This Weeks Headlines!

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The Diamond is getting ready to seek proposals to relocate “Connecticut,” the crouching Native American statue, from the baseball stadium before the Flying Squirrels take the field this spring. Created 1983 by local artist Paul DiPasquale, "Connecticut" had been at The Diamond since 1985 as a symbol for the Richmond Braves.
RMA officials decided to find a new home for the piece because it doesn’t represent the new team.


Kiplinger’s Personal Finance list of the 100 best values in public colleges had 6 Virginia schools on their list said a Times Dispatch article. Announced today, University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary ranked third and fourth, respectively. VCU did not make the list. Kiplinger ranks based on academic excellence and affordability.


On Saturday Jan 9th, the city of Richmond is sponsoring “Bring one for the Chipper 2010” a Christmas tree recycling program. Mayor Dwight C. Jones said it is
City residents are urged to bring their Christmas trees and have them mulched for landscaping. The event will take place at the Parker Field Annex, 1710 Robin Hood Road.

A class of University of Richmond students held a web-video conference with a group of conservationists from Afganistan recently. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, yhey discussed the safety of 20 endangered plants and animals as the war-torn country takes its first steps toward protecting its wild life Six species -- including two species of bat, an eagle and a ferret -- were approved by the committee. Though the committee continues its work. This was the second semester UofR students had worked with Wildlife Conservation Society to research and suggest creatures and plants to be put on the protected species list.

About thousand people showed up around midnight in Cary town this year. While the offical event was canceled, the ball unofficially fell at midnight as usual. The annual event had been canceled months ago due to high security costs, however Byrd Theater General Manager Todd Schall-Vess decided to go ahead with the ball drop earlier in the day. Richmond City police said they would not stop the event.

On Jan. 31, GRTC will end its rarely used #65 stony point mall route. GRTC’s chief executive, John Lewis told the Richmond Times Dispatch “there’s no connection” between the loss of No. 65 and his broader plan for GRTC. “We will continue to strive to provide more regional service,” he says. “But that service has got to be efficient. This route does not meet that test.” The route costs GRTC nearly $900,000 a year but last year brought in only $22,000 in fares.

Happy Kuhn, a native Richmond paint and designer, has plans to paint a mural to commemorate the almost 80-year-old Ukrops grocery store.
Ukrops was bought for 140 million dollars last December, and Kuhn hopes to get help on the grocery stores mural as no location or funding has been discussed, however he is taking idea submissions on Style Weekly’s website, styleweekly.com

This Brad Kutner for Richmond Independent Radio News