From RTD;

Police were called to a South Richmond apartment this morning to investigate a reported rape.

A woman told police she had been assaulted about 5 a.m. at an apartment in the 400 block of Westover Hills Boulevard.

The alleged assault was reported about 7 a.m.

Tonight, Once Upon a Vine is not messing around with their beer tasting. They will have Devin from Dogfish Head tasting Red and White, Black and Blue, Indian Brown, Raison D’etre, 90 min, and Burton Baton. If you haven’t had Dogfish Head before you should stop by. The 90 Minute IPA is a hopkick to the head, Raison D’etre is crazy complicated and I haven’t tried the others. If you are a hophead go to Bottom’s Up Pizza. They just tapped their keg of Bell’s Hopslam but keep that information between you and me.

There will be wine tasting as well with Chuck tasting Villa Sorono Pinot Noir and Grigio, Dragani Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, and La Garia Chardonnay. As usual I know nothing about the wines.

Great event that is being sponsored by Historic Forest Hill Neighborhood that are working diligently to have Forest Hill receive historic designation.  If you are considering some renovations on your home you should definitely check out this workshop.

Join us for a Tax Credit Workshop for Renovations – discover whether or not your next project could be eligible for tax credits.
Sponsored by: Historic Designation Committee
Presented by: Nancy Kraus, Historic Preservationist
When: Saturday, April 10th, 10 a.m.-12 a.m.
Where: Forest Hill Presbyterian Church
Please let us know if you plan to attend – [click here to send an email]

The Forest Hill Regatta will be a celebration of our revitalized lake in Forest Hill Park.  There will be remarks by local politicians including; City Council President Kathy Graziano, Mayor Dwight C. Jones, and Director of Parks & Recreation J. R. Pope and then the dedication of Harvey Family Memorial Bridge. After that the all activity will be focused on the lake. A variety of races will stun and amaze whether it will be the dog swim, the RC boats or the battle royale of neighborhood associations. The events start at 2 p.m. and wrap up around 4:30 p.m. I am sure that more than a few might bring a picnic and stay a bit longer. As always these great events can’t take place without volunteers and if you would like to help out please email Robley Jones. We will post another announcement or two leading up to the big day.

Full Schedule of Events
If you want to participate in the regatta go here for the entry form.

This was forwarded to me and I wanted to share with the community.

“Neighborhood Historian”, Melvin Allen  had a heart attack and left us. Melvin was an original Forest Hill native, a never-ending source of stories and history of our neighborhood.

ALLEN, Melvin Cecil, 90, of Richmond, died March 16, 2010. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of over 40 years, Margaurette Allen; and his brother, Wilton Allen. Survivors include two nephews, Dennie Allen and Douglas Blaylock Sr.; and other extended family members. Mr. Allen was a dedicated Christian and longtime member of Woodland Heights Baptist Church. He was a retired draftsman for the City of Richmond. His remains rest at the Huguenot Chapel of Woody Funeral Home, 1020 Huguenot Road, where the family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday. Graveside services will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at Oakwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Woodland Heights Baptist Church.

Today reminds us that spring is fast approaching. As the temperatures increase so does the activity of critters. A partial list of what you may see besides the usual cat and dog include opossums, raccoons, wild rabbits, birds, squirrels, skunks, foxes, coyotes, snakes, and deer. Below is a list of what Animal Control recommends to help deter unwanted guests. Put any of your own secrets in the comments. I know we are going to break some of this rules since we want to attract birds.

• To keep all trash picked up in the yard
• Secure and to lock trash cans. Trash containers should have secure lids and should preferably be placed on cinder blocks or some type of raised base
• To remove pet food from the yard, especially cat food. Possums and some wildlife animals are particularly fond of cat food. Read more >

Just saw on Twitter that Scoot Richmond is hosting a free clinic this Saturday from 10 – 12 to get your scooter ready for spring. Now time for a gratuitous scooter picture.
Not sure where I snagged the photo if someone knows drop me a line and I’ll give credit where credit is due.

Stop by O’Toole’s which hosts one of the biggest brawls on St. Pat’s. Richard is the one wearing the straw hat, green soccer jersey and the auburn muttonchops. Stop by, say hi, he’ll be there until 4pm at least.

If you need a temporary job and want to make sure RVA is correctly counted for the 2010 Census you have a chance to apply for a job with the US Census. The information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent so it is important that everyone is counted. More reasons on why the census matters.

Job Details
2010 Census Jobs in Richmond pay $18/hr.
Recruiting ends soon—Sign Up Now!
City of Richmond Residents Only. Temporary positions, flexible scheduling.
Westover Hills Library 1408 Westover Hills Blvd
Saturday, March 20, 1 pm
Monday, March 22, 1 pm and 5 pm

What to Bring? ID: Drivers license and Social Security Card, birth certificate or passport.
Call 804 916-5460 for other sessions and information

March 24 – Franklin Military Academy – 6 – 8 p.m.
March 25 – Westover Hills Elementary School – 6 – 8 p.m.
March 29 – Richmond Public Library – 6 – 8 p.m. (Main Branch)

Mayor Jones wants you to come and share your priorities for the 2011 budget. This is the Fourth District’s chance to let him know what is important in this district, whether it is RE tax rate, the stormwater utility, leaf collection, street paving, schools or social programs.

From Craigslist;

roxie ran away on sat. march 13, 2010. we have tried the shelters, vets and police and no luck! :( please help bring her home

Reply to: manda_panda8@sprint.blackberry.net

The good folks of Richmond MORE are organizing this one;
When: Saturday, March 20th – 9:00am to 4:00pm (come for whatever portion of the day you can spare.  Even one hour is a big help.)

Where:
Meet in the back of Patrick Henry School (parking is available in the PH lot.)  Work will be concentrated on the trails on the eastern side of FH Park.  NOTE: If you arrive after the 9am, that’s OK, just head into the park behind the school and look for the trail workers.

Bring: Water, work gloves, and sturdy shoes, and a small snack.

For questions or more information, contact Wayne Goodman at goodmanw@verizon.net or at 804-357-7425.

If weather does not cooperate, a cancellation notice will be posted by 8:00am on Saturday in the News section of the Richmond MORE website: www.richmond-more.org.

In open enrollment for other schools in the city, if a child is admitted, their sibling is granted admission without having to go through the lottery process. The school board is not allowing siblings to have automatic admission for this first year at Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts.

The founders are resigned to not getting guaranteed spots for their children despite their years of hard work, but the sibling policy puts unnecessary hardship on families who will be the first to attend.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch is reporting that the school board has postponed this issue until March 29, although at last night’s meeting they were asked to consider the policy. The board received the admissions policy March 1 and “didn’t notice” the sibling policy. By postponing discussion until March 29th, the board has forced PH to delay in letting parents know for sure whether they have a spot in the new school or what their ranking on the waiting list is.

[Let the rant begin] It seems to me that the school board has found another issue to stall Patrick Henry by postponing discussion of this policy. Amongst other stalling measures? Not always including PH in its budget. Not coming to a lease agreement for the building so construction can be started for ADA compliance [source]. Chairwoman Kimberly Bridges will publicly say that she supports the school but every action is contrary to that statement. She’ll couch it in words of “concern” but let’s call her out on this passive-aggressive subterfuge. When the school is finally open, this school board will be remembered for its hindrances and shortsightedness when it could have helped and provided another great school to its students.

The next regular meeting of the Friends of Forest Hill Park will be held on Tuesday, March 23, at 7 p.m. at the Stone House. Anyone interested in what’s going on in Forest Hill Park is welcome to attend.

A tree is down blocking the road on the East side of Westover Hills Blvd on Evelyn Byrd. Pictures sent in by Martin who lives on Evelyn Byrd. Thanks Martin.

From Patrick Henry email;

Dear Families,

Thank you to those of you that attended our lottery event on Thursday. We are diligently working to reconcile the data based on the rank given to students on the lottery night. But, we still have one outstanding issue that needs to be resolved regarding pre-lottery status with siblings. We hope to get feedback from our Local Education Authority, Richmond Public School Board, this week. We will be attending the RPS Board meeting tonight to present our need for quick resolution on this issue.

We know that many of you applied to PHSSA so that all of your children could attend the same school. That has been the intention all along, if one sibling is accepted, that the other siblings receive pre-lottery status. We are going to do everything we can to work with with Richmond Public Schools since families are the foundation of Patrick Henry School. We hope that you understand and stand behind us to find resolution.

We encourage you to join us at the RPS meeting tonight, Monday, March 15th at 6 pm at City Hall during the public information comments period (http://newweb.richmond.k12.va.us/administration/school-board/public-info-period.aspx) to express your support for Patrick Henry. It is important for the RPS School Board to continue to hear that this school was created by the community and will thrive because the community supports it.

Thank you,

Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts Board of Directors

RTD;

Fire officials are reporting a fire in a girls’ bathroom at George Wythe High School in South Richmond.

“Some of the staff there have been overcome by smoke,” said Richmond fire Lt. Shawn L. Jones.

The building has been evacuated.

Jones did not have additional information about the incident at the school on Crutchfield Street near Midlothian Turnpike and Westover Hills Boulevard.

Will update if we hear more.
Update: A security officer and a student were hospitalized with non life threatening injuries.

Reposting from Historic Forest Hill;

Frederick “Bud” Hyland, a protege of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed a number of houses in the Forest Hill neighborhood. We’ve identified 2 of them; if you know of additional Hyland homes in the community, please let us know so we can include that information in our historic district nomination.

Mimi Sadler, an architect and historican who lives In Woodland Heights was kind enough to provide us with this article on Hyland’s work (click to download pdf).

Historic Forest Hill is working to help the Forest Hill Neighborhood get placed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

In the interest of improving the environment and our yard we are working with the folks of the Reedy Creek Coalition to do an audit of our yard. In the simplest of terms this is a two part process. Part I, which is what this post is about consists of trained volunteers taking measurements, asking questions, taking soil samples, and a visual inspection of the property.

What is the Reedy Creek Coalition? That question is best answered by the Coalition from their Pre-Audit Information.pdf or check out our previous posts on the Reedy Creek Coalition.

The Reedy Creek Coalition is committed to restoring the health and beauty of Reedy Creek through education, training, and collaboration with all residents and users of the Reedy Creek Watershed and its natural resources. Healthy watersheds are an integral part of vibrant, healthy communities. We also strongly encourage water conservation and other landscape practices that help restore the natural ecosystems that contribute to a healthy watershed.

Find out more about the first part of our Audit after the break. Read more >

This is Paula's jump. Head to the website to read why and to see many other jumps and add your own.

Jump. Because. is a website that shows people jumping. Why? Just because or as the website says;

We have found that jumping leads to laughter…

It is our hope that with this project, the jumping will be passed on and that others will feel the joy of the jump. We want to share your jumping pictures and hear your jumping stories.

What is a jumping story? It’s your “I jump because…” statement: the inspiration for your jump.

The following was forwarded to me and wanted to share with the community. Southside Richmond has the full text of the letter including their demands, which include an apology form the mayor, city council and “city hall”.

A group of homeowners, business people and church members along Broad Rock Blvd are addressing an unfunded mandate from DEQ, EPA, etc.
A tax called THE STORM WATER UTILITY FEE passed on to Richmonders by city council and the mayor in May of 2009. All involved parties have been invited.
March 15, 6:30 Second Baptist Church. 3300 Broad Rock Blvd. (Old Winn-Dixie).
All concerned are invited to make their voice heard.
A second trip to City Hall on the 22 is planned to present petitions to abolish this grievous burden.

Almost forgot to post this but saw a reminder on Anne Soffee’s Facebook page.
Chris from Loveland will be at Once Upon a Vine, showing everyone how to pour some Guinness mixers for St. Patty’s Day. Black and Tan-Smithwicks and Guinness, Half and Half-Harp and Guinness, Snakebite-Guinness and Cider. I heard unconfirmed rumors that they will be giving away some spoons if you buy some Guinness. If you don’t know what I mean by “spoon” and what that has to do with Guinness you need to get to Once Upon a Vine.

Of course there will be wine as well. Don will be there tasting Via Veneto Pinot Grigio, Casatia Monticello Dolcetto D’Asti, Reverdy Cote du Rhone Blanc and Rogue.

Shout out to Anne who will be at Book People at 5 for a Richmond Noir Open House. In case you didn’t know Anne has a story in Richmond Noir and you should check it out. It is on my list.

From an email I received;

Early this morning at 3:45am (3/12/10) I heard three gun shots outside of my apartment near the Ashton Square apartments and called 911 immediately. They sent cops out to investigate. The gun sounded like a small handgun – a revolver perhaps – there was a slight two second pause between the second and third shot. It had that distinct “crack” – not much of an echo. It sounded loud enough to be less than a block away.

I was sound asleep and the first shot woke me up and made my cats jump out of bed. Then I heard the other two. I looked out the window for a little while but I didn’t see or hear anything more after that. No screams – no talking. My window was open the entire night last night – so it sounded even louder.

This has happened before – the last time I heard eight rounds, sounded more like a gun with a clip. The rounds shot were closer together that time – and that was earlier in the fall maybe around midnight and the sound was definitely farther away that time.

In both cases – cops came around to investigate but I’ve not heard of anything that came of it – never ended up on the news.

Do you know if anyone else heard the gun last night?

Many anxious parents and curious bystanders attended last night’s lottery held at Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts. The school received 255 applications for 150 spots and the lottery was held to establish a ranking for the applications filed. Starting with 5th grade and working down, City Council President Kathy Graziano spun the bingo hopper for 5th-3rd  grades, and State Secretary of Education, Gerard Robinson took over those honors for 2nd through kindergarten.

As might be expected, there were many more applications for the lower grades, and there were emotional outcries as some children’s lottery numbers were called. Parents, whether they attended the lottery or not, will receive letters by March 20 letting them now of their spot in the classroom or on a waiting list.

You can see some news footage and reportage here:

CBS 6

NBC 12

Richmond Times-Dispatch

JB Fisher Elementary PTA is deep into planning for it’s its annual Flamingo Fest. You may remember it as the Flamingo 5K,; they’ve just tweaked the name to more accurately portray all the events of the day. This year the event will be held May 22nd and will include the 5kK race,; a carnival,; silent auction,; and, new for this year, a used book sale and craft show. If you’re interested in donating an item to the auction, participating in the craft show, or sponsoring the 5kK, click through to whole article. Read more >