Connecticut, or The Giant, as my kids like to call him, is the large, Native American sculpture which currently resides at The Diamond. Since the Flying Squirrels are coming to town, there’s a need to find Connecticut a new home. (btw – you can try out to be the new mascot this Saturday, along with other job opportunities – see website)
The Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which owns the Diamond, is accepting proposals through Jan. 29th in order to find a good place for relocation.
From the RTD article:
Paul DiPasquale, who still owns the sculpture’s copyright, said he wants it to remain a visible tribute to the area’s original settlers.
He said the piece ideally would sit on a two to six-story building with a flat roof and said he has talked informally with representatives of the Plant Zero art center in South Richmond’s Manchester.
Any ideas about where to put Connecticut? What do you even think of the sculpture? Racist, or a nod to our city’s heritage?
Open enrollment is the process by which parents can choose schools outside of their zones for their children to attend. At William Fox Elementary School for example, just under 50% of the students reside outside of the zone.
Currently, if you live within the city limits and want to attend a school other than your home school, you can request three choices. But, Richmond Public Schools is considering limiting the requests to two per child. The reason for this is to help streamline the process.
RTD article here
Drove past Verbena around 8 last night and all the lights were off. Is this a bad sign? Also, their website looks to no longer be active. If this does mean the demise of Verbena, that’s too bad, I had a yummy meal there and I was looking forward to trying it again.
UPDATE from Style:
Verbena: The once-bustling, upscale restaurant at Floyd and Robinson streets also closed Jan.1, though the brand may reappear somewhere else in the future. Commercial filmmaker and Fan resident Sunny Zhao is preparing to purchase the property and will reopen it next month as Fan House. The space will be reconfigured with a big bar downstairs and an East-meets-West menu with ideas collected on Zhao’s world travels.
(thanks for tip FanGuy)
HandsOn Greater Richmond’s MLK Service Day:
This year there are 21 projects on January 18th ranging from making a PSA, building dressers, and painting a computer lab, to assisting with activities at an afterschool program.
To register, visit the website.
Various outlets, including the RTD, are reporting the news that John Venuti is leaving the Richmond Police Department after 25 years to take the helm at VCU’s Police Department.
The best quote from the article comes from Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Learned Barry, who prosecutes city homicides.
“VCU is right in the heart of the city, and now they have a real police chief.”
Let’s hope Venuti finishes up his bachelor’s degree soon (not because it seems essential for police work but because Richmond has had enough degree drama among its law enforcement personnel).
VCU’s is one of the largest university departments in the nation with 82 sworn officers and 200 security personnel. But can anyone explain (and this is a serious question) what is the jurisdiction/authority of VCU cops?
RPD is reporting an attempted robbery at 3:10 am, January 11th:
600 block of North Meadow Street (between Monument and Grace): a female reported she was assaulted by an unknown male who tried to rob her.
Sorry about the late notice, but you can bring your Christmas tree (if you still have it) to the Parker field annex to be turned into mulch.
More info in the RTD article.
“The city is inviting residents of surrounding jurisdictions to bring their Christmas trees for recycling, and asking for volunteers from Richmond public middle and high schools. Six cadets from John Marshall High School already have volunteered, the city said.
In addition to this weekend’s event, residents can drop off their trees for recycling anytime this week at the East Richmond Convenience Center at 3800 E. Richmond Road, and the Richmond Southside Transfer Station at 3520 N. Hopkins Road.”
Since we’ve talked a lot about graffiti here I figured it might be worthwhile to see some tips from the cops (most notably environmental officer Claude Picard) who are fighting graffiti in the Fan.
1) Spray Paint can rattles – It’s a very distinct metallic rattle sound that is created when a person shakes a spray paint can. Small metal or plastic “peas” are added to spray paint cans to help mix the paint during the shaking process. If this sound is heard, especially in the alleys, please call us so we can investigate. ”Taggers” are they are often called carry their cans in backpacks which you might be able to hear “clanking” as they are walking down the alley or street.
2) If you see anyone stopping intermittently in the alleys for unknown reasons. This may be a sign they are walking, stopping, spray painting, and then moving on to their next target.
3) If you see anyone hiding/ducking from passing vehicles and then returning to a particular area this may be a sign they are tagging a building or vehicle (or breaking into vehicles). A “tagger” may also have his face partially covered and using a second person as a lookout.
4) It is believed that spray paint tags occur in the early morning hours.
The Second Friday Sampler at the Visual Arts Center offers two free one hour workshops from 7-9pm, on Friday, January 8th. This month offers workshops in Clay Wheel Throwing and Cyanotypes!
Call 353-0094 for more details.
The Department of Public Utilities wants you to watch this new video about natural gas and its rotten egg smell.
In related news, I now have my costume for Halloween 2010 figured out. . .
