Sept. 16 Newsletter: Richmond cathedral's new pipe organ rivals Europe's best
Weather: High of 78 and cloudy. Potential for evening storms.
On this date in 1972, Richmond native Tom Wolfe, wearing his trademark white suit, was the guest speaker at the dedication of the city's new library on Franklin Street.
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart's new organ is similar to ones found in European cathedrals
The cathedral's new pipe organ is the result of eight years of planning and 40,000 hours of labor by some of the world's most skilled artisans. And its opening concert will feature a world-renowned musician.
“It's a unique opportunity for people to experience the organ like you would in Europe," the cathedral's principal organist said. "There's nothing comparable to it in the area.”
More than 15 tons of steel were used in its construction, reports Brooke Landers. Read more, including how to get free tickets to see one of the world's most famous organists.
School board debates whether RPS should be required to provide unpaid leave for union leaders
After the high-profile firing of the Richmond teachers union president in June, the School Board is weighing whether the division should automatically grant labor leaders up to one year of unpaid leave, Sarah Vogelsong reports.
Superintendent Jason Kamras’ administration has said it opposes the move, which would require the district to give the time off from normal duties if requested rather than leaving the decision up to officials’ discretion, because of the vacancies it could create in a school system already facing staff shortages.
According to division data, 141 teaching positions and 21 support staff positions were unfilled at the start of the school year.
The union argued the practice is both common around the U.S. and a critical tool to help mediate relationships for the thousands of employees it represents. Furthermore, they say, Richmond Public Schools traditionally gave such leave to the president of the Richmond Education Association prior to the 2021 introduction of collective bargaining.
Read more, including debate over the number of vacancies it might create.
Data: Where are the most lottery tickets sold in Richmond?
We mapped 190 lottery retailers in the city based on their sales during the past fiscal year. The No. 1 retailer was Quick N. Easy, in the Near West End at 4115 W. Broad Street. The shop sold about $2.5 million in lottery tickets.
During fiscal year 2024, the Virginia Lottery reported total sales of more than $5.5 billion.
This weekend in football: A Richmond high school scores 50 - in a quarter
Michael Phillips takes a trip around this weekend's football highlights:
- The Commanders win, but he asks how much Jayden Daniels running is too much?
- For all the things Virginia Tech's 37-17 win against Old Dominion was, it's far more important for what it wasn't: The Hokies avoided slipping on the banana peel in Norfolk for a third consecutive time.
- The Huguenot High football program was always going to fly high under second-year coach Charles Scott, who built a local private-school juggernaut at Life Christian. But 50 points in the first quarter? That's what the Falcons did on Friday night against Clover Hill. That's a heck of a number.
Full list of mayoral candidate forums released
The five candidates running for mayor of Richmond jointly released a list of forums they will attend in the coming weeks.
The next forum will be Tuesday night from 7-9 p.m. at Forest Hill Presbyterian Church. See the full list here.
In other news...
- Virginians celebrate Pridefest in Richmond on Saturday (Times-Dispatch)
- Hundreds of income-based townhomes eyed on South Richmond site (BizSense)
- VCU Board unanimously votes to raise President Michael Rao's salary by 16%; Rao no longer oversees VCU Health (ABC8)
- Teen killed, 2 women injured in shooting at Belt Atlantic apartments (CBS 6)
The editor's desk
Our list of mayoral forums is hefty, but that's a good thing - it means people are invested in the race, and curious to hear from the candidates. We'll see if the schedule, which includes back-to-back forums this week, produces distance between the candidates on key issues.
As we start Week 2 of The Richmonder, please drop us a note and let us know what questions you'd like answered or what topics you want covered. We appreciate everybody who shared kind words last week, and look forward to continuing to dig into the topics that matter most to the community.
--Michael Phillips, Founding Editor
