the Connecticut team’s stadium wasn’t ready. Hartford was the home team on the Squirrels’ scoreboard. The Squirrels are the AA Eastern League farm club of the San Francisco Giants. The Curve is an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Thursday, April 14, vs. Altoona, Pa., 6:35 p.m.: The Squirrels’ new female mascot, Nutasha, will make her debut. Fireworks.
Friday, April 15, vs. Altoona, 7:05 p.m.: Jackie Robinson Day, No. 42 T-shirt giveaway. Saturday, April 16, vs. Altoona, 6:05 p.m.: Fireworks. Sunday, April 17, vs. Altoona, 12:05 p.m.: Tum-E Yummies T-shirt giveaway; Brunch ‘n’ Baseball with new food options. Ticket information: www.squirrelsbaseball.com or (804) 359-FUNN (3866).
Richmond Free Press
VOL. 25 NO. 16
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RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
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The Richmond Flying Squirrels will play their regularly scheduled home opener 6:35 p.m. Thursday, April 14, against the Altoona Curve. Former Pittsburg Steelers fullback Jerome Bettis will throw out the first pitch. The Flying Squirrels hosted what amounted to a dress rehearsal last week against the Hartford Yard Goats at The Diamond, when Richmond got four extra home games because
April 14-16, 2016
Marching for dollars City Council takes first steps to give more to RPS By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Before dozens of students, parents and teachers began pleading, berating and challenging Richmond City Council to beef up funding for city schools, the nine members of the governing body had already taken the first step. In a 9-0 vote Monday night, in front of a packed council chamber of school supporters, the council approved an ordinance requiring the city adminis-
tration to give to the schools real estate tax money collected from surplus property previously owned by the school system. For example, the city is on the verge of completing the sale of a former school warehouse near The Diamond baseball stadium to a furniture maker. Once the furniture maker owns it, all real estate taxes the city collects from the property will go to Please turn to A4
Photos by Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Bianca Foster addresses a crowd of about 500 demonstrators Monday outside City Hall who called for full funding for Richmond Public Schools.
Year-old Isaiah Womack proudly holds his sign supporting Richmond Public Schools at Monday’s rally outside City Hall. The youngster attended with his older siblings who are RPS students.
RPS students get an old-fashioned lesson in protest politics More than 100 Richmond Public Schools students purposefully waved signs and banners and chanted in unity as they marched outside City Hall early Monday afternoon. “Who are we?” they chanted. “RPS!” “What do we want?” “More money!” “How are we going to get it?” “Protest!” Curious onlookers pulled out cellphones and
recorded the protest to post on social media. Others posed with marchers for selfies. Later, the group of protesters grew to about 500 as more RPS students, teachers, parents, activists and community members joined them in front of City Hall. Passers-by in vehicles on Broad Street honked their car horns, revved their motorcycle engines and waved from car windows in a show of support for their cause — more money for Richmond’s public school system.
The demonstration was organized by six students from Open High School, who led a student walkout and march to City Hall to back the school district’s request for about $18 million in additional spending from the city for fiscal year 2017 to fund pay raises for teachers and to fully implement RPS’ academic improvement plan. Mayor Dwight C. Jones has proposed flat funding for the school district in his budget proposal.
Unsold food is ‘a godsend’ By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Boxes of tomatoes, peppers and other fruits and vegetables fill four tables in the basement social hall at Zion Baptist Church on South Side, creating the look of a small grocery store. “This is a pretty small load,” said John Thombs, who had brought the cornucopia to the church at 2006 Decatur St., where his wife, Betty, set it up with a few helpers. Shortly, people stream in and take what they want without charge. “It’s a godsend,” said Linda Conyers. “I’m on a fixed income and this is a big help to me.” Ms. Conyers is one of hundreds of people benefiting each week from the almost unnoticed and selfless volunteer effort of the Thombses, 68-year-old retirees on a mission to spread fresh produce and bread to Richmonders needing help with groceries. Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press Six days a week, the Thombses Betty and John Thombs display the fresh vegetables and fruits they collected from collect unsold food from area Kroger area stores on Tuesday. The food is given away in the social hall at Zion Baptist grocery stores and Prairie Grain Church, 20th and Decatur streets, on South Side. The hunger-fighting couple has been Bread Co. on Midlothian Turnpike quietly creating this pop-up food-giveaway stand daily for more than five years. and take it the church where it is given to anyone who shows up between our calling,” an outward manifestation their dedication to ordinary people needing of their faith. a helping hand. 4:30 and 7 p.m. The Thombses are not alone in the fight Mr. Thombs said he planned to do more On the seventh day, Wednesday, the food the Thombses gather is distributed at against hunger in Richmond. Many people fishing when he retired a few years ago, New Generation International Ministries, and organizations are engaged, ranging but instead the collection and distribufrom the Central Virginia Food Bank and tion of food dominates his life. He got 1515 Chamberlayne Ave. And if items remain, the husband-wife various churches with food pantries, to his start 15 years ago when he was still a team calls a contact at Mount Tabor Baptist food growers such as Tricycle Gardens city schoolteacher. A colleague who was Church in Church Hill to come and get it and 31st Street Baptist Church and those picking up bread at Prairie Grains asked who feed the homeless at Monroe Park if he could take over. to make sure no food is wasted. “Our children wonder why we’re do- on weekends. However, the Thombses stand out for ing this,” Mrs. Thombs said, “but it’s Please turn to A4
The Open High students’ efforts kicked into high gear after school leaders last week proposed closing Armstrong High School and four elementary schools — John B. Cary in the West End, Overby-Sheppard in North Side and Swansboro and Southampton in South Side — as well as consolidating three unidentified alternative schools if Richmond City Council does not approve a budget by Please turn to A4
Petersburg works to filter water meter debacle By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Petersburg failed to upgrade its billing system so it could accept and use the data collected from the new digital water meters, despite Mayor W. Howard Myers and the Petersburg City Council making that a condition in approving the switch to the new meters. The city also accepted the system from contractor Johnson Controls Inc. without running any tests to ensure the meters, the data reporting system and the billing system were ready. And before the contract with JCI was signed, the city agreed to boost the $3.8 million contract with JCI by $1 million. The city also later agreed to a $300,000 change order that increased the total cost to more than $5 million. Those are among the findings Paul Goldman of Morrissey & Goldman law firm is expected to share at a public meeting Mayor Myers has scheduled for Thursday, April 14, at Union Station. The meeting is being held just three days after Mayor Myers survived an attempt by Petersburg City Council to replace him. Please turn to A4
Free Press wins big The Richmond Free Press continues its 24-year tradition of award-winning excellence. The newspaper was recognized with 10 awards — including five first-place awards and runner-up for the Journalistic Integrity and Community Service Award — at the annual Virginia Press Association competition in writing, photography, news presentation and advertising. The contest for work published in 2015 was judged by members of the South Carolina Press Association. Winners were announced April 9 at the VPA’s awards banquet at a Henrico County hotel. Please turn to A5