CITY OF RICHMOND
School Board Chairman Jeff M. Bourne (left) listens to Superintendent Dana T. Bedden speak at a joint meeting of the council and the board. (P. Kevin Morley/Times-Dispatch)
Richmond in for contentious budget deliberations
With the looming threat of school closures, a slate of proposed fee increases for city services, and cuts to grants for community organizations such as Maymont, the coming budget deliberations in Richmond are likely to be among the most contentious in recent memory. Mayor Dwight C. Jones introduced his budget March 4 to near-immediate criticism from members of the School Board and the City Council. “If you look back, one of the mayor’s accomplishments he references time and time again is getting through the recession without cutting services or raising taxes, and now he wants to do both,” said Councilman Jonathan T. Baliles, who said Jones is politicizing the budget by “taking things away from everyone and blaming it on schools.”
Richmond School Board member: Funding ‘becoming a civil rights issue’
Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones told the City Council and the School Board on Monday that he will appoint a committee to work on funding the school system, but School Board members warned that deteriorating conditions have created a problem that demands immediate attention. “This is becoming a civil rights issue,” said board member Kimberly Gray. “Children have a right to go to school and stand in lunch lines and not get hit in a head with a brick. When you weigh the options, please consider the children in those buildings that are being harmed by those conditions.” Gray was referring to a child who was struck last month by a 5-pound piece of masonry that fell from the ceiling at George Washington Carver Elementary School — one of myriad well-publicized facility issues the district has faced.
Richmond officials balk at transparency initiative, push for delay
Richmond officials are vigorously protesting a government transparency initiative that would require them to post documents and contracts for certain city projects on a centralized website. “It would be a burden we cannot afford,” said John Buturla, the city’s interim deputy administrator for operations, arguing that the cost of maintaining such a website would take away funding for the projects themselves. If adopted, the proposal would require officials to create a website for any capital project with a budget of more than $5 million that contains a description; its budget; and links to associated documents, such as contracts, related ordinances and other relevant items.
Grand jury Oks Va. State Police investigation of Mayor Jones; FBI also participating
Virginia State Police have received grand jury approval to investigate Mayor Dwight C. Jones in the ongoing probe into the connection between Jones’ church and city government, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring said Wednesday. The FBI is also participating in the investigation, which until recently has been characterized as a joint effort between the state police, Herring’s office and the city auditor’s office, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation. State police are barred under Virginia law from investigating an elected official without approval from the governor, attorney general or a grand jury.
Richmond council members reluctant to judge Jones; concerned over investigation
Richmond City Council members say they’re reluctant to judge Mayor Dwight C. Jones but are concerned the Virginia State Police decided to seek approval from a grand jury to investigate him. “It’s a very sad day,” Councilman Chris A. Hilbert said. “We haven’t had this type of a situation at City Hall in well over a decade. It’s just very, very disappointing, so we’ll just have to wait and see how that investigation goes.” Councilman Jonathan T. Baliles expressed a similar sentiment Thursday. “I think the process needs to take its course,” he said. “But this is certainly an unnecessary distraction that I don’t think would occur if someone was fully focused on the city instead of other things.”
CHESTERFIELD
Chesterfield to develop county’s largest regional park
Chesterfield County officials are hoping to rally support from residents to create what would be the county’s largest regional park, located on 240 acres of dense woods southeast of Winterpock and Beach roads. Planners are proposing a concept similar to the 187-acre Harry G. Daniel Park in central Chesterfield or Rockwood Park on Courthouse Road, the county’s oldest site. Both have ball fields, court games, picnic and hiking areas, shelters and playgrounds. “It’s the kind of thing that people would drive from all over the county to see,” said Stuart W. Connock Jr., chief of parks with the Department of Parks and Recreation. “This park is intended to serve the county south of Hull Street and west of Pocahontas State Park.”
STATE/REGIONAL
Va.’s jobless rate falls to 4.1% in January; lowest since July 2008
Virginia’s unemployment rate fell slightly in January to its lowest level since July 2008, as the state experienced improved year-over-year job growth and more people looked for work. The state jobless rate was 4.1 percent in January. That is down from 4.2 percent in December and 4.8 percent in January 2015, the Virginia Employment Commission announced Monday. The rates have been adjusted for seasonal factors that may cause temporary fluctuations in employment.
Subway safety shutdown makes for a very long day in capital
An unprecedented safety shutdown of the Metro subway system inconvenienced hundreds of thousands of people in and around the nation’s capital on Wednesday. Federal workers telecommuted or took the day off, children missed school and countless others woke up early to take bus after bus, hail pricey taxis or slog through traffic. Many people resigned themselves to a very long day. “I’ve got to catch five buses to get to Alexandria,” said Leander Talley, 52, who loaded his bicycle onto a bus at the Springfield Metro station. “It’s like three and a half hours. It’s crazy.”
Va. state board approves emergency funding related to Metro subway closure
The Commonwealth Transportation Board on Wednesday authorized up to $2 million in emergency spending for “supplemental transit operations” in Northern Virginia in the event the shutdown of the Metro service in Washington lasts longer than Thursday morning. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority announced the closure of the entire system Tuesday afternoon for emergency inspections that will last until at least 5 a.m. today. The decision followed a fire Monday morning that appeared related to the same problem that caused the death of one passenger and sent dozens to the hospital when they were trapped on a train in a smoke-choked tunnel last year. “It’s the first time the whole system has been shut down other than through weather conditions,” said Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne. The suspected cause of the problem is bad insulation around electrical cables, he added.
ELECTIONS
McEachin formally announces bid for Congress in 4th District
State Sen. A . Donald McEachin on Tuesday formally announced his candidacy for congress in the 4th District, saying he his legal experience in “fighting for the underdog” and his legislative background “leading the fights that make a difference” will make best serve Virginians in Washington. “Throughout my career in the legislature I’ve stood up for human rights, for seniors, for veterans and for those at the margins,” the lawyer from eastern Henrico said in a statement that his campaign released. “I’ve had enough of Republicans attacking the civil rights, voting rights and human rights of Americans,” he added. “I’ve had enough of Republicans trying to tell women how to control their own bodies and their own health care decisions. And I’ve had enough of Republicans slashing Social Security, Medicare and education funding while protecting tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.”