Oct. 13 Newsletter: Nonprofit funding
Weather: The rain moves out this morning. High of 62.
On this date in 2003, City Council was shown a plan for a new minor-league baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom.
City government closed: Richmond city offices are closed today for Columbus Day (also known as Indigenous Peoples' Day). City Council will meet tomorrow night.
EXCLUSIVE: As concerns mounted, a local nonprofit continued to receive city money, partially at Council’s insistence
A group that runs after-school programming at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School scored "very low" on Richmond City Council's nonprofit funding rubric, but continued to receive substantial amounts of money from the city, including $250,000 last year.
Councilwoman Ellen Robertson (6th District) pushed through amendments guaranteeing the group funding, and sent terse emails to city officials when they raised questions about the group's documentation and legitimacy.
- “It’s time to stop denying poor African American children a fair opportunity in life,” she wrote to former CAO Lincoln Saunders.
One city consultant continued to press for proper documentation as the group received considerably more than other organizations.
- “If they’re doing the work, then we should support them,” she said. “Do they have to prove they’re doing the work? Hell yeah. This is taxpayer dollars.”
But Robertson continued to press for funding through one-off amendments as recently as this year's budget work sessions. Read the full Richmonder investigation here.
Federal cuts to Ryan White funding are changing Richmond’s HIV care landscape
A series of federal funding cuts have been particularly devastating to Richmonders with long-term HIV.
Ryan White funding, the federal program named for an Indiana teenager who contracted HIV from a tainted blood transfusion, has seen large cuts, with more being proposed during current discussions.
“If they cut much more, it doesn't hardly make sense for us to keep the program at all, and we told them that,” the director of Health Brigate, formerly Fan Free Clinic, said. Read more here.
'Banana Ball' returns to Richmond for two games at CarMax Park
After playing to sold-out crowds last year at The Diamond, "Banana Ball" baseball will be one of the first acts to play the new CarMax Park when it opens next spring.
The league, spun off from the popularity of the Savannah Bananas baseball team, now features six teams which tour the country, mixing baseball and entertainment. Fans can enter a lottery for tickets. Read more here.
New guitar shop aims to have something for everyone
River City Guitars owner Patrick Verdi showcases more than 100 guitars at all price ranges, in addition to providing lessons. He hopes his shop will stand out in a landscape increasingly dominated by corporate franchise stores. Read more here.
In other news
- Longtime Richmond Fed chair will moderate special Forum discussion, with tickets available to the public
- Records: RPS missed 90 federally mandated asbestos inspections (Times-Dispatch)
- Fall Line Trail crosses major milestone in Hanover County (VPM)
The editor's desk
You won't be seeing Sarah Vogelsong's byline this week in The Richmonder, but she's got an excused absence — she got married over the weekend. Congrats!
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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