have two grown children who live in Baltimore, Dr. Jason W. Hammond, an orthopedic surgeon, and Dr. Alexis S. Hammond, a psychiatrist.

Lynch confirmation delayed until 2015? Continued from A1

post. He announced in September that he would resign, but remain in office until his successor is confirmed. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Ms. Lynch would “receive a very fair, but thorough, vetting” by the panel. “I’m hopeful that her tenure, if confirmed, will restore confidence in the attorney general as a politically independent voice for the American people,” Sen. Grassley said. Ms. Lynch earned her undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University. After finishing law school in 1984, she worked in private practice until becoming an assistant U.S. attorney in New York’s Eastern District in 1990. She eventually became a chief assistant U.S. attorney and headed the district’s Brooklyn office. In her first stint in the U.S. attorney’s office, she worked on the prosecution of New York City police officers who were convicted in connection with the torture of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima, an incident that became a national symbol for police brutality. More recently, her office has brought several high-profile cases, including the April indictment of U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., for fraud. Her office has worked closely with the U.S. Justice Department on several significant corporate fraud cases, and helped investigate Citigroup Inc. over shoddy mortgage securities the bank sold that led it to enter into a $7 billion settlement in July.

Petersburg man lost dream, but made $45,000 profit Continued from A1

desperately needs both. Like many communities, Petersburg has acquired tax-delinquent properties and has been willing to sell them cheaply to businesses, individuals and other parties seeking to redevelop them and get them back on the tax rolls. Mr. Phipps sought to take advantage of the program. He saw an opportunity when the city advertised for bids on the crumbling Fleet Street house that the city had owned for eight years. A mortgage company, which took over the ramshackle property in 1994, deeded it to the city in 2003. In making his bid, Mr. Phipps told the city that the property was an ideal location for his interior design business. He shared plans to renovate the building and transform it into a production center for custom furniture, home furnishings and apparel. He also envisioned the new studio as a place to provide hands-on experience for the students in his VSU design classes, with a first-floor display and retail space for unique offerings.

The location seemed perfect, sitting a stone’s throw from the Appomattox River bridge that leads to VSU. His bid and his plans were good enough for City Manager Johnson and, later, for a council eager to get the property off the city’s books. In exchange for the $5,000, Mr. Phipps received ownership of the property. Mr. Phipps’ winning bid garnered more than 530-32 Fleet St., where the building sits. The purchase included a vacant lot at 536-38 Fleet St. Both properties are linked on deeds going back more than 20 years. But the two properties are listed separately on the city’s property tax rolls and are treated as different parcels for tax purposes, with the building now valued at $55,400 and the lot valued at about $27,200. It is unknown whether the council would have sought a higher price if it had understood that Mr. Phipps’ successful bid included two parcels, instead of only one. That has raised eyebrows. So has the fact that no one on the council or the city delved deeply into whether Mr. Phipps had the financial wherewithal to carry out his rehab plan or to

secure the financing. There was no requirement by the city that he first show that he had secured financing before he was given the deed. Also, no deadline was included in the sales contract for Mr. Phipps to start or to complete the work. Another problem was whether zoning would allow the project. Mr. Phipps said that when he bid, neither Mr. Johnson nor the council mentioned that the existing zoning, M2 or heavy manufacturing, bars the use of the property for residential or retail purposes. No one told him, he said, that he would have to go through the expensive and onerous process of getting a special use permit or of having the property rezoned to carry out his plans. In an interview, Mr. Phipps said city officials also failed to mention the building was in a flood plain, which would make its redevelopment far more difficult. He said he quickly ran through his money getting expert advice and cleaning out, boarding and shoring up the decaying building. Then the bank that had indicated an interest

in financing the project backed out, claiming that the work he had done to keep the building from collapsing would bar it from qualifying for historic tax credits. Then he learned that he did not have the right zoning. “It got to be too much,” said Mr. Phipps, who wants to concentrate on design projects. After spending a year trying to make it happen, he quit trying. He said he was delighted when a representative of a development partnership, Hansco-SSI LP, approached him about selling. The partnership has several projects underway nearby, Mr. Phipps said. He said the buyer understood that the purchase included going through the hassle of getting the property rezoned. Mr. Phipps said the sale proceeds enabled him to recoup his expenses and provide funding to buy equipment he needs for his business and for his classes. However, he said he has learned his lesson about trying to buy property from the city, no matter how cheap the price. “There are a lot of invisible strings attached,” he said ruefully.

Richmond Free Press

November 13-15, 2014

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Local News

VUU receives $50,000 from Florida couple 136248_0

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond native Nathaniel N. Green attended the University of Maryland and finished his bachelor’s degree at the University of the District of Columbia. His wife, JoAnn P. Green, is a graduate of Penn State University. So why is this retired Florida couple giving $50,000 to set up a scholarship at Virginia Union University in Richmond? To help a historically black institution and assist future generations of students, Mr. Green stated in creating VUU’s new Nathaniel N. and JoAnn P. Green Fultonian Endowed Scholarship Fund. Mr. Green, who grew up in Richmond’s Fulton neighborhood, said the new fund carries the Fulton name to recognize neighborhood residents who attended VUU, as well as the VUU graduates who taught him in city schools that served Fulton. In Mr. Green’s view, he and others who have done well have a duty to provide financial support to VUU and other historically black colleges and universities. At a time when many HBCUs are struggling, “the only people who are going to save our institutions is us,” the 81-year-old retired headquarters manager with the U.S. Postal Service wrote in a statement he provided to the Free Press. Schools such as VUU “deserve all the support we can give, and I don’t just mean cheering for the football team,” he stated. He hopes the gift will encourage alumni, athletes, entertainers and other successful African-Americans to do their part. “It is the responsibility of the whole African-American community to support these institutions.” Mr. Green stated that the idea for the scholarship fund grew out of a phone call from VUU President Claude G. Perkins thanking “us for a previous donation” of $1,000. “After speaking with him, my wife and I were so impressed with his ideas and dreams for VUU, we decided to take the journey with him in building the bridge to the future for African-American kids.” The income from the fund, he stated, is to be “awarded annually to one or more underprivileged students who are majoring in business and are maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.25.” Mr. Green went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force during

HBCU presidents panel Friday at VUU Virginia Union University will host a panel discussion by presidents of historically black colleges and universities on diversity in higher education and issues challenging HBCUs now and in the future. The event is part of VUU’s 150th anniversary celebration. It is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 14, in the Wilder Library Lecture Hall. It is open to the public. VUU President Claude G. Perkins is to be joined by Benedict College President David Swinton, Bowie State University President Mickey Burnim, Tougaloo College President Beverly Wade Hogan and Dr. Dorothy Yancy, former president of Shaw and Johnson C. Smith universities. The moderator will be David Pluviose, executive editor of “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.” Details on the event: www. vuu.edu.

the Korean War and later completed the executive business program at the Wharton School at the University of

Pennsylvania. Before retiring, he was in charge of bringing new postal facilities into operation.

Mrs. Green retired as an assessment officer in the office of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

JoAnn and Nathaniel Green

COLE SYDNOR WAS LUCKY TO HAVE ONE LIFEGUARD NEAR THE WATER.

AND EVEN MORE WAITING

AT OUR HOSPITAL. It was a warm summer day, so Cole Sydnor decided to cool off in the James River. He dove in – and struck a submerged rock, fracturing his spine and paralyzing him from the chest down. He was rushed to VCU Medical Center, where our teams repaired the damage and saved his life. Today, Cole attends the University of Richmond and educates other young people on safety issues. And while he may not know what his future holds, he’s just grateful he still has one. For more success stories, go to vcuhealth.org

{VCU} “Lifeguard”

Richmond Free Press

November 13-15, 2014

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Richmond Free Press

Flowers stand out from fall leaves in West End

Editorial Page

November 13-15, 2014

Phony tax bills What could justify City Council voting 7-2 to erase $1.75 million in unpaid real estate taxes on two theaters that are under the control of a for-profit company? After all, those who have property — except nonprofits, churches, governments and elderly and disabled people who are exempt — are supposed to pay their fair share of real estate taxes to help finance city operations. But in this case, appearances are deceiving. Richmond CenterStage, aka the Carpenter Theatre, and Altria Theater, aka The Mosque or the Landmark, are owned by us, the taxpayers. It makes no more sense to force these theaters to pay property taxes than it would for property taxes to be levied on City Hall or the Coliseum or the park system. The Richmond Performing Arts Center LLLP (RPAC), the for-profit company that controls the theater properties, is a clever legal creation that benefits the city. On paper, RPAC owns the Carpenter Theatre and leases the Altria Theater. But RPAC was set up only to allow the city to qualify for federal and state historic tax credits that were turned into tens of millions of dollars to pay for a large share of the improvements to the theaters. In all, Richmond has gained at least $50 million from the credits to spend on the two buildings — money the city did not have to borrow and we, city taxpayers, do not have to repay. The for-profit company has been an essential element in getting the credits because the city does not pay federal or state taxes and so cannot use such credits. Of course, the lawyers who created the deals to make the tax credits possible, including the City Attorney’s Office, should have been astute enough to handle the property tax issue when the deals involving RPAC were presented to City Council. Most of City Council understood when the tax bill issue came up last month. That’s why they approved the plan that involved the city cutting a check that RPAC returned to the city to mark the tax bills as paid. Whether we should have municipal theaters can be debated. After all, these theaters do not pay for themselves, given the huge amounts of money that must be spent periodically to renovate and maintain them. The city, meaning us, contributed $25 million in tax dollars to develop Richmond CenterStage and at least $14 million to get the Altria Theater fully renovated. Since 2008, both theaters, together, have generated less than $5 million in taxes from admissions, meals sales and other levies. So feel free to question our elected City Council representatives for agreeing to buy them and make them centers of entertainment. After all, it would have been far better to have the money we, as taxpayers, spent on the theaters invested in improving and upgrading our crumbling public school buildings. But, given the fact our government considers these theaters important to Richmond and its residents, then it would be inane to consider them taxable properties. By law, the tax bills have to be sent, but, in our view, the City Council did the right thing to make the bills disappear.

Opportunity time Make no mistake: With last week’s congressional elections, progressive African-Americans, Latinos, women, members of the LGBT community and other people of conscience will find their voices put on mute by a hard-line conservative, Republican-controlled Congress starting in January. Many of the gains important to these constituent groups and supported by President Obama — affordable health care, job creation, education funding, gay rights, women’s reproductive rights, fair wages — will be under attack by newly emboldened Republican lawmakers intent on dismantling the progress. That brings us to the glimmer of hope on the horizon — an opportunity to be seized only if we are awake. That opportunity is the court-ordered redistricting of Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District. Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, a Democrat and the first African-American elected to Congress from Virginia since 1890, has well represented the district for 22 years now. But when the Republican-controlled General Assembly redrew Virginia’s congressional district boundaries two years ago, it overloaded African-American voters in Rep. Scott’s district. The oddly shaped district stretches from Richmond and Petersburg southeast to Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk and Portsmouth. By packing Rep. Scott’s district with a 56.9 percent AfricanAmerican population, Republicans diluted the influence ofAfricanAmerican voters in the adjacent congressional districts. An example of the deliberate reduction of the influence of African-American voters: The City of Petersburg. With a large African-American population, Petersburg was removed from the adjacent 4th Congressional District and put into Rep. Scott’s district. The 4th Congressional District has been represented by J. Randy Forbes, a Republican, since 2001. The handiwork of his former GOP colleagues in the Virginia General Assembly redrawing the district lines made his seat “safer” with a 60.9 percent white population. On the flip side, Rep. Forbes’ district has a 31.8 percent African-American population. Those numbers can grow — along with the influence of African-American voters in the 2016 election — if Petersburg and other locales with large African-American populations, such as Charles City and Surry counties, are placed in the 4th District. Last month, a federal court panel ruled that the district boundaries be redrawn by April 1 to unpack African-American voters from Rep. Scott’s district. Republicans have appealed the court’s ruling. Let’s not be fooled. The GOP has little interest in advancing our interests. Now is the opportunity for your voice to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court and the Virginia General Assembly on how the lines will be redrawn. Now is the time to choose the right person for us — our candidates who will best reflect our communities in the U.S. House of Representatives and who will best advocate for our interests. If our voices are to be heard, we must get busy. It’s opportunity time.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Anti-black sentiment crept into election results Is there any doubt about the preeminence of the race factor that helped to determine the outcome of the 2014 midterm elections across the United States? I have no doubt. Many of the Democrats who lost their campaigns for Congress and statewide office made no sustained effort to embrace President Obama in their political c a m p a i g n s . In fact, they ran away from their ties to him. Why did Democrats seeking re-election and election to office run from the nation’s first black president, the titular head of the Democratic Party? Why were millions of dollars in campaign contributions spent by Democrats in a manner that disproportionately avoided mobilizing the black grassroots activists and the Black Press? What role did race play in the election. Ironically, the Republican Party paid more attention this year than in the past to attract black American voters. Consequently, black people casting ballots for Republicans increased from 8 percent in 2012 to 10 percent in 2014, according to exit polls. The GOP results were historic: In South Carolina, Tim Scott became the first African-American to be elected to the U.S. Senate from the South since Reconstruc-

tion. Mia Love became the first African-American Republican woman to be elected to the House of Representatives. And in Texas, Will Hurd became the first African-American Republican to be elected to Congress in that state since Reconstruction. Even with those breakthroughs, black people remain

Ben Chavis loyal to President Obama. His favorability among AfricanAmericans is down 9 percentage points to 85 percent, still an impressive accomplishment. Meanwhile, his favorability among white people remains at 34 percent. Congress’favorability is less than half of that African-Americans are not monolithic when it comes to politics. There are AfricanAmericans who are Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Unfortunately there are still too many African-Americans who do not vote. The fact that more than 1million eligible black people did not care to vote in the last election is both a historical and sad contemporary contradiction. Voting for black people is more than a right. It is a moral responsibility and cultural obligation given our long years of struggle and sacrifice to demand and achieve voting rights, freedom, justice and equality. With the American economy continuing to recover and un-

employment slowly declining, President Obama had led the United States out of one of its most difficult economic recessions in history. The global leadership of Obama also is holding steady in comparison to other world super powers. So why were the 2014 elections such a negative reaction against President Obama? I believe that there is an anti-black American sentiment that has infected our politics and our daily lives. The results of the recent elections was the result of fear, anger and racial stereotyping. To put it in a single terminology: Racism was a determinative factor that caused the election results across the nation. Remember racism can be both conscious and unconscious power actions that result in a systematic negative impact on the quality of life of those who face institutionalized and societal racial discrimination and oppression. The good news is 2016 is coming faster than most realize. It will be another crossroads for American politics. The stakes will be even higher. We all should be using the next two years to engage and to increase public awareness of the importance of political and economic empowerment. As you know, 2015 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery March and the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The U.S. Supreme Court has already eroded some of the critically important enforcement

sections of the Voting Rights Act. Thus, our collective vigilance will be once again required. We should work with the members of the Congressional Black Caucus and other progressives on Capitol Hill to ensure that the Voting Rights Act is fully restored by the new right wing Congress. In the wake of the disastrous elections, President Obama did not blink. He stepped right up and proceeded to nominate another “freedom fighter” to be the first African American woman to be the next attorney general of the United States, the gifted, talented and courageous U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch from New York City. Let’s see how the U.S. Senate will respond to Ms. Lynch’s nomination. She was confirmed twice before by the Senate and should be again. Voting rights, racial justice, equal education, environmental justice, healthcare, and economic justice are just a few of the many issues that the new attorney general will have to face. That’s further proof that voting matters. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

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Jordan, James and sneaker money There’s a running debate in basketball that Michael Jordan made winners out of the players around him in Chicago, while LeBron James had to go join other winners in Miami to become a winner. The debate rages on, and the question will not be answered definitively until LeBron hangs up his sneakers. We can agree on the impact that MJ, and now LeBron, have had on the company that was originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports and initially operated as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger (now ASICS). With sales of $26 billion over the last year, Nike has leveraged the Jordan name to become the world’s most famous sports brand. One of every two basketball shoes sold in the U.S. last year carried the Jordan brand. Factor in Nike-branded shoe sales into the mix, and Nike has a near monopoly in basketball with a market share of 92 percent, according to SportsOneSource. Beyond sales of basketball shoes, MJ and King James also drive sales of apparel and other non-basketball shoe items for Nike, according to industry sources. When he entered the NBA in 1984, MJ signed a five-year, $2.5 million contract with Nike. The U.S. Jordan brand now generates more than $1.75 billion globally,

including apparel. The U.S. Jordan brand alone had $2.25 billion in U.S. retail basketball sales in 2013, according to Sports One Source. If you factor in sales of Jordan apparel, the international

Everett L. Glenn Jordan business and sales at Nike stores, the Jordan brand is contributing roughly $3 billion of annual revenue to Nike. Hard to argue with MJ’s decision to sell his name to Nike. While the terms of Jordan’s deal with Nike are a closely guarded secret, royalties generate approximately $75 million annually for MJ according to sources. That’s a lot of cheddar! Nineteen years after MJ’s first deal, King James signed a sevenyear, $90 million endorsement contract out of high school. He re-upped with Nike in 2010 and while terms were not disclosed, Forbes estimates that the deal brings in $20 million annually, including royalties. Not Jordan money, but with his return to Cleveland and a nice rebound in the court of public opinion, I would not be surprised if the new deal that Kevin Durant recently struck with Nike that is reportedly worth up to $300 million does not prompt a late night call from King James. After all, King James’ signature shoe raked in a reported $300 million in revenue per year compared to KD’s $175 million . According to Forbes, MJ’s net worth is about $750 million. According to published reports, King James’net worth has jumped

to $120 million. Between the two of them, MJ and King James are raking in more than $100 million including royalties. Big dough, no doubt, until you do the math. MJ’s $75 million is less than 3 percent of what the Jordan brand contributes to Nike revenue. While LeBron’s $20 million is more on a percentage (of revenue) basis, it still represents about 6 percent of Nike’s take from the sale of King James’ signature sneakers. And exactly what has Nike done to help tap the resolve of the tens of thousands of black boys who don’t make it to the NBA or NFL? What is Nike doing to help close the achievement gap? When I posed the question to a Nike representative the response was “Nike makes shoes and sports apparel, it is not our business to fix society’s problems.” Never mind that the marquee shoes are aimed at black kids from the hood because of their willingness to spend huge amounts of money every time the new, hot shoe hits shelves. An Adidas exec once said that “the day after payday is the biggest sales day in this category.” What has to happen for us to realize our true value? To see the same value in “us” that others see? What amount of destruction and tragedy has to beset us before we change and do things differently? Will we ever learn? Everett L. Glenn, an attorney and former sports agent, was one of the first agents to represent multiple NFL and NBA first-round draft picks in the same year.

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Richmond Free Press

November 13-15, 2014

Letters to the Editor

Post-election posturing by Dems and GOP As to be expected, the Republicans are dancing in the end zone while the Democrats are trying to figure out how to move further right in order to get votes from a white demographic that dislikes President Obama, regardless of how successful the nation’s economic recovery remains. For starters, the Dems needed not to run away from the successes of President Obama. Secondly, when the

Tea Party GOP candidates state that the current economic recovery failed to help the working poor and middle class, the Democrats need only to agree. It only reaffirms that trickle down economics pushed by the far right does not work. Democrats also should remind the GOP that the recovery would have helped poor people if they, the GOP

who seem to all of a sudden care about poor and working people, would have supported President Obama’s jobs bill. Need there be more said? Stuart M. Spears Richmond

Economic incentives must take back seat The City of Richmond has politically framed the issue preventing the passage of the proposed Shockoe Bottom baseball stadium as differences between the wants and desires of the Bottom’s residents. Issues such as noise, traffic congestion and parking concerns have been the articulated positioning grounds. Those for the plan are in favor of the economic benefits that the plan is thought to be able to bring. The fact that the baseball stadium is proposed to be built on top of the largest American slavery heritage site in the United States is the problem with the plan. Shockoe

Bottom is where African men and women were forcefully introduced to their new American homes. Unknown numbers of these people are still buried there. And until the city deals with that issue, there can be no deal. The solution is actually quite simple. Richmond must embrace the problem with the current plan as the strength of a new one. Richmond should fully embrace its own great shame by building a premier national slavery museum in the same vein as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. Richmonders should not allow the city to

Gov. McAuliffe should lead way on climate change With pollution threatening our children, we have a moral obligation to act on climate change. We must work together to transition from dirty fossil fuels to cleaner, renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. The benefits will include more and better jobs, a cleaner and healthier environment and a safer climate for future generations. The Environmental Protection Agency Clean Power Plan offers our state the way to reduce harmful carbon pollution from power plants. More than 12,000 Christians from across our state signed petitions asking the EPA to address carbon and water pollution. They also held prayer and action gatherings making their views known to local governmental leaders. These church folks understand

climate change as a threat to the lives and futures of their children and grandchildren. Caring for God’s creation is a matter of life and Christian discipleship. That’s why hundreds of pastors and church leaders are signing the Joseph Pledge. Based on the Biblical patriarch Joseph’s mandate to prepare Egypt for extreme weather, the Joseph Pledge calls on church leaders to act before it’s too late. Asthma, cancers, autism, birth defects and brain damage have a direct link to the use of fossil fuels and petrochemicals. Even today, according to the American Lung Association, Richmond’s air still flunks and more than 18,000 children live asthma-impeded lives — with climate change making smog worse. The impacts are felt particularly in the AfricanAmerican community.

Churches and individual Christians across Virginia are working together to be part of climate solutions for a better future for Virginia and our children. We urge Gov. Terry McAuliffe to join us and help lead the way to a clean energy future that protects our kids and empowers our future. David Bailey Richmond Alexei Laushkin Falls Church Mr. Bailey, a worship leader and member at East End Fellowship in Richmond, is founder and executive director of Making a Melody. Mr. Laushkin is vice president of the Evangelical Environmental Network.

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frame the issue as a simple redevelopment plan based around economic decision making. We should demand that the city deal with the issue of slavery up front. It is only when the slavery issues are dealt with as the face of any new development plan in Shockoe Bottom that public support should be given and economic incentives discussed. We owe ourselves that much. ERIC POSTOW Richmond

Improved quality of Medicare plans and steady premiums are great news as Open Enrollment begins

By Marilyn Tavenner, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Fall is a wonderful time of year. Changing leaves. Cooler weather. It’s also the season for people with Medicare to review their current Medicare coverage, as Medicare Open Enrollment begins.

As we prepare for Medicare Open Enrollment, which began on October 15 and ends on December 7, Medicare wants everyone to know that quality continues to improve both in Medicare Advantage and in the Part D Prescription Drug Program.

Each year, plan costs and coverage can change. During open enrollment, seniors and people with disabilities across the country have the opportunity to review their current Medicare coverage and see if they want to make any changes for the next year. It’s important for people with Medicare to take the time to make sure their current situation still meets their health care needs best.

To help people choose a plan, Medicare calculates plan “star ratings” for Medicare health and prescription drug plans. Each plan gets a number of stars on a scale of 1 to 5—with 5 being the best—based on quality and performance. These ratings are designed to help people with Medicare, their families, and caregivers compare plans, in addition to information on their premiums and benefits. This year, people with Medicare who choose to enroll in a Medicare health or prescription drug plan will have access to more high-rated, four- and five-star plans than ever before. Approximately 60 percent of Medicare Advantage enrollees are in a Medicare Advantage Plan earning four or more stars in 2015, compared to an estimated 17 percent back in 2009. Likewise, about 53 percent of Part D enrollees are currently enrolled in stand-alone prescription drug plans with four or more stars for 2015, compared to just 16 percent in 2009. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, enrollment in Medicare Advantage will increase to 42 percent to an all-time high of over 16 million and Medicare Advantage premiums will have decreased by 6 percent.

For people with Medicare, this is good news in how they receive care. Plans that are higher rated deliver a high-level of care, such as improving the coordination of care, managing diabetes or other chronic conditions more efficiently, screening for and preventing illnesses, making sure people get much-needed prescription drugs, or getting appointments and care quickly. A high rating also means these plans give better customer service, with fewer complaints or long waits for care. If you have Medicare and need assistance, you can visit Medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), or contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). You should have received the 2015 “Medicare & You” Handbook and important notices from your current plan, Medicare, or Social Security about changes to your coverage. If you’re satisfied with your current coverage, there’s nothing you need to do. Better quality in Medicare health and prescription drug plans isn’t the only good news for people with Medicare. For most seniors who have Original Medicare, the 2015 Part B premium will stay unchanged for a second consecutive year at $104.90. This means more of seniors’ retirement income and any increase in Social Security benefits will stay in their pockets. The Part B deductible will stay the same as well.

Medicare is working hard to make sure this good news continues so that seniors and people with disabilities will continue to get the health care coverage they deserve.

Web Address: McCollumatLaw.com E-mail: rudy@mccollumatlaw.com

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Richmond Free Press

A10 November 13-15, 2014

Sports

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Stories by Fred Jeter

VSU heads to CIAA championship VUU can’t help but play the “What For Virginia State University, arriving If?” game. What if starting quarterback at the CIAA championship football game Ken Graham, an All-CIAA candidate, has been the easy part. hadn’t gone down with a season-ending Next up is the more daunting task: knee injury in week eight? Tangling with their perennial conference Reserve quarterback Dane James tormenter Winston-Salem State Univerplayed admirably during last week’s sity. match, but was unable to cope with That’s like taking a smooth drive to the Trojans’ defense that became Niagara Falls, only to learn when you armore and more voracious during the rive that you must walk a tightrope over the second half. raging waterfalls. Sideline Joe: In his first football TCB: VSU cruised to a second straight season as VUU’s athletic director, Joe Northern Division title Nov. 8 with a 33-12 rout Taylor was a can’t-miss figure on the of Virginia Union University before a national sidelines. TV audience on The CW and 9,556 fans at Interviewed on TV at halftime, Taylor rollicking Hovey Field in Richmond. said that, as AD, “you go from coaching Trojans coach Latrell Scott credited the players to coaching coaches.” victory to a “lights out” defense, paced by If there is a fountain of wisdom at Andrew Faison Jr., and a rushing attack led Hovey Field, it’s Taylor, who has won by battering ram Kavon “Bells” Bellamy, a four CIAA and six MEAC titles. And no-nonsense converted linebacker who rang with 233 career wins, he is fourth allthe bell repeatedly during the game’s second time among HBCU coaches. half. VSU vs. WSSU: Virginia State VSU clubbed seven CIAA victims by an and Winston-Salem State haven’t met average of 25 points per game to punch the since 2005 due to an imbalanced CIAA ticket to Durham. schedule and the Rams’ five-year flirtaMercilessly, VSU’s last three victories were tion with MEAC. by 136-26. Scott’s two-year VSU record is 17James Haskins/Richmond Free Press The CIAA match last year between 3, including 14-0 against CIAA foes, none of VSU and WSSU was canceled after a which is called the Rams, however. Virginia State University receiver player altercation at an awards banquet Pogo, the philosopher: The comic strip Jaivon Smallwood plows ahead as the day before the game. character is famous for saying, “We have met Virginia Union University defenders VSU’s Lamont Britt, a backup running the enemy and he is us.” attempt to corral him during the That said, Virginia Union unveiled an ideal Trojans’ 33-12 rout of the Panthers last back, later pleaded guilty to simple assault in a Winston-Salem courtroom and is no game plan for beating itself, suffering four Saturday at Hovey Field. longer part of the Trojans program. interceptions, losing two fumbles, missing WSSU’s Rudy Johnson, who suffered facial injuries in the both extra points and punting for a puny 21-yard average. Though the season ended poorly for first-year coach Mark James, restroom fight, is alternating as quarterback this year with transfer VUU finished 7-3, reversing last year’s 3-7, and there is talent Phillip Sims. In the Rams’ closing 17-7 victory over Fayetteville State aplenty returning to the Lombardy Street institution in 2015.

High schools Conference 26, 3A East

Last week’s results Clover Hill 14, Huguenot 12 James River 55, George Wythe 6 Prince George 20, Hopewell 14 Deep Run 24, John Marshall 7 Mills Godwin 41, Thomas Jefferson 14 Petersburg 26, Colonial Heights 20 Henrico 53, Armstrong 28

Games Friday, Nov. 14 Region 3A East Playoffs Huguenot (1-9) at Lafayette/Williamsburg (10-0) Petersburg (4-6) at Kettle Run/Nokesville (6-4) Hopewell (4-6) at Skyline/Front Royal (7-3) York (6-4) at Armstrong (6-4) at 7 p.m. at the Armstrong High Stadium on Cool Lane. Tickets are $7. Gates open 5:30 p.m.

University, Johnson left the game with an ankle injury and did not return. Ram tough: WSSU has gone undefeated in the CIAA for four straight years after returning to the CIAA conference from MEAC. In 2012, the Rams advanced to the NCAA Division II playoff finals — by far the best-ever showing in the division by a CIAA team or HBCU. Longtime assistant Kienus Boulware became WSSU head coach this year when Connell Maynor left the Rams to become Hampton University’s coach. The stakes: The winner Saturday advances to a 24-team Division II playoffs, starting Nov. 22 at campus sites. WSSU might advance with a loss as a wild card team. VSU also could make the field with a loss, but its chances would be smaller. In the latest NCAA Division II poll, WSSU is fourth and VSU is seventh. The Rams have been to the NCAAs for the last three years. VSU has never made the postseason field despite winning the CIAA championship in 1995 and 1996 under coach Lou Anderson. It has been jokingly rumored that the CIAA might change its initials to NCIAA, with NC standing for “North Carolina.” Carolina schools have won the CIAA title every year since 2001, when Virginia Union University prevailed under coach Willard Bailey. Tickets: General admission seats can be reserved at TheCIAA. com or calling (757) 865-0071. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 and $35 at the box office. Durham County Memorial Stadium, located at 750 Stadium Drive in Durham, N.C., is an 8,500-seat facility used mostly by high schools. It also serves as the home field for the Shaw University Bears. CIAA championships were played at Durham County Memorial Stadium from 2008 through 2012.

Standings

Northern Division Virginia State Bowie State Virginia Union Elizabeth City State Chowan Lincoln

Division 5-0 4-1 3-2 2-3 1-4 0-5

CIAA 7-0 5-1 5-2 3-4 1-6 0-7

Overall 8-2 5-5 7-3 4-6 2-8 1-9

Nov. 15: CIAA championship game, Virginia State University vs. Winston-Salem State University, 1 p.m., Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, N.C. The game will be televised locally on The CW network and broadcast on radio station WVST-FM, 91.3

Coach Blow hopes Coach Sheals faces to take VSU all the way great VUU expectations of the New Jersey Institute of TechVirginia State University’s last nology, averaged 11.3 points a year CIAA basketball title was 27 years ago while leading the squad in assists and nine coaches ago. and steals. That said, the Trojans are due for Savage is a star-quality transfer some good fortune as well as some from Delaware who is capable of a long overdue stability. breakout year after battling injuries Second-year coach Lonnie Blow his first season in Ettrick. hopes this is the winter long-ailing Additional help has arrived from a fans have been waiting for on the north traditional area — high school recruiting banks of the Appomattox River. — and from a non-traditional source, There is cause for optimism, starting Coach Blow archrival Virginia Union University. with Blow’s proven track record. First, the freshmen: 6-foot-3 Troy Locke was The Tidewater native won the State AAA high school title at Granby High in Norfolk in a first-team, Group 4A All-Stater for I.C. Norcom 2000 and posted a 62-27 mark at St. Augustine’s, High in Portsmouth, while 6-foot Tyler Peterson was 6A All-State at Tallwood High in Virginia Beach. featured by the 2010 CIAA title. When Tony Sheals arrived He has coached as an as VUU’s coach last spring, assistant at Division I Old Nov. 14-15: Trojans’ Tipoff Tournament, he did not retain many of the Dominion, Hampton and Daniel Gymnasium, Ettrick underclassmen. Norfolk State universities. Nov. 14: Virginia State vs. Becoming free agents, of Given little chance to reConcord, W.Va., 8 p.m. sorts, three-point shooter Ken cruit following the surprising Nov. 15: Virginia State vs. Pankey and 6-foot-9 banger exit by Darryl Jacobs in the U.Va.-Wise, 6 p.m. Te’Quan Alers made the short spring of 2013, Blow’s first transfer down I-95 to VSU. edition of Trojans hoops was Both could play essential roles in blue and 14-13 (7-8 in CIAA) in the 2013-14 season. This season, he has stocked up on firepower orange. VSU has won only two CIAA titles — in to complement such gifted holdovers as 6-foot-1 Lamar Kearse, 6-foot-5 Larry Savage, and Elijah 1947 under Harry Jefferson and in 1988 under Harold Deane. Moore and Tyrese Little, both 6-foot-8. Since Deane, VSU’s revolving door of coaches The man in the middle will be Alphonso Leary, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Howard University, who has included Tyrone Hart, Ralph Traynham, Bob garnered preseason All-CIAA honors before ever Booker, John Hill, Anthony Collins, George White, Gene Thompson, Jacobs and now Blow. playing a CIAA game. During that stretch, there have been no addiLeary, a three-year starter at Howard, actually enrolled at VSU last season but was not granted tions to the university’s trophy case. Since the Trojans’ last crowning, 10 different NCAA eligibility until now. The long-stemmed Leary has a chance to be schools have won a CIAA title, including two by the Trojans’ most intimidating inside defender Hampton and Norfolk State that are no longer in the conference. Showing it can be done, longtime since Avis Wyatt in 2007. On the debit side, forward Kevin Wiggins, doormat Livingstone College won its first-ever the team’s top rebounder last year, has left the crown last winter. With no clear favorite, VSU seems capable program with one year of eligibility remaining to enter graduate school at The College of Wil- of at least making a run — a long overdue run, to be sure — at top prize during the final week liam & Mary. Floor leader Kearse, from Syracuse by way of February in Charlotte, N.C.

aged 15.8 points last season, hit 54 Virginia Union University’s long percent from the field and got to the basketball history is filled with greatfoul line a team-best 220 times. ness. Its immediate future is brimming The smooth 6-foot-3 Anderson, with questions. directed to VUU by former NCAA DiviThe Panthers hope to recapture sion II Player of the Year A.J. English, lost glory this season with new coach, averaged 14.9 points and is the team’s journeyman Tony Sheals, a dozen new lone preseason All-CIAA pick. players and not much respect from the Only Jirmnson and Anderson were CIAA it long dominated. retained from the previous roster. The In the preseason coach’s vote, other 12 on the roster are all Sheals’ VUU was picked fourth of six in the Coach Sheals imports. Northern Division. Newcomers include 6-foot-6 Cedric Happi Sheals is VUU’s third coach since Collegiate Hall of Famer Dave Robbins retired with 713 Noube, from the west African nation of Camerwins, 14 CIAA crowns and three NCAA Division oon, and 6-foot freshman guard Robert Valentine, II championships (1980, 1992 and 2005) between from nearby Armstrong High. VUU’s recruiting class also 1978 and 2008. features Karo Adjekughele Sheals succeeds Luqman Nov. 15-16: from New Rochelle, N.Y., Jaaber (a 31-49 record from V i r g i n i a Union University and 7-foot-1 Robel Hurui 2011 to 2014) who succeeded opens the basketball season from Lanham, Md. Willard Coker (55-25 from at the Earl Lloyd Classic. The Four have Florida ties: 2008 to 2011). Panthers will play host school 6-foot Reggie Smalls, 6-footA native Floridian with a West Virginia State 5 p.m. Nov. 4 Deonte Moore, 6-foot-4 lengthy resume, Sheals differs 15 and then Notre Dame of D’Andre Bullard and 6-foot-9 from Coker and Jaaber in Ohio 1 p.m. Nov. 16. Colton Lewis. that he is a Lombardy Street Home opener: Few have as diversified a “outsider.” 7 p.m. Nov. 19 coaching transcript as Sheals, Coker was a standout on against Alderson-Broaddus, W.Va., at Barco-Stevens Hall. who will try and piece together VUU’s 1980 NCAA champithis jigsaw puzzle of a team. onship team and is a longtime You name it, Sheals has Robbins aide. Jaaber was coached it: Florida high schools and junior colleges, ringleader of the 2005 NCAA kingpins. VUU is coming off a disastrous 2013-14 cam- HBCU Division I’s (Delaware State, Florida A&M, paign that produced a scant six victories — the Bethune-Cookman), mid-majors Division I’s (Towleast since 1936 — and most losses — 20 — in son) and big-time ACC (Miami, Florida State). Most recently, he worked the sidelines at CIAA program annals. The Panthers lost their last six outings under rival St. Augustine’s. Sheals’ Falcons were 13-16 Jaaber; were a woeful 1-8 at Barco-Stevens Hall, and, coincidentally, 75-71 losers in VUU’s lone where they had been well-nigh invincible previ- home victory of the season. VUU’s legacy of producing championship ously; and dropped their first game in the CIAA teams and NBA talent (Mike Davis, Charles tourney for the fifth straight winter. Sheals will try and regain traction with just two Oakley, Terry Davis, Ben Wallace, etc.) is a source returnees — senior point guard Avery Jirmnson and of great pride, but also a ponderous burden of skysophomore wing Ray Anderson, the 2014 CIAA high expectations for a new coach to carry. Tony Sheals has broad shoulders. He’ll need Rookie of the Year out of Wilmington, Del. The slashing, dribble-driving Jirmnson aver- them.

November 13-15, 2014 B1

Section

Richmond Free Press

Happenings

Club 44 Annual Charity & Scholarship Pre-Thanksgiving

Personality: Jordan R. Pearson Spotlight on young playwright who helps others

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Usher Board, Sixth Summer Camp and at election polls. Hero: My parents and my grandmother, Grace Randolph. Hobbies: Acting, public speaking and technology. My career dream: To become an actor. If I could have one wish, it would be: For the play to be a life-changing experience for everyone who comes out and sees it. What I’m reading now: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “The Hunger Games” trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Next goal: Hopefully, this play will be a success and it will lead to many more opportunities in my life.



Birthdate and place: May 22, Chesterfield County. Current place of residence: Chesterfield County. Family: Anjanette “Angie” Pearson, mom; Derrick Sutton, stepdad; Michael Jr., Devani, Pearre; Michael Pearson Sr., dad; Denise Layton, stepmom; Latrelle, Raymond. Extracurricular activities: Improv Team, Former JJROTC Color Guard and purple belt in karate. How I came up with play idea: Actually it was my Dad’s idea about writing a play and incorporating basketball, specifically the basketball camps that his organization hosts every summer. I stayed up all night and God gave me a vision, and “Choices” was created. How I learned to write a play: I don’t have any training on writing plays. I love to perform. When we decided to do a play, I prayed and God gave me the vision. I like plays because: Plays

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What: The new play “Choices,” a Thanksgiving benefit. Where: Henrico Theatre, 305 E. Nine Mile Road, Highland Springs. When: 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22. (Doors open at 4 p.m.) Cost: $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Details and tickets: Michael Pearson Sr., (804) 4054472; Anjanette Pearson, (804) 382-0772; or Jordan Pearson, (804) 938-6320.

to complete the play and get it ready for an audience. Along with producing the show, Jordan is playing the lead. He also recruited the seven other actors. Family support has been crucial in booking the theater, developing programs and selling tickets. His uncle, Bobby Pearson, and family friend, Richard Franklin, also have pitched in to build the sets and handle the lighting and sound. “It’s a big undertaking,” Jordan says. A close-up of this week’s Personality, Jordan R. Pearson:

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always teach a lesson. Playwright I most admire: Tyler Perry because he always gives a message in his productions and that’s what I desire to do. Age of cast members: From elementary school age to adults. Reason for choosing Henrico Theatre: It’s a beautiful, historical theater. Role youths should play in community: I want to encourage all youths — that you can do anything you set your mind to do if you work hard and follow your dreams. Volunteer roles with other organizations: Friends Helping Friends, Sixth Baptist Church

Saturday, November 22, 2014 10:00pm – 2:00am

True or false: You have to be a grown-up to make a difference. That’s false, says 14-year-old Jordan Randolph Pearson. This poised youth with an easy smile and big personality is out to demonstrate how much a young person can do. Jordan is seeking to benefit others by staging a play he wrote, “Choices,” at the Henrico Theatre in Highland Springs. He plans to use proceeds from ticket sales to cover the cost of providing dinners the day before Thanksgiving to 300 to 400 people struggling with homelessness and mental disabilities. The dinner is to be held at his church, Sixth Baptist in the city’s West End. “I love helping people,” the freshman at Meadowbrook High School in Chesterfield County says in explaining why he is doing the project. He credits his father, Michael R. Pearson Sr., with inspiring him. Along with owning two group homes for adults and a bail bonding business, his father also assists others through his nonprofit, Friends Helping Friends. For the past eight years, Mr. Pearson has used FHF to put on summer basketball camps for underprivileged children, provide holiday meals for needy families and raise money for other people-helping causes. The dinner Jordan’s play is helping to pay for is a project of Friends Helping Friends. “I’ve been involved with the group for years, and I wanted to do my part,” Jordan says. He says he got the idea for the play after he and his father attended a program at the theater. During the event, he says his father turned to him and said, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could do something here?” After he got home, Jordan says he stayed up all night and came up with the idea of a play focusing on the challenges and choices a teenager faces. He set the play in Richmond in 1962, during the era of segregation. He says the message he wants to send is that “making the right choice is always right.” This is his first play. He says faith and his experience acting in church and school productions since he was 6 and his current participation in his school’s Improv Team, an entertainment group, enabled him

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B2 November 13-15, 2014

Richmond Free Press

Happenings

Two viewpoints: ‘Dear White People’

It made her look inward

It gave him a reminder

As black folk, who are we and where do we fit in? What face do we put on in our neighborhoods, at school and at work? The movie, “Dear White People,” though all over the place, made this point for me most clearly. Are we star athletes, janitors, scientists, movie stars, thieves, drug dealers, presidents or engineers? Are we all of those things — good and bad, ugly and beautiful? The movie was an open letter to all people portraying every stereotype and unfortunate reality imaginable. It was a melting pot of America’s twisted interpretation of free speech — from a radio show overtly challenging racism to a campus Halloween party with white students dressed in black face, wearing gold chains and waving guns and money. Ms. Hill (Just in case moviegoers think these parties were made up for the film’s plot, the credits include news clips about these parties at college campuses all over the United States.) “Dear White People” made me take a really hard look in the mirror as a black person. And, honestly, I had to turn away after only a few minutes. With so many thoughts swirling in my head, I hurried home to have a glass of wine at the pub in the predominantly white neighborhood where I live. (The irony here is that I live a few blocks from where my parents grew up when the neighborhood was predominantly black and Richmond was segregated.) One of the most revealing parts of the movie was when the female lead’s radio broadcast began, “Dear White People,” and instead of continuing with her regular, heart-jabbing racially ignited statement, she paused and said, “Never mind.” I would have changed the script to, “Dear White People, we’ll get back with you after we talk among ourselves.” After my second glass of wine and a second look in the mirror, I believe her statement should have been, “Dear Black People.”

White people, including myself at times, don’t like to be reminded that our ancestors were involved in the cruel and inhumane system of slavery and its tragic effect, racism. The movie “Dear White People” is an edgy attempt to satirically portray some of the racial divides that still exist between white people and African-Americans, nearly 150 years after the end of the Civil War. Watching the movie with a small, but racially integrated audience, I felt unmoved for most of the film. On a race consciousness-raising meter, 10 being the highest, I’d give it a 3. The film is nowhere near as riveting as the probing movies “Crash” or “American History X.” Only in the final 20 minutes of “Dear White People” did I finally get a bit of what I had Mr. Matthews hoped for — deep emotional reactions, in the form of AfricanAmerican students saying “Enough!” in response to a racist party thrown by white students on a college campus. It saddened me to think that the young actors’ portrayals are accurate depictions of some of the still racist views and stereotypes held by young people of all ethnicities on campuses and in communities across the nation. It made me angry that the white students and white college president were so ignorant and uncaring to the feelings and dignity of the black students and black dean of the college and could subject them to such dehumanizing treatment. I found the character development in “Dear White People” plodding and kept waiting and hoping to be drawn into the film. The movie reminded me it is even more imperative that we all reach across the racial divide to one other, acknowledge and discuss any racial barriers that separate us and work diligently to mend them.

By Robin Hill

By Joey Matthews

4 young men to be presented in Beautillion After eight months of community service projects, workshops on topics such as finance and classes on etiquette, four young men will be celebrated at a black-tie event this weekend. The 20th Annual Beautillion sponsored by Professionals Reaching Out to the Community Foundation Inc. of the Richmond area (PROC) will be 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The Beautillion celebrates excellence in academics, the arts, community and church involvement with the goal of advancing the community. The theme for the formal affair honoring high school juniors

and seniors is “Shaping the Future through Leadership.” Brenda J. Foster, PROC spokeswoman, announced the four young men who will be presented. They are: • Jaylaan Darius Bell-Colley, a junior at the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School and the son of Mr. Byrle Colley and Ms. Jessie Bell; • Jordan Christopher Collins, a junior at Glen Allen High School and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Collins; • Alan Maurice Dabney Jr., a junior at Hanover High School and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alan Dabney Sr.; and • Shaun Eugene Rustin, a junior at Lee-Davis High School and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Rustin Jr.

Mr. Bell-Colley

Mr. Collins

Mr. Dabney

Mr. Rustin

Previous Beautillion participants and Beautillion kings are expected to attend to celebrate the foundation’s milestone event. Details on the Beautillion: (804) 740-6162 or www. procfoundation.org.

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“We found lower co-pays.”

“I found a plan that works better for me.”

WHAT WILL YOU FIND DURING MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT? You’ll never know unless you go. Compare your current plan to new options. See if you can lower some costs or find a plan that better suits your needs. Many people do. Even if you like your current plan, check to see if the costs or coverage are changing at medicare.gov. Or call 1-800-MEDICARE for help.

Medicare Open Enrollment Oct. 15 - Dec.7 CMS_OE_2014_Ad_11_5x11_v1.indd 1

WWW.MEDICARE.GOV 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) 10/24/14 10:50 AM

Richmond Free Press

November 13-15, 2014

Curious by design. “Where else can you find this much outdoor life in the middle of a thriving urban culture? I want to figure out how to leverage both. We’re pairing students from graphic design and environmental studies in a new info graphics course. Knowing how to make data talk to people, figuring out how to tell one message and tell it well — that’s what we’re after.” – Daniel McGarvey, Ph.D. VCU Life Sciences

More moments at makeitreal.vcu.edu an equal opportunity/affirmative action university

Richmond Free Press

B4 November 13-15, 2014

Happenings

Afrikana film festival in Richmond The Afrikana Independent Film Festival is presenting the award-winning documentary “Finding Fela” next weekend at the Byrd Theatre in Carytown. The film, by Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney, tells the story of famed Nigerian saxophonist and freedom fighter Fela Kuti. The showing will be 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23. An after-party will follow at the New York Deli, next to the movie theater on Cary Street. Mr. Kuti is praised throughout the world as the father of Afrobeat, a fusion of funk, jazz and traditional West African rhythm that helped put him and the tumultuous political climate of Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s on the world map.

The film also goes behind the scenes of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Fela!” The Richmond-based Afrikana Film Festival showcases cinematic works of filmmakers throughout the African diaspora, a release about the event states. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Ms. Wiliiams Separately, the Afrikana festival’s Noir Cinema Series continues Thursday, Nov. 20, with a screening of the short film “Contamination.” The film by Petersburg High School and University of Virginia

graduate R. Shanea Williams will be shown 7 p.m. at Candela Books + Gallery, 214 W. Broad St. It tells the story of a woman imprisoned in her home, wrestling with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder brought on by paralyzing germ phobia. Ms. Williams was a Virginia Governor’s Screenplay Finalist in 2001. She earned a master’s in fine arts in screenwriting from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2008, and is a former floor director at Richmond’s CBS television news affiliate. The screening of her film is open to the public, with a suggested $5 donation. Details on both events: (804) 349-2798 or www. afrikanafilmfestival.org.

ABWA hosts evening of music The Cavalier Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association is hosting an evening of music. The theme: “There’s a Message in the Music.” The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, according to a release from the ABWA announcing the event. It will feature vocal, dance and instrumental presentations at Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church, 1408 W. Leigh St. Narration will accompany performances by the Black Awakening Choir of Virginia Commonwealth University, the City Dance Theatre and John Lester & Company jazz band. All proceeds will benefit educational scholarships and opportunities for girls and women, according to organizers. Tickets are $10 and are available at EventBrite.com. Free parking is available onsite. The ABWA seeks to bring together women of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for personal and professional growth through leadership, education, networking support and national recognition, according to its website. Details on the event: Gwen Douglas, (804) 756-6077.

Transforming history’s home

Paulette Singleton/Richmond Free Press

Supporters of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia symbolize the Nov. 6 ceremonial start of work on the museum’s new Jackson Ward home. The 109-year-old, castle-shaped Leigh Street Armory, located in the 100 block of West Leigh Street, is undergoing an $8 million transformation to become a visitor-friendly space housing the history of Virginia’s African-American residents. The original structure was built by the city in 1895 for black militia units. Expected opening: December 2015, according to the museum’s CEO, Stacy Burrs.

Hampton alumna’s spicy taste buds win $1M By Joey Matthews

Hampton University graduate Meneko Spigner McBeth looks forward to going grocery shopping in coming days. Her award-winning Lay’s Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger potato chips soon will line the aisles. Mrs. McBeth, who graduated from Hampton in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, won

the Frito-Lay “Do Us A Flavor” $1 million contest last month. She will receive $1 million or 1 percent of the flavor’s net sales through July 15, 2015, whichever is greater in value. “I was really in shock because I wasn’t expecting to win,” Mrs. McBeth, who lives in Deptford, N.J., about 20 miles outside Philadelphia, told the Free Press.

You’re invited Join Virginia Commonwealth University and the East Marshall Street Well Planning Committee for an open house and ceremony. Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014 5-7:30 p.m. Remarks at 5:30 p.m. Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building Courtyard 1217 E. Marshall St. Richmond, Virginia 23298 Valet parking available

About the project The work of the East Marshall Street Well Project is to implement a community dialogue about human remains from the 19th century discovered near East Marshall Street and seeks community input. For more information about the project, visit EMSW.vcu.edu. VCU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action university.

She said Frito-Lay officials plan to use the winnings to cover said her chips would become a the costs of future college and regular product and her name wedding expenses for their three would be on the back of the daughters — Ingenue, 8, Ilania, package. 4, and Ileigh, 2. She said she expects the “I might treat myself to some potato chips to be in stores in kind of sports car,” she added. early 2015. Finalists were selected from naMrs. McBeth, a Temple tionwide voting by consumers. University Hospital medical Mrs. McBeth submitted her surgical nurse, was named the entry last winter; voting took place winner during a dinner Oct. July 20 through Oct. 18. 20 in New York City. Her “I saw the contest last year entry beat three other finalists’ after it was in the voting stages. flavors: Cheddar Bacon Mac I saw some commercials about and Cheese, Wavy Mango Salsa it and said if they have it next and Cappuccino. Mrs. McBeth’s year, I’m going to enter.” flavor suggestion, along with Entrants chose three “ingredithose of the other finalists, ents” and sent a note about their were selected from more than inspiration. Mrs. McBeth chose 14 million submissions. wasabi, ginger and soy sauce. Mrs. McBeth said Hampton “Wasabi is almost like a JapaUniversity officials sent her a Meneko Spigner McBeth nese horseradish,” she said. congratulatory note. She also shows off the package for “They were the kind of flavors her prize-winning wasabi has heard from numerous alumni ginger potato chips. I enjoy that I thought might go and friends. well on a salty snack.” “They’re very excited,” she said of her Mrs. McBeth credits her grandmother, Sayoko Hampton University fans. “They’ve been very Wilson, with introducing her to sushi and traditional supportive, especially during the voting pro- Japanese cuisine at an early age and influencing cess — getting behind me, rallying behind their the chip idea. HBCU graduate.” “I think it’s an amazing taste,” she said. “It’s She said she and her husband, Christopher, not like any chip out there.”

6 people to be honored for community service It’s being called “A Blessed and Glorious Missionary and Pre-Thanksgiving Celebration.” It’s the fourth annual food drive and community recognition event being organized by the Richmond group Missions for Today, Tomorrow and Forever. And it is being held this Saturday, Nov. 15, at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 2900 Hanes Ave., on North Side. The event will be from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., according to Evangelist Angelyn R. Williams, who heads the group. Attendees are asked to bring non-perishable food items to be distributed to needy families living in the East End. The guest speaker is Lafonde Williams-McGee, lay exhorter of the Chattanooga District and member of Thompkin Metropolitan AME Zion Church in Chattanooga, Tenn. Dr. Virgie M. Binford, a retired Richmond educator and community activist, will lead the worship service. Eugene A. Sledge Jr. will preside. Richmond organist Harold S. Lilly Sr. and pianist

Hugo Van Jackson will be guest musicians. Those being honored for community service will be: • The Rev. Willie Woodson, pastor emeritus at First United Presbyterian Church on North Side and executive director of the nonprofit Heart Enchanters Ministries; • The Rev. Nathan Dell, a professor of theology at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University and pastor emeritus of Woodville Presbyterian Church in the East End; • Cheryl Burke, a retired administrator with Richmond Public Schools; • William Kearney, manager of the Kroger store at 901 N. Lombardy St.; • Beverly Mitchell, a librarian at the Richmond Public Library’s Main branch in Downtown; and • Myrtle Spurlock, a retired Richmond Public Schools teacher. The event is open to the public. A reception will follow. Details: (804) 228-8243.

Interfaith panel discussion Sunday St. Philip’s Episcopal Church is hosting an interfaith panel discussion noon Sunday, Nov. 16. The panel discussion will be held at the church at 2900 Hanes Ave., the church’s rector, the Rev. Phoebe Roaf, has announced. She will join other panel members Rabbi Ben Romer, the former rabbi at Congregation Or Ami and currently adviser to a new Chesterfield County Jewish ministry known as Bonay Kodesh, and Imam Ammar Amonette

of the Islamic Center of Virginia. “All of us count Abraham as our ancestor and we will discuss why our faith matters to us and our understanding of God,” Rev. Roaf said. Emily Cobb, the director of multifaith initiatives in the Office of Chaplaincy at the University of Richmond, will moderate the panel. A community lunch will follow. The event is open to the public. Details: (804) 321-1266.

Richmond Free Press

November 13-15, 2014

Faith News/Directory

3 area churches up for sale, auction block By Jeremy M. Lazarus

The Richmond Christian Center’s 5-acre property on South Side is going on the auction block. The prominent church at 214 Cowardin Ave. is one of several sanctuaries that are on the market, including the former home of Second Baptist Church of South Richmond a few blocks away and Sharon Baptist Church in Jackson Ward. Richmond-based Motley’s Auction is handling the sale of the RCC, a former car dealership that has been the church’s home for more than 25 years. Along with the main building, the property includes adjacent parking areas and a gym. The auction company plans to hold the auction via computer. Bids will be accepted beginning

Thursday, Nov. 13; the auction will close Thursday, Nov. 20. Those who want to bid in person can do so at the property after 2:30 p.m. Nov. 20, according to the auction company’s website. The website does not list a minimum bid. The sale is a major comedown for the church that Stephen A. Parson, 65, founded 31 years ago in his living room with his family and a few supporters and has led ever since. The church, which later ballooned to several thousand members, has been heavily involved in community improvement. With RCC’s support, members launched a now-defunct employment center that helped hundreds of people find jobs during its 10 years in operation. The church also helped launch

the South Side Community Development and Housing Corp., which, among other efforts, developed new homes near the sanctuary. The church also opened an affiliate in Brazil. But times change, and membership has fallen steadily during the past 10 years. The church filed for bankruptcy a year ago after a lender sought to foreclose. The auction is a culmination of the lender’s efforts to gain repayment of the more than $2 million that is still outstanding on the debt. Separately, Second Baptist, which relocated to Broad Rock Road a few years ago, is seeking a buyer for its former home at 105 E. Pilkington St. Motley’s also is serving as the sales agent on the property, which is listed for $400,000.

Meanwhile, Sharon Baptist’s steeple-topped home at 22 E. Leigh St. remains for sale, according to a commercial property sales firm, Cushman & Wakefield/Thalhimer, though the pastor and members are keeping mum. The historic property has been available for more than a year. Sharon Baptist, founded in 1888, built the church at the corner of 1st and Leigh streets in 1890 and has occupied it ever since. Three adjacent parcels are included in the offering. There is no minimum bid on the online listing. The pastor, the Rev. Paul Allen Coles, and members have issued a collective “no comment” concerning the church’s future at the current site.

Foundation eyeing former Catholic school for apartments projects, Mr. Salomonsky agreed at the time to transfer ownership after 15 years to the foundation as the majority owner and to other limited partners. “That happened,” Dr. Davis said. Until recently, he said, much of the foundation’s work has gone into ensuring the former school buildings are properly maintained and managed. He said demand for the apartments remains strong. “We have waiting lists,” Dr. Davis he said. That’s a big reason the foundation now is looking to take on a new project, he said. With more baby boomers entering retirement, there will be more demand for such units, he said. The school used to be part of nearby St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, 2712 2nd Ave., a predominantly black parish where U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine has been a member. The school operated from 1951 to 1982 before closing, according to the church’s history.

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

An abandoned Catholic school on North Side is being targeted for a projected $10 million transformation into 92 affordable apartments for the elderly and disabled. Dr. Victor L. Davis, longtime pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Church Hill, is leading the effort to provide a new use for the former St. Elizabeth School. Location: The 1000 block of Fourqurean Lane near the grounds of the city’s Hotchkiss Recreation Center. Dr. Davis is taking on the project in his capacity as president of the Canaan Housing Foundation, whose mission, he said, “is to provide housing for the elderly.” The foundation, a nonprofit outgrowth of Bethlehem Baptist, dates to 1995. The foundation began as a limited partner in the redevelopment of the Bowler and Bacon Elementary schools in Church Hill. Developer H. Louis Salomonsky transformed the former schools into apartments for seniors, with 65 units in one and 67 units in the other. As part of using federal low income tax credits in the school Mission Statement: People of God developing Disciples for Jesus Christ through Preaching and Teaching of God’s Holy Word reaching the people of the Church and the Community.

New Deliverance Evangelistic Church

53rd

“The Church With A Welcome”

Sharon Baptist Church

The property was sold, but in the decades since, little has happened to the building that has become a decaying eyesore. The building currently is listed as owned by Chestnut Commons LLC. Picking up from a previous attempt to turn the building into apartments, Dr. Davis said the foundation is applying for a special use permit to convert the building into apartments. The proposal calls for fixing up the old school and adding more space in a two-phase approach. The project, which also would involve the purchase of a piece of adjacent land still owned by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, is still in the early stages. At a meeting Saturday held by the area’s representative, City Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson, neighbors of the building raised concerns about the traffic the project might generate on the residential street. Dr. Davis said the foundation will be working to satisfy the city and area residents. He said the foundation also plans to apply for low income tax credits to help with financing. “We still have a ways to go,” he said.

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

A nnuAl

Scholarship Gala

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

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Wednesdays Thursdays Prayer/Praise Service 8:00 a.m. ...... Morning Worship Bible Study 9:30 a.m. ...... Church School 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 11:15 a.m. ........Morning Worship Bible Study - 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.

and an A fternoon of

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

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

“Working For You In This Difficult Hour”

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

Wednesday Services

Featuring our own And C oMpAny

M ArshA M eekins

Joseph Jenkins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc.

Sunday, November 16, 2014 4:00 pm

2011-2049 Grayland Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23220 (804) 358-9177

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

Joseph Jenkins, Jr., Founder (Dec. 19, 1938 - Dec. 9, 2006) Joseph Jenkins, III. • Jason K. Jenkins • Maxine T. Jenkins

Moore Street Missionary

Baptist Church

1408 W. Leigh Street • 358-6403

Dr. Alonza Lawrence Pastor

Sundays

Early Morning Worship 8:00 A.M. Church School 9:30 A.M. Morning Worship 11:00 A.M.

Tuesdays

Bible Study 12 noon

Wednesdays

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

1127 North 28th Street Richmond, VA 23223 Reverend Dr. Sylvester T. Smith, Pastor

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.

Unity Sundays (2nd Sundays) Church School 8:30 A.M. Morning Worship 10 A.M. Thursdays: Mid-Day Bible Study 12 Noon Prayer & Praise 6:30 P.M. Bible Study 7 P.M. (Children/Youth/Adults) 2040 Mountain Road • Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 Office 804-262-0230 • Fax 804-262-4651 • www.stpeterbaptist.net

Wilson & Associates’ Funeral Service, Inc.

Monthly Obituary Column • October 2014

Brian V. Wilson Owner

Thank you to the following bereaved families for allowing us to serve you during the month of October 2014. You are still in our prayers and thoughts. View full obituaries online at www.wilsonafs.com 10/1/2014 Katrina L. Whiter 10/1/2014 Cassandra E. Bullock 10/1/2014 Ruby M. Ferrell 10/3/2014 Brenda Whitaker 10/3/2014 Earnest E. Johnson 10/4/2014 Hanna R. Muhammad J 10/7/2014 Clyde H. Roberts Jr. 10/7/2014 Julius A. Davis 10/7/2014 Andrew "Billy" Spell 10/7/2014 Sallie W. Rhames 10/8/2014 Tameka Pickett-Samuels 10/9/2014 Lillie Mae Ruffin-Lucas 10/13/2014 Mary C. Battle

10/16/2014 10/17/2014 10/18/2014 10/18/2014 10/22/2014 10/22/2014 10/23/2014 10/24/2014 10/26/2014 10/26/2014 10/29/2014 10/29/2014

Lonnie R. Taylor Baby Harmony A. Cater Leona F. Stein Larry D. Simms Ruth D. Harris Cohen J. Robinson Russell A. Willis Lena R. Cotman Robert L. Hargrove Jr. Robert G. Morton Clyde Roberts Natayzia N. Nash

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

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

Saturday

8:30 a.m. Intercessory Prayer

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

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Hebrew 12:14 (KJV) Tune in on Sunday Morning to WTVR - Channel 6 - 8:30 a.m. Sunday TV Broadcast WTVZ 9 a.m. Norfolk/Tidewater Thursday & Friday Radio Broadcast WREJ 1540 AM Radio - 8:15 a.m.- 8:30 a.m.

THE NEW DELIVERANCE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (NDCA)

ENROLL NOW!!! Accepting applications for children 2 yrs. old to 3rd Grade Our NDCA curriculum also consists of a Before and After program. Now Enrolling for our Nursery Ages 6 weeks - 2yrs. old. For more information Please call (804) 276-4433 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm

Richmond Free Press

B6 November 13-15, 2014

Faith News/Directory

Jackson Ward church hosts social justice weekend The senior pastor at the Atlanta church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was baptized and later co-pastored with his father is scheduled to speak as part of “Social Justice Weekend” activities Saturday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 16, at a Jackson Ward church. The Rev. Raphael G. Warnock of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church is scheduled to kick off events 9 a.m. Saturday at Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, 14 W. Duval St. His talk will be followed by the Rev. Reginald W. Williams Jr., pastor of First Baptist Church, University Park, Ill. Richmond native Kemba Smith, who has crusaded against mandatory minimum sentences for first-time, nonviolent drug

Variety show to benefit new sanctuary Stirring songs, dramatic spoken word, good-natured comedy, power-packed dramatic presentations and worshipful dance are all part of the 4th Annual Faith and Family Church Variety Show. The event is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Scottish Rite Temple, 4204 Hermitage Road, the church has announced. The show is titled “Cultural Collage,” according to Raymond Cottman, who produces the event and is music minister at Chesterfield County-based Faith and Family. Proceeds will go to the church’s building fund for a

new sanctuary. Tickets to the show are $20 and can be purchased at www. ffc 2014varietyshow.eventbrite. com. Details: (804) 276-3269 or www.faithandfamilychurch.org.

Mount Olive Baptist Church Rev. Darryl G. Thompson,

Riverview 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

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

 Sundays

8:00 a.m. Early Morning Worship 9:30 a.m. Church School 11:00 a.m. Morning Worship

2003 Lamb Avenue Dr. Arthur M. Jones, Sr., Pastor (804) 321-7622 Church School - 9:30 a.m. Worship Service - 11:15 a.m. Bible Study: Tuesday - 9 a.m. Wednesday - 7 p.m.

Communion - 1st Sunday

Sunday

Church School 9:45AM Worship 11:00AM

Tuesday

Bible Study 12 Noon

Wednesday Youth & Adult Bible Study 7:00PM Prayer & Praise 8:15PM

Van Transportation Available, Call 804-794-5583

Rev. Pernell J. Johnson, Pastor

Sixth Baptist Church Theme for 2014: Becoming a Five-Star Church of Excellence We Are Growing In The Kingdom As We Grow The Kingdom with Word, Worship and Witness

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

Sunday, November 16, 2014 New Order Of Service For Sixth Weeks:

Teach | Praise | Preach

10:30 A.M. - Congregational Teaching: Book : I Am A Church Member By Thom S. Rainer Teacher: Trustee Donald Owens

Wednesdays

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

Praise: Choirs And Congregation Sermon #6 Message by Pastor

 8775 Mount Olive Ave.,

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

Baptist Church

Service Times

Noon Day Bible Study

Glen Allen, Va. 23060 (804) 262-9614 Phone (804) 262-2397 Fax www.mobcva.org

Triumphant

Prayer Services: Wednesday (1st & 3rd ) 7 a.m. Every Wednesday 8 p.m.

13800 Westfield Dr., Midlothian,VA 23113 804-794-5583 • www.firstbaptistchurch1846.com

Pastor

The Year of Increase

11:00 AM Mid-day Meditation

ex-inmates and for reform of mandatory minimum sentencing. A panel discussion will follow her address. On Sunday, Rev. Warnock is scheduled to preach at the 10:45 a.m. worship service at Sixth Mount Zion. Details on the event: (804) 648-7511 or www.smzbc.org.

FirstM iBaptist Church dlothian

2014 Theme:

Tuesdays

Baptist Church

offenders, will speak following lunch. Her sentence was commuted by President Bill Clinton in 2000 after serving more than six years of a 24½-year sentence on a federal crime related to crack cocaine possession while she was a student at Hampton University. She is now an advocate for the restoration of rights for

I Will Treasure Church Membership As A Gift

12:30 - Depart To Serve Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor Twitter sixthbaptistrva

400 South Addison Street, Richmond, Va. 23220

(near Byrd Park)

Facebook sixthbaptistrva

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

Ebenezer Baptist Church 1858

“The People’s Church”

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



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

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

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

Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.

Come Join Us!

Mission for Today, ToMorrow and forever Cordially invites you to attend its

nual Fo o d Drive 4th Anand program entitled “A Blessed and Glorious Missionary and Pre-Thanksgiving Celebration”

Reverend Dr. Lester D. Frye Pastor and Founder

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

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

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

Saturday, November 15, 2014

from 2:30pm to 5:30pm St. Philip’s Episcopal Church (Parish Hall) 2900 Hanes Ave, Richmond, VA 23222 The Very Reverend Phoebe A. Roaf, Rector

Guest Speaker:

Mrs. LaFonde Williams–McGee

Lay Exhorter of the Chattanooga District Member of Thompkin Metropolitan AME Zion Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Worship Leader: Dr. Virgie M. Binford Presiding: Mr. Eugene A. Sledge, Jr. Guest Musicians: The Amazing and Extraordinaire Dr. Harold S. Lilly, Sr. Mr. Hugo Van Jackson

Honorees Mrs. Cheryl L. Burke • Reverend Nathan Dell Mr. William R. Kearney • Mrs. Beverly Mitchell Deacon Myrtle L. Spurlock • Reverend Dr. Willie Woodson Various Humanitarian, Community Service and Leadership awards presented. For more information contact Chairperson Evangelist Angelyn R. Williams at (804) 228-8243 Reception immediately following this celebration.

* Please bring (1) non-perishable food item.* All proceeds will assist with food insecurities in the East End communities.

Thirty-first Street Baptist Church

everence e with elevanc R ing Dr. Morris Henderson, Senior Pastor bin m o ❖ C SUNDAYS Church School 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship 10:30 a.m. ❖

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

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

Richmond Free Press

November 13-15, 2014

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL Public Notice Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, December 8, 2014 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. 2014-228 To amend Ord. No. 201461-98, adopted May 27, 2014, to amend the Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2014-2015 by increasing revenues from planned borrowings and the amount appropriated to a new Stone Brewing project in the Economic and Community Development category by $23,000,000 for the purpose of making an appropriation to the Economic Development Authority for the Authority to develop and manage a building to house the operations of KoochenVagner’s Brewing Co., d/b/a Stone Brewing Co., in the city. Ordinance No. 2014-229 As Amended To amend ch. 2, art. IV, div. 4 of the City Code by adding therein a new section 2-334, concerning employee compensation and [an annual] a biennial review thereof, for the purpose of establishing a goal of the City that its employees be compensated at a rate comparable to the rate of compensation for employees in the public sector of the Richmond, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area in similar occupations. Ordinance No. 2014-230 To repeal City Code § 14-13, concerning the relation of applications for certain permits to the City’s Master Plan, for the purpose of reflecting amendments to Va. Code § 15.2-1901. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 3:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2014-231 To amend Ord. No. 201462-99, adopted May 27, 2014, which adopted a General Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2014-2015 and made appropriations pursuant thereto, to transfer $65,000 from the Department of Economic and Community Development agency and to appropriate $65,000 to a new line item in the NonDepartmental agency for an appropriation to the Economic Development Authority of the City of Richmond so that the Authority may make a grant to Wyeth LLC to facilitate the retention of the Wyeth LLC facility located at 1211 Sherwood Avenue. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, November 20, 2014, 3:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2014-232 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Wyeth LLC Cooperation Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Economic Development Authority of the City of Richmond for the purpose of providing for an economic development grant to facilitate the retention of the Wyeth LLC facility located at 1211 Sherwood Avenue. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, November 20, 2014, 3:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2014-233 To authorize the issuance of general obligation public improvement bonds of the City of Richmond in the maximum principal amount of $23,000,000 to finance the cost of school projects and general capital improvement projects of the City for the following purposes and uses: construction, reconstruction, improvements and equipment for public schools; construction, reconstruction, improvement and equipment for various infrastructure needs, including traffic control facilities, streets, sidewalks and other public ways, bridges, storm sewers, drains and culverts, and refuse disposal facilities; participation in redevelopment, conservation and community development programs, including the construction, reconstruction, improvement and equipment for targeted public facilities included in these programs; construction, reconstruction, improvements and equipment for public institutional, operational, cultural, educational and entertainment buildings and facilities, including but not limited to the theaters, parks, playgrounds, cemeteries, libraries and museums; acquisition of real property therefore as appropriate; and the making of appropriations to the City’s Economic Development Authority (“EDA”) to be used by the EDA to finance capital expenditures or to make loans or grants to finance capital expenditures for the purposes of promoting economic development; and authorizes the Director of Finance, with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City, to sell such bonds for such capital improvement Continued on next column

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projects, to provide for the form, details and payment of such bonds and to authorize the issuance of notes of the City in anticipation of the issuance of such bonds, and to authorize the issuance of taxable bonds, for the same purposes and uses, in the same maximum principal amount and payable over the same period as such general obligation public improvement bonds. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, November 20, 2014, 3:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2014-234 To amend and reordain ch. 2, art. V of the City Code by adding therein a new div. 3.2 (§§ 2-920—2923) for the purpose of establishing a Maggie L. Walker Initiative Citizens Advisory Board. (COMMITTEE: Governmental Operations, Thursday, November 20, 2014, 4:00 p.m., 2nd Floor Large Conference Room) Ordinance No. 2014-238 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept funds in the amount of $500 from AARP, Inc. and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 2014-2015 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Office of the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services by $500 for the purpose of providing funds for the City’s Neighbor-To-Neighbor service projects. Ordinance No. 2014-239 To provide for the granting by the City of Richmond to the person, firm or corporation to be ascertained in the manner prescribed by law, of the lease, franchise, right and privilege to use certain property located at 100 Virginia Street for parking in accordance with a certain Parking Lease. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 3:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2014-240 To name an unnamed east-west alley located in the block bounded by South Shields Avenue, West Main Street, South Rowland Street and West Cary Street as “Sidewalk Alley.” (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 3:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2014-241 To amend City Code §§ 102-244 and 102-302, concerning the duties of the cashier in the parking violations section and parking permits, respectively, for the purpose of transferring certain functions from the Department of Finance to the Department of Public Works. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, November 20, 2014, 3:00 p.m., Council Chamber) Ordinance No. 2014-244 To amend art. III, § 3 of the pay plan adopted by Ord. No. 93-117-159 on May 24, 1993, as previously amended, for the purpose of awarding a one-time bonus for Fiscal Year 2014-2015 to Police and Fire employees who would be eligible for advancement pursuant to a Career Development Plan if such advancement pursuant to this section was not suspended. (COMMITTEE: Organizational Development, Monday, December 1, 2014, 5:00 p.m., 2nd Floor Large Conference Room) Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at www.Richmondgov. com and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Jean V. Capel City Clerk

CUSTODY Order of Publication Commonwealth of Virginia RICHMOND Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Jamar R. Cephas Jr. and Kymon J. Cephas The object of this suit is to: Terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) of Jamar R. Cephas, Sr. (Father) and Tiffany Sharday Hill (Mother) of Jamar R.Cephas Jr., child, DOB 3/22/2002 and Kymon J. Cephas, child, DOB 4/26/2006, “RPR” means all rights and responsibilities remaining with parent after transfer of legal custody or guardianship of the person, including but not limited to rights of: visitation; adoption consent; determination of religious affiliation; and responsibility for support. It is ORDERED that the defendant Jamar R. Cephas Sr. and Tiffany Sharday Hill, appear at the above-named Court and protect his/ her interest on or before December 18, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. Sarah M. Denham, Esq. 730 E. Broad St., 8th FloorRichmond, Virginia 23219 646-3493

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER LUDWIN DONADO SALAZAR, Plaintiff v. MIREYA HERNANDEZ OLIVARES, Defendant. Case No.: CL14002440-00 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 19th day of December, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. and protect her interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER LAWANDA BOOKER, Plaintiff v. JUAN BOOKER, Defendant. Case No.: CL14001124-00 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 19th day of December, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER JUAN LOGAN, Plaintiff v. CONTESSIA LOGAN, Defendant. Case No.: CL14-2300 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 12th day of December, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER HELEN GAINES, Plaintiff v. GREGORY CRUTCHFIELD, Defendant. Case No.: CL14002259-00 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 5th day of December, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER NATALIE CLARK-MAWYER, Plaintiff v. MICHAEL MAWYER, Defendant. Case No.: CL14002385-00 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 12th day of December, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005

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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 5th day of December, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. and protect his interests. A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Dorothy M. Eure Counsel for Plaintiff VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005

a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated March 14, 2007, with respect to said property, recorded March 15, 2007, in Instrument Number 07-8910, or their successor/s in title, DAVID F. KATZ, SHELLY A. KATZ, SHERRIE BECKER, PATRICK BECKER, TIMOTHY M. KEILTY a/k/a TIMOTHY M. KEILTY, SR., COLBY KEILTY, GREG WOOLWINE, HOPE WOOLWINE, RICHARD KRIDER, THEODORE SELLMAN, Who May Be Deceased, and the Heirs, Devisees, Assignees or Successors in Interest of THEODORE SELLMAN, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before DECEMBER 12, 2014, 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

Commonwealth of Virginia , who may be the holder of a $100,000.00 Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated August 23, 2004, with respect to said property, recorded September 24, 2004, in Instrument Number 04-032032, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, have not filed a response to this action; that WALTER L. HOOKER, P.C., A Terminated Virginia Corporation, As Trustee, Instr. No. 04-032032, Trustee of a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated August 23, 2004, with respect to said property, recorded September 24, 2004, in Instrument Number 04-032032, or its successor/s in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that WALTER L. HOOKER, As Former Director and Trustee in Liquidation, who is not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, or his successor/s in title, have not filed a response to this action; that GEORGE DUMIGAN, who is not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, has not filed a response to this action; that THE MULLIAN FAMILY-TWO, LLC, A Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company, As to $24,500.00 Interest, which may be the holder/s of a $24,500.00 Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated August 21, 2006, with respect to said property, recorded August 21, 2006, in Instrument Number 06-28893, or said holder’s heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that MIRIAM G. MULLIAN, Who May Be Deceased, As Former Member and Trustee in Liquidation, or her Successor/s in Interest, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that ALAN KATZ, LYNN KATZ, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Agent for BERNICE SCHWARTZ, GREG WOOLWINE, HOPE W O O LW I N E , S H E R R I E BECKER, PATRICK BECKER, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Trustee for the JAY SCHWARTZ TRUST U/A 11/6/1992, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Trustee for the EDWARD J. BECKER MARITAL TRUST, who may be creditors with an interest in said property, have not been personally located and have not filed a response to this action; that THEODORE SELLMAN, Who May Be Deceased, and the Heirs, Devisees, Assignees or Successors in Interest of THEODORE SELLMAN, who may be creditor/s with an interest in said property, have not been located and have not filed a response to this matter; that DAVID F. KATZ and SHELLY A. KATZ, who may be creditors with an interest in said property, who are not residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia, have not filed a response to this matter; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

Theo Jones, Plaintiff, v. Raymond Jones, et al, Defendants. Case No. 760CL14004337-1 Order of Publication To: Sheena Jones Lopez, 4220 Fairview Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21220 Karen Jones, 4220 Fairview Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21220 Milton Jones, III, 4220 Fairview Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21220 Unknown Heirs of Milton Jones, a/k/a Milton Jones, Sr., Parties Unknown The object of this suit is to quiet title in and establish title in the plaintiff to 103 West 21st Street, Richmond, Virginia 23224, which was conveyed to Milton Jones and Mary M. Jones by deed from Willie H. Clary and J. W. Clary, her husband, dated May 2, 1904, and recorded March 30, 1907 in the Clerk’s Office of the Corporation Court of the City of Manchester, Virginia, in Deed Book 29, at page 207. An affidavit having been

made and signed that Sheena Jones Lopez, Karen Jones and Milton Jones, III, are nonresidents of the State of Virginia and that their last known post office addresses are as indicated above, and that there may be unknown heirs of Milton Jones, a/k/a Milton Jones, Sr., whose names and post office addresses are unknown. It is hereby ORDERED, that each of said parties appear on or before December 10, 2014, and do whatever is necessary to protect their interest in 103 West 21st Street, Richmond, Virginia 23224. An Extract, Teste: Edward F. Jewett, Clerk

PROPERTY VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. PREMIER INVESTMENT PROPERTIES, L.L.C., a Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company, et al., Defendants. Case No.: CL12-3573-1 AMENDED ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as “1208 North 33rd Street”, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map/GPIN# E000-0802/007, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, Premier Investment Properties, L.L.C., a Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, PREMIER INVESTMENT PROPERTIES, L.L.C., a Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that JACK GRAYBEAL and CAROLE GRAYBEAL, who may be the holders of a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated March 14, 2007, with respect to said property, recorded March 15, 2007, in Instrument Number 07-8910, who are not residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia, or their heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, whose names are unknown, have not filed a response to this action; that OLD DOMINION FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC., A Terminated Virginia Corporation, which may be the holder of a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated March 14, 2007, with respect to said property, recorded March 15, 2007, in Instrument Number 078910, or its heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that GEORGE DUMIGAN, who may be the holder of a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated March 14, 2007, with respect to said property, recorded March 15, 2007, in Instrument Number 07-8910, who is not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, whose names are unknown, have not filed a response to this action; that LEE SILVER, TRUSTEE and REBECCA SILVER, TRUSTEE, who may be the holders of a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated March 14, 2007, with respect to said property, recorded March 15, 2007, in Instrument Number 07-8910, have not been personally located and have not filed a response to this action, or their successor/s in title; that DAVID F. KATZ and SHELLY A. KATZ, who may be creditors with an interest in said property, are not residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and have not filed a response to this action; that SHERRIE BECKER, PATRICK BECKER, TIMOTHY M. KEILTY a/k/a TIMOTHY M. KEILTY, SR., COLBY KEILTY, GREG WOOLWINE, HOPE WOOLWINE and RICHARD KRIDER, who may be creditors with an interest in said property, have not been personally located and have not filed a response to this action; that THEODORE SELLMAN, Who May Be Deceased, and the Heirs, Devisees, Assignees or Successors in Interest of THEODORE SELLMAN, who may be creditor/s with an interest in said property, have not been located and have not filed a response to this 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.”

VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ELLEN TAYLOR, Plaintiff v. LLOYD CURRIE, Defendant. Case No.: CL14002260-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit

IT IS ORDERED that PREMIER INVESTMENT PROPERTIES, L.L.C., a Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company, JACK GRAYBEAL and CAROLE GRAYBEAL, who may be the holders of a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated March 14, 2007, with respect to said property, recorded March 15, 2007, in Instrument Number 07-8910, or their heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, OLD DOMINION FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC., A Terminated Virginia Corporation, which may be the holder of a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated March 14, 2007, with respect to said property, recorded March 15, 2007, in Instrument Number 07-8910, or its heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, GEORGE DUMIGAN, who may be the holder of a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated March 14, 2007, with respect to said property, recorded March 15, 2007, in Instrument Number 07-8910, or his heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, LEE SILVER, TRUSTEE and REBECCA SILVER, TRUSTEE, who may be the holders of

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v. WILBERT J. BELLAMY, SR., Who May Be Deceased, and THE HEIRS, DEVISEES, ASSIGNEES OR SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST OF WILBERT J. BELLAMY, SR., et al., Defendants. Case No.: CL13-4240-1 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as “3102 2nd Avenue”, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map/GPIN# N000-0991/015, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, WILBERT J. BELLAMY, SR., who may be deceased. An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, WILBERT J. BELLAMY, SR., who may be deceased, and the heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest of WILBERT J. BELLAMY, SR., have not been located and have not filed a response to this action; that BEVERLY PATTERSON a/k/a BEVERLY ROSE BELLAMY-PATTERSON a/k/a BEVERLY ROSE BELLAMY, SHARON SHEPARD a/k/a SHARON DANITA BELLAMY SHEPARD p/k/a SHARON DANITA BELLAMY, and VALERIE HASH a/k/a VALERIE KIM HASH a/k/a VALERIE KIM BELLAMYBROWN p/k/a VALERIE KIM BELLAMY, who may have an ownership interest in said property, have not been personally located and have not filed a response to this action; that A. PETER BRODELL, Trustee of a certain Note secured by a Deed of Trust dated March 27, 1996, with respect to said property, recorded March 28, 1996, in Instrument No. 96-0067, or his successor/s in title, have not been personally located and have not filed a response to this action; that DONALD C. BURRIESCI, who may be a creditor with an interest in said property, 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 WILBERT J. BELLAMY, SR., who may be deceased, and the heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in interest of WILBERT J. BELLAMY, SR., BEVERLY PATTERSON a/k/a BEVERLY ROSE BELLAMY-PATTERSON a/k/a BEVERLY ROSE BELLAMY, SHARON SHEPARD a/k/a SHARON DANITA BELLAMY SHEPARD p/k/a SHARON DANITA BELLAMY, VALERIE HASH a/k/a VALERIE KIM HASH a/k/a VALERIE KIM BELLAMY-BROWN p/k/a VALERIE KIM BELLAMY, A. PETER BRODELL, Trustee of a certain Note secured by a Deed of Trust dated March 27, 1996, with respect to said property, recorded March 28, 1996, in Instrument No. 96-0067, or his successor/s in title, DONALD C. BURRIESCI, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before DECEMBER 12, 2014, 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. CLAYTON INVESTMENT GROUP, L.L.C., A Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company, et al., Defendants. Case No.: CL13-5087-1 ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as “1308 North 21st Street”, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map/GPIN# E000-0614/008, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, CLAYTON INVESTMENT GROUP, L. L. C., An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, CLAYTON INVESTMENT GROUP, L. L. C., A Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company, has not been located and has not filed a response to this action; that LEAH DUMIGAN, As to $100,000.00 Interest, who is not a resident of the Continued on next column

IT IS ORDERED that CLAYTON INVESTMENT GROUP, L. L. C., A Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company, LEAH DUMIGAN, As to $100,000.00 Interest, who is not a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, who may be the holder of a $100,000.00 Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated August 23, 2004, with respect to said property, recorded September 24, 2004, in Instrument Number 04-032032, or her heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, WALTER L. HOOKER, P.C., A Terminated Virginia Corporation, As Trustee, Instr. No. 04-032032, Trustee of a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated August 23, 2004, with respect to said property, recorded September 24, 2004, in Instrument Number 04032032, or its successor/s in title, WALTER L. HOOKER, As Former Director and Trustee in Liquidation, or his successor/s in title, GEORGE DUMIGAN, THE MULLIAN FAMILY-TWO, LLC, A Cancelled Virginia Limited Liability Company, As to $24,500.00 Interest, which may be the holder/s of a $24,500.00 Interest in a certain Note secured by a Balloon Deed of Trust dated August 21, 2006, with respect to said property, recorded August 21, 2006, in Instrument Number 06-28893, or said holder’s heirs, devisees, assignees or successors in title, MIRIAM G. MULLIAN, Who May Be Deceased, As Former Member and Trustee in Liquidation, or her Successor/s in Interest, ALAN KATZ, LYNN KATZ, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Agent for BERNICE SCHWARTZ, GREG WOOLWINE, HOPE WOOLWINE, SHERRIE BECKER, PATRICK BECKER, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Trustee for the JAY SCHWARTZ TRUST U/A 11/6/1992, JAY S. SCHWARTZ, As Trustee for the EDWARD J. BECKER MARITAL TRUST, THEODORE SELLMAN, Who May Be Deceased, and the Heirs, Devisees, Assignees or Successors in Interest of THEODORE SELLMAN, DAVID F. KATZ, SHELLY A. KATZ, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before DECEMBER 12, 2014, 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 Continued on next column

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Drivers:

CDL-A. Do you want more than $1,000 a Week? Excellent Monthly Bonus Program/Benefits Weekend Hometime you Deserve! Electronic Logs/Rider Program 855-842-8389

St. Peter Baptist Church Child Development Center is looking for a qualified CDL Driver; estimate two to three hours per day, five days a week. Position will be responsible for school pick-ups and field trips. Must possess a valid CDL License and a clean driving record. For interviews, contact Mrs. Lavasis Williams (804) 262-6562.

Music Director Mount Olive Baptist Church in Glen Allen is seeking a full-time Music Director. Degree in music from an accredited college or university preferred and minimum of 2-3 years of music director experience. Application deadline is November 21. For more information, please visit www.mobcva.org.

Seeking an anointed person of GOD for a position as a Music/Choir Director, able to teach music. Send all resumes with references to:

UNION BAPTIST CHURCH ATT: Music Department P.O. Box 726 Williamsburg, VA 23187

Senior Accountant – Finance Operations Posting #00003131 Staff Accountant - General Ledger and Reporting – Posting # 00003132 Staff Accountant – Finance Operations Posting # 00003148 For application and full job description, access www.richmond.k12.va.us. Richmond Public Schools will conduct a background investigation, tuberculosis screening and drug/alcohol testing as a condition of employment. EOE.

The City of Richmond is seeking to fill the following positions: Arborist 29M00000846 Public Works Apply by: 11/23/14 Code Enforcement Inspector I, Electrical 05M00000031 Planning and Development Review Continuous Corrosion Tech I, Gas & Water 35M00000429 Public Utilities Apply by: 11/23/2014 Drafting Technician II 29M00000548 Public Works Apply by: 11/23/2014 Equipment Operator II 29M00000378 Public Works Apply by: 11/23/2014 Equipment Operator II, Gas & Water 35M00000241 Public Utilities Apply by: 11/23/2014 GIS Technician 29M00000930 Public Works Apply by: 11/23/2014 Library Associate I 03M00000071 Library Apply by: 11/23/14 Materials Technician, Operations Support Warehouse Technician 35M00000321 Public Utilities Apply by: 11/23/2014 Tree Maintenance Specialist III 29M00000828 Public Works Apply by: 11/23/2014 Tree Maintenance Specialist II 29M00000829 Public Works Apply by: 11/23/2014 ****************** For an exciting career with the City of Richmond, visit our website for additional information and apply today! www.richmondgov.com EOE M/F/D/V

Richmond Free Press

B8 November 13-15, 2014

Sports Plus

Metropolitan Junior Baseball League taking tourney to Fla. By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A youth baseball tournament born in Richmond is taking its bats and balls to Orlando, Fla., to mark its 25th year. The tournament is Richmond-based Metropolitan Junior Baseball League’s Inner City Classic, a Little League competition that annually attracts dozens of predominantly black teams and hundreds of youths from across the country. “I had hoped to celebrate our 25th anniversary in our hometown,” said William M. T. Forrester Jr., executive director of MJBL that was created to provide baseball to youths

once banned from Little League because of the color of their skin. However, he said Richmond could not match the interest and support being offered in Orlando, which hosted the tournament in 2011. For example, Mr. Forrester said that Bright House Networks LLC, an Orlando area cable and Internet provider, has agreed to be a tournament sponsor and broadcast some games, an opportunity that MJBL never has enjoyed. MJBL, he said, also is receiving the backing of Rickie Weeks, who founded and leads the Orlando Monarchs, a premier youth baseball league in Florida. Mr. Weeks, who is the father of two Major

League Baseball players, Rickie and Jemille Weeks, can ensure that MJBL has the fields it needs, Mr. Forrester said. He said that for the past two years, MJBL’s tournament has played second fiddle to another youth competition, Triple Crown, and had to push back its tournament to get fields. MJBL has staged the Inner City Classic since 1991. Initially based in Richmond, the organization began moving the tournaments to other cities after failing to secure local support. Since 2012, MJBL also has offered the Black World Series for 12-year-old players. Three years ago, MJBL brought the tournament back to Richmond with the encour-

agement of Mayor Dwight C. Jones and the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Mr. Forrester said trouble gaining fields forced MJBL to hold the tournament later in August. And that meant fewer teams could come, he said, because public schools in some states were beginning classes. MJBL is celebrating is 48th year of offering youth baseball. Mr. Forrester’s late father, Dr. William M.T. Forrester Sr., founded the league in 1966 with support from a future governor, L. Douglas Wilder, and the late Raymond H. Boone, founder and publisher of the Free Press and then editor of the Richmond Afro-American.

Khloe ‘Texas Tornado’ Pointer heads to state meet By Fred Jeter

Khloe Pointer goes and goes and goes. Then she goes some more. Batteries run down. Gas tanks empty. Electricity can shut down. Meanwhile, the shooting star that is Pointer only “turns off” after crossing finish lines — usually well ahead of the pack. In cross-country romps over hill and dale, the 15-year-old Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School sophomore combines a tireless stride with a fierce competitive spirit that belies her petite 5-foot-4, 102 pounds. “Obviously, Khloe has a lot of natural talent,” says venerable coach Jim Holdren. “She’s also a tremendous competitor. She doesn’t like to lose.” Assistant coach Deborah Snagg puts it like this: “Khloe is tough. She trains hard and competes hard. She puts it out there.” Veronica Pointer offers this observation of her gifted daughter: “Khloe’s very driven. Once she makes up her mind to do something, it’s full throttle.” The story of Maggie Walker’s “Texas Tornado” starts in Arlington, Texas, a Dallas suburb, when 6-year-old Khloe Pointer joined a first grade running club. Right away, she discovered she was more a long-distance runner than sprinter. “I found out I wasn’t very good at the short runs. The longer the better,” she recalls. Because of a job transfer, Victor and Veronica Pointer moved their family from the heart of Texas to western Chesterfield, in the Clover Hill district in 2006. Khloe attended Jacobs Road Elementary and the Center-Based Gifted program at Manchester Middle before applying to and earning acceptance at Maggie Walker. At Manchester Middle, she did not run cross-country, but flashed potential at 800 meters, finishing in the top 10 at the county track meet. It was in August 2013, just prior to her freshman season at Maggie Walker, that she shifted into a higher gear during “Captain’s Runs” at Byrd Park.

James Haskins/Richmond Free Press

Cross-country standout Khloe Pointer is making her mark at the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School.

“I was out of town,” recalled Holdren. “But I recall (assistant Ryan Webb) telling me, “This Pointer girl looks like she can be real good.” Still, no one could have predicted her glossy ninth grade achievements, starting with second overall (18:59) in the state 2A meet, just behind senior teammate Daisy Banta. During the indoor state track meet, she was second in the

1,600 meters in 5:19.5; at the outdoor state meet, she was fourth in the 800 meters (2:20.5). This season, Khloe has revved it up a few notches. Running consistently under 19 minutes, she was first overall in the Colonial District meet at Patrick Henry High, at the Newport News Invitational, the William & Mary Invitational and the Big Cat Invitational in Williamsburg. She set a personal record 18:26 in a meet at Hermitage High School. Her goals include breaking the Maggie Walker Governor’s School sophomore record of 18:19 held by Rachel Galton. Most recently, she navigated the 3.1-mile course in Earlysville in 18:51 to claim individual honors at the 2A East Regional and help the Dragons to the team crown. Maggie Walker will defend its State 2A cross-country title at the state meet Friday, Nov. 14, at Great Meadows near Warrenton. Also a top-drawer student, Pointer’s classes include German 4 and Chinese 1 in arguably the state’s most challenging academic setting. Few coaches are more adept at developing talent than Holdren. The State Hall of Fame coach has produced 115 state individual champions since 1964, when he arrived at Thomas Jefferson High School. Among distance runners, at least, Pointer differs from the great majority of Holdren’s former champs in that she is AfricanAmerican. Holdren’s relatively short list of black, female distance stars includes Snagg, who went on to win the 1987 Richmond Marathon, and Demarch Robertson, who led Jefferson-Huguenot-Wythe to the 1982 State AAA cross-country title. Holdren’s 1982 squad, paced by Robertson (second individually at the state meet), is Virginia’s only all-black, state-champion cross-country team. Away from the trails and classrooms, the competitive “Texas Tornado” shows a softer side. “What Khloe really does well is laugh. She loves to laugh,” says her mom. “I know, around here, she’s the life of the party.”

Runners take their mark Saturday for marathon Approximately 20,000 runners of all ages, aspirations and skill sets are expected to kick up their heels Saturday, Nov. 15, for the 37th edition of the Anthem Richmond Marathon. Action starts 7 a.m., when 8K (4.97 miles) competitors take off between 6th and 8th streets on Broad Street. From the same starting post, halfmarathon runners will begin 7:30 a.m., followed by full marathoners (26.1 miles) at 7:50 a.m. The marathon finish line is at 5th and Tredegar streets at Brown’s Island. The course closes at 3 p.m. Runners will weave through Richmond’s Downtown and various

neighborhoods, as well as across and along the James River. A record 19,629 runners competed last year. Pete Woody of the organizing group, Richmond Sports Backers, said he expects Saturday’s grand total to be slightly higher. Walk-up entries are accepted as late as Friday, Nov. 14, while “elite,” or top-finishing runners may sign up close to the starting time. While most runners are from Virginia, there is a significant international component. More than 30 elite runners from Kenya and Ethiopia are expected. Every male marathon winner since

2000, except one, has hailed from Kenya or Ethiopia. Andrei Gordeev of Belarus won in 2005. Last year’s men’s champion was Kenyan Sammy Too, with a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes and 0.09 seconds. The 2013 women’s winner was Ethiopian Desta Girma Tadesse. She finished the course in 2:37.6 The First place male and female runners each receive $2,500. Cash prices go down to $500 for fifth place. Monetary awards also are given to top-finishing local athletes. All-time record holders are Kenyan Kennedy Kemei (2:13.4) among men

in 2011 and Russian Irina Suvorova (2:31.3) for women in 2000. Put into perspective, the men’s front-runners are averaging about five minutes per mile for the duration. Organizers said they have not received any calls from runners concerned about the presence of Ebola in the crowded field of runners. Many of the elite runners from Africa live, train and compete in the United States for most of the year, Woody said. He said no runners from western African nations hardest hit by Ebola are participating. Dr. Donald R. Stern, director of

the Richmond City Health District, said teams have been trained to deal with any problems. Protocols are in place, he said. “If anyone comes into the United States meeting the at-risk criteria, we’ll know about them. And we’ll be ready.” The National Black Marathoners’ Association will not be here this year. The Dallas-based group registered 460 runners in Richmond a year ago. This year, the association opted to participate in a race in Spokane, Wash. — FRED JETER and HOLLY RODRIGUEZ

Employment Opportunities Business systems AnAlyst RICHMOND, VA

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) is actively recruiting for a Business Systems Analyst in the Information Technology Division working directly with staff to create operational efficiencies in our CRM Platform, Salesforce. The successful candidate will analyze user needs for 100+ users and design and implement solutions using the Salesforce CRM Platform and Salesforce App Exchange applications. All candidates must apply through our website http://www.yesvirginia.org/About_ Us/Employment. Application deadline: Open until filled. VEDP is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, veteran status, political affiliation, genetics, or against otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities. It is VEDP’s intent that its employment and personnel policies and practices conform to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Applicants requiring more information or requiring assistance may contact VEDP Human Resources at 1-804-545-5630 or vedphr@yesvirginia.org. TDD 1-800-828-1120 EOE/M/F/V/D

Director of Adult Mental Health Services Close Date: 11/21/2014 Starting Salary Range: Negotiable The Richmond Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) is looking for an innovative individual to assume leadership of Adult Mental Health Services. Responsibilities: The Director of Adult Mental Health is directly responsible for the oversight of clinical service delivery provided to adults with serious mental illness. The Director of Adult Mental Health is responsible for fiscal management, program planning and evaluation of adult mental health services. The incumbent is responsible for ensuring overall compliance with payor and licensing entities. Fosters appropriate community and public relations through regional local linkages, building and maintaining relationships with persons served, their family members, and advocacy groups. The Director of Adult Mental Health reports directly to the Division Director of Mental Health Services. The incumbent must possess at least three years of administrative leadership experience and five years of clinical experience. Must have a Master’s degree in social work, psychology, counseling or related human services field, along with a LCSW, LPC, LCP, or LMFT within the state of Virginia. Must have knowledge of mental health, co-occurring disorders, recovery-oriented practice and best practices. The RBHA offers excellent salaries, benefits, on-site gym, and wellness programs. Interested candidates should visit www.rbha. org for further information.

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