Samuel Parker

Richmond

Reporter at Richmond Times-Dispatch

Equal opportunity political critic. Peacenik. Cubs fan.

Articles

Plastic bag tax: new levy will see $80K directed to Richmond stores

3 days ago | richmond.com | Samuel Parker

Grocery stores, convenience stores and drugstores will get to keep 20% of the revenue generated by Richmond’s five-cent plastic bag tax, which was approved by City Council on Monday night and will go into effect on Jan. 1. Officials say they expect the tax to generate around $400,000 in revenue during the first year, with stores in Richmond collectively receiving $80,000 of that amount.
City pushes back timeline for repairing broken downtown water main

5 days ago | richmond.com | Samuel Parker

City officials on Monday said they’d hit a snag in repairing the ruptured water main at the intersection of 7th and Canal streets, which was initially scheduled to be completed Monday morning. “There was difficulty in isolating the valve, which prevented completing the repair,” a city spokesperson said in an early Monday morning release.
Emails: City finance employees have worked 4,400 hours of mandatory OT in 2025

5 days ago | richmond.com | Samuel Parker

Staffers in the city’s Department of Finance were required to work overtime during weekday evenings and on weekends for nearly three months, according to email correspondence obtained by The Times-Dispatch. Mira Signer, a spokesperson for Mayor Danny Avula, said employees had collectively worked 4,424 overtime hours in that span.
'Delayed maintenance' caused latest Richmond water crisis, mayor says

1 week ago | dailyprogress.com | Samuel Parker

Richmond Mayor Danny Avula on Thursday afternoon said that “delayed maintenance” of the sedimentation basins in the city’s water treatment plant contributed to the filter clogs that caused Richmond’s second water crisis. Scott Morris, director of the city’s Department of Public Utilities, said a buildup of alum sludge on plates in the basin was the primary factor. Alum sludge is a byproduct of the drinking water purification process.
Richmond man sues city over nearly 70% increase in home assessment

1 week ago | richmond.com | Samuel Parker

When Joseph Jones III first received his real estate assessment from the city, he thought there’d been some sort of error. Since Jones purchased his quaint, brick house on Brookland Parkway in Richmond’s North Side — where he lives with his wife and his two kids — its assessed value had increased between 1% and 13% annually, city real estate records show. In January 2022, officials appraised the home at $421,000 — a fairly standard 6% increase from the prior year.
'Delayed maintenance' caused latest Richmond water crisis, mayor says

1 week ago | newsadvance.com | Samuel Parker

Mayor Danny Avula on Thursday afternoon said that “delayed maintenance” of the sedimentation basins in the city’s water treatment plant contributed to the filter clogs that caused Richmond’s second water crisis. Scott Morris, director of the city’s Department of Public Utilities, said a buildup of alum sludge on plates in the basin was the primary factor. Alum sludge is a byproduct of the drinking water purification process.
Henrico water pressure expected to fluctuate due to water main break in Richmond

1 week ago | richmond.com | Samuel Parker

City officials on Friday morning said a water main break had affected water pressure in parts of Richmond and Henrico County. The main, located at the intersection of 7th and Canal streets, feeds the city's Church Hill water tank. Officials said staffers with the Department of Public Utilities overnight had determined that the process of repairing the rupture would have an impact on water service.
‘Delayed maintenance’ caused latest water crisis in Richmond, mayor says

1 week ago | pilotonline.com | Samuel Parker

Richmond mayor Danny Avula on Thursday afternoon said that “delayed maintenance” of the sedimentation basins in the city’s water treatment plant contributed to the filter clogs that caused Richmond’s second water crisis. Scott Morris, director of Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities, said a buildup of alum sludge on plates in the basin was the primary factor. Alum sludge is a byproduct of the drinking water purification process.
Boil advisory could be lifted early Thursday afternoon

1 week ago | richmond.com | Samuel Parker

With the first test on Richmond’s water supply coming back negative for bacterial contamination late Wednesday night, city officials are on track to lift the boil advisory by “early Thursday afternoon,” a spokesperson said. Officials collected the second sample at around 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, the spokesperson said. Test results take approximately 24 hours to come back.
Richmond officials collect second water sample to test for bacterial contamination

1 week ago | newsadvance.com | Samuel Parker

The clock is ticking on Richmond’s latest water crisis. Richmond officials on Wednesday afternoon said they’d collected a second round of samples from the city’s water supply at 11:30 a.m. to test for bacterial contamination. In order to lift Richmond’s boil advisory, officials must conduct two tests, separated by 16 hours, that both come back negative for harmful contaminants. Officials earlier said they’d collected the first sample on Tuesday evening.