Today’s RTD has a long article,
School hurdles forward, about the recent history and direction at Chimborazo Elementary School. From the article: “Administrators, teachers and students at Chimborazo are trying to make sure their school makes a complete turnabout. They’re not quite there.”

The front page of today’s RTD carries a profile of Matt Koon of the Boys & Girls Club at Fairfield Court.

Another from the RTD: “Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 13, The Times-Dispatch will begin a weekly feature called “Stuff to Fix.” We will identify a building, section of road, sign or some other public property that is broken, dilapidated or an eyesore. [...] This is something, though, that we can’t do without you. We need for you to alert us to municipally maintained problem spots throughout the metro Richmond area. So please keep your eyes open for buckled sidewalks, darkened streets, pits and holes in roads, neglected parks, trashy streets and sidewalks, and hidden or missing street signs.”
Find out more.

The 3rd Congressional District contest between Democrat Rep. Robert C. Scott and Republican Winsome E. Sears bears watching because of its unusual dynamic. It is a rare race that pits two blacks against each other: Scott, a liberal in the traditional black politician’s role of civil-rights leader, against Sears, a socially conservative Republican.
[ more in the RTD ]

Today’s RTD has an article, They made the grade, about the recent history and direction at Whitcomb Elementary School. From the article: “Whitcomb was the only Richmond public school and one of six in the state to be recognized by Warner on Oct. 1 as a PASS program graduate. Once marked as a low-performing school, Whitcomb anticipates being fully accredited and has met Adequate Yearly Progress standards as stipulated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.”

Mark Holmberg, long-time columnist for the Times-Dispatch, writes, “Fifty years ago we started the subsidized housing boom in Richmond, and few cities went about it with as much gusto as we did. The proliferation of housing “projects” here was a key reason Richmond wilted while cities like Charlotte blossomed. Right now we’ve got roughly 10 percent of the city’s population living in Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority properties. Many of these folks live in seven sprawling housing projects that represent the absolute worst examples of racist, death-dealing paternalism since slavery.”


[ Read the rest of the article. ]

An overnight fire at 22nd and V Streets left three homes damaged. Authorities say the first home burst into flames shortly after midnight. Before crews could contain the flames, the fire spread to two neighboring houses. Officials say two of the homes are abandoned and no one was home at the third. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
[ Story and video from NBC12 ]

Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney David M. Hicks has formally requested that the Virginia State Police independently investigate the police-involved shooting death of East End robbery suspect Curtis Blount Sept. 20. Blount was found dead in an alley behind a convenience store on Mosby Street near Fairmount Avenue. Authorities said he died from a single gunshot wound to the head after an exchange of gunfire with police. [via]

From the RTD via IMC: Richmond City Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson proposed last night the creation of a “Police Accountability Board,” citing what she called a tremendous distrust of the department in the black community. “We have to build trust in this community,” Robertson said in an interview. “There is a lot of animosity between the citizens and the police, the citizens and the city of Richmond.”

From Food fight leads to five arrests at Armstrong: “A cafeteria food fight ended in arrests for five Armstrong High School students yesterday. The juveniles were charged with prohibited criminal street gang participation because they were representing two rival neighborhood groups, Mosby and Creighton courts. What started as a food fight escalated and moved into the main hallway, according to Richmond police spokeswoman Cynthia L. Price. In addition to the gang participation charges, it also ended in disorderly conduct charges for the students.”

“Richmond’s voting registrar says state law supersedes local ordinances, so the city’s no-trespassing law as it applies to the Whitcomb Court and Gilpin Court public housing projects will not apply to voting precincts.”
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Charles H. Nance, a former Richmond School Board member, said a majority of the city’s 4,068 public-housing units should be torn down and rebuilt “primarily in the city, but also in other parts of the region.” Lawrence E. Williams Sr. wants to demolish Mosby Court’s more than 450 public-housing units in the East End. He wants to create open space there and turn Mosby Middle School into a “neighborhood center” that would also offer health and human services. Mayor McCollum said he would like to see more housing developments like South Richmond’s Blackwell. Doug Wilder said in an interview this month that he also would like to see more mixed-income communities and incentives for homeownership. He said he would attempt to assert greater control over the city’s housing authority if he is elected mayor and criticized that authority’s financial management.

[ Read the RTD article. ]

A big party was held yesterday at Fairfield Court Elementary School to honor a big academic achievement. “We wanted to celebrate our SOL success. We are now fully accredited,” Principal Irene L. Williams said. Fairfield Court Elementary, accredited with warning last year, was fully accredited in 2004 by the state Department of Education.

[ Find out more. ]

Come out for Harvest Fest at the East District Initiative on 25th Street from 4-7pm. Games, prizes, rides and entertainment!