Tag: Jon Baliles
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Sanctuary Sell-Out
by Jon Baliles If you time warp all the way back to early 2017 (which on some days seems like 30 years ago), then-newly-sworn-in Mayor Levar Stoney issued a directive that Richmond would be a sanctuary city in opposition to then-newly-sworn-in President Trump’s executive orders on immigration (that were later struck down). Many cities across…
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Now It’s Time to Get It Right
by Jon Baliles We can all take some comfort in the fact that Police Chief Gerald Smith has resigned, not because there is comfort in someone else’s downfall, but rather it gives the city a chance to start over with new leadership in public safety and repair the damage that has been done. Smith did…
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“The City Is Shaming Itself”
by Jon Baliles It was cold at night this week but not as cold as it will soon get, and a warming trend over the next week looks likely (never trust the weather forecast more than 48 hours in advance). That is good news for those who seek a warm place to sleep at night,…
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Safety and Accountability
by Jon Baliles Richmond City Council approved plans earlier this week for a Civilian Review Board (CRB) for the Police Department that left people on all sides a bit upset, which fulfills one of the telltale signs of good legislation — if everyone is a little bit upset, then it is probably done right. If…
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Embarrassing Non-Action
by John Baliles The EnRichmond saga continues and it’s not a good read. In fact, it’s pretty awful. To recap, the EnRichmond Foundation was founded in the early 1990s and had grown to support more than 80 small, local, all-volunteer groups that worked to help Richmond in various ways, many of which focused on keeping…
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Richmond Pols Flapping Jaws About Crime
by Jon Baliles If this were an election year and the crime we are currently experiencing was occurring the way it is, then you would have outrage and brimstone from politicians, and promises to combat and reduce crime and find the perpetrators. In the last three weeks, three teenagers have been shot. One was killed…
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Boiling Blood, Aching Heart
by Jon Baliles This appalling story will make your blood boil with rage and your heart ache with sadness, followed by gratitude for those that work to defend the defenseless. I have said before and again reiterate that people who abuse helpless animals deserve and hopefully receive a non-stop express ticket to hell. I’ll put…
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Complete and Total Incompetence & Negligence
by Jon Baliles There can be no more fitting title for this post than this jaw-dropping, migraine-inducing story from Tyler Lane at CBS6 about the repeated warning signs about fire safety that were not only missed — but flat out ignored — by Richmond Public Schools (RPS) officials in 2020 and 2021, which culminated in…
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Richmond Tax Assessments: Through the Roof
by Jon Baliles One story you will be hearing about and living through in the next week or so (if you live in the City) is that the new assessment notifications are arriving in people’s mailboxes. And they are literally though the roof. Some areas are up from 18% in the Westover Hills area and…
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Was Richmond’s Gun BuyBack Program a Success?
by Jon Baliles By most accounts, the city’s gun buyback event on August 20th was a success. The city spent $67,500 in gift cards to 160 people who turned in 475 firearms, and then had to shut down even though there were more people in line. Organizers with the Robby Poblete Foundation said they are…
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The Next Memorial or the Next Boondoggle?
by Jon Baliles The Defenders for Freedom, Justice, and Equality organization is run by Ana Edwards and Phil Wilayto and has been publishing quarterly in Richmond since 2005. This summer’s edition from last week is an eye-opener and sure to cause some needed and welcome discussion. The Defenders published two articles about what is and…
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“Stop with the Drama”
by Jon Baliles It’s hard to try and figure out where to begin to explain the special School Board meeting held earlier this week in the wake of the news that Richmond Public Schools’ SOL scores dropped dramatically. The state Department of Education released every district’s scores and in the wake of the pandemic, Richmond…
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Ranked Choice Voting Coming to Virginia?
by Jon Baliles Now that state and congressional redistricting are done, the non-partisan group OneVirginia2021 that fought for years to bring sensible, fair redistricting to Virginia has rebranded its name and focus. Nonpartisan experts have generally given the resulting legislative congressional maps high marks for partisan fairness even though some unsuccessfully challenged the new maps…
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Sorry Tarheels, Virginia Invented Barbecue
by Jon Baliles Yes, Virginia, it us true, we invented barbecue. Last week my podcast library downloaded the latest episode of Eat It, Virginia, a podcast hosted by Wise and Martin as they welcomed Deb Freeman, a local Richmond rockstar who hosts her own podcast called Setting the Table. Her new-ish series focuses on the…