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‘Sweet Pea’ Whitaker killed A8

Meet this Eastern Star of Va. B3

VOL. 28 NO. 29

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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From slippers to cleats A8

JULY 18-20, 2019

Moon memories Reflections on Apollo 11

on 50th anniversary of historic landing By George Copeland

Mrs. Johnson

Dr. Carroll H. Ellis Jr. remembers Apollo 11 vividly. Though he was only 14 years old on July 20, 1969, the geoscientist can still recall the excitement 50 years ago when American astronauts landed on the moon and took their first steps. The technical skill it took then is impressive even to this day. “It just hasn’t been anything like that since,” said Dr. Ellis, who works at the MathScience Innovation Center in Henrico County. “That was the only thing that anyone talked about. It was an American that made the landing, but it was a success for humanity. “Even now, it’s hard for me to believe that 1950s and ’60s technology got us to the moon, whereas, now, one cell phone has more computing power than all the entire rooms of NASA computers at that time. And they were still able to make this thing happen,” he said. The day is just as clear to Joylette Hylick, daughter of

Dr. Ellis

NASA

Astronaut Neil Armstrong, commander of the historic Apollo 11 mission, stands outside the lunar module called “Eagle” during the July 20, 1969, moon landing. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin took the photograph with a Hasselblad 70mm camera. Because Mr. Armstrong took most of the photos as the astronauts worked on the lunar surface, this is one of the few showing Mr. Armstrong on the moon.

famed NASA mathematician Katherine G. Johnson, whose calculations, along with the work of scores of others at NASA, were critical to Apollo 11’s success. Now 100 and still residing in Hampton Roads, Mrs. Johnson began working with NASA in Hampton with a few other African-American women in 1953, when it was called the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Her influence on space travel, which stretched from America’s first manned flight by Mercury astronaut Alan B. Shepard in 1961 to Apollo 11’s moon landing to the start of the Space Shuttle program, was immortalized in the book and blockbuster film, “Hidden Figures.” For Ms. Hylick, who lives in Mount Laurel, N.J., this week’s anniversary and celebration of the lunar landing calls up memories of extensive media coverage, an energized Newport News community and a mother Please turn to A4

New city protocol irritates City Council members By Jeremy M. Lazarus

A Downtown restaurant preparing a weekend banquet for 250 people suddenly faced disaster when the water was cut off while street work went on nearby. Seeking help to get the service restored, the restaurant made a call to the area’s City Council representative, who started dialing city officials. Councilwoman Kim B. Gray, 2nd District, finally was able reach a deputy director of the city Department of Public Utilities who handled the situation. That’s not an unusual scenario for Richmond City Council members who often get requests from constituents frustrated, upset or even frightened about problems ranging from an alley blocked by trash to a tree on city property that has crashed into their home. No more. The days of council members speaking directly to department directors and other City Hall staff to resolve a problem are over. In early June, Mayor Levar M. Stoney and his Mayor Stoney Ms. Cuffee-Glenn No. 2, Selena CuffeeGlenn, the city’s chief administrative officer, cut the lines of communications between City Council members and City Hall staff. Instead, the nine elected officials have been told that all communications, inquiries or appeals for help must be routed to Ms. Cuffee-Glenn’s office. In addition, council members have been told they must file all requests for service through the RVA311 system. Directors and lower-level staff have been ordered to rebuff any calls from council members seeking assistance, with threats of discipline if they disobey, sources said. Neither Mayor Stoney nor Ms. Cuffee-Glenn responded to requests for comments on what is being called a sea change in the city’s communications protocol, which sources said includes monitoring employee email to ensure compliance. Ms. Gray is upset at what she considers a misreading of the City Charter, which bars council members from giving orders to or direction to city employees and requires them to go through the CAO. “The charter includes an exception. We are allowed for the

‘purpose of inquiry’ to contact departments,” Ms. Gray said. “We should be able to ask for status updates and notify departments of safety, health and other concerns that need to be addressed.” But instead, Ms. Gray said she is receiving responses from employees stating that they cannot take her calls and are under strict orders to adhere to the communication Ms. Gray protocol now in effect. “This has definitely slowed down the response to requests for information,” said 4th District Councilwoman Kristen N. Larson. “We’re just trying to get things done. Filtering everything through one person in the CAO’s office is not efficient.” Ms. Larson also noted the policy change has severed ties between longtime employees who work either for the council or the administration. “They can no longer communicate,” she said. “By the time someone contacts us (for help), they’ve been through a litany of people and processes. They don’t usually start with the City Council rep. They come to us for a problem that has not been dealt with. To require them to circle back to

RVA311 is ridiculous.” Councilman Michael J. Jones, 9th District, said he has not found the policy change irksome. “This is all about the process,” he said. The change, Dr. Jones said, means that everyone is treated equally when it comes to city services and addressing problems. He said the new policy ends the privileged access Ms. Larson and preferential treatment some people have received by having a connection with a council member. He said that each council member has had a monthly opportunity to raise district concerns since Mayor Stoney took office, and there is generally a council meeting twice a month to raise service issues. Dr. Jones said the mayor, the CAO and the council need to work together to ensure a system is in place for communication so emergencies like the one the restaurant faced can be addressed quickly. Some council members have Ms. Cuffee-Glenn’s cell phone Please turn to A4

More problems for RPS with undercount of ESL students By Ronald E. Carrington

Richmond Public Schools has a history of undercounting students needing English as a Second Language assistance, creating a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funding that could help provide more ESL teachers in the city, a schools official told members of the Richmond School Board on Monday. As a result, roughly 800 students needing the support and services ESL provides didn’t receive it, according to administration sources. Some classrooms were overpacked, however, straining ESL teachers

currently working with RPS. Currently, 3,000 students in the city’s public school system are designated as needing ESL services. The undercount caused RPS to Mr. Kamras miss out on roughly $600,000 in additional state funds to hire more teachers and boost the program. “As best as I can tell, the ESL undercounting issue goes back many years,” RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras told

the Free Press. “It’s my issue now. I take responsibility for it. We are focused on getting it right by taking all of the necessary steps to correct the problem. There is still more to do.” The need for ESL teachers and services is critical in a school system of 24,700 with a growing Latino population reported at 4,218 in 2018-19 and up by 746 from the 2016-17 school year. The district used part of its $12.5 million budget increase from the city in 2018-19 to hire five additional ESL teachers, nine Please turn to A4

RPS Shines volunteers add sparkle to Fairfield Court Elementary School By Ronald E. Carrington

Ronald E. Carrington/Richmond Free Press

A team of Capital One volunteers from Richmond, Northern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, New Orleans and Texas put a fresh coat of paint on a new office for the principal at Fairfield Court Elementary School on Wednesday as a part of RPS Shines 2019.

Richmond’s Fairfield Court Elementary School got a big boost on Wednesday. A cadre of 41 volunteers from Capital One’s leadership program flocked to the East End school from Richmond, Northern Virginia, Maryland and five other states, including Texas, to paint, scrub, landscape and generally spruce up the building and grounds as part of RPS Shines 2019. Please turn to A4