April 3 Newsletter: Richmond's twin
Weather: Sunny with some clouds, high of 82.
On this date in 1981, the city receives $2.75 million from the federal government to renovate Main Street Station, resulting in a shopping mall being added.
A Tale of Two Richmonds: Exploring the River City’s namesake in England
Richmonder Rich Griset became, well, a Richmonder for a weekend, exploring the England town just outside of London.
The TV show "Ted Lasso" has led to a familiarity with some of Richmond's landmarks, including its Art Deco train station. Learn more about your sister city here.
Richmond to continue ticketing drivers who park too close to intersections and crosswalks
The effort stems from the "Keep Corners Clear" initative from Richmond police in the Third Precinct, which ticketed people who broke the city's parking laws in February and March.
The city issued 204 tickets during the two-month parking crackdown, nearly half of which were for parking too close to a crosswalk.
The enforcement expands to drivers who park on bike lanes, who will instead receive warnings for the month of April, before the city resumes issuing $65 citations in May. Read more here.
Officials will restart vape shop enforcement effort next week
The program was temporarily suspended after tensions rose between city officials and a group of primarily Yemeni American vape shop owners.
A group of community activists held a news conference earlier in the week at City Hall to support the vape shop crackdown, which was met with activists from the Yemeni American community.
The restart date is now April 7. Read more here.
Richmond police unveil long-awaited First Precinct building in Church Hill
It's been years in the making for Richmond Police officers.
The new and relocated $13.9 million building is neighbors with the Richmond City Justice Center and the Oliver Hill Court Buildings. It includes new features like a conference room for the public and quiet room for officers. See what else is inside here.
In other news
- Richmond fire department went $4M over budget last year. Officials don’t know why (Times-Dispatch)
- Funding secured to redevelop former Greyhound station in Richmond (Times-Dispatch)
- ‘The great story of Richmond’: Richmond 34 monument unveiled at CarMax Park (12 On Your Side)
The reporter's desk
Michael Phillips is still out of office, so I'm taking over. It was an unexpected bring-your-kid-to-work day at The Richmonder office when our honorary intern Elin Moomaw, 6, wrote a Pulitzer Prize-worthy piece about her trip to the zoo. We have a journalist in the making! 🥹
Victoria A. Ifatusin, education reporter
vifatusin@richmonder.org
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