Richmond Coffee House

[TBurban]

Youve heard of Mr. Hassellstrusselpfeifferhausenklaus, too? Saw him perform at Ballys, Atlantic City 89', pretty neat. Thank goodness they are illegal in Virginia, it just would get outdated quickly.

[Cadeho]

If you have a good architect (HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!), they could be timeless buildings, maybe outlive their uses.

I don't understand how casinos attract crime... i thought it was a Sim City problem!

[TBurban]

Hah, good architect.... They just attract a little bit of a bad crowd. There will always be the drunks, the raged. It will call for cheaper hotels to attract the out of state gamblers, more police to handle acts of violence in and around the casino. Just something the City of Richmond doesnt need more of at the moment.

[Cadeho]

But I said Short Pump... they could use a little variety out there.

[TBurban]

The day they open up a casino out here, is the day Richmond gets a spire.

[Cadeho]

You doomed us!

I don't think casinos are legal in Va anyway, and now we'll never have a spire... thanks!

[TBurban]

My words are the latter of the jinxes.

We're Richmond. Not Charlotte or New York. Thinking we'll get a tall building is like thinking we won't get another box.

Sure, not about the spire, but nonetheless a dommsaying of your own!

[Cadeho]

Dommsaying eh? Dom DeLouise?

He can play theSP casino too!

Nah, I didn't doom us, we'll get something tall and unique against our skyline of Frankenstein's monster heads, but we'll never have a casino.

[JWCJ]

We would if Wilder says so <!>

[burt]

Hahaha. This is the first time I've visited this site since Tommy donned his Santa Hat.

For the record, I would have no objection to TV styled gambling in OTB's as proposed by the Newport News legislator, whether in Short Pump, downtown Richmond or liberal old Chesterfield (haha).

Last night I went to a cabaret type event down in Soho. At the bar, while enjoying my self-invented Shirley Temple - club soda with grenadine - I actually got a round of applause when word got out that I was a Virginian. Since deciding the blue color of the upcoming Senate and House, Virginia has achieved a new type of notoriety.

Edited November 11, 2006 by burt

[burt]

The TV-style gambling bill is going to re-introduced in the General Assembly. I hope it advances. It would be restricted to Colonial Downs and OTB's, I believe, and monies raised would go toward transportation.

[burt]

The TV-style gambling bill is going to re-introduced in the General Assembly. I hope it advances. It would be restricted to Colonial Downs and OTB's, I believe, and monies raised would go toward transportation.

Surprisingly, I read today that this bill has been approved by a Senate committee after being discarded by the House. Of course, its chance of passage is next to nil because it has been tacked on to a Republican transportation bill that would have to make its way through both legislative bodies. I think at least one of the Republican transportation measures would require Nova and HR communities to tax themselves for road/rail needs.

I still like the "gambling" idea. It would allow ATM-like machines to be installed at Colonial Downs and in their Off-Track betting locations (of which there are two in Richmond). Bettors could wager up to $5 at the last minute while watching racing results of 10,000 races on multiple screens. Revenue would go toward tourism and schools, I believe.

Edited February 2, 2007 by burt

[burt]

Here is the story from today's Richmond Times Dispatch detailing the gambling bill I discussed above:

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satel...s=1045855934842

[burt]

Even the Governor would, begriudgingly, favor the gambling bill over raiding the state's slush funds.

[eandslee]

Even the Governor would, begriudgingly, favor the gambling bill over raiding the state's slush funds.

Where do the proceeds of the lottery go? In Georgia it goes to high school students who mades A's and B's so that they can go to an in-state college on the state's dime. I think that's a great idea, but I can't see people going to schools like UVA for free (paid for by the state). Somehow that just seems like it wouldn't go over too well with the powers that be at UVA. However, if we took the proceeds of the lottery and put it toward transportation, that would be great too. Sorry, I'm not sure where the money currently goes. I'd really like to know.

[wrldcoupe4]

Proceeds from the Va lottery go exclusively to education. I think it helps fund both k-12 and higher ed.

[burt]

The horse track OTB bill would replenish the state's general fund and be attached to a transportation measure. It would also be a financial aid to Richmond and other localities that have Off Track Betting parlors:

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satel...news%21politics

[wrldcoupe4]

Some snippets from Mark Holmberg's interview with Richmond.com. This former columnist at the TD will soon begin working at CBS 6 on various assignments.

On Richmond's perception as a violent city:

Where does the misperception that it is dangerous come from?

I think the misperception comes from Americans' overemphasis on their own existence. People are mortified of being hurt, or being killed. Come on, there's 6.5 billion people in this world. We'll make more.

...And this is very much a residential city. There's a lot of people who live downtown. It's wild. The perception of Richmond is just so wrong. That it's this racial backwater conservative place. Politically, it's an extremely liberal city. Huge gay population. Blacks and whites living here together longer than any other city in the United States. It's one of the oldest cities in the United States. And you've got an ultra-cool and internationally-known punk rock scene. And a half mile away, you can see some of the best gospel music that exists on the planet for free.

On Richmond's ongoing Revitalization efforts:

There's a lot of talk these days about revitalizing Richmond, or turning it around. Do you think Richmond will succeed as a city? Or is it a success now?

The difference between today and 10 years ago, and particularly 15 years ago, is unbelievable. If anybody thinks that this city hasn't made tremendous strides they need to get out of their little turtle shell and have a look around. You can go to the worst neighborhoods in town, and there are houses being remodeled, new houses going up. There's a street in South Richmond – Stockton Street and Decatur, right off of Hull Street. You get up there around the 2800 block, those are places that I felt uncomfortable going, back in the early crack-cocaine days. And you go there [now], there are houses being remodeled. The occupancy rate is great. My God, look what's happened to Oregon Hill. Highland Park. Everywhere. The companies that are relocating here.

I think we're right at the edge where things are really going to start moving well because a lot of young people have moved in from different areas. People of some sophistication. I think culturally it's going to accelerate. The biggest thing is the city has got to get over its fear and low self-esteem. Nobody loves running Richmond down more than the people who live here, though not all people.

He shares his thoughts on other issues here

Any thoughts?

Edited February 5, 2007 by wrldcoupe4

[burt]

Holmberg is something else!

He knows whereof he writes and doesn't ######-foot around issues many would like to ignore. I wish he had WON the Pulitzer and not merely been nominated for that auspicious award.

What he says about Richmond is right on target -- and that includes his comments about how much it has improved over the last 15 years. He is a friend of the city and everyone who inhabits it.

Read "cat"-foot above where UP has edited another word for feline.

Edited February 5, 2007 by burt

[Cadeho]

Proceeds from the Va lottery go exclusively to education. I think it helps fund both k-12 and higher ed.

Every time I lose, Tommy and Joey benefit!

[burt]

This is an opinion piece in today's Richmond Times Dispatch, but I think political analyst Jeff Schapiro is right on!

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satel...p;oasPN=%21news

[wrldcoupe4]

I've been monitoring this statistic in absolute awe...

Richmond Homicide Rate Plummets 78% in First 3 Months of 2007

So far this year, there have been six.

For those new to the region, please understand that is low. Really low.

The 78 percent drop in deadly violence is the most dramatic, but not the only, downward trend in the quarterly crime statistics being reported by the Richmond Police Department....

Property crimes -- arson, bur- glary, larceny and auto theft also have dipped markedly in the first three months of 2007 compared with the same period last year.

Major crime -- a combination of all violent crimes and property crimes -- is down 18 percent....

"It's been long enough now that it's looking like it's not just a momentary blip," said Ronald J. Bacigal, a former prosecutor and defense lawyer, now a professor of criminal law and criminal procedure at the University of Richmond's School of Law.

"It looks like something is going on," he said, reflecting on the continuing downward trend in deadly violence. "But I'll leave it to the sociologists to figure out exactly what that is."

Simply amazing. I hope the downward trend continues. The article has some other really good quotes and statistics.. worth a read.

Thoughts?

Edited April 2, 2007 by wrldcoupe4

[Cadeho]

Yes, my thoughts: Suburbanites, it's time to move back into the city. It's safer now and all you need to do now is help improve our school system and it'll be just like Short Pump, Woodlake, Beaverdam or where ever. Just come back!

[wrldcoupe4]

Mark Holmberg lists the top 10 reasons why the crime/homicide rate has plummeted this year, and how it could become "the nation's best turnaround story of the year."

You'll need to use Internet Explorer to view the videos.

The top 10 through 6 reasons...

The Top 5 Reasons...

Thanks to RiverCityRapids Blog for pointing this out.

[Icetera]

I am glad to see that the murder rate has been improving greatly over the years, but I am not sure that having a considerably lower murder rate this early in the year, in comparison to last is year, is truely accurate. Last year we had the 7-8 murders by the same suspects in January, which greatly swelled the 1st quarter murder-rate.