Two blogs are speaking up about proposed changes to reassign Richmond Animal Care and Control from the Department of General Services to be under Public Works. The local SPCA has some compelling arguments on why the Richmond Animal Care and Control should be placed under the Richmond Police Department.

I believe it is crucially important that RAC&C be reassigned to the Police Department. Rationale for my opinion, and that of the Richmond SPCA, includes:

• RAC&C serves an important public safety function, and citizens rely on it to respond promptly and effectively to emergency calls.
• The division is responsible for investigating and aiding in the prosecution of animal-related crimes, most notably dog fighting and animal abuse and neglect.
• As a public safety agency, its resources and staffing levels must be protected from debilitating reductions floated or mandated during difficult budget years.
• Public Works has no similarity to or understanding of the functions of animal control.
• The prevailing assignment of animal control divisions in the state and across the country is Police due in large part to the many synergies that naturally exist among public safety agencies.
• Reassignment to Police would impart a valuable level of credibility and respect to the crucial functions of RAC&C.

Also check out the Southside Richmond Blog who is a bit more direct.

If you weren’t aware, dog fighting rings in the Southside have been abated in the past. Can an agency that has no legal authority to authorize an arrest or direct connection to the police really manage this problem any better than it has snow and leaf removal? Perhaps the result would be something like this: “Pardon us, would you kindly stop gambling, killing dogs, and housing violent animals or we’ll have to write a civil citation.”

Contact the Mayor
Contact City Council Members

This was emailed to me this evening;
All winter a wooly white cat with a black-tipped tail has wandered in the general area of the 1500 blocks of Cedar Lane and West 45th St. It doesn’t appear to have a home, seems well-fed, is skittish around people, doesn’t seem to have a collar, and has had several near-miss encounters with neighborhood dogs and several larger cats. So far, I’ve not been able to determine whether it has an owner. In any event, I’m concerned about its well-being and wonder whether anyone owns it or knows who does.

Okay, it’s 51 days until the opening of the South of the James Market, so it’s time to work on our shopping list. Victory Farms expects to have Kale, salad greens, beets and carrots, and whatever else a warm spring might give us. Cavanna’s pasta a will be ready with their usual line of pastas and sauces, and Phal’s egg rolls will be ready. At Amy’s Garden, look for salad greens, kales and chards, Japanese turnips and French radishes, heirloom and hard to find vegetable bedding plants, and of course, cut flowers.

From time to time until the market opens, we will be sending updates on what to expect at the market. The Market Umbrella has received more than 90 applications from vendors, many more than the market can accommodate, but it’s a clear sign that growers and crafters, buyers and lookers, know where to go on Saturday morning.

Thanks to David Hathcock for the update. Also remember you can get your market fix on Friday’s with the Farm to Family bus on the corner of Westover Hills and Forest Hill and on Saturdays at the Winter Farmer’s Market in the Blanchard’s Coffee parking lot.

On Thursday, March 11, (tonight) the Westover Hills Neighborhood Association board will meet at 7 p.m. at the Westover Hills United Methodist Church on the Boulevard. Anyone in Westover Hills is welcome to attend these regular monthly meetings.

From Modern Atelier;
Spring Bada-Bing is back, 5 years and going strong! Thanks to all who contributed, your samples and promos are a big hit. There is always a line at the door before the show because people want to make sure they get a swag bag! :-)

We are giving out 250 promotional bags to customers, volunteers and vendors at the Spring Bada-Bing, April 18th.

Sample items are preferred, but promotional items are accepted.
All items must be able to fit in a 12″ x 16″ bag.

*You do not have to contribute 250 samples/promos. Send as many as possible. And you can do a mix of samples/promos. Please have your items sent (postmarked) by March 29th so we have time to assemble the bags.

Please send them to:
Richmond Craft Mafia
c/o Nicole Lee
P.O. Box 34734
Richmond, VA 23234

From the RPD Daily Crime Report;

3^rd Precinct
ROBBERY (COMMERICAL)
3/9/10               7:33 p.m.
6401 Jahnke Road Family Dollar
The manager reported an unknown male robbed the business at gunpoint.

It always seems that posts come in bunches and lately it has been schools. Two local websites are holding a contest with a bunch of cool prizes for the favorite teacher. Nominations start today and run through the 18th and voting is from the 20th to 31st. Hit the links below for more info.

Richmondmom.com and Top Notch Richmond know that teachers are one of Richmond’s most valuable resources, so we want to encourage Richmonders to nominate their favorite preschool-to-high school teacher for the 2010 Top Teacher Contest.In 2009, thousands voted and Erin Flanagan of Mary Munford School of Richmond was the winner. This year, the contest is bigger and better. Richmond’s Top Teacher will win over $2,000 in gifts, below.

From the Press Release;

Richmond ’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will continue offering its guided walks on the Slave Trail throughout March and has added a new walk to see the growing nesting colony of Great Blue Herons in the James River Park .

The guided walks along the Slave Trail will be offered on the remaining Saturdays in March at 2 p.m. These are emotional walks that originate at the docks at Ancarrow’s Landing in the James River Park and cross the river to conclude at the site of Lumpkin’s Jail and the Reconciliation Statue.

The guided walks to see the heron rookery on the James River are a new program being presented by the department in partnership with the Audubon Society. They will be offered every Saturday throughout March at 11 a.m.

More than 40 nests of Great Blue Herons have been counted in the James River Park ’s growing rookery. It is a short hike to the viewing site, but you must be able to climb a ladder. Dress appropriately, and if possible bring binoculars or a spotting scope.

All walks are $5 per person and require advance registration by calling 646-8911.

Southampton Elementary School’s Learning Garden got another boost this week when the Richmond Chapter of Women in Construction held a work day at the school.

The project this week was the construction of a school rain barrel project, and included hands-on learning as the adult volunteers from the construction industry helped students create their own miniature sized rain barrels to take home.

The Learning Garden is a project of the Richmond Audubon Society, Southampton Community Association, and numerous community volunteers. The project has also recently been awarded a major grant from Lowe’s to support the garden. Contact Mary Argenteanu at 320-0138 for volunteer opportunities.

Pictures and story courtesy of David Hathcock

Via Craigslist;
Sweet dog found Forest Hill (49th st)
Date: 2010-03-09, 1:00PM EST

A sweet dog ran into my backyard and is really scared. She has calmed down and is getting along fine now. If you are missing a dog call me at 804-366-0291.
Let me know some more details so I will know it is yours.
Thanks.

The Forest Hill Neighborhood Association is meeting tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Forest Hill Presbyterian Church.

Agenda – March 10, 2010
7:00 pm – Call to order – Grace LeRose
7:05 – 7:10 – Approval of Feb. minutes – Vicky Hamrick
7:10 – 7:20 – Financial Report – Roger Clark
7:20 – 7:25 – 4th District Update – Kathy Graziano
7:25 – 7:30 – Park Improvement Report including Regatta & Bike Trails - Rob Jones
7:30 – 7:35 – Social Committee Report – Dorna Braswell
7:35 – 7:40 – Membership – Peter Hubbell
7:40 – 7:45 – Neighborhood Watch Update – Shannon Taylor & Lt. O’Kleasky
7:45 – 7:50 – Historic Designation – Joy Glass
7:50 – 8:00 – New Business – Grace LeRose
Approval of 2010 budget
5 K report
Nominations for 2010 officers
8:00 – Meeting concludes

Anybody know anything more than this email I received? I thought I read about another set of gunshots over the weekend in a different location but can’t find the info.

Have you heard anything about the gunshots in Forest Hill last night? Near W 46th and Dunston? We heard about 6 REALLY loud pops around 9:10. Sounded like it was right behind my house. My neighbors, both of whom are law enforcement, came running out with guns drawn. My husband many other neighbors called 911. Haven’t seen my neighbors yet today, and didn’t see anything in the news today…

From RTD;

Del. G. Manoli Loupassi, R-Richmond, has asked Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to address questions related to funding for the public charter school.

He’s the latest in a string of politicians who are lining up behind the school, which would be the sole public elementary charter school in the state if it opens as scheduled in July.

Specifically Loupassi is concerned about’

“It is my understanding the Board has indicated it intends to give PHSSA a smaller per-pupil allotment than it gives the other schools in its jurisdiction,” Loupassi states. “As I read the statute, the duty of the Board is to create, as best it can, a level playing field on funding issues.”

He wants an opinion on whether that violates the same part of state law that Morrissey cited, and whether state law prohibits the school board “from discriminating against the school children attending PHSSA by providing their school less money for their education than other Richmond youngsters.”

Saw this morning from RVAbargains tweet;

Bella Vino in Stony Point FP closing – wine 25% off, all else (cheese/cigars/wine racks/art) 40% off

Also this weekend I noticed that Private Stock Cigar & Wine Company in Stratford Hills had closed up shop. The sign on the door said “Closed for Inventory” but unless they took all the merchandise off site to count, they won’t be opening back up. The place was completely empty except for a few fixtures.

Official City Press Release;

COUNCIL PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWS ADVISORY

Richmond City Council proposes 2010 Richmond Real Estate Tax Rates

All Citizens invited and encouraged to attend

(Richmond , Virginia) – Today, four proposed options for a 2010 Richmond Real Estate Tax Rate were introduced during the scheduled Richmond City Council Formal Meeting. The proposed options include $1.23, $1.22, $1.21 and $1.19. The current Richmond Real Estate Tax rate is $1.20, which would remain the same if no new rate is adopted. The vote on the adoption of a new rate will be Monday April 12, 2010. Read more >

Nothing new just some more press from the blog Richmond BizSense.com on the fact that Blanchard’s will be in Martin’s after the Ukropocalypse.

But for at least one local business, it’s pretty much business as usual when it comes to its relationship with the grocery chain.

Blanchard’s Coffee, located on Forest Hill Avenue near Westover Hills Boulevard, has been roasting and packaging coffee and selling it at Ukrop’s under the Joe’s Market label for the past few years. When Giant-Carlisle bought Ukrop’s, the local coffee roaster worried they would soon lose their biggest customer. The company had been supplying about 1,300 pounds of coffee a month to 18 stores, including the Joe’s Market on Libbie Avenue.

From Utilibuddy Twitter;

Alternating lanes of Riverside between W. 24th and Westover Hills to close March 8-16 while we trim back tree branches in power lines.

Check out what Tim of local blogE.A.T has to say about one of the vendors at our Winter Farmer’s Market.

Another amazing find at the Forest Hill Farmers Market this past Saturday, Sullivans Pond Farm or otherwise known as Bonneyclabber Cheese Company. We purchased an Isabel-Chesapeake Blue which is a pasturized goats milk cheese. 3 ingredients Milk, Salt, and P.Roqueforti. I was really impressed with the packaging of this particular cheese as it was displayed in a moist cheese cloth that really made the product stand out…….

You’ll have to go to the link above to get more details and read some of his other posts.

Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts will be holding it’s first lottery March 11, at 7pm as they received more than 250 applications for roughly 150 spots. The lottery is open to the public. The school also announced the breakdown of grades:

K – 3 classes
1st – 2 classes
2nd – 2 classes
3rd – 1 class
4th/5th combined

For more info about the lottery, click through to read the email sent to applicants. Read more >

Boulevardizen has the story and more photos but it appears that the spirits were not pleased with the attempts to be captured at the Pump House today. They took their vengence by trying to take an SUV back with them through a sinkhole. This means either SUVs come from the other side or the roads are real bad in the nether world and an SUV is required.

Photo swiped from Boulevardizen blog, go to his site for more photos and details.

Email Received this morning;
A young male dog was on our front porch on Clarence street, which is behind Westover Hills Elementary, this morning- possibly all night long. He’s a hound of some variety. He recognized a leash right away and warmed up to us pretty quickly, so I’m fairly certain this is someone’s pet. No collar or tags or anything, though. If the owner or someone who knows the owner wants to contact us, they can call Bill @ 366.6742 or Corina @ 357.3929.

As a side note if you have found a pet make sure to ask some questions that only the owner of the pet would know. We certainly don’t want to be giving dogs to the wrong folks.

Get on the bus Gus and get your fresh food. The bus will be there until 6 pm. Head to their Facebook page for the full list of products we picked up some apples and breakfast sausage.

The weather is suppose to be even better tomorrow and the Winter Farmer’s Market in the Blanchard’s parking lot should be hopping.

Yeah I know that the article orignally ran way back in January but it is still a good read. Click on the picture to see and learn more about the house. Thanks to John M. at CHPN for sending me the link in January.

It is Friday and that means it is time to head on over to Once Upon a Vine after work and try some new wine and/or beer. Sampling from 5 p.m. to 8.

On the beer side, Stephen from Brown tasting Magner’s Cider, Legend Hopfest, Victory Helios, Redhook Treblehook, Heavy Seas Siren Noir, and Southern Tier Cuvee #1. Legend Hopfest is great and the only one of that group I have tasted.

The wine folks will have, Ed from Country Vintner tasting Alto Sur Sav. Blanc and Malbec Rose. Sophenia Cab. Sav. and Malbec.

A Westover Hills resident sent this to the association and now I am sharing it with you.

Sometime last Thursday, during the day, someone wrenched the copper gutter off of the front of our house. I noticed it when I returned home from work. I called the 3rd District Police Dept. They took the report and said that the church on Westover Hills Blvd. was also hit, twice in the same week.

Detectives may have some leads, but that’s all they told me. These people are pretty brazen, because it must have happened in broad daylight. Thanks for letting everyone know.

So if you or your neighbors have copper gutters, downspouts or braided lightning-rod cables keep an eye out for suspicious behavior such as some one ripping off the gutter and shoving into a van or truck.