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Nov. 25 Newsletter: Five years of planting trees

Weather: Sunny, high of 64

On this date in 1955, the Virginia Transit Company ran an additional 10 buses to accommodate throngs of shoppers headed to Broad Street for Black Friday shopping specials.

Southside ReLeaf celebrates fifth anniversary with big plans for the future

After learning of the difference tree cover can make in a neighborhood, Amy Wentz and Sheri Shannon started Southside ReLeaf five years ago to bring more trees to Richmond's Southside.

  • During that time, the group has planted more than 1,000 trees

Read about the history of the organization, and how they're advocating for more attention to be paid to Richmond's urban heat islands, here.

Running, in the family: 10-year-old is a national orienteering champ

Richmond student Lucy Spangler gets lost in the woods, for fun. She's also really good at it.

Spangler won three medals, including a first-place finish, recently at the Orienteering USA National Championships.

  • Her dad Jesse, a local ER doctor, competes at an elite level, while mom Kate is a marathon runner. Lucy's younger sister Daisy has also taken up the family business.

Read more about orienteering, and how Spangler's parents see it building her confidence, here.

Richmond's Sub Rosa Bakery closed 'for the foreseeable future' after Sunday morning fire

A Sunday morning fire will shut down Richmond's acclaimed Sub Rosa, as well as second-floor apartments above the bakery.

This is the second fire at the bakery, which was also forced to close for a period of time in 2013.

Fire department officials said it started in the attic and was in the process of spreading to the second-floor apartment when it was contained by fire crews.

Trial in ex-FOIA officer’s case set for next September after unusually hostile scheduling process

Remember former Richmond public records official Connie Clay, who sued the city claiming she was fired after speaking up about FOIA violations?

Her case is still winding its way through the pre-trial process, and on Friday, a trial date was finally set - for next September.

  • Figuring out court dates that work for everyone is typically something lawyers handle on their own. However, Clay’s attorney asked the court to intervene, alleging the city’s hired attorneys “continue to refuse to set this case for trial.”

Those attorneys wrote that any suggestion they were attempting to stall the case by refusing to provide dates was “highly offensive and blatantly false.”

Read more on the lawsuit, and what's next, here.

Ticket giveaway!

A Richmond holiday tradition, the Bizarre Bazaar is opening a night early this year for "Operation Bizarre Bazaar," featuring food, drink and a first look at this year's offerings on Wednesday night, Dec. 4.

The Richmonder is giving away three pairs of tickets, valued at $150 per pair. Proceeds from the event will benefit Operation Healing Forces.

In other news...

The editor's desk

If Legendary Santa is the toughest ticket in town, Secret Squares Pizza might be second on the list.

Church Hill's new Detroit-style pizzeria is only open on weekends, and only by preorder, which often sells out within minutes.

We lucked out and were able to land a Spicy Sausage and Vodka (left) and a Roni Pie (right), a traditional pepperoni with flowers of ricotta cheese and a drizzle of hot honey.

The best part of a Detroit-style pizza is the crunch of the crust where the cheese bakes against the pan, and this one was no different. They're building out capacity at their Church Hill location, so it might become easier to land your own in the future.

Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org

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