The Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council, OHHIC, will be holding its monthly board meeting tonight, Tuesday, September 1st, at the Jacob House at 619 W. Cary St. at 7 PM. All are
welcome.

The 600 block development will certainly be a topic of discussion, as well as the upcoming annual membership meeting.

From: Sue A Messmer/AC/VCU
Date: August 31, 2009 5:33:49 PM EDT
To:
Cc: Kathy L Honsharuk/AC/VCU
Subject: Siren Test

Dear Monroe Park Campus Community Advisory Group:

A full test of the VCU emergency communications system will be conducted Wednesday, September 2 at noon. Full tests of the VCU emergency communications system are conducted twice a year, near the beginning of each semester. These are different from the monthly checks of the siren system that are conducted at noon on the first Wednesday of each month.

The full test of the system will include 10 sirens on both the Monroe Park and MCV campuses along with text messages, digital signs, Alertus devices in classrooms and residence halls, Web site information and social media that are part of a multi-channel system for communicating emergency information to VCU students, employees, parents and neighbors.

The sirens will sound a fast, up-and-down wail for three minutes, and after a one-minute pause, sound a steady wail for one minute to signal “all clear” to end the test.

In a real emergency, sirens will be used when it is imperative to get the attention of everyone outside of VCU buildings because an immediate, life-threatening emergency has occurred or is imminent. People outside but on campus should go to the nearest university building and seek additional information about what is happening. People off-campus should not come to campus but should seek additional information.

Text messaging is a primary communications and information channel because it is fast and reliable. Text messages will be used for notifications about emergencies and closings and delays for inclement weather. There is no cost for enrolling, and you can sign up for text messaging now at www.vcu.edu/notify. Emergency information also is available on the VCU Alert Web site at www.vcu.edu/alert.

We hope you will find that our emergency communications are beneficial to you. As always, we will communicate with our community neighbors when there is any enhancement or change about which you would want to know. And please, do not hesitate to forward this email to your neighbors, to help spread the word about the siren test.

Sincerely,

SAM

Sue Ann Messmer
Chief of Staff, Office of the President
and Vice President for University Relations
phone: (804) 828-1200
fax: (804) 828-7532
e-mail: samessme@vcu.edu

Received this and thought of Open High:

Bryan T. Norwood
Chief of Police

Contact: Gene Lepley
Richmond Police Department
Phone 804-646-0607
Fax 804-646-3496

http://www.richmondgov.com/police

For Immediate Release

News Release
Chief Norwood Introduces Safe Corridors Initiative

Aug. 31, 2009
With the first day of school a week away, Chief Bryan T. Norwood and the Richmond Police Department have plans in place to help Richmond Public Schools students start the school year off right.

Chief Norwood, along with Schools Superintendent Yvonne Brandon, will introduce the Safe Corridors Initiative at a 10:30 a.m. press conference Tuesday, Sept. 1, at John Marshall High School, 4225 Old Brook Road.

“Safe Corridors is about the safety of our young people in school and out of school,” Chief Norwood said. “We want them to have safe passage as they travel the hallways at school and the roadways on the way to and from school. Our target audience is our high school students.”

“Richmond Public Schools is about the business of education. As such, the safety and security of our students is paramount,” said Dr. Brandon. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with the Richmond Police Department, and appreciate all of their efforts in helping to provide a safe environment for our students.”

The Department has a school resource officer assigned to each public high school in the city. The officers work with Richmond Public Schools security officers to resolve any crime-related issues that may arise during the school day. Some of the school resource officers take their role a step further by serving as mentors for students and also assist with directing or coaching extracurricular activities at the schools.

High school students with cars should be aware of speed limits and all safe driving laws, especially those regarding seat belts and cell phone usage. The Department’s Traffic Unit and sector officers from each precinct will increase traffic and radar enforcement in and around school zones.

“Our goal with Safe Corridors is to provide a safe learning environment and overall community for our students,” Chief Norwood said. “We want them to focus all of their energy on their education.”

The Richmond Times Dispatch reports:

A Richmond city councilman’s nephew is being held without bond today in the malicious wounding of a Virginia Union University student early Sunday.

Jamir Lee Jewell, whose uncle is Councilman E. Martin Jewell, was arrested Sunday about 1:15 a.m. — minutes after a student was shot in front of Newman Hall, an all-female dormitory on the northern edge of campus near Brook and Graham roads. Jamir Jewell is not a VUU student.

University police confirmed yesterday that the shooting occurred as they tried to deal with a crowd that had grown to as many as three dozen people.

“I really have to hand the credit to our people for the way they reacted,” VUU Police Chief David Horace said, noting that one officer stationed in a guard shack about 30 yards from Newman Hall called for reinforcements as the crowd grew more unruly. “It could have been much worse,” the chief said.

At least a half-dozen students have been shot or stabbed on or near the VUU campus in the past decade, according to news reports. The school has sought for years to control access to the campus, especially from nearby neighborhoods with histories of violence. A fence encircling the campus is under construction.

Campuswide alerts were not sent to the university community until nearly an hour after the shooting.

Two of the three school officers responding to the crowd are not authorized to carry weapons, Horace said.

Jewell, 21, could receive up to 23 years in prison if convicted on a malicious-wounding charge and an accompanying firearms charge. He made a brief appearance yesterday in Richmond General District Court and said he will retain his own attorney. A hearing was set for Sept. 11.

VUU officials declined to release the identity of the student who suffered three gunshot wounds to his left leg. He was expected to be released from the hospital shortly.

Martin Jewell said the news of the arrest of his sister’s son was a shock to him, but he declined any further comment. His nephew lives in the 800 block of West Lancaster Road, a few blocks from the university.

It is all about seasons and the rhythms of nature here at the Byrd House Market. Our patience is being rewarded by the return of our delicious Gala apples, Asian pears, red and orange carrots, a variety of potatoes, onions, cruciforms and lots of greens! As we celebrate this Labor Day weekend, remember that the market vendors are always working for us to be able to enjoy our local fruits and vegetables, this is no holiday weekend for them. So…. remember to join us on Tuesday, to support the market vendors, shop, grab a bite to eat, meet friends and make new ones at the WBCH, Byrd House Market.
Activities this week: Story telling from 4 to 5 pm, Face painting from 5 to 7 pm. And a surprise child activity. And back by popular demand, music by Bean and John of the P’s & Q’s from 6 to 7 p.m.

Check our blog to see more about what the vendors are bringing to the market: http://byrdhousemarket.blogspot.com/

From the Hill and Heights neighborhood blog:

Richmond City Council is considering appointments to the GRTC (Greater Richmond Transit Company) Board of Directors. It’s unpaid, meets monthly. Interested parties can obtain an application from the city clerk’s office or download this pdf: Appointment Application Form. Applications are due in by the end of the day next Monday. There is no description of the job on the city website just this on the Obligations of the Board.

Acquire, operate, lease, or otherwise provide for the operation of a public transportation system, including by way of illustration but not limitation, the operation of passenger buses, both within and outside the City of Richmond, including providing for transportation for pupils attending public schools operated by the School Board of the City of Richmond.

From Church Hill People’s News:

ACORN has announced that the 10th Annual Golden Hammer Awards will be held 11/12/09 at the revamped Plaza Bowl in the Southside Plaza Shopping Center. Nominate that project for a Golden Hammer! Also, the next Renovator’s Open House will be Thur 9/24/090 5:30-7PM at 801 North 24th Street. RSVP required. Contact ACORN at (804)644-5040 or info@richmondneighborhoods.org

Bicycle parts for sale in OH. Also this vintage bike.

An Urban Studies class from Virginia Commonwealth University took a tour of Oregon Hill last night.

I went and saw the new canal bridge plans this afternoon. The new bridge should
be put in place just west of the telephone pole bridge early next year, and the
old bridge will be taken out at that time. Officially the project is called the “North Bank Trail Pedestrian Bridge Replacement”, and what its really about is a new bridge that will cross the historic Kanawha Canal near the Lee Bridge and enable pedestrians to make their way to the James River Park. The flat bridge will be placed so that it can be raised easily later to accommodate canal development and possibly the return of canal boats. The money for this is coming from greenway grants that the neighborhood association previously applied for and won. Anyone can go see the plans for themselves which are in the City’s Parks & Rec office at 808 W. Main (in the Landmark Theater building).