Oct. 25 Newsletter: Finger-pointing about Floyd
Weather: A lovely fall continues, high of 72
On this date in 1858, the Richmond Fire Department disbanded its volunteer force and became a paid department consisting of 90 firefighters. It is the 5th oldest paid fire department in the county.
Today's newsletter sponsored by: Virginia Commonwealth University. As a top 20% global university, Virginia Commonwealth University is an unparalleled powerhouse of innovation and creative problem solving. VCU attacks challenges as opportunities to do what others can’t or won’t. It's truly a university unlike any you’ve ever seen.
Which officials can look into Tavares Floyd’s paperwork? Nobody seems to know.
The Tavares Floyd saga is consuming Richmond's political brainspace right now, but the wave of allegations hasn't led to any official investigations.
- Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin, who is broadly responsible for enforcing the law in the city, suggested she cannot take any action on her own.
- Richmond’s top election official, Registrar Keith Balmer, said he too has no power to look into the accuracy of paperwork filed by a local candidate.
- State election officials, as well as Attorney General Jason Miyares, believe a local candidate’s paperwork is primarily a local matter.
Until one of these parties takes action, the talk about Tavares remains just that. Read more, including Mayor Levar Stoney's reaction to the scandal, here.
Highly competitive 4th District School Board race sees candidates agree on need for better governance
Go deep on the 4th District School Board candidates with our race preview, including their thoughts on governance, Jason Kamras and other priorities.
The full article is available here.
Harrison Roday launches anti-Avula TV ad, but legal disclosure is incomplete
Richmond mayoral candidate Harrison Roday is stepping up his attack ads against opponent Danny Avula with a new TV ad that says Avula served in the “anti-abortion administration” of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. But the commercial is missing a legally required disclosure that requires Roday to say he’s the candidate sponsoring the ad.
- Roday's campaign said the omission was unintentional and said it would correct the error.
- Avula's campaign filed a formal complaint. Those are usually taken up after the election is over, and can result in fines.
Read more on the dispute, including Michelle Mosby's thoughts on the campaign fighting, here.
Today's sponsor:
VCU College of Engineering adding six minors in cutting-edge disciplines
Programs in artificial intelligence, aerospace engineering, nuclear engineering, software engineering, cybersecurity and data science emphasize a transdisciplinary approach to engineering and prepare students for high-demand fields.
“The College of Engineering at VCU is undergoing transformational changes to offer unique and exciting experiences to our students,” said Azim Eskandarian, DSc, Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. dean of the college. “Among these critical changes are six new minor programs, enhancing the student experience and serving the regional and national engineering industry with a much-needed, expertly trained workforce.” Read more.
New ownership at The Richmond Experience wants to expand community-building initiatives
The Richmond Experience is a lifestyle news outlet that maintains one of the area’s biggest online followings, and the operation was recently sold to two of its employees, Kelsey Heintz and Paige Poprocky.
“Making friends is always very difficult post-college," Heintz said. "It seems like everywhere we turn, people are looking for, 'Where do we go to meet other Richmonders?'” Read more on the sale here.
Armstrong's football coach took no shortcuts in turning around the program
Former Virginia State linebacker Jeremy Pruitt has Armstrong undefeated this year, a far cry from his first seasons, when it was a challenge just to recruit enough players. Now, after a playoff season, football practice is the place to be on Cool Lane.
“Once the community rallied behind us, we have parents sending kids out, because they see the positivity," he said. "It started in April, and by first practice, we had 60 to 70 kids. There was no doubt in my mind that we would have a great year.” Read more here.
In other news...
- Richmond airport will consolidate security screening areas with government grant (The Richmonder)
- VUU scales back apartments plan, says it will fully preserve hospital building (BizSense)
- Watchdog: Unprofessional conduct at Richmond VA Medical Center (Times-Dispatch)
The editor's desk
We're keeping busy these days, so it was fun to be able to gather a number of our contributors to celebrate the launch of The Richmonder. In addition to the writers, whose names you see in this space each week, we have a Board of Directors that helps keep us on mission and fiscally stable.
We don't hide that we're new - your input will help take us to where we need to be. Please hit the reply button and tell us how we can best serve the community. We're here for you.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
