Roughly in the tradition of Grace Arents, who started the first free library in Richmond (now the William Byrd Community House), Greg Wells and friends started the Flying Brick Library in their house on Pine Street. Now that household is dissolving, and the Flying Brick Library is changing hands. Style Magazine has an article.

Just as the Flying Brick household is making changes, so is the Circle School/Earthlings Organic Food Coop. The truck from United Natural Foods used to make a stop in the eastern cul de sac of China St., but is now instead dropping Earthlings orders at Paradise Fruit in Glen Allen.

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This concerned me greatly because I joined the coop in part to have food delivered within walking distance. But today, while I picked up fresh produce from the South of the James Market, Ken Lyle from growingcommunity.net and the new principle of the Earthlings coop, told to me to spread the word that he will make sure that the growingcommunity.net CSA and Earthlings offerings will be present at the Byrd House Market. So with any luck, I will be able to pick up my CSA and coop food at the same place and time, as well as coordinate purchases with other vendors who are there. This gives me more food security, and I urge others to take part in closing the circle as well by considering joining local coops and/or CSAs.

P.S. Keep practicing the 2nd Edict. My personal shelf beds are failures but my raised ground beds are doing ok.
P.P.S. I heard a rumor that Mojo’s will soon change up their menu to reflect increasing prices.
P.P.P.S. while I see interior deconstruction and some renovation going on, no word yet on when the new eatery at the former Chuck Wagon/Hollywood Grill will open.
P.P.P.P.S. More news on 611 China Street is forthcoming.

Richmond.com is following up on this story.

Please donate and recycle your used consumer electronics: Cell Phones, Ink Jet Printer Cartridges, Laptop Computers, Apple iPods, Digital Cameras, Digital Video Cameras. SynerGeo (on the corner of Laurel and Albermarle at 349 South Laurel St.) is collecting used recyclables. Please drop off any of the above items or call (804)648-2287.

Learn about the history, artwork and symbolism of Hollywood Cemetery, as well as the famous personalities buried there, including two U.S. Presidents, writer Ellen Glasgow, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Civil War Generals George Pickett and J.E.B. Stuart, and thousands of Confederate and Union soldiers in a special 2-hour walking tour on Sunday, July 13, from 2-4PM. Meet your guide at the cemetery entrance at Cherry & Albemarle Sts. [via]

Ellwood Thompsons and RVA Magazine are hosting a bike ride starting in Monroe Park at 8PM on Friday, August 1st to benefit Books on Wheels and to promote bicycle riding in Richmond.

Do you know what a locavore is? No, it is not someone who eats trains. A locavore is someone who helps cut down on greenhouse gases by buying food that is local and not trucked in from far away. Do your part by shopping at the Byrd House Market.

Read more >

5th District School Board candidates at the Richmond Crusade for Voters forum

More here on RVAnews.

This past Thursday I went to Green Drinks at Built Gallery. I forgot about a Cary Street rezoning meeting held at the William Byrd Community House, but then as King I have already made the neighborhood’s position clear- we STILL support urban business rezoning for Cary and Belvidere streets and its ridiculous that it has not been rezoned yet. Thankfully, other citizens were there at the meeting to re-emphasize their convictions. Yet what is the response? The City had plenty of representation at the meeting and I heard they got an earful but were still reluctant (the quote I heard was “weird”) to answer the basic question of why rezoning has not moved forward. Something smells and frankly Oregon Hill is tired of the stink. I was glad to hear that City Council candidate Mark Brandon attended the meeting so he could experience the situation first hand.

More on Green Drinks at Built Gallery here, and here.

So, after I sent the message below last night, I received the welcome news from a neighbor that one of the suspects was caught. Marty and Mark spotted a person who matched one of Kenneth’s descriptions and ran him down to Cherry St. Along with another Cherry St. homeowner, they were were able to keep him cornered long enough until the police could arrive. He was picked up in the cemetery (he had gone through a hole in the cemetery fence). He apparently pulled a knife on Marty.

This is not the first time that Marty has confronted dangerous criminals in the neighborhood (the dude is like Batman in a pickup truck).

Still have heard nada from the police.

Thanks,
Scott

On Jul 24, 2008, at 10:49 PM, Scott Burger wrote:

I spoke with Kenneth this morning and was glad he seemed ok. It was definitely more than “theft from residence”. I have left messages for police I spoke to yesterday, but no response.

Kenneth said it was two or three white men who came into his house. There is some talk that they are from one of the western hobo encampments on the riverfront.

If the event does not upgraded to a robbery, I will be doing more to get media involved.

Thanks,
Scott

On Jul 23, 2008, at 11:26 PM, Scott Burger wrote:

I am still following up on this. The police classified the incident as ‘theft from residence’ and I shared my concerns that they were downplaying the crime. I am hoping to hear more soon.

Thanks,
Scott

On Jul 23, 2008, at 7:54 AM, Scott Burger wrote:

I heard second hand about a robbery/home invasion on the 600 block of
S. Pine St that took place Sunday night.

I am trying to get the details of the case from the victim or the
police but have been unsuccessful so far.

This is a pretty serious matter and I am more than concerned that we
have not heard anything in the news or from the police about this.

Please feel free to call me if you know something. If I don’t hear
back from the police soon I will be contacting the media.
I am wondering if our fears of possible under-reporting of crime by
the police is something that bears more investigation.

Thanks,
Scott