Sept. 25 Newsletter: Spooky season begins

Weather: A beautiful weekend in the mid-70s here, but beachgoers beware as heavy rains pummel the coast all weekend.

On this date in 1985, a national poll finds that teachers believe schools are not doing enough to develop ethical character in students.

Richmond's haunted houses are a year-round effort for their owners

Richmond's haunted houses will put a scare into people all October long. But for the owners, September is truly frightening.

“You will probably not sleep more than three hours any given night. You will eat poorly,” said one operator, who has been working to prepare for tonight's opening night.

Just like a movie, haunted houses go through pre-production too, figuring out new characters, sets, logistics, and a whole new story each year. Read more here.

As Council vets major solar deal, CAO says he’s ‘extremely comfortable’ with it

The pending contract to put solar panels on dozens of city buildings has been in the planning stages for months. Along the way, there’s been tension as various departments worked out details of how Richmond could reap the savings and climate benefits of solar energy while minimizing the legal and financial risk of a multi-decade commitment.

“I’m satisfied that we have mitigated the risk to an acceptable level where the reward far outweighs it,” CAO Odie Donald II said, adding that he didn’t want to give the “false impression that there will be absolutely zero risk.” Read more here.

From Collegiate to cartoons: Mike Henry brings a bit of Richmond to ‘Family Guy’ and ‘The Cleveland Show’

Thanks to Mike Henry, some of TV’s funniest cartoon characters have their roots in Richmond.

Today, Henry will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from Collegiate School, his alma mater.

It comes the day after Quirk opened an exhibit of artwork by his late mother, Barbara Sullivan. Read more here.

For a second-straight meeting, Chesterfield officials have ideas, but no consensus, on how to use data center dollars

As Chesterfield’s Board of Supervisors again delayed a vote on using data center revenue to lower the car tax Wednesday, others lobbied for alternate uses for the money, including school maintenance and improving the county’s fire department.

Other amenities that the supervisors mentioned included sidewalks, recreation centers, parks and libraries. The discussion will continue next month. Read more here.

East End Festival continues to inspire with a variety of well-known musical acts, students

The RVA East End Festival is celebrating its eighth edition on Saturday, but marking a milestone 20 years since Richmond School Board member Cheryl Burke and others started producing an arts festival to give back to East End schools.

In years past, the proceeds from the festival allowed schools to purchase musical instruments, and formed a marching band that now leads off the event. Read more here.

Richmond, by the numbers

In other news

• Block of Auburn Ave. next to Babe’s could be named for late owner Vicky Hester
  • “She brought light everywhere, and she still brings it because she created a space where everyone can be loved.”
• Criminal investigation at Trinity Episcopal after possible ‘unlawful activity’ kept students home for a day (8News)
  • The school said it would be shifting its cellphone approach starting on Thursday. Students will be asked to keep their cellphones in their backpacks throughout the school day.
• City to review work-in-street permit process amid rise in lane, sidewalk closures (Richmond BizSense)
  • While lane and sidewalk closures are a sign of progress in a growing city, they’re also a growing frustration for many in the community when their movements through the city are impeded.

The editor's desk

Poor Kanawha Plaza. The city keeps trying to make it happen. And it never does.

Michael Phillips, founder
mphillips@richmonder.org

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