It’s now officially open on MacArthur Avenue. Stop by and check out our newest local business.

North Richmond News is working with the Richmond Police Department to keep the community informed of crimes in our area; there have been several crimes reported in Northside in recent days. We will report crimes by block numbers, not specific addresses:

Chattering Children and Speak Up School will be holding a Community Fun Day on Sunday, October 26, from 1:00pm until 4:00pm in celebration of their move to their new location at 1307 Lakeside Avenue. There will be a bouncy castle, ice cream, face-painting, hot dogs and live music for children of all ages.

Chattering Children is a non-profit organization for children with hearing loss, helping children learn to listen, talk and live fully without the use of sign language. This event is free and open to the public.

A forum for the five candidates running for mayor will be held at 7:00pm on Thursday, October 9, at Holton Elementary School at the corner of Laburnum Avenue and Hermitage Road. The forum, North Richmond civic associations and the Holton PTA, is free and open to the public.

The City of Richmond’s DepartmentCity of Public Utilities recognizes Public Natural Gas Week through October 11:

As a member of the American Public Gas Association (APGA), the City of Richmond operates the country’s eighth largest municipally owned natural gas utility. The City joins with other APGA member utilities in this annual national observance intended to build public awareness of the benefits of having a community-owned distribution system.

The City’s natural gas utility serves 105,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the City of Richmond, Henrico County, and portions of Chesterfield and Hanover counties.

“Natural gas is the cleanest burning and most efficient fossil fuel. It is environmentally friendly and reduces green house gas emissions by up to 29 percent. This week offers an ideal opportunity to remind current and potential natural gas customers of the benefits of natural gas,” says DPU Director Chris Beschler.

The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) invites the public to stop by a display set up in City Hall during Public Natural Gas Week to register to win a DPU prize pack. The names of two winners will be drawn on Monday, Oct. 13, 2008.

The Richmond Police Department’s monthly report for Sector 412, which covers much of Northside, has been released for September. Highlights include:

“Star Bright, Star Light” – a joint production of Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities and the Richmond Astronomical Society (RAS) — has been firmly rescheduled for October 23 at 6:30pm in Bryan Park.

Members of RAS will set up their telescopes on the park’s soccer fields for a spectacular view of the night sky. You will be able to discover the mysteries of Jupiter and its cloud belts and four of its moons, which were first discovered by Galileo in 1610, as well as see the night sky’s double stars and star clusters.

A brief program will kick off the event to introduce guests to the objects in the sky, and members of RAS will provide sky maps. In addition, an LCD monitor will show real-time pictures of the telescopic views.

The public is encouraged to bring binoculars so RAS members can point out the many objects in the sky to explore on your own.

The program is free to attend. For more information, e-mail president@richastro.org.

In November, ReFinery, a consignment shop specializing in women’s wear, will open at 1221 Bellevue Avenue:

Richmond’s newest consignment shop, specializing in women’s wear, will be opening soon in north Richmond’s Bellevue neighborhood.

ReFinery will carry like‐new, ready‐to‐wear‐condition apparel and accessories in sizes ranging from petite to plus‐‐‐coats, jackets, suits, dresses, skirts, slacks, sweaters, blouses, tops, lingerie, hats, scarves, gloves, handbags, belts, shoes, and jewelry. ReFinery will offer fun and funky objects for the home. Inquiries are welcome anytime and consignors are encouraged to make contact after October 15. You can reach owner Linda O’Neal at refinery.inc@verizon.net.

A piece of legislation proposed by the Urban Forestry Division of the City of Richmond is heading to the city’s planning commission on Monday, October 20, at 1:30pm. The ordinance states that:

Information received about the impact of this ordinance on the Fan District should be of interest to Northside property owners. According to Fan resident Calder Loth, the Fan District:

The meeting is open to the public.

It’s autumn and the leaves will soon leap from the trees and cover the yards, sidewalks and streets of North Richmond.

For residents of Bellevue, Ginter Park and Washington Park, the city will be collecting loose leaves as part of its annual vacuum program twice — between November 17 and 28 (round one) and between January 12 and 16 (round two).

For residents of Northside and Highland Park, the city will be collecting loose leaves as part of its annual vacuum program twice — between December 29 and January 2 (round one) and between February 9 and 13 (round two).

The city has published leaf collection guidelines to help residents:

Residents raking leaves to their property line for vacuum collection:

Jonah Holland at Near West End News points her readers toward the dining delight that is Richmond Restaurant Week, slated to run from Monday, October 27, through Sunday, November 2.

The only Northside restaurant currently listed as a participant is Zed Cafe on Lakeside Avenue. (Stop by Tastebuds, Kitchen 64 and Northside Grille and ask them to get on the list!)

During Restaurant Week, for the low price of $25.08 you get dinner from a local restaurant — and $2.08 of each meal goes to The Central Virginia Food Bank.

As GRTC works to balance the needs of its riders with a contracting operating budget, it is inviting Richmond residents to give them feedback on proposed changes — including those impacting riders of North Richmond bus routes, the Route 20 bus along Brookland Park Boulevard and the Route 22 bus on Hermitage Road.

The Times-Dispatch has details on last week’s first public hearing:

Thomas Rogers came hoping to save North Side bus route 22.

Until last night, it was scheduled to be eliminated. Now, it might still have a ray of hope.

Without bus 22, Rogers’ only alternative is Chamberlayne route 37.

“Bus 22 is a smaller, more personal” option, Rogers said, “not crazy and crowded like Chamberlayne 37.”

Rogers was talking before the start of an informal town meeting sponsored last night by GRTC Transit System at the Richmond Police Academy on Graham Road in North Side. The meeting attracted about 30 people.

Rogers, 26, a tech employee for the city’s schools, doesn’t drive. The loss of North Side 22 would add to the time it takes him to get to and from work — to say nothing of the discomfort.

About 10 people in the crowd asked questions or made comments.

A teacher complained that it was hard to carry a lot of materials on the Chamberlayne 37 bus because it was so crowded.

GRTC Chief Executive Officer John Lewis listened to everyone’s complaints and suggestions.

Just across the street from Buz & Ned’s, there’s a new place for residents from the Fan and from Northside to meet over a cold beer and a warm meal. Style Weekly has the scoop on Stronghill Dining Company:

It took two years — “like watching your own hair grow,” Rob Weaver says — but sometimes an inexplicable wait makes the payoff even sweeter. That’s pretty much the case with the city’s newest restaurant, Stronghill Dining Company, which opens this week at 1200 N. Boulevard. It’s a collaboration of experienced friends who are ready to run full-throttle, and it promises a new kind of Southern hospitality.

Weaver and his wife, Jessica, local entrepreneurial legends for a string of thriving businesses including River City Tattoo, aren’t claiming to be restaurateurs and aren’t as interested in profit margins as they are in their mission and the people they’ve recruited.

General manager Cole Bucholtz, executive chef Owen Lane and a who’s who of local servers and bartenders — “heavy hitters I don’t have to micromanage,” as Bucholtz puts it — will run the 88-seat business. Their esprit de corps is as obvious as their inked-up arms. “It’s our little island in the city,” Weaver says, “a community of people who know what they’re doing.”

Read more at Style Weekly.

We’re a bit late with the third question that RVANews, the community news aggregator for Richmond, has put to candidates for mayor and City Council — but as long as we get the info out before the election, right?

RVANews emails questions to candidates each week; responses are emailed back. Simple stuff. You can visit RVANews to see how the mayoral candidates responded (and candidates from other districts). Here’s how candidates for the 2nd and 3rd District City Council races responded to the RVANews question of the week — “What are your thoughts on the relationship between the current mayor and city council? Outline a model for how you’d like to see the mayor and city council work together in the future.”

Charles Samuels, District 2 candidate

The current Mayor and City Council have been finding their way in what is a totally new system for Richmond. It is understandable that there have been some difficulties in sorting out the boundaries of powers and responsibilities. There is nothing wrong with fighting for what one believes. That being said, not every issue needs to go to court. I believe there is a necessity in providing quality services to the citizens of Richmond and I do not believe those can occur as they should when there is this level of infighting between the Legislative and Executive branches of government.

The model for the Mayor and City Council working together exists in many cities throughout the U.S. and in the Federal Government. The Mayor is the Executive Branch and City Council is the Legislative Branch. In a smoothly functioning city government, this division of powers provides needed checks and balances that benefit all concerned. There must be communication between the two branches. Parties on both sides have much to gain by working for the residents and not against each other.

Jonathan Davis, District 3 candidate

I am disappointed and dismayed at the relationship between City Council and the mayor. The citizens of the Third District have suffered because of the bickering and quarreling and my opponent, the incumbent, has been among the worst offenders. The priority must be on solving problems for the citizens of Richmond, sitting down, working together and building consensus, rather than grandstanding for the media. There will be reasonable disagreements and they must be handled in a constructive manner. The citizens of my district have been the losers because of the incumbent’s tunnel vision and his needing to win an argument in front of the cameras rather than address real problems.

The mayor and the council must have a cooperative, working relationship for the benefit of the citizens. My opponent has wasted valuable time bickering with the administration. It takes two to fight and my opponent prefers to grandstand his disagreements with City Hall rather than address neighborhood problems. As a City Councilman, I intend to focus on solving problems and creating a cooperative, working relationship with the mayor’s administration rather than expending time and energy bickering to prove a point. The city will never reach its full potential until the council and Mayor work together.

John Murden at RVANews points Richmonders to a growing number of neighborhood-specific Flickr photo groups spotlighting Richmond’s diverse communities.

So much of Richmond is visually interesting: the details on the buildings beautiful or decrepit, the skyline throughout the year, everything all along the James River, the cemeteries, art, the events, you name it… A handful of Flickr groups have sprung up over the past few years dedicated to photographs of Richmond and of specific areas and neighborhoods. Check ’em out and add your photos!

You can see a random stream of images from the Northside Richmond Flickr group on the righthand side of North Richmond News’ main page.

Richmond Police’s crime report shows that there was an abduction/rape near the intersection of Monteiro Avenue and Poe Street in southern Barton Heights on the evening of September 23. According to the report, the crime took place on the 2000 block of Monteiro Avenue. The female victim reported that she was abducted and assaulted by an unknown male with a gun. According to a neighbor in the area, the suspect is still at large.

If you have information about incident, please call the Detective Division at 646-6741.

From a Richmond City Council press release:

The percentage of all Richmond Public Schools earning full State accreditation has reached a record high, as 42 of 48 schools met Virginia Standards of Learning benchmark scores in English, math, history and science. In addition, four Richmond Public Schools Middle Schools rose to full accreditation this year.

Richmond City Council once again thanks the dedication and diligence of the students, parents, teachers, staff, administrators, and community for their work in making these achievements a reality.

These record achievements come less than one year after U.S. News & World Report ranked two of Richmond Public Schools High Schools (Richmond Community High School and Open High School) as being among America’s best.

Also in recent years, 95 percent of Richmond’s lowest performing schools have achieved full accreditation under Virginia’s Standards of Learning (VSOL) program. In addition, RPS has improved from 18 percent to 86 percent of all schools meeting VSOL standards as measured by the Virginia Department of Education. Similarly, the number of Richmond Public Schools meeting the Annual Yearly Progress criteria of No Child Left Behind has increased from 20 percent to 80 percent.

As GRTC continues to hear public input on its plans to trim back or eliminate some of its routes, CEO John Lewis will speak — and listen — at GlobeHopper Coffee’s weekly Back Porch discussion series at 6:30pm on Monday, September 29.

GlobeHopper, located at 2100 E Main Street, is home to a weekly forum of open issue-based community discussions. Back Porch moderates multi-media discussions based on social topics of social-interest. Gathering begins at 6:30pm, multi-media discussion begins promptly at 7:00pm.

As a follow-up to our August 25th discussion on urbanism, please join us to hear John Lewis, the CEO of the GRTC transit system as he speaks about the public transportation services available here in Richmond. As a group we will discuss the accessibility and viability of the current public transit system and seek to come up with ways in which we can increase our use and the overall effectiveness of the current system our city has to offer.

Carver & Jackson Ward News reports on Richmond’s Green Jobs Now event, one of hundreds of such events held around the country “to urge leaders to jump start the clean energy economy [and] create real energy solutions that build a new green economy strong enough to create millions of green jobs and lift people out of poverty.” From the Carver & Jackson Ward News report:

There were a number of speakers, including mayoral candidate Paul Goldman and 2nd District council candidates Tyron Bey and Charles Samuels. We also heard from Melissa Phillips for PowerVote.org (pictured above), Jon Davidow from Back Porch Energy, Ron Brown of the Carver-VCU partnership, Christopher Maxwell, and Laura Halperin from Waste Not Want Not. Technical difficulties ate some of the recordings (sorry Charles), but most of the speechmaking is linked below.

Halperin’s growing composting project, Waste Not Want Not, stands out as exactly the kind of on-the-ground that needs more exposure. Richmond’s independent restaurants are in a good position to work with green entrepreneurs to cut down on their waste and take “biodegradable materials out of our precarious landfills and puts all the nutrients from the food waste back into the soil”.

John Murden of C&JN also caught audio of several speakers and posted it at the site. Follow the link to hear audio from mayoral candidate Paul Goldman and 2nd District City Council candidate Tyron Bey, among others.

Earlier this week, we posted responses from two candidates in the 2nd and 3rd districts to a question posed by RVANews; two additional responses have been forwarded to us by RVANews. The question-and-answer is part of RVANews’ weekly Q&A with candidates for City Council and the mayor’s office. You can see Council candidates’ responses to the first question here, and Chris Hilbert and Charles Samuels‘ responses to the second question here.

Below are responses from Jonathan Davis (candidate for the 3rd District seat) and Tyron Bey (candidate for the 2nd District seat) to the question: “What are two qualities that people who know you well might say make you suited for the office you seek?”

Tyron Bey, 2nd District candidate

People who know me best, and are excited about this campaign, point out many qualities that I have which would make me a great councilman.

1. Passion for community: As a Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year, a CACIL member for 13 years, Youth Matters Board Member, Urban Land Institute Young Leader, Urban League Young Professional, Citizen Transportation Advisory Committee Member, NAACP Affordable Housing Committee Member, Polaris of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. (Eta Chapter), 6th Mt. Zion Member, and countless other organizations, I have had the opportunity to work with many different facets of our community. All of these organizations work toward creating stronger communities which everyone can live in. I am proud to associate with all of these organizations and bring what they have taught me to the council. The diversity of these organizations is what help me want to make Richmond a city where everyone has a place. Everyone is loved. Everyone can contribute.

2. Audacity: The mere fact that I am running, knowing that I would be the underdog, shows that I am bold enough to try new things to push this city in a direction which will turn it into a top tier city. I haven’t been bought out by any special interest, nor do I have the political who’s who in my back pocket. I have a tenacious drive to make the audacious vision that my community has come to fruition, and it won’t be compromised.

Jonathan Davis, 3rd District candidate

I pride myself in being a leader with integrity and determination who is able to reach across boundaries and unite people from all backgrounds to work together toward a common goal. For all of my adult life, I have been dedicated to working to help communities and people to live a better life and to move forward in ways that would benefit them. It has always been my passion to offer hope and promise for a brighter future for my community, whether it was in the 3rd District or other parts of this great city. I do so without compromising my belief that what we are all united through a common thread which allows us to work together reaching across racial and socio-economic boundaries to create a life that is better for all citizens.

As far back as I can remember, I have always been a leader with determination and integrity, working in different capacities in the community. It is a position that I have always been comfortable holding and it is one that that I have always readily accepted. Over the last 30 years, I have been in positions wherein people have placed their trust in my determination to move them forward on matters of importance and to offer a vision of where we should be headed. Whether setting up relief centers for families displaced as a result of Hurricane Ernesto or working with the police department, citizens, and agencies throughout the city on crime control issues, I have always been a leader determined to make a difference. As the city councilman for the 3rd district, I will offer true leadership for the community with a determination to see that the needs of the district are met and I will never compromise my integrity for the sake of personal gain.