Lawmakers to state employees: work longer, for less

Future employees will be expected to put more miles on state tires.

Words/Photo by:Katy Burnell

Incoming Governor Bob McDonnell took issue with his predecessor’s plans to tackle the Commonwealth’s staggering budget deficit. So he took matters into his own hands. The result: ending car tax relief and unfreezing composite index funding  for education, thereby creating a $2 billion hole in the existing budget.

Sometimes, a man has to take a stand.

Delegates leave pro-freeze protestors out in the cold

Words/Photo by: Katy Burnell

A throng of 150 protesters gathered at the State General Assembly building today to discourage legislators from approving budget measures that would mean millions less for local schools.

Although chants of  “save our schools-keep the freeze” could be heard over the ninth-floor budget appropriations meeting the message didn’t seem to get through to lawmakers  who voted to advance incoming Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposed cuts to the current budget. 

Band faces unhappy fans at upcoming showcase

Words/Photo by: Katy Burnell

With United Blood 2010 almost a month away, punk and hardcore aficionados from across the country are taking off of work, booking flights , or planning “un-ticketed” train trips to the River City.

Hundreds of tattooed, pierced twenty and thirty-somethings will descend on Richmond for the 4th annual music showcase during the last weekend in March. Fortunately for the planners of this year’s prestigious French Film Festival, all moshing will be taking place a few miles east of the Byrd Theatre.

The house that derby built

View related photo gallery

Watch a video featuring Kayla and Alisha

It is 7:35 p.m. on Thursday and Kayla Serene is not happy.

“Oh my god we need to leave like five minutes ago,” she shouts up the stairs. “I’ll be in the car.”

She snags a set of keys from the kitchen counter and marches out back to her mom’s 2001 Toyota Avalon. The 17-year-old whips a lime-green cell phone out of her jacket and sighs, firing off a text message to a friend. Serene texts faster than she skates, which, as anyone who knows anything about Richmond roller derby will tell you, is impressive, considering that she skates like her mom.

Travelers find short lines, long delays at Richmond Airport

by: Katy Burnell

AAA is forecasting record travel numbers this holiday season, but Mechanicsville resident Anna Brent is not worried about leaving early for her 2p.m. flight to Frankfurt out of Richmond International Airport on the 22^nd.

Brent has a commitment at church until 11:30, but she is confident that two hours will give her and her husband plenty of time to park, check in and get through security at RIC on one of the busiest travel dates of the year.

“Crowds shouldn’t be a problem,” Brent said. “People don’t think about flying out of RIC because it can be cheaper to fly out of other airports.”

Even with increased holiday traffic Brent may have little to fear, depending on which airport she is connecting to, and where her flight is coming from. Although RIC performs well overall for on-time arrivals and departures some flights are chronically late coming in and going out.

Southwest Virginians twice as likely to commit suicide

Click to view a breakdown of suicide rates by locality

by: Katy Burnell

The suicide rate in southwestern Virginia is double the state and national average – a statistic experts blame on rural isolation and other problems.

Overall, the Commonwealth’s suicide rate hovers near the national average of 10.8 suicides per 100,000 people. But about 15 Virginia localities have suicide rates higher than the worst-ranking state – Wyoming, where nearly 20 of every 100,000 deaths are self-induced.

Local program celebrates summer reading

A rising middle school student was honored for reading more than 200 books in less than three months during the Richmond public library’s summer reading program. A grand street party honoring summer readers celebrated the accomplishments of Rebecca Rogers (pictured above) and hundreds of other young bookworms.

By Katy Burnell & Erika Wells

A local rising sixth grader received an awarded at a community festival for spending her summer buried in books.

Rebecca Rogers, 11, was honored at the Grand Street Party Finale at the Main branch for being a top reader in a summer reading program for the Richmond Public Library on Saturday.

French culture finds a home in Richmond

French culture lives and breathes in Richmond 365 days a year. Whether it’s  fine dining, a quick lunch at a cafe, or an afternoon coffee on the patio in Carytown, French culture is always on the menu in Richmond.  With the continued growth of the French Film Festival, francophiles are here to stay, and so are French Richmonders. Continue to read more about the former owner of Jean-Jacques Bakery, Clement Denicourt, listen to an interview with French Film Festival co-founder Francoise Ravaux-Kirkpatrick, or to view an audio slideshow on French eateries in Richmond

By Katy Burnell

Clement Denicourt carries a piece of his home close to his heart. The 66-year-old French immigrant came to the United States from Paris  nearly…

Non-profit Makes Fundraising Fun

Local organization raises $20,000 to benefit the elderly at family friendly gala held in the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens on Sunday, June 14. Dozens of families came to hear Washington, D.C.-based children’s band Rocknoceros, eat picnic lunches, and support the volunteer services wing of ElderHomes, a corporation that provides home repairs and improvements for low-income, elderly and disabled residents living in the Richmond area.