“a political faceoff between Council President Kathy Graziano and City Councilman Marty Jewell”

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An excerpt from Richmond Magazine article (click here for full article):

Richmond City Council’s first meeting of the new year typically is one filled with little more than a vote to select its president and vice president for the next two years. Instead, tonight’s meeting was a political faceoff between Council President Kathy Graziano and City Councilman Marty Jewell, who promised on Jan. 2 to ask for an investigation into e-mails that outlined alleged inappropriate behavior by Graziano’s Council liaison and close political advisor, David Hathcock, at the meeting. He accused Graziano of mishandling the situation.

Jewell followed through on his promise, making a motion to defer voting on a new president until an investigation could be conducted by the city’s office of the inspector general, referring to an alleged incident in which Councilman Bruce Tyler’s liaison, Jennifer Walle, was allegedly inappropriately touched on April 21 by Hathcock. The alleged incident was detailed and acknowledged in an e-mail exchange between Walle and Hathcock on May 6.

“When I asked Graziano, she said that issue was done with — over,” Jewell said, referencing conversations that he had with her in December.

Despite Jewell’s motion calling for an investigation, which failed, and despite his nomination of Tyler for the presidency, Graziano carried the vote five to three (Trammell, Tyler and Jewell voted against her, and Councilman Doug Conner was absent).

But Jewell, Trammell and Tyler each said that the matter of Hathcock’s alleged behavior was far from over. They all said that the unofficial inquiry that was conducted, overseen by Graziano herself, was flawed.

Generation Dream 2011

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From Richmond Youth Peace Project News:

Mark Your Calendars for Generation Dream 2011:
Sunday, January 30 and Friday, February 4

The Richmond Youth Peace Project will present its sixth annual youth Educoncert, Generation Dream 2011, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Two performances are scheduled this year. The first show will be held at the VCU Singleton Performing Arts Center, 922 Park Avenue, on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 4 p.m. A second performance will be held at the Richmond Public Library’s main branch, 101 E. Franklin Street, on Friday, February 4 at 7 p.m. A $5 donation is requested to help defray expenses at the Sunday afternoon show. Admission to the Friday evening show–part of February’s First Fridays events–is free.

Generation Dream 2011 features youth performers from throughout metro Richmond, along with several adult professional artists. This uplifting 90-minute multi-cultural variety show is built around the themes of peace, nonviolence and social justice. The show is part of Living the Dream, Richmond’s annual commemoration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Click below for more 2011 youth opportunities:
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Flying Brick Library’s January Calendar

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From Nathan of Flying Brick:

Upcoming Events in January!

– January 7th, 7pm – SPARC presentation on organizing in VA Prisons. This is to also to celebrate the release of the book, Defying the Tomb, out now on AK Press!

– January 17th, 6pm – Slingshot Hip-Hop film showing about Hip-Hop in Palestine. View the trailer by clicking here. Potluck Dinner starts at 6!

– January 23rd, 7pm – A Dirty Shame film showing to benefit LIPS, a female sexuality zine. Please bring a donation! View the trailer by clicking here. This film is Rated NC-17. Please keep this in mind. Contains sexual content. Directed by John Waters.

– In addition to our events, we are open Mondays 9-4 and Thursdays 4-9. Please come and say hi, chat, and check out some books!

Keep checking back for last minute additions to the schedule! If you have questions, would like to volunteer, or have an idea for an event, you can send us an e-mail at theflyingbrick at riseup.net. Find us on Myspace and Facebook!

All events at the Flying Brick Library are sober unless noted otherwise. Please no booze or drugs.

Died of Consumption, 1863

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From The Daily Dispatch: December 30, 1863:

On yesterday morning, in the 32nd year of her age, of consumption, Mrs. Mary E Francis, wife of Mr. Wm T Francis.

She had been a consistent member of the Methodist E. Church for more than ten years, and died in the hope of a blissful immortality.

“Why do we mourn departed friends,
Or shake at death’s alarms?
‘Tis but the voice that Jesus sends,
To call them to his arms.”

Her funeral will take place from Oregon Hill M E Church, on Wednesday morning, 30th inst, at 11 o’clock. The relatives, friends and acquaintances of the family are invited to attend.

Richmond City Council official meeting schedule for January 2011

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From COUNCIL PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWS RELEASE:

Richmond City Council official meeting schedule for January 2011

All Richmond citizens are invited and encouraged to attend

WHAT Richmond City Council, the governing body of Richmond, holds an average of 12 official monthly public meetings to discuss, deliberate, and act on laws, finances and policy on behalf of our community.

A summary of official Richmond City Council Official Public Meetings for the upcoming month is listed below. Meeting times and dates are subject to change and more meetings may be added as needed.

All Richmond citizens are invited and encouraged to attend all Council meetings and to contact the Richmond Councilmember elected for their voting district (by phone, in person, via email, or by mail) to learn more; provide input; and/or ask questions. Meetings include (but are not limited to) two “Council Formal” Meeting Sessions, two “Council Informal” meetings, six Council Standing Committee meetings, and Council Public Hearings/ Special Events/Commission meetings held on an as-needed basis.

Mission – The mission of Richmond City Council is to represent citizens in creating and amending local laws, providing government policy and
oversight, and approving the city budget.

Vision – Richmond City Council is committed to creating a vibrant community that is a great place to live, work, learn, play, visit and raise a family.

Parking – Free parking is available for Formal Council meetings in the lot next to Richmond City Hall on E. Broad St., between 10th and 11th Streets.

Televised – Formal Council meetings are televised live on local PBS TV Station, WVCW and replayed daily at Noon and 7:00 p.m. on Richmond Government Access TV Channel 17.

For scheduled meetings, click below
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City of Richmond Schedules Upcoming Annual “Bring one for the Chipper” Christmas Tree Recycling Program

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From City press release:

RICHMOND, VA – On Saturday, January 15, 2011, the city of Richmond is sponsoring a Christmas tree recycling program called “Bring One for the Chipper 2011.” City residents are invited to recycle their Christmas trees by having the city chip them into mulch for use in landscaping.

This is the second year for the program, which is heralded among the city’s efforts to actively participate in environmental education and to actively pursue more green initiatives.

“Bring One for the Chipper 2011” will take place at the Parker Field Annex, 1710 Robin Hood Rd., at the corner of Robin Hood Rd. and N. Boulevard across from the Arthur Ashe Center, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on January 15. Also, Christmas trees can be dropped off from December 26 through January 14 at the East Richmond Road Convenience Center, 3800 East Richmond Rd. and the Richmond Southside Transfer Station, 3520 N. Hopkins Rd.

This project is being spearheaded by the city’s Department of Public Works. For more information on city services and schedules, please visit us on line at www.RichmondGov.com.

Blind Filmmaker needs your help!

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From solicitation:

Usually when you see something like this, the first thought is, “oh great, another filmmaker needs some money.” This is no call for money. This is a call for you. That’s right, you (and the rest of Richmond). New Years Eve is coming, and that means PBR will be flowing in record amounts, toasts will be had, holiday cheers will abound, and for one night, all of Richmond will celebrate another year of existence.

So what exactly does this mean for you? Well, I want to see Richmond collaborate on a wide-scale video project – a music video (For the DJs out there reading this, I need a 5-6 minute remix of Pink’s Raise Your Glass by Jan 11th). I want to see Richmond raise a toast to the New Year. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Carytown watching the ball raise, at Gallery 5 for Decemberween, or sitting in the comfort of your own home with friends and family. Whatever you choose to do, however you choose to celebrate, I want to see you!

I know you’re thinking, “wait a second, what’s the big idea here?” You’re right. It is a big idea, but big ideas can be accomplished if people work together in small amounts. The concept is simple. Take out your video camera (make sure its 30fps, and preferably 720 or 1080p). Get everyone in the shot, and raise your glass to the camera. If you want to throw in some comedic antics, feel free – this is partially your video too.

Once you have a 10-30 second clip, upload it to youtube (in the highest quality possible), tag it with the names (correct spelling important) of everyone in the video, add the tags “richmond”, “raise your glass”, and “NYE2011”, and then send a link to jon@mrheadlee.com or @MrHeadlee (if you prefer twitter over email) by January 11th (that’s more than enough time for 30 seconds). On Feb 3rd (Chinese New Year), the video will be released for the world to see. This has been done on a global scale by both Youtube and Vimeo, so why can’t we do it for Richmnond?

Some of you may ask, why should we do this, and why even bother? Well, I’m bothering because Richmond is where I found a sense of identity, a sense of self, and a sense of worthiness. Richmond has given me a lot to be proud of, a lot to remember, and a lot to look forward to. I’m leaving Richmond to pursue bigger and better things (NYC’s art scene and hopefully Hollywood in the summer), but I want to give Richmond something that everyone will want to remember. I want to give Richmond my own personal thank you, a memento if you will, and what better way than to create a video that shows off as much of the city as possible?

Well, there you have it. Do you want to create something special, or just get drunk this NYE? Hell, why not do both and have a grand ‘ole time? I know I will. Lastly, I’m not actually blind – I just had my camera stolen, and I’m treating it as a lesson from Karma that I need to learn to work better with others instead of just doing my own thing – which is why I’m asking you for your help.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing your faces!

Raise your glass for 2011!

Jon Headlee