Dec. 11 Newsletter: Creating civil conversation
Weather: Heavy rain all day. High of 65.
On this date in 1993, Richmond’s last remaining Safeway stores closed their doors for good at 5 p.m. Many of the 15 are purchased by the Farm Fresh grocery company. Safeway was the city’s top grocer by market share until it was passed by Ukrops in 1985.
Today's newsletter sponsored by VCU. Virginia Commonwealth University is a powerhouse of innovation and creative problem solving. We attack challenges as opportunities to do what others can’t or won’t. VCU is truly unlike any university you’ve ever seen.
StoryCorps aims to bridge political divide in Richmond
When strangers Torski Dobson-Arnold and Kaitlin Johnston first sat down together for a conversation, they quickly realized they were very different.
Their chat was arranged by StoryCorps, whose One Small Step program aims to pair two people from different backgrounds and viewpoints for a 50-minute conversation. Since 2021, the group has arranged more than 500 conversations in the Richmond area. Dobson-Arnold and Johnston stayed in touch and became friends.
While the matchmaking process is designed to pair people with opposite views, it does not bring people together to debate politics. Participants sit down with a moderator for 50 minutes of human connection to work toward creating united communities despite our divisive political climate.
Read more on the program, and its participants, here.
'We love each other': Final City Council meeting includes heartfelt farewells
Running her final government meeting after 12 years in public office, departing Council President Kristen Nye (4th District) was among those commended at the final City Council meeting of the year on Monday night.
With Andreas Addison absent, the eight councilors in attendance were all female.
“We are a female powerhouse,” Nye said. “And I love it.”
Outdoing CAO Lincoln Saunders also delivered an emotional farewell address. He told the elected body that the new community centers, new public safety facilities, and the Diamond District baseball stadium development will be visible reminders of the group’s work for years to come.
Read more on the meeting here.
Also today in The Richmonder:
Sarah Vogelsong
Graham Moomaw
Richmonder Staff
Today's sponsor:
VCU surpasses $500 million in sponsored funding
Virginia Commonwealth University is marking a milestone achievement in its renowned research enterprise. Highlighting ongoing and dramatic growth, VCU has surpassed the $500 million mark in sponsored funding for the first time.
“For the sixth year in a row, VCU has again broken its own record for sponsored funding, continuing its rise as one of the nation’s top 50 public research universities,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. VCU's research impacts lives by addressing local, national and global challenges. Read more.
In other news...
- Data centers driving ‘immense increase’ in Virginia’s energy demand, report says (Cardinal News)
- Officials reactivated Richmond’s registrar's city credit card amid fraud investigation (Times-Dispatch)
- In memoriam: Nikki Giovanni, renowned poet, activist, and Virginia Tech legend (Virginia Tech)
The editor's desk
Today's feature story was written by a student at the University of Richmond as part of the Capital News Service program, which trains young journalists. We've also run stories written by VCU students during the past three months.
Creating a future for local news is a passion for all of us at The Richmonder, and we're proud to work with both schools to help develop the next generation of journalists, and give them an opportunity to be published ahead of graduation.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
