Now that Kathy Graziano, Doug Conner, and Reva Trammell have retained their seats on city council, residents of the Southside look forward to having their civic needs represented and fulfilled by the experience each of these council-persons bring to the table.

Crime , public health, schools, infrastructure, and blight continue to be primary issues Richmond and the Southside endure. What will new mayor-elect Dwight Jones bring to the table? Will his experience as a delegate and preacher be enough to pull the fractured city back together?

Since the terms have been stretched to four years, it seems likely that each of our representatives will have plenty of time to accomplish projects without the distraction of campaigning.

Now is a time of great transition in the city of Richmond. Let us hope that our representatives will seize the momentum Barack Obama has developed nationally and utilize the spirit of change locally.

Concrete workers could be seen today, updating the temporary ramps to an entrance on the Crutchfield Street side of George Wythe High school. The new ramp will also have a handrail. George Wythe has had temporary ramps made of steel and wood at this entrance for several years, but there are other entrances with concrete ramps. George Wythe also has an inside elevator for those who need it.

This ramp is an excellent improvement for a school that has recently received a large grant for beautification and school improvements. This year has also been a great start for the school as no major incidents have occurred at the school and two of its well connected programs, The Pen Project and The Dream Team continue to flourish among Wythe’s many other successful programs.

Richmond Public Schools has been battling for years to make the upgrades its aging buildings desperately need. This is certainly a positive step in the right direction for improving the quality of the Southside community.

The City of Richmond will host the 4th annual “Imagine Festival” at Broad Rock Park on Saturday, October 25, from noon to 5 p.m.  Admission to this community and family event is free.

The Imagine Festival is an exciting event offering free food, dance performances, arts, crafts, vendors, and fun activities for the entire family. A unique component of the festival is a longstanding showcase athletic event between the Richmond Police Department and area community organizations, with baseball being the game of choice this year. The festival will also include live musical entertainment sponsored by Davidson Media Group. Event community partners include the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce, Radio Poder 1380 AM WBTK, Richmond Outreach Center, Nuevas Raíces, Horizontes, and Centro de Richmond.

“The Imagine Festival provides an excellent opportunity for families to enjoy themselves and interact with community partners such as the City’s police, fire and emergency services personnel to gain a broader appreciation of the benefits and services they provide toward building a stronger community for all,” said Mayor L. Douglas Wilder.

The Imagine Festival began in 2005 as a community outreach event sponsored by Richmond’s Gang Reduction and Intervention Program. Since then, the City has sponsored the festival, which has grown larger with each year.

For more information about the Imagine Festival, please call the City’s Hispanic Liaison Office at 646-0145.

Now that the debates are over and with less than three weeks remaining, isn’t it about time to fess up and admit who you want the president to be?

One thing is for certain, our future president has a lot of work cut out for him. Financial crisis, Iraq, international policy, and education are but a few of the issues in need of a great administration. Regardless of politics, we all want a president who can do a great job.

Feel free to comment on who you’re voting for and why. After all, it’s still a free country!

Richmond.com has gifted us with a short interview of our 8th District City Council candidates. I’ve only reprinted the bio and statements from the article. See the link at the beginning for the whole story.

City Council
There are three candidates on the ballot running for the 8th District’s city council seat. Incumbent Reva M. Trammell is being challenged by C. Allen Barrett and Eric W. Hunter, Sr.

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It’s hard to believe that three people have been murdered on the Southside in one week.

The good news is that the suspected murderers of LaMoan Kahlil Hart are in custody. On October the third, according to the Richmond Police Department, “Terrell A. Collins, 31, of the 100 block of East 15th Street, turned himself in.” Additionally, Rashaad T. Comer, 27 of the 1600 block of Kingswood Street, was arrested on 10/2/08.

On the same day that Terrell Collins turned himself in, the Bruce Street Brothers double slaying took place. So far there are no announced suspects, but the next of kin have been notified.

You can read more about the Bruce Street Brothers murder at the Times-Dispatch.

Anyone with information about these crimes is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 780-1000 or to call the Richmond Police Tips Line at 514-TIPS (8477).

So far, this year has been exceptionally low in murders, but unfortunately we received this report from the Richmond Police Department:

Richmond Police detectives are investigating the murder of Lamoan Kahlil Hart, 20, of the 1700 block of Stockton Street.

Richmond Police received calls of a person down or possible hit-and-run victim in the 1600 block of Maury Street shortly before 9:30 p.m. Friday.

Officers found Hart unresponsive lying in the roadway on Maury Street. The initial investigation indicates Hart was shot while riding his bicycle near the intersection of 19th and Maury streets. He traveled several blocks before collapsing on Maury. Hart was pronounced dead at the scene.

Anyone with information in the murder of Hart is asked to call the Richmond Police Tips Line at 514-TIPS (8477) or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000.

Entering ESH Greene Elementary on a Tuesday afternoon, you’ll
find that though the bell has long since run, there are teachers still working
to enrich the lives of students. Of all the commitments a principal can make, students are the most important; thus, there’s nothing more reassuring about the quality of an administrator than catching one working face-to-face with a student, and new principal Linda Sims was doing just that.

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Congratulations to our Southside incumbents who continue to prove their strength in community development.

Here is the article from the Times-Dispatch:

As further proof of their exemplary effort to fight crime, the Richmond Police Department released the following:

Richmond Police quickly made arrests in two robbery attempts and a robbery that occurred within hours last night in the City’s Southside.

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Several shops at Southside Plaza caught fire sometime before 6:00 p.m. tonight. Police officers on the scene had no knowledge of how the fire started or where. From a distance, it appeared the fire stretched from Shoe City to the Check & Go store. An unidentified firefighter said it appeared that the fire started at Shoe City, but he couldn’t be certain and the investigation was on going. There were 30-40 firefighters on scene, at least five trucks, and few ambulances and police cars.

See images in the rest of the post.

Read more >

On Wednesday afternoon, a City Audit investigation was released, which included reports of inspectors not performing work and taking time off during the day.   The investigation found one mechanical inspector spending in excess of 45% of his work time at home rather than performing inspections, and he also apparently falsified some inspection data.  A property maintenance inspector was found not to have performed any of his assigned inspections during the investigation period, even though he was submitting data that the inspections had been performed.

The full report is available from the Richmond City Auditor, a Department within the City Council branch of government.  There has been comment from the Mayor’s Office.

Richmond’s Department of Parks Recreation and Community Facilities will hold a series of meetings for public input into the proposed Parks Department Master Plan.  The plan is available at www.richmondgov.com/parks.

Tuesday, September 30

Noon             Hickory Hill Conference Room                    3000 E. Belt Blvd.

Noon             Pine Camp Arts and Community Center       4901 Old Brook Rd.

6 p.m.            Hickory Hill Conference Room                    3000 E. Belt Blvd.

6 p.m.            Pine Camp Arts and Community Center       4901 Old Brook Rd.

Wednesday, October 1

Noon             Forest Hill Park Stone House                       4100 Forest Hill Ave.

Noon             Byrd Park Roundhouse                                800 S. Davis Ave.

6 p.m.            Powhatan Community Center                       5051 Northampton St.

6 p.m.            Randolph Community Center                        1415 Grayland Ave.

Thursday, October 2

Noon             Humphrey Calder Community Center         414 N. Thompson St.

6 p.m.            Bellemeade Community Center                    1800 Lynnhaven Ave.

The Land Use Committee of City Council and GRTC are cooperating to hold a series of public meetings to hear proposals for changing bus lines and fares.  The schedules have not been published yet, but will be held in late September and October, at City hall, the Southside Community Services Bldg and the Police Acdemy.  The presentations will be by GRTC.

City Council and the Land use, Housing and Transportation Committee will be having a couple of public hearings on the proposed Downtown Master Plan.  The LUHT Cmte will hold a special meeting September 23, 3 pm, in the Council Chambers.  Then on October 13, Council will hold another public hearing and take up action on the plan.  Copies of the plan are available online at the city website (www.richmondgov.com/departments/CommunityDev/DownTownMasterPla.aspx), at local libraries and at City Hall, Fifth Floor.