Richmond Free Press September 16-18, 2021 edition

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VOL. 30 NO. 38

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SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2021

Tough love

Task force recommends subpoena powers for police oversight board

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

pendent of police.”

Long sought by some activists, the A recommendation for creating a proposal is an outgrowth of the dempowerful new city office to police the onstrations against police brutality and police has been sent to Richmond City for racial justice that erupted late last Council for review. spring following the police killing of The proposal — the work of a George Floyd in Minneapolis in May nine-member commission that coun- 2020. The proposal is backed by a new cil established a year ago — calls for state law allowing Virginia localities to stripping Police Chief Gerald M. Smith endow such police review operations of most authority over disciwith substantial powers. pline of officers and reducing The recommendation his control over the police panel was led by Virginia budget.

Commonwealth University The proposed civilian sociologist Eli Coston and review commission would career coach and consultant accept and investigate all Angela Fontaine. complaints filed against poThe proposal arrives, lice officers for misconduct, however, at a time when the ranging from rudeness to city’s police force has shrunk Eli Coston corruption. because of officers retiring It would have the ability “to make or quitting, leaving Chief Smith hardbinding disciplinary decisions” and pressed to field enough officers during would be the first such office in the a spike in violent crime. state vested with subpoena power to Currently, the department has 120 compel the release of documents and vacancies in its authorized sworn force to call witnesses. It also would be the of 711 officers, not including recruits first vested with disciplinary authority in training. that is described as “key to providing Please turn to A4 an oversight agency that is truly inde-

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Devon Henry, whose company, Team Henry Enterprises, took down the Monument Avenue statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, works with Grindly Johnson, Virginia’s secretary of administration, to place a new time capsule into the base around the pedestal.

Time capsule with items from a new Virginia buried at former Lee site

By George Copeland Jr.

The streets of Monument Avenue were filled with sounds of construction equipment last Thursday as more than a dozen workers searched from sunrise to sunset, and through sporadic rainfall, for a 134-yearold time capsule believed to be hidden in the base of the pedestal that until Sept. 8 held the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. No sign of the capsule was found after 12 hours of effort that involved multiple forklifts, a variety of construction equipment. More than 20 pieces of the base were moved from the northeast corner, where the capsule was believed to be.

Ultimately, no capsule was found, but a space

was created at the site for a new time capsule, one meant to better represent Virginia and its place in history at this time.

In the new time capsule — a stainless steel box made by Richmond sculptor Paul DiPasquale, who created the Arthur Ashe Jr. statue on Monument Avenue — 39 items nominated by individuals, communities and institutions across Virginia were placed, and the box was then put into the pedestal.

Among the items: a “Monument Avenue” hip-hop album by artists Noah-O and Taylor Whitelow; a photo of a Black ballerina dancing on the graffiti-tagged base holding the Confederate statue; a Black Lives Please turn to A4

A.P. Hill statue may be headed to Culpeper

Early voting begins Sept. 17 for Virginia’s top posts Early

VOTE

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

The future direction of Virginia’s government is now in the hands of voters, Starts with early voting cranking up on Friday, Se pt. 17 Sept. 17 – 45 days ahead of the official Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

In Richmond and across the state, those casting ballots will Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press fill the state’s three top offices — governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general — and select their representatives to the Cousins Sanai Moore, 8, left, and Kingsley Lynch, 6, have 100-member House of Delegates.

In Richmond, voters also will elect a commonwealth’s atfun showing off their hula hoop skills during the 30th Annual Down Home Family Reunion last Sunday at Kanawha Plaza torney, sheriff and treasurer and decide whether to allow Black in Downtown. It was a new location for the event put on by media giant Urban One to develop Richmond’s first casino on a 100-acre site at Commerce Road and Walmsley Boulevard the Elegba Folklore Society. Please see more photos, B2. in South Side, adjacent to the Bells Road interchange of Interstate 95.

The Richmond Voter Registrar’s Office has announced that the city’s registered voters can vote early in person at its main office at 2134 W. Laburnum

By Ronald E. Carrington and Jeremy M. Lazarus Ave., on the first floor of City Richmond Public Schools reopened last week Hall and at the Hickory Hill and school trash cans are overflowing with rejected Community Center, 3000 E. prepackaged lunches that students would rather throw Belt Blvd. in South Side. away than eat. And parents don’t blame them.

Residents can also request The Free Press has been told that many of the absentee ballots they can either students are throwing away the prepackaged meals, return by mail or deposit in drop some of which don’t contain the minimal nutritional boxes at several sites, includrequirements for students. Trash cans are overflowing ing City Hall and at the voter with student discards, the Free Press was told. registrar’s office on Laburnum Victoria Walters quit her job Tuesday as a cafeteAvenue. ria worker at Blackwell Elementary School because Topping the list for those of the terrible meals being distributed to students, casting ballots is the decision including her daughter, Viccori Leake, a 5-year-old on who will replace current kindergartner at the school.

Gov. Ralph S. Northam, who “I was not liking the fact of having to serve this cannot seek re-election. type of meal to our children,” Ms. Walters told a Free Based on Virginia’s locaPress reporter on Wednesday. “The meals — including tion near the power centers of breakfast of yogurt or cereal, juice and cup of fruit the East Coast, the governor’s with milk — are not adequate for the students.” election is being viewed partly She said her daughter refuses to eat the prepared Here are photos of pre-packaged as a mini-referendum on the lunch meal because students are fed the very same lunches given this week to students at Biden Administration ahead lunch every day — a cold turkey sandwich with cheese, Blackwell Elementary School. The only of the 2022 midterm elections identifiable food is the deli sandwich, that will decide control of the potato salad, fruit and a carton of milk.

Emily Kavanaugh, whose 13-year-old daughter, which a parent said was supposed to U.S. House of Representatives Maggie, is an eighth-grader at Binford Middle School, be a bologna sandwich. According to and Senate. the parent, the meal is taken to the brought several of the packaged lunches to Monday classroom to be heated in a microwave The main contestants in night’s School Board meeting and presented them to and eaten there because there are few the Virginia race are political

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

The last city-owned Confederate statue is on its way out of Richmond, though the process will not be swift because a grave is involved, according to Mayor Levar M. Stoney That statue is of Gen. A.P. Hill, and it stands in the center of the intersection of Laburnum Avenue and Hermitage Road. It was installed 131 years ago, but could not be swiftly removed because it is essentially a marker for A.P. Hill’s grave, adding additional steps to the process.

At a Sept. 9 news conference, Mayor Stoney told reporters there appears to be an agreement between the city and the family for both the casket and statue to be transferred to a Culpeperarea cemetery.

Old-fashioned fun

RPS opens with problems with lunches, new buildings

Please turn to A4

cafeteria workers.

Please turn to A4

A.P. Hill

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Free COVID-19 testing and vaccines Free community testing for COVID-19 continues.

The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: • Thursday, Sept. 16, 1 to 2:30 p.m., Hillside Court, 1500 Harwood St. • Tuesday, Sept. 21, 9 to 11 a.m., Second Baptist Church of South Richmond, 3300 Broad Rock Blvd., drive-thru testing.

• Wednesday, Sept. 22, 9 to 11 a.m., Eastern Henrico Recreation Center Pavilion, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave. Appointments are not necessary, but can be made by calling the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by registering online at https://bit.ly/RHHDCOVID. Testing will be offered while test supplies last.

A list of area COVID-19 testing sites is online at https://www. vdh.virginia.gov/richmond-city/richmond-and-henrico-area-covid19-testing-sites/ Want a COVID-19 vaccine?

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free walkup COVID-19 vaccines at the following locations: • Thursday, Sept. 16, 1 to 4:30 p.m. – Richmond Health District Cary Street Clinic, 400 E. Cary St., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson; 1 to 3 p.m. – Anna Julia Cooper School, 2124 N. 29th St., Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

• Friday, Sept. 17, 9 a.m. to noon – Henrico West Health Department Clinic, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Saturday, Sept. 18, 2 to 4 p.m. – Brookland Park Community

Please turn to A4

A2 September 16-18, 2021

Richmond Free Press

Local News

Virtual learning a bust for students, based on SOL scores

By Jeremy M. Lazarus and Ronald E. Carrington

Virtual school did not work well for a significant share of students in Richmond Public schools and across the state, according to the state’s report on Standards of Learning test results for the 2020-21 school year.

With the tests for the previous year wiped out due to the pandemic, the report is the first in two years.

The bottom line: Pass rates on the tests plummeted in both the city and across the state, and most notably among Black students, English learners and economically disadvantaged students.

“The SOL test scores tell us what we already knew,” Dr. James Lane, state superintendent of public instruction, stated in releasing the results. “Students need to be in the classroom without disruption to learn effectively. The connections, structures and supports our school Dr. Lane communities provide are irreplaceable.

“Many students did not have access to in-person instruction for the full academic year. We must now focus on unfinished learning and acceleration to mitigate the impact the pandemic has had on student results,” Dr. Lane added.

He noted that more than $200 million is being poured into initiatives to help students recover.

The Richmond and statewide results are limited. With the state Board of Education providing generous opt-out provisions, many students did not take the tests in such core subjects as reading, math and science for their grades.

Across Virginia, at least one in five students was not tested in one or more subjects, state data indicate.

In Richmond, the divide was even greater, according to data amassed by John Butcher, who has tracked RPS’ SOL results for years. His data indicates that as many as three in five students did not participate in testing in core subjects. Among economically disadvantaged students in Richmond, who constitute 70 percent of students, his data suggests that nearly four in five students did not participate.

RPS confirmed his data. Typically, between 13,000 and 15,000 city students take SOL tests in reading and math, while approximately 7,000 students take SOL tests in history and science, according to RPS. However, last spring, just 3,000 students tested in reading and math, while 2,000 tested in science and just over 100 tested in history.

Of those Richmond students who did test, only 47 percent of students passed a required reading test on any grade level, while only 32 percent passed in math and 46 percent in science. That means a major portion of those who did stick with virtual classes and did test could not pass state standardized assessments.

Broken down, the pass rates were lower among Richmond’s Black students, many of whom were already struggling academically. Two years ago, before the pandemic, 50 percent of Black students passed an SOL reading test, a dismal result given that Black students constitute at least 70 percent of RPS’ enrollment.

In the 2020-21 tests, only 36 percent of Black students who were tested passed. The pass rate on math tests among Black students dropped from 50 percent two years ago to 18 percent in 2020-21, while the pass rate on science tests dropped from 54 percent to 30 percent.

Mr. Butcher’s data suggests the situation is worse among students rated as economically disadvantaged in Richmond. He reported that 27 percent of economically disadvantaged students in Richmond took SOL reading tests, or about half the statewide percentage for such students, which was 54 percent.

Of those economically disadvantaged students in Richmond who were tested, only 32 percent passed an SOL reading test.

That compares with a 60 percent pass rate for Richmond students from families with higher incomes.

Statewide, 54.2 percent of students rated as from economically disadvantaged families passed an SOL reading test, or nearly double the RPS outcome.

The low percentage of testing among such students suggests that education largely ground to a halt among a majority of RPS students. The trouble could have stemmed from their living conditions or limited connections to the internet. Whatever the reason, such students had far more difficulty in trying to learn virtually.

Across the state, pass rates on math tests were the lowest.

Overall, of those tested, just 54 percent of students passed an SOL test at any grade level, with the percentage of Richmond students who passed a test being at least 22 percentage points lower.

RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras stated, “There’s no denying that COVID had a staggering impact on learning.”

Mr. Kamras said to begin learning recovery, the district is committed to launching a major literacy initiative to ensure every student can read properly. He said his administration also is moving ahead with a proposed plan to have all grades on a yearround school schedule in 2022-23, ending the traditional summer vacation and breaking the year into four quarters, with a break between each quarter. The aim would be to reduce the traditional summer learning loss.

RPS, with School Board approval, plans to pour $65 million of the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act stimulus into the expanded literacy program. This year, the district will be implementing reading enrichment activities in extended day programs to support reading improvements, he said.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Cityscape

This Virginia historic marker memorialthere by three white teachers until 1930, izes a forgotten piece of Richmond history when the school closed because the Indian – a Fulton house owned by Richmond City families moved from the neighborhood.” The Schools that for two years served as a school Slices of life and scenes state installed the marker in 2011. Location: in Richmond for Native American children. “In 1928, Admiral Gravely Boulevard at the front of parents of students at the Fulton neighborhood’s white Robert Gillies Creek Park near Government Road. According to Fulton School objected to the presence of several Virginia records, the house was located at 1220 Nicholson St. and Indian students,” the marker states. “At that time, the only was absorbed into the park. Just a few blocks further east is schools for Indians in Virginia were located in rural tribal Powhatan Hill, which, according to anther marker, is where communities. The Fulton School’s principal supervised an newly arrived English explorers Christopher Newport and ungraded school for the Indian students in a house owned John Smith in 1607 first encountered the Pamunkey Indians,

by Richmond City Schools on Nicholson Street. From eight then the area’s dominant tribe. The hill is named for the chief to ten Pamunkey and Chickahominy children were educated of the tribe and father of Pocahontas.

Mayor Stoney details plans for using $155M in American Rescue Plan funds

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Mayor Levar M. Stoney on Monday called for using the $155 million in American Rescue Plan funds pouring into City Hall coffers to increase the inventory of homes and apartments that are more affordable for lower-income residents; beef up recreation facilities and improve access to the James River; invest in child care programs and in health programs; improve public safety; and provide $3,000 bonuses for first responders.

Those are elements of the blueprint he laid out for using the direct aid the city is to receive from the $1.9 trillion package of relief aid that President Biden got through Congress soon after taking office earlier this year. The first $77 million has come, with the second half due next May. City Council will have the final say on how the funding is used.

The mayor’s plan would spend the biggest chunk—$78 million—on improvements to recreation. That includes the city taking over the Calhoun Center in Gilpin Court public housing community and investing $8 million to renovate it, including reopening the longclosed pool. The Calhoun Center currently is owned by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

The mayor’s plan also calls for investing $20 million to create an indoor center for Lucks Field in Church Hill, which currently has only outdoor facilities, and spending $36 million to improve and expand two recreation centers in South Side, the T.B. Smith Center off Ruffin Road and Southside Community Center off Warwick Road.

He also wants to spend $12 million to carry out elements of the James River Master Plan, including improvements to Texas Beach near Maymont, to improve access to the river. The plan also would spend $500,000 on an overall master plan for parks and invest $1.5 million to acquire new parks to meet the goal of providing green space within a 10-minute walk of every city residence.

Mayor Stoney also wants to invest $8.5 million in public safety, including $2 mil-

lion to improve lighting and install cameras on residential streets and in business areas.

Another $1.5 million would go to gun violence prevention. The final $5 million would pay for $3,000 individual bonuses to police officers, firefighters, emergency dispatchers and the paramedics and emergency medical technicians of the Richmond Ambulance Authority who have, he said, “been on the front lines of this pandemic from the beginning and have sacrificed to serve our city during these difficult times.”

He pledged to bring an ordinance to council that would provide an additional $5 million to $6 million in city funds to pay for similar bonuses for trash collectors, street Mayor Stoney pavers, social workers, finance staff and other city employees who remained on the job and ensured that residents received “the services they need and deserve” and that city operations were maintained during the pandemic.

Mayor Stoney also proposed spending more than $54 million on affordable housing and flood control. He said the funding would allow the city to immediately reach its goal of providing $10 million a year to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund that assists developers with financing of affordable housing, instead of waiting another three years.

His plan also would pump about $12 million collectively into the long-planned remake of the 68-year-old Creighton Court public housing community in the East End into a mixed-income community and enable the nonprofit Better Housing Coalition to begin development of a single-family subdivision on the former site of the state National Guard headquarters on Dove Street in North Side.

During City Council’s regular meeting, the council approved the Creighton Court plan that would replace the 504 units of existing apartments with up to 700 new apartments and homes.

Mayor Stoney’s plan also would provide $4.2 million in new funds to pay for insulating older homes and repairing broken windows and other defects that impair the use of such housing and provide another $4 million to enable owners of older homes to replace health-threatening lead service pipes that still bring water into their homes. He also wants to spend $13.5 million on stormwater drainage controls, most notably in South Side, to reduce the impact of heavy rains on properties.

He is proposing to invest $1 million into the city’s Community Wealth Building program so more people could be assisted in finding work and spend $500,000 to hire more community ambassadors to bring information and connections to city programs to more neighborhoods.

His proposal also would provide $5 million to the Richmond City Health District to increase substance abuse, mental health and other services, mostly likely in concert with the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority.

The money would be on top of a separate $4 million grant the health district recently received to improve services in Black and Latino neighborhoods, the mayor said. Additional funding to support child care services also is included in his plan.

He also plans to invest $1.5 million to pay for an assessment of the risks the city faces from climate change, which City Council later Monday declared an emergency situation in passing a resolution sponsored by 2nd District Councilwoman Katherine Jordan.

His proposal also calls for spending $2 million to improve facades and beautify retail and commercial districts to make them more welcoming and invest $1 million to aid businesses in seeking support from the state’s $250 million fund to aid smaller firms and nonprofits.

According to 4th District Councilwoman Kristen N. Larson, the council has compiled its own list of at least 100 items that it wants to spend the money on.

City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille said she plans to hold a special work session to allow council members to reconcile the mayor’s plan and their own proposals.

Kamras offers plan to change role of public safety in schools

By Ronald E. Carrington

Richmond schools Superintendent Jason Kamras presented to the School Board a list of recommendations designed to reimagine the day-to-day roles of those charged with security in schools.

The recommendations come after a year of study by the school administration and ranged from a change of uniforms for school resource officers and school safety officers to present a “soft” image, to developing a diversion program that ends student arrest for non-violent school offenses.

SROs are personnel affiliated with, and paid for, by the Richmond Police Department.

The administration’s recommendations include expanding the role of SSOs, school staff unaffiliated with the police, who also provide security services.

While some of the recommendations already have been implemented, the board’s approval is needed to move forward with the entire package. The board is expected to take up the package at its next meeting on Monday, Sept. 20.

Mr. Kamras proposed rebranding SSOs as “Care and Safety Associates,” or CSAs, who would conduct home visits for students with attendance issues.

RPS’ trauma informed and restorative practices team has launched a series of training sessions for CSAs to help them meet the new job expectations. These training will continue throughout the school year.

Additionally, the SSOs blue security uniforms have been replaced with gray Richmond Public Schools polo shirts and khaki pants.

Mr. Kamras According to Mr. Kamras, the plan is to revamp the district’s security program, including changing some duties, to put greater focus on students’ overall mental, emotional and physical health.

Other duties include, but are not limited to, working with school guidance counselors and social workers, having SROs formally mentor students with weekly one-on-one and group sessions; and developing a diversion program to end arrests on school grounds for any non-violent offenses. Student arrest data would be tracked by the location of the offense—in-school versus out-of-school—and reported quarterly to the School Board.

“This is an effort by the district to drastically reduce the number of student arrests and trace the data on whether our students are arrested on campus or outside of campus. Then we can tailor the

response appropriately,” Mr. Kamras told the board.

During the discussion period, School Board member Kenya J. Gibson, 3rd District, offered a motion to eliminate police in schools when the current agreement with the Richmond Police Department ends in June 2023 and to have SROs and SSOs replaced by “community-sourced safety professionals.”

Her motion was rejected on a 6-3 vote after a more than 30-minute discussion.

During the 2018-2019 school year, 121 RPS students were arrested in school by student resource officers or magistrates primarily for offenses including assault, drug possession and weapons possession. A majority of the arrests happened at Martin Luther King Middle School and Huguenot High School.

The number of arrests decreased during the 2019-2020 school year, with the majority of arrests made at the same two schools.

According to RPS data from July 2020, RPS had 13 SROS working at Armstrong , George Wythe, Huguenot, John Marshall and Thomas Jefferson high schools and at Boushall, ElkhardtThompson, Henderson and Martin Luther King Jr. middle schools and the Richmond Alternative School.

RPS has 62 CSAs divided among 17 schools. RPS was not able to provide a school-by-school listing.

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September 16-18, 2021 A3

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A4 September 16-18, 2021

Richmond Free Press

News

RPS opens with problems Continued from A1

the board and RPS administrators during the public comment period.

Ms. Kavanaugh said they were described as a deli sandwich on the website of Preferred Meals, the contractor providing the food.

“It was meat. I don’t know what kind of meat it is because the sandwiches were not labeled on the package or on the company’s website,” Ms. Kavanaugh told the board.

“There was meat and cheese on a wheat roll, with a juice box that is half the size of a regular carton you would get at a grocery store, a fruit cup and a carton of milk,” she said.

She told the board that the calorie count was only 434, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture says is not enough food or calories for a middle school child. According to the USDA, lunch should contain 650 calories of food.

Ms. Kavanaugh said Maggie wouldn’t eat any of the food provided at Binford, and now carries lunch to school that is prepared at home.

On a positive note, Ms. Kavanaugh told the Free Press she was heartened when School Board member Kenya Gibson, 3rd District, publicly apologized for voting in favor of the Preferred Meals contract.

In early August, RPS awarded a $12.9 million contract to Preferred Meals, the lowest bidder, to provide pre-made meals for schools with limitations that make it difficult to prepare meals onsite. The contract is an expansion of a pilot program that began pre-pandemic.

Adding fuel to the fire, RPS has reported that it started the current school year with 117 vacancies out of 278 cafeteria positions, or 42 percent. That includes 11 vacancies among the 45 managers, and 106 vacancies among the workers.

Ms. Walters said she worked in food service at several RPS cafeterias between 2012 and 2017. There was a better variety of food and options of hot and cold meals prepared from fresh ingredients, she said, with more care and bigger portions for children.

“Now the pre-school and elementary buildings are being served the same thing for breakfast and lunch. No one is pleased with what is being served,” she said, noting that children and parents alike are complaining.

RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras responded to the complaints expressed by students and parents at Monday night’s School Board meeting. He said his staff is looking into the matter.

“Clearly, something went wrong the first couple of days of schools with some of the meals that were distributed,” he told the board. “I hesitate to even call them meals, given some of the testimony that we’ve heard this evening. This is being addressed and rectified.”

In addition to food, the first week of school has unveiled other issues the administration must address, including flaws in the three new school buildings that were not repaired before students arrived for the first day on Sept. 8, the Free Press has learned.

The most significant were found at River City Middle School in South Side, which has a broken elevator, a gym floor that needs to be replaced because of gaps in the floorboards and a problem with the air conditioning system that prevents cooling in part of the building, Mr. Kamras confirmed.

Both Cardinal and Henry L. Marsh III elementary schools also have air conditioning problems in part of the buildings, Mr. Kamras also confirmed.

The problems with the new school buildings are just some of the challenges RPS is facing after re-starting in-person classes this academic year after being shut down by the pandemic since March 2020.

Others problems include substantial vacancies among bus drivers. For example, parents were notified that RPS would not be able to provide bus service for children enrolled through the Virginia Preschool Initiative until at least Monday, Sept. 20.

Mr. Kamras was forthright in his response to a Free Press query about the problems in the three buildings, including a faulty chiller in each of the three new buildings that prevents complete air conditioning. He said the RPS team “is working through these issues with the city and are hopeful they will all be covered by warranties.”

The three new school buildings were supposed to be fully ready for use last September. The buildings remained closed as RPS continued in the virtual classroom mode last fall.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney and the city administration said the buildings were complete and held a ceremony in September 2020 to turn over the keys to the buildings to Mr. Kamras.

However, none of the buildings was awarded the mandatory certificate of occupancy from the city’s building commissioner until November 2020. Between then and early April 2021, with the buildings still closed, the contractors had an opportunity to make needed corrections.

The Stoney administration, which has pilloried the School Board for reasserting its control of school construction, spent several millions of dollars outsourcing the construction management of the three schools to AECOM, a major company in the field, but the defects remain.

This not the first time new city school buildings have had problems. When the new Huguenot High School was opened in 2015, the gym floor had to be replaced several times because of water problems that became evident after construction. The city’s staff and AECOM took charge of building Huguenot.

Previous elementary schools that the city team built reportedly had leaky roofs.

The current problems appear to bolster the case the majority of the School Board has made that RPS can do as well or better than the city staff in developing new buildings.

Free COVID-19 testing, vaccines Continued from A1

Celebration, 2930 North Ave., Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson; 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. – AfroFest RVA, Dogwood Dell Amphitheater, 600 S. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

• Monday, Sept. 20, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Richmond International Airport, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

• Tuesday, Sept. 21, 3 to 6 p.m. – Second Baptist Church of South Richmond, 3300 Broad Rock Blvd., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Wednesday, Sept. 22, 9 to 11 a.m. – Lincoln Mews Apartments, 4013 North Ave., Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson; 1 to 4 p.m. – Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Thursday, Sept. 23, 1 to 4:30 p.m. – Richmond Health District Cary Street Clinic, 400 E. Cary St., Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

• Friday, Sept. 24, 8 to 11 a.m. – Henrico West Health Department Clinic, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Children ages 12 to 17 may only receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Reported COVID-19 data as of Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021

Cases Hospitalizations Deaths Richmond 21,472 890 292 Henrico County 31,183 1,201 665 Chesterfield County 35,148 1,111 477 Hanover County 10,269 349 180

Task force recommends subpoena power for police oversight board

Continued from A1

In recent months, City Council has been more focused on securing a study to determine how much police pay would need to be boosted to retain officers as other nearby departments offer substantially higher wages and less stressful job conditions.

The plan, delivered in August, was formally introduced to the council on Monday ahead of the regular meeting. It is to get its first review at the council’s Public Safety Committee meeting later this month and at a committee of the entire council in early October.

As presented, the oversight plan calls for creation of an independent office to largely replace the department’s current arm for officer investigations known as Internal Affairs. The proposal calls for the office to be managed by an 11-member board comprised of people who have never been employed in police work.

The recommendation has it called the Richmond Office of Community Oversight and Police Accountability, with a staff of nine full-time and one part-time employee, including an executive director and a staff of six complaint investigators.

The office also would be assigned an outside attorney and would hire mediators as needed to resolve cases without a formal hearing.

The panel also recommended it be located at a distance from the Grace Street police headquarters.

While Charlottesville, Fairfax and Virginia Beach currently have police oversight bodies, all are authorized only to make recommendations for discipline to their police chiefs, the task force’s report noted.

The complaints the commission would hear could be filed by civilians or come from inside the department, according to the recommendation.

The office’s board, with the support of its staff, also would

be empowered to make budget recommendations for the department alongside proposals the chief provides to City Hall, an authority that also would be unique in Virginia.

The office also would have a policy analyst and be authorized to make recommendations to the department on ways “to improve relationships between the community and the police department” and require a response from the department within 30 days and explanation if the recommendation is not implemented.

Under the plan, the office also would have an auditor assigned to provide an analysis of complaints, systematic reporting and observations about the city police department and its practices. The goal would be to identify potential patterns or concerns with policing and also provide more transparency concerning how policing functions in the city through the issuance of regular reports.

The proposal indicates that

such systematic reports should “increase public confidence in the oversight agency as much of the work related to complaint investigations may be confidential and protected from public disclosure.”

In making the recommendations, the task force held public meetings and conducted surveys online and in-person, generating 956 responses, including 556 from city residents. Those numbers, however, did not meet the standards for a credible poll, according to the task force report.

Most of the respondents were Caucasian, the task force noted. About 55 percent of respondents favored a powerful oversight body.

During the past year, members of the task force met with a variety of public officials, including six City Council members, Mayor Levar M. Stoney, Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette W. McEachin and members of the police department, including those involved with Internal Affairs.

New time capsule buried at old Lee site Continued from A1

Matter sticker; photos from Gov. Ralph S. Northam’s June 4, 2020, news conference announcing the state-owned statue of the Confederate would be taken down; an expired vial of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and a vaccination card; multiple pieces of literature, art and artifacts representing the Black, Native American, Asian, women and LGBTQ communities; and a copy of National Geographic’s “2020 in Pictures” special issue with the Lee monument on the cover.

“It’s critically important that we tell a much more complete and accurate story of our history as a Commonwealth, as a country, so that we can understand how it still impacts us today and so that we can begin to heal from those wounds,” said state Sen. Jennifer McClellan of Richmond, who was present to watch the removal effort and commemorate the occasion alongside Delegate Jeff Bourne of Richmond and First Lady Pamela Northam.

“This is an important first step,” Sen. McClellan said.

For Kimberly Wilson, great-great-niece of the late John Mitchell Jr., editor of the Richmond Planet who was one of the Lee monument’s earliest critics when it was put up in 1890, the moment was filled with emotions by seeing the symbol of Black oppression gone from the towering perch over Monument Avenue.

Standing on the wet grass looking at the now-empty pedestal, she was clear about the enormous importance of Mr. Mitchell’s protest against the statue — and about those who took up the task of its removal in the century after his time.

“It makes me feel proud that he got it right,” Ms. Wilson said.

The effort to find and replace the time

capsule was driven in part by research from local and state historians into its purported location. Its creation was traced back to 1887, with it reportedly being placed in the site before the installation of the Lee statue in 1890.

The plan to find and replace the time capsule was decided last March, as legal battles over Gov. Northam’s ability to remove the state-owned statue continued in the courts.

Items said to be in the old capsule included a U.S. silver dollar, a collection of Confederate buttons and a picture of President Abraham Lincoln lying in his coffin.

The nature of the items would serve as another reminder of the false efforts Southern white people made toward reconciliation following the end of the Civil War, as noted by local journalist and author Dale Brumfield, and of Virginia’s continu-

ing commitment to the Lost Cause.

“I think it just gives a big middle finger to Lincoln, the Union and what it stood for,” Mr. Brumfield said.

While there are no plans to search further for the old capsule at the site, the ultimate fate of the pedestal is still up in the air. Those asked seemed uniform in the belief that the pedestal, reclaimed by the Richmond community as a stanchion for racial equity and against police brutality, was a powerful image of community protest and art, and one whose fate should be decided by the community.

“I think it’s the purest form of public art, when we talk about community engagement and how communities rise up and also collaborate,” Ms. Wilson said. “We should be grateful that we’re all witnessing this and being a part of it, because it doesn’t happen in this way often.”

A.P. Hill statue may be headed to Culpeper Continued from A1

Mayor Stoney indicated that an ordinance seeking approval from City Council will be introduced shortly as the next step.

He indicated that a court filing also is likely to gain a required stamp of approval from Richmond Circuit Court.

When all the paperwork and approvals are in place, he said the city would undertake the removal. There is currently no specific timeline, but hopes are high that the removal can be accomplished within three to six months.

Meanwhile, the host of other statues already taken down by the city remain in storage while the Stoney administration and City Council’s staff consider offers.

No recommendations on their disposal have been presented to City Council 14 months

after the statues were removed.

So far, neither the Stoney administration nor Richmond courts appear to have taken action to rid the grounds of the Henry L. Marsh III & Harold M. Marsh Sr. Manchester Courthouse in South Richmond of the large marker to Richmond Confederate units that has stood there for nearly 90 years.

The council also has yet to take any steps to remove the Robert E. Lee name from a major bridge over the James River or begin a deliberate effort to rename most of the streets that still bear Confederate names. The only action so far has been to remove the Jefferson Davis name from a stretch of U.S. 1 in South Side and replace it with Richmond Highway and to rename the former Confederate Avenue in North Side to Laburnum Park Boulevard.

Early voting begins Sept. 17 for Virginia’s top posts Continued from A1

veteran and former Gov. Terry R. McAuliffe, 64, who is carrying the Democratic banner, and businessman and political newcomer Glenn A. Youngkin, 54, who is the Republican standard bearer.

Polls show that Mr. McAuliffe, who preceded Gov. Northam as the state’s chief executive and is now seeking essentially a second term, is slightly ahead in Virginia, a battleground state now rated as leaning Democratic.

Mr. McAuliffe, whom polls also indicate is most popular among AfricanAmericans, women and college-educated people, is trying to ensure a third straight win of the governorship for Democrats in a campaign touting his ability to continue the economic progress and reforms that have overhauled the state.

Mr. Youngkin, who gained wealth as an executive with the Carlyle Group private investment firm but who resigned when he reportedly flopped after being promoted to president and co-chief executive, has campaigned on pulling Virginia out of what he calls “an economic ditch” and is touting a plan to reduce income taxes and provide tax rebates as the way to do it.

Democrats have sought to portray Mr. Youngkin, who expressed pride in his endorsement from former President Trump, as an extremist who would support Texas-style abortion restrictions, roll back progress on voting rights, undo criminal justice reforms and undermine state financial support for public education, public safety and health care with radical tax cuts.

Republicans have sought to portray Mr. McAuliffe as a free-spending liberal who would bust the budget with his proposals.

Also on the gubernatorial ballot is the largely unknown Princess L. Blanding of

the Liberation Party, whose campaign is largely a protest of the 2018 police killing of her brother, Marcus-David Peters, when he attacked a Richmond Police officer while suffering a mental breakdown.

The lieutenant governor’s race features two women of color, Prince William Delegate Hala S. Ayala and businesswoman and former Republican Delegate Winsome E. Sears. The winner will make history as the first female to secure the No. 2 spot in state government.

Abortion has become a major issue in their race, with Delegate Ayala noting that as the state senate’s presiding officer, she could protect the reproductive rights of women. Ms. Sears, on the other hand, is touting her support for banning abortion after six weeks as Texas has done.

Separately, Democratic Attorney General Mark R. Herring is seeking to win an unprecedented third, four-year term as the state’s lawyer and is facing off against conservative Republican Delegate Jason S. Miyares of Virginia Beach, who is giving up his seat in the General Assembly to bid for the office.

According to the polls, both Ms. Sears and Mr. Miyares are trailing their Democratic opponents.

One of the city’s major ballot items is a referendum on the casino. Urban One has been advertising heavily in seeking voter support for its proposed gambling establishment. A small but vocal anti-casino opposition has surfaced, but the opponents are being outspent 100 to 1 in a campaign touting the planned casino and resort hotel as future gusher of jobs and tax revenue after it opens in 2024.

In the House of Delegates races, there are contests in virtually every district, with only seven seats uncontested.

In the Richmond area, the hottest race appears to be in the 68th District in the

western part of the city where incumbent Dawn M. Adams is seeking re-election against Republican challenger Mark L. Earley Jr., son of the former attorney general who lost the governor’s race in 2001 to current U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner.

Most others in the area are facing longshot challengers. In the 69th District, Democratic incumbent Betsy B. Carr is facing little known Republican Sheila Furey. In the 70th House District, another veteran Democratic incumbent, Delores L. McQuinn, is facing an independent, David Vaught.

In the 71st House District, incumbent Democratic Delegate Jeffrey M. Bourne is being challenged by Republican newcomer Nancye A. Hunter.

The chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, Delegate Lamont Bagby, is facing a challenge from lightly regarded Republican James L. “Jimmy” Brooks in the 74th House District, while incumbent Democrat Schuyler T. VanValkenburg is facing a challenge from Republican Christopher T. Holmes in the 72nd District.

Incumbent Democrat Delegate Rodney Willett is facing one of the tougher challenges in his rematch with Republican Mary Margaret Kastelberg in the 73rd District.

In the Petersburg area, incumbent Democrat Delegate Lashrecse Aird is seeking to keep her seat against a challenge from Republican challenger Kim Taylor in the 63rd House District.

In races for the city’s constitutional offices, Sheriff Antionette V. Irving is seeking a fresh term against a longshot Republican challenger, Michael R. Dickinson, while incumbent Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette W. McEachin is unchallenged.

Incumbent Richmond Treasurer Nichole Richardson Armstead is facing a challenge from former City Councilwoman L. Shirley Harvey.

Richmond Free Press

September 16-18, 2021 A5

Local News ‘Monumental Conversations:’ RPS launches new, free app offering insight into community feelings about Confederate statues that lined Monument Avenue

By Chip Lauterbach

A new mobile app gives people the ability to hear the stories of the generational resistance of Black Richmonders to the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue that once stood as symbols of the white “Lost Cause” narrative.

Richmond schools Superintendent Jason Kamras introduced “Monumental Conversations,” an augmented reality tour of Monument Avenue and educational effort about the dismantled statues that is the result of a partnership between Richmond Public Schools, Novaby Designs and several Richmond area museums, including the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia.

The launch event, held Sunday on the steps of the participating Virginia Museum of History & Culture on Arthur Ashe Boulevard, drew several School Board and City Council members and other elected officials and featured members of the Binford Dance Company from the middle school.

“This app really represents everything that we stand for at RPS,” Mr. Kamras said. “It’s about telling the full history of Richmond—the good, the bad and the ugly.”

The augmented reality tour begins with users downloading the app onto their cell phones and using QR codes to hear and see information along the tour route.

The app can be downloaded for free at www. monumentalconversations.org.

The tour’s first stop is at artist Kehinde Wiley’s “Rumors of War” statue outside the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on Arthur Ashe Boulevard, where app users hear drum beats and cheers and hear Mr. Wiley’s voice in December 2019 when his statue was unveiled before a crowd of thousands.

Participants can listen to several clips of Mr. Wiley’s speech that day and about the significance of “Rumors of War” as a conversation starter in defiant opposition to the former Confederate equestrian statues in Richmond.

The tour then advances with a stop at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, giving participants a brief history of tennis champion and Richmond native Arthur Ashe Jr. and a timeline of how the street became named in honor of the man who was a strong voice for human rights and positive change.

Photos by Chip Lauterbach

Richmond Public Schools, School Board, City Council and other officials applaud the unveiling of the “Monumental Conversations” app last Sunday outside the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Below, middle school students with the Binford Dance Company perform during the event.

The tour’s remaining stops are along Monument Avenue, beginning at the intersection of Arthur Ashe Boulevard, the site where Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s statue stood before being taken down last July following large-scale demonstrations in the city calling for racial justice and an end to police brutality in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020.

James Gordon, the principal of Oak GroveBellemeade Elementary School, is among some of the local voices heard on the app at this stop, giving his reflections on the conundrum he faced when having to explain to his students in the past why the statues, relics of a shameful past, were still there.

“As a teacher, it means that I feel a lot better,” Mr. Gordon says. “I had to look my students in the eye and say, ‘I’m not sure why this is still

here.’ I was oblivious forever. It’s never too late to keep learning, to better understand the purpose of the monuments and how they affect all of our friends and neighbors.”

The main attraction is at the traffic circle where the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee stood until Sept. 8.

Richmond high school student Asia Dudley lends her voice to the final stop around the fenced off circle where an empty pedestal stands.

“While the protests caught many off guard, others hoped and saw a day like this coming with surprising clarity,” Asia says speaking of the massive shift in attitudes about the presence of the statues honoring men who fought to preserve slavery and the hope for the statues’ removal.

Although the app is still in the beta phase with several upgrades expected during the next

few weeks, several audio clips from the removal of the 12-ton Lee statue last week were quickly added to the tour. Short narratives are also available along the walk between each stop.

School Board Chairwoman Cheryl L. Burke, who also spoke at the event, was impressed at the way the development unfolded from a concept two years ago. She said she was delighted that RPS students now will have the opportunity to know and to hear the true history behind Richmond’s past involvement in the slave trade and Jim Crow-era tactics of intimidation against African-American residents, including placing the Confederate statues along a mile and a half stretch of Monument Avenue.

Mr. Kamras expressed appreciation for the number of organizations that helped in the development of the app, including a $10,000 grant from the U.S. State Department.

“It’s that collaboration, working together truly as a village, which is one of the things that fuels us at RPS,” Mr. Kamras said.

“This is truly a vision coming to fruition because of these collaborations and partnerships. We couldn’t do it alone,” Ms. Burke said.

“Our vision is to make sure every child—red, yellow, white, black, it doesn’t matter—has the opportunity to know thyself,” she said.

The event was planned long before the Virginia Supreme Court’s Sept. 2 decision that opened the door legally for the removal of the last statue, that of Lee. Gov. Ralph S. Northam had ordered the state-owned statue to be removed in June 2020, but was blocked by court challenges.

Meanwhile, Mayor Levar M. Stoney issued an emergency order in July 2020 — and City Council concurred — for the removal of the city-owned Confederate statues.

With the Lee statue coming down right before the release of the app, Grady Hart, the head of community partnerships for RPS and the driving force behind the development of the app, was thrilled.

“It feels so incredible to actually be here and to see it happen. And honestly, the timing couldn’t be better,” Mr. Hart said. “It was not really the plan for this to happen the same week that monumental change took place. This to me feels like part of the city of Richmond is really hitting that turning point and starting to really talk about what the future looks like.”

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Richmond Free Press

A6 September 16-18, 2021

September 16-18, 2021 A7

Reclaimed, Removed and Reshaped Monument Avenue was reshaped in ways big and small last week, with the removal of the state’s biggest symbol of white supremacy, the 12-ton bronze statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, from its four-story pedestal.

For more than 131 years, the 21-foot figure has loomed over the street and been used to define the city and its

purported allegiance to segregation and racism.

No more. These photos capture the removal of the state-owned statue on Wednesday, Sept. 8, along with the installation of a new time capsule containing such items as a Black Lives Matter sticker, Kente cloth and the picture of Black ballerina performing in front of the pedestal.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Devon Henry, right, who led the removal, launches the countdown to lift away the 12-ton statue. Below, the statue begins its two-minute descent to the ground.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Devon Henry looks at the statue after it was cut in two as his team prepares to truck it off to storage at an undisclosed location.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Right, Gov. Ralph S. Northam and Matthew James, deputy director of general services, watch as the statue comes down. Standing from left, Dr. Janice Underwood, the state’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer; Gaylene Kanoyton, president of the Hampton NAACP; and Portsmouth state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, seated, also are among the witnesses to this moment in history.

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

A view of the empty pedestal, colorfully decorated with anti-racist slogans, that remains in the traffic circle at Monument and Allen avenues. The pedestal’s future is still being considered. Below center, Delegate Jeffrey M. Bourne and Sen. Jennifer McClellan, both of Richmond, ceremoniously lift the 2021 time capsule into its designated spot Thursday as First Lady Pamela Northam claps her hands. She is joined by Tori Feyrer, assistant secretary of education; Meryem Karad, assistant secretary of natural and historic resources; Marland Buckner Jr., interim director of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia; and local sculptor Paul DiPasquale. Below right, view of the time capsule after it was placed and before it was covered by a piece of the cornerstone.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

A crowd of several hundred people watches the removal of the Lee statue on Sept. 8. Hundreds of thousands of others watched online and on television.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

A8 September 16-18, 2021

Richmond Free Press

News Trial in ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ college admissions scandal gets underway Free Press wire report

BOSTON The first full trial in the college admissions bribery scandal opened Monday with defense attorneys seeking to portray the two parents accused of buying their childrens’ way into school as victims of a

across the country.

Thirty three other parents have pleaded guilty, including TV actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin and Ms. Loughlin’s fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli.

The parents have so far received punishments ranging from probation to nine months

Charles Krupa /Associated Press

Investor John Wilson, left, arrives at federal court in Boston with his wife, Leslie, to face charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal.

con man who believed their payments were legitimate donations.

Defense attorneys said former casino executive Gamal Abdelaziz and former Staples and Gap Inc. executive John Wilson never discussed paying bribes. They were assured by the admissions consultant at the center of the scheme that what they were doing was a perfectly legal practice to give children of parents with deep pockets a leg up in admissions, the defense said.

“It’s not illegal to give money to schools with the hope that it helps your kid get in,” Mr. Abdelaziz’s attorney, Brian Kelly, told jurors in his opening statement. “No one ever said bribery to him.”

The first trial in the so-called “Operation Varsity Blues” case is getting underway in Boston’s federal court more than two years after prosecutors arrested 50 parents, athletic coaches and others in the scheme that embroiled elite universities

in prison.

Mr. Abdelaziz, of Las Vegas, is accused of paying $300,000 to the sham charity run by the scheme’s mastermind — admissions consultant Rick Singer — to get his daughter into the University of Southern California as a basketball recruit even though she didn’t even make it onto her high school’s varsity team.

Mr. Wilson, who heads a Massachusetts private equity firm, is charged with paying $220,000 to have his son designated as a USC water polo recruit and an additional $1 million to buy his twin daughters’ way into Harvard and Stanford universities.

Prosecutors say the parents were well aware their payments were designed to get their kids into school as athletic recruits with fake or embellished credentials as part of Mr. Singer’s so-called, side-door scheme.

“That is what this case is about: Lies,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Wright said.

It’s “not about wealthy people donating money to universities with the hope that their children get preferential treatment in the admissions process.”

Mr. Singer, who has pleaded guilty but hasn’t been sentenced yet, was long expected to be the government’s star witness. But prosecutors have said they won’t call the admissions consultant to the stand.

Defense attorneys suggested they will seize on that decision to try to sow doubt in the government’s case.

“The case revolves around Rick Singer, the whole investigation, it’s why we’re here. And now in opening statements, the government says ‘never mind, we’re not calling him.’ Think about that when you eventually deliberate,” Mr. Kelly told jurors.

Defense attorneys described Mr. Singer as a skilled con man who mixed truth with lies and manipulated the parents to line his own pockets. Mr. Wilson’s attorney, Michael Kendall, said Mr. Wilson’s son actually was a star water polo player and that Mr. Singer told Mr. Wilson a donation could give a boost to students like his son who were qualified to get in.

“Before and after he started working for the government, Mr. Singer repeatedly told John that the side door was perfectly legitimate and exactly what the schools wanted,” Mr. Kendall said.

The trial is expected to last a few weeks.

All told, nearly four dozen people have admitted to charges in the case. They include coaches at such schools as Yale, Stanford and UCLA. Former senior associate athletic director at USC, Donna Heinel, and three coaches are scheduled to stand trial in November. Three other parents are expected to face jurors in T:10" January.

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Richmond Free Press

September 16-18, 2021 A9

News

Virus forcing Black morticians to bury their own in profession Free Press wire report

MULLINS, S.C. When the last mourners departed and funeral director Shawn Troy was left among the headstones, he wept alone.

For five decades, the closing words at countless funerals in this town of 4,400 had been delivered by his father, William Penn Troy Sr. Now the elder Troy was gone, one of many Black morticians claimed by a pandemic that has taken an outsized toll on African Americans, after months of burying its victims.

And as Shawn Troy stepped forward to speak in place of a man well known beyond his trade—for his work in county politics and advocacy of its Black citizens—the emptiness felt overwhelming. Not just his family, but his community, had lost an anchor.

“I walked over to his grave and I could hear him talking to me,” Shawn Troy said, his own voice breaking as he recalled kneeling beside the plot last September, on a low rise near two palmetto trees. “And he said, ‘You got it. You can do it.

This is what you were built for.’

He passed the baton on to me, so I’ve got to get running.”

He is hardly alone. Since the start of the pandemic, about 130 Black morticians have died from COVID-19, according to the association that represents them.

Deaths of funeral workers are not closely tracked. But the National Funeral Directors Association, which represents the broader industry, said it has not seen a corresponding rise in COVID deaths among its members.

The deaths of Black morticians are particularly notable because of the prominent role they have long played in many communities. Often admired for their success in business, a number have been elected to political office, served as local power brokers, and helped fund civil rights efforts.

At the same time, the “homegoing” services they arrange have frequently served as communal touchstones, events as much about life as death, that draw mourners together with pageantry, preaching and song.

Black funerals are “more celebration, and that’s no disrespect to my colleagues across the country. We’re more, I should say, intimate,” said Hari P. Close, president of the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association and the operator of a Baltimore funeral home. The association represents Black morticians.

When the pandemic hit, the very closeness and celebration that distinguish Black funerals put morticians at risk, Mr. Close said.

Their deaths have left some successors struggling to fill their role.

“It has really had an impact ... particularly in AfricanAmerican funeral homes,” he said.

The deaths have come despite concerted efforts by morticians to protect themselves from the virus and limits imposed on the size and scope of burial gatherings to keep it from spreading.

“This year was unlike any other year I’ve ever lived through in the funeral service,” said Edith Churchman, the fourth-generation owner of a mortuary in Newark, N.J., that serves a largely Black clientele.

Dealing with an onslaught of COVID-19 deaths, at first with limited personal protective equipment, and later with shortages of caskets and prepared burial plots, put pressure on funeral directors that far exceeded the demands at the peak of the AIDS epidemic, she said.

“We were getting bombarded with COVID bodies,” said Dr. Mary Gaffney, who stepped in to run her brother, Jeremiah’s, funeral home in Inwood, N.Y., after he died of the virus last May. At least 95,000 Black Americans have died of COVID-19, according to an AP analysis of data from the National Center for Health Statistics, perishing at the highest rate of any racial group in the United States.

Adjusting the figures to account for age differences shows that Black people, Latinos and Native Americans are two to three times more likely to die of the virus than white people, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Of course ... you feared for your own safety,” Ms. Churchman said. “You’re kind of dangling on that precipice, saying what if?”

In Mississippi, Luzern “Sonny” Dillon and employees at his two funeral homes worked for months to fulfill COVID-19 safety protocols, restricting gatherings. But Mr. Dillon, a widely known former councilman, continued his routine of spending time in the community, engaging people in conversation.

“People would be like, ‘You know, Mr. Sonny,’ and they’d just begin to talk and share things with him. It was just like a given,” his wife, Georgia Dillon, said.

In one of those conversations early this year, a restaurant manager confided to Mr. Dillon that he’d lost three family members to COVID-19 in a matter of weeks. The mortician extended his condolences, reassuring the man that, contrary to what some people said, the pandemic was very real. Those words proved prescient.

A few weeks later, a funeral home employee tested positive, followed soon after by both of the Dillons.

“Just in case I don’t make it out of here, this is what I want you all to do,” Sonny Dillon told his wife from a hospital bed in March. He died weeks later at 72.

Georgia Dillon, a nurse, had long helped keep financial

Allen G. Breed/Associated Press

Mortician Shawn Troy stands at the grave of his father, William Penn Troy Sr., at Hillcrest Cemetery outside Mullins, S.C., on Sunday, May 23, 2021. The elder Troy, who developed the cemetery, died of COVID-19 in August 2020, one of many Black funeral directors to succumb to the pandemic. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over it,” he said. “But I’ll get through it.”

ledgers for the business. But her husband was the unquestioned consoler-in-chief and she and other family members scrambled to keep the funeral homes in McComb and Tylertown, Miss., running in his absence.

But there was little filling the role that Sonny Dillon occupied beyond the mortuary.

In his 20s, he had been one of the first Black candidates elected to local political office. Later, he worked with the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to rename a boulevard for the slain civil rights leader.

He pushed to get more Black citizens to vote.

Mr. Dillon’s civic role fit a pattern common in many African-American communities, where morticians have long been prominent, said Suzanne E. Smith, a professor at George Mason University who authored a book about the Black funeral business.

The best known include the Ford family of Memphis, Tenn., funeral home operators who sent a father and son to Congress. In Detroit, funeral director Charles Diggs Sr. was a state legislator before his son won a seat in Washington and helped found the Congressional Black Caucus.

In cities throughout the South, funeral directors often supplied the limousines for visiting civil rights leaders when they came to rally supporters.

“There’s all this stuff going on in (Black) funeral homes that is not about burying the dead, but servicing the living,” Ms. Smith said.

By late this summer, Georgia Dillon was preparing to turn over the business to her daughter and son-in-law. Working together with employees at the funeral homes, the family is determined to maintain the business as Sonny Dillon would have run it.

“We talk and we cry and we try to build each other up.

We tell each other we’ve got to keep his legacy going,” Ms. Dillon said.

In New York, Dr. Gaffney is trying to do much the same, but after years away from the funeral business.

The funeral home, started by the Gaffneys’parents in the early 1970s, had long served mostly African-American families in the city neighborhoods and suburban towns near John F. Ken-

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While Jeremiah Gaffney ran the family business, Dr. Gaffney studied medicine, setting up a practice in Charlotte, N.C. After her brother fell ill over the Easter weekend of 2020 and then was diagnosed with COVID-19, she tried to ensure his care. But his death weeks later, at 65, confronted Dr. Gaffney with responsibilities well beyond her expertise.

She declined offers to sell, feeling that would betray the legacy of her parents and the grandparents who funded its founding. And she has embraced the role her brother once filled as the face of the business, taking calls from grieving families at all hours. Just getting through a year without her brother to tell her what to do feels like crossing a finish line, she said.

“We’re going to see what the future holds,” said Dr. Gaffney, who hopes younger family members might eventually seek a place in the business.

“Needless to say, it has been an emotional journey.”

South Carolina’s Shawn Troy has faced somewhat different challenges, taking over the mortuary business founded by his father in 1973 after years of working alongside him.

“The thing about me and my dad was, we woke up together, we came to work together and then went home and ate together and talked late at night,” he said.

The Troys had agreed that Shawn would take over the business during the next few years.

But he had expected to do so with his father’s counsel. The void left by the senior Troy’s death extends well beyond the chapel.

Through the years, the elder Troy, known as Penn, had served as a county commissioner, local school board member and church treasurer. But those were just his official duties.

“If my mother didn’t have enough to feed us, he’d help us out. When you’re talking about Mr. Penn, he was the community,” said Jessica Godbolt, a former neighbor whose family gathered recently for the funeral of her uncle.

Penn Troy used jokes and

small talk to win people over and get things done, said Cynthia Legette, a school board member and longtime friend.

When officials voted to close a school because of declining enrollment, Mr. Troy pushed to turn it into a science and technology academy that quickly drew more students, she said. Noting that a citizens committee lobbying for school improvements was overwhelmingly white, Mr. Troy made calls that brought Black parents into the fold.

“Growing up in the ’60s, Penn knew what struggle was,” Ms. Legette said. “He would tell me, ‘Cynthia, we have been blessed ... so it’s up to us to lift the torch and light the way for our children’.”

In recognition, officials gathered recently under a tent at Mullins, S.C.’s edge to name a stretch of U.S. 76 the William

Penn Troy Highway. Directly across the road, a digital sign flashed a welcome to motorists: “For Your Safety and Ours, Please Wear a Mask.”

Last summer, Mr. Troy and his son were diagnosed and hospitalized with COVID-19.

The elder Troy never returned home. And two weeks after his father’s burial, Shawn Troy presided over the first funeral without him.

The early months were the hardest. Penn Troy’s charisma gave life to the business of death. Shawn Troy had worked mostly behind the scenes. He recently declined an invitation to get involved in civic affairs, at least for now, preferring to focus on his new role.

Standing in the chapel recently on the evening before a funeral, he greeted mourners by name, placing his arm around several shoulders.

“You doing all right?” he asked from behind his mask. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

But returning again and again to run funerals at the cemetery where his father is buried is a constant reminder that he is doing so alone.

Near sunset recently, Shawn Troy paced down a row of headstones, planting tiny flags at an empty plot to mark it for a burial the following morning.

Not 50 feet away, lengthening shadows stretched across his father’s grave.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get over it,” he said. “But I’ll get through it.”

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Richmond Free Press

Sunflowers in Fulton

Editorial Page

A10

September 16-18, 2021

Where is the love?

“Reopen With Love 2.0” was the mantra being espoused by Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras as thousands of students returned to the classroom last week for in-person learning for the first time since March 2020 and the onset of the pandemic.

But many students weren’t feeling the love when lunchtime rolled around, and packages of mystery meat on a bun and other questionable contents were distributed under the guise of lunch.

Youngsters, whose actions often speak louder than words, discarded the pre-packaged mess, leading to reports of trash cans overflowing with the inedible meals.

Parents also have questioned what’s in the packages, with one parent bringing several uneaten lunches to Monday’s School Board meeting for “show and tell” during the public comment period.

School Board members and the RPS administration apparently were clueless about what the winner of RPS’ multimillion-dollar food service contract was giving out for students to eat.

School Board member Kenya Gibson actually apologized to a parent for voting to award the $12 million contract to Preferred Meals, An Elior Company.

It seems like RPS can’t win. Even as the city starts the new school year with three new school buildings, what is being served to students is — in a word — shabby.

The pre-packaged meals are not the hot, madefrom-scratch or fresh ingredients typically associated with school cafeterias. According to parents, some of the lunches come in microwaveable containers that are taken back to classrooms, heated and then — supposedly — consumed. The meals, the parents said, also lack the quality and healthy calories needed by growing children and teens as outlined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

If nothing else, the pandemic has shown the importance—and benefits—of free school meals to students in boosting learning and providing nutrition for those who may not otherwise have the food they need at home. A lack of food or lack of quality food has an impact on students’ health, academic performance and behavior, according to the experts. And in high-poverty school systems like Richmond, school-supplied breakfast and lunch can be a lifeline for children, particularly for the many families who are experiencing food insecurity.

Still, having the mystery meals tossed by students still makes for hungry children. Several parents have reported that the pre-packaged food is so terrible that they have flaunted school rules and packed lunches for their children to take to school. Unfortunately, that’s not a solution for everyone.

Students don’t need junk food filled with empty calories. They don’t need reheated processed fatty food to bring on obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Nor do they need expensive, five-star gourmet dishes. What they need is solid, fresh, healthy and identifiable food.

RPS’ food problem certainly demands innovation and flexibility on the part of Mr. Kamras, the School Board and the school administration to come up with positive solutions. We ask that the school system look into partnering with local fresh food sources and producers, possibly even local restaurants, to get students on an even and healthy start nutritionally until school cafeterias can be up and running again.

A cafeteria staffing shortage, pandemic-inspired shortage of ingredients and/or increased costs associated with virus precautions are no reasons to shortchange students on their nutritional needs.

A workable solution can be found.

Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

Va. voters’ choice: Moving forward or going back Virginia voters will pick the state’s next governor in November. The choice couldn’t be clearer, and neither could the national implications of this race in a bellwether state. Not only is the Virginia election a curtainraiser for the midterm elections of 2022, it’s also the biggest test so far of whether the Trumpified GOP can win major races.

The Democratic candid a t e , Te r r y McAuliffe, previously had a successful term as governor. The Republican candidate, Glenn Youngkin, is a superwealthy businessman trying to buy his way into power. (Sound familiar?) On one issue after another, voters can contrast Mr. Youngkin’s unproven claims with Mr. McAuliffe’s proven record.

Take voting rights. During his term as governor from 2014 to 2018, Mr. McAuliffe overcame Republican resistance and Jim Crow-era voting laws to restore voting rights to 173,000 Virginians.

What about Mr. Youngkin? He refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s victory for months — until after he won the GOP nomination — and has helped promote false right wing claims about voter fraud that are being used by Republican legislators to justify

restrictive voting laws around the country.

Just last month, Mr. Youngkin spoke at an “election integrity” rally organized by a Trump supporter who was outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection. No wonder Mr. Trump has so enthusiastically endorsed Mr. Youngkin.

Mr. Youngkin promotes him-

Ben Jealous self as if Virginia needs him as some kind of savior to pull the state out of the “ditch” he claims it is in. The Washington Post’s editorial board said Mr. Youngkin’s claim is “flatly contradicted by a tsunami of evidence to the contrary.” That sounds like a polite way of saying Mr. Youngkin is lying. The state has a budget surplus, lower-than-average unemployment, and a Triple A bond rating. This summer, CNBC declared Virginia the top state in the country for business.

The real danger of the state dropping into a ditch comes from Mr. Youngkin himself.

His desire to abolish the state’s income tax would slash the state’s ability to provide services to its residents.

When Mr. McAuliffe was governor, he was so successful at attracting economic development and generating new jobs that he was named “Public Official of the Year” by “Governing” magazine in 2017. The magazine honored Mr. McAuliffe “based

on his success navigating an opposition legislature, creating new jobs, and persevering in restoring the civil rights of more than 168,000 Virginians.” Mr. McAuliffe credited his team for helping him “build a stronger, more inclusive Virginia.”

In his previous term as governor, Mr. McAuliffe also oversaw record spending on education and created the country’s first workforce training program to help people without a college education get access to jobs in high demand. He is pledging to build on that track record by raising teacher pay above the national average, expanding access to preschool and getting all students online.

Meanwhile, Mr. Youngkin’s search for ways to fire up right wing voters has led him down another divisive road paved by Mr. Trump. Mr. Youngkin has joined Mr. Trump, Fox News and right wing activists who are trying to stop schools from having honest conversations about racism in our history, culture and institutions. They’re hoping to inflame conservative white voters to drive up turnout, and Mr. Youngkin has made it the centerpiece of his campaign.

His dishonest comments about Virginia schools show us that he will say or do anything to get into power, no matter how much damage he does along the way.

Mr. Youngkin fails another test that is of vital importance to Virginians’ health and economic

‘Antiracist public health approach’ needed to substance abuse “He was a Hollywood star with an off-Broadway paycheck that mostly went up his nose. He was a pacifist with a barroombrawl, razor scar down the middle of his face. He played a sneering killer but started his career in dance tights. On set, he was Omar Little, the Robin Hood of the hood feared by fictional street thugs who feared nothing else. Off it, he was an aimless soul begging for someone — anyone — to love and accept him for who he was, not who he played.” — Kevin Manahan, Newark Star-Ledger Of the many tributes to gifted actor Michael K. Williams, who died last week at the age of 54, the most enduring and consequential may be namesake legislation aimed at curbing mass incarceration in his home state of New York.

Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn of Brooklyn, N.Y., plans to introduce a bill named for Mr. Williams, a criminal justice reform advocate and ACLU ambassador for ending mass incarceration.

Mr. Williams gained fame in the early 2000s for his groundbreaking portrayal of Omar Little, an openly gay armed robber who preyed on drug dealers, in the HBO series “The Wire.” His portrayal drew upon his experiences growing up in Brooklyn’s

then-crime-ridden Vanderveer Estates and childhood abuse that left him conflicted about his sexuality.

Despite his professional success, Mr. Williams never overcame the demons that drove his struggle with drug abuse.

Even in the years following his well-publicized recovery, he hinted of the turmoil beneath the surface.

“People often think that when a person puts down the drugs or

Marc H. Morial the alcohol, that all the problems go away,” he told journalist Tamron Hall in February. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. Drugs and alcohol are not the problems. They’re merely symptoms of the problem. And once those things go away, the real work begins.”

Mr. Williams’ death from a suspected fentanyl overdose underscores both the growing opioid crisis among Black Americans and the need for a more compassionate, community‐based approach to substance abuse and mental health problems.

Days after Mr. Williams’ death, the National Institutes of Health published a study revealing that opioid overdose death rates are growing faster among Black Americans than among whites. The study’s authors recommended an “antiracist public health approach” to address the crisis in Black communities.

“We have to do something

different, a more intensive intervention in the African-American community,” addiction specialist Dr. Edwin Chapman, who serves the African-American community in Washington, D.C., told NPR. Mr. Williams struggled with cocaine addiction throughout the run of “The Wire,” sometimes sleeping on a bare mattress alongside other addicts in the basement of a boarded-up house in Newark. He sought treatment after the show ended in 2008, spurred in part by a meeting with then-candidate Barack Obama.

“Hearing my name come out of his mouth woke me up,” he told the New York Times. “I realized that my work could actually make a difference.”

The criminalization of substance abuse is partly to blame for the rising opioid death toll, deterring people in crisis from seeking help.

“They have that fear. If you go to get help, then people want to turn you in and have your children taken away,” said Latoya Jenkins, whose mother died of a fentanyl overdose in December. “If they are seen somewhere using drugs, instead of, ‘Hey, can I get you to a treatment center or get someone to help you? No, we’re going to throw you in jail.’ ” Assemblywoman Hermelyn’s legislation to reduce mass incarceration would be a fitting tribute to Mr. Williams and the cause for which he fought so fiercely.

The writer is president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League.

The Free Press welcomes letters The Richmond Free Press respects the opinions of its readers. We want to hear from you.

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

future: Dealing responsibly with the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Youngkin opposes vaccine mandates and doesn’t think schools should require students to wear masks. He said he would follow the lead of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, whose irresponsible policies have encouraged an upsurge in hospitalizations and deaths. Mr. McAuliffe knows that you can’t rebuild the economy if the pandemic is allowed to ravage the workforce and disrupt our lives and jobs.

Virginia voters rejected Donald Trump twice and I believe they will reject Mr. Trump’s pick for governor. Mr. McAuliffe, whose successful record as governor reflects his commitment to a Virginia that works better for everyone, deserves Virginians’ votes, and the nation will be watching.

The writer, a former national president and chief executive officer of the NAACP, serves as president of People for the American Way.

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Richmond Free Press

September 16-18, 2021 A11

Commentary

Talk about the real issues On Thursday, Sept. 9, I was interviewed by two white people – a man with a camera and a woman reporter from a local television station – in front of the U.S. Post Office on Main Street in Downtown regarding President Biden’s mandate about COVID-19 vaccines.

The purpose of the interview was to get me to say something negative about President Biden.

I did not take the bait.

The Lee statue had just come down the day before. Why were there no questions about that?

Why were they not asking about the continuing critical housing situation in the city?

There are other issues that need to be reported on other than COVID-19. The Sackler family being given personal immunity from any opioid lawsuits against their privately owned company Purdue Pharma and its OxyContin painkillers, or murder by any other name; or Wells Fargo making it hard to get a home loan if you are Black; or the governor’s race where the Black candidates were done out of a chance when former Gov. Terry McAuliffe jumped into the race.

These are just a few of the issues.

When will Virginia ever get a Black U.S. senator? New Jersey has Sen. Cory Booker.

Why is Virginia a whitesonly state?

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VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY

Keep paying on your house and car as long as you owe what they are worth.

Also Chapter 13 “Debt Adjustment” STOPS FORECLOSURES, GARNISHMENTS AND HARASSING PHONE CALLS

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NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF THE APPLICATION OF VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY FOR REVISION OF RATE ADJUSTMENT CLAUSE: RIDER US-3, COLONIAL TRAIL WEST AND SPRING GROVE 1 SOLAR PROJECTS, FOR THE RATE YEAR COMMENCING JUNE 1, 2022 CASE NO. PUR-2021-00118 •Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion”) has applied for approval to revise its rate adjustment clause, Rider US-3.

•In this case, Dominion has asked the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) to approve Rider US-3 for the rate year beginning June 1, 2022, and ending May 31, 2023 (“2022 Rate Year”) •For the 2022 Rate Year, Dominion requests a revenue requirement of $49,805,410, which would increase the bill of a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month by $0.25.

Call Rudy McCollum at (804)218-3614 24-7. Talk to an attorney for free

and get legal restrictions, fees, costs and payment terms.

Rudolph C. McCollum, Jr., Esq. McCollum At Law, P.C.

Mail to: P.O. Box 4595, Richmond, VA 23220 422 E. Franklin St., Suite 301, Richmond, VA 23219 (Franklin & 5th Sts.) We are a federally designated Debt Relief Agency under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and we help people file for bankruptcy.

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

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•A Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will hold a telephonic hearing in this case on February 28, 2022, at 10 a.m., for the receipt of public witness testimony. $Q HYLGHQWLDU\ KHDULQJ ZLOO EH KHOG RQ 0DUFK DW D P HLWKHU LQ WKH &RPPLVVLRQ¶V VHFRQG ÀRRU FRXUWURRP ORFDWHG LQ WKH 7\OHU %XLOGLQJ (DVW 0DLQ 6WUHHW 5LFKPRQG 9LUJLQLD RU E\ electronic means. Further details on this hearing will be provided by subsequent Commission Order or Hearing Examiner’s Ruling.

•Further information about this case is available on the Commission website at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information.

2Q $XJXVW 9LUJLQLD (OHFWULF DQG 3RZHU &RPSDQ\ ³'RPLQLRQ´ RU ³&RPSDQ\´ ¿OHG ZLWK WKH 6WDWH &RUSRUDWLRQ &RPPLVVLRQ ³&RPPLVVLRQ´ DQ DSSOLFDWLRQ ³$SSOLFDWLRQ´ IRU DSSURYDO RI LWV DQQXDO XSGDWH ¿OLQJ ZLWK UHVSHFW WR 5LGHU 86 ³ $QQXDO 8SGDWH´ IRU WKH &RORQLDO 7UDLO :HVW 6RODU )DFLOLW\ ³&RORQLDO 7UDLO :HVW´ DQ DSSUR[LPDWHO\ PHJDZDWW ³0:´ VRODU JHQHUDWLQJ IDFLOLW\ located in Surry County, Virginia, and the Spring Grove 1 Solar Facility (“Spring Grove 1”), an approximately 98 MW solar facility located in Surry County, Virginia (collectively, “US-3 Solar Projects” or “Projects”).

On January 24, 2019, the Commission approved Dominion’s construction and operation of the US-3 Solar Projects. On April 15, 2019, Dominion also received approval of a rate adjustment clause, designated Rider US-3, for the Company to recover costs associated with the construction of the Projects. The Commission’s approval was subject to certain conditions and requirements, including a performance guarantee for the Projects, which were accepted by the Company.

According to the Application, the US-3 Solar Projects are generally proceeding on schedule and on budget. The Company states that Colonial Trail West began commercial operations on December 26, 6SULQJ *URYH ZDV SODFHG LQWR VHUYLFH RQ 1RYHPEHU 7KH WRWDO IRUHFDVWHG FRVW IRU WKH FRPELQHG 86 6RODU 3URMHFWV UHPDLQV DW PLOOLRQ H[FOXGLQJ ¿QDQFLQJ FRVWV RU SHU NLORZDWW DW WKH 0: QRPLQDO $& UDWLQJ ZLWK FRVW YDULDQFHV IURP WKH RULJLQDO HVWLPDWHV ERWK XSZDUG DQG GRZQZDUG DQG ZLWKLQ VSHFL¿F FRVW FDWHJRULHV DQG VXEFDWHJRULHV 7KH XSGDWHG EXGJHW IRUHFDVW LQFOXGHG LQ WKH $SSOLFDWLRQ UHÀHFWV DFWXDO FDSLWDO H[SHQGLWXUHV WKURXJK 'HFHPEHU DQG SURMHFWHG FDSLWDO H[SHQGLWXUHV WKURXJK ZLWK PRQWKO\ SURMHFWLRQV RI FDSLWDO H[SHQGLWXUHV XVHG WR determine the revenue requirement for the 2021 Annual Update. The Company states that as part of this 2021 Annual Update, it is requesting that the Commission approve the updated expenditures for the 3URMHFWV VXEMHFW WR VXEVHTXHQW WUXH XSV DQG ¿QG WKDW VXFK H[SHQGLWXUHV DUH UHDVRQDEOH DQG SUXGHQW In this proceeding, Dominion has asked the Commission to approve Rider US-3 for the rate year beginning June 1, 2022, and ending May 31, 2023 (“2022 Rate Year”). The two components of the proposed total revenue requirement for the 2022 Rate Year are the Projected Cost Recovery Factor and the Actual Cost True-Up Factor. The Company is requesting a Projected Cost Recovery Factor revenue UHTXLUHPHQW RI DSSUR[LPDWHO\ DQG DQ $FWXDO &RVW 7UXH 8S )DFWRU UHYHQXH UHTXLUHPHQW RI 7KXV WKH &RPSDQ\ LV UHTXHVWLQJ D WRWDO UHYHQXH UHTXLUHPHQW RI IRU service rendered during the 2022 Rate Year.

For purposes of calculating the revenue requirement in this case, Dominion utilized a rate of return on common equity of 9.2%, approved by the Commission in Case No. PUR-2019-00050. If the proposed Rider US-3 for the 2022 Rate Year is approved, the impact on customer bills would depend on the customer’s rate schedule and usage. According to Dominion, implementation of its proposed Rider US-3 on June 1, 2022, would increase the bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month by approximately $0.25. The Company indicates it has calculated the proposed Rider US-3 rates in accordance with the same methodology as used for rates previously approved by the Commission in the most recent Rider US-3 proceeding, Case No. PUR-2020-00122.

Interested persons are encouraged to review the Application and supporting documents for the details of these and other proposals.

7$.( 127,&( WKDW WKH &RPPLVVLRQ PD\ DSSRUWLRQ UHYHQXHV DPRQJ FXVWRPHU FODVVHV DQG RU GHVLJQ UDWHV LQ D PDQQHU GL൵HULQJ IURP WKDW VKRZQ LQ WKH $SSOLFDWLRQ DQG VXSSRUWLQJ GRFXPHQWV DQG WKXV PD\ DGRSW UDWHV WKDW GL൵HU IURP WKRVH DSSHDULQJ LQ WKH &RPSDQ\¶V $SSOLFDWLRQ DQG VXSSRUWLQJ GRFXPHQWV The Commission has taken judicial notice of the ongoing public health issues related to the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19. In accordance therewith, all pleadings, briefs, or other documents required to be served in this matter shall be submitted electronically to the extent authorized by 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (“Rules of PracWLFH´ &RQ¿GHQWLDO DQG ([WUDRUGLQDULO\ 6HQVLWLYH ,QIRUPDWLRQ VKDOO QRW EH VXEPLWWHG HOHFWURQLFDOO\ DQG VKRXOG FRPSO\ ZLWK 9$& &RQ¿GHQWLDO LQIRUPDWLRQ, of the Rules of Practice. Any person VHHNLQJ WR KDQG GHOLYHU DQG SK\VLFDOO\ ¿OH RU VXEPLW DQ\ SOHDGLQJ RU RWKHU GRFXPHQW VKDOO FRQWDFW WKH &OHUN¶V 2൶FH 'RFXPHQW &RQWURO &HQWHU DW WR DUUDQJH WKH GHOLYHU\ Pursuant to 5 VAC 5-20-140, )LOLQJ DQG VHUYLFH RI WKH 5XOHV RI 3UDFWLFH WKH &RPPLVVLRQ KDV GLUHFWHG WKDW VHUYLFH RQ SDUWLHV DQG WKH &RPPLVVLRQ¶V 6WD൵ LQ WKLV PDWWHU VKDOO EH DFFRPSOLVKHG E\ HOHFWURQLF PHDQV 3OHDVH UHIHU WR WKH &RPPLVVLRQ¶V 2UGHU IRU 1RWLFH DQG +HDULQJ IRU IXUWKHU LQVWUXFWLRQV FRQFHUQLQJ &RQ¿GHQWLDO RU ([WUDRUGLQDULO\ 6HQVLWLYH ,QIRUPDWLRQ The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing that, among other things, scheduled public hearings on Dominion’s Application. On February 28, 2022, at 10 a.m., the Commission will hold a WHOHSKRQLF KHDULQJ ZLWK QR ZLWQHVV SUHVHQW LQ WKH &RPPLVVLRQ¶V FRXUWURRP IRU WKH SXUSRVH RI UHFHLYLQJ WKH WHVWLPRQ\ RI SXEOLF ZLWQHVVHV 2Q RU EHIRUH )HEUXDU\ DQ\ SHUVRQ GHVLULQJ WR R൵HU testimony as a public witness shall provide to the Commission (a) your name, and (b) the telephone number that you wish the Commission to call during the hearing to receive your testimony. This inforPDWLRQ PD\ EH SURYLGHG WR WKH &RPPLVVLRQ LQ WKUHH ZD\V L E\ ¿OOLQJ RXW D IRUP RQ WKH &RPPLVVLRQ¶V ZHEVLWH DW scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting; (ii) by completing and emailing the PDF version of this form to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov RU LLL E\ FDOOLQJ 7KLV SXEOLF ZLWQHVV KHDULQJ ZLOO EH ZHEFDVW DW scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting.

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Electronic copies of the Application may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company, Elaine S. Ryan, Esquire, McGuireWoods LLP, Gateway Plaza, 800 East Canal Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or eryan@mcguirewoods.com.

2Q RU EHIRUH )HEUXDU\ DQ\ LQWHUHVWHG SHUVRQ PD\ ¿OH FRPPHQWV RQ WKH $SSOLFDWLRQ E\ IROORZLQJ WKH LQVWUXFWLRQV RQ WKH &RPPLVVLRQ¶V ZHEVLWH scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments 7KRVH XQDEOH DV D SUDFWLFDO PDWWHU WR ¿OH FRPPHQWV HOHFWURQLFDOO\ PD\ ¿OH VXFK FRPPHQWV E\ 8 6 PDLO WR WKH &OHUN RI WKH 6WDWH &RUSRUDWLRQ Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2021-00118.

2Q RU EHIRUH 'HFHPEHU DQ\ SHUVRQ RU HQWLW\ ZLVKLQJ WR SDUWLFLSDWH DV D UHVSRQGHQW LQ WKLV SURFHHGLQJ PD\ GR VR E\ ¿OLQJ D QRWLFH RI SDUWLFLSDWLRQ ZLWK WKH &OHUN RI WKH &RPPLVVLRQ DW VFF YLUJLQLD JRY FON H¿OLQJ 7KRVH XQDEOH DV D SUDFWLFDO PDWWHU WR ¿OH D QRWLFH RI SDUWLFLSDWLRQ HOHFWURQLFDOO\ PD\ ¿OH VXFK QRWLFH E\ 8 6 PDLO WR WKH &OHUN RI WKH &RPPLVVLRQ DW WKH DGGUHVV OLVWHG DERYH Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel, if available. The respondent simultaneously shall serve a copy of the notice of participation on counsel for the Company. Pursuant to 5 VAC 5 20-80 B, 3DUWLFLSDWLRQ DV D UHVSRQGHQW, of the Rules of Practice, any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a VWDWHPHQW RI WKH VSHFL¿F DFWLRQ VRXJKW WR WKH H[WHQW WKHQ NQRZQ DQG LLL WKH IDFWXDO DQG OHJDO EDVLV IRU WKH DFWLRQ $Q\ RUJDQL]DWLRQ FRUSRUDWLRQ RU JRYHUQPHQW ERG\ SDUWLFLSDWLQJ DV D UHVSRQGHQW PXVW EH represented by counsel as required by 5 VAC 5-20-30, &RXQVHO RI WKH 5XOHV RI 3UDFWLFH $OO ¿OLQJV VKDOO UHIHU WR &DVH 1R 385 2Q RU EHIRUH -DQXDU\ HDFK UHVSRQGHQW PD\ ¿OH ZLWK WKH &OHUN RI WKH &RPPLVVLRQ DW VFF YLUJLQLD JRY FON H¿OLQJ, any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case. $Q\ UHVSRQGHQW XQDEOH DV D SUDFWLFDO PDWWHU WR ¿OH WHVWLPRQ\ DQG H[KLELWV HOHFWURQLFDOO\ PD\ ¿OH VXFK E\ 8 6 PDLO WR WKH &OHUN RI WKH &RPPLVVLRQ DW WKH DGGUHVV OLVWHG DERYH (DFK ZLWQHVV¶V WHVWLPRQ\ VKDOO LQFOXGH D VXPPDU\ QRW WR H[FHHG RQH SDJH $OO WHVWLPRQ\ DQG H[KLELWV VKDOO EH VHUYHG RQ WKH &RPPLVVLRQ¶V 6WD൵ WKH &RPSDQ\ DQG DOO RWKHU UHVSRQGHQWV VLPXOWDQHRXV ZLWK LWV ¿OLQJ ,Q DOO ¿OLQJV UHVSRQGHQWV VKDOO FRPSO\ ZLWK WKH 5XOHV RI 3UDFWLFH DV PRGL¿HG E\ WKH &RPPLVVLRQ¶V 2UGHU IRU 1RWLFH DQG +HDULQJ LQFOXGLQJ EXW QRW OLPLWHG WR 9$& )LOLQJ DQG VHUYLFH, and 5 VAC 5-20 -240, Prepared testimony and exhibits $OO ¿OLQJV VKDOO UHIHU WR &DVH 1R 385

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VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY

FY22 Education Message-10x3 inches-PRINT.pdf

A12 September 16-18, 2021

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Richmond Free Press

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A win for education. $11 billion to Virginia’s K-12 public schools since 1999.

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valottery.com/givingback

Stories by Fred Jeter

Who is Coach Bailey rooting for?

VUU to play VUL Sept. 18 in Willard Bailey Classic Virginia Union University’s long-awaited first football game on its beautifully renovated field left much to be desired.

The game this Saturday, Sept. 18, against beleaguered Virginia University of Lynchburg figures to produce far happier results.

Kickoff at Willie Lanier Field at Hovey Stadium is set for 5 p.m. The game will serve as the Willard Bailey Classic.

A pick-me-up is in order on Lombardy Street.

Coach Alvin Parker’s Panthers fell to 0-2 with a 51-7 loss last Saturday to NCAA Division II juggernaut Valdosta State University of Georgia before a crowd of 5,019.

It was the inaugural game on Lanier Field, which is named for NFL Hall of Famer Willie Lanier, after the 2020 season was canceled.

VUU’s defense has taken a beating. The Panthers allowed 611 yards in their opening 42-28 loss at Hampton University on Sept. 4 and yielded another 569 yards against Valdosta State.

VUU trailed 27-0 at halftime and was down 37-0 after three quarters against the Blazers.

Jada Byers, a 5-foot-7, 171-pound true freshman from Hammonton, N.J., provided the offensive spark with 107 yards rushing and another 118 yards returning four kickoffs.

Byers produced the lone touchdown on a 4-yard, fourth-quarter run.

On the downside, star wideout Charles Hall, who had six catches for 183 yards against Hampton, was held to no receptions against the Georgians.

Preseason All-America kicker Jefferson Souza missed a 27-yard field goal that would have provided the Panthers with an early lead.

Quarterback Khalid Morris was 10 for 24 passing for 97 yards, with one interception. He was sacked twice.

Jaiden Reavis from Highland Springs High School had three caches for 69 yards, including a 46-yarder.

On defense, Bryan Epps, also from Highland Springs High, had an interception.

The Dragons of Virginia University of Lynchburg figure to serve as a “get well” remedy for VUU. VUL lost its opener 54-0 at University of Virginia-Wise and fell to 0-2 last week with a 50-14 setback at Mars Hill University of North Carolina.

Founded in 1886, VUL was formerly known as Virginia Seminary and is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association.

The privately funded HBCU was a member of the CIAA from 1921 until 1954.

It’s purely coincidental that the Willard Bailey Classic will pit VUU against VUL. VUL’s football program was revived in 2011 by the same Willard Bailey who posted an 8-19 Dragons’ record in three seasons.

A member of the Black College Football Hall of Fame, Coach Bailey coached at Virginia Union from 1971 to 1983, and again from 1995 to 2003. His VUU record from the two stints was 157-73-6, with five straight NCAA Division II playoff berths from 1979 to 1983.

Don’t be surprised if the Willard Bailey Classic triggers a VUU winning streak. The Panthers’ upcoming games against VUL and Johnson C. Smith, Shaw, Lincoln and Chowan universities are much more winnable than were the first two.

The Panthers’ CIAA championship and NCAA bid chances likely will be determined by two home games, Oct. 23 against Bowie State University and Nov. 6 against Virginia State University.

Clement Britt

Virginia Union University wide receiver Jaiden Reavis is taken down last Saturday by two players from Valdosta State University, Jaylen Jackson on the ground and Ivory Durham.

VSU heads into CIAA play with 0-2 record Virginia State University has shown it can drive nearly the length of the field for a touchdown.

Now, with an extra week to prepare, Coach Reggie Barlow’s football Trojans need to work on ways to perform similar feats more often.

Despite a 10-7 loss last Saturday at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, VSU mounted one of the longest drives in Trojans lore.

Taking over on its own 2-yard line late in the third quarter, VSU traveled 98 yards on 17 plays, eating up 7:14 on the clock. It overcame two, 5-yard penalties along the way.

Kimo Clarke accounted for the final two yards and VSU’s lone touchdown. Nick Woolfolk,

from Richmond’s Thomas Jefferson High School, added the extra point.

That’s something for the Trojans to build on before traveling to Fayetteville State University Saturday, Sept. 25, to commence CIAA play.

Jordan VSU is 0-2 (with only two touchdowns) after a 48-7 home loss to Lenoir-Rhyne University on Sept. 4 and the Ohio Dominican University setback.

Jordan Davis quarterbacked the memorable 98-yard drive after taking over in the second half for injured starter Mark Wright.

Davis was 9-for-17 passing for 112 yards. Before suffering a lower body injury, Wright was 10-for-14

for 136 yards.

Overall, VSU had 317 yards to Ohio Dominican’s 306 yards, and 20 first downs to the home team’s 19.

Davis hails from C.D. Hylton High School in Woodbridge and was the Davis top backup to three-year starter Cordelral Cook in 2019.

VSU opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19.

Wright, from Carrollton, Ga., played previously at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa and Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.

Tylin Oden, a 6-foot-4 junior from Spring Hill, Tenn., had five receptions for 55 yards.

Clarke, a redshirt freshman from Ocala, Fla., has both VSU touchdowns this season and leads the team with 104 yards on 14 carries, good for a 6.7 yard average.

Defensively, Javon Frazier had two sacks for VSU and Kymon Pope, from nearby Dinwiddie, had two passes broken up. Coincidentally, Pope’s older brother, K’Vaughan, is a senior linebacker at Ohio State University and played across town in Columbus the same day against the University of Oregon.

VSU’s Sept. 25 opponent, Fayetteville State, is the favorite to win the CIAA Southern Division title.

The Broncos are 1-1, with a win over Elizabeth City State University on Sept. 4 and a loss last Saturday to Wingate University.

Armstrong High, wearing throwback jerseys for Armstrong-Kennedy, blitzes John Marshall A change of nickname and change of uniforms may have helped change the luck of Armstrong High School’s football team—at least for one night.

In what first-year Coach Jeremy Pruitt billed “Throwback Night,” Armstrong pounded visiting John Marshall High School 68-0 on Sept. 10.

Armstrong, normally the Wildcats with blue and orange uniforms, wore special blue and gold uniforms with the nickname “Jaguars” on the jerseys.

The Jaguars scored 10 touchdowns in the rout, with Kile Artis pacing a relentless offense with 207 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The team’s long list of standouts also included Kemari Eberhardt, Leonte Ouahi, Dayvon Palmer and Ziquon Irving.

“We had a great week of practice and the kids really wanted it,” Coach Pruitt said.

“We came out of the gate and ran the ball very hard. We broke tackles. We did everything.”

It was Armstrong’s first victory since Oct. 4, 2019, when they defeated Park View High School in Sterling, Va., 47-18.

Armstrong opted out of the 2020 season because of the pandemic.

There was little to indicate the East End school was primed for a rousing performance. Earlier this season, Armstrong lost

7-0 to Thomas Jefferson High School and 41-6 to Petersburg High School.

“We’re a young team building a program brick by brick,” said Coach Pruitt, a former All-CIAA linebacker at Virginia State University who previously served as an assistant coach at Armstrong.

Now about that nickname and uniform switch: The new jerseys were donated to Armstrong by alumni of both Armstrong and the former John F. Kennedy High School, Coach Pruitt said.

Some history: Blue and gold were the colors of the Armstrong-Kennedy complex, when the two schools were combined from 1980 to 1986 and their team became the Armstrong-Kennedy Jaguars.

After that, they became separate schools again, but in 2004, Armstrong and Kennedy, known as the Kougars, merged again, with the city keeping the Armstrong name (the school had had that name since 1909) and mascot — the Wildcats — but moving to the newer Kennedy building on Cool Lane, which opened in September 1968.

In addition to the game, there were various other activities last Friday celebrating the combined histories of the school. There were numerous vendors for Armstrong-Kennedy Alumni Night. Unveiled

HBCU teams banking on more memorable – and winning – football weekend

James Haskins/Richmond Free Press

Armstrong High School’s Kile Artis gets past the John Marshall High defense to score a touchdown in last Friday’s game. The Armstrong Wildcats wore jerseys bearing the colors and mascot name – the Jaguars – of the former Armstrong-Kennedy High School Complex.

was an “A-K Skybox” atop the school, providing a bird’s-eye view of the action.

The A-K Jaguars jerseys, which had been kept secretly in storage, were used for the first time in the game against John Marshall High.

Whether or not Armstrong sticks with the undefeated Jaguars jerseys might be kept

secret.

“It’s probably a one-night deal,” Coach Pruitt said. “But we’ll definitely bring them back next year for the A-K Alumni Day.” Next up for the “Wildcats/ Jaguars” is a home date 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 17, against Class 2 powerhouse the Goochland Bulldogs.

It was a weekend to forget for state HBCU and MEAC football teams.

Among Virginia’s entries, MEAC’s Norfolk State University lost last Saturday at Wake Forest University 41-26, and Big South’s Hampton University fell to Old Dominion University 47-7 in Norfolk.

Around the MEAC last Saturday, Howard University lost at the University of Maryland, 62-0; Delaware State University was a 20-14 home loser to Georgetown University; South Carolina State University was defeated 49-3 at Clemson University; Morgan State University lost 69-20 at Tulane; and North Carolina Central University was a 44-10 loser at Marshall University.

On Sept. 10, North Carolina A&T State University of the Big South Conference lost at Duke University 45-17.

These results were predictable. There are four layers of NCAA football — FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III. The HBCUs mentioned here all play in the second tier, FCS. In all but one case last week, the HBCU was playing on the road against an FBS team for a financial guarantee.

It is not unusual for FCS schools to receive $500,000 or more for these one-sided matchups.

The exception on Saturday, Sept. 11, was the Delaware State versus Georgetown of the FCS game in Dover, Del. The game lineup for this Saturday, Sept. 18, is more favorable for the HBCUs: • Division II Elizabeth City State University at Norfolk State University, 6 p.m.

• Hampton at Howard, noon.

• Morgan State at FCS Sacred Heart University of Conn., 1 p.m.

• Delaware State at FCS East Tennessee State University, 7:30 p.m.

• South Carolina State at FBS New Mexico State University, 8 p.m.

September 16-18, 2021 B1

Richmond Free Press

Section

Happenings

B

Personality: Lawrence E. West Jr. Spotlight on founder of Black Lives Matter RVA

For many, the removal of the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the pedestal where it stood for more than a century was a symbolic moment that could herald further progress and change.

For Lawrence E. West Jr., founder of Black Lives Matter RVA, the removal was something more substantial and critical.

Having been part of interviews with global news outlets about the statue coming down, and standing among the cheers and public celebration when it finally was brought down Sept.

8, Mr. West sees the power of the event as one that can be used to mobilize the community around other issues.

“Regardless of if it’s symbolism or not, that’s important for anybody’s issue to have the world look upon them and say, ‘OK, I hear your plight. Let me help join the fight,’ ” Mr. West says.

BLM RVA came into existence as a result of increased interest in issues that Mr. West seeks to build upon. The group was formed during the protests against police brutality and for racial equality that began in Richmond in mid-2020 following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

The group was known as “The Kitchen,” an occupation that formed north of the Lee statue as a community resource.

In the time since, the group has grown to about 47 registered members and many more unregistered, and has solidified its guiding principles of community advocacy, political action and readiness to protest and pushback against social oppression when it appears.

“Our mission was born out of refusal to disband or leave our community space and the refusal of the administration to hear our demands,” Mr. West says.

The Washington, D.C., native describes BLM RVA as a “community organization with a front line attitude, with the goal of making a better Richmond.”

BLM RVA’s main focus currently is its Jobs Not Jail diversion program, which seeks

to aid those in court-appointed community service with vocational and entrepreneurial training. To facilitate this, the group is working to make connections with area businesses and localities to help with funding and implementation.

The group also is looking to take on an advisory role for local government bodies as a way to guide those in power to move away “from criminalizing poverty and mental health issues to creating greater access to health and wealth building,” as Mr. West puts it.

To achieve these goals, the group has partnered with or has members as part of groups that include the Marcus Alert Stakeholders, Path to Equity, the Department of Public Works, the Richmond City Council’s Ethics and Reform Commission and more. And to hear Mr. West’s testimony, they’re already making headway.

“There’s so many things that we are operating and we’re doing right now that challenge this system as it is,” says Mr. West. He emphasized BLM RVA’s work in building a better understanding of the systems that govern so many lives.

What BLM RVA finds and learns in the course of its efforts will be shared among the Richmond community through various public discussions, the latest of which is a Marcus Alert community forum planned for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.

22, and 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. Details about the virtual events are available at www.rva. gov/marcus-alert.

Mr. West sees the steps made so far by BLM RVA as ones that will pay dividends for the future of Richmond.

“We’re not on the outside looking in. We’ve just got access to the door,” Mr. West says. “We’re walking through the threshold and we’re not onetrack minded. We’re really trying to gather information so that we create sustainable solutions.”

Meet a local leader in the renewed fight for racial justice and this week’s Personality, Lawrence E. West Jr.: No. 1 volunteer position: Founder, Black Lives Matter

laws with politicalaction.

4) Stay ready to protest injustices.

BLM RVA and the Robert E. Lee statue: The occupation was originally established under the name “The Kitchen,” an area north of the Robert E. Lee traffic circle, to help serve anyone and everyone. People who frequented became known as the occupiers. And our mission was born out of refusal to disband or leave our community space and the refusal of the administration to hear our demands.

RVA, or BLM RVA. Date and place of birth: June 3 in Washington, D.C. Where I live now: Richmond.

Education: Some college; entrepreneur for 18 years.

Occupation: Business owner/ contractor.

Family: Divorced, with two children, a boy and a girl.

BLM is: A call to action!

National founders: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi.

Total number of BLM chapters: A lot. Some affiliated directly, some not.

BLM RVA is: A community organization with a front line attitude, with the goal ofmaking a better Richmond.

When and why BLM RVA was founded: BLM RVA was born out of the movement during the summer of 2020. We were established as an official organization later in the year, with the intent of engaging and advocating for the community beyond Marcus-David Peters Circle.

BLM RVA’s mission: 1) Advocate for the social needs of our people. 2) Stand against police brutality and systemic oppression. 3) Stay ahead of ever-changing policies and

Explore the Arlington neighborhood that’s been called “The World in a Zip Code”

Columbia Pike THROUGH THE LENS OF COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

Through January 8, 2022

The role protesters played in removal of Lee statue: Our involvement in bringing down the Robert E. Lee statue was critical. This is one of the only monuments to face opposition to its removal. Without community, it would have been swept under the rug.

White supremacy and white privilege: We have been placed under continuous scrutiny because of long-standing oppressive ideals. The people known locally as Trumpers called us criminals even though their leader, Mike Dickinson, himself had been convicted of crimes.

The neighbors called the police on us almost daily for a number of legal activities with the intent of militarizing the police.

How BLM RVA envisions the green space created by the removal of the statue: We imagine the fence around Marcus-David Peters Circle gone, basketball courts, gardening area, cookout area and community seating.

No. 1 goal or project of BLM

RVA: Diversion program; we recently received approval from Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette W. McEachin to be involved in court-appointed community service as Tier 1 implementation of our Jobs Not Jail diversion program.

We are looking to partner with neighboring localities and businesses to implement and fund entrepreneurship training and vocational training.

Ways to be involved with BLM RVA: Visit blmrva.com and sign up for local participation or become a member. Or follow us on Instagram @blmrva.

Plans for goals to be accomplished: We hope to have businesses provide scholarships to individuals normally considered to be a risk to society to foster entrepreneurship and vocational training. We also hope to be granted access to local government bodies and work with them to facilitate a transition from criminalizing poverty and mental health issues to creating greater access to health and wealth building.

Through initiatives and collaborations such as Surveying Gun Violence with Rhonda Gilmer, the Department of Justice and the Marcus Alert stakeholders.

Best late-night snack: Pineapples or chocolate.

Lessons learned during pandemic by BLM RVA: People are people even if they are separated by class or race. Their needs are the same. We cannot glorify or covet each other’s items but celebrate each other’s successes.

BLM RVA partners with: Marcus Alert stakeholders, a group of public and private organizations to implement new legislation; Path to Equity; Department of Public Works; City Council Ethics and Reform Commission; and a multitude of community members and organizations to implement change locally.

How I start the day: What do I need to get accomplished today and what is my first priority?

Three words that best describe me: Understanding, driven and wild.

How I unwind: Have a night out on the town, or go out of town.

What I am learning about myself during the pandemic: I love giving.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: Go out and party.

Quote that I am most inspired by: “Skill is better than talent.”

— Will Smith At the top of my “to-do” list: Implement Jobs not Jail, our diversion program.

Best thing my parents ever taught me: Advice is the responsibility of the adviser and choice is the responsibility of the chooser.

Person who influenced me the most: My dad.

Book that influenced me the most: I am in the beginning stages of writing my own book.

What I’m reading now: Richmond Free Press, Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Washington Post.

Next goal: Host community discussions surrounding how to better implement the change we want to see every day.

OPENING WEEKEND! VALENTINA PELEGGI, MUSIC DIRECTOR

DISCOVER

Florence Price

Saturday Sept 25 2021 @ 8pm Sunday Sept 26 2021 @ 3pm Valentina Peleggi, Conductor Louis Schwizgebel, Piano

ADOLPHUS HAILSTORK: Fanfare on Amazing Grace PRICE: Piano Concerto (in one movement) DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” In 1932, the Chicago Symphony premiered a symphony by Florence Price—and she became the first Black woman composer to have her music performed by a major orchestra. Two years later she conceived a Piano Concerto, drawing on the joy of the spiritual and the jubilation of the dance. Remember her name—Florence Price. These concerts also celebrate the 80th birthday and amazing grace of Adolphus Hailstork.

O R D E R

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Richmond Free Press

B2 September 16-18, 2021

Happenings Remembering 9/11 People in Richmond and around the nation paused last Saturday to remember the fateful morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked four airliners and crashed them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Northern Virginia and a field in Shanksville, Penn. More than 2,900 people were killed and 6,000 injured that day 20 years ago, and the lives of thousands of others were changed forever in what has been called the largest single terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Scores of people attended a somber ceremony Saturday at the Virginia War Memorial in Downtown. The hourlong outdoor ceremony, in partnership with the Freedom Flag Foundation, was held at the E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheater. Navy veteran Daniel Fauls, who was serving on the staff of the U.S. Navy secretary and injured during the attack on the Pentagon, offered reflections on the day, while Gov. Ralph S. Northam gave the keynote speech.

Clarence Singleton, right, a retired Marine and former New York City firefighter who volunteered to help during rescue efforts, rang the ship’s bell from the USS Virginia during a moment of silence for the victims. Also on Saturday, scores of people,

Photos by Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press

including firefighters, police and first responders, participated in the National Fallen Firefighters 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at City Stadium. The event, mirrored across the country, honored the 343 New York City firefighters who lost their lives during rescue operations on 9/11. Participants climbed the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center, with donations going to the families of local fallen firefighters.

Inside Met Gala, where there’s always someone more famous Free Press wire report

Down-home style fun Hundreds of people turned out last Sunday for the 30th Annual Down Home Family Reunion, a celebration of African-American folk life that took place at Kanawha Plaza in Downtown. The event, presented by the Elegba Folklore Society, featured down-home style fun – food, music, games for youngsters and vendors offering a variety of goods for sale, including African art. Aleisha Miles and her daughter, London, groove to the sounds of Another Level, featuring “James Brown.” The godfather of soul look-alike had people out of their seats dancing to the music. Also featured was The Legendary Blue Notes, a quartet singing the music of the late Harold Melvin and his songs from the 1970s.

Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

NEW YORK U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe had just gotten her beverage at the bar at the edge of the room. She looked back at the throbbing crowd of celebrities packed into the center of the airy Petrie Court, where the Met Gala was holding its cocktail reception.

Even for a world-renowned athlete, one’s first Met Gala can be a little intimidating— whoever you are, it seems, there’s always someone more famous (unless you’re Rihanna, maybe.) Rapinoe looked for a bit, and suddenly said, “Another athlete! I’m going over.” She headed in the direction of NBA star Russell Westbrook.

Ms. Rapinoe, who made a fashionably patriotic statement in her bright red silk Sergio Hudson pantsuit with a royal blue blouse emblazoned with white stars—she’d gotten the memo that the sartorial theme was American independence—had just been noting the preponderance of big athletes at this particular gala. “We’ve infiltrated,” she said with a grin.

Indeed, in the room and nearby were a tournament’s worth of tennis stars — Serena Williams, recent U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, gala host Naomi Osaka, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and U.S. Open champ Emma Raducanu, resplendent in Chanel.

Mr. Westbrook wasn’t the only NBA luminary. There was Steph Curry and his wife, Ayesha. Gymnasts were in the house, too. Simone Biles made a memorable entrance in an 88-pound embroidered gown with a huge train carried up the museum steps by six men.

And Nia Dennis did an actual gymnastic routine to music from the Brooklyn United Marching Band.

But then, the museum was filled with screen and TV stars, too, and musicians, and luminaries of business and politics. In fact, an evening that had been casually billed as a “mini”

gala — with the full-size gala to return in May — hardly felt “mini” at all, with 400 guests instead of the usual 550 or so.

The cocktail reception seemed as packed as always, the mingling just as energetic.

Also as energetic: The attention from the crowds outside, packed behind barricades across Fifth Avenue and a block away on Madison, too, several rows deep. At one point, fans also had swarmed outside the Petrie Court’s full-length windows, hoping for a glimpse and a photo, and forcing museum staff to quickly move screens to the windows to block their view.

Still, there were reminders that this was no ordinary gala.

The most obvious were masks, though few wore them during cocktails. (Guests had been reminded beforehand that masks were required, unless eating or drinking.) Participants also were required to provide proof of vaccination, and to take a rapid PCR test, administered by the museum either the day before or the day of the gala.

The smaller size had been a nod to pandemic restrictions, but there was clearly a need to bring in funds to make up for losses incurred in May, when the gala was canceled. (Tickets are estimated at about $35,000 per person.) The Costume Institute raises its own funds, and this gala had been presented as a way of signaling that not only the fashion industry and the Met, but New York itself was back, even as the pandemic still poses huge challenges.

Ms. Fernandez, the Canadian teenager who made a fairytale run to the U.S. Open final just as she turned 19, also called the evening an important sign of the city bouncing back. Ms. Fernandez had paid eloquent tribute to the city on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, in her runner-up speech last Saturday in the arena.

It was only after the final, Ms. Fernandez said at the cocktail

Lil Nas X

Ciara

reception, that her parents told her she’d been invited to the Met Gala. The invitation had come earlier in the week, but they hadn’t wanted to distract her.

“When they told me, I just had this huge smile on my face and I was so excited,” said Ms. Fernandez, who was wearing a black-and-white Carolina Herrera cocktail dress. “I started laughing.” She again praised the city’s spirit. “Whenever I come here I feel electric, with this sense of energy,” she said.

Sitting on a bench in the reception was New York Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, taking a break after killing it on the red carpet with an outfit calling for certification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Not to be outdone by fellow Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, her junior by four decades who wore a white gown with the message “Tax the Rich” on the back.

Richmond Free Press

September 16-18, 2021 B3

Faith News/Directory

Funeral service Sept. 21 for Dr. Clifton Whitaker Jr., pastor emeritus of Grayland Baptist Church

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Dr. Clifton Whitaker Jr. set out to be a career Richmond police officer, but injury after 17 years on the force opened the door to a new career in ministry.

The first Black police detective in his hometown, Dr. Whitaker became better known for his 33 years of spiritual leadership at Grayland Baptist Church in the Highland Park community in North Side.

Dr. Whitaker’s role in Richmond ministry is being remembered following his death Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. His death was attributed to COVID-19 and underlying health challenges.

His life will be celebrated during a service Tuesday, Sept. 21, at Cedar Street Baptist Church of God, 2301 Cedar St. in Church Hill, and he will be interred in Riverview Cemetery in Richmond.

In advance of the service, Dr. Whitaker will lie in state at Grayland Baptist Church, 2301 3rd Ave., for a walk-through viewing from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, according to Scott’s Funeral Home.

Known for his singing and preaching, the

Richmond native earned plaudits for County and at First Baptist Churchguiding the rebuilding of Grayland Centralia in Chesterfield County.

Baptist after its sanctuary burned “He was an honorable man who down in 1996 and in developing went from the streets of Richmond a multipurpose fellowship hall in to the pulpit at Grayland.”

2003 that allowed an expansion of A graduate of Armstrong High programming for the 350-member School, Dr. Whitaker started classes congregation. at Virginia Union University, but During his tenure as pastor, he left to join the Richmond Police was three times named Minister of Department. After training and the Year by the Ushers Union of serving eight months in patrol, Dr. Whitaker Richmond and Vicinity. he jumped to detective in a major Long active in ministry circles, Dr. Whitaker break with standard practice. During his years preached his final sermon March 29, 2015, at with the force, he was awarded the Excellence Grayland Baptist, which is now led by his son- in Police Duty Medal and the Dale Carnegie in-law, Dr. Dexter Cannon, and his wife, the Highest Achievement Award.

Rev. Gina W. Cannon, long an assistant pastor Forced to retire after he was injured, Dr. at Grayland.

Whitaker returned to VUU to complete his The Virginia General Assembly passed a reso- undergraduate degree. While in school in 1979, lution commending Dr. Whitaker’s ministerial he delivered his initial sermon and was licensed service, which included serving as a volunteer as a Baptist minister. chaplain to the Richmond Police force.

After earning his bachelor’s degree, he en“He was a humanitarian who was for the rolled in VUU’s seminary where he earned both people and served the people well,” said his master’s and doctoral degrees in ministry. Dr. daughter Joy N. Whitaker-Thomas, who directs Whitaker received the call to Grayland Baptist’s choirs at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Henrico pulpit in 1982 while still in the seminary.

“They took a chance when they hired me,” he said in a Free Press interview before he retired. “I was still a student in the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. I had never pastored anywhere else before.”

Dr. Whitaker was a past president of the National Christian Education Convention and of the Baptist General Convention of Virginia’s Division of Clergy. He also was a former dean of the Richmond Virginia Seminary and belonged to the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity, the Richmond Ministers’ Union and the Richmond Committee of Ecumenical Clergy.

He also served on the board of the Bethlehem Senior Center and was a member of Engine Company No. 9 and Associates, which honors Richmond’s first Black firefighters and police officers.

Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Dolores W. Whitaker; four daughters, Rev. Cannon, Mrs. Whitaker-Thomas, Jacquelin L. Whitaker-Miller and Terry Jackson; two sisters, Beverly WhitakerCleveland and Joyce Whitaker-Campbell; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Trial set for Oct. 12 in Fourth Baptist Church dispute

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A Richmond Circuit Court judge on Tuesday refused to throw out a case in which some members of historic Fourth Baptist Church have sought protection for their voting rights in church affairs, clearing the way for a trial scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 12.

Judge W. Reilly Marchant rejected a request from the church’s ninth pastor, Dr. William E. Jackson Sr., and the church’s deacon ministry to dismiss the suit brought by trustees and other volunteer staff of the divided church alleging that improper and undemocratic tactics have been used to enable Dr. Jackson to incorporate the Baptist church and change its governance from the traditional congregational model.

Judge Marchant agreed with William F. Seymour IV, attorney for the plaintiffs, that the sole issue is whether Dr. Jackson and his allies violated the church’s constitution and bylaws in providing notice of congregational meetings, al-

lowing people in attendance to speak and permitting everyone to vote.

In a verbal opinion, Judge Marchant noted two state Supreme Court cases that have upheld the authority of the courts to intervene “to protect the civil and property rights” of church members without transgressing on the freedom of religion spelled out in the state and federal constitutions.

T h e case has exposed Dr. Jackson major divisions in the church that was organized before the Civil War and whose sanctuary has been a prominent landmark in Church Hill since it was built in the 1880s.

The case began percolating last year after Dr. Jackson secured a church vote to dismiss the trustees and the treasurer after they sought to

Riverview

Moore Street Missionary

Sunday School – 9:30 AM Sunday Services – 11:00 AM

1408 W. Leigh Street · Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 358—6403

Baptist Church Via Conference Call ( ) - Pin 572890# Also Visit Us On Facebook Sunday Service – 11:00 AM 2604 Idlewood Avenue Richmond, Va. 23220 (804) 353-6135 www.riverviewbaptistch.org

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Rev. Dr. Stephen L. Hewlett, Pastor

Baptist Church

block payment of employees who they believed should seek unemployment rather than remain on the payroll when the pandemic forced Fourth Baptist to halt in-person services and move to online worship.

The tension increased when Dr. Jackson won endorsement at a congregational meeting for his controversial plan to incorporate the church. That action led to the suit from the ousted trustees and other members who claimed the meetings were rigged. All of the meetings were held virtually via Zoom, creating complaints that some elderly members did not receive notice or were unable to participate.

In mid-April, as the pastor made plans to stand up the new corporate structure, Fourth Baptist Church at P Street Inc., Judge Marchant intervened after plaintiffs raised the alarm. He ordered the church to reinstate the trustees and treasurer and barred further action until a full evidentiary hearing could be held.

Judge Marchant told both

Drive-thru giving will be available the 1st and 3rd Saturday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the church. (Bowe Street side) You also may give through Givelify.

Twitter sixthbaptistrva

Rev. Dr. Yvonne Jones Bibbs, Pastor

Speaker: INISTER

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Associate minister, EDAR TREET Baptist Church

Drive In (weather permitting) or join us on Facebook UBCSOUTHRICHMOND

Union Baptist Church

a court-appointed monitor to ensure proper procedures are followed at future in-person church meetings to settle the issue of whether the current trustees should remain in place and whether the church should incorporate or he could dissolve the current injunction

if the evidence proved insufficient.

He urged both sides to hold settlement talks to come up with a solution that would be better than anything he could impose as he had only “blunt and awkward tools to work with.”

“The Church With A Welcome”

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

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

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

“Due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, Services Are Cancelled, until further notice; but, please join us, by visiting BRBCOnline.org or YouTube (Broad Rock Baptist Church).”

“MAKE IT HAPPEN” Pastor Kevin Cook

Worship With Us This Week!

Triumphant

Baptist Church

Be safe. Be blessed.

Sunday Service will not be held in our sanctuary.

Join us for 11:00 AM Worship by going to our website www.sixthbaptistchurch.org

Morning Worship 10:00 am

Due to the COVID-19 Corona Virus All regular activities have been suspended until further notice.

Visit https://youtu.be/qqzhnIEQyQc for inspirational messages from Pastor Smith

Follow us on Facebook for “A Word from Moore Street’s Pastor” and weekly Zoom worship info.

Come worship with us!

Sunday, EPTEMBER ÉÍTH 2021

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

All church ac�vi�es are canceled un�l further no�ce.

We Embrace Diversity — Love For All!

1127 North 28th St., Richmond, VA 23223 s Office: (804) 644-1402

2003 Lamb Avenue Richmond, VA 23222 Dr. Arthur M. Jones, Sr., Pastor (804) 321-7622

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Good Shepherd Baptist Church

Dr. Alonza L. Lawrence, Pastor

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sides that the plaintiffs at the October hearing would need to provide substantial evidence of the violations of democratic procedures to have the current temporary restraining order made permanent.

He said that he could, if he found it necessary, install

“Due to the Corona Virus all services at Triumphant Baptist Church are suspended until further notice.”

2901 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 648-2472 ~ www.mmbcrva.org Dr. Price London Davis, Senior Pastor

Join us on Sundays at 12 noon via Conference Call: 1(503)300-6860 Code:273149#

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Thirty-first Street Baptist Church

400 South Addison Street Richmond, Va. 23220

(near Byrd Park)

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

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e with Reverence elevanc R g in Rev. Dr. Joshua Mitchell, Senior Pastor bin ❖ om

The doors of the church are open for worship!

No registration required.

Join us in person or online on Facebook or YouTube

10:30 a.m. Sundays

Looking for a welcoming place to worship this week?

Stop by & see what God is up to at MMBC. 823 North 31st Street Richmond, VA 23223 (804) 226-0150 Office

Weekly Worship: Sund Church School: Sund Bible Study: Wednesdays

“I refuse to accept the view th bound to the starless midnigh bright daybreak of peace a become a reality…. I believ unconditional love will

—Martin Lu

Richmond Free Press

B4 September 16-18, 2021

Legal Notices 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, September 27, 2021 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. 2021-201 To install an appropriate number of speed tables to be determined by the Department of Public Wo r k s i n S e m i n a r y Avenue between North Lombardy Street and West Brookland Park Boulevard.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-211 To p r o v i d e f o r t h e granting by the City of Richmond to the person, firm or corporation to be ascertained in the manner prescribed by law of a non-exclusive easement over, under, through, upon, and across certain portions of the property located at 6120 Warwick Road for the laying, construction, operation, and maintenance of one or more lines of underground conduits and cables and all equipment, accessories, and appurtenances necessary in connection therewith to provide electrical service to the City’s E911 communications tower in accordance with a certain Right of Way Agreement.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-212 To designate the 100 and 200 blocks of Carnation Street in honor of the late Maybell Fountain.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-213 To erect all-way stop signs at the intersection of Grove Avenue and North Stafford Avenue. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-220 To amend Ord. No. 2021105, adopted May 10, 2021, which provided that the Director of Finance shall credit all funds received by the City, whether from the United States government, the Commonwealth of Virginia, or otherwise, provided pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to a special reserve assigned for purposes authorized by such Act, to instead provide that such funds shall be recorded in the general ledger, to be managed in the Projects and Grants Module in the City’s enterprise resource planning system. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, September 16, 2021, 1:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-221 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Contract for Donated Goods and Services between the City of Richmond and Abernethy Schwartz Partners, LLC, doing business as BlueConduit, for the purpose of accepting lead service line statistical modeling and support services valued at approximately $100,000.00 to assist the City’s lead service line removal program.

(COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, September 16, 2021, 1:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-222 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding Between the City of Richmond, Virginia and the Public Defender for the City of Richmond, Virginia for the purpose of providing funds to supplement the salaries of employees in the Public Defender ’s Office for the City of Richmond, and to repeal Ord. No. 2021-121, adopted May 24, 2021. (COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, September 16, 2021, 1:00 p.m.)

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and Americans with Disabilities Act pedestrian improvements on Brown’s Island from Tredegar Street to the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-224 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the Greene Elementary School Safe Route to School Phase II project for the purpose of installing new sidewalks along Catalina Drive from its intersection with Clarkson Road to its intersection with Cranford Avenue to improve pedestrian safety and mobility in the area of the school now known as Cardinal Elementary School. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-225 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the Maymont Sidewalk – Phase II project for the purpose of constructing new sidewalks on portions of New York Avenue, Hampton Street, Nevada Avenue, Dakota Avenue, and Colorado Avenue in the Maymont Park neighborhood.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-226 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the State Route 161 Bike – Phase I project for the purpose of installing separated bicycle infrastructure along Westover Hills Boulevard from its intersection from the south end of the Boulevard Bridge to its intersection with Clarence Street and shared bicycle infrastructure in an area bounded by Clarence Street to the north and the CSX railroad rightof-way to the south of Hill Top Drive to improve bicycle safety and access. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-227 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the State Route 161 Bike – Phase II project for the purpose of installing separated bicycle infrastructure along State Route 161 from its intersection with the north end of the Boulevard Bridge to its intersection with Blanton Avenue and from Blanton Avenue to its intersection with French Street to improve bicycle safety and access. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-228 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for brick sidewalks, Americans with Disabilities Act ramps, and crosswalk improvements o n Tr e d e g a r S t r e e t between its intersection with South 7 th Street and its intersection with the north end of the Belle Isle pedestrian bridge. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

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21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-230 To repeal City Code §§ 19-328, concerning the discharge of arrows, and 19-329, concerning shooting arrows at or upon property of another, and to amend ch. 19, art. VII, div. 2 of the City Code by adding therein a new section 19-328, concerning the discharge of bows and arrows and urban archery, for the purpose of permitting the discharge of arrows upon the property of another. (COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-231 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept $14,800.00 from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Department of Public Works’ Shared Mobility Special Fund by $14,800.00 for the purpose of funding an intern position to assist with the expansion of the City’s multimodal infrastructure.

Ordinance No. 2021-232 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Performance Agreement between the City of Richmond, Virginia, the Economic Development Authority of the City of Richmond, Virginia, Vytal Companies, LLC, doing business as Vytal Studios, and Manchester Town Center 2, LLC, for the purpose of enabling the Authority to provide an economic development grant to Vytal Companies, LLC, doing business as Vytal Studios, as an incentive to lease, equip, improve, and operate its corporate headquarters, together with studio and production space, in the city of Richmond.

(COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, September 16, 2021, 1:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-233 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Commonwealth’s Development Opportunity Fund Performance Agreement between the City of Richmond, Virginia, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority, the Economic Development Authority of the City of Richmond, V i r g i n i a , a n d Vy t a l Companies, LLC, for the purpose of enabling the Economic Development Authority of the City of Richmond to provide a performance grant to Vytal Companies, LLC, as an incentive to lease, equip, improve, and operate its corporate headquarters, together with studio and production space, in the city of Richmond.

(COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, September 16, 2021, 1:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-234 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Virginia Opioid Abatement Fund and Settlement Allocation Memorandum of Understanding between the City of R i c h m o n d , Vi r g i n i a , the Commonwealth of Virginia, and other participating political subdivisions for the purpose of providing for the allocation and use of monies recovered as a result of litigation seeking to recover costs incurred and to be incurred in abating the effects of the opioid addiction epidemic that plagues the city and other Virginia communities.

(COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development, Thursday, September 16, 2021, 1:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-223 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Standard Project Administration Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide funding for the Brown’s Island Connector project for the purpose of constructing bicycle

Ordinance No. 2021-229 To amend and reordain City Code § 27195, concerning the appointment of persons to enforce certain parking regulations, for the purpose of permitting the Department of Public Works’ third-party operator to enforce the City’s parking regulations.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September

Ordinance No. 2021-236 To amend Ord. No. 2021042, adopted May 24, 2021, which accepted a program of proposed Capital Improvements Projects for Fiscal Year 2021-2022 and the four fiscal years thereafter, adopted a Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2021-2022, and determined a means of financing the same, by transferring $321,750.00 from the Reserve Fund for Permanent Public Improvements and appropriating $321,750.00 of the transferred funds to the Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2021-2022 for the Department of Public Works’ Theatre Row Building (730 E. Broad Street) – DJS/ADC Renovations project for the purpose of renovating a portion of the Theatre Row Building located at 730 East Broad Street for use by the Department of Justice Services and

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the Adult Drug Court program.

the allowable age of an unspayed or unneutered cat or dog that a person may own, harbor, or keep without a breeding permit from four months to six months. (COMMITTEE: Governmental Operations, Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 2:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-238 To grant an open-space easement on the Cityowned property generally known as Lewis G. Larus Park to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.

Ordinance No. 2021-239 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a City of Richmond Amended Grant Contract between the City of Richmond and the James River Association to extend the deadline for the Association’s implementation of green infrastructure practices to increase stormwater detention at certain libraries of the City known as the West End Branch, the North Avenue Branch, and the Broad Rock Branch from September 30, 2021, to December 31, 2021.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-240 To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Project Agreement for Use of Commonwealth Transportation Funds Fiscal Year 2022 between the City of Richmond and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation for the purpose of receiving grant funds in the amount of $14,800.00 to fund an intern position to assist with the expansion of the City’s multimodal infrastructure.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-241 To p r o v i d e f o r t h e granting by the City of Richmond to the person, firm or corporation to be ascertained in the manner prescribed by law of a nonexclusive easement over, under, through, upon, and across certain portions of the property located at 6255 Old Warwick Road for the laying, construction, operation, and maintenance of one or more lines of underground conduits and cables and all equipment, accessories, and appurtenances necessary in connection therewith to provide electrical service to the City’s Southside Community Center located at 6255 Old Warwick Road in accordance with a certain Right of Way Agreement.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-242 To establish a residential permit parking district in the Monroe Ward neighborhood.

(COMMITTEE: Land Use, Housing and Transportation, Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 12:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-243 To amend City Code § 4-243, concerning dogs running at large and the penalties therefor, for the purpose of defining and clarifying the conditions related to dogs running at large. (COMMITTEE: Governmental Operations, Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 2:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-244 To amend City Code § 4-275, concerning impoundment and violation notices and fees for board and care of impounded dogs and cats, for the purpose of modifying the requirements for the impoundment of dogs and cats. (COMMITTEE: Governmental Operations, Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 2:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-245 To amend City Code § 4-277, concerning the disposition of unlicensed dogs and cats found at large, for the purpose of removing the requirement that the City euthanize an animal upon request and payment of the fee by the owner. (COMMITTEE: Governmental Operations, Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 2:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-248 To amend City Code § 4-308, concerning penalties for breeding violations, for the purpose of changing the penalty for violation of the breeding permit requirements of City Code § 4-307 from a civil penalty to a Class 4 misdemeanor. ( CO M M I T T EE : Governmental Operations, Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 2:00 p.m.)

Ordinance No. 2021-249 To amend City Code § 4-309, concerning the sale, adoption and other transfers of dogs and cats, for the purpose of changing the penalty for failure to display the breeding permit number related to the advertisement for the sale, adoption, or transfer of dogs and cats from a civil penalty to a Class 4 misdemeanor. ( CO M M I T T EE : Governmental Operations, Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 2:00 p.m.)

Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the September 27, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda.

Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https:// www.rva.gov/office-cityclerk, and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Candice D. Reid \City Clerk

City of Richmond, Virginia CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the City of Richmond Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing, open to all interested citizens, on Monday, October 4, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. and the Council of the City of Richmond has scheduled a public hearing on Monday, October 11, 2021 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. 2021-237 To close, to public use and travel, two alleys bounded by East Jackson Street, North 8th Street, East Leigh Street, and North 7th Street, consisting of 8,665± square feet, upon certain terms and conditions.

Ordinance No. 2021-250 To amend and reordain Ord. No. 76-301-266, adopted Nov. 22, 1976, as previously amended

by Ord. No. 87-265-259, adopted Dec. 21, 1987, Ord. No. 92-81-221, adopted Jun. 23, 1992, and Ord. No. 2018-052, adopted Mar. 26, 2018, granting authorization for a special use of the property containing 7.564 acres located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Jahnke Road and Blakemore Road, to authorize the use of a portion of the existing shopping center to contain an automated teller machine with exterior access, under certain terms and conditions.

The property is situated in an R-3 Single-Family Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Community MixedUse. Primary Use s : Retail/office/personal service, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Secondary Uses: Single-family houses, institutional, and government.

Ordinance No. 2021-247 To amend City Code § 4-307, concerning breeding permits, for the purpose of increasing

Ordinance No. 2021-251 To amend and reordain Ord. No. 98-248-318, adopted Oct. 12, 1998, which authorized the special use of the property known as 6424 Elkhardt Road for the conversion of an existing office for use as a contractor’s shop with accessory outdoor storage, to authorize a convenience store, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an RO-1 Residential Office District.

The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Residential.

Primary Uses: Singlefamily houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space. Secondary Uses: Duplexes and small multi-

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Ordinance No. 2021-246 To amend City Code § 4-306, concerning unsupervised cats, for the purpose of increasing the minimum age for sterilization of unsupervised cats from four months to six months and to provide that infractions of such section shall be punishable as a Class 4 misdemeanor rather than by a civil penalty. (COMMITTEE: Governmental Operations, Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 2:00 p.m.)

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family buildings (typically 3-10 units), institutional, and cultural. Secondary uses may be found along major streets.

Ordinance No. 2021-252 To amend and reordain Ord. No. 2021-030 adopted March 8, 2021 which authorized the special use of the property known as 1919 Wilmington Avenue for the purpose of no more than one dwelling unit within an accessory building to an existing single-family dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions.

The property is situated in an R-5 Single-Family Residential District. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Residential. Primary Uses include: Singlefamily houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space. Secondary Uses: Duplexes and small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units), institutional, and cultural.

Secondary uses may be found along major streets. The density of the proposed development is approximately 11 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-253 To authorize the special use of the property known as 2901 Bainbridge Street for the purpose of office uses, a garage for fire apparatus, and a private noncommercial community center use, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-5 SingleFamily Residential District.

The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Residential.

Primary Uses: Singlefamily homes, accessory dwelling units and open space. Secondary Uses: Duplexes and small multifamily buildings (3-10 units), institutional and cultural uses.

Ordinance No. 2021-254 To authorize the special use of the properties known as 2012 East Broad Street, 2018 East Broad Street and 304 North 21st Street for the purpose of a mixeduse building containing commercial space and up to ten dwelling units, and up to eight singlefamily attached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Community Mixed Use. Primary Uses: Retail/office/personal service, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Secondary Uses: Single-family houses, institutional, and government. The density of the proposed new residential units would be 40 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-255 To authorize the special use of the property known as 901 Lake Road for the purpose of a twofamily detached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-5 SingleFamily Residential District.

The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Residential.

Primary Uses: Single family houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space. Secondary Uses: Duplexes and small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units), institutional, and cultural.

The density of the proposed development is approximately 14 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-256 To authorize the special use of the property known as 706 Libbie Avenue for the purpose of an office use, upon certain terms and conditions.

The property is situated in an R-4 Single-Family Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Community Mixed Use. Primary Uses: Retail/office/personal service, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Secondary Uses: Single-family houses, institutional, and government.

Ordinance No. 2021-257 To authorize the special use of the property known as 801 Lincoln Avenue for the purpose of an accessory dwelling unit within a single-family detached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-5 SingleFamily Residential District.

The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Residential.

Primary Uses: Single family houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space. Secondary Uses: Duplexes and small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units), institutional, and cultural.

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per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-258 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1308 North 23rd Street for the purpose of a singlefamily detached dwelling, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Neighborhood MixedUse. Primary Uses: Single-family homes, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units) and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multi-family buildings (10+ units), r e t a i l / o ff i c e / p e r s o n a l service, institutional, cultural and government.

The density of the proposed development is approximately 14 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-259 To authorize the special use of the property known as 1615 Rear Hanover Avenue for the purpose of up to ten garages as principal uses, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Neighborhood MixedUse. Primary Uses: Single-family homes, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units) and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multi-family buildings (10+ units), retail/ office/personal service, institutional, cultural and government.

Ordinance No. 2021-260 To authorize the special use of the property known 604 South Belmont Avenue for the purpose of up to 4 single-family detached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions. The current zoning for this property is R-4 Single Family Residential. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Residential.

Primary Uses: Singlefamily houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space. Secondary Uses: Duplexes and small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units), institutional, and cultural.

Secondary uses may be found along major streets. The density of the proposed development is approximately 8 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-261 To authorize the special use of the property known as 105 South Laurel Street for the purpose of up to three single-family attached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions.

The current zoning for the subject property is R-7 Single- and Two-Family Urban Residential. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Community Mixed Use. Primary Uses: Retail/office/personal service, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Secondary Uses: Single-family houses, institutional, and government. The density of the proposed development is approximately 34 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-262 To authorize the special use of the property known as 116 South Laurel Street for the purpose of two twofamily detached dwellings, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-7 Single- and Two-Family Urban Residential District.

The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Neighborhood MixedUse. Primary Uses: Single-family homes, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units) and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multi-family buildings (10+ units), r e t a i l / o ff i c e / p e r s o n a l service, institutional, cultural and government.

The density of the proposed development is approximately 11 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-263 To authorize the special use of the property known as 518 West 26th Street for the purpose of a singlefamily dwelling and no more than one accessory dwelling unit, upon certain terms and conditions. The current zoning for the subject property is R-6 Single-Family Attached Residential. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates a future land use for the subject property as Residential.

Primary uses include single family houses, accessory dwelling units, and open space.

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Secondary uses include Duplexes and small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units), institutional, and cultural.

Secondary uses may be found along major streets. The density of the proposed development is approximately 10 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-264 To authorize the special use of the property known as 407 West Duval Street for the purpose of a multifamily dwelling containing up to three dwelling units, upon certain terms and conditions. The property is situated in an R-53 Multifamily Residential District. The Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the future land use category for the subject property as Neighborhood MixedUse. Primary Uses: Single-family homes, accessory dwelling units, duplexes, small multi-family buildings (typically 3-10 units) and open space. Secondary Uses: Large multi-family buildings (10+ units), retail/ office/personal service, institutional, cultural and government. The density of the proposed development is 63 units per acre.

Ordinance No. 2021-265 To provide for the vacation of a portion of a subdivision plat, pursuant to Va. Code § 15.2-2272(2), pertaining to a lot originally reserved for recreation, known as 3021 Falcon Road and described on the subdivision plat entitled “Staffordshire, Section - 5, Midlothian District, Chesterfield County, Virginia,” prepared by LaPrade Brothers, and dated August 5, 1966, as Lot 12-1, Staffordshire, Section 5, Block M. Ordinance No. 2021-266 To amend the official zoning map for the purpose of rezoning the property known as 2400 Hermitage Road, in order to implement the adopted Richmond 300 Master Plan. The City’s Richmond 300 Master Plan designates the properties as Destination Mixed Use. Such areas are described as “key gateways featuring prominent destinations, such as retail, sports venues, and large employers, as well as housing and open space. Located at the convergence of several modes of transportation, including Pulse BRT or other planned transit improvements.”

Primary Uses: Retail/ office/personal service, multi-family residential, cultural, and open space. Secondary Uses: Institutional and government. (p. 64) Ordinance No. 2021-267 To declare surplus and to direct the sale of a 0.176 acre portion of City-owned real estate located at 2400 Hermitage Road for $110,250.00 to Breeden Investment Properties, Inc., for the purpose of the construction of a mixed-use development including office and residential space.

Interested citizens who wish to speak will be given an opportunity to do so by following the instructions referenced in the October 11, 2021 Richmond City Council Formal meeting agenda. Copies of the full text of all ordinances are available by visiting the City Clerk’s page on the City’s Website at https:// www.rva.gov/office-cityclerk, and in the Office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Candice D. Reid City Clerk

Divorce VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ANDREA BRAMMER, Plaintiff v.

JEFFREY BRAMMER, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21002983-00 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 28th day of October, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 Continued on next page

Richmond Free Press

September 16-18, 2021 B5

Legal Notices/Employment Opportunities Continued from previous page

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER NAOMI QUARTERMAN, Plaintiff v.

EUGENE QUARTERMAN, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21002722-00 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 4th day of November, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

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

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Susan Gerber, Counsel for Plaintiff 206 DeSota Drive Richmond, Virginia 23229 (804) 741-3438 Email: dagny44@aol.com VSB #30901

IN THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND Commonwealth of Virginia, in re SIAN CHASE BROOKS rdss v.

David Walls, Unknown Father, & Makiya BrooksWells Case No. J-99041-04, 05, 06 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to: terminate the residual parental rights (“RPR”) of David Walls (Father), Unknown (Father), & Makiya Brooks-Wells (Mother) of Sian Chase Brooks, child DOB: 5/19/2020.

“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 and that:

It is ORDERED that the defendants David Walls, (Father), Unknown Father (Father), Makiya BrooksWells (Mother) to appear at the above-named Court and protect his/her interest on or before 10/20/2021, at 10:00 AM, Courtroom #AKT.

VIRGINIA:

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION SPECIAL COMMISSIONER’S SALE OF REAL ESTATE RICHMOND, VIRGINIA Pursuant to the terms of Orders of Sale entered in the Richmond Circuit Court, the undersigned Special Commissioner will offer the following real estate for sale at public auction at Motleys Asset Disposition Group, 3600 Deepwater Terminal Road, Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at 2:00 pm, or as soon thereafter as may be effected. The sale is subject to the terms and conditions below and any other terms and conditions which may be announced on the day of auction. Announcements made on the day of the auction take precedence over any prior written or verbal terms of sale.

3101 1st Avenue N0000990014 City of Richmond v.

Dorothy R. Snydor, et. al.

CL20-3962 3306 2nd Avenue N0001071009 City of Richmond v. Peter L. Meredith, et. al.

CL20-1624 3024 3rd Avenue N0000920003 City of Richmond v. 1417 Investment, LLC, et. al.

CL21-2120 2606 4th Avenue N0000717004 City of Richmond v. James Pointer, Jr., et. al.

CL21-2119 2409 Alexander Avenue S0080815054 City of Richmond v.

Dorothy M. Woolford, et. al.

CL20-2665 2306 Burton Street E0000427024

City of Richmond v.

Haywood Williams., et. al.

CL21-1573 3014 Bradwill Road C0040695014 City of Richmond v. Annie Rebecca Green, et. al.

CL20-6044 2327 Carrington Street E0000470014 City of Richmond v. Harry E. Jones, Sr., et. al.

CL20-5066 3212 Cliff Avenue N0001140023 City of Richmond v. Richard E. Souels, et. al.

CL18-962 1604 Columbia Street S0071377003 City of Richmond v. Stella Clark, et. al.

CL20-3075 2832 Dunn Avenue N0000906012 City of Richmond v. Eugene Lee, et.al.

CL21-2394 8909 Elm Road C0010508010 City of Richmond v. Doris Ann Toy, et. al.

CL21-2136 1801 Fairfax Avenue S0000456012 City of Richmond v. Orion Development Group, LLC, et.al.

CL21-950 6922 Forest Hill Avenue C0040662028 City of Richmond v. Randy K. Davis, et. al.

CL20-2120 8001 Forest Hill Avenue C0030240001 City of Richmond v. J. Everett Johnson, et. al.

CL20-239 8011 Forest Hill Avenue C0030240002 City of Richmond v. J. Everett Johnson, et. al.

CL20-240 8021 Forest Hill Avenue C0030240003 City of Richmond v. J. Everett Johnson, et. al.

CL20-241 3700 Greenbay Road C0090557040 City of Richmond v. Robert E. Owens, et. al.

CL20-4886 1712 Greenville Avenue W0000785016 City of Richmond v. Lillie Virginia Green, et. al.

CL20-3002 2918 Hanes Avenue N0000887002 City of Richmond v.

Matthew S. Johnson, et. al.

CL20-66 1823 Harwood Street S0071082013 City of Richmond v.

Richmond Renovations, Inc., et. al.

CL21-1119 5612 Heywood Road C0080372024 City of Richmond v. G. Michael Lyons, et. al.

CL20-5062 2610 Hopkins Road C0090528064 City of Richmond v.

Omicron Group, LLC, et. al.

CL20-2104 2807 Hopkins Road C0090583070 City of Richmond v. Naomi C. Wilson, et. al.

CL20-5061 3313 Hopkins Road C0090789008 City of Richmond v. Robert O. Gegugeit, et. al.

CL20-3579 2910 Hull Street S0001342003 City of Richmond v.

Archelle Johnson, et. al.

CL20-4841 2410 Ingram Avenue S0000865006 City of Richmond v.

Specialized Home Loans, et. al.

CL20-4358 911 Irby Drive C0050690002 City of Richmond v.

Monte’s Trust, et. al.

CL20-5060 2509 Kensington Avenue W0001126011 City of Richmond v.

Bradford Jay Kirby, et. al.

CL20-5361 500 East Ladies Mile Road N0001563015 City of Richmond v. Mary E. Wigfall, et. al.

CL21-838 718 Lincoln Avenue N0180427027 City of Richmond v. RVFM 8 LLC, et. al.

CL20-65 3410 Logandale Avenue S0071062002 City of Richmond v. Peggy Coley Carter, et. al.

CL21-756 2317 M Street E0000293004 City of Richmond v. William McKinley Perry, et. al.

CL20-2621 1608 Mechanicsville Turnpike E0120334004 City of Richmond v. Rosa Jordan, et. al.

CL20-4110 1600 Monteiro Street N0000290012 City of Richmond v. Thomas Jasper Johnson, et. al.

CL20-1933 108 North Morris Street W0000457011 City of Richmond v. MTC Futures, LLC, et. al.

CL20-5423 2401 Oakland Avenue S0071377018 City of Richmond v. Evans Lee Clark, et. al.

CL20-2662 2401-A Oakland Avenue S0071377025 City of Richmond v. Evans Lee Clark, et. al.

CL20-2662 2401-B Oakland Avenue S0071377024 City of Richmond v. Evans Lee Clark, et. al.

CL20-2662 2401-C Oakland Avenue S0071377023 City of Richmond v. Evans Lee Clark, et. al.

CL20-2662 8900 Old Holly Road C0010508038

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER JUSTIN MARTIN, Plaintiff v.

JESSICA SCHOOLCRAFT, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21003047-00 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 4th day of November, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and protect her interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING DARRYL M. JACKSON, Plaintiff v.

LISA A. JACKSON, Defendant.

Case No.: CL20-2378-4 AMENDED ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit includes, inter alia, the divorce of the parties. It appearing by affidavit that Lisa A. Jackson’s last known address is Picture Lake Camp Ground, 7818 Boydton Plank Road, Petersburg, Virginia 23803; it also appearing that Lisa A. Jackson is no longer residing at her last known address and her current whereabouts are unknown to the Plaintiff; that Plaintiff’s counsel attempted to locate Lisa A. Jackson’s current address via a public records software search, which did not yield results.

It is therefore ORDERED that LISA A. JACKSON appear before this Court on or before October 28, 2021 and protect her interests herein.

A Copy, Teste: EDWARD F. JEWETT, Clerk I ask for this: Erik D. Baines, Esquire (BSB # 83618) BARNES & DIEHL, P.C. Boulders VI - Suite A 7401 Beaufont Springs Drive Richmond, VA 23225 ebaines@barnesfamilylaw.com (804) 796-1000 (telephone) (804) 796-1730 (facsimile) Counsel for Plaintiff VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE CITY OF RICHMOND RICKETA V MCCRAY, Plaintiff v.

CLAUDE L BUCKHALTER, JR., Defendant.

Case No.: CL21-2163-4 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a no-fault divorce. It is ORDERED that the defendant, Claude L. Buckhalter, Jr., appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before October 25, 2021.

A Copy, Teste: EDWARD F. JEWETT, Clerk VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER OLIVIA G. HARRISON, Plaintiff v.

MARK O. HARRISON, JR., Defendant.

Case No.: CL21002736-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is for the petitioner to obtain a divorce from defendant.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, Mark O. Harrison, jr., whose last known address was 1119 Georgia Avenue, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060, and whose whereabouts are now unknown, appear here on or before the 12th day of October, 2021 at 9:00 a.m., to protect his interests.

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VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER LEQUITA ROACH, Plaintiff v.

JOHN ROACH, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21002810-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 14th day of October, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER AMY PAGAN, Plaintiff v.

VITALI LOHVIN, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21002809-00 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bond of matrimony from the defendant on the ground of living separate and apart without any cohabitation and without interruption for a period exceeding twelve months.

It is ORDERED that the defendant, whose whereabouts are unknown, appear here on or before the 14th day of October, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY OF HANOVER ROBIN HARRIS, Plaintiff v.

CHRISTOPHER HARRIS, Defendant.

Case No.: CL21002723-00 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 October, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and protect his interests.

A Copy, Teste: FRANK D. HARGROVE, JR., Clerk I ask for this: Law Office of Dorothy M. Eure, P.C. Dorothy M. Eure, Plaintiff’s Attorney VSB# 27724 8460 Mount Eagle Road Ashland, VA 23005 (804) 798-9667 VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE COUNTY OF HENRICO GLORIA PERRY SCOTT, Plaintiff, v.

WARREN FERGUSON SCOTT, III, Defendant.

Civil Law No.: CL21-4904 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of the abovestyled suit is to obtain a divorce from the bonds of matrimony from the defendant on the grounds that the parties have lived separate and apart without interruption and without cohabitation for a period of more than one year, since May 15, 2012.

And it appearing by Affidavit filed according to law that Warren Ferguson Scott, III, the above-named defendant, is not a resident of this state and that due diligence has been used by or in behalf of plaintiff to ascertain in what county or city the defendant is, without effect.

It is therefore ORDERED that the said Warren Ferguson Scott, III, do appear in the Clerk’s Office of the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Henrico County, 430 East Parham Road, Henrico, Virginia 23273, on or before October 12, 2021 and do whatever necessary to protect their interest in this suit.

An Extract Teste: Heidi S. Barshinger, Clerk

CUSTODY

Property VIRGINIA: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND JOHN MARSHALL COURTS BUILDING CITY OF RICHMOND, Plaintiff, v.

A & H INVESTMENT PROPERTIES SERVE: Address Unknown and PARTIES UNKNOWN any heirs, devisees or successors in title, collectively made Respondents Defendants.

Case No.: CL21- 3667 ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to subject the property briefly described as 1307 Enfield Avenue, Richmond, Virginia, Tax Map Number S0071177017, to sale in order to collect delinquent real estate taxes assessed thereon in the name of the owner of record, A & H Investment Properties.

An Affidavit having been filed that said owner, A & H Investment Properties, an entity listed as inactive in the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, per a deed filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 15-24523 on 28 December 2015 has not been located and have not filed a response to this action; and that any heirs, devisees, assignees, successors in interest, successors in title and/or any creditors with a current or future interest in said property, have not been identified and/or served despite diligent efforts to do so and are defendants to this suit by the general description of “Parties Unknown.”

IT IS ORDERED that A & H Investment Properties, an entity listed as inactive in the records of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, per a deed filed in the records of the Richmond Circuit Court at Instrument Number 15-24523 on 28 December 2015, and Parties Unknown, come forward to appear on or before NOVEMBER 18, 2021 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 804-646-7949

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

to Gregory A. Lukanuski at City of Richmond v. Doris greg.lukanuski@rva.gov or Ann Toy, et. al.

(804) 646-7949, or to Christie CL21-2137 ASSISTANT COMMONWEALTH’S Hamlin at christie.hamlin@ 8913 Old Holly Road ATTORNEY rva.gov or (804) 646-6940.

C0010550016 Gregory A. Lukanuski City of Richmond v. Michele The City of Richmond Commonwealth’s Deputy City Attorney K. Jones, et. al.

Attorney Office is accepting resumes Special Commissioner CL20-5784 900 East Broad Street, 2640 Pompey Spring for an Assistant Commonwealth’s Room 400 Road C0090526056 Attorney with responsibilities for felony Richmond, Virginia 23219 City of Richmond v. Robert and misdemeanor offenses in General E. Owens, et. al.

Notice of Acquisition District and Circuit Court. Applicants with CL20-5848 of Property: 314 Preston Street 1-5 years of prosecuting experience are

The Valentine Museum N0000088016 encouraged to apply. Salary depends hereby acquires title to the City of Richmond v. Shirley objects listed below as of upon experience. Send resumes to Harvey, et. al.

9/4/2021. There is no last beverly.s.harris@richmondgov.com.

CL20-1628 known owner on record & 318 Preston Street no claims have been made Resumes must be received by Friday, N0000088014 on the property after 65 days Sept. 24, 2021.

City of Richmond v. David pursuant to Code of VA § Thorne, et. al.

55.1-2606.

CL20-1629 FIC.002400 Poster: 3601 ½ Richmond War Needs Money Highway S0080884052 FIC.002414 Poster: Administrative Assistant/Paralegal City of Richmond v.

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FIC.031601 Poster: CL20-499 WHUPLQRORJ\ DQG SUDFWLFHV LV HVVHQWLDO DV LV [America Needs Your Scrap 3607 Richmond Highway DQ DELOLW\ WR DVVLVW ZLWK FDVH SUHSDUDWLRQ DQG Rubber] S0080884048 V.52.85.08-.23 Sixteen PDLQWHQDQFH RI FDVH ¿OHV DQG RWKHU UHFRUGV City of Richmond v.

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V.68.1855.1-.3 Three WWI RUJDQL]DWLRQ DQG FRPPXQLFDWLRQ 6RPH CL20-499 posters, 1914-1919 2100 Richmond Street UHFHSWLRQ VNLOOV LQFOXGLQJ EXW QRW OLPLWHG WR V.98.27 Poster: E0000764001 DQVZHULQJ SKRQHV DQG JUHHWLQJ PHPEHUV RI Shall we be more […]

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CL19-4156 Essential Functions: V.89.128.03-.05 &.07 Four 2002 Ridgemont Road 0DLQWDLQ GDWD LQ D FDVH PDQDJHPHQW V\VWHP WWI and WWII posters, S0071634009 1917 & 1943 VSHFL¿FDOO\ GHVLJQHG IRU SURVHFXWLRQ 0XVW City of Richmond v. Elvert EH 9&,1 FHUWL¿HG RU FHUWL¿FDWLRQ HOLJLEOH WR S. Wood, et. al.

BIDS CL21-861 REWDLQ FULPLQDO DQG '09 UHFRUGV 3UHSDUH REQUEST FOR BIDS 1609 Rogers Street GUDIWV RI PRWLRQV QRWLFHV VXESRHQDV RUGHUV For Easement, Franchise, E0001235005 GLVFRYHU\ UHVSRQVHV DQG RWKHU QHFHVVDU\ Privilege, Lease or Right City of Richmond v. Calvin FDVH VSHFL¿F GRFXPHQWV DV LQVWUXFWHG E\ D Over, Under, Through, H. Wright, et. al.

Upon and Across VXSHUYLVLQJ DWWRUQH\ 2UJDQL]H VXPPDUL]H CL20-4355 6255 Old Warwick Road DQG ¿OH HOHFWURQLF DQG SDSHU GRFXPHQWV 2303 Rose Avenue In the City of Richmond N0000488009 3UHVHQW D SURIHVVLRQDO GHPHDQRU WR WKH City of Richmond v. Alice FRXUWKRXVH DQG OHJDO FRPPXQLWLHV DQG WR WKH The City of Richmond is Fowler, et. al.

JHQHUDO SXEOLF seeking bids for a nonCL20-3309 exclusive easement over, 4321 Saratoga Road 7KH VDODU\ IRU WKLV SRVLWLRQ LV under, through, upon, and C0010363016 ,QWHUHVWHG DSSOLFDQWV VKRXOG HPDLO across certain portions of the City of Richmond v. D & T property located at 6255 Old UHVXPHV E\ )ULGD\ 6HSWHPEHU WR Land Trust, et. al.

Warwick Road for the laying, EHYHUO\ V KDUULV#ULFKPRQGJRY FRP CL21-2118 construction, operation, and 5015 Snead Road Rear maintenance of one or C0080660064 more lines of underground City of Richmond v. John conduits and cables and all B. Coleman, Jr., et. al. equipment, accessories, and CL21-2937 appurtenances necessary 1710 Spotsylvania Street in connection therewith to E0120333009 provide electrical service City of Richmond v. James to the City’s Southside Thank you for your interest in applying Henry Roots, III, et. al.

Community Center located for opportunities with The City of Richmond.

CL20-1651 at 6255 Old Warwick Road 3019 Terminal Avenue To see what opportunities are available, in accordance with a certain C0090593002 please refer to our website at Right of Way Agreement, for a City of Richmond v. Inez www.richmondgov.com. duration of 40 years, subject Fleming, et, al.

EOE M/F/D/V to certain responsibilities to CL21-2640 be imposed by the Right of 3220 Terminal Avenue Way Agreement and subject C0090589018 Freelance Writers: further to all retained rights of City of Richmond v.

Richmond Free Press has immediate opportunities the City of Richmond.

Tekeisha Smith, et, al. for freelance writers. Newspaper experience is CL21-1037 All bids for the easement a requirement. To be considered, please send 5 2300 Venable Street hereby offered to be granted samples of your writing, along with a cover letter E0000425029 must be submitted in writing to news@richmond freepress.com or mail to: City of Richmond v. Venable to the City Clerk’s office Properties, LLC, et. al.

Richmond Free Press, P. O. Box 27709, Richmond, by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, CL21-1016 VA 23261. No phone calls.

September 27, 2021. Bids will 2417 Whitcomb Street be presented to the presiding E0120224006 officer of the Council of the City of Richmond v. Samuel City of Richmond on Monday, Atsu, et, al.

September 27, 2021, at 6:00 CL20-5337 p.m. in open session and TERMS OF SALE: All sales then will be presented by are subject to confirmation the presiding officer to the by the Richmond Circuit Council and be dealt with Court. The purchase price Fo and acted upon in the mode will include the winning bid prescribed by law. plus 10% of the winning bid.

High bidders will pay at the The City of Richmond time of the auction a deposit of expressly reserves the right at least 20% of the purchase to reject any and all bids. price, or $5,000.00, whichever The successful bidder shall is greater. If the purchase reimburse the City for all price is under $5,000.00, costs incurred in connection high bidders will pay in full at with the advertisement of the time of the auction. High this ordinance in accordance bidders will pay the balance with section 15.2-2101 of the of the purchase price to the Simply fil Code of Virginia and shall Special Commissioner, and issues. post the bond required by deed recordation costs, by a the ordinance. date and in a form as stated Why delay? Order now to start your subscr in a settlement instruction A copy of the full text of the letter. Time is of the essence. ordinance is on file in the Please send my subscription to: If a high bidder defaults by City Clerk’s Office, and the not making these payments GET ONE Name________________________________ full text of the ordinance and in full, on time, and in the Address___________________________Ap year Right of Way Agreement to be For1your convenience, the Richmond Free Press required form, the Special Zip_ executed is available at: $99 offers you theCity__________________State______ opportunity to receive Commissioner will retain the deposit, and may seek other the Richmond Free Press in the mail. https://richmondva.legistar. remedies to include the cost Please send a gift subscription to: com/LegislationDetail.aspx? of resale or any resulting GIVE ONE Name________________________________ ID=5136696&GUID=3F8070 deficiency. Settlement shall For your convenience, the Richmond Free Press 08-7ACA-48A4-98E0-2447B 1 year Address___________________________Ap offers you the opportunity to receive occur when the Richmond the Richmond Free Press in the mail.

832D728&Options=ID|Text|& $95 The People’s City__________________State______ Zip_ Circuit Court enters an Order Paper.

Search=2021-241 of Confirmation. Conveyance Richmond Free Press shall be either by a special The People’s Paper.

Please address any questions Mail completed coupon(s) to: Richmond Free Pre commissioner’s deed or a Simply fill out the coupon(s) below. Your first subscription is $99 for 52 weekly or bids to: Simply fill out the coupon(s) below. Your first subscription is $99 for 52 weekly special warranty deed. Real issues. Each additional one-year subscription you want to gift is only $95. issues. Each additional one-year subscription you want to gift is only $95. estate taxes will be adjusted Why delay? Order now to start your subscription along with your friend or family.

Why delay?D.Order start your subscription along with your friend or family.

Candice Reid,now CitytoClerk as of the date of entry for the Please send my subscription to: City of Richmond GET ONE Name______________________________________ My order will come to: $__________ Order of Confirmation.

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Properties are sold “as is” order in that amount.

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Richmond Free Press

B6 September 16-18, 2021

Sports Plus

Lessons taught at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Free Press wire report

Nine teams passed on Paul Pierce in the 1998 NBA draft, and if you think he doesn’t remember each and every one of them, then you don’t know Paul Pierce.

The newly inducted Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer called out by name — in order — the teams with the first nine picks that year and thanked them for allowing him to slip to the Boston Celtics.

“I appreciate that. Thank you for passing on me. It added fuel to my fire,” Pierce, who had been expected to go as high as No. 2 overall, said in his acceptance speech in Springfield, Mass., last Saturday night. “To this day I don’t understand how I slipped to No. 10. But you know everything happened for a reason. Going to the Celtics, I’m grateful.”

Four months after the pandemicdelayed induction of the Class of 2020, including Kobe Bryant, the Hall community gathered to enshrine 16 more new members — its biggest class ever.

Many in the crowd wore masks; threetime WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson wasn’t able to attend because she was back in Australia in lockdown.

Bill Russell, who was inducted as a player in 1975, was honored for his coaching career. He is the fifth person to be inducted as both a player and a coach. But to former President Barack Obama, Russell’s greatest role was what he accomplished off the court during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

“Bill Russell, perhaps more than anyone else, knows what it takes to win, and what it takes to lead,” President Obama said in a video. “As tall as Bill Russell stands, his example and his legacy rise far, far higher.”

Others joining the Hall were: Villanova Coach Jay Wright; defensive Detroit Pistons star Ben Wallace from Virginia Union University; four-time

sell, bro,” Chris Bosh said.

“That’s crazy.”

Bosh discussed his arrival in Miami, when Heat executive Pat Riley offered one of his NBA championship rings and said it could be returned when they won one together; they won two, and Bosh finally returned the bauble on Saturday night.

And he discussed his departure, at the age of 31, when he was forced to retire because of Photos by Jessica Hill/Associated Press blood clots.

“After finally making it to the mountaintop with so much more to do, in my mind, so much more work to do, it all stopped,” he said. “I eventually came to realize that we all have it in our power to make the most out of every day despite what happens, to turn setbacks into strengths.”

Ackerman was the inaugural president of the WNBA, the first female president of USA Basketball and, since 2013, the commissioner of the Big Inductee Paul Pierce, left, during the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame East. With few female role Enshrinement last Saturday in Springfield, Mass. Inductees Richmond native models to look up to in the Bob Dandridge, top right, and Ben Wallace, who played for Virginia Union business of sports, she found University, also spoke at the event. one elsewhere.

“I’m inspired to this day by NBA All Star and Richmond native Kukoc was tapped by the International the example set by Billie Jean Bobby Dandridge, who was tapped Committee, and Pearl Moore from the King,” Ackerman said, “and the many by the Veterans Committee; two-time Women’s Veterans Committee. strong women and men who followed NBA champion Chris Bosh; longtime Russell, 87, was honored as the first her in the quest to make the chance Portland and Sacramento Coach Rick Black coach in NBA history. Taking to play sports, and to do it on a big Adelman; Washington and Sacramento over the Celtics from Red Auerbach stage, a reality for girls and women in All-Star Chris Webber; and two-time in 1966 and staying on as a player- our country and our world.”

Olympic gold medalist Yolanda Grif- coach for two more years, Russell Kukoc chose Michael Jordan and fith. guided Boston to NBA titles in 1968 Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf as his WNBA President Val Ackerman, and 1969. presenters and alluded to the tension longtime coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, Russell was present and wearing a over his arrival in Chicago that was scouting pioneer Howard Garfinkel Celtics mask at the ceremony, but his laid bare in the documentary “The were inducted as contributors. Clarence speech was presented as a prerecorded Last Dance.”

“Fats” Jenkins was picked by the Early video.

“I would like to thank this gentleAfrican American Pioneers Committee, “Hey, Chris Weber, we’re going man here, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Croatia and Chicago Bulls star Toni into the Hall of Fame with Bill Rus- Pippen, for kicking my butt during the

Washington NFL team likely looking to Heinicke in current pinch

By Fred Jeter

The revolving door continues to spin in the Washington Football Team huddle.

There has been a long, long line of Washington Football Team starting quarterbacks since the franchise won its last Super Bowl in 1991.

Taylor Heinicke, a former Old Dominion University signal caller, figures to become the franchises 31st starting quarterback since 1991.

This wasn’t planned.

T h e Wa s h ington brought in free a g e n t Taylor Heinicke journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick to run the offense. That blueprint crumbled last Sunday during the team’s opening 20-16 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Fitzpatrick suffered a hip injury, later diagnosed as hip subluxation, during the early going and was replaced by Heinicke, who will likely direct the squad Thursday night, Sept.

16, against the New York Giants at FedEx Stadium.

Fitzpatrick has been placed on the injured reserve list and will be out a minimum of several weeks.

In the meantime, Washington has signed quarterback Kyle Shurmur to its practice squad. Shurmur, undrafted out of Vanderbilt University in 2019, has previously been with the Kansas City Chiefs’ and Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squads.

In relief during Sunday’s game, Heinicke was 11 for 15 through the air for 122 yards and a touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin. Heinicke also ran three times for 17 yards.

FedEx Stadium fans repeatedly chanted his name during the tight game.

Heinicke drew the crowd’s goodwill last year with a gallant performance in relief in Washington’s playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 28-year-old Georgia native has played in the NFL previously with Minnesota, New England, Houston and Carolina.

At ODU from 2011 to 2014, Heinicke passed for 14,959 yards and 132 touchdowns and ran for 1,320 yards and 22 touchdowns, yet went undrafted.

Despite his bounce-around career, he is extremely fast and athletic and is considered by some as Washington’s most

Take a number, please …

Washington Football Team regular season starting quarterbacks since 1991:

1992 - Mark Rypien 1993 - Rypien, Rich Gannon, Cary Conklin 1994 - Heath Shuler, John Freisz, Gus Frerotte 1995 - Frerotte, Shuler 1996 - Frerotte 1997 - Frerotte, Jeff Hostetler 1998 - Trent Green, Frerotte 1999 - Brad Johnson 2000 - Johnson, Jeff George 2001 - Tony Banks, George 2002 - Shane Matthews, Patrick Ramsey, Danny Wuerffel 2003 - Ramsey, Tim Hasselbeck 2004 - Mark Brunell, Ramsey 2005 - Brunell, Ramsey 2006 - Brunell, Jason Campbell 2007 - Campbell, Todd Collins 2008 - Campbell 2009 - Campbell 2010 - Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman 2011 - Grossman, John Beck 2012 - Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins 2013 - Griffin, Cousins 2014 - Griffin, Cousins, Colt McCoy 2015 - Cousins 2016 - Cousins 2017 - Cousins 2018 - Alex Smith, Josh Johnson, McCoy, Mark Sanchez 2019 - Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, McCoy 2020 - Smith, Haskins, Kyle Allen 2021 - Ryan Fitzpatrick (likely Taylor Heinicke)

* Black quarterbacks in bold

Sanders makes coach’s job easy Shedeur Sanders is making his father, Coach Deion Sanders, look good.

From Canton, Texas, Shedeur Sanders is Jackson State University’s freshman quarterback and Deion Sanders, an NFL Hall of Famer, is the SWAC school’s second-season coach after a mini season last spring.

The 6-foot-2 Shedeur completed 30 of 40 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns in Jackson State’s 38-16 win last Saturday over Tennessee State University.

On the season, Sanders is 48 for 64 in the air for 583 yards for the 2-0 squad. Jackson State defeated Florida A&M University 7-6 in the opener.

Next up is a trip to play the University of Louisiana-Monroe at 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 18. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Shedeur Sanders

Olympics in Barcelona, and that way motivating me to work even harder to become an important part of the Chicago Bulls,” he said.

Wallace was emotional and poetic in describing his upbringing as an undersized big man who carved out a role on defense, winning defensive player of the year four times.

“Basketball was not my life. Basketball was just in my life. I took basketball and I created a path for those who helped me,” he said. “I took. I received. I gave back. I laid a path. I laid a track. It should be easy to find, I was stuck in it for quite some time.”

He walked off the stage with a raised fist.

Wright’s speech touched on Philadelphia basketball history; Webber gave a shoutout to Detroit. Dandridge said NBA opponents who went to major colleges looked down upon him because he went to Norfolk State College, now university, a historically Black school.

“My experience in HBCU schools was not limited to basketball,” Dandridge said. “I saw what having class was like. I witnessed dignity and a sense of belonging.”

Most inductees thanked their families and teammates and the coaches who helped them along the way, but Ackerman also gave a shout out to James Naismith, who invented basketball.

And Moore thanked the game itself.

“Basketball made it possible for me to travel the country and overseas, to earn a college degree,” she said. “And from shooting on a makeshift hoop in the yard in South Carolina to playing in the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.

“And tonight, having my name enshrined with the likes of those sitting in the hall is indeed a fairy tale come true.”

‘Forgotten First:’ A look at four — and more — NFL trailblazers Free Press wire report

In this era of racial reckoning, it’s not only appropriate but significant that the stories of NFL trailblazers be told.

Keyshawn Johnson, the 1996 top overall draft pick by the New York Jets and now a host of ESPN’s morning program “Keyshawn, JWill and Max,” has done so.

Collaborating with Bob Glauber, the Newsday columnist and 2021 recipient of the Bill Nunn Jr. Award by the Pro Football Writers of America for outstanding longtime reporting, Johnson has authored “Forgotten Mr. Johnson First.” The book is an enlightening and often anger-inducing documentation of an ugly period in pro football history.

And it’s a tribute to four men who broke the color barrier in a sport in which 70 percent of the players now are African-American: Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Marion Motley and Bill Willis.

“It’s close to home. It’s an educational vehicle for those that have a lack of education on how minorities were reintegrated into the National Football League a long time ago,” Johnson says.

Johnson and Glauber pay tribute to others who helped integrate the game, particularly Paul Brown, probably the greatest football coach and innovator. Brown never saw color, and in 1946 he recruited Motley and Willis for his Cleveland team in the All-America Football Conference even as Washington and Strode were about to make a breakthrough in the NFL. “He never thought of himself as doing anything other than signing the best players,” Bengals owner Mike Brown, the son of Paul Brown, says in the book. “He didn’t think of (himself) as someone who merited credit as a civil rights leader. He did it just because he thought he was doing the right thing.”

The authors also make cogent observations about those who blocked integration, notably former Washington franchise owner George Preston Marshall, the leader of the anti-minority movement within the league that other owners silently backed. A monument outside of RFK Stadium in Washington honoring Marshall was taken down last year.

“George Preston Marshall was an unapologetic segregationist who greatly impacted the NFL in terms of keeping African-American players out of the league,” Glauber says. “At the time he owned the team, Washington was the southernmost franchise in the country, and Marshall was adamant about not having Black players because he believed they would alienate his fan base.

“The other owners simply did not push back, and after the 1933 season, there were no Black players in the league. In hindsight, Art Rooney Sr. called it the biggest mistake of his life as an owner.”

Even after reintegration began in 1946, Marshall refused to sign African-American players.

It was only after pressure from the upper reaches of President John F. Kennedy’s administration in 1961 he finally relented.

One of the best chapters of the book, published

by Grand Central Publishing and available on Sept. 21, discusses the relationship between Jackie Robinson, famously the first Black player in Major League Baseball in 1947, and his UCLA teammates Washington and Strode. At one point, the trio were referred to as “Three Dark Horsemen” in a play off of Notre Dame’s “Four Horsemen.” They were that good.

For all of their success, particularly by Washington, the first Bruin to lead the nation in total offense and an All-American, the NFL wasn’t about to draft an African-American in 1939. Not even the best player in the country.

There would, of course, be success on the pro level for Washington and Strode, though not like Motley and Willis, who were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after their exemplary careers. Strode became better known as an actor.

Washington, plagued by knee woes, was the forerunner of backs such as Bo Jackson and Gale Sayers, who also were other-worldly athletes with shortened careers due to injuries.

But Jackson and Sayers faced nothing like the racism the “Forgotten First” men did. Thanks to Johnson and Glauber, their stories — and hopefully some lessons learned — will register with readers.

“We didn’t write this book because of the country’s racial reckoning over the last two years,” Glauber explains. “We wrote it because these four pioneers truly have been forgotten by history, and people need to know the names Washington, Strode, Willis and Motley as much as they know Jackie Robinson.”