Sarah Vogelsong

6 days ago | richmonder.org | Sarah Vogelsong

Of the dozens of buildings owned and operated by the city of Richmond, City Hall, the John Marshall Courts Building and the Main Library have the biggest maintenance backlogs, according to Richmond’s director of general services. Together, those three facilities are responsible for $115.4 million of an overall $295 million the city estimates it’s facing in deferred maintenance on its buildings. That estimate likely undercounts the extent of the need.

1 week ago | richmonder.org | Sarah Vogelsong

The city of Richmond, as well as Henrico, Chesterfield and — curiously — Hanover counties are included on a list of local jurisdictions that President Donald Trump’s administration says are “deliberately and shamefully” refusing to enforce federal immigration laws. The list, in line with an executive order issued by Trump this April, was posted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Thursday night.

1 week ago | richmonder.org | Sarah Vogelsong

2 min Since 2020, Harrison Ruffin Tyler was the last living link to a vanished America. The Richmond resident, preservationist and chemical engineer, a man who founded water treatment company ChemTreat and for whom William & Mary’s history department is named, also had the distinction of being the grandson of a man who became U.S. president in 1841. As long as he lived, much of the great sweep of American history could be contained in just three generations of memory.

2 weeks ago | richmonder.org | Sarah Vogelsong

A wide-ranging plan for identifying and preserving historically and culturally significant buildings, neighborhoods and sites around Richmond ran into headwinds Tuesday night over concerns that its recommendations could strain city resources and have unintended consequences such as making housing development more difficult. “I fear what costs I will be placing on the taxpayers of the city of Richmond,” said City Councilor Ellen Robertson (6th District), who also serves on the Planning Commission.

2 weeks ago | richmonder.org | Sarah Vogelsong

2 min Richmond’s public housing authority stopped issuing new vouchers for very low-income residents to rent housing from private landlords this week. Although a press release from the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority announcing the decision links the move to proposed federal budget cuts, CEO Steven Nesmith said in an interview the halt was due to both rising housing costs and a $1 million reduction in federal funding this year.