June 6 Newsletter: Amphitheater need-to-know
Weather: Sunny, muggy, and 84. Summer is here.
On this date in 1776, work began on the Westham Foundry, which produced ammunition and cannon fodder during the Revolutionary War. It was damaged by British troops in 1781.
Note: This item has been corrected to reflect that the foundry was damaged, not destroyed.
Our guide to visiting Allianz Amphitheater this summer
We cover every element of the facility's opening, from seating options to the $15 beers.
Lawn seats won't allow you to bring your own chairs, but you can rent one for $15. Meanwhile, the musicians loved the sound quality and facilities. Our reporters said the new venue is a good time, but not a cheap time. Read more here.
He’s a global internet star, but golfer ‘Fat Perez’ will always be a Richmonder
As a kid, he spent his summers in the pro shop at Lakeside Park. Now, millions watch as he plays golf rounds with celebrities. But the everyman persona isn't an act — off-camera, he's still playing golf and hitting bars around Richmond. Read more here.
With Fox reopening, the district offered 5 options for Clark Springs
RPS now has a vacant building, and is entertaining ideas on what to do with it, including making it the new home of Open High School. Plus, in other school board updates:
- A final budget was passed, and the district has found 42 of the 55 multilingual teachers it needs.
- Chronic absenteeism is down.
- More on the RPS-bus driver feud. Read more here.
Also this week: A victim in the Huguenot graduation shooting has sued RPS to beat the statute-of-limitations deadline.
Here is the first draft map of how Richmond could be rezoned
The zoning refresh is entering the final stages, and for the first time, you can see proposed zoning for each of the city's individual parcels.
But it's not final. The city’s director of planning told The Richmonder that “the map will change based on community input over the next several months.” Read more here.
Also today in The Richmonder
Daughters of Confederacy suing ‘unknown’ persons for 2020 headquarters damages
The building was damaged during widespread protests in 2020. Richmond police have never charged anyone, but said their investigation "remains pending."
Richmond prosecutor’s office denies Barbour campaign’s public-records request for communication with ICE
Opponent Tom Barbour says it's proof incumbent Colette McEachin is working with ICE. McEachin says she's made it clear she does not cooperate with immigration arrests.
Richmond treasurer running unopposed for a third term, wants to build on financial literacy initiatives
Nichole Armstead, daughter of a longtime city councilor, will almost certainly retain the position, which unlike in other localities is not directly responsible for handling the city's finances.
In other news
- Henrico High School track coach fired after inappropriate social media messages to student circulate (Henrico Citizen)
- Richmond's Amtrak trains are fuller — and slower (Axios)
- Imported fire ants expand their territory in Virginia, officials ask for public help (CBS 6)
The editor's desk
Early yesterday morning, we got a text indicating things had gone wrong at the water plant, and there would be another boil water advisory issued shortly. In reality, something had gone wrong — the SCADA system went down briefly. But this time the plant workers were able to recover, and avoid a third water crisis. Everybody's on edge after last week, but thankfully, it's business as usual this morning.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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