Paul from Alamo BBQ wants to get the word out:

Alamo BBQ will be open until 9 this evening and all day tomorrow in case no residents wanted to drive out of the Hill this evening or tommorow. Everybody is more than welcome to visit our website www.alamobbqva.com and call ahead for take out.

A house on Carrington Street caught on fire this morning:

Firefighters were summoned at 9:16 a.m. to the 2400 block of Carrington Street near North 24th Street and found smoke rising from a two-story house, said Richmond fire Lt. Shawn L. Jones. [...] Fire officials attributed the cause of the blaze to a cooking accident.

Alamo BBQ is open today & they say that they’ll be there til 9PM. Go get your pulled pork on after shoveling!

Adult male black and tan tabby found in Union Hill:

Found a black and tan tabby on my front porch last week. He tried to run away, but was limping so badly he stopped. He did not have a collar. I couldn’t take him in the house because of my dogs, so I took him straight to Church Hill Animal Clinic (804-644-8200). He is still at the animal clinic this week. Please contact them if you are missing a black and tan tabby!

Richmond BizSense has info on a proposal to privatize ABC sales in Virginia:

Senate Bill 443 would force the Virginia Department of Alcohol Beverage Control to close its retail operations. The ABC would auction off “package store” licenses to vendors that wish to sell liquor and other alcoholic beverages for consumption off premises.

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The trail of Eric Driver in last April’s shooting of Jamall Holman began yesterday and continues again today:

“Eric Driver armed himself because he was angry, he armed himself because his girlfriend’s car had been broken into previously that day, and he had had enough,” prosecutor Thomas L. Johnson Jr. said in his opening statement yesterday on opening day of the two-day trial.

But Driver’s attorney, John W. Luxton, said Driver was afraid for his safety and that of his girlfriend when he encountered Holman wearing a black mask and reaching into a bag for a dark-colored item.

“He thought he was going to die,” Luxton said of his client. “He really thought reasonably that he was in grave danger.”

At around 12:30pm today, a black female lab mix was found wandering the corner of 24th and Cedar. She has a red leather collar and a flea collar, but no ID tags. She is friendly, and she responds to the command “sit.” If this is your dog, and/or you know who she belongs to, please contact Dave (804) 690-3509; she will be at our house for the day, but will most likely be transferred to Richmond Animal Care and Control tomorrow morning.

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The building at the corner of Mosby and Venable Streets, home to Big John’s, is for sale for $395,000.

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The Second Annual Union Hill Brunswick Stew Feast is this Sunday, Jan.3 beginning at 1PM. All are invited to the green space at the intersection of 23rd and Jessamine Streets. Bring a side dish if you’d like and well wishes for a Happy New Year to share for sure.

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The ABC store at 25th and Venable Streets, rumored to be the most profitable in the state, this year became the only ABC store in the state that does not sell minis (singles, airplane bottles) due to community pressure. Working with Delegate Jennifer McClellan and the ABC Board, the Union Hill Civic Association worked to make this happen to combat trash and vagrancy along the 25th Street and Venable Street corridors.

Celebrate the season with friends and neighbors at the 3rd Annual Union Hill Progressive Dessert this Friday, December 18th:

A century ago it was the custom of our neighborhood to open our homes during the Christmas season and to share desserts and fellowship with neighbors and friends. Two years ago the modern day neighbors of Union Hill took up that tradition with the first Union Hill Progressive Dessert. Please join us (and spread the word), as Union Hill celebrates this third Season by progressing through four spectacular homes on December 18th!

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Black&white cat found at 23rd and M Street:

Black and white female kitten, started hanging around late last week. Had a scratch on the nose like she had been fighting. Very affectionate. No collar.

All are invited to join the Friends of Jefferson Park for the annual holiday tree decorating on Saturday, December 12 at 9AM at the White Pine, near the Bandstand.

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Richmond Slumlord Watch does it again, this time shining the light on Eric Burrell, owner of vacant houses in Church Hill North and Union Hill…

The December Newsletter from the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods has word on the Union Hill Home Fund:

In addition, the “Union Hill Home Fund” has been set up to help meet the needs of poor, elderly, disabled, widowed or orphaned neighbors living in the new District; it is already set up to receive tax-deductible donations by mailing a check to the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods or by donating online at richmondneighborhoods.org and specify “The Union Hill Home Fund.”

The sustainable agriculture blog Civil Eats recently profiled our own Tricycle Gardens:

Two urban farms are in the works, with Tricycle Gardens at the helm. One location in north Church Hill, the other on land belonging to the Science Museum of Virginia. “We want them to have substantial earned income,” says Taranto, implying that the farms will ultimately sustain themselves through produce sales. Goals include creation of green-collar jobs and internships as well as ample opportunities for volunteer work and education.

City Council tonight approved Ord.No.2009-203 which adds Union Hill to the city’s roster of Old and Historic Districts. The vote was 8-1 in favor, with Jewell the only vote against.

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On the agenda for Monday’s City Council meeting:: Ord.No.2009-203 (PDF) -To amend the Code *** to establish the Union Hill Old and Historic District.

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