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Richmond Free Press © 2020 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
VOL. 29 NO. 35
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
www.richmondfreepress.com
Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press
The new $40 million Henry L. Marsh III Elementary School at 813 N. 28th St. is one of three new city school buildings that are ready for use but remain closed as students will have online classes this fall. No concrete plans have been made on whether this or any other school building will be used for day care.
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Meet founder of H.O.P.E. B1
August 20-22, 2020
School day care?
Empty public school buildings may be central to city task force plan to help parents with day care as they return to work By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Sharonda Robinson hoped against hope that Richmond Public Schools would reopen this fall so her sons, ages 6 and 8, could be in school taking classes while she went to work. But the RPS decision to hold classes only online this fall means the 32-year-old single mother might have to give up her job as a retail store clerk to stay home to care for the boys and help them with online classes.
“While school has been out, I was able to leave my children with my grandmother and sister — she’s disabled — so I could go to work. “But this virtual learning stuff is not their thing, and I do want my kids to be learning,” Ms. Robinson said. “If something doesn’t change fast, I’m gonna have to be home. I’m barely making it now, and day care is way too expensive. “And if I have to stay home, where will I get the money to support them and pay the rent?”
Ms. Robinson is one of many — the number is unknown — who are facing this impossible choice — work or care for children who are too young to be left at home alone. The issue is a huge one for the Richmond area, which data analytics firm Smartest Dollar ranks third in the nation among medium-sized metropolitan areas in the percentage of households with children under 14 years of age who do not have a parent Please turn to A4
Dems pull out big guns to energize virtual convention for Biden Free Press staff, wire report
Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press
Below, armed members from private militia groups advocate for gun rights at Ninth and Main streets near the State Capitol before marching to the Siegel Center on Broad Street, where the House of Delegates was meeting Tuesday in a special session. Several organizations held rallies on the opening day of the special General Assembly session, where lawmakers are taking up criminal justice, police reform and budget measures. Above, marchers call for reopening the investigation into the 2018 fatal police shooting of Marcus-David Peters in Richmond during its march along Broad Street toward the legislative session at the Siegel Center. The state Senate is meeting at the Science Museum of Virginia.
Special General Assembly session kicks off amid rallies calling for reform By Jeremy M. Lazarus
Payback? Questions raised about charges against Sen. Lucas Free Press staff, wire report
State Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, a key power broker and one of the highest ranking African-Americans in the General Assembly, has been charged with conspiracy to damage a Confederate monument during protests in Portsmouth that also led to a demonstrator being critically injured when the statue was knocked down. Sen. Lucas, who was in Richmond on Tuesday for the convening of a special session Please turn to A4
Will evictions be halted until April 30, 2021, as Richmond Democratic state Sen. Ghazala F. Hashmi has proposed? Will parents get a state tax credit for shelling out money for essential child care so they can keep their jobs as Henrico Republican state Sen. Siobhan S. Dunnavant has proposed? Will police officers and their localities be stripped of immunity against lawsuits alleging violations of constitutional rights or unlawful actions that cause injury or death as Richmond state Sen. Joseph D. Morrissey and Delegates Jeff M. Bourne of Richmond and Jay Jones of Norfolk have proposed? Stay tuned. Those items are among the wave of legislation up for consideration at a special session of the General Assembly that opened Tuesday and will focus largely on budget issues related to the pandemic and criminal justice reform. Among the proposals are bills that would require every Virginia locality to create a civilian oversight board to handle complaints of Regina H. Boone/Richmond Free Press police abuse and misconduct, create uniform training standards for police, enable the state to cancel certifications of officers proven to have broken the rules or used excessive force and direct two agencies to create emergency teams of mental health professionals and law enforcement to respond to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Other legislation calls for allowing parents primarily of special needs children whose public schools have gone virtual to receive a portion of the funds the state contributes to each child’s education to enroll their children in other educational programs. Steve Helber/Associated Press Also high on the agenda is State Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, right, gives Senate the repair of the two-year state Clerk Susan Schaar an elbow bump during a break Tuesday budget, which is projected to during the first day of the General Assembly’s special session in Richmond. Because of the pandemic, the Senate is holding shrink $2.7 billion based on its sessions at the Science Museum of Virginia.
Please turn to A4
Democrats launched the third day of their virtual national convention on Wednesday, with headliners broadening the focus from a multipart rebuke of President Trump to an energizing message of change in boosting former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential bid. Delegates and those tuning into the convention on Reuters television were expected Mrs. Obama to hear from Sen. Kamala Harris in her first primetime appearance as Mr. Biden’s historymaking vice presidential running mate. Also expected to speak Wednesday night after Free Press deadline were former President Obama, a transformational figure for the Democratic Party who picked Mr. Biden as his running mate a dozen years ago, and Hillary Clinton, who broke barriers as the first female presidential nominee of any major party. Please turn to A4
Free COVID-19 testing Free community testing for COVID-19 continues. The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations: LOCATION
ADDRESS
Thursday, Aug. 20, 9 to 11 a.m.
DATE
Fairfield Middle School
5121 Nine Mile Road in Eastern Henrico County
Saturday, Aug. 22, 9 to 11 a.m.
Richmond Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church
3700 Midlothian Turnpike in South Side
Tuesday, Aug. 25, 4 to 6 p.m.
Hotchkiss Field Community Center
701 E. Brookland Park Blvd. in North Side
Thursday, Aug. 27, 9 to 11 a.m.
Tuckahoe Middle School
9000 Three Chopt Road in Western Henrico
People are advised to bring an umbrella in case of inclement weather or to use as shade from the sun while waiting in line. Appointments are encouraged by calling the Richmond and Henrico COVID-19 Hotline at (804) 205-3501 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Walk-up testing will be offered while test supplies last. The Chesterfield County Health Department also is offering free COVID-19 testing at the following locations: DATE
LOCATION
ADDRESS
Saturday, Aug. 22, noon to 2 p.m.
Jeff Davis Flea Market
5700 Jefferson Davis Highway This is a walk-up event.
Wednesday, Aug. 26, 5 to 7 p.m.
Journey Christian Church
3700 Price Club Blvd. This is a drive-thru event.
Testing is for those who have COVID-19 symptoms, and it is free for those who are uninsured or underinsured. Some appointments will be reserved for walk-ups, but appointments are recommended by contacting the Chesterfield County Health Department at (804) 318-8207. The Virginia Department of Health reported on Wednesday a total of 109,019 positive cases of COVID-19 statewide, along with 8,925 hospitalizations and 2,410 deaths. Officials said Virginia’s positivity rate has dipped to 6.9 percent. According to the data, African-Americans comprised 25.3 percent of cases and 25.6 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 34.8 percent of the cases and 11.1 percent of deaths.