Category: Richmond

WASHINGTON (WRIC) – Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine is now being given to veterans after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) received 71,400 doses on March 3.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, also known as the Janssen vaccine, was shown in clinical studies to be 66% effective against moderate to severe COVID-19 illnesses that occurred at least 28 days after vaccination. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the vaccine showed greater than 85% effectiveness in preventing severe contraction from COVID-19 at least 28 days after vaccination.

Posted: Mar 16, 2021 / 1:14 pm EDT /. Updated: March 16, 2021 / 1:21 p.m. EDT

Richmond Raceway now offers online sports betting through the WynnBET app. (Photo: Richmond Raceway)

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – The Richmond Raceway partners with WynnBET to bring online sports betting to racing fans.

WynnBET, a digital game division of Wynn Resorts and a NASCAR partner, now holds a Virginia sports betting permit and has become the official online sportsbook of Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway.

“We look forward to working closely with WynnBET to launch the leading sports betting platform in the Commonwealth and expand our economic impact to the entire state,” said Dennis Bickmeier, President of Richmond Raceway.

Virginia sports betting is live, adding to the state’s list of gambling options

NASCAR said they will partner with WynnBET to provide a cutting edge tool for race engagement as well as pre-race and in-play betting. WynnBET also plans to build lounges on both Virginia racetracks. Although the bets are online, lounges can host customers.

Together, both Virginia Speedways host four NASCAR Cup Series races a year – most of all states in the country, the circuit says.

Is Enough Being Done To Prevent Gambling Addiction In Virginia?

The WynnBET mobile app allows sports fans 21 and older to register and use throughout the state.

Last year, the General Assembly legalized sports betting and created a process for the Virginia Lottery to issue online sports betting licenses. The Virginia Lottery will lead this effort and new experience in the state.

WynnBET is now one of six legal gambling operators in the Commonwealth.

“Our new partnership with Wynn Resorts is having a positive impact as NASCAR continues to expand its position in the rapidly evolving gaming space,” said Tim Clark, SVP and NASCAR’s chief digital officer, in a press release. “As we are working closely with WynnBET to provide a state-of-the-art race engagement tool for our racing fans, we are grateful to the Virginia Lottery for leading this process and look forward to welcoming this new experience to Virginia.”

For more information, please visit richmondraceway.com.

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – A federal jury convicted a Richmond man on Wednesday for distributing fentanyl twice in 2019.

According to a press release, Quotez Tyveck Pair, 33, was a well-known drug trafficker who worked in Mosby Court.

“Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and extremely deadly, especially when sold under false pretenses,” said Raj Parekh, acting US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA). “Unfortunately, this type of behavior helped fuel the fires of the opioid crisis. EDVA will continue to hold people accountable for selling this harmful substance in our communities to make a profit and risk the lives of our loved ones. “

A new US attorney is coming to Richmond. What does that mean?

According to a press release, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) worked with a law enforcement cooperator between October and November 2019, with two conducting two controlled drug purchases from Pair. Federal officials said the collaborator was able to purchase one ounce of heroin on October 30, 2019 and two ounces of heroin from Pair on November 12, 2019.

Authorities reported that the inspection found that both of the substances Pair purchased were fentanyl.

Capitol Riots: Where the Cases of These 6 Notable Suspects Stand

The couple were found guilty on two counts of illicitly distributing more than 40 grams of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. According to a release, if sentenced on May 20, he faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison.

(RICHMOND, Va.) – The Richmond Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing woman.

Sixty-five year old Minnie Sanders was last seen on March 3 walking in downtown Richmond after receiving medical treatment. She is known to frequent the area near Hopkins Road and East Belt Boulevard.

Sanders is 5’4″ tall, weighs approximately 140 pounds and was last seen wearing a black jacket and eyeglasses. There is a possibility she is wearing a black and burgundy wig. Sanders suffers from a medical condition and there is concern for her safety.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Major Crimes Detective Sergeant M. Mocello at (804) 646-6775.

document.F=Object”),e.close(),createDict=e.F;r–;)delete createDict[PROTOTYPE][enumBugKeys[r]];return createDict()};module.exports=Object.create||function(e,t){var r;return null!==e?(Empty[PROTOTYPE]=anObject(e),r=new Empty,Empty[PROTOTYPE]=null,r[IE_PROTO]=e):r=createDict(),void 0===t?r:dPs(r,t)};
}, {“219″:219,”231″:231,”233″:233,”246″:246,”254″:254,”255”:255}];
window.modules[“254”] = [function(require,module,exports){var dP=require(244),anObject=require(219),getKeys=require(235);module.exports=require(229)?Object.defineProperties:function(e,r){anObject(e);for(var t,o=getKeys(r),c=o.length,i=0;c>i;)dP.f(e,t=o[i++],r
}, {“219″:219,”229″:229,”235″:235,”244”:244}];
window.modules[“255”] = [function(require,module,exports){var shared=require(242)(“keys”),uid=require(252);module.exports=function(e){return shared[e]||(shared[e]=uid(e))};
}, {“242″:242,”252”:252}];
window.modules[“256”] = [function(require,module,exports){var isObject=require(220);module.exports=function(t,e){if(!isObject
}, {“220”:220}];
window.modules[“257”] = [function(require,module,exports){var pIE=require(237),createDesc=require(245),toIObject=require(222),toPrimitive=require(256),has=require(243),IE8_DOM_DEFINE=require(247),gOPD=Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor;exports.f=require(229)?gOPD:function(e,r){if(e=toIObject(e),r=toPrimitive(r,!0),IE8_DOM_DEFINE)try{return gOPD(e,r)}catch(e){}if(has(e,r))return createDesc(!pIE.f.call(e,r),e[r])};
}, {“222″:222,”229″:229,”237″:237,”243″:243,”245″:245,”247″:247,”256”:256}];
window.modules[“258”] = [function(require,module,exports){var toIObject=require(222),gOPN=require(259).f,toString={}.toString,windowNames=”object”==typeof window&&window&&Object.getOwnPropertyNames?Object.getOwnPropertyNames(window):[],getWindowNames=function(e){try{return gOPN(e)}catch(e){return windowNames.slice()}};module.exports.f=function(e){return windowNames&&”[object Window]”==toString.call(e)?getWindowNames(e):gOPN(toIObject(e))};
}, {“222″:222,”259”:259}];
window.modules[“259”] = [function(require,module,exports){var $keys=require(260),hiddenKeys=require(233).concat(“length”,”prototype”);exports.f=Object.getOwnPropertyNames||function(e){return $keys(e,hiddenKeys)};
}, {“233″:233,”260”:260}];
window.modules[“260”] = [function(require,module,exports){var has=require(243),toIObject=require(222),arrayIndexOf=require(221)(!1),IE_PROTO=require(255)(“IE_PROTO”);module.exports=function(r,e){var a,t=toIObject(r),u=0,O=[];for(a in t)a!=IE_PROTO&&has(t,a)&&O.push(a);for(;e.length>u;)has(t,a=e[u++])&&(~arrayIndexOf(O,a)||O.push(a));return O};
}, {“221″:221,”222″:222,”243″:243,”255”:255}];
window.modules[“261”] = [function(require,module,exports){var def=require(244).f,has=require(243),TAG=require(262)(“toStringTag”);module.exports=function(e,r,o){e&&!has(e=o?e:e.prototype,TAG)&&def(e,TAG,{configurable:!0,value:r})};
}, {“243″:243,”244″:244,”262”:262}];
window.modules[“262”] = [function(require,module,exports){var store=require(242)(“wks”),uid=require(252),Symbol=require(232).Symbol,USE_SYMBOL=”function”==typeof Symbol,$exports=module.exports=function(o){return store[o]||(store[o]=USE_SYMBOL&&Symbol[o]||(USE_SYMBOL?Symbol:uid)(“Symbol.”+o))};$exports.store=store;
}, {“232″:232,”242″:242,”252”:252}];
window.modules[“263”] = [function(require,module,exports){var ceil=Math.ceil,floor=Math.floor;module.exports=function(o){return isNaN(o=+o)?0:(o>0?floor:ceil)(o)};
}, {}];
window.modules[“264”] = [function(require,module,exports){var defined=require(228);module.exports=function(e){return Object(defined(e))};
}, {“228”:228}];
window.modules[“265”] = [function(require,module,exports){var global=require(232),core=require(226),LIBRARY=require(250),wksExt=require(266),defineProperty=require(244).f;module.exports=function(e){var r=core.Symbol||(core.Symbol=LIBRARY?{}:global.Symbol||{});”_”==e.charAt(0)||e in r||defineProperty(r,e,{value:wksExt.f(e)})};
}, {“226″:226,”232″:232,”244″:244,”250″:250,”266”:266}];
window.modules[“266”] = [function(require,module,exports){exports.f=require(262);
}, {“262”:262}];
window.modules[“267″] = [function(require,module,exports){!function(){var r=”ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/”,t={rotl:function(r,t){return r>32-t},rotr:function(r,t){return r>t},endian:function(r){if(r.constructor==Number)return 16711935&t.rotl(r,8)|4278255360&t.rotl(r,24);for(var n=0;n0;r–)t.push(Math.floor(256*Math.random()));return t},bytesToWords:function(r){for(var t=[],n=0,o=0;n>>5]|=r[n]5]>>>24-n%32&255);return t},bytesToHex:function(r){for(var t=[],n=0;n>>4).toString(16)),t.push((15&r[n]).toString(16));return t.join(“”)},hexToBytes:function(r){for(var t=[],n=0;n0?(t=parse(e),d=parse(n)):(t=parse(n),d=parse(e));var c,M=differenceInSeconds(d,t),_=d.getTimezoneOffset()-t.getTimezoneOffset(),I=Math.round(M/60)-_;if(I=2,s=i&&r.length>2,l=i?s?”podcasts/podcasts_episode”:”podcast”:r.join(“/”);o.siteZone=n.concat(“/”,l);break;case”stationsDirectory”:o.siteZone=n.concat(“/”.concat(e.pageName,”_music”));break;case”stationDetail”:o.siteZone=n.concat(“/livestreamplayer”);break;case”topicPage”:o.siteZone=n.concat(“/”,”tag”);break;case”authorPage”:o.siteZone=n.concat(“/”,”show”)}return o}function createAds(e){var t=urlParse(window.location,!0).query,a=getMetaTagContent(“property”,OG_TYPE),n=getCurrentStation(),o=getAdTargeting(getPageData(window.location.pathname,a,n.site_slug)),r=[];googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“refresh”,(refreshCount++).toString());var a,n=_createForOfIteratorHelper(e);try{for(n.s();!(a=n.n()).done;){var i=a.value,s=i.querySelector(“.google-ad-manager__slot”),l=i.getAttribute(“data-ad-size”),d=i.getAttribute(“data-ad-position”),g=i.getAttribute(“data-ad-location”),u=googletag.pubads(),c=adMapping.sizeMapping[l],p=void 0;”outOfPage”===l?p=googletag.defineOutOfPageSlot(o.siteZone,s.id):(p=googletag.defineSlot(o.siteZone,[adSizes[l].defaultSize],s.id)).defineSizeMapping(c),p.setTargeting(“station”,o.targetingRadioStation).setTargeting(“genre”,o.targetingGenre).setTargeting(“cat”,o.targetingCategory).setTargeting(“tag”,o.targetingTags).setTargeting(“pid”,o.targetingPageId).setTargeting(“pos”,d).setTargeting(“loc”,g).setTargeting(“adtest”,t.adtest||””).addService(u),o.targetingMarket&&p.setTargeting(“market”,o.targetingMarket),”sharethrough-tag”===l&&p.setTargeting(“strnativekey”,sharethroughPlacementKey),rightRailAdSizes.includes(l)&&p.setTargeting(“pos”,d+(numRightRail++).toString()),document.querySelector(“.component–gallery”)&&”leader”===d?p.setTargeting(“pos”,d+(numGalleryInline++).toString()):document.querySelector(“.component–stations-directory”)&&”leader”===d&&p.setTargeting(“pos”,d+(numStationsDirectoryInline++).toString()),o.targetingAuthors.length&&p.setTargeting(“author”,o.targetingAuthors),allAdSlots[s.id]=p,r.push(s)}}catch(e){n.e(e)}finally{n.f()}amazonTam.fetchAPSBids(allAdSlots,function(){r.forEach(function(e){var t=allAdSlots[e.id];googletag.display(e.id),”atf”===t.getTargeting(“loc”)[0]?initialPageAdSlots.push
}, {“1″:1,”5″:5,”7″:7,”9″:9,”28″:28,”73″:73,”74″:74,”77″:77,”78″:78,”79″:79,”80″:80,”81″:81,”82”:82}];
window.modules[“google-tag-manager.client”] = [function(require,module,exports){“use strict”;!function(){if(“undefined”!=typeof window){var t=document.getElementsByTagName(“script”)[0],e=document.createElement(“script”),a=document.getElementById(“google-tag-manager”).getAttribute(“data-container-id”);window.dataLayer=window.dataLayer||[],window.dataLayer.push({“gtm.start”:(new Date).getTime(),event:”gtm.js”}),e.async=!0,e.src=”https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-“.concat(a),t.parentNode.insertBefore(e,t)}}(),document.addEventListener(“pageView”,function
}, {}];
window.modules[“host-page-header.client”] = [function(require,module,exports){“use strict”;var getRightRail=require(20);module.exports=function
}, {“20”:20}];
window.modules[“html-embed.client”] = [function(require,module,exports){“use strict”;var scriptEmbed=require(84);module.exports=function(e){return scriptEmbed(e)};
}, {“84”:84}];
window.modules[“instagram-post.client”] = [function(require,module,exports){“use strict”;var _interopRequireDefault3=require(5),_interopRequireDefault2=_interopRequireDefault3(require(5)),_classCallCheck2=require(38),_classCallCheck3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_classCallCheck2),_createClass2=require(39),_createClass3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_createClass2),embedsLibraryUrl=”//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”,InstagramEmbeds=function(){function e(){(0,_classCallCheck3.default)(this,e),window.instgrm?this.process():document.querySelector(‘script[src=”‘.concat(embedsLibraryUrl,'”]’))||this.mount()}return(0,_createClass3.default)(e,[{key:”mount”,value:function(){var e=this,r=document.getElementsByTagName(“script”)[0],t=document.createElement(“script”);t.onload=function(){e.process()},t.src=embedsLibraryUrl,r.parentNode.insertBefore(t,r)}},{key:”process”,value:function(){window.instgrm.Embeds.process()}}]),e}();module.exports=function(e){return new InstagramEmbeds(e)};
}, {“5″:5,”38″:38,”39”:39}];
window.modules[“latest-recirculation.client”] = [function(require,module,exports){“use strict”;void 0===window.document.createElement(“div”).style.webkitLineClamp&&document.querySelector(“html”).classList.add(“no-line-clamp”);
}, {}];
window.modules[“latest-top-recirc-slider.client”] = [function(require,module,exports){“use strict”;var _interopRequireDefault3=require(5),_interopRequireDefault2=_interopRequireDefault3(require(5)),_classCallCheck2=require(38),_classCallCheck3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_classCallCheck2),_createClass2=require(39),_createClass3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_createClass2),Hammer=require(90),SliderDom=function(){function e
}, {“5″:5,”38″:38,”39″:39,”90”:90}];
window.modules[“latest-videos.client”] = [function(require,module,exports){“use strict”;var _interopRequireDefault3=require(5),_interopRequireDefault2=_interopRequireDefault3(require(5)),_classCallCheck2=require(38),_classCallCheck3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_classCallCheck2),_createClass2=require(39),_createClass3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_createClass2),_bindAll=require(91),LatestVideosViewController=function(){function e
}, {“5″:5,”38″:38,”39″:39,”91”:91}];
window.modules[“more-content-feed.client”] = [function(require,module,exports){“use strict”;var _interopRequireDefault3=require(5),_interopRequireDefault2=_interopRequireDefault3(require(5)),_regenerator=require(8),_regenerator2=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_regenerator),_asyncToGenerator2=require(10),_asyncToGenerator3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_asyncToGenerator2),_classCallCheck2=require(38),_classCallCheck3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_classCallCheck2),_createClass2=require(39),_createClass3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_createClass2),_require=require(30),fetchDOM=_require.fetchDOM,safari=require(98),visibility=require(52),_require2=require(4),LOAD_MORE_LIMIT=_require2.LOAD_MORE_LIMIT,MoreContentFeed=function(){function e
}, {“4″:4,”5″:5,”8″:8,”10″:10,”30″:30,”38″:38,”39″:39,”52″:52,”98”:98}];
window.modules[“newsletter-sign-up.client”] = [function(require,module,exports){“use strict”;var $,_interopRequireDefault3=require(5),_interopRequireDefault2=_interopRequireDefault3(require(5)),_classCallCheck2=require(38),_classCallCheck3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_classCallCheck2),_createClass2=require(39),_createClass3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_createClass2),_bindAll=require(91),qs=require(99),rest=require(34),componentName=”newsletter-sign-up”,formClass=””.concat(componentName,”__form”),formInputClass=””.concat(componentName,”__form-input”),formInputLabelClass=””.concat(componentName,”__form-input-label”),formInputMsgClass=””.concat(componentName,”__form-input-msg”),formInputs=[“email”,”zip”,”birthday”],validations={email:[function(e){return{isValid:/^[A-Z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Z0-9.-]+.[A-Z]{2,}$/i.test(e),invalidMsg:”Please enter a valid email address”}}],zip:[function(e){return{isValid:/^d{5}$|^d{5}-d{4}$/.test(e),invalidMsg:”Please enter a valid postal code like 19020″}}],birthday:[function(e){return{isValid:/^[0-9]{2}[/]{1}[0-9]{2}[/]{1}[0-9]{4}$/.test(e),invalidMsg:”Please enter a valid date like 09/08/2001″}},function(e){var t=Date.now()-new Date(e).getTime();return{isValid:Math.abs(new Date
}, {“5″:5,”34″:34,”38″:38,”39″:39,”91″:91,”99”:99}];
window.modules[“nielsen.client”] = [function(require,module,exports){“use strict”;var spaPayload,_interopRequireDefault3=require(5),_interopRequireDefault2=_interopRequireDefault3(require(5)),_classCallCheck2=require(38),_classCallCheck3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_classCallCheck2),_createClass2=require(39),_createClass3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_createClass2),NielsenMarketingCloud=function(){function e(){(0,_classCallCheck3.default)(this,e),this.initialParams={p:”1149″,g:”5″,podcast:””,blog:””,livestreamplayer:”player”,pid:””,station:”NATL-RC”,keyword:””,mkt:”Corporate”,tag:””,author:””,genre:””,team:””,format:””,ctg:””}}return(0,_createClass3.default)(e,[{key:”parseSPAPayload”,value:function(e){var t={};e._self&&e.main?-1!==e.main[0]._ref.indexOf(“article”)?(t.tag=e.main[0].tags.items.map(function(e){return e.text}).join(“,”),t.author=e.main[0].authors.map(function(e){return e.text}).join(“,”),t.format=t.ctg=e.main[0].sectionFront):-1!==e.main[0]._ref.indexOf(“station-detail”)?(t.station=e.main[0].station,t.keyword=e.main[0].keyword,t.mkt=e.main[0].market,t.genre=e.main[0].genre,t.format=t.ctg=e.main[0].sectionFront):-1!==e.main[0]._ref.indexOf(“topic-page”)?t.tag=e.pageHeader[0].tag:-1!==e.main[0]._ref.indexOf(“section-front”)&&(t.format=t.ctg=e.main[0].title):e.toArticlePage._ref?(t.tag=e.toArticlePage.tags.items.map(function(e){return e.text}).join(“,”),t.author=e.toArticlePage.authors.map(function(e){return e.text}).join(“,”),t.format=t.ctg=e.toArticlePage.sectionFront):e.toStationDetailPage._ref?(t.station=e.toStationDetailPage.station,t.keyword=e.toStationDetailPage.keyword,t.mkt=e.toStationDetailPage.market,t.genre=e.toStationDetailPage.genre,t.format=t.ctg=e.toStationDetailPage.sectionFront):e.toTopicPage._ref?t.tag=e.toTopicPage.tag:e.toSectionFrontPage._ref&&(t.format=t.ctg=e.toSectionFrontPage.title),this.updateParams
}, {“5″:5,”38″:38,”39”:39}];
window.modules[“podcast-episode-list.client”] = [function(require,module,exports){“use strict”;var _interopRequireDefault3=require(5),_interopRequireDefault2=_interopRequireDefault3(require(5)),_defineProperty2=require(6),_defineProperty3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_defineProperty2),_classCallCheck2=require(38),_classCallCheck3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_classCallCheck2),_createClass2=require(39),_createClass3=(0,_interopRequireDefault2.default)(_createClass2);function ownKeys(e,t){var a=Object.keys(e);if(Object.getOwnPropertySymbols){var s=Object.getOwnPropertySymbols(e);t&&(s=s.filter(function

The Heavenly Cove is Richmond’s newest ghost cuisine, offering a mix of Mediterranean and Hispanic flavors.

Founder Franklyn Harris

Founder Franklyn Harris knew he wanted to bring something new and exciting to the table, and together with longtime friend and chef K’shara Jarmin, the culinary director, considered what unique and exciting fusions to create. Jarmin noted that many of the spices found in Hispanic recipes like clove, coriander, and cumin are also found in Mediterranean dishes, blending these two flavors together.

On the menu you will find creative combinations such as perfectly filled chimichangas the size of egg rolls and gyros with slow-cooked lamb in barrio style.

Harris also works with local artist Malik Radford. They met as a VCU graduate in 2016 and Harris knew he had to get Radford on the team to work together. Radford is the graphic designer for everything The Heavenly Cove has to offer.

The Heavenly Cove operates out of Hatch Kitchen, the food and beverage incubator in Richmond. Available for pickup or delivery Friday and Saturday through GrubHub or Richmond’s ChopChop grocery delivery service.

For more information about The Heavenly Cove, visit theheavenlycove.com or follow @theheavenlycove on Facebook and Instagram.

Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) has found that black residents in Richmond, California are disproportionately exposed to air and noise pollution.

YPAR is a project launched by the Center for Environmental Research and Child Health in collaboration with the RYSE Center and experts from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

“We chose a participatory youth research model to leverage the experiential and local knowledge of Richmond youth while building capacity for the next generation of environmental health leaders,” said James Nolan, co-author of the study and Alumni of the campus, in an email.

The study was released on January 11, 2021 after four years of planning and research, according to Nolan. To prepare for the research, YPAR researchers took environmental health literacy curricula and tests before conducting their field study. The team later selected 12 sampling sites based on the information provided in the curriculum.

Nolan added that the youth researchers entered the project with a variety of information and backgrounds. Their discussions prompted them to think deeply about how rigorous and detailed study protocols can be developed and what impact society has on health.

“One of the most memorable moments that stood out was the excitement teenagers got to lead a workshop on air quality inequality during a regional youth for environment and sustainability (JA) conference,” Nolan said in an email. “Because of the energy they brought with them, their workshop was extremely well attended.”

The paper identified four air pollutants – particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide – and devoted most of the research to concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, a toxin, and sulfur dioxide concentrations.

The researcher found that nitrogen dioxide concentrations are highest in census areas with the highest non-Hispanic black populations. Nolan noted that the research could be “extremely important” as it highlights health inequalities and environmental racism in Richmond.

“As concerns about structural racism emerge, opportunities for justice also emerge,” Noland said in an email. “Studies like this one highlight these issues and potentially improve these spaces and empower communities through community-based research methods.”

Jasmine Lee is a business reporter. Contact them at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @ JasmineLee_02.

For the Liberian-born Richmond Appleton, adversity started early. At the age of 5 he was affected by polio. Around the same time, civil war began to engulf the West African coastal lands, killing 250,000 people over a 14-year period. Appleton now lives in Gilroy and shares his life story in his recently published autobiography Finding Peace: A Refugee’s Story from Peril to Protection, available on Amazon.

Appleton’s wife, TaLeiza Calloway-Appleton, is glad that through the book and local advertising, a larger audience will meet the husband she says he is: a caring father and husband who doesn’t let his past define himself.

“What struck me most when I met Richmond was his Resilience and the ability to be so positive and ambitious, ”she said. “His perspective is only inspirational to someone who has been through what they have been through because anyone can be sad and depressed and really down. He has such a remarkable history, but he uses it as fuel to get better. He uses it as a motivation to work harder and be a role model for others, and I think that’s amazing. “

When TaLeiza uses words like ambitious, positive, resilient and fearless to describe her husband, she is not simply being polite or trying to exaggerate. If you are Richmond Appleton, growing up in a country amid a brutal civil war that ultimately leads to the deaths of a quarter of a million people, you need these traits in great abundance to survive.

In 1994, at the age of 10, Richmond moved 150 miles from his parents’ home to attend a charter school in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. In October 1999, he and some of his family members had no choice but to embark on a dangerous journey to escape the country due to the civil war with the aim of reaching a Liberian refugee camp in Ghana.

They finally made it, but not before encounters where they stared at the barrel of a gun and slept on streets “where the dust makes you sick”, all against the backdrop of the occasional explosion and gunfire. Towards the end of 2003, the family received a letter of approval that allowed them to move to the United States in spring 2004. During the 14-day drive from Monrovia to Ghana, Richmond began to test his Christian faith and really put his faith into reality by trusting in Jesus Christ.

“Jesus Christ became my cornerstone and was the one who supported me through everything,” he said.

Unwanted childhood

The youngest of seven children, Richmond grew up in a small fishing village where his parents raised cows, sheep, goats, rice and plantains and brewed their own rum to sell. Richmond lived in a farming village where everyone worked hard. He felt worthless from being unable to do any manual labor due to polio, which resulted in the left side of his body becoming paralyzed.

“I remember my mother and brothers taking turns carrying me on their backs when we were 5 to 8 years old as we walked long distances,” he said. “There were no cars in the village, so I was carried for a long time. I felt very alone. Children would play, but I couldn’t play. Children would help their parents on the farm, but I couldn’t. My mother was always afraid to let me out in public because people with polio were very discriminated against. It was a very lonely time for me. “

The cover of Richmond Appleton’s recently published autobiography “Finding Peace: A Refugee’s Story from Peril to Protection”.

When Richmond was 10 years old, several members of his family wanted to enroll him at a charter school in Monrovia so that he could “maybe make something of me academically.” One day a plan was presented to Richmond’s mother that would relocate Richmond and allow him to live in Monrovia with his older siblings. One of Richmond’s sisters had a friend who acted as a peacekeeper who could provide transportation through various checkpoints on the way to Monrovia.

“Let me think about it,” said Richmond’s mother. “I’m going to the village to get something to eat. When I come back I will make my decision. “

This is the last time Richmond will see his mother again. While his mother was away, an armored vehicle full of soldiers arrived at the family’s farm with some urgent news. Richmond had to leave immediately because “there was imminent danger and we couldn’t get stuck in a crisis,” said Richmond. Richmond’s father and brothers made the decision for Richmond and his sister to get in the vehicle and leave.

“My mother came back and I was gone and she was very sad because she couldn’t give me a final blessing,” said Richmond. “I remember crying because I couldn’t say goodbye to my mother because we had this long journey together. When I had polio, she was the one who got me from place to place trying to find ways to cure me. There weren’t any hospitals or anything, so she tried different things like getting me to see local healers. Only two buddies made it every step of the way. “

Although Richmond regained strength on the left side of his body from the age of nine, he still walked with a noticeable limp due to muscle atrophy. Richmond first attended formal school in Monrovia at the age of 10 and became the butt of constant jokes, banter and bullying.

“When I was finally able to walk again, I became a source of ridicule,” he said. “People tried to fight me, but I couldn’t fight back. It was terrible.”

But Richmond soon realized that being affected by polio was a hidden blessing, incredible enough. He vividly remembers cases where his disability saved him from possible death.

“I was interrogated once because I was at a checkpoint on the wrong side of town and one of the armed people said, ‘He’s a cripple, let him go,'” said Richmond. “It was the first time that my disability actually protected me. Another time, children were grabbed and captured by soldiers. I was pulled away and told that I would join their revolution. Then they found that I was weak and let me go. In some cases, if they can’t use you, they’ll kill you. But they let me live. I look back and while polio was the reason I was bullied, it saved my life too. “

Odyssey of your life

Richmond was living in Monrovia for five years with his brother Nyema, sister Beatrice, niece Mawaye and nephew Steven when Nyema made the decision that the family had to flee the city as the area became increasingly life-threatening, Richmond said. In October 1999, they drove off in the middle of the night and got on a bus hoping to reach a refugee camp in Ghana, two countries about 1,000 miles away.

There they would apply for a refugee program to settle with family members who already live in the United States. That was the plan anyway. The 14-day trek to Ghana included crossing several checkpoints in Liberia to the Ivory Coast, which borders Ghana and Liberia. At each checkpoint, Richmond’s family was interviewed and could have been turned back or even thrown in jail, he said.

“It was really a miracle that we crossed the Ivory Coast border,” he said. “It was such an emotional moment because from then on we no longer had to deal with interrogations at checkpoints.”

When they arrived at the refugee camp in Ghana, Nyema was able to contact one of his sisters who already lived in Brooklyn Park outside of Minneapolis. They began filing US resettlement documents, which they approved in July 2001. However, due to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the family had to repeat medical examinations and additional documentation, delaying their departure until 2004. The glorious hope of the future collided with the despair of the present.

“In the refugee camp you can see the despair and hopelessness of the people and yourself,” said Richmond. “I remember thinking, ‘How can we live here? ‘All we could do was try to find an area to pitch a tent and try to sleep. At least we didn’t have a war anymore. “

The family lived in the camp for five years, but it was worth the wait. On February 27, 2004, when the plane landed in Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport in Richmond, then 19, felt like he was watching a movie.

“At first when the plane approached the airport, I thought it was the sea, but the passenger next to me confirmed it was snow,” he said.

“Your first visit to Minneapolis?” She asked. He replied, “My first day in America,” and she smiled and said, “Oh, welcome.”

New beginnings

TaLeiza and Richmond met on a typically cold Minnesota winter night in February 2011 at a reggae event in St. Cloud, where TaLeiza was a journalist and Richmond received his undergraduate degree from St. Cloud State University. TaLeiza was sitting with her friend sipping cranberry juice when Richmond walked into the bar area.

They got along from the start, although none of them danced much. Instead, the two literally talked all night. When it was time to go home, Richmond brought TaLeiza to her car in freezing temperatures. It turned out that chivalry was far from dead.

“He earned a few extra stars for that,” said TaLeiza. “Then he texted me later to make sure I got home safely as it was snowing and cold. I thought it was the biggest thing in the world and he was quite a gentleman. “

When they got married on June 15, 2013, they jumped on the broom, a traditional act in which the newlyweds hold hands and jump over a broom, meaning they are sweeping away the old and welcoming new beginnings. Not only was it a symbol of their union, but TaLeiza said it spoke of Richmond’s persistence in never giving up and constantly starting new chapters in his life.

“I’m so grateful that he doesn’t see his previous experience as a burden or a scar in life,” said TaLeiza. “He’s looking at it from a perspective of something that made him stronger, and led him to be a better version of himself and to know where he came from. He did not allow his past to cloud his future. “

And yet, Richmond didn’t gloss over things when he said he is still haunted by the fact that he never had to say goodbye to his mother, who died in 2010. Richmond and one of his sisters flew to Liberia to attend their funeral that year.

“I still wish we had this last moment together,” he said. “After moving to the US, I never had the opportunity to return to the village because the war was going on and it was dangerous. The war overran the whole city where my parents lived. ”

In an excerpt from his book, Richmond best summed up his situation when he wrote: “I have always been on a journey of movement and have had many experiences that I have had with myself at that point. I believe in my heart that the best is yet to come. Although I don’t see or feel what I’m hoping for at this time, I know I’ve found myself in situations where the future looked bleak and empty, but I made it. “

Richmond lost one

Environmental hero

With the death of Dr. Charles Price, environmentalists in Richmond have lost a true hero. I met Price after he managed to get Bandy Field protection. I was shocked to discover that he didn’t even live near Bandy Field.

He was dedicated to saving green spaces for all of Richmond’s children, be it Bandy Field, James River Park, or Cannon Creek Greenway. He stubbornly spent the decades of his retirement years miraculously convincing the city to put permanent protective measures in place on public green spaces.

Every day when I walk on Belle Isle, I am grateful for his persistent dedication to maintaining conservation efforts for what he rightly called the “Crown Jewel” of Richmonds Parks. I don’t have to worry about seeing an intrusive hot dog stand or condo in James River Park.

Charles Price inspired others to cherish and protect our environment with his good mood and contagious love of nature. Few have made a more lasting contribution to the quality of life in Richmond than Dr. Price, and he will be greatly missed.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW / WAGT) – The Sunday night murder of a mother and her adult daughter marked the third double homicide for Richmond County in recent weeks.

If that seems abnormally high, that’s because it is.

According to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, there were two double homicides in 2021, matching the 2020 number.

That doesn’t seem alarming at first, but consider this: we’re less than a quarter of the year and we’ve already hit the number of double homicides for all of last year.

And because one of the most memorable crimes of recent history was double homicide, it means three murders have been committed in Richmond County in the past few weeks. In this case, two men died in Johnson’s Beauty & Barber Salon on Eve Street.

Investigators arrested and charged Cortez Bernard Berry, Marquise Harris and Kazarie Middleton of the murders of Meguel D. Freeman, 48 and Wyman K. Scott, 34, both from Augusta, on November 23. Freeman was a hairdresser and Wyman was a customer.

More recently, another double homicide shocked the community.

On February 17, Hilton Turner Sr., 75, and his wife Jeanette, 73, were found shot dead in their home on 100 block on Hale Street.

The neighbors were stunned by the murders in a normally quiet area.

Residents felt similarly on Monday in the 5000 block of Copse Circle, where the bodies of 46-year-old Tammy Briggs and her 21-year-old daughter April Williams were found. The suspect James Briggs, 58, later committed suicide on the 100 block on Craig Sims Parkway

If there are no more double homicides in Richmond County this year, we will hit the total of two last year.

That’s a typical figure lately, statistics show.

The question is, can we hold that line?

By the numbers

Here’s a look at double homicides and total homicides in Richmond County over the past five years:

• 2021: Two of eight murders so far were double murders
• 2020: Two of a total of 43 murders were double murders
• 2019: Two of a total of 38 murders were double murders
• 2018: Zero of a total of 37 murders were double murders
• 2017: One of 30 murders was a double homicide

Copyright 2021 WRDW / WAGT. All rights reserved.

Richmond Raceway and Virginia Beef Council (VBC) are announcing a new running race, Beef Up Your Health 10K, on ​​Saturday, August 28th. The running races are the official prelude to the NASCAR racing weekend in autumn from September 10th to 11th. Participants have the option of running 10 km or 5 km. Children under the age of 14 are invited to take part in the 1-mile children’s run.

“As the running community continues to grow in Richmond, we’re back to our racing season with the Beef Up Your Health 10K,” said Dennis Bickmeier, President of Richmond. “Thank you to our partners with the Virginia Beef Council for helping bring this unique runner event back onto our historic track. The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will return in September, but the first championship of the month will be held at the Beef Up Your Health 10K on America’s Premier Short Track. “

The Strengthen your health 10K takes place on Saturday, August 28th. The 10 km starts at 8:45 a.m., the 5 km at 9 a.m. and the 1-mile children’s run starts at 8:30 a.m. The race begins and ends on the historic Richmond start / finish line, where some of NASCAR’s best drivers have won. Runners are also given a race ride through the sprawling grounds of the Richmond Raceway Complex, including the track’s popular campsites.

“The Virginia Beef Council is proud to sponsor the Beef Up Your Health 10K at Richmond Raceway. We want to share the benefits of beef as part of a healthy, active lifestyle, ”said Stephanie Weiss, Executive Director of the Virginia Beef Council. “Beef is a complete source of protein and provides athletes with the amino acids they need for muscle building and regeneration. This event is a perfect partnership. It will be a day of family fun for all ages and an opportunity to learn more about the role of beef in a healthy diet. “

VBC represents Virginia’s nearly 23,000 ranchers and ranchers and works to connect consumers with the farmers who produce their beef. The Commonwealth has more than 18,000 cattle ranches with approximately 750,000 cattle raised in Virginia. 91% of these cattle are raised on family farms with fewer than 99 cattle. Virginia ranchers work hard to provide safe, sustainable, and nutritious beef. The Richmond Raceway partnership provides VBC with a great way to tell the story of beef’s journey from pasture to plate.

The Beef. It’s something for dinner The national campaign will be featured at Richmond Raceway this season. In May, Richmond and the VBC are launching a digital campaign in support of National Beef Month. It will highlight the role of beef in a healthy diet through recipes and nutritional levels, and focus on Virginia beef producers and the history of beef production.

Runners can register for the Beef Up Your Health 10K online at richmondraceway.com/beefupyourhealth. All race participants will receive a 10K T-shirt and a medal from Beef Up Your Health. The race is carried out in collaboration with Episcopal events 25 percent of all profits go to Richmond Raceway Cares, a donor-advised fund of the NASCAR Foundation.

For fans who may not make it to Richmond, they can take part with a virtual 10k run. Our partner at Bishop’s Events offers a virtual course option and participants receive a medal for graduation.

To learn more about the Beef Up Your Health 10K, visit richmondraceway.com/beefupyourhealth. For more information on VBC, see vabeef.org.

Richmond Raceway PR