Mayor Dwight C. Jones issued the following statement today on the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. “My heart holds deep regret and sorrow as I learned of the tragedy in Connecticut today. On behalf of the entire Richmond community, I offer my sincerest condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims as well as to all of those affected by this tragedy. This type of nonsensical attack, as well as the recent Oregon shopping mall tragedy, are occurrences that can take an enormous toll on a community. It is my hope that we will one day live in a world that is without horrific events such as these.”

Mayor Dwight C. Jones issued the following statement concerning the CAA Men’s Basketball Championships move to Baltimore for the 2014-2016 seasons: “Richmond provided a robust and competitive bid for the 2014-2016 CAA Tournament. However, after a long and successful history in Richmond, the CAA has notified the City that they will be moving to Baltimore following the 2013 season. We understand the move to be the result of conference realignments that have shifted the fan base of the tournament. With the changing landscape of the conference and the loss of two local prominent universities, it appears that the move to Baltimore fits the tournaments’ long term goals at this time. “We have had a great partnership for twenty-four years with the CAA and have shared many successes. We wish the CAA well and thank them for the long history. With respect to what’s on the city’s horizon related to our Coliseum operations, our perspective is that when one door closes, another opens. Even with CAA

Mayor Dwight C. Jones will be joined by Capital One executives to announce the launch of the Building Better Businesses…Steps to Success Mentorship Program. The City of Richmond and Capital One will introduce the 2012-2013 protégés of the program, which is designed to provide mentoring in the areas of finance, technical expertise, marketing, and operations. Capital One has graduated over 60 regional businesses from similar mentoring programs in other states.  The City of Richmond selected ten businesses, located in the city of Richmond, for the 12 month program following an application and interview process. Capital One then chose a mentor to assign to each company based on their unique needs. The selected participants are all community-based minority- and women-owned businesses. Virginia Union University will support the program with the placement of interns in the selected businesses. WHO:             Mayor Dwight C. Jones                         Ed Maino , VP Procureme

Press Secretary Tammy D. Hawley provided the following statement today concerning the Richmond Department of Social Services: “The City Administration has reached a mutual agreement with Dr. Carolyn Graham, deputy chief administrative officer for Human Services, regarding her departure from city service.  Dr. Graham’s last official day in the office was Friday, December 7, 2012.  Dr. Graham will be working with city leadership over the next few weeks to provide a transition plan for many of the important projects for which she had oversight responsibility. The City’s chief administrative officer, Byron Marshall, will serve as acting deputy chief administrative officer for Human Services until another interim deputy is named. “The City remains focused on the ongoing review of the Richmond Department of Social Services (RDSS) Child Welfare division. At our request, the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) is continuing to review additional case files following the init