Mayor Wilder and the Richmond City Council will meet today to discuss the recent battle over the school board and the mayor’s attempt to evict them from City Hall.

The public is encouraged to attend today’s meeting and time will be allotted for the council to respond to questions from citizens.

That meeting begins at 4 p.m. at City Hall in the council chamber on the second floor. [via]

According to an article on Richmond.com, yesterday’s first public meeting between Mayor Wilder and City Counsel went “relatively smooth and kept short.”

Councilwoman Ellen Robertson (6th) was the only one to directly bring up the failed school system eviction, saying she had heard concerns about budget amendments and appropriating funds regarding the cost of moving school offices.

Wilder responded that he would “keep you posted,” adding that council needs a clearer understanding in the charter of how it works, in light of the change to a strong mayor form of government.

Gee, thanks for “keeping us posted.” I think the courts may decide that outcome.

Here’s the latest (October) update from the University of Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts:

The latest from actor-director Tim Robbins

Less than two years ago, The Actors’ Gang visited Richmond with the heart-wrenching stories of Death Row inmates in The Exonerated. Known for creating bold, original works for the stage and daring reinterpretations of the classics, The Actors’ Gang returns this month with another production that will provoke our community into thinking about both local and global issues.

Read more >

Here’s the latest University of Richmond Spider Sports Update from Bob Black.

Spiders Outscore UNH, 45-38; Jump To 14th In TSN Top 25
Tim Hightower scored four touchdowns and Justin Rogers set a school record for kickoff-return yardage Saturday as Richmond defeated New Hampshire 45-38. Hightower scored on runs of 2, 72 and 13 yards, the final touchdown coming with 8:42 remaining in the game. He also caught a 5-yard pass from Eric Ward for a score. The victory improved the Spiders mark to 3-1 overall, 2-0 in the CAA, and vaulted them to 14th in this week’s Sports Network Poll. New Hampshire (2-2; 0-2) dropped from 11th to 15th in the rankings. Complete Top 25 Poll

Read more >

As if the school systems, particularly the City’s, don’t have enough to worry about, NBC12 released an article about the lower-than-anticipated student numbers throughout the region. This could mean budget cuts for the various school systems due to lower state support.

Henrico predicted 1,000 and only got 600. Hanover thought 158 and got less than 100. Richmond ended up losing more than 400 students. Chesterfield predicted 1,100 new students but only ended up with around 500.

I mentioned earlier that I always go to the Indian Festival because I love it so much. We’ll I also always go to the 2nd Street Festival too. This year, (this weekend, in fact) they’ve managed to hold them on the same weekend, only one block apart! Granted, parking is going to suck, but I love the community. I love the atmosphere, I adore the music and I never seem to mind reminding myself or my kids what it is like to be in a minority for a change.
The festival, in case you haven’t been, takes place all up and down 2nd Street from Jackson to Broad Street. The area once known as the Black Wall Street of America, or the Harlem of the South. The highlight of course is the jazz, but also, there is great gospel, step dancing, street vendors selling goods, children’s activities, and well once again, the music.
Not sure why the hosts, Venture Richmond (formerly known as City Celebrations and Downtown Presents) put the schedule in PDF, so no one could post it on thier blog, but here are is the link. The festival is totally free.
Highlights include:
Reggae legends A.A.E at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday
SPBC Imani Female Step Team at 3 p.m. on Sunday
and my personal favorite, The James Gates Quartet at 4:40 p.m. on Sunday.

Richmond Symphony Petting Zoo and the Sixth Mount Zion Mime Minestry get my “most curious” votes. I want to go find out what a symphony petting zoo and a mime minestry are….or maybe I don’t.

You know, I always know what’s going on in Richmond, becuase of where I work, but every so often, I hear that someone is bored and can’t find something to their liking here.
They must not be visiting this weekend! For folks who aren’t interested in cultural festivals like Two Street or the Festival of India — how about lawn mower racing? The Steak N Race festival is also that weekend. Eat steak, and race a souped-up lawn mower!
Good thing they aren’t having the event the same weekend as the Pumpkin Chuck-a-thon, they might attract the same crowd.

This event is a benefit for Hanover arc. Learn more about this great organization at www.hanoverarc.com.
Purchase a pumpkin, place it in the “trebuchet” and fire away!!
All money collected for “chunking” goes to Hanover arc.
Throughout the day, your family can enjoy the following:

· Free Hayrides to Pumpkin Patch
· Free Hotdogs
· Free Face Painting
· Corn Maze(Fee)
· Prizes and much more.

If you’re interested in choosing your representatives for the State Senate and the House of Delegates, the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 6 general election is Tuesday, Oct. 9. Qualified residents of Virginia may apply for or change their voter registration at the Office of the General Registrar, Room 105, City Hall, 900 E. Broad St. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot through the mail is Tuesday, Oct. 30. For more information, call 646-5950.