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Basketball star Frank Mason III to be honored A8

Personality brought to light B1

Richmond Free Press

VOL. 26 NO. 19

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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c e l e brating o u r 2 5 th A nniv e r s ar y

May 11-13, 2017

‘You’re fired’ Trump to Comey:

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

President Trump, who previously was full of praise for FBI Director James Comey, fired him on Tuesday, stunning Washington and the nation. The firing came as the director reportedly sought more resources from the U.S. Justice Department for the agency’s investigation into the 2016 Trump presidential campaign’s possible collusion with Russian officials to influence the election. The firing of the director ignited a political firestorm as Republicans and Democrats traded positions on Mr. Comey, a former federal prosecutor in Richmond. As the majority of Republicans in Congress rallied to back the president and downplay the probe into Russian influence, Democrats issued statements of support for the ousted director and lambasted the president for the firing, seeing it as an attempt to sideline the FBI probe. Many were the same Democrats who had accused Mr. Comey of throwing the election to President Trump with his pre-election disclosure the FBI was looking at “new evidence” involving Democrat Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state.

Former FBI Director James Comey Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

RPS announces public forum dates for superintendent search The Richmond School Board is holding several community forums to receive public feedback on the qualifications and attributes they want in the school system’s next superintendent. The meetings will be held 6:30 to 8 p.m. at each of the following locations: • Tuesday, May 16 — Huguenot High School, 7945 Forest Hill Ave. • Thursday, May 18 — Oak GroveBellemeade Elementary School, 2409 Webber Ave. • Tuesday, May 23 — John Marshall High School, 4225 Old Brook Road. Plans are underway for an additional forum, the details of which have not been finalized. Superintendent Dana T. Bedden’s contract was terminated by the School Board in a mutually agreed upon arrangement. His last day as head of RPS is June 30. The board plans to name a replacement by late December. “The idea for having the forums at the schools is to make them more accessible to people in the community who can’t always make it down to City Hall to School Board meetings,” said board member Jonathan Young, 4th District. — HOLLY RODRIGUEZ

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Support builds for more fiscal controls over Mayor Stoney By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney is doing all he can to avoid the fiscal handcuffs that City Council is poised to slap on him. For now, it appears unlikely that he will get loose with a majority of council members prepared to vote to give themselves greater control over the city’s purse strings.

As the Free Press first reported last week, Councilwomen Kim B. Gray, 2nd District, and Kristen N. Larson, 4th District, spearheaded a budget amendment to change the way money is appropriated for city government operations. On Monday, three additional council members, Parker C. Agelasto, 5th District; Reva M. Trammell, 8th District; and Michael J. Jones, 9th District; stood with them to support a re-

Michael J. “Mike” Tillem is helping to solve one of the most vexing problems facing addicts who are released from prison — a place to stay where they can continue their recovery. The 55-year-old Henrico County resident, a recovering addict who spent time in prison years ago, is developing homes in the Richmond area where small groups of the formerly incarcerated can live and work on staying sober. Next week, Mr. Tillem will join Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. in opening his first recovery house in Richmond — a modest two-story home at 2201 Dinwiddie Ave. in South Side. The grand opening is 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, to showcase the new effort to provide transitional housing for such individuals, according to Dr. Sarah Scarbrough, director of the Richmond Justice Center’s internal programs to bridge the gap between incarceration and re-entry. Dubbed the “REAL House,” the residence provides bed space for two house managers — Charles Greene and Antonio Ingram, both recovering addicts themselves — and up to seven other men who have participated in the Recovering From Everyday Addictive Lifestyles (REAL) program in the Justice Center. Mr. Tillem worked with Sheriff Woody to

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Party loyalty becomes debate issue for Dems By Saraya Wintersmith Ava Reaves

Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, left, makes a point during Tuesday night’s Democratic candidate debate in Highland Springs as his opponent, former Congressman Tom Perriello, waits to speak. The two are vying for the Democratic nomination for governor in a June 13 primary election.

REAL House to help former inmates on road to recovery By Jeremy M. Lazarus

structuring of the city’s spending plan for the 2017-18 budget year that begins July 1. During the council meeting, only one member publicly opposed including the amendment to limit the mayor’s ability to shift money within departments, Cynthia I. Newbille, 7th District. The final vote on the amended budget is set

create the house. Its mission, he said, is to become a place where individuals seeking to overcome addiction “find gratitude, grace and purpose on their road to recovery.” “The REAL House is a dream come true for us,” said Sheriff Woody, who is delighted to be able to provide some departing jail residents “a place to lay their heads as they continue their

rehabilitation.” For Sheriff Woody and Dr. Scarbrough, the house adds a community dimension to REAL, whose aim is to help addicts avoid a return to jail after their release. At the jail, the program couples group therapy and behavior modification Please turn to A4

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Taking it to the hoop Taylor Coleman, 9, shows off her skills playing with a hula hoop during the RVA East End Festival last Saturday. The two-day event in Chimborazo Park was to raise money for art and music programs at city schools in the East End. Please see more photos, B2.

The two men seeking to capture the Democratic gubernatorial nomination traded political barbs over their party bona fides during a debate Tuesday night in Henrico County. The exchange marked the first time Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and former Congressman Tom Perriello had made increasingly critical comments of one another while sharing a stage. The event was held before an audience of about 150 people at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 666 Union Hall in Highland Springs and was organized by unions and other advocacy organizations, including the Virginia AFL-CIO, Black PAC, New Virginia Majority, SEIU Virginia 512 and Progress Virginia. The two are vying in a June 13 primary for the Democratic nod to run for Virginia’s governor in the November general election. The pair spent most of the hourlong discussion in agreement on a variety of issues. Both expressed support for increasing Virginia’s hourly minimum wage to $15, increasing workforce development and technical skills training, combating the rise in opioid and heroin use and allowing Virginia localities to declare themselves so-called sanctuary cities for residents who are immigrants, despite threats from President Trump to cut off federal funding. The night’s major disagreement arose as the candidates dealt with a question on education affordability. Both have indicated a desire to move Virginia toward providing two years of free community college for residents, but their approaches are different. Please turn to A4