Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham issued the following statement today: We should all be deeply troubled by the shocking events of the last few days, to include the questionable killings of two black men by police officers and the subsequent killings of five police officers in Dallas, Texas. The community and police grieve together this morning. We offer our condolences to all of the families and communities and to law enforcement professionals that have been impacted by these tragic events. There is simply no excuse and no justification for what we’ve all seen transpire. And it is up to all of us to speak up and to come together to make sure events like these do not occur in any community. Everyone, including police, has a right to feel valued and respected. Community protest in the face of injustice is understandable. But police should not be the target. Rather, we must target bad policing where it exists and work to bring about change in that regard....

Mayor Dwight C. Jones presented on June 27 a Triple-Action Investment Plan that grew out of the work of the Multi-Year School Capital Investment Project Evaluation Team that he convened in April of this year. The Project Evaluation Team was charged with charting a funding course for the long-term renovation and construction plans of Richmond Public Schools in a way that would protect the overall funding needs and fiscal integrity of the City. The Team met its goal of completing its review by the end of June. The Triple-Action Investment Plan calls for immediate action of expanding the Governing Debt Policy ceiling from 10% to 12%. This action will expand debt capacity to over $580 million over the next decade, making that borrowing capacity available to the City if the governing body elects to utilize it. At the same time, the City is charged with coupling that action with additional policies; concerning the City’s unassigned fund balance, reserve levels, and equalization polici...

Today at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Richmond was announced as the nation’s 1st Place winner for the Large City Category in the 2016 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards, an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Walmart. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this mayors’ awards program recognizes mayors for their energy and climate protection efforts, selected by an independent panel of judges from a pool of mayoral applicants. New Bedford, MA Mayor Jonathan F. Mitchell won first place in the Small City Category. Click here to watch the live stream of Mayor Jones receiving the award. “Mayors Jon Mitchell and Dwight Jones are both innovators and leaders, showing us how to confront the energy and climate protection challenges before our cities and the nation,” said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, President of The U.S. Conference of Mayors. “As we witnessed in Paris late last year, it is the mayors who are the first responders in ...

~ East Richmond Road landfill is target location for residents’ debris removal efforts ~ City of Richmond crews reported that a total of 711 tons of debris had been removed from City streets since storm recovery efforts began. With the exception of Willow and 2nd streets, all City streets are now passable.  The City’s arborist has begun to measure the storms impact on the existing tree inventory to determine what additional trees may have to be removed for safety. The City’s recovery effort includes code enforcement work. City officials have surveyed hundreds of properties to ensure public safety and are identifying those properties that will require repair. Byrd Park, which initially had been closed due to downed wires and trees, is now open during regular hours. Bryan Park remains closed as clean-up continues in that area. Battery Park Pool remains closed at this time. At Bellevue and Hermitage roads, the traffic signal remains out. Temporary signalization will be in...

The Richmond City Health District advises residents to take precautions regarding their refrigerated and frozen foods as well as their medications and medical supplies during a power outage. If your electrical power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.  The refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4-hours if it is unopened.  A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half-full) if the door remains closed. Frozen foods should be kept well below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and refrigerated foods should be kept below 41 degrees Fahrenheit.  If at any point the food in your refrigerator was above 40ºF for 2-hours or more, it is not safe to eat and you must discard it. If you have medicines such as insulin that require refrigeration you should call your pharmacy to talk about what options are available.  According to product labels from U.S. insulin manufa...

As part of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s leadership of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Outside initiative to engage the next generation of outdoor stewards and inspire millions of young adults to play, learn, serve and work in the great outdoors, Mayor Dwight Jones joined Craig Dorsett, Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior, and Tim Joyce, President & CEO of the YMCA of Greater Richmond today to announce that Richmond has been selected as one of the 50 cities to participate in the nationwide movement. The initiative, funded through a $5 million national commitment by the American Express Foundation, will provide two years of funding for the YMCA of Greater Richmond to help coordinate efforts, facilitate collaboration, grow resources, and increase participation in outdoor programs on all public lands – from local parks to federal lands and waters. “Engaging people of all ages, especially youth, in enjoying...

The James River Park System is the city of Richmond's largest, most unique and best known park. This park system is made up of parks along both sides of the James River as it passes through the city, making Richmond the only urban city in the country with Class IV white water rapids in the middle of downtown. The James River Park System normally receives more than 500,000 visitors a year. As temperatures rise, the City reminds residents and visitors to the park of the many dangers along and within the river as well as those associated with any body of water. Click here or continuing reading below for tips on a safe visit to the park or around any body of water: Ensure that everyone in the family learns to swim well and only swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards. Always swim with a buddy; do not allow anyone to swim alone. Never leave a young child unattended in or near water without adult supervision; teach children to always ask permission to go near or in wat...