Sept. 18 Newsletter: 'We mess up, we fess up'

Weather: High of 86, scattered showers will linger into next week.

On this date in 2003, Hurricane Isabel makes landfall in Richmond with winds of more than 70 miles per hour.

‘We mess up, we fess up’: Richmond officials acknowledge summer of problems with DPU bills

At a news conference Monday afternoon, Mayor Danny Avula and his team said they now realize the city could have done a better job communicating what was going on with the Department of Public Utilities systems.

Officials said the situation seems to be stabilizing as problems have been found and addressed. Avula characterized it as an example of the “deep and hard work” to change government culture and technology, a process he said “takes time.” Read more here.

Brown’s Island will be open for Folk Festival, says Venture Richmond

The riverfront park, which is owned by the city and managed by Venture Richmond, has been closed since December 2025 for a $30 million overhaul that will add a new pavilion, public restrooms, an entrance accessible for people with disabilities, a splash pad and thousands of native trees and plants. 

Construction will continue after the Folk Festival, when the island will again be closed. The park will also be briefly reopened to host the Richmond Marathon’s “finish line festival” on Nov. 14. Read more here.

Holton, McDonnough stress importance of teachers, but differ on details at debate

At the 6th District school board debate, Anne Holton painted a picture of a school system that has room for improvement, but one that has been actively making progress since she joined in February.

Opponent Jackie McDonnough was more critical of the district's direction, at one point stating that students in RPS are "not being adequately prepared" for either college or the workforce. Read more here.

VCUarts dean to step down after tenure filled with achievements, controversies

Carmenita Higginbotham, the dean of the internationally recognized VCUarts program, will step down at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.

Higginbotham helped secure funding for the upcoming CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation, and oversaw the early years of the Institute for Contemporary Art.

But she also oversaw what ICA employees described to the school newspaper as a “deteriorating work environment marked by ethics complaints, restrictions on expression, a fear of retaliation among staff and a high turnover rate.” Read more here.

ALSO IN EDUCATION:

• Chesterfield’s lone school board race pits a political veteran against a newcomer
• After mold issues, RPS outlines initial plan to prevent future school building problems

In other news

• City Council approves redevelopment of Virginia Home into apartments
  • A separate proposal to build townhomes on the vacant South Meadow Street lot owned by the Virginia Home remains unresolved.
• Lewis Ginter strike enters day 15 as garden files for injunction to remove picketers from entrance (CBS 6)
  • The garden alleges that union workers have yelled at or intimidated employees and visitors, used abusive language, and created a public safety hazard by interrupting traffic flow on Lakeside Avenue.
• Family says student is back at home after Meadowbrook High School altercation (12 On Your Side)
  • Irvin Rodriguez Gaitan, identified by family members, has returned home but suffered brain injuries from the altercation.
• Flying Squirrels set franchise attendance record at CarMax Park (8News)
  • The Squirrels' season came to an end last night with a playoff loss to Erie.

The editor's desk

A quick correction from Wednesday's newsletter: Richmond's first bike lane was actually installed on Floyd Avenue in 1974, but was later removed.

Michael Phillips, founder
mphillips@richmonder.org

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