Feb. 23 Newsletter: Nonprofits bounce back
Weather: The snow should stay slushy all day, but temperatures will hit freezing overnight.
🚨 Be on the lookout for potential cancellations due to last night's rain and snow. Richmond schools will operate on a normal schedule.
On this date in 1981, Chesterfield increases the cost of a school lunch by a nickel, charging students 70 cents (about $2.50 in today’s money).
After federal funding upheavals, Richmond nonprofits say they are bruised but not broken
Funding lapses linked to the federal government shutdown meant an existential crisis for SupportWorks Housing, which helps pay the housing costs for 214 people dealing with chronic homelessness and disabilities.
Other nonprofits experienced similar issues, watching money they'd always counted on fail to arrive.
But as community groups rally together, there is also an optimism that those groups will find a way to continue to deliver services, backed by a coalition of local foundations. Read more here.
Lawmakers question how Rosie’s was approved to add more gambling machines in Richmond
After Richmond voters rejected an actual casino, the city’s casino-esque Rosie’s location got bigger.
But state laws prohibit Rosie's from adding machines within 35 miles of a casino-eligible city, which could make the Richmond location ineligible because of its proximity to Petersburg. Read more here.
Police chief, Mayor call for getting guns off the street after Shockoe shooting
A mass shooting that unfolded in the early morning hours of Saturday in Shockoe Bottom appears to have stemmed from a fight between two groups of people that escalated when guns were drawn, and led to two deaths, with seven others injured.
“This is absolutely unacceptable,” Mayor Danny Avula said. “This is not how people want to live. It is not what our city is about. It is not what the residents of our city deserve.” Read more here.
City acknowledges lack of communication to Southside residents who lost water on Wednesday night
Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II said the city’s internal communication protocols “were not fully followed” during a water outage on Richmond’s Southside late Wednesday.
- One resident questioned why updates weren't posted to social media or other channels at any point during the 18-hour outage.
After the 2025 Richmond water crisis, the city paid an estimated $400,000 to an outside consulting firm to examine how it communicated to residents during that time, and offer recommendations to the city moving forward. Read more here.
In other news
- St. Christopher's wins Prep League basketball title
- An armed man barricaded himself inside a home in a Chesterfield neighborhood Saturday morning (CBS 6)
- VCU's loss at No. 18 Saint Louis ends in midcourt fight, ejections (Times-Dispatch)
The editor's desk
Feeling a surge of pride after the U.S. won men's hockey gold in the most hockey way possible – the player who scored the winning goal had a couple teeth knocked out earlier in the game.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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